Sharing the Gospel

Today I took a late lunch. I was surprised I even went out at all. Normally, I'd just be hungry, but go home an hour early. But today I decided to go to the Novell Cafeteria. It's this fabulous place where you have lots of options to choose from for lunch, and it's all relatively inexpensive, especially compared to Nuskin's Cafe prices. The Buffalo Spicy Chicken Salad caught my eye, and it was awful. It was way too spicy for my tender tongue, and it had way too much sauce. Now normally, ordering an awful lunch would have put me in an awful angry hungry mood... but instead... today was different. I sat just close enough to a table nearby to hear half of their conversation. It was all about the gospel. There were little snippets I heard every once in a while so that I got the jist of the whole coversation. They were talking about Christ's Baptism. And why it was important for him to get baptized to show us the way. They were discussing types of baptism, and mercy vs. grace and how it works hand in hand. They were talking about the atonement, and I was able to eavesdrop in on their conversation for about a half hour, until I left. Normally, I would have pulled open my Polish book and tried to learn a few new Polish vocab words, but instead I was way too interested in what they were talking about. I just wanted to walk over and pull up a chair and listen in... but in reality - that would be so awkward and that would definitely show that I lack in social skills.

It made me ponder and reflect back on my mission. It made me remember all about what kinds of answers I used to give while I was on my mission when people would ask me similar questions. Most of all, it made me just itch to share the gospel with someone. I think that most times we are just "comfortable" where we are at, and we don't really REACH out to people like the way the Savior did. We just figure that everyone is happy where they are at, and that we are happy with where we are at, and we just let things sit happy. But, I was thinking about how when we do share the gospel, yes... it puts us outside of our comfort zone, but think of how much more happy we are when we do it. It not only reaffirms our faith, but helps us grow closer to others by knowing that we are serving them and treating them as Christ would. Sharing the Gospel doesn't necessarily need to be going up to random strangers and "bearing your testimony" it doesn't need to be you giving away countless copies of the Book of Mormon. Rather, sharing the gospel is more about the way that we reach out to others and help them come closer to Christ. We share ways in which we have come closer to the Savior and hope that through our love and example, they will come close to the Savior also.

So I'm sure that even though these gentleman had no intention of going to lunch together to talk about Jesus Christ, that they were both edified and enriched by talking about him. It was a chance that they each had to grow... and this is what I want. I want a chance to grow. I want a chance to reach out to others. I want a chance to bear witness of the fulness of the gospel. I want someone to feel the love of the savior through me.

Michal and I are discussing ways in which we can grow and become better people and a better family together... and I know that this fits into our discussion plans. I know that sometimes we have to take a step into the dark in order to see the light and that sometime decisions that you make can be scary. It is scary when you are trying to piece together your life and make choices that you have no idea how they will affect you. But regardless of the outcome, as long as we are growing and learning from the experiences that we make... it will make us better people, and I know that we will be blessed temporally and spritually from our decisions. Mostly because we choose to include the Lord in them. That is what is so great about life. That there are so many choices. Yes - I admit - I'm the worst at making decisions, but when I look at an eternal perspective of things it helps me to realize that I can only become better by each decision I make. Hopefully, as the next few months unravel and as we continue to try to make our family better... I can "blog" about all these fun decisions that have helped us to become better people.

Birthday Celebrations...

The night before we celebrated and went to a Salt Lake REAL (pronounced: Ree-ahl, not "reel") Soccer Game. I think Michal really had fun because we were able to sit so close.

(Michal was in heaven with his "game" food.)

My favorite part was the south section where the hispanics all sat and played the drums and jumped up and down the whole game. They were so engaged in the game that it was entertaining just to watch them.

For Michal's Birthday - he got all sorts of cool gifts - he is the easiest person to shop for because he loves whatever you get him. Even ask my brother Sam if you don't believe me...

Then on May 17th we Celebrated my Great-Grandmothers 100th Birthday. We had a huge celebration for her up in Salt Lake. They showed a video of her life and had fun facts all about the year 1910 when she was born. They also displayed all of her hobbies and cool artifiacts she had collected or made throughout the years.

It was a fun celebration... and now I can say that I know someone who is 100 years old!

What happens in Vegas...

Last weekend Michal and I celebrated our one year anniversary. Wahoo! We went to Las Vegas, which is where we went on our honeymoon. And we sure had a lot of fun.

The drive down there went SO fast! Michal and I talked the whole way down and once we arrived, Michal just couldn't resist... so we went to Buffalo Wild Wings before checking into Treasure Island.

We made sure that we did a lot of activities, saw a lot of things, and ate a lot of good food.

