sister karli tyson

2011-06-17T23:18:00.000-07:00

introducing howard......

Hello family! I will be seeing you all in just a few hours. That is hard to believe. I got a call from President Hale yesterday morning and he told me that they had all decided it would be best if I went home. I know that i need to be healthy... i have tried to just "sleep it off" but that hasn't cut it. I went back to the doctor and got results back for many tests... but they were all negative. They tested me for lupus, arthritis, thyroid, diabetes, and even for a baby and syphilis. Haha... good thing the latter two were negative! Yesterday i went to get one more test done, and the results should be back in a few days. I know it is for the best. It will be hard to come home, but necessary. Keep in on the DL please. :) Too bad St. George wasn't next weekend eh? Looks like i will be able to go on the Family trip to Wisconsin though.

This week we went and helped a member... Sister Baker. She is a real character. Wow. She is just great. Well she had a bad fall and messed up her back, so we went over to help her clean her house. When we arrived, she had a whole list prepared for us. One of the things on her list was to set her up a blog, so i got to work on that... and she just bossed Sister Briggs around and made her clean the whole house... luckily Sister Briggs likes cleaning! Well we had lunch with her too, and she said, "you know I get real lonely here... i am allergic to dogs and cats, but that's why i have Howard." I then asked, "Who is Howard?" and she pointed to her couch... and there he was- Howard the cabbage patch kid. I picked him up and immediately she yelled! "You woke him up!!! It's his nap time-" hahaha. Wow. I was trying my best to compose myself. Then, when Sis. Briggs said the prayer on the food, she said, "Thank you for the opportunity we have to be here to eat lunch with Sister Baker and Howard..." and i about lost it. I wish you could all meet Sister Baker because she is just such a character. She has it all together mentally- but she is just so fun! She has a great imagination and really just makes the best out of life. Maybe i need to get my own little Howard to make my life more exciting!

We had a lesson with Wanda and her kids. We took them a Book of Mormon Stories book, and read about Joseph Smith. After we were done, Sister Brigg's asked if they would pray to know if it was true, and Caleb-(8) quickly replied- "I know it is true... i just already know!" It was really neat to hear that. Both of these boys are so bright, and retain all the things that we teach them. We taught them the 10 Commandments last week, and they're doing a really good job at helping their mom remember not to take the Lord's name in vain. Sharon and Shirley were pretty sad to hear that i am leaving. We went over last night, and they had a card and a Miami Heat T-shirt for me. I am really going to miss them. They are like family to me here. I am glad i can keep in touch with them, and i know i will see them again. We got a text from shirley, and it said "Have a safe flight Sister Koko. I am going to miss you so much. I feel like i am sending one of my kids off..." They are both amazing ladies, and i am very glad i had the chance to work with them.

Sister Briggs will be training again. She has one transfer left. She is really sad to see me go. Before we left the apartment, we said a prayer (like we do every time we leave) and she just started crying. She has taught me a lot, and she is going to do a good job training again.

President was very encouraging and said... "I'll give you a call in Salt Lake! :)" I am excited I will get to go to their Homecoming!

Well it is time to go. We are driving up to another area and the AP's are going to pick me up there and drop me at the airport. I will call you all once I get there.

I'm excited to see you!

xoxo

sissy

{Homestead Zone}

2011-06-17T23:10:00.000-07:00

Mango Season!

Can you believe those mangoes! I hope you got the package at jareds... i sent a few in there. Hopefully they weren't too mushy. Well- i am still sick. But we had zone conference this week, and they had the doctor who is over our mission there, and i talked to him. Retired Doc's are called on missions to be the doctors over several missions. So he covers florida and the neighboring states. He is a convert to the church- a really neat guy... cardiologist from Cedar Hills. Well he said that since it has been with me so long it is definiley not bacterial... and probably some viral infection that just never left. I am going to have blood tests this week- and he is also going to test me for diabetes... since i am going potty much more often than normal. I will make sure to have the nurse call you when we find out the results. I took some time resting this week... but still just don't have much energy. It is really hard for me to just rest- i like to work and like to push myself... but i know my limit. and i am past my limit so i am learning patience. I know that i need to take care of myself... it is just hard not being able to do what i came out here to do. Since i don't have the energy to go out and trackt a ton and find people to teach, on Wednesday night i decided to pray for some referals. Since i have been here, we have maybe got 5... if that. Well Thursday morning while i was laying in bed, the phone buzzed... and guess what it was- a MEDIA REFERAL!! :) These come in a text to our phones from the internet... when people request the missionaries or a book of Mormon. It was truly an answer to my prayers... then the next day we got another! It was a miracle. Even if they don't end up panning out, i am very thankful that my prayers were answered.

sharon and shirley made it to the temple for baptisms. they had a beautiful experience. they were both able to take their own names. They absolutley LOVED it of course. We taught shirley last night and had a really great lesson. She is so converted, and willing to follow the commandments with EXACTNESS. Both of them are HUGE sports fans and sunday is her normal day to watch all her games. Well even though "The Heat" were playing... in the playoffs for that matter... she didn't watch the game! She said that to keep her mind occupied to fast and not watch TV, she read in the BoM and went and watched a bunch of Mormon Messages on mormon.org. It is so great to see that already, she is taking things so seriously. After she was baptized we asked her how she felt... and she said, "I feel good. Everyone has been coming up to me and telling me 'congrats' and stuff like that... but i don't see it that way. Baptism is something I know i needed to do- everyone needs to do it. It is like when a guy tries to impress you by saying 'i take real good care of my kids...' well- he should that is what you SHOULD do... just like baptism." She is just so humble, and really thinks a lot about life and can see the big picture. It is great. The best part.... was last night, when we pulled up at her house, she had an "LDS" sticker slapped on the back of her brand new car! How converted is She!?

I got a call the other morning with a crying sharon on the phone. She had just got the box with their scriptures. They LOVE them. THANK YOU! The colors were perfect! They were also real excited because they found out my first name. THey have apparently been trying to figure it out for some time now... and now they know! :)

We have been working a lot with a recent convert- Mauricio from Mexico. He is a really fun guy. He would fit right in at WMC. Really. Well he works at a nursurey and has crazy hours, but we were finally able to have a lesson with him last night. We haven't seen him in a while and have been worried that he might have slipped up. (When the missionaries met him, he was drunk... and just a major alcholic and just was going no where with his life. he came here to work to support his daughter back in mexico, but has no one here. He slowly accepted the gospel. and it has really CHANGED HIS LIFE. He is a completley new person) We ended up watching the Restoration with him- a 20 min video about the restoation of the Church of Christ, and about Joseph Smith. He was really moved, and even started crying. It was a beatiful experience and really helped him remember his conversion and that this is the true church, and where he needs to be. I need to talk him into moving to Utah to join the lawn crew. He wold be a terrific addition! :)

We had Zone Conference this week... and it was the last time that I will see the Hales... at least for now. We talked all about the timberlakes reunions! :) It is amazing how many connections we have made. But this past week, i have been thinking a lot about foundations. How Christ was such a great missionary and teacher because he had a sure foundation. At Zone Confrence, president talked about foundations. He said that since he was in real estate land development, he could look at a foundation and have a pretty good idea of how tall/deep/wide a building would be. He can look at missionaries and see their foundation, and what their building will look like at the end. We had the opportunity to bear our testimonies at the end of the conference, and i wasn't planning on it, but i got up.

"I have been thinking a lot about foundations the last couple days, and really enjoyed hearing more about them today. My Dad owns a constuction company, and growing up, i went to work with him often. I have helped and watched many foundations being poured, and houses being built. But now, I am so thankful for the opportunity I have to build my own foundation..."

President talked about how that is exactly what we are doing... we are laying the foundation for the rest of our lives. I really am thankful that i have the opportunity to be a missionary. I am learning so much that really will bless be for the rest of my life. I am so looking forward to the rest of my mission, and the rest of my life. I wouldn't be here without you. I miss you and Love you. Talk to you next week!

p.s.

since last monday was memorial day, we had p-day tuesday. and next week it will be on tuesday because of transfers!

2011-06-17T23:01:00.000-07:00

Exhanges with my favorite Sister Geest....

May 31st, 2011

HI FAM!!!

Sounds like you had a great time at J's. I need to thank apple for
inventing ipads so i can get emails from both of you.

I am still sick. Today is the worst it has been, so i think i will
break down and go to the doctor. I am just real tired and have no
energy. I have had a headache for like 2 weeks now- i don't know what
it is from...

Interviews with president were really good. I got to visit with Sister
Hale while Sister Briggs was in her interview and that was so fun too.
We made cookies and just had girl talk! :) Guess what- they have a
cabin on Green briar road/ lane- right by us. they showed me a pic and
i have totally seen in. it is a similar layout as ours, but has a big
cobblestone chimney/fireplace on the back side. green roof. small
world huh? they said they will need to barrow ours for the sister's
reunion! i can't wait for that!! It was fun to talk to president. He
didn't realize that our area had turned to pretty much all english.
For this he said that sister briggs and i needed to have "english
fasts" and only speak spanish like tues/thurs/sat- or something but we
have tried to do it every day... He gave me a blessing and promised
that my mental capacity and comprehension would increase and my ability
to learn would be strengthened. I am going to continue to work hard on
my part! He also said that i would be a conduit- and that my family
would be blessed through me for the rest of my life. AND the best part
was... that at the end, he gave me a HUG!!! :) It was the Best.

We had exchanges.. .that was fun. I was with sister Geest. She serves
in the YSA ward. It was fun to get to work with her! We had a blast.

I am running low on time so i am trying to get in all that i can.

Shirley's baptism was AMAZING. There was more investigators there,
than member it felt like! It was so special. Sharon shared her
conversion story, and the spirit was so strong. I asked both of them
to write their stories down, so i can have them. I will send them your
way when i get them...

i am out of time already! i am sorry. i will write today!! to answer
all the questions from your email.

xxoxox love you

{Sister Geest and I}

{Me, Sis. Mata'u, Sis. Hopkins, Sis. Geest}

2011-06-17T22:49:00.000-07:00

Crabs, Baptisms, and The Young Ambassadors...

May 23, 2011

Hello family!

Thank you everyone for the mail this week. I will be busy this afternoon responding. :)

It has been a pretty good week- but I am sick again. I don't know why... it is really annoying. And I have a hard time stopping to rest. there is only 3 weeks left in this transfer and so much to do. ugh! I don't have time to be sick.

I didn;t know you and Dad were going to J's- that should be fun. Eat some Oberwise for me. And how lucky that you and Ty's fam are going to see the Little Mermaid at Tuachan. The girls will love it! I didn't know you were going on tour for choir... that will be so fun! The dinner dance you had sounds fun. How is grandpa? Feeling better? Thanks for sending the pics of Cohen's baby blessing. Good to see everyone. I miss you all so much.

Well guess what.... SHIRLEY IS GETTING BAPTIZED SATURDAY. We are so excited for her. She is a really amazing woman. She has been through so much. (some kid just sat down at the table with us and is probably gonna ask us for our number or something... good thing we can just give him a Book of Mormon instead:) ! ) Her kids are all going to be there, and it will be a special experience. She will be confirmed Sunday so that she can go to the temple in June.

Sharon got her temple recommend yesterday, and she received a calling to be the Family History consultant for the ward. She is SO EXCITED. So are we. We had dinner with both of them last night and guess what we had. STONE CRAB! It was so so SO good. Mom and Dad- you were right all these years... i didn't even know what i was missing. :) They both say hello. I have told them a lot about you.

Wanda- i don't know if i have told you much about her. We went to her house yesterday and had an INCREDIBLE lesson. She is going through a lot right now. Her husband doesn't work, She is a school teacher, doesn't have a car, and just found out she has Lupis... just to name a few. She is really struggling right now, and just needed someone to talk to last night. She totally opened up, and we were able to learn a little better about how we can help her. She has two sons- Josh-11 and Caleb-8. They are so bright. They sit down with us when we go over there,and they love learning. I am really excited to see her progress. Despite all her problems, I know the gospel can help her.

Asha is from Guyana.. I am not sure if i told you about her either. She is a really neat woman. She doesn't have kidneys and has been on dialysis for 9 years. She is waiting for a visa before she can get on the transplant list... and is doing her best to raise money to pay for her transplant. She sews clothes to sell when she is up to it to help raise money. She is way sick every other day- the dialysis just takes it out of her. She really likes the BoM and wants to know if it is true. She is an honest seeker of truth, and wants to know what the Lord's will is for her. We have really been able to show her how the BoM and the Restored Gospel can help her get through. We met

her husband Peter yesterday- he is from Trinidad. He is very nice, and we are going to try and start teaching him too!!

I have my first PPI with president Hale tomorrow. I am looking forward to that. We have to drive up to the mission home for that, since he isn't well enough to travel long distances. I am so thankful that I have the chance to learn from him. He has taught me so much in the short time that I have been here. I am doing well- the spanish is the same... but it will come when it needs to. I am doing my best to study it hard each day. Thank you for your prayers. I pray for you always.

I am out of time but sounds like everything is going well for you guys. I will write today. I am still sick. I don't know what is going on. . . if it doesn't get better I guess I will have to go to the doc. I am trying to avoid that.

Till next week.

Hermanita Sis.

I forgot to tell you! we got to go to the Young Ambassadors. They are on tour and the mission president let us go. We went with Sharon - she loved it! it was really cool to be there. There were lots of other missionaries there and they were out contacting people before the show started- it was sweet. They started with an opening prayer- cool. and then after the finale they sang I am a child of god accapella. It was so cool there was a special spirit there.

{Hna. Briggs, Shirley, Me}

{Asha}

{Young Ambassadors}

{Stone Crab Party!!}

Updates from Karli!

2011-05-25T12:54:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

I've finally had the chance to combine the last few weeks of Karli's emails and letters. The week after talking to her on Mother's Day, she only sent a bit, and then the week after that, I happened to be online when she was at the library, so we "chatted" back and forth a little instead of her taking the time to write an email letter. So she wrote us a letter later on that day, and I've typed it up for you here. Then we heard from her yesterday by email too. She sent some pictures, but they're in a different format, so I gotta get Ty to help me figure those out! :)

Hope all is well with you guys. Remember Karli in your prayers if you can. She's been sick for about 3 weeks now... and bummed about that! xoxox Sandy

Hermana's hot chocolate...

