The Beginnings of Bonn!

So, these past three days have been rather eventful! I figure I had better record some of the moments for myself, posterity, and anyone who will listen… Haha!

Saturday we geared up around 10:00am to head out on our bikes for the inner city of Bonn. (Sidenote: If I stayed on the bike trail we were on, going to opposite direction, I would end up in Switzerland. AWESOME!) We got about two feet from home when I slipped on my bike (didn’t fall though) and caught my pants on the metal part of the seat, and ripped my pants. Yep, you read that right… Of course, as the luck continues I didn’t notice that I had ripped them until I got off the bike fifteen minutes later, in downtown Bonn. Basically, anyone could see my inner, upper thigh upon me removing my coat.

It actually wasn’t that big of a deal. I just kept the coat I had on – thank goodness it was a long one - and bought a new pair of jeans for only 19euro at the Galeria – AKA: Mall. I didn’t even change while I was out – haha! Nope, I just kept my coat on until we went for lunch and then set it on my lap while we ate. I put it on quickly upon standing up, and it covered me while I rode home, where I could finally change into basketball shorts. It was funny cause I didn’t even tell the family, and they didn’t even notice. I just told them it would probably be good to get another pair of jeans while in town - done and done. Haha!

Now, let me back up. We rode our bikes into town along the river, and around the hills in Bonn… WOW. It certainly is beautiful here! I mean, I will miss those Utah Mountains, but I have missed the green hills and trees of the East Coast for way too long. Also, I will NOT miss the trapped smog in the Utah valley… I’m glad to be done with that, and can I just say, my voice is so much clearer here! I have not felt as gross in my throat these past few days… It’s kind of incredible the difference three days makes. Three days… I can’t believe I have been here about four days.

Anyway, when we got into town they took me around the area and showed me where different stores were if I needed certain things while I was here. It was great! I thought I would feel more overwhelmed, but it wasn’t bad… There was TONS of stuff written in English (an H&M – aka: Heaven- on multiple streets) and the places we bought things, I was able to say “Spechen sie Englich?” and have them all understand me and be understanding that I was just learning. I felt very comforted in that, but still slightly awkward having to ask if they spoke English. It’s good though, cause it’ll be the motivation I need to learn the language. I started reading a book about translation to and from German today, but that’s a different story….

Sidenote: We shopped at this little mini-mart place in Bonn where the kids were being a bit crazy while the parents were working the photo machine… So, I took them to the animal food section and had them make up stories about the pictures of the animals. Haha! I felt creative…

For lunch, the boys got some crepes from a vendor on the street corner nearby and I will do that eventually – haha! Crepes with bananas and nutella, anyone? Um, yes please! Haha… I think that a crepe vendor would DO very well in the states, perhaps in NYC or DC. Have I finally found my calling in life?! Yea… No. Haha! We then found this cute little Japanese noodle place that they eat at often and I was in love with it. The servings are huge for not that many Euros, and it was VERY tasty – and original… Well, different from the Japanese I’ve had before. We talked politics, beliefs and such a lot and it was great because we’re very much on the same page in most ways. I think I am finding that I am more liberal than I realized – and no I don’t mean cause I’m over here in Germany. This realization began a few months ago and it has become more apparent that it’s the truth in these past few weeks. Eh! Anyway, it’s nice to have intelligent conversation and I really enjoy that Koko and Patrick like to do that a lot. It’s great!

Afterward, we rode home… Now, it’s been a few years since I’ve ridden a bike. Thus, my inner thighs were a BIT burning – haha! However, I felt good after the ride was through and I know I’m gonna be an amazing biker after this year – haha!

When we got home, Koko and Patrick (parents) had to go to the hardware store nearby, but they left me and the kiddos there. We played some legos and such – I built those amazing pictures from my previous entry… Still jealous this is my job? I know. Also, I discovered that Koko has a soft spot for hip-hop and R&B when she put some on that night – awesome. I’ll be JUST fine here. Today she told me her favorite song was by Black Eyed Peas, and I knew we’d be good – haha…

We ate a light dinner together and hung out playing games, and then I headed upstairs to try Skype with my parents. Now, my mom is pretty computer and technology savvy, but it was pretty funny to listen to her on the phone as she tried to install it. She knew what she was doing more than she thought she did, so her reactions were pretty classic. I love mi madre – haha!

We did get it to work, and so we chatted for a bit which was great… I think that Skype is what is going to get me set for being away from home. I mean, I’m pretty good being far away – I’ve done it before. However, being in a different country was hard for me last time at first and it’s a bit the same. I’m doing fine, but it still feels a bit overwhelming right now at times. They are easing me in just fine, but I still have a hard time knowing where I’m at and such.

Anyway, Sunday was good too! Koko took me via train to the church because that’s what the previous nanny, Anya, was more accustom too. I will most likely be the same because as great as biking is, biking in the snow is one thing; Biking in a skirt in another thing. If you put these two things together… not pleasant in my opinion. I figure that I’ll give it a shot in the spring at some point, but for now, I’m going to be taking the train. Haha!

Well, we were a tad bit late because of delays with the fresh snow, but when we got there I was immediately approached about transferring my records and put into Relief Society. RS was interesting because it was all in German… since I don’t speak German at all yet, I decided that I would take personal study time using some of the scriptures written on the board and continuing on in my own place in the Book of Mormon. It worked well, and after the meeting they did introduce me in German and English. One of the younger girls, about my age, came up after and introduced herself and asked me to come to the young single adults (YSA) Sunday school and said, “It’s in English!” I took her up on that offer immediately! Haha… THAT was great! The scriptures were read in German mostly, but the discussion was all in English with a great, small group of YSAs. I really like my Sunday school teacher too – she’s from Michigan, so we connect a bit.

