Should have happened a long time a go. The trip. And the post.

I moved out here to Utah in 2010. That’s five years ago. And for those 5 years I have been thinking about, dreaming about, and talking about going to Zion National Park. There were lots of opportunities I guess but I just never made it there. Presidents’ Day Weekend presented the perfect opportunity. We packed our lunches the night before. Then we packed up my sweet roommate Kati’s car, picked up her brother and went on our way.

Pretty much once you get south of Payson the highway is surrounded by…nothing. We drove fast, blasted music, stopped for gas, slept, read books and took a wrong turn or two. We also made a pit stop in the town of Virgin…yes, you read that right…just to take this picture.I don’t know the origin of the word “virgin” but I think it’s kind of strange to give a town that name.Finally we arrived a Zion National Park. We were unaware that it was free national parks weekend or even if they accepted credit cards. So as we approached the gate we begin frantically trying to scrounge up the $20 entrance fee (because we’re college students and don’t plan these things ahead of time) only to be told that because we were all “so cute” he would let us in for free ;)

I had spent about 5 mins online looking up potential “hikes” of interest (because we were not all about the infamous Angel’s Landing) so when we entered the park we really had no idea where we were going. It wasn’t until about driving for about 20 mins and seeing the “Exiting Zion National Park” sign that we realized we’d missed a turn somewhere (turns out the turn we wanted was 11 miles back). But the drive provided some great scenic views and chances to practice some YOGA poses.We turned around and finally made it to the correct location where we ate our lunch and then hiked up to “Weeping Rock.” I use the word “hike” loosely here-it was a paved trail, up hill, that took 5 minutes. But the view was definitely worth the walk!Then (at risk of falling from a cliff) we hiked “Emerald Pools”. This was a beautiful hike with amazing views and plenty of places to stop along the way to enjoy the scenery. It was also pretty easy as far as hikes go-I give it a thumbs up! Em tried to take a nice picture of Mike and I but this child was in every shot.When I asked Em how it came out she replied “It looks good. Except that there is a random child in your pictures.” And then from behind her a woman angrily commented, “That’s my random child.” Whoops. But its whatever-that child was a real pain and was throwing rocks down the cavern while everyone was standing around. Dangerous. Control your kids!It was a fun trip! I can’t wait to go back. Or maybe hit Arches again. And I still need to see the Grand Canyon. Lots of adventure awaits!

Name Them One by One

They say it takes 21 days to make a habit (maybe I should try blogging for 21 days-HA!). 3 weeks. That’s it. So if I do something for a whole year it should become like a character trait or something. Right? On that idea for the last couple of years I have decided to make one resolution each year, hoping that if I stick to it I will create a life-long habit (because if it only lasts a week year than is it even really worth it?).

In 2012 I made the resolution to live with “no fear” and I think I did a pretty good job. I had some pretty scary conversations and made some pretty big decisions that changed my life forever.

Then in 2013, while living in a foreign country trying to figure out how to understand Spanish, I made it my goal to, See more, hear more, love more. Talk Less. I’m a talker and I wanted to learn to be a better listener. I learned A LOT about myself and about others in 2013.

2014 rolled around and I was still living it up in El Salvador and we were challenged to “give a gift” to the Savior in the next year. So I made it my goal to serve someone everyday. I honestly don’t know if I went out of my way to serve others every day, I didn’t keep track, but I do know that I never forgot my goal and having it on my mind made it a lot easier to find opportunities to serve.

This year my goal is again very simple: Recognize the blessings…everyday. I believe that happiness is a choice. I have learned that when we look for the good we find it. And when we look for the bad we find it. Life is very often what we want it to be. Knowing that, sometimes I am still a real downer. I see long hours of work piled on top of excessive homework assignments and having to get up early for church on my only day off. And because I’m so caught up in those things I miss all the beautiful little miracles that are happening around me.

