Wedding Party

After being sealed together at the Washington, DC Temple, Leah and I headed back up to Harford County for the wedding reception. When we arrived, preparations were still being made, though the majority had been done on the days leading up. What was left was mostly related to food. We had a relatively simple meal of baked ham, baked potatoes, and green beans, helpfully prepared by people of Debbie's ward.

Leah's younger brother Ryan and his wife Dana preparing food in the kitchen

Look at that spread!

We also had lots and lots of sugar. We had a hot chocolate bar (which used a cocoa mix that I made myself) with oodles of toppings and a chocolate fountain with lots dipping choices. We got lots of compliments on both features, though the biggest compliments were from our young nieces and nephews who, towards the end, were running around with chocolate smeared on their faces, resembling hyperactive Dickensian orphans.

Sherlin provided all of the calligraphy work 

A dream come true

Since we knew we’d be hungry, we scheduled dinner first, which was served buffet style (we already recruited cooks, I can't imagine recruiting servers). After some time to eat and visit, speeches were given by the Matron of Honor, Rachel, and the Best Man, Isaac. Rachel, one of two of Leah's best friends, gave a sweet speech about how she sees how happy I make Leah. Isaac’s speech was about how salt is a seasoning that brings out the best flavors in a dish and how Leah is the salt in my life. Both Leah and I were touched by their heartfelt words.

Raise your mugs in a toast!

Rachel mentioned that I made her a pie for her birthday, which helped win her over

I admit to being a little confused at the beginning of Isaac's speech at first, but he really brought it all together at the end

Next, came our first dance. We had a little trouble picking a song, largely because Leah and I have different musical preferences, but we settled on "All of Me" by John Legend—I liked it because it has a traditional jazz feel and she liked it because the lyrics are sweetly romantic. As we danced, we talked and made each other smile and even laugh, which is kind of perfect for us.

Looks like we caught Leah mid-giggle

After our first dance, the floor was opened for everyone to dance. (I may post our song list later, but one song that’s proven to be Leah’s "get-up-and-go" song, was featured early on.) We didn’t get a chance to do any more dancing because we were pulled away for more pictures.

 We are full of sugar, so we must dance!

Sugar highs lead to sugar crashes

Leah's oldest brother, Rob, had to leave the temple early and wasn't there when we exited, thus he missed the family pictures. Since he was at the reception, we decided to try again and gathered in the Relief Society room. Being in a heated building made pictures much easier than the chilly winds outside the temple, so everyone loosened up and had fun.

The newest member of the Grabowski family 

It's nice to have the support of my wife's family

After pictures and a little crowd work, we cut our wedding cake that Sherlin had very kindly prepared for us. Leah had warned me ahead of time not to smash the cake in my face, which I wasn't planning on anyway: smashing the cake in the bride or groom's face is only funny if it's unexpected, but people have been doing it for a long time, so it's no longer unexpected and thus not funny. The tiers that were sliced up were lemon-raspberry and funfetti with sprinkles of our colors of purple and silver, but the way they melted made the cake look like it was blueberry-flavored. Regardless, it was quite tasty.

The youngest guest, Emma, with the eldest guest, Grandma Bonnie

We even found a way to include Pinto!

Cut…

… and serve

Two flavor options

The time flew by and before we realized, it was time to leave. Instead of throwing rice or blowing bubbles, we had our guests hold up sparklers. (Our photographer told us later that she's seen sparkler send offs before, but ours was the best looking she’d ever seen.)

Sparks were really flying that night

Once we got to my car, we discovered that it had been "decorated." At some point during the reception, Margot came and got my keys from me, not saying why she needed them, so I assumed that the car was being prepared for our departure, though I wasn't prepared for what was actually done. The car had been plastic-wrapped to a nearby light pole, though that was easy enough to remove. What was particularly annoying was that the car was filled from floor to ceiling with balloons. I pulled out enough balloons from the passenger side so that Leah could get in, but when I started doing the same on the driver's side, someone took pity on me and passed me an unlit sparkler, of which I was able to use the handle to pop the remaining balloons. With the balloons gone, I got into the car and drove home with my new bride.

