I try not to use my blog for complaining but sometimes you just gotta.

I got no sleep last night. How I was able to get up at 4:30 am is beyond me. I think I felt my heart crack a little bit when my alarm went off. There were coyotes in the field behind our feild last night that were making Harlow nervous and restless, and me too. Have you ever heard coyotes? They make the most awful noise and it’s really creepy in the middle of the night. At one point Harlow jumped up and growled… a real growl, just like a real dog. I was pretty proud of her but it scared the living daylights out of me. I think she scared herself too. So I had to keep my hand on her all night to keep her calm. So while she is calm and snoozing I’m wide awake listen to every single sound imagining rabid coyotes charging through my sliding glass door (which only the screen was closed). Pathetic I know. And a skunk sprayed somewhere nearby. Oh how I love nature.

And then this morning I’m half way to work I realize I’d forgotten my purse/cell phone/make up/wallet/life at home. Gah! I have realized that I cannot live my life to the fullest without: 1. bobby pins 2. my phone 3. eye drops 4. lip balm/lipstick 5. hand cream. Today the au natural look was not a pretty look. And I have had horrible allergies all day and of course my eye drops are in my purse.

So I’ve been sleepy, grumpy and not cute all day. I know. My life is hard.

If you go to Su Blackwell’s site you might fall in love. Who knew books could do such lovely things?

If you go to Su Blackwell’s site you might fall in love. Who knew books could do such lovely things?

because i’ve run out of things to do at work today

First of all my back has been killing me all day and I want to kill it right back.

Yesterday was going to be such a productive day off but it didn’t turn out that way. I got up early-ish armed with an extensive to-do list but somewhere it all went wrong.

The to-do list was:
–Renew AAA membership
–Go to dentist
–Take passport photo
-Fill out passport app. (again)
-Ship Old Navy shirt sold on ebay
-Clean my car
-Finish laundry (I did one load…)
-Set up printer
-Take photos of more items for ebay sale
–Meet Angie @ 7:30 pm
–Christmas shopping I made a dent in it. I didn’t expect to finish it… come on it’s only October.
-Go to Costco (milk, muffins, fruit, etc)

I think the day lost momentum as soon as I sat down to watch Cash in the Attic. I don’t even really like it I just wanted to hear some Brittish accents. Then I went flight hunting for my trip in March. I haven’t bought my ticket but I have the days off already. March 3-12. Spring in England. I love it. I emailed Mary and David and the kids and they have me “penciled in.” I’d love to go for longer but I hate to leave Harlow for too long and I figure that however long I go for will never really be enough… you know?

After flight hunting then of course there was some Facebooking. Facebook is a big time suck for me. Then I paid some bills. That was good. After the bill paying I took a shower then decided to give Harlow a bath. Looking back I should have done this in the opposite order. After Harlow gets out the the bath I start to dry her off but as soon as I let go she tears around the house like a maniac. I don’t know if it’s because she has water up her nose of if it’s because she’s simply nuts but it’s hilarious. Then she’ll just stand there shaking to death. Such a drama queen.

Then I decide to go to Santa Barbara since it’s 90º (what happened to fall??) and took Harlow with me. She was so hyper but made lots of friends in town and I did a little Christmas shopping. Before we headed home we were walking down the street past a group of people and she just couldn’t walk past. She had to play. As soon as they acknowledged her she ran right over and was giving kisses to her new friends. They were a funny bunch. Wearing mostly black, lots of tattoos and piercings, skateboards, and they were taking er… “donations” for a trip to Europe. But they loved Harlow and were very sweet to her so we sat on the sidewalk and chatted for a little bit until Harlow found a little bag of… um “grass” and I noticed one of our new friends was smoking a “funny cigarette”. So we said goodbye and went on our way. It wasn’t until I got home that I noticed Harlow reeked of pot. haha So much for her bath. But the funniest part is that in the middle of the night last night Harlow jumps off my bed, runs into the bathroom and I can hear eating and eating and eating her dry food. She never ever gets off the bed at night. And it was like 1 am. And then I realized it was probably just the pot and that she had the munchies! I was seriously just laughing so hard to myself in spite of the fact that I was bummed to get woken up in the middle of the night. I need to teach her that drugs are bad but I still love my little pot head. Speaking of pot heads…

This picture of Cheech and Chong makes me laugh because when I was little I used to think my dad WAS Tommy Chong. Like seriously. The crazy hair, glasses, awesome bandana, tattoos, mexican, the “head dead” t-shirts… Why I was watching Cheech and Chong when I was little is a whoooooole other issue.

Oh and yes, I’ve sold a few things on Ebay… it’s going surprisingly well. But more on that another time. Tonight I need to get my passport application filled out and ready to mail. And finish my laundry por fin!

because i’ve run out of things to do at work today

First of all my back has been killing me all day and I want to kill it right back.

