Wanderlust is killing me

With summer coming up so fast, the travel bug is hitting me bad. Especially since I am so over school right now. It's the end of the year and I am tired!!!!

Here is a list of trips that I plan to take in the near future to take advantage of my singleness:

Definitely happening: 
*Backpacking Europe (this summer!)
*East coast trip (Boston, NYC, etc... )
*Disney World/Harry Potter world
*California Beach Trip

In my dreams:
*New Zealand
*Asia (India, Japan, Thailand)
*Kauai or Maui
*Paris
*cruise with friends
*Norway and Sweden

10 Books That Have Influenced Me

There is a thing going around on Facebook where everyone is writing about 10 books that have influenced them. I wanted to write a bit more about it, so here it is on my blog!

Book of Mormon - a book that teaches about drawing closer to God and has many examples of individuals choosing good or evil and the rewards or consequences of each. 

The Giver - I love ambiguous endings. I love how you get to choose for yourself what you believe happens at the end. This book reminds me that even though there is so much bad in the world, the good is so much more meaningful because of it. 

The Two Princesses of Bamarre - I love love love this book. I love how the main character gains confidence and discovers her worth as she realizes that she can do hard things. 

The Empty Pot - a kid's book about the importance of honesty. with beautiful illustrations. 

The Happiness Project - This book changed the way I think about a lot of things. It motivated me to stop stressing out so much, make changes in my life, and just enjoy life for what it is. 

Hard Times - A weird book, but we read this on my study abroad and it was the source of many a good laugh. It also helped me to connect to England more and to enjoy my time there. My English teacher on the trip was also so passionate and I loved the discussions we had on this book. 

Harry Potter - so many good family memories that brought us closer together and increased our love of reading. We read every book out loud together as a family and I loved it. 

The Continuous Atonement - This book is amazing. It talks about how the Atonement can work in your life to help you overcome pain and to be better. It talks about how the Atonement helps us overcome our shortcomings. 

The Book Thief - I love the imagery in the book. I also love that it is written in a more child-like perspective and you learn a lot about history and the importance of perspective. 

Narnia - so much symbolism of Christ and a great fantasy series. I just love them. 

Summer Bucket List

Well, it's been a good six months since I last posted on my good old blog! A lot has happened in the mean time. Most important, I got a job teaching full time next year! WOO HOO! I will be teaching the high school hoodlums at a high school in Draper that has only been open for one year. and it's a really nice school. so there is that to be excited about.

but also there is this summer to be excited about! No work, all play. (Well, there is going to be the work of getting ready for the first two weeks of teaching, but I haven't even thought about that yet.)

So, without further ado, my summer bucket list:

1. Find at least 3 more names to take to the temple. (I found 2)
2. go to California (This never happened.)
3. Hike Stewart Falls. (fail)
4. Go to Seven Peaks at least 10 times. (fail)
5. Lose 5-10 pounds. (definitely fail)
6. Create a solid lesson plan for the first two weeks of school and gather a ton of resources. (didn't really need to do this)
7. Get a professional wardrobe for the coming school year.
8. Reread all the Harry Potter books. and read at least 20 books. (still working on this, but I read a lot!)
9. Learn 5 new hairstyles.
10. Go to the food truck round-up.
11. Go up to Park City.

Why I am like Anna from Frozen

*In one of her songs, she sings: "I wanna stuff some chocolate in my face"

*and then she talks about what she thinks it will be like when she first falls in love... 

"But then we laugh and talk all evening,
Which is totally bizarre
Nothing like the life I've lead so far"

which is pretty much what I think I would say when that happened to me. Since I rarely laugh and talk all night with people. 

*We both say awkward things because we speak before we think. 

*She cares about people and puts their needs before her own. (I could still be better at this, but  I feel like I care about people a lot.)

okay, there's more I noticed, but it's time for me to go to bed or work on other stuff!

Recapturing Beauty Challenge: Day 9

List 10 things you like about what your body does.

1. My body can experience many wonderful things. I am grateful for my body because it allows me to experience the joy of 5 senses: I can enjoy the comfort of a warm bed on a cold winter night, the smell of the fresh basil growing in my kitchen, the beautiful sounds of music and the sound of laughter, the beauty of the mountains outside my window, and I can taste the flavor of the delicious Thai food my roommate made us for dinner recently.

2. I can think rationally and make decisions thanks to my amazing brain. I can learn from the things I do and become better every day. My brain is truly a remarkable thing. It is so complex and allows me to think deeply about life, to analyze how I can become better and to think about the effects my actions have on my life.

3. My body can understand and respond to pain. I am grateful that my body warns me when I am experience pain or fatigue so I can make decisions to take care of my body.

4. My body allows me to move. I can do zumba and go hiking, two things I really love.

5. My body houses a spirit that allows me to grow close to my Heavenly Father and choose to do what is right. I am also made in the image of my Heavenly Father, so my body is special just because of that!

6. I chose to come to Earth and receive a body so that I could one day experience eternal life with my Heavenly Father. Thus, my body is special because it is central to the plan of salvation.

7. My body bears resemblance to some of my family members. This helps me to feel connected to my family.

8. I love that I can smile. When I smile, I automatically feel happier and I remember that my life truly is a gift and that I can make each day a good day.

9. My body has a complex system that keeps me alive. It really is miraculous how a machine with so many parts works so well together.

10. My body can heal. I don't understand how this works, but I think it is amazing that though it may take time, my body can be healed from all injuries. Even our hearts and brains can heal from the pain of emotional trauma and it becomes less severe with time. It really is such a blessing.

There are so many more things to love about my body, it really is quite an amazing thing!

Recapturing Beauty Challenge: Day 8

THE CHALLENGE: Instead of looking at your body as something to be fixed, look at it through the eyes of your ancestors. Generations of women have come before you and you have inherited their genes. Instead of looking at your nose as something to be fixed, learn about its history. Does your nose come from your mother or father’s side? What about your eyes? Your hair? Your body type?

Where some of my traits come from that I know of:

• my eyes: I think these come from my mom's side
• my body type: definitely my mom's side. I am not always happy with this because my dad's side has a type of body that I sometimes wish I had, but this week I am learning to love my body so I am trying to embrace my shape anyways! 
• my hair: definitely from my dad's side. I have thinner hair which I am pretty sure is from his side, whereas my mom's side tends to have thicker, more unmanageable hair?

I guess I need to find some pictures of my ancestors to finish this challenge :)

Recapturing Beauty Challenge: Day 3

Reflect on why you wear makeup. What does makeup do for you? Is it part of getting ready or taking care of yourself? Is it a mask you hide behind? Do you feel enslaved by it? Would you like to change how you feel about it? Depending on your answers, choose to either go without makeup today or continue to reflect on makeup’s place in your life.

I wear make-up for two main reasons: 

1. My sisters or friends encourage me to try new make-up.

2. I feel prettier when I wear it. 

However, I am in no way enslaved by make-up. I spend about 2 minutes putting it on in the morning and I have even stopped wearing mascara during the week. (I still put it on on weekends). I take almost any excuse to not wear make-up. When I go home, I don't really put on make-up unless we are going somewhere nice. Hiking? no make-up. Camping? no make-up. Saturday? no make-up. Showered? I don't want to get ready twice... no make-up.