Think of the happiest things. It's the same as having wings."

Hi. Hello.

Well, I don't have really anything planned to tell you all about so, this should be an adventure for everyone :).

So, first.... I didn't really take pictures this past week, so.... I thought I should just put some pictures up of wonderful things. I hope at least some of you will enjoy them :). I know I do!

So, I just got back from practicing my piano at the Church. It is a wonderful place to practice. I love it! The sweet cleaning lady that is there every day is so wonderful! I just love her. Nevermind that I've only seen her twice :). She is so cute. The first day, she just came in randomly and asked if I wanted a glass of water :). Anyway.... we did finally get permission for me to practice at the church whenever someone was there, which appears to be every day. Awesome. So, I have got to use a nice piano this week :). It is just wonderful.

Well, tonight I am going to my first Institute class. Before, it was Institute F.H.E. - Not the same thing. On Sunday we went to a big... kick-off party thing for it. We have these very large manuals, all in French. How great :). I am interested to see how it goes and if I get anything out of it :). Also, funny..... it is an Eternal Marriage class.... hehe. So funny. There is a D&C class, but that is on Wednesday. I will be able to go SOME weeks, but not EVERY week. Anyway, kind of weird, but I will survive I'm sure.

So, there seem to be some sort of radioactive mosquitoes here, because I get the craziest bites ever. I had one on my leg a while ago, and it started to get all purple and veiny looking... if you know what I mean. I'm serious... it is weird. But, one of the Sister Missionaries was telling me that when she first got here, she got a bite on her ankle and it swelled a ton. I have all these red swollen parts on my arms now :). And they are from last week!

Something funny. I've noticed that when French people speak English, they put H's everywhere they aren't supposed to be, and they take them off of all the words where they are supposed to be :). For example, last night we watched "Itch" with our "harms" folded.... so funny.

Well, I have recently become aware of something wonderful. Guillaume is a total nerd :). How wonderful. I am so excited. He is totally into things such as animes, superheroes, and video games. Well, due to my perfect brothers, I am somewhat of a nerd myself when it comes to these things. We speak nerd to eachother quite often. We have formed a great relationship :). Also, Batman is always the best, no matter what anyone else says.....

I love Batman!

I love waffles.

Brian, Brian, Brian........ "every little thing is gonna be alright."

Don't even worry.... he is just feeling how my hair is made of straw.

This is Pilaj. He is Amelia's teddy bear she got for her birthday.... this year :).

Yes, she was hanging shirts from her hair......

Well, I would write more but I need to get going. I love you "hall." Have the best week!

princesses don't marry kitchen boys.

Hello........

Cousin, I have missed you!


Well, I don't know about you guys but this day has started out pretty well for me. I slept in, I had hot chocolate and baguette for breakfast, and I am wearing Amelia's shirt so... it will be a good day. I can only hope that your morning will be half as good as mine!
Alright, so...... let's start with the opera :). So, Amelia and I arrived a little early because apparently if you aren't, they will give your tickets away. So, there we were...at the Grand Theatre waiting to watch Carmen, the famous opera. Very exciting! Well, the building is SO beautiful! Probably the most beautiful building I have seen so far. That is probably because they keep it so clean! So, that was awesome. So, we had really good seats which was so cool.. and not at the same time. I will explain later :). The actual room with the stage and everything was so beautiful! You can now look at the pictures.....


This is the ceiling of the room. It was beautiful! It had all these pictures, but I couldn't quite understand them. They seemed quite random, but I'm sure I am just clueless....

These are what the balconies looked like. Everything was so old. It was so cool. Also, the seats were so little, and there was NO leg space. This coming from someone with midget legs. It was made back when people were smaller :). So, you kind of had to rest your knees on the railing in front of you :).

This is Amelia. She is just lovely as ever. This was during intermission. We were just chilling.

This is me trying to figure out the meaning behind all of the pictures on the ceiling.... :)

This is outside of the doors. There are the beautiful pillars on the right, and the ceiling is just beautiful! I honestly can't even tell you how pretty this building is!

