Wednesday, July 30, 2008

October 22nd

newest latest greatest news ever. Devan (bud) just got the most radest (a real word?) mission call ever. Puerto rico east mission (which includes about 700 miles of islands including the virgin islands) spanish speaking. i'm so proud of him, and very excited. me, and anyone who knows him, knows he will be amazing. i'll miss him here, thats for sure. (two years better fly by) he's the most wonderful brother, and friend any girl could ask for. and he has quite the talent to make me laugh. check him out.... youtube search the miley mobile. (he'll kill me for that.) i bet five dollars you'll laugh too. he leaves to the MTC Oct. 22nd.

i finally am all moved in to my new apartment. its great. very small, but just enough space. rad (of course) has already found a way to sneak out of the backyard, so i'm working on getting that figured out. other than that, i'm now just getting used to the seven minute drive to adams. (used to only be one minute...:(

we leave this coming monday for six flags, and hanging out with sister, dude, and doogie!! its goint to be a blast of a trip.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

introducing BIGGIE

Adam left me for a whole 4 days... but made it up to me by bringing me back a little somethin'somthin'. and when i say little... i mean it. BIGGIE!! the worlds cutest little turtle. he is so tiny, he doesnt even seem real. once we got him situated in Bleekers space (goodbye to bleeker, big turtles happen to be quite stinky) we decided to make it more of an aquarium, i just returned from "Fish 4 U" with some fish to spice up the place. lets see if i can keep them alive... 

i've been on a diet for almost a week now. no soda. no fast food. no candy. there goes.... everything i live for. i feel alot better already actually. i guess people who eat healthy do it for a reason.

a few more weeks til my familys final hoorah before Buds mission. (we're anxiously awaiting his call) Six Flags here we come! this will be Adams first time at six flags, and my family roams the park yearly. i'm so excited. nothing like straight roller coasters for four days! and of course... its always good to take a little break from work every now and again. (to make up for the lost hours... i am going to be working six days a week til then though.) 

on another bright note. Leah and i were accepted for a basement apartment in sugarhouse today! its in an adorable neighborhood. it has a big back yard, and big bedrooms, and its in a perfect location for her and i both. i'm so excited to get moved in. (not that i dont enjoy livin with the boys... it'll just be nice to have my own bed back!) i'm waiting on the least to come via email now, once here everything can be finalized. keep your fingers crossed for me!

Monday, July 7, 2008

june fifth!

june fifth is the last entry posted... i'm a slacker.

things have, once again been uprooted and flipped around, in my life. 
this time, for the better.

lets just say, things are working themselves out, and i feel wonderful about it.

i handled things the first time, horribly, and i'm sorry. 

i just got back from a trip with friends to lake powell, it was the time of our lives! it was a blast, the weather was perfect, there was good company, and no body died. (although, sophie seemed to try.... a broken nose, two black eyes, and an inch and a half of stitches across her cheek, she was still kickin.) 

i came home to no apartment,  so i'm currently living at adams, looking constantly for a place.  today (being my day off) was a good day for hunting, and i do believe i found a good spot. we'll see if it pans out. with my luck lately? ha.... yeah, we'll see.

i hope everyone had a good and safe 4th of july. mine was pretty spectacular. i love fireworks.

and for the best news yet.... RAD GOT NEUTERED !! 

Thursday, June 5, 2008

world travels.

alright alright, i've been home for over a week now, and have been dreading writing a blog about Ecuador (because i know it'll take longer than most) but my mom has been harassing me about it since i got home.... so mom, here it goes.

May 19th 2008
day one- the flights werent as bad as i thought they were going to be, my daddy took good care of my and got me first class tickets. makes traveling easy. my first flight was to Atlanta, it was a three hour flight, they fed me breakfast (with real silverware, and in glass dishes. classy) and i got to watch Across the Universe. my layover in atlanta was just long enough to walk from one gate to the next, and hit up the restrooms. that airport is big, and i got lost. ended up walking all the way out of the terminals, and having to re-check through security. (this is why i should never travel alone) luckily, timing still worked out just great, i was just a little stressed. the flight from Atlanta to Quito was a five and a half hour flight, still first class. i was sitting next to a bigger Ecuadorian man, who never stopped pounding glasses of wine, stinking up our shared area. he was happily watching The Bucket List, everytime he laughed he would look at me, or nudge me ("did you see that!!" is what i would imagine him saying) but... i wasnt even watching the movie. made the flight seem way longer. not to mention by this time i could have been jumping up and down i was so excited to land, see alyssa, start the adventure. i landed around 8:45 Quito time (7:45 Utah time) customs was fast, baggage claim was fast. walked around the corner, LYSSSSSS!!

