This time, like all others, is a very good one...

Peach Blueberry Jam

2011-09-24T15:12:00.002-06:00

Want me to share my latest recipe? If I can make it then you know you can. This is the most simple freezer jam recipe and it can be made with any sort of fruit combo that you can imagine. Here is the recipe:

2 cups crushed fruit ( I used 1 1/2 cups peach, 1/2 blueberry)
2 cups suger (I used between 1 and 1 1/2 cups)

Bring to a boil and then add:

1 3 oz. package of jello (I used peach)

Dissolve jello and remove from heat. Let cool and pour into containers and freeze.

Super simple, huh?

Double it, triple it and it still comes out the same. I love the purple-ish color that the blueberries add to the peachy-ness.

Those Summer Days...

2011-09-18T14:01:00.000-06:00

Where did they go? It is hard to believe that we are already past the half way mark in September. We had a fun summer full of lots of little adventures and first's. Here is your Riquelme Family recap:

July started out with the Campbell Reunion in Idaho Falls. Pablo learned how to dutch oven cook and assisted my dad with some delish Jambalaya. Nice cooking Pablo!

We then spent the 4th of July with my family doing our traditional things--a movie, picnic and fireworks. It was Pablo's first Independence Day here in the US and it was our first without my Aunt Sandy to celebrate with. The 4th is also my brother Tim's birthday so we decided to make him some patriotic red, white and blue cupcakes.

Sometime in July we ended up buying a new car which was a fun thing to do with Pablo. After researching and test driving we fell in love with this Pontiac and added him to the family!

Pablo's 29th birthday came around the end of July. Man, he is old! His work celebrated with a giant soccer cake (Thanks Homeseekers!) and we spent the weekend in Island Park and West Yellowstone camping. We had a great time with my parents cooking yummy food, breaking in all of our camping gear and we got to see the play Joseph at the Playmill in West Yellowstone.

Chicken Cordon Bleu w/ Potatoes Dutch Oven Style Yum!

Our Summer Days ended with the Eastern Idaho State Fair. Pablo had been here a WHOLE year and so this was his first second....his second time to go to the Fair. We had a good time and even worked a shift at the Aberdeen Education Foundation's Trout Booth!


Pablo and Boston at the Fair Parade (it was Bo's naptime...)

3 for Thurs...I mean, Friday?

2011-06-17T09:01:00.005-06:00

This was supposed to be 3 for Thursday but I obviously didn't get the memo. I took the prompts from my cousin Katy's blog, The House of Estrogen. It's the ins and outs of raising 4 girls--and it's pretty entertaining! Check her out by clicking HERE.

1. Three things I accomplished this week
1. Slept in on Monday until like 8:23.
2. Deep cleaned half of our apartment. (Hey I have the rest of the summer to do the other part...)
3. Mowed my grandpa's lawn.

2. Three things I want to do this summer
1. Go camping!
2. Go swimming at Lava Hot Springs (anyone wanna come?)
3. Exercise, exercise, exercise!

3. Three colors used at my wedding
1. Eggplant purple
2. Lime
3. Spring Green

4. Three things I find repulsive
1. Puke. Ewww.
2. Moldy food in the fridge.
3. Spiders--icky!

5. Three chores I make my husband do
1. Take the garbage out.
2. Make the bed.
3. I don't make him but he always does the dishes after I cook.

6. Three recipes
1. Baked Ziti
2. Baked Jambalaya from Betty Crocker
3. Anything from A Busy Nest

7. Three pictures
Due to a lack of time to upload pictures from my camera you will have to settle for a few of my favorites that my friend Emily took of me. Check out her work HERE.

OK GO

2011-06-16T12:38:00.003-06:00

Have you heard of this group? I thoroughly enjoy their music but I mainly enjoy their videos. AND they are never edited--one shot only. Can you imagine the patience and redundancy of filming a perfect music video.

I saw this one last week and thought I would share--it still amazes me how it all worked out in one shot. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qybUFnY7Y8w

Day 14--Almost half way there!

2011-06-14T16:48:00.003-06:00

I just spent the afternoon with these guys and it was pretty great! Blake (the older of the two) has recently informed me that he is MY nephew while Boston (his younger brother) is Pablo's nephew. Blake and I have had some pretty great times together throughout the years.

My oldest nephew was born while I was on my mission so I didn't get to have a special new born moment with him. But I will never forget when Blake was born. I had gone on a blind date that night, doubling with my now sister-in-law Abby. (She wasn't with my brother though! haha) I waited and waited for the phone call to know that Blake was born. I then drove to my parents house in Blackfoot and got there a little after midnight. It was so hard to sleep knowing that my new little nephew was just miles away. Finally at like 4:30 in the morning my sister Laura sent me a text telling me that she and Blake were awake if I wanted to come meet him. I threw on the nearest clothes and raced to the Birthing Center to meet him.

The moment I met him I feel in love! I had never seen a baby so tiny and so special. The tears came to my eyes and I knew that I would love this guy forever! And now, four and half years later I still love this guy. He never forgets to tell me thank you, he remembers every gift I have ever given him, his hugs are unlimited and so is his love. We have such a grown up relationship sometimes that I forget how young he really is.

Now, don't get me wrong--I have some PRETTY cute nephews and one adorable niece. I love them all so much and they have been wonderful fillers since I don't have any children. They each are special and unique to me in their own way. In just a few days I get to spend some time with my PA nephews and that is a trip I look forward to every year. Being an aunt gives me a small taste of the love that my Aunt Sandy felt for me and my siblings. It really is something special.

5 Fav's

2011-06-13T13:04:00.007-06:00

5 Fav's to start off my summer just right...

Have you had Spicy Nacho popcorn? It is super yummy and spicy!

Did you see the FREE coupon in Parade magazine a few weeks ago for one of these? Yum. I could have one every day that the sun comes out.

We bought a grill a few weeks ago and let me just tell you--best investment ever.

We are Wii-less so no Netflix but we are pretty grateful for the next best thing--Redbox. What was life like without it? Does it get any better than online reserving your $1 rental and picking it up at your convenience?!

Phineas and Ferb = Summer Vacation.

4th Year Relay-er

2011-06-11T20:11:00.003-06:00

If you have ever read my blog you have read about Relay for Life. This year I was so busy and stressed that I didn't have time to come up with a personal fundraiser. So, in a last minute (or last week) attempt I wanted to talk about luminarias. These are white bags that give you something back for your donation to the American Cancer Society.

Here is the idea: You donate $10 to Relay for Life. You get a white paper bag to decorate (or I can do it for you) to put in memory of someone who is or has suffered from cancer. On the night of Relay we will put a candle in every bag and walk a lap of silence for those people. It is one of the main reasons why I go back every year to Relay--for those names on those bags.

If you are at all interested in buying a luminaria, please let me know! This is a great way to make a small donation and honor someone you know and love!

Need some new dinner ideas?

2011-06-08T20:52:00.004-06:00

Day 8

Have you ever been to this website? www.bettycrocker.com
It's one of my new favorites. Not only is it jampacked with amazing recipes but they are all with stuff you already have in your pantry.

Okay, try out my favorite feature. Click on RECIPES. (It's up on the left hand side, at the top. I know it will come with a drop down menu but just click on it.) Now look at the Easy Meal Finder. Type in two or three items you have right now and it will you plenty of recipes you can make with those ingredients. I love this tool! Just thought I would share my new favorite with you--good luck with dinner tonight!

Day Siete

2011-06-07T17:50:00.002-06:00

Have you seen this yet? Swoon my aching heart. Best 3 hours I have spent recently. Even Pablo loved it. Yes, loved. This is BBC's Sense and Sensibility and it is wonderful.

You want to know a true confession? I have yet to read this book. It is currently on the top of my To Read This Summer list. I have read Pride and Prejudice twice now and LOVE it but I think I am ready for another Austin book and I really want to devour this one as soon as my Conference *yawn* is over.

What else needs to go on my list? Please leave me some of your favorites to add to my list!

Day 6

2011-06-06T21:10:00.003-06:00

I spent my first day of summer vacation learning about this--Total Instructional Alignment. Let's just say that today was a LONG day and I still have 4 more days ahead of me...

Day four-five-ish

2011-06-05T20:06:00.005-06:00

Today I had the opportunity of going to YW and speaking with the girls about my mission. It made me just a little homesick for that name tag and skirt and my tiny waist. But mainly it made me homesick for the things I experienced and the way they changed my life for the better.

Meet Inez--one of the poorest yet happiest people on the earth. One night my companion and I were feeling kind of down because we had knocked doors for days on end without much success. We were both brand new in the area and we decided we would visit some members in the ward to try to get to know them better. We picked Inez's house thinking that we would be able to cheer her up.

She let us into her home which was a one room apartment she rented. It was spotless and every inch was used to it's fullest. Her couch was actually a bed rolled under a back rest and her tiny kitchen was also the living room/bedroom. She offered us all she had, strawberry banana milk made with powdered milk. This sweet sister worked in the feria (street market) and was so poor. Yet that night she taught us a huge lesson about love and happiness. She shared her testimony with us and I will never forget how strong the spirit was as she shared her simple words. I will never forget her though she may have long forgotten me and that delicious milk she made us.

Do you want meet someone else? This is Andres. I am now unofficially a part of his family. Andres has been a faithful member ever since his baptism. He has been a member 5 1/2 years now and he is currently serving on the high council in his stake. A few months after he was baptized his brand new home caught on fire while the family was at church. Many people would take that harshly and have a hard time staying in the gospel. Not Andres. His ward turned the damage into a service project and within a week they had repainted, re carpeted, and repaired all of the damage. I was able to attend their sealing as a family and they were able to attend my sealing to Pablo. What amazing examples to me they are!

I am so grateful for the opportunity that I had to serve a mission. It has truly changed my life for the better in so many different ways. If it hadn't of been for one particular elder who had the patience to teach an 18 year old, I wouldn't be married for time and all eternity to the man of my dreams! I heart missionary work!

Day 3

2011-06-04T14:07:00.004-06:00

Yes I'm a day late. My brain just did not function well enough to connect my fingers with the letters on the keyboard.

BUT if I were to have written, I would have written about this:

Anyone who knows me well knows that I am NOT crafty. I can try but it just is not in my genes. So my sister Laura invited me to make a project of her creation. Her friend Misti gave her some vinyl cuttings for her b-day and I got in on the projects! I will say, these blocks do brighten up my living room!

So here's to another attempt and being crafty! Now I don't have to try again for a few years, right?

Day 2

2011-06-02T20:16:00.002-06:00

Last day with students today and I will just admit it...I cried. Well, to be technical I just got a little choked up. I was doing just fine until I looked out at my class, minutes before the bell was to ring and half of them were crying. So I decided to join them.

I have really been blessed with an amazing first year class. These kids have stuck with me and dealt with everything just great. They are polite, respectful and easy to teach. My next year is going to be rough--mainly because I won't have these guys. I could not have asked for a better class or team of teachers to work with.

As part of the Awards Assembly for the kids today, my 6th grade teacher just happened to be there to present some awards. She told the whole school that I was one of her favorites but to be honest, she was one of mine. I really try to pattern my teaching after some of the greats in my life and there have been a few.

So, it's time to end this Teacher's Ramblings and let my kids grow up and move on. But a part of them will always be mine.

Just look at them--how could you not love them?

(Picture taken at American Falls Dam on our field trip, June 1)

Are you READY?

2011-06-01T18:02:00.002-06:00

30 Days of Blogging

Do you think I can make it? I need something to motivate me with this space I have here so hopefully this will do the trick. (Idea taken from my friends blog who stole it from her friends blog so feel free to steal it from my blog...)

Day 1: 15 Facts About Me

1. I love being a teacher! Of all the jobs I have ever had, it is definitely my favorite.

2. The first sunburn of the summer feels so good to me. I think it is my skin getting reacquainted with the sun!

3. I love trying new recipes for anything from dinners to desserts!

4. I also love exclamation points!! (Can you tell?)

5. I could spend days on end reading books.

6. I like living in SE Idaho but there are many days when I get homesick for Santiago.

7. I only brush with Arm & Hammer Baking Soda and Peroxide toothpaste.

8. Every Sunday I try on 3.5 dresses before deciding what to wear.

9. I still think about my kids from Ecuador and wonder where they are today.

10. I like living close to my family and really miss my family in Pennsylvania.

11. I could eat popcorn for breakfast, lunch or dinner!

12. I really enjoy blogging but sometimes feel like I don't have enough time.

13. My current calling of teaching Sunday School is one of the hardest I have ever had!

14. I have had my plant Dinah for 7+ years now!

15. I really, really miss my Aunt Sandy.

Quilting Bee

2011-04-29T17:41:00.004-06:00

Pablo and I made a quilt for our bed over Conference weekend. My mom and sister helped me tie the quilt and then we brought it home to bind by hand. I was about half way down with the quilt when Pablo said to me one night, "Can I work on it tomorrow?" Um, YES. So he sat down, popped in Pride and Prejudice and hand sewed the quilt. Who knew I married such a talented guy? So here are a few pictures of the end result. The fabric I got for 40% off at JoAnn's opening celebration and had to wait in line for almost 2 hours to get it cut and paid for. But so worth the discount!