Alright, so you have seen the pictures. Now for the story. Well, I don't know if you know much about the story Carmen, but it is supposed to be in old Spain. How old, I don't know..... :). Anyway.... so this time, to make it more "interesting" they decided to make it in modern day Mexico! That was the dumbest idea, ever. Well, it ended up that Me and Amelia had to look away most of the time.... bad news. It wasn't so awful because the music was beautiful and I was looking at the board of the translation most of the time, trying to read the french and get some meaning out of the whole thing :). Well, so we got through the first half and then there was the intermission. Well, we walked around a little bit and then went to sit in our seats. Well, Amelia wasn't feeling so good, so I asked if she thought she was going to be ok for the rest. She said yes, but really I wouldn't have minded leaving... I heard it was going to get worse. Well... when it was about to start up again, the director (I think) came out and told us that the lady who played Carmen had fainted and was in the hospital! Crazy. She was coughing up blood apparently. So... the rest was canceled. We went home, had some eggs, salad and warm milk ( at 11:30 pm, yes) and went to bed. It was all ok :). I got to see the building and hear the music, which was the best part anyway. It was a fun night :).

Alright, so I have finally posted some pictures of Institute. It wasn't a very large group. There were only a few of us when we started. Alright, so first we have Vivien. He is the coolest guy ever. Also, he is hilarious. I can't remember if I told you about him before..... He is in the army at the moment. Before that he was a firefighter. Next he wants to be one of those cops who go break up fights and stuff :). That should tell you a little bit about him :). He is so cool. He is just like a little boy. I love him. He can't speak that much english, but when he does it is the funniest thing ever. Not even kidding. I love it. So, anyway, that is Vivien.

Alright, so the Institute building has a Wii. Yep, it's true. Guillaume brought "Just Dance," and we played it after the lesson. It was a party :). Guillaume can move his hips like no man I've ever met before..... it is a little weird. He has been told before that he would make a good girl..... :) hahahaha. Anyway, it was so fun. I even won a couple times! Here are some pictures of us busting some moves.

Alright, this is the group of some of us. This isn't all of the young adults, but it is a few. There is Charlotte, Corentin, Guillaume, Bobby (the cello), Vivien, Amelia and I don't have any idea who the guy on the end is.... Charlotte came for the first time. Another girl :). Anyway, that was a party. Corentin cut his hair! He used to have long hair that he put in a ponytail/bun thing every day. I am so excited that he chopped it! We all freaked out when we saw him :). So great :).
After Institute/Just Dance, we decided to go to KFC...... :)

Picking your nose with your pinky and thumb is the best way....

Anyway..... we had a party, obviously. Honestly, I love these guys. They are so much fun. ALL THE TIME........ Man. Anyway.... that is that. What a great place. I love it here :).

Yesterday, Me and Amelia went to the church to practice our instruments.. :). So, once my pinky felt absolutely broken, and I couldn't practice anymore, we left :). Then we went to Guillaume's house where we watched my new favorite series... "The Big Bang Theory." Hilarious. Then we ate delicious spaghetti made by Guillaume. It really was pretty delicious. Then afterwards we watched.... Final Fantasy: Advent Children... :). Yes.... :). All I have to say is it is a good thing Guillaume was there to explain it to us, or me and Amelia would have been totally lost! But it was fun all the same. Also, the hair! Amazing! I just want to chop my hair off to look like Cloud's. I am sure most of you don't know what I am talking about, but trust me... you would feel the same way...

Also, just in! France DOES in fact have some morals! I just barely learned that last night after Carmen, the people were booing! Yes! That will show those directors! I really am so glad. Hopefully they have learned their lesson :). No more sketchy operas!

Well, that is all for now. Be SO happy!

Better check your crystal ball again, Jafar!

Hello :). Yes, it has been a while. I have posted exra pictures to make up for it thought. So, "don't worry....be happy." First, we have a warm hello from Amelia and myself.