when we got to the house, i met some girls, got a quick tour, called home to tell my mom i was safe, and got settled.

day two- lys had a morning shift, so we got up early, around six (i think...) and headed to the orphanage. the kids were all awake, all standing in their cribs waiting for their baths. these kids were some of the cutest i've ever seen, all dark hair, all big dark eyes, most of them smiling. i was more than impressed at this point by alyssa, she stripped kids, and bathed them like a pro. poop or no poop, she didnt care (however, i was gagging in the background) once all the kids were cleaned and redressed they were put into a separate room to play, and watch movies. thats when the fun started for me, one by one lys would take the kids down the hallway, where i was waiting- scissors in hand. three and a half hours later.... twenty four hair cuts down. my back is still killing me.
our shift was over at noon. we got back to the house, and ate a delicious home made meal (the cooks name is betty, she knows what shes doing) and layed down for a nap (next shift was at two thirty) lys ended up feeling really sick, with a really horrible headache, so we missed out on the second shift, and got some more rest. that night most of the girls from the house went to a really fancy italian place for dinner (it was one of the girls birthday) the food was delicious, and i payed $5 dollars for the huge portion they served me. cant beat that. i also had my first ecuadorian coke at dinner..... wow. wow. wow. coke is so good down there, its not fair.

day three- we had another morning shift, but this time it was with the special ed boys, there were four of them, plus six girls from the house. it was field trip day. we took them swimming, the pool was freezing, but it was a blast. i've never wanted to understand or speak spanish more.
we had the afternoon off, so we took a field trip of our own, lys and hiedi took me to the Basilica Cathedral it was the most beautiful thing, like a castle in a disney movie. we payed a dollar, and took the stairs to the top, and when the stairs stopped, we took the little latters, until we couldnt go any higher. we were really high.... scary high. (i'll post pictures later, i keep forgetting to bring my camera cords down) after we got back to solid ground, they took me to "oldtown" to shop for a bit. more than anything, i appreciate being able to see how the culture works, its so crazy people live the way they do. makes me appriciate home, more than ever. we had to be out of oldtown by five (its the dangerous part of town, and even more dangerous after five)
that night the house had their banquet (every five weeks, a group of girls leave, and a new group comes) this was the banquet for lys' group. the dinner was wonderful, lys and lindsay sang a beautiful song, and lys did an awesome slideshow.
later that night, we had a night shift. we got to the orphange around ten thirty, at night shift your taking care of the babies. we stayed up really late, and after i fell asleep lys and lindsay took turns every hour. feeding babies, burping babies, changing babies. we were back home at seven.

day four- we didnt have shift again til noon so we ate breakfast, and got ready. second shift was at casa's with lys three kids. esteban, daisy, and pablo. three of the cutest kids there. (casa's are with the older kids, and this was lys' last day with them. harder than the kids, because they actually understand goodbye's) i was impressed with how lys handled it, i'd have been a wreck, but she carried herself well. knowing the next group of girls are going to love and care for them as much as she did, i'm sure makes it easier.
right after casa's was back to the younger kids at the orphanage, we fed them lunch, and played with them til the next group of girls came to take shift over. i was so glad i wasnt emotionally attatched to these kids.... every single one of the girls broke down. one of the most touching things i have ever seen. i had been there only two three days and didnt want to leave... lys was there three months, i cant even imagine.
we were home by six thirty, and by eight Lys, Lindsay, Liza and I were all eating dinner at Red Hot Chile Pepper. the best mexican food on the planet. weekends start on thursdays down there, and i'd never seen a town so alive, or streets so crowded with people.

