Joyeux Anniversaire Ivy-Lilac!!

Happy Birthday Dear Ivy!!!

One of my fondest memories of you, dear Ivy-Lilac, was our first trip to England. Allow me to quote from my journal....take note that I tended to be overly detailed in my youth.

"We boarded the bus at 9:30, taking one seat from the back. Amber sat by the window, I sat next to her and Emily sat across the aisle from me, next to a man from Algeria. And then tension filled the air as a man, Peter, and a young woman, Jamie, came to the back of the bus and sat on opposite sides of the bench. Emily began a discussion with the Algerian, and soon Peter joined in. Emily suggested playing a game of UNO. Just as the game began, a book came flying at Peter's head, along with a stream of explatives. Peter excused himself from the game and got into a heated conversation with the girl....wow the drama that ensued from Peter from Prague! Crazy.  This is why you travel with someone before you marry them......

We arrived at 5:30 am to empty and dark cobblestone streets of London. I almost expected to hear a horse and carriage traversing across the streets as everything looked so misty and old and just how I have always dreamed it to be. We made our way over to Victoria Station and figured out how to buy the tickets to take us to Lingfield. On the way there we all squeezed into the bathroom to change into our dresses that were wrinkled from being stuffed into our backpacks. My boots wouldn't fit into my bag, so I had to wear them with my dress....the horror, is there a way to travel and still feel pretty? I haven't discovered it yet! All the fashion faux pas that accompany me when I travel!!

We went to the temple that morning and were heartily welcomed by a bunch of rosy-colored folk with British accents who kept calling me "love".  It made me want to do more and more Temple work! There we met an 18 year old lad named Lewis Quinn. He just turned in his mission papers and travels five hours every other weekend to do Temple work all day. He does about three sessions and then helps in the baptistry. He gave us quite a ride to the train station (so we wouldn't have to bother the govena' again with a taxi call! I sat in the "driver's" side and about had a heartattack!

Later that day I watched in awe as Emily Jex sat next to a stranger on the bus and spoke to him about religion. She was so graceful and beautiful, her testimony resonating within her and although I wasn't brave enough to speak out, I sat in my chair, watched her and prayed that this stranger she was talking to would be receptive to the spirit she was sharing with him. At the end of their conversation he asked for a Book of Mormon.

Prayer is what we needed too!! After two rides from Lewis, one ride from a stranger, and a prayer, we got to London. Does that need explaining? Ok: Lewis kindly drove us to the train station, but he forgot to give us Emily's money so we were absolutely stuck with NO pounds. We didn't know what to do besides pray. So we did, we all gathered in prayer and within 10 seconds of saying "Amen" a man was giving us money for the phone, in fact, he was calling for us and then a lady offered to drive us to the Temple! We were so grateful we offered her our last pack of cookies. We caught up with Lewis, got the money, and had him drive us back to the train station!"

I know, it's not as interesting as my current journal entries, too pedantic, but still, so fun to relive those moments. The moment I remember most about you Emily Jex, was you trying to wake me up...singing some such ridiculous song that went something like "Way up in the sky, the little birds fly...." I can hear your voice so clearly, and then feel it as you came and sat on me, pulling me up and out of my little cot!

Happy Birthday! I feel so lucky to have shared so many memorable moments with your calming, powerful, lovely, and faithful self!