Hey Fal,

We've been together for 13 years now? Wow! Remember those awesome days at my house for lunch in high school, or in cheerleading when my sister couldn't do a cartwheel, and I was almost a toothless babe? I just want you to know I deeply admire your courage in life. You've always gone off on your own and tried for things that I'm too afraid to do. Things always worked out for you in the end, and I love that you can handle it without crying your eyes out like me! I've always wondered how people maintain their sanity when Lil Miss Emotions is over here crying over a commercial about abused pets.

Somehow you managed to check out of the dating scene early, everyone said it would be me first because I always have a boyfriend, but little did they know, I wasn't ready for it! I'm thinking Jess will be next and then I'll find some old rich man who is going to keel over any second, so I can go to grad school without any worries. Anyway I am so happy for you and who you've become. One of my wishes is to be able to be as determined, and as good a wife and mother as you are. Hopefully I can make it!

I still want to have our jam sessions on your new piano. I'm so jealous of your baby grand. Arnim is the best husband ever for that one! You can sing and I will play, and you can get mad because I suddenly have retarded hands when someone is singing. Not my fault, they control themselves at the piano.

Falisha I'm so glad that we never grew apart, even though sharing a room really drove us insane. We've had some awesome times together, and you still try to maintain our friendship even though you're busy with your family, and life gets crazy. I am so lucky to have you as a friend.

Love you,

Lans

In reference to my previous post, I deleted the first and only comment left by a reader.

Here it is:

I refuse to participate in lame pass-along blog activities. I challenge you to be original.

Apparently giving gifts to people is uncool and unoriginal. You're right about the unoriginal part, gift giving has been around for millenia, but I thought what the hey, kindness never gets old! I felt like doing something nice, and so I fully intend to. To this I simply say, You won't be included in my list of people to give something to, and I didn't really think you'd participate any way you scrooge.

I guess I never read the handbook on how to correctly do a blog, if anyone has that book can you send it to me? I'd love to learn how to stop being so unoriginal.

So, here's how this game works-the first 3 people to leave a comment on this post will receive, at some point during the year, a handmade gift from me. What it will be and when it will arrive is a total surprise! The catch is that you must participate as well. Before you leave your comment, write up a pay it forward post on your blog to keep the fun going (or be lazy and copy and paste like I did). Then come back, let me know you're going to play and sit back and anticipate the arrival of your gift!

Won't this be fun?

....what happens to females in their early 20's when they're stuck in a car all week instead of laying on a beach because it's freezing in "sunny southern California", here is a simple explanation by way of video.

This is what happens to Andrea.


This is what happens to Ginene.


And finally... this is what happens to me.

I know not very many people know about my deep dark secret that I am shedding light on today. I think it's because I'm afraid people will judge my skills and I'll feel stupid when they realize I'm not a genius at what I'm about to tell you. Here goes...

I love to play the piano, and wish I had one everyday.

There. I said it! Not very many of my friends and family ever get to hear me play. My bishopric has heard me on many occasions plinking away for hours after our church meetings are over. For the longest time I would sneak into a room and stop as soon as someone came in to listen. Lately though I'll leave the door open, or just keep playing when someone peeks in. I think even my best friends have never heard me play.

One thing I wish I could do that I have yet to be able to, is make up songs. I need to read sheet music to play anything because I've forgotten all my chords and theory to be able to just sit down and knock out random music. But I will give myself credit. I can play most things written down. I was given the talent of sight reading. I have lots of sheet music and usually keep my entire sheet music collection in my trunk so I can use it whenever I find a free piano.

The latest idea I've had and I only share this because I want to be comfortable with this instead of hiding it too, is I want to learn how to sing and play at the same time. I don't profess to be a good singer, I don't know if I like my voice, or if anyone else will either. I do know however that I am able to carry a tune fairly well and I am the daughter of a woman whose voice could be mistaken for Karen Carpenter's so maybe there's some talent hidden in there somewhere! But don't ever expect to hear Mariah Carey's high notes come out of me. I'm an alto, and low soprano, and I'm shy. Why am I sharing all this you ask?

Because I'm teaching myself to sing and play the song above. I can't promise I'll ever sound good, and no I won't be adding my rendition of her song to Youtube for all my "fans". I just wanted to tell people so I can't pretend I wasn't given a talent that I'm hiding.

But don't ask me to play in church. Hymns make me sound like I rarely play... for some reason they are excellent at jumbling my fingers and making me mess up, which for me is SUPER embarrassing, and I feel the need to say out loud "sorry", to which then I feel even dumber for feeling the need to apologize for hitting the wrong note. I have no idea why it embarrasses me... it just does.

A friend sent me this girl's name and said to listen to this song. I was told "TRUST ME"... and trust I did! This song is beautiful. I love her voice, and I love how at the end she layers it. I am now going to go look up more of her.

Priscilla Ahn - Dream.

