Breaking News Updates

I have another post in the works (I have a short attention span these days so I often take a looong time to write my more lengthy entries) but I had to stop and quickly mention three things unrelated to each other and the other, longer post:

1) My darling husband is very darling and sweet. On Thursday, the 2nd, I woke up to find that David had written me a very sweet note and left it for me on the bathroom mirror. And then, later that evening, I returned from my substitute teaching course to discover an empty home. David arrived shortly after with a dozen beautiful orange/peach roses and two bottles of Martinelli's and said "Happy four months!!!" And because the gesture was so sweet and the sentiment so adorable, I almost didn't have the heart to tell him that our four month anniversary is actually on Monday, the 6th. He mixed up our wedding date (June 6th) with the anniversary of our first date (May 2nd). Still, how sweet is a man who brings you flowers for putting up with you for 4 months? I say he's a keeper.

2) I got a job. Sort of. No, it's a job, but it's a part-time job. I'll be working for the Hawaii Department of Education with a new volunteers and partners program they've been piloting. I'll split my time between three schools (two elementary, one middle school) helping them keep track of their volunteers and posting volunteer opportunities through the DOE's website. It sounds like a pretty easy-going job with a set amount of hours each week (17) and it will allow me to still sub once or twice a week as well. Plus, it pays pretty well. At least, more than I've ever been paid for a job so that just working part-time, I'll be making almost as much as I made at some of my previous full-time jobs. So all in all, I think it'll be a good fit for me and I'm excited to be working with the public schools and getting more experience in an educational setting.

3) During the morning session of Conference today, President Monson announced that the Church is building a temple in Rome, Italy. Those of you who know me know that I spent a semester studying abroad in Rome four years ago and that I'm minorly obsessed with Italy. I attended a small branch on the outskirts of Rome during my months there and knew the people to be a very faithful bunch but who, like a lot of European wards/branches, needed a stronger anchor and connection to the church because their membership was so sparse. The closest temple is in Switzerland and not many members had many opportunities to attend. I hoped that someday Rome (or anywhere in Italy) would get a temple and I can't tell you how surprised and elated and grateful I am that the church will finally be building a temple there. I literally cheered out loud, screaming "Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!" and "Take that, Vatican!" when I heard the news. I know it'll be a few years before it's actually completed and that, more than likely, the temple will be located in the outskirts of the city, but I hope that someday I'll finally get to made a return trip to my beloved Italy and go to the Rome temple. I've been lucky to have lived close to many temples (well, at least for the next few months....the Laie temple is closing for major renovations after Christmas....it needs them too since it's the oldest temple outside of Utah but I'm sad to go so long without an operating temple close by though there is a temple on the Big Island) and I can't imagine how a temple in Italy might help the work in that area.

So lots of good news all around. Just had to share.