Flashback Friday: SoCone Cinco!

In February of 2009 Chelsea, Sarah, Mike, Kevin and I (aka the SoCone Cinco) went to Argentina, Uruguay and Chile. It was a fabulous trip for so many reasons. I was able to see my mission president and his family at the Buenos Aires Argentina Temple, Chelsea met up with a family from her mission in Chile, we ate of the most delicious meals, saw all three of Pablo Neruda's homes, added three more stamps to our passports and so much more! Here are a few pics - there are so many to choose from!

 Ariel, Hna Wajchmand, Me, Pte Wajchman, Pablo (missing Matias and Melisa)

 Mike and Sarah in Bs As.

 Street performers in Bs As playing some classic Argentine folk music

 Tango dancers in the street

 No trip to Argentina is complete without a visit to the Casa Rosada! (I think we are listening to Evita)

 Downtown Bs As.

 Boca Jr.!

 Chels and El Che in Colonia, Uruguay

  The streets of Valparaiso, Chile. We loved ValPo (especially our new friend Bart the Dutchman)

 The girls in Villarrica, Chile

Santiago Chile Temple

I am a Chemistry Genius....

This is the mantra I am repeating each day this semester. Chemistry has never been my strong suit and so I decided when I registered to take chem that I needed a motto of sorts to get me pumped up.

"I am a Chemistry Genius" - it just evolved organically.

Although after finding these two jokes hilarious I wonder if I should change my mantra to "I am a Chemistry Nerd".

Joke #1:

Two men walk into a bar. The first man orders H2O. The second man says "I would like some H2O too." The second man died. (**H2O2 is hydrogen peroxide**)

Joke #2:

If you aren't part of the solution you are the precipitate.


No matter what the mantra is by the end of the semester, I am happy to report that I am actually enjoying chemistry. No joke!

#14 Read a church book - DONE

For book club we read Mary, Martha and Me: Seeking the One Thing that is Needful by Camille Fronk Olson. The basic premise of the book is to look at the scriptural account when Jesus told Martha that Mary had chosen the good part (Luke 10:38-42).



The author talks a lot about how women compare themselves to each other because they don't feel spiritual enough or that they aren't the best homemaker, mother, wife, etc. She uses the scripture passage to illustrate that what is most important is the we choose the good part - The Savior.

I think what I liked most about the book was the appreciation I gained for Martha. Something that stood out to me when I re-read that passage of scripture was that the Savior says that Mary has chosen the good part - not the better part. Up until now I always thought that Mary was better because she was sitting at the feet of the Savior. When in reality that isn't the case. The scriptures never say that Martha didn't value the words of Jesus. In fact that passage says that Martha "had a sister, called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet and heard his word." To me that indicates that Martha was a disciple of Christ and had listened to his words before. In fact I think the scriptures suggest that Martha really did understand the Savior and his mission. In John 11:20-29 Martha is the one who runs to the Savior seeking the his help after Lazarus had died. I really appreciate Martha and the way she lived her life (as far as we can tell from the scriptures). She appears to have been a multitasker, a hostess, a homemaker, a sister and a disciple who strived to keep the Savior at the center of all she did.

Jesus' gentle reminder to choose the good part is one that I'm sure we can all hear every once in a while, especially when life gets busy. I like every so often to reflect on my life and the priorities that I have. Do I choose the good part? Is the Savior the center of my life? Do my actions reflect my testimony?

I am grateful for opportunities to evaluate my life and the things I am doing and how they affect my relationship with Jesus Christ. I am thankful for the Atonement and the principle of repentance. I know that each day we can try to be better individuals and followers of Christ. I echo the testimony of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. I know the Savior loves me and I am grateful for each day that I can strive to be more like him.

Expedition Impossible

If you have not watched this show yet this summer you are missing out! It is an extreme version of the Amazing Race. Do you love travel, adventure, challenges, drama, suspense and truly inspiring stories? If the answer is yes, then this is the show for you!

The teams of three are crossing the surprisingly varied terrain of Morocco and doing some pretty intense challenges. The beginning episodes were fine but as the weaker teams have been sent home the episodes have really been exciting.

Some of my favorite teams are:

The Fab 3 - for their endless supply of drama! Two gay guys with all their flare and a sibling rivalry....it doesn't get much better.



The Gypsies - for their savvy travel ways and their mustaches!

No Limits - for their mad skillz! They are consistently in the front of the pack and they have a blind man on their team plus other challenges that I won't reveal on my blog....but you have to watch them. They are incredible!

Flashback Friday: A Philly Fourth

Fourth of July 2009 was spent in Philadelphia. A group of us decided to celebrate our independence and great country with the Founding Fathers. The weekend was filled with tours of the city and historical sites, food tours (we ate a lot!), singing patriotic songs, fake tattoos, endless game of "Would You Rather...?", watching "17 Again" (two times in a row) in our hotel room, and quality time with the girls I love the most!

Preferred photo pose in front of Independence Hall


City Hall

LOVE these girls!

