Brea's Adventures in Saving the World

Photo Dump Part 3: Brea's Birthday Bash in Boston (B^4)

2012-01-18T09:32:00.000-05:00

Weekend in Boston! Going to Palmyra for Steff's birthday was so much fun, so we decided to go to Boston for mine! My parents flew out on Friday evening, and Saturday morning Mike, Steff, Whitney, Ally, and I were on an airplane to Boston. As this was my second time and everyone else's first, I let them take the reins in what we saw and did. It was a bit of a whirlwind trip, but I'll let the pictures tell the story.

Cemetery where Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, and Mother Goose are buried

Occupy Boston- their chants didn't make sense as "down with Verizon, no war, and I don't like banks" were all chanted simultaneously

The town hall building (balcony) where the Declaration of Independence was read to the citizens of Boston. I love how historical buildings are mixed in with sky scrappers in Boston. History mingled with modernity--so great!

We ran into a movie set (RIPD- to come out in 2013). Yes, that is Ryan Reynolds, People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive for 2010. My roommates were gaga for hours. I was less enamored, and cared more about finishing the Freedom Trail, than watching the same scene filmed 40+ times. (though I do admit Mr. Reynolds is pretty attractive in person, but his stunt double is even more so!!!)

Sunday afternoon in Lexington, where "the shot was heard around the world."

We enjoyed a beautiful day in Lexington, the weather was perfect, leaves were in full color, and I was surrounded by history. Lexington and Walden Pond might be my favorite parts of Boston

Getting a birthday hug from a Red Coat!

Harvard Square- touching the toe of John Harvard supposedly brings good luck. Why not try?

Ahh Fenway! Someday I'll come to Boston when baseball is actually in season!

Sailing on the Charles River

Yep, sailing! Ahoy, we sail! Whit's friend goes to MIT and students there can certify to take the sailboats out on the river. We all had a chance to hold the sail and steer the rudder. Sailing on the Charles was so fun and such a thrill!

Siri sailed! (I got my iPhone for my birthday just a few days before, so she came everywhere with me, including sailing.)

After sailing, we took a tour of MIT. We saw some pretty cool labs. MIT is sure interesting and full of innovations and budding technologies. It was a bit science overload, but cool.

All in all, we had a great weekend! I still have to go back to see a game at Fenway, tour the USS Constitution, and run Heartbreak Hill--plus Mike's Pastry has some pretty good canolis!

Boston was just the beginning of birthday celebrations...Happy Birthday to me!!!!

Photo Dump Part 2: Mom and Dad visit DC

2012-01-16T01:59:00.000-05:00

For federal employees (or contractors), Columbus Day is a wonderful holiday! As I might have been the only person with Columbus Day off, I thought it was a great weekend to have Mom and Dad come visit me in DC!!! It was both their first times to the Capital and we made it a great trip! Mom and Dad were troopers and walked all over this city. We went everywhere from Mt. Vernon to Gettysburg to the Monuments to the Capitol to the Temple and even Baltimore. Whew! What a trip! I absolutely loved having my parents come visit me and I think I even convinced them to come back.

Mom with Abraham Lincoln at the Gettysburg Visitor Center

Gettysburg Battlefield, view from Big Round Top

Baltimore: Mt. Olivet Cemetery

Dad did some family history research before they came so we could locate some of the Didenhover relatives. The Didenhover originally hailed from Baltimore, MD before going west to Oregon and Washington. I don't remember the timeline, but I think we have Didenhover records dating to the 1700's in Baltimore and then the westward expansion occurred later. This picture shows 3 unmarked graves of Didenhovers. We spent a good amount of time trying to locate the graves based on cemetary maps. Luckily with modern technology (iPhone) and logical reasoning, we were able to locate the unmarked graves.

Outside the Cemetery gates

After doing family history, we decided to go the Inner Harbor at Baltimore. We enjoyed a gorgeous afternoon, sunny and warm in mid October!

Dad loves boats!!

Next stop was Arlington Cemetery, where we watched the Changing of the Guards. This picture is in the Memorial Amphitheater, which someday I will make a speech from.

Dad in front of George Washington's tomb at Mt. Vernon, the 1st President's estate

Washington's back porch overlooking the Potomac River. Gorgeous!!

Mom and Dad before their Capitol Tour

Every state provides two statues to the Capitol, one in the Statue Hall and another placed elsewhere in the building. Washington's statues were less than well known, so Mom and Dad got a picture with Brigham Young, representing Utah, of course.

Birthday dinner with Mom, Dad, Mike, and Mike's mom

Washington D.C. Temple. We were able to do a temple session together, which was wonderful!

Dad at the White House

No White House tour this time, so I guess M&D have to come back

Hope Diamond at the Natural History Museum

WWII Monument, getting caught in a fierce DC Rainstorm

Lincoln Memorial

Brea & Dad (two peas in a pod!)

Mom and Dad, I loved the visit!! Please come again soon. I promise it will be worth it!

Photo Dump Part 1: Palmyra and NYC

2012-01-15T22:11:00.002-05:00

To my few faithful readers,

In an effort to catch up on my blog, I decided to just do a photo dump. As usual, I am months behind and have gone on several adventures in the past six months that are note worthy. Most of you know the stories, so I'll be brief with words and simply post the important stuff- the pictures. Of course those who know me best, know that verbal brevity has never been my strong suit, so be prepared for some story telling.

I have an unwritten standing goal of going somewhere once a month. I don't really plan it that way, but when I look back I realize that something "fun" occurs minimally monthly. Some people choose to spend time and money on books, cars, clothes, homes, crafts, food, etc. I choose to spend my resources on travels.

In September, a few friends and I decided that to celebrate Labor Day and my friend Steffany's birthday, we should go to Palmyra, NY. None of us had been and Palmyra is the early home of Joseph Smith and where the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized. Many marvelous events of the Restoration occurred here and it plays a significant role in Church History. With Palymra only a few hours away, we decided it was well worth the trip. That same weekend, Mike got assigned to attend business meetings (aka Table Tennis tournaments) in New York City, so quickly we decided to pit stop in NYC on the way there. The girls played in the city, while Mike worked.

On the bus from New Jersey (hotel) into the city. This was our ride each way.

For Steff's birthday, she really wanted to see this show, "How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying" I think mostly for Daniel Radcliffe, aka Harry Potter. After the show we waited for an hour for a chance to meet him, but alas he never came. Later we learned that he never greets fans after matinees.

Times Square...need I say more?

If you look really really closely, you can see the Statue of Liberty. We didn't have time to take a ride to Ellis Island, but we watched the boats come in and out for a bit. It was a beautiful day in September!

From NYC, we drove onto Palmrya to stay at the Palmyra Inn. School had begun the week earlier, so I think we might have been their only guests. It was definitely owned by Mormons, since Ensigns were placed in the Lobby and rooms.

Joseph Smith Farm with the Sacred Grove

This was a particularly special morning as we wondered around the Sacred Grove for at least an hour. The rain was falling slightly and each of us just walked our own path and pondered on what occurred in this sacred wood. I am grateful that a young boy decided to pray; it has changed my life and the world forever.

Niagara Falls

I'll be home for Christmas...if only in my dreams

2011-12-22T03:09:00.000-05:00

In very unlike Brea fashion, I am actually posting in the blog while an event occurs. It's 12:58 am MST (that's 2:58 am eastern time) and I'm sitting in the Denver airport. Why you ask? The answer: unknown reasons. I left DC today on a delayed flight and missed the connecting flight in Denver, which was the last one to Portland for the evening, so I am stranded at the airport. The obvious conclusion is that the weather is bad, as it's December and snow always disrupts Christmas travel. However, the delay was in DC, where it was almost 60 degrees and raining today. A few flights were delayed at the Reagan Airport because they were diverted to Dulles. Weather? Busy? Felt like it? I don't know why, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't weather. Anyway, a 2 hour delayed departure meant a missed connecting flight. The connecting flight was also delayed, but not enough as I found out it left about 15 min before my plane landed in Denver and left about 10 Portland bound passengers stranded over night. BOO!!!!

So I get 9 lovely hours to spend in the mile high city. At least the snow is pretty...and the wifi is free.

Merry Christmas!

Mein Ravensburg

2011-11-30T22:40:00.000-05:00

The long awaited Germany post!

How about I give a very brief overview and skip right to the pictures. So I arrived via train to Germany where my cousin picked me up to drive me to Ravensburg. The train ride was wonderful with the most incredible beautiful scenery of mountains and lakes! This train ride was nothing like the Ukrainian trains on my mission--so much more luxurious!

The point of this trip was 1) to visit Oma and 2) to experience Rutenfest, the annual festival of my mother's hometown Ravensburg. Ravensburg is an old medieval town that still has the original towers and part of the city wall. The town itself is quite charming and everything a German town should be. Rutenfest is a festival honoring the cities history and culture. There were tons of music, parades, events, and food to celebrate. The Fahnfare is the iconic part of Rutenfest with trumpets and flags, which you hear all weekend long. The weekend itself was a blast, but the best part was spending time with Oma and hearing her stories.

Downtown Ravensburg waiting for the Rutenfest opening ceremonies

Watching the parade with Tante Lizzy and Wally

The "Beer Garden"

My "cousins" Jessica (and baby Gabriella) and Sabrina

Eating some Hungarian food...fried dough with cheese and sour cream- healthy, right? It tastes good for about 5 minutes before you start feeling sick, but don't worry, I finished the whole thing. I couldn't let the relatives down.

The Fahnfare on our street. They came and played "Mein Ravensburg" the town's song and performed other numbers as well. Groups like this came around the town all weekend. You can actually request a group to come to your neighborhood.

Tante (Aunt) Lizzy and Uncle Karl-- my great aunt and uncle. I had dinner with them and interviewed them for family history. It was a bit more challenging than it sounds. I speak very little German and they speak less English. Karl was a soldier during WWII and was in Belarus and then was a prisoner of war in Belarus and Kazakstan (yeah, I learned all that talking to them). Because of that he spoke a few words of Russian and somehow we had a trilingual conversation. Miracles happened so I could speak with my relatives. German words and grammar came back to me that I didn't even realize I learned. It was awful German and probably painful to hear, but somehow we communicated. It was a MIRACLE!

Yes, it's a bit fuzzy, that isn't your eyesight. Oma's caretaker and friend Frau Punko is still learning how to use a camera. :)

Me and Oma! It's hard to get pictures of Oma because she is going blind and you have to tell her where to look and when to smile. She doesn't hear well either, so communicating is a bit tricky. I love my Oma and am soooo blessed to have spent five whole days with her in Germany. She's an amazing woman, so strong. I got some great pics and recordings from her, plus some quality time.

There you go....my rundown of Europe 2011! This trip was challenging with language barriers, family obligations, and more, but I am incredibly grateful I had the opportunity to go. Thanks USAID!

Geneve, Genf, Ginevra, Geneva

2011-10-02T10:27:00.000-04:00

The multi-lingual, 3rd highest standard of living, 4th most expensive city, and home to the World Health Organization--Geneva, Switzerland is where I spent a week this summer. At USAID I manage grants, and one of those grants are with the WHO. In efforts to learn more and have the grant process run more smoothly, USAID sent me to Geneva for a week. Sounds so official, doesn't it? In reality, it was a three day meet and greet as I met with directors of the many health programs that our grant supports.

Statue depicting Smallpox eradication

(Yes, I am a fan of vaccines)

Geneva is a BEAUTIFUL city! I took a red eye flight from DC and arrived in Switzerland early Sunday morning. I was a little nervous landing in a foreign country and having to figure out currency, taxis, and hotels, but as usual I was just fine. On arrival I was enveloped in pouring rain and a whole lot of French. Luckily, everyone in Switzerland speaks English and about 40% of Geneva residents come from outside of Switzerland, it has a very international flavor. The taxi dropped me off at my hotel where I immediately fell asleep for a few hours (I can't sleep on planes and so jet lag and a night of not sleeping was a perfect combo for a long nap.) I woke up just in time to meet two BYU students in the hotel lobby who were there to show me the way to church. I attended the English branch, which consisted of a lot of diplomatic and business families living in Geneva for various jobs.

