Camelbak joy

Sky Blue! (missing in action)

.....................Flaming Fire!
.................................................................................... Old Blue!!!!

Back when I went to school in Idaho I found a glorious thing. Camelbak water bottles. I bought one just like this, and used it for probably a year. Well, then I came home and started getting ready for my mission, and lost it. :( Well, I left on my mission and the heat of the Summer in Houston hit me and I asked my dad to look for Old Blue and send it to me, he found it but thought it was too dirty to send to me?! not sure why.... So, he bought me a new one, in a lovely light blue color. I used Sky Blue all through my mission. And for 3 months when I got home. But alas! one day, I lost it at school. And it being such an amazing thing, I'm sure some hobo is enjoying it now. I checked back at the lost and found on campus 5 times for the thing! stinky snatchers! (I have to mention that these things are indestructable. I have dropped and thrown them many times. Even from great heights and throwing Sky Blue on the ground for a demonstration once! So, I know, someone has her, because she can't be broken.) Well, I decided to use a lame water bottle with a screw on lid, and this was pitiful, really it was. I was spilling water on myself all the time and it was just sad. So sad that Samantha decided to take pity on me and buy me a new Camelbak one for Christmas/my birthday! Hallelu! Farewell Sky Blue, Hello Flaming Fire! It is an orangey red. I use it everyday. And enjoy it greatly. Well, I was at home yesterday, and I was looking for my fish tank at mom and dad's (couldn't find it) and there, on the floor in the family room, all of a sudden, I see, Old Blue!!!!!!! What joy filled my heart!!! He was dusty and seemed a little neglected, but I've got him back!! What was lost now is found!!! Welcome back Old Blue, I've missed you!! now, we shall have many happy memories together again!! I drink a lot of water. And now, I have the amazing hydration duo of Flaming Fire and Old Blue. Bliss!

Concert

Before I go to sleep, I just wanted to publicly thank my Heavenly Father. Tonight was the Ensign Music Contest Winner's Concert. ( I know, it's a mouthful, right?) We sang up in the Assembly Hall on Temple Square. We have been worrying and stressing about these songs for 2 months. 12 Songs that, we as a whole choir, participated in. For those of you non-musical people, that's a lot. A typical Choir Concert would have a more songs than that with a few choirs singing or you would have spent a lot longer on the songs. ANY WAY, It was stressful. By last week, we were all sick of these same songs and not enjoying them that much. Also, we weren't really memorized on them. Tonight as we practiced our songs for the final time before we performed, someone was always messing something up in just about every song. Well, we said lots of prayers, and left it in the Lord's hands. Brother Eggett, the conductor of LDC, says something like, big effort big blessings, to us a lot. (Bro. E. always reminds us that our purpose is to take people somewhere musically so that they can have a spiritual experience.) Well, I had put in some big effort, and I saw some HUGE blessings. Every song I sang in, my memory was enlarged and the words of the next phrase would come into my mind just before I had to sing them. It wasn't in the normal way that I have things memorized. It was in a gentle revealing way, that was unmistakably from the Spirit. So, He helped me through this concert, and a did perfectly on most of the songs and would guess I messed up tiny little things about 5 times the whole concert. So, He is there, and He hears and ANSWERS our prayers of righteous desires!

Stalker Bus Driver

PS. Previously mentioned Stalker bus driver, has again said some slightly sketchy things.

Exhibit a. We , me one other passenger and driver, are on the bus waiting for the time to come when we leave the transit center. Bus driver comes back and starts talking to the other passenger man. They talk about texting and cell phones. I listen, without commenting. I have my phone in my hands, and am texting a friend. Bus driver sees phone and asks if I'm playing a game. I say "No. I'm actually texting." To which the driver responds, "Well, as long as it's not a boy. We'd have to get jealous if it was a boy. And just remember that we have a large bus here we could run him over with." Something like that anyway. hmmm, slightly strange. Then we proceed to have a conversation where the other original man-passenger talks about LDS mission. He was saying a mission in Houston was no mission at all! Oh no he didn't just say that!!!! but yes he did. He was apparently not a member, or a very active one. He basically felt that the only kind of real missions were ones where you served in a third world country or learned a language. HA!! Well, anyway. Conversation about mission lasted the entire duration of my ride.
Exhibit b. I am getting off the bus and he sees me stand up and says, "You're leaving me?" I just look at him and shrug, "well, yeah, this is where I get off." "You're leaving me?" he repeats. hmmm.
Exhibit c. I have to get on the bus later that night for yet another rehearsal, and I get on and he says, " We gotta stop meeting like this. If my mother finds out she's not gonna be happy. "
The man has told me he is from New York, Catholic, and has a son. of what age I know not. But bus driver has got to be at least 30. I don't know. Anyway, I have to get on his bus again tonight. And I am hoping, well, I'm hoping to not be creeped out. hmmmm. Good thing I'm documenting this.......

Oiy

It has been quite the week for me. I had quite the rollercoaster weekend. I was hating the bus ALOT. But then being spiritually fed and stake conference. I watched the CES fireside bymyself at home. Because I was going to go to a rehearsal for 2 hours at 8 and just wanted to relax. Well, just as I am about to leave to go to the rehearsal, I bend over and hit my eye on my dresser and cut my eyelid. OUCH! That's about all I said too. So I go to the freezer and grab my bag of frozen onions, and hold it to my eye, hoping to prevent a black eye. Well, it did. But I was bleeding. So, I get in the car with Natalie and I was stressed as it was, not to mention the injury, so I cried on the way to rehearsal and walked in with an icebag on my face. (I had exchanged the onions for ice.) So, I rehearse with a band-aid on my eyelid, which makes it hard to open. I had a good time, got some cheese cake at the end. Well, then it was off to bed to get up Monday morning early and work on my abortion presentation for my Ethics class. topic: is it ethical to restrict a woman's access to receive an abortion. I won't go into too much detail, but we said, yes it's ethical. We gave everyone in class cupcakes with little plastic babies in them. The best part of the presentation was when people started pulling out little babies from the cupcakes. the point of the cupcakes was, "You now have an unexpected baby in your life, what are you going to do about it?" The teacher laughed. I hope he gives us bonus points, because that seemed to be the only thing he liked about our presentation. oh well. Then I went to LDC and then work for 11 hours. Tuesday came and went, and my eye was healing rather well, but the edge of my eyelid started to hurt. I thought it was just irritation from putting neosporin on my cut so much. Not so. I have a sty on the edge of my left eyelid. basically an infection by the roots of your eyelashes. I've had them before, and there isn't really anything you can do about them. But at this point today, it's the worst one I've had. It is visually noticeable and my eye lid is all puffy. People have started to ask me about it. "Yes my eye is OK! no, it's not from the cut." Apparently I have unclean eye hygiene. It actually hurts quite a bit, and is bothering me immensely. But what can you do. I also have developed some kind of chest cough or bronchitis. Maybe from the terrible inversion we had, maybe not. I do not know. either way, I look at the heavens and wonder sometimes at the timing of things. I have a huge concert tomorrow night up in Salt Lake. I am see this as a perfect opportunity, to rely on the Lord. Somehow, he always finds a way to remind me how MUCH I need Him. I cannot get through a week without having some reason to plead for help from Him. I am utterly lost without Him. My dad came to give me a blessing tonight, to help calm my nerves over the fact that my body is rebelling against me and that I have a very long day ahead of me tomorrow. Well, anyway, He's there. He knows us and loves us. What a blessing. So, for now, the goal is to just remember that.