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graduation and birthday both this past week! woooo. left our camera in provo for pictures so we crammed in a quick photo booth session on the actual birthday. it was spent perfectly-watching the sunset in the mountains and eating salad and sweet potato fries. bring on summer and the next stage of life!

polaroid

devin surprised me with a real polaroid camera the day before we left to europe. it was a deal and i've wanted to have polaroids adorn my house for some time now. it was perfect to get one before europe cause what better than to have polaroids of euro.

pic uno was soooooo exciting: devin showed me his newly finished chair, and we used the camera for the first time. i love how much giddiness it brings back.

pic dos we took in amsterdam. we brought the monster camera to europe and two rolls of film. we reasoned about 2-3 pics in each country. i was always asking devin if he thought each place would be a good shot for the polaroid. we found this old cobweb-ed bike on the side of the canal, the sun was setting. it was perfecto, we both knew this was the shot.

regretfully we must've bonked the camera around in our packs, and it stopped working for a sec. we reloaded the second roll and must've done it incorrectly. whatever the case, we have no more polaroids to document our travels abroad. sigh.

aren't you loving the weather? i wore a skirt sans leggins yesterday and today i have on my great grandmother's perfume. roses. yumm. life is good. happy saint pats!

getting antsy for

general conference is less than a month away and i cant say if i've ever been more excited. got this sweet message in an email daily gem from the church. it sparked more excitement. i can feel it in my bones-april is gonna be a good month.

"A few years ago, when Arturo Toscanini was musical director of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra in New York City, he had a Saturday afternoon radio broadcast. And one day he received in his mail a crumpled little note on some brownish paper which read:" 'Dear Mr. Toscanini, I am a lonely sheepherder in the mountains of Wyoming. I have two prized possessions: an old violin and a battery radio. And the batteries are getting weak and beginning to run down on my radio, and my violin is so out of tune I can't play it anymore. Would you please sound an A next Saturday on your program?'"The next week on the program, Arturo Toscanini announced: 'To a newfound friend in the mountains of Wyoming, the New York Philharmonic Orchestra is now, all together and in unison, going to sound a perfect A.' And they sounded the perfect A. Then that lonely little man was able to tune the A string and then the E string and the D and the G from that perfect A."Isn't it interesting to reflect in our own lives and in the lives of the many people who may hear me at this time—those whose violin or lives may be a little out of tune—that we are able to come to a general conference of the Church and hear the marvelous messages that are spoken?"

saved air

once upon a time i had a dream week- a week jam packed with people who mean the most to me. spending time with kindred spirits is what life is about. just about eight days of inspiration leaves my heart swollen. looking at these pictures makes me almost gasp for air-as if there was a shortage of air and by taking deep breaths i could save up a resevoir to breathe from later in case of emergency. i'm fully aware thats impossible-you cant breath in saved air. i'm fully aware there will be a shortage of becca for the next eighteen months, and i wont be able to breath in the past. gotta live in the moment. but i'm also fully aware that these pictures will be a minute resevoir, and how valuable are pictures and memories if they do just that. the week was full of reunions, summer rhatigan dancing- a first in five months, patty griffin, long drives, sore backs and low arabesques, swollen ankles and cramps, giggling through ice skating events, cupcakes, manti temple visits-a first for both of us, sleep deprivation, sweet potato fries, jeffrey r holland talks, future plan talking, dreaming big as we can, counseling with each other about life, infinite generosity and eternal heart binding.

flashback to copenhagen

country 2. denmark. in my top 3 list. could live there tomorrow.

raining and pouring. shopping to fight the weather. no umbrella, no coats, white shirt. niiiice hotel. two toilets. waters edge. free wireless=reason why we got ourLUGGAGE! edith and ella. lady bug road. zara. kebab. boy from england who didnt have a mother. girl who had met a mormon before. even, level, uniform enchanting buildings-my favorite tied with amsterdam. clean! nicest people. overnight train. pricey pricey. lots of walking. feeling like a homeless person after 4 days without change of clothes. duck pond. lugging our bags around the city before we caught the train, but grateful for them. funny changing of the guards at the palace. people always out. hands down best custard out there. sporting a thailand shirt as a gift from our train friend to brave the storm. thorvaldsens kristus-top 10 fav things from the whole trip. gay pride week at Our Lady's Church where the Kristus is displayed. rain, sandals, walking, and cobblestones=sore feet. fruit stand. sighting an urban o overseas and going in to feel at home. admiral.

attempting to recap

for history's sake, i need to document europe more than just the first few days in amsterdam.

country 3. beginning with southern sweden. karlskrona.

small red cottages. picturesque brandaholm. arhipelago. water everywhere. devout members. jusinski's best old house in the history of time. imported french stove and slanted floors. original fire place. 400 years old. free dessert from devin's friend. boat ride. weekend fair. no more language barrier. rolling hills. cobblestone roads. dev's old mission apartment. windmills. camping in our little red cottage with community showers. swedish design. marshmellow looking hay holders. geese at the glass blowers. sunday drive. loaded antique store. vibrant swedish branch. woman translating during relief society. understanding enough swedish on fast sunday. seaside garden picking. kalmar slott castle. long walks. mcdonalds:). clean train from denmark to sweden. rental car placed closed. kind smoking man saved us from being stranded. grocery store for granola and bread. mounds of famous ice cream for almost pennies. moss rock with a heart on it.

southern sweden won my heart over. such a simplistic life. i could use to follow in their footsteps.