Days of Eni's life

Today I was too tired at church. I was supposed to translate for the senior couple for all three hours, but after sacrament meeting, my brain was fried. We had Sunday school with Sora Mogos, and to be honest, it felt good to enjoy a lesson without having to translate (I asked Elder Wirthlin to do it). We had a lesson about Jesus Christ, and we all shared what we knew about Him, and tried to learn from each other. At one point, we started talking about the atonement. As we were talking, I started understanding something about Jesus Christ that I knew before, but didn't really comprehend it, it only sunk in today. It started while talking about the greatest commandment in the scriptures: to love God with all our heart, and our fellow men as ourselves. I thought about him leading the people of Israel in the old days (the old testament times).I thought about his life, the miracles he performed. I thought of his sacrifice. I thought of him leading the church today. Why has he done

I have been listening only to Christmas music this month, and it feels amazing! I am getting into the Christmas spirit, and it makes me happy. Here is a Christmas video - a piano duet and organ rendition of "Angels We Have Heard On High". sing along :D

This is a funny song, I love it. I like it just as much as going to the dentist. I am not being sarcastic, I do like going to the dentist. Some of you don't know the horrible teeth I had before 2006, when I found the perfect dentist. Here are two pictures of me at the end of 2005, to get a small idea: As you can see, having ugly, yellow, black, teeth did not stop me from having fun, and laugh. But it wasn't pretty. I went to three different dentists who tried to fix my teeth, but in the end they told me they had to extract them, and put fake ones in. I was 19,almost 20! I did not want to have fake teeth, so I just accepted the way I looked.  At the beginning of 2006, I knew for sure I would serve a mission. I knew I had a year and a half to get all my problem fixed (especially my teeth... my molars were a wreck, worse than my front teeth). I heard about a young dentist that works very cheap, so I decided to invest my scholarship in my teeth. I went to him, and he was shock

The title sounds a bit selfish, very self-centered, right? Yes, this post is about me (just like the previous n+1 posts). But this post is about something I tried to do, but now I realize is very foolish of me to do. The other day I created a new blog -  my new blog . It was a great idea at first. I got very excited about it, it made me feel good about myself. Today, walking home, I realized it shouldn't. And you know why? The intention behind that blog was to share all the spiritual things I learn, what I feel about the gospel, and make this blog more light hearted. I also thought that I about creating a diffrent one where I can post my pictures, make it a photography blog. There you go,3 blogs: ME, MYSELF, and I. Why do I think it's a bad idea? I will tell you anyway - because it would mean presenting me to the world as 3 different people. Some would see one side of me, while others another one. I am not 3 people in one! I am Eni, the ONE and only! Yes, I do have man

I am proud to be a Romanian! I am proud of my heritage, of the teachings I received from my parents in this beautiful country. I am grateful I got to serve a full-time mission in my country, to meet so many Romanians, to get to love them and serve them. I am grateful I got to see so many beautiful places in this country that I probably couldn't have seen otherwise. I know we, as a nation, are not perfect, and we have many things in our history, in our present also, that we cannot brag with, but I am excited to strive to improve so that anyone who meets me can say 'I like Romanians'. This is my country, and I love it. LA MULTI ANI, ROMANIA!!!

I have the tendency to talk to people on their own language. I feel like we are not on the same page if I don't. For example, talking to the missionaries in Romanian is weird! I feel like the words are void of meaning, but when we speak English, there is a connection. I know, I am weird! It is the same when I talk to my dad, I can only talk to him, and open up to him, if I speak in Hungarian. The problem arises when we have a new kid in our branch, who speaks a different language. For example, we have a new member, a 25 year old Italian guy. He got baptized two weeks ago, and he came to Romania to study ( he will probably be here for the next 6 years). He speaks very well Romanian (considering that he has been in Romania for only 3 months, his skills are very impressive), but my brain is trying hard to recover those lost memories from the Italian classes I took when I was a high school junior. It is weird that while we talk, Italian words pop into my head. Now I have a new goal:

Lately, being busy with work, and running everywhere to fix my problems (or my friends's), I haven't got the chance to get any good, encouraging news. All I've been hearing from coworkers and friends around here is divorces, domestic violence, and a lot of unhappiness. I started wondering what was wrong with the world today? The answer is easy - they don't have the gospel, or a strong testimony of the gospel coupled with righteous living. But I don't want to dwell on that. I started thinking of my future, of what lays ahead of me, and to be honest, I haven't got a clue. I know I want to start a family, but it is not very encouraging to do it when all I hear is divorce, suffering, and pain. It is not encouraging when I look around me, and I keep bumping into ignorant guys who have only one thing on their mind, and they don't refrain from letting me know about it. My point is, bad news coming at me from every side... Yesterday I headed out to the dentist, wh

