Good Things Come to Those Who... Endure!

Oh wow! Last week was so incredible!

      I was sustained and set apart as a Relief Society Teacher in the YSA Branch on Sunday the 20th. My first  ever calling! I am so excited to start teaching!
        Getting my patriarchal blessing was such a powerful experience for me. Such a testimony builder too. I had not met Patriarch Rose before he gave me my blessing and we spoke for but a few moments before he bestowed my blessing upon me. But my blessing contained so many things that addressed personal concerns that I have not talked to anyone but Heavenly Father about. I feel so good about my future now, where before I was filled with doubts. I am very excited and eager to get the typed copy of my blessing. There were a couple things said in my blessing that I was like "Wow!" and the sentence or two after those things totally didn't register. And I was so blessed to be able to have someone I consider family at my blessing with me. I am very glad I did not go alone because it is such a comfort to have someone I can talk about the experience with (who was there).
        Going back to the temple Tuesday was also incredible. I had been stressing about returning to the temple. I had only been to the temple once before and that was when I was 14 and a lot of bad things were going on in my life. When I went then, I felt peace and safety but also like I shouldn't be there. Tuesday, it felt like coming home. I felt so good to be there and was just joyous to be in my Father's house once more. My friend Brooke came with me and kind of talked me thru what to expect, where to go, and what to do. It was great.
        Then Friday I got to go back again. Friday was different. I was more focused on the work and less on how I was feeling. Since my eyes are so bad, I cannot see the names when I am in the font without my glasses. So I look at the painting of Christ with John the Baptist. From my angle in the font, I could see the painting but not the heads of either of them. As they read off each name, I was mentally superimposing the face of the brother doing the baptisms and the imagined face of the sister I was being baptized for. Mentally picturing each woman's joy as her work was finally being done. I felt so powerfully while in the temple that I need to do my family history and I am going to get started today! And after I had gotten changed back into my church clothes, I was sitting there watching some additional baptisms be done and I felt so strongly that I needed to do my paternal grandfather's work. So I have started putting together the genealogy to get his work done.
        Yesterday was the perfect finish to an awesome week. There was a YSA Devotional held after the branch and President Hanks spoke. I LOVE learning from him, he is such a great teacher. I learned a lot and am excited to apply what I learned to my life. He and I spoke after the devotional about my plans to serve next year and I feel even better about going now. He talked about how stress is the main reason Sisters go home early and that it is essential to learn healthy self-reliant ways to handle stress. You know my background (some of it) so you know I am used to stress and this has made me more determined to continue developing new healthy habits.
 
        Okay now for the non-spiritual news. As of last Monday, I have officially lost 75 lbs since Jan 14th of this year. Celebrated by taking my 75 lbs photo shoot with Anna Melissa on Saturday. That was so much fun and I am excited to get the pictures later this week.
        On another note… there is this guy in the YSA Branch (we'll call him Bob) that I have been interested in, but hadn't asked out because I thought he was a lot younger than me… Well each Sunday I follow the Spirit when deciding whether to go to Gospel Doctrine or Gospel Principles in the YSA Branch. Yesterday the Spirit led me to Gospel Principles. Bob is the teacher and during the lesson (on eternal marriage) he happened to mention that he is 30!!! Turns out he is only 3 months younger than me! I totally lit up in class when he said that. Sooo I gathered my courage during the devotional and (funny enough) taking heart from something President Hanks said, I went up to Bob  immediately after and asked if he was seeing anyone. He said no, and so I asked him if he would like to go out to dinner sometime. He said yes!!
         I am both excited and nervous for my date next week. I've never dated a member before and it's been a while since I last dated anyone. We're going to dinner after Institute. I hope things go well.