Days of Eni's life

Autobiography

2014-11-27T01:42:00.000+02:00

One of the assignments for my English class was to write my autobiography. So here it is... a bit about myself ... this one is supposed to include my travelling experiences :)

I am a 29 year old customer assistant at Lidl in Preston, England. I am a wife, a passionate photographer, and en eager learner.
I was born in a loving family, to a Romanian mother and a Hungarian father. My childhood was filled with many adventures, just as many other kids'. Growing up, I learnt both Romanian and Hungarian. That makes me a bit different, and that is in a good way.
I was always called a 'nerd' because I loved school. I enjoyed learning, discovering, and studying. It didn't make me popular, but it prepared me for a life filled with many opportunities.
I studied Computer science for 8 years, and the funny thing about it is that only at the very end of my studies I realised that I didn't want to follow a career path in that field! My dream had changed into becoming a teacher. I came to this realization after spending 18 months teaching people every day: I was a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I taught many faith related lessons, but also many English lessons to people at different levels. I loved every second of teaching, including the long hours of preparation.
I had done some travelling before moving to Preston. One summer, during my University years, I had the great opportunity to work for Discovery Cove in Florida. Those were four months that I will always remember with a bit of regret - the regret of not being able to go back there yet, back to the sunny days, back to the dolphins, back to the friends I made there. While I was in the USA, I had the opportunity to also visit Utah. I explored a bit of the Rocky Mountains, and went on long trails in beautiful red rock canyons. The arches in the canyons were impressive! Pictures don't do them justice.
Some other places I visited are Budapest and Szeged, both in Hungary. Those visits helped me develop my Hungarian language skills, which came in very handy when I met Peter in 2012. He became my husband in 2013. He is Hungarian, and has been living in Preston since 2009. It took us four days of getting to know each other to decide we wanted something more than just friendship. Only 8 months later we got married in Preston. He is the greatest blessing in my life.
I don't know what the future holds for me, but if it's just as exciting as my past, all I have to say is 'Bring it on!'. Life is an amazing journey, and I am curious who will I have become in another 29 years from now.

One special evening

2014-11-20T13:03:00.000+02:00

A while ago, my manager asked me if I could help him organize an activity for his scouts group, who are supposed to learn about a different faith. Since the Preston temple stands out around here, he thought it would be great to learn about it. Last night was the night!
While preparing for it, almost everything went wrong: those who promised to help me dropped last minute (luckily last minute meant the night before), then I couldn't find the material that I wanted to use, and 4 hours before the activity I had no clue what it would be like. My manager told me that he wouldn't be there, but that other Scouts leaders would bring the kids. I was asked to prepare a 45 minute activity for 10 children, 8 year old boys and girls. Finally I found somebody to help, one of the YSA girls in our ward.
Things started working last minute: my printer worked, I found coloured paper, my friend was very smart and kind, and the stake centre was ready for us!
This activity was a great opportunity to teach about what I believe. It brought me many memories from my mission, and I had the Holy Ghost touch my heart just like so long ago! We had a great time with those children. I was warned that they were little devils, but honestly, they were very good! They did run around the temple at the end, but all the time we talked about our faith, they were reverent and kind. I kept on wondering if they would remember anything in a week, and what gave me hope that they will at least remember Jesus Christ was this kid who asked me to take a picture of him with the picture of Jesus Christ.

We never know whose hearts we touch! I was focusing for a very long time on the children, until we went for a walk around the temple. I had a very nice conversation with one of the Scouts leader, and she seemed genuinely interested in our church! She asked me if I was raised in the church, and I got to tell her shortly my conversion story. I told her about the Family History Centre, and she was very pleased and interested in doing her genealogy. I told her about the work we do in the temple, and how because of that, families will be together forever. I could see joy in her eyes! It made me so happy!

I didn't know what would end up happening that evening, but I didn't expect to have that feeling of joy and peace and hope as I was testifying of the things we believe. I hope I get more opportunities like that soon :D

Women and men - equality discussion

2014-11-20T12:39:00.000+02:00

I have been enjoying my college English course. It has been very varied, and one of the things we will be assessed on will be our discussion skills. Last week we practised a discussion on the Women and Men Equality topic.
We talked about the role of mothers, of wives, of fathers and of husbands. During our discussion, I said two things that got got our teacher shocked, she could not understand what I was talking about - and I am not referring to the language barrier.

The first thing was about differences in men and women. We talked about things we can do as women, and the teacher questioned if there are things men do that we can't do. My response was: "I believe that women are capable of doing whatever they set their minds to, even hard physical work. But in spite of that, I am very grateful that I can turn to for help when it comes to heavy lifting". The teacher was shocked! She asked if I didn't think I could get to do the same work as men. I said I could but to me it's very tiering, and that I was grateful for the men at work who can help me with the heavy lifting. I told her of how glad I was when we moved that my husband had some of his friends over and they moved the furniture. I was thankful at work when there would be a tray of 20 2L bottles to lift and I could get a man to come help with it. My teacher could not agree! I personally believe that men in general have better endurance and greater strength to do the hard work. I do not feel inequality when I think about that. we are just built different! But I refuse to put my own health at risk just because I want to prove to others that I am strong and I can do the work men do! It got me wondering how far to we take this whole equality thing? Do we begin to ignore our own capabilities just to prove how "manly" we can be? Why don't we strengthen our qualities of organizing, decorating, nurturing, loving, caring, being positive, keep going when everything is against us? Women are amazing! We have a strength of character and a capacity to love and nurture that is unique to us, to women! I am not saying that men are not capable of doing this, but I believe it's at a different level, just as we are with physical effort. And why is that wrong? Aren't we meant to complement each other? If women try hard to be like men, where is the joy in a woman being a partner with a man? And then we run around wondering why are there so many gay couples, when there is no more difference between men and women! (it might sound offensive to some, but it's not meant that way). What I am trying to say is that there are consequences to all these changes, because I believe these are not natural changes. Women are not forced (well, not in general, of course there are always exceptions) to do physical labour for a living! We are not forced to compete with men, but we choose to. why? Because society talks about all this 'equality' which was good initially, but has been taken to extremes.

