Matthew's Farewell

My little brother is growing up! He gave his mission farewell talk last Sunday, and it was so good. He even brought me to tears--which is tricky to do!! He reports to the MTC July 8, and will be serving in SLC for 2 years. I am so proud of him to make this decision to serve a mission and to be preparing to give 2 years of his life in service. He will be a wonderful missionary. Here are some pictures from after the farewell, and at the going-away party.

I (insert white glove) Michael Jackson.

So yesterday I was driving to LA to pick up Ryan from the Airport, when I get a text from Miss Anna Montoya telling me "Michael Jackson just died". I turned on CNN, and sure enough, he died at the UCLA medical center. Don't worry, at that point, I hit traffic and I was 2 miles from UCLA med center. LA was crazy all day, and served as a representation for the chaos the world was feeling with the loss of a legend.

I know we're all sick of hearing about this, but I am just writing to say being in LA when it all went down, and I felt closer to the situation because of it.

I'm just glad that traffic wasn't as bad as I anticipated. But I'm pretty sure the accidents on the 405 were because of the stricken state of grief everyone was in. Or maybe it was because they lost their vision due to all the RIP Michael Jackson signs people were flashing outside their car windows.

An Update ...

Since many of you have been requesting more blog posts, and more updates, I decided I would acquiesce the request :)

The last month has been totally crazy--- right after I got engaged, I spent some time in Utah, and then went to VEGAS for my moms' first TRIATHALON! Yes, she is officially an IRONGIRL! I was so proud of her!! I totally ran her in the last 2 miles and felt like that was my contribution to the event :) From there I went home to Bakersfield for Mothers Day, and then spent the week at home beginning to plan the wedding. Then, I flew out to Miami and went on THE BEST CRUISE EVER! With a few fabulous girls from school (shout-out here to Katie, Heidi and Geneva!) The Bahamas will never be the same now that we have spent time on those islands ... After the cruise I flew to Minneapolis to see Ryan for the FIRST TIME since we got engaged!! We had such a great time!! We looked at homes (we are looking to buy), explored the countryside, went for walks to the lake, and so much more. That trip made me all the more excited to move there this summer!

After the trip to Minneapolis, I came home, and really got to work on wedding plans. My mom offered to make my dress, so we headed to LA and got the fabric and lace for that. We began our plans for the reception here in Bakersfield, and also started perusing the St. George options for flowers and dinner after the ceremony. Mom and I also took a trip to SF with my dad and found my shoes, perfume, mother of the bride dress, Ryans suit, and so much more! It was such a productive trip! And so fun to spend some time in the city!! After San Francisco, mom and I drove to Utah to get some things going for the wedding in St. George, and then we headed to Provo to pack up my apartment. While I was there I got to see a few of my favorite Provo people, which was so wonderful.

Now, I'm back in California. I spent most of last week spending time with my favorite people in Orange County-- I stayed with Debbie on Balboa Island which was amazing, as well as with Miss Anna Montoya!! I love love Orange County and will miss living and visiting there ... sigh. Now I just have 2 weeks until I'm back in Utah again taking Matthew to the MTC and picking up Ashley from the airport. And THEN I will be MOVING to Minnesota!! Eeek!! Its coming up so fast. A few bridal showers in between, a few more wedding planning to do lists to take care of, and I'll be with my Fiance living in the Mid West!

Phew. So there's my update. And below are a few pics.





The Lake.

I'M ENGAGED!!!

I know its been forever since I've blogged, but a lot has been going on. I don't love blogging my personal life, but I had to finally make it public. I will be Mrs. Ryan T. Merrill on September 10, 2009!

Graduation.

I am so loved!! My entire family drove, long distances (and some endured many trials) to attend my graduation and share this special moment with me. I can't believe my graduate experience at BYU is finished, and that 2 years have gone by. Its been an incredible experience, and one that has definitely shaped my life. I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for enlightening me to take this opportunity, and also to my Father, who introduced me to the option of an MPA :) Thank you to everyone for your support and love throughout this stage in my life. WE DID IT! :)

My Birthday.

