The Goodfellow's

One Year........

2011-07-04T16:12:00.000-07:00

Nate and I celebrated our one year anniversary in May I can't believe how fast it went by. We went to Park City to spend the night at the Waldorf Astoria it was the nicest hotel I have ever stayed in. Nate has a friend that works there so he got us a great deal and a suite at that. We wanted to eat at Baja Cantina but when we got there it was no longer there. There was a sign directing us to another mexican restaurant on Main Street. We got to the restaurant there was so much cigarette smoke as we walked in that we walked right back out. There was no way we could eat with that smell. We decided to go to a place that we both know is good Main Street Pizza and Noodles. Definately a good choice you can't go wrong there although there prices are a bit steep. We had a really good time it was nice to spend time with Nate we have both been so busy with work and school for Nate. It was a nice break to get away for the night. I am so glad that I made the choice to marry Nate we have had out ups and down but all and all it was a great first year! I love you Nate.

Family Pictures

2010-10-13T11:11:00.000-07:00

I figured it was about time to update since it has been awhile. A few weeks ago my family had family pictures taken.I think they turned out pretty good and look how freaken cute my niece is!

Wedding Pictures

2010-06-24T11:03:00.000-07:00

I have been anxiously waiting for my wedding pictures a whole 6 1/2 weeks! Anyways I am thrilled with the end result.

Three things I have learned so far

2010-05-24T20:08:00.000-07:00

Things I have learned/experienced since being married:

1. Don't put dish soap in the dishwasher otherwise this happens:

2. Nate's alarm isn't the fire alarm but it sure sounds like it. Last Monday Nate set his alarm clock I asked him if he would set it to something besides that annoying sound so he did. It goes off in the morning and I seriously thought it was the fire alarm and I said that out loud. "Nate the fire alarm is going off!" He thought it was the funniest thing.

3. Guys don't put the toilet seat down. I have almost fell in a few times so now I check to make sure it is down.

Honeymoon Pictures

2010-05-24T20:07:00.000-07:00

Nate and I went on our honeymoon to the Bahamas. We flew to Orlando and then picked up the boat about an hour away. We had a great time on our honeymoon. The biggest downside was our room was above the motors I swear. We got on the boat on Sunday and then Monday morning I was abruptly woken up to the sound of something grinding and our entire room shaking. It didn't even phase Nate he continued to sleep through it. As I was laying in bed my mind was going crazy thinking all the things that could be going wrong. I eventually woke Nate up because I was really starting to get nervous. He acted like it wasn't a big deal,but I was so worried that I ended up going up to the lido deck to make sure everything was fine. We were fine we had arrived at our first stop, but everytime we left I felt ever bit of it. I have to say that cruises are probably the best trip you can go on they have everything there for you it is great. I am sure we will go on a few cruises in our lifetime. One of the excursions we went on was to the Atlantis to go to the water park. It was really windy that day and I was worried that we weren't going to be able to go, but luckily the weather got better and I was relieved!!! I was so excited to go there because Tori and Spencer had told us what a great time they had there. Nate and I had a great time too! I decided to lay out for a little bit probably only like a half hour, but trust me that was long enough I got burnt and paid for it for a couple of days. Now I am peeling and Nate isn't he was smart and sat under and umbrella except for his feet got sunburnt after all he is kind of white. We had a great time but are sad to come back to real life.

I hope they can fix it in time!

2010-05-05T07:03:00.001-07:00

Yesterday Nate and i were moving some of our stuff into our apartment so needless to say I have a few scrapes on my hands well at least that is all I thought had happened. We were eating and all of a sudden Nate says to me, " Jena, where is your diamond?" I thought to myself what is he talking about the center diamond is there. But he was talking about one of the diamonds on the side of my ring somehow yesterday it had fallen out. I couldn't stop thinking about it all night wondering what I was going to do. Are the jewelers going to be able to fix it in TWO days? I sure hope they can. Otherwise I am going to be wearing a ring with a missing diamond and of course it isn't one of the small ones, it is totally noticeable!!

The Countdown is on....

2010-04-12T10:46:00.000-07:00

25 more days until I get married.

Things left to do:

Get Nate's ring

Send out invitations

Get my bridals done

Take out my endowments

Move into our apartment

I am getting so excited I am just ready to start my life with Nate!

Don't let a Novice do it.....

2010-03-02T11:58:00.000-08:00

This is what happens when you let a novice cut your hair (look how straight that line is though.)Nate has been pestering me to cut his hair I have told him numerous times I have never done it and don't know how. He said oh it isn't that hard. Well on Sunday I finally agreed he said he would just shave it if I messed up. He took off the extension and told me to go around his ear, he didn't tell me it would cut that close. I looked at what I had done and thought oh crap we have pictures in two weeks what are we going to do? Suck we are going to have to push our pictures back. You should have seen Nate's reaction he didn't get mad he just looked at it and shook his head and said, "Jena, did you really do that?" I love how he doesn't get mad at me he has alot of patience, because I am pretty sure I would have been mad if someone had done that to me. So needless to say I can't fix what I have done we are just going to have to wait for it to grow out and push our pictures back. After the fact he said, "You were right when you said you didn't know how to do it in the future when you tell me you don't know how to do something I am definately going to believe you." He was really sweet about the whole situation he knew I felt terrible and didn't get mad he just laughed about it while I cried about it. I know years from now I will look back on this and laugh but at the moment it isn't that comical to me.

How we became Nate & Jena

2010-01-28T20:26:00.001-08:00

So as I am sure you are aware Nate and I are engaged. We are getting married May 7th and can't wait. I am ready for all the planning to be done and it to just happen.

How we met: We met on a blind date August of 2005, two weeks before school to start. I went with a kid from Jordan and Nate was with his girlfriend. It was a fun night but I didn't think anything of it. During the night we were talking about where we were going to college I asked Nate what classes he had he didn't really have an idea it was kind of funny cause he didn't really seem to care whereas I knew what and where my classes were. Fast forward a few weeks I walk into my first class and you know the anticipation you get when you walk into a class for the first time sweaty hands and all. As I walk into the class I hear someone yell my name I immediately think oh great...I look over and what do you know there is Nate. We ended up having two classes together that semester. Nothing much happened that semester between the two of us he broke up with his girlfriend and I got a boyfriend. Our friendship began to grow and Nate always tried to get me to hang out with him but duh I had a boyfriend. Anyways long story short I dated my boyfriend for a year he went on a mission and Nate was there for me. I had a rough time and he was so good to me. He was just what I needed I loved spending time with him, but I wasn't interested in dating him I just wanted to be friends. He left on a mission and got back in Feb a little after I got home from Ecuador. We hung out the day after he got home it was as if he hadn't ever left he was the Nate I knew and loved (even if I didn't know at that time). We hung out for a bit and then he started to put pressure on me to be his gf and I wasn't ready. We didn't talk for about three months, during this time I kept getting reminders of him just random things I decided to text him one night and then we hung out a few days later I ended up going to Bear Lake with his family in July and then that is when things starts officially. I had finally realized that I truly do and did love him the whole time I was just scared. Sure people might think we didn't date that long but we have been friends for over 4 years.