Sunday was the worst day at work... I made many mistakes: I forgot to fill out the entire money transfer form, I cashed in a different car wash program, I cashed something in as VISA instead of cash... at the end of my shift, I was a wreck! The secretary kept calling me in the office every half hour (I was lucky to work only 6 hours). On Monday morning, I had my boss call me in the office, and show me all the mistakes, and I had to pay for some that couldn't get fixed on paper. I was so ashamed! I was so careful all day, not to mess up! I hate  making mistakes! I am very considerate, understanding, and supportive when others mess up, but when I do, I want to disappear, I am disappointed with myself. You can imagine how I felt when the secretary came, asking me to go see my boss in the office. In my head, I went through the whole day, trying to figure out what I had done wrong, but nothing came to mind. That would make anyone feel at peace, but it made me feel worse... what had I

I wasn't excited about working at OMV again, but I was glad I would end up working with my friends. I am on the same shift with the two slowest workers (and they take a lot of breaks!), which is tiering. I work 13 hour shifts, and at the end of the day I am barely walking. Do you know what makes me smile about this job? 1. Working on the computer (money transfers, work with the database to issue invoices, work with this cool technology gadget to emit vignetes...) 2. Friends to joke with to make time go faster 3. Customers who leave smiling 4. Customers who recognize me on the street, smile big and greet me 5. The tips I get at the end of the day 6. Schedule: 2 days work, 2 days off 7. My boss trusting me enough to rehire me, after I left twice to chase my dreams Yes, I admit: this is not my dream job, but it's not a bad job in the end. I have 6 months now to figure out what I want to do in the future, where I want to go, where I will settle down (hopefully, if not, i

Who would have thought that November can be such a pleasant month? Yes, there are a lot of cool celebrations, like commemorating the dead (Ziua sfintilor) and Thanksgiving (for some) and two birthdays in my family, but when I think of November I think of rain, cold, maybe even snow. Not this year though! November 16th, and I am wearing a T-shirt, and a skirt, walking through the park. I always dreamed of a mild winter, and I will probably have one this year (hopefully). Here are some November pictures:

I am sure every single one of us stopped somebody to ask for directions, or was stopped to be asked for directions. Today I had the chance to hear my coworker give directions. I forgot how fun it is to listen to him! His way of getting from Kaufland to Billa: Step 1. Turn left and drive straight Step 2. Do you know the big, white, Orthodox cathedral at the round-about? You don't turn there, keep driving straight Step 3. Do you know the bridge that goes over the train tracks? The one that goes to Micalaca? You don't go over it, just drive straight Step 4. Do you know the big baptist church on the right, after the bridge? You don't turn there, keep driving straight Step 5. Do you know train tracks bridge that you go under to get to Micalaca? that's on your left, Bila is on your right YAY!!! You got there!!! Our explanation: You turn left here, and drive straight for about 3 km, don't mind any intersections or stop lights, Bila will be on your right. It's

Tonight was a Journey night... a good mood night. I came across this song - "Be Good to Yourself", and it got me thinking about the choices I have made this week. I decided in March to fight for myself, for the future I want for myself. why did I have to decide that? Partly because most of my decisions had been made starting from the thought of helping my family, sacrificing everything to helping them. Those were the right decisions at that time, and I am so grateful I got to make them. But as time passed, my priorities and needs changed, so I had to learn to start deciding for helping myself build a better future. It hasn't been easy, I had to find motivation to do it, and I still haven't been very motivated. I swear is so much easier to fight for someone else than for myself! But I thought I was doing just fine... until tonight, while listening to this song. I decided to move out from the place I live in now, and move in with a coworker who's a good friend

This why is more of a learning experience, one that changed at least the next six months of my life, and my view on life. I know a lot of you got so tired of hearing about me "still looking for a job", "no job", or other form of complaint. I had many people tell me to go back to OMV, but I didn't feel like it. Ex-coworkers, my mom, some friends... all telling me that a job at the gas station was better than no job at all, especially since winter is close, and it's expensive to make it through it. I kept praying for a job, to know where I could find something, and yet no answer. Three weeks ago I had an interview at a factory, but the work-salary ratio was ridiculous, so I told them I would only go work there if they had a job in the office, on the computer. They told me they would call me back. Two days later, they called me to go back to an interview, but for the same position, so I turned them down. I kept praying for guidance, all the answers from my

