charity

"I consider charity… or the pure love of Christ… to be the opposite of criticism and judging.In speaking of charity, I do not …have in mind the relief of the suffering through the giving of our substance. That, of course, is necessary and proper. …I have in mind the charity that manifests itself when we are tolerant of others and lenient toward their actions, the kind of charity that forgives, the kind of charity that is patient. I have in mind the charity that impels us to be sympathetic, compassionate and merciful, not only in times of sickness and affliction and distress but also in times of weakness or error on the part of others. There is serious need for the charity that gives attention to those you are unnoticed, hope to those who are discouraged, aid to those who are afflicted. True charity is love in action.
The need for charity is everywhere.” 

Thomas S. Monson

faith

"Faith in God includes faith in His timing."  

Neal A. Maxwell

dreaming in cashmere

to the 2 people who still stop in and read this...  a quick update would be this: not much going on my way.  just the day to day excitement of trying to keep up with work.  been traveling for fun and like previous vacations, it will more than likely take me 8 months to get it posted. 

on a much more exciting side note, my very good friend, Amy, has started a new fashion and design website.  not only is she super fun, but she is also very talented.  check out her new website here:

http://www.dreamingincashmere.com/

winter in highlights

November...
Took a sculpture class that was amazing.
Thanksgiving was a break from tradition with tortellini and pumpkin cake. (turkey dinners aren't my thing.)

December... pretty much the start of the best winter ever (we've had maybe 4 snow storms all season).
Spent a few hee-lar-i-ous nights at a karaoke cafe with some VERY good friends. One of the nights we basically had the joint to ourselves and it was a hoot.
Went to Manila, Philippines at the first of the month. Now THERE'S a place that loves Christmas. That city is in it to win it with the amount of decorations and music they've got going on. It was so fun to see their enthusiasm for the holiday amid everything else. And believe me, there is a LOT of everything else... people, buildings, cars... Manila was wild. Never been to a place where there are traffic jams at midnight. And the journey there is certainly no picnic. 2 hours to LA. 2 hour layover (IF the plane gets in on time, otherwise its a sprint to make the next flight which they ended up HOLDING for you). 11 hour flight to Tokyo. 2 hour layover. 5 hour flight to Manila. 1 hour getting through customs. 2 hours finding your driver, and getting checked into the hotel. Total number of hours awake before getting to sleep in the first bed you've seen since you left your house: 30 hours.
Christmas was nearly 50 degrees and there wasn't a cloud in the entire, expansive, sunny, blue sky. Felt ALMOST like I was back in Arizona. Christmas was just me and my mom. We had a blast. And although it was just the 2 of us, it was anything but boring. On Christmas Eve morning, we went to see Sherlock Holmes (which I absolutely loved). In the afternoon, we ate our traditional enchiladas and a few sugar cookies and then went back to the theater to see Mission Impossible for the 6:00 pm show on the IMAX. Cause, why not? It's Christmas. Christmas day was spent with a good book and the movie 17 Miracles. Oh, and more sugar cookies, of course.

January...
Went to Calgary, Canada for work and got my first upgrade to first class as a Delta Silver Medallion. And I'm not gonna lie... Silver medallion may be the lowest medallion possible, but I still love me a little sky priority. Canada was a hoot. The group I went with was so fun and we had a great time. But it was WAY too cold up there for me.
Took a book binding class. We learned how to fold the paper, tear it down, sew it, bind it, add a ribbon, and cover it. The book I made is covered in caramel covered calf skin and actually turned out. (Much to my amazement). Love learning new things.
Speaking of books, this month was my book club pick. I chose At Home by Bill Bryson (a recommendation from Angie) and I loved it! He is hilarious and it was fun to learn about lots of different things.

February...
Learned how to knit. And there is nothing, truly absolutely nothing, else I could say to top that. Looking forward to the rest of 2012....

training

i'm on a team training for this. and since i haven't run in 2.5 years and my legs aren't exactly happy with my couch to ragnar approach, i have been cross training so that my legs will be strong enough to keep up. my cross training is this. and i LOVE it. low impact, isometric, and more graceful than a jillian workout video. if you want to join? beware... after my first class i couldn't walk for 3 days because my calves were on fire... but it's WORTH it.

the golden city

in october, my good friend danielle and i took a vacay to europe. we went to 2 cities and then she flew home and i headed to london on my own...

part 1

the golden city is it's nickname, story-book town is it's best description, and prague is it's official name.








after a significantly delayed flight, danielle and i made it to our plane at jfk just as the gate was calling for final boarding. i suppose it was a good thing that we had to nearly run through the airport... it made it so i didn't get cold the entire flight to the czech republic. a rarity, i can assure you.

we grabbed a cab and found our hotel (the Perla... and it was AMAZING), we set out to keep ourselves awake. i've mentioned my theories on jet lag in previous posts, and this was no exception. the thing is, i don't sleep on planes very well. at all, in fact. and when one travels east to one's far reaching destination, one should actually sleep on the plane, because when one lands in europe, it will be morning and one needs to be ready to get out and see stuff. but after a few hours of being cold and tired, we went back to the hotel and took a 2 hour nap. then we got up and took in the scenes at night.monday. this is the day we went to Terezin. it's a concentration camp about an hour outside of prague. it was ok, but had i it to do over again, i would have skipped it. years ago, while in austria, i had the opportunity to visit the mauthausen concentration camp. it's an experience that made a lasting impact on me and one i think everyone needs to feel. yes, feel. but Terezin just felt EMPTY. the town, the camp, everything. and by the time we decided we wanted a bus back to prague, i was downright anxious. we got home in time to grab some dinner near the Municipal House and then take our 2nd row seats at the ballet. swan lake, of course. when i studied in london during my college days, we went to swan lake. but i'll be honest, i didn't appreciate it then. (being in the 2nd to the BACK row on the highest balcony didn't help) and i was bored. but seeing it this time was a whole new experience and i would definitely be up for going again.

tuesday. prague castle, the jewish quarter, the main square (which we stopped by frequently because it's THAT amazing). prague castle had a beautiful cathedral, and i do love me a beautiful cathedral. see for yourself...








some details at prague castle...

the jewish quarter has a cemetery that is unforgettable.... for hundreds of years, people were buried on top of each other which is why the ground is crazy and the headstones are leaning.


once we finished seeing the sights, i took a tour of the Municipal House... a beautiful art nouveau/art deco building that would blow your mind (if, in fact, you are a design nerd like i am).

after all that, we of course made a stop at danielle's favorite cafe outside the US... Pauls. She is IN LOVE with their hot chocolate. But since it's DARK hot chocolate, i wasn't interested. it just aint sweet enough.

wednesday. souvenirs.danielle picked up a pair of red garnet earrings, and i got a small stack of photos from a vendor on the Charles Bridge as well as a green amber pendant. our last stop before we headed out to the airport? an old convent that was converted into an art museum. and it was, by far, one of the most amazing places we saw there. since we were all out of money by that point (except for our taxi fare) and didn't want to exchange any more, we stayed in the section of the convent that you could see without paying. and who needs art on the walls when the architecture is enough to keep you and your camera busy?

after our photo shoot of the convent, we grabbed our bags and a taxi and headed off for the airport. next stop on our itinerary? istanbul....

to be or to wear... that is the question.