My New Little Bracelet..

Well, today was the day..



I remember I was serving in my last area on my mission,
and I was talking with a dear friend and she told me of
the experience she had when she found out her son had
Celiac's Disease. She said when the doctor told her
he had the disease, she cried and cried.

I never thought I would know how that would feel.

As I sat in the hospital bed with tubes hooked up all over,
(I don't know why there had to be so many tubes for an endoscopy),
I felt nervous to find out the inevitable.
A quick prayer was said in my heart, and I felt a comfort
knowing everything would be ok.

I was put to sleep after that and remember waking up to a
male nurse telling me I for sure had Celiac's Disease.
Tears filled my eyes as I tried to comprehend what that meant.
My mom and the doctor came in after and he began to explain
what needed to be done from here,
and what other problems were occurring.
I tuned him out and wished it wasn't true.

I then thought about my dear friend's family
who couldn't be more positive about their situation
and made it look easy to have this disease.
I became grateful for some things at that moment...

1. Heavenly Father blessed me to be able to witness
this wonderful family and realize I can still be happy
with this disease.

2. It could DEFINITELY be a lot worse, and I am a big baby.

3. I am so grateful to FINALLY know what is wrong with me.



It turned out to be a pretty good day.

Earl.

My nephew, Earl, turned 6 months this past week,
and I had the privilege of taking his pictures.



If any of you have seen Meet the Robinson's,
Earl looks just like "Goob".



Another common thought is that he looks like an old grandpa;
that could just be because of his name (Earl LaVar Tate IV).



Either way, it is moments like these that I forget
this is my job, and not just a wonderful hobby.
He is adorable.

A-BOUT-TIME!

I know, I know, it has been over a month since I have blogged.
To say I have been busy would be an understatement.
That is the only excuse I am giving on why I haven't been blogging.
Because let's be honest, excuses are lame.
Now I will give you an update on the "busyness"...

1. Let's start with the wedding...


Besides the intense rain, the day was just beautiful.
I loved every minute of it, and Tim & Amy were so happy.
It was the first time that my entire family has been
in the Temple TOGETHER.
I have been looking forward to that moment for so long.
I would have to say, the dancing was the best part.
You can see more pictures on my sister's blog here.

2. The Cruise...
For a while now, my parents have been planning a cruise
for us to all go on when Alex and I got home from our missions.




It was the BEST vacation!! Our entire family was together,
and we were able to just have fun with no stress.
We are trying to make up for all of the years we haven't
been able to spend together with all of this family time.
I am never happier than when I am with my family.



My sisters, mom and I did a lot of crazy dancing on the boat.
We even danced on the island with the natives!
I think they enjoyed it.



I just have to say I am grateful that
my family can be together forever.



3. Dairy and Gluuuuuuuuuten...
When I got home from my mission,
I was still getting sick from something I was eating.
My friend said I should try eating gluten-free,
and I thought she was crazy.
But, I felt that I should, so I did.
Lo and behold, I felt better.
So ever since, I have been eating dairy and gluten free.
I decided to go to the doctor to find out if I have Celiac Disease.
He told me that I needed to eat gluten for two weeks
before I can have an endoscopy.
My initial thought... Why not add dairy to the mix?



It has been quite an interesting week and a half..
The food has been DELICIOUS
but I have never felt so sick before.
I am actually looking forward to Monday
when I don't have to eat gluten and dairy anymore.
Did I just say that?
It has been good to have closure with my favorite foods...
Yes, I needed closure.

4. Work, work, work..
I have been working like crazy.
Luckily I love it..
How could I not?



It is wedding season,
and I am so happy to be back.
But besides weddings, I get to capture
little darlings like this guy.
Yes, you could say I have the best job.











5. The boy..
Now for the main reason my blogging has been..
nonexistent for the past month and a half.



Meet Richard.
He is great.
And he takes up all of my free time.
My sister, Annelise set us up,
and we have talked every day since.

Speaking of Annelise, she is up to date
on her blogging, and many of it is what
I have been up to lately.
So, if you so desire to see more of
what I have been doing, check out her blog.

http://brossfamily.blogspot.com/

Katrina...

Well, here are some more pictures,
but I just had to put these up...
She is just too cute!

At one point I asked her to
look at her tag and think about
what her mission meant to her...
This is the shot that came from it.

There are no words to explain
what a mission means to a missionary.
These pictures depict that perfectly.

BFFL...

Jacob had his first kiss this past week.
I found out through the grapevine.
I couldn't be more happy that
he found someone that makes him smile.
I couldn't be more sad that
he didn't call me the second it happened.

It finally hit me that
things will never be the same between us.

We talked last night after
what seemed like forever
and he told me
that he is truly happy.
I loved hearing that, but
I wish I could be a part of it.
He let me know that he doesn't know
where I fit in his life right now
and it would be best if we
didn't talk much until
he figures that out.

