I decided to blog about fall afterall....

So, it's November. And Thanksgiving is only a couple weeks away. Which means Christmas is just right around the corner. Literally - the Wal-Mart up the street is already decked, along with every other store I've been in recently. And it gets dark so early these days, it just feels like holiday time. And then you step outside and it's still 80 degrees after the sun has gone down. It's kind of a trip.


But I love it. L-O-V-E IT. It's why I chose to live here. For the warmth. For the lack of snow and bitter coldness. For the sunshine... If there are other things lacking in my life, the sunshine almost makes up for them. It just feels so good outside, especially at night. So much so that we have been taking walks around the neighborhood after dark. It's funny - we take leisurely strolls in capris and t-shirts when I'm pretty sure it's snowing at home and in Utah. What's even funnier is that I got a little chilly the other night when we were standing around outside chatting with some friends. I found myself rubbing my arms and even saying "brrrr" a couple times. When we got in the car, the temperature read 74 degrees. You know you are completely acclimated when you are cold in weather that matches the temperature my parents heat the house to in the winter. And when you break out the winter clothes after the highs start dropping below 80, you know there's no turning back - you're a gonner. 


I just have to laugh to myself when I think about it - a girl that was raised in Colorado, went to school in Idaho, lived in Utah for three years, and just spent seven months (majority of which were winter months) in Eastern-freezing-cold Europe. It's just still a little weird to me that I live in Arizona. I have to admit that I really really miss the trees of Colorado and Utah. They are so beautiful in the fall. I find myself getting nostalgic and homesick the most at this time of year. September to November are my favorite months because of of the changing colors and the crispness of fall in the mountains. And I'm not even afraid to admit that I miss snow. But just a little bit. A tiny tiny bit. Not even enough for it to count towards anything, really. It's just the idea of it... snow at the holidays. And then I remember how it really is and I'm right back in the sunshine and palm trees, being happy that I'm not scraping an inch of ice off my car every morning.


Ahhh, the sunshine. I love you, Arizona.

I'm Ba-aack!

I know, I know... it's been far too long since I have blogged. But to be quite honest, I haven't really had anything blog-worthy to blog about since I left Ukraine. Life is just not very adventurous for me these days. Especially when I'm not living in some far-away European city and traveling all over the place while I'm at it. And when the whole point of my blog was to document my travels and life as a "gypsy," it feels funny to keep using it. I apologize to all the many (ha ha ha... ha ha) followers I have for being such a stranger to my own blog. 


Today though, I have a reason to blog. I mean, yeah, I could blog about how fall in Arizona is flipping amazing (the days are still warm - Averi and I laid by the pool yesterday [yes, it's ok to be jealous] - but the nights are cool enough to wear a jacket and it smells like fall... could it get any better??) or how I have a (sexy) new(ish) car that doesn't give me stomach ulcers at the thought of it. But nay, today I am going to blog about a little healthy competition that I am participating in that is giving me a reason to eat a little healthier and develop better habits. One of which encourages daily journal writing or blogging. So we can thank what we call "The Challenge" for my reappearance to the bloggersphere. 


Let me preface this for all of you who are about to give me a hard time and freak out that I am on a "diet" by saying - this IS NOT a diet. It is a challenge where healthy/better habits are encouraged. So there. 


Anyway, it goes as follows: There are 10 "habits" per day that you can do for a point each for a total of 30 days. However, if you don't do something you aren't penalized, you just don't get the point for that habit for that day. The goal is to have 70 points at the end of each week when you log in your points to the group. There are about 35 other people participating and we are held somewhat accountable to each other so it makes it fun and a little competitive (maybe more than a little competitive for some of us...). Anyway, the ten habits include things like drinking at least 48 ounces of water per day (a lot harder than I thought it would be... clearly I'm not drinking enough!), eating two servings of fruits and two servings of vegetables per day, not eating sweets (sob sob sob...), writing in your journal (or blogging), reading 15 minutes of uplifting material, and achieving a personal goal, among a few others. You are allowed one "cheat" per habit per week for a free point, which can I just say was a genius rule to include in the challenge.


