Mini EFY!

The weekend of May 27th-29th was AMAZING! I went to a mini EFY/training for the counselors and other administrators for the real thing coming up in July! The train ride to Blaubeuren and back was obnoxious, but other than that everything else was fantastic and a great learning experience. I am going to be a counselor at the International session. It will be translated into different languages because there will be youth from all over Europe attending. It's just so exciting!!! I can't wait! 

The first day was the day that everyone arrived and we had a nice little dinner. People were pouring in all night and the more people there were the more fun it got! We were fed a spiritual thought about the purpose of EFY, which is to aid the youth in coming closer to Christ, and then we learned a new line dance. I was terrible at it at first... and I still am, but I am going to practice and have it down perfect by the time I need to know it! EFY is going to be loads of fun with lots of fun activities and dances and most importantly, spiritual feasting.

Saturday we learned the EFY games and did some of our own cheers, as well as learn a completely new line dance. All of this was so much fun and there was a lot of bonding time between the counselors! We became more unified, which is one of the purposes of all of these activities.

Sunday was my absolute favorite day, though. We didn't play any games or learn any new dances; we had our own sacrament meeting. The spirit I felt there was overwhelming, and I knew I was in the right place. There is nothing that can compare to the EFY Medley when it is sung in both English and German and separated into parts. It made my eyes a little wet and totally reinforced my testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I know that this gospel is so true! Not only because it makes sense, but also because I have received a witness of it through prayer. How can I argue with that? 

At the Water's Edge

Today was an absolutely beautiful day! My sister M and I braved the city buses once again. And guess what?! I finally found a fabric store!!! Whoohoo for me! It was right near the Marktplatz downtown. They had a decent selection for very high prices, but what can I say? I'm so happy to have found one after a million years of not knowing! (Whether I buy anything or not is a different story...)

Our next stop was Luisen Forum to make a connection. My favorite part about that place is that it has escalators! OMG I lovee escalators! We bought some yummy ice cream cones there and explored the four levels. Looove it!

Finally we made it to the gorgeous Rhine River. I love it there. So serene and picturesque. I could sit at the water's edge forever just enjoying the life around me. M and I pulled out my camera and started playing Model and Photographer. Sooo much fun! On our way up to the bridge we also discovered a tunnel. The inside walls were covered in graffiti and pretty much it was beautiful artwork. M and I shot more photos there until I noticed two guys that weren't speaking German, but ENGLISH. Of course it was M that got their attention and we found out that they were photographers. They had the nice cameras and stuff and were out to get some good shots for their growing portfolios. We got our own photo shoot! It was super fun, even though I found out that I need a TON more practice with the whole "model" thing. I know I'll get it down if I keep it up, though! I love being in front of a camera. Kind of a strange thing for me, but I like the change. There's a first time for everything and this is definitely a passion of mine. Here are a few pics of the day from M and I! Enjoy!

Practically an Herbivore!

Wednesday night I went to a very informative, wonderful Relief Society meeting.The focus was on fitness and nutrition, following the theme "If ye are prepared ye shall not fear..." Ha! I was totally focused because fitness and nutrition are two things I have been very interested in because of their long term positive effects on the rest of one's life. I learned a few new things! Being healthy improves one's quality of life, thus making life more enjoyable and exciting. It also allows one to have the energy to be more productive on a day-to-day basis. (Who doesn't want that?)

To explain my title I have a million things to say, but I will just focus on a few things in this post. First, read food labels. This is so important in the world today. How often to you pick up a product in the grocery store and you don't know what half of the ingredients even are? This is not good. We should know what we are eating. The other day I opened a bag of walnuts and was happily eating out of it when I decided to look at the ingredients. Of course, the number one ingredient was walnuts, but there was also .02% BHT. What? I looked it up and was fairly appalled at what I discovered. BHT is used to prevent fats from spoiling, but it is also linked to cancer. Yes, there was only .02% in those walnuts, but I would rather have just the walnuts when I grab a bag of walnuts. The moral of the story is: Know what you eat. BHT may not be the worst thing out there, but if you don't know what you are eating, then how can you know that you are not eating something far worse on a daily basis? (A good way to know what you are eating is to cook from scratch. Don't buy all those pre-made dinners, or pre-packaged foods. I'm not saying its a sin to do that (I still do), but its a fail-proof way to know exactly what you are eating.)

Another tip: If it doesn't have a mother and didn't come from the ground, don't eat it. That sounds pretty hard to do, right? Right. But we all learn one step at a time, so don't fret, just "keep swimming" like Dory from Finding Nemo says. Integrate healthier eating habits a little at a time into your daily diet. All at once could be very bad for your health, anyway.

Tip #3: Having a fit body is not only attractive, its healthy. Staying physically active can prevent Alzheimer's disease and keep your brain sharp through the years. It also helps to prevent injuries because it keeps your body strong and ready for the pressures of every day life. It helps to curb stress and depression and all sorts of other things. Keep up the physical activity! And very importantly: HAVE FUN WITH IT!


Last tip: Drink LOTS of water. By LOTS I mean at least 1/2 your body weight in ounces per day. Our bodies are made up of about 75% water. Did you know that drinking a sufficient amount of water can prevent illnesses and has countless health benefits?! Drink that water like there's no tomorrow, got it? You'll be glad you did.

To finish, what I learned caused me to come to the conclusion that eating fresh fruits and veggies as our main diet, staying physically fit, and drinking water like our life depends on it (which it does!) is the best way to start living a healthy lifestyle. Personally, I have always had the hardest time eating anything healthy and drinking enough water, but I was totally re-motivated to continue my quest for healthier living at this meeting!

Frankfurt Temple

I did not take these photos, but I thought I'd post them anyway because today I finally got to go to the Frankfurt Temple. I attended with the German ward and I am so glad I did. They felt like family to me, always so sweet and thoughtful and accepting me. They even offered to do stuff in English just for me. I felt so loved! It was an experience to cherish. Nothing can compare to the feelings you get and peace you feel in the house of the Lord. 

I love my Mom

So Mother's Day this year was a total success! I was feeling pretty crafty and ended up making her this really cute purse made out of an old pair of jeans of mine. I got my inspiration from http://www.craftbits.com/project/blue-jeans-denim-bootie-bag-purse, but ended up not using the instructions at all. It looked pretty self-explanatory to me. Once I finished the bag itself, I decided it needed a little something more, so I added a cute white ribbon with her mother's day letter written on it. I was so proud of myself and my mom loved it! I gave it to her from the rest of the family as well, so all my sisters needed to help me do was make her an amazing breakfast and dinner! We also got her some gorgeous red flowers that we nestled inside her new bag and there was the perfect centerpiece for our Mother's Day breakfast, which included a bowl of colorful fruit, chocolate chip pancakes and juicy bacon! I have the best family ever. Everything went perfectly! I love my Mom.

The basement was flooded!!!

(Want more details? Clink on the link to be taken to the MASKerade blog!)

http://urmaskerade.blogspot.com/2011/05/basement-was-flooded.html

Die Bäckerei

Today my mom and I stopped at the German bakery not even a block away from our house. We've been meaning to stop there for a while, but of course we didn't till today. We got these super tasty pastries that we shared with the family. I give them an A+ stamp of approval. So yummy! Of course I had to used some German to get what I wanted. I am getting better!