FoReVeR SuNsHiNe

road trips seem to make me happy.

i am convinced that i was born to travel.

my most recent road trip was to utah.

i was able to see old friends and roommates.

i was able to wander around the mall and take fun pictures.

but most important, i went through the temple for the first time.

with the ones i love. my family.

life is good.

life

i think that its officially safe to say that i have a life again. well, not really, but i do have a job. my first job ever. doing soil testing. so yes, i get to get dressed up and look like a geek everyday. lab coat, goggles, and gloves, the whole package. can i at least say that i make a very cute geek? chemistry may not be my life profession, but it will do for now. and one plus - there is a very handsome guy that works there too.

*AuStRaLiA*

FuN FaCtS AbOuT AuStRaLiA

- Australia was the second country to give women the vote.

- In 1954, Bob Hawke was immortalised by the Guinness Book of Records for sculling 2.5 pints of beer in 11 seconds. Bob later became the Prime Minister of Australia.

- Swimming - In 1838 it was declared illegal to swim at public beaches during the day! This law was enforced until 1902.

- Australia's first police force was a band of 12 of the most well behaved Convicts.

- In 2007, it was estimated that 22 per cent of living Australians had a convict ancestor.

- Emus and kangaroos cannot walk backwards, and are on the Australian coat of arms for that reason.

- When a specimen of the platypus was first sent to England, it was believed the Australians had played a joke by sewing the bill of a duck onto a rat.

- Australia is the sixth largest country in the world. It's about the same size as the 48 mainland states of the USA and 50 per cent larger than Europe, but has the lowest population density in the world - only two people per square kilometre.

Australian inventions...

- Australians invented notepads (1902)

- aspirin (1915)

- the pacemaker (1926)

-penicillin (1940)

-the Hills Hoist clothesline (1946)

- the plastic disposable syringe (1949)

- the wine cask (1965)

- the bionic ear (1978)

- dual-flush toilet flush (1980)

- anti-counterfeiting technology for banknotes (1992)

- long-wearing contact lenses (1999).

the waiting game

the waiting game. doesnt everybody just love to play it? waiting for final semester grades. waiting for a boy to call. waiting for vacation. waiting for a surprise. in my case - waiting for a mission call.

checking the internet every hour for grades. sitting by the phone, waiting for that call. looking at pictures of all of the wonderful places you could be, but your not. hoping for something new, exciting, and random to happen. in my case - dad walking out to the mailbox through the snow every day, me watching from the window. looking for that big white envelope in his hands.

i was making cookies, a new recipe. dad had just checked the mail and said it hadnt come, and i thought that it would never come. next thing i know, i am getting poked by something, and i turn around and see a big white envelope... to sister brooke baker.

and we all know what happens after this - we get everyone on the phone. i tear open the envelope, read where i'm going and shout "i'm going where i wanted to go!!!" of course, no one had any clue, because i hadnt read where i was going out loud. AUSTRALIA MELBOURNE MISSION. and i think everyone is a little surprised.

why? why would they be surprised? first of all, no one guessed anywhere even close to autsralia for me. they all guessed in the states. for good reasons too. all the missionaries in our stake are either in the U.S. or in South America. and here i am, going to AUSTRALIA!!

to say i am excited is an understatement. i cant be more thrilled or happy about my call. foreign. english speaking. perfect. only down side to my call - i dont leave till june 22nd.

and that my friends, is what we call karma... i rushed to get my papers in before we left for our trip back east, i put my ready date in february, and i decided to not go to school this winter. of course i would get my call soon after my ready date. right? boy was i wrong. i have a 6 month wait. stuck in moses lake. what am i going to do? i have no idea. only time will tell...

culture shock

my professor said that when i got back to america, i would experience culture shock. i laughed at the thought. why would i experience culture shock in my own culture? well.... little did i know that he would be right.

saturday night i went to a relief society dinner with mom. my feelings? OVERWHELMED.

for the last three months i haven't...

1.) been around that many members of the church. there were only 30 people totally in our branch in Siena (including our small group)

2.) been surround by conversations that i could actually understand every word (i love english!)

3.) had so many people asking me questions, about my life in italy

4.) had time to only speak and think for myself, i was always translating for my roommate, or taking charge in the conversations. for the first time, i didnt have to do that, and i didnt have to concentrate on every word the other person was saying to me. i actually had a hard time thinking of what every word was in english not italian, to respond to people!

5.) had space. and here there's wide open spaces - everywhere. you can't just walk to the place you want to go, you actually need a car.

6.) craved pasta. but now that i'm back, i actually crave it. i ate it everyday for three months straight, and we just dont eat that much pasta here. i miss it.

dont get me wrong, its great to be back. but i fell in love with italy. and i miss it with all my heart. i miss going out and doing something new everyday, i miss talking with all of my friends in the program... i find myself getting bored at home... but i am slowly, very slowly adjusting. life is good, america is good. i just need to accept the fact that i'm back and that its finally time to figure out what i'm doing with my life.

wish me luck!

a TaStE oF tHe SoUtH

ViTuLaZiO.

NaPoLi.

PoMpEiI.

SoRrEnTo.

CaPrI.

PoSiTaNo.

AiRpOrTs

airports.

i am currently spending the night in one. it is an interesting business. there are people everywhere. spread out on blankets. huddled under jackets. pushing around luggage. trying to stay warm.

me? i just woke up from an hour nap, curled up in a ball on the floor. in the middle of a ring of luggage, after packing and repacking my bags... trying to make the correct weight. it is now my turn for watch duty.

this last week has been a blast. napoli, vitulazio, pompeii, sorrento, capri, positano, amalfi coast, roma. catching trains, eating lemon sorbet in an actual lemon, trudging through the pouring rain, for the last three weeks...

i am ready to go home. never thought i would say that. but lugging around two suitcases and a packed bag? i dont like it. i am ready for warmth, hot bubble baths, popcorn, english, movies, toilet paper hanging from the wall, a large bed, and family.

arrivederci italia. hello america.