Today was a day unlike any other day of my life

*this post title was what I wrote in my mission journal on 9/11*

 

I think I have done a 9/11 post for every year that I've had this blog.

 

There is likely nothing new to say that I haven't said before.

 

 

I was standing right about here the morning of 9/11/01. 

 

Where this picture was taken in this very apartment.  

 

 

Serving with this amazing sister- a little less than half way through my mission in Illinois, Chicago.

 

We got a call from one of our members and we drove to the home of our newest members.

 

 

 Los Nunez. They'd been baptized about 2 months before.

 

 

And I spent the next hour or two watching 9/11 coverage from this very couch.

 

Surrounded by this family.

 

Further evidence that God watches out for all of His children because, other than my own family, there wasn't a place I felt safer and more at peace then with this wonderful family and my amazing, calm companion.

 

 

I'll never forget that day.

 

I spend every anniversary feeling mildly sick to my stomach.

 

I can only imagine how hard it must be for the families and loved ones of those who were lost.

 

 Or who have been lost in the conflict since.

 

 

 There have been a few moments in my life when I was able to see immediate growth and immediate change in myself.

 

The day I became an aunt.

 

After my first car accident.

 

That first night in the MTC.

 

But nothing changed me more instantly than this day 13 years ago.

 

I grew up so much on that day.

 

13 years later...

 

I still believe America is the promised land.

 

That 'City Upon a Hill' that John Winthorp talked about all those hundred of years ago.

 

I pray that we will be safe.

 

 That we will have peace.

 

And that my nieces and nephews may never know a day like 9/11.

 

Lori Ann

 

But in the end it's right

Ok- the scrap booking mania has died down a little. 

Because I overdosed and stayed up crazy hours and then today I felt sick to my stomach and left work 2 hours early. 

(which was good because I got SICK when I got home but now feel mostly better)

Apparently scrap booking is a little like meth- you do too much and it messes with you.

Who knew?

But, before I move on to my next obsession- here are a few of my favorites I've found recently.

My high school graduation.

 I love how long my hair is here. 

Not loving how much I weighed and I have no idea where my glasses are but I might grow my hair out again. 

 I don't like myself in this picture but it means a lot to me.

 After the mission, Tyler, Dalley and I went on a road trip from Utah to Los Angeles to see one of our member families.

 Los Nunez.

 My one and only trip to California.

 Hermana Mietzner had actually (due to various issues) been transferred out to LA to finish her mission and we got to see her there and take her and her companion out to lunch

. It was the last time I would see her. 

Me and Amy Nunez about two weeks before the end of my mission.

 I love my hair at this length too. 

Reading my mission journal has been painful but also reminded me how much I loved the people I taught. 

I miss them so much and wish I had tried harder to stay in touch. 

Winsor and I in the MTC at the beginning of the mission. 

(2 days in according to my camera). 

This picture pretty much captures my MTC experience.

 Total exhaustion every day. 

It's been weird but awesome to see so much of my life. 

And, really, it's been inspiring. 

It's made me realize how much I've been through. 

How much I've done.

It makes me want to make the next 34 years as interesting and amazing as have been the last 34. 

Wish me luck.

Lori Ann

Go round and round

Randomness.

I have been scrap booking like a crazy person all weekend. 

I didn't get any of my cleaning done. 

It's insanity. 

Here are some of my favorites from the insane amount of pictures and things I looked at this weekend! 

My cousin Lisa and I

Eri and Danielle- evil older sisters unite! 

All of us. Not sure what is happening here. It was the 80's. 

All of us and our cousins Lisa and Greg. 

I hadn't seen any of these before today. They are amazing!! 

Me and Erin with Jr

My kindergarten picture. I had the same lack of smile as always :) 

My mom at her baby shower for Jr. She was 20. She looks just like Erin!

She does this EXACT same face EVERY day! 

Every single thing from my mission is now contained in these two books. 

I snuck this thing into my office. We'll see how long until they make me get rid of it :) 

And my fall decorations are already up!

Ok- so very random, I know.

But I am feeling a little dizzy from over focusing on scrapbooking.

I'm taking a break until next weekend!

Lori Ann

I will remember you

So, missionary work is still my current obsession but, now that my feet have healed from that crazy half marathon, I am shifting back into weight loss and fitness.

(and by 'shifting' I mean "kinda thinking about doing something while I eat fiddle faddle for breakfast")

What I am trying to do more than anything is keep myself inspired when it feels like progress is really slow. 

So, here are some before and afters.

You've probably seen them before, but I need to see them again. 

So that I don't ever go back. 

 Hopefully this time next year my current 'after' pictures will be my new 'before' pictures :) 

LORI BEFORE 

The infamous license picture. Oh. My. Gosh. 

LORI AFTER

Still with the same, angry blank expression.

