Personal Narrative: Kisses or Cards

The stench of sea salt permeated my Great Uncle Craig’s Dodge. It was just Uncle Craig and me driving to his brother’s new home in a tucked away corner in Soldotna, Alaska.
We drove up the thick black pavement scanning the meticulously trimmed grass and flowers. The landscaping was absolutely stunning as if we had stumbled upon the lost Garden of Eden. The truck came to a halt and I slid out, went around to the back, and yanked out my waterproof dry-bag crammed with clothes and toiletries because I knew we were spending the night. Entering their home, the smell of noodle soup came wafting in to the front room as my Aunt Kathy stood in the kitchen stirring the soup with a large wooden spoon. I immediately felt conscious of my greasy hair, my salt-plastered clothes, and the smell of fish on my hands from a few days of fishing on the ocean.

Fellow Homo Sapiens

"Weekly Email to my family: November 24 - 29th

It was sooo good to see you all this week! I arrived on Tuesday night at Farmington Station where Mama-cita and Papa-saun came and picked me up. I raided the food in the fridge that night. 

I must have been either exhausted or my bed was just soothing but I slept until Thursday.

On Thursday, hahahah just joking I didn't sleep that long, but it sure felt like it. Wednesday I got some HW done, just motivating myself with dinner at 6:30. We ate at Famous Daves with Tawnya and Buster Bob. That was a real treat! The food was delicious, not to disappoint, but it's the company that I enjoy the most. We could eat at McDonalds for all I care, (as long as we played on the toys). Perfect way to begin the break.

Torie and I holding the pups not cows

Thanksgiving was really good. We ate at Guy's and Carol Ann's place. The food was delicious for sure, plus we got to hold the baby pups that were only a week or so old. It was so cute that when we came home, Mom made us thanksgiving dinner as well so that we could still have leftovers for dayzzz. YAY. That night Tor, Mom, and I did ourselves a little Black Friday adventuring. We may or may not have ran a red light at 1 in the morning. Don't worry... it wasn't at a scary spot and we are all safe. Just be aware that Mom likes songs by Adele, so she started to sing along forgetting we were at a stop LIGHT not a stop SIGN. Good thing she's okay that Tor and I can tease her :P

Friday was another chill day, doing homework and such torturous things. We did go as a family to see Mockingjay Part 2, which was actually pretty good!

#cliché Mormon girl pic

Saturday evening I got to go on a fun date with Brien and his two brothers and their dates to dinner and see the lights on temple square. We ate at a place called Blue Lemon in City Creek. The food was very flavorful although they didn't know I was eating there, otherwise they would have made larger portion sizes.

Today in church we had an awesome sacrament meeting! We got to hear from the parents from all the missionaries in our ward. I am really happy for all the missionaries and the changes they are making in their own lives as well as in the lives of those they teach. I am especially proud of my sister because she was amazing even before she left. 16 days. NBD. (no big deal) 

Knock Knock?

Who's there?

FedEx.

Oh, hey, you can just leave it on the doorstep. :)"

Darlings and Popsicles

Weekly email home: November 16 - 22nd

"I hope you all have had a good week because I surely have! On Monday for FHE we had a Thanksgiving feast. This meant that each apartment brought some sort of food and pretty much the whole ward got together to enjoy it. It wasn't like each dish could feed everyone, but out of all the options, everyone for sure had a good variety. I was dying because I considered it dinner and we didn't start until close to 8! But, it was totally worth the wait, plus I am even more excited to have Thanksgiving!:)

We also had cleaning checks this week and for sure those are ridiculous. We had a few things we needed to clean like a sticky spot on the counter and we needed to dust the vents in the bathroom with a q-tip. Don't worry I took one for the team and got that one done, so don't worry I still have a place to live. 

Pretty much the rest of the week I got some good homework done, including writing my anthropology essay, which really draws a lot of brain power in writing. I secretly really enjoy working on it because it helps me to practice sounding really smart on paper. 

Jessica and I made breakfast for dinner, it was fantastic. You all didn't know I could eat 2 french toast, 2.5 eggs, 2 blueberry muffins, 4 pieces of bacon, and a tall glass of Orange Julius, but now you do. Later that evening, my friend Brien came over to proofread my anthro. paper. He gave me some good tips and helped me know what I could change so I could more accurately follow the prompt. Also that night I went with Brien, Sarah, and Jessica to the music practice room. Jessica would play the piano, songs like, "The EFY Medley" and other church songs that we would all sing to. I would sing Soprano, Sarah would sing Alto, and Brien would sing Bass. I really love a lot of things about college, especially being able to change things about myself to be more about myself. Let me explain...In high school, none of my friends knew I could sing opera or that I had crazy voices, but here at college a lot of people know. Sometimes in high school, it's hard to change what people envision you as because they have known you forever, but here I can act like I am super confident in my singing abilities and no one would know the difference. I like being able to practice being who I want people to see me as instead of what they knew me as. I'm still the same person, but now I feel like the person I was around my family - crazy, funny, and quirky - is me a lot more of the time. Anyway, I'll get off my soap box now. I just am super excited to take choir next semester so I can become a better singer!"

