Christmas Break List: Watch Austenland

Jane Austen, what a wonderful author!

I might have seen every version of Pride and Prejudice there is available, so this is going to be on my list.

I'll see if I like it.

Faith: My Own Reminder to Myself

Wow, has it really been months since I updated my blog?

Well, I like to tell the long versions of the story of how Brad and I are, but this one has to be short because school is quite demanding.

It's been such a journey adjusting to our new life here in Georgia. Finally getting the hang of driving around Atlanta. Now, we are trying our best to ovoid driving to downtown Atlanta haha.

Sooner or later Brad and I knew we will be getting a calling in our ward, so we did. We are called to be ward missionaries!! I do feel like this calling is just for me. I love sharing the gospel, but this time  I can share it directly and more productively. I met couple of potential investigators that are such an amazing people. They are so inspiring and full of potential. Listening to their life story and believes about Christ is like a refreshment to my soul. I fell in love with those people. After listening to their story, sister missionaries and I would just jump up and down with excitement knowing that they are ready to accept the gospel. Though, those potential investigators can't see yet the happiness and joy of what gospel can bring into their family.
You want them so madly to experience it but can't until they open their hearts to it. Some, sadly, closed their hearts and doors to the gospel, but some do come around and receive the gospel. Couple of Sundays ago, on fast and testimony meeting, we had two of our investigators come and bear their testimony why they like the church. One investigator shared that one night he did something that compromised his family life, so he went home and prayed to Heavenly Father to help him change, so sister missionaries knocked on his door couple of minutes later.  I just love this gospel and what LDS church bring into my life.

Life is hard and we all know it! There are times in my life where  I taught nothing can shake my faith... right! With everything screaming to get my attention, like television, Ipad, cell phone, neighbors, friends, family, church, cleaning the house, school and work can become overwhelming! At times I just loose the balance of what is most important. I keep learning that, even whole bunch of church talks and scriptures said it, that to keep Heavenly Father our first priority than everything else will follow. Things always work out when I balance things right. Sometimes, I wonder when am I ever going to truly learn this lesson. Sometime we loose faith that we start asking  "what if's" questions, and that is where we loose our faith. We put our "common sense" as a priority, like school instead of Heavenly Father. I know it's easier said than done. The only scripture that pops in my head is Prob. 3:5-6  
"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."
(I almost think this post is just for me to remind me to have enough faith that everything will work out. My own reminder to myself)

Nevermind, it turned into a long story.

"Grandmother"

Since  I came to Georgia, I have realized how much work needs to be done in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In Utah, pretty much all of your neighbors are LDS.  Up here, they are all over the place. The only people that live close to us is the sister missionaries. They are awesome!

I want to share a brief story of my connection with missionary work since I've been here.  Let's just say that I was converted to the gospel on Jan. 7, 2006, and ever since it has been an amazing adventure. I loved what was given to me and I wanted to share it with everyone that came close to me. I just love Heavenly Father very much. Time passed, and my desire to share the gospel has decreased. Maybe because I got discouraged and noticed that some people don't really like to talk about the gospel even when they are part of it.  I might be naive, but that is how it seemed to me. Being part of this church is everything to me. It gives me happiness, purity, truth, love, understanding for life, and much more. It gives so much and the blessings that comes from believing and doing what's right is incredible.  

Coming here opened my desire to share! I always had the passion but buried it inside me. I wanted to go on he mission and thought that would be a great adventure for me and people that I would teach. I got married before I could fully think about it. 

Brad and I met a lady who we are currently taking to church with us on Sundays. She is a sweet lady. She said, "God brought us together.... This year is such a good year. I really like it" and "[the] LDS church makes me feel at home." She says so many things that melt my heart.  It makes me happy to know that she might have found something she was looking for all her life. She is in wheelchair and barely could walk. She calls herself "A wall walker." She is funny! She is eager to learn and know more. She is a religious person and has been all her life, but this time I think she won't have to go to one church or to the other, because she will belong to one church that will take care of her. The first time we came for a visit, she said things that reminded me of Joseph Smith. The still small voice said to me "she is ready, she is ready." It repeated over and over again in my head 'till we invited her to church with us. She got so excited! I told her that she will love it! She does like going to LDS church. I told her that missionaries don't get paid and bishops don't get paid as well. She says, "That is how it should be."