Some Baked Ziti for your weekend...

2011-04-15T18:29:00.003-06:00

I know I haven't posted in a long time. And now what do I post? A recipe? Seriously, Becki, c'mon. But this has become one of our absolute favorites recently and I thought I would share. Between ISAT's, state visitors, Parent Teacher Conferences and trying to find a balance in life this Ziti has kept our bellies full. Enjoy!

Becki's Baked Ziti (adapted from The Biggest Loser)

1 box ziti (or penne if you want but I prefer ziti)
1 (15 oz) container fat free ricotta cheese
2 egg whites
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
2 cups grated Pepper Jack cheese
garlic powder
Salt, pepper, red pepper flakes or other seasonings
One jar of your favorite Spaghetti or Marinara Sauce
Parmesan Cheese

Cook the ziti until al dente. In a separate bowl mix egg whites, ricotta cheese and 1 cup Pepper Jack and 1 cup mozzarella cheese with seasonings. Add the cooked pasta and mix together. In a 9x13 pan (sprayed with cooking spray) add half of the pasta/cheese mix. Put a nice helping of sauce on top. Add the rest of the noodles and another layer of sauce on top. If you want a little more spice you can add a few pepperoni on top but not essential. Add the remaining cheese and sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on top of that. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. Take foil off and let cheese melt. Yummy!

Per serving: 350 calories

For just the two of us, I usually cut the whole recipe in half and bake it in a 9x9. That usually lasts us several days!

5+ months

2011-01-29T06:18:00.009-07:00

Just want to talk about this guy a little bit. He has come LEAPS and BOUNDS in the last 5 months. When he first got here, I was nervous for him. I'm not gonna lie. He left his food, culture, family, friends, language, etc. to be with me. That's a huge sacrifice. But he has done amazing.

The other day we had spent time with my family--my siblings and their spouses and their children. Pablo turned to me and said, "So, this is what being in a family is like." Pablo is an only child so I was worried that he would be overwhelmed by all of my crazy family. But he loves each of them so much--especially his nephews. Blake can't find a better instant-ninja/jedi/animal/warrior/transformer friend.

Pablo has done really well with his English. He basically spoke NOTHING before he came. Now he has a calling with the 11 year old Scouts. Yesterday he had his first job interview as a Graphic Designer--all in English and he did amazing! They loved him and they loved his work so now we just have to wait to see if they can offer him a job. Even he doesn't get the job I'm just so proud of him for not being afraid to try.

Man, I love this guy! He was so worth the wait! Gracias Pablo por ser el mejor esposo que he tenido en mi vida! Te amo muchisimo!

A little warmth for your Monday

2011-01-10T15:46:00.002-07:00

So I have been trying to leave comments on blogs and guess what...my google is being weird. Last week I had my google account broken into and now my passwords, etc. are all messed up. So comments will be coming but please be patient.

Meanwhile, Pablo and I tried this new recipe yesterday for Sunday afternoon and it was yummy. It is from a Campbell soup advertisement and it was mmm mmm good! (No pun intended...)

Southwest White Chicken Chili

1 tbsp. vegetable oil
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into cubes
4 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 large onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 can (10 1/2 oz) Cream of Chicken Soup
3/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups frozen whole kernel corn (I used it from a can)
2 cans white kidney beans (I only used 1 can of Great Northern Beans)
shredded cheddar cheese

Heat oil in 4-qt. saucepan over medium heat. Add chicken, chili powder, cumin, onion and pepper and cook until chicken is cooked through, stirring often.

Stir in soup, water, corn and beans and heat to a boil. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 5 minutes. Serve with cheese.

Blog, Blog, Blog

2011-01-08T09:40:00.002-07:00

I have neglected my blog. One of my friends emailed me the other day and asked me if married life was keeping me too busy from blogging. No. It hasn't. I think it is just a whole combination of things.

I read other blogs. I catch up on your life but most the time I don't have time to comment. I need to be better because when I leave comments I hope it lets you know that I care about what is going on. When you leave me a comment it makes me feel like you care. Isn't that silly?

I was reading a friend's blog the other day and I totally think she was right. Sometimes when we blog we put the best on their--the great activities, the cute things are kids say or do, the vacations, the important stuff. But it gives the appearance that nothing is wrong in our lives. It is easy to compare and say wow, they have more, do more, are more...etc. But that is not real life.

So here is my blogging goal--to give you our REAL life. I didn't blog very much last year because I was down, depressed and sad to be separated from my husband. It was HARD. I'm not complaining, I'm just telling the truth. We are seriously very blessed and I love being able to spend every day with Pablo. He is my best friend and makes me laugh harder than anyone. So 8 months away from him was hard but we did it. I wish I would have put more of that on my blog but I didn't. For now on, you will be getting the REAL stuff.

Pablo and I will be speaking in a Spanish Branch on Sunday--this is our 2nd speaking assignment in the 4 1/2 months that we have been together in the US but not in our own ward. Isn't that funny! We are speaking on goals this Sunday and it has really made me realize how important goals are in our lives. We make jokes about New Year's Resolutions but what a great idea to help us pause and think about what we really need to do and become.

Okay, there you have it. Some random thoughts but all true and real. Happy New Year!

Holly Holidays

2011-01-08T08:32:00.013-07:00

So here are a few updates to share. Thanksgiving: We were planning on traveling to Utah to stay with my Aunt Nyla and Uncle Vic but because of some icky snow, we stayed in Blackfoot. My sister's in-law's let us crash their Thanksgiving and it was fun!

Christmas: Pablo has few good Christmas memories so I decided that I would try to fit in every tradition possible for him to REALLY experience Christmas USA style. We played in the snow.

We made Gingerbread houses.

We left cookies and milk out for Santa.

And he came! He even brought Pablo a real TRANSFORMER!

New Year's: We spent with Doug and Laura and my folks playing Wii and games. That is until Doug and Laura fell asleep at 11 pm...so we came home and watched the ball drop while sipping Sparklin' Cider!

Oh and don't let me forget our ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY. Unfortunately there are no pictures of that because I had the stomach flu and spent the day puking my guts out. Don't worry, I am over it but I don't think it was very romantic. And definitely not photo-op worthy.

I hope that you all had a great Holiday and may 2011 bring you plenty of wonderful memories!

Holiday Cards

2010-11-14T07:37:00.006-07:00

Pablo is making personalized Christmas Cards for anyone who wants one!

You send him the picture or pictures you want, a message you want and if you have any color or design requests. He will send you your card and make any changes you want if you are not satisfied! All for $20!!

Here are a few examples (models were not paid for their posing...)

Let me know if you are interested!

Hump Day Tag

2010-10-20T20:23:00.002-06:00

Blogging is...
my way to vent, share, feel important and let others know they are important to me.

A current fashion trend I wish I was brave enough to wear is...
the whole floral/headbands, etc. I just feel too old to be sporting a cute little bud in my hair. Am I?!

My greatest accomplishment in life thus far is...
I'm happily married to the best Chilean around, have a great job and wonderful family and friends.

If I had to choose between a mountain or a beach vacation I'd choose...
LA PLAYA--there is nothing more romantic or more serene then watching the sun set over the ocean. My first area on my mission was the beach and I have been in love with it ever since.

A talent I wish I had is...
crafty or creative.

A talent I do have is...
cooking. Pablo sure has some good things to say about it anyways!

This week...
is finally coming to an end. I played with some kids. I laughed and cried during Parenthood. We are going to see Pirates of Penzance this weekend. It's been a good week!

Life as we know it...

2010-10-07T15:34:00.007-06:00

I have dreaded doing this. Updating. I'm worried that if I spend the time to update several different posts that no one will even read them and by this point, who really cares what we ate for dinner or what movie we watched 2 months ago?

So, here is a quick overview of our life the last few months. (With pictures, don't you fret!)

My husband is here! It has seriously been so great to have him here. Even going to Walmart for toothpaste is more fun with him around. He has been so good to adjust to our culture and way of living. He loves everything I cook, helps me with laundry and washing dishes and is learning English. We are renting a cute 2 bedroom apartment just west of Blackfoot and we love having our own space.

My whole family was here for Labor Day weekend so we got some fun family pictures taken at my dad's grain elevator in Rexburg. Ashley Topham took them and they turned out amazing. Check her out here: http://ashleytophamphotography.blogspot.com/ It was so fun to be all together and spend time especially with my brother and sister Alan and Amber who live way too far away! While we were together we spent a day in Yellowstone and Pablo got to see some many things he never thought he would see!

Also while my family was all together, Pablo and I celebrated our 8 1/2 months of marriage with a reception in Blackfoot. It turned out so wonderful! From the food to the decorations to all the great people who came, it was quite the party! I'm so glad that we did it and that everyone got to meet Pablo. For more pictures of the reception, check out my Facebook album.

And last but not least, this last weekend Pablo and I were able to attend General Conference. We got to go to the morning and afternoon sessions on Sunday and it was such a neat experience. Sunday morning my dad's mission president, Jay E. Jensen spoke and it was so neat to be there. It was a dream for Pablo to be in the same spot he has seen on TV so many times. I am so glad that we were able to go down and renew our spirits for a few more months!

Other than that we have stayed busy with my new teaching job and Pablo working in Potato Harvest. We are so grateful to be together and I'm so glad to have my best friend with me finally.

Just call me Mrs. Riquelme

2010-08-12T23:12:00.002-06:00

Mrs. Riquelme...I know I've been married now for over 7 months but no one really calls me that yet. But, now it will be an every day occurrence because starting tomorrow I will be the newest 4th grade teacher at Aberdeen Elementary in Aberdeen, ID. I am so excited to start this new adventure.

When I came home from my mission I knew I wanted to learn more Spanish but didn't want to be a Spanish teacher because that is too specialized. So I got my BA in Spanish and Communications with a cluster in Education. This last year as I worked alongside a wonderful Kindergarten teacher at Fort Hall Elementary I knew I wanted to teach but lacked the certificate. Luckily I was able to enroll in the ABCTE program and after passing 2 very hard tests, was eligible for my teaching certificate.

I am so excited to teach in a school where my Spanish will be well used and much needed. Thanks to everyone's love and support. Pablo and I are truly feeling like things are coming together and feel very blessed. So I guess for now it's "GO TIGERS!"

Did I mention...

2010-08-08T15:13:00.003-06:00

...that this guy right here will be here on August 20?! Yup. His interview was Wednesday and he got APPROVED! They told us that his Visa would take 7-10 days to get to him but on Friday morning the DHL guy stopped by to drop it off to him. So, he could have been coming sooner but we had decided to be safe rather than sorry and fly him here the 20th. But he's packing his bags and saying his goodbyes!

I'm sorry for not posting this earlier. My dear Aunt Sandy passed away this week. She wasn't married and had no children so my sister Laura and I pitched right in and helped my Mom and her siblings plan and carry out a beautiful funeral. I will post more about her later but thanks for all of your support and love. And I'm pretty sure Pablo and I's "Tia" Sandy helped him out just a little bit with his Visa. Thanks Sandy!

2010-08-05T00:49:00.002-06:00

Sondra Beth Tyler, 67, of Idaho Falls, died Aug. 2, 2010, at her home.

Sondra was born Dec. 17, 1942, in Idaho Falls, Idaho, to Stuart C. Tyler and Rhoda Marie Stucki Tyler.

She grew up in Terreton, Arco and Rigby and graduated from Rigby High School in 1961. She lived in Terreton for 28 years and moved to Idaho Falls 18 years ago.

Sondra married Gerald Messerli on Aug. 23, 1963, in Idaho Falls, and they later divorced. She worked in the security department of Idaho National Laboratory for 35 years and retired four years ago. She was a member of the American Business Women's Association and served on the board of her condominium association.

An active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Sondra served in many capacities over the years, most recently as Relief Society compassionate service leader and visiting teaching coordinator. Sondra loved making crafts with seashells, reading, and serving her friends, family and loved ones. She had an unconditional love for everyone she came in contact with and freely shared that love. Her faith in the Gospel was unwavering, and she lived her life as a disciple of Christ.

Surviving are her father, Stuart Tyler of Blackfoot; siblings, Janet (Dale) Armstrong of Zephyrhills, Fla., Victor (Nyla) Tyler of Sandy, Utah, and Cindy (Scott) Campbell of Blackfoot; "adopted" sister, Linda (Ed) Andersen of Blackfoot; 19 nieces and nephews; numerous great-nieces and -nephews; and countless adopted kids, grandkids and neighbors.

She was preceded in death by her mother, Rhoda Tyler, and a brother, Stuart Stucki Tyler.

Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 7, at the Idaho Falls LDS Mountain View Ward, 1450 Mountain View Lane, with Bishop Michael Hays officiating. The family will visit with friends from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday at Wood Funeral Home, 273 N. Ridge Ave., and from 1 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. Saturday at the church. Burial will be in Ucon Cemetery under the direction of Wood Funeral Home. Condolences may be sent to the family online at www.woodfuneralhome.com.

