June 17 - Blessings of Joy (Day 2) with pictures!

This trip has been a lot different than the last trip. Last trip there were 10 of us, this trip there is 20. We have more people and more projects. It’s crazy but it is also nice. Today Carlie and I visited Blessings of Joy again to perform eyeglass tests. It was a hard experience. The villagers were waiting for us when we arrived at the school and as soon as we got there we began setting everything up. Blessings of Joy is a very very poor school and the villagers are very poor with their house very far apart. I am not sure how far they have to walk to go to the school but it has to be a nice distance because there were no homes close to it at all. We get to the school by driving over a small dirt walking path (there isn’t even a road). It is a very very very poor school and their name fits them perfectly.

None of these people speak fluent English so we had to get an interpreter to speak to them. We set up the eye tests and the villagers began coming in one by one, then ten by ten. One of the first men that we treated had been beaten up by a gang and was as far as we could tell blind. Through the interpreter I learned that he could only slight shadows. After asking questions for a while and trying some different tests I had to tell this man there was nothing I could do for him. I started to cry and cry. He was the sweetest old man and I was so devastated thinking about how he walked to the school without being able to see, the hope he must have felt, how he sat and waited for us to come, and then how he waited in the room until we could help him – knowing Americans were here to help him see, and then how in a few short minutes I burst all of his hope and told him there was nothing I could do and sent him right back out the door.

Last trip I really came to appreciate my freedoms and blessings of being born in America. As I cried I realized I hate that I have been given so much and that others have been given so little. I hated that I could do nothing for this man to see again and I hated turning him away. I tried to get back to testing eyes quickly because I knew that there were some I would be able to help.

Others came who I could not help, but there were some I know I did help. Those moments are what made it worthwhile. All the people that I saw were so sweet and gentle and sincere and loving. After helping someone and giving them a pair of glasses they would get down on their knees and grab my hand and bow their head and say thank you. What a humbling experience because I really feel like I should be thanking these people for what they are teaching me and for the love that they exemplify.

Although I didn’t get pictures of every happy and sad experience, here are a few:

This lady was finally able to see…

This man had an infected eye and it was swollen to his temple and forehead and infection was leaking out a hole in his eyebrow…

This 16 year old boy began to see spots and slowly lost his vision all together. One eye is deteriorating away, the other has no pupil.

This man caught some sort of disease and the skin was being eatin away from around his eye…
This one – is self explanatory right?

June 10 - My bags are packed...

This summer was going to be pretty chill, relax at home, work, try to save some money and find a new job now that I am graduated, and take one trip (yes only one) to Washington. However, about a month ago those plans changed and I am now on my way to Uganda, Africa; London, England; and Dublin, Ireland. I am in Atlanta now and am on my way!!! Whoop, whoop.

So, I will keep you updated the best I can. I'm gonna miss everyone and can't wait to come back home and catch up!

Wind Cave Hike

One reason why I love Cache Valley is because of all the awesome hiking trails! Here are some pics from the Wind Cave hike.

I think that the Wind Caves may be one of the easier hikes in Cache Valley. I would say it is a fun family-friendly hike. Not too hard and not too long. The view is amazing and it is just an all around pretty hike!

Salt Lake ReAl

Saturday night we went to the Salt Lake ReAl soccer game. I have never been to the Rio Tinto Stadium before and absolutely LOVED it! I think any seat in the stadium is a good seat to watch the soccer games. The team did well although they lost 0-2 which is disappointing. It's never fun to watch the team you are rooting for lose but it was still a good game. It was fun being with the family and seeing Annika (and Alisha & Brian) since we don't see them often. Annika woke up with a cough & runny nose that morning but was still cheerful and fun.

She actually started yelling at the players like everyone else in the crowd without us even coaxing her to do so. We got a good laugh out of it. My dad and Austin also won a contest and were able to go down on the ReAl field during half time and get their prize while being shown on the big screen. ;^) Good times, good times. Oh and this was the first sold out game since 1999!!!! While we were walking there we saw tons and tons of fans (in ReAl shirts) walking the other way. I had no idea the games were so big but I'm glad we got our tickets ahead of time. I would def go to another game!

Commencement (Graduation)

Special thanks to my family, who made it all possible! Even Alli who is M.I.A. It's true that part of the motivation in walking was having Alisha say that she would come up and watch. That meant Annika came up to visit. Who can say, "No" to that?

Alisha got her all decked out in a USU Aggie hair bow and shirt. She looked so cute for her favorite aunt's graduation.

Last weekend I went down to visit and I showed Annika how she can sit on my foot and I would take her for a ride. Now she always comes over and sits on my foot and wraps her arms around my leg ready for a ride. Graduation morning was no different.

Me with the other Professional & Technical Writers/Graduates that I went through my schooling with. WE ARE ALL DONE!!!! YAY!!!!!

(Carly Kropf & Mike Teagle are missing and were missed... they didn't walk.)

Just for a little blog fun where am I!? (No cheating Alisha cuz you took the picture...)

