Getting Ready for the New Year

Today was a wonderful Christmas filled with surprises, wonderful gifts, and a sense of gratitude I have never felt before. I told Tony that all day long I could hear Mimi's voice from the night we helped the kids hang Christmas decorations in the orphanage saying "Vecela Koleda!" in a Tiny Tim sort of voice. It was a very happy, relaxing day, and I'm grateful for that.

Don't get jealous, I won't be relaxed for long! Tomorrow is an exciting, yet admittedly stressful, day. We found an apartment to live in (hallelujah) and we are moving into it TOMORROW! It's so beautiful on the inside. I'll have to post pictures after we get our stuff all settled in. I'm really excited for this new change in our lives. I am so anxious to get back to what I remember as "normal life"--Tony and I just chillin' out in the apartment while Tony watches a Jazz game and I either take a nap or study for some exam I procrastinated studying for. Ahh, the good ol' days :). So, yeah, I'm definitely excited for that event.

I am also excited/stressed about the upcoming semester at BYU! Hooray! The more school I go to, the more I like it. Weird, I know. I'm really excited for my new, interesting schedule. I'm NOT excited about the stinky generals I have to take because I put them off, but it's okay. I'll learn a lot of interesting things. If you are curious as to what I am taking this semester, take a look at THIS:

• American Heritage (a class I chickened out of my freshman year)
• Jogging
• Exercise Sciences
• The Living Prophets
• Adolescent Development in Society and Family (sooooooo pumped for this class)
• Parenting & Child Guidance

Sounds like a pretty fun-filled semester, eh?

I'm also job-hunting. This passtime is probably the one I'm the least talented at. I could go to 20 interviews in one day and not get a single offer. Maybe I need to change deodorant or something.... I am NOT happy about having to look for a job. Once I get one I'll be fine, it's the hunting part that stinks.

Tony and I have a lot of interesting challenges/changes/adjustments ahead of us this coming New Year. We are ready for them and we're excited to take new steps in different directions!

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! Have fun taking back your unwanted gifts :)

Christmas

This past week I've been filled with most of the feelings of Christmas. Tony and I did our shopping and I love buying presents for people! I finished up buy presents for my sisters and Caity (whose name I have in the name drawing), and I've just felt so wonderful all week long. I really felt like I was finally getting that taste of the Christmas spirit.

However, on Sunday there was a Christmas program and naturally most of the lessons were Christmas-based. Sometime during Sacrament I starting thinking about all of the kids in Bulgaria I worked with. What are they doing for Christmas? How many presents do they get? Will they get to see any of their family? Do they even look forward to Christmas like I do?

I slowly began to change my Christmas feelings. My heart was breaking all during church and I was ready to let loose the tears at any moment. I wish that I could send all of them gifts, I wish that I could give them the Christmas I'm so used to having and probably take for granted. I claim not to have money to send to the orphans in Bulgaria, but I just spent quite a bit of it for Christmas here.

Some of you probably wish I would just "get over it", but I can't. I miss Bulgaria. I miss my kids. I wish that I could give them the things I have, the things I've had for years. I pray for them everyday, especially when I miss them. It's even difficult for me to finish up my homework because everytime I do, I begin to get sad and teary-eyed.

I want to encourage everyone to think about someone else this Christmas. Someone who doesn't have millions of gifts to open, or a huge Christmas dinner. I think this Christmas I won't take things for granted like I have my whole life. I am so grateful for everything I have, and I only wish I could share it!

Answers!

Thanks everyone for asking such interesting questions!! I thought four days was a long enough waiting period, so here are your answers!

From Jeff
1. What was your favorite part of living in Bulgaria? (not
including the
orphans)

2. What was your favorite part of
working with the orphans?

3. What was your least favorite part of
both of those.

1. My favorite part of living in Bulgaria was the simple life. I especially love and miss this now that I am back in America. Everyone in the town I lived in was so laid-back and friendly, and we didn't have a lot of stress to deal with. It was almost like a vacation! I really loved how relaxed everyone was, and especially how friendly they were despite the fact that we were Americans.

2. My favorite part of working with the orphans was having those small moments of "connection." Every once in a while as I would be talking with or playing with one of the kids, they would look up and give me this look. They all did it the same way, too! This huge grin with big, wide, sparkling eyes that spoke thousands of words they could never describe. That's when I knew that they loved me, that I was in the right place, and that I was with Heavenly Father's children. I don't think anything could ever replace that feeling.

