Living On Purpose

The Musician in Me

2010-06-30T11:44:00.001-06:00

Recently I was given specific instruction on what I need to be doing in my life. This wasn't just someone telling me what to do, it came from a trusted source. THE source I go to for guidance and direction. Since this instruction was given I've decided it's time to learn how to play the guitar. I've always wanted to but never had the time or the drive. Now I have both and I'm excited. I traded my brother my electronic keyboard for his old acoustic. Now if I only knew how to play it.

Marry Me

2010-06-22T16:57:00.000-06:00

There's this song by Train that I've discovered and I wanted to share it with you. It's simple, but I love the words. No this isn't linked to any relationship, but it is sort of my manifestation of the love I am welcoming into my life. I've italicized words that speak to me. The song in playing on my playlist so turn up your volume, close your eyes and enjoy...

Forever can never be long enough for me

To feel like I've had long enough with you

Forget the world now, we won't let them see

But there's one thing left to do

Now that the weight has lifted

Love has surely shifted my way

Marry me today and every day

Marry me if I ever get the nerve to say hello in this cafe

Say you will, say you will

Together can never be close enough for me

To feel like I am close enough to you

You wear white and I'll ware out the words I love you

And you're beautiful

Now that the wait is over

And love has finally shown her my way

Marry me today and every day

Marry me if I ever get the nerve to say hello in this cafe

Say you will, say you will

Promise me you'll alway be happy by my side

I promise to sing to you when all the music dies

Marry me today and every day

Marry me if I ever get the nerve to say hello in this cafe

Say you will, say you will

♥ Melissa

Things As They Really Are

2010-06-16T05:26:00.000-06:00

In some ways I live a very disconnected life. Although I see my family often, almost all of my friends are "virtual", meaning that our relationship is exclusively online. Sure, at one point we were friends in "real life", but now our friendship consists of emails, wall posts and status updates. It's a great way to keep in touch with the masses, don't get me wrong. But I'll admit, part of me longs for that human connection. It's something easily lost in today's electronic society.

Over the last year since I've been dating online I've recognized how easy and yet how difficult it is to actually meet and get to know someone exclusively on line. We read someones profile and in a matter of minutes asses if they're the right one for us or not. We may easily connect online, but due to time, distance and the balancing of priorities it's difficult to find/make the time actually BE in a relationship. Sure, there's usually a picture and a paragraph to describe the person, but it will always fall short to the magnificence that is that human being. I find myself doing it all the time and know it's been done to me a million times as well.

On my profile I'm 5' 9" brunette with sometimes straight, sometimes wavy hair who likes conversation, discussing politics, American Idol and camping. But what those people don't see is the way I listen when they speak. Or the way I sing like a rock star in the car when I'm driving alone. They don't see me struggeling to feel like an adequate parent and how most days I'm elated if I get my bed made. There not amazing or unique things, but they are things that are uniquely me. My profile or my facebook page could never show you the human being I am the way being with me will.

There's a tinge of sadness when I think of all the great people and moments I'm missing everyday. But I also remember some of the amazing moments I've had- like when I met Art at the McDonald's play land and we talked for over an hour. The time I met Holly on the plane to Vegas and we talked the entire flight. (We're still facebook friends to this day!) Or meeting Diane at Calyco training when we instantly clicked and became friends on day one. So many great moments are made when the spirit and body of two people are there to experience it together.

If you get a minute to yourself, check out this article by Elder Bednar. Whether you're LDS or not, it's a great reminder of the importance of being present in your relationships.

Love to you all!

Melissa

Energy Work

2010-05-14T10:57:00.000-06:00

Next week I'm going down to St. George to learn the art of energy work. I love the varried reactions I get from people when I tell them what I'm going to do. My favorite is when a friend thought I was going to work for the power company laying power lines. LOL!! Just give me a hard hat and point me to a ladder ;)

No I haven't joined the power workers union. I'm going to learn an amazing skill that has changed my life in hopes that I can use it to change the lives of others. When I was first introduced to energy work I wasnt sure about it. I didn't really understand it, but I knew that there were things I wanted to change about myself that I felt powerless to change. I had struggled with them so long and after many failed attempts to change, had almost resigned myself to dealing with it forever. I was ridden with fear and had lots of anger resulting from my divorce. I hated the idea that I would have to live the rest of my life dealing with these emotions. A dear friend explained that I don't have to live a life as a victim to those emotions and convinced me to give energy work a try. Afterall-- what did I have to loose? She was exactly right. Worse case scenario I would end up the frustrated mess I was at the time, and I could deal with that. It was a chance to change and I took it.

You're probably wondering what energy work is, so let me explain. In our body we have all our body systems: the nervous system, circulatory system, etc. These systems effect how our body functions. In our body we also have energy systems: shakra's, meridians, aura, etc. You may have heard of them before as well, but you most likely didn't learn about them in health class ;) These systems house your emotions. Our emotions reside in the form of energy in our system and they effect how we think and feel every day.

Have you ever felt like you were meant to something great, but you felt like your efforts to achieve that always fall short? Often times those negative emotions and beliefs are what hold us back from getting what we want. Energy work allows us to find and remove those blocks and beliefs and replace them with positive energy and affirmations. Another important thing to know about energy work is that sometimes we are vicitim to beliefs and energy that is passed down from our ancestors. Often time feelings that a progenetor had centuries ago have been passed down through our DNA and end up with us. For example, I come from an extrememly loving and supportive home. I have always felt and known the love of my family. I have no reason to fear being loved, but I do. I have most of my life. Through energy work I have been able to remove that block. I heard it explained like this. Energy work is like unlocking the doors of a car. When you're in the car and you want to get out, if the doors are locked no matter what you try you can't seem go get out. By removing that bad energy, you have unlocked the doors. It is now free and safe for you to get out of the car. You stilll have to do the work ,but those negative beliefs that have been holding you back are no longer there limiting you.

I cannot even tell you the profound change I have seen in myself since I started doing energy work. To put it in a way that you might understand it better, I feel like I have been taken out of a room where my choices and options were limited and have been set up on a mountain where I can see every possibility and opportunity availble to me. It has helped replace anger with peace and self doubt with faith. It has helped me find joy where there was fear. Ultimately it has made me more aware of my Savior and how ready he is to bless me if I will only accept his blessings. I am elated that soon I will be able to share this with others.

If you're interested in learning more about energy work, please don't hesistate to ask.

♥ Love you all--

Melissa

We're a team

2010-05-07T09:42:00.001-06:00

Single motherhood is rough somedays. The days that are the hardest seem to be when I feel like I have to fight with Lucy to get her to listen and obey. It's frustrating because as a parent, your motives are to protect and to prevent things from happening, but from a 3 year olds perspective, all Mom does is spoil the fun. In an effort to work together more, I've been referring to us as a team. I give more insentives and less punishments and it seems to work...most days.

Almost every day I remind Lucy of our "team-hood":

Me: "Remember, we are a..."
Lucy: "TEAM!!"
Me: "That's right! And we work..."
Lucy: "TOGETHER"
Me: "That's right!! Team Mom and Lucy. And how do we work together?"
Lucy: "We listen and obey"
Me: "That's right!"

I love being a mom--I wouldn't trade it for anything ♥

Bad blogger!!

2010-04-30T07:33:00.000-06:00

I'm a bad blogger. Probably for the same reason why I'm a bad journal writer too. I get feeling like I have to write a lot and it has to be filled with detail and description. But in reality, halfway through, I get overwhelmed and realize that the post I thought would take me 20 minutes to write is in all reality going to take me 2 hours and I get overwhelmed and stop. Sad isn't it!! Over the past few months while I've been hiding from all blogdom, I've noticed a lot of things that my my friends blogs so successful.

1. They blog regularly--every day or at least a few times a week.
2. Length. Their posts aren't all long. Some are, but most are relatively small or moderate in length and really get to the point.
3. They keep it real. I love reading my friends blogs where they just say it like it is. No deep thinking, no big words. they just keep it real real simple.

So needless to say, you will be hearing from me more often. Not everyday....baby steps people. Baby steps. But more often. And I'm going to start telling you more about me. Not that I haven't, but I want you to see more of me on an every day level. I have a great life. Kinda boring somedays, but nevertheless a great life. So don't banish me from your blog check list, as some have done :( I'm here and I'm writing.

Mixed Emotions

2009-12-17T09:57:00.000-07:00

So Christmas is in a week and I have to say, I have had the most mixed emotions about the whole thing. This has definitely been the busiest Christmas I've had in a long time. Each week seems to be getting busier and busier and I wish there was a pause button I could push to make it all stop!! Christmas parties, shopping, cleaning, weddings, service, birthday parties, work, choir practice, laundry, naps (out of shear exhaustion!!) and the list goes on!

On one hand, I have loved this year because there have been so many opportunities to serve. In lue of a traditional Christmas party this year, our ward arranged to help out several refugee families in the SLC area. We did an angel tree, food drive, appliance/housewares drive, made over 150 fleece blankets and hand made wool mittens. It has been awesome and has really helped me get into the Christmas spirit. It feels good to know you're helping someone else-- and especially when they really need it.

This coming Sunday is our Christmas program and I'm singing in 3 groups--the ward choir, a woman's group and a duet. Along with all of these groups comes their practice schedule as well. I love the opportunity to sing, but I can't help but look at my watch when our 1 hour practice has gone over 15 minutes and it's 9:15 and I still need to get home, get my child in bed (PJ's, teeth, story, prayers...etc.) get my self ready for bed, get past all of the distractions on the way to my bed and actually fall asleep. I don’t think I would be such a worrier about time if I didn't have to get up at 4:40 every morning. Sleep is precious and lately opportunities for it are few and far between.

