Too many experiences to write. Too much fun with my best friend. This city has grown on us tremendously over the past few months. It has really become home.
Work: NY really is, as my coworkers say, the capital of the world. There are maybe 70 people in my group at work. In the short time I've been here I've worked with people from Finland, Spain, England, France, Ireland, Northern Ireland (learned there's a difference), India, Turkey, China, Netherlands, South Africa, Haiti, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Peru, Argentina, Japan, Ghana, Australia, Russia, Trinidad and Tobago (coolest accent award), and even some people from New Jersey. To put it in perspective, I've worked with 5 people from France and I've only worked with one person that is from the US west of the Mississippi. Smart, hard-working, good people. Having never been out of North America, I've never really experienced anything like this. All I can say is I love it. My adventurous wife, who's spent significant time in Europe and in-the-middle-of-nowhere-please-don't-die-China, surely feels less like a tourist here than I do. I have a feeling I'd still feel like a tourist even if I lived here for 20 years. I guess that's the magic of this place.
So, to spare you the boring details: I'm loving what I do and the people I do it with so life on the work-front is good.
On to the real reason I'm posting:
Becca and I spoke today in church and I wanted to take a minute to brag about her. She gave the most eloquent talk on Grace - it was a tough act to follow. The principle of Grace has always alluded me. As a talk topic, it scares me. There, I said it. But not Becca. She stood up and knocked it out of the park. After the meeting, a number of people came up to thank us (but more her) and one man went out of his way to tell Becca, in a very somber tone, "That was the the best talk on Grace I have ever heard. Thank you."
He was right. But wait, there's more. In the audience was one of our ward members who just so happens to be one of my personal heroes. His name is Richard Bushman and he is the author of "Rough Stone Rolling," the most beautifully crafted (and notoriously divisive) biography ever written about Joseph Smith. Some Mormon's love it, some hate it. I fall under the former category. As a side note, Richard Bushman the man is equally remarkable. He really gets it - but that's not something I'll write about here. (Dad, remind me to tell you what he said about friendship and the missionary program.)
After Sunday School he came up to us to let us know that he had one of his Columbia students with him and that she thoroughly enjoyed our talks. I, of course, was as giddy as a school girl at that point. Then he turned to Becca and said that her talk was "Really great, it was very thoughtful. Thinky."
What?! Did Richard Bushman just call Becca's talk 'thinky'?!
"Thank you," she said. Then he turned to me and said he enjoyed my talk and the stories I told. I noted, "She always has been the brains of the operation." He shot back, "I could tell." We laughed and just like that the conversation was over.
Now I realize this means nothing to anyone but me, but Richard Bushman really is one of my heroes. The guy is a genius and an honest (yet spiritual) scholar of all things Mormonism. And this man just called Becca's talk "Thinky." Richard Bushman! Thinky! And I married her!
Well I love this Becca girl of mine. She's everything I ever wanted and far beyond what I ever deserved.
I'm tired now. But first, I know Doreen likes pictures, so here's one of Becca modeling a scarf and belt she got for her birthday looking like a total babe - par for the course. If you don't hear from me again it's because she killed me for posting this picture - but how could I resist?
She had me take it on my phone to send to my mom to thank her for the present. (Thanks, ma!)
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Dan
