Countdown to Guatemala: 2 days

What I am most excited about:

- Meeting people that will change my life
-Bettering other peoples lives
-A week of non stop service
- A week of simplicity. No cell phone, no school, no drama, no computer.
-A week of realizing what I take for granted
- A week of empowering people and teaching them skills that will change them
- Getting chummy with DownEast "higher-up's".
- Getting chummy with everyone at Choice humanitarian
- Looking into possible Choice opportunities.
-Backpacking. I think I'm going to looove it.

Countdown to Guatemala: 3 days

What I'm most worried about:

-I'm going alone. I literally have zero relationships with anyone that will be there.
-Hiking / asthma/ allergy problems
-Hook worm? (Thank you Sadie Green for the nightmares.... )
- Sleeping on the floor of the jungle. (Okay... not really... but kinda...)
- Language barriers. The village we are in doesn't even speak Spanish. They speak their NATIVE tongue.
- What if I'm not cut out for it the way I think I am?
- What if I get sick?
- What if I Fuego explodes and I'm stranded for ever and ever?
- What if this is all a joke?

Countdown to Guatemala: 4 Days

Something I'm really trying not to think about.


So remember how I am taking online classes this semester? Well one of them is a Natural Disasters class. Now, this class is actually quite awesome. Very interesting, lots of information, yada yada yada. Well guess what? It also makes me super paranoid.

And guess what. I bet you didn't know that Guatemala has a volcano name "Fuego" and it recently had the "Largest Eruption in years". Don't believe me? Read it here. 

Awesome. Just awesome. 

How I am trying to look on the outside:

How I sorta feel on the inside: 

Countdown to Guatemala: 5 Days

My to-do list:

Ya... right. I wish. 

This stresses me out:

-Write a letter

-Email professors (please be nice to me!)

- Do ALL school work for this week (aaah!!)

-AND next weeks

-Get dress fitted

-Finish shopping list

-Packing list

-Go paint balling (It's happening)

-Work

-Get Endorsement from bishop

-Renew recommend

-Try to hit the temple

-Talk to that boy?

-Figure out Counselor class/ Handout...

-By an enormous amount of gum/ lifesavers

-Figure out where by backpack

-Find a new waterbottle?

-Copy Passport.

-Return late library book (opps...)

-Watch the bachelorette... heh... *ashamed face*

-Write a love note to Jewlya

-Get cash/ figure out trip money situation

-Possible wedding?

All of this stress will be worth it.... 

Countdown to Guatemala: 6 days

 We are in the final countdown! 

Can I just take a moment to tell you all how excited I am? I am not going to lie, I have been hesitant to post much on my blog about my trip because I don't want this to become "Lexi's brag blog". I am super blessed to get this opportunity and I honestly don't deserve it. But I just can't take it anymore so I am starting a 6 day countdown series to lead up for the big adventure.

Here is what I'm thinking:

Sunday: Intro

Monday: To-Do list before I leave

Tuesday: Something I'm trying not to think about

Wednesday: What I'm most worried about 

Thursday: What I'm most excited about

Friday: Departure night. 

Does that sound interesting to you guys? Anything you would like to hear from me before I leave? 

Lets start out with how I got this amazing opportunity.

Like most students, I work. I don't mind it. It definitely keeps me busy, but busy is usually a good thing in my book. I started working for DownEast Basics last spring semester about a year ago.  I started while I was up at school, and I loved it enough to stay with the company when I moved down to Utah these last couple of months. 

At the beginning of the year, they started putting up announcements on the webpage that we clock in with about a scholarship opportunity to go with DownEast and Choice Humanitarian  to Guatemala. What is funny is I literally didn't think anything about it for the longest time. To apply for the scholarship all you had to do was write a small essay about why you deserved to go. I literally didn't take it seriously until the day before it was due. Basically on a whim, I decided to email myself the scholarship application information.  

Part of the reason I was hesitant to apply was because I knew they had 4 scholarships- two full scholarships (Where DownEast pays for every single part of the trip) and two half scholarships (where DownEast pays for the expedition but you have to pay for your flight and other travel expenses). I knew I would feel terrible if I was offered a half scholarship and had to turn it down because I wouldn't even be able to pay for the flight. 