We went down Freemont street... I didn't particularly like it. I saw way more than I wanted to, and heard way more too.

Eating our wedding cake on our first anniversary. Aside from the frosting, it was really good and we liked it and even ate the whole thing!

Us eating at the same wonderful Italian place we eat at each time we go. It's in the Stratosphere and it's called Fellini's.

Michal really wanted to go to the Pawn Shop which is on TV called "Pawn Stars."

Michal, had to go to the Nascar cafe. He made an awesome choice because as we were asking directions, someone gave us free tickets to the "Ratpack Show" that had just started about 5 minutes prior. It was a good show and it was Jazzy, so Michal loved it!

We also got to go to "The Phantom of the Opera." It was both of our first times going. And we both loved it! It was only 95 minutes, and was cut and especially made just for Las Vegas. The show was great and we'd definitely recommend it to anyone, but if you go, chat with us first... we know how to get great ticket prices instead of the RIDICULOUS prices that the supposedly "half-price" booths promise you.

We went to the Hoover Dam. I'm glad that we can say we went so that we don't ever have to go again. It took a really long time to get there (because of security)... and it made the drive home even longer.

But it was windy... and we have good memories of going there...

So every time we go to Vegas, Michal and I each gamble one dollar in the slot machines. He ended up with 20 cents... but was so excited when he won 20 cents.

However, I ended up with $1.07 - a profit!

Regardless - we had such a good time... and I love you sweetie. Thanks for a great year.

Changes to our family...

Here's the latest Trenerowski update...

Sam Graduated...

We all went out and celebrated this event. He'll be attending Law School in the fall... I'd love to be following him there someday!

However, I've officially declared that he can't go back to school until he learns to take a decent "jumping" picture. I think that Michal should give him lessons...

We have a new addition to our family... It is a beauty... and I LOVE IT!!!

Michal is currently learning how to play a Sonata by Mozart. He's almost got the first page down. He's doing a great job, I try to help him, but he refuses my help. He says he is a self-learner. I am polishing up Liebestraum by Franz Liszt for my Great-Grandmothers 100th Birthday party next month. Hopefully it will be up to par by then.

Last, but not least... the biggest shocker of all...

I cut my hair off! I cut 9 inches off in October... and forgot about getting another haircut until recently. So what the heck... I took off another 9 inches to match it. I love it... I lost about a pound and a half of hair. Can you believe it? My head feels so light now. I think that the person cutting it did a fabulous job! Maybe I'll experiment with some new styles during the summer. Any suggestions? Michal's already got me set up for another appointment tomorrow to put some highlights into it... That should be fun. I've never "highlighted" my hair before. Hopefully it looks okay.

Changes are always fun! I can't wait to see what the next changes in store for us are!

Oops...

On Sunday Michal was so nice to take the trash out before my brothers came over to eat Crepes with us. However, he didn't get far... When he went down the stairs the paper bag ripped and our garbage ended up all down the stairs. I could do anything but laugh and laugh and laugh... and take some pictures of course.

Then on Monday, I was replacing the Ink Cartridge in our printer. It decided to spit up on me. Luckily, none got on my clothes or anywhere else. However, all I could do was laugh and laugh and laugh. But after about a half hour of scrubbing, I wasn't laughing anymore, because this is what my hands looked like...

I called my dad and told him that I needed a chemistry major to help me get the ink out. Wanna hear the response I got? "Good luck!" Then he told me to soak it in Bleach. 15 seconds of bleach on the hands and no more ink. I was so glad it worked.

I seriously think that I should have a blog just for all the "oops" things that I do!

This is what this weekend reminded me of...

Three years ago I was in the Holy Land for Easter. It is a sacred time for both Jews and Christians.

Jews celebrate passover, a time when the angel of death "passed over" those homes which had lamb's blood adorning the entrance to their homes. This was to seperate God's chosen people from the others living among them. In Jerusalem during this time the Kotel (area where the western/wailing wall is located) is packed with people coming from afar to celebrate and take part in the many festivities.

The Garden of Gethsemanae

Christians celebrate Easter a time where the Savior of the world was crucified and on the third day rose from the dead.

