DREAM

I swear I was gone all summer.  But, somehow that whole experience seems unreal. I have pictures of being there, but as I'm laying in my OWN bed (hallelujah) i think back on what i was doing and where i was doing it just 10 days ago. i was halfway around the world. and i was there for a long time. maybe not long to an RM, but long to me especially since it wasn't in utah or california, or anywhere remotely familiar.  being home is good.  it's like i never left. that's what i love about my home.  i come back and it's so comfortable, so easy.

i'm leaving for utah in a week! here's to year numero quatro at byu.  have i really been there that long?

and that's how it's done

i'm done.
no more field trips.
no more finals.

the past 2 days have been filled with walking, walking, and more walking around jerusalem as we've focused on the last week of Christ's life.  This has been the richest experience of my life.

I have one last free day tomorrow. i'm taking pictures all over town.
I leave here at 2 AM tomorrow night. i guess that's technically thursday morning.

ma'asalaame al-quds

8 days

we had our last out of jerusalem field trip to masada, ein gedi, the dead sea, and qumran
it was 115 degrees and 90% humidity
i almost died. almost.
i had a free dead sea scrub, i saw the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found (qumran), i hiked (again) the wilderness that David hid in from Solomon (ein gedi), and i was so hot that i didn't pay attention to what was said at Masada. 

I'm nearly done with all my shopping. Finals are the next big thing and those will be done in 2 days.  

The BYU arabic students arrived and they're staying for a few days. it's really refreshing to see new faces.  it's also really weird to see new faces.  

i got an email from my Anatomy supervisor. Luckily i've got 2 weeks at home to read anatomy while i lay out, but still, school- real school- is already coming this fast? where did my summer go? i didn't have a real summer. i had the most intense, non-relaxing summer of my life. it's been EXTRA good, but it was not relaxing in any way, shape, or form.  I feel overwhelmed.  i'd rather not spend the majority of my september with dead guys.   

petra

i spent 4 days in jordan. 2 in petra and 2 in amman. some highlights included:

a turkish bath- i sat in a steam room for 45min+ then had some young jordanian guy pour buckets of water over me. i was only wearing a measly little sheet. interesting experience to say the least.
petra- this place is stunning! we hiked all day..i bought jewelry from the bedouins there. i rode a horse coming out of the siq- the famous canyon that opens up to the treasury (the main picture you have in your head when you think of petra. if you have ever really thought about petra). the rock there is... inspiring. really. i want to paint and paint and paint until i can't paint any longer.
big macs- now, i'm not a huge mickey dees  fan, but leaving the country for a few months really does something to you. is it ironic that the first big mac i've ever tried i bought in jordan? yes, it is. and i really like big macs for the record.

some lowlights included:

finding 3 bugs in my sheets at the hotel we stayed at in amman. 
using "toilets" that were just holes in the ground at jerash and petra.
no fresh fruit.


 jordan is really a beautiful country.  i love the rolling hills and the calm vibe it has. jerusalem can be so chaotic and tense. i still can't believe that i've spent an entire summer over here.

happy birthday you

i'm 21.
i feel so legitimate.
when i was 18 i remember wanting to take a trip with some friends. i can't even remember where it was to, but i just remember being so annoyed that i couldn't go because my parents said i was too young.  i asked them what the magic age was when i'd be able to do anything i wanted. they told me 21. since you know 21 is so old and wise and mature. you couldn't possibly do anything stupid at 21. but, really, 21 is a big birthday. at least to me.

now it's here!  special thanks to the fam back at home for the bday cards. i've had such a fun day with good friends. earlier today we had a field trip to one of herod the great's palaces called herodion and then we went to shepherd's field which is in bethlehem.  we had a little nativity program there. christmas in july AND on my birthday- what a good combo!! then a group of us went to west jerusalem- ben yehuda street- and i got a belgian waffle with caramel, whip cream, lemon mint gelato and  a special 21 year old lemon gelato. i promise it was so good.  mint lemon and caramel are a good combo. serious.

