Dear Robert

I am sitting here at home, alone. I have turned off the lights downstairs, except the small light on the corner table...you know, the one I would leave on for you until you would come home at night, after we had all gone to bed. The blinds are closed and the house is dark and quiet.
I am upstairs here in my room sitting, staring at the computer, wondering what to write, and my mind begins to wander. I think of you. Like I always do.Especially at night. As I get ready to go to bed I think of how in a few short hours your day will begin. You will roll yourself out of bed and fall to your knees to say your morning prayers. I know that I will be mentioned in those prayers. I am so thankful for your words on my behalf to our Father. I know that He hears you, and blesses me. I know that you also pray for your father, and your little brother, who miss you dearly.
I try to imagine what your mornings are like. Shower, breakfast, getting dressed, companion and personal study, then put on your coat, grab you bag, put your tag on, and out the door and off you go, to preach the word of God. To let the world know of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.
I remember how it was all those years ago when I too wore that same black tag that bore the name of Jesus Christ. I think back with fond memories. But most of all with a great appreciation for the time that I had in Italy and the people that I was able to teach and bear my testimony to.
There are some who refused the gospel, knowing that it was true, but not having the strength or courage to get baptized. To this day I think often of those people, and my heart aches for them. They knew the truth, they felt the spirit, but couldn't or wouldn't take that first step to be baptized.
You are right. The mission is full of ups and downs. And things never go as we plan or hope, but we keep going forward. Hoping and having faith and relying on our Father in Heaven, that He will guide our steps so that our path may cross with that person who is waiting for us and our message.
And tired....oh yes...I am sure that you are tired. 14 months have passed, and you have been working hard every day. No vacations, spring break, or sick days (so to speak). Rain, snow, heat, whatever the weather may be, you are out there in it proclaiming your message. I too remember going home at lunch time and sleeping for a few minutes, so that I would have the strength for the remainder of the day and all that I needed to do.
And yes, 2 years is a very long time. For a mother too. The first year seemed to just fly by and I knew that you would be home soon...but now as I look at the calendar and continue to mark off the days one by one...slowly, oh so slowly, I realize that 10 more months seem like an eternity.
And today especially as I sit here alone I miss you even more. I would love to hear you laugh. To have you tell me the story of the dog biting you, or the birds pooping you you as you ride your bike...or the day you stepped in the fresh cement in SanRemo, then had to walk all the way home. I would also love to hear you tell of baptizing Matteo in the ocean and how you felt at that very moment. Or the first time you asked someone to be baptized. Most of all I can't wait to hear you speak in Italian.
As I think about that right now I have tears in my eyes. It has been my hope and desire your whole life that one day you would speak the language that you were born to speak. (I hope and pray that one day your brother will have the same chance and possibility). I can't wait to hear you bear your testimony..."Io so che la chiesa e' vera......." and to feel your spirit.
For now....I will look at your pictures, read your letters, and continue to count the days until I can hug you again.
I don't think this in a letter that I will send to you. I will just read it an think and ponder. It makes me homesick for you...and I don't want you to be homesick for us.
We love you Robert..Anziano Bona...
Ti vogliamo tanto bene!!!

tua Madre.....Judi

THE PENCIL

A pencil maker told the pencil 5 important lessons just before putting it in the box:

1. Everything you do will always leave a mark,
2. You can always correct the mistake you make.
3. What is important is what is inside of you.
4. In life, you will undergo painful sharpening which will only make you better.
5. To be the best pencil, you must allow yourself to be held and guided by the hand that hold you.

We all need to be constantly sharpened. This parable may encourage you to know that you are a special person, with unique God-given talents an abilities. Only you can fulfill the purpose which you were born to accomplish. Never allow yourself to get discouraged and think that your life is insignificant and cannot be changed, like the pencil, always remember that the most important part of what you are is what's inside of you.

EARLY HAPPY EASTER

I received an Easter present in the mail today.

It least for me it was a present.

We got a letter from Robert.

But the best part was the SD card.

There were 228+ pictures and a few videos. It was so good to see him and what he is doing,

and to hear his voice.

I still need to download the videos, but for now, go here to see the lovely pictures of Lake Como.

And go here to see Joyce and Lucy's baptism

and a few pictures of Robert with his new companion, Anziano Winegar.

FLORIDA AND ROBERT

Giovanni and Brian went to Orlando this past weekend, for about 4 days. They had a great time!
They were suppose to go to see the launch of the Space Shuttle, however, it was postponed until the 19th of April. So if all goes well and the flights look good (standby flying)...then they will be off to Orlando again!

