"are you elder holland?"

saturday evening i quickly ran to barnes & noble bookstore to purchase a gift. i didn't really want to take the energy to go out into public, but decided that i needed to do it at that moment or it just wouldn't get done. i rushed into the bookstore, hoping to take no more than 10 minutes start to finish. i hurried up the escalator and headed toward the children's book section. as i was rushing to the back corner of the store, i noticed a man that looked a lot like elder jeffrey r. holland. it was a side/back view of him so i wasn't sure. i did a quick double take. at second glance i thought to myself, "no, that isn't elder holland. elder holland is taller than that...AND his hair is darker." i'm not really sure why i thought i knew how tall or the exact shade of haircolor elder holland has - but in my mind, i knew. since it wasn't him and since i had a strict time frame to adhere to, i carried on. i had a mission, and i was going to accomplish it as quickly as possible. after a minute of searching, then speaking to a sales associate, i had the book in hand. as i walked around the corner i saw a man sitting on a chair by a book display. with the view of his face, especially his jowls, i realized that elder holland is probably not as tall as i thought he was AND his hair isn't as dark as i thought. i wasn't positive, but i was becoming more certain. he didn't see me, but i saw him. i stopped. a slight inner battle began - do i stop and exchange a few words with an apostle of the Lord (or at least a person i THINK is elder holland) or do i just let him have his peace at the barnes & noble bookstore? i have always thought that i wouldn't bother an apostle if i ran into one of them in public. my logic being, they didn't ask for the title they have, they probably get stopped all the time especially here in utah and it is probably really annoying. i just always figured i would admire an apostle or prophet from a distance if i were to see them. so, after the short inner battle inside my heart and head, i approached the man i thought to be elder holland. i was in such a state of shock, that i didn't realize i was being one of THOSE people. this is kind of how the conversation went:

me: "i'm sure you get this all the time, but are you elder holland?"

man: "i look a lot like him..."

me: (thinking to myself, so maybe it isn't. hmmmm...)

man: (smile on his face) "i am." (extending a hand to shake.)

elder holland: "what is your name?"

me: "erin petersen"

elder holland: "well erin, you're cute as a button."

me: (blusing with a dumbfounded look - something i do well.)

elder holland: "i hope you have a happy thanksgiving."

me: "thank you. you too. we pray for you."

then i smiled, turned and walked away. that was it, my run-in with an apostle of the Lord at the bookstore.

i walked away from the experience just wanting to be a better person. i smiled at more people on my way out. i was more personable to the clerk who helped me check out. i paused to hold the door for somebody. i wanted the world to feel God's love, because i had just felt it. it was really humbling to me to think that elder holland was so pleasant while i was indulging myself by bugging him in the bookstore. he has plenty of important things to do. he is a busy man. if i were him, and people were stopping me all the time, i think i'd be right annoyed. he wasn't though. he was pleasant and kind and reminded me of how we all should be, a disciple of our Saviour at all times and in all places. my encounter with him reminded me of a scripture in mosiah 2:17-18:

"and behold, i tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that you may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.

behold, ye have called me your king; and if i whom ye call your king do labor to serve you, then ought not ye labor labor to serve one another?"

yes, i think i ought. so, as usual, i need to try a little harder and do a little more. as usual, God is teaching me lessons. as usual, i am stumbling along. and, as usual, God is being patient with me.

lists

'tis the season for lists. each year around thanksgiving my mom busts out the christmas lists. the christmas lists are not my favorite thing in the world. i just feel like i am 30 years old and i feel kind of silly and really greedy when creating a wish list.

now there are other kinds of lists that i love. when i have lots of things to do, i like to write them down and check them off. it helps with me organize this crazy head of mine. there is also a real sense of gratification in marking something off of a list.

there is another kind of list that i love, it is the kind of list that i have in my phone. i have pages of lists to help me remember things. it all started with the movie list. every time i decide it is time to rent a movie, i get so confused. it seems i can can always think of movies i'd like to watch, except when it is time to rent a movie. whenever i am at blockbuster or hollywood video, i walk up and down the isles dumbfounded, not knowing what movies to rent. the solution to this problem, a list of movies in the phone. i'd like to share my list with you all, and if you have anything to add you can just let me know. please note, these movies mostly came from recommendations:

• hotel rwanda
• penelope
• west side story
• confessions of a shopaholic
• the secret life of bees
• gone with the wind
• pursuit of happyness
• dave
• steve prefontaine movie
• romeo and juliet
• o' brother where art thou
• the horse whisper
• steve prefontaine movie
  

then, there is the list of places to eat:

• red iguana
• ruth's diner
• sun and moon cafe
• rino's
• benihana
• naked fish
• east west connection
• mac cools
• mazza
• bombay house
• himalayan kitchen
• litza's pizza
• porcupine grill
  

one of my favorite lists is my list of gift ideas. it makes shopping for gifts alot easier. for obvious reasons, i am not going to post that list. however, if you have something you'd like me to add to that list, feel free to let me know. disclaimer - i recognize that it is a bit hypocritical to not like the christmas wish lists that my mom passes out, and then ask for you all to add to wish lists i have for each of you. what can i say - i have some work to do.

i love my lists, lists, lists. maybe i should start creating a list of my lists, or maybe not...

chuck e. cheese - ever heard of him?

my nephew, spencer has and he was uber excited when we all met up for his birthday at mr. cheese's place. i remember being spencer's age. my fascintation with chuck e. and his friends was absolute. you remember them, don't you? the big animals on the stage that dance by turning their head's half a centimeter and moving there hands one full centimeter. they sing too. remember? at a young age i was enamored by these performances. i thought the animals were larger than life. now...well, i think they are a bit frightening. the kids love them though. jack was drooling with joy and spencer couldn't stop clapping and jumping up and down. it was GREAT! do you remember the pizza at chuck e. cheese's? it is like glorified frozen pizza. as a kid, it takes like a gourmet delight. and the games? nothing is better than skee ball, right?

as i go back over and read this post, i realize i may sound a bit cynical. that is not the intent at all. i had an absolutely wonderful time at chuck e. cheese's. i am just trying to paint the picture, and remind myself, of the simplicity of a child's joy. as a kid, i had no complaints about the food, entertainment, or atmosphere of chuck e. cheese. in fact, it was much the opposite. i thought we had made it in life when we were at chuck e. cheese. i was on top of the world. jack and spencer were much the same. and really, i actually was too. being with my family, where ever it may be, is the top of the world for me. my dad and mom bought tokens that they distributed amongst the masses. as it should have been, spencer received the largest sum of tokens. christian and i got a few. we found a game that we loved. it wasn't your conventional game. we didn't even have to put a token in to play. we found one of those games that you smack the animals head as it pops up. when you hit their head you get a point. well, as we were looking at the game we saw that some tokens had fallen down inside the cracks between the animal and the bottom of the game. we decided to try and fish the tokens out. it was so funny. two 30 something year old "kids" sneaking tokens out of the cracks of the game. christian was the winner. his skills at this game were well developed and his motivations were high. he was an inspiration to me as i fished out a couple of them. i think when we tallied it all up, christian got 5 tokens out of the game and i retrieved two. it was such a rush! we used those tokens to play a pinball type game that guaranteed a lot of success. success equals tickets for prizes, and this game yielded success. the end result, lots of tickets for the birthday boy to win a great prize. what a night. next time you are thinking of a great date night, might i suggest chuck e. cheese? it's a rather romantic place.