One of the hardest things to overcome is the effects of my job. I work from home doing sales for several companies. I basically place orders for people who call in to buy products they hear about on radio ads or from infomercials. Glamourous, I know. Some days I actually really enjoy my job, but lately I have found myself getting a little edgy with my customers--which isn't like me. I hate to point the finger, but it's their fault! I wish I could play you a recording of some of the people I talk to. Yes, I am a sales person. My job is to sell products. That is how I make my living. HOWEVER, when I signed up for this job, I did NOT check my heart in at the door. I am not a heartless automated attendant, I'm a human being and I expect to be treated as such. It's a tough expectation to have when some lady calls in with her panties all in a wad who only wants to buy the product she calls in for and doesn't want to hear about the extended warrantee and the 3 other up sells you have to tell her about, that she might actually want if she would shut her mouth and listen for a second....breathe........... I don't remember being effected by the "bah-hum-buggers" of the season last year, but this year I've had it. My patience is much more thin and I have a hard time finding that little extra push to stay unaffected in the midst of a customers tirade. It's easy to forget you're working with a person when you're talking on the phone, but we have feelings too. (sniff sniff )

Tomorrow I'm actually throwing a birthday party for Lucy. It's just a small get together with a few of her friends, but still it's one more thing on the list. I'm actually excited for it and think it will be lots of fun, but I've got a growing checklist of things that need to be done for it and a host of other things that have to get done as well. All in good time, I suppose. All in good time.

So with Christmas next week and still a long list of shopping to be done, presents to be wrapped, recipes to cook and memories to be made, I find myself here with mixed emotions. Despite the frustration and exhaustion that comes from the holiday season, I'm grateful for the raunchy customers because it means I have a job. I'm grateful for the many opportunities to serve because it means I am already taken care of. I'm grateful for the opportunities to sing because it means my vocal chords won't shrivel up and fall out ;o) and I'm grateful for this morning when Lucy came into my room and said "Mom, I just want you to come snuggle with me in my bed." Of course I logged out from work instantly and went to snuggle with my little girl.

May We Have Eyes To See

2009-12-08T10:17:00.001-07:00

This last weekend I went down to Temple Square with a friend and had a great evening seeing the Savior of the World and the Christmas lights. The performance was beautiful and moving and I was inspired by their message. After the performance we made our way back through Temple Square over to our car parked a few blocks away and as we passed I noticed the usual panhandlers that surrounded Temple Square. There has been quite controversy over whether to support panhandlers and beggers on the street and I have seen many stories in past years on the news that have exposed people posing as panhandlers only to take advantage of others generosity, and making good money to boot.

While we were living in Korea, my dear friend Tiffany shared an experience she had with me. Because Seoul was such a large city it was often much easier to travel by subway than drive. Tiffany was riding the subway one day when a begger woman entered the car. She was an older woman who had a slight difficulty walking. As soon as she entered the car, she moved directly to Tiffany who happened to be the only American on the car. This woman stood right in front of her with her hand stretched out. She didn't say a word but just stood there.

She was annoyed that this woman had instantly singled her out as the "rich American" and was expected to donate to every poor person who came along. There was a dozen other people on the car that could have easily donated to her cause, but the woman walked directly to Tiffany and expected her to give out. Annoyed with her asumption that she was full of money to give away, Tiffany sat with her arms folded and stared away from the woman. A minute later the woman moved on and looked for other donations.

Tiffany told me that later she was reading the Ensign magazine preparing for her visiting teaching and the lesson happened to be on blessing the poor. She shared with me a scripture in Mosiah 4:19 that reads,

"For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have?... And now, if God, who has created you, on whom you are dependant for your lives and for all that ye have and are, doth grant unto you whatsoever ye ask that is right, in faith, believing ye shall recieve, O then, how ye ought to impart of the substance that ye have one to another."

I remember when I was younger going with my family to see the lights at temple square. We had parked over by Dee's Family Restaurant just off North Temple so we could conveniently stop off for hot chocolate on our way back to the car after the lights. As we passed through the parking lot on our way to the lights, a man approached my Dad and asked if he had any money to spare. The guy explained that his car had broken down and he was trying to get back home and needed money to buy a bus ticket. My Dad simply asked how much the man needed, opened his wallet, pulled out what he could afford to give, and gave it to the man. The man thanked him and was on his way.

After the man had left, I asked my Dad why he gave the man money. "His car probably isn't even broke down and he'll probably use the money to buy drugs or alcohol. Why did you give it to him?" I asked. My Dad explained simply that if someone asks for our help we should give it. "You can never know if someone is trying to take advantage of you or not, but if you can help you always should" he said. Although my Dad didn't know the man's true intention for the money, he knew that he was responsible for his actions toward him.

I keep thinking about that lesson a lot lately and the scripture Tiffany shared with me. "Are we not all beggars?" We may not be begging for money, but we may be, in our own way pleading for attention or validation from a spouse or family member; on your knees pleading for forgiveness and relief from guilt and sin; acting out in anger because our children aren't behaving the way we would like; or maybe you find your self everyday on your knees pleading for Gods help to move forward in pursuit of a goal or dream.

My wish for myself, and all who read this, is that this Christmas season we will be able to SEE those around us. To truly see others through Christ’s eyes-- as children of God. Instead of seeing someone asking for an inconvenient hand out, allow the spirit of Christmas to work within you and see the soul of that someone, asking for your help. Don't judge their intent. Simply see it as an opportunity to GIVE. I've been praying for opportunities to give more this season and I hope I can have eyes to see all the opportunities that are around me.

Because I have been given much, I too must give.
Because of thy great bounty, Lord each day I live,
I shall divide my gifts from thee, with every brother that I see,
Who has the need of help from me.

Because I have been blessed by thy great love dear Lord,
I'll share thy love again according to thy word.
I shall give love to those in need, I'll show that love by word and deed,
Thus shall my thanks be thanks indeed.

Because I have been sheltered fed by thy good care,
I cannot see another’s lack and I not share,
My glowing fire my loaf of bread,
My roof's safe shelter over head,
That he to may be comforted.

Fearless

2009-11-11T08:16:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, I have been working with a dream coach for the past few months. I haven't discussed this experience much with others because I struggle to know how to explain the experience to someone else. It's been so comprehensive and deep that it's hard to give a 30 second commercial explaining what we do. The experience has gone a bit longer than planned, but it has gone a lot deeper and been more life altering than I could have ever imagined.

One common theme to what I keep learning in life and throughout this experience is the role of fear. Each of us is plagued with it. From the moment we come to earth we are being taught what is good, what is bad, what is right and what is wrong, what is acceptable and what is unacceptable through our experience and interactions with others. We learn to fear certain things, people and ultimately every experience we have from the moment we come from the womb shapes how we believe, think and feel about EVERYTHING. Woah. Let that one soak in for a minute. I'm sure if we really thought about it we could identify a moment in our lives when something happened that has stuck with us ever since.

We are the results of what we choose to believe. On my last session I was assessing those things in my life that I see as failures. It has been interesting to me what things I consider as failures and what things I don't. This is going to sound silly, but one of the failures I saw myself as having was the fact that I had a degree in Music Education and I am not using it. I am not teaching in a school and therefore I have failed. I also see my sparse and fading knowledge of theory and inverted secondary dominants (blah blah) as a complete failure as well. If I can go through 5 years of grueling practice and study and then 5 years later look back and remember so little of the "technical stuff" I must be a failure.

Throughout almost my whole college experience I knew I loved music. I knew it spoke to my soul in the way that nothing else had and I needed it in my life. In some ways, I also felt like music needed me. I felt I had some unique gift to offer it that no one else could give. That's why I chose to study it. But despite those feelings and the knowledge of my "gift", I could clearly see that I struggled with the technical aspect. I struggled and drug my way through every theory and aural skills class I had to take, taking some of them over, but I got by. I did what I had to do. I didn't excel at it by any means, but I got through. I tried hard, but despite my efforts, looking at my transcript it looked like I only did enough to get by. My peers probably didn't know. I didn't talk about it, but I constantly compared myself with the department "stars"--you know the ones who are always raising their hands in class because they know the answer. I slowly told myself that I wasn't as good of a musician because I wasn't the theory wiz or the aural skills master. And slowly I began to believe that. It didn't happen over night, but over a long period of time that belief took root.

And now here I am. It's been almost 5 years since I graduated and am still struggling with that belief.

Why is it that we always see the failure? How often do we stop and evaluate the lessons learned from it? Why do we ignore the best parts of ourselves only to keep feeding a lie that serves no purpose but to hold us back? It's because of fear.

I want to share an experience I had several months ago. I had been struggling with the effects of my divorce and felt frustrated and overwhelmed that I couldn't move forward in certain areas of my life. I felt a great deal of fear over certain issues and I felt a lot of anger from what had happened. I had made an appointment with my bishop and after I had poured out my soul about all the problems I had, he told me something I had never before considered. He explained to me that fear and anger are one of Satan’s greatest tools. When I am consumed by fear and frustration I am not progressing and I am right where Satan wants me. Stuck in my own self pity and woe and not going anywhere. Think about it--if he can stop us from recognizing our own greatness, he's won! When we're consumed by fear and anger we can't see past the clouds and lack the vision and power to move on. I suppose I already knew that, but until he said it, I didn't get it.

I love the scripture in 2 Timothy 1:7-8 that reads,

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Be not therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou a partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God."

We all have failures in life. We all have fear that is the result of how we see our failures. But God has not given us the spirit of fear. In looking at my schooling as a failure, I'm forgetting all the amazing experiences, blessings and knowledge I received! I have been letting a small weakness stop me from achieving my greatness. No more. I believe God has great things in store for me. He has prepared me and will continue to prepare me if I will only trust Him. I am choosing to not be controlled by fear. I am choosing to be fearless.

