headed on an airplane

so this year for Christmas, we got a trip...CANCUN! we were so excited. we got our passports, luggage tags, i practiced my spanish...then dad broke his ankle a couple weeks before the trip. so we postponed it for a month. well the weather there is terrible. so now we are going to HAWAII!! haha funny huh? we are staying in Ko Olina...not quite sure where it's at. but i do know there is sand and ocean! i laugh at the thought that we are going to the laie visitor's center in a few days as the tourists and in a couple months, i will be tour giver. i'm so excited to go experience the hawaii lifestyle before i am thrown into the mix...i'm not big on surprises. plus, nobody in the family has been before!!

we are staying here:

 

things we plan on crossing off our list:

eating legit hawaiian food...authentic pork, shaved ice, coconut pancakes to name a few

finding a gorgeous muu muu for my farewell...i wanna look the part

laying by the ocean, getting kissed by the sun

going to pearl harbor, pcc (which, i found out, i will be giving tours at...score!), laie visitor's center

learning to surf and hula

on another note, Heavenly Father answers prayers always. today was the best day our family has had in 8 months. i am so grateful for my relationships with my family members, for making them central in my life. i am grateful for eternal families, for the love and tears and laughter and craziness we experience together. i am grateful that i get to go spend 18 months with people who value their families as much as i do.

my older sister got married yesterday to THE most amazing man EVER!!! 

so newsflash to everyone: there is a 85% chance i will marry an island boy. i will name a select few reasons.

1. love of the family

2. sing

3. dance...the haka!!

4. love of food

5. tall, dark, and EXTREMELY handsome

6. simplicity = happiness

7. super affectionate

8. loud, lively personalities

i will hold out for an island man, for that is what i want/need. i feel good about this light that has been shed on my future husband.

the unfortunate flocking

everyone always says, "as soon as you get your mission call, the boys will flock to you." i say, "ya ya....right." and let's be honest. let me tell you who has been "flocking."

• slimy boys who just want to make out....if i didn't want to make out with you before, let alone be near you, why would now be any different? a mission sounds like off-limits to me. but for some, it is the green light.
• example: one boy texts me wanting to come over, to watch a movie. i say no. the movie idea turns into a tv episode. once again i decline. then the 45 minute tv show turns into an episode of the office. i'd rather not. then he starts calling. this is how it always plays out:
• 11:30 come over
• 11:32 ??
• 11:34 please. hurry. i'm alone
• 11:35 first phone call
• 11:36 second phone call
• 11:38 i'm on my way over
• 11:41 third phone call
• 11:42 i'm turning my car around 
• (understand that i don't answer any of these texts or phone calls, and yet, they keep on coming)
• one night i explain to him that he needs to call during normal hours (understand that he used to text at 1:30 or later...he is getting better. props to him) so what does he do? he calls at 10:30 am on a saturday. i still don't answer my phone. get the hint buddy.
• boys soliciting themselves to fill my canteen. um, can you just say gross and desperate? you boys should be ashamed of yourselves.
• boys giving me advice about kissing. "you need to kiss as many people as you can before you go." here's food for thought: how is not kissing someone for 18 months on a mission any different than not kissing anyone for 18 months at home? what if kissing means something to me? ever think about that? i'm not kissing just to kiss. i'm not skanky.
• random weirdos wanting to go out. is it rude that i say no? i don't think so. i don't want to waste your money or waste my time. boys always complain that girls aren't honest, that if they don't want to go out with a guy they should be upfront about it. well, i am honest abe. embrace it

so as "they" say, boys flock. but nobody i want. i know who i want. give me a tall (6'2), dark hair, pretty smile, warm eyes, suit-wearing, ambitious, temple-going man.

i know you are out there. but as mom says, it is not my time for this.

i guess heavenly father is right. i am supposed to go on a mission. haha

what i've been up to

let me share the happy things i have been up to lately:

mom and i went to LEGALLY BLONDE, the musical, at capitol theatre. simply amazing and inspiring.

attempting to eat only lactose and gluten free foods (no breads, milk, cheese, butter, basically anything good). i have found some yummy things amidst the dry, bland stuff they call food. 

