This Christmas

This Christmas, 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.

From Howard W. Hunter, “The Gifts of Christmas,” Ensign, Dec 2002, 16.

Mr. Krueger's Christmas

Jimmy Stewart's Last Film (and one of my favorites!):

You can have a free DVD delivered to your home!

For me, the most moving part of the film occurs toward the end when Mr. Krueger sees a vision of the Christ-child. These are his words to his Savior (you can find it at about 17:28 minutes into the film):

"Hello there... I-I-I-I... Oh dear... Oh... Oh, you're-you're... I'm Willy Krueger and I'm custodian over at the Beck Apartments, but, but you know that, don't you. You know that. I guess nobody here can see me or hear me except you. I didn't bring a gift, I, but I, I guess that's not important. Thank you for everything you've done for me. As long as I can remember you've been right by my side. I'll never forget when you walked with me right in those first few hours after I lost Martha. I-I've always been able to count on you, when I felt dark inside and when I... You were right there, right, every time, right there. Even when I didn't feel good about myself, I knew that you cared for me enough, and that, that made me feel better. Like that time I got mad with Mabel Huntington because she broke her pipes on purpose just so she could have somebody to see while I came up and fixed them for her. Boy, I hollered at her, boy I hollered real loud. But then, then I got to thinking - you loved Mabel just as much as you loved me and I should treat her the way you want me to. I believe I talked to you about that at the time. Well, I started visiting her and we became friends. I saw her almost every day until the day she died. I love you. You're my closest, my finest friend. And that means that I can hold my head high, wherever I go. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."

What a beautiful and tender message. I feel so blessed this time of year!

First Presidency Christmas Message

Merry Christmas! Hopefully this video will be on youtube soon. I am so grateful for the birth of our Lord and Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

My Niece and Nephew Are Beautiful

DON'T YOU AGREE?!?!

I Stand Corrected

I have to tell you that I have three more favorite redheads:
Jessia Curtis and I served together on the mission. She is an absolute angel: thoughtful, sensitive, generous, and kind; she's also a bombshell (and incidentally not married yet--send me an email with your application and attach a resume and photo).

Dan Magleby has been one of my best friends since freshman year. You will never find a better story-teller or psychoanalytic listener ;-) He's brilliant and delightful and clearly also a bombshell.

Believe it or not, the last bombshell, is actually a quarter Japanese. Stephanie Hansen and I met on our study abroad in London and were later neighbors in the same ward at BYU. I laugh more with her than with anyone else. She is athletic and always the life of the party. Steph is also a woman of integrity and a loyal friend.

There And Back Again...

This not quite a Hobbit's Tale, but I think the title is fitting. It's hard to believe I've been home from the mission for nearly two years now. Despite a number of attempts to visit (life just gets in the way), this was my first time back since my parents picked me up on December 12, 2007 and brought me home (December 17).
My week-long visit yielded mixed feelings: joy and sadness. I was delighted to catch up with so many of the people I love so much though!!

Here are a few highlights (with some pictures from this visit and some pictures from during the mission):