After church, I was off by myself to explore the city. My hotel was located minutes from the gorgeous Lake Geneva and I simply walked around and enjoyed the scenery. Monday morning I met up with the same kids and they gave me a very brief and fast paced tour of Old Town Geneva. Of course, only after we stopped at the Best Pastry shop in the city--pastries filled with nutella, hazlenut chocolate, and other deliciousness. Meetings at WHO started late that morning and the rest of my day was running from meeting to meeting.

The world's longest bench

"The Reformers Wall" A monument built to celebrate the 400th Anniversary of the University of Geneva, which was founded by John Calvin, a leader in the Protestant Reformation

The meetings were less than exciting, but just as a fun side note, if any of you see the movie "Contagion" the front doors and lobby of the WHO are exactly as shown in the movie. I got really excited watching the movie and seeing places where I had actually been. After meetings each day, I had time to explore. With some other work demands that came up, that exploration time was cut a bit short, but in the time I had, I went running around the lake, visited shops, ate lots of chocolate and yummy sandwiches, and just took this gorgeous city in. Geneva really is quite friendly and easy to navigate and I only wish I had a bit more time to see more of the city and explore the culture a bit more.

The walkway of flags at the United Nations Building

I had three days of meetings and on Thursday I hopped on a train to Germany to visit die Oma and other relatives...Swiss train rides are so magical! Stay tuned for my next post as I transitioned from French speaking, pastry eating, international flair Switzerland to beer and pretzel eating Germany!

Didenhover Family Reunion: Oregon Coast

2011-09-10T10:51:00.000-04:00

In June, all the Didenhovers got together in Waldport, Oregon on the Oregon Coast to spend a week together. With our family growing each year (21), it's hard to get together regularly. The last reunion was 5 years ago, so we were due for another Didenhover extravaganza!

6 full days together at the beach, it was incredible. I love my family. It is a blast being together and watching the cousins play together. My siblings are great and we have so much. It was absolutely wonderful being together.

The weather cooperated for the most part. We had some rainy days, but the sunshine days were gorgeous--70's, clear skies, light breeze. In addition to playing on the beach, we visited the Newport Aquarium, Tillamook Cheese Factory, played games, watched movies, talked, and ate some great meals. All in all, it was a fantastic week.

Sisters

All the Didenhover Kids

Exploring the tide pools in the rain

Eating "squeaky cheese" at the Tillamook Cheese Factory with my niece Leah

Washing up after playing in the tide pool at the Newport Aquarium

Rainy walk on the beach

Zach (4 years) just chilln' watching the waves

Me and my Papa

THANK YOU DAD and MOM for planning, organizing, andd being the best parents in the world. I love you!

Viva Mexico

2011-08-12T18:12:00.002-04:00

Oh Mexico...I've never really been, but I'd sure like to go...

I know you are all thinking of beautiful beaches, poolside lounges, and pina coladas with tiny umbrellas...but what if I paint a slightly different picture.

Tacos, taxis, dusty streets, colonial Spanish architecture, mariachi, street fairs, mexican lakes, and did I mention...ping pong?

All this adds up to a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend in
GUADALAJARA, MEXICO!

Mike was headed there for work and invited me to tag along, so we spent our holiday weekend in the lovely land of Guadalajara! Mexico's second largest city, cultural capital, and home of Mariachi music!

In the lovely city of Guadalajara, we did some sight seeing, some eating, and watched a whole lot of ping pong. Guadalajara was hosting the Latin American Ping Pong Championships and Mike was there to promote his new product, the iPong (see retail/online stores like Sears and Amazon to take a look). We spent a few afternoons at the tournament and while Mike did his thing of selling and schmoozing, I tried my best to interact with the Natives and to learn a little more about this basement sport that has gone wild.

Mexican kids playing ping pong outside the tournament

When we weren't watching ping pong, we were exploring the city's cathedrals (including a Catholic Mass where I was blessed by the Priest), markets, street vendors, and taco houses. We also ventured to Chapala, a lake city about an hour away with gorgeous views of the lake and mountains with lake water that was questionable to say the least. We even got a chance to visit the Guadalajara Temple, which has the exact same layout as the Spokane Temple, so I felt right at home (minus the Spanish immersion).

Catholic Church dating back to the 1600's

Guadalajara Temple (The Senior sister took one look at me and said, "You don't speak Spanish do you?" I think she was thrilled to speak some English.)

Chapala

Famous Mariachi

Guadalajara is BEAUTIFUL by night

Tacos--so good

For a real taste of Mexico, visit Guadalajara, where tourists and blondes are few and the pick up mariachi bands are everywhere.

Viva Mexico!

Birthdays and Baseball

2011-07-21T18:30:00.001-04:00

I love birthdays. I love half birthdays. I love my birthday. And I love celebrating others' birthdays. My roommate, Whitney hit the major milestone of 25 this year and we decided it was reason to celebrate. I wanted to do something fun, something meaningful, and something memorable. I think, just maybe, that the birthday fesitivities covered all three. Whit isn't really a big party person, so we opted out of the ward dessert night that just happens to coincide with a birthday and plan a real party. This party included dinner, dessert, and a talent show! Whit is full of talents herself (singing, piano, crafts, creative, masterful teacher, and a contagious laugh that earned her a nickname of Giggles), so in return we as roommates decided to provide Whitney with a talent of our own. Here's the run down...

Steff started us out with a bang. She might be slightly obsessive about her new ipad and as her talent decided to showcase this.

Ally, a trained yoga teacher, demonstrated her ability to do the splits.

Marissa LOVES creating in the kitchen and she baked Whitney some wonderful treats.

Mike decided to show off his juggling abilities by juggline 2lb weights.

And I sang Whit's favorite rendition of "Climb Every Mountain" from the Sound of Music...

All in all, it was quite the talent show! I can't wait for next year.

BASEBALL- GO M's

Last year when I moved to the East Coast, I made a goal to visit all the ballparks on the East Coast. Well, that hasn't really happened, but I have attended every Mariner's game in the area. This year the M's came to Baltimore and to Washington D.C. I made sure to attend both games. Unfortunately, Seattle couldn't pull out any wins. There were some heartbreaking losses and I may have shed some tears. I guess with 162 games a year, you can't win them all (or even half). Still, I am a Seattle fan through and through!

My angry face as Mike gloated in Baltimore's win over Seattle. Supposedly the Orioles are his team.

Spring Travels

2011-07-21T17:57:00.000-04:00

Time to recap my last 3 months. Life is pretty much the same with work, church, friends, etc., but what makes it interesting is all the trips!

April: NYC-Concrete jungle where dreams are made of....

My favorite running buddy, Traci, has been living in NYC for the past year and I needed to make another Big Apple trip while she still lived there. I buddied up with my friends Jackie and Liz and we took a girls weekend in New York. The easiest and cheapest way from DC to NY is by bus, so Friday after work we hopped on a commuter bus and arrived in downtown NY close to midnight. Saturday was perfect! Traci and I went running through Central Park, then Liz, Traci, and myself went downtown and checked out Times Square to see if we could score some cheap tickets to a show (no such luck). Later, Liz and I left Traci to do some studying and resting and we went walking and exploring. One of the best things about NY is the food--on our stroll we found some good street pizza, visited Pink Berry, and randomly happened across Insomnia Cookie, a cookie bakery a few blocks from Traci's place that she was trying to find. I ended up going with Traci to the suburbs for church on Sunday where she teaches Sunbeams and we had a grand ol' time teaching the Sunbeams about keeping the Sabbath day holy. Traci put me in charge of telling the story of the Israelites and manna and how God provided double portion of manna on Saturday so that Sunday would be a day of rest. We prepared pieces of bread for each kid and everyone got to eat some manna! My favorite quote was by a little boy named Cache, who when he finished his bread asked, "I want some more mannas please." Too cute!

NYC is a busy, big, and fast paced city...it's nice taking it in doses and having a local to show you around.

Times Square

Hanging out at the NYC Public Library

Happy Easter in FLORIDA!

Over Easter weekend, 7 friends and myself flew down to Destin, Florida! That's right, Florida. Sunshine, white sandy beaches, warm water, and good times! The trip included lots of beach time, Saturday dinner on a yacht, jet skis, dance parties in the street and lots of yummy food. I need my beach fix every few months and this was the perfect trip to start the summer season!

More beach in VA BEACH

In May, Mike and I decided we needed some more beach, to remedy this, we ventured down to Virginia Beach, VA for the weekend. While I was expecting some warmer temperatures and beach time, VA Beach had something else in store for us--our very own MONSTER TRUCK RALLY! Yes, as we looked out the balcony window late Friday night, we saw the beach scattered with monster trucks and mountains of sand scattered throughout. Now, for me this was no big deal and actually kind of a nuisance since I wanted to play on the beach, but for Mike this was childhood dreams becoming reality. I forced him to go running with me Saturday morning and then I spent the afternoon wandering the beach and trying to get excited over "Grave Digger" and "Stone Crusher" and other monster trucks that supposedly Mike knew and had watched as a kid when visiting VA Beach. To make his boyhood even more complete, we took a ride in one of the trucks! Wow, my life is complete. To round out the day and weekend we also went golfing (I'm a 'natural' according to Mike and of course, I believe him), listened to some steel drum music as part of a local festival, and had some scrumptious seafood on the water. All in all, it was a fabulous weekend.

Livin' the dream

VIP pass inside the truck itself

Enjoy the pics and stay tuned for more spring/summer happenings.

I think I have a problem

2011-05-01T18:01:00.002-04:00

Admittance is the first step, right?

Well, I think I have a problem. I am addicted to running races. In the past 12 months, I have run 5 races covering a distance of 257.4 miles. I guess you could say I am a runner. Those races include 2 half marathons, a Ragnar Relay race, and a midnight New Year's Eve race, and a full marathon. My latest adventure was the National Half Marathon in downtown DC on March 26. It only seemed fitting to do a race in my city with my favorite running buddy, Traci Garff. A big shout out to Traci! We have run all of those 257.4 miles together plus countless training runs. We started in North Orem and slowly moved east as we ran in Maryland, Richmond, VA, New York City, and Washington D.C. Traci's moving back to Utah, so our legacy of running races together might be over, but I'm thinking we'll somehow meet up for another race...Marathon in Rome? New Zealand? Uganda? Who knows?

My latest race....

Washington D.C. National Half Marathon

37- number of comments we received on our tutus during the race. After 5 races, why not tutus? I promise it helps with speed, something to do with aerodynamics. And yes, we ran all 13.1 miles in our tutus. Plus we both PR'd (personal record) 2 hours 1 min. Someday I will break 2 hours...someday soon. Maybe the tutu will have to come out again.

Obviously, I wasn't a ballerina...since I'm doing the YMCA instead of 1st position

Notice the sign. Respect for Ukrainian (molodets = good job)

Running is a positive addiction--at least that's what I'm telling myself. It's all about getting some exercise and having some fun!

Happy Birthday George!

2011-04-05T12:32:00.001-04:00

This President's Day marked the 279th birthday of our first President, George Washington. While we call the holiday, 'President's Day', the National Archives states that neither Congress or any President has changed the name of the holiday to 'President's Day' and on the books it is known as 'George Washington's Birthday'. Either way, I'm happy to celebrate.

After having visited Washington's home in Barbados (see earlier posts of my internship in the Caribbean), I was eager to visit Mt. Vernon, Washington's estate about 30 minutes from my house in Virginia. Mt. Vernon was hosting a surprise party to honor Pres. Washington, including cake, reading of his inauguration speeches, and visits from others. While my friends and I showed up fashionably late and missed the singing and cake, we still enjoyed a walk around Mt. Vernon.

Mt. Vernon - The House

What a view! Thanks Whit for driving down from Boston to join us.

A fine history lesson on Washington's porch overlooking the Potomac River

Happy Birthday George!

2011: The Best is Yet to Come

2011-03-06T00:00:00.003-05:00

Welcome 2011!!!

