#3

On Tuesday Matthew and I celebrated our 3^rd Wedding Anniversary. For the past year we have been attending an Institute class called “The Gospel and Christian History” and it is on Tuesday Nights from 7:30-9:00 pm. Without much discussion Matthew and I both had decided that we still wanted to go to our Institute class and that we could go out to dinner to celebrate on Wednesday evening.

On Tuesday morning, Matthew and I had breakfast together and I gave him the first of two presents I had for him. For Matthew’s birthday, his parents and I bought him a new keyboard. When Matthew was little he took piano lessons, but since then has not played much, and he has been wanting to get back into it. Well, since his birthday he hasn’t had much material to play from so I thought that it would be a fun idea to give him some of the piano books he used to practice from when he was little. Matthew’s mom was very kind to let us borrow them. I added to these lesson books by buying the “Hymns Made Easy” book from the Distribution Center. I hope to be able to record the progress he makes sometime very soon!

Right now I am at an internship with an Early Intervention program called DDI Vantage and I am working at the West Site. Because it is about a 30-minute drive away, I attempt to take the bus on the days that I don’t have to be in until after 8 am. Well, Tuesday was one of those days and because I took a little too long getting ready, Matthew had to drive me to catch the Trax Train. After my internship was over for the day, I took the bus back home with the intention of taking the car to pick up the other gift that I had purchased for Matthew. When I walked up to our garage I realized that Matthew had backed the car into the garage. Now normally this wouldn’t be a big deal, but when I got into the car, I realized that Matthew had left a few notes for me in the car that I knew he intended for me to find when we went to our institute class. A couple things went through my mind as I drove away, “Dang it, now I will have to back the car back into the garage so Matthew doesn’t know I was out here” and “Oh no, what if Matthew is home already and he hears me drive away, then he will know I saw the pieces and that I am up to something.”

When I got back home, I backed the car into the garage and left the notes in the car as if I had never seen them. When I walked up the stairs to our apartment I heard music playing and thought I was going to have to find a way to sneak the gift I had passed Matthew and explain where I had gone to. But as I walked up to the door I saw a heart that said “Happy 3^rd Anniversary, Here are a 100 reasons why I love you, Have fun!” At that moment I realized that Matthew wasn’t home and let out a sigh of relief, then I got really excited to read all the notes. When I walked into the apartment I called out Matthew’s name, just to make sure he wasn’t going to spring around the corner (he might, because I do it to scare him all the time). As I did I also saw many multi-colored notes on the floor, hanging from picture frames and in other various places throughout the apartment. I then realized that these notes were in puzzle-piece shapes. I wondered what the puzzle would make and I called Matthew. I told him thank you and asked if the pieces made different color hearts and he said that they did, and then I went to work!

When Matthew was done with work I met him at the grocery store because he had promised one of the Branch Members that he would pick up an item for him. We headed home so Matthew could change and I gave him his last gift. Somehow Matthew inherited a painting of a windmill and river that his Great Grandma Jacoba Dinkelman painted. Although it is a very beautiful painting, the frame that it came in was a little outdated and Matthew wanted a new one. After several months went by and we never went to go get a new frame, I knew that his would be a great gift and Matthew loved it.

After we dropped the grocery item off to the member, we headed to Institute and we were both glad we didn’t miss it. This class has opened our eyes to the affects of culture and the idea that many people of other faiths practice many of the things we practice. I know that many people feel that the Church is not true because some of the things that are part of our beliefs have been viewed to be taken from other churches, but in my mind that is one reason why I believe the church to be true. This church was Restored, which implies that much of what is used is already in existence, it just needs a little work done on it to make it refined again.

My institute teacher compared the restoration of the gospel to reassembling and restoring an old roll-top desk he found at a garage sale. When he first saw the desk it was disassembled and was being used as a workshop bench. The roll top was off and stacked in the corner, the shelves and drawers were scattered everywhere and the parts of the desk that were still assembled had paint and dust all over it. In order to fully restore the desk, Brother Peterson had to gather all of the pieces, remove the paint spots that didn’t belong and reassemble all the pieces in their proper order. Joseph Smith did the same thing in restoring the gospel.

After Institute we invited some friends over for Pazookee (basically a sheet of cookie with ice cream put on it right after it comes out of the oven).

On Wednesday we went to Rodizio Grill for dinner courtesy of Matthew’s Parental Units. We enjoyed the fine dinning and as usual in a place where you decide when you stop eating, Matthew ate way too much, but we still had dessert. It was a wonderful anniversary, Matthew definitely made up for his V-day mishap. It is amazing that three years have already passed by. I can’t wait to see what this next year brings.