klickitat street.

So Monday night my mom and I went and watched Ramona and Beezus and I'm pretty sure it's the best movie I've seen in a very long time. I don't care if you think I'm a pansy, but I cried like four times. If I could name any movie that mostly sums up my childhood, this is it. Every time her imagination got the best of her, every time she misunderstood a "grown-up" term, every time she argued with her sister, every time she looked up to her sister and every time she cried, I could pinpoint a moment in my life when I felt exactly the same way. Well, I'm sure we all could, but Ramona is special to me. I grew up reading Beverly Cleary books -- especially the Ramona books. One summer, Jacob and I made a chart of every single Beverly Cleary book and made it our goal to read all of them. I think we got through every book but two (because they weren't at the library).

Anyways, the movie wasn't a play-by-play of the books but it was still amazing and I loved it. I've always felt like I could relate to Ramona Quimby better than any other fictional character -- probably because we both live such awkward lives and are usually too caught up in our imaginary worlds to realize what's happening in the real world.

My favorite childhood memories include hot summer days in shorts and a t-shirt, hiding with Jake in a huge pile of branches pretending we were spies, dressing up as Batman and Batgirl trying to convince the neighborhood kids we were legit, and making swords out of sticks and "healing potions" out of leaves and water.

I'll never forget those moments when I tried so hard to do everything right but instead I just made things worse. And I'll never forget the times my older sister drove me crazy or tried to boss me around or gave me less ice cream than I hoped for. But I'll also never forget how she would comfort me when I cried or the way she hugged me when she left for college or how every moment with her is the right moment to quote a Disney movie and laugh till tears come out of our eyes and we can't breathe. So, if you think I'm a pansy for crying in the movie, maybe it makes more sense now. I miss those days. My sister is married and about to have a baby. And I'm more excited than I've ever been but it just blows my mind to see how quickly we've all grown up and changed.

Anyways, Baby Evans (aka Sharkbait) should be arriving any day now and she already has a wardrobe about twenty times the size of mine so she should come into this world a happy baby....Not to mention the fact that she has a huge family that loves her and can't wait to meet her. =)

<3 Auntie Lulu

yes, i know what dating means.

So today I had the "wonderful" opportunity to attend the singles ward in Gainesville. Okay, sorry for the sarcasm, it really was pretty good. It's always fun to see people I've known since I was practically a baby...except for the fact that they sometimes forget I'm not that baby anymore but that's not important. I was kind of frustrated, though, because the talks in Sacrament meeting were (of course) about marriage and dating. Not that those aren't important subjects, but I am SO SICK of hearing the same things over and over and over again regarding these subjects. Honestly, a lot of what was said I could pretty much recite word for word after hearing it at every single youth conference, girl's camp, young women's lesson, and EFY I've ever been to.

Anyways, I'm just complaining....Okay, well on to my random thoughts for the day:

Well ladies and gentlemen, my sister is finally at the end of her pregnancy -- my beautiful niece should be coming into this world within the next couple of weeks and I am so excited to meet her! I already know she's going to be beautiful because her mommy is probably the most beautiful woman I have ever met. I can't wait to feel her tiny fingers and toes and to play with her clean, tiny feet. I wish I could stay in Georgia and watch her grow and learn how to walk and talk and move her body. I am so grateful for this little miracle that our family is being blessed with! More updates on my niece when she's actually born...and expect lots of pictures as we say hello to the newest addition to our family!

Also...Yesterday, I went to the beach with the one and only Erin Hayes. I have known this girl foreverrrr and we finally got to hang out this weekend. I always forget how much I love the beach but I really do love it! I can't think of anything better than driving down A1A, looking out at the beautiful ocean and the bright blue sky. And I'm so thankful that Heavenly Father is merciful and kept it from raining on us! He really does look out for our happiness....even when it comes to seemingly unimportant requests.

I am so very grateful for this beautiful earth we live in! I usually take it for granted. I'm always rushing to work or to class or to the gym or the library that I rarely take the time to appreciate my surroundings. But sometimes I like to just sit back and soak it all in. My senior year and my first time living in Utah, I walked all the way home from school one day in October and just enjoyed the beautiful weather and the leaves changing colors on the trees and crunching beneath my feet. Yesterday, I was able to just sit on the beach on the edge of water and play with the sand and enjoy the view and it was wonderful. However, snow is definitely something I would much rather appreciate from inside my apartment, curled up on the couch in sweats and with a cup of hot cocoa. =)

And to top off my weekend: I got to skype with the lovely Karen Kleinman last night and the beautiful Emily Baer tonight. I miss these girls so so so much! I miss my freshman year, I miss my roommates, and I miss my FHE family! All these boys are dropping like flies, leaving on their missions. When I get back to Provo, I'm going to know a grand total of about four boys on campus. Four. Oh well, woe is me. I'm happy to be home and with my family but I miss my other home and my other family. Really, what does home even mean anymore? I don't know...if you have any suggestions, please let me know.

