A Little (Huge) Miracle

Yesterday while I was at work I got in my car to drive somewhere. I flung my purse over to the passenger seat and realized that my left ring finger was abnormally light. I looked down and realized I only had my engagement ring on, not the wedding band.

I freaked out a little and then calmed myself down by rationalizing that I must have not put it on that day. So I went about my day at work, anxious to get home.

When I picked up Pete from school to go home I showed him my finger and he asked where it was. I said that I hoped it was at home. The minute I walked in the door I went back to the bathroom where I always take off my rings at night. It was no where to be found. Pete and I scoured the house for about a half hour. I realized quickly that I was not going to find it without a little help and since I have been teaching my primary class about prayer at church I thought I should follow my own advice and ask Heavenly Father to help me find it. I knew it was the only way I would be able to.

I cooked dinner and Pete said a prayer again that we would find it. He told me he felt an overwhelmingly strong feeling that we would find it and I tried to be hopeful. Pete left to teach baseball lessons and I took a flashlight and again went around the entire house and car looking in every corner and every crevice. I even went through the garbage and the sink disposal but found nothing. I felt so sick.

I was ok as long as I was distracted but after I did some grocery shopping and was driving home in the quiet car it hit me that it was probably gone. I started to cry and pray really hard that we would be able to find this sentimental and special ring Pete had gave me on our wedding day. I realize that there are so many other more important things that people pray for and this was something small in the grand scheme of things. But it meant a lot to me and made me really sad to think it was gone.

This morning, still sad, Pete drove me to work. I told him I was going to get right out of the car and do a hopeless sweep of the parking lot where I had parked and then walked to mail some letters yesterday morning. Pete pulled into the parking stall next to the stall I parked in yesterday and I got out of the car. Pete got out to help me for a minute before he had to leave for school.

Right there in the business complex parking lot on the soaking wet asphalt was my wedding band. I could not believe it and I still can't figure out how or why it fell off--just the band without the rest of the ring is so strange.

The likelihood of it still there, untouched and unharmed after all the cars that could have parked in that stall, after all the people that could have walked by, after all the stormy wind and weather yesterday, it was still there, in that stall. Nothing short of a miracle. It was my little (huge) miracle and I could not be more grateful, that the Lord answered my prayer.

Guatemala Trip: Roatan Paradise

After our work in Guatemala we headed to Antigua (which is the tourist town of Guatemala) for a little shopping in the markets and some site seeing.

There are a bunch of active volcanoes in Guatemala (as seen behind us in this picture, although they are kind of covered by the clouds):

We went to a really neat place for lunch where we were served a traditional Guatemalan meal and entertained by native music and dancing. 

Late that afternoon we headed to the airport where we boarded a chartered flight to the Island of Roatan. We got to walk down the stairs from the plane straight onto the tarmac just like in the movies. Those stairs were steep! And I kept thinking to myself as I am struggling not to trip "Why isn't Pete offering to help with the suitcase?" since he normally would notice me struggling and offer, like a gentleman, to help. I was slightly perturbed when once we got down the stairs he leaned over and whispered to me, ever so proud of himself, "I totally did the Richard Nixon thing." 

I didn't quite appreciate the whole experience until I got this picture from Pete's Uncle who snapped all the emotion of that moment so perfectly. 

We took a long and bumpy road to finally reach our hotel on the beach. I put this picture (above) as my desktop background on my computer and every time I see it I start singing this song.

While in Roatan we got to do a whole bunch of fun things like snorkeling and scuba diving. We also did a lot of this:

(Pete playing SUPER competitive water football with the men in our group)

And this:

(Pete's dad and uncle were a little lonely without their spouses during our walks on the beach at sunset) haha

One night the Sundwall crew (Pete, his dad, his uncle and I) ate in this little hut at sunset:

I just had some pesto pasta which was good, but the guys all had lobster and shrimp and were in heaven. 

The next day we ate at a dumpy little restaurant that let parrots walk around and yell in your ear and eat from your plate. But we ate Baleadas there and boy were they delicious!!

I have decided that it is now my life-long goal to someday make it back to the beautiful Island of Roatan and enjoy the beautiful clear ocean and the hot hot weather!

We loved every minute of our whole Guatemala Trip and would do it again in a second. Pete and I said before we left Guatemala that we could have gone home completely happy if we left right after our work at the clinic, but the 2-day stay in Roatan was just the icing on the cake! We feel so grateful that we were able to go on this trip. What a neat and memorable experience it was that we will always remember.