My best friend Shelby gave me this beautiful journal for Christmas (it’s purple!) and since I already had my goal in mind I decided to use it as my Daily Gift Journal.  Everyday I am going to recognize, in writing, at least one good thing that happened. One thing that made me smile. Hopefully this will help me to be happier. Hopefully I will see more good. And that journal is pretty big so I think I have room for way more than 21 days.

Here’s to 2015 being a year of blessings and happiness!

Am I a feminist?

I have asked myself this question since my sophomore year of college. I took a Sociology of Gender class in which we discussed the issues facing men and women (but really mostly women) in today’s society. Quite honestly my teacher was a proclaimed feminist who I felt didn’t respect the opinion of others and turned me off completely to the whole idea of feminism. But she also made me think. Am I a feminist?

Feminism as defined by google (that’s a reliable source right?) is- the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men.

I guess I agree with that. Kind of. Political and economic equality. I can hop on board. I’m glad I can vote. I’m glad I can have a credit card in my own name. I’m glad I can go to school and have a job. I am grateful for many things that the feminist movement had accomplished.

But I don’t like the word equality all that much. Or better, I should say I don’t what the word equality has come to represent. I’m  sure a thousands feminists could read this and tell me all the ways I don’t understand what feminism really is and that’s fine (I’d be thrilled if 1000 people read this). Equality seems to mean that woman want to be “the same” as men. Men and women are NOT the same. Just like I am not the same as anyone else. Just as society encourages us to embrace our individual differences, I think it should encourage us to embrace our gender differences. These differences are real. They exist.

Sure I think women should be given equal pay for doing the same job as men. If they do it just as well. But I don’t think that a company or organization should feel trapped into hiring a female just so that they don’t get the backlash for discrimination.

I think men are more naturally inclined to be providers. Just as there are stresses that come with motherhood and carrying and nurturing a child there are stresses that come with providing for a family. Women find fulfillment in motherhood, do they not? Just as men find fulfillment in “bread-winning”. This is not to say that women don’t enjoy success in the workplace or that men don’t value being fathers. All I am saying is that stereotypes exist for a reason. We each have an important role to play, men, women and children alike. If we would stop fighting it and embrace it I believe we would find true joy and escape the double-standard our society seems trapped in.

 

So, am I a feminist? You tell me.

Why I Dumped A Bucket of Ice on My Head

The first time I saw a video on my Facebook feed of a friend dumping ice water on her own head, I thought, “What kind of dare did she get herself into?” and didn’t watch the video because I “didn’t have time” (which is dumb to think, I could have watched it, I wasn’t doing anything but looking at Facebook). Over the next couple days these videos started popping up more and more, this “dare” of drenching yourself with freezing water spread like a virus…indeed you could say it went “viral”. I had no choice but to watch and learn about what the heck was going on.

From what I understand the challenge goes like this. Once challenged you have 24 hours to either complete the cold water act AND donate at least $10 to an ALS charity of your choice OR you can forego the “fun” part and donate $100. Simple enough. When challenged I chose to donate and enjoy a cold bath. Why? Not because I didn’t want to fork over $100 but because I realize that AWARENESS can do just as much for a cause as a private donation…and dare I say, more. I realize that a 30 second video of me being silly and calling 5 other people out by name specifically to do the same is a lot more effective than a “Please donate to this GREAT cause!” post that will be scrolled right over 90% of the time.

As mentioned in my bio I study non-profit management (aka charity organizations), I have volunteered on committees working to raise money and awareness for a cause…it is NOT easy. It takes a lot of time. A lot of brainstorming. You have to get creative. Anything that catches peoples attention is worth a shot. And the ALS Association has done a GREAT job of calling attention. I have read quite a few articles surrounding ALS and the Ice Bucket Challenge…and I have to say while many are positive and uplifting, I find some of them incredibly negative and even downright offensive.

