Feelings about a Wonderful Day

   First, I have to apologize. I am, apparently, the world's worst blogger. I think that the issue may be that by the time I've written my experiences in my journal, and then in emails to my family, I feel like I've written it so many times! So, I am sorry. But today is a day that I have to share my feelings about.
   I'm going to work backwards a little bit, since the most important thing happened first thing in the morning.
   I just got back about a half an hour ago from "the city." Basically, "the city" is any time we leave the JC, no matter where we are going. On the way home we stopped at a delicious truffle store where we (Katie, Rachel and I) bought ourselves some Easter candy (since apparently the Easter Bunny didn't make it clear to the Jerusalem Center this year). The man working the counter was very nice and when I asked which chocolate Easter egg was his favorite, he gave us each a free one! And it was very, very good.
  Right before the chocolate store we were at Omar's. He owns the wood-carving shop that most of the students buy their olive wood carvings from. I've been trying to decide all semester what I wanted to get there, because I knew that I did want something from him. The most popular thing to do is to get a big Nativity. That was my plan when I got here in January. After all, I love Christmas more than anything, right? But then I realized that as much as I love Christmas, it only comes once a year. Which means that I would have only been able to display it once a year. So, what I had decided on was to get a small "Holy Family" nativity (Joseph, Mary and the Baby Jesus) and then a statue of Christ. Today was the day to buy it. I went to the store and we were there for quite a while. I left after spending a considerable amount of money, but I am so happy about it! I bought my Holy Family Nativity and a Beautiful carving of Christ and the Little Children. (Omar gets his ideas from the FHE manual and the LDS book of art. He also does carvings of Greg Olsen paintings. It's so funny.) This is the picture that my carving is based off of:

   I am so excited to have something so special to keep in my home forever and to remind me of my experiences here. As a special gift for me Omar threw in a free David and Goliath sling for me to give to little Josh :)

   Still working backwards, on our way to Omar's we stopped at our favorite Shawarma joint right inside of Damascus Gate. Shawarma is a pita filled with meat (usually chicken or lamb) and then some different veggies and french fries and a shawarma sauce. I have absolutely no clue what is in the sauce but it is amazing. I think it might have a little horse radish? I don't know. All I know is that it was yummy. And cheap. Which makes it even better. All of the stores have lower prices for us and I love it.

   We also went to Shaban's today. Shaban is another vendor who caters to the mormons. His is the only place where you can get scripture cases that fit LDS scriptures, and that's what I got there. Chas and I both now have new leather scripture cases! But I promise they aren't the same ones. They're matching but not identical ;)

   While we were in the Christian Quarter, we stopped by Ibrahim's Jewelry store (Which I did not complain about one bit). Katie wanted to buy some widow's mite necklaces for her sisters. As it so happens, Ibrahim will make a free ring for anybody named Sarah! So I got a cute little turquoise ring that matches the necklace and bracelet that Chas gave me before I came here. I also got to talk to him about jewelry and my job. Some of the other girls with us (we had a bigger group at that point) were asking me questions about the jewelry and Ibrahim was really excited about the way that I was explaining things. He asked me to send him an email with different selling techniques once I get home haha. He also showed me a poem that he wrote:

"A man's best friend is his dog

For a girl it is a diamond

it smells better,

lasts longer

and doesn't chew your slippers."

   One of the highlights of today was going to play the Carillon Bells at the YMCA. 

It was crazy to think that I was playing the bells, in Jerusalem, on Easter Sunday, for millions of people to hear!! I have uploaded a video of it!

  Now I'm going to skip around a little bit. I woke up at 4:30 this morning (I will explain that in a minute) and I got online and found out that Chas and I got into the apartment that we wanted!! We are so excited! It is an amazing deal and we were afraid that somebody else would snatch it up before we could get to it. We really are so so excited for the life we are starting together and we are very happy to finally have a plan of where we are going to be living!

   OK, so the reason I woke up at such an absurd hour today is that I had a chance to go the sunrise Easter service at the Garden Tomb!! It was absolutely beautiful. As BYU students we are given the unique opportunity to have seats reserved for us on the stairs directly in front of the Tomb. I was on the very front row and had a perfect view of the Tomb and the worship band. It was the perfect way to celebrate Easter. One of the things that stood out the most to me during the sermon was when the pastor said "I know these things to be true because the scriptures told me so." I've thought about that quite a bit today. That is great that he has such great faith. It's wonderful. But I am so blessed. Yes, I have read of the life of the Savior in the scriptures. But that is not why I know that it is true. I know these things through the personal witness that I have received from the Holy Ghost. I know that Christ atoned for us, died for us and was resurrected for us. Not just because I have read those things in a book, but because I have the Gift of the Holy Ghost and have prayed to know for myself the truth of these things. We believe in continuous and personal revelation! What a beautiful thing that is! I don't have to rely on words that are thousands of years old, no matter how true they are. Yes, I can learn from them and my testimony can be strengthened by them, but each of us are entitled to know for ourselves, through an individual witness. I am so grateful for the Restored Gospel and for the truth that it holds and the joy that it brings into my life. 