A day for JOYce 2009

2009-10-28T04:26:00.001-06:00

On September 28, 2007 my dear friend Joyce passed away. She and I had been friends since 2000 when we met our Freshman year at BYU-Idaho. We were neighbors our first year and roomates our second. Joyce and her twin sister Joan became great friends of mine and have stayed that way ever since. In 2005 Joyce was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. She faught her battle with cancer for a year and was blessed to have it go into remission. We were relieved. During that time, she was fortunate enough to become pregnant with a little boy. During her pregnancy her cancer came back and she resumed treatments throughout her pregnancy and delivered a beautiful healthy baby boy named Jacob on December 19, 2006. It was 9 months later when the doctors realized that Joyce's cancer had taken over some of her major organs and there wasn't much they could do. Surrounded by her family and loved ones she passed away.

I think about Joyce alot. Her death hit me hard, not only because she was my dear friend, but also because she was my same age and had a child 5 days older than my own. I struggled with the fact that Jacob wouldn't grow up knowing the amazing person that is his mother. I know he is surrounded by a loving family who will not let him forget her, but as a mother I just wanted to hold him and tell him also.

I remember one experience about Joyce that I want to share. When we were roomates we had a goal to have apartment prayer and scripture study every morning. We would roll (literally) out of bed around 6am and congregate in the living room. We'd pray and read scriptures half awake half asleep and then be on our way either to the shower or back to bed.

I don't even remember what spawned this, maybe it was something she saw on a movie, (Joyce loved movies) but one day Joyce told me that when she woke up in the morning she was going to sit up and say as loud as she could, "I'M BACK!"--like "woohoo! I made it another day!". Of course the idea totally made me laugh and I completely forgot about it until the next morning when my alarm went off. A minute or two later I heard someone down the hall yell enthusiastically "I'M BACK!!!". I totally busted up laughing.

I don't want to forget Joyce. Her birthday is November 5th and I want to honor her life in some way so I invite you to join me in a day for JOYce. On this special day I invite you to celebrate the life you have been given. Wake up in the morning and yell out with gusto "I'M BACK!!!". Embrace every moment and savor the simple joys you get to experience everyday. Hold the people you love longer and tell them not only that you love them, but what you love about them. Let love flow and don't hold it back from anyone or anything. Hold your children. Squeeze them and tell them how much you love them and how proud you are of them. Hold them a little longer and savor every second. Make a phone call or write a letter to someone you love. I challenge you to spread love like a wild fire this coming November 5th and simply love♥. Let the phone ring and the dishes sit in the sink and every other unimportant thing wait. If anything, do it for Joyce, and Jacob and Stu who will be together forever, but who may be missing the presence of their wife and mother a little bit more on that day.

♥♥For Joyce♥♥

Art

2009-10-22T09:06:00.001-06:00

So one day several months back I was sitting in the McDonald’s Play Place in Bountiful happily eating my grilled chicken sandwich while I watched Lucy disappear and reappear from the gigantic play "thing". Not far from me was an older gentleman who was there with his brood of grand kids. I knew because while I was there he had a continuous stream of requests. "Grandpa can I get an ice cream cone?" as he would promptly pull out a one dollar bill and say "Sure. Here ya go", every time.

It wasn't long before we struck up a conversation which lasted about an hour. As long as the kids were happy we kept talking. His name was Art Nielsen and he had been a teacher and coach for over 40 years. He's currently in his 80's and substitute teaches 4 days a week in south Davis County and loves every second of it. It was so weird to me, but I felt such a connection with this 80 year old man. It was a little serendipitous and I couldn't help but feel at the right place at the right time.

The thing I learned about Art during our conversation was that the relationships in his life were the most important thing to him. And it wasn't just the relationship with his spouse or his children, but every relationship was important to him. He was full of stories about kids he'd been able to help over the years and I was amazed as I listened. What impressed me the most was that Art gave his complete trust to these kids he'd never met. He would work with them one on one, he would talk with their parents, he would listen, he would even loan them money if they asked for it. Art gave them something few teachers and adults ever give kids. He gave them trust. He told me that he couldn't control whether they trusted him, but he chose to place all the trust he had in them.

I recently read a book called Anatomy of Peace. The objective of the book is to teach us how to resolve conflict in our lives. One of the first lessons taught is how to identify whether we are seeing others as people or as objects. To put this in very basic terms, when we see someone as a person we acknowledge that that person has needs and feelings just like us. Where as when we see someone as an object, they don't have individual feelings or needs, but are just part of a group, social class or "type" of people. By labeling someone as an object, it strips them of any personal or individual feelings or characteristics. This can be applied on so many levels, but the lesson is always the same. We treat others differently when we see them as people instead of objects. The book goes on to explain how these views of others effect our relationships and teaches how to over come these challenges we all face.

I have to say, it feels like it's been a long time since I felt sadness about the end of my marriage. I felt I had come to accept that what was done was done and I needed to focus on the future. Reading that book brought back a pain I hadn't felt in a long time. It's that pain that comes when we realize that we have seen those we love as objects and not as human beings. I found myself wishing I could go back and change the past, that I could have reacted differently in certain situations or just been a better person over all. The problem with pain is that, as uncomfortable as it may be, I believe it's a catalyst for changes we must make.

I got to see Art recently. He spoke in a fireside and as I listened to his stories again, I was so impressed by him. It's so hard to explain, but when I look at Art, I see someone who sees no objects, but only the people he is surrounded by. He would give you his time, his money and his love if you asked for it, and probably the same even if you didn't ask for it. The love from this man flows like a river. Unrestrained. I want to be like that. I don't know how, because I'm hopelessly flawed and selfish, but I want to be like Art. God willing. Someday.

IN GOD WE TRUST

2009-09-21T10:12:00.001-06:00

A friend of mine recently posted a status on facebook saying this, "Do you really think an all knowing God would punish a people for not recognizing him in temporal matters? How about we leave God to religious matters and not be so juvenile as to say that our particular form of diety is childlike and will throw a tantrum if we don't recognize him/her/it in all matters." His comment was in response to the argument of removing "In God We Trust" from our currency and his view is that God has better things to do than to worry about His name on our currency. This was posted over a week ago and I have been thinking about it ever since.

I don't want to talk about the whole currency issue. I hope the words "IN GOD WE TRUST" stay on our currency, and hopefully by the end of this post you'll understand why. But that's not what I want to talk about. I've been thinking a lot about God lately. I think it's important for you who read this to know that I believe in an all powerful God who created the Universe and everything in it, including us. That being said, I also believe that it is that same power, God, who causes the sun to shine, the grass to grow and our hearts to beat and lungs to breathe every day. I don't know how it works, but it does. Planets revolve around the sun and embryos become babies. There is a system to this universe, to which you and I are integral parts of. I want to share a quote by a woman named Marianne Williamson:

"To trust in the force that moves the universe is faith. Faith isn't blind, it's visionary. Faith is believing that the universe is on our side, and that the universe knows what it's doing. Faith is the psychological awareness of an unfolding force for good, constantly at work in all dimensions. Our attempts to direct this force only interferes with it. Our willingness to relax into it allows it to work on our behalf. Without faith, we are frantically trying to control what it is not our business to control, and fix what it is not our power to fix. What we're trying to control is much better off without us, and what we're trying to fix can't be fixed by us anyway. Without faith, we're wasting time."

Those of you who know me well know that I used to do a lot of river running. I remember an experience I had when I first started to guide boats down the river. In my mind there was a specific course I had to keep my boat on. In my mind, I couldn't stray for my course or something would go wrong. It was like in my mind there were lines painted on the river and I had to stay in those lines or there would be trouble. After a long day and several runs down the river I was exhausted. It wasn't fun. I didn't want to do it again and I kept thinking "Why is this so hard?" I would see other guides with commercial rafting companies floating down the river with ease, knowing that they would probably go on four runs that day and I could barely make it through two! I talked with my Dad about it and he reminded me that there is a current to the river. If you stay in the current the river will take you where you need to go. My job was to keep my boat in the current. That lesson made guiding my boat so much easier.

I've thought about that lesson a lot throughout my life. How often to we try to control our lives? To control people and processes. It's like trying to paint lines on a river. The truth about rivers is that we can only see the surface. Sometimes the water is rough and sometimes it's smooth and glassy, but there is always a current even if it's running deep under the surface. We can learn to trust in the force or we can fight against it. Fighting against it is always harder. Like Marianne Williamson said, "our willingness to relax into it allows it to work on our behalf."

I hope we choose to trust in God. I realize this is a hard thing. It involves surrendering everything we think we want and having faith that God, the One who makes the sun shine every day and the grass grow, will make our lives what they're supposed to be. Not just in spiritual matters, as my friend suggest, but in every aspect of our lives. This is faith, and something our country needs more of. If you ask me, IN GOD WE TRUST should be printed on every building, on every billboard and most importantly, on every heart.

A Toast to Toast!

2009-09-03T10:11:00.003-06:00

I've decided it's about time for me to explore a deep dark obsession I've had for quite some time now. It's my unquenchable love for toast. Now this is not just any love of toast, I have a very refined and specific taste for good toast. In my mind there are specific guidelines that must be followed in order to create the best toast.

The Bread. Not just any bread will make good toast. You can't pop that Wonderbread crap in toaster and expect anything good to come of it. Let's face it some breads make better toast than others. I, being the grainy girl that I am prefer the whole wheat variety. Most 100% whole wheat breads will do. I prefer a more hearty bread for best results. Also, I recommend using an organic sprouted wheat bread. The most common form is called Ezekiel bread and it's based on a recipe found in the bible. I know, you didn't realize there were recipes in the bible. Surprise! It's not to heavy, but still hearty and it is oh so satisfying with out being to much.

Butter or Margarine. Always, always, always (I repeat always) choose BUTTER! It's real people. I know we're all concerned with butter being to fatty, but reality is it's much more gentle on your system than margarine which is usually pumped with synthetic preservatives and crap. The key to enjoying butter is moderation. A little goes a long way. In the words of Julia child, "I LOVE BUTTER!"...mmmmmmmmmm.

