Nannies Unleashed

Recently I met this girl in my LDS ward. As we got to know each other better we came to find out that we are both nannies in the same area. We became friends instantly.
We had been talking about going to Washington DC, so yesterday we went. We found parking and then got ready for an adventure. Are adventure then began by walking to the first monument.
We went to the Jefferson Monument.

Then we went to the Lincoln Monument and enjoyed the view.  I felt like he would come alive (I think I've seen Night at the Museum too many times.)

We walked to the Washington Monument.
Then we went and found food. We both got Philly cheese steaks. They were really good.
After we ate we proceeded to the Air and Space Museum in the Smithsonian Mall. We walked through it and saw Amelia Earhart and the Wright brothers. After that we walked to the United States Botanic Gardens, which was really pretty. It was pretty because some of the flowers I saw I would never get to see anywhere else. I really liked the orchids. It has plants from all over the world.

After all of this waking we got tired, so we stopped for some ice cream. We found a little vendor and I bought a DC sweatshirt.
As we were right next to the Holocaust Museum, we went in to see if we could get tickets. We ended up not getting tickets due to the time, as we arrived right after the last open slot.
It was cool seeing all the sites since I doubt I will ever get to see them again. Plus it was fun going with a friend and we could see the sites we wanted to see. The best is that we didn't have to stay long at them because we knew all about the sites due to High School government classes.

Year Mark

Once upon a time there was a beautiful woman and she decided to go for an adventure it all began on the tenth of the September of last year. She took a trip on an airplane soaring above the clouds; to a place far from the familiar Rocky Mountains of Utah. She packed up all of her things in 2 suitcases and moved to Maryland to become a nanny for what she soon found out to be an amazing family.
She was able to explore the area, going on many adventures to new states she's never been before; Pennsylvania, Washington D.C. and Virginia. She got to visit many new areas like the zoo, aquarium with many new animals as well as going to parks and enjoying the weather. She even go to go home for a few weeks for Christmas and stay a month of July.
She experienced the culture and the customs of the Jewish family she lived with by attending their synagogue, called Shul and got to witness a wedding.
She had an amazing time exploring the East Coast. The colors of the autumn, the 3 feet of snow in the winter, and the stunning flowers blooming in the springtime.
Throughout all these adventures it showed her so much about herself and she grew from it. She met new people, who became friends, and learned talents like patience that she never had before. she made new friends and learn new talents of being patient with the children. She grew so much and learned about the Jewish culture.
There were hard times as she met the challenges of this adventure. She knew that by being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints she could do anything. Throughout it all she know she could do anything with the Savior, as my relationship became stronger with Him.
She is so grateful for these experiences and the 4 amazing kids that love and adore her.
Thanks to everyone that made my year doing nannying amazing. To more months to come. I can't wait for more adventures and memories that will last a lifetime.

Homeword Bound

Well it has been awhile since I wrote. Here is what's I've been doing:
1. For all of July I didn't have work so I went back to my parents house.
2. Instead of flying to Salt Lake City I flew to Denver and spent a week with my grandparents. It was fun. I got a pedicure with my grandma and cousin, went out to dinner and spent time with my grandparents. My parents and siblings came over for the 4th of July, that's how I got home.

3. I went to a foot doctor and got my ingrown toenails removed.

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4. Spent time with my friends. I got to see some of my friends I haven't seen in along time. I went to dinner with some and others I was able to visit with.
5. My maternal grandma moved in with my parents. So it was a new adventure having her with my family.
6. Last but my favorite is that my sister in law had her baby. My family and I were able to go see my brother and sister-in-law with their new baby at the hospital.

Passover

This past week was Passover week for the family I live with.
Here's little background about Passover.  Passover celebrates freedom of the Jews from the Egyptians. The story of the Pass over is found in the book of Exodus. It is about the pharaoh of Egypt and Moses. 
During the celebration they sing and read songs from the Haggadah.
To prepare for Passover we do not eat bread and foods like it (chametz or leaven) for eight days. It includes bread, pasta, cookies, cake and rice. Before Passover we search for chametz and got rid of it, sometimes burning it. We had to clean the kitchen and get rid of everything that touched chametz, we even used new pots and pans. These were special pots and pans used for Passover.
We eat lots of Matzah (like a cracker) in the week of Passover.
The first night, Friday night, we had the seder. A special plate called the seder plate was used and they put 6 different foods on the plate as seen in the pictures below.

The kids get the week off of school so Monday we went to the zoo. We saw different African animals.

Went to the Basilica For FHE

Monkeys

Okapi

Giraffes

Elephant

lion and cheetah

Rhinos and Zebra

Turtles and Penguins

Flamingos and Polar Bear

Tuesday and Wednesday we just stayed and home and played.

I had a fun time celebrating the week with the kids home. I love my kids I nanny and getting the opportunity to celebrate Passover.

New York

I got the opportunity to go to New York with the family. The host family takes classes online through New York. So once a month the host family has to go to New York for classes so she decided to take us with them. We went up there for 3 days.
On the first day we went to Time Square, it was fun to walk around and see the sites. Mainly we looked up and I saw where they do the Broadway Musicals. That night we drove to the host family's parents house who lives in New Jersey. We spent the night there.





