Day 111: I Only Needed One But Got Two

Aha:
Clinton was supposed to be on call till 9pm tonight but I got a call from him at 6 saying he was on his way home!  We got to have our date night after all! :)...and yes...it did involve a trip to the mall! Ha!

Ha ha:
I needed to run some errands tonight but was without a car.  I emailed the Relief Society sisters to see if anyone would be able to lend me their car.  I got a call from one of them and she consented!  What a relief!  I walked over to her place and picked up her car at about 5:40pm, drove back home, ran inside to eat something really quick before leaving.  That's when I got the call from Clinton saying he'd be home soon.  Turns out I didn't need her car, so it sat in my driveway for an hour or two till I drove it right back to her place...2 blocks away.  Thanks for the extra-quick trips, Whitney! :)

Day 110: Sorta Good/Sorta Bad

Aha:
Quick, but a blessing nonetheless--For the last three weeks I've had a reminder in my calendar at work about flu shots being administered at work today.  I remembered this morning and reminded my coworkers that I'd be stepping out to get it later this morning.  Well, I got busy and forgot all about it.  For some reason, 20 minutes before the timeframe for shots ended, another reminder popped up on my computer screen right as I was getting ready to work on another project!  I quickly got up, ran to the corporate center and got there just in the nick (no pun intended) of time!
I'm glad it all worked out...but now my arm is killing me.  :)

Ha ha:
I came across these on FB today and thought they were hilarious!  (Heads up: the "p-word" is used in one of them).

 

Day 109: You Had Me at Hello

Aha:
I got on the elevator with a woman I've never met before.  We exchanged pleasantries and as she got off on her floor she said, "Have a good day."  I wished her the same.
This got me thinking a little bit, and perhaps a bit too much, but here goes.
How often do we just say something without really thinking about it?  I don't think I'd ever wish a bad day on someone I run into, but if I'm wishing them a good day, is there perhaps something more behind it I could do?  Maybe, hold the door for them, ask what their plans are for the day, compliment their outfit/shoes/tie, etc...?
And, if I've wished some random person a "good day", maybe the person I get mad at on the road, or any other person I may interact with during my day, had been wished a "good day" too by someone else.
If we've all been wished "good day"s, then maybe I should view my interactions with others in a new "good day" light.  What can I do/not do in my interactions with others to ensure their time with me fulfills their "good day" wishes?
I don't know.  It just seems like we get so comfortable with formalities that we end up not saying or doing the more important informalities (being patient in the checkout line, helping our neighbor rake their leaves, not judging others, stopping to strike up a conversation with someone who looks lonely, etc).  This brief exchange that took place on the elevator has since taken root in my heart.  I've been inspired to try to think beyond the pleasantries and really mean it (by doing something about it) when I wish someone a "good day".
I dunno, I did say I might be thinking about this too much.
Maybe next time I'll just take the stairs. ;)

Ha ha:
Clinton tells me (well, actually he shushes me) all the time that I talk really loudly, but especially so on the phone.  It's something I've been trying to work on for a while and thought I was doing better.
Well, as I was leaving work today I decided to make a phone call while walking down the hallway.  There was a woman about a pace-worth in front of me, and another couple people about 15 feet or so in front of her.  As my callee answered I said, "Hi, So and so, how are you?"  Everyone in the hallway turned around and looked at me.
I'm hoping they turned because they thought I was talking to them, but the more likely reality is, they turned to see who the heck was shouting.
I GUESS THERE'S STILL PLENTY OF ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT!!!!  :)

Day 108: One Thing Led to Another

Aha:
I happened to mention the "garment diaper" I found myself experiencing at work today (when your garments creep up your legs like a diaper instead of staying put by your knees).  My coworker asked about my garments and 45 minutes later we had discussed what garments symbolize, proxy work in temples, baptisms for the living, the restoration of the Gospel, personal revelation, agency, the structure of the church today (prophet, apostles, etc) and the afterlife!  It was a wonderful opportunity to share my testimony and to hear hers as well.  It is so refreshing to share religious views with someone you know outside of religious settings.  Talking about beliefs and finding commonalities among varying religions is very heartwarming, and feeling the spirit at work is even better!  I loved it!
It wasn't in a public dressing room (see yesterday's post), but my cubicle worked just fine. :)

Ha ha:
Peter is in rare form lately.  On our walk tonight I passed by two gentlemen talking in their driveway.  Peter ran right up to them to say 'hello'.  One of them bent down to pet him; he was holding a coffee or something and Peter wanted it.  Peter kept standing up and putting his paws on the guy's knees.  The guy thought Peter "was so friendly"; he kept saying, "what a good boy".  Little did he know that that's the phrase we use to give Peter permission to have his treat.  Peter thought the guy was offering him his good-smelling drink, so he'd put his paws on the guy's legs to get closer to it; the guy thought Peter was just looking for more 'loves'.  This cycle continued for several minutes.
The guy loved it, but I think Peter was a bit disappointed he didn't "get" anything out of it.  Ha!