This year I decided to bring in the new year in the Big Apple! That's right--NYC. I think I did NYE in NYC just right...apartment in the city, friends, warmer than usual temperatures, 4 mile midnight run in Central Park. Yup, I rang in the new year with thousands of other crazy runners in Central Park. As the clock struck 12 and the ball dropped blocks away in Times Square, fireworks lit up the sky and I began running. Best New Year's ever!

With a group of 5 girls, we ran around the park sharing stories and highs and lows of 2010. 2010 was the year of goals for me. I didn't set out to make 2010 the year dreams come true, but as I reflected, I realized a lot of life long goals had been accomplished:

Graduate with my Masters in Public Health
Move to Washington D.C.
Returned to Ukraine for the Kyiv Ukraine Temple Dedication
Got my first "real" job
Ran a marathon

Wow, what a year.

As I look to 2011, I'm not quite sure what it holds; maybe some more races, maybe some traveling, hopefully new friends and potential relationships. I don't have any huge goals on my list this year, I'm kinda ready to let the year unfold and make goals along the way...I do know that even though 2010 was amazing, my motto for 2011 is The Best is yet to Come

Catching up...

2011-02-26T12:18:00.000-05:00

I'm trying to catch on this blog. I would just skip it and move on, but I seem unable to go from point A to point C without B in between. So bear with me as I finish up the events of 2010.

"I'll be home for Christmas...."

Getting home for Christmas this year was a bit trickier than in the past, but seeing as last year I didn't go home, I was bound and determined to make it back to Spokane and have Christmas in my own house with Mom and Dad. I alerted the family early on and encouraged all who were able to converge in Spokane. I did pretty well. For Christmas we had The Harris Family and a few days later, Jaime and Ava showed up. Kurt and Christina were unable to make it, but 3/5 kids isn't too bad.

Flying across the country is time consuming, costly, and stressful. After I booked my flight, I realized that I had 3 stops and two of them in the snowiest places in the USA: Chicago and Denver. I had everyone on prayer alert that snowstorms would be averted and I could make it home without delays or cancellations. With fingers crossed, prayers said, and a lot of movies to keep me busy, I arrived in Spokane at 9:30 PM and got to my house a little after 10 PM to be welcomed by Kyle, my 6 year old nephew trying so hard to stay awake for Christmas eve festivities. The other two little ones couldn't make the late night, but I was warmly greeted Christmas morning.

Christmas was absolutely wonderful. We ate lots of yummy food, watched movies, played with new toys, and even made some snowmen and had a snowball fight. The kids all got along and the sisters (minus Christina--sorry Tina!) were able to bond. Sadly, we couldn't extend our trips, but it was so perfect while we were there.

Sarah and Ava--bonding in their matching outfits

SNOW TIME! Spokane never fails in providing a white Christmas

There is nothing like being home for Christmas.

New Job

2011-02-12T22:05:00.001-05:00

I got a new job!!! Ok, I got the job 3 months ago, but it's still pretty new. Being a workin' woman is tough--tight schedules, 8 hour days, sitting at desk, paychecks coming in...it's rough. Anyway, after months of sending in cover letters, online applications, informational interviews, and hundreds of emails, I finally got offered a job!

I am a Program Assistant at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in the office of Health, Infectious Diseases, and Nutrition. The title is a little fuzzy, but it's actually pretty cool and exactly where I wanted to be. When I started the MPH program, I had the goal of working for USAID. It is one of the premier development agencies in the world. My role is to help manage grants for the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). I don't have any real decision making responsibilities, but I get to read all the proposals that come in for various activities (TB work, HIV/AIDS programs, water and sanitation, childhood vaccines, malaria programs, and other health activities). It's pretty interesting.

In addition to my main responsibility I'm also on the country team for Nicaragua and am on the gender team for the bureau. I don't really know exactly what my role on that team will be, but gender is a significant issue and I'll be meeting with representatives from the other offices and bureaus (education, health, democracy, humanitarian assistance, agriculture, etc).

The job is starting slow and I have plenty of time on gchat, but I'm thrilled to have a job and be starting my career as a public health professional.

26.2

2011-02-05T12:26:00.004-05:00

The race of my life was actually 84 days ago. Since then I've received many complaints that my blog has become stagnant, so here's the update. And even though the race was months ago and I have limited pictures, I'm posting anyway...for friends and family...and because marathons are a

BIG DEAL.

So without further ado...

On Saturday November 13, 2010 I completed the SunTrust Richmond Marathon. How was it you ask--AMAZING! I have never had a better time running; it was fun, hard, beautiful, perfect weather, long, totally insane, and incredible. Now maybe because it's 84 days later, I don't remember how hard it actually was, but I'm telling you it was awesome.

The race went much better than expected. All the hours and Saturday mornings spent running paid off and I had a great race. My time was not the fastest, but I finished in my goal range, I didn't walk, and only came out with mild soreness and one minor injury. The first 10 miles flew by and I felt really good. The weather was in the 40's to start and by the end it was in the 60's. So perfect. I ran next to rivers, across bridges, up some hills, through city, down in some valleys, and back on the streets of Richmond, VA. I ran the race with my running buddy, Traci and we kept each other going for all 26.2 miles. She had a pace keeping watch, so we knew how fast we were running the entire time. Miles 8-13 were probably the fastest pace and 24-26 weren't too shabby either. People warned me that as I got closer to finishing I might get emotional. Emotional?! From what I asked. Emotional from the training, hard work, realization of an accomplished goal, and the pure breaking down of the body. While some of those thoughts did cross as I passed the mile 25 marker and realized I was really going to finish this thing...no tears or uprising of emotions flowed. Instead, I just kicked it into gear and ran my fastest mile of the whole race. I guess it's still true that I'm just not an emotional girl. I don't think you have to cry to realize the enormity of finishing a marathon.

Saturday, November 13 was an awesome day.

Will I do it again???? I'm not saying yes, but I'm not saying no either.

Practicing crossing the finish line the night before the race. And if you're wondering what Traci and I are doing with our hands...we're just flashing our symbol. 2A


My cheering squad

I'll try to get more pictures. For now, you can check out a few pics online.
http://www.brightroom.com/view

Fall Happenings

2010-12-05T15:39:00.000-05:00

October was a busy month with trips to start and end the month and a birthday celebration in between. My birthday was pretty low key this year with dinner with some friends and a small gathering afterward featuring my favorite dessert--ice cream.

I decided to skip town for Halloween and headed down to the Sunshine state instead. I went to visit a friend living in Orlando and we packed the weekend with fun Florida things. Clearwater Beach (Gulf Coast), Tampa, Disneyworld, and Daytona Beach. You all know how much I love the ocean, so this was a perfect weekend!

Here are some pictures to enjoy.

Birthday Dinner

Opening Gifts

How does that yoga pose look like again? Obviously, I don't yoga.

Yup, it's real!

Daytona Beach...you can actually drive your car right onto the beach and park, which we did.

Thankful

2010-11-26T01:11:00.000-05:00

A few things I'm thankful for...

A loving Heavenly Father
Family
Friends
Jesus Christ
Plan of Salvation
Freedom
Education
Fall colors
Health
Running
Sunshine
Beaches
Airplanes
Warms rolls w/butter
Laughing
Clean sheets
Nieces and Nephews
Hoodies
Prayer
Testimony
Indoor Plumbing
Not living in Pioneer times (idea stolen from my friend Stephanie, but I completely agree)
Cell phones
Ice cream
Conference Talks
Heating/AC
Beautiful planet we live on

Happy Thanksgiving!

Where everybody knows your name...

2010-11-19T22:02:00.000-05:00

BOSTON!!!

I love living on the east coast and having cool cities so close. The first week of October brought me to Boston for my friend Doug's wedding, and to visit longtime friend, Whitney. First time to Boston--it was worth the wait. I'll forgo the daily itinerary and just offer a synopsis with lots of pictures.

Arrived Wed night, stayed through Tuesday night: North End, Harvard, Boston University, the "T", late chats with Whitters, Cannolis, Italian food, Lexington, Fenway Park, Boston Temple, wedding, reception, drive to Maine and back, Freedom Trail, long runs on Minute Man Trail, more chats with Whitters, new friends, awesome food, great times! I love Boston!

Ok, so I know this is a fuzzy photo, but it's all I got.

The North Church..."one if by land, two if by sea."

Gelato

Specialty chocolate shop = delicious Hot Chocolate!!!

The Beautiful Couple: Doug and Sarah Rodermund

Lexington Bridge....Where the shot was heard around the world

I'm not too sure about holding Flat Stanley in this picture

Walden Pond

Need to come back when it's a bit warmer to take a dip

Welcome to Maine! First time eating lobster...so not worth the money

Portland--East coast sytle!

Can you help me out with the sign? Dorms at Bowdoin College...beautiful campus, weird sign.

I'll be coming back to Boston in May for Whit's graduation. I'm hoping to catch a game and see the inside of Fenway Park. Boston was everything I hoped for and more (including the Boston accent)!

What a day

2010-11-14T20:20:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I ran a marathon.
And I got a job offer.

Good things do come to those wait...and work hard.

(details to follow)

Run. Drive. Sleep? Repeat.

2010-11-01T22:11:00.000-04:00

Ragnar D.C. September 24-25, 201 miles of running relay fun! I wasn't too thrilled about running this race, but my running buddy Traci made a deal that if I ran the relay, she'd run the marathon with me in November. The Ragnar Race originated in Utah and has since expanded to locations around the country. The idea is 12 runners, 200 miles, each runner runs 3 separate legs ranging from 3-9 miles. Sounds easy right...well, it's a beast!

Reflection Vests are required from dusk to dawn

My running buddy. 13.1 check...201 check...26.2 bring it on!

The race began at 12 noon on Friday September 24 in Cumberland, MD. 200 miles and about 30 hours later we ended up in Alexandria, VA. The weather was insane, with temperatures nearing 95 degrees. We slept in increments that maybe totaled 5 hours. I ran at 4:30 pm, 2:00 am, and 12 pm (the next day) for a total of 16.5 miles. This race is crazy, but for some reason, I love it!

Next year....Ragnar Florida Keys!

Ukraine

2010-10-24T22:22:00.000-04:00

In August, I was able to go back to Ukraine for the Kyiv Ukraine Temple dedication. It was my first time back since the mission and the experience was incredible. Memories flooded back and for the first few days I felt like I walked into another life and possibly an alternate universe. Everything seemed surreal, but so familiar and almost exactly as I had left it a few years ago. I wish this post could capture all my emotions, memories, and experiences, but there is no way to put that all down in words and pictures.

The journey getting there and back was a little hectic, but I made all my connections and everything seemed to fall into place, even if it was last minute. In the 10 days I was there, I spent time in 8 different airports in 6 different countries...I was a little confused by the many languages and time changes. I left DC with a plane ticket and an address of a hostel. For those of you who know me well, know that that while I can live with a little spontaneity, I really like knowing exactly what is coming next and am quite leery of "flying by the seat of my pants," though that is exactly how it went. I was a little unsure of staying at a hostel. I had been emailing a member (who I had never met) in Kyiv who gave me the address and assured me it was a clean hostel and the Ukrainian youth performing in the cultural celebration would be staying there. As I turned off my phone to get on my transatlantic flight, I said a quick, but absolutely sincere prayer that all would work out.

Well I made it to Hamburg and onto to Warsaw (even with passport control lines that were insane and I really believed I would miss my connection to Kyiv). I randomly met up with a guy who had served with me in Ukraine. He was also heading for the dedication and had a few more of his details worked out. I decided to tag along and after arriving in Kyiv, headed to a member's house to figure out places to stay. While I waited in the airport for this new found friend, I saw another friend of mine, a Ukrainian friend. Mariya had been living in DC and was in my ward over the summer. She was coming home for the dedication. I had tried contacting her before I left the US, but we were unable to connect. At the airport she gave me her home phone number and said her parents were fine with me staying there. That's a lot of detail, but I just wanted to show how many many mini miracles happened along this trip. I needed to be in Ukraine and the path kept opening up in front of me.