May 9, 2011

Hello Family,

It was so great to talk to you yesterday. I just got your email mom... so that was perfect timing. We were a little late coming to the biblioteca. We ate breakfast with Hermana Gonzalez this morning. She makes THE best homemade hot chocolate. It is soooo good. She is the lady that we live with... well she has a little efficiency that we live in- but practically with her. She is so good to us. She feeds us all the time. She is so darling. I can't wait for you to meet her. I will take pics of the house and send them next week. She Loves gardening... she has 10 mango trees... and in about a month they will be coming out of our ears! I can't wait. Mom- we want to teach her how to compost... can you tell me what we need to buy her to get started... just like a garbage can or what? Let me know. That is so fun you got an I-phone... i am jealous. I am excited to play on it when i get home. I am sure Emma and Mya were excited. Dad that is sweet you got an I-pad- is it one through Verizon? I am so proud of you... being so tech savvy.

I am still not feeling 100%- but hopefully i can rest some more today. I have a lot of letters to write... We are also eating lunch again with Hermana Gonzalez. She really is just the cutest. She has had missionaries living with her for years- but only elders... so she LOVES having sisters. She is our little abuelita.

Sharon and Shirley are golden as ever. Really they are so great. Sharon got confirmed yesterday- it was so beautiful. They both have such strong testimonies of the gospel already. It is amazing.

Also- can you get Matt's address, and send it to me as soon as you can. I will write him today and just send it with your letter. I think about him daily and pray for him- as well as all the other family. Let me know more about grandpa's surgery. Tell him and Grandma hi.

Well I love you all so much. Thanks for your continued support.

Love,

Hermana Tyson

(bits of our email chat)

May 16, 2011 -

We had a really good week. We had a trainers meeting with President Hale and about half the mission- all the new missionaries from this transfer and last. It was soooo good. I learned so much. It is amazing what is happening here. Look up "Vision of the South" by President Kimball. it is really cool! it is an article about what he said about the South... that we will baptize more than any other English speaking mission in the world.

They unveiled a new curriculum for new missionaries at this meeting. It is being tested in our mission....For the first 12 weeks once you are in the field you have 2 hours of companion study- as opposed to one- and it is a bit more structured. You have a syllabus, and at the end of the 12 weeks- the goal is to have the new missionary ready to be a trainer! So we're testing it out.

Things are going well here. We met with the Family history Senior Missionaries and taught Sharon how to do her family history. She is going BUCK WILD. Really. She is so excited. She is going to the temple June 4th for baptisms. Watching her do it made me want to sit down and to mine! I am excited to go home and start working on it. It is so important.

I am so thankful for President Hale. And Sister Hale. I learn so much from them. They are amazing leaders. At the training he talked about an article "Crucible of Leadership Development" from someone at M.I.T. Look it up and send it to Jared and Ty- it talked about the church's missionary program - that is is the #1 best leadership training or something... it was really cool! Check it out .

(letter)

May 16, 2011

Mum & Dad...

It was fun to chat for a bit today via email. Great to hear from you - always. I got your letter mom - thanks for sending those quotes - LOVED them!

This past Saturday they had a Stake RS activity. It was all about missionary work - it was really dool. The theme was "A Might Change of Heart". They asked us tohelp. They had 3 different rooms with missionaries in each - teaching the first 3 lessons - short... and they rotated through each one. Then everyone went in the chapel. We taught the message of the Restoration. It was a really neat experience. We brought B of M's in several languages - Spanish, Creole, French, Arabic,etc. and set them all up on the table. It turned out really cool - we had them stacked up and displayed all different. Then we put a really cool picture of the Sacred Grove - & at the bottom of it, it says, "What happened here changed the world. Let it change your life." And we had them reflect on how Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon has changed their life. We shared JSH 1:25 - and talked about how Joseph Smith never denied what happened to him. It was a really neat experience. Once everyone cycled through, they had a really pretty musical number, then they had a Q & A panel with recent converts. They shared their conversion story & answered questions. It was awesome! They had everyone write down their conversion story and they are putting a book together of all of them. It was great! They had the gym decorated really nice for lunch too! It was a fun day!

So I'll tell you more about Wanda in my next email. We knocked on her door - & it was just perfect timing! We see her this Wednesday, so I'll tell you more on Monday - she has such great potential! On Wednesday, we are also going to see the BYU Young Ambassadors with Sharon! I am SO excited! :)

So the training with President Hale was SO GREAT! I left feeling so much more converted. We didn't talk a ton about the BofM, but my conviction for it just exploded! I can't believe they're leaving so soon. :( But I know that the next ones will be able to hopefully fill his shoes-- we have heard nothing but great things about them. President Hale talked/is really big on creating a "culture". Both a personal & a mission culture. This culture is a way of life - an atmosphere-an attitude. He said the culture and character are one in the same. They express who you are. Everything you do is an OUTWARD expression of who you ARE. This mission has made a total 180 degree turn in terms of success. He has created a culture - expectations - & a mission lifestyle. We are known because of this, especially for our obedience. This is a result of the culture. He expressed how we must create this culture now - and then take it with us when we leave. He does a lot better job at explaining the idea, but the more I learn, the more I understand. He's so amazing - he will probably be in the 12 before I get home! :) He also talked about "tremendous success" - something else he is big on. He said: "Tremendous success is much more the result of a culture than a numerical level of performance. It can however be measured on a graph. It is a steady upward trend - a progression of personal righteousness, unity, continued improvement, and a genuine love for all-- which inspires on to gather the elect in a balanced effort in ever increasing numbers."

Success in missionary work comes from/is:

1 Personal/Mission culture

2. Measurable

3. Steady upward trend

4. Personal Righteousness

5. Companion Unity

6. Continuous Improvement

7. Genuine Love

8. Balanced Effort

Sister Briggs and I often say - "We are so blessed - TOO blessed." But we know we are having alot of success partly because we have alot of love and unity - that is where success starts! I just really am SO lucky to be here. I am learning so much! :)

Sharon and Shirley are great - planning to go to the Orlando Temple in June to do baptisms - I am looking forward to that, they will love it - I wish I could be there!

Thanks again for all you do, I miss you both so much! I'm looking forward to seeing you again!

xoxox

Sissy

2011-05-04T12:10:00.000-07:00

Hola!
Transfers are this week- and so that is why I didn't write yesterday.
Sister Briggs and I are staying together. I am excited to stay in the
area and watch those we have found progress in the gospel.

As far as Mother's Day goes- we have 40 minutes... and we are going to
call not skype. I will be calling the house around 1:00 your time so hopefully that
will be ok.
I got the package yesterday! Once again you went above AND
beyond. Thank you thank you thank you. I am excited for all the
healthy snacks! OK- and the clothes... they are DARLING. Whenever
people comment on my clothes I say, "Thanks my mom picked it out...
she did most of my shopping for me- doesn't she have cute style?? :)"
You do! The earrings the girls made at the cabin were darling too!
The Royal Wedding sounded amazing... we have heard a little about it here.
It would have made me homesick for London if I would have watched it am sure. Let's go back there when
I get back. It would be fun to take you and dad around to all the
places.
I am sure the Carl Bloch exhibit was amazing. I am so jealous I
missed it- perhaps we will have to go to Denmark too? and see them.
That would be amazing. I am sure it was a spiritual experience.
Looking at the religous art in London was one of my favorite things.
That is so neat that BYU was able to borrow them. Wow.

Well, Sharon had her baptism! She is amazing. Really. It was a very
spiritual day and so great to see her so happy. She was just weeping
when she came out of the water. We had dinner with her and Shirley and
had a great disscussion with both of them. She is one of the most
humble people I have ever met. She has such a love for the Savior and
for this gospel. She is just eating it all up. I can't wait for you to
meet her. Yesterday we went to her house to visit, and she was so
excited to talk to us about what she read in the Gospel Principles
manual. She read like 4 chapters and is literally feasting on the
gospel. She loves the Book of Mormon and the Ensign. She read about
the Plan of Salvation and loved learning more. She was connecting all
the dots herself- that is what we want - for them to be able to
understand in a way that they can make the connections. She LOVED the
idea of the veil... she said it makes so much sense. She said, "All of this is so
familiar to me." Wow- then she said... "Shirley called me earlier and
said 'Sharon you gotta read the chapter about families- it will blow
your mind' and I read it and loved it!" Shirley is amazing. She was
like "oh I learned this and this and that in the Book of Mormon
today". I feel like they are teaching me way more than I am teaching
them. Shirley will be baptized in a few weeks- she is just waiting for
her kids to get home from college. I love them both. I love everyone
we are teaching... like a real love and desire to share this great
gospel with them. This work is truly amazing. We have a new
investigator- Alfonzo. He is also extremely PREPARED. He has had
previous contact with the church too- someone gave him a BofM and he
used to read it every night- but he never received the lessons. He is
a genuine guy- and father of 8 kids and is such a great father. I am
looking forward to see what progress we have with him.
This transfer I am going to really work on my spanish. Even though we are not teaching
anyone in spanish, that is no reason why I can't speak it more. I won't
have as many chances to practice, but Sister Briggs and I can speak
more for each other. I am thankful for her and she teaches me so much.

Thank you all for the love, letters, prayers, and support. I am so
happy to be here. talk to you in a few days!! xoxo

sissy.

Happy Easter Monday!

2011-04-26T19:16:00.000-07:00

The Miami Zoo

Comps

Sharon

Happy Easter Monday!

It was great to hear from you. Thanks for the emails. We had a nice Easter Sunday yesterday- ate 3 dinners. UGH i was stuffed, but i am learning to eat really slow so i don't get seconds. :) and so i don't get fat. Mom that is so cool you are going to the Carl Bloch exhibit. I have seen a lot of the pictures they are amazing. They had some copies at the MTC, and then i read an article in the BYU mag or somewhere about it. Enjoy that. You will love it... i am jealous. Dad that is nice about your Sunday School Class President calling... i love how you tease them about their parents in the spirit world. Thank you so much for your dearelder letter. It is the only mail i got this week, and it was just what i needed. Thank you for making time to write with your busy busy schedule. I am happy that you have a lot of work. Mom i am sure you are a big help too. Thank you both for working so hard.

It sounds like you had a nice Easter. I can only imagine the girls and their easter egg hunt. I'm sure they loved that. Tell grandpa and grandma that i said hello. I will pray for Grandpa. Let me know what you find out with his tests. My knees are doing fine. Still hurt but definitely see an improvement. Did you order the things for my knee braces? I still haven't seen anything.

The Zoo was fun...it was really cool, but I really hurt from all the walking...

This week we are going to the big Latin market! I am going to search for my Ducal black beans! :) President Hale is back. Elder Gay- an area 70- is a pilot and picked him up in Utah and flew him back here in his private jet. No big deal... He texted us and said that while they were en route to FL he said to Elder Gay, "Did you feel that? We just entered into the airspace of the greatest mission in the world. It feels great to be back!" He is just such a great man. They are a great family. Hopefully we will all get together as a mission in the next week or so.

Sharon is getting baptized on Sunday. It is amazing! She is so prepared. We met her last Sunday, and have seen her every day since. She is just eating up the gospel. She loves the Book of Mormon and understands it so well. We showed her mormon.org and she LOVES the "I'm a Mormon" videos. We watched the Easter Mormon Message on lds.org yesterday. That was a really good one. She is like our mom here. She takes great care of us, and we have just grown to love her, even though it has only been a week. She came to church yesterday and loved it. She is just so great. I feel so blessed to have met her. She ends up teaching us so much when we are with her. Her smile and her testimony and her love for God is contagious. She has such humble and powerful prayers. I can't wait for you all to meet her one day. She actually came in contact with the church about 10 years ago, because her friend Shirley and her family were meeting with the missionaries. After we met her last Sunday, Sharon called Shirley and told her that we were going to teach her. Shirley said she wanted to join too- when she was meeting with the missionaries, she was struggling with anxiety and mental problems. The elders she met with taught her how to pray, and she began reading the Book of Mormon. Prayer and reading helped her anxiety go away- and all the way back then she knew that the gospel was good and true. For one reason or another she didn't get baptized. We met her earlier this week, and have been teaching them together. She wants to get baptized this Sunday too. She said that she knows that now is her time. How INCREDIBLE. They both are INCREDIBLE. I know that the Lord had a plan for both of them from the beginning and last Sunday was the day for them to come back in contact with the church. We are so excited for both of them. They are so great. They have been through thick and thin together and are best friends. They found the church together ten years ago, and i think it will be so special for them to be baptized on the same day. Pray for them, and that all will go well. I am sure it will.

Spanish is still not going anywhere. But we are going to focus a lot more on speaking it to each other. Sis. Briggs told me that with her other companions she spoke a lot more Spanish with them... but that is because they never really talked... We have become great friends, and i am glad that she can talk to me and that we have a good relationship. It makes the work even better. This work really is great. I know it is where i am supposed to me. It is still weird that i am here and really doing this... but i am! It is just another chapter in my book of life. It will be one of the best chapters, I am sure. I love you all. Thanks for your support.

Hermanita Kokita

ps -our investigator is starting dialysis again this week- and is getting back on the transplant list for the second time. If you can get to the temple this week, put her name on the prayer roll...

carol jones

and sharon robinson too- so she can stay off cig's and coffee.

A miracle this week!

2011-04-18T12:24:00.000-07:00

Hello family,

How are you? Thanks for all the love and the pictures. The kids are so cute... and getting big!

It looks like the girls' cabin weekend was a huge success! It was so fun to see all the cute girls all together...you all looked so good! I wish I could have been there... but next time. All the projects looked darling. I loved the facial pics! I remember doing that last time... that was so fun. Everyone is cute. I'm glad the George girls could come too. Lacey is so cute! Send me her address when you can. Do J and Les have any names picked out yet??