The Garden Tomb

Both are celebrations in which are so sacred and important, however... this area still remains an area of little or no peace. Turmoil is always present. Being there taught me more than I can ever express about love. Love that God has for me, and Love that God has for all people. I have never felt so much love in my entire life than the time when I went to the Garden of Gethsemanae for the first time. I was so overcome with the Spirit and have never in my life felt it as powerful as I did at this moment. It was a true testimony to me of the sacrifice of the Savior and all that he has done for me. It was an experience I will never forget, and one which broadened my understanding of the atonement. To that I am extremely grateful. I also felt so much love there when I was at midnight mass in the Church of the Holy Sepluchre. Just prior to midnight, on the eve of Easter, their is a large, massive crowd at this Church. Here I was shown so much love as one of the cardinals of the Holy Roman Catholic Church gave my friend, Krystyna, and I candles to walk in the procession with them. We followed behind several archbishops, cardinals, priests, and nuns. And it was an experience that I will never forget. Following the procession, just after mid-night everyone cheers and chants how Christ has risen. Every person within those walls embraces you. I didn't feel like it was an embrace passed down from tradition, but rather one to show me of their love and gratitude for the resurrection of Jesus Christ. I was brought to tears as I shared a common belief with all the strangers there. We all were brothers and sisters, we all believed in Jesus Christ, and we all were showing love to our fellow men. It was a beautiful experience!

I am grateful I was there during this sacred time and that I am able to share my experiences with others.

Festival of Colors

Every year that I have lived in Utah County, I have wanted to attend Festival of Colors. (It is in Spanish Fork at the Hari Krishna Indian Temple. It is a celebration in which, In India, Festival of Colors announces the arrival of spring and the passing of winter. The festival breathes an atmosphere of social merriment where people throw their worries in the wind.) But every year something always comes up and I can't go. This year, however, was different because I was able to take Michal with me to experience this!

When we arrived we bought ourselves some chalk and waited around until it was time to throw our chalk on one another. We sang and danced and chanted with the thousands of people there celebrating and enjoying this annual festival.

When everyone starts throwing the chalk, it is so hard to breathe and there is so much in the air, that you can't even see the sun. Everyone said it smelled bad, but I thought it smelled like flowers.

Here is what we chanted and danced to:

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna

Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama

Rama Rama Hare Hare

I even ran into some of my friends that I went to the Jerusalem Center with. It was sure fun to see them and hear about all of their adventures.

(Someone came by and dumped a whole bag of chalk on Sean's head that he looked like he was from the blue-man group)

However, the best part of all was that I got Michal to come with me! He said he would come on me if he didn't have to get dirty at all... well... as you can see... he sure did get dirty! But I think that secretly he had a lot of fun! I'm really glad he came along and was such a good sport.

A little bit of everything.

Random Thoughts:

• I got Photoshop. I have been wanting to "enhance" and "edit" my pictures from Paris before posting them, but I can spend hours and hours on this website and still have no clue what I am doing. I think that I need to get a Photoshop for dummies book. Or hire someone out there to teach me.
• Why is it that I run 2 to 3 miles every other day and still can't manage to lose a single pound this whole year? I've actually gained one pound since January 1. And why is it that when I went to Europe and walked everywhere that I went and ate crap all day long... i managed to lose 4 pounds and then gained it all back coming back to America even though I tried to do everything the exact same way.
• I love the beehive councelor in my ward. (I am her advisor). She really inspires me. She has so much faith, has so much patience, and so much love! I believe that's the reason why I'm in the ward is to learn from her... so I'm grateful that she helps me to be a better person.
• I learned how to crochet. I took pictures... don't laugh...

Whenever I used to think of crochet, I would think of my great-grandmother who was restricted to her rocking chair. My mom used to make me visit her, but I just remember that her house smelled funny. I hope that by learning how to crochet I can break this memory and think of my own accomplishments instead.

• I really want a piano. Really, really, really bad.

Here's the plus....

... I get to play and it relieves so much stress and is so healing and so fulfilling. I can't tell you how much Imiss playing the piano. I even have dreams about playing the piano...

Here's the not-so-plus...

... they are heavy

... I want a new one (not happening...too expensive)

... a Clavinova would be nice. a CLP or CVP 300 series... GH or GH3 model.... only it's a new technology toplay and sound like a real piano. You can easily move it... it's easy to store, transport, etc... but... once again - it's still pricey... and I don't have that kind of a budget with the jobs that we have...

Any suggestions? I'm open to possibilities.

