The Updates: Episode Ukraine

There have been many events that I haven't blogged about. I will now change that. For the next week I'll be posting a bit about the bigger events from the last several months. 

Lets start with the trip to the Ukraine. 

Last November (I know... it's February...) my mom and I went to the Ukraine to pick up Kathy from her mission. 

Getting on the plane was a miracle in and of itself. We had some problems with our tickets and reservations. Luckily we were working with the nicest most amazing United gate agent in the whole world named Kristen. She sat with us for a good hour, all patience and kindess, as she tried to sort everything out. She essentially had to call the President himself to get everything in order so we could board the plane. She could have easily turned us away and told us we were out of luck but she completely went out on a limb to get us where we needed to go. Amazing example of charity. Good way to start a trip. And so the adventure commenced. 

Travelling isn't my favorite thing because I greatly prefer the comforts of home. We flew from Salt Lake to Chicago (4 hours) to Dusseldorf (8 hours) to Kiev (3 hours) and then we took an overnight train ride from Kiev (9 hours) to the city Kathy was in called Zaporozhia. By the time we pulled in to the train station, we were tired and a little overwhelmed by all the Russian. I thought that because I lived in Europe, travelling in Ukraine would be no problem.  

I WAS WRONG.

We landed in Kiev and the first thing I noticed that everything was in Ukrainian and/or Russian, neither of which I speak or read. Miraculously, we met the only other American at the airport. His name is Ben and his Russian knowledge was better than ours because he had lived in Ukraine for a few years. He was back visiting his (gorgeous) Ukrainain girlfriend Vika. Turns out she speaks Ukrainian and Russian perfectly. Once we figured out that our bags were lost, Ben and Vika saved our lives by getting us on the right bus, riding with us for over and hour to the train station, helping us buy tickets to get to the right city, showing us which train to get on, and helping us find out where we needed to stay. It was incredible. Already we had met 3 people that made it possible for us to actually get to Zaporozhia for this moment:

REUNITED.

We met other amazing people while we were in Ukraine, including Alyona's family. Alyona is one of Kathy's investigators and she has the sweetest parents and little sister. They had us over for dinner one night. They gave me caviar.

We went to Southern Ukraine to visit Kathy's first city Sevestopol and got to go to the coast of the Black Sea. It was beautiful. 

We also got a Ushanka to take home to Dad. Mom modelled it. It smelled like death. 

We saw all sorts of things in Ukraine.

We got to meet a bunch of the members that Kathy worked with. They were such sweet, kind people. I can see why Kathy loved them so much, especially this little old lady. Her apartment was about 100 degrees and she was wearing about 20 layers of clothes. 

We also got to go to a city called Yalta on the coast on Thanksgiving Day. It was beautiful. There was a castle there and inside the castle was a really good Italian restaurant. We ate Thanksgiving lunch there. I was thankful for Yalta.  

The view was incredible. 

We played around a bit with cannons, naturally. 

We also got really cold.  Really cold. Yeah, like reeeeeally cold. 

 And basically just had a great time being together again. 

Kathy and I are making the exact same face, only backwards. 

My favorite part was probably when we got to go do a few sessions in the Kiev Temple. It is the first temple in Eastern Europe. We met people from all over Eastern Europe that were coming to the temple, oftentimes for the first time. Amazing. 

 Look! She's home! And she needs new boots. 

 Great trip. Totally worth it. 

My Version of the Hunger Games Cast

Inspired by Mel and her post where she put her recommendations for the movie cast of Hunger Games, I've decided to copy her idea in it's entirety and make my own cast list. We all know there is nothing worse than a poorly cast movie (i.e. Cameron Diaz in "The Holiday" and Michael Gambon as Dumbledore in Harry Potter... and Anne Hathaway in anything she's in) and so I hope to help the world out by offering my two cents.

Here goes:

Gale:

Jack Black... naturally.

Peeta:

Macaulay Culkin. It's about time for his comeback, no?

Katniss:

Paris Hilton. Guys seriously, she's a good actress and I think she'd really appreciate the difficult situations Katniss faces. She's seen some really tough things in her life, you know. 

Prim:

Mary-Kate Olsen. She looks about Prim's age... and I'm not sure if you've seen some of her earlier work ("New York Minute" and "Passport to Paris" and "Our Lips Are Sealed" and that cameo in "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle") but this girl is all talent. 

Mrs. Everdeen:

Britney Spears. Brilliant, right? 

Dairus:

Tommy Cruise. So hot right now. 

Effie Trinket:

Rhea Perlman, anyone? I think she'd rock this role. 