 That's not too bad

Leah thought it was funnier than I did

A man unamused

I'm really happy with how the wedding reception turned out. A lot of work was done by not a lot of people in a short period of time and I'm so happy with the result. The reception was a way for us to celebrate our new marriage with our friends and family, which I think we accomplished in spades.

Mere symbols of our covenants, but ones that match

General Conference, April 2018

This past weekend was General Conference, which I always enjoy, but this was special because it was the first one I shared with Leah since we got married. Add to that the Solemn Assembly and the changes made to Priesthood organization (High Priests joining the Elders Quorum of each ward and branch) and ministering (doing away with Home and Visiting Teaching), this was quite an exciting Conference.

In addition to the big changes listed above, the biggest takeaways I had involved our worship of Christ and our interactions with others. The importance of selfless service—not as a way to talk about the gospel, but simply as a way to help our fellow man—was repeated numerous times. And with so many people reiterating the late President Monson's advice to read the Book of Mormon prompted Leah and me to again hold daily family scripture study (which we conducted for several months, but got out of the habit of).

I'm so grateful that we have a living prophet in President Russel M. Nelson and look forward to his ministry, however long it may be.

Mother's Day 2017

For Mother’s Day this year, I spent a good portion of the day with Leah’s mom, Debbie. The day began with Leah and me attending Debbie’s ward, which also meant that Debbie showed me off like I was a prized Pomeranian at the Westminster Dog Show. Plenty of people were quite friendly, saying “hi” to me and asking a few questions to get to know me; oddly, nobody introduced themselves, so when Debbie asked if I met anyone, all I could say was, “Yes, but no one told me their name.”

After church, we went back to the Grabowski family home for me to make dinner. As our Mother’s Day gift to Debbie, Leah had offered my skills in the kitchen. A couple of weeks earlier, we had discussed different dinner options and Debbie requested garlic shrimp pasta. Leah was my sous-chef and handled cooking the pasta and providing me with ingredients and dishes, while I cooked the shrimp and made the butter sauce. We doubled the recipe, which meant that I encountered some surprises when I tried to fit everything into a skillet that wasn’t big enough, but I was able to figure out a workaround.

When dinner was served, there wasn’t a lot of talk, just a lot of eating. Debbie liked dinner so much that she made herself a lunch box while there were still leftovers. Good thing, too, because everyone went back for a second helping.

I may not have been able to spend time with my own mother for Mother’s Day, but I still honored an important mother in my life.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

On Friday night, all of the wards in the Baltimore area had the opportunity to attend an Orioles game as part of Mormon night.  These sorts of events happen all over the country (including in the land of my nativity, San Diego), so it was nice to be a part of it here.

As you can see in the above picture, we had seats just right behind home plate, which made following the game easy.  Unfortunately, we were way up in the nosebleed section.  Still, I had a bird's eye view of the whole thing.

The first inning was really exciting, with the Orioles scoring five home runs to the Houston Astros' one.  After that, however, the Astros just kept getting home run after home run.  The final score was 8-15, with Houston winning.

Even though the O's didn't perform as well as I'd hoped, I still had a great time.  I sat with Leah and her mom, along with one of Leah's best friends, Katie, and her husband David.  Plus, lots of other people from my ward were there, too.

David, Katie, Leah, me

(Leah's mom, Debbie, had stepped away)

Baltimore pride!

I still don't consider myself a sports guy, but I'm always up for going to a baseball game, especially when the company is so nice.

The City of Brotherly Love

On Saturday, I went to the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Temple open house with my ward.  The trip down was a bit longer than expected due to heavy traffic, but the wait was worth it.

The Philadelphia Temple was designed with a neoclassical aesthetic and most of the people I talked to said that it reminded them buildings in the National Mall, like the White House.  The outer walls are covered in granite, while the interior had lots of intricate wood work on wall moldings.  Unique to the Philadelphia temple is a painting in the waiting room depicting the signing of the Declaration of Independence, an event that was ordained of God and happened in the same city.

While I was mostly marveling at the architecture and design work, others were impressed with the spirit of the temple, which could be felt even before being dedicated.  Brian, who was baptized that morning before we left Baltimore, felt especially moved while we were in the Celestial room, saying how he can't wait until he's been a member long enough to be worthy for a recommend.  Alex, who's struggled with his activity in the Church, asked the Bishop "What would it take for me to get a temple recommend?"  It's amazing how people are touched, simply by seeing a temple.

