6 SPRING MUST HAVES!

family.
food.
water.
sleep.
a roof over my head.
sunshine.


yeah, a change of pace from the usual blog post where a $500 floral purse (puh-lease) is a "must have", along with ridiculously expensive swimsuits and who the heck knows what else. sometimes i get sucked into the mindset that i actually do need those things. but no. those things are actually not necessities. (thinking back to my experience in africa solidifies this belief) thank you. I'm so grateful that i have all the must haves on my list, and in great abundance. life is good.

also, tulips.

give them all to me.

rainforest musings

there was this one day in africa. me and a few friends had the day off and decided to go hike up to this amazing waterfall that was supposedly a big tourist attraction in uganda. it was one of our last days off in uganda so we wanted to end it with a big, huge, beautiful waterfall that you can only see in africa. 
so, we hopped on some boda bodas (the term they use for motor-bikes) and off we went. the ride there was amazing. we were speeding freely through huge beautiful cornfields, the horizon decorated with the greenest of tropical trees and mountains. the kind of lush green you have to see to believe. the road was a bit bumpy but that added a little element of surprise. we sped up and down the dirt hills, the tropical wind blowing through our hair. it felt like the kind of ride you would wait in line for 3 hours at disneyland to go on. of course, actually being in africa is much more surreal than even the best simulation at Disneyland.
Anyways, we got to this little hut in the smack dab middle of a hard core rain forest. we were then provided with directions to the waterfall. note: these directions were a little like this: some of the trees have blue markers on them- follow those blue marked trees until you get to the waterfall.
SO, NATURALLY, WE SET OFF INTO THE RAIN FOREST.
We were so excited to get to the waterfall. oh and the trees were nice too. 

the slightly claustrophobic (in a good way), tangled forest eventually opened up to a wide open space that took your breath away. you could hear the waterfall. we hurried towards the sound. perhaps we did not soak in the beauty around us as much as we should have; but we were just so anxious to see this waterfall that we would surely write home about and tell our children about one day.

well, we got to the waterfall. and guess what? it smelled really gross. like nostrils burning gross. it was also, umm, brown. straight up brown. and ya know- it wasn't all that tall. it really wasn't what we had envisioned.

can you see that little spill of vomit in the background? yes. that is the waterfall. so...let's just say if you live your life without witnessing that coca cola stream- it will really be ok. 

yes, i am going somewhere with this. the moral of this story? enjoy the journey. you know what? we were silly. on that boda boda ride, we enjoyed it yes- but not fully. we were daydreaming about the waterfall. that absolutely stunning green path that we hiked through- who ever really gets the opportunity to hike such a spectacular path? and the opening at the end of the path? not your everyday scenery. to be in the heart of a beautiful african jungle; to feel like the world has stopped and only the fresh air and the nature around you exist. take it in, breathe it in, this moment you will never get back. this view very few have ever had the privilege of beholding.

sometimes the destination is not all we are cracking it up to be. and while we are completely encompassed in the cracking up of said destination, we forget to cherish the moments we are in. we forget to just sit down and soak it in. sometimes instead of dropping our jaw in awesome wonder, we whine about how our lives would be better once ______ (fill in the blank, because we all have a blank.) 

i am definitely guilty of this. letting the hike become a hassle and solely a means to an end. i forget that i may be on a hike that another person would give anything to be on. so i am trying to enjoy the hike and the view instead of worrying about the waterfall. because the waterfall will present itself in due time. and it might be wonderful. it might be the same amount of wonderful as the very moment we are in right now. and it could even pale in comparison to your 'right now'. 
embracing every moment is truly vital to our happiness.





also. don't forget to enter the giveaway i have going on. :)
(unless you hate all things adorable, of course)

housing woes.

so lately i have been a bit dissatisfied with out apartment.

my complaints are many.

its old, it has a natural stubborn STINK

the dishwasher fills up with moldy water

at least once a day, emitting a putrid smell.

and obviously i can't wash my dishes in there.

i don't have enough money to decorate it the way i want

{or the time}

my kitchen is fun size.

and my landlord is THE WORST.

well today as i was bathing myself in self pity,

i had a smack in the face realization....

my woes are smaller than others' woes

i was brought back to this place.

and these people

do you see those grins spreading about as far as grins spread?

those grins don't come from having nice apartments

or nice anything.

they come from being content with the life they have.

truly content, truly full of joy

they are essentially possessionless

yet they possess some special traits that very few people in this world possess.

happiness, selflessness, humility.

compared to unsatisfied, selfish, pride that is so much more prevalent in this world.

and look at me, i fall into the latter category.

way to go kerri.

how would you like to live in this?

or how about a small room of cement for 5 children and a mother like this one?

this is actually QUITE spacious compared to most living spaces in uganda

i met several families who were living in a house the size of MY fun size kitchen

that i was shamefully complaining about earlier...

thats just my cooking space.

not the entirety of my living quarters.

anyways, the majority of the world

especially in this country

is so obsessed with technology

and having everyTHING

that the neighbors, the friends, and the celebrities have.

we need to focus on people. on love.

on the feelings that make this world go round

and that make happiness possible in even the worst physical circumstances.

take it from her. and the rest of them. 

i wouldn't believe it if i didn't see it.

those smiles that can light up the world

proves that happiness does not have to born of money

or of things.
my woes are certainly different than theirs.
and that is humbling.
i talk about some other humbling experience in uganda here and here and here 

no more complaining about apartments that aren't five star here.

africa in ten glorious minutes

the moment you have all been waiting for.....

TIA

{This is Africa}

:)

ridiculous things

- i have a straight up bald spot on my head. appeared over night. for no apparent reason. definitely ridiculous. maybe i can start a new wedding trend- the partially bald bride look. real cute.
oh and i just have to get shots IN MY SKULL to grow my hair back. not a big deal at all

- my city burning down. as ridiculous as this is, it could also fit into the tragic, depressing, and second coming foreshadowing category.

- me. as in, I'm a ridiculous thing. the other day i happily sat at home in my pajamas, fully cut off from the social and productive aspects of this world. sitting contently in my own laziness and stink. its fine.

- oh being away from my fiancé for NINE weeks. and realizing i have 6 to go.  WOW. ridiculous of the year award.

- not being in africa anymore. or with any of the people i spent every waking second with there. yep, i miss them all.

- the fact that harry potter series is over. nope, still not over it. i was hoping it was some kind of dirty joke.

- how gross mangoes, bananas, and pineapples are in the united states. uganda spoiled me.

- my fiancee knocking doors in blazing 104 degrees and 78% humidity. all day long. what a STUD. in kinda a ridiculous way

- skype never works. i've been thinking of a description for this blessed little thing and i came up with this:"an internet service that works its hardest to get your hopes as high as they can go, only to crush them in a moments notice via a frozen picture  of your fiancé that never really gets unfrozen. good luck to you in life, long distancers"

- i don't think i've done anything with any friends since I've been back home. yeah guys I'm like super popular. but in my defense, i've been super busy with wedding stuff which is quite enjoyable

- i'm trying to eat super healthy but every time i turn a corner there seems to be a pack of oreos just staring me down. telling me that one oreo won't affect the way i look in my wedding dress.
....sometimes i warp my mind into agreement.

- the fact that i've been slacking on the blog because i can't think of anything to write about besides....
"well, hey bloggers. today i love jeff. and i love him a lot. and thats about all thats goin' on up here in my brain. well, hope you were entertained by my words today thank you"

thank goodness ridiculous things happen to me, 

{even when I'm madly in love}

 so that i have something to blog about.

i'm sure you are all throughly enlightened...

valuable

nostalgia is a weird thing

we find ourselves looking back

at moments, events, relationships

and missing them, yearning for them

wishing for them back

to relive over and over

yet when we were in that situation

we didn't even realize how many fond

emotions it would evoke later on

the way the memory would make us feel.

a beautiful special feeling

a cup running over

why is it so easy to not recognize the value of a moment

until it becomes a memory?

i bet some of those moments

that we will look back on with

 emotions that are indescribable

even though they don't need to be described

because we all know them.

yeah, those moments. i bet they

are happening to me, to you, right now.

hey honey i'm home!

i think by this point we all know who 'honey' is.

and home...is still further away from him than i would like

but I'm two continents closer than a couple days ago 

so i can't really complain :)

it is so weird to be back.

when i first got to america, i was a little irked.

by just america in general.

everyone all stylish and fancy

surfin on their little iPhones

seemingly unaware of the people around them.

it kinda made me wanna gag.

i had just come from a place where the norm is

opposite of any of this fashion, media, technology business 

that us americans let our lives revolve around.

to everyone else, i just left to africa and came back.

but it was so much more than the sentence implies.

i was humbled. changed.

when i say humble, i just mean i actually appreciate all the things i have.

and at the same time, i know I'm perfectly capable of living without 

many of those things.

when i got to africa, i expected the living conditions to be meager.

but i didn't expect it to be like that for everyone, everywhere.

there aren't just a few villages here and there who are bad off.

it's everywhere.

everyone is scraping and desperately striving to just get by.

seeing families of 8 living in little 15 by 15 dirty cement huts,

watching disabled kids just sitting on the same spot of cement all day everyday,

going to the garbage pile to dump our garbage...

and then looking back to see a mob of children digging through it

collecting things like empty water bottles and treating them like gold,

licking the jars of peanut butter clean-

the same kids who live on the same street i was living on.

i didn't expect it to be so discouraging to do humanitarian work.

you just want to help everyone, because they ALL need it.

but its impossible to change the whole country

definitely a testimony that through small things, great things come to pass.

small things eventually turn into the great things

but it takes patience and perseverance.

i learned that I'm not as cool or as good as i thought i was.

not that i thought i was some super awesome person,

but now i just feel like i got put in my place

by these people who have nothing yet are so selfless and giving

although, there are definitely some who are greedy and selfish.

opposition in all things :)

this whole experience really changed me in a lot of ways

and gave me a new perspective

when someone asks me 'how was africa?'

there is no way to answer it.

i can never explain what it is like to live there, 

to just be dropped into the culture and to live like them

be without SO many things i always took for granted

its an experience i can never fully explain to anyone

but its one i wouldn't trade for anything.

so here is to all of you

who donated and helped make this possible

i am seriously SO grateful for ya :)

some of these kids look happy, some of them not so much.

but i promise they were:)

and if you can't tell, the sign says THANK YOU! :)

what makes it worth it

first of all- jeff stopped by for a visit in this little blog.
i think you can all safely agree with me that he is a keeper, yeah? :)

a couple days ago, jeff and i were skyping
a rare treat here in this cute little jungle i live in
i was telling him i think i understand better
what it is like to be a missionary.
ive realized that the hardest things in life turn into
the greatest blessings and opportunities.
there are higher highs and lower lows.

living in africa is no picnic to begin with
africa without the love of your life to protect you-
even less of a picnic
not sure why i chose to come to the heart of africa
for my first out of country experience, but i did.
there have been many many struggles
however, there have been a few moments
even fleeting moments
that have made it all worth it
each individual moment on its own
has easily made up for all the sacrifices ive made since being here.

- we went to a village to do a needs assessment and the children were so grateful that they sang us a choreographed song called "we are very glad to receive you". heart strings- pulled.

- driving up on a boda boda to lweza primary school where i spend a lot of my time on a project. all the kids were outside for break. they saw us and started cheering and yelling joyous yells. some were even yelling "kerri, kerri! hi!". when we (me and 2 other volunteers) got off our boda bodas, we were swarmed by hundreds of children. i felt like a famous person rolling onto the red carpet. it was definitely a 'worth it' experience.

- i taught a lesson to some teachers about how to be better parents (because i am obviously SO experienced in that area....haha). afterward one lady shook my hand with a look of pure gratitude. she said 'thank you so much for your good words. they will help'.

- the moments when grown men and women are humble enough to ask ME for advice. even though i am younger and less experienced- they are more worried about how to help others in the best way possible so they ask me for advice.

- visiting a small orphanage. hearing the heartbreaking stories of the children. immediately pulling one of them close to me and cuddling with him. the smile he gives me when i leave that makes me feel like we connected and i helped him feel loved....if that aint a 'worth it' moment, i dont know what is.

- talking with the foster parents of these children. they sacrifice everything for these children who they really have no real responsibility for. they devote their lives to children who had nothing before. inspiring.

- right before i was about to leave lweza primary school these two girls who i have spent a lot of time with, rebecca and mary, came up and gave me notes that they had written.
said things like:
'Eri (Kerri), i love you more than i love my self.'
'Eri, my heart will be in your marriage and wedding. i cannot come but my heart will always be with you'
'Eri, you mean very many things to me and i am finding myself very happy that we are friends'
etc. etc.
worth it moment? YES. that was so touching, and it was so great to feel like i have helped them- even if it is in a small way.

there have been many 'worth it' moments.

when you are doing HARD things,

keeping track of these moments

makes it a lot less hard

- 

from now on...

from now on, when i feel like being selfish-
      i will think of the poor village who showed their gratitude to us by giving all of us bottles of water when they don't even have enough water for themselves.

from now on, when i pass someone on the street
      i will think about how everyone here smiles and welcomes us whole heartedly as if we were the best thing that ever happened to this place

from now on, when i look in the fridge and groan about having nothing to eat
      i will think of the people here who have a choice of about 7 foods total- IF they are very lucky. usually they hardly have enough to sustain themselves.

from now on, when i babysit some american kids
        i will think about the children here and how easily entertained they are and how happy they are all the time

from now on, when i am driving with my fiance
        i will think about the driving here and how it is 25 times scarier than his fast and furious driving mode

from now on, when i am striving to become more humble
       i will think of the people here, and simply emulate their behavior

from now on, when i see a cricket
         i will think of myself gagging down a cricket in my little dirty house with no electricity

from now on, when i come home and take a shower
         i willl feel like the luckiest person in the world and thank the heavens!

from now on, when i go to school
         i will think about all the children and teenagers here who cannot afford school fees and consequently receive no education- leaving little hope for a bright future

from now on, when i hear someone groan about having 'nothing to wear'
        i will show them pictures of the children here who wear the same ripped, dirty, and tattered t shirts everyday. or the little kids running around naked because they have no clothes.

from now on, whenever i am in a car
        i will appreciate the fact that it is not a crammed, bumpy, and dirty taxi.

from now on, when i see a motorcycle
         i will think of my boda boda rides. so free and fast and FUN!

from now on, when i am feeling depressed
         i will slap myself square in the face because i have more blessings than i ever even realized.

from now on, when i see beautiful scenery
         i will think of the sunsets and jungles here- and whatever i am currently looking at will almost definitely pale in comparison

from now on, i will never be the same.

having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world.

UGANDA!

I am finally in uganda
flying here was not the greatest experience
it just seemed like one, neverending, pretty miserable day
back to back 9 hour flights
with a 9 hour layover in a foreign country
plus a 5 hour layover in an african country (sketchhhhh)
plus a 2 hour bumpy insane drive from the airport to the village i live in
lugazi
ALL BY MYSELF.
yeah, i just kinda told myself jeff was hugging me and telling me he loves me the whole time
because the random people in the foreign country sure didn't!
but i am here and it is WORTH IT!
so green, so lush, so beautiful
kids playing outside laughing and dancing
running up and hugging me as i walk by and shouting
"hi muzungu" (white person)
the people here are so kind and happy!
except for people at the airport- RUDE.
but everyone kept telling me id have major culture shock
but its pretty much what i was expecting
the only think i didn't expect was to love it so much so soon!
i already feel at home
and i just love it
the girls im living with are awesome. there are like 20 of us in a small little house
9 girls sleep in my room with me
the driving here is crazy!
there are ZERO rules.
every vehicle is like 2 inches away from 4 other vehicles at any given second
no such thing as pedestrian right of way
good food! i feel so cultured!
well i am out of time....more later! and hopefully pictures too!
peace out!

4.0

4.0

you see that number?

i know what you are thinking-

but let me stop you right there.

it in no way is a numerical representation of my gpa.

psh. in my dreams.

had you going there for a sec didn’t i?

probably not, actually.

you all should know better than to make such preposterous assumptions.

it is ACTUALLY the level of separation my fiancé and i

are about to (reluctantly) participate in

let me elaborate.

separation 1.0 = we are in different classes on campus

separation 2.0 = we are in different states from each other

separation 3.0 = we are in different countries from each other

separation 4.0 = we are in different countries with little to NO communication possible.

in a few days i will be able to say:

been there, done ALLLL that.

awesome.

one month ago, i could hardly stand separation 1.0

but I am about to endure separation 4.0 at its finest.

finest isn’t the right word though….

whatever is the antonym for finest…that’s the correct word.

6 weeks. no phone calls…maybe skype a couple times

IF the internet in the African internet café is working-

-which is all dependent on how the Nile River is behaving that day.

wow awesome.

never thought the Nile River would have any impact on my love life…

never say never?

the point I am trying to get across is this:

i am not a big fan of separation 4.0.

at all.

it’s going to be really really hard.

but nobody ever said love is easy.

life doesn’t automatically become perfect when you are in love.

but it makes the trials you experience more bearable.

because you have someone who is permanently on your team.

and that is so encouraging.

i am learning- and i am sure i will continue to learn that

love is stronger than pain.

trust me, i will still probably cry a lot

i will probably complain a lot

i will definitely struggle and miss my man like CRAZY

(and my family and friends too- no i didn't forget about you.)

but- this too shall pass.

and true love will always come out on top

{well umm at least in disney movies- good thing my life is a disney movie} 

where am I going you ask?

(yeah right everyone and their mother knows the answer to this hypothetical question)

oh no big deal, just UGANDA!

i leave…like right now!

i will document my adventures and experiences there

again, depending on how bipolar the nile river is.

so stay tuned if you feel so inclined

i know i don't seem super excited, but trust me-

 i feel very blessed to have this opportunity

and I will live it up!

i am SO GRATEFUL to everyone who donated and enabled this trip to happen.

dang, people are just so awesome sometimes!

did i mention i've never even been out of the country before?

and starting tomorrow i'll be traipsing all over this world.

like a world traipsing pro.

it'll be great.

i love you all

and especially you jeff! :)

peace out america.

kind souls

"i have wept the night for the shortness of sight,

that to somebody's need may be blind.

but i never have yet felt a twinge of regret

for being a little too kind."- anonymous

one of my greatest frustrations in life...

is to be so grateful to someone but have no real way to pay them back.

a lame "thank you" seems so pale in comparison to what they do for me.

ie: i've been fundraising for my trip to africa.

{i've still got a ways to go though}

i've received a lot of donations.

so many people reached into their pockets, out of pure selflessness, to help me.

to help the people in africa, really.

how do i say thank you for that? how do i express my appreciation?

i don't know, but all i know is that they make the world a better place.

{thank you}
{the groes, the gadburys, the pages, the egberts, the oleksys, the budges, the hills, the ogdens, the bevans, the allens, the bishops, the browns, the smalls, the murdocks, the vanwies, mom, grandparents, bailey}

uncensored confessions.

i want everyone to know who i really am.
because only a few people know who i really am.
my mom, my brother, my friend rachelle...possibly a few others.

it kind of bugs me that the list is so small.
because it is my fault.
a lot of people know, mostly, who i am. just not all the way.
i am just always afraid that people would be overwhelmed with the real me.
but i am beginning to embrace it.

i want my future children to know who their mother really is.
or who she felt like she was at 19
so, if this ramble hasn't already nauseated you- here are some of my confessions
this is me. {and part of me is long winded-ness. so please bear with me as this will be long.}

+ when i am at byu and i see a little kid, my heart smiles so big that i feel like it might just burst. it makes me think of my cousins, and the little kids i babysit and how i love them so much that it hurts. and then i think about how, if i love those kids so much- how much will i love my own kids? its scary to think about.

+ sometimes when i am walking next to random people on campus, i listen to their conversation. usually i get really into it and end up nonchalantly following them, {close enough to hear, but far enough to not creep them out} just to listen to their conversation. even if if is completely out of my way. it is because i love love love hearing about people's lives.

+ when i bear my testimony, i don't cry. i smile. it's really the only thing my face knows how to do when i am talking about the gospel. it just makes me so happy.

+ not many things make me happier than knowing that someone i care about trusts me enough to confide in me.

+ i mean things when i say them. when i ask "how are you?" i am not just awkwardly addressing your existence. i am asking you how you are, and i genuinely would LOVE to know. please tell me. please?

+ almost every conversation at byu has to do with relationships. marriage. engagements. couples. lets find some new things to talk about. because that topic sometimes makes me ache. and i have a lot of other things to talk about.

+ my heart breaks a lot. when this happens, i go to my room, shut the door, write in my journal, listen to this song and this song, say a prayer, read a general conference talk, and then send texts to people i love letting them know i love them. yep. i didn't realize i have a very precise formula for heart mending, but i do.

+ i am going to africa this summer. ONLY for the following reasons: i want to hold the orphan babies and children and help them, with all of the energy of my heart, to feel loved. i want to hug the widows and let them cry on my shoulder. i want to sing songs with them and allow our souls to enmesh and simultaneously feel the joy of life.

+ one of the hardest things in life is handing a baby back to their mother when your turn holding him/her is up.  i can't wait until i'm the mother that people give the baby up to when he/she starts crying.

+ i love blogging. it is a great escape for me. i don't even care if anybody reads it- i have a blog because it is just one more outlet for these ridiculous emotions inside of me.

+ i am not perfect at all. i am impatient, sensitive, and too competitive. {working on it.}one of my favorites quotes is "we must have the courage to be imperfect while striving for perfection"


+ one of my greatest annoyances in life is that there is not enough time to have a long, meaningful conversation with each person you love every single day.

+ when i am having a bad day, i know it is because i am being selfish. so then i try to think about somebody besides myself. it usually cheers me up.

+ i laugh at jokes that most people dont laugh at. out loud, genuine, belly gut laughing. it's my favorite, actually.
like this for example.

i laughed for like 5 minutes. all alone in my room.

+ i play with hair. it's just what i do. do not be alarmed if i touch your hair. just let it happen.

+ music is a huge part of me. if you want to know what my feelings sound like, listen to my iPod.

+ for me, it is very easy to fall in love with someone. it just is.

+ one of my strengths is also one of my greatest weaknesses. i care too much about people- my close friends, my family, and even those random little friendships- even if they don't think it is important to them, it is to me. that is good sometimes, but it also sucks wayyyy a lot at other times.

+ i get so so so excited about stupid things. everything matters to me.

+ nobody has ever been in love with me. and sometimes i cry about that. but i hope that one guy will come along and make up for it.

+  i think when you say someone has a mental disability, that is code for someone who has an enlarged capacity to love anyone and everything without any restraints, someone who can help alter a person's entire perception of this world- for the better.

