Boker Tov!

It has been a while and I apologize, but then not because I have been having too much fun! A lot has happened and so I wont be able to tell about everything. We went to this biblical park, crushed our own olives and eventually get our own oil, went to the Dead sea, and went to Jordan!

So the Dead Sea was pretty cool, but I honestly loved hiking and swimming in the near by waterfalls much better. We had to pay like 6 Shekels (a little less then $2) to get into this park and we just hiked up to these waterfalls. I climbed up the waterfall and jumped off and it was so much fun! I wish we spent more time at the waterfalls and then less time at the Dead Sea, but it was still super fun. This park is also part of several tour groups, so we had an audience while swimming and it was kind of funny. They probably thought we were idiots, but we didn’t even care. So after we were in this park for a couple hours we walked over to the Dead Sea. First off, it is really gross. Second, it was the weirdest thing ever! I could sit in the water and raise my hands and feet our of the water and not have any problems at all. That was a lie. I had problems getting out of the water because it took some work to get my feet under the water to stand up. The rocks on the side of the “beach” were coated in thick layers of salt. So there was a big group of us that were all just hanging out and talking in the water and all of a sudden we see this guy just covered in mud. So Jeremy and I decided to go find where his source was because we wanted the full Dead Sea experience. He ends up leading us to it and handing over piles of mud. I can not even begin to explain the odor that was coming from this sometimes expensive product. I almost threw up several time, but I got the pictures and the experience! I swear I could still smell it after several showers, but I knew I was just making it up. So overall, Dead Sea experience was good and we are going back!

Now JORDAN!!! I LOVED Jordan. I liked it better then Egypt just because it was a lot more relaxed, but Petra and Jerash was just as cool as the Pyramids. First we drive to Petra and we get there pretty late so it is already dark. We went and walked around the streets and talked to the shop owners and we ended up dancing with a bunch of Jordanians and tourists in the streets outside a restaurant. We had just had our Arab dancing night so we knew all the dances and everything. It was way cool, but not as cool at PETRA!! We get up pretty early the next morning because our tour guide wanted to get there first. Great idea because there really wasn’t that many people there in the morning. I have tons of pictures without others in it and the weather was awesome. I don’t really know what to say about the famous treasury in Indiana Jones, except it really is that awesome. I would love to be able to verbally express the grandness of it all, but I know I cant. The details and the idea of it all being carved out is just amazing. We also hiked up to the Monastery which is just as huge as Petra and I had never heard or seen pictures of it before. Petra was huge and there are caves everywhere and carvings and theaters and just awesomeness. The colors of the rock are also indescribable. I think I got a few good pictures of the colors of the rock. So moral of the story: PETRA WAS AWESOME!

I had never heard of Jerash either and this was also pretty dang cool. It is an ancient Roman city and it is huge! This girl in our group went to Rome not too long ago and she said that Jerash blew all of that the pieces. There were remains of hundreds of pillars, a theater, fountains, and churches.

The last big place we went to in Jordan was the River Jordan. First off, it was really gross. I took a picture with my finger in the water and I had to hanatize it right after. Second, it was really skinny, probably seven feet. And Israel is right on the other side of that river.

I know my blog entries get long, but I just get so excited about everything I get to see and do and I don’t want to leave anything out. So if you don’t want to read details, I am doing great, having a blast, and I am not returning as the person I came.

Grandpa Elder Holland

I felt like this topic deserves a separate post because it was so amazing and this experience alone will make me a changed person. I had the wonderful opportunity to spend 48 hours with Elder Holland. He came two weekends ago because he had some church business in Lebanon. He was in charge of the Center and he always makes a stop here. He came on Sabbath (Saturday) and we got to eat dinner with him before he gave his fireside. The fireside started with a musical number given by 8 people in our group. They sang Master, the Tempest is Ranging. It was the most beautiful musical number I have ever experienced. I have never really been a huge fan of the song, but the arrangement and the voices were all just too perfect. I started crying at this point and I knew I was in trouble. Elder Holland, as we all know, is amazing. He spoke on mercy and how is the Christ’s main attribute that we all need to work on. The ultimate example of his perfect mercy is the Atonement. Before he got into the heat of his talk he spoke on the Center and his love for this place. Then in the Elder Holland tone he commanded us to never return as the person we came. He said if we did we would be a disappointment to this church. I mean, I was always motivated to be a changed person, but now it is on a different level. I don’t mind the extra encouragement. Everyone I spoke to thought that Elder Holland was speaking right to them during his fireside. But they are all WRONG, because he was talking to me! J He influenced us all and we all needed to hear it.

