Felicitaciones, Elder Savage!

Josh's photo submitted with his papers...

Dani's photo to be submitted with her papers....

Today is March 17th, 2011. (Happy St. Patty's Day, everyone!) More importantly...HAPPY JOSH GETS HIS MISSION CALL, BATMAN! So today started out a good day: there was an assembly at school, which REALLY means nobody has to show up until it's over. Naturally, that means brings friends home and have a good breakfast! (Thank you Mom.) It was fun, and I'm pretty sure Elise, Glen and Tanner have never seen fights that intense for shotgun. ANYWAY. We started talking about missions, seeing as Tanner just submitted his papers, Dani's filling out hers, and we knew Josh was EXPECTING his today. Something to the effect of we can't wait to see where everybody goes. Tanner's going to go to Canada, Dani's going to go to...Norway. I still want someone to go to Norway, and Josh (I was guessing) would go to China. MISSIONS MISSIONS MISSIONS! Later, in track my cousin Seth pulled me out to go skype Josh and see him open his call. Josh isn't patient, so we knew it would be opened in the hour. Everyone got a guess, one state side and one foreign: Rebekah- Chile, or California Mom- China, or Texas Me- Norway, or Mass Seth- Mexico, or Arizona Auuunt Shauna- Costa Rica, or Anchorage, Alaska, Spanish speaking (Specific...) Kyle- Sweden, or Colorado Luke (with help from Aunt Shauna)-Tahiti, or Minnesota And finally, the only guess that was EXACTLY RIGHT, in his own words: Josh: "WHEREVER THE LORD FREAKING WANTS ME TO GO." Ding ding ding!! I swear, it's like they make the beginning of that letter long on purpose! Elder Savage will be heading to the Provo MTC on August 3rd, before going to the PERU, LIMA WEST, Spanish speaking mission. AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! Good call, Josh. Within three weeks we should have Dani's call in as well....AHHH! I'm stealing Josh's guess this time: My prediction is she goes WHEREVER THE LORD FREAKING WANTS HER TO. I've gotta feeling I'm right. (Norway...)

Gallantry is Alive and Well

I am at the University Community Hospital near Tampa, Florida, where my uncle, David, is a patient. Rusty, my aunt and his wife, had been caring for him for a long time. He began losing the ability to use his legs while enduring intense pain that is generated from his back, as well as other issues. He has made some serious progress in the past 24 hours, now being able to sit up, and use the walker for very small distances, as well as getting some relief from the terrible pain he has had to endure. This is significant. Rusty has not had any real sleep in weeks, and watches him like a hawk. She is exhausted, but vigilant. Just try telling her to leave long enough to get a good night's sleep. She won't leave his side to take care of herself, just to do things she needs to for him. I get to stay here and help so she can at least sleep on the pull-out chair for a while, and she actually is home taking a short nap. She threatens to be back after just an hour of sleep. I am betting she'll follow through, though I have told her I'm fine, she should sleep. David keeps asking for her, however. He just needs to know she's near, and that's why she does it.

On a different note, on the way here, after finding a seat in the Las Vegas airport without slot machines nearby, I met an incredibly nice young man. He was traveling home after business in Vegas, and struck up a conversation. He felt that he had been born in the wrong time. The 50's would have suited him better, he said, with the decade's old fashioned values. He was in the first group to board, and I was going to be dead-last in the B group. He offered to save me a seat and I gratefully accepted. When we got off in Tampa, an airport I was not familiar with, he made sure I got to the baggage area which was in another terminal (I was clueless and would have definitely had a hard time finding it). He then waited until my ride came before leaving, even though it was about midnight. He was truly a gentleman to a complete stranger, and since I'm probably old enough to be his mother, it was just because he was a gentleman. He is single, ladies! And waiting for a true lady who's values match his own. I am confident that she will be worth the wait, because this young man is a catch--mid-twenties, educated, professional, likable, creative--girls, the good ones are still out there. Tony, I hope you find your true lady. She will be worth the wait. I know you will be worth HER wait.

Tuff Stuff.

Today's been a hard day.