Not only will we have a crafty cabin trip when I get back, but also a LAKE POWELL EXTRAVAGANZA!! Please... that is my dream... to have everyone there all together like back in '97... but this time have everyone there. :) I'm serious about it- or Tahoe or something. I think my release date is August 8th or something. There are some in my group that go June, and some August. It technically should be July but with transfers it isn't, so I will serve 18.5 months. That's right before school starts- crazy. I still dont need to worry about that all though- just a fun fact.

This week has been good... but lots of appointments fell through because people's phones get turned off because they don't pay their bill - so that makes it hard to get a hold of everyone. . . But we found two miracles this week... Let me tell you about one of them:

Her name is Sharon. We were knocking doors yesterday (which we rarely do, because it is just not very successful) and we were about to go back to the car, but we decided to knock on one more house. We just were visiting on her porch a little bit, and she mentioned that her mom had just died last week. We asked if we could teach her a little about life after death, and she said yes and invited us in. We taught her the Plan of Salvation and the whole time she was just crying. She kept
saying to herself... "This is not coincidence" ---but we didn't really know what she was talking about. Then she said that that morning she was praying to God for help. She wanted to know where her mother was, and to know that she was ok. And right before we knocked on her door, she was laying in bed pleading with the Lord to lead her to where she needed to be to find comfort and peace. The Plan of Salvation and the message of the restored gospel answered every single one of her questions! She couldn't stop crying and she really was able to see that the Lord was answering her prayers. She was at peace to know that her mother is in a happy place with her friends and her family. I was able to see that the Lord is orchestrating the work in South Florida. He has a plan for it, and leads us to those who are prepared and in need of His help. It was a faith builder to me... that even though it seems there is no success in knocking doors, there is. Sometimes, that is the only way we can reach some people. I need to have faith in that... I have more now. Yesterday we probably knocked 30+ doors, maybe 5 answered, and 1 let us in... But, she was prepared and ready. This work is really amazing... Each
day I see that God is leading me by the hand to where I need to be. He does that for all of us, we just have to listen for Him, and actually follow where He is taking us.

I am so excited! We are going to the Miami Zoo today! it is huge-- like Disneyland. So I am looking forward to that...

How is work going with Dad? I heard it snowed last week. That is crazy. It is getting really hot here!
Jared & Ty: I hope you are doing well. The kids are so cute!
Les and Lauri: I'm sure you made some cute stuff at the cabin. I am so glad you are my sisters. I look up to you both so much and hope one day I can be great mommas like you two. :)

Mom and Dad I love you so much. Seriously I am so happy to be here... I miss you but I am so happy here. Thank you for teaching me to work hard and to love and serve others. You taught me by example and that has really blessed me here.

Te quiero muchisimo

Hermanita Tyson

Half way through my first transfer!

2011-04-11T17:15:00.000-07:00

Top- my new bike came! It rides like a champ!
Bottom - matching companions at church

Last p-day at the ocean

Olymphia - the one who moved to Georgia

Her cute kids

-Our mission car - ;)

Hi everyone!

Last p-day we went to the ocean--- I say ocean because it DEFINITELY wasn't the beach! But it was fun to get out and do something different! We have a goal to talk to 20 people per day about the gospel- so that will be hard-- but we can do it!

Things are going really well with my companion. Today she said, "I usually write really long letters to my family, but now I don't need to- I realized it's because I can just tell you instead..." I guess she hasn't had a very good relationship with her other companions. It's great we get along so well! And we complement each other in that we're strong in different things so we can help each other out.

We are really focusing on obedience. In the MTC I thought, "oh, I'm obedient- I'll follow mission rules like waking up on time, etc..." but I realize that even the little minute things count too... like everything President Hale has told us to do - we need to do! Like he told us to sing at every lesson- SO, we sing! Also, we are making sure to accomplish every goal we set! It is so cool to have a comp who is on the same page! I hope we stay together for one more transfer! I learn so much each day...

I think we have at least 3 solid baptisms, with James and the Chinese family... and 4 other potentials right away!

I'll try to respond to your questions... I hope I get it all...

So, dearelder.com letters take a little over a week to get to me... since they take a pit stop at the mission home.

President Hale had his surgery and is doing better- we aren't quite sure when we will see him, but things went better than expected. Thanks for going to the temple and for sending the flowers. With all that is going on with Pres. Hale, we have been more motivated to increase our efforts even more. It has been amazing to see the success we have had this week-- We got 8 new investigators! The goal is 7 in a week and we got 8! They are all awesome. We have been working a lot in an area called Parrine- it is a TOTALLY black neighborhood. People stare at us way bad when we walk through there, we are the only white people on the street- haha. The people we have met have been through so much, but hopefully we can help them. Many of the people we are helping have been shot, beat up my their boy friends, drugs... you name it. And to see how the gospel can change them is amazing!

I haven't been able to teach more in spanish... but we have one lady that we met who we are hopefully going to start teaching. I do my best to practice with Sis. Briggs, but I just don't have any opportunities yet to practice.

Sounds like the cabin will be a party. Take lots of pics. Thats great to hear Calvin is home and doing good. It was so fun to see him in London- I can't believe that was a year ago!

Mom, you asked about a typical day---Well each day is different... but we wake up at 6:30, exercise for 30 min, then get ready and eat... Personal study 8-9, companion study 9-10, language study 10-11, then just get to work. We sometimes have meetings here and there but we are out all day--sometimes in a car, but mosty on bike. Members don't feed us everyday, but we have enough food usually. We don't stop for lunch or dinner- unless we have an appointment. I just bring snacks with me. We are back by 8:55, plan till 9:30-45ish, and then get ready for bed--be in bed with prayers said at 10:30, and by 10:32 I am out! Then do it all over again...

Dad--"have you ever felt like you have been ridden hard and put away wet??" ha that is how I felt Saturday. It was a HOTT day, and we were out all day- but I loved it. I love the feeling of working hard and knowing you are doing all you can!

Well, next week we are going to go to the Miami Zoo, so I don't know what time I will email. . . I got your dearelder letters, and will write a letter back today. I am almost out of time and want to send pics- so I love you and thanks for everything! The time is already flying- half way through the transfer!

xoxo.

sissy

Hola

2011-04-04T18:18:00.000-07:00

Hello~

I only have 37 minutes! We have an hour to email- there is a local library we go to... but we have to email the president... and then i have to read all the emails. . . so i'll do my best to fill you in...

First of all- we had a mission-wide conference call with President Hale last night after conference. We were all expecting it to be about the new temple- but unfortunately it was some sad news. He was experiencing loss of sensation in one of his feet, and after a series of MRI's and appointments, they found a tumor in his spinal column. They don't know if it is cancerous or not- but he has done his homework and found the best doctor in the nation to perform the long risky surgery. He flies to Salt Lake on Wednesday and will have the surgery Thursday in Provo. He has been working closely with the First Presidency and the 12- he is good friends with lots of them. He told us in the phone call that they have been praying specifically for him and the Florida Ft. Lauderdale Mission in all of their quorum and presidency meetings. When he said that I was just overwhelmed with the spirit! He received a blessing and said this was an attempt of the adversary to stop the work in Florida- but that it was the worst thing he could do. This trial will be a blessing to the mission and we will see the results immediately. We have already united as a mission since the call and it has been an amazing feeling. After the conference call, our zone (we made the call together) had a prayer- it was such an amazing experience... really so neat. I know that the Lord's will will be done, and hopefully all will go well and he can recover and finish off his mission. Please pray for him...

I'm sure you are ready for spring. Hopefully it will warm up there soon. It's 80 degrees here! Conference was great! We watched all four sessions at the church. We had James come-(the one in the wheelchair who was my first discussion) - he looked so nice in his suit and he was able to walk with the help of a special walker. It was very humbling to see him walk in. We have been inviting him to church every lesson but "he wasn't going to make any promises". One evening I called him to check up on him and he said... "I was just about to call you! I found a solution". We weren't sure what his solution was for- or what his problem was but we knew it was something good...So we went to his house and found out what he had to say. We have been working with him to pray specifically for what he needs- and he said he prayed and received an answer. He said " I am going to spend the day with you on Sunday!" We were thrilled! He said.. "Once I had the desire to try and figure out a way to come, it just came to me... my eyes fell upon my walker. I look at it every day and pass my it- but it wasn't until I asked for a way to go to church that it came to me that I could use that and walk the couple of feet into the church bldg. from the car." It was amazing! We were planning on riding the bus with him, but he wasn't thrilled about that because it is hard to maneuver his jazzy on the bus... We were just so excited that he solved this problem! He came to conference! He watched the 1st session at the chapel, and the second one at the bishops house. It was great!

I had my first baptism last night. Jed from Haiti. A brother from the ward baptized him. It was a great night. He is such an amazing polite man. He just is glowing and I know he will be a strong member.

Mom, we do have a car- but only have 800 miles a month, so we just use that to get to church and meetings and stuff. We use our bikes as much as possible because we can talk to people more. I haven't got my bike yet- it is here, but we live far from the office so I am just borrowing one until we have a chance to get up there.

We are trying to work even harder this week to meet the mission goals. We need the members help though- to go teach with us and stuff. You guys should try and set a goal to go out and teach with the missionaries-- lots of times we have to teach James outside because we can't go in his house (just the 2 of us) ... so you guys should let them know when you are available to help!

We contacted a guy from Cuba last week who invited us to his daughter's birthday party. He and his wife were really nice. They went all out- had music, food, the whole 9 yards. It made me feel like I wasn't even in the U.S. !

That's cool you saw me in the choir on the MTC special- I didn't get to see it- I was bummed!

Glad to hear that Matt could come up. Tell him I miss him and love him. Tyson too!

Some of my favorite talks from conference were:

C. Scott Grow- on the atonement

D. Todd Christofferson- correction

Paul V Johnson- trials.

I loved that Orson Whitney quote you sent mom- that was great.

So dearelder letters still work- but try and send them out Monday or Tuesday so there is maybe a chance that I will get them before Monday- then I'll have more time to email if I can read them before!

The Spanish is still not really coming along. We don't speak it that much- so it is hard for me to improve. Pray that I will have the courage to try to speak when I have the chance, and that I can learn a little more each day. Once the language barrier is gone it will be so much better!

I forgot to tell you that the President gave us a pen when we got here that says, "How has the Lord blessed your life today?" and challenged us to write in our journals daily... you should do it too!

I am about out of time. I love you and miss you all so much. Thank you for the prayers and the support.

I know that I was called to this mission for a reason. I am so grateful to be here and to be learning so much each day. I love this work, and I love that I can be an instrument in God's hands to bring people closer to Christ.

xoxo

Hermanita Tyson.

Hermana Tyson in Miami!

2011-03-28T14:25:00.000-07:00

Hola familia!!!!

I am in sunny GHETTO Miami, Florida! I love love LOVE IT. My companion is so wonderful. She is from Syracuse Utah- she grew up on a farm- Dad they sell hay- so you should start buying from them- I will give more info in my letter. Her name is Sister Briggs and she is just great. This area is amazing. The people are great, and I have had a fun time getting to know all our investigators or "friends." The only downer part is that they recently re-arranged the whole stake to be all english and spanish in one ward- It came from the 1st presidency, and this stake is the first one in the world to do that. They want to eventually dissolve all spanish (and other language) branches in order to "UNITE ZION". So they have translators and headsets- and whoever talks just speaks in their native tongue- and then it will be translated. The majority of the hispanics in our ward are bilingual and there is more english than not- so the meeting is mostly in english. I am worried that my spanish isn't going to come as quick as I hoped, but it will come. I just have to try my hardest to speak when I have the opportunity, and when I am with my companion as well. The majority of our investigators are english- but on saturday we contacted some real gems- i think they have potential. We ride our bikes everywhere- the President has one i could borrow until mine gets put together. I am thankful that i can have a bike- because it is helping my knees become stronger- and walking would be more painful. It is great to be on bikes because we can stop and talk to everyone we see. We made a promise on Saturday that we would talk to EVERYONE WE SAW- even if they were on the phone or leaving- we just gave them a pass along card. These are really great- they have numbers on them to receive a Book of Mormon- and the church website. The church just re-did the whole site- it is really cool- if you haven't checked it out do it! I got really sunburned on the tops of my hands. it is quite silly actually... my skin hasn't seen the sun since beautiful hawaii- it was an odd place to get burned but it isn't too bad anymore. just praying that i don't peel..

The heat has actually been bearable- it still isn't the summer here- I hear it will get worse, but by then I will be used to it. We live with a cute aubelita from Cuba- Hermana Gonzalez... she is so so darling. She is a member, and has had missionaries living with her for 25+ years. It is just a cute little apartment behind her house. We did laundry today- and got to hang it out on a clothesline. So FUN. Simple things for simple minds. I am so happy... seriously we have just had such a great time together.

