Home Again, Home Again

Well, I made it back. It was a long trip and I am super, duper tired (and yet I'm writing this...). It's so sad to say goodbye. That was really hard.

I had a layover in Denver. It was about a 2 hour layover, so I had some time. I was walking around and for some reason I decided to sit down at a different gate than the one I was leaving from. So, I pulled out my sandwich and looked around (I like people watching). I noticed a girl a few seats down. She had a planner that looked like a missionary planner. She was wearing a skirt too. I figured she was a sister missionary, but I couldn't see the tag. I didn't want to bug her only to find out she wasn't actually a missionary (I mean, I was really tired. I could have been imagining things). But, I went ahead anyway. Sure enough, she was a Temple Square sister who was headed back from her field time. It was so fun to talk to her. I love missionaries!

I had another interesting experience today. On the way home from the airport Mom stopped at a store. I decided to stay in the car. I looked over and saw a lady getting in her car. I thought, "Hmm, that's interesting. She looks like Sister So and So from my mission (a senior sister)." Then I had the same thoughts I normally have- it'd be weird to tap on her car window only to find out it wasn't actually her. I've made that mistake before. Plus, Sister So and So lives in Las Vegas- why would she be here? I decided I'd see if her plates were Nevada plates when she pulled out of the parking space. Sure enough, I was right! I bet she's here for our mission reunion.

Fun little experiences.

I came home to find 3 wedding announcements (one of which I took the picture for-so that was exciting), 4 textbooks and a bridesmaid dress that came for me in the mail. Also, we celebrated my Dad's birthday tonight. And finally... Christi's mission call came!!! It is sitting on the mantle and none of us can take the suspense. She won't be home to open it until Friday.

These next few weeks are sure to be busy and exciting. There's A LOT going on. It'll be fun.

A Visit to Yale

Yesterday we also drove to New Haven, CT- home of Yale University. I thought it would be kind of neat to visit the campus, since I've heard so much about it through the years.

Many of its buildings have been around for a long, long time. We walked around and caught parts of a tour that was going on (we didn't have time to do a full tour). It was neat to hear about its rich history.

While there, we briefly visited the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library. It's a special collections library. It's kind of hard to describe, but there were levels and levels of extremely old books. When I say old, I mean OLD. Seriously, they had books from the 1500s. The books were enclosed, but were visible through the glass. It was just SO cool! I loved it!

Some trees had bloomed, which were really pretty. It was a neat little visit. I'm glad I got to see the campus.

Apple Hunt

This morning we went to an apple hunting event for the kiddos. It was put on by a local orchard. It was like an easter egg hunt, but with apples. Unfortunately it was a chilly 33 degrees. The hay, apples and chilly weather reminded me of fall. But, the Easter bunny was there, so all was well. Some of the apples had stickers on them, which meant they won a prize. The kids loved it!

Leta's Story

Tonight I got to talk to this wonderful lady. Her name is Leta (pronounced Lee-tah). It's been a couple of months since I last talked to her (I'm not very good at calling people), so I'm really glad she called me.

I recently wrote about another person from my mission, and I want to tell you about her as well, since she has impacted my life too. I met her in the Northshore area I served in in May of 2008. She had been praying to find a church. (My companion and I, of course, were praying for people who wanted to come to our church!) She lived in an apartment complex where the apartments are enclosed and you have to ring a buzzer to get in. The Spanish speaking missionaries often went to this complex to find people to teach as it was highly populated with Hispanic people. Although Leta is not Hispanic, her last name is. So, they buzzed her apartment. She let them come to the door. They talked to her, saw that she was female and English speaking, and gave her as a referral to us. The rest is history. She was baptized just shortly after I left the area in June of 2008. She is such a fun person. She is missing one leg due to a doctor's malpractice, but still has a great attitude. Oh, and she loves cats. :)

Talking to her tonight filled me with joy. She is still going to church and loves visiting teaching. I told her how happy I was that she's going to church and she told me that she needs God in her life.

Talking with her brought back a flood of memories and emotions. Boy, my mission changed my life. Seriously.

I still love these people (converts, etc) SO much. I will never forget about them.

I'm really excited about my mission reunion next weekend. Although, I've got to admit, mission reunions sometimes make me sad because I see that everyone is moving on and the memories of the mission fade into the background as life gets so busy. But, it's still fun to remember and be with those people who shared some of the same experiences.

It is crazy to think that my little sister is going to get her call anyday now and find out where the next eighteen months of her life will be spent. I'm looking forward to finding out.

"A Precious Drop in the Bucket of Eternity"

"Mortality is a precious drop in the bucket of eternity. Why not make each minute pleasant and fulfilling? We must make our own happiness." -James E. Faust, "A Vision of What We Can Be,"Ensign, March 1996.

I came across this quote today and I really liked it. Now, I know life is hard. Not every moment is going to be happy and dandy. There's a lot of things that are out of our control that are really hard to deal with. But we can control our attitude. And, if we haven't had the best attitude today...guess what? There's always a new day! I feel like a lot of times I get in the bad habit about worrying about things that simply do not matter. In the eternal scheme of things this life really is a drop in the bucket. I want to look back on mortality without regrets.

Culture

I thought I'd share some Connecticut culture I've come to learn about:

Lingo:
Tag Sale-known to westerners as "Garage Sale." Same Thing, different names.

Carriage- known to westerners as an ancient form of transportation. Known to Connecticutians (yes, that is a real word) as a grocery cart. Yes, even the signs posted in store parking lots use this terminology.

