jamba jamba

So, I started my new job today. I wore a banana suit. I made smoothies. I feel very fulfilled :)

It was Suzie's last day and my first - it was like we passed on the Jamba Juice baton or something! She helped me learn the art of making the most delicious smoothies in the world! If you are wondering, we are making the Jamba Juice gang sign... It's a J. Yes, we made it up. 

ladies and gentlemen... presenting...

...A LLAMA FEST! It was pretty awesome... minus the uninviting odor that they wafted around as they walked.

I did not take this picture, but I LOVE IT. haha... oh llamas. makes me think of Emperor's New Groove

I didn't take this pic either :/ but it's great!

BEAVER

Just some pics from the amazing Beaver trip! We went camping with the wild, ferocious bears (which luckily would rather maul a grill than maul us!), ate tin foil dinners (including a roasted pbj sandwich that was surprisingly delectable), celebrated the 24th of July with parade, delicious food, and fireworks in a cemetery, had a lovely time at church on Sunday, and went to the mountains for more barbecue fun... then home. It was a PACKED weekend - but it was so much fun. Kiara's family is just wonderful and I really enjoyed being able to see where she comes from and, as she puts it, "why she is the way she is." Haha - she can't contribute ALL of her coolness to Beaver, but probably a lot of it. Anyway, I'm off to bed - but here are some pics....

don't try this at home kids

recent adventures... these may or may not be posed.

Sunday Lesson

Hey hey hey! HAPPY SUNDAY! It has been a great day so far (complete with an amazing nap) and I just wanted to put down a few things from the Gospel Doctrine lesson I taught today. First of all, I LOVE TEACHING! It is such a fun thing to do! I never realized what an interesting process preparing and teaching a lesson was. The more prayer you do, the better, that's for sure! And then there is the task of preparing something that will be engaging, will keep everyone interested, will bring the spirit, will allow you to feel comfortable teaching (a little humor in my case), informational, and applicable to every-day life! There is probably more than that, but that is what came to mind just now. But, I love it - today's lesson was about Rehoboam, Jeroboam, and Jehospahat... 3 people that I knew almost nothing about. I learned so much! Here are some lovely picture that I used in my lesson... :)

Seeing as the lesson is about the influence of wicked and righteous leaders, here is a lovely example of our righteous first presidency!

And.... the lego pictures bwa hahaha. It kept everyone interested :)

We actually ran out of time at the end (but I am always happy when there is participation!), so I wasn't able to show this video.... but this was going to be how I ended it. Enjoy :) And happy Sunday!

good ol' BYU

BYU did a spoof on the Old Spice commercials...

HAROLD B LEE LIBRARY OLD SPICE VIDEO.

bwa hahahahaha! Check it out :)

Summertime, I love you

I love summertime! A few reasons why:

1. the weather is just gorgeous... and when it gets too hot it's just a good excuse to eat another popsicle.

2. I can study outside and don't have to be cooped indoors with a blanket

3. fresh fruits and veggies everywhere - especially scrumptious from the Farmer's Market

4. birds singing in the morning... and afternoon... and night!

5. rolly pollies and other neat bugs

6. less people on campus meaning less cars in the parking lot!

7. swimming

8. cold water

9. Creamies

10. it is light outside when I wake up!

11. road trips (San Diego!)

12. warm nights - perfect for good walks

13. outdoor sports

14. smell of fresh-cut grass

15. hikes!

16. cut-offs and t-shirts

17. running through the sprinklers

18. watching the puffy clouds

19. smelling the flowers

20. looking at the beautiful flowers

21. gardens

22. climbing trees

ok, those are just a few... but I was just thinking about how grateful I am to be here in Utah during this beautiful time of year! Summertime, I love you.

freedom is a good thing

First of all - happy late 4th of July! I wanted to include a few pictures from past 4ths of July... back to when I was coaching the Corrales Swim team and running around in the Corrales Parade for a few summers... to my 4th of July in the MTC... to my 4th of July in San Diego... 4th of Julys are great! Today, interestingly enough, is the anniversary of the day I left the MTC and went to San Diego! Happy Anniversary!

Here are some pictures of a few latest adventures....

Friends eating some delicious cotton candy a nice family donated to our mouths

My favorite float at the parade!

The amazing floating jello (above)

Manti pageant (below)

Did you know that jello floats? Well, these little jello containers do - and it is super fun to race them down a river (and as an added bonus - it keeps them cold!). Brian and I went on a hike on the 3rd of July before heading to the festive barbeque and fireworks later on and discovered the magic of floating jello. You should try it. I guarantee at least 3 minutes of pure joy. I had about 30 :). Everything is going great since the last time I posted. School is going well and even as I type I can feel the calluses I am developing on my left hand fingers thanks to my guitar classes! If all goes as planned, am going to have such TOUGH looking fingertips! Other highlights from the past little while:

* Manti pageant was wonderful! I would highly recommend it - although I would also recommend getting a good seat because it's hard to see from far away.

* 4th of July weekend was pretty rad - I got to go to a barbecue, fireworks, potluck, and a parade! I love that holiday. I vote we have it at least one more time a year

* I discovered that Thursdays are 20% off for students day at Sunflower Market. Yay!

* Learning about the sounds of spanish is a wee bit more difficult than I anticipated - it's a challenging class!

* I got a call back from the MTC - they want me in for another interview in a few weeks! Eeeeee! But, it's for fall semester so I am having a difficult internal battle. Why? Well, I have wanted to work there since I was a missionary there... I know that it will change me and make me better in so many ways... BUT - I will have a full nursing schedule and it just might kill me. Or, my social life at least. Any suggestions?!

*I love teaching Gospel Doctrine! My last lesson was about David and Bathsheba and the class members were so wonderful - participating and bringing a great spirit. I teach again on the 18th. Lesson 27 if you're interested in looking it up.

So, life is good! I am so grateful to live in this country where we have so many freedoms - especially religious freedom! I am loving this summer term and have set some goals to try and help me establish good habits. These are the things I want to do daily:

1. Read from the Book of Mormon

2. Read a Conference talk from the last conference

3. Exercise for at least 30 minutes

4. Floss (that's for you, mom!)

5. Get out of bed by 7:30

6. Eat healthy

7. Speak some Spanish!

8. Write in my journal

Yep, if I can do those things every day, that would be great :). Well, I'm off to do homework! I'll try and post more regularly! Ciaocitos.