Saturday, December 31, 2011

Last Words

Bahahha I'm running out of 2011.
AKA I'm running out of time to thank 2011 for being a year of bliss and comfort. That's pretty much exactly what it was. I'd go through and list the things I loved about each month and my favorite pictures from each...buuut I'd be here for hours.

In hindsight, can I say that one year ago I dreaded the start of 2011. Simply for the reason that I would be spending it as a 20-year-old. I thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown when I left my teens and ventured out into the unknown TWENTIES! Silly girl, silly girl.

What was I thinking???

Being 20 in 2011 was superb. I seriously felt like I was living the life. Young, dating, single, working, not-working, efy-counseloring, figuring out my life, making plans, learning, excelling, failing, learning some more. Gosh it was good and it was comfortable.

2012 is going to be crazy. 2012 has been knocking at my door for quite some time saying, "Oh hey Noelle, enjoy 2011 cause reality is about to set in as soon as January 2012 rolls around. No more fun and games. Real world. Real problems. Real money. Real life. Buckle up, it's going to be a ride."
Just the fact that I'm trying to personify a year shows that I'm losing it doesn't it?

Quick rant: Bahhh these past few weeks have dealt strictly with preparation for 2012. Packing, purchasing, planning, preparing etc. It's exhausting I tell you. Don't get me wrong, I'm stoked for Peru and my internship, but perhaps I should have given myself some breathing space between the two. I have to find somewhere to live for my internship, find a car, figure out how on earth I'm going to pay for anything and everything and try and learn about the finances in a business (what my internship will be dealing with) all before I leave for Peru. I'm also getting my yellow fever and typhoid shots on Tuesday :(   I shall surely pass out.

Ok rant is over.

Yay for a New Year, new adventures and growth. Lot's and lots of learning and growth.
Cheeers!

Love, Noelle

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

We Three... White Girls

I had the pleasure of spending today with my dear grandparents at their home in St. George.

 Random Inapplicable Side Note That I Don't Want to Forget:  
My grandpa told us his and my grandma's love story... SO CUTE! 
Get this: Jan 1957-First Date, Feb 1957-Engaged, May 1957-Married! 
55 years, 4 missions and 18 grandchildren later, they are still in love and as adorable and wonderful as ever! But seriously, engaged after two weeks of dating??? Come on now!

Anyways....Lucky for me, their Christmas decorations were still up and I got to mosey around the house checking out their dozens of amazing Nativity scenes. My grandparents served in Peru and have several Peruvian-made nativities. They now mean a bit more to me than before and I'm sure that they'll mean even more to me when I see them next year after having spent 3 months amongst the Peruvian people.
As I was perusing through the nativities I found one that I just fell in love with. Particularly the three wise men who came bearing gifts to the sweet Peruvian baby Jesus.
 
Now, don't think me sacrilegious, but upon seeing this, I couldn't help but compare it to Abigail, Brittany and I bearing our gifts to the sweet Peruvian children in Cajamarca.

Can't cha see the resemblance??
 Abigail, Brittany and I have gotten to work on planning, preparing and purchasing things for our upcoming adventure to Peru. We've been gathering up books, school supplies, games, crafts, hygienic supplies ... Anything that we can get our hands on to help the children that we'll be meeting in TWO WEEKS. I feel like with every purchase or every plan made on behalf of these kids, I just love them more and more. I can't wait to meet them and truly fall in love with them.
I know what you're thinking.. " But you don't speak Spanish you crazy girl!!" I know, I know, but I truly don't care. Language and cultural barriers or not, I'm going to love these kids... and learn the language in the meantime.
Oooo I'm just so excited to go and can't believe that it's going to be here before I know it!
I loved this Peruvian Shepherd. We're going to reenact this picture the moment we find a sheep :) k ladies?
Also, in case you were curious, we will not have warm water or a stove in the place we're staying, but we will so have WiFi! So not to worry, blog updates on what we're up to will be posted here straight from Peru! Wahooo! 

   Love, Noelle

Friday, December 23, 2011

Not Your Average Family

These past few days at home with my family have caused me to reflect quite a bit on my unique family culture (I just took a family relations class and learned all about the different family cultures there are.. nothing in the book came even close to what I found in my house :)

Here's just a few things that I observed that may or may not be completely different from how things are done in your family. For better, or for worse.