The new Famine Monument. Ukraine experienced a man made famine imposed by Stalin in the 1930's. Over 6 million Ukrainians were starved to death so that Stalin could gain more strength over the region. It's a sobering part of history, but one that needs to be shared.

This is "Big Mama" the famous statue in Kyiv that houses a World War II museum. 'Big Mama' is also known as "Mother of the Nation" and was the symbol used during Soviet times to rally national support.

I spent a few days in Kyiv visiting the Temple site, churches, parks, museums, and enjoying walking Kreshatik (the main street). On Saturday I met up with my friend Eli who served with me and we attended the cultural celebration. President Monson, President Uchtdorf, Elder Nelson, and other area authorities were in attendance. The celebration focused on the history of the church in Ukraine starting with the earliest introduction of Christianity, where Ukrainians believed the Apostle Andrew was sent into the area to spread Christianity. The production showed other important events such as President (then Elder Benson) visiting Moscow while acting as the Secretary of Agriculture, the dedication of Ukraine for the preaching of the Gospel in September 1991 one month after Ukraine declared independence from the Soviet Union, and the organization of the first stake in 2004 (which I was there for). As the events were displayed, I felt the Spirit so strongly testifying to me the truthfulness of the Gospel. The Lord has blessed this land and it is very humbling and overwhelming to think that in a very small way, I was part of the building of the Church in Ukraine. The event was spectacular. In addition to the festivities I met up with many members I had served among and even found a senior couple I had taught in the MTC.

Natasha Fihel (member in Chernivtsi-my first area)

Ira Demchenko (member in Chernivtsi)

Here I'm with Elder and Sister Thatcher who I taught in the MTC at the Cultural Celebration. All the missionaries in the mission were present.

Sunday I attended the Temple dedication at the Stake Center adjacent to the Temple. The dedication was beautiful and the Ukrainian and Russian saints in attendance were thrilled to be part of such an event.

The girls from Chernivtsi

A family I taught in L'viv, who were later baptized and had a sealing date for the following Tuesday after the dedication.

Irina Sinegub, my companion in L'viv. Irina is from Central Ukraine.

Sunday night, I hopped a night train to L'viv. For those of you who received letters from me know that I served almost half my mission in L'viv. L'viv is a beautiful city. It's a city that has had many ruling countries over years due to war and borders changes, but even with the changes, the city has been fairly well preserved. I spent two days in L'viv exploring the city and visiting members and old investigators. It was fantastic! One thing I LOVE about L'viv is that people actually speak Ukrainian!!! It's so great to understand and be understood. Amazing! After two days in L'viv, I took another night train back to Kyiv to fly out the next day.

L'viv Opera House

L'viv

The new branch house in L'viv, with two elders I had served with in L'viv. We each planned our trips separately, but met up in Ukraine.

Oksanna Kravchenko, a member who I had taught and got baptized in L'viv.

Ploshka!!! My favorite Ukrainian sweet bread. This seriously is heaven!

The trip was absolutely incredible. This post does not do justice to all the experiences and emotions I went through in my ten days. I am grateful for the opportunity I had to go back to Ukraine and to be there at such an important and memorable time. I needed this trip.

Viva Ukraina!!!

Best Fieldtrip Ever

2010-10-03T20:09:00.000-04:00

Earlier this summer, I headed back to Utah to pick up my car and the rest of my belongings and embark on a cross country roadtrip to Washington, DC. Bringing my car over to the east coast is kind of a big deal. To help me make the journey, my good friend Tim joined me for the 2000+ mile drive. I'm not sure if Tim volunteered or if I was super persuasive, but for whatever reason he agreed to come along and I am SO grateful. We had some good times driving across Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, DC, and Virginia!

Day 1: Leaving Herriman at 4 PM

Leaving Utah (and my sense of direction...if there aren't mountains to the east how am I going to know which direction I'm going?

Day 1: Driving across Wyoming and Nebraska. I heard Nebraska was super flat and full of corn fields, but we drove through Nebraska in the night and I didn't get to see all the corn. I was a little disappointed.

Day 2: We got as far as Grand Island, NE the first day, rolling in around 3:30 AM, slept for a few hours and started day 2 at 11 AM.

Day 2: IOWA!!! My Favorite state! (well on this drive). Iowa is beautiful in July. We drove through rolling hills and saw cute houses on the tops of the hills. It really was charming, and I'm pretty sure I quoted 'Field of Dreams' the entire time we drove the state.

IOWA

Day 2: Welcome to Indiana. It was hazy, dark, and we got pulled over. I hate Indiana. Well, let me explain. There was quite a bit of construction so the speed limit was lowered. We had been behind a cop for a few miles and then he pulled off. He got back on and followed us and then pulled us over (Tim was driving). The cop asked for Tim's license, but not the car registration, which I had out and ready. First funny point, we were driving 45 mph when getting pulled over. Secondly, Tim didn't have his license, but a temporary paper copy because he was waiting for his motorcycle endorsement. Thirdly, the cop asked us if our brights were on, which they weren't. He didn't believe us and asked us to turn the brights on and off as he waved his flashlight in front of the lights. He complained that he couldn't see and had to swerve all over the road when he was in front of us. He finally let it go and reminded us to keep our brights off. The best part of this story, well beside getting pulled over for having too bright of lights (I thought that was a good thing), was the cop himself. He had a ranger type hat on and a toothpick in his teeth and spoke with a complete hick accent--exactly what I would imagine from a 1980's cop show in the Midwest. Lesson learned: cops in Indiana are dumb.

Day 3: Cleveland, OH! My old roommate Meghan lives in Cleveland with her cute family. We rolled into Cleveland around 2 AM, but Meghan had left the door open and set up the downstairs for us to sleep. The next morning we played with her two adorable daughters, Mckinlay and Eliza, then headed off to Kirtland for the afternoon.

Day 3: Kirtland Temple

Inside the Newel K. Whitney Store

We arrived safely in DC at midnight on day 3 of the journey. We spent the next two days exploring DC (monuments, temple, Arlington Cemetery). The trip was a success. Everyone and everything made it safely. The drive was much better than I expected and actually quite enjoyable...but I don't think I'll be making that drive anytime soon again.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame!

2010-09-26T20:05:00.003-04:00

One major perk of living in a big city is access to Major League Baseball games. For those of you who didn't know, I am a MAJOR fan of baseball. I like to play baseball (softball). I like to watch baseball. I like to talk about baseball. I can watch a 3 hour game on TV and not get bored. For the past 9 years of living in Provo, I've had few opportunities to go to major league games. A few road trips to California were the only chances I got, but now that I live on the east coast, ball parks are a plenty! This summer I attended 4 baseball games and loved every minute of each game.

I also made a new goal: visit every baseball park on the east coast (Washington Nationals, NY Yankees, NY Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox). And if time and circumstances permit: Cincinnatti, Cleveland, Pittsburgh. I wonder how far Atlanta, Tampa Bay and Toronto are?? This might not get done in one summer, but it will get done before I leave the east coast.

A few highlights from this season.

Tuesday August 17: Seattle Mariners came into town to play the Baltimore Orioles at Cambden Yards. I planned this game early in the summer as Seattle doesn't come out to Baltimore all that often.

Yes, that's Ichiro.

My roommate Whitney and me at the Baltimore vs Mariners game

The group I fanangled coming to game to cheer my Mariners on.

Nationals Stadium (DC)

After game party

p.s. the Mariners won 4-0

A Capital Summer

2010-09-15T13:39:00.001-04:00

Readers: I know many of you are saddened by the lack of posts for the past few months. I think I promised to have regular updates about my new life in the Capital, but I have failed. To make up for it, I'm going to enthrall all of you on a jumbo post of the highlights from Summer 2010, which sadly ends in 8 days.

Moving to the east coast has brought many new adventures and places to explore. While I'm still a little jealous of those of you in Utah and California with so many fun outdoor activities, I won't complain too much as I think about some of the awesome places and experiences I've had over here in the east.

Sailing with the R.S.

In June, I went sailing with some girls in the RS. We went up somewhere in Maryland and spent a few hours on a sailboat out on the Chesapeake (or somewhere near). I believe it was my first time on a sailboat and I had a blast. Somewhere, I think I got my Dad's love of water and boats and I just can't seem to get enough. Sailboats, speed boats, canoe, kayak, ferry, fishing boat...I'll take any of them. I think I've been on about every kind of boat now except a cruise ship and an submarine, so it looks like I'll just have to take more trips.

Happy Birthday America! (4th of July)

4th of July weekend was fantastic!!! Saturday July 3, I drove to Harper's Ferry, West Virginia to float down the river. We rented tubes and spent a few hours gently floating the river. Supposedly, we paid for the "rapids" but I'm pretty sure I could make bigger rapids in a swimming pool than the ones I saw on the river. Nonetheless, it was a very pleasant day and I met a lot of fun people on my journey down the river. Sunday, July 4, we had a BBQ after Church and then headed into the District to secure a spot to watch the fireworks. After wandering for quite some time, a few of us finally decided on the Jefferson Memorial. This seemed to be a perfect spot with large marble steps to sit on and a great view of the Fireworks over the Potomac River with the Washington Monument piercing the skyline. BEAUTIFUL!!!! For a girl who's spent more 4th of July's outside the US than inside the US since high school, I had a grand time and really enjoyed being on American soil for Independence Day! Monday July 5, was filled with a long run, some time at the pool, and another greatBBQ. What a weekend!

Shenendoah National Park

Sometime in July, Liz, Jackie, Sara, and a few others made an impromptu camping trip to Shenendoah National Park. We left late Friday night and drove a few short hours into Viriginia. The park is beautiful with lots of greenery and plenty of spectacular lookout points from the road. We set up camp in the dark (Liz and I are masters at tent assembly) and prepared for the following day adventures. The next morning we ventured out on a hike to find some natural water slides. While the hike was short and steep, the waterslides were a blast! I was a little hesitant at first (sliding down wet rocks just seems a little dangerous), it turned out to be so fun and I couldn't get enough.

Yup, that's me. It's way more fun if you throw your hands up!

Biking the Monuments

The Monuments in DC are always here. I see them almost every day on my way to and from work and whenever I go into the city. Even though they don't change, they are cool each and every time. While night is not the best time for taking pictures, it's definitely the best time to see the Monuments. What's even better than monuments at night? How about monuments at night by bike!

p.s. my favorite monument: Lincoln Memorial

What about Bob weekend

Have you seen "What about Bob"? Did you think they filmed the movie at Lake Winnipesaukee like it claims? Well, they didn't. The movie was filmed in Virginia at Smith Mountain Lake near Roanoke, VA. About a month ago, a bunch of us went down, camped, rented boats, and went boating on the "What about Bob" lake. The day included wakeboarding, lounging, swimming, eating, visiting the house filmed in the movie, and a stop at Gutman's Cafe (which I didn't actually go to, but I heard from those that did, that it was completely closed up and not in service anymore). The lake was beautiful and we couldn't have asked for better weather. I don't get to go boating very often, so each time I'm afraid I won't be able to wakeboard/ski. Don't even worry, I got up right away, stayed up, and even managed to maneuver the wake! Oh, and I might have become the official wakeboard instructor on my boat! Have I mentioned how much I love boats and water?!?! SO FUN!

PARTIES

Parties just seem to be a part of life as a young single. Someone always has a birthday, or someone is moving away, or there is need for more desserts, or people just want another reason to get together. Either way, this has been a summer for parties. I'm a little "partied" out, but I know that I will continue to go. I just have a few random snapshots from a few parties. Both happened to be themed birthday parties.

"All things Nautical"

"Billionaire"

Well, those are most of the highlights of Summer 2010. There are a few other events that deserve their own blog post, so they will be coming shortly. I hope you enjoyed the update!

Peace out Provo

2010-06-25T20:47:00.002-04:00

Hello Washington, D.C.!

After 8 years and 9 months, with breaks of varying lengths to Spokane, Ukraine, Mozambique, and Barbados, I have left Provo and moved to our nation's capitol. Technically, I live in Arlington, VA, but for the non locals, let's just say D.C. It's easier that way.

