October 11, 2009

Sunday

Lately, I seem to have a hard time getting around to writing in my journal, and I attribute some of that to the fact that sometimes writing takes a lot more time than typing, especially for us students who have to type a lot, and are so used to it. So, to keep up with my journal writing, I’m going to try doing it on the computer, and see how it goes.

The last few weeks have been busy and good. It’s October, which I love. There’s that crisp in the air that comes with the Fall, it’s a little chilly, but not wintery cold yet. On Friday, Daniel took me on a date to Olive Garden and to go shopping for Halloween decorations. It was so exciting! We didn’t get too many decorations, but it was still so fun, and our apartment is so cute and Halloweeny. I have some of the decorations that my mom gave me last year for my birthday. One is a little mini wall quilt with a black cat and a pumpkin on it, and it’s SO cute! I love this time of year. All the leaves are changing and it’s beautiful.

School has been crazy. Dan and I both have tests coming up and projects and presentations. It should calm down a little bit after my birthday, but until then, it’s going to be really busy. I don’t think I ever mentioned the classes I’m taking this semester, so I’ll do so now: Biochemistry, Pathophysiology, Spanish Grammar 421, Intro to Sociology, and Guitar for beginners. It’s not as hard a semester as I thought it would be. Next semester will be harder. But I’m also still working on the 441 literature class that I started over the summer, and sometimes it’s hard to remember that I have to work on that class as well. So it gets put on the backburner while I have all these tests going on. Dan and I are taking the guitar class together, and it’s so fun. I’m finally learning how to play the guitar for real! It’s very exciting. I’ve tried to teach myself multiple times over summers, but it never quite happened. I think I need someone to teach me how to play a musical instrument, or it just doesn’t work for me.

Yesterday Dan and I had an interesting experience. Dan’s old girlfriend, Kelli Lund, had something very tragic happen to her. She and her husband had born to them a little boy, about 4 months ago, and on Tuesday of this last week, he passed away in his sleep. We went to the little funeral yesterday with Jimmy and Cody, and it was so sad. We cried a lot, even Daniel (who never cries). I just kept thinking about Kelli and how hard that must be for her to lose a child. According to Dan (I never knew her very well…naturally…former girlfriends and current girlfriends don’t tend to hang out much), all she ever wanted to do was be a wife and mother. And she accomplished her goals in life, but how sad that she lose her first child! I just cannot stop thinking about her. At the funeral, their Bishop spoke a little bit about the plan of salvation, especially in terms of little children that die, there were many musical numbers (those really got to me!), and then at the end Kelli got up and bore her testimony about how she knows the gospel is true and that she’ll see her little guy again someday, because families are forever. It was so sweet. And then she sang “God be with you ‘til we Meet Again”. She said that she sang to her little boy everyday and she knew that he loved to hear her sing. She wanted to sing to him one more time.

It was such a sad thing, but such a testimony builder, as well, of the truthfulness of the gospel and of the great mercy and love of God. Kelli said that she and Jeff (her husband) had been feeling a lot of peace since Tuesday and that they feel God’s love for them. The whole funeral was a tear-jerker and a great testimony-builder.

General Conference weekend (last weekend) was so good. I spent most of Saturday alone in the apartment. Dan was working that weekend (he always works GC weekend), so he was gone when I watched Conference on Saturday. That evening, I went to pick up Daniel from work and we went to his parents’ house. I hung out with them and watched conference with them on Sunday while Daniel was working. We had a good time. I learned how to play scrabble from them.

Tonight, Dan and I had Steve, Inga and Aunt Corkie come over for dinner. We made tacos and Steve and Inga brought a delicious tres leches cake. It was fun to have them all over for dinner. I don’t see my cousins that much, so I don’t know them very well. Over the summer, Dan and I went to see Grandpa Fernandez when Dave and Daisy were there, and it had been years since I’d seen them. It was good to see them and know what they are up to. Same with Steve and Inga. They are expecting, which is really exciting. They’re a fun couple.

Well, I should probably go. Dan and I have to get to bed so that we can get up and study for our exams. I have to take a biochem exam tomorrow and I’m really worried about it. We have been really blessed. Lately I have been feeling a lot better about myself, more confident. Dan helps with this, he makes me feel good. But also, I feel the Lord’s hand in helping me focus on others and helping me forgive others. He fills me with his love and I feel blessed. Dan and I have such a great marriage so far. We have disagreements, but we really love and care for one another. I keep telling people: I hear the first year of marriage is the hardest, but if that’s true, Dan and I have it so good!