I will do a quick rundown of the 1st/2nd day. So we got in and came down the escalators to baggage claim and President and Sister Hale were just walking in the doors--- they are sooooooooooo CUTE ADORABLE NICE.... words can't describe. Seriously. Well, we went to the vans and trucks (The AP's drive a way nice brand new crew cab Silverado...) and then loaded up to go to the office... all the other sisters got into the car with the Hales and I was the only sister left... so NATURALLY I got into the 12 passenger van with all the elders. oops! haha. It was funny.... my companions were like "oh she would..." haha. We went to the office- it is right next to a hotel- so we went and took pictures and got info. and binders while the AP's took our stuff to our rooms. Then, we went to the Hale's house- or mission home. It is a beautiful house! They have a pool and a nice backyard so we had homemade CAFE RIO. ... uhhhh YUM... and just spent time getting to know each other. We watched some orientation videos and then just had interviews... just short ones so he could get to know us and pick our companion. Several times they both said- "Karli- there is no way the Lord would have called you anywhere else because you have all these friends already in the mission- and they have just been waiting to see you" and things like that because I know so many people in the mission. He kept calling me Karli and then correcting himself saying Sis. Tyson- and apologized but he just had heard my name from the others so much. haha. But in the interview we talked about the Pearsons, and he had actually just been emailing Pete- i told him to tell him hello from me. Sounds like they were really close to the whole family. In the interview he said- "Ok, pretend you are your mom right now and you aren't in the room- what would she want to tell me about you?"- and i told him what I thought mom might say- that I love everyone and no matter what background, you love serve and work hard and... right after that my companion's face popped in his head. We all had a testimony meeting after interviews then went to the hotel. We got there about 1 am- and that made for a long day. (we got up at 2:30 am the morning before to get to the airport.) The next day was transfer meetings... when we got to find out our area and companion. All the new once introduced ourselves, then we got our assignments. I was the last sister to get mine- I knew it was right- right when I saw her. We went and sat together, listened to the Hales speak- and our closing song was Armies of Helaman- the cool way- "we are NOW the lords missionaries..." and as we were singing Sis. Briggs started to cry, and so I put my arm around her, and then I started to cry- then we were both trying to sing and we couldn't... then we saw the Hales look at us from the stand and THEY started to cry... right then I knew that this conpanionship was inspired and that God put us together for a reason. I am reminded of that each day. It took about an hour to get to our area, I unpacked and then we went to work!!!

I am going to tell you a little about some of our investigators.

James Bennett- is probably in his late 60's. He is a black man and lives in the ghetto of the ghetto. We taught him the first day. He is in a wheelchair, and is mission a thumb- he is an army vet. He is so great- I truly feel the Lord has prepared him... he is an honest seeker of truth, and just really wants to know God's will for him to be the best he can be. He never thought he would live this long- but he has an amazing spirit and i know he is here for a reason. We commited him to follow the word of wisdom yesterday- he totally agreed- something we thought may be hard for him.. but hopefully he is true to his word. I think he will be.

Olymphia and Kevin-

They are a young black couple with 5 kids- all from different dad's i think. The gospel has truly changed their lives. They noticed that since they have been meeting with the sisters, things have been changing. They call us their "angels". The day I met them I fell in love with them. They live in a very rundown duplex and their kids are running around everywhere- but you can tell they love them. Olymphia has been to hell and back- and was in a battered women's shelter for a year- and they are helping her get on her feet. She grew up in the projects and doesn't want to end up back there and is trying hard to provide a good life for her kids. They are moving to Georgia on friday- I am so sad because they have a special connection with us- but we are going to send the missionaries to them there. She came to church yesterday with her two kids- one of them has tumors all over his body- it is so sad... she can't afford treatment but in GA they are going to look into it. I love them.

Tianbin and Jian Zong-

THE CUTEST couple from China. They are prepared. Sister Briggs found them in our area book- missionaries found them a while ago but had no success... They tried to get in touch with them again- and this time had success. When they first started teaching them they didn't believe in God- but when they taught them the first lesson and watched the Joseph Smith movie Tianbin said "I will be baptized!" We are working on preparing them both. She was very sick and had mental and emotional problems, and God has really helped her overcome them and she has recognized how the gospel is already changing her life. She really wants to get to know people and become involved so we had a FHE with another family here, and she is coming to RF on tuesday. They both came to church yesterday- earlier in the week they had plans so we weren't expecting them, but last minute they called and said they cancelled their other plans so they could come to church. It was a blessing to have them there for testimony meeting. After church she said, "...there is no other church where I feel so content. We have been to a lot of churches but this is just so different... I dont know why... " Well- i know why! it is because it is true!! :) It is so cool to hear people describe that. They are so cute- makes me miss Hawaii. Jian Zong was talking baby talk at that FHE and it reminded me of my roommates in HI. Ha. I love them so much- the bishop said that soon China will be opened and they can go help spread the word there, and she said oh "you can count on us!" It was adorable. Really.

Pedro- we contacted him on Saturday and talked with him and gave him a Book of Mormon- he is prepared... It was amazing. He is Catholic but he described many experiences he had where he felt "cold outside but buring inside" =THE SPIRIT. He can only meet Saturdays (which is the case with lots of the hispanics because of work) but we are excited to see how he liked the reading.

Lady- one quick experience with her. We were riding home and were so tired- but we promised the Lord we would stop for everyone...She looked like the last person that would listen to us but she was very nice... She said she had been to other churches and could just see in the people and feel that it was false. She said that she could tell we weren't false- we were pure, and truth, and light. It was neat to hear that she could recognize us as representatives of Christ... she was speaking spanish so i couldn't understand everything- but Sister Briggs told me after. She said we had eyes of light... it was neat!

I love this work so much. I love to work hard, and i am sure i don't even know what that is yet-- I am am thankful for parents who taught me how to woIk! I am just ready to give everything I can to the Lord. On Saturday there were some teenagers that we passed on our bikes without stopping, but as we were riding on, i felt SO GUILTY. I told my companion we should turn around- we promised the Lord we would tell everyone we could about this gospel- so we turned around and just gave them a pass along card--- They probably threw it away, but we recognize that we have to give EVERYONE the chance to say NO because they might just say yes!

Thanks for the love and support. I love you so much and will write a letter- my time is up!

xoxo.

Ty- thanks for the email- I'll write you back

Safe and Sound in Ft. Lauderdale!

2011-03-24T12:24:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture from the Ft. Lauderdale Mission Blog showing the new missionaries that arrived on Tuesday... Karli looks excited and happy! We can't wait to hear from her!

Karli's last week at the MTC...

2011-03-22T22:35:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

I've been delinquent at posting the news about Karli, so I thought I'd give a little update before posting the email we got yesterday.

Karli had a bit of a rough week last week. As you know, she's been struggling with her knees. She had been going to physical therapy 3 times a week for a month and had not felt any improvement. The doctor gave her cortisone shots in both knees, and she was hopeful that would improve things, but it only seemed to make the pain worse! She was understandably quite discouraged. And she was experiencing the usual "franticness" most missionaries feel as they realize they only have a week left in the MTC, and they don't know as much as they thought they would! She was also feeling bad because she had spent so much of her study time having to go to physical therapy.

Knowing Karli like we do, we knew she was "venting" in her email, and her discouragement would be temporary... But we still all sent letters of encouragement and wanted her to know that we were proud of her and rooting for her!

Karli mentions in her letter below a story Jared shared with her. I'm including it here because he experienced the same problem with his knees while serving in Mexico City, and at one point thought he would have to come home for treatment. It was a difficult time for him too. Here is what he told her:

"In regards to your knees, I do know how you feel and how it is frustrating. I struggled with knee pain for about 6 months on my mission, but thankfully, after priesthood blessings, it gradually improved with exercise.

I struggled for a long time with feeling like it was holding me back from doing my best. I remember that I kept thinking to myself: "this is my mission!" This is when I should be 100% and going full speed! I had an experience that put it in perspective and helped me a lot. I remember sitting in the mission van at an intersection feeling down because I felt my knees were not letting me do what I wanted to. I just kept thinking "...this is my mission..." Just at that moment, a guy in a wheelchair wheeled up to my door selling little earth globe keychains and I felt or heard a distinct phrase in my mind that said, "It's his mission too." It hit me pretty hard. That really helped me to be grateful for the overall good health I had. It helped me realize that we weren't all guaranteed that our "mission" (our 18 month mission or our mission to earth) would be pain free. I took away from that experience to do my best with what I had and to keep my head up and be grateful for my health, even though it wasn't perfect. "

Mar21,

Aloha family.

ONE DAYY!!! Can you even believe it? I feel like I am going to vomit all over this keyboard. I wish I could stay here for a few more weeks. I AM looking forward to the warm sunny weather however. Yesterday I tried to come up with an "MTC top ten" but it wasn't totally successful.... but- here are some of my favorites:

-Relief Society each Sunday with a whole gym full of sister missionaries. I especially like the conversion stories... each week they have a convert to the church share their conversion stories. It is really neat to hear how the gospel came into their lives, and makes me excited to get to Florida to share this great gospel! with everyone else. oh and yesterday they had all the sisters that were leaving stand up... that was so fun! ah it is real. i can't believe it

-Mailbox #141: I got at least one thing in the mail almost every day! Thank you for the love and support. ESPECIALLY FOR THE PACKAGES- Sue- thanks for all the goodies- and the cupcakes! I loved all the snacks! Nice to get some healthy stuff. Ty and Lauri, emma, and mya! Thanks for the GREEN package! It was so fun... the box was festive too! We shared all the snacks during companion study today! MOM: you have outdone yourself once again! Thanks for the package!! The clothes were perfect. Love the shoes- the shamrock doughnuts... everything! Thank you so much!

-BYU Creamery chocolate milk on tap. :)

-Choir

-Zone 1. I loved getting to know everyone in my zone, and we had a slow start, but it will be fun to see them all when we are back... (and hopefully all fluent in spanish :))

-Everyone saying "hello" in their mission language. It is truly amazing how many languages are taught/learned here. I wish I could learn all of them. It is so neat.

-My great teachers- Hermanos Krueger and Shulca

-Hosting new sisters- I got to do that this week. It was so fun to welcome them here... but also a good reminder of how far I have come :)

-Learning more about the gospel

-Becoming a latina

-GROWING CLOSER TO MY SAVIOR. I am so thankful for the opportunity to come to know Him better, and as I continue to learn and study, that relationship will grow even stornger.

Knee update: I had an MRI done- (there was increased pain on the medial side of my knee- rather than just the patella) the doc wanted to make sure there was no structural damage or anything. I went to the doc this morning and everything looks ok- nothing major. There is some joint effusion (sp?), but he gave me some heavy anti-inflammatories to help with that. Hopefully with the combination of those and my exercises it will eventually get better. He asked if i wanted to go home for a few weeks to wait and see if it gets better or not- HAHAHAA - I said no way! I am ready to get out there... and it would be rough to have to go home and them go back. I am thankful for all your prayers... hopefully it gets better soon. I feel the Lord is blessing me, and testing my faith but as i am diligent in my exercises and do what the doc ordered I hope I will be ok.

I am so grateful for what I have learned here at the MTC... THANK YOU for all your support. I miss you all and can't wait to talk to you. I am guessing I'll call in the morning around 6-6:30 ish. So have the home phone around... if not i will call in Detroit. Thanks for everything! Love you

Jared Ty Mom Dad Les Lauri- thanks for the letters of encouragement. And everyone- thanks for the prayers. Those were an emotional couple nights reading them, but I really felt your support and prayers from everyone. Thank you for the advice. Jared- especially about the story from your mission about the man in the wheelchair. Yesterday in our last district meeting one of the Elders shared a scripture about how we need to bear our afflictions and adversities (D&C 121:7-9) and then he said that we need to remember that our friends are supporting us. We have friends all around us in the field- fellow missionaries- and also our families at home. In 121:9 it says "Thy friends do stand by thee". Although everyone is not standing right next to me, I feel your support. I know you are cheering me on and I appreciate all of you so much. Family- you are my friends... my best friends. The more I have been away, the more my love and appreciation for all of you has grown. Families are central to God's plan, and now that I am away from you all, I realize even more, how important you are to me. I know the Lord is watching over and blessing all of you, and I have recieved blessings from your prayers in my behalf. Thank you. I love you and miss you all.

I will write who I can today- but I will be busy packing and cleaning. Send mail to the mission home from now on. No more dear elders to the MTC... but family can email
xoxox
Adios!
Hermana Tyson

Karli called this morning from the SLC airport, but we were only able to talk for 5 minutes before she had to board the plane. She said the security line was so long, it took forever to get through. So she called again a few hours later from Detroit and we had about 15 minutes to talk. She said it all felt so surreal... she didn't know what to think! But she sounded great and excited! It was SO good to talk to her!
Keep her in your prayers!
Sandy

Lifting Burdens

2011-03-09T09:41:00.000-08:00

Karli saw this and wanted us to share it with everybody. Great message.

Time is Flying!

2011-03-07T11:45:00.000-08:00

Fam-
Well we are down to a few more weeks...I can't believe it- only two p-days left!
I have been meaning to tell you that Carol Mikita has been here a lot filming. There's going to be a special about the MTC between conferences. Watch for me during gym, the cafeteria, and then choir- also watch for a story about the MTC in the New York Times. It is the 50th aniversary, and a guy came to take pics during choir and stuff.
You asked about the dearelder letters- I don't get them from the weekend until Monday night after I email and write letters- so it is helpful to get them on Friday so I can respond Monday instead of a week later- whatever works though...
Mom, that talk you wrote about, "What Matters Most" by Uchdorf is an awesome talk. It really helps put things into perspective! This week has flown by. We have been very busy teaching... we taught over 20 lessons this week- and only two more weeks to learn spanish -YIKES! it is coming along well... I can pretty much do the first two lessons in Spanish, but now i just need to practice all the stuff we have learned so i can start implementing it into conversation. Jordan has one week left- it has been so fun to see him around. How lucky to be out here at the same time. Things are just the same here. I wish i had more to say but i don't really- same old same old. No GA last week so hopefully this week! Last night we watched a talk from Elder Bednar- each Sunday night they have movie night that you can choose from. This one was about becoming a missionary. He talked about ho your mission doesn't end when you fly home and remove your badge. You should ALWAYS be in the mission field... even 50 years after your mission. Once you are a missionary, you should always be one. Thanks for sending Lindsay's emails... makes me hungry for the real mission field. I think she should teach me French and I'll teach her Spanish when I get home! :) Sister love.
FUN FACTS: 2.1 TONS of cereal are eaten each week at the MTC, and an ordinance is performed every 3 seconds at the Provo temple. WOW.

Dad are you remodeling Lisa Clarks house? How is work going? I pray for your workers and your safety daily. How is Renon and the lessons? Any referals for me??
Mom you asked about the choir---it is going good... alto is good as long as i am sitting my them- i can't find it on my own.
We did initatories today at the temple- it was so neat. Its the first time I have done them since Hawaii. The blessings are so neat. After, I read in Exodus 40- and it talks about the whole process from back in the day-- so cool that it is still the same. For sure.
I am so thankful to be here. I have been praying to become a disciple of Christ and it is working. My patience has been tested more, and I have been blessed with experiences to grow and learn. I know you are gonna say... "like what?" but it is just little things...