then i danced on the street to these guys playing drums with this random israeli who had a broken arm and a bunch of tatoos

this has been the most memorable birthday of all 21 of my birthdays. it was a perfect way to also celebrate the beginning of the end of a very unique summer.

today

i'm not buying a nativity here, but i am buying wise men. i just like what the wise men represent. to me they are symbols of those who are constantly searching for Christ. They want to find Him and when they do they bring him their most precious gifts.  so i bought two sets of wise men.  

sometimes i feel guilty that i'm buying only 2 of everything, like i should by 6 of everything. one for my parents and the other 5 for amber, brett, ben, greg, and me.  but i'm only buying 2- one for me and one for my mom. i just don't think anyone else would really care to have the same stuff i've bought here. we're not a big souvenir family. except for my  mom. and since i'm the one who lived here i have to get this stuff for me, right?

i sat in an old monastic cloister today.
my toms are falling apart. i think that's good though- what better place to have shoes fall apart than walking around israel?
i bought a shawarma today. i can't decide if i like shawarmas or falafels better...
falafels are SO good, but they have a really strong flavor
shawarmas are SO good, but they lack the falafelness of a falafel
i don't think this debate will ever be fully settled.
 but, today was definitely a shaWARMa day.

a piece of my mind

if this were a mission i'd be what you call trunky.

my brother, greg, is unbelievably gifted with the guitar and his voice. he definitely has had a huge influence on me and i'm so glad to be his little sister. why do you think i wanted to learn to play guitar in the first place? love you greg

the fleet foxes are like medicine. real good medicine.

i need a good massage and a good chiropractor.

i'm going to Gethsemane tomorrow.
and i'm going to the 3rd temple museum- it's a jewish museum about their 3rd temple in case you didn't catch that. yeah, you probably don't know what that is- i had no idea about this til i got here and took a class on it. well, let me give you a brief explanation.  the jews had a temple that was destroyed during the babylonian seige in 6th century BC. then they rebuilt a 2nd one that the romans sacked in about 66AD. they're still planning out the 3rd temple, but they're planning on blowing up the dome of the rock to do so. i'm going to go find out all about it tomorrow.

i'm turning 21 in 5 days. in jerusalem. where i've been living for the past 3 months. WOW

sycamore nuts aren't as good as roasted almonds.
the candy isn't as good as the dried fruit at the souk. 
also, every chocolate candy has wafer in it. who decided that was a good idea?

but, the dark chocolate here is amazing. and the chocolate bar with pop rocks in it. 

taking a chill pill

i just got back from an eventful 11 days in galilee and northern israel and it was one of the best 11 days of this entire adventure! i saw Lebanon and Syria, went to Mt. Tabor (Jesus' transfiguration), Mt. of Beatitudes, Mt. Carmel (elijah/fire/prophets of baal story), swam in the Sea of Galilee, went to Megiddo (armageddon), went to Capernaum, Nain, Nazareth, Akko/Acre, Haifa, the Golan Heights (there are fenced off fields everywhere with signs saying CAUTION LAND MINES), Caesarea Philippi, Caesarea Maritima (I saw the ruins where Paul testified before Agrippa!), and so many other tels (ruins archaeologists have uncovered) and national parks. The New Testament classes I had there were some of the most in-depth and inspirational i've ever had.  Studying the scriptures truly does bring happiness and comfort to my life.  I would get up early and sit on the shores of Galilee reading from the Gospels or from the Book of Mormon and I would think, i am here reading about our Savior's life and ministry where he actually taught. He was there! I put my feet in the water He walked on. I walked along the shores He taught on.  The experiences I had in Galilee are ones i will cherish forever.  i have come to know my Savior in much more literal way and i know that He lives!

as soon as i got home last night i uploaded all 1500 photos i took in galilee and my computer crashed. thanks to my polynesian heritage, i'm not freaking out. i may have lost all the photos i've ever taken in college and all the photos i've taken in israel up until galilee and all my music and all the cool notes, quotes, art i've collected.  c'est la vie. at least i have kept a really good journal and i have all the memories in my cranium.  let's hope that doesn't crash soon, too.

stars and stripes forever

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!!!!!
i love America.
i love my freedoms; both "to" and "from".
i love the safety of the land.

