This post is brought to you by Casey Moffitt- Gilboy

So, Casey is my amazing 2nd cousin, who I love to blog stalk. What? It's weird that I know my 2nd cousins? Well, I only know a few. And she's the main one that I've kept in contact with through Facebook/ Blog means. For the record, she is an amazing example to me of what a strong Christian woman is. Words cannot describe. You'll just have to check out her blog here:

http://javamammacasey.blogspot.com/

She's also super girly like me, which I love! Example A: she loves to do hair! Her hair, her daughter's hair, girl's hair from her congregation going to Homecoming. And she's good at it! Here is my attempt to copy her amazing hair:

Keep in mind, this is after 8 hours of work, including meeting, paperwork, and chasing little ones around. And some of the curl is still there! Yes, Casey's hair tricks do work!

Example B: Casey likes to hang up all her jewelry and accessories in a way so that she can see all of them. That way it's easier to make a choice. Well, friends, my jewelry box was just not working for me. However, I inherited from my dear Grandma Bowen (from the side of my family that I don't share with Casey) a cute miniature coat rack- perfect for hanging necklaces and dangly earrings! Love it!

I also inherited some of my grandma's kitchen stuff! For the record, I love old stuff. The history, the stories, the simple life! It just makes me happy!!

And, most importantly, it's pretty! I recently used the flower picture at a lovely visiting teaching brunch. I used one of the serving dishes at a going away party during the spring. Slowly but surely, I'm learning how to use my pretty dishes!

On another note, I had a garden this summer! Well, during the end of spring/ beginning of summer. My roommate, Christa, did a very good job at watering my plants and picking the fruit/ veggies. However, she was fighting a losing battle with the terrible Texas heat!


(strawberry, 1/1)

(eating the first tomato!)

Faith and Fires

One of my dear friends lost her home to the fires this week. Well, it was her parents home that was lost. The one they were raised in, made memories in. It just breaks my heart. I am close with both her and her younger brother- this a her record (on her blog) of the heartache and faith of her family:

http://happinessisastateofbeing.blogspot.com/2011/09/strength-of-my-family.html

My favorite quote of the entry: "My house is gone but my home is eternal."

We are fasting and praying still for rain in Texas. But even as the dry heat continues, we are seeing miracles as families, friends, strangers, and communities are taking care of each other. Truly, God does bless Texas, because we bless each other with love and kindness.

Huanchaco, Peru- the Sleepy Surfing Town

So, about a 30 minute taxi ride north of Trujillo, Peru lies a sleepy little surfing town called Huanchaco. Parts of it were lovely! Parts were a dusty desert/ beach. Overall, I loved it!

A garden below the cathedral.

The Catholic cathedral- love the cobblestone!

The pier! Looking towards the town. I totally had to pay like 2 soles to get on! Crazy!

View of the town from the beach.

The pier! Looking towards the ocean. See the huge waves in the background?!!

The little boats that the Peruvians use for fishing! They're made out of reeds, and according to Wikipedia, they are called "Caballitos de totora."

I found a gazebo on the beach! So pretty!

More of the desert like beach.

Why yes, it Huanchaco is a tsunami zone! And yes, the waves really were huge!

And the highlight of Huanchaco- surfing!! The day before my birthday, I totally treated myself to surfing lessons! I was super nervous, but I knew I would regret it if I didn't take advantage of cheep lessons in Peru! It was amazing! Thanks to my super helpful instructor, I stood up on the board almost every time! There were only 2 times that I couldn't stand up. So awesome! It was one of the most amazing experiences! It also help me remember one of the most important lessons I learned on my mission- that usually the things I'm most afraid of are the most worth while. Yay for taking chances!

That night I went to a party with the volunteers- at midnight, they sang to me and toasted me (with their crazy mixed drinks and my 7-up). They also lit a bunch of tea candles for me to blow out and gave me a cute bouquet of wildflowers. Overall, it was a pretty nice birthday eve.