The DC Temple has a permanent replica of the Christus, so I've seen it several times very recently.

Even so, it doesn't get old.

Most of the group from my ward in front of the Christus.

After the tour was over, we met up at large indoor food court for lunch, though a late one.  Being in Philly, I had to get a Philly cheesesteak.  The one I got was from a food stand called By George.  It was a really good cheesesteak. It was also huge -- I still have half of it waiting for me in the fridge.

The picture may by posed, but that facial expression is genuine.

While Leah didn't come to the open house with the ward (she's going with her mom later this week), I went to see her after I got back.  I met most of her family at a get-together at her mom's house and they were all very nice, if uproarious, people.

And, unrelated to my visit with her family, Leah and I have decided to exclusively date each other.  That's right: we're going steady.

Leah and me outside of our church building.

This weekend was jam-packed with activities and people, but I enjoyed it all and I'm happy with the results.

Called to Serve

On Saturday, I attended my ward's pool party.  It was fun to cook on the grill and swim in the pool and generally interact with the members in my ward, but something unusual happened while I was there: I sat down with the Bishopbric so they could extend a calling to me.  So, despite all of the other people milling about, we sat in our shorts and discussed what my new responsibilities would be in my new calling.  I accepted the call with the promise that it would be announced in church the next day.

Sure enough, on Sunday my name was called for a sustaining vote in my new position as ward mission leader.  There was an opening in this position, so I knew there was a chance that could be the calling, but I still wasn't expecting it.  Interestingly, the Bishop said that while he and his counselors had been considering me for the position, the thing that clinched it for me was how well I handled FHE last Monday.  Apparently, I showed good leadership skills, as well as the fact that I knew how to properly prepare.

I don't really know all of what my calling will entail as of yet, but I'm ready to step up and learn.  We just got a second set of missionaries assigned to the ward, so they need a liaison to the Bishop now more than ever.

I know that the Lord wants me in this calling and I plan to do the best that I can while serving in it.

A Lot of Fun

Saturday afternoon, I got a text from a member of the Bishopbric, asking me to handle Family Home Evening the following Monday.  I haven't been shy about complaining when I think an activity was less than ideal, so I knew if I was going to do it, it needed to be really good.  Following the advice of my parents, I talked to my little brother, Isaac, for some ideas.  He had several, but one in particular stood out: Pictionary.

In preparation, I wrote down 25 different scripture stories, ranging from "Nephi breaks his bow" to "The Mount of Transfiguration" and cut up the paper so that each prompt was on a thin strip.  I also baked some chocolate chip cookies for the treat, but that's just my style.  I put all the prompts in a trilby I inherited from my grandfather for people to draw out of and went to the church.

At the actual gathering, I gave a brief lesson based on 1 Nephi 19:23 about the importance of likening the scriptures to our own lives and even had a few people participate.

Then we played Pictionary, "likening" the scriptures by using drawings.  I counted everyone off to avoid friends being on the same team which might have created an unfair advantage, but it didn't really matter.  Team II dominated Team I.  Even so, members from both teams said more than once, "This is a lot of fun."  (For those curious, the easiest clue was "Jonah swallowed by the whale" and the hardest was "Paul seeks an audience with Caesar.")

I had fun preparing for Family Home Evening and I'm glad everyone had fun, but I'm also glad that it's not my regular calling.

Meet-cute

At Church on Sunday, before Sacrament Meeting started, I noticed a girl who I hadn't seen before.  She was cute and I made a point to introduce myself once the meeting was over, but I was delayed and when I looked over to where she had been sitting, she was gone.  I shrugged it off and I went to teach Sunday School.

After Priesthood was over I went to collect my container that I had brought the cookies in from the Relief Society room, when I saw the cute girl from earlier.  I took advantage of the second chance and walked over and said "hi."  The reason I hadn't seen Leah (the girl's name) before was that she had just gotten back from vacation in Washington State where she was visiting her sister for the past three weeks.  We were really hitting it off and I was getting ready to ask for her number when some guy walked up and started talking to us.  With the guy standing right there, it felt awkward to ask for her number, so I simply told her that it was nice meeting her and left, though I decided that when I saw her next Sunday, I would ask for her number.