Peanut Butter. Spread it on when your toast has just come out of the toaster and it'll kind of melt a little bit...and so will you! Delicious! I'm a peanut butter snob and only use organic or all natural peanut butter with no hydrogenated oils. You'll live longer. Trust me ;o)

Bananas & Raisins. Adding banana's and Raisins to toast topped with PB is one of my favorite snacks. It has that hearty, grainy, sweet yet satisfying appeal that I want in a snack. One slice will last you all afternoon... or morning. It's also a great midnight snack.

Agave. This is God's gift to hypoglycemics like myself. Agave is a natural sweetener derived from the agave plant. It's organic and has a low glycemic index so it's more like a carb than a sugar. You can find it at most whole food stores and it makes a great sugar substitute. I've made zucchini bread and other baked goods with it and it worked great. I like it because you get the sweet you want with out the highs and lows that sugar brings to your system. Having a warm piece of Ezekiel bread smothered with butter and agave is like cheesecake to me. Add peanut butter to that and it's like pimped out cheesecake with nuts, and berries drizzled all over it. I'm salivating just thinking about it.

So now you know my secret. I absolutely LOVE (and crave) toast. Everyday. In my opinion, it is natures candy bar. I want to hear what you like on your toast. Please share!

Dropping The Ball

2009-08-24T10:43:00.000-06:00

Almost two months ago I met this really awesome guy online named James. From the first time we chatted we just had chemistry. After several chats, we moved to phone calls and texting. After a month of getting to know you's (and plenty of flirting) we FINALLY went out. I must say, it was one of my top dates ever! Conversation was easy and we had so much in common! It was so much better than I even expected. After a 2 hour dinner with non stop talking, we decided to extend things and go to a movie. Long story short, after much fighting over the armrest, I initiated some hand holding (which I've NEVER done on a date) and we held hands through the majority of the movie. At one point I asked if his arm was comfortable and he said, "Yes...and I really want to kiss you... and I'm usually really slow...but..." As much as I wanted to (and trust me. I wanted to!) I told him he was going to have to wait, but I of course kept holding (and caressing) his hand. After the date we headed out to our cars, hugged and exchanged "I had a good time"'s and then headed home. We texted a couple times the following days after and then I haven't heard from him for 3 weeks.

This brings me to the topic of this blog post--Dropping the ball. I remember having a pretty in depth conversation with a friend years ago. He had quite a history with relationships. He would date a girl for a while and things would be going really well and then when he lost interest he would just stop contacting her. Cold turkey. Since my friend and I were traveling together at the time, I thought I would take advantage of our travel time together to figure out what it was in the male mind that would make him think that dropping off the face of the planet was a good idea. Ultimately what I discovered was that he thought disappearing would be easier on her. "I didn't want to hurt her" was his answer. I couldn't help but point out that the only person it was easier for was him and that all he did was leave some poor girl wondering what the heck happened?!

I think this is a common mindset among men. "I don't want to hurt her feelings". But let's think about this for a second...and consider not only the intensity of the pain of breaking up, but also the length of time it takes to get over someone. Would it be better to A) Tell someone you've enjoyed getting to know them, but you just aren't interested or that you're not ready for a relationship. Or the alternative B)Stop calling. Stop communicating and leave her wondering if you got in a freak car accident or you left the country or maybe even got back with your ex. Should she wait? Should she move on? There was chemistry...but where did he go? Obviously he's not interested, but we got along so well!

The obvious difference is closure. Is that such a hard gift to give? Ultimately it's a sign of respect for the other person. Is it hard? Yes--It's always hard to break up or tell someone you're just not interested. But at least you know how the other person feels and can move forward. So I challenge all of you to complete the incomplete. Bite the bullet and be honest with your feelings and with others. (This goes for you too ladies!)

I'm sure you're wondering how I'm going to get over James. I always envision relationships like a game of pass the ball. When you initiate a contact you've passed the ball and it's up to the other person to respond. I've passed the ball to James and he stood there with his hands to his side and let the ball bounce back to me. Of course I threw it back! I liked this guy! But there he stood. Hands to his sides and the ball bounced right back to me. He dropped the ball. So. I'm going to find someone else to play with.

When I grow up

2009-08-17T07:32:00.000-06:00

Do you know what you want to be when you grow up? I always thought I did, but I'm finding out that I really don't. Divorce will do that to you-- take all your plans and throw them up in the air and mess em all up!! As frustrating as it is, I have to admit that I've enjoyed the opportunity to really think about what it is that I want to do with my life.

Recently I started working with my dear friend Cosette who is a dream coach. I work with her once a week and we're working on getting clear about what it is that I want to do and learning how to set goals and make my dreams a reality. Of course, to make your dreams come true it's important to have a clear picture of what your dream is. This is where I struggle!! My dream was always to raise a righteous family and love and care for a spouse and children, but unfortunately that dream doesn't pay the bills! Although that is still my dream, I have had to broaden my view and figure out what my dream career is, but ultimately who I want to become.

Now here is where I'm struggling. It's been hard for me to think of what I want to do because I keep trying to fit it into a title, for example "teacher" or "entrepreneur". But I'm just not feeling the title thing. So I've decided to just make a list of things I am passionate about that I would like to do in a career and then figure out where I fit. I realize this could set me up for some long term career as an underwater yoga and basket weaving instructor, but if I loved it, who cares?!!

I invite you to play along with me here. I'm going to list some things that I'm passionate about doing and you tell me what career I can have that would encompass all of these elements and at the same time bring me lots and lots of money. (**remember the lots of money part!!**)

Here goes... I love to teach and share with others. I would love to work in an environment where I felt like there was an exchange of ideas and energy with others. I love to present. I would accept a public speaking assignment any day and be happy as a clam about it. I enjoy working with other people often, but not all the time. I need to be exchanging ideas and feelings with others. It totally energizes me. I want everyday to engage me mentally, physically and emotionally. Especially emotionally...but not in a draining way. I love music and ideally would like to share my talent and passion for it with others. I feel like communicating through music is a strength I have and I want to use that. I am passionate about health and achieving a mind/body/spirit connection. I embrace alternative forms of medicine and health and feel passionately about sharing that with others.

So the challenge I give to my 4 followers (yes, I have 4 followers now!!) and anyone else who reads this, is to tell me what title you would give my dream job. Get those creative juices flowing~~~ I can't wait to hear what you come up with!!

Finding Mr. Right...online

2009-08-14T10:01:00.000-06:00

So I have recently realized that I need to get out and start meeting people. After my hiatus, the extrovert in me has been ready to get out and meet some new people. Considering my current situation this is virtually impossible. Think about it... I work full time from home, I care for my daughter the rest of my day, I attend the same family ward I grew up in and aside from the park and the grocery store...that's it! Like I said, meeting new people is virtually impossible.

So I have made the decision to go....online. Were it not for several friends with success stories, I would have never done this, but let's face it, what other options do I have? I started doing this around the beginning of July and it's been an interesting month, to say the least. I've been approached by some interesting characters. One of the first people to contact me sent me the link to this YouTube video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4Ok-ENnqn Q I wish I could let you view the video right here, but I can't. So please click on it. Let's just say, I was a little creeped out. Did I respond? Not to mention the guy was 20 years my senior. You're not robbing this cradle Mr!! CREEPY.

Stay tuned for more of my online dating experiences... and please share your own if you have them!

Hiatus

2009-08-11T07:03:00.000-06:00

Hiatus: an interruption in time or continuity.

As many of you have noted, I have been on a blogging hiatus for over a year. It's been a stressful year with lots of changes in our family. I thought pretty much everyone knew, but I have recently discovered that many of you didn't know, but I am now divorced. Without going into the gory details of it all, it will suffice to say that there were issues we were unable to resolve and as a result, separation was the best option. Nothing more really needs to be said about it, other than I have felt a great deal of peace come from this decision and I have great hope for a future filled with opportunities.

Not only have I taken a hiatus from blogging, but I have also taken a hiatus from life. After my divorce I threw myself into work and life and did everything to busy myself and stay distracted from the reality of my situation. I didn't know how to deal with it and so I wasn't. I was avoiding it. It was about March when felt this overwhelming need to stop. I stopped doing anything extra in my life--No second job, no extra activities, no pressure, no demands. Everything needed to stop. It was made pretty clear to me that I had been on a path that would only lead to more heart ache, if I didn't stop and address the issues of my heart. I needed to stop avoiding and start looking at myself and who I am.

Long story short, this has been the best thing I have ever done for myself. It's been amazing to me how much better I function as a human being when my my needs are met and I feel like I have honored myself. Learning to honor ourselves is such a hard thing. We are giving by nature and I think it's easy to give everything we have and every moment of our day to those around us, but the down side to that is that we are left empty. I don't like the word empty, which is probably why I'm a "glass is half full" kind of girl. I don't' ever want to feel "empty". I have had to ask myself many times, "what can I do today that will honor me?" Answering that question for me has meant things like making time to eat right, practicing Yoga on a consistent basis, and making time for sincere prayer. Also, I have had a great desire to connect with the people around me more. I feel energized when I am around others. Even people I don't know or won't talk to, but there is an energy that I get from even going to the store. It's a strange thing that's hard to explain, but I need to be near others. Their energy feeds mine. All of these needs have evolved and I am continuing to figure out how much and how often I need these things in my life. I am a rough draft that keeps getting worked over. Hopefully someday I can become the masterpiece God intends me to be.

I want to hear from you--my 3 followers!! How do you honor yourself? I'd love to hear what you do that renews your mind, body and spirit.

