Palm reading

So, I had my palm read this past weekend.  One of my most favorite mission companions was in town for a conference and one of the ladies she came with has a gift.  One of the neatest ladies I have ever met!  She happens to have terminal cancer and I haven't laughed like that in a while!  She's so happy and FUNNY!  All of these women work at a summer camp for kids with cancer.  Such an amazing experience!  Throughout the year they attend plays, games and funerals for their dear campers.  

Anyway, I know you are all curious as to what my future holds.  Well, I will have a marriage late in life... surprise, surprise.  I will have 4 kids.  I will have one or two really close friends for my whole life, although along the way I will have many meaningful friendships.  My family has a very close relationship.  I fight dirty and hard.  I will have a very deep and happy marriage and even though there will be disagreements, they will NOT affect our marriage.  I am very stable and reliable.  

There you go!  I have always wondered what would be said in a palm reading, now I know.  My reading happened to be very similar to my Kasia (my mission comp).  We were meant to be friends.

On Friday night we all went out to dinner after their meetings were over.  It was so great!  We laughed so hard!  A waiter was totally hitting on my friend and the women (all married and more mature than we) we were with were loving it!  They kept looking for reasons for him to come to the table, asking him to meet up with us later.  It was awesome!  Then on Saturday night, I crashed their conference and we did a little Square Dancing and then had a sleepover in their hotel room.

It was a great weekend!!!!  I am exhausted... still!  But couldn't be happier!

Kasia, I just love your guts and your breasts!! 

"It makes me feel big and strong."

I love Election Day (the good ED).  On the radio this morning a listener called in and said his mom told him to "go vote, it will make you feel big and strong."  I had that feeling as I walked away from the Church of Christ this morning.

I love going into the gas station or the office or returning home and talking with a neighbor, all wearing a sticker with those three simple words "I voted today".  It's a unifying day in these, the United States.  It's suddenly so easy to relate to strangers.

Ya know, I thought all polls were electronic by now.  This is why I was surprised when I arrived at my place to poll and found I would use the tried and true pen and paper to make my voice heard.  Even with these simple instruments, there were still hold ups and snaffus.  I guess it's just like death, change and taxes, one of the guarantees in life!

I love memories

Aren't memories fun?  Don't you love taking trips down memory lane?  I was looking at these pictures my good friends so kindly sent me to remind me of all our laughs together AND to remind me of how truly photogenic I really am!  

Last night I went out to dinner with some family members.  My parents were in town and we gathered to feed our faces at Golden Corral.  I realized last night why I am the way I am.  Genetics.  I'm not sure if an appreciation for the cruder things in life is actually genetic, but after hearing the stories I did last night and sharing the stories I did last night I have come to the knowledge that it is.  I am so grateful I have an excuse and people to blame when I say things that are shocking and inappropriate.  I relish the smiles, the looks of awe and the laughter from those who know me well when things leap from my mouth.

I think this is what life is all about!  Making memories, laughing, building relationships with those we love and will come to love!  It's the people in our lives that give it meaning!

I am grateful for all the wonderful people in my life!  I am more grateful for their forgiveness and love in spite of my "immature" sense of humor (as I learned from my aunt and uncle, the educators). 

Enjoy the pics!  Please, will you still be my friend?

Bath and Body Works

There is a Bath and Body Works OUTLET in the mall by my house...  Yeah, buddy!!!

AIFM

On Thursday night I attended an Interfaith dinner at Heritage Park, downtown Phoenix.  Hosted by the Arizona Interfaith Movement.   I heard about it at church and thought it sounded interesting.  Dinner was provided, to be followed by "stimulating conversation".  A few people from the Sikh community provided the meal, known as a "Langar", a three-course, vegetarian meal.  We ate on the floor and left our shoes at the door.  It was fabulous!!  There was a garbanzo bean dish that was to die for!  The meal started with four different prayers from four different religions; one Buddhist (chanting a prayer that took me back to the temples in Tibet), one LDS, one Christian, and one Muslim.  SO cool!

