The Lord is merciful.

So, an update. My car is fixed. Thanks be to God and to my good friend Matthew Villamore. Wow. a home teacher who, when you ask him to do something, he goes beyond. My car had been broken, he fixed it, a really minor thing, the battery corrosion issue from the clamp not being tight enough. Then it broke down again. Gratefully it was a Tuesday, and I didn't need to get to work to pick up Christopher. But, I did have to go to the airport to pick up Deanna Hall and meet her for Mary Kay. So, Lisa's using mom's car and she picks up mom from work, then picks me up, but it takes like a fre hour. I know I don't have time to get to Long Beach by five after dropping off mom, changing, dropping off Lisa and the kids, and fighting rush hour traffic on the 405 southbound. So I'm saying silent prayers, but really knowing that things will be all right. The Lord is really sustaining me in this Mary Kay business. This is not homeopathy. It is faith that really works. Anyway, and idea comes to mind to ask if Chris can pick them up. Lisa says, (it was 4:00) that Chris was leaving right then, and that he wouldn't answer his cell phone. I say just to try it, and he said that he totally would. Yay. Now I just have to get dressed and fight traffic. I can't remember if I actually shower or not, but I know I need to put on make-up in order to do a Mary Kay thing. My stockings are too small so they pretend to fall off, but really I'm good to go. And get this, I get to the airport (barely any traffic) five minutes after the plane lands, and Caroline is waiting there, two minutes before.

We have a great dinner. Deanna doesn't want to join the company at this time, but it was good to see how the Lord works with us. In fact, perhaps she'll move in with my mom and get a job somewhere at the marine acquarium institute or something. Plus, I got to take her home and see Shane and the kids. It was a real eye-opener for me because I saw how great they were having and loving each other. He was doing algebra with Nephi--a seven year old genius--and really happy. I asked them each how they do it, and Shane said something really surprising: "Well, I wouldn't be in grad school if it weren't for Sarah and the kids." (What? I thought, puzzled. Usually think it's the other way around, like, they can't do school and kids at the same time.) But he said "no, they give me so much support, I really feel like I can do it." Wow, how incredible! Then Sarah said the same type of thing. She said, "Once I had Nephi, he gave my life so much meaning. I actually started getting A's whereas before I didn't really care about anything." I feel like my Heavenly Father wanted me to see that so that I could know, not just on faith, but also as evidence of how His plan really works out better for all of us. He just doesn't want us to bring in spirits to get bodies, but He also wants us to experience this joy--the only real success in life. Driving home from that experience really filled me with so much contentment and bliss. Not that I'm baby crazy or anything, but just the assurance that this really is for me, and what will make me truly happy in life.