Mission Bonds

There is something very unique about missions and missionaries and their families really - any connection you can get with a missionary currently serving whether it is just a friend or your own son or daughter somehow brings you closer to them.  I experienced it on my mission and now I get to experience it again with my parents serving.

So, today I had dinner with the Peays.  Elder Peay is currently serving as an Assistant with my Dad, and Brother Peay is serving as a counselor in a neighboring singles ward that I attend who used to serve in the bishopric with my Bishop... so, if that makes any sense at all, that is how I ended up at dinner with the Peay family tonight!  It was wonderful to visit with them, learn more about Landon and their family.

I am so grateful for their willingness to open their home to me.

One of the greatest blessing I have had in my families absence is the tremendous amount of love and support I have felt from so many - family members, friends, ward members, and even strangers like the Peays (who are no longer strangers!).

My Family

Just before my family went to Detroit we had new family pictures done!  The last time we had pictures taken was just before my mission.  However even after taking those we failed to take a 'square' picture to hang over our mantel in the family room.  The picture that was there had hung there for nearly 11 years and Matthew wasn't even in the picture.  We hope he hasn't had a complex for the last 10 years... however it has now been replaced!

It looks beautiful over the mantel and clearly a lot of growing up has occurred since the last picture which filled its spot.

And this one will soon be hanging over the mantel in the mission home.

Gotta love my sisters!

And my brothers!

And we love our Mom...

And our Dad.

General Conference Weekend

I love General Conference.

There is nothing better than good food, sitting at home and watching Conference.  While, it would be nice to have the whole family around, we tried to keep up all the traditions...Heidi and two of her roommates came as well as Meredith and some mission friends of my grandparents.  In fact, last night every bed in the house had bodies in it!  It's been a while since that happened!  It was great to have so many people around.

Conference opened with Elder Holland.  I think he set the tone, for me, for the rest of the Conference.  It was very different for him, focusing on gratitude and the incredible blessings that we have.  I was particularly impressed as he spoke specifically to his mother, as I thought about my Mother and Father that have done so much for me (I just love my Family!).

I have yet to pick out an overall theme for the Conference, however I believe that Faith was woven through many of the talks.  I will be listening to many of them this week to see what I can find.  However, I was undoubtedly filled with much light and desire to do better!  President Uchtodorf touched me particularly with a desire to do and be better.

Saturday night - Girls night!  We did not get a very early start, however it was not really necessary we got ready and went to Salt Lake.  We drove up to the Capitol (we did this last Conference and it is so beautiful, so this may become a tradition).  Then we met Garrett after Priesthood and went to Ruth's Chris for dinner!  It was awesome!  It was the last night of Dine O'round - so we had a 3 course meal for $30 and worth every penny!

Does life ever slow down?

My sister, Ashley, texted me today and said, "I checked out your blog today and you need to write an update!"

I could not agree more.  I have been very bad at keeping this updated, against my own hopes.  However life has become busier and busier...well, maybe that is not entirely true.   I am officially done going to weddings this summer - I totaled 9 weddings this summer that I attended.  5 of which were family which meant the bridal shower and wedding, the others I opted for only one piece of the wedding celebration.  On top of the weddings I also went to DC, Detroit, and Cleveland - traveling 3 weeks in a row -was exhausting.  I thought I liked traveling a lot until then.  However each trip was worth it.

Detroit was naturally my favorite, as I was able to spend time with my family.  The best part was being able to stay for one day of Zone Conferences, I forgot how much I missed hearing my Dad teach.

DC was also amazing!  Heidi, Whitney, and I went out for Glenn Beck's 8/28 Restoring Honor Rally.  It was amazing to be with so many like minded, God-fearing people.  I can't wait to be in heaven with that group of individuals.

Cleveland was my least favorite, however still an experience.  I went out for the annual SPN conference.  I learned a lot, however the best part was going to Lola's - the new Iron Chef Michael Symon's restaurant.  It was amazing!!  While Michael was not there, Emeril was eating there.  That has to say something!

