Would Motorhome

Date night conversation turned to where we could go, what we could do, other than moving to another town in another state. We decided that it would be great to motorhome all over the states for a year. We'd home school, have a couple of webcams set up to track our adventures in every state of the nation (almost every state), take a lot of walks, feel a lot of weather, become amateur photographers, learn how to be patient drivers, enjoy and hate one another, get to know more RV parks than we should. It would be awesome (and awful) in so many ways.

This family has done a lot of RV travel.

I have to say, I'm probably not the most ideal person to travel this way, I like my modern conveniences, especially my own clean shower and comfy bed, but I know I could do it for a year. And then how much more would I/we appreciate a regular house?

I hope this "would" comes true.

Missionary Monday: Alessandria

Sabato, 1 Febbraio 1997
It was another roller coaster day. This morning the mail had come early. I got a letter from Aunt Terry. It was so nice of her to reply to my letter. She told me about Ryan -- wow, I can never complain -- they don't have showers! We went to the church and met the Anziani then to do mostra. At one point the Anziani left to walk around the market. Right after they were gone a man came up to me and in English, broken English, started yelling at me telling me to "Go Away!" and go back where I came from and he kept saying "You understand. Go away." He was really yelling in my face and then he started cussing at me. I was stunned. I didn't know what to say. I started backing up and said no and my comp tried to tell him something and then finally he just walked away by himself. Right after that I started crying. That's the first time I've been cussed at in my life. I only cried a little bit, out of shock. What amazed me was all the people, there weren't a lot, but enough that watched him yell and made no effort to stop him. He obviously was not all there and still no one attempted to help. I feel bad for people who do things like that to us, or that laugh [at us]. They just don't understand who they are yelling at or laughing at. We represent the Savior, maybe someday they'll realize and understand.

Missionary Monday

Summer 2009 I attended a reunion for the missionaries of the Italy, Milan Mission who served under President Clegg. What a wonderful man. Doesn't the love he has for mankind radiate in his eyes? The best part of being a missionary? The lifelong friends that I made. I met some amazing women that still bless my life.

Reminiscing has made me want to revisit my missionary journal since I wrote most every night. I'm dedicating Mondays to this, rewriting the journal entry for the Monday date that we're on now. I hope you laugh and smile and gain a bit of perspective on what life was like for me as a missionary for my church.

Some vocab explanations:
Anziani: Elders, or male missionaries
Sorella/e: Sister/s -- as a missionary I was Sorella Sommer and we'd call each other just Sorella often.
Presidente: President Clegg, the leader of all the missionaries in our mission
Mostra: kind of a sandwich board with information about the church that we'd present to people who were willing to talk to us.

Would Collect

...Sid Dickens Memory Blocks if I had pocket Benjamins to spare. I love the way they look. Eric insists that we could make our own, which in theory could be true but really? Who has time for the process? Or space? I do own three blocks, this tulip is one I own, and my small collection gives me great pleasure.

(I was introduced to them at this store in Claremont. Great little shop in a great little village.)