The next day went The Museum of Natural History. It was fun to see the exhibits. I did get separated from the rest of the group, so I walked around by myself and saw lots of the exhibits. My favorite exhibit was seeing the animals. It felt like I was in the movie Night at the Museum with the animals. We saw dinosaur bones, and outer space. Then after the museum the parents went to lunch, so I decided to go get lunch and get a New York hotdog and pretzel from a street vendor.

The last day the parents went to New York to go to school and I stayed home with the kids and played. Once their schooling was done later in the day we drove home.
I had a great time visiting New York for the first time.

Mazel Tov

March 31, 2016 wasn't a typical day for the family. We woke up like we usually do, got the kids to school and did our morning routine.
This is when the fun started to happen. The mom left to go get her hair done, taking the oldest girl with her to get her's done too. We picked up the kids from school early and got them in the van and all headed out to a very special event. Today was a wedding for the family aunt!
We drove to this pretty barn and reception center. We got the food unloaded and the kids out, and got them dressed. We had them play for a while, to keep them quiet and clean we had luckily brought the IPad to entertain 3 of the 4 kids. Although I ended up chasing after the baby.
Then the excitement began. The bride walked in and the family and friends all admired her. The people looked at the bride and admired her for her beauty and this special day she is having. It was a really cool to see that. After that, the groom came in with all the guys. The guys were in the barn doing something on the lines the girl did. After the guys came in the father of the bride gave a blessing to her.

Then the ceremony happened. We went to the barn and I was with the baby so I watched from a distance. The bride and groom were standing at the front and a rabbi was there and their was some sort of reading and speaking from people. At the end they stepped on glass and everyone said Mazel Tov.
We then went back to the hall and the food and dancing started. I got the kids to sleep then I got to participate. Apparently during that time they lift up the bride and groom on chair; which I missed. It went into the night and their was dancing and drinking. I had a great time.

A Typical Weekend

For most people a weekend consists of sleeping in, relaxing, maybe doing household chores, spending time with friends/family, shopping and other excursions. My weekends consist of  whole different type of situation: I live with a Jewish family
It all starts on Friday morning.  Since their Sabbath starts on Friday night and goes until Saturday at sundown. My host family cooks and prepares food for Friday night. They have family come over for dinner for Shabbat, their day of rest. When the sun goes down they have dinner and enjoy the company of others. They have a meal and they have Kiddush, which is a blessing recited over wine or grape juice, and challah, a type of bread they eat with each meal. For Shabbat they restrain from electronics, using lights, using the stove/oven, dish washer, washing machine and other electrical everyday objects in the kitchen. They also don't do arts and crafts or write.
Saturday morning they get up and get ready for shul (synagogue or church). I get the opportunity to go to church with them. I really enjoy going as I learn what they learn and do as part of their culture and worship services. I go to the kids service, since I usually spend my time with them. After shul they go home and have another meal. For this meal most of the food is cold or they put it on a blech (its a hot plate). This day they also enjoy the company of friends or family. The kids mostly play games, read, and play with friends.

Shabbat goes until sundown on Saturday night. They precede to say a pray ending the day, which also ends their Shabbat. This ending allows them to go back to everyday activities. 
I really enjoy participating in the activity on the weekend. I get to learn a lot and see the different in the Jewish culture and the Mormon culture.

Also for Shabbat they put their fridge and stove in Shabbat mode. Its a feature on them that allows then not to be used. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabbath_mode

Random adventures!

Recently I haven't done anything fun that I could write about. So I will just update you on the some  little things that have been happening.
1. I tried sushi for the first time. On Valentine's Day I went over to a friend's house and tried sushi. I really don't like. I tried a veggie roll and that was okay, then I tried a fake crab roll, then it came the real thing a tuna roll and I didn't like it. It raw fish. Gross....
2. I tried food at a vegan restaurant, we went after the kids dentist appointment and its the only place they can eat due to eating Kosher. It was really good. I tried these cauliflower popper things. They're these baked cauliflower and they had a great dipping sauce.
3. I went to Pennsylvania for a YSA multi-stake rollerblading activity on February 27. I like that as a church we can get together as YSA from the East coast. It's fun to get to know different people. I like that there are lots of YSA all over the east coast. I tried roller-skates first. I fell down many times before I tried roller-blades. I did much better with those and had a ton of fun.

Adventures In Baltimore

After coming back from my Christmas break I got the opportunity to go out with friends. I got to go to Matthew's Pizza, which is a popular pizza place in Baltimore. I got a crab pizza. Crab pizza is just pizza with crab on it.  and it was amazing. I split half the pizza with a friend.

Our church put on a regional ice skating activity, so I got to go to that. The regional ice skating activity consisted of YSA (young single adults) from the Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania areas. It was fun meeting people. I met this gentleman who knew my brother from his mission. So that was cool; what a small world.
For Martin Luther King Day I got the day off. This gave me the opportunity to go to the Washington DC temple and do baptisms for the dead. The YSA couple missionaries (these are a couple missionary who are called to Maryland YSA area and are over the YSA in the area) invited me and I had a great time. We went with some of the guys from  the Navy academy in the Annapolis YSA ward.

Driving to the temple

Driving to the Temple

                              


For FHE we played pudding Pictionary. It was a fun activity. Pudding Pictionary is where you draw pictures in pudding and the people on your team has to guess what you're drawing.