As of Late...

I could say well not much has happened in my life lately but that would be a LIE! Life has been very eventful the last bit! So in June I went to Six Flags for my birthday with some friends and one of those friends was GRANT! I had soo much fun with him on our California trip. I was able to see all the reasons why I loved him so much. It was so nice. We were driving home from Six Flags and he said so when are we going to go to Ra Sushi, this place where we had made a bet about going to right when I got home from Jerusalem. I laughed a little and said well we can go Wednesday, my birthday. He said ok, we will make a date of it! My heart got fluttery and I was so happy for proof that Grant was feeling the same way I was feeling about him. So then I said I have two free movie tickets for this week, which movies are good? He told me some movies then said how about we go tomorrow night? So we went the next night. It was such a fun date and I knew good things were to come. Grant and I continued dating for the next few weeks and then it was time for me to go to Hawaii with my family. The Sunday before I left he told me he loved me for the first time again and that evening asked if he thought we would ever get married. I was so happy but hesitant. It was hard being away from him for the week I was in Hawaii. We flew in on Monday morning after a red eye flight and after a quick nap at home I went to Grants work for lunch so I could see him, I had missed him so much! We started talking about marriage seriously and I decided to stay here for the semester so we could be together and give everything a shot. We started shopping for rings and in the middle of August we went to Haney Family Jewelers and were looking at a catalog of ring there when Grant turned a page and said I love these two rings. I said I did too and the next week Grant went and ordered my ring. The next week, the week of September 5-11 I asked Grant everyday if Mr. Haney (our jeweler, had called). He would always so no and by the end of the week he was telling me that the ring wouldn't get in until Monday of the next week. But he still wanted to go to Sedona with me on Saturday. I was getting two different stories and I didn't know which one was the right one! We drove to Sedona on Saturday, September 10th around noon. We arrived in Sedona at Oak Creek Canyon at about 2 in the afternoon. We ate a picnic by the parking lot and started down the beautiful hiking path that runs along Oak Creek. Grant would stop and take cute pictures of me and we would chat and mostly just hike in silence. I loved that, I tend to get quiet when I hike because I just think about my surroundings and I go in my own little world. I like that Grant and I could both do that at the same time but still enjoy being in each others company. At one point in our hike we stopped and we ate a snack. I thought hhmmm maybe he will propose here.... but he didn't haha so we kept walking and he asked do you want to turn back now, I said maybe a bit further and we agreed. We came to a spot that had a big rock, right next to a really shallow part of the creek. It was a beautiful spot and we ate another snack here ( I wasn't hungry and I figured I would give Grant the chance to pull my ring out so I went over to the stream and stared at the minnows) haha. Well I turned around and... grant was just sitting on the rock eating his snack. So i sat down next to him and he turned his hand over and I jumped a little haha even though there was nothing in his hand. After chatting for a bit he said ok Danielle lets go. So I hopped up and started walking when he said wait, do you want to remember this place forever? Then he proposed :) It was so fun and I loved it!! I jumped up and down and said oH my gosh like a hundred times. I didn't even look at the ring for like 3o seconds i just looked at grant and was so excited that it was actually happening. SO then he put it on my finger and then some people walked by so we asked them to take a picture of us, newly engaged. Then we took a video of teh spot we got engaged at and then we hiked back. it was fun to hike back and just reminisce about our relationship. I loved it. When we got back to the car we drove into Sedona and walked down main street to find some where to eat. We ended up eating at this darling Thai restaurant where we sat outside in the garden by the water feature, it was so wonderful. After dinner we got ice cream and strolled main street a bit and then drove home. It was the perfect day. I loved being able to go on a day trip with Grant. We hadn't spent a whole day together like that in so long, it was such a treat. I am so thankful for his thoughtfulness in planning such a nice day for us. I love him so much. We had out first engaged couple visit with our bishop yesterday and that was so wonderful. I am sooo looking forward to our weekly meetings with him. I know they will help us grow together as a couple and grow closer to the Lord as a couple. I am so happy and I know this path is the correct one.

Birthdays

A few weeks ago I got the portion of my blog that I wrote while I was in Jerusalem printed and it look so good! If any of you readers have been contemplating doing this, do it! It is so worth it.
On a different note I have decided to devote this post to birthdays.
Today is the birthday of one of my very best friends, Kelsee Clark.
I thought back today to when we were just freshman in college.
That was SO long ago it seems!
It feels like those days, those tests, those people, don't exist anymore.
I just feel very unattached to that time of life. I do remember
that Kels and I had a ton of fun.
I remember her alarm haha and how she slept on the couch most
of our freshman year.
I remember the dart boards in many of our friends apartments.
I remember driving to pick a friend up from the airport right after Christmas break
in Seth.
A giant snow storm was happening. We are talking blizzard.
It was so terrifying and Kels just slept in the back seat ha.
It is raining outside and this takes me back to the summer when we both turned 18 or was it 17?
We took each other out to dinner on separate nights.
Kels took me to this cool turkish place and when we got home it was pouring.
So we went outside fully clothed and my sister made a music video of us to Do you know by Enrique.
Haha it was so fun.
Ever since then I always want to dance in the rain because of the fond memory associated with it.
Our 19 birthdays were spent apart from each other, I was in Provo on my 20th but pre occupied, and now our 21st birthdays have been spent apart. I imagine that we won't ever be together on our birthdays again, something that makes me sad and attests to the fact that our lives are going down different roads.
Its ok though.
I am so thankful for all of the memories we have made together thus far and I know someday we will start making memories together again :)
Well for documentations sake I will tell you about my birthday.
So my mom and I went shopping and then we went to the Suns Buffet. It is Chinese and divine. Seriously, who knew?
GO THERE.
After that I went home and got ready for my birthday date!
Grant and I went to Sushi at Ra, one of my favorite places. My favorite dish
was the raw yellowtail slices wrapped around jalapenos and cilantro and dipped in a special sauce.
SO DIVINE.
They also served their own bomb version of fried ice cream. So good.
We then went to his house and watched a movie.
It was a lovely birthday :)
So now I am 21 and I have a credit card.
It is a gap card.
I have used it like 3 times now and felt all anxious tonight after thinking about my bill!
Haha
I took the GRE today and saw 2 people I knew!
That was fun.
Also, I leave for Hawaii bright and early Monday morning.
I haven't packed yet.
I hate packing.
Today there was a cockroach crawling in my closet.
I calmly went into the bathroom, grabbed a tissue and pinched that cockroach dead.
I am not afraid of creepy bugs or spiders.
I say just KILL em.
It is probably weird that I didn't mind the cockroach huh? haha

California Adventures (not the theme park)

This last weekend for my 21st Birthday me and some of my friends headed out to California
to go to Six Flags!
The first day we left home at 7:22, later than I expected
but it still worked perfect.
We drove straight to Santa Monica beach!!!
I love that beach!
It is so fun to see all the cool gymnastic like equipment where you can swing around, do flips,
etc.
Also, they have this amazing pier with so many fun shops, street performers, a ferris wheel, etc.
We walked down that, took pictures, were mesmerized by the ocean and
the little sea gulls and pigeons flying around.
After enjoying the pier we headed to the water!! I jumped in first and quickly
got to jumping with the huge waves that were coming in.
I love when they come and crash right by me or right after me so I can jump with it.
I love playing in the ocean. Seriously.
I don't think I can properly explain it to you, you just have to see it in action.
Good thing I am going to Hawaii in 2 weeks ;)
It was over cast at the beach so it was a bit chilly but we still
stayed in for a good amount of time.
So after we enjoyed the water we went to lunch at a place with Shwarma!
It is a pita gyro like item that I ate a lot in Jerusalem! It was
so fun to eat shwarma in the states and to share it with my friends.
So after we ate we drove to our hotel in Valencia and since traffic is ALWAYS
sooo congested in Ca it took us like an hour.
But thats ok I had the window rolled down basically for 3/4s of the drive
to the hotel and it was the best.
I love the balmy Ca air.
So then we went to Vons which is the equivialent of Safeway here. Who knew??
It was nice to use my value card.
After this we went and checked into our hotel and ate our dinners we bought
at Vons.
I bought a rotisserie chicken and apricots and I ended up eating the whole chicken except the thighs.
I would eat a piece of chicken with a dried apricot. MMM divine.
So then we watched Mega Mind which is actually DARLING. I really liked it.
We didn't finish it because we fell asleep ha at 11:30.
We definitely stayed out late, you knowww.
Actually we are way lame and get 8 hours of sleep on vacation both nights, what ev.
So Saturday we woke up and ate breakfast and went to Six Flags!
We got there a half hour early so we were in the first 100 people to get in the park.
Grant told us we had to run to X2 cause its the best ride so he led all of us in
a run
UP this
huge HILL.
Ok wait.
Hill??
Running??
I didn't sign up for this.
But alas I ran to the ride (with maybe a quick break)
and we only had to wait like 10 mins for a ride that has a 2 hour wait midday, so it was
worth it. We rode Viper, De Ja Vu, the WAY dumb river raft ride where Grant and I got COMPLETELY soaked. Aprils shoes got soaked, like mine and for the next few hours we were both complaining
of our sloshing shoes so for lunch we let our socks and shoes air out.
I always think of Forrest Gump where the lieutenatn Dan tells Forrest that he can't wear wet socks ever becasue your feet will rot.
I don't want my feet to rot! So I avoid wet socks.
So we ate lunch then we went on scream (this guy gave us a free fast pass for it!)
Collusus, Riddlers Revenge, Ninja, Tatsu and another one I can't think of.
The park was packed but we got to do all the major rides so I was way happy!!
I really loved it.
Roller coasters are a blast!!
I loved spending the day with April, Wesley, Grant, and Hayley. We
all got along so well and had no drama.
SO after Six Flags which ended at 10:3o pm we left and went to Dennys which is right by our hotel.
Haha
the lady didn't put our name down we realized after waiting forever and people getting called before us, then we didn't hear our name get called, haha so we waited for like an hour at Dennys.
Then we finally got to eat.
I ate coconut pineapple pancakes which were so good.
YES delicious.
We went straight to bed after that!
Sunday we went to church where the high counselor talked about missionary work in our homes and how we can develop a plan to help
those around us learn the gospel.
It made me so excited for when I have a family!
I want to have a home where missionary work is very important,
where my children know the missionaries will
be coming over with investigators
once a week, where
our friends will gather and we will have fun together and
they can learn gospel truths from us.
I am just way excited for the opportunity
to create that environment in my future home.
So that was great.
Then we were driving to LA when we saw the sign for Hollywood boulevard so we got on it and drove down it, it was cool.
Also we drove down Sunset boulevard and then
we went over to Beverly Hills!
The houses are soo cool looking and the cars!
We drove down Rodeo drive and I was just in awe the whole time, seeing
stores that I have only seen mentioned in Vogue or something
haha.
It was fun.
Then we drove around LA trying to find the temple that Wesley
thought he had found on his
navigation on his Iphone haha.
It was a fruitless search.
But it was fun to drive around nonetheless.
We got home around 10 last night.
It was such a fun fun trip where many memories were made!
I can't wait to go back :)

SO I wanted to do some clarification about my last post because I reread it and I sound all mushy. I did in fact giggle at myself and think I was a little crazy for crying while holding a new born. I didn't want to be all theatrical or anything but it was just this automated response that came on. So yes, I think my little tearing up incident is a little funny but all the same very sweet because I know it happened because of the tender feelings I was feeling while holding a new spirit that had just come to this world. Anywayyy that is all!! Ciao!

Last Friday I　ｈａｄ　ｔｈｅ　ｏｐｐｏｒｔｕｎｉｔｙ　ｔｏ　ｖｉｓｉｔ　ｍｙ　ａｕｎｔｓ　ｗｈｏ　ｌｉｖｅ　ｏｕｔ　ｉｎ　Ｓｕｒｐｒｉｓｅ　Ａｒｉｚｏｎa whom I don't see often because they live so far away.
My aunt Jamie had a baby and I haven't held a newborn since I don't know when.
I LOVED holding baby Eastyn, he is only 2 weeks old and he
just slept in my arms. It was so wonderful.
I stared down at his sweet, sweet face and was in awe.
I felt tears well up in my eyes and then spill over, I cried.
My sweet little cousins, one is 8 the other 6 came over and Chaylee the 6 year old stared at me and said "why are your eyes dripping?"
Such a sweet question!
After that Rylin wiped my tears since I was holding the baby.
It was so darling of both of them and I think they were able to feel too how special that baby is.
As I held Eastyn I wondered to myself what it would be like to create
a child with someone you love so much, your husband.
Honestly, I don't know because, 1- I don't have a husband, and 2- I haven't ever had a baby.
But I can only imagine the intense amazingness it would be, the bond you would feel and the
intense love you would have for each other and for that
being.
I am so excited to be able to experience the blessing
of bringing children into this world with the person I love most.
Someday that dream will come true, I know it will.
It is an amazing thing that our Heavenly Father gives us the opportunity to rear up His children on this earth, to teach them and help them return to Him.
What a sacred and important calling; the most sacred and the most important.
Anyway, I was so happy I got to hold baby Eastyn.
In other news, today I made bread for the first time,
I made black bread, it is really good!!
I was pretty proud of myself!
It was so nice to have the day off of work so I could just bake at home and relax, its been
a while since I did that.
I hope your week is going well :)
lots of love
ps
I am going to Six Flags this weekend.
Ask me if I am excited.
I AM.

I am supposed to be leaving to go visit my new baby cousin but I just ate the most bomb lunch and felt the urge to blog about it.
So I toasted one piece of Ezekial sprouted grain bread (gluten free bread), spread
chunky almond butter on it, and topped it with a sliced fresh peach
from the tree complete with a very miniscule amount
of honey drizzled over the top of the peach.
It was DIVINE.
Hello breakfast tomorrow.
I am so excited to go visit my cousin!
Hes two weeks old and I haven't held a newborn in years.
Im talking since I was like 12 (maybe?)
I can't even remember the last time.
GPT this morning was NOT fun.
OH well.
Also, I am starting to hate texting.
It is really bothersome sometimes!!
It doesn't help that my phone requires complete concentration when composing a text.
NOT a fan.
I am going to Six Flags in one week from today.
It feels surreal, I am soooo excited!!
Hello beach!!!
Hello screaming at the top of my lungs on rides!
Hello fun times with great friends!!
:)

Scrubs

Today I headed on over to Scrubs and Beyond and I picked out my very own pair
of red scrubs.
I put them on for work today and still haven't taken them off.
I think I could live in scrubs. Seriously, they are so comfortable!
I want to have a profession where I live in scrubs now because they are so darn comfy!!
I don't really have anything else to say.
Life is great.
Jaxon got ordained an elder yesterday and it was so special.
I am so thankful he is such an awesome kid who is worthy to hold the priesthood.
I love him!!

Even though it has been almost 2 months it still hurts.
Not a fan.
Oh well.
In other news, I have an issue with proper comma use as you probably
could tell by my terrible writing on this blog.
My English teacher graded my autobiography and he gave me an 80 on
account of my comma splice problem.
I guess that is what happens when you haven't had to do any quality writing
for the past 3 years.
Summer is over 1/4 over.
I am going to start interning at a sport chiropractors office on Monday. I am very excited!!
Dr. Bates said he is going to teach me as much as I want to know which
will be a lot because I LOVE learning new things.
I am so excited. I miss school and I miss learning.

My primary responsibility at his office will be helping the patients with their exercises after
Dr. Bates works with them; he is way into preventative measures so instead
of just adjusting a patient he teaches them
stabilization exercises
after to help strengthen their muscles so that
they prevent further damage.
I am really excited because it is right up my alley!
The best part is that I get to wear scrubs. OH YEAH.
In other news I went to the batting cages last night. After striking out my first 5 balls I hit 90% of the rest. Ya. I am good.
Haha
It was my first time ever being at the batting cages and I am pretty proud of how I went from 0 hits
to almost every one!
It was really fun.
It makes me want to join an adult softball league.
That could be fun, right??
Everyday I wake up super sniffly and super tired.
I hate it.
I wonder if its allergies.
Back at the JC we had a devotional by Elder Holland where he told us we could never
go back to fishing.
He was referencing the apostles when they go back to the Galilee after
Jesus' resurrection and they just go fishing again
and Christ tells them to leave their nets and feed his sheep.
Elder Holland said we couldn't leave Jerusalem and just
go back to fishing, being exactly what we used to be.
Well I think that some days I do a lot of fishing.
I need to change that.
I need to look outside of myself and really follow Christ's admonition
to feed his sheep.
I don't want to just float through life fishing although sometimes
I feel like that is exactly what I am doing.
Here is to a better week of less fishing and more improving and being better everyday.

Remember when my blog posts were super exciting?
Remember when I would blog about things like seeing the pyramids or floating on the Dead Sea?
Now my life consists of hanging with friends, working at Old Navy,
putting the laundry away,
sleeping late (and I wondered if I would ever be able to wake up
past 8 o'clock again)
and being with my family.
I also lay out occasionally but without my lay out buddy, Kelsee Clark-now-Sorensen, it just isn't
as much fun and I only last a max of 20 minutes (if I am lucky.)
I remember spring break of our junior year, Kels and I would lay out EVERY DAY.
It was the BEST.
And then there was summer before college where we went on our senior trips
then both came home and worked full time.
Before we both headed off to our trips we would do a thing where we woke up at like 6 in the morning and would go run bleachers haha
I was always so grumpy in the morning, I wouldn't talk to Kels for like the first 10 minutes ha.
That was a fun Kelsee tangent!
I miss her.
I need to be productive now!

Busy Day!!

Yesterday was sooo busy!!
It was really good though.
Lets do bullet points today
-woke up at 4 am
-was at work by 5:55
-ate someburros for lunch
-got home from work at 12:15
-left for the cannery and was there by 1
-canned till 1:45
-signed up to be a volunteer at the cannery- yay getting stuff off my summer goal list!
-got home and died!! haha but not
-ate 5 brownies when I got home and then nothing else
-went to RPM- love me some cycling
-went to FHE
-LOVED FHE
-we made ice cream in bags and that was pretty fun and then I played volleyball which
was a blast
the ward got to see me at my finest haha yelling and cheering
-i chatted with people after!
-my whole life i have been a go to an activity then leave when its done type of girl
not anymore!
I stayed until 10:30 chatting with people!
it was soo fun.
This summer is looking up :)
I also might get an internship, yippee.
Also Im going to have a dance party at my house on Saturday
double yippee.
i need me some Jerusalem dance parties.
we were all so funny and crazy there that whenever the music would come on we would just
jam out!
i loved it.
its good for the soul.
perhaps i should dance this week in preparation for Saturday?
at any rate its a good day for the convertible top to be down and the music up
on my drive today.
im gonna go to lunch and shopping with my new friend from my ward, can't wait!
lots of love!!

So I worked at Old Navy on Monday and on Saturday this last week
anddd
I
LOVE
it.
I think it is the perfect job for me.
I really enjoy the atmosphere and the business of the place!
On Saturday I had the job of explaining to people the mystery bag promotion
we were having where they could
buy a brown bag
of clearance items in a certain size
for only 20 bucks.
It was a major steal!!
I had fun trying to sell people on the idea :)
I also told people about 1 dollar flip flop day for Old Navy
Card holders which resulted in two people
opening up an
Old Navy card
because of me!
It was a great, productive day of work!
Today was ward conference and it was amazing.
Our bishop told us this story about
how him and his wife were going on
a trip and they were at this hotel. Their friends showed them
the room they had and my bishop and his wife
loved the room and the views; they wanted the room for themselves.
They asked the front desk if there was anything they could
do so that they could have that
room and the front desk said no they would just put them in the towers.
Well when my bishop and his wife got to the 11th floor
tower room he was astounded, the views were even better then the room they had
been set on getting.

My bishop related this to life. Often times
we are set on something, we know what we want, we are comfortable with that choice
and we are set on getting it but our Heavenly Father has something even better than
we can even imagine in store for us
if we allow
ourselves to move to higher ground.
I love this so much!!
It is so applicable to me and to everyone really!
Church was just a spiritual feast today.
I loved our Sunday School lesson
about rejoicing when someone comes back to the church after being a prodigal.
We ALL
receive
the SAME
reward in the end; all that the Father hath, so why would
we ever be sad at someone elses
accomplishments?
Well we are humans that is why!
haha
buttt we can
really try and weed that tendency out of us.
I am learning to do this.
It is hard and it takes time but
if we can just remember that our Heavenly Father loves us all and
that he wants to give all of us all of his blessings
then we should all be cheering each other
on to achieve great things.
I love the gospel!
In other news, I signed up to take the GRE!
That is a graduate school admissions exam. I bought a prep book
and I am going to start prepping this week.
I am excited!
It will feel good to be prepared just in case
I feel like grad school
is the way to go next fall.
I scheduled it for July 9th and we head to Hawaii on July 11th so it will
be a perfect reward for a job well done.
Now I just gotta put the time in so it is a job well done!!

Autobiography

SO I finally wrote my autobiography I have been procrastinating for my class. It isn't really amazing but it is pretty raw, I just wrote what came to my mind concerning particular times in my life. It is sort of funny the things I wrote about but I like it so I am going to post it! Also, my mom and I have an amazing relationship, looking back on our lunch issues I laugh because it really is quite hysterical and funny. I love my parents, they really are amazing and have given me so much and opened so many doors for me. They support me in EVERYTHING, even when I am being a know it all, thinking I have life figured out even though I don't. They let me learn my own lessons but have laid out a solid path for me so that the lessons I do learn on my own are just little hiccups that don't destroy me but rather make me better and stronger. Also there was a word count cap so there are lots of things that got left out, these are just the first things that came to mind! Enjoy!!!

My parents had only been married for 11 months when I was born, mom said she cried. Her whole pregnancy was a struggle, she was in and out of the hospital, sick all of the time, and unprepared to have a baby of her own; my dad had to teach her how to change my diapers. Mom told me that one time she was really sick in the hospital and so she prayed to Heavenly Father and told him that she would be happy with this pregnancy if He would send her a blue eyed, blonde haired, ducky lipped little girl. That is exactly what she got; I am Danielle Smith, a blue eyed, blonde haired, ducky lipped twenty-year old girl.

I was born in Mesa, Arizona and resided in Awhatukee, Arizona until I was five years old. I remember the small house my parents fondly named the Love Shack, it had two bedrooms and two bathrooms, one of the bedrooms had a huge burn mark in the carpet from when I put my shirt on my lamp shade and it caught on fire; my mom threw the shirt in the toilet to put the flame out. We had a cat at that house named Bunners; one day we were pulling up to our house after a visit to grandmas house and I saw my cat laying in the grass out front, I ran over to his lifeless body and saw the swarms of black ants devouring him.

My brother Jaxon was born when I was two and a half years old and when I was 4 my mom became pregnant with my sister, Jasey. We relocated to Chandler in the summer of

’95. The first night we moved to our new house I remember sitting on my double mattress

stacked bed and staring at the fan that was spinning impossibly fast above my head thinking

about how weird it felt being there. I eventually adjusted and came to love living on Oak Grove

Lane which I renamed the “kids street.” Almost every house had kids that were me and my

brother’s age. My dad would always have the garage open where he would be working on his

sand rail, quads, etc and my brother and all his friends would just sit in there with him watching

him fix everything.

My sister Abbey was born in ’98 when I was in third grade, my teacher was very surprised my mom was going to have another child; I remember the look on her face when I told her my mom was pregnant. I was a smart, high strung, analytical child. During the summers I asked for big packets of school work to accomplish, I chose the summer work books when my mom let us pick something to buy at Costco, I subjected my siblings to hours of playing school; me being the teacher of course. Often times I would analyze my parents actions, I was always judging them and wondering if they were doing things that were right or wrong. I was a very judgmental child! I hated school lunches with a passion, I didn’t start eating them until I was in 4^th grade and then I would only eat them when it was bean burrito day or soft taco day. Packing my lunch was a large point of dissention between my mother and I, she was a young mom of 4 children, and with me being the oldest she didn’t have a lot of time to pack me lunch which resulted in us fighting every morning. One of the last times I ever brought my lunch was the day that my mom threw some leftover cake in a Ziploc and tossed it to me down the hallway, telling me we wouldn’t be friends until I bought lunch at school. We eventually did become friends, but not until I was fourteen years old.

We started building a house in south Chandler when I was in eighth grade and because it wouldn’t be done until winter we moved into a rental house by my new high school so I wouldn’t have to transfer high schools. Our rental house was terrible in my eyes, I had no friends at my new high school, I was a freshman, I shared a bed with my sister; life was not fun. I started to rely on my mom and my family, I told my mom everything and she became my best friend and still is today.

I was a diver in high school, I loved to jump off that spring board and execute a beautiful dive, I always felt a rush of pride each time I entered the water. Being in the water has always been one of my favorite things; I spent two of my high school summers in the Florida Keys at Seacamp where I would snorkel, scuba dive, dissect fish, etc, all day long. Saying that I loved Seacamp would be an understatement. My parents taught me an important lesson in preparing for Seacamp, they told me they would help me get there but I had to pay for half so we came up with a plan where that would be possible. I am so thankful they were willing to support me in that goal of mine. I was the only LDS person at Seacamp, I remember one particular experience in which this became very clear. The girls in my cabin were talking about drinking and when they asked me if I had drank before I replied no, they were all astonished and Kate, a girl who I had talked to about my beliefs said “If I knew the things that Danielle does I wouldn’t do half the things I do.” This one statement made me realize that people want to know the truth, they want guidelines and direction, and they want what I have. Because of this and other experiences I have become so thankful for the gospel and the privilege it is to have it in my life.

Last semester I was able to go to study abroad in Israel for 3.5 months at the BYU Jerusalem Center for Near

Eastern Studies, it was absolutely wonderful. I learned that people who aren’t like me are beautiful, the Bible is

real, Christ’s life isn’t some abstract idea; it is real and it happened in a physical setting. I am excited for this fall

when I will start back into my exercise and wellness classes but I am so thankful for last semester in which I had

the opportunity to study religion, mine and others.

So yesterday was my first day on the job! It was absolutely awesome!
I loved it.
I think I will really like being an Old Navy associate!
My fellow workers were all so fun and nice, you can
really sense a feeling of camaraderie in the store.
I don't work again until Friday so I am trying to be productive today and get some of my homework for my online class done.
I guess that is not working considering I am
blogging...
hhmmm
oh ya I went to Pita Jungle today and it was divine.
I love that place, I hadn't been
since high school
and I woke up today
thinking
I wanted to go so I did.
Now I will do my autobiography.
Why has it been sooo hard for me to write some stuff about myself?
I think it is because I want it to be super witty and funny and exciting and cool and etc.

Welcome to Old Navy, can I help you find anything?

OH hayyyy.
So I got the job.
I am now a customer experience associate at Old Navy.
SOOO excited!!!
And sort of bummed I am locked into AZ for the summer.
But hey living at home is great!
And Old Navy, Gap, and Banana Republic discounts will be
AWESOME.
I start on Monday, I work from 3-10.
Yippeee!!!
I can't wait to have a schedule!
I got a new swimsuit today, I have been wearing my diving suits from high school for the past
7 years, they are real winners.
I am currently sitting on my bed in my new suit, I am THAT excited.
Now I need a swim party to go to...
Or I can have a swim party at my house!
Who wants to come?
Or maybe I will lay out with my mom and we
can read books together.
Except my kindle is BROKEN!!
I have GOT to get that fixed!
My mom used to have to hide my books during the summer in order to get me to do my chores.
And NOW
LOOK AT ME!
I haven't read a SINGLE book except scriptures and a talk
since I have been home!
What the??
This is TERRIBLE!
(ps- I am REALLY into capitalizing words today, don't ask me why because I don't know)
So anyway I am becoming illiterate or something!
I worked out everyday this week and I already feel better, healthier, more fit.
I know that after a week of working out nothing really changes BUTTT
I can still feel that way, k.
:)

Today I went to Body Combat and it was AMAZING. Oh hayyy kick boxing, I am glad we have gotten reacquainted. There are many great things about living at home for the summer, one being that your parents reactivate your gym membership AND add GPT (group personal training) to your account. Thank you mom and dad; I consider having health conscious, work out obsessed parents a definite plus. I am taking an online English class this summer and my first assignment is to write an autobiography with lots of voice and stuff. I don't know where to start. I haven't taken a writing class EVER in college so I am trying to tap into my high school writing knowledge haha pathetic right? I made my bed today, did the laundry, put my parents laundry away, did the dishes, took out the trash two times, curled my hair, took Jasey to mutual, picked her up, took her to dance, went to the gym, listened to a fireside, etc. Too much time on my hands? I think yes. I interviewed for a job at Old Navy yesterday and I think it went really well! Even if I don't get the job I am thankful for the chance I had to do the interview. All of my previous jobs I hadn't had to interview for so I am rusty at my interviewing skills so having to go interview for jobs right now has been a blessing in that I am finally getting the hang of the questions they ask in interviews and I am seeing a pattern in the questioning. I really want to do retail this summer since I haven't ever done it and I think it would be a real great change of pace. Also, I could transfer up to Utah once the summer is over! Also, they said I could have Sundays off! Cross your fingers for me because if I don't get this job I think I am going to high tail it out of Arizona and go back to Utah. Am I running away from things in AZ? Most definitely. But we will see. I love living at home with my family, they are so fun! I spent the afternoon with Jaxon yesterday and it was really a blast. He bought me lunch! Well actually he bought me my jar of spicy pickles at the spicy pickle and he bought himself a sandwich but hey those pickles were 5 bucks! I felt like a very lucky big sister! So last Friday Jaxon and I met with a financial adviser where we talked about investments. We both decided to invest in a managed mutual fund. I have been saving for the past 9 months (I should have started earlier) and it was so nice to be able to use a portion of the money I saved to invest in the mutual fund. I know I will never regret it and it was a goal I have had for the past year that I accomplished! I am really excited to start a real job someday so I can put larger chunks of money into the fund to prepare me for my future! I am so proud of Jaxon too for investing. I love my brother; I am so excited for him to go on his mission this fall! I watched the CES fireside today that was given on Sunday and I really enjoyed it! One of my favorite quotes she gave was by Ezra Taft Benson. The quote talked about how one of the things that will surprise us most when we get to the other side is how familiar our Heavenly Father's face is to us. Also, sister Wixom talked about how it isn't really getting to know Christ and Heavenly Father while on earth, it is remembering and geting reaquanited with them because we lived with them in the pre mortal. I found that so beautiful. I want to come to know my Father and Savior, Jesus Christ just as much and even better than I did in heaven while I am on this earth. I know this is possible if I diligently seek to better my relationship with them through prayer, scripture study, and living close to the spirit. I know I can improve in all of these areas. I need to better myself each day in order to better my relationship with them.

It has now been a week since I left Jerusalem, I feel like

it has been months.
Life seems to be back to normal except not.

I came home to a situation that wasn't ideal that I thought
would change and be fixed really quickly but
it
hasn't been.
It is weird to have had so many expectations for the
past few months and then to

realize within just a short amount of time
that those
expectations aren't going to be met.

I guess that is how life is though.

We make plans and then Heavenly Father

shakes them up and puts his own plans
into play.
While I don't really like
my plans
being upset, I know
that Heavenly Father's plans
are WAY better
than the ones I had for myself.
Something else I am learning is that after a relationship
has taken a beating, has been scarred and bruised, it takes a long time and a lot of effort
to revitalize it.
It isn't easy.
And it really isn't a ton of fun but I can choose to make it fun.
I can choose to be happy and carefree.
I can choose to let go of the wounds that my heart has received.
It is all a choice.
The question is if I am willing to make that choice.
I think I am.
I want to be happy and myself, I want to
be as silly and outgoing as I used to be.
I want to do this because I want to give the relationship a fair shot; I feel like
if I am like I used to be I can create
an environment as close to the one that used to exist which
will allow for proper evaluation of the relationship on both ends instead of an evaluation
that is skewed
I also want to do this because I know it will make me happier.
Last night at institute Bishop Basha talked about anything worth
doing requires time.
SO
I guess only TIME
will tell concerning our relationship. I think time
is a hard one because we like things
easy, quick, painless.
This process will not be so.
On a new note,
I applied for a job at the Buckle today.
I should hear back by Monday; I hope I get the job.
It would be so fun to help people pick out new clothes.
I think a new outfit can totally lift someones spirit and make them feel happy and good
about themselves; I would love to be apart of that process.
Wish me luck!!

This morning I did a little bit of blog reading on my JC friend's blogs and
it is comforting to know
that we are all suffering a bit from
post JC blues.
For me, it is finding my place in the world again.
I am not in Provo where I have my

school sanctuary

but rather I am at home where
things
are different then I planned them to be a few
months back.
I have a job to find, new friends to make, hobbies
to keep me busy.
I have to create a life from a blank canvas this summer.
Exciting yet challenging
Sad yet enabling
I like what Elder Holland said when he
chatted with us.
He said in essence to make plans loosely, allow for change.
I made pretty tight plans for the summer but those got hacked; I
am definitely learning my lesson in planning :)
Guess what?
I have woken up by 6:30
EVERY DAY
since I have been home.
Maybe that is cause I have gone to bed by 8 every night since being home?
Maybe it is because my body is used to falling into
bed completely exhausted every night around
11 and being
roused from sleep at 6:45 every morning?
Who knows.
All I know is I can't decide if I like this super early waking up thing
when I have no reason to be awake.
I think I probably do.
So in Jerusalem I always wore skirts to church that
were mid calf/ankle length so I thought
it might be hard to transition back
into my knee length church clothes.
It wasn't.
I definitely rocked my Easter dress yesterday.
It was the best. I will post a picture.
Oh hayyyyy cute clothes, I've missed you.
So I will probably start posting Jerusalem pictures soon.
I don't know when soon will be but don't worry it will happen.

Easter

Easter is my favorite holiday. It used to be because I really enjoy dying Easter eggs (which I still love, just look at my dyed finger nails) but now it is because of the significance of this precious day. Easter commemorates the resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ, an event which allows us to live again with our Heavenly Father. I know that Jesus Christ lives. He has risen from that tomb in Jerusalem and because of this we too will rise again. Luke 24:5-6 reads, "Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen." Let us seek Christ through study and prayer, let us remember that he is not dead but is very much alive in each of our lives. If we seek Him and draw near to Him then we too can know that He is risen.

Back in the U.S.

Well everyone, I am back and it feels weird. Did I really just spend a semester in the Holy Land? Did I walk the streets of Jerusalem regularly? Really?? I am not sure what to think right now. I miss Israel. I like being home. I am nervous for all that the future holds but I know that whatever it will be it will be great.

Airport

Right now I am in the Tel Aviv airport, we board the plane at 10:25 pm. It was absolutely surreal leaving the center. I didn't feel sad or anything, I think it is because we just loaded on the buses like we normally do for field trips and we left. It was just like a normal departure from the center but we will not be returning. I don't think I realize this yet. I won't wake up tomorrow to the call to prayer, I won't see Emily with her hair wet, freshly showered. I won't see Sarah kneeling on her bed to pray. I won't hear Denise's happy good morning voice or see her brush her teeth in the mirror with her hair all splayed across her head. Em won't talk to me in her silly voice, rousing me out of my pretty subdued morning mood. Life will be changed. We won't arrive back at the center in our nice charter bus to be greeted by our security guards. We won't clap for our bus driver and sing the Muhlestein song, we won't walk into the center exclaiming how good it feels to be home, and we won't be greeted by all of the staff children. My life at the Jerusalem center has officially ended, that door is closed. I will miss it. I know there will be days when all I want is to be at the center, partaking of the beauty that is Jerusalem. At least I know I can carry the lessons I have learned with me. I will always have the change that has been wrought in my heart.