Haymitch:

Danny DeVito. If we get Rhea, we might as well get her husband too. He'd be a perfect Haymitch. 

President Snow:

Gary Busey. Incredible idea. 

Cinna:

Nicholas Cage. NO ONE CAN ARGUE WITH THIS ONE. He's the best actor ever.

Rue:

Raven Symone. Just feels right. 

Foxface:

Anne Hathaway, ESPECIALLY if she looks exactly like this. 

Thrash:

Steve Buscemi. Say no more. 

Glimmer:

Scarlett Johansson. Fits the role perfectly. 

I've clearly assembled an all-star cast. You're welcome, world. Glad I could figure that one out for you.

Habby Birdday, Blessed

My dad's nickname is Blessed (Bless-sed). I won't explain why. 

Blessed's birthday was on February 1st.

We celebrated it on Sunday. 

We had a great time. 

My family is great. 

Top ten reasons I love my Dad:

10: Sometimes he says hilarious things

9: He pretends he knows everything

8: He's training for a 1/2 marathon with me

7: He never raises his voice

6: He's willing to do anything to help me with anything

5: I can ask him any question about the gospel

4: He calls me to check in every few days

3: I can turn to him with any problem or concern

2: He helped me get up Kilimanjaro

1: He's my Dad :)

Happy Birthday, Blessed!

P.S.

Best news of the day....

NEPHEW!

The Sequel

Coming to a hospital near me in early July. 

Rest assured that this little guy will love me just as much if not more than his older brother. I will defend my title as "Favorite" to the very end. We were all convinced that this one was a girl but lets be honest... we'll take 'em as they come. Boy or girl, it doesn't really matter. If he's as cute as the first one, I'll fall in love instantly. It's a boy!!

Lessons Learned From Spiderman

Last night we were sitting in our living room talking, eating apples and looking up flights to warm places on our laptops. I casually glanced over at our front door (from where I was sitting, I was the only one able to see it) and gasped. Looking through the window at the top of the door was Spiderman.

Before I had time to react and/or inform my roommates and/or question the success of my recent Lasik procedure (see previous post), the door swung open and Spiderman ran inside and jumped on our kitchen table in true Spiderman fashion. My roommates screamed, I laughed, Spiderman struck a pose.

He entered with our friend Tom and a girl I know named Chelise. It all became clear in a matter of seconds. I became certain who it was when he went to the piano and began playing "Phantom of the Opera."

My family loves hearing stories about my friend Rob. They call him Weapons because it is not uncommon for him to be armed with some sort of weapon at any given time. His house is full of guns, cool swords, nun-chucks, whips, spears... you name it. He is one of the most refreshingly unique people I've ever met in my entire life. He usually dresses like Indiana Jones. He wears leather vests to church. He's gone to the hospital multiple times for various ailments like that one time when he was practicing with his whip in the front yard and he accidentally whipped himself in the face... or that other time when he was playing with fire and accidentally ignited his eyebrows and all of his arm hair. He can do any accent you can imagine and does fantastic impressions of just about anyone you can name. He makes up various words and uses them naturally in conversation. He saw the movie "How to Train Your Dragon" 13 times in theaters. Rob is a ballroom dancer, a BYU rugby player, a lumberjack, a singer, a Romanian speaker, a pyromaniac, a kilt-wearer, an adventurer, an actor, a wrestler, a construction manager, a model, and anything else he decides he wants to be. When asked if there is anything he doesn't do well, he quickly responds, "Yeah, die."  He loves the gospel and prays with his brothers every night, then stands up and hugs them and tells them he loves them. He is fully and completely committed to being entirely himself at all times.

Chelise is his beautiful girlfriend who is essentially perfect for him. I love that she's in his life but secretly want him to marry my sister because 1) I think they'd really get along, and 2) he'd be the most hysterical brother-in-law in the world.

Picture of Rob sans spandex. Burton brothers Tom, Chris, and Rob (from left to right) as well as me and Chelise. This was after we saw the movie Megamind and nearly died laughing. That movie is hilarious. 

I've thought a lot about Rob lately and his ability to be his own person without concern for what others think. This is something I really struggle with. I went to the new Narnia movie with my Dad and brother and Friday. The movie was okay but one particular part touched me deeply. Lucy (an incredible and independent girl) longs to be like her older sister Susan-- beautiful and mature. Aslan gently reproves Lucy in her moment of weakness and despair by saying, "You doubt your value. Don't run from who you are." I can relate to Lucy, which is probably why I admire people like Rob so much. Due to occasional insecurities that pop up at different times and for a myriad of reasons, I struggle to portray and accept my true self. I see things in others that I would want to be instead of stepping back and seeing things in myself that I'm blessed to actually be.

