Last week I went to the store for some routine things.... eggs, flour, toothpaste, etc. While I was contemplating which toothpaste to buy (because I'm still indecisive and they were on sale), a man came down the aisle. I was bent over comparing boxes when he spoke, "Is that Brigham Young University?" I was confused, and then looked at my hoodie- it gave me away (although I don't know how he read it because it just says Cougars down the arm- not BYU). I replied in the affirmative and we exchanged some pleasantries about school, majors, Utah, Ohio- ya know, regular small talk. This was around 3:00pm. Then he "went for the jugular" as my mission President would have said- "Do you practice the Mormon faith?" I knew right then and there I was not getting out of that store unless an angel came down and spoke with the voice of thunder saying, "let my Ally go".
This man was so sincere! I really did not feel attacked or threatened in any way as he explain how he felt about our faith and about the truths found in the New Testament. He was sure OUR Christ is different from the Christ in the NT, that we believe in a godhead not taught in holy writ and that my salvation was in peril because of my religious affiliation. Most of his understanding and insight about the LDS faith came from the book Mormon Doctrine by Bruce R. McConkie. I tried my best to testify that the doctrine we proclaim comes from the scriptures we profess to be the word of God, not from personal opinions (even if they are apostolic opinions). I was touched that he was so earnest in his efforts to help me see the truth. As we talked, my mind raced through conference talk after conference talk of truths taught by living apostles and I was more grateful than ever for what Elder Holland testified of just the weekend before: " The Savior warned that in the last days, those of the covenant, the very elect, could be deceived by the enemy of truth." Elder Holland testified that the Book of Mormon, a book which this man disregarded and considered to be of naught, was in fact the keystone, the spiritual anchor in a sea of uncertainty, the truth of God for our troubled and deceitful times. I'm so grateful for this man to have strengthened my testimony, unknowingly on his part, of living apostles and living scripture. It was exactly as Elder Holland stated- that one would have to crawl around, under or over the Book of Mormon to deny its validity- and that was exactly what this man had done. Salvation at Meijer? It's a good thing.
P.S.-by the time I left it was 4:45.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Because it matters
As I was driving today, I noticed that most cars are operated by people who have no idea how to merge. SLAMMING on your breaks is NOT merging. I would like to teach the rising generations how to drive correctly:
1. When entering a highway system, you accelerate on the on-ramp. This enables you to merge at a decent speed and does not hinder the flow of traffic.
2. If you are driving in a lane that is merging with another, switch lanes. I know you think you'll get farther by speeding up, but experience has proven that you'll just end up causing more disharmony. Plus, you give the merging cars a opportunity to practice #1 above.
3.When exiting a highway system, you decelerate to the exit. Do Not EVER speed up to get off. There are 2 reasons for this rule: a) speeding up is just stupid and b) SLAMMING on you breaks is NOT exiting.
4.When in traffic on the interstate, maintain proper distance from the cars ahead of you.
5. DO NOT EVER BREAK while driving on the interstate unless it is absolute necessity (you're about to run into the back of the car in front of you- this is the definition of necessity). #4 takes care of the getting to close to other vehicles. And if you need to slow down, DO NOT BREAK. Let your foot off the gas. This helps keep gas mileage up and traffic down.
Oh, there are more, yes, more than the above rules listed. I'll let you digest and practice these for now.
1. When entering a highway system, you accelerate on the on-ramp. This enables you to merge at a decent speed and does not hinder the flow of traffic.
2. If you are driving in a lane that is merging with another, switch lanes. I know you think you'll get farther by speeding up, but experience has proven that you'll just end up causing more disharmony. Plus, you give the merging cars a opportunity to practice #1 above.
3.When exiting a highway system, you decelerate to the exit. Do Not EVER speed up to get off. There are 2 reasons for this rule: a) speeding up is just stupid and b) SLAMMING on you breaks is NOT exiting.
4.When in traffic on the interstate, maintain proper distance from the cars ahead of you.
5. DO NOT EVER BREAK while driving on the interstate unless it is absolute necessity (you're about to run into the back of the car in front of you- this is the definition of necessity). #4 takes care of the getting to close to other vehicles. And if you need to slow down, DO NOT BREAK. Let your foot off the gas. This helps keep gas mileage up and traffic down.