Sacrament meeting wasn’t bad either because they had the missionaries translate into English and Spanish for people. I had to wear a little translator thing, but I was fine with it. It was a bit awkward being called out to the ward, but it works. Haha… The missionaries came and found me after and we chatted for a bit. They asked if a spoke Spanish at all and I said, “a little bit of it,” and they got really excited and said I would have to go tracting with them so they could see the Spanish sisters. There are fifteen Spanish speakers in the ward! What the random?! Haha… I would love that, but I’m not good at Spanish, which I expressed to them… though it fell on deaf ears. I realized that people in Germany take a lot if you give a little – perhaps that’s not tha best way to say it because not in a bad way, but here’s an example.

I was getting ready to leave and one sister came up and spoke broken English to me, asking if I played the piano at all. I said, “Yea, I play a bit… mostly chords, but I started teaching myself last year.” She replied, “Great, we need a pianist for ward choir today!” Haha… I explained that I’m not really able to sight read whole hymns, just chords. She was fine with that, which got me nervous. Then, the pianist said she was ok and could stay, so they turned and said, “Well, we hear you sing, right?” You can guess where this led… The lady grabbed my arm, led me to a chair on the stand and told me I was officially called into ward choir. She was serious too… “You will sing alto. You can do that right? That is what you are doing, so I hope so.” Haha! Thus, I was drafted into ward choir and am now the other alto…

This suits me just fine, cause I can deal with that since I like singing, and it’s right after church. It’ll be a good way for me to learn the language through my favorite language –music! At very least, I’ll go home knowing some songs from the German hymn book. Haha!

After church, we came back for “activity day,” meaning coloring, drawing (avocados, slugs, and bacteria to be exact – haha!), play-dough, and of course, legos. It was just a relaxing afternoon. We had dinner all together and guess what I ate for the first time ever... Turnips! I liked them too! I was eating them, not knowing what they were and when I asked and found they were turnips, was shocked I actually liked them! Haha… I have seriously eaten SO healthy these past days it’s amazing – I do miss my chocolate though. Soon I’ll just have to venture out and find some German goodies to try too… or wait for the Swiss Chocolate. Haha….

After dinner, I skyped with the whole family again and then read my book for a bit before the weekly family counsel for the adults. We went over expectations and such for the year and the weekly schedule, and again I felt really good about it. I feel like I’m on the same page with the parents, so that’s good. I’m sure it won’t always be like that cause we’re different people, but I think it’ll be pretty good. They’re also all about me traveling on time I can make it work, and really encouraging of me going out to see things. Honestly, I probably won’t do much sight-seeing until it warms up a bit. It’s just too cold for me to want to go outside without need right now, but once it’s a bit warmer – in like, March – I’ll love riding around all over town and the surrounding areas to see EVERYTHING!

Sorry, this entry is more travel-log than fun or interesting… It won’t always be like that, as you know from my past entries. There’s just a lot to record in my first few days here… So, sorry posterity… and friend/family reading now – tell my posterity I’m more exciting… please. Haha! I only have one more day to write about today, and this day contains some funny moments … promise.

I went with Koko this morning to take the boys to the doctors and to kindergarten, but the doctor’s appointment was actually for this afternoon… and kindergarten was closed today. So, we ran a bunch of errands around the cities surrounding us including getting my visa going, getting the boys hair-cuts, checking on my candle stuff and camera, fixing Koko’s glasses, going to the shopping market, checking on a bank account for me here, and going back to the doctor’s office for some pretty hefty appointments. They took forever with those two boys… I mean, I know it was an annual check-up, but I’m pretty sure it doesn’t take two hours in the states. I was fine with it, but just surprised at how long it took. Does it take that long in the states? Maybe… I was just more aware of the time when I kept dozing off and woke up to Finni coming in and yelling, “Done! Okay, let’s play now!” and hitting my lap while I jolted upright, staring into the eyes of many stern Germany families. Haha!

Oh, story time! I had to run back to the house when we got to the place for the visa, because I forgot my passport – DUH, Linze! It’s kind of a necessity in that situation. Anyway, Koko had me run to the metro and hop on to head home. It should have been an easy task, but there were a few minor problems. One, the door at the house is hard to open sometimes and I could not get the key to work… blast. I literally started praying that I could have some divine help to open the door… Then it opened. It seems like coincidence, but those little things teach me someone’s looking out for me.

Two, in case you were unaware, I can’t read German. So, though I got back to the house alright, I got lost a bit on the way back. I got off a stop too early and went outside, realized I was in the wrong spot, and went back underground to try going backwards. Then, I got off on the right stop, but exited the wrong way and came out differently. Luckily, I noticed that was the case cause I recalled old surroundings, and made my way back to the ratshaus to register myself for a visa. WOW –It was a frustrating and trying experience for me, and a bit overwhelming because of the language… but I did it. That’s what counts- I did it!

When errands were done I came home and played with the boys for two hours before cleaning up for dinner, and then Patrick arrived home to cook Austrian pancakes. SO gut! I helped get Finni ready for bed while Nico practiced violin – he complains about it, but he really does seem to be improving and ends up enjoying the accomplishment. His little violin is so cute too! I don’t know what it is about girls and little things, but we all just think tiny things are tender, I suppose.

I came up after that and spent some internet down-time, wrote this blog, and skyped with my mom. We figured out a time that we can speak most days. At the beginning, especially, I am going to need mama chat time. I’m sure it’ll fade out a bit, but not completely… Face it, we’re close and I love mi madre.

I just realized that I have written in three languages at different times in this entry. I’m tri-lingual! Haha! Okay… not yet. Someday.

Alright kiddos – things in Germany are finally on a role. In all honesty, I did get a tad bit homesick today. It was really, REALLY cold today so I was a bit grouchy with that (though I was proud that I didn't let that show) and a lot of me having accidents finding myself around and such. It was just frustrating for the day... and I was homesick. I think I might turn on a cry movie for a bit - haha! Then, I'll be good! Haha...