I head over to the ALS official website (ALSA.org) and read things that make me feel uplifted, they make me feel like ordinary people can make a difference right from their own backyard:

“We couldn’t be more thrilled with the level of compassion, generosity and sense of humor that people are exhibiting as they take part in this impactful viral initiative."

and

"While the monetary donations are absolutely incredible, the visibility that this disease is getting as a result of the challenge is truly invaluable. People who have never before heard of ALS are now engaged in the fight to find treatments and a cure for ALS."

But then I read articles like these pieces of negative “journalism” (you can read here and here). The mention things like narcissism and point out that “pouring a bucket of ice over your head wont cure ALS.” I mean seriously? You think we don’t know that? If you think that is what this is about then you clearly have no understanding of how marketing and advertisement work. We understand that freezing in our backyards isn't going to give someone with ALS the ability to walk again. Just like we understand that shaving my head wont cure cancer, fasting for 30 hours wont stop starving children from dying everyday, or running an obstacle course wont give a wounded soldier his leg back. We understand that but we do it anyway. Why? Because it matters. Because thanks to people dumping ice on there heads millions of people who had never even heard of ALS (myself included) now know and care a little more about it.

So, NO dumping a bucket of ice on my head wont cure ALS but neither will your negative comments and articles. If you don’t want to dump a bucket of ice on your head, you don’t have to. But don’t tell me it doesn’t matter. Don’t tell this family it doesn’t matter (VIDEO LINK).

To learn more about ALS, make a donation and learn more about what you can do click HERE

Bucket List #18: Take Me Out to the Ball Game

You know, I have this huge desire to travel – wanderlust I think they call it-but the funny thing is I live less than a hour away from freaking BOSTON (the best city ever) and I think I can count on one hand the amount of times I have actually visited. I regret not spending more time up there.

For example, 20+ years and up until a few weeks ago I had never even been to the iconic Fenway Park-lame I know (and I call myself a sports fan). But I did it, I went-spending this summer crossing things off the bucket list one adventure at a time. I wanted to get the full Fenway experience. 

• We sat wayyy out in the bleachers-which leads me to believe there isn’t a bad seat in the place because I thought the view was great!
• I spent $6 on a Fenway Frank and then $4 on a box of Cracker Jax (the prize was a stupid San Francisco Giants sticker) and another $4 on Hot Coco.
• We laughed like crazy at the drunks around us as they sang loud, screamed at the opposing team and at each other and almost feel down the bleachers-’m telling you you do not get that kind of entertainment in the box seats. Oh yeah, and the SOX WON!

bucket list #20: go to the movies by myself

i realized i was lost in the book when i highlighted the line “I never took another picture of him” in pink, marking it as a “romantic quote”. i mean seriously…how sad is that?

i did it. i gave into the hype about the novel about terminally-ill teenagers everyone is raving about. and I finished The Fault in our Stars in about 3 days…so i guess that means i liked it. it has all the things that make a book good: one-liners, a dreamy boy to fall in love with page after page, narrative observations that make you reflect on life (i used my kindle’s highlighting capabilities more that ever before), and of course star-crossed lovers. so yeah, i liked it. enough that i decided to go see the movie the day after i finished the book.

which brings me to the title. i have a pretty extensive bucket list-one of those is “go to the movies by myself.” i figured this would be the perfect flick. if i cried no one would make fun of me for it, if i didn’t no one would know how heartless i was. so i put on some comfy clothes, drove to the theater, bought my ticket and sat in indian-style in my seat with nachos and watermelon sour patch in my lap.

the movie was pretty good. the book was better…sadder…but also better. but i think that is only because i loved so many of the things John Green wrote for Hazel that she never said out loud in the movie.  i didn’t cry though. i did during the book but not in the movie. everyone around me did though…and i mean every last girl in that theater…except for me.

just one more thing. its a cute love story…it really is. very believable. but i liked the “bromance” between the male lead and his best friend even more than the actual romance. but maybe that’s just because i don’t have a boyfriend…only friends. haha.

miracles never cease

during my time in el salvador i witnessed many miracles both great and small. but little did i know heavenly father had a miracle waiting for me back home.

in march, while still living in paradise, i wrote an email home. it talked about how I would be heading home in a few weeks time, i expressed the excitement of the whole mission receiving cell phones, and shared the experience of being without power for a few days.

i refer to this email for a specific purpose though. i dont want to talk about cell phones or power outages i want to talk about how the things we choose to share can change lives. about how one simple phrase in that email opened a door.