For the past 3 weeks, I've stayed on a couch, the floor, two different beds, an ottoman fold out bed, and now my temporary bed in my temporary (6 weeks) apartment--gotta love the couch/apartment surfing! I think I'm somewhat settled in for at least a few weeks and I pretty much have my work routine down. I'm still trying different routes to and from work, but I manage to make it both ways, so I'm feeling successful. Commuting to work is a bit different than driving to campus or even walking to work in Barbados. I'm not quite sure how I feel about the 40-50 minute commute each way (though I'm pretty sure it's less than 7 miles). In the summer it's great and I'm enjoying the heat and the sun and the walking. Winter, well let's not even think about that now.

It's summer, I'm in a big city, and my apartment complex has a pool. I'm good to go.

Stay tuned for the D.C. updates. Every week is a new adventure.

Reunion Part 2

2010-06-11T11:29:00.001-04:00

Memorial Day weekend brought the college crew together once again, this time for Ian's wedding. Ian got married to Annie Anderson on Saturday May 29. It was a beautiful wedding in Salt Lake City. The day was packed with activities: breakfast, wedding, pictures, luncheon, reception. I love weddings and that it brings friends together. I really enjoyed spending the day with the whole crew and it's fun to see the group expand. I'm not sure when the crew will get together again (no weddings planned for now), but 4/5 of the group is on the east coast now, so maybe we can get together without a wedding.

I heart San Francisco

2010-05-28T14:51:00.001-04:00

Two weeks ago, Alison, myself, and our friend Tim took a roadtrip out to San Francisco. Knowing that I'm moving to DC and the east coast, I wanted a final fling in the Golden State and to see my Steffers! It was a super quick trip, but included San Francisco, Ghirardelli Square, Palo Alto, a beach house, sand castles, and the Pacific Ocean. What more could you want from a California trip!! (well maybe some warmer weather and warmer beaches, but it's still Cali and it's still beautiful.)

Thursday: Al, Tim, and I left Provo around 2pm ready to embark on the long 12 hour drive across Utah, Nevada, and California. We made a stop at the SLC airport to pick up another passenger, Carlo. The trip was quite long, but luckily the travel companions made the voyage bearable and we rolled into Palo Alto around 1am.

Friday: SAN FRANCISCO! After sleeping in just a bit, we drove into the city to see the sights! We went down to the wharf, walked along the "boardwalk", meandered through some hilly streets, visited Full House Street, drove Lombard Street, and headed back down to the Bay for some Ghirardelli ice cream!

I LOVE my girls!!!

And did I mention that I LOVE ice cream, especially mint chocolate chip...YUM!!!

That night we drove to Capitola, a beach town about 40 minutes south of Palo Alto. We stayed there for the night.

Saturday: Capitola--We headed to the beach in the morning to go exploring and watch some surfers (in full body wetsuits. Pretty sure I would have wanted a dry suit and I have a high tolerance for cold water). That afternoon we joined a YSA activity where a professional sand castle builder was teaching singles how to build sand castles. I didn't see all the instruction, but the results were pretty amazing! We ended the night with a bonfire on the beach.

Check out the San Fran skyline!

It was a fantastic trip and I really do love being with my best friends Al and Steff. I'm glad we got a last hurrah in before I head out east. Now we really will be coast to coast.

Goodbye West Coast. I'll miss you. Wait for me, I promise to come back!

AED: Center for Health Communication

2010-05-25T15:02:00.001-04:00

With graduation a month ago, I've been putting a lot of time into finding a job. Well the hard work has paid off and I will be starting an internship June 7 at AED Center for Health Communication (http://chc.aed.org/). It's a 4 month paid internship with a possibility of being hired after that time. The internship is survey and evaluation research on a government funded project to figure out how to create better jobs to help low income people break the poverty cycle. The work involves data entry, data cleaning and analysis, survey collection, report generating (super exciting and glamorous stuff--but hey, we all have to start somewhere). It's actually quite miraculous how I landed this job, here's the story...

A professor emailed me about 2 weeks ago about an internship opportunity in DC. She knew the contact of the person looking for an intern and since it was in DC, she forwarded it onto me. I went ahead and emailed the originator of the email and attached my resume. Last Thursday I got a phone call from a lady at that organization that had seen my resume and wanted to talk to me about an internship. It's not exactly public health, but the organization does work on lots of public health projects and different departments are more public health focused. The internship is in the survey and evaluation department. The lady, Rose Ann, gave me a ton of information and pretty much offered me the job on the spot. I was leaving for San Francisco later that afternoon and I told her I was going out of town and would be back on Monday. She asked me to decide by Tuesday if I was interested.

The weekend was super fun and relaxing, but I spent a lot of time thinking about the internship and if I should take it. I've wanted to go to DC for awhile, but this was a lot faster than I was expecting. Well, I came back from California thought some more, and Tuesday I accepted the job. Since then I have been madly searching for a place to live in DC and to sell my contract here in Provo. It's been a miraculous past 2 weeks and I think I have a place to live for the summer and I sold my Provo contract yesterday! I found places to stay before I can move in and everything seems to be rolling along. It really has been incredible and it's amazing how fast everything has come together. My head is still spinning and I'm excited and nervous and busy and trying to get my Provo life wrapped up, but I know it will all come together.

Countdown until the move: 10 days

Just call me Master Brea

2010-05-11T21:10:00.004-04:00

I did it! I finished my Master of Public Health degree and I'm officially a Master! I would like everyone to address me by my appropriate title, Master Brea (or Master Breanne or Master Didenhover). Graduation consisted of a two day event. Day 1 was Thursday April 22 when Commencement Activities kicked off in the Marriott Center with Elder Christofferson as the keynote speaker. The speech was short and inspiring. Afterward, pictures and a cohort party followed to continue the celebrations. Day 2 began early in the Marriott Center where I graduated from the College of Life Sciences. As a master's student, I got front row seats and received my diploma before anyone got tired. I made sure they read my name correctly by repeating "Didenhover" 2 times before walking across the podium. The rest of the program is blurry and I don't think I paid too much attention. At the the end of convocation, I met up with Mom, Dad, Kurt, Alisa, and co (who all attended) and we met Laura at Los Hermanos for some tasty lunch.

MPH Cohort 7

Alisha, me, Camille (swimming and late night lab buddies)

As graduates, we now have wings to fly. Check out those robes!

Best Support Crew

The Hoods! Welcome to Hogwarts.

Alisha, Lauren, Me, Camille, Dr. Cole (professor in charge of the Cape Town Hygiene project)

Brea and Alison: From Carroll Hall to MPH

Thanks Mom and Dad and everyone else who was so supportive during this adventure. I accomplished a lot and there was no way I could do it without you. I love you!!!

p.s. The hood is salmon not pink!

Moab #5

2010-05-05T14:33:00.001-04:00

On March 20, 2010, I ran my 5th half marathon. All five races have been in Moab at the Canyonlands Half Marathon. I started my long running races way back in 2003 when my roommate Annie inspired me to start running. I ran cross country in high school, but those are 3 mile races and even in training I had never run more than 7 miles at once. Annie convinced me that I could do it...and I did. At that point, I got a little bit hooked and I have run that same race 4 more times (2006, 2007, 2008, 2010). All the races have been pretty good, but 2010 was exceptionally fun. No, I didn't have my best time, the weather wasn't all that great, and I got terribly sick during and after the race, but somehow I still had a blast. And I'm pretty sure I owe it to this girl--Traci Garff! (picture below)

Here we are just before leaving Provo on Friday afternoon. Traci is holding a picture that I tore out of a magazine as my training inspiration. It's a picture of a very lean athletic girl out running. I figured if I trained hard enough, I would look just like her. Ok, so not really, but it was a fun inspiration anyway.

Traci was my running buddy and training partner for all the training leading up to the big race. We ran all our Saturday long runs together. Long runs can be, well long, but when you put two wacky girls together who start in North Orem and run to South Provo, you get quite the spectacle and enjoyable time. In training, we would save all our stories from the week to share with each other and of course stories would be interrupted by random bursts of singing that led to more endorphins and good times. Some of our favorites were: Empire State of Mind (Traci is actually from NY), Bon Jovi, Eye of the Tiger, and random Disney selections.

Training runs prepared us for the big day and we made it--13.1 MILES!!! And don't worry, we kept the singing and story telling alive all throughout the race and I think as we inspired each other, we may have even inspired a few others along the way.

2010 marks the end of Moab Half Marathons for me....But here's a sneak preview of my next big racing adventure.....

That's right, I'm putting all those half marathons to use and finally running a full marathon--26.2 miles. Saturday November 13, 2010 in Richmond, VA.

The Defense

2010-04-15T20:50:00.001-04:00

Today was the final day of Reckoning for my Masters Degree in Public Health. I had my defense in front of my committee today and....I passed! The whole process went really smoothly. I did a 30 minute presentation (which was pretty darn good if I say so...I'm becoming a powerpoint wiz!) and then my committee had questions for me. I handled the questions and felt really good about my responses. After that, they sent me out to deliberate and about 10 minutes later, they called me back in. I passed with minimum revisions, mostly formatting and editorial comments. I should be able to make all the changes within a day, then print this baby out and be done!

I feel great!! And the sun came out today, I feel even better.

Thanks for all the support, calls, emails, gchats, texts, prayers, and thoughts! They were all deeply appreciated.

Fun on the East Coast

2010-04-05T17:52:00.002-04:00

At the beginning of March, I headed back to the East Coast for some business and pleasure. I attended the Annual Heath Advocacy Summit with other BYU students. I attended this conference last year, but this year came back as a presenter! I flew in a few days before the conference to spend time in DC and with friends. I had hopes of doing some job searching, but that didn't quite happen the way I planned. Overall, the trip was fantastic and I enjoyed every minute. Here are some pictures to narrate my experience.

Day 1: Fly into Baltimore. I arrived in Baltimore on Thursday afternoon and had my friend Camille and her husband pick me up. Camille is a fellow MPHer with me and graduated last December. We hung out at her place and waited for Aaron to come meet us in Bmore. We then all headed to a Thai restaurant for some dinner.

Day 2: Playing tourist: Aaron had to work all day, so I decided to go explore our nation's capitol. Since I've been here a few times in the past year, and have already seen some highlights, I decided to seek unexplored territory. I made it to my first stop all by myself, of which I was quite proud. I met up with some other students who also flew in early and we headed to the Natural History Museum. This museum is so cool and full of wildlife wonders! There was an Africa room, ocean room, gems and rocks (not so cool- The Hope Diamond is not nearly as impressive as I expected it to be, but Napoleon's diamond necklace is incredible!), and dinosaur exhibit. The exhibits were so fun and I was running around like a little kid, kind of expecting the animals to come to life like in "Night at the Museum." Sadly, or maybe fortunately, none did. This was a great Smithsonian. I love natural history!

Did you know that the pig is related to the hippopotamus?

After the Natural History Museum, we headed over to the National Gallery of Art. A few wandered around, and I sat myself down on a comfy couch in an impressionism room. I've been to the gallery, and for as much as I want to love art galleries, I get bored quite easily. It was much better to crash for a bit and relax. All that running around the Natural History Museum tuckered me out! After, I still had some time to kill, so I wandered around the mall and enjoyed the gorgeous views between the Capitol Building and Washington Monument.

After that I met up with Aaron to visit the Terra Cotta Warriors Exhibit at the National Geographic Museum. The exhibit shows the ancient clay army commissioned by China's 1st Emperor, who wanted thousands of clay soldiers to protect his tomb. The Emperor was pretty crazy, but his artisans crafted some amazing warriors!

Day 3: Friends and Conference: Saturday morning started off with a run and then a tasty buckwheat and grits (not so tasty) breakfast at Eastern Market. We met Brandon and Maggie as well as my friend Alisha for breakfast and had some good times.

