moving

i've decided that i'm moving to wordpress, so i'm retiring this site.

the new site is:  https://tmobil.wordpress.com/

hope to see you there!

ice skating

every second saturday of the month the mid-singles in the raleigh/durham triangle get together for some kind of fun social activity.  it's been interesting coming from the california mid-singles scene, which is highly structured, church-official, and often means being in the same ward as a couple hundred other mid-singles.  there are far less in this area. far, far less.  the activities are completely unofficial - started by a couple of ladies who simply had a desire to try and connect people.  and here's the weird thing.... i find it so much more fulfilling.

though an average activity here boasts maybe 20 people (30 on a really really banner day) and a similar activity in california could easily get 60 - 80, those 20 people are MY kind of people.

it's no secret that i struggled to make, what i felt were, depthful friendships with staying power while in california.  there are a few notable exceptions, but the move has proven my suspicions.  here though, maybe BECAUSE there are so many fewer of us, i feel like i am meeting people with whom i more naturally feel a kinship, and who i can see becoming truly great friends.

stephanie and jessica on ice

this month's activity was ice skating.  though i'm pretty good on skates, with my biggest show of the year quickly approaching, i decided not to risk the sprained ankle i'm sure murphy (of murphy's law) had in store for me.

there were a few others who felt similarly for their own reasons, so we passed the time chatting about the holidays, italy, book recommendations, etc.  met a few new people (i'm glad that's still happening) who i enjoyed getting to know before the ice skating concluded.

a few of us decided to grab dinner at the pit, a downtown raleigh establishment, where we enjoyed upscale bbq.  i like my bbq a little more 'backyard' style, but the meal was good, and the company was great.  there were several discussions about future plans, and i'm loving that this is a group who wants to DO things.  soccer games, white water rafting, and on and on.

as dinner came to a close, we decided we weren't quite done, so we headed across the street to the videri chocolate factory where we sampled some chocolate, learned about the chocolate making process, and enjoyed some delicious hot chocolate and sipping chocolate.  the sipping chocolate reminded amy and i of parisian hot chocolate and we were hard pressed to finish the 2 oz. cup between us!

erika and dan, amy and i

all in all, a lovely, engaging way to spend an afternoon/evening in raleigh.

new year

with every new year comes a renewed intent to be better about documenting life.  so, we'll see how long it lasts.

for the most part, i've refrained from making any other resolutions, but this quote (below), from howard w. hunter keeps reappearing in my life.  i used it in a sacrament talk in early december, and since then, i've heard several other people in a variety of locations and circumstances use the same quote.  it's from a fourteen year old talk, so it's particularly interesting to have it repeated so often in the course of the last four weeks.  but one thing i've learned about myself...repetition tends to be the most common way i receive inspiration.  and, if i can follow each of it's admonitions, i will consider 2016 both successful and meaningful.

mend a quarrel. seek out a forgotten friend. dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust. write a letter. give a soft answer. encourage youth. manifest your loyalty in word and deed. keep a promise. forgo a grudge. forgive an enemy. apologize. try to understand. examine your demands on others. think first of someone else. be kind. be gentle. laugh a little more. express your gratitude. welcome a stranger. gladden the heart of a child. take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. speak your love and then speak it again.

the graduates

i've had the blessing and privilege to watch these two go from spunky little 10 year olds - (rachel, always eager with a hug and a snuggle; brad, always wanting to talk my ear off about a book, or a knife, or a gun) into incredible young adults (some things never change). and, as i prepare for the next chapter in my own life, i am so grateful to have been included in a few of theirs. technically, the twins (and their brother and sister) are my first cousins, once removed, but i claim them as nieces and nephews... which makes me one proud aunt!

There was also a really touching moment where two former students were finally able to receive their diplomas.  Brad makes an appearance at about 1:05.

the disney day

monday has always been the unofficial extension of the midsingles conference, during which attendees will spend the day at disneyland.  i've never participated before, and i wasn't originally planning on it.  but i was on the fence.  my local friends have told me that it's their favorite day because it gives them a chance to interact with people in smaller groups and for more than five minutes at a time. i had waffled on the decision, but on sunday, i pulled the trigger.

 earlier in the weekend, jamie had introduced me to travis, an old friend of hers whom she had known when she lived in philadephia.  our introduction was brief, and though he was also on the kayak trip, we didn't really interact (we were both paired off with other people).  i thought he was cute -- not my usual type -- but quiet cute.  i saw him at the aquarium, but again, we didn't really interact.  i knew he was planning on staying with us on sunday night since the rest of his group was leaving sunday, but i didn't think too much of it.

after i decided to take monday off and spend the day at disney, i thought we might carpool, but that we would probably meet up with the larger group and maybe go our separate ways, so i didn't think too much of it.

monday morning brought it's fair share of logistical challenges.  he had come in late on sunday night and had had trouble finding parking.  by monday morning, he didn't really know where he had parked.  so, we drove the neighborhood in search of his rental.  it took about 45 minutes, and we finally arrived at the park at about 9:30.  not bad.  except that when we got to the ticket booth, which comes after the tram ride and after the bag check line, it turned out he had left his id in the car.  so we went back.

it's fair to say that i was unimpressed, bordering on annoyed.  but i also wasn't in a huge rush and i've been trying to practice patience.  so, we eventually -- about 10:30 -- made it INSIDE the park.  and we were starving! we found the closest place with fast, but 'real', food, and sat down to enjoy.  things were starting to get better at this point.  after getting past the poor planning, it turns out, we got a long pretty well, pretty quickly.  in fact, it kind of felt like we'd been friends for a really long time.  it was easy and natural and fun, and it was turning out just fine that i was stuck with a stranger.

while we were eating, my friend jen texted that she had arrived.  we continued eating while we waited for her to join up with us.  i don't get to see jen very often, and she had been partially responsible for talking me into disney day, so i was looking forward to spending time with her.

adding a third definitely changed the dynamic. travis got real quiet real fast, but we hit our first ride - star tours (which apparently made both of them nauseous) before heading to the tomorrowland terrace for the second conference meet-up.  travis and i talked while jen ate, and we checked out the 'scene'.  there were about 20 others meeting up, but we decided that for the time being, we'd keep to our little group.

with stomachs a little more settled, we hit a couple of rides, and were then joined by jamie.  having a fourth balanced the group again and travis and i continued getting to know each other.

the rest of the day included meeting up and separating from other friends (old and new) who were also enjoying the day off.  the park was crowded for a random monday in may, but we still managed to accomplish a lot. space mountain broke down once for about 10 minutes while we were in line, and after we finished the ride, we were given front of line passes to go again.  splash mountain broke down while we were on it.  we were evacuated and given front of line passes for any ride in the park.  so a pretty eventful day!

jamie left before the last ride of the day (space mountain - the second time), so jen, jessi, travis, and i rode the beast one last time before calling it a night.

travis and i headed home, utterly exhausted.  despite the fact that he had a 5am flight, we stayed up for a little while talking before calling it a night.  it was so fun to meet someone who feels like an instant long term friend, and it was a great end to a great weekend!