this is see you soon.

I never planned to create a blog. It just sort of happened. I was heading to Jerusalem for 4 months and, after looking at other people's "travel blogs," I thought it would be something fun to try. Knowing my love of writing, pictures, and wit, I should have figured that the whole blog-thingy would continue once I came home.

While I'm sure some people have stumbled across my adventures in this little corner of the web, I mostly look at this blog as a chronicle of my life for me and my future. Not to sound selfish or anything. I just hope someday my kids will enjoy looking back at it and laughing.

Tomorrow I start the next adventure of my life. I am serving a mission for 18 months in France for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I plan to serve with all my heart, mind, and soul.

To continue chronicling my adventures, my family will be updating my blog with my weekly emails (and hopefully pictures!). I'm excited to have these 18 months documented here and when I return, we'll see if the blog bug is still itching me or if blogging even exists. :) Until then...

I leave you with one of my favorite songs. Don't Panic, by Coldplay. haha.

Au Revoir.

over the weekend.

This past week was one of those times where so much is going on that you just plow straight through and only stop and look back when everything's over. Now that I can breathe again, if only for a week :), I've enjoyed reminiscing about the good things that happened these past few days. 

One night we went to Mazza, a Middle Eastern restaurant, and ate some hummus and falafel. We told them right when we ordered that some of us had been to Jerusalem and knew what really good falafel tasted like. I think we were just trying to scare them in to making some really good food. And it wasn't half bad. (Though nothing will be as good as the falafel at the bottom of Damascus Gate.) Eating the pita and hummus brought back a lot of memories. 

Oh, did I mention that Danielle came to visit? She just got back from a study abroad in Mexico and Belize, *cough* world traveler, and stayed for the weekend. She kept me sane while I prepared for my talk and everything. Also, it was her birthday. The big 21. So we celebrated. 

My favorite part of the birthday celebration was taking Danielle on a hike up Bell's Canyon. Here she is enjoying the view and drinking some sparkling cider. 

As soon as we sat down on the bench overlooking the lake, two geese made a bee-line straight towards us. It was slightly freaky. Apparently people feed them all the time. But I couldn't justify giving them any pop-rocks chocolate, happy hippos, or peach rings. They were pretty upset. Here they are leaving us in disgust. 

 On the way down, Danielle's awesome camera was able to snap this beauty of a picture.

I think this might be the only picture someone has taken of me driving in a car. A lot of the week invovled rockin' out to music. Because soon all of that will be over. I think music might be the thing I'll miss most. Besides my family of course. :)

For my farewell, I got this crazy idea to make Eiffel Tower cookies. Let's just say I won't be doing it again. But it was fun to make them with Danielle and see her inner pastry chef. 

My farewell was really a lot of fun. I was somewhat dreading giving a talk in front of my whole ward, but as soon as I stood up I felt really calm and might have enjoyed giving it. Just a little. It was fun afterwards to see friends and family at my house. My mom worked wonders with the decorations and food. And all of it just made me more excited to leave on mission. I can't wait to learn French and preach the gospel to people of France. Can it only be 7 days away!?!?

that's a first.

All I've had to eat today is a ripped off chunk of baguette. It's currently 3 PM. And I'm not really that hungry. That, people, is a first.

I'm not quite sure what's wrong with me...but I hear the French eat in small but rich quantities, so maybe it's just preparation for later.

Also, I've been taking a couple of French lessons from an awesome French tutor. Just so I'm not totally clueless in the MTC. It's good and bad thing. Helpful to get all the crazy sounds and pronunciations down, but mostly I just think "I've got to learn this language well enough to carry on a conversation with someone?" hahahahahahahahahahaha. It's gonna be great.

I know he's learning Spanish, but Michael's reaction at 10 seconds will be mine for the first nine-ish months. Guaranteed.

