Salsa & Peaches, with a Side of Greek

After the crazy week last week it really was nice to have an extra day off from work for Labor Day. That being said it was still another crazy week but filled with a lot of fun things. I was hoping that Labor Day would allow me for a pool day but it was drizzling rain the entire day. Which made it extra cozy when mom and I decided to make and bottle salsa. I have helped her several times over the years but this year is when she wanted me to do a lot of it while she watched and taught. It was fun to bring over a bunch of tomatoes from the Grantham's garden and go pick some from the Gardner's garden to make our first batch. After seeing the yield we decided to double the batch and ran down to the farmers market to get another box of tomatoes. I have always loved my mom's salsa and it was hard to be away from it for so long when we were in Pittsburgh. She shipped us a jar last fall and we tried to ration it as much as possible. Yet another reason why it's so good to be home. 

Tuesday was work all day and then go to Young Women's at night. The activity was a "p-party" which consisted of wearing pajamas, bringing pillows to watch a princess movie with popcorn and plenty of treats beginning with the letter "p." Guess what I brought? If you guessed peaches you're right. To be honest I probably would have brought them even if they didn't start with the letter "p" they are ripening and we are starting to have more than we know what to do with. The activity was a lot of fun, I am slowly figuring out who the rest of the girls are and getting to know the other leaders better which is fun. It's a good group. I also feel like I am right where I am supposed to be with the older girls group.

The rest of the week was full of work and hanging out with Jaden watching House in the evenings. That's our current favorite show. I had seen a few episodes in my high school Medical Anatomy & Physiology class and was fascinated by it and when I saw all seasons were on Peacock I told Jaden to watch a few episodes with me and if he didn't like it we didn't have to watch it. After the first couple episodes he was hooked. 

Friday we were supposed to go up to a cabin with our friends but that ended up falling through due to scheduling conflicts (it gets harder and harder to align the schedules of 8 people the older and busier we get but we're still determined to see each other a lot which I love). So mom and I scheduled tickets to go see the third My Big Fat Greek Wedding movie. The first one will forever and always be one of our favorite movies. We can quote most of it and I pride myself in being able to do the full Aunt Vuola dialogue about her "tvin" without batting an eye or breaking a smile. The second movie was good I was impressed they were able to get the entire cast back including Paris (Toula and Ian's daughter who is only in the last 2 minutes of the first movie). Mom and I were both prepared that this third movie would not compare to the first and honestly it didn't. It was cheesier and a little more forced but as cringy as the beginning half was it got better and ended in a heartwarming way so I'm still a fan and will watch any and all of the movies whenever suggested. It was funny when I called her to tell her when I'd pick her up I said "are you going to wear blue and white or is it just me?" She responded "Oh I just love you, of course I'm already wearing blue and white!" We have this new thing I guess where we dress up in theme with the movie and I love it. We even went to Santorini's for dinner and ate Greek bowls because we are just that extra. "Give me any word and I will show to you how the root word of that word is Greek." #longlivegus

To finish off the week I taught Young Women's. Originally I was slotted to teach on the 24th but one of my young women from our Bountiful ward is leaving on her mission and speaking at church that day so I'm going to miss our ward and go and listen to her speak so I switched with another leader. I got the topic "How Can I Find Comfort in Jesus Christ When a Loved One Dies?" This topic weighed heavy on my mind for weeks as I started pondering and planning for how to guide a discussion on this lesson. Jaden also had to teach the same lesson same week in Young Men's and it was fun to bounce ideas off of each other and see which direction he was inspired to take his own lesson. One of the things he commented on that I loved was that although this was a heavier topic it was so raw and real. No one is exempt from death. Everyone will encounter it at some point in their lives they will lose a loved one. And we get to help prepare them and help them bring the Savior into that process. Listening to him talk I thought it really is an honor to teach about relying on the Savior during grief because as Thomas S. Monson said in one of my favorite talks of all time, "I Will Not Fail thee nor Forsake Thee, "As I have traveled far and wide throughout the world fulfilling the responsibilities of my calling, I have come to know many things - not the least of which is sadness and suffering are universal."

I had the thought to look up President Nelson's remarks at Patricia Holland's recent funeral and in one article summarizing his words it quoted him referring to death as "a gateway." This struck a chord in my heart and I knew that is how I wanted to frame and discuss death with the girls. We are studying Corinthians right now and Paul describes death as having a sting. I asked the girls to tell me what it feels like to be stung and how those words: sharp, throb, swell, unexpected, etc. relates to someone close to you dying and how grief can feel the same way. I shared one of my favorite quotes about death by Lynette Eason: "We're not made to say goodbye. God didn't make us that way. We're eternal beings, meant to live with Him and those we love forever. So when we have to part with a loved one for a while because of death it hurts."