Easter Egg Obsession

2008-06-08T22:00:00.000-06:00

For Easter we staged a little easter egg hunt for Lucy in our apartment. She LOVED it!! She opened each egg over and over again hoping there would be something inside each time. This was the first holiday she's really gotten excited about. To this day, she still goes nuts when she sees an easter egg!

Meditation

2008-06-08T21:41:00.000-06:00

So lately I've been on what one might call a personal journey. I haven't "arrived" anywhere yet, but I'm definitely still "in-route" (if you will). My life, like many of yours has gotten increasingly busy, stressful and ridiculously crazy. Throughout all of this I have been striving to find something to calm me and give my mind a break, but also to help me feel more grounded. I was at a convention recently where they discussed the benefits of personal meditation. I really tuned in to the idea that in order to "become one" with yourself, or in other words, to listen to what your spirit and your body are telling you, you must take time to silence every all the chaos around you(including your mind) and just be. I don't know. I can't really explain it, but something about that just really hit home to me. I was thinking about where I go to meditate and where I can feel inner peace, and the Temple is the first place that popped in my mind. Enjoy this picture I took during Christmas time. As the journey continues I'll keep you informed on how it's going.

Ouuu-mmmmmmmmm,

Melissa

FORGIVE!!!

2008-06-08T21:37:00.000-06:00

I know this entry is going to STUN some of you, but yes, we are still alive! I have been so busy that blogging has gotten pushed to the bottom of the totum pole (if you know what I mean). I have to begin by thanking those of you who do periodically check my blog to see if I did by chance post any new or exciting things-- and I am very sorry that I have diappointed you so many times. Please forgive.

Our little indian

2008-01-03T05:06:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd try something new and let you see this video my brother and sister made of Lucy during Thanksgiving. I haven't dared to do video before, but this one was so cute! Over the past few months Lucy has turned into a little entertainer. Whenever she has an audience, she turns on the charm and will do anything to make you smile. We hope you enjoy :o)

Say Cheese!!

2007-12-31T05:34:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we took these pictures of Lucy. Have you ever seen a more smiley baby? Enjoy!

2008 Bamfo Family Update

2007-12-18T04:32:00.000-07:00

As we approach the beginning of a new year, we thought it might be nice to let you all know what we've been up to. I should name this our 2007 update, but 2008 rhymes with update so I'm going to skip ahead a year. 2007 has been an exciting and momentous year for us. We have much to be grateful for...

As many of you know, in April of 2006 Fred was stationed in Yongsan, Seoul, Korea with the US Army. During his time in Korea he was able to work in the Military Hospital Emergency Room as a Medic. He enjoyed being able to work closely with the doctors and nurses and learned a lot during his time there. After a year in the ER, Fred gratefully excepted a transfer to the Ambulatory Care Clinic, a much less stressful job, for the remainder of his stay in Korea. During his time in the Army Fred has made many wonderful Friends whom he still keeps in contact with. In July of 2006 Fred received his US citizenship and is now a full fledged American, but is in the process of applying for dual citizenship. Although he is technically an American, Fred still has a hard time with some of our American traditions, like putting cheese on EVERYTHING! He hasn't fully accepted that one yet :o). In July of 2007 Fred underwent surgery to have his tonsils removed. It was a very painful process for a 32-year-old to undergo, but Fred recovered well and is now doing fine. In August Fred separated from the Army after two years of active duty. Later that month Fred began his masters at the University of Utah in public health. He began his degree taking an extra heavy load of classes which placed a lot of stress on him. He has done well managing his classes, but looks forward to a lighter load next semester. He has also been asked to join his department for a project they will be doing in Ghana next year. Fred is excited for the opportunity to serve his fellow Ghanian's and always anxious for another educational experience. And last, but certainly not least, On December 25, 2006 Fred became the Daddy to our beautiful daughter Lucy. He loves to spend time with her playing on her drum, throwing her in the air, or playing on the computer together. Fred and Lucy have a special bond and it is fun to see their daddy-daughter love grow.

This year has been an especially momentous year for me (Melissa) also. As many of you know, I packed my things and moved myself to Korea in late September of 2006. On Christmas Eve last year I went into labor and gave birth to our beautiful baby, Lucy Diane Bamfo, on Christmas morning at 3:37 AM. Since that day she has been the joy and center of our lives. Motherhood has brought many new challenges for me and I have learned many new definitions of love, patience and persistence. It has truly stretched me and I'm sure will continue to for a very long time. Being a new mother in a foreign country added an interesting twist to things and I did my best to adapt. I have fond memories of hauling a diaper bag, stroller, and baby carrier up and down three flights of stairs just to get from our apartment to the base, or traveling to church with Lucy on the bus a long distance to church ( a new experience for a Utah girl like myself). We were blessed to make many new friends who took us in and treated us much like family while we were so far away from our own. We really felt loved and learned the true meaning of discipleship through the example of others. We will never forget the influence of these wonderful friends, home teachers, visiting teachers and leaders in our lives. In August we left our home in Korea and returned to Utah. After a very long and grueling 15 hour plane ride with a squirmy infant, we were glad to touch ground. We settled in Salt Lake City and have enjoyed making new friends and finding opportunities to serve. I have also been working two part time jobs from home. I teach English to 17 Koreans over the phone from 4 to 6:30 AM and then again from 2 to 3 in the afternoon. I also teach voice lessons in the evening from my home and then travel one day a week to Layton where I teach out of my parents home. I love to teach and enjoy working with students of all ages and abilities. The Lord has truly blessed me to be able to work at home and take care of Lucy full time. I also enjoy being an Aunt to my nieces and nephews, both in Ghana and Utah. I look forward to going to Ghana in June of 2008 and anxious to meet my Bamfo family for the first time.

Lucy Diane Bamfo has had quite an adventurous first year of life. She was born in Korea and basically had to be ripped from the womb (via c-section). She wasn't to happy about that, but has since learned to deal with it. During her first few months of life her favorite pass times were eating, sleeping and LOTS of crying. She also developed the talent to squirt poop all over her Mom and Dad on several occasions. Lucy loved to be held and spent lots of time being carried in a sling. She would often sit "kangaroo" style watching Mom fix dinner or direct the Branch choir. At about 4 months she was able to roll over and would spend hours rolling all over our apartment. It was also around this time when Lucy discovered the love for her thumb. It is her constant companion and source of comfort. At 7 months Lucy finally figured out how to crawl with the help of our hotel room carpet. We figure that our hard wood floors were the reason she hadn't been able to figure it out before then. Since moving to Utah, Lucy has been developing a close relationship with her family and has a special love for her Grandma Jones. Lately her favorite hobbies are playing with her toys, eating things off the floor (which Mom and Dad have to immediately pry out of her mouth), walking, cuddling with her blanket and looking at Christmas lights. Lucy now has 8 teeth and more coming in every day! She is walking a lot and keeps us on our toes trying to keep things out of her hands. Lucy has the biggest smile and brings much joy to her family and anyone she comes in contact with. We love her very much and are grateful to have her in our family.

During this Christmas season we want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and testify to you that Jesus is the Christ. We know that he is our Saviour and Redeemer and that through his atonement we can repent and return to live with Him again. He is the reason for the season. May you all have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Love the Bamfo Family

Fred, Melissa and Lucy

PS. keep in touch!

The Dentist

2007-12-07T05:22:00.000-07:00

The other day I took Lucy for her first dentist visit. Before I went I was a little skeptical about having a check up so early. Lucy can't even hold still for 5 seconds so I'm could only imagine how much fun a trip to the dentist chair would be. Lucy only has 6 teeth and two more coming in so I was wondering what they would want to do. I had nightmares about them trying to get an x-ray and having to do it over and over again because Lucy wouldn't hold still and then 4 months later we would both be diagnosed with cancer from exposure to all that radiation. My other big fear was that she'd bite the dentist as he tried to take a peek in her mouth. Lately biting is her big thing. It seems like we're constantly having to fish something out of her mouth and sure enough, every time our fingers go in there she clamps down. I was very interested to see how this would go.

Well the day came and we made our way to the pediatric dentists office. It was painted with bright colors and had lots of toys to play with in the waiting room. When they took us back into the exam room, it was covered with colorful distractions to divert her attention. When the actual exam took place, it was all of about 30 seconds. Lucy laid on my lap and I held her hands while the dentist took a look at her teeth. She of course started to wail, which actually helped the situation because her mouth was side open for the entire exam. No biting, which I was relieved about. After the exam the dentist and I talked for a bit, they gave Lucy a cool new toothbrush and let her pick a toy from the prize box. On the way out Lucy looked as though nothing had happened--She was cool as a cucumber. I wondered if it was all worth it, but having her want to play with her new toothbrush all day convinced me it was a good move.

Contact

2007-12-07T05:10:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago Lucy and I went to visit my good friend Elicia (but we call her Luch [loo-ch] ) and her husband who live in Sugarhouse. Luch is a good friend and former roommate from BYU-I. We had a delicious dinner and great conversation. Lucy was enthralled with Luch's cat Luna. Check out this picture of Lucy and Luna making contact.

Labor Day

2007-12-06T16:52:00.000-07:00

As many of you already know, I am terribly behind with my blogging. I'm just now getting to things that happened in September!! At this rate I'll be covering Christmas in July! Actually, hopefully I catch up by then.

Over Labor day weekend this year we met up with some friends for a little party. We went to Stephen and Karen Aboadge's house in Lehi where we enjoyed a night of good food, good company and some serious ping pong playing! There were 4 families there, all of which are mixed couples. It was fun to be together again and see our children play and interact together. Below is a picture we took of all us Mommas and our babies. (left to right: Karen and Tasha, Hilary, Ama and Kaleb, Me and Lucy, and Lonni and Miles.)

Later that night Lonni decided to give Miles a bath before bed. We decided to throw Lucy in their also and see what happened. Even though it was close quarters, they basically ignored each other the entire time! But aren't they cute?

