OCTOBER RECAP

okay wait, how is it november? time is FLYING. i come home in 41 days, what????? i didn't write on my blog once this past month (oops, sorry grandma)! and maybe it was because october was one of the most emotional, crazy, busy, and memorable months of my life. october honestly feels like such a blur.

OCTOBER 1-8: 
so this was birthday week. and birthday week is of course one of the most important weeks of the year. BUT on the 3rd and 4th it was also conference weekend which was so so good. conference here is shown a week later because they have to translate it in lithuanian/russian and we didn't want to wait a whole week to see it, so we live streamed it. it was on at 7pm and 11pm our time. we stayed up late and had a conference party. we ate pizza and too much candy. i loved it so much. it was so comforting to watch. not only to hear from our prophet and apostles, but also to know that it was what my family was doing at the exact same time (but of course my family had really good food and they were all probably cuddled up on the couch together). i got to be cuddled up on our bed with my 2 best friends learning more about our savior. i loved it.

the 5th is of course carly's birthday and it hurt my heart a little that i wasn't there to share a birthday cake with her and blow out candles together. but there's always next year, right? s/o to us for being another year older and wiser too!

the 7th: it's clearly the best day of the whole entire year, but this year was a little different. i woke up to a text from my dad saying that my uncle ken had collapsed at work and had suffered from a major heart attack. he was in a coma and at the time we were waiting for results and praying constantly. it was a pretty surreal feeling to get that text and not be home with my family. it was a super comforting feeling knowing my mom and alex were going to be here the next day. the girls i'm here with were so sweet to me on my birthday! mccall and madi hung up a big banner that said "happy birthday!" in our hallway right as you walk out the door. we had lunch and institute at the nuttall's and it is always so nice to be there. at school, my kids sang me happy birthday and one of my sweet girls, maja, remembered it was my birthday and brought me a nice chocolate bar and a cute little cat she made out of clay. after school, the girls bought pizza express (love) and put candles in it that said "happy birthday" for me to blow out. it was such a good day. i love my birthday.

the 8th: my mom and alex got here. and wow, i've never been so happy in my life. i went to their hotel in the morning because they got here late on my birthday. they were staying in old town so i woke up early and got on the bus to go see them. i showed up to the hotel and i could see my moms feet coming down the stairs and i instantly burst in to tears. i ran up and hugged her and i never wanted her to let me go. i love her so much. we sat down and ate breakfast and i waited for alex to come from the room. i was so excited to see his face. mustache and all. my heart was just bursting with happiness. it was kind of a chilly day, but we spent most of the day outside. we went to cathedral square, went in the cathedral (which i had never been in before?), went in to the clock tower (which i had also never been in before?), went up to Gediminas Tower, went to a cute coffee shop and then went to get ice cream. i had to leave to get back to school, but after i left, they went to a couple museums. after school, madi and mccall came back with me and we went to get kebabs with my mom (alex was out skating with his new friends). after kebabs, we went to mcdonalds because my mom had to try a lion mcflurry. VILNIUS DOESN'T HAVE LION MCFLURRIES. like what?? we were so annoyed. alex showed up later and got food. and while we were there we had 4 different homeless people approach us and ask us for money. the first one that approached us, alex asked "dude what drugs are you on?" and it was so funny/awkward. after that, alex's heart couldn't turn the people down so he was buying them all food. he really does have a heart of gold.

 one of my fav quotes from conference

 "do i look european yet?"

October 9-16: 
the 9th: i could of sworn my life was ending. it was a friday night so i was going to have a sleepover at my mom's hotel. i showed up at their hotel and alex was freaking out. we have never gotten in to such a big fight before in my life. he had his reasons, but it was just so upsetting all around. me and alex haven't always gotten along and this was just adding more to it. a positive to this night was that i got to take a bath at the hotel. IT WAS SO NICE. there were two twin beds in the room and so alex and i ended up sharing a twin bed after we had both told eachother we never wanted to talk to eachother again, we hated eachother, and multiple other things. it was kind of funny.

10th: i woke up in the middle of the night to a phone call from my grandma saying that uncle ken had passed away. with it being so late in the night, i had a hard time processing it until i woke up the next morning. i honestly could not wrap my head around the fact that he was actually gone. alex had a late night the night before and came home without his skateboard and phone. so he was on a mission to find those two things. he never found his phone, but later found his skateboard at a bar he was at earlier that night. i have never seen so much joy in that kids face. he was so stoked on life to find his board. we went to a crepe place for breakfast and madi and mccall met us there. after that, we headed to a Dali and Picasso exhibit. it was so cool. it was something that made me think of sophie the whole time, wishing she could be there. we also went to Uzupis because i knew my mom and alex would like the street art and the personality. we went to dinner and then brought my mom and alex back to our apartment. my mom really wanted to see it, because i don't think she actually believed me about how bad it was until she actually saw it. but i still think she was pretty shocked. they stayed for a minute and then had to leave because their flight left early the next morning. it was really hard saying goodbye. i was really sad to say bye to my mom, but almost more sad to say bye to alex. whenever i say bye to him, i never really know when i'm going to see him again. he is planning on entering a two year treatment program, so it could be awhile until i see him next. so that was really hard and i couldn't hug him tight enough or kiss him enough. it was really bittersweet. i was so happy they came, but so sad they had to leave.