I'm So In Love

  I just wanted to write a quick little blurp about how amazing Chas is. I know a lot of you probably already know this, but for Christmas, Chas made me a video for every day that I'm gone. I've only been gone three days, but this has been so amazing for me already. I get to wake up and hear is voice and see his face first thing in the morning, even though he is 7000 miles away. It is a miracle. And it's an example of how amazing the man is that I am going to marry. I am the luckiest girl in the world.

Hello from Jerusalem

I can barely believe it, but I'm writing this post from Jerusalem! Our trip here was pretty long. We had a four hour flight from Salt Lake to New York and then another ten hour flight to Tel Aviv. When we got here there was quite the surprise waiting for us. We're in the middle of a snowstorm! I found it very ironic that the first time Jerusalem has had more than about two centimeters of snow in over a decade, is the day that we got here. So this morning when we woke up we all ran out to take pictures. I wish that I could post some for you all to see! (We don't have enough bandwidth here to upload pictures...)
  Every apartment here has their own balcony that looks out over the old city. The view is phenomenal. I was able to get an amazing shot of the Dome of the Rock covered in snow! Right from my balcony!

My Fairy Tale Unfolding

  Are you all ready to hear the story of the best day of my life thus far? Because I'm ready to tell you! I'm sorry if you (my loyal reader) are someone who has heard this story dozens of times already, but you have to admit that it's a good story!

   I will copy this over from my journal entry so that you get the most accurate telling possible:

(Note: it is important to know that October 29- November 2 were some of the most stressful days of my life where everything that could go wrong, did.)
 
   "For our date night last week, November 3 (Notice I put my bad week as going just through November 2), Chas asked me if we could get really dressed up for a date. You know me, I LOVE getting dressed up, so I was really excited. So when I got off of work on Saturday at 5:30 I hurried to do my hair and toenails and makeup and get all dressed up. As I was getting ready I thought of how perfect of an opportunity that night would have been for him to propose. But I knew that wasn't possible because we had talked so much about how he was getting a big bonus on November 9th and how he wouldn't be able to afford a ring until then. So I had thoroughly convinced myself to be content until then, and I put any thought of a proposal out of my mind.
    So I got all fancied up and was barely ready when he knocked on the door. He came into my apartment and he was wearing a tux! He said, "I know you had a hard week, so I am trying to make tonight extra special." Isn't he so thoughtful? I love him so much.
    So we went out to his car and as we were driving he asked me if I had heard of La Jolla Grove (which is a really classy, fancy restaurant at the Riverwoods) and we went and ate there. It is the kind of place with the white tablecloths and linen napkins. Flowers on the tables, the whole shabang. It was definitely one of the classiest places I've ever been.
    We got done with dinner at about 7:45 and we mosied around the Riverwoods for a while. Chas had told me that after dinner we were going to Wreck-It-Ralph with Sam and Kaitly, so he said, "The movie is at 9:45, so we have a bit of time." We went back to the car and started driving up the canyon towards the park where we had our first kiss. But as we were driving up the canyon we came to a road block that said that the canyon was closed! It had closed just two days earlier! So Chas said, "Let me call Sam and see where he is." So he called Sam and talked to him for quite a while and then when he hung up he said that Sam's uncle had thrown up and had a seizure in the temple! So they weren't going to be able to make it to the movie.
   So Chas said he had a spur of the moment back up plan. We pulled into a different canyon park and we got out of the car and we started walking around a little. We walked down a path and all of a sudden this set up came into view with our piano, and a lamp and a big warm blanket and a dozen purple roses! That's when I realized what was happening.
  (Behind the scenes moment now. when Chas was "calling Sam" he was really calling Dallin in a panic because of Squaw Peak being closed. when Dallin and Nate went up to set everything up they realized that it was close and they came up with a whole new plan on the spot and took care of everything! They were amazing! And the story about Sam's uncle? Totally made up... how did I even believe that in the first place??)
   So as we're walking to the piano I start to cry a little. I sit down and wrap up in the blanket and I'm holding the roses and then Chas realized that the power chord for the piano was still in his car! So he ran back to get it and I'm just chillin' there with tears running down my face... He came back and sat down at the piano (looking super classy in his tux.) He sat down and started to play our song. And when he started to sing, I just melted. I was more in love with him in that moment than I had ever been.
   When he finished the song, he stood me up and we started walking. (NOTE: if you don't know the song "That's How You Know" from Enchanted, click here and listen. The next part will make so much more sense.) He said, "Let's see, I've given you yellow flowers when the sky was gray, I've left you little notes to tell you you're on my mind, we've danced, I wore your favorite color, even though it doesn't match your eyes (we always laugh about this, because honestly, whose favorite color is hazel??) I just dedicated a song with words meant just for you, and now I've planned a private picnic by the fireside." Just then we walked up to a little campfire with some chairs and a coat for me to wear. We sat down and he pulled out some chocolate cake from the restaurant where we had our first date. Then he asked me, "do you know?" I was crying more than ever and I was SO happy.
  Then he stood me up and we walked to the other side of the fire, he knelt down on one knee and proposed! I was crying even harder and laughing and smiling and kissing him all at the same time! I have never been so happy in my entire life!!
    He then told me he had an even bigger surprise! (And I was all "WHAT could be bigger than a marriage proposal??") So we got back in the car and we drove down to a different park where my friends and family were all waiting to congratulate us! (There were SO many people! Mom, Bart, Ben , Grandma, Jenny, Jessica, Julia, Jeniel, Josh, Katelin, Sam, Kaitlyn, Marinda, Russia, Annika, Courtney, Sara, Dab, Danica, Chloe, Taryn, Alissa, Jeff, John and Brandon were all there! Dallin and Nate were still up cleaning up the piano.) I hugged everybody (Katelin about 15 times and Chas about 50..) and showed off my ring. All the while I was still crying and laughing and SO SO happy. And I am still so happy! I haven't been able to stop smiling! I am absolutely the luckiest girl in the world and I cannot wait until June 22nd when I will marry Chas McClure for time and all eternity!!"