Yesterday was going to be such a productive day off but it didn’t turn out that way. I got up early-ish armed with an extensive to-do list but somewhere it all went wrong.

The to-do list was:
–Renew AAA membership
–Go to dentist
–Take passport photo
-Fill out passport app. (again)
-Ship Old Navy shirt sold on ebay
-Clean my car
-Finish laundry (I did one load…)
-Set up printer
-Take photos of more items for ebay sale
–Meet Angie @ 7:30 pm
–Christmas shopping I made a dent in it. I didn’t expect to finish it… come on it’s only October.
-Go to Costco (milk, muffins, fruit, etc)

I think the day lost momentum as soon as I sat down to watch Cash in the Attic. I don’t even really like it I just wanted to hear some Brittish accents. Then I went flight hunting for my trip in March. I haven’t bought my ticket but I have the days off already. March 3-12. Spring in England. I love it. I emailed Mary and David and the kids and they have me “penciled in.” I’d love to go for longer but I hate to leave Harlow for too long and I figure that however long I go for will never really be enough… you know?

After flight hunting then of course there was some Facebooking. Facebook is a big time suck for me. Then I paid some bills. That was good. After the bill paying I took a shower then decided to give Harlow a bath. Looking back I should have done this in the opposite order. After Harlow gets out the the bath I start to dry her off but as soon as I let go she tears around the house like a maniac. I don’t know if it’s because she has water up her nose of if it’s because she’s simply nuts but it’s hilarious. Then she’ll just stand there shaking to death. Such a drama queen.

Then I decide to go to Santa Barbara since it’s 90º (what happened to fall??) and took Harlow with me. She was so hyper but made lots of friends in town and I did a little Christmas shopping. Before we headed home we were walking down the street past a group of people and she just couldn’t walk past. She had to play. As soon as they acknowledged her she ran right over and was giving kisses to her new friends. They were a funny bunch. Wearing mostly black, lots of tattoos and piercings, skateboards, and they were taking er… “donations” for a trip to Europe. But they loved Harlow and were very sweet to her so we sat on the sidewalk and chatted for a little bit until Harlow found a little bag of… um “grass” and I noticed one of our new friends was smoking a “funny cigarette”. So we said goodbye and went on our way. It wasn’t until I got home that I noticed Harlow reeked of pot. haha So much for her bath. But the funniest part is that in the middle of the night last night Harlow jumps off my bed, runs into the bathroom and I can hear eating and eating and eating her dry food. She never ever gets off the bed at night. And it was like 1 am. And then I realized it was probably just the pot and that she had the munchies! I was seriously just laughing so hard to myself in spite of the fact that I was bummed to get woken up in the middle of the night. I need to teach her that drugs are bad but I still love my little pot head. Speaking of pot heads…

This picture of Cheech and Chong makes me laugh because when I was little I used to think my dad WAS Tommy Chong. Like seriously. The crazy hair, glasses, awesome bandana, tattoos, mexican, the “head dead” t-shirts… Why I was watching Cheech and Chong when I was little is a whoooooole other issue.

Oh and yes, I’ve sold a few things on Ebay… it’s going surprisingly well. But more on that another time. Tonight I need to get my passport application filled out and ready to mail. And finish my laundry por fin!

Today is October 20th and you all know what that means! It’s the last day to register to vote. Do it darn it!

I was watching the news a few days ago and they interviewed a woman who was 110 years old or something crazy like that who had voted in every single election since women got the right to vote in 1920. How awesome is that? And how crazy is it to think that women have been allowed to vote for less than 100 years?

Voting is something that I feel very strongly about. Our political system is far from perfect but it’s the only one we’ve got so that is no excuse not to exercise our right to vote. I think it’s easy to forget what a privlage it is to vote. Vote because you love America. Vote because you hate America and want to see some changes.

Or just do it for the free sticker.

Today is October 20th and you all know what that means! It’s the last day to register to vote. Do it darn it!

I was watching the news a few days ago and they interviewed a woman who was 110 years old or something crazy like that who had voted in every single election since women got the right to vote in 1920. How awesome is that? And how crazy is it to think that women have been allowed to vote for less than 100 years?

Voting is something that I feel very strongly about. Our political system is far from perfect but it’s the only one we’ve got so that is no excuse not to exercise our right to vote. I think it’s easy to forget what a privlage it is to vote. Vote because you love America. Vote because you hate America and want to see some changes.

Or just do it for the free sticker.

Expect to have hope rekindled. Expect your prayers to be answered in wondrous ways.
Sarah Ban Breathnach

I love this picture and have it sitting in my room in a pretty little frame. I’ve looked at it so many times over the last 4 and a half years. And I’ve looked at it a lot over the last few days. But I wonder what you see when you look at it. Maybe you see a mother and her two daughters. Maybe you see a humble family from Ecuador. Maybe you see just another immigrant family. Maybe you don’t see anything special. That’s okay, because you don’t know them.

