Friday, April 15, 2011

the count down is on..

I have been here by called to serve as a missionary in the
San Antonio Texas Mission, speaking english!
Opening my call was a crazy experience and I was so happy to enjoy it with some of my favorite people. I am so excited to do the lord's work and I know that Texas is exactly where I am supposed to be and where there are people that need me specifically to teach them. I am excited to learn the culture down there and hoping to learn a little spanish in the process! I'm so happy to finally have a date and a place. The date.. July 27th!! Three days after my birthday, granting my dad's wish of having me here for the 24th! That's a little under 15 weeks! I have lots to do and learn and enjoy before then but I am just so happy!!

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

well kids..

it's here!
it's here!
it's here!!!!!

my official mission call from the church head quarters is currently sitting at my house
i'm in logan
amazingly i am totally okay with it!
I have been blessed with the ability to have patience I am so incredibly excited but content with waiting till tomorrow. I love that everyone is getting so excited for me and giving me all sorts of guesses from Oklahoma to the Philippines, where ever it is I am so so stoked.

another plus, tomorrow i don't have my first class which means i get to sleep in AND i get to play at the elementary today co-head teaching!
Today is awesome!
Tomorrow will be BETTER!!!!
Woo Hoo!!!!!

Monday, April 11, 2011

patience..

Patience is becoming my new friend. I got the wonderful news from my bishop late last night that my call has been chosen and was mailed on friday! It should be here on wednesday and I could not be more excited! My roommates have started bets on where I will go but honestly I am ready for anywhere!
Yesterday I had a great opportunity to share a message and my testimony in sacrament meeting with six other amazing girls in my ward that are also preparing to serve. That's right there are seven of us, seven in one ward! It is so incredibly awesome they are some of the strongest girls and such examples, the meeting was perfect and got me so ready to just know already the people I will be getting to serve!
Thursday is the day! My focus and attention get lost a lot lately, I know school thursday will be pure torture but nevertheless I am going to be a good student attend my classes and then make my way down to sandy for a weekend of friends, family, fun, and MY MISSION CALL!!!

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

getting your hopes up..

Getting your hopes up is the worst!
From the average of kids in my institute class that have gotten them in a week and a half I had my original plan for the glorious letter to be arriving today but my stake president told me because of general conference and the amount of papers going in right now it might be a week longer than that. Not wanting to die during the wait and be disappointed I have been preparing my self, self talk and all, helping my self be patient in the waiting process for the most important piece of mail, ever.
I failed today.
When I woke up this morning I was listening to some of the conference talks which got me really excited for my mission and I began convincing myself that the apostles are such rock stars that even the friday before conference they would be doing the mission choosing process. Granted they are rock stars even without making mission calls but it would seem that they had better things to attend to. All day today I got excited, nervous, anticipating where in the world I would be going. Where in the world would I succeed in the work.
I got my hopes up.
Made the phone call to my dad that he was to immediately text me when he got home today to tell me if it was in the mail. Then to deepen my excitement I received a text from my mother..
"Call me when you can :)"
Well in my mind I took this as her being sneaky, she had seen the letter and was wanting to tell me it was here on the phone. I call her the second I get out of work, she answers casually asking me how my day has been, all the while I am thinking she is still trying to drag me along, I interrupt her with too much excitement..
"Have you been home yet? Is it there?!?"
She didn't even remember it was wednesday, she simply had a thought to tell me about. I was bummed but my hopes did not falter they may have even grown in more anticipation. Waiting till two I kept checking my phone, it finally rings! I pick it up immediately excited, ready to skip classes tomorrow so that I could open it tonight, my dad proceeds to tell me..
"There's a big white envelope.... ... but it's from USU."
Bummer. My heart sank.
I know that whether it had come today or next week it will still be the same but I was really hoping it would be today.
Making it to next wednesday will be a challenge, but patience is a Christ like attribute!

Sunday, April 3, 2011

simple amazement..

this weekend was one that filled me with so much love and happiness..
starting off with a morning full of april fool jokes from my roommates that made me smile rather than making me upset or frazzled (two times soaking myself with the sink hose never hurt anyone) I was able to come home once again to enjoy my family, friends, and faith.
Friday I got to play with my girls enjoying chats and yummy food, laughter and the walmart video game, late bed times and disney magic there is little things better than a girl and her best friends having a conference sleep over.
I have always had a very special place for the chance I get twice a year to be uplifted and energized by the wonderful spirit and words of the lord and his modern day prophets. I am always excited for what exactly they will say especially concerning the state of the world today. The church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has changed my life is indescribable ways and general conference simply reaffirms my faith resolution and dedication as a disciple of Jesus Christ.
Saturday morning I woke up with my friends and enjoyed the first session amongst discussion and breakfast before returning home with a costco run, more uplifting words, and dinner with my mom. The night ended in adventure include failed attempts at different activities with a visit from the police, a funny movie, and a blessed drive home that allowed me to successfully and safely return admist the crazy late night storm that hit sandy this weekend.
Today I was even more moved by the inspiration I received for myself enjoying the snow, the fireplace, and my comfy sweats. Though I could go on and on about the words heard from the prophets the part of the weekend that stuck out the most to me was the MTC segment put on in between sessions. With my upcoming mission call I was moved beyond belief by the power that the lord shares with those called to be a part of his work in these later days. The segment covered everything from the drop off, to the day to day life, to the reason and blessings of the work itself. The ability to see what was in my future killed nerves and ignited a very special excitement in me to get started doing what I am meant to do!
The rest of the day included one of my greatest hobbies, baking and cooking for my loved ones, with quality time and rest.
I am immensely blessed.
I know that Christ lives, he is my Savior and Redeemer who knows me personally, who died for me so that I could progress to my true potential in this life for eternity. I know the Book of Mormon to be the word of God and know it to be the true way to come closer to Jesus Christ. I know that this church was restored by the true prophet Joseph Smith, that God the Father, His son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost appeared to him to return God's power and authority to the earth. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ is the true church and that the prophets, seers, and revelators of this gospel speak the true words of the Lord which is why general conference is so special.
This weekend was very good to me.

Thursday, March 31, 2011

the simple click..

today was gorgeous.. sunny with the slight breeze that makes you even more grateful for the impending season, grateful for my comfy sweater choice that kept me at just the perfect internal temperature.. walking outside today I felt like something special was in my future.
It is not a shock to those really close to me that this semester and the change in roommates was really hard on me. I have been blessed to make some of my greatest best friends simply from the fate of random roommate assignments. My life would not be what it is now if i didn't have my flamingo girls. It was not until this semester that they finally all moved out, moved on, attending to the things they need to accomplish in life. As much as I am so happy for each of them and where they are at now I had a really hard time adjusting to living with no one that really understood me. No one that got my weird humor, that was able to get me out of any funk, allowed me to wallow on the bad days and helped me make some the best..
My roommates now are different. They are amazing women, talented, