How to: Get a large van unstuck from the beach

Step One: Floor it until the van is completely sunk

Step Two: Get twelve girls out of the van

Step Three: Start digging. Dig out around all four wheels and underneath the van  

Step Four: Keep digging

Step Five: Find any container such as plastic baggies and small cups to bail out the water

Step Six: Build a moat to drain out water

Step Seven: Build a dam to stop the stream

Step Eight: Flag down a bus to recruit shirtless bus driver to help you

Step Nine: Find pieces of wood to wedge under wheels

Step Ten: Attach a rope to another car and pull out the van while twenty girls push from behind

Step Eleven: Celebrate!

the next olympic sport. . .ZORBING!

Seriously something I have been dying to do before I kick the bucket.

No pun in intended.

I think it's kind of a “you had to be there” type of activity.

For those of you who have had your head in a hole and don't know what zorbing is, I'll give you the brief run down.

There are huge plastic balls that resemble hamster balls. You unzip a tiny flap and shove three people into the inside of the ball. Fill the bottom of the ball with water. Then roll the ball down a hill with the people in it.

It felt like the trippiest water slide I've ever been on. You don't know which way is up and you basically just flop around and laugh your head off. Such a cheap invention and these people must be makin bank! I guess it could potentially make you dizzy, but I was laughing so so hard I was more in danger of passing out than throwing up. I could do it all day. Allll dayyy. When I’m old I’m going to move here and get a season's pass.

The place we went to is actually owned by the very man who invented zorbing. And we met him!

To top it off, we all lined up along the track and got run over by the zorb. Another extremely weird sensation. I think I may have bruised a cheekbone, but it was well worth it.

LUUUUGE

LUGE

Hahahahaha. My life ROCKS. Hahaha I just laugh every time I send an email about what I’m up to. “Today I rode a luge down a mountain and then afterwards hopped in a giant hamster ball filled with water and rolled down a grassy knoll with sheep grazing peacefully nearby” HAHA. It’s probably not very funny to anyone else, but I can’t get over it. It’s a frequent joke with my roommates because we feel like it’s all some joke. A very, very good joke. My life is not even real!

gondola ride to the top

Honestly I’m surprised that the luge is legal. People could die! Of course we had helmets, but that’s about it. Otherwise they just let you loose! Down the track you go. And you get going realllyyyy fast. When you whip around the corner and there are four people in front of you, it can be hard to keep control while trying to wind in between them. Luckily we only had one accident. . . Mallory flying off the track and losing all the skin on her knee.

taking the chairlift back up

{Dad!} – I just pictured you on the luge and laughed out loud. I caught myself doing things you would do. . . like rushing in front of the old people in line so I wouldn’t get stuck behind them. I was telling my friends “Now you gotta take the corners wide and use less brake. You’ll go faster that way than trying to take a tight corner.” On the chair lift up I noticed I was analyzing the course. And before each run, I started my stop watch to get my lap times. I thought. . . oh no! I’m turning into my dad!

the competition

waitomo glow worm caves

We put on cold wet suit jumpers, booties, helmets, and gum boots and floated down the black water through the Waitomo caves.

life doesn't get any better.

Plus I’ve never worn something so flattering!

The special thing about these caves is that there are thousands of glow worms that just hang from the ceiling. So. Cool. There were some waterfalls inside the caves we had to jump off of, which makes it sound all that more adventurous. You put your tube around your rear, stand backwards, and then jump off! And remember to keep your mouth closed :)

hahah hey family - recognize this face?

same face dad makes when water skiing

The whole inside felt just like Disneyland. . .we turned off all our headlamps and floated down in the dark with the worms glowing. Just like space mountain or the peter pan ride. none of which includes floating down a river, but that's what it reminded me of.

rotorua - the stinky city

Welcome to the Yellowstone of New Zealand!

It’s called Rotorua. The whole city smells like rotten eggs. Unlike Yellowstone, it’s not a national park. It’s a city. People live there! I was extremely confused because at first I thought that the neighbor’s house was on fire.

But it’s actually the steam coming from the sulfur pools known as “hot pots”. They are everywhere! In people’s backyards, in the middle of the city, inside the parks. . . they just surround the pots with small fences. To prevent people from falling in and dying (which apparently has happened a few times).

If you’re smart, you build a tub around the pots and use it as your own jacuzzi! We stayed at a member’s house (bless their hearts for letting 20 girls crash there) and they had their own hot pot tub! With a TV built into the wall! We sat and watched Karate Kid. And came out smelling like eggs.

hungry for hunger games

I saw hunger games two days before America - I will never stop bragging about that! And boy I was happy about what I saw! The movie followed the book, the actors didn’t annoy me, and I even cried when Rue died.

