.hashtag.insta.updates.

So I have a weakness. An 'insta-weakness'. I am instgramming everything and for those of you who are bothered by it #sorrynotsorry.

I felt like updating ya'll via instagram. Here we go!

1. my parentals surprised in me in paris...it was an emotional time for me. after not seeing and hugging them for 3 months...ya it was amazing. #bestparentsever #paris #cityoflove #reunitedanditfeelssogood

2. reunited with these beauties i call sisters and best friends. #sisters #3monthsaway

3. my favorite part of summer is snow cones. being with these kiddos make it that much more enjoyable! #summer #snowcones #missedthese3 #happygirl

4. oh this sister of mine. so glad to be home with her again. love my aubbie jo. #reunited #mybetterhalf #bestfriends #missedhertoomuch

5. chick-fil-a has become our best friend this year. we have gone at least 5 times. love this brother of mine! #byu #chickfilaatthewilk #bigbro

6. the pinnock clan went to bear lake and did yoga on the beach. such a fun thing to do! #bearlake #pinnockfun

7. a bonus that came from beyond measure is being friends with this beautiful girl. ladies and gents, abby ann falke! #bff #jambajuicelovin

8. i had to amazing opportunity to go visit my little anziano pinnock at the MTC before he headed off to italia. what a blessing. i miss him more and more everyday. #missionary #proudsister #bestfriends

9. this doggie of mine is my little shadow every time i go home. he is my little nugget. #mynugget #lovethisdog 

10. i have been working on making healthier lunches and dinners. #dinnertime #glutenfree #myfavie

11. i got to hang out with rapunzel and a bunch of 4 year olds for an afternoon birthday party. it was a dream come true. #disneyprincess #princessparty #tangled

12. the utes won this year. that's all. #gameday #goutes 

13. beyond measure is keeping me super busy. #beyondmeasure #acapella

14. this boy killed it... and i mean...KILLED it in rent. so incredibly proud of him! #trentinrent #amazingshow 

15. i seriously love the month of october. i would be okay if it lasted longer. #october

16. of course...i have a bajillion india instas. this one just so happens to be one of my favorites. #wildchild #india 

.oh.india.

Everyday I am missing my beautiful India more and more. There are days where life here in the states is nothing but stressful and overwhelming. I find myself having negative attitudes and thoughts. But then I have to remember what I learned over in India. Life is beautiful. Live it. I loved the experience I had over there and I would go back over there in a heart beat. I pray for my India family every night.

Things I miss about India:

>>Walking across the street. A girl in my India team even told me that I walked across the Indian streets like a boss. {her words}
>>Spitting on the side of the road without people giving me weird looks. Spitting there was a norm.
>>The ward. I miss them every day.
>>Bolly/Tollywood movies. Movie night anyone?
>>Wearing sarees. Even though the Relief Society would spend over half of the lesson retying them for us, I still loved how comfortable and beautiful they were.
>>While on the subject of clothing....I miss all of the beautiful Indian clothing. We would be sitting on the bus and us girls would 'oo' and ahh' over the beautiful sarees.
>>The service. I miss dedicating my life to service for 3 months.
>>The food...sometimes. haha
>>The prices. A bottle of water: 30 rupees...20 cents
                       A puff: 5 rupees... -10 cents
                       An entire meal... 65 rupees... $1
                       A saree...400 rupees... $7
                       An entire Indian outfit {pants, churidar, scarf}...800 rupees...$15
...ya you would miss the prices too.
>>The bus. We would meet so many friends on the bus. One of them even stole a cucumber for me.
>>Getting stared at {not the creepy stares}. I just loved feeling different.
>>The music. Seriously. I love Indian music!
>>Dr. Meera, Urmi, Bindu, Vacenta and Mary. My India mothers. I miss them everyday.
>>The children. Indian children are beautiful and full of so much spirit.
>>Feeling unconditional love each and everyday.
>>Being on my own. India was my thing and I loved how personal it was to me.

I still can't believe I lived in such a beautiful country full of so many beautiful people.

I am so grateful that India was the kind of experience that was so amazing that landing in the SLC airport was so incredibly hard that I cried my eyes out as that plane landed. I will never forget the amazing 3 months spend in India.

