Perseverance

The task of getting 50 sales looms on our horizon like a large black cloud.  We're down to the home stretch, the last week of the summer in which we make or break our chances of this summer being profitable.  

Can we do it?  

Of course.  

When Jeff puts his mind to something, there's no stopping him getting it done.  Crunch time is when he is especially productive.  (Isn't it the same with all of us?  Most people don't write the paper until the night before it's due...)

But I think we'll pull it off.  And even if we don't I think this summer has been a good experience overall.  If nothing else, it has gotten us out of Provo for a while... Long enough for us to miss it and want to go back.  

Yes, I'm ready for our vacation.  A vacation from APX.  

Hurrah for college.

God bless.

Walking

There's something very organic and good about walking.  It lets you slow down, get down at ground level and see things from a different perspective.  After walking someplace, driving almost seems like a sin... Like you are robbing time by getting from point A to point B so quickly.  With walking, you become a part of every place that you step.  You don't have to worry about other people on the road or road signs or anything.  You can just go at your own pace and enjoy the fact that you are out in nature getting exercise.  

I walked to the post office today.  On the way home I saw some of those pokey weeds that I used to see (and sometimes run into) riding my bike around Spring Creek when I was a kid.  If I had been driving, I never would have noticed.  

I think cars are part of the reason we've become such a consumeristic society.  Think of it... if you had to carry all that crap home, do you think you would ever buy it?  

Sure, I know that cars are a blessing and a necessity, but sometimes I think it's good just to slow down and ponder the world.  We are in such a hurry all the time to get where we're going, and I think it's affecting our social, mental, and spiritual health.  (So maybe I'm going a little bit overboard...)

Anyways, life is good.  

Stop and smell the roses.

A Long-Expected Party

We just got done with a visit from Mom and Dad Wilkerson.  It was awesome to be in their company again.  They have two of the most amazing, cheerful, inspiring spirits.  

This was the first time they've come to visit since we've been married.  It was strange being the host to my own parents... like sometimes I wasn't sure whether to be in the kitchen cooking, or to just let my mom (the far superior cook) do it.  

The visit was too short, but we had a good time nonetheless.  The highlight was watching them go head to head playing tennis in Wii sports.  Mom would squeal every time she took a cheap shot with her front player.  Good times.  

Happy trails.

Missionary Work

Sharing the gospel is a lot easier than we make  it out to be in our minds.  I have been pondering and debating to myself for months now about what to write in the front of a Book of Mormon that I wanted to send to an old friend.  Then, this morning, I don't know if it was a bout of inspiration or what but the words just came and I started writing them down.  Basically we just have to bare witness of Jesus Christ.  This is His gospel, so tell the world about it.  It's true.  What do you have to be afraid of?   

For Sure

Well, it's official. We're moving to Yakima, WA on July 13. Hopefully it's going to be a great experience. I'm actually getting really excited about it. We'll be there until the end of summer.

An Unexpected Uprooting.

Well, we're moving.
I felt sympathy for Frank and Jessica when this happened to them, but I guess now I can start feeling a little empathy. We don't know where yet, but it's going to be in an area that hasn't been knocked, so hopefully there'll be more success for everyone.
We'll probably be living in a hotel. : So much for settling down, huh?
It feels like we just got all unpacked and got to know the layout of where we live, and we're just starting to get to know people in the ward. …And now we're moving again. I was expecting to be here until the end of summer. Oh well. The best laid plans, right?
There's nothing I can do, so I may as well not complain.
I'm choosing right now to be happy about this situation.
Who knows? We might like it.

I apologize for that. I don't want anyone feeling sorry for us, believe me. Change is stress, and everyone must endure it at one point or another. I just hope we can get everything to fit into our car again. :) Some of you saw how full it was when we moved up here…and we've since accumulated more stuff.

I'm enjoying the office job. It's fun being the middleman, getting calls from all the sales reps and having to schedule techs to go out and install the systems. It's like having two gears working together, and I'm the grease in the middle that makes it run smoothly. On top of that, when I'm not getting any calls, I can do whatever I want, like read, or write, …or play Rock Band.:)

Jeff's allergies are still bad. Thanks for all the tips. Amber, I don't know if we could handle the "in one nostril and out the other" trick. It might be a bit much. But, then again, if it works…
We're thinking of taking him to a specialist to see if they can do anything.

I've been having all sorts of weird dreams lately. I had one last night where Dad and I were in a church, and these guys came in and started shooting us with acid-filled paintballs. The only way to stop it from eating us away was by spreading on a pasty base that Dad just happened to have with him. Weird. I had another one that wasn't quite as weird where I gave a Book of Mormon to a long-lost middle school friend that I'd always wanted to give one to, but never had. Maybe it's a sign that I need to send her one. Ponder on this I will.

I finally got my ring fixed, hopefully for the last time. That thing has given us more grief than it's worth, I'm afraid. This is like the 5th time we've had to get it fixed or adjusted. The silly diamond keeps getting loose or falling out. But, this time the goldsmith built up the gold around it and drilled holes for all of the corners, so it should stay in. If it doesn't, at least we know we have insurance. (Unlike the last time it fell out…)

The weather has been a lot warmer lately, thank goodness. I hated sending Jeff out into the rain and wind. Except now he's getting sunburns. What're you going to do? :)

Allergy Season

Sometimes, when certain harmless substances are encountered by receptors in some people’s bodies, there is an overreaction by the person’s immune system to the substance causing an outpouring of bodily fluids through the nasal and visual ducts. This causes severe discomfort to the subject and the ability to function normally is disrupted.

Such it is with the summer months in Washington state.

Jeff has been hit by the vilest of allergy attacks that is disrupting his (and my) sleep and hindering his work. Snoring is the reason of the first, and the second is only more obvious… “Hebwo, wub you wike poo bwuy a secwurity swystem?” Let it be known to the world that the over-the-counter drugs known as Claritin and Zyrtec do not effectively treat the symptoms of outdoor allergies (at least they haven’t with Jeff. Maybe they could work with your allergies…) If anyone has any other suggestions, feel free to make them known here. We are open to new ideas, (short of having him wear one of those respirator masks. I don’t think the customers would dig that very much.)

To my utter and absolute horror, I must announce to you that my soul has not been “saved.” While I was working in the office, a crazy looking dude and his son came to our door, wanting my coworker and I to chant to Jesus to forgive us of our sins, after which we could go about our normal lives – not making any changes (except for “accepting Jesus into our hearts”) and staying our same religion, with the firm assurance that we would then have a ticket into heaven. I kindly replied that I believe there are a few more requirements (like baptism and keeping the commandments) to get into heaven and I didn’t think chanting to Jesus was going to help. Of course he tried to rebuke me, even saying to my pregnant coworker that it was especially important for her to do it because she could have “complications” and it would be good to have the assurance that she was going to heaven. We promptly sent him away.

This experience has made me very grateful for the knowledge I have about the true church of Jesus Christ. For more info, check out http://www.lds.org/ or http://www.mormon.org/.