February 11

I thought I would never say this, but I want the geckos back!!!!!  Really! Honest. I do!  Here is why.  

Last night Scott went to bed early, and I stayed up finishing this little church book I was reading.  At just before midnight I finished, put the book down and went into the kitchen for a glass of water before I went to bed.  As I was walking into the kitchen I noticed this black piece of something about six inches long lying on the floor.  I turned to pick it up and it moved.  Backing up I went to find my glasses.  With them on I could tell from the living room door that the six inch "thing" was a long bug with a million legs, a triangular head with antennae. Gross. I stood there thinking about what I had that was big enough to cover and capture this "thing."  I remembered a bucket in the back room, so I walked around the kitchen table on the side away from the "thing", got the bucket, climbed onto one of the chairs, aimed, dropped the bucket on top of the "thing", and then went to bed.  Scott woke up when I got in bed, but refused to go take care of the "thing".  This morning when Scott took the bucket off the "thing" it was almost dead.  I have included its picture.  We think it is a centipede.  If it is they bite and the bite is soooo painful. Come back Girty the Gecko!  

The six inch centipede on it's stomach.

Centipede on its back.  

We had over 50 in the institute on Saturday night.  Whew. Noisey. Fun!  We had ping pong in the classroom plus a game table.  We had 8 playing Uno in the old stake president's office.  There were 6 playing Pit and Phase 10 in the old clerk's office.  There were 12 YSAs in the kitchen sitting on the floor singing.  About 10 guys were standing around waiting to play pool.  8 were playing cram board in the middle of the lounge and there must have been 11 to 15 sitting around the lounge talking and watching.  It was really fun.  We were, however, so grateful for the quiet that came at 10:15 p.m.

I had given my marriage class an assignment to have a date before this coming Wednesday.  Many of the class members decided to use the activity night at the institute for that date.  It did not happen.  I felt sorry for the cute little older sister (25) who showed up looking so spiffy and her date did not come.  I am going to strangle the guy.  I have discovered this week that the dating customs of these young adults is a direct result of the 55 to 65 year old generation whose parents chose spouses for them. If I had been a Fijian, Grandma and Grandpa Chatfield would have chosen my husband.  Really.  Now when this generation's young men decide it is time to get married, they watch until they find a girl they are really interested in.  When they make that selection they go to the girl and say "I am going to asking you out soon.  Get ready."  Which really means "I am prepared to court you and at the end of the courtship we are going to get married."  This is why we had one recently returned sister missionary panicked after class last week when I told them to get dates.  One of the recently returned Elders had already told her he was "ready" to date her.  She was his pick for the week's date.  I could not figure out why she was so panicked.  It is just a date; except here in Fiji it is not just a date.  It is a commitment.  Strange.  I would love to know what the divorce rate is here in Fiji.