I love this quote because after traveling a lot this year, I've realized I'm always going to want to travel. But more on that later. Well I went to Canada. Was it glorious and perfect? YES. Now let's get to the fun part:
Michal's wedding. I get to share my favorite day with one of my favorite people for the rest of my life! Although I couldn't attend the temple sealing, I was there to greet Michal and Mike coming out of the temple. I just love their love! They are so patient and loving towards each other already that it's insane. In the midst of so many marriages failing, it was great to see one with such a strong foundation. Michal looked so radiant and happy that I actually cried when I gave her a hug. Her dress, made by her mom, was breathtaking. After taking pictures, we all headed to a luncheon and Michal, being the greatest friend in the world, didn't leave until she gave me a birthday present of purple nail polish! :) Haven't I told you she's the best?!? After a brief cleaning up, Sister Tilleman (sidenote: The Tillemans are incredible! Thanks for letting me stay in your home the night before the wedding) drove me to the airport so I could hop on the Skytrain (the metro system there). I got to what I thought was my hostel only to be told I didn't have a reservation. Luckily for me, they told me they have two different locations and that the next one was just a few blocks up and nearere the beach. So I got there and everything was all set. By now, it's nearly 7, literally a thousand degrees because my hostel has no air conditioning and all I wanted in the world was to FaceTime my mom and dad because I was emotionally exhausted, but the internet was super skethcy. I ended up talking to my dad for a bit with bad internet connection which was definitely a blessing because I was missing my family super bad. And then I went to Sunset Beach, ate a Subway sandwich and read a letter from Danny. To say that this was a perfect moment would still do it injustice. On the beach, you can see the water, mountains and downtown. It was the perfect combination for some self reflection time. And, Danny ALWAYS knows what to say to make me feel better. I then headed back to my hostel, met my roommie from Brazil and FINALLY talked to my mom around 11. By this time, I was almost in hysterics because it wasn't connecting. Luckily for me (many frantic prayers!) it finally did and I could talk to her. Overall, it was a fantastic birthday!
Day one. I woke up in Canada to a beautiful cloudy day. My first plan of attack was going to the CapilanoSuspension bridge,which has a free shuttle from downtown. As I stood at the stop, there was another girl there wearing a University of Colorado sweatshirt, so of course I asked her if she was attending school there. It turns out she was doing her MBA there and was originally from New York. We were both staying alone and kind of became insta friends. There was another guy there traveling by himself and so while we took the trolley, we decided we would stick together at the bridge so that we wouldn't have to take awkward selfies or make strangers take our pictures. It was so much fun! I've wanted to walk across this suspension bridge for quite awhile, and it was so fun with my new friends. We took oodles of pictures and when we asked a couple to take a picture of three of us, they remarked how much fun we seemed to be having and said we looked like a group of really close friends. We are laughing because we had just met two hours ago. We also did this cliff walk, where you walk on this tiny part of the bridge, which seems super sketch, but it was so much fun. I really loved it and recommend that everyone go there. I also really liked making friend with random people. The rest of the day was spent on the Trolley Tour. I saw the torch from the Vancouver Olympics and then explored Stanley Park which is GORGEOUS!!!!!! This trip made me really appreciate being outside because Vancouver is beautiful. I then ended the day eating at my FAVE restaurant in DC, Nando's, and then went to the beach again. I could seriously live on that beach. It was really fun to sit and read/ponder.
