{Nostalgia} Humidity

It was dark. When we first arrived at our 6 week home in Hawaii, we couldn't see a thing. So we let the sound, the smell, the feel guide us. The swelling of the ocean pulled us in.

Our feet hit the sand, and we ran until our toes felt the washing of the waves. Giggling in excitement, we breathed in the heavy, humid air in loonnng, drawn out breaths. In, out. In, out.

Like the waves.

An oceanside summer. It took some time for me to adjust to breathing in so much humidity--at first it felt so oppressing. Like I was being suffocated, like I was trying to breathe through a thick, down pillow. But I soon didn't notice.

The sun was hot. I woke up at 4 AM every day to get some miles in before the sun rose. Even still, I came back with my long ponytail dripping and flicking sweat every which way. I finished every run by kicking off my shoes, dropping my watch, and collapsing into the cool ocean water once the resistance was too much for me to fight.

I read. They were summer reading assignments for my classes that year--The Hobbit and 1776. More often than not, I fell asleep in the process. To the steady, soft sound of the ocean waves in the background.

I probably didn't appreciate the opportunity as much as I could have. I certainly was convinced that it was of the utmost importance that I spend a significant amount of time inside, reading those books with the fans blasting in attempts to combat the stifling heat of the upstairs bedroom. I could have enjoyed the ocean a little more, I could have spent more time with my family. I could have done a lot of things differently.

Still, I look back on that vacation fondly. It was an opportunity of a lifetime, and I have many wonderful memories of sunrises reflecting off the temple window, Angel's shave ice, and walk after slow walk with my mom.

And I guess that's how life always is. Filled with moments that could have been better appreciated, but generally composed of memories that make it all worthwhile. It's like humidity, looking back. At first it's overwhelming. But as time goes on, you begin to find comfort in it. It becomes soothing. And before you know it, you don't even notice anymore.

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Conference weekly talk found here.

Eleven Hours Away Lies a World of Wonder

I will now share with you the experience. Through pictures from a struggling camera. And through some words to accompany those pictures. And some quotes. Also, one video that is not my own.

P.S. These are not necessarily in chronological order. It's going to be okay.

My hilarious room key.

Lauren is in love with someone whose name starts with an R...but who?!

We spent two days in Disneyland -- the happiest place on earth! I had an absolute blast and almost learned how to navigate myself in there by the end. Almost.

Tower of Terror. Tyler was clinging to the wall with his fingers through the grates for the majority of the ride.

We managed to create a group of three, tough number. So we just squished three into a seat of two! 

The lack of resolution on the Snow White ride.

Jacob proposed to Bronwen in front of Sleeping Beauty's castle! Congratulations to the happy couple!

I know it's blurry, but please notice the pattern of our shoes. 

Check out the guy on the back left. The line was too long for our time constraints, but he came up with a fast pass for a group of six, and our group of five plus his one self completed it. So. Stinkin. Fun.

Tower of Terror take two. Notice Nick's tribute to Tyler. 

Clinton played the piano in Disneyland! That was sweet.

I love the bathroom signs in Disneyland.

 

World of Color may or may not be my new obsession. Okay, okay, it most definitely is. I adore it. It is absolutely outstanding -- the technology that goes into it is incredible, and it's just a good show all around. I saw it twice and would see it again if I had the choice. I highly recommend it.

"You just found out that Bronwen and Andrew are getting married."

"You just saw a couple hardcore PDAing it."

"You just got your first kiss."
Note Kirsti, beckoning the man back for more.

Fast faces.

If you desire to experience a small taste of the magic of World of Color, watch the video below.

We were able to perform in Disneyland, and it was dang sweet! I watched orchestra perform before I had to meet for choir and got a few pictures--all pictures of the choir were taken by Disney.

A close-up view for reading purposes.

We also got to go to the Aquarium of the Pacific, which was really cool. I thoroughly enjoyed myself looking at all the animals and watching the videos. Call me what you will, but I love it.

The birds loved Nadine.

This little girl was so darling!

Eventually, four days had come and gone and the last day was to be spent driving home. I spent the majority of the time curled up in a peaceful slumber. But, for a small window of time, I was awake.

The screen on my window was broken. My solution was brilliant. Plus, I felt extra cozy being surrounded by snuggly things.

Many of us were in desperate need of a bathroom. For two and a half hours. This is Bronwen reaching the end of her sanity.

Tyler's coping mechanism. That was once a Starburst wrapper.

The end is near!

Sweet relief!

And now, for the long awaited A Cappella/Orchestra California Tour Quote Book. There may be a few additions coming that are written down in another's phone. Enjoy.

Chris: Why don't they answer my flirt text message?