I started work yesterday. I work at the same gas station again, and it feels like I never left. The position I am in now is better, it pays an extra 60$ a month, and I don't work nights and holidays. I was so comfortable working on the computer again, doing money transfers, and doing a lot of small talk with customers. One of the customers was this 23 year old cute guy. I talked to him just like with any other customer. He seemed nice, even though he was very evasive with his answers. I liked his smile, his eyes, and he seemed like fun so when he asked for my number, I wrote it down for him. Why did I do that, since I had a bad experience with giving my number to customers? I guess we all have our crazy moments.  I told him I would go out with him sometime, but nothing serious. Today, the kid (he's 23) called me! He was very weird on the phone. First, he asked me when he could come over to my house - my answer was, is, and will be NO COMING TO MY HOUSE (not on the first co

Because we like to celebrate, to rejoice with those we love, we prepared an amazing surprise party for Emy. She turned 18 yesterday, and we wanted to welcome her into the "grown-up"'s group. She was the cutest  happy 18 year old, after we made her jump and scared her well as she entered the room. Here are some pictures from her party:

I had no idea what to name this post. I haven't written in a while, so I have some catching up to do. First, I'm still unemployed... I am probably picky (I will not go and work in a factory, assembling stuff, for only 200$ a month... I can do better than that...not money-wise, but work-wise). I guess I need to figure out what I want to do with my life before I get a job. I could go back to OMV any time, but it's not what I want for my future. The search continues :D ... running out of money fast :)) Second, we had an awesome YSA Study Convention in Arad, with the young single adults from Arad, Cluj, Oradea, and some branches from Hungary. It was an amazing experience, and it was the first time I met the youth from Hungary (except for Elder Vekony, who is currently serving in Romania). We had two special guests, Elder Schutze and Elder Fingerle, from the area Seventies. The theme of the convention was sanctification. We talked about escaping from sin to save our lives/etern

I am alone again. It's hart to find something to do by yourself, especially when you don't have a job. So i try to keep myself busy. I spent almost four hours again studying. I tried to get back on Java script, and HTML... it felt like I was back in school :) It was great. Then, the evening came...what to do, what to do?....hhhmmm... watch a movie!!!! I only have 4 movies saved on my laptop, so the options are 'endless'. I picked 'Cars' for tonight. And it was the wisest choice. I haven't watched it in a while, so it was like watching it for the first time. I was moved by the story, and it got me thinking. I started wondering: What is my dream? What is the most important thing in my life? Who are the most important people in my life? What makes me truly happy? I don't know if I can answer these right now. I haven't given these any thought lately. Maybe that is why I am drifting , feeling lost now. I believe that knowing the answers to these que

On Saturday I turned 25. At heart, I am still 17, that's not the point, it's only numbers :) My parents were so amazing! They paid for me to go home (since I am still looking for a job), and made my stay there a real treat. 1. We went out as a family. It rarely happens for all four of us to go out together... excuse me, all 5 of us :) After drinking our coffee/hot chocolate/juice/beer/vodka (we all have different tastes) , my dad went to work, my sister visited some friends, and my mom and I went home to cook, with Rex as our supervisor, giving his opinion according to the smells. We made salata de vinete (eggplant salad), gulas, and an amazing birthday cake. We got back together for dinner, when we cut the cake. We played cards for hours, telling jokes and laughing. We watched a movie ("Knight and Day"), which was the perfect ending to my birthday :D

Who gets stressed before their birthday? Come on, it's no stress! All you do is plan a party, think of the cake you want to bake, what clothes to wear, and the list goes on. But mostly, it's all about PARTY!!! Well, I had no share of that kind of stress. My stress was induced by my laptop...ok, it's not its fault, it is mine, it was my weird curiosity. The evening before I went back home, I was getting a bit bored. What did I decide to do? Install Linux on my computer. The process was long, but I did it! I booted my system again, and nothing... just a black screen with a message: partition not found! I could still boot off of the flash drive, but it wasn't running off the computer. and I had never used Linux. Of course I freaked out! What if I had lost everything? I had most of it backed up on my iPod, but not my last two weeks worth of work. I stayed up late, looking up solutions online. Nothing worked! I tried to get used to the idea of having to use only Linux...

