ESTOY AQUI!!!!

Ok I'm just glad to be here in one piece, with all of my luggage. It was kind of a hectic traveling day yesterday. I was in LAX about ready to board, and realized that I couldn't find my bag. I called my mom while on the verge of tears, and she told me to run to the airport police and tell them... Because they can do something if a bag gets stolen at LAX. But that was also my idea, and on the way there I passed where I had been sitting and found it. Ohhhhh my gosh. I think it was one of the scariest moments of my life. But the flight was uneventful. I forgot to pack my headphones, and I decided if there was a good movie I'd buy them. But the movie was "Tooth Fairy", so I decided to forgo paying $3.00 for headphones for that.
Houston was also pretty stressful. I got to my gate an hour ahead of time, and decided to go buy some Wendy's (healthy eating) before getting ready to board. When I got back from Wendy's, there was nobody there. I freaked out again, because if I was stuck in Houston without any relatives living there I was NOT going to be happy. Maybe they had boarded early? So I went and asked the agent at the gate next door (going to Liberia, Costa Rica... good times), and she said it moved down the hall. Phew!
On the flight to Managua, I made friends with a girl named Delilah. She was 2 years old (of course) and told her dad I was her "mama". At first I found it kind of awkward, until she pulled out the magazine from the seatback pocket, and pointed to a picture of Kristen Chenoweth and said "Es tu!"I'll take it. She was the only person whose Spanish I could understand right off, and that was only some of the time. Trust me, the feeling of inadequacy is something I'm probably going to get used to over this month. The fact that everyone else can speak a different language makes me feel like I'm not that smart... Especially when Caroline acts so surprised when I know what a word is in Spanish. She's 5, for those who don't know. Anyway, I landed safely (the airplane fishtailed a little bit because it was raining), and got through customs just fine. Then the craziest thing happened. We had to scan our bag AGAIN. And it took more than half an hour, because 3 international flights came in at the SAME TIME. I was soooo mad. But Annie was there waiting for me, and I got to their house safely.
I don't think I'm going to get used to the feeling of everything being slightly damp from the humidity any time soon. I'll definitely hug my air-conditioning unit when I get home... It's actually not that hot. But it's like living in a comfortably-heated sauna. And that makes it really hard to stay awake all day long. One thing I won't be able to get used to? Not flushing toilet paper down the toilet. Seriously. They put it in a trash can next to the toilet!!! Ew. I'll just embrace it I guess, I did want a cultural experience. Today I've been amazed with everyone's Spanish. Annie speaks so well with all their help (they hired people from the branch, to help support their families), and even though her accent isnt perfect, she is able to keep up with them. Which is more than I can say for myself. I did manage to have a somewhat broken conversation with one of the housekeepers (Joelca?) and she knew who my mom and dad were (mi padre es alto, y mi mama es "Deena"). So I'm actually really proud of myself, because that's the first time I've had a conversation with someone in Spanish where I couldn't say "Oh you know what I mean", and I think she understood me and everything! Go me.
Well, tonight we're having a legitimate (as opposed to illegitimate) Nicaraguan feast! Jugo de Calala (maracuya), aka passionfruit juice; arroz con coco, aka rice with coconut; shish kabobs con camarones, aka shish kabobs with shrimp; torta de zanaorias, aka carrot cake; y tostones, or fried plantains (which are SO good!). So I'm going to go help in the kitchen (even though they've got two housekeepers on it) so I don't feel like a bum. But I'm keeping a good journal in addition to this! And I'll put pictures up soon, once I have more pictures. Hasta luego, todo!
Mom, can you give my blog link to Claudia? I'm sure she wants to read about this since she helped so much with my going.