• Why is it that around some people I feel like I am the "life" of the party and everyone laugh's at my jokes... but at around other people, I feel like everything that I say is so dumb, so I just keep quiet. Confidence can be so hard, yet can come so easy. I wish I could be the person that makes other people feel confident and good and comfortable around me so that they can be the best person they possibly can?
• Why does my nose hate my glasses so much? I love my new purple glasses that I got in Poland. The only thing is that my nose hates them. How do I know that they hate them? Because I break out like CRAZY where my glasses rest on my nose.
• We are selling Michal's car this weekend. I have been begging him to sell it since we got married... and now that he has actually decided to do it... why do I hesitate about going through with it? That one has really stumped me!
• I need a new hairdo - any suggestions? I am open to ANYTHING right now... so throw it out there.
• My brother helped me fill out my bracket for the NCAA tournament. I have no CLUE about basketball. I don't really like watching the sport at all... it's boring to me... they run from one side to the other and throw something in a basket and half the time it looks like they tripped over their own feet and a whistle gets blown, everything stops and then starts all over again. BOR-ING! Anyways... secretly since my work is doing a contest for whose bracket wins... I am kind of excited to know who gets eliminated to see if I win. Actually, to see if my brother wins (I told him i'd bake him cookies and I'd keep the grand prize of a scooter they are giving away). But I wish that they could just do all the games in one day so that I don't have to wait. I really hate waiting. I like to watch Survivor and the Amazing Race, but I can never complete a whole episode because i look up on Wikipedia who gets eliminated or voted out before the show ends (since it airs an hour earlier for Central Standard Time)... saves me a lot of anxiety knowing who is leaving. I always thought I wanted to be on a reality TV show, but man... have you seen how bad they have TRASHED the people on the bachelor/bachelorette lately. Maybe it's just that show. I wouldn't want people to make stuff up about me and see it on magazine covers at Wal-mart. It happens at church and that is already bad enough... the whole nation... I think I would just want to buy all the magazines so no one would have to see them, but that would defeat the whole purpose because then the magazines would think that they were making it big... when it was just me they were annoying.
• I wish that my Husband loved to play games instead of watching youtube videos about Trains at night. I couldn't think of something more boring to watch... but he loves it.
• I think that all the songs on the radio are dumb right now. I hate to admit it, but I agree with Michal on this one and they all lack talent. I have decided to pull out old CD's and re-live some great memories. They remind me of so many of my friends and family.
• St. Patrick's day is one of my favorite holidays because you can dress up and look like an idiot and totally get away with it. You just blame it on the holiday. I learned how to play Scotland the Brave, on the bagpipes, in time for St. Patrick's day... Only one problem... St. Patrick was the patron saint of Ireland and converted many people there to the Catholic church. So how does the song "Scotland the Brave" have anything to do with the holiday? I don't know what I was thinking.

I believe that for now... these are all my random thoughts...

Our Recent Adventures

As most of you know... Michal and I recently took a trip to Europe where we were able to visit his family. Michal left about a week before me, as I was not able to take as much vacation time from my job. I quickly joined him in Berlin and we traveled to Wroclaw, Poland where I spend the next week meeting all of his friends and family. It was really nice to see where Michal was from and understand more about him and his past.

Food...

One of my absolute favorite things about Europe is the food. I love it! Every time we passed a PIEKARNIA (Polish Bakery) or CUKIERNIA (Polish Cafe), I begged Michal to go in and check out the different desserts and check out the various breads. I always had to try one without leaving. Above I bought all of those treats for about $4 USD. Now, in America... it probably would have cost me about 4 times that much. And the other picture above Michal made me try a special danish called MAKOWIEC. After trying it he told me that it had miniscule amounts of opium in it. There was also all the good homemade polish meals that I had there. Michal's Mom made us the best dinners and his grandma made us traditional Polish BARSZCZ, USZKAMI. I had BIGOS and ate so many good polish desserts at people's house. The most popular by far is this "torte"

As I ate this I asked if it had any Chocolate in it... (of course, Michal translated) and they replied to him saying "No, only Cocoa." Which is Chocolate, but being a missionary I have learned to eat many things that I never liked, Chocolate being one of them, so I ate this as well.

Michal's cousin Adam & Agnieszka Laskowski had us over for dinner several times and made incredible food. It was so delicious that I wished I could put away more. Agnieszka is such a good chef that she even has her own bakery where she makes tiny cookies. She sent us home with 6 boxes, but by the time we got home... there were only 3 left to share with friends here. They were my favorite... in fact I almost asked Michal for some more of those cookies for my Birthday, but I knew that it would be too much of a hassel to get them here and that they wouldn't arrive on time. Here are a few pictures of me visiting their bakery.

One thing that absolutely threw me off is that a Kitchen-aid mixer in Poland costs over $1,000 USD. This time it is 4 times as much in Poland than in America. I was surprised, but it made me realize not to take my mixer for granted.

Friends & Family....

Michal's family was so kind to me. I could communicate with them at all... but they were so kind to make me feel welcome and included. Big shout out to you guys and a big huge "DZIEKUJE"!!!

Michal's Grandma

Me & Michal's Mom

The Laskowski's

* I met a few others cousins in Michal's family and many other friends he grew up with and friends from church... I just don't have pictures of them.

Sites...

Here are my favorite pictures of Michal's city...

More to come about the rest of our trip in Europe... Including Berlin and Paris!