Easters!

 

As a sort of celebration after this last semester, Shannon and I headed down to Toquerville, UT to spend a couple of days with her parents. And since it was Easter weekend as well, we did the usual activities. 

 

 We dyed eggs all sorts of colors...

 Shannon lost at the cutesy cardboard pop-out matching game. This is a picture of her sad "oh, I lost" face.

  These are all of my cards. (I won!)

 Shannon's mom taught us how to decorate cakes. Key to success? Hand muscles. It is really the only trick, learning how to grip the frosting and move it just right. Having the right kind of frosting helps too. Still, we did it!

 The finished product...

 Isn't it the gaudiest thing you've ever seen? :) Can you find the bunny?

This last picture is all the tips we used. The frosting always got stuck, which was gross, but it sure made for a colorful picture!
Happy belated Easter!

Mountains. In. Color.

I found this picture in my camera. Utah may be frigid for months but it sure knows how to paint a mountain.
Stunning.
I can only imagine how it must have looked two hundred years ago before parking lots and all-night lighting. Can you imagine being the first person to have ever seen anything like this?
It's like physical poetry. If I was more creatively motivated, I'd compose a verse in honor of the mountains. But I am not that confident in my poetic soul. You will have to fill in where I have failed.
But seriously, what better muse could you have asked for?

Rain/Dance

This weekend has been marvelous. Dancing, parties, movies and homework. It is almost done and that makes me drowsily relaxed. The rain helps too. I love the cold, rainy weather, with the mountains all foggy and mysterious.
Rain in the desert is always a miracle. I don't care how many times it rains in Utah, I am always surprised. And pleased. One of my most cherished memories happened one time in the rain. I used to go on walks around the neighborhood with a good, good friend of mine. We would just walk and talk. About anything and everything. That is one of the dearest things you could do, is honestly spend time with someone. It is the easiest, simplest way to get to my heart. It means you really care because out of all the million and one things you could be doing, you are spending time with me. It's true affection. Anyways, we were walking and talking as was our tradition when the heavens opened and poured down buckets of rain.
Like this. There was nothing left to do but run home, laughing. Which we did. Rain makes me think of that.

Besides the rain, this weekend, I went to the BYU Ballroom Dance Company Concert with a friend of mine. The concert was amazing. I love dancing. I love watching it, I love participating in it. Not just any kind of dancing, although that can be fun. I mean real dancing. Dancing is a blend of movement, music, art and emotion used to create whatever you want. Beautiful.

Someday I will dance without reservation or inhibition. Until then, I will dance when no one is looking and bide my time, waiting for the chance.

"The Baffled King Composing Hallelujah"

Hallelujah is used to express praise or joy. At least, that is what the internet tells me and it makes sense to me. For the President's day weekend, me and the roomies went to southern Utah. We went for a little walk in Zions. Beautiful, beautiful. Looking at all of this physical glory, puts me in awe of the Lord's creative powers once again.
The desert definitely has some good points...

The sky so blue, the rocks so orange...

Look! A swamp in the desert! So GREEN!

And a heart made out of stone...

And no one could ask for two better gals!

*the title comes from "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen. AMAZING song! I just found it, like last week. I like the version sung by Kurt Nilsen.
He was the World Idol winner, from NORWAY! *sigh* So good. So good. Sometimes, I feel like this, confused at the state of things but still thankful for what I've got. Poor King David...

TRC at the MTC

I did it, I did it, I did it!
Woo!
Ok, background so ya'll can understand me. I am in Norwegian 340, also known as Norwegian Literature and this is the class that all the RM's take so they can get credit for the classes that I have already taken. Anyways, there is a kid in my class who is the Norwegian teacher at the MTC. He mentioned they needed volunteers to help the missionaries teach the lessons to. I was nervous. I couldn't take anyone with me. (I can't find any norwegian speakers when I need them, go figure.) So I would have to go alone. Alone, all by myself, in a foreign environment, surrounded a foreign language. So I kept putting it off. I had all sorts of excuses. Mostly I was worried that I wouldn't understand anything. But I did it last night. I went, I sat and listened to a native speaker being taught by the elders. IT WAS AWESOME.
I totally knew what they were saying. I am just a little slower in responding. It was a good experience.
Missionaries are awesome, the poor things! They were trying so hard!
So the lesson to be learned?
Go out and do something that you have been putting off because it is good for you.
true story.
:)