I then shared how President Nelson considers death a gateway and passed out pieces of images depicting the different parts of the plan of salvation and had the girls help me put them together on the board. I showed them that without death we'd be stuck on earth and unable to go through the rest of the plan. This would make the plan pointless. I asked them to think about how death is a gateway and then passed out quotes from President Nelson over the years speaking about death. I asked them to read the quote than come up and put the quote around a picture I had of Christ forming a "gateway" around it symbolizing that death is the gateway to our Savior and heavenly home. 

After everyone had a chance to read a quote I told them we were going to talk about how Christ Himself coped with death. I asked them to tell me what they knew about Lazarus and John the Baptist. I am always impressed with the answers that are given when you throw out questions about the scriptures. These girls know their stuff. I asked them to describe how Christ responded to each of these men's deaths. We talked about how he wept with Lazarus and how He wanted to be alone when He found out that His cousin John the Baptist had been murdered. And yet He was swarmed with people and still reached out to serve them even during His own pain and grief. We talked about how we covenant to mourn with those that mourn and that how our trials and grief give us compassion to serve and help others in theirs just like the Savior. 

One of my favorite parts of the whole lesson was when our YW President Anna raised her hand and shared that the biggest difference between Lazarus and John was that one got the miracle. She spoke about watching her mother in law be diagnose, suffer and die from cancer in the span of a few short months and that their family didn't get the miracle they prayed for and yet they got so many blessings of peace and comfort and faith. It was a powerful distinction and testimony and a testament to me once more of why Teaching in the Savior's way has changed the way Sunday lessons go. They are no longer a teacher standing preaching at the front of the class. They are interactive dialogues where you truly get to learn and grow from one another. We finished off by opening it up to the girls to share any experiences with getting comfort from the Savior during times of loss. I had asked one girl in advance to share and she talked about her grandpa and how their family came closer together after his passing. It was altogether a sweet lesson with a sweet spirit that I hope impacted the girls at least a fraction of how it impacted me. 

I know there is a plan in place and that death is part of that plan. I know that it is a gateway into a life more magnificent than we can imagine and I know we can be together with our family and loved ones again as we make and keep our covenants and keep our eyes, words, and actions focused on our Savior. The one who opened the gateway of death and walked back through it as our resurrected Lord.

Peaches 

• Making salsa with mom
• Drizzly cool mornings
• Farmers markets
• Picking tomatoes
• Tasting fresh salsa
• Learning how to bottle salsa
• Finding a lid with my grandma Jane's handwriting marking the year I was born. My mom and her bottled salsa likely just a month before I was born. Grandma Jane is who passed the salsa recipe on to my mom who has passed it on to me. The older I get the more I treasure family recipes

• This cute poem my mission president's youngest daughter Emma posted that her grandpa wrote. 

• Picking peaches with Jade. He loves peaches and literally said to me "these are all mine" 

• Young women "P-Party"
• Made chicken with peach salsa. Constantly looking for peach recipes

• Finding old classic nostalgia Disney Shows on Disney+ (Bear in the Big Blue House, PB&J Otter, Phil of the Future)
• Planning our NYC trip with our friends. We go in mid-October on a red-eye whirlwind three day crazy weekend trip to cue Alicia Keys "Newww Yoooooork... I think I know what dreams are made of there's nothing you can't do in New Yoooork..." It's going to be fun we're excited!
• Saw a recipe for cottage cheese on toast with fresh sliced cherry tomatoes and a drizzle of balsamic glaze and wow... new fav breakfast
• Helping my grandma prepare for her and grandpa's upcoming 50th anniversary party
• Finding this post and picture and this quote from President Nelson as I prepared for my lesson

• Movie date with mom
• Santorini's lemon chicken and rice bowl.... yum

• Deciding once again that I want to go to Greece for Jaden and my fifth anniversary. Have been mentally preparing him for months that I want to do a big trip with him before we have kids and I feel like our fifth anniversary is a perfect occassion
• Peloton rides
• Couldn't resist and made pumpkin bread this week

• Mrs. Meyers Acorn spice hand soap, dish soap, all-purpose cleaner. Give me ALLL the acorn spice 
• Show me a more fall breakfast... so so good

• Young Women's lesson
• Being moral support while the boys rehung the giant folding mirror at Grandma Moyle's house. New owners should close on the house this next week so just a few more things to get ready before that happens. My job was to sit out of the way and hold the glass light fixture until they needed it. So that meant sitting in the bathtub

• Snapped a pic of Amy's peach pie recipe

Pits

• Felt bad our cabin trip with friends didn't work out but also glad that I was able to spend time with mom
• Feeling stressed about work and potentially losing another client