It's been one week since you looked at me....

What a whirlwind! A week since I last posted, and what a week it has been. Kendra called and asked me to do a slide show for Mandy's funeral. I was happy to do it. She brought over about 80 pictures and that was fine. She said that she had about 50 more pictures and I told her that was okay, I just needed them that night. I got home and was told that Kendra wouldn't even tell them how many pictures there were. There ended up being about 197 pictures for the slide show. That was a little bit overwhelming, and I cried a little bit.

It took me a while to realize how selfish I was being. This family has lost someone very important to them, and of course they wanted all the pictures they could have in the slide show. I would want the same thing. She was an amazing young woman, and she, and her family, deserved the very best. The greatest payoff I could have ever had was when Susan hugged me and said "You have no idea what this means to me. I will cherish it forever and ever and ever and ever." I realized at that point, that the late nights (and there were only one or two) had definitely been worth it. It is a treasure that they can have for always.

For me, one thing I am taking away is (an attempt) to be more positive. One reason everybody loved Mandy so much is because she made a conscious decision that every day was going to be a good one. So that is my personal goal. Outside influences are no longer going to dictate how I feel. Even when things go wrong (and this week they did) I can learn from them, and turn them into positive experiences.

I completed my first week at Laser Mania this week as well. I opened and closed three out of the four days I worked, and my boss was a little bit nervous about leaving me with just Kim (who is his sister-in-law and only 15) well there were no major disasters, and I managed to only make one mistake. So things are progressing nicely with my job, and it's really neat to see people having such a good time, and really be able to resolve issues when the arise. And when I come home at the end of the day and my feet are killing me, it just means that I've worked hard and it's really satisfying.

Becky and Hyrum came down for the funeral, and it was quite a treat. I love to see them, and my darling little nephews. Dewy now says Yes instead of yeah or uh huh when you ask him a question. He sounds so grown up. I couldn't believe how big Timmy is getting. And it's hard to believe that Ellie should be here in a month and a half! We wen't over to the worldmark where Becky and Hyrum were staying and went swimming. Little Lacie decided that she was big enough to jump in the pool all by herself...three times. Yowza. But Adam, Shaunie, Lincoln and I stayed in the pool for nearly three hours. We were all pretty tuckered out by the time we left, and I was a drowsy driver. Dad and Mom had separate cars and so I drove Moms car and Adam drove our car so that Mom and Dad could ride together and Dad could stay awake. Apparenlty I was more tired than I thought. But everyone made it home safely and that's what's really important.

Saturday I really started to get sick and so I called the poor Primary president and stayed home and slept. I've been running my body in high gear and it was not appreciative. So today I've been resting and had a fever on and off, but I'm sure I will be good for work tomorrow. I keep waiting to update my blog until I have pictures, and then forget to take my camera anywwhere. Go figure :) Anyway more later.

31 August 2008

The Madness that is my life.

So it's been a busy time. The thing that is weighing on my mind the most heavily is Mandy. Mandy was one of the best people you could find. She was enthusiastic about life, and all the things that come with it. She got engaged on Thursday, and no one could have been happier. She was lucky enough to share the moment with her parents. She was always happy to see you, and she made that the decision of her life. Every day was going to be better than the next. You would NEVER hear her utter a bad word against anyone. EVER. That's just the kind of person she was. You couldn't help but love her. Anyone who came in contact with her, no matter how briefly, was effected in a positive way. Now you ask why all the past tense? Friday evening Mandy was killed in a plane crash. There has been, and will be, so many tears shed over this. She was 20 years old for crying out loud. And in all honesty, I feel the statement "only the good die young" really hard right now. My heart goes out to my brother in laws family, because she is his sister. Johnsons, you are loved, and you are and will be in our prayers.

Other aspects of my life. Church? I get to teach the five year olds in primary. I'm really excited about that. I love kids and they are so funny at that age :) Plus Adam will fit right in. Just kidding hunny. I love you. :) I'm really looking forward to this new challenge in my life. I'm having a rockin time down here. The day after I got here we had a BBQ with my sisters family and Mom started a water fight. Gage ended up the wettest, but I honestly think that he did it on purpose...oh wait he did. He stood under the water fountain so that he would get soaked. It was hot so no one minded, even when he gave us all big hugs :). I was watching them the other night when Kendra and Golden were going on a date, and I did something that made Gager mad ...I think I may have been teasing him a little bit. He looked me in the face and he said, "your just trying to push my buttons!" I almost fell out of my chair laughing. He's four years old for Pete sake. The kid is a card. Later on that night he (being the funny kid he is) stuck his little tooshie out and said "your checkin me out!" I was a little shocked at first but then was reminded by Shaunie (thanks babe) that it's a line from cheaper by the dozen. Kendra said "Guess who needs to watch less TV" when I told her the story. Life is full of moments. I am cherishing each one. Mandy's passing was a wakeup call for me. Treasure life guys. It's short.

