A Week of Interesting Developments

First off, you are going to hate me because I titled this post a week of interesting developments but I'm not going to tell you what any of those developments are. Some of them aren't my secrets to tell, others are much too personal to tell. Isn't life a bummer? This week has been an adventure. One of my really good friends had her farewell, a month early, and I got to hang out and see some people that I haven't in awhile which was kind of fun. You know me, I love people!

Llama Fest!

Last weekend we went to llama fest and it was so so so so much fun!!! I got to pet lots of llamas and watch a llama race and hang out with some of the best people I know. So, for your enjoyment I am posting pictures. 

 Ka, Me, and K

 Our game faces are on.

 His breathe was really smelly

 Me and K waiting for the llama race to start!

The Krishna temple, soooo pretty!

It's a Good Day for a Concussion

Last week my "family" had a reunion up at the Lake. It was so much fun! I was sad to have to come home and go back to work. We ate lots of yummy food, played many a games (most of which I won), and were on the boat for 3/4 of the time we were there. Boating for me is a unique experience because I was once terrified of water, absolutely terrified. You couldn't get me anywhere near a boat let alone in a boat. But all that changed in the last four years and I love to go boating now. It probably has a lot to do with my "family's" enthusiasm towards all things water related, it's kind of contagious. And learning to swim my senior year, which is credited to my "sister". Last summer I learned to wake board and while I'm not sure I totally love it I really do like it. I think more than liking the actually sport I love that I can do it and that I am not afraid. It's exhilarating to know you've conquered something inside you that was holding you back from fully enjoying this beautiful world. The bad thing about wake-boarding are the falls, they hurt a lot. And since I'm still pretty new to it, and still learning, I tend to fall a lot. This week I totally face planted it hitting an edge and had the wind knocked out of me. My "brother" had to pull me out of the water and my head felt like a ton of bricks on my shoulders. Don't worry, all is good now and I can't wait to do it again!

A Few Pictures A Little Late

 The San Diego Temple with some of my "family". That temple was beautiful! The inside was even more spectacular than this outside, if you can imagine.

 Baby K's first time in the ocean! We were both nervous!

You can't tell but my feet are freezing cold. My "sister", S, made me take this picture so I had something to send to N. 

A Healthy Dose of Over-Preparation

Life is too short for me not to prepare for the next fifty years. I have an addiction. I like to know exactly what, when, and where I will be five years before I am there. The other day I saw a little quote by a Mr. or Mrs. (I'm not really sure) Lao Tzu it said "If you are depressed you are living in the past. If you are anxious you are living in the future. If you are at peace you are living in the present." Now, this made me think for a few reasons first off, I have acute anxiety and sometimes it makes me sick to my stomach with worry over things I mostly can't control. Also, I began thinking the other day (as I was planning my wedding and how many kids I was going to have and in which month my first child was going to be born [ya, I told ya!]) about how so much of my, and I'm sure others, happiness lies but only a few steps into the future, but we will never get there. We will take those few steps and realize happiness is really only a few steps more. I believe very strongly that my thinking this is due to over preparing myself for life. The thing is you can't prepare for life, at least not to the extent I try. You have to take it how it is and love it! Otherwise, your happiness will always be a few steps ahead of you. It's my new goal to let go of the future just a little and try living a little bit more in the present.

And They Walked and Walked and Walked and....

This past weekend my car was feeling a little down. The weather outside was so hot, we are in a heat wave right now and it was triple digit temperatures. Well, I was feeling a little down so I wondered if it was just normal for Carlos (my car) to also be feeling a little slow. After, asking my "dad" about it we decided since I needed to get an oil change we would just have the shop look at it, just in case. So, Monday morning Carlos and I took a trip down to the repair shop. Now, the repair shop is on 3900 North and I live on 1000 North. I'm not sure where my brain was on Monday morning but it definitely wasn't in my head because for some reason I thought I could walk home and survive the venture. That is more than just some little jaunt! I began my walk home and after fearing for my life a few times on the main road (there is no sidewalk) I decided I needed to take a side road, where there are no bus stops. I made it to 2200 and had no idea how I was going to make it the other 12 blocks. Now, these are not normal blocks, these are country blocks that last FOREVER. My "sister" lives up 2200 and I decided her house seemed a lot more appealing than my apartment at this point. I turned up the street and headed towards her block but when I got there she wasn't home! Someone must have been looking out for me because by some miracle the back door was open. And that is how M came home to me crashed out on her couch watching Cake Boss. It was a really long walk.

P.S. Carlos is fine. I paid them an extra 40 dollars to tell me nothing was wrong with him and that it was just the heat but, at least I didn't have to pay for a huge repair.

