The EX

Did you ever hear the one about Heidi A.?

One day there was a boy named Jeff who got baptized into the Mormon church and dated a girl named Heidi who Jeff baptized and then went on a mission while Heidi wrote faithfully until the end of his mission when she dumped him hard with a Dear-John letter.

Pretty much the only contact after that was Christmas cards back and forth once a year and then a note from her on her anniversary of her baptism where she always shared with us her testimony and reminded Jeff what a good influence he was and how the Spirit bore witness to her of the truthfulness of the True Church because of him.

After being married for 15 or so years Heidi's family popped in for a quicky visit as they passed through our little Northern California town for a very informal sandwiches and water (which I am now completely embarrassed about because knowing Heidi like I know her now she would have put out a fine and scrumptious sit-down bevy of vittles.)  Except for the the food the visit  went well as I kept reminding myself that her connection to Jeffrey was not as an EX but as one of gratitude for what he gave her through the Gospel and then we didn't hear from then again until Christmas.

We got word that we were going to be moving to Seattle, Washington where Heidi had birthed and nearly raised all of her children and since she was the only person that we knew who lived there I gave her a call to get the scoop ins and outs and the low-down on where we should start looking for houses and of course she said that where she lived was the absolute best place to raise a family and after we visited we couldn't have agreed more.

To make a long story short we bought a house less than a mile from where Heidi lived.

Heidi paved the way for us as she told people about us moving here...

actually about her "old boyfriend" and his family moving here.

Our first day at church I sat next to a lovely lady in Relief Society who was quiet, probably thinking and wondering how to pose her question.   Finally, she put her hand on my leg and said, "are you Heidi's boyfriend's wife?" 

Fortunately we both had a good sense of humor and had a good laugh over that.

Heidi's cute little boy and my girls quickly bonded and became fast friends.  He told my girls one day, "I almost was your brother."

There were so many funny things like that that happened with people referring to Jeff as Heidi's boyfriend

and again,

thank goodness we all had a great sense of humor about it because it could have been tragic and embarrassing, but it really was funny.

Also, thank goodness that Jeff baptized her because that really was the best excuse why anyone would want to stay friends with their EX.

After living close for a year, Heidi and her family moved away.

So, Heidi came back into town with her kids. 

We spent a Sunday afternoon with her having dinner, playing games and visiting. 

She doesn't do anything half way. 

As one of her talents she is a fantastic cook.  We enjoyed some desserts she made and a delicious salad.

I would now like to impart the recipe of my new favorite salad that Heidi made for us.

Quinoa

spinach

kalamata olives

artichoke hearts

avocado

feta cheese

lime squeezed over it

olive oil

balsamic vinaigrette

You feel so healthy eating it but you also enjoy so many bright flavors mixed together.

Thanks Heidi!

She is a great person and I am glad that she likes to keep in touch. 

I am also glad that Jeff makes sure I know he is glad he picked me.