The second thing I said since I only work up to 30 hours a week, while my husband works for 50-56 hours a week, it feels normal that I should cook more than him, clean the house more than him, do more laundry than him. The teacher was ready to rip my head off! She made a point that all of the great chefs in the world are male, that some of the greatest clothes designers are men! I did not really see how that related to what I had said. She said that I had just as much a right not to take care of the home just like my husband. I was shocked! Then where is the partnership? My husband works hard to make ends meet financially. He comes home tired, but I do have to give him credit for washing the dishes after we have dinner. He does help cleaning the house. I am not saying that men are exempt from house work just because they work more, but I do not believe that as women we are exempt for keeping our house organized just because we have the same rights as men. When has it become a crime to say 'I feel it's normal for me to clean more than my husband and cook more than he does because I have a lot more free time'? Or should I just watch TV all day long and play computer games just because I can? Am I losing my identity as a woman? I am proud of being a woman! I am proud of my qualities, my skills, and my identity! Why is society teaching us that this is wrong? I believe we can all feel inside us who we truly are and what our calling is, but the more we listen to the world, the more this voice inside gets silenced. Then we wake up one day unhappy with who we have become, with what we have accomplished, and we won't know how to fill the void.

I believe equality means treating each other with respect, accepting our differences and build on them. I believe than nobody is less of a person because they might be different. Being different, having different duties, makes us who we are. And each of us is wonderful, each of us is amazing! So don't go changing just because the world is telling you to. Listen to who you are, and dare to become better, wiser, happier.

The city of Preston

2014-10-21T16:15:00.000+03:00

When I first arrived in Preston, I felt I landed in a different world. I thought it would be just like my home town, since all I knew about it was that it had the same population. But I was wrong!

The busy, crowded streets of Arad (my home town) were replaced by wide streets with drivers who are very cautious and considerate (anyone who visited Arad knows how different it can be). I chose to start with this since I came to Preston by car.

The long rows of of red brick houses gave me a real British feeling. I used to see these in the movies, so going out of the house is always a wonder (the feeling gets less intense with time, but it is still a wonder). You can still see the old chimneys reaching towards the sky, and I keep expecting to see storks in their nests, even though there are no storks around Preston.

Preston is dotted with many beautiful, green parks. You must go for a walk by the river in Avenham park, then ride your bike to Moore park to feed some ducks. If you like cycling, you should give the Guild Wheel a go - 21 miles of route that will take you through the beautiful docks, along the canal, through wooded areas, and a few city streets.A nice drink at the docks at sunset will melt your heart. These are just a few things you can do to unwind and escape the busy city while still being in the city.

I am not an history fan, but I was impressed with the two museums: the Harris Museum, which also hosts an art gallery for all the art passionate, and the Museum of Lancashire. they are not only informative, but interactive as well. You will not get bored in there, that's for sure!

These things are great, but sometimes I miss the feeling of a living, pulsing city. That is when I head out for a walk on Fishergate (downtown Preston). There are stores to suit every person's taste (and wallet): from high-end fashion stores to the exciting Pound store. When you get tired of shopping, or window shopping, you can find a nice coffee shop at almost every corner.

For all those sports fans, there is a big football stadiums where you can watch games. But if you are not into watching, but playing, just cross the street into Moore Park, where you can find many pitches to play on, and maybe even people to play with. But if you don't like football, why not try some cricket there?

Are you picky about food, or daring to try something else? this city has something for every taste: Mediterranean, Egyptian, Chinese, Arab, and British. If you look closer, you will find even more. You can even find the 'traditional' KFC, McDonalds, Starbucks, and so on.

You will never feel a foreigner in Preston. You are always surrounded by people from almost every nation, of almost every religion, and with many passions and hobbies. So come to Preston, and have an excellent experience!

Not sure what the title should be...

2014-10-19T18:54:00.000+03:00

My husband and I have been married for 18 months now. We are very happy together, we love and cherish each other, and our path is sunny, in spite of the rainy English weather. One of the things we both want greatly is to have children. I said 3, he said 5, in the end we might end up with 4 :)
This year was a rocky year. We went through the joy of being pregnant to the pain of losing the pregnancy twice already. The first one was at six weeks. I told myself that there was no heartbeat yet, so it wasn't meant to be. I wasn't depressed, I was a bit angry with the medical staff - it's a different story, about waiting 10 hours on a chair in a hallway while bleeding and aching - but I got over it quickly. I went straight back to work, and spent time serving in my Church calling. I think it was a bit harder for Peter, but we took comfort that we could try again. And we tried again! We got to eight weeks, then the pains and bleeding started. After a full week of small bleeds and tiredness, and another 3 days of painful contractions - again angry with doctors who sent me home telling me it was normal and didn't give me anything for the pain until after 3 days of contractions when they gave me ibuprofen - we lost the second pregnancy. My body was messed up! All my joints were aching, I got skin rashes, and I was getting more and more tired. The doctors here din't do anything: no tests, just the same spiel: you are the 1 in 4...twice. And that I needed one more miscarriage in order to get any tests done. I was angry! I did some tests after six weeks from my second miscarriage, during our holiday in Romania, just to discover that I still had remains from the pregnancy, and that I had E-coli in my womb and it was spreading. It took my body another 3 months to get back to normal, where I could say:nothing hurts now.
During these past four months, I thought I would not try for another child again. I remembered the pain, I remembered the anger, I remembered the crushed hope. I was back on my feet, with a plan that did not include children for a while. This experience at least got me seriously thinking about the future. I enrolled back in school to get a qualification in English language so that I can further my education and become a teacher. At work, I gave even more of myself. I got determined to become manager. I thought I had it all figured out, and I was determined to wait trying for another child... until a week ago.
Last month I was released from my calling as Relief Society President. I had mixed feelings: relief at not having to deal with all the gossip and back-biting and spoilt grown-ups , and sadness for not serving all those amazing sisters! My new calling was actually my old calling - Nursery leader. I was not excited! I said yes, of course, but I didn't feel like dealing with children. I wanted to stay away from children, who can't even put two words together! But then, maybe I was supposed to learn something! So I went last week to Nursery. There were two little boys in there, who greeted me with huge smiles. My heart melted. I was theirs! Who can look at children, and not wish to have one? To hold one? To teach one? To love one? With them, there is no 'hate', no 'gossip', no 'dislike'. My plans changed. Who says I can't become a teacher if I have children? Who says I can't be duty manager if I have children? With God, all things are possible.
Since my miscarriages, not for a moment did I have any hard feelings for all the mothers out there. I didn't even think of envying pregnant women, new mothers, or older mothers. I only resented my body for a while. But I learnt to accept that this is how life goes. I cannot control everything that happens to me, but I can control how I react to things. I still melt whenever I see a baby while I serve at the till, I still try and talk to children who come shopping, and let 3 year olds help me bag the things for their parents. Children are a blessing, even if they are not mine to keep.
This year was a learning year:learn to love myself in spite of my weakness, learn to love others who have the blessings I desire, learn to love my husband through it all.

