I remember the dare so clearly back in late 1998. There was a commercial on TV for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. From as long ago as I can remember, I was always drawn to the Church, be it by commercials on TV, or driving by the church buildings. But, as I grew, I began to believe there was no God. So, when a commercial came on TV to call for the Book of Mormon, one of my friends dared me to call and set up to receive the book. Since I was a self-proclaimed Atheist, and a smart aleck to boot, I figured, "Why not? I can give these guys a piece of mind, and hopefully save them in the process." So, I called and they came to me, Book in-hand. My friends poked and prodded me to let them in and listen to them preach to me so I could be the antagonist, so I did. But, I found that what they were saying, and what I was reading, touched me in a way I've never before felt. I was absolutely captivated by what they were telling me, and by what I was reading. I couldn't put the Book down. I prayed to know if what I was reading was true, and I received the answer numerous times that it was, in fact, true. Much to my dismay, I was being led down the very path I vowed not to travel. But I couldn't stop at that point. I was changing, and it was definitely for the better.
Fast-forward to August, 1999. I had scheduled my baptism for the weekend the Temple was to be dedicated that month. I was so excited, but extremely nervous. Coming from a family and friends that were not affiliated with the church, I received mixed reviews and comments. Mostly negative. So, what did I do? I backed out. I called Elder Green and Elder Toupou and told them I was no longer interested, and to please stop calling me. Unfortunately, they did. They respected my wish.
Fast-forward again to the middle of 2000. I was in band at SFCC doing what I love... playing the trombone. It was the beginning of a new quarter, and with that comes meeting new people. That's when I met James, a very gifted musician, and highly intelligent. He was very different. V-E-R-Y different. Something drew me to him, and I thought it was his musical ability. He and I instantly hit it off and were talking like we'd known each other forever. We talked about everything under the sun. Music. Politics. School. Interests. Religion. He told me he was investigating a church and that he had his baptism scheduled soon. When he told me what church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Instantly, there was a wedge. I told him very plainly that I'd been there, done that, and was not interested, so there was no sense discussing religion any more. He said he understood, and that was that. On to other topics. Or so I thought. Within a few days, I received a phone call. I remember it so clearly:
Me: Hello?
Her: Hi, is this Rhiannon?
Me: Yes?
Her: Well, this is Sis. Roper, a missionary from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Me: Oh? James.
Her: Yes, James gave us your name and number. Can my companion and I meet with you sometime?
And so continued the conversation. I decided to meet with them simply because I wanted to tell them what I had told James. Been there, done that, not interested, thank you, and good-bye. Sure, Rhiannon. Seemingly good plan.
When I met with Sis. Roper and her companion (who was only her companion for a few days before she was transferred and Sis. Dalley came into the picture) I again felt the same emotions I had originally felt taking the discussions. I knew the Church was true, and I was trying sooo hard to ignore that! But it didn't work. I continued to meet with them, to learn more, to read and pray daily. I could not deny any longer the truths that I came to know. I told Sis. Roper and Sis. Dalley that I wanted to be baptised. They knew, because I told them, of my previous decision to be baptised and backing out, but they never once showed hesitation. I think they knew... knew more than I did how ready I was for a transformation.
Now, when I say transformation, I mean TRANSFORMATION! I was an avid coffee and tea drinker. You wouldn't find me on a hot summer day without tea, or a cold winter morning without a hot mocha. Loved 'em! So, if there's one thing people know about the Church, it's that members don't drink either. If you want to know more on why, I'll tell you if you ask. But, to give you a hint... it's NOT because of the caffeine. :) There, dispelled a myth while telling my story.
Okay, back to it. No coffee, no tea. I never thought this would be difficult because I'm the kind of person that, when I put my mind to something, I do it. No ifs, ands, or buts. So, with that decision to stop drinking both, I did. Cold turkey. Never touched either one again. Sure, it was difficult some days. At the time, I was working at the Shilo Inn as the Front Desk Manager. One of my duties was to make sure there was always coffee and tea available to the guests in the lobby. Right across from where the desk stood. So it was in my face all the time. :) And to top it off, that was a new policy implemented post-baptism decision. Figures. So, the tasty flavored creamers were practically screaming my name. But I never gave in.
