We love you, Grandma Polly

This past weekend I was so absorbed by my own stress. I was feeling down because of work, strained friendships and all the cleaning and organizing that I wanted to accomplish. Graydon and I also started building a new shelving unit and became frustrated by the lack of instructions in the box. I was feeling so overwhelmed by the stressors that were facing me come Monday at work and the lesson we would have to teach on Sunday.

While we were figuring out our shelving unit, we got a call from Graydon's mom. It was not good news. Graydon's amazing grandmother had been taken to the emergency room. I have never been so amazed by Graydon as when I saw the immediate rush of concern flood over him and take an immediate hold of his priorities. "Let's go". We stopped building our shelving unit. We pet Lucy and gave her a bone. We grabbed some water, hopped in the car and arrived in Layton within 30 minutes.

Graydon and I were able to see Grandma Polly in the last moments of her life. While I stood there watching the family and Grandpa Charles near his sweetheart, I began admonishing myself for all the little things that I stressed over during the day. Who cares if the furniture didn't come with directions? Why should I worry about work when it will be there for me on Monday? Why in the world did I waste my energy on being offended? I grabbed Graydon's hand tightly and allowed all the memories of our 5 years together to rush over me. I thought of all the times we spent with his family and my family. I thought about the first time I met Grandma Polly at our high school graduation. I smiled as I thought about the immediate love she showed me even before I was a part of the family. The entire room was filled with an indescribable warmth. My heart felt like it would overflow with so much love even though we were so sad to see Grandma Polly go.

I am so grateful for the gospel and for eternal families. I cannot imagine an afterlife without my darling or my amazing family and friends. I know that the gospel brings happiness if we follow the teachings of Christ and live our life serving other people. I hope that I can live my life in a way that my own Grandma and Grandma Polly would be proud of.

Graydon says he imagines that our grandmothers have been able to meet our children. I hope they put in a good word for us :) I love Graydon so much and know that the love we share for each other can surpass any trial as long as we stay faithful in the gospel. Although I am so sad to have said goodbye to an amazing woman, I am so grateful for Grandma Polly's example and what she did for her family.

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Finally...

Wow it feels so nice to be sitting at home knowing that I have a three day weekend! I haven't been up to too much lately besides work. Gray and I have been really busy with our own things going on. He is going to school this summer and working part-time so sometimes I have to hang out with Lucy while he does his homework and studies.

My job is going well. Although I haven't gone on a mission I imagine I experienced that same sort of thing when I felt like things were finally starting to make sense to me in a foreign place. Instead of waking up one day and realizing I could finally speak the language, I feel like I'm comfortable about giving recommendations and recalling policies/procedures. Outside work I have been reading tons of literature on U.S. Labor Laws and checking out books on HR stuff. Sometimes I read them at home when I'm bored and I think it has helped me A TON. This week at work I've kind of had to fend for myself a little bit but it was a good learning experience for me at the same time. I think this week is when I finally felt comfortable supporting terminations and giving supervisors advice when they asked for it. A month ago I think I would have quickly put them on hold while I asked for help. I am coming up on my 4th month there and it seems like it has passed so quickly.

Today I got my Blackberry setup and I felt so dumb because I forgot to get email service...I suppose it will be useless this weekend? I also feel weird because now I have two phones on me. I would've loved to just use my iPhone but I don't feel good about giving out my personal number to people. Not to mention I wouldn't want to let go of that number if I could help it. I've had my phone number since sophomore year of high school and I don't have any intentions of losing it! I don't feel official yet but I will tell you that once my email is all set up with my BB, I'm going to feel so corporatized!

I'm finally writing a blog about my job because it has been such a great opportunity for me. It has given me great confidence and the ability to meet new people. I am so happy about this great opportunity even when it has been soooo difficult at times. I used to feel really discouraged when I first started but with all the help that I've been getting it has been so much easier getting into the thick of things. It has been a great comfort to me to have so many people mindful of what I've been up to and so supportive.

Thank you to everyone who has been so supportive of me. Especially Graydon. When I have come home stressed from work he is always reassuring and always on my side. I am so grateful for everything he does to help me when I feel like I've had enough. I know my new job doesn't seem like a big deal to many people, but it is always so nice to know that my family is proud of what I'm doing. I am so excited about my new career and can't wait to see where it takes me.

Thank you everyone for your kind words.