A walk in the park

2014-04-17T13:17:00.000+03:00

We had a day of full sunshine and joy. It was warm and beautiful :D Peter and I spent the afternoon walking in the park, enjoying the sun, and taking pictures. Here are some beautiful ones :)

An answered prayer

2014-04-17T12:08:00.001+03:00

You know how life has ups and downs, right? Have you ever felt you are in a storm and the wind keeps freezing you as you try to move forward? Well, I had had that feeling for a while, and it wore my spirit off. During all that, I made the mistake of not turning to the Lord, and try to do it all on my own. What did that lead to?I lost something inside my heart, there was something missing.

I decided to get it back. I really missed that feeling of peace, of communion with God. So I started reading a bit from the scriptures, pray a bit more, but I did not feel the difference.... until Sunday morning. I woke up, aching and tired, and I started the day by saying a very heartfelt and sincere prayer, asking for help to feel the Holy Ghost again with me, to feel that peace again. I felt that it wasn't enough to pray, so I read the lesson for Relief Society for that day. It was a lesson from the Prophet Joseph Fielding Smith, a lesson about the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum. I was very exited to go to Church and hear the teacher talk about those things.

I got to Church, and I got things ready for the lesson, and I was ready to conduct the meeting when one of the sisters asked me what the lesson was. So I told her it was lesson 7, and I asked the teacher to confirm it. The teacher told me not to look at her because she wasn't the teacher any more, so she was not teaching that day. I was shocked! That meant I had to teach! But I did not prepare! I didn't have a clue how to present that lesson! We sang the opening hymn and had an opening prayer, while my heart stopped beating. What was I going to do? As I stood up with the manual, I felt my mind go blank. It didn't start very well. I asked some sisters to read some paragraphs, but where was I going with it? Five minutes into the lesson, my mind started filling up with ideas, and questions, and quotes. The lesson started getting somewhere. After half an hour, my heart started catching up, being filled with this sweet feeling of joy and peace, a feeling that I had been looking for for weeks. It was sublime, sweet, uplifting, and empowering. I felt good!

At the end of the meeting, I realised that this was the answer to my prayer. The Lord gave me the chance to open my heart to the Spirit. He made me humble first, making me rely solely on Him, then, as I sought for His help, He filled my mind and my heart. I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who always finds a way to help me, even if it's not the way I expect it or want it.

Some things to remember: don't doubt that He knows how to help, don't forget that He is able to help, don't give up hope when you don't get your answer right away. There is always a way! Just hold on, and move on. The answer, help, guidance, is along the way. Be willing to work for it, even if it means doing things that are out of your comfort zone. That is when it will get to you. I know it's true :D

Trying a new recipe

2014-04-09T16:36:00.000+03:00

Last week, I got a bit homesick. I kept on remembering these amazing desserts with jam and walnuts in them, like little croissants, but not the soft ones. I don't know what they would be called in English. In Romanian, we call them 'cornulete cu gem si nuca'.

I thought to myself: why not make them? I got on the internet, onto Google (Google has the answer to anything, right?) and I found a recipe. Well, it was all very precise, in grams... but since I don't have kitchen scales, I had to resort to my good old eyes, which are not as good as they used to be ;) After using 6 different bowls, 8 spoons, 2 wooden spoons, 3 forks ( I think you have a pretty good picture of how much I knew what I was doing) AND getting 3 working spaces all dirty, I finally got the dough and the filling ready. And then came the tricky part. I know, you think all this was tricky :), but believe me, this was the easy part. Now, in the recipe it says I need to roll the dough out on a floured surface and cut out triangles. Easy, right? I was thrilled! It was something I knew how to do! Then, I was supposed to put a bit of jam in the middle, and roll it up... How in the world can you do that one? I had the filling fall right out, I had the dough rip to pieces... I still haven't figured it out. So I just decided to through in the oven whatever I can get out of it. It wasn't pretty...

I got a picture attached, with the final result. Believe me, it tasted better than it looks :) I spent the next to days filling my moth and stomach with these, and I was HAPPY :D

In conclusion, trying new stuff can be fun, and good, even if it doesn't look like what I expected, or tasted like I expected. I need to be more brave and try more things.

Till then, stop by and I'll share with you some of my cookin' :) See you around!

Our home

2014-04-09T13:57:00.000+03:00

It's amazing how quickly time flies. In three weeks, Peter and I will be celebrating 1 year of being married to each other. I am very bad when it comes to presents, so I am clueless... well, almost :)

Last night we had a nice conversation, and one thing he asked me was to make our home more Christ centred. I have given this some thought... how can you make a home more Christ centred?

I think that the first thing is to make our hearts Christ centred, individually. Maybe start from there: personal prayers and scripture study coupled with "companionship" study and prayers. We have been doing things on our own, but not too much together. Maybe that is the first step.

Then, maybe put more reminders in our home. Pictures of temples, pictures of temples... Maybe even more pictures of us. We don't have anything on these walls, they are blank. It doesn't feel like a home, it's just a house... we can change it. Starting with us :)

I will get some nice music on CDs so we can always have uplifting music around the house. It will be a very good replacement for the cheap music played on the radio. Don't get me wrong, there are some very good songs out there that inspire me and cheer me up, I will listen to those. But I will have my own selection of music.

What are some more ideas? What do you do to make your home a refuge, a love centred, faith centred home?

Being married is...