My friend from BYU-Hawaii got here this week. She is going to Hawaii!

Physical therapy is going well. I have an appt. with the sports med doc on Thursday. I'll keep you updated. I went to the chiropractor for my knees too.. and got my back popped-- heaven!

I hope all is going well with you guys. Can you believe how fast the time has gone? i can't even believe it. Seriously. It is so crazy. I miss you all like crazy. I love hearing stories about the kids. I miss them so much. Give the girls a kiss when you see them and tell Sam, Ella and Jack I love them!

Time is short- Miss you and love you all! La iglesia es verdadera.

xoxo Hermana Tyson

2. SAM 22:33- THE LORD IS MY STRENGTH AND POWER: HE MAKETH MY WAY PERFECT.

This Week--

2011-02-28T12:10:00.000-08:00

This week:

- we had a man from the 70- Elder Kearon- speak to us... and he was from England. I loved hearing that accent again- especially when he said "missionrys"
-we have been to the doctor many times this week...
-sitting in the doctors office I heard "Bye Bye Miss American Pie"... and it took me back. made me miss all of you!
-i heard about Deron Williams... how did Sam take that? It will be interesting to see how the next season turns out. Sam Keep me updated ok?

Well, here is my medical update. On Tuesday i went to a sports med doc at the new IHC place by the hospital. He was really nice. He took some xrays and said y left knee is a little worse. My patella is pulling to the medial side, and the pain is worse in my left knee. He prescribed some steroids, (6 day pack Jared. 6,pills, 5,4,3,2,1, etc) I took pics of my xrays to send you- I will send the picture card soon. He prescribed supervised physical therapy 2-3 times a week. I am able to just go to the BYU health center... so that is nice. The therapist is really nice, and only speaks Spanish to me- so that is challenging but fun. He went to Puerto Rico. I went this morning and I am pooped- I am there for usually 1.5 hours. I am sure it will help though..

GUESS WHAT.............. 23DAYS!!!!! I am so excited wow. I have a lot more Spanish to learn first. Yesterday Ann Dibb from the Gen YW board came to RF. She is TS Monson's daughter, so after her talk she had a Q and A about her dad. It was fun. At the fireside, we sang "We'll Bring the World His Truth" again but this time I changed the words as I sang it...

"I have been born to goodly parents who love the Lord.
I have been taught and I understand that I must do as the Lord commands.
I am as the Army of Helaman, I have been taught in my youth,
and I AM NOW the Lord's missionary to bring the world His truth.
I have been saved for these latter days to build the kingdom in righteous ways,
I hear the words the prophet declares, "you are worthy- go forth and share" - chorus

I know his plan and I have prepared,
Increased my knowledge through study and prayer.
Daily I learn, even after I am called to take the gospel to all the world."

I AM A MISSIONARY. It becomes more real day by day, but it is still so surreal. I saw Jordan this week, and it was so fun to see him. We have the same meal times so that's good. It has been a few weeks since I have seen a familiar face, so it was fun to see him.

How are things going at home? Jared comes soon- that should be fun. And the girls weekends sounds like it will be fun too. Bummed i will miss it. Mom did you decide on a car? How is work and everything going for dad and you etc? Your concert sounds like it was fun. I wish I could be there to hear it! This week there has been lots of ups and downs, but thats kind of how every week is. I have been able to stay awake better for the most part, and Jordan gave me a blessing for my knees. That has already helped.

We are hoping that a GA will come on Tuesday for the devotional... there hasn't been once since Christmas time! That would be so cool if it was. This week for choir we are singing "Come Thou Fount"- it is a real pretty arrangement. I have been reading and learning a lot in the BoM this week- sometimes I wish we had a whole day just for personal study. Spanish is coming along well. We taught the first lesson in Spanish at the TRC this week and it went really well- we will do it again this week too, and hopefully have the second lesson down by the weekend. I am doing well when it comes to gospel Spanish, but daily conversation is harder because we don't focus on that as much. it will come in time. :) I still have a lot to learn but I'm not stressed out about it. My mission president says to focus on being obedient and the Spanish will come. He said an obedient missionary is way more important than a fluent one. The Lord will bless an obedient one. So I'll just do my best and He'll do the rest! i am so happy to be a missionary and can't wait for Florida! thanks for all the letters- keep them coming. Mail is the totally the best part of the day! Thanks for the support and prayers. Love you all and miss you!

2011-02-21T13:24:00.000-08:00

Hola Hola! Buenos Dias familia y amigos,

Well--- mom got a phone call from the mtc health clinic- and the worst
part about it was I was right there watching it all. i just wanted to
say hello so badly. I have an appt for my knees tomorrow at the utah
valley ortho place (where J wants to work) with a sports med guy for
my knees.... so that means I get to go to the outside world! I got to
leave the outside world twice this past week too! Hermana Mata'u broke
her pinky playing volleyball in gym. I was upstairs doing my thing on
the elliptical, and they called me and Hmna Buckley's name, so I
figured she was hurt. I met them in the infirmary, and she had a
crooked finger and a bag of ice. The shuttle was gone so we had to
walk down the street to the BYU Health Center. We were there waiting
for her for about an hour- and her finger was just dislocated at
first, but when they put it back in, it fractured- and pinched a
nerve. So we have to go to a hand specialist for that probably
tomorrow too. They didn't give her any meds, so that night the doc on
call, called some into the pharmacy, and we went to go pick them up.
It was so weird to be in the real world with my companions. I took my
blood pressure at the pharmacy for fun, and my hypertension was way
high- I think that is the right word. .. I had so much anxiety it was
so weird. But anyhow- I will keep you all updated on that. Hope that
they can figure everything out for us.

So ONE MONTH DOWN, LESS THAN ONE TO GO. It is insane how fast the time
has gone. I know I say that every time but it is true. I am so happy
that I love it here, because that helps the time go fast. We are all
done learning Spanish, now we have one month to practice. that makes
me feel a lot better knowing that i will have some time to practice
before I leave. 2 of my favorite elders leave this week for the
Guatemala MTC. I am so sad, but so excited. They are both solid boys,
and will be great. We got a new districto this week- they are all
cool. There are two kids from Laie, so we have fun having Hawaii talk.
I miss that place so much- I think about it everyday. I am so thankful
i was able to spend some time there.

Mom sounds like you are loving choir. I wish I could be there to
listen to you. Every Sunday we watch music and the spoken work, and I
always think of you. I love it. I can't wait to come home and listen
to you. by then, maybe I will be good enough to join... haha just
kidding. DREAM ON KARL. thank you everyone for all the mail. it helps
so much, and just gets me through the day! Keep it coming. i heard
from lots of friends and family this week- thank you all for your love
and support. you are all in my prayers- every time.
j/les/sam/ella/jack/baby- thanks for the v-day package! I loved it.
The treats were so yummy!!

That’s great to hear about cole helm. I’m sure it is nice for them to
know J. Dad- way to go on mom's v-day stuff- sounds like she loved it,
and I am sure the early bird special was yummy. Wish i was there. How
is work/diet/espanol?

last night we had a music fireside, and they had people come tell
their favorite hymn, and why they liked it and then we all (2,000 of
us) sang one verse, it was actually really cool. All these years I
have sung these songs, but now that I am here i actually pay attention
to the words. we sang the sisters in zion/armies of heleman medly in
sacrament meeting and it was so cool. The lyrics are so good- and so
applicable to me now. i never paid attention to them. Afterwards I was
blowing up with the spirit... my cheeks were on fire. I didn't cry
luckily, but it was so tender-; pts of the elders did... so precious.
The spirit was so strong. it always is here and I am always happy. I
am having a great time and i can't believe there are only 17 months.
Wow. I am so thankful to be here and to be serving the Lord. I am
striving each day to become a true disciple of Christ and i have
already seen blessings for my efforts. I love you I love you I love
you all. thank you for the prays and support. Not a day goes by that i
don’t think about you and pray for you. I miss you and I will write a
letter too- and send it with the tape tomorrow!

xoxo.

-mana. tyson

(all the elders call us 'Mana's.... "sup mana's")

Feliz dia de los Corozones!

2011-02-20T20:36:00.000-08:00

Karli sent some great pictures this past week with a valentine card and wonderful letter… Here is what she had to say:

Hola! Como fue su semana?

I have a cool story for you… so in Relief Society each week someone shares their conversion story. This week was a girl from Hong Kong. When she was young her father died. He had been very abusive to her family. They were sadly better off without them. Well, 6 months after he died, the missionaries came to her door asking for her father. She let them know that he had passed away- but they all ended up taking the discussions and all got baptized. They all eventually went inactive – except her. But soon, she did too! The ward members never gave up on her, and the bishop even called her to be the seminary teacher. She didn’t want to do it, but felt obligated. One day while meeting with her bishop, he told her a story about her dad. He told her that prior to the missionaries coming to her house, they had zero investigators and no success. They found her father’s records in a the member book. (He was a member, but inactive her whole life – her mother didn’t even know.) So although she thought her father was cruel, nasty, and gave her nothing but pain and tears, she realized he gave her EVERYTHING! He gave her the gospel of Jesus Christ! If it weren’t for his records/membership, she probably would never have heard the gospel! She will always love her father for what he gave her. She is the only one active, but her mom wrote her this week, and told her she has started to go back to church! What a neat missionary story, huh?

I got a letter from Lindsay today. It was short and sweet. She just LOVES Belgium! I am happy she got called there!

I am still singing in the MTC choir and I love it – I wish I had your talent mom. They accompany us on the organ and I feel like I’m in the MoTab! I am trying to sing alto.

We watched the Joseph Smith movie last night, and I got so much out of it! There was a line he said to Emma I really liked. It’s a scripture I think, but it’s just that the Lord calls us in our weakness, but he qualifies us for the work… Another thing he said was – “How do ye endure it well? You trust in God, and go on-“ I am learning a lot about that. I am trusting in the Lord – because I can’t do this alone. I know he called me for this work, and thus, He is here to help me!

We have a large group meeting every Friday… They’re my favorite. It’s just our zone and one other. It takes me back to seminary times! This week we heard about the Martin Handcart Company rescue… about the 3 18 year old boys that carried the whole company across the Sweetwater River because they were too weak to be able to cross themselves. A lot of our investigators will be at the riverbank. We are the ones to carry them over…

The visiting General Authority this week was Elder Pearson of the 70’s. He was so good! He talked about how we must become a disciple of Jesus Christ – and to forget ourselves. This isn’t my mission, it is HIS. It doesn’t matter if the food is gross or Spanish is hard – It’s not about me- it never has been, never will be!

I love and miss you both so much. The more I am here, the more I realize that. Thank you for making me me. I am me because of you two. I know this is where I am supposed to be- and there is nowhere else I would rather be. :)

xoxox

Sissy

2011-02-14T15:38:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hola familia!

thanks you so much for the pics from the special needs mutual valentines dance. happy valentines day! i am decked out in a pink shirt and red skirt (thanks mommma) ok and i loved the pictures from the dance. it was great to see all those special faces- russell, ashley, byron- and even brandall. that is so fun. dad was it nice to see everyone again? byrons tux is priceless. it is so fun for them to have that. ty and lauri- mom said it was the best year yet- and that the girls loved it... and mya made herself right at home with her blankie on the middle of the dance floor- sounds about right. :) so fun. ty and lauri- thanks for the dear elders. i will write back today. lauri i get to go to the temple once a week- every monday morning at 7 am. it is great except the 7 am part... i fall asleep every time. today one of the elders in my zone said he saw me sleeping with my mouth open, and it made him want to throw candy inside it. haha. he should have. i try so hard to stay awake but i can't. staying awake has been a struggle all around this week. our personal study is from 7-8 am and so it is hard to read that early and not fall asleep.i think i am getting ill and so my body is just so tired and exhausted. that has been the biggest struggle- i go to bed at like ten or so but that still hasn't been enough. pray for me. i am so happy here. i can't believe how fast time is going. one month on the 19th! crazy. time flies.

spanish is coming along. we are teaching the first lesson in spanish tomorrow for the first time. our zone has become really close. we get 8 more elders on wednesday, and maybe even more after that. i hope so. two leave in 2 weeks for the guatemala mtc...

dad- i thought of you yesterday at church. there was a label on the sacrament tray and it said "language training mission" on it... i assume that is what LTM stands for... so that thing was probably here when you were here.

it is funny you wrote about starting to read the BOM out loud in spanish... the day i got that dear elder, i decided i should start doing that. it took me a half hour to read three pages. haha. i am so slow, but it will come. practice makes perfect right?

i left my journal upstairs with all my notes from devotionals and stuff but i will write you with more info from that.

thanks so much for the other vday package!! my gosh you spoil me. you
are a celebrity here. the boxes are always as big as me! thanks for the temple names- we did them today. dad thanks for the oil/flashlight. that is cool. and good job for giving those missionaries money for lunch. hopefully someone will return the favor

in FL. I am sure they will.

i can't believe jerry sloan- wow that is crazy!! did the U beat byu in basketball?

i am hoping i don't get sick i can't afford it .i really just need to rest but i dont have time. my knees have been bothering me a lot this week- i don't know what to do there either. i hope it gets better soon. i am so sorry i don't have more time to write more. this week was just another week. oh yesterday at the temple (we walk there after church every sunday) i saw some byu friends!-- chelsea mccormick and her sis and some others. they were at the temple just having a little picnic because it was such a nice day. it was a surprise to see them and nice to have a hug and say hi. i am so happy i have so many friends around, because it helps me feel at home. kenzi leaves for ukraine on wednesday, i am so excited for her. thanks for passing along lou's emails- sounds like she is doing good,. i love you all.

thanks for all the support and prayers. xoxo

hermana tyson.

2011-02-13T14:38:00.000-08:00

A "DAY IN THE LIFE" at the MTC with Hermana Tyson...

Karli sent these pictures showing what a typical day is like for her at the MTC... she described them as follows:

6:20 - Brutal!