The proposal:

We had gone ring shopping and found the band I wanted but we decided we would get the center diamond from his brother in laws aunt cause we would get a better deal then if we got it at the same place as where we got the band. I found the band I wanted but the jeweler didn't know if he could size it small enough since I have a size 3 1/2 they decided I could go with a 4 since it was a thick band. I was so happy when we found out they could size it I loved it so much! We got the ring sized and Nate told me he was going to send it to get the center diamond he said it would take three weeks to a month I told him I didn't want to know when he mailed it out because I wanted to be surprised I didn't want to know it was coming. I knew he had shipped it out and thought it would be awhile. Well little did I know he had arranged for it to be overnighted there she set the ring and overnighted back. He made up some story that we were going to go on a double date with his friend Ammo but then a day before Ammo called and said he couldn't go anymore. I didn't think much of it Nate asked if I still wanted to go to dinner so I agreed. He picked me up he had a new shirt on, he got a haircut and I didn't even pick up on it. We went to dinner at the restaurant we went to on our first date, and we were going to go bowling at the place we met for the first time. Seriously I don't know how I didn't pick up on it. On our way home his brother called and said the bowling alley was booked until 9 so we were just going to go back to my house until then. He was texting and driving and I was getting mad at him cause he wasn't staying in the lanes I told him to stop but later I found out he was texting Katelin (my sister) asking if it was all set up and ready. We got to my house we walked into my kitchen and rounded the corner to the front room I saw the benched pushed back and couldn't figure out why and then I saw it he had candles set up and the ring was sitting there. I was shocked because I didn't expect it so soon. It was funny because I fell to my knees in shock he had to pick me off the ground so he could get down on one knee. Of course I said Yes! So that is our story so far.......to be continued.

Its been awhile.....

2009-11-02T14:28:00.001-08:00

Sadie's First Halloween

JAZZ game

UTES BLACKOUT GAME

Tori and Sadie, look how good Tori looks!

The Cutest Niece Ever!!!!

2009-09-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

Sadie Lynn Beesley- Born August 30th, 2009 @ 5:21 PM

I am finally feeling better so I get to see Sadie! She is so cute and little I can hold her in one arm so obviously she is pretty little. Here are a few pictures of her I hope you enjoy. I forget how much babies sleep that is all she does very rarely does she open her eyes. I am excited to watch her grow up.

Miss Sadie Lynn Beesley

2009-09-02T15:07:00.000-07:00

She is finally here! I am so excited to be an aunt I can't even explain it. She was born on Sunday August 30th at about 5:30, she was 6 lbs 2 oz and 20.5 inches long and has a head full of hair. I got to see her mins after she was born and she was wide awake. Babies truly are miracles and I love them so much. Sunday was the first and last time I have seen her I got a cold and I don't want to get her sick so I have stayed away but it is killing me not being able to see her. My family has gone to see her everyday while I get to stay home and wish I was there with them. Tori and Sadie will be home on Thursday night and I hope I get over this cold so I can go and visit her.

Before Sadie was born Tori and Spencer were taking bets as to when she would be born. I was way off I said the 21st but when Nate heard Tori's due date was August 29th he said I bet she will be born on my birthday (which is August 31st) he was disappointed when she was born on the 30th. He wanted to win the bet so bad because Spencer said if she was born on his birthday he would give Nate a hug. Needless to say Nate still got a hug from Spencer even though she was born the day before. Now Tori, Spencer, and Sadie's birthdays are all in August! I just love her so much already and I have only seen her once.

Summer Fun

2009-08-03T16:05:00.000-07:00

Nate & I over the 4th in Bear Lake

Asleep on the Drive to Montpelier

Tori's Birthday Cake Mess

Funniest event at the Rodeo

Mom & Dad watching the rodeo

Tori, Spencer, and Sadie on her way

Nate & I at the Rodeo

At the Bee's Game

Boating fun

For the fourth of July I went to Bear Lake with Nate's family. It was a really fun weekend, things get a little crazy with his family since their are so many of them I am not used to all the commotion since my family is pretty little. I had a great time but was sad to have to go back to work on Tuesday while the rest of them stayed for the rest of the week. I love hanging out with Nate we have known each other for 4 years now but we are still learning about each other. For the 24th Nate and I went to the Bee's game with his family but on the 25th because he was in Lake Powell on the 24th. I don't really know much about baseball but I am sure I am gonna learn alot since he loves to go to baseball games and watch ESPN every second he gets an opportunity to. He also was on a softball team that just barely ended but he is starting up on another league I think the end of August.

It has been a traditon in my family to go up to Bear Lake for Raspberry Days since I was born. Well this past weekend sure enough it was Raspberry Days and I was so excited to go. I was sad though because Katelin wasn't here this year. This was the first time in all my life she hasn't been there it was kind of sad but I know she is doing what she wants to be doing in New York.
Guess what she comes home on the 16 th of August I am SOOOO excited I can't even explain it! Then Tori is going to have her baby so soon after that she is due August 29th but I think she will have Sadie before that. Anyways back to the story I thought it was just going to be my parents and I this year because Katelin wasn't there and Tori and Spencer weren't going to come up because Tori was afraid she was going to have Sadie by then and if not she was afraid she was going to go into Labor up there and she didn't want that. She went to the doctor the day before we left and her docotor said she that she hadn't even started to diliate so they came with us. Also Nate ended up coming he wasn't going to come up until Saturday afternoon because he had a softball tournament in the morning. We headed up on Friday afternoon and when we were driving I got a call from Nate he told me that two of the five teams had dropped out so the tournament was off and he was on his way up to Bear Lake. I was so excited because I wanted him to spend the whole weekend with my family and I. He made it just in time for the Rodeo to start this is also something we do every year. I love going to that Rodeo because it is a small town rodeo and it is the best. We had a great time and the best thing about it is that I didn't have terrbile allerigies! All my life I have dealt with allergies I just deal with them, but I decided I wanted to start allergy shot about two years ago. It was one of the best decisions of my life sure at the time it sucked I had to go three times a week, get two shots everytime, wait 30 mins after the shots, and a few trips to the instacare since I was having allergic reactions time consuming sure but it was totally worth it. In past years I have had a hard time breathing after and been weezy but I still went. Saturday the 1st was Tori's 25 th birthday so we decided we would celebrate it up there. We were all getting ready to go the the craft fair and Spencer was baking Tori's favorite cake in the oven. The next thing we know we hear a loud crash from the oven my mom just thought one of the racks had fallen but low and behold when she opened it she saw this.....the dish had completly shattered we aren't sure what happened but it was pretty funny. It couldn't be put back together the picture doesn't do it justice at all seriously. Needless to say Tori didn't get her birthday cake we ended up stopping off at some little store in Montipelier. We went to the fair and of course Tori bought more bows for Sadie seriously I think she has a bow to go with every outfit! After the fair we went jet skiing and I made the mistake of going with Nate of course he has to throw me off. When we went flying off he landed right on top of me literally. I got an instant headache and had one for the rest of the day. I still am sore I think I bruised my ribs and I have a bruise on my thigh. He didn't believe he landed on top of me until I told him I was in major pain. After we went jet skiing we decided to go into Montipelier for dinner to some diner I dad wanted to go to. Nate and I fell asleep on the way there and Tori thinks she is funny and takes pictures of us sleeping. When we got back from dinner my dad said we should play poker he seriously loves to play to poker especially when there are other boys around. Nate aways says he is going to kick my dad in poker and never does it is funny to watch him try. Also on Saturday there were fireworks to celebrate Raspberry days. We sat on the beach and watch the fireworks and then back to our poker playing. On Sunday we were packing up to leave and my mom realized my dad had her car keys and he had left about an hour before she realized. He drove my car up so he left earlier then us. Tori called him to tell him and he didn't answer my mom was like great what are we going to do now? Luckily he called back but we had to wait about 45 mins for him to bring them back. I am pretty sure he felt stupid since he had to come all the way back luckliy he wasn't too far away. It was a very eventful trip I best thing would have been if Tori would have gone into labor that would have topped the weekend off! It was a really fun vacation and I am glad that Nate got to spend it with us.