2013-10-18T00:21:00.000+03:00

I think I have been asked ten thousand times these past few months : "so how is married life?"

How do you answer this question? I just nod and say "Great!". And that is one of the words that come to my mind when I think of being married.

Why is it so great?
Let's see: first, my husband is Superman, but don't tell anyone. He can do a thousand things at a time, but still take care of me and make me feel like the most important and precious woman in the world.
He has seen me sick, seen me happy, messy hair in the morning, make-up running down my face, and many other little things which are imperfect, but are part of me. He has seen most of it, and he loves me for every little part of me. He has seen my weaknesses, and he has done so much to help me overcome them, one by one. I still have a long way to go, but he is next to me every step.
We have been married almost six months, and we have had no arguments, no reproaching, no putting the other down. We have had moments of misunderstanding each other, but nothing a nice little chat couldn't fix.
My husband surprises me all the time: booking me a back massage after complaining about back aches; buying me my favourite chocolate, even when I complain about my belly growing; giving me driving lessons when I least expecting him to; taking out of his work time just to have lunch with me or go for a walk with me.
One of the most amazing things is dreaming together. We have amazing goals together. We are walking the same way. We work together. We crawl together. We fly together. And through it all, we stick together.

Next time somebody asks about married life, what will I say? It's great!

My advice to every person: once you find that somebody, get the rings, and start working together. Don't postpone, don't listen to your fear and doubts, but hope and believe, and most of all, love and let them love you in return.

And we call this... laziness :))

2013-10-11T19:20:00.000+03:00

I looked at the date that I last wrote in here. It does not look good! Grrr... lazy bum, on the couch... No more excuses! I have been telling myself may silly things to get away with it, but in the end, it turns to LAZINESS.

What has happened lately?
1. I got a job as a store assistant - it is great because I love working with people. I have met many Hungarians, and some Romanians. Every shift gives me a reason to smile: babies who smile, people who are nice, accomplishing a task flawlessly.

2. Two weeks after starting my new job, I got married to the most amazing man. The wedding was far better than I ever imagined, and many people were there who made it all perfect. My family has extended, and there is room enough for everybody in my heart.

3. Spend time with my husband travelling: we travelled to Scotland, to Chorley, to the Church... and delivering pizzas for Pizza Hut (Peter's evening job :) )

4. Made many friends in the Preston Ward, but also outside: co-workers, neighbour :)

5. Decided to do something useful with my too many pictures: make calendars and photo books. (and they are available to buy online, if you are interested)
STORE

We are now getting closer to Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and then a new year to accomplish many new exciting things.

One thing that I learnt this year is that hope and faith in God, in yourself, and in others, will bring many joys and many opportunities to achieve full happiness.

My goal is to become more prolific with my pictures and also with my blog. See you around, and remember: SMILE :D

Publishing

2013-01-24T04:21:00.003+02:00

My online store is http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/eniko

How did I get to this? Here it is:
Most of you know by now that last year, at the YSA Convention in Hungary I met a wonderful man, and I moved to Preston, England (he is Hungarian, but he has been living here for over 3 years) so that we could be closer. On the 6th of December he proposed - you can read about it here http://eniscrazylife.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/the-perfect-proposal.html

We want to get married as soon as possible, but we have an obstacle standing in our way: money. Since I don't have a job yet, I have been feeling very frustrated.
I spent time thinking about my skills and what I can do to make some money - my list of things I want to buy for the wedding is long (dress, shoes, veil, flower bouquet, plane tickets for my parents, ...) and these are not cheap! Finally, I resorted to the Internet. I found a way to publish a collection of poems that I have written along the years (paper or e-book), and I also made a wall calendar with some amazing pictures that I have taken and added some sweet quotes!

My plea is for you to check them out - the book is in paper format or electronic format. Make a sacrifice and order something. You will feel not only the joy of helping us , but also you will have a big smile as you read the poems, or as you look at the calendar that will brighten your days.

The link to these is here. Check it out and enjoy!
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/eniko

If you cannot afford buying anything, it's ok. There is a way you can still help: let others know about this, maybe they can buy something.

Thank you so much for your time, and for your great help! I will be forever, deeply, grateful for your love and support. I will keep you in my prayers, that you will be blessed with love, joy and peace, with success in everything you plan.

With love and gratitude,
Eni :*

Food for the Soul - paperback
Food for the Soul - eBook
Calendar

The perfect proposal

2012-12-13T13:39:00.000+02:00

It was the morning of the 6th of December, in our room at the gorgeous Copthorne Hotel Gatwick . (we were staying there with his mum, sister, and 3 friends of theirs)
The plan for that morning was breakfast at 9 o'clock with everyone, then Peter, Monika, Angelina and me would go visit London, which was 36 miles away. We previously decided to leave at 10.

It was 8:30 am, and we were getting ready for breakfast. During the night, Saint Nick dropped some candies in Peter's shoes, but he skipped mine... maybe he decided we were sharing anyway. Peter, with a big smile on his face, went to talk to Monika, only to tell me 5 minutes later that we had to run to the Pharmacy to get some kind of cream or lotion. Since we had the smaller car and we were dressed, it made sense that we should be the ones going. Peter told me he had to go, then asked me if I wanted to go with him. This type of question always gets the same answer: yes. So, without even looking in the mirror, or without even thinking of grabbing my camera, we headed out.

We were driving towards ... I don't know, I have no idea when it comes to orientation.... let's say the Pharmacy :) I was talking about candies and Saint Nick and .. I can't remember exactly what, it was still morning (and most of you know I am clueless, quiet, in the morning...till I drink my tea ;) )
We had been driving for 5 minutes or so, when I spotted the statue of Moroni! (for those who don't know, that statue is set on the top of the LDS temples) I started to freak out! Poor Peter! All I could say was: " What is that doing here? That is only on the temples! There is no temple here (... thinking that the London temple is in London...) What is going on? [...] bla bla {more freaking out} " And then I see the big plaque at the entrance with the name of the church. I was so confused! So Peter told me we could go check it out. I looked down and I said :"I am wearing pants, so we can't go in, but we can walk around." I was getting very excited! He told me we had a couple of minutes to check it out. It was cold outside but I really didn't care. That was the Temple!