Today I had to run all over Arad, trying to find a good deal for a Windows 7 CD. Such a pain, but I found a cheap one that made my day, but mostly my client's. After all the running and stress, I did what I usually do to relax before running again: walked into a bookstore. This time, I went to the one next to McDonalds( maybe to get away from the smell:) ). I walked around, looked at the new books, enjoying the smell of new books(I usually smell a new book before I read it...I know,I'm weird). I was looking over Edgar Alan Poe's collection when a girl comes from behind, and says "Ciao, Eni!". I turned around to see this thin, dark haired, big eyed girl. I said hi back, not being able to remember where we met before. We started talking, but because she worked there, we were interrupted a lot. That was good, because my mind was trying very hard to remember her. She was very sweet and nice, we exchanged job searching ideas, and I left. I felt horrible, because  I co

It has been one week since I got back to Arad. I have been looking for a job since. I sent my resume to so many companies, I think I even dream at night that I am applying to jobs :) I am growing impatient, but I refuse to sit idly. I was so excited the other day when a friend asked me to help him fix his laptop. I was thrilled! He brought it over, and it looked pretty grim. after trying to figure out the problem for over an hour, I told him the best resort was to reinstall Windows again. He had to go to a soccer game, and I was left with the "toy". It was late, so I went to bed. I was trying to figure out where I could get an installation CD from. Right before falling asleep, an idea crept into my mind, and I fell asleep happy. Do you want to know what was the first thing I did in the morning? No, not breakfast, I turned on his laptop. And in 10 minutes, I figured out a way to avoid the problem. yes, the problem is still there, but it can be isolated, and avoided. George wa

I woke up with a cold, in no mood of getting out of bed. I got a text this morning from Paul, and it made me smile. I tried to fight the cold, and got some laundry done, and came up with a cool lesson plan for my next English lesson. I felt good, but miserable at the same time. Being sick is no fun! Then, my phone rings!  I looked at the number, and I had no idea who that could be. I thought it was from some company to ask me to go in for an interview. No, that was not it! It was even better! It was a phonecall from the Negrici family in Pitesti! I love those people, and I have been trying to figure out a way to visit people in the places i served my mission in: Mihai Bravu (Bucuresti), Constanta, Ploiesti and Pitesti. Since I got home over a year ago, I only got to visit Ploiesti once, and Bucuresti twice. The Negrici's had some good news for me: they have a new member in their family, a beautiful baby girl! I was so happy, I AM so happy for them! They were an example of faithfu

I am back in Arad! I woke up this morning, and for a second, I thought I was back home in my bed. Then I saw the table next to me, and the dream was over. I finished unpacking, and got all comfortable, now comes the fun stuff! I start teaching English today. I have to come up with awesome lesson plans, and get my English skills from under the rug. I haven't spoken it since... since I went back to Stei! I need to start calling my friends again, I am horrible at keeping in touch with them. Maybe I even got on their "people to kill" list.. I wouldn't blame them! Anyway, I need to get out of the house, but guess what? It's cold outside! Yesterday, Arad welcomed me with sun and warmth, and now, dark clouds and cold... Thank you! Going job hunting will be a blast! I need to take a shower, so I will talk to you later... if i don't freeze ;) Have a fabulous day! The weekend is on its way :D

Today is my last day in Stei. My stay here was a sweet blessing, having time to rest, and relax for a little while. But I cannot just sit back, and let life pass by, all the great experiences to leave me behind. I have to admit that I will miss my family. My family I will also miss the great guy I met here who took me out on some cool dates. Arad is a city I like a lot, so I will be busy. I am excited to teach English again. I will also meet with my friends, and have fun. The crazy part is that I will go job hunting every day :D The awesome life of a college graduate :) I will write more next tie, I have to find my phone charger. Believe it or not, I text a lot! Paul got me addicted! talk to you later :)

I have spent a whole month at home with my family. I haven't done this in a long, long time. I noticed that although we have problems, we are united. I have been wondering how my parents have managed to still be married 26 years later, in spite of all problems. I have seen so many shattered marriages, so many unhappy couples, and I didn't truly understand until tonight how these things work. I was watching "Lie to Me", a very interesting TV show, when my mom asked me to go for a bicycle rid with her and dad. I rolled my eyes, and got a bit frustrated, but we rode slowly, and we joked, and we laughed. It hit me right there, on the bicycle, that we have to work to maintain unity and love in our family. We have been doing that : bicycle rides, card games, family breakfast/lunch/dinner, watching movies together.  We DO things together,and that makes the whole difference. I am glad that my mom insists on going out together even when I roll my eyes. I love my family, and I