Monday evening, I got an email from an LDS dating site, telling me that I had a new message.  This surprised me because while I had set up a profile on the site, I thought I had deactivated it.  Curious, I went to the site to investigate.  Now, with dating sites, you can set up a profile for free and can even send other users messages, but in order to read the messages you receive, you have to pay a membership fee.  I had never paid that fee, so I couldn't read the message.  However, I was able to see who sent it.  Then, I went and looked at who had recently viewed my profile, which you can also do for free.  Sure enough, the last person who had viewed my profile was the same one who had sent me the message.  I clicked on the profile and saw that it was Leah from church the day before.  Turns out I wasn't the only one who was interested!  Since I couldn't read her message, I looked up her email in the Ward directory and wrote her a new email, explaining why I didn't respond to her message through the dating site.  I also gave her my phone number.

The next morning, I got a text from Leah.  Because she works evenings at a group home for developmentally disabled adults, she starts work right before I leave the office.  But she's able to text while at work, so we've been in communication ever since.  (She's 29 and also divorced with no kids.)  I suggested that she meet me for lunch near my office, so we could see each other before the weekend.  She accepted.  That's how I had lunch with a cute girl named Leah today.  I had a really great time and we're already planning to see each other again on Saturday (and on Sunday, too, of course).

I don't know if Leah and I will make it past the second date, but it sure is great to have met someone who's just as interested in me as I am in her.

Full Weekend

I know that it's a cliche that Mondays are so hard because they destroy our weekends, but I think Mondays are one of my favorite days of the workweek: everyone's coming back from the weekend, so expectations are lower compared to other days and it's the beginning of the week, so you aren't burned out from the corporate grind yet.  It's a nice balance.  And occasionally, it's nice to come back to work after a long, busy weekend.  The latter is what I experienced today.

What happened that wore me out?

• On Friday after work, I drove to DC for a joint-ward baptismal temple trip; afterwards, I went and got food with some girls from my ward, plus Jenn (the girl I met at the temple a couple of weeks ago -- we've decided to be friends, so it was nice to see her again)
• On Saturday, I went to the Post Office right as it opened in order to pick up a package (a new Kitchenaid stand mixer that my mom sent me -- thanks, Mom!) and then went to the church to help clean: I was the only representative from the Elder's Quorum (and I was late)
• Also on Saturday, I laid out by my apartment complex's pool; at my dermatology appointment last week, I was diagnosed with vitiligo and the doctor recommended that I get more sun exposure, so I figured that I might as well try to get a tan on my torso as well (yes, I'm sunburned, but only mildly so)
• In preparation for Sunday, I used my new mixer to make some double chocolate cookies
• On Sunday, I taught Sunday School -- it's not a new calling, I was just filling in for the regular teach who was on vacation; I incorporated the cookies into my lesson and then passed them out (and then I made sure the leftovers were passed around in Relief Society)
• My lesson apparently made an impact because after priesthood meeting, the bishop called me aside to tell me that he had gotten some positive feedback from some of those who attended the lesson (and he didn't even mention the cookies) -- I guess word travels fast
• After church, I asked if anyone wanted to go to a fireside at the DC Temple Visitor's Center that evening, saying that I would be happy to drive, I just didn't want to go alone
• I thought it was a YSA fireside; it wasn't
• My passengers were a sister who was baptized about about ten months ago and a brother who had just moved in the Friday before; I think they both got more out of the fireside that I did (I don't regret going, I was just really annoyed at myself for misunderstanding the nature of the meeting)
• After dropping people off, it was nearly 10 PM by the time I got home (for those keeping score at home, that's two trips to DC and back in three days)

As you can see, I had a valid reason for looking forward to starting work again today: I needed a regular work day just to take a break.

Mild Success

I attended a YSA temple night tonight.  It was the most packed I've seen the Endowment room in quite a while.  And while the session was uplifting and quite nice, my main motivation for going was the fact that after the session was over, we all met in the cafeteria in the basement for snacks and hanging out.

The promised snacks (cookies) were replaced with something else entirely (a vegetable tray), but there were singles from a much greater area than just my ward, which I liked.  In fact, I met one woman from the Columbia Stake, which is the stake I was in while I lived in Ellicott City.  We were talking with the group, but I noticed her noticing me (because I was noticing her) and as we were leaving, I asked for her phone number.