Getting ready - "Painting the barn" (she'd been to a personal grooming class before that where they quoted a talk by President Hinckley where he said "even a barn looks better when it's painted!)

Mailing a letter home

Breakfast - (who knows where the glasses came from? She never said....)

Twins!

Seeing Elder "Coy"

Bahamas! (just got added to her mission)

My mission president!

Lunch...

Potty break...

I love you!

Personal study...

Companion Study...

Flight training! (j/k - language study - we talk in to the mic)

My man Joseph Smith

Class/2nd home

Practicing the First Vision in espanol...

Class...

Service: cleaning the bathrooms

getting out the big guns!

Singing practice with MTC choir

Ready for bed after a full day... Lights out!

2011-02-07T12:27:00.000-08:00

Week Three!

well i dont even know where to start. . .

THANK YOU FOR THE PACKAGES MOMMMMMMY! I love them all. our classroom
is all hearted and for v-day. i'll send a pic. thank you. thank you emma, ella, and sam for the pictures
you drew from the cabin! they made me miss you all so much. i wish i
could have been there with you..

SAM! who won the superbowl? did you have a big party at your house
with lots of food and kids? i am sure you did. thank you for your
email. How is copper? I miss you. I hope you are feeling better.

Ella- thanks for your email. I am glad you love your Repunzle dolly.
How is school and Mrs. O? (owwwsowski) Thank you for praying for me
Ella. I love you.

And thank you for everyones prayers. Last night at a fireside a Branch
president spoke and he made us stop and think how many prayers have
been offered in our behalf since we have been here. I know there have
been hundreds. Thank you. I feel them, and i need them. I am praying
for you.

Dad/Ty/Mom?Tonya (does this get fwd'd to WMC gmail;) haha) how is work
going. Busy i am sure. Have we sold lots of stoves? did you ever get
the email and the phone switched over for that?? Mom sounds like you
had a good time at the cabin. send pics of the quilts. Tell Oli and
Ben congrats- send me pictures ok?

This week flew by i can't believe it. We started working on the second
lesson this week. It has been a neat experience. It is about the plan
of happiness. I have been able to testify of eternal families. I can't
wait to see Angela again. And uncle greg and grandma ord and grandma
and grandpa tyson, and everyone else. It is going to be so neat.
Seriously. Today at the temple we did sealings for the first time.
That was so cool. Wow. I can't wait for that. But yeah it has been
neat to change focus a little in our teaching.

Once a week we go to this place called the TRC (teaching resource
center). we practice contacting a person in spanish, and make an appt
to teach a lesson, then teach it. I was able to do the whole thing in
spanish. My companions struggle with confidence when in comes to
spanish- and i am not saying i am fluent by any means, but for those 5
minutes, i can say what i want. it is really cool. we are forced to
speak. then we teach the lesson in spanglish. im looking forward to
this week.

speaking of SPANISH... i was the "nativa" this week. We have a
competition in our class to see who can speak the most spanish each
day. Our teacher secretly picks someone to be the nativa/nativo and we
have to speak as much as we can and earn the "nativa medal". it is
this nice huge gold bling, and i got it! haha it is amazing how much i
know and have learned since i have been here. i know a lot more than i
think. so i am gonna keep trying to hablar what i know.

things with my companions are good. we get along well so that is good.
it is hard for me not to have my space- especially for studying. i
thought the otherday- i wish i was a solo missionary (some girls are
here without a companion- usually speaking a crazy language or
something), but then i realized how much they teach me. they both have
a really strong knowledge of the scriptures, and i dont so they help
me a lot.

we had a bunch of our zone leave. some elders have been here 12 weeks
in stead of 9- waiting for visas. Mexico city! south mission though j.
we got a new district elders and they are all adorable we are all
really tight. we only have 5 people in our district and that is
abnormally small. but it is because they day we got here, one elder
moved up because he was a native speaker, and then that one elder went
home. we are making the best of it, and are able to have lots of time
to learn slow and ask lots of questions from our teachers.

dad- i learned a columbian word this week- chevere- which means cool.
maybe you can start saying that when you are slaying dragons?

jared- my knees seem to be getting worse- i keep them up on a chair in
class so they aren't bent, and have been doing mad PT every day at
gym. do you think they just hurt from the PT or is it that they're
getting worse?

well- the clock is blinking and i have to go. sorry it is so
scattered, and not that much... i'll write with more and send some
pages from my journal. I love that i am here. I can't believe i am
here. i seriously can't. i just feel like im at school and i will be
home soon. but i wont. thats ok. i am happy to be here. i will get
used to it. and i am handling myself. haha. i love you and and thanks
for your support. i love you. keep the mail coming!!

xoxo

hermana sisssy.

2011-02-06T22:07:00.000-08:00

Pictures of Karli's first days at the MTC...

This is when Karli first arrived, and discovered that her host was one of her very best friends! (Who also happens to be in the room right next door...) I love how excited Karli looks!

Sister Tyson gets her nametag...

and her companions... (she's in a threesome)

Writing letters on p-day...

The photo every missionary takes! (I tried forever to rotate this - does anyone know how to do it?)
Hermana Tyson starring in "MTC Musical - II" !!

2011-02-01T21:42:00.000-08:00

Week two I learned....

---that i could possibly go to the bahamas or the cayman islands.... they just got added to my mission! yayyy. good thing i am good at living on islands!

---i am not the only one who thinks that lake powell is part of the celestial kingdom- (a GA came and in his bio, he said that too!)

---that i need to be careful when walking outside when it is wet. (i was walking to dinner and totally ATE it and thought i broke my elbow, but now its just purple)

---that even though i wasn't madrigals president ;) i can still sing in the mtc choir. :) we sang joseph smiths first prayer last week and this week we will see what it is. i am also singing the 'as sisters in zion/heleman medley' for sacrament. i love that song and its so applicable now.

---that i know way more people than i think. (everyday i see a new person i know. yesterday there was this girl who looked so familiar but i couldn't figure out where i knew her- then it hit me! She raised steers in 4H the same time i did. I shouldn't remember her... that was years ago.)

---that i know how to be a relief society president (not really- but we had a mock baptism, and they asked me to be the rf pres... so i was. i gave all the new "members" a mini hymn book- and everyone laughed. it was a nice touch. :) )

---that it is impossible to stay awake for a temple session that starts at 7 a.m.

---that girls at the MTC don't know how to make popcorn- (last night right before lights out the FIRE ALARM went off- because someone burnt popcorn. so we all threw on coats and shoes and went outside. they held us in the gym till it was time to go back. annoying.)

i hope you enjoyed that list. laying in bed i try to think of things to say but im too tired to get up and write them down. guess who i saw today!? VUI'S SISTER! We were walking back from the temple and i saw some girls struggling to get through some doors with their luggage, so i ran and opened the door, and i noticed her name was sister vuikadavu (sp?) and i asked where she was from, she said FIJI, i asked if Aisake was her brother and she said.... SISTER TYSON. she knew exactly who i was and knew all about our family. she talked about you and dad being his "mission pres" haha and also mentioned roland. she got a picture... i didn't have my camera. she leaves TODAY for madagascar. it was so fun to see her. oh and she also said that she remembers the song that they wrote about you guys and started singing it. i don't remember that.

here is a rough schedule of each day:

out of bed by 6:15, get ready

7 breakfast

7:30-830 personal study

830-930- companion study

then gym or something

lunch at 1130-12

then class from 1230-430

then dinner from 430-500

then MDT (missionary directed time-do what we need- study, run to the bookstore etc)

then class from 6-9

and somewhere in there there is 1 hour to study spanish.

we have two teachers... and we do churchy learning and language learning in both- all together as a district. we lost one elder so there is only 5 of us now. we also have times where we go teach other people in the zone or things like that- during classtime or MDT.

cabin sounds like you had a fun time. i loved all the pictures. it was great. if you get some printed send a few of the good ones. Lauri and j- and mom thanks for forwarding those. i miss you all. Jared thanks for the letters- mom dad thanks. thanks to everyone really- last monday i got 12 dear elders in one day... haha oops! thanks.

so the movie thing is just sponsored by the church. it is called '5 friends' and they follow missionaries around their whole mission. it will be something they show on byu tv and like in seminary. idk if i will do it for sure. they will let me know.

both my companions are going to FTL with me we all leave together so that is nice. it is hard being in a trio and we are different but its all good. coming on two weeks on wed. i can't believe it. I FINALLY CRIED. haha on sunday we went to music and the spoken word and i was just writing in my journal, then felt so overwhelmed/missed all of you and then the choir started singing 'how firm a foundation'. i was thinking all of this then the 3rd verse came and i just LOST IT.

"Fear not, I am with thee; oh, be not dismayed,

For I am thy God and will still give thee aid.

I'll strengthen thee , help thee, and cause thee to stand,

Upheld by my righteous omnipotent hand"

it lifted me up! ah it was so neat. i got a blessing from my branch pres and i feel a lot better.

thanks for all the love and support. keep the letters coming!

love you love you

hermanita tysonnn.

2011-01-24T16:57:00.000-08:00

Karli's first letter!

It's been a long 5 days at our house waiting for Karli's first letter, but it finally came!

IF YE LOVE ME YOU WILL DEARELDER ME. AND ONLY FAMILY WILL EMAIL ME. :) I made a goal to be 100% obedient so that means that i will only email my family and any other missionaries that are in the field... so help me be obedient. but also don't email me family. dearelder me. i get it the same day and then theoughout the week i can read it and think of what to write on mondays. we only have 30 min to write.

alohaaaaa!

i love it here so much. everything has been great. right when i got dropped off walking to my dorm i saw elder dallin sweet- a friend from hunter going to LA korean speaking, then i get to my bldg, and guess who is my escort/host!? kenzi carmac
- one of my very best friends. she is going to ukraine and has been here since dec 1. and guess what! we are next door neighbors, so seeing a familiar face every day is so so nice. wow its crazy. i am in a 3 some- hermana buckley, and sister mata'u. they are both from california and they are great. my district has 3 other elders, and they are from nephi- elder green, clearfield- elder smith, and texas- elder calhoon. elder calhoon has been having a rough time with separation anxiety so we are all praying that he will stay. i was able to talk to him and help him out so that was nice. our teachers are awesome. everyone says you are in class all day and it sucks but i love it- i love spanish. it is coming along. we havnt learned a ton yet but it is good,. we have taught the first lesson 2 times already and will do it again toinight. we have had a hard time trying to teach with three of us but it will come. i have seen several other people i knew from hawaii- mission prep. oh and i almost died... yesterday i ran into kellen from london- and wow i was so excited. he left for korea today- it was a nice surprise... i thought he was gone. and another friend i saw at the temple- chris nicholes from provo- i had no idea he was even on a mission. so cool. so the food isn't bad- i eat salad and veggies all the time and sometimes meat. i don't mind it. we are busy here but it is nice. during gym i go to the trainer and he helps with my knees. i don't really know what to say else. oh mom everyone loves all my clothes! haha dressing up and cute seriously has kept me sane. i can't believe it is already monday- the time has flown by. our zone has people going all over the place, and we met 2 other sisters going with us to florida in march. they're cute and both heard of me from friends. my companions always tease me because i see so many people i know. it makes it easier to be here. hahaha. so i start my movie star debut here today. the church is going to follow me throughout the mission and make a little movie or something... i have a skype interview today with the director. i am excited for that- and hope that my story will encourage others to go. we all went to choir last night and sang joseph smiths first prayer- it was really cool. uh and the director had people come recite the first vision in their mission language- there was spanish poutoguse ()sp?) spanish tagalog german and latvian. it was so neat i can't wait to learn it . i am so excited... here is my testimony

yo testifico que la iglesia de jusucristo as verdadera. yo se que el arrepentimeinto es muy importante. yo creo que jusucristo es nuestro redentor y salvador. en el nombre de jusucristo amen. :)

its a work in progress. mom there is lots of stuff i need you to send. i will write a letter today with it all. ty thanks for the email and the stories and the pics. that was great. loved it. j and les and olivia and katie... thanks for the dear elders... you guys have the right idea! mom can you make sure alex gets this- alexander.thompson@myldsmail.net

i have already feel the lords help and comfort. i haven't even cried here yet. i am so happy. crying is good but mostly just makes things worse, haha. we went to the temple today that was nice. and then the rest of the day we can write letters and laundry till dinner. it is gonna be crazy writing because we only have a few hours to do it. we get mail everyday- but only write back on mondays. we had a really great fireside that lifted me up.

how is everything at home? how was the cabin? how are all the workers>? ;) haha hope all is well

i have to go time is up but i love you all so much./ dad hope work is going good, and mom i hope you have recovered. please dear elder me. email pics is blocked-can't send them out, so i will send you some next week!

xoxo..

send me the pics from dropping me off.. my camera flash doesnt work- what should i do? love you. xoxo

hermana happy happy tyson

2011-01-20T19:03:00.000-08:00

The Big Day Arrives!

(This is Karli's mom now, for the next 18 months! Hopefully, I'll get the hang of this blogging deal!)

So, in typical Tyson fashion, we were late leaving our house for the MTC... and so we were "hurrying" to make up for lost time. Unfortunately, the policeman called it "speeding"...
And yes, those are flashing lights in the rear view mirror!
(Luckily, when we told him where we were going, he let us off with a warning...)

...We were 10 minutes late in arriving at the MTC, and Karli was stressed out. She must have thought they were going to start without her because she was in such a hurry to get inside! We got a quick hug and an "I love you" and she was ready to roll! I kept waiting for her to turn around for one last wave, but she never did!

So now I'm just waiting for that first letter.... hopefully it will pull me out of my coma!

2011-01-18T22:50:00.000-08:00

it's official... i'm a sister!

i got set apart tonight. it was a really nice little meeting... and weird to think that i am a sister. i probably shouldn't even be making this post, but oh well. it is my last one ever. (for the next 18 months) my mum is gonna take it from here and keep everyone updated with my weekly letters and pictures and such. i am so glad i was able to have my family there, and some close friends too. i love them and will miss them. i got some great advice from everyone. i can't believe this is real.