This evening was actually really great! I have been reading a lot with the boys and playing with them, and they really are bonding with me. Koko said she was really impressed to see us gel so quickly. I really love the boys... and really like Koko too! We always have GREAT discussions, and she's so interesting. Plus, she's a lto like you which has helped ease the transition... Not as much sass, but still! :) Patrick's great too! He’s funny, but it's very subtle and sarcastic - He's very Austrian. Haha! I really love all of them, I think the hardest part is wanting to be good at my job right away and know everything. It’s not even just the language, but not knowing streets and how to get places. I don't have friends here yet to talk to about it or ask where to go. In London when I got lost, I was with someone or alone by choice. It'll come - I know I am suppose to be here, for many reasons I'm sure, and that I will LOVE it here! It was just a day; a day that went a bit crazy, but got back on track and ended great. I think I’ll have many of those days, and today… I proved that I can tackle them…

Sidenote: I need to blog about my spiritual reeling from my personal study regarding the comparison on the first vision and Moses experience - SO cool!

Favorite Quotes of the Days:

"Can you keep my lego castle company while I build a car?" - Finn

"When it's a salad, air bubbles cna't expand..." - Me (and numerous times repeated by Nico! I meant a "soild...")

“We have no pets, so I pretend I’m my own animal.”- Nico

"The white blood cells are munching on your germs... don't worry. They heal you!" - Nico

*muah*

Song of the Day: I heard this song in the barber’s where the boys got their hair cut today and fell in love. If you don’t like the beginning, fine, but the chorus is exquisite… I really love the whole thing! Here’s October & April, by The Rasmus. Not a cool video, but eh... Enjoy!

Day One: And We're Off!

I saw Bonn today! I also rode my bike in the snow - Yep. I as proud of myself. Haha!

So, remember how I was going to post some pictures today? I am sad to report that I don't have much to fulfill that promise... My camera lens won;'t retract and therefore, the whole camera has shut down for now. Sad day! I believe that we can solve this, but not today... or tomorrow. Come Monday, I will take some time to go where is needed and talk to whoever I can about fixing my poor Cannon Camera.

Sidenote: Apparently, this is a common issue with my camera design - suckage.

I can, however, tell you some things about what we did today! However, I think that I will wait until tomorrow for this. I'll simply leave you with the funniest moment of the day and a FEW cool pictures...

Funniest Moment - Finn comes walking out of the bathroom, bare behind and all, and I asked, "Finn, where are your pants?" He replies, "Oh, I got tired of them. I decided it was best I took them off." So, I said to him, "Tell you what... You have to put on your underwear and your long johns at least, but you don't have to wear the pants if you don't want." He looked at his bare bum, sigh a huge sigh, and then stated, "Um... ok." Haha!

Perhaps this is not as funny to those who were not present, but it was HILARIOUS to me! He was so content. Keep in mind also, that Finn is three. Yeah - funnier now? That's what I thought.

To finish today - I will write more about the travel around Bonn tomorrow - I will show off my awesome and improving Lego-building skills. Haha! Nico handed me ONE lego and said, "Ok. Now you must build a fancy, sports car." I laughed and told him I didn't know how and he said, "Well, you should just start trying." Well, I DID and after a few attempts (he made me build three of them), I had a decent car and a nice boat! Sidenote: "I'm on a boat!" --> That was for Derek and Cami.



Yes, I just posted three pictures of amateur lego designs... don't pretend you aren't impressed. Praise is fine. I have a feeling I am going to get SO good at Legos while I am here and my own boys will LOVE me someday! Haha...

*muah*

Song of the Day: This is a recent love of mine and I think everyone should partake of the fun - It's by Karl Wolf (yea, I had never heard of him either), and it's a remake of Toto's, Africa with some hip-hop beat. It raps a bit at the beginning, but then it's just R&B with a reggae feel. The video is rather scandalous, so... I posted the song with a picture of him that someone made on YouTube... Um, he has his shirt off, so avert your eyes if this offends you. Haha - Enjoy!

Landed in the Fatherland!

Well, I did it. I moved to Germany. I kind of can't believe that I went through with it... not cause I was ever doubting the decision. Once I had made up my mind to go, I was set and have felt good about it all ever since. However, I can't believe I made the decision to go. It was a good one... the right one.

It was a bit surreal all day as I landed in Dusseldorf and said, "Sprechen Sie English?" Haha! It was also surreal meeting the family finally, unpacking my bags, and even stepping off the plane...

This is going to be a great experience - I feel so good about it, and Germany is just SO dang beautiful! I love Europe. I really am floored by how GREEN it is - it reminds me of the East Coast a lot, which I am grateful for. I feel like it's a little piece of home for me. Along those lines, the house of the family is set up exactly like mine back home, and it's perfect... very sheik.

There will be pictures and more stories tomorrow, but tonight I am WAY too exhausted to stay up and blog more. I'll leave you with some quotes:

"I'm strong, but I'm not that strong. I mean, I'm six." - Nico

"Mom, you didn't make the best dinner, but you made a really good one." - Nico
"Thanks for the feedback." - Koko

*Phin asking if he could hold my hand after just meeting me... presh!*

And lastly, the boys words to me before bedtime... "It the first day of Linze! Goodnight - sleep tight!"

Oh, and thanks to all who sent your well-wishes today - It means a lot... I'm out.

Tomorrow = Pictures.

*muah*

Song of the Day: I just really love this song... and I've needed an old-time goodie in here for awhile now. Here's today's song - get ready, cause it's a WAY good one! - Amos Lee's, Colors. This is a version with Norah Jones that I discovered today... um, yes please! Okay, she's only in the background barely, but it's still Mmm Mmm Good.... such a treat for the ears! Enjoy!

Things That Go BUMP In The Night... Kinda.

Caution: This entry may cause excessive laughing when visualized correctly… or not.

Imagine that you are in a deep slumber. You are so embedded (literally) in dream-land that when reality suddenly and unexpectedly wakes you, there is a slight amount of panic exuding from you. Imagine that this panic is expressed verbally, in the form of screaming… very loud screaming.

