Break

I realized that I never did post about what I did on Spring Break. Is it really Spring Break when it comes way before Spring? It would have been more appropriately titled Winter Break.

I did manage to have some fun before I came down with a yucky cold. There are a few Washingtonians in my YSA group, and they had friends from WA come to visit. Laura and I joined with them and we formed The Washingtonians and had some fun in Erie. It's always fun to make instant friends in the gospel. Isn't it amazing when it's like you've always known each other?

We showed the visitors Presque Isle, and by the time we made it out there, the sun was setting and it was really lovely. I think I prefer the scenery there in the winter, it's so serene. I hadn't taken sunset pictures there before, I was glad I had my good camera with me. Lake Erie was very much frozen, and it was neat to see.

Yes, that is frozen Lake Erie behind me:

And it's nice to have Laura be my personal photographer.

I didn't do much else over break, tried (ha!) to clean my room. Got a few projects done or started. Spent time on the couch. Wanted to go to an art museum but didn't cause I felt crummy.

So there you have it. 

Sick and tired...of being sick and tired

More adventures for Ladybuglizzy...on Thursday night I started having incredible abdominal pain on my left side. Tried to go to sleep (and I was tired too) and I couldn't. That's a lot of pain if I can't sleep through it. After talking to my mom, I figured it was a kidney stone, but you never know. There's so much going on in your abdomen! What if it was an intestinal blockage, my appendix (some people have it on the wrong side) or another ovarian cyst?

My good mommy took me to the ER at one in the morning and we didn't get home til 5:30 am. That's love. And keep in mind the local hospital is not that great. Before we left, my dad said a prayer that my pain would be lowered and that I would get good care in the hospital and I'm glad to say that's what happened. Everyone who dealt with me was super nice and helpful, which is not always the case at this hospital. Prayer works.

By the time we got to the hospital, I had pretty much stopped hurting but it was still good to know why I had hurt so bad. It was pretty funny talking to the nurse since my pain scale is not the same as other people's pain scales. I have dealt with a lot of painful stuff throughout my life. Once you live through ear surgery while you're awake, you can handle anything. Someone else's 8 would be like my 5...

They took blood and urine, we waited for those tests. Yep, blood in urine, so off to catscan for my abdomen. Waited for those results. Yep, kidney stone. Waited for the rest of my IV bag to empty and then they let me go. While waiting for my IV to finish, I got some painkillers. I don't remember what they gave me, but it was good stuff. Helped me to sleep, but when I needed to get up and be functional, I was able to do so. I've taken painkillers in the past where I couldn't function, I slurred my words. Blech.

My parents and I were supposed to go on the temple trip on Saturday and didn't. My parents didn't want to be that far away from me for that long in case something happened. I felt bad that none of us went to the temple because of me- and my dad was actually going to go and I don't think he's been to the temple since I got my endowments out in 2002.

Well Mom called our branch president to cancel and news spreads fast in the Corry branch (thank goodness I didn't have something really really embarrassing!)- I got a phone call from my former branch president checking up on me. It was kind of him to call, but also a bit awkward since we don't usually chat on the phone. He had a bad ordeal with a stone awhile ago, I think he hurt for days. Somewhere in the short phone call he said "They say kidney stones hurt worse then having a baby" and I said "Well, I wouldn't know about that, huh?" and he was like "Oh yeah...well you should get working on that in the future." Only he would give me a zinger in the middle of a sympathy call, lol.

I spent the weekend sleeping and resting and taking it easy. Had a smaller recurrence of pain on Sunday. Didn't go to school Monday either. But part of that was the nail in the tire we discovered Sunday night. Overall I'm doing ok, it just stinks having to be functional and upright. I miss my couch today.

This is after having the flu and then a nasty cold. I'm getting pretty tired of being sick and tired. This needs to change! Between being sick and having a few snow days, I am missing too much school! I miss having a functional body.

Spring is coming, hooray! I need a change.



Kidney stones may not break my bones...but they sure hurt like heck.

Why Wait?

One of my sweet friends saw the embroidered dishtowels I had posted on FB recently and said something to the effect of "I'd love something special like that when I get married."

And that comment broke my little heart- why do us single gals put off the joys in life simply because we don't have a special someone?

So I asked her what her desired future kitchen colors were and made her a matching suite of embroidered dishtowels, towels, and a hotpad:

Sometimes the rules of life make me laugh- I'm not allowed to have matching, nice or cute things because I'm single and haven't had a bridal or baby shower? Where did I sign up for that?

Sometimes I swear I'm going to start throwing showers for my single galpals and myself...um, we like nice things too! Do we not matter?

It's all too easy to put off happiness and say "Well I'll have a cute kitchen when I'm married" or "Well I'll be happy when I'm married" or "I'll be happy when I have kids." But what in the meantime? You should allow yourself to be happy now. You are a worthwhile person now. Don't waste your time here on earth just because you're single and/or childless. Life's too short for that. It's easy to focus too much on the future and forget about today.