So this is a bit over-due, but its been a BUSY week for me this last week! So, this is me catching up. Last Monday was my Birthday, and it was such a fabulous day. It started off with flowers from Ryan :) And then a mani/pedi with my roommate, and then a PICNIC at the park with my favorite friends. I couldn't have asked for a better day. Great weather, great activities, great friends, and LOVE from my family and loved ones. Thank you all for being a part of my big day! :)

Waiting for my candles.

So, its my birthday ... and my mom blogged about me. Check it out here.

I just want to take this chance to say THANK YOU for all of you who have put up with me for the last 24 years. I can honestly say I wouldn't be the woman I am today without each of you, and your influence for good in my life. I am so so so blessed with wonderful family and friends who LOVE me and show me that love every single day. What a glorious day to look back on my life and realize how truly blessed I am.

Thank you.

I've learned that in Utah APRIL = SNOW.

We got 6 inches--- 6 INCHES! Last night alone.



This is a view from my house this morning.

An Ode to my brother, Matthew

I guess I'm behind in my blogging since my family has already blogged about this, but it's my turn to brag-- My little brother got his MISSION CALL!!

The whole thing was quite ironic-- I was able to attend conference on Saturday, and as I turned my phone on after the afternoon session, I had a few texts from my parents saying:

Mom: Guess what came today!
Dad: We are conference calling at 4:15 your time

[Note: Matthew lives in Hawaii as he is attending BYU-H, and the call was sent to my parents house. So mom and dad actually scanned his call to him in an email for him to read, without them looking at it themselves]

Well, good thing it was exactly 4:09 my time, and I was in the chaos of the conference center with 20,000 other people!! Once I got outside (which was actually much quieter than the inside of the conference center) I stood between the temple and the conference center, and intently waited for my brother to read his call.

He began ... Elder Hunt, you have been called to serve in the "wait... I can't read it" (we all begin thinking he can't pronounce his own mission call when he says) Salt Lake City, Utah--- uhhh silence. We can't believe what we just heard, and he can't believe what he just read!

"Dad, is this an April Fools joke?"

After all the commotion had died down, and we realized this was indeed his call, I told him "Hey Matthew, I'm walking the streets of your mission field!" I'm not sure if that helped.

Needless to say, Matthew is very excited to serve the Lord and the people of the Salt Lake City Mission. He will serve well, and we are so proud of him!

Oh, another piece of irony. We just found out Ashley gets released July 9. Matthew enters July 8.

An Ode to my Nephew, Nicolaus

So I was running out of the house this morning, wanting breakfast, and so naturally, I grabbed a bag of Cheerios and sliced Strawberries to eat in class. As I sat in class with my cheerios and strawberries in hand, I couldn't help but think of Nic -- who loves cheerios and LOVES strawberries. Maybe I'm a child today... and I'm totally ok with that.

LOVE YOU NIC

March Madness

This is a momentous day--- the first time I have ever filled out a March Madness Bracket. Too bad I'm loyal to BYU, and am already losing :(

Question of the Day

For those of you who were around me at this time last year, I began what I like to call, Question of the Day. It's really as simple as it sounds. I wanted to get to know my friends by asking them random questions each day---to see how they would respond. So, for those of you who don't gchat me daily, feel free to respond to the question below with a comment :)

What would you describe as your perfect day?

Feed My Starving Children



Last weekend Ryan and I had the opportunity to put together dry-packed meals for starving children in developing countries. This non-profit, based in Minneapolis, collaborates with local CPGs, like Cargill and General Mills, to create these meals and send them out to over 60 countries throughout the world.

Volunteers are invited to come to one of the FMSC packing locations, and put together the meals. The hairnets, pictures in front of the map (coming soon to this post), and working side by side with friends and strangers, eating a sample of the meal after; are all part of the FMSC experience. We had a great time, and heard some great Minnesota accents :)

PIZZA! FRENCH FRIES! PIZZA!!

Although these words usually connote lunch ... for me on Saturday they were my only saving grace to get me safely down the mountain.

My roommates and I decided to teach ourselves how to ski. Or at least that's what they told me. In reality, they had all at least grown up going skiing at least a few times---so I was the true novice at the sport. You can notice in the pictures how comfortable I feel with two 5' pieces of wood strapped to my feet on the side of a mountain.

