A Great Weekend

                     ***WARNING!***

***This post contains an excessive number of asterisks and Mormon references.***

Saturday was a great day.   

I woke up early AND in a good mood.  I had big plans.  I wanted to spend a few hours at the Arts and Crafts building throwing pots.  It was a cool, overcast, breezy morning and I decided to ride my (recently arrived) bike.   While Doug and boys were making waffles, I grabbed my backpack full of ceramic tools, strapped on my helmet and started peddling through the morning mist the 1/4 mile to Ceramics.  It was so absolutely lovely, I didn't even mind that I had to turn around and peddle right home because the building didn't open for another 2 hours.

Once home, I picked the chocolate chips out of a chocolate chip waffle and planned my next move.  I decided to work on some furniture that needed painting.  I got out all 

the stuff and got started only to discover the red paint was missing...lost somewhere in the mess that is our half-unpacked house.  

No worries.  I hopped back on my bike and peddled the two blocks to the BX*, bought another can of spray paint, and peddled home.  (Feeling more athletic by the second.)

It was so cool and breezy and nice that I didn't even mind that it started raining lightly ruining my paint job and chances of future paint success for the day.

Lucky for me, I got a phone call from the Branch President**.  'Would I like to escort Sister Evans*** on a shopping trip for a few 

hours this afternoon?'  Of COURSE I would!   I had met Elder and Sister Evans the night before at a special Relief Society**** retreat (where I ALSO learned how to give an awesome scalp massage!) 

At the end of the meeting, Elder Evans answered my very own personal question even addressing me by name...(Pearls)...but I'm not even going to tell you about it...(Swine).

I was so excited to spend a little more time with Sister Evans, I wasn't even worried that I'm directionally inept and totally incompetent to be ANY ONE'S tour guide.  (Okay, so I was a LITTLE worried.)  I made some phone calls and found another sister in the branch***** to go with us and we were set.

The afternoon was fabulous!  We shopped on base for a few American staples and then off base for Kokeshi****** dolls. 

 It was so fun that I wasn't even worried when we couldn't find the doll she wanted.  

(Okay, so I was a LITTLE worried, but she promised to try to come again so she'll have another chance to find one.)

When I got home, my fabulous husband had delicious homemade BBQ chicken pizza ready for dinner.  

It was so great that I wasn't even upset when I got the message from the base lab telling me that my test results came back positive for Strep Throat.  (I'm hoping and PRAYING I didn't share this fun little illness with Sister Evans OR Sister Haltli.)

In the cool inky darkness of the evening, I hopped back on my bike and peddled the half block to the hospital to pick up my antibiotic. They had it ready for me so I didn't even half to wait.  

As I peddled home, I felt light and energetic and happy.  

And I've been happy ever since!

Thank you for the great weekend Elder and Sister Evans!!!

*Base Exchange:  Sort of like a small in-door mall.  Has a book store, food court, some local vendors, and a K-mart like store with a little of everything.  I say K-mart because it's not even as close to as cool as a Target.

**Branch President:  Leader of the congregation.  The same as a Bishop.

***Sister Evans is the wife of Elder David Evans of the Quorum of the Seventy.  (Important church leader.)  Visiting for the weekend from Tokyo.

****Relief Society:  Female Church members ages 18 and older belong to the Relief Society. The Relief Society was founded by the Prophet Joseph Smith on March 17, 1842, in Nauvoo, Illinois. In the days of its founding, it had two main purposes: to provide relief for the poor and needy and to bring people to Christ. The organization continues today, staying true to those original guiding principles as women in the Relief Society meet together on Sunday and in other settings as needed. 

*****Branch:  Similar to a Parrish

******Kokeshi Doll:  Japanese dolls, originally from northern Japan. They are handmade from wood, have a simple trunk and an enlarged head with a few thin, painted lines to define the face. The body has a floral design painted in red, black, and sometimes yellow, and covered with a layer of wax. One characteristic of Kokeshi dolls is their lack of arms or legs. The bottom is marked with the signature of the artist.

It Wasn't Raining When Noah Built The Ark!*

The other day after church Doug and I wanted to make cookies for some of our new friends. (Or shall I say, the people who will be our friends after being slowly worn down (but fattened up) by baked goods until they finally accept us into their social circle.) 

Unfortunately, we realized we were missing a few minor ingredients; like salt, vanilla, butter, baking soda, baking powder, a mixing bowl and cookie sheets. (But hey, I had chocolate chips and flour!)

So today I went shopping with my mind geared towards stocking the pantry with essentials as well as trying to remember the stuff I threw out, couldn't bring, or gave to my neighbor before leaving. (oil, yeast, salt, corn meal, cookie ingredients, etc.)

But when I walked into the Base Commissary, this is the first thing I saw...

Nutella.

Beautiful, brown, chocolaty, Hazelnutty, fatty goodness in a jar.

The big-size jar!

Then all of the sudden I thought of my friend Marni. She recently wrote a blog post about preparedness and how we need to be ready in case of a disaster. And instantly my mind switched to FOOD STORAGE mode! (For those of you non-Mormons out there, Mormons like being prepared, and we like our preparation to come in #10 cans, wheat barrels, and thousand gallon drums of water.)

I was overtaken with my dire need to start stock-piling food. For the last few months in Rhode Island, I was under the false impression that the Air Force wouldn't transport food so we were busily eating away our very meager food storage. (Come to find out, they'll move just about anything that isn't liquid or flammable.) Consequently we brought very little food with us. No large plastic buckets of whole wheat, no 48-packs of Cream of Chicken Soup.

So here I am, in a foreign land, and if tragedy or a natural disaster strikes, where will I be?

In Japan.  With no Nutella.

So I put 6 jars in my cart.

Then I took 2 out in case people looked askance.

Then I brought it home and added it to what I bought last week.

(Otherwise known as the non-emergency short-term supply.)

And now I feel at peace.

*Today's blog title comes from the saying that was plastered on all the boxes of food we had in our food storage room down stairs. I still remember the 70's style orange umbrella logo.  I believe the brand was Rainy Day Foods...?