ONE PHONE CALL CAN MAKE YOU SO HAPPY!

Today we let Brian stay home from school. We went to Magelby's for their all you can eat french toast. It was delicious!!! Then we rented a redbox movie and watched The Blind Side. We love that movie. It is so good! It really does show how one person can make a difference in another persons life.
You may ask, what was the purpose of all of this, well...this morning Robert left the MTC for Italy and we were anxiously awaiting his phone call! He told us that he could call around noon our time, and by 1 PM we figured that he wasn't going to call. I was so sad and upset at not hearing his voice..also worried, just wanting to know that he was okay!
Around 1:30 PM my cell phone range...it was from Illinois, and it was Elder Bona! How wonderful to hear his voice and know that he is well and happy! We just talked about the MTC, the pgks of stuff that he sent home. He said that packing "sucked" (those were his words!) and it was the second stressful day at the MTC, the other was his first day there. I told him that he should have stayed home to help pack instead of going out with Kourtney his last day here...and shame on me for packing for him. But he figured it out and both of his suit cases were under 50 lbs so no extra fees!!!
We told him about the new (old) car that we got, a 1998 Honda Civic that uses natural gas...and how he would love that car! He wants pictures of the car and of us!!! and his friends too, if possible!
He said the people in Chicago were staring at all of them (the group of 25 or so) and that he knew he wasn't ugly and there was nothing for them to be staring at! He also said that he gained about 10 lbs in the MTC. I assured him that walking etc in Italy he would loose it pretty quickly!
I also asked him how his Italian was and he said pretty good! He could understand everything we said, but said he would talk to us in Italian on Mother's Day! That's right, we get to talk to him again on Sunday, and I can't wait.
From his voice he really did sound happy, but at the same time you could also tell that he missed us. He said the MTC was great and there were only a couple of days when he thought, "heck no, I'm outta here, send me home". I think that is pretty good. I remember having more than 2 of those days while I was there!
He was so happy about the friends and ward members that he saw while he was there, and was also very excited about Justin...he is another kid in our ward who is Robert's age ( a few months younger) who just got his mission call, and is going to the Italy Milan mission as well. He goes into the MTC on August 18th! Robert said it would be "ballin" for them to be companions and that they would "do work" together!
It is amazing how one phone call can make you feel so much better! To know that he is okay and sounds the same...he is still Robert with his cute comments, etc..he made us all smile!
Now we are looking forward to the email to let us know that he got there safe and sound and where he will be and who his companion is! We are all praying for Troy Cressman ( a friends son who is there-Robert has never met him), and that they will be in Tornino (that is where Troy is now!). That would be the best!
Then this afternoon we took Brian to the movies (the $1 theatre) to see Percy Jackson and the Olympians and the Lightening Theif. It was a fun movie....
Robert also called Kourtney and grandpa. I am sure they were both happy to hear his voice as well.
It really is amazing how one phone call and make you so happy!!!
We love you Anziano Bona...buon viaggio e buon lavoro!!!