Let me paint the picture again for you…

It was approximately 6:20am and I was lying in my grandfather’s living room on a blow-up mattress. I had only gone to bed a few hours prior to the upcoming event, so I was pretty zonked. Suddenly, I woke up to deafening and excessive screams and make the uninformed decision that I should start yelling as well. Why do I make this decision?

Well, I somehow deducted in my limited, morning reasoning that there was an intruder in the house. Let me make things clear. There was no intruder. In case you were really worried right then, let me repeat that there was no intruder. However, upon hearing the screams coming from my left – Yes, those were screams coming from Derek and Cami, who were hugging in a tight ball on the couch – I stood up on my air mattress and began screaming “No! No! AHHHHH! No!” and flailing my arms around me.

I was attempting to perform combat on the intruder that I could not see, and let’s be honest… Had there actually been an intruder I would have been killed. There is no doubt. I might have gotten a good slap in there or something, but with limited vision and no real focus, they would have grabbed my arm and just stabbed me. Or, they might have just had a good laugh before getting off a shot. This isn’t meant to seem morbid. I mean, I’m positive that I was a pretty hilarious sight to behold. I looked like I was trying out for a musical and doing a horrible job – visually and vocally.

After a full minute of yelling and thrashing about, my dad came staggering into the living room and asking what was going on. Cami, Derek, and I stopped yelling and looked around a bit more – our eyes were finally starting to adjust – and all stammered, “I don’t know. Why are we screaming?”

Why were we screaming?

Well, I thought there MUST have been in intruder. Cami thought there MUST have been a raccoon. Um… Really, Cami? Haha! Derek, however, was the source of our sore throats as he woke up from some kind of funky dream, thought he saw something, and just started screaming. So, logically, we all started screaming… and some of us started flailing. I could use other verbs, but “flailing” is just so perfect for what I was doing.

At the time, we were all confused and pretty shaken up… Derek, Cami, and I didn’t go back to sleep actually. Now, here we are over twelve hours later and we can NOT stop laughing about it. It has to be one of my funniest memories. Perhaps this might not seem as funny to everyone reading this blog – according to my brother, no one else will care- but to me, this is one of my new favorite memories with Derek and Cami. It’s just so US. Classic.

*muah*

Song of the Day: There are too many great songs to choose from right now! So… I will post two great songs to listen to and love. I would suggest that all of you check out Winterlove by Parachute – this video is featuring Will (the lead singer) from my HS class of 2004. Also, I am currently in LOVE with Pixie Lott’s entire CD! She;s a white chick with soul - love that. It’s hard to choose one song from the CD, so I’ll choose one that is the funnest for me to sing. I LOVE singing this one... Pixie Lott’s, Cry Me Out is posted below! ENJOY!!!

Pixie Lott - Cry Me Out

God's Piece of Heaven on Earth... Hawaii!

How does one begin to convey the feelings that get when lying upon the beach, during the winter season at that, and feeling the sunset slowly overtake the sky? How does one describe the feeling of vast achievement at finding their way around an unknown city alone, and completing a trudge up a steep, slippery mud mountain? Along with that, how do you paint the picture of the waterfalls at the peak, and the feeling of utter satisfaction that you reached the top? How does someone share the knowledge that they have been given about a new place and sights, and express the overcoming joy they felt throughout their new journey?

Well… You blog.

Back in July, my brother was fortunate enough to find tickets to Honolulu, Hawaii for around $200 – I know… AMAZING. Well, even though him and his wife decided not to go, I jumped at the opportunity and quickly made some calls to see who might want to make to trip with me. Luckily, my classic travel buddy and friend, Sarina, was as gung-ho as I was about the idea of Hawaii over Thanksgiving break. Now here I am, months after booking the ticket, and reeling in the past weeks experiences in Hawaii. I have been very blessed and fortunate to be able to travel a lot in my life (and I’m only 24), and I must say that my favorite vacation was most certainly Hawaii. Not only was the sun magnificent, the island exceptionally beautiful, and the ocean exquisite, but the island also just carried a certain spirit… It was amazing.

So, let me begin by stating that this came at an opportune time. I was SO ready for a break, and with gearing up to head to Germany, I really wanted to get a tan. Haha! A tan is just not gonna happen in Germany – I’ve accepted my pale, glowing skin. My job has been really tough for me this year because of certain colleagues and student’s choices to be fairly misbehaved at times. It’s just been really stressful this entire year, and I was very thankful for a non-stressful trip.

Now, story time:

When I got off the plane in Hawaii, I was already thrilled by the nighttime air, and how warm it was… but something made it even better. When Sarina and I got to the car rental place, we expected to get an economy car…. But the girl at the front, Stephanie, saw the family before us trying to shove their stuff in the trunk of a convertible and told us that if they couldn’t get it to fit, we could take it. I stalled for time by going to the bathroom even though I didn’t have too, and when I came back they were just deciding that they needed a bigger vehicle. Haha! So, we got the convertible! However, when we were about to get in, Stephanie said, “Well, you could take that one…,” and pointed to her right. There sat a beautiful, bright-orange, Spyder Eclipse 2010…. Um – Yea, please! Haha… We’ll take two! Okay… just one will be fine.

Driving in Hawaii with a convertible = Heaven. Not having to pay the price for a convertible = Celestial Paradise! Haha… I don’t know that I could ever go to Hawaii again and not have a convertible – It was too awesome.

So, Thursday morning (Thanksgiving Day) we woke up around 9am and went straight to the beach. We were staying at the Ocean Resort Hotel, and were only a block from Waikiki Beach – so, it was really nice! We spent the morning soaking up the sunshine and playing the “I’m Thankful for…” game. That was great within its self:

“I’m thankful for sunshine…”

“I’m thankful for traveling…”

I’m thankful for Hawaii…”

“I’m thankful for brown boys…”

“I’m thankful for Michael Jackson…”

HAHA! Oh, how I love Sarina… The game continued on and was pretty classic.

