Cheese sounded soothing enough to me.

This is the Sacred Wheel. A local cheese shop in Oakland, California. My mom and I went here this past week after a visit to another sacred place in Oakland, the LDS Temple. After one of the most difficult weeks of my life, I have been surrounding myself with my guiltless comforts: faith, food and Mama. Want to hear about our visit? Well, it was typical "us". First of all, my Mom assigns me to find us the food. Somewhere close. Delicious. She's hungry. I hop on the Yelp machine and find us a nice sandwich shop in Downtown Oakland, a few minutes from the Oakland Temple. Veto. Next, the Cheese Shop. Never had dinner at a Cheese Shop before. Cheese sounded soothing enough to me. Game on. We head over to this charming shop and are welcomed by artistic cheese experts. They describe the cheese with such beautiful descriptions: smooth, creamy, sharp, bold, soft, DELICIOUS. 

 Although the menu was great, Mom wants what she wants....which isn't always the mainstream. She requests a cheese platter, equipped with a variety of cheeses, veggies, nuts and crackers. Mom+ cheese + top it off with a cup of cozy soup and BAM... you've got a platter of hygge. 

Ten points if you can find it, but there is a little sign on the door of this Cheese Shop that invites visitors to,

"Come in...We're Open". Kind of a cute, vintage-y, Pinterest type of sign. 

I'll be honest, I'm not a big whiner (I'm more of the cheesy type, ha). But on the reals, I do my best to find the good, the "silver lining". After a week of murky muck, it's hard to hop on a cloud. Thus, the recognition of a need for constant improvement. But between the gaps of sad and happy, there's the Team. I am SO grateful for the love, support and strength from hosts of angels, both seen and unseen. Although my life has been a little rocky, I've been given the gift of people through the most challenging of circumstances. Random people even. People remind me, knowingly or not, about the beauty of life and the hope that stems from covenants. 

I know that people are placed in our lives for a reason. Sometimes for a season. Sometimes for a lifetime. This past week, through my cloudy eyes and achy heart, people have "come in" and have opened up their arms and hearts. No bitterness, no anger, just sadness  The sting of loss and change cuts to the bone. But a sliver of my heart has faith in the bigger picture. I know that through time, my heart will heal. Just when you think that the people who love you are tired of all the tears, they're not. It's beautiful really. Think of it! 

I'm grateful for the peaceful simplicity of family.

My mom's an angel. That night we cried. We talked. We ate. We smiled. Simple pleasures. "I don't know how I'll move one step in front of the other", I told her. "I'm here for you", she replied. Then, she showed me how--we walked out that night with left over goodies in our box. She gently handed the remaining treats to a man sitting on the curb with his head hung low. 

I'm grateful for the lessons I learned that night at the cheese shop. 

I'm grateful for sacred places.

I'm grateful for the team of angels we each have helping us through this crazy thing called life.

2013. Time to Tech In.

Why hello there World! 

It's been a while since I've strolled through my blog world. True story: my 2013 New Year's resolution has been to "get with it" technologically. Subsequently, in 2013, I have created (or resurrected) an Instagram profile, Pinterest account, LinkedIn account and have Googled my brains out--Google Calendar, Google Drive...I love them all! Now I'm back to the ol' blogerooski. I suppose this is my way of journaling. Cyyyybbbeerrr journal. So cool. Techno. I'm about to head off to sleep, but I figured I'd make a simple entry. The very best of journaling. GRATITUDE. I'm super grateful today. And I LOVE gratitude....and I don't care who knows it. And shamelessly, I love bullet points.

