Back in the NYRM!

(NYRM= New York Rochester Mission)

I got to spend A week in Rochester for Thanksgiving! It was AWESOME!!!

Tuesday 11-23-10

This morning I woke up at 7:20am…my train was supposed to leave at 7am for Rochester. I freaked out. I called the train station asking what I could do because I overslept and missed my train. The man on the phone asked for my confirmation number…looked it up and said, “Your train doesn’t leave til 10:15.”
Ha! I apparently made up the time for my 7am train…cause I then had plenty of time to get myself ready and off to the station…thank goodness!
I made it to the station and onto the train for my 7 hr train ride! A commuter train!
I feel so old fashion!
Carrie Snedeker came and picked me up at the train station in Rochester.
I LOVED her and her cute CUTE family!!! SO GOOD to see them again!!!

The 2 of us LOVE thai food…so that’s what we got for dinner! SO GOOD!

This is me with the kids....
they are getting SO BIG!!!

Wednesday 11-24-10

Meredith picked me up from the Snedekers today at about 3:30. We went over to her house and walked in and she said look who I have with me…I walked in and Stephanie jumped off the couch, she was so surprised and excited!

Meredith Steph and I were talking in the kitchen while little Isabell played in the kitchen sink water and Ryan walked in. My back was turned and I could tell that he was trying to figure out who was over, I turned around and his face was completely priceless! I LOVED it! He looked so confused and then happy and excited! It was another GREAT moment! I really wish that I could have caught on video us surprising the kids today…really priceless! They didn’t know that I was coming. HA! Loved this moment!

Stephanie and I went to go to a movie…She picked a chickflick for us to go and see.
We went into the theater and watched about 45 minutes of previews...I said, "This is ridiculous, how many previews are there?" Then Harry potter started playing. HA! we laughed so hard! We totally walked in and sat down in the wrong movie...but the movie that we were going to see was already 1/2 over by then - so we just ended up watching the Harry Potter movie. I sat and racked my brain for a bit trying to remember what had happened in the last movie so I could better understand what was going on - ha! Its been a long time since I have seen the
Haha!

Thursday 11-25-10

OH MY!
Blessings Blessings!

I am grateful for:
Family!
Friends!
The Gospel!

…I feel like I should make a list or something…but there are SO MANY things that I don’t think I could get them all down, or do justice to what I really want to say about how very grateful I am for all the blessings that I have in my life. But I think that most everything fits into those 3 categories that I have listed above!

I spent this morning with Meredith and she made cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate for breakfast. YUM!

Kristie and Sarah Martin and Pete (Kristie’s fiancé) came and picked me up and I went over the Martins house.
Cindy prepared an AWESOME Thanksgiving Day meal!
Richard cutting the Turkey!
The girls making the roles.
It was Really nice to spend Thanksgiving with the Martin Family. And really nice to meet Pete. I really like him he and Kristie seem really happy together!
Pete was recently baptized in August.

I love how the gospel spreads! Pete and Kristie plan on getting married in August in the Temple. I am SO happy for them! Its pretty cool cause before Kristie had said that she didn’t want to marry a Mormon in the temple. and now she is engaged to Pete who is now a Mormon and their goal is to go to the temple! Awesome!? I should say so!!!

I also got the COOLEST present from Richard and Cindy!

On my mission I LOVED the old fashion door bells that are actually bells that you turn like a wind-up toy on the outside and it rings the bell in the dorr. ½ the time the ringers didn’t work on the door that I found them on. BUT the MARTIN family has one! And I LOVED to ring it every time we went to their house!...and every time I would leave their house too…haha I would ring it on the way out cause I love it. They knew that I loved that doorbell and Richard told me once. “Well I am getting a new door! And when I do you can have that door bell!”

I noticed that they got a new door when I went over for Thanksgiving and Richard said, “I have something for you!”

He gave me this…

He has saved the door bell off of their old door to give to me!

I am so touched that he remembered that. It was such a simple and little thing but it meant a lot to me!
I LOVE THIS FAMILY!!! I am so GRATEFUL that I got to spend this wonderful holiday with them!