Only a few days ago, I was in the car on one of my thinking-drives and the situation on my mind was one that I'm grappling with currently. I've been feeling under qualified and diffident in respect to a certain individual in my life and this particular day, these apprehensions were feeling all too real. Feelings of self-doubt were creeping in, filling a lit mind with discouraging shadows. While driving up I-15, I had a moment similar to Lucy's. A clear and distinct voice in my head stopped me and whispered, "You are enough." I argued with the feeling for a moment, mentally listing all the things I'm not, the ways I'm lacking, the weaknesses I struggle with. How could I deserve what I desired with that kind of anti-resume haunting my would-be progressive steps? The voice came again, stronger this time.


"You are enough. You are His. He is a part of you. You have gifts that are unique to you. You deserve great things and have every right to dismiss any thought or feeling that contradicts this divine doctrine. Anyone who genuinely gets to know you will see this, which means that you may need to spend a little more time getting to know yourself. You are more than enough."


This doesn't mean that I left that car and finished that drive having mastered this concept of embracing self, but I did take a big step in the right direction. Later, I read the following quote:

"It may seem odd to think of having a relationship with ourselves, but we do. Some people can’t get along with themselves. They criticize and belittle themselves all day long until they begin to hate themselves. May I suggest that you reduce the rush and take a little extra time to get to know yourself better... Learn to see yourself as Heavenly Father sees you—as His precious daughter or son with divine potential."--President Uchtdorf, "Of Things That Matter Most"- October 2010 Conference

This is proof to me that the Lord is especially good at talking to us in a way we can best understand. I remember thinking after Conference that President Uchtdorf's message was particularly for me.

So, here's to accepting who I am the way I am. And if it means I need to put on spandex and run around the neighborhood to prove it, so be it.

And for your entertainment, here is Spiderman's rendition of "Music of the Night."

Boom, I can see!

Here are the peepers. Look any different to you? You look different to them... because they can actually see you now. 

Brian Regan talks about people who say they only need glasses when they drive.

"What does that mean? Like you get out of the car... *BOOM* 'I can see! It's beautiful!' If you only need glasses when you drive, why not drive with a prescription windshield?"

I quoted Brian Regan as I walked out of Lasik Plus on Thursday. "BOOM! I can see! It's beautiful!"

Yep, got Lasik. Wow. What a big event in my life. Every since I was in 3rd grade I've needed glasses and my eyes have gotten progressively worse for years. My prescription as of last Thursday morning was -5.5 in my right eye and -5.75 in my left. For those of you who need contacts, you'll understand that those numbers translate to BAD. I was pretty much useless without contacts or glasses. I get terrible allergies in the spring which usually prevent me from wearing contacts due to itchy and watery eyes so I wear my glasses for a month straight. There are many things that you can't do quite as well with a fatty pair of frames on your face (i.e. anything remotely athletic or fun) and I dread the spring time every year as a result. My roommate Kirsti got Lasik over the summer and had a really positive experience (she called it "life changing" and "the best investment" she's ever made) so I decided that this year was my year.

$3,400 later, I can see! It is pretty surreal. The surgery itself was surprisingly quick and the outcome is amazing. I could for the first time in nearly 20 years read the sign of the building by my dad's car as we walked out.

This was the first thing in 19 years that I could read with my own eyes sans glasses/ contacts .

They gave me a valium to calm me down, it wasn't especially painful, and already a mere 4 days after, I have no lasting side-effects besides perfect vision. My eyes are a tad dry, which is to be expected, and I have to be careful to not rub my eyes but other than that, life has gone on normally. It takes some getting used to though in that I keep thinking I need to take out my contacts to go to bed or I need to pack my glasses for a trip.

Science is amazing.

Big Entrance

In the movie Count of Monte Cristo Edmond Dantes throws a crazy party.

He enters the party like this:

Fireworks go off. Little monkey man addresses the guests and presents the Count of Monte Cristo. A hot air balloon appears in the sky. People watch enraptured as four ropes fall from the gold basket. These Indianesque acrobats slide down the ropes and lower the basket, which the Count walks out of. His cloak billows behind him as he walks down the stairs. He carries a cane and wears jewels. And then he stops on the balcony overlooking his guests and murmurs a semi-disinterested "Greetings."

I'm going to a party tonight. I think I'll shoot for that kind of entrance.

I have a secret fear...