Yum-diddle-dum

2010-08-02T16:24:00.002-06:00

I can't make bread. I have tried I promise. It always bakes too dark or not enough or doesn't rise. You get the picture. But I made this today. YUM. It was quick, easy, and delicious! And you don't have to feel guilty for taking another slice cause it's 100% whole wheat.

Click HERE to get the recipe. And click HERE to see the whole fun "Busy Nest" blog. It's one of my fav's.

Life is beautiful

2010-07-17T22:58:00.006-06:00

Do you ever just sit back, relax and think, Wow--things aren't too bad right now. My trainer on my mission told me that once you get comfortable things change. And I'm sure they will. But for right now, in this moment I just feel blessed.

My husband is almost here.
My family is so great and supportive.
I have a wonderful calling and love my primary class so much.
My friends have been wonderful support.
Things are not perfect and they won't ever be.
But for right now, in this moment, life is good.

Let the countdown begin...

2010-07-05T12:30:00.003-06:00

August 4th is the day of Pablo's final interview in Santiago! WOOT-WOOT! I have waited not so patiently to hear about this since I sent off his first paperwork! His interview is the 4th and he should be able to travel the next week! That means before you know it, we will be together! (Let's keep our fingers crossed for the 2nd week of August!)

This has been such a LONG last few months but I'm sure it will all be worth it when we are together again. Since I got the news it is hard to think of anything else. I feel like all the plans that have been on hold can finally become unleashed!

Speaking of plans, we will be doing an Open House in Blackfoot sometime in August. I know I asked for addresses awhile ago but the hard drive on my iMac crashed and I lost my whole list. So, if I can make another cry for addresses--please either leave them in a comment or email me at beckitabonita@gmail.com

Getting Excited for World Cup?

2010-06-09T14:42:00.003-06:00

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

A Busy Nest

2010-05-09T17:07:00.002-06:00

Looking for some new recipes? How about just some motherly advice? Or some fun ideas for your home? One of my friends Meredith along with her sister and mother have started a really fun blog called A Busy Nest. Meredith is a classy gal and it shows through their fun blog. The current post right now is a recipe for crab cakes--yum! So go check it out and see what fun things you can find!

Click HERE to go to the blog and enjoy!

Spring is here? Or wait..not yet...almost...

2010-05-01T11:15:00.002-06:00

I'm pretty sure that spring is more busy than summer because you are doing all the prep work during spring to make summer run smoothly. Does that make sense? And speaking of spring, where is it?!

For the last few weeks I feel like I have just run around in circles and put life on hold to get other things done. Dealing with Pablo's visa, work, church calling, planning Girls Camp (just as an assistant luckily!), helping with Relay for Life, and studying for my ABCTE test has me ready to pull my hair out. I'm not complaining, I know we are all going crazy right now.

Sometimes it is so hard to really see how all of these things are really going to come together in the end, but I also know that our Heavenly Father has a plan for us. We just have to have faith and patience and we will get there!

PS. I know this has been a random post, but anyone interested in a CD holder for their car I decided to just sell them for $20. All proceeds go to the American Cancer Society and I will make you an awesome mix CD to go along with it! Just let me know if you are interested!

Relay Auction

2010-03-27T07:33:00.004-06:00

How would you like to have a fancy, homemade, classy CD holder for your car?! This year to raise some money for Relay for Life I am auctioning off 2 of these babies! The one in the picture is one that my friend Michelle made me and I plan on making two of these to be auctioned off.Each holder has coordinating fabrics and elastic on the back to hook it onto your visor in your car. AND I will even throw in a personalized CD mix made by myself for YOU!If you are interested then leave a comment with a bid and see what happens. I will ship it to wherever. The 2 highest bidders will each get: a CD holder for their car, a personalized mix CD and get a luminaria bag for every $10 spent. (The luminarias are the bags that you or I can decorate to honor someone with cancer or who has had cancer.)

Leafy Treetop

2010-03-22T16:43:00.002-06:00

All of my friends are talented in one way or another but today I'm going to brag about Tricia. She has her BFA in Illustration and she has TALENT! When we were roommates she was always working on a new project and it seemed like I always went to bed before her and woke up after her because she was always painting, drawing, etc. I love her sweet pictures and the great colors she uses!

She is starting an etsy shop to sell prints of her wonderful artwork. And I think that YOU should check it out. These would be perfect for a nursery, kids playroom or in a classroom. And they are more than reasonable priced. Go check her out and click HERE! Keep checking back because she will adding more when she has them available.

Approval

2010-03-17T18:15:00.004-06:00

We just found out that Pablo's visa has been approved!! I still can not believe it is true! Now that we have approval here it will go to Santiago and he will have to do a few things there before they allow him to come. But the second he gets approval in Chile we are booking his ticket!!! I am so excited to be with him again! It feels so real now! YEAH!

Peace.Love.Cure

2010-03-14T09:25:00.004-06:00

It is time to get ready for the 2010 Relay for Life! This is such an amazing experience and I am so excited to participate this year. I am even getting to help out with the Committee just a bit and it is fun to work with such talented ladies who pull this huge event together! (Above is a flyer that Pablo designed for our Relay for Life--I think he did a pretty good job! )

So how can YOU get involved? Well, if you live near Blackfoot join a team! My team! My sister Laura is team captain and we would love to have as many people join our team as possible. This year's event is June 18th and 19th (it's overnight). We take turns walking all night long and stay up and have lots of fun during the process.
My favorite part of the whole night is when we light the luminarias. These are bags that people can purchase for $10 and decorate to honor a cancer survivor or someone who has passed away. This year I plan on decorating one for my Grandpa Campbell who is struggling with cancer and my Uncle Jed who has just started his cancer journey. They are both amazing men and deserve to be honored.
Questions? Ask me. Want to sign up for a team? I can help with that too! Just want to make a donation? Click HERE! And stay tuned because I have a fun fund raising prize to make for people this year...coming soon!

Reception: Chilean Style

2010-03-08T17:18:00.008-07:00

On Christmas Day my parents, Pablo and I, and some of our AMAZING friends all met up at Pablo's church to set up for my reception. Pablo being the amazing groom that he was had set up help and had rented and gathered all of the materials. Now, just to let you know, Chileans stay up until midnight Christmas Eve and open all their presents. We had gotten home from our Christmas Eve festivities around 2 am. So we were all pretty tired! Some of my friends washed all of the rented dishes, others washed the chairs, we set up tables and decorated and dried dishes and did it all. We would not have made it without my parents and our amazing friends Jennifer, Mauricio, Elias and Betsabe who did so much work.

There is your preface to the acutal reception. Pablo's church is a two-story building. On the first floor are the classrooms, offices, bathrooms, etc. The whole second floor is the chapel and the cultural hall (seen above) It ended up looking very nice--even with Pablo's uncle's hideous and dead flower arrangements...but that's another story in itself.

Pablo and I arrived at our reception just in time for the cocktail that was being served. His dad did all of the food and had chicken wings with special seasonings and canapé. After the cocktail and visiting we sat down to a meal of salads, meat and vegetables and fruit for desert. And then the dancing began!
I think my MIL is trying to do the peace sign or something...but doesn't the groom look oh-so-handsome! I love that guy!Our good friend Elias. It gets pretty crazy at those Mormon parties you know...The cutting of the cake--my cake was a non-traditional Mil Hojas cake. It is my FAVORITE in Chile. Basically it is a cake made of crackery-thin stuff and manjar (it's like dulce de leche--not the Mexican kind, the Argentine kind) Anyways, it was yummy! Pablo's dad also made the cake which saved us tons of money!

It was a great evening and a lot of fun! The most important people from my mission and my time living in Chile, were there and I'm so glad I was able to spend that time with them. It was a really hard decision for me to give up having my "dream" wedding with all of my family and friends but to be sealed to Pablo was worth the sacrifice. So hopefully soon Pablo will be here and we can show him what an American reception is like!

Scary Quake

2010-02-28T07:19:00.004-07:00

What an awful day yesterday! I woke up and turned my iMac on to see if Pablo was up yet. He usually likes to sleep in but it about 10:30 his time and I thought he might be up. I opened up my internet and the first thing I see is EARTHQUAKE. SANTIAGO. 8.8 I panicked. Big time! But at that very second Pablo popped up and I knew that if he was online that he was safe. He told me that the quake had woken him up, shook his house, knocked down a few glasses and after he saw sparks in the street, the power went out. I know that he was very protected because not all people have that mild of a story to tell. His neighbors had a lot of damage done to their home and many others.

Yesterday morning after I calmed down and knew that my husband was okay I went to a stake Relief Society Conference. The first counselor in the IF Temple Presidency and his wife spoke to us about the blessings of the temple. I have really tried to increase my temple attendance since being separated from Pablo and it was really helped. The one thing that really stood out in my mind that President Mead said was about sealings. He said that there are a lot of things that are uncertain in this life. Will you make it to the Celestial Kingdom? You can try and do your best but it is uncertain. But if you ask, will I be with my husband and family forever? You know the answer is yes if you have been sealed.

I am so grateful that even though my husband is far away from me right now, we will be together forever. And I know that I can say YES when asked if I will be with him forever. I am so grateful that he is safe and sound and that my Heavenly Father is watching over him while we are apart.

Love, Luv, LOOOOVE!

2010-02-14T10:54:00.002-07:00

Happy Valentine's Day! Keeping up with my tradition, I'm going to post 100 things that I love! Try this for yourself and post it on your blog too!

1.) Pablo (that's a given!)
2.) Chocolate
3.) Sunny days
4.) Good books
5.) Plaza de Armas in Santiago
6.) My nephews
7.) Free samples
8.) Ward Choir practice
9.) Tulips
10.) Popcorn
11.) Alfajores
12.) Running into someone you haven't seen in a long time
13.) Pablo Neruda
14.) amazon.com
15.) Dashboard Confessional
16.) Friends
17.) Teaching primary
18.) Traveling
19.) P & P (book and movie)
20.) Photoshop
21.) Gilmore Girls
22.) Scentsy
23.) Milky Way
24.) Hanging out with my sister
25.) Text messages
26.) Clearance clothes
27.) the Temple
28.) Pedicures
29.) Old Navy socks
30.) my iMac
31.) Birthdays (mine or yours)
32.) my cute little Passat
33.) Talks with my Mom
34.) Centennial Grain LLC
35.) Mowing the lawn
36.) Summer nights
37.) gmail chat
38.) Completos
39.) Skype
40.) The Farming Game
41.) My siblings (and their spouses!)
42.) Lomito al pobre
43.) Being married
44.) The 4th of July
45.) All of you who are reading this!
46.) Weddings ( I always cry.)
47.) Cards in the mail
48.) Dove Promises
49.) Family Home Evening
50.) Pablo's artwork
51.) Flip flops
52.) West Yellowstone
53.) Dutch Oven cooking
54.) Batter fried Zucchini
55.) Being in Kindergarten
56.) BOM
57.) Speaking Spanish
58.) My wedding dress
59.) Cumbia
60.) Root beer
61.) Juanes
62.) books by Jerry Spinelli
63.) SkippyJon Jones
64.) Nicole Miller lip gloss
65.) Purses
66.) Pablo's eyes
67.) Pearls
68.) Visiting Lancaster, PA
69.) GAP outlets
70.) Apple cider
71.) Cardigans
72.) Jack Black
73.) fonts San Serif
74.) The Office
75.) Movies that make you cry
76.) Sleeping in
77.) Buffalo wings
78.) Arrested Development
79.) Catching snow flakes
80.) Reading blogs
81.) Making lists (ha ha!)
82.) Passing tests
83.) New toothbrushes
84.) Date night with Pablo
85.) Facebook
86.) Rocketdog shoes
87.) Coke Zero Vanilla
88.) Melaleuca chapstick
89.) Ellen Degeneres
90.) Casate Conmigo
91.) Baked potatoes
92.) Going to the movies
93.) Camping
94.) Cooking new recipes
95.) Ratatouille
96.) Christmas
97.) Cafe Motion
98.) gusanito.com
99.) Earrings
100.) Little Women

Soups on!

2010-02-01T20:25:00.003-07:00

My friend Drew so nicely reminded me that my blog has been LAME lately...thanks Drew! So, for lack of better posting material, try a new recipe! I actually got this out of American Profile and it was YUM! Try it and let me know what you think!

Cheesy Chicken Chowder

2 (14 oz) cans reduced sodium chicken broth
2 cups diced, peeled potatoes
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced onion
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (I used sharp!)
2 cups diced or shredded cooked chicken

Bring the chicken broth to a boil in a large saucepan and reduce heat. Add potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, salt and pepper (and other seasonings as you wish). Cover and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add flour and mix well. Gradually stir in milk and cook on low heat until slightly thickened. Stir in cheese and cook until melted (just a few minutes) Add cheese mixture to broth and add chicken. Cook and stir over low heat until heat and enjoy!

A little late but still great!

