Meet Phillip

Philip Larece. As I talked with Philip, I felt he didn't love talking to me ha ha. Oh well. 

From: Orlando, Florida

What are you most thankful for today?

"I'm most thankful for family because I wouldn't be at this college without them. They are helping me get through college."

What would you define yourself as at his point in your life?

"I am very hungry. That's not what I want to say. It's a joke. I am ready to get out of college because it's been 5 semesters--I've been here too long."

At least he is thankful for his family, right?

miss allie

I met little miss Allie during my time in Perú, and we've been great little friends ever since. I know this "project" of heart-exploring will typically be with people I don't already know, but I still have to appreciate the people I have around me, right? And so, Allie Capuñay:

Because of Thanksgiving just around the corner, gratitude questions are a must!

-What are you most grateful for today, and why?

"Today I'm most grateful for friends because they help me to be happy, and because they're good supports."

-What do you want to change about yourself today?

"My hasty impulses to get mad at people. I want to change my pride."

-What's your favorite season, and why?(Allie wanted this question. Ha ha.)

"Spring! I used to think it was summer, but spring makes me happier--everything starts to bloom and there are thunderstorms and the air is crisp and clean."

love. people.

So I'm starting a new thing. I love people right? I survive off of the relationships in my life. I can't ever go very much time without having real conversation with another human being. I. HAVE. TO. HAVE. IT. But I pass by so many people everyday and think, "Will I ever get to know you? Why can't I know you?"
And today I realized that I can. I was talking to my good friend, Katherine(pictured below), and she inspired me with the idea to just talk to people. And I mean, taaaalllk. Converse. Skip the surface stuff, and go straight to the heart. I realize that I can't know everything about everyone by just talking to them for a couple of minutes; but if I can steal a few glimpses into their hearts, that's where the honesty is, and we all walk away having learned a little more.
I plan to talk to someone new everyday.
So, to begin my new adventure, the girl who inspired it all:
Katherine Fleming( just short of being a blood sister)

-What are you most thankful for today?
"Today I am most grateful for the fact that I can be an agent to myself and I can choose to act. I'm grateful I can choose to be happy and do things to make my life be in harmony with that decision."

-How would you define yourself as at this point in your life?
"I would define myself as a great person in embryo. I hope to get there one day, but I know it will be a long road with lots of hard times, lessons learned, and changes made."

Beware, the stalker!

get ready for this one, guys. it is cray-cray. 

*disclaimer: this is the "watered-down" version, so any questions that you have, please ask.*

while i was serving in Lima, there was this guy named Jorge who was a member of the ward in my first area and he followed me to every area that i served. he always wanted to get personal information from me about my life. And at his 30 years of age, he always tried to convince me that he was going to go to byu-idaho and study there. "oh! what are the chances??" he wanted me to naively think. 

in my last area he was a little more aggressive about getting information from me, and members of the ward stepped in to help me. by the end of my mission, i was more than ready to get out of there and away from jorge. 

when i got home, he sent me messages, continuing to ask me questions about my life. after several messages, and zero responses from me, it occurred to me that i needed set things straight and tell him to please, stop talking to me. 

so i did. 

and then i didn't hear anything from him for months. woo hoo!

and then this past sunday, my mom texted me saying, "jill, there is a guy at the church looking for you. he is from peru. i think it is your stalker."

wha-wha-WHAT??? 

i was terrified, to say the least. 

but also, i was thinking...this CAN'T be real life. what kind of crazy spends thousands of dollars to come to the states looking for a girl who doesn't even want to receive messages from him??

alllllll week i have been a little bit on the stressed side, trying to figure out where he is and what his plans are(i felt like i was turning into more of a stalker than he was haha)

and just today i have discovered that he is in miami, doing who knows what, and he will be in the states for a whole month. kinda crazy, right?

but for now he's not in idaho, and i am happy about that. and i have told sooooo many people about the situation, that i feel safe and that if he does pop up here, i have many people i can run to. 

anyway, there's my excitement for the week.

anyone else ever had something crazy like this happen?

sick day

so, i've had some problemos with my bod lately. basically, for a long time, but since getting home from peru, they've just escalated and i'm sooooo tired of the aches and the pains.  so i've finally scheduled an appointment with the doctor. and we'z gonna see what is wronng.
okay, also i am getting super(súper) excited because one of my favorite people from peru is moving to park city at the end of the month! his family was my favorite. and now he and his brother got jobs through the Work and Travel program and will be living up here for the next 6 months. I am so so so excited for them. And i can't wait to see them--one reason being that since being home, my time in peru kind of seems like a dream. but to be able to see them, it's confirmation that it wasn't all a dream.
sometimes i just really miss that place and the life i had down there.
also, i LOVE that it is november and that Christmas is on its way. the past 2 christmases I have spent away from home and in different cultures. needless to say, I am excited for a traditional, american christmas.
anyway, that's all for now. L8rzz