Last day in Jeru

Hey all! I am sorry it has been a while but life has been busy busy lately with preparing to leave Israel. Last night we had our closing fireside and slideshow; they were both wonderful. I spent almost all day with Synth yesterday; she left last night and I miss her so much. Yesterday we went to the Temple Mount where the Dome of the Rock is. I sat down and just stared up at the Dome, imagining the ancient temple that once stood there and the future temple that would stand there. It was so much more meaningful to me this time around then back a few months ago when I hadn't had a lecture on the ancient temple mount yet. I love how all the sites have changed from just being words on my calendar that I had no idea what meant to places I cherish, love, and understand. I remember back in the fall when I got my tentative schedule for the semester, I stared at all the places on the calendar and felt a little overwhelmed. I asked myself, What is the tree of Zacheus? where is the Herodian? etc. I can't wait to go home and explain to my family every place on my calendar and show them pictures too! So this last weekend we had a visitor at the center. Elder Holland came to Jerusalem to round out a 2 week, 10 country tour of this area. He stayed in the center for 4 days; giving us a fireside one night and eating breakfast and dinner with us the next. It was spectacular! After the fireside we got to shake his hand but hearing his words was so much more powerful than the handshake. At breakfast we all crowded around his table and listened to him talk to us for about an hour! At dinner I actually got to sit at his table and after we ate for a bit everyone crowded around again; asking him questions and just loving hearing him. He is so funny! He emphasized how much going on a mission affected his life and how much marrying his wife affected him as well. Synthia remarked afterward that we got to sit at the feet of an apostle in Israel; a land where Christ and his apostles taught so many people. Last night at our closing fireside our teacher remarked how we all just flocked to Elder Holland when he was here and how he thought that we would be just like Peter and flock to our Savior if He were here with us. I really liked this thought because when Elder Holland was here we really did just want to be with him, we hung on his every word and loved to be in his presence. I hope this is indictive of what me reaction would be if my Savior were in the room. Elder Holland told us that after this experience we could "never go back to what we were." He also said "welcome to your future." I am slowly realizing that Jerusalem has been my reality for so long, I don't know what is the norm anymore. I like that the old norm is not ok, it can't be my norm now. I can continue living in my Jerusalem reality, I can continue feeling the way I feel here and doing the things I do here and having the commitments I have had while being here. In fact, I am obligated to make this my new reality, I have a responsibility to go forth and serve as a new person. This might be my last blog post ever in Israel, this makes me sad! I hope I can keep up with my blog in the states and that it will still be interesting! Thank you to everyone who has ever read my blog and to those who read it daily; I have loved knowing there are people who are interested in my experiences here. Oh ya, I will definitely do a long picture post or two or three or ten when I get home. Much love from the Holy Land. Oh ya, don't be annoyed if I call Israel the Holy Land. There are a few reasons why it is the most fitting name. One- it really is holy, Christ walked here and he will return to this land once again. Two- if I call it Israel I am being biased towards the Jews, if I call it Palestine I am being biased toward Palestinians, if I call it the Holy Land then I am biased towards no one! So bear with me if you think I sound sort of funny calling this place the Holy Land; it truly is holy to me and will ever be remembered that way in my eyes. I leave on a plane today at 11:35 pm; perhaps I will update in the airport? :)

Upper Room Experience

Tonight we had an “Upper Room Experience,” commemorating the last supper. This is perfect considering today is Passover Eve. For our Upper Room experience we had an introduction by Dr. Chadwick who explained the logistics of the triclinium which Jesus and His apostles sat at during their Passover dinner many, many years ago. The triclinium is Roman style of dining for festivals and the such. The table is set up as one table in the middle and then two tables on the side that go the opposite direction of the table in the middle, forming an unclosed rectangle basically. The people would have dined lying on their sides, propped up on their left elbows. This makes sense for the last supper because the scriptures say that John leans on Christ’s breast to ask him who will betray him. If John had been lying on his side he could have just leaned back into Jesus’ chest and subtly asked him his question. I love learning about how customs and traditions help make the scriptures make sense!

After the explanation of the logistics all of the married couples here at the JC; the Judd’s, Muhlesteins, Jacksons, Bentleys, and Ohmans read the John chapters which start off with Christ and his disciples in the Upper Room and end with the intercessory prayer. It was really wonderful to listen to the words being read, words that I have already read many times throughout my stay here but from which I gained even more tonight as they were read out loud. One of the main themes of John is the relationship of the Father and the Son. Christ always mentions how He came to the Earth to glorify the Father because he loves him. He then tells us how he wants us to have this relationship with the Father too, that he wants us to come unto him and the Father to be one with them. Through studying the love the Savior has for his Father it has made me want to do everything in life because of the love I have for Heavenly Father. This is something I know that I will be always trying to do for my whole life, something that isn’t just going to happen over night but I hope that little by little I can gain this motivation of love for Heavenly Father. I am so thankful for this experience! I can’t wait to come home to share the things I have learned.

Wow! That has been the beginning of every journal entry in my paper journal for the past few days haha. I am so tired, happy, full of love, grateful, excited, etc. Today we had an all day field trip. We took a bus to Bethany, then to Bethphage, went to Dominus Flevit, then we walked down the Mount of Olives to the Orson Hyde Garden, walked up the Kidron Valley, went to the Dormition Abbey, went to the Upper Room, then ended at St Peter Gallicantu. I will explain all of these at a later day because tonight we are having an upper room experience here at the center but let me just say our path today was the path of Christ as he headed into the last week of his life. It was really awesome to visit all these sites. One of my favorite which I want to talk about right now was Dominus Flevit which commemorates Christ weeping over the temple. The church has the best view of the temple mount, I could totally imagine Christ as he stood there and stared out at Jerusalem and the temple, realizing that this place he loved would be destroyed and brought down. He must have been filled with much sadness. It was really neat to stand there and think about what he must have been feeling and thinking. I am excited for tonight, I think we will have a really special experience!

BEST. LIFE. EVER.

Yesterday was an absolutely amazing Sabbath. Today was an absolutely amazing Sunday. And tomorrow is going to be an absolutely amazing Monday. The last few days here in the Holy Land have been some of the best days. I am so thankful for this amazing experience. Yesterday we had a fireside by a guest speaker, someones identity whom I will reveal at a later date. He said something to us that was so striking. He said, "We can't return to what we were." This experience has changed me; it has created new desires in my heart. Also, he said that our futures are more bright and amazing than we could ever imagine. This gives me so much hope!! I can't wait to tell you all about the fireside later on :) Also, today I did the Palm Sunday walk! We walked down the Mount of Olives, past Gethsemane, up the Kidron Valley, and through Lions gate. We were joined by thousands of other Christians celebrating Christ. There were people from all nationalities there, all rejoicing in their Lord. The walk took about 2.5 hours, we sang, we danced, I waved my palm frond, we thought of Christ, etc. I loved it and I am so thankful for this great start to a week visiting the special spots of Christs last week which will all culminate in me being home with my family for Easter. I can't wait! More to come but for now I am off to bed!! It has been a longggg day, I have been going non stop and tomorrow I have a fieldtrip alll day! I can't wait. I love the Holy Land and I love my life. Jerusalem 2011, no regrets!