This Friday was the 7 month mark from the day Dad died. I was mostly fine (I didn't break down crying in public, at least). But it wasn't until about last night, Saturday, that I started to struggle. Backstory time!
My Aunt Shauna somehow found out a long time ago that I'd never seen Fiddler on the Roof. Criminal! ...The funny part is, this was discovered some time last year...and I finally saw it last night. Anyway, in the song If I were a Rich Man, Reptevye (sp?) says/sings "Would it spoil some vast eternal plan, if I were a rich man?" My dad used this line in a blog post, and rephrased it to say "Would it spoil some vast eternal plan, if I were to beat this cancer?" It wasn't a line they really lingered on, but it still hurt to hear and to be reminded of. But I let it go pretty quick, because I was occupied with trying to dance like Reptevye. All was well, I was enjoying the movie.
However, another scene much later on made me also very sad. It was the scene where the middle girl, Hotal, was saying a goodbye to her father, not knowing if they would ever see each other again. Not to mention she was leaving a home she had lived in her whole life. Sheesh, everything I see or hear targets me lately! (Not to put a knock on Fiddler, it was great and I loved it. Especially the dancing and the fact that I got to randomly shout "Mazzletaff!") Not fair, right?

Today is Sunday, and what did we have a lesson on in Young Women's class? Eternal Families.

WHAT THE HECK!!!!!!!!!

I've just been thinking about Dad and missing him, but I wanted to share a poem that President Bryson Cook wrote and shared at my Dad's funeral:

When in my moment of great despair,

I saw a rainbow in the sky.

The light, the color, the beauty

All helped me say goodbye.

The bow, a token of covenants past

Reminds me that my love can last

Not only for this brief moment

In the eternal scheme,

But forever.

As a family, with my Eternal King.

No matter how much I miss Dad....I know I'll see him again. And that he's watching what I'm doing now...so I better be a good kid and not mess up, and not wallow in self pity lots, right? Right. And ya know what? Apparently it would spoil some vast eternal plan for Dad to survive his cancer, or else he would have. Heavenly Father knows exactly what he's doing and he knows exactly why Dad had to be taken from the earth and given so much pain right at the time it did. So all I can do now is to have trust in Heavenly Father, and know that I'll find out why this happened later. When I can ask Dad why it happened. Until that moment, I'll have to be patient.

...MAZZLETAFF!

-Alexis

black hole

Its kyle time now. Hi how are you all doing. People always ask me how I'm doing. Don't ask me any more because I'm going to tell you right now. So think of a black hole. Now put it in your heart, now make that black hole 1000 times bigger. Not even close to what I feel. So like Alexis(my annoying sister) I had a dream. Its rather short though. One day I was making bread. I looked over and saw my dad. Kept making bread. Then about five minutes later I thought wait what? I looked back and he wasn't there. I thought crud, I'm stupid. well that's the dream, I know its short but it brought comfort. Sometimes I think I'm the only mature one in the house. (That was just to day). Mom and Alexis are crying there heads off and I have to comfort them. Yet sometimes its the other way around but who cares. so by the way just to tell you guys i started taekwondo with my second cousin Tara who teaches the class. now back to that black hole.you know if you can see a black hole life as you know it is over? Well it feels like I just saw that black hole billions of miles away. it feels like life as you know it is over. but yet, still I'm here. It feels like I'm slowly being sucked in to the black hole very slowly. But at the last second I know every thing will be OK. That no matter what I have family and what ever happens I always will. well that's it fore me. See ya all later, Kyle

Dad and Dreams

Hey everybody, it's Alexis this time. This is the first time posting for me, so be nice...
Last night I had a dream. It was in two parts, and the first part went like this:

I was eating at a picnic table on a beach. When I woke up I realized it was Sunapee Beach, New Hampshire. Where I was eating, I could see another picnic table just in front of me, set up kind of like tables in a cafeteria. I don't remember who I was eating with, but at the table in front of me I could see my friends from New Hampshire, but they were all little kids. They were eating, laughing, and talking together. Again, I don't know why, but for some reason I couldn't go eat with them. I remember I started crying, even in my dream. That's pretty unusual for me (actually, it's pretty unusual that I remember my dreams at all, but that's besides the point). Now the second part of my dream:
I just got home from summer camp, and I asked what we had for dinner, looking in the fridge d as I asked. Dad answered me from the living room that he had just made some soybeans tacos and left extras for me. I didn't even realize until I woke up that it was so out of place that Dad had made the tacos or that he was still with us in our plain site. That's what I remember from my dream. What I've gathered from this dream is that:
1) I miss New Hampshire (Sunapee Beach, I guess).
2) I miss my friends from New Hampshire.
3) I miss my Dad.
4) Kyle's new healthy food diet is affecting me.
I told Mom and Kyle about this, and being the big cry babies that we are...well, you know what came next. We didn't just cry: we BAWLED. It was a tough morning. So how did we try and fix it? Play some Journey. BIG MISTAKE! That got us crying even MORE! But then we played some other 80's rock, and it was just fine. For the moment. What an eventful morning...the flip side is we DID get a bacon breakfast and tomorrow night we're having REAL tacos, no soybeans.
That was the temporary comfort. The lasting and more assuring comfort is:
1) We'll be able to visit New Hampshire
2) We'll be able to visit our friends/family/ward in New Hampshire
3) We are sealed as a family for eternity, and
4) I never have to (and never WILL) eat soybean tacos in my life.
Obviously #3 is the most comforting and most important truth: we are sealed together for eternity. We're stuck with each other, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Even though I have my down days were I just miss Dad and all I want to do is cry to my pillow, it's okay--Dad always said tough people cry, so that makes us buff. Although sometimes I feel like crying and just breaking down, I know that doesn't really do anything productive. I know that I'm only away from Dad for a moment. I'm only upset because I miss him right now. Dani also said once that this was his fault for being such a great Dad. If he were a little lousy once in a while this wouldn't be so hard! So I want to say thanks Dad, for being such a great Dad, and making it hard to be away from you for now. Because it will be so sweet when we can be with you again, face-to-face. So for right now, we have to "Be of good courage, and do it." (Ezra 10:4). We have to be of good courage and just do it: remember that Dad isn't far, we're sealed to him forever, and our Savior will guide us through these tough times.
Long story short: we love Dad, and we miss him. But we'll be with him again soon.

Egypt

While the world holds its collective breath, waiting to see how this very fluid situation continues to unfold, I add my own thoughts and prayers to the many, many around the globe.

The mood in the US seems to be 'cautious optimism.' I add my prayers for both our president and the secretary of state that all of their skill and resources may come to bear. May I ask that no matter what we feel towards the administration, we give them a break and let them do their jobs? This is NOT in their control, but they can and are working very hard to have a positive impact on what is going on.

One of the bright spots in Egypt has been the restraint shown by the military thus far. It is widely reported that the Egyptian military has very good relations with the US, and I am sure that both Pres. Obama and Sec. Clinton are using that to the greatest good they can. Let us hope to keep them in our corner, and let them know that we are in their corner. The people of Egypt have demanded democracy. Let us hope they get it, and as those in power now, the military, are a secular organization, perhaps a truly democratic society may take root. Surely it won't be smooth, as all children stumble as they learn to walk, so will a new democracy stumble as it learns to function.

On a side note, it has been fun to watch Fox News defend President Obama and Secretary Clinton from criticism. By the way, it is NOT the first time I have seen this, and not just in this situation. I don't expect to hear Sean Hannity defend him, but then again, I don't listen to him! Let's remember that this is Egypt's baby, and we should not expect our leaders to determine the outcome. It is not ours to determine. But to the extent that we can help a smooth transition occur, women's rights be honored, and democracy prevail, I say we lend our influence to those ends in any way possible. Viva la Revolution.

Our good friends Dave and Linda got one of those calls that set your heart pounding and your stomach flipping. Their handsome young son, Cory Fife, was hit by a car, suffering head trauma and broken bones. He was serving as a missionary at the time in Macon, Georgia. His parents jumped on an airplane while his life hung in the balance last Wednesday. He has now stabilized and is responding to verbal commands. They are not sure what the future will hold, but our love and prayers go out to Elder Cory Fife and his family. Here is a link. http://www.eldercoryfife.blogspot.com/