Oh, there are more, yes, more than the above rules listed. I'll let you digest and practice these for now.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Moo-ving (fyi it's long...)
Although there were no cows involved in our cross country trip, "Moving" was too mundane a title. (and I want Scott to feel like he contributes to the blog since he suggested the heading) We were not so stressed/packed to the max on our trip from Oklahoma City to Memphis because we had 2 vehicles. It made my life much easier- there was no emotional breakdown at the time of departure and we didn't have to leave anything behind because it wouldn't fit, for such was the case in Provo.
We followed each other to Memphis- it was about 8 hours drive time. We stayed with my dad in the middle of nowhere during our visit. My mother wanted me to take everything I had from highschool and "sift" through it. Her idea of sifting specifically means to take all the boxes of stuff home and go through it there. Not my idea... so I left it. I did manage to convince her to allow me to take some baby pictures with me to Ohio. Of course there were a few stipulations: 1. I must return all the pictures I took 2. I must swear an oath to return all the pictures I took 3. If a picture was missing, I owe my mother a kidney and my spleen. Basically- I've got to give them back... or else. (Although they only sit in boxes at home anyway....)
We also acquired a gun. Scott was extremely excited about this- we even got an extra 150 rounds with it because my dad doesn't own another 32 handgun.He spent 2 days (of our 3 there) shooting the thing. This handgun is not just your new-age handgun. It's got a story behind it. This is an old 1930's german luger that my great uncle Jim stole(won) from a Nazi in Normandy. The Nazi shot him in the hand- Jim had the better shot and took the gun from the German officer. Complete with the original leather casing and clip- we've got ourselves a real family heirloom. These are the types of things my family passes from generation to generation.
Upon arrival to Cincinnati, I thought it best for Scott to check out some couches- since most unfurnished apartments need those- while I took care of the rent/keys ordeal. Another blessing of double car ownership. The quick and easy rent/key ordeal was surely an ordeal and I came home empty handed and lease unsigned. Sufficeth to say the manager was uncooperative with my plans. (Doesn't everyone realize the world would move much more efficiently if it just followed my time table and train of thought? arrgg...) Scott was unlucky with his couch pursuit- smokers. Tsk tsk!
The following morning we gathered our moo-ving crew and headed to the apt and the storage unit. It took ONE trip- 2 vans and 2 cars to get all our things unloaded to our new home. I wasn't so sure I wanted to moo-ve in, since the complex smelled like an ashtray. I was happily surprised that our place was recently renovated and there was new carpet/tile/paint installed/laid/painted. Scott mentioned that he would like to keep our possessions to a minimum, thus promoting the 2 car moo-ve. I told him to dream on. I mean, we didn't even have couches!
We got a couch/loveseat combo off of craigslist, complete with a coffee table and 2 matching end tables in dark wood- just my style. It was a great deal, so much so that we felt bad for not paying the guy more. He had lost his job and needed the money to square up here so he could move back to PA. Yay for us though... we love bargains. We also went to a few carport/garage sales to look for much needed storage items and other "treasures". (While in Seattle my aunt reminded me of the joy I felt when really bargaining at yard sales) And a few more items were added to the list of "possessions that take more time to move"- oh well.
School starts tomorrow and I went to Cincinnati State today to inquire about their interpreting degree. It's an associate program that would allow me to interpret for the deaf in school districts, hospitals, church (although I did that for 15 months and you don't need a license to do it), etc. I'm not sure if I'll do it, not because it's 2 more yrs of school, but because it's 2 more yrs of school unrelated to the 4 yrs I just spent at BYU in a major that I love. We'll see what happens.
We also got a new pet- a betta fish named Ace. If you want to know the story behind that one- call Scott. It deals with homestarrunner.
Other than that, we are jobless and happy. We took a walk tonight until I couldn't stand the mosquitos any longer and the humidity was making me cry. Thank goodness for air conditioning!
We followed each other to Memphis- it was about 8 hours drive time. We stayed with my dad in the middle of nowhere during our visit. My mother wanted me to take everything I had from highschool and "sift" through it. Her idea of sifting specifically means to take all the boxes of stuff home and go through it there. Not my idea... so I left it. I did manage to convince her to allow me to take some baby pictures with me to Ohio. Of course there were a few stipulations: 1. I must return all the pictures I took 2. I must swear an oath to return all the pictures I took 3. If a picture was missing, I owe my mother a kidney and my spleen. Basically- I've got to give them back... or else. (Although they only sit in boxes at home anyway....)