Elder Holland was staying in the Center so we got the unique experience to see him several more times. We saw him later that night and got a picture with him. We also got to see him the next morning. A bunch of us were going to the Dead Sea so we were all upstairs waiting for our taxi and all of a sudden someone grabs my neck. Lo and behold it is Elder Holland. He just stood there for a few minutes and talked about going to the Dead Sea and told us to have fun. I feel like he could be my grandpa or something. He is very kind and very funny. His wife is very cute and little. I received hugs from both of them. I know that this experience alone was awesome. Combining it with the fact that I am in Jerusalem just makes it that more unique and that more amazing. I am definitely a changed person. 

More Pictures!

Me really happy about the sunset

Steve, me, and Derrick happy about the sunset again. 

Leanna, me, Kaylie, and Taren in the ocean.

This is the morning of the last day of Sukkot at the western wall. Dome of the rock in the background. 

Matisyahu. We were closer at one point, but none of those pictures turned out as well. 

Me and Hailey before the concert. 

Jerusalem, If I Forget You

Lea Bea the Great (aka Leanna Davidson's blog which is better then mine)

The Ballad on Stairs

Morning light to setting dusk
climbing stairs is a must

Top to bottom, bottom to top
the merciless stones is a must

Sweating 'n Panting as I climb
If it does not stop I'll lose my mind

Weak calves, complaining toes
this is a hell I have not choose

Right left I can't escape
They haunt my dreams and when i wake

When will it stop when will it end
the wrath of the stone will not bend

If your reading this hear my plea:
Drown my sorrows and send cookies to me.

Leanna Davidson

btheholyland.blogspot.com

Jerusalem, if i forget you...

During all the anticipation of coming to Jerusalem I was going through all of my stuff because I had to move out of my apartment and organize things at my mothers house. One of the things that I did was go through some of my old journals. I am not going to lie; I think the most I had written in one journal was about 30 pages. I have about 6 journals and they all start “I know I have been really bad about writing in my journals before, but this time it is different.” I was shamed. So I found an empty journal that I bought so long ago I can’t even remember (probably a New Years resolution that never happened) and I made it one of my main goals to write in it everyday during this semester and hopefully develop a life long habit. I am happy to report that I have not missed one day! It makes writing this blog a little easier because I have forgotten what has happened already!

Naturally, a lot has happened but I will only tell some of the highlights. Sukkot and tensions, Jericho, Journey of Faith movie, General Conference, Heziekiah’s tunnel, and MATISYAHU!!

Ok, so Sukkot is a Jewish holiday and it lasts a week. They build these booths that they eat in and some children will sleep in them at night. They can decorate them with lights and fruit and all kinds of different things. It is to memorialize the journey from Egypt to Caanan and they give thanks for harvests and they pray for rain. This holiday has caused a lot of tension between the Muslims and Jews. Not really the holiday itself, but the Temple Mt. has been shut down and that has caused tension. It should open after Sukkot though. Lots of riots, rocks being thrown, and most everything has been shut down for us. We can only go to West Jerusalem and we have to pay for a taxi there and back so it gets a little old. But being here during Sukkot has been so great. We got to go to the Western Wall this morning for the last day of Sukkot. We were allowed to take pictures and I got some pretty cool ones (pictures coming within the week). They have their willows and their citron and they shake them and bang them while praying for rain. It was a really neat experience.

Jericho was pretty awesome. It was really small and the oldest known manmade structure is there.  Got a picture, don’t worry. Jericho is also below sea level and it was really hot. Right outside the walls of Jericho there was this guy with fruit and I bought a mango. I ate it a few days later and it was the most heavenly thing I could imagine. I want to go back and just buy lots and lots of fruit!

I don’t know if anyone has seen or heard of the movie Journey of Faith but we got to watch it here. It is a history thing about the archeological evidence that supports the Book of Mormon. Brother Brown is the head guy here and he was the one to find this evidence! That is so awesome! He is in the movie and my Ancient History teacher is in the movie as well. I would watch it sometime, I have been to most of the cites they talk about, and it is just pretty cool.