• kinnikritters (delicious animal cookies. i think they are for children. but i feel 5.)
• chocolate chex (gluten free, not dairy free but a ok with me)
• rice cakes with almond butter....my staple breakfast food
• this amazing sandwich bread! my friend cate is also gluten intolerant and she made this from scratch. SOOO good. it tastes just like normal bread. try it!

training for my marathon. i have a love/hate relationship with running. i feel so empowered after but i dread those long runs. i was supposed to run 10 miles today. i biked 15 instead. not quite the same, but it was quality time with howard and i will take that over running any day.

i am now back to being my bubbly blonde self (thanks to my gorgeous friend cass)

all of my favorite tv shows are on right now!!! i am loving life. and i have discovered some new ones. oh to have all the time in the world to do nothing: 






• monday: gossip girl (amazing fashion, love stories galore, drama that i love to watch but don't want in my own life....basically my guilty pleasure)
• tuesday: lost (addicting. i crave this show. i feel like the characters are my friends. totally normal)
• thursday: grey's (once again, these people are my friends. i love the crazy new twists that occur. and i love the patient stories...i mean it is a medical show and therefore should have some neat surgery operations. thank you grey's for never letting me down!)
• tivo: parenthood (easily my new favorite show. it depicts real life family craziness, which is hilarious because i can totally relate! seriously though, i laugh throughout the whole show "dude, i have a son named jabar." HAHA love this)

MARCH MADNESS....i can't get enough of this! so many upsets. after tonights game with k state and kentucky losing, my bracket is shot. but how bout a shout out to all the underdogs? holler. and my team is still tearing it up out there. GO DUKE!!!

temple prep with mom. i cannot express my excitement to go to the temple. 4 days people. i don't feel old enough to do this. can someone please press pause to my life? it is going in double fast forward

school...but only 12 more days of classes (and a couple of tests) and i am DONE with BYU!!! can you say ELATED?!?! i sure can.

work. i live at work. it has been crazy stressful, to the point of me wanting to quit. i lined up several interviews at some places. BUT...this past week has been so much better. so i told myself i could stick it out for another couple of months. each hour counts for P.A. school. it'll pay off eventually...hopefully. if only money grew on my trees.

trying to find time to talk to Heavenly Father. i sometimes feel like i am talking to him on the phone but i keep saying "oh...can you hold on for a sec?" and then i forget He is on the line. i hate this. i want to talk to Him all day long, which is why i am so grateful for prayers that are said in the heart. i just want to sit outside in the sun, reading scriptures and preach my gospel and other uplifting books and pray....but alas, this is not the case. so im trying to do what the sacrament prayers talk about: remembering Him. i'll keep ya posted on how this goes.

calling my friends and extended family on the phone to stay connected. i have to charge my phone at least three times a day. ridiculous i know. i surface once a month for social outings. this will happen in about 2 weeks. get ready.

where i will be four months from now!

so i totally got my call. are ya ready?!?

i'm going to HAWAII (honolulu to be exact, as well as the laie visitor's center)!!!! i leave for the MTC on June 30.  an island was definitely on my list of where i would love to go. but let's be real...who ever thinks about being called to hawaii? not i. ah...a warm beautiful exotic island. let me share my happy thoughts:

1. the sun is shining every day! this means i won't get any kind of SAD (seasonal affective disorder...depressed because there is no sun and therefore no vitamin D). i will, at the very least, have a tan face (my selfish vain happy thought)

2. i am "encouraged" to wear bright, colorful clothing, including floral prints (woo! totally in style right now). i can wear sandals, which means NO pantyhose (double woo). 

3. i can stay blonde (my other selfish vain happy thought)! there are hair salons on the island. yay for p-day.

