SKYDIVING with Mom and Kari
Yep - we actually did it! For me, the idea of it was a little....TERRIFYING. Haha but when Mom said it was on her bucket list, I knew that I wanted to help her make it happen. So even though I'm normally a person who doesn't like jumping into POOLS for fear of hitting the bottom and breaking something, this surprisingly became a Must-Do item. Kari decided to get in on the action, too, and I think that if she hadn't come, I wouldn't have been able to jump. Let me explain...
We thought that we were all going to be able to jump together from the same plane, but instead, we could only have two jumpers per flight. So we had a dilemma, and I was the one out of the three who was NOT selfless. Haha I NEEDED to have someone come with me or else it wasn't going to happen, while both of them were really EXCITED that they were about to jump out of a plane with a complete stranger in charge of whether they lived or died. So, in the end, Mom didn't want to have one of her daughters alone, and she volunteered to go by herself (even though this whole trip was for her) and Kari and I went first. The taxi ride on the plane was frightening (yes, before we even left the ground I was freaking out). It's like when you stand in line for a roller coaster, really excited for the experience. Then you get on the actual ride and start hearing the clicking as you rise that first hill. I ALWAYS want to scream, "I CHANGED MY MIND!!!" and that's the way that I felt in the plane... on the ground. Haha But Kari was really calm and excited and volunteered to go first when it came time to jump. One second, she was there, and in the blink of an eye, she was GONE. I seriously SCREAMED because my little sister vanished LITERALLY into thin air. I now know where the saying comes from! So the rest of the jump from there was EASY - "Get me out of this plane so I can make sure my little sister is alive!" And then everything was REALLY FUN!!!
ELDER STARK CAME HOME FROM HIS MISSION!!!
I had a lot of fun writing about all of the fun experiences that Sora Stark had on her mission, but can't do the same for my brother's mission. His mission in Taiwan was difficult - almost from day one of getting there. He got hit by a car, dealt with insomnia for about 18 months out of his mission, had arthritis in his knees (something that's very problematic when you're on a bike-riding/walking mission)... it seemed like his struggles were endless. But through all of the difficulties, he made a difference in Taiwan. He was able to learn Mandarin to the point where he was one of the best with the language - not an easy task. THEN he taught HIMSELF Taiwanese on the mission so he could relate to the older people in Taiwan who didn't speak Mandarin. He was able to build relationships with his converts, including a couple that he later got to see sealed in the temple for time and all eternity right before welcoming their new baby. Instead of throwing in the towel (which no one would've faulted him for with all of his medical problems), he made sure that he served his full mission that he was called to serve. I have so much respect for the faith that he put in the Lord and his resilience to all of the challenges that were thrown at him. My family and I worried about him every day, and were RELIEVED when August 6 finally came! See how happy we are? :)
FAMILY CRUISE TO JAMAICA (minus Jeff)
Yes, I went on my first cruise without my husband... and felt bad for a few minutes. Haha he decided that his time was best served looking for a job instead of going on vacation, so I decided to enjoy it for the two of us!
Key West, FL - Our first stop was in Key West, where we decided to rent scooters and explore the island together. This was a fun idea, until Ashley forgot her license, and I was the only remaining adult old enough to operate (a term I use loosely) the last scooter. I've been on a motorcycle with one of my college friends, and it was almost the death of me! I HATE the idea of leaning TOWARDS the ground in order to make a turn. YOU WANT ME TO GET CLOSER TO THE GROUND AT HIGH SPEEDS??? You're speaking to a goalie who refused to DIVE for the ball; a softball player who refused to slide to second or third base because it's VOLUNTARILY FALLING - I'm clumsy enough on my own... the ground and I have had our fair share of meetings - I'm in NO HURRY to become reacquainted - ESPECIALLY ON THE HIGHWAY. So.. this was interesting. I enjoyed it when I didn't have to turn, but when I did, I had three or four times when I almost ran into ONCOMING TRAFFIC. Haha Meanwhile, everyone else was having a blast (except my dad who refused to abandon me and rode behind me the whole day to make sure I didn't die).
Grand Cayman Island - Our second stop was fun! We decided to go on a guided excursion where we "swam" with manta rays. In actuality, we stood in the middle of the ocean where it was shallow, and a bunch of manta rays swam around us. At first, as I'm sure is no surprise to you by now, I was scared. Ashley was right there with me though! It felt like we were SURROUNDED! After a while though, you got used to it, and they actually feel like VELVET which is so bizarre to me! It was something that we enjoyed. But yes, Ashley and I definitely felt like these poor ladies:
Jamaica - We were able to get a guided tour of the island from a Jamaican man. He drove us around and told us interesting facts about the island as we listened to Bob Marley in his van. We went on a sort of gondola ride down a river, where crabs kept crawling onto Ashley. Haha We also tasted some of the native fruit and went to a waterfall. I've NEVER seen such beautiful water as there!
JEFF GOT A JOB!
The whole time we've been married, Jeff and I have DREAMED of what it was going to be like to finally have DUAL INCOME. It still makes us feel like we're living large right now as we get to set more and more money aside towards becoming debt free, and the end is FINALLY in sight!
I seriously can't express my gratitude for how well the past year treated us. We were able to have so many experiences and accomplish so many goals. We feel blessed with our life together and are excited to see what 2014 brings!
