Happy Birthday!

Friday was Fez's birthday. He is now the big 27. Luckily it was reading day at school so he didn't have any classes. We ate breakfast in bed, watched Arrested Development and Chronicles of Narnia, ate yummy dinner and opened presents.

He got a Sonicare toothbrush, which he's been wanting forever, and winter boots that were going to be for Christmas, but I decided to surprise him earlier. I didn't take any pictures of course. New Years Resolution 2011.

We ate at Tucanos Saturday night with Fez's brother Jono and his wife Jodi (it was Jodi's birthday on Thursday). We were seated in this back room and when we were about done these people arrived for their company party. You could tell the servers were trying to rush us, but not really so they wouldn't be rude. As we were leaving one of the managers gave us a free appetizer or dessert for our next visit (sweet)! And then one of the other managers stopped us and gave us a free meal certificate for our next visit (double sweet)!

Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas!!!

If lost, just make one!

If you didn't know, Fez is quite handy. I am not one who would want a fixer-upper home but with his know how and skills, I have full confidence it would be great in no time.

He also likes to make things. From ninja sleeves to a pocket knife case made of leather to a treadmill safety pin, he'll figure out a way to make it work.

Yes, tonight he went to run on the treadmill and the safety pin was NO WHERE to be found. It hasn't been used since we moved into the basement so it had to be somewhere, but alas, no where.

So what does one do?

Well, I would probably give up. "I didn't really want to run anyway." Maybe do research online for a part, which we did, and we found it. But it was backordered. For MONTHS. Goo...

This is where Fez's little brain gets rolling. He tried a couple mediums but ended up carving a pencil to look like the pin and... VOILA! It worked!

But what happens after he finally made it work?

He FOUND the pin!!!

Of course. He wouldn't have found it had he just given up. But, he did use his new contraption instead of the pin and it worked like a charm!

So, as long as no one trips and actually needs to use the safety clip, we'll have a backup in case it goes missing again.

I can't wait to see what he thinks up next.

Boys Will Be Girls

I saw this video a while ago and thought it was hilarious. I was reminded about it last night by some friends and had to post it.

It may be a little over the top, but still. HILARIOUS.

Click HERE for the youtube link as well.

Dollar Store

Fez and I went to the Dollar Store the other night to check out some toy ideas for the nieces and nephews for Christmas. It had been a while and we remember it being the hot spot for toys.

Boy, were we wrong.

Since when did the Dollar Store turn into a mini grocery/craft store? There was Christmas, balloons, food, cleaning, and decor. There was a tiny back corner that had toys but there was nothing!

We were pretty disappointed. Either we are remembering there being much more there because when you're little anything with toys is a gold mine or the Dollar Store has really gone down hill.

Guess we'll have to stick with Wal-Mart and Target.

One good thing though is I was thoroughly impressed with how CLEAN the place was. Good job Dollar Store on not slacking on that part.

He's at it again!

Fez entered another drafting competition at school. This one was for the chance at a $1500 SLCC scholarship and dinner for 6 guests at La Caille. Next semester he will be a student of Weber but he made sure he would be able to receive the scholarship as a reimbursement for this semester if he won.

And it's a good thing he did because

HE WON!!!

He worked so hard on this project and it looked awesome. He had to design a house for the owners of La Caille that was Tuscan style and had all these different elements they wanted. He really did his homework on what makes a Tuscan home and he has a knack for making the layout flow well and the details pop. The owners aren't really going to build it, yet at least, but maybe some day they will.

Fez almost didn't do it but after some encouragement from his teachers, mother, and yours truly, he decided to. And it's a good thing because now we could afford new tires!

Blessings are pouring on us. Some smaller than others, but this was a big one and we are so grateful for his talents, dedication, and faithfulness that all will work out.

Bring on the next challenge!

I WON!

I like to check out the crafty blogs once in a while.

They always have such cute ideas and are so creative.

It makes me want to be like that some day.

Or at least attempt to.

Some times they have giveaways

and once in a while I will enter.

Usually there are like 1,000 entries so there's little chance I'll win.

But I WON!

I won $25 to Accent Studios - Vinyl Wall Designs!

I have NO idea what I'm actually going to get but I am loving browsing around knowing that I get something. There are many things I can do so I may need some help deciding. I'll keep you informed on the process.