After the game, we wondered around the International Market Place and ate in a tree house – kinda… haha! It was a little tree-house restaurant… with kinda nasty smoothies. Just sayin’… We then proceeded to reel in the joy/luck of our car and took a drive down the H-1, with no direction – just the wind in our hair and the knowledge that we had no time table to abide by.

That’s what I think I loved most about this trip… There were very few time tables we had to follow… For the majority of the trip we simply went with the moment on what we were going to do. We had lists of where we wanted to go while there, and then a basic outline on my cell phone calendar of where we might go on each day, but each night was when we really decided what the next day’s activities would be. As for the evening activities, we only planned ahead once… Otherwise, we just went with it each evening. Haha! I loved it.

Okay, so that night we got back in plenty of time to shower and then headed across the street to the Waikiki Marriott for the Thanksgiving Buffet Feast…. Um. AMAZING! Haha… It was seriously some of the best food I have ever had… a very satisfying meal. Haha! Yea… We were quite happy about it. We walked it off around the beach and then sat and listened to the Tiki Club’s performers – an outside restaurant connected to the hotel next to ours that had AWESOME live performers each night.

Friday we got a little lost…. Haha! We decided to head up to Shark’s Cove because it was a good snorkeling spot. Yea, not so much in winter, but that’s another story. Haha… Anyway, we took off to drive around the coast up to the NW side. Well, it turns out the TWO maps we had were not corrected and showed roads that didn’t exist. Yea… It got a bit interesting. It ended up getting us nice drove and view for the morning, but we didn’t get to Shark’s cove and the North Shore until late afternoon. Kinda crazy… At one point (the second way we tried that failed), we asked a lady in the neighborhood where to go. She said, “You Hollywood girls… what made you think you could drive through the mountains?!” Well, the map SAID we could and both SHOWED we could… It made sense. Haha! I explained the car was a real luck of the draw, and she didn’t buy that. Haha!

So, eventutally we got onto the right path and headed up the H-3 till we reached the Dole Plantation. With how long everything took to get there, we opted NOT to take the whole tour, so we toured around by ourselves a little bit and got our Dole Whips (AMAZING) and that was good enough for us. Finally, we got to Shark’s cove and I tried snorkeling for the first time! It was a bit of a bust – I only saw about ten cool fish – but I didn’t know that it was such a bust. Haha! I thought that was pretty cool until I went later in the week and saw how it was suppose to be. Lessons be taught: You can not go through the mountains in Hawaii, unless you’re going to Laie. Also, there is no need to go to Shark’s cove during the winter. However, Matsumoto’s Shaved Ice is there, and THAT was SOOOOO worth it! The best shaved ice ever! I did NOT eat it with the beans, but opted for the ice cream instead… Sorry.

(I was very proud of the picture above!)

Other highlights of the day were the cavernous sunset watch by Shark’s Cove (AMAZING), seeing the banana trees, driving with heater on and the top down, and our Michael Buble sing along to “Just Haven’t Met You Yet,” my theme song of the trip… and our triumphant poses during the trumpet part – haha! Classic.

Oh, AND we got stuck behind a parade on the way back to the hotel – like RIGHT behind the ending police cars – and people started taking our picture cause we were in a convertible. What the heck?! Haha… It was hilarious!

Saturday was a day I was really looking forward too, and it happened to be one of my most favorite things that I saw/went to on the island… The Polynesian Culture Center (PCC)! We had a friend hook us up with awesome tickets for really cheap and then Amber, a girl Sarina taught in the MTC who works there(who I simply adored!), drew us an amazing map of how to get to each show in one day and see everything. It was really cool! It was fun too because Sarina and I have no inhibitions about talking to people and got to know many of the workers through just saying hello (and cause they were all asking who was winning the BYU/Utah game and it somehow got out I was getting text updates from my dad of the score)! Everyone up by BYU (not just at PCC) was so warm and friendly… It’s just a different feel there. I was kind of in love with it! Haha…

Anyway, fun stories there… We went on a canoe ride and I told my “driver” that I wanted a flower for my hair… He told me to talk to the guy on the shore, so I told him the same thing… He walked over to the trees (too high for me) and picked me one. That simple action made my day – very thoughtful!

During the Canoe Show we were all scorching hot, but Sarina and I were still jammin’ out and the people on the boats kept givin’ us little “shout-outs/point-outs” when they went by cause we were lovin’ it. Haha! Then, when we were in “Tahiti Land,” as I call it, they asked for a volunteer to come up and show off some dance moves. It might surprises you, but I DID volunteer – haha! I was also chosen to go up – awesome. Well, they took the boys off and taught them stuff behind the scenes, but they don’t tell her anything because they have her model the different ways to wear a sarong, to which I asked the drummer on stage to “give me a beat” as I did my best America’s Next Top Model impression… classic. When the boys returned, they had one guy dance first and then I went… I asked my guy partner (a worker is paired with each person and does the actual, native dancing) what I should do, and he said, “Don’t follow me. Just do whatever and I’ll dance around you…” Um. Okay…

So, that’s what I did.

I started with attempting some hip shaking, followed by the “party-boy” move and lots of jumping around and shimmying actions. Haha! It was pretty stupid looking, but people went crazy and it was a lot of fun. I thought I would look even more stupid had I simply stood there. I think that I was right. Haha!

Anyway, this caused me to gain a headband made of dried banana leaves and flowers (very beautiful) and to be noticed by the other audience members and workers throughout the park. Haha! It made for some fun comments… My favorite was an old man telling me I could “work it” and “shake that.” Haha! Oh, how classic… It really was a good memory. I thought it was weird when those running that show talked to me after and said no one had ever been so animated during that… and that no one ever volunteers, when Sarina and I were both totally willing. When asked for volunteers, I say, why not?! Haha… The entire thing was fabulous really… The PCC was definitely a highlight of Hawaii for me!