2010-01-15T19:41:00.007-07:00

Here are a few pictures from the BIG DAY! That morning my mom and I ran all over Santiago trying to find some roses for my bouquet and then spent the rest of the morning getting ready. We got to the temple around 1 pm and all the crazy Chilean temple workers were so excited to get me ready! The sealing was beautiful and everyone that was there was special to Pablo and I. These are all pictures of us after the temple. Notice there are no pictures posted of Pablo's parents--they are kind of on my bad list right now... So enjoy these ones and I will get some up from the reception soon too!

This last picture is on the top of San Cristobal. It's this big hill in the middle of Santiago where you can see all of the city. After the temple our friend Elias took us on a little "paseo" and after getting a coke, we headed up this hill. It was so fun because everyone was calling out stuff to us--one girl even said, "I want to get married too!" It was a beautiful spot to go to right after being sealed because we were feeling on top of the world!

Civil Wedding

2009-12-24T04:19:00.004-07:00

Here are a few pictures from the civil wedding yesterday--not very exciting for me but the Chileans were all like, "How does it feel to be married but not married?" The actual "ceremony" if you will was 5 minutes long and we were "married" by a woman judge so that was kind of weird. Basically she just read a statement from the government and then made sure all of our information was correct. We signed a paper and that was it! We had a toast with ginger ale, ate some cake and then went to Pablo's house to have a small barbeque with a few friends. Now we are both more excited then ever for Saturday to get here!!

UPDATE!

2009-12-12T20:51:00.003-07:00

I was reminded today by my dear friend Katy (who attacked me at the mall) that I haven't updated my blog...so this is for you! I just got my bridals done today by my friend Tiniel who did an AWESOME job! Seriously I am so pleased and love what she did but I'm not posting them because I don't want to give it all away. Thanks Tiniel for giving up your Saturday for me and for being an amazing friend through these last 10 months!
So here is the plan: My parents and I are leaving on Thursday to go to SLC and flying out for Santiago Friday morning. That puts us arriving in Santiago around 7:30 am where Pablo will be waiting. On December 23 we will be civilly married which is the law in Chile. It is a small, basically family only event but it fulfills the requirements. Then after Christmas at my good friend Andres' house, December 26 we will show up at the temple in Santiago to be sealed! I seriously can not wait for that moment!! I'm so glad that my parents and good friends will be there with me but also that Pablo will be mine--FOREVER! We will have a Chilean reception complete with fancy dinner and dance and then off we will go on the honeymoon.
I come home on January 3rd and Pablo will follow as soon as his Visa gets approved. Depending on how fast we can get it taken care of and they submit and approve it all--it could be anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months. At this point I am trying to just think about the time we will have to be together and that it will all be worth the wait. What's a few months when we will be together for eternity, right?
I just wanted to thank all of you for being my support system and cheering me on when I was down. I have such amazing family and friends and I love you all so much!! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and be waiting for more pictures to come soon!

A little warmth for your cold day

2009-11-14T17:10:00.002-07:00

BRRRR!! Today I woke up to snow--ick. And it wasn't the kind that flurried a bit and then melted away. No siree. It stayed. My dad even made me help him shovel the sidewalks. (Downside of being as old as I am and STILL living at home.) So this afternoon my mom made something warm to brighten our day--Best Ever Cream Cheese Brownies. (That's the upside of living at home!)

So here's the recipe to add some warmth to your cold day. If you didn't wake up to snow today, you will soon! *Except for those of you who are SMART and live in non-snowing states.*

Cream Cheese Brownies

2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
dash of salt
1/3 cup cocoa
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup melted butter

Topping:
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
8 oz cream cheese

Mix brownies and pour in a well greased 9 x 13 pan. Mix topping and and pour on. Run a knife through it give a marble effect. Top with semi-sweet chocolate chips and bake for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Yum.

PS Recipe courtesy of my "sweet" sister-in-law Amber.

Random Ramblings

2009-11-07T22:42:00.002-07:00

I was just looking over my blog from these past months and I realized what a LAME-O blogger I have been ever since I moved home. I averaged one lame post a month (if even). When I first moved home, it was hard. I missed Pablo, I missed my easy, awesome job working in a fancy lawyer's office but I loved being back with my family. But not seeing Pablo every day was really hard. I told myself that it was going to go by fast and for the most part, time really has. But it has been hard too. I put on a happy face but in all honesty, cross-continent relationships are not fun.
I got asked the other day by a doubting "supporter" of my engagement if I have had any doubts since being apart from Pablo. The honest truth: not one. If anything it has made us even closer because we have to rely so much on communication and having limited time to say it all. He has been so patient with me and is making so many sacrifices for me. I love him. If you don't believe me, look at my face everyday when we hang up the conversation. I'm giddy like a 12 year old school girl with her first crush.
49 days and counting. I think they will be even longer than the other 8 months that we have been apart. But is he worth the wait? Oh yeah.
So what is my point from all these random ramblings. Well, I may not have been the most happy, excited, separated from my loved one blogger but I promise to try better and look for something to share. Not just for your sakes, but for mine too. So bare with me, soon I will try a little harder and be a little better to find excitement in life!

Just some stuff...

2009-11-02T17:02:00.002-07:00

Here's a little tag from my buddy Tiniel. Thanks for starting the trend again! She requested Top 10 Movies, Books and Songs. Here you go.

MOVIES *not in any particular order
1- Pride and Prejudice (with Kiera K.)
2- Little Women
3- Serendipity
4- Dan In Real Life
5- Steel Magnolias
6- Little Women
7- Fried Green Tomatoes
8- Monster's Inc.
9- Mamma Mia!
10- Rudy

BOOKS
1- Pride and Prejudice
2- most Nicolas Sparks books
3- The Giver
5- Uglies (just the first book)
6- Harriet the Spy
7- Skippyjon Jones (Children's books)
8- El Tunel by Ernesto Sabato
9- Walk Two Moons
10- Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series

SONGS
1- Hands Down-Dashboard Confessional
2- No Me Doy Por Vencido-Luis Fonsi
3- Fidelity-Regina Spektor
4- La Vida es un Ratico-Juanes
5- Home-Michael Buble
6- La Bamba-Richie Valens
7- Sunday Bloody Sunday-U2
8- Love Song-Sara Bareilles
9- Pride and Prejudice soundtrack
10- Stay-Lisa Loeb

Las Seis Amigas

2009-10-18T10:31:00.003-06:00

In High School your friends can either lift you up or pull you down--these girls were my life savers! How I love them all for different reasons! We got together last week at my friend Shara's house to catch up on each other lives! It was so fun to talk about the present, reminisce on the past and discuss our plans for the future. I don't know about them but when we get together I still feel like I'm 16 again. Man, we had some good times! Whether it was crashing on snow mobiles, spying on a New Year's Eve first kiss, playing laser tag in the trees or our crazy group dates, we ALWAYS had a good time. I'm so grateful for these girls and all they mean to me. And there is something about surviving high school together that makes you have a bond that lasts. There are so many other friends that I have from high school that I love too, don't get me wrong! But these girls saved my life!

Tacky? Yes. Neccessary? Of course.

2009-10-07T18:04:00.002-06:00

It's about that time--the gathering of the addresses for my master list of addresses to send wedding invites to. Yup. THAT time. And I want everyone on the list. So I realize that this is very tacky but also very efficient which is what I am going for.

Pretty, pretty please send me your address! Even if you think I have it, send it again just to be sure. What will you get in exchange? A beautiful wedding invitation with Pablo and I's picture on it. Nice, I know. So e-mail me at beckitabonita@gmail.com Thanks for complying!

I'm in a Blog Slump

2009-09-16T17:22:00.002-06:00

Hello, my name is Becki and I am...in a blog slump! I will admit it! Let me explain my "excuse". I sold my laptop and bought an iMac that I LOVE, love, LOOOOVE! But I don't have Photoshop on it yet and I hate putting unedited photos on my blog. But I might just have to suck it up and do it. Okay, I will! Just don't judge me.
Also, there hasn't been too much excitement around here. I am working at Fort Hall Elementary in the Kindergarten room and I LOVE it! My kids are so stinkin' cute and fun. So to get me out of my slump, I borrowed this from my friend Tiniel's blog to get me writing again. Enjoy!

I AM: enjoying the feeling after a Biggest Loser workout. (I feel good now, but tomorrow is another story!)

I AM THINKING: about all the bills I need to pay after I get paid on Friday.

I AM GRATEFUL FOR: free rent with my parents, my family and Pablo.

I AM WEARING: cutoff sweats and an old American Eagle tee shirt.

I AM CREATING: a magnet board for my new home.

I AM GOING: to work tomorrow.

I AM READING: Bleachers by John Grisham for lack of options.

I AM HOPING: to finally get married!

IN THE KITCHEN: are the jars of salsa my Mom canned yesterday--yum!

AROUND THE HOUSE: are the toys that Blake leaves in the most inconvenient spots!

ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS: is talking to Pablo at the end of the day.

A FEW PLANS FOR THE WEEK: work on my magnet board, send Michelle her watch, mow the lawn, do some much needed laundry and watch The Office premier! Woo hoo!

Long over due...

2009-08-17T12:47:00.003-06:00

I have been meaning to let you in on one of my favorite things but I just haven't had time to sit down and do it! Sorry to hold out on y'all-it's been crazy around here. Just as a summary, I gave myself a week off between jobs to get caught up on all the things I needed to do but instead ending up helping my Mom because her life has been too crazy! Last week was spent at hospitals visiting my Grandpa Tyler who fell down 4 weeks ago and broke his leg (he's 91), my aunt Sondra who had a minor back surgery, and my Grandma Campbell who had her hip replaced. Unfortunately, they were all at 3 different places so it made visiting a little hectic! We also spent Friday and Saturday preparing food for my newest step-cousin's wedding. After 800 kabob's, I thought I was done but then we served the food at the Rose River Reception and boy was it crazy! BUT today and tomorrow are MY days and Wednesday I start with school meetings and the kids start school next Wednesday, the 26th. Whew!
So now to get on with the point...(there is one, you were worried, but there is a POINT.) One of my all time favorite roommates and best friends recently returned for a study abroad in SCOTLAND. And this study abroad just happened to be a photography study. Do you see where I am getting with this? Her work is AWESOME! I have always loved the stuff Emily does, but I am so impressed with her that I thought I would share her BLOG with you guys. Go check it out--you know you want to... (and don't forget to hit the older posts button at the bottom of the page to see more of her work!) Click HERE if you missed the other two links...

Feliz Cumpleaños Pablito

2009-07-29T19:36:00.006-06:00

Happy Birthday Pablo! I love this guy so much that I am going to do the cliche, blogging, things I love about him for his b-day! But so that he can understand too, I'm going to put it in Spanish too!

A Few Things I Heart About Pablo/Algunas Cosas Que Amo de Pablo:
1.) Hottie! He makes my heart beat faster just lookin' at his dippling smile! Que guapo! Me hace latir más fuerte mí corazon al ver su sonrisa con margaritas!
2.) He is the world's worst liar--I can always tell when he has a surprise for me! El es el peor mentiroso del mundo--siempre sé cuando el tenga una sorpresa para mí.
3.) He tells me he loves me about 50 times a day--even if I only get to talk to him for an hour, he still fits them all in! Me dice que me ama como 50 veces al dia--aun si le hable solamente por una hora, todavía me lo dice mucho.
4.) He always completes his calling--as the 1st counselour in the Stake YM Presidency, Pablo always has something to do and does it well! Siempre cumpla con su llamamiento--como el primer consejero del HHJJ de la estaca, siempre hay algo que hacer y lo hace bien!
5.) Pablo is sensitive and will get emotional over the sweet things. Pablo es muy sensible y se emociona por las cosas dulces.
6.) He is the most talented publicist I know! He does awesome work and works hard to learn new things every day! El es el publicista con más talento que conozco. El hace un buen trabajo y trabaja fuerte cada dia para aprender cosas nuevas!
7.) He gives the most thoughtful gifts--some of my favorites are my favorite Chilean candies, a beautiful purse and awesome jewelry. El da los regalos mas pulentos--algunos de mis preferidos son dulces chilenos, una cartera hermosa y joyas lindas.
8.) He cracks me up daily! Me hace reir cada dia!
9.) Pablo is always positive about everything. Only twice have I ever heard him complain and before he did it he said, I don't mean to complain but... Wow! I could learn from his example! Pablo siempre es muy positivo de todo. Solamente dos veces le he escuchado quejandose y antes que lo hacia dijo, No quiero quejarme pero...Wow! Podría aprender de su ejemplo!
10.) Pablo was an awesome missionary. I have talked to a few of his companions who have told me that Pablo was their favorite companion--what a great compliment! Pablo fue un misionero excelente. He hablado con algunos de sus companeros que me han dicho que el fue su companero preferido--que complemento mas grande!
11.) He listens to crazy music--he gets in these music zones for months at a time and even though I'm not crazy about Bob Marley, I still love Pablo! El escucha musica loka--se pone en una zona de musica por meses seguidos y aun que no me gusta Bob Marley, le amo a Pablo!
12.) Pablo loves his Super Heros and though he is turning 27, sometimes I wonder if he is really only turning 12. Pablo le encantan los Super Heroes y aun que va a cumplir 27, a veces pienso que realmente va a cumplir 12.
13.) Pablo is an only child and does a lot for his parents without ever complaining like I would do! Pablo es hijo unico y hace mucho por sus padres sin quejarse como yo haría!
14.) Pablo already loves all of my nephews and feels something special for each one already. When Dayton was born, Pablo told EVERYONE that he was a new Uncle again! Pablo ya ama a cada uno de mis sobrinos y se siente algo especial por cada uno ya. Cuando nacio Dayton, Pablo contaba a TODOS que el era un Tio de nuevo!
15.) Since deciding to get married in Santiago, Pablo has been head wedding planner/best groom ever--he is right in the middle of all the plans and has basically taken over all of the major plans--how many girls can say their hubbys did most of the wedding planning?! Desde que nos decidimos a casarnos en Santiago, Pablo ha sido el hombre en cargado de planificar la boda/ el mejor novio--el esta haciendo todos los planes y basicamente ha tomado todos los planes--cuantas chicas se pueden decir que que sus esposos planificaron casi toda la boda?
16.) Pablo has been waking up every morning early to read the Book of Mormon in English--what dedication to learn English! Pablo se levanta cada dia bien temprano para leer el Libro de Mormon en inglés--que dedicación para aprender Inglés!
17.) I love Pablo for who he is and for what he does. He makes me happier then I have ever been and I am so excited to spend the rest of my life with him. It may have taken us 27 years to get together, but I have eternity to be with him! Amo a Pablo por quien es y por lo que hace. El me hace mas contenta que he estado and estoy animada para estar con el por toda mi vida. Se tomo 27 anos para encontrarnos, pero estare con el por toda la eternidad!