La Primera Boda del Verano (AKA Lauren's wedding)

Ok my Spanish is still a little bit shaky... I have no idea if that is correct.
At any rate, last weekend (Thursday) was Lauren's wedding. So my dad and I flew up early Thursday morning, to Bountiful Utah for the wedding. I wish I had gotten a picture of the temple, because it's a gorgeous one. However, I was there for about 3 hours before the wedding, because my dad wanted to do a session there. So I explored downtown Bountiful (took less than an hour), and sat in the lobby of the temple for a while, writing and feeling the peace that is always at the temple. Then the wedding happened, and I hung out with Lauren's cousins on her other side (Sarah Jorgenson and Annette Hogge). I did get pictures of them walking out of the temple, and she looked gorgeous!

Then we took the family pictures... Note how well I like to pay attention to the camera in the first picture.

Then my dad wanted a picture of just us with the blissful newlyweds:

After the wedding was the dinner, and there were many toasts. I dont think Lincoln wanted me to give a toast because he knew I had so many stories haha. Then the reception was a lot of fun, because I got to see lots of people that I knew. Many of my cousins were there, and it was amazing to see them (as usual). To see Alyse and Tommy is always fun, and I ended up staying at their house that night. We got In-N-Out on the way home (of course), and I got to spend the next day with Alyse, Tommy, Dad, Grandma and Grandpa Murphy.

So that's all... I'm going to Nicaragua tomorrow. I'm kind of nervous, hopefully my Spanish helps me out right now. But I know I can get through the airport by myself just fine, and after that I won't be alone for the rest of the trip! Which I"m totally fine with. All the wishes of "be safe" make me a little bit nervous... but I'll be fine. And safe. And I'll keep this updated! Probably more than my Facebook, I"ll probably just update that when I get home. Ciao!

The things I'm realizing this Summer

- Most of the people I hang out with are 2 years old and younger
-Learning Spanish has taught me how much I am capable of learning... If I am able to speak in Spanish to some level of fluency by the end of the summer, I am certainly capable of getting a 4.0
-No matter how much I may have to do in a day, I feel like I'm unproductive if I don't have a set time schedule
-My new least favorite feeling is lactic acid burning
-The lectures I get from my boyfriend sound very similar to the lectures I get from my mom........ (one is well intended and for my well being, and one just tries to get my goat... I'll let you figure that one out.)
-Sometimes, and just SOMETIMES, your parents might be right.
-I have more patience than I thought I did.
-I sleep so so so so much, and it never seems like it's enough.
-When people are tired, it's just better to excuse what they say, because chances are you'll be cranky too.
-I spend a lot of time video chatting
-Spending the last 6 months of my school year in snow was worth it to be out of school at least 6 weeks before everyone else...
-My texting number has gone up exponentially since leaving Rexburg, probably from leaving all my friends.
-My little siblings are pretty much hilarious (especially Bethany and Cole)
-Along those lines, sharing a room with an 11-year-old-turning-12-in-13-days girl is pretty fun... we have pillow talk when I go to bed the same time as her.
-I can, despite popular opinion, run without throwing up... I was beginning to doubt myself for a while there.
-I can survive long periods of time without putting makeup on (or shave my legs, for that matter... but that's another story)
-I get to go to Nicaragua in 9 days!!!!!!!!! Time to cram in the Spanish!

Happy Mother's Day!

So this weekend was "Mother's Day Weekend"... my mom decided that the next few years Mother's Day will expand until it encompasses the entire year. Pretty genius plan, if you ask me. But that means that it will take 363 more years... so good luck.
Alyse and Tommy flew down on Wednesday, which was nice of them. We got to watch Austin's volleyball game, and they almost won too!
Saturday we took some of our bikes (and rented some) down to Balboa Island. I was the designated photographer, and did my best to take pictures. However, it is hard to take pictures while riding my bike, so they turned out like this:

(I had to.)

This is my favorite picture... Tommy's face makes it.

Last Little While

So I finally uploaded all my pictures, and here are a few highlights of the very few things I've done over this summer.

Tommy dropped me off at Jared and Amy's house to stay there for a few days before I flew home, and immediately the girls jumped at the chance to dress him up. This is how it ended up.

You know I can't resist a face like that... Baby Heath.

