22

The number on my middle school basketball uniform
The number of cousins I have on my Dad’s side of the family
The number of my mom’s homemade oatmeal cookies I can eat in one sitting
The number of times I have almost choked to death due to drinking and laughing at the same time
The number of people at my current job who think I am a strange, opinionated Mormon
The number of times I have said the word “rad” thinking I was cool but realizing soon thereafter that I was far from it
The number of times I have asked my grandma for her famous cake recipe even though I always say I will write it down and not have to ask again
The number of proposals I received daily while living in Ecuador
The number of countries I have been blessed to have traveled to in my life thus far
The number of items I still need to add to my “ 100 Things to do Before I Die” list
The number of items I have checked off of my “100 Things to do Before I Die” list
The number of years I have explored, studied, risked and lived to tell about it.

Even though I am dreading the thought of telling people I am 22 years old, I am excited for the chance I have to live another year. Who knows what it will hold? If someone would have told me when I had just turned 21 that I would live in Washington D.C., explore the dusty roads of East Africa, work for two prominent NGOs, create lasting friendships, spend the summer weekends basking on the shores of Lake Anna- If someone would have told me that in one year I would be tested and tried more then any other year in my life, that I would find strength I never thought imaginable and that I would learn one of the greatest lessons of my life which is that there is no greater love then the love of my family- I would have brushed them to the side thinking they have no idea who I am and where my life is headed.

Now, more then ever, I have realized that I just have to ride this roller coaster of life and let things happen as they are presented. Opportunities will come and opportunities will go, happiness will consume me and sadness will overtake me, my heart will grow and my heart will break; yet, somehow, I just have to stand still in the midst of this beautiful chaos. This is my life and I am excited. Another year, another chapter and I can’t wait to fill the pages.

Big Changes

Big changes have consumed my life lately and it has proved that my life is anything but normal. It has been an exhaustingly exhilerating time and I have discovered strength I never thought possible through an incredibly loving Father in Heaven.

Change #1- My job was taking a toll on my mental, physical and spiritual state. It was somehow not the right fit for the moment, therefore I found the need at the end of October to resign.

Change #2- Flew to Utah for some much needed rest and mental stability for a week over the Halloween weekend.

Change #3- Upon returning to DC I found a new job working at a Spa- I absolutely love it and the people I work with. Meanwhile, I am keeping my eyes open for more career building opportunities.

Change #4- Most excitingly (drum roll please) I am flying down to Florida in two days to take a chance at becoming one of these lovely ladies...

I'm not betting too much money on this superficial lottery, but I thought it was at least worth a try:) Wish me luck!

Extraordinary Machine

I certainly haven't been shopping for any new shoes
I certainly haven't been spreading myself around
I still only travel by foot and by foot, it's a slow climb,
But I'm good at being uncomfortable, so
I can't stop changing all the time

I seem to you to seek a new disaster every day
You deem me due to clean my view and be at peace and lay
I mean to prove I mean to move in my own way, and say,
I've been getting along for long before you came into the play

If there was a better way to go then it would find me
I can't help it, the road just rolls out behind me
Be kind to me, or treat me mean
I'll make the most of it, I'm an extraordinary machine

-Fiona Apple

I love this song... if you haven't heard it, check it out - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsMZkCLxfkM&feature=related

Happy Halloween!

I hope everyone has a wonderfully festive and spooky Halloween!

Check out how Lisa and I decorated our apartment for this fantastic holiday...

My favorite time of the year

Autumn is the eternal corrective. It is ripeness and color and a time of maturity; but it is also breadth, and depth, and distance. What man can stand with autumn on a hilltop and fail to see the span of his world and the meaning of the rolling hills that reach to the far horizon? -Borland

Time Travelin'

Yesterday I found an absolute treasure while exploring. Upon entering Kensington Maryland, it seems much like a suburban neighborhood with adorable houses, but not much else. Somewhere in the midst of this neighborhood I fell through a tiny crack in time and was transported back to the 1940's. I found myself in the middle of a picturesque, town-square; complete with a small train station and tea room. Antique shops filled the old victorian mansions and red-brick buildings while children skipped around old men playing chess. The gas station hadn't changed either with pumps that were far from being self-serve; had it not been for the 2009 Honda Accord getting gas I truly would have thought I was in some sort of time-warp.
While exploring I also found the Noyes Children Library, established in this incredibly restored school house. Does this not just take your breath away and make you long to be 5 years old again?

Another stop on yesterday's treasure hunt and gem of Kensington Maryland is the temple.... could this town be any more perfect?

National Book Festival

On Saturday I woke to clouds that looked like this...

So I packed my umbrella and grabbed the list my mom sent me and made the trek downtown for this...

There I was greeted by thousands upon thousands of people waiting in lines the length of football fields. I hurried to the purchasing tent and tried to find the books my mom wanted autographed, and waited in line for 40 minutes just to buy them.

Then I rushed back out to take a chance at waiting in line only to find that once I got within sight distance of the author, his signing time was up.

So I moved onto the next- having no idea what chaos I was getting into. Who knew Rick Riodian was so popular? Especially since I hadn't even heard his name before that day. The line eventually turned into a mob of angry parents and I was out of there faster then you could say Percy Jackson. Therefore, I just decided to skip all of the other authors I was going to try for and stalwartly stood in line to see this woman...

Who wrote this book...

While waiting, the rain decided to join in the fun. I was thinking that I had outsmarted everyone with my umbrella and coat so that in no time I would be the first in line cause everyone else was not as prepared.

I was wrong...

Good thing Lois Lowry was such a nice person and decided to stay for an extra hour to sign since the line was so long, and the rain was so intense or else I wouldn't have had the chance to meet her. That's right, I met Lois Lowry, which made that entire fiasco worth every minute.