Feliz cumpleanos mi amorcito! Eres mi vida y espero que tu dia sea lo mejor y que lo pases re bien! Gracias por todo lo que haces por mi y por ser el hombre de mis suenos! Happy Birthday!

You all know I'm random...

2009-07-22T20:07:00.002-06:00

Okay this picture actually has nothing to do with this post, but I took it in February in Chile. I was going through some pictures of Pablo and I to edit and stumbled upon it and thought I would post it. Blogs are better with pictures, right?

Anyways, I think it is safe to say that tomorrow I am giving my 2 weeks notice and am once again switching jobs. Surprise, surprise, right? This time it's a switch to Blackfoot School District (wow!). I'll be working in Fort Hall Elementary in their kindergarten room. I am excited for the new job and so ready to be done with my current one for so many reasons. I love, love, LOVE the kids but I hate the way the program is run (or the people "running" it...)

Wedding plans are going well--but there has been a minor switch in locations and it looks like I'll be getting married in the Santiago temple. So, anyone who would love to come see Chile is more than welcome to come to our wedding! :) Put a tentative date on your calendar for December 23rd!

July 4th

2009-07-09T16:31:00.007-06:00

This is a great sign to sum up my 4th of July! Just kidding, there weren't any "poop" conditions and we actually had a really good time! (This is an actual sign in Yellowstone Park--I was laughing so hard I HAD to take a picture!) The 4th of July is probably my favorite holiday (it's a toss up between the 4th and Christmas, I love them both!) There is just something awesome that you feel when you watch the fireworks and realize all the sacrifices that so many have made so that we can live in a free country. Anyways, we went up to Island Park on the 2nd to stay in my brother in law's cabin. We drove into West Yellowstone that night and saw Footloose at the Playmill Theater. We had great seats located right on the stage. It was a fun show!
On Friday we drove into Yellowstone and went on the Northern loop and saw Norris Geysers, Mammoth Falls and the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. I know that I had seen all of those when I was a lot younger, but it was so fun to see. Here's Blake and I at Norris Geysers. I think he thought they were going to be "guys" but there was just a lot of steam coming out. On Saturday we did our tradition of going to a movie and lunch--we saw Up (very, very cute!) and had a nice Birthday lunch at Jonny Carino's. It's my younger brother Tim's birthday the fourth. (I know, he gets a parade AND fireworks for his birthday!) Here's Blake and I waiting for the sun to set to watch the Melaleuca Freedom Celebration! It was a great weekend and it was nice to get out of Blackfoot and do something. I hope you all had a great 4th of July too!

What I've Been Up To

2009-06-24T18:15:00.006-06:00

Wow it's been a while since I have updated--sorry to leave you hanging (all two of my faithful followers!) I have actually been plenty busy with Primary, Family Reunions, Relay for Life, work and other stuff. I've been working on a few projects lately that I wanted to share with y'all too.
I bought a kitchen table and chairs at the Relay for Life garage sale. I was excited because the price was right and Pablo and I will be needing someplace to eat. The only thing is that they need to be stripped and re painted. As of right now, they are just waiting for me in my parents garage! I'm sure they are so glad I bought them!

My next project is a sneak peek for Michelle. I bought a bunch of fun beads and soon they will be your watch! I will get it done soon, I promise!

My friend Yesica from Chile is expecting a baby girl so I decided I needed to make her a rag quilt. I'm not much of a seamstress as you all may know but I do like working on smaller projects. Hopefully this one will turn out right!

I LOVE Bob!

2009-05-30T20:54:00.003-06:00

Thanks to the idea from my friend Stephanie, I added a ticker to my overall goal of weight loss on the side... And I just found a new, awesome tool to help encourage. If you have ever watched The Biggest Loser then I am pretty sure it is hard not to just love Bob Harper. There is just something about him that makes me want him as my own personal trainer. So, I stumbled upon his own site that you can log into for FREE and get encouragement, challenges, etc.
Check it out at www.mytrainerbob.com. Also, as if that is not enough Bob for you, his new book just came out in paperback and it's on my wishlist! It's called, Are You Ready! Oh, I just love Bob!

To the Highest Bidder!

2009-05-16T20:21:00.003-06:00

So the Relay for Life is coming quick and I haven't done my part to raise some money. I think it's a great cause and I'm so excited to go and participate, even if it means walking all night. Laura has put together a great team this year and I'm excited to get to know these ladies better.
Okay, so I'll get to the point. At the Relay there is a great way to raise money by buying a luminaria bag. They are sold for $10 and each bag is to represent someone you know who has passed away or has been a survivor of cancer. On the night of the Relay, our team will put out all of the luminaria bags that our team has gathered and light them with a candle. Then everyone there will do a walk around the track in silence for those people. It is an awesome experience and helps you realize that the reason you are there is for those people.
So where am I going with this? I want YOU (yes, Y-O-U) to get involved too! I know that money is tight but I also know that $10 is a great way for you to donate and be able to honor someone you love. You can donate online and I can decorate the bag for you or if you want to get the money to me, I will get you a bag and you can decorate it yourself. And if you are close by, feel free to come the night of the Relay and see what it is all about!
I'm going to through out an extra incentive. I'm sure most of you have seen these cute watches like this one:
Well, I will bid off a watch to the highest bidder. You can even tell me if you want it black and white, browns or even specific colors. But the best part of the deal is that the highest bidder will not only get the watch, but all the money will go to the Relay AND they can apply that money to as many luminaria bags as possible in as many names as they want. So, once again the highest bidder will get: the custom designed watch, money donated to the American Cancer Society AND pick the name/names for the luminaria bags! WOW! Leave me a comment with your bids and I will let the bidding go until next Friday!
Also, if you are just interested in donating, you can do so by sending me some money (checks made out to the American Cancer Society) or by clicking HERE to donate online. Thanks and good luck!

Community Council of Idaho

2009-05-14T20:48:00.003-06:00

I haven't blogged in a bit because I haven't had time! Why? (You may be asking yourself, I don't know...maybe your not?) I got a new job! I am working for the Community Council of Idaho (CCI) in their Migrant Seasonal Head Start (MSHS) as an Infant Teacher. I just had two days of training in Idaho Falls and it has me really excited!
So what do I do? I will be working with the kids 0-2, talking to them in Spanish and English and helping them get the skills they may or may not be getting at home. The downside of my job is that it is in Aberdeen so I am driving a long, boring drive every day but the pay is awesome and the benefits a plenty so I am satisfied! And yes, I am the only gringa/white/non-Hispanic person that is currently employed in Aberdeen but my co-workers are all pretty great and a lot of fun to be around! So, here's to this season of MSHS!

Pablo's Portfolio

2009-05-07T09:13:00.005-06:00

As his future bride, I think I have the right to brag just a bit about Pablo. (Comes with the title, right?) I guess more than just brag, I am just proud of Pablo for all that he has accomplished recently.
Pablo has been studying for 5 years to become a Publicist--it a degree that is similiar to a Bachelor's here. Last week he presented his final project and thesis to a board of teachers and passed with flying colors! He made this amazing animated flash video and other things to present. Here are a few pictures of that day:
Here he is presenting to the teachers.

And here he is with his parents afterwards.
He has been working so hard on finishing up everything and I am so proud of him. His degree is a Publicist with a minor in Creativity and he also is certified to teach publicity. What a mouthful! He just set up an awesome blog/portfolio so you can check it out by clicking HERE. I know it's in Spanish, but the ads he has designed are pretty self explanatory. All of the stuff on there is his original work! ( I think he has talent!)
Pablo is a first generation college grad too. I think that's what makes his story even more amazing--neither of his parents were able to go to college and as their only son, he has made them proud by enduring to the end. I know he has made lots of sacrifices to be where he is. After his mission he had no money to pay for school, supplies, etc. So he walked to the street markets (feria) and sold his clothes and books to be able to pay for them. I don't even know what that would be like, to sacrifice that much just to study. I am so proud of him and the amazing example that he is to me.
Entonces felicidades Pablo! Estoy TAN orgullosa de ti y todo lo que has hecho! Te amo muchisimo!

2.5

2009-05-04T09:19:00.002-06:00

I couldn't find a picture of 2.5 on google so this will have to do. After my long week of just a few moments of weakness, plenty of sweat and lots of whole grains I dropped 2.5 pounds. It's a start and I have another week to try a little harder and do a little better.

Mark, Kate and Charlie

2009-04-29T09:53:00.004-06:00

I just wanted to spread the news--my former boss and his wife Kate are getting ready to adopt Number 2! I was around them when they got their first little guy, Charlie, and it was such a neat experience to see. You can tell by the way they look at him, that Charlie is LOVED. And I mean A LOT! He is sweet little boy and they have been amazing parents.
Here's just an example: The first time they left Charlie to go out to dinner, I offered to watch him for Mark. I think it was Kate's birthday so they were going to drive to IF for dinner. I am pretty sure they weren't even gone 3 hours and I think Kate called atleast 3 or 4 times. I didn't mind at all because you knew that she just wanted to know how he was, what he was doing and if he missed her. (I am sure he did!)
The point of this post: Sometimes adoption goes a lot better if you can help them. I know that my little blogging world isn't as large as it could be, but you never know. I put a button on my blog and I will also put a link to their adoption blog HERE. If you know someone or know someone who knows someone that is thinking of giving up their baby for adoption, I would HIGHLY recommend this family! Let me know if you have any prospects! I would love to see them get another baby!

I'm doing it...

2009-04-27T09:57:00.003-06:00

It is way overdue and just in time but last weekend I committed myself and bought this AWESOME book above. I don't know if any of you feel like me, but I feel like every diet, every new exercise routine is going to be inspiring and helpful and I never last on them!
My mom actually got me watching The Biggest Loser when I got home and I never really watched it before but I have really gotten into it this season (I'm cheering for Tara! She's my hero!) It has really inspired me and then when I stumbled across this book, I decided it is time to start.
I spent 2 hours at the grocery store on Saturday finding all the right stuff and really looking at labels. I have my Biggest Loser Cardio Max and Power Sculpt DVD's on hand and I am ready. So, why am I writing this all down? I guess because if I don't, I am afraid I will just fail again. (Does that make sense?) They also say you need to write your goals down and report to someone. Well, whether you want to hear it or not, I am writing it down and reporting! Stay tuned more updates...

Gratitude Attitude

2009-04-23T10:38:00.002-06:00

Recently I have been given some friendly and not so friendly reminders that I have been in a slump since I moved back. I didn't know that my unhappiness and bad attitude was effecting everyone else but I have really been trying to work on it lately. It's hard when life just doesn't work out the way we want or plan, but I think the thing I have been forgetting is that God still loves me, He has a plan for me and I just need to roll with the punches! (It's so easy to forget that sometimes!)

Here are 15 things that I am grateful for: (in no particular order)

1.) My Family--do they get much better than these guys?!
2.) The Gospel. Sometimes I wonder how everyone else deals with things without the knowledge that I have.
3.) Having a job. It may be part-time and it may not be my dream job but money is money and I am glad I have just a little bit.
4.) Hot showers.
5.) Spring
6.) Yard work! It is a great hobby and a wonderful way to fill up extra time!
7.) The Biggest Loser Workouts--also wonderful ways to get rid of stress!
8.) Technology like gmail chat, Skype and MSN messenger.
9.) Great friends--all of you have been great support and I don't know what I would do without your shoulders to cry on!
10.) My Ward Family. Not a Sunday passes without people who love me hugging me and cheering me on.
11.) My parents. I know I already said family, but they deserve their own line--for putting up with me in their home and helping me along the way.
12.) Having a full belly--I am blessed to have never really known what hunger is.
13.) My nephews also deserve a line to themselves because they are what keeps me going somedays!
14.) Life--it has its ups and downs but man, I'm sure glad I am in the middle of it!
15.) Pablo. Words don't describe how grateful I am for him and all that he does for me!

