Regarding Missions

Well as I am sure all of my Mormon friends know missionary work is kind of a big deal right now. With the change in the minimum age people are leaving on missions left and right. So like everyone else I have a couple people close to me going on missions. So let me tell you about them.

Missionary 1: Jordan
Jordan was my roommate last year and she became one of my very best friends. About a year ago she decided to go on a mission. She put her papers in while I was in Italy. Then she got called to Finland! AHH! Finnish is a hard language. She reported to the MTC (missionary training center) about a month ago. I had the opportunity to see her off. It was hard to have only five minutes to say hello after six months and then have to say goodbye, but it was worth it. I love this girl and know that she will do amazing things!

Saying goodbye to Jfizz

Missionary 2: Alisa
Alisa is the oldest of my cousins. And I love her. With the change in age she decided to go on a mission. I got to attend her call opening in February. She's going to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is honestly so perfect! She is going to be one heck of a missionary!

Alisa with her call

Missionary 3: Anne
My dear Italy roommate! She goes into the MTC tomorrow!!! She will be heading to Ukraine. I got to see her for the first time since Italy today. It was so great. I missed her a ton. I am so glad that I got to be with her when she made her decision and help her prepare.

Goodbye lunch with Anne!

Missionary 4: ME!
My decision to go on a mission has been a LONG time coming. I never thought I would go on a mission. It just didn't seem right for me. Then, about a year ago, I started thinking about missions ALL of the time. I couldn't stop thinking about them. People started talking to me about them. I could not escape. I decided to serve a mission then, but I wasn't going to be 21 for a year so it seemed to be a long way off. Then I went to Italy and the age changed to 19. I was in a frenzy. I thought about leaving right after I got home and started my papers, but that just didn't feel right to me. So I decided to wait to leave until after another semester at BYU. And now my papers are submitted!! I am going on a mission!! I am so excited and so humbled to have the opportunity to serve my Heavenly Father and share His truths.

I hope they call me on a mission in another week or two!

The Life of an Italy Loving, Tree Hugging Foodie

So for my Multicultural Education class I have to create a cultural diorama about my cultural background (how many times can I say "cultural" in one sentence?). This meant that I had to pick three items that gave insight into my daily life and way of doing things. I also have to write about it. So here it goes.

I thought about putting the Book of Mormon because it embodifies (a kid said that three times in Sacrament so I decided to adopt the word too) the most important thing about me, my relgion. However, at a church run school I figured that was a given and decided to go with more original things.

Item #1: My Cinque Terre Head Scarf

Me five minutes after buying the scarf.

I wear it every night before I go to bed.

During my study abroad in Italy I went on a weekend hiking trip to the Cinque Terre. That is five seaside towns that are connected by the steepest hiking trails. In one of the cities I decided to buy this head scarf because I wanted a souvenir and it was practical. I could keep my hair out of my face and have a material memory. The scarf is representative of me for multiple reasons. The first is that it is from Italy. My love for Italy may sound like a quirk, but it really does affect my daily life. It changed the way I see the world and the things I value. Another reason my head scarf ties into my culture is that it was purchased while I was hiking and I wear it on hiking trips now. I love hiking! I love being outdoors and enjoying nature. I grew up in Washington and that nature loving mentality is just a part of me. 

Item #2: My Washington Conservation Corps Hat

Wearing the hat on the job.

A little bit closer view of the hat.

A few summers ago I had the opportunity to work for the Washington Conservation Corps. The. Best. Job. I got to hike around, build trails, kill invasive plants, and hang out with awesome people. My hat was always worn. It kept the sun out of my face and just made me feel cool. This hat shows the crunchy granola side of me. For those of you who don't know what crunchy granola means it is synonymous to tree hugger, but cooler. I already said this, but I love nature. Conserving and appreciating it is really important to me. My sophomore year the first thing I said to my new roommates was that I recycle. Yep, stereotypical Washingtonian right here. 

Item #3: Lucini Olive Oil

This is a bottle of some pretty nice Tuscan olive oil. Actually I bought it at Target, but it is imported from Tuscany and it does have an amazing taste. Once again my love for Italy is coming through.... When is it not? However, I chose this item because it shows how much I love food. I love to eat, I love to cook, and I LOVE to feed people (I don't know if I should admit that to the public). Cooking is a part of my daily life. Obviously... However, I do take the time to try a new recipe or creation of my own at least a few times a week. I am also kind of a food snob. I like to have quality ingredients. I also love to try new restaurants. The adventure of trying some new food is just so exciting to me.

Well I hope this helped you understand me, entertained you, or at the very least helped you procrastinate your homework. 

The Story of an Apartment Superhero: Take 2

About one year ago I discovered the existence of a superhero, X-Tina. She had toilet unclogging abilities that could make the most heinous villain want to vomit. Now, one year later, I have discovered another hero, Alena.

Here's the story.

In a small apartment in Happy Valley there was a sink. A sink that was shared by four girls. All of the girls had relatively long hair. The poor old sink never drained very well, but after months of abuse it just gave out. It would not let any water down its drain. Standing water is pretty gross to begin with, but this was a bathroom sink. Think toothpaste, soap, and face wash. Get the picture? It was nasty.