3. My least favorite part of living in Bulgaria would have to be the language barrier. Obvious, I know, but not all of you realize how incredibly frustrating it is to have so many thoughts in your mind and no way to express them! I could have really taught some of these kids more, but because I didn't speak fluent Bulgarian, it was difficult.

My least favorite part about working with the orphans was seeing some of the workers treat the children badly. One experience that I still have nightmares about (and still breaks my heart) is the night we went a visited and played with Unii (I'm not sure how to spell it, I think she has a Turkish name).

I guess she had done some pretty bad things like stealing, and using the bathroom in the sink, which are things she should be punished for, I agree. But when we were there and Tony was holding her, one of the workers came over and was telling Tony all of the bad things Unii had done. She then began yelling at this poor little girl saying, "no one loves you when you do things like that. No one loves you!" Unii began crying her eyes out and the other kids began making fun of her telling her no one loved her.

Tony, being the handsome, sweet guy he is, told everyone that he still loved Unii even though she did bad things. He said "I know that I make mistakes all the time and I hope that people still love me when I do, because I'm trying to be better. I think Unii is trying to be better too, aren't you Unii?" Tony made this little girl so happy, and I really think he taught the kids something in that moment.

From Susan
How did your stomach adjust to eating new foods?

My stomach had a pretty difficult time adjusting to the new foods. I had stomach issues for the first couple of weeks there and it gradually got better. Sometime in our Bratsigovo stay I declared myself a Bulgaria Vegetarian. I couldn't stand the meat there, but I eventually got used to it. They don't have beef in Bulgaria, only mincedmeat. Their chicken is also very different, I'm not sure how to describe it, but I don't like it!

From Janet
1) Did your experience in Bulgaria change you in any way, and if so, how?

2) What does the air feel and smell like in Bulgaria? (I know this is a strange questions, but it's one of the things I notice about different places)

1. My experience DID change me, quite a bit. One strange way it's changed me is that now I don't use as much toilet paper. They don't really use a lot there, and it's kind of pricey to buy, so I somehow picked up this little habit.

ANOTHER way it's changed me is that it's given me an amazing perspective on differences in people. When I first arrived in Bulgaria, I felt like I was on Mars with a bunch of aliens who spoke some odd alien language. I was constantly in a daze and thought everyone was rude. As I lived in the country, I grew to love these once strange people. I've always said and believed the phrase "we're all God's children" but never before had it held so much meaning as it does now. I love the people of Bulgaria. They are my brothers and sisters. I've been able to take off my red, white, and blue USA goggles and look at these people for what they are....people! They're just like you and me. They love to laugh, hate to cry, have friends, family, fun. It helped me build a stronger testimony of the fact that we are all children of our Heavenly Father, and that he loves EACH of us.

I think I'm also more culturally aware and more accepting. I feel that I'm a more well-rounded person because of this experience. I don't regret going, not the least little bit.

2. This is kind of funny question. The air in Bulgaria STINKS! In Bratsigovo it smelled like manure and burning trash all the time, in Plovdiv it smelled of exhaust. The people there also have their own unique scent, very different from our heavily-purfumed USA scent. They contributed to the smell of the air as well.

As far as feel goes, it actually felt a lot like Indiana, humid. My hair was always frizzy and my lips never chapped (something I'm struggling with now that I'm back in the desert).

From Shannon
Did anything make you laugh so hard you almost cried? (I'm just thinking of some of the antics of our rest-home ladies in Mexico :)

Did anything just make you cry?

The only time I can think of where I laughed so hard I almost cried was when I was teaching some of the girls the Thriller dance. I told them one of the moves was called "Booty Bounce" and when I showed it to them, they all fell to the floor laughing (it's a little pelvic thrust). I began laughing with them and we couldn't stop for at least 5 minutes.

Yes, several things made me cry. I think the day I cried the hardest was when we moved into the orphanage. That was quite a shocker for me to live in the boys hallway of an orphanage. I was fine, though, just a little tired and shocked.

From Amy
What was something that you were not prepared for? How did it turn out?

I wasn't prepared to talk as much as I had to at the second home. When I taught Thriller, I did it all by my lonesome with no translators. Holy cow that was hard! I wasn't prepared to actually say much and I had to. It turned out wonderfully! As you can see here.

From Kimi
I heard that while Tony was gone he became $10,000 in debt and is in trouble for not paying child support...What can/are you guys doing about his identity being stolen? What are you most looking forward to about being home, in america, around family again?

