I found the one I’ve been looking for

This is Ermival...someday I'll have a dog, but right now....this will do :)
So I know you’re all pretty curious so I guess I should tell you the story. Saturday night Camila and I were hungry after a long day of helping her parents move. We were totally caipeira earlier that afternoon and cooked beans and rice in her backyard over some wood and then ate it with spoons off the lids of the pots. But that’s besides the point…we were hungry so we decided to go down to the mercadorama (a Wal-Mart owned grocery store) and get something to eat. I met him there, funny enough as it sounds. I saw him the moment I walked in the store and I just had to be with him! Tall, good looking, and unique in a good way….I decided not to make my move until after I had gotten my dinner stuff all ready to go. So as we were in the check-out line I couldn’t resist any longer. I simply told Camila I would be right back and walked over to where I had first seen him. Then before I could stop myself I had already picked him up and gone back to the register to get my things and pay. Minutes later we were back in our apartment, and me Camila and my new long lost companion were chillin. It was perfect…and I only have to water him every other day, isn’t that nice? Yes I saw some cute Gerber daisies for sale and I had to buy the orange one….who doesn’t love Gerber Daisies? There is only one daisy right now and I named him “Ermival” due to the earlier caipeira moments of the day. I always like having a pet, but since that’s not an option I decided a plant would work, since that’s like my only choice. The oven had already been moved out of Camilas house, so we used the "jetinho" to heat up our beans and rice.
Anyway Saturday was good I helped at Camila’s parents house until I got really really tired and decided to go take a nap in the back of the house. I read some magazines for a while and then took a little nap until my mom called. I talked to her for like an hour, and it was good to talk about where I am in life with her and get some good sound advice as to what I could do with all my worries. But in the end it really comes down to one thing and one thing only. What I know I should do with the opportunities I have before me, and whether or not I follow through.

"Beans and Rice, they taste so very nice, with some cornbread on the side...." Sometimes I feel like I have been working so hard at things, not just this internship but with so many things in life spiritually, personally, intellectually and I feel as though I will never be able to be happy with my results or the outcome of situations. But then when I was in sacrament meeting today I listened to a little boy about 10 years old give a talk about faith. He told the best story that I needed to hear so I thought I would write it out because I think it can apply to everyone in one way or another. It is not a true story but the parable gets a good point across.
One day a man was praying and he saw the Savior appear before him. He asked “Master, why have you appeared before me?” The Savior answered, “There is a large rock outside, I have come here to command you to move it.” The man replied, “I will do as you have asked.” And in the coming weeks and months this humble man tried from dawn until dusk to move the rock that was so large and heavy. Without any progress, the man started to let small thoughts of doubt creep into his mind. He thought, “This rock is huge, there is no way I can move it.” “I have been working hours and days, weeks and months, and have gained no progress in moving this rock.” “This work is so painful; there is nothing in this that profits me, why would the Lord command me to do this hard thing, something so impossible?” So finally when his body was too sore, when his strength was too weak, and when his determination had faded he decided to tell the Lord that he quit. He prayed and said “Lord, you have asked something too great of me, this rock that you have asked me to move is much to heavy for me, I have worked diligently for some time now with no results and I can do this no longer.”
The Lord appeared to him once again and said, “Though the rock has not moved since the day I have commanded you to this work, you have accomplished many things. Your arms are strong from pushing and pulling every day, your legs have gained strength as you worked to move the rock, you have gained patience and knowledge of what true determination is, and your mind has been enriched with the ability to think of ways to move this rock.” What he had viewed once as an obstacle was actually molding him, refining him, and bettering him in ways unperceived. Sometimes I think what we all need to do is stop and realize that maybe we can’t move the rocks out of our paths in life, but if we at least try we can be benefited, and there is one greater than us all that will help us without fail if we only ask. Maybe he won’t move the rock for us, but he will give us the strength we need to keep trying. I really liked that story, and I hope that you did too.

Camila thought her cheetos were gross so she found another use for them instead!

Sunday as you can tell I went to church and after sacrament meeting I turned around at the sound of a woman speaking English. I turned to see a girl about my age, blonde, talking with one of the ward members about how to say something. I went up and introduced myself and asked her where she is from. To my surprise she answered “the bay-area in California” turns out she is from Antioch and I told her I was from Fairfield. I asked what she was doing in Curitiba and she proceeded to tell me that she married a Brazilian back when she was up at school and they moved to Curitiba so he can get doctorate about a month ago. She spoke very little Portuguese and could barely understand anything during the classes. I translated the announcements for her in relief society, and helped her get to the right hymn numbers during the songs. I want to help her out, but I could tell that she was just happy to have someone to talk to between meetings and someone that is from the same place as her. Yay the sky came out! Usually here in Curitiba this time of year its rainy most days, but thats like spring in california, so I feel right at home!
After church I went home and read my scriptures in Portuguese and then took a nap. I then attempted to make a cake with our ghetto electric oven that heats unevenly and without any measuring equipment. It was like a MacGyver cake, I mean I mixed it in a blender due to a lack of a mixing bowl and whisk...and it didn’t look too good, but it was tasty at least. Then we died Camila’s hair and now I’m writing this…two random and long days. But they have been good, thanks to an insightful conversation on the phone and a little boy’s sacrament meeting talk I feel like I can deal with what life brings me and try and move my rocks in life once again. I know that everything I’m going through is to help me grow and stretch and reach my potential. It’s like a watercolor canvas I guess, we all have to be stretched and brought to the right conditions before any of the art can be made. If the canvas isn’t prepared correctly then when the time comes to brush on the first stroke of paint, the color will just sink into the canvas and not blend with its surroundings. I want to be able to blend :) Yay for the darker haired me...maybe someday I'll stop dying my hair every 6 weeks hehe..
Sorry if this blog isn’t the crazy blog that I normally write, I guess I have been rolling these “deep thoughts” around in my head for a while now and I finally thought I would write them out. You might be a little wiser or dumber from reading this, but it all depends on who you ask.

p.s. This is to Patty: I just realized yesterday that you will be serving your mission in the same place that I stayed for study aborad! So maybe my host mom will have you over for dinner sometime. This means I'm even more excited for you:) If you wanna know anything about the area let me know!