This is their Trial

2009-06-18T14:39:00.000-07:00

At Primary's this week I got to hold a little baby. We got a call in the playroom there was a baby that needed to be held. I was the first one to volunteer (the week before I took a call that a baby needed to be held but I was the only one in there so I couldn't and I was pretty disappointed.) The nurse that called sounded like she just needed a break so I was more then willing to go. So when they called on Tuesday I was like I am not going to miss out on this again. I was given the room number having no idea where to go besides the 4th floor I got lost...... but I was so excited I didn't even care. When I walked into the room I looked at the baby he just laid there hooked up to all sorts of machines and crying. My instinct was to pick him up but I didn't know how to go about it because of all of the tubes he had connected to him. I got a nurse to help me get him out of bed. At first I was nervous to hold him because I was afraid I would bump one of the tubes and mess things up so I held him very uncomfortably (I think he could sense the tension I was feeling and he got upset.) I rocked him for a few mins and he fell asleep. As I was sitting there rocking him it made me think of the countless hours I spent in Ecuador with the wee little babies. He woke up and looked at me with his dark brown eyes and I just wanted to spend hours with him. He was so lonely he has been in the hospital since he was born 7 months ago. The crazy thing is that he is a tripulet, when they were born he was the healthiest and then a few weeks later he got a stomach problem and had to get part of his intestines taken out. So he has spent his entire life in the hospital I am pretty sure I am going to get to spend more time with this little guy and I have nothing to complain about I could hold him for my entire shift and be fine with it. So to say in the least this week was a lot better and I am so glad about that! I got to spend an hour and a half holding him, he kept falling in and out of sleep when he would wake up I would just make funny faces at him to get him to smile but he wouldn't. It kind of made me sad to think that at 7 months he doesn't have anything to smile about since he has been so sick. When the nurse came back she was like, "Thank you so much I needed a break I have been working for 11 hours and I just needed a break from a crying baby." I don't blame her. I remember there were times in Ecuador when I would be so tired at night shift and having six babies all crying at the same time. I just felt like I needed a break seriously what I wouldn't give to be there again. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about those kids and how much I truly miss and love them!

Kids truly do have a light about them that others can gain from. Seeing the way the kids I have played with act are like any other kid they just want to have fun and not worry about being sick anymore. The illnesses these kids face are their trials and some might not overcome them and it makes me so sad. I know that I can learn alot from these kids they just have a zest for life and want to feel better. Being in the hospital makes me so grateful for my own health I mean sure I get tired easy and have allergies but I know the kids at the hospital would take that over what they are going through any day!

A little update

2009-06-14T17:49:00.000-07:00

What I have been up to lately is: I am working full time and volunteering at Primary Children's. This week will be my third week at Primary's. It has started out pretty rough my first week I went and I was the only volunteer that showed up the lady that was there was just filling in for the lady that is normally there so she didn't know what I was supposed to do. When I left I was pretty frustrated because I like people to explain things to me like what I am supposed to do and where I am supposed to go and none of this happened. They just expect you know what to do and this definately not the case! Then my second week I was left in the playroom by myself for three hours, keep in mind I don't know what I am supposed to be doing. Luckily I worked at treehouse so I still remember some art projects we did there and that is what I did the entire time. By the time I left I was covered in glue, glitter, and paint but I left with a smile on my face. The kids I was playing with got to forget about how sick they are and lose themselves in painting the sun and things they like to do when they aren't in the hospital. This is one of the main reasons I decided to do this I love to bring a smile to kids face that is struggling.

Life has been interesting since I got home with the loss of my cousins, Tori's brother in law passing away, to someone wanting me to put everything on the line and move away from everything I have ever know to see if we had a chance at the thing called Love.....I obviously didn't choose the choice he wanted me to choose. Tori's belly continues to get bigger and bigger I am getting so excited for little Sadie to grace us with her presence. It is crazy how you can have love for someone that you haven't even met before. I am also looking forward to Katelin coming home in August I just want her to come home already. Every year when my birthday comes around I think about how fast time goes. I can't believe it has been a year since Jace and I went skydiving on my 21 st birthday. It seems just like yesterday when I was floating in the air wondering why my ears hurt so bad and later figuring out I had a sinus infection. Oh wait a year later and once again I have a sinus infection I have had since Feb! I have also been thinking about going back to school to get a master's. I have had a nice break from school for a year and feel like I am not ready to start working full time or maybe I will just travel more since I now have the time. I am excited to see how my life will be like a year from now.

ACM's red carpet style

2009-04-09T14:41:00.001-07:00

ViVa LaS vEgAs

I kept going to the wrong door one time we had to run away because we thought they were going to open the door.

Linds and I at Treasure Island

George Strait

The gf of the drummer for Kellie Pickler

The crowd waiting for Kellie Pickler

The ACMS

Linds and I safe from that jerk from the "academy" see story below

If you thought Shawn Johnson had a stalker you should have seen this guy he was a total creep. On his shirt there was a picture of the two of them.

You know you are in vegas when there are slot machines in the airport

For those of you that don't know what the ACM's are they are the American Country Music Awards. I had the opportunity of attending them. They were held in Vegas this year I had so much fun! Here is the story of how I go the opportunity to go: I was in New York with Katelin. I got in about 12:30 AM and was exhausted. At about 9 AM my dad called my cell phone I had no idea why he was calling me so I figured I would call him later. But then he called Katelin's phone too. We both looked at each other thinking something bad had happened because of what we recently went through with my cousins being killed. I told Katelin she better answer it. When she answered my dad said, "I need to talk to Jena in a paniced voice." I got on the phone and he said, "Jena, you won a trip you only have 10 mins to call back. " I was so confused first I was exhausted and second I didn't know he had entered me into a contest. I called radio station and said you called my name on the radio. Of course they didn't pronounce it right but my dad knew it was me. I guess I was on the radio not knowing what I had won, I was put on hold to give them my address and everything else. The guy was like, "Are you excited?" I was like "Ya I am so excited!" By this time I knew what I had won and was in shock. I won a trip for 2 to the ACM's this included airfare, hotel stay, tickets to the show, tickets to the special show for George Strait, and more. I decided to take my friend Lindsay that I used to work with at America First. We had a lot of fun!

At the airport in SLC both Lindsay and I got our bags checked. Either of us have had our bags checked. They took a bottle of perfume away from me it was 3.2 oz so just barely over the guy was really a jerk about it. All the other trips I have gone on they haven't taken it away lame. You will never guess what Lindsay had in her bag....scissors! She works at a school and brought the bag she uses for school. She was so embarrassed but luckily she got another guy that was cool about it and let her go. Don't you think they would take the scissors away versus .2 over the amount allowed? We flew in on Saturday and checked into MGM (that is where all the events were, so it was nice we stayed at the same hotel). Upon checking in the guy checking us in didn't believe it was me. He was looking at my driver's license and seriously didn't think it was me. I mean come on yes I know I have blonde hair in my picture and now I have brown hair but I still look like Jena. He just kept saying this is not you. He made me sign my name, I don't know what I would have done if my signature changed since I was 16. Once I verified my signature he let me check in. He said how old were you in this picture? I was 16 well you look like you are 60 now what kind of compliment is that oh wait it isn't!