So, yay for me! And yay for Accent Studios!

Check out their website here.

I'm an Auntie again!

Max Kapena (Captain) Alama

Elizabeth Kalake (Grace) Alama

Born November 13, 2010.

It was such a joy to meet these beautiful babies. It's been a while since there have been little babies around and now they are coming out everywhere! I love it! These little ones bring such a joy already. They are hard work but there is so much more love that makes it ALL worth it.

I couldn't help but just look at them and smile. I pondered about them just being with our Heavenly Father and what He might have told them. I wondered what kind of world they will be brought up in and how strong they must be to be left for the last days. It made me feel that much closer to heaven.

Congratulations Jono, Jodi and Isaiah!

Halloween

I know its real late but I had to do it because I said I would.

Even if no one cares except me.

Fez and I dressed up as ninjas this year.

He was amazing at being creative with our hand guards and making our nunchucks.

It. was. awesome!

We went to the SLCC Bookstore for lunch. They throw a great party each year and everyone dresses up. Here we are with the Queen of Hearts, Alice, and Minnie Mouse.

(Thanks for the picture Ann!)

We carved pumpkins with the Alama's Friday night. Everyone did a great job on their designs, especially Isaiah!

Saturday we went to a Halloween party with some friends and played a peanut on a string game and some Minute to Win It's. I'm lame and didn't take any pictures but it was a fun night to be with friends all dressed up!

Cereal Cake

First off, I haven't forgotten about Halloween. I am working on getting a little post together. It's not too exciting but if I put it out there in blog land I might actually end up getting it done.

On to the post...

I love crafty blogs.

I could spend hours looking at ideas of cute

and frilly crafts, yummy recipes, and furniture redos.

I dream of one day doing some of them.

If only I had the money, cause I sure have the time now...

Today in my browsing I came across this gem and fell in love.

I've always wanted to try and make a cake that looks or is shaped like something and what better idea then cereal! Cereal is practically my life. Next to my husband it is the love of my life (slight exaggeration... but only slight).

I would like to ask for this to be my birthday cake.

Yes, my birthday is in April, but if I ask for it early enough,

I'm almost assuredly going to get it, right?

I would love to do this myself, but let's be honest, without a reason to do it (like a birthday) it's not going to happen. I am just lazy like that (not good, I know. I'm working on it ok...).

If any of you like cereal as much as I do and have a birthday before April I would be happy to try my skills for you. Or if someone doesn't do this for my birthday maybe I'll just do it for myself. I can treat myself right? That way if it doesn't work out I have less of a reason to be embarrassed.

If you like this cake and want to see others like it please visit http://creativebirthdaypartyideas.blogspot.com/.

Just Five More Minutes

My husband forwarded this email to me and I had to share it. It is a simple, beautiful reminder to remember the important things in life.

Careful, it's a tear jerker!

Just Five More Minutes - Author Unknown

While at the park one day, a woman sat down next to a man on a bench near a playground.

"That's my son over there," she said, pointing to a little boy in a red sweater who was gliding down the slide.

"He's a fine looking boy" the man said. "That's my daughter on the bike in the white dress."

Then, looking at his watch, he called to his daughter. "What do you say we go, Melissa?"

Melissa pleaded, "Just five more minutes, Dad. Please? Just five more minutes."

The man nodded and Melissa continued to ride her bike to her heart's content.

Minutes passed and the father stood and called again to his daughter. "Time to go now?"

Again Melissa pleaded, "Five more minutes, Dad. Just five more minutes."

The man smiled and said, "OK."

My, you certainly are a patient father," the woman responded.

The man smiled and then said, "Her older brother Tommy was killed by a drunk driver last year while he was riding his bike near here. I never spent much time with Tommy and now I'd give anything for just five more minutes with him. I've vowed not to make the same mistake with Melissa. She thinks she has five more minutes to ride her bike. The truth is, I get Five more minutes to watch her play."

Life is all about making priorities, what are your priorities?

Give someone you love Five more minutes of your time today!

Reunited...

...and it feels so good!

San Francisco was a blast!

Lindsey was a great host and took me everywhere!

Friday we went to The Stinking Rose. Lots and lots of garlic which made for great jokes the rest of the weekend but it was real good! We walked to Ghiradelli Square and had yummy pumpkin spice caramel square samples and ice cream. I heart San Francisco already.