Chris: There's a ranch exit, but where's the barbeque?

Bronwen: There are too many naked people in this magazine.

Bronwen: Oh my gosh, it's another naked man!

Bronwen: Okay, I NEED that hot dog eraser.

Dania: We're inside the bathroom!

Bronwen: This is more exciting than Disneyland.

(Takes a bite out of an apple, holds it out.)

Tyler: There's room for one more!

Bronwen: My bladder is squished.

Tyler: Is there something you need to tell us?

Niels: Clash of the facial hair! Mustache v. Chin Scruff!

Tyler: Guys, this sunscreen is fermented.

Jacob: Who dropped crap on me?

Tyler: How far away is a bathroom so I can wash the poop off my bum?

Nick: I have an urge to be in jail right now. And bang a cup against the bar.

Rebecca: I thought McKann was eating something and then I realized it was her tuner.

Jacob: I sliced through the crowd like a warm knife through butter.

Tyler: Have you ever thought about that? You can choose when you go to the bathroom! If you don't want to go to the bathroom, you don't have to go to the bathroom. And if you want to, you can. It's like how you can choose where you walk.

Catie B: Tyler, I'm so jealous of your leg hair.

Tyler: The heavens are smiling down upon us this day. As usual.

Karlee: You can use that bathroom, but don't go that, the, the yucky one. You're gonna have to hold that one.

Bronwen: It's cause he knows that if we stop it'll take half an hour. 

Dania: It's worth half an hour to not drown in our own body fluids.

Bronwen: I'll just take off my pants and run!

Nick: That's the best feeling, after you go to the bathroom when you've had to go for a long time.

Catie B: It's like an adrenaline rush.

Tyler: I'm free. From the clutches of...urine.

The Perfect Ending

Every year, we travel to California for a race. A huge race. It's called Footlocker, and it is a big deal. At least, it's a big deal if you're competitive with people outside of Utah and on to regional and national competition. I, clearly, am not at that level. So I was in it for the fun - and fun I had. Allow me to tell you a story.

We got on the bus Wednesday after school and began our journey. We talked the entire way there. Essentially. About all sorts of things. We quickly realized that a large amount of hilarious things were being said, so we started a quote book to keep track of them all. They will be presented on this blog post, but not just yet.

(Photo credit: All of the pictures from Knott's Berry Farm come from Mayson's camera. And the ones from the gas station. And all the pictures from the bus except for the toes one.)

Mayson and Bronwen got engaged.

"Now take one of me killing her." 

Looks like Mayson was having second thoughts.

 

"If you feel something coming out of your seat, it's my toes." -Bronwen

There is a wonderful gas station that we stop at every year, usually to change out bus drivers. It's wonderful because of one thing.

Photo Credit

I love this hand dryer. It is seriously something that I look forward to every year. 

And really, who wouldn't love this?

After switching our bus driver to Frenchie, we continued on our way. One of my favorite parts of the entire trip was the drive down. I loved talking to my teammates. Sure, we get to talk at practice and get to know each other. But it's a rare time that we get to just be with each other and just talk. Not worrying about the upcoming race, not thinking about the next 400 we have to do, just enjoying good company. Andrew and I talked about living in a foreign country and missing it for a while, which was really fun. Even though it made miss Fiji a lot.  At one point, we got talking about the gospel and how much we love it. The question was raised, "Why do you think the gospel is beautiful?" We talked about that for quite a while. We talked about the blessing it is to have the knowledge that we do, to have the guidance and the comfort of the Holy Ghost with us, to know that we have a loving Savior who not only knows, but understands what we are experiencing. I am so grateful for that conversation, it was a blessing for me to be able to feel the testimonies of my teammates.

Eventually we made it to our hotel. And went to bed. And talked for a few hours after that. Then, eventually, went to sleep.

The next day, Thursday, was such a blast. We went to Knott's Berry Farm!

I had never been there, but I was thrilled to go. In my personal opinion, it is much better than Disneyland. There are real rides there. We had two girls going to Disneyland instead, and they missed out. The entire park of Knott's Berry Farm was practically empty. We literally ran through all the lines, got on the ride, then ran through it again. The longest we had to wait for a ride was probably 10 or 15 minutes. And that felt like an eternity.

Waiting in line for our first ride - the Silver Bullet. Carrie and I apparently really wanted to be in the picture.

Waiting in line for the train ride.

While wandering through the park, we made some friends.

 

Carrie, Mayson, and Jasmine met some very lovely ladies.

 

 

 

"I'm so inappropriate, I just met the guy."

 

Mayson and Jasmine literally slept on the men's shoulders for some 45 minutes.

