Sea you in Seattle

Hello folks, reporting live from Bellevue, WA.

I gotta say.....I love it here!:)

I know, I know...if you scroll down to the post below, my writing is bursting with emotional and drama-filled language; my world was ending and I didn't think I'd ever be happy again.

*spent the last week in Texas wallowing & furniture-less* 

But somehow, I've made it through the darkest night and lived to tell the tale.

Partying hard on my 21st birthday....

In all seriousness, Seattle is amazing! There is so much to do here! I named this post "Sea you in Seattle" for two reasons. One, I love me a good pun. Two, y'all should allll come visit. You won't regret it:)

The first few days were rough.

We went from this....

to this: 

(snow)

Please note the jackets. Minimal level of clothing was no longer an option.

So I took off for two weeks and was a camp counselor at EFY in Tacoma. EFY (Especially For Youth) is a week-long summer camp for Mormon teenagers. It is held at various locations across the world and its focus is to help teenagers grow closer to Jesus Christ. I went to EFY every summer while I was in high school and I always loved it. So this summer, I was thrilled to be a counselor. We had so many neat experiences and I loved watching these teens grow throughout the week. They were inspiring.

My bestie was my co-counselor :)

(Picture from EFY 2008 for comic relief)
Me with some cuties LOL

After EFY, we journeyed to Utah for some quality family time. Loved loved loved it. Nothing better than some family reunions and warm weather. 

And then we traveled back to Seattle. And I learned to love this place. Because it was a tad bit warmer, and the roads became a tad more familiar, and we began to recognize a tad few friendly faces. :)

I LOVE that Seattle is on the water.

Famous gum wall. It's so cool! Also, nasty. But very cool.

View from the Space Needle!

Blind Date surprised me to a Mariners vs Rangers game!!!:)

Obsessed with Pike Place Market. I will spend days.

Having a park next door is one of our favorite things!

Such good fruit! Everywhere!

Long story short, life here is good. I still feel confused when I wake up and it's 50 degrees, or when I'm listening for yes ma'ams but don't hear them too often, or when I'm in dire need of some good Mexican food and it is no where to be found. However, that being said, I am so appreciative of the good things here: the diverse population on every street corner, the beautiful views we see every day, and the kind people who are reaching out to us. We are happy and adjusting. Highland Village, Texas will forever be home but I am really loving the Northwest.

Happiest I've ever been in Seattle because it was the hottest day in 2 years. 88 degrees HAHAHAHAH.

Perfect Weekend

This weekend was so wonderful! It is impossible to capture how fabulous this world is through mere words and pictures. I am really blessed to be here. On Thursday, we went on a field trip to Negev. Abraham lived in Negev for part of his life. In addition, Negev is where the Bedouins have been living for the past 3000 years. The history here is exciting; I remember learning about the Bedouins in World History my sophomore year of high school. The field trip included a stop in a tiny village where we watched women weave blankets, time for exploring more ancient ruins, and waiting inside caves and jumping out of them in order to scare people. Heheh. It was great. We ended the day by stopping at the tomb of the first Palestinian Prime Minister. I loved the view from the site of the tomb. It was the Judean Wilderness, which is not beautiful, per se, but it is vast and grand. We sang How Great Thou Art and I thought about all the faithful people who have crossed through this wilderness for various reasons. They put their whole faith in God knowing that if they are obedient to Him, everything will work out. That God is the same God I worship and the same God in whom I put my faith. We all journey through our own "wildernesses" but our travels will be much easier if we remember to trust God. These experiences are humbling. Anyway, pictures are below. If you think we look cold, it's because we are. It is soooo chilly and windy here. Every time someone starts whining, we remember how much colder it is in Provo. I don't miss the snow one bit. :)

Bryson let me borrow is jacket; I left mine at the Center :( What a kind soul!

Friday was one of my favorite days of my whole life. I would put it in my top 20. We went to class, then put together school supply kits to donate to needy children...which turned into a dance party....which was wonderful. Dancing is therapeutic, I believe. After that we went to the Western Wall. We had a blast. I have no pictures because cameras weren't allowed but it was blissful. We sang and danced with Hebrew girls our age as the Sabbath began at sundown. There was a girl from New York who we talked with and she explained a few of the customs. She was here with other kids her age for the Birthright trip that Jews take. It was an indescribable experience. I loved the sense of unity in the air. I have really enjoyed observing these different religions. We came back and watched Indiana Jones 3...the one where the last scene is filmed at Petra. We are going to Petra this week!! Weeeee.

Wesley made such a great DJ at our service-activity-turned-dance-party. The crowd was going wild.

The next day was the Sabbath and it was wonderful as usual. I love the Sabbath. I sang in a quartet during Sacrament Meeting. It was fun and we got positive feedback, so that felt nice. :) People are so kind. After church, we went to the Garden Tomb. The Protestants own a site that is said to be just like the one where Jesus Christ was. They gave a little devotional, we went inside the tomb, and then we sang hymns about Christ. It was cloudy and dark but when we got to the line in I Believe in Christ that says "He is the source of truth and light," the sun came out. It was a sweet moment. My favorite line in that hymn is "I believe in Christ; he stands supreme! From him I’ll gain my fondest dream." It's the truth.

Today was our free day. We set out to do the Ramparts Walk but it ended up raining so we stopped at a few shops and then wandered around while it poured buckets. Haha. We stumbled upon a Catholic cathedral just in time to catch the end of Mass. We talked with a priest (I hope that's the right terminology) for a long time afterwards. He gave us a tour and showed us a the mosaic tile floor from the 5th century. Very cool. I loved listening to him. We stopped at the Arab Costco on the way home to stock up on snacks for Jordan and then ran all the way home in the rain. It was hilarious. We got splashed by like 50 buses and all of our clothes were soaked. Such a fun memory.

With Jimmy, one of the men who sells Olive Wood Nativities here. He's so friendly. He gave us hummus and pita bread and other treats; I love his business tactics. Haha.

We were drenched after getting home today!!

We leave for Jordan early tomorrow morning. I'm excited!! I am loving my time here!! :) I will try and write more often so that my posts aren't so lengthy.