Garden of Gethsemane

Oh man, so today after church a group of us decided to walk to the Mount of Olives and visit the Garden of Gethsemane. For those who don't know why this garden is important, it is where about 2,000 years ago Jesus Christ performed the atonement. The atonement is where Christ suffered the sins of the world for everyone that had been born, was alive at the time, and for those who were to be born in the future. This is a significant event because without the atonement we wouldn't be able to live with our Heavenly Father again or become like Gods.
When I was taking pictures of the garden, the trees being the original trees from the time of Christ, I was about to have a spiritual brain freeze. It's like when we try to think of eternity, but we can't get our minds around it. I was at the actual place of where the Savior suffered for me, you, and everyone. It was amazing.
On top of going to the garden me and Joan sat and just looked at the walls surrounding the Old City and people watched like crazy. We came to the consensus that Americans are too busy and quite frankly we are boring. Here there is so much life in the people, culture and religions. From what I can tell so far, the people work very hard, but they also know when to have fun and be in the moment. I just love this place. I wish I could live here for longer than 4 months.







Beautiful Sunset of the Old City

PICTURES!

Ok, so it takes a hundred years for pictures to upload, so that is probably why they say we shouldn't do it. BUT, I'm doing it just for you guys:) Enjoy the scenery! Don't fret there will be plenty of more :)

Sleepless in the Old City.

After an exciting day of getting into the Holy Land, meeting my roommates, and soaking in the beauty of everything, I went to sleep at 11:30 pm and woke up at 2:30 am. Talk about sucky. When I woke up I wasn't able to go back to sleep. Maybe it was because I was super stoked that I'm living in Jerusalem or what, but I couldn't go to sleep to save my life. That's ok though, because I was able to be awake for the Call to Prayer. It was AMAZING! When I heard the man start chanting I quickly got my camera and ran outside to record it. One day all of you will be able to here it. Until then, just dream

After the Call to Prayer, I still wasn't able to go to sleep so at 5:50 am I "woke" up, showered, and got ready for a full day of going into the Old City. It was only a quick visit, but it was amazing. There wasn't a lot of people there because on fridays the Jews and the Palestinians get ready for the Sabbath (saturday). We were able to go on top of the Austrian Hospice, which is like a neat hotel/restaurant, and we were able to see a great view of the Old City like the Dome of the Rock, Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and many other wonderful sites. On top of everything it was a beautiful day, the sun was out and there was a great breeze, and the sky was beautiful.

After our fun outing we came back and was exhausted! We had meeting after meeting, and when you've been walking for like 5 hrs up hill you are not a happy camper, so during the meetings I was just nodding off to sleep. No buenoooooo.
Although, the one good thing about this day was that the "Lost Tribe" of 16 students from New York. They were stuck there for 2 days and had to sleep on the concrete floor that was super cold and just not comfortable. My bff Joan was on that flight and I was very happy to see her so we could finally get our friendship going ha ha. Ps. Joan and I barely know each other, but we have decided that we are kindred spirits. She is awesome.
Well, it's bed time. I'll write more lataaaaaa. PEACE!

JERUSALEM!!!

After 3 flights, consisting of 16 hrs of traveling in the air, and an hour bus ride, I have finally made it to the Holy Land. Yeah, that's right I said it, the HOLY LAND! It is SO surreal. Not gonna lie, I didn't like the getting-over-here part, but I love being here already. When we were driving from Tel Aviv I was just in awe of all the scenery. We got here just in time for the end of the "green" season and we are entering into the "brown" season ha ha. It's all good though because I was able to soak in all of the beautiful green trees and farm land and then the beautiful hills. Not gonna lie, the hills remind me a little bit of Vermont, but better. The architecture of the buildings and homes are just wonderful and feel so biblical ha ha.As we drove into Jerusalem and came down a hill we were able to see modern Jerusalem and the Old City AND the Jerusalem Center (where I will be calling home for the next 4 months). My mouth was open the whole time because I couldn't believe I was living in such a beautiful place. It's hard to describe its beauty and if I was able to upload pictures I would (the internet is ehhh here, so I'm not able to upload or download anything), so you'll just have to wait a little while.

