Introducing.....

Tiny Thai Tots!

My newest blog in attempt to document,

"journal" if you whilll..

My getting ready-ness as well as eventually there-ness

of all my wonderful adventures in Thailand!

There will also eventually be a little "Donate"

function on there as well... sooo Spread the word! Yeah!

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Today was Cams P-day, meaning emails. Yippie! Normally Mondays are pretty standard, he is able to email and occassionally I "just happen" to be on my gmail when he emails and we are able to email back and forth for a little bit. It is simply the best thing ever. Last week this wasn't able to happen because it was the first day of school for me and he was emailing not at his usual time. I have been wanting to talk to the kid terrrribly since then. I was so looking forward to todays emails. But Noooo... today, Gmail decides to be incredibly stupid and send emails at very random times. Making me want to punch small animals, and scream a slew of profanities... things of that sort. Curse you Gmail. However, in one random email I recieved from the boy he said something about his new companion, and how he doesn't know how to handle him because he will randomly burst into tears, and how he whines. I so cleverly emailed back "Sometimes I want to cry and whine :D " among other things of course. But then I got thinking, and really...sometimes that is what I want to do! Cry and whine and kick my feet and fall on the floor and throw a temper tantrum and kick holes in things and act like a five year old. Sometimes that is exactly what I want to do when I think about Cam being gone. And sometimes it's okay to be upset when Gmail malfunctions, and when your 15 minutes with the kid is completely ruined. As long as you eventually put on your big girl panties and keep on keepin on. 13 months is so very, very doable.

Pretty Please?

I am absolutely in love with this temple. 

Can I please be married here?

Oneee day :]

Happy Birthday Pretty Lady!

Happy Birthday

To this young lady rigghtt hurr.

My seestor, my first roomie, my second mother :]

Love you Colie!



Suffocation by foam.

Last night was easily the best way to end the first week of school. 

Foam dance. 

What could be better? 

Hundreds of foamy bodies packed together in a tiny space. 

Foam up to your knees and "falling from the sky" 

Nearly experiencing death every time we ventured into the falling foam. 

Getting pulled into the foam by random black guys....

Breaking your very favorite sandals :[ 

Broken toes and Bruises the day after. 

mmmmazzzing. 

Last night was one of those nights.. 

where you completely forget about everyone getting married.

And how sometimes it sucks that your not. 

One of those nights when you forget about growing up so fast. 

Where you can just have fun with the girls. 

meet all sorts of random crazy people. 

quit worrying about the "future" 

and enjoy being a college student. 

right now. 

**There are no pictures to accompany this post for two reasons #1: My camera would have for sure been killed had I brought it into the foam. #2: I am thee worst at picture documenting my life** 

Oh, fancy seeing you here?

School has officially started. Education is in full swing here people, and I'll be honest... I am actually enjoying it! Granted it is only the 3rd day... but, this semester looks very promising. It doesn't hurt that the heavens opened up and the Schedule Gods allowed Katelyn and I to have 4/5 classes together every MWF. Glorious. It seriously makes school that much more enjoyable.

So here's the sitch. Katelyn and I have decided to write for the school newspaper this semester and went today to check it out. We walk in to a pretty decent sized group of people and immediately I see Peter Pan. sitting in the corner computer. Here is why it was alarming for several reasons:

1. I was 99% sure he had either A) Moved back to SLC or B) Died. Seriously, I have not seen the kid in months. But no, He lives! 
2. He is still as good looking as ever. Of course. *rolls eyes* 
3. He looks over, smiles, and waves a little too enthusiastically like we are the besttt of friends. Um no, last time we talked.. you decided it was best not to talk. You didn't want a "fling" anymore, remember? 
4. After class he comes over and we chat for a good few minutes. I'll admit, not as awkward as I had imagined in my mind the last 50 minutes of class.
5. It was just strange. While talking we were looking at each other and you could just feeeel the "things left unsaid/done" between us. As corny as that sounds, tis true peeps...tis true. 

It should be an interesting semester to say the least, but i'd be lying if I said I am not excited. 

Oh, P.S...after that brief encounter I headed over to take mom a smoothie at work. And of course ran into "Brad". Not awkward at all actually. And there is no sarcasm intended there! We may or may not be talking again... I may or may not have mixed feelings about that. Oy vay. 

Oh, did I mention?