*SIIIGGHHHH* It's true, it's all true. Word sure gets around fast! Let me explain: when we came home, both of our cars were looking death straight in the eyes so we decided to look for a new (used) car. We found a cute little Honda that we fell in love with so we skipped over to Zion's bank for some financing fun. Everything was going our way until the Loan Officer told us that Tony had a $10,000 judgement against him with Child Protective Services. ...Long Story Short....we went to the court and they actually had changed it last year when Tony called about a mysterious child support letter he got in the mail. They just never told us it was on his credit. We got enough proof to show the loan officer it wasn't Tony and we now have the Honda! Woo! We still have to call the credit agencies and get all of it cleared off. NO FUN.

Well, I was looking forward to settling in and relaxing but that sure hasn't happened. The floor has kind of fallen from beneath us with all of this credit stuff. Our apartment manager is kind of...excuse my tone...ignorant, and so we don't really have a place yet, but that's okay! We have two new (used) cars now!!!!

From BookLoss
What are your plans now? And what is this about identity theft?

My plans are to go back to BYU in January and begin another fun-filled semester. I keep leaning more and more towards being a social worker for my career, especially since the director at the orphanage said I'd be the best one, haha.

See above for answers on identity theft.

So, there you have it. I hope I answered your questions to your liking. If you have more questions, I suppose you can always ask me by leaving a comment or something.

I just want to say that I DO miss Bulgaria. I've been sitting here all day trying to finish up some homework for my internship and everytime I get into it begin to get teary-eyed. Everything was wonderful there, and with the luck we've been having lately....I REALLY miss that place!

чао за сега

Q&A with Hollie

So I know that I've been home for almost a week and haven't posted anything about my travels/Bulgaria/adjusting/sadness/happiness, etc. The cold, hard truth is: I'M TIRED! Man Jet Lag stinks! So, I've decided to make it a little easier on everyone (mostly me) and just do this:

You guys can ask me ANYTHING you want about my recent Bulgarian experience and I'll answer them all in one giant post. There are no question limits so if you think of a juicy one after you already posted, that's OKAY!

So, have at it. Pick my brain.


GO!

Hey

We were stuck in the Paris airport for 19 hours.

We're not stuck anymore.

See you later tonight.

We're Famous! Well, Sorta...

Check us out in One Heart Bulgaria's recent newsletter! (Pg 6)

Things That Make Me Laugh

Being in a grumpy mood, I went searching for a video my infant development professor sent me a while back. I found it and it made me laugh SO HARD! I then found another favorite funny video.

I put them here for all of you grumpy pants like me.

Healthy Series Part 3

Weight Watchers


The Weight Watchers Flex Plan is the more commonly known plan offered by Weight Watchers. Point values are given to each individual based on gender, height, current weight, and physical activity. The point (no pun intended) of this plan, and the Core Plan—Weight Watchers’ other plan option that focuses on whole foods from a “core group” and less on Points values—is to give the individual more freedom with what they eat, realizing that restricting foods altogether can sometimes cause utter diet failure when temptation becomes too much to bear.


You can eat what you want, when you want, as long as you stay within your allotted Points. Different foods obviously have different Points values. A carrot is nearly zero points while a 3” piece of chocolate cake is somewhere near thirteen. The Points values don’t necessarily have anything to do with calories; their purpose is to teach individuals what foods are most beneficial to their health. Their motto is, “It’s not a diet, it’s a way of life.” They are cutting back calories while teaching members what foods are actually GOOD for you. Simply reducing calories isn’t enough if you only reduce the calories of your chips and soda diet.


If you include exercise, you can earn more Points to “spend” on foods. Members of Weight Watchers that follow the Flex plan are also given 35 extra points each week that they can save use on special occasions, an evening out, or to redeem when they’ve slipped up and taken a second helping of the birthday cake in the office.



PROS:

• Allows the individual to choose what foods he/she eats-Encourages a healthy lifestyle, not just a calorie cut back-Encourages exercise (always good!)
• Gives room for slip-ups and special occasions like Thanksgiving/Christmas-Offers weekly support group & weigh-in to help you reach your goals
  

CONS:

• Keeping track of every single point. While this in the end is very beneficial, it can seem quite burdensome to those who work, go to school, etc. Several people I’ve talked to have not considered weight watchers because of this aspect of their program. There is, however, the new Core Plan that eliminates the point counting to some extent.
• Doesn’t necessarily encourage a good balance of the food groups. You could munch on beef jerky and carrots all day and fulfill all of the weight watchers requirements, but you’re missing out on your fruits and grains!

