weekend we-wind: vegasssss

So after last weeks crazy-ness with the midterms and such I took a little vacation to my favorite unholy city- Vegas! Last time I went to Vegas with some of my freshman roomies- Macey (the local) and Kylee. It was so much fun just sitting out in the sun and going to the strip {note to self: make plans to do it again soon}

cheesin for the camera/the guy that took this picture... was a creep


love these girls

This time I went with my grandma and stayed with my Aunt and Uncle+kids for the weekend. We spent our time just hanging out, shopping, my aunt got to set me up with a boy in her singles ward that she's been telling me about for probably a year now. It was a lovely 75 degrees outside when we left Sunday afternoon. I got to wear skirts without leggings {and shaved my legs for the first time in weeks...}, no jackets. It was absolutely perfect!


drive to vegas/new sunglasses- Old Navy and the glorious sun/also drive to vegas


drive home from vegas-
2 different shots- not of the same place but cool how they fit together right?


my cousins- love them/Leah and I- she was kind of hesitant towards me all weekend... I wonder why?

highlights:
seeing familia
eating at BJs restaurant- {and subsequently slipping into a food induced coma}
I highly recommend the Pizookie
driving through cool canyons in Arizona
being warm!

Definitely will be doing that again after this crazy semester is over

Pictures of Galilee

Beth She'an
Beth She'an

train ride thing in Beth She'an


On the Sea of Galilee


yay pizza... can't wait for real pizza at home


This might be the best picture I have ever taken:
Lindsay being super cute, my failed attempt at crossing my eyes (notice lazy eye),
Brielle's Giraffe tongue, and Lauren in the background


Finally making it to the "waterfall"



jumping picture at Talmudic Community ruins


Syria is in the background after you get past the "no mans land"


Seat of Moses- replica

Beautiful view in Acre

Beautiful goodbye sunset in Galilee

Galilee!

Sorry for the slacking on the blog. We have been in Galilee for the past 10 days and it was absolutely amazing!
Day one: We spent the first day driving from Jerusalem to Galilee making a few stops on the way. We went to Beth She'an, Nazareth, and Arbel. Beth She'an had some great ruins. In Nazareth we saw the Church of the Annunciation and the Synagogue Church. Arbel had a great view of Galilee.

Day two: First field trip! We started the day with a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. We stopped in the middle of the "sea" and had a devotional. After the boat ride we went to a museum and saw a boat that was found in the Galilee and was dated to around the time of Jesus. Then we made our way up to the Mount of Beatitudes. It was absolutely beautiful- looked just like paradise. Then we went to St. Peter's Primacy and Capernaum. St. Peter's Primacy was the place of the "do you love me then feed my sheep" conversation between Peter and Jesus. In Capernaum we saw a synagogue that was built on the foundations of an older synagogue- potentially one that Jesus may have taught it.

Day three was cold and rainy. We spent the day in classes and watching movies.

Day four: Only a half day field trip. We went to Gamala part of the Golan Heights. Some of us tried to find a waterfall. It was rainy and muddy and very foggy. We found where the waterfall was supposed to be but unfortunately we couldn't see it. Then we went to Qaztrin and saw some ruins from a Talmudic community.

Day five: another class day

Day six: Shabbat. We had later church on Shabbat so that we could use the small chapel in Tiberias. It was a beautiful chapel and on the way home we went to the River Jordan. It was a beautiful view as the sun was setting and a great time to reflect on the Savior and his baptism.

Day seven: Class... this might have been the day that we had our midterm but I definitely blocked that from my memory.

Day eight: I honestly can't remember what we did. I think it was Mount Tabor, Nain, and Megiddo. Mount Tabor is one of the traditional sites of the transfiguration. It was a great field trip but I honestly don't remember what day it was.

Okay... because I can't remember the days here's a list of the things that we did.
-pictures on the shores of Galilee
- Tel Hazor
- Tel Dan
- Banias
- Muslim fortress/castle
- saw some great mosaics
- Acre/Acco
- Chorazin
- Sepphoris
- Haifa
- Mt. Carmel
- German Templar Cemetery which holds the graves of some of the missionaries that were in the Palestine mission

We came home yesterday afternoon. It's weird to call the JC home now- especially since I'm only here for a few more weeks. While we were gone the service couples had decorated the center and there a bunch of trees decorating the top few levels of the center. Our wonderful chef Achmed also had prepared an amazing Thanksgiving dinner for us including turkey, sweet potato marshmallow casserole, and stuffing. It was all delicious and was a sweet reminder of how blessed we all are to be here and the wonderful people that we are surrounded by.

Galilee was really amazing but it came with it's own challenges. Although I would have enjoyed a trial free vacation it was a great time to reflect on the atonement and how it has affected my life. I had some wonderful epiphanies while being there and just pondering over what I was going through. In the end it was a great blessing to be able to put my trust in my Savior. I was able to walk in places or in the air space of where Jesus walked and saw many of the places that Jesus spent a lot of his mortal ministry in. It was an amazing trip but it's great to be back in Jerusalem.

Count down: 3 weeks

Just some of the 277 pictures I took in Jordan

Goodbye Israel- Hello Jordan!!!

Over look from Mt. Nebo

Making a fake mosaic

Muslim Barbies- I wish I had gotten one!

Hike up to where John the Baptist was supposedly beheaded

Sun over the Dead Sea
Entering the Siq

God is the COOLEST creator
The Siq- believed to be naturally carved by water

Little boy running up the rocks-I loving call him Aladdin

Through the crack is PETRA!!!

We made it!
Lindsey, me, and Lauren at the Treasury in Petra

my girl "Deema"- cute little girl selling necklace
(the Petra pictures to come feature the necklace I bought from her)
*I also love this picture because it looks like I have a small child in my water carrier*

a sweet little Bedouin boy selling rocks in Petra
If you can't see it in the picture he's covered in flies
I cried a little over this boy

these colored rocks were so cool- yellow, red, and blue from different chemicals
proof that God is the greatest creator
Man can carve stone with tools and color it with paint
but God can carve it with water and color it

At the monastery in Petra

"top of the world" view point

funniest attempt at a jumping picture at the "top of the world" view
We never actually got all of us jumping

on a camel in front of the Treasury in Petra- NBD

Just some night time ice cream in Amman

Roomie picture at the Mosque

The woman's mosque at the King Abdullah Mosque

Jordan had the CUTEST kids!

chariot racers at the gladiator show!

at the temple of Artemis

This rock "ruined" my picture

Look who I saw! JENNI!!!

silly picture in Amman after a long walk

We may or may not have found a way onto the roof of our hotel

Roman Theater
River Jordan
At the River Jordan