So I got Tagged about a month ago for this one. Here it is.
20 years ago I . . .
Had convinced my mom to let me cut my hair to look like a boy, cause I wanted to get to have as much fun as the boys. I was loving the lime light of scoring points for my soccer team and sticking up to the bullies on the play ground.
I was wrestling calves to the ground and helping Dad and Nic give them their vaccinations and ear tags. I loved being dirty. I wore the same pair of paints to school everyday. Their were pink sweet pants with huge holes in both knees. Wow, my parents were pretty cool to let me get away with all that!
10 years ago I . . .
Fell in love with Hawaii and the people at BYU Hawaii. Was so ready to get out of high school that I went just enough to get into BYU hawaii the next year and then took the rest of the year off enjoying a trip to Slovakia, Austria and Italy.
5 years ago I . . .
Came back from serving a mission in La Reunion, and Mauritius to BYU hawaii where it took me 6 months to turn back into a semi normal person. I fell more deeply in love with Anthropology and learned enough Spanish to do an ethnography in the highlands of Guatemala.
3 years ago I . . .
Graduated from BYU Hawaii studied for and took the LSAT in three weeks. Moved back home, worked for my Dad's law firm as his marketing person and got so stir crazy I took a second job in the woods hanging out with troubled teens. I worked one week in an office all dressed up and another in the woods in the stinkiest clothes I could find, so I could be more like the kids. I got a good enough score on the LSAT to be accepted with scholarships at some good schools, but was blown away that BYU accepted me. After surprisingly feeling really good about going, I decided to go to BYU, and I haven't regretted it ever since.
So far this year I . . .
Started a legal NGO (Sowers of Hope) for an Non profit school for Orpans I helped to start in the DR Congo. Fell in what I thought was love, got pretty good at snowboarding, and then became very confused on the whole idea of love. Shaved my head, and it felt damn good! Went on some of the best hikes of my life. Visited VT 3 times, and Oregon 3 times. Got to go to my brothers wedding in Oregon. Got a job with an NGO (Tifie) which works in DR Congo.
Today I . . .
Went and visited a catholic Orphanage in Kinshasa DRC to see how we can help the Orphanage sponsored by Tifie run better for the children. Talk with my boss, my good friend Bernard and a new friend counselor to the minister of transportation about investing in Barges to bring food to Kinshasa. Watched my Jamaican friend win the 100 meter dash in the Olympics! (don't worry, I don't really know him, but I was super excited for him). Went to dinner at the Livington's the mission presidents here in the DRC. Got to talk with the Humanitarian missionary couple about the natal care and the cataract removal projects they have been doing here. Worked on the business plan for the Trucking company sponsored by Tifie and talked with my friend Emmanuel the director of Sowers of Hope. Drank sooo much water!!!!!!
My Families house in Oregon has the prettiest view in the world. This is at 6am overlooking our fields onto Mt. Hood.
Nic and Hailey. We were all proud of Nic's kick butt walk!
Part of the team we walked with. Me, Tucker, Hailey, Nic, Nathan and Kaitlyn were all in one car. We had the party of our lives! It was such a blast!
Tucker right after coming in from him 7, 13 minute miles.
Tucker at the Finish line, yes he is walking, running was not allowed.
Some of the great decorations on other cars
One of my favorites
They didn't know Tucker's last name when they signed him in, so they called him Tucker Jon. It stuck the rest of the trip.
Here is a picture of one of the girls I visited at the Orphanage here. It is one of many, but I am not going to push my luck on getting more on here right now. This one has taken me three days. The connection here is really slow.
Hailey and I having a heart to heart in the booth. That red top canopy really cast a deep shadow on us!
Mom, Nathan, Caitlyn and Tucker working hard at the booth. We had some pretty slow moments, but over all it wasn't a bad year.
Thuey and Hoa helped out on Sunday. Thuey was a super fast learner on the cash register, which was great for me cause I was done with it at that point.
We had about 12 different flavors to choose from. I think Tigers Blood was one of the most popular. What is Tigers Blood, you ask? Funny you should ask, cause so did everyone else who ordered from us who hadn't before. Tiger's blood is cherry and coconut mix, one of my favorites, though I think my all time favorite this year was the root beer flavor with the ice cream in the bottom, tasted like a root beer float.
Whose got the coolest Grama in the world? I do!!!!!!!
Every Sunday Grama organizes a dinner for what ever family is in town. The Stewarts are almost always around and I make it once in a while. We also have some other cousins in the area who are doing school here off and on. This is a shot of Grama, Aunt Heather and I at the Stewarts house. We have been having the dinner there cause they have a BBQ grill and Grama is dedicated to having BBQ every Sunday. mmmm, yum, I don't mind it at all.
I was walking to the "Toilet" when I snapped this one. The flowers up there were georgeous. This doesn't even do it justice.
We ran into some Mountain Goat near the top. They were super patient with us, probably cause there wasn't really anywhere for them to go, there was too many people on the hike and they couldn't get around everyone. I wonder how long they had to hang out at this spot.
Me at the top, over looking emerald lake.
The marker for the summit! We made it!
There were some really steep spots at the top. I was wishing I had eaten a banana or two as my calves kept cramping up. Happily I am not sore a bit today.
Joshua and Macrun
Tyre, Joshua's puppy. So cute. He might have a little Dingo in him.