Day two. I woke up and took my first ferry! Okay, so it was literally four minute and it was just across the beach, but I still felt pretty cool. I grabbed the trolley and headed out on an adventure. At the Chinatown stop, I randomly decided to get off and explore and I am so glad I did. I went to a Chinese Garden and it was incredible. I've never had the desire to go to China until I went to the garden. They are really big on symbolism and I just loved everything about the details and balance/harmony that the garden was supposed to represent. It was also cool because it was the first garden outside of China, so the Chinese government shipped everything directly from China and had Chinese people construct it, so it's very authentic. Since my visit, I've decided that my dad and I need to go to China/Japan. After my little jaunt in Chinatown, I hopped on the trolley and saw Canada place (where all the cruise ships come in) and then headed to English Bay Beach, where I consumed a really delicious turkey burger and said and read the book "One Day." It was very relaxing. I also went to the Planetarium because I am a sucker for them. It turns out that I probably shouldn't have paid $18 for this really crappy show, but that's okay. At least I can say I've been to a planetarium in another country. I then did a free walking tour through Granville Island, which has a really great market and shops. It was very cool. I then got a gelato, sat on a bench and watched the ocean while listening to this guy sing really excellent covers. It was another picture perfect moment. Then I went to... you guessed it! Sunset beach. So yeah, you could say I spent some quality time at the beach. I then got restless, so I went to see World War Z because it was the only thing not rated R. It was pretty good, but I absolutely loathe 3D movies. Anyways,I absolutely LOVE Canada and I am so blessed that I had the opportunity to go. I love traveling! I cannot wait for my future adventures.
Temple/hiking. This past Saturday, I had the chance to reconnect with Madison! She stayed at my apartment for a few days. Even though I had a MASSIVE migraine from all the sugar consumed at Michal's Utah wedding reception, I went to the Provo temple with Madison. She's such a good influence! :) Afterwards I sat in bad for three hours because my head was actually going to kill me. Then Madison convinced me to go hike Timp Falls with her and Mitch and it was excellent! :) Love that girl!
Miracles. There have been so many miracles and blessing this week that it would be impossible to name them all. I am just so thankful for random tender mercies like finding a copied chapter of a really excellent book ("Divine Signatures"), having home teachers that really care, having people to let me sob to, getting an email from Danny, hearing someone quote the exact talk you were reading earlier in a direct answer to prayer and on and on. It's crazy how much love I have felt even through this really crappy week. Heavenly Father truly does love us. He knows us and He knows exactly what we need when we need it. So thankful for the miracles in my life.
Use the whole crayon box. This week was REALLY really rough. You know the expression when it rains, it pours? Well that's exactly how it felt. I got so sad and so frustrated. My dad always tells me (or maybe it was someone else, but my dad is getting the credit) to use the whole crayon box of emotions. Sometimes you need to use your "sobbing" crayon or "super frustrated"crayon longer than you want to, and that's okay. I found this quote (on Pinterest of course) and I loved it: "I'll lead with the bad news: it's going to get worse. I've even begun collecting raindrops to prove it isn't sunny all the time. I've spent entire days in bed and I've lost entire hours in lukewarm water. It's okay. Some days are bad. I have to get up even when I don't want to . It happens. It is still a beautiful life." I am so thankful for the gospel that has helped me through, most specifically prayers and priesthood blessings from the best home teachers!
Katy Perry. Again, what? Let me explain. I watched her movie and actually cried. She is a boss woman. I know you probably don't believe me, but she's all about empowering others. She also realizes that sometimes bad things happen and it's okay to break down. Also her new single, Roar, is my JAM right now. I may or may not listen to it a thousand times a day and I am NOT sorry.
Batman. You probably are like what the heck? Why are you bringing up Batman Kels? Well let me tell you. I am a little bit obsessed with the Dark Knight Rises. My dad and I have talked about it numerous times because we love the symbolism and tie in. Yesterday in Marriage Prep, they showed this clip:
And I LOVE this scene. First of all, the symbolism of how the first movie he first gets over his fear of falling in a well (almost like this prison) and there are even bats before he jumps. It is just so empowering that in order to move on (jump to higher places if you will), we need to let go of things that hold us back or our in our comfort zone. And we also learn that sometimes we fall so we can learn to pick ourselves back up and become stronger. I just love everything about this scene. Talk to me about it when I see you next!
