The Start of Picture Fun!

While we were supposed to be planning lessons for Monday, Corey and I decided to step outside and take a few shots. Here is literally a five minute shoot. This should be the start of many picture posts of Mexico. I love it here! I love how everything is so colorful and bright! The past three days really has been a great start to what I know is going to be an amazing trip

The Start of Mexico


Words cannot describe how I feel right now. Currently I am sweating, yet rejoicing in front of three fans in the reception area of ILP’s Help school. I have fallen utterly in love with Mexico and feel completely at home and totally out of my element all at the same time.

Yesterday was a huge adventure. I arrived at the SLC airport at eight in the morning and met up with six other teachers. We all flew to Mexico City together where we met up with four of our other fellow teachers. We then loaded the bus and took a bus to Puebla to then load another bus to Tehuacan. We finally all arrived at the Help school around nine thirty. It was a long day but a great start to the trip. Let me just say that ten white girls with two giant suitcases each can make for a pretty funny sight. I think the kitchen staff was laughing at us immensely when we attempted to order Tortas for the first time for lunch.

When we finally all arrived, the director of the school, Rachel, interviewed us all to decide which host family would fit each person best. My roommate Audrey, the one who inspired me to come on this trip told me that instead of living with a host family I should try and live in the school’s local apartment. Although I have yet to move into the apartment, I am to live there with my head teacher and other teachers from another English school. Apparently my roommate is from New Zealand and loves to longboard. Sounds like a perfect fit to me.

Slowly we all dispersed one by one as host families came to make their awkward entrance to their new American guests. There are still a few teachers left from last semester living in some of our future homes so five of us were given mattresses and spent the night at the school.

With only five of us not at a host family, the directors Teo and Rachel took us out to taco’s for dinner. Can I just say that they were the best taco’s of my life! I have yet to remember what they were called, but I can assure you they were fabulous!

Although today was long and full of training, it has been full of beautiful moments. We all decided to take a walk around the city to discover our new home. I was blown away by the many colors and beautiful people that surrounded us. I can’t wait to photograph Tehuacan! Today I walked around with a simple point and shoot and only snapped a few pictures since I wanted to more see the city and become familiar with it. Someday soon I plan on taking my SLR out and discovering the city through my lens.

I have always been one to adjust well to change and new atmospheres, but I feel like Mexico is officially home. I can’t wait to become familiar with the area and the people and to pick up some Spanish. I must admit I have been scared out of mind to practice the few Spanish words I know. I am working on that. Until then, I am loving this simple yet dramatic change that is taking over my life. I must admit though that I am very much missing Logan and all of the fabulous people in my life there. I am so grateful for not only this opportunity to be in Mexico, but for all of the people that have brought me to where I am today and that I get to return home to in four months.

It Passes My Understanding

People make me laugh. We do the funniest things. It’s fascinating to me that with a world so big, it can seem so small because of connections we have with people.

One of my dream dates is to take someone that I really get along with to the airport and people watch. I want to make up stories for why the tall handsome blonde man is so excited to see the short stubby brunette girl. Are they lovers? Best friends? Why are they getting together? Perhaps a friend is getting married, or maybe the brunette is coming home to visit her family. Who really knows?

I find it hard to believe sometimes that there are over six billion different people on this world living their own individual lives. Whenever I drive on long empty roads on the freeway, I like to glance at those who pass me along my journey. Some make eye contact and continue on a steady pace forward whiles others simply ignore and don’t notice. It’s strange to me that to them I am just one of many persons that they are passing never to be thought of again and to me, they are just another person passing me. Yet, we live totally and completely separate full lives. I find that I have a child’s sense of egocentrism running through my bloodstream from time to time. It’s strange to think that others live their own lives and are not simply characters in the play of my own autobiography.

In this life, there are no extras! The blonde man greeting the brunette girl are not placed in the airport simply to make my experience at the airport more colorful. They are there by coincidence living their own individual lives and creating their own experiences.

It’s fun to watch people. We do the craziest of things just because we can. I love that no one you meet will ever be just like you. We are all individuals living our own daily lives and it’s a blessing and a gift that no one can take that away from you.