So, clearly I am hot at any size. 

But hot and healthy is my ultimate goal :) 

We're 70% of the way there, people!

Let's get the last 30% done and then...

Endure to the end!!

(without fiddle faddle. Oh how I'll miss you fiddle faddle)

Lori Ann

Do it all again

Dawn and I had a crafting party tonight.

(Dawn, as you'll recall, is one of my favorite coworkers. She keeps me sane!)

We craft on Friday nights because we are edgy like that. 

We had originally planned to craft under the influence of moonshine and maybe heroine but decided that chips, chocolate and water would work just as well.

Since we both have declared it fall, we decided to make wreathes!! 

I love crafting at Dawn's because she has the cutest house.

It looks and smells like fall magic. 

\

The supplies. 

 Our crafting assistant.

 She actually didn't do all that much crafting. 

She mainly asked for chips and looked cute. 

Dawn's finished wreath!! 

Mine. 

Odd, I know.

 Crafting is like a language I really wish I could speak and have a lot of interest in, but I just don't get it. 

Before crafting, I went out again with the sisters today. 

They try so hard. 

I am happy that I have gotten more involved in missionary work. 

It reminds me of how blessed I am to have the Gospel in my life. 

Lori Ann

p.s.- My parents are watching a 9/11 documentary. It's featuring phone calls from people in the planes and in the towers. It's making me sick to my stomach. I don't know how they can watch it. 

Sugar, sugar

Oh man. 

I am in the middle of a two day juice fast.

I am trying to detox from sugar. 

As I was literally eating it for every meal. 

Just straight out of the bag. 

I feel a little out of it. 

I think this picture illustrates the sugar shock that my system is going through. 

My eyes look vacant. 

And holy hannah, how did I not know my forehead was that wide?

Scary. 

Anyway, to keep my mind off the sugar, I have been working on this!!! 

My mission scrapbook! 

It's fabulous! I only wish I could have captured all of the really amazing moments. 

But most of those moments don't lend themselves to having a picture taken.

Now I am just scrap booking my life.

It turns out I haven't been the most reliable of record keepers as I can't even fill a small scrapbook with my life pictures. 

It's probably better to leave most of it to mystery and urban legend anyway:) 

And, most importantly, it's keeping me away from the sugar. 

So, it's a win-win. 

Lori Ann

p.s- I wanted to say thanks to everyone who comments on my posts. I am not passively aggressively seeking for validation (or more comments!) in saying this but I know this blog is kind of like a weird diary of the tedium of my daily life. I appreciate the feedback and support you give me. :) 

Ever called to serve

Let me be the first to say that I know it gets kind of boring when I get fixated on specific topics.

Who can forget the agony of my first half marathon training throughout the blog posts of January, February, and March?

Some of you may still be recovering from that trauma.

And honestly, I think this blog has gone in a kind of boring direction lately.

I used to do crafts, try new recipes, and experiment with things.

So, I am going to get back to that.

To spice up the old Spinster Chronicles.

But, while I wait to get motivated to do that-

Let's get back to our current favorite topic!!



My mission and missionary work in general.

2 of the 3 Milford West sisters...and one angry calico.

I went out with the sister missionaries again last night.

It's been so much fun.

There was this calico cat named Trixie (featured above) and she would purr and let me pet her and then turn on me!

I think all calicos are a little feisty.

This whole mission revival started when I was asked, about a month ago, to speak about sister missionary work and my mission experience.

I thought at the time that it was such an odd choice.

I have been home from my mission for (holy hannah!) 12 years and, at the time, I didn't even know the names of our branches missionaries.

But something about giving that talk made me realize AGAIN how much my mission changed my life.

It was a refiners fire like nothing I have ever experienced before or after.

It made me feel angry at myself that I wasn't doing more to support the missionaries- especially when I knew how hard it is to be far from home and overwhelmed and trying to teach people the Gospel. (Especially the awesome but unrepentant people of Southeastern PA!) 

So, the next time they called me, instead of letting it go to voicemail, I picked up.

I've been out with them on an (at least) weekly basis since then.

I've been leaving weird treats at their door and we had them over for dinner.

 (for the first time in YEARS)

I've met some incredible people that they are teaching.

And, as we were walking down the dark streets of Pennsburg last night, running from one appointment to the next (I still think the word 'cita' before appointment) I was reminded of that feeling I got from time to time on my own mission.

The feeling of literally following in the footsteps of Jesus.

There were times as a missionary when I felt like if I had looked down I would have seen His footprints in the snow walking before us.

It was really cool to feel that way again.

Even for just a minute.

Then it was nice to go home BY MYSELF (no companion to fight with!) watch TV and eat m and m's for dinner.

All the blessings of missionary work with none of the crazy!

Lori Ann