Babysitting...

My first day off of work and I spent it babysitting...All day! It was fun, although at times I felt like I was running a day care. I told my sister I would babysit Luke so they could celebrate her birthday, and then my other nephews and niece came over. It was pretty great. I am grateful for children especially for my niece and nephew, but I am also very grateful for my single status and that at the end of the day I can give those adorable kids back to their parents. Don't get me wrong some day a family will be awesome but for now I am happy with my life!!! Oh yeah, and my mission!!!!!

Weather of Fortaleza

Temperature in Fortaleza
There is very little variation in the average temperature of Fortaleza. This phenomenom happens because Fortaleza lies very near the Equatorial Line (see map of Ceará); the closer a place is to the Equatorial Line, the smaller the temperature amplitude along the year.Temperature ranges from a minimum of 26 oC and 28 oC (or between 79 oF and 82 oC).
Raining in Fortaleza
The graph shows that there are two well defined seasons in Fortaleza: a dry season and a wet season.The wet season goes from February to June, when it is Summer and Autumn in Brazil (notice that people from Fortaleza erroneously refer to the season as "inverno", of Winter). The increase in precipitation causes a slight decrease in average temperature.The dry seasons goes from July to January. During this period, Fortaleza becomes one of the driest cities in Brazil; not uncommonly, several months go by without one single showering day.Even during the wet season, rains come in showers, rather than storms (which do happen, occasionally). Also, because precipitation in Fortaleza is caused by evaporation/condensation, rather than by the collision of cold and warm fronts, it is very uncommon to see lightinings and thunders in Fortaleza.

History of Fortaleza: Part Two (Parte Dois)

Brazilian History starts officially on April 22nd 1500, when Portuguese navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral reached the coast of Bahia. Due to Ceará's poor soil that state was completely abandoned, leaving room for corsaries to become friends and do business with the local indians.

1612: Martins Soares Moreno, arrived in Ceará to fight the French and claim the lands for the Portuguese Crown; Soares Moreno won.
1649: the Dutch built another fort, by the banks of river Pajeú, and called it Fort Schoonenborch.
1654: the Dutch are expelled from Brazil; the Portuguese take Schoonenborch, and change its name to Fortaleza de Nossa Senhora de Assunção

A village grew around the Fortress, named Fortaleza. On April 13th 1726, Fortaleza became capital of Ceará.

FAST FORWARD.......

1930: in an reaction against the dominant oligarchies, Getúlio Vargas becomes President with dictatorial power
1952: President Vargas created a bank with headquarters in Fortaleza, to provide credit to new enterprises in the Northeast of Brazil.
1959: President Juscelino Kubitschek creates SUDENE, the Superintendence for Development of the Northeast, with the function of fostering projects of social interest.

During the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, some industries flourished, like shoes, textile, food processing, agriculture, petroleum and other minerals. Ceará, however, remained as one of the States with poorest economy and worst social indicators.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Ceará (and Fortaleza in particular) found their true avocation: tourism. Word of mouth about the beautinesses of the State, along with marketing campaigns in Brazilian media turned Fortaleza into one of the most popular destinations in Brazil. Heavy investments, both private and official, improved the infrastructure of tourism.

Since the early 1990s, the successive governments have been recognized as ethical and efficient, improving social and economic indicators. Ceará today is a State with excellent perspectives.

Fortaleza Part 1

I leave in two weeks, seriously two weeks from today I will be on a plane headed for Dallas and then I board a different plane and head to Sao Paulo. So in honor of Brazil and the great adventure that lies ahead I am bringing you a 7 part series on Fortaleza and the wonders therein.

Part 1: Introduction
Fortaleza, the capital city of the State of Ceará, has been for decades one of the most popular destinations of Brazilian tourists. In recent years, the fame of Fortaleza has been gaining the world, and the number of Europeans, North and South Americans travellers coming to Cearás has grown fast.What attracts so many Brazilian and foreigners to Fortaleza? Rather than pointing out one single reason, it is safer to say that visitors are attracted by a combination of the sunny beaches, (can't swim) the busy and safe nightlife, (i'll be sleeping) the delicious culinary, the rich Brazilian culture, the very peaceful and friendly people. On top of that, it's worthy mentioning that Brazil is free from natural disasters, (can I get a hey oh?) and is a country with low cost of living.