 

 What can I say? I love my bearded men.

We saw this quartet walking around singing Christmas carols and playing bells. Oh my, they were amazing. I could have listened to them for the rest of our time at Knott's Berry Farm, and we tried. We stalked them. Any time they left to sing elsewhere, we followed them. But, eventually, they left entirely. So we went on Ghost Rider instead.

One of the most entertaining things of the day was Bronwen. She was terrified of the rides, she thought she was going to die. For example, on Ghost Rider, she started screaming things like, "PLEASE! DON'T DIE! DON'T DIE! NO MORE, NO MORE! NO MORE, NO MORE!" Hilarious. I made fun of her so much that I lost my voice...but it was so funny.

 

Photo Credit

This is literally the strangest ride I've ever been on. It's called the Pony Express. You straddle the horse, they lock your knees into this leg thing, and a giant strap comes up from behind and forces you to lean into the horse. And then you go.

 When the time came to go back to the hotel, I was ready to go back. I was so tired. We had to wait for the other school for a while, then drive all the way back to the hotel. I definitely fell asleep. And so did Andrew. And that gave Tanner an idea. He somehow managed to scoot our heads together until this picture was created.

We got back to the hotel, ate some dinner, and I was out as soon as I got in bed.

Friday was a blast. Before we left, Carrie and I had a shaving party. It was marvelous.

It was Jasmine's birthday, so we randomly burst into happy birthday songs throughout the day. We picked up our race bibs and shirts, and ran the course. 

 Seeing as how it was the day before the race, a rule was created to walk all hills.

This bus is rounded!

Then we went to the beach! It was incredibly cold though, so we mostly just took pictures, or buried people, or took naps and so on.

Jasmine and I are skilled.

Jasmine and Mayson. Yeah, I took that picture.

 Mayson and me.

 Aren't we cute?

(All beach pictures before this point were from Mayson's camera. The rest of the beach pictures are mine.)

 

 I'll give you three guesses to whose feet those are.

Mayson and me. I dominate.

Mayson and me. Mayson dominates.

 

 Jasmine and Mayson.

 I love running. Did you know that?

 

 

We went back to the hotel, and we all went to Ikea for dinner and exploration. 

I love that place, I just love to look at their rooms. But in the end, we were kicked out because we weren't actually shopping.  So we went back to the hotel and had a party in the hallway. Joeberry decided it was a good idea to whistle as people walked by, and blame it on someone else. I'm not going to lie, it was hilarious.

The next day, Saturday, was race day. My race was really bizarre, but for the most part everyone did really well.

 

 

This and the picture at Knott's Berry Farm  are the closest things to a group picture we got. We're missing a few guys, but we've got most of us!

Seniors on our last trip.

I'd like to point out that Bronwen is wearing Ian's coat. Seriously, he is such a man. He was taking care of us girls the entire trip. He was always holding doors open for us, or giving us a granola bar, or a watter bottle, or his coat. Honestly, I would love to marry someone just like him.  

After the race, we headed up to the bus. It was a while before the bus came, so we decided to take a nap.

Look at those pants. Just look at 'em.

Then we started our drive home.

This is seriously what Joeberry looked like the whole trip. He had his arms around one girl or another the entire trip. Generally, it was one arm around Carrie and one around Kirsti. As pictured.

We switched bus drivers before we made it home. Holy cow, Frenchie is amazing. He got on the speaker thing and told us he had a tradition for when he left the kids on the bus. Then he started singing God Be With You Till We Meet Again in French. He talked to us about his kids and how we help him to be a better dad to them. He talked about how much our parents love us, what they sacrifice for us. He talked about how our parents don't get to go to school to learn how to be parents and that they are doing the best that we can. He told us to "remember who we are" and that, with everything we do, we are signing our name and the names of our parents. He told us that his kids are his greatest teachers and that we teach our parents so much. He told us that we taught him so much on this trip and that we were such a great group of kids. I don't really remember everything that he said, but I remember the impact it had on me. I never would have anticipated my bus driver making me cry, but he sure did. Thanks Frenchie, we love you!

Okay, now for those quotes I promised:

Dania: Seriously! Boys can get over it. They were born too!

Andrew: Actually, little story about me guys...

(Of Mayson and Bronwen) Dania: You guys look like you're engaged.

Catie: It's ok, I thought there were 31 days in November.

(Bronwen singing The Little Princess) Dania: It's a good thing you're not the one that sings it.

Bronwen: We had a 'P' party for mutual.

Kirsti: We had a 'P' party too!

Bronwen: Dania, if you're wondering what's coming our of your seat, it's my toes.

Dania to Catie: Can you imagine US fighting over a boy?

