The Cougar that became a Beaver

Today was Rachel's first day at OSU! I am so grateful that she is going back to get a second degree. This major will not be easy, but she will be able to work in a rewarding field that will bring her a lot of joy. I'm grateful that she has a desire to help others and is willing to make this sacrifice...she'll do great!

Good people

Today in Sacrament meeting one of the sisters in our ward that uses a walker for walking bore her testimony. I noticed when she was finished one of the brethren left his seat in order to open the chapel door for her so that she could easily exit and return to her seat.

I love noticing when others are thoughtful and serve others.

That got me to thinking about our road trip, and the nice things that people did for us. We were treated kindly, and I am grateful for that. I also noticed that when we went out of our way to do something for someone else they were super appreciative.

Being nice/kind/thoughtful/considerate doesn't take a whole lot of work or energy - it can be as simple as opening a door for someone who would struggle otherwise, or letting little boys watch you make pasta and then making their day by giving them a sample.

Easy-peasy, but so rewarding!

RS Broadcast

Tonight was our General Relief Society Broadcast. I ended up watching it from the comfort of our home. That is something I've never done before. It was a nice change, though I'll probably attend next year. All of the talks were really great, especially President Monson's. He was so sweet when he spoke about his wife, Francis, and how he misses her. His main topic was prayer, and he bore testimony that Heavenly Father loves us and is aware of our needs. We all need reminders of that; I'm grateful that our Prophet felt impressed to share that with us. I'm so grateful to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!

Joy and Sadness

Yesterday after Pat picked me up from the airport he let me know that one of his co-worker's wives, Sandy, passed away on Tuesday. Larry, the co-worker, is a good friend of ours, we knew Sandy a little. She had a lot of health problems and has been in and out of the hospital over the past few months due to having strokes.

Sandy and Larry love anything that I bake, so Pat always makes a special effort to give Larry two of anything he brings into the office. Last Monday he brought in the pumpkin bars that I made, and Larry took them home to Sandy. Usually Larry will call Sandy to let her know that he's got a special treat from us, she'll put the coffee on for them, then she'll go and sit on their front porch (they live in the country) and wait for him to come home with their treat. The same thing happened on Monday. Larry told Pat that she licked her fingers because she loved the frosting so much, well, and the pumpkin bars.

Tuesday when Larry was with Sandy she was having a difficult time catching her breath. Apparently she was unable to at one point and just stopped breathing.

I can only imagine how that must have felt for both of them. I'm so sad that they had to experience that, but grateful they were together and she wasn't alone. She just stopped breathing, and he was there with her, which is comforting.

Larry was going to have to make some difficult decisions - whether to put her in a care home or not. That decision is not something he will have to worry about now, and she won't have to be away from him in a home somewhere.

I hope this doesn't sound morbid, at all, because it isn't meant to be. It just struck me so quickly how happy I was for her - no more pain, just peace. And then it struck me how sad I am for Larry. He is going to miss Sandy. A LOT.

It'll be awhile before I bake anything for him; I'll let him have some time to heal. I'm hoping that once I do it will be a sweet memory of Sandy for him.

Hard work

One of the greatest lessons one can learn in life is that hard work truly does pay. While it may not be immediate, and it may not be in a monetary form, it pays in the sense that it makes one feel good about themselves. Today I am grateful that Craig received an award from work for his hard work. It's great to be noticed by others, but what really matters is the feeling that it gives you inside for a job well done.

Good job, Craig! Well done. :)

Tired, but grateful

We are back in Eugene tonight. I'm grateful for the opportunity to have spent time with Amy and family, and for mine and Rachel's road trip. I'm grateful that Pat and I missed each other. I'm grateful for the beauty we were able to see, the new experiences we shared...and while I'm tired tonight I'm pleased with everything that we did. I am looking forward to being home with my Sweetie again. Good night all!

Poulsbo, Bainbridge & Seattle

We spent a lovely morning riding the ferry to visit Poulsbo and Bainbridge. (Thought we were going to miss it due to getting lost, but didn't - grateful for that and Rachel's cool head since I was a bit freaked out - I HATE being late!) Rach is in love with Poulsbo! Seriously. It's a quaint little Scandinavian town. We went to a bakery that Angie told us about and were able to eat some pastries that I remember eating when I was young, either from relatives or Solvang. Yum! We shopped at a few fun stores and met some really nice, helpful people. The town was super cute too! Bainbridge was where we caught the ferry to go to Seattle. We didn't spend as much time there since we wanted to get to Seattle for lunch. In Seattle we went to Ivar's for lunch (very yummy), and to Pike's Place Market. It was fun to watch the fish mongers throw the fish to each other! They sold beautiful fresh flowers and a variety of crafts there. It was a great place to visit and I'd wished that I could take some flowers home with me. I'm grateful for the great day we had. We are both pretty tired from our adventures, and looking forward to seeing Tillamook then returning to Eugene.