UN class. So in a crazy spin of events, I randomly found out that BYU has a model UN class. Because I really want to work for a place like the UN, I've decided to take it, even though it puts me back a class! I am really excited and it will help me flesh out if this is really what I want to do, so wish me luck!
And here's some pictures of my adventures in Canada and such:
Selfie in Stanley Park
Madison and I hiking
View from Timp Falls
After I crossed the bridge!
View of Vancouver from the planetarium.
Sunset beach
Cliff walk!
My friends I made on the shuttle to the bridge!
Chinese Garden
Checking off the bucket list! :)
It was an actual rainforest!!
I LOVED the chinese garden.
Sunset at Sunset Beach.
Michal and Mike's wedding
Could I live there forever? YES.
Madison and I at Timp Falls.
So life, while tough, continues to go. I cannot believe I am starting my SENIOR year at BYU in less than two weeks! :)
Well this is it. Today marks a very special moment in my life: the day I met my friend Michal Christine Savage. I like to refer to it as a friendiversary because that's precious. Anyways, three years ago today, I was stressed out of my mind, dealing with a cold, starting a new job, finishing my first semester of college AND freaking out about how I wouldn't see my family on my birthday. And now, I'm leaving for Canada today because she's getting married to the love of her life tomorrow! Funny how much has changed in three years! I just wanted to take a moment to tell everyone why I love Michal, but how do you express in words when someone changes your life? When I met Michal, I was very fragile. Coming to BYU was a lot rougher than I expected to be, but Michal has helped me through every experience I've had here. So why do I love Michal? Well there are oodles of reasons, but I'll break it down in simplified version:
She was my first true friend. I've had lots of best friends, but Michal was different. I jokingly call her my substitute spouse. True friends leave their really important accounting final early so they can drive you to the airport. They come rescue you when you get in your first ever fight with a roommate. They learn your love language and write you letters. They let you cry over the SAME boy for three years straight without complaining. True friends rejoice in your successes and personally feel your sorrows.
She taught me how to love the Book of Mormon. Seriously, I've never met someone who loves that scripture as much as she does. She also loves the gospel.
How she knows me so well that I can be listening to a song or wearing a certain color of clothing and know exactly who I am thinking about/feeling. (i.e. that when I'm wearing purple, I'm feeling confident. And if I'm listening to Taylor Swift or the song "At Last," then I'm thinking about one particular person).
She completely understands my love language. Like the time she wrote this blog post when she went to Canada on my birthday last year! :) (And how she knows that to cure anything, I pretty much need a cupcake or Subway sandwich).
She is the world's most compassionate person. She treats everyone like an individual and will spend hours talking to someone she barely knows AND then remembers everything they say. She's the person that, after meeting her for the first time, you instantly want to become best friends with because she is so genuine. (This is a woman who remembered to wish me a happy half birthday. Now do you believe me?)
She reminds me how fabulous I am when I've forgotten, just like this quote: “Our friends have a way of reminding us of how fabulous we are when the rest of the world has forgotten.” ― Mandy Hale
My favorite memories of Michal:
That one time I told her that her face reminded me of the world's ugliest dog and she still loved me.
The time we wrote this letter to Danny like it was no big deal... and then we mailed it to him... and she didn't think it was weird.
My handwriting was black and hers was blue.
Blaring "You Belong With Me" after completing hard projects (but actually every Friday)
Our friendship song:
That time when we were walking across the street and I almost got hit by a car and screamed something totes inappropes.... and she still loves me!
Her sitting on my lap on the bus after she broke her arm.
Making homemade pizza and watching Swan Princess.
The time I found out my flight to New York was cancelled because of Hurricane Sandy, so she took me to "New York" by having a sleep over.
Finishing a horrendous CIS project at work and partying like it was 1999.
Writing Friday sonnets.
Posting music videos on her wall without screening them first.
Our S.E.R.I.O.U.S.L.Y. club
Writing to each other on Google + because a. we thought people were sick of us on Facebook and b. for some reason, we thought no one read them.
