Missing Camera :(

Yes. It's true.

My camera is MISSING!!

I know it must be around some stinkin place but I just can't find it :(

I have some cute pictures to post from the

Snow College Bowl Game too!!

Pray that my little camera finds its way back into my arms okay?!

Thanks!

Go UTES!

In my family... we are UTE fans!!

So today we will be cheering for the best team.

(Our dog included... notice the cute red bow! ha ha )

Go Utes!! :)

New Moon

I have to say... I LOVED New Moon!!

Nothing better than going to an awesome midnight movie with friends.

We were totally legit & bought shirts with Edward & Jacob on them saying:

"Please don't make me choose" - Bella

Cheesy? Yes. Fun? SO MUCH!

Princess Classics

This weekend was SUCH a blast!!

I got to take my cute siblings to Disney on ice: Princess Classics.

Surprisingly enough.. my brother did want to go. ha ha

I maybe was a bit over excited (Disney makes me act like a 5 yr old) and had to wear my Little Mermaid t-shirt. She is by far the most legit princess - no battle!

I really did have a lot of fun taking care of my silbings over the past days...

(my parents are luckies & have been in Japan/China).

It was a lot of work & stress to keep up with their homework & schedules as well as my own but so worth it. I love my family SO much and don't know where I would be without them.

This April we are going to try and be sealed.

I have waited a LONG time for this.

I am wishing and hoping that we can be sealed in the San Diego temple & make make a trip to

Disneyland in the process :)

I love my family and knowing we can be together forever.

Amazing Boutiques!!

I was so excited to attend the Mothers Without Borders boutiques this weekend!! I was able to go to both the Layton & Lehi locations & get some amazing things - and the best part was that it was all going to help out my friends in Zambia!

I took my little sister Shelby & her friend and my brother Kaden to the Layton boutique... it was supper fun & they served up a yummy lunch!

It was so neat to see things that I helped bring back from Africa sale & have people from the community come out & be excited about it. If you haven't noticed, I love Mothers Without Borders & sharing that love with anyone I can!!

It was SO fun to be able to reunite with my local African family & all bring our pictures to share.

I love them!!!

A huge highlight about this weekend for me as well was that Kathy attended the Layton Boutique & spoke for a bit about my sweet friend Carol Zulu. I was able to buy a drawing of Carol & of my favorite painting: The Worth of a Soul and the best part was....

Liz Lemon Swindle signed my painting & even wrote For Taylor on it!

I was STOKED!!! :)

Mothers Without Borders Boutique!

This Friday & Saturday the Mothers Without Borders Boutique will be taking place!!

All proceeds go to help continue building the Mothers Without Borders

Family & Children's Resource Center in Lusaka, Zambia.

Become part of a miracle.

Items made by the amazing people of Zambia will be sold

as well as crafts made by locals!

Layton location: Chantilly Mansion Layton, Ut (170 N Main)

Lehi Location: Mellor Hidden Meadow Reception Center Lehi, Ut (877 N 100 E)

Boutique hours: Friday Nov 6: 9 am - 9 pm

Saturday Nov 7: 9 am - 6 pm

MWB Updates! :)

So yes... All my posts are about Africa or Mothers Without Borders but

this week in institute my teacher said "If your heart has really been changed by something -

you're going to want to share that thing with everyone"

And that is exactly how I feel.

So here are some updates on my favorite organization:

• My fireside has found a theme The Worth of a Soul and it is definitely still in the works!! The people with authority are workin it out... I am thinking it is going to happen the Sunday before Thanksgiving but I will keep anyone informed who wants to be :) Kathy (MWB founder) is amazing & even volunteered her husband Philip to speak!! It's gonna rock.
• Clearfield High School (woo woo!!) is throwing around the idea to sponsor Mothers Without Borders for their annual fundraiser: Falcons are Fabulous! I am so pumped about this! Thanks to my cute sister McKall (she is senior VP) and really pushing this idea to them!!
• Next Friday I get to go to my baby sister Shelby's (okay she is 11 but still my baby sister) elementary school and give a slideshow presentation on all my amazing friends in Africa at the Children's Resource Center & have the elementary school kids write letters to them! How cute is that?!
• And last but certainly NOT least... the Mothers Without Borders Boutique is coming up!! November 6th & 7th!! Their are going to be boutiques both days in Layton as well as Lehi. Their will be some great things from Africa to buy as well as fun crafty things made by locals and all proceeds go to support Mothers Without Borders! It's going to be awesome! The first day of the Layton Boutique Liz Lemon Swindle will be their to sign her painting The Worth of a Soul (picture of the savior & baby in Africa aka Philip & Kennedy!!)

