Ben played intermural flag football this last semester at BYU. After defeating several teams (including one full of ex-BYU players), they made it to the championship game...
...it was pouring rain, of course...
...the field was wet & slippery, and the bitter rain was relentless...
...but after some intense huddles & plays, not to mention unfortunate injuries...
...the Regulators came out on top!
Their prize? One of the most coveted shirts on campus.
(And don't forget the proud, supportive wife after a 12-hour shift at the hospital.)
I love the sights and feelings that Easter and springtime bring! Yellow daffodils spring up, the grass becomes greener, tree buds begin to bloom...I think of renewal and rebirth. Around Easter time several years ago, my mom birthed a premature baby boy who only lived for minutes. This memory brings me peace every year as I think of his birth and his death, and the blessing of living again--as families!
Today, I came across this quote from Thomas S. Monson, the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:
"At this Easter season of hope and renewal we testify of the glorious reality of the atonement and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. The empty tomb brought comforting assurance and provided the answer to the question of Job, “If a man die, shall he live again?” (Job 14:14).
"Because of the Savior’s resurrection we will overcome death and become the beneficiaries of His mercy and grace. In a world of trouble and uncertainty, His peace fills our hearts and eases our minds. Jesus is in very deed “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).
"We give our sure witness that Jesus is the Christ. Though He was crucified, He rose triumphant from the tomb to our everlasting blessing and benefit. To each member of the human family He stands as our Advocate, our Savior, and our Friend."
Well, it's official! We just found out that we were approved for our visas, so Ben & I will be leaving in about one month for Russia, and we'll be gone for six weeks! Ben is doing a "field study," which is basically an individual internship...he's been doing some research with a Public Health professor about tobacco warning labels, and he'll launch an accredited survey over in Russia (a.k.a. tobacco country!) to find out what's effective and what's not. You can learn a little more about it on his blog International Tobacco Treaty. He can explain it better than me, though (here's your cue, Ben). Anyway, Ben served an LDS mission for two years in Samara, Russia, so he knows the language and culture well (definite plus). Primarily, we'll stay in Moscow & Saint Petersburg, so we won't be able to visit his mission area, BUT, we're hoping to spend some time over in Finland & Sweden after the survey is launched! My dad was born in Finland and lived there until he was eight years old, so visiting Finland has always been a dream of mine. We have some distant relatives that I've had some contact with, so it would be great to see them. Ben & I both have Swedish ancestry, so Sweden will be great too...we feel very lucky for this opportunity and are really looking forward to it!
