{I wrote this email to Glo, but I realized it was a pretty good recap of my week. And since we, as humans, frequently don't record our day-to-day experiences, but knowing, as a genealogist, how important they are, here's a small glimpse into my regular, daily life, recorded for posterity.]
Hey Globee Baby!
I seriously can't wait to talk to you again! It really makes me wonder how I ever made it with the other kids, only talking to them twice a year....
Thanks too for writing an email. It keeps everyone in the loop with your life since they obviously can't talk to you every week ;-). You do such a good job, covering everything. I do believe your year and a half of emails might be longer in a blog book than your brothers at two years ;-)
It's been an exciting week for us! I sent you blog posts about some of the things we did (I'm hoping you've already received the post about paczki because that was true Michigan experience), but I didn't post about our Wednesday Mutual activity.
I think I've told you that it's really hard now with the 11-year-old babies in Mutual. They are seriously children, and the boys, unfortunately, behave that way. For two months now, both the YM and YW presidencies have tried to plan a Mutual activity where we can really corral the 50+ youth who show up, but we have been woefully unsuccessful. Well Brother Budd (probably one of the loserest YM presidents I've ever seen) came through in a BIG way. He planned an activity called "Missionary Meals" where he asked six different people who have served missions to come speak about their missions and bring food from their mission. He asked Daddy which was super fun because Daddy still struggles to feel part of the ward. So six people showed up, and they set up their individual tables. The kids then numbered off and were sent to the numbered table. After fifteen minutes, we would rotate.
Since Daddy's stuff is literally all packed away, he couldn't bring any of his fun stuff from Argentina, but he made up for it. Along with dulce de leche (which he successfully made from cans of sweetened condensed milk just two hours before the activity), he decided to serve up two of the steaks living in our freezer (from our 1/4 cow). But he didn't just cook them up at home and bring them, but he decided to give the real Argentine experience and cook them in the gym (on his George Foreman grill) so that everything smelled like steak a la Argentina ;-). It was a brilliant move!
There was someone who served in Chihuahua, Mexico, one from the "Maritime" mission which is basically the entire Eastern side of Canada (including Prince Edward Island of Anne of Green Gables fame), Sister Gibson from Moscow, Russia, someone from Japan, and Fresno, California.
I was the only adult to actually travel around with the kids so I got to see most of the presentations. It was really fun to hear the different presentations. Some (Sister Gibson) were super spiritual, and she was really trying to change lives with her words. Others were about the cool things you could eat (Japan), and others were about the mission call, or the day-to-day living of a missionary (one guy brought every single planner he used on his mission).
And the best thing about having counted off was that the super young kids were mixed in with the Priests and Laurels, so nobody acted poorly. And when the activity was officially done at 8:00, I "ding ding"ed to let everyone know it was over, but the kids hadn't all gotten to visit all the tables. So without any prodding from any of us, they just migrated to the next table and sat down! If that isn't a sign that it's a great activity, I don't know WHAT is!
But be prepared. Save stuff from your mission that you can show off afterwards. And be aware of crazy things like food, and planners, and whatever else, because I have no doubt that you'll be asked to do something like that someday.
Thursday night, I had a performance at Pioneer. It was the annual Choral Cavalcade. Again, it's so fun to be back up on that stage. Thankfully, I played near perfectly, so I didn't leave feeling like I could have done better. Daddy ended up going to the temple alone, but it was okay because he had training for being an assistant coordinator.
I'll tell you, Glo--we just keep getting more and more enmeshed in the community, and I don't know how we're going to leave. Even Daddy is starting to apply himself and reach out to people in the ward instead of just complain that he doesn't have any friends. Like this morning, he showed up for choir practice alone which is a huge step for him. And receiving the blessing from the temple presidency counselor this week (I think he wrote you about it)? I'm really trying to have faith in all the signs that he has received that everything is going to be okay, and we'll end up staying here.