A day for JOYce

2007-11-05T11:31:00.000-07:00

On Friday September 28, 2007 at 11:14PM my dear friend Joyce Morgan Riding passed away after over 2 years of battling cancer. Joyce and I were neighbors our first year of college and roommates our second. I have found myself thinking a lot about her this past month since she past away. She was a young mother like myself, in fact we both have babies a week apart. Sometimes my heart just aches knowing that she will not get to hold her Baby for such a long time. I find comfort in the doctrine of eternal families and knowing that we can be with our loved ones for eternity if we live worthily. Joyce's birthday is today, November 5Th. She would be turning 26, just like me. It's been an emotional day for me and I have felt the need to somehow celebrate Joyce's life and example. After lots of thought, I've concluded that the most important thing I could do would be to hold on to the ones I love. Squeeze them a little tighter today and be sure to tell them I love them. Life is precious gift and could be gone in a second, but love lives on. Long ago I learned the truth that life is for love. Spending it in any other way would be a waste.

Chest Hair

2007-09-06T17:24:00.000-06:00

Recently Lucy discovered Fred's chest hair. Ouch!!! She loves to pull at it :o)

Family Day at Osan

2007-08-25T23:29:00.000-06:00

Before we left Korea we had to make it down to Osan to check out the shopping. They say things are a bit cheaper there, so who could resist?!!

You've got to love Korea. Fred and I got a kick out of the shoe store there named "Athlete's Foot". My toes are itching just thinking about it!!

We got a little carried away with the souvenirs that we had to kick Lucy out of her stroller so we could carry all our stuff. Hey, where did she go? Has anyone seen Lucy???

Slings the thing....

2007-08-25T23:27:00.000-06:00

Here's a picture of Lucy in her make-shift high chair. I guess they weren't kidding when they said necessity is the mother of invention.

A Day with SK

2007-08-25T23:17:00.000-06:00

When I return to the states I will be teaching English to Koreans over the phone. My good friend Sara Potter introduced me to her boss whom I will be working with . He goes by SK. He is a very nice man and has been a pleasure to work with so far. We were able to spend the day with him not long ago. We went to a picnic on the military base and with our friends the Potters and SK. (below (left to right) SK, Sara Potter, Norman Potter, Fred, Melissa and Lucy.)

Later that night SK invited Sara and I and some of Sara's friends and family who were in town visiting to a traditional Korean performance. It was wonderful! I really enjoyed it. I wish I could have taken pictures, but they were prohibited and the ushers were watching us American tourists like hawks. Thanks to SK for a wonderful day.

Cute Lucy

2007-08-25T23:13:00.000-06:00

Here's a couple of cute pictures of Lucy. Kathryn Tripp was kind enough to let us use her exersaucer for a couple of months before we left. Lucy loved it (as I'm sure you can tell by her faces).

Here's Lucy on July 4th all decked out in her red, white and blue. I'm sure Uncle Sam would be Proud.

In this picture Lucy is enjoying playing with a rubber spatula. She looks like I caught her in the act of doing something bad....

Everywhere But Forward

2007-08-25T23:09:00.000-06:00

Lucy has been so close to crawling, but all she has managed to do is scoot herself into some awkward corners. Here's some cute pictures of her stuck under the couch. Fred's pants hanging over the edge make a great hat!

Higher Ground

2007-08-25T22:53:00.000-06:00

Every Sunday Fred, Lucy and I would take a bus from our neighborhood in Yongsan about 20 minutes to where our Chapel is. Our meeting house is located up on a hill just next to a big tunnel. It's a hard walk up that hill every Sunday, but being able to be at church and feel the spirit there is so worth it.

I have often thought of our treck to church as metaphore to life. There is only so far in life we can go with the help of other (the bus). There comes a time when we have to face the hills in life and climb it with all our might, knowing that the reward at the top is all worth it. Personal sacrifice must be made and dedication displayed in order to really make it to higher ground. And much like our treck to church, I believe there will be good friends who you'll meet on the way up the hill who will make you want to be there even more.

May we all make the treck to higher ground.

Friday the 13th (OOooooHaaahahaha!!!)

2007-08-25T22:44:00.000-06:00

Here's some pictures of Fred before and after his Tonsillectomy. He had been working with a doctor on his snoring and was going to have to get his tonsils out, but would have to wait months for an opening. Well, on Thursday July 12Th, Fred got a call at work asking if he would like to have his tonsils removed the next day. He said yes, and the rest is history. The surgery went well, but Fred had a really hard time coming out of the anesthesia and was sent to the ICU to be monitored over night. Things went fine and he was released the next day. Here's a picture of him and Lucy chillin' before he went in to surgery and one of Fred covered in tubes afterward.

Up and Over

2007-08-25T22:32:00.000-06:00

One of the things I will miss about Korea is having an excuse to walk everywhere. Somedays I would give my right eye for a car, and others I'm glad for the exercise. I've discovered that the shortest route from my apartment to the military base is to go over an overpass which is about 3 stories high. I should have had someone take a picture of me huffing and puffing up the stairs holding Lucy in a carrier, a diaper bag, and a stroller just to prove that I did it. I decided against the picture because lets face it, no body looks good carrying 50 lbs. up 3 flights of stairs in the heat of monsoon season. (use your imagination) Instead I have included this lovely picute of Fred carrying Lucy down the stairs.

Lucy and the Giant Shrimp!!!!

2007-08-25T22:26:00.000-06:00

As you might have noticed, I've been getting really into this blog thing. So much, that I look for anything that would make a great post. Well, here's a doosey for ya. I was walking down the street in down town Seoul, across the street from City Hall and out walk three GIANT Shrimps!!! Well, I couldn't let this picture pass by. So with my best hand signals, I motioned for the shrimps to come over and pose for a picture with Lucy. They were so nice to accommodate me. It's not every day you see three giant shrimp walking down the street... you would take a picture too.

Seoul Searching

2007-08-18T21:58:00.000-06:00

Before I dive into the inner depths of my soul, I must give credit for the title of this post to my dear friend Kelly who used "Seoul Searching" on her blog.

I have wanted to write a post about how my stay in Korea has effected my life. It's something I can easily talk about, but at the same time I have really struggled to write this post. There is so much to say I almost don't know where to begin. I remember when I went to visit Fred in Korea last July. While we were there I was introduced to Danielle Fowers, the Relief Society President of the branch ther, and who is also the wife of Doctor Rob (see earlier blog for details on Dr. Rob :o) We had such a good time with them at the temple and Danielle made me feel so welcome in the branch. I remember her trying to convince me to come over to stay and she kept telling me that I was needed there. That, along with several other experiences while I was there visiting lead us to re-evealuate our decision to live apart and do whatever it took to move to Korea. After that trip I returned home to Utah and "put my house in order" so I could move to Korea. It was a big leap of faith considering the circumstances at the time, but we felt it was what we needed to do. I obtained a visa on my own and purchased a one way ticket to Korea.

When I arrived in Korea I was taken in by the Tripp family whom I had only met once on my previous visit. They took me in as one of their own-- no questions asked-- and let me live with them for a month until Fred was able to get our housing situation worked out. Fred was able to get an exception to policy with the help of Art Mathisen who took it upon himself to walk our paperwork through the system. If it were not for him, we would probably still be waiting for it to get done. When we finally got a place of our own, Branch members stepped up and donated all kinds of household goods to furnish our apartment. There were many days when people would call out of the blue wondering if we needed anything. We felt so loved and humbled by their generosity. My wonderful visiting teacher Jackie Latin offered to throw me a baby shower which helped us get what we needed to prepare for Lucy's arrival. Our neighbors Matt and Tiffany Witt would offer to give us rides EVERYWHERE. Tiffany would always call to see if I needed to go to the store or just to see how I was doing. They even drove through a rain storm to pick my mom up from the airport when she came to visit. And the kindness goes on. These were just a few of the many blessings we received there.

Looking back on everything that has happened since then is a reminder to me that God does know us and and he uses other people to answer our prayers. Danielle Fowers felt that I was needed there. The truth is that I needed Korea in my life, not the other way around. I can't think about my time there without feeling a drive to become a more kind, more generous, more spiritual, more loving person. I am forever changed. From now on my soul will be spelled "Seoul".

Dr. Rob

2007-06-19T23:29:00.000-06:00

When we moved to Seoul, we were fortunate to have many good friends. Rob Fowers is a friend and member of our Branch. He and his wife Danielle have 7 wonderful kids. He happens to also be an OBGYN at the hospital here and was able to help deliver Lucy when she was born. The Fowers are going to be moving to Missouri soon so we wanted to get a picture with Rob before they went.

We love the Fowers and wish them luck. They're going to need it-- they're moving their big family into a 3 bedroom cabin. With 7 kids, two piano's, a gerbil and a parakeet, it's going to be one cramped house.... OK, so there is no gerbil and parakeet. But don't you think it was a nice touch?

The Window Washer

2007-06-19T23:20:00.000-06:00

Next time you think your job is bad, just think what it would be like to be a window washer. Imagine dangling from a rope sometimes 20+ stories above the air with nothing but a hose and a squee-gee for company. Also imagine wearing black waders and a plastic hat when it's 85 degrees outside. I can feel the heat just thinking about it!! But I must say that I am grateful for the window washer. Since he came the sun shines brighter and my view is more clear. Thank you window washer guy.

The View

2007-06-19T23:17:00.000-06:00

We recently discovered that it's fun to go up to our roof an look out at the city scape. Seoul is a huge city that goes for miles and miles in every direction. We thought you might enjoy these pictures of a beautiful sunset and the skyline.