{hug}

{hug} {no hug}

2011-01-18T22:41:00.000-08:00

the last ski... i spent my last day of freedom on the slopes with J, Sue, and Rich. it was a beautiful day, and we had a great time. i needed to go skiing to help turn me back on to the cold weather. it reminded me of the benifits, and that winter is ok... even though i still like the beach better.

{me and sue laying out...}

2011-01-18T16:56:00.000-08:00

snowcones and flamingos....

my farewell was a success, and it is over. i just had to post a few pictures of the yummy treats. nicci and d'an did a great job! they went above and beyond. they made my party a hit. thank you. and a big thanks to everyone else who helped!! (my personal favorite-the snow cone cupcakes and flamingo cookies!) my talk went great, and i didn't even CRY!

2010-12-07T22:57:00.000-08:00

do all the good you can.
by all the means you can.
in all the ways you can.
in all the places you can.
at all the times you can.
to all the people you can.
as long as you ever can.

2010-12-07T19:09:00.000-08:00

a few mission photographs...

photocredddy. kev.
more soon.

2010-12-03T12:19:00.001-08:00

i have joined the club...

thanks for sharing my special day!

2010-12-01T15:44:00.000-08:00

happy december...

i can't believe it is december already.
that means...

.surf competitions
.potential whale watching
.a flight back to utah
.my birthday
.christmas
.shopping for florida
.lots of homework
.family
.friends
.FOOD
.christmas treats
.lights
.hot chocolate
.snow
.skiing
.home

bittersweet.

2010-11-24T13:59:00.001-08:00

turkeys look better on the table.
happy thanksgiving weekend.

2010-11-23T10:18:00.001-08:00

r.i.p. kava roots...

a few weeks ago, by favorite thing on this entire island closed- for good. i am still mourning. my weekly (or sometimes daily) trip to kava roots was what got me through the week (or day). acai, aloha mahalo, maui wowie, or bonzai bowl- usually bonzai. i am so sad... i really wanted to take sandra there. can someone open up a new shop or something?

mahalo.
kokonut.

2010-11-22T16:03:00.003-08:00

private island getaway...

{ featuring }

quinny.
kev.
yours truly.

a private island getaway seems a little unrealistic for college students right? wrong! this past weekend we took a spontaneous trip to lanai- the smallest of the hawaiian islands. it is privatley owned by david murdock... the man who owns dole. i went to his house once in california. i wish that would have qualified me for speacial treatment on his island. we began our journey at 6:30 am friday morn and drove to the honolulu international airport. we took off around 7:53 am in a tiny 9 seater plane. it was so cool. we flew real low so you could see everything, and we got to chat with the pilot the whole time. we arrived at lanai international airport apporximately 40 minutes later. it was so teeny tiny. we were the only ones in the whole airport other than the few staff members. the shuttle picked us up and took us into lanai city (the only city on the whole island). from there we walked around the whole town and saw all there was to see- the dole pineapple park and a handful of shops. i love lanai city. it reminded me of lake tahoe a little bit- weird i know. it was beautiful and mountainous. i loved all the houses. they were all different colors and kept up well- not ghetto like other parts of hawaii. we then rented a car, and began our expedition around the island. our first stop was shipwreck beach. there is an oil tanker that got stranded just off the shore in the 1940's so we went to check it out. i took a nap on the beach, and the boys went exploring. unfortunately the ship was too far away to swim to, but we all really wanted to take a look inside. oh well. nest we drove to garden of the gods. this reminded me of home so much. i miss utah. we got some fun pictures. after we continued on a dirt road in our fancy jeep commander and found a really cool secluded beach. we swam and played in the sand, and decided that is where we would set up camp later that night. we drove back to town to grab some dinner and checkout the four seasons. we swam in the pool and sat in the hot tub. it was divine. once we got wrinkly, we headed back to our base camp on the beach, stopping for firewood along the way. we built an epic fire (it took forever, but we eventually succeeded) and roasted hotdogs. i love campfires, especially on the beach. whoo hoo. once we burned all the wood we retired to our hammocks for the night. the next morning i took a little dip in the ocean, and we headed back to town to return the jeep. after that, we were walking to find some lunch, and we stumbled upon the cat's meow ... best thrift store ever. i found this killer vintage button up for kev. the best part about it was in was only 50 cents! after that we ate a blue ginger cafe. if you ever go to lanai... eat there. it is yummy. (try the turnovers- amazing.) after our bellies were full we jumped onto the shuttle and headed to the four seasons. this time, we were going to be legitimate guests. (we got a really great deal because we are hawaii residents) when i checked in they kept calling me "miss tyson" and were so fancy and legit when they were explaining everything to me. it was just like the movies. once we got to our way sweet room, we went to the pool. oh it was so nice. they set up towels and chairs for you, then brought you ice water, fruit, and mini smoothies. fancy huh? oh yeah and there were guys walking around that would spray you with evian water mist, or put ice cold washcloths on your eyes. fancy. we went down to the beach when we got too hot, and did a little snorkeling and sipped on some complimentary ice cold lemonade. when we got our snorkel stuff, the guy didn't believe we were really staying there- i don't blame him... 3 college kids at the four seasons? yeah right. after the beach we headed to the spa and sat in the steam room. it was great. they had lots of free stuff in there too that you could use and pamper yourself with. it was fun. after that we watched the sunset and realaxed in the room for a bit. we went to dinner and just got a few appetizer deals and the boys played pool. they didn't like us very much because we didn't order any alcohol. it was annoying. we went back to the hot tubs for a bit after that, and then just back to the room. we were all so tired. we tried to watch a movie, but i was out before the previews even started! i slept so well in that big fancy bed. the next morning, we had some leftover bagels for breakfast, and kev and i went to relax outside. we looked through people magazine at the top 25 sexiest men alive... that was entertaining. then we watched dolphins... yeah dolphins. there were a ton of them! it was neat. we went back and got in our church clothes, and headed to town for the dedication of the laie temple. looking like a couple from the 1970's they were hesitant to let us in. i'm glad they did. we watched in at a little branch with 5 other people. it was a really neat experience. i am excited to go in there in 5 days! wooo! we ate at blue ginger again after that, then went to the airport and flew home. i wish i was still by the pool- but here i am... back in the library procrastinating :]

2010-11-10T13:12:00.000-08:00

fort lauderdale florida...
spanish speaking

i waited and waited and waited by the mailbox on friday- everyone told me that mission calls come to hawaii on fridays so i had my heart set on that. it didn't come. they were wrong, and i was disappointed. i went about the rest of my weekend not expecting it till monday. however, i forgot that mail came on saturdays. i came home after helping at the temple open house and checked the mail- the box was empty. i went in the house and found some new mail on the couch, and figured that it didn't come. i was disappointed. i tried to get over it and got ready to go to the beach. my two friends came over and hung out for a bit and then we left to go surfing. as i was getting in the truck, i thought- heck i'll just check one more time... and to my surprise, my large white envelope was in the box. i was thrilled to say the least. it was such a surprise. i was not expecting it till monday. i didn't even know what to do with myself. i immediately phoned my mom to tell her the news. she was so so excited. everyone was. i quickly went in the house and set up i chat and skype with mom, dad, ty, lauri, and the girls on one computer, and jared and les on the other. my two friends jono, adam, along my roommate suki were there with me to watch and film me open it. i didn't cry, but i did a little choked up. i will post a video soon. i am so excited to serve in florida, and am so so happy it will be in spanish! wahooooo. i report january 19th.

2010-10-31T19:18:00.000-07:00

happy halloween!

float like a butterfly, sting like a bee!
i tried to have a tough face- it didn't work.... so just pretend.

2010-10-21T01:47:00.000-07:00

you can find me waiting here for the next three weeks...
they're finally complete!

...

2010-10-01T02:26:00.000-07:00

姐妹

Zuster

Soeur

Schwester

Sorella

Hermana

姉妹

irmã

сестра

{sister tyson}

what one will it be??

2010-09-27T19:56:00.000-07:00

peach and grey.

i want this shirt.
i love this photo.
it's roxy.

2010-09-24T17:18:00.000-07:00

serious withdrawals.....

i was reading for english yesterday- about early english exploration... and for some reason reading about hops and Her Majesty made me miss the centre and london town immensely. i want to go back there right now. i can't even explain this feeling. i can't though.... so what do i do? just look at pictures, eat nutella, and save my pennies. i got a new idea after all of this though- how about byu jerusalem? i wish. i'll save for years if i have to. going there would be so neat. dream on karl.

2010-09-24T17:04:00.000-07:00

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” -Mark Twain

i found this gem on her little tumblr. what a great reminder- and inspiration. thank you. i am so thankful for the many things i have been able to do and see the past few years. these will be the times i remember most i think. the times where i learn and grow the most. i am about to take another big leap... and i can't wait to see what is in the cards for me the next few months.

2010-09-12T12:23:00.000-07:00

last hurrah to baja....

mom, dad, anna, and i got to spen 6 days in baja/cabo. it was the best week ever. i fell in love with that place, and it made me want to learn spanish even more. if i was fluent i could live there... easily. we stayed in a condo with a beautiful view and spent the week soaking up the sun. we went fishing, snorkeling, shopping, hablaring, ate a ton of great food, swam, slept and relaxed. i was able to read two books too! (dear john and the book thief. both great) thanks for the fun trip mum and dad. lets move there ok?

{mahi mahi. as big as me} {tradition}

the last few are from our snorkeling adventure. we drove for nearly two hours just to get to this secluded beach to see some fishies but man was it worth it! it was in the best location- despite the sketchy drive. it was seriously the prettiest beach i have ever been too. and we ate the best chips and guac and carne asada tacos. best meal of the trip. on the way back to take anna to the airport, we ran into a minor problem. there was a flash flood and the whole road was washed out. we didnt thing that our little rental car would make it so anna jumped into a strangers car and they took her to the airport. mom and i just decided to go for it and we made it across even though our car was practically swimming. and on the way home we passed the tropic of cancer. it was great. i have been to the prime meridian and the tropic of cancer... oops. i love mexico. i can't wait to return one day.

2010-09-12T11:04:00.000-07:00

elder ericksen.....

i met gerald at east high senior year. he is such a stud and i will miss him while he is going. he will be serving in ventura california speaking spanish. i am so proud of him. he will be great.

2010-09-12T10:18:00.000-07:00

summer 2010...

summer is over- and man it flew by. i was a bad blogger but ill try and give a little recap of my summer adventures. we had the ord girl party right when i got home and had yummy food and a gift exchange. we usually have this at christmas time... but i kind of liked being able to eat outside and have summer-ish food. it was great to see everyone.

for emma's 4th birthday we went to baja cantina. she is quite the character and loved to take pictures in her "birthday hat"

my cousin matt lived with us for a vouple months this summer and worked for my dad. we enjoyed having him around. here we are at the oakley rodeo on july 3rd. it was so fun! i think it will be a tradition from now on to go on or near the 4th.

my friend chad i met at byuh invited me to lake trinity in northern california for a week with his family. it was so much fun! it felt good to be back on the lake. i brought a wake surf from my work and it was a huge hit! it was so beautiful. it was like lake powell but in the mountains. the water was so smooth all day long and the weather was great! i loved his family and had a lot of fun. {chad.me} {conner. me. i love him} {chad.me.kyle. one day we went white water rafting- SO FUN}

the sunday i got home from the lake, we had a london reunion for Dr. McF's 50th. it was so great to see everyone again. . . skinny and tan.

i was spoiled again and got to go to coeur d' alene, idaho to my frined chelsea's lake house. it was so beautiful there. chad came down from california and we drove up together. we broke down and spent 2 days in butte montana- it was quite the adventrue. we made the best out of the situation, but were very happy to get to idaho. we spent our days on the lake fishing (my favorite part), paddleboarding, surfing, wakeboarding, and hanging out at gozzer ranch. we went to the comfort stations daily- on the golf course there they have these little cottages full of all the free food you could imagine. it was so cool! i love free food. i had the time of my life. thanks chelsea!!!

my bff McKenna got married!! i threw here shower/bachelorette party and it turned out to be a lot of fun. it was 80's themed so everyone dressed up, and then after the showere we all went 80's dancing. her wedding was such a great day too. she looked so pretty. i am so happy for her!!

so long sweet summer. its been real.

2010-06-05T23:04:00.000-07:00

crouching lion...

how does a five hour hike sound... not so good when your body is falling apart. ha ha. well i did it anyway! we went on a hike called crouching lion (check!) and it was sooooooooo long. i am happy i did it, but i wouldn't do it again. i would for sure do like the first hour- it was beautiful. i didn't have my camera but i stole some pictures from a friend. they don't even do the view justice. it was a pretty tough hike, and it got super muddy too- that was fun though. all of our feet were so yucky after! even after a long, long, muddy hike... i still love hawaii.

{about to blow over}

{me. markie. ocean.}

{yeah... we climbed to the top of that, then did it again like five times}
{dirtyyyyy huh?}

2010-06-05T22:49:00.000-07:00

sharks....

sooooo.... we went to the mozo house for this kids birthday party, and there was a full on shark laying on the kitchen table- no thanks! so... i saw a shark instead of a whale (check!) pretty crazy huh? they cooked it up and had it as a refreshment but i did not have the guts to try it... i have a hard time with fish... let alone a shark.

we also hiked chinamen's hat! (check!) it was one of my favorite hikes for sure. its a little island about 15 minutes out of laie, and you have to swim to it! lots of the girls were scared because the place where you have it swim is considered to be hammerhead shark breeding ground... but luckily we all made it there and back in once piece! the view from the top was amazing... you could see the whole ocean! it was so pretty and blue. just so you know... i love hawaii. {looks like a hat eh?}

2010-05-26T00:43:00.000-07:00

impossibles pizza....

check! this is seriously the best pizza ever! paul, justin, anna, and i split an extra large bbq chicken pizza! this way cool van just sits on the side of the road and they cook it in there. neat huh? i am running out of time but i really want to have it again. it was sooooooooo yummy.

we also had a really fun beach day on saturday and went to rocky point and waimea! we got sand blasted at rocky point but hey.... it was free exfoliation. i am still so white compared to everyone else. 10 more days hawaii.... sad.