But I went with my gut. I applied anyway. I wrote my essay and got some help from my future Uncle-in-law Wes and sent the email off on it's way. And then.... (interestingly..) I sort of forgot about it. I was anxious to hear who won the scholarship, but I was also really trying not to get my hopes up, so any time I thought about it I would push it to the back of my mind. 

I had just been promoted to the Warehouse sale manager, and had only been acting manager for a few days when MY manager got a mysterious phone call where she left the room. I tried not to pay much attention or act very curious about her suspicious behavior. When she came back she handed me a post it note with a phone number on it and said "This is Mike's number from H.R. He needs you to give him a call" with the most serious look on her face. I seriously thought I was fired. Either I was fired, or as new manager they were going to make me fire one of my friends. I had a pit in the bottom of my stomach. I dreaded it, but slowly walked into the back room and dialed the number. 

When Mike first answered, I introduced myself and told him I was instructed to call him. He sounded so nice but quickly said "Hold on Lexi..." and quickly finished giving someone on his side of the line instructions about something or another. As he was talking to the invisible stranger my mind was whirling. He wouldn't have been so nice if I was fired, right? Or even if he was going to make me fire one of my girls? Maybe he just needed some paper work from me? 

He quickly came back and picked up the conversation again. He asked me about my intentions with the company and I was as honest as possible. He seemed pleased and moved on to talking about the trip to Guatemala. I think because I was so worried about the phone call, it took a while for my brain to switch gears and figure out what he was talking about. 

And then. It happened. He said the magic words.

 "Lexi. DownEast wants to offer you one of our full scholarships to join us in Guatemala with Choice Humanitarian." 

My heart literally skipped a beat. Did he just say what I think he said? Is he serious? Wait... REALLY?  I started laughing and crying all at the same time. I was in the back room of the DownEast warehouse sale, all by myself, and was doubled over trying to hold myself together.  I choked out a "THANK YOU! Oh my gosh... Oh my gosh... THANK YOU. You have no idea.... how much... this means to me. I'm sorry. I'm totally crying. I'm.... THANK YOU!"  You could hear how pleased he was to hear me having this conniption fit on the other side of the line. 

He gave me more details about how to prepare and what to be expecting in the next couple of months, and then asked me not to tell anyone who worked for the company because he needed some time to let the other winners know and to get the information out. By the end of our phone call I was a wreck. I finally pulled myself together enough to go out and do my job, but all I really wanted to do was shout from the roof tops "I'M GOING TO FREAKIN GUATEMALA! I HAVE THE FREAKIN BEST JOB IN THE WHOLE FREAKIN WORLD!" 

I left the back room, and there stood Erin, my best friend and fellow co-worker. I wanted to tell her my amazing news and I couldn't! To make matters worse she could tell something was up, and was pestering me with questions about my grin and the make-up that was smeared all over my face. It was one of the hardest secrets I've ever had to keep in my entire life. 

And now, it's upon us. We are in the final countdown. By this time next week I will be in the amazing country of Guatemala.

This is the village I'm going to:

The following video is basically life at BYU-I-do

Hooray for Hollywood.

Why do we love the familiar so much? For example, I am so excited because this year, there are two movies coming out that I am beyond excited for.  What's great is that both movies are literally some of my favorite stories of all time.





Let's start with Gatsby. Now I love to read.  That being said, I have rarely enjoyed reading "The classics" that were forced upon me in the middle school/ high school English classes. Gatsby is one of a few exceptions. I loved reading The Great Gatsby. First of all, a lot of credit should go to my awesome sophomore English teacher.  We read the book in class, and she did an amazing job of bringing the story and characters come to life for me. We found modern day songs that we thought applied to the story and I often think about our discussions on symbolism and themes through the book. Never before had I read a book where the characters were so truly miserable. Everyone was so miserable, but no one could see it in each other. A lot like real life.

 Leonardo DeCaprio?- PERFECT. Toby Mcguire? Wouldn't have it any other way. I even kind of like that they used Kanye and Jay-z music in the trailer.





