Sisterly Love

 A sister is a little bit of childhood that can never be lost. ~Marion C. Garretty

 Having a sister is like having a best friend you can’t get rid of. You know whatever you do, they’ll still be there. ~Amy Li

A sister can be seen as someone who is both ourselves and very much not ourselves — a special kind of double. ~Toni Morrison

I know there is mostly just one of my sisters here, but I have been bombarded with the world's best sisters in the form of best friends, roommates, missionary companions, and, of course, my biological sisters. 

Despite kids, husbands, jobs, and life events, my role as a sister will always be high on the list. 

And Now I'm Back

.....from outer space.

(Please say that at least one person gets the reference).

Because of my 19 month hiatus from this blog I will treat you with a 19 point list of random loveliness. None in order.

1. I'm truly back from Tennessee and Kentucky (its own planetary system to be sure).

I flew into Salt Lake City on August 27th, and received quite the royal welcome from mi familia.

2. Reunited with the Mizzy!

3. Playing the most beautiful instrument with some talented youngsters.

4. I'm thinking Stevie is not too excited to have me back as her mother 

and I like to play around in Provo. 

5. One of my favorite places to be in on a college campus. Especially with those gorgeous mountains behind! (I really missed the mountains!)

6. Can you find the "Y"?

7. Seeing mission buddies! You talk about these moments as a missionary, but it seems surreal that you are able to hang out...in pants.

8. Stalking my childhood home. Those trees were definitely not that size. 

9. Visiting Jeb's grave in Malta. So glad he is closer to the rest of the gang!

10. Seeing MANY General Authorities! D. Todd Christofferson is somewhere in that mix. 

11. Being overwhelmed with all the new nephews and nieces. "They're everywhere, they're everywhere!"

12. Still being entertained by the elder ones. He asked me to handcuff him to the chair. Being the charitable aunt I am, I had to oblige. 

13. One of the members in my mission sent me this picture. Her daughter named her African American doll and stuffed pig "Sister Johnson" and "Sister Johnson" from when I was companions with a Sister Johnson. What a honor. 

14. Reunited with Pickle! Both proud of our Southern missions!

15. We received a knock on the door one evening and a guy from the ward bought a dozen roses and was giving a rose to each apartment. I happened to be the one to answer the door so they all claim it was for me.

16. What happens when you add Halloween and S'mores together? You get orange marshmallow cream = deliciousness. 

17. Mission Reunion!!! It happened to land on my one month of being home anniversary and was such a tender mercy to see so many of my good friends. Luckily I didn't have too many awkward "do we hug or shake" experiences. We all just went in for the hug.

18. 8:30 am church means special roommate bonding time.

19. And just another picture of the siblings. Thanks for singing in sacrament meeting!

Goodbye

It started with this:

See you in 18 months!

In the meantime, be sure to watch for my new blog:

Little Light

Significantly Insignificant

The mission has caused many goodbyes in my life.

This includes material possessions that have no significance in the eternal scheme of things. 

But still.

And then there are the items that should have had their goodbyes long ago.

My Polka-dot Duffle.

This girly-girl has been in my life for well over five years. Every track meet, every drama performance, and every weekend trip have graciously and desperately included Miss Duffle. And it shows. Zippers popped off long ago, inside dividers have ripped, and there are some mysterious stains in the bottom.

You've been good to me.

And my habit of bringing far too much than is needed.

My Moccasins 

These shoes invite the inner Pocahontas of me for a little pow-wow. (Despite the long faded sparkles and modern day lining.) The sidewalks at BYU-Idaho have become well acquainted with Mr. Moccasin. Some other redeeming qualities: slip on, slip off, color goes with everything, comfort. 

My feet say "Gracias" since I don't know the Native American word for "thank you."

I was going to make an analogy of how I hope to be like these items when I return from my mission: well worn, incredibly useful, don't want to let go, etc. But I don't want to be thrown away after the mission.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year That Happened a Week Ago

I had a most fantastic Christmas and New Years with hardly any pictures, but a basket of laundry to prove it. Most of the holidays were spent living out of a suitcase in Boise, Provo, and Bear Lake. 

My first photo with the new camera:

 For nine months of terrorizing her womb, we thank Mummsie by rubbing her feet:

Went through the Twin Falls temple (JC and Sara left before the picture):

And went through the SLC temple as well:

Latin Dancing at the Church History Museum. Not sure how those two relate, but please note the little punk in the background. He was kind enough to inform us of his photobomb afterwards:

She lights up my life:

Some events to celebrate the last days of 2012:

Reading books.

Snowmobiling and snowboarding.

Sleeping in.

Going through the temple.

Party with the family.

Party with my friend's family.

Les Mis.

The Hobbit.

Eating food.

Awkward church dances.

Sitting in the car.

Called to Serve

Well folks, I have been called to serve the people in the Tennessee Nashville mission.

What is going is through my mind you ask?

I'll learn to love country music, buy my first pair of cowgirl boots, develop a southern twang, and eat lots of deep fried food.

I'll have to refrain from cringing every time incorrect grammar is heard.

It will be incredibly humid.

And I am going crazy with excitement.

I'm going to a part of the country I have never been to and I get to teach in my native language with no barriers between me and my message. The date (February 13th) is perfect for my situation right now.

But the most exciting thing is that

I GET TO SHARE THE GOSPEL!!!

The Gospel and my family make my life incredibly happy. Now I get the chance to share this happiness with the people of Tennessee (and some of Kentucky and Illinois!). I'll probably make more connections with my dad's profession than with my obsession with books, but I am already in love with the people there. 

ESA- Harry Potter!!

Sometimes when I hear England, my mind tells me Harry Potter. 

England and Harry Potter just go together like Ron and Hermione or butterbeer and Quidditch matches.

In Edinburgh, Scotland I came across The Elephant House, the cafe where JK Rowling sat down and created Hogwarts. 

The Making of Harry Potter Studio in London!

But before I go to that, this is the bridge the Death Eaters twist around in the 6th movie:

Back to the studio, I took more pictures there than I did any other place.

I'll spare you all those glorious photos and just share a few.

They had a lot of sets, costumes, and props set out.

For example, the Gryffindor Common Room:

Dumbledore's entry above

and his office below

Pretending to be Salazaar Slytherin

This is a display of all the books, magazines, and little props they used in the movie. I was amazed at all the details that most people would not even notice. 

Overly priced butterbeer that was oh-so-delicious

That head in the driver's seat of the Ford Angelina, yeah that's mine.

Privet Drive and then

Diagon Alley

The most magical part (which is saying something) was the room where they displayed the Hogwarts model. They use this model for a lot of full shots of Hogwarts.

At the end they created wand boxes with the names of every single person who contributed to the making of the Harry Potter movies. Let's just say there were a lot of boxes.

More pictures of this adventure can be found on Facebook.

Please note my glasses in the following:

Trying to replicate the snake scene from the 1st Harry Potter at the London Zoo:

They used one of the Underground stations as inspiration for the Ministry of Magic.

I accidently came across it.

Oh, and Happy Halloween!