But on the flip side, we actually got an OFFER on our house this week! I know! Isn't that insane? The house hasn't even been on the market for two months, and we have an OFFER! Can you imagine how we would have felt in PA if we had gotten an offer after two months? Not only is the market just better here, being a suburb of Ann Arbor, but we have the BEST realtors. I kid you not--it is such a different experience working with people who know what they are doing! Of course, I've been thinking back to PA and wondering what would have happened if we had gone with the realtor there who recommended the realtors here.... We would probably be living in Hollidaysburg with none of this headache, that's for sure!
But to be honest, as much as I want to be angry at Heavenly Father for all of this, I can't be. In fact, when I start my prayers now, I'm brought to tears almost every time, THANKING Heavenly Father for this trial. I know, crazy, right? But it has drawn Daddy closer to God than ever before, and he is making major changes in his life for good. It's that refiner's fire--it burns and stings, but in the end, the gold is clean and pure....kind of like Parker's ;-)
Unfortunately, the offer was a low-ball offer. $700k (the house is listed for $799k). Our realtor was disgusted, but we countered with $785. They came back with $750. And I love this about Kristin--she said, "I can get you $750k without even trying, so don't settle for that. If the house has been on the market three more months, and no good offers, I can easily sell it for $750." So we said, "no". Can you believe it? All those years of just hoping anyone would make an offer on our PA house, and we say "no" here.
To give you a bit of background on the buyers--they are paying cash for the house. Yes, they have $700k just laying around. And they sent a check over for "earnest money"--it's like a deposit on the house. $5,000. But like any check, it had their address on it. And assuming that they are selling a home as well, I looked up the Ann Arbor address. Turns out, they have their house listed for $1.65 million! And when I saw a picture of the master walk-in closet and saw 25 blue button-down shirts, and 15 pairs of dress shoes for just the man alone, I knew they had money. So $30,000 difference to them is nothing--the man just wants a deal. Kristin told us that the wife REALLY wants our house, so we'll see if they come back in a month or two with another offer.
Meanwhile, we're just sitting around waiting for more showings. We had another three this past week, but we don't have any for this coming week....yet. We'll see, I guess.
Friday night, we headed to the local fish fry with the Barneys. Yes, Lent is now in full-force, and any self-respecting Catholic doesn't eat meat on Friday (not sure why fish isn't considered meat). So the big organizations around here host fish fries as a fundraising effort. When we showed up in Chelsea, the parking lot was full, and after walking in, we just kept turning a corner, following the line, and kept turning more and more corners. We figured when we found the end of the line that it was at least a two hour wait. And when we saw the food that was coming out--a styrofoam plate with a couple spoonfuls of corn, some Kraft Mac and cheese, and fish (didn't actually see the fish)--we didn't think it was worth it. So, we called the Barney kids (who refused to come for fish) and told them that we were going to Toñitos in Jackson.
Thursday, Sister Spencer (my YW president) took me to Toñitos. It's literally a hole in the wall place in Jackson, but she promised me it had excellent food. And it did! Oh man, it makes our Don Juan in Ann Arbor look like poop. And there are only six tables in the entire place, and it's attached to a "market"--it's really one of those stores that we would find off the cruise ship dock in some Spanish-speaking country. Some Catholic relics hanging with price tags, and some weird art, and some Mexican Motrin.
But the food? Daddy says it's some of the best food he's EVER had in his life. It didn't hurt that the prices are some of the lowest we've ever seen as well. And the Barneys loved it as much as we did. And bless Sister Spencer's heart--she tried to connect with me by taking me to lunch, but she really does lack the ability to connect on an emotional level. She just talked about "stuff" but in the end, I don't think either of us knew each other any better.
Although, funny side note. I told her how I had to get on one of the girls' in YW because she wouldn't stop talking (Raine), but I didn't want her to feel singled out so I got on the girl she was talking to (Rachel Hicken) who is just as annoyed as I am that Raine is non-stop talking to her during the lesson. But poor Rachel--she never causes trouble, and she looked like a deer in the headlights when I called her out. Sister Spencer let out a little cheer at the table, and said, "Yes. Sister Kennedy's coolness factor just went down a little bit with Rachel."
That's right, baby. I guess I'm seen as the "cool" one in the YW presidency. That's kind of fun, huh? And what a difference from the adults in State College (although I think a lot of the seminary kids DID think I was cool).