In all reality, we had a FANTASTIC time. The weather was gorgeous. The company was incredible and luckily I was able to offer some entertainment as I screamed down the mountain and occasionally found myself stuck in a bush, or face planted in the snow (see pictures below). I look forward to future skiing adventures where I can actually show off the skills I gained after just one day at Park City Ski Resort.

Too excited -- we can barely contain ourselves!


Ok, Here Come The Individual Shots:
Jess


Holls


Janelle


ME


Brookie


First time on Skiis


Ready to Rock and Roll


Look at that Form!


And there's me ... face-planted on the side of the mountain. The girls LOVED this. (It made the picture of the day)


These are the "Beginners" I was with:


We Love Skiing!




On the Lift


Pizza was only appropriate for lunch


Such a great day.

Belize Travel Log...

The purpose of this trip was to observe a medical training for my field study project. Ponseti International is a non-profit who trains doctors throughout the world on a non-surgical approach to treating club-feet. This is an amazing method, and I have found myself becoming a 'missionary' for it. Go to www.ponseti.info/ for more information.

So here's what I was doing in Belize:

Observing.


Helping children (observing).


This is #1 of 5 casts to make her feet normal.


By now she should have had all of her casting, and her feet are NORMAL. She will be able to run, jump, play, walk--everything.


Daily Living.


Fresh Coconut.

After the medical aspect of the trip, we were invited to go to Ambergris Island (also known as San Pedro) and live the resort life:

Which included a boat ride to the island at sunset.


The Island.


Our "villa".


Morning Kayaking rendezvous off our dock.


Yup that's me, lying in a hammock.


Church.


Our last picture on the island.

We had a valentines party. It was a huge success. I'm going to let Kristin tell the story:


Kristin's Blog

UNBELIZEABLE

Totally unbelievable that I got invited to go to Belize for a school project. Note: I found out about this on a Saturday, booked my flight Monday evening and left early Wednesday morning. CRAZZZY!

Since I was in CA (for meggies wedding and some interviews) and my passport was in Utah (where I live) -- I had to enlist the help of a friend to Fedex it to me. Isnt it amazing what FedEx can do for us? 24 hours later -- passport in hand, I head to LAX. I stayed the night in LA and woke up at 3am in order to catch my 6am flight. Who knew that LAX doesn't even open until 4:15? I spent my few minutes of downtime after checking in to read the newspaper...something that doesn't always happen in Provo.

After that I hopped on a plane to Dallas, grab lunch in Dallas and catch a 3 hour flight to Belize. Such a quick flight. So as I land in Belize -- it just looks like jungle down there. The airport is tiny and the best part is when we landed...and then turned around on the airstrip to head back and park. I walked off the plane (where do you get to do that anymore?) and into warm humid paradise (kinda). My group met me there at the airport and we headed to the hotel.

As we pull up to the hotel, we realize we are located on the ocean. It is beautiful! (see below). Our room looked over the Caribbean Sea and we were pretty sure we landed in paradise.

Meggies Wedding!!

So there was the first... and her name is Megan. The first of my girlfriends from High School to get married. Now, here is just a little shout out for my girlfriends from Stockdale High. I moved back to Bakersfield my senior year of High School, and became fast friends with a group of amazing girls. Megan is such a gem and the sweetheart of our group. She is so kind and giving and caring of others -- you can't find a person that doesn't adore her. So we weren't surprised when an amazing man fell in love with her and wanted to take her to the chapel.

Luckily I was able to travel home to attend her wedding and dance the night away with Brooke, Karah and Nicole. The ceremony was beautiful (her dad presided), and we loved the video Artie (meggies husband) made for her---especially since we saw ourselves in a few of the pictures :)

Here are some pictures of the event...

MIA

I know, its been a while since I've blogged, or been on g-chat, let alone in class or called any of you. I'm sorry things got a little crazy over the last few weeks.

I took off to CA for my girlfriends' wedding, then I got sick, then was traveling with pops for some networking/interviews/meetings, and THEN I got invited to go to Belize! Crazy, right? So between the logistics of getting ready to leave the country, and being out of the country, I've been MIA. I can't wait to catch you all up on my excursions---esp the pictures of tropical paradise.