Enjoying Life

Well, it's been awhile since I wrote in our blog. I get so frustrated when I lose my internet connection & I have spent a lot of time writing. Oh, well, live & learn.

We just had the BEST weekend. Since Amy & Brad now live in Rochester, N.Y., they are a 6 hr. drive away & they were able to come for the Labor Day weekend. They got here Friday night at 10:30 when we were suppose to be in the middle of Hurricane Earl but all we got was a little rain. We had fun playing games, relaxing & playing with Natalie & Kaylee. We took them to Lexington where the first shot was fired in the Revolutionary War but other than that we didn't do any sightseeing. We went to Boston 1st Ward on Sunday & were able to show them off even though there weren't too many at church because of the holiday. I had to give the lesson in Relief Society & Amy got to play the piano since no one else could. Monday morning there was a special session at the temple so we took them to show them around & introduce them to the people we work with & then did a session. It was so special to have them there with us. I was so excited that they got to see the Celestial Room. It is my favorite place because of the beauty & the Spirit that is there. They left about 6:00 so it was a long night for them.

Well, I had another homesick moment. Brad was trying to teach us how to Skype, so we got to see & talk to Jason & Ryan & their families. I thought I was doing okay but just seeing all of them made me realize how much I really miss everyone. It was really special to see Tyson for the first time & to see that he is the spitting image of Nathan. Now we are looking forward to "seeing" & talking to everyone else. When I was in 6th grade, we were told that someday we would be able to talk on the telephone & see the person we were talking to. I didn't quite believe it but through all these years I have always had that in the back of my mind & wondered if I would ever see it. Well, it finally happened & I couldn't have asked for a better time than on our mission. It's amazing the technology that we are blessed with.

We have been busy doing a lot of things. A couple of weeks ago we helped with a reception in our yard. We went to Tanglewood in western Massachusetts & watched a performance of the Boston Symphony Orchestra in an outdoor theater. The next day after we spoke in church, we drove to Maine & got a motel because on Monday we went to a Cabbage Island Clambake & cruise with about 30 people from the temple. It was raining most of the day but it was worth it. We each got 2 fresh caught lobsters, & so much food. I have never liked lobster but when it is fresh it tastes just like Alaska king crab. The next Monday we went to a friend's cabin in New Hampshire on Lake Winnepasauke. We went swimming, canoeing, ate & visited. It was so beautiful & we had such a good time. It was one of our favorite days. I knew the name sounded familiar but I didn't know how until we mentioned it to Jason & he immediately knew it from the movie, "What About Bob?".

It is finally starting to get a little cooler here. We are anxious to do some sightseeing now that it is not so miserably hot & humid.

Last week we went to the temple & in the first half hour I heard Nathan's name twice, saw it once & saw his birthday. The first thing I do when I get to work is take the names for the Prayer Roll off the answering machine. There were 2 Nathan's there. Then someone called & needed a Bishop's #. When I looked it up he lived on Nathan Lane. Next, we have a stamp that has the date & BOSTO on it. One of them was old so I threw it away & asked where I could find another one. When I went to the drawer, there were about 10 sitting there so I just grabbed one. I put it on the ink pad & stamped a piece of paper so that I would know what to change to make it the correct date. The date on the stamp was, 04 Nov BOSTO, Nathan's birthday. I literally gasped. I had to share it with our secretary. She said, "Wow! What do you think that's all about?" I feel like Nathan is letting me know that he is close & is thinking about us & he wants us to think about him. It is so amazing to me that we are blessed to feel so close to him.

Two weeks ago, one of the sealers lost his son. They don't know what happened. His wife just found him. They have a 2 yr. old son. It is so sad. It kind of takes me back to those first few days & weeks. I am so grateful that we are where we are now & that we are able to feel the blessings of the Atonement.

We had to come up with our favorite scripture. That's hard when you have 2 people & each one has their own favorite. But we finally agreed. Actually, it's mine & Rod went along with me. It is, Alma 5:16. "I say unto you, can you imagine to yourselves that you here the voice of the Lord, saying unto you, in that day...Come unto me ye blessed, for behold, your works have been the works of righteousness upon the face of the earth?"

We know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true church upon the face of the earth & we look forward to being with all of our family & friends in the presence of our Heavenly Father & our Savior.