Well, that made me feel better. I don't know about you.... Alright, well it has been a good week! I will try to remember what has happened :)... Well, first I have posted pictures of my school. I promised I would, so here they are. Finally. Isn't it wonderful?? It is very close to my heart :).

Well, there it is.... I love it. So, I have already been to my two classes this week. A whole two classes :). But, they were both great and I am definitely loving them. Amelia came with me to my Solfege class again this week, just to make sure I would be ok by myself. I think I will. I found out my teacher can, in fact, speak English :). So, I suppose if it is an emergency she can whip it out :). But, I think I will be alright. Music is the universal language, isn't it? My piano lesson was good. It was very quick, but she said everything she needed so it was just perfect anyways. She is definitely different from any piano teacher I've ever had, but I love her for it :). She is so good too! I feel like such a dummy when I play for her! It's ok though.... that is why I am here after all. To learn to play like that :). Awesome.

So, I have pictures here.... I realize that they are a random, but I thought I would put them up anyway. You can just follow me around for a day.... sort of :).

So, this is me on the bus. This is where I sit for 30 minutes when I go to my music school. It is a magical place. I actually really don't mind the bus. It is pretty awesome.... except during rush hour when it is stuffed with sweaty people :). Not so magical then. Also, the girl on the right was super cute.... you can't really see her though.

This is when Amelia and I were waiting for the tram. This is the tram stop at Hotel de Ville. It is awesome. I thought it was quite lovely at night. I'm not often out at night, but I LOVE to be. It is so lovely. Everything slows down and it is just perfect. Very relaxing I think.

Amelia insisted on taking pictures of me. Yes, this is me moping or something......

This is the Cathedral.... I can't remember the name of it. It is beautiful though. I think I posted a picture of it a while ago......

Now this is me on the tram. I don't like the tram so much....

Ok, this is pretty hilarious. We came home that night and Amelia's dad had done this! He is hilarious. It is now his pride and joy. He brings it out all the time.

Alright, well.... this is on Trifle Day! September 21st for all of you who aren't aware. Amelia and I made a delicious Raspberry Trifle. It turned out so good.

This is Nadège, Alexis (Amelia's dad), Amelia and Coline. Nadège and Coline are the students who are also living here. They are great.

This is Me. Amelia once again insisted. Happy Trifle day to me.

It was so good. I would recommend it to everyone. http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Raspberry-Trifle/Detail.aspx This is how serious I am. Make it.

Alright, well..... I am trying to think of anything interesting. Well, tonight we go see Carmen at the Grand Theatre! I am very excited, but also a little bummed. Amelia's dad says that they have totally changed/ruined it. Sheesh.... wouldn't you know it? Oh well. It is an Opera all the same, so I am still excited. I'm sure it will still be good.

I can't remember if I mentioned this before or not, but on Sundays I play the piano for Primary. It isn't a calling or anything, they just needed a pianist :). Amelia is the music director in Primary so she just asked me if I would like to. Of course I said yes. I don't understand what is going on in Relief Society anyways :). Anyway, I love it! There are only about 15 kids in the whole primary so it is not a big deal. It is very fun. My new favorite thing is hearing little kids speak french! They are the cutest kids ever! I definitely have favorites already. One of them was wearing Batman shoes last week. Yes :).

Well, the new issue that being taken care of is finding a place for me to practice. There are students living here so we need to be extra quiet ( for sleeping and studying, etc.), which means I can't practice on the piano here. They brought out an electric piano for me to practice on when there is nothing else. Sadly, that is mainly what I have been practicing on.... This week I've practiced once at Adaline's house, and once at the church. We thought we had it figured out, but we apparently need to let the bishop know every time..... or something weird. Anyway :)..... life is wonderful. Really.....

Also, I would like to give a shout out to Benjamin Weyland and Caitlyn Law. The rulers of my heart. Go buy some chocolate for yourselves :).