Today, right now, I am grateful for: 

1. The goodness that is the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. Yep...I'm a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints...I'm a Mormon.
2. The Awkward Family Photo Company--I love the board game. And that one-a-day calendar is a hoot.
3. My famous sister Nicole.
4. My mentors. I love them. Mama, Dad, Nicole, Brett, Mckenzie!, Margaret, Heather, Mo, Uncle Dan, Dale, Vicky, Will, John, Vicki, Brent, Kathryn, Bobbi, Claire, Dan, Sarah, Yang, Martin, Eric, Sue, Mara, Sweens, Patti...the list is ENDLESS. It really does take a village for this girl.
5. Healthy, Happy Relationships (friends and family)
6. DENMARK!!!!!
7. My dear ones!! Brett, Brittney, Tiffany, Lisa, Sarah, Jennie, Steph, Paige, Alex, Elyse, Holly,  Maire, Erin, Marinna, Inez, Kjestine, Hiromi, Niina, Andrea, Shelly, Jenna Rosie, Whitney, Tamarra, Sloane, Jenna, Kathryn, Maria, Emily, ...
8. College Freshmen
9. NCYLS
10. Orchids
11. J-Lo
12. Fresh strawberries. You know...the juicy, dark red, fresh from Watsonville kind.
13. Sonoma State University--I miss the simplicity of my life there, as uncertain as it was. I'm missing that pool in Beau...and Mo....you know.
14. CSU-East Bay. The refreshing array of diversity. And all of the new vocabulary I've learned this year. :) 
15. Lauren Quinnfeld. "No colors. No wind. No Clue"
16. President and Sister Holmes. 
17. The INCREDIBLE women who I had the privilege to serve with for 18 months as a volunteer missionary at Temple Square.
18. Authentic, fresh and simply delicious food.
19. This blog about this crying baby.
20. This talk from LDS Primary General President Rosemary Wixom about being a positive influence in the lives of children. 
21. Clean water
22. Toothpaste

Viva la blog. I'll do my best to get this on the regular. Here's lookin' at you kid! 

Tender Mercies

Parental Note: Amy will be speaking in church on New Years Day January 1, 2012 at 10:00 am in the Los Gatos Building on Rose Ave in Monte Sereno, California.

• Here we go….the final e-mail….






• Mai. You’ve changed my mission. More than that, you’ve changed my life. Thank you for being incredible. And human. I totally respect you. I look up to you so much and can not WAIT to see where life takes you…besides obviously hanging out. Thank you for the e-mail. You may NEVER know how much you’ve impacted how I live and the choices I make every day. Thank you so much!!!






• Sister Moisio….I am obsessed with you. Obviously. I hope you’re ready to be eternal friends. The Scandinavian way of friendship. Real friendship. You know. We went to Jade market today. I had to tell him about the Panda clouds. J We bought some in your honor.



• Jessica Walton! Hooray! I got word that you will be serving a mission in Portugal! Hooray for full-time missionary service. And hooray for JOY. Let me know if there’s anything I can do for you. I know I’ll be sending you a letter or two, obviously. I have a testimony of those. And stickers. And the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.



• SHOUT OUT TO BIG MAC!! SHE’s the BEST niece in the world. Ever. If you disagree, we can settle the matter over a game of Scrabble or Scategories.



• I have the greatest family and friends in the world. Mom. Dad. Nicole. Brett. McKenzie. Lauren. Brett. Grandma & Grandpa Davis. Grandma & Grandpa Harmer. Uncle Dan & all the beautiful Davis family. Margaret. Bobbi. Tiffany. Lisa. The Knudsens. The Hodgmans. The McAdams. The Woodlands. And everyone in between….you’ve made these 18 months so special. Seriously. I am SO grateful for you all. Thank you.



• What’s the deal with the animal hats?? Honestly, we see a gazillion of those every day. You know the ones I’m talking about. Beanies disguised as animals. Sometimes, if Sister Mettra and I are serving in the Westgate booth, we get to see the whole zoo walk by. And this isn’t just 3 year olds. Grown adults. Maybe they are the style. Maybe I’m out of touch. Well, here’s a few of my personal favorites: monkey. owl. hot green pig. frog. bear. yogi bear. rabbit. shrek. wolf. ladybug. buffalo. shark. deer. kangaroo. monster with teeth.



