{WITH A} grain.of.salt

source: The Ballestero Blog

soooo last night, my goal was to finish up my washington post but i got caught up in listening to a funeral! really, the homegoing service of Sis. Content Ballestero. Holy Ghost Radio broadcasted the event.... 7pm PST which translates to 9pm CST for me! it ended around 12am CST but my oh my, i don't regret staying up to listen to all of the wonderful stories about this amazing woman of God.

i cannot recall the year but it was back when the Pixler's used to host their annual New Years Conference. someone called on Sister Ballestero to stand and testify. this my first time to see her! she spoke and all i remember is how joyful and vibrant this lady was. i remember my BFF and i nudging each other in church and saying, "i want to be like her!"

some years later..... in September of 2009 during Youth Alive, i was blessed to be blessed by her presence again through Bekki! by this time, dementia had set in but even in this, she still had such a joy for the Lord. i remember her asking Sister Nila a few times that day if there was church tonight! church wasn't till sunday but she was always anxious to go! i remember her sweet smile. i remember sitting at the kitchen table and her having a repetitive conversation with me :). it mostly consisted of "God is sooo good hon-ey!" and "are you single, honey?" among just a few other things!

i remember thinking, "Lord, if i am ever in a state of dementia, i want to be like her!" she still had the joy of the Lord emanating through her.

the homegoing service was much like one of Elder Ballestero's messages: had me laughing one minute and crying the next! and it challenged me. i was given a peek into the life of this amazing lady and it made me want to live for more. i'm still kinda overwhelmed now so i can't really express all that i feel. i'm so thankful for the Godly women that influence my life today. i want to be like them.... and Sis. Connie too. :)

greetings 2012!

so yes, 2 weeks ago, i spent a few days in sunny south florida with my sis and today, i'm sitting in my brother's house in southern washington state. it's exciting but.... i wish they were closer to me! it is very nice to get to visit new places.

however, i find it enviable that many people can see a lot of their family within a 1-5 hour drive. so be thankful for your nearby relatives! i tell myself that my "consolation prize" is that being with family gives me a good excuse to visit parts of the country that i've been dying to see!

i looked at my florida pics and surprise, surprise: they're mostly beach pics with a few family pics thrown in. i didn't do any real sightseeing. we visited ft. lauderdale beach and south beach in miami. both lovely! then most of the time, i was out driving around with my sis, going to lunch with her friends and laughing with cousins that i barely know! it was fun!

versace mansion

me + salt water + sand = happy place

on my way back to dallas, there was no room for my carry-on in the overhead bin. this always makes me happy because then my bag gets checked in for free!!! however, gate agent Maggie was super rude and somehow tagged my bag to go somewhere else. arrived in dallas at 8am and no bag. found out about 6pm that my bag was sent to salt lake city, utah but should be arriving at the airport in a few minutes. called baggage help people on the next morning and hmmmm.... "we're not sure where your bag is now!".

i dug a bit online {thank the Lord for google} and found the baggage claim department number for SLC's american airlines. i spoke to the lady who put my bag on the flight and she assured me that it should be in dallas. so my mother and i drove on mission to DFW airport and lo and behold! they had my bag and didn't even know. ughhhhh. but i'm thankful.

MONDAY -
the flight to portland, oregon was so super crowded that i wasn't given a seat assignment. not long before boarding, i was assigned to 7F. sweeeeet. that's the first row in coach so there's extra legroom!

so i boarded and then the gate agent lady comes to ask if the people in my row are traveling with anyone. the two next to me were a couple and i was traveling with my sister but she was further back. since they needed an extra coach seat for a latecomer, i was whisked off to FIRST CLASS. Ohhhh my word. can you say "dream come true"??? i've never sat up front with the cool kids before!

haha! i felt like a country mouse! when they came by with the hot washcloth, i watched what the other first classers did from the corner of my eye because i had no clue. i assumed it was just for your fingertips, not for your face also!

then in true jen fashion, i surreptitiously documented my meals. this was after all, a once in a lifetime occasion that may never happen again!

warm assorted nuts with my usual ginger ale

ok, i have to write a paragraph about my lunch. i recall the days when even coach class got a meal. that was a looooong time ago, seemingly. but back then i didn't appreciate it and called most of it "gross" {well, because most of it was gross}. but this was great! it was a warm chicken sandwich on flat, mediteranean style bread. the salad was boring and just how i like it {i'm not a fan of frou-frou salads}. then there were the pita chips with a dip of red bell pepper hummus!!! YUM!
 


and to top it off, one of my favorite types of cookies! oatmeal with walnuts and cranberries and maybe other stuff too. *sigh* i should've requested a glass of milk!

it was a really neat experience! after lunch, i wanted to stay awake to see what the flight attendants would do next! like what, jen? like, maybe perform a musical number or something? i dunno. anyway i drifted off into my usual fitful airplane sleep. i missed not being able to slip off my boots, though. i figured they might toss me to the back of the plane if i showcased my crazy socks.


but yeah! it was great and i believe, totally made up for my luggage incident! more blogging soon!