Erin went to town organizing a fabulous Easter dinner for us and our other orphan friends…And while the meal was delicious, I thought that it was especially wonderful that we also managed to get so many Champaign girls together! It was a little bit of Champaign, Illinois home in Salt Lake City, Utah. So we were orphaned, but not homeless!
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I’ve been counting down for 9 years…and finally, I’ve made it to the final countdown! One year from today, I get a new passport photo!!
I hope you believe me when I say this is a HUGE deal! Here’s why:
1. My passport picture is 9 years old;
2. It was taken at an unfortunate time in my life. I didn’t wear make-up. I had awful hair. I didn’t pluck my eyebrows. I didn’t know how to dress. And I was overweight with a double chin (20 or 25 lbs. heavier than my current weight);
3. My parents decided the best time to get our passport pictures taken was when I got off work at 11 at night after a full day of 6:15am seminary, school, and work and a week of being sick. Boo;
4. My passport photo causes difficulties with airport security. The officers endlessly scrutinize me and my picture, glancing back and forth in unbelief. Sometimes I think they’re trying to figure out if I’m scamming them. But most of the time I think they are just in shock at the otrocious beast featured. Anyway, they usually end with some snide comment or joke and hold me up until I sufficiently satisfy them with a fake little chuckle when truth is, a little part of me has just died inside;
5. One time a busdriver in England exclaimed to the whole bus “BAD DAY!” when he saw my photo; and
6. Oh, just see for yourself! And don’t judge me. Don’t you dare judge me!
Now quickly redirect your eyes before my photo has some unfortunate Medusa effect on you! Look at these puppies!
One more year til I’m no longer haunted by my “BAD DAY!” One more year til a better day…
Drumroll please! Come this 18th of April, I will have been home from my mission to Romania for 4 whole years! Wow, right?!?
Well, I must have my upcoming anniversary on the brain, because it has felt like a little bit of Romania in Utah this last week. Of course, I suppose it doesn’t take much though…because the main reason I’ve been feeling this way has everything to do with:
1. Getting to use a practical skill I learned in Romania. Get this! Our water company informed us that our water would be turned off for 8 hours Tuesday, 9pm. So what did I proudly do at 8:30pm? I filled up a few buckets of water and reminisced of days gone by in Romania when we learned from experience the import of filling buckets and your bathtub with water. Funny, those Romanians knew exactly what to do…and now I do too!
2. Writing my Romanians a lil’ letter this week. Here’s a small excerpt though you probably won’t understand it anyway!
“Nu imi vine sa cred ca deja au trecut 4 ani de cand am terminat misiunea mea in Romania! Cat de mult mi-e dor de voi!…vreau sa ma intorc in Romania cat de curand ca sa ne bucuram in evanghelia adevarata a Domnului Isus Hristos. Am sa mai strang banii mei dar imi va veni greu pentru ca trebuie sa-mi inapoiesc datoriile educatiei mele acum. Dar, abia astept sa ne mai rugam, sa mai cantam, si sa mai studiem din scripturile impreuna. Astept si ocazia cand putem merge la templu impreuna. Va rog din toata inima sa traiti demni ai binecuvantarilor templului. Sunt martora si va marturisesc cea mai puternica si fierbinte marturia ca este adevarata aceasta biserica. Este singura biserica adevarata si este a lui Isus Hristos. El mai traieste si mai lucreaza chiar si in zilele de azi. El si-a indeplenit misiunea si ispasirea. El a inviat. El a aparut la Joseph Smith si a restaurat biserica lui adevarata pe pamant pe care o mai ghideaza. Si potrivit tatul nostru ceresc de iubire si mila, Isus inca ne invita sa venim la El ca sa fim vindecati si mantuiti.
Deci, veniti! Faceti tot e posibil sa veniti! Rugati-va. Cititi-va scripturile. Duceti-va la biserica. Pregatiti-va in toate lucrurile cat mai degraba sa ajungeti la templu! Va astept! Mai sunteti ai mei!…inca ma simt aproape de voi. Chiar ma gandesc la voi in fiecare zi. Inca ma rog pentru voi. Si des, ma uit la posele timpului meu in Romania. Va iubesc tare mult! Aveti grija de voi!”
That Simon and Garfunkel knew what they were talking about: “Preserve your memories. They’re all that’s left you.”
So, I’ve done this ingenious thing with my scrapbook. I spent last summer getting up-to-date with my last birthday. Now, I have my scrapbook set up so that after every birthday I get to scrapbook a few pages summarizing the previous year. Example? As I just celebrated my 27th birthday, I got to scrapbook my 26th year. Here it is in all of its beautiful glory:
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Update to my goals? “Scrapbook my 26th year”: Check!
Monday, 28 March: “As guest lecturer of the PhD Systematic Reviews course Wednesday morning, I require a limo to pick me up from my house promptly at 8:30am, a 3 piece French Toast Breakfast sprinkled with powdered sugar (not syrup), and a classroom temperature of precisely 74.2 degrees…(ahem) Thank you.”
Wednesday, 30 March: “My lecture was amazing! The students hoisted me on their shoulders afterwards and triumphantly heralded me down to the Dean’s office to demand that I be awarded an honorary PhD and a tenure-track position! (ahem) I mean, it went ridiculously well and I totally rocked it.”
Yeah, that’s right. I taught my first college class. And not just any college class, a PhD class! Booyah! Here’s for unexectedly reaching goals! And for rockin’ them! Check it!
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…Speaking of rockin’ goals…Guess who also did a session at a temple she’s never been to before? (a.k.a., the Oquirrh Mountain Temple). And who also has a family name count of two already this year? Yeah, this guest lecturer extraordinaire!