However, one thing that I absolutely loved about today is sitting in the auditorium when we were having a little orientation and here the Call to Pray. I loved the Call to Pray before, but now I am so excited to wake up to it at 4:30 am everyday and here it another 4 times a day.

this is a once in a lifetime experience and I can't believe that I'm so privileged to experience it. Granted, right now I've been up for about a whole day, so I'm mega tired, but I've just been soaking it all in.

Hey Mom, I tried to open yahoo but for some reason its not working. In the package you're sending me can you send me my patriarchal blessing? It's in my big BOM in the flap. Also, can you send tangled and leap year? thanks mom, love you!

Utah Adventure

Originally, my mom and I were supposed to have a fun weekend in Salt Lake and Provo before I headed off to the Holy Land. We were supposed to go see the Easter concert at the Tabernacle, Music and the Spoken Word, and have fun with some close friends.

What actually happened was when we landed in Salt Lake, and got into our hotel, I had this pain at the base of my skull that was about to kill me. I couldn't get comfortable at all. Lying down felt like torture. Sitting felt made me sick. The pain was so bad that when I took Motrin PM to knock me out I couldn't sleep. My mom and I usually don't go to the hospital, but she saw how much pain I was in and honestly didn't want to see me cry anymore.

So, around 8:30 pm (mind you my mom and I had been up since 5:30 am eastern time) we got into a taxi and went to the emergency room. At that point I couldn't move my head without wincing from pain. By the way, taxi drivers in Utah suck. We tell them we are going to the E.R. and they decided to drive like crazy people and make me want to punch them in the face.

Anyways, we get to the E.R. and we only waited about 30 mins until we got in to see an EMT.

They hooked me up to an IV, took some blood for tests, the doctor came in and asked what was up, and he was a little confused. So, he decided I needed to get a CT scan to look at my neck.

They gave me my own gown, gave me some sweet pain killers, and took me to get the scan. The guy riding me around in my wheel chair was pretty nice. Either he thought I was pretty funny or he was humoring me because I was drugged up, but I think he thought I was funny because I am ha ha.During the scan they needed to put iodine in for contrast, so they could find the problem, and that stuff is crazy. It makes you feel like you are in the middle 100 hot flashes and like your about to pee your pants.

After an hour (since the scan, by this time my mom and I had been in the hospital for 5 hrs and were TIRED) the results came back and they found the problemo. I had an infection in the back of my throat and if my mom and I had waited to go in it would have turned into a big problem. However, since we came in when we did they gave me pain killers and these HUGE antibiotic pills. Instead of feeling like my head is about to implode it just feels like I have a tiny head ache. As long as I am well enough to go to Israel I am a-Ok.

t-2 days...keep posted for the REAL adventure :)

4 Days and Counting...

AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

Yup, that's right. I'm extremely excited. Besides the fact that I might have a pinched nerve in my neck that makes me want to cry when I move my head, I am way ready to go to the Holy Land.

First off, I believe that I should receive a gold medal for packing a suit case. I was able to pack everything I need, plus some, in 1 suit case (under 50 lbs) and a tiny carry on. Not gonna lie, I was a little nervous when I was weighting my bag, but then victory came over me when the bag was only 48 lbs. BALLAAAAA!

Ps. Did I mention that I'm posting this blog on an airplane right now? Oh yeah, I am. I still remember a couple of years ago when they airlines would complain about electronics and how they mess up the planes computers, and now we can play on the internet? I knew they were full of it.

9 days...

So, all that is going through my mind right now is, " holy cow, holy cow, holy cow, am I really going to Jerusalem in 9 days?!!?"

Yes, that exact phrase runs through my mind almost daily, hourly, and every minute. I can't believe that only a couple of months ago I was on the waiting list thinking that I wasn't going and then BAM I have 9 days until I leave. I just get chills every time I think of Jerusalem and that I'll actually be LIVING there for the next 14 weeks. Not just visiting or site seeing...I'll be living there. Walking where Jesus walked and where He performed countless miracles.