And yet these four girls were unsure of how to act. Sink unclogging seamed to be such a gargantuan task. How could they do it? One would rise and take on the quest.

So on a Saturday not too long ago, actually it might have been today, they had had it. Alena, who had previous experience with such sinks, decided to take on the task. So after retrieving her weapon of choice, a wrench, she got to work. She unscrewed the "p-trap" (not sure if that is the right word) and set to work. Water and hair began oozing out of the pipes. The smell of rotten eggs wafted through the air. And yet she persevered.

All seemed to be going well until the girls realized that the sink was still not empty. At this point Katie entered the scene and decided to begin stabbing a hanger down the drain. Let's just say it was not the most effective method... However, Alena realized what truly need to be done. She removed another portion of pipe and began removing hair from that as well.

Then came the greatest surprise. Water began rushing out of the pipes from the other side. One of the neighbors was washing their hands! The bucket began to overflow. What could be done? Alena promptly grabbed the garbage and let it fill with water. All to the background Katie's hysterical of laughter.

Shortly after this incident Alena realized that the hair would not come of the sink without further... prodding... So she reach up into the pipe and began to pull out the hair. By. Her. Bare. Hands. EW!

And thus the sink was unclogged.

Well now I can wash my hands without fear.

Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-da (Life Goes On)

Well for some reason I haven't been blogging very much lately. Perhaps it's because life in P-Town just is not as exciting as Europe. Or maybe it's because I am ridiculously busy. Who knows? But I know that you all have been dying without my ever enlightening blog posts so I thought I would have some mercy and write one.

Life continues to be ever so busy! I am currently observing in a middle school... Take me back to high school! Well at least I figured out what grades I want to teach!

Let's see... What else is new?

I went to Park City during Sundance. I didn't actually see any films, but it was still pretty awesome. That town is SO cute and there a ton of fun little shops. We just wandered around, got some hot chocolate, and enjoyed the city.

I found a cow hat!!! I love cows!

We matched! And it wasn't even planned.

They continue to be pretty dang cute.

The next weekend I went up to Salt Lake with some of my favorite Italy ragazze to go to Lush. Lush is this amazing organic cosmetic store they have all over Europe. It sounds really girly, but it is really cool. Their hand scrub is amazing! And WAY more expensive here... Should have bought in Italy. After checking out Lush we wandered around City Creek mall. It's pretty much the most amazing mall ever. I mean it has a creek running through it. How could it not be cool? We travelled back on the Frontrunner (that's also how we traveled there). It was SO nice to be on a train again. It reminded me of Europe! Except it felt a little sketchier... Who knew I would feel safer in Europe than America? Upon our return we went to Libby's house and made homemade gnocchi. Yum! Yay for Italy!

Le ragazze!

Another highlight of my life as of late has been cooking with Natalie. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I have been teaching her how to cook in exchange for a gym going buddy. It's been fun and we have made some yummy stuff. I mean REALLY yummy. I love cooking! Actually I love feeding people more... So it's nice to have Natalie to eat my creations.

Be jealous of our pesto chicken bruschetta wrap. But don't be jealous of my photography skills.

On Saturday I want to the opera with Jenessa. We saw La Boheme. It was pretty awesome! It was so wonderful to hear Italian and understanding it made the opera so much more fun. Really you all need to learn Italian. It will enhance your life. Think about it! It's the language of music, food, and in my opinion love (take that French)!

But It Works

So I am back in good ol' Provo. Well actually I've been back for a couple of weeks, but nothing that exciting had happened so I didn't blog. Life is life.

For those of you interested my weeks are CRAZY! I have started having classes in high schools so I have to get up at high school time. Except this time around I have to look professional. Hello early mornings! Then there are classes and work, but alas that's the life of a college students.

Now don't start worrying that I have no social life. I'm posting this to prove that I do. It's just a little more limited than in years past.

The first weekend back in Provo we had an Italy reunion, because let's be honest we missed each other. A lot. It was fun to see everyone and eat the closest thing we could find to Italian food in Provo. I love those girls!

Italian buddies! Just missing Anne.

This weekend I got to go down to St. George with some of my friends. Can I just say that I love St. George? It was SO nice to be in warm 50 degree weather after the last few weeks of 5 degree cold. We got to go hiking in Snow Canyon. I LOVE that place. The red rocks are just so beautiful and fun to climb on. I even managed to climb up a huge one. My friends were really patient with my fear of height and coached me up and down one.

So beautiful.

I wasn't excited or anything.

We love St. George!

Ryan loves his bottom. Why else would he put in the picture?

It was so fun to go back to St. George together.

Hannah was convinced she was a rocket ship.

After hiking we headed over to a wedding reception. Andrew and Ryan got to be bartenders while the rest of us played rhyming games. I rock at the rhyming game! Not to brag or anything... Of course a large part of the evening was spent discussing Andrew's new TV show. Ever wonder if you could date without asking anyone? Well this is the show for you. You may not ask, you may not have experience, but it works. Sorry for the promotional plug! I'm not even getting paid for this advertising!

