i love movies like i love music. i just wanted to take a minute to share with you a few of my favorites :)
transformers- i don't know why cool cars that turn into robots does it for me. it's just awesome.
italian job- funny, clever, and exciting. who doesn't love handsome rob?
how to train your dragon- definitely will always be one of my favorites. i seriously smile through the whole movie.
slumdog millionaire- a well made film. awesome music, great story about love.
just friends- hilarious. i cry when i watch this. sorry i'm not poor! sorry i'm not the most BORING person ever!
batman begins- christopher nolan, you are a genius. we see that in the batman films, as well as inception, which is another favorite.
hello followers! so i'm starting one of those weekly things: monday moments, where i tell you about some awkward things that have happened recently, then some awesome things. sound familiar? because sydney over at the daybook does this too. so rather than making one post dedicated to one awkward/awesome moment, there will be a whole lot of awkwardness and awesomeness in one post. you excited? better be.
awkward:
this picture. girls faking mustaches and unibrows. attractive. (no one hate me for this, please)
being in my sweats, hair on top of my head, no make up, and needing to get to kelsey's place six-ish doors down. checking to see if the coast is clear. ok...go. shuffle shuffle as fast as i can in my slippers, then, lo and behold a boy walks out of an apartment. 'oh, hey'. crap.
nearly falling on ice in the parking lot at work
the awkward moment when you and just one other person are walking in a hallway towards each other, and you're frantically thinking if you should say hi or not. as they get closer, suddenly the pictures on the wall are a lot more interesting than before.
awesome:
LONDON.
getting praised by doctors at work, telling me that i'm good with patients and would be a good pa.
new shirts from nordstrom.
christmas in a cup.
overheard at byu's page on fbook. hilarious guys.
celebrating my awesome brother's birthday for two days in a row! happy 27th bro, a lot of people love you.
anyone heard of cupcakes and cashmere? well emily is this darling fashionista who gives great fashion tips and yummy recipes. at least once a week, she blogs about five things that have made her happy that week. i think it's such a great idea, and i would love to adopt it to my blog (as well as awkward and awesome from the daybook...more on that later). i've realized that if you find more things to be happy about, you are less grouchy. and i could definitely use less grouchy.
hello all! i have another post on happiness. and this week i am featuring miss whitney wilde:
would you look at this gal?! isn't she the prettiest? and let me tell you, this girl knows how to have a good time. she is just a blast to be around and is always up for some fun. i asked whitney to tell me 10 things that make her oh-so happy.
Whitney: To Happiness... 1. my family... ESPECIALLY my nieces and nephews. They are freakin cute and make me sooooo happy! 2. Going to lake powell every summer with my family and friends. Camping out and sleeping in the boat under the stars, laughing our butts off and getting sun burned and just being together. 3. The great people in my life! MY WONDERFUL family and friends... the interesting people I get to meet randomly and become friends with... just all the people in my life... they are what make life great 4. Writing letters to taylor and receiving letters from him! I love him and i love getting to have a little piece of him through his words. 5. The Gospel. So grateful for the eternal perspective we have been blessed with! 6. Christmas and the spoken word. I have gone evert single year with my fam for 20 years and im so grateful i have been able to do that!
7. My swimming pool in my backyard at home and all of the family and friend pool parties we have had there!
8. MY NIECES AND NEPHEWS [she must be an AWESOME aunt!]
9. SKYPE
10. Pictures
day ten: temple mount (dome of the rock), bethlehem
temple mount- the place where abraham was to sacrifice his son, isaac. this is also where christ will rein during the millennium. burr, it was cold there, but we did see some pretty amazing things.
next up, we went to bethlehem. our israeli guide could not come in with us because she was jewish, and only palestinians could enter bethlehem. we saw the church of the nativity, the traditional site of where christ was born. we also saw the shepherd's field, where the shepherds and their herd were when they heard the wonderful news that christ was born.