Area: 313,8 Km2
Population: 2,332,657 (est. 2004 - source: Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics). Including the cities in the metropolitan area.
Fortaleza has more 3,3 million people, making it the fifth largest metropolis in Brazil.
The following cities are included in the metropolitan area of Fortaleza (ordered by population): Fortaleza, Caucaia, Maracanaú, Maranguape, Aquiraz, Pacatuba, Pacajus, Horizonte, São Gonçalo do Amarante, Itatinga, Guaiúba and Chorozinho.

What a scam!

WHAT A SCAM!!!!!

So previously I had mentioned a car accident that I had gotten into, but luckily there was no damage and such. Well, things have changed! So today I got a call from my insurance company saying that a claim had been filed and the couple who I "hit" was saying that there was a scratch and maybe a dent on the car. I find this particularly frustrating because at the time of the accident they told me and my mom that there was no damage to the car. I quote the man “the car is good to go”. Hmmmm sounds to me like a scam. So, I called my individual agent and he was so great! I told him my name and he said he knew who I was and he said he was working on it. They were going to watch the case extra closely and that I had more important things to focus on. He told me that this happens all the time. What a frustrating line of work. He must hate people, but he was so kind to me and today I am grateful for insurance. When the accident occurred I did not want to call the police because I thought I would get a ticket but the man I hit was very adamant about calling the police. Well I did not get a ticket and this only secures that fact that there was no damage to the car. Thank you!

Also...the above picture does not resemble anything about my accident but it is humorous.

Marky Mark

So yesterday was the day. I can't believe my little brother Mark left on his mission. It was a good day but so sad! I was so emotional! I love Mark so much and it kills me to think I wont' see him for two years but I am so pleased with him. He has prepared so well and I can not wait to see what wonderful things he does in the Phillipines. I love this picture of Mark!

Dream a Dream

Last night I had the most odd dream. In my dream I was taking Mark to the MTC and for some reason it was just my Mom and I who were taking him. When we got to the MTC my mom was like "Well Kimber, lets drop you off too"! I wasn't ready. I didn't have all my clothes, I had not said goodbye to people, I had not even been set apart. Sure enough I found myself in the Provo MTC of all places and in my dream I hated it. The dream was so scary to me. I do not want to hate the MTC, that is why I have to be prepared. I am happy that my mom would not really just send me to the MTC, and I am glad that I have time to get more prepared.

My Farewell

My heart is so full right now. What a wonderful day! I feel such a love for everyone. I don't know why I have been so blessed. Today I have felt that I have had so much support throughout my whole life. It makes me think about all of the people who go on their missions without any support from their family. I talked to a friend today who said that her Dad kicked her out of the house when she put in her mission papers. My family and friends have been nothing but supportive. I love this gospel so much and I am sooooooo excited to go to Brazil to teach. I love the temple and the Book of Mormon.

Come What May and Love It

Things have really not been going my way. In regards to Elder Wirthlins talk I am trying to think "Come What May and Love it". It seems hard to LOVE what has happened but I am trying to laugh at it. Lets see....got a expired registration ticket, I had to replace my tires because they were going to blow up, got into a car accident, the internet was down at work for 5 hours and I was the only receptionist there so I had to fix it(( I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THAT STUFF!) ,We have family pictures tomorrow and I still don't know what I am going to wear, and my brakes just started giving out. WOW this is scattered and while it may sound like I am complaining I am really trying to write it down to laugh about it. What a crazy week! There is some silver lining in this of course. The Lord is on my side! I did not get a speeding ticket, my tire didn't blow up, there was absolutley no damage in my car accident and I did not get a ticket, and I got to leave work early on Friday. I am definitley being looked after!