To make it even better, I saw a little boy with a BYU shirt on when taking seats at the Tahitian show and said, “I like your shirt – you’re cheerin’ for the right team today!” The dad was like, “What’s the score?! Will you keep me updated?” Haha… Then his little daughter goes, “What’s your name? Is it Miss Linze…” It was one of the students from my school that I subbed for all the time in Kindergarten last year before I started full-time employment! It was so cute, cause she got so excited and her family was yelling, “Go Miss Linze!” while I was dancing – haha!

Sidenote: Upon return from the PCC, our car top wouldn’t close correctly without beeping at us each time we started to move. This was fairly annoying, and thus we took the car back on Sunday to exchange it. They weren’t happy about us taking another convertible, but we fought it and received the same car, in silver. Muy bien.

Oh, and just to plug it in there, we did go to see BYU-Hawaii campus and the temple grounds while we were up in Laie. When we got to the temple, one of the sister's serving there started talking to us about where Sarina and I met... It turns out that this sister (Sister Cutler) happened to also have attended the London Theater Study Abroad with our friend, Mitch, and had some connections to us. it's such a small world! We also has a GREAT discussion at the temple about family and the Book of Mormon... I truly know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, and that was reaffirmed there. I was filled with such strong conviction as I shared my testimony in the visitors center with Sister Cutler and Sarina. It made the day that much better... and I am SO thankful for those amazing experiences.

We got to our hotel pretty late on Saturday, so we slept in on Sunday till like 11am – it was fabulous. Haha! When we woke up, we had planned to do some hiking and nature walk stuff, but we decided to hit up Pearl Harbor instead. We figured that would actually be a great Sunday activity, remembering those who fought for our country and all that happened.

This was another highlight of the trip for me. I really love studying WWII and so everything hit really hard… We paid the $6 for the audio tour and it was the smartest thing we could have done – It gave SO much amazing information and insight to stories I would never have otherwise heard. I would recommend it to anyone going… and now I sound like their celebrity endorsement fliers. They should pay me. Haha! It was really just a GREAT way to spend the afternoon and learn so much… Oh, and that family from the school I work at was there again! Haha… The mom pulled up behind us in the car saying, “We’re stalking you!” Then, she jumped out and we got our tickets together for the tour – very fun and a SMALL world!

That night we walked around the International Market Place and did some browsing in preparation for bartering on Wednesday. We wanted to know what different places were charging and who we could barter the best with when we came back for our shopping session. Haha! I did barter a bit and got matching necklace and earring sets for me and Sarah, plus a flower to wear in my hair for the rest of my time there – haha!

We also ran into Wayne. Wayne was a local artist who puts on a show called “Art in Motion” and uses common home utensils, etc. and spray paint on poster board or canvas to create vivid masterpieces. I was in doubt at first, but his art was INSANE. He would do something with a fork and I would be like, “How did he just do that?!”

Monday was our “Swim w/ the Dolphins” adventure…. Except, there were no dolphins? Um, okay. Haha! We did scuba with a TON of amazing fish and saw a sea turtle, but no luck on the dolphins. They said it was always the luck of the draw to see if you see them, and that the day before they were golden. However, when we were talking to people back in town they enlightened us that it’s unusual to get a chance to swim with them cause they’re on the constant move. So, unless you go to a reserve spot, it’s not likely and is a bit of a scam. Haha…. Well, we did get a free underwater camera out of the whole thing and hopefully got some good pics – I just put it in to be developed last night.

Anyway, after the whole boating/scuba/swimming with the fish thing, we stayed by their local resort on the west side of the island and laid on the beach, took awesome jumping on the beach shots, and watched my FAVORITE sunset of the whole trip. It was good we chose Monday to head that way too because the rest of the island was experiencing rain storms, and oddly enough, we were the only side crystal clear. It was just a very relaxing day!

Sidenote: Funny moment… Sarina and I decided to build sand things on the beach. In other words, she built a sand snowman, and I built a sand turkey (kinda – it looked more like the marshmallow man from Ghostbusters…). Well, just as I finished the tide pulled in and hit my sand turkey, washing away a little chunk of it. Sarina, who was building hers about two feet in front of me said, “You built that WAY too close!” Two moments later, hers washed away and I responded with, “Girl, it’s cause you built that WAY too close!” Haha! We shared a good laugh at our demolished non-masterpieces, now floating away into the sea.

Tuesday we woke up around 8am and decided to go hike Diamond Head Crater Trail! I was excited to see the view from the crater top. The hike wasn’t bad either, but had a LOT of stairs at one point that caused me to exclaim, “I knew that hiking the RB steps at BYU was prepping me for something.” I felt accomplished after reaching the top, as I always do after hiking. I always start out with excitement, and about ten minutes in it turns to dread. Then, when I am nearing the top the excitement returns, and is accompanied with a feeling of accomplishment. This hike was no different – and the view from the top was fabulous! I got some great shots and I felt good after coming down.

Oh! I have to write about this little Asian lady and two traveling buddies who were taking pictures before we went onto the trail. I asked if they wanted me to take a picture of all three of them, and they obliged. Then, we asked if they would do the same thing and they excitedly said yes as well. Well, when we were getting ready, the oldest lady felt we were missing something, so she made Sarina hold her massive snow cone in our picture. Then, they jumped in and we had a little photo shoot with them on both cameras… In which they told us to give the “Happy Asian” in one picture. Hahs – It was CLASSIC! In the words of Sarina, we are somehow always making friends wherever we go! Haha…

That afternoon, Sarina was going scuba diving (she’s certified and everything!) and I wasn’t interested in that, so I took the car and did my own thing! Haha… I know, y’all think I’m crazy for not going scuba diving in Hawaii, but it just makes me too nervous and claustrophobic. I thought snorkeling was heaven, and I could do it every day, but even then I would have moments of panic… and that’s not a good thing when you’re scuba diving.