• Dorothy…and Tanya. This phone call is probably one of the best in the past 18 months. In February I spoke with a woman, Jackie. Jackie wanted to know the directions to her nearest chapel. She shared with me that she was learning more about the church with her local missionaries. She told me how happy she and her family were as they learned with them. Before she hung up, I invited her to think about someone who would benefit from our message of hope. Without a hesitation, she told me about Dorothy, her mother-in-law. LONG story short, I called Dorothy and she did in fact, want to learn more about the gospel
  from the local missionaries. We called her and helped her learn a little before the local missionaries arrived. After she started meeting with them in Arizona, I didn’t really hear much about Dorothy…until this week. I called her back to follow up. And I started crying my face off. She’s doing fabulous. She shared with me that this has been one of the happiest years of her life. She was baptized. Has been attending church. Loves the scriptures. Received her patriarchal blessing. Preparing to enter the temple…in February. She’s got a
  beautiful heart.

Here’s what my week looks like. Amongst other things…some highlights:

• Thursday— Departing interview with President Holmes. Driving a sister to the dentist. Teaching Jacob the 20 year old astrophysicist in Texas & Osie in Ghana.



• Friday—Departing sister’s Temple Day.



• Saturday— Baptism of Sam, a recovering meth addict Sister Mettra and I took on a tour.



• Sunday—Sister Mettra is singing “O Holy Night”…she’s an incredible opera singer.



• Monday—Lunch & departing testimony meeting. Packing. Final choir concert.



• Tuesday—Fly home.

So I’ve been beating my head against the wall, trying to summarize the past 18 months. Ironically, a greasy 17 year old helped provide the answers. While Sister Mettra and I were serving at the North Visitor’s Center desk, in walks a boy. He’s wearing a bright red sweater with “Nintendo” plastered on it—as if to say, “watch out, I’m a gamer”. Well, come to find out, he is preparing to serve a mission.

• Me: Really?! That’s great. Why do you want to serve a mission.



• D: Well, it’s actually pretty simple. I want to help other people know about the joy that comes from the restored gospel. Think of it this way… it’s just like the Book of Mormon. It starts and ends with mercy.



• Me: That’s interesting. I never thought of it that way.



• D: Yep. Check it out: “But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance” (1 Nephi 1:20).



• Me:

Honestly, I think that’s the best way to describe my mission. It started and is ending with so much mercy. So much. My sister had a precious, healthy baby. My Dad survived a car accident. Family and friends are developing strong testimonies. For me, the most tender mercies have been seeing my companions feel more confident than the day before….about themselves and their testimonies. Praying with Joachim in Ghana. Sipping on fresh pineapple drinks. Counting couples on Valentine’s Day, brides on the weekends or animals hats at winter. Bumping into hundreds of Danish people…and understanding what they say. Danish people understanding me. Walking by modern day apostles who are humble enough to acknowledge you and say hello. Understanding a scripture. Understanding a person. Understanding myself. Tender mercies I tell you. Tender mercies. My heart has been punched out like dough, expanded painfully and filled to the brim with the most lasting joy I’ve ever experienced. I know that God really is my Father. I’m really His daughter. He loves me. I know that He loves all His children unconditionally. Because He loves us, He’s provided a way to return to live with Him. That way is clear. The way is centered on the atonement of Jesus Christ . The gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored through a living prophet. I’ve come to know that this is all true. Through so many different experiences. Mainly me and God. The two of us. Through prayer, scripture study and personal experience. It’s beautiful. It’s all about JOY and ETERNAL happiness.

• Thank you all for your love and support.



• I’m not sure if I’ll ever write on this blog thing again. Who knows. Maybe if I travel the world. You’ll need to know about those adventures too, of course.



• Love you all so much.

I get home December 20th. Afternoon. Get in touch with me if you want to explore the Bay Area!

See you soon.

Bark Like a Dog

WOWZERS. Can you believe this moment is here? I will be flying home to San
Jose on December 20. Very crazy. After this, one more e-mail. Then...BAM.
H-O-M-E.

• Happy birthday Uncle Dan and Grandpa Davis!!!!!! Hooray!! Two of my FAVORITE
  people!! Thank you both for all of the support you've given me. Honestly, you two have been some of the greatest examples to me of charity, love and sincerity. THANK you for everything!! I hope you both get to celebrate with sunshine!


