SO EXCITED

Seeing as I'm  able to watch more daytime tv, as I like to keep it on to keep me company during the day. I have been closely watching the wedding plans of Kate and William. I am so excited for them. I can't even imagine what they are feeling right now. Only 4 more days...

Stars

Growing up as a child my Grandma and Grandpa Peck instilled a few things in me that I love. They knew how to enjoy the simple pleasures in life, and they showed them to me. My love grew for these simples pleasures. One of them was to take the time to look up at the big beautiful sky filled with diamonds. I can remember countless nights on the trampoline with my Grandma just laying with our heads towards the sky, listening to the crickets and frogs in the distance (looooove those sounds). Enjoying the beauty that is the stars. It sounds so cliche to say "I love looking at the stars." But I cannot help it. I think truly it is one of my favorite past times. This past summer I went camping with some friends, and my friend Caleb had an app on his phone that allowed you to put his phone up towards the sky and it told you each stars name and everything you could think of. It was so amazing, I loved it! I also remember in one of my favorite movies this boy got a star officially named after the girl he liked. He did it for her because she loved the night sky so much. I think I would like that very much. I might regret posting this, because I sound SO nerdy. But whatevs. Shooting stars are my favorite, they feel like a burst of magic shooting through the sky. 

Picture from {Astronomy Picture of the Day Index-Stars: Open Clusters}

Humor

So grab my hand, and let's take a walk. A walk down memory lane. C'mon now, just grab it. 

So I was reading in one of my old journals where I had made a list of qualities I desired in a spouse. I believe this had been a part of a young woman's activity I had participated in. I read it just a while back, and found it to be the most humorous list. Let me show you this little list, mind you I was probably around 12-14ish. 

Future spouse qualities (no particular order):

-Return Missionary

-Funny

-Humble

-Teachable (I was smart at a very young age)

-Loving

-Kind

-Sincere

-Observant

-Compassionate

-Spontaneous

-Happy

-Positive

-Hard worker

-Talented

-Understanding

As I read my old list, I thought to myself that maybe I should revisit my list..ya know..clean it up a little. I think I might have had big ambitions, and don't get me wrong I still do, but I think I know a little more of what I want now in my life. 

I've done my fair share of dating. The more I date the more I realize what it is I really want. The things that really make me happy. I won't write out my list, because that's embarrassing, but I assure you it is much shorter, more realistic, yet it includes the things I've really come to realize are important. I've also realized some aspects in a personality come with time.

One of the things that is on my list now is "funny." I think the thing I really love most is to laugh. I do it pretty easily and sometimes very loudly. Joshua is always amazed at just how loud my laugh is. He always make's fun of me because he says I laugh at all the things no one else laughs at, and since my laugh is so loud, it causes many embarrassing moments for the dear pubescent boy who gets embarrassed easily. He constantly is just looking at me in disbelief. I do love to embarrass my dear brother.

Having "funny" as one of the important things may seem really silly to some, but to me it is REALLY important. It is one of the most attractive qualities about a person. How can you not be happy when you are laughing? 

Tommy Boy anyone?

Music Lovin

 

I love Lissie

I love men and guitars..preferably when they are together.

 

I love burberry acoustic

Blessed

>Tonight I'm feeling especially grateful. As you read listen to this.

>This past November I had made the decision to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It was a really hard decision. I struggled for months prior trying to decide whether this was the right thing for me. I couldn't make heads or tails of it. It was one of the most stressful times of my life. I was very miserable. I finally decided that I needed to just make a decision. Right or wrong, I knew Heavenly Father would help me know. So I finally saw my Bishop (who I was best friends with at this point) and I opened my papers. It felt exciting, and really scary. When I came back to my apartment I told my roommates and they were going crazy! One of my roommates was a return missionary and one was getting ready to leave very soon. For that moment I thought, ok I'm doing this. But I still didn't feel happy.

>The days that followed my decision were terrible. I had such uneasiness. I knew I would be seeing my parents soon for Thanksgiving and I was comforted that I could seek their counsel. The last night of Thanksgiving break I finally broke down to my parents and told them everything I was experiencing. My Mom gave my some wise counsel, and suggested that maybe I wait a little longer to make my decision, and that I would still be blessed either way. Sometime's I convince myself that if I'm not perfect I don't deserve anything good to happen in my life. To me being perfect was serving a mission. As soon as my Mom suggested that I just wait, I had the greatest calm come over me that serving a mission was not right for me now. All throughout the semester I cherished every moment I spent at the beautiful BYU-Idaho campus. For some reason I knew it would be my last semester, at least for awhile. I thought maybe that was initially why I thought I was going to serve a mission.

> As I have come home I have just felt that it is right for me to stay here for awhile. I don't know all the reasons, though I know a few. I don't know exactly where my life is headed, but ever since making the decision to stay home; everything has fallen into place for me. I just got offered a full time nannying job, I was able to sell my housing contract up at school, I've made amazing friends, and I feel like I am meant to be here now. I feel overwhelmed with gratitude. I feel so blessed. I have a testimony that Heavenly Father has a plan for us even though some days it feels so confusing and scary. I know that we are probably better than we convince ourselves we are. I know I am being led and prepared for something probably greater than I can comprehend currently. Life is such an adventure. As cheesy as it sounds, it is so true. Even though I've chosen a different path than I initially thought I would, Heavenly Father is showing me a different adventure that I'm going to be taking whatever it may be and I know that I'll be blessed just as much.