On Sunday I attended the Carrollton Ward--a place I lived for 6 months. Though the ward is rather transient, many of the people I love were still there. I felt so much joy reconnecting with the people who impacted me so much during the mission. Beatrice Sanders said the joy she felt reuniting with me is akin to the joy she hopes to experience when we meet again on the other side.
I also visited a few friends who hadn't made it to Church that day. Here I am with Bill Holland and his wife Marion:
I also got to see Carl Zoellner; his wife Karen died of cancer last year. They introduced me to Old Bay Seasoning on Maryland crab and to fishing:
On Monday I visited some friends from my Washington, D. C. internship with the House Committee on Foreign Affairs; I even saw some of these people while I was a missionary. Randomly Derek Matsumori was interning at Senator Hatch's office when the sister missionaries spent a Preparation Day touring the Captiol. This time David Richmond, from Eni Faleomavaega's office, was kind enough to take me on a tour of the Capitol, including a visit to the House Floor. Kay King is one of my heroes!
On Tuesday a group of us joined Samantha to receive her endowment. Shannon Hobbs, her other first missionary, also came. Here are some pictures from Samantha's first experience at the Visitor's Center too. I absolutely adore Samantha!
Two years ago Theresa had just finished the last of her chemotherapy treatments. It was a joy to see how active and healthy she is today! Benjamin is also a bundle of joy:
Although I almost missed seeing him, I was delighted to meet up with Hamid Dana. Today he is the proud father of a little boy. He just became a US citizen and is waiting for his papers to be processed so his wife can come join him!
The Nalesnik Family has always been a hoot and a half. Jennifer was pregnant when I left her area; today she and Josh have this cute little girl (Brooke):
Diana Yates was always one of those angels who took care of Stephanie Ketchum and me. We love her family!
I didn't get to see the whole family, but catching up with Helga was as entertaining as ever. I can't believe how much the kids have grown!
I enjoyed a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner with my Dad's cousin Cindy Kelley and her family. Her oldest son, Dale, lived in my first ward (with his wife Tammy and their 5 children) and her middle son Steven (and his wife Wendy) lived in the second ward I served in. We played everything from Wii American Idol to Scrabble (Tammy dominated!).
My fabulous Mission President and his wife (Alma and Marguerite Mansell) took to me lunch as well. Both President Mansell and President Price had a significant impact on my spiritual and intellectual development. I was so happy to see how happy the Mansells are and how successful the mission is.
Somehow I failed to take pictures with my AMAZING hostess, but here is her family (minus one brother). Torrey's parents and other brother came to town, so we had fun chatting in the evenings. (If anyone is ever looking for the perfect hostess, Torrey beats any ambassador's spouse, hands-down, no contest).
Among other disappointments, I missed seeing my two favorite redheads (both out of town),
but I did get to see a number of my amazing friends:
(Sorry I didn't have my camera with more of you!).

The best part about this visit was seeing the people I love so much! "And now it came to pass that as Alma was journeying . . . he met with the sons of Mosiah journeying towards the land of Zarahemla . . . Alma did rejoice exceedingly to see his brethren; and what added more to his joy, they were still his brethren in the Lord; yea, and they had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth; for they were men of a sound understanding and they had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God" (Alma 17:1-2).

I am so grateful for my mission and for the memories and friendships I formed there. I will cherish them through the eternities.

In The Spirit of Thanksgiving

Weekend on the West Coast with my Wonderful Family

Yes! This weekend my family convened at Erika's place in Orange County for two exciting events: Summer's baby blessing and Jen's Temple date.
I took a Friday night flight from JFK into Long Beach and arrived around 9:30 PST. We took an early night at the hotel near Erika's house in Dana Point.
The next morning we headed down PCH to the San Diego Temple, located in La Jolla.
The experience was beautiful, especially since we had almost every family member (just missing Aaron). The day was a little overcast, but we still managed to get some decent shots:
That afternoon we headed to the Dana Point Harbor for some paddle boarding (sorry Tyler!), kayaking, and surfing.
And then back to the hotel where we hung out with Tyler's extended family as well; we swam at the pool and played games in one of the conference rooms. No matter what game it is, Tyler dominates.
Erika's ward started at 9 am and we managed to fill 4 rows in the chapel with McCalls and Johnsons.
Two of my best friends (Emily Ekins and Brittany Devine) came to support:
After Church Tyler's mom's cousin hosted a luncheon for everyone (she lives in Erika's ward in Dana Point).
With my bombshell sister-in-law Amy after the luncheon:
She is fitter than P90X and as classy as they come. My brother just "livin' the dream":

And my sisters too:

Two of my favorite cousins and their gorgeous Mama:

Again with my favorite girls:
With my namesake:
And no family get together is complete without some variation of this:
I am a little obsessed with my new niece and my nephew:
We ended the evening with a walk along the bluff above Laguna Beach, just before sunset.
And here is my new car:
Let the good times roll.