We got out of the car, and I started talking... this was the perfect way yo get me out of my morning quiet mood. "Oh, look! They have a Visitor Centre! And Sister missionaries! Oh, look! The statue of Christ! It's sooo big!... Oh, look! The temple is so big! ... " {some more walking around}... We ran into a woman who was walking around the temple, and she asked us for what purpose we had come to visit. I started telling her about how we found the temple by accident, while going to the pharmacy to get something, then we decided to walk around a bit. Peter didn't say anything, he just let me talk. You need to imagine at this point a very excited and happy Eni, like on Christmas while opening presents from my parents, or when getting a brand new laptop or the best camera :D ... so lots of talking with a huge smile on my face. What an adventure - driving to the Pharmacy only to find the Temple! :D

We walked around a bit, and I continued: "Look at this little stream! Look at the ducks!...{bla bla}" We then see the pond, and it was frozen! So like a little child, I think about going on the ice. We change directions to get to the pond to check the ice. By this time, I was so giddy, I wanted to run and jump, maybe sing and dance :) We get on a little bridge over the pond, and I kneel down to reach the ice. I knocked on it and it sounded solid. With a huge smile I get back up and talk about the lake at home... well, started talking, but I stopped... What can make me stop from talking? No, not a kiss (although that is one quick solution)... Peter kneeling in front of me! My brain froze and my heart stopped! It took a minute to register... all I could hear was :" Eni, I want to go on ice with you... spend the rest of m life with you... and eternity with you..." ... My reply was: "What do I say?" ... "Oh, me too. Yes!" So I bent down to kiss him, then knelt down in front of him to kiss him. His reply was " You don't kneel! Only I do!" So I got him to stand, then he showed me the ring (did he hold the ring all that time? I didn't notice, I was too busy looking in his eyes and being filled with pure joy)... and I had no idea which hand the ring goes on... I thought: "right hand now, at the wedding left..." so he put the ring on my finger - perfect size. It is the most beautiful ring I could have ever wished for.
After that we happily walked around, sat on a bench just to leave our marks (the bench was covered in frost) and left some footprints on the frosty grass.
We went back to the car, to which Peter said: "We won't go to the pharmacy now, those who know what needs to be bought should go" . I think it took me a while to realize that he had planned this carefully. :)
The rest... breakfast celebration with the rest of the group (they were pretending they had had no idea what was going on) and a trip to London... cold London :)

This was the most beautiful proposal that he could have made. Asking him to marry him for eternity in front of the place where that ordinance can be performed. And it was all a big sweet surprise< ahich made it even better :)

Here is the picture of the place he proposed, it's copied off the LDS Temples website. The only difference is that the pond was frozen, and there was white frost on the grass.

Here are some pictures we took, there aren't many, but they are very nice memories of that day and the wonderful event :)

The adventure begins

2012-10-04T20:10:00.001+03:00

As I said, I am in Preston, England. I got here on Monday morning. After 25 hours of traveling, all I did on Monday all day was sleep. Peter somehow had the energy to go to work and take me out for a walk in the evening. He's strong, so I shouldn't worry, right?
Anyway, Wednesday was a day of ADVENTURE - movie style.

I walked down to the Job Centre to ask what papers I needed to take with me for the National Insurance Number appointment(I need that in order to work legally) I was at the reception, talking to the clerk, when she tells me that the area needs to be cleared so I should return later. Just as she finishes the sentence, I see a crowd of people coming towards the exit. I walk out with all of them. Just as I step outside, a police car pulls over. A police officer jumps out and runs inside, shortly followed by another one. Not a minute goes by and another police car pulls over and two other police officers run inside. A few minutes later they come out with a man in cuffs, and they throw him in the back of the first car. The two police officers that were left come out and start talking to some of the people there. Then an ambulance gets here. They rush in and five minutes later they bring out a man with a broken arm and some bruises. The ambulance drives away and everything is quiet again. Listening to people talking around me, it looks like a man came looking for a job or some sorts of that. He got angry because the clerk told him something he didn't agree with. So he jumped the clerk, punched him, and broke his arm. The security guys managed to get him off, they called the cops, and that is pretty much it... After that, I didn't get the chance to talk to anyone there, they only let in those with appointments.
The only difference between this and the movies is that there were no badges thrown in people's faces, no guns pulled out before really necessary, and people in reality did get hurt.
And that is how I begin my first day of walking around town by myself :)

An update...

2012-10-04T19:42:00.000+03:00

I haven't written here in a very long time. I didn't know what to write... or how to put my feelings, my life into words. It sounds funny since I love to talk and I am almost never out of words.

You might remember the post about Flowers and Fingernail Polish... well, the good friend , the guy who drew those ended up to be my boyfriend. His name is Peter. He is from Szeged, Hungary, but lives in Preston, England. We met at the YSA Conference held in Dobogoko Hungary. We liked each other so we decided to keep in touch. Well, things evolved very fast, and I will just put down main ideas:
1. Went back to work after the conference, my boss shared with me things I did not really agree with (no need of details) so the next day I turned in my 20 day notice (according to the law) I told him I did not see things his was, and I didn't want to continue working together, but to make it a nice "break up" I was going according to the law (instead of immediate termination) In 3 days, my boss terminated my contract
2. I wasn't without a plan: I texted Peter I decided to move to Preston ...early :)
3. Packed all my things in Arad, closed that chapter and went for a while home with my parents
4. Lost 1 suitcase and 3 large bags of my things (but that is another funny story for another post)
5. Spent 10 days with Peter visiting Arad, Stei, Hungary... amazing days, that is all I have to say about it
6. Packed the rest of my stuff in the back of Peter's car and we drove to Preston
7. NOW I am getting used to the new city, new life...

I am happy. I have no idea what comes next, I don't have a well laid plan, but I am slowly coming up with one, but not alone: with Peter. And that makes me the happiest. He makes me the happiest.