Paris

This is a story about a magical place far away. Lights sparkle there-crepe's are eaten on the daily-bike's are a more common mode of transportation-love is shown and spoken of often-time is non-exhistant. Paris.

Many people say they have visited Paris, and complain that it just isn't for them. That's okay, because it's for ME! I really did love Paris. One of my best days in Paris went like this...

Our group walked many blocks to this little bike shop called Fat Tire Bike Tours. We all got suited up with a bike and off we were for an adventure none of us really knew about. All I knew is that we were taking some type of tour on bike's. 

I had a red one. I couldn't reach the ground, which made stopping really fun.

We set off on our bike's. We had an awesome tour guide named Taylor. He was not bad to look at, and his personality didn't disappoint either.

He was American even! He also had another friend (tour guide) who would pop up every once in awhile. Rachel and me were in love with them both! Anyways...So we rode all day long. We started out by riding to the metro station where we loaded our bikes onto the metro. This was quite the task seeing that we had to split up into small groups and each hit up a different section of the metro just to be sure we could fit. I have the funniest memory of Rachel and her small group getting off a stop too early. My group was looking out the windows and we see all 5 of them out on the station with their bikes looking at us still on the metro. We quickly told them they had got off a stop too soon. It was the most hilarious thing to watch them all scrambling to get back on with their bike's. I thought Rachel was going to have a heart attack as she plowed through everyone.

We finally reached our stop. We were headed to "one of the finest outdoor markets of France." I thought..oooh neato. But once we got there I was so terrified, because these vendors were from the depths of France. They did not speak English. This was NOT a tourist stop. I took two years of French in high school, but honestly that really could do me no good. I did try though, and somehow the people understood "deux peche" and "une baguette." Really how could they not? We were on our way to Versailles. Oh Versailles. I don't think I've ever seen a more beautiful place. We were headed to the end of the huge pond they layed outside of the large Versailles Palace. I remember the air was cool, the grass was soo green, the walkway was long and winding.

There we sat down on the grass, where Rachel and me ate our peaches and bread. A poor girl dropped her camera in the pond. Good thing we had a daring boy to dive in and get it for her, where he found many souvenirs. At the end of the day we were riding through a small park like place filled with old men in caps reading newspapers and smoking cigars. Throughout the entire day we kept running into another bike tour group and we had played some pranks on them. Somehow our tour name became "the red dragons." Our tour guide told us as we rode through this quiet park to yell "red dragons fly!!" To scream it as loud as we could so the other group would hear us and to stand up on our bikes just for effect. It was crazy and stupid but we did it and laughed the entire time.

We ended the day with sore bums and swollen ankles. But it was a day I'll never forget. So much fun.

I love this video. Pay special attention to the girl in orange. I could write a whole novel from this clip. It reminds me so much of my trip, plus I love the song and I love Bluey!

Italy and a Butt Grab

Did you know I went on a European tour 3 years ago this summer with my high school? You probably did, because I absolutely LOVED it and I tell lots of people this. I feel ill because I did not keep a journal. The girl who writes down everything did NOT I repeat NOT document this trip in words. I really hate that I didn't. So I decided I'll tell my stories on here. Maybe once a week or something. So this next story goes like this...

Meet Rachel (hi rachellll)

Smart. Funny. Best friend.

One very late night we were all headed back to our hotel in Rome. We were jam packed into this tiny tiny little bus. The driver was smoking a joint (I kid you not) and I was so ready to go crawl into bed and get back. This small bus was so packed I had to crane my head to the right to avoid hitting someone's arm. Finally we made it to an apparently popular stop and a lot of people got off. Finally I selfishly ran to a seat.

*Let me interrupt for a moment. Before going on this trip my Grandpa warned me of Italian men, and how they like to pinch girls on the butt. I was so terrified, but also kept this little gem of knowledge to myself.

*Que next part of the story...

So as I was sitting in my seat, dear Rachel was standing to the left of me a little ways up. She was holding onto the hanging support handle just minding her own business. Right behind her (right next to me) was this very creepy short Italian man. He had a permanent creepy smirk on his face. It was just stuck there. Not going anywhere. My Grandpa's advice popped into my head "Alexie Sunset you be careful of those italian men, they'll pinch ya right on the butt!" So I thought, might as well beat this creepy man to it. So I quickly and discreetly pinched Rachel on the butt. I quickly resumed my position as if I had not seen anything.

Rachel quickly whipped her head around and put her hand to her chest in a state of panic. She could hardly speak. She was looking at me and then back at the creepy man who was STILL  standing there with the permi smirk. Creepy as ever.  She's looking at me then back at him, me, him, me. "Did you just..I just..did you just" at this point she is freaking out, looking like she's about to puke or slap the innocent man.

Finally I started busting up. I couldn't take it any longer. Probably one of the top funniest moments of my life. At the time I think she wanted to kill me for playing such a trick. We both laugh hysterically over it today, and her family thinks it is the best story ever. Memories.