Where would I be without you?

Wonderful thing for Wednesday and Thursday:  Blaine Hyde.  The guy never stops.  He is ALWAYS anxiously engaged in a good cause.  I am in awe.  He's zealously following up on appointments, making sure GANS know their responsibilities and checking if they need help; zealously following up on activities, plans, obligations; studying Italian every single day, still; studying and pondering the Institute lesson, and Preach My Gospel; putting the apartment together; hanging pictures; putting furniture together; trying to figure out the light fixture in the bathroom...nothing gets left out.  A marvel.  Where on earth would I be without him?  Just let us get back to some kind of normalcy!  And give us Internet!

Fun thing:  today I picked up Sis. Heather Evertsen in Florence, the two of us drove to Pisa's Camp Darby where we met Charlie Ostrander, whose husband is a military doctor.  She got us on base, where we had a hoot picking up American stuff.  For our luncheon Tuesday we're having turkey breast, cornbread stuffing, gravy (I have NEVER used gravy mix, till now), baked potatoes with sour cream and shredded cheddar (Italians shudder at it), tossed salad, JELLO salad (another you've-got-to-be-kidding-me for me) with fruit cocktail, and pumpkin cake with whipped cream.  The missionaries will be beside themselves with excitement.  The thing that really threw me for a loop in planning this meal, is the economy of space in Italian kitchens.  Ovens are tiny, refrigerators are tiny...a crockpot is a rare item (though with Heather's and Sister Lee's help we've cornered five!)...I was actually wishing I'd brought my wonder oven - like I could have possibly done that - but how am I going to keep 60 baked potatoes warm?  Luckily, Sister Lee has a big roaster, and wrapping them in foil ought to do the job.  Heather and I are going to be making a cake a day between now and Tuesday.  When I returned home, Blaine had a sparkle in his eyes to see Reese's PB Puff cereal - or whatever it is, plus Life and two Special Ks (they have some SKs here, but Blaine says it tastes like cardboard).  I also bought vanilla!  and maple flavoring!  and red pepper flakes (they either have them whole or ground), and mixed nuts, and deodorant....anyway.  It was fun.  Unfortunately, there upon my kitchen counter when I returned, sat the cookies I had made to send to Jared through Charlie's husbands APO..grrr...curse my absent mindedness...