That's life back at BYU.

The Holidays in the 360

Well I've come back to earth and realized that I have to blog about something besides Europe. Sad. I know.

My study abroad meant that I had an extra long winter vacation. I got to spend 5 of the weeks with my family in Washington. That's the longest I've been with them in a couple of years. As always my stay was eventful.

Of course my day to day life was not so eventful. What exactly does a college student with very few friends in town, a busy family, and no job do at home for five weeks? Well let's just say that it contains a lot of period romances of the textual and film variety. My poor parents were forced to watch a few with me. It also has a good deal of sleeping in, a lot of pigging out (because I really needed to gain even more weight after Italy), and a few hours spent scrubbing every wooden cabinet in our house. However, I already said that it was eventful and there was definitely some excitement. So here it goes...

Me with my period dramas.

Excitement #1: I found out that I have to wear glasses for the next four months. Ok, maybe that wasn't exciting, but it was a change. So keep your four eyes jokes to your self. The contacts will be back in a few short months.

Excitement #2: Eli had his first orchestra concert. He's following the family tradition of playing the viola!

Rockin' out. 

Excitement #3: Grandpa surprised Grandma with a ticket to the Mormon Tabernacle Christmas Concert. She was ecstatic! Dreams come true no matter what age you are.

I don't think I've ever seen her so happy!

Excitement #4: Noah turned 15!!!!! How did that happen? I swear he was just 10 yesterday.

Well at least he's excited to be getting older.

Excitement #5: We continued our traditional "sneakies." Every year we dress up in Santa hats and secretly deliver plates of Christmas goodies. AKA ding-dong-ditch

Who knew Christmas joy could look this goofy.

Excitement #6: I got to meet up with my dear friend, Hkrop. It was great to catch up with her.

Excitement #7: We went shooting. We had some rotten pumpkins and it only seemed natural that we should shoot at them. Turns out our aim isn't so great with my Grandpa's antique black powder musket. That's not to say that we let those pumpkins live another day. Sticks go a long way.

Our targets.

Making faces in the car and trying to stay warm.

Grandpa teaching everyone about the gun.

It was Mom's first time shooting and she liked it!

Excitement #8: Christmas!!!!!! Need I say more?

My parents got me pecorino and pears for my stocking stuffer!!! Oh it was a sweet reunion.

Dad and Eli opening presents. Dad has no idea that I will soon send him through

a series of challenges before he can get his gift.

My Grandma made a book of all my blog posts from Italy.

Obviously I was excited about it.

After the late departure of my previous camelbak (still mourning the loss)

my parents found me a replacement.

After 12.5 years I finally got a new set of scripture. I think it was about time.

When the back cover falls off you might need a new set.

Excitement #9: I saw Les Miserables. I was already obsessed after seeing the play in the West End. Now my love has been rekindled. I will say that I did like the play WAY better, but I still absolutely LOVED the movie. I mean it had Eddie Redmayne in it. What's not to love?

Marius, we should be friends.

Excitement #10: My cousins came to town. We always spend New Year's with them.

Nothing says cousin bonding time like a photobooth session.

Excitement #11: The Seahawks are going to the play offs! Woot woot!

Sadly all holiday festivities are about to come to and end and I have to return to school. Although perhaps classes might be an improvement upon my daily laziness.

My Tips for Eating the Best Gelato

Ok. So I love gelato. Is that news? No. I have seen a lot of tourists eating gelato and I have noticed some common mistakes in picking and consuming the correct gelato. I hope that this post will clear all of that up. Not be pretentious or anything...

Tip #1: Be in Italy. I know that there is gelato elsewhere and I know that sometimes you're going to indulge because you miss it, but really gelato is best in its homeland. So go. Eat. Enjoy.

Tip #2: If at all possible go to San Gimignano. The gelato there won the world championship. Seriously  . It is so good.

Tip #3: Avoid gelato shops that have giant mounds of gelato. If it is piled a foot high in the container it means it's not fresh. Trust me. Don't eat it. There is better out there.

Tip #4: Avoid gelato shops that overly decorate their gelato. The strawberry does not need to be covered in strawberries. If it's good gelato it will stand on its own and doesn't need extra attention.

Tip #5: For flavor go with a cone. The cones provide a lovely crunch and savory flavor to balance out the gelato.

Tip #6: For quantity go with the cup. They tend to have more in them.

Tip #7: Eat it with a spoon. You'll eat slower and enjoy it more. I understand though that sometimes it is just so dang good that you want to shove it in your mouth as fast as possible. Don't feel guilty if you can't hold back.

Tip #8: Try it in hot chocolate. Life changing!

Tip #9: When in doubt Grom it out. If you can't find a local shop that looks appealing Grom is always good and it is in a lot of cities. (They even have one in Malibu. Road trip?)

Tip #10: While in Italy eat whenever you get the chance. You'll miss it. I guarantee.

Tip #11: Don't worry about the weight you'll gain. It is healthier than ice cream after all!

This is what you should look like while eating the right gelato.

I hope this fills you with the joy that can only come from gelato.

Buon appetito.