eventually I get there...

So last night I had a good experience.  The kind that makes me giddy and motivated to have more like experiences.  I thought back, though, as I laid in bed before drifting off, to the sequence of events that FINALLY got me to act on my initial impression.

1.The impression:  About 3 weeks ago I was walking around the house cleaning when I had the thought...how grateful I was to the one family that came over after we moved in, brought cookies and took the time to chat with us.  I had been feeling really vulnerable and this really helped me to begin to feel comfortable here.  I want to do this for someone else (we've had probably 8 families move into the ward since we moved in).

So I immediately got out my handy dandy notepad app on my phone and penciled it into my to-do list...2 families immediately came to mind and I wrote down their last names.

2. Motivation: Milla, upon her pondering over her coming trip to Greece with papa when she is 15, announced that we needed to make baklava, and here is the recipe so you can get the ingredients, mom.

3. Time set: We decided the two goals could coincide and the following monday for FHE we decided to make said baklava and deliver plates to my two families that had just moved in.

4. Setback: So we made the baklava, but it ended up being to late to go out that night, so we decided to go the next night.  Then on Tuesday and again on Wednesday, Brandon had meetings come up that he had to go to so we couldn't go out.

5. Further setback: by Thursday, a good portion of the baklava had *disappeared* (don't worry- soon to reappear on my thighs).  My drive to deliver the plates lessened along with the amount of treats we had to put on the plates

6. The Fight: Saturday Brandon and I had quite a good sized argument.  The kind that is rare enough I don't remember the last time we had one to compare.  At one point Brandon was simmering over some things I had said in the basement and I was up in the kitchen mumbling something or other to myself.  In my anger and to give my hands something to do, I decided to make a DOUBLE batch of Brandon's favorite cookies (peanut butter chocolate chips).  Maybe you've done this yourself... because you want to show you are the better person in the argument, you try to do the first nice thing.  Somehow this is supposed to justify the fact that you (or me in this case) have in no way begun to forgive the other person.  
(fyi- we are all good- no worries)

7.Fast Sunday: Went to church on an empty stomach despite the fact that there was a heaping pile of (if I do say so myself) some FABULOUS cookies on my counter.  Felt particularly focused at church and was touched by one comment made that day.  The sentiment went something like this: If you DO without BEING (believing) you are lying to others (hypocrite), if you are BEING without DOING you are lying to yourself .  It was the push I needed...my good intentions aren't bettering myself or others until I act on them.

8. The Fight's Silver Lining:  I had a counter full of cookies ready to be plated.

9. FHE (again): Monday was soooo hectic, despite my best intentions, I temporarily forgot again about the cookies.  But I did have an FHE lesson prepared...and darn-it, we were going to do it.  By 7 pm, though, everyone was still rushing about finishing homework and such.  FHE was not going to happen...

10. Milla to the Rescue: "Mom! I have a book on hold that is in at the library.  Is there anyway you can get it for me?"

11. Associated Memory Flash: library books are due today! Ahh!  How did I forget!  I am not paying fines, again.

12. Impression:  As the kids were loading into the car, in the middle of the hectic-ness, I actually got my impression again, "plate the cookies, they are ready to go, you can deliver them on the way".

13. Better late than never:  Rin and Sean came up to deliver the second plate with me.  The sister seemed SOOO happy to see us.  She invited us in and we chatted for a good 15 minutes.  Her dad was there visiting from Alaska and was painting the living room where we were. When he saw us he said, 'Ah! Katie's first friends!'.  Was just such a good moment in time...a win-win.

 That wasn't so hard, was it?