Gotta tell the story of the car accident...

So Friday October 17 I was driving to take my car to get the brakes fixed because the people who had fixed them had put in a faulty part. I was driving on 1-15, I got off the 7200 exit and stopped behind a blue Hyundai Sonata. I was adjusting my radio when I hear a loud thud. My car had rear ended that blue Sonata. I honestly do not know what happened, did my brakes slip? Did I take my foot off the brake? We pull over and the man in that blue car gets out and I get out. He says very calmly " Why did you have to do this, we are on our way to our funeral." I think to myself it is not as if I did it on purpose. I apologized to him and explained the situation with my brakes. It very well could have been my fault and no fault of the brakes. I told him that we could exchange information and that way he could get on and go to his funeral. He seems okay with the idea and so I start writing stuff down, then his wife gets out of the car. He tells her to get back in the car. She screams....NO! She stomps over to me. She starts screaming at me.... YOU @$#%@.....HOW COULD YOU DO THIS? ETC ETC ETC....LOTS MORE EXPLATIVES.... I could not believe this.....It was an accident...things happen. I apologized probably a hundred times. She clearly was not willing to accept my apology. She told me to #$%@ and at that point I lost it. Those things were horrible and I started crying and shaking. She got back in her car and her husband said he wanted to call the police. I did not want them to call the police because I was fearful that I would receive a ticket, but he insisted and told me it was illegal not too. We waited for the police to come and again this woman got out of her car and stomped over to me and repeated everything that she had said before and more....so much more, and then got back in her car. A couple minutes later she got out of her car and walked over again. Not again I thought but she gave me some half hearted aThe highway patrol came. I told them that this family was on their way to a funeral and that I would stay as long as needed but it would be great if we could get them on their way. The highway patrol said this man worked for them so they could not stay so a different then a Midvale police officer came. I explained everything to them and again asked if this family could leave for their funeral. My mom was following a few minutes behind me to take me home after we dropped off the car. She came to the scene and talked to the man and asked him if there was any damage, he told her "there was no damage and that the car was good to go, but their necks hurt". What a load of crap! I was not going more than 2 mph and there was no paint exchanged. I filled out a police report and so did they. They claimed damage to their necks but they were denied medical. I did not get a ticket, and my sister says calling the police protects me so here's to an horrible experience.

Ode to the Candy Counter

I got to work today and found a mini milky way on my desk and I ate it. Yes it was not even nine yet but it was so delicious. As I bit into the creamy caramel and smooth nougat I was transported back to a simpler time. A time when I used to eat candy for breakfast all the time. I refer happily to that time as my candy time. I had an amazing job as a cashier, but not just any cashier, a candy cashier. I worked at the BYU Bookstore selling bulk candy. This job was more glamorous then it sounds. I loved this job for 6 reasons. 1.) Almost unlimited candy, if the candy fell on the counter we could not sell it so it became free game for the employees. Also, we had to give our customers opinions on the candy so we were required to try at least everything once. 2.)Awesome people. I loved my job because of the people I worked with, I can't tell you the countless hours of fun I had behind the counter, whether we were coming up with new names for the "tender hearts" or developing chocolate covered hot tamales it was a blast! 3.) Provo Celebrities: So maybe these people aren't even D-list but their visits always brought excitement. B-money, Mr. Cinnabunny, Sister and who can forget the sweet and charming Joe. I think he asked every girl to be his girlfriend. Elder Cecil O. Samuelson came too but I am not sure what category he falls into. 5.) BYU football Players, notice that I didn't include them in the Provo celebrity category because they are more to me! I met Bryan Kehl, Ryan Neely, Brett Denney, Wayne Latu, and I will never forget the day when Fui Vakapuna bought wax lips. Maybe the best day of my life! 6.) Did I mention the free candy? Seriously, my favorite job ever and that is quite an accomplishment because I have had ALOT of jobs! So, even though my job earned me the undeserved title of the "candy Slut" (a story for another post) I will never forget you candy counter and will think of you every time I bite into a sweet confection.

