High On The Mountain Top

So I had a cool experience the other day. I have been wanting to go to my special thinking spot ever since I moved back to the Wasatch Front. It is above Bountiful overlooking the temple. I just decided to take my scriptures and ipod and hike up and watch the sun set in the west.

It was a beautiful short hike. I kept telling myself it is not as hard as the Great Wall of China so that gave me strength to go to the top. (I guess i need to hike more :) )



I found my perfect spot and enjoyed the beautiful leaves and overlooking the Temple of the Lord and my childhood neighborhood.

I felt overwelming peace and my heart was full of gratitude for growing up in such a blessed place. I am grateful for a family of neighbors that will always hold a special place in my heart. I read a verse that says "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings; that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good; that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth;" Mosiah 12:21. It was a beautiful day.

I read from The Book of Mormon reading the Abinadi story. I felt an overwhelming spirit and am grateful for such a choice experience. I listened to some great music and just had some time to center myself and enjoy the view. It was fun to listen to the Hymn of the Fallen sung by the Tabernacle Choir. I listened to the same thing when I was on Ha Long Bay in Vietnam this summer. It was inspiring to look back at that experience and again enjoy the wonders of Gods Creations!

HIGHS & lows

This last week was an interesting mix of highs and lows...
HIGHS: I finally found a part time job that I am super excited about. I am going to work at The Garden restaurant at the top of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. I hope I can do a good job there and eventually move up in the company over time. I have always loved the hospitality industry and would love to do something there. I know its not the ideal situation financially but anything worth getting is worth sacrificing for.

I had to get some papers from Idaho so I decided to make an dash up north. I stopped by Fruit Way to get some pumpkins and the last of the summer peaches. It was a beautiful drive up the canyon to visit my sister. I missed the height of Logan fall leaves but there were still some beautiful sights.

Time with Mand is always too short but we did get to make some cute halloween treats. Brenna is crawling like crazy. I just want her to stay little forever.

I got up to Idaho and was able to spend a little time with my cute mom and my dear grandma. We made more of the fun treats and were able to laugh and talk until the early morning. I realized that I hadn't really laughed in such a long time. It felt amazing. Thanks mom!

LOWS: Dealing with life is sometimes hard, realizing that your rose colored world view of some people close to you is not reality. Those glasses got taken off with a couple of people close to me on Sunday. It was strange that it happened all in one day. I think the Lord just said "Why not give it to her all at once, that way she can get it over with. Crying the same tears but for double reasons."

Its not important to state who or why or what, the fact is I was hoping for a good relationship with some family members and I think I was kidding myself when I thought it could ever be that way. I realized that a lot of people are see the world as theirs and we all just live in it. Focusing on how others affect them and not how they affect others.

I just want a happy and healthy family relationship. I don't think it is hard to ask. Even though my family has changed a ton over the last 2 years, I feel like whatever hard things life throws at us, we should be able to move past it and love each other regardless.
I guess I thought that could happen but after spending time with some people, it is apparent that this is a onesided hope.

I am grateful for a loving mother and others that support and love me through highs and lows. You know who you are and I appreciate it more than you will ever know.

Job Search

I am now intensifying my search for a job. "Perfect Timing" considering the economy and such! But it cant be helped!

It has been so fun living with Mike and LuAnn and their cute little kiddies. It is a good taste of motherhood. I dont know how LuAnn does it everyday! I am so blessed to be here. But now that LuAnn is feeling a little better it is time to go out into the cold cruel world!

Any prayers or crossing your fingers and such would be greatly appreciated!

Spiritually and literally fed!

What an amazing conference weekend! I love October conference. The change of seasons and the beautiful messages of hope and love. I was blessed to come up to Twin Falls and spend some time with the family. Mand Brandon and Brenna came too. It was fun to see her personality changing and she is becoming such a cute little girl.

