Week 34- Signs of Spring and a Special Visitor from Chicago

Despite being inexplicably exhausted, this week has been a good one. My assignments were easy to solve and I had something to look forward to.

This week my more unusual assignments included:

• Teaching a sixth person to do the mail. Sixth! (At least the last guy left me an origami elephant as an apology. He transferred to the Temple Department, but he knows I've had trouble getting reliable people to do the mail.)
• Delivered mail. They finally have an updated directory, so it's a little easier now, although a division has already messed it up by moving around.
• Editing a letter from the Managing Director to managers.
• Submitting a FMLA request.
• Insisting that employees have been transferred and that I have no idea why they still show up on the wrong manager lists.
• Lots of bishop clearances for Mormon Channel videos.
• Ordering 20 copies of a book from Amazon.
• Organizing the Managing Director's itinerary for a business trip.
• Mentally cursing the GSC because they decided that if we don't like the way they put multiple people in the same position, then we will have to hire them all manually. This takes forever, and I didn't have anything to do with it before.
• Requesting Timesheet adjustments.
• Finally sorting out the missionary badge order. We had to try about five different unit numbers before we found the right one. This would be a little easier if our department wasn't so huge.
• Working on a primary lesson on King Benjamin.

The penultimate good news for this week is that flowers are beginning to bloom on temple square! Pansies and crocuses! I love crocuses. We've also had clear skies this week, which make a big difference for me.

The absolute best good news is that my best friend, Mandy, flew in from Chicago to attend a friend's wedding. Her Utah friends should keep getting married, because it works out great for me. I was so excited to see her I ran across temple square shouting her name. We had a grand old time just spending time together. We ate a delicious meal at Lion House and then looked at all the artwork at Deseret Book. It was so good to see her and just relax. Funny girl, she's been keeping a list of all the dumb things that make her cry while she is pregnant so that she can laugh about it later. I cracked up when she read it out to me. We may not be roommates anymore, but we'll always be friends.

These pictures just make me happy. =)

I also listened to a great talk in the car this week. It's called "Dare not to Compare" by John Hilton III. It was a good reminder to me that God does not compare us to others. I highly suggest listening to it if you get the chance. I found the slides with the quotes he used online, which I also suggest reading: http://www.slideshare.net/johnhiltoniii/dare-not-to-compare. My favorite quote was on slide 13, by President Uchtdorf. Give it a read.

On a slightly related note, I am also working on being confident. I want to love myself, and I also believe that when we are confident and love ourselves, we give other people permission to love themselves.

That's about it for this week. Everyone take good care of yourselves.

Love,

Sister Ward