I'd like to take this time to admit that I thought I was going to die the first couple of days. Ok, who am I kidding? I still think I might die and we are on day five. I love love love my sweets and I could hardly wait until Friday (my strategically placed "cheat" day for my sweets) so that I could tear into my chocolate stash in my drawer at work. You know you have a problem when.... 


However, I think this is the perfect challenge for me. Like I mentioned before, I'm kind of competitive when it comes to things like this and it goes without saying that I could use having a few more healthy habits in my life. If anything (even if I lose, heaven forbid), it has shown me what I am doing too much and what I'm not doing enough in my life. It has become very clear to me that in most areas of my diet/life, I'm not as up to par as I thought I was. So, come death from lack of chocolate or drowning in my own bloated water overdose, this should be an interesting (to say the least) 30 days. I'll do my best to keep you all posted on my progress. If anything to let you know if I won the money or not. Oh, did I not mention that? Yeah, that's kind of a big incentive for me to keep strong while shunning candy bars and oatmeal cream pies.


Anyway, no promises on the keeping you posted part though. I'm pretty sure I mentioned four or more months ago that I still had posts I wanted to post about Ukraine. I'm still totally going to do it.

Heck yes.

There's nothing that sounds better than the cha-chinging of dollar signs after a loooooooong and vicious financial drought.

Unemployment sucks.

That's why every time I've thought about my new job this week, I've just wanted to take off running - pausing only to do a heel click in the air. I mean, I GOT A JOB! Like a real one that actually pays me better wages than my high school jobs did. A major cause for celebration for me.

I'm actually back at Waterstone Mortgage - the company I was working for before I left for Ukraine. I was the receptionist then. And I have been doing temporary paper work for them since I've been back. But now my boss has asked me to stay on as a loan processor, with a significant pay raise and about a five-rung move up the ladder. Talk about a promotion! Woo hoo. I even get my own cubicle. That's right, be jealous.

And yes, the three years' worth of interior design knowledge I aquired in school IS totally helping me in this job. Not.

But I could really care less about that at this point... I HAVE A JOB!!

Now let's all cross our fingers that the boss also hires a single, handsome (need I mention tall?), 30-something loan officer whose loans I can process. Among other things...

Ok, scratch that. I'm totally pushing my luck with that one.

Ditto.

I don't know what my problem is these days, but I am on a serious blogging hiatus. I can't even use the excuse that I am "so busy" because let's get real here - I'm so not. I guess I just have a bad case of the blogging "blahs"... They're terrible. Anyone else ever get them?

Anyway, I still have about four posts that I must post about Ukraine and at least two about more recent happs. I am so behind... BUT, while we all (ha ha ha) anxiously await my other posts, here is a tidbit that Averi and I found particularly amusing slash perfect for us today. (Sorry for any mutual readers that we have). But um, yeah, couldn't have said it better myself.

I couldn't stay put for too long...

So I gave myself two solid weeks to unpack my bags and get situated before I re-packed and boarded yet another plane. It was a short flight this time though. Thank goodness.

My little brother Evan graduated from high school the weekend before last and I was so happy to get to be there for it. And it was so good to see my family - it had been a year since I had been home.

It's never a small event when my family gets together either, so as you can imagine there was a LOT of food and a lot of people. All weekend long. All in celebration of Evan. He's such a smart kid and I'm really proud of him. He's going to Metro State in Denver this fall to start his pre-reqs for the architectural engineering program. Way to go, Ev!

Anyway, it was a short little trip to Colorado, but it was a good one. Family, friends, food... I mean, what more could you ask for? Good times had by all.

The sibs, minus one. Don't worry Traci, we'll be taking a lot more pictures like this in September.

Mom and Dad, me and my Gram, and the whole gang. Most of us anyway...

"These are the moments..."

I love you, family.

After my weekend in Colorado, I spent a couple days in Utah visiting some old friends, going back to some of my favorite Utah places, and feeling like I had never left Salt Lake - everything was still so familiar to me even though so much had changed and even though it had been almost a year and half since I'd been there. It was really good to see everyone and I wish I could have stayed longer. I guess after you spend seven months somewhere, three to five days feels like the blink of an eye. Thanks for the good times friends, quick as they may have been...

