Gator Country

We had a great service project a few weeks ago.  We went to Sam Houston State Park after the baptism of Cady Hopkins!  Elder Field, who first taught Cady, came back to Huntsville to baptize her.  Cady is the first person in her family to join the Church and hopes to go to BYU this Fall.  Cady was so excited about her baptism, she invited her whole extended family.

Elder Field, Cady and Elder Nymeyer

Pres. Olson, Cady and Martin O'Laughlin

So, after all the white chocolate chip Macadamia Nut Cookies (Elder Field's request) were inhaled, our band took off to the state park.  The clean up took place on the lake.  We are planning on taking Joseph and his family on this excursion when they come next month.

James and Elder LeB in their canoe

Gator or log--hard to tell!
Actually turtles sunning on the log.

At least they warn you--not tempting to go shoeless.

Slithery 

The next week we went to "Manny's" a true Cajun Seafood Restaurant by Lake Livingston with the Branch Presidency.  We decided to try some of their "gator bites".  Nice to try once, but that is all!  Kind of a cross between squid, eel and gristle from a bad cut of meat.    You feel like you chew and chew and chew.  Now is the time for the crayfish (crawfish).  The first time I saw them in South Carolina, they were just bitty things, but as usual, the TEXAS ones are really big--that's because everything's bigger in Texas.

nummy bites--aarghhh!

Spring Comes to Huntsville

TThe natives tell us that Spring usually comes to Texas in the middle of February, but this has been a super unusual winter-much colder and longer than normal.  It is late, but it is absolutely gorgeous!  The wisteria makes our wisteria at home look pretty weak and malnourished.  The fields and freeway entrances are filled with wildflowers.  The bluebonnets are the state flower.  The Indian Paintbrush are so vibrant.  Our Branch President told his children for years that they were African Redtops until they were embarrassed in class using that name.  It reminds me of the inane questions Bob would ask when we were on road trips, ie: "what do you think that man's name is in the car next to us?" or while looking at Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon, "Is that the tallest waterfall in any world?", before Neil could answer, our son, Jim said "you'd have to ask Maggie" implying that she would know about other worlds!  Aren't big brothers the best?

The Wisteria takes over the trees!

Little bright signs of Spring 

Campus is covered with Azalea bushes

African Redtops!

Vibrant green everywhere

One reason there are so many wildflowers is that Lady Bird Johnson made a big push to beautify Texas when she was first lady.  For several years, they would pass out free packets of flower seeds and just fling them randomly.  They bloom all over Texas.  They have little yellow tops to them and are very cute.

All of these flowers seemed to bloom overnight and were in full glory Conference morning.  We had a great gathering of students at Brother and Sister Ballew's house. (the other counselor in the Branch Presidency.  They live outside of town down a long National Forest road, so it was a beautiful drive on a misty morning.

Conference morning

Elder Rios on the sofa isn't really asleep!

Blue Bonnets

Sobering Milestones

Several weeks ago, we found out we need to sign our lease for the next year even though it doesn't come due until August.  In order to do that, we needed to know our release date for our mission  --July 5, 2015.  I honestly wanted to just sit down on the curb and cry.  That info sent us to the next step which was to calculate how long we have been on our mission -- 8 months today!  More tears.  How could one third of our mission already be over?  A major wake up call!  It honestly feels like we are just getting started.  Shouldn't they start counting time when you figure out your mission?  Don't get me wrong, I don't want to stay away from family and friends forever, I just thought I would be smarter and better faster.  We only have 4 more weeks until Spring Semester is over and I am starting to feel like a mother sending her children away wishing she could teach them just a few more things before they go off on their own.  Do you think they will mind if class time is bumped up to three hours each?

Sometimes we feel like we lose our identity because we are missionaries, but we are also CES and so we often serve two masters -- good thing they both have the same goal of bringing souls to Christ or we would be in trouble.  Anyway, the point is that Institute comes first and being a full time missionary comes second, so we often miss zone meetings, interviews, etc.  A lot of our study goes into our classes and not as much into Preach My Gospel.  So now, knowing the sands of time are adding up way too quickly, I have made some resolutions.

Take more pictures
Study Preach My Gospel and learn how to cross reference more scriptures
Write in my journal and on the blog more.
Pack each day more fully - Wear myself out in the service of the Lord everyday!
Express more gratitude for everything and to everyone -- call me on it if I don't tell you how much I appreciate you.
Memorize - I am not as good at this as I used to be--slow mind.

My Scriptures broke their back, I must have stepped on a crack 

These scriptures were new when we left on our mission.  I have made so many notes, etc, that I can hardly bear to send them back as defective, but I'm not sure I can fix them.  I feel like I have lost the 116 pages of my mission manuscript so to speak.  I am going through using a new triple to transfer some of the most important insights, plus I know that I can save some online.  Thank goodness for LDS accounts and icloud.

Some Great Things I have learned in the last 8 months are:
I love my family more than ever even if I don't see them or talk to them as often as I did at home.
To Love my Great Companion even more --it is more apparent every day why I married my awesome, great, kind, loving, wonderful, nice, funny, spiritual husband.
You can live a lot smaller and simpler than you think.
We still love antiques and making our space "homey"
You grow to love others you serve and the Gospel is the same everywhere even if they have different customs and ways of doing things.  Just so you know, I never say "that isn't the way we do it in Zion."  Like one Brother said, "I'm not the one with the accent, you are!"  Don't worry, I still sound like I'm from good old Utah.