Even though I recently posted my bucket list, (I forgot that I hadn’t posted it until today!) this is the first thing that has been crossed off! Buckethead’s Yokohama. The electric guitar was a bit out of tune from my acoustic so if it sounds funny, that’s why. Thanks to Brenden Whittacre for letting me borrow his guitar! This song was super hard to learn (especially the background guitar) so if you be hatin’ I will destroy you…. not really. But still, beautiful song, check out the actual song if you want.
Buckethead’s Yokohama
Pre-mission Bucket List
A few things I want to do before May 30th..
-Learn Buckethead’s ‘Yokohama’ on the guitar.
-Get a chair smashed over my back.
-Set off a Dry Ice Bomb
-Six Flags Magic Mountain with Robert!
-Finish the First half of Book of Mormon
My first post! Thanks to Mom for putting this blog together. She has convinced me that it is cool.
Tonight I had a nice experience. Myself and my friend Molly, who is also a Peace Corps nominee, went to a send-off party thrown by the local Peace Corps alumni group, the West Cascades Peace Corps Association. We met lots of very nice people including some RPCVs (returned PC volunteers) that had served as early as the Peace Corps’ debut year, 1961. It was really uplifting to see that all these people had completed their service, had a positive impact, and enjoyed it enough that they were still active in the organization. I also met someone who had served in Jordan–which is in the region I’ve been assigned to!
There were also a few speakers who gave us some valuable advice, the most important being: Take it slow. Soak up your time during your service. Don’t let the process of getting there discourage you. Avoid being obsessed with your work, eat and drink slowly, and make time to sit down and talk with everyone–co-workers, neighbors, other Volunteers. GREAT advice. But anyone who knows the first thing about me knows that while I may be good at Mario Kart, leg wrestling, and baking any type of pie, I am NOT good at taking it slow. It was made clear to me tonight that as a Volunteer I will either need to learn to stop being preoccupied with deadlines and procedures and future plans, or I will internally combust. Flexibility. Patience. Two of the things most heavily prescribed to me when I was nominated.
Speaking of patience, on Tuesday I will be done with my medical packet, which is roughly the size of one-third of a Harry Potter novel. I think I am going to throw a party for myself…involving frozen yogurt and a nap.
Tonight was yet another reassurance that I’ve chosen a path that will be an exciting challenge. But first, graduation!
Aaron’s definitely home
Aaron’s been home for a while now, and it feels like old times. He, like his father, is content to just hang around the house, and he spends most of his time eating us out of house and home. How do I deny him any food knowing that he won’t be eating this way much longer? We tried to find out what people eat in the highlands of Guatemala but haven’t had much luck.
The other way I know Aaron’s home is that the house is a MESS. He has his own brand of clutter, and it is a little overwhelming sometimes. A lot of it involves empty plates, bowls, and mission gear laying around. It’s hard to describe other than that, but suffice it to say, we all know when Aaron’s been in a room.
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| Weeee! |
Lucky for us, those minor inconveniences pale in comparison to just having his sweet self around all the time. He remains the kindest, most gracious person I have ever known. I never receive more compliments on my cooking than when he’s home, and he is always quick to thank me for doing the most minor things for him. I know Jake and Ethan are having the same experience. I fear we will have a very difficult time sending him on his way.
The times, they are a changin’
So, as I am trying to figure out how to configure this new blog, Aaron is talking to his friend from BYU (Serene) online. They are playing “a trip to the Hajj” together. He really enjoyed his Middle Eastern Studies class this past semester. Today we purchased a bunch of stuff for him to pack for his mission which is coming up soon.
Ethan is on his computer doing his always demanding homework, and we just got done having a conversation about his Spanish Exchange program coming up next school year, which we’ve had to do a lot of paperwork for lately.
Kathryn and I had a conversation last night about what kind of cell phone she is going to need when she goes into the Peace Corps in a few months. And Jacob just stopped by to get a tie so he could go to his second City Council meeting, and we spent some time talking about the budget shortfall the City is facing and how he is going to try to handle it.
This is not an unusual set of circumstances for our family these days, and that’s why it’s time to do a family blog. Gone are the days when soccer practice was the only real thing that complicated our lives. We are mobile, active, and launching, and I want to create a place where we can chronicle our lives in a way that’s a little deeper than our Facebook posts. Let’s hope this works…
Cheryl
Jacob
K
Aaron
Ethan
Ride the Wave 