After dinner and visiting Kristie, Pete and Sarah brought me over to the Gardner’s house, and I got to see them and their cute kids and stay up late talking to Jodie catching up.

Friday 11-26-10

Jamie who was an investigator of mine in my first area Medina is a friend of mine and we have kept in touch over the years. He came and picked me up from the Gardner’s house this morning he took me to visit my cute friend Tiffany who was one of my investigators -good to see her!
then we headed off to Buffalo.

Jamie dropped me off at the Paces house. I just realized that I didn't take ANY pictures with the Pace family!? WHAT was I thinking?!

I got to see the whole pace family…they are all getting SO BIG! Its crazy how much all of these kids are growing up! HA.

I went with Sis Pace to drop her son Nate off at basketball practice and then she suggested that we drive around Medina a little bit…so we did! We took a drive down memory lane…that’s defiantly what it seemed!

We ended up going out to Lyndonville and stopped by an old investigators house. Sadly enough they weren’t home. I left them a note on their door…speaking of feeling like a missionary again! Ha!

We headed back to the Pace home I spent time in the kitchen with sister pace, eating pie and a great “thanksgiving sandwich” that Bro Pace made for me. I LOVE spending time with Bro and Sis Pace! Good times!

Jamie came and picked me up. We got pizza with his friend Carrieanne and watched a movie then went bowling.
Saturday 11-27-10

The 3 of us went running in the morning. It was COLD outside! We then went to a little diner in town and got breakfast. After cleaning up we went out to Buffalo to see Katie Wixom!!!!
BEST DAY EVER!!!!!
I LOVE this girl!!!!

Jamie and Carrieanne dropped me off so I could spend some time with Ms. Wixom and I went to babysit with her. I really didn’t care what we were doing…just as long as we were together!

It was so good to see one of my girls again! BAH!!! LOVE LOVE!!!!!

Sunday 11-28-10

Jamie and I got up early and drove back out to Rochester area and went to the Pittsford ward for church. Sacrament meeting was AWESOME!!! The Pittsford ward is doing special Christmas program for every Sunday in December. It was beautiful! I LOVED it!

I got to see a LOT of people at Church that I LOVE and miss and I am so glad that I got to visit the Pittsford ward! As a RM re-visiting the mission its hard to decide which ward to visit…but Pittsford was may last area…and where I remember the most people…and they remember me…and I have really close and strong connection there! And saw a lot of AMAZING Miracles happen there as well!

I then took Jamie out to Palmyra…he had never been to the church history sites.
We drove by the Hill Cumorah and the temple, and then took a tour at the Smith Farm through the Frame home….oh my gosh! I LOVE the smell of the frame home! It always smells the same! There just isn’t any place like it!
And a tour of the log cabin! The Spirit was present and combining my testimony with the testimony of the sister missionary who was giving the tour…it was good!
We also went over to the Grandin Building which is where the Book of Mormon was printed.
It was a great day at the sites!

Jamie then took me over to Brandi and Chris’ house. And we had dinner with the missionaries
and they even made me a special cake!SO CUTE!!! So good to see them again! I LOVE THEM!!!
Always a good time!

Monday 11-29-10

Spent this morning with Brandi. She had me drop her off at school so I could use her car.
I went and got a pie at Leo's bakery -
in honor of my dad and his obsession with Bob.

Then I went back over to the Hunts and spent time with them. And took pictures this time!

LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!!
they are so CUTE! and grown up! BAH! I can hardly stand it!

Steph went with me to visit a few people which was fun
like Bro KIE!!!! LOVE HIM!
and then we had a great dinner and just hung out. Meredith also gave me a crock pot and another gift that I am PRETTY darn excited about! THANKYOU!!!!

I went to go and pick up Brandi from school and we ate pie and talked back at her place.

Tuesday 11-30-10

Spent the morning with Brandi...
she dropped me off at Janets house and Janet Tammy and I went out to lunch before I had to go to the station to catch my train back to the city.
So fun!

I had a pretty AMAZING week! I feel very blessed to have so many loved ones back in the NYRM and I am so GLAD that I got to come out and visit this week! Wish I could have spent more time with certain people...and I didn't even get to see everyone that I would have liked to...but I am REALLY happy about who I DID get to spend time with!!!