A year ago I only dreamt about this experience. I never thought it would come true...

It all started Christmas of 2009. I had come home for the holiday break from school and I was talking to my dad and he mentioned to me to look into the Jerusalem Center sponsored by BYU. I was like, "Saweet! heck yeah I'll look into it." As I was looking through there webpage I was getting more and more excited about the experience until I saw how expensive it was. I went to my dad and told him that I wasn't sure if I should go simply because of how expensive it was. My dad looked at me and said, "Jenny, your mom and I will talk and we will call you."

So, I go back to the land of the potato and 2 weeks into school my dad calls me saying, " Jenny, your mom and I decided we want you to go to Jerusalem." I freaked out! That's when I started looking into what I needed to do to get ready and was beyond excited until my dad passed away. When I went home for the funeral I told my mom I didn't have to go and that she could use the money my dad had saved to pay for bills or anything. My mom looked me in the eye and told me that everything wold be all right and that it was my dad's dream for me to go to Jerusalem. She told me that when I went he would be there with me through the whole experience.

It came to the time where I needed to put in my application...mind you I had finished it in a month before it was due...I was a tad bit excited ha ha. I had applied to go during winter semester 2011, because that was my off-track from school, so I wouldn't have to defer or anything. When I was home I had received the letter that told me that I had been denied all together. I didn't even get on the waiting list. I had no clue what to do, so I decided that the Lord had a reason for me to not go during winter and I was going to reapply for the following year during fall.

I was sitting in my science class, half asleep, when I was looking at the BYU-Jerusalem page again seeing what the deadlines were to turn in my application for the fall. As I was looking I saw that there was still a week left to turn in an application for the upcoming spring semester. I immediately texted my mom and told her I wanted to apply and she gave me the ok. So, that week I fixed up my essays and got the necessary interviews and sent in my application.

There were a little mishaps with my application, with me not putting enough postage, it being returned to my house in Florida, and my mom having to overnight my application to Utah for them to say I was able to apply, but it got there. Two weeks later I got notice that I was #7 on the waiting list. I was so excited. I turned everything in and just had to wait, and wait, and wait...It was almost February and I hadn't heard anything from the Jerusalem Center.

I was starting to get doubts because I had to either plan on going to Jerusalem or get ready to go back to Idaho. I was getting scared and was about to call Debbie from the center to tell her to cancel my application when I got a call saying that I was accepted. Granted, when she called I had laryngitis and I couldn't speak, but I was able to squeak out a "Yes, I want to go."

Now, here I am 9 days until departure. It has been a crazy process, but I'm about to go on a journey that will change my life forever. I hope all of you will join in the journey with me.

Keep Moving Foward.

HURRAY! I have survived another year of life! I can't believe it.

This year has been a crazy year. So many learning experiences and people that have made me a better and more awesome ME:) I'd just like to thank everyone for being there and helping me to stay sane ha ha.

However, now that I am NO LONGER a teenager, I feel like people will take me more seriously when I say, "Hi, I'm 20 yrs old," instead of the usual reaction of, "really? you're only 19? wow, you are young." FYI. people, like myself, don't like hearing that. Especially when I am more mature than the average teen.

Yeah, yeah, I know I'll want to be called young when I get older and start to turn gray, but as of now, I'd rather here, " oh wow, you are so mature for your age." Ha ha. On the other hand, I did get asked today by an 8-year-old if I was turning 27, soooo I wasn't the biggest fan of that ha ha.

As for what I did today, I woke up this morning to a few texts from my best friends, some crazy phones calls of people singing to me and about 100 people saying "Happy Birthday!" on facebook. Thank you to everyone who did:) I then proceeded to go to my former YW President's house, Sis.Papenfuss, and finished 3 of the 6 skirts I'm taking to Jerusalem...they are BEAUTIFUL! (I'll be putting pictures up tomorrow) Then I went to go tutor Ben, who was a joy to work with (extreme sarcasm). Later mom and my brother Matty surprised me with ice cream cake and then mom and I got Chili's to go (hmmhmm good). Finally we watched one of my favorite movies, "Meet the Robinson's." If you have never seen that movie shame on you. It's so inspirational and I'm just a sucker for good Disney movies. As of now, I'm talking to my good friend Kurt and hoping to fall asleep because I'm exhaustedddd ha ha.

