Always Changing

I was told that I hadn't updated this in a while so here goes nothing. Last weekend Rob and his lovely children came to Columbia just to see me. They stayed at my friends the Blacks house, thank you so much, and we all had a good time. Friday we had Shakespeare Pizza, it is a favorite in town and then played games and then went off to bed. Saturday at 8am Rob and I had engagement pictures taken - don't have them yet but will post my favorite ones when I get them. It was a chilly morning so a bit cold to be taking pictures but it worked out and we got back to the Blacks about 10 to get the kids.
For the rest of the day we went and looked at houses, ate lunch and then played at the park and then went and test drove a big van (12 passenger) - no we do not need that many seats now nor will we in the future but we will need something bigger than the minivan. That night the Blacks graciously feed the kids dinner, made smores with them and then watched a movie, while Rob and I went on a date all by ourselves.
Sunday, Brother Black had a 7 am meeting so I was at the Blacks house at 7am. We hung out, the kids ate breakfast and then we all went to church for choir practice. Rob was lucky because our stake had some remodeling going on that involved our ward so with all the "emotion" fewer people made the connection that Rob was my fiance and thus less people introduced themselves.

This week has been a productive one for me - starting to feel more and more like myself everyday. I am to the point in my dissertation that I really only have about 6-10 more pages to write and then a lot of editing to do. So, the hope is to have the draft to my advisor by Wednesday. I would really like to defend by the beginning of June but we will see how fast Jean is.

In my personal reading I have begun reading the conference talks again and there are several that really drew me in this last reading. I love Elder Bednar's talk about being more diligent and concerned at home - that there are the three main things we should focus on. 1 - expressing love and showing it, 2 - bearing our testimony to our family and living it, and 3 - being consistent. Maybe it is the fact that very soon I will be a mother or maybe it is that I need to work on these things regardless but I am grateful that the Spirit is there to bear witness of the importance of these things in my life. I also really like Elder Osguthorpe's talk about teaching. Being a teacher in profession and then at church it hit me strong the pure application the principles he taught have in my every day life. I love the girls I teach at church and always hope that they leave knowing that I have a testimony of those principles and that the Spirit has borne witness to them of the importance of them. I will miss them when I leave.

Tonight our YW and RS put on Women at the Well. It was beautifully done and inspiring. I love the music and the sisters and our girls did an amazing job - a favorite part for me was the great slide show of the pictures of the Saviors life which accompanied each song. Those pictures drew me in, strengthened my testimony and my resolve as I listened to the amazing music. I know how much strength and power music has but I am continually amazed anyway and then being such a visual learner having the pictures there as well was incredible. I am grateful for such a loving and kind Savior.

Communication is a funny thing. Cyndi and I were talking this afternoon, always a great time, about how amazing it is the differences between how men and women communicate. Sometimes I am in utter awe that anything in way of understanding passes between the two sexes, but I am so grateful for the growing that it allows us all to do when we get it right. When as we put the other person first we are able to better see the person how our Heavenly Father sees them and in essence put aside the natural man - one of selfishness and love the person even more.