ten on tuesday

i totally should not be sitting at my computer right now, but i think i have one hour before i need to pick hailey up, and this is what i want to do...so i am doing it. :)


1-a couple of things that happen when i am wearing my missionary tag:
a) people think i work at the store i am in, and start to ask me questions about where things are, or if i can help them find such and such.
b) members of the church ask me where my companion is. they think he is close by, and i forget that they don't understand, and i say stuff like, "oh he isn't here. if i waited for him to come, i would never get anything done." and then they look at me like i am breaking every rule in the missionary handbook.
c) people never look at my eyes. they are trying to read my tag. it is weird.
d) i end up coming home and doing all kinds of household chores in my missionary clothes, complete with scarf and tag. i totally sucked my scarf up in the vacuum today. bummer.

and most important:
e) i feel like a real missionary and it helps me to act like one!

2- we have had two nights and two mornings of torrential rain. more storms expected. i didn't think i would see the sun all week. this morning as jon was getting ready, i was at the computer (looking weary i'm sure) reading and printing letters and jon said to me, "this is going to be a long week." i said, "why, because we won't see the sun?" he was very confused! "no, because of all the stuff that we have to do this week! i love the rain! i'm ready to move to seattle!" who is this man i am married to? and why were we on two completely different planets this morning?

ps- as i had to leave the house to run a few errands (with my tag on, without my companion), the rain turned to a drizzle and then stopped. the sun came out, and i knew my Heavenly Father loves me. tender mercies.

3- eucalyptus trees are not very pretty. they are horribly messy, and just keep falling apart, especially after a big rain. their fallen parts cover the street i drive up to my house, so i have decided i don't really like them. dirty and ugly!




4- hailey is becoming an amazing swimmer! of course, we had just paid for recital costumes at dance, when the meeting came at school for the swim team. practice would be everyday from 3-5. what to do, what to do?!

5- lilies are beautiful and smell incredible. if you get too close to them when they are blooming, you get their pollen stuff all over you...and it stains! word to the wise!



6- after hearing hailey complain about having 5 F's in her classes all semester, we were thrilled when we opened her report card! she actually ended up with two A-'s, one B+, one B- and one C. those grades were hard to come by! they took an incredible amount of time and effort! congratulations hailey!

7-this is our mission brand!


after getting an idea from brent and michelle, we decided to talk to our missionaries a little about the concept of "riding for the brand!" at christmas. after the conference, one of our elder's gave jon a book about cowboy ethics, that he had received as a trade for a book of mormon in napa. the book is beautiful! gorgeous pictures of horses and cowboys and cows! the author's reason for writing the book was to answer this question, "what wall street can learn from the code of the west". he writes, "but imagine what could happen if wall street firms looked back to a simpler time when a handshake was enough to seal a deal, and right and wrong were as clear as black and white. what if executives, portfolio managers, analysts, and traders decided that some things aren't for sale? what if every major investment firm agreed to live by the principle that the client always comes first?" i liked his thinking!

he talks about ten principles that make up the code of the west. i like them. they will be good for our missionaries.

1. Live Each Day With Courage
2. Take Pride In Your Work
3. Always Finish What You Start
4. Do What Has To Be Done
5. Be Tough, But Fair
6. When You Make A Promise, Keep It
7. Ride For The Brand
8. Talk Less And Say More
9. Remember That Some Things Aren’t For Sale
10. Know Where To Draw The Line


i am grateful that my father and my brother are "real" cowboys. i am glad i have a little "cowgirl" in me, though i would never claim to be "real", i love to feel a part of it!

8- it is now night time. we just had our seven departing missionaries over to dinner and a little family home evening. they will be returning home tomorrow! i learned something important tonight.

one of our elder's said, "i never felt comfortable one day on my mission." jon asked him to explain that. he said, "the things we do are not comfortable. we knock on a door and have no idea who will be answering it. we have to be totally awkward around girls. we run up to people pumping gas and hand them a card and tell them 'i love jesus a lot and i'd like you to have this card'." he went on and on. it made sense to me. then they all agreed and said if they didn't have at least one uncomfortable experience a day, they weren't stretching themselves enough. hmmm.

9- word for the day: MOSS! it is everywhere, growing on everything, and i'm not sure how i feel about it. i was carrying a box downstairs yesterday and almost slipped on some moss (growing on the stairs) and broke my back. i don't think i am a fan of moss. i think it is creeping me out a little, to be honest.






get the picture?

10- i am weary. every first monday and tuesday of the transfer (6 week period) is exhausting! of course in a really good way, but exhausting just the same. new missionaries monday, departing missionaries tuesday. i'm feeling ready for some 24 to wind down...what do you think?