Snapshots on Sunday

When I was home, I had the awesome opportunity to take some photos of my littlest sister, Katie and her BFF, Elaine. We went to one of my favorite locations to shoot; the Hampstead Conservation park. This field is just pure magic, and in the late afternoon summer sun, the lighting is perfect and the colors are vivid and you really get lost in the environment. I had so much fun trying out a few new tricks and poses and now I'm having a ton of fun learning new editing techniques as I work on the photos. Here are some of my favorite shots!

Patriot Nation

I love being a New Englander for many reasons, but one of them is because of how strong the pride runs here behind the New England sports. We love out Red Sox and we love our Bruins and we love out Celtics and we especially love our Patriots. I know I'm close to being home when flying back from school because my gate at the airport is the only gate filled with people wearing every logo of the four teams.

With the playoffs now in full tilt, running errands today at walmart, the mall and around town meant walking in a sea of Patriot's jerseys. It also means going to the store three times throughout the day to get snacks and soda for the big game. And it means spending four hours with my family, eating said snacks and soda and cheering for our Patriots and laughing our heads off as Mom explains to everyone how Gronk (our tight end) clearly took ballet lessons.

I love being part of Patriot Nation. I love being a New Englander. I love being home.

Snow Day!

It finally snowed in New England and today I'm going to have a magical day that involves my awesome winter playlist, the life of pi, hot chocolate with mint and whipped cream, sweatpants and one braid down my back and sitting by the warm fire.

New England is magic, in case you were wondering. Pure magic. 

Being home means constant Christmas music, constant fires in the woodstove, constant baking and constant laughter. It means little kitty paws running up and down the hallway outside my bedroom late at night. It means long warm showers, extra blankets on my bed and ice-cream every night for desert. Being home means winding roads and frozen lakes. It means evenings at Juli's house with warm tea cupped in our hands, or evenings at Brett's house watching basketball, or it means evenings at my own house with my family and telestrations. It means long car rides with my dad to random places, last minute Christmas shopping with my sisters and running errands for my mom. It means afternoons spent with Gov and Sheila, cooking or watching tv or brushing PK. Being home means Saturdays at Zion's camp spent roofing a cabin, it means Friday evenings playing with my sisters and it means New Year's Eve with the Bratt's, the Grotenhuises and the Campbells. It means playing "vicious coyotes" with Kaleb and Jack, it means sitting in primary with Mom and her kids and it means curling up with my favorite books.

Being home means family, happiness, comfort and love. Being home means safety and acceptance. Being home means I'm close to everyone who is important to me. And, being home means my heart is whole and that my soul is on fire. 

New England, my heart will always belong to you.

my state is better then your state

Irene

"You gotta put it in at an angle" he says as he picks up the screw that dropped from my hand and holds it in the proper position as I align my electric drill and push it through the wood in one smooth motion. Demonstration understood, I proceed with my handful of screws and new found talent of using a tool more powerful than a hammer and continue to seal up the Upper Staff Cabins while the sun filters through the trees and the cicada's hum in the distance. We haven't had a hurricane in New England for about 20 years, as long as you don't count Earl, and that was a pitiful excuse of a rainstorm. This one though; this one is a tiny bit more intimidating and after screwing shut the last window shutter, I make my way to the small group of people huddled in the middle of the gravel path.

"Are you guys all set? Did Jimmy leave you a generator?" Ed asks as I load up my tools in the cubby of the golf cart.

"Yes, he bought me a small one to run the sump pump if we lose power. It will tie us over until he gets home. Are you all ready?" Mom asks, leaning against a tree trunk.

"Yeah, I installed the switch for our generator last night."

And I sit there, listening to them talk about plans and reassuring all of us that everything will be okay and I think about how grateful I am to be a part of the ward family and to be able to lean on others and allow them to lean on me. I think about how safe I am, even though the storm is starting to pick up and the wind will be howling soon, because of the people who surround me here. And I think about New Hampshire and how much I love being a New Englander: bred to meet every kind of weather head on without blinking twice. Nothing phases us here-we just prepare and hunker down and say our prayers.

So tonight, in true New England form, we will prepare and hunker down and say our prayers and ride out the storm. The sun will come out after. It always does.

Wish us luck. See you all on the other side.

Hurricanes and Beach Week

"Life is a storm, my young friend. You will bask in the sunlight one moment, be shattered on the rocks the next. What makes you strong is what you do when that storm comes. You must look into that storm and shout as you did in rome. Do your worst, for I will do mine!" -The Count of Monte Cristo

I have a lot I want to write about and update about from the last week; including beach week, my trip to boston and the earthquake. butttt, Hurricane Irene is supposed to hit New England in about a day and we're kinda in a panic up here because not only do we need to get our home ready for the storm, but Zion's Camp ready as well...

So, I'll write someday soon, I hope.

Okay Irene, bring it on.

i believe in miracles

Today, my family and I walked around the Lost River Flume Gorge and Caves. 

It was over a mile of endless stairs and crawling through and around rocks in the heart of the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

And not only did I make it through the whole hike without tripping or falling,

I made it through pain free.