Football Game

After two complete shut outs by my # 8 BYU Cougars a few members of my family decided to take a trip to Logan to watch the Cougars maul the aggies. It was such an adventure! I was following Bryan and Emily to Ogden but somehwere around Layton they called me to say that they forgot the tickets and they were going to turn around and go back to Spanish Fork. Luckily we called the BYU ticket office to see if they could just reprint our tickets at the stadium and surprisingly they were SO helpful! In all my past experience with the BYU ticket office they have been rude and very frustrating but Saturday they were extremely helpful. Halfway through my conversation with them my phone starts beeping at me telling me it is going to die. Why is it that my phone always dies at the most inconvienent times? I ran into a motel and after some strange looks they let me use their plug. We finally got to Logan and got into the stadium with no hang ups. After we walked in Emily and I kept commenting on we felt like it was such a miracle to have made it in. The stadium was so fun and it reminded me of a High School Stadium in Texas. They just looked at our tickets and did not scan them in like all of the other stadiums I have been too. Well the game was so fun at first and then I started to feel a little bit bad for Utah State, but then BYU played the worst that I have ever seen, ( my little brother Mark said that I should be grateful that I didn't know the Crowton Era). Pretty incredible that we can play that poorly and still win by 20 points. It was a fun game at the end with all the fans around us going crazy and I even ran into Reno Mahe. I was surprised to see that we didn't drop in the polls.

More than Words

It is really happening. I am really going on a mission. I went through the Jordan River Temple last Saturday and took out my endowments. It was a wonderful experience especially to have Mark, my younger brother, there. Up till this point the fact that I have been going on a mission has seemed so unreal. Brazil, Mission, 18 months, have all seemed like words to me. I guess it is starting to sink in a little more fully now which is good because I am leaving in a little over a month. Um Woah Crazy! Mark leaves even sooner then me. Our farewell is October 19 at 9:00 a.m. in South Jordan for any one who wants to attend.

September 23, 2008

Well I did it, I finished another journal. I think that has become one my favorite past times: writing in my journal. It is funny to me that I write in it so much. I mean I am not going to let anyone read it EVER, but it is such a release for me. I can remember all the crazy stuff that happens to me. Lately, my life has been pretty uneventful in the crazy story aspect but my realization of this fact made things change. In the past week I have locked my keys in my car, lost my cell phone, broken 3 dishes at work, and almost got run over. Well, NO MORE COMPLAINING about my "boring" life. I am happy to live a unbroken dish life complete with several sets of keys, and a fully functional cell phone.

Missionary Quote!

Saw this quote and loved it!
Missionary: A missionary is someone who leaves their family for a short time so that others can be with their families forever!

I loved this quote so much because I know that battling homesickness will be something that I will face on my mission and this quote helps me to remember that it is a wonderful blessing and opportunity I have to help families be together forever.

Family

Recently I have started taking a cake decorating class and the dynamic of people is really fun. There are about 7 women in the class ranging from ages 23 to a woman in her 50's. They are all married and have children, so I feel like I am at such a different stage of life than them. Yesterday for some reason they all started talking about family dysfunctions. There were 3 girls who were talking very openly about their family struggles. I came home a little discouraged at how scary the world is and how our families are under attack every day from every angle. As I was driving home I just felt this overwhelming love for my family and the wonderful example they are to me. Don't get me wrong we have had our struggles but my family is my greatest blessing in my life and I do not know what I would do without them. I also feel a renewed appreciation for my major. Sometimes I feel like I have a "mormon major" and that I am studying to be a house wife or something but I am so excited to teach high school students about having succesful families. I know that if we fix our families we will fix our society and this is the right major for me.

Wonderful Weekend.