• Jacob in Texas is wonderful. Sister Mettra and I got to share more with him about the plan of happiness that God has for us. He's a little confused about Adam and Eve; subsequently, he presented us with a few questions. Well, he wanted to know why God would let Adam and Eve make mistakes, when he knew that they would be punished. To help Jacob understand, I shared a story about me + camping. (Lauren-you'll remember this one....) So, we were camping. The Quinns, the random Harmer, and loads of friends. Well, Marley, (Lauren's dad) says, "Harmer, take this dog collar, put it on your neck, and bark like a dog". What did I do? Of course, I take the challenge. And what happened? I put that collar on my neck, barked like a dog and got shocked. Surprise surprise. But that's the case with Adam and Eve. They knew what was about to happen. But they still had a choice. And there was a consequence. God didn't love them any less. If there was no Fall, there would be no need for a Savior. There is always a reason why bad things happen. As a side note, Jacob is from Texas. Jacob does not favor California. Oops. That's where we're both proudly from.


• Turner!! is hilarious. He's fabulous. And he is getting a trendy mullet cut.


• SPEAKING of hair cuts....Sister Mettra and I have had quite the day. This morning we woke up and went to The Original House of Pancakes and ate breakfast. After which...hair cuts!! We must look FRESH. Check. Lexie did a great job. And the pecan pancakes were delicious.


• I really liked what Sister Paravato said this week in church. She said: "My
  mission didn't change me, Jesus Christ did".


• Just in time for Christmas....videos from the scriptures: this is the gift to the world...from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.


• Shepards: this is my favorite of the bible clips


• Gratitude: brings a calming peace. Love this one. This one's for you Dad. Hang in there.


• Next week, I think all I'm going to write about is what I've learned. It will be my final e-mail. It's really hard to boil 18 months into one e-mail, but throughout the week, I'll brainstorm and try to come up with a list. You know me + brainstorming + lists. Whew! Watch out world...

Love you all so much!! have a wonderful week!! Let me know if there is
anything I can do for you!

-Sister Harmer (for less than two weeks..

Happy birthday BRETT!!!!! It's your day!! TODAY!! Hooray!! Go by the BAY. Make some clay. Have a hay day. What do you say?

• First Presidency Christmas Devotional! We get to go to this very special night!! Hooray!!
  


• Savior of the World-- the Musical drama. Personally, I loved this performance. Sister Mettra and I went to the show last Wednesday night. We arrived to the Conference Center theatre with our tickets and no expectations. I enjoyed it so much! It was wonderful!! The music was fantastic. Costumes were charming. The Shepards were my favorite. I am grateful for them. And for Mary. Overall, just what I needed to kickstart Christmas.



• Inger the Dane. I spotted this lovely grandma on her way to the restroom. I was at the North Visitor's Center desk. In high traffic hour. Christmas lights were on. It was night. About a gagillion people. And she just strolls up to yours truly. Well...Sister Harmer knows a danish accent when she hears one. But without assumption, I asked her where she was from. B-i-n-g-o. Viva la Danmark!! I loved her! She came back from the restroom and proceeded to listen to the various choir performance, whilst knitting a sock. I asked her how long it took her per sock. 6 hours...if you were curious. She was ranting that people here in the US all love knitted socks



• Barbara and Joseph!!! Sister Moore says you were here! Sister Mettra and I would like to officially give you both cyber hellos. And to tell you that we adore Red Robin and the Christmas Club (but we were sworn to secrecy about the latter).



• Thanksgiving was incredible. Turkey. Rolls. Turkey hands. Fun. Pretty sure there was a little line dancing and limbo involved. And Beauty and the Beast. I saw the last half of How to Train a Dragon. I thought the dragon was adorable. I was too distracted to pay attention to the rest, but loved that sniffly, fierce dragon.



• Preston!! I'm sure Sister Mettra's blog will be a far better description of the Preston miracle. He's in Iowa. Seeking lots of answers. We kept promising him that he would only find truth on his own. We wouldn't be able to convince him about anything. But the refreshing piece to learning more about the gospel, is the promises from God. We are promised that if we seek, we will find. Preston had heaps of questions. And he found answers through personal study, prayer and experience.
  