Later that night Linds and I went to Fremont Street there were free concerts going on. Linds wanted to see Kellie Pickler so we made our way there. We got on a double decker bus not knowing it would take us an hour to get where we wanted to go. Fremont street is a pretty cool place as long as you stayed inside of it and don't venture off ,then it can get pretty scary. As part of the trip we were given lanyards that were supposed to get us into a roped off area for the concerts. We spent 30 mins talking to all of the security guards and no one knew what we were talking about. They kept saying you need a wrist band but I didn't know where the freak to get a wristband. Our last attempt we were asking a guys if he knew he was a total jerk and said I work for the academy and I don't recognize this so no you aren't getting in, do you know the number of your contact person? I called the lady and of course she didn't answer. I was super frustrated because we were promised something and didn't get it. Well the jerk walked away and the security guard told us to go hurry before he sees you and he let us into the area we were trying to get to. He said, "You owe me big time." What do I owe him I will never see him again. We got into the pit right by the stage we were so close it was awesome it was even better because we really weren't supposed to be where we were at. We ended up meeting the gf of the drummer for Kellie's band. We hung out with her, she was so hilarious it was a great time! After the concert we met the drummer, he was pretty sweet we could have met Kellie but the gf doesn't like Kellie so she didn't want to see her. So that was kind of a bummer! Anyways we got a great story out of it. It took us 2 hours to get back to the hotel on the bus and there was this old man playing the piano. I was so annoyed of him he seriously was playing so loud trying to get tips, lets just say he didn't get any tips from me.

Sunday morning we got to go to a special event where we met Lon Healton he is the radio host and manager of Country Music Countdown in Nashville. He knows alot about the country music business and shared stories with us. We also met Tim Nichols he is a songwriter for the stars some of his songs have been picked up by Tim McGraw "Live Like You Were Dying", and other ones but I can't remember all of them. It was cool to meet him because he told us the stories behind all of the songs he has written. The last group we met were Kate & Kacey Coppolla they are identical twins who are super cute. They are new to the business their cd comes out April 27 you can check them out at Big Machine Records (the same record comany Taylor Swift is on.) I think they are going to be it was so great to meet them. I like feeling like a celerbrity people look at you like how did you get to meet them or how did you get into that event?

Sunday night we were getting ready for the award show we had to be in our seats by 430 PM I know crazy early. We were getting ready and then Linds cut her leg pretty bad (she is going to be super embarrased about this but oh well it is a funny story.) Neither of us had bandaids where are your moms when you really need them? I went and asked the cleaning lady if she had any and she looked at me like I was crazy. She told me to call housekeeping they didn't have any either. I ran down to the gift shop, I was looking at boxes of bandaids and a guy said, "there are little packages of 4" and I said "umm, I am going to need a lot more then that." He looked at me puzzled and I said, "My friend cut her leg." His only reponse was "Oh" to say in the least I didn't need to explain any more. We made it to the show in time our seats were that great by we got to see as stars were coming in. It was such a fun night the show was amazing it was weird to think I am here while everyone else was watching it on tv. After the show we went to the all-star jams it was a huge party where the stars performed it was more relaxed then the award show it was pretty cool.

Monday morning we got to sleep in which was nice we didn't have anything planned until later that night. We went and walked the strip stopped at a few of the hotels. Linds and I went into The Ventian and decided to gamble a little. Until this point I hadnt been carded yet... Some guy came up to me and said, "Hello." I said hello back it was really odd he just stared at me. I said, "Do you need to see my id?" "Well, are you 21?" "Yes, I am 21." Then he just walked away from me he didn't even look at my id. As we walked away another security guard followed us as we walked to the map of the hotel and just sat there. He didn't even say anything to us he just acted like he was headed that way, but I knew he wasn't. After that we headed back to our hotel it was pretty hot and we were getting tired you do so much walking there.

Monday afternoon we got ready to go to George Strait and good news no more cuts! We got floor seats to George Strait it was pretty cool we had a great time. Before the show began Linds and I decided to stay out in the lobby to see if we could see any stars because we hadn't seen any yet. It was weird because we were staying in the same hotel as all of them but didn't see any of them. We saw some people we thought were stars just the way they acted and sure enough they were. The couple next to us told us who they were. One of them was Keith Anderson he is a new artist. We also saw Taylor Swift's band twice down by the elevators, but too bad we didn't see Taylor that would have been so awesome!

We had a great time and were ready to come home Lindsay really missed her husband Eric. Overall it was a great trip I just wish the company was more organized. Linds you know what I am talking about.....

I did it, I finally got a JOB!!!!!

2009-04-09T14:07:00.000-07:00

Since I have been home from Ecuador I have a devil of a time finding a job. I just barely found one. Anyways I was so bored sitting at home looking at jobs all day it was pathetic. It was really hard for me because I have been so busy lately I was going stir crazy just sitting around. I had an interview on a Friday and the company told me I wouldn't hear from them for two weeks so I decided I would go visit Katelin in New York. I booked my ticket on Tuesday afternoon and was going to leave the next day, about an hour after I did the company calls me and tells me they would like to take me out to lunch the following day. I immediately freak out because they want to do it at 1130 and my flight was at 145 I thought there is no way I can make both of them. I was pretty bummed because it was the first job interview I went to in a month and a half and now I blew it. At the time I was getting my hair done so I just held my emotions in but once I got home I went to talk to my mom and started crying. I was just so frustrated because they told me two weeks and it had only been three days also I had called and asked if it would be a problem if I went to New York and the guy told me no that won't be a problem at all. So I figured I was fine to go. My mom was like well call them and say you can go to about a half an hour of the luncheon. That way the company will see I am serious about wanting the job. Well it worked they were very impressed the fact I would risk missing my flight to go to the luncheon. They even made it so we went to a resturant close to my house so I could go home and head to the airport. I went to the luncheon it went great I ended up leaving later then I thought I would. I got to the airport at about 1 I didn't check a bag and made it through security record time 6 mins. I am not a light packer so the fact I fit everything in a carry-on for 6 days was amazing!!! I ended up getting the job thank goodness. I finally have something to do. I work for a company that handle benefit plans for companies kind of like a broker. I process payrolls to make sure the companies plans we manage are sending us the money so it is taken out of their employees checks. I have only been working for about a week and a half, it is a lot of information to take in but I am getting the hang of it and I really like it. Except for the fact I have to be to work at 8 the first week was killing me and I was so tired it turns out I have a sinus infection so that explains that. I have to take freaken horse pills for three weeks but I have seen an improvement in my energy I am not as tired as I have been.

Ripley's Believe It or Not

2009-03-27T10:00:00.000-07:00

Can you do this?

In this culture women believed if they stretched their necks they were considered more attractive. I think not just sounds like a lot of pain to me.

This is made completely of pennies I was really impressed!

Katelin and I with our heads in jars. I am in the bottom right and Katelin is in the top left.

Cockroaches anyone?

How tall did you say you were?