What a wonderful weekend! I got a new niece, and her name is Brooklyn Jean Lyons. She is absolutely beautiful with two dimples! I am so grateful for healthy babies. Friday night I got to go and see The Dark Knight again. I love that movie so much. The joker is so good it is scary! Seeing that movie again was on my list of things to do before my mission. Saturday I had the wonderful experience of being at the complete shutout of UCLA by my Cougars. It was absolutely incredible, and I thought they were going to lose. I couldn't believe it. We just kept scoring and scoring. I kept taking pictures of the scoreboard because I did not think that it could get any better but then it did. After the game Karin and I decided to celebrate by getting double gulps. We have friends who are obsessed with double gulps so I thought I would try it out. 64 oz of heaven. Not really but it was delicious. I could only drink half of it. I love Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper! I just hung out the rest of the day and watched a movie (I could not believe that I did not fall asleep) and it was so nice not to be at work. I drove home and finished my night off by watching ESPN with my dad. I have to say all around a perfect Saturday.

Pictures

I just uploaded some pictures from my new camera...

The first is me as a fundamentalist. (worst pic ever :( ) My mom thought this dress would be cute for a mission. I thought it looked like something Mrs. Warren Jeffs would wear so I braided my hair and took off my makeup and this was the final result. Maybe I should wear it for Halloween.

This is a picture of the turtle cupcakes that I made.

Some random pics...

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?!?!?!?

Oh my gosh! I am so excited. Just two and a half hours till the football game! I can't wait! I am little nervous about the game. Washington is good, it is not going to be an easy game but I think that we can win!

Farmer's Market

I went to the Farmer's Market today to write an article for LDSTimes. ( It is a new job requirement). It was so fun. I loved it. I got a pair of purple earrings ( of course, purple), I had this amazing pork tamale, and I got some tomatoes and basil. It was such a cute little gathering. There was so much culture and the people were so kind! I met a man who was selling these ties and we were talking about missions, anyways ended up talking to him for like ten minutes. I love people like that, who you can just instantly talk to forever! So maybe he was just trying to sell me a tie but I didn't buy one and he was really nice to talk to.

I had quite the funny feeling today...I was wishing that I was in school. How crazy is that? Seriously, I miss buying new clothes, notebooks, and pencils. I love Fall, it is for sure my favorite season. I love the crisp air, the crisp apples, and of course FOOTBALL. I went to the first BYU game last Saturday and it was fun. A little disapointing but fun. BYU has a long way to go if they are going to make it to a BCS Bowl, but I know they are up for the challenge.

Get me Outta Here!

82 more days! That's right. I counted it today. It was an attempt to see how many chapters I should read a day if I want to read the Book of Mormon in Portuguese before I leave but I fear I have unleashed a never ending countdown. 82 more days! 82 more days of football, family, and friends, as a friend said to me, which is great I love my family, friends, and football, but I just want to go. I was talking to my friend Rachel (refer to earlier post) and we were talking about how the time leading up to your mission is so difficult. Oh my gosh, it so is! I would not have believed it until I experienced it myself. I have made my decision to go on a mission, and nothing, and I mean NOTHING will take me away from that, but everything around me feels like a distraction. I am trying on focusing on one direction in my life: MISSION, but it is so hard to be here right now. I feel in limbo, I don't really live in south jordan and I don't live in Provo.

Accident Prone

Some say that I am a walking accident...while I like to say that I am a walking miracle. Seriously...I am an idiot. I was getting into my car on Monday afternoon and heading to work at the Aagards. As I was getting in I hit my neck on the pointy car door. Nothing happened but it hurt and then I ended up hitting my eye on the door frame. It hurt so bad! It bruised almost instantly! The morning the top of my eye was black and blue, like a half black eye. Then today I was sitting at work and I leaned back in my chair ( it is a leaning chair) and as I did it lost balance and i fell backwards and SMASHED my head into a stone wall. I just kind of sat there for a while and then two people came out to see what happened to me. HOW EMBARASSING! Oh well right? Just another day in the life of Kimber! I am fine and recovering nicely but I do have quite the headache!

People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime.

