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!?!?

our last night of epic awesomeness.

photo courtesy of Bekstrand.

I have the best friends. 

Seriously. 

And I'm gonna miss them.

One night last semester while we waiting for orchestra,

Bekstrand and I realized that in a couple of months 

we wouldn't be seeing each other for quite some time,

what with her leaving for Europe on May 8th 

and me leaving for my mission on May 30th. 

I also realized that she wouldn't be able to come to my farewell. Boo. 

But Bekstrand decided we would have to have one last party together before we left. 

She even put it in her phone calendar. 

That's how legit we are. 

Friday, May 4th was that party.

And it was epic.

Bekstrand and Heather 

(Penrose Penthouse Forever! Or until they tear it down)

picked me up in Bekstrand's insanely huge car. haha.

And we sat mexi style in the front seat.

Just like High School.

Then, the night panned out into the 5 phases. 

Yes. That's right. Phases.

Can you sense the awesomeness? 

Phase 1:

Dinner at Zupas.

I got the bacon tomato avocado panini. Actually, I always do. 

But that's because it's sooooo good. 

[Phase 1.5: Drive for a while and possibly get lost and have to rely on Gina (the GPS) to give us directions which she doesn't seem capable of doing. Oh, and laugh a lot.)

Phase 2:

Take a little hike up a trail to a beautiful waterfall and take fun pictures. 

And revel in the beauty and solitude 

until about 20 kids suddenly swarm the mountain. 

Phase 3:

Go to the grocery store. 

And then get forced to sit in the car while Bekstrand and Heather

take FOREVER getting whatever they're getting.

(Which turned out to be ice cream and toppings. So it was worth it.)

My favorite part was watching people walk up to the exit of the store

and stand in front of the doors for a couple seconds

before realizing the doors weren't going to open.

Hilarious. 

Phase 4:

Watch Two Weeks Notice (I love Sandra Bullock) and eat a lot of junk food.

Half way through the movie, 

Heather and Bekstrand asked me if I wanted to eat any chips. 

I look over to see about 2/3rds of the bag already gone.

Wow. 

Phase 5:

Sleep on Bekstrand's tramp. 

Which was fun while we were talking and discussing what the clouds looked like.

Then it turned into a nightmare.

Freezing cold+wind+a blinding bright moon+not enough blankets=no sleep.

Luckily, Bekstrand was experiencing the same thing. 

At around 2, the following exchange occurred:

Bekstrand: Charlotte?

Me: Yes?

Bekstrand: Are you cold?

Me: Freezing.

Bekstrand: Do you want to go inside?

Me: Yes!

Bekstrand: What about Heather?

Me: Just leave her.

[short pause.]

Heather: Whaaaaattttt?!?!?

So all three of us stumbled inside. 

The warmth and the couch were pure bliss. 

The next morning Bekstrand's mom made us waffles.

All in all, it was a great night, one that I will always remember. 

The worst part was saying goodbye. 

I'll just think of it as a "see you soon."

i'm taking a mental picture of you now.

This weekend was brilliant. And I only have one picture to prove it.

Yes, those are Magnum Bars chilling (literally) in my freezer. 

Let's just say FHE last night was pretty sweet (no pun intended). 

Also, it reminded me of the $$$ I dropped on those little bars during my study abroad.

It's not that they are the best chocolate bar in the world. They're not.

It was just the taste of something remotely American on a hot and sticky bus ride that made me cave in and buy them.  

I can remember all the counter tops where I passed over my shekels and was handed in return 2 minutes of joy. 

But I digress. 

This weekend, Danielle came to visit. This translates into awesomeness. 

We ate Mexican food, 

visited the new shopping mall City Creek. Yeah for the Disney Store, :)

stayed up late talking,

watched funny youtube videos and ate pop-rocks chocolate (in memory of Jerusalem days),

and laughed. 

All without taking one single picture. Even when she brought the clicky camera. Sad. 

Oh, we also officially decided we are backpacking across Europe when we get back from our missions. I. Cannot. Wait. 

I'm thinking a reading of Rick Steve's Europe is in order. 

those canaan days we used to know.

Where have they gone? Where diiiiiiiiiiiiiiid they go?

Sigh. This past week being Passover has brought a flood of memories back from Jerusalem. And then my roommate made a Seder meal for her dinner group and I almost started crying. Almost. 

So, I thought I'd reminisce about the Seder that we had in Jerusalem. Because it was legit. It involved singing in Hebrew, eating [nasty] bitter herbs, watching a hilarious rap by some JC boys, and let's not forget drinking the grape juice. I'm grinning just thinking about the night.

