sweat curls, flowers, and babies.

sorry, world. i'm super behind on blogging. and my motivation to blog at all is completely pathetically nonexistent. mostly, because there's not much i can say beyond talking about the streets of romania and other random things. which is only a minor part of my life here. and i can kind of talk about my kids. but it's not the same. and keeping up on blogging? kind of a huge effort. so i apologize now that from here on out it will probably get more and more pathetic. but i do try occasionally. kind of. ha. the sad truth.

on sunday, because of roslyn's upcoming birthday (TOMORROW!), the relief society gave her carnations and a present. and then they found out my birthday was last week, so they gave me some carnations too. super cute, huh? they're too good to us.

our carnations. in romania. which makes them even better, naturally.

monday was rather average at section 2. i went outside at the beginning, though. and we were outside for almost the whole time before i had to leave to go work with our computer boy, so i didn't get to see much of my other kids, besides the walkers that were outside. which is sad. but today i made up for it and spent most of the morning with them. followed by maniac children that came back in from outside in awfully interesting moods. more than usual, anyway. we'll just leave that at that. i'm trying to forget it. haaaa. it was an interesting day. ha.

at the hospital yesterday, all 8 of us went! which hasn't happened since probably the first day, which makes it exciting. usually there's always someone sick or something. but, of course the day we are all there, babies were few and far between to be found. only a couple floors had any kids at all. one of which, they were all in one room. four little babes! so we spent all our time with them. and today was the same story, except not everyone went today. but seriously, i'm bringing these babies home with me. hope no one has a problem with that. haaa. if only.

last night was fhe, so we played charades! it was funny. that's for sure. and after which we went to kaufland to stock up on food. i was out. most everyone was. so, i have food again! this is exciting. i'm trying to cut back on just drinking apple juice, because it's been getting ridiculous. so i'm trying some new ones. this week, i got a carton of red orange juice - delicious. and a mix juice of pomegranate, grapefruit, and apple, i think? i haven't tried it yet. but it sounded promising, wouldn't you say? hope so! ha. and then we lugged all our goods back home. that was fun. ha. while walking i kept feeling like i had bought the whole store to carry home with me. never fear, we survived. and it wasn't really that bad. just a day in the life. though we did look a little hilarious with our big bags walking past people just out to enjoy a summer evening with friends. haaaa. whatevs. it's fine. we loved it.

thanks to it being super hot here, the lack of any air flow inside buildings, and being inside said buildings most the day, especially in the afternoons in the hospital, romania gets to be greeted by the famous sweat curl often. i'm sure everyone here loves it. i sure do. good old sweaty me. i've never sweat so much and so often in my entire life. it's getting ridiculous. and it's only going to get hotter. even better. bring it on. haaaa. the following photo is dedicated to my lovely sister-in-law, sherry. i know she'll love it. and yesterday i had a really good ringlet going on, so i had to share! bahahahahahaa. i'm so funny. obviously. [previous sweat curl is at the bottom of this post.]

yes, my hair is always as messy and out of control as it looks. i can't help it. and at this point i've mostly given up on trying. ha. once again, welcome to romania! the land of many adventures.

and that, my friends, will have to suffice as an update for now.

i've more pictures. and more words. but not for here. and not for now.

bine? bine.

noapte buna!

romanian elevators.

need i say more?

also, i'm wearing the exact same thing right now. that's embarrassing.

welcome to romania!

baaahahahaahaha.

dragoste și iubire

as aforementioned, sunday we went to sera's wedding! he's the physical therapist in section 2, and was ever so kind to invite us to come join the celebration.

we could probably make the longest list in the world of reasons why teo is so wonderful, and this weekend just added to the list. let's just say, romania has made me incredibly grateful for utah's grid system for the roads. and i wish everywhere had that system. romania's a little less than organized in that regard. so, if we had been left to our own devices, we probably wouldn't have made it to the wedding before it ended. but thanks to a call to teo, she helped us by telling the taxi driver where to go. our problems: 1. we didn't know exactly where we were going, we just had the name of the church written down.  2. even once we decided to take a taxi instead of trying to walk, there were slight issues in helping the taxi driver know where to go. then enters teo to save the day!