They had a lot of fun while they were there. Brian had an extra surprise the first evening. He actually got to see his friend, Talon. He is 1/3 of the "tres amigos", but due to his acting career he isn't here very much right now...so it was a nice surprise for them to spend a few hours together and just hang out. They have been friends since 3rd grade. We are hoping that Talon might be around for 7th grade in the fall, but who knows what other things he might have going on them...so for now this will have to suffice.

It was so much fun for Brian and Talon to see each other...so since there were 2 of the 3 "tres amigos" they had to call Kache and talk to him so that the "3 Amigos" could be together again. I sure do love these guys....Thanks Michelle for having such a wonderful idea to get the boys together. Brian said it was way better than meeting Dwight Howard!

Then the next day it was off to Universal Studios Orlando! Brian isn't a big fan of the "BIG" rollercosters, but he would take a few pictures in front of them. He and Gio had a fun time there and enjoyed their "guy time".

On day 2 they went to the beach. It was near Tampa, and called Clearwater. From the pictures it looks beautiful. We will for sure have to go there the next time we all return to Florida. It was 90 F and the water was perfect according to Gio. And all the while I was here in Utah with rain, wind, and 50 F weather....what is wrong with that picture...I'm the one who works for the airline and should be the jet setter....yeah, right!  :)

They had a fantastic time!!!! But I sure was glad when they came home.....I don't like being home alone. I missed them so much...and it made me miss this guy even more....

But how thankful I was to get a message from Simone on Wednesday saying that he had spent about 4 hours with Robert on his p-day. These are the pictures they took! Just 48 hours old and I am able to see my other boy and to know that he is doing well and is happy. Simone said that he was still Robert who loved to joke around and stuff, however, he said that he had a different air about him and it was also obvious that he is a missionary. He said that Robert misses home but that he is so happy serving a mission and loves being in Italy doing the Lord's work.

This is the best Easter present I could have ever received. And in 15 days we get to talk to Robert on the phone for Mother's Day! I can't wait!!!!!

LONELY

As I look out my bedroom window this morning...it is raining. A typical spring day in Utah. I just try to remember that the moisture will help the grass turn green quicker and flowers bloom sooner and trees bud faster. But I did miss the birds chirping this morning.
I should be washing my windows and blinds right now. I am having the carpet cleaned tomorrow..so my project upstairs has been to clean and organize everything. I didn't get the bathrooms organized, but they are clean. I will work on the drawers and baskets another weekend. But everything else is done!
The downstairs windows can wait for next weekend when I'm alone again.
Giovanni and Brian went to Florida yesterday. I have been alone for 24 hrs and have a little less than 72 to go...and can I say, I don't like it. I feel lonely. The house is so empty and quiet. Even the water in the ice maker freaks me out. I've never heard it before now. I guess because there is usually noise going on when I'm in the kitchen. Laughing and joking around..the TV on while Gio or I are cooking or doing dishes and Brian playing basketball on his small hoop that he has over the bathroom door..and oh how that ball echos on the wood floor....
Instead, there is silence. I thought that I would enjoy this time alone, and I do, kind of...because I'm getting a lot of things done... but not really enjoying it. Does that make sense? Probably not...but it does to me.
This is the first time since Robert left on his mission 13+ months ago that I'm alone for an extended period of time. And it is no fun at all. It makes me miss him even more. And I miss waking Brian up in the morning for school, and rolling over at 3:30 AM to tell Gio good bye and that I love him before he goes to work.
I have thought a lot about how...if I feel this way for 3-4 days how would I feel if it were for eternity. What if I wouldn't have my family forever? How would I feel then...Lonely and sad.
If nothing else these few days have given me a better perspective of how I need to work every day to keep my family together.
Love you Gio, Robert, and Brian...and I miss you all dearly!

Love,
Mom....

HAPPY

I am happy. I love my life and almost everything about it. Don't get me wrong...there are things that I would like to improve upon, get rid, change, do differently, etc. But...I am happy. I sometimes wonder if that is also my downfall. Because I am happy, I don't always feel the need or desire to change. But there is always room for improvement. So...that is what I'm going to be working on for the next several months. In different ways. I'm sure that as time goes by I will blog about some of the things I'm improving...but for now...just know that I am working on my list and also how I plan to accomplish these goals.
I know that I will need to be realistic. Italy wasn't built in one day, so I won't be improving in one day...but I will be making strides. As long as I move forward in the right direction it is progress...right? Yes.

 This past Monday we had a fun family activity. BYU has a display going on of Carl Bloch paintings. It is amazing. You should really go if you haven't already. and you have the chance. Go here to check it out. It was one of the most beautiful things that I have seen in a long time. Amazing really. The spirit that I felt as I stood and looked at those paintings (and listening to the commentary on the iPad that you can rent-and worth the $3 too!) was a feeling that I won't forget for a long time.