The United States of America is a gorgeous country and I'm so blessed to call it my home.

and i love America even more after living in Israel.


I had the funnest 4th of July!!! i spent the day at Jaffa then at Tel Aviv.
The pizza store on that corner was so ideal-it tasted so american.  I just sat at the bar outside with my diet coke- in a glass bottle of course- and watched all the people passing by. perfect afternoon. and i laid in the sand reading jane eyre while simultaneously counting how many buttcracks there were. what a combo. we got up to 9, but i'm sure if we walked the whole beach it would be more like 90.  people have no inhibition here when it comes to swimsuits. or should i say the lack there of.  we also found a TON of jellyfish in the water. i think i was the only one who didn't get stung. I tend to ere on the side of caution when it comes to potentially harmful animals. we tried to go sailing, but that didn't work.  i didn't mind- i was laying out on the Mediterranean!!!!  after our day there we came back to Jerusalem for a 4th of July barbeque at the center. it finally felt like official summer!!! i bobbed for apples and plums and lit sparklers.  I think I spent 80% of the day laughing because i have met the most fantastic, superb, stellar, witty, FUN people here. And then i ended the night playing guitar and watching heavyweights. I LOVED today!

I just finished packing for 10 days in galilee, which starts in approximately 5 hours.
xoxo

a good day

today is such a good day. nothing extraordinary happened, yet it has been an extraordinary day.  I slept in a bit- 7:30 is sleeping in.  Then I went to this Franciscan monastery, Terra Sanctae, in the Old City.  Father Angelo gave us a tour and even showed us the door that Orson Hyde carved his name into when he stayed in the Holy Land on his visit here in the 19th century.  I bought a necklace with my name in Arabic. My name looks dang good written in Arabic:)  Even though I'm in the throes of finals I feel completely content and at peace.  I feel so right about being here.  I know that this is where Heavenly Father wants me this summer and I'm maturing and growing in ways only He could provide.  I feel like clay being molded and it's painful and uncomfortable at times, but ultimately it will be so worth it. SO worth it.

I started reading Jane Eyre yesterday. I need to be more cultured in brit lit. I'm on page 15 and i'm already in love with Charlotte Bronte's ability to captivate me with her writing.

Also, dinner was highly entertaining.  All i have to say is that the toast and beef are REALLY good. And meal times are a great time to play marco polo

P.S. Reason #35 why today is such a good day: I got a package from HOME. i love hot tamales and red vines. israel doesn't know what it's been missing out on.
THANK  YOU MOM!!!!!!!

to dream anything you want to dream- that is the beauty of the human mind

- bernard edmonds

 The best thing about the future, is that it only comes one day at a time.

- abraham lincoln

i love whipped cream, too

imperfection is beauty, madness is genius, and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.

-marilyn monroe

next stop: Italy

to be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment

-ralph waldo emerson

too many people miss the silver lining, because they're expecting gold.

-maurice seitter

we must be our own before we can be another's

- ralph waldo emerson

anatomy of love

in reality

when i leave my reality tv life here i will be back to reality.

back to normalcy

back to my life that i love and have not forgotten

back to the kitchen making, baking, creating

ridiculously random photos. there is no order

Let me just preface this by saying I have had the raddest adventures. I am so blessed.

in the dead sea. i was floating in there for about 30 seconds until my eyes and every cut on my body burned like no other. plus, the water was warm and i had been hiking allllllll day long.

oh just me and the little old dead sea

party in west jerusalem

herding sheep. way harder than you'd think

new love: caves

jared and jud being a creeper behind a Torah scroll.