I have taken notice to
how many people say,
"I married my best friend."
I always had a break between the two,
I always had my best friend,
and then my boyfriend.
Jacob pointed this out to me last night.
He always knew I wouldn't
marry the people I was dating,
because I was his best friend
and he was mine.

I am glad I realized this,
because I understand now that
they have to be the same person
or it doesn't work.

So, I want to hear about all of your
best friends...
a.k.a. significant others.
So if you read this, please
make a post about your
"best friend" on your blog.
I would like to read them,
they will make me smile!

I can't wait to find my best friend.
:)

Earl.

I was able to take pictures of more of my nieces and nephew...

They make my job so easy and fun!

Before I left on my mission,
I took their pictures when Ashley was born.
Sophie was not too happy, because
I was taking pictures of Ashley instead of her.
I titled this picture
"The Grumbles".
I feel that it perfectly depicts what it means
to have the grumbles.

When I took their pictures this time,
Ashley was the one who had "The Grumbles",
and I was able to catch it on camera.

It must run in the family...
I love these kids even when they have the grumbles.

Mormon Swearing.

I don't know why, but
I laughed hysterically when I watched this video...
I hope y'all enjoy as much as I did...

Nine Mile Falls...

I never thought I would meet
some of my best friends on my mission.
Goodness, was I wrong.

Ever since Sister Allen and I served together
(my second transfer out in the field)
we dreamed of when I would fly up to Washington
and see her get off the plane.
Well, that dream came true this past weekend.

It was a fun weekend full of shopping, BBQ's, movies,
and reminiscing of mission memories.
As y'all can imagine, I had the time of my life.

Her homecoming talk was incredible.
She is such a strong example to me
and taught me so many precious things.

People used to always tell us
we looked like twins on the mission.
I remember people in the ward
couldn't tell us apart.
This weekend, her grandparents
kept talking to me like I was their granddaughter.

One night we walked down to the dock
and chatted about our lives.
We talked about how crazy it is that
we served together, and we
wouldn't have ever known each other
if it weren't for our missions.
Who ever thought I would spend a weekend
in nine mile falls, washington
with a country girl?
We are so opposite, but exactly the same.

I had a constant smile after I realized
she is finally home.

A Game Called Nertz..

I got a text today from one of my best friends
and I instantly knew something was wrong.
Long story short, she found out some things about her fiance
and she doesn't know if she can marry him anymore.

I of course rushed to her house and we went on a long walk.
We talked about everything that is going on, and how she feels.
Tears came to my eyes as I felt what she was going through
and the extremely hard decision that was ahead of her.

This experience made me really think about the gospel
and how important it is to have a strong relationship
with my Heavenly Father; to understand how He answers
our individual prayers and what it feels like to KNOW
that a decision I make is right.

It also made me think about Christ, and how
He knows everything we are going through.
He can help us when we go through times like this.

Before my mission, I wasn't exactly sure how He
answered my prayers. I knew He was there and that He
listened, but I didn't know how He responded.
I now realize how important it was to find out how He
speaks to me; how I can communicate with Him, not just
say how I feel and be done.

But how do we know? How do we KNOW and not just believe?
It is through the Holy Ghost that we can KNOW for a surety
that something is right. We are so blessed to be able
to receive answers to our greatest questions.

And we are blessed to KNOW that He loves and cares for each of us.

How does He answer your prayers? How do you find answers?
Think about it; and if you don't know, ask Heavenly Father and
pay attention to how He speaks to you.

After a thought provoking day, I sat down with my dad and played some cards.
He compared his card playing skills to "cheribum and a flaming sword."
Needless to say, he won. I mean who could beat those kind of skills?
It is always nice to know that I also have a dad here on earth
that can always make me feel better.

Growing Up?

My parents did an outstanding job when they taught us
there is a time and a place to let your inner-child run wild.
The time and place usually occurs when we are all together...
Today's excuse was our belated Easter Egg Hunt.

We had two separate hunts: one for the kids and one for the adults.
Some of us get a little crazy, so the kids sometimes get injured if they get in the way.

I usually get shoved at least 3 times by my brothers so they can get the better treat...
Since I can't eat much chocolate, my mom went out and bought
really healthy treats so that I wouldn't feel left out.
My brothers were not too happy about that.
They kept yelling, "What is all this healthy crap?"
My little brother, Alex kept grabbing all of the healthy treats
and told my other brother he is going to keep it so I have to
trade all of my good treats with him. He is so loving...
Let's just say I was very happy with my pick of treats this year.

All in all, I just felt full of gratitude today.
I had a constant smile all day, even when I went to the singles ward.
That was probably due to the fact that I was with good friends.
By the way, Jacob and I are talking again. I like it that way.

