What a wonderful week!! I'm physically and emotionally exhausted. But in the best ways possible. Sun, snow, rain, a living prophet, apostles and 100,000 people later, I had quite a weekend to say the least.
- THANK YOU Nicole for the 50 things I should know. You do have such a charismatic way of helping me through life, huh? Man alive...I thought I would die. It seems like poop is a really big focus in your life. "Eat, Sleep, Poop....I mean..Hoop. Sorry. Freudian slip. I change diapers a lot...." And I told Sister Hirata about your front yard tribute. She was cracking up. Ha!! Love you. So proud of you.
- LAUREN MARLEY AUGUSTINE PEABODY QUINN!! I got your tape Magoo!! Hooray!! CONGRATS JENNIFER!! I was so giddy when I heard that!! We'll have to get our new niece/nephew a nice subscription to Spot books on Kinder or a nice new Nerf gun. Either one... :) CONGRATS!!! I am so so so excited for all of you!! And can't wait to meet that amazing kiddo!! And thank you so much the tape. Loved it. You're amazing. I am so proud of you. You're so fabuloso. Seriously. I tell people all the time about you. Gosh. You can totally handle a 1 year relationship with Brennan. This is our 2nd round of long distance with you and I. You're used to it. But seriously, I don't know how much more long distance I can handle permanently. It's getting kind of old. Obviously, I have a purpose here, but after 9 months away in Denmark, plus 18 more months away from home...Yep. That's about 3 years totally away from the Fam Bam + Amigos. I know, get the buckets for my sorrows. I know, it's not that drastic. But my body feels like it's 90 years old. Haha! Love love love you. Get the hot tub warmed up for December. And yes. You will be Practical Auntie Lauren. And I will be Crazy Aunt Amy. :) LOVE IT!!!
- Arbor Day is coming up!! Hooray!! I miss you Emily Meredith. I wear my Global Environmental Activism Club Shirt at least 3 times a week. I love it. It always reminds me of you!! Love you!! Hope Chile is wonderful!!!
- Laurel!! Welcome back from Poland!! I didn't even recognize you!! I stared for a solid 2 minutes trying to figure out who you were! HAHA!! You looked like you're doing so well!! So happy!! Sorry we didn't really get a chance to talk!! I'm glad you're home! :)
- We met a girl named (coincidental) Amy on the square this week. She has an amazing story. She was just here reading and relaxing. We started talking to her. She's not far from our age. About to graduate. She told us that she was engaged, for the second time. A few years ago, her first fiance (of 8 months) got really sick and died from Lukemia. He was diagnosed, then 3 weeks later, passed away. SO hard! I couldn't imagine what that must have been like for her. But she had a really amazing outlook. She wasn't bitter. She obviously was sad. But she had a really amazing way of keeping everything in perspective. This life is all about learning. I was so impressed with her and hope to apply that type of strength and perspective with anything I am faced with. It was really her astonishing faith in the plan that God has for us that helped her she said. Knowing that through Christ, all of the unfair things in this world will be made up really blessed her life.
- Two of my favorite links this week are:
- YAY! New mormon.org clip. Honestly, I think I would hang out with this girl. Sheryl is an urban school teacher. She reminds me of most of my friends back home. Saving the world. One student at a time. This is a short clip (about 2 minutes) of one of the talks I got to see at general conference. Elder Richard G. Scott, an apostle, talked about Simple Expressions of Love. When he talked about the hole punches, I couldn't help but think about my crazy loco family. That's something we would do. I'm so grateful for all my friends and family who don't just say they love, but show it too. I remember when I was really sick in college, Grandpa came and scooped me up and brought me to Livermore for isolated recovery at The Grandparent Recovery Center. But that, of course, was only after stopping to get some soft serve medicine covered in chocolate. :)
- Love the family. Or last week, Mandy sent a coloring book with some crayons to bring us back to the artistic moments of Transcendental Psychology Lectures. :) Love the amigas!! Miss you all!!
- Love you all so so so much.
I am so grateful for the opportunities I have been blessed with. I am learning so much. I've really come to know, through lots of personal prayer and study, that God really is our Heavenly Father. That He loves us. And that He really does share His will with us, through a living prophet. Although it's not always my will, I know that God has a big picture plan for us that has blessed my life.
Thanks for everything!! Love you all!! Seester Amamagooski