4. i don't have to pack a bag full of tampons, pads, pressed powder, eyeliner, deodorant. etc....hawaii is industrialized. i can buy these things there. YES!

5. there are palm trees EVERYWHERE!!! i can see the ocean!! 

6. hawaiians move slower. they are chill. they take their time, for what is the rush? 

7. i can eat FRUIT and FISH, two of my favorite things.

8. there are a lot of asians (at least some come to visit)!!! although asia is where i really wanted to go, i will get to see and talk to asians in hawaii!

9. i will meet people from all over the world, and as my mom put it, i will be able to plant seeds in people, who will hopefully go back to their homeland and pursue the missionaries there.

10. quite possibly, i will be able to wear real flowers in my hair. LOVE.

11. luaus, the haka, kalua pork, ukeleles, hawaiian floral print shirts...

12. i just might be able to learn how to hula dance! 

13. Heavenly Father totally wants and needs me in hawaii, which from researching and learning more about hawaii, seems to be one of the happiest places on earth, full of loving and joyful people. He knows  me and what i can handle, what i can offer, how i can touch people. this gets me SOOOO enthused!!

i have been looking at so many pictures of honolulu and laie. i don't know exactly where i will be, but every picture i have looked at has been BEAUTIFUL. take a peek!

honolulu

honolulu

laie temple

laie

laie

laie

Heavenly Father loves us beyond what we can comprehend. im so grateful for this amazing opportunity to go serve the people of hawaii, as well as all of the visitors that come to his beautiful place. i am grateful that Heavenly Father trusts that i will be able to touch the lives of others living and visiting here. 

in a nutshell, i love this gospel and i am excited to go share my testimony with others!

a heavenly message

my convo with dad last night:

dad: you know, i really hope your call comes on wednesday.
me: you and me both pal!
dad: cuz if it comes the following week, john and i will be in las vegas (mountain west b-ball tourney).
me: um....ok.
dad: i wanna be there when you open it, but we have b-ball tickets. you would have to open it at four or something.
me: well, too bad. im sorry. im not opening it at four. i have work. and i will open it at 8. cuz that is when people can come.  i guess i could just call you when i open it.
dad: let's just hope that it comes on wednesday.

this afternoon:


"Just checked the online status of your papers. It says, "Call letter sent." That means the mission assignment was made today, and you will receive the letter next week - usually Wednesday! Woo hoo!! (written on facebook from a member of the stake presidency).

i just about PEED my pants when i read this. i immediately called dad. we were both elated! that message was a godsend. so grateful for people who look out for me.

now i just need to wait until wednesday. only. 4 1/2 days. ahhhhhh

creepers

it's a fact of life. 

gym = creepers! 

no way around this. they can be small and scrawny with receding hair lines or no hair at all that try to strike up a conversation with the same opening line every time. 

or it's a young dude with tattoos and weird eyebrow piercings and eyeliner who stares. 

or it's a gym rat who interrupts my set with a "sick" technique that will get me better results. 

or it is an old horny man that follows me to each machine or the hot tub. 

how they happen to be at the gym at the same time as me every day BLOWS my mind, seeing as my gym time changes every day. there is one guy who seems to be in every class i do (yoga, turbo kick, spin, abs/glutes...). SOOOOO ...what's the word....CREEPY!!! there is a reason why i go in baggy t-shirts and capris. but alas, the creepers keep on creepin. let me know if you have any tricks to make these buggers leave me ALONE!