the 14th: it was a wednesday, so we had institute at the nuttall's. i was still pretty upset about being away from home during this time. i was struggling. after the lesson and lunch, i asked elder nuttall for a priesthood blessing of comfort. i'm so thankful that i have the gospel in my life and that i have the power of the priesthood. that blessing made me feel so comforted and peaceful. i'm so happy and thankful that i have the nuttall's and the community that the gospel brings while i'm away from home. it is honestly such a blessing.

the rest of the week was kind of crazy because i was away from home and everyone was working on getting stuff ready for the funeral. i was sad that i couldn't be home with everyone because it still doesn't feel totally real to me. so i'm afraid to come home in December and not have him there. it will be really hard.

he found his skate!

uzupis

the a team

October 17-24: 

the 16th and 17th: kind of a crazy couple of days. the 16th was the day of ken's viewing and the 17th was the funeral. i was really sad that i didn't get to be there with my whole family. on saturday morning before they shut the casket, carly facetimed me so that i could hear the family prayer. my dad gave a really nice prayer and i was really happy that i was able to hear that. the plan was that she would keep me on facetime audio so that i could hear the whole service, but once they got in to the church i couldn't really hear anything. i could hear someone speaking, but it was very muffled. so i was sad that i couldn't hear it. but once they got to the graveside, carly called me again and i got to hear those services. i also got to see all of my family and talk to everyone. i was super happy about that. i was glad to talk to uncle dave since i had not been able to talk to him since everything happen. it was a very emotional day, but it was nice. i'm still afraid to go home at christmas and have him not be there, because it still doesn't seem real. 

the 23rd: the day of our halloween party! we were getting ready to go on our 10 day trip so we weren't going to be at school with our kids over halloween. so we had an early halloween! we had all of our kids dress up and we did different rotations. i did musical chairs, mccall did a sensory bag roation and made them touch gross things, katie and saffron did face painting, rebecca did bingo and madi did a photo booth. it was so fun to see all of our kids dressed up and just be able to play with them. 

the rest of the week was basically just a normal week. we spent our days prepping and teaching our littles. we were leaving on our 10 day trip so everyone was pretty ready to be done teaching and our kids were sick of being there. everyone needed the break. 

this is lucas. he is a huge ball of energy, loves kisses,

always wants to be held, and loves his teachers

this is masha. she refers to herself as a princess,

so basically we're the same person. she's the russian version of me

cutest dog ever

these were the coolest little arrangements

on the lawn of the kindergarten that we eat at!

 the rest of the month was spent in different countries and on a 10 day trip which i will write about in another post!

september favs

how is september over? this month flew by. but i'm ready for october because that means it's my birthday month! and birthday week starts tomorrow. so pretty much it's the best time of the year. but i thought i would share with you some of my favorite things from this month!

pringles: so far, this is the only american brand that we have found that tastes the same here as it does in the states.

madi: i don't even really know what to say about her. ya know how people say that heavenly father puts people in your life that he knows you need? yeah this was madi. i'm so happy and forever thankful she's in my life. we're literally the same person.

i mean honestly, she's perfect

the girl on the train: i read the best book this month!! it's called "The Girl On The Train". i finished it a couple weeks ago, but still am thinking about it. it was so well written and it had such a good story. and they're making a movie that comes out a little after i get home and i'm so excited!!!! i totally recommend it.

peanut butter: my mom and family was nice enough to send me a package all the way here. i waited almost 3 weeks for it but it was so worth it. it had things like mac n cheese, swedish fish, protein bars and PEANUT BUTTER. they don't have peanut butter here so to pull out a jar of peanut butter and just eat a huge spoonful was pretty much like eating a spoonful of happiness.

#soblessed

ooh x jon bellion: this has been on repeat for the past 2 weeks.

Vakaris: this little boy has completely stolen my heart. i love him so much! he's one of my best speakers and has the sweetest personality. i love seeing him everyday. hearing his little voice say my name just melts my heart.

facetime: i've been missing home a little more than normal lately so it has been so nice to be able to just call my family. it's so nice to just hear their voices and see their faces. and i always get to see naulie so that always makes everything better

rain: it rains here a lot! and i love it a lot. but everytime it rains i secretly wish it would be raining in st. george instead of here so that st. george could have the water. oops i'm a desert girl

family: i've loved and missed my family a little extra this month. s/o to you guys for being homies

p o l a n d

sooooo, we had our first 4 day vacation! we get two 4 days and one 10 day. we get school off according to the schedule that the local school here has. so we spent this one in poland!

so we got out of school on thursday, and we were taking a night bus to warsaw. the bus left at 10:30 and we got there around 5 the next morning. we pulled up to the bus station and the first thing madi says is, "wait, is this a joke?" it literally was nothing. it looked like just a city bus stop. and we still had to wait like another hour for our next bus and it was 5 in the morning and cold and there was nowhere to sit. so we went and sat in the closest metro station. the sweetest metro cop kept coming up trying to talk to us in polish even though we didn't understand. it was so funny!

