Reuniting.

Yesterday was a day of reuniting with old friends.

I got a call yesterday from my old Seminary teacher (who now lives in PA) from high school, saying he was in the area for some meetings in the DC/ Northern Virginia.  He ended up stopping by for a quick visit, and it was great to catch up with him.  Unfortunately it was during the day so Wolfgang wasn't able to meet him, but now that we know he only lives a couple of hours away, I'm pretty sure we'll be seeing him again sometime in the future.

During my high school years, he was not only one of my favorite teachers, but also a great friend and role model. I vividly remember laughing/cackling at his jokes when no one else in the class cared for, or maybe didn't even understand his sense of humor.  His family has since almost doubled in size (I have yet to meet the new additions) and he's still the selfless person I remember from in high school.

Then, last night we met up with a childhood/teenage friend of Wolfgang's from back home in Austria. (See poor quality picture above)  It had been 7 + years since they had seen each other last, and him and his girlfriend were very nice people and enjoyable to be around.

Yesterday reminded me of how much I miss my dear friends I have made over the years, and how grateful I am/was to have them in my life.  I have been blessed to be surrounded by people who have loved me and lifted me up in so many ways.

Cheers to friends!

Utah.

Thursday night Wolfgang's parents flew in from Austria. Friday morning we all caught a flight to Salt Lake City, to attend General Conference. It's been a great weekend to become spiritually uplifted, enjoy the beautiful weather, and to meet up with friends and family.

When you are a member of the LDS church, the world seems to become a lot smaller. I have never been to Conference without seeing at least a few people that I know from home, or more in particularly, from school in Idaho and Hawaii.

Yesterday I randomly came across a dear friend of mine from high school who was a foreign exchange student my senior year of high school. The last time I had seen him was when one of my best friends and I had said our excited, yet sad goodbyes to him, at the Missionary Training Center in Provo, UT. We knew that it could possibly be the last time we would ever see him again in this life, considering his home in Brazil wasn't exactly just around the corner to visit.

As we had a few minutes to say hello yesterday and to catch up, we realized the day we said our goodbyes, was around 5-6 years ago. Say whaaaat?? We couldn't believe it. Oh, how time flies.

The last two night one of my (2nd) cousins kindly let Wolfgang and I stay with her husband and adorable two boys. I couldn't believe how much the boys had grown! The oldest 3, and the other...probably about 1 1/2. The last time I had seen the youngest, we was only a few weeks old. They are both so precious and lively little boys.

It's been a good weekend, and tomorrow we continue our travels with the in-laws to southern Utah, then off to good ol' Vegas!

A few weekend thoughts

Yesterday we traveled north about 1 1/2 hours to go to a friend's wedding reception. It was so good to see her. She was one of the very first people I met in Hawaii, and from there we shared major classes and class projects. She's a great person and I highly value her friendship. I was so mad at myself, I brought my camera and forgot to take pictures! Rats.

Anyway, along that journey heading north on I-17, is always a treat for me. Yesterday evening it was, yet again, and it made me think, "The Phoenix pioneers must have had a lot of fun naming things around here." And this is why.

There is a:

"Happy Valley" (town)
"Bloody Basin"
"Horsethief Basin"
and this is a new one that I discovered,
"Big Bug Creek."

Isn't that great? I seriously wish I was around for all that fun and games.

2nd thought/ experience for the weekend {and on a completely different note}

Today in church, a native from Pakistan spoke in one of our meetings. He informed us that The Book of Mormon is currently being translated into a Pakistani language! {by him! and I'm sure others too.} I was so touched and moved by his incredible abbreviated story of how he fled from Pakistan to come to the United States. He didn't give specifics, but he left everything, including all of his family. I'm sure becoming a Christian for him was incredibly difficult, especially since in extreme cases in Muslim nations, you are killed if you convert to Christianity.

This just reminded me of how blessed I am to live in a country where I am free to chose what I want to believe, and can also worship freely; I definitely take that for granted. His bravery and love for the Gospel of Jesus Christ inspired me.