About a month ago I had the opportunity to go to Oregon to shoot pictures for a friend's wedding. While I was there I had the chance to go on a nice nature walk. Here are a few pictures from that walk. Enjoy!

Pizza Pie Cafe!

These are a few pictures I took of the Logan store! Enjoy!

As I was packing for Mexico tonight I was looking through an old notebook and found some pretty interesting things that I had written down.

Dreams are fading into a slight reality
A part of my life is ending
A part is beginning
I don’t know if I should cry or smile
I’m free
I’m me
I’ve broken a heart
World wars and Vietnam
Then the 80’s were right
The result is worth fighting for
If you have something worth fighting for
Do I?
Do you?

All things go
We had a mind set
All things go
You have to find it

Pizza Pie Cafe: It’s back and in Style

Just over three years ago I found myself in Rexburg Idaho for the first time in my life. I was visiting my then current boyfriend on my high school spring break and was delightfully enjoying my time experiencing the small town. My boyfriend’s semester was coming to an end and to celebrate we decided to have a night on the town? Can you even do that in Rexburg? Anyways, we ended up at Rexburg’s famous Craigo’s Pizza. Although individual pizza orders could be taken, Craigo’s main deal was its unlimited pizza, pasta and salad buffet at a great price. I immediately fell in love with the spud-o-licious; a pizza that contained potatoes on it and the oreo dessert pizza. It was literally to die for.

Just a month later I found myself living in Rexburg starting my first ever semester of college. When my dad dropped me off at my shabby apartment he asked where we should go eat dinner. I said “Craigo’s!” When I got together with friends the first time for dinner we went to Craigo’s. When family came to visit, we went to Craigo’s! I even got one of the Craigo’s t-shirts and sported it around campus on a regular basis to show off my Craigo’s pride.

After two semesters at BYU-Idaho I decided I had had enough of Rexburg and decided to move my academic career to BYU. My car packed to the rim with my possessions, I entered Provo down University Parkway and what catches my eye, but a “From the owners of Craigo’s Pizza in Rexburg Idaho; Pizza Pie Café! Opening Soon!” I was shocked! My one dream following me to Provo! I was in desperate need of a job and just a few days later a “Now Hiring” sign was posted outside the store. Again, just a few days later I found myself with a job in one hand and the ugliest pair of black non slip shoes in the other. I was set. I was hired as a full time worker since I was not to start school for another semester. The job paid minimum wage but it was enough for my bills and I was delightfully happy with the company my fellow coworkers and managers provided. To say the least, I fell in love with my job.

When the time came for me to attend BYU I found myself looking at my financial situation and realizing that I did not have enough money to go to school and only work part time, so I picked work. Just a few months later tragedy hit my reality as I found myself in the middle of a divorce. My coworkers and managers were super supportive and became the best of friends for me. The people I worked with at Pizza Pie Café in Provo are now some of my dearest friends in the world. Certain circumstances told me that my Provo ship had sailed and I was destined to leave. I found myself picking up and moving to Logan Utah.
Matt Smith, the owner of Pizza Pie Café had told me that Logan was a future destination of theirs. With high hopes I started my first semester at Utah State with no Pizza Pie Café in sight. As I was driving along 4th north one beautiful fall day the annoying beeping of my phone filled my car as a text message came through from my old boss Kory Holding. “We are coming up to Logan tomorrow to look for locations” the text message screamed. I was so excited I ran home and told all my roommates Pizza Pie Cafe was coming to Logan.

It’s been about six months since the location was found and the store is getting ready to debut to the Logan public on Monday. I couldn’t be more excited. I have found myself at the store with every free inch of spare time I have. With school, work, and moving all in the next few weeks I am highly anticipating my social life to hit the road. Yet, I couldn’t be more excited! Pizza Pie Café is back. I don’t know how the company has mysteriously followed me everywhere I have moved since I left my sister’s nest and hit the high road, but it has.

Pizza Pie Café has provided me with a consistent, fun, rewarding job for the past year and half now. I love this company. It’s provided me with a safe warm environment, amazing friends, a work ethic, and a stable pay to provide for myself. I am grateful for the opportunity I have to work for the company and I can’t wait till my fellow friend’s in Logan feel the same way.