Nate's Farewell

I stole the above photo from Nate's Facebook. I love the expressions on their faces.

Nate's Farewell

Tomorrow is Nate's 'farewell'. They are going full production with it complete with flyer style invitations and an open house. Nate picked up Hannah last night to have dinner with his family, some of whom traveled near and far to celebrate this wonderful event. I was a bit concerned because I did not want Hannah to feel 'out of place' but the Camps have been so wonderful to her. For that, I am very, very grateful and appreciative.

Tomorrow will be the last time that Hannah will see Nate for 24 months. He leaves for the Scotland Edinburgh (Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Èideann) mission two weeks later. We are all anxious to hear him speak tomorrow. I flew Hannah home just for this occasion because when you realize how much they both feel for one another, the rest is simply elementary.

Nate and Hannah picked me up from the airport today. I was in New York City and had a wonderful day there before I had to fly back. I took them to lunch and we had a fabulous time together. It was heartwarming to see the two look radiantly happy to be together. Everything seems to be clicking marvelously for them.

I'll keep this blog unfinished for now until the farewell and if I have any thoughts, I'll post them here.

*******

It's Sunday afternoon but it seems like early evening here. That's disturbing.

We indeed went to Nate's farewell. There were 4 speakers. I have to say that I enjoyed Nate's talk the best simply because it was earnest, sincere and heartfelt. No pontificating. No showing off. No preaching. I truly enjoyed it. The second speaker did mention that Scotland has no idea of the blessings that are about to arrive in their midst with Elder Nathan Camp. I tried hard not to cry when he said that but cry I did. It's because it's true.

I changed Hannah's flight back twice. In the beginning, I knew she NEEDED to go back on Monday but she insisted on going back Sunday afternoon. Well, all it needed was Nate's magic and poof---Hannah is leaving, as I envisioned in my head, on Monday early morning. EXACTLY the way I see it in my head. That's scary that I can do that but on the other hand, if people would just listen to me, it would prevent a whole lot of trouble and plus, one can make good use of the time by planning ahead.

There's an open house tonight at the Camps and I would like to go and share the evening with them---see and experience their joy and exuberance over Nate's decision to serve a mission. In any case, I almost wish he were already gone so things can move forward. The waiting for the wait to begin is simply...unnecessary at this point.

That's all I have to say about this....for now.

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Feb 2, Monday

Nate came to say good-bye tonight. He brought us a book written by his BOM teacher at BYU that he enjoyed reading and we really appreciated it very much. He leaves on Monday for their cabin and then the next day for SLC to spend time with his grandmother LaRue (who I just love) and then will get dropped off at the MTC on Wed, Feb 11 at 11:30. It was such a pleasure to have him visit even if it was to say good-bye. We just told him that we will see him around this time in 2 years. Suddenly, two years seemed a long time...only because we have enjoyed having him around.

Hannah and Nate seemed to glow together. They are, in a big way, inseparable but both looked happy and eager to look forward to the times ahead. I know things will work out for them but this separation certainly will try and refine whatever it is that they have that seems to keep them solidly together.

I was suddenly hit by a certain sadness and foreboding that I couldn't really define.

That's all I'm going to say about that.

Oh. And I received another email from David Scow. His family has been wonderfully generous to forward his emails from his mission. This time, the email came with another picture of him and a local family. He looked so different from all of them...and a bit lost. My heart got sad too that he was so far away and yet he is about to reach his 7th month and whoa...that was fassssst.

That's all I'm going to say about that for now.

I love that these wonderful young men are on their missions. But I sure do miss having them around.

Wendy Anae, coach of BYU Women's Basketball and sister to Robert Anae, defensive coach of BYU Football, Hina Hunkin, my favorite French-Tahitian and moi.

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I have been besieged lately by crazy comments and questions about looking younger than my age which is so annoying because I'm discovering more and more little wrinkles and sagging than I care to even mention. This is so comical to me because well, first of all, I'm Asian. You should see my friend Nori. She is about to kiss 50 but she looks like a 20 year old! Anyway, to Caucasians, we seem to age very, very slowly. But we Asians on the other hand, can see very well how we age because we see ourselves differently. It's a paradox.

But in thinking about it, I began to consider WHO were making these comments and in considering that, I've come up with pretty clever observations.

