Alright so here's the deal...

Okay kids I have some bad news....

This is how I looked when I thought I'd be able to blog, send letters, and use Facebook to communicate with my loved ones while I'm in China:

This is how I look after I learned this weekend that Blogger and Facebook are randomly blocked and unblocked by something known infamously as the "Great Firewall of China" and that sending letters might take forever and be completely unrealistic:NOT OKAY!!

So I don't really know what this means!! Not good news for the blog, of course, but I guess we'll just have to see! I need to keep researching but I have too much to worry about besides this right now. At least email will be 100% reliable so that's good at least.....................

right?

Still though, the amount of bummed out that I feel is not even cool.

[P.S. These pictures are taken completely out of context but they totally work. So Kristin, if you read this, always remember, "And yes!! They are going to play another!" I sure love ya :) ]

Back to my old ways :)

As in the saying "blondes have more fun" applies to me three inches more-- I'm all blonde again!

Before:

After:

I can't even tell you how long I've been looking forward to this! I highlighted my hair last August and in order to minimize icky roots in China and save money I have waited until right before I leave to have it done. Long and painful to wait but phew! It's good to feel light and bright again :)

Thanks, Michelle!


In other news, my scholarship deferment was granted and I helped Joe make this phenomenal Valentines box for his class party tomorrow:

I'd say the day was a complete success :)

Takin' care of business

I am definitely a picture blogger but I'm going to pretend for this post that I am not.

Because I don't really want to post pictures of my messy room...it's a dignity thing, I guess ;)

Well, back up. My room has been a disaster since I moved home before Christmas. Like, tornado-ravaged. And every time I tried to do something about it, I didn't have anywhere to put things so it soared right back up to that normal level of entropy. Last night as everyone was getting ready for bed, I said to my mom, "I think I'm ready for you to help me organize my room." She said that was a probably good idea and went to bed. I proceeded to spend the next 4 hours doing it myself....I randomly had the energy and motivation and just decided to go with it! I actually enjoyed myself, that's the real kicker ;)

So if I were to post pictures of my room now I would be able to feel proud of them :) But as a boomerang kid, my room is not (and probably won't ever be) as clean as normal people's so I'll spare myself putting those pictures up. Just know there were....7 boxes and a huge garbage bag with my old comforter piled in the far corner of my room, a laundry basket like a huge island in the middle of my floor, several big boxes by my closet and clothes EVERYWHERE. Now I'm down to 4 boxes in the corner, my shoes are actually in my closet, the laundry is put away, my papers are mostly sorted and everything else is piled neatly in its "spot." I can live in my room now! Without doing the little messy room grapevine walking maneuver to get around. And I hung my picture frames up so my living space finally feels like me.

And now I'm just thinking.... why didn't I do this earlier???

The Last of the Mohicans

Okay so this really has nothing to do with the movie about Native Americans and everything to do with Amanda and I having time on our hands--and plenty of it! But everyone else has school so what do you do about that???

You go to Rexburg!!!!!

It was on the To Do list before China and we checked it off big time last weekend! And let me tell you it was a party and a half. 5ish days of non-stop fun, Amanda and Andrea style! Freezing, laughing (seriously, like belly-laughing unstoppably), singing, Dr. Quinn-ing (it's addictive!!!), ping ponging, Denny's-ing at insanely early hours of the morning-ing, sleeping on air mattresses and couches and couch cushions on floors, card gaming, "fishing" and playing house with her nephews and that pretty much doesn't even begin to describe everything. And I have no pictures to prove any of it!

But we did visit my roommates awhile ago so pretend this is at BYU-I instead and it's almost the same.

(How I managed to be totally oblivious in so many of these pictures is still a mystery to me....Stacey is just a sneaky ninja with the camera, I guess!)

Obviously too enthralled about my tax statement to notice a camera pointed in my direction.

Engaged in an apparently intriguing discussion. Keep smiling, Amanda! You're doing great!

This picture is red because Stacey's finger was in front of the flash.
It's like her blood is all over us. Hehe.

Okay paying attention now and I happen to love this picture :)

Responsible English teachers? Yes :)


So much love from so many people in so little time! Between terrorizing friends in Provo and Rexburg I'd say we're on our way to full-fledged notorious. It's good to be us :)

I love to see the temple

I took these pictures on my walk around the temple after doing baptisms last Friday. I've tried to be diligent about going every week for the last six months and it has been Heaven. It will be a major adjustment to not be able to go in China but I'm grateful for the blessings I've received from my service within these walls. We're really really really (can't say enough reallys here!) hoping for a chance to go to the Hong Kong temple in our first two days after arriving-- that would be absolutely INCREDIBLE! It would be a once in a lifetime experience and a wonderful start to living in a foreign country, to visit another of Heavenly Father's holy temples and feel His peace. I'm really hoping! In case it doesn't happen though, I'll make my last trip to the Timpanogos temple extra meaningful and savor every moment-- I won't be back until June!

Cloudy day but still beautiful :)

I love snow covered Utah Mountains :)

P.S. I can't decide if the most awesome thing about my blog is the portable, unkillable fish bowl or the never-ending supply of diabolical Darth Vader quotes.... I'm leaning towards the latter ;)