Hope You Don't Have a Weak Bladder...

Get ready for this.

Belated....But Sincere

For Ellie
oh well, I like getting up with
the sun
and your bright-glowing-beautiful
madness
which I have come to miss when
silence
finds its way into our door after 9
you were the last bloom
before autumn arrives
the first snowflake in December
and sweet rain falling in
summer
I have not yet discovered a smile
quite like yours
it seems to put hope into
places where hope does not belong
For once and forever
(from now on)
there's good news every morning

This is for you, Liz (New Year's Eve)

Having large muscles requires scowling at all times.

The threesome strikes again!

When nobody's stopping you, just do it! Haha...

Laughing, always laughing

Shorter than the rest...

Nobody else would dance with us. Wonder why?

Single enough for the singles ward!

So...you know that movie where singles wards are just outright mocked? Well I have news: they aren't really like that! I mean yeah, some of them are solely for getting hitched, but the one I have recently begun to attend is just a place to make friends. And boy is that something I need right now! I was pretty afraid to go to a singles ward when I first moved back for the winter, so I stayed away from it for a few weeks. Then finally I got some guts and dived headfirst. I'm usually good with names, but every time I go to church now I forget who people are and if I've met them already. That's how many times I have introduced myself! What the junk?! When I told my bishop that I'd be staying until April, he said, "Right on!" and slapped me five. I was also called to the activities committee on my second sunday. Wahoodles! The truth is, the church is the same wherever you go. The only difference is the people--or should I say, the new friends you make.

And then the snow came down...

My favorite present today arrived at a little after 8am--that's when the phone rang. Ikey! Yeah, the holidays are crazy (so is working on Christmas Eve, dear golly!), but it all turns out to be worth it when you watch your little brother and sister rip open present after present on Christmas morning. The bonus was talking to Elder Livingston on the phone for a while and hearing about Hamilton, Ohio. Yay for missionaries! Ellie sure was eager to get her hands on some goods, though. Mom and dad had to tell her more than once to slow down or she'd be out of presents soon, and we all know what that means. Her reaction: "But I don't wanna be done! I'm not done! I have more presents! I want more!" By that time her "tower of greed" was leaning a bit... I don't remember being quite like that but I know that I have learned to slow things down on Christmas morning so I can soak it all in. It's been snowing all day and since it's Christmas I'm trying to think about how pretty it is and not how I'm going to have to dig my car out of it tomorrow. :-) MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Lessons Learned at a Nursing Home

• The first man we went to visit this past Sunday's name was Del. He was pretty talkative and liked telling us stories about his mission. After we sang him a few Christmas hymns, he pointed a trembling finger at me and said, "You remind me of my mother. She was a tiny lady." Then, as I shook his hand and said goodbye, he held onto it and said, "If I call you Mama, don't be alarmed." HA!
• Next we visited a woman named Helen who was thoroughly engrossed in an NFL game when we entered her room. She muted it and immediately started asking us each where we were from and what our names were. She knew where everyone's hometown was except for me... figures. Then we asked her which song she wanted us to sing and she said, "Oh, any song, any song! I have two loves in life: milk and music." (Courtney prodded me in the back when she said that and mouthed, "That's you!") Then she warned us not to sing "Silent Night" because every time she hears that one she cries. Let me just say that I got more laughs from this woman in fifteen minutes than I can get out of a whole day with...ahem...myself.
  
• Last we visited a woman whose husband was visiting her. She was in a hospital bed and he was standing very close by, watching over her. A girl in our group told him that he had a very beautiful wife, to which he replied with a smile, "Oh, I know that." Then his wife said, "She doesn't feel very beautiful right now," so he reached over and grabbed her hand. We sang "Joy to the World" to them, which we were told "would make the wife happy." I just love old couples...they really are golden!
  

The Runaway iPod+Music Fast=Answer to Prayers

Yesterday was one of those days that are just "days," when you wake up feeling awesome (like I did) and go home with your head hanging low (like I did). I had dutifully packed my workout clothes to take to class so that I could exercise afterwards...it's one of my new goals to work out every day. Well at the end of Spanish 102 I, for some reason, took my iPod out of my backpack and set it on my desk, not even thinking about it as I left the classroom. About 20 minutes later I realized what I had done, but since there was a class going on I couldn't retrieve it until 5:30. I decided to go work out anyway and then swing by the Smith building on the way home. It was really dark out and raining by the time I was done, which wasn't adding much to the mood I was in. When I got to room 431 I searched everywhere but the little music box was nowhere to be found. At first I was distraught because I thought someone might have stolen it; then I had this comforting feeling that I would find it eventually. Heavenly Father is always finding new ways to try me, which I thanked him for and then asked if He would please help me find the iPod. I told him I knew that we should "lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven," but that I would feel really bad if I lost this iPod. This morning I went to the gym again and tried to put myself into a good mood. In my morning prayers I asked Heavenly Father to help me focus outside of myself and forget about my problems. It turned out to be one of the best days of the whole semester; on the way to my classes I smiled at everyone, I tried to compliment all my friends, and I let the Spirit just soak into me. I was fully attentive in all of my classes today (which was also an answer to prayer) and feel like I learned so much. When I made my way to Spanish after another amazing devotional, I kept getting the impression that I would find my iPod and I didn't need to worry anymore. Actually I'd known that all day long but I had decided from the beginning that I was going to have a positive attitude no matter what happened. I walked into my class, sat down in my seat, and lo and behold, a note on the board (from my Creative Writing teacher...coincidence? I think not!) said that if anyone left their iPod in the room the day before to talk to one of the adjunct professors. A few minutes later my Spanish teacher walked in holding the little black thing which could have made my day (and others around me) worse; instead it turned today into one of the best. The ironic thing is that, for my music class, we had to go without music for 24 hours. My fast was going on from the time I lost my iPod to the time when I got it back, and they were some of the happiest I've had on this earth. It's funny how the Lord uses our weakesses to teach us lessons and to help us grow. That's what attending the Disciple Preparation Center (D.P.C. ak.a. BYU-Id) is all about! At least, that's what I hear... :-)