tuesdays tune

Selfies

So I had never really taken a "selfie" until recent. I was introduced to an app we call snapchat and the rest is history. People had explained the point of this app back when I got off my mission but I never really understood why people liked it. I mean isn't it vain taking a photo of you and only you?
Who really looks good that close up anyhow! Don't you feel stupid snapping a photo and other people looking at you thinking selfie!? Just look how ridiculous this 50 year-old woman looks behind Ashley and I.

After taking more awkward selfies than I can count and deleting more photos then I actually send :) I'm now a defender of the app. I can carry on snapchat selfie convos, I still think it's utterly pointless but who cares!

Have I mastered the selfie taking pics? Heck no. Don't know if I will ever get there. Just look at these photos my sister and I TRIED to take when she came down to DC for a slumber party shopping weekend. I wouldn't let her go home until we successfully took one selfie together. Mission failed. Between her eyes being closed or us laughing mid photo (hence the blurriness) it was a total disaster.

                 

                 

So here's to the only selfie of the 73939101984747  photos I've snapped that I look remotely... decent?  Or emotionless? Or bored? Or maybe I just like that necklace. While I have gotten over the I'm-too-cool-to-take-selfies mentality, I still need some help.

                                      

I'm still opposed to posting a pic like this on FB or Insta and don't know if I will ever will get over that (I think that's a good thing?) but here's to improving my selfie skills one selfie at a time. 

to the time

So a couple weeks ago my dear best friend went through the temple for the first time. It was an unforgettable moment and words won't suffice as to just how unbelievable proud and happy I am for this girl.

A year ago she made the decision to get baptized.

And who would've guessed that exactly a year later she would make an even bigger covenant with God and go through the temple? I did! :)

It has been so amazing to have seen Erika's journey and the beautiful person she has become. It all started at the 2012 Halloween dance. We were in the church bathroom when I struck up conversation with her and Rebecca...not an awkward place at all which is why I love Brasilians! We exchanged numbers, went out a couple weeks later to eat Brasilian food and the rest is history. 

Erika has allowed me to be apart of her life and journey and for that I am eternally grateful. She has been more than a blessing in my life. 

I was there the first time she went to institute, stood up and introduced me (as if I was the visitor, not her)! To the time we went to see the temple lights and she dissed the Sister missionaries and told them that if she ever had questions she'd ask Rebeca and I, not them. To the time the missionaries first approached her after institute and she felt semi uncomfortable. To the first time she laid hands on a Book of Mormon and told me she would read it. To all of her lessons with the missionaries.  To the first time she said she prayed about the church and knew it was true. To the time she accepted baptism. To the time she started feeding the missionaries before she was even a member. To the time I saw her dressed in all white and was overwhelmed with emotion and tears on the day of her baptism. To the time she gave her first testimony. To the time I helped her write her first talk. To the time she accepted a calling in her ward. To the time she promised to never work another Sunday. To the time she became a member missionary and taught others through her personal conversion. To the time I saw nearly her whole family discover the truthfulness of the gospel in Brasil and get baptized. To the time she sent me a picture of herself in her first one piece. To the time she got out her patriarchal blessing. To the time she swore she would never wear garments to the time she was counting down the days until she could wear them! To the time she decided to remove some of her tattoos despite the costly procedure.  To the special reunion with Elder Nelson (missionary who'd taught her) and our friend Tom (intern at the time who'd participated in all the lessons) the weekend she went through the temple. To the time I captured a glimpse of Heaven, as I witnessed her in all white inside the temple. 

To this time, I will never forget. 

dang it dang it dang it!

Sadly, after 2 long years with my iPhone 4 I had to part ways. While I loved the cracks on the screen, the fact that it died in the toliet and was resurrected, randomly froze or turned to a white screen, added a blurry effect to all my photos and made my adding/deleting apps a well thought out process due to my lack of space, I just had to let it go. 

