Leaving my heart in San Francisco

Well, I'm home sick for the second day trying to recover from yesterday's bought with the stomach flu (don't you worry--I won thanks to some advice from Dr. Mom!). So, I figured I'd post some pictures and tell you about my trip to the Bay Area.

Last weekend, I went to the Bay Area to see Lil' H, my new niece. I got to stay with C&G at their house. Getting to CA was the problem. My flight was delayed 3 hours! Thanks to mechanical errors, I was stuck in SL airport for 4 hours! So unfortunate. Luckily I had an excellent book (The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley--a MUST READ!!! So funny!) and my computer so I was fine except for the lack of comfortable seating. Of course, that meant that I arrived 3 hours later. G was kind and willing to pick me up from the airport even with the delay. 

Saturday was a wonderful day of sleeping in, reading on the back porch in the sun and then taking BART into San Francisco to meet an old mission companion, April, for a late lunch with her husband and ADORABLE son. We went to the Cheesecake Factory and it was incredible. Amazing company, great food--what better way to spend your vacation? 

I went back via BART and my brother picked me up and took me home to a delicious dinner of hamburgers grilled on their BBQ. I love the feeling of summer. 

Sunday was spent visiting with J&H and meeting Lil' H. Oh my goodness--that girl is ADORABLE. And everyone says she has my colored eyes. Yay! Finally! A niece that has one of my features. J took these pictures. 

On the way back to C&G's house, my dad made us drive by San Jose State so I could see "where" I go to school. That night we had grilled salmon and visited some more. (And I took this picture with my new camera!)

Monday, I came home. My flight was delayed coming back, but only 30 minutes. Yay. 

I'm sad to be back. I already am homesick, even if the Bay Area isn't my home. It's still California. 

John Denver knows how it goes.

I'm leaving on a jet plane,

I guess I'll have to come back on Monday

Oh, baby

I am so happy to go!

Well, that may not be how he meant it, but it's how I mean it today! 

I'll post again when I get back with lots of cute pictures of my new niece! Lil' H as she'll be affectionally called on the blog. Perhaps even written as Lil h. 

Cheers!

Help!!!??!!

*sigh*

We had our first quarter reports sent back to us from the stake.

And I got reamed. 

Any ideas on how to get YSAs to do their visiting teaching?

source

I've tried:

-adding ward directory pictures in an envelope with their assignments

-including the message with their assignments

-reminding them every Sunday

-having visiting teaching interviews and talking with them about their girls and their companionship

-giving each girl a handwritten note that thanks them for what they do and gives them some info about their girls as well as leave my number so they can call if they can't meet with their girls that month or can't meet with their companion. (I didn't assign myself to be a visiting teacher in the hopes that I could work with some of the girls that aren't getting visited). 

Any other ideas? I'm all out of ideas. 

Updates

I thought it's been awhile. I'll give you a real update.

**I posted a few weeks ago about my time of service being rather short. Well, two weeks ago, I got the word from the bishop that the-powers-that-be (from hence forth shall be known as TPTB) had changed their minds and will be creating YSA stakes. This means, our stake will remain intact, we will simply add the YSA wards that are currently in the family stakes within our ward boundaries. They are starting in September, and they are starting in Logan and St. George before moving in towards Salt Lake. So, I'm not out of a job.

**I also previously mentioned how I was concerned about my job situation and some changes that might be made that would affect me. Well, they announced the changes, and really? It doesn't affect me one bit. Thank goodness. I can breath easy.

**Relief Society continues to be stressful. Between the Stake getting on my back about pushing visiting teaching and the Stake requesting all presidents to fill out a new form that basically has ALL the information that the Church's computer program has, except that I can now write an essay with each monthly report. Oh, joy! I'm trying so hard not to get caught up in the administering, but that seems to be the direction I keep getting pulled in.

**My weight loss has been at a stand still for the past 2 months. I'm exercising like crazy every morning, but I seem to be gaining weight instead of losing it. Yikes! It could just be a little plateau. I hope it doesn't mean I need to go to the doctor. Bah. That would mean I have to find a doctor. 

**In good news, I continue to pull an "A" in my grad school class. I don't know how I'm managing that, but I'm grateful for whatever brain power is left up here to help me with that. Now I just have to finish an annotated bibliography and write a 15 page research paper and I'll be set! 

So, that's the update, my friends/fam. Hope you're all doing well. I need to take more pictures. Next post will have more pictures, I promise!

I have to share.

I read the story on Wikipedia. I'm not really excited for the story. 
But I do love his voice.

And he's not bad looking when he's not the Phantom, either.

Thoughts?

It's time.

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I need a vacation.

Who wants to host me for a few days? 

Or do you have a suggestion on where I should go? 

Or do you want to go somewhere WITH me?

Deep Thoughts: Easter

"Brothers and sisters, one of the great consolations of this Easter season is that because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly alone, we do not have to do so. His solitary journey brought great company for our little version of that path---the merciful care of our Father in Heaven, the unfailing companionship of this Beloved Son, the consummate gift of the Holy Ghost, angels in heaven, family members on both sides of the veil, prophets and apostles, teachers, leaders, friends. 

"My other plea at Easter time is that these scenes of Christ's lonely sacrifice, laced with moments of denial and abandonment and, at least once, outright betrayal, must never be reenacted by us. He has walked alone once. Now, may I ask that never again will He have to confront sin without our aid and assistance, that never again will He final only unresponsive onlookers when He sees you and me along His Via Dolorosa in our present day. . . . may we declare ourselves to be more fully disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, not in word only and not only in the flush of comfortable times but in deed and in courage and in faith, including when the path is lonely and when our cross is difficult to bear."

Jeffrey R. Holland, Ensign, May 2009

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Dear Michael B.,

Even from the back of the arena, with 9,999 other people watching, I felt the connection.

You may not have seen me, but it was worth it. 

For once in my life, I got to do something for me. And it was worth it. You were worth trudging through the snow, sitting in traffic for 30 minutes after the show, paying money to have not so great seats. 

Thank you. 

I know that you would be charmed by me, it's that we just haven't met yet. 

Thanks for the memories. It was a glorious night. I won't forget it. 

love,
Laurel

PS--yes, I do realize that these pictures aren't the best quality. I had to sneak in my point & shoot camera instead of my uber-cool new one. Ah well.