i got my baby back

This is the damage done to our trusty PT Cruiser. Poor little guy.


It wasn't expected to be ready for nearly another week, but Kristofor's uncle Kevin called and said it's ready for us to come get! We are so blessed to have someone in the family who can do this work for us. Kevin's been working on cars since he was a teenager and is really talented (from what I hear - what do I know about cars?)

And he didn't even make us pay the deductable.


We'll be reunited tomorrow - WAY!!

Jofus

Little Jofus sent home a postcard on Nov. 10 - the day after he left. it says:

"Arrived safe! Just got my head shaved. Have PT uniform. I got less than two hours of sleep but I feel like I got 9. I believe it's due to my prayers. The first guy I talked to on my 1st plane was the only LDS in my platoon but I didn't know that at 1st."

I love his sloppy handwriting. And even though there wasn't much room to write on the card, I feel like he managed to say a lot. I love that kid. Can you believe he's so grown up?

hours of fun

I'm listening to the Duke Spirit in my new room - currently dubbed 'the Brown Lounge.' Kristofor and I made the move yesterday. In the blizzard. He got in a car wreck.

But he's okay and that's all that matters... Right? ;)

Things are actually really okay. We still have to move a few things from our apartment to our storage unit and clean our old apartment, and we'll finish that up this week. I like being here. There are people to talk to and lots of yummy food.

But it makes me miss my baby brother Joseph even more - I think it would be fun to have him here. He left for basic training last week and it's weird to not be able to text him - and get random texts from him at 2:30 in the morning asking if he can come use our computer. He is a really cool kid. In fact, I used to hate my cheeks - they are pretty huge. But he would pinch them and say they were fun - hours of fun. And so now I don't mind my cheeks anymore. Because he liked them first.

ch-ch-ch-ch changes

Kristofor and I are moving.

It's been over 2 years since our last move. About the only thing I remember about that move was that his brothers were carrying our dresser and the top drawer fell out - exposing all my ugly undies, socks and . . . yeeah. My lingerie.

We're moving in with my parents in an effort to save all the money we can. Hopefully we'll be out of their house before the summer.

I'm excited and nervous.

I'm excited to move on to a new chapter in our life. Excited to be closer to my parents. Excited to start saving so much money a month.

But nervous to leave our own little apartment. Nervous to have to share the bathroom with people other than my husband. Kind of annoyed that I won't be able to get ready for the day in the buff anymore.

I know.

I've been spoiled.

You Capture - Red

This past week's challenge for You Capture was 'red' - now I have to admit, red is probably my least favorite color, so it took me a while to find something red that I actually liked - and this is what I came up with.



It's the stamp on an envelope that's been run through a postage machine.

On another note, does anyone know why is it that lightened red is called 'pink'? And not 'light red'? We have light blue, light green, light yellow - and pink?

longwinded

I've heard all my life that people are put into your life for a reason, but I've always thought of these special people as ones who are with you for a long time - parents or siblings, etc. But today I met a man. A stranger. I don't know his name, and I don't know if I will ever see him again in this life.

But I believe he was put into my life for a reason. It sounds cheesy. Hang in there with me while I clumsily try to explain..Kristofor and I were at the school, trying to study for a test. I say "trying" because we had just been in a big fight and it's hard to concentrate when you're upset.

An older gentleman walked by, and, I won't lie, he was outright staring at us. A few minutes later he approached us and asked us what class we were studying for; it turned out he was studying for the same thing. He left and we starting studying again.

Then he came back again, this time asking if he could sit by us. Of course we didn't mind so he sat down and got out his books, laptop, etc. He wasn't shy so he started up a conversation. Anyone who knows Kristofor and I know we are not the most outgoing people. And considering that I was still upset, I wasn't exactly in a chatty mood.

But we talked - or more, he talked.


I can't describe the conversation exactly, but the feelings I got from it and the words I heard will stick with me for a long time.

He asked us how long we'd been married, if we were born in Utah, if we were LDS, etc.. Turns out he is LDS too. He's from Haiti, speaks Creole and French, went on a mission to Florida, and translated the Book of Mormon and Doctrine & Covenants from English into Creole for the LDS Church. He's been through a divorce and he described how being that felt with him being a member of the Church - see, I told you he wasn't shy.

I told him about how my mom died when I was young, and he said that although that's not necessarily a good thing, we are given things from God to "digest" - for him it was his divorce.

He told us about going back to school when he's over 50. If he doesn't do well in this course, he will simply take it again because he's determined and patient - and knows what he wants. His wife helps him study; she reads out loud to him from his text. He said he wished she could be there with him at the school today to help him.

I thought that was sweet.

He talked about America, the land, the civilization. He told us about Haiti and the people there, and how lucky he feels to be here in the US so he can live a free life with potential. We talked about how we don't even realize what great power we have, to be able to get an education and live where we do.

He talked about black people and the issues of 'racism' in the church, and the history that all goes into it - you see, he wrote a book about the history of 'his African ancestors' that gives insight into why blacks have only been able to receive the priesthood fairly recently (this is a subject I have had questions on - and he helped me understand).

He bore his testimony to me in a way that was different than other testimonies. He didn't say "I'd like to bear my testimony"- rather it was in the little things he mentioned. Like how he keeps praying for help with this test. About how he believes Heavenly Father influences our bodies, to make them healthy or let them be sick.

He doesn't just have a testimony of the Church, he has a testimony of history, America, the potential we have for good...

He was straightforward but not overbearing. He was sincere. He was open to what we had to say (although we mostly just nodded and prompted him to go on). I felt like he was the type of person I could pour my heart out to.


I had been feeling very self-pitying before our conversation. But afterward I felt renewed. Determined to press on. To study more and complain less. To realize how blessed I am and to continue to try to do better. He made me realize that my small, little world is not the only thing that matters.

Like I said, I can't explain it. But I feel extremely blessed to have met this man, although it was only for a short while. I cried after our meeting. My heart was so touched. I feel like his words reached into my soul.


I don't know if any of you have made it all the way through this - pretty sure it's my longest post ever. But I mostly wanted to write this down so I'll rememeber that man - and our long talk.

You Capture (very late) - Fall

Alright folks, I know it's late but oh well. Here are some pictures that remind me of fall - ugly fruit and changing leaves. =)





I like the blurriness of this second picture. That way instead of it being a picture of something specific it's more like a picture of feelings. Laugh all you want, but that's how I feel!


Go here for more of You Capture.