Here are some pictures for you, pictures of me and my Peter :)

Nail polish, flowers, and eternity

2012-08-06T22:26:00.000+03:00

I know the title sounds very...confusing, but I do have a funny short story that will go with it, so bear with me :)

Last week I participated in the YSA Conference in Hungary. There, I met a nice man (this is a different story...) with whom I loved to sped my time. During one of the lessons we attended together, he scratched off a bit of my nail polish off my fingernail. I pretended to be upset, so he made up for it by drawing a flower to cover the hole.It looked very good! So i put on my best smile, and asked for him to draw flowers on the rest of my fingernails. I have to admit that I respect him deeply for accepting this challenge considering that he is a man after all! So hands down, he is the best!
Anyway, he drew flowers, and I was so happy! But guess what? My hands got a bit sweaty and the flowers wore off and the ink got all over my hands! I pouted a bit, and asked Peter (that's this gentleman's name) to draw them again. He looked at me and said something that got me thinking: "Why worry? they won't last forever anyway!" I smiled, then started thinking...
Why do I worry about something so trivial and passing? How many times do I worry about things that do not matter in the eternal perspective? How many times do I waste time and effort for things that don't matter?

Since then, I tried to think of things that matter, things worth worrying about, things for which it is worth fighting and sacrificing time and effort. Here is a small list, feel free to add your own.
1. The gospel of Jesus Christ - living and sharing
2. Family - honoring, respecting and helping my parents, then starting my own family
3. Self worth - so many people try to tell me who I am, and have different ideas of who I am, but it's worth finding out and knowing with a firm conviction that I am a daughter of God with great talents that i can use to serve others, and great opportunities in my life if i am ready to do His will
4. Strengthening my relationship with my Heavenly father and getting to know my Savior - without them, I am nothing, with them, I am precious
5. Love - no need to add here, we all strive for this :)

There are many things which are eternal, so let's not worry about flowers that wash off, nail polish that fades away :)

Retrospective on EFY

2012-07-28T23:51:00.001+03:00

I finally feel rested. EFY was amazing! But I have to admit that I am not 18 anymore... it got to me! So I needed some time to readjust to my walk-work-walk schedule ;)

I don't want people to think that I am made of stone or a robot - which ideas shouldn't be excluded ;) EFY meant a lot to me. It was a new experience, challenging and uplifting.

First, I have to say that I had the best girls in my group. I was humbled by the love they showed me even from the first moment they got there. now you have to understand that I was horrified by the fact that my Hungarian is good except for the gospel, where I am still learning. But my girls didn't care how much a stuttered, they understood me. From this I learnt first that one can be blessed with charity towards others instantly. I never forgot I could come to love people in a very short time. I loved the girls (Panka, Fanni, Henni, Petra, Berta, Laura and Zsofi) from the start. I felt in a way like I was back on my mission, where that used to happen every day! My favorite language mistake: "Isteni szerelem" instead of "szeretet" ... (love as lovers vs. love as in friendly) Not bad, right? :))) Anyway, I miss meeting with them in the evening and learning together, praying together, and do our little cheer. We tried to stick together. I kept a bit of a distance during meals, letting them sit together and talk to each other. And you know what? They tied some tight friendships :D ... and me, I got to eat with different people every time :D ... I miss having the girls sit next to me and to put my arm around them. I am not comfortable hugging people that I just met, but these girls were just amazing! ho wouldn't want to hug them? :D

The second thing I learnt from not speaking well the language was that without the Holy Ghost it doesn't matter even if you speak your native language. I was reminded to rely on the Spirit all the time. I could feel it every time I had to teach, to testify, to guide. and they understood me even when not even I understood the words I was saying. Now I know how a missionary speaking another language feels :)
I had a very powerful experience with the Holy Ghost during the Teaching the Gospel activity. We didn't have enough pairs of youth to teach so ended up teaching two from someone else's group. I did not know them, but they were ready to fight hard (they were my investigators that I had to teach) I had the outline from the booklet in front of me - in English!I had no idea how I would teach them. I started with the statement that God is our Heavenly Father. That much I can say with no problem ;) Their reply was : We don't believe in God. I tried to keep to the plan, but after a few seconds, i threw the booklet on the chair next to me. I looked them in the eyes. I started testifying of what I knew about our Father and about our Savior. I shared my conversion story, and testified some more. They tried to fight back at first, but the Spirit was so strong! They fell silent, and I was speaking fluent Hungarian, words came to me, even words that i didn't know I knew. It was so uplifting! They moved to another subject like shopping on Sunday mornings, but they couldn't keep fighting. It was amazing! I was reminded again that only the Spirit can teach, edify and testify.

another thing I learnt was humility. I used to think I was ok at this chapter. I used to think that treaing others kindly, respecting people's choices, being a friend were signs of humility. and they are, but these things are not enough. These are some ways to develop humility. On the last day, I don't know how I started thinking of this. I realized I was a constant complainer. I complain about work, I complain about health, i complain about a lot of things. But why do i complain when I am happy? Yes, I do have a lot of challenges and trials that I need to face at this time, but I am happy inside. I am at peace with my Father and with my Savior. Then why do i complain? It hit me on that day: because I am not humble! Humility means to accept and do the things that Lord tells you to. It is to do things His way, to face life's chircumstances with faith and trust in Him. So when I complain is like saying: I do not want things Your way, I want them my way! I want to be married and have children - now! I want to go to the temple - now! I want a better paid job where I appreciated and respected - now! I want I want I want... - now! This is not humility. Humility is making the best out of every situation, and with trust and hope work toward the day when the things I dream of are the Lord's gift to me. Yes, I am still single when my heart yearns for a family. Yes, I have a job where I am paid a lot less than I need to live a decent life. Yes, my health isn't perfect. BUT I do trust in the Lord that He can help me find the man to start a family with, he will help me have a better job that will allow me to do something more than just surviving, and He will give me the health I need to accomplish all the things I was sent here for. And this is humility, being happy with what I have, being grateful, and trust the Lord for His help and support.

Now, one thing that I am very happy I got to learn was to dance. I learn some nice dance moves, and I can't wait to dance again! On Tuesday I was very clumsy, and guys got their feet stepped on, but Friday they got to keep their shoes clean :))

I came back with many amazing memories. I came back determined to be a better person. I came back happy. I came back changed, and I want to do everything necessary to stay changed, and maybe improve some more.

Why was EFY so amazing? Because we were all there with the same reason - to draw closer to God, to find Him, to get to know Him better - together. We learnt together, we had fun together, and we shared love with each other.

