Livi's Logic #11

I just need to be more thankful.  Sometimes I get caught up in all of the areas I'm lacking in.  I need to just be thankful for all of the great opportunities I have every day.  "To breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love," and so many more! 

Lessons From My Days in Peru

Today marks two months since I got back from Peru.  I've been back for almost as much time as I was gone (not very long) and it's about time I reflect on some of the things I learned from my trip.  

1. The Church is TRUE!  Some of my most special times while I was in Peru were while I was at church.  The curriculum, the order, the sacrament, the happy people--it was all just like it is here and it was so refreshing. While there I gained an even stronger testimony of our prophet, Thomas S. Monson and his apostles and how they are called of God.  I also gained a greater appreciation for the Hymns and the power of music.  My favorite part of each meeting was singing the hymns in Spanish.  So beautiful.  

 (Where's Waldo?! With the YSA from the San Jeronimo Ward)

2. Kids are the best.  Saying goodbye to these cute little rascals on November 27th was possibly one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.  Knowing that I probably wouldn't see any of them again just broke my heart.  They are so full of love and patience.  They never got frustrated with my bad Spanish.  Each time I lost my patience with them, they quickly forgave me.  Their warm hugs and shouts of "Profe-Tee-chair" greeted me each day.  We had so much fun together learning, laughing, brushing our teeth, reading stories, dancing, and so much more.  I understand why the Savior teaches us to become like little children.  They are just so pure and genuine.  I hope to become half as humble, kind, and pacient as the kids at Nuevas Americas.  

3. Everybody has something to give.  The people of Peru work for what they have.  Everyday I saw grandmothers, mothers, and young girls walking up long hills and hopping on and off busses with giant packs tied around their backs.  They did whatever it took to get to the market to sell their goods.  Everyone down there had something to offer.  Husbands spent months and even years working away from home to help support their families.  The youth worked after school was out, earning money to help buy food.  For the most part, people gave what they had to have a good life.  I was very inspired.  

(Her dry, cracked heels were on countless other hard workers as well)

4. I love my family very much.  As I was saying goodbye to my parents in the SLC airport I was somewhat shocked to find myself fighting back tears.  I had been looking forward to this trip for so long!  Why in the heck was I starting to cry?! That was when my mom said, "Isn't it nice to have something so great that it's hard to leave?"  She was so right.  Even though I was setting out to fulfill one of my dreams, it was hard to leave my family and friends.  They're just so great.  While I was gone I got excited about each FaceTime call, each email, and each Facebook message.  Family really is everything.

5. Be thankful.  We are so blessed to live in America.  We have drinkable water.  We have carpet.  We have pretty good sanitation systems.  We don't have a million stray dogs.  We take care of each other.  We have nice vehicles.  We don't have to worry too much about food poisoning or parasites.  We have great hospitals.  We have a great life. 

5. There's more adventurer in my soul than I thought.  While I was down there, I kind of thrived off of doing new things.  Everything around me was new, but I could have easily gotten into a routine and not tried new things.  I tried to do the exact opposite.  I took the public transportation everywhere!  A little sketchy at times--yes!  Culturally educational--you bet ya!  I would try different routes walking home from preschool each day.  I got pretty lost a few times, but I always managed to find a familiar landmark and I got to see a lot of the city that way.  I tried to see all of Peru that I could while I was there (money and time allowing...). I didn't care if I had a buddy to go with me or not, I was going to make the most of it.  At the time, I didn't feel too adventurous, but looking back I figure a young blonde girl, going to Peru --by herself--, finding her way around Cusco, visiting ruins, taking tours in Spanish, and just flat out living in a different country is pretty darn adventurous.  

6. I can do hard things.  You guys.  Learning a language is hard.  It can be frustrating.  It can make you want to cry.  It can also make you cry.  It can also be rewarding.  Spanish is beautiful.  

7. Let your heart love people.  Even though I knew I was only going to be in Cusco for a short time, I decided to love the people I was with.  I grew to love the other volunteers, the people in my ward, the family I lived with, and mostly the kids and Flor.  Putting my heart out there made saying goodbye so much harder, but made my time there so much more worth it.  

This list is not all.  In fact, I'll probably think of 5 more awesome things I learned tomorrow, but it's a pretty good summary.  The trip changed my life.  While I'm still the same Livi, I've learned so much about life, about friendship, and most importantly, about myself.  

Project 1

So, I have some cool news.  I now have my very own sewing machine!  I'm more excited than I should be, seeing that I'm only 22, but it is what it is.  

It's a 1987 Bernina and it runs like a champ.  My great aunt Mary was a master seamstress and she passed away in December.  My mom went with my Granny to help clean out all of her things and they brought me the sewing machine.  I'm one lucky girl.  I feel so honored to be able to have her machine.  My first project was just a quick alteration.  Because of my body type I tend to have a hard time with button down shirts.  I have to buy them big enough to button through the chest without gaping, but then they're huge through the torso.  So, after one of these purchases, I get to whip out the sewing machine and tailor it.  I'm going to start being in the classrooms more so I've been looking for some more professionaly clothes, which often entails button downs.  The other day I found an adorable shirt, brought it home and fixed it right up.  Pretty happy about my first project on the ol' Bernina.  

(Forgive the "proof I attended the Book Fair for my class" photo, but it's the only one I have in the finished product...)

While the machine was out we cut up a bunch of hearts real quick and sewed them together for some valentinesy decoration for our wall.  I like how they turned out too :)

(Isn't Tessa just the best?)

So, thanks Aunt Mary.  Your machine will continue to be put to good use.  

22

Well, I've been 22 for almost a week now, and it's been great!  My birthday weekend was just perfect for me.  On Saturday Tess and I went over to Kamas to watch the Cokeville boys wrestle.  We rode with Jesse, Celinda, and that cute baby Jacie and had a good time visiting and laughing.  Mom and Dad came to the wrestles to and it was so fun to see them.  Three weekends in a row.  That's pretty darn good.  We went and ate lunch at Subway, and while we were sitting down to eat, Mom snuck out and back in with a pan of brownies.  These are seriously one of my favorite treats ever!  No one makes them quite like Mom.  

So, Saturday was fabulous.  Then on Monday, my real birthday, the day was pretty normal.  Just how I like birthdays.  I'm not in to all the big riff-raff that normally accompanies this day every year.  Tessa did make me some delicious pies and we had a few friends over.  I was a wind-jammer and blew out all my candles :)  haha  I didn't do any homework, and I just loved the day.  

This week has been pretty darn awesome as well.  We decided we were going to do something scary or new every week this semester and we started off this week with snowshoeing.  So. Much. Fun.  It was a good workout and a good time.  The perfect combo.  

While we were up at Stewart Falls (our destination point) I whipped out my handy dandy JetBoil and made Tess and I some Chicken Alfredo for lunch.  Worked slick as a whistle.  I mean, it wasn't the best meal I've ever had, but it'd definitely keep me alive!  And that JetBoil is just about the neatest little thing.  I'll definitely be using that more in the future.  

So many other great things happened this week as well.  I'm excited to be 22.  As of right now, 21 was the best year ever.  I might never top it. (If you don't believe me, look at this past year of blog posts!) This week though, 22 definitely showed some good potential, and I'm excited to see what this year brings!  

Oh, and yes, I'm feeling 22 :)