Catie: Seriously. When was the last time either of us liked a boy?

Mayson: Ah! this is going way too fast!

Catie: But...I don't really like the feeling of a boy...

Don't write that down! I'm more embarrassed than the time I accidentally swore!

(Every time something awkward happens/is said, Andrew and Catie clicked the lights. Catie, clicking the lights)  Catie: I'm feeling the need!

Vegas billboard: Eat, drink, and be rowdy!

(Catie throwing hands in Mayson's face)

Mayson: It's like watching a 3D movie!

Dania: I wrote an essay about how my best friend was a dog.

Bronwen: So did I! Except, mine wasn't a dog. It was a bird in my yard that wasn't even mine!

Dania: Boys don't cry, you don't cry. Except when David Bean walks in.

Andrew: No, that was my brother...

Dania: Oh, that makes more sense. 

Andrew (to Bronwen) : I seen you looking at me.

Bronwen: She'll be all cute, actually not cute, she'll be a wrestler.

Catie: I'm gonna miss you.

Bronwen: I gonna miss [boy].

Bronwen: Don't write that down!

Mayson: I'll write it down in code words.

Bronwen: I like...don't know how to act natural...uhhh like... (face plant into pillow).

Bronwen: And the class was like, "aaaaaaaa" and I was like, "No, I just like his coat."

Bronwen: Late at night, I really have to pee a lot.

Bronwen: Yeah, I think I was falling asleep when I was talking about [boy's] teeth.

Mayson (mid-story): "Dude! My pants are on backwards. Oh wait... no they're not.

(Mayson covers Abi's pajama-clad feet with a pillow.)

Abi: Do they scare you?

Mayson: no I just don't like the blue hair.

Kirsti: I don't like it when boys are too skinny... (Then speaking of her man) Well, I've never seen him with his pants off.

Dania: I don't like boys...I like pieces of them.

Dania: Did you just fart?

Carrie:...Yes...

Dania: That's ok, so did I.

Bronwen: Secretly, the door has been open the whole time...(with toothbrush in mouth and hand under it to catch the dribbles) What am I gonna do?!

Dania: That is huge. That's a lot of dead people.

Hotel worker: Poor guy...
Abi: I just said hi!

Dania: Joe, you look even shorter right now!

Dania: That was one of the most disgusting things of my life. I just licked the hotel floor!

Dania: I don't smell him at all, but I like your sweater.

Tanner: This is the smell that would have been on your legs.
Carrie: Now I wish I had put that on my legs...

Mayson: What does your dad do?
Tanner: He owns hotels.

Mayson: Why don't you use conditioner?
Andrew: Because I don't NEED conditioner.
(Complete with hair flick on the word need.)

Frenchie: I have a mission for you. Get him. (Pointing at Tanner.)

Tanner: Half of this trip is spent waiting. Waiting, waiting.

Tanner: I'm used a whole bottle of conditioner today.

Tanner: Quote book, quote book!

Tanner: I'm gonna go look at this plant.
Abi: What the heck Tanner? You have a small tree in your grasp!

Carrie: Look! That guy has the same hat as Alex! Oh wait, it IS Alex.

Joeberry: Here's a band-aid. And here's two more for when it falls off!

McKenna: Andrew's just a lady's man.

(Joe whistles at a guy that walks by. Carrie hits Abi.)
Carrie: Abi, they're not even that cute!

Bronwen: We rule the hotel, okay?

Mayson: You sound like a chipmunk!

Dania: Sometimes, I just wanna lock myself in a closet in the mountains somewhere and never come out.

Kirsti: Where is my V-neck? Have any of you seen my V-neck? I need my V-neck! (As we're all going to bed hours later) Oh my gosh, guys! I found my V-neck!

Kirsti: I am losing everything...including my mind!

Kirsti: Have you seen my shirt?
Carrie: What shirt?
Kirsti: My footlocker shirt.
Carrie: You're wearing it.
Kirsti: Oh.

Dania: Your toes are so spread out!

Dania: Danny's pants are a hunk of burning love!

Tanner: Hey, are you feeding him straws?

Sleeping kid: Whose Funions?

Tanner: Whose water bottle is this?! Oh, it's a shoe.

Tanner: (In reference to Will Smith's daughter, Willow) I'm going to name my daughter Tanno.

Joeberry: I whip my hair back and forth!

Well, I think there's actually more quotes than this, but that's what I've got for now.

Footlocker was an absolute blast. It was a nice closure to all the work I've put in for the past four years. In fact, it was the best closure I could have asked for. It was totally different from other trips; it was hilarious, weird, awkward, inspiring, fun, and filled with memories. So, here's to Footlocker - the perfect ending.