That my children will be born looking like strange little trolls.

I'll obviously think they're darling but what if people smile and coo and then when I leave the room with the infant whisper behind hands with raised eyebrows and wide eyes?

That is one of my secret fears.

15 things

Little late, I know... but here is 2010 in review:

15 Highlights of Twenty-ten:

1. climbing Mount Kilimanjaro (duh)
2. going back to Italy, visiting my people, and seeing missionaries I taught in action
3. going to Ukraine to pick up Sister Kathy
4. getting hired on full-time at the MTC as a Training Coordinator
5. moving in to the big house I live in now with great friends
6. visiting Portland, Seattle and Ash's family
7. going to Disneyland with Lawanna
8. Yellowstone with the Vogelers
9. becoming a more dedicated gym-goer
10. many many hikes with my Dad
11. watching my nephew get bigger and cuter and hear him call me "Sissy"
12. family reunited after Kathy's mission
13. lots of talks with Mom
14. plenty of incredible life-lessons
15. hard things that have made me happier

15 Things to look forward to in Twenty-eleven:

1. Lasik! Less than two weeks away now
2. trip to Hawaii in April with some of my best friends
3. 1/2 Marathon in the Spring
4. Dirty Dash in June
5. Brian Regan (again) in February
6. Lake Powell in July with friends
7. Les Miserables in May
8. goal to memorize my Patriarchal Blessing
9. reading the Book of Mormon at least twice
10. making the new niece or nephew that's on the way love me as much as the first
11. Johnny's mission call coming towards the end of the year
12. Havasupai in August with friends
13. exciting changes at work
14. trip to Moses Lake, Washington with friends
15. plenty of other things that I haven't planned yet

This is going to be a great year. I can feel it.

Anything they do, I love.

Some people/ things in my life have a created a category in my brain called "Anything they do, I love." They are as follows:

• My nephew. I don't care what he does or says, this little guy gets me every time.
• Banana Republic. I'd buy it all if I had the money.
• REI. Love this store.
• Tennyson. Anything he writes turns to gold. Face it. 
• BYU's Jimmer Fredette. He makes Basketball look easier than knitting.
• Brian Regan. Always funny.
• Harry Potter. Any of them. All of them. All amazing.
• Music from Lion King Broadway
• Cafe Rio. Never get tired of it.
• Martinelli's Sparkling Cider. 
• The color blue, in every shade
• Scarves

and finally...

• Coldplay. They can do no wrong. I'd pay levendy billion dollars to see them live.

Christmas can't even handle me right now.

It's Christmastime. My favorite time. I thoroughly enjoy all things Christmas. This year we went all out. Observe:

Obligatory family Christmas card done in true Jones Fashion
(Mom, baby Roy, Dad, Kathy, Johnny, Lizzie, Danny, Taryn)

Really excited to see this little nugget go crazy on Christmas day. His best Christmas present (an all of ours) is another little sibling in July. Praise be. Now we won't fight so much over his attention.

Ugly Sweater party 1of 3. Found these beauties at Savers. Kirsti helped me model.  

Oh don't worry. Mine lights up. 

I guess the warmth of my heart and soul just glows extra bright during the Christmas Season, that's all. 

Oh, and I won the Ugly Sweater Contest. Two free movie tickets!

My dad loves going to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Concert every year. We always seem to have a hard time getting tickets so this year I promised to go and wait with him in the standby line to try to get in. I left work at 3:30 on Friday to go try to get a good spot in line but with traffic (which has been extra bad this year, no?) and trying to get on Trax to avoid parking, I didn't get there until 5. There were people who had been in line since noon. The Ushers were saying that the night before they had turned people away that had tickets because the conference center filled up so quickly. He said our chances were slim to none since no one in the standby line got in the night before. We were about to call it quits when a random man walked up to my dad (in the middle of a huge line of people, mind you) and offered him two extra tickets. We were at the front of the Terrace- awesome seats. Gene and Sharon, the couple that gave us the tickets, were from Colorado and had driven all the way here for the concert. They weren't members so we told them all about the Conference Center, explained who President Monson was when he walked in, and made some good friends.

Ugly sweater part 2/3. For this one I opted for the Christmas Teddy Bear vest and candy cane silk pants complete with that denim number underneath. Truly became a crowd favorite. 

You betcha we did. Matching Christmas Roomie Pajamas. Doesn't get much better than this. 

Oh wait, it just did. 

