T.H.E. Mission

Howdy, all y'all!

Serving a mission was the best thing that I've ever done. A while back I made a list of SEVERAL of my favorite memories from serving in T.H.E. (Texas Houston East) Mission...there's more than one hundred...and it's just a start! Here it's goes...

companions
tracting
zone conferences
district meetings
letters from home
Book of Mormon
morning studies
beans and rice
Humble (pronounced without the "H")
members
investigators
Pasadena
South Houston
Preparation Days
President Sutherland
letters to the pres
journal
cockroaches
humidity
salsa ("salsita")
prayer
service
fire ants (ouch)
mosquitoes
pass-along cards
fire ants
floods
flooded out car
tres leches cake
cottage cheese
new insights
churches (of every religion) on every corner
Bible Belt
truths
skirts
April Fool's
Redd Day (all the elders wore red ties the day that I went home)
knee highs
Cici's Pizza
thunder storms
bikes
helmets (the hot, humidity, bikes, helmet, knee high combination isn't something you'd want to imagine...let alone see...We sure looked great! Let me tell ya! Other people thought so, too!)
carports
fake flowers in yards
Spanish
appointments
pecans
patience
diligence
suitcases
love bugs (I'm talking about the actual bugs)
inactives
converts
Sister "Redo"
"Hermana Redd"
"Hermana Colorada"
chaparrita
"Sister Polly Pocket" (courtesy of Sister Perry)
teaching
April 17, 2004 (the day I returned home...yup it's been almost 4 years)
November 5, 2002 (the day I got to Texas)
September 4, 2002 (the day I entered the M.T.C "empty sea")
tortas
homemade tortillas
bolillos
dogs
name tags/placas
golden investigators
Familia Gonzalez
Gina
Eric
"great and spacious" apartments
"Wake up and Smell the Gospel" (One Saturday morning we were tracting and no one was answering I think they were all still sleeping and didn't want to be bothered. I just wanted to yell out that our message was worth waking up for and listening to. And so much better than a cup of coffee!)
work
trainers
training
"all y'all"
"just fixin' to" translation "just about to"
H.E.B. (it's a grocery store)
Blue Bell ice cream (Texas is known for its oh so yummy/exclusive ice cream.)
refineries (I'm not talking about the refiner's fire...although that's true, too)
Navidad en El Barrio
Nativity Exhibit in Kingwood
Sisters' Day
Familia Perez
Familia Quintanilla
Familia Hernandez
Familia Felan
Christmas
Living Christmas cards
La Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Ultimos Dias
flautas
horchata
crab soup
pica, pica
library
teaching English
Carolyn and Hearthstone
discussions/charlas
testimony
spirit
blitzes
armadillo
snake
falling in a manhole
Rosa
Enma
excema (still plaguing me today. Argh!)
transfers (or lack thereof...I only had 2 areas...my companions came and went...)
dinner mishaps
Schurdells
door slams
"Somos representantes"
HOT
ice cream vendors
20 months
"You pie"
temple
baptisms
2815 W Lake Houston
"fat, little heart" (Hermana George)
hand over heart (sign of deep emotion), courtesy of Sister Perry
"breathe" (with the hand high above the head and then brought down to the heart), courtesy of Hermana Jensen
"Smile for life is ever so beautiful" (Hermana Butler)

It's amazing to me how much T.H.E mission impacted my life! I can't even begin to describe all the ways that I learned and all the things I experienced. It's still affecting me today. I still love those people so much. I recently had a dream where I saw several families and companions from the mission at an Angels baseball game. Random, I know, but I woke up so happy...and then so sad that it didn't really happen. I learned so much about myself, the gospel, and about others. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I hope and pray that my service was acceptable to the Lord and I continue to strive to do what he would have me do.

Bless the Broken Road

I love, love, love the country band Rascal Flatts. I went to one of their concerts with some of my girlies...pretty much the best music ever! Tonight is Valentine's Day Eve (or might I say Single's Awareness Day) and I wanted to share one of my favorite songs, one of Rascal Flatts biggest hits. This song pretty much sums up what I can't wait to say/feel when I meet the man of my dreams...

Bless the Broken Road by Rascal Flatts

I set out on a narrow way many years ago
Hoping I would find true love along the broken road
But I got lost a time or two
Wiped my brow and kept pushing through
I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you
Every long lost dream lead me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you
I think about the years I spent just passing through
I'd like to have the time I lost and give it back to you
But you just smile and take my hand
You've been there you understand
It's all part of a grander plan that is coming true
Every long lost dream lead me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you

Rexburg Idaho Temple Dedication

While I was in Idaho, I was able to attend the Rexburg Temple Dedication. It just happened that the dedication was switched to this weekend...the weekend that I was there! What an awesome blessing! The temple is beautiful! It's at the top of the hill, near the famous water tower. You can see it for miles and miles! During the dedication I was reminded of the simplicity of the gospel. I love it! The Church is truly becoming a worldwide church and with so many temples dotting the earth! Rexburg Temple is the 125th.

It was also awesome to see President Monson in his new calling as president of the church! He dropped a little mortar while he was sealing the cornerstone. Later as someone else was putting in their mortar asked them to pick up what he had dropped and remarked, "That's what's called repentance."

Greetings from Rexburg!

Can't go to Idaho without going to the home of the biggest hamburgers ever, Big Judds! 1 lb of beef in each Big Judd! Yikes! I'd like to say that I ate the whole thing, but that would be a lie...and we all know where liars go...

The two love birds...Ratch and Brandon...how sweet! Sickos! Not only did we eat huge hamburgers, but big waffle cones...

Laura Kidd, Ratch, me (the bride and her bridesmaids) at Craigo's Pizza...a popular college hang out. We spent hours upon hours searching for bridesmaid dresses...and eating...
My soon to be married sis and me...

Here we are...eating AGAIN!

We sure carried on the Redd family tradition...eating...and talking about the next meal while still eating...

One of Rachel's lifelong dreams was fulfilled this weekend...that of finding her wedding dress! And one of my lifelong dreams was fulfilled this weekend (not nearly as monumental...), I got to snowmobile in Brandon's parents' front yard! So fun! Remind me again what I'm doing in the hot AZ desert...

Being back in Rexburg brought back a lot of great memories...

I spent 2 years of my life at Ricks College, now BYU-Idaho. Yup! That's right...I went there when it was still Ricks College which will forever date me, but at least I can say that I was in the last graduating class.
Here's a few choice memories...

1. Lotsa snow...slipping on the ice

2. Near death experience...falling on the stairs

3. Roommies

4. Great friends...great times..great memories

5. Hearing all the dating juice...wishing it were me

6. Dial up internet...tied up phone lines...

7. Beautiful sunsets

8. Awesome weekly devotionals...awesome religion classes...my testimony grew so much

9. Making biscuits and Orange Juliuses at midnight...and leaving the mess until the following day

10. Swapping different colors of dorm furniture so we'd have mismatched furniture...

11. Playing Skip-bo hours on end...to avoid the dreaded homework

12. Becoming S-M-R-T...that "smart"