Patriotic tattoos!

Patriotic medleys performed all over town

Betsy Ross

Happy Father's Day to my dad....the triathlete!

I am so proud of my dad and his positive outlook on life. Over the last few years he has endured some pretty hard health challenges and has never once complained or given up. He has remained optimistic and always strived for the best outcomes. He battled diabetes for years, went to dialysis for over a year, lost the majority of his eyesight, had gastric bypass, suffered an extremely painful back infection and had a kidney transplant. And through it all he remained his same crazy, silly, fun-loving self. Thank you, Dad, for being such a great example of faith and patience. I love you!

To celebrate one year with his new kidney my dad and Uncle Chris participated in a sprint triathlon.

400 meter swim

11.5 mile bike (on a tandem bike)

3 mile run

They are both such great examples to me. Happy Father's Day and Happy 60th Birthday!

Paris, J'adore

A trip to Paris would be magical! My sisters and Mom are all entering this contest in the hopes one of us will win. Wish us bonne chance!

30 going on 13

The cake.....



The presents (thank you to my very generous friends)....



The Ladies.....

Thank you all for a FABULOUS birthday! I had a great time celebrating 30 years of life with some of my favorite people.

Pick me up....

When I need a pick me up I watch either of these videos.....they make me laugh out loud EVERY SINGLE TIME. It never gets old.







ps Stay tuned for birthday pics!

#30 Celebrate my 30th birthday in Geneva, Switzerland - DONE

When I put the list of 30 goals together I thought the best way to celebrate my 30h birthday would be to go to Geneva, Switzerland - my birthplace. Well.....life happened and with work and school demands being in Switzerland on my actual brithday became less of a reality each day. I had a conference for work two days before my birthday and a final the day after. I was kind of bummed and had mentioned it to one of my co-workers in passing. When I got to work on Monday my office had been transformed into Switzerland! Complete with the Alps in the background, swiss chocolate truffles on my desk and garland of the Swiss flag. I was so surprised and may have teared up a little. I am grateful for such great friends!

And they also hid 30 cans of Diet Coke throughout the office. By the time I finished my little scavenger hunt I had a message spelled by a letter on each can.

"Happy Thirtieth Birthday Melissa!"

(The Diet Coke isn't from Switzerland but it is definitely one of my favorite things!)

#8 Finish block quilt - DONE

After years of working on this quilting project it is finally finished! And it looks beautiful!

Back in 2007 I did a quilt block exchange with some other women in my stake. Most of us were beginners when it came to quilting so this was a fun project to do together. We chose a line of fabric and then using a pattern we chose each woman made 16 of the same block. After exchanging them it was fun to think about putting them in to a design for a quilt.

Well fast forward a couple of years and what do you know....my blocks are still sitting in a pile of projects waiting to get finished. (shocker) That's when I decided to add this abandoned project to my 30 before 30 goals. I laid out the blocks and went through a couple different designs before I settled on one. I sewed them all together and had the top finished. The next step was to get the backing done and have it quilted. But had to put it on the back burner for a little bit while I focused on work and school. In the mean time, and without my knowledge, Sarah took the quilt top from my house and mailed it to my mom. In Modesto my parents had it finished by a family friend who has a quilting business. Then my birthday rolled around and I opened a package from my parents. When I saw the finished quilt in the box I was so confused and then I realized what had happened. It was such a great surprise! I love the stitch they chose for the quilting and it is the perfect size to snuggle up in and watch a movie!

For my first attempt at a quilt I am very pleased and now I can check it off the list!

#12 Update my resume - DONE

The resume is updated and now the job hunt is officially on! I am looking for a job in the medical/health field. Ideally I would love to work as a medical assistant, however many of these jobs require special certification, but I have seen a few that will do on the job training. I am also open to an administrative job in the health field although this is definitely not as attractive as actually working directly with medical professionals. If anyone knows of any jobs or has connections to medical professionals here in the DC area let me know! Thanks!

Reverence your Womanhood

Today is International Women's Day which appropriately coincides with some thoughts I wanted to share. Last Saturday I had the opportunity to attend a fireside with Elder David A. Bednar. His address was an informal Q&A with the hundreds of young single adults in attendance. There were some excellent questions asked and his responses were so uplifting and inspiring. I really appreciated his comments on being good people and making good choices. One thing he mentioned that stuck out to me was when he told the men in the congregation to find a woman who reverences her womanhood. My roommates and I discussed this idea on the drive home. What does it mean to reverence your womanhood? I think one part of it means to respect the role of women and not to be ashamed of the divine gifts we have been given of nurturing, comforting, child bearing and rearing. Reflecting on this also reminded me of a BYU devotional given by Elder M. Russell Ballard in 2001 called "Women of Righteousness". I distinctly remember sitting in the Marriott Center and listening to this devotional. I was so touched by the Spirit and felt the Lord confirm to me the love He has for his daughters. I am proud to say that I have some amazing examples in my life of women who reverence their womanhood and have taught me how to be a good woman and a faithful daughter of God.