Time Capsule

I'd imagine that you'd be interested in hearing tid bits about my fabulous new life out here in Salt Lake City. Well, I have been having all sorts of fun times and learning lots and having great experiences, but isn't it funny how when you have so much free time it seems like hardly anything gets done? Well, that is my situation and, as you can see, blogging has fallen to the wayside.

But I really did want to share this thought.

Last month, I set off on an unexpected last-minute trip to Michigan. While I could go on and on telling the tale of why I went, how cute my nieces are as traveling companions, and the adventures I had while there, instead I want to talk about my "bedroom" there.

It is the only place I've ever lived that has been preserved through the years just the way I left it. And more than that, it has become a sort-of symbol to me of my parents' love for me, of God's love for me and just of all-around goodness. This appreciation started about two visits ago. (I'm pretty sure it wasn't the last visit due the previously-mentioned run-in with a bat that caused me to sleep on the couch the whole time I was there). While sitting in my room I just felt overwhelmed with love and gratitude. I felt so thankful for the 1.5 years I spent there, grateful to God for guiding me there, and glad I listened to his promptings. But mostly I just so so soul-shakingly grateful to have a real, honest-to-goodness home. So many people don't, due to divorce or family craziness or the death or parents or various tragic things. But I am blessed enough to have a place where I am always welcomed with opened arms by parents who love me no matter what. A place where I love being. A place listed on my phone contact list as "Home."

And in addition to that, whenever I go to my "home" bedroom, if I'm so inclined I can go through my drawers and shelves for a lovely trip down memory lane. I want to share with you a few highlights.

This is a quilt my Young Woman's group cross-stitched for me when I graduated from high school. Talk about love! What a really nice, thoughtful thing to do for a person. And let me show you some close-ups so you can see how totally talented these people were and how much time they put into it:
(that last one was blurred, but I wanted to share it anyway)

I haven't taken this special quilt with me to any of my other homes because I don't have a place nice enough to keep it.

And speaking of special bedding, I always love seeing this much-loved, worn-out bedspread which my mom got for me special (from the catalog) when I was about 10 It warms the heart.

And here is my totally awesome alarm clock that I got for my 8th birthday, so I could wake myself up for school I love it!! (and please note, that I was up being productive at 6am)

While I was thus strolling down memory lane, I looked through my mission scrapbook and realized that my mission wasn't 100% heartache and self-disappointment-- there were fun times too

And I looked at some of my favorite mission souvenirs/recorditas/chachquees (sp?)

Oh man! I LOVED buying stuff on my mission!

But, it occurs to me, I love buying stuff where ever I go, and most of the souvenirs of my world travels are still at home in Michigan. Below is the instruction on a game I bought in China. Please enlarge and read-- it is one of the funnier examples of Engrish I've ever seen (esp. the last two sentences)

And this trip I decided to go through the clothes I left there. HELLO!! What inspired me to not take these with me to New York? I must have been sleep-deprived or something
Elmo socks
frog prince pajamas

Well, that concludes our stroll down memory lane for today.

Pictures not shown here include the tremendously ugly yellowish brown shirt that I loved sleeping in; the Impressionist calendar I bought as a junior in high school and turned into art which I hung on the wall everywhere I lived from 1995 to 2003 (I just counted--5 different places); and the three totally beautiful quilts my little sister made that are currently on my bed at home.