But, we have to "Keep Moving Forward," like good ol' Walt Disney would say. So, it's time for a new chapter in my life. It is the beginning of a new decade! This year is going to be one CRAZYYYYY year. To start off my twenties I will be traveling to the Holy Land, then come home for a few weeks in August and head off back to the amazing land of Idaho. Then my brother Charlie is going to get married. After that big shin-dig and a semester at BYU-I I'll be able to turn in my mission papers in December. CRAZY!

After that I really don't know what is going to happen except that my mom and I are planning a trip to go to Ireland for when I do turn 21 ha ha. Here's to the future! Keep Moving Forward...

Free Falling

I WENT SKYDIVING!!!

Holy guacamole, it was AMAZING!

Ok, I thought I was going to be 100% more scared than I was when we got there, but no way jose! I was so freaken excited. I had a grin on my face the whole time. Not only did I go skydiving, but my Mom came and jumped with me!

Why did we decided to jump? Not only to having bragging rights to our friends, but it was the first day to the beginning of our new lives. Yesterday was the year mark of my Dad's death, so we decided that this was going to be a whole new year and we were going to live in the moment. So, we crossed this off our bucket lists!

I thought there would be another guy jumping with us to take pictures, but that wasn't the case. So, I don't have pictures of the actual fall, but I do have some before and after. Once I get my video of the jump I'll put that up too!

Mom and I leaving to go skydiving!

Mom and I strapped up getting ready to go!

After! Oh my gosh, it was amazing! It felt like we were floating on air. I totally recommend jumping out of a plane, with a professional and a parachute, any day! If I had the money I'd be a skydive junky!

Happy *early* Birthday to ME :))

1 Year.

One year ago, I was living in Rexburg, Idaho, finishing up my winter semester. On this particular day, one year ago, I had gone to the temple to do baptisms for the dead with my great friend Spencer Hair. After the temple I was doing yoga when I heard my phone start to ring.

At first I thought, "ehh, it's probably my mom. I can call her back when I finish yoga," but I got the feeling that I should just pick up. I paused my dvd, picked up the phone, and it was my mom.

When I heard her phone I knew something was wrong and asked her. She then replied, " Jenny are you sitting down?" I was like, "yes? why do I need to be sitting down?" She then asked, " is someone there with you?" I wasn't sure where she was going with these random questions, but I told her, " yeah, Kelsie is here with me. What's up mom?" I then jumped to conclusions and asked if she had surprised me and came to visit me in Idaho, because my birthday was the following week and it would be the first birthday away from home, but her voice changed.

When her voice changed I knew something was wrong and I immediately thought something bad had happened to one of my older brothers because they are in the military. When I asked about the boys she said, "No, Jenny. It's Daddy...he passed away this morning."

Louis Albert Montgomery, was a one-of-a-kind type of man. I promise you that the Lord could only put 1 of him on the earth at a time because the world couldn't handle more than 1. My dad was so captivating. Not only did he have a huge personality that you immediately loved or hated, but he was huge in appearance. He made a statement wherever he went. The man was a human encyclopedia. If you had a question about ANYTHING he would know the answer. People were just drawn to my dad's spirit.

At my dad's funeral there were well over 500 people attending. I don't remember everyone that was there, because that day was somewhat of a blur, but I knew that that group was the most diverse group I have ever seen in one place. My dad loved everyone and treated the people he met and became friends with like family.