“love should be our motivation for everything”

i wrote that wanting to share with my family some spiritual insight i had learned. but it became SO much more. mom posted that email to my blog and posted the link to her facebook. among one of mom’s friends who read the post was D.

 

today i watched as D entered the waters of baptism and watched as she left them a transformed person. i watched as she cried and laughed with new friends. i watched the Spirit speak through her as she bore her testimony. today i witnessed another miracle. if we look there are miracles all around us we will find them because miracles never cease.

we have been given the power to influence others, whether it be for good or evil. let it be for good. let your words and actions help others to reach higher and be better. use the influence you have been given to scatter a little less rain and a little more sunshine.

adjusting

mom wants me to start blogging again. she keeps mentioning it. and since i started this blog for her i guess it’s only right that i restart it for her…even if mom is the only one reading it. i guess a year and a half of letters every week has made her miss my writing now that i’m home. so here it goes…this photo marks a moment of change. maybe the change didn’t start exactly in the moment this picture was taken. you could easily argue that the change started before this, the moment i boarded a flight headed for the USA, or the moment i stepped off that plane and hugged my dad who had patiently waited at the gate. or maybe it started after, when i slept in MY bed for the first time or when i took my missionary tag off. i dont actually know-but this picture comes pretty close.

my mom says i’m great at adjusting to change. i guess that’s true. change doesn’t bother me too much. at least not in the moment. when i know it’s coming it bothers me, i worry about it, i often dread it. but when it actually comes i usually just go with the flow. take life as it comes and keep smiling. but that doesn’t mean i dont feel it. that doesn’t mean that inside i dont miss the past or dont long for “ the way things used to be.” and it doesn’t mean that just because i seem to be well-adjusted i dont notice all the things that are different.
i’ve been home about 2 months and its weird. i’ve definitely changed. not too much i hope. i think i’m still me. i still love tv show marathons, sleeping in, laughing too loud and shopping (although i am having to re-discover fashion). i still speak my mind, love eating sushi, and dont mind spending all day in bed once-in-awhile (like today).

but i also have all these weird quirks that i can’t seem to shake. sometimes i have to ask myself if a word is english or spanish before speaking. i resist the urge to point at things with my lips. i used to look for the closest parking spot now i choose the solitary space at the edge of the lot because, honestly, i kinda miss walking everywhere. while i’ve gotten over the shock of bathing with running water i’m still pleasantly surprised when i remember that i can control the water temperature. i eat everything on my plate-even if i dont like it-not just because the idea of “starving children who would love to eat those vegetables” is now real to me but because i have a different idea of what food actually “costs”. seriously…why is cheese SO expensive?!

so yes, i’ve changed. but i think i like change. because i think change always comes when you have adventure and i love adventure.

so here’s to adventure and change and the inevitable adjusting it brings…even if it’s weird and uncomfortable sometimes.