Eastern Market

The conference started Saturday afternoon and so I headed over there as quickly as I could. I presented during one of the Saturday sessions, "Effective Hill Visits." The MPH director volunteered me to present during this session. I was leery and a bit nervous, but it turned out really well and the presentation helped me make some professional contacts. As people were trying to ease my nerves beforehand, I realized how grateful I was that I've been giving talks in church since I was 12 and even earlier if you count primary talks. Also, if I can give a 10 minute talk in a foreign language, I can definitely give a 20 minute presentation in English! And since the presentation went so well, they asked me to help with role plays the following day. I hate role plays and was hoping that my mission was the last time I would ever have to participate, but no. That was probably the least fun part of the whole weekend, but I did it and it was okay.

Saturday night, Alisha and I met up with Camille and her husband Aaron for dinner. After wandering for about an hour and a half, we finally decided on a West African restaurant, where I ate some very familiar Caribbean like food. I'm not sure if the others enjoyed their meals, but I loved what I had! You know the food is authentic when you are the only white people in the entire restaurant!

Presenting at the conference

Saturday night with Alisha and Camille

Day 4: Conference: Sunday was a full conference day and that night after the conference, Alisha and I took a stroll around the Monuments and enjoyed the peaceful evening and not too freezing weather. We also enjoyed a scrumptious dinner made by Aaron and his friend Stanley. Sunday evening consisted of monuments, dinner, and lots of laughing. Oh, and we also snuck out of the conference to attend Church.

Day 5: Capitol Hill: Monday was spent on Capitol Hill. This is the place where the real work takes place. I had three appointments with different Washington State legislators (technically their legislative aides, since hardly anyone is in the office Mondays). The time on Capitol Hill was fun and I think we rocked the visits! My fellow classmate from Washington and I presented and discussed our issues together. In between appointments we toured the Library of Congress and the House and Senate buildings.

Capitol Building Tour

Outside the office of Rep. Cathy McMorris-Rodgers (she's from Spokane)

After the exciting and energizing day on Capitol Hill, I hurried off to meet some friends for dinner. I met up with Aaron, Liz, Chris and Lizzy. It was fun seeing old friends and good to spend a relaxing evening enjoying each other's company.

Day 6: DC Wrap-up: Tuesday was a little less structured than the other days and I had the morning to do whatever I liked. I started off with sleeping in a bit and then going for a run around the National Mall. It was fantastic! I ran from the Capitol Building to the Lincoln Memorial to the White House and back to the Capitol Building and then home. The weather was almost spring like and made the run that much more enjoyable.

Then I headed off to take a tour of the Health and Human Services Building with the BYU group. I loved the tour! We met with people in different jobs and learned what they did. We even got to see the office of the Secretary and check out what goes on behind closed doors. My favorite part was learning about the policy analyst jobs and realizing that I really might like working for the government. Who wouldn't want to be paid to think! I think I have great thoughts and should get paid for them. Seriously, I really am interested and wanted to talk more to a lady who works as an analyst for global health programs (PEPFAR, Malaria, HIV, TB initiatives, and others). After the tour, I booked it over to meet Alisha at PAHO headquarters. Alisha and I interned with PAHO this summer and she was giving a presentation about her summer research. I went to support and to take advantage of networking opportunities.

PAHO Headquarters

All in all it was a fantastic trip! Each trip to DC reconfirms my initial impressions that I want to live out there for a bit. I've focused my job search to the area, now let's just cross our fingers that I find one!

Weddings: What better reason for a reunion!

2010-03-19T11:25:00.001-04:00

The College crew got together for another wedding--Chris & Elizabeth. We've all been friends since our days in the dorms, and slowly each one is tying the knot. Chris got married in Salt Lake on February 12, and we all traveled in for the big day. (I had to go a whole 44 miles--thanks Chris for getting married in Utah!). Brandon, Ian, and Whitney all flew in and we were able to have some good times before and after the wedding.

Before the wedding, we all met up at the Little America Hotel for some breakfast. The breakfast was tasty and the conversation was most definitely lively! We then rushed Chris off to meet his fiance, Elizabeth at the Temple for some pictures.

The happy couple exiting the Temple

The gang at the Temple

Waiting for the Crittendens to come out.
(Ian, Whitney, Brea, Brandon, Jeff)

Reception

And of course, no winter reunion would be complete without some snowshoeing! We braved the roads and drove up Little Cottonwood Canyon to find some new territory to hike. The views probably would have been incredible if it hadn't been snowing. Even without being able to see too far, it was a great hike and I was reminded why winter isn't the worst thing in the world.

The next reunion will be in May for Ian's wedding. He got engaged a few days before Chris's wedding, so it looks like the boys will all be hitched by summer. Congrats! Can't wait for the next reunion.

Family Time

2010-02-15T17:28:00.001-05:00

Everyone thinks they have the cutest family....and I am no different. After not going home for Christmas, I was missing my family and in the past 2 months have had a chance to see all my siblings, my parents, and all 11 nephews and nieces. Here are some pics from family time. The first pictures are from Portland, OR. Two of my sisters live there and we had some fantastic bonding time in the other P-Town.

Ava not wanting to get out of the bucket that was serving as her mode of transportation around the family room.

Aidan (2 1/2) pushing Ava (1 1/2) in the makeshift car. Aidan must be pretty tough to get Ava around, she isn't a little 20 mo. old!

Me and Ava getting ready to go play at the Kemenys.

Sometimes the camera goes off at just the right moment! This is one of those moments.

Aidan and I playing.

SISTERS!!!

Sarah Rose Harris was blessed January 3, 2010. She is the cutest and the calmest baby I've seen. Thanks Laura and Casey for giving me a niece in Utah!

Family shot of the Utah Didenhovers (and Harris's) with Mom and Dad coming out for Sarah's blessing. With 5 kids ages 5 and under, you never know what the picture will look like, but I think we got a pretty good one.

Mama and Papa Didenhover with baby Sarah. Thanks for coming out Mom and Dad!!! Please visit more often!!!!!

Where in the world should Brea go next?

2009-11-24T16:05:00.000-05:00

At 27 and single, I feel that it is my duty and privilege to travel the world. I was counting up my states and countries I've visited, and I realized that for the first time in my adulthood my state list is longer. That needs to change.

States I've visited (not including airports)

Washington
Oregon
Idaho
Utah
Wyoming
Montana
California
Nevada
Texas
Virgina
District of Columbia (it counts)
New York
Pennsylvania
Arizona
New Jersey (I drove through it, so I guess I need to count it)
Maryland (Liz reminded me we went there together)

Countries I've visited

United States
Canada
Germany
Austria
Switzerland
Italy
The Vatican (like DC, it counts)
Ukraine
Poland
Mozambique
Barbados
South Africa (I have a stamp in my passport, but didn't really visit)

As the list shows, I need to add some more countries. To remedy this, I have decided to work on planning another trip. I have opportunities and reasons to go, now it's just all about funding. Here are some of my options.

Germany: visit Oma and other relatives. I know Oma would love to see me and I would love to see her. A visit to Oma also means a visit to Switzerland, Germany, and many other places as well. I'm looking at going north this time and seeing northern Germany and Denmark.

Cape Town, South Africa: I have just started my graduate project which is analyzing qualitative data from a hygiene project that has been going on in Cape Town for the past few years. As of now, I'm doing the analysis in Provo, but I'm sure I could come up with a reason to go to S. Africa for further research.

Sweden: After visiting Oma, I would like to travel with Alison up to Sweden where her family will be living for a month or so this summer. I think it's important to do family history and I know that we have Swedish roots. From Northern Germany and Denmark, Sweden is just a hop, skip, and a jump, plus I have a place to stay and people to stay with. Alison also has some crazy plans in the works to hop over to England and Scottland to finish a bike ride she started years ago while on a study abroad in London. She wants me to come with and I want to go.

Peru: I started working on a project that would take me to rural Amazonian Peru to do research in a small village. I have a professor who would like me to go test a survey instrument that has been developed to assess a community's water, hygiene, and sanitation facilities. This project has been delayed for now, but if funding becomes available, then myself and 2 other MPH students who speak Spanish would come with me. And while in Peru, we can't miss Machu Picchu.

Any suggestions? Any other places I should consider for 2010? I'm thinking of adding Ukraine (after the Temple dedication sometime in 2010) and Hawaii. Happy Travels to me!

NYC

2009-11-24T12:33:00.000-05:00

Welcome to New York City!! This was my first time to the Big Apple and I loved it. I did not get enough time, didn't get to eat at any famous places, but I did get to feel the hustle and bustle of the city. I love the fast paced, super busy pulse of the city. I went to NYC with two of my classmates for a weekend before heading to Philadelphia for a public health conference. I spent two full days in the city and got to see some sights.

Me in NYC!

Me with Lauren and Alisha (2 fellow MPHers) on the Brooklyn Bridge. We were there the day after the Yankees won the World Series, so there was a parade to honor the team earlier in the day. We got to the city just after the parade was over and walked through the aftermath. The parade route went right by the Brooklyn Bridge.

Central Park

More Central Park...isn't there a song, "I recall Central Park in Fall...." If I knew the words, I'd post them for you. If you do know them, you can just sing right along. The park was beautiful and filled with fall colors. People were out running, walking dogs, and enjoying the fall crisp weather. It was seriously BEAUTIFUL!!!

Broadway- We saw West Side Story. It wasn't my first choice, but the tickets were cheap and I wanted a Broadway experience. I'm still sad about not seeing Wicked or Lion King, but as a student, I just don't have that kind of cash. Next trip. All in all it was a fantastic trip and I am eager to head back east again soon!

City of Brotherly Love

2009-11-24T12:12:00.001-05:00

I went to Philadelphia the first week in November for a Public Health Conference (American Public Health Association). Some of my classmates were presenting and we all got funded to some degree to come out for the conference. I was pretty excited that this year's location was in Philly. It was my first time to the city and it's a pretty cool place. The original downtown is fairly well preserved and Independence Square sits right in the middle of the city. As you walk the streets you can see Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, old Quaker meeting houses, Benjamin Franklin's grave, a Masonic Temple, and more. Here are a few pictures of my trip in Philly.

This is me in front of Independence Hall. This is the location where the Declaration of Independence was signed as well as where the Constitutional Convention took place. It's pretty remarkable to think of what conversations and debates took place in this building. I still have a firm belief that every American citizen needs to visit the places where our initial founding took place. DC and Philadelphia are musts!!

The Liberty Bell with Independence Hall right behind.

This is in the Constitution Center, which is an interactive museum of early American political history. The center starts with a dramatization that talks about the Declaration of Independence and the drafting of the Constitution. It goes through the different struggles for freedom from all the different groups throughout American history. The last exhibit is walking through a room of delegates (like the Benjamin Franklin statue here) at the signing of the Declaration of Independence and then you can sign your name on the declaration...which I did of course.

A couple of my classmates met up with a friend who is studying at Princeton and came down for the evening to join us for dinner. Yeah for friends!

Vacation and eating go hand in hand and on this trip I got to try my first authentic Philly Cheese Steak and Falafel. The cheese steak was pretty good, but I definitely couldn't eat one of those every day. Falafel is a middle eastern sandwich/wrap, which I enjoyed. Sorry no food pics. I would definitely come back to Philadelphia and spend some more time exploring the city.

Fall Adventures: East Coast to West Coast

2009-10-26T19:33:00.000-04:00

I recently got reprimanded for not posting anything since my last adventure. I was kindly reminded that my adventures do not have to be international for them to count. So, I am making an effort to update everyone on my whereabouts for the past 3 months. Most of my time has been in Provo, but I have made a few trips.

LABOR DAY: LAKE POWELL with MPH COHORT

Lake Powell was incredible. I can't get enough of the sun, so the lake was perfect for me. I skied, wakeboarded, and attempted to surf (I did get up, but it was tricky). We also spent lots of time eating and just hanging out on the houseboat. Now that I've experienced warm Lake Powell (and warm Caribbean Sea), I'm not sure I can go back to the cold lakes in WA or have as much fun playing in the water at the Oregon Coast. You have to learn to enjoy different aspects of each place.