It's so hard to say goodbye...

...to your favorite pair of jeans.

I know I said I had things to post about Ukraine, but when crap happens, you just have to be flexible. If there's one thing I've learned in life...

I knew this day was approaching, but I never imagined being so.... bummed. 'Cause what do I do now? I mean really, what does one do after their favorite pair of jeans rips down the seam of the crotch, reminiscent of a fat guy in a little coat? Have a visual? Need I say more?

Don't be alarmed by the graphic images you are about to see. I just had to show you the poor things, embarrassing as it may be.

(Notice the large tear on the left side? Yeah, that happened almost a year ago but I couldn't bear to say goodbye yet, so I patched them up. Twice. In the same place. I think that's why they finally gave up and ripped on the other side. There's no salvaging that. You'd think I'd learn my lesson, lose some weight or just give up and buy some new jeans. But nope, uh uh, not me.)

Let's rewind three years to when I first bought said pair of jeans. I received a gift card for my birthday and it didn't take much thought to decide that I would spend the money on some new pants. I mean, what better way to spend birthday money, right?

They were in a stack of about six other pairs that I took into the dressing room and the last ones that I tried on. They were a size smaller than I usually wore, but I pulled them on, turned side to side in the mirror about ten times and decided they looked and felt fabulous. They were a little tighter than any other jeans I'd ever owned (and a lot more expensive) but the reflection in the mirror and my friends' reactions solidified the decision to purchase them. It was a done deal. An instant love. My first pair of Guess jeans.

Of course, I have gained some weight since then. Not a ton (ahem), but enough to stretch them. To their limit, apparently.

But they were like a true friend to me - they went with me everywhere, made me feel like a million bucks, and never let me down. They were everything - birthday jeans, night out jeans, dress up jeans, dress down jeans, make-out jeans, travel jeans, designing jeans, school jeans, feel good jeans... everything jeans. And they are the most well-traveled pants I have ever owned. They went to Seattle, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Las Vegas, California, London, Ukraine, Germany and Portugal. Gypsy jeans through and through. Time goes by so swiftly when you have pants like that. It was a good three years. Sniff, sniff. (Yep, you heard me... THREE years. Now that is a solid pair of jeans.)

However, now that they're gone I am running low on the jean count and will need to replace them as soon as possible. I'm sorry, jeans. Know that I loved you and will miss you dearly. You will be in my memory forever.

May you rest in peace. Goodbye, favorites. (Sniff, sniff, sniff).

Shopping anyone?

♪ It's a party in the USA! ♫

So, I'm back in the good ol' US of A and it feels good to be home - there were a lot of things and people that I missed while I was over there on the other side of the world. Food more than people, if I'm being totally honest.

Kidding, friends.

But it seems like there is always a down-side to everything good. I will miss Europe a lot and it was really hard to say goodbye. I miss my sister like crazy already and it's only been seven days (well closer to eight I guess - it is already tomorrow there). And I kind of don't know what to do about it. I guess what they say is true though - that all good things must come to an end. Right?

Oh gosh, I hope that really isn't totally true...

Anyway, my first couple days at home were fab-u-lous. A little bit of shopping, sunbathing, movie watching, and some serious American grub with my peeps made for a fabulous welcome-back. It was a party in the USA if I ever saw one.

We have a sad lack of pictures from the weekend (I'm sure missing my sister's Nikon right about now), but here's at least one that kind of sums things up. We're awesome dot com.

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome home! It's good to see you all again.

PS - I have a bit of a back-log of posts to post about my last week or so in Ukraine but I have to get my pictures organized and my thoughts in order, so stay tuned. Good things to come.

It's here, it's here! It's finally here!

In July of 1998, President Hinckley announced that a temple would be built in Kiev, Ukraine. It would be the first in all of Eastern Europe and would serve the some 31,ooo members of the church from 13 different countries. They broke ground for the temple in June of 2007 and now, three years later, it will finally be open for use.

