Best of 2008

I am, like my sisters, a sucker for pop culture/celebrity, entertainment-ish-ness. And, because that description was completely incomprehensible, I will give examples: People magazine, Us weekly, etc.
My favorite thing about these magazines (other than their sheer ridiculousness) is the lists that they often make around the end of the year of the year´s best things. Best dressed, best performance, best hookup, best tv series, yada, yada, yada.
So here´s my personal Best of 2008:

Best Adrenaline Rush: Skydiving- A ridiculous sum for a ridiculously short few minutes. But so, so worth it. I implore you all, young and old, brave and gutless, to do this thing.

Best Celebration: Easter at the Garden Tomb- Oh, happy day! Happy day! I love evangelical Christians. I love the King of Kings Worship Team´s Christian rock tunes. I love singing at the top of my lungs and jumping around with Joe Johnson. I love fiery sermons. I love waking up before dawn to be a part of all these things. And, most of all, I love the Resurrection. So, yes, I´m going to celebrate Jesus. Gladys Knight-style.
For a video of this celebration, go here.

Best Surreal Moment: Arrival in Cairo- Our bus trip to Egypt was rather less than eventful. Sinai is beautiful in a very deserted, deserty way. But staring out at all those shades of tan kind of just made me thirsty. So when we could see Cairo from the bus after a very long drive, I was thrilled -- and then we got into the actual city. Cairo is dirty, maybe the dirtiest place in the world (or so say those more well-travelled than I). Also, it is crazy. As we drove to our hotel, there were technically 2 lanes on the road, but there were 4 lanes of traffic and everyone was speeding and no one was looking where they were going. (Later that night, I would nearly be killed after a drunk man grabbed my butt and I ran away from him into the street -- and oncoming traffic.) Stuck in this traffic jam, we saw 3 dead guys and several dead camels as well. In the middle of the city. And then, looming above it all, I suddenly saw a giant, black triangle outlined against the twilit sky to my left -- and then another, and then another. I had been imagining that the Pyramids were perhaps a tad over-rated: an architectural feat, to be sure, but also a bit of a tourist trap. And, yes, they were said trap, complete with seas of camera-wielding Japanese and umbrella-raising tour guides. But they were also HUGE and incredible and impossible and exhilirating and completely, totally surreal. I LOVED THEM. And pretty much all of Egypt.Best Adventure: Petra- The coolest place I´ve ever been. Wandering through narrow paths cut out of the coolest-looking rock I´ve ever seen; looking up at cliffs that seem to touch the sky; seeing, through a narrow rock opening, the Treasury carved right out of the rock; hiking up to the Monastery; racing through ancient streets to fit everything into one day; a trecherous donkey-climb up to the High Place; and, finally, galloping a horse (yes, galloping; I was terrified and my form would have embarrassed my mother, but I galloped. Giddee-yup.) out, Indiana Jones-style.Best Meal: Falafel at Petra Basin Restaurant- Maybe it was because I had been running around all morning and was starving. Maybe it was the atmosphere. Maybe all my senses were heightened on that blissful Jordanian day. But one bite of that falafel literally made me stop -- chewing, breathing and thinking, everything but one thought: I am in love with this falafel ball. It melted in my mouth. It melted my heart. I ate more and more, with hummus, with pita, with salad, with tzatziki, with ever-growing love for the man frying up those bits of deliciousness. Not just the best meal of the year. The best meal of my life.

Best Job: EFY Counselor- I love playing stupid games, I love getting-to-know-you activities, I love devotionals and firesides and spiritual meetings of all kinds, I love group prayer and scripture study, I love crazy, well-lit dances, I love new people, I love goofy skits and talent shows. In short, I am incredibly Mormon. And thus, I love (clap-clap-clapclapclap--clap-clap-clapclapclap--clapclapclap-clapclapclap) E-F-Y.

Best Book: TIE= Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert The Year of Yes by Maria Dahvana- I don't know why, but this book was so hilarious to me that I spent a large amount of time laughing out loud and having people stare at me while I read it.Best Blog: This one. This is Chris Lundeen´s sister, Krista. It maybe is weird that I still look at her blog even though I broke up with her brother. But I loved his whole family and I miss his sisters a lot. I love Krista´s photography, her recipes and her taste in everything from music to design.

Best City Moment: TIE= Floating along San Antonio´s Riverwalk all aglow in its Christmas regalia.

Running through downtown Chicago with Bryce Gandy, trying to take it all in before our car, which was parked in an illegal loading zone, got towed.

Listening to Explosions in the Sky while walking through West Jerusalem. Best Band: Explosions in the Sky- Listening to this while working on the factory line at Pepperidge Farm would make it feel like the most epic, transcendental thing you´d ever done. Download ¨The Only Moment We Were Alone¨, go outside, lay on the grass, look up at the stars, push play and see if you don´t feel like you are the most invincible, loved, alive thing on the planet.Best (Coolest) Person: David Rolph Seely. As my Ancient Near Eastern studies teacher in Jerusalem, Bro. Seely got me excited about history. This might not sound like much (and it certainly sounds like what every person says about their favorite high school teacher), but I really dispised the subject before his class. I always wanted to love it, but just never did until this man opened his mouth and I decided that there is probably nothing cooler. I also decided that I want to be exactly like the Seely's when I grow up because they are hands-down the coolest family (aside from my own) that I have ever met.
Best Friend: Chris Kirkham. Just the coolest person of all time. Best Laugh: Matt Funk in Galilee. Matt used to do a lot of improv comedy back in the day. And so, every night we were in the Galilee, I went to his cabana and just listened to him talk. And laughed and laughed and laughed. So funny is he that I have an ongoing document on my computer of quotes from him that are just too dang funny to forget. All around, a classy and awesome guy.

Best Decision: Coming to Ecuador happened really quickly and strangly. But I'm so glad I'm here. I have learned an incredible amount in a few short weeks and fallen in love with some amazing kids. It's all a testament to me that the Lord can and will always turn the bitter into sweet when we trust in Him.