after that, we headed back to jerusalem to walk part of the villa dolorosa, the 'stations' where christ was in the events leading to His crucifixion. there were even smaller crosses that people could carry to just get a taste of what christ went through at that time. it was very sobering to be walking the path that christ walked, while he was spat on, crowned with thorns, and burdened with a heavy cross.
we also got to spend more time at the wailing wall. there were tons of bar mitzvahs that day, so we got to see plenty of boys become men with lots of dancing and music.
day eleven: last day, guys! holocaust museum, garden tomb.
we woke up to a stormy and cold day. after breakfast, we went to the holocaust museum in jerusalem- yad vashem. sadly, we couldn't take pictures inside, so hence, there are none to post. there was a beautiful children's memorial in a separate building. you went into a room, and the name and age of a child was read out in the speakers overhead. it was dark inside and the only light came from hundreds of candles, each representing one child. mirrors were placed from floor to ceiling, so thousands of candles were reflected everywhere. when we actually got into the museum, it was so crowded. it was so hard to stop and read things with people yelling in spanish, japanese, german, and hebrew everywhere. that place was huge. you could zig-zag back and fourth for hours, and still not catch the fullness of this museum. amazing.
after that, we went to my favorite place of the trip: the garden tomb. we got to see many great things, but at nearly every site, the tour guide would say 'this is the traditional site' or 'this is where it may have happened', but at the garden tomb, it is impossible to believe that that wasn't the very spot where christ was buried and where he emerged three days later. even apostles say that is the site. our little british guide told us that excavators found no bones in the tomb. 'well of course they didn't! hallelujah! he is risen! of course he was not there!'. there was even a groove in front of the tomb where the rock was rolled in front of the entrance. there was such a sweet spirit there, and you knew it was a holy place.
inside the tomb
you guys! that's all! i'm so happy i could share this experience with you. this was a once in a lifetime opportunity and i am so blessed to have been able to go. i wouldn't trade the sacred experiences i had while in jerusalem for anything.
on the seventh day, we got dropped off at the bottom of mt. tabor (mount of transfiguration). then, little van taxis drove us to the top of the mountain. wow, it was so twisty and turny and he went so fast around the corners. barf. anywho, this is where christ himself was transfigured and also where peter, james, and john were called as apostles. these guys got to see how earth would be in it's transfigured state and they received priesthood keys of heaven. wowza.
after mount tabor, we drove to bethany. this is where jesus raised lazarus from the dead. during that time, jews believed that after a person died, their soul stayed with the body for 3 days, then after the 3 days were up, it left the body and the person was truly dead. well, lazarus had been dead four days.
day eight: wailing wall, BYU jerusalem center, garden of gethsemane.
we got up so so early to go on a tour of the underground tunnels of the western wall. luckily, we were able to see the wailing wall and plenty of people praying. after that, we went to the BYU jerusalem center.
it was so beautiful up there! the jerusalem center is just this little sanctuary that has the most beautiful view of the city. i loved it.
after that, we went to the garden of gethsemane. at first, i was really disappointed. i was hoping for a quiet, spiritual thing, but there were hundreds of people there, talking, smoking, and crowding. i just wanted to get out of there fast. thank goodness dave had reserved part of the garden that all the people had to pay to get into. we were the only ones there! we had a beautiful lesson about the atonement, and we were allowed to separate and go on our own. my dad had bought some oil earlier in the trip, and he consecrated it right there (confused? go here). never has the atonement seemed more real to me than in that moment.
day nine: masada, qumron caves, dead sea.
a storm was rolling in, so we decided to do the whole dead sea adventure on day nine instead of later. first, we drove to masada, where the jews fled to be saved from the romans. when they eventually found them, they decided to commit a mass suicide, for death was better than becoming slaves to the romans.
view of the dead sea from masada
jillian, my new friend!