Anyway, I am proud to announce that I drove around Honolulu area and did NOT get lost! Haha… I was able to follow maps and navigate myself to Foster’s Botanical Gardens and the Monoa Falls Hike. Haha! It’s just a big deal because if any of you know me, you know I really suck at navigation usually cause I get distracted… but I did it all by my lonesome. Haha! Maybe that’s WHY I was not getting lost – cause I wasn’t allowed to be as distracted. Eh!

Anyway, the Botanical Gardens were gorgeous and it was fun to take a relaxing walk amidst beautiful flowers. I was really basking in the beauty, and then I got to Monoa Falls… OH MY WORD! The Monoa Falls Hike has to be in my top three favorite things in Hawaii. Driving there was pretty, but then when you got to the base, you could tell it was going to be like hiking through rainforest lands. That is exactly what it was! I was in SUCH a piece of paradise and it was nice to pace myself and run in some places, and saunter slowly in others. My surroundings were just magnificent and SO beautiful… I found my own little place of peace to think of whenever I am stressed.

When I got to the top of the hike (which was not that steep for the most part, but SO muddy!), I was rewarded with the most amazing waterfall! There were few other people on the hike, but some others near the top, so I had one of them take some pictures of my next to the waterfall. If it hadn’t have been so late, I would have climbed over the fence and gotten under it – just to say I did it! Haha…

Sidenote: My mom says that I know so many people that I know someone wherever I go. Now, aside from the family from Draper (I only knew the little girl technically), my mom was proved to be correct yet again… While on the hike, about 2/3 of the way in, I looked up at someone I was letting cross a narrow part of the path first, and it was a girl I went to HS with! She was a senior at my first HS when I was a freshman, and in band with me. I haven’t seen her since about 2001. Crazy… It really is a small world when you’re with me! Haha…

When I finished my glorious hike, I headed back to the hotel (beeped at the missionaries on the way!) to meet with Sarina, and we got cute and ready for our last night in Waikiki. We really fell in love with this outdoor grill & bar that played live music each night, and so we wanted to do more than listen to the music as we sat outside of the bar. It was “Tiki Tuesday” there, and they gave free valet parking… So, we drove a block to get the free valet parking too- haha! It was always a dream of mine (and Sarina’s) to drop the keys off to someone and walk away. We are so bizarre…

Anyway, dinner there was great and we got some virgin pina coladas to spice things up a bit – haha! We were going to go dancing, but we were tired from the day’s events walked around the beach and local area. It was the perfect, peaceful evening to a long and beautifully exhausting day.

The last day…. Wow. The trip seemed to fly by! I am going to make the last day writing short because this entry is already monster long. So, we woke up and headed to Hamunama Bay to snorkel and it was INCREDIBLE! It was seriously one of the most amazing beaches I have ever been on because of the way the reef shone through the water. The water was a perfect turquoise and blue, and the reef above and underneath was exquisite – no exaggeration either. It was SO fun snorkeling, but I noticed that I could NEVER scuba dive… I was still getting freaked out with the dark holes that were in the reef and would panic and start breathing crazy when something popped out suddenly. Haha! I just can’t handle those underwater surprises.

After that we headed back to the hotel to shower quickly and then head out to do last minute shopping, where we had the most hilarious time with this little Asian lady in the International Market who slapped our butts and grabbed our noses when we bargained “too low” for her tastes. Haha! It was quite the experience and we DID get a picture with our new friend. Haha… Afterwards, we got a final Dole Whip and ate in on the beach while watching the sunset and people-watching. That sunset was SO beautiful too, and the PERFECT ending to a fabulous trip.

After the sun had gone down, we took a few deep breaths, got in our incredibly beautiful car and drove to the airport for our flight. That was the hardest part… parting with the nice car. Haha! Just kidding… I can see how easily pride can seep in though with how many comments we got throughout the week about our rental car. The hardest part was actually getting onto the plane and saying goodbye. Sarina and I slept most of the way back, and then said our goodbyes at the LAX airport, and I flew home to low temperatures and little sunshine. * sigh *

It’s was all worth it. It was worth every second.

Out of all the places I have been, Hawaii was definitely my favorite vacation. I don’t count London because I lived there, but if I had to count that, it would be a complete toss-up. I really, truly fell IN LOVE with Hawaii. I’ll miss the islands…

*muah*

Song of the Day: In honor of my Hawaii trip, and my personal standpoint on singledom being a positive thing, I must make the song, "Haven't Met You Yet" by Michael Buble! It's my attitude about my life right now, and caused MUCH laughter and smiles in Hawaii for Sarina and myself. Enjoy!!!

[HQ][MV]Michael Buble - Haven't Met You Yet - ดูคลิปทั้งหมด คลิกที่นี่

Latest Orb of Light Premier

Alright. I have held off writing this blog because I was being lazy and because I KNOW some people are going to roll their eyes and gripe that I am "wasting my time" writing about this... Though I know many of my friends feel the same way I do about the following topic - most do. Regardless, I made a decision - This is my blog. Thus, I will write about superfluous things from time to time, and that's okay with me... Haha!

So, what am I writing about? Oh, you know, the third biggest grosser in film. In its third day "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" is still cookin' up the bacon. "New Moon" has made $140.7 million and $258.8 million worldwide. This is pretty incredible, especially considering the film opened outside of the summer. I have to say I'm not surprised because the books have grown into a world-wide phenomenon in a matter of a few years. Thus, for the movies to quickly expand their attraction comes as no surprise. Plus, the last one was SO poorly done and in comparison this one looked awesome... So people would naturally be drawn to check out how the story-line has improved through film.

