A Year Ago & Internships

Wooooow. I guess you could say I've been on a brief hiatus.
I was reading my mission journals tonight. I love to see what I was doing an exact year ago. It's then I start to freak out and can't believe that it's been almost an entire year since I returned home. How does that even happen?! I was reading about getting to my last area in Toronto, opening a new area with a brand new missionary. I was so excited. I love everything about that city. In fact, I quote my journal, "I love the buses, I love the city. Ask me why I love the city and the public transportation? I have no idea. But if it were a man, I would marry him."
Speaking of men, have you read the blog that my roommate and I started? Cat Lady Corner. It's chock-full of embarrassing stories.
Speaking of cities, I'm on a hunt for a summer internship. I've made a website with some of my portfolio pieces. I've applied to a few architecture/design firms at the moment, in Manhattan and Los Angeles. I'm on a hunt for where I'm supposed to be though. I plan to apply to many more. Do you have any connections? I need some connections.
Some of my recent work:

Stay tuned: My final project of the semester is a restaurant design. I'm loving the realm of commercial design compared to residential. We drew out of three separate bowls to find out what we would be designing. Type of restaurant, targeted audience, and design style. I am so excited about mine! I got 5 star, white collar, in the style of Art Deco. Get ready! I'm excited to share it with you!

I Take The Throne

The King has abdicated the throne and I hereby dutifully respond to the call to serve the no longer reign less single population of the Adams family grandchildren. I must tell you- Taylor is engaged and that leaves me with the crown. As the oldest unmarried grandchild of the family, I will support all the others that fall under the same category by holding get-togthers at Grandma & Grandpa Adams' house on Sunday evenings. There we will discuss our latest endeavors as well as feast upon gingerbread and whipped cream, provided by Grandma. The amount of time that I will wear the crown is unknown, but the probability of it being a very long extended period of time is likely. Support is appreciated.


Alright, enough I say. You'll be pleased to know that I will be home this weekend! That's right, as much as I may be fooling around right now, I did hint to Grandma to make gingerbread and whipped cream on Sunday so you might want to pencil that in.

In other news, my latest design project is a historic remodel of a masonic hall in Boise, Idaho. This is the first project where we've worked on teams, and that has been a neat experience. These projects take a lot  from me. I sacrifice my weekends and evenings at the school when lots of other people are going to movies, making cookies, and searching out the man of their dreams...I think I may resort to eharmony. I can't complain though, because i've got the best design family possible. Classes together, dinner together, it's what we do.

Passive Solar

It's over! I'm done! The dreaded project is over. Can I express to you how much freedom I feel? The exhaustion of 200+ project hours is finally hitting me though. I've been absolutely dead the last couple of days. Get this, I went to a movie. I know! Who knew that you could spend 2 hours somewhere besides the Clarke building. So I don't have any very good pictures of everything i've had to design but i'll share with you some of what I do have.

I chose my home location to be in Praia do Forte, Brazil. The home had to be passive solar, sustainable and made for accessibility. We created sample boards, 3D models, color renderings, plot plans, blue prints and client books...you name it.

It's been really re-assuring to me throughout this project that i'm doing the right thing. I love what I get to do every day and I am catching on again post-mission. yay! I absolutely love the other juniors in the program. They've accepted me like i've always been a part of this class and i'm so grateful to be with all of them. It's basically being in all of your classes with your best friends. Tomorrow we're assigned our new project...bring it!

4 Months

I simply cannot believe it's been 4 months since I returned home from Toronto. A mission is something you think about every day. The experiences, the people, the spirit, the aches of wanting to go back...it happens. Heck, i'm still a missionary in 90% of the dreams I have. It's awesome. But you know what? Life moves on. I've made it through my first week at BYUI and it was great. The things i've learned from the mission have made me a much better student. I'm actually ok with studying at the library. I must admit, that first few hours back on AutoCAD were crazy. It's a good thing I can laugh at myself. But the longer I sit and stew it over, it comes back. Key commands, measurements...who knew muscle memory even related to that. It's great. 