There were some other changes I needed to make... nothing I care to share here, but it was for the best. Nothing illegal, by the way... I knew that if I was going to go through with this, I needed to be 100% honest with myself and the Lord. There, easy as that! I said it. I was aware of what I needed to do... I was aware that there really was a God and that I needed His help to get my life on track. No more trying to do it on my own. With that realization, I was baptised on Dec. 10, 2000.
From left to right, Sister Dalley, Matt Borders (I asked him to baptize me, since I had a choice), Yours truly, and Sister Roper.Now, it's not like as soon as I was baptised I felt like life was suddenly "easy." No, on the contrary, in fact! Decisions were part of my daily routine. Suddenly, I was thinking about what I *should* do, rather than what I thought I *wanted* to do. Surprisingly, the "shoulds" outweighed the "wants" and I was happy with my decisions. Speaking of decisions, my parents have always known that I don't jump into situations hastily. I think things through before doing them... so they knew that the 2nd time around when I said I wanted to be baptised, I was serious about it, and I had done my homework. So, thankfully, they were supportive. Maybe not thrilled, but supportive. :) That's all I wanted from them.
I started out in the Singles Ward, which is where single adults, ages 18-32, met for church every Sunday from 3:00-6:00 pm. I loved it! I met so many wonderful people, made tons of friends, and felt like I belonged. Nobody cared that I wore pants to church. Nobody cared that I didn't wear the trendiest clothes. They just made me feel loved and welcome from day one. I must also insert here that, by this time, James and I were dating. Okay, moving on.
There was this guy standing in the hallway of the church entrance with another guy. He was wearing a camouflage fishing hat (think big and floppy) and just standing there talking to his friend. My friend, LeeAnn, and I were talking when I pointed him out. I leaned in to her and said, "That's a guy I could never date." When she asked why, I said that I couldn't stand his hat. She said something to the effect of, "Well, George is a nice guy." And that was that. End of conversation.
Over the first months of meeting new people, I periodically ran into George and his friend Jon. I came to realize that the two of them were inseparable. Where there was one, there was always the other. It struck me that they were so close, and that they were so friendly with everyone. But, just looking at Jon, he reminded me of the jocks in high school that were attitudinal, full of themselves, and not interested in talking to people "lower" than them. But there was something about George. I watched him closely. I watched how he interacted with others. I watched his demeanor, his smile, his posture... you name it, he had my attention. When I finally realized I was starting to like him, I decided it was time to break off the relationship with James. I might also say that it was before this that I was not even interested in being with James any more because we had just grown apart. So, mutually, we ended our relationship. I mentioned to LeeAnn that I thought I might want to get to know George better, and apparently, in the Singles Ward, that's all it takes.
Mysteriously, at church and Firesides (regional church meetings) I'd find myself sitting next to George. Not that I sat down by him intentionally. Nope. There was a lot of behind-the-scenes action going on. See, when LeeAnn told the Trio (Stephanie, Amber, and Nicole) it spread like wild fire. The only two people who didn't know, I'm convinced, were George and I. :) We could have started off sitting at opposite ends of the pews, but within minutes, and with a whole lot of, "Oh, I want to sit by so-and-so today, can we trade spots?" George and I ended up sitting next to each other. They were such great friends!! It was from then on out that George and I got to know each other and really hit it off. I knew he was the one for me. So kind and genuine, and very caring. His smile melted me (and still does to this day!), and he was just a gentle teddy bear with a big build! Throughout all of this, while our relationship was blossoming, I learned that Jon was just like George. They were two peas in a pod. And they had (and still have) a wonderful friendship. Maryanne and Jon started re-dating, and the four of us soon became inseparable. :) George proposed to me on my birthday in 2002, and Jon proposed to Maryanne just the week before. Both of our guys designed our rings, and if you look at them, they're incredibly similar. Special touches on each from our adoring husbands. And they're beautiful.