so we got to krakow around 11, but it took us awhile to get to our hostel. we stopped to get something to eat and then we all had to exchange money because they don't use euros. it was a pain, but their money was sooo pretty so it was okay! it was about a 10 minute walk from the bus station to our hostel. poland is such a change of scenery from lithuania. i thought vilnius was green, but then we got to krakow and it changed my mind of green. trees EVERYWHERE. it was so pretty! we got checked in to our hostel and then went out. we walked around their old town for awhile and they had a local market going on so that was fun to see. it was kind of like a flea market. after that we walked up to a castle that overlook the whole town. it was so pretty!! after the castle, we split up. the other girls went to see some churches and we went to the mall. madi got some hunter boots for like $60. everything in poland was ridiculously cheap. after that we all met back up at the hostel and went for dinner. we went to this traditional polish place. they called it a salad bar, but it's not like what you're thinking. so you paid like 13 zlotys (like $4) and got 4 different items. and you got to choose 4 items from the salad bar. i had roasted potatoes, pumpkin soup that was to die for, pasta salad, and a cous cous salad. after dinner we went back to the hostel and we were all asleep before 10. it was a long day.

saturday morning we had a tour scheduled for Auschwitz. it is about an hour and a half bus ride from krakow. it was a rainy and gloomy day. we pulled up and the feeling was just indescribable. it's not what i expected. i was expecting concrete barracks, but instead they were pretty nice red buildings. i hate to say nice, but they were better than what i expected. we toured the gas chambers, torture rooms, and prisoners barracks. we toured where criminal medical experiments were practiced on women and children. we saw where innocent prisoners were lined up and killed. it's a hard feeling to describe. you learn about Auschwitz all through school and hear of all the terrible stories and experiences, but actually seeing it was a whole different thing. being there was a life changing experience. i don't even really know what else to say about it. it was a very surreal feeling. once we got back from Auschwitz, we hung out in the hostel for awhile and then we went in to the Jewish Quarters. it was a cool part of town and i was excited to go. we didn't spend nearly as much time there as i wanted. but while we were there we went to a place called Bagel Mama and oh my gosh. i got a bagel with hummus and it literally was so good. best hummus i've ever had. and i don't know if it was the best hummus i've ever had because it's been over a month since i've had hummus or if it really was that good. but i seriously was so happy. after that we headed back in to old town and we all split up. madi, mccall, and i went and got donuts and hot chocolate at a cute donut shop we found. it was raining outside and we sat and talked for quite some time in the shop. it was so fun. after sitting there for awhile we decide we were kinda hungry and we didn't really wanna go back to the hostel. we found a 24hr pierogi restaurant and decided to stop there. we got meat filled and spinach filled and shared the two big plates. they were so yummy! after that we headed back to the hostel and went to bed.

the next day we headed to zakopane. the bus ride was about two and a half hours. the polish country side was seriously so beautiful. we pulled in to zakopane and my heart almost exploded with joy. we were in a town that was completely surrounded by mountains. it reminded me A LOT of park city or springdale. i miss the mountains so terribly much. we went and checked in to our hostel and we were going to go on a hike before it got dark. it gets dark there around 6:30 so we were trying to hurry. the town was located right by a local national park. it was quite a far walk to the trailhead but so worth it. it wasn't much of a hike, but more like a nature walk. but it was so beautiful. it was raining the whole time which made it really foggy and pretty. we were surrounded by huge trees and pretty rivers. i loved it so much. i ALMOST felt at home. minus the red rocks. and their were too many trees and it was too green to be St. George. but hey, at least i was in the mountains. after the hike we split up. madi, mccall, and i went to find dinner. we ended up at a kebab place that literally was so cheap and had huge kebabs that were way good. after dinner we wanted a treat so we went to the mcdonalds across the street and got fries and a mcflurry. and let me tell you, you guys are missing out. they have a lion mcflurry here that they obvi don't have in the states because we don't have the lion candy bar. but WOW it is so delicious and so happy and i'm gonna miss it so much. and also, mcdonalds here are way nice?? it's super weird.

next day, was mostly a travel day. but we woke up in the morning and went to the park and then walked around town for a little bit. and then.. it was time to get on the bus. monday was miserable. we got on the bus in zakopane around 1 pm and got off in warsaw around 9. once we got to warsaw we had to wait 2 hours for our next bus back home to vilnius. so our bus back to vilnius left around 11 and we got home at 8:45 on tuesday morning. it was the worst thing ever. travelling on buses like that is not okay. madi and i got home and fell asleep for 4 straight hours. and i don't even remember falling asleep. it was an exhausting few days. but it was so fun!

xoxo,
ann

krakow

bff

street art in the jewish quarters

reflection in an espresso machine

kebab

sheep dog

 for red

 candy shop on the side of the road in zakopane

famous zakopane cheese stand