the wedding itself was an interesting experience, and definitely different than anything i've ever been to. it was combined with the normal church service, i think. or it seemed like it, at least. with a whole lot of musical numbers, scriptures, prayers, and talks of well-wishers. all within a big and humid room. like, really humid. we were a little tired. but it was good. and the choir? they don't mess around. i was surprised when they first started singing, because it was so loud and powerful. while the acoustics of the building probably helped, it was still incredibly impressive. america should take notes. also, the couple was beautiful. and the bride? so very pretty.

a few photos from our adventures getting there, and at the wedding.

 hahaahahahahahaha. that's all i have to say about this moment of our romanian experience. ahaha. ha.

 sera și georgeana

 this guy had the best musical number.

songs about love, by a guy playing the accordion and singing? so classic.

 please take note of how exhausted everyone looks. ha.

 steve carrell! haha. kidding. but he looked and acted like a darker skinned version of him. almost creepily so.

 where the bride and groom sat throughout the service.

just another beautiful sunday in romania.

:)

biserica lui isus hristos a sfinților din zilele din urmă

once upon a time, a girl named emily lived in romania. iași, to be exact.

and while she was there, the branch in romania got a new building. which is super exciting.

instead of just having one floor of a big building, they now have an entire building!

and it's really nice.

it's just a little farther away, probably five minutes more? we're still working on determining the most effective route.

anyway, it's in a cute little neighborhood, that's not as city-ish.

kind of like how the other one was too, just a little bit closer to the river. and not as much in a little valley thing.

i don't really know how to explain it. it would only make sense to people who have been here.

but anyway. it's a cute little area. and we all know what that means. pictures! perfect.

i really like the parts of iași that aren't so city-like. i'm not really a city girl. let's be real.

without further ado: photos!

member how i love romania? yeah? yeah.

they block this whole road off on weekends, so you can just walk freely. super neat, huh?

member when there was a kid walking down the street in sandals and underwear? bahahaha.

romania's pretty, huh?

let me tell you one time.

i have lots of different things i could say. so this is going to be a fun post. obviously.
so i'll say cu placere right now. [you're welcome.]

member that one time i got two of my studly boys laughing more than they ever have, just by moving their chairs forward and back and making cool sounds? plus singing the star wars theme to them. i'm thinking that was the magic. ha ha. kidding. sort of.

member that one time the worker in my room took the walking girls outside, and left me with all the rest of my kids? so naturally i lined up the chairs just outside the door to the back room where the others were on the beds. and stood in the middle of all of them singing and being funny. don't worry, i'm sure they loved it. haaaaa. or maybe i'm just a big nerd. probably that one.

member that one time all of iași got married? just kidding. just a lot of people in iași did. how do i know? because after someone gets married here, the cars with the wedding party drive down the street honking nonstop. and i've heard it many times today. it's a saturday thing. and today it's been a popular one. june 4th. sounds like a good day for a wedding to me. ha.

member that one time i got gelato at the moldova mall? best 4 lei i've ever spent. in case you were wondering, that's $1.40. yum.

member that one time i went to the hospital and spent a bunch of time with the wrinkly old man (few week old baby that has wrinkles that make him look like benjamin button) and with the girls we named? that was cool. i loved it.

member that one time i was singing to the girls with rebecca, and a gypsy girl from the next room over came in and was just sitting there. we had a nice little chat. she's 8. and is in the hospital for something related to her ears and blood. that's about all i got in that regard. and she thought the babies were adorable, which they are. it was fun. and then she asked me about a few words and how you'd say them in english, because i guess she'd learned a little bit in school. like cat, dog, boy kind of little bit. i thoroughly enjoyed it.

member that one time i wished i had pictures of my section 2 stud muffins and princesses? not that i'll ever be able to post them on here. but i want photos before i leave! and ideally more than just pictures of them. i want pictures WITH them. as well as pictures of them playing. all in due time. i've still got 7 weeks with them.

member that one time i got sick of always having to have my hair up? i know, right? and this is me we're talking about. but seriously. when you no longer have a choice about it, it's not as neat as when you choose to be lazy. even if i do wash my hair, no one would notice. always up on work days, and even if it was down, it wouldn't be for long because of the heat. sweat+heat+hair down? heck no.

member that one time i finally cracked and had american food? after the hospital yesterday we went to iulius mall on the way home. and i got mcdonalds. and because i got a menu item, i got a free 125 year celebration coca cola glass! cool, i know. the food wasn't that incredible, though. so i'm satisfied with going back to non american food. ha. except the fries. i always love mcdonald's fries. i think part of it was that the only drink options were carbonated ones. and we all know how i don't like carbonation. well, if not, then you do now. the ice cream sundae, on the other hand, was delicious. yes, i took a picture. i'm cool.