As I sat admiring these paintings I was so overcome with the spirit that tears began to well up in my eyes. I wished that I had a tissue with me to wipe the tears. I really wasn't expecting the emotions that I felt. But it was so nice to feel them. And to reflect on the life of our Savior Jesus Christ. While at this exhibit I realized that I was happy. And I was loved by my Father in Heaven...just as each on of us is. We are His sons and daughters. And Jesus Christ is our Savior. And he did set the example for each one of us. Like the scriptures say...He is the life, the way, and the Light. He is the Master.

As we were leaving we got a picture of us all together. A nice memory of the day. The sun was shinning in our eyes so we are squinting...but these two guys are part of the reason why I'm happy. We sent this picture to Robert as well...we wanted him to see how much Brian had grown. That kid is only 12 1/2! He will be looking down at us pretty soon. After we took this picture..off to Tucano's we went for some yummy food!

Today we received an email from Robert. He sounds like himself again, and that is so good! He too is happy! He loves his new companion and they are already working hard. When I get these types of emails from him and I know that he is doing well, it brings such peace and happiness to my soul. He has changed so much in the past 13 1/2 months. I can't imagine what he will be like next March (2012) when he comes home. For now I'm just counting the days until Mother's Day (22) until he will call home and we get to talk to him again and hear his voice. Ask me that day how happy I am!!! I won't be able to stop smiling I'm sure!

POST 200

Well, this is my 200th post, and the only reason that I'm posting anything is because I was reading this blog today and it had some wonderful advice and food for thought. You might want to go here and check it out. And how true what "Single Dad" writes....Old people do say the wisest things!

It is a beautiful day outside..but rain and snow are on their way again! And it has been one week today, and Tibi cat is not back...my hope is slowly fading.

PRAYERS ARE ANSWERED

It is such a comfort to know that our Father in Heaven listens to our prayers and he answers them too. The answer isn't always what we want it to be...but he does answer.

This past transfer for Robert was especially hard with a lot of challenges. It was the first time during his mission that I could tell it was hard for him, well...harder than normal. And it is his mission, not mine, and there are things that I'm sure the Lord wanted him to learn, but still hard to sit back and watch, being powerless to help.

But alas, I'm not powerless. There is the power of prayer. And that is what I did. I prayed. For Robert to be strong, to remember who he is and what he stands for. I prayed for him to have desire, love, the comfort of the spirit and the open heart and mind to follow the promptings of the spirit as they would come to him.

Knowing that it was transfer time this week, as I said my prayers last night I prayed so intently that what ever happened today that Robert would be happy and that he could go forward, working strong and hard and dedicating his time to the Lord. I also prayed that if he stayed with his companion that he would learn from the experience and that they could grow together...I left it in the hands of the Lord, and President Wolfgramm.

All I can say is that today Robert is happy! I know that Heavenly Father listened to his prayers, and mine too.
You will have to go here to read about Robert's week.... but I can tell you that it was a good one...with a lot of changes and more opportunities to grow and learn!

HAPPENINGS and NONNO ONOFRIO

It was General Conference weekend. If you want to listen to the talks, go here.

 It was a wonderful weekend.

I will be doing a post just about some of the talks and what they meant to me.

But for now let me just say that watching/listening to 8 hrs of church over two days was wonderful.

I took off work on Sunday morning so that I could devote myself to conference

and my family, and I am so glad that I did. 

We had our usually breakfast of pancakes, bacon, eggs, toast (for Gio)

cinnamon rolls, milk and juice.

Then we sat and watched and listened, taking notes,

feeling the spirit and being spiritually fed.

It was wonderful!

It also snowed! What the heck!?

On Friday and Saturday it was in the 60's and short weather.

Actually on Friday it was the low 70's and heaven! HEAVEN! T

hen on Sunday we woke up to this:

It really was a beautiful sight! And a great day to stay inside!

Though, the only downfall to the snow was....

Tibi!

That darn cat has not come back yet...and well....her and snow don't mix.

All we can do is hope that she is okay.

Tomorrow it will be one week.

And we aren't happy....

so we just pray and hope she is okay!

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Last night Brian had his championship game for

BASKETBALL

They had gone the whole season undefeated!

We knew that this would be a hard game.

They had played this team once before this season and won by

only 4 points...but last night...

WE WON BY 12 PTS!

YEE.HAW!

So

CONGRATULATIONS

TO THE

PHS BULLDOGS

6TH GRADE TEAM!

Brian wasn't on his A game last night...his arm was bothering him some..

But he still started and did his best to help the team out!