  


• Pillow cases--Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for the cozy pillow cases!! We love them! They go with our matching pajamas now!!! And the poem to match was just practically perfect. I'm very much looking forward to having our next fishing trip. We must catch up on about 18 months worth of life.
  30,000 visitors a day--that's the projected amount of people we expect here. 1 million over the course of 30 days. True life--I serve at Temple Square.
  


• Family--I think my FAVORITE people of the week would be a darling family. A mom. A dad. 4 little boys. Bundled in scarves and winter gear. We went through the family presentation here called God's Plan for Families. (Still my favorite). The whole time, the boys were SO respectful. Offering a "thank you" here and a "oh...excuse me" there. Holding the doors for the group. Just super sincere. And honestly, at the end, Sister Mettra and I couldn't help but feel what a solid family they were. I want that. Respectful. Sincere. Good.



• I feel like my experiences here at Temple Square are preparing me for a life filled with JOY!

Well. I love you all VERY much!!

GRATITUDE

OBVIOUSLY the theme of this blog needs to be all about GRATITUDE. THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS TO BE GRATEFUL FOR!!!

I AM GRATEFUL FOR...

• "the Spirit of Thanksgiving!". (such a great clip)


• BRETT!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! You're wonderful!! I hope you take lots of good pictures for your birthday. I told a friend of mine about you today. I am grateful that you are such a genuine friend.


• 4 weeks. Pretty soon we are switching around the schedules to morning P-days, 20 minute dinners and Christmas jubilation. Here is a glimpse of how Temple Square lights up with the special feelings of Christmas. There is JOY here. Here is a list of all the new events at Temple Square for 2011.


• Mom's pie kit! Well, if you didn't notice, we made pumpkin pie this week. Thank you Mother for the fixin's!!! It was a wonderful way to celebrate such a special season!


• Sunny. He's recovering from an addiction to meth. He's been sober about 6 months. Just found out that his girlfriend Karma is pregnant. He's pretty excited. For the first time in a long time, he is happy about the path he's on. We asked him why he chose to quit. He shared with us that he hasn't felt the Spirit, or any emotion for that matter, in a long time. About 6 months ago he felt the smallest little scratch of the Spirit. That was it. Just a super small feeling that he needed to make some changes. Since then--nothing. But if that's all he has is that little scratch, than that's enough. That taught me SO MUCH. I have so much respect for Sunny. Then, he asked Sister Mettra why she chose to serve a mission. She shared with him how she had left everything back home, even an opportunity to sing Opera in Austria. But, she chose to come here. Then he looked at her and said, "Isn't this a better journey than Austria?" Absolutely yes.


• Danish. Of course I love Denmark. I got to announce in Danish again! Happy happy!!


• http://www.lds.org/. My favorite clip of the week: Men's Hearts Shall Fail Them. I love what he says at the end. "I'm grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ that offers me that kind of strength in these tumultuous times" (Elder Russell M. Nelson)


• I am grateful for.... All of the following things

The restored gospel
My family...all of them
Quality friendships
Hygge
Bike riding
The beach
Willow Street!
California
Denmark (+ Finland of course)
Music
Adventures
Forgiveness
Mountains
Fresh pineapple drinks from Restaurante Loiteria
Listening
Temples
Repentance
Chocolate milkshakes
Art
People who like to do taxes
Respect
Grandparents. Mine and otherwise.
Hope
Old movies...+ new ones
Love
Authenticity
Vegans
google.com/maps
Africa....+ fufu + Joachim
Don Quixote
Danish royalty
Oprah Winfrey
Asian markets
Leaves
Pedicures

So much love for all of you!!!!! Love you!! Thanks for everything!! Enjoy Thanksgiving!!

"cute"

Sweet Hallelujah!!!!

You may or may not be sad....but only 5 more of these precious e-mails.

And there is MUCH to be discussed about this week!!

• HOORAY FOR THANKSGIVING SEASON!!!! I like this clip about being grateful!!




