love story + viva la vida

Saw this today, loved it, wanted to share it with you.

waxing philosophical

Hey Jess,

I kept thinking last night how much I would hate it if we had to drive as long as you did to get home. :)  I hope your trip went smoothly and that you's guys get to relax a little before jumping back into work and everything else tomorrow.

This past weekend was so much fun!  On our way home, I turned the stereo in our car on and whaddaya know, the CD you made me was in.  Jake fell asleep, and so as I drove through the UP, I had some time to think.  I listened to the lyrics of the songs and was touched by the themes that I heard repeating in the lyrics.  

I want to live a simple life.

Time is accelerating.

We'll weave our days together like waves and particles of life.

Helping the kids out of their coats, oh wait the babies haven't been born.

I got a man to stick it out and make a home from rented house.

We'll collect the moments one by one, I guess that's how the future's done.

I am humbled in this city, there seems to be an endless sea of people like us.

We make hope from every small disaster.

I'll make my own way in this wide world.

We might not have any money, but we've got our love to pay the bills.

Let's get rich and build a house on a mountain making everybody look like ants.

This is how it works:

You peer inside yourself, 

You take the things you like

and try to love the things you took.

And then you take the love you made

and stick it into someone else's heart,

pumping someone else's blood.

And walking arm in arm, you hope it don't get harmed,

but even if it does, 

you'll just do it all again.

Everywhere you go, I'm there with you,

Still part of you,

I'll never let you go at it alone.

Very late at night and in the morning light, nobody knows me at all.

How do I show all the love inside my heart?

For this is all new, and I'm feeling my way through the dark.

I used to talk with honest conviction of how I predicted my world.

I had been thinking about mine and Jake's situation right now... how we're thinking about buying a house, the option of moving to a new place, and feeling very confused and conflicted.  And how it's not fair that we can't have everything mapped out for us and how it's not fair that we don't know exactly what we need to do.  And so then I started listening to those lyrics, and felt humbled.  I realized that this is it.... this is life. 

I thought about me and you and how we've changed and all that we have experienced in these past four years.  We are now college graduates, in our early twenties, and this is part of life.  We aren't supposed to know.  And it's beautiful, to have it this way.  To have our whole lives ahead of us, to just be able to dream and stretch and grow.  To not know of the tragedies and struggles we'll face, to only know of the happiness we have in the present.  

I am so proud of us, and so happy for us too.  It fills my heart with so much joy, that we are still friends and that even though we're different in some ways, deep down, we are still the same sentimental, sensitive, whimsical little girls that we once were.  I am so happy that we can have so much fun together, with our husbands.  That we have both married good men who love us and take care of us.  That we're "collecting the moments one by one", because "that's how the future's done."

Anyway, I just want you to know how much I love you and how much Heavenly Father loves you, too.  I hope you two hear back from med schools soon and that we'll get to see each other again soon.

~ Rudi

all dogs go to heaven?

Hey Jess,

These dogs are the reason I haven't updated the blog in a week. :)  The week was a blur, and we're happy to be back in our own bed.  

Jake saw that I was posting pictures of the dogs, and then he saw the title of our blog, "a friendship in pictures."  He says, "You're not posting pictures of the dogs, are you?"  And I said, "Yeah, I am."  And he replies, "Why?  They're not my friends."

hehe

Love you, I'll call you later,

Rudi

Shopping Trip!

Jason and I went to Old Navy on Friday and saw these mannequins...


and I couldn't help remembering our shopping trip for your 14th? 15th? birthday! Remember those photos I had in my scriptures for the longest time? I searched for forever and eventually found them! Here's two classics. :) (I didn't include the "Hottie" and "Luscious" butts photo...shameful!) haha

Sentimental Saturdays

Hey Reenie!

I was looking through my photo albums today and found these little jewels (and the pictures all along the sidebar).  Isn't it funny to look back on all the goofy things we used to do?  Good times.  I love you and miss you so much. :)

Rudes

Jess -

Thanks for posting those pictures.  I love them!  Especially the tulips, so pretty.  I needed the extra boost this morning that they gave me.  I didn't think I'd have a problem falling asleep last night, but I didn't get to bed until around 4 am and had to work at 8.  It was rough.  So, this is the Laie temple.  As you might have heard, the temple is closed for quite some time (I think it reopens next year).  It's a shame, too, because it would have been really neat to do a session there.  The temple isn't white right now, it's gray.  They've scraped off all the white.  The grounds are still beautiful, though.  There were plumeria trees everywhere (one of my new favorite flowers).  A sister missionary from the Philippines gave a plumeria for me to wear in my hair when we got there.  I loved the Spirit there.

Love, Rudi

Temple Morning

Rudi,
Jason and I went to the temple this morning to do work for my great, great, great grandparents Amelia and Raphael. The sun was coming up right between the mountains and it had an amazing affect on Provo temple--which I struggle to find beautiful most days. :) Of course our time in the temple was wonderful. What a perfect start to our Wednesday. love ya!
-Jess
(P.S. Got any photos of the Laie Hawaii Temple??)