I don't know if she knows it yet, but I think she was ready for this moment for so long. She's been waiting and waiting, and finally Brad and I moved in right next door to her. I wish I could explain the happiness that I see in her. It's a joy!

For the first time she is seeing sister missionaries today (Aug. 21) and we are invited. Brad and I are so thrilled to be here and serve her. She calls us her "grandchildren." It's a blessing to be part of her life. 

To be continued...

Written by Rachel 

Simple Salad

Made this salad and my own home made ranch dressing! Everything turned out so good!
This salad is so easy to make if you are in a hurry like I am sometimes. You don't even need any culinary skills :D

You need bacon (I used real bacon bits)
Cucumber
Carrots
1/4 of cup - Ranch dressing
4 Hard boiled eggs (If you are making for two)

*You eyeball how big of a salad you want*
Chop up everything in a small cubes. (Like shown in the picture)
In a bowl mix together ranch dressing, carrots, bacon, and cucumber.
Put hard boiled eggs on top and serve.

Bon Appetit!

You can find home made ranch depressing recipe online

First Months

**I wrote this when I was first married, but never posted it. It kind of gave me a little reminder in life. Read it and you will relate to my story. (I should write what I learned being married for 1 year and 8 months?)


Things I've learned just being married for 7 months. I'm not kidding—it's not as long as it seems. Well, being married is a new chapter in life and so I'll write my own story.

Kneeling down with my best friend at the alter made me realize that it was really happening—I was getting married! He walked me to the side where the bride kneels and then we held hands when the sealer started speaking. The Spirit was so strong that I couldn't hold the tears.There was peace in my heart that helped me know I was marrying the right man (how can I not, he is perfect for me). I felt joy and comfort after the Sealer completed the ceremony. Brad that day became my everything. He is my eternal companion for time on Earth and in heaven.

When coming home from Washington by the end of December, I had to learn how to be alone. Brad would go to school and work 'till six-ish, and I would be left home till I headed to school. When I was single and had to work many hours I craved time alone so that I could sleep and ponder, but when I got married there were no roommates in my apartment. I had nobody to talk to, unless I called Brad every hour, which I did (he was very supportive). This was really hard for me. I was always surrounded by people and all of the sudden there was nobody to keep me company. I had to learn how to occupy my time without my roommates being around.

Brad doesn't want to go to bed because he doesn't want to sleep. Sometimes it is difficult to tell someone you love that they are ridicules, jk jk he only stays up all night when he has a HUGE project due, and that is when it's hard to say he needs to go to bed.

Sometimes I can't do it all! OK! Maybe some women are super women, but it isn't me. Sometime you have so much homework that you end up having a very messy apartment, no food made and laundry isn't done. Just barely being married I wanted to do it all and I kind of failed sometime and I have to learn to accept it.

Being poor is ok. Yep, Brad and I haven't had dresser for a while till we finally got them (very cheap dressers). We would store our clothes in out luggage for several months. I wasn't ok with it, till we bough the dresser and then I look back and laugh about it. We didn't have a table either, until Brad's grandma offered one of those cheap ones. It works and does it's part.

Prioritizing in marriage is fun. It happens that your priorities and time divides when you get married. You are in it together... right?

Girls: don't hint what you are trying to say or want something, but say it with words. It helps men very well. Darn it, we girls just know how it all works when we hint. It works for us and not man.

Netflix is pointless and waste of time. We spent so much time watching The Office and it became so addictive. However, I still love The Office!!

Make sure you get a contract and read it, don't just sign an addendum.

Stuff breaks and it's just part of cheap apartments and cars.

I have always someone that can support me when life treats you unfair. Brad just would sit and wait till I cry everything out. I tell him that sometime I just need to cry and it isn't his fault.

So far I learned that being married is the best thing that happen to people. I learned why prophets ask men and women to get married. I learned why we need a companion by our sides. I learned why my husband become my everything before the Lord. If I place Heavenly Father first, than our marriage gets better. I fall in love with Brad deeply even more.