Sorry, I only have one picture. To see more from our trip, visit the MPH blog mphcohort7.blogspot.com

WASHINGTON D.C.

We took a bike ride to Eastern Market and had a fantastic pancake breakfast.

DC Temple

Standing at the Memorial Amphitheater at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington Cemetery. I started working on my speech for when I deliver it here in this amphitheater. Liz made fun of me, but I thought I had a pretty good start. I'll let you know when it's ready.

Chris and I hung out and did some more bike riding through Capitol Hill and around the District. We also visited the Monuments and did some other "DC musts".

Teresa and I were able to reconnect after a few years of not seeing each other. Teresa and her cute family just moved from Boston and are temporarily in DC before moving to Texas at the beginning of the year.

BIRTHDAY WEEKEND IN SAN FRANCISCO

Awesome roommate reunion in San Francisco. Steffany had been in Utah for the past few weeks and needed to drive back to California. Alison and I volunteered to drive with her for the weekend and fly back. Here we are hanging out at Fisherman's Wharf. We ate yummy clam chowder bowls and fresh crab while enjoying a BEAUTIFUL day in San Fran.

Me and Alison at the Oakland Temple where you can walk around on top. The view is gorgeous!

Just smelling the flowers! (Whitney and me)

Picture taking is always a blast!

Best Friends (and lots of wind)

Beautiful Temple
(and again, notice the wind)

Roommate Reunion

Birthday Celebrations

Whit and Steff invited half their ward over to celebrate MY birthday! So, really, I'm sure people came to socialize and for dessert, but either way it was a blast and I thoroughly enjoyed the attention. Whitney even made me an ice cream cake with mint chocolate chip ice cream-YUM!!! I had an AWESOME birthday weekend and loved every minute of it!

Stay tuned for the next adventure: NYC and Philadelphia....

Ahhh, the Blessed State

2009-08-14T19:58:00.000-04:00

It's been a few weeks since my last post and since then I've been in Utah, Idaho, Montana, Idaho again, and Washington. I guess I only drove through Idaho and Montana, but that's enough for me. It's a little crazy being back and I miss the carefree days on the beach and baking in the sun. I've been home in Spokane for the past week and wondering if it is really August as I look out the window and see rain and 64 degrees. I'm hoping summer will be back in full force in Utah.

Being home is pretty good and I'm still working on saving the world by playing with many nieces and nephews who are invading my house. I love the chaos and really believe that my family is the cutest. Life is a bit different here than the Caribbean, but relaxing just the same. My days are filled with eating, eating, walking, eating, movies, playing, more playing, and lots of talking--it's fantastic!

I'm not exactly sure when my next adventure will begin, but for now, I'm content to continue my saving the world efforts at home.

Farwell to Barbados

2009-08-03T20:44:00.000-04:00

I'm at a loss of what to say....

My time in Barbados is over. I cannot believe that I am flying back to Utah tomorrow. I definitely have mixed feelings about leaving. The weekend has been a blur, my busiest weekend yet. Friday, I finished the internship, Saturday, I went to an all day picnic on the Atlantic coast, Sunday church and Bridgetown Market, today Cropover and beach. I started out my last day with a sunrise run on the beach, followed by watching the Cropover parade on TV (quite scandalous, if I do say so) and finished by spending the afternoon at the beach. I even have sun kissed shoulders and face (though I did apply sunscreen...twice). I tried soaking up all the sun and surf I could. I love swimming in the warm Caribbean Sea. I find solace in the beach, it is my sanctuary, and I will miss it. I had a tough time walking away from it not knowing the next time I will see it.

Barbados, I will miss you. Goodbye.

Last day at PAHO

2009-07-31T20:09:00.000-04:00

Woohoo!!! Today was my last day at the Pan American Health Organization, and I went out with a bang! It was a super busy day and here are some pics from my last days. I finished my report, made visits to the hospitals and clinics, and had my evaluation interviews. Busy Busy! Good thing I burned the midnight (and early morning) oil to get everything done.

Outside the PAHO entrance. I walked out there by myself and asked this woman waiting for the bus, she said she didn't know how to use a camera, but then asked some younger girls who were walking by. They were kind enough to help me out.

This is me in front of the PAHO office. The building is pretty nice and the grounds are beautiful. I was looking at some pictures I took at the beginning of my internship and saw how much greener everything is now. The grass is super green and the trees and plants have grown and blossomed. The rain may be inconvenient at times, but it sure helps everything to look beautiful!

Notice the tag on the back of the chair. There were some wheelchairs in the front lobby of the hospital and it looks like they were all dontated by the Church! Good PR move...it led to some discussions on the Church's humanitarian efforts.

These are two nurses at the polyclinic, which is a free government health clinic. Healthcare is free in Barbados, but people have the option of going to private clinics if they choose, and if they can afford it, most do. The care is generally better and more efficient in the private sector. Hmmm.....gets you thinking about health care reform. Do we really want a government run health care system? There are advantages, but do they outweigh the costs? The nurse on the right showed me around the clinic and answered all my questions. One interesting point she talked about was noncompliance with medication. Many people get the medication, which is free, and continue to refill the prescriptions regardless if they took all the pills just so the doctor assumes they are taking the meds. Her mother for example, would empty the box and ask her to get more medication for hypertension. When the doctor realized her blood pressure wasn't going down, he prescribed a second medication. About a year ago, a new policy was implemented that required you to pay for a second medication. The nurse said her mom now takes the medication regularly because she didn't want to pay for the second prescription. I thought about how if something is free, people don't appreciate it, and will abuse the system. I think healthcare should be accessible, but who said it should be free? Food isn't free. Housing isn't free. Education isn't free. Why should health care be free? Just thoughts....

Farewell to PAHO. You will be missed.

Almost there

2009-07-31T06:49:00.000-04:00

It's 6:49 am and I am working on my final report for PAHO. I can't believe my last day has finally arrived. The last three days have been my busiest yet and they seem to have flown. I fell asleep last night writing my report and I was up again at 6am to get started on it. I really want it mostly done before I even get into work this morning, but we'll see how the next hour goes. Today should be pretty busy as I am wrapping everything up and will be visiting some clinics.

I had so much time in the middle of my internship and now I'm scrambling to get things done, why does that always happen? I didn't even procrastinate this time, it was all out of my hands. I like doing quality work and I don't feel that what I'm writing is my best quality, I just haven't had time to sift through all the data and numerous interview transcripts to give the project adequate justice. There's no grade this time, but I still take pride in my work and want to produce something worthwhile and quality. I guess this is more how the working world is...you get a project and a deadline and you complete it. Not everything is in your control and you deal with what you have in the time you have. Well, with that said, I better get back to work!

The Countdown Continues...9 days

2009-07-26T06:40:00.000-04:00

I finally made it to single digit days left--9 days. I didn't think I would make it. These last few weeks have gone by so slowly and each day gets a little harder to get up and be motivated. Well, getting up is the easy part, my body wakes up around 5:30am every day. I have a large window facing east, so I get to experience all the first signs of morning. I wonder if I'll be able to get back to my usual sleeping in (7am) when I get back to Provo. One can only hope.

I have a full week of work left and another weekend and then I head back to American soil. This week at work should be busy with interviews, visits to health facilities, and writing up my project report. It may be my busiest week yet and I couldn't be happier about that. I always knew I thrived on being busy and this experience confirms it. I need to be busy and I need people to be busy with. I'm already looking ahead at what projects, jobs, and trips I can plan when I get back. I've decided this is my last extended solo adventure. I love traveling and experiencing other cultures, but I think I want to do it in shorter durations or bring friends and family with me. The next possible adventures include a trip to Peru in late fall and possibly a trip to Ukraine sometime next year, all in the name of research. Both these trips would be 7-10 days and I would be traveling with other BYU students and faculty. I'm really excited about those prospects.

Well the official countdown has begun, so look for more posts as I number my days in Paradise.

9 days and counting....

Did I mention I love the Caribbean food?

2009-07-24T16:34:00.000-04:00

My advisor took me to lunch after a postponed meeting. The food and ambiance was beautiful. We went to her favorite restaurant, Champers, which is right on the beach and overlooks the water. It is a gorgeous setting. The meal wasn't half bad. You are looking at red snapper, with rice and seasonal vegetables; so light, so yummy. And eating right on the water is fantastic. Smachnoho! (for those non-ukrainian speakers, that means enjoy your meal).

17 days and counting...

2009-07-18T09:42:00.000-04:00

It may be too early to start counting days, I still have over two weeks left, but I can't help myself. Sorry to those who read the MPH cohort blog, I shared some similar thoughts on that blog. I've been in Barbados for over six weeks and I'm ready to come home. When I began the MPH program, I knew I wanted to get out of Provo for the summer to do my internship and anywhere with a United States postal code was not far enough--I wanted out of the country! I got my wish and have been here in Barbados since June 2. Now that I've been here and experienced Barbados in its fully glory, sun, rain, cuisine, music, transportation, and everything in between, I'm ready to head back home. I'm not sure what awaits me there, but being in paradise by yourself is not all that it's cracked up to be. You can only spend so many days lounging at the beach reading, watching movies, or taking walks. If I have learned nothing else from this experience, I have learned that I need people! I'm practically glued to my computer for emails, facebook updates, skype calls, gchat, or any other possible form of electronic communication. Bless technology! But even with the myriad of technological connections, nothing quite beats real human interaction.

If anyone has any ideas of how to constructively fill time, please share....internet sites, blogs, books, movies, whatever you can think of. Better yet, if you know how to speed up time that will be even better. Saving the world is tough and doing it solo is even tougher. It's Saturday and I have a full day ahead of me....looks like the Caribbean Sea is calling my name. Later.

Vacation Highlights

2009-07-16T08:25:00.001-04:00

Me and Shirleen on a Sunday afternoon on the front porch. Shirleen is the lady who I live with and has been great to me while I've been here.

I am sitting next to George Washington in his house in Barbados. George came to Barbados when he was 17 with his brother Lawrence who had TB and thought the tropical climate could cure him...it did not. Anyway, George came out and lived here for a couple of years and Barbados is the only place outside the U.S. that our First President ever traveled to. Washington contracted small pox while he was here, but once you have small pox it acts as a vaccine so when small pox ravaged the troops in 1776, Washington was already immune and may have saved his life and the war! Pretty interesting stuff! When you sit down next to him on this bench, he starts to read to you from his journal. It was very startling at first, kinda freaky actually, but entertaining at the same time. From DC to Barbados, you have to love George!

This is Brady and me aboard "Cool Runnings" a catamaran sailing boat. This was probably the highlight of the week where we spent 5 hours sailing in the Caribbean, snorkeling with sea turtles and colorful fish, swimming in the sea, and enjoying a wonderful buffet lunch. A word of caution--no matter how tan you think you are, spf 8 is not enough! Even though I'm living in the Caribbean, I still need to remind myself that I am a white girl with very fair skin!

We also took a tour of the island, walked through a tropical gully, saw huge millipedes and slugs, hung out at the beach, and ate tons of fish. I do love fish!! I'd put more pictures up of the other parts of the island, but Brady has all those pics, so I will have to get them later. In one day I stood in 2 different seas: the Atlantic and the Caribbean. Barbados is definitely beautiful, but in all its glory, I'm actually anxious to come home--shocker.

Honking

2009-07-05T19:18:00.001-04:00

Honk. Honk Honk. Hooooonnnnnkkkkkk!!!! Honkhonkhonk. What kind of honker are you? I think the only times I ever hear people honk in the U.S. is when either:

1) you're angry (angry, loud, long honk)
2) letting someone know that the light turned green (friendly honk) or
3) you want to say Hi to someone (couple short friendly honks).

That's it. 3 types of honks. That's all there is.

Nope, not in Barbados. There are so many different horns, honks, types of honks, duration of honks, and length of honks. Here are times when Bajans honk:

say hello
pass by
asking pedestrians if they need a ride (mostly vans)
to pass another car
before going on a blind corner
before making any turn in any intersection
if slowing or stopping
to get someone's attention
anger
just because you feel like it

I'm sure there are more, but that's all I can think of right now. I never knew there were so many reasons to honk. It's ridiculous. Every reason has a slightly different honking sound, whether it's short, long, multiple, or even musical. I know that when I'm back in the U.S. I might miss some of the honking and may even start using the Bajan honks...just for fun.