after that, we went to the caves of qumron, where the dead sea scrolls were found. it was so windy i just didn't want to take my camera out. sorry guys! next up, we went to the dead sea. wow, it is so gorgeous. the water literally makes your skin feel silky instead of sticky. people all around were rubbing mud on themselves and washing it off with dead sea water. and there were plenty of scantily clad men in speedos:
barf. so it was already starting to get chilly and raining a little, and i didn't bring my swimsuit. so i didn't float the dead sea. i know, i know, you're saying: cydnee! this kind of thing is on people's bucket lists! there is no excuse! so what if i didn't want to travel home wet and cold. sue me.
two days left to go! i'm saving them for next time, mostly because i can't function anymore :)
i'm back guys. i've got the first day of school under my belt and now i'm going to blog part two of my big adventure.
ready?
day four: tel aviv, jaffa, mount carmel.
after the crazy train adventure, we flew to tel aviv, and let me tell you, it was heaven compared to egypt. the streets were clean and the people were not as aggressive. we had the best breakfast full of fruit and veggies (we couldn't eat any veggies in egypt, and no fruit you couldn't peel. so what did we eat? carbs. bread, rice, and pasta. for breakfast on the train we had 4 different kinds of bread. 4. so yeah, we were pretty excited to get to israel). our first stop was jaffa- an ancient port where jonah was expected to be before he was swallowed up. also it was the location of simon's home.
then we went to mount carmel, where elijah received the keys of heaven. it had the most beautiful view!
day five: christmas! jordan river, galilee branch, megiddo, nazareth
we started the day by going to the jordan river, where christ was baptized. so it wasn't exactly the spot where the baptism took place, but i didn't mind. :) we then went to the galilee branch and had a wonderful christmas program. they aren't allowed to have wards in israel, but luckily they let us have a small house that allows the 15 or so members meet each saturday (most of them are hispanic, crazy). we had the most ah-mazing view of the sea of galilee from the window.
after that, we went to megiddo, where the supposed battle of armageddon took place. next, we went to nazareth. it was quite the experience. it was very crowded and busy, so it was hard to focus on what happened here. christ taught a lot here when he was young, and this is also where mary was told by the angel gabriel that she would be having the christ-child. now that was cool. check it out below. too bad they built a huge church on top of it.
day six: caesarea philipi, mount of beatitudes, capernum, boat ride on the sea of galilee.
the day started out with caesarea phillipi- where god told peter he would build his church. there is no church yet, but there will be :)
after that, we went to the mount of beatitudes- where christ gave the sermon on the mount. that place was so beautiful. it was like this little sanctuary.
"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure of heart,
for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they shall be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
next, we went to capernum. we saw peter's home, where christ lived with him. in fact, christ considered himself from here.
now, let me tell you about this cat:
while we were sitting in capernum talking, this little guy came over and pretty much started yelling at us. seriously, i have never heard a meow like that. he was angry! meeeeaaahhhooooowww!!!! he wanted food and he knew where to find it. julina had some cheese and bread in her backpack and he made a beeline to her. meeeeeooowww! oh my goodness, i couldn't stop laughing. our israeli tour guide was not pleased. 'i guess i cannot compete with the cat'. well, she couldn't.
that night, we took a beautiful boat ride on the sea of galilee. we read how christ walked on water while we were sailing around, watching the sunset.
wow guys. this is going to take longer than i thought. i still have five days left! i may have to make this a four part thing. don't be mad. please. i'll leave you with a song from one of my top five favorite artists, then you'll feel better, promise.
remember how i told you about a new adventure? i bet you're dying to know what it is. well, my family and i went to the MIDDLE EAST for christmas! why, you ask, would you want to go to the middle east for christmas? well, i will tell you. we went on a tour of the holy land! we started in egypt and then went to israel to tour jerusalem and the likes. can you say HIGH ADVENTURE?!
so do you wanna hear about it?
