DOWN TIME

I brought my mom to Lakeview hospital this morning for a routine hysterectamy. This is the first major surgery anyone in our family has ever had. Anthony and Pe'e gave her a blessing last night as we had to be at the hospital this morning by 6 am. It's been 7 hours since the successful surgery and mom is now sleeping off the anesthesia.

I am sitting on the couch next to her bed. It's been nice and quiet and quite uneventful. The only things I brought with me this morning to keep me company were a pillow and my scriptures. I read for about an hour, which I haven't done in who knows how long. It was almost like reading for the first time, especially because I was reading from my new set of scriptures. The old set I've had for almost 10 years. My dad bought them for me when he came to visit me in college one year. The pages are thinned and colored. With that set I memorized verses, visualized passages when I couldn't remember references, margined with thoughts and feelings while in the mtc, and it was this big blue set of scriptures that I used while bearing testimony to the many baptist preachers of Mississippi. It's sentimental value to me is indescribable, but with all the markings and all the colors, it was almost impossible to write new experiences and new feelings.

One day I told Anthony that if he ever wanted to buy me a gift - for whatever reason, he could buy me a new set of scriptures. Of all days, I never expected it to come on Valentines day. My sweetheart gave me a new set of scriptures to be filled with new experiences and new colors. I can't help but think of Elder Oaks when he said that when it comes to the Book of Mormon, it's not the book that changes, but the reader. I feel that true in my life right now. Instead of reading as a missionary or single adult, I am now reading as a mother and as a wife. The familiar passages have new meaning to me in this chapter of my life. It reassures my testimony of the gospel and of Christ and I'm grateful for it.

It's been a while since I've been able to sit for hours and read or meditate. As I watch my mom sleeping I am grateful for the truth of eternal families and though dad isn't here physically he sees and loves her from the other side. I rarely blog about spiritual things or experiences, but I just had to today. I am so grateful for the scriptures and I just had to share that.

9 WORDS WOMEN USE

I got this in an email and just had to share it with everyone....

9 WORDS WOMEN USE . . .

(1) Fine: This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.

(2) Five Minutes: If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.

(3) Nothing: This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine.

(4) Go Ahead: This is a dare, not permission. Don't Do It!

(5) Loud Sigh: This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to # 3 for the meaning of nothing.)

(6) That's Okay: This is one of the most dangerous statements a women can make to a man. That's okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.

(7) Thanks: A woman is thanking you, do not question, or faint. Just say you're welcome. (I want to add in a clause here - This is true, unless she says 'Thanks a lot' - that is PURE sarcasm and she is not thanking you at all. DO NOT say 'you're welcome' . that will bring on a 'whatever').

(8) Whatever: Is a woman's way of saying...Go to H...

(9) Don't worry about it, I got it: Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking 'What's wrong?' For the woman's response refer to # 3.

MY SOJU

I haven't had much time to blog lately because I've been so busy at work. Although we have 2 computers at home, it's impossible to get online - Anthony working on one and mom, well...mom glued to her korean dramas. So I have to admit, I was a little skeptical of all the korean soaps and filipino movies mom has been raving about. But then I decided...if I can't beat em', join em'! I started watching with my mom a few weeks ago and now I'm totally addicted too. I recently found out, while watching "love letter" that "SOJU" is a korean type of alcohol. So I've decided that the korean dramas are like my soju right now. totally addicting! I think it's the clean, wholesome quality that I really like. You get the cute romantic comedies without all the dirt. It's hard to find that these days - especially in American movies, so it's a really nice change. For anyone that wants to check it out, I recommend "My Girl", "Winter Sonata", and "Full House" to start off with. The best site to watch them free is mysoju.com