Happy New Year! How's It Going?!

Hello hello!! It's me - Bethany!

How have you all been? It's been a while!

It is the start of a new year and I would like to get back into the habit of blogging. I feel like it's been forever! After blogging pretty consistently for six years, it was entirely too easy to get out of the routine! It's not that I've been particularly busier than normal, but I have definitely been focused on other things.

To start out this new year and to fill you all in on what's been going on these past few months, I'll give a quick run down.

1. Nicole and I got our own house. However, she got engaged exactly one week after signing the lease, which I find to be totally hilarious. So the unexpected tweak on this update is that BETH got her own place. I love it. I could talk about it all day. This is the main reason I haven't blogged...LOL. *confessions* I love my house...more than I even imagined I would. I won't be blogging about this though because I don't think anyone would find it particularly interesting and I can totally see the post snowballing into a house decor/maintenance/organization deal. HA! New blog name: "Bethany and Her House in Mexico"

2. Nicole got engaged. You've read about it in the last couple of blog posts. I continue in complete and utter disbelief. 

3. We have started a new work in Xalapa, Veracruz. We go over every Saturday to have service and recently acquired a dedicated church building! 

4. Nicole has MOVED TO IDAHO. She has left Mexico!!!! :( Her American wedding is in a month and eight days. www.theknot.com/us/wakefieldcollins

5. The responsibility of the school has fallen completely on my shoulders. I still haven't come to terms with this and am not sure if I am capable of keeping it going. Time will tell. We will at least finish out this year. The decision to continue or end it will be made based on how the rest of this school year goes. 

Making pizzas in English class

  6. All three of my piano students have now played in service and two of them are being added to the music schedule to play in church - Sara and Marisol. I am SO HAPPY and PROUD! 

 

Stephanie is my littlest student. She's fascinated by the piano. I made the mistake of letting her up to "play" after service one time and it's been a fight ever since to keep her off the platform.  

 7. Beau died. That was sad in and of itself, but it seemed to set off a terrible chain of events - we got rear-ended, my parent's house got broken into and completely ransacked, and my dad's right-hand man got hit by a car. 

8. In the past month we've had eight people get baptized and four couples in the church get married. 

Ruben Angel was one of the ones to be baptized and also get married. He also received the Holy Ghost about a month ago!

These are the things I could think of off the top of my head. The most life-changing, big things. Of course there are other things here and there, and I'll be blogging about those and this list up here in the next while.

The main thing on my mind lately is our conference this weekend. Everyone is asking me if I'm so depressed since Nicole is gone. Yeah, it's a bummer, I miss her. BUT...I am waiting for the major meltdown to hit! I haven't had one yet. I know it is coming. It'll probably hit at the most inopportune and embarrassing time. Like on the platform, as Nicole and John say their vows. HAHA!! I told my dad that I'm walking her down the aisle with him because I feel like I'm giving her away as much as he is - hahahaha!

 Wedding dress shopping with Gramma....

Anyways - my point is, I am so excited and looking forward to our conference this weekend, I haven't had time to be sad. Bro. Harlan Morgan and Missionary Brent Schreckhise will be preaching for us and I know it is going to be wonderful!

So...do you all want to see Nicole and her soon-to-be husband's new house? Do you want to know if Bro. Valentin survived being hit, and if so, was he was badly injured? Do you want to meet my adorable little neighbors?

If the answer is yes, then check back here in a few days. The blog is officially up and running again!

~Bethany~