Saturday was spent with Dad and it was fun being together and listening to conference on the radio. Brandon and Dad cut up wood for dad to use in the winter. How much wood could 2 woodchucks chuck? A lot aparently! We had the most amazing hamburgers. I dont know what he did but the food was excellent.

Sunday was fun. Gathering around Grandma B's tv all together. Mand let me do some fun stuff with her hair. I loved it. It looked cute! We had an amazing dinner and time together. Altough it went by too quickly.

The messages of hope in times of trial and dealing with the changes of life brought so much comfort in these crazy times of life. I was kind of freaking out about the whole government and financial crisis on friday but conference calmed my nerves and reminded me that if you stay close to the Lord and keep his commandments and listen to his divinely appointed leaders, everything will work out. "He will not fail us or forsake us."

Its back to Farmington for awhile. I miss those little kiddies and have to find a job asap! I dont want this feeling of peace and happiness to end! I am indeed spiritually fed!

Change of pace!

I changed the name of my blog so I can keep blogging now that life is crazier than ever! I will add pictures to my earlier posts of Asia. I am living in Farmington for awhile and will be soon jumping into a job in Salt Lake hopefully! I dont expect anybody to read this but it is a good way to journal and express the craziness that is my life!

Home sweet Home!

Sorry I havent posted for a couple of weeks. The internet wouldnt let me on the blogspot site so I was unable to post until I got home. I am home from an amazing adventure. I will fill you in with pics and posts as soon as I get over this blasted jet lag. It is good to be home among the familiar and safety of america. I loved every minute, but like a good meal, I was finished and if I stayed longer I think I would get stuffed and sick. It is hard to explain the way I feel coming back. I have reverse culture shock sometimes with little things we take for granted here in the states. What a blessing to see the contrasts and the similarities we have to those from the other side of the world. I will post later. Thanks for bearing !with me and I apologize for the delay. More memories await

More sightseeing!

Today was a REALLY fun day here in Shanghai. We went out to see the city. There is a famous TV tower in the middle of Shanghai that you take the elevator up to the second sphere. There were a lot of Chinese tourists and they were so cute with their matching hats and lookind strangely at us. The view was a bit hazy but amazing! The boats going past and the skyscrapers extending into the fog. We got to see the building that they filmed Mission Impossible 3 on where he swings from building to building. The view was great but the best part of the day was yet to come.

We went down to the bottom of the building where they had a Shanghai history museum. I went with Christian, Chris, and Jared. They had wax figures doing native jobs. It was interesting to see life back then. There was a small corridor to sit down so Jared suggested we sit for a spell. After sitting for a few minutes I suggested that we pretend to be wax figures as people passed in the hallway. It started out as a joke for our group, but it ended up being a huge spectical. People were so confused and didnt know what to do. Christian and myself managed to hold our poses when the others cracked. It was so hard to stay still in a funny pose when there are chinese people poking you and wondering if you are real. It was so funny. I cracked before Christian did. People ate it up. They took pictures with us and some older ladies freaked out when they realized he was real. It was classic. Goooooood Times!

We next had lunch at a silk factory and after that we toured the factory. AMAZING! It was so cool to see the silk worms spin their thread and see the workers pull the fibers and make silk. It was a really cool experience to see the strength of a natural fiber like that. They even had a fashion show of some of the silk clothes.

Our last stop was the Yuyuan Garden. I have never seen such a beautiful garden in all my life. It was built for the builders parents as a retirement in the late 1500's. It took 10 to 18 years to build and by that time the parents had dies. And sadly the builder only lived there one year before he passed away. I want something like that in my back yard. I would never leave! Every angle had something to offer. I would love to spend some quality zen time there. I have a ton of pics so I will have to post them when I get a cord to connect to the computer.

They had more of the chinese shops around the gardens. It reminded me so much of China Town in San Fran. I got to taste the famous Shanghai Dumplings along with my Dairy Queen Blizzard. They have a Green Tea Blizzard for the Chinese market... weird!