I'm sure there's more vocab, but those are the only ones I know of right now.

Other random knowledge: I am told that many residents of Connecticut who are unemployed can make more money being unemployed and living here than working at McDonalds. (Shoot, why am I living out west?!?)

Apparently people do not believe in sidewalks here- 'cause there sure ain't very many! I tried to go on a walk only to see the sidewalk end abruptly. The street was a busy one too, so I decided I probably shouldn't risk getting killed. I remember going on a walk with Christi when we visited CT in 2007 and we had the same problem. Ryan and Aubrey even lived at a different location.

Interesting how things are different in different places, isn't it?

Sunshine in Connecticut

It was a record-breaking 70 degrees here today...SO gorgeous! (I was happy to hear that I was missing the snow in Utah, by the way.) The kids and I were able to go outside and play. It was so nice to soak up some sunshine, get some fresh air, and play. Boy, do I LOVE spring!

Above are some pictures I took at sunset.

Just Call Me Nanny Carrie

I'm in Connecticut right now helping with my brother and sister-in-law's kids. My sister-in-law is pregnant and pretty sick. I've been here for a little over a week now, and I'll go back to Utah on the 31st.

I've definitely been having a taste of motherhood. It's fun, tiring, and yes, sometimes frustrating. But the kids are sooooo cute! I love them! It's so fun to feel of their love for me too. They always want me to read stories to them, play with them, etc.

My oldest nephew has quite the vocabulary. His grammar is so proper. He is obsessed with ladybugs and giraffes. It's cute.

My niece is so sweet. She's always willing to help out. I love it when she just randomly comes up to me and hugs me and says, "I love you Aunt Carrie."

My other nephew is a little cutie as well. He loves keys and cars. I sometimes tickle him and say "tickle, tickle." He now randomly comes up to me and tickles me and says "tickle, tickle." I sometimes have the hardest time understanding what he's saying. I feel like I need some sort of "baby talk" translator.

I'm just doing my best to enjoy this time I have to spend with them. I probably won't have an opportunity like this again.

Going to the Temple!

L to R: Brother Both, Feltz, Me, and Sister Youngberg

Today Brother Paul Feltz and his wife are going through the Chicago Temple to be endowed and they will be sealed soon after. I had the privilege of being part of Paul's baptism in DeKalb, IL in the summer of 2008. I really didn't do anything. He was so prepared for the gospel. I feel like I was simply in the right place at the right time to be part of it all. He had had member friends for a long time and knew about the church for many, many years. Sister Youngberg and I were praying and praying for people to teach and baptize. One day we had a message on our phone from Brother Both, a member of the ward, telling us that he had someone who wanted to be baptized! Imagine our shock and excitement!

So, we went through the lessons with Paul. I felt like he was teaching me, however. He was so knowledgeable about the gospel.

He got married and his wife was baptized. Now they are going to the temple! The gospel is so great!

Another Idea

Wow, I'm on a roll with posts lately! I bet y'all can hardly keep up with me!

I don't know about others, but as I'm reading in the scriptures, I sometimes come across verses that remind me of things my patriarchal blessing says. Parts of my patriarchal blessing even use exact words of the scriptures. It's pretty cool.

So, I was sitting in Institute tonight and had this idea. I am going to scan my patriarchal blessing and print it out. Then I can mark up the copy all I want with thoughts, notes, scriptures, etc. Maybe this is just a new idea to me and many of you already have done something like this. But, I think it will be a good way to study the scriptures, my patriarchal blessing, and get to know myself and God better.

Patriarchal blessings are wonderful! I am so grateful for mine. It definitely fills me with hope and strength. It's pretty amazing. At times I wish I could just tell everyone all the cool things it says. But I know it is something that is sacred, special and meant just for me.

Anyway, just a thought I wanted to share.

Pardon my Annoyance

The original product

The newer product

[No picture of the newest product]

I went to Wal-mart the other day to pick-up some shampoo. I tend to switch up what kind of shampoo I use, but I especially like SunSilk. But, to my dismay, I could not find it anywhere! I feared the worst. My thoughts were along the lines of "Oh no! They stopped carrying it! How rude!"

Now, let me back up for a second. Sometime recently ThermaSilk actually changed its products and became SunSilk. That was a little disheartening for me. I really liked ThermaSilk. It was a good product for me.

Anyway, so I'm on the hair products isle, and after searching a bit, I find my SunSilk products. But...they've changed again! That's why I couldn't find what I wanted at first- I didn't recognize the bottle. But, even more to my dismay, the price of their products has DOUBLED (up to $6.00/bottle!). Boo. That was it. I will now use the $2.97 bottle of Garnier Fructis. Thank you very much.

I realize there are probably more important things I could blog about, and this really is the least of my worries, so forgive my ranting. Just had to share my product woes.

P.S. Has anyone else noticed the disappearance of some Equate & Great Value products? I've noticed they don't carry the generic chocolate chips, cake mixes, and some tolietries. Sad day. I'm all about saving $.

Spring Fever

It is 50 degrees today, and I have Spring fever. So, I thought I'd tell you why I love Spring so much.

*Strawberry season! I LOVE strawberries! I have fond memories of growing up in CA where there were fruit stands on the side of the road. It was so easy to get fresh strawberries. I miss that.
*Everything turning green.
*Flowers blooming. I love the blossoms on the trees too.
*Warmer weather. Sweater/Short-sleeve weather.
*More sunshine.
*Easter and my birthday.

So, here's to Spring! A wonderful time of year. (No more snow, please!)