p.s. hope you liked it mom

New Hampshire House

My childhood is filled with memories of mini-vacations north; New Hampshire to see Story Land,Six Gun City and Santa’s Village,Vermont for horseback riding and to witness to famous change of seasons. So when the Patraikos offered my family a weekend at the “New Hampshire House” I was more than excited. Memory lane plus a weekend with my favorite twins. Score! The cutest girls I know. There is nothing like being woken up in the morning to the sound of little giggles and these two jumping on your bed and then crawling under the covers with you. Plus I was invited to come visit them in the Hello Kitty house they’re going to live in when they grow up-I feel pretty special. Zach and I spent Saturday afternoon training to be telephone line repairmen 60 feet above the trees in an aerial adventure park. Here I am clinging to a piece of wood for dear life while everyone below mocks me in their heads but laughs out loud…including Mom and Dad. I could not figure out how to safely cross the obstacle before me. I just stood on the platform trying for what seemed like a half an hour and then I just threw my body at the piece of wood and hung on tight. Probably one of the scariest moments of my life, almost as bad as that time I plummeted down a ski slope in a wal-mart blow up sled backwards. Almost. (I’ll have to tell that story sometime).1//Zach on the tight-rope 60 ft up. He was freaking out and screaming at my parents while they tease him from the ground. I actually enjoyed the tight-rope walk. 2// Me clipping in ready to zip-line. 3//Zip-lining to the ground…wee! 4//Zach having a little trouble. Then we went “Weeeeeeeeeeeeeee!” all the way down the Mountain Coaster! They wanted to go “super fast” and so we did…over and over again. Sunday we went up to Cathedral Ledge. I was beautiful. I can only imagine how amazing it is when the leaves start to change color and its a sea of red, orange and yellow below. I just love the picture of my mom and dad…seldom is my dad’s personality captured so perfectly.

Then we went to Jen’s parents house for dinner. The Bowen’s are awesome! It was pretty cool to get one-on-one advice from a former mission president and his sweet wife. Perfect ending to a fantastic weekend. Thanks to the Patraikos (and Bowens) for a wonderful weekend…and to Jen for letting me steal these pictures without permission ;)

sparkle

Biting your nails is a terrible habit. And not just biting them, but chewing on them until you can’t chew anymore, because they’re just too short. A terrible habit and one I’ve had as long as…forever (Mom asked me I remember when I started…I don't). Then about a month ago I decided I wanted to stop-this was nothing new though, everyone 2 years or so I  “decide to stop”-but this time was different…I actually quit. Just like that. No more biting. I don't know what made this time so special, maybe it was all the beautiful manicure ideas on Pinterest, or the reality that biting your dirty nails while living in El Salvador is probably a good way to get sick, but I just stopped biting them.

They’re not having the easiest time growing in, they’re different shapes and lengths, but they’re there and that’s what counts. And I know that biting my nails isn’t that serious of an issue but I’m pretty proud of my self-control; pleased that everytime I wanted to stick my finger in my mouth I was able to stop and say “What are you doing? Is this really worth it?” Self-control in any form is important though.If I applied this to food, “Is that extra scoop of ice cream really worth it?” or to exercise, “What are you really going to do in the next hour that is more productive than going on a run?” So yeah, biting my nails was a little thing, but it’s the little things that make the big things happen.

Plus now I can finally do all those cute manicures I’ve been staring at online. Today I’m really excited because I did this: I’m new at this and my painting skills could use a little work…the idea for this came from here 

Essie Nail Polish// sand tropez & set in stones

I love just about anything nude (not like that…eww-I mean the color geesh). And the pop of the one glittery nail makes me smile. Seriously sparkles and finger nails were meant for each other. Don’t you think so?

Thoughts on Politics

I have been so aggravated lately, with the media, with the candidates, and especially with Facebook. Politics have completely taken over. This in itself isn’t a bad thing. Some of my friends (both Liberal and Conservative, Republican and Democrat) make excellent points. They post valid information and really make me think. What’s terrible is more often the things that are posted are completely one-sided and sound ignorant. I’ve come to the point where I am not only upset by the words but also with the individuals. I hate being upset with people. I do not like negative things. And that’s the problem, because now I don’t like politics. And that’s not okay, political issues are important, what happens in this country is important to me!

I’ve realized that there is no room for negativity in my life. Negativity accomplishes nothing except to bring me down. There is enough pain and hurt and suffering in this world without people speaking poorly of others. Just once instead of hearing “Mitt Romney blah blah negative stuff blah blah blah"” or “Barack Obama blah blah more negativity blah blah.” I’d like someone to tell me something wonderful about their candidate; a reason I should vote for him and not just a reason I shouldn’t vote for the other guy. No negatively. Just good stuff.

