Thankful Thursday

Ok, I missed last Thursday, so I will blog today for TWO weeks!

Things I am Thankful for:

My Mission Call!!!

I am so stinking excited to go on a mission! I decided I can't start the official daily countdown until I only have one month left, but I unofficially think about it everyday! In not too long I get to preach the gospel to the wonderful people of Taiwan! I am so excited!

My Family

I am so blessed to have the family that I have. They support me in all that I do, and I am so grateful for that! My extended family is equally as wonderful.

My Friends

All through my life, I have always had the best friends! They have such a positive influence on my life, and I am grateful for all that they do for me.

My Bicycle

Ok, I don't think anyone except those who really know me understand how much I am really, truly grateful for my bike. It is the BEST temporal thing that I have!

My Twin

Eric is finally back from Africa, and though I only get to spend a couple of months with him, we are making those months really count. I am so glad that I get to spend time with him before I leave!

Stay posted for next week's Thankful Thursday post... :)

The Catch-up Post - Africa, Utah, and Halloween

Ok friends, I have not written in a while, and a lot has happened, so this is probably going to be a REALLY LONG post. Enjoy. :)

AFRICAN SAFARI!!!

My family and I went down to Kenya to pick Eric up from his mission. While we were there, we went on Safari, and it was AMAZING! We went to Three different camps while we were there.

STOP ONE: Amboseli (South-Eastern Kenya)

Amboseli was really dry from the drought, so we probably saw just as many dead animals as live ones. It was pretty sad.

The most exciting thing we saw while we were there was a Lion attack!

Both of these lions are attacking the same Zebra, and would you believe it, the Zebra walked away without a scratch! It was unbelievable!

We also visited one of the Maasai villages while we were in Amboseli, which was really, really neat.

STOP TWO: Lewa Downs (Northern Kenya)

Lewa Downs was my favorite safari spot. It is a privately-owned Rhino Conservancy, which means two things: 1) there are TONS of animals, especially rhinos, and 2) you don't always have to be in a car - you can walk (or on occasion, run) and ride horses or camels.

Unfortunately we lost some of the pictures of the horse and camel ride, but take my word for it, it was amazing! Even in the cars, though, we got so close to the animals!

We went on a hike while we were in Lewa, and it was one of my favorite parts of the entire vacation!

STOP THREE: Maasai Mara (Southern Kenya)

The Maasai Mara is probably the most famous safari spot in Kenya, and for a good reason. It was spectacular! We saw a Cheetah kill a gazelle, a crocodile eat a wildebeest, and tons of other animals! We went during the wildebeest migration, so animals literally covered the hills. It was unbelievable!

We rode a hot air balloon while we were there, and it was the greatest experience! We did have to get up at four in the morning to get to the balloon on time, but it was absolutely worth it.

Now for the ugliest and prettiest things in Africa:

UGLIEST: The Maribu Stork

This thing is a six foot tall bird that makes you cringe just looking at it. So ugly!

PRETTIEST: The sun

The sunrises and sunsets in Kenya are absolutely stunning. I have never seen anything this beautiful before. The picture really does not do it justice at all. Wow.

Whew! That was fun! Now, since I have been home...

ROAD TRIP TO UTAH!!!

This past weekend was the BYU homecoming game against TCU, so Eric and I had to go up and see it. It was a great ride, even though it started out with a little insanity... :)

Eric and I were super excited for the game!

It was a lot of fun at the game. We met up with our friends Denise and Kenny. We have not seen either of them in a long time, so it was great to hang out with them again! Eric and I were so stoked about the game that we bought blue wigs to show our spirit.

Despite our school spirit, BYU lost miserably. Too bad.

Even though BYU lost, there is still a silver lining to this road trip. We got to visit Bart, Rebecca, Addison, and Hannah! It was so fun...

...until the swine flu hit...

Rebecca got the swine flu while we were there, and so did Baby Hannah. Eric and I spent a lot of time helping out Rebecca while she was sick. We really loved helping out, especially when it meant that we got to play with Addison!

We took Addison to the Bean Museum, which is a Taxidermy museum on BYU campus. She really liked it, but was afraid of the bats. :)

We also took her bowling. She LOVED it!

It was sad to leave, but I am so grateful I got to go visit them all. I just hope the swine flu does not catch up on me. I am on voluntary Quarantine for the next couple days just to make sure I don't get anyone sick.

Now for the last catch-up post...

HALLOWEEN!!!

This year was easily the best Halloween ever (I know, I know...I say that every year). It was so much fun to have Eric here! We had sweet costumes!

We had a strobe light in our front window and I danced in it the whole night long in my scary ghost costume. It looked really cool! Sometimes Eric chased me around, which was absolutely hilarious in the strobe light!

