Living in New York

Picking up where I left off… I had been at Temple Square in Salt Lake City for about nine months when I received notice that they were sending us away for a while.  Since Temple Square isn’t a typical proselytizing mission (going door to door), they wanted us to have the experiences that other missionaries have. [...]

Childhood Memories

Several years ago when I moved back to the east coast, I had no place to store the boxes that contained my childhood memories.  So for several years, these boxes sat in my parents’ basement, just waiting for the day when I would reclaim them.  Much to my parents’ relief, I’m sure, we moved them [...]

My Life on Temple Square

I remember when, in the summer of 1994, I received the letter telling me that I would be serving my voluntary mission at Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah.  I was excited because it was a place I had never been and because it was different from other missions I had heard about.  Instead [...]

Growing Pains (Part III) – The Beginning of A New Adventure

The year was 1994 and I was about to embark on a new adventure.  I was prepared to move out West, at least I felt like I was.  I had worked and saved and changed for the past year and I was ready for this experience.  “This” being the mission that I was going to [...]

House Hunting in Washington DC – Part II

Our decision had come down to three choices: a small studio split-level condo one block from the Metro, a two bedroom condo in that same building, or a larger two bedroom condo a few miles away for less money.  The idea of a laundry room and a larger kitchen (all for a lower price) really [...]

House Hunting in Washington DC

Before the CPA and I left for California to get engaged, we had begun the business of house hunting.  And make no mistake about it – it was a business.  We had a realtor who was very serious about finding us the perfect “first home.”  We looked at houses that were falling apart and had [...]

The Engagement Ring (Part 2)

In looking through old posts, I  realized that I told you all about our engagement story and even the wedding, but I didn’t finish telling you about the ring.  As I mentioned in the first segment, there had been quite a bit of drama surrounding my engagement ring.  Let me say up front: I’m not usually difficult [...]

Getting Engaged – (Part 8 – Final)

Days four and five of our San Francisco trip were just as amazing as the rest of the week.  We used our remaining time to do a lot of sight-seeing.  At the top of our to do list was the Coit Tower, which we reached after hiking up a rather large hill.  Those San Franciscans and [...]

Getting Engaged (Part 7)

It was the third day of our San Francisco trip and we were officially engaged.   And not only were we engaged, but we had a great story to tell when we got back.  The CPA had done a good job with planning everything to this point and now his work was done.  The rest of [...]

Getting Engaged (Part 6)

Where was I?  Ah yes… the CPA had tossed my ring into the ocean.   Before going any further,  I should probably say that the CPA had planned this for some time as he wanted to make the event memorable (and have a fun story to tell people).  I should also mention that the date was [...]