I just had to write about RACHEL. Rachel was my roommate last year and quickly morphed into one of my best friends. Rachel is always there for me, she has the best advice, and is all around an amazing person. Rachel is going on a mission to Malaga, Spain and yesterday I called her to talk about our missions. Going on a mission is so wonderful but I feel like the time leading up to a mission is so difficult! Rachel has been there for me and a huge pillar of support for me. I am just so grateful for her.

Where I have been...

It has been a while and I am foolishly naive to think that the few people who read my blog would expect to know where I have been. The day after my birthday I had a wonderful vacation with my family in Park City. It was such a good chance to do nothing. I just spent time with the family, hung out at the pool, raced down the alpine slide, went to the outlet malls, and we even celebrated my birthday. I got just what I wanted...to spend time with my entire family. Everyone was there! It was so great, what a great way to spend my last family vacation in Park City for a while. After the vacation I moved home... * Double Gulp* It is different than I thought it would be but I think it is for the best. I just get bored so easily. I should just think of it as an opportunity to improve myself. I am enjoying the extra time that I am able to spend with my family. I hope to be able to be a joy to have home and to be able to be helpful. I worked 51 hours last week so I am back to the grind stone but I am so grateful for the vacation and the short but needed opportunity to take a break.

Today is A Birthday I Wonder for Whom...

Yay! As my mom said I am a legal adult! Apparently my life is soon going to start. Birthdays are so fun! I feel so loved! This birthday was the best birthday ever. First off I came home at midnight to find that my apartment had been decorated by my room mate/Cousin/Best Friend Heather. There was the cutest cake sitting on the table, with my name on it! I went to bed and woke up with birthday wishes from what seemed like everyone. I got to talk to all my siblings, which was so great and even my nephews called to wish me a happy birthday. I went to work to find a huge banner at my desk that said "HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIMBER". Later Heather and Rob brought me a delicious breakfast of pancakes, eggs, and bacon. At noon I thought " this day has been so incredible and it is only noon", but it got better. Some people from one of the companies I work for brought me a beautiful chocolate cake and sang Happy Birthday to me in their very "worst" voice, it was hilarious! My friends at work let me get off early and I went with my roommates and cousin Kate to dinner at Goodwood. It seems redundant to say but it was so good! I had the most amazing baby back ribs. After dinner we went back to a concert that was put on my all of condo row. At the end of the concert my friend Scott pulled me up in front of about 100 people and announced it was my birthday and this singer Jerot Burns sang me happy birthday! We headed over to my apartment for cake. It is an apartment tradition to receive as many kisses on your age so I got 22! 21 plus one for good measure! A birthday isn't complete without fireworks so we headed outside to shoot roman candles. The battle was on, I was to face Jen, a girl in my ward. We started shooting and she started running away so I chased her only to find out that a "ball" had gotten stuck in her helmet. Luckily, she was okay. About 5 minutes later a cop car pulled up asking who had done the fireworks. We stepped up and he told us that it was going to be a $1400 fine, but then he told us that he didn't care and just not to do it again. Phew! I had to clean my apartment to move out and my friend Dan came and helped me clean, which was so nice! All in all, it was the best birthday ever except that I didn't spend time with my family but I get to celebrate it all over again this weekend! Thanks to everyone for a super great day!

Moving Home

I made my decision and I am moving home. I am still going to work in Provo and Alpine so I will be in Provo all the time, and I will still come to my ward here. I feel like this is the best decision. It will be great to spend more time with my family before I leave. The free rent and food can't be beat either.

BYU WOMEN'S FOOTBALL CAMP!

Last Thursday I went to Football Camp. I loved it! Thanks to my dear friend Amy Holker who is Bronco's secretary, I got the hook up! I got a shirt signed by several players, a new media guide, a poster and several other BYU themed things. I just love BYU Football. The highlight of the evening was getting to take pictures with Unga and Bronco...honestly I thought i was going to faint. It was such a great day!