Since then I have mostly been recovering from the 'vacations'.  Laundry finally got done, the bathroom cleaned, and room vacuumed.  However, int he meantime - the alarm battery died, the projector went out, the upstairs TV went bad, and the hot water heater died.  So for about 4 days I have been showering at Bart & Shell's.  Good times.

And life continues to go on....

After the Storm

I think there is a gospel principle which is not discussed as much as it is relevant.  The perfect example of this is Joseph Smith when he prayed.  If you read the account it is not till he says "I was ready to sink into despair and abandon myself to destruction...I saw a pillar of light..."  It was not until he could not do anymore that God came in and rescued him.

I wouldn't say yesterday that I was about to abandon all hope by any means, but it had been one of those days and after going to dinner with Shay I felt as if I were going to go into another panic attack.  Then I go the mail.  Among the junk there was a strange letter from and address I was not familiar with, other than the city - Frisco, TX, my greenie area on the mission.

I opened the letter and found a baptism program and thank you card from a man I had taught.  He was one of those you never expect anything will come of.  Not, that he wasn't receptive simply that he would not be willing to live it.

There is no greater joy than feeling as if you you played some small role in bringing one of Father's lost children home.

A need to write

Well, it has clearly been much too long since I have written - my background has even been lost, the real sign that I have been either too busy, too tired, or too occupied with other things to know.  And while I could spend the time catching you up on what i have been doing there is not much to tell other than I have been to a bridal shower and reception every week for the last month and have one more month to go of about the same routine.

Other than that, life is about the same - work, sleep, gym and then work some more.  The kids all came back for a visit this last week and will be here for a couple weeks which will be fun - things are more chaotic with them home - the house doesn't stay clean, the milk runs out quickly, and the house is still awake after 10:30pm at night.

However, today I just needed to write.  I had a good morning and for some reason or another I feel very stressed right now.  The original plan was to get up - walk (which was deterred slightly as my knee was killing me still this morning), make breakfast (which was delayed because the milk was all gone), read my scriptures (which was distracted because people began to be awake and ask questions about all sorts of things), then enter the last 100 donations in my file into the database by 11am, make a quick Costco and Great Harvest bread run (something else I was missing this morning for breakfast), and be to work just after 12, noon.

Well, the data took longer to enter than I anticipated, Blake bailed on going to Costco and I got to work at 1:00pm.  And while I should simply accept this and move on, I am frustrated and stressed.  Which writing it all down seems quite silly.  So it took longer than I anticipated, and I'll just have to go to Costco tonight.  Not really a big deal.  Except that I still feel some angst about it - I suppose it could be some carry over from my anxiety attack last night.

Ultimately I simply wish I had 4 more hours in the day - that would give me sufficient amount of time to accomplish all that I needed to and get my necessary to stay sane 8 hours of sleep every night.  If anyone knows how to do that I am willing to pay big money.

One Year

As I was sitting reading my scriptures this morning I realized that today marks exactly one year of being home form my mission.

It seems very strange.

I was reading about faith when it hit me.  For all that know how long it took me to go on a mission, not only the time, but more the struggle with God as I pitted my will against his.  It was a true lack of faith.  A lack of faith in Jesus Christ that he had a plan for me, which was better than my plan for myself.  Looking back now I know that His plan was better.  However I am still led to ask myself, if God asked me to leave again, would I do it?  And even more so than that would I do whatever was asked of me.

In light of the overturn of California's proposition 8 yesterday, it hit me harder than it has before how close we are to the second coming of Jesus Christ.  The world in undoubtedly become more wicked and evil every day.  And people continue to choose Satan's plan.  The struggles that I and each of us will face will be more than any of us can imagine at this time.  The only thing that will get us through will be a solid foundation built upon faith in Jesus Christ.

We must have a correct understanding of Him - characteristics, attributes - we must trust Him with our whole souls if we are going to survive the next years.

I think I have a long way to go and my only hope is that I will be bale to stand till the end.