We also acquired a gun. Scott was extremely excited about this- we even got an extra 150 rounds with it because my dad doesn't own another 32 handgun.He spent 2 days (of our 3 there) shooting the thing. This handgun is not just your new-age handgun. It's got a story behind it. This is an old 1930's german luger that my great uncle Jim stole(won) from a Nazi in Normandy. The Nazi shot him in the hand- Jim had the better shot and took the gun from the German officer. Complete with the original leather casing and clip- we've got ourselves a real family heirloom. These are the types of things my family passes from generation to generation.
Upon arrival to Cincinnati, I thought it best for Scott to check out some couches- since most unfurnished apartments need those- while I took care of the rent/keys ordeal. Another blessing of double car ownership. The quick and easy rent/key ordeal was surely an ordeal and I came home empty handed and lease unsigned. Sufficeth to say the manager was uncooperative with my plans. (Doesn't everyone realize the world would move much more efficiently if it just followed my time table and train of thought? arrgg...) Scott was unlucky with his couch pursuit- smokers. Tsk tsk!
The following morning we gathered our moo-ving crew and headed to the apt and the storage unit. It took ONE trip- 2 vans and 2 cars to get all our things unloaded to our new home. I wasn't so sure I wanted to moo-ve in, since the complex smelled like an ashtray. I was happily surprised that our place was recently renovated and there was new carpet/tile/paint installed/laid/painted. Scott mentioned that he would like to keep our possessions to a minimum, thus promoting the 2 car moo-ve. I told him to dream on. I mean, we didn't even have couches!
We got a couch/loveseat combo off of craigslist, complete with a coffee table and 2 matching end tables in dark wood- just my style. It was a great deal, so much so that we felt bad for not paying the guy more. He had lost his job and needed the money to square up here so he could move back to PA. Yay for us though... we love bargains. We also went to a few carport/garage sales to look for much needed storage items and other "treasures". (While in Seattle my aunt reminded me of the joy I felt when really bargaining at yard sales) And a few more items were added to the list of "possessions that take more time to move"- oh well.
School starts tomorrow and I went to Cincinnati State today to inquire about their interpreting degree. It's an associate program that would allow me to interpret for the deaf in school districts, hospitals, church (although I did that for 15 months and you don't need a license to do it), etc. I'm not sure if I'll do it, not because it's 2 more yrs of school, but because it's 2 more yrs of school unrelated to the 4 yrs I just spent at BYU in a major that I love. We'll see what happens.
We also got a new pet- a betta fish named Ace. If you want to know the story behind that one- call Scott. It deals with homestarrunner.
Other than that, we are jobless and happy. We took a walk tonight until I couldn't stand the mosquitos any longer and the humidity was making me cry. Thank goodness for air conditioning!
Thursday, August 27, 2009
A break in the chaos
I haven't written in a month? Maybe that's because life here is a more hectic than I would like it to be.... I'll give you a quick recap of our happenings over the last little while:
- I work for the biggest jerks on the planet. (if you'd like to hear me complain more, call... or continue reading)
- Scott continues to sell all day to hit his goal. He's just not as unethical as the other guys here, so he doesn't get as many as them each day. (not complaining about this)
- Our hard-drive failed in our computer.... and I lost ALL my school work and journal entries again. Luckily this time Best Buy took care of it.
- Best Buy didn't do such a great job... we have weird clicks in our computer and the keys/touchpad don't/doesn't work right. AWESOME.
- Our manager left for London so I basically got the job he straight up deserted. MORE AWESOME (except I don't get the $250,000 he makes for me doing HIS job)
- Scott has to stay in Lawton (100 miles away) to work until Saturday night. I would have no problem with this except now I have to pack EVERYTHING by myself AGAIN. still more AWESOMENESS.
- Our new addition (honda) has created a monster problem with licensing, registering, titling, inspecting, overnighting and all other sorts of -ings that come with buying a car in a different state than you live. (Note to self- DO.NOT.DO.THIS EVER.AGAIN- it is not awesome)
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