What did that mean? A new iPhone 5s Gold (might I add) iPhone.  I have only been drooling about this for the past year! I met a new person named Siri, deleted my flashlight app because it comes with one, I text someone a date/time and it marks it so I can store the date in my calendar, my fingerprint opens the phone, and can we just talk about the new iOS? I realize people have had this for some time but not me! I didn't have the space. I mean I did. But my phone was jacked and saying I didn't. So let me get all designer on you and tell you the look of  the new iOS is SO beautiful. I love the feel. It's clean, sophisticated, I love the flatness, the transparent effects, the typography….Ok I will stop boring you. 

When I got my new phone it's safe to say I felt like Ivy in this video. 

Merry late Christmas to me!

its true

I haven't blogged in quite some time and maybe this is why. In case you had your speculations, I'm saying it here.... I have a boyfriend. Weird huh. Nate called it early on. He too found the news rather shocking. Thanks Nate. What a great friend you are!

walking dead

I am obsessed. Work has been slow. In the Summer quarter there's not much going on.  So what do I decide to do? Become a Walking Dead junkie. I started and maybe finished all 3 seasons of Walking Dead. I'm not even going to go into how long or shall I say how short it took to finish all of them. Slightly embarrassed but for all those who have seen the show, you'd understand. And for all those who haven't, you're missing out. It only stands as having the highest ratings on its premiere night than any other show in Cable history! So here's what has happened since I started watching the show..

I maybe went to the AMC website and "Deaded Myself"

I know you want to dead yourself too

Don't I look good as a Zombie?

I maybe had a dream that I actually remember (it's a miracle) where I was killing zombies left and right.

I maybe start thinking people on the streets were are zombies and out for the kill.  Yesterday was no exception. As I was walking home from the metro there was a lady hobbling in front of me. Something was wrong with one of her legs and what did I instantly think? Zombie! Where's my knife so I can stab her in the head. Ok..that last part was a joke. I haven't turned all violent and everything but I have imagined some people as zombies. I have a problem. And admitting it is the first step to recover right?

Time to start watching something else... that is until the Walking Dead Season 4 premieres.  Already counting down the days. Can October come any faster??

drum roll

I'm the new Relief Society President. Who called it? Not me! I'm pretty sure I did this when the Bishop told me the news.

Except imagine 2 hands on my head, saying what?! telling him that it's a HUGE responsibility, that I've never been in any RS presidency before, that I have only been in the ward a short time, that I am really young and the list goes on. I was shocked.

When he told me he wanted to talk to me I thought... why me?
Did I just speak in church? Check.
Did I just get a new calling? Check.
Did he just ask me about my love life at the Summer Soiree activity a couple days before and did my reposnse get cut off due to a sudden distraction? Check.
So maybe that's why he's calling me in? To hear the rest of my story? Wrong.

Now that I have had a couple weeks to let it settle in, now that I officially got called on Sunday, now that he's set me apart and come Sunday I will have a full presidency up and running I am feeling a little bit better about it all.

When he called me in the first thing he wanted to know was whether my job was official or not. I had to say no. He extended me the calling anyhow and the next day I got my official offer letter. I love how the Lord works.

I guess I'll be staying in DC for awhile. One of the other RS presidents said to me on Sunday "here's to the next 3 years or until you get married." I guess only time will tell which will happen first. And remember in my last post when I said my life was busy and it was only going to get busier? Ya. I'm already starting to feel it. Wish me luck...

Duck Beach

Lately I've been busy. But this isn't anything new. I'm always busy. And my life is just about to get even busier. It might have taken me days to get through this post but I did it.

Sooo lots of things have been happening but my 2 highlights were
Duck Beach round #1 with my friends and
Duck beach round #2 with my family.

Duck Beach Round #1 was Spring Break gone wild mormon style. People from all over the United States congregate Memorial Day weekend to....go to the beach when some people have one in their back yard or less than 15 minutes away?  To come meet other mormons when they are living in Utah and the whole state is populated by them? Or my personal favorite to go and meet "the one." I guess that has happened for people in the past but like my favorite movie says in "He's Just Not That Into You" those people who actually met "the one" at Duck Beach are the exception, not the rule.

It obviously didn't happen to me and I'm not bitter by any means. My goal for the weekend was to get a tan and I can easily say...mission accomplished.