member that one time we watched anastasia while in romania, and compared everything in it to romania? even though it originally takes place in russia. don't even worry, it could have been romania. it's practically the same story of our kids.

member that one time i spent a saturday staying home and resting instead of going out exploring? part of me, while home alone, wished i had gone. but then i reveled in the alone time. no offense, group. but seriously we spend every waking moment together. so it was a nice little breather. i caught up on homework, did laundry, slept, watched the romanian news channel for awhile, hung my clothes out to dry on the clothesline on our balcony once the washer finished. you know. just a few average romanian life things.

member that one time i almost caught my hand on fire while trying to make grilled cheese, because the fire on our gas stove is so huge sometimes? that was cool.

member that one time i got shocked while pulling my clothes out of the washer? oh, right. that's every time you open the washer to take clothes out. electric shock? check. it's weird and tingly. i'm not a fan.

member that one time we made homemade cafe rio? ok, so it's not even remotely the same thing. but it was still good. it reminded me of hawaiian haystacks. mmm.

member that one time we sat in our living room laughing with our whole group, and the man who lives upstairs came down, rang our doorbell, and while smoking AND holding a baby asked us nicely to quiet down? that's called multi-tasking. we are college students, he knows. but 10 is too late for happiness.

member that one time i thought about my kids all day since i didn't get to see them, seeing as it's saturday? i miss them!

member that one time i got a little teeny maybe kind of homesick? don't worry. then i thought about how ordinary my life would be if i wasn't in romania. and i felt infinitely better. romania is infinitely better than a summer in america. i've had lots of those. how many summers in romania will i get? maybe only one.

member that one time i lived in romania? yeah. that was neat.

member that one time i realized i only have seven weeks left with my kids? aka, only eight weeks till i go home? that wasn't a fun moment.

member that one time we were working on planning our mid-semester retreat. oh, yeah. that was fun. oh wait. we're still working on that.

member that one time my hair air-dried? oh, right. ok, so that's every day. member how it's super frizzy and hilarious? oh, cool. also every day. member that one time it dried into a few perfect little ringlets on one side? yeah. don't worry. it frizzed very soon. and now my hair's kind of just puffy and curly and i don't even know what. it's cool. i'm used to it.

 member that one time i hated being in pictures by myself? and i think taking pictures of myself is super awkward? you know. every day of my life. no big deal. nbd. the usual. photobooth=awkward. you were thinking it. i said it. but you can kind of see my curl instead of the usual just wavish things! big deal, i know.

member that one time i had a whole bunch of babies that i plan to bring home with me? the list keeps getting longer, don't you fret.

member that one time i looked like a sicko every single day of my life? not that i've ever been one to care that much. let's be real. if you know me, you should probably be laughing right now. but after awhile it gets slightly ridiculous. but i still have no motivation to even care since we change into scrubs anyway. when in romania, life's hard. ha ha. good one.

member that one time i wondered about who even reads this blog, because no one ever comments on it or mentions it besides my parentals? hahaha. ok, so there are a few others. don't feel bad. but that was fun. too bad i can't even tell any real details about my kids. oh well. the teasers are just so you always want to know more so that you have to contact me privately. or so you'll want to see me when i get home so you can see pictures of my loves in person.

member that one time i don't take very many pictures anymore, because i've already taken so many, and can't take any of what i do all day? so instead you get to look at cheesy pictures of me. cool story, i know. i'll take some tomorrow, perhaps. though i did take a few on the way to the new church building last week. maybe i'll add those someday. probably after tomorrow when i have a few more from on the way to and from church.

member how the physical therapist from section 2 is getting married tomorrow? free culture proof, done and done! thanks for that, buddy.

member that one time i thought back to high school graduation? (hence the aforementioned star wars theme being sung to my kids.) yeah, that was weird. member how if you had told me then that 2 years from that date i would be in romania (ROMANIA.), i probably would have laughed in your face? oh, right. hey there, reality. life comes at you fast, yeah?

member that one time i loved my life? ok, right. so that's every single moment of every single day. i'm a lucky girl, obviously. living the dream. check marks the spot.

june waters.

i wonder what it would be like to live in a world where it was always june.

l. m. montgomery.