1. We eat. We eat a lot. We eat together. We eat unique things.

Roast and Potatoes? Grilled Cheese? Only on a very rare occasion.
Usually our Sunday dinners consist of dishes that I wouldn't even know how to begin spelling and ones that many have probably never heard of. We go all out Chinese, Italian, Japanese, Mexican, etc. We eat well. We eat it together.

2. We cook together.

Whether it means having the whole family around the table making sushi rolls, or having us all in the kitchen working on separate dishes. I think its safe to say that we've all learned the basics as well as some unique cooking skills. We like to cook, and we're good at it. Check out our annual Rust Family Iron Chef Competition. It's legit.

2. Our scripture studies, family prayers and Family Home Evenings take about 10 times longer than they should... and it's not necessarily because we are being spiritually fed. We get off topic. We laugh. We do all sorts of things before we've finally accomplished what we set out to do.

3. Breakfast every morning.
My mom is amazing. Whether it's decadent french toast or plain ol' oatmeal, we always have breakfast. It's always there and we always eat it together. (P.S. When I say always... I mean almost always :)

4. We enjoy a good game of tennis.  We all know the sport. We all love the sport. We're all pretty good at the sport. Meaning that when we get together, tennis is almost always involved. It is so stinking fun to watch those boys go at it and play each other. They are so good! I also love that this is a sport in which I can take part of and hold my own.  We have way too much fun.

5. Our home is currently undergoing renovation... With our front room and entry completely un-usable, our house is a teensy, tiny little thing to try and cram the whole family+ visitors into beds, around the table or even in the living room for scripture study. But we ALWAYS make it work.

6. We have our own language, both audible and non-verbal. 
You'd have to experience us first hand to know what I'm talking about. It started with Daniel, but we've all picked it up in some form or another.

7. It is an unwritten rule that when dad is cooking alone in the kitchen, he is allowed to make as big of a mess as he'd like. 



As soon as dinner is complete, the boys leave to do.... You know, I have no idea what they do! While Mom (unless she's working on a talk ;) and the girls get right to work cleaning and singing until the kitchen is clean. As soon as the kitchen is clean and the dishwasher is running, we then all gather for scriptures and prayers. It's the same routine every night, and we love it.

8. Growing up, we made dozens upon dozens of visits to the elderly. 
Our ward has always had an abundance of elderly, and my parents were awesome about making sure that we visited those who we prayerfully chose to visit. This was a very, very common FHE activity. Coincidence that I feel at home and so happy while at Rest Homes in Rexburg...? I think not.

9. There are two very distinct subsets in our family. The boys and the girls. My parents first had four boys and then followed with four girls. Pretty original. I like it :)
10. We all love kids. 
These particular kids are some of our favorite :)
We're all great with kids. None of us are the type who instantly turn uncomfortable and awkward around little kids. We adore them. We love playing with them, babysitting them, teaching them etc.

11. We're a fairly musical family.

We all have at least one instrument that we excel in. We've got the guitar, piano,saxophone, bass, violin, percussion, clarinet, oboe and flute all covered...not to mention the 10 gazillion instruments that Daniel alone plays. On top of that, the boys are all fantastic on the piano and the girls can sing their hearts out. We pretty much could have a rock band if we wanted to.


12. We have a passion for the Beach.


 We gather all together at the beach at least once a year for our Jared Rust family Reunion. We camp out and spend all day everyday on the beach. Love it.

13. We are so easy-going.

None of us are high maintenance. We've lived our whole lives in such away that we know not to get too worked up if things don't go our way or if we can't see how something is going to work out. We know that it's going to work itself out and we'll get by just fine.

Those were just a few of the things about my family that make us a bit unique. The older I get, the more and more I adore these people!

And if you knew them, I'm sure you'd adore them as well :)

Love, Noelle

Dear Readers,

Guess what!?!? This is my 100th blog post on my Love, Noelle blog!

How do I feel?
Ehhh... like I've probably spent a bit too much time blogging and not enough time studying :) 
(although thank goodness my grades this semester don't reflect that, straight A's!)


Either way...
I don't mean to toot my own horn....but I adore my blog. I love being able to write my thoughts, and being able to look back whenever I want and be reminded of them.

Have I improved?
Immensely. I think I've come to find my own writing style and have become much more comfortable with collecting my thoughts and spilling them onto the screen. I also wish I had a screen shot of what my blog looked like when I first started... 'twas a visual-media-major's nightmare I assure you. It's come a long way, that is for sure.

