So LA is a very green city. These recycling cans are just on the street- so nice!

It is always a plus when we can work and sightsee at the same time. Thursday, we spent some time in Chinatown collecting letters. Though the work can be tiring and monotonous, I thoroughly enjoy working outside in the warm sunny Socal weather. I feel so lucky to be living in a place that has such nice weather! Every time I walk outside, I am amazed at how nice it is. I have my window open in my room right now. It is probably 65 or so outside right now- so nice!

We were so excited to go to the beach today. It was gorgeous, about 85 in Glendale. Much to our dismay, we drove over an hour in traffic to get to the beach, only to find it was 67 and foggy. We still spent an hour and a half reading and relaxing. We thought people were crazy still wearing only their bathing suits and even going in the ocean. Ok, I know you who are in provo think I am crazy, but a wet 67 degrees with wind at the beach is too cold for a bathing suit.

Anyways, we listened to Beach Boys on the way. I thought it was very appropriate.

Sometimes when we are in certain districts in LA, we feel like we are in a different country. Look at these pictures! All the signs are in Korean. I don't think we saw a white person in that whole place. I was amazed to find that the Koreans there didn't even know how to say "I don't speak english." They must just stay in their own communities where everyone speaks their language. And we have found the same thing in other districts with people speaking Spanish, Cambodian, Chinese, Arabic ect.


It makes it more important that we help these people understand there may be legislation that could impact their livelihood. They are so wrapped up in their world of cooking and running a restaurant that they don't realize they can have an impact on laws. It is interesting to realize the language and cultural barrier we deal with. We have met some people who do not understand the concept of voicing your opinion to the government. They seem very hesitant or even scared to do anything that in their mind is disobeying the government. It has opened my eyes to how blessed we are to be in a democratic society. I hope to be more involved in the future with writing my legislatures and perhaps organizing other community members or ward members to raise our voices on important issues.


So a little note on some of the bizzare things we have encountered:

Some places there are no public restrooms because of the prevalence of vandalism. Result? Charging to use one!

We have seen these signs everywhere and are so confused as to what they mean. We have seen them all around LA with different words, but they are always yellow signs with black arrows and a word right side up and upside down. We have yet to find someone that knows what we are talking about when we ask them what they are. Who knows?

This past weekend was a dream. I was able to go to Provo and visit Walt. Sometimes we get a little nervous to see each other after not seeing each other for awhile, worrying that things will be weird or not as good as on the phone. But when we are soon proven wrong when we see each other. It is always better than I even expected- and that's pretty good. Here is a rundown on my weekend activities:

- Shopping excursion with Jill
- Date with Walt to J-dawgs
- Double date with Becky and Heath to a Orchestral group and the BYU Creamery
- Cuddling (of course) while watching Finding Nemo
- Catch up with friend (love you Katelyn!)
- Made enchiladas with Walt
- More cuddling :-)
- Double date with Jill and Jordan (pictionary, taboo, movie, ice cream)
- Church (always more enjoyable when you can hold someone's hand)
- Dinner and movie at Walt's aunt and uncle's
- AMAZING 2-hour walk around Provo with my honey

Whew, I told you I had a great weekend. I am excited for many more like that in the future.

4.4 earthquake awakens Southern California; no major damage or injuries reported

4.4 earthquake awakens Southern California; no major damage or injuries reported

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So yesterday Rachel and I ate out at a Mexican restaurant. I had a hard time choosing what I wanted. I have been wanting to have tongue tacos again because I liked them in Mexico, but I didn't want that for my whole meal. After looking at all the burrito choices, I picked one with meat. What I failed to do was really pay attention to the name. I should have known that if "Super" was in the title, the burrito would be big. But even if I had realized that, I would have had NO IDEA.

CHECK IT OUT:



No wonder we are obese in America. This burrito could feed me for a week! I barely made a dent in it. It also didn't help that I was full on horchata and chips before I even got the burrito. Oh well. It was tasty.

This week of work was interesting. We worked about the same amount of hours every day, but saw varying results based on where we were. One day we only got 5 letters, and the next day we got 15. Let's just say the days when we receive a lot of letters are like those days on the mission when we were able to teach a lot of lessons- successful and short. Contrastingly those days that aren't as successful where you get door after door shut in your face drag on.



Rachel and I have agreed to take turns paying for lunch and to pick a restaurant once a week to try out. So far we have eaten Indian, Italian twice and Chinese. This friday, we ate Greek food. I ordered lamb. It was cooked on a kabob served with rice, pita, and a salad. It was delicious! I have decided that I enjoy eating lamb. I had it for the first time this past semester in a stuffed pepper and then ordered it at the Indian restaurant and then the Greek restaurant.




Today was a big day, full of blessings.

First I was able to volunteer my time to babysit for a local couple to go to the LA temple. I babysat 5 kids(pictured above) for nearly 5 hours. I was somewhat nervous before because it has been so long since I babysat and never 5 kids, but I loved it! The kids were so well behaved, I was impressed. We played doctor, colored pictures, built a fort, made paper airplanes and ate ramen and quesadillas. I can see how children are tiring but rewarding.

Second I was able to go to a regional fireside where Elder Neal A. Anderson spoke. As he came in, I felt the spirit enter the room. He actually walked 3 rows in front of me, which was exciting. During his talk, he related a couple touching stories where single adults persevered through hard things and made the best out of life that they could. His message was that Heavenly Father loves us all equally and immensely and knows what is best for us. We need to remember that we are loved and to trust him. It was inspiring to hear of others who persevered despite amazingly hard things. To top the night off, we were able to go to the front and shake his hand! It was awesome.

So I got my hair cut. I was just going to get it trimmed about an inch or two because I like it long, (and so does a special someone in my life) but the hairdresser convinced me to take a little more off. She told me that I should cut it a little more because it was thinning out at the bottom. So I told her to take another inch off. Somehow, she thought I gave her permission to cut my hair to the next layer, which happened to be another 2 or 3 inches. I was a little sad to see my hair on the floor, and started to panick. Lukily my amazing boyfriend reassured me that he would date me, even if I shaved my head or went blonde. (For the record, I would never go blonde- that would be a terrible mistake for more than one reason.) Anyways, after I straightened it and took this picture, I decided it wasn't so bad, it was actually cute.

So among our many travels to different parts of LA, we see a number of interesting things along the way. This car was one of them. Isn't it funny looking?






Another thing that we saw in our travels- the temple! I have been fortunate enough to go several times. It is a little further than the Provo temple to get to, but it is worth it!

Rachel and I went to a party where they were making robot costumes just for fun to dance in. It was pretty funny. This girl Christine is a convert and she is awesome! I have been uplifted and impressed by the members in this area. They are strong in the gospel. They do a lot of fun stuff together and it is great.





Today we worked for about an hour at the beach! We were working in a district that was really close to Venice beach, so we took some time to write some letters in the sun. It was a little windy and chilly, but really nice. Being here in the winter makes me want to live here year-round.