We are leaving Shanghai tomorrow morning at 5:30 am! Ouch! Off to Xian! Yeah!

The trip is half over! I have fit so much into 2 and a half weeks. We have been go go go this whole time. It is cool to see how much you can get done.

Sunny Shanghai!

Yeah! It is finally sunny in Shanghai! I am so sick of rain and my prayers were answered. It was a beautiful day in a gorgeous city. We had an interesting lecture by an alum that is working here in Shanghai with investing and aquiring previously state owned companies. It was really interesting to hear the success of a fellow student.

I went and had really good Korean food. It was the best Korean food ironically in China! It is kind of like Peruvian food without the potatos. Weird.

We went down to the river and walked around the area. It was so fun to see the unique architecture. I am in awe of the cleanliness and beauty of the city. We went to an interesting Shanghai museum. It was full of coins, furniture, ceramics, dress, caligraphy, and paintings from Chinese history. The coolest exibit was one on loan from the British Museum about the origin of the olympics. Statues, Vases, Medals and Bronzes from the ancient olympic games were on display. Who would have thought that I could see ancient greek artifacts in Shanghai China!

We had dinner in a Japanese Noodle place. I needed to take a break from traditional chinese. We all went back to the river to see the city lights. Every building has its own type of light show. Neon colors and different patterns show up on the surface of the buildings. It was sooo cool to see the city come alive in the dark. The street sellers were so agressive. They were selling kites, tops, watches, postcards, and a bunch of crazy stuff. It was fun to see peoples reaction to them and the tactics they come up with to barder a good price.

A singing group from Ohio State is staying the hotel with us and we will probably go out and Karaoke with them tonight. I dont know exactly though.

Tomorrow is our last day in Shanghai but it should be a good one with visits to a silk factory and more tours of the city.

I am still not used to being stared at so much. It is fun to walk with one of my friends that is 6'2" the reactions on the peoples faces are sometimes priceless. I am ready to head out to Xian. there is much more history and rural china. I love the city but I would love to see more of the countryside. Life is good!

Shanghai

"Rain Drops Keep Falling On My Head" I love China but it hasnt stopped raining! My mom bought a rain stick before I left and I think she jinxed me! We have had partial rain to a complete down-pour! I have never seen so much rain.

Shanghai is a beautiful big city. We have been fortunate enough to meet with some amazing companys. Deloitte Accounting was an amazing contact. We talked with them in this amazing office complex that would rival any in New York. After that we visited a company that manufactures air-bags, seat belts and stearing wheels for many different car companies. It was amazing to see the production line and their testing facility. I felt like I was in a Mr. Rogers segment with Mr. Mcfealy speedy delivery. We got to see them put the foam coating on stearing wheels and cutting out the material, sewing and assembling the air bags.

It is humbling to take a step back and realize what great opportunities there are in the world.

We had a traditional "Hot Pot" dinner with some alumni and the owner of the place. I think I have eaten the most watermelon I have ever had in my life. They have it at the end of every meal as a type of dessert. It is great. I love their philosophy of eating. You eat like an king or emperor for breakfast, a merchant for lunch, and a peasant for dinner. In other words you fill up at breakfast, eat marginal at lunch, and have a light dinner. It feels so nice. Their food is so simple but fresh and nutritous. I think I have only seen one overweight asian since I have been here. They eat so many veggies. I am going to try to continue this when I get back to the states.

We had a cool experience at a local supermarket. It was so interesting just walking around the store. They had so many crazy fruits and veggies. Bins of chicken parts and chicken feet. People would sift through them like picking out the best apple.
The best was the meat counter! Fresh meat. Literally still alive and swimming. Frogs, Turtles, Fish, and a bucket full of sea snakes and eels. Dont worry I have pics to prove it! I havent been brave enough to try any of those yet but there are still three weeks to go and Vietnam is next!

