Seasons of Love

Now I'm not normally one to use song lyrics to make a point, but thanks to the two annoying drunk guys on the Haleiwa beach I was inspired to look up the song lyrics to Seasons of Love from Rent. After all that I have been through in the past year I thought these lyrics were appropriate,

"Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes

Five hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dear

Five Hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes

How do you measure-measure a year?

In daylights-In sunsets

In midnights - in cups of coffee

In inches - In miles

In laughter - In strife

How about Love

Measure your life in Love''

I had 94 sunsets over the Pacific Ocean

I traveled 1248 miles to and from work

I laughed so hard I wanted to cry 3 times

I went in the ocean 6 times

I went through the temple open house 3 times

Played 14 hymns for sacrament meeting

Prepared 3 lessons for the Relief Society sisters

Donned snorkeling gear 1 time

Saw polynesian dancing 1 time at the Polynesian Culture Center

I commemorated the men who lost their lives at Pearl Harbor 2 times

I don't regret any of the 137, 235 minutes 

I am now making preparations to leave Hawaii in 4 days and I am so sad. After a rough beginning I have just started making friends who I will be so sad to leave. There are some pretty amazing people down here and I will miss them so much. I have experienced a lot while I've been here in Hawaii...and I would never regret those rough days because it was during those days that I have learned the most about myself.

The Final Countdown

1 more monday

2 more days of cooking

3 more days of art

4 more days of work

5 more SOAP notes to write

7 more days until I have to play the piano for church

9 hours of sunlight I need so I don't look pasty white when I go home

11 more days until I leave Hawaii

12 more days until I arrive in Minnesota

I am sorry this post is lacking wit or media (pictures, youtube video, funny stories, etc...) but I am falling asleep and don't have time for that right now.

A Walk Down Memory Lane

It's days like today that make me miss China...

I miss hearing "hello teacha" a million bajillion times

I miss waking up to the sun and enjoying a leisurely morning

I miss squatting

I miss the adventure of it all

I miss serving the girls

I miss the nude pajamas

I miss the laughter

I miss the inservice meetings

I miss teaching
I miss the orange man
I miss the cheap food, especially the fruit

I miss going down town

I miss having movie night at Abby and Brooke's

I miss bundling up because it is so cold outside

I miss the street vendors

I miss getting locked out of my room

I miss feeling confident in my skills and abilities

I miss being stared at and pointed at by strangers

I miss sleepovers at Sunday and Heidi's because I locked myself out of my room

I miss being secluded from the world

I miss trying to communicate in another language

I miss playing the fun facts game

I miss the hugs

I miss the darling kids personalities

I miss sitting in on the teachers and seeing how amazing they are

I miss the train rides to church

I miss the walk to the market

I miss the rice

I miss our holiday parties
I miss getting pushed/pushing to get on the bus
I miss the e-mails that would make me laugh

I miss the boys in Nanjing

I miss doing my laundry and getting water all over the floor

I miss the smellsI miss eating oatmeal with chopsticks every morning

I miss those girls like crazy

I miss President and Sister Yu

I miss playing "pick their type" with my darling Jessica

I miss the dumplings and fried rice

I miss sharing a twin bed with 5 other people

I miss laughing because of a pair of black panties

I miss the relationship I had with my Heavenly Father

I miss the holidays in China

I miss the growth that came from that experience

You guessed it, my nude pajamas curtosey of King. This is when I had the swine flu/bronchitis... I was so miserable.

Thanksgiving in Nanjing!

Oh Merril how I miss you!

KTVing at the Christmas Party

Waiting for the train for the last time!

Our last Sunday together after church

Making dumplings with Andy

What a character!

Saying goodbye! I think I'm more sad now than I was then.

Oh Elvis, you couldn't speak any English but you sure were cute.

Our classroom hearts

My bed... I miss you!

My squatter

Me and Brookie on the Great Wall of China

Our first family photo

Halloween Party!

The group at Tiananmen's Square

Church in Beijing

Thanksgiving Dinner at the street vendors

Our Last family photo with the guards protecting us against the swine flu

yeah for 26 hour train rides!

Doing laundry

Eating oatmeal with chopsticks

It's crazy to think about what I was doing a year ago today... A year ago today I was laying in bed with the swine flu feeling like I was going to die, even thinking about those memories makes me writhe in pain. I couldn't get out of bed to answer the door or go to the bathroom, even rolling over made me want to die. I would be nauseous all day and  all night and would wake myself up multiple times coughing. It took all the energy I had in my to crawl next door to ask Abby to by me some pop, I eventually just started leaving my key in my door so I wouldn't have to get up and answer the door. All I could eat was apples and drink sprite, I literally laid in bed for 72 hours and couldn't move a muscle. I had a fever that was easily over 100 degrees, and I was so delusional, I would talk to myself for hours and hours during the night because in my mind if I talked to myself I wouldn't be able to cough. I still can't believe how sick I was and I still didn't go to the doctor (all though I'm sure it doesn't surprise my roommates), and yet at this moment right now I would give anything in the world to be there rather be there than here.