When we took two classes together (even though they were SUPER boring) and she once forgot to give her work keys back to Debbie.
I mean look at how precious our friendship is: (Also note how I am ALWAYS on the right side haha)
I found this quote and loved it:
"In Friendship… we think we have chosen our peer. In reality a few years’ difference in the dates of our births, a few more miles between certain houses, the choice of one university instead of another… the accident of a topic being raised or not raised at a first meeting- any of these chances might have kept us apart. But, for a Christian, there are, strictly speaking, no chances.
A secret Master of Ceremonies has been at work. Christ, who said to the disciples, “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you,” can truly say to every group of Christian friends, “You have not chosen one another, but I have chosen you for one another.” The Friendship is not a reward for our discriminating and good taste in finding one another out. It is the instrument by which God reveals to each the beauties of others.” –C.S. Lewis
I am so thankful that my "secret Master of Ceremonies" worked is so I could be friends with her. So Michal, thanks for the three years of heartaches, boy trouble, parent problems, celebrations, completing projects and growing together emotionally and spiritually. I LOVE YOU! I cannot wait for you to marry Mike! He's a very lucky man! You two, I am sure, are a match made in heaven. :)
The above quote is actually my background on my phone. I like it because it's a more eloquent way of saying "you win some, you lose some" (which yes, is STILL a phrase that a. I use and b. my mom despises). Anyways, it's my daily reminder to be positive and I just love. Now onto some exciting things:
Road trip of a life time. Two weeks ago, Marisa and I excursioned on over to Colorado. Did we play MASH? And sing every boy band/90's song on our iPads? Did we get lost? Answer: absolutely we did. It was so fun driving with Marisa because we could talk, sing AND be crazy all at the same time. On the way home, I just assumed we would stay on I-70 the whole time. Turns out that there IS actually a designated turn for Price... so when we were still on the freeway and recognizing nothing, we started to think we were lost. When we saw a sign indicating that St. George was 2.5 hours away, we KNEW we were lost. Although I wanted to cry, Marisa made the situation really fun and we ended up laughing and playing MASH. So glad I got to road trip it to see....
ONE DIRECTION. Yes, we bought tickets in April 2012, so we were pumped. We made shirts that said "Don't worry boys, we know we are beautiful" in reference to this song (which is our friendship song!) They were pretty rockin' AND they glowed in the dark. We got to the Pepsi center and there was a HUGE line, so we missed the opening band (which we were all okay with). When we got to our seats, we freaked out because we were super close to the secondary stage. It was a magical night. I screamed with over 15,000 girls (and I'm assuming some boys). Their concert was so much fun because it was like a girl's sleepover where you just dance and sing at the top of your lungs for two hours. At one point, they came over to the second stage and I am honestly embarrassed by how excited all of us were. Actually #sorrynotsorry. I would absolutely wait another 16 months for round two.
Colorado. Although the main focus of the trip was 1D, we also did some touristy things. I took Marisa up to Red Rocks, showed her "the hut" (our hangout spot in high school, which is actually a lot more sketchy now that I think about it), and ate my delicious 'birthday' dinner. It was so fun. The next day we went to visit Katie and Derek's brand new baby, Ethan. I could have held that little boy for hours. He was so sweet and adorable. I cannot believe one of my friends has a baby! Weird! It was really fun to be with Katie and talk to her. After that, we swung by to the original Chipotle and ate some deliciousness. We also went downtown for a bit, which was fun until it started raining, but hey I got a muffin and we used the light rail correctly, so I would call it a win. Before we went downtown, we also go to see one of my DC/boss women, Lanae!!! She's doing a brief program at DU for editing, so we went to see her before her class. I forgot how much I love talking to this girl! (Lanae was one of the FJC interns and was part of inaugural idea of Boss Women Unite!) Anyways, she's hilarious and genuine and I just love her! :) We also got to have 'drinks' with Cassie for our 21st birthdays at Red Robin! It was so weird to think that Cassie and I are turning 21! #gettingold. Since our birthdays are a week a part, and we will be in different COUNTRIES (more on that later!), we decided to have a pre-birthday celebration. It was fantastic. Loved it! Marisa and I also did a hometown tour where I showed her all the important places (i.e. previous crushes' houses, Target, Tipsy's, etc). It was really fun to show her my life before I came to BYU! It was awesome! :) LOVE this girl!