It's October again! The cold air gives me the chills, and I am getting very frustrated with the cold. I am in Stei, having here with me just a pair of tennis shoes, three T-shirts, a light blouse and a hoodie... I AM COLD!!! I started counting down the days until summer... 178 days left... I can make it through, right? The fall has turned the trees from green to all the colors of the fall, but I still don't feel motivated to move, to get out of the house. Rex needs to go out and pee, and yet, I am not motivated enough to put on my shoes to go out. Oh, here comes Mom. She wants me to go shopping with her. I guess I have to go out now. I have no choice. We have our regular rout that ends up with hot chocolate topped with whipped cream...yuuummm... Mom, I'm coming! The cold air is telling me to stay in, but how can I? 178 days left... it's not that long after all :)

It was a cold morning. The night went by fast. I decided to linger in bed for a few more minutes. In no time, I was asleep again. I had a dream, it was a mix between beautiful and  nightmare. If felt good for a while until I realized in my dream that it was just a dream. Do you know that feeling? In my dream, I was spending time with a guy that I was madly in love a while back. We were just friends in my dream, and I knew that now, in real life, he didn't feel anything for me but friendship. We were having a great time in my dream, then it all turned into nightmare: he started flirting with me, and told me it had been a mistake to let me go. I woke up angry, angry at myself for dreaming that! I feel like I am perfectly fine with the way things are, and it makes me angry when my subconscious plays tricks on me like that! To make up for my nightmare, I had the chance to meet with my very best friend from junior high. We talked for hours, and I felt like time hadn't pass at all

I felt butterflies again, a feeling I haven't felt in such a long time :)  They were sweet ones, but at the worst timing and the worst place :( Worst timing: I am leaving in two weeks for a long time.  Worst place: in Stei, the city I will never live for more than a total of a couple of months a year. The feeling was so sweet because it was for my best Best BEST friend that I grew up with. We had the same classes from 1st to 8th grade. We lived in the same neighborhood. We used to do everything together, and my fondest memories are those of him, of us. I even broke my arm while running with him.  Life plays many tricks on me, on every one. I moved to Oradea, and after that to Arad. We didn't keep in touch at all. I saw him once for a minute in 10th grade when I came to visit, and we were still best friends. After that, nothing. Until today. My mom and I were out with our bikes, doing the shopping. We were ready to return home, when she saw Sorin (that's his name). I d

Part of my yesterday's "trip" was a stop at the stadium. I hadn't been there in years! Right next to the soccer field, there used to be a big building. That is where they used to have the volleyball court, and gymnastics, and all that cool stuff. It got closed soon after the revolution, but I was curious yesterday to see what has become of it. Here are some pictures to describe what I saw. First, the stands next to the stadium: and here is the amazing building:  The broken windows, and the shattered glass-covered sidewalk are so welcoming! Please take a seat. The game will begin...never!  Peek-a-boo, I see you!!!  Who threw that??? It is so sad! why do people destroy things? What about future generations? what about us, today? what about me? There is nothing left to do in this town - no place to play sports, no movie theater, no dance club. Just pubs at every corner. Why am I then surprised that people today  drink their minds away? Why am I surprised that all t

I went for a walk today. Actually, I rode my bicycle. I didn't know where to go, the city is small, and I didn't  feel like joining big crowds. I quickly decided to go to the cemetery. I heard they made some changes, and I wanted to see my grandparents' graves. I haven' been there in over 5 years. It took me a while to find them with all the changes, but I finally got there. I didn't know what to expect or what I would feel. It was weird! All I felt was gratitude! I looked at my grandparents' and great grandparents' plaques , and I could think of was "Thank you". I felt that because of them I am where I am today, and I can have all these earthly experiences. If only one of them was missing, I wouldn't exist! I do not feel sorrow, or longing, or pain. All I feel is gratitude and joy - gratitude for their choices, for being who they were, and joy because one day I will be able to see them, and get to know them. I know that families can be forev

One of the things I miss from my mission is doing companionship study. I learned a lot on my own, but the best part was discussing with my companion what we both had studied. That was when I learned the most, and grew the most in my faith and gospel understanding. This morning, I opened the Book of Mormon randomly, and started reading. I started comparing the things that happened almost two thousand years ago to my life, and I came up with a cool object lesson. I miss having a companion to share this with! Being a Seminary or Sunday School teacher would help, but I can't even go to church! Here comes my idea: I will share it with you. I hope you will like it. If you do, maybe you can use it too :D Object lesson It is in  Mormon, chapter 4 . Here, Mormon witnesses the wars between the Nephites and the Lamanites. The Nephites, who were once the chosen people of God, now are become wicked and power-thirsty. They are being defeated again and again. How did they get to this point? Ho

Playing by the Rules: break the cycle! : " Wanna know something tragic? Boys aren’t asking girls on dates anymore! Why is this? I ha..."