So there ya go! Thanks for reading and caring :)

Love Will Conquer

A couple weeks ago my sweet friend from Zambia, Carol Zulu, passed away.

Carol had been really sick for a long time but her passing was really hard to handle.

I was recently able to attend a memorial in her honor this last weekend.

It was so nice to be with my 'local African family' (as I like to call them)

& to grieve with people who knew Carol and knew what an amazing, amazing girl she was.

Carol was the biggest example of loving freely & forgiving quickly.

That girl has been through SO much in her life but I never once heard her complain or voice anything negative ever, and if you could only understand the pain she was constantly in - it's unbelievable.

At her memorial Kathy (MWB founder) read the poem Love Will Conquer by Emmet Fox & it totally summed up Carol Zulu - it touched my heart SO much and I had to share it:

There is no difficulty that enough love will not conquer...

no disease that enough love will not heal;

no door that enough love will no open;

no gulf that enough love will not bridge;

no wall that enough love will not throw down;

no sin that enough love will not redeem...

It makes no difference how deeply seated may be the trouble;

how hopeless the outlook;

how muddled the tangle;

how great the mistake;

A sufficient realization of love will dissolve it all.

If only you could love enough you would be the happiest and most powerful being in the world...

Here is a link to a youtube clip of slideshow memorial of Carol Zulu

Mothers Without Borders is going to be putting together a

Carol Zulu Children's Sanctuary

where children dying from AIDS can do so in a clean enviroment surrounded by family and loved ones. I am going to be putting together a HUGE fundraiser to donate to this fund...

I talked to Kathy and she was more than happy to come & speak at a fireside!

I will be sure to keep you all informed on this :)

I'm a bad blogger!!

Wow... its been a while since my last post!

Sorry i'm such a bad blogger!! (to all my fans out there - haha jk)

Life has been good. I've started school at Weber State & am enjoying it for the most part.

(I have a class with over 115 students!! ah! I have never attended such a huge class!!

Weber still overwhelms my poor little Snow College heart sometimes!)

I have been so nervous about liking school & having a positive experience at Weber but I've found that you get back a lot of what you put into it...

I've met and made some new and fun friends & look forward to what the next couple of weeks will bring :)

Although my life continues to move on... my heart still feels like it has been left in Africa.

I can't believe I was only there for such a short time but I miss it so badly all the time!!

Just a few of the many things that I really miss.....
Baby Elizabeth & her mom MiriamMy gorgeous friend Jackie - she had her baby girl :)

My second family

I miss my sweet friend Carol Zulu. Carol is one of the biggest examples to my heart & there is no doubt in my mind that I have been changed for good because of her coming into my life.

Carol Zulu I love you. I pray for you. I keep you in my heart always.

I've heard it said by someone that Zambia is the place where the sun shines brighest one them. I couldn't have put it better myself. I will return to Zambia someday & sometimes that's all I have to know to make it through my hard times!

One Week Later...

Painting my hand to add to the wall at the Child Resource Center 

So i've been home for a week now... where does the time go!? 

Adjusting has been okay.

I have always felt bad for missionaries who have a hard time coming home & only want to ever talk about their mission & yadda yadda ... now - I total feel like that. So sorry. haha

I think I'm finally fully back to normal with my sleeping schedule (Zambia is 8hrs ahead)

Random things still make me cry. Grocery stores are the worst! 

One thing i've been worried about in coming home was forgetting how much love I am capable of giving to others. People in Zambia are easy to love. People I seem to come into contact with in the America everyday - not so much. haha 

One interesting perspective that Kathy was able to give me in Zambia was to

"Remember who you are and remember who they are"

I never thought about it like that before. Yes, i've always learned that I am a royal daughter of my Heavenly Father but never seemed to realized that everyone I come into contact with is also a son or daughter of God. Everyone. That has helped me change my outlook. I'm really working on loving & honoring everyone no matter where they are in life. I want people to come away better from knowing me!! 

 Adding my hand to the wall!! It was so neat :) 

After Africa

First of all I have to say that there is no possible way for me to fully express my experiences in Africa.

I can do my best to tell you about the things I saw & felt but you will never understand unless you experience.

So on that note.... I almost don't even know where to begin!! 

I do know that never in my life has my heart felt so hopelessly broken but so full of love.

Everyday I came into contact with people who suffered unparalleled amounts. It was hard for me to just see everything, let alone understand that what I was seeing was their reality. 