The following short clips also have absolutely nothing to do with this post. I just love them and love mis hermanas.... so they had to go up. Happy 100th!


HELP!
Now it's your turn to help me celebrate this 100th post! Has there been a post in particular that you have enjoyed a bit more than the others? Have any made you laugh, cry or think about life? I hope so :) Let me know what you think! I'd love your feed back!

You can find some of my favorite posts here, here, here, here, here, here, here, annnnnnd here.   Pick one, any one and you'll find a post that I either enjoyed writing or enjoy reading.

Also, I'd love to come-up with a new name for my blog. Something classy, catchy and totally fit for my new 21-year-old adventures. Or should I stick with the "Love, Noelle"?? Decisions, decisions. Tell me what you think!

Thank-you dear readers,








P.S. A special shout-out to my Russian readers (the country only second to the U.S. who views my blog most often) It makes me smile every time I see you check in :)


Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Awkward+Awesome: The Strip

Hank (from Weiser) has been staying with us the past couple of days and has never been to Vegas. So we set aside Tuesday night for a night out on the town.

The Las Vegas Strip has to be the epitome of Awkward and Awesome. See for yourself.

Awesome: The Bellagio fountain Christmas show
 
Awkward: Drunk Disney characters lying on the sidewalks
 Awesome quickly turned awkward as he yelled at me for being cheap :(
Awesome: The guy on duty at the Jewelery store.
Us: "Sorry sir, we really have no business bieng here." The worker, "Don't worry about it, I don't really have any business being here either!"

Awesome: The man at the Bellagio who so kindly directed us back to our car, "Ladies, you should take charge."

Awesome: Australian Peter Lik's photography gallery. Gorgeous. See for yourself here.

Awesome: Gallery worker trying to get Hank's attention, "Hey Mr. Idaho, you're missing out over here."

Awesome: Australian boy with adorable Australian accent in the Peter Lik Gallery.

Awkward: Free...awkward stuff... and little kids picking it up... yuck

Awesome: The ballrooms in the Bellagio and Caesars palace.













  



 Awkward: Men in Kilts Awesome: Jellyfish ceilings

            Awkward: Two Elvis's??
  Awesome: All the gorgeous Christmas trees

 Awesome: Taking an elevator to the 29th floor
Awkward: Realizing that we only have access to the 27th floor

 Awkward: This picture Awesome: Aquarium with giant stingrays and cool fish.


 Awesome: How incredibly huge Caesar's palace is.
Awkward: Trying to leave Caesar's palace. It was so big, it was practically impossible to get out of there.
Awesome: How clean and classy the first part of the strip was. Trae Chik!
Awkward: How trashy and dirty the other part of the strip was. Bleck!

Awesome: Winter in Venice...
Awkward: Winter in Venice
 

Awkward: Arriving at the buffet at 8:40. "We close at nine and we'll kick you out at 9:20"
Awesome: Making it a race to see who could eat the most, the fastest, in a forty minute time period.
Awesome: Our waitress
Awkward: Our waitress thinking that I was speaking Italian
Awesome: Blake, rather forcefully: "You know what's good??? This potato thing is good, BUT I DON"T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!"

I wish I had a picture of my all-time favorite awesome part of the night. It's when you're driving into the Vegas Valley and you come up over the hill. I LOVE the moment right when you can see all the Vegas lights. You can instantly pick out the strip, but I love the glittering streetlights in the residential area. It's so beautiful!

What do you think about the strip: Awkward or Awesome?

Love, Noelle

Friday, December 16, 2011

"Home Means.... Nevada?"


A: Rexburg, Idaho
Sept 2009-Dec 2011

B: Overton, NV
Dec 1990-Sept 2009

C: Cajamarca, Peru
Jan 2012-April 2012

D: Riverton, Utah
April 2012-August 2012

Here's my question: How long do you have to live in one spot before it becomes home??  When I say, "I'm going home." Where will that mean??

Gosh I feel like I'm having a bit of an identity crisis:)


P.S. That little dotted line on the left (aka: the equator), I'm totally stoked to be crossing over that bad boy!





 Also, I thought I'd share with you a bit of my flight plans. I fly out of Las Vegas at 6am on January 11th. I will fly to Miami and meet up there with Brittany and Abigail. Oh I can't even imagine how great that reunion will be!!!

At 4:30pm our plane will depart from Miami and we will be Lima bound. We'll arrive in Peru at approx 10:05pm.