I am a perfectionist when it comes to me, and often I put myself down for things I cannot do, for mistakes, and for my flaws. It is a pretty heavy burden.   I have been trying to fight this urge to kick myself like that. A quote that has helped is “do the best you can”. It helps sometimes, but sometimes I use it as an excuse “I cannot do this, I know my limits, this is the best I can, and it’s enough”. I started reading quotes from Presidents of the Church, our days’ prophets. I came across this quote from Gordon B. Hinckley: “Do the best you can. But I want to emphasize that it be the very best. We are too prone to be satisfied with mediocre performance. We are capable of doing so much better.” This does not help my perfection problem, but I came to the conclusion that it is alright to be perfectionist, to be hard on myself. How else am I going to progress? How else can I be better today than yesterday? I know I am not perfect, even though I tend to become so. And I know I cannot chan

It's Sunday, only 12 pm. I feel a little uneasy, because usually, at this time, I would be at church. here is the fourth Sunday in a row when I am at home. It makes me feel empty, I feel like I am going numb. I try hard to focus on spiritual things, but I have to admit that it is hard. Do you know what I am listening to right now? EFY (Espeically For Youth). It feels good. I just finished reading the First Presidency message about the Book of Mormon, but I don't have anyone to talk to about it. Can I share it with you? The Book Of Mormon - A Personal Guide I just want to add that what he says in there is so true! There are many commandments in this book, and they are not to make our life hard and keep us from doing the things of the world. These commandments are here to guide us on our path, to keep us pure. Why are purity and virtue so important? I see many people making fun of them, or ignoring them. I gave it a lot of thought, and they do not act that way because they are

What day is it, and in what month, this clock never seemed so alive! - I love Lifehouse, and their music makes me feel better... I think... especially after having a bad day! I need to vent, but there is no one to talk to! And that hurts, you know! Today is Sunday, and I am in Stei. A little bit of history here: Stei is a small town 80 km away from Oradea, the town that I left behind me 11 years ago. I cut the cord! And now I am back - no friends, no place to hang out, just me and my family. I love my family, and this is the longest time we have spent together in over a year. It does help our relationship! I swear it's better this way than talking on the phone, or using skype. I'm happy to be home, but... I am suffocating! I feel like my lungs won't take in the air I need to be the happy girl that I usually am. Life has been hitting me lately, and I am not prepared for its blows! I feel like everything I have been trying to accomplish has been failure after failure. I am ou

I found myself staying at home with no job, running out of money FAST! Nothing new, right? Even with a job, I still felt so... forced to fight for survival. I tried everything to manage to save some money, but it always slipped away. This past year I found myself often wondering "What am I going to do now?" In all this craziness called LIFE, I tried to think of ways to get my thoughts off of me, and try to help somebody else. It is pretty hard to do that when you barely have time for yourself. I have been focusing on myself, on my problems, trying to find my way out. Then a thought came to my mind, an idea that would help me a bit to fill up a corner in the fridge. Go and give blood! I thought to myself: "Free thorough blood test, and 60 Lei (10% of my salary) in food tickets. How smart I am!" I went there in June, and gave half a liter of blood, and went home on cloud no.9. They told me I could go again only after three months. I was so disappointed, but still hap

I had the chance to go to Arad last weekend, which happened to be the weekend of the Ukraine Temple dedication. The branch rented a minibus, and a lot of the members got their temple recommends, woke up early in the morning, and at 5 a.m. we were on the way to the Brasov chapel. The trip was long, but it was all worth it. I don't remember a lot of the  words that were said in the ceremony, but I remember the way I felt. I felt like I was in a temple, and it was so peaceful. There wa one thing that was said that has stuck with me since: "With the occasion of this temple dedication, each and every one of us should rededicate our lives to God." I have been thinking about that a lot, especially because lately I have been feeling like I wasn't doing my best. With this invitation, I started thinking about what I could do to redeticate myself. I couldn't think of anything, so I started changing that phrase: "rededicate my life to virtue"(be more careful with