And she gave it to me.

So far, we've only texted each other enough to confirm that we have the right numbers, so don't read too much into it, but it feels good to get my feet a wet in the dating world.

Shut Up

I attended the local YSA ward on Sunday and joined them for FHE this evening.  I made sure I introduced myself to as many people as possible, but I ended up interacting with more men than women.  If I'm to be attending this ward moving forward (which I haven't decided on yet) than I'll need some guy friends too, so that's okay for the first week (rest assured, though, that I'll be focusing my efforts on talking to the sisters in the ward).

Well, this is a pretty young ward -- the men more than the women -- and I feel a bit out of place, especially when compared to my last ward where the average age in the Elder's Quorum was in the early-to-mid thirties.  What's one thing that all young men have in common?  They think they're right even they aren't (I suppose it could be argued that all men have this in common, regardless of age).  That can pose a problem when I offer an opinion (which is neither right nor wrong), only for someone to argue otherwise.  This very situation unfolded a few times this evening, with several different men spouting nonsense and backing up their claims with something approaching sense that only fell apart when examined with any scrutiny.  (And yes, the irony that I did this sort of thing all the time not that long ago is not lost on me).  I was starting to get annoyed when I realized the solution.

I can't convince them of anything, so I shouldn't waste the effort.  Basically, I need to keep my mouth shut.  And I just realized that this approach will probably help me stand out more: in a ward full of guys endlessly pontificating, the one who doesn't always need to be right is unique.

Sometimes we need to see our own flaws in others in order for us to realize how negative they are.  After my interactions tonight, I want to make sure that I'm better than that moving forward.  Here's to progress.

Looking Like a Home

I've been living in my current apartment for nearly a year, and while I've had visitors from time to time, I've never had anyone over for dinner.  The biggest obstacle with that was the fact that I didn't own a dining room table.  I recently noticed that the Elders in my ward aren't getting a lot of dinner appointments, and I decided that it was time I got a table so I could help them out.

On Saturday, Ian was kind enough to lend me the use of his truck (with him as the driver) and we visited IKEA.  I had done my research and I knew what I wanted, so the trip was pretty quick.  I've learned over the years that paying extra for natural materials will make the item in question last much longer (I learned that the hard way with shoes), so I got a table made of solid wood.  Now, the wood is pine, so it's still not fancy or anything, but I am happy with my purchase.

Assembling it was an easy if time consuming task and I was able to eat my dinner at my new table by that evening.

A simple table for a simple home.

Now armed with a dining set, I signed up to feed the Elders tomorrow night.  It should be fun.

The Weekend Where Everything Happened

My weekend was long and full of adventure:

• I reduced my medication and was full of energy again starting Saturday.
• I met Ian, Sherlin, and the kids for lunch and playing.  The younger kids still make sure that I take turns flipping them around and fulfill my duties as the Fun Uncle.
• We went to a barbecue hosted by Jimmy, the guy who plays lead guitar in our not-a-band.
• We had a jam session in front of everyone (the only people who were really invested were the ones we brought).  We were missing our drummer, Joe, and his absence was really felt, but it still felt so good to play with a group again.  And I don't know if the others could tell, but my lessons are really paying off.
• I got home late because I stopped for groceries on the way home and my neighbor asked for some help moving a dresser into his upstairs apartment.  After the dresser was in its new home, he offered me money as reward, but I refused (as I did to his offer of beer); I did, however, accept a box of high-quality chicken breast -- the man works as a delivery man for a meat company and was allowed to use some product for his own purposes, so he used one box to pay me. I may have to help him again.
• I attended a Linger Longer after church on Sunday and stayed the whole time and talked and met new people -- it's amazing what happens when you're not depressed and have energy to do something about it.
• I cleaned up my dining room that had been messy for months due to my depression.
• I baked a loaf of whole wheat fig bread, a strawberry cake, and a double batch of cream cheese cookies.  I took them with me for my visit with my good friends the Simciks.  It was so good seeing them again.  In fact, when I got there, my arms full of goodies, I went right in their open door so I could put the food down before turning to see Mark and suddenly I was giddy with excitement.  Based on how he and Lori reacted, they were too.  It was just like seeing family that you haven't seen in a while.  It was so wonderful talking with them and sharing a meal (the loaf of bread was intended for Samuel, my old roommate, which they promised to pass on).  When it came time for them to leave for a dinner engagement, Lori started debating if they should flake out to stay and continue visiting, but I made their decision easy for them by making my way to the door.  Hugs were exchanged and we agreed that we needed to meet again sooner and not go so long between visits.
• On my way home, I stopped by a clothing store to return some pants that I decided did not fit as well as I had thought in the store.  When I was parking, I noticed a set of missionary Elders walking around.  I made sure to say hi them and ask how they were doing.  I told them what ward I attend and they named some of the Elders serving there, though I had trouble confirming all of them (we have four companionship in my ward).  It was about 5:30, so I asked them if they had a dinner appointment that evening.  They admitted that they did not, so I told them to wait while I handled the return and then I'd take them to dinner.  I had them pick the restaurant because I didn't know the area very well (I knew the store I had gone to and not much else), so we went to a Chinese buffet.  We talked about where they're from and what they're plans are for careers and education, but they mostly asked about me.  After they were sufficiently fed (I had a few pieces of sushi, but I was mostly full from my visit with the Simciks), I paid the bill and I drove the Elders back to their car in the parking lot where I had seen them earlier.  As they got out of the car, they asked for my name because they want to talk me up to the Elders in my ward when they see them at the next Zone meeting.
• I came home and made banana bread to take to work tomorrow.