Jessica and I

Jessica and I are like a married couple. You know how I mentioned we make dinner together? Well, that is a common occurrence. We also ask each other questions like, "What do you want for dinner?" "When will you be home?" "Who were you with?" "What were you doing?"

Here's a Little Anthropology for ya

Here it began. I needed to write a paper for my Anthropology class. Not only that, but I needed to sound smart. One thing I discovered as I began to type was big words just kept popping into my head when I needed them. I knew that was from the readings we have to do everyday for class. The key to sounding smart is to read smart words and then be able to regurgitate them.

Culture is the physical, mental, emotional, and social aspects of a particular demographic as is interpreted in mortality. Anthropology can be most accurately described as an attempted mediator between various cultures. An ethnographer is a student of cultures, portraying their learnings through scientific definitions. Although these findings are not a direct translation between cultures and display complexities far beyond comprehension, the initiative it takes to overcome barriers between demographics is key to unlocking the viability of a lifestyle. There are many dimensions intimately thriving on any aspect of a culture. In order for an “outsider” to attain understanding, they must be willing to entertain the possible validity of a way of life. Each of us is born into a particular culture, “…a set of cultural glasses that each of us wears, lenses that provide us with a means for perceiving the world around us, for interpreting the meaning of our social lives, and framing action in them” (Monaghan, Just, 2000, p. 38). Our interpretation of the world is deeply characterized from when, where, and how we are raised. In the culture of Mormonism, children and families strive to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. Men are commanded to serve away from their homeland and teach about Jesus Christ for a period of two years. Women can optionally serve, in like manner, for a period of 18 months. Without the prior knowledge of the physical, mental, emotional, and social implications of a young women and man in context, this cultural phenomenon would not be universally understood on any spectrum of differing societies.

ThanksGIVING

On Friday, as we all know, I was able to come home to help out with the Fundraiser for the people in Mexico and Kenya. I felt it was such a blessing to see how there are amazing people out there that want to make a difference. I was so proud of my Mom and Dad especially. I could see all the hard work and effort they put into everything and I literally felt so proud to be their daughter. They are the kind of people that I hope to someday become, but for sure the list didn't end there. 

I talked to a lady who was Carrie Grubb's visiting teacher that came to support her, which made me want to be a better visiting teacher. 

It meant a lot to me that Chaney my friend from High School  came, which made me want to be a more supportive friend.

 When Aunt Jan came down to help us out, it made me want to be a better family member. 

When Aunt Tawnya mentioned in her text to me that her and Buster Bob heard about our event and made a donation, I knew their donation would be generous and it made me want to be willing to give like that. 

Seeing my younger siblings, Tavis and Torie and how much they were involved made me want to just squeeze them to death because I just miss them so much and I'm so proud, especially knowing what other kids their age would be doing on a Friday night. 

I wish that more people would have come! But, the ones that did and were involved, are the ones that not only put in effort for themselves, but their effort made up for the lack of the other people. I am so happy and so honored to be a part of the lives of the people that are exceptional and do more than what they are asked to do. I hope and pray that no matter where I'm at and what I am doing in life, I will always do the same.

Hold Back the River

My feet were planted firmly, my arms pressed tightly against the blue wall. It seeped through the cracks of my hands. A slight tension in my lower back ached accompanying the beads of sweat pooling with the escaped liquid.

The river seethed, tore, and griped at my stance. It flaunted its power, looked down upon my small quivering frame, and told me if I guessed its name, the flow would stop and my worries would vanish.

I thought about my life and the pressures I had been withholding the release of. The battles I had been fighting, the emotions pent up inside, and the fears I had been suppressing, had all came to mind in the pinpointing of the name. I took careful consideration of each possibility. Temptation, because there seems to be a never ending trickle. No, that wasn't it. I thought harder. Fears, because I couldn't see what was around the next bend in the river. No, not it either. I couldn't come up with anything else. Maybe it was something obvious? Doubt, what I was feeling because I didn't think I could withstand much longer.

All my guesses were wrong. I could no longer hold back the river. The surge of a mighty wave suddenly washed over me, no longer could I withstand the pressure. I slipped mercilessly under the water, sinking in the depths.

My thoughts were fuzzy as the air escaped my lungs, I guess there are just things I can't... suddenly it came to me.

Control.

If there is something in your life that you are fighting against that you can't control, STOP IT. Focus on what you CAN control and change that.