Leap of faith

Well, It is time for me to take a leap of faith. I have not been satisfied with where I am or what I am doing in life since I have come home from Japan. It seems as thought I have been merely existing in this world and not living up to my potential.

I have been trying to figure out what it is I need to be doing, what it is that would be most beneficial to me and those around me.

I am still not sure what it is I need to be doing in my life, but I have the distinct impression that it is up to me, and whatever I decide to do (as long as it is righteous) will be supported by Heavenly Father. I am scared about what I am about to do, but that is mainly because I will be without any kind of safety net. My family is not in any kind of position to help me out on this if I can not find a place to stay, or a job to support myself with, or financial aid to pay for school, or if something comes up unexpectedly. I do not have a support I can see, and that scares me. I know I have the support and encouragement of my family, but I will only have Heavenly Father there if things don't go according to plan.

Not being able to see my safety net is what is most frightening. It is going to require me to exercise a lot of faith. I will have the best safety net there is out there, but it requires a lot of faith and exercising faith on my part. The unknown scares and excites me. This is probable the biggest thing I have done to date.

So what is it I am planning on doing? I have decided to go to The Illinois Institute of Art Chicago to study fashion design. It is an expensive program, but I would like to take my sewing skills to the next level.

I plan on making custom Wedding dresses and gowns, special event attire, and anything else one might need or want. That is my ultimate goal in this direction. I want to do this for both a career and as a service.

I am sending in my application with in the week and am trying to find a job and a place to stay. There are a few people I know in the area, so I am hoping I can get there help. Hopefully in a few weeks I will have everything settled.

In the mean time, I have a few sewing projects on the table that I am trying to get done before Christmas. Some are personal projects and others are Christmas presents. I plan on posting those, along with school projects, as I get them done.

Keep a look out for posts on finished projects.

And wish me luck!

Halloween

Well, I guess I have taken a bit of a leave of absence over the last few months. Part of the reason was because I have been busy at work, busy sewing, or have been Internet less (which was quite often... ). But here I am trying to do better.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE! Here are a few pictures for your viewing pleasure:

I was driving home the other day and I found thins wonder!

Yes, they have a shipwrecked pirate ship in their front yard!

I was quite impressed.

This is my carved masterpiece this year. I got around to carving a pumpkin this year and I decided to go with a snake.

I must say, It turned out rather well.

I hope soon to get up some pictures of my costume.... I think some one out there got a picture of it.....

This is my costume for my friend's Wedding/ masquerade Ball.

I made some adjustments to it for Halloween.

(I will have to find pictures of the adjustment)

Don't get too excited.... this is just a friend I took to the wedding.

I didn't know anyone else that was going to the ball

and I didn't want to go alone....

Pictures of me are courtesy of Terra Cooper and Muzo Gul

The woes of being single

I have been pondering a lot of late the differences between LDS guys and those guys who are not. I know what I want and have been trying to find it in a good catch of an LDS guy, and have found them seriously lacking in one major area: being interested in me. While I see guys who are not LDS, who have great qualities about them and they are very much so not lacking in one category: being interested in me. So, I have been wondering, and have no answer yet, why it is the kind if guy I want to marry is not interested in me? What is the difference between the two.

My mom and I have been discussing this a lot lately, Why LDS guys are not interested and guys who are not are, and we have come up with a variety of different answers, the funniest I will share with you:

1) LDS guys are scared of girls like me and guys who are not LDS are not intimidated easily.

2) I am a curvy girl ( and a tad bit on the plump side), and LDS guys don't like curvy/ plump girls, and guys who are not LDS couldn't care less if I was or not accepting me as I am.

3) (and probably my most favorite) I am a curvy girl and therefore I am a sexual sin, thus LDS guys are scared of me and guys who are not LDS are saying: "Bring on the sinning!"

well, I would go on, but I don't want to take the time to remember it all and then write it down.