Like I said, my weekend was busy.  Busy, but great.

Resume-Man

Just as I had in my last ward, I've been volunteering my time in my current ward to help members with their resumes.  I admit that I'm not very quick about it and I know I could be doing a better job with my timeliness, but the senior couple that act as the ward's Employment Specialists only say nice things about the work I've done.  While I know that they're being sincere, it feels like too much.  Maybe I'm thinking about how I don't get to the resumes as fast as I know I could, while they only see what I actually turn in.

This last Sunday, I got to see some of the fruits of my labors. At church, I was introduced to a member who I had not met, but I had worked on her resume.  She came up to me to personally thank me for the help I had provided.  Apparently, she had submitted her resume with my changes and had found a job.  I congratulated her and pointed out that I had only helped with the presentation: if she had had nothing to for me to work with, making it pretty wouldn't have helped.  Still, it was nice to see that my efforts had helped someone.

In an effort to improve my turn around time, I got another resume this afternoon and I already edited it and returned.  Hopefully, I'll be able to keep that kind of pace up in the future.

Easter Break

I did something different for Easter this year: I went to visit my sister, Margot, and her family.  I was only there for a couple of days, but I had a great time.  I helped make dinner on Saturday, I baked goodies, and I played with my nieces and nephews.

While I was there, one of my nephews, Cooper, was baptized!  His dad, Bryan, performed the baptism and I got to join in for the confirmation.

It was a fun trip, but a tiring one.  So instead of detailing everything that happened, I'll share some pictures.

Making blue cookies for Cooper's baptism.

Phoebe was my helper when I made brownies.

The funny thing about this one is that I'm the only one with a bow in my hair.

Cooper and his parents before his baptism.

Cooper and some of his extended family (we took a bunch of pictures and I guess Cooper is a bit over it in this on).

General Conference, April 2016

With another Conference came another opportunity to listen to the apostles and other General Authorities.  Here are my thoughts:

The main theme that I saw was the broad topic of "eternal families."  This included family life, genealogy, temple work, resurrection, eternal marriage, proper parenting, and more.  Nearly every speaker touched on this theme, even if only briefly.

One talk in particular that I liked was Elder Hales' talk on the Holy Ghost.  It was simple and straight forward, but it really stuck with me, perhaps because I found it so relatable.

Outside of Conference, it was great to spend time with Ian and the kids.  I made breakfast both days -- French toast and bacon on Saturday and biscuits and scrambled eggs on Sunday; the Clara and Henry helped both times.  The kids had trouble paying attention, but they both got excited when President Monson got up to speak.  (Side story: I asked Henry what we would call someone who was a high ranking military officer with the last name Conference.  Because of his lack of knowledge of military ranks -- and his slight speak impediment -- he said "Sir Cumference!"  The kid beat me at my own game ...)