+ i've realized that one of the best feelings is when somebody knows who you REALLY are, and loves you anyways. 

ok. im done for now. that was uncensored.
completely me.
are you asleep yet?
i apologize.
some things just need to be set free.
like a kite. or my innermost emotions.

until next time...

UGANDA, here I come!!!

Hey guys! I have some WAY EXCITING NEWS!

Ever since last January, my greatest desire has been to go to Africa through HELP International

It is a non-profit organization that enables people like ME to go serve, love, and help people who realllly need it!

Welllll I just got accepted into the program, and I will be leaving this May.

Whoa Kerri that is cool. Is there a catch?

Yes there is a catch. It is that it costs a lot of dollars.

More dollars that a little pathetic child like me has.
I've been working my butt off but I'm still not close.

So if you are interested in being an ANGEL for the people in Africa, and and ANGEL for me....

You could help with this little it-costs-a-butt-load-to-go-abroad-and-change-people's-lives dilemma.

I need to raise around $5,000 by April 1st.

So, if you would like to help these beautiful Ugandan people...
MAKE SURE YOU PUT "KERRI ROGERS" IN THE COMMENTS SECTION. 

CLICK HERE! :) [put my name- Kerri Rogers- in the comments section if you donate]

Everything counts!
You can seriously make a difference in their lives and mine. Wouldn't that be a good feeling? :)
I submit that it would!

And PLEASE spread the word. :)

Confused? Not convinced it is a good cause? Watch this video. 

It will change your mind!

GOALS.

You know what they say...

A goal isn't a goal until you've written it down.

So I have lifetime goals, yes. but let me just start with my goals for this summer.
1. Run 4 days a week.
2. Earn between $5500-$6000
3. Make at least three new friends.
4. number 4 is a secret and sorta dumb. kiss a boy.
5. Eat Healthier.

6. Finish four conference edition Ensigns
7. Cherish the moments

Now my goals for the rest of my life...
1. Graduate college with MORE than an Mrs. degree ;)
2. Get married in the temple to the man of my dreams.
3. Become a mom (most important goal by far)
4. Become a Speech Pathologist
5. Go to Africa
6. Be a program director for an organization in Y Serve
7. Be an EFY counselor
8. Get a 100% on a test that isn't a religion class.
9. Run a half marathon
10. Exercise at least 3 times a week.
11. Graduate college out of debt.

12. Send my boys on missions and all my children to be married in the temple.

13. To go on a mission with my husband to the place where he served his mission as a young lad.

14. To always take pictures/journal/blog and preserve memories the best I can

15. Start a non-profit organization {even if it is really small, just as long as it can help other people}

16. Always pray and study the scriptures/conference talks

17. Make a bucket list with whoever I marry
18. Cherish the moments

I will update you on the completion or lack thereof of my summer goals as well as my other life goals. But I am very determined. :)

Song of the day: Sunshine in My Sky by Kate Veogele :)

LATER.

On my mind...

There are always a lot of things on my mind. Right now there are a few things. First thing is AFRICA! Next year at this time that's where I will be, and I really am soooo excited! I can't wait. I'm going to Lugazi, Uganda and I want to work in the orphanages with the little kids. Oh my. It'll be the best. The only reason I don't want to go is I know that when it is time to go, I won't want to leave. I'm sure I'll get attached to a lot of the people there. That is, after all, what I do best. Sometimes, actually-- a lot of the time, that is inconvenient.  Anyways, I just can't wait to go there and completely just give everything I have to help the people there. There is nothing happier than that! So here is the video about where I'm going if you are curious. Be careful though, it might make you want to go really bad!

Ok, what else is on my mind? Oh yeah, I miss a whole lot of people! My BYU friends, my missionary friends, my friends at Medallion, and all my extended family. I'll talk more about those people later because they are the best. There is a little piece of my heart that I leave with every friend I make and every place I go. Sometimes I am amazed at how many places my heart can be at once; but it's also ridiculously confusing. I can't wait to leave a piece of my heart in Africa!