bell caves. these are made of limestone and the walls are like chalk

church of the nativity. underground this floor is the location of Christ's birth

the best salad ever at the foccacia bar. fried goat cheese, sundried tomatoes and perfection on a plate.

singing christmas songs under the nativity church. i LOVED celebrating christmas in June.

coming all the way to bethlehem made us realize we needed to confess.

jessie, lisa, bekah, katie, abby, me, lauren at ein gedi

guitars turn that frown upside down

original mosaic floor in the nativity church

cave under the nativity church

AND NOW for the beauties of the middle east:

hairy man has a whole new meaning.

he looks like fun.

ein gedi

i was walking with lisa in the middle of nowhere in blistering heat and we were 15 min behind everyone else and i just stopped and thought "i am walking in freaking israel. who does that?" it's so unreal to live here and i am so happy i've been able to live here for the past 9 weeks.

ibex are like cows here

just walking from ein gedi to the dead sea. peace in the middle east. i've become so carefree here that i forget that terrorists live right around the corner. ok, not literally. but, the news back home portrays this place like it's a complete war zone everywhere. yeah, that's spot on for the gaza strip, but most of the other areas in Israel are safe and just peaceful. my perspective has been expanded beyond words.

enough said.

heer you go

Ein Gedi

yeah. i swam in water that had crabs in it

it was 106 degrees that day

ein gedi

just some israeli soldiers at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial.

i love lisa- can you tell?

lisa and matthew judson

West Jerusalem

my roommate, Lauren

i took this from inside our bus when we were leaving Bethlehem- which is in the West Bank.

more of the partition wall surrounding the WB (West bank). Palestinians who have an Israeli passport can't come in here. ever.

Nativity Church in bethlehem

That hole in the ground has a rock below it and that's the "spot" where Christ was born.

matthew judson and i outside the Nativity church

lisa trying to catch up. you work that cane!

ps. she cut her foot something fierce at Eilat, hence the necessity of a cane

nativity church bethlehem

bethlehem. can you imagine mary and joseph? kindof hard to visualize with how built up and toursity it is.

dirty vans

damascus gate, old city

cinnamon sticks at the souk

the BEST dried fruit ever. that white stuff behind the 48 sign is dried coconut.

i have been in heaven. coconut is an aphrodisiac

diet coke is also an aphrodisiac. or maybe i just like it. a LOT. and this was in a glass bottle. HEAVEN

jud, daniel aka: shally, me

i'm too happy for being in a prison, huh?

this is in the prison for prisoners of the underground movement. basically it's for all the israeli rebels who fought against the british during the early 20th century.

TOMS welcome to Jerusalem

i like flowers and they like me

western wall with dome of the rock behind. good combo

bar mitzvah monday

Pool of Siloam where Christ healed the blind man. This is in the City of David.

before going into Hezekiah's tunnel

after

the City of David. this is all palestinian housing

EILAT! this is the Red sea. i'm standing in Israel and across the water to the right is Saudi Arabia and to the left is Jordan. and directly to the right (not pictured) is Egypt.

Israeli soldiers during the 4 hr break they get each week on Shabbat.

Shabbat= good pastries. get the carmel croissant.

inside some old pigeon house

Valley of Elah where david fought goliath and the israelites battled the philistines

ruins in beth shemesh- Samson's hometown

mea shearim. the ultra orthodox Jewish neighborhood in West Jerusalem.

we were sort of lost and then i remembered that this was the neighborhood where that jewish guy spit on us.

west jerusalem

i must have a photographic memory because as soon as i saw this mural i knew where we were.

the supreme court. way laid back place. i felt like i was at the county court at home.

supreme court

outside the Knesset- Israel's legislative building

old city boys

old city girl

in the church of the last supper

blue skies keep calling my name

just me and bro hamblin, my ancient near east teacher

my old testament class in the Judean wilderness.