All those people ahead of us...Mormons after Mormons after Mormons

So just 2 weeks after that I had Duck Beach Round #2.
It was the first time my family had been together in almost 4 years. All we needed was my sister and her husband to be there to make things complete! The week consisted of fishing, kayaking, swimming, dolphin watching, sports, eating good food, staying up late playing cards, dancing gangnam style, art classes with my mom, glow in the dark dance parties with my neices and nephews and laughing our heads off throughout the night.

Some of my personal highlights were
1. Ryan (the most passive and calm person in our family) throwing all his cards at my sister Lindsay during a round of Nertz because someone got a little too heated. Don't worry immediately afterwards he said, "I feel bad about that." I still don't know who would've won that round..

2. The fact that my 4 year-old niece Ivy almost drowned in the pool and was saved by my 8 year-old niece Grace WASN'T a highlight but her response was. When my sister asked Ivy what happened she sang Taylor Swift's song Trouble " I'm drooooowing I'm droooooowning I'm drooooowing"

3. Karaoke night
Combined with Ryan's classic/famous dance moves and Lindsay and my impromptu dance number it all had us laughing hysterically. We definitely got the party started by the end of the number. Too bad Ryan and Rayna won the karaoke competition.

4. Conservative Jeremy in the gangnam style video. Because he's my brother-in-law and doesn't have the crazy I-want-all-the attention blood that's in the Vogel family, this was shocking to see. He even put on a yellow shirt to play the part!

 (please go to 1:06 to understand what I'm talking about)
(And don't forget Hunter's perfected pelvic thrust at 2:46)

6. Basketball against my mom and my sister Lindsay. When we weren't dying in hysterical laughter we did manage to play some ball and bring out the claws.

7. Being with my nieces and nephews. Aside from anything gospel related I love them more words than anything in the world.

8. The games. My family is really competitive and we had 4 brackets drawn out on poster boards listing the tournament rounds for basketball, volleyball, pool and fooseball. Each day we had to play our individual matches and while my 12 year-old niece and I did terrible at basketball against the athletic boys in our family, Zack and I made up for it when we became the fooseball champions!

9. Just being with my beautiful family. I sure am the luckiest girl ever. By the end of the trip it had me saying...my family is crazy, we know how to have fun and I love each and every one of them. So glad I can be with them for eternity.

Hate my hair in the picture (thank you humidity) but you
do get to see my beautiful family in almost its entirety...just missing Molly and Ken!

This amazing woman keeps us all together.

Cant wait for the Vogel Reunion 2015! While I disappointed my family by not bringing a significant other, maybe the next one I won't let them down. Afterall, I found out during our game night of Family Feud I am most likely to be married next. It's a good thing I beat my 6 year-old neice Hazel, 2 year old nephew Henry and my sister Brandy who's married with 5 kids!

whoops

So I've officially had my blog for a little over a year. Who would have thought I could do this. I didn't know I had it in me. Sometimes it was like pulling teeth. I didn't enjoy it but I wanted to enjoy it. I still don't know if I'm at the place where I loveeee blogging but nonetheless I am still trying to get there. So as I was feeling proud of myself I checked the date of my last entry and it was a couple months ago! A 2 month hiatus without one single post. Whoops! I guess I wasn't doing as good as I thought.

So instead of trying to update you on my life the past couple months why don't I fill you in on something more entertaining, my sisters. Her life is that much more entertaining. Ok maybe not. I do have a lot going on (hence the reason I find little time to blog) but after I got this video today I couldn't NOT blog about this.

So it all started a couple weeks ago when my beautiful niece Ivy did this....

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That would be WHITE leather chairs! And this was only the first of five she drew on... Let's just say my sister wasn't the happiest camper when she found this piece of art on the wrong canvas after dinner.

And today I got this video...

She struck again! But this time it was on her bed. And after watching this can anyone please tell me how you could mad to a little girl like this?? Even after this very very naughty act. And here I thought that the day when I'd become a mom punishing my children would come only quick and natural  But what if i have kids like this girl?! If so.. uhhh ohhh. I'm in trouble.

erika

Life is a beautiful thing. So many things make me happy. I just saw a bunch of friends in Utah who I hadn't seen over a year. Loved every second of it. I love nature. I love the beach. I love my family. I love kids. I love being creative. I love music. I love the temple. I love trying new things. I love to travel.  I love my life DC life. I love new experiences. I love my job. I loved my mission. I love Brasil.  I love the challenges and trials I have faced in my life. I love my friends. I love being a friend. I love to listen. I love my church calling. I love my Heavenly Father. I love the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. 