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We got our new fridge last night!

It barely fit.

Much bigger than the other one, with a lot more room.

We are gonna love it....

And Brian can't wait to use the ice and water from the door.

What silly things make kids happy!

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I should have made this portion a separate post....

But...this part is dedicated to

NONNO ONOFRIO

Giovanni's father, Onofrio Bona.

He passed away 40 yrs ago yesterday.

Gio was only 6 1/2 when he died.

He only has a few memories of his father

and wishes so much that he had a recording of his father's voice.

I know that he was only with Giovanni for a short time

but he made a lasting impression on him.

I know that Gio is the man that he is also because

of his father.

Ti vogliamo bene Nonno Onofrio!

THAT DARN TIBI CAT!

I know that I usually write about how wonderful things are...but they haven't been so wonderful this week! Our fridge has been acting up for the past little while, but we didn't think to much of it until Monday. We went to pull something out of the vegetable drawer and underneath it we noticed water and a frozen sheet of ice. GREAT! Just what we didn't need. So we cleaned it up and then within just a few hours there was more water and Giovanni said that he heard water flowing. Again, water under the drawer. So off to RC Willey we went and purchased a new fridge. Don't get me wrong...I'm thrilled for the new fridge, just didn't want to have to buy one right now! We have had the same old school one since we moved into our townhouse 12 years ago. (Wow! We have been here that long?!) This one is a side by side and has the ice/water dispenser on the door. I think it will be Brian's new toy. He says the fridge is cool. Nothing fancy really. You would think that it should make gold ice cubes for what it cost. However, I try to look at it as a 12 yr investment and if I break down the price, then it doesn't seem that bad...but to pay it all now along with everything else, let's just say it wasn't in the budget.

However the events of the week just went downhill from there! On  Wednesday our cat, Tibi, somehow got out of the house. I was the one who was home at the time. The front door opened several times that morning for different reasons, however, I didn't notice right away that she was gone. In fact, it wasn't until about 5:30 PM that night that we really knew that she was gone. I feel terrible!! I have made the comment so many times about that darn cat and her shedding ,and fur balls, etc and how when she is gone that there will be no more pets/animals in this house. However, having said that...she is still part of the family. We have had here for almost 6 years. And we love her! A LOT!!!  It just breaks my heart. I worry about her being out in the "wild" and not being able to fend for herself. She has been declawed since she was 4 months old. They did it when we got her "fixed"...and she is such an inside cat! She saw a mouse once and just looked at it, didn't even blink, and had no clue what she was suppose to do. Her way of "hunting" for food was to meow and let us know that she needed food in her dish! She is such a princess/pansy cat. I don't know if she can make it out in the wild. We have made fliers, knocked on doors, walked and driven around looking for her, and to no avail.

And this is the part that hurts the most. Poor Brian is just devastated. We all are, but he is so sad with out his cat! The night we realized she was gone he actually cried for his cat and wanted her to come home. He didn't sleep well that night. He woke up several times and checked the porch to see if she had come back. Gio woke up several times and checked too, and I kept listening for her to meow as well. When Brian woke up Thursday morning the first words out of his mouth were, "where's my cat? is she back?". How hard to tell him no. And then see the sadness in his eyes. It has been like that for a few days now. We are going on day 4 now. I don't know if she will find her way home or not. I hope so. Our neighbor's cat was missing for almost 2 weeks and somehow found her way back and she is a house cat like Tibi, so there is hope. However, every day that passes it becomes harder. I hope that darn cat comes home soon!

THEN...on Thursday afternoon at  basketball practice Brian was going up for a rebound and one of his team mates slammed into his arm/shoulder and he heard this loud pop and his shoulder started to hurt. We took him to the doctor yesterday and he seems to think that there is a slight muscle tear. Nothing to serious, but enough that he isn't playing ball for the next 4-6 weeks. Brian explained to him that his team has the Championship game on Monday night. The doctor asked if it was his shooting arm and he said no, (it is his left arm thank goodness). The doctor said to see how it feels on Monday and to take some Ibuprofen until then and that we would have to decide then. But to realize that he could make it worse by playing. So I suppose we wait until Monday and go from there. But his other team has another week or so of games. And that is out for sure! Poor Brian....it has been one tough week for him. And as a parent it is so hard to see your children suffer and not be able to do anything for them to take the pain away and make it better.

But things are looking up! It is General Conference weekend. I love the listen to Conference. It is a spiritual feast, and it couldn't have come at a better time!!! I don't have to work this weekend so I'm going to be able to take it all in! And we can do our traditional Sunday breakfast too!! The only thing missing is Robert. But he will be watching too. Go here to read his latest email!