Coming Home--Bem Vinda ao EUA!!!

 Well, the day has finally arrived! After 18 months of the best time for my life in the best place in the world (Missao Brasil Ribeirao Preto) I arrived in the states, April 29, 2010.

It was a great 11 hour flight from Sao Paulo to Texas (and when I say great I mean, squishy, uncomfortable and super long). There´s nothing like a slightly tilted back plane seat meant to be comfortable enough to sleep for a few hours.

The craziest thing was when we arrived in the states...kinda crazy because it had been sooo long since we had heard people in a public place speaking English. Was this a dream? More like a nightmare...where was my beloved Portuguese??

When we arrived in Salt Lake as you can see we were pretty nervous to see our families. Walking through the terminal and bam there was our ....or wait...families? Where were my parents? I mean c´mon...we kid that I am the forgotten child, but really do we have to go to such extremes? Where´s the fun in this? haha So I stuck around with the elder and his family and tried not to act too awkward and soon enough my poor family arrived! haha was a hard time I gave them!

The adjustment to being back at home has not been an easy one (as anyone who has gone on a mission can very well tell you). It´s almost like being born again lol, having to relearn it all over again...what was it that I learned in college? how does this whole dating thing work? what are the cool things these days? When did this store get here? When did that rule change?.... There´s a lot to get used to...I think it´s gonna take me a while, but that´s alright...I know that the Lord has my best interest at heart and will help and guide me along my way.

Climbing of the Rock Nature

Rockclimbing! I love it! And I've had such a good time this summer going with a few of my friends--who so graciously let us use all their gear. I, oddly enough, have my own shoes which I actually got for only $1! If you know how much climbing shoes are regularly you know what a sweet deal that is!
So, we've mostly gone up rock canyon this summer and have done climbs like the green monster. I was so proud of myself this last time, after lifting consistantly for a few weeks, the climbs were MUCH easier! Woot! What a fun time! One of the funnest, though toughest climbs I did was where you basically had to climb up a huge crack in the wall! Woah! You basically just have to learn how to get yourself scratched up and twisted! haha fun in the end though!






















These pics are of me, Doug (my second cousin once removed who I randomly met in my current ward--didn't even know we were related until then) and my friend Jillian. She's super awesome and this was her first time! She did a level 5.7, I think, she was amazing! Yay for first-timers!

Prankster Gangsters

I have a wonderful roommate named Kate who recently was treated very unkindly. While playing by the Brittany pool the other day--innocently minding her own business, I might add--some ruffians came and shoved her right into the pool! How rude! Well needless to say they started something right there. And for a few weeks afterwards Kate threatened them with revenge (although never acting upon it, until now!). So one fateful night as we four, Dawnee, Mariah, Kate and I sat as roommates chatting we came up with a wonderfully good prank to get back at these boys. The plan was as follows: one for each of the two ruffians. First was for Bragging Brent: we found just the thing for this know-it-all who thinks he's SO tough. We would put a loverly sign on his truck that would definitely challenge his manhood. hahaha. But that was just the beginning, and the decoy. We planned later to sneak inside their apt (I'm really good and breaking into our apts--I had to do it quite a bit last summer when I would often forget my keys) and take the hinges off of their bathroom door (don't worry we tried it on our own--simple as pie!) as well as taking off their shower curtain! Ah the joy we experienced of just imagining their reactions, haha!
So we dressed up in our sneakiest gangsta clothes and did the deed late that night. The evidence is shown below...
The second prank, although never executed, made us crack up just as much. The idea was to put Nasty Nate's car on sale on Craig's List hahaha picture, phone number, and everything included. Sadly that plan did not happen, but I think the thought of it was just as entertaining.

After executing our first plan we waited in suspense for the repercussions of what we'd done, but much to our astonishment, little Boasting Brent said his roommates were not too fond of prank wars. In fact, they disliked them so much that they got angry and HIM for the prank war WE started...what girls! So, needless to say the prank war ended there. We didn't dare do the bathroom door deed due to Brent's uptight and potentially murderous roommates. Where did all the fun boys go, anyway?

Cave Adventures

Growing up in American Fork, you'd think I would have at least hiked Timp caves once, right? Well, it twas not so...until this Summer. My friend Jim--who, sadly could not come due to the breaking of his ankle a few days prior--organized it all and a few of us from his old ward ended up going with a few people from his ward. It was loads of fun! I had never been in the caves before, but I could see why they were so popular. Not only is it simply beautiful and amazing, but naturally air-conditioned! Pics weren't the greatest. I guess ya just gotta go to get the REAL experience.

The staple: Hiking the Y

Okay, so you can't say you go to BYU and not climbed the Y. And sad to say I actually hadn't even climbed it until last summer (by the time I was a junior, sad I know!). Since then I've gone another 3 or 4 times. It's not the most exhilarating hike, but it's pretty fun and has a fabulous view when you get up there. Next time you're in Provo, check it out!

Biking with Rosita

Ok, so I'm not the best in the world, but I'd have to say biking is one of my all-time-favorite activities. There's just not much that compares with the feeling of flying down a hill with the wind rushing past your face and adrenaline pumping through your blood like crazy! Or when you find a good uphill that really challenges you to push your muscles to the limit. I LOVE IT! That and I have a loverly bike that treats me pretty darn good. So good, in fact that I named her. (You've heard of people naming their cars right? and pets? well I figure Rosita is just as good to me as any car or pet...ok maybe that's a little far fetched, but still, I have the time of my life with her).

So anyway, this past May, Camille and I decided to do our second annual Moab trip with her old ward and our good buddy Kristin. We were only down there a few days, but we really had a fun time mountain biking, water rafting and just plain having fun.

These are a few of the pics...Standing on the edge of Gemini Bridges after a sweet ride there.A bunch of tough chicks!Cliff Jumping!

A New Home

Ok, so it's not quite home, yet, but it's getting there. The semester ended just a little while ago and we're already starting a new term! Woot, yay for short breaks! It's actually been quite an adjustment, which I definitely did not anticipate. But things are going much better now. I've moved out of the previous apartment #22 of which many have heard stories of and now reside in the island (sounds exotic, right?) and #19. It's been great so far! I have two (soon to be three) new and wonderful roommates. It's amazing how big a difference roommates can make in your life. In my previous apartment, it was a struggle to get any kind of unity. The first couple of days I moved into this new one, Mariah (the awesome girl that she is) called me at least three times to see where I was! hehe. I love it here and it's only gonna get better as the weather gets warmer.

As for other things in my life, I'm currently planning on going on a mission and turning in my papers at the end of May!! I'm super excited and trying to get as ready as I can be! (which I'm sure my new calling will help me with--Gospel Doctrine, ah!!) All I have left on my papers is my dental stuff and then I'm done! Then it's just a waiting game... I'm also taking a couple classes this term one is an internship--basically I'm counting the time I spend on Camp Kesem for my hours for this internship. It's kinda nice getting credit for something you're already doing, right? And my other class is called Non-profit fundraising and finance. I just declared a non-profit management minor (partly because I know it will help me with Camp Kesem and partly because it makes me more marketable overall) and that class is one of the requirements. It's only got 8 people in the class, so it'll be very personable and open. (You didn't think BYU had those kinds of classes, huh?) hehe.

Another big thing I'm planning right now is a benefit concert. It's on the 17th of May and it's gonna be awesome! We're hoping to get about 200 people there and it's going to be tons of fun. It's been pretty hard planning it, but I really feel I've grown a lot in my people skills and in my ability to prioritize and get things done. I think Camp Kesem has really helped me to become a whole new person. It's crazy what a little leadership can do to you!