We were married within two weeks of each other too, as Maryanne wanted an April wedding and I wanted to May wedding. Couldn't have been better!! We were both sealed to our husbands in the Temple for eternity. And that's something we all cherish and are so thankful for every single day! Especially on the hard days... LOL
I might also add that George's dad told George about a dream he'd had. This was just when we were beginning to date. His dad dreamt that George was going to marry a girl whose name he (dad) would have trouble pronouncing. George then told his dad about the girl he was really interested in. He said, "Her name is Rhiannon." His dad said, with a huge grin, "What is it?" "Rhiannon." George had to say it slowly for his dad to get it. I think dad knew right then where the relationship would eventually end up. And George apparently just beamed about me and would not stop talking about "this beautiful girl he met at church" to everyone he knew. Paula still talks about that to this day. :)
I love my husband. I love everything about him. Yes, even in the tough times. I know that we were meant to be together. He and I even lived 3 apt buildings apart when I first moved to Spokane in 1998. We never crossed paths, and I know that it's because it wasn't the right time. I'm so thankful for that! I love the friendship that I've built with Jon and Maryanne. (You can't help but grow close to those you crammed into the cab of George's truck with to drive clear out to Hayden, ID for church dances!).... by the way, there's no chance the four of us could do that any more. Hmmmm.... we should try it, just for fun! LOL And one of the biggest things I'm thankful for? I'm thankful that James didn't listen to me and had the missionaries call me anyway. :)
Okay, so then there's the sad part of the day to briefly discuss... Mom Leppert called us this morning to say that their cat, Dusty, was not feeling well. George was talking to her on the phone, and I could hear the conversation. She was wondering if I might be willing to take Dusty to the vet for them because, try as they might, neither Mom or Dad Leppert could get off work to take him in. Shauna has sick kids, and on down the list she went. Nobody was available. Mom Leppert said, "I know it's hard for Rhiannon to take animals to the vet..." Before she could finish, I said, "I'll take him in right after my Dr.'s appt today." No questions asked. I can't see animals in pain. Period.
My appt was quick and very uplifting. The pregnancy is going SO well!! 32 2/7 weeks along, set up birthdate for Jan. 29, 2010 at 7:30 am. :) So, after that, I dropped George off at work, dropped Madeleine off at Paula's, and headed out to my in-laws' house in Airway Heights. I had the cat carrier and I was off. On the way out there, I kept thinking, "I hope I make it in time." But I never felt a sense of urgency. I felt very calm. I was trying so hard to focus and NOT CRY. When I got there, Grandma Heath told me she tried to call me at noon to let me know that Dusty had passed away. I was crushed! But I know that the calm feeling I felt was Heavenly Father's hand prapering me for my arrival at the house. He passed away in his sleep with Grandma Heath there. In a way, it's a relief because he's not suffering. Our theory is that he may have been poisoned, or he may have gotten into something that poisoned him. My theory is that he may have gotten into some antifreeze. With this deep freeze we've been experiencing, I'm sure there were a lot of people who were topping off their radiators. Some may have spilled, and animals are prone to licking it because of its sweet flavor.
While I was en-route, Clinton was able to get there and remove Dusty. The plan, I guess, was to let Dad Leppert see him one more time before burial. I'm not sure if that's what happened, as nobody was home at Greta's when I stopped by. But, I talked to Mom Leppert and she said that Dad is doing okay. Dusty was his lap buddy, so it'll take some time to adjust.
The hardest part, and the only time I started to cry (remember, I was trying to be strong here...) was when I had to play the role of parent and explain to my daughter why Dusty would no longer be at Grandma and Grandpa's house. She said, "But I want to see Dusty." That's when I cried. She then cried too, likely because I was crying. I explained to her that Dusty is in heaven keeping Nana's lap warm, and that seemed to suffice. She seems to understand. For the first time in my life, I think I understand how hard it was for my parents when they had to tell me when my animals died. No parent likes to see the heart of their child break. Least of all, me with Madeleine. But, I truly believe that Heavenly Father had that path laid out for Dusty and that's why mom and dad were stuck having to work, I was stuck in horrendous traffic, and anything else that prevented us from getting him to the vet today.
Okay, enough of the sad part... I'll miss Dusty, as will the rest of the family. But he's in a good place. And in good company. :O)
So what I always say is you must sandwich the bad with two goods. Here it goes.
1.) Baptised on this day 9 years ago.
2.) Dusty passed away.
3.) Great drs appt for our pregnancy.
I might also add that Dr. Maughan said Madeleine is a very polite child because she uses her manners. She says "please, thank you, bless you", etc. She used her manners while in his office today. That's my girl. :) Mommy's and daddy's pride!
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