What's up, housecat?

And this represents the last of the companionship posts!! 

But don't worry...there are still (at least) 3 more Utah trip related posts to come!

So, the last of my companions that I was able to meet up with is Sister Dalley. 

(Real name Michelle Smith- but, as with the others- she will always be Dalley to me)

Sister Dalley actually hosted the mini reunion at her (beautiful!) home and was such an amazing hostess that I didn't get as much time to talk to her as I wanted. 

Which didn't surprise me in the least. 

Dalley has been one of my greatest example of true charity and kindness. 

We were companions at the end of her mission.

A lot of people (ummm....not me, I swear) just coast along, planning to go home and lose focus. 

There was not  day that went by that she didn't work hard. 

And she was endlessly kind. 

I told her at the mini reunion that, before I worked with her, I had always thought that super pretty girls only pretended to be nice but were all, in fact, mean on the inside. 

I don't know if I have ever met anyone more genuinely kind and sweet than Dalley. 

 Graveyards in Chicago are very dramatic- you can see us kind of laughing. We laughed every single day. 

In addition to planning for, preparing, and hosting this reunion that I requested, she baked me a tres leches cake with pineapple on top (the pineapple represent shrimp...don't ask!) and she got me AMAZING bath and body works lotion - trying to find the scent I used to wear on the mission!!

This girl has 3 children (including a small baby), works as a nurse practitioner with women and girls with eating disorders and a million other things and she took the time to bake me a cake and remember what kind of lotion I wore 12 years ago. 

 This cake was EPIC! (Don't listen to Tyler say it tasted like Christmas!) 

I can't even bring myself to be angry that she hasn't aged a day in the last 12 years. 

No one will ever know all the wonderful memories I have of Dalley- all of the hours she spent listening to my complain and (literally) cry, the effort she put into helping me to dress nice and do my hair so I could feel more confident, the way she taught herself Spanish so she could teach our families in their language, the way she could always see the fun in every situation. 

I still thank God often for bringing Sister Dalley in my life.

 For the example she has always set for me.

 For her teaching me how to hairspray my hair so it won't move out of place for 12 hours. 

She was, is, and always will be beautiful in every way. 

Hinsdale