Ode to Book Club and Good Bye Kelly

2007-06-19T22:53:00.000-06:00

In our branch we have established a book club. We just get together once a month to discuss a book we've all read. It's a great time. We read a lot of Newberry award winners which is fun for me because there are so many I have not read. This last month was my turn to choose the book. I chose to do Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. It's a book I've never read, but have always wanted to. The book took place in Denmark during WWII. One of the little girls in the book talks about how much she wishes they could have cupcakes with pink frosting so for the treat that night I made cake with pink frosting.

(Left to right: Karen Ratta, Laura Hubbard, Me and Tiffany Witt) The cake says "We'll miss you Kelly" because our fearless Book Club leader Kelly is moving to Iowa.... or maybe it was Ohio... It's one of those Midwestern states.

Kelly and I were pregnant at the same time and had our babies a week apart. She is great friend and I already miss her very much. Before she left a bunch of us got together and had a little goodbye lunch for her.

(top left: Tiffany Witt, Kelly Tagg, Melissa Bamfo, bottom left: Jennie Mathison, Kathryn Tripp) And just for kicks, here's a picture of Tiffany with her gorgeous salad! Doesn't that just make you hungry?!?

All Rolled Up

2007-06-19T22:47:00.000-06:00

Lucy is a roll-a-holic. If you put her on the floor she just rolls everywhere! From one end of the room to the other! I used to be able to put her on the bed while was getting dressed or putting away clothes, but last week she rolled off the bed so we can't do that anymore. She has also discovered its fun to roll herself up in her blanket. Its so cute!

The "IV" Tree

2007-06-19T22:39:00.000-06:00

Whenever I walk from my apartment to the military base, I pass a certain tree. One day I was walking home and noticed an IV hanging on the tree. At first I thought, "some runaway hospital patient has ditched his IV and left it on this tree!" I laughed to myself and walked home. The next day on my way home, I noticed there wasn't just one, but two IVs on the tree! It struck me as funny so I took a picture of it. As time progressed I noticed that the tree seemed to be dying compared to those around it. I guess in Korea if your tree is dying, you give it an IV or two. Life support for trees.... hmm.

Ghana and Korea's 30th Anniversary

2007-06-19T22:27:00.000-06:00

Our friend Jeffery was sent by the Ghana Board of Tourism to study tourism here in Korea. Since I have not been to Ghana yet, he has been so kind go bring us some DVDs on Tourist attractions in Ghana. It looks like such a wonderful place and I can't wait to go there. On June 16Th he invited us to a presentation by a group of dancers from Ghana which is part of a celebration commemorating 30 years of diplomatic ties between Ghana and Korea.

In this picture you can see Fred, Lucy and I on the right and Jeffery on the left. I guess this goes to show that even though you may be far away, you can always find a piece of home if you look hard enough.

Our Piano!!!

2007-06-19T22:12:00.000-06:00

After much convincing, I was able to coheres Fred into buying me a piano. (He knows how to make his wife happy) We looked for about 3 hours one day and finally found one we liked for the right price. Thanks to Fred's expert bargaining skills and Lucy's cute face, we were able to get them down a quite a bit on the price! The people we bought it from made it easy.

The price included a piano bench, delivery and set up (which included a tuning). They even threw in a frilly piano and bench cover. I don't know if I'll ever use it, but it was sure nice of them.

Here's a picture of Lucy and our favorite realtor, Sara Yee. She has been so good to us! We don't' know what we'd do with out her. She has made our stay in Korea so nice. Thank you Sara!!

Insa Dong and McDonalds

2007-06-19T20:30:00.000-06:00

In Seoul they seem to group like stores together into one big market. If you want fabric, you go to the fabric market where hundreds of vendors meet to sell their stuff. If you want flowers, it's the same. And so it is with musical instruments. Insa Dong is what some would call the "music district". If you're looking for an instrument, any instrument, you'll find it there. Today Lucy and I took our good friends Tiffany and Sammy and her son Mateo to the music market. There are stores all over the area, but we just went to one building where there are floors and floors of music stores. Everything from drums and violins, to keyboards and hand bells. They have EVERYTHING.

Here's a picture of Sammy, Mateo, Tiffany, Me and Lucy in front of the Music market. After an hour or so of piano shopping, we decided to stop at McDonald's for some lunch.

McDonald's may be everywhere, but it's not the same everywhere. Instead of getting the "BIG MAC", I decided to try the shrimp burger.

It was actually pretty good! Here's a cute picture of Mateo at McDonald's.

Koreans are big on recycling so if you are dining in, you are given real cups to drink out of instead of paper. When you go to leave, you sort all of your garbage into it's appropriate trash receptacle.

I think it's really cool. I think us Americans could learn a thing or two from Korea.

Daddy Daughter Time

2007-06-05T02:01:00.000-06:00

Lucy just loves her daddy. She loves to watch TV with him. Check out this sweet moment between father and daughter caught on camera.

Fred is also Lucy's favorite chew toy. She loves to grab his hands and chew on them. She may be little, but she's got a strong bite.

Fred may be smiling, but it hurts!

In the words of John Mayer, "Fathers be good to your daughters."

Splish-Splash I was takin' a bath...

2007-06-05T01:47:00.000-06:00

Bath time is so fun with Lucy. She loves the water and had a ball splashing around in it. She has come a long way from her first bath when she screamed at the top of her lungs the entire time! After her bath we put her on the bed and Mom will sings songs and play games with her. It's some serious fun! Enjoy these bath pics. There is nothing cuter than a freshly bathed baby!!

Smiles and More Smiles

2007-06-05T01:37:00.000-06:00

Lucy is the smiliest baby I have ever seen. She smiles all the time. All I have to do is look at her and smile and she smiles back. And I'm not talkin about any smile. We're talking one of those smiles where your nose wrinkles and your cheeks hurt. That's Lucy for ya. We hope you enjoy these cute pictures!

I LOVE MY FEET!!!

2007-06-05T01:31:00.000-06:00

Lucy has found her feet. It's like finding something she never knew she always loved! (you might have to read that last sentence again). She loves to grab them and stick them in her mouth. She likes to suck on and bite her toes. They are her favorite teething toy.

Brittany and Nicole

2007-06-05T01:17:00.000-06:00

Sometimes Koreans are funny. I love them, but there have been instances where I've wondered if we're living on the same planet. A while ago I was at the Paris Baguette (my favorite pastry store :o) and I was visiting with a lady who worked there. We were having a nice conversation in broken English and as I went to leave she paid me a nice compliment and said how pretty I was. I said thank you and then she added "you look like Nicole Kidman".

I almost started to laugh, but instead I restrained my laughter, thanked her again and left the store. I don't know if she's ever seen Nicole Kidman, but I'm pretty sure we look nothing alike.

I was recently talking with my good friend Tiffany Witt and she told me a similar story. A Korean friend of her husbands told her he thought she looked like Brittany Spears.

She laughed and smiled, but in the back of her mind she was thinking, "has he ever seen Brittany Spears? We look nothing alike!!" Sometimes I don't know what what's going through their heads. I have included this picture of Tiffany and I last December. We bought matching crocheted hats at a local market. I would love to know what you think. Now you can tell your friends you have a picture of Brittany Spears and Nicole Kidman in funny hats. Enjoy.

And the Landlord of the year award goes to...

2007-06-05T01:04:00.000-06:00

We have a great landlord. He as been very kind to us ever since we've moved in. Because we were foreigners, he gave us an expanded cable package at no extra charge for us so we could watch something we could understand. Every time we have something in our apartment that needs to be fixed, he comes in person to make sure it gets done right. The last two times he has come, he has brought me food from his wife. It usually consists of a variety of things, (nothing that I'm familiar with) but it all tastes good. I think it's tofu and eggs with cut up veggies. If you dip it in the sauce, it's not half bad. The last time he came, he also brought me a HUGE pack of toilet paper. Now that's what I'm talkin about!!

Sling's the Thing

2007-05-02T08:15:00.000-06:00

When I was pregnant I wanted to get something I could easily carry Lucy in if I had to walk somewhere (considering I walk everywhere) and my dear friend Katherine suggested I get a Maya Wrap sling. I must say that after using it for several months, it is the best purchase I have made so far. I use it on the subway, the buss, I have directed the ward choir with Lucy sitting front and center.

Lucy is definitely what I would call a "high-need baby" and physical contact is a big part in keeping her happy.
I will often put her in it while I grocery shop, do dishes or prepare dinner and she just enjoys watching me work. Since I started wearing it at church, several ladies in my branch have purchased them. So to all the mothers out there I say "your baby is your best accessory! Wear them with pride!"

Funny hat photos

2007-05-02T08:07:00.000-06:00

Check out this funny looking girl. I must say this first picture fits Lucy to a "T". She's always trying to get the last word in... and she can't even talk!

The most popular girl in school

2007-05-02T07:48:00.000-06:00

If you've ever been to Korea you know that Korean children love foreigners, especially Americans. We're like celebrities over here.... OK maybe not celebrities, but everyone wants to talk to us so they can practice their English. Recently Lucy and I went with our friends Tiffany and Molly to Yuido to do some sight seeing. There is a really big building there with 63 floors where you can pay to go to the top and look out over all of Seoul.

It must have been "kids get in free day" because the place was crawling with them. Every time you passed one they would greet you with a very loud "HELLO!!". And if you got past that, they would proceed to ask you all the questions they could remember from their English class. "Where are you from?" was the most popular as far as second questions go. As if being American wasn't enough of an attraction, having a cute baby brought them in by the dozens. "Cute baby!!!" they would all say as they all tried to pinch her cheeks. I put a stop to that one real quick. Needless to say, she was definitely the most popular girl in school that day.
In a cheap attempt to document our new found fame, we thought we'd see how many of them we could get to be in pictures with us. Also, for your information, in Korea "V" isn't for peace, it's for VICTORY!!

America's Next Top Model

2007-05-02T07:45:00.000-06:00

Need I say more?