Now I’m just waiting for Catching Fire to come out. I’m praying that it will be after December 2013 when I’m home from my mission. I’m already going crazy to see it. I’m also wishing that I could braid my hair as good as Katniss.

hamilton temple trip

Last Friday we took a trip to the Hamilton temple to do baptisms. The temple was absolutely stunning and I loved being there. We were so lucky to go and it felt so peaceful there.

I am so grateful for temples!

Interesting fact: the Hamilton temple in New Zealand was the first temple built outside of the United States.

Just down the road is a small shop inside of a trailer called Mama’s Donuts. I’m not normally a huge donut fan, but these were to DIE for! I ate lots of apple cinnamon donuts. At first I only ordered one, but once you’ve had one, you’ve gotta have more! pretty soon you've spent all your money and you feel sick. Thank you mama!!

last day of school

Definitely a bittersweet kind of thing.

Last day meant no more planning and no more staying late after school.

But it also meant saying bye to the kids, which was sad.

But it did turn out to be quite the party :)

For weeks I’ve been telling the kids that they would get a pizza party if they were able to get 200 points. My associate teacher and I have been keeping a tally on the white board of the party points, which has been an extremely effective management strategy. It cracks me up because the threat of “I’m going to take away party points” works like a charm, every time. They just don’t realize that teachers manipulate things so that the kids always end up with a party. The last week when we were still far off from the goal, I started handing out points in tens instead of fives. Yet they were still so excited and surprised when they reached 200 points!

my associate teacher, Mrs. Templeman. She's honestly the best.

The party was a hit. Perfect ending to six weeks. We combined all the senior classes for a huge farewell party. All the kids brought food from home and we ate our hearts out. I played some j biebs on my ipod and they all went nuts.

heaps of food from the kids!

(sorry got lazy with the picture rotating thing)

"HELLO AMERICA!!!"

At the end of the day they sang me a song – I love when they sing in Maori. It’s so beautiful.

And turns out one of my students actually wrote me a song, which she sang for me. What a gem! Quite inspiring lyrics.

Miss Lambert you're so funny, you make my wishes come true

I wrote a description about you, what I've learned about you

about you

i appreciate all the time you spent with us, playing and laughing with all of us

it breaks my heart that you have to go, please hold my hand and never let go

let go

We love having you at school, we'll miss you very much

I really got to know you in all the time you spent with us

with us, with us

we've done storyboards, party points, t ball with us

we love you so much don't ever go back to America

I like you so much Natalie, I wonder if you like Barbies

I've never seen your house before, but that would be a real big score

big score, big score

i appreciate all the time you spent with us, playing and laughing with all of us

Just hold my hand and never let go

let go, let go

I mean. . . not to brag or anything. She's the one who wrote it not me!

I was also given a beautiful headdress, a chocolate bunny, and a handmade bracelet. If you ever want your self-esteem boosted, come talk to these kids because they do a good job of it!

Can't wait to eat this chocolate bunny

Me and Stacey

and that's that! I can't believe how fast six weeks went by. It was one of the best experiences I've had and I know I'm gonna miss seeing those kids everyday.

a transylvanian golfing experience

ever been golfing in transylvania?

or even heard of transylvania?

I admit I had to look it up online. So much for my world freshman geography class.

For FHE, us girls went mini golfing at the "Transylvania" center. Which looked like a mixture of Christmas trees and Halloween to me. it was really quite morbid!

But if you ask the knowledgeable ones, such as Mallory, she'll tell you that vampires come from Transylvania, so that's where the creepy factor comes from. It's also cold there, so that's why all the trees are covered in snow.

I guess this is where the Cullens would go golfing? who knows.

Needless to say, mini golfing in the dark with neon lights and Halloween music playing was a different experience. definitely messed with my putting skills. Which is probably why I got a higher score than I did when I went bowling. sooo not good.

creepy mcgee!!

setting up to putt. . .

and then Mal was kidnapped! Dang Cullens.

i love mail

This is coming long after the fact,

but thank you everyone who sent me mail!!

I've been lucky to receive. . .

a letter from Sister Murdock/my old roommate/my best friend

TWO packages from my mother! Both of which contained candy and snacks. And a lovely yellow new shirt. she is the best! I would've taken pictures of all the contents, but by the time I remembered, most of it was eaten and this is all I had left.

THANK YOU MEL - she sent me a bag of mini wheat crumbs. the key to my heart and my most favorite treat. She is a wonderful sister and i love her and i loved eating the crumbs. I had one day home sick, and it was the perfect breakfast to help me feel better :)

And thanks to Daren for the loveliest package full of the perfect goodies to keep me going. Definitely made my day!