10 days and COUNTING!!!!

it's coming.....

 and it's coming SOON!!! 

i met with my stake president today and he said that my call will most likely come next wednesday!! that is SOOOO crazy!!! im getting so anxious/nervous/excited/butterflies-in-the-stomach feeling. my mom put a map of the world in the family room. i find myself plopping down indian style in front of the map, looking at all of the different countries, finding new places each time i glance over the world. am i going to be eating rice with chopsticks or lots of meat and beans or fresh fish caught in the ocean that morning (that's for you dad, seeing as my life "revolves" around food)?

 people keep asking me where i want to go. i usually say wherever, not giving them any idea of where i want to go. so now, the truth comes out. i would love to go to asia, or somewhere latin america/south america-ish or someplace poor with humble people and circumstances. my chances of getting any of these three is relatively large. yep. i am happy.

 but guess what? it doesn't matter where i want to go. it is where Heavenly Father wants me to go. people have said, in my opinion, the most random places: from Chicago to Guatemala to Mongolia to Maine to France to Nevada to Spain. 

the coolest thing about the whole mission call process is that i will go where i am needed. it is not a luck of the draw deal. i will go where i personally can touch lives, inspire them to come unto Jesus and follow Him, teach them principles that will increase their happiness 100 fold. and whether that be in Wyoming or Germany or Japan, i will know that Heavenly Father wants ME there. so cool.

on a lighter note, my official marathon training starts tomorrow. am i nuts? yes yes, i think this every time i run. how i will ever be able to run 26.2 miles is beyond me. but, i like challenges. i love the idea of completing something that i don't think is possible. i love stretching myself, my brain and ideas of what i can do, pushing myself to the limit. the more i think/plan my runs, the more parallels i find within the gospel. some may think this is bizarre. not at all. what are we all supposed to do? endure to the end. life is not a sprint; rather, it is a day-by-day process. in order for me to run 26.2 miles, i must start with the short runs (3 miles) and master that in order to build up to the anticipated marathon. same goes for the church. specifically entering the temple (this is my focus right now). 

let me share this with you. i used to find it so hard to find time to read the scriptures everyday. i know the stories. i have read the book of mormon at least ten times. so why would it matter if i missed a day? well a day would turn into a week, then several weeks. and i felt something was missing. so i started reading a few verses a day. this turned into a chapter to 3 chapters to at least 30 minutes a day. i found new things each time i read that i did not know before. my days went SOOO much better. i was happier. i was able to recognize promptings from the Holy Ghost. i was better at warding off Satan. i was kinder to my family. i was slower to anger. i was more willing to offer assistance. i went out of my way to find other people to serve. and all of this because i decided to nourish my soul with the book of mormon. it truly is the most powerful life-changing book. 

back to my analogy. in order to be prepared to enter the temple, i must do the little things every day. i need to read my scriptures, pray to Heavenly Father (truly conversing with Him), serve those around me, repent of my wrong-doings and bad thoughts, and go to church every sunday to strengthen my testimony and strengthen those around me. doing these seemingly mundane things have shaped my person, my character, who i am. i didn't realize this at the time, but i am so grateful that i have developed these habits. 

i cannot wait to go to the temple. so many things to look forward to in these next few weeks. and the anticipated post will arrive in 10 short days....where in the WORLD am i gunna go?!?!

my all-encompassing new year's goal

Elements of a Raw Food Diet:

1. Eat completely raw
2. Daily exercise
3. Daily sun exposure
4. Mind your mind
5. Breathe fresh air
6. Get enough sleep
7. Human contact
8. Creative expression
9. Recreation
10. Balance

music as of late...

if you are looking for any new, addicting music, here you go. these are the songs i replay at least 6 times before listening to another song. there is just something about these songs....enjoy!!

my "i LOVE this song" music:

1. rainbow - colbie caillat

2. africa - karl wolf

3. american honey - lady antebellum

4. your love is my drug - k$sha

5. ain't got love - todd carey

6. a day late (acoustic version) - anberlin

7. breakeven - the script

8. hot air balloon - owl city

9. livin' the dream - uncle kracker

10. bad romance - lady gaga

11. fire and rain - mat kearney

12. one tribe - black eyed peas

13. i look so good (without you) - jessie james

14. earth - imogen heap

15. everybody - ingrid michaelson

16. i just call you mine - martina mcbride

17. somebody to love - leighton meester

18. all i want - curtis peoples

19. love this pain - lady antebellum

20. into your eyes - lior magal