Normandy

Normandy deserves a post of it's own simply because it is such a special place and it's one of those places where you can recall exactly what you felt and the thoughts you had.

To start off the whole Normandy part of the trip we had just gotten back from the crazy rain storm in Mont St. Michel so half of our clothes we soaked so our whole room was covered with our clothes and shoes trying to be dried off (some things didn't completely dry until we or rather Mom and my sisters found a laundromat in Chamonix)
There was a restaurant at the hotel that Ricks Steves raved about especially the mussels. Well for some reason I was being adventurous. Why not right? I like sea food and he said it was his favorite so I just decided to go for it. It was good except this bowl was huge! I don't know if I was eating them wrong or what but there was always one part that I would bite into that had a crunch and it tasted that a huge piece of pepper. Aside from that part the mussels weren't all that bad. I think I only ate half of the bowl and I might just stick to prawns and shrimp for a while.

The next day we walked down the beach for a little bit. I have been to reverent places where tragic things have happened before but for some reason this one felt different. This beach felt hallowed. Normandy has such a beautiful countryside and it was refreshing to be able to experience that place without the commotion and walk along the beach and try to grasp this experience that is so unfathomable to me. Beaches are generally a place a recreation, but I can't imagine anyone going to that beach to have fun. I hope that whole countryside remains that way. 

We made our way to the American Cemetary and walked around there for a while. The overcast day felt fitting. It was one of the most beautiful places I have been to and it was like the sky knew how to appreciate and respect what happened there.  If Normandy is not on your Europe bucket list it needs to be put on their right now. You will not regret it. 

Versailles and More

Versailles was a dream. Museusms plus wandering through a garden with grand hedges on a bike is an A+ in my book. It was like a scene from Anastasia without the the daunting music and Rasputin:) I could have spent all day riding a bike through the grounds and being on the water. After the row boat we rented a tandem bike and it was a bit of a struggle. It was soooo wobbly every time we started, but once we got going it was totally fine. Natalie and Julia tried riding the tandem bike up a hill on a path that was not very clear. Needless to say they did not get very far before "gracefully" falling over. 

Taking selfies like nobody's business

We took a train to Normandy and from their rented a car and visited Mont St. Michel and explored that tiny town. We played around in the mud for a little bit and then we got caught in the CRAZIEST rainstorm I have ever been in. There wasn't really any shelter and didn't know how long it was going to last so we decided to head to the shuttle along with the other 1,000 people on the island. We obviously weren't pushy enough to get onto the shuttle and just decided to walk to the car(at least a mile away). We were soaked within seconds. My pants were drenched and I could FEEL the quarter sized raindrops through my pants as they hit me. We were all soaking wet but I couldn't help but laugh the entire time especially every time another shuttle passed us. I think everyone needs a crazy rain storm story like that one. If you're traveling even better. 

Minutes before we looked like drowned cats

Next stop: Normandy

*Nothing like posting about a trip that happened over a year ago amiright?

Paris Part One

I honestly feel so grateful for a supportive family that has allowed me to have such amazing traveling experiences. I love traveling and just the feeling of being somewhere new. I love the feeling of wandering and having a new set of people to watch. I love the noises. I love the unfamiliar roads and learning the little nooks of crannies of the roads near your hotel after two or three days. We spent a little over a week in Paris so I have a million pictures so pictures of Paris will probably sneak into the other Europe trip posts for the next little while. 

 If you don't know how to read a map you should learn. Right now. 

 Our first hostel. We all brought a book to read on the plane and on the trains. I may have stayed up till after two in the morning sitting in this common room reading. nerd? yes, but um that was so fun and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

 Loved this place aside from the men trying to grab our wrists to give us a "friendship bracelet". Cue awesome dodging skills. 

Hellooooooo Paris

 Half of the pictures on my computer are from me "creeping" on these 3.

 Everyone needs a history/humanities buff on their trips. It's exponentially more entertaining than reading the pamphlet. 

 I ate way too much gelato and too many nutella crepes. Just kidding, I'm pretty sure that's not even a thing. 

 When you spend two days in the Lourve until it closes the only way you will enjoy it is if you follow the flow of the museum and let the art "flow" through you. I don't think I uploaded enough pictures so here's some more!;)

I'm especially grateful for a grandma that taught us how to be art lovers. 

The Happiest Place on Earth

No, I didn't just go to Disneyland. This happened forever ago and this post was written forever ago!

Last February a few weeks before President's day the family at home was planning on going to Disneyland, and that was pretty much the best thing I could have heard. 1. I love Disneyland 2. I had just gotten back from serving in LA so I was pumped about the idea of possibly being able to visit members! It wasn't going to be that plausible for the clan here in Provo to leave for the weekend, but just days before Natalie and I decided to throw all caution to the wind and go! We drove to Las Vegas Thursday night and woke up early Friday morning to meet them at the park. The little sisters, Gabrielle and Marie, had no clue we were going to meet them there so that just made the anticipation of going to Disneyland even bigger. When we got to the hotel and started walking to the park we began conspiring with Mom for how we were going to surprise them. Here was the game plan we came up with:

Step 1 Little sisters wait in line to take a picture with Mickey
Step 2 Older sisters wait in line a little further back and try not get seen by them(we thought for sure they had seen us)

Step 3 Little sisters take a picture with Mickey
Step 4 Older sisters photobomb the picture then hide
Step 5 Mom show little sisters picture and point out what is in the background;)
Step 6 SURPRISE!!!

I dubbed the rest of the next two days my second childhood. I am happy to report that I still find just as much joy from running to Indiana Jones first thing in the morning as when I was 10. 