Please direct your eyes to the visual on the right. See that little red square with the 1 in it??? That my friends is where I will be sitting for the entire flight to Peru. I'm already rather found of that little seat. 36J! A window seat no less. I'm sorely hoping that Brittany and Abigail's seats are close by 36J. And I also hope we meet some fantastic people on our flight over. I'm sure we will.

Also, upon writing Abigail and Brittany's names so much, it made me wish that my name started with a C. ABC ya know? Then I relaized that my middle name starts with a C (Celeste) so I could go by that for the three months that I'm in Peru!!!
And then we could be Abigail, Brittany&Celeste. Buuuut. I probably won't do that. Because I like my name. And that would just be silly.

Ok that's all for now.

Love, Celeste
haha jk. Love, Noelle

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

It's The Little Things

You know that feeling when you make it inside right as you hear that first clap of thunder and it starts to pour rain outside. As if God was holding an umbrella above you your whole walk home and put it away as soon as you set foot into the comforts of your warm cozy home?


Then you run to your bedroom, kick off your shoes without putting them away and pull on your favorite plaid jammies all the while having a mug of water microwaving  so that you could enjoy a steamy cup of whatever your heart desired.

And then you curl up with a small fleece blanket on the corner of your couch and stare out the window and watch the dozens of students outside (who weren't as lucky as you) fleeing to and from their destinations while being mercilessly pelted by rain as you smile and sip your cider.

 And as you sit, stare and sip, you're steadily and surely reminded of how content you are with your life. About how miraculous this world you live in is.
You think about how much you love people in general.
It occurs to you that you'll only have the opportunity to meet and get to know a teensy, tiny percentage of them.
 As you stare out that window, you think of some of the greatest people you know. Your dad. Your best friend. Your roommate. A teacher. A bishop.

Then it hits you! Only a very few people in the world will ever have the opportunity to meet and get to know that individual, that friend, that parent, that bishop.
And you were one of them!
You were lucky enough to be able to rub shoulders with that great individual who has taught you so much. Billions upon billions of people will never know them.
But you did, and you do. How wonderful! You feel immense gratitude for that person and want nothing more than to call them up or send them a thank you card right that instant...
 But you don't. At least not right then. Because you're curled up on the couch watching little ant-like people scurrying about in the rain while you sip your cider and love your life.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Things To Do Before 22

Oh hey everyone. It's Noelle. THE TWENTY-ONE year old!
( I went to the Homestead on my birthday and Ila guessed that I was 15, Margie guessed that I was 19, and Oliver just said that I was "Old enough for me, oooo la la" ha... oh Oliver. Gross.

Gosh I'm going to like this age. I can already tell.

I've got to set goals or I'll get nothing done as a twenty-one year old.
We shall review these on the eve of my 22nd birthday and see what I've accomplished in the next 364 days. 

In no particular order... 

1. Ride a horse
2. Bear my testimony to someone in Espanol
3. Obtain a car and learn to love driving it
4. Come up with a talent that I could perform at any talent show if needed
5. Run a half marathon
6. Catch a fish
7. Secretly pay for the person in line behind me (at the grocery store, ticket office, toll booth, fast food..etc)
8. Become an aunt again and gain another sister in law (I know I don't have much say in either of these, but they're on my list, so they must happen!!)
9. Give someone my watch when they ask for the time
10. Be able to play at least 10 hymns beautifully on the piano without mistake
11. Meet the man I'm going to marry (We don't even have to start dating this year, I'd just like to meet him :)
12. Fix my chipped tooth
13. Print my blog into a book
14. Buy a real camera
15. Make a Peruvian Facebook friend
16. Visit South America
17. Be able to do 20 consecutive man push-ups at any given time throughout the year
18. Successfully complete an internship for the church
19. Have plans for a second internship (I'm thinking a second one for the church, or perhaps one in Wisconsin:)
20. Donate more money than I feel comfortable with to a really good cause
21. Give up my lunch, right as I'm about to eat it, to someone who needs it
22. Throw a fistful of glitter into the air
23. Memorize The Living Christ in Spanish
24. Do and record at least one act of service every single day.
25.  Double dutch jump-rope
26. Play in the snow
27. Compile all of my favorite recipes for my future family
28. Go through and clean out (aka toss) my "College Boxes"
29.  Re-Design my blog
30. Buy a whole outfit from a thrift store

I have a feeling that this year is going to be fantastic.  I know for sure that it will be a year to remember. I think that being 21 will suit me quite nicely.
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