First of all, happily surprised with Anne Hathaway's voice. She is not the most perfect singer, but I kind of love that about it. I have always had a special place in my heart for Les Miserables. I remember when I was a little girl, my parents would watch one of the concert versions of the music on VHS. I grew up with the songs playing around the house.  I adore the first act and honestly rarely get past it. Don't get me wrong, I know the second half is just as beautiful, but by the time the first act is over, I'm ready to re-wind and watch it again. Plus, (and maybe this is silly) but I often like seeing familiar faces in familiar parts.

The RING OF FIRE!

Me, my dad, two brothers, and little sister Libby all drove 4 hours each way to Kanaraville, Utah to see the "Ring of Fire". We camped out for 4 hours in the field to see the spectacular event. We had so much fun bonding and getting pumped for the eclipse.

You guys. It was literally one of the most spectacular things I have ever seen.  No picture or video will ever do it justice.


...Also here is a really good blog post written by someone else. It was fun to look at it because I saw so many of these people in the flesh and I WAS THERE!

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This last week I got to have my very first New York experience. Clearly I loved it.  I went as part of a "Cousins Retreat" and even though I was technically one of the the cousins daughters, they still let me go.

While I was there I was obsessed with the new app for Android, Instagram.  Here are some of the pictures I captured:

The view from our hotel room. 

One of the reasons we went to New York for the retreat is so many of our group wanted to see Newsies. We loved it! Apparently Katie Holmes and Surri were also at our showing. The whole thing was quite exciting. 

Our hotel was also just around the corner from Grand Central station

While at the station I couldn't stop thinking of the movie Arthur and I really wanted my

"Unofficial tour"! 

We ate at a VERY fancy brunch place called Norma's. They even had a $1000 menu item! 

(Can you believe it?!?!?! ) 

The picture below is of a purple potato. How divine. 

One of my favorite things we did was (an accidental) 3 hour bike ride through Central park.

The weather was gorgeous and perfect for bike riding! 

Cora did not like her ride as much as the rest of us.

During our bike ride we made a stop at Belvedre Castle 

There was an entertainer dressed as a pirate singing songs about a pirates life, 

and the view from the top was stunning 

Our hotel was also very close to the Chrysler Building

(Funny story- as we were walking up to our hotel the first day, we were debating as a group what building we thought it might be. From his car, a local keep just saying over and over "Chrysler, Chrysler, Chrysler" until we heard him. We all had a good laugh about what tourists we were.)

We also got a beautiful view of the city as we walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. One of my favorite things that was said on the trip is when we came up from the subway in Brooklyn and my Aunt Laura annouced "This is Spot Conlon territory!" 

I became quite obsessed with architecture while in New York. 

  Even though they are not complete, we still spent some time at the 9/11 Memorial. 

What a very holy and beautiful place. 

All that was completed was the two fountains at the footprint of the two towers, and  they were breathtaking. 

I can't wait to return to the Memorial to see the museum and the new building be completed. 

 For whatever reason, the 9/11 memorial didn't take as long as we anticipated, so we got to make a last minute trip to Ellis Island- which was also one of my favorite things we did.

I was grateful I had seen Lehi High Schools play "Carried down the names" a few months ago because I felt like it made Ellis Island really come alive for me. 

The following two pictures are probably my favorite two pictures I took while in New York and I submitted both to the Instagram #landmarked project 

 That night we spent in Little Italy and I had the best Gnocchi con Pesto of my life! 

 Seeing St. Peter's Cathedral was a great change of pace. 

And here are some of the few photos I took from my own camera 

Walking the Brooklyn Bridge with Kat and Slobbery. 

  

Fountains and new memorial building at Ground Zero with the Grandma.

My old man crush, Good ol' Matty!

We got to spend about 20 minutes in the Natural History Museum. 

Mayan Calendar. Massive. 

My entire museum experience was revolved around trying to find this guy. I wasn't sure if we was real or a replica until I found him, but there are only TWO real Moi taken from Easter Island. (One in Vina del mar, Chile- a picture I have, and one in the Louvre) While at the Natural History Museum I couldn't remember if there were two or three, but I knew they must have at least a replica because of the movie "Night at the Museum". I was determined to get a picture with the Moi if he was real, but by the time we realized he was a replica I figured a picture would be good anyway.   

Here are some more great pictures taken by others on our trip: 

Thanks to everyone who let me come! It was definitely the experience of a life time and I enjoyed getting to know my loved ones on so much more of a personal level! Mitzi, Char and Laura, Thanks for all the hard work you did to get us all there! 

