Europe 2012: Rüdesheim am Rhein

Our trip to Rüdesheim was so fun! It is a little wine town situated along the Rhine.We rode the seilbahn (gondola lift) and went for a little hike that was pretty much the most scenic hike I've ever been on. Scott also had his first Döner Kebap. Those things are so tasty! Here are the pictures in no particular order:

Rüdesheim

Scott and I at one of the lookout points along the trail.

The Neiderwald Monument was actually undergoing some touch-ups
 so it was covered  by scaffolding and a  picture of the statue right over the top. 

A funny tree if you ask me.

Rossel Castle

The "Enchanted/Wizard's Cave"

The Niederwald Temple, used as a lookout in the late 1700s.

Scott on the seilbahn. Behind him are lots and lots of vineyards.

Self-explanatory. Yummy yummy!

Europe 2012: Wiesbaden

Woohoo! I love Europe and my parents live there so I had to go again. This time I took Scott with me and showed him what it was like to be an American living in Deutschland. Lol. We had so much fun traveling and seeing new things! I still can't get over how amazing it is out there. Sigh... Anyway, I'm going to post photos of places we went to see but I'll probably do a separate post for each because there are soooo many pictures! Here are a few pictures of the lovely Wiesbaden:

A nice view of the Marktkirche.

Scott and I in the Marktplatz.

A view of one of the many villages from the walking paths in the fields.

Me in front of the Kurhaus.

Mainz on the other side of the Rhine River.

Photography Trial Expedition: Bana's Senior Photos

My dream is to break into photography really soon. This weekend I got to borrow a Canon EOS 7D and I went crazy with it! My dad requested I do my sister's senior photos, so I decided why not? Here are a few of the best shots. My sister is just beautiful inside and out! I love her.

I'm back!!!

Ha! I've neglected my blog for quite some time now, but I think I am back for good. Yay for me! Anyway, updates on my life:

1. Being an EFY (Especially for Youth) counselor in July was the best-ever experience of my entire life!!! I got to meet LDS youth from about 25 different countries and experience a very cultural gathering of the saints in Blaubeuren, Germany. I was blessed to be the counselor of seven amazing girls during that week and I was very impressed by each one of them. My testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ has grown so much because of them and the opportunity I had to serve. I also had the best co-counselor (Kevin) to work with! <3

2. I attended a summer program with Heidelberg University that helped me learn better German and understand their culture. The classes were all in German. It was so fun!! I met some great people from all over the world and made a wonderful friend from Moscow.


3. Spacetagung, a YSA convention in Darmstadt held the 1st-4th of September, 2011. What made that week amazing? My best friend in Germany and my previous EFY co-counselor, Kevin. Pretty much we spent the weekend together and had fun being random. 

Some more random updates:

I visited Schwetzingen gardens during a car show. Best combination ever! I love old cars.

Marienburg Fortress, Würzburg

I went to the Bundesgartenschau in Koblenz :) I don't know whose shiny head that is. 

YSA Seilbahn Rüdesheim am Rhein

Woot Woot! Soo much fun!!! I love all you YSA!

My Germany Family

Seilbahn!

Historical Enchanted Cave

On the Rhine! I love rivers.

Heidelberg Field Study Highlights

Monastery Ruins on Heiligenberg

"Open Air Stage" on Heiligenberg

Stephanskloster

Heidenloch (a really deep well!)

Random Funny Signs

Monastery Ruins on Heiligenberg

Heiliggeistkirche

The Old Bridge

Bridge Towers

Heidelberg University Student Prison

Heidelberg Castle Ruins

View of Heidelberg and the Old Bridge from Heidelberg Castle

Heidelberg Castle Ruins

(Note: The last four photos were taken by a couple of my classmates who did the field study with me. The rest are my own. Just sayin. :)

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!