General Conference. Not much to say about this except that is was amazing as usual. I was one of the dedicated ones who stayed up to watch it live. They were on at 6:00 and then 10:00. They are playing them again tomorrow for those who missed them. I would have to say that Holland’s was my favorite talk. I just love how forward he is and just says it how it is. His whole talk was his testimony and man it is a powerful one. As for the rest of conference; basically we all need to love each other!

Hezekiah’s tunnel was so awesome! It is this tunnel that they built so that they could get water into the walls of their city. We got to walk through it and the water got above our knees. It was pitch black and it was just a lot of fun. I want to go back sometime with fewer people because they were kind of pushing us through with so many people.

Last, but not least MATISYAHU!! First off, it was the strongest base I have ever felt in my life and it was awesome! Second, it was right outside the Old City wall. I cannot believe I had the chance to see Matisyahu in Jerusalem. I have heard a lot of his music before and I liked it. I never owned any of his music, but this concert was so awesome! I have been to concerts before and everyone just mind their own business. This concert everyone was talking to everyone. This one guy found out that we were mormon and everyone was yelling for the mormons. At first they though it was weird that we were there and then he said it don’t matter what religion you are, Matisyahu is awesome! He was drunk, but pretty funny. We were pretty close and I got some pretty sweet pictures and even a video of him singing the Jerusalem song.

IT IS SO AWESOME HERE!! Hopefully, we will be able to break free of the center next week and hit some more cites. Sunday we are going to the beach in Tel Aviv again and I am so excited! It is the last day we can go because the beaches close in a week. It will be a blast, so ill post some pictures of that as well. I am so glad that I had the opportunity to come here, and I don’t regret any of it, even when we are stuck in this center. I am meeting some amazing people and seeing some amazing things and I am trying my hardest to soak in everything that I can. 

PICTURES!!!

These are some pictures from Egypt. They are in random order because i am in a hurry. Egypt was so much fun, i wish i could post all my pictures! Enjoy!

Veiw of the Nile from out hotel room.

In front of the big pyramid, which i went in!

This is a pretty good picture of how green egypt is, and in one step is pure desert.

Hiking down Mt. Sinai. 700 stairs was the last part of the hike. 

This is Dave and I on top of Mt. Sinai.

Kyle and I at sunset, i look pretty weird in this picture. 

Right when we got to the top. Best part of the Egypt trip!

At the pool in Cairo. These guys in our group like to through us and this is me doing a backflip.

Kaylie, me, Tess, and Leanna at the Oasis Hotel.

EGYPT!

Leanna and I outlining the pyramid!

This is our camel right at sunset by the Nile. 

Walk Like an Egyptian

So I went to Egypt this past week. It was pretty much the most amazing thing ever!

Day 1

Wake-up call is at 5:30 am for breakfast and loading the bus. We start our drive and stop every 1 ½ hours for field trip stop or bathroom breaks. We stopped many places but I think my favorite of the day was this lookout place overlooking the Wilderness of Zin. It had this Grand Canyon feel to it, but it was all one color, gray. We stop at this Kibbutz close to the boarder to sleep. A Kibbutz is a small socialist community. We got a tour of the place, they fed us dinner then we got to go to bed.

Day 2

Wake-up call is at 6:00. The Kibbutz feeds us breakfast and we get sack lunches as well. Then we head to the boarder where it takes about an hour to cross. At one point we could see Israel, Egypt, Syria, and Jordan all at once. We also got to see the Red Sea and it was so beautiful. After we crossed the border we drive the Cairo with a few pit stops on the way. They take us to the Oasis Hotel and we see the Pyramids for the first time on the way. They were amazing! Later that night we got to go to the sound and light show. It was really cheesy, but I am glad I got to go.

Day 3

Wake-up call is at 6:00. We went to the Pyramids first because we wanted to buy tickets to go into the big Pyramid. They only sell 200 a day and each person has to be there to buy the ticket. Oh, I forgot to mention that every tour bus is required to have armed guys on the bus for our protection. We are in line to get these tickets and all these people try to cut us. Our bodyguards form this line around us and it was awesome. We all ended up getting our tickets and I went to the biggest Pyramid!! So cool, and so different then I thought. The place where they found his actual body was this black room with smooth walls and that is it. We also saw the sphinx. We saw lots of pyramids, and walked a lot, and it was a long day. We then went to this papyrus factory and that was pretty cool. After that we took a plane to Luxor. We stayed at this Sheraton Hotel and it was so nice.