Oh India

"Bags are packed you're on your way.

But all you wanna do is stay.

How could you know you'd be okay

When that plane took you HOME for the first time?

Embrace the anchor of your life.

And hurry on and catch that flight.

And when you first stepped off that plane,

You know you're life has changed.

Oh India...I never knew you'd be so kind.

Oh India...I never knew you'd take my side.

Oh India...the way you pulled me in and changed my life.

Oh India...Oh India.

You settle in you find your stride.

At times you wanna change your mind.

You open up and you realize,

Your HOME is sitting there before your very eyes.

Oh India...I never knew you'd be so kind.

Oh India...I never knew you'd take my side.

Oh India...the way you pulled me in and changed my life.

Oh India...Oh India.

Nine thousand miles away you cry.

The children laugh you start to find,

the reason for this ache inside.

You're calling's here it's clear,

and now it is your time.

Oh India...I never knew you'd be so kind.

Oh India...I never knew you'd take my side.

Oh India...the way you pulled me in and changed my life.

Oh India...Oh India.

Oh India."

-Lyrics by T.J.E.

What a blessing it is to have met so many people that made

saying goodbye so incredibly difficult. 

.fall.2013.

Well I'm back! Sorry for the lack of blogging. Life really has been so crazy busy and I have so much to tell!
I am back in good ol' Zoobie land. Provo that is. This time around I am living at King Henry and so far it's been a really good experience. I love my roomies and the environment. The ward is so wonderful and everyone is so welcoming. So I guess you could say Fall 2013 semester at BYU is A LOT better than my Winter 2013 experience.

School is....hard. But I do love it. My professors really do take good care of us. They care for our success and they are so sweet. Even though they are a little older and some of them are a little....well old, they are so sweet and loving. The girls in my cohort are incredible! Notice I said GIRLS. Literally....ALL girls. I love that though. We all watch out for each other and are dear dear friends. I love them all.

Work is non-existent. I really wish I had a job. I would love to be working right now. Ever since I started college I have always had a job. I find myself manage my time better with school and a job. Plus, I'm making money. So ya...I could use a little cash. So if anyone knows of any job opportunities...let me know. This girl needs one!

Beyond Measure is nuts. Crazy crazy busy and a little time consuming. But hey. I love singing and being with those humans. They are all so wonderful and loving. Being part of the aca-community is fun. We had a dinner with Vocal Point and Noteworthy. Of course there was singing. haha I've learned a lot in this group.

Anyways...life is great and I'm trying to get by.

well.hello.

Well hello there!
My name is Annie and I stink at blogging.
I am now home from India.
It has now been 2 months since I left that beautiful journey...weird.
But I am home.
Healthy...well attempting to get there.
Safe.
Happy.
And hopeful.

For those of you who actually read my blog...thanks momma...I will be starting
to post come updates in the next few days.

A lot has happened.
I am a happy girl.

.sari.sunday.

Something that I love about India is the beautiful clothing that the women wear. Most of them have stuck to the traditional saris and churidars and let me tell ya...they are all so beautiful! The girls in the group have all bought some saris and churidars. We all wore them to church one day and got some pictures taken after. Too bad women in America don't wear this kind of clothing because it is soooo comfortable!

I seriously love these girls so much!

.english.classes.

Our HELP team had an opportunity to teach English to the members of the LDS stake over here. Although this was a very, very...VERY stressful project, I found it to be very rewarding. I loved sitting with the members as they listened to the teacher. I also had an opportunity to teach for a little bit. This was really different for me since I am used to teaching children. As soon as someone would grasp the concept that we were teaching them, their faces would light up and they would get the biggest smile on their faces. This was so rewarding for me. The vision of success. I have learned that English is NOT an easy language to learn. The members here are so eager to learn and their dedication is incredible. I learned more from them than they learned from me. Like I said...this project was very stressful and unorganized, but we were able to pull through and get everything done.

.dancing.in.india.

There are a lot of things I miss over here in India. Dancing is one of them. When we went to Gloconda Fort, Jenny and I were walking around taking pictures. "Annie...go over there and do a dance move or something. I'll take a picture." I don't think anyone realizes how stoked I was to do this. It was just a kick and a jump, but boy it felt so good to "dance" again.