Sarah's acheivement and Starry nights

-Originally written in March-

Boy am I proud of my girl! Last night she finished reading through the entire Book of Mormon on her own. She has been plugging away at this goal for two months, and was determined to finish this week. So during Spring Break she read all day, almost every day. She'd wake early to read, then only take breaks for meals, and continue reading late into the night. What a dedicated trooper!

She has also been doing a scripture journalism project to record her favorite verses, her thoughts, and questions as she studied scripture manuals and other study guides. I hope she keeps it forever- I'm sure it would be fascinating to look back on her early musings decades from now. 

As I was typing this tonight, Nathan came home from his dress rehearsal for the "Savior of the World" musical our stake is performing for our community. He came in without a word, took me gently by the hand, and swept me into his arms. I didn't have a chance to grab shoes. He carried me out into the dark night, placed me in his truck, and away we went down the quiet country roads. When I queried our course of action, he replied that Venus was very bright and beautiful tonight, and it would be a shame to miss it. We found a dark parking spot on the edge of the wilderness preserve not far from our house, and pulled over in the pitch black. Not a house was in sight, and no street lights could mar the darkness. He carried me to the back of his truck, where we sat together on blankets admiring the stars. The stars are absolutely brilliant out here, filling the night  sky with so many points of light that I am caught breathless at the beauty of it. It's so overwhelmingly beautiful, and so wild. It makes me want to either throw my arms up in the night air and shout in joy, or clasp my hands to my heart in quiet, breath-holding reverence. Both actions seem so adequate. 

He pulled out his tablet and opened a star chart app that delighted us and guided us on our star gazing. I was so happy to finally find Sirius in real life, and not just on a paper star chart. That star that has teased my imagination for years. (In case you wondered, Orion's belt points to Sirius, which is located some distance to the left of Orion. It's a very beautiful star.)

I so dearly love the starry sky, and this was such a perfectly beautiful moment to share with my beloved. We felt so in awe of God's creations, it was thrilling and humbling at the same time.

I'll miss this place so very much. We're selling the Texas farmhouse and moving to Utah this summer. It's very bittersweet. On the one hand, I'm so eager to have a new adventure and fall in love with a new place. On the other hand, I'll always leave a piece of my heart in Texas. I love this place so very much, and saying goodbye will be painful.