Skip to main content

With God and a Good Companion

DISCLAIMER. IF YOU'RE REPULSED BY SAP, STOP READING :)


While serving my mission in the MTC in Provo, visa waiting in Tacoma WA and ultimately serving in Rosario, Argentina, I observed that I could get through just about anything with God and a good companion. I served side by side with 9 incredible women and I seriously love each of them. They each have unique talents and taught me spectacular things! Shout out to you Alicea, Telfer, Brown, Young, Ferraez, Martinez, Diorio, Rasband, and Briggs. (And for that matter, all the other ladies that were my comps for a day or two during splits. Love all y'all).

Well, I've come to realize that marriage is the exact same way. I've got a GREAT companion. I've still (and thankfully always) got Heavenly Father. Crap will still happen. But hey, with those two (and, well, a good attitude and willing part on my end) welp, look out world! 

Here's a few musings on life this week with my eternal comp: 

Monday night. 9:45pm, I'm scrubbing the kitchen floor while Kevin scrubs out the microwave. We may have been simultaneously listening to a conference talk or to the Greatest Showman. But I can't remember.

Tuesday morning. 9am. We drive somberly to a funeral for a perfect, beautiful daughter of God. We think constantly of her family. We don't say a lot of words. We cry a lot of tears. We squeeze each others' hands. We look out at the countryside and silently wonder and ponder and pray for peace.

Wednesday night. 10:30pm. The two of us squint at our budget and talk about a totaled car, graduate school, service projects, groceries, tithing, etc. I apologize for buying too much produce. Kevin has nothing to apologize about...he doesn't much spend money. We sigh, squeeze each others hands, crunch numbers, switch things around. 

Thursday night. 7:45pm. Baby boy is screaming after puking 3 of the 4 ounces he's just eaten before bed. His pajamas and my arms are soaked with a runny white goop. Kevin answers my plea for help, cracks a smile and wipes the two of us down. We read a story and sing a song and say a prayer and put the little munch in his little bed.

Friday night. 8:05pm. Surrounded by friends from all walks of our lives, Kevin and I hunch behind a black-painted plywood barricade with goggles and neon jerseys and nerf guns, battling our way through a game of capture the flag.

Saturday morning. 2am. 5am. 7:30am. Baby boy has trouble sleeping, he needs milk and cuddles and comfort. We trade off getting up.

Saturday morning, 8:55am. Kevin gathers some tablecloths and plates of food and carefully places them in our car so I can take them to a baby shower. He's legit crafty, btw. He made half the diaper cake himself.

Saturday night, 10:52pm. We slow dance in the kitchen to Ed Sheeran's "Perfect Symphony." I discovered it an hour before and listened to it six times and then forced Kevin to dance to it with me. I try to sing along to the Italian words and of course turn them into Spanish.

Sunday evening. 5:45pm. We stroll across Provo to our cousins' for dinner, baby boy in tow in his stroller. We chat about church, about goals, about youtube videos. Sometimes we have to repeat ourselves when a boisterous motorcycle zooms past. Sometimes we walk in front of each other to let the other pedestrians scoot past us on the narrow Provo walks and then resume side by side. 

These are just a few of our moments. We have tears and hardship and laughter and goof-ups. But I've got God, and I've got a great companion. And I'm grateful. This is God's plan of happiness. This is what the Family Proclamation talks about. We perfect? Heck no. But we be happy.






Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Problem with Chick Flicks.

I really, really, really enjoy a select few movies that I willingly watch over and over again. Pride and Prejudice is one of them. You see, Elizabeth's defense of her family, her sense of self respect, her ability to admit that she was wrong and to appreciate Darcy despite all his quirks, and quizzical brow-ness... it's marvelous. My husband doesn't share the sentiment, could you tell? ... and that's okay. There's rare a chick flick I enjoy near as much as I enjoy Pride and Prejudice or A Walk To Remember , and I wanted to explain why. You see, there's more than just a few problems with (many, not all) chick flicks:  (and if you have a chick flick that escapes many of these pitfalls then please oh please leave it's title in the comment section!) The heroine (or suitor) is less than honorable. I have a hard time rooting for a girl to get a gentleman when she's spending her time being scandalously loose with other men ( #thenotebook) . An

A Year and 10 Days Ago

Dear Friends, Family, Acquaintances, and you lovely random passerby of the Blogosphere-- A year and 10 days ago I set out on a journey to write a blog post a day, for two months straight. I did that successfully, and then decided to extend my challenge to a one-year challenge. My report? I wrote 317 blog posts in a 365-day period. And I think that's pretty rad. A few reflections on this experience: Firstly, I started this blog not just because I love writing, but because I needed help. I was suffering from some intense postpartum anxiety, but I didn't know that's what it was at the time. Every moment of every day I felt like I was under severe stress and pressure, even when there were no evident triggers for such. The feeling in my gut on an almost constant basis felt like the queasy stomach, racing heartbeat, and unsettled mind that greeted me before every math test and job interview I've had growing up. I knew something was wrong, but I didn't know how

5 Children's Books You Really Oughta Read

I love reading almost as much as I love writing. And I love writing almost as much as I love reading. Depends on the day. One never truly trumps the other. Gotta have both. These are 5 children's books I've read within the past 2 years that gave me that turn-page feeling, that friends-with-the-characters feeling, that weepy-when-it's-over-feeling. I dare you to read one and I triple-dog-dare you to leave a comment below telling me a story that's given YOU them sort of feelings. #5-- Flotsam  by David Wiesner. If you're not much of a reader (or for your loved ones who can't read at all!) check this one out. It's a whimsical wordless picture book that entertains your curiosities of what truly lies at the bottom of the sea while simultaneously indulges hopes of finding something truly awesome washed up on the shores of a summer destination spot. #4-- Echo  by Pam Muñoz Ryan. With three main characters, three plot lines from WWII era, music liter