Day 4

Wake-up call is at 6:00. First thing I do is open our balcony door and there is the Nile, looking big and beautiful. It was so great! This day we went and saw lots of temples and tombs. We went to the valley of the Kings and I went inside King Tuts tomb. His body was in there and I was not expecting that at all. His mummy is the smallest thing ever. After dinner, we got to ride a boat on the Nile to go ride a Camel. Our group got to go at sunset and it was so amazing! This night we also had free-time so we decide to take a carriage to do some shopping. These carriage guys are paid by shop owners to bring us to their shops, so it was an interesting night. I did get some cool stuff though. 

Day 5

Wake-up call is at 6:00. Today we get to go to the Luxor temple and Karnack temple. We go in style though. We take a boat to the Luxor temple, then a carriage to the Karnack temple and then a carriage back to or hotel. So awesome! Karnack is my favorite temple so far. It  was just so cool, and most of it was still standing. A lot of the temples I have seen you only have the outline of what was there. This temple had these huge pillars and statues and markings and it was just awesome. Then we had the whole afternoon free. Leanna was really sick this day and I was really tired already. So I went swimming in the pool, which is right by the Nile. It isn’t a good idea to actually go swimming in the Nile so I had to pretend a little. Later that night we load an overnight train to take us back to Cairo. Haha. I don’t even know what to say about this train. This room for two people was so small I could touch all four walls at one time. I ended up sleeping pretty well though.

Day 6

Wake-up call is at 5:00. Train arrives and we go back to the hotel for breakfast. We went the most beautiful Mosque. I took a lot of pictures of it, but none of them do it justice. I just wanted to sit in it all day and look at everything. Ill post pictures eventually again. We got to go to the Museum. This was pretty awesome as well. Saw all of King Tut’s belongings and lots of statues. Our tour guide read some hieroglyphics to us as well. He was a really smart guy. After the museum we got to go to Hard Rock Café! American food! It was like a whole new world in that place. I almost felt clean for a split second. They also took us to this market and I did some pretty awesome shopping. I really enjoy bargaining. I am not very good, but I had some moral support with me.

Day 7

Wake-up call is 9:00! We leave to drive down to Mt. Sinai. We make a few pit stops along the way, and make it to the Morganland Hotel. I had to kill about 9 cockroaches in our room, but it was nicer then any place I expected to stay while in Egypt.

Day 8

Wake-up call is 2:00. This was my favorite day by far. We wake-up early and we drive 10 minutes to the base of the mountain. It takes about 1 ½ hours climb. I make it up there before sunrise and it was unbelievable. We were also able to hold an Old Testament class up there and a testimony meeting. We sang hymns and wrote in our journals. I still can’t believe I had the opportunity to climb this holy mountain. We leave Mt. Sinai and head for the border. It takes us about 2 hours to cross because they are a little strict with who they let in. A couple of my fellow students were asked some intense questions but we all eventually made it through. We finally made it back to the Center around midnight and I felt at home. It was kind of weird, but I liked it. I am no longer living our of a suitcase, so I guess it is my home for now. I live in Jerusalem, the place where Jesus Christ walked. Who would have thought?

Now it is time to get back to real life. Study, study, study. Paper due in a few days, but I could not be happier right now. 

From my dear friend Leanna

From the Blog of Leanna Davidson (btheholyland.blogspot.com) -- Very funny and has some truth in it :)

The Holy Land Endorses More Then One Kind of Hotness

The holy land is a land of grueling heat. The sun beats persistently upon our flushed faces. Beads of perspiration dampen every article of clothing that hangs on our exerted foreigner bodies. I look into the sky searching for any sign of cloud coverage. There is none, but from out of the glare of the sun a figure emerges. Suddenly all my tribulations are put on the back burner while I studied this inaccessible stranger. Like every girl's dream guy mine is tall dark and handsome, but here the Philistines exceed these little girls dreams. They put American boys to shame. As shallow as it may seem we put a lot of emphasis on dress, and even more shallow are the brand names people use and flashy gaudy apparel wear to "peacock" themselves. But here fitted jeans with a tucked in shirt, belt, and a nice pair of shoes are all that are needed. I like this attitude of less is more, this idea that clothes do not define the individual. Also a deep sense of respect and sincerity for their culture and religion can be seen- this is such a refreshing attitude from the superficial minds that roam college campus. So again let me remind you the key points of a hot guy: A) Tall, Dark, with mysterious eyes. B) Fitted jeans, belt, a nice shirt extra points for tucked in, and classy shoes (mmm is all I can say) and C) Let out all that air up there and fill it with something more substantial. Unfortunately, guys are off limits during my stay here. But I will keep dreaming my little girl dreams of that perfect guy.