Masquerade Ball & Education Conference

This weekend I paid another visit to one of the world's most impressive missionaries/friends/dancers. Stephanie Ketchum manages to outdo even herself on every visit :)
The Boston area Young Single Adults put on a fantastic conference entitled, "Spread the Word: Innovative Ideas for Sharing the Gospel."

The excitement began on Friday night when we attended the Cambridge Stake Conference, held in Boston's Trinity Church.
There we were privileged to hear from Elder Melvin Ballard, who counseled us, among other things to regularly make time to be alone to commune with God. When we are still and we listen, we receive great spiritual guidance and feel a closeness to Him. He encouraged us to have our scriptures with us during this time, but not necessarily to open them.
That evening a group of us went to Joe's for dinner.
Saturday morning was equally fabulous. We met at the Copley Marriott for workshops by Elder Ballard, Elder Clayton Christensen, and David Neeleman.
In these workshops we learned tremendous lessons about how to share what we believe with our friends who perhaps do not hold the same religious views. This is so wonderful because I feel that my greatest joys in life all derive from my relationship with God and with my family. My understanding of Jesus Christ and my understanding of God's Plan of Salvation provide peace and happiness; of course I want to invite my friends to taste of this joy!!

Here are some of the principles we learned from Clayton Christensen and David Neeleman.

That evening we attending a FABULOUS Masquerade Ball at the Harvard Club, which provided a perfect venue for a Halloween night.


The most exciting part of that event was a perfect rendition of Thriller! Jonathan Hopkins played a magnificent Michael Jackson and Stephanie was a believable zombie :) The cheers nearly brought down the house.

(Steph is on the left)
(Steph is second from the left on the top row)

More of Steph the Zombie:
Sunday morning we attended the Sunday session of Stake Conference, where I ran into a number of old friends from BYU. We had dinner at the Christensen's house before heading back to New Haven.

Our Attempt at Becoming Jackson Pollack

Austin Walters came down all the way from Boston, so we needed to make the visit worth his while. We decided an attempt at becoming Jackson Pollack might be our best bet.
After enclosing our white sheet in plastic wrap, we filled balloons with paint and water:
And of course had a few mishaps:
As well as some beautiful mixtures of color:
We then nailed the balloons to the sheet:
And decided we needed some artistic pictures:
As well as some fun ones:
Then began the process of throwing darts and knives:
Although it took me at least 20 times to actually hit my first balloon (subsequently it only took 1-3 tries), I was able to stick the knife nearly every time. So what I'm saying is: Beware! I am not the person to mess with if you ever find yourself on the set of a Spaghetti Western.

Early Stages:
Final Product:
Rain cascaded off Katie's house and brought with it leaves of every color (every fall color), so naturally we danced and played in the rain:
And turned out super cute:
And I even got to power-wash as part of clean-up duty:
We ended the evening with quesadillas and charming conversation.

Baby Summer Ellen

World's Greatest Older Sister just had baby Summer Ellen Johnson. She was born 8 lbs 15 oz. and 21.5 inches on Monday (10/12).

Here is Erika with the World's Cutest Nephew (Summer's older brother Scotty) just a few days before Summer was born:
And here is Sweet Baby Summer.
And with Grandma (my Mama).
And with her Dad:
I can't wait for my visit so I can cuddle with this little angel! (Not to mention that I'm looking forward to the much-needed Vitamin D Orange County always provides--counting down to November!!)

Fallapalooza

My fabulous friend Stephanie Sonksen invited me to join a group of New Yorkers and Hillers on a weekend respite to view some of New England's finest fall colors.
As I have mentioned before, autumn is my favorite time of year! The vibrant deciduous trees bedazzled me as we drove through the small towns in central New Hampshire (luckily I wasn't the driver!).

The inn we rented was handsomely situated on Lake Webster (near Franklin).
It was also less than 400 yards from an open field right (perfect for a game of touch).

We also played card games and board games.
And we even went apple-picking.
And frolicking: And playing at the store:
And got to eat delicious food made by a Johnson:
The speakers at Church had the delightful New Hampshire accent (think, "Man-ches-tah" and "bon-yodd").