I learned why temples are so special when attending with your eternal companion. When being single is has a special meaning to it too, but when being there with Brad I discovered even more deeper meaning of the temple. It's both of our goal to make it to Celestial kingdom and knowing that he is with me by my side.

Aventures in Georgia

I just love Georgia. There is so much to do here all the time!
Here is some of the Georgia Aquarium pictures.
This aquarium is so fun and big. They have a lot to see like sharks, dolphins, tropical fish, frogs, wales, cold water fish, and penguins, est.
There is a little tricks to know before going. Visit during the am hours of the week days. Purchase your tickets online so that you can skip the line. Do not go to aquarium during 12 to 5 pm. It gets so busy and you will not enjoy your visit as much. Thank goodness we came at 10 am and were able to complete the tour before all the craziness happen. Eat really good breakfast because food gets really pricy up there.
Also, if you are going to see the Dolphin Tale, make sure get there 30 min before, because the line gets long and you will end up having the top sits, which is still fun, but not as much as the front ones.
Overall, it was such a good fun adventure for Brad and I. We love fish and now I was a dolphin as a pet. They are just so adorable!

He was my favorite! He posed for a picture. I think he was trying to smile :D

Fish was annoying him so much that he would nip them lol

If you ever go to Georgia Aquarium, please go see the jelly fish. They were just so beautiful! 

Horse Fish! Did you know that only males cary the fish eggs?

Shark!!

This is the Ocean Voyage! This exhibit was my absolute favorite 

This fish loved Brad, and Brad, I think feels the same about the fish lol

This is the BIG aquarium!  

 Magical :D

Another shark

This is the African Penguin Exhibit   

They had this tunnel you can go through to have a closer look at the penguins 

Getting a closer look at the penguins 

Awww... Aren't they CUTE! They were very small! 

White crocodile 

Piranha

So I was looking to see if they have any teeth, but I couldn't see any. Do you see any teeth?

OHHHH! This was just a joy! I got to touch a sting ray! They were so soft. 

After a little convincing, Brad touched a sting ray too :D

Poor thing! He got touched so much!

Lion Fish! Just gorgeous! They are the top on the food chain! Read about them and see why?   

This crab was just an entertainer! He was opening a clam for a snack. Other fish was very interested in the clam too, after he opened it, of course. 

Summer Reading

I finally have the opportunity to read! Last time I remember I had time to read was in high school or when I was working during slow days.
Well I just finish one of the Bayern books called Enna Burning. It started out slow and it took me a while to get to the good parts, but the ending paid it off.
I would recommend anybody to read this. Even though this is directed only to young adults or children, but is clean and full of adventures.
She did write more of an adult book called Austenland. I can't tell you much about this book, because I haven't read it yet. I know this, if you are one of those ladies that love everything about Jane Austen books, than you would love this book too.
Also, Sonny Pictures Classic made a film out of it :D

I had the opportunity to meet Shannon Hale and she signed the books!! :D

Signing books at Barns and Noble year 2009
Shannon Hale, Heather and I

Darcy and I 

Most Grateful Heart

Georgia has been treating us pretty well. Beautiful weather, landscaping, awesome people to meet and of course Brad's job that he is just in love with. He just barely went on a business trip to Houston Texas. He loved how much the freedom they give him to come up with ideas—and, knowing Brad, he likes to come up with ideas. It looks as if they are planning on hiring him after the internship—they have said they like to convert their interns to full time employees. I have peace in my heart that being here is the right thing for us. Heavenly Father has blessed us with a beautiful and safe city to live in, which means the world to me.

Coming here was really overwhelming at first, but now we seem to know some people (a few) and have a place to live and a car to drive. Thank goodness! I have to say I am falling in love with this place. I love the sunshine and the greenery all around me. I love the thunderstorms in the middle of the night. Of course we already had a tornado warning once so that was scary, since we don't have a place to hide.