Yet, i've never met a more loving & spiritual people. These people gave me their love immediately & so easily. This love that I received from the people of Zambia literally overpowered me... I will admit that I often have a hard time saying I love you to people in my life who I maybe shouldn't, but with the people in Zambia it was the most honest & heartfelt thing. I could easily tell people I loved them & mean it with every cell in my body. 

I don't think that I would have had the experience I did in Africa alone without it coupled by the amazing Kathy Headlee Miner. This woman is honestly the biggest inspiration to my heart and I'm pretty sure an angel on earth! Kathy taught me to really notice what caught my attention & not to judge it, just pay attention. This was SO hard! But Kathy always told us (my team) that we were overqualified for this journey in Africa & our own life - just take a breath and know it's not to much. One day we would understand why we needed to see & experience the things we did. Heavenly Father is the only one with the answers and he is willing to share them with us if we just ask! 

One of the biggest lessons I learned and am constantly trying to remember is to live in the now.

Right here, right now. Now is the only time that I have control over - the past is gone & thinking about or worrying over the future doesn't change a thing!! I only have power over the now. Realizing this was powerful. The now I experienced in Africa hurt. A lot. I would try to use different methods to remove myself from the now & what I was seeing - Kathy was so brilliant & took away our ipods as a method to avoid the escape & distraction they would provide. 

It was interesting to learn & hear from my team members all the different ways they had of taking themselves out of the present and coming to learn my own way of not dealing with the now. I know now that I want to change my coping mechanisms & work through things!! 

I always want to live in the now. 

Okay well that is not even a small fraction of everything Africa has brought to the forefront of my mind but I think enough to let process! (This is really proving to be a great therapy to try and explain all this.) I promise to keep updating with the different things i've learned & experiences that changed me. Thanks for taking the time to read this & better yet care!! 

Another important thing I learned in Africa: the world is a better place just because you exist!

 

The picture that touched my heart before Africa

And now even more - meet Philip & Kennedy! 

The two from the picture :) 

Meeting them only made the picture more special for me. 

Click the grey words to read the story behind The Worth of a Soul

It is the most touching story!! 

I'm REALLY going to Africa! AH!

Okay so yes, I have blogged all about this for the past..... forever 

& counted down the days until Africa but it always seemed so far away & unreal.

Well folks, I leave tomorrow morning. 

And yes, I am really starting to get NERVOUS! 

I can't even put into words all the emotions running threw me right now.

Wow. 

I am so grateful for this experience though & cannot wait to actually be doing all of the things i've talked about. 

Thanks everyone for being completely amazing & supportive about my trip! 

It is such a huge deal to me so it's pretty much all i've talked about :) 

Sorry that i'll be coming home & probably be 100% worse... haha 

But until then - if you could please keep my amazing team in your prayers & my loving & supportive family. I know my mom is a million times more nervous about all of this then I am!! 

Oh, and just incase you wanted another fabulous Mothers Without Borders site to look at...

here is another --> click here <--

Mothers Without Borders Blog!!

Hey everybody - Mothers Without Borders 

has started a blog of their own so I thought I would put up a link

so you could check it out & see what kinds of neat things I get to be 

apart of!! 

Of course I will make my own blog postings when I get back!! 

But in the mean time... check this one out :) 

---> Mothers Without Borders Blog  <---

Beginning the pack for Africa!

So after a somewhat sleepless night & the reality of my upcoming adventure

really starting to sink in... I have begun to feel super anxious! 

It hasn't quite hit me all the way yet but definitely starting to!!

Luckily I got to meet with some of my team members today...

being with them really makes me excited all over again 

& remember why I am doing this!

My team got together today to begin our packing!! 

Here is the load I got in the back of my car :) 

Mothers Without Borders asked each of us volunteers to try and gather

supplies to pack & bring with us to Zambia. We each collected various 

supplies & distributed out the weight in our luggage. 

We pack our backpack & carry-on for all our personal necessities!!

That idea kinda freaked me out because I don't know if I can fit all I want... 

but it's going to work out just fine I think!

Here are some pictures to kinda give you an idea of what was going on! 

Our team really did a great job & ended up gathering tons of the needed items!

We each ended up packing at least 50lbs of medical supplies, 

personal hygiene items, blankets, clothing, & etc.

The best part was trying to weigh our bags...

We would just have to weigh ourselves, then grab the bag, step on the scale, & figure out how much extra "poundage" there was :) 

Putting together these bags helped me realize how much of a 

difference my team is really going to make to the lives of the people of Zambia. Even though I am getting scared about this trip I know it will be life changing and worth all the stress & fear!! 