Our table, with the infamous grape juice and the Hebrew books we
used to follow along with all the prayers, stories, etc. 

Just enjoying ourselves in the Oasis.

Close up of the traditional Seder meal. Bitter herbs=the harshness of the
slavery in Egypt that the Jews experienced. Charoset (apples + nuts)= the
mortar used by the Jewish slaves in Egypt. Roasted lamb leg=the
sacrificial lamb. Hard boiled egg=sacrifice offered in the temple.
Ha. I did learn something on my study abroad. 

Jared, me and Danielle. We look normal, right?

Um. Not quite. We blame the evening on the "grape juice."

Our Jewish Studies professor, Ophir. 

 Next year in Jerusalem! (Seriously, though.)

i won't grow up.

That's me, three from the left. (source.)

If growing up means it would be beneath my dignity to climb a tree,

I'll never grow up, never grow up, never grow up!

Not me!

(Not I!)

Not me! 

So there. 

This Is The Place days. Climbing trees, feeding animals, trying to fish in the pond.  

I love this picture of Peter. 

Some days I wake up singing "I won't grow up" from the Peter Pan musical.
My roommate just laughs at me.
But I'm serious.

Some nights I go to midnight movies even though I have class the next day.
And I realize that my friend and I are possibly the oldest people in the theatre.
Holy overload of freshmen.
Wait, does this mean I'm too old to go?
Absolutely not.

 Sometimes I have a hard time wrapping my brain around the fact that I'm
21 YEARS OLD.
When did this happen?

Sometimes I eat ice cream for dinner.

Sometimes I read the Sunday morning comics.

Sometimes I wear different colored socks.

Sometimes I'm immature and laugh at dumb stuff.

Sometimes I want to play spy or cowboys and indians or go on adventures.

Sometimes I eat more cookie dough than I actually bake.

Actually, that last one should be always.

****

Tonight, I said goodbye to Faith, my dear friend who's leaving on a mission to Paraguay this Wednesday. And I had to face a little bit of "growing up." Bah.
I hate goodbyes.
I always just laugh and joke and pretend it's just a "see ya soon."
But this time "soon" translates to approximately 2 years.
Driving home, I realized how much I'm gonna miss that girl.
From the moment we ate pizza together in the airport to the last crepe party,
and all the moments in-between....
(Peru, freshman roomies, her silent laugh, California road trip, making dinners, awkward BYU dances, crepes, finding our true laughs, midnight movies, Thursday lunches)
...I knew we were meant to be great friends.
She is going to be an incredible missionary.

Good luck, Faith!

Don't look before you laugh. Look ugly in a photograph.

Check. Mark.

I was listening to U2 today while working (sort of) on homework. Always a good choice. And my favorite song of their's came on: city of blinding lights. I love when Bono sings, "the more you see the less you know." You might be wondering what that means. But just think about it. It really is so true. The more I see and experience the more I realize how little I really know about the world and life.

Anyway, that awkward picture is simultaneously of Heather tickling me to death and Bekstrand showing  me something on the internet. In case you were wondering. I love candid camera moments.

And I love these girls. It's crazy awesome to see where we've come in the past three years. And where we're headed. It's going to be a while before we're all back together again and I'm gonna miss them. A lot.

Part of the Penrose Penthouse. 

waiting for the midnight showing of HP!...I mean, HG.

Ever since I started college three years ago I have looked forward to the magical month of November (or July) when the next Harry Potter (HP!) movie comes to theaters. Wait, I take that back. Ever since I saw these three faces in the newspaper one morning in 2000 (wow, has it really been 12 years?) I've been stoked to see the movies. After all, my childhood is synonymous with several words, one of them being Harry Potter.

source. 

But watching the movies during college has held a special place in my heart. My friends and I, who love Harry Potter as much as me (thank goodness!), have gone to every midnight showing together. Dressed up, of course. Usually we have about a month's worth of anticipation because midnight showing tickets are sold a month in advance. And people, they are sold out lightning fast. Then there's watching the trailer and deciding what character to go as and the random squeals of HP! late at night. Suddenly, it's the day of the movie. And you get to stand in line with a bunch of Harrys and Dobys and Lunas and people who love Harry Potter as much as you. And my favorite part is the dynamic of the theatre right as the movie is about to start. The cheers and clapping and oohs and aahs and yes, sometimes even tears.

But this year was different. Because there were no more Harry Potter movies. Don't worry, I won't get started on that whole drama. (I've already discussed it here.) Anyway, I was pretty sad that I wouldn't be going to a midnight movie with my friends. But then I found out about The Hunger Games being made into a movie, and my world was righted once again. :) That's right everyone, I'm going to the midnight showing of HG in exactly one week! (HG just doesn't have the same ring as HP, though. Lame.)