When I stop to think of the things that I have learned, I dont know where to begin. It is amazing how you can think one thing about a country your whole life and that perception can be shattered in less than 2 weeks. I have so much more to tell all of you that want to listen to me ramble on about asia and its emergence into the global economy. I really want to learn so much more and understand what is really going on in the world. Understanding leads to greater respect and increased perspective. It was hard to finance this trip, but I felt from the beginnning that it was the right thing for me to do. I am coming to understand why to some degree. It is making me see the bigger picture and find out more about myself and my place in the world. Little things that come up in lectures or talking or goofing around with friends on this trip have made me stop and realize that I needed to be told that or I needed to realize that in my life. Again what a blessing! The big thing for me has been that if you are honest and trustworthy in whatever you do, you will be successful. If you make a mistake, own up to it and move on. If you are not successful, at least you can lay down at night with a clear peace of mind.

I will strive for that in my life. I am excited to see what other gems I can pick out of the next three weeks!

All my love from the other side of the world!

Hangzhou: Finally feels like China!

We have now traveled south to Hangzhou China. It was the weirdest flight I have ever been on. My ears kept popping non-stop when we took off. The turbulance was crazy. Luckily the flight was only an hour. On decent my ear would not pop. It started hurting soooo bad! I couldnt hear out of it. I started to get really scared! It still didnt pop. I used every trick in the book. Jared even suggested hopping up and down pounding my ear. He was joking but I did it anyway! I couldnt hear out of my left ear for the rest of the night! Luckily it is better today. It still hurts and gets pressure every once in awhile.

Hangzhou is a beautiful city. They say it is a "small town" of only 6 million people. It is the capital of the Province. We had some interesting lectures at the hotel and then traveled to the West Lake.

West Lake is such a beautiful place. The type of China I have been wanting to see. It was crowded because today was a national holiday, the Dragon Boat Festival, and the 2nd day for the national exam for high school students to be able to get into college. There is such a demand for education and too many students.

We went on a boat tour and traveled around the lake. It was sprinkling but the mist made the mountains and the Pagodas more magical.

It is interesting feeling and being a minority. People blatently stare at you for the longest time, I just smile back and say hello in Chinese but they rarely smile back.

We had some free time in the market in Hangzhou. It was so cool. Ten times better than the silk market. The prices are listed and the atmosphere was enchanting. Little shops with chopsticks and trinkets. I bought a beautiful handmade bag. There were wood carvers, painters, and musicians galore. The sights and smells made me feel like I was finally in a foreign country. I almost forgot I was in modern China until at the end of the road I saw the infamous yellow arches and was instantly returned to modern day. Mcdonalds, KFC, and even Dairy Queen had made its way into this old world market. Big macs and Ice Cream alongside, Crabs on a stick and Rice in Pineapple bowls.

After a quick stop at the covenience store we headed back to the hotel. The hotel is located on the Wenhui college campus. It is a beautiful hotel. a group of us gathered to get a local chinese foot massage. It was amazing! hot herbal soak and a heavenly foot massage along with legs and back for 48 chinese money which converts to about 7 dollars in the US. An hour and a half of massage for less than a movie! I walked home on a cloud.

Sadly we are leaving Hangzhou tomorrow and heading to Shanghai. I would love to stay and just wander the streets some more, but we are off again to a big city of 18 million people.

I have learned to be grateful for what I have and have seen a different culture but have learned to see that we are more similar than we think. Everyone I see, meet, or talk to just wants to be happy and make a living for themselves and their family. Everything else is gravy. Life is what you make it and what you get out of it.
I hope everyone sees and takes only the good! I Love you all!

The Wonderful World of China

Sorry for the laps in postings. I have been soooo busy seeing the sights of Beijing China and I haven't had free access to the internet until now. Anyway! Where do I begin! they say that if you come to China for a week you can go home and write a book! I have only been here less than a week and I feel like I could write a whole series on my experiences, thoughts, and insights. China is such an amazing place. I feel like it is changing and growing right before my eyes. We have been able to visit so many interesting businesses on the forefront of biotechnology and American interactions with China. What a blessing to be able to see their expansion and growth first hand!

