During scripture study this week, Eleanor was able to quickly shout out our current prophet's name so she got her own pack of gum! "President Nelson!" she shouted with excitement. When we saw these pretty flowers on our morning walk, Eleanor asked if I would take her picture by these flowers. I love that she takes time to notice beauty around her!
Adelaide loves meal time and feeding herself. Here she is eating sweet potatoes.
She's also really good at pointing her finger and waving hi. We love to ask her.. "How old will you be on your birthday?" And she'll put up her little finger!
The past several weeks have been rough at our house with sickness. Eleanor got a bad cold mixed in with a fever and then she threw up a few times. Aaron then got a kidney stone and went to the emergency room. Eleanor strengthened my faith as she asked Aaron for a blessing. "Dad, can I have a blessing for my cold?"
I'm not the best at gardening, but we have had some success with tomatoes, red bell peppers, basil and green onions. After hopping off the bus, Austin was excited to pick this red tomato.
Months ago, I planned a quick trip to Chicago with Angelica and I didn't know if I should leave with everything happening at home. I was grateful prayers were answered and everyone was well enough for me to fly to Chicago. Angelica and I met Friday evening at the airport and then went to our hotel. I love Angelica and we talked non-stop our entire time together. We woke up early on Saturday and had brunch at the Bongo room. We bought way too much food, but Angelica needed to try the salted caramel pancakes!
Our next stop was finding the new church building downtown! When I lived in Chicago, President Scott, the stake president, said that the church needed a presence in downtown Chicago. When Angelica and I lived there, we attended church in several other church buildings, but the location was not convenient for the members without cars. Thankfully, Angelica and I had a car so we were able to get to church without a problem and we gave rides to others. The single's branch then started meeting in an elementary school closer to downtown. Angelica and I both served in the branch and made so many friends and saw so many miracles as the branch grew. Angelica got married in 2010 and then I left in 2012 when I got married. In 2013, the branch became a ward and then land was purchased for this church building. I cried seeing this prophesy of President Scott's come to pass! The building radiates light and I love that you can see this big picture of the Savior as you look into the doors of the church. We chatted with a security guard for a minute and we wanted to take a tour of the building, but we wanted to be respectful to the security guard. Hopefully another time we'll be able to see the entire building!
Our next stop was Portillos for a cake shake and fries. We also squeezed in a quick shopping trip.
Next we walked around downtown and reminisced about our favorite parts of the city.
We enjoyed a fancy dinner together and then went back to the hotel. It was seriously the fastest trip ever as we woke up early Sunday morning to fly back to our families. I cried the entire flight back home. There were so many tough times during my years in Chicago. I cried in frustration when I couldn't find employment. Then, I found a job through a temp-agency and was then "let go" from the position. I wondered what I was doing wrong when my dating relationships didn't work out after a few months. But, when I returned home from my mission in 2008, I was reading in my scriptures in the Book of Mormon and when I read about a city that is set on a hill can not be hide, I felt that going to Utah wasn't the right place for me. When Angelica offered for me to be roommates with her with an affordable leaving arrangement, I felt like Chicago was a good fit for me. I doubted my decision when I was struggling so much at first. In 2009, companies were struggling so it was tough for me to find an entry-level position. Looking back, I can see now that Heavenly Father was in the details. I was humbled as I realized that in a way, I felt like since I had served a faithful mission to Argentina, I felt like my life would suddenly fall into place once I returned home. I didn't even take time to write in my personal journal during that first 8 months living in Chicago because I felt frustrated and confused. I regret that I still didn't write out the blessings I did have during that time. I'm grateful for Angelica's friendship and that we were able to be roommates! I'm grateful for the work ethic my parents taught me because when I couldn't find an entry level public relations position, I was able to find a nanny job and work at a scrapbook store and made enough money to pay my rent and buy groceries. I had never asked my parents for financial help, and I'm grateful that when I did call my mom and tell her I was struggling, she loaned me $500 that I paid back as soon as I got a full-time job. I did get a lot of experience with interviewing with different companies and I was offered internships, but they weren't paid position. I'm grateful for my dad who is a successful entrepreneur and who taught me to not settle when it came to a career and marriage. I moved to Chicago in January 2009 and I was able to find a full-time job with benefits that I started in August 2009.
I cried on the flight back home to Kansas City because I felt so grateful that Heavenly Father blessed me during those years more than I realized sometimes. I was taken care of and protected and guided. When I met Aaron in 2011 and he was 4 years younger than me, I realized that Heavenly Father knew I needed those years in Chicago while Aaron was still on his mission and in college. I pray my experience may be a help to my children and future generations in our family that sometimes when life seems to be not working out according to our time table, Heavenly Father has been in charge the whole time and knows that is best for us as his children.
At the airport, I was able to watch Khloe and Karie over zoom sing in their sacrament meeting! I also made it home in time to sing with the YW in our sacrament meeting and attend church with my family.
When I had the idea to take a quick trip to Chicago with Angelica, I didn't expect the trip to be so healing for me. Even in a big city like Chicago, the church is still growing and the church building is radiating light. I pray that when I get discouraged, I can remember the brightness that radiated from that Chicago chapel.
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