Here's some photos from our trip:
Our super stellar shirts! ("Don't worry boys, we know we are beautiful")
Marisa, me and seester!
Lindsey on a stick made a visit!
Red Rocks!
The Hut
Seester and I!
The boys of 1D were that close!
Marisa, Cassie and I celebrating our 21st "birthdays" with "drinks"
Temple Square. On Saturday (right after we got back from Colorado), our ward took a temple trip up to Salt Lake. Most of you know how much I LOVE temple square. We got to do baptisms and the baptistry is sooo pretty. After baptisms, we walked around temple square a bit waiting for the endowed members. We were all pretty hungry so my incredible bishop treated us to fro-yo while we waited. We then all went to Spaghetti Factory, where I officially ordered my first gluten-free dish. It was so fun to socialize with our ward and be somewhere that was NOT Provo. Also, I just love Joseph and Emma. (That's the statue on the right side of the picture). I LOVE TEMPLE SQUARE! I love LOVE! :)
Sarah and I at the Salt Lake Temple and the Emma/Joseph Smith statue.
The Royal baby. The day before I left for Colorado, this happened:
Yep, Prince George Alexander Louis. I ADORE this couple. Seriously. ADORE.
Work. I adore my co-workers. Even when we have the worst projects to work on, they make me laugh. The other day, we had a pretty long project moving files down in the dungeon (i.e. storage room). What should have been an awful project was so much fun because Kevin is hilarious. We laughed, danced, sang, and discovered some pretty fantastic clothing. Lincoln came down later (he was in class) and was our entertainment while we worked. He found some traffic cones and the rest was history. So glad I work with these gentlemen! :)
Kevin and I found some beautiful gold vests.
Lincoln, the star fish of traffic cones!
Church. I love the gospel! :) I'm fairly certain most people know this, but I really do. I was thinking about all the things being a Mormon have done for me, and I think the greatest two things are peace and self-discipline. Many people do not understand why we have standards, and sometimes, I even question them. But recently, I've realized how much heartache the church has spared me. If I can abstain from things like coffee and alcohol, it is that much easier to have self control in other areas of my life that are more important. I have friends who are making different decisions and they just seem so unhappy. Because I have so many aspects of my life to decide in the next year (What, I'm graduating college? When did that happen?!), I've also thought about how people make decisions without prayer and the Holy Ghost. I seriously do not even know how I would handle that. It makes me quite sad to think that people don't have that extra boost in their lives. What a great gift! Anyways, I'm thankful for the opportunity I've had to be raised as a Mormon. And I'm extremely grateful for President Uchtdorf: (He has helped with many tear-filled nights)
My friend Amanda posted this and I LOVE IT!
Also, if you have time, you NEED to watch this Mormon message. It makes me bawl every time. I just love how tender President Eyring is.
"We never need to feel that we are alone or unloved in the Lord’s service because we never are. We can feel the love of God. The Savior has promised angels on our left and our right to bear us up.10 And He always keeps His word."
Canada. I am officially going to Canada in three days baby! I researched it all out and I am super excited. I am treating myself to my 21st birthday dinner at a place called Cioppinos, conveniently located a few blocks from my hostel. It's supposedly the best Italian place in Vancouver AND Bill Clinton once ate there. I cannot wait for my first true friend to get married to her love! :) So excited! I'll also be going on a trolley tour, walking on the beach and going on a suspension bridge. I already bought all my tickets! It's happening people! I LOVE BIRTHDAY WEEK!
Anyways, although there are always ups and downs, I just love life! And this new boss woman song:
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