Most of the time, Eric hid in the bushes and jumped out to scare the teenagers or adults that were out trick-or-treating. I really think we had the bast house on the block! I can't remember the last time I had that much fun. WE laughed all night long, until we collapsed out of sheerr exhaustion. It sure beats the Halloween Rebecca rented "It's Alive."

MTC Entrance Date Change!

Hey everyone!

Just wanted to let you all know that

my MTC entrance date has changed.

I will now be entering the MTC on

December 16, 2009

So what do I think of this change?

The sooner the better, as far as I'm concerned!

I got my Mission Call!!

I am called to serve the Lord in the

Taiwan Taipei Mission

speaking

Mandarin Chinese

Taipei is the capital of Taiwan. It is located in the north of Taiwan. look at that city!

My mission basically covers the north part of Taiwan and the entire eastern coast/mountains. It even includes those little islands you can see in the Philippine Sea. Wow!

I report to the MTC in Provo, Utah on

Wednesday, December 23, 2009!

I am so excited!

If you would like to see some pictures of the actual opwning of the call, my sister, Rebecca, got some great ones. Her blog is http://bartandbecca.blogspot.com/

GraphJam

I found this very amusing website that graphs the funnier things about life. This was my favorite thing today. You can check it out at http://graphjam.com/

Pioneer Day Celebration!

So I had an amazing pioneer day, but my sisters blog does it way more justice than I would be able to (mostly because I don't have any pictures.)

http://bartandbecca.blogspot.com/2009/07/24th-of-july.html

Enjoy!

I am Going on a Mission!

Hey everyone!

I just want to let you all know that I completed my mission papers and am expecting my call in the next three weeks! I am so excited!

Good Advertising, Bad Advertising

Today, Nature Valley sponsored a commercial-free half hour of the final finish in today's stage of the Tour de France. It was the most spectacular half-hour I have ever seen, and I plan on buying Nature Valley granola bars next time I go shopping. Good Advertising!



About three days ago, Garlique started a commercial during the final sprint of the Tour de France stage, cutting off the live airing of the finish line. i will never, Never, NEVER buy this product. Ever. Ever. Bad Advertising!

Two Tenths of a Second!

I love the team time trial stage of the Tour de France, but they have not held it for years. Well, they brought it back right when they brought Lance back! As always, his team dominated! First place in the team time trial by 18 entire seconds! Wow!

Lance Armstrong would be in yellow today if it were not for two TENTHS of a second! Fabian Cancellara was leading the tour by 40 seconds this morning, and now he is only ahead of Lance by two tenths of a second. Once we hit the mountains, he is a goner.
Here are the current standings:

1.	CANCELLARA Fabian		TEAM SAXO BANK	10h 38′ 07″
2.	ARMSTRONG Lance		ASTANA	+ 00′ 00
3.	CONTADOR Alberto		ASTANA	+ 00′ 19″
4.	KLÖDEN Andréas		ASTANA	+ 00′ 23″
5.	LEIPHEIMER Levi		ASTANA	+ 00′ 31″
6.	WIGGINS Bradley		GARMIN - SLIPSTREAM	+ 00′ 38″
7.	ZUBELDIA Haimar		ASTANA	+ 00′ 51″
8.	MARTIN Tony		TEAM COLUMBIA - HTC	+ 00′ 52″″
9.	ZABRISKIE David		GARMIN - SLIPSTREAM	+ 01′ 06″
10.	MILLAR David		GARMIN - SLIPSTREAM	+ 01′ 07″

Looks kinda like team Astana is slaughtering everyone else, doesn't it?

Work!

Today I started work! I work at Continuing Education again...the same job I had last summer, and I love it! Customer service. :) If you ever want to talk to me while I am working, just call the customer service number on the website and ask for me! (Dont' tell anyone that I said you could do that. ) :)

It is good to be back making money and getting ready for my mission. I am working on my papers right now, and in a couple weeks my papers will be in! I am getting the call sent to my sister's house, so I will for sure let you all know as soon as I get the call!

A Major Change of Plans

So I was planning on spending the summer living at home, going on vacations and day trips to the beach, and generally enjoying the splendor of life in Sunny California. Not anymore. :(

I am going back up to school to work for the summer, and hopefully earn some money for my mission. I am disappointed, but also excited! Summer up there is a blast and I know it will be wonderful!

Things I will miss about California:

Mom, Dad, Stacy, Lisa and Mat!
The Beach
The Pool
The Cinema Room
Catching up with old high school friends that are here for the summer
My awesome and comfortable bedroom
The vacations - Newport, San Diego, and Utah (ok, I won't miss the Utah one.)
The family ward
Free room and board
The Tour de France in the Cinema Room

Things I love about Utah:

Rebecca, Bart, Addison, and Hannah!
The canyon trail, for all my rollerblading/biking/running pleasure
Mountain Biking
The bike expo in Lambert Park
My job - I really do like it
Making money
Meeting new people
Ruth, Brianon, Heather, Melissa, Kadi, etc.
The dollar theater
Campus events
Planning my own meals - I love that!