I'll admit the books are not as good as Harry Potter. But the story line is still intense and the characters are well developed. And the book makes you think about a lot of interesting things like what life would be like after a destruction of North America or what you would do if you had the choice to kill and live or not kill and die. Also, the trailer looks impressive. So I'm excited. Yeah.

Also, my preparing for this movie has been slightly different then the Harry Potter's.  I read the book again, because it's been a while. Then I slowly realized that I've been preparing for the actual Hunger Games. By rationing my food. And running a lot. And practicing my bow and arrow skills. Ok, maybe not that last one. But still. It's good to be prepared, because you never know, right?

May the odds be ever in your favor.

source.

See it in eye-popping 3D!

source. 

I've never been a fan of 3D movies.

I don't like the idea of the movie

popping out at me. 

I am the viewer,

you are the movie.

Stay in your space, and I'll stay in mine.

Also,

I feel like 3D has become this cop-out 

for movies today.

Hey, we may have a crappy plot,

and terrible actors,

but guess what?

It's in 3D!!! Awesome, right?!

Nope.

Not to mention, the tickets almost double in price.

Why would I spend more money

to see the exact same movie

just with annoying glasses I have to

re-adjust every 5 minutes?

I guess I'm still

a big fan of the 

dollar theater.

(Unless of course HP or LOTR or something of that caliber is coming out. 

Then it's the midnight showing, no questions asked.)

Anyway,

Last night I went with my roomies to see 

Beauty and the Beast...in 3D. 

(You saw it coming, didn't you?)

I wasn't particularly excited...

(don't get me wrong, I love Beauty and the Beast, but

cartoon?

already seen it?

3D?)

...but turns out it was awesome!

And it wasn't because the movie was in 3D. So the above rant still is true. :)

I just loved sitting in a movie theater and watching a movie

from my childhood. 

It has everything you could want:

mystery, romance, adventure, and humor.

I may or may not have gotten chills during this part of the movie: 

source.

I want adventure in the great wide somewhere,

I want it more than I can tell.

And for once it might be grand,

To have someone understand,

I want so much more than they've got planned. 

I love discovering lyrics that apply directly to you.

I also loved being in a theater with a bunch of college kids

that all laughed when I did.

Remember this little gem?

source.

Lefou, I'm afraid I've been thinking...

A dangerous pastime?

I know. 

Seriously, such a good movie. 

In summary: fun night, happy movie, great roomies.

Life is good. 

After the flood all the colors came out.

Me at the Sea of Galilee.

Where to begin?! I just got back from spending 10 days in Galilee. They were filled with so many incredible moments and adventures. I learned so much about myself and others and the gospel.

First off, it was nice to take a break from the hustle and bustle of Jerusalem and spend time in the peaceful countryside of Galilee. We stayed in Ein Gev, a kibbutz right on the shore of Galilee. 1 minute walk to the beach? Yes, please! On a side note, my little cabin was the second to last one in the kibbutz. 20 minute walk to all meals and the interwebs? No, thanks! But, hey, it was good exercise and gave me an excuse to eat the desserts at dinner. (Real chocolate cake, people. I forgot what it tasted like.)

Our days followed one of two patterns. Either we went on an all day field trip or we had 3+ hours of class, followed by a free afternoon. At night we had more class or special lectures or bonfires. Whoever thought that having students go on an 8 hour field trip and then spend all night in class was crazy! But I kinda liked the intensity of it all because it reminded me of the short amount of time I have left here in the Holy Land and all that I want to accomplish before I leave.

Attempting to blog about all that happened in Galilee would take forever (and might get slightly boring), so I've decided to put up some pictures of highlights from my trip. On our trip we had several rainy days which I actually loved, because I got to wear a rain jacket and jump in puddles, not to mention I love the rain. But mostly I loved the rainy days because of how everybody reacted to them. Everyone just put on their jackets and headed out into the stormy weather, not complaining or having negative attitudes. We sang and dance in the rain, we took awesome pictures in the rain, we even went swimming in the rain! You can tell a lot about someone's character by how they react to situations that don't go exactly according to plan. I loved hanging out with people that embraced the rain and made the most of it. Plus, after a rain storm, when the mist cleared away, the hills and valleys and sea were beautiful. It reminded me of England. :)

Me and Danielle loving the rain at Gamla, a fortress that the Jews
used in a Jewish revolt similar to Masada. 

Black jackets unite!