Thanks to everyone who has supported me & taken an interest in Mothers Without Borders and my trip to Zambia!! 

My Life Latley

Well... I don't love posting without having any pictures to share...

but here is another pictureless post!!

Hope it's not too boring!

Latley my life consists of one thing: work!

Between the hospital & Victoria's Secret I rarely get a day off!!

But it's all good :) at least i'm never bored right? haha

Working at the hosptial has really given me great insight into pursing a nursing career

and how to continue about my education.

I've decided for next semester to take my classes on the Weber State campus

& to take a Spanish class!

I am kinda excited about that - it's so frustrating to have patients that don't speak

any English & be unable to communicate with them at all!

So this Garcia has decided to step up her game & learn the language of her ancestors :)

I'm also about 90% sure that I want to get my bachelors in nursing...

Just depending on where i'm at in life.. but I think it's a pretty solid idea!

New Job!

I am pleased to announce that I have finally gotten a job at the hospital!

I am going to be working in the Surgical Unit. 

I know it is going to be intense & overwhelming but I am really stoked about it.

I am grateful to be gaining experience so I can assure that nursing is my dream job :) 

I ultimately want to be a neonatal nurse (work with the newborns)

but I think it is good to get a taste of everything to make sure that's what I want!! 

I am going to keep working at Victoria's Secret for now & try

to balance out my schedule.

It is gonna be nuts. 

I can't complain though because I have two jobs when there are people struggling to keep one. 

Heavenly Father has really blessed me!! 

Fun in Provo

On Saturday Amanda invited me to join her for a 

delightful trip to Provo to meet up with her good bud Kyle,

 attend a wedding reception & play with our cute friend Alexa.

We ended up getting stuck in traffic for FOREVER &

basically had to make a major detour out of our way to get back on track

for Provo. It was lame but worked out in the end :) haha 

Once we got to Provo we went to Alexa's way cute apartment!

As grateful as I am to be living at home I really missed the world of 

apartments & roommates!! 

We then met up with Kyle & who had his friend Dale with him

(gotta love small town cowboys) & had some lunch.

We saw the movie Land of the Lost 

which was weird, weird, weird but funny & entertaining. 

And naturally after that we went to Spoon Me!!

Next we went to one of Amanda's friends wedding receptions

and afterwards met up with some of Alexa's friends who took us to 

a comedy show at BYU. 

I thought that it would end up just being alright... but oh wow, it was SO funny!

The are a comedy try-out group from BYU called Humor U & they were great!

If I can ever find one of the the comedy routines I will have to post it

 because I laughed so hard I was crying! 

Here is a pic of me, Amanda, & Alexa after the show:

Needless to say it was a pretty great day. 

I have always loved going to Provo with friends but it was kinda different this time.

Playing with Alexa I got to see what campus life is like down there

and how much fun Provo is for a student.

That got me thinking....

maybe I want to look into nursing school through UVU?? 

I dunno. Just a thought for now! 

Fire, Friends, & Fun!!

Well since my last post...

I have started working @ Victoria's Secret (still training..) but it's pretty great.

I've never worked retail before so it's all new to me! :) 

Anyways! Here is a bit of the fun i've been up to: 

Campfire in Mantua! 

I know you can't really see the fire in these pictures but I swear it was there... haha

It was so fun to hang out with Alysia & Carlie and meet some of Mike's friends.

Some of them were pretty entertaining... just ask them about Good Ol' Brigham City.

Wow. They really love it up there. 

But it has been awesome being home so that I can play with these girls again!! 

They make me laugh!

Kiana Came for a visit!

Kiana came down & stayed with me to go to our dear friend Jameson's farewell

and boy did we have a hoot!! Amanda of course came to play with us too!

My kind parents took us out to dinner at the delicious Rooster's

And we of course had to sample what everyone got...

pretty tasty!! 

Then we went back to my house and decided to form the ultimate rockband:

The McNinjas

We really were a totally legit band!! We couldn't seem to get enough of it.

Rockband 2 just may be the greatest game ever invented...

Then we finished off the weekend by going to Jameson's Farewell.

Jameson worked with me & Kiana as a PLT member down at Snow. 

So us awesome three girls decided to venture down to Centerville & say our 

goodbyes to Jameson who will be serving in Serbia! 

Good luck Jameson!! I know you are going to be an amazing missionary! 

Updates!

Well, not too much has happened in the past little bit but here are some updates!

I am now re-certified in CPR so i've applied for some jobs as a CNA.

I am crossing my fingers to get a job in the maternity area in a hospital but i'll work with what I get :) 

I got a job at Victoria's Secret! 