PS: The food was amazing too, I have to add that to my list ;)

Morning meditation

2012-07-24T23:50:00.003+03:00

Being back from EFY helped me feel how much I changed during that week. One of the things is having the desire to write again :D

I'm back to my nice morning walks when I can enjoy the quiet and coolness of the morning. I had many thoughts running through my head, and for some weird reason, I started thinking of funny movies - like Shrek :) Then my thoughts jumped to Puss in Boots. It made me giggle. But I did not start thinking of Puss, but of the Egg. Have you watched the movie? If not, you must watch it!

What started going through my head is how the Egg, even from the time he was little, was trying to find the magic bean that would take him to the giant's castle up in the clouds where he would find the goose that lays golden eggs. He made a good friend, who tried to keep him out of trouble, but Egg thought he knew better. He picks wrong friends and he even ends up in prison! After he is released, he goes to his old friend, somehow convinces him that he changed over time, and together they go to find the goose that lays golden eggs.
They end up in the clouds, find a field of golden eggs, to which Egg says something like this: "I feel like I belong here", and he is filled with joy. Still, he takes the goose and comes back to earth, where he betrays his friend and makes a lot of money off of the goose. A bit later, his friend and him are getting into trouble, and Egg sacrifices in the end his life to save his friend's. As he hits the ground, his shall cracks, and it figures out that he was a golden egg himself. To this , his friend says: "I always knew you were good on the inside".

My thoughts: We are all here on earth with the goal to find that mansion in the sky - our Father's kingdom. While we are here on earth we make friends with different people, and if we're not careful, we get into trouble. This happens when we do not know who we are, what our potential is, where we came from and how we can reach our goal.
I am annoyed with the "I always knew..." statement. What is the worth of knowing only after death of your potential? I know that we are children of our loving Heavenly Father. (Romans 8:16) We feel that when we pray, when we go to Church meetings, when we study the scriptures. Just like the Egg when he was up in the clouds. He felt something, that he belonged here. The same with us. We feel something when we do these things. But unlike the Egg, we know what we need to do to keep those feelings. Don't ever stop relying on the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ! It is never too late to change our ways. There is always a way back to our Home when we remember what He did for us, when we repent sincerely, and fill our lives with all good things. Let's not forget our potential for good. Let us not waste our golden inside just because the world makes us believe we are something else.

You and I have many talents, many skills that we can use to make this world a better place, so that when others are around us they can say "I feel like i belong" and they might know as well as us who they are. You might feel small, but it is not true. Let us not wait until it is too late to do good, to be kind, to love.

If you don't feel golden, if you don't know where to start, or if you know who you are and what your skills are but you want to improve, watch the following video. Let us shine our inner gold!

All things denote there is a God

2012-07-08T22:48:00.000+03:00

I taught a very interesting lesson in Sunday School, about an Antichrist (someone who preaches against Christ and His teachings)- Korihor, who went among the people telling them there was no God, and what they believed in were just stupid traditions. There were people who believed him, and there were some wiser ones who decided to let Alma, the chief judge and high priest (if I remember well) to deal with him. What I liked about Alma was that he didn't start to argue with him, and quote scriptures to show off how wise he was. He just bore testimony, saying: All things denote there is a God. Will you continue to deny it after having so many witnesses? (the planets, nature, the sun, the scriptures, miracles...) Unfortunately, Korihor was stubborn, he asked for a sign (and extra proof that God existed) and he became dumb - never to be able to speak again... for him it was too late to change his mind.

That same afternoon I decided to go for a walk - with my camera, of course - and this is what I saw. And I add to Alma's testimony that AL THINGS DENOTE THERE IS A GOD! Enjoy the pictures, and think of how wonderful and wise is the Creator of all these.

Random thoughts on a random Sunday

2012-06-24T20:28:00.000+03:00

I know, the title looks silly...especially that my thoughts are random, but they came after a series of events.

I've been working hard lately on preparing for EFY, and helping with the planning of the international YSA Conference that will be held in Hungary this year. I also tried to keep up with my local church responsibilities - teaching Institute classes, helping the YSAs become more active in the faith. I have to admit that I love being busy, but sometimes (and this weekend was one of those times) I feel like the more I try to get things right, the more I see my weaknesses. I have no idea why, but I see my flaws, my shortcomings, and my weaknesses. I start feeling like I am not the right person for this, that I have too many things to change in my life. And I get overwhelmed, I get scared, I get discouraged. I still don't give up on things because I have my pride - do everything I can to finish everything I get started on.

Anyway, I was asked to teach Sunday School this Sunday. I forgot to ask which lesson, and I was also in Budapest last weekend. I prepared the lesson that I thought we were on, but it wasn't the right one... not the right one for them, but it was the right one for me. One thing that stuck with me out of the lesson was that the way to resist all the temptations, bad influences in life, is by constantly praying. I sat and thought of it for a while, and I realized that it doesn't mean I have to stay on my knees all the time and pray, or to have 10 fixed times to stop out of my activities and pray. But it means to have my heart turned to the right One, to Christ. When my desires, my thoughts, and my actions become aligned with His, then I am constantly praying. Prayer is a communication with the Divine. As I live worthy of the companionship of the Holy Ghost, I am connected to my Heavenly Father.

Those were my thoughts throughout the day. Still, I kept on having thoughts about how far I am from who I can be, and I kept analyzing the things I've been doing, and not doing, this past week. The more I thought about those, the worse I felt. I decided to ignore my crazy thoughts, and do more preparation for EFY. I decided to read the Conference talks listed at the end of the lessons in the Handbook. As I was preparing, I was reminded of something important. I am not worried and feeling down because of my circumstances or my imperfections, but because my weak faith - faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, faith in my Heavenly Father, and faith in my divine potential that I've been given. So how can I fix this faith problem? What are some things I need to do (faith is action) to be strengthened in my faith? Part of the answer came from a talk in the May 2011 Ensign, given by Elder Russell M. Nelson about facing our future with faith. He made some clear points. It is addressed to parents, what to teach their children, but also I think it's what we should learn ourselves:

1. Obedience to the commandments
To prepare to meet God, we need to keep all the commandments of God. We need faith to keep them, and keeping the commandments strengthens that faith.