hopefully if it was a world where it was always june, it would be a utah kind of june. not a romania kind of june. we're slightly dying of heat. and humidity. it rained today, so our apartment/outside is super hot and muggy. will this impact sleep? chances are high. but we'll see. we need to get a fan from scala. pronto.

we went to the new church building tonight for institute. it's super nice. and while there, it rained. so the streets were piled high with puddles. if that's possible? more generally, there were a whole lot of puddles.

at the hospital, a little 2-3 week old is doing much better. and doesn't look as blue anymore. and is getting bigger and stronger. though still has old man wrinkles. it's cute.

we named 2 little girls today at the hospital. well, not really. but we gave them names anyway. they don't have one, besides a family name. so we decided to give some. everyone deserves a name, don't you think? so we have names for them. even if no one else does. they're cute.

we met the cutest and chubbiest little baby today at the hospital, as well. she was seriously adorable. i can't even get over how cute she was. and so calm and mellow. i love holding babies.

my kids weren't that exciting today at section 2. it was probably one of the most average days possible in the history of days at section 2. i know, i know. i didn't think it was possible either.

oh my. scratch that. minor note. a group of kids and two women came from a school or something to bring toys to our kids. but it was stuffed animals, and they already have a million stuffed animals there. so none of our kids wanted them. it was kind of weird. and awkward. i never realized how atypical my kids are until seeing them up against a bunch of typical kids. and it was awkward to watch them try and interact with our kids. and then leave. and then as they left, the stuffed animals were pulled away from the kids and put in bags. anyway, it was just kind of odd.

genius kiddie was better today. well, he was still kind of a stubborn pill. but despite being unwilling to be educational, i still got him to work on a lot more than normal. better than nothing. and if nothing else, he's completely hilarious to work with.

i feel like i'm still working on figuring out a routine with my kids. and with what to do with smarty-pants boy. which is slightly unsettling. but we'll see.


this is an enormously packed stream-of-consciousness post. almost to the point of ridiculous. but here i am anyway. about to post it.
in other words, i'm just kind of really tired. good thing tomorrow is friday.
i have some serious write-ups to do this weekend. and some serious culture to experience.
including a wedding we're going to this weekend! exciting, i know.
and some serious sleeping, i hope. something that's been lacking recently. dang heat. and sicknesses.

therefore, all i have left to say is this:
noapte bună. which is to say, goodnight, moon.

a day for the kids.

1 iunie este ziua copilului în românia!

english:

june first is children's day in romania!

so they had balloons hung all over the place outside today.

and the kiddies got special treats.

little filled croissant things, that have alcohol in them. ha.

never fear. they're all still alive.

yesterday being so nice was nice preparation for today. please picture the following:

little boy pulling apart the trampoline. as in, putting his legs, arms, or head through the small holes where the netting isn't tied to the tramp, underneath the safe covering over the springs.

another little boy helping pull off the protective covering over the springs.

all the kids love standing on the edge on that protective covering. without protective covering? ohh boy.

me trying to get my hand through the bottom to restore the protective covering to its proper place.

kids refusing when i kept saying 'mergi la mijloc!' [go to the middle.]

a little boy running over past where he's allowed and could get hurt. therefore forcing me to chase. multiple times.

full speed ahead.

a darling little girl climbing a ladder with a hammer she picked up off the ground. yes, a real hammer. made of metal.

a little boy pulling at the electric chords of the drill a guy was out using while putting up an outdoor tent thing.

a little boy that kept running away where he wasn't supposed to, forcing me to hold him back. which caused him to scream and thrash his head around some more as i held him. don't worry. i fought off battle scars. it's a skill i now possess.

little boy hating my stinking guts. i was completely aware of it.

same little boy almost popping a vein in his neck he was screaming so hard a few times. he can't/doesn't speak. but boy can he scream.

a girl that used to be my hardest, being like an angel these days. i wish i could have praised her more and had a way for her to understand how good she was being. and how good she's been lately. i gave her kisses many times today.

all the while, all the other kids being nice and calm like angels. everyone else sitting in the shade calmly, while i ran around watching some of my kids wreak havoc everywhere they went.

fun day. done and done.

and these are just a few tidbits.

good thing i restrained myself from wringing a few necks today.

good thing at this point i just think it's hilarious.

kids these days. who'd we be without them?

happy children's day to you too.

haaaaaaaaahahahhahaha.

that's the part where you laugh.

pa pa pentru acum.