Mourning with Me Who Mourns

Previous to ChelaBela, my favorite possession was my camera. I cared so deeply for it, I even departed with it so it could be repaired. Little did I know I would never get it back. I'M NOT BITTER! For now, I'll put the blame on the ever-too-helpful Target salesman, Spencer. I want to drop kick the mail system Napoleon style. #GetAtMeMailman

Hired to serve those who are called to serve

I've been thinking about missionaries a lot today. Maybe it's because Fridays are the days I get most of the missionary letters/emails. Maybe it's because I see thousands of them every day. Here are my thoughts about right now.
* It's easy to tell who was ready to go and who was not. For example, today I saw my once-dear friend "Lars". He looked...miserable. Not that it's surprising, he wasn't doing things that were helping him go on a mission period. BUT he did go. Once he saw me his face changed to a slight smile. My supervisor was talking my ear off so I couldn't actually talk to him, but we had a strange telepathic connection for a second. I had this strange maternal sympathy for him. I hope things change, I hope he changes.
* And then there's Tanner. It's great that I get to talk to him via the mail system, email, and real life. I wish I could put him in my pocket forever. I will share some of his insights. He says in Japanese, they use the phrase "imashime o mamoru" for "keep the commandments", but it literally means to protect or defend the commandments. I feel a lot cooler when I use those words. He also shared a quote that I really like, "Never suppress the urge to do something nice for someone else."
* Missionaries are still people. Jackson still signs everything- #GetAtMe.
* I would hate the being at the MTC. Elder Jensen told me they always feel the Spirit because it's Spirit Prison. I believe it. Reilly loved it. I think he's weird.
*Although it's slightly distracting when I see someone I know every time I look up, I love seeing these guys on a regular basis. Miss em.

Summer Days Drifting Away

I can't help but engage in the sweet reminiscence of last summer. Every day I think, "On this day last year, I was doing...." So here's a blog to capture 10 great moments of my freshman summer- not in any particular order save it be what popped into my mind.

1. Manti with Reilly. That was...a good night. No further explanation will be given on this blog at this given time. Oh, and happy anniversary Matt & Aubrey.

2. It's always awkward living with new people at the beginning of the semester, especially the first time. I will forever treasure the night Launa, Jenna, Aimee, and I discovered we were all weird. This is Launa and I pretending to be dinosaurs. They also slipped us some interesting notes that I still keep.

3. Along these lines was the time we made our first music video. In conclusion, being weird together bonds us like no other. It can be found here.
4. On Pioneer Day, BYU hosted "The World's Largest Water Balloon Fight". Makes me smile.

5. Mentioned in a previous post, I had a great time at the Jack Johnson concert with Carmelle, Dave, and Nate. Drunk people look funny dancing. We look just as good intimidating them.
6. Super sleepover at Aimee's! We made delicious tacos, watched The Lion King, ran crazy through the neighborhood (literally), had a great time at Walmart, and tie-dyed shirts. The next day some of us went to Salt Lake to tour Temple Square and hit Gateway Mall.

7. Aimee's parents took us boating one afternoon. That was flippin fun. After, we went to the Mt. Timpanogos temple where Paul and Nate got to baptize and confirm all of us. It was a neat experience.

8. One afternoon Jenna, Nate, Paul and I were laying around in our hallway snapping silly pictures. Nate didn't even put up a fight when I beautified his face with extensive makeup. Hunger hit and we went to Olive Garden where the giggles didn't stop. The waiter thought Jenna and I were cute and served us well, sending home boxes and boxes of extra food. In return we slipped him a number, Nate's number that is. He had fun flirting with a boy the rest of the night.
9. One day Aimee and I woke up and did nothing. We literally sat in bed all morning. It was very stormy that day so we felt lazy. It was the best do-nothing day. I think we listened to the clean sections of "California Girls" about 80 times.
10. Our last night together was a great one. After finals, packing, and cleaning, we chilled in our hang out kitchen spot one last time. Nate- who has THE best voice I have ever heard- serenaded us on the guitar. Then we hiked the Y, unfortunately forgetting flashlights. We chilled up there for a while, seeing sooo many shooting stars. Carrie Underwood says it perfectly, "Sittin up on the roof, checkin out the moon and the city lights...they've been dreading this moment all summer long- the night before life goes on."

There's my tribute to the best season of my life. B21+12B forever!