birthday party

So the other night, I took Emily out for her

 ‘birthday party’ which consisted of me, Emily, Allison, and Mackenzie taking a cab out to West jay rew and eating at the waffle bar. Man was it delicious.

We each got different kinds of waffles: cinnamon cream cheese, berry, banana, maple, and pecan. Let’s just say we plan on going there very soon.

After eating, we walked around the city shopping around

and getting pizza {even though we just had dinner…}.

Then we found a department store...and the lipstick.

We all picked the brightest shades of red, pink, and purple and go to town. We looked great.

Emily could never quite get her eyes to stay completely open.

emily's face. haha

Embarrassing story of the night: After eating, we decided to take pictures in front of the waffle bar. There was this bench and I decide that the picture wouldn’t be complete unless I stood on the bench. Whilst doing so, the bench decides to collapse and I fall off it, legs flying in the air. This is a picture right after…enjoy.

 don't worry, the bench didn't break.

two words: finals week

People always told me how great Jerusalem was. I guess they forgot to tell me about the school part.

School is hard.

Especially here.

You’re so tempted with the city and people but you’re stuck studying all day for exams. No joke.

This week is finals and it is killer.

 

But I see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

Our trip to Jordan is right around the corner. 

After that-easy sailing. 

We’ll only have two classes left. 

Hallelujah.

i bet my birthday was better than yours

Let me tell you about the best birthday in the history of birthdays: 

We woke up super early {5 am early}, had breakfast, {where my friend Andrew sang happy birthday to me Frank Sinatra style}, then made our way on a four hour bus ride to Eilat. My two awesome best friends Emily and Paul bought me two diet cokes, a bag of pretzels, and a chocolate bar. Made my day that much better.

  Once there, we got to go…wait for it…snorkeling! I snorkeled on the Gulf of Aqaba in the Red Sea to kick off my twenties. No big deal. 

We got to the beach and it was perfect. The water was the ultimate shade of blue and the puffy white clouds gave a little relief from the hot sun to make the temperature just right. 

Not too hot. Not too cold. All you need is a light jacket.  

And the snorkeling was awesome! There were some colorful fish, some schools of fish, and even an octopus! And we looked super great with our snorkeling gear on.

So after hanging out on the beach, getting some sun, and being sung to by everyone, we got back on the bus and headed to this random restaurant in the middle of nowhere for dinner which consisted of chicken nuggets, French fries, and a diet coke. Honestly, it’s like they knew I was coming and knew exactly what to prepare! If you didn't know, I LOVE french fries and diet coke. Like, love them. 

  Then we got ice cream and the scooper lady gave me (only me) whip cream because it was my birthday. 

Then after getting back to the center, I had 8 birthday cards waiting for me. 8! From my aunts and sister and brother in law and grandma and of course the rents.

They're seriously the best family ever. 

  So you could say it was a pretty great day. 

{informal} talent show

 

The Jay Rew Crew put together quite an awesome informal talent show, filled with story telling, star wars voiceovers, interpretive dances, musical numbers, and a crocodile Dundee imitation.

I was lucky enough to be on the JC Cheer Squad 

that performed a dance number.

There was some jumping,

Some kicking,

A little booty shaking.

It was fun to do,

And I’m sure it was funny to watch.

Don’t worry…pictures are to come.

hezekiah's tunnel

Hezekiah’s Tunnel was used as an aqueduct built beneath the City of David under the reign of Hezekiah when the Assyrians came to attack.

And I got to go through it.

So we all geared up with our stylish headlamps

and started the journey.

It’s pretty claustrophobic in there with low ceilings, water up to your knees, and the width of the walls

being about one person.

Even though we all had our headlamps, we turned them off most of the way because, of course, that was more fun for a group of young adults.

Definitely one of the coolest things I’ve ever done in my entire life.

dome of the rock

Yesterday, I finally got to see

Dome of the Rock

after multiple failed tries.

But it was well worth the wait.