A Happy Halloween!

Hey everybody! I can't believe that it is already November!! This year is going so fast!

I have to tell you all about the great Halloween that I had yesterday. I had been pretty stressed so I took a day off. I slept until I woke up, and then I just took it easy. I cleaned my room and then made these...

"Scream"cheese Brownies!!

I made a huge double batch of these because most of them were for the Halloween Party that Chas and I went to. But I still had enough to let my roommates eat some and give a plate to Chas's roomies, too.

Chas and I had been thinking for so long about what we wanted to be for Halloween. We needed something creative but we just couldn't come up with anything. So, finally, we asked my mom. And she had a stroke of genius!

We ended up going as the stereotypical BYU married couple!

I have to say that I think Chas had it a little easier.... I felt like I was huge!!

The party was so much fun. We went to Sam and Kaitlyn's apartment with a few other friends and ate so much good food. 

We had chili with Chas's homemade root beer.

Chloe, Taryn and Alissa made witch fingers

and candy corn cheesecake!

60 Days! Time Moves So Fast!

60 Days until Christmas!!

Yesterday I realized that it was exactly two months until Christmas! If you haven't figured this out by now, Christmas is my favorite time of year. (I know, that's a big shock to you.) But this year, for the first time ever, I wish that it would not come as fast. Not because I don't love Christmas, but because 19 days after Christmas I leave for Jerusalem. Don't get me wrong! I am SO excited to go to the BYU Jerusalem Center! And by SO excited what I really mean is OH MY GOSH I AM SO EXCITED THIS IS THE CHANCE OF A LIFETIME I AM THE LUCKIEST GIRL ON THE PLANET. That's what I really mean. But there are a few little aspects of the trip that I am not as ecstatic about. Like the fact that I don't get to see my friends or family for almost four months. Most particularly, I don't get to see Chas. That is why I would like time to slow down just a smidge. Because if it is only 60 days until Christmas, it is only 79 days until I fly halfway around the world and away from the man I love...

The Christmas Canon

If you would like to read about this song, click here!

Life is Beautiful!

   Ok, I just have to take a quick break from my countdown tonight. Hopefully this post doesn't end up sounding like a 13 year-old's diary... I was talking to my mom today and I realized how extremely blessed I have been recently. So please allow me a moment to just count my blessings. I currently go to Brigham Young University, where I have the opportunity to study the gospel along side of my degree. I am going to Jerusalem on January 8th to study the life of Jesus Christ on location. I am dating Chas McClure, who is the most amazing person I've ever known. And I have the fullness of the gospel in my life. I am so looking forward to my future and the blessings in store for me. I am so excited for the next few years, actually, for the rest of my life!

   Also, this past weekend I went to Arizona to meet Chas's family. They are so great! It was the best weekend of my life. We watched General Conference and ate SO much delicious food! I am so excited for our next visit! This picture of Chas is him threatening to tickle me if I don't stop taking pictures....