Hawaii was so great. It was a much needed vacation. Coming back was really no bueno. They had to take the rental car back by noon... but our flight didn't leave until 8:45. Needless to say we waited a the airport for a long time. Gave me a chance to buy some last minute things, but it was pretty boring. Thankfully I had my laptop and I started editing pictures. We also had a redeye flight back... and the time difference (4 hours behind Utah) and then we had a 2 1/2 hour layover in San Francisco which was painful after not really sleeping much on the plane and then another flight to Vegas and then Lolly was super sweet and took us to the airport, let me keep my car at her house and picked us up. We hung out with her for a little while and then it was a 5 hour drive back. Holy cow I felt like I traveled outside of the country because I didn't sleep and was traveling for like 2 days. It was the best feeling in the world to come home and take a shower and my roommates had cleaned the house and to sleep in my bed. So great that I slept through my alarm the next morning.
I also got super burned while I was there. I swear that I put on sunblock everyday, but my skin is just so darn fair! By the time I was on my way back from my trip.... well.... I pretty much look and feel like a lizard. My back is peeling BAD! It is so gross. And itchy. People that don't have to deal with this problem are SO lucky.
Although I had not slept in two days and needed to unpack and do laundry and go to bed, I still went to two parties in the other ward that night. I know. The social butterfly in me wins every time. I just have the need to socialize. I wish I could have stayed in Hawaii longer... but it is good to be back.
Tonight I got together with some friends and we played Mario Kart on the Wii. I have to say... I rock at Mario Kart on the Super Nintendo.... but on the Wii, I am the WORST!!! Oh well. We had fun and I was also working on my costume for Saturday. I am so excited for Saturday, it is going to be epic and I found a group of people that are as excited about it as I am. This just makes me that much more excited. Can't wait to blog all about it... until then, you will have to wait.
So... I brought 3 camera's on my trip. Technically 4 if you count my phone. Tara did all the video taping and I took pictures like a boss. They made fun of me for bringing all of my camera's... but I used them all. Even my phone. My point and shoot always stays in my purse, I had to bring my SLR because that is the camera I get my best pictures with and I wanted to capture beautiful Hawaii AND I brought my underwater camera. I was just as excited to take pictures underwater as I was above water. So I HAD to bring that one too... which ended up breaking on day 2 and I don't know why and I need to call and find out if they will send me a new one and I ended up renting another underwater camera for another day.... because that is how ridiculous I am with always having to have a camera with me. So glad I did though because we got some awesome pictures that day. That underwater camera was even better than my camera that broke. Would you say I have a problem that I should seek help for? My sister Kristy did ask me once how much of my life I spend posing for pictures.... and I would guess it is a lot more than the average. ha ha.
Institute on Wednesday they had a guest speaker. The guest speaker was Rebecca Douglas, President of "Rising Star Outreach". She just told us her story on how she started the program. She started out by telling us she never went to college. She is just a housewife that went to India with her husband and saw the beggars on the street and wanted to help them, and she and a few friends figured out how to do it. It obviously started out small ... and now, it is a huge program and has made a huge difference in the leprosy colonies in India and she is hoping to have the program spread all over he world. She is an amazing and strong woman. Her whole point of coming and talking to us is that anyone can make a difference. You don't have to have a strong background in anything... including going to college, you just have to want to help and make a difference and when you are willing to help heavenly fathers children, he blesses you with many ways to make things happen. She gave many examples of people contacting her and wanting to help once they found out what she was doing and she didn't even seek out these people, just more and more great opportunities kept coming. It made me feel 2 things by the end of her lecture. #1- I felt like a loser for going to India and just sitting back and taking pictures and talking about how rough life is for them while she is changing lives. #2- It made me miss doing a regular service (like when I did tutoring every week). I don't want to go back to tutoring.... I think that season of my life has come to a close, but I would like to find something else.... another way that I can serve on a weekly basis. Sara and I talked about this after the lecture and we both felt the same way, so we will be looking for our next service opportunity. Anyway, it was great and amazing to see how really anyone can make a difference.... you just have to have the desire and the drive to do it. That is what I am striving for. She also told us that David Archuleta found out about the organization and went to India to help and gave them a free concert and had his fans help raise money for it.. What a great guy. I heart him.