First, most of the women who ask what I'm doing have themselves 'given up'. I mean, just because we are in our 50s doesn't mean that we have to dress or look dowdy. What I've noticed is that most of them don't use make-up to even out their complexion. As Caucasians age, their skin seems to get ruddy and the colours uneven. That ages them. It would be easy to just take time and find the right type of foundation--cream, liquid, powder or mineral--whatever works for their skin type. That doesn't require much and they SHOULD take the time. Secondly, I think they need to learn how to apply or better yet, blend concealers under their eyes and under their brows. This takes some experimentation and practice because the skin around our eyes can be very thin and so applying highlighters/concealers can actually make it look worse if not mastered correctly. This is not hard to do. All you need is a good mirror and realistic eyes. I think when we age, we lose our playfulness and the joy of experimentation and it shows in the way we dress and present ourselves. That's when we begin to look shabby. So experiment, practice and search for the right foundation and concealers.

Next, I think that as we age, our lips lose their definition. What's the problem with wearing lipstick? I mean, if moms in their 40s and 50s go to church with red lipstick, does that mean that they're 'looking'? Sheeezzz, sometimes I think Mormons have such dirty minds. Yeah---red lipstick can do wonders! There's also a way to use lipstick so that the pigment doesn't run through the vertical wrinkles around the lips. Again, this takes experimentation.

Speaking of lips, here's another biggee: your teeth. It's easy to purchase one of those whitening strips for your teeth but it takes effort to actually do it. Well---do it. Yellow teeth simply add 10 years to one's face. And if you're in your 50s, yellow, uncared for teeth make you look ancient and decrepit---so add 20 years! Invest in your smile. It's the easiest way to remove years from your face!

So then, how about getting a good haircut? I think its a worthy investment. Hair is your crown and yeah-- get a good haircut! And for Pete's sake---do they have to wear their gray like a badge of honor? Crap. There's nothing good about gray hair unless you get a professional colourist to do it for you WITH a good haircut. Dull hair is a crime. I've invested in some wonderful wigs that I wear when I have a bad hair day or when I just feel like it. I look at it like....wearing a nice hat. Wigs are now made so unbelievably well at affordable prices. Again, experiment. Everytime I go to my favorite wig store I try on at least a dozen before I find one that makes me look good!

How about your shoes? Do they have to be eeekily banal? ANd is eekily a word? Nevermind. Shoes! I love shoes! Wearing high heels is an ability one has to acquire. If you give up that ability, you will forever be cast into the dowdy shoe outer darkness. Comfort is NOT an excuse. Work into it again! I used to be able to run wearing 3 inch stiletto heels. Not anymore. First of all, I have more weight to pack. Secondly, I gave up the ability. Now I am working up to it. I can be comfortable with 2.5 inch kitten heels. I'm working my way up. Just because I'm 53 doesn't mean I can't wear those sexy high heels! Oh my gosh---look at Tina Turner.

And lastly, check out the latest magazines for good fashion sense. True, there are certain styles I'd never consider that women in their 20s or even 30s can get away with. But why would I want to wear a tunic with lace leggings? But consider this: women in their 50s don't have to limit their palette to black or neutral colours. And we don't have to wear suits to look believable. We can wear sexy jeans. We can wear yellow. We can punch that dark suit with a red scarf or...hey even wear purple tights with those boots! And fishnet stockings. Yeah. I wear those. Why the hell not?

While I haven't had botox in over two years, I would have no compunction whatsoever about doing it. I've just been lazy because my doctor moved west side and I'm too lazy to find another to do the deed. But I'll do it as soon as I can. Oh and a couple of syringes of Restylane to smooth out my furrows and the naso-labial creases. Yeah. Painful. Oh so painful but after the deed, I will look like I went on a long vacation to Paris and came back totally renewed and serene. I'd do that again too. It's been three years since that first experience but I'd totally do it again.

Oh, and let's not forget that I've started going to the gym again. I haven't lost an ounce yet but I can see the difference already just in that extra spring in my step. And giving up sugar and white flour really does change your countenance...though I do cheat on more than one occasion. After all, I'm 53 and I can do whatever the hell I want.

And here's a postscript: I don't let being overweight paralyze me into thinking that I can only wear black to make me look smaller. Who would I be kidding? Matter occupies space and the space my matter occupies cannot be camouflaged. So that's that.

So I stumbled home just a few minutes ago from a 70 minute work-out session with my new trainer, Vanessa. She worked me to death even if my numbers were just at beginner's level. She knew exactly how much to push me at every station or machine we were using...except for the sit-ups. She definitely pushed me past my limit there. And the squats. She underestimated how bad I was.

I cannot believe that I have a weight problem. And I cannot believe that I let myself get so out of shape. I wish that I could get addicted to exercise the same way I am addicted to food, glorious food!

Anyway, I posted the picture above because I feel like those Hawaiians who were pushed off the edge of the cliff of Pali.

Definitely.