Now for some fun. I love Ellen. Her show never fails to make me smile and laugh. Positivity my friends, the key to a happy life.

today…

*Hermana Krueger is no longer at the above address…sorry

…I woke up to a newly cleaned bedroom. Too bad I only get to enjoy it for 2 1/2 more weeks.

…I wore black spandex workout pants, a big t-shirt, my hair in the messiest bun you’ve ever seen right on top of my head and not a stitch of makeup, out in public…and it felt good

…I satisfied a week long craving for a Jamaican Jerk chicken wrap and mango smoothie. It was totally worth the wait, tasted better than I imagined. Don’t you just love when that happens.

…I fell into the old-lady-yard-sale trap and forked over $5 for an old “bean pot” that I have no clue how to use. Probably not the wisest use of money, but at least it looks cool.

…I also bought a cute white lamp for the side table in my room. Just for the record Christmas Tree Shop sells adorable little lampshades but no lamps to put them on…they’re all too big. lame.

…the best part was-I got a letter from my Emily! It was such a wonderful sight to see Dad going through the mail, saying “Tornado. From Hermana Krueger” and handing the envelope over. Woot! *first pump*

Never Forget

"Eventually September the 11th will be a date on the calendar, it'll be like Pearl Harbor day. For those of us who lived through it, it'll be a day that we'll never forget." – President George W. Bush

I was 10 years old. A student in Mrs. Quintal’s 5th grade class at East Gate Christian Academy. We were going through our morning routine when suddenly Mrs. Q was called out of the classroom. When she returned she looked upset-I thought we had done something wrong. Then she smiled and the day continued as normal. At the end of the day we received yellow pieces of paper stating, “Due to the events in our nation today parent-teacher conferences have been re-scheduled.” I didn’t understand what that meant; as we waited to be picked up the older kids told us there had been a terrorist attack and planes had crashed into the World Trade Center and Pentagon. I was so confused. I’d never heard of the World Trade Center. And I was young and innocent, I had no idea what terrorism meant. As we drove home my father explained what had happened, and even though the sky was clear and blue I was sad. The entire rest of the day and coming week really was spent watching the news…we never watch the news…I am forever haunted by the images of people jumping to their death and of those towers literally crumbling.

It wasn’t until 6 years later, as a junior in high school taking American history that I began to understand what 9/11 really means to me. As I studied World War I, the Great Depression, the attack on Pearl Harbor, I started to think about the people who lived it. The children who watched their fathers go to war, the parents who struggled to raise their children, the people who kept their ears zeroed in to the radio on December 7, 1941 (just as I would be glued to my television 60 years later)-I realized that what I saw as a page in my text book was real to those people that lived it. And just as they would always remember those events, I would never forget where I was or how I felt on September 11, 2001.

We are taught history in school because it teaches us how events change the course of our lives. September 11 was the first time that my personal history and world history truly crossed paths. It was the first world event that changed my life. And while my children and grandchildren will only understand it as a day in history, I will always remember September 11, 2001 as a day that changed my history.

Giossi Adventures in Maine

“Nature has a way of refreshing me” that’s what my mother has to say about the first part of our 2012 family vacation to Maine. We started up in the town of Forks (population 30) for some camping on the river and white water rafting. Last year we forgot the tent poles and rigged that sucker up with sticks and rope, this year we forgot a compressor and blew the air mattresses up with a bicycle pump-we probably could have blown them up faster using our lungs but we probably would have passed out first. Maybe “practice makes perfect” and we’ll get it next year or maybe we’re just not cut out for this camping stuff. Towable pop-up anyone? We took a nice “hike” to Moxie Falls, the tallest Waterfall in the Northeastern United States. Remarkable. You can literally feel the power as you stand on the platform overlooking this piece of God’s handiwork. Safely made the trip down the Kennebec River thanks to our awesome guide “Chip”. Spent the next two night in beautiful Kennebunkport. It’s pretty cool being in an actual town, they have things like shopping…and showers…and toilets. The toilets are especially nice. First night was just dinner and shopping but the second day the girls went sailing and the boys did some deep sea fishing. Basically your typically vacation…less relaxing than expected and much more food than you planned on.