Starting my commencement walk... To which I did not trip. Receiving what looks like my diploma - but it's really just the case for my diploma. ;^)

Me with some of my friends Jenny & Celia.
Me & Mike

(Yes. He sat through graduation but did not walk.)

I did it!
And P.S. I ended school receiving a 4.0!!!!

Official Announcement

I am announcing my graduation. Officially. From Utah State University. YAY!!!!! I have finally reached the point where I have a Bachelor's Degree. I am graduating with a Bachelor of Science Degree in English with an emphasis in Professional & Technical Writing. The degree entails document type writing (grants, proposals, instructions sets, etc.), editing, design, website creation, etc. So not the typical English teaching major everyone thinks of when I say that I am an English major. We focus on computers and design just as much if not more than on writing & grammar.

I haven't wanted to walk for graduation but Alisha & my mom (and Marci Monson) have all encouraged me to do so saying that it is a great way to commemorate the end. So I will be walking. Since I just decided to walk there are no announcements or anything going out (hence the official announcement post). I just called and learned what I need to do and the following schedule is why I wasn't going to walk:

8:30 I line up on the quad
9:00 Graduates walk to the spectrum
9:30 USU Graduation Ceremony begins
11:30 line up in spectrum for HASS graduation
12:00 HASS Graduation Ceremony begins

Wish me luck and pray I don't trip! Wa-hoo! I'm so outta here!

Quarter of a Century

That's 25 and that's how old I am now. I kept telling my mom that I figure my life is now officially 1/3 of the way over because most people nowadays die around 75 right!? lol. I know there is still so much to look forward to and turning 25 isn't too big of a deal - but kind of a deal because it is a quarter of a century! I started out my birthday by working on a research paper until 4 AM. I set my alarm clock to 6 AM so that I could wake up and read through it and be to work by 6:30 AM. Well I opened my eyes that morning of my birthday and looking at the clock read "7:45." SHOOT!!!! I was VERY late for work and the paper was now also late (due at 7:30). Ugh! I jumped out of bed and hauled up to campus.

The day got pretty relaxed from there and was quite enjoyable. I worked at the University Inn and did some mentoring, wrote a letter to my little missionary sister and then went home for an AMAZING dinner made by my mom. She wondered if I wanted to go out to eat or have her make something. She is such a good cook that I opted for her to cook. ;^) She made tiny spicy chicken, fried rice, and butterfly shrimp. Mmmmm it was AMAZING!!!!! I had wanted to celebrate my parent's "birthing day" and recognize them for giving birth to me 25 years ago. So I had made them a cake last night and made big plans to drop off some gifts, the cake, some balloons, and a poster "It's A Girl!" at the house this morning but sleeping in and being late to work kinda ruined that idea. I dropped off the cake in the middle of the afternoon and figured I would commemorate them more on another birthday. I still have never had a child so I still don't know everything that goes into it but I am thankful that my mom carried me around for 9 months and that her and my dad have always supported me. So I figured this "birthday" of mine may actually have more memories for them than it does for me. Because I don't actually remember when the water broke and the ride to the hospital! ;^) So thanks mom & dad for my birthday! And Happy Birthing Day to you! ;^D

I celebrated with my family after dinner by opening presents and eating the cake I made. My mom was going to make one for me but we decided we didn't need that many sweets around the house.

Afterwards I went to my apartment and celebrated with my friends by having cake & ice cream and making a music video (I know - what more could you ask for)!?

Mike actually worked while I celebrated with my family but came over after for the friend party. He celebrated my birthday from Sunday to Saturday and the night after my birthday we went to Maddox. We both got Bison and it was so yummy. Mike had never been there before and LOVED it!!!! We both had fun and it was quite the week having some sort of celebration every day!

It was a great birthday and I am glad I have so many wonderful friends & family that took the time to celebrate my BIG 25th birthday with me!

I was tagged... By BFF Boozer

One Word

1-Your cell phone? Pink
2-Your significant other? Handsome
3-Your Mother? Kind
4- Your Father? Hard-worker
5-Your Hair? Dark
6-Your favorite Thing? Tennis
7-Your Dream last night? Forgot
8-Your favorite drink? Pina Colada
9-Your dream/goal? Happiness
10-The room you're in? Breakfast Room
11-Your ex? Lame
12-Your fear? Loss
13-Where do you want to be in 6 years? Vacationing
14-Where were you last night? Mike's (writing a paper)
15-What your not? Nice
16-Muffins? None
17-One of your wish list items? House
18-Where you grew up? Hyde Park
19-The last thing you did? Facebook
20- What are you wearing? Pants
21- Your TV? Black
22-Your pets? Dusty (Yellow Lab)
23-Your computer? Old
24-Your life? Adventurous
25-Your Mood? Pleasant
26-Missing Someone? Everyone
27-Your car? Black
28-Something you're not wearing? Boxers
29-Favorite Store? None
30-Your summer? Short
31-Like someone? Yes
32-Your Favorite color? Pink
33-Last time you laughed? Yesterday
34-Last time you Cried? Saturday
35- Who will re-post this? Alisha