These are two of the 5 kids I babysit for regularly, two almost-2-year-old twins...

Maverick, and

Magnum. (Their older sibling's names are Macy, Milan, and Maximilian) They are just soooooo cute!

This is my favorite picture from babysitting them. It's hard to get a good picture of the kids, because they're always running around. Love this face though.

Post tonight about Mother's Day/having Alyse and Tommy come home for a few days!

Positive Perspective

So i was thinking about what to blog today (yes i do that, and I'm sure you people who are more avid bloggers do too), and I thought I could do a really whiny post on what's going wrong with my life. But instead, i've decided to have a more positive outlook. Sometimes things don't go as well as you want them to. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try in a class, and how positive you are that your grade is secure, it isn't reflected on your transcript. No matter how hard you try to take care of your face, it breaks out faster than Justin Bieber onto the pop culture scene. Even if you try to eliminate greasy foods and soda from your diet, and exercise daily, you gain more weight than you did the entire semester when those habits were basically reversed.
But, I have a lot to be grateful for this summer. I'm going to Nicaragua on May 26th (keep posted for regular blogs while I'm there), which will be an awesome experience. I have a job waiting for me after that, which will help me not have to work a ton in the school year. I get a visit from Brandon July 1 to the 4 (not THAT kind of visit, 5 months is just a long time to go without seeing each other when you're not planning on dating anyone else). My friends are going on missions, which is good and sad at the same time... and I have plenty of weddings to crash this summer! So I can just keep exercising, washing my face, and preparing for future semesters (which includes a dance class with Brandon... umm yes?)

Reunion with an Old Friend

Oh hello Tanlines... so nice to see you again. We're going to really be friends this summer.

Jiggety Jig

(Just a reference to the old nursery rhyme, "To Market to Market to buy a fat pig, home again home again...)
Well, I am now again thoroughly enjoying the weather and diversity of people that Southern California offers. I spent about a week in Utah, which was (for the most part) enjoyable. I got to visit many of my friends in Provo, and to those who I didn't, sorry. I didn't have a ton of time down there, about 3 days, and most of that was spent at Alyse and Tommy's place. While I was there, Brandon and I went with Alyse and Tommy to the BYU men's volleyball game, which was pretty fun. I think I had more fun watching Cosmo than the game, but volleyball's fun to watch. They won in 3 straight matches. Since Tommy hated the picture we took, I won't put it up.
While we were waiting for the newlyweds to meet us, Brandon and I noticed something unusual for us outside... Warmth. It was perfect weather, about 65 degrees, and sunny enough that I was wearing my sunglasses from China (which do NOT make me look like a fly)

I only touched him by accident.
I can't find my camera right now, but I spent some time at Jared and Amy's house with their little kids in Holladay. And they are such a cute family. I got to talk to Heath (yes, the 3 month old) and Tate and I watched Cinderella... just some fun times like that. Unfortunately, I got sick Thursday morning, a few hours before I had to leave. And by sick, I mean I-don't-understand-how-people-with-morning-sickness-deal-with-this sick. Let's just say I didn't eat until dinner time. And one dose of Pepto-Bismol stayed down, but not the other. 2 hour flight home? Yeah, that seemed like 10 hours. I asked to trade seats with the guy in the aisle seat, because I was in the middle of the back row (closest to the bathroom), and you know what he said? "No, my shoulders are too big." Umm, you're not Hulk Hogan! His shoulders could have fit, so I just warned him to not sleep because I would have to get up very quickly if I felt sick. He was warned... But I didnt feel sick on the flight.
Needless to say, I am very relieved to get back here and start some homemade sun therapy sessions.