Sunday Playlist:
*Come Thou Fount
*I Heard Him Come
*Oh Lord, My Redeemer
*Abide With Me; 'Tis Eventide
*Praise to the Man
*If You Could Hie to Kolob
*Be Still, My Soul

[I love Sundays, I love my family, I love my friends, I love music, I love the mountains, I love the beach, and I love my Heavenly Father]

summer lovin, had me a blast.

If I may (well, of course I may, because this is my blog) I would like to recount my summer so far for all you fellow readers out there (or just Karen).

When I left Provo, I was kind of numb. It had been a whirlwind of a week and I just kind of went through the motions of cleaning, packing, saying goodbye, and catching flights. Next thing I knew, I was at my uncle's house, eating a Dominican dinner at two o'clock in the morning. And that is just how life is for me on the homefront.

So here are a few things I've accomplished so far this summer:
*I've become an adult
*I bought a lottery ticket
*I went to a normal wedding
*I finished the Harry Potter books
(There must be more...)

Also, just a little randomness to introduce you to my life:

Yesterday, I opened the freezer door and about four cans of coke zero came flying at me. Coke exploded all over the freezer and onto the floor (somehow it missed me). I laughed for about five minutes because it was "exploding soda" (bahahaha get it, Sharyl?) Anyways, apparently my mom had stuck them in the freezer the night before so they would get cold quickly for company and then she forgot about them. And I was the lucky one who got to clean up all the soda...fun times. =)

Today, my mom and I were watching Becoming Jane when my Tia Teresa, Tio Yunio, Lucas (4), and Camila (3) joined us. Lucas was sitting next to me and he looked up at me and said, "Mom, what is she doing?" Then he realized his mistake and said, "Whoops! You're not my mom! I forgot!" Hahaha is it weird that it made me so happy to be called "Mom"??

I remember like a year ago when I was filling out some paperwork for a new job, I had to put my mom down as an emergency contact. Her name starts with an M so I automatically started to write "Mom". Then I was, like, "Wait a second...that's not her name...what's her real name? Oh, yeah!"
Haha a mother is and always will be Mom. And in a room full of people, if a kid (or teenager) calls for Mom, every mother in the room will turn. Try it and see what happens.

Some songs that I'm in love with right now:
Gypsy - Shakira
The Fear You Won't Fall - Joshua Radin
You Picked Me - A Fine Frenzy
Almost Lover - A Fine Frenzy
I Will Follow You Into the Dark - Death Cab for Cutie

Y'know, I feel like this summer has been just what I've needed. Half the time, I've been wishing and waiting to go back to Provo and be with my friends again. But the other half, I've been enjoying and embracing everything I have here. And I've been reflecting on how much I've changed and how much I've learned in the past couple of years. Sometimes, new people and new experiences come my way when I least expect them. Sometimes they end badly and sometimes they are amazing. What I need to remember is: Give it everything I've got and stop worrying so much about what could have been, what would have been, and what will be. Just take things one day at a time. The past is history, the future is a mystery, but today is a gift; that's why we call it the present.

<3

cherish life.

So I just read through my very first post and I can't believe how much things have changed in just a few months! And I haven't updated this in a long time but maybe I'll start again...since I don't have much else to do this summer =)

Today I went to a funeral for my mom's cousin who I had never actually met. It was a Hispanic Catholic funeral so it was very...different from what I'm used to. And very interesting.
After the service, we were all gathered in the multi-purpose room of the church to eat and just be together. Throughout the day, I was introduced to so many wonderful people who turned out to be great-aunts, cousins, and close family friends. When my mom first told me about the funeral, a depressing, mournful scene popped into my head of everyone crying and wearing black. I was wrong on both counts. As I took a moment to look around, I realized that everybody was wearing white and instead of weeping and wailing, everyone was taking pictures, eating, laughing, and enjoying each other's company. And that's when I realized -- there's no need to mourn when you're surrounded by people who love you. Instead, we cherish the good times we have had and take advantage of the time we have left.

I felt so honored to have the chance to meet the wonderful people who had influenced my mother's life. And it was such a blessing for me to be in a room full of people who love me -- who really love me. I was in a room full of people that didn't care if my hair was frizzing from the humidity or that I wasn't wearing any makeup, but love me because of who I am -- Luisa Lynette Chil, an eighteen year old BYU Sophomore that is trying so hard to become fluent in Spanish so that I can get to know my family better before it's too late.

Life is short, so why not live every day like it's your last?

And now, I'm sitting at home, getting the couch ready for me to sleep on because my aunt and her family are staying in my room. My little cousins and I have just finished playing hide and seek, tracking down the cat, and telling knock-knock jokes to each other. I took a shower and saw a tiny shadow outside the shower curtain...I peeked my head around to see my little 3-year-old cousin there who had come in to show me a picture she drew for me. My uncles and stepdad just finished a loud game of domino's, yelling "capicua!" and making dents in the table and my mom is making a jacket to wear over her dress for a wedding tomorrow. And I am just so grateful for the family I have been blessed with and for the time I have to spend with them.