This last one is one thing I love the most. It's what I hold most dear my heart. I had the privilege to share this love and knowledge with a dear friend of mine months ago. It was as if I was on my mission again. It was a reminder of the most important things in life and what really matters. It made me the happiest I have been since I have gotten back off my mission. It made me realize that we can't be doing anything more important or worth while in our "single" years than sharing this precious gospel. 

The happiness I felt as I sat in on every lesson she had with the elders, as I saw her grow and develop a testimony, and make the necessary changes in her life to move towards baptism are indescribable. I don't have words sufficient enough to explain how happy I truly felt not only during her conversion but all those I got to know on my mission. It is a happiness that is long lasting. A happiness that I feel deep inside the core of my heart. A happiness that can't be bought and a happiness that is eternal. How I am grateful I opened up my mouth. I knew from the second time we had met this girl was special and the Lord was preparing her to accept the true gospel. Each day I am humbled by her example, by her faith, obedience, diligence, compassion, determination, humility, and by her love towards God. She thinks I have taught her yet she is the one who has taught me in more ways than I can describe.

From her getting baptized..

 To her getting confirmed...

To her bearing her testimony exactly a month after her baptism

(too bad I don't have a picture of this day)

To reading this today on her Facebook...

She has changed me for the better  and I thank God for putting her in my life. Who would've known that meeting someone in the girls bathroom could have turned into this. Amo vc minha amiga eterna!

tuesdays tune

I have to thank Heather and Caleb for this discovery.

gratitude

Sometimes I don't feel worthy of all the blessings that come my way. When something good happens, I immediately thank the Lord and attribute all my success in life to him. Recently I have been feeling a lot of gratitude. Life is such a beautiful thing and today especially I am feeling more humble, more grateful and an extreme amount of happiness.

So I have been working at National Geographic now for almost 9 months! It seems like yesterday when I was walking up to the Nat Geo office building with butterflies going in for my first interview. When I found out I had gotten the job I was seriously the happiest person in the world. I had just landed my dream job which was by far the best birthday present anyone could give.

So I knew later down the road my job with Nat Geo could come to a close seeing as it was only a 6 month contract with a possibility of hiring me full-time. They weren't telling me anything concrete as to whether this would happen so I started applying for jobs.

I just heard back from the House of Representatives that they are offering me a job! Never in a million years did I think I could potentially want to work for them/ be excited about a job like this. Since when was I political?! I don't know if I am in comparison to other people out here but DC is changing me... After examining 33 people, interviewing another 15 people on the phone and asking 5 people to come in for an in-person interview, I found out that they are making me an offer! The interview process was long and extensive (a whole 3 1/2 hours) but once I sat in some beautiful office with a fireplace, huge gold mirror, beautiful victorian furniture and couches and a straight shot looking out to the Washington Monument to meet a couple  "big shots" I knew this was a good sign.

How cool would it be walking inside this building on a daily basis?

And then just when I thought I already had a difficult decision to make-

1. Stay with Nat Geo when there's a chance they might not hire me because I love my job or

2. Work for the House of Representatives which would be a once in a lifetime opportunity while I'm  living in DC and now there's a number 3

3. Just today someone reached out to me for a Digital Graphic Design Job in LA and they're wanting someone who speaks Portuguese!! Could this be true??

Since when does this happen? A job at some major company, doing what I love, in a city I love, beautiful weather (I don't want another humid summer in DC)  and they are specifically looking for a fluent Portuguese speaker! They had literally posted the job on Linkedin minutes before they reached out to me. 