Being "crippled" for the last five years was something I learned to adjust to. It was pointless to get upset about the adventures I was missing out on because I was alive and that was all that mattered at the end of the day. Yeah, I had my days when I through myself pity parties because I was left out or because I was physical unable to do things-I can't even express how frustrated I was at times at being so limited and at the loss of my left leg's usage.

But today...

Today, I hiked through a Gorge and went up and down over two hundred steps. Today, I was not limited or scared of pushing my boundaries. Today, I was pain free. Today was the first time in five years I pushed myself to my limits without feeling the hurt.

Today, I remembered what it was like to have two legs-and I appreciated it more then I ever have in my life.

Today, I was reminded why I chose to put myself through those months of pain and why I continue to work through the tough days of rehab. Today, I was reminded of how real miracles are, because I'm only four months out from a total knee replacement on an alleograph and I wasn't even supposed to be off crutches yet.

Miracles are everywhere.

Just Believe!

Snapshots on Wednesday

Normally, I would save these photos for my weekend snapshot post, but I was so excited about these photos that I wanted to share them now.

Today, my Dad, Mom, my little sister, Katie, and I went up north to Cornish, NH and toured the St. Guadens National Historic Site. St. Guadenes is a very famous scultptor during the civil war and made his home in the beautiful state of NH. The grounds are absolutely breath taking and I took some of my best photos to date while exploring the expansive woods, gardens and buildings. 

Dad has the week off, so tomorrow we're going up North to see the White Mountains!

New England sets my soul on fire. 

Links and Logs

it is hot hot hot today and the weather channel says it's supposed to stay that way for the rest of the week. I love summer here, but I could do with a little less humidity, please and thank you. I keep on thinking about the missionaries in the New England area when the weather is like this, and I hope that mine is staying hydrated while doing the work in Massachusetts.

I worked out today for the first time since my knee replacement and boy oh boy, was it a reality check on how out of shape I've become and how much effort I need to keep putting into recovery. I'm not going to lie, it was a little frustrating and discouraging to get on the eliptical and only be able to handle seven minutes of it before my knee started to get tremors (nasty muscle convulsions). But, my iPod knew exactly what song to play as I started to let those emotions get the best of me. Thirty Seconds to Mars reminded me to keep fighting this fight, because my recovery is an ongoing battle. Okay knee replacement. This Is War.

Super empowering.

In other news, I had the super awesome opportunity to guest blog for Paige about New England, so you should go check it out. Paige was one of my guest bloggers last month during the opening weeks of Zion's Camp and she wrote an awesome letter to her 16-year-old self, so if you missed out on that, go read it here.

also, in the coming days, I will be doing a major blog redesign, so hold tight while I get my head on straight and figure out what I want to do with my life/blog.

and finally, my contact for my housing is in and the deposit has been made. I'm living in the newest apartments in Rexburg this semester (though it was not by choice) but I'm excited, none the less. I can't wait to have my own washer and dryer, because I had to roll all my quarters to pay for my cell phone bill this month. As much as I love having a summer to just focus on recovering, it is a pain to not be making money!

it's a good day to be a New Englander

me: What's a canuck?
mom: isn't it a nut?
dad: they have sharks on their uniforms.
mom: I don't even know what a Bruin is
dad: it's a bear.
mom: I thought a canuck was a walnut
me: yeah, because that's super intimidating...playing against a team of walnuts.

BRUINS STANLY CUP CHAMPS 2011!

Being Home

The air is warm with summer, but light and gentle.

The first of the crickets are chirping in rhythm, hidden in a forest of grass and

the lonely barn owl hoots through the trucks of birches and branches of pine. 

My dad's footsteps come down the hall; firm and steady.

"Goodnight Sweetpea" he whispers as he passes Ashley's door.

"Goodnight Boo" he says softly as he treads past Katie's room.

"Goodnight Peanut" he murmurs as turns the corner by my door jam. 

I count the pinpoints of light in the sky; and make a wish before turning over and sighing.

"Goodnight Moon

   Goodnight Stars."

Post Script:

I seriously am so blessed to have the BEST team of doctors in the world.

My oncologist and my orthopedic surgeon not only have saved my life

but have worked hard to keep me alive after initial treatment,

and to improve the quality of my life, instead of giving up on my case

and to make my dreams (such as teaching in China) come true.

Not only do I love being a New Englander,

but I know there is a reason why I was born and raised here:

being close to one of the best cancer treatment facilities in the world is one of them,

and having the opportunity to be inspired by people who look at me for who I am instead of what I am (a patient).

They make me want to change the world.

and you really can't go wrong with people like that.

We are New Englanders

I like being a New Englander

and I like being with my family

and I like it when we do classic New Englander Family things:

like watching the Bruins in the playoffs,

all screaming, clapping and jumping around at the intense game!

she is from New Hampshire!

=] i like being home a lot. It's sunny and warm (high 60's) and the sky is super blue. I also like walking down my driveway to the mailbox to get happy letters. all in all. I'm so happy to be home.

America, the Beautiful

I drove across the country this weekend.
I drove across the country this weekend.
And it was one of the most beautiful experiences ever.