The Tyranny of 3" Godzilla

Last week as I was sweeping the kitchen Ka and I noticed a village being built on the foundation of popcorn. It was a dilemma, indeed. To the small, mostly innocent ants beneath Ka's feet (I was supervising on a nearby chair [and yes I do use supervising and squealing synonymously]) she must have looked like a giant dragon whose only joy in life was tap dancing on the unsightly souls of hungry insects. Actually, that pretty much describes her-just replace unsightly with beautiful and insects with Felicia. The poor ants went running for their lives, their children's lives, and their grandchildren's lives, but to no avail because the foot of Ka is all powerful and it leaves no survivors. As she swept up there little corpses and I "supervised" some more she noticed something black, ugly, much bigger than an ant, and zombie looking. Godzilla of the insect world had been living, breathing, eating, and crawling all over our kitchen for who knows how long! And now he was dead, just lying there all over our floor. Needless to say Mr. Centipede caused a lot of "supervising" on my part.

Is There Even a Way to Title This?

I work at a call center, most of you (the two people who read this) know that. It's a lovely job consisting of mostly getting yelled at, occasionally having someone cry into the phone at you, some swearing, and some very incredibly awkward personal confessions from people you don't know and have never met. It's awesome! Even better is our company's recent decision to conduct surveys that clearly invade the huge personal space bubble that exists in ones mind. You know, those things that exist but you don't want to talk about? Well, I might call you and ask you to talk about them! Example One: We have a new survey for Stanford University called "Couples". Basically we call and ask questions about your relationship. My favorite questions: How attractive would you rate yourself? How attractive would you rate your partner? Yea, because people are going to tell you the truth when their gf/bf/spouse/intimate lover/dog/whatever floats your boat is sitting next to them. Yea... Example Two: This one is my favorite! It's a survey called TP Study. If you are thinking "no, tp stands for something else." You are wrong, it stands for toilet paper. We call and ask people when the last time they used the restroom was and how they would rate the flushability of their toilet paper. But that isn't the best or worst part! They have been asked to record the flushability of their toilet paper. Like video record. I guess somebody has to do it, right? I'm just glad I'm not the person who has to watch all of those videos....

Running is for Runners. Driving is for Drivers.

My "family" ran Ragnar this last weekend. For those of you like me who don't run or have any idea what it is runners do or find joy in you may not know what Ragnar is. Ragnar is a relay race with two teams of six people each. The one my family runs is called the Wasatch Back; it's from Logan to Park City. Crazy, right? Yes! Well, each year they run we have a little party in Huntsville in between vans to play and eat; or if you're a runner to sleep. It's way fun, and really the greatest part of my family's tradition. So, I went on my merry way to drive to Huntsville, which I, myself have never driven by myself. And got lost. I get lost a lot guys, it happens to everyone, just to me more often than is ordinary. I don't know what it is. I think the road signs have it out for me and so they change when they see me coming so that I go the wrong way. It isn't my fault. Eventually, my "dad" called and directed me in the right way, after figuring out what exactly the right way was. I was on the right track, though! And then the road I was supposed to take was blocked for runners. Why?!?! I get it runners gotta run, but hey drivers (AKA Felicia) gotta drive! I got there...eventually. But it was a stressful, very scenic drive.

Good Byes & Blessings

This week one of my favorite people will head out into the world of gospel spreading as she enters the MTC on Wednesday. Yay! And Boo! It's a confusing feeling to be excited for your friend and sad she will be gone at the same time. But I am very happy for her and she is going to make a wonderful missionary. And she gave a fabulous talk on Sunday!

I have fun friends. :)

I learned a valuable lesson this week and built a stronger testimony of tithing. I fully believe in and support the saying "fake it til' you make it". This is not gospel doctrine so do not quote me on it. But it is something that has beneficial in my life especially with the principle of tithing. I have never experienced the amazing miracle or blessings that come when you pay your tithing. I have heard the stories and I know deep down that paying my tithing is the right thing to do. I have to pay my tithing in order to attend the temple, and I know the temple is where I need to be. But tithing has always been a principle that I have followed blindly without a real testimony of. Wherein lies the "fake it til' you make it". I knew that one day I would gain a testimony of the principle of tithing but how was I supposed to gain a testimony if I didn't live it? So I did. It has been hard especially this last year when money has not been in surplus for me. And especially this last month. My rent for next semester is due in a week. I am almost three hundred dollars short of having enough. I didn't know what I was going to do. So, I paid my tithing having faith that the Lord would take care of me. And did He ever! I received an email today with my contract for housing. My payment is not only not due until August but it is also almost three hundred dollars less than I expected. I know I have a Heavenly Father who loves me and is always blessing me if I but only obey, and I am so grateful for that knowledge.