But I do.

I wish I could somehow convey the love I feel for them so that you would see them as I do. They are so dear to my heart. The woman’s name is Maria and she is a sweet, sometimes shy, but very strong woman. Her husband is Luis and he is a man who works hard to provide for his family, who tries hard and has great faith. Their little girls are named Alexis and Yessenia. They are funny, funny girls. They also have a little boy now. They are from Ecuador.

When I was living in Minneapolis I spent countless hours getting to know la familia Yupangui and growing to love them. I can still hear the way Luis would say, “Come on Hermanas” when he was trying to talk us into something (or talk his way out of something); or the way Alexis would say, “Ya voy!” when the doorbell would ring at their apartment… and it makes me smile.

In February of 2003 they were sealed in the St Paul Temple. They invited Shaylyn and I to go with them but we couldn’t go. We were quaranteed inside our apartment for 3 days with bronchitis. It killed us to miss it but we could not have been happier in our feverish state knowing that this familia tan linda (lovely family) was being sealed for time and eternity.

One of the miracles of serving a full time mission is that you come to see people through different eyes. You have literally no time to think of yourself and you are focused completely on those around you. Loving people becomes the most natural thing. Regardless of whether you are loved or even liked in return, and regardless of the different choices or mistakes you see people make you love them. But I don’t mean love as just an emotion. I mean love in the sense of wishing the very best for them. The meaning of charity is “the pure love of Christ” and I think that is the best way to describe what I feel for this family. I would never presume to think that I’m anywhere near being able to love people as our Saviour does but I think I was able to get the tiniest little glimpse of what it is like and I’m so grateful for that.

So anyway, I took this picture on the last day I saw the Hermana Yupangui and her girls before I was transferred to Rochester for my last 6 weeks in MN. So much had changed for them in that year or so. Sometimes life can push pretty hard and it certainly did for this little family. One thing after another came their way and they were struggling. Hermana Yupangui and I spoke a few times about what was going on in their lives and my heart ached for them. I was lucky I was able to see them this one last time and we talked for awhile and then said goodbye. I remember walking back to our car with an anxious heart wondering how things would work out and if they’d “make it”. I’ll admit I lost touch with them after I left Minnesota but have kept them in my thoughts and prayers but was never sure if I’d see or hear from them again. Most of the people we worked with moved so often that staying in touch has been hard at best.

So yesterday a friend who had known this family saw this picture on Facebook and commented on how big their girls are now and how great they are doing. My heart literally stopped and my response was something like “What?… You’ve seen them?… They’re okay?… They’re still together?… They’re happy even??” And I waited for her response with my heart in my throat. And after what felt like forever her reply came, “Yes. They are still together. They are happy. They’re coming to church.” I felt like that part in the How the Grinch Stole Christmas where it says that “his heart grew three sizes that day.” I had to step away from my desk because I was overcome with gratitude and happiness. To find out after years of praying and wondering that this family that I love is back on their feet is the sweetest gift.

When I left work I had to tell someone this amazing news so I called Shaylyn who, I found out, was leaving for MN the next day. Coincidence? I doubt it. I hope she’s able to see them. I can’t wait to talk to her when she gets back!

I know this is long so if you’ve made it this far the point is that I feel like this was a huge lesson for me on faith and patience and trusting in the Lord’s timing. I know sometimes I’m too quick to give up. How long do we pray for something before we decide it “isn’t working?” A month? A year? Four years? Twenty years? It’s so easy to get impatient and sometimes I even try to convince myself that my impatience is actually a sign of my faith. You know, I get impatience because I care. Because I do have have faith that it can happen, I get impatient when it doesn’t. To sit calmly and patiently with faith sometimes seems almost too casual, or even nonchalant, especially while you are watching a storm rage around someone you love. I know this of course isn’t true. And every time I start feeling like this I think of Neal A. Maxwell saying “Patience is not indifference. Actually, it means caring very much but being willing, nevertheless, to submit to the Lord and to what the scriptures call the “process of time”.” That’s something I need to work on.

In the meantime I will call the Yupanguis and pray that they remember me. I don’t care if they don’t. I’ll live. It won’t dampen my happiness at all. And I’m looking at getting time off to go back in the spring/summer (not winter!) and seeing if Shaylyn wants to go to. Another family we worked with is moving back to El Salvador next summer and I have to see them.

I’m happy. The Yupanguis are happy. And I have some real motivation to get my rear in gear and work on my Spanish. ¡Ijole!

(the building on the left w/ the multi-colored lights is some crazy disco- or so we heard- but the lights on top constantly change colors… a very helpful landmark for when you get lost in the city)