And I even met my brother-in-law's brother's new fiance!
An absolutely delightful weekend :)

Catching Up On What Matters Most

In some ways I think the bonds we forge during our undergraduate education are probably the most important and long-lasting; college is a period of time when we are narrowing our focus in both things spiritual and things temporal. We are away from home for the first time and we are forced to determine how we will spend our time, particularly what level of commitment we will have to our worship.

Velincia Veljasevic came to BYU to be with her high school sweetheart; although neither Velincia nor Breyon share my religious traditon, they came for Breyon to play football and because the business program is well-ranked. Velincia is a committed Christian and was happy to find a university with an institutionalized honor code that matched the way she already wanted to live. She and I first became friends because we lived on the same floor in the dorms; something drew me to her and I think she was happy to find someone who didn't have blond hair ;-) I can't remember how we first started spending time together, perhaps it was our mutual football friends, or our shared honors envelope in Freshmen Academy, or the fact that I just needed someone who liked fruit snacks as much as I did. Regardless, we became fast friends, eating at the Museum of Art Cafe, huddling and cheering together through the snowy Utah football games, and watching movies on our laptops when we needed study breaks. We kept close through the years (even when I was at BYU-Hawaii, on my study abroad in London, or interning in DC); she even wrote me while I was a missionary.

Today Velincia and Breyon are married and have a beautiful baby girl, Kyla Pearl (and a cute little dog too). Velincia just finished her MBA and both she and Breyon are working hard to support their family.
As always, I was struck by Velincia's insights into the Mormon pscyhe. We talked about the joys of family life and how satisfying it is for her to sacrifice for her daughter and husband. She expressed gratitude for having attended BYU and particularly for what she learned there about family values. Already she and Breyon have instituted Family Home Evening in their home (on Mondays they play board games and makes sure they spend time together). Also, they've set aside one night a week for a date to just talk about work and the progress of their lives. She also told me about the importance of provident living and how, even after all their schooling, they've made sure they are not in debt and they have a healthy savings already for their child. What's more, they are constantly setting goals and looking to the future while still making sure the enjoy living in the present. I've always been impressed by Velincia's vision and her gumption. Still, I was delighted and inspired to see how Velincia had implemented so much of the counsel offered by the leaders of the Church.

For me, it's definitely the case that my strongest relationships are those for which a mutual trust and a spiritual bond exist. Velincia and I bring our ideas and our values to the table, and even after all these years (she graduated BYU in 2005), we are able to find strength in each other's love and support. I feel so grateful for the blessing of friendship, and especially that today I was able to reconnect with a friend who had such a significant impact on me at an early age and still continues to inspire me.

The Spirit Lord, Has Stirred Our Souls

Twice a year members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meet together to hear the inspired words of God's living Prophet, His Twelve Apostles, His Seventies, and His other auxiliary leaders. We even get to hear the mellifluous voices of the world-renowned Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

A friend of mine sent me a link to a blog that linked to an article by Rosalynde Welch. I think some of her passage appropriately conveys the essence of the Mormon experience during General Conference.

Mormons follow no liturgical calendar in our worship services. We celebrate Christmas and Easter with appropriate hymns, sermons and scriptures, but the rhythm and mood of our meetings stay mostly the same year-round. So General Conference is the closest we get to a liturgical feast, a high point in our spiritual landscape and a time of renewal and rededication. It’s characteristically Mormon—and I say this with the greatest possible affection—that a pinnacle of our spiritual lives has such a prosaic name. But General Conference, arriving as it does together with the natural beauty of every autumn and spring, is indeed a beloved event for many Mormons. Many of us have developed family traditions that envelope the proceedings in comforting ritual—special foods, favorite activities, the simple pleasures of being together.