To continue in my gratuitous mood today,
we were able to do face time with my sister, Heather.
It completely amazes me how we can see her in a matter of seconds,
and I can see how completely hyper and crazy my nieces are.
My nephew even started walking, and I was able to watch it.
I am grateful for technology and the many blessings it brings.

While I was on my mission, my best friend of 20+ years was married.
Today she came into town, and I was able to go see her and meet her husband.

We got caught up on each others lives and I watched her wedding video.
Once again, I am grateful technology was able to capture those moments
so I could feel like I was there on her special day.

It is those moments where I thank my Heavenly Father for blessing the people
who mean most to me in my life to be able to make righteous decisions while I was gone.
And in those moments, I forget how sad I was to miss it
and remember the blessings He continues to give me.

DC's & BBQ chips

So I get a text from one of my good friends asking if I wanted to go on a group date and be set up with one of her boyfriend's friends... I wanted to go to see all of my friends, but I thought I could manage finding my own date, so I began the search. Well, let's be honest, I asked one person and he couldn't because he already had plans, so I gave up.

For the next 30 minutes I sat with my mom debating on if I should be social and give in to going on a blind date. It was that moment that we all feel quite constantly on deciding to either be social and outgoing, or stay home in pj's and watch a movie. I learned two things through this debate...

1. I prayed about it and got an answer that I should go. This may sound silly, but this testifies once again that Heavenly Father cares about EVERYTHING we are going through. Even if it is a decision to be social or not.

2. I make a big deal out of the smallest things!! Here I am stressing out about going on a blind date or not, and my mom is treating it like it is a huge deal! In the meantime, she is stressed and has a lot to deal with, but is caring enough to listen to my lame problems. She is just so great.

Well, as I am sure all of you guessed, I went on the date. When I told my friend I would go, she said, "Your date is really funny, this is definitely going to be just a really fun date!" So... In other words, he is really ugly? Ha no, he turned out to be cute AND fun! Wow!

I had such a blast with my college friends; tonight was definitely a night that needed to happen. I love that Heavenly Father knew what I needed and allowed me to have a great night. I hadn't really talked with a couple of them since I have been home, so we sat and talked for a while. Even when our dates dropped us off at our cars, we drove to Maverick and grabbed snacks and continued to talk about our lives. Classic Diet Coke was a definite must and to my surprise, I found some dairy-free BBQ chips...

I rocked out to music on the way home as I munched on my new treat. Tonight rocked.

nos·tal·gia   [no-stal-juh, -jee-uh, nuh-]
noun
a wistful desire to return in thought or in fact to a former time in one's life, to one's home or homeland, or to one's family and friends; a sentimental yearning for the happiness of a former place or time.

I have felt an excessive amount of nostalgia these past couple days... A "wistful desire" to return back home to New England. I suppose I brought it upon myself when I decided to unpack the boxes I sent home just a couple days ago. Keep in mind, I have been home a month, and I just got to it. I am sure I was trying to make up excuses of other things I had to do so I could avoid the inevitable. Sure enough, as I was packing up my Mission Memories into Rubbermaid containers, my heart ached. I yearned for that New England feeling I have been missing and just can't seem to find.

I figured it was about time I packed away my worn-out shoes. I don't even know how they made it as long as they did. But I packed away those memories and tried to move on from the dream I was living... and start living a new dream with those special memories deep in my heart.

Then today happened.

Tonight I went on a date with Edward, and we went to a Thai restaurant. I had no idea which restaurant we were going to, and as we pulled up to the restaurant, I saw the title... SAWADEE. Supposedly it is the best Thai restaurant in SLC. On my mission, I taught Bee Berg and she was from Thailand; one of the things she taught me in Thai is Sa Wa Dee Ka which means "Hello, how are you?" So, seeing this restaurant, I felt pretty excited that I knew what it meant. We went inside, ordered, and our food came pretty quickly. As I was given my meal, it was something Bee had made for us, and a flood of memories came back to me from my mission. Back on my birthday, we made this Thai dish in our apartment and it reminded me of sweet Phyllis, because her funeral had been on my birthday. It was all because of the similar food. I couldn't hold it in any longer, and I became a typical RM; I began to go on and on about my mission and the story of Phyllis. How could I not? She was so incredible.

I realized tonight why RM's can't hold in their excitement of talking about their missions. I felt close to exploding, how could I not talk about the part of my life that brought the most happiness? The nostalgia continued throughout the night, and a smile was on my face constantly. Oh how I miss home. I can't wait to breathe in the gorgeous fumes of New England this fall.... Hoping for October 4th, I will keep y'all posted.

But, to not sound completely hopeless, I am loving being home...

Edward surprised me the other night and took me to a Vegan restaurant because he knows eating out bothers my insides. Please tell me what guy would ever go to a Vegan restaurant for a girl. I am pretty lucky. Don't worry, I am not Vegan... Yet.