Noteworthy Goes to CA

In case you are unaware (but if you are close to me, you are probably aware), I sing in BYU's women's a cappella group called Noteworthy. The group has been around for a decade but this is my first year as a Noteworthy lady. We spends hours and hours together and we love to sing and laugh and dance. These girls are like sisters. We've seen each other at our lowest lows and highest highs.

Recently, we filmed our first music video and we had a blast. We went to Utah Lake at 7am and sang to our heart's content. We put our video on YouTube last week and we are flored by the positive feedback we've gotten. It is SO fun to share what we've been working on. You can watch it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=km55SW6em-E

Last weekend, we journeyed to Southern California. We had an absolute blast. We hosted workshops, had a concert, put on a fireside, and sang in church on Sunday. Being in the sunshine was a dream come true and it made me so antsy for summertime!

We stopped in Vegas and sang on the strip.

So fun to work with these talented high school students!

We had lunch in the cutest spot! It's called the Grizzy Cafe & I highly recommend it.

Sometimes before our shows, we eat giant subs because that's all we really know how to do. Lol.

The real reason we went to Southern California was to sit on the beach. Can't even describe how wonderful it was.

So grateful for these girls and grateful for the chance to sing so frequently. :)

Why I'm Going to Brazil for 18 Months

Chances are you've probably seen Mormon missionaries riding their bikes or knocking on doors.

And chances are....you probably thought they were a little crazy. After all, who would want to roam about in 100 degree weather in the Texas summers....or -40 degree weather in Moscow, Russia? Who would want to say goodbye to friends and family, put off school for a while, and volunteer for 18-24 months?

Well, I do!

I'm not going because I want to go on a fun adventure. I already had a few of those experiences...and you can read about them here and here.

I'm not going because my little sister is going (although it is certainly a bonus that we'll be out at the same time). Allison is going to Brazil, as well. When I opened my letter stating where I'd be going, we both just started to cry. Missionaries for our church don't get to choose where we go. We could go anywhere-- from Chile to Chicago, from Japan to Jacksonville. I never guessed that I'd be sent to the same place as my sister. I won't see her while I'm there because I'll be in São Paulo, Brazil and she'll be in Manaus, Brazil. However, after our missions, we will both share a love of Brazil and an ability to speak Portuguese (hopefully!).

I'm not going because I don't have anything better to do. There are lots of good things to do here. Right now, I'm singing lots, and dating lots, and studying lots, and working lots. These are all good things, but I still feel good about leaving.

I'm going because I love God and I love people and if I could help one person feel a little bit of God's love, then it is worth it to me.

The past six months have been really confusing at times. I've been trying to make life plans and big decisions. The choices I've been making will significantly affect my future! I made pros and cons lists, I cried on the phone with my mom, I talked with my roommates, I read old journal entries, but at the end of the day I just stayed confused about what I was doing with my life. The only thing that got me through all of this was the fact that I could center my life around God. I learned that His plan for me was better than any plan that I could imagine. And with that knowledge, I found so much peace. When I serve a mission, I will spend time teaching others that same lesson I have learned. And if I can give one person a small portion of that peace, then it's worth it to me. It is worth it to me to sacrifice 18 months of my life, to take a break from school, to say goodbye to loved ones.

I am God's daughter. He is my Father. Every human being is His child. And life....no matter how confusing, or difficult, or trying it may be...feels a bit more stable, steady, and secure if we know that He is aware of us. 

Grateful that God is good, always. Grateful that Jesus Christ lived a perfect life, suffered for my sins, died on the cross,  and rose again for me. Grateful for the peace I find in this simple message and grateful that I get to share that message with people I meet in Brazil.

lifelately

I lost all of my pictures from fall semester and I cried about it. They say not to cry over spilled milk, but pictures are another story!! Not to worry...I have since installed the Dropbox app on my celly:) All my pics go straight to my laptop.... which means it's time to blog. 

Aside from saying ta-ta to our favorite homies, the worst part of leaving home this year was leaving behind Just Dance 4. I will not disclose how many hours we spent playing this game. However, I will admit I was slightly surprised that learning Noteworthy choreography still comes as a bit of a challenge considering how much practicing I did over the break....lol.

Weatherwise, the first few weeks of January were abysmal. Snow is beautiful; don't get me wrong! My phone is full of beautiful, sparkly snow pics. That being said, there is nothing beautiful about zero degrees. I now see the light at the end of the tunnel, as we groove into a steady 30 degrees.

On one of these aforementioned zero degree days, I wanted to reward myself for walking from my car to the Richards Building. So, I treated myself to Legends. There is nothing a light lunch can't fix! 

Seeing my Noteworthy ladies after the break was wonderful. We missed each other. I love love love singing with these incredible women. I feel so blessed to be a part of this group. Be sure to like us on Facebook, if you haven't already (shameless social media plug...).

So far, 2013 has been a season of selfies. For anyone who doesn't know, a "selfie" is a common term in my generation. A "selfie" is when you employ the front camera function on a smart phone in order to take pictures of yourself. I love taking selfies because I hate leaving people out when it's time to take the pic! It's the best way to squeeze everyone it. Although selfies have been popular for a while, I believe I am partial to selfie-taking because it might run in the family.

Does Courtney's duckface-kissylip-dueces combo remind you of 9th grade?

Zack Oates is the real blogger...

*probably daydreaming about how much fun we had in Jerusalem

Danny & John turned 22 last week and both were surprised! It has been so fun spending time with these boys back from serving missions. We became besties in the dorms and it's like they never left. Grateful for friendships that withstand the test of time:)

Before I close, I need to fill y'all in on a little secret we recently learned from a 10 year-old.... The trick to taking creepy smile pictures is simply smiling and tilting your head down (example is shown below).