The temple mount is WAY bigger than I ever imagined it would be. You walk up and to see this courtyard filled with people and trees and it’s really quite beautiful. Then you walk around a little bend and there it is, Dome of the Rock. It’s a lot more spectacular in person---pictures only capture about half of its entirety

{color, largeness, intricacy of the tile…etc}

After taking some photos, trying to be all artsy and what not,
we walked to the Old City and went shopping.

That’s one of my favorite things to do here.

Just to be in the city.

To be among the locals.

To smell all the shops.

To be a part of the culture.

I don’t think I could ever get sick of it.

sukkot and a parade

This week, Jews celebrate Sukkot, or in other words, a Feast of Tabernacles. Jews build tabernacles just outside their homes and sleep and eat in them for 7 days. This is to remind them of the 40 years Israel lived and traveled in the desert.

So we grabbed our fanny packs and water bottle holders and made our way to West Jerusalem where all the action was to take place.

Packs of people filled the streets,

Eating,

Dancing,

Celebrating.

And I could be a part of it all.

We strolled around some shops, meandering our way through crowds of people, finally reaching the street where a parade was happening.

Evangelical Christians from all around the world gathered in Israel to show their support to this great country. All sorts of people waving flags representing their country, giving away gifts {bracelets, flags, etc.} to men and women watching on the sidelines.

This was the moment

I felt I actually lived in Israel.

This was the moment I felt

I belonged here.

That was a good moment.

david & goliath

On our latest field trip, we visited the Valley of Elah 

which is where David defeated Goliath. 

We all got slingshots and practiced slinging rocks in case we came up against our own Goliath in Israel. 

Some of us got pretty good.

Some of us, not so much.

All that matters is that we looked great doing it in our

t-shirts and cargo pants.

pretty sure that this is the exact rock david used. 
pretty sure. 

general conference

  General Conference weekends growing up

were my favorite.

Waking up to the smell of bacon and eggs.

Wearing your pj’s all. day. long.

Snuggling with the dogs under a blanket.

Playing the m&m game.

Hearing the prophet’s voice.  

Nothing beats that.

Except watching it in Jerusalem.

Listening to words about Christ

while living in the place

He lived and died.

Listening to the teachings of the

atonement and resurrection

while living in the place He lived and died.

It is quite an experience that I will never forget. 

{and the fact that boy missionaries can leave at 18 and girl missionaries can leave at 19… my age }

locked in

Tonight, some clashes were occurring in the city and at the Lower Gate of the jay rew center.

No worries though, we’re as safe as can be.

But this means were locked in.

Great.

It’s not like we’ve had 20 hours

of class and midterms this week.

It’s not like were stuck in this center,

{though we love it} claustrophobic as can be,

 waiting for Friday to roll around

so we can finally go out.

It’s not like were tempted with one of the

greatest cities in the world,

able to look at but not actually go to.

BUT,

we made the best of it

and decided to have a movie night,

featuring

“the Young Victoria”.

Boy, do I love a good, sappy love story.

15 girls surrounded the TV in the Shekel Shack

with pillows and blankets

all in awe of the handsome Albert,

living vicariously through their love story

because we’re all deprived of our own.

All while eating popcorn {my most favorite food of all time} and enjoying a nice Diet Coke.

Turns out it was a pretty good night after all.

zoology

Ok-a must see in Israel--The Biblical Zoo!

I know what you're thinking--a zoo? That's what you choose to do with your free time in Israel? Trust me...I thought the same thing. We weren't expecting a whole lot, mostly just animals found in Israel like snakes and bugs and not much else. But to our surprise, it was better than we imagined! We had so. much. fun. We saw monkeys, rhinos, zebras, lions, elephants, lemurs, cheetahs {my absolute favorite} hippos, bears, flamingos
...etc.

Funny story: I brought a banana in my sack lunch sack hoping I'd come across some monkeys. Eat a little, maybe share a little...And I did just that. 

 

He didn't like it very much. I think he was jealous because he started hitting the glass.
But worth it , nonetheless.