The second highlight of the week was spending Sunday racing from Hollywood to Bell Gardens to Artesia trying to fit as much into the day as possible. I was so excited to see everyone, but I wasn't quite prepared for the experience I had. What took me by surprise was the overwhelming feeling of love when I saw the members and when they saw me. It's not like I stopped loving them when I came home, but it was just different. I couldn't see or hug them every week. When I came back I was slammed with love for those people that I worked so hard for and I had no clue how much feeling their love for me would impact me. I was craving that enormous amount of love so much! I mean really do you actually have 100+ people at college running up to hug you and say hi every week? Odds are that you don't, unless you are the friendliest person in the world. 

There are so many more people that I love that have influenced my life in LA, but it would probably be a little obnoxious to post the millions of pictures that we took with people that weekend. I am so incredibly grateful that I was able to stop by and say hi to everyone on such short notice. It's October now which means I should be due for another visit!

"Learning is inherently risky"

I have now been home for a little over a year. When I first came home it was hard, it was really hard. Yes, I missed the mission but I knew it was time to come home and I was at peace with that...for the most part. I missed the schedule and the people a lot. The hard part was figuring out real life again. It seemed so bizarre that "real life" something that I had first hand experience of for 20 years seemed so hard to get a grasp on after a short 18 months of impactful experiences. I made mistakes, failed at times (from my perspective), and cried. Even though this year wasn't all roses and chocolates like I may have thought it would be I learned so much about myself.
Kevin J. Worthen, the president of BYU, gave the inaugural speech soon after school had started and it became some very valuable advice as I embarked in my first school year back(my junior year, so I should've been a pro right?! sooo wrong). What I took away was that we are all going to fail. There are different types of failures, but there is no avoiding it! What matters is what we do after we fail. Do we learn? Do we accept it? Do we change? Is our resolve still there to change even if we make the same mistake over and over again. The only way I can possibly imagine finding joy in life amid all of these failures is understanding that God still loves us, this life is for learning and growing, and our Savior can and will help us. Grace is the enabling power that allows men and women to lay hold on eternal life and exaltation after they have expended their own best efforts.
This is a part of President Worthen's speech that I really like, but you can read it here.

".... failing is a critical component of our eternal progress—our quest for perfection. And because of the Atonement we can—if we respond to failures in the right way—be blessed with a new kind of learning that allows our failures to become part of the perfecting process. 
....Too often we ask the wrong question when we fail. We ask, “Am I good enough?” But the real question is, “Is God good enough?” Is He as good as He says He is? Can He really deliver on His promise that “all things” will “work together for [our] good”30 if we will trust Him and strive to do the best we can and keep going whenever we fall short?" 

Isn't that advice just so perfect? That was exactly what my fresh post-mission, drowning little self needed, and I will probably read this more throughout the years.

Ok, just a little more rambling.

One of my favorite parts of my major is that I can make a gospel connection almost daily to what I am learning. The other day in one of my classes my teacher said, "learning is inherently risky" and how true is that!? For some reason that phrase struck a chord with me that day and I really liked it so I thought I would put it in here so I don't forget it:)

A last minute birthday post

There are some people in the world that influence you throughout your entire life. As I have "experienced" more of the world I feel so blessed that my mom is one of those people. She is patient, loving, a great listener(i'm sure having 6 girls helped with that one!), supportive, and accepting. Honestly, the list could go on forever. Maybe one day I'll get around to writing down the endless list of examples where I have been so proud of my mom and to be her daughter but that will just have to wait for another day. 

Just one little example is Mom went to Europe with us! Every time she went up to the top of a building to out outlook or the hike in Cinque Terre I was so proud that despite her fear of heights she enjoyed it and took advantage of the view(away from the edge) and soaked it in. Even more than going up to those scary heights I'm was more filled with pride the times she said no. She showed me that it's important to face your fears, but even more than that she showed me that it's ok to say no. It's ok to have limits and to stand by those decisions.

Mom, I am so thankful for your love and friendship. I can always count on you to listen to my little accomplishments that I'm proud of and to be proud of me as well. I hope you had the happiest of birthdays! I love you!

My Final Week 8.25.2014

Dear Family,

It's kind of hard to believe that I will actually be home tomorrow!

Monday starting out with having a dinner with President and Sister Weidman and then having a testimony meeting with all the missionaries that were leaving this transfer. It was fun to reminisce all the funny stories, and to also see how much everyone else has changed. 

Yesterday we went around saying goodbye to a few families. It's a weird mix of emotions. I want to continue to serve them and yet at the same time I know I did what I could and that these families need whatever the next missionaries have to offer them. I know that the Lord will continue to look after them, and I will support them the best I can from home and school and I'm ok with that. 

Part of my letter to president:

 "This week has been great! I was a little apprehensive at first about what I would feel my last full week as a full-time missionary, but just like always my expectations were completely off:) Instead of nervousness, and sadness about leaving these people I just felt pure love and complete joy. I know I did my best and that I will continue to learn and improve. I know this next part of my life will be just as challenging if not more than the mission but I have gained things on the mission that are priceless. I have deepened my faith and increased my love for my Savior. I understand a little bit more what it means to rely on the enabling power of the Atonement. I know how to use prayer and find strength in it. I know what it feels like to be filled with the pure love of Christ. These are only a few of the things that I know will bless me for the rest of my life. I am so incredibly grateful for the opportunity to spread the good news and to see it change the lives of others. 

As I have started the Book of Mormon reading I have felt so filled! The Book of Mormon is true! I am so excited to continue to read it and make it a part of my daily life. I know that reading it with the purpose of looking for Christ will bless and help me so much as I move into fitting 'Sister Ford' into BYU:)"

I'm excited to see you all tomorrow and to be able to finally explain everything a little bit better!

I love you all so much and thank for all of your letters and prayers you have offered during these past 18 months!

Love,

Hermana Ford

Saying Goodbye