• Autumn package--Thanks Mom and Dad for the Thanksgiving treats. I love that you labeled all the bags and made it so simple to make. Pumpkin pie will hopefully make it! :) Thank you for the Sees and the matching PJs! We are obsessed with them already. So soft!!! RAWR. And thank you for supplying the survival fund too.




• Paige-- Thanks for the updates!! It sounds like you are doing so well!! My mom e-mailed me about the new Stake Presidency. Pretty exciting. Pretty inspired if you ask me. So exciting to hear about the new comings and goings of life...it keeps building doesn't it?


• Jen & Eric!----THANK YOU for the "Save the Date!!!" I am so excited for you both!!! Such a cute invite! Seriously. I am so excited. Hooray for love. And hooray for Seawolf love at that. I adore you both!!!


• Kjestine!---Thank you so much for the darling package ALL THE WAY FROM DENMARK!!! I loved the story about your grandma. I was CRACKING up. Seriously. Wonderful. And I shared the candy with our dear Sister Andersen. So much love.


• Vicky--I love you so much!! Thank you for the wonderful letter. It was like I got a letter from Mom. Seriously. That really meant a lot to me. Thanks for that. I am looking forward to seeing what you have knitted over the past year. :)


• Niina!!!


• Amy--We shared a scripture with a lady named Amy. She's from Colorado. After we shared the scripture, we paused, leaving room for the Spirit. Amy broke the silence with an unexpected......"cute". Not to mention her response in a later lesson about Joseph's first vision....."awwwww". Thanks Amy.


• Brian--South Africa. We called him up. Incredible. So funny. He tells us mid conversation, very boldly, "Jenna. Amy. I've GOT TO GO".
  Us: "Oh. Ok. We guess we'll talk later"
  Brian: "No no. To church! I've got to go to church!!!"


• Cell phones--Watch out world...so long pagers!! Hello CELL PHONES!!! Just before we got too far into the 2000s, we upgraded beyond the pagers. Although, I love the pager. 143 never meant so much as it does not.


• Joe--the coon hunter in Kentucky is wonderful. Yep. That means racoons.


• Orange Street--this week Sister Mettra and I got to go to a half-way house to speak at their LDS worship service. It was such an incredible experience. I spoke about the atonement. Sister Mettra spoke about love and she also sang, "Did You Think to Pray?". I sat next to Karma after and ate lunch. She taught me a good lesson.
  Me: What are you like most about Orange Street Karma?
  Karma: Toilet seats & controlable water in the shower.


• Dad & Grandma---T'was LOVELY. Seriously. What a beautiful moment. Thank
  you for the frame! And thank you for the 120% support. A moment I'll NEVER
  forget.


• Blessings of the Preisthood
  After dad was in the car accident, I told President Holmes about it. I just shared with him that I'm grateful that Dad's alive and well. Inspired President Holmes invited me into his office. "Sister Harmer, it seems like your dad's a miracle, huh?" I pretty much broke down. I don't know why. I think I'm just feeling like all 18 months are rushing to a stop. Like at the end of a roller coaster. You know? When it speeds up, then stops with a hault? That's what it's feeling like. It's a funny feeling. But I just was so grateful for a caring mission President in that moment. I suppose I'm anxious a little bit about the next undetermined chapter. I know everything will work out and will be exactly what I need. But hey, the unknown is an adventure. He calmed most of my nerves and then was able to offer me a blessing. Basically, when someone who holds the preisthood offers a blessing, it kind of like a reverse prayer. It's from Heavenly Father, but through someone holding the proper preisthood authority. That blessing provided comfort and answers that only me and God knew about. I am so grateful for worthy presithood holders who do everything they can to bless and strengthen the lives of others. Honestly, that restored authority is what makes The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints unique. It's the authority of Jesus Christ. And that is what FUELS this gospel. If it weren't true, it would have ended with the martyrdom of that courageous boy who said He saw God the Father and His Son in a grove of trees.

Thank you all for everything!! I am so grateful for everything you all do for me!!! I love you so much!!!

Mucho amor,
Sister Amaaayyyyy face.