So you know, this is all based off of the interactions I have had with the opposite sex. Who had thus far won in regards of interest:

LDS "Boys" Guys who are not LDS
0 35+ (but who is counting)

Oh, the challenge of being a beautiful Single young woman, the guys you want are in hiding (that is if they are actually in existence), and the ones who just don't quite cut it are all standing in line....

Mt. Nebo Loop

Mt. Nebo Loop Day Trip

On Monday my parents and i desided to take a drive and go on the Mt. Nebo Loop.

It was quite the experience.

Uah is full of Beauty and History, both old and new.

Our first stop was the Sri Sri Krishna Temple in Salem.

This isn't what you would expect to see in Utah.

Next stop was the Salem House. This was built by my

great great grandpa on my mom's side

Next is the Peteetnet School. We didn't have time to stop and

check anyhing out if we were going up the mountain, so

We didn't find out what this school was all about.

This is the first observation point. I liked the fence and flowers. :D



I love the mountains. :D

Ah! The road!

:D

Haha, my dad. :D We were haveing a lot of fun!

Another fence! It seems like they are everywhere on the loop!

Well, what do you expect, this is Utah.

I jut really liked this view with the sun.

More mountains.

I wish we would have gone earlier in the day, the evening sun wasn't the best

for picture taking.

This was about the highest we went, maybe a little higher.

The Devil's Kitchen is in Utah,

Just in case you where wondering. ;P

Oh Utah, the Beautiful!

:D

This is where the loop dumps out,Well if you are a Mendenhall it does. :D

This is where we stoped to have dinner.

We were tourists for the day, so it wouldn't be complete if I didn't take a

picture of my dinner in the Japanese fashion.

(Only I forgot to take the picture before I started,

so this is half of my dinner. :P)

The Village

Look! I am actually posting something!

I have been busy/ lazy since I have gotten home from Japan. It has been hard to find something worth posting after the excitement of exotic Japan. But I guess I haven't been looking hard enough.

Ok first off, My job is the perfect job for some one who just loves Christmas. I work at the Village Christmas Shoppe @ a little place called Gardner Village.

Gardner Village is a collection of houses from around the area that are historical pioneer homes turned shoppes. It is a quaint little shopping area.

This is my shoppe! :D It is a lot of fun.
Christmas all year long!


Here is our store mascot, Snowball!
(He is about 6-10 lbs lighter in this picture...)

Not only do we sell Christmas, but we have a little thanksgiving and Halloween stuff.



Come check us out!

wow, it's June!

Oh wow, it's June! I have been very lazy as of late! I have so much to post of my last month or so in Japan. I really should upload pictures and keep on with what is going on right now (though life is much too boring now that I am home). I have to work today, but I will try and get something posted up here for you tomorrow and start to get caught up with life. :D

Hiroshima adventures

I really don't have anything special to share with you. I just thought I would take the time to post a quick note since I have been neglecting my blog as of late.

I have been to Iwakuni and the Kintai bridge and should get some pictures up for you soon.

Yesterday a friend and I spent the day in Hiroshima, just on a whim. It was really nice.

We decided to go shopping and enjoy the day.

We started off in search of a Japanese burger joint her friend had told her about (she is also an ALT and from America). We asked the information center at the train station where said burger joint was and went to where the lady told us to go, we walked and followed the map she gave us. Well, it wasn't to be. There was no burger joint, only a Mister Donut. So we left the well trodden path and went off in search of a place to eat.

We soon gave up and ate at McDonald's. I tried the California burger... it really didn't taste like California, more like a weak Texas, but that is just me. It was supposed to be a "big American" burger, but it turned out to be the size of a small burger you would find in America. Oh well.

We found a nice seat to eat our lunch on the second floor by the window. We sat there for almost an hour just people watching. It was a lot of fun, though the best thing we saw all day was a lady who looked like Izma from Emperors New Groove. She even had a funky hat on I am sure Izma would have sported, though I don't think Izma would have sported the camouflage pants.