The LDS Church is highly centralized but its membership now spans the globe, presenting a technological challenge in relaying Church leaders’ instruction to far-flung locations. Except for those relative few who attend the conference sessions in person, members’ experiences of General Conference are always mediated by some form of technology. My own memories of Conference form a kind of abbreviated history of telecommunication in the US: I remember listening to sermons on the sideband radio as a little girl in Southern California, then attending satellite television broadcasts at the local church building; five years ago we listened to the audio feed on our dial-up modem, and now we watch the streaming video through our broadband internet connection.

To some, the prospect of listening to a speech streamed online might not seem particularly transcendent. But for Mormons, the communication of shared spiritual knowledge is a form of worship; the experience of knowing together is a central part of our religious practice. And watching General Conference online provides an opportunity for members near and far to reconfirm that knowledge as one.

I love General Conference weekend; I watched one of the sessions at our little chapel on Trumbull Street in New Haven, and I watched the other three at Katie's house (on BYU Television). We were joined by about 50 other YSA from the New Canaan area for the last session. I love they way I can be a part of a spiritual experience that, as Rosalynde recorded, could be shared with millions the world over.

What a blessing to have inspired leaders who teach truth and offer counsel to help us navigate the storms of life!

There Is More Done With Pens Than Swords

My angel older sister alerted me to the excitement of yesterday's "Free Museum Day" sponsored once a year by the Smithsonian. Katie and I decided to visit the Harriet Beecher Stowe house, located in Hartford, CT (adjacent to Mark Twain's house). 

Ever since I watched Yule Brenner's response to Anna's adaptation of Harriet's play, I have been impressed by her work. 

Here are a few interesting things about her life that stood out after the tour:

• When Harriet met Abraham Lincoln, he is purported to have said, "so you're the little old lady who started this new great war."
• "Uncle Tom's Cabin" was one of the most widely read books in the United States; only the Bible beat it for number of copies sold (in the 1800s).
• Harriet had a slide-away sink in her bathroom. 
• Harriet and her sister wrote a book on how to be an efficient house wife: have long narrow shelves (you use what you see), keep the glasses above the sink, keep the flour near where you cook so you don't have to go to the pantry, etc. 
• Harriet's father graduated from Yale and even attended the Divinity School; he was a preacher and people said that if you were looking to find her father's congregation, you should just follow the crowd.
• Harriet came from a politically active family: her sister Catherine was a suffragette who also championed the cause of women in education, her brothers Henry and Charles were both abolitionists and preachers too. Some people said that if Harriet had been a man, she would have been a preacher.
• Harriet and her husband, Calvin Ellise Stowe, were some of the first snowbirds: they left Connecticut for the winter and made the trek to sunny Florida.
• Harriet wrote numerous books; after the publication of "Uncle Tom's Cabin," (1853) she wrote a book a year (from 1862-1884)!
• Our tour guide also told us that she constantly meets people from around the world who are still reading Harriet's book in their own languages. 

The tour was fabulous, as was the home. We also spent a little time going through the Mark Twain Museum, but I'll have to see his house another time. 

We were also privileged to watch the Relief Society Broadcast. I am so happy to be a member of the Church and to know that God has an organization for the women! I am so empowered ;-)

I was most particularly struck, as I always am, by the words of President Henry Eyring regarding charity: "Charity is born of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and is an effect of His Atonement working in the hearts of the members" (http://www.lds.org/move/index.html?type=conference&event=Oct179&lang=english&articleid=040).

Sometimes One Conversation Can Fill the Whole Weekend

In true form, Katie and I ventured down to New Canaan to stay with her parents for the weekend; I think this was the fourth weekend in a row that I left New Haven. Basically, it was a repeat of high school: we stayed up LATE every night chatting and then we woke up LATE every morning. Katie's middle school teacher (from when her family was living in India) was in town for the weekend, so I was party to lots of reminiscing about the adventures of living overseas (particularly with regard to transportation breakdowns).

We also visited Weir Farm, a national Historic site that was once home to J. Alden Weir and Mahonri Young.
Weir, trained in Paris and a critic of French Impressionism, used the farm as a summer home and eventually started painting landscapes and domestic scenes. He became one of the most influential of the American Impressionist movement. And was a founding member of the Ten American Painters (among other leadership roles in the American art scene).