Without any knowledge of how well the film did in theaters, I would still say that it was received in high-esteem by audiences around the world. (The poster picture to the left is in German in honor of my future German home! Haha...) I know that everyone in my theater walked out saying, "That was sooooo much better than the first movie!" We talked about how much better the script was (it was quite funny!) and how great the film looked - the cinematography and use of graphics were much better in this film. The acting improved drastically because the director was incredible - seriously, poor acting is half on the director. I learned that in my practicum... when my actors had some issues transferring their emotion to the audience and I knew it was my fault in the way I had directed them.

The relationship between Edward and Bella, as well as Jacob and Bella, was much more understandable in this film. It was depicted in a way that those who had not read the book could still understand and not simply think the characters were crazy, love-infested teenagers. Yea, it's more than that. This film made you invested more in the characters, and you felt the rising action... In the first "Twilight" film, the rising action, climax, etc seemed a bit disjointed. This one flowed nicely and was understandable to the viewer. I was VERY much appreciative of that.

I'm not saying that the film was perfect. Movies that are created with their story-lines being taken from books are always hard to perfect. Plus, you could always do something better I'm sure. However, for what it's worth, I would give this film a 4 1/2 out of 5 stars for staying true to the original content and how they depicted the story. I loved the way the film was done and I could watch this one over and over again... The last one was just painful to watch more than two or three times. I am a bit obsessed with the story, so yes, I bought the first movie. However, this one will be watched more than the other by FAR. I am somewhat bias, but still... I think most people would agree with me when I say, I am now a die-hard, twi-hard fan that can include the films into the Twilight Collection. I LOVED IT!!! Thank you, Chris Weitz (the director)!

If you saw it, let me know what you think... If you haven't seen it, give it a shot. I'd go with you again... really. It's that good.

Sidenote: It cannot go without mention that the young men in this film are also DELICIOUS eye-candy (see photos above). Go ahead - think I'm shallow. I'll take it... I'll also take them to look at any day.

Now, I am done with the review and have to state that I totally went to the midnight premier with some of my best friends and it was a BLAST! I love going to premier events and doing the cheesy stuff, like wearing a "New Moon" shirt or taking pics with the cardboard cut-out... Don't hate. I totally had a New Moon shirt on! Haha... It was cute too! Haha... Thus, I am including some sweet shots of me and the midnight crew (Chad, Emily, Kay, and me!) at the Provo Town Center Theater for the "New Moon" Premier on Thursday night!
I also DID go with Mini-Me to see some of the cast at the Fashion Place Mall last week - haha! Yeah, yeah... Scoff all you want, but it was a blast! Haha... Her are some shots from THAT adventure - We saw the Jamie Campbell Bower (who plays the vampire Casius of the Voultori, AND is the lead boy in Tim Burton's "Sweeney Todd") and Edi Gathegi (who plays the vampire, Laurent) - Plus, we saw and heard from Anya Marina, who sings one of the main songs, Satellite Heart, for the Soundtrack - which was the main reason I wanted to go. I met her and she was SUCH a gem! Enjoy!
*muah*

Song of the Day: I have SOOOOO many to choose from! Oh, this is going to be hard... Okay. I chose one of John Mayer's song before, so I'll just say, check out the rest of his CD. Half of My Heart and Assassin are genius, and Edge of Desire is amazing.... The song I choose to put on here though will be Alicia Key's newest single, Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart. She performed this at the AMA's and I fell in LOVE with the song - She's amazing! ENJOY!

Perfectly, Incandescently, and Beautifully Lonely... and SO happy!

Um... I'm 24 now. I don't really feel any different, but apparently I'm suppose to. On the days surrounding, and the day of, my birthday I was asked by no less than twenty-five different individuals if I felt old. The exact question tended to be, "24! Wow... Don't you feel old now? That's a big age." Well, I'm sorry to disappoint everyone and report that I do NOT feel in the slightest bit old. I feel young, vibrant, and full of lives-experiences that I have laid out before me. This old woman is still fully kickin'!

My favorite moment was being told that someone had addressed my moving to Germany with, "That won't help her find a husband... and she's getting older." Hm. To this I ask the question, how does anyone know what will or will not help someone along the path to find their eternal soul-mate? I'm NOT expecting to find anyone over there -not in the slightest will that be a focus. However, the things I learn over there WILL allow me to be a better mother and spouse someday. I'm 100% positive that I will learn greater patience, love, understanding, and abilities to compromise. I guarantee I will figure out more fully who I am with each experience I am given. I never thought I would marry young... well, I did when I was five. That dream faded fast, as did my youth - I mean, I'm old now, right?

Sidenote: I hope people are catching the sarcasm and humor in this entry and know I actually think this whole way others have of thinking about age is funny.

I still feel SO young... I still am SO young. I have so much left to accomplish, and plenty of time to do so. I have SO much I want to experience before I settle down and have a family, or even go to Grad School. I feel like if I have really pondered and prayed about my choices, and I feel good about them, then I'm on the right path for me. My path has never been, nor do I believe that it will it ever be, traditional. I march to the beat of five drums at once, and I like it... I like being a bit oddly-functional (not dysfunctional) because it makes my life fun and exciting... but still on track with where I need to be. I'm not worried... Why is anyone else?

I'm not old. I'm not sad that I'm not married. I'm not worried. I'm not even searching or craving marriage, youth, or anything more right now... well, a bit more money would be nice. Haha... no, but seriously. :)

I am 24 years-old, single, and still deciding what exactly I am going to do with my life. I am happy! I'm doing more than alright and in the words of John Mayer, "I'm perfectly lonely. It's the way that I want it..."

... for now. Don't worry - unless you already are, then I'm sorry I am the cause of your sleepless nights. It's the way I want it to be until I find someone who changes my mind... becomes my forever best friend. I will eventually, but for now... This old woman is off to see the world and step into her own spotlight!

*muah*

Song of the Day: This song is off of John Mayer's new album, Battle Studies. The song is called... Perfectly Lonely. Never saw THAT one coming, eh? Haha... Listen. Love it. Enjoy!