Why no one should ever drink alcohol...

Tuesday night (Wednesday morning) I awoke in the middle of the night to sounds of our front door and the screen door banging around. I thought that maybe it was Taiyo, who comes home for his lunch break from 2:30-3:30am, leaving to head back to work, locking the door behind him. But I wasn't even sure what time it was, and the banging kept on and on longer than normal... something just didn't seem right. Since our room is right by the front door, I opened my bedroom door a crack and looked out to see who it was. There was someone on the outside... I crept up to the door and peeked through the decorative glass.

It was a MAN. Not Taiyo. A scruffy, unkempt, stumbling man, pushing against our front door with his shoulder trying to get in. My heart stopped. I had no idea who he was or what his intentions were. All I knew was that a scary looking man was trying to get into our house in the middle of the night. I grabbed the deadbolt to make sure it was completely turned to the locked position, and even held it in the locked position for a few seconds, unsure if he would be able to pick it somehow and get in... I could hear him grunting with each push and I was trying to figure out how to best react. Suddenly he stopped pushing against the door and I could see him through the window stumbling as he stepped back from the door, and started to walk (as best he could... he looked so drunk) back down the walkway. I ran back into my room and looked out the window, where he stopped and stumbled again at our driveway. Unfortunately I didn't have a phone because Taiyo and I share one, and he takes it to work with him, so I grabbed Soni out of his crib and ran upstairs to Erin's room, grabbed her phone, and called 911. I was so scared I was practically hyperventilating as I talked to the 911 operator. My parents and Erin heard me and came out, and I told them what was happening. The 911 operator told me that police were on there way and would scan the streets for him.

The police arrived and looked all around for him. One officer stayed parked in front of our house for about the next half hour, and then left. I don't know if they ever found him or not. Looking back at the whole situation though, I'm pretty convinced that this man, whoever he was, was just drunk out of his mind and thought that he was going home, but was at the wrong house. If he was trying to rob us or something he wouldn't have made such a ruckus with the screen door, and he could have tried to get in other ways. But rather, when the front door wouldn't open, he just left. Maybe he realized his mistake at that point. I don't know. (I wonder if he even remembered it the next day!)

It was such a scary situation for me that just a few hours later it was almost like a blur, like a bad dream. I couldn't get that image of him trying to push the door in out of my mind. Because of his appearance and demeanor it was almost like a zombie movie where the evil zombies break down doors and invade. Taiyo came home for his break just 10 or 15 minutes after it happened, to a police car in front of the house. He stayed with me for the hour, and then when things were calm he had to go back to work. I eventually tried to go back to bed around 4am. I couldn't fall asleep though until sunlight filled the room, and even then it was not quality sleep.

The next day, I was a little paranoid throughout the day. Little things made me jump, I kept making sure the doors were locked, and once when I opened the front door there was a moving shadow that made me literally jump back and my heart skip a beat. Every time I walked past the front door I got that image in my head again of him pushing against the door. As long as I kept my mind busy with something though I was fine. Even when night fell I was okay doing what I was doing, until I was all by myself and decided I needed to go to bed. Suddenly every noise jumped out at me, and I had to try to calm my anxiety to fall asleep.

Today (day 2) has been fine though. I still thought about it several times but I haven't been as on edge as I was yesterday and I think I'll be able to fall asleep fine. The funny thing is, somehow Everett never woke up during all of it, even when we went in his room to look out the window for the guy. We decided not to even tell him about it because we didn't want to spook him. He did ask me today though why I was acting so paranoid yesterday, lol. I just gave a general round-about answer and changed the subject.

So that's my scary story of the year. Or decade, perhaps. I am so grateful that it seems to have been just a drunken mistake, rather than an intentional (and armed) home invasion. I just had to say a prayer of gratitude and rethink my emergency action plan for the future. In any case though I have not been so scared in a loooong time. And hopefully none of us will have to feel that kind of fear or implement a real emergency action plan anytime in the near future!

Callings

For a few months, I've been the teacher of the 12-13 year olds Sunday School class in the Tongan ward here. I have really enjoyed it. There's something about preparing and giving a lesson that makes the information penetrate you even more deeply than just hearing it as a student. And I have a true, deep desire to make a difference in these kids' lives. Every week I hope I can say something in a way that will get through to them. Maybe, just maybe, I can say something that one of them will remember as they go through their teenage years.

Now, I have been given an additional calling- Relief Society teacher. It's only once a month but it made me nervous! I taught for the first time this past week and I was definitely nervous about teaching an adult class. I'm naturally a shy person anyway, and I'm only 23. Many of the women are older than me, have grown kids of their own, and have more life experiences than me. What could I teach them?? I don't want to come across as a know-it-all or claim to think that they have need to learn from me. But what I remembered as I went through the lesson this past week is that teaching the Relief Society is more like guiding a discussion. There are always things in the lesson that might be new to one person or another, including myself, but just being able to contemplate gospel doctrines with other women, and talk about it and share experiences and feelings, is wonderful. I love Relief Society for that reason.

I am grateful for my callings.

My last post was 6 weeks ago. On that day I was surprised that Soni could sort of "walk" with the toy pushing walker. Now, he's really walking! He took his first real, unattended steps 4 days ago, but then didn't seem to want to do it again for a few days. Then suddenly today, he was ready to try again, and he doubled his distance and balance. :) A few times today he even stood up and started walking on his own when we weren't even near him or telling him to.

Well, that's my exciting story of the day. Or week. Or month!... But in other news:

*Our trip to Tonga is coming up in 9 weeks!! We're getting very excited. We're going to have Taisoni's first birthday party while we're there too. :D I bought some cake making supplies... now I just need to practice it before we go!

*We are enjoying teaching the 13 year old Sunday school class in our ward. :)

* We love going to Goodwill on Thursdays and looking for good $1 deals

Mmmm, that's all I can think of at the moment but I guess if I think of anything else I'll just write another post.

Ready to RUN!

We have a little lion toy that a baby can sit on and ride, or you can lift the seat and turn it into a handle for them to use as a walker when they get older. So far we've just let him hold onto the handle to stand while we hold onto the lion itself so it doesn't roll anywhere. I thought it would roll forward and he would face-plant into the handle or the floor. Today however, we found out that he can WALK with it! I was so surprised! I guess I shouldn't be though, he's always standing up against things every chance he gets and eyes the other little kids with envy who are running around playing. Grandpa and Taiyo think Soni will be walking by the end of March... we'll see about that! My prediction from the beginning was that he'd walk at 10 months, which will be in May. So maybe he'll take his first steps in April, right in between. :)

Playday at the Park

Soni LOVES to be outside. Doesn't matter where we are or what we're doing, as long as we're outside he's happy. We took him to the park recently and let him get a feel for the jungle gym. It'll be nice when he can actually play on it on his own!

Let the Biting Begin

Yesterday I was playing with Soni and he chomped down on my finger like he always does, and to my surprise, I felt something a little sharp. At first I thought he had something in his mouth but I quickly realized it was a bottom tooth popping through! I was surprised because he hasn't even been feverish or excessively fussy, and his cheeks haven't gotten flush, or any of those signs that I've been waiting for. Hopefully it will stay that way as the rest come in too! He's such a good baby. :) I guess we're starting another new phase of his baby life!