Day 2: Sleep, You Say? Totally Over-Rated.

Saturday night found us driving from Salem to Pasco in the wee hours of the night for a mission farewell in which Dallin, Bradley, Bryce and Derek would be playing their violins. Trying to be a supportive wife, I stayed awake for the 4+ hour trip to ensure Dallin would stay awake. That meant my head didn't hit the pillow at my parents house until 4:45 am, Sunday morning. And then we woke up 4 hours later at 8:45 to get ready for church. 4 hours of sleep for a pregnant lady isn't what I would call ideal, but I made it through church without a hitch (even had a wonderful spiritual experience, which I talked about here.) Then, as I attempted to take a nap Sunday afternoon, my body just didn't feel like cooperating. Frustrated, I finally pulled myself out of bed and figured I would just stay awake until that evening when, I was sure, sleep would overcome me. Fast forward to 2:00 AM as I am fighting back tears of frustration that my right leg is numb and every inch of my body itches and the other million things preventing me from drifting off into a soundless sleep. At this point of great anxiety, I realized, so foolishly, that I had neglected to say my prayers that evening before falling into bed. As I cried out to my Father in Heaven in ultimate frustration, my nerves were calmed and suddenly, it seemed, the alarm clock was ringing for me to awaken. As soon as my eyes opened, new tears formed in my eyes, tears of utmost gratitude to a loving Heavenly Father who heard the cries of a very ungrateful child. As He does so often, He answered my prayer immediately, as though waiting for me to just humble myself a little and realize I needed Him. Once again, my testimony of prayer and my testimony of how much I depend on my Heavenly Father and Savior were strengthened. Isn't it funny how those lessons we so desperately need to learn come in the most unexpected ways?