day five- up early to leave for the amazon!!!! we took a twenty minute bus ride to the airport, a half hour plane ride to another part of ecuador, another bus ride to the dock, and a two and a half hour boat ride to our lodge. the Yachana lodge, by far the most amazing, most beautiful place in the world, right in the Amazon jungle, on the napo river. we got settled in our rooms and were off for our first hike. it was muddy, and wet. but still wonderful. it wasnt a long hike either, just gave us a taste for what else was coming. the lodge fed us all homemade all homegrown, three course meals for breakfast lunch and dinner. i'd never eaten so much or so healthy in my entire life. the humidity of the jungle is crazy, take a clean shirt off of a hanger, and its wet before you put it on your body.

day six- headed to the market, not a market for tourists a market for locals. familys selling their goods, axes, fruit, veggies, batteries, flash lights, anything necessary, hardly anything for pleasure. except of course i found myself a coke.
we stayed for an hour or so, walking around the market and the village near by. (once again, pictures needed.)
we went straight from the market to a hike, on our way to see the high school the lodge has built for the local kids. we saw monkeys on our way... little cute monkeys! this was the hottest day there, 90 degrees plus humidity. i felt like i was melting.
after the hike, and after lunch. Lys, Lindsay, Cady and I decided to play in the river, and swim a bit. on such a hot day, the water felt amazing, not too hot not too cold. perfect.
we took a boat ride a few miles up stream to see an older couple pan for gold (which you've heard about, but would never fully understand until you see it.) such hard work, such a long process, all for an extra $20 a month.
after that everyone just jumped in the river, with lifejackets of course, and floated with the current back to the lodge. this was by far the most amazing part of our entire adventure, the sun was shining it was so hot, the water was perfect, we were in the jungle, the amazon, in the napo river, and a black rain cloud crept to the center of the river, and started raining on us. rainbows, sun, rain, jungle. the perfect day.
we got back to the lodge just in time to shower and change before basket weaving and dinner, after dinner our guide took us on a night hike. (i dont think you even understand how big bugs in the jungle are... most of which ONLY come out at night) it was terrifying, and awesome.

day seven- big hike day.... we got up at six, and were on our way by seven. the hike was a six hour long walk, through the ups and downs of the primary jungle. chances are the sun was shining, and it was hot, but with the jungle so thick , no sun hit the ground around us, and all the trees and leaves held the cool moisture in. the elevation really started getting to me on the hike, and by the time we were finished i felt like i was going to throw up. i held it together for awhile.
once the death hike was finished we were able to shower and put some clean wet clothes on, and went to a cooking class. where most of us ate weevil larva. (you'll freak when you see THOSE pictures)
after that, my stomache freaked and i was in bed the rest of the day. the group went to go visit the medicine man of the village, and learned to throw a spear and shoot a blow gun. i missed out.

day eight- up early again, to head back to quito. two hour boat ride to the dock, twenty minute bus ride to the airport, two hour wait for our plane, half hour plane ride, twenty minute bus ride, Home. we were back by noon, so we got cleaned up, and had a shopping day. we ate lunch at McDonalds (way better there than here) and i payed $3.50 for my grande big mac meal. (k-k-killin it.) and went to the shops. i bought all my goodies, it was a good day.
that night was so crazy trying to pack up, and get everything ready to leave, stress levels were flyin. but we did manage to go out for one last dinner at crepes&waffles. attempts to get to bed early failed miserably. we maybe got settled at two. up and out by four....

day nine- Lys and i were able to sit next to each other on the flight from Quito to Houston. made it that much better. we tried to sleep. but lys was so excited to be home, she was bouncin off the walls. once in houston, (also a huge airport) i managed to get lost again. i was on the flight to salt lake by myself, with only a hour and a half layover (lys' ended up being like eight hours) so i was rushin like crazy. i made it just in time. the flight seems forever long, and finally i was home.

i had the time of my life alyssa, and i'm so glad we got to share such an amazing experience. i'm so proud of all the work you were doing, such a selfless way to live. your a wonderful example. i love you. lets never stop the adventures.