2. Prayer
Unmovable faith is strengthened through prayer. Our sincere and fervent prayers will change our perspective, and help us know that all things are for our experience and will work for our good. God will listen to our sincere, heartfelt prayers, and our faith will be strengthened.

3. Tithing
To develop a strong faith, we need to make a strong commitment to be full tithe payers. It takes faith at first to pay it, but in time the faith is strengthened and tithing becomes an important privilege.

4. Facing adversity
The way we face trials is a way to develop faith. Strength comes when we remember out divine nature, an inheritance of infinite value.

5. Priesthood blessings
Each of us can receive blessings through the power of the Melchizedek Priesthood. The power and authority of this priesthood holds the keys to all the spiritual blessings of the Church. These blessings can change the circumstances of our lives regarding our health, the companionship of the Holy Ghost, personal relationships, and future opportunities.

6. The Temple
The greatest of all Priesthood blessings are being offered in the holy temples of the Lord. As we stand faithful to our temple covenants, we will bring the blessing of eternal life to both ourselves and our family members.

The knowledge of the gospel and our love for our Heavenly father and our Savior will bring us comfort and sustain us and bring us joy in our hearts as we walk in righteousness and keep the commandments.
BE NOT AFRAID! REJOICE! YOUR FUTURE IS JUST AS BRIGHT AS YOUR FAITH. (Thomas S. Monson)

It is worth working on my faith. These are not easy times, as all around me people are changing the standards to their own pleasure, and there are many temptations and not so healthy influences. This is where strong faith can come in handy. Faith will guide me - us. Faith will protect us. Faith will give us hope. BUT only as long as we keep faith a verb, and not an adjective. Faith - action. This is something worth working for.

I don't feel that bad anymore. I have hope, I have desire, and I am getting down to the action part. Peace and joy come instantly, so I know I am not doing this alone - " Come unto Me" - the Savior is right beside me :)

Gratitude

2012-06-13T12:29:00.000+03:00

On Monday, we had FHE (Family Home Evening) at the senior couple's house. They had a wonderful lesson about gratitude, and it reminded me that I should be more grateful for what I have. They said something that stuck with me since: you cannot be happy without being grateful.

To be honest, we all want to be happy, right? So the longer the list of things we are grateful for, the happier we are :D

http://www.lds.org/topic/gratitude/

My list of things I am grateful for:
- phone - I can talk to my family every day
- camera - replaces my very poor memory
- computer - keeps me in touch with people all around the world
- food - it gets me in a very happy, positive mood - especially when shared with my friends and family
- my job - being able to pay for the phone, computer and food
- the sun - warms the water where I go swimming
- dark clouds - bring sweet, summer rain and thunders :D
- books - keep me company every day
- people, nature, cars,....

Just looking at my list and I already have a big smile on my face. I am a complainer, but in reality, I am a very happy person because I have many blessings :D So if you like to complain, try stopping once in the middle of your rant, and start counting the things you should be grateful for. You won't feel like complaining for a while now :D

Be grateful - stay happy! :D

Elections Time!!!

2012-06-07T22:22:00.000+03:00

I want to start by sharing a picture, a campaign poster, which represents all the politicians here in Romania at this time:

I hate doing politics, but this picture represents all that I think of the politicians here: hiding behind smiles, pretending to make it all about people when it's all about themselves, empty promises with no real and steady ground... And he is so bold to come out with a mask to ask for us to vote for him! What this picture makes me think of is all those movie scenes with bank robbers with guns, threatening people and stealing all the money... And also of... "WHY SO SERIOUS?" ...

The question is: who will I vote for this Sunday? This guy represent all of the candidates, so I decided to vote with every single one of them ... they all get my vote, and in a very funny way, none of them gets it :D This is my way of protesting against their empty , fake promises.

Twists and Turns

2012-06-07T11:46:00.000+03:00

I looked over my New Year's goals, and tried to figure out where I stand on the way to achieving them. I have to say: I am not close to them, I got past them.
I set some goals, but then I made up my mind: be bold and say yes to everything ... well, choose wisely, but I decided to get out of my comfort zone more often. And that is how I got to be a counselor at EFY... for the Hungarian group.
We had our meeting as counselors last weekend. After two hours, I started wondering what I was doing there - everything in German, translated into Hungarian, and then my brain worked it into Romanian... when possible :)) By Saturday afternoon, my brain was a wreck! Am I out of my comfort zone? Yes! I don't speak German, I need to work on my Hungarian, preparing to work with youth... at least that will be fun :D
It is starting to sound like me complaining... well, just so you know, I am very excited about EFY, and I can't wait for it to start! I read in Hungarian every day, and I do everything I can to give my best during that week.
I feel like this is a great responsibility, and having to speak Hungarian to youth, and going to Germany to do that, now this is out of my comfort zone... it sounds weird saying that since I went to the States twice by myself, and I served a full-time mission.... I wonder what happened to me... but I am getting back to being bold and adventurous! And I love it! I do have a lot on my plate with EFY and the YSA conference and my branch callings, but it keeps me busy with doing good things, and it feels good. It's worth all the effort :)
One thing I learnt is that I should set higher goals. I did not think for a second in January that I would end up here. So from now on,. higher goals, greater expectations, and more work :)

Oh, and here is a link to the video of our mini-EFY in Germany. It was all worth it :D Remember: aim high, you'll never know how far you can get unless you try.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151817784095503

My first experiments with lightnings

2012-05-25T10:24:00.000+03:00

A couple of nights ago we had an amazing lightning storm! Half an hour of lights and sounds :) All I can says is AMAZING!

I am very lucky to live on the top floor of the building, and have a window right above my bed. I grabbed my camera, opened the window, stood with my head out, and took some pictures. They are not amazing, but I had a great time experimenting with my camera before the rain started, which forced me to go back in.

Here are some pictures, just for fun :)

A Snail's Life

2012-04-26T23:21:00.000+03:00

It is amazing how the snails try every day to get on the other side of the pavement! Like there's no grass on this side! Oh well... Here are some adventurous snails. It's pretty amazing to watch them... although it takes a lot of patience, considering their speed. So just sit back, and watch them through my eyes. Enjoy!