made another little video…enjoy

London 2012

I think the summer Olympics are totally worth the 4 year wait. I love just about everything about them especially sitting on my but watching theses superhumanly fit individuals be the best in the world at what they do-it’s inspiring. These 2012 games had some great moments:like when the US Women’s Gymnastics team won goldor watching double amputee, Oscar Pistorius, race in the 400M semifinal and 4x400 relaywho could forget the Badminton Scandaljust about anything that had to do with Ryan Lochte (yes, I have shamelessly hopped on the bandwagon)

and then there’s the commentary by my family…my favorite part.

Swimming: "Michael Phelps was smoking pot and eating Doritos. Ryan Lochte was training hard. That’s what happens.”-Mom

Mom: What’s the fly? Me: Butterfly Jared: Why don’t they just call it the “Butter”?

“Michael Phelps is an Olympic Champion and he doesn’t deserve to be called a ‘flop’ by some fat, bald reporter from New York.” –Dad

Ryan Lochte on commercial: Luck didn’t get me to London, I swam here. Me: Kay, now swim to me.

Gymnastics: “I like how he’s wearing footie pajamas.” –Jared

“I love it when they feature the screw-ups.” –Jared

Mom: His mother can’t even watch. Jared: Could you? That’s her meal ticket up there swinging around like crazy.

Track&Field: While discussing the US medal count race against China- “Plus track and field is coming up. And there aren’t many black people in China." –Jared

Jared: Born in NY and raised in California, so he’s an American. Why is he racing for the Dominica Republic? Me: I dont know, we’ll just count that gold for the US. Jared: And isn’t Puerto Rico owned by the US? Me: Yup, we’ll count the bronze for us too. Jared: Way to sweep that one. (Discussing the results of the Men’s 400M hurdles)

everything and anything my family says is said lightheartedly and not meant to be offensive in any way

Called To Serve

I’m pretty sure most of the people who read my blog already know this, but just in case…I have been called to serve as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and assigned to the El Salvador San Salvador Mission.

I’ve known for a little over a week but I think it’s just now sinking in (especially since my visa application came in the mail). Although it wasn’t even a place I considered, I am beyond excited for the opportunity to serve the people of El Salvador and look forward to embracing the culture and language. It’s crazy to think I will be living in this completely foreign place for 16 months. From what I’ve read and heard it’s going to be an eye-opening experience that I know will change my life. I’ll keep you updated but for now if anyone has any suggestions feel free to share (particularly in regard to clothes and shoes).

Overnight on the Vineyard

Remember how I said I was itching for some adventure? Well, my mom took care of that. On Friday she surprised me with an overnight trip to Martha’ Vineyard. We relaxed at our Bed&Breakfast, ate our meals with a view of the ocean, got lost on bicycles, bought matching Alex and Ani bracelets, and enjoyed multiple ice cream cones.We spent Friday night at The Arbor Inn in Edgartown…so quaint and adorable! Enjoying the sunset from the harbor in Edgartown. Yes, I’ll take the helicopter option with my new Yacht. Lunch on Saturday at the infamous Black Dog Tavern-I tried my first crab cake sandwich and I actually enjoyed it. We just happened to choose what is known as Shark weekend in Oak Bluffs. I had mixed feelings about the whole thing…seeing these sharks up close was cool but I couldn’t help feeling bad for them. We wanted to take the “Ocean View” route back to Edgartown from Oak Bluffs…when we asked a local 12 year old for directions he laughed at us for attempting the ride on bikes. We made it back though and completed out 20 mile ride around the island. Gorgeous sunset as the ferry pulled back into “the mainland”…perfect ending to a wonderful trip.