So this week hasn't been bad, but it was tougher. We found out jon did not pass his major field exam and his teacher has been a little bit of a jerk about it. The grad office told Jon to sit down with each of the professors and figure out where there expectations were not met and how to fix things for a retake. Well he scheduled one appointment and his main teacher canceled the appointment (with another professor) without telling jon. After consulting with the one who canceled it he was told to be patient and they would all get together but was given no time line. Jon only felt questionable about a few questions but they were out in left field as far as what he was told to study. A majority of the questions asked for his opinion, so he doesn't know how those could be terribly wrong unless he didn't back it up. Anyways, they won't tell jon anything.
Anyways, that was Monday and Jon did a great job forgetting about that for the day. We went to olive garden for lunch and then to the library (cause I wanted to go). Then he went to work and I went to book club. When I got home he surprised me with flowers, a small cake and big hero 6. :-) I also talked with all of you. :-)
Wednesday morning jon had some spare time and decided to go to the temple. (There are only two sessions on Wednesday and he was trying to go to the first to be back in time for a voice lesson). Well he got pretty close and then there was an accident. He missed the first session and he called. I told him he was already down there and probably needed it and there was still a chance he wouldn't miss his lesson (traffic and weather willing). Anyways, he saw a different video and liked it. On his way back he stopped for gas and had to go inside to pay. So he went in and the guy said he'd put $50 on pump 7. Jon went out and the pump already said $4 and wouldn't clear. It also wouldn't start pumping. Anyways, the attendant came out but didn't seem to understand the problem. The $4 was from a previous person (as Jon couldn't get anything to work)and Jon ended up going elsewhere but got the feeling that the guy might still charge his card the full $50.
Friday night we get a text from the people who live in this home. Last we had heard was they were planning to extend a year. But Friday night she says they're coming back June 1st. We didn't get out the contract but we said we hadn't planned on leaving by the first. I don't know if this is bad news but it really stressed out jon on top of the other stuff. In my opinion while we're packing things up for summer, we might as well move everything (to a storage unit or somewhere) if they're going to be coming back anyways. We have enjoyed it here and saved some money. She's been kind of weird about things and I still like her but not as a landlord. She accused me of putting too many nails in the wall as an example. (Number one she said I could put nails in the wall but to try to keep it to a minimum. Number two, I actually haven't made any new holes. I have searched for nail holes and made the most of it- some are not in ideal places for the pictures we have, and mom bought us some sticky hanging things so we wouldn't have to make more holes but could hang up more stuff ). Anyways, jon and I had talked of moving before fall semester starts anyways to be closer to his job in Illinois, if we didn't get something better. Anyways, just more stress. Friday I made dinner for a family in the ward and a dessert for a ward game night.
Saturday there was a baptism at 2. I gave a talk and sang with 3 others. Then I went home with George and made dinner, fed George and packed it up to take to the church for stake conference. Jon wasn't going to have much time to come home and we were feeding the missionaries. Then there was stake conference and we sang in the choir. On the way home jon got a fraud alert on our credit card and called right when we got home. Someone had tried purchasing over $500 worth of stuff in Kentucky (near where jon got gas when he went to the temple). He called and turns out the gas attendant had charged some money to his card, even though jon didn't get a drop of gas. So we're getting new cards sent.
Today, stake conference was cancelled due to weather. We were given permission to have the sacrament in our home and did. Then we went out to bloomfield (a small town a little west of us) to look at a house. One of Jon's students in Bedford just put her mom in a nursing home. (She's older herself and her mom is about 90-something). Anyways, I think they went to sell the house but we asked if she'd be willing to rent it to us til the market gets a little better. If so, that's about where we wanted to move to. It's not great but if she'll rent it, it would be good and about where we want to be. We'd be a block away from the town square and a mile from a bigger park and a few blocks away from a girl we know from stake choir who would love to babysit.
Anyways, not a bad week but not awesome. George turned 5 months! And I'm now 30!
A few different thoughts- at the baptism they were told to confirm her on Saturday (not regular for a convert baptism-they like to do it in sacrament meeting). Anyways, I feel they were inspired. As it was she wouldn't have been confirmed today but now that they're rescheduling stake conference, it would've been waiting for 2 weeks. Second thought, or stake patriarch spoke at Friday forum and said men are that they might have joy-so if we aren't feeling joy, we should step back and evaluate things and figure out a way to find joy. I just liked that thought.
Last, the adult session of stake coherence was all about ward council. Women in ward council was brought up and it reminded me of some of the issues going on in the world. When I was a relief society president I was asked for my opinion often. I was invited every Sunday. I've heard some people say that the church is changing and they're starting (as of the last year) to include women to avoid criticism. This is not true. The relief society president is supposed to be involved and represent the women. The extent of that involvement was left to the bishop. I served in wards on my mission that weren't used to having women show up to ward council but that was in part due to the fact that it was a good Sunday if the RS president showed up to church at all that day. Anyways, the women are represented in the ward-all wards, regardless of how many times they are invited to Sunday meetings. One of the talks was clearly meant to reach women who don't feel represented and it reminded me of the feminist movement going on. I would say I'm a feminist as far as believing women are equal to men and being proud to be a woman and wanting equal rights. But here's the thing-equality does not mean the same. My Sunday best is a dress or skirt and blouse and not nice slacks because I want the Lord to know I'm grateful to be a woman. I do not need to wear pants to feel the same or equal to men. A woman's place is in the home not because she is less intelligent but because we have a knack for nurturing and because we can take a menial structure and create a home. If a woman works, it should not be to prove she is the same as a man, though I hope women who do work are treated equally. A woman is not ordained to the Priesthood because she is not equal to man but because she is not the same and therefore has a different role. A lawyer and a doctor both have to have extensive schooling. One is not lesser than the other (despite lawyer jokes). They are different. You do not want a lawyer performing open heart surgery on you, not because he's not as smart as the doctor but because his role is different. Neither would you want a pediatrician defending you in court. My role as a woman makes me different but not less than a man. While a lawyer may wear a suit, a doctor wears scrubs; so also, men wear suits to church and I wear a dress. I know that women are represented in the ward. They do amazing things. And women are equal to men in the church, but we are not the same. Why would we want to be?