Pictures, they go from new to old.

Elah Valley- David and Goliath

The Citidal with Kyle 

The Citidal 

My Favorite picture at the Citidal overlooking Jerusalem

We met these boys in the Old City a week ago, so funny!

Out by our Mormon University sign

Kaylie and Leanna overlooking Jerusalem at sunset

Leanna and Kaylie outside the Center on our first day of freedom!

First day of classes with Richie

This is a video of us singing at the bell caves, favorite part is leanna at the end. :)

Study, Study, Study

School has officially started here. I am taking Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Modern Near Eastern Studies from a Palestinian and the same class from a Judean perspective, Old Testament (New Testament will start in two months), and Hebrew. I feel like all I have been doing for the past three days has been reading, most of which is going right over my head. I am learning a ton; it is just frustrating because I know that I am not getting all the knowledge. Getting all the information, of course, is unrealistic.

My favorite class so far is Hebrew! It is a pretty easy language to comprehend. After one class I know the first two letters of the alphabet (Alef and Bet) and know how to write them in script and recognize them in print (two different symbols for the same letter). I also understand how to write words, I just don’t have the knowledge to actually write them. It sounds complicated, but it really isn’t as hard as I thought it would be.

My Old Testament class is amazing as well. I took Old Testament about two semesters ago, so I love that I am learning it all again and picking up on new things. Part of our religion class is going to sites around the Hold Land. On Monday we had the opportunity to go to all these different view points around Jerusalem and see all sorts of things from a distance. We saw the City of David, Bethlehem, Rachel’s tomb, the Temple Mt./Mt. Moriah, Bethel, Mt. Zion, and a lot of other things. It was really cool to get back to the classroom and actually talk about them in text with the scriptures. I was actually reading about Abraham and Isaac when he takes him up on Mt. Moriah to sacrifice him and I looked up and there was Mt. Moriah! It was the coolest feeling ever and I am sure I will have other experiences similar to that.

As for the rest of my classes, they are pretty interesting. Today I found myself staying after a 2 hour class to listen more about Jewish history for another 45 minutes. There is so much I did not know about their history, their current faith and their practices. So much to learn, so little time!

So I went into the Old City a couple of days ago and we got a little lost, and these 9 year old boys could tell. We wanted to see the Dome of the Rock, but it is really hard to get close to because you have to be Muslim to go in. We just wanted a place to get a good look. They took us up on the roof of all these buildings and it was really cool up there. We ended up hanging out with them for like an hour and a half. One of the boys spoke four languages; English, Arabic, French, and this other language I haven’t even heard of. They were trying to teach us some Arabic, but they mostly just laughed and pointed at us because I am sure we were mispronouncing everything. They ended up inviting us to go to their house to meet their parents. We were not sure at the time if it was a good idea to go, but we found out that we are allowed to make friends with the local families. We obviously just need to be careful and such. This made me so excited to get to know more people here and it was just a good experience overall.

Well, it is late. I have some scriptures that need reading and a journal that needs writing, so I will leave you all for now. You probably wont hear from me again till after I go to Egypt (leave in a week, and will be gone for a week). So expect a long update! Thanks again for all your comments, I love reading them and hearing from you! 

ps finished reading Catching Fire. Bridget, I will call you Saturday morning.

The Holy Land

I finally made it! Jerusalem is great and nothing like I expected. We got off the plane in Tel Aviv and got on a bus to go to Jerusalem. On the way we did see a McDonalds. We finally got to the Center at about 4:30 pm and they would not let us go to sleep, instead we had to go to two more orientation meetings, dinner and things. The food here has been pretty amazing so far. Pita bread is a regular meal item (it even served as our sacrament bread). They have really good fruit and I’m excited to try some new things.

