Coming home from a mission was much harder than I thought it would be. Especially when I didn't really have anything to fill my time. But then I went back to my old summer job and suddenly had no time to do all the things I thought I was going to get done! My life is so hard.
Summer is now over, for most intents and purposes. I didn't take a Spanish class or paint rocks for dad's herb garden. I didn't study the Common Core or write to my recent converts every Sunday. I could look at the rest of the things I didn't do and decide this summer was wasted or a failure. But that is depressing and it is more fun to be happy! Rejoice! Be of good cheer! It's a commandment!
Also, I can reflect on the awesome that happened this summer and enjoy the relived memories by myself all I want, but I have chosen instead to share them with all of you. I hope it brings you joy and happiness as well!
Guster/BenFoldsFive/BarenakedLadies
One of the highlights of June was the Guster concert at USANA. All the cool people were there. Like us:
And them:
And Them:
And him:
And them:
Guster is always so amazing in concert. AND we were on the second row. So here's another picture of them!
Camp
This was my fifth summer working at the JCC of SLC. Things were a little different this year. It was my first time being with the 8 year old girls (although, to be fair, they aren't that much different from 7 year old girls!). These were an amazing group of girls, however, and I already miss them. Well, most of them anyway!We got to go on some great field trips this summer, which is how I got most of my entertainment since I was usually too tired to go do anything else!
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| Jungle Jim's |
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| Kangaroo Zoo |
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| The Hogle Zoo |
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| Sleeping on the bus ride home |
And sometimes we had a fun just staying at camp.
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| Bird Show |
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| Graduation Day! |
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| Water Kickball: 1st base |
And sometimes we dressed up.
And even though I was pretty beat by week 10, I still cried when I said good bye to my co-counselor! You are so great, Lainie!
“The first week of August hangs at the very top of summer, the top of the live-long year, like the highest seat of a Ferris wheel when it pauses in its turning. The weeks that come before are only a climb from balmy spring, and those that follow a drop to the chill of autumn, but the first week of August is motionless, and hot. It is curiously silent, too, with blank white dawns and glaring noons, and sunsets smeared with too much color.”
― Natalie Babbitt, Tuck Everlasting
California
I have some awesome former mission companions from California. Three of them got married there this summer. I only made it to one (but I got to see the other two at their bridal showers!) and I got to see another companion unexpectedly, so I guess we can still be friends.
In a crazy 60 hour trip, the bless-ed frusin-o-mine Cheryl joined me in driving over 1600 miles to Fresno and Sacramento and back. We had an amazing time (I know, it is hard not to when Cheryl is around!) and learned that my car can go 433 miles on one tank of gas, but driving all the way across Nevada and not filling up until Delle, Utah is a bit of a stressful way of finding out.
We stayed in Hanford, CA the first night and if felt a lot like Florida. We even got to help someone jumpstart their car! Too bad I didn't have a Pass-Along Card! We drove to Fresno in the morning and attended a wonderful sealing for a wonderful couple that is perfect for each other.
Sister Buckley is now Jessica Newton but she's still living up to the phrase, "Only you can pull that off!" She made a beautiful bride! We stuck around the Fresno Temple for a session before driving up to Sacramento. We may have been too late to tour the Jelly Belly Factory or the State Capitol building, but we made it just in time to spent several hours with the great and inspiring Sister Syme. (I still can't call her Adrianne!)
We explored Old Sacramento and the bridges nearby.
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| Chocolate Covered Crickets |
But the best part of all was just chatting. I'm pretty sure most of the time of our one transfer together was filled with talking. But sometimes my ramblings make a person feel better. At least I hope they did!
We also spent an inordinate amount of time late at night playing with her cats.
We went to church in the morning and were complimented on being Utahans, indirectly. And just like that it was time to leave. And nine hours (including Jane Eyre and a whole lot of nothing to look at) later, we made it back to Utah, where we found this smoky sunset and the comfort of our own beds.
The Magical Path
We added to it.
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| Mother and Cat sold separately. |
Reflections
Last Saturday marked 2 years since the day I entered the MTC. Next Wednesday marks 6th months since I was released as a missionary. While being a camp counselor for the summer and living in Salt Lake again make me feel like I am the same person I was before my mission, there are a few things that remind me that I am a returned missionary. 1) I gave a lot of talks this summer because I am a returned missionary. 2) I am almost always cold, which makes me miss Florida. 3) I miss Florida for so many more reasons! 4) I have many new friends to list when my brother tells me I don't have any friends. 5) There are a lot more people I haven't written to in a long time. 6) I get random flashbacks to streets in Florida when I listen to MoTab. 7) I feel guilty when I have to turn the missionaries down.
But more importantly, 8) I feel so much happier when I get to do even a hint of missionary work. Going to Gospel Principles and helping teach investigators and recent converts fills me with a deep happiness that is a satisfaction you can't get anywhere else. 9) My faith exceeds my fear. Even though I still get overwhelmed or worried about something, I can rise above it quickly. Or at least quicker than before. The trials I face now or in the future may be even harder than the ones I've faced in the past, but it is so much easier to get through them when you obey the commandment to Fear Not. Trials, whether we brought them on ourselves or had them trust upon us, are means to becoming the better version of ourselves. They are there for us to grow stronger, step higher, and learn more. They are to help us understand the depth of Our Savior's Love and Atonement and then to turn around and use that Atonement to become more like Him. There are times, especially in the middle of a trial, that this knowledge escapes me and forget that it will only be for a brief moment and be for my good. Sacrificing my momentary comfort and perceived happiness to become better is a lot harder sometimes than I want it to be. In those times, when I feel lazy or distressed, when I find it hard to have faith the enabling power of the Atonement steps in. As someone said in church on Sunday, if you desire to have faith, act as if you have faith already and faith will come. And Christ can give you the strength to "fake it 'til you make it."
The pain of sacrifice lasts only one moment. It is the fear of the pain of sacrifice that makes you hesitate to do it. -F. Enzio Bushe
Now day is done. Gone the sun
from the lakes, from the hills, from the sky.
All is well, safely west.
Shalom
On to the next great adventure: Student Teaching 2.0!
(Hence the new Blog Title)
I'm going to pretend that I have faith in my Spanish abilities and say that this is going to be a great semester!
I think I'll go spent my last day of summer at Seven Peaks.