After we ate, we formed groups consisting of 5-7 people in each.  In my group, there were 3 LDS (which I bummed about...boring!  I know about them!  I was hoping for someone from one of the Eastern religions, oh well.), one Unitarian, one Community of Christ, one self-proclaimed Atheist, but turned out to be Agnostic, and one Church of Divine Love.  We were given 4 questions to answer; 1- list the two most important teachings of your faith, 2- pick one practice that means the most to you, 3- tell about your journey to the beliefs and practices you now participate in, and 4- to be done in 10 mins, solve the problem of world peace through one idea/practice.

As we discussed these issues, practices, beliefs and experiences I came to the realization that everyone had the same basic, underlying ideas and beliefs, but called them by different names.  Some used "energy", others "spirit", some felt as if their ancestors were with them, while others said it was God, while someone else said angels.  The bottom line was this, all of us are in this together, we each have the opportunity to have a positive impact on those around us.  There is something or someone out there bigger than each of us.  We must channel the energy we feel from that source and use it for good.  We must stop judging, we must serve others and love our fellow man, regardless of age, race, status or nation.

It was wonderful to be a part of something so open and welcoming to differences.  Something that really celebrated differences and saw that as a positive rather than a negative.  It was a way to enhance and expand one's mind, a way to widen one's perspective.  An evening I will not soon forget.

Puerto Penasco

Hola, mis amigos!

We just returned from a quick trip south of the border!  Janelle came down from Reno on Thursday to attend her high school friend's (Shawn) wedding in Puerto Penasco, aka Rocky Point.  Carly acted as the translator, I was the tag-a-long and Dave was the new guy (a friend of Shawn's and Phoenix resident) and bodyguard.  We left at 5 am yesterday morning and weren't even there for 24 hrs!  But what a blast!  The wedding was held in the "backyard" of vacation rental home on the beach.  The backdrop was sand and water!  After the kiss and "I do" they walked off into the sunset and down the beach.  There was a pinata for the kids and kegs for the adults.  The ceremony took all of 10 mins and then the party started!  It was beautiful and very low-key, fabulous!  We watched the sunset and then listened to a guy and his guitar long into the night!  We ended the evening with a little night swim in very warm sea water!  It was such a great weekend!

This morning we attended church and were lucky enough to catch the Primary Program!  Those little ones are so funny!  After that we went to pick Dave up and headed off for our 2 hr wait to pass through Border Patrol.  IT TOOK FOREVER!  We waived off probably 15 people selling tamales, 5 window washers, 3 people selling big vases, 2 purse salesmen and 2 slingshot/turtle salesmen.  Gotta love Mexico!

Of course, I bought a blanket.  

AZ license plate

So, last week I traded in the good 'ol NV plates for the ONE AZ plate.  While I was at the MVD (aka DMV), I had the greatest clerk!  I know what you are all thinking, "A nice clerk! At the DMV!!?"  She was so much fun!  When I got to the window, she asked me to find her a good man, I said, "Honey, I can't even find one for me, let alone someone else!"  We got to talking about men, and she told me about how she moved here from California with a guy who pretty much cheated on her, was engaged to someone else before they were even done.  Then there was another guy who just up and left one day.  ALL we ask for is ONE decent guy, just ONE!!  Is that really such a tall order??

On the counter was a little box where you could make a donation for the "Make a Wish Foundation", so I stuck in a buck.  Then she handed me a star and told me to make a wish.  I wrote something cheesy about everyone having health and happiness.  After we talked a little longer, I changed my mind about my wish so I asked her for a new star, she gave me a funny look.  On the second star, I wrote "I wish for Brenda to find a GOOD man!"  She laughed and said, "You just made my day!!"  It was probably one of the best times I've ever had at the DMV!  So, my wish to all of you is to make someone's day at the DMV the next time you get the pleasure of gracing them with your presence!! Have fun!!