Don't Take it for Granted

I figured since I made a list of things that were different about France, that I would also make a list of things I miss the most about the good ol’ USA.

1.     Peanut Butter. This seems cliché because I’ve actually found this at the supermarket. But I would give a lot of money for a large jar of JIF chunky peanut butter.

2.     American restaurants. What I would do for an In-N-Out double-double animal style with no pickles right now. Oh gosh. The food over here is good for the most part. I can’t complain. But when it comes to authentic Mexican food, they are a little behind.

3.     Clothes dryer. I will never take this for granted again. Because right now I’m so thankful for my washer in my apartment. I use it so much during the week. Sweating for a job means there is always plenty of laundry. But having to dry everything on a rack is a different story. And 100% cotton just doesn’t feel as soft when it is air-dried. Which is kind of sad.

4.     Having my own car. I’m such an independent person. It’s hard for me not to want to jump in the car and just go to the grocery store whenever I want. Can you tell that I’m running low on groceries right now? Haha. Yep, I have to ask my teammates for a ride to the supermarket or else just go to the local convenient store, which isn’t too bad actually. Things just cost a little more and they don’t have as much of a selection.

5.     Dr. Pepper. European taste is limited to Coca-Cola. There is one restaurant here that has Pepsi. Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING else is coke. Which I don’t mind, because it helps to have something when I don’t drink coffee or alcohol. But I really really want my own personal fountain of Dr. Pepper! Not going to take this for granted when I’m back in the states.

6.     Seedless grapes. I bought green grapes at the store the last time I was there and they had seeds in them! And it wasn’t just one seed. There were TWO in each! Are you kidding me? Yeah, that’s too much work for me. Haha.

7.     Shoe sizes in a familiar numbering. Or at least in my size! I hate having huge feet. When I went in to a shop the other day to look at some shoes, I had to use one of those foot-measurers to find out my size, which is a 42. That just sounds huge, right? But then, to make things worse the style of shoe I was looking at only went to a 41. Ugh. Fine. I just left the store.

8.     My family and friends. I’m going to be cheesy here for a minute and just say how much I miss my family. I have tried doing a pretty decent job of staying connected to them for the most part. But now that each of us are scattered between southeast Idaho, northern Idaho, Utah, Michigan, and France it has become a whole lot harder. I hope they know that I love them and look up to them SO MUCH! They are my rock solid foundation in this life. My friends I miss talking to as well. I wish I could keep up with everyone more and know what’s going on in your lives! You people are so dear to my heart! I miss you!

Well in other good news I said my first French prayer last week! It was a cool experience. The branch president asked me to say the closing prayer in sacrament meeting. I was thinking that it would be ok to say it in English. But then, at the end of the meeting, when he was saying that I would give the benediction, I noticed that he said I would give it in French. So I started panicking and asked the Elder sitting next to me, translating for me to help me. He said what I needed to say for “Our Heavenly Father,” “We thank thee,” “we ask thee,” and “in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.” I just stared at him and said he should probably write it down. So he pulled out a sticky note and wrote it all down for me. Notice, the closing hymn is going really fast by this point! And then all of a sudden it was over and it was my turn to go. So I walked to the front and said the prayer! Ok, I admit it, it was only half in French. Everything besides those phrases that I said before was in English. But I was pretty proud of myself! After I closed the prayer, I looked up and smiled and there was an audible smile on the congregation! I was so happy! I’ve since then studied a little more of what to say if I am asked to say another prayer. It’s similar to a child’s prayer, very simple, but heartfelt nonetheless.

Mosiah 3:19

“… Becometh as a child, submissive, meek humble, patient, full of love…”

A good dose of humble pie for me is to remember to be humble so that I may learn. And to also have faith in the gift of tongues. 

As for the latest in volleyball news, we won our home tournament this weekend! So far our team is 4-0! That's a great start if you ask me. They actually had a huge trophy for our team! It wasn't like to little glass trophies in the USA. This was a huge metal one!