Saturday we had a lazy morning and the headed to our performance. We always have a great time performing. It's what we love to do! Wearing the costumes that I usually wear in a foreign country made me REALLY excited to go on tour again.

That night we went to this awesome look out for the Golden Gate Bridge. I couldn't get a real good picture cause my camera is blah so I'm waiting for someone to post theirs. We also found the Full House house, the one at the end of the opening credits with the park across the street. Amazing! We finished off the night with another stop at Ghiradelli Square for samples and ice cream. Yum!

I loved this house!

Fellow clogger and former team mate Stefanie was there with Clog America also. It was fun to all be together again!

Sunday we went to church with Lindsey and who taught Sunday School? Oh you know, just Steve Young. He was a pretty good teacher with some interesting perspectives. Still kinda weird, but cool. We drove around looking at houses (Steve Jobs included), ate a delicious meal of tomato soup and the best grilled cheese sandwich EVER at Fisherman's Wharf, saw seals, lots of boats, and got COMPLETELY soaked!!! We were crazy staying out in the rain so long, but it was lots of fun.

Thanks so much for a great weekend Lindsey! You're the best! It was so fun to hang out and see the city. I loved San Francisco and can hardly wait to go back some day!

San Fran!

I'm heading to San Francisco for the weekend!

And I get to stay with Lindsey!!

If you don't know Lindsey, you should. She is one of the funnest people I know. She's been nannying for a family for the past year in California and I've been looking for a way to go visit and it came! I'm so excited!

I'm really going to perform with a few Clog America members for a group of 'influential people'. Basically, we hope they give us money. But we always like a good excuse to dance and travel.

Have a good weekend everyone!

Requests answered

When I said short I hope none of your were thinking "boy short". I would NEVER do that. You know why? Because I would LOOK like one. Some people can pull it off and they look great. I would not. So for those that requested a picture of the haircut here you go:

It's not really too short in the front but it's short in the back! At least it feels really short from all the layers. Especially after having long hair for a while.

So, there you have it!
Hopefully I can still get my wiggie to stay for Clog America performances!

Our current events

1 - I won Thriller tickets!!!

But... they are for tonight. I have clogging on Thursday nights so I can't even go. Sadness... :( Fez is going to take his mother though. She has never been and she's going to love it! I am excited for them even though I wish I was going. There's always next year.

2 - ALL of my sisters-in-law are pregnant!

There really is something in the water because EVERYONE is pregnant! (Not me and not for a while. Thanks for asking.) Twins are due in just a couple weeks, little girl baby Wells is due in February, and other little baby Wells is due in June. I love my growing family!

3 - I cut my hair...short!

I've been debating this for some time and chickened out last appointment. Fez gave me a lot of encouragement to just do it and so I did. It's kinda weird! It's only been 2 days so I'm not quite used to doing it yet but I think it's kinda cute. A little shorter than I anticipated in the back, but hair grows and I'll enjoy the change.

4 - I'm going to San Francisco!

Next weekend I am performing for a small but influential group of people with Clog America to see about getting more sponsors and people to come on our tour. Mostly I'm excited to visit my good friend Lindsey who is living there nannying. She is SO fun and I can't wait for her to show me the ins and outs of San Fran.

5 - Upcoming Gala for Clog America

This is news is only about a week old but it's been on my mind a lot. I could get into it a lot but that is not the point of this update. Just know it's happening, it will be a wonderful evening, and I may contact you if you'd like to attend or donate to our silent auction. More to come later.

6 - Still job hunting.

Job hunting sucks. It's the worst waiting game ever. Not to mention it does wonders for your self-esteem. Don't worry, I'm still happy go lucky Jenny but, really, could I just find something already? As always, if you know of an opening or opportunity, please let me know.

7 - I have a secret.

I'm not really sure if it needs to be a secret but I'm just going to keep it as one. (No I'm not pregnant nor trying to be. See #2) It is pushing me really hard physically and mentally. And I like the challenge. I am a procrastinator by nature and this has been good for me to keep up on it and try not to be lazy. I like that it gives me something more to think about and do each day. It's draining doing practically nothing (see #6).