Weir's daughter, Dorothy, married Mahonri Young in 1931. Mahonri, the grandson of Brigham Young, was a social realist who painted, watercolored, etched, and sculpted. Even though he left the Church, he sculpted the Sea Gull Monument in Temple Square
and the statue of Brigham Young that sits in the Capitol.
He said that his crowning achievement was sculpting the "This Is The Place" (the words Brigham Young said when he entered Emigration Canyon) monument in Salt Lake City.
Katie's mom is also an excellent seamstress and promised that if we want, we can schedule a time to sew a skirt with her. I'm so EXCITED!!

The weekend was relaxing and refreshing. Now it's back to the grind.

Annie Le Memorial

I have been hearing from a lot of friends and family members concerned with the homicide of Yale graduate student Annie Le. This has been a very troubling and painful time for many members of the New Haven and Yale communities. Many students have shed tears and expressed fears. I have to admit that I too have felt fearful and pained as I've considered the events of the week. There have been occasions when I have felt overwhelmed by grief and anxiety.
This evening a candlelight vigil was held on the green in front of the Sterling Memorial Library. By all accounts, Annie Le was an impressive person who expressed love and was kind and honest in her dealings with others. My heart goes out to her family and fiance right now.
The words of the Yale Chaplain really struck me today; she asked us to take a moment of silence and, in our individual traditions, to commit to respect human dignity and to be makers of peace. Without trivializing the gruesome and horrific events, I would say that I know these tragedies can be opportunities for reflection and commitment to higher ideals. Annie's roommate of two years read from Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Her roommate implored the crowd to remember this scripture because she knew Annie would have wanted us to remember it too.

As I left the vigil, I heard a girl pleading to her friend, "I wish I could believe there is a God. I want to believe in a God. I want to believe there is a plan." What a blessing that there is a plan, that despite Annie's painful and unfair and cruel death, God does love her and He does have a plan for her. "As we rely on the Atonement of Jesus Christ, He can help us endure our trials, sicknesses, and pain. We can be filled with joy, peace, and consolation. All that is unfair about life can be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ" (Preach My Gospel, p. 52).

I do sometimes feel threatened here on campus, but my testimony of God's plan is an anchor to my soul during those times today when I have felt this somber fear. The Lord counseled his apostles, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (John 14:27). I am grateful for the Savior's promise. Believing in Him and believing Him (in the way Stephen Robinson explains) allow me to live with peace.

I think we become makers of peace by living in a way that demonstrates that we believe Christ. We are makers of peace when we forgive because we know Christ forgives and He would want us to forgive. We are makers of peace when are kind because we know Christ is kind and would expect us to be kind. We are makers of peace when we teach others about Christ and stand as witnesses of Him. We are makers of peace when we live without fear of the future--without fear for our temporal welfare ("And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin" (Matthew 6:28)). We are makers of peace when we love the way the Savior loves.

I am so thankful for the Master who is the Peacemaker. I'm grateful for Master who is my Rock when my heart is weak and my Friend when mind is weary.

Big Fun in the Big Apple

This weekend we had a YSA Conference entitled, "Taking the Shield: Using Your Faith in Christ to Quench Today's Fiery Darts." It was a tri-state conference (NY, NJ, and CT) and was held in NYC.
I've said this many times, but one of my FAVORITE things about New Haven is its proximity to two big cities. This weekend was particularly delightful because I connected with many of my old BYU friends (from my hostess from this summer's trip to Florence to an old neighbor from my 2004-2005 BYU ward). I was happy to see how successful and happy they all are, and more especially to find them all still so strong in the faith.

