Service, Pioneer Meeting, After Party

Service was fun today. Zack and I met the early morning group at 7:30. Tanya Lewis brought her adorable puppy, Ebony, and later on we stopped to pick up Riley. So counting the service dogs, there were 7 of us out this morning. At 9:30, I went on in regular service, and Zack went out to visit his parents.

We went to Starbucks around 11:00, as usual. It seemed like half our congregation was there - the place was packed. It was pretty cool. Aurel was telling funny stories. One time, at Starbucks, when the barrista asked his name so she could write it on the cup, he didn't want to go through the whole ordeal of saying "Aurel" and having to re-pronounce it and tell her how to spell it. So he had decided ahead of time that when he got up to the counter, he would just call himself Tom. So the barrista asks his name, and when he says "Tom," she looks him in the eye and says, "That's not your real name, is it?" And he says, "No, it's not," and feels really ridiculous. I laughed so hard at that story because I can totally relate. Whenever barristas ask my name, I just say Anna. I can't believe she confronted him on it, though! That's just weird.

While I was in line to buy my cofee, I heard from Leslie that Brother Min woke up yesterday! He's been in a coma since December 29th. He opened his eyes and smiled, and everything. He's still paralyzed and can't speak, but this is really amazing progress and everyone is just overjoyed.

Anyway, at 1:00 was our pioneer meeting. It was all on the subject of why and how pioneers need to have insight. In the section on pioneer economics, Jason asked, "What are some ways pioneers can cut back on food and drink expenses?" Sister S said, "Well, eat less. I've lost twenty pounds." Good advice.

The meeting ran overtime, as usual. I got home around 3:15, and Zack was back from his parents'. He had brought tons of groceries from his mom, stuff we needed like pasta, fish, meat, canned goods, laundry soap, and on and on and on. There were also trinkets from Hawaii and a box of those delicious chocolate covered macadamias. I had to call Juanita right away, I was so amazed at everything she had given us. Not only that, but she gave Zack her old cell phone, which is exactly like his, except in perfect working order. He has a fully functioning 3 button again! All he had to do was go online and switch it over to his phone number. We were pretty happy about that.

Zack had an upset tummy, so we snuggled for a while and I read him the beginning of The White Mountain, which he liked. It's a pretty good book - the first time I read it, I couldn't put it down. Before we knew it, it was time to go to the pioneer dinner at the McOmbers. Zack was feeling pretty crummy, but he dragged himself out of bed to come with me. He is so sweet! I was really happy he came. We ended up having an awesome time. Abby Jolly was over there, helping Renee and Jason cook an over-the-top turkey dinner. We sat at long tables with real tablecloths, dishes and silverware, and they served us. It totally felt like a fancy version of pioneer school, and the food was awesome. All diet resolutions went out the window.

Zack and I were at the "kid's table," with Ben and Jamie, Bryson, and Luke. Many hilarious stories were told, and we laughed so much that at one point I saw Zack wiping away tears.
Besides laughing and eating a lot, I played with Ava and Elsie, drew on the chalkboard, and met the most enormous dog I have ever laid eyes on in real life. I have a ton of pictures to go through, and some to put up on Flickr. I will never forget the stories Luke and Bryson told about the "cadaver room," Horshack hitting on Luke's mom, and the vanishing sandwiches. I would tell them but this post is already long and I'm tired. Maybe tomorrow.