The Silk Market is the most amazing experience. I about had a heart attack! There are hundreds of booths with clothes, accessories, purses, chinese souvenirs and jewelry, They have workers that physically pull you into their booth and haggle with you for their merchandise. I was blown away. I am not a good bargainer so I struggled to get a good deal. But I guess that is good because I know that some of my friends will be paying for overweight luggage the rest of the trip.

We went to a great acrobatic show and kung fu show I have never seen such flexibility and strength!

Today I climbed the Great Wall of China! I cant believe I am saying that! It was such an amazing experience! We drove to a section and started the hardest climb of my life! it seemed like we where trying to climb a vertical slope and sometimes we were. I thought I would have to stop some of the times, but I persevered and got to the peak of that section. The wall stretched out as far as I could see, winding back and forth, up and down the steep peaks of the china mountain side. I marvel at the construction and the effort that went into building it. Some say that it is the longest continuous cemetery in the world because of the people that would die working on it that would just be buried in the construction. I feel so blessed to be able to see such a miracle and evidence of mans ingenuity and strength and national pride. It is cool to feel like you cant go any further, push yourself, and reach the top. I now have a physical experience to remember how to reach a goal. Soooo cool. I wish everyone could experience that feeling.

We are heading out of Beijing tomorrow night after visiting the last few sites in Beijing. I am bursting at the seams with thoughts and feelings about the last few days.

I will try to write soon but I dont know how internet access will be as we travel! I will write as soon as I can!
All my love from the other side of the world!

Leaving Korea

Today we are heading out to China! We are staying in another beautiful hotel. Yesterday was full of site visits and traveling. We started out at Kiswire Which is a company that we probably see in use everyday! They make wire for pretty much everything! Elevators, Bridges, even down to the wire in tires. It was amazing to see the factory where they pull the wire and wrap it around thousands of spools. We went to Postec university, the top technology driven University in Korea. Funded in part by Posco Steal company. Our final stop was Hyundai Motor where we got to see the assembly line of some of their mid sized vehicles! Wow industry! We then went to the docks and saw them load 4,000 cars onto massive ships bound for the US. It takes 4-6 weeks to get there. Loading takes about a day and a half! I was blown away! We traveled to Gwangyang and will be visiting Posco Steal today! It will be a great day full of traveling and saying goodbye to Korea! Off to China! I cant believe I am saying that!

Korea Korea!

Its another beautiful day in Korea. We took a short flight out of Seoul and are staying in a beautiful hotel. Today is sunday here and we are experiencing part of Korean Culture though their buddist temples and statues. IT is fascinating! We have been hiking around and driving all over so I am about to drop! We ate lunch at a little hole in the wall place, but it was the most amazing Korean Food EVer most people just ate Mcdonalds or Pizza Hut! (Sell outs!) I loved it. Korea is so interesting. I must admit that before this trip I just lumped all the asian cultures together as most americans do, but I have come to appreciat the diversity that exists even in different cities in Korea. I guess it is the same with the US. People from other cultures think that we are all like New York or California when in actuality we are all very different! I have my own hotel room and it looks over some beautiful rice patties. I love it! I dont think I brought enough memory cards for my camera! We have only been here for 7 days! I have so many memories already! What a blessing!

From the Future to the Past

Hey everyone!
It has been a beautiful bright day here in Korea. We started bright and early traveling to the samsung central office just outside Seoul. It was amazing to see the headquarters. They are such a wide spread company here in Korea. They own housing complexes, electronics, home appliances, Transportation, insurance and banking. It is crazy to see the growth of such a company.

It was funny, we got there and their sign said "welcome University of Utah" They were really embarassed and changed it quicky. The professors said that the sign gave us license to behave badly if we wanted since we had the U of U name. (Just kidding of course)

We got to see some crazy new products they are developing that havent hit the us market yet! Amazing televisions, sound systems, computers, and appliances that are tens of thousands of dollars now but will hit the market sometime next year. One LCD tv was 100,000 dollars and has to be special ordered before they will start assembling it! It was the most beautiful thing!