Day 107: Fear Not

Aha:
The other day I was trying on some shirts at Forever 21.  In the dressing room next to me was a mom and her 4-5 year-old daughter.  The daughter chattered away and the mom just kept "mm-hmm"ing while she changed.  Apparently, that wasn't enough attention so this little girl just started belting out Amazing Grace. She had a real gospel sound to her and I smiled while I listened.  Her mom tried shushing her, but every time she did she got louder and louder.  She had absolutely no inhibitions about praising the Lord in a public dressing room.  When she didn't quite know the words her mom would help her along and they eventually began to sing together.
If you've ever been in the dressing room of Forever 21, or any other store's dressing room, you'd know it's not exactly the easiest place to feel the spirit, but I certainly did then.  It was a wonderful teaching opportunity for this mother to discuss the gospel with her daughter.  It was a wonderful teaching tool for me to hear that no matter where you are or who may be listening, if an opportunity comes for you to share your testimony with someone (whether it be your child or a friend, etc) do it!  Don't be shy about it and follow the sweet feelings the spirit brings...even if it happens in a public dressing room! :)

Ha ha:
I took Peter for a walk tonight and ran into one of our neighbors out walking his great dane (aka, small horse).  Peter's not usually intimidated by dogs so he approached Prince (the great dane) and gave him a good sniff.  Well, I stood and visited with the owner for a few minutes and I was telling him how Peter is really good with other dogs and not really one to be intimidated by big dogs either.  As I'm saying this, I can feel the leash wrapping around my legs.  I look down to see that Peter has walked behind me and is hiding behind my legs but has his face poking between my ankles.  I sorta laugh and say that it appears he's "gone chicken".  The other owner replies, "It looks like he's defending you actually."
Yeah.  You go on thinking that.  I think we both know that's not the case.  Ha ha!

Day 106: Love is Spelled T-I-M-E

Aha:
Have I mentioned lately just how much I love and APPRECIATE my husband?  It is not always easy for me to notice during these busy years of study, but our relationship means everything to him.  I needed some time with him today to just visit.  So we went for a little walk.  Well, our half hour walk turned into an hour plus conversation when we got home.  We had time to reflect on Us:  what our goals are, what we are both doing to be good people/companions, what we hope to accomplish individually and as a couple, and whatever else came up.  He sacrificed a lot of his study time to be with me.  I know that giving up study time was not exactly easy and that this will have put an extra burden on him, but knowing that he did it because he loves me is almost more than I can stand. :)  Thank you, Honey!  I love you so!
**Note to self:  Read this often but especially around exams. :)

Ha ha:
I have an 80-years-young female black friend who attends the same church as I do.  Her claim to fame is her "big mouth".  She knows it can get her in trouble, but it often just makes people laugh.  Today she shared a real gem.
The topic in Gospel Principles was "Faith in Jesus Christ".  The teacher asked her to share her story of faith when she joined the church.  She said that she's a people-watcher and for her, after observing the love and friendship of people at church, she knew she was in the right place.  She saw the love of Jesus Christ in the members.  "Everyone just be cons'ly lovin' on every one else.  There's so much love!  It's like a big love orgy up in here!"
Um....I don't know that that's the answer the teacher was looking for, but I'm sure the Lord had just as good a good laugh as the rest of us.  It was said in innocence after all.  Ha ha ha!

Day 105: Beauty and the Beast

While Clinton studied this afternoon, I took Peter to an unofficial dog park I was recently told about (grounds from the old insane asylum, kinda creepy, I know) .  We had a great time in the 80 degree weather.  Here are some pictures from today--

Aha:
I was trying to have some quiet time today so I could speak with the Lord.  Every time I opened my mouth, my thoughts were interrupted by loud screams and voices from our neighbor's kids next door.  I was starting to lose my patience a little bit, so I thought I'd listen to a talk from General Conference to bring the Spirit back into the room.  I kept hearing the neighbors outside, but it didn't bother me as much.  I was enjoying the talk and the feeling of peace from its message.  Anyway, once the talk ended I noticed it was especially quiet.  My neighbors had gone back inside.
I'm so grateful for the inspiration to watch something that brought me peace and happiness.  I could have stewed and become upset about my neighbors, but listening to the talk distracted me long enough to avoid all of that.  What a great feeling!

Ha ha:
One of my friends has become interested in photography and got a group of us girls together for a "photo sesh".  We drove out to the country to one of my coworker's farm and had a blast!

Well, in order to have good lighting, we had to get up quite early on a Saturday.  So, last night as I was saying my prayers, I asked the Lord to let everything go smoothly as I was getting ready so I wasn't late and so I didn't end up looking like crapola.  Well, my makeup turned out great (one potential disaster averted), so I began treading lightly as I fixed my hair, but it too looked amazing.  I couldn't believe how well this was going.  As I decided to take one last looksie-do at my locks, I turned my back to my mirror but couldn't quite see.  I leaned back a little, but still couldn't see one side of my head, so I leaned back a little more and...lost my balance.  I totally fell over into my full length mirror and heard (and felt) a loud cracking sound.  I turned to see the perfect impression of my butt cracked (no pun intended) into my mirror.  I had to wake Clinton up so he could get the glass off of me before I ran out the door.  I didn't even notice until I bent over to put on my shoes that my thumb was bleeding.  Apparently that caught some of the shatter as well.  Oh, dear.

As grateful as I was to have my hair and makeup go so well, next time I think I'll specify to the Lord that He also keep me from danger. :)