I LOVE my ward! The first Sunday up here, I was so discouraged and not sure if I even liked Georgia and the people. But I was proven wrong by my ward. They were so helpful and ready to do anything for each us. The first Sunday felt like I was at home, safe and happy. I used to not feel like going to church the last 8 months up in UT. It's not like I didn't like going to church, but somehow I didn't feel like part of "the family." I bet everyone in that ward felt the same way.  But, up here I just can't wait to go back. Brad and I are like part of a big family. It's great! I can't ever go back to BYU student married wards. This ward became my support family. I'm just so grateful to be part of this church and knowing that no matter what ward we are in, the church is still true. Heavenly Father looks over Brad and me. 

I was so scared and nervous to start life up here, but somehow everything worked out. 

I have met a couple of people up here that made a difference in my life, and I am so grateful for their support and friendship. They made Brad and I feel at home, and that is something I will never forget. You know who you are ladies and gentleman :D

I do MISS so many people up in UT! I miss my family and close friends. I wish I could be part of my brother's mission preparation and soon to be his farewell. We talk, but still I want to be there part of it. I miss my sister Ashley and her sweet and exciting news that she has shared a couple of weeks ago. I wish I could be there to help and support her. I miss her so much! I miss my best friend that just got engaged to her sweetie. I want to be there and throw her a super awesome bachelorette party. Also, I want to be there for her marriage sealing. I miss my sister-in-laws and my parents. I miss JaNae and how much we would hang out and just talk our hearts out. She is one of my inspirations in life! Brad misses every one, too, just like me. I miss the 8 years I have lived in UT since I came from Ukraine. 

   

Let no moment pass and let me tell you about Georgia's traffic. People of UT, you might have heard that UT has the worst drivers, well that is only partially true. Georgia has the worst drivers and worst traffic. I'm not kidding! People speed 15 over the speed limit and cops don't do anything about it, unless you go over 20 mph. YUP! We have noticed that when an ambulance is coming through the intersection and if you stop you will be honked at by people behind you. Where is the hospitality now? Ok, I can go on and on, but you just need to drive up here to see it for yourself. Watch for your life! Another thing I really dislike is driving on I-285 (it's the freeway that goes around all of Atlanta), if you have no GPS, you might as well be lost!  

Overall, we are happy to be here in Georgia. Soon we are planning on visiting Georgia's aquarium and Coco Cola factory. I can't wait to actually experience Georgia and learn its history and culture. I can't wait to visit their hiking sites and the "mountains." I haven't seen one mountain yet, but hey I could be fooled haha. Their is a lot of beautiful rolling hills that makes this place look like a paradise. I should take some pictures one of these days. Brad and I say that this place is like Cali clashing with Georgia. Weather hasn't been to bad... yet, of course! 

  

Atlanta Temple (Only one temple in Georgia)

While editing this picture, I noticed how the light behind the temple made it look Heavenly. I just love that!

Brad and I after going to the Temple 

The freeways look like jungle, trees are almost falling over on the road. It's beautiful! It is quite pleasant to drive on the freeway. When Brad and I first came, we just were so amazed how green it was.

This is the road we take to go to Brad's work and also grocery shopping. It's kind of like a paradise ride for us.

Almost There!

What a wonderful journey Brad and I had here in UT and at BYU. Nevertheless, we are going to say our goodbyes soon because we are leaving. We are not quite sure where, but we are just waiting for something or someone to give us wonderful news of a job or internship offer.

Brad is all ready to walk at graduating this Friday (April 26), and he is so excited. He has been working so hard to get to this point in life. I just can't believe that he is graduating! When we got married, it seemed a long ways away, but now it's here and the only thing we are waiting for is for him to get a job.

I guess this is the time when I should be worried; in a month our housing contract is over, and we have nowhere to go. We have a place to go to, but nothing is permanent. I have a wonderful job up here, so I am covered 'till Brad finds something, but who knows when? It's all of those worries that are stopping me from getting too excited! We do get discouraged sometimes when we get an interview and don't hear back from the company. I know Heavenly Father is looking over us, and as we do our part He will do His. We are also learning to have faith and lots and lots of patience. I had instances in my life where I had to take a step into the unknown, acting only by faith, knowing that Heavenly Father is right next to me holding my hand. These experiences have helped me to trust in the Lord with all my heart and not lean unto my own understanding, and in all my ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct my paths.


Written by Rachel