After Samsung we went to a traditional Korean place for lunch. Taking off your shoes as you walked in and sitting on the floor. It was fun, but painful. Metal chopsticks arent the easiest form of utensil.

We then went to the Korean Folk Village. It was really cool to see traditional houses and crafts from ancient Korea. There were many young school children who asked for our autograph and picture. Many havent seen foreigners before so it was fun to see their reaction and interaction with us. They learn english at a young age and were practicing phrases.

They had a performance of dance and tight rope walker. It was amazing! It is hot and humid tonight.

Last night was so fun. We went to the 7th largest amusement park in the world, and the largest indoor park in the world. It is called Lotte World. Kind of a cross between Lagoon and Disney Land. It was fun. We went late at night so we couldnt ride too many rides but it was crazy. We are probably going back tomorrow night.

I dont know what the plan is for tonight. I have a bit of a headache so I may just turn in early. I dont know.

It is amazing to see the workings of a country so fundamentally different from the US but is trying to pattern itself after some of our practices.

I was surprised to see familiardesigners like Chanel down to 7-11 and believe it or not....COSTCO! Outback stake house and TGIFridays. Krispy Kreams and Baskin Robbins! We truly live in a globalized world. I feel so far away, but the influence of the US is all around me!

It was a day that started in the future and ended in the past! New cutting edge technology down to ancient Korea. The ways of life that would be extinct without the efforts to preserve the history. It still blows my mind that their history is so deep and rich. They hold on to that with one hand but try so hard to press forward to the future. It is interesting to see how they will balance that in the future. Can they? or will something have to give! I am excited to see!

All my love!

First Day

It has been a rainy day here in Korea, but it was fun to dive into the culture and business of this country. We went on a visit to KOSBI Korean Small Business Institute, where they research and help small business in Korea. The lecture was very interesting. It was cool to see the views of a Korean on issues such as big business, globalization, market capitalism, and the increasing global effect of China on business. We then broke for lunch. I went with some faculty and students to a Korean place. I tried "kemchi" i know Im not spelling it right, but it is a Korean staple. It was the most spicy thing I have ever tasted in my life. It felt like my teeth were sweating! I thought I was going to die. I still have a headache hours later. The dumplings were very good, but it is hard to get used to metal chopsticks! Who would have thought! We visited the US embassy but was bummed because we couldnt actually go inside. We met with the public affairs office outside the embassy. There was another group from the US too. They talked a little about N. Korean and US relations with S. Korea. I hope the weather clears so I can take some photos tomorrow. I dont know if I can post any, but if not, I will post them when I get back in July. Remember how lucky we are to live where we do.

Rainy Day in Korea

Hey all.
It is just my luck that it is rainy and kind of on the cold side this wednesday morning here in Seoul. I didnt bring any jacket or rain gear! oh well, we will be inside most of the day anyway. We are off to site visits and the US embasy today. We are staying in a very nice hotel in downtown Seoul. I just finished a beautiful breakfast including poached salmon and some very interesting fruit. It will be a great culinary adventure I can just imagine.

Finally here!

Hey everyone! I am finally here in Seoul South Korea. It is actually 744 pm on tuesday here is Korea! I skipped a whole day! It is a strange feeling to fly with the sun and never see night for 16 hours. It is such a big city and I am trying to get my bearings. It was a long flight especially for a tall girl like me. I am ready to jump into a great adventure.

Nervous...But Excited!

Well! I am heading off to Seoul Korea tomorrow morning! I am so nervous but very excited. I cant believe I get to go on another adventure this summer. I know I have everything ready, but I still feel completely unprepared! I don't think you can step into the unknown like this without feeling unprepared. I am not looking forward to the day long flight! I hope I can write again soon. And post some pictures!