I don't discriminate- I made a different set of kitchen stuff for my friend who got married. Her desired kitchen colors were red, green, black and tan. She is in her early 30's and just married a great guy in the temple- gotta reward that.

So married or single, have a cute kitchen and seize the day.

Elder Scott

February 18th and 19th was a super duper busy weekend.

For starters, there was Snow Conference for the youth:

 It's a yurt!

I was all set to have one of my girls attend, and then when I went to pick her up she bailed- she was sick. I sat in her driveway- what to do? Should I still go even if I didn't have any youth going? I was pretty tempted not to go- the prospect of sleeping in (and not in a room of chatty teenage girls) was looking really good. Really good.

But I decided to go anyhow. I'd said I was going and didn't really have a way to contact them. Plus I enjoy myself at these things. And my friends would be there. It was pretty mild weather, our snow was melting.

Snow Conference turned out great. It's always nice to be places where you can feel the spirit. The kids had a dance Friday night (one boy asked my 19 yr old YSA friend to dance and was mortified to find out she was a chaperone! What a cougar, lol.). My friend Kaitlyn and I found ourselves talking to another leader I'd never met before. She was my age, married a younger man a couple years ago. She said to us "Oh, does this take you back?" and I was like, "Um, we're YSA- we've never left! We go to dances every other month or so and they aren't much different then this!". It was funny. Yeah most people my age don't go to YSA dances. Ha ha.

After not getting much sleep (chatty girls and 8am breakfast) we had classes on Saturday. We rotated through 6 classes in three spots- the girls cabin, and two yurts. I've seen yurts at home shows before, they're fun. Good classes- anytime you get to watch a clip of the Cosby show for a church lesson, it's great.

Overnight we got snow- and the temp had totally dropped. Good thing I brought my big coat and ice cleats!

I left after lunch and jetted about 3 hours in the snow and wind up to Palmyra because....

...Elder Scott was speaking in person to the YSA!

I found myself changing into dress clothes at the Palmyra McD's. I am getting talented at that.

It was, of course, a great meeting.

Elder Jay Jensen of the Seventy was also there in attendance. The YSA choir was actually really good. And I found it interesting that Elder Scott got up and stood to the side up on the stand so that he could properly watch the choir instead of just staying in his chair like everyone else up there. What a sweet man.

Elder Jensen spoke first and it was a really nice talk. He talked about how we are duel beings with a spirit and body. When God gives us revelation, he sends it to our spirits to direct our bodies. When Satan tries to tempt us, he sends those messages to our bodies in an attempt to enslave our spirits. He said that we surely had lessons before we came to earth- and the most important topics in that "class manual" were 1)The Atonement and 2) the family. He encouraged us to be a covenant Israel.

Then Elder Scott spoke. Would you believe that he has a sense of humor? He was sweet and funny that evening. He said we all needed a sense of humor in life. Would you believe that he wound up in a police station twice while dating his future wife? How funny is that? One time he passed a police car on the wrong side, another time they had car problems and a cop picked them up. And then he said "And she still married me." He was so sweet about his wife, he misses her.

Yes, you can imagine a lot of the evening was about dating and marriage. All good stuff. He talked about hard times- he and his wife lost a little boy due to a heart defect.

He said some words that I needed to hear- I've been worrying lately about what I'm going to do after I graduate- and of course I want it all laid out for me easy peasy. Well, he gave a reminder that that's not how it works, we go one step at a time. We can have a happy life, we have to put our faith in the Lord. I swear he was talking only to me when he said all that.

He also had a question and answer session. Some good questions were asked, some I kindof had to roll my eyes at. It was interesting to hear his responses. One girl asked about the disparity in the number of worthy men vs the number of worthy women in the church- what are us girls to do? It was interesting for a General Authority to come out and say that a lot of the women's opportunities for marriage depends on the choices that the men make- that they need to be making good choices. I don't know if I've heard men get called on the carpet like that before.

I really wanted to ask a question, but didn't have the opportunity. I wanted to ask for advice for those of us who are soon leaving the YSA program due to age. I also wanted to ask what the church is doing for those of us in this age demographic- I can't help but feel shunned or put out to pasture at times.

When he ended the meeting, he invoked several blessings upon the congregation, it was very special to be a part of that and hear such sweet words come out of his mouth. He invoked a blessing that  we would have protection from being manipulated by Satan. He invoked a blessing that we would be able to identify the boundaries in which happiness can be obtained.

And he invoked a special blessing on us sisters in the audience- that we can feel the Savior's love in our lives and have peace and guidance in our lives.

Don't rationalize happiness away.

I drove home in a windstorm and didn't get home til 2 am! And somehow I made it to church the next morning. I was Zombie Liz, but I was there.

I was so glad for a nap.