Shabbat Shalom!!

Oh man everyone can I just tell you how much I love Israel. I really really do.
Tonight we took a trip over to the Western Wall.
I will refresh your memory on the Western Wall, of course.
It is the retaining wall of the ancient temple mount. There are stones on the wall that date back to the time of Jesus. The Jews
often go here to pray and have Bar/Bat Mitzvahs.
There is a section for women and a section for men, the men have to pray in
groups while the women pray alone.
There are tons of little prayers that people have written down
and put in the crevices of the wall; tonight I added mine.
It was really neat!
Also, the wall is the closest things the Jews can get to the ancient temple mount
because it is controlled
by the Muslims.
The Jews believe that the Holy of Holies
is still under the temple
thus making the wall the holiest place to them because
it is the closest
they can get to the Holy of Holies.
On Friday nights tons of Jews are at the wall ringing in Shabbat.
The girls are often dancing and chanting because Shabbat is a celebration; I love the joy the Jews
have for the Sabbath.
So I was standing around chatting with Synth and I saw this woman with the
cutest diaper bag and a sweet stroller
and she was
holding the tiniest bundle of a baby.
I had to talk to her.
She put her baby in her stroller and I took another peek, actually
looking at the baby's
face which was sooo beautiful.
Synth and I inched our way towards the stroller
and I told the mom how beautiful her baby was.
We asked how old she was, etc.
We talked to Celia (the woman's name) for a good twenty minutes.
Her husband is the ambassador to Israel from London. Ya I chatted it up with an ambassadors wife, no big deal!
Her baby was 2 weeks old, her name was Rachel.
Her and her husband had been married for a year and a half.
The cutest thing she said was "I still wake up and get excited realizing that she is here." (Talking about her baby)
I thought that was the sweetest.
It was so fun and so easy to talk to her about her life! That is what being in foreign places
is about; getting to know people and their stories.
After we talked to Celia we headed over to the wall and after putting our prayers in the wall
we started chatting it up
with some girl soldiers.
Here in Israel EVERYONE has to serve
in the army.
They generally start at 18/19 and serve for 2 years although
they can extend.
The girls we talked to
said they love the army (they say it depends on your position) they are in
social work.
They are staying for 3 years and maybe longer.
At a restaurant I went to a few weeks back the server was a girl who had just gotten done with
her army service and she said that
she was so happy to be done.
She had a way different attitude then the girls at the wall.
So me and Synth just grilled the girls with questions haha
we talked to them about dating.
We asked if they could date the Israeli soldiers (who are rather attractive) and one
of the girls was like the ones
who do combat, how can I resist??
Haha it was soo funny.
I loved just talking to them about normal girl
things and realizing once again how the same us girls are
ALL
over the
world.
I love it.
So then we left the Western Wall.
I am pretty sad it was our last Shabbat experience there, it is always so great!
Our night out ended on the infamous van with the blue lights and the driver
who plays rockin music for us to dance to.
Dance parties in the van??
Any day.
Oh ya
I am
DONE
with school for the semester.
I got my two giant papers done last week so while lots of people are doing
those tonight
I am just enjoying being home free!
Now I have a week in Israel with NO pressure.
I already started a few books.
Haha
I decided I am reading Pride and Prejudice today.
I read the first two pages and was pleasantly surprised by the whit contained in it.
I also bought Sense and Sensibility, it will be a summer full of classics!
I used my Kindle for these purchases and since those books are out of copyright, they were free
to buy off the Kindle.
Kindle=my fave.
I love you dearest Kindly Windly!!
On another note we had our last day of Humanitarian.
Here at the center we make hygiene kits for
people in Israel using supplies we buy here, its really cool.
So most Fridays we spend 1-2 hours assembling the kits/dancing/singing along
to the amazing music our friend Jared plays for us while
we work.
It is such a party.
I was sad it ended today.
We had our last cold cut Friday today.
Oh how I will miss you cold cut Friday!
We had yummy pumpernickel baguettes, they were the best.
Normally we have ciabatta like bread which is amazing as well.
I wonder what it will be like when I have to make my own lunch
and think about what I will make...
Hhmmm.
I don't know if I am ready!!
Except I think I am :)
Oh ya Patrick Stewart was spotted at the Western Wall tonight.
I don't really know who he is, but I guess he is a big deal.

Pictures!

Salty face!

Floating in the Dead Sea! Notice the salt build up on the floor of the sea.

Victoria, Synth, Bethany (best visiting teacher ever), Tess, and I on top of Masada.

My salt caked back after a dip in the Dead Sea!

Country side of Jordan with my Sepia feature on my camera. I like it!

Oh hayyyy prince suite at hotel in Amman.

Victoria, Synth, and I on the floor of the King Abdullah Mosque

Main gathering area of ancient Jerash

Cave 4 at Qumran. Most of the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in this cave.

Inside of Jerash, a city in Jordan

A dove at the Jordan River baptismal site

Me and my Galilee roommate, Katie at Macherus; the site where John the Baptist was
imprisoned and beheaded.

The treasury at Petra

Jumping at the Nypmheum at Jerash

Me, Tess, and Whit outside of the Shrine of the Book which houses the Dead Sea Scrolls at the Israel Museum. You may be asking why the picture is sideways wellll I will tell you! So we asked this nice Asian couple to take our picture for us so the girl takes one with the camera at a normal angle then she is like wait and she turns the camera so it is diagonal ish and then snaps another hahaha it was sooo funny. We were definitely snickering a bit while we were standing there.

Me in front of the Russian Orthodox Church, fondly nicknamed The Gold Onion Church

Dance party on the van courtesy of our amazing driver!!! This was on the way back from dinner in west J. SOOO fun!!!

Me and the monastery at Petra

Me walking down the artist colonies at dusk

Synth, Abby, Emily, and I outside of Joffa gate at the festival of foods. So fun to go around and eat samples!

Me and Lauren inside the Russian Orthodox Church

Rockin the head scarf on a field trip where we had to wear them

This is the back of our menu from a yummy restaurant we went to in West Jerusalem, take note of what Synth is pointing to. It says Interesting hahaha with a bunch of mixed drinks under it. We thought it was pretty funny.