Educate yo'self!

Well kids, Spring Semester has finally arrived. I've decided to stay in Utah this semester and continue living with Cristina and kids for the time being. Let me continue with saying that while Cris was probably the biggest reason I am going to stay in Utah, she is not the ONLY reason.

Reasons why I will not be returning to Rexburg:

1. Cristina and kids

2. I am going to New York this week, aka the first week of school (sounds smart)

3. I would have to leave for over a week to go to Guatemala.

4. The last two weeks of school are also the weeks of Retreat for Girls. Last year I didn't go and it about KILLED me. It might be sort of dumb to think I can pull of finishing up classes in time to go to RFG, but if there is a will, there is a way right?

5. I'm excited that all my Utah friends will start showing their faces around here.

6. It just feels right.

So my classes all opened on Saturday. Annnnnnnnnnd I'm starting to have anxiety. I think I wasn't quite mentally prepared. I've been looking forward to New York so much that I sort of forgot that it also was the week classes began. And I'm used to moving into my new apartment, meeting new roommates, buying books at the bookstore, and everything else that comes with a new semester. I almost forgot we were starting and I feel like I am not mentally prepared!

In total: 15 credits

Econ 150 (Because I am considering changing my major to International Studies)

English 201 (Advanced writing- Foundation class)

Religion 200 (Family Foundations- Required, not looking forward to this at all....)

Science 201 (Natural Disasters-Foundation class)

Science 203 (Environmental Stewardship- Foundation class)

College Sucess 105 (Because I needed one more credit for my scholarship)

They say that I should be devoting at LEAST 2 hours per credit each week. 15 x 2= 30 hours of school + 20 hours a week of work = Can I really make this happen?

I'm nervous that I am starting a semester so pessimistic. So I'm determined to change it,

(Please pray for my sanity)

And for a good laugh:

(sorry about the poor quality)

Cripple

Yes. I totally did. I TOTALLY fell down the stairs in a most un-graceful manner. I sort of rolled my ankle and then smacked it on the tile. It's not that bad, but it's pretty bruised and hurts to stand on.

Now I am a cripple and I seriously seriously SERIOUSLY hobble everywhere I go. It's sad. You should feel bad for me.

Guess Where I'm going now.....

Good News #2

Wow. I am just realizing that I totally left you guys hanging about my other good news!! Part of it is I had to wait a little while before I was allowed to tell everyone about it, but now that I am really allowed (and most of you have already heard from Facebook):

DownEast (My work place) has given me a full scholarship to go with them and Choice Humanitarian on a expedition to Chirixquitzac, Guatemala!!!!! They are paying for EVERYTHING! The plane ride, the travel expenses, the Expedition fee's etc.

I had to write an essay to DownEast on why I deserved to go with them, and I got a call last week letting me know that I was chosen by DownEast and Choice Humanitarian to go with them! I feel so honored and excited! If you don't know me very well, this is exactly the kind of thing that I love to do. If I had all the money in the world, I would spend it going on trips like this that benefit others. What great blessings I have received in my life after such a hard couple of months!

Good news #1

I have had a hard couple of months, but recently I have received two major blessings in my life. This is the first one; I was promoted to be manager of the Downeast warehouse sale at the fashion place mall!

This picture is what my store looks like now that we have moved in. It works out perfectly because it is a temporary store (will probably be open no later than April). Its just long enough for me to learn a lot and put "manager" on my resume, but isn't so long that its over whelming for a college girl like me. I'm so grateful for this opportunity and I seriously LOVE MY JOB!!!!!!

Birthday dinner with the cousins

Alma 26: 26-27

27 Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success.

28 And now behold, we have come, and been forth amongst them; and we have been patient in our sufferings, and we have suffered every privation; yea, we have traveled from house to house, relying upon the mercies of the world—not upon the mercies of the world alone but upon the mercies of God.

Cutest Valentines date I ever had.

Defiling Cristina's body

Last night Cristina took her medication, but the problem was that the doseage was too high for her little body. her "drunkenness" was rather amusing until we could get a coke (her first caffeine fix in over a year! Sorry to defile you hun!) In her.

Texas roundhouse to celebrate Alex getting his MBA! Yumma!