Thanks to Fred

2007-05-02T07:39:00.000-06:00

Recently Fred was honored for his work in the Emergency Room. Fred has been working in the ER for the past year and has been over their supply room as well as helping with patients. He has worked many long hours and has gone above and beyond the call of duty many times. He was honored with a nice plaque that displays both the US and the Korean flag with a clock in the center and a plaque with some words of thanks for his hard work. Way to go Fred! He has since moved to the Ambulatory Care Clinic and is enjoying his work there.

HEADS UP!!!!!

2007-05-02T07:21:00.000-06:00

For the past month, Lucy has loved to roll around on the floor. At first she could only lay on her back and kick her feet up, but now she's getting herself in all kinds of different positions. She likes to lie on her side, suck her thumb and watch the TV with Mom and Dad. She recently started to roll herself over on her stomach. At first it was quite funny to watch because her arm would get stuck underneath her and no matter how hard she tried she couldn't get it out!!

It didn't take long before she was able to figure out how to get her arm out and now she's pushing herself up like a pro!
It's only a matter of time before she'll be crawling all over the place. Watch out world! Here comes Lou! Check out those cute cheeks!! Don't you just want to pinch em'!!!

All Smiles :O)

2007-03-02T06:29:00.000-07:00

Lucy loves to smile! These past few weeks she's just one smile after the other. She always gives a big smile when you walk in the room after she's just woken up from her nap. All I have to say to get a big smile is, "you're supposed to be asleep!" and she's grinning from ear to ear.
She also loves to sing songs with her mom and smiles real big when we sing popcorn popping on the apricot tree.

Over all she is the sunshine of our lives and we are so grateful to have her in our home.

Sleeping, sleeping, and more sleeping....

2007-03-02T06:06:00.000-07:00

Like all new babies, Lucy loves to sleep. Here's some cute pictures of her caught in the act.

Although not the most flattering angle, you really get a good look at those pinch-able cheeks!
Here she is spending some quality nap time with mom. You know what they say, "sleep when the baby sleeps" :o)

Lucy's Blessing Day

2007-02-28T00:44:00.000-07:00

On January 7, 2007 we were able to give Lucy a name and a blessing. The name she was given was Lucy Diane Bamfo.

Lucy is a special name for us because it is rich with family ties. Fred's mothers' name is Lucy, my grandmother and great grandmother both have Lucille in their names, and I am even related to Lucy Mack Smith. There is a rich heritage in that name and many great women for Lucy to look up to. Her middle name, Diane, is my (Melissa's) mother's name.

Lucy is such a lucky girl and has many great women in her life to look to for guidance and inspiration. Here are some pictures for you to enjoy. Grandma Diane Jones made Lucy's beautiful baby blessing dress :o)

More pictures of Lucy

2007-01-05T21:16:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pictures of our little Lucy. She amazes us more and more every day. So far her hobbies consist of eating (a lot), sleeping (a lot), pooping (a lot) and crying (a lot). We still love her though ;o) She has a real talent of filling a diaper right after we have put a fresh one on her. She also likes to be where the action is. She is cool and calm as long as she can hear us talking or some sort of sound in the background. Here's a picture of her chillin' with Grandma while we played an intense game of Phase 10.

She likes to watch us and I often wonder what she's thinking about. Probably something like "who are these weird people and who said they could take care of me anyway?".

Despite the pooping and crying, we love her more than anything and can't wait to see this little girl grow. Here we are after an early morning feeding enjoying some quality mother daughter time.

The Best Christmas Present EVER!!!

2006-12-29T22:54:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, we have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of our little girl Lucy. Her due date was December 19th, but that day came and went with not even a contraction. Fred had schedule his leave beginning on the 19th, thinking that we would have the baby by then, but oh no. The days dragged on after that. We tried everything to get things moving, but she just wasn't ready to come out!!

To make a long story short, Melissa started going into labor around 7am the Morning of Christmas eve. She went to the hospital around 10:30 am and gave birth to our little girl, Lucy Diane Bamfo at 3:37 am on Christmas day. Lucy was 8 lbs. 10 oz and was 21 inches long. She has a full head of dark hair and big beautiful eyes. We have enjoyed every second with her, even though she likes to scream at the top of her lungs a lot. We hope you enjoy these pictures. We promise to add more, but let this satisfy your curiosity for now.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2006-11-23T21:46:00.000-07:00

Happy Turkey Day! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving as I hope you all did too. We were invited to a friends house for dinner where we stuffed ourselves silly! I don't remember the last time I was so full! We had a wonderful time there and then went up to another friends for games and a little bubbly... and more dessert. As you can see, Fred got a little carried away with the sparkling cider. I also made a point to include a picture to show off my ever increasing belly. It was about 1/3 smaller at the beginning of the day so you can imagine how much we ate!!!

We have much to be grateful for and have seen so many blessings throughout our lives. We love you all and are grateful for the way you've impacted our lives. We couldn't ask for better friends and family.
Picture 1 (Melissa, Tiffany Witt, Fred, Alex Hernandez, Sister and Elder Tripp, Matt Witt) Picture 2 (Melissa, her belly and Kathryn Tripp)
Picture 3 (Fred and the Bubbley)

Mondu-guk and squid (YUMMY!)

2006-11-23T21:27:00.000-07:00

My friend and visiting teaching companion took Tiffany took a couple of us out to eat at a little Korean restaurant by her house. It was SO good! The best Korean food I've had since I've been in Korea. We had a soup called Mondu-guk (mon-doo-gook) which means dumpling soup. It has dumplings, glutinous rice, veggies and a broth. It was very good. In Korea you order a main dish and they provide you with free side dishes which usually consist of Kimchi, a veggie salad smothered in some sort of mayonnaise like substance, and a couple other things which vary from restaurant to restaurant. We, being the daring women that we are, requested to try some of their squid which we had heard was very good. And it was very good! I didn't eat a lot, seeing as squid probably on the approved eating list for pregnant women, but I really liked it! A little fishy but good. Girls from left to right (Melissa, Kathryn Tripp, Tiffany Witt, Tiffany's sister Jana)

Baskin Robbins 34 Flavors???

2006-11-23T21:18:00.000-07:00

Some of you might be surprised to know that Baskin Robbins is HUGE in Korea. I think I see a new one every day. I was in E-Mart (the Korean version of Walmart) and saw their posters introducing 3 new flavors-- Red Bean, Pumpkin and Jasmin Tea. I took a taster of the Red Bean and let's just say it was interesting.... What do you think bean ice cream would taste like? All I can say is that my little pink spoonful was enough for me :O) I don't think I'll be sitting down to a big bowl of Red Bean IceCream any time soon.

The Korean Phenomenon of Drinkable Yogurt

2006-11-12T22:53:00.000-07:00

Koreans LOVE drinkable yogurt! It’s a huge thing over here. People even have it delivered to their home daily. We have milk men- they have yogurt ladies. I have even been to restaurants where they will serve you a little drinkable yogurt at the end of your meal. The other funny thing about Korea is that spelling often gets lost in translation. As you can see in the picture I’m drinking peach YOGHURT. :o)

LOST

2006-11-12T21:58:00.000-07:00

Yes. We officially got lost. And not just a little lost. We were really truly honest to goodness lost. We moved into our apartment and found out that there was a bus that goes from our neighborhood right to where we have church and it’s only like a 20 minutes away!! This is a HUGE improvement, considering it used to take us an hour by subway and bus to get there.

So, we left early for church so I could get there in time to direct ward choir. We got on the right bus, but come to find out we were headed in the wrong direction. Our 20 minute bus ride ended up being a 2 hour tour of Seoul. Luckily it was a beautiful fall day and we got to see parts of Seoul we may have never seen! I felt bad about missing choir, but everyone in the branch enjoyed teasing us about getting lost :o) I guess we’re just one step closer to becoming “Seoul Savvy”.

2006-11-05T22:44:00.000-07:00

After much waiting and and a lot of patience, we finally have a place!! And compaired to our last apartment, it's a palace. I cannot proceed any further withoug a big thanks to our realitor, Sara Yee, who worked very hard to get us into our place as quickly as possible. As the saying goes, "Nobody doesn't like Sara Yee" :o)

I have included a few pictures of our place for you to see. We are in a brand new 3 bedroom apartment in a very nice part of town. It's considered a middle class neighborhood and is very safe. One of the "bedrooms" has a nice desk in it so we'll use it for our office. The other spare bedroom will be my Mom's when she comes to visit and the baby will sleep with us. The military requires that our landlord furnish the apartment for us. We lucked out because a new apartment means new furnishings and appliances. We have a HUGE fridge, a washer/dryer combo, a dishwasher, a mini TV in the kitchen and even our own Kimchi regridgerator! Korean's are serious about their Kimchi. You can see it next to the picture of the washer/dryer. Another cool feature we like about our apartment is the door camera so we can check out whose outside and decide if we want to answer the door or not. There is also a speaker phone by the toilet in the master bathroom which allows you to speak with people who come to the door. It's kind of an awkward feature, but I'm sure it will come in handy someday. A lot of the things I'm pointing out are things you can't see from the pictures. We also have beautiful furniture and a comfy queen size bed. I will send more pictures later on but enjoy these for now.

2006-10-26T03:25:00.000-06:00

As some of you know, Fred recieved his US Citizenship on July 26th, 2006. The ceremony was held at the US Embassy Club on the Yongsan Army Base here in Korea. Way to go Fred!!! Although he now has the documentation to say he's an American, he's still very much a Ghananian at heart.

2006-10-25T08:12:00.000-06:00

Hello friends and family! Being so far from you all has compelled me to explore the world of long distance communication and find out a good way to keep in touch. After checking out several options, I feel compelled to become a blogger. Ten years ago the term "blogger" may have implied something involving a swamp, but today it makes me technologically "hip". So sit back and hear how this Utah girl becomes "Seoul Savvy".