So anyway, back to the story. We went to Toñitos with the Barneys, and since we were in Jackson, we went to the Parlor afterwards. Hmmmm, ice cream. So. Much. Ice. Cream.
I love the Barneys. I really don't know what I would do without them, Glo. They are the dearest friends we have here in Michigan.
Then, the next morning, we had an appointment at Quality 16 to see Captain Marvel! Toth Team (our realty business) was hosting a showing for clients, and it was FREE! Granted, it was at 9:30 a.m., but I can get up early on a Saturday for that! Too, we knew there would be some kind of contest, so Daddy was up late the night before, trying to bone up on his Captain Marvel knowledge. Well when they started the trivia contest, they asked for a volunteer to read the questions. Let me draw a picture for you--the entire theatre was full, and nobody was raising their hand...so I did. And performer mode kicked in hard! I read those questions like a boss--people were laughing, and I was funny, and it was great to feel confident and self-assured, feelings I haven't had for a good 13 years. And Kathy Toth, the owner of the franchise, was amazed. I knew she was watching me, and loving my presentation, and when I sat down, Daddy turned to me and said, "I don't know what you need to do, but you should work with Kathy. I think she really likes you." I already knew exactly what he was saying.
So the movie. Glo, it goes down as one of my favorite Avengers movies. Of course, as Ethan says, it's an origin story so of course I like it, but there were two or three moments where I was left in tears. It was so good, and I can't wait for you to come home so that you can see it too.
So afterwards, we had shopping to do for Brother's birthday, but I wanted to run into the restroom before we left the theatre. And there was Kathy Toth. She came up to me, and told me that she and I (and our husbands) should go to dinner, because we would know how to have a good time....especially with a bottle of wine...or two.... And she winked at me. I just laughed because I didn't want to broach the subject on a second meeting that I don't drink, but it confirmed my feelings that I think she'd hire me.
So Daddy won us (aka Ethan) a Buffalo Wild Wings gift card, and I got two free movie tickets for reading the questions, but there is one final contest on Instagram--best picture of the event with #TothTeam tagged. So we rushed over to Briarwood to buy me a Captain Marvel t-shirt for the contest. When I then went to #TothTeam on Instagram, you won't believe the first picture I saw listed--"WE'RE HIRING".
Glo, I'm telling you. I will be so surprised if we end up leaving this area. It just feels like there are too many things going our way to keep up here to leave. However, as I tell Heavenly Father everyday, we'll go where he wants us to go, but I feel like I can say that we will stay here.
Because through all of this insecurity and craziness, sign after sign has been given to Daddy that says it's all going to be okay. And as worried as I know I can feel in this kind of situation (having just gone through it a year and a half ago), I feel complete and total peace, Glo. Like, I couldn't stress if I wanted to. Everyday, the Comforter washes over, and I know that we are exactly where we are supposed to be, experiencing what Heavenly Father wants us to experience. Today in Young Women, we were talking about repentance, and there was a quote from Elder Robbins: "we should consider failure a tutor, and not a tragedy." And I think that goes for trails as well: trials are tutors, not tragedies.
And one more thing:
You know how Virginia White is our loaf of bread at Great Harvest Bread Company? I've been craving a loaf of it since you left. I showed up at the shop the other day only to find it closed. But Saturday morning, I convinced Daddy to stop by, and I bought a loaf, fresh out of the oven. I grabbed one piece, but put off eating anymore until today. Sister Moran sent me some freezer jam for my birthday, and I was so excited to toast a piece of Virginia White and slather some Boise Berry jam on it.
Well today was class presidency meeting, and I'm so appreciative of the girls coming that I like to provide a snack (since it's after church). I grabbed the beloved loaf, and a jar of jam, and asked Sister Edwards to bring butter (since I ran out last night).
No joke, Glo, each of the girls ate FOUR PIECES. I came home with one. *cue tears*
So there's my week. Gosh, I sure love my life here. As much as it pains me to see Daddy struggling and going through his trial at the moment, I am so happy. I know we're doing what we need to to progress in life. Heavenly Father sure knows what he's doing.
I can't wait to talk to you. I love you. I can't wait to hear about your week.
xoxo,
Mama
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