Cost: $39.99/month for meetings, internet member access, tools for counting Points, etc.
Long-Term Effectiveness*:
Your Doc would Recommend it:
Easy to Follow:
Universality :
*In 1993, Weight Watchers International conducted a survey of its Lifetime Members to ascertain maintenance of weight loss after 1-to-12 years. The survey was conducted by telephone with a random national sample of 1200 people and relied on self-reported weights. Among Lifetime Members, the average weight loss achieved to become Lifetime Members was 28.8 pounds; two-thirds (67%) reported continued maintenance of their original weight loss within 5 pounds. The percent of Lifetime Members maintaining their weight loss ranged from 97% for those who had achieved the loss one year prior to 37% for those who had completed the weight loss 5-12 years prior to the survey. This data challenged the often-cited statistic of a “95% failure rate” for weight loss programs

TOTAL: 4.0 OUT OF 5

I'm Such a Sucker

I keep stumbling upon all of these darn giveaways and do I learn from my losses? NO! I keep trying, like maybe some day I'll win.

Someday?

Scribble It GIVEAWAY!!!!

Maybe I should just steer clear of Pink Flowers Pretty from now on. There's too much temptation there! :)

Dash it All!

Two giveways in a row...and I was shafted both times.

That outta learn me.

Healthy Series Part 2

The Atkin’s Diet
The Atkins Diet involves restriction of carbohydrates to more frequently switch the body's metabolism from burning glucose as fuel to burning stored body fat.

The diet consists of four phases: Induction, Ongoing Weight Loss (OWL), Pre-maintenance, and lifetime maintenance.

The Induction phase is the first, and most restrictive, phase of the Atkins Nutritional Approach. It is intended to cause the body to quickly enter a state of ketosis. Carbohydrate intake is limited to 20 net grams per day The allowed foods include a liberal amount of all meats, fish, shellfish, fowl, and eggs; up to 4 ounces (113 g) of soft or semi-soft cheese; salad vegetables; other low carbohydrate vegetables; and butter and vegetable oils. Drinking eight glasses of water per day is a must during this phase. Alcoholic beverages are not allowed during this phase. Caffeine is allowed in moderation so long as it does not cause cravings or low blood sugar. A daily multivitamin with minerals is also recommended to boost energy levels. The Induction Phase is usually when many see the most significant weight loss — reports of losses of 5 to 10 pounds per week are not uncommon when Induction is combined with daily exercise.

The Ongoing Weight Loss (OWL) phase of Atkins consists of a small increase in carbohydrate intake, but remaining at levels where weight loss occurs.

Pre-maintenance. Carbohydrates intake is increased again this time and the key goal in this phase is to find the "Critical Carbohydrate Level for Maintenance."

Lifetime maintenance. This phase is intended to carry on the habits acquired in the previous phases, and avoid the common end-of-diet mindset that can return people to their previous habits and previous weight.

How long you stay in each of these phases isn’t set. According to the Atkin’s professionals, if you have 40 pounds to lose, you stay in the induction phase until you’ve lost 20-30 of those pounds. Then you move on to the next phases. If you have less or more weight to lose, it’s different. It’s a personal decision and depends on what you want to get out of the diet.



PROS:

• Rapid weight loss. As mentioned above, you can shed 5 to 10 pounds a week.
• Simple and easy to follow. Since your food choices are very limited, it’s easy to know exactly what to eat.
• You decide when to move from one phase to the next. There’s no pressure to move on to the more difficult OWL stage if you’re not ready. You can stay in the induction stage for as long as you feel you need to.

CONS:

• Rapid weight loss does not allow you to easily KEEP the weight off. A healthy rate of weight loss is .5 to 2 pounds a week. This rate is the best to go with if you want to easily maintain your new weight.
• The diet doesn’t worry about overall health, just how much weight the dieter can lose.
• Loss of energy and slow metabolism. Carbohydrates are the body’s source of energy, and the Atkin’s diet deprives the body of most of the carbs it needs to keep chugging along. The Atkin’s diet recommends taking a multivitamin to compensate for this lack of energy that your body naturally gets from foods like carbohydrates.
• Lose muscles quickly causing loose skin. When your body loses weight at a rate of 5 to 10 pounds a week, you lose a lot of muscle very quickly, not giving your skin enough time to respond to the shrinkage going on everywhere else. You can prevent this somewhat with exercise, but how are you expected to exercise with only 20g of carbs a day?
• Lack of support system. Unlike Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig, followers of the Atkin’s diet must seek their own support system. Sometimes this can be very difficult.

Cost: While there is no monthly registration fee like other programs, buying all of that red meat can be pretty pricey.

Long-Term Effectiveness*:
Your Doc would Recommend it:
Easy to Follow:
Universality :
*http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200409/s1192092.htm




TOTAL: 2.75 OUT OF 5