Sunday, May 18, 2008

tomorrow is the day.

i don't feel ready in the slightest, but tomorrow is the day i finally leave for Ecuador, and i cant wait. i'm spending today at my parents house, trying to clear my head a little so i dont explode trying to pack when i get home tonight.

this week has been a good one, with only a few ups and downs.

my 21st birthday came and went, without me ever feeling like it was any different than most. i had to work at 9am, the morning of, and the morning after. work was slow, which leaves me bored and feeling like the day will never end. i did get to see a few of my favorite clients throughout the week though. after work i got my hair cut again, just a little off the top (all i can really afford these days, without pulling the clippers out) and went out to dinner with all the girls from the salon. its nice knowing that the people you work with love you, even when they dont have to.

Adam gave me a turtle for my birthday, which i named Bleeker. he's a cutie. Rad is still getting used to the idea of a weird looking green thing stealing some attention.

last night i had a dinner with some amazing people, non-work friends, most of which i hadnt seen in at least five weeks, maybe even more. it was wonderful. i miss seeing them almost daily.

tonight, i will pack. clean up the house a little. leave bleeker with a clean tank. and hopefully get some sleep. tomorrow morning i'll leave, early i think.... i'll have to check my tickets. two hour flight to Houston tx, then a six or seven hour flight to Ecuador, i'll arive there around 9pm. Lys will be at the airport waiting for me, which is a relief, a familiar face will not be taken for granted at that point, and of course I'm dying to see her.

this is going to be a good time to clear my head, worry about things that aren't going on in my world, trying to help out in another world.

Monday, May 12, 2008

holiday.

today my family celebrated....

-mothers day.
as did most people. my mom is the greatest. i love her, she is my best friend.

-dad's birthday.
every so often these two holidays fall on the same sunday. happy birthday daddy. i also have the greatest dad. i love him.

-my birthday.
is really on friday, but my parents will be out of town, so while we were celebrating things, my mom decided to throw that in. i got birthday cards, birthday money, and my parents bought me a camera. happy birthday me.

-a farewell to my sister, dude, and baby scotty.
dude drives to arizona tomorrow, to get started at his job, and to get the house situated. jessi is leaving friday with scotty. and who knows when we'll see them after that. still crazy to me that they are leaving, kind of surreal.

what a sunday yeah?

i went to church with my mom, it was her mothers day request, how can you turn that down? i got a twix for being a mother in relief society (rad counts as a child) and skittles because my birthday is coming up. if i got showered with candy everytime i came, i'd consider being there every week.

after church i helped get dinner ready, trying to let my mom take the day off.

we ate steaks as big as our plates. delicious.

after dinner grandpa and kay, cole, and the lybberts came over. we ate cake, opened presents, and "ooh, ahh"ed over the baby. also my parents built a pretty sweet swing set in the back yard, (it just got finished) so cole and i swang for a minute or two. everyone seemed happy to see cole around again. i think they enjoy seeing me happy too.

Cole and i tried to hurry back to his house to see Jade and Allie, but we were too late. they had left already. bummer. hopefully next week.

tomorrow i have the day off, so i'm staying at my moms tonight to spend the day here. dunno what's on the agenda, but we'll figure something out.

i leave in six days.
i'm freakin out, i'm so excited.
couldnt come fast enough.

Thursday, May 8, 2008

feels good.

having no hair is the best feeling in the world. i get an extra half hour of sleep every morning, due to the fact it takes less than a minute to do. every girls dream, right? (not the no hair part, the getting ready fast part)

the weekend and this week have been decent. nothing too crazy happend. just hanging out. i'm really enjoying the time i'm spending at my parents house. my family rules. and i know my mom really enjoys it when i'm here, so its good to keep her happy.

work is getting busier and busier with summer coming. i've done so many blonde weaves the past couple weeks, i bet i could do one blind folded. (everyonce and awhile i can talk someone into going dark instead, i prefer it.) i got a raise at the begining of this month too, its so nice when hard work starts paying itself off.

i turn 21 so soooon. eight more days. i dont think i'm doing anything major for my birthday, which is kind of a bummer, but i work so early the next morning, it would be an even bigger bummer going in like a zombie.

three days after, i leave for Ecuador. everyday i get more and more excited. and i know lys does too. its going to be the most amazing trip. all i need to do, is buy a camera before, gotta document this to the fullest.

rad got a hair cut yesterday. he is so cute when he's shaved. and much more cuddly. what a doll.

i also got to see emily for dinner yesterday, she's the best. hadnt seen her in weeks, it was good to have a catch up.

i'm doing good. life is good.