Overall, I think Utah will be a great experience. I am working the same job that I had last summer. It is a fixed 40 hour a week, so the second I get home, I am free! I am also excited because I do not begin work until 10:00am, so I can still watch most of the Tour de France in the mornings during July. The Tour is the best part of summer! Utah, here I come!

Think Blue!

GO DODGERS!
Why do I love Dodgers games so much?

1. Special time with Dad

2. Peanuts and Crackerjacks

3. The big screen - I was on it today. :)

4. Singing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game."

5. Foul balls that go into the crowd

6. Dodger Dogs

7. Little babies dressed in jerseys

Yeah, Pretty much Dodger Games rock!

Mom's Birthday!

Today is my Mom's birthday, and I just wanted to let the world once again know how wonderful I think she is! Because I am taking a Shakespeare class, I have decided to write her a Shakespearean poem:

Sonnet #18 - Revised by Amy Collyer

Shall I compare thee to a Birthy - day?
Thou art more funny and more fabulous:
Rough winds do shake the Californ-I-A,
And birthday's fun makes all too short a fuss:
Sometime too hot the eye of Cubby shines,
Too oft' his black complexion is of dirt;
And every mom to someone is sublime,
By chance or nature's gave this day of Birt:
But my eternal mother shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair she ist;
And shall Dad brag thou wanderest in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou bidst:

So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

I wish I could offer a translation, but alas, modern English cannot translate such a perfect expression as this. :)

I love you mom, and I really think you are the best!

Mothers Day

Today is mothers day, and I just want to let my mom know how much I love her.

Here is a list of some reasons I love my mom:

She made me lunch every morning with freshly baked cookies.

She supported everything I did, from getting terrible haircuts to trying out for sports teams.

At stake dances, my mom chaperoned sometimes. She purposely embarrassed me, and I secretly loved it.

No matter where she goes, my mom is always listening to the Beatles. I inherited her taste for awesome music.

Whenever I was sick she would be there to take care of me. once I had strep throat and she bought me Caramel Apple Cider. I felt so much better.

My mom knows when to smack me around and when to be sympathetic. I think she is the only person who really understands what I mean when I complain.

There is a million other things to say, but I want to get to the most important thing. I love you, Mom. You are an irreplaceable mother, and I could never thank you enough for all you have done for me. I am who I am today because of you, and that really means a lot to me.

Thank you.

The same shirt in Different Colors...

Today I saw these two boys in the Library:

They are wearing exactly the same shirt in two different colors. I don't think that they even noticed each other. I also don't think they noticed me taking a picture of them. That is true academic dedication. My supply of that kind of dedication is very thin, as is probably obvious since I am writing about two boys wearing similar shirts instead of studying Tax.

I guess I will get back to it...

My London Blog

Hey friends!

I created a new blog to put all my adventures in London on. Check it out:

http://amylynnslondonadventure.blogspot.com/

Don't worry - I will keep this blog again when I get back!

The Lazy Eye

Right now I am sitting in the study area of the Tanner. The boy sitting next to me is asleep. He is laying on the desk in such a way that the skin on the side of his face that is touching the desk is stretching his eyelid so that his eye is halfway open. It is really, really freaking me out. I might have to move my stuff. He has been asleep for a while and I don't think that I can take it anymore. Don't you all feel lucky that you don't have the lazy eye haunting you right now?

My Midterm Study Strategy

How to Use a Potty

My niece is getting potty trained right now. I found these instructions in a book she likes to read about the potty. I figure, we could all use a refresher every once in a while...

Using my Potty...

How to use a Potty

1. Find When you need to go
2. Pull down your pants
3. Sit on the potty and pee or poop
4. Wipe your bottom
5. Pull up your pants
6. Flush it all away
7. Wash your hands

Barn Dancing!

Last weekend our stake had a barn dance out in Herriman. It was absolutely amazing! Totally legit too - no fake/modern country music. There was live music, fiddles, an accordion, guitars, and everything you need to make a true western-style hoe-down!


The musicians even taught us several REAL western dances like the Statue boogie and the Virginia Reel!


I must admit, the boys did look sexy in their boots and hats. :)


The girls looked great too! Some were in overalls, others in pioneer-style dresses. Unfortunately I didn't even have a bandana to spice up my outfit, but I did have my hair in pigtails (it was just too short to French Braid).


Overall, everybody had a blast!