Finals Week/Packing Up, Moving Out

Easter was the good part of my week. The rest of the week was just torture. Not much to talk about... I did pretty well on my finals, except my science final. I totally bombed that... and it was bad. Not that I'm proud of that, because it basically means i bombed the class and I don't like that feeling. Especially since I studied a lot for that test and I don't want to fail. But I did well on my math final, which I'm pretty sure guaranteed me an A in the class. We'll have to see about the other classes.
So my mom kept telling me, "Don't worry about moving and packing up until after your finals are done". Umm, sorry to tell you but this time you were wrong. I decided to not worry about it (besides filling up 4 storage bins with clothes and moving them into my storage unit) until after my finals were over, and that night was terrible. We had decided to go down to Provo at noon on Friday, and I started cleaning up my room for reals at midnight Thursday night/Friday morning. Big mistake. I'm not going to say what time I went to bed or got up, but I will say that I got 2 1/2 hours of sleep, because of how much work I needed to do. I also couldn't even sleep in my bed, due to the enormous amounts of clothes/papers/miscellaneous junk all over it. I was also in charge of the bathroom, so I spent a few hours doing that. Yep, HOURS. Cleaning a 5X5 room.
So after getting not enough sleep, i found I had enough adrenaline to keep me going. However, that wasn't enough, unfortunately. I began moving more boxes into storage, using Brandon's car (and spare key that I had commandeered), while continuing to clean up. When Tami, our manager, came around at 11:30, I asked her to check the bathroom but not my room, since the bathroom was the only part that was done. Of course, she didn't. So at about 12:30 (an hour later than anticipated), i was finally ready to get myself checked off and moved out. Brandon's Jeep was filled to capacity with my stuff, most of it to go into storage. I called Tami, and asked her if she would come by to check my responsibilities. She asked if she could get a bite to eat first, or if I was in a rush. I told her we were in a rush, so it would be great if she could come now. Then we waited... and waited... and waited. About a half hour after she told me she would be "right over", i called her again- to no answer. I waited about 10 minutes, and called a third time. No answer. At this point I was fit to be tied, and told Brandon we were leaving anyway, even though that meant that would forfeit my deposit. I would have paid that money back to you guys, parents. I was just furious that she would be so rude to not come by. When she did, she found the most ridiculous things for me to do, that were not included in the job listing for the bathroom. Such as clean under the faucet handles with a knife. I nodded and smiled, but knew she was just doing it to get back at me for whatever heinous sin I had committed against humanity. The other person who had cleaned the other side of the bathroom was not told to do any of that. So as soon as she left, so did I. At this point it was 1:30, and I was feeling like the world's biggest jerk. We were 2 hours behind schedule, and I'm pretty sure I had ruined some plans for the day. However, the drive (after filling my 5X10 storage space with clothes) was good. Brandon and I sang songs like "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy", "Every time I hear Your Name", "Fearless", and other very tough and manly country songs. The week in Utah was awesome (stay tuned), and when I report about it I will be in sunny and wonderful California!

Easter Sunday

This is a week late, but it's fine... I was busy.
So I know pride is a sin... but I'm very proud of myself for this.
For Easter I decided to have a little bit of fun and play the role of the Easter bunny... I have never done that before. My target? Obviously Brandon. Part one was the scavenger hunt... which was actually a test in disguise. It had some majorly subtle clues in the eggs, just to see how well he knew me. They were also stationed throughout the house, which might have made it more obvious. But Brandon passed the test, and showed up to my apartment (as per the last clue), and found his basket:

And his breakfast:

I swear, the little black things on the right are sausages, not cockroaches.
I tried to be cute and make smiley face chocolate chip pancakes, but it kind of turned out like Arlington Steward from "the Box"... can you see the similarity?

The biggest similarity is the chunk missing out of the right side of their faces
So that was exciting, and Brandon loved it, even the disfigured pancake face. We then watched conference (none of my roommates were there to watch it, so I just guess we were the most righteous), and decided our day wasn't over yet. It was pretty nice weather outside, so we decided to do something outside. There are plenty of outdoors activities to do in Rexburg, but since neither of us wanted to change out of our sweats it largely limited the possibilities. We decided to go to the duck pond, and as Brandon is obsessed with animals he loved it.

The highlight was that massive goose in the front, who got so close he stepped on my feet.