I saw this video on a friend's blog a while back. I thought of it as I was posting about the hunger fair. This guy makes a great point!

Last night I went to the BYU Hunger Fair. It was really interesting. When I got asked if I wanted to go, I was actually really excited. I'd heard about this kind of event before and really wanted to see what it was like. When we got there we were told our group would be sitting in the low income section. This section was most of the room and was covered with cut up cardboard boxes, you know, for comfort since we had to sit on the gym floor.

The room was divided into 3 sections, there were the "rich" people, the middle income, and the low income. The rich people were sitting at nicely decorated tables, and were in the front of the room. The middle income were sitting on chairs around the edges of the room, and the low income were all stacked throughout the middle of the room. We took up probably 60% of the space.

The rich people were served first, and given a full course meal. The middle income people were served hot dogs, and got to eat second. The low income people were served last, and given one bowl of rice and beans, and a plate of chips to share. We were lucky and got a second bowl of rice and another plate of chips, but the 4 of us had to share it all. And we decided to vote one member of our group who will remain nameless (*cough*, Eric!, *cough*) out of the village for hogging the bowl! haha!

Our group was also representing the illiterate people of the world, and how most people will never get a chance for any education. They talked about how the rich people usually just worry about how many years of education AFTER high school their kids will go to, and how these people are also the ones with diabetes, obesity, and other problems other countries don't face because they can barely make enough food for everyone.

It was really cool event, and also a realistic representation of how the world is divided. We even started to joke about stealing the rich people's purses or distracting them while we stole food off their plates. Also throughout the night some "tourists" came around and started taking pictures with the "poor people sitting in filth". It made me think about how people must feel when we fly ourselves to other countries and take pictures with people who probably have never been able to afford a camera much less some shoes, in their entire lives. And the whole time never thinking what we could do to help them.

Halfway through the program I got up to go to the bathroom and at first was like "my legs hurt so bad from sitting on the floor, I can barely walk" and then I berated myself for complaining because A) I was walking through a building with heating, to a bathroom with a flushing toilet, B) I wasn't going to have to wipe my butt with my hand, and even if I had to, there was handsoap, hot water, and clean towels to clean my hands with, and C) I only had to sit on the floor for what, 2 hours?, while some people never get to sit on a chair or use a bed ever, and the floor is covered in garbage and other filth, and our cardboard was clean and no one smelled.

I really liked the whole event, the Hare Krishna group came and performed a song, and there was a mongolian dance, and then a cute group of kids who escaped from the Congo to the U.S., sang a song and danced. I just wanted to run up and kiss each of these kids, and tell them how amazing I think they are for living through what they have and ask each of them how they stay so happy.

My biggest challenges don't seem so big when I think of what other people on the other side of the world are living through. I've got bronchitis and I'm complaining about how sick I am of coughing and how the antibiotics make me nauseated, but then I think, I am able to go to a doctor and get medicine to kill the disease, instead of letting it turn into pneumonia and then dying. Sure my family has had it's hardships, my mom was poor and a single mom, but she still was in the top small percentage of those who have everything they need. And that only lasted for a few years. We've always had a roof over our heads, and plenty of food to eat. I've always had clothes that were nice, and I even was able to buy my own car in high school.

I think about how last year, at my job I earned more than my mom told me she earned when she was raising three kids alone, and how I complained that I didn't have enough money. I was able to save up a lot of money to live on this semester, and also I had everything I needed, I even had surplus... so what am I complaining about? That I can't just fly off to Rome tomorrow because I don't have 2 grand to drop? Or that I can't buy myself the piano I want? Sheesh! I really am spoiled! I have a closet full of clothes I never wear, over 15 pairs of shoes, and at least that many jeans... and I ate 8 dollar meals every day for lunch. I really have a lot to be grateful for.

I think I'll stop here, I could go on for pages.

This letter is to one of my other brothers who currently has never received a lovely blog letter from me!


Dear Cory,

Make me a nephew. I don't care if you're still in school and poor. I WANT A NEPHEW!
So... make me a nephew!

Love,
Your awesome twin sister that came out 2 weeks later.

PS. Isn't modern medicine amazing to be able to let me stay in 2 weeks longer than you!

I know the original plan was that this was supposed to be a reoccurring thing where I wrote a letter to each member of my family, but so far the only one I write to is my brother Bryce. So here goes Letter to Bryce #3.


Dear Bryce,

Remember this?

Don't worry, even though I look like I'm in a lot of pain, freezing from hose water, sad, and like I'll hate you one day for this, surprisingly, I just love you! Not to mention I haven't forgotten that one day you're painting a mural in my house. I don't care if you haven't painted in years. YOU WILL PAINT A MURAL IN MY HOUSE. Ok? Please?

I'm so glad things are looking up and am so proud of you for the strong person that you are!

Love your crazy baby sister,
Lulu Beans