I thought this person was going to move it freaked me out so I had Katelin take the picture really fast. In this room I scared Katelin so bad! She was looking at this person I am sitting by in the picture, I just touched her arm but it freaked her out because she thought it was going to move. She screamed and I just laughed people thought we were crazy.

Its an optical illusion

We went to Ripley's Believe it or Not. I was entertained the whole time they have some crazy stuff in there. The two videos are pretty funny the one guy swallows a balloon and then proceeds to hammer a nail into his face. The other one is of a lady that swallows gasoline and then blows it right at us, it scared us so much that is why the camera shifts to the right. The host was laughing at us so much, I bet or faces were priceless. Oh there is also this mirror that you try to roll your tongue and do the wave. Well little did I know but the mirror is two-sided so people are watching you attempt it. It was really funny once I got to watch the other people I was laughing pretty hard because people think they are doing it and they are so proud of themselves.

Bryant Park/Mary Poppins

2009-03-27T09:46:00.000-07:00

Katelin and I just sitting in Bryant Park

Bryant Park

The heart of Times Square

Waiting to go inside to watch Mary Poppins

Once Katelin got done working we would go into New York and have fun. This day we went to Bryant Park this is where fashion week is held. We ate cupcakes from the famous bakery Crumbs. I was surprised at how extremely cold it is there the wind goes right through you. I thought it was cold in Utah until I got there I was freezing all the time that is why I always have a coat and scarf on in every picture! We also went to see Mary Poppins the musical Katelin's boss gave her half price tickets to any show she wanted. But to get the tickets you have to stand in a line we waited in the line for about 2 hours but it paid off because we got to see the show for free and it was so worth standing out in the cold!

Manhattan Temple

2009-03-27T09:13:00.000-07:00

MANHATTAN TEMPLE

Katelin and I went and did baptisms in the Manhattan temple, it was a really good experience. It is different there because you have to call for an appointment to make sure there are priesthood holders there to baptize you. Whereas here you can just show up to a temple and everything is good. You know there will always be people there to baptize you. It also isn't as easy to get there you can't just drive down the road and there it is. You have to take a bus from New Jersey, then you have to transfer to the subway. Once you step out of the subway there it is. I love how it is amongst the craziness of the city. Before you walk in it is so loud outside but the minute you walk into the door you feel the calming of the spirit and you are glad you made it there.

New York City Library/Grand Central Station

2009-03-25T16:28:00.001-07:00

NYC Library

Me in front of the library

One of the many rooms inside

Me in the NYC Library

Grand Central Station

Classic New York Scene men in "power suits"

Katelin and I

Me in Grand Central Station

Inside Grand Central

I just visited Katelin in New Jersey, she lives across the Hudson River from New York. We went into the city every night I was there. I was there for six days it was a blast. I still don't have a job since I have been back from Ecuador and I was sick of just sitting at home, so I decided on Tuesday I wanted to go and left the next day. It was really fun to spend time with Katelin I am amazed at how well she gets around the city she is a pro now! We went to the Library it was huge it was really cool to go inside and see everything. We also visited Grand Central both of us wanted to see it because when we were there in September we ran out of time so we didn't get to see it.

Snowmobiling Fun, Plus a Little Windburn For Me At Least

2009-03-08T12:13:00.000-07:00

Katelin, my mom, and I went snowmobiling the other day we had alot of fun! So we started out great having a good time then things turned bad. I was driving with my mom on the back. I took a turn but was going too slow so I ended up tipping it over. When we tipped over it fell on top of my mom and I. Both of my legs were trapped I was on my belly with my legs behind me but pinned to my back. I was freaked out because I was stuck and my mom was just laughing she was stuck too but she thought it was so funny. Eventually we got the stupid thing off of us. You would be amazed at how heavy snowmobiles are! We were having a lot of fun then the culprit my mom tipped it twice on the second time it got stuck in the snow and we had to call for help. I felt so lame having to call for help but they people didn't care. We had a great time but I had to wear a kids helmet since my heard is so small. The kids helmet doesn't have anything to cover your face unlike the adults so to say in the least i got windburn my face was killing me. Katelin thought it was funny because my face was super red once we went back to our hotel.

After snowmobiling we went to dinner at the local diner, it was a cute little place and we happened to run into our orthodontist pretty random. All three of us were so sore once we were done with dinner . We decided to go back to the room and take it easy we watched American Idol and crashed. When I woke up in the morning I was so sore I felt like and old woman. It was really fun I am glad we went but it sucked because Katelin went back to New Jersey a few days after.

The love of my life Anahi

2009-03-04T16:16:00.001-08:00

Spending as much time as I did with these kids I of course have a favorite her name is Anahi, she will be two this year. The orphanage guesses on the ages of children as sometimes they really don't know. They base their age on the size of their body and how they are progressing. The very first day I walked into the cuna she caught my eye. She always is smiling at your through her crib bars. I was really nervous my first day but I remember I bathed her and took my time I just instantly fell in love with her and her big brown eyes. I continued to have a fun time with her but then over time I noticed she started to get sick she just wasn't acting like herself, she had a really high fever, she didn't smile much anymore, and she would just lay in your lap. I took her to the nurse she told me to give her a cold bath and after that she got bad really fast. The nurse found out she had pnenomia, they take it really seriously so she was put in a room all by herself. She was put on oxygen. The nurse was constantly in there giving her medicine taking her temperature, and just sitting with her. To the workers these kids are like their own they have raised these kids so they don't like when any of the kids are sick. Everyday for two weeks I would walk by Anahi in her hospital bed hooked up to oxygen looking lifeless. It killed me I was so sad I just wanted her to get better and to smile again. Through these two weeks her fever began to go down but she still just laid in bed staring at the ceiling. Then one day as I walked by I noticed she was standing up in her crib so of course I stopped and looked at her right when I stopped she noticed me and pointed at me through her crib and smiled. I started to get teared up because my little Anahi was better. I walked over to her and she put both of her arms through the handle bars to reach out to me. The was the best thing I had experienced in Ecuador knowing that she was okay. I seriously felt like her mom for the short amount of time I was there. After she was better she began to play with the kids and she even learn how to walk. I would work with her everyday somedays she didn't appreciate it but I wanted to help her as much as I could while I was there. I just can't imagine giving up a sweet little girl like her but I respect her mother because she knew she couldn't give her all she needed. I don't know her story but I will be eternally grateful to her mother for the choice she made because otherwise she wouldn't have made a difference in my life.

Right before I left I had the opportunity of going on a fieldtrip with the kids. I was in charge of planning it since it was the site I was in charge of. The activity I chose was to go swimming which was a great choice it was so much fun. All of the volunteers got to pick a kid they wanted to take on the fieldtrip. We picked them up in the morning I think that day I was the most excited I had been to go in the morning because usually it is at 630 in the morning but we got to sleep in until 9! We arrived in a bus to pick the kids up and off we went. It was so much fun to only have one kid all day I got to spend one on one time with my little girl. During the bus ride she fell asleep in my arms it was precious. During this time I had so many emotions run through me but the biggest one was how grateful I was able to go and serve these kids. They have truly left a handprint on my heart. We went swimming it was a blast then we fed them something beside soupa (their usual dish) and headed home. Once we got back to the orphanage I was sad because I knew the day was over the spend with Anahi. I took her to her crib since it was nap time and decided to get in it with her the cribs are huge I put some of the pictures of us above she thought I was crazy but it was funny. It was a great way to end the day. I LOVE YOU ANAHI!!!!