Shalom y'all! Friday is on its way!

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.

Goodbye Texas :(

I'm typing this from the home of a dear family friend because our wifi at home isn't an option--the router is packed in a moving truck...in addition to everything else special to me.

Moving is awful. The emotional burden outweighs the physical inconveniences. I flew home from school a week ago and entered the current state of chaos: seeing realtors and repairman come and go, running last-minute errands to check off lengthy to-do lists, and participating in an endless amount of tearful goodbyes.

People keep asking, "Are you excited to move? Are you looking forward to being in Seattle?"

Um....no, not particularly.
But it's not that we have any negative feelings towards Washington. We're actually quite pleased; out of every city in the US, Bellevue seems like a great spot!

It's just that we're leaving our favorite place ever!
Sending lots of hugs to our loved ones in Highland Village! Many thanks to teachers, neighbors, leaders, coaches and peers. Y'all have helped each member of the Riding family grow and learn. As soon as moving away became an option, the ache in our heats came from realizing we'll be leaving so many people we love. To every Texan who made me a better woman: I LOVE Y'ALL!

We're leaving a town that we've called home for 16 years. We're leaving the place that turned us into Texans! We're leaving a town where doors stay unlocked, where country tunes are blasted, where boats and pools run rampant, and where Southern hospitality is a always given.

We're leaving friends that are as dear as family. 

We're leaving everything normal and comfortable.

But I guess that's how life goes :)

When we get too comfortable, it's time for change. Humans like feeling comfortable and that's why  transitions are never easy. So when people ask me if I'm looking forward to the move, I say I know we'll end up being glad about it, but it'll take time. It takes time to create friendships and memories. We will learn to love Seattle, like we learned to love Dallas. I feel optimistic about this move.....but like they always say,

You can take the girl out of Texas...

but you can't take the Texas out of a girl ;)

Homesick for the Holy Land: My Final Thoughts

Being homesick for a city in the Middle East is a strange feeling. I open my Bible and out of habit, turn to read a passage that is now more meaningful to me. I long to be surrounded by Muslims and Jews and miss the lulling sounds of Arabic and Hebrew. I crave falafel, shwarma, rugala--foods I never knew existed! I sing the hymns in church and think about the spots I once sung them: at the shepherds' field in Bethlehem, in the Upper Room of the Last Supper, in a boat on the Sea of Galilee, on the banks of the Jordan River where John baptized Jesus, in Ephesus where Paul journeyed, at the Garden Tomb where Jesus rose on the third day, just to name a few.

I miss Jerusalem. I miss the places and the people and sights and the smells and the overall good-feelings that come from living a life so highly-focused on things of eternal importance. And how is it possible to summarize my time there in just a few sentences? It's not.

It wasn't an average college study abroad; it was a pilgrimage! I flew to Jerusalem in January with 82 strangers who ended up becoming family. The relationships we cultivated there were unlike any others. We studied together, we ate together, we exercised together,  we worshiped together. We grew together. We played and we learned. I have so much love in my heart for these new friends, including the faculty and their families. Not only did I meet 80+ new best friends, I saw cool places! We toured Petra when we visited Jordan. We made stops throughout the country Turkey. We saw the Haggia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. We danced on the shores of the Aegean Sea. We explored ancient Crusader ruins, including castles and ports. We spent ten days living in little bungalows on the Sea of Galilee in Northern Israel. We saw glimpses of Syria, Lebanon, and Greece on our field-trips. We visited the Garden Tomb, Garden of Gethsemane, Western Wall, and Dome of the Rock on a weekly basis.We went to the West Bank and were further enlightened on the pressing Arab-Israeli conflict. There are so many opinions and biases in regards to that situation. But what I remember is the overarching generosity of the people in Jerusalem. They have good hearts. Jews and Muslims inspire me to be a better a believer. There are devout God-fearers everywhere.

Here is a piece of a journal entry I wrote back in January, when I'd been in Jerusalem for a couple weeks:

"This week we had a local journalist come as part of our lecture series. He has been living here for a decade but is originally from England. He asked us to pay attention the way it feels to walk up and down the streets of Jerusalem. He asked us to remember the cheerful business owners, the helpful money changers, the friendly taxi drivers. On the news in the US, we see this region of the world as a place of turmoil and danger. And it is. There is much conflict. But that's not what I notice here. I see a blend of two cultures living, doing their best to stay peaceful. On our way home the other day, we asked a Muslim man how long his family had been in the same neighborhood; he answered 700 years. That is why this conflict is so deep-rooted. This is a place of social and political unrest. But people everywhere are so, so good. There is so much good in the world.

This place is changing me. It's changing me in many ways. I thought I'd come to learn about the Savior, understand the Bible better, see ancient ruins, and try some new Middle Eastern foods. But I'm doing more than that.  I'm learning the lesson that every human being has to learn time and time again. It's the lesson that it's really not about us. It's all about the ones we love, the ones we need to learn to love, and the One who loves us most."

And that place did change me. I'm a different woman now. I was a pilgrim in the Holy Land. I grew closer to my God, my Father in Heaven. I was reminded that without Him, I am nothing. He is the One who lends me the air I breathe. My relationship with His son, Jesus Christ was also strengthened. I saw places where people learned to come unto Him. I saw sites where the Healer first healed and where the Redeemer redeemed us all. Years before Jesus was born on Earth, people were waiting and watching for Him. I will continue to wait and watch for Him, in preparation for the day He will return. I testify that Jesus is the Christ. It is through Him that we can be made holy. He is the light and the life, the truth and the way.