this is why i love skyping my sister. she is beautiful. and her kids are adorable. what could be better than spider-man showing off his muscles in celebration of  trick-or-treating tomorrow? and lovely Jannessa...with her trademark smile and leopard helmet. 

so just pretend that the pictures aren't blurry.

but its alright that they are. because that's how life goes. it gets messy. life isn't always sure and clean cut, as much as i wish it was. 

so thanks for reminding me of where i'm from and what i want. and that its ok to not have it all figured out. what else is family for?

i hate to spoil the ending, but everything is going to be fine.

family...isn't it about time?

yeah. about time that i did this post. first off, helllllloooooo valley! what a gorgeous place to come home too. not to mention that my sister is there. and she brought two babies. 

we could not get enough of this little darling! Zola Jane. what's not to love? ahh...isn't she precious? her little hand propping up her head when she sleeps and getting so milk drunk. i love these pure, sweet, innocent spirits that Heavenly Father trusts us with.

yep. he's holding her hand to help her up the stairs. yeep!

 and 'the cutest kids in the world' award goes to.....Taven and Elsie! they wanted to have a sleepover, but couldn't stop laughing. they are two opposites in so many ways. Taven is loud, active, and loves attention. don't try to cuddle him, he wants to be running! but Elsie is happy, content to sit and play, and quiet. she goes into nursery and comes out as their new favorite. they are so fun together!

and we went hiking. a family favorite. just a little side note...i look so much like my other sister in this picture. what is going on?! i am supposed to be way younger than her!

anyway.

there is no better way to feel renewed than getting out in nature as the seasons change. the crisp air somehow cleans out my soul. 

i will forever be grateful for parents that taught me that. they showed me that my Father in Heaven speaks to me in those simple, unencumbered moments in the woods. 

good looking people right there!

i could just write a love note to the valley. for letting me live there. for giving us God's beauty all around. for providing an escape from the world.

xoxo to my family. especially Ally and her adorable babes and hubby. 

ahh. welcome, autumn. it's starting off pretty darn fabulous.

all domestic like

sometimes i decide that i want to make whole bunches of food. and i feel kinda proud of myself when it gets all done. so today i cooked a crockpot full of chicken and set to work. one of my all time favorite things my momma makes is chicken pillows. dee-lish. i'm telling you, it's heaven. 

so guess what? i made some. oh...you want the recipe? sure. i'll give it to you.

2 cups cooked, cut chicken 

8 oz of cream cheese, softened

2 tbsp milk

1 tsp dried onion

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp garlic

i add about a half cup of brown rice as well. up to you.

mix together until creamy

(just a side note: i cook fresh garlic and onions in with the chicken so i don't have to add those. i think it tastes better.)

chicken, cream cheese, onions

all together!

2 packages round biscuits (i actually used croissant rolls...)

roll flat. add mixture in the middle and pinch the edges together on top, creating the "pillow." the more you can fit in there, the better!

optional: 

1 cup Wheaties cereal

1 tsp season salt

blend and top

(i obviously didn't do that part...)

heat the oven to 375 and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. then eat. and enjoy. because they are so good!

especially when you have extras to freeze. like this. mmmm mmmm yummy!

ps. i added several other spices. oregano, basil, pesto. ya know. just til i loved the taste.

thanks mommy!

remember that one time in Kenya?

oh where do i start? somewhere in the back of my mind, i know i have been putting off writing this down because i don't have the words to explain my experience. Kenya opened a place in my heart i never knew i had. the beautiful children and people i met there lived with a vibrancy in their life that i wish i had. you can see it in their eyes. how can i explain how i was changed? 

i can't.

so instead, i'll post a million pictures and hope that somehow you can feel some of Kenya in the faces of these children. 

but first, i'll start from the beginning. my younger brother, Ross, came with me. and watched out for me the whole time. isn't he cute?

sometimes i pretend i'm a little bit hipster...

the first place we went was an elephant orphanage. 

and also, i kissed a giraffe. no big deal.

and made Ross pose for all sorts of snapshots. don't you think he loved that? apparently he also loves peace signs.

this is what we ate. every night. plus some fresh mango, pineapple or avocado. yum!

Sarah and i looked like this pretty much everyday after the project. muddy and stinky, but so worth it. seeing the children hanging onto the bars in the window of the existing room of the school we were building made the heavy buckets lighter. i fell in love with these faces.

don't you love these two brothers?

they loved our hair! and could braid it beautifully.

they loved him like crazy!

aside from the kids we met at the school we were building, we visited past schools that World of Difference had built. and the children there stole my heart as well. all it took was one look, one touch of their hands, one tug at the end of my braid. and i was theirs.

i would have done anything for those kids. they placed so much hope, joy, and trust in my hands. and all i could do was love and serve them with the time we had.

aren't they adorable in their little blue uniforms?

this is what happened when i tried to put her down. they loved their "mzungo" as much as we loved them.

they always want their hands in the picture. so funny!

we also took trips on the two weekends we were there... 

one to the Ma'asai Reservation for a safari. this post is really about the people of Kenya and the time i spent with them, so here's just a few of the many pictures i took on safari.

in case you wanted to see something gorgeous, here is the Great Rift Valley.

giraffes running at sunset? plus birds flying off their backs? i'll take it. the scene was so beautiful, i couldn't help but praise a loving Father in Heaven. such a tender mercy!

a little Maasai girl. she was precious. and kept dancing for me.

no worries. i'm just in Kenya and Tanzania at the same time.

and one to the coast at Mombasa. the ocean was warm, with white sand and palm trees. so gorgeous! i wanted to soak it all in, bottle it up to take back to Rexburg for the dreary days of winter. the breeze filled with salt, the water stretching for miles, the sun beating down and burning away the stress and worry of life. mmmm.

also...after Mombasa i was probably the tannest i have ever been in my life. no big.

they hang fabric for sarongs on these during the day. and i bought one.

chacos tan line. that's what happens when you wear them everyday for two weeks!

sunrise over the Indian Ocean? yes please.

can you see the line of white? that's the ocean breaking over the reef. and i swam out to it. we picked up starfish and saw Kenyans in long boats, pushing them with poles and spearing tiny squids. it was amazing.

all too soon, our time in Kenya came to an end. we had a tearful goodbye with our kids and fellow workers, and headed back to America.

Walter. he was so great.

 they loved making funny faces. so cute!

Steve was one of my favorites. he would hold my hand and always stick around me. and get a little upset when i picked other kids up!

kwaheri Kenya! nakupenda sana!

i hope to return again and again to Kenya, so show my gratitude and love for the people who helped me discover myself in a better light than i knew before.

ps...if you want to join with World of Difference, visit their website to find out how to donate or go to Kenya. you won't regret it.