Before my group of girls left the newer girls gave us a gift at our banquet. It was the best gift ever it was a picture of Anahi and I, and her handprints I will always cherish it.

I am going to be an AUNT!!!!

2009-03-04T14:35:00.000-08:00

I am SOOOO excited to be an aunt Katelin and I have had so much fun going shopping and finding cute little clothes for the baby. We aren't sure what it is going to be Tori had an appointment on Monday they thought they were going to find out but it was too soon. So we should find out in about two weeks. Spencer is positive it is a boy and Tori is positive it is a girl so it will be interesting to see what it is. When I got home from Ecuador Tori and Spencer were on a cruise and they got home two days after I did. I told my mom I wanted to surprise them but she ruined the surprise. Tori didnt know I was coming home when I did because I was thinking about extending for another 5 weeks so the last I told her was that I wouldn't be home until March 17. Then one day my mom spoiled it and told Tori. So Tori expected me to be waiting in the airport but I wanted to surprise her so my mom and I hid behind a wall so they couldn't see us. Once Spencer and Tori got to the baggage I went up behind them and tapped Tori on the shoulder with this sign. It says, "Is it true I am going to be an AUNT?" I caught her off guard it because it was the first time she had seen me in person with my dark hair and I had an Ecuadorian sweater on. Spencer didn't know who I was he said, "I thought you were a little Mexican." So that has been the inside joke in our family since I came home.

Please Help!!!!!!!

2009-02-26T20:29:00.000-08:00

So problema down South is Quito, Ecuador. Special Kids (which is one of the site I worked at, it is for handicapped kids that don't have a chance of getting adopted) has lost govt funding, so the kids don't have food to eat for the next 3 months. Their caretakers are going to ship them off to Cuenca (the other city OSSO is in) if they can't raise $1,000 in the next 24 hours. We are praying for a miracle here, so PLEASE help us out. $20 or whatever you can spare. Please let me know if you can do this as soon as possible my email is jenaedwards5000@yahoo.com. Thank you so much for your help. Send the $ to

OSSO

PO BOX 345

Rexburg, ID 83440

Say the $ is for SK's in Quito

The Greatest Joy In My Life Are These Kids.........

2009-02-26T20:15:00.000-08:00

Just some of the many pictures I have of these adorable kids!!!!! I hope you enjoy and if you have any questions or want to see more pictures or know of someone that wants to volunteer just ask me.

As you will see in most of these pictures the kids are genuinely happy but on rare occasions I caught them when they were having a moment. When you see of hear a child cry your first instinct to to run to them or hold them. But sometime I couldn't always do this for the child because there weren't enough volunteers to take care of all the kids. We had two volunteers to about 14 kids so it was hard. It for sure wasn't the easiest thing I have even done but the most rewarding and I would do it again if it weren't so expensive!

So here is a post of the kids I got to spend the past three months loving. They may be just pictures to you but to me they are miracles and the cutest kids ever. I recently found out that two of the orphanages are losing government funding and the "parents" can't afford to feed the kids so they might get shipped off to another city. I am very saddened by this. We as volunteers needed to raise $1,000 in 24 hours within 5 we had raised all of that plus more. The way this was possible was because of the amazing volunteer that choose to spend three months of their lives in the service of others! Since being home I have been job hunting with no luck yet. It has been pretty frustrating because I am so used to having a shift to do with these amazing kids. I really feel worthless I know I have a lot to offer but I don't know what to do with it.

Amazonian Adventure

2009-02-15T16:03:00.000-08:00

For the last part of my trip I went to the Amazon Jungle it was amazing I loved it. Although it is too hot there for me. We went on quite the hikes through the rainforest, went to a medicine man that blew pot in our faces, blew dart guns ( I got a crown made out of plants, because I hit the target!), swam in the Napo River with who knows what possibly aligators, jumped off a rope swing into the River, got caught skinny dipping by our tour guide, watched the sunset every night, visited the local market, and went on a safari but didnt see anything besides birds. We had to wear rainboots because it rains alot there and plus there are snakes everywhere so you have to be careful. I even got to hold an exotic frog which was awesome! We also got our faces painted with war paint from some plant that has a seed inside it, it is red. The people in the Amazon live off of the land it is pretty amazing. Drinking juice out of huge fruit and also learning how to fold napkins. Oh also my tour guides ate live larva right in front of us. One of the moms that was with us threw up because it was so gross! I have a ton more pictures but I figured these were enough.

Pics of Ecuador

2009-01-15T11:22:00.000-08:00

Warning their are alot of pictures!!!!!

Guayaquil Temple Trip/Iguana Park

2009-01-13T19:44:00.000-08:00

At the airport

On January 16th I went to the Guayaquil Temple it was an amazing experience I loved it so much. It was weird the group of people I went with were the only ones there. I am not used to that when I go the temple you have to wait for quite awhile but here we didnt at all. After the temple we went to TGIF which was nice to have American food I miss it alot.We left early in the morning at about 7 am to go to the airport to catch a plane. The plane ride was only 30 mins but if we would have driven it would have been a 6 hour drive. I was exhausted the night before I had night shift this is where you work from 6 pm to 7 am. But on this occasion I only had to work until 6 am. At night shift you work with one other person you split the night in half. Normally one of you sleeps from 7 to 1230 and then the other from 1230 to 600 it is a long night. You have to take care of the babies just make sure that nothing happens to them and that they are getting fed. But on the 15th I slept from 630 pm to 1200 am I didnt sleep very well so it made for a long day. I was up for a total of 21 hours on the 16th I was so tired by the time I got home I took a shower and crashed.

Not only did we go to the temple but also we went to an Iguana Park. This is a park filled with Iguanas seriously there are probably 100 there they are all in the trees on the ground just everywhere. The Iguanas love for you to feed them crackers the only downfall is that they climb all over you to achieve this. At first I didnt think I could do it because I dont really like reptiles but not only did I feed it I also held it I know I cant believe I did it. I really enjoyed this fieldtrip and cant believe I only have TWO WEEKS Left time has gone by so fast!

The Last thing we did while in Guayaquil was go on a hike to a lighthouse. It was 444 stairs plus the humidity it took me awhile. It is just alot harder to breathe her I am still not all the way used to it. Also it was riduculously hot I was sweating the entire time. It is weird because it is Winter here but in Quito it is cold and on the coast like Guayaquil it is really hot like Summer. Once we got to the top it was an amazing view of the entire city. Pictures just dont show how truly amazing it is here. I will just have to commit it to memory. I just cant explain how grateful I have been for this experience it has been so rewarding.

Here is a video of me feeding an iguana.

How can a mother do that?