I also got super burned while I was there. I swear that I put on sunblock everyday, but my skin is just so darn fair! By the time I was on my way back from my trip.... well.... I pretty much look and feel like a lizard. My back is peeling BAD! It is so gross. And itchy. People that don't have to deal with this problem are SO lucky.
Although I had not slept in two days and needed to unpack and do laundry and go to bed, I still went to two parties in the other ward that night. I know. The social butterfly in me wins every time. I just have the need to socialize. I wish I could have stayed in Hawaii longer... but it is good to be back.
Tonight I got together with some friends and we played Mario Kart on the Wii. I have to say... I rock at Mario Kart on the Super Nintendo.... but on the Wii, I am the WORST!!! Oh well. We had fun and I was also working on my costume for Saturday. I am so excited for Saturday, it is going to be epic and I found a group of people that are as excited about it as I am. This just makes me that much more excited. Can't wait to blog all about it... until then, you will have to wait.
So... I brought 3 camera's on my trip. Technically 4 if you count my phone. Tara did all the video taping and I took pictures like a boss. They made fun of me for bringing all of my camera's... but I used them all. Even my phone. My point and shoot always stays in my purse, I had to bring my SLR because that is the camera I get my best pictures with and I wanted to capture beautiful Hawaii AND I brought my underwater camera. I was just as excited to take pictures underwater as I was above water. So I HAD to bring that one too... which ended up breaking on day 2 and I don't know why and I need to call and find out if they will send me a new one and I ended up renting another underwater camera for another day.... because that is how ridiculous I am with always having to have a camera with me. So glad I did though because we got some awesome pictures that day. That underwater camera was even better than my camera that broke. Would you say I have a problem that I should seek help for? My sister Kristy did ask me once how much of my life I spend posing for pictures.... and I would guess it is a lot more than the average. ha ha.
Institute on Wednesday they had a guest speaker. The guest speaker was Rebecca Douglas, President of "Rising Star Outreach". She just told us her story on how she started the program. She started out by telling us she never went to college. She is just a housewife that went to India with her husband and saw the beggars on the street and wanted to help them, and she and a few friends figured out how to do it. It obviously started out small ... and now, it is a huge program and has made a huge difference in the leprosy colonies in India and she is hoping to have the program spread all over he world. She is an amazing and strong woman. Her whole point of coming and talking to us is that anyone can make a difference. You don't have to have a strong background in anything... including going to college, you just have to want to help and make a difference and when you are willing to help heavenly fathers children, he blesses you with many ways to make things happen. She gave many examples of people contacting her and wanting to help once they found out what she was doing and she didn't even seek out these people, just more and more great opportunities kept coming. It made me feel 2 things by the end of her lecture. #1- I felt like a loser for going to India and just sitting back and taking pictures and talking about how rough life is for them while she is changing lives. #2- It made me miss doing a regular service (like when I did tutoring every week). I don't want to go back to tutoring.... I think that season of my life has come to a close, but I would like to find something else.... another way that I can serve on a weekly basis. Sara and I talked about this after the lecture and we both felt the same way, so we will be looking for our next service opportunity. Anyway, it was great and amazing to see how really anyone can make a difference.... you just have to have the desire and the drive to do it. That is what I am striving for. She also told us that David Archuleta found out about the organization and went to India to help and gave them a free concert and had his fans help raise money for it.. What a great guy. I heart him.
2 comments:
Um...totally jealous you went to Hawaii!! I love that you brought all those cameras...I would have done the exact same thing. I can't wait to see all your pics. One service that I loved while I lived in Provo was Safety Net Mentors. Every week I would get together and do a fun activity with a the girl I mentored. It was a lot of fun. Maybe it's something you'd like?
Oh, David Archuletta... could you get more awesome? I just love his smile. He really seems lit from within. But I wouldn't feel bad about your own India experience. I think the service bug hits people in different ways. And you obviously are doing things for others, so you are all good.
Stinks about the sunburn. I KNOW how that is. Ha. But one thing that helps is using the highest SPF you can and then applying the sunscreen at least a half an hour before you actually go out into the sun. It gives your skin time to absorb it. If you apply it right before going in the water, it is basically useless. Because it washes right off.
Kristy's comment is funny. I spend most of my life nowadays trying to avoid cameras. I am NOT photogenic like you. I actually look so much worse in pictures than I do in real life (I hope).
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