Another random thought:

Summer is simple. That's one of the reasons why I love it. I just put on the first thing I see in my closet and sometimes don't wear makeup. Judge me as you will. But I find it really satisfying when I can rub my eyes and not have to worry about smudging anything. Also, I haven't straightened my hair in over a month. And I really like it. I've finally become friends with my curly hair. That's another first. I have a feeling there's gonna be a lot of those in the next little while. And I'm excited for them.

hahahahahahahahahahaha.

Reminiscing about Freshman Year. Yeah. This picture. Hilarious on so many levels. 

This weekend involved lots of laughing, which is always good. :) I was also practically tickled to death on Saturday, something that hasn't happened in years.

But this post's title is actually referring to the silent laughter that I held in ALL THE WAY across campus today while walking behind a kid singing the lyrics "always something there to remind me" in the lowest/deepest voice I've ever heard. I almost cracked up once, but I bit my lip and thought about being on fire. However, I couldn't help but curl my lips in a grin as I passed someone who gave the kid a look of pure disgust. Hey, I agree with you too, random BYU student. It was waaaay too early for someone to be happily singing. 

On second thought, maybe this blog title is referring to me going to all the trouble to get some shorts, capris, and sandals down to Provo, since the weather was in the 60s all last week, only to have it snow yesterday. Yeah, I can hear mother nature laughing at the irony of it all.

In all reality though, I think this post is referring to me hitting my alarm at 6:30 AM this morning, thinking that I would rather die then get up that early, and then realizing I'll be spending the next 18 months getting up even earlier then that. Every. Single. Day. What was I thinking?? Cue sarcastic laughing. Hahahahahaha. I can't wait. 

But seriously, I cannot wait. 

For this,

source. 

But ten million times more, for this.

source.

I was thinking about driving up to the MTC the other day and asking if they would take me early, but I decided that might not be the best idea. So here I sit. (72 more days!)

Happy Monday! 

10 things that make me really happy.

blue sky from my apartment window.

1. walking home in 60 degree weather with a slight breeze.
2. eating chex cereal with ice cold milk as a mid-morning snack.
3. getting out of my class 1 hour early (it's normally 3 hours).
4. talking to my mom on the phone.
5. having the apartment to myself all afternoon.
6. anticipating corned beef, cabbage, and soda bread for St. Patrick's Day.
7. finishing the monday crossword puzzle.
8. baking from scratch a lemon meringue pie.
9. receiving a compliment about my writing from a professor.
10. finding Cadbury eggs and strawberries at my friendly neighborhood grocery store. 

cadbury eggs are one of the many signs of spring. hooray!

P.S. 86 more days till till I leave for this...

source.

...minus the dress, plus a companion ;)

HAPPY MONDAY!

c'est la vie.

Pure torture: waiting through 2 hours of library study, 3 hours of work, and 8 hours of classes, all the time knowing that my call has arrived.

Ultimate happiness: driving up to the Provo Temple with my family while it's snowing, opening the big white envelope and reading these words-->

"Dear Sister Searle,

You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the France Paris Mission."

That's life! Experiencing highs and lows, ups and downs. Sometimes in the same day. ;) But you just have to hold on and smile. And right now I'm grinning from ear to ear. 

Seriously? Paris, France?! I was shocked to read those words. I never thought of going to France; I've never spoken a word of French in my life. But the more I think about it, the more I realize it's the perfect call for me.

How did I not see it coming? Here are some weird connections I have to France. Coincidence? I think not!

Visiting France with my Uncle and cousins two summers ago and falling in love with the beautiful city of Paris. 

That's me on the Eiffel Tower. Yes, my hair was super short.

Loving impressionistic art, and the paintings of French artists Corot, Delacroix, Degas, Manet, Monet, Renoir, van Gogh, Seurat, and Matisse.

source.

Having crepe night every Friday during freshman year. I still think a crepe with straight-up nutella is genius and the best.

source. 

Eating treats from Leslie's French Pastries in Holladay ever since we lived there. Oh, and my mom brought some French pastries down in the car to celebrate. Without knowing, of course, that I was going to France. That, my friends, was awesome!

So, if I start posting a ton of French-related stuff over the next few months, you'll know why. :)