2009-01-12T17:07:00.001-08:00

I have been here for a month and a half now and during this time we have gotten 5 new kids. Three are infants the youngest was a day old her mom left her in a trash can and some kind people found her and brought her to us. She just recently got out of the hospital she was in there for two weeks. When there is one of the kids from our orphanage in the hospital someone has to be with them 24/7 since they dont have parents to sit with them. I had the opportunity to do a nightshift with the little girl. It was definately a long night I was there from 7 pm to 7 am you spend the night there. I didnt really sleep much I think I got like 3 hours of sleep no joke. The doctors wouldnt let her eat because she was vomiting earlier in the day so they just give her an IV. I didnt know what to do for her she was so hungry so I sat up all night holding her and used the top of the bottle the nipple kind of as a pacifer to get her to sleep. I dont speak spanish very well and so I didnt know how I was going to communicate with them. I did my best to speak as much spanish as I knew and tried to understand as much as I could. It was a pretty cool experience how I could communicate with the nurses. I spoke in my broken spanish and got through the night. Luckily there was another mom in the room she helped me out quite a lot especially when I had to go to the lab to bring a sample down to them and later had to pick up the results. The hospital the kids stay in is a free hospital there are usually four kids in a room it was quite the adventure. I just dont understand how you can carry a child for 9 months and then the minute you have he/she you dump he/she in the trash. Being able to care for these kids has taught me so much, I am so grateful that I have a mom and a dad.

I get to be apart of the kids life for a short time but during this time I have had the chance to see kids learn how to sit up, crawl, smile, and even walk. I am trying to teach the older kids to say my name. There is this one kid in particular not very many of the voulnteers like him because he is a trouble maker but man I love that kid. Sure he doesnt always behave but is so cute. In the morning when we go to wake them up he always has a smile on his face. He reaches out to me through the bars in the crib and says "Mommy" I am trying to get him to say my name when he does it is so cute it doesnt really sound like Jena but at least he is trying. It is going to be hard to leave these kids sure they probably wont remember me but they have made sure a difference in my life. I know that I have people that will always be there for me. These kids dont have that sure they have the nuns and the workers but all they really have is each other. Being in Ecuador has for sure taught me so many things I didnt know about myself before. You are basically on your own here and you have to rise to the occasion to get things done.

Banquet for old girls

2009-01-06T19:48:00.000-08:00

The other night we had a banquet for the old girls their 2 and a half months was up. We had dinner, shared some tears and showed a slideshow of the fun times have had together I really am going to miss the girls especially Caitlin and Lindsay they are way cute girls I am going to miss them they live in Utah so I hope we keep in contact.

How do you tell a nun you don´t like hot dogs? Oh wait you don´t!

2009-01-06T19:31:00.000-08:00

So today at shift one of the workers came in and said, ¨Chica go to the kitchen.¨ It seemed really important so I went up there and to my surprise the nun gave me a hot dog and Coke. I hate both of these! I dont think I have had a hot dog in like 5 years. But the thing is I felt bad saying no because a nun was offering it to me. So I took the hot dog it wasn´t an average hot dog it was like an enormous one. I did the best I could of eating it I ate a little over a half and I couldn´t choke down anymore. I went outside and threw it away so that she wouldn´t see that I didn´t eat all of it. The funny thing is that all the other girls felt that same way as I did. They were feeding it to the kids hello why didnt I think about that. So the lesson of the story is dont turn down a hot dog and Coke when a nun is offering it to you, even if you hate them as in my case.

New Years in Ecuador

2009-01-05T05:46:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year

Before

Heather, Me, Lindsey, Nikki, and Hollie

Here is our doll on fire

In the alley way

Hollie, Lindsey, and I

My New Years in Ecuador was definately an adventure. We all went out to dinner I had to wait for a half hour after everyone else got their food they forgot about my order I was starving I didnt eat until 10 pm in the United States if this happened they would have comped my meal but they thought it was crazy that we thought they would do that so I had to pay for my meal pretty sucky! Restuarant here are so different they take so long for everything they aren't in a rush at all. Like for instance you have to ask for the check and they dont bring it out to you for another 10 mins sometimes you have to ask for it a few times. As I have a curfew it is 930 pm so when I go out I have to make sure I am home by then sometimes it really sucks because it isn't our fault if it takes forever! So we went to dinner, visited Angel's parents (Angel is the project director) when we went to visit Angel's parents he took us to the ghetto it was pretty scary we stayed in the car and locked the doors we were pretty freaked out because there was a drunk guy that was walking right by out car and ran into us all of us screamed. After the drunk guy left one of the girls wanted to take a picture there was this really cool alley way and it was way foggy so she thought it would be a good picture anyways she opened the door and the alarm went off. Angel was inside of the house and didnt hear the alarm go off so we just sat there having people stare at us like "what are you white girls doing." Angel finally came out and was like. "How long has that been on I didnt even hear it." We left his parents and burned our doll I went to bed right after this because it had been a long day I worked and knew I had to be up at 615 so that was my New Years in Ecuador. In Ecuador they burn dolls you dress a doll like you stuff it and you put your clothes on it. They do this as a way to say goodbye to the previous year. They also believe that if you write a list of bad habits and burn it with your doll your bad habits will go away. The guys here dress up as girls and all black and as girls they do this because they are mourning the previous year they dont want it to move to the next year. Here are the videos of us burning the doll.

Equator and Volcano

2008-12-20T19:03:00.000-08:00

On Friday we went to the Equator it was pretty sweet we balanced an egg on a nail, got to see that on the Equator water drains straight down on the South it drains counterclockwise and North clockwise it was way cool to see how by moving South or North it changes the direction of the water. Also we learned that when you are on the Equator you lose resistance which was an interesting dimenstration. We blew dart guns at a catcus and I actually made it! We also went to a volcano which was pretty sweet oh by the way if you cant tell I dyed my hair dark my roommate is a hair dresser and I decided I wanted to do it so she helped me the other night!

Church in Ecuador

2008-12-20T18:54:00.000-08:00

So going to church has been an adventure because it is all in Spanish we only go to sacrament since we don´t understand it. Even though I don´t understand the language very well I can still feel the spirit. I love that the spirit can be so strong no matter where you are. The church is true and I love to see how the church works here.

Fiesta with a Nun!

2008-12-20T04:55:00.000-08:00

The other night we had a party at our house for the workers and nun that we work with. At first it was kind of awkward because we dont speak much Spanish and they don't speak much English so we all just sat around staring at each other. Then the voulnteers decided to play a game one of the girls made up "Guess that Orphan" basically what you do is you do something that the orphan does that all of us would know. They didn't really understand what we were doing but it was funny to us. We ate dinner which was amazing I ate everything they made which is rare because lately I have been only eating a few things. After dinner the workers prepared two dances for us. Ashley the girl in charge of us sang us a song which was amazing and Andrew decided to do a little dance called....wait for it Solider Boy. Overall it was a good night here are the two dances they did for us and solider boy.

Coy aka Guinea Pig

2008-12-20T04:43:00.000-08:00

So most of you know that I am a picky eater and dont like much meat. Before I came on this adventure I was told you would have the opportunity to eat coy which is guniea pig. I was grossed out when I heard this but I decided when am I ever going to have this opportunity again so I decided to try it. Here is a video of Heather, Nikki, and I trying it. It wasn't that gross but I definately couldn't eat a whole one. It takes 90 mins to cook just one! If I didn't know what it was I probably could have eaten more but it was just sitting there with its head still there it was freaking me out. So now I can say that I have eaten guinea pig!

Christmas Tree

2008-12-09T14:53:00.000-08:00

So the other day we went and got a Christmas tree. We are trying to bring the Christmas spirit to the house since we will be here. We are also going to draw names and do the twelve days of Christmas. Here are a few pictures of us getting the tree.