THIS is where I will be spending five months of my life starting in January?:

Phichit Thailand!!

Teaching the adorb kiddos at the "Imperial Nursery" 

I could not be more excited. 

What If?

" 'What' and ‘if’ two words as nonthreatening as words come.

 But put them together side-by-side,

and they have the power to haunt you

 for the rest of your life: 

‘What if?'..."

"I don't know how your story ended.
But I know that if what you felt then was love - 

true love - then it's never too late.

If it was true then it why wouldn't it be true now?

 You need only the courage to follow your heart.

"I don't know what a love like that feels like... 

a love to leave loved ones for

 a love to cross oceans for... 

but I'd like to believe if I ever felt it.

 I'd have the courage to seize it. 

I hope you had the courage to seize it. 

And if you didn't, I hope one day that you will."

Today I was watching the end of the movie, "Letters to Juliet"  I have seen this movie many times and while I always thought it was cute and entertaining I never payed close attention to the last part of the movie, the letter that was written that changed everything. And holy cow, I LOVE IT! For many reasons, but mainly for the beginning " 'what' and 'if' two words as nonthreatening as words come. But put them together, side by side... and they have the power to haunt you for the rest of your life "what if...?" " Seriously Letters to Juliet? Could you be any more spot on? Kudos to the writers because that paragraph is serious mmmazing. 

Getting ready for this trip, there have been a lot of people who have been incredibly supportive, a lot who have been supportive but very skeptical, and a few who down right do not want me to go. When things fell through with Andrea, I was faced with a decision... to go alone? Or to stay home another year and go next fall when she could. For me, it was never a question... I was going to do this. Sure I was nervous and still am about going alone and making friends but the excitement and comfort I feel whenever I think about this trip trumps those nerves a million to one.  

How lucky am I to be in a position in my life where I can pick up and move to the other side of the world for five months? I could stay home, and I could move out with friends and finish school really early. I could move up to Salt Lake and be with all my friends up there. I could stay home and not miss two of my best friends weddings. I could stay home and do so, so much. Believe me, I have thought about not going. I have. It's hard to leave familiarity and the people that love you but I think if I didn't do this, I think if I didn't step WAY out of my comfort zone and take a giant leap of faith I would always wonder what if.  

So here's to lots of prayers and pondering, lots of advice and guidance, a few "pros and cons" lists, one or two melt-downs.... and no what-ifs. 

Brilliant.

Love is When...

Your more sad that the person you love,

is gone on their birthday. 

Then you were when they were gone for yours. 

Happy Birthday

Cameron Dale Ricker!!!! 

Thats right Ladies and Sirs. 

This boy is officially out of the teen years. 

He's a big kid now. An "Adult" if you whill. 

I miss this face every day. 

Happy Birthday Elder Ricker! 

It makes me sad that I didn't get to call you at 12am today. 

And that I don't get to wish you "Happy Birthday" as many times as you are old. 

And Spoil you with lots of childish gifts, hugs and smooches. 

But it makes me happy that you are happy and focused. 

Love You Unlimited! 

Somedays..

Somedays you have to work at seven and you are so sleepy you fall asleep in the back office. Somedays you have a Japanese foreign exchange student that you have to entertain. Somedays she doesn't understand/speak any English so you have to get creative. Somedays you go swimming with your friends, then you leave, get a snowcone... and go back. Somedays someone says "Meet us back at the pool, my friends are coming too." Somedays the person who told you to come to the pool, doesn't ever come, but his friends do. Somedays you interupt two boys battling in the pool with a random question. Somedays they turn out to be your friends "friends". Somedays you meet somebody(s) new. Somedays you trespass onto the Carousel, and lay on the grass, and look at the prettty lights, and drive down "the hill"--twice. Somedays you go hiking at night in shorts and sandals. Somedays that is not a very good idea. Somedays you sit by a pond until 1am just talking and laughing. Somedays you crawl into bed at 2am not tired at all. Somedays, you have to wake up at 6:15 for work at seven.. Somedays, you don't even care that you only got 4ish hours of sleep.

Sometimes, somedays... are some of the best days.

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9....

Cam has been gone TEN months.

I know right? He for real just left.

It is mind-boggling

and exciting.

And scary.

But mostly exciting.

Keep up the good work Elder Ricker!

Lyu,

Yens.