Just as a fun little part time deal... who can say no to discounts there?! 

I'm also almost done with all my shots & such for Africa! 

I've been taking this oral vaccine for Typhoid Fever & yes it is as horrible as it sounds... 

but I know it is all going to be worth it! 

Time is soon approaching for me to leave for Africa & I am getting so anxious!! 

I will admit as the countdown to my adventure gets closer I get a little 

more scared but that's normal right!? 

In the end though I know everything will be alright. 

I've wanted this experience so much & plan to make the most of it!! 

Here is just a little picture of me and Amanda at

Spoon Me of course!! haha 

First Week Home

Well my first week living back at home has been pretty legit I must say... 

I haven't started working just yet because I need to update my CPR certification,

but i've been decorating my room & catching up with some old friends :)

So here is my week in a nutshell

Monday

I got together with a bunch of my cute friends from high school! It was so fun to catch up and to talk about fun memories we made and where our lives are taking us now.

 Our friend Kendra is ready to have a baby any day now & Emily is getting married (as you will see later in this post!) I am so happy for them! I on the other hand feel nowhere ready for either of those things... haha

Tuesday

On Tuesday I got to see my Cute Face Mike & met him in Roy to watch his little brother's high school baseball game. I was quite glad to see him but not so happy that I got a sunburn! Only on my left arm, strips on my legs, a little on my face & chest! haha - looked ridiculous. On a happy note though, I'm so glad it is starting to warm up :) 

Wednesday

Karyn came to visit!! It was so fun to see her (I know it really hasn't been that long) but it's weird to live with your friends for months and then move out & hardly see them!! 

So of course we had to enjoy the delish Pizza Place & head down to Salt Lake to enjoy 

Spoon Me... kinda our thing! 

Thursday

I was sick so nothing happened & I do not have any photographic evidence... haha 

but...

Friday

Emily got married!! She looked super gorgeous and her wedding reception was

the cutest i've ever seen done in a church! Emily's mom Tracy & our friend Marnie

are definitely decorating for my wedding! 

It was great to see Emily so happy & in love. I am so excited for her & Jared! 

They make a very cute couple indeed. 

Saturday

The girls of my family all got together to do the Race for the Cure

 in memory of my aunt Michelle. 

It was probably one of the neatest things to be apart of I have done so far!! There were tons 

of participates racing for their loved ones & even breast cancer survivors taking part.

My cousin Kimmy organized this & made our cute shirts for us as part of

a pageant she will be participating in. She did an amazing job & I am so proud of her!!

Those Killpacks are so strong and wonderful. I love them so much & am so glad to be a Garcia/Killpack :) 

The front of the shirts read: Invincible Michelle Killpack

The back: "It's kind of fun to do the impossible" - Walt Disney 

Sunday 

Mother's Day!! 

I am so grateful for my amazing and truly wonderful mom. 

She is way too much fun & never fails to make everyone smile.

She is my best friend and I am grateful for all the sacrifices she makes for me and 

my siblings all the time. She is really the most legit mom ever!! 

Snow Graduation

Snow College Graduates!!

Today was a day full of tears and excitement. 

Graduating from Snow seems so strange - I swear it was just yesterday I started!

I have learned SO much in these past two years though.... 

Not just in the classroom but in life. 

Some of the main things I learned would have to be:

*My mom was right, keeping a place clean is NOT easy or fun 

*It's amazing how much things actually cost when you pay attention... like buying your own toilet paper or milk. Sheesh! 

*The people that matter will always be apart of your life

*Heavenly Father knows my needs and limits

*Nothing is better than friends who care and listen

*Patience is indeed a virtue.

*I really can't handle people leaving their crap out :) haha

and SO much more.... 

It's hard to put into words how grateful I am for all the friendships, experiences, and life lessons Snow College has given me. I know I am a better person for having gone there. There isn't a single thing I would change about my experience & I will always be a HUGE fan of the Snow College Badgers!! :) 

Fabulous Birthday!

Yesterday was my 20th birthday!!

It's kinda freaking me out that I am actually 20 but that's okay... doesn't mean I have to grow up just yet :)

But to celebrate my day of birth I went down to Provo with some of my favorite people
and ate at one of my favorites: PF Changs!!
(Yes I could eat lettuce wraps for every meal)
Then we went and saw 17 Again with Zac Efron. Oh baby. It was SoOoOo GOOOOD!
2 thumbs way up!!

And of course finished up the night with a trip to Spoon Me!
You can't go to Provo without stopping there!! Come on!