Pieces of Home ^_^

My favorite people in these whole entire world.. besides Randy.. is his Family :) and they are here!!!! EEKS!  I took Tim (my bro) to EFY with a bunch of cousins and saw Shayla and Colby and I just... ah I felt a bit at home!! It's hard to see them and not have Randy there with them... since that's like the only time I do see them.. is when I go see Randy.. but it was still really great! Shayla and Colby both introduced me to people at the their EFY as their future sister in law hahaha aaah it was... it made me really happy.. not gonna lie... Shayla is pretty much the greatest girl I know! aaah anyway then after I departed from them, I went to West Haven and saw Mira, Lissa, Randy's Mom-Stacey and a bunch of Randy's cousins!! All of them are my favorite!!! Especially little Derrel :) ah I just played with them and talked to his mom and grandma and aaaah I loved it. I loooooved it!!! I wish I could have stayed up there all day.. but they invited me to go to the zoo on thursday but I have to work :( but!! I am going to have a picnic with them on friday!!! so I'm really really... really excited :) I love the Slys!!!! :)

Taco Maker/ Jakes life

Working at a fast food place was something I never in my entire life wanted to be seen doing. I put it down on the bottom of my work options... because I really put myself up on a ... pedalstool... (sp?) and thought I was too good for that! But sometimes you need to be humbled, okay you always need to be humbled and just do things even if you don't want to. I was running out of options and I needed money, so at the beginning of the summer I took this job! It really has been a life learning experience too! Dealing with people... is HUGE. You thought you knew someone who was picky with food... haha you're wrong. sorry! But I'm sure that I have met the pickiest food eaters ever. And the best part is... they're usually adults. However! Today I actually had a really great day at work!! My coworker and I got tipped, which let us both buy ourselves some lunch for once, the costumers were all very kind, and this one guy... haha so I was doing drive through and I said the typical, "Hi, welcome to Taco Maker, I can take your order when you're ready" and instead of the usual "I want", "Give me", "I need", or even the occasional, "Yes, I'd like..."
 I got a "Hello! and how are you today?"
Honestly I just stood there for a few seconds and was like whaaaa....? haha I actually asked him to repeat it, I'm like "what... did you say?"
"How are you today? Are you having a good day?"
"haha well yes! Actually I am having a good day"
"oh great!! So what's your favorite meal."
And we continued to have this very light and happy conversation! Usually I'm not the biggest fan of the chatters because I'm super busy and need to just get the order done, but today it was very slow so I was all up for chatting! He came up and had THE biggest smile on his face. Honestly.. after he left... I felt like I loved my job.
This isn't the first time a happy costumer has come and made my day, but they are rare. It really has made my job... all worth it. It's made me be able to get through the tough and rude costumers and keep smiling. It also just taught me how you never know if someone is having a rough day and really all it takes is a smile, a bit of respect, and patience. Things that we so quickly forget to do in our busy, selfish lives!! Although it's a fast food place-ghetto, cheap, not the best paying rate.... I do actually enjoy my job.

YSA: "You're Scarying All of us"

(fourth of july fun ^_^)

Okay so the title isn't quite as clever as I wanted it to be. But yes this post is about the dear YSA ward! This is kinda how my first encounter with the YSA ward went. They're very friendly and nice and really I do appreciate it... but honestly... I felt like all the guys were starving lions and I was a nice fresh and juicy steak that just got thrown into the middle of all of them. So the past month has been me trying to get rid of the ones that are just using me as a date excuse and to check off that he's talking to a girl for the week and the ones that will actually be my friend and talk to me! So it's been a rough and very awkward few weeks with them haha plus I want to be with my other friends, but hang with them too! I have too many friends in this world...but I think I finally hit the point where they all know I have a missionary so it isn't awkward with their obsessive flirting styles... and I can actually have fun and be myself around them! This one guy Ryan... haha he was a character. Yes I think he might have been a bit interested and I'll admit that I came up with a few excuses to not hang out with him. Because... I figured he was smart enough and nice enough to take a hint and back off. Which he did! and then he did even more so when I introduced him to Emily haha aaah I don't even know WHAT to think about those two.. but all I know is that I have guy friends and my missionary so it's all good :) Anyway the YSA really isn't that bad... it's just very different to hang out with these older guys! Kinda refreshing, but different.
Also, quick note. Emily is here for three weeks so I get to post funny pictures of us!!! :) We had a little mini girls night the first night she was here! So we talked about boys and did face masks, had treats... it was fun :) She's really keeping me entertained and busy, which is such a relief. Now I love every moment that I get alone instead of dread it!! I think these next few weeks will actually go buy pretty fast!!! EEEK! Here's to a fast month 4 :)

Trials just ain't what they used to be

I feel like the moment my best friend left for two years... trials and temptations just jumped on board and decided they needed to stick around for him. Really though since Randy has left I've had the hardest time with who finding myself, I sprained my ankle for the first time, I got really sick, I had a friend pass away, I've been lonelier than ever and have been tempted more than I think I ever have my entire life.. and this week my grandma passed away. And the real stumper? It's only been three months. -___- I have 21 more months of THIS?! These really are the most trying and difficult times of my life.. and I have to do it all without my Elder Sly. Well.. sort of :) See that's actually really the miracle of it all, that although he's thousands of miles away (which PS in this weeks he told me that he's getting transferred to an island up in Canada... which makes letters just about impossible...) I know that he's there for me always. I've felt his love, his prayers and his comfort along with my Saviors more than I ever had in my entire life. Yes it's the hardest time.. but it's almost the closest I've felt to everyone in my family. We all have a great understanding of this life and the next... and we know that it's okay! This isn't the end at all :) I love and miss my Grandma more than anything in this world.. but she's at peace and no longer suffering, and that is what makes it all worth it. This week I've reached for my phone multiple times to call Randy and have him comfort me... but then I remember that I can't! He probably doesn't even know or won't know until he gets my letter three or four or forever and a half weeks from now. It's hard.. but so incredibly worth it. I love Randy!!!!!!! I really truly do :)