Bull Fight

2008-12-09T14:14:00.000-08:00

We went to a bull fight on Wednesday. All last week there was celebrations going on becuase it is Ecuador´s founders day on Dec 6th. The bull fight was crazy we got lost from the guy that we were supposed to follow because there was an insane amount of people there! If you aren´t there by 12 they close the doors well since we lost him we had to wait outside of the doors and we didn´t know if we were going to get in or not. We had to wait for a half and hour the guy was pissed at us but it wasn´t our fault. We missed some horse show and them killing the first bull. It was a weird experience I am pretty sure that will be the last time I go it is sweet to say I went to one though. After they stab the bull they stick a knife in its brain and move it around to make sure it is dead it is pretty gross they twitch and stuff!

So most of the girls have gotten sick and I have been lucky enough not to but then on Sunday right before the Christmas Devotional I got sick. I have a cold and it sucks because I still have to go to shift even though I feel like crap cause there are too many sick and we don´t have enough girls to cover. Today was so bad because I woke up felt like crap but knew I had to go and the other girl that was with me is sick too so lets just say it was a bad situation. We go into where the kids are and two have thrown up it was so gross they got it all over themselves and the smell is really getting to me. We have to bathe them so I figured I would start with them so they don´t have to lay in it well they also had the grossest diapers ever I started gagging it was bad cause the little girl was still throwing up and I had to leave the room. The other girl that was with me starting gagging too! I finally gained composure and got her bathed the rest of the day she didn´t feel good she was just laying on me and had gross diapers! Also two of the kids have lice so I am nervous I might get it I haven´t ever had it before and we have to bathe them so it is going to be interesting. Within the three weeks I have been here we have gotten 5 new kids they are the saddest stories most were found in garbages one baby was only a day old when they found her. Another one was found on the sidewalk tried up in a garbage bag that said, ¨I can´t take care of him please help.¨ I just think it is so sad that parents just desert their children like that.

Paper Chain

2008-12-01T20:30:00.000-08:00

Last night Ashley and I made a paper chain for how many days until she goes home. We made it because she is engaged and getting married a month after she gets home. I think she is crazy to be here I don´t think I could do it. I have a really good time with her I am glad I am roommates with her!

Ecuador at a Glance

2008-12-01T19:23:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the things I got at the market: a blanket, two paintings, and these sweet purses.

My roommates Ashley, Caitlin, and I.

I am actually taller then someone look how small she is.

Ashley and I by our bus.

Here are some pictures of Ecuador: My roommate Ashley and I on our first fieldtrip to Otavalo (the biggest

open market in the world!)

The houses here are so close together I love it!

Our first night out at dinner.

This whole experience has been amazing, it has also been way exhausting. Taking care of multiple kids at once that dont speak English is often times hard but then I remember that I am here for them. I have already learned so much from them they are amazing kids. It is crazy you can fall in love with them they just melt your heart once they smile or when they get so excited when you walk into their rooms and they greet you by saying , ¨Hola.¨ I just love these kids so much. I just don´t understand how someone can give up a child. I would do anything to find these kids a home that is all they want. I was expecting the kids to be sad all the time but they are the opposite they are so happy with what they have. Each child can bring a smile to your face sure they can drive you nuts at times but then they smile and I can´t help but love them. I have only been here for two weeks and I can´t explain how much I love working with them. I look forward to when I have shift and get to work with them. I would recommend doing this to everyone. You lose yourself in the work it is amazing and I am so glad I decided to do this.

My room for three months

2008-11-25T18:11:00.000-08:00

For those that want to see my room here it is.

Finally in Ecuador

2008-11-21T19:53:00.000-08:00

So I had to be to the airport by 4:50 AM because my flight left at 6:50 AM then I had a layover for about 4 hours. The flight to Ecuador was 6 hours let me just tell you what a long day yesterday was. I experienced so many emotions all at once sadness, happiness, anticipation, and not knowing what to expect next. It was nice to have a layover in a sense because all the girls got to kind of know each other after all we are going to be spending alot of time together so we might as well start. We landed in Quito went through customs and met Angel to take us to where we were going to live. By this point I was really overwhelmed and thought, ¨What did I get myself into?¨ We got to the house I found out where my room was unpacked and went to bed. I woke up this morning thinking, ¨Am I really in Ecuador?¨ I really am here guys my wait is finally over!!! Today we just went over orientation stuff to make sure we know the rules and just to get situated. Lunch is the biggest meal they eat over here our cook made us tacos that I liked and great bananna bread. I am actually suprised with myself I didn´t think I would like the food by I actually do like it, my mom would be shocked. After orientation we had a break so a bit which was nice I just relaxed. Then everyone that lives in the house went out to dinner I liked the food there too and got to know some of the current volunteers. Lets just say it was an adventure getting there people drive alot different then in Utah there are basically no rules people just go where ever they want. You could be driving in your lane the next thing you know someone is coming over on you. It is pretty crazy but I like it, it is definately a change to what I am used to. Tomorrow we get to start working in the orphanages we have orientation but Ashley(my roommate she is from Arizona she is a really cute girl) and I get to go to the morning shift for the current volunteers to show us how it works we have to be out of the house by 630 AM. Then at about 10 we will meet up with the other volunteers and do orientation I am pretty excited about tomorrow this is what I have been waiting for. I will let you know how tomorrow goes.

Twilight

2008-11-18T12:31:00.000-08:00

I was supposed to see Twilight tonight my dad won me some premiere tickets for the show tonight. My dad's friend went to turn the tickets in, she got in line at 3 and they don't give you the tickets til 4 by the time she got to the ticket office they were sold out! So I am kind of bummed out because now I have to wait until I get back which isn't until Feb!!!!!

Last Day Of Work

2008-11-16T18:47:00.001-08:00

Tomorrow is my last day of work I decided I was leaving in August! It seemed like this day wouldn't ever come and now here I am at the eve of my last day at AFCU I can't believe how fast time has flown by!

Edible Arrangements

2008-11-16T18:36:00.000-08:00

Mike surprised me on Wednesday with an edible arrangement at work. When the receptionist brought it to me I was so embarrassed my face went bright red. It was so sweet of him to have done that for me. He knows I am getting nervous to leave and am sad to leave working at America First Credit Union. He is so thoughtful I really appreciate what he does for me.

Halloween

2008-11-16T18:06:00.000-08:00

I am dating a kid named Mike and for Halloween we decided to dress alike we dressed up as Mario and Luigi. On Halloween we went to my work party I love going to my work parties, I love the people I work with they are a ton of fun. My manager does a scavenger hunt every year she comes up with clues, the clues lead you to scary places. In past years they have been about the murders in Utah, haunted places in Utah. This year the scariest place to me was the first one we had to go to a house up Emigration Canyon and down into a cellar and get the clue. We got frustrated on the second clue we were looking for it for about an hour and a half kinda sucked but the company was good. Here are a few pictures of Mike and I dressed up.

Adventure

2008-11-16T17:51:00.000-08:00

So my sister has been pestering me to write something on my blog so I decided I would finally give in and do it. So here it is Tori....I am about to go on an adventure that I am nervous about. I am going to Ecuador to serve in an orphanage for three months. I am going through an organization called OSSO (Orphanage Support Services Organization.) People keep asking me what made you want to do that? My response is, "I am graduated and spent the last three years worrying about me so now I am going to do something for other people." I am nervous about this because I am quiting the job I have had for 3 YEARS! I am not sure what I am going to do once I get back hopefully I will figure it out while I am gone. I am excited to go to Ecuador and have an eye opening experience while serving the people.