Details you may or may not have wanted to know...

• I found a job. It's a phone job. Not my number one choice. But it's a paycheck and I'm lucky to be employed in this economy that is a blow up the kilt. Hmm...there is a story behind that saying...Paris. Lots of Scottish men. Moulin Rouge. Long, hilarious story for another day.



• We went to Family Home Evening tonight, though apparently we're just supposed to call it Home Evening now. Hmm. Anyway, we were sanding blocks for kids to play with. I really really love sitting down by strangers and talking to them. I love going home with positive feelings for people that I didn't know existed even hours before.



• I L-O-V-E working out to Jillian Michaels workout DVD. It's very berry satisfying. Magari in part because I feel like it's getting easier. And one marvelous truth that my mission president taught me is that we like doing things that we're good at. So if you don't like doing something, it's probably because you're not good at it. I think of a lot about things in my life like this. Well if I don't like it, I need to do it (stick with it) until I'm good at it and then doing it will be enjoyable. Mmm...isn't that great? I think about that a lot.



• I got a new calling--2nd counselor in the Relief Society Presidency. Honestly, I had no clue what that even meant. But from what I understand, it's going to be fabulous and the other ladies in the presidency are really cool so...win-win.



• I cut 6 inches of hair right off. I am a wee bit of a git because every time I cut my hair, I always miss it. haha Thanks to my pal Mindle, she recommended a vitamin and special shampoo that apparently makes your hair grow faster. Placebo effect? Don't mind if I do!



• I tried my usual spinach & banana smoothie with some blueberries today. Not a disappointment. I find it slightly humorous that breakfast cereal was honestly my go-to...every morning. Not like I'm judging people who have cereal for breakfast--cause I'm not. But for me, it was a good thing to branch out. And I don't even want it anymore. Who knew Popeye the sailor man was on to something?! Smart man that lad. Smart man.



• On Sunday, my roommate and I decided that we wanted to sing hymns together. She pulled out her guitar, and I pulled out my mandolin and we had a....religious jam session?? haha It was a good time.



• I went to the 4th Pirates of the Caribbean @ midnight o'clock. Why do I find Johnny Depp entirely fascinating?



• I'm working on reading "Standing for Something" by President Gordon B. Hinckley. He said something simple, probably not meaning to be profound, in the beginning of the book. Have a taste, "My life has been rich because it has been filled with problems to solve and associations to savor." Sometimes I read things like this and make audible "Mmm" sounds of satisfaction. I just completely agree.



• I cut myself shaving my legs the other morning and I felt like I was 13 years old again.



• I wear a ring on my ring finger on my left hand. It seems like people have been commenting on it more frequently. I find it slightly humorous because it's a fairly big flower-shaped ring that I bought in Mexico years ago. I just assume it's understood that it's obviously not an engagement ring but people ask me about it sometimes. Laughable. Apparently that finger cannot be adorned with anything but a diamond covered ring bestowed upon you by a male of your choice. Yeah, I just like wearing rings...even if they're ones that I've purchased for myself. :)



• My dentist told me that I have very small lips. He also thinks due to my extreme nighttime teeth grinding that I should go on a calming walk in the evening because he thinks I'm stressed. Since when do dentists make remarks about anything beside the presence or lack of cavities??



• My brother Cody and I hiked the Y on Saturday. I love hiking. It is one of the things that kept me sane when I first got home from my mission. I loved doing something physical and being able to clear my head in a beautiful place. It was nice to spend some time with my big bro. He has some pretty fierce strides. I felt like I took 2 steps to every 1 of his. haha He's great and it was fun to spend time with him. My darling Paris friend Stephanie had a beautiful baby--Natalie. It was really fun to sit and talk with Steph for a while. We had some hilarious good times in Europe and did many ridiculous things that we talk about to this day. I'm so happy for her that she's married to such a darling guy and they've made a beautiful little baby. Mission friend Breanna Hawkey had a bunch of us Italian missionaries over to her place. We always have so much fun together laughing and talking about those wonderful crazy italians that we'll never stop loving. In the pic below are Jamie, Layne, me, and Breanna. Jamie was my MTC companion. What a huge blessing it was to be companions with her. She has an incredible capacity to love. I had never experienced anything like it before I met her. The way she treats you, talks to you, interacts with you, even looks at you makes you feel her pure love for you. Feeling something like that has definitely made an impact on the way I interact with people and the way I hope they feel when they're around me. I still have a long way to go but I feel very blessed to have seen and experienced something so beautiful and Christlike in my dear friend and companion.



• Miss Layne is leaving for Italy this week to spend the summer there doing research for an Anthropology question. I am so excited for her to return to that beautiful country. What an incredible opportunity to learn more of the language, see a new part of the country, get to know more strangers who then become dear loved ones, and have a completely foreign experience that molds your character forever. She's going to do amazing and I'm so excited for her.