Since that day, one year ago, my life and my families life have changed forever. Has it been hard? Heck yeah, but I wouldn't be the person I am today if my dad hadn't passed away. His death has made me a stronger person who can have more empathy towards others. It has taught me that you need to live life in the moment and to not stress over things you can't control, because you never know when your time is up. If the Lord wants you He will certainly take you. I encourage you to love more. Forgive more. Laugh more. Just let loose and enjoy the life you have with your family and friends.

I miss my dad everyday and think of him often. Sometimes I cry, but as the year has progressed the crying has gotten less. I know where he is. I know that he is in spirit paradise preparing a place for me and my family. I know I will see him again, because we are an eternal family...

I love you Daddy.

Creep-ahhhhhhh

So, if you are feeling like a creeper today then this video is for you. If you have a small bladder, and are prone to peeing your pants, I would advice you to go to the bathroom before watching this video. You will be on the floor laughing.

There Is Beauty All Around...

Dang, the world has just been full of beauty lately! Ok, maybe not lately because the earth is just beautiful all the time, but I've been trying to make sure I notice it more often. Since I am able to enjoy it I want to share the beauty with all of you!

Took these today with my new camera! I decided that for an early birthday/Jerusalem present I'd buy a legit camera that is good ha ha.

B-E-A-UTIFUL! I love the sun and all of the colors it makes!

Cowgirls Don't Cry

So, I was driving on the road today going to my tutoring session and this song came on the radio. I have heard this song hundreds of times because my family loves country music, but today this song meant differently. Lately, I have had my dad on my mind because the 1 yr mark of his death is this friday, so when I heard this song I thought of him. Everyday it has gotten easier and easier to not cry, but sometimes cowgirls need a good cry. Enjoy the video:)

Livin' On The East Coast.

Not gonna lie, I love living on the east coast of the United States. There are some things I hate about living in Florida like, the unbearable heat, mosquitos that come out to eat me whole, and sweating 24/7. Besides some of the things I don't like, I am privileged to just live 15-20 minutes away from the beach, and I was able to see this beautiful sunrise this morning...

I've been wanting to get up early to watch the sunrise for like a month now, but for some reason every saturday that I've wanted to do it I was either 1) sick 2) it was rainy or 3) I wasn't home.

It was amazingggggg. Yesterday, when I finally committed to waking up at the crack of dawn to see this sunrise, I went on weather.com to see what the weather was going to be like. This past week it has been a little unpredictable, so I just wanted to be a 100% sure I'd be able to see the sunrise before I drove half asleep to get to the beach. When I checked it said today was supposed to be clear with temperatures being around 65 degrees this morning and the sunrise happening at 7:10am.

So, my plan was to roll out of bed around 6:15am and get to the beach around 6:40am, so I could see the whole transition. Boy-oh-boy, it was great just sitting there looking out at the horizon when its barely light out. I didn't realize how many colors I would see as the sun was making its way up.

If you pay attention you can see the colors of the rainbow over the water...you probably can't see them in the pictures, but I sure did notice them this morning. If you look good in the second picture you see where the sun is about to come up. It's so cool. It's like all of the colors got together and were concentrated in that one spot until the sun came up. Like 5 mins because the sun got over the horizon that spot was a beautiful red. It was an amazing site to see.

Now, I'm happy that I was able to see it today because today is the first day of General Conference. For those who don't know what General Conference is it is a world wide semi-annual conference for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Today is when we are able to hear the inspired words from the Prophet, Apostles and other General Authorities that the Lord would want us to hear.

Why would I be happy to see this sunrise on the same morning of conference you may wonder. Well, just look at those pictures. How could you not believe in a living and loving God when you can see those colors, let alone the miracle of a new day.

I am excited to hear what these inspired men and women have to say for the next two days, and I hope and pray that it will change me. I also love April conference because it usually focuses more on the resurrection of Jesus Christ and his Atonement, since easter is in a few weeks.

I love the church I belong to and all of it's teachings. I love knowing the Christ went through the atonement, partook of the bitter cup, just so we could progress and live with Him and the Father again. I love knowing that I have a forever family, and that I'll be able to see my Dad again. I love knowing that I'm never alone. I love knowing that one day I can receive a fullness of joy.