Haha, I need to tell this story. Mainly for family because it won't be that funny for the rest of you. Well, once upon a time there was a boy named Brian Appel who decided it was funny to call me Linesay/Lionsay. Linesay... because he accidentally misspelled it, and Lionsay because of my "mane." It has actually stuck pretty well over the years. Well, the other day, Marc, one of my friends, thought he was so clever and said he was going to call me Lionsay because of my hair. I then explained to him that I have been called that for a while. He was pretty bummed at not being the first to come up with it, but he said he would just be a follower. Haha, funny. I feel right at home now :).

Alriht, well... I need to go eat food. I love you all. Have the best days.

"Oh, my goodness! Everybody behave naturally!"

Hi.

Well, I don't have THAT much to say today. I got all my classes over and done with for the week, so at the moment I am waiting for my laundry to finish washing :). Amelia has left to practice her cello at her aunt's house, and I am pretty bored to death :). So, here we go. Be prepared for a whole ton of rambling......

This is me on the tram squeezed between two seats :). It was rush hour...

First, lets start with my classes. I only have two. Solfege on Monday, and Piano on Tuesday. For Solfege, I obviously needed some help there because the teacher didn't speak english, and I am not able to speak french. So... Amelia came with me, and it went great. I am definitely the oldest one there, but I don't mind. The other kids are cute, so it's awesome. So, for the class we have to do things with rythm, and dictation, and singing the notes, etc. That is a lame description, but oh well. So we all know my voice is.... well, not good, so I was a little nervous about it. But it is pretty funny hearing us all try to sing the notes. Especially when they go really high. I definitely fit in nicely with the kids. It is a little weird though still because there are only 5 of us in the class, so.... it is a little weird. Anyway, hopefully I will be able to understand everything well enough that poor Amelia doesn't have to follow me EVERYWHERE. Speaking of which.... on Tuesday I went to piano lessons all by myself. Yes, I know I sound like a baby, and that is probably because I feel like a baby most of the time. I was very proud of myself. That may not sound so impressive for you but it involves lots of switching trams and busses, and catching the busses at the right time, etc. Plus, the music school is in Begles, which is a ways away. But anyways.... done bragging now.

This is the Grand Theatre. I get to go here next Wednesday and watch Carmen!

So my teacher is so cool! She is really short and REALLY skinny. A very tiny lady. She has this big black hair with little grey streaks in it :). It is so cool. She speaks english so that wasn't a problem at all, and she is about the nicest person ever! How did I get so lucky? I have no idea..... I love it.

Who knows?

There are now some random things I would like to mention. First, and I love this....the French people have their windows open all the time! At first I was a little paranoid about flies, knowing how fast our house in Utah filled when we left the door open for a while. Well, apparently France doesn't have flies.... or something? Well, no, just kidding, there are flies. I see them buzzing around trashcans on the street. But I guess there is nothing of interest for them in the houses. I think it is so cool! And they have these big tall windows, with the shutters and everything. It is so cool! I love it. At night they need to close because there are mosquitos, but it is cold at night anyway. Anyway... so cool. I love open windows... obviously.

This is Tasha the Cat.

Also, I need to take a picture of the chocolate aisle, and the cheese aisle.... yes, aisle. It is funny what is so important here :). Oh, and also..... they have all of these reasons why french people aren't fat. Well, I have found out why. So, a couple nights after I got here, we were having dinner, and afterwards Amelia's dad says, "oh, and I got some dessert!" So he goes to the fridge and brings out.... a watermelon. It is true. For dessert here they have fruit and yogurt. I am sure my family would have thrown a fit if they saw that. As for me, I think it is wonderful. Some people gain weight here. So far, I have only lost weight. Not to say that the pastries aren't wonderful. They are so good! But money is definitely a must-have if you want to have a pastry every day. As I am not spouting money, I haven't had many :). But as my family knows, yogurt is just about my favorite thing ever, so... if I get to have a delicious french yogurt every day, who needs a pastry? Really......

We went shopping one day and got to see these two awesome black guys dance. So cool!

Well, hopefully next time I will have more recent pictures. These are pretty old... Stay sweet.

Au revoir!