The conference started with reflections from President Belnap, Elder Matthew Eyring, and Elder Eyring's wife. President Belnap had been the President of the New York, New York Stake during September 11, so we were able to hear tremendous stories of the sacrifices and service of Saints living in NYC during the attack. All of the speakers presented uplifting and inspiring stories and confirmed the doctrine of faith.
The next morning we participated in a park clean-up service project at McCarren Park in Brooklyn. It was perfect fall weather.
Then we were privileged to attend workshops presented by the stakes presidents in the surrounding area; they talked on specific fiery darts (doubt, dishonest, anger/profanity, media/pornography, workaholism, loneliness, etc.).

And of coures, no Mormon YSA party is complete without a well-DJ'd dance ;-).
Sunday morning I met up with my good friend Dan Evans; he made a delicious soup and we caught up over lunch on his balcony in The Village. New York does have its appeals.
After our amazing Sacrament Meeting (with about 500 YSA) and lunch at the Church, we headed back to my good friend Kyle Barnett's apartment. Kyle is also a law student and somehow lives in an enormous apartment one block south of Columbia, so he didn't mind having 4 of us stay over!
I love NYC. I'll be back :)

Couldn't Get Enough of The Cradle of Liberty

On my last visit, we attempted to see all the major tourist attractions. This time I just wanted to be with friends and eat good food. Boston's appeal for me is that the juxtaposition of the Old World with the New World leaves a traveler grateful for the sacrifices of her forbears as well as excited to be a part of a community. Maybe it's the Red Sox, but something about Boston makes me feel connected to all Americans.

On Saturday morning I went to a session at the Boston Temple. It was my first time in this Temple, but I had the distinct feeling that I had been there before--that I was coming home. I am SO grateful for the beauty and peace in the Lord's House.
Later that day we enjoyed the shops in Harvard Square, met up with some other friends (Mike Barber is starting his PhD at Princeton, Tim Layton is starting his PhD at BU, Austin Walters is in the HBS 2+2 program, Stephanie Ketchum is working in cancer research), and caught up on life.
I later met up with one of Emily's old friends from Boston and he introduced me to the best Italian food in the North End:
I ordered a delicious scallop dish with a red lobster sauce over linguine. It was a Saturday night, so we waited in line outside the restaurant for about an hour before we were seated. Boston is a cash town, which is a little strange for a West Coast girl used to using plastic, but it made for a few interesting stories; for example, at about 9:30 or 10pm a man came into the restaurant and all the waiters gave him some money from their wads of cash, then he left. Apparently, this is a common occurrence at Giacomo's. It's unclear whether the waiters paid him to leave or paid him for something else...think Michael Corleone ;-).

After Giacomo's we headed to Mike's, where I had the world's greatest cannoli! It was fun to see the same employees working there--I'm sure it's family-owned.

After Church on Sunday, Steph and I visited her old friend Dennis. He lives in a house that his grandparents bought in the late 1800s (he's in his 60s). Dennis is a delightful character with wonderful stories, especially about his house. He showed us some secret passageways and even a hidden staircase. Apparently there are also underground tunnels that go to the water.

Stephanie and I had a blast together! We were missionary companions and it can safely be said that after the worst of times, WE HAD THE BEST OF TIMES!! We served together for 4.5 months and are now the Best of Friends!! Steph is brilliant and studied biochemistry at BU; now she is finding a cure for cancer. She has my vote for the Presidential Medal of Honor, the Nobel Prize, the Congressional Gold Medal, and maybe even the Silver Beaver Award (if the Boy Scouts would let me vote for a woman).

Matriculation Ceremony at Yale

Today marks the day I embark on the pursuit of my doctoral degree. President Richard Levin and Dean Jon Butler hosted a Matriculation Ceremony for all new graduate students. The ceremony opened with a brass quintet accompanying the faculty as they entered in their doctoral robes. It was a day of pomp and circumstance and it thrilled me to consider what a blessing education is.

After the ceremony we all visited the President's House.

Where we were able to put our names down in history. Since Yale first started awarding doctoral degrees it has allowed the candidates to sign a historic book. We only saw a portion of this book, but it was exciting for us to consider the many who had come before and the legacy our academic pursuits will leave.

And here's a part of my new cohort! We'll be together for a long, long time.