Ree-yoo-nahyt

I've opened the dreaded email. The one I found the week I returned home from my mission. It had been sitting there, in my inbox with all of the details of our fall semester project. The one I heard about from the moment I joined the Interior Design program at BYUI. The Junior year project that takes hundreds of hours leaving you without a social life, sleep and sanity. As i've begun researching solar, sustainability & barrier free design, I have to admit it's a bit exciting and a million percent overwhelming. I'm pretty sure the last time I felt this inadequate was when I got into the mission field! Or when I had to train a new missionary for the first time. So I resume my interest in design and architecture and i'm ready to tear this project to pieces. That is until I have to actually use CAD or design a floor plan. I swear i've forgotten everything. So I reunite myself with school, with homework, with design concepts and ideas running through my mind. 

re·u·nite

[ree-yoo-nahyt]  Show IPA

verb (used with object), verb (used without object),re·u·nit·ed, re·u·nit·ing.

to unite again, as after separation.

You'll also be happy to hear that I was reunited with more than just that.

About a week after I got home from my mission, I was sitting on the sofa when Mady and Taryn approached me with a secretive sort of smile on their face. They said, "we have a surprise for you!" Mady whipped out 4 tickets to the Jonas Brothers concert that they had bought months prior. It just happened to fall on Taryn's birthday! It was a day of reunitement and celebration. 

It's also been fun to be reunited with the EFY program as i've worked as a counselor this summer. The three weeks I worked for them was a great transition help for a returned missionary. The things I got to do (devotionals, talking to people, gospel stuff) was a way for me to remember the important things I learned in the field and to also get used the facts that I have to talk to boys now, and do laundry any day of the week, not just Pdays. 

But this summer i've also gotten to be with my family a lot, which has been a lot of fun. Mady is getting ready to go to Japan as a missionary. Our extended family was able to support her by going to the temple a couple of weeks ago. This week we'll all support her again...by going to Disneyland! Once last hip hurrah before we're separated just for a little awhile. 

Another Toronto Post

 The Toronto Islands are easily one of the best places to visit in Toronto. Just a short ferry ride away from the core of downtown you're all of a sudden in a whole different place. The view of the city is spectacular! Seriously, if anyone wants to go on a yacht ride- i'm so in. If anyone wants to go to the nude beach- i'm so not in. Equipped with an amusement park, kayaks, a boardwalk and so much more..you could spend an entire day there. Sadly we got there too late to rent bikes but that would definitely be the way to do it because no cars allowed. 

Don't you love the sail boats? Our ferry went right through them. I think they're kind of dreamy.  Remember the deal with the yacht ride? Well if anyone knows how to sail, i'd take them up on that offer too.

We walked around the island taking funny pictures and looking like total tourists. Did I mention I love this view? I'm a little bit obsessed with Toronto's skyline.

 I must admit, even though the bike rentals were closed, the walk was great and the sunset on our ferry ride back was awesome.

After returning to the harbor we indulged in a street dog and poutine. I highly recommend both. But really, have you tried poutine? After 18 months in Canada I can say that i'm a fan. Other weird food habit I got into: Vinegar on french fries. Before you turn your nose up, I want you to know I did that as well. But then I tried it...and I exhort you to do the same.

Three cheers for Toronto, the Islands and Poutine.

Hello Toronto

Oh my goodness! If I was able to convey the awesomeness of my trip back to the sweet land of Ontario, I would. If I was able to take each and every one of you there myself, I would. 

We were able to visit Rochester, NY, attend the Hill Cumorah Pageant in Palmyra, ride the Maid of the Mist at Niagara Falls and then I was a tourist in my favorite city in the whole wide world. 

Toronto Islands from the top of the CN Tower

We stayed right in the core of downtown. I showed my family all of my favorite spots I discovered while serving nearby on my mission. 

