My Eventful Life (or something like that)

Life is so odd. Sometimes I feel really unproductive and like I haven't been doing anything with my life. But really when I get ready to blog I'm like, "Holy crap! I've done so much! When did I do this?" It's weird. So for instance last weekend (the weekend before memorial day) Bishop and Grandma O from Virginia invited me to go to the ballet with them. 

There son is a principal dancer in the ballet company Ballet West and were out here to see him perform. 

I had so much fun! 

Con Abuela O.

This is her and bishop's son Chase and his girlfriend Beck Anne. They're both principal (main) dancers in the company. The performance wasn't really classical ballet. I would call it probably more contemporary ballet. It was really interesting to watch. I think I've only been to a ballet once or twice in my life but every time I go I'm so amazed and impressed with the talent and skill these dancers have. Just looking at the muscles and how gracefully they move is truly incredible. It just amazes me how hard these people work for this amazing art form. I truly enjoyed the performance. It was really fantastic. 

 Not only was the performance amazing but so was the theater. 

 Grandma O was telling me how they had designed it to look like the night time in Utah. With the "red rock" walls and the "starry" ceiling. 

 Overall it was just a really amazing experience. I love going to cultural things. Ballets, Orchestras, museums, really just anything. For some reason they really make me appreciate people and the world we live in. And that may not make much sense but that's how it makes me feel about life. I Love It. Thanks for inviting me you lovely O'Connells!  

Anyway that was last weekend. This weekend was also pretty dang productive. I don't know if you've realized but I consider a day productive if I've left the house. Kind of sad but whatever. 

So back to this weekend. Thursday my pal Johanna (you'll remember her from my Washington trip) asked if I could help her move some of her stuff from her old apartment to her uncles. That didn't end up happening so instead I just spent the afternoon with her and a couple of her extended relatives. We went and walked around the Provo City Center Temple grounds. The temple really is beautiful. I might just want to someday get married there. We also went to Cafe Rio and got some Fro Yo. It was a pretty great afternoon. 

Then in the evening I drove through glorious rush hour traffic up to Syracuse and visited my Aunt Felicia, who graduated Friday, and my Grandma and Grandpa who were in town for the Graduation. It was really good being able to see all my little cousins who I honestly don't really know and see my other relatives who I haven't seen in a long time. It was a good visit. 

Friday through Sunday I went legit camping with my Ewell cousins. Well most of them. I went camping with them five years ago when I came out to Utah for my first EFY. (that's all covered in my old blog) That was kind of the start of their yearly camping trip. Look at me being a part of starting traditions. :) I say legit camping because my family doesn't really camp. When we do it's in a proper campsite with usually a bathroom within walking distance. At least an out house anyway. 

This part of my family likes to do it old school. Pack up literally everything you may need and just go out into the wilderness. A.K.A. the desert. 

It was actually pretty fun. I did get a wicked sunburn on my knees and my face but you know that's part of life. 

I'm not naturally attracted to the beauty of the desert and it's mountains. I'm more of PNW person but it was really beautiful in it's own way. 

I went on several "adventures" with these youngins. Mostly flower picking adventures but it was still pretty fun. 

I would never expect desert flowers to be pretty but there were actually quite a few that I really liked. 

On our adventures we found a jack rabbit. You can kind of see it in the pic. But not very well. Pro camo skillage. 

We also found a skull from probably a deer and a bunch of apparently military wire. I don't know if that's what it really was but that was my uncle's guess as to what it was. 

In other news even though we really only cooked over a camp fire with the rare occasion of a camp stove we ate really well. This burger was made over the fire and holy crap it was delicious. It could have also been because I was hungry but I bet it was also because it was partially good tasting. 

My Uncle has a four wheeler so I got to drive that around a couple times. It was really fun. I felt super cool driving it. Probably didn't look cool but I felt cool. And that's what matters. Saturday I went on a super long ride with my cousins Aaron and Junior. We went up this mountain and found a herd of cows. Tons of cute little calves drinking from their trough. So cute! We also found a rather disappointing spring. But you know hey water is swelling from the ground in a dry desolate place! Hallelujah! 

We packed up Sunday evening and I got back home to Preston and Elise's around 11. It was a really fun weekend and it was nice being able to get to know my cousins more. It really weirds me out that they practically all have kids now. Like what's with that? 