Homeless

Where should I live? I am getting kicked out of my apartmetn soon and I do not know where I am moving too. What a funny feeling. I might move home, get a contract for fall in Provo, or move to my Brother-in-law's Grandma's house. There are pros and cons to each one and I just do not know what to do.

My phone!

AWWWW I lost my phone! The funny things is that I lost it in the most unusual way.... I was at my nanny job when I couldn't find my phone. I had all of the kids go stand in a different room and we could not hear it. I was so frustrated but I just decided to work really late and hope that it would turn up. It did turn up eventually...in the dishwasher. Don't ask me how, because I do not know. Luckily, my dear room mate Emily had an old phone and she let me have hers. I owe her big time. I was headed home and decided to listen to some of my music to cool down, and I looked down and saw a crack in my screen of my MP3 player... DANG!! I worked that out too! I called SanDisk and they are sending me a new on in 7-10 days. Thank Goodness! I am so grateful that everything worked out!

Fortaleza!

Here is what I have found out:
It is HOT HOT HOT! and humid.
It is mostly a desert but it is very green in the mountains.
The beaches are white sand and off the coast of the atlantic.
It is a pretty poor area and people will have a lot of time to listen to me.
I will eat rice and beans ALL the time. The fruit there is amazing, especially during Mango season ( I am so excited for mango season).
I have seen a lot of pics of the MTC and it looks kind of tropical, it should be really good weather when I get there especially after coming off November weather here in Utah. I have a friend in in my ward who came over yesterday and showed me pics from his mission because that is where he served. It looks so cool! The people are so great! I don't want to wait till November, I WANT TO GO NOW!

It's Here

Oh My gosh! My call came and I am going to Fortaleza, Brazil. I just can't believe it. I go to the Brazil MTC on November 12! I am just so grateful to be called as missionary. I know it is what I have been called to do and I can not wait to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with the people of Brazil. I already feel like I love them so much. I kept running around yesterday like a chicken with it's head cut off and I just kept thinking to myself " I have never been to Brazil, I don't Speak Portuguese" , but I know that is where I am supposed to go and I know it is right with every fiber of my being. Fortaleza here I come!

My Call is Here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My dad called me yesterday and said that he can pick up my call from the Church office Building so...today I open it. I am just dying with excitement. I couldn't sleep last night, add that to my recent bouts of not sleeping and I am a mess! I just can't wait to open it. IDAHO here I come!

Here it is!

Mark opened his mission call on Saturday. He is going to the Cebu, Phillipines mission speaking Cebuano. Mark is so excited and I am so excited for him as well!

Mark Got His Call!

Mark just called me and told me that his mission call is here! Here's the clincher...he can not open it until Saturday night when my parents get home from Lake Powell. I was thinking that it is going to be so dififcult to have to wait a couple of hours but that is even more killer for him! I am sure glad that I am not in his spot,I dont think I could not open it, I would probably sneak and open it, that is why I had my mission call sent to my parent's house....there is no way that I could make that drive not opening my call. I am so excited for Mark. I can not believe that he is going on a mission. I remember him as that little kid in McAllen in his little suit, red tie, and a very straight part in his hair! He is so cute, and is going to make a fabulous missionary. I am so excited to be able to share experiences with im and to be going through some of the same stuff as him. I definitley do not feel like my mission call is coming. It just does not feel real. To be honest...this is kind of a difficult and discouraging time for me. I have made the right decision and because great things are about to happen there are many roadblocks being put in my way. I can not belive that the next year and a half of my life is printed on a piece of paper. How crazy is that? I am so grateful for the apostles and the Spirit. I wouldn't want anyone else taking control. I feel as though my life in Provo is coming to an end, which is quite a statement because I have been here for the last three years...almost more than I have been anywhere else. So my life in Provo is ending but I have no idea where I am going next, all I can do is put my trust in my Heavenly Father and know that what happens is right!