One of my very favorite cities in Ontario is Brampton. That's where I spent my first night in the mission field at the mission home, and then was transferred there 4 months after being out. I served there for 6 months. I learned about the Indian culture and a lot about myself. Brampton holds a very special place in my heart! I walked around the temple almost every day sharing the gospel with people standing at bus stops, just passing by or looking at the temple wondering what it was. It was so fun to be back! 

Toronto Temple in Brampton

I made sure that my family met my mission president-President Scott and his wife. As well as the beloved Caldwells who serve in the mission office. Sister Caldwell is an Interior Designer...you can say we bonded.

The night the royal baby was born, they lit the CN Tower blue!

I was so lucky to be able to visit a few people that I taught and stay in a couple of places I served in too. I just love this place! More stories to come...Until next time Toronto!

Did you wonder how this story ended? Lloyd was baptized last Sunday! 

Meet Lloyd

This past Sunday I went to church at a ward I served in on my mission. I walked in and there were a few missionaries at the door waiting for investigators, as well as a couple others. I said hi to everyone and a Jamaican man said, "do you remember me?" I looked at him for a second and said, "LLOYD! I found you by the coffee shop!" Indeed it was. My journal entry from that day I met him:

May 15, 2013

...After dinner tonight we tried to contact a referral that wasn't home so we prayed about where to go and ended up going to drop by a less active that was on our dot map. Right as we were arriving, this man passed us. He looked directly at us and said, "I've seen that beautiful girl before." Sister Cross (my companion) said, "oh, have you seen us before?" He pointed at me and said, "her, or maybe it's just her smile." 

*note-especially in crazy cities, things like this happen. You just wait for them to propose to you or keep talking to them waiting to find out they're just high. 

So I said, "Hey! I have something for you!" I walked closer to him with a mormon.org card in hand and started to talk to him about the gospel. We ended up going into a Country Style (coffee shop) and teaching him there. He wants to change his life (he wasn't high, quite normal in fact!) He has been 'church shopping' some. He said he was just telling his mom about how he wants to come back to church again. After teaching him about baptism he said, "we can meet every day and talk about this if you want!" We're going to meet him Friday! 

So the coming week after this great experience was filled with unsuccessful meet ups with Lloyd and drop bys that didn't work out either. I left the mission field one week later not thinking much about it. 

So when Lloyd asked me if I recognized him at church on Sunday it took me a second to. I was still in shock that he was actually there! But his countenance had changed. And that's the blessings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, folks. He told me he's getting baptized in just a few weeks. 

Me & Lloyd

Another lesson taught to me about how you never know who you're influencing or what impact you may have on someone. Or perhaps just how prayer can lead you to the place you really need to be. 

A Little Bit of This & That

Since being home i've been engulfed in a little bit of everything. Besides trying to transition from missionary life to normal citizen i've been all over the place. A few weeks after I returned home I was driving to Provo alone. (Which was totally weird to be in a car by myself for 5 hours) I'm working for EFY as a counselor-it is the closest thing to being a full-time missionary that I can think of. It's been pretty great.

Besides working, i've also been spending time 

with family. After being away from them for 

18 months, everything seems to fit the 

phrase, "I haven't done this in like 2 years!"

Next week it's off to Toronto to show my family the city, cultures and people I fell in love with. Saying i'm excited would be a huge understatement. I may just cry as we cross the border.

I'm Back!

Well, I'm home.

It was a wee bit windy and the signs got torn a little bit...but they were pretty sweet! 

Some of my welcoming committee at the airport! 

It was a long flight home...lots of pondering time.

Oh man, it seems as though I have so much to talk about! I'll definitely have to do it in segments. I hope you're in for reading stories...Oh, and thanks for reading my letters while I was away! It's awesome when I see someone and they say, "I enjoyed reading your letters!" Ya'll are the best, you know that?