of course you do. i'll put this in two to three parts: part one- adventures in egypt. part two/three- adventures in israel. (you guys are lucky i kept a journal on this thing)
EGYPT
you guys. WOW. did i ever think i would be seeing the pyramids in giza? no i didn't. (did you know they are one of the 7 wonders of the world? yeah, cool huh?) to be honest, the egyptians don't care as much as they should about their city. cairo was the dirtiest place i have ever been, the people are pushy and rude, and the driving is CRAZY. people walk into traffic and almost get hit all the time. the men were gross and made kissy noises at me and i got called 'shakira' like 5 times. and everyone expected tips EVERYWHERE. they made you pay for toilet paper. i got fed up and just ignored them and brought my own in. boy, they would yell at you in arabic and go "NO NO NO you can't come in! pay!" dang. but the sights were amazing!
day one: the pyramids of giza, the sphinx, and the ancient history museum. the pyramids were breathtaking. such a wonder. we also were able to go into a few tombs. AND WE RODE CAMELS! they sure are tall, smelly things. as you may know, you have to get on it while its kneeling. so you get all settled then they guy whistles and stuff and makes it get up. but, they don't tell you what to do. so this camel lifts its rear end THEN the front, and you pretty much are hanging on for dear life. we saw this asian lady actually crying after she got up. i've never seen someone so scared! after giza, we went to the egyptian ancient history museum and saw actual mummies. wowza! they still had hair and nails! (wish i could have taken some pictures).
also, while in the SLC airport, i found this guys wallet on the ground. people, it was loaded with cash and credit cards. we took it to the front and luckily he was still at the gate and not on a plane. he came over and thanked me profusely. (side note: he was an arab man, a very rich arab man). after he had gone, a stewardess had come up to me with an envelope saying that he wanted her to give it to me after he left, because he knew i wouldn't accept it if he gave it to me personally. well, there was one hundred bucks in it, guys. A HUNDRED! i was so shocked. wait, it gets better. so we board the plane to NYC, and guess who is on the aisle seat. the same guy! can you say awkward? after panicking, my mom and i decided that i should just say it wasn't necessary and thank him. so we did so. still awkward. and it gets better. he also was on our flight to cairo! i had to spend nearly 20 hours in the same vicinity of a man who gave me 100 dollars for finding his wallet! geez.
end of day one/day two: after a full day, we got on a 'first class' sleeper train to take an overnight ride to luxor. well, it was far from first class. look:
so the room was about 4x6 with a sink. we ended up having to straddle our luggage while brushing our teeth. and then there's the bathroom. oh my gosh. i would have rather gone at a camping site. it was that bad. it was dingy and when you flushed, it just opened a flap and you could see the track whooshing past underneath. ew ew ew. no wonder they told us not to go when the train was stopped.
oh, and we couldn't shower. even more lovely, right? we made it to luxor and went to queen hatshepsut's temple. there, i met this little guy.
first, he just asked for pictures together. fine, right? then he ended up following me around and holding my hand. then his entourage of 7-12 year olds followed me around, egging him on. i lost him for a little bit, but he found me again, asking for my phone number. yup. it happened. everyone sure loved that scene! me being followed by pre-pubescent boys all over the site...what a treat.
after that, we went to the valley of the kings and saw different tombs...no cameras allowed :( next was the karnak temple. oh my goodness. that was definitely a highlight! the columns were so HUGE and you just felt like a tiny little speck walking through.
that night, we went to luxor temple. it was so beautiful all lit up at night. everyone was so exhausted by the end, that we didn't listen much to the guide.
then, it was back to the sleeper train to cairo. one night on the sleeper train was enough for me. now two, thats definitely too much.
day three: we saw the hanging church, another church, and went to the market place. then we went to the airport to catch our flight to tel aviv. wow. going only through security took us two hours. they went through every little nook of our suitcases and carry ons with those little swiper things. they even took my dad's suitcase to the back and searched it for an hour. i sure was fed up by the end.
but, we made it on our flight to tel aviv. well friends, that concludes part one. i will be telling you about israel next time. i leave you with two pictures: one of the sunset in cairo, the other of a crazy man holding on to a van on the free way, and a song- meteor- the bird and the bee.