Wonderful Weekend

2009-04-08T10:50:00.009-06:00

What did you do this last weekend? Well, we had too much fun at my house! Friday was Lloyd and Sunni's wedding--it was so fun to see this happy couple get together! Lloyd is my sister-in-law Amber's youngest brother (what a mouthful!) but he has kind of been like another little brother to me for a long time now! I am happy for him and Sunni!And then we just played the rest of the weekend! (While we enjoyed Conference) Because Amber is here from out of town, we had to fit all our fun projects into one weekend! We decided to make these fun watches. Well, we were going to wait until next Saturday but we were too excited to wait! Here is just a sample of how cute they turned out!Isn't it cute? I think so. See--I am super crafty now! And then we decided to make some cake pops---YUMMY! Not so healthy but so cute and super good. We got this idea from Bakerella, a way fun blog! Check it out HERE. Ours were not as...creative, but still taste the same! I hope you all had a great weekend too!

It's that time again!

2009-03-30T19:25:00.003-06:00

Relay for Life Time! Well, not quite. June 19, 2009 is actually the time, but if you want to get involved, then now is the time to start. For those of you who do not know much about Relay For Life, it is time you learned!

Last year was our first year to get involved and it was truly an awesome experience. I know a few of your fellow bloggers are involved too and I hope to see you there again! (To read about last year, click HERE.)

Just to give a bit of a back ground too, Relay For Life is like a giant fundraiser where we, as teams, pledge to have atleast one person from our team walking for 12 hours. Last year I think it was from like 7 pm to 7 am. Yup. All night long! And as we keep up our end of the bargain, we ask people to donate to the cause. It's just a huge-12 hour-all night fundraiser full of plenty of stuff to do to help keep you up and walking!

So why am I putting all this in here right now? To get you involved! My mom has a team with Julie Van Orden and my sister Laura decided to start her own team this year (which I belong to!) If ANY OF YOU are somewhat interested in joining our team, donating, or maybe just coming the night of the 19th, let me know! It is such a great cause and it is an amazing experience. So any of you local chicks that want to join in the fun, please let me know! We would love to have you! And any of you from last year that want to switch teams, we would love to have you too!

I CAN be crafty...

2009-03-30T09:55:00.003-06:00

This may come as a shock to you all, but I MADE this bag! (See picture above.) Yup. Basically all by myself. (Laura did do a little ironing for me, thanks Lar!) I have decided that I do need to take up some of sort of hobby to fill my free time because when I don't have something to do, I go crazy here. And since it is not nice outside, that leaves few options.

Okay, so if you think my bag is pretty cute (which I do) then you can get instructions to make it by clicking HERE. She is a somewhat friend--her husband was Pablo's last mission companion. But she has some fun ideas and most are for kids, which I don't have, but this bag was quick and fun to make. It currently holds ALL my Primary stuff and has room to spare.

If you do decide you want to make it, I found really cute tea towels at Porters for pretty cheap. And, at the very end of the tutorial when she sewed her bag together, she just sewed one side on top of the other. (This will make sense when you read the post) But I did not. It was WAY too thick to get a needle through. So I just cut off the hem all around my two halves of the bag and sewed it right sides together (triple stitch if you can) and serged the edges. (Or you could zig-zag like she does.) But that thickness was not going to make it on my Mom's machine!

But I hope you like it! It was really fast and pretty easy and now I have great Primary bag!

I looked out the window and what did I see???

2009-03-26T09:56:00.002-06:00

NOT SPRING!I thought that I was getting back to Idaho JUST in time for Spring...boy was I wrong! I can not believe these little snow storms that are coming through. Last night as I was talking to Pablo, I just watched it go from some what pleasant outside to light snow to wind blowing drifts of snow all over! What?! So ridiculous...that's it, I'm packing my bags and moving back. Pronto! Anyone wanna come with me?

I'm a survivor!

2009-03-13T15:07:00.002-06:00

Well, I have been home 2 weeks now today and I am actually pretty proud of myself. I live in my parents basement. I am going to church in my parents ward. I just got a part time job at the ever so famous Junior High. And yet I am trying to have a pretty good attitude about ALL of this!

I do miss Pablo and the WARM weather and a lot of things about Santiago. But it is so nice to eat American food, shower in a HOT shower and be around my family and friends.

(Update on those of you who I am making something for...I am very OPEN to ideas! Leave me a comment about something you want, would like, color schemes of your living rooms or whatever!)

Quick! Limited time offer!

2009-03-03T11:19:00.000-07:00

Another fun blog game!

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make! (Though I hope you will!)
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It'll be done this year. {might be a little while}
4. You have no clue what it's going to be. I don't even have a clue what it's going to be.
5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must repost this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did win a homemade gift! It may not be great, but it will be fun!!
* * *Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!* * *

Home again, home again...

2009-02-25T14:33:00.004-07:00

It has been a crazy few days but I am packing up and finishing up stuff here for my flight tomorrow night. It is hard to believe that on Friday afternoon I will be back in Idaho.

I just wanted to say thanks to all of you for your advice and love. Pablo and I have felt really calm about all these changes and even though it is going to be rough, we will survive. But thank you all for your advice and words of wisdom! See you soon! Oh and enjoy this nice little drawing that we had done...don´t mind my skimpy bikini...and you can enjoy Pablo´s nice hairy yet ripped stomach!

Change of Plans...Again

2009-02-18T06:04:00.003-07:00

All good things must come to an end, right? Well how about just a little pause. I have been kind of avoiding posting this because I don´t really like thinking about it but it has to come out now! I am moving home. Now before you all start to fret, I am still happily engaged to the hottest Chilean out there and we are still getting married for time and all eternity at the end of the year! But, we have to take a little break from all of the fun we have been having and try to be adults now.

In order for Pablo to come to the States so we can get married, live, etc. he has to have a Visa (which means lots of fees and waiting 6 to 8 months) As we started making decisions like where we want to raise our family, live our lives, etc. it was obvious that in the States things are just a little better. So the next step is getting Pablo over there. Because I can make more money in the US to help pay for this nice little Visa, I am moving home. Yup. Blackfoot, here I come! (Never thought I would say that again...) And the sad reality is that Pablo will be here still. It is going to be a rough few months, but we know that in the end it will all be worth it.

So I hope that answers some questions too...I know a few of you have asked me where we are getting married, if we have a date, etc. and I haven´t really answered because we weren´t sure. But basically we can´t pick a date until Pablo´s visa is approved and we have NO idea when that will be. So stay posted for more when we get some answers. And if you have any good ideas of where I can get a job around the Blackfoot/Idaho Falls area I am open for ideas!

Emily´s Post

2009-02-15T12:41:00.014-07:00

This post is long overdue and I am sorry Em! My friend Emily asked me a while ago to post pictures of common things in my life here in Chile to help her visualize them. So here you are Em!

Here is the subway station El Parron where I wait in the mornings to see just how crowded that darn train is going to be. Between the hours of 8 and 10, you can expect to be PUSHED on. Love public transportation!After my subway ride, I get off here, Santa Lucia. The tall building with the mirror windows is where I work--all the way at the top on the 26th floor.
Though it doesn´t look like much, here is the desk I work at as a Research Associate for Albagli Zaliasnik. They are jewish lawyers who work with trademarks. Kind of interesting I suppose. There website is here.

Though my job can be boring sometimes, I do have quite the view from the window.

After work I generally take the bus home (depends on my mood) and that can also prove to be interesting. This picture was taken on New Year´s Day which explains why no one was on the bus and the fact that I was brave enough to take a picture. Not the safest form of transportation...

Here is my view from the bus as I go home. No need for why I shouldn´t be taking out my camera on the bus I think.
When I get off the bus, Pablo is always waiting for me to walk me to his house. This was actually taken outside his house though because I probably shouldn´t pull out my camera at the bus stop either.

This is the street that Pablo lives on. Notice that there is no shade whatsoever! Sometimes I feel like I will die before getting to his house at the end of the street!

And finally I get to Pablo´s house! Where his Mom is always waiting...

Sometimes in the evenings I go with Pablo to class just to spend that extra time with him. This is the building where all of his classes are.

And then off to my home and to my room to sleep!

Mixed emotions...

2009-02-11T12:51:00.003-07:00

It has been a LONG day already...Last night we got the news that Pablo´s grandma had passed away. I know a few of you had asked about her and we appreciate your love and thoughts. We are headed back down to Polcura tonight around 11:30 and will probably be back by Sunday.

We also got some good news today too. My younger brother Tim and his wife Abby had their first little guy last night around 1:30 am. I think his name is going to be Dayton (not sure yet...) but he weighed 8 lbs 11 oz. and is 21 inches long! I wish I was there to give him big auntie-like kisses but I am excited for them! Congratulations Tim and Abby!

Daddy with new baby boy!
Look at those cheeks! What a sweetheart!
My nephew Blake and younger sister Laura with new baby Campbell. Blake has been really excited about this baby. Since the time Abby told us she was pregnant, Blake has been saying, "Abby - Baby".

Polcura, Chile

2009-02-05T14:57:00.002-07:00

Yep, we have been traveling...again...in bus...all night long...again... But this time it was more of an emergency. Pablo´s grandma (his Mom´s mother) lives in a tiny pueblito about an hour and a half from Los Angeles, Chile. (If you want to check out in a map, the town is called Polcura). Gernara Figueroa, Pablo´s abuelita, has recently took a turn for the worst and we aren´t sure how much time she has left. So last Friday Pablo and I decided we needed to head down and visit her before it is too late. We left Friday around midnight from a packed and crazy bus station in Santiago and got to his Grandma around 7:30 the next morning. We literally got off the bus in front of her house on the highway. It is such a different way of life down there!
We spent a few days in Polcura, enjoying his grandma and all of Pablo´s extended family. We stayed at his Uncle Manuel´s house--who was so nice to take care of us for a few days. His Tio had the nicest, almost gringo-like house and I enjoyed every moment in it! It is such a different life there! On Saturday, the maid killed a chicken right there and that´s what we had for lunch. I was dying. But Pablo just laughed at me.
I did fall in love with the scenery, it was so different from Santiago. It was nice to spend a few days getting to know Pablo´s family and breathing clean air! We hope that Gernara doesn´t have to suffer much longer but I did discover why her family loves her so much. She is a sweet, selfless person who loves Pablo so much.
Here are a few pictures that I took. If you notice I am not in the pictures because my hair did not exactly like the fresh, moist air! But I do hope these pictures show you why I fell in love with this tiny pueblito!

I really do love Chile...

2009-01-25T12:47:00.002-07:00

I feel like recently I have had kind of a negative attitude to my cultural experiences here in Santiago...what does that mean? That some things are driving me crazy! Getting shoved onto the subway in the morning, all public transportation in general and of course that silly calefont! But yesterday on my daily 13 minute walk from my house to Pablo´s, I thought about all the things I really do LOVE about Chile and thought I would make a list for you!

1.) Foggy/smoggy mornings. I love it when it decides to be cool in the morning but I also love it when you can see the Andes and Santiago´s skyline.

2.) Once. (Pronounced on-say) This is what Chileans eat instead of dinner or supper--generally a cup of herbal tea, Ecco or in my case Milo (hot coccoa) with bread and butter and if you are lucky, some manjar. I don´t know why, but this is my favorite meal of the day!

3.) Kids playing in the street. Almost every single day there are kids playing soccer in the street. The street are narrower here and not so full of traffic and the kids will play for hours and hours outside. If there aren´t enough for two teams, then just kicking the ball back and forth will do. And the soccer ball is always one that has been used for years now and doesn´t even look like a soccer ball anymore!

4.) Attending church here. There are a few crazy members in every ward that make my Sunday´s just a little more interesting. Oh, gotta love how blunt Chileans are!

5.) Asado. Americans think that they know how to do barbeques but they do NOT. Unless you have half a pig, cow, a few chickens and chorizo on your grill (coal not propane) then you don´t understand!

6.) El Centro. Downtown Santiago where I work is one of my favorite parts. Pablo and I could walk around looking at shops, eating Mote con Huesillo and watching crazy people all afternoon. This was something new to me since this part of Santiago wasn´t in my mission. I wish I could fully describe how fun and entertaining this part of Santiago really is.

7.) Watching subtitled movies in the theater. Last night we went to The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and because the movie was subtitled, everyone would start laughing before Brad Pitt had said the punch line (because they had already read it)

8.) I love how after a long, hot day everyone is outside enjoying the coolness of the evening. You can always seem to find a good bargain for a completo or papas fritas and all the old people sit outside and talk until it is finally time to go to bed.

These are just a few of the things I love about Santiago--if you have some others, add them to the list!

Don´t Cry For Me, Argentina!