One final blessing in my life. I GOT A JOB! It's only part time, and the pay is....well lets just say not phenomenal, but there are other rewards. I am the assistant manager at Lazer Mania in Saint George. I was really starting to get discouraged on Thursday, and feeling like I would never get a job. But Mom prayed with me and within a couple of hours I had three job interviews lined up. So I went in for this interview and he offered me the job almost as soon as I sat down. So I started work on Saturday and got to watch about a hundred kids running around having the time of their lives. It was pretty fun. I look forward to my time there. And recognize that it was a blessing, after the trial of my faith. What a week....more later.

24 August 2008

Well, here we are. Moved. A new start. Fresh. Southern Utah. Yipes. It was quite a trip. My last day of work was on Saturday and on Sunday my mom informed me that I had until 5 PM on Monday to move. I thought I had until Tuesday. What a nightmare. On the other hand, it was a blessing that we never really had to unpack. So I had to pack the bedroom and some of the kitchen. It was a bigger job than I thought and I was up until 2 AM Monday morning, trying to get everything packed. I didn't quite succeed so I was scrambling to get everything together when it was time to go. Oy.

When we moved the date, we were wondering if there anyone from the Elders Quorum was going to be able to come on a Monday night? Would it be me, Mom, Dad and Adam? Lets dissect that.
Adam: Can only lift 5 pounds because of his back injury
Dad: SHOULDN'T overdo it because it lands him in the hospital.
Me: Wimp, I'm realistic.
Mom: Toughy :) But she's 52

Sounds fantastic. How do I get a whole household of stuff (minus major furniture) down three flights of stairs with just this motley crew? Gratefully I had wonderful visiting teachers, and visiting teaching companions. And thanks to the EQ president and one more family came to help us move. There was an assembly line and it went pretty quickly. We had more stuff than even we realized and we had to rent a trailer. Oh and where was Adam during this whole mess? He had Physical Therapy (PT) during the time. I think he did it on purpose, so he didn't have to help. (Just kidding hun! :)) During all the mess, my suitcase of clothes (ALL the necessary items) got inadvertently packed. So we got all packed then the cleaning....

Just when you think your done you find one more thing. Gratefully a couple of the sisters (Thanks Debra and Heather) stayed and helped a bit. I was exhausted after all the packing and moving, so I went to bed at 7:30 exhausted, it was not a restful night, but it was even less restful for Adam. He spent the entire night cleaning. He finally went to bed at 6AM and I made him get up at 7AM so that we could get out of the apartment. We cleaned and cleaned and I trekked up and down the stairs for three hours carrying the rest of the stuff that didn't fit in the trailer and the truck, and shoving it into our two little cars, neither one of which is in such much good shape. So the last trip I didn't think I could make anymore, and I collapsed into Adams non-air conditioned vehicle and he hopped into my air conditioned car, which is leaking transmission fluid like none other.

With a wing and a prayer we drove off into the now hot sun driving through the desert in two broken cars during the hottest part of the day, sounds stellar right? Throw in the fact that I'm dreading unpacking two cars, a trailer and a truck, and we have to pull over every 45 minutes to fill my car with transmission fluid and it makes for a long day.

Once again I was blessed. Mom and Dad had rearranged their home, and unloaded both the truck and the trailer. More than they should have done, but I almost cried when I got here and all I had to do was make the bed and empty the cars, which (another blessing) both made it down. A nice hot shower and a warm, home cooked dinner finished off the day. So tomorrow a serious job hunt begins for both Adam and I. I will keep all y'all updated on how that goes.

12 August 2008

Every new beginning comes from some other beginnings end

Here it is. The beginning and the end. I quit my job at Convergys after three and a half years, and different positions on the project, and promotions and opening a new portion of the project and having that project closed. I really loved my job. Even though there was much complaining about all the drama, and how some of my agents drive me crazy, I really do love my job. The people, the things I got to do, helping other people progress. I was a good team leader. I made some very good friends during my tenure there. Cody and Amie and I got really close.




Some of you may ask, why quit if you love it so much, well Adam and I feel like we need to be down in southern Utah. It is the first time in my life that I have quit a job without having another to replace it. I have had a job since I was eleven years old. We are hoping that Adam can get a full time job so that I can work part time and finish the last six credits and get my degree, and then get Adam started on his degree.

So here we are, at another new beginning, thats coming form some other beginnings end. So we move and let our lives change, and face the future, with only a little bit of fear and a lot of faith. We trust in the Lord, and have to believe that things will turn out. My friend Cody always says what is supposed to happen will happen.

So here's to a new beginning that's coming from some other beginnings end.

08 August 2008