I have had the chance to walk around the Old City twice now. We are just trying to get familiar with it. Tomorrow we have a full free day and we plan to go to Sister Zion’s Convent, walk the city wall, Oscar Schindler’s grave, Dormitory Abby, and Chagall Windows. We have to go and write a short paper on a few of these cites for our Old Testament class. So far I have been to The Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Old City, and just kind of walked around Jerusalem. Today was the Sabbath so we had church, some people went to Gethsemane before church and I cant wait to go as well. After dinner we walked up Mt. Scopus past a hospital, and said hi to a few people. We found this really cool lookout and took some pretty awesome pictures. As for security, I feel a lot more secure then I thought. We have security guards all around the Jerusalem Center, they gave us cell phones, key cards, and most people in the city know us as mormons and kind of lookout for us, which I think is pretty awesome. The people are really nice and I cannot wait to get to know them better.

We found out today that the Hebrew University is only like a block away. I am taking an online class so I have to go there to use their Internet to work on that class. Hopefully I will be able to upload some pictures at that time. We go on our first field trip on Monday, and I’m expecting to take lots of pictures.

You shall hear from me soon! And it was really good to read your comments.

Until next time!

Bridget- I have Catching Fire and I am little more then halfway done. I plan on calling you and having a deep conversation about everything that has happened. It turns out I am a little busy so I only read when I cant do anything else.  

Melissa- Hope you are able to read it, and you will have to let me know what you think of it! I love it so far!

From Vienna

My first blog comes from the Vienna airport! Going to the airport at 400 am without sleep I boarded my first flight at 550 headed for Denver. We had a 45 minute layover and headed for Washington D.C. It was here that my first awesome surprise came. As we got off the airplane Kaylie and I hit every bookstore we saw on our way to our next gate. We found Catching Fire!!!! I am already half done with it. J After a 3 hour layover in D.C. we boarded a flight for 9 hours and landed in Vienna. We still have a 3 ½ hour flight to Tel Aviv and a bus ride before we actually reach our destination.

Unfortunately, I will not be able to upload pictures to my blog regularly. Most of my posts will be all text. I am using free wireless in the airport, so this will be your first and possibly last picture till I get back. It looks like I have been traveling for  20 hours, and that is because I have. Enjoy! 

Kaylie, Leanna, and I in the Vienna Airport

7-week What?

The 7-week break started about 1 ½ weeks ago here in Rexburg, Idaho. What does this exactly mean? It means that everyone goes home and Rexburg is a ghost town. I started thinking about all the fun activities that Rexburg has to offer and this is where I try my best to make Rexburg look awesome! (No particular order)

Ice Cream Parties

Looking through all my pictures I am realizing that this happens more then I realized. Face it, when Mormons get together they have some type of food. Ice cream is a cheap one that we have found and it is delicious!

Caves

Rexburg has two caves; the ice caves and the civil defense caves. I have only been to the Civil Caves, but I assure you that they are awesome!! We take glow sticks out there and play hide and go seek.

Floating the River

I had never done this until I came to Idaho. It is soo much fun! I went last year and got FRIED! This year I went in Preston, Idaho and was smart enough to put sun screen on this time. Hopefully ill get to go again.

Rigby “Lake”

When I say lake, it is more of a rather large pond. They have to fill it up each year, and it is the place to be. It is the closest that most of these people have ever gotten to a beach. When you go with awesome people, it is awesome! (I’m hoping if I use the word awesome enough that it will sink in).

Egin Lakes

Egin Lakes are these lakes in the middle of the sand dunes. The deepest it gets is like 4 feet. The water is usually not freezing (unlike every other body of water in Idaho). It is also a supreme place to play football or Frisbee in the water.

Guitar’s Unplugged

This goes a long with other school-sponsored events. Guitar’s Unplugged is really the only one that I am faithful in going to. This past semester we had some friends play in it. We all wore neon colors and our whole ward went. It was amazing!

Photo Booth

I realize that this fun can take place anywhere, but iv never had photo booth experiences like those in Rexburg, Idaho. Proof below.

Leanna will hate me for putting this picture on here, but it is my favorite!

Shooting

Never shot a gun until Idaho happened. I love it!

 

California Snowball fights

This can also take place anywhere, but iv only done it in Rexburg. You should try it sometime. Thats flour by the way.

Yes! Concerts!

Including William Joseph, Jack’s Mannequin (picture below and my favorite!!), Thriving Ivory, We Shot the Moon, Neon Trees, MC Hammer, Vanilla Ice, and I am sure there are plenty that I have not been to.

Parties

I am not much of a party girl, but the occasional dance parties are not bad.

Photo Shoots

These are also a regular occurrence, especially if your roommates are photography majors. I don’t mind.