That's what I got out of Conference.  How about you?

Thirty-third Year

My birthday was on Wednesday.  Birthdays aren't a big deal for me, so I wasn't expecting much and I was not disappointed this year.

When I got to work, I found a gift bag on my desk.  Inside was a rather nice looking cookbook focused on baking.  What was really clever was that each person in my department had placed a post-it note on the page of the treat they wanted me to bake for them.  I thought it pretty funny: my gift was a book, while their gifts will come later when I use my present.

That evening, I met with the Bishop and the Ward Clerk to discuss one of my responsibilities in my new calling.  The meeting lasted longer than I expected, but I was happy to be available to serve.

While it might not seem like much, the celebrating isn't over.  When I visit the Larsens over the weekend for General Conference, we'll share the cake that Ian baked for me, the first one he's made from scratch.

If birthdays are decent, I consider it a win.  With this year's being better than that, I'm more than happy.

Unofficial Third Calling

I found out from my bishop yesterday that the Ward Employment Specialists in my ward have appreciated the help I've provided in editing resumes enough that they have asked multiple times for me to be called as a welfare missionary.  In fact, just yesterday, the bishop had to tell them "no" twice.

The way he explained it to me is that I'm already fulfilling that need because I have the skills and I offered to help; I don't need a third calling to continue to do what I'm already doing.  Plus, by it being something for which I volunteer and not an official calling, I have a bit more flexibility on when I work on the resumes.  That's not to say that I put them off, just that I don't have to feel guilty for not getting to them right away.

Even so, I'm acting like I have another calling, even if it isn't on the records.

Special Communication

I was set apart yesterday in my new capacity as Ward Communications Specialist.  When my duties were first explained to me, it mostly amounted to "take care of the bulletin."  However, the email I got after church yesterday detailed what my responsibilities were actually going to be.

1. Coordinate Sunday Bulletin
⦁ Work with Executive Secretary to get speakers, prayer assignments, and announcements into bulletins each week.
⦁ Print bulletins prior to Sacrament Meeting and provide printed copies to greeters.
2. Email Communications
⦁ Work with Bishopric to develop a strategic communications plan.
⦁ Assist in crafting messages.
⦁ Help send messages when appropriate.
3. Emergency Communications
⦁ Assist Bishopric in devising Emergency Communication Plan.
⦁ Identify resources to enable mass communication system (emails, robo-calls, texts, etc.).
4. Letters to Members
⦁ Assist the Bishop in sending out letters when appropriate.
5. Develop Backup Plans
⦁ Ensure that responsibilities are handled when you must be absent.

That looks an awful lot like the responsibilities for some form of technical writer, doesn't it?  I guess the Lord had plans for me when he sent me to live here.

I'm happy for my new calling and look forward to fulfilling my duties.

Incremental Improvement

Friday evening after work, as I was driving home, I felt myself starting to get anxious.  I had no plans for the weekend and that usually ends in disaster.  I hadn't slept well the night before, so I decided to skip the gym, which made it easier to make unhealthy choices regarding what I ate for dinner.  Still, I reigned things in, ate a modest dinner, and went to bed early.

I woke up on Saturday feeling better, but I was still tired, despite getting plenty of sleep.  I got up and ate breakfast,  but I never felt like I really woke up.  After fighting the fatigue for a couple of hours, I took a nap.  I struggled to wake up when my alarm went off, but I eventually pulled myself out of bed.  I ate some fruit to raise my blood sugar and get me moving, which helped, but I still felt weird.  I wanted to make it to the gym or even just do my grocery shopping for the week, but I wasn't able to leave my apartment even once that day.

After the last day-and-a-half, I was afraid that I wouldn't make it to church on Sunday, so I fasted that I would attend my meetings the next day.  Thankfully, that helped and I made it to church in time for Sacrament meeting.  I was still feeling anxious and I wasn't able to participate in any of the lessons, but I was there, which is better than I managed last week.

I've been praying a lot about the upcoming change to my medication and I feel that it's a good move.  I don't know if the next drug will be what I stick with for the long haul, but it will at least mark the beginning of my investigation.  I know that if it's a struggle for me to just function on a day that I don't have work, there's something majorly wrong.  Still, at least I left the house and made it to church; that alone make this weekend a win.