2009-01-16T11:54:00.010-07:00

Sorry for not getting these pictures up earlier, but Pablo and I went to Mendoza, Argentina last weekend! We ended up having to go to, um...well, let´s just say "renew my tourist visa" since it is only good for 90 days. That ended up to be a bit more complicated then I wanted and we ended up (thanks to a stupid bus driver giving us false information) changing our bus tickets and leaving at 10:30 Friday night. Driving time to Mendoza is about 6 hours, but it took a little bit more time because we had to pass through customs at the border (at 2 am). We got into Mendoza about 5:30 and illegally exchanged some money into Argentine pesos and hopped into a taxi to take us to our hotel. It was soooo nice! It was as American as I could have hoped for!
The next day we went for a nice little stroll through downtown Mendoza. Here´s a picture of us at lunch.
Mendoza is a really calm, town and it was so clean! I think that I am just used to dirty Santiago, but it was really a calm little city. (Did I mention they have a Wal-Mart?!) The food was amazing too! Everyone who says that the meat is better in Argentina was RIGHT. It was so yummy! My favorite Argetine food was the Dulce de Leche. I have never eaten anything so creamy! Here´s a nice little picture of Pablo in the old school phone booth in downtown Mendoza.
On Sunday afternoon we ate at this fancy yet delicious restaurant, Don Mario. We have heard so many good things about the barbeque in Argentina, and the rumors are true. We ate the best slice of meat I have ever had. The restaurant was really fancy so we didn´t take a picture inside, but waited to leave. If my belly looks huge, it´s because I had just finished eating!

For those of you who have seen my attempts at Photography, you know that I have a thing for doors. I don´t know where it comes from. But as we passed this door, I had to take a picture. All the different houses in Mendoza were small but so clean and well kept, fresh painted, etc. It was so cool to see them so clean! (The opposite of Santiago)
This picture above I like to call, The Long Journey Home. Wow, the drive was worse during the day on Monday. We had to cross The Andes, and that was an aventure! We started off the drive home with a nice little protest on the freeway. Don´t worry, they were just burning garbage across the freeway. But we took a little detour and then were on our way home. Going up and then back down those huge mountains...don´t think I will do that again for a long time! We did have to wait for about 2 hours in the border again, so here is a picture of Pablo at the top!
All in all, we had a nice relaxing time. We got to swim at the hotel, take naps, eat yummy food and just chill!

Life is like a fountain!

2009-01-03T10:50:00.005-07:00

Last night to give me my 2nd ring if you will, Pablo took me to this awesome water fountain in Santiago. (We don´t know the name of the park, just that it was sweet!) I know it may seem kind of silly, but we really enjoyed it. We sat on a bench in front of the fountain for a good two hours, just listening to the water shoot up and fall down and talking about everything. It was way too pretty to not put up a few pictures! As soon as it got dark, the water had lights in it too. It was really sweet! Pablo is always taking me to fun and new places here in Santiago and this one does top the charts!
Pablo getting in the way of my picture taking to flash his ever-so-famous peace sign...
This statue guy signally the water I guess...
You know me and my panoramic pictures! I couldn´t resist!

The Nutcracker

2009-01-03T10:41:00.004-07:00

The day after Christmas Pablo and I were able to go see The Nutcracker live at El Teatro Municipal in downtown Santiago. It´s this super old theater that is really neat and I´m sure when it was built it was something else! But, now it´s a bit old and without air conditioning...
We didn´t want to spend a lot of money on the tickets so we bought the cheapest ones thinking it wouldn´t be too bad of seats. Talk about nose-bleed seats...actually, we didn´t even have a seat, but a bench, on the 4th floor, on the side. Yeah. We had to climb up 4 floors of stairs and then were shoved in the corner--but it was worth it! The show was awesome and Pablo loved it. His eyes were glued to the stage the whole time! And he did say that he thought we each lost about 10 pounds just sitting there in the hot theater!

Navidad

2009-01-03T10:11:00.008-07:00

First of all, sorry I didn´t get these pictures up earlier BUT I thought the last post was a little more important! And I left out a few details that were important...the reason for the Olympic Fanfare playing on my blog is because just as Pablo was asking me to marry him, this song was playing on the TV with the fireworks. It was just too random and too...Chilean I guess you could say. We thought it was pretty funny! Also, I didn´t know but Pablo wanted me to pick out my own ring but he wanted to surprise me so he just got a ring and asked me but we got it exchanged yesterday and I got a new ring! I liked the old one, but Pablo insisted we go and find one I really liked. When I saw this one, I really liked it but it isn´t really a Becki ring. After I tried it on, I totally fell in love. So here´s a picture of my new ring...Now, on to Christmas pictures. We had a nice Christmas Eve dinner with Pablo´s parents and the elders from my ward. Not very many of the pictures turned out because we ate dinner at like 10 pm here and it was pretty dark. After we had dinner, we played a white elephant gift exchange and it was really fun. Here´s a picture of Elder Krainik and Elder Torgerson getting ready to eat and Pablo and I with our sweet white elephant gifts!

Do I look tired? Cause I was! Oh, and the best part of my Christmas--Chorizo! Not, the sausage, but the bunny that Santa Claus brought me! I must have been good because Santa brought me the cutest, little bunny. Here are a few pictures we took at the park the other day of him.

We hope you all had a great Christmas too!

Año nuevo, vida nueva...

2009-01-01T10:51:00.006-07:00

WE ARE ENGAGED!!! I´m sure there is a more tactful way of saying it, but I am seriously so happy right now, I don´t know how to hold it in! Pablo really did surprise me too!
He and I had decided to spend New Year´s Eve at my house (well, the house where I live) and cook dinner together and just enjoy a relaxing evening. Here you have to eat dinner around 11 pm so we had buffalo wings and potatoes with Chilean style salads. Dinner turned out really nice and we finished washing the dishes before midnight. We had just turned on the TV to watch the fireworks and countdown to midnight and were enjoying the last few seconds of 2008 when it all happened! Pablo looked at me and said, Año nuevo, vida nueva... (New year, new life) and pulled out of his pocket a ring! I couldn´t believe it. I just started crying and he did too and then he asked me to be his wife.
I am so grateful for Pablo in my life. He quickly has become my best friend who I can share everything with. He is so patient with me, even when I´m tired, complaining about Chilean things or upset. He treats me better than I deserve most the time and he does so much for me. I´m so excited to soon become his wife and be able to be sealed to him for time and all eternity! Here are a few pictures from dinner, the ring and after he asked me!

Feliz Navidad!

2008-12-22T18:57:00.000-07:00

Lucho con la ducha (Battle with the Shower)

2008-12-09T13:00:00.005-07:00

Okay, I try to stay positive about my experiences here in Chile because seriously I do love it here. The weather has been nice and HOT, there is always some place new to explore and visit and things are so much cheaper (2 pounds of fresh, juicy strawberries for 75 cents) But right now I really need to vent about my daily battle that makes me question if living here is really worth it. My enemy = the calefont!

Oh yeah, it looks innocent, doesn´t it? It is NOT. For those of you who have experienced a calefont before, I know you are on my side. For those of you who are innocent to how evil this machine really is, let me explain.

Chile is really a very developed country but when it comes to heating water, that´s where it all goes downhill. A calefont is used with propane gas to heat water when you need it for showering, washing dishes, etc. Sounds like a resourceful tool, doesn´t it? Well, don´t be fooled. My daily showering routine now includes twisting the cold knob a few degrees so that the water is tolerable for approximately 8 seconds before it gets too cold for comfort. I then twist the knob the other way, waiting for my 8 seconds of tolerable water again before it gets too hot. (Scalding hot some would say...) And it goes back and forth, back and forth until I finally decide to just give up.

Now, I´m not looking for sympathy. I know that I chose to move here and leave all those wonderful water heaters behind. I´m just venting in a public manner and reminding you to all be grateful for the water heaters in your lives. Treat them well. Give them regular check ups. And remember that it could be worse!

Say 8 Tag -- Thanks Lar...

2008-12-05T12:49:00.002-07:00

Just a little tag-a-roo from my favorite sister Laura--Enjoy!

8 Favorite TV Shows
1. The Office
2. Ugly Betty
3. Private Practice
4. Arrested Development
5. NCIS
6. One Tree Hill
7. Casáte Conmigo
8. Amazing Race

8 Favorite Restaurants
1. Olive Garden
2. Bajio´s
3. Craigo´s
4. Melina's
5. Rupe's Burgers
6. The Backyard
7. Mexivan in Rexburg
8. Chili´s

8 Things That Happened Yesterday
1. Made lunch (tacos) for the elders
2. Ate `once´ with Pablo
3. Helped Pablo with homework
4. Sent my resume to a bunch of different places
5. Chatted with Mark
6. Checked my facebook
7. Caught up on the watching The Office (www.surfthechannel.com)
8. Offered to wash my clothes but the lady I live with it did it for me

8 Things That I Look Forward to
1. Christmas package from my Mommy!
2. Something sparkly on my hand
3. Getting Christmas shopping done
4. Going to the beach on Monday!
5. Pablo graduating
6. Seeing my family again and meeting my new nephew that will come in Feb!
7. Working...
8. Seeing Twilight (gets to Chile January 1st)

8 Things I Love about Fall/Winter (Spring/Summer here...)
1. The cool evenings
2. The sunsets in Chile over the Andes Mountains
3. Eating ice cream that was only like 17 cents
4. Going to the beach
5. Eating Mote con Huesillo YUM!
6. Taking siestas
7. Planning your day around the cooler parts of the day
8. I´m just grateful it isn´t snowing!

8 Things On My Wishlist
1. Peanut Butter M&M´s
2. New bag/purse
3. a small little Bling-Bling on my hand
4. Only having ONE roommate who is not female
5. a JOB
6. my own apartment
7. A nephew
8. Lindor Truffles

8 Friends I Tag:
Katy W., Michelle Y., Hillary K., Teresa S., Lacey H., Shara H., Kayla G. and anyone else who wants to!

Weekend Fun!

2008-12-01T12:35:00.006-07:00

Though I didn´t spend my weekend eating lots of Turkey and early morning shopping, we did have a fun weekend! Friday night was the Azul y Blanco (Blue and White) Stake Dance for all the YM and YW. I recently got called as the 2nd counselour of YW in my ward, and Pablo is the 1st counselour of YM in the Stake, so we had plenty to do to get ready for the dance. Most of the day Friday was spent decorating and getting ready and then Friday night was the dance. Here´s a picture of three of my 4 Beehives (and the grand daughter of the YW President who is from a different ward) Here´s a picture of Pablo with the 2nd counselour from our Stake and the President and other counselours of the Stake YM Presidency--they are all single, RM´s if any of you are out there looking! (wink, wink!) Notice that they are all wearing the same blue ties--just following the theme I guess!

Here are a few pictures of our humble Thanksgiving Day feast if you will! Pablo and I made chicken and rice ( pretty common Chilean meal!) I didn´t know how to make rice like chileans do so I got online and typed in Google--how to cook rice. And guess what--I found a page with step by step instructions, WITH pictures! Nice! (Click HERE if you want to try it at home!)
And don´t forget our scrumpcious deseret of ALFAJORES! Not home made, but one of my absolute favorite treats here in Chile. Seriously, how do Americans survive without them?! They are chocolate dipped, cookie-ish, with manjar (kind of like carmel but way better!) My mouth waters looking at the picture!
I hope you all had great Thanksgiving/Black Friday weekends--though mine was a bit different then usual, it was still pretty great! Now, onward and upward with Christmas shopping and Holiday plans!

Gracias a tí, Podemos Seguir

2008-11-29T09:18:00.003-07:00

I have a few other posts that I need to make but I really wanted to share this with all of you today so I decided to wait on the other posts and tell you about the Teletón. I know a lot of times I share crazy Chilean stories, but I seriously love Teletón! Basically since I got here to Santiago, all the news, etc. has been about the upcoming Teletón--it´s a national fundraiser if you will for kids with special needs to be able to receive the help that they need. The money that the raise during these 27 hours is all for kids who need help and can´t afford it.
The cool thing about Teletón is that during these 27 hours (it starts Friday night and ends Saturday night) all of the TV channels show only the Teletón, the banks stay open all night so that people can donate money, all the big companies do things to help motivate the people too. For example, for every Happy Meal that is purchased at McDonalds, they donate so much money, etc. It is really kind of fun to watch the entertainment durning the day but even cooler are the success stories that they show through the day.
The guy who started it all is named Don Franscisco. He was one of the first animators here in Chile and he actually lives in Miami most of the year. But he comes back to Chile every year to do the Teletón. It is amazing to see a man who has so much love for the kids--he spends a lot of the time crying when they share the stories and it is really touching. Here´s a link to a video of the last 30 years of Teletón.
I know this may not be very interesting, but I wanted to share a little bit of the good stuff here in Chile. Having a National Fundraiser is a lot of work and it´s amazing to see this country come together to get money for the kids who need it. If you want to check out a bit more about Teletón, click here!

Christmas is coming...