They announced a couple weeks ago the official opening of the temple, and I wish I was going to be here for it. There will be an open house for the public throughout most of August and then the dedication will take place on Sunday the 29th. Monday morning it will be open for sessions.

One of the first things Traci and David took me to see when I first got here in October was the temple sight. The temple was up, but there was scaffolding all the way around it, with machinery and equipment everywhere and not much else besides an open piece of dry land on which it stood. I felt so excited about it though. Since being here, I have really come to understand how blessed I am to have access to so many temples near me. When I lived in Utah, I could have traveled 30 minutes in any direction and found a temple. The Salt Lake Temple was literally right down the street from me in each of the three different apartments I lived in. My house in Arizona is a five minute drive from the Mesa temple. But here, if members want to take part in the blessings of the temple, they have to travel for some 30 hours (usually by bus) to get to the temple in Germany. That's the closest one. But they do it. Happily. It makes me feel a little ashamed for the way I take the temple for granted and don't take advantage of it the way I should.

Annie and I went so see it again last night. It was one of the things I wanted to do before I left the country and I was excited to see the progress that has been made in the six months since I last saw it. There is still a lot of machinery scattered here and there, and a big green fence surrounds the sight, but we were still able to see it from a pretty good spot and took a few pictures while we were there. Little else but the landscaping needs to be done before they open the doors.

The thing that struck me the most was how much the temple stood out from it's surroundings. I think that's the case with a lot of temples, but I think it's especially true with this one. I was also surprised at how excited I was to see it, considering the fact that I have seen, been in, and been surrounded by so many different temples in my life time. We rode on the Metro for about 40 minutes and then squeezed onto a tiny crowded marshrutka bus for about 20 minutes and when the temple came into view, it was so refreshing. A sight for overly-sore eyes. Everything around the temple is ordinary Ukraine - buildings, a busy highway, garbage littering the street, billboards - and then there was the temple. It's so beautiful.

As we walked around the perimeter, I kept imagining the members here and how excited they are to have a temple so close and how there will be people traveling far and wide to come to it. It's effects will be far-reaching and the good it will do for a country that was once stripped of all things religious is unimaginable.

When we left the temple and started walking to the bus stop, Annie talked about how she couldn't wait for the day when her parents would accept the Gospel, her brother would come back, and they could all go to that temple together. As we stood waiting for the bus, we could see the temple in the distance, right in the break between some trees and a big sign and just on the other side of the highway. I was imagining that first week of the temple's opening. I was picturing people coming from all 13 of those countries, lined up outside the doors, just waiting to get inside. In my mind, there are so many people they just can't fit everyone in.

October

April

Portugal!!

I put exclamation points after Portugal so that maybe you would get excited to read the travelogue and scroll through the 5 million pictures I'm about to post...

I never thought I'd visit Portugal - I'm not sure that I wanted to or even knew much about it to be honest. It's not like it was at the top of my list with Greece and Barcelona and New Zealand. But I must say now that it was one of the loveliest places I have ever visited. There was a bit of a wet mildewy smell that seemed to permeate the entire country, but besides that, it was seriously amazing. I L-O-V-E'd it. Like a lot.

We did a bazillion things and saw so many incredible sights, but I won't bore you with all of the details. Here are just a few of my favorites:

• Lisbon - We stayed in Alfama, the oldest part of the city and one of the only parts that wasn't destroyed by the earthquake in 1755. So the "flat" we stayed in was in a several hundred year-old building that's been refurbished and made all lovely looking. We had the most spectacular view of the port and we had to climb/go down approximately 100 stairs every time we left the house to go out and explore (that was just to and from our house, that's not including any other stairs we may have encountered during the day). We rode the tram, usually the famous #28, everywhere we went. There was fabulous shopping downtown (I discovered a new favorite European store) and there were winding cobblestone streets in every part of the city that made you feel the need to squeeze in your shoulders every time the tram passed another car. And of course the hand-painted tiles - Azulejos - everywhere. So beautiful. But best of all were the pastry shops that covered the city and had the famous custard-filled pastries (something I didn't know about Portugal) that had us going back for more nearly every day. Delish.
• The Algarve - That's what the stretch of southern coast is called. We stayed in a little town called Albufeira in a "villa" up on the hill. It had a beautiful view and I can never have too much sand and sun. The water was amazingly blue and the rocks and cliffs made the beach that much more fun. We also visited some of the other coast towns and had fun exploring the mountain top of Monchique. Altogether good times. Oh, we also found Portugal's equivalent to Target called Continente, which you must know made us nearly drool. There is no Ukrainian version of Target. Or Wal-Mart. Or even K-Mart. So it was, to say the least, fab-u-lous. Joy, in every sense of the word.
• Cape St. Vincent - "The end of the world" as early Europeans knew it. It's the most south western tip of Europe before you reach America; a place most early sea travelers were afraid to venture past until Prince Henry the Navigator came along and taught people how to sail and start new routes to other parts of the world. Today there is a darling little lighthouse that sits right on the edge of the cliff that has the most amazing views. There were also great souvenir stands where I picked up some keepers and a food cart that sold "the last Nuremberg sausages before America." Those sausages were a favorite of ours from our Christmas trip to Germany, so we were pretty excited to have some at the "end of the world."
• Sintra - I have very few words to describe this place adequately. It was, in a nutshell, spectacular. It's a little quaint town north-east(ish) of Lisbon where we spent (what was supposed to be) our last two days in Portugal. It is built up the side of a mountian and everything was so beautiful. And lush. And just.... darling. I wish we could have stayed longer. We visited the Palacio Nacional, found yummy new pastries, a pretty blue-eyed guy told Calvin that his aunt was beautiful (me...), and we explored the most amazing fortress that sat at the very tip-top of the mountain that had the most spectacular view of the valley below. Loved. It.
• The zoo - So we had some flight delays because of this volcano eruption and really had no original plan to go to the Portugal Zoo. But alas, we had an extra day and a half to waste in Lisbon (no, we didn't have to sit endlessly at the airport... David was really on top of things, thankfully) so we decided to spend the day with some animals. And it was really fun. Besides the baby baboons that were small enough to squeeze through the bars and come "interact" with the crowd of people (aka, steal their belongings and beg for food), there were some fabulous adventures at the sea life show. The first act was a performing sea lion that followed his trainer into the audience and gave kisses to anyone who would let him. It was the cutest thing I've seen in ages. David was standing by with the camera waiting to take pictures as he kissed Calvin, Henry, Charlie (who was on Traci's lap and totally freaked out), and me (who was holding a sleeping baby Jane) but unfortunately, the camera was out of batteries so none of the pictures took. Arg. But don't worry, the professional camera guy that works for the zoo was following the duo with his camera and selling shots for 5 euros apiece. Mine was horrendous so I passed that opportunity up in a hurry. It would have been great though to post a picture of me getting kissed by a sea lion (a first for me, believe it or not) with my face all unsure and pinched up. Another highlight of the show was when a handsome dolphin trainer came and asked me if I spoke English and when I blushed and said yes (I thought he was there to flirt), he asked me if Calvin could ride in the boat and kiss a dolphin as part of the show. I'm not his mother, so of course I said yes. It was a pretty fabulous sight - he did the parade wave and everything. So all in all, our last days being "stranded" in Portugal were pretty good. I could seriously watch animals all day. They are just so amusing.

The view from our place in Lisbon

The church above where we stayed

Stairs, stairs, stairs...

Alfama

St. George's Castle

The big clock...

One of the famous pastelarias

Excellent advice.

Me & Jane on the famous #28

The Santa Justa Elevator

Monastery of Saint Jerome - burial place for Vasco De Gama

The Tower of Belem

The Oceanarium

King Edward's Park

Calvin kissing a dolphin!

The warning sign by the baboon cage...

Ahh, Sintra

The Palacio Nacional

Queijadas - Sintra's own deliciously cinnamony, flaky-good pastries

The Moorish Castle

From the top of Monchique

Cape St. Vincent

Sagres

See that guy at the top of the cliff? He's fishing.

The Algarve... mmmmmm.