2010-05-19T15:33:00.000-07:00

bonfires, stars, and sleepovers....

my new friend alyssa had a bonfire (check) for her birthday! we had a lot of fun making smores and listening to the boys play the guitar. then.... last night we went camping! (check) i don't know if you can really call it that- it was more just sleeping over on the beach. when we got the the place where we were going to sleep, there was a seal laying on the beach! haha he didn't stay for the party though. we attempted to play games, danced, played, and stargazed! it was a fun night. i didn't get a ton of sleep, but it was totally worth it. 16 days left.... :(

{bonfire girls}

{most of the camping crew}

2010-05-19T02:28:00.000-07:00

skydiving....

brooke, kaitlin, kathryn, chad, and i all went skydiving on saturday! (check) it was so amazing. i never really thought i would ever go, but i am so glad that i did. if you have the chance to go- do it... especially if it is in hawaii. the ride up in the plane was just as good as falling out of it! the view was so so pretty. we had to wait forever to actually go- it was a killer... but totally worth it! i love hawaii.

2010-05-16T19:35:00.000-07:00

bike gang...

my friends and i decided to go on a bike ride along the north shore, so we packed eight bikes and eight girls into one little ford ranger. we had five girls in the front cab, and the bikes and the other three in the back. just getting our bikes to north shore was an adventure in itself! we managed to get there all in one piece and without getting pulled over. we started at sunset beach, and biked all the way up to waimea. the ride was so beautiful! they have a little bike trail that runs between the main road and the beach, and it is covered in a canopy of trees. we played in the water for a bit at waimea, then headed back to watch the sunset at sunset beach. (check) on the way back we got dinner at teds (check). i had another fabulous hamburger, and a yummy pumpkin pie. we ate then headed to the beach to get some fun pictures on the palm tree and then we watched the sunset! it was the perfect way to end the day. i love riding bikes. i love hawaii.

2010-05-15T22:44:00.000-07:00

dole and waikiki....

we had to take shelby to town because it was time for her to go back to the mainland, so we made a trip out of it! we went to the dole plantation (check) and ate some yummy pineapple. i had chocolate covered pineapple... it was muy delicioso. after the plantation, we went to waikiki (check) and played in the water and took some fun photos. we had fun trying to spell cool things. after the photo sesh, we went to ku'ainas burgers. i love me a good hamburger, and that was probably the best one i have ever had! i had a bacon avocado burger... there was literally a whole avocado on my burger. it was to die for. after eating, we went to a huge mall and i tried to get a new phone. my poor little blackberry has seen better days, and its time she gets replaced. i was unsuccessful, but at least i got to see the cool mall. shelby was really late to the airport, and she missed her flight. poor girl had to sleep in the airport. on the way home we had some yummy yogurt land too... i love hawaii.

{we love pineapple}

{kaitlin, me, kathryn}

{i heart hawaii, love, jumping, and aloha}

{chels and i. best thing everrrr.}

2010-05-11T00:43:00.000-07:00

today i went to heaven...

not really- but i went on a hike called the stairway to heaven. (check) i had to wake up at 3 a.m. to make it happen. the hike is illegal now, and so you have to wake up early to get there before the security guards do... but also to see the sunrise! the whole trail was a long ladder- when i say long, i mean long. try 3,992 steps! there were some parts that were completely vertical- it was a little scary, but totally worth it even though my legs are sore. we had a huge group of people, and i made some new friends. perfect. i think i should add that to the list... make new friends. (check) after stepping, stepping away, we finally reached the top, and if that is what heaven looks like- i can't wait to get there! here are some photos from the journey- but they dont do the beauty or the magnitude any justice... just just pretend

{we finally reached the first platform... and that is a mixture of sweat and rain. yumm.}

{i made it! headstand in heaven}

{that is just the first fourth of the trail... see the stairs? click to enlarge}

after the hike i came home and crashed, and then went to the beach with chels, bree, and kait. they taught me how to surf... (check) well i attempted. i was unsuccessful- but i tried. and i will try again. i am determined to catch at least one wave before i leave.

2010-05-09T02:48:00.000-07:00

the list...

my time in hawaii is limited. . . so- anna and i constructed a list of must do's before we head back to utah. we have 26 days left. we are quickly running out of time, but we accomplished a lot this week. (watch for the checks to see what i have done!)

the list. :)

my wonderful cousin ashley was in laie for the first week i was here. she was so nice and invited me to lunch with her friends at kahuku grill. (check) it was so good! then we went on a nice hike. (check) it was beautiful! it was so fun to see her.

this is hukilau beach. i live right across the street from it. i like to run here, and tan here. i love hawaii.

anna and i went night swimming (check) with a few other people, at hukilau.
so anna and i had a great idea to get all ready, straighten our hair, and even put on make-up! (that is a big deal here) we decided to ride out bikes, and we got caught in a downpour. we rode all the way to the house, but anna forgot what one it was so we just decided to come home. our cute outfits were ruined and we were soaked to the bone. it was a night to remember.

kait and i at waimea.

look who came to visit! shelby! we went to matsumoto's in haleiwa- they are famous for their shave ice. i had pineapple, coconut, and guava. it was divine! (check)
we went to sharks cove today and went snorkeling! it was so so fun! and guess what i saw- a turtle! it was huge. bigger than me... easily. cross two things off the list! (check, check)

waimea bay.

after snorkeling and getting acai bowls at kava roots, (an acai bowl is like a giant thick jamba juice, but even better) we went to waimea and jumped off the rocks there- it was such a beautiful day. (check)

2010-04-27T00:54:00.000-07:00

bicycles, bagels, and bonfires...

i have spent my first two days in hawaii in the math lab. boo! i had to learn 5 chapters for my statistics class all in one day. with the help of some good friends and nerdy tutors, i was able feel somewhat prepared for my test i had to take today. i survived... it was not as bad as i thought. i secretly love math. i have to go to the beach tomorrow no matter what. i have already used my bike so much. i ride it back and forth to school, and even to the grocery store. foodland is where all my money will be spent while on the island. i got a lot of great food- my favorite purchase was a bag of einsteins bagels. i can't wait to eat them. it was tricky getting everything home, but i am sure i will figure out a system. it is nice to have a bike as my only form of transportation. you know how i love bike riding.

last night after clocking in some more hours at the math lab, anna and i went to a bonfire on the beach. it took us a while to get the fire started because it was so windy... but it was worth the wait. some very cute boys serenaded with a little guitar and singing- playing some ruru and joshua james. yes please. it mad me miss alex.

my new friend paul invited us, and he had a pedros tacos sticker on his bike! i love pedros. pedros is a yummy mexican place in san clemente with the best food. seeing that sticker made my night... to bad it was just a sticker not a taco.

thanks to my phone for these crappy pictures. oh well... it gets the job done.

2010-04-26T01:00:00.001-07:00

why hello blog...

it has been far too long, but i have been busy with my london blog. you can see it if you click here. now i am on a new adventure... i just got to hawaii for spring term at byu-h. i love it and i haven't even been here 24 hours. i know i am never going to leave. it is beautiful here. i need to work on my tan right quick... i stick out like a sore thumb, but it shouldn't take too long. i love hawaii. already. stay tuned for more about my hawaiian life

{a little taste}

2010-03-23T05:37:00.000-07:00

je t'aime paris

how adorable.
i want to go back.

2010-03-22T09:11:00.000-07:00

{how 'bout mark's hat... old guys rule. }

I miss the Jazz.
I miss our season tickets- it's been quite the season.
But most of all, i miss hanging out with my dad.

i get to see him and my mum in 26 days! i can't wait.

{i miss you too mummy. don't worry.}

2010-03-13T12:19:00.000-08:00

this week i went to a really cool cathedral,
and guess what was inside...
some really creative art.

yeah.... that is made out of slices of bread.
how cool is that? i want that tree to be on my wall.

then, there were these really cool birds hanging from the cieling. they were so cool! this would be fun to have at a party or a wedding or somthing... i will have to remember it.

to learn more about my trip to the cathedral... click here.

2010-03-07T09:21:00.000-08:00

happy sunday.
to see more click here.

2010-03-05T08:57:00.000-08:00

''be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."
-dr. seuss

2010-02-19T14:03:00.000-08:00

hi.
this is why i love oxford.
everyone rides bikes...
{not to mention british boys on bikes.}

2010-02-14T07:22:00.000-08:00

love, love is all you need.
happy valentines day.
i love this song and i love you!

2010-01-28T13:56:00.000-08:00

checkout this store. it has these old sewing machines all around the whole store covering the walls. it was so cool! a good find here in london. click here to check it

2010-01-22T07:10:00.000-08:00

doesn't this look yummy?? it was.

living the bathlife.

1 nutella banana dream crepe
-1 banana
- the spoons of nutella
- chocolate syrup
- chopped nuts sprinkled
- 1 scoop raspberry gelato

this photo was too cute for my london life blog. it was so so good... it cost four pounds but was oh so worth it. we went to bath and there were so many cute shops and places to get yummy treats. the town is so quaint and i hope to make it back there before my time here is done.

to learn more about my trip to bath click here.

2010-01-20T14:30:00.000-08:00

new new photos.
of london life.
i love my new umbrella.
{the one on the right. i got it here}

2010-01-14T08:48:00.000-08:00

1. this reminds me of her
2. it love it becasue it will always remind me of london
3. it is navy and white... fancy sailorish
{yes its blue, not black}

another store that i love in london is accessorize.
it's like claires but wayyyy better.
bye bye money.

2010-01-14T06:15:00.000-08:00

paperchase.
i am in love.

it is the cutest paper store with a bajillion awesome cards. this photo doesn't show it very well but it is awesome.
{i had to sneak a shot when no one was looking.}
i will spend a few pounds there no doubt. i am particularly excited to buy some valentines cards there. oooh and they have the cutest stationary and letter sets. perhaps i will get some before i leave because i love writing letters oh so much.

p.s. i would love to have a shop like this one day.

2010-01-10T13:27:00.000-08:00

hello friends.
while abroad i am doing another blog.
i am going to try and do this one too.
but to keep up with me look here.

xoxo

2010-01-06T22:12:00.000-08:00

bon voyage: is a French phrase borrowed into English meaning, literally, "good journey", and usually translated as meaning "have a good trip".

london here i come. it has finally arrived. peace out america!
blog about my new home in the works... stay tuned!

{i have been a bad blogger... finals, wisdom teeth, christmas, birthday, flu, new years, packing. update soon i promise}

2009-12-15T20:51:00.000-08:00

thanks to her for taking this nice shot.
this past weekend i went out with the girls.
we went here and had some fun christmas mocktails.
and of course shaked' our booty's.
it was much needed.
she documented the night very nicely.
can't wait for next time.

2009-12-09T16:56:00.000-08:00

its our one year anniversary. yay!
i survived.
for more photos of our journey together... click here

2009-12-03T18:28:00.000-08:00

wish list...

.a knit flower headband
.a cozy northface to keep me warm on my new adventure
.some good movies
.a study abroad :)
.some cardigans
.a new pair of toms
.a computer cover
.good books
.a nice camera {dream on karli}
.warm socks, scarves, gloves... london is chilly this time of year
.jewelry {ctr}
.get my hurr did

... that is all for now xoxo

2009-12-02T20:38:00.000-08:00

give thanks for hawaii.

1. sunset in waikiki. {notice the sailboat}
2. sand turkey!
3. the cool sign at the airport
4. hawaiian diet coke looks different {and tastes different too}
4. hanalei bay
5. laie temple
6. kauaiian roosters

{thanks for the great trip m&d}

2009-11-19T18:52:00.000-08:00

tweet. tweet.
i have arrived.
see...

10 things that make me terribly happy: november 13th edition

2009-11-13T15:07:00.000-08:00

1. emails
2. my high waist shorts with tights underneath
3. brushing my teeth with warm water.
4. hawaii in one week
5. my new header :: thanks lou
6. mustard yellow
7. football with dad
8. smuckers uncrustables
9. its fridayyy and i am content not doing ANYTHING
10. dad brought me 3 dishwashers

right now

2009-11-10T22:34:00.000-08:00

i can't seem to take my eyes of these.

ireland planning. {50 days}
i want thai food {right now}

catching up on letters that i love to write oh so much.

thank you lou... for the inspiration.

a new obsession

2009-11-04T15:48:00.001-08:00

this girl is amazing.
she blogs a lot better than i.
check it out here.

i want one of these.

2009-10-27T18:24:00.001-07:00

i have a bike.
now the dress and the photo.
{xoxo}
via: a desert fete

2009-10-21T18:15:00.000-07:00

10 things that make me terribly happy. {about him.} october 21st edition
{thanks for the inspiration lou}

1. he has a thizz face to match mine
2. his awkwardness and innocence
3. his desire to serve a mission
4. his impact on me
5. his wonderful example
6. our heart to hearts
7. his trampoline in his basement
8. our friendship
9. “oh hey youuuu” when he answers the phone
10. the past two months

today is a sad day- however i was reminded of of things that make me happy about him.
i am so lucky to have this boy as a friend and i am ever so proud of him. xoxo

2009-10-18T19:50:00.001-07:00

i got a little letter.
and loved it.
i miss him.
{a lot}

2009-10-07T18:21:00.000-07:00

happiness will

never

come to those who

fail to appreciate

what they already have.

neck deep....

2009-09-28T20:19:00.000-07:00

unfortunately i don't have my nose in a good book these days,
and i am definitely not sitting next to a cute boy.
the only books my nose seems to find are textbooks. boo.
although i am listening to a girl named zippy on my commute to and fro. thanks mom.
still trying to find a balance between school and work...
then perhaps there will be time to find the boy.

a new adventure.

2009-09-25T12:59:00.000-07:00

in 120 days, i will be in london.
living in that adorable building. not big ben.
{byu study abroad}