just checking in

So... I should be writing and posting photos of fun things I've done like leaf-peep and do the Newport Cliff Walk and buy a coffee table. Time flies. Yesterday the doctor asked how old I am, and I couldn't remember. So I said 28. Then she looked at me suspiciously and I said 29. Then I said I recently had a birthday. And she looked at me suspiciously again, and I said, in June. Seems recent to me!! Whatever. When I lived in Korea I always forgot how old I was because they count their age differently. So I thought I was older than I really was and it made me feel so young if I said my age as its regular American age. And from then on I never really kept track of how old I was...
New England is winding down it's leaf magic and the icy fingers of winter are starting to grope over the land. Erin and I are avoiding turning on our heat, but I daresay we may not be successful much longer. Today isn't even making it to 50. Tonight we are going to the MFA-- there is a neat Art Nouveau (how the heck do you spell that? google won't accept any of my tries.) jewelry exhibit and an interesting photography exhibit. I've seen some of each, but I'm looking forward to seeing more. We made some fantastic korean food the other days and shared it with the sister missionaries and a girl who is investigating the Church. We're resolute on getting up in the wee hour of 6am and running and doing pushups and situps every morning (watch out, becky!), but this morning it rained so we'll just do some pushups and situps tonight.
I'm doing Books & Basketball this year again- it's a tutoring program organized by the church for kids in Boston- 3rd grade through high school. Some of the kids are church members and some are friends of members. We tutor for an hour then there's 30 minutes for basketball, socializing and treats. I'm tutoring Jeff, 7th grade, who I've tutored for the last 2.5 years. He's pretty great- we have some good times.
I've been thinking about Prop 8 (CA) and it's an interesting situation. It's one of the few things that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has explicitly supported and even told it's members to give of their time and means to help it pass. I believe and trust our prophet and I know God knows best, but it's a hard line to walk: supporting the traditional definition of marriage without alienating or seeming prejudice or callous or unfair towards others, who include my friends. It's a hard thing to help people understand. It seems to be mostly a fight over being able to use the word "marriage" since legal benefits are not affected by the proposition, and I think it's interesting how much that status title matters in the world, especially a world that flights so much against tradition and conservatism. Anyway, as others I know have put it so well, it just comes down to my testimony that God lives and that our prophet is a man of God, and I trust and believe them that supporting Prop 8 is the right thing to do.
Erin and I joined netflix so my latest ambition has been to see how many movies I can pack into my life. We are going to tackle Seven Samurai before the week is over. 4 hrs or so. I hear there are 20 minute scenes of watching wheat blow in the wind. Woooweee!!! ;) Apparently it's worth it though, or so I'm told.
Well, folks, that's your update to keep you at bay. Love & Peace, my peeps.