Dancing to gospel music on our boat ride on the Sea of Galilee.

Danielle, me, and Robyn at the Sea of Galilee. 

Pig noses close to Capernaum where the pigs threw themselves off the cliff
into the sea. We referred to this place as "The Hill of the Bedeviled Ham." :)

Not all those who wander are lost.

Thanks Nicole for the sweet pic!

"Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Wandering around the Old City might be my new favorite thing. After living in Jerusalem for over two months, I'm starting to feel like this is my city. I know my way around the different quarters, can point out which way is north, south, east, or west (this took a while because I lacked the trusty Rocky Mountains as my guide), and I've visited most of the major sites around town. Now when I go in the city, I'm not as rushed to see things; I take my time and enjoy every moment. I open random doors, explore hidden allies, and interact with the locals. The past several days have been filled with exciting discoveries, good friends, and amazing food. 

The Kings' Tombs. This site is in someone's backyard which made me jealous.

This wheelbarrow is in honor of James and our Grand Canyon hike. :)

Random cave at the rock-cut tombs in the Kidron Valley. The entrance looked
like a piano. This made me happy. So naturally a picture was taken.

Creepy crawler.

Jewish school children near the Western Wall. (Thanks Danielle!)

Early morning at the Western Wall.
(Awesome photo credit, above and below, to Eliza!)

Women praying at the wall. 

We found a playground in the Jewish quarter. This may or may not
have been the first thing I did when I saw it.

Me and Eliza riding down the slide. :) 

Me, Jared, and Eliza eating pita and hummus at Lina's. Soooo good!

Door to the Greek Orthodox church we got to see.  

The little Greek lady that invited us to see the above church.
She was so friendly and gave us all hugs and kisses after we talked to her.
I love the friendly and accepting the people I have met here in Jerusalem.

I'm halfway gone, and I'm on my way.

This week marks my half-way point in Jerusalem. I am loving life in the Middle East! Immersing myself in the different cultures here has opened my eyes to new ideas and customs, but has mostly shown me how similar we all really are. I can't believe I have been living at the Jerusalem Center for eight weeks. Lately, I have been thinking about time and the importance of using every minute wisely. After all, I have less then two months to soak in all the sights, smells, and sounds of the Holy Land. This quote from General Conference has been running through my mind:

"Time is never for sale; time is a commodity that cannot, try as you may, be bought at any store for any price. Yet when time is wisely used, its value is immeasurable. On any given day we are all allocated, without cost, the same number of minutes and hours to use, and we soon learn, 'Time flies on wings of lightning; we cannot call it back.'" (Ian S. Arden, A Time to Prepare, General Conference Oct. 2011.) 

The past weeks have been full of exciting and memorable moments. Our student group got to help pick and press olives a few days ago. We spent one day picking all the olives from the 60 olive trees around the Jerusalem Center. Our director, Andrew Skinner, reminded us of the symbolism of the olive tree. For example, if you bite into a recently picked olive, it tastes extremely bitter. Let me just say, I tried this and it is very true. The taste stayed in my mouth the whole olive picking time. But once you press the olives, the olive oil tastes sweet. Brother Skinner also told us that when the Jerusalem Center was being built, the brethren of the church requested that there be an olive tree at the center. There is a tree here over 2000 years old, transplanted from the Galilee.

Me, Cara, Susy, and Adam picking olives.

The olive press. The green stuff = smashed olives. 

Nicole, Danielle, Me, Susy, and Callie mashing the olives.

The olive press. The smashed olives are in baskets underneath the circular press.
Weights press down the olives, and the liquid then seeps down into the round holes.

Another day, Eliza, Tiffany, and I climbed up a tower close to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. The view from the top was stunning. It was really neat to see surrounding Jerusalem after we had been to many of the sites in the Old City. I felt like a giddy school girl spotting all the sites I had been to. 

Tiffany and I at the top of the tower.

One of the views from the tower.

After the tower, we got 10 shekel falafel and ate it at the Austrian Hospice. I'm going to miss the falafel and spices of the Old City.

Me and Eliza eating our falafel.

Random picture of the day: graffiti in the Old City. 

I had to put this last picture in, because it sums up walking home from the Old City every day. We walk through the Kidron Valley and 9 times out of 10 are really sweaty and hot. But there's a little shop in the valley that offers popsicles for 1 shekel. (That's around 30 cents, in case you were wondering.) It's brilliant! Somehow, with a lemon popsicle in hand, climbing the hill up to the center becomes short and happy. It's the perfect end to a perfect day.

Eliza and Me eating popsicles in the Kidron Valley.