Goals

I am a firm believer in goals and I decided that I need to set goals so that I can keep progressing. I want to eat better. I have been so busy latley with work that I have not been eating healthy at all, I am going to plan out a weeks worth menu and go to the grocery store and eat healthier, I will also eat five a day the color way. I also want to get more phsyical activity, at least 30 minutes a day. Scripture study and studying preach my gospel are right up there because they are so important. I also need to work on having more meaningful morning prayers. Ask me about it and push me! I need it!

Where in the world is Kimber Lyons?

Here are the guesses so far... ( i realized how pointless this is...seeing how almost all missions will get guessed but whatever ...its for fun)
Alabama
Alaska
Argentina (4)
Arkansas
Australia (2)
Austria
Baltic
Brazil (4)
California (3)
Canada (4)
Chile (2)
Columbia
The Deep South
Denmark
East Coast
Ecuador(2)
England (2)
Fiji (2)
Florida
France
Georgia(3)
Germany (2)
Greece
Guatemala
Holland (2)
Honduras
Indiana
Italy (2)
Jackson County/Independence area
Kirtland
Korea
Liberty Jail
Massachusettes
Mexico(2)
Micronesia
Mississippi (2)
Missouri
Nebraska
New Jersey
New York
Oklahoma
Ohio (2)
Oregon(2)
Pennsylvania (4)
Phillipines
Poland
Portugal (2)
Russia (2)
Samoa
Scotland
South Africa
Spain (3)
Taiwan
Tennessee (2)
Texas (3)
Tonga
Ukraine
Virginia (2)
Washington (3)
Washington DC
Wisconsin (2)

Waiting Game

SO MY PAPERS ARE IN! WOO HOO! I guess I just spend all my time waiting now! I am sure every Wednesday will be crazy to me. Everyone is invited when I open my call! Mark just put his papers in also so maybe we will go at the same time! My bishop was so helpful in getting me into the Stake President so I could send off my papers! He had an appoitment but canceled it so that I could go in. THANK YOU! Let me know any guesses and cross your fingers for SPANISH!

UPDATE!

So I had my bishop's interview and I just need to have my Stake President's interview. My bishop told me that my call would probably be here around the end of July. Oh my! I am just so excited to receive my call. I have some fears and doubts which I think are normal, but I know it is the right decision and I think that once I find out where I get to serve and when I will be going I will be able to start preparing and everything will sink in a little bit more. I am so grateful to all of the people who helped me get this far. I have been so blessed with an amazing family, great friends, helpful church leaders, and great examples of missionaries. When my Father was a mission president there were some great sister missionaries who really implanted in me that first desire to serve a mission and I will forever be grateful for them.

Working

I got another job! Everyone is always teasing me about having so many jobs. She loves to work. She loves to work. I just want to do something i like doing and I tend to not stop until I find that. Well I started my new job as a mother's helper and I ended up working five hours on top of my regular 8 hour day as a receptionist. I was tired but it felt so good to work hard. I imagine this is what my mission will be like...different of course. I love the feeling of getting into my bed and feeling like I deserve to be there because I worked so hard! I was talking to Bryan about my mission and he said that at the end of every day I should be able to say that I gave everything I had and I want to start living my life like that.

Welcome Luke!

I am so grateful for my new nephew. Luke Steven Bastow. He is beautiful. Emily and Bryan were able to adopt him this weekend. I got to hold him and spend a lot of time with him this Sunday. He has such beautiful brown eyes. He is mean to be part of our family and I am just so excited to have him. He is such a miracle.

Mission Papers

Well I turned my papers in for a missionary.... No, I have submitted my papers for a mission. Everything that I can do has been done. I am just waiting for a bishop's interview and a stake president's interview. Oh I hate waiting...but it is good for me I am sure. Serving a mission has always been in the back of my head...I just didn't know if It would really happen. I didn't want to go on a mission unless I knew it was the right thing, but oh do I know now! I am so excited to get out and serve the people. It is going to be so hard but I am so excited.

New Blog

Well, I decided to finally get on my blog and actually blog but I realized that I forgot my password and have had trouble getting it back together...so here I am with a new one.