2008-11-25T11:19:00.006-07:00

Feliz Navidad! I know that most of you are making plans to celebrate Thanksgiving, but here in Santiago I am anxiously awaiting Christmas! I´ve never really been a big fan of Thanksgiving anyway, so I don´t really feel like I am missing out on much!

The other day I was itching to get in the Christmas spirit so Pablo and I talked his mom into putting the tree up and decorated! So we put on some traditional Christmas tunes and started trimming the tree! Even though we were smothered in heat, it did make me feel a little Christmas spirit in my heart! Anyone else have their tree up yet?

(Typical Pablo picture...and the bracelet with `saints´on it isn´t his! Feliz Navidad!)

HSM3

2008-11-22T08:53:00.001-07:00

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Pablito (little Pablo)

2008-11-10T09:48:00.005-07:00

This little guy here is Pablito! My very creative boyfriend had to make a miniature, 3D paper toy of himself for one of his classes. FYI Pablo is studying Publicity with a minor in Creativity. He is on his last semester and finishes classes in January and then will turn in his Thesis and officially graduate sometime in March or April. He is kind of a perfectionist when it comes to these things and he worked really hard on his little guy here--right down to the marks on the jeans and the tee shirt that he is wearing is one that Pablo has. Even the hat is exactly like one of his! I just wanted to show up a little bit of his work. (Oh and by the way, he did get the highest grade in the class!)

Feliz Cumpleaños!

2008-10-27T16:52:00.008-06:00

Happy birthday to ME! Last Thursday was my birthday (thanks to all the b-day wishes you all sent my way!) Thursday was kind of hectic and crazy because my boyfriend Pablo had to work on Thursday morning and I had to go to a trial job interview thing all afternoon. By the time we both got home Thursday night we were tired and just went to bed! Friday was a different story though! After sleeping in way too long, we finally got out the door and into the subway where Pablo refused to tell me where we were going. He is constantly surprising me with things like notes and little gifts so this isn´t something new for me. He ended up taking me to Cerro San Cristobal which is a big hill in Santiago where you can see almost the whole city! It was so sweet to be up there and see the city--we even got a peek at the temple from up there! We walked around the shops up there and went to a part where we could take a ride on these buggy-ski lift type rides to another part of the hill. It was so fun to just be with him and talk and enjoy one another. The whole time we were there he kept telling me that we had to be home at 8:30 because he had to do something for a teacher or something. I knew he was lying because he is a bad liar! When we got home, a few of our friends were here to share a birthday cake with us! It was a great way to end a good day and celebrate my birthday! I´m so lucky have such a great boyfriend who enjoys doing the same things that I do! Here are a few pictures of Santiago from up top and Pablo and I!

Marriage...is the reason we are gathered here today!

2008-10-21T09:17:00.008-06:00

This last weekend I got to experience what weddings are like in Chile. If you thought that your wedding was hectic, just you wait! On Friday morning two of Pablo and I's friends got married and it was a day full of wedding stuff! Cristian Norambuena I met as a missionary and his family was always really good to me. And his now wife Stefanny is one of Pablo's very best friends. So it was cool to be there with them and share the day with our friends!
We started out the morning at the civil wedding. Here in Chile you have to get married lawfully before you can get married in the temple or in a church. Here is a picture of us outside the City Center where they got married.
After the civil wedding, we went back to Pablo's house to eat lunch and get ready to go to the temple. We were running a little late and ended up calling a taxi to take us to the temple. It was so neat to be there with them. When I was a missionary I got to work at the Temple Open House for the Santiago Temple and I grew to really love this temple. It is so simple and yet so beautiful. It was good to be back again and here the advice of the temple president, President Lyon as he sealed Cristian and Stefanny.
After the temple sealing we returned back to Pablo's house to get ready to go to the reception. It was supposed to start at 9 pm but we did not get there until a little after 10. But don't worry, the bride and groom didn't get there until almost 11. PM that is. The receptions here are a little more formal--you go dressed up, eat a fancy dinner and dance the night away! Around 1:30 am the couple cut the cake and then there was MORE dancing. Pablo and I danced the night away! My friend Cata taught me how to dance Cumbia so now I dance like a chileana! We finally decided to leave around 3 am--what a party! It was so much fun and I'm glad that we were able to spend the day with Cristian and Stefanny!

In Chile ya

2008-10-15T08:36:00.008-06:00

I realize I have been in Chile now for a while, but things have been so crazy that I haven´t really had time to post pictures or anything. I got here last Friday at 4:30 am. Pablo was waiting for me at the airport with flowers (see picture above) So far everything has been perfect and we have had a lot of fun together. We went to go visit one of my converts, Andres on Saturday in Maipu. I brought them some butterfingers and their one year old got a hold of one. We had a great time with them! Sunday I went to church with Pablo and I forgot about how it is always colder INSIDE the church then outside. Oh and don´t worry, I had totally forgotten what showering with a calefont is like... Let´s just say it´s not very fun!
I love Santiago and it feels like home to be here again. Yesterday we went to El Centro and walked around and finally ended up in a park (Parque Forestal), eating ice cream and watching all the gay people cuddle in the park! Does it get much better than that? I don´t think so... Tonight we are going to the temple with one of Pablo´s friends who is getting married on Friday. And tomorrow I have my first Chilean job interview so I´m a little nervous. I haven´t been a very good blogger lately but I will try and change now!

ME VOY!

2008-10-07T07:13:00.004-06:00

Sorry for the lack of posts...life has been crazy lately! But tomorrow I leave for Chile so these last weeks have been filled with packing, last minute memories, shopping, moving, cleaning, training, and plenty of goodbyes (which I HATE!) If I didn't get to say goodbye to you, don't worry, I would have just cried the whole time anyway! I'm a bawl baby! But I'm excited--this move is long over due and much needed. I get to Santiago on Friday so expect a better update then!

Need a good laugh?!

2008-09-24T16:28:00.005-06:00

I have been hesitating blogging about this story...but I know that if I told the story to my old boss Erin she would tell me to blog about it. So if no one else thinks this is funny, Erin--this is for you!

The office where I work only has ONE bathroom. Now that isn't one woman's bathroom, that's just A single bathroom to share. Sometimes this can get kind of interesting, especially since the guy to girl ratio isn't even at all--the guys out number us by a lot. And the office has recently got a lot fuller so there are about 15 guys and 4 of us girls which for having only one bathroom, it stays pretty busy.

Okay, now that I have set the grand story up for those of you who don't know what the situation is, imagine now that it is the first day for 4 new sales guys. I had been running around all day, helping with paperwork, getting them on their computers, and doing all my Monday morning reports, etc. on top of that. I walk down the aisle to head into the bathroom and notice the door is closed. Which is common because a few guys sit near the bathroom and prefer to keep the door closed all the time due to the...um...stink problem. I do a little tap on the door and begin to twist the doorknob and swing the door wide open to find one of the new guys YELLING like a girl occupying the toilet. Oh yeah. Totally walked in on him. It was so BAD! I slam the door horrified that I have just walked in on the new guy and all of the sales guys start to laugh and tease me. I'm sure my face was bright red. I didn't even know what to say. Eventually when the new guy comes out of the bathroom one of the guys says to him, "Don't mind Becki. She does that to everyone. It's part of the Prosper hazing..." WOW. The whole rest of the week all of the guys teased me about it. One of them kept on sending me e-mails through out the day saying, "Remember when you peeked on the new guy?" Needless to say, I think it's time Prosper got separate bathrooms. Maybe I should share this story as evidence to get a second bathroom...and quick!

Silly Blake!

2008-09-14T19:46:00.005-06:00

My nephew Blake (Laura's little guy) has got to be about the cutest thing ever (or one of the three cutest) Lately his vocabulary has about doubled every day and he says some of the funniest stuff! I know he's not my kid, but I had to put this video of him up. Lately he has been into painting since his mom just re painted his new room. So he carries around this old paint brush and says, " I paint the wall." And he repaints EVERYTHING! So I had to put a video up of him and his silly phrase!

Update on the whole Santiago stuff

2008-08-28T18:10:00.002-06:00

Okay, not that I feel that important but I have gotten a lot of questions from some of you about me moving out of the country. And I figured it would probably be easier to answer them on here so that I don't have to repeat myself a billion times! (More like twice, but whatever...)

I've actually been thinking about moving to Santiago for about a year now (if not longer) and I was just kind of waiting to get school out of the way before I could do anything about it. Since I graduated in April, I just had to pick a good date to go! I am hoping to stay for a few years in Santiago at least but it will all depend on things once I get down there. I think that eventually I'd like to get more school done but right now I'm looking for some good experiences. I am currently working on getting TEFL Certified (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) so that I can get a better job. I don't have a job yet but I don't think it will be too hard to find one.

I'll be living with Tia Rosi, she's the aunt of one of my good friends, Geraldine Lara. She lives en La Cisterna (calle El Parron) for those of you who know where that is. And don't you all fret, I'll be updating my blog lots and I won't fall off the face of the earth! I am really excited about it all and just want to get down there! If you have any other questions, pregunteme no mas!

Needs...we all have them!

2008-08-19T13:07:00.004-06:00

Okay, for lack of an exciting topic, I found this idea on a different blog. Go to google and type in your name and the word "needs" after it (i.e. Becki needs ) to find out what you really need! Here are a few of the needs that I found out! Kind of entertaining...

Becki needs- poetry or she will shrivel up and die. (not sure about this one...)

Becki needs Facebook. (enough said)

Becki needs a new hair color. (ouch! I like my hair color...)

Becki needs your help!!! (when don't I?)

Becki needs to know what to do Richard! (I guess just Richard will help me...)

Becki...you need to come to Florida. (on my way...making a stop in Miami on my way to Chile!)

Becki needs nothing.

Becki needs a cupid for her psyche. (hmm...)

Becki needs to be flash and cool. (aren't I already?!)

Becki sometimes needs to actually do some proper work! (blogging at work isn't proper?)

Puro CHILE tus cielos azulados...

2008-08-15T15:57:00.003-06:00

It is very official. I am moving! I leave the 8th of October to move to Santiago, Chile and I don't think I could be more happy!! I've felt like this was a good decision for a long time now but I have been holding out to see if it really was the right one. And luckily everything just seems to be falling into place! I have seriously been blessed to have things come together like this! And I know it will be really hard to be far away from my family and friends but I have some amazing friends who are like family to me in Santiago also. And please come visit me whenever you want! It will always be nice to see familiar faces and speak some English! So hopefully my life will go from boring to exciting once I get this move behind me! (Yeah right, but we can always hope, right?)

Serioulsy So Blessed

2008-08-14T17:31:00.002-06:00

I'm not getting paid to advertise or anything like that but I have just spent the last while giggling and falling in love with this blog. My sister told me about it and it kills me to read the stuff she writes! She's not for real (love her sarcasm!) but you just know people like her really do exist! So if you are looking for something to do and want to be entertained, check out Seriously So Blessed!

August Update

2008-08-07T13:14:00.004-06:00

It's been a bit since I have blogged anything and I'm sure you can all guess why...Nothing has been happening! Nothing worth writing about anyway. So I thought I would just put a few things that have been brewing in my boring life. But don't expect to be entertained!
The latest and greatest has been reading Breaking Dawn. (Thanks to Whitni for letting me borrow it!) So far, so good. But for those of you who are Twilight fans, I'm not going to say much because I don't want to give anything away. I also read The Host awhile ago (by Stephenie Meyer also) and I think I will confess that I did like The Host better then the Edward-Bella-Jacob love triangle. But still, Breaking Dawn is captivating.
Another perk in the last few weeks has been the new season of Project Runway. I know you are all probably thinking that me, of all people, would like a fashion reality show, but seriously, I'm hooked! Even if I am just a jeans and tee shirt girl, I love watching the new and cool designs that they come up with each week and analyzing them as though I were the guest judge. (That will be the day...) My favorite is Kenley--I like her style a lot!
I'm also working on plans to move and get out of Rexburg for a while. I've sent off my resume and podcast to a few places in this city! I'll let you know when all the plans are set and you can start saying your goodbyes! (Don't fret, you have a few months still...)
P.S. I recently got to see two of my good friends (who also are sisters!) and were my roommates at one time in my life, Kristy and Jamie. Here's a pic to prove that we actually got together! Love you both lots!!

Dutch Oven Cookoff!

2008-07-27T21:46:00.015-06:00

A little bit of this when my family is involved doesn't last very long! It's kind of a family favorite to cook dutch oven style and so because my older brother Alan and my sister in law Amber and their two boys were here, we had a yummy dutch oven dinner with a Campbell specialty of Jambalaya and of course two different kinds of cobbler! Don't worry, there were not many leftovers!
It's been really fun to have everyone together for a few days and spend some good time with my adorable nephews! Later I realized I had quite a few pictures of Marcus but who knows where Jackson was when my camera was out?!
Now that they are gone we will miss them but things should hopefully settle down...yeah right, like that will happen!

What's been going on?

2008-07-21T11:41:00.006-06:00

A friend of my recently told me that she doesn't read my posts, she only looks at the pictures...so for her sake, here are some pictures of my nephews who are all here right now! We have had a lot of fun just hanging out!