We ended up in at the Hiroshima Peace park and just enjoyed the peaceful serenity found at the park. We wondered to the museum, but it was just closing as we got there, so no crying for me. But we had a good time perusing the park grounds.

Finally we found our way to do some shopping. We went here and there and enjoyed the shopping district of Hiroshima. When we finally decided to go we found that it was raining out. I was glad I had decided to bring my umbrella along in my bag. It was just a light drizzle when we set out walking toward the train station, but all of a sudden it turned into a downpour! We found ourselves in the middle of a thunder storm complete with lightning and thunder! It was great! Funny thing is that my umbrella was not up to the challenge of protecting me from such a storm and I had to do some creative maneuvering to keep my umbrella from being inverted. It made for a fun adventure to end our day in Hiroshima.

Well, that is all for now. I will try to get some pictures up of the Kintai bridge and Iwakuni castle before I move out (which will happen this week) and start my touring before I leave.

Celestia, Over and Out.

Chinese Zodiac

While at Miyajima we found these cute little guys

with the Chinese Zodiac. I just had to take a pictue of them all!

I hope you enjoy!

Miyajima

haha! Look! I finally updated!

Here is my lovely trip to Miyajima, What a lovely day it was.

This is Miyajima from the ferry.

It was a rainy day, but lucky for us the rain stopped just as we got there.

This is the first thing we saw when we got to Miyajima,

deer. Japanese are quite enchanted by these furry friends,

All they have to do is spend some time in Utah and that will cure them.

Oh, aren't I so cute?


The famous Tori gate!

Tori gate with my lovely friends, Ashley and Seiko.

I thought this looked cool.

Oh how fun.

Me, Ashley, and Kaori.

ATTACK OF THE KILLER DEER,

RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!

so, these deer will eat from your hand,

whether you want it or not...

Here I am trying to get my fortune

(Well the stick with the number on it so I know which fortune to take..)

Here is my fortune, I am being told that it is a bad omen...

Well, it isn't a bad fortune, but it isn't a good one.

We both got defective fortunes,

so here we are giving them away.

How fortunate! We were just in time to see

a traditional wedding!

Aren't they lovely?

They were so happy they didn't mind all of the tourists taking their picture,

See? He even smiled for me!

Cool picture.

Tori horns!

Don't you wish you were me?

Here is the whole group.

Look at those hot chicas!
Best looking girls on the island!

This is one steep bridge.

I thought it looked cool.

Seiko showing that she can tough it out and make it to the top,

Funny thing is we went a different rout, I think the other

route was easier.... and it had a lot of cool things we would

have missed.

For example, this little guy. He and others

were hidden here and there along the other route.

There were also a bunch of little men statues.

Oh! Here is another one. They were sooo cute!

Drunk raccoon dog thing...

Here is a temple we went to. We even risked our lives and climbed to the top!

And out the window!

It was great!

He was just in front of the temple.

I think he is trying to tell us something.

Well, what ever it was I am sure we didn't listen.

Oh, isn't he so cute?
He reminds me of my brother.....

Oh what a fun game!

The view from the top of the temple.

Another view...

And another....

Seiko climbing back in the window.

The shrine in the temple.

It is nice having Japanese people with you,

Then you know what you can take pictures of.

Our lunch menu

Lunch.

Oh how yummy it was!

Ok, we are almost done, bare with me a moment longer

Oh, isn't she so cute!

Oh how lovely...
If only that little deer know how much I didn't love him...

Look! Another raccoon dog thing with booze!

This time he is smoking a cigarette!

Then again with aliens as my neighbors I would probably

drink too.

Well, not really...

This statue is right outside the ferry station.

I thought it was pretty cool.

And here is dinner. I am not

sure what it is, some sort of Korean food.

Kaori treated me to dinner. It was really good!



Celestia Over and out!

P.s. Soon to come, pictures of the cute little statues we saw all over the place