I was in charge of putting together the service project for the month of December in my ward so we decided to do a service auction. Members of the ward auctioned off services (oil changes, guitar lessons, dinners, Jazz tickets) and then all the proceeds went to sub-for-santa. We raised close to $2,000 and I was able to arrange sponsorship for 5 large families in Utah County. We divided the money and went and shopped for 26 kids. I got to do 5 kids from the same family and I don't think I've ever had so much fun shopping, a past time I usually despise. I'm so excited for them to open their gifts tomorrow even though I won't be there to see their little faces.

I gained a fan club over the holidays. More on that later. Lets just say it was quite the random yet self-esteem building experience. 

My family discovered Just Dance on the Wii at my Uncle Jim's house.  Then my mom and sister and I all went out and separately bought it as a family Christmas present, unbeknownst to each other. (Unbeknownst... great word) But returns were made and all is right in the world. 

Ugly Christmas Shirt 3 or 3. I also went blonde. Mary helped. 

We decorated like crazy at my house. My family came down to see it all. (Note: The sign on the mantle used to read "Believe" until my brother Johnny got a hold of it.) 

My family also did a special Christmas for Lawanna. They all came down to my house Provo last night and we had a family night in her honor. We had dinner and played games. She's a really special person to me and all of my family so we wanted to give her something special. My dad wrote her the sweetest letter, my mom's 2nd graders drew her pictures, and we got her some presents. My sister-in-law's parents made Lawanna Christmas Ornaments that were beautiful. It was awesome to have her be a part of the family. She is such a giving person and so it was nice for her to be on the receiving end.

Last Saturday we also went up to see the Nutcracker with Lawanna. I hadn't seen it since I was a little girl. I forgot how much I love the music, especially this number which always makes me cry.

We watched this, which I loved.




And there is still more to come! It isn't even Christmas yet!

Re-writing Songs

I want to re-write the words to this song. I heard it a few weeks ago and I simply can't get the tune out of my head... but it is so sad I can't bring myself to sing it. I'll play it on the guitar and hum the whole time because the words are just somewhat haunting.



Sometimes I wish I wrote music. And I kind of covet her guitar. I'd love to play that instrument.

Angry Birdsaholic

Work is stressful right now. Lots to do, not a ton of time to do it all in. My roommate Kirsti and I have invented a theory: playing Angry Birds on our phones is the Mormon's equivalent to getting plastered at a bar after a long day at the office.

Allow me to explain. Angry Birds is a very stupid yet surprisingly addictive game we play on our phones. Premise: a bunch of birds are mad at a bunch of pigs and you help them with their sweet revenge by launching them into structures that house said pigs to smash the little devils. Sounds dumb, right? Right.

But I can't stop playing. Not won't, not don't, CAN'T. I get home after a twelve hour day and Kirsti and I sit on the couches in the living room still in our work clothes and play angry birds for an embarrassing amount of time. The other day we put down the stupid game long enough to invent this theory, that Angry Birds is a Mormon Girl's beer.

Why?

First, it's incredibly addictive yet not especially awesome. It's not like Angry Birds is the best game I've ever played. It certainly isn't the most exciting. And yet... I. Can't. Stop.

Second, I'm pretty sure it impairs our judgement and destroys various brain cells. I can't prove it but after playing Angry Birds for an extended period of time, I feel sort of lethargic and say dumb things like "I need to bo to ged" and "When you are to be working at tomorrow?"

Third, we use it as a release. Kirsti isn't just my roommate, she's also my co-worker. We have the same job at the MTC. I absolutely love what I do but the job comes with it's fair amount of stressful decisions, deadlines and difficult situations. She and I will sit on the couch and discuss teaching strategies, how to correct wayward employees, what we can do to better understand new curriculum, etc. as we play Angry Birds. Helps us unwind so to speak. Most people go get drinks after work... we kill pigs with birds.

Fourth, it usually causes me to stay up too late thus causing the "Angry Birds hangover" as I lovingly refer to it. That hits me at 7 AM when I have to get up and I realize that playing Angry Birds well into the night was a stupid decision... and yet upon my arrival home that same night at 10 PM, I plop myself down on the couch and resume.

Fifth, playing Angry Birds causes me to get excited over or amused at ridiculous things, like when I kill all the pigs on a level on my first try. Even worse, Angry Birds causes me to get overly upset at even more ridiculous things, like when I try in vain to beat a level for ten minutes. Again, I don't have much experience with alcohol but something tells me that the symptoms are similar.

In short, I either need to beat the game or get rid of it soon before this addiction turns me in to a full-blown Angry Birdsaholic.

Hallelujah

I have to say that one of the biggest wishes I have is to someday be part of a Flash Mob. I love this.