And here I'm thinking I already had a major decision to make and now this? When I started reading this (Call me a cry baby. I know. I'm different. The mission has changed me) I started to get teary eyed. I can only thank the Lord. I know he is looking over me and while I feel like I am so unworthy of all the blessings he's pouring out to me in my life I am extremely grateful. Sometimes I wonder why me? And I guess I always resort back to the phrase my mom told me growing up...good things happen to good people.

fun fun fun

So there are times when I can easily say..I love my job. I love what I do. after I finished this infographic for the show The 80s: The Decade That Made Us I could easily say that. I was even featured on random websites like this one: http://www.rediscoverthe80s.com. My creative directors gave me complete freedom to do whatever I wanted. I obviously went crazy with the colors. And out of all the things I have done or designed this was by far my favorite. I've said it before, I said it just after I finished this project and I'll say it again....I love what I do!

oh happy day

I realize I am a much happier person when its warm. Today was no exception.

It was a whole 83 degrees today! Simply beautiful. And it was not only warm but there wasn't any humidity (I am so not ready for that to come yet..) Because of the temperature and all the cherry blossoms I can say that this was the first day of Spring..oh wait. 83 degrees in Spring? And tomorrow should be 90?  I guess I can say summer. I heard DC doesn't have a Spring. Crazy to think that a couple weeks ago it was snowing and now I am enjoying this beautiful weather! Ashley and I met up for lunch to eat at the food trucks and clearly a million other people had the same idea. It felt so good to lay on the grass, in the sun, even if I did get grass stains on the back of my shirt.

And then...

look who came in 2nd place in our family March madness bracket?! That would be me! I had forgotten to fill out my bracket so my sister called me seconds before the first game started and told me to quickly fill it out. 2nd place isn't bad for a girl that literally filled this thing out in a minute. Too bad I am not $50 richer. Best part was my dad apologized for having underestimated my final score and ranking. He never admits he's sorry or wrong. Because I had forgotten to fill my bracket out I was logged out of the ESPN website and my points weren't being accumulated like all my other siblings so this 2nd place winner was a complete surprise to the family today, especially my dad. Of course it wasn't a surprise to me. I knew I would at least place in the top 3.

And then there was this..

I received more likes than ever on Facebook and I think never in my life will I ever get more than that. This normally happen when you get engaged, married, have a kid etc, but I am pretty sure nothing will top this. Thanks Nat Geo. By far the highlight of my week since I live and breathe Facebook. I have always aspired to get over 4,700 likes. Mission accomplished. The story behind this- at work we all went around sending funny 80s pics to each other. Then someone in digital marketing wanted to use these 80s images for 3 individual categories in a photo contest and mine was selected! Since I design everything digital it was me who got to design the specs for Instagram, Facebook and the photo contest. That was strange. Never have I designed anything with me in it. And because I am so vain, I loved every second of it. 

Talked to my Creative Director and he told me Nat Geo are fighting for me and they are doing everything in their power to keep me. I heard back from The House of Representatives and they want me to come in for a 3 hour interview this Friday. You heard me...3 hours! Hopefully this will put the pressure on Nat Geo and I'll find out about my job. Just heard amazing talks in conference this past weekend and can't wait to study them in more detail. Life is good. So many blessings all around. Here's to more happy days like this!

one of those days

For those of you who are uninformed of what's going on in Israel, today I saw some videos that depicted the Israeli and Palestinian conflict pretty well. Despite the major division that exists amongst them, Israel is truly a beautiful place. I dream about going back all the time and already decided that I am going back one day with my hubby.

How grateful I am for my personal freedoms. How grateful I am for the fact that I can go outside and feel safe. Or stay inside my home and have that same feeling of safety. How grateful I am that despite the major differences between the Jewish/Muslim cultures vereses my own, I can see so many similarities. How grateful I am to have been able to learn and gain a personal understanding about both sides of the conflict. How grateful I am to have been able to experience and live in a place completely foreign to anything I have ever witnessed before in my life. My eyes have been forever opened. The Jerusalem study abroad program changed my life.

After watching the 4 clips on the Israeli confilict on Youtube (check them out..they all are amazing) I can safely say that today is one of those I-am-missing-Jerusalem-days!! JC4ANKH

let loose

So I guess you could say that I have changed over the past couple years but that's a good thing right? Right. I mean who would want to be the same person they were 3 years ago? Not me. That's why we are here. To grow and to become better. So not to say that I was a completely terrible person before my mission but I did have my crazy ways. Crazy G-rated Mormon ways I should say. I did things that I don't particularly care to do now....at least not all the time. I used to go out dancing 1-2 (or Freshmen year 2-3) times a week and things got a little crazy on the dance floor.