Anyway my past couple weekends have been a lot of fun. Hopefully this week can live up to them. 

In other news I started a two week nanny job today. It would be longer but I'm going back to Virginia so that doesn't really work out. The kids were super fun and loving though. We had a water balloon fight today and they were all fighting over who's team I would be on. The cutest. That doesn't sound very cute but you guys get what I'm saying. I wish I was staying longer so I could be their nanny. I really like kids. If you haven't noticed. I think they're hilarious and fun to be around. Probably what I get for being the oldest of 9. Oh well. 

And guess what in like 3 weeks I'll be going to Spain! This seriously kept me up late last night. Till like 2. It really sucked but I'm SOOOOOO EXCITED! I can't wait to see my old friends, eat all that delish food, and just show mom what my life was like in Spain. It's going to be so much fun. I've really been craving tortilla so I'm especially excited about that. 

And speaking of Espana I think I forgot to tell you guys. While I was in Spain walking home with my two German Au Pair friends from getting Churros con Chocolate, I saw the google street view car. I totally forgot about it till like a couple months ago. I checked and voila I'm on the street view of Spain. Fancy right? 

Anyway life's exciting and fun and I hope I'm doing a good job of keeping you people up to date. Till next time! 

Wisdom Teeth

Guess what guys! I got my wisdom teeth out Tuesday. I'm currently a little sore in the jaw and was a little woozy earlier today but it's definitely not as horrible as some people made it out to be. 

I had to wake up at 4:30, which honestly sucked, so I could get ready and be at the place by 6. It was in Salt Lake. The place I got my teeth out was actually a research center called Jean Brown Research. They took out my teeth with no charge and even paid me $50 to let them take them out so they could study pain killers. Look at me being a lab rat. Partay. 

I didn't get put under which to be honest was kind of was a relief. I have a weird fear of being put under and never waking up again. I know that's an irrational fear but yet it's there. Anyway they super numbed me up and took my teeth out. I didn't feel anything. Thank heavens. I couldn't fall asleep till two the night before because of mothers wisdom teeth horror story. You can ask her about it next time you see her. Pretty much I think I was just scared to get my wisdom teeth out in any shape or form. 

They got my teeth out in under 10 minutes and then the rest of the day I just chilled in a small room while they monitored my pain. 

This is me a couple hours of the surgery. Just a tiny bit puffy but not to drastic. This pic also shows my feelings of the overall day.

 My plain, boring, little room I spent the day in. Seriously though I was able to finish an entire book, start to finish, and still have hours left till I would be able to go home. They take away your phone for science purposes or something. So really I was about to die from boredom. It's kind of hard to sleep when you have a dull ache in your mouth. Oh well I survived. They gave me free food so that kept me entertained for a short period of time. 

I will spare you a pic of my nasty bloody spit bucket but you can imagine how gross it was. 

Guys I discovered I ain't no wimp. I probably get my pain tolerance from my mom. That or I'm used to getting accidentally injured by my siblings all the freaking time. Maybe a combination of both. Anyway I discovered this because I could hear the people next door. One at first was SUPER high and laughing her head off for no apparent reason. Then when she came off it she was sobbing from the pain.  And then the other girl I could hear barfing and when people would come in to check on her she just sounded so miserable. I was sincerely worried for both of them. At one point though I had finally been able to fall asleep and they woke me up with their whimpering and I wanted to yell at them to suck it up. (remember I had gotten like 2 hours of sleep) I was tired.

Also I think I'm immune to laughing gas. I didn't feel high or out of control of my body at all. I just felt like my normal self. That or they didn't give me enough of it. Anyway it's interesting the things you learn about yourself when you go through surgery.

It took the research people forever to give me the pain meds and I think it's because they were waiting for my pain level to be higher. They would occasionally come in and ask me to rate my pain from 1-10 and it never went over a 6. Sure it was uncomfortable and it would've been great to have some pain killers but it wasn't like the end of the world. Definitely not cry worthy. Eventually I just called them in and was like, "Yo. I'm not numb anymore give me some medicine so we can get this test done and over with so I can go home." Ok those weren't my exact words but still you get the gist.

The nurses and the people tending to my mouth were all very kind and friendly. And it was free. Definitely a great way to get my teeth out. Anyway that was pretty much my day there.

