Sister Spotlight

When I was in 9th grade, I spent time every morning between seminary and school sitting on a big comfy chair with my feet up, a blanket wrapped around me, a mug of hot chocolate in my hand, and a sudoku puzzle on my lap. Because freshmen still went to the junior high back then, there was an unfortunate period of time after seminary and before school that I easily could have been forced to spend sitting alone in the cold campus library. But there was an angel named Kathy Bruner who insisted that I come to her home with her son/my friend Cameron every morning so that she could spoil me and make me. She even went so far as to give me a hot cocoa mug that said "You are special today." This was the time that Kathy and I started to really develop our own friendship. I had always loved her since she was Sister Spotlight and came to teach us fun and special lessons in primary sharing time once a month. She was always close by as a young women's leader or going to get pedicures with my mom or volunteering in the library at school. But that year, as she served and loved me every single day, we became true friends and that friendship has only grown ever since!

Last week, Kathy came to Provo! She came to spend time with her boy Cameron, and I was lucky enough to be able to soak up some of her attention as well. We kicked off the visit by going to the Scared Gifts art exhibit on BYU campus and it was fantastic. Cam had to head to class, but I had a pretty free day so Kathy and I spent the afternoon together walking to my apartment, me playing nurse on her injured finger, chatting, and drinking delicious smoothies. I miss my own mamma big time, and so having one of my pseudo-mammas to talk to and get hugs from was awesome for me. She let me just blabber on and on about my life, and made me feel so great about where i'm at, what i'm doing, and who I am becoming. Plus we laughed like a lot sooo it was pretty great.

A few days later, Kathy treated a bunch of us college kiddos with a trip to the movies and dessert afterward. Her greatness doesn't even stop there. On Saturday night, she made Kathy-Rio! Aka Cafe Rio except made by Kathy... get it? It was DELICIOUS. And it was an astounding amount of food that she slaved over for a bunch of rowdy starving college kids. If you think this was a relaxing vacation trip to Utah for her... think again. She spent the entire time doing things for other people. I think she deserves to go home, curl on up a big comfy chair with her feet up, drink hot chocolate out of the "you are special today" mug, and do a sudoku puzzle.

We love you much Kathy! Thank you for coming and making us all feel so special and loved!

Remembering Tonga

I can't believe its been a year.

365 days ago I landed down on the beautiful island of Tongatapu, Tonga.

The month that followed changed my life in so many ways.

My eyes were opened to a whole new world (cue the Aladdin music).

I was there to learn about nursing in the South Pacific and to gain a global nursing experience, which I did, but there was so much more to it than just that. 

The phrases Malo e lelei, 'Io, bula!, and palangi quickly became a part of my everyday vocabulary. I came to appreciate Diet Coke for its magical way of settling my stomach after I ate any questionable local meals. I recognized that no matter how many different tie-dye shirts I wore, everyone still thought I only brought one change of clothes for the whole trip. I was touched by the dedication, testimonies, and strong spirits (and singing voices) of the Tongan saints. My eyes saw shades of blue that I didn't even know existed. I witnessed the unconditional love of small children who just want to learn and play and grow strong. I gained an appreciation for the scrubs that American nurses get to wear and counted my blessings that I don't have to dawn a hot pink hat/dress combo as I treat my patients. Pigs were everywhere there, and sometimes they are even cute. Also, they don't like raisins. I skinny dipped with 10 other girls on our secret clearwater beach, and have absolutely no regrets about it. I learned the value of flexibility and being okay with not always being in control of situations. I showered with the biggest spider i've ever seen and... okay so what i'm still afraid of spiders. I faced my fears by jumping into dark black cave water, only to be rewarded with a memory that will last a lifetime. 

Really, the entire experience was made up of days and excursions and patients and tiny little moments of incredible memories. I promised myself one year ago that I would soak in and appreciate every second of my time abroad in Fiji and Tonga, and I did. I promised myself that I would remember it all and reflect on it often, and I have. The lessons that I learned and some of the sisters that I gained there are forever. Even as two and three and 10 and 20 years pass, I never want to lose my appreciation and love for my time in Tonga, the people there, and the person that I became while I was there. 

Okay so lets get real, what better way is there to remember Tonga than through a ton of pictures?