Bajan Family Home Evening

2009-06-29T21:50:00.000-04:00

Tonight we had FHE at our house. Bro. Alleyne, a counselor in the Branch Presidency, suggested we have FHE at our house. The three pictured here (left-right: Esther, Bro. Alleyne, Shirleen) don't have family that are members, so we got together to have our own FHE. These three all live pretty close to each other, so it's easy to get together. Tonight we watched the Commemoration of the Prophet Joseph Smith. It was a recording of the broadcast the Church did for the Prophet's 200th birthday celebration. Before we started the DVD, Bro. Alleyne bore his testimony of the Prophet and talked about how important it is to have a testimony of Joseph Smith and an understanding of all he did to restore the Church and bring in this dispensation. During the presentation, I thought about who I was with and where I was. I was sitting in a home in Barbados with three Bajans, whom I've known less than a month and whom are all a lot older than me, sharing our testimonies of the Restored Gospel. I admire these individuals for their conviction and testimony. I don't know how long each of them have been members, but I know that Shirleen joined the Church 3 years ago and now has a nephew out on a mission in England. I love that even thousands of miles from home, I can still feel "at home" because of the Gospel. I really enjoyed tonight's FHE. I know that the Joseph Smith was a true prophet and I will be forever grateful for all he did and the truths that were restored through him.

Beautiful Barbados

2009-06-25T21:03:00.000-04:00

There's a song about Beautiful Barbados, it talks about the surf and the sun. It would be appropriate to post it here if I could find them, but the internet search is being less than helpful, so I'll just have to tell you that there is a song and it talks about the beauty of the island and the need to come back. Already, I can say that if you come, you will definitely want to come back.

Sea, surf, sand, sun--what more could you want?

I found a new beach spot that I really like. I took these pictures on Sunday afternoon. Sunday seems to be the hoppin' day at the beach. The beach was almost empty the day before, but on Sunday all the locals were out, boats were sailing, people had bbq's, dancing, lots of stuff going on.

Sorry for the solo shots, but that's all I've got. I took a whole photo shoot and this is one of the better ones.

Late afternoon sun on the sea is incredible, absolutely beautiful! I wish I was a better photographer, but I think I captured a little bit of the beauty of the afternoon.

This is a gorgeous sunset the other night. I was sitting in my room and saw an orange hue being cast on the neighbors house. I ran outside and saw this. The entire sky was orange!

I love the silhouettes of the palm trees in the sunset. Barbados definitely has its magical moments!

Summer Equinox

2009-06-21T22:25:00.000-04:00

I just want to acknowledge that today is the summer equinox, meaning the longest day of the year (most sunlight) and the first official day of summer. I look forward to June 21 every year for this reason and I have come to love and appreciate long summer nights and early summer mornings. Too bad the Caribbean doesn't participate in day light savings time, so it gets dark here by 7pm, even today. Still, yeah for long days!!! Welcome to summer.

My Barbados Home

2009-06-21T21:13:00.001-04:00

"New Dawn"

This is the house I live in. All the houses have names and 'New Dawn' is mine. The apartment in the back is 'New Dawn 2.' The front window is my bedroom.
The view when you walk inside the door. This is the formal dining room and behind that wall is the kitchen. To the left is an entertainment room, bedroom, bathroom, and master bedroom way in the back. Lots of windows for natural light. The sun is almost always shining here, so you only need to turn the lights on after dark.
The view from my bedroom window. This is the same window from the first picture. Yes, the windows have bars, but they are pretty bars and might have something to do with storm/hurricane protection. Sorry that I couldn't provide a full picture tour, but the rooms are fairly small and hard to take clear shots from.

Pan American Health Organization: Barbados

2009-06-21T18:57:00.001-04:00

This is the PAHO building where I work. After talking with some people, I realized that I never explained why I am in Barbados and what exactly I am doing. Currently, I am at BYU in the Masters of Public Health program. As part of the requirements for the program, I have to fulfill an internship. I'm in Barbados working for the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), specifically the Eastern Caribbean Coordination (ECC) office. PAHO is the oldest international health organization and sometime in the 19050's joined with the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Organization. PAHO now acts as the regional organization for the WHO covering Latin America and the Caribbean. Specifically, I am working in the areas of non-communicable diseases (chronic diseases) and mental health, and we cover the 10 countries in the ECC. I just got my project finalized so I have something specific to work on. I will be working on a diabetes project that involves following up with the 5 participating countries to see where they are in implementing a program to improve the quality of diabetes care in the countries. I'll be writing a survey, sending it out to the ministries of health, analyzing the data and writing report on the findings. In addition, I"ll be learning about mental health and working on some mental health legislation for the islands. Should be pretty interesting. It's not quite like building learning centers out of bamboo and twine with machetes and hammers as your only tools, or like playing with little African orphans, but it's still part of saving the world--even office work and program planning and assessing needs to be done. I'm two full weeks into the internship and have another 6 weeks here in Barbados. This internship is helping me to see what public health is on a day to day basis and give me a feel of what a job might be like. I'll let you know how I like it.
Can you name the 10 eastern Caribbean countries (English speaking)? Next post will reveal the answers, prizes to those who can name them all! (Hint: Barbados is one of the 10 countries)
I actually have a huge cubicle and this is my workspace. I get my own computer, phone, drawers, and overhead cupboards. The chair doesn't look terribly comfortable to sit in for 8 hours/day, and it's not. Don't worry, I switched my chair last week to a comfy swirly one and it has made a world of difference! So far, I've mostly been reading and working on a lit review on the burden of diabetes in the Caribbean. Hopefully, I'll get to do some real work this week and get my project underway. I've also been working on writing a project proposal for my MPH project and doing more background research of the main health issues in the Caribbean. I was talking to a friend about what I do everyday and the response was, "So pretty much you're in school." My response back was, "Yes, it is a lot like school, but I'm going to school in Barbados, so that's makes all the difference." Yes, I research, write proposal, write lit reviews, and read a ton. Good thing I like school!

Sunday Walk

2009-06-14T18:43:00.000-04:00

Barbados Flag

Interesting looking plant and flowers along the road

Me with a view of the Caribbean in the background

View of the island and Caribbean Sea

One of the many cricket fields

Sundays are pretty chill here in Barbados. Church is at a nice leisurely time of 10:00 AM and then the rest of the afternoon is spent doing whatever Sunday activities you would like. Sunday is Shirleen's only cooking day, so we had dinner shortly after church got out...rice, meat something with gravy, sweet potatoes, steamed veggies, and fresh veggies, with lemonade (made with limes, but it's still called lemonade...not limeade). After dinner, we rest. The cleaning comes later and Shirleen gets mad at me when I try to do the dishes right after dinner. My habits are being shaken up a bit with that one! Anyway, I read, took a nap, and then went for a Sunday walk. Every time I go out, I try to take a new path and explore new areas. It's dark by 7, so the rest of the evening is spent inside, so everyone who uses gmail chat should be on so I can talk to people. There's only so much reflecting and reading I can do in one day!!

Start of Hurricane Season

2009-06-13T08:56:00.000-04:00

My attempt at capturing the pouring rain

Notice the palm tree...and the wind

June 1 marks the beginning of hurricane season in the islands. The season goes from June 1-Nov 1. Fortunately, Barbados is outside the main hurricane belt and hasn't seen a destructive hurricane since 1954. Let's hope that trend continues through 2009. As it is hurricane season, we should expect to see lots of rain and maybe a few tropical storms. Barbados is such a small island that often times the high winds from the storm blow the rain clouds over very quickly and the storm moves back out to sea. Yesterday we saw the ominous dark clouds coming and before we could get ready, the rain blasted down coming in a sideways direction. I ran quickly to my room to shut the windows, but not before the rain had soaked my bed and sprayed my computer which both were sitting about 2-3 feet from the window. By the time I got the windows shut, the rain had pretty much passed by. I don't mind the 5 minute storms, but I don't want to be out walking when they occur...they are hard, fast, and furious. And usually you would be grateful for a little rain to cool things down, well not here, it brings the heat up from the ground and makes it even muggier...but there is that great smell of rain when you can smell the earth. The pictures above are attempts at capturing the storm.

First Impressions

2009-06-12T18:13:00.000-04:00

Worthing Beach

Worthing Beach

Flowers across the Street

Supermarket

Road outside my house

Barbados is hot! Last night I got in well after dark and couldn't really see anything, so my first impression was "Wow, I've never felt humidity like this before." It really isn't too bad, but it will take some getting used to. Parts of the island remind me of Mozambique and it's weird when everyone is speaking English. I'm not used to being in a foreign country where I can understand everything. Of course, the English is a little different from mine, but I'm getting used to it...I just have to listen carefully. Here are some pictures that I took today on my walk. Most of them are of the roads and houses and a few of the beach I walked to. The supermarket, bank, and post office are about a 25 minute walk and the beach is across the street. This weekend I will look for other beaches where I can lay out and read. The water is seriously warm and a beautiful turquoise. I can get used to this! Enjoy the pics.

Traveling is Never Easy

2009-06-12T18:10:00.000-04:00

I'm importing some posts from the Didenhover blog so that I can start this blog with the beginning of my adventures in Barbados. Here's the first one.

I made it safely to Barbados. The trip wasn't easy, but I made it. The adventure began at 3:18 AM when I woke up from my wonderful night's nap to get ready to leave for the airport at exactly 4:00 AM on the dot! All who doubt my ability to get to airports in a timely fashion should be surely impressed with my punctuality! I arrived at the SLC Airport in plenty of time to get checked in, check my bags, which were impressively under the weight limit, go through security, and sit down in comfy chairs waiting to board the first leg of my flight. So far so good.

The flight to Dallas seemed somewhat uneventful until we were heading down for our descent and hit some intense turbulence. The skies were so bad that they diverted us to Austin where we sat for 40+ minutes to wait out a storm that was hitting Dallas pretty hard. I guess the storm passed and we headed back towards Dallas. I was supposed to catch my flight to Miami leaving at 11:20 AM and by the time we were in the air leaving Austin it was already 11:40 AM--flight missed. I assumed the worst and when I got off the plane went to a ticket counter to figure out what I needed to do. Surprisingly, the lady said my flight hadn't left yet..most flights were delayed because of the storm. So I ran to the tram to take me to another terminal. When I arrived, the person at the gate informed us the flight had already left and kinda looked at us funny for even asking. (I say us because at this time I was running around the airport with a German family who was also on the flight to Miami headed to Aruba). Quickly the ticket people said that we had been rebooked on another flight that was leaving in 30 minutes....so we got back on the tram, ran through the airport, and made it to the gate about 10 minutes before it was supposed to take off. I thought, whew, I made it, I can get on the flight, and maybe even sleep a bit. As I handed the lady my ticket, something beeped and they waved me back. The German family ran on and I thought, just my luck! Well, something was wrong with my passport, or it didn't register, or something...really I have no idea. The good thing is that I got on the plane to Miami and the rest of the trip was somewhat uneventful. Wait, no I got held up at Passport Control in Barbados because I didn't have the address of where I was staying. I had to call Shirleen (the woman I'm staying with) to get the address and then I was able to get through. The senior missionaries greeted me (they were easy to spot) and took me to my final destination: Plantain Walk, Fords Road, Clapham, Christ Church, Barbados!!

Welcome to the Blogosphere

2009-06-09T18:47:00.000-04:00

Wow, joining the blogging world! I have sort of already joined as I contribute to my "family" blog, which has turned into Jaime's tribute to Ava, and to the MPH summer adventure blog. But I decided I wanted one of my own where I could keep track of my adventures in saving the world...whether it takes me to Mozambique, Ukraine, Barbados, or Provo--this will be a place to record all those adventures. It's more for my benefit than anyone else's, but I hope you enjoy the ride.