I have the best family ever. Immediate obviously. But my Aunt Lucinda and my Cousin Preston came to pick me and my car up. And they did it in rush hour traffic. Those fabulous people. Then when I got back home Preston and Elise asked what I needed and got me food that I could eat and my prescription. It was really kind of them cause dang I did not feel like getting it myself. I just love that even though I'm away from my parents and sibs I'm still surrounded by people who love me and are willing to take care of me and anything that I may need. It's really nice. 

Ok you ready for the day after pic. It's bad man. Like so bad. Here you go.

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Tada!

Isn't it just absolutely gorgeous?! My cousin was like, "Now we know what you'd look like if you were fat" It's true. And mom says I look like one of the seven dwarfs from Snow White. So yeah fun stuff. Normally I would probably be embarrassed to post a pic like this but you know what? There's nothing I can do about what my face looks like right now and it's funny so who cares.  

Anyway I've been spending my last couple days eating mush (potatoes) and binging shows on netflix. I'm hoping the swelling goes down and I stop feeling dizzy when I stand up so I can go out and do things. And most of all I can't wait till my mouth heals enough for me to eat real foods. It's already been three days and I just want to eat something solid. I have probably 7 more days of this torture. Anyway wish me luck. Till next time! 

New Plans

May I just say I'm getting a little tired of my plans changing all the dang time. Like can't I just have a constant sometime?

 (cool view of windmills)

 But I think I've got it figured out. For now anyway. And having things figured out is a nice feeling to have. For a while there the unlimited freedom was a bit overwhelming. 

 I'm going to stay in Utah till July. (take a break to go to Spain of course)

And after that Dad and Townsend are coming out to Utah and we're going to road trip across the country back to VA. I'm really excited. Then from there I'll turn in my papers, get my call, and go on a mission! And hopefully while all that's happening I can find myself a job. So yes people that is the new plan! And hopefully nothing happens that will make me change it again. 

 Anyway in other events, Monday I went on an adventure. I drove up to Squaw Peak and contemplated life. I drove down to Provo and walked around.

 Saw this place. I own it. Obviously. I don't know why they were closed though. I didn't give them permission to be closed. 

And I walked around the beautiful temple grounds. It was a fun day.

The rest of the week I researched institutes to go to, places to get my wisdom teeth out, and all those kinds of fun things. I figure it'll be cheaper to get those stupid teeth out here than in VA so I might as well get it over with. I'm not looking forward to it. 

Anyway that's what's been going on with me. Not nearly as exciting as my Spain life but still it's something. Till next time! 

When Life Gives You Lemons

Make lemonade. 

Thinking about the past couple of years I've come to realize that this phrase really applies to me. The fact that I didn't get into BYU, didn't get my Visa for Spain, etc. kind of proves this. Life just goes on. The things that I wish would happen and don't have a good reason for not happening. I got to go to Spain because I didn't get into BYU. I was able to be home when mom went through having cancer because I didn't get my Visa. Everything works out. I think that's the lesson I've been learning. If something doesn't go right stay positive because the Lord has better things for you. 

So as much as nothing tragic has happened for me I'm gonna tell you about how my life plans got derailed. Again.

I feel like I kind of saw this coming. I didn't want to see it though so I ignored it. Friday as I said in my last post we went to the temple. Afterwards we went to the Cheesecake Factory for lunch and I had a good conversation with my pal Aldus. Talked about his mission and all the normal questions that go along with that. Then it was asked if I wanted to go on a mission. 

My answer was probably not. This is actually something I've been struggling with recently. As of late it feels like literally everyone has been asking, "are you planning on going on a mission?" and to be honest I'm pretty tired of  hearing it. It's what everyone expects me to do. It's what everyone expects a young LDS single girl to do. I hate conforming to the expectations of the world. I refuse to do it. So going on a mission is something that if I'm going to do it I have to do it for my own reasons and not just because it's expected of me.

Fast forward to Saturday. The wedding was in Portland so we me and the parentals had a fun drive down. My parents don't lecture as they say but we often have conversations where they do most of the talking. Mom brought up the fact that I may not want to and she doesn't want me to cause she'll miss me but maybe I'm supposed to go on a mission as an example to my siblings. Dad said maybe it's to meet my husband. "Silly Daddy" - Jane

This didn't really make me think much more about it. I think it's the stubbornness I get from my parents. I mean I did think about. I do listen to my parents counsel. I'm not that bad of a teenager but I didn't have any big spiritual confirmation to it. Sorry that was a very contradictory paragraph. I'm sure you guys get it though.

Fast forward again to later that night at the reception. Aldus was asked to give a toast and in that speech he talked about how thanks to Johanna serving a mission and her example he is going to serve a mission. And then it did hit me. I'm supposed to serve a mission as an example to my brothers and sisters. Maybe my example will help them to find their reason for wanting to serve a mission. Stupid spiritually impressions. 

As you can guess this ruined my plans for life. Again. I'm still not exactly sure what I'm going to do yet considering I just had this revelation on Saturday. However I'm thinking I'll probably work through the summer here in Utah and then go in the fall. I still got some praying to do though. But why wait? As I said as a kid I don't want to be an old maid when I get back. Now to just meet a bishop and start my papers.

But you know what despite having to figure out what I'm going to do next I'm really excited. I'm going to teach others about the gospel and hopefully bring them the joy of it. I'm going to be an example to my siblings. And hopefully I'll get to travel. Let's pray for foreign. jk jk. 

Well I thought I better tell you people that I'm going on a mission. Till next time!

Washington Part 2

Washington part 2 was mostly spent doing wedding stuff. Which was a blast btw.

Wednesday I mostly hung out with my friend Paige till mom and dad picked me up. Thursday I hung out with them. Mom went to the spa with our friend Sarah so me and dad had lunch with the bride to be and her fiance (now husband). It was really cool getting to know him and just seeing Johanna again. I love that girl. After lunch me and dad went on a tour of our old haunts. We went to Costco, our blue house (it's looking run down and it makes me sad), and just the surrounding neighborhood. It was really nostalgic and made me wish my family still lived there. 

Thursday night we also had a small reunion with my moms fam. I got see my Grandparents, my Aunt Lexi and her fam, and my Aunt Melanie and all her kids. It was really fun  and chaotic seeing them again. I don't think I've ever had a quiet family. 

Friday we went to the temple. I of course had to watch Norbaby. That was weird but cool. Last time I watched a baby there it was Joan-Claire when she was a youngin. 

My bestie practically bro Aldus is going on a mission in June. We went so my parents could see him go through the temple for the first time.  Pretty cool stuff. I'm proud of him to say the least.

Saturday was the wedding. May I just say that day was an amazing day. Like it made me so happy.

Johanna got married in the Portland temple. It has a really cool atrium inside. Norman liked it so that's where we waited.

I was a bridesmaid which was so flipping cool! I've never been one before. It's a ton of fun taking pictures and being on call help when needed. It's a party. 

Pretty much I just love these people. Seeing Jo marry someone she loves and who makes her happy for all time and eternity just made me so happy for her! Like my Jo is married! My big sister! 

Another amazing thing about this trip is that I got to be with these guys. Pretty much my brothers. I've known them since I was six and it's pretty cool to have friends that you've grown up with. Mom actually started crying when she took this pic because of that thought. It's cool that no matter how much time passes people don't really change. Por ejemplo I haven't seen Payson in two years and yet we were able to go on like no time had passed at all! I love the Simmons and I'm glad they're apart of my life. They're the best.

I also got to know this guy. He was only a couple years old when we moved to Virginia.  I got to know him a little on this trip and now we're friends and I'm just gonna say he's already a little ladies man. I love him! 

Johanna's wedding was the main point of this Washington trip and I'm so happy I came. I had so many fun experiences that just made me love and appreciate people. 

Anyway Sunday I went to my old ward that I went to when I was 1-6. Everything was a lot smaller but it was cool. We had dinner with Jim and Trissa and their kids. Another amazing group of people I've known practically my entire life. 

Monday I parted ways with my parents. They flew to D.C. and I flew to Utah. It was a little sad to say goodbye but I'll see them in June so it's not that bad. 

I'm staying with my cousins Preston and Elise. I was greeted by cards and "origami" from their kids and today was spent playing with them. It's so nice coming to a new place and being automatically loved. I like it. I'll keep you updated on my Utah adventures. Don't you worry. Till next time!