Since I have been back from my mission I can say that I have only let myself go wild twice!
1. At the Halloween dance=church dance. I told myself I would never go to one of those things after I hit age 15. And yet I am considering this "church dance" as one of the 2 craziest moments I have had post mish? Somebody help me.

The intense glare in my glasses just shows how hot and sweaty I was this night 

2. A couple weeks ago at Ashley's karaoke birthday party. Things started off on the ground and made there way onto the table and my hands were completely to themselves and somehow led to other places.

You can tell how much crazy dancing/singing was involved based off my 

roommate's expression and the blurriness of the photo. 

And can I admit that the 2 times I let loose completely I had fun? Is that legal? It made me think about what I used to be like and what I used to like doing. And while I might not show it a ton (like i said it's only been twice!) it's still in me. I appreciate those who can bring out that side of me. It's not that I have to be rapping every word to Snoop Dog's "Drop it Like It's Hot," standing up on top of a table belting some Destiny's Child song or getting down low on the dance floor all the time, but every once in awhile is ok by me. It's fun and that's how life should be. Maybe 6 months down the road this crazy side will come out since that seems to be the ongoing pattern? All it takes are the right people, with the right music, at the right place which will get me in the right mood.

tuesdays tune

what happened

At work we are doing a 3-day special on show that celebrates the 80's in a couple weeks. To get everyone excited they passed out Pop Rocks yesterday. Can I just say..magic in my mouth! I forgot how good those things were. I think the last time I had that was when I was elementary school? 

There has also been this long chain of emails of people posting pictures of themselves from the 80s. Luckily I was born in 1988... just barely making the cut. I don't own a single photo from my childhood out here in DC so that's where my mom stepped in. I told her to send me a photo that screamed 80s and although I'm sure this photo was taken in the 90s (I was born in 88' and I look at least 3 or 4 in the photo? You can do the math...) the leggings, oversize Body Glove shirt and my side ponytail definitely scream 80's!  The Senior VP responded to only 2 emails and one of them was mine saying "Winner!!! Love the white boots!" The only person I can thank for this? My ever-so-stylish mom.

So apparently my sister said I always told my mom to do a side ponytail.
I had to have it done like this! Now I am asking myself..why?

Lucky me, my mom sent me a couple other goodies.  I loved hiding in places. I look back at my childhood photos and I always sat in places I shouldn't be from drawers to our refrigerator. And can we just take a look at the photo of me with a propellor hat! Simply amazing. 

After I looked at these photos I concluded one thing..I was so cute when I was younger. What happened??

traveling

So I just took a trip to Scotland to visit my twin sister who I hadn't seen in over 3 years. And I think about it,  this trip was the most time I had spent with my other half since Middle school or since or last family vacation! So when you reach a conclusion such as this, you know somethings wrong. Something needs to change.  Which is why my older sister and I decided to go out and see what her life has been like for the past couple years in Glasgow. The trip was amazing. I loved it there. I told people that aside from the temple that was the most peaceful, serene place I have ever been to. The highlight (other than good sister bonding) was the island of Cumbrae. 

See that red dot that completely covers the island? That's it.

It has one of the most beautiful landscapes I have ever seen and was so peaceful! And to top that off, just imagine being on an island with a population of what felt like 4 people-me, my older sister, my twin sister and her husband. Oh and I can't forget the sheep and cows. We biked around the entire island and it was breathtaking.

So I absolutely love to travel. If I had all the money in the world that's what I would spend it on. Right when I got back off my trip I stumbled upon this picture and decided where I want to go next...St Lucia. Just look at this picture. Need I say more? Not to mention I want to go to Brasil for a best friend's wedding. Time to start saving...

Or this wouldn't be too shabby in Maldives off the coast of India. 

Wouldn't mind sleeping out in one of these.

Or one of these.

I think it's safe to say one thing...I'm ready for summer!

tuesdays tune

I haven't done this for awhile so here you go.