 

Sledding

I am not a fan of snow, but sledding and snowboarding are excellent activities during the “dark” seasons. PS These pictures are of the day we went to Bear Gulch and I almost broke my back.

after the crash, if you couldn't tell

Ice Skating

The school has a rink set up year-round. During the summer it is used for roller-skating and during the winter, ice-skating. If you know me at all, ice skating is a favorite pastime of mine.

Spirit Week

Mostly just the 50 lap relay. As a ward we run 50 laps around the track (I ran two laps). This particular year we tie-dyed our shirts and it was…awesome!

Halloween

I stopped dressing up for Halloween when I was in 4^th grade. That is until college happened. Freshmen year- mummies Sophomore year-bumblebees Junior year-flapper girl Senior year- Ill be in Jerusalem.

Bon fires

These happen all the time, sometimes too much. I never regret going because I love foil dinners and smores.

Fourth of July

One of my favorite days sense being in Rexburg. Fourth of July 2008. We went to Idaho Falls, and it was great. We got this huge piece of grass and we set up a badminton court. We also had Frisbees, footballs, and we brought our own grills. We were thoroughly entertained by the people of Idaho Falls and at the end of the night we had an awesome fireworks show.

Sand Dunes

I have not had the opportunity to go to the Sand Dunes, but I hear it is great. I have been to Egin Lakes, but that doesn’t count. Its on my list of things to do in Rexburg.

R Mountain

I have hiked this many times. It is more of a walk, but it is fun. I have seen rabbits, snakes, scorpions, and lizards. One time on a date they took us up there and we poured glow sticks over the golf balls and hit them off the top when it got dark. 

Thirsty Thursdays

35 cent refills. Diet Dr. Pepper. Need I say more?

Thief Tag

New found games. Kind of like lava monster. Someone is blindfolded, and they have to tag someone. The people not it can not get off the play set at all. Surprisingly fun.  

This post is long enough, but I hope you have all received some insight to the awesomeness of Rexburg. If I forgot something, let me know. 

Heck yes we did!

Fourth of July weekend was a busy one. My roommate Kaylie and I went to Preston, Idaho with our friend Tim Allen. We had a campfire, played softball, floated a river, drove around in a party bus and had the regular Preston fun!

Friday July 3, 2009

Started the day off by going to work, and it was not fun. I had 8 kids from the age of 4 to 14 and the older kids were the worst. I was by myself, so we couldn’t go outside. Somehow I managed to survive, and I was even willing to show up to work on Monday. 5:00 finally rolled around and Kaylie and Tim picked me up at work. We drove to Preston (about 2 hour drive) and met Jesse at his house. We started the night off with a few games of badminton and eventually made a campfire and had hotdogs. Oh, I forgot to mention that we had this fire surrounded by cows. That was interesting. Haha. It was way fun. We went home, did a few slam-dunkies, shot off some fireworks, and watched some TV. It was a long day to say the least.

Kaylie and I by the campfire

Tim doing a slam-dunkie

Kaylie, Tim and I setting off fireworks

Tim and Jesse with their mastpiece of a firework. Sparklers and bottle rockets. 

Saturday July 4, 2009

The best day started with a ward 4^th of July celebration. We went to this big picnic thing and had some really good food, and way too much of it. We ended up playing softball with some guys in Jesse’s ward. When I say guys, this includes ages 14 to 80. It was really fun! I didn’t make a total fool of myself and I got myself a pretty nice tan. After that we went to float the river…words couldn’t even describe the events that took place here. Only Kaylie and I know the true humor behind it. There were a few waterfall type areas, a few times where Kaylie couldn’t stay on the tube, and a lot of sun. After that we went to Logan for the night. We stopped at a few Napoleon Dynamite sights on the way.  I was dead tired by this point from the sun, but that didn’t stop us from getting on a party bus. When I say party bus, I mean a school bus with couches and music driving around town. Party bus. It was a pretty good day.

Me at the picnic

Me, Jesse, and Kaylie getting ready to float the river. Jesse is a bit taller then I am. 

Sunday July 5, 2009

We went to church, half a sleep, but there. After starting a few rumors in Jesse’s ward, we went back to Jesse’s house and had a really amazing lunch. Shortly after that we left for the burg. Later that night Leanna finally decided to grace us with her presence, and not for very long. Better that then nothing.

Kaylie and I after church.

It was an eventful weekend, and I am so glad I went!