I never understood how beautiful America was until this weekend. Every inch; every state has some kind of incredible aura to it. Stunning.

Eastern Utah has these beautiful Mesas that rise up from the ground with different layers of brown and black sediments streaking in lines. There is this weird rock canyon that I-70 winds through by Price, UT. The cliffs look like sea-sponge; all of these holes and arches carved out in intricate patterns that glow in the setting sun and cast shadows across the highway.

The Rockies in Colorado are massive and as you climb up through them, you pass through little ski-resort towns that are literally built into the sides of the mountains. The pass between these massive slopes is so narrow that West bound is built some 50 feet higher then East bound, almost like a double decker bridge. And at night, all's you can see are these shadows of the peaks and the constant curve of the highway as you climb and climb until you are 11,000 feet in the air.

Kansas is not dull and boring; like many people have told me. We drove through it at night and well into the morning, and the Kansas night sky is nothing like I have ever seen. It's even better then the sky in Idaho at the dunes. Thousands and thousands of stars, like illuminated grains of sand, scattered across the sky. And the sun rise over a flat horizon, with the edges of the world tinged in pink and soft orange as this massive golden globe creeps up and up, spreading the light across long fields.

Missouri and Illinois was filled with warm air that was heavy and made all of the trees that are sprouting green sway in the breeze. Little white blossoms on trees flew around in the wind and a light scent of flowers carried across everywhere.

Indianapolis, Indiana is one of the cleanest, streamlined cities I've ever driven through, and quiet for a city. Everything glows in the classic city glow, but there is a distinct glow to this city. It's alive with culture and growth.

Ohio has hills and hills and hills and highways that wind through them and roll up and down.

Pennsylvania has a lot of deer and trees and trees and trees that creep up over the road and cast beautiful shadows across the pavement.

Rural New York is breathtaking and historic. Beautiful colonial houses line the streets and stretch into the foothills of the mountains.

And then there is New England, and my beloved New Hampshire; which is a realm of it's own. There is something so distinct about New England air; it is so fresh and clean. The sun shines in rays; through the trees and there is such a gentle breeze that wafts life through every corner of my house.

America is beautiful and after seeing so much of it this last weekend, I know, without a doubt; that God is in the details. Nothing, but a higher power, could have created something so beautiful. This, I believe.

oh and also. New England sets my soul on fire and my heart will always belong to New Hampshire.
i love being home.

I can't believe...

...that I am entering my last week in Rexburg for quite sometime. I am so excited to go home; to breathe solid New England air, to spend quality time with my ocean and summer and getting my freckles, to hang out with my family and to learn more about the beautiful individuals my siblings are becoming. I can not wait to invest time in things that I haven't had the ability to do lately, like reading classic novels and learning Spanish and Chinese and writing long letters to my best friend. I'm anxious, but overall, excited to get my new knee and to recover and work hard to be walking right for the first time in five years. I cannot wait to spend time with my kitty and to sleep in my big, glorious bed and to watch the fireflies come alive on hot August nights as the sun sets.

but honestly, I'm pretty sad about leaving Idaho. Rexburg has been my home for the last year and a half. Some of my favorite memories; my very best friends and the spirit that has taught me and shaped me into the person I am today are all here, in this small little town. There is a spirit and feeling about Rexburg that has change me, for the good. I am better here. I understand life here. I'm closer to God here.

because, when it comes down to it, I didn't know who I was or who I wanted to be until I came here.

As cold as the winters get, and as dull as some nights can be,

this beautiful skyline and the countless stars that are scattered across the sky

the sand dunes, the big hill and the roads that only Cazz and I seem to know

this is where I figured myself out.

I know who I am now.

and I know where I want to go and who I want to continue to be.

So maybe it's okay that I'm leaving now, because I've got it figured out.

Thank you, Rexburg.

My heart may always belong to New England, but a large part of who I am is all thanks to you.

Dialects and other things!

Say these words:

Aunt, Route, Wash, Oil, Theater, Iron, Salmon, Caramel, Fire, Water, Sure, Data, Ruin, Crayon, Toilet, New Orleans, Pecan, Both, Again, Probably, Spitting image, Alabama, Lawyer, Coupon, Mayonnaise, Syrup, Pajamas, Caught
Now answer these questions:

What is it called when you throw toilet paper on a house?

What is the bug that when you touch it, it curls into a ball?

What is the bubbly carbonated drink called?

What do you call gym shoes?

What do you say to address a group of people?

What do you call the kind of spider that has an oval-shaped body and extremely long legs?

What do you call your grandparents?

What do you call the wheeled contraption in which you carry groceries at the supermarket?

What do you call it when rain falls while the sun is shining?

What is the thing you change the TV channel with?


Meet my roomie, Symone and hear her Washington accent here!
Meet my wonderful friend, Alexandra (who is a fantastic photographer and writer) and hear her Cali/England accent here!
And you can hear her sister, Moorea (who is a super awesome artist and musician) here!

oh and, for your entertainment, here are the bloopers from trying to do this v-log.
my mac had a major meltdown and my roommate makes me laugh way too much to be serious or to think clearly.

but the sun always comes out tomorrow.

the street I grew up on

welcome home.