8 - I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

After conference I challenged myself to be better at the basics. I have done a fairly good job of sticking with it but there are times when I forget, sleep in, or do it really fast. Even though I falter I can still feel a difference in my spirituality. I think the Lord knows I am trying and is blessing me still. Also, I am grateful for inspired church leaders who KNOW the Lord and serve him, not matter the consequences. There has been a lot of controversy lately because of things said in conference but I am grateful that my faith is such that it can be tried but not taken.

9 - My parents are in Hawaii!

If you're not pregnant, you're going to Hawaii. At least that seems to be the case lately. My parents are there with my grandma and 2 of my mom's siblings and their spouses. What a fun getaway for the group to take! Of course I am super jealous I'm not there with them but happy they get to take a little vaca. Speaking of Hawaii...

10 - Our Hawaii trip update

We FINALLY spoke with Kenny. It was a miracle. Seriously. He even called US back! Basically the deal is this guy owed Kenny a favor, which is how we were getting the trip, but this guy is now in India and so Kenny is working on a different avenue. He hasn't forgotten us and told us to contact him in 30 days. It's in the calendar. I hope he's ready because we have been for a year! (If you are confused by this see posts here and here for details.)

Welp, that's all folks!

is this for real?

My friend posted this on Facebook
and I watched the whole thing with my mouth open.
SO COOL!

I wonder how long it took them to do it without mistakes.
I am thoroughly impressed and like this song even more now.
Enjoy.

i love conference

I look forward to it with excitement and solemnity.
We were lucky enough to attend BOTH sessions on Saturday.
(THANKS AGAIN MEGAN!)
It was wonderful!

By the end of the Saturday morning session my cup was overflowing already. I'm glad I took notes because I wouldn't have been able to remember everything I heard and felt. I was inspired in so many aspects of my life. I was able to prioritize and make some goals. I had felt for the past couple weeks that I was missing something or needing to do something and conference gave me more than enough answers.

I am so grateful for leaders of our church who are truly inspired not only in what they say but how they say it. I know they are led by a loving Heavenly Father that knows the hearts of His children. Even though life is tough and I get down I know He hears my prayers and answers them as He did this weekend.

I am excited to listen and read them again soon.

Photo On My Mind

This is a picture Fez took in Hagia Sophia.

I loved the picture but he recently made it black and white

and I LOVE it even more.

Excellent work honey!

Photo on my Mind/Still waiting...

Last August (2009) I made a blog post entitled
Remember the time...
basically stating we had won a trip to Maui.
What a dream right?!?

Well, it STILL is.
After more than a year of emails, phone calls, messages,
text messages, and threats I believe we have talked to
Mr. Kenny North a whopping 5 times.
And that's being generous.

Don't you love it when people ignore you
and ignore you and reject your call
(cause you can tell when they do)
over and over again?

I sure don't.
And I'm getting sick of it.

I am a nice person.
I don't like confrontation or being mean to people.
But I am about to the point of tracking this guy down,
busting down his door and making him pay up.

(Ok, maybe I wouldn't REALLY do that
but sometimes I feel like it!)

Isn't there some law against false advertising
or mail fraud or something like that
we can pin him on or threaten him with?

If you or anyone you know have any suggestions
our ears are open wide.

With all that being said this is the photo that has been on my mind as of late.
SIGH...

Another Happy Birthday!

Today is another day of birth to one of the
bestest friends a girl can ask for.

KELSEA BRINTON!!!

When this girl made drill team in high school we instantly became friends. We can always have something to laugh about, share personal and spiritual things, and cry with if needed. She is a rock and the best example of a good friend to everyone. I try each day to be more like that. And the greatest thing is she is going to be a mommy in March! I'm so excited! Love you tons Kels and hope you have a fabulous day because you deserve it.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KELSEA!

Photo on my Mind

A year ago Fez was in a photography class. He learned a lot and has been practicing them every chance he gets. He borrowed my dad's film camera for an assignment and got some really good pictures. We're still working on converting them into jpegs so we can actually use them but some are already done.

Here is one of my favorites.

Happy, Happy Birthday!

Today is the day of birth

for two of my favorite people!

Marissa King!
I still call her Marissa Neumann sometimes but she still calls me Jenny Wells so it's all good. Senior year of high school we clicked and became great friends. Two years later I came to live with her and her roommates in Orem and had the BEST year! She has been a huge blessing in my life. She taught me everything I know about activities/events, we laugh non-stop, can be completely honest with each other, and always pick up right where we left off.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARISSA!!!

My mother!
Where to even begin... she is a rock in our family, sacrifices constantly, gives and gives and gives some more, and always has a smiling face. With us being the girls of the family we have really stuck together and I wouldn't have it any other way. I hope one day I can look back on my life and see that I have become a fraction of who she is. Love you!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!

An Attitude of Gratitude

So many thoughts today.
Most of them are spiritual and I was going to apologize
for such a spiritual post, but I shouldn't have to.
It is who I am...
and I am grateful.

Grateful for life.
This life is so precious. The time we have here is short and much shorter for some than others. A dear friend's husband passed away Saturday morning just before he was to baptize his little girl. They had finalized the adoption of their 3 girls just on Thursday. I am still in shock and can only imagine what she and her family are going through. But the gospel can bring much peace, comfort and love in such a trying time. I know, as well as they do, that they will see their beloved father and husband again one day.
Life is just so, so precious.

Grateful for faith.
Mine has been tried greatly this weekend. And I am so grateful. I have prayed, fasted, attended the temple, and prayed some more. I am totally relying on the Lord and the answers he has provided me. I'm still a little nervous about the decision but I know that whatever happens will be right. I am happy that I recognized the Lord speaking to me and I am acting on that.
Faith Not Fear...

Grateful for the temple.
Fez and I had a wonderful time at the temple Saturday night. It was perfect. It always is. I wish I could spend every day there. It was also the first time I didn't make any mistakes :) I love the closeness I feel from the Savior and our Heavenly Father as well as the love for all those around me. It is just so pure.

Grateful for my talents.
Dancing comes first to my mind and that makes me happy. I love performing and pushing my abilities. It can be such a great release. Therapeutic at times. I have had numerous experiences and opportunities because of dance and I can only call me blessed. I am who I am today because of that talent and those that have been in my life because of it.
I know I have other talents that are not as apparent. I love discovering them and hope that I am doing what is necessary to develop and strengthen them.

Grateful for Fez.
He is my support and strength. I love that we share the same faith and constantly look for ways to deepen our knowledge and strengthen our foundation. We have much to learn from each other still but he is always willing and trusting. He has stuck by me and been a support through the past month especially as we have faced trials, mostly financial (stupid economy...). I love him dearly and can't imagine my life without him in it.

Photo on my Mind

This past weekend we went to Las Vegas with my family (more on that later). On Saturday Fez and I took a drive to Hoover Dam to see the bridge.
(WOW. It's huge. And scary. I might have to
close my eyes the first five times I go across it.)
While there Fez asked me where the "jumping picture" was taken at. I had completely forgotten about "the jumping picture" until he said that.

Let me explain...
In 2008 I had the wonderful opportunity to be a Building Counselor for EFY. I was part of an amazing team and we were all friends instantly. During the summer we only had 2 weeks off. One week we each did something with our families. The second week off we took an EFY family road trip to Vegas. Spending practically every waking second with these people all summer you'd think we'd be sick of each other. Nope. The trip was glorious.

We saw many sites, shopped, made a banner of the weeks plans, laughed a lot, ate a lot and loved every mintue. At the Hoover Dam there was a bench just calling for a jumping picture to be taken. And thus became "the jumping picture".

This picture makes me happy in so many ways.

Photo on my Mind

I've thought of doing this a while ago and

just never did it.

Then decided, why not?

Because it will take commitment and a tiny bit of work.

How lazy can I be?

Each week I will post a picture that I love.

That I've been thinking about.

That means something to me.

That is funny.

That Fez took with his mad skills.

That has just been on my mind.

I hope to keep this up.

It could be fun.

Give me something to really do on this here blog.

Maybe I'll post more interesting things

by doing this as well... We'll see.

So for this week I am going to start with one my most favorite photos Fez has taken. I loved it from the instant I saw it. I love the tiny bit of grass at the bottom, the leaves in the window and the not so perfect colors and condition of the building. He printed and framed it for me for my birthday and I love it.

And now here it is for your viewing pleasure.

Enjoy :)

One Tough Chick

Fez has been wanting to go on a backpacking trip for some time and since we have packs and all the supplies to go with it it was just calling us. Fez's cousin Eric wanted to go to Ryder Lake again so the dates were set and plans were made.

Honestly, I wasn't entirely looking forward to it. I mean, I like hiking and the mountains and such, but with a 30 pound pack on your back for 8 miles? Yikes. But I decided to be supportive and just go for it.

Ryder Lake is in the Uintahs and with 8 miles ahead of me I tried to get in the zone. I tell you what though, I have NEVER had anything try me so hard physically, mentally, and spiritually as did the hike up to the lake. I was tired by mile 3, my knees were killing me by mile 3.5, and I just wanted to sit on a rock and cry by mile 4. I even considered sitting on that rock and waiting for them to pick me up on their hike home 2 days later.

I have never talked myself into taking just one more step... I have also never pleaded so much with Heavenly Father to ease some of the physical burden, help me have the mental capacity to keep pushing, and trying to be grateful for every little flower, tree, or small rock I got to see or step around. It was very, very trying... and tiring.

Toward the end there is a 1/4 mile steeeeep hill that seems impossbile to hike because you are already exhausted and above 10,000 feet. I took it on slow and steady and I am proud to say that I was the first one up the hill! That's right... Girls rule and Boys drool... Ok not really but I was just proud of myself for conquering it! For conquering the whole hike really!

Once there I was glad to have made it because it is just beautiful. The lake was super smooth, the reflection of the mountains around were spectacular, and the crisp mountain air... I just love camping. The next day it poured on us for like 4 or 5 hours so we sat in our tent and read my Book of Mormon (see previous post about being WAY behind. Still behind, but I did read the whole book of Mosiah). We finally saw the sun come out for a bit and got to enjoy a little fire before going to bed.

I was nervous about the hike down with how bad my knee was holding up. I loaded up the Ibuprofen and told myself at least we were going home. The hike down wasn't nearly as bad as going up. The medicine helped and knowing what to expect as well.

I've wondered if I would go backpacking again and thought either almost any other trip won't be as bad because it won't be 16 miles or that just did me in and I will never go again. Right now i have to say it's the latter, but i'm sure it will change in a year or two.

"Now entering the wilderness" sign at mile 2.

Taking a rest around mile 3.5
at a cute little creek.

Yes, I know I don't have make up on.
About the one and only time you'll see me
without it in a picture on my blog.
It's not a pretty sight...

Ryder Lake.
Gorgeous.

This rock was shaped out
as the perfect seat!



Through this experience I have learned these things:
* Always take a knee band and lots of meds
* Heavenly Father heard my plea and
helped make my burden light
* It's cool to drink water straight from
a rock spring from the earth
* Don't bring as much snack food
* I am One. Tough. Chick.

Behind

Lately I have realized that I am behind in a few things:

#1 Blogging
I have really slacked since coming home from our trip.
At least I got that done.
We have been camping, had a few birthdays,
International Days, job search, etc.
All of which I would love to tell you all about but now you
will just receive a brief readers digest version.
Not as fun.

#2 Job hunt
Everyone is looking for a job.
I have officially been out of work since April.
Granted, I was doing an internship that took
a lot of my time, especially as of late.
But I think I leaned on that excuse a little
more than I should have.
If you know of anything, please share.

#3 Scripture reading
I guess I always feel a little behind in this.
At stake conference Elder Tate challenged us to
read the Book of Mormon 3 times,
each time looking for something specific.
I have done this before and looked forward to it again.

Then tour happened.
We had such good intentions...
So we decided to resume the goal for August.

Then International Days happened.
I believe I am now almost 150 pages behind schedule.
Yikes.
I really don't want to have to start the goal over AGAIN,
but 150 pages behind half way through?
I might as well be at the beginning.

#4 Living space
We moved into my parents house the end of May.
Our house is just as messy as the day we moved in.
It has its good days, but mostly bad.
It's been so long now that I'm just getting used to the mess.
Bad news.

I don't want to get into the habit of keeping it this way.
I love seeing pictures and shows of beautiful living spaces
and dream of what we might live in some day.
It's hard to do that when you have boxes and 'stuff'
everywhere at your feet.

Sigh.

One day I'll catch up.

Right?

International Days

First off...

Camping was AWESOME.

A little post will be coming soon.

Secondly...

I have a crazy week coming.

Starting in about 20 minutes.

Actually it started last week but whatever.

INTERNATIONAL DAYS

is in South Jordan this week!

Do you get the Deseret News?

If so please take a look on the front page of the Life section.

You WILL see my happy face, in a Clog America costume,

from a performance in Turkey.

The photo was taken by my amazing husband.

If you do not receive the Des News

here is a link...

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700054832/Sharing-heritage-International-Days-celebration-is-Aug10-14-in-South-Jordan.html

Need an activity or two to attend this week?

Here is a link to our schedule of events

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700054834/International-Days-schedule.html

I am SUPER excited to see Czech Republic,

China, Nepal, and Korea perform.

Oh, and of course Clog America.

See you this week some time!

Camping

Finally.

We have yet to go camping this summer.

Until tomorrow.

Hallelujah.

Lake Hebgen... here we come!

Turkey (Part 2 of 2)

**WARNING: PICTURE OVERLOAD... AGAIN**

Here is a quick recap of the rest of our trip:

This is during a street performance in Istanbul.
They are always fun as the crowd is face to face with you
and you can interact and take pictures with them easily.
This is Elif, our festival guide, and our bus driver.
He was THE BEST bus driver EVER!
The festival took us to a place called Miniaturk.
It had all the famous sites in Istanbul in 1/25th scale.
This is what the Blue Mosque looks like.
Crazy.
This is Hagia Sohpia.
Both festivals had the stage right by a lake.
One night there was a beautiful sunset.
Nice shot Fez!
This is my friend from Taiwan!
She was so sweet and would get so excited
whenever she saw me.
I miss her already.
We did humanitarian service at a school for
children with handicaps. We performed for them
and gave them each their own goodies
(sunglasses, coloring books, hats, skittles, etc etc)
This was some of the children and the school owner.
We're so cute!
This is Hagia Sophia.
Basically an amazing building.
There is a rich history with this building.
It was built in 537 AD and has been 3 different churches.
The original doors to enter Hagia Sophia.
AMAZING.
This is from the second floor.
You can see Muslim and Christian remainings
throughout the building.
So much detail!
I love it!

I never thought we would have the chance to go to Greece or Turkey and I can't believe that we have been to both now. They were amazing and I hope that maybe one day we can make it back.

Congratulations on a great tour Clog America!
U-S-A, CLOG AMERICA!!!

Turkey (Part 1 of 2)

Getting into Turkey was an adventure to say the least.
A 15 hour bus ride with an hour delay at the border
because we all had to pay for 'travel visas' to enter the country.

Needless to say I was not a fan of Turkey
by the time we reached the hotel at 6:00 am...
But it quickly redeemed itself.

The first festival we were a part of was the
Kucukcemece Lake Festival.
The countries performing were USA, Portugal, England,
Tawain, Georgia, Belgium and Turkey.

It is always fun to see the other groups perform
and get to know them as the festival goes on.

Here are some pictures of the festival and our travels:

***WARNING: PICTURE OVERLOAD***

Here is Clog America with the Mayor of Kucukcemce.
I'm pretty sure this guy was running to be
President of Turkey because his face was everywhere!
He was doing a great job at campaigning.

During a parade in the streets of Istanbul.

Yeah America!

The festival took all the countries
on a boat ride on the Bosphorus Strait.
The bridge behind us connects the Asia side of Istanbul
with the Europe side of Istanbul.
Who knew Istanbul was part of 2 continents???

Asia is behind us.

Europe is behind us.

This is the Basilica Cistern.
It is the largest cistern in the world.

I know the story of Medusa, but I can't remember now
why she was carved in these columns, especially
upside down. There is one of her sideways as well
just around the corner.

Some of us girls at the Topkapi Palace.
This is where the Sultans lived and ruled.
It was HUGE. Four gardens. Giant kitchen.
The 2nd largest diamond in the world is displayed there.
86 carats.
Wowsers!

View of Istanbul and the Bosphorus Strait
from one of the gardens at Topkapi Palace.

The Grand Bazaar.
They sell just about everything for ridiculous prices.
Haggling was a bit of a challenge
but we got it down and came out with some great stuff!

The outside streets of the Grand Bazaar.

Inside the court of the Blue Mosque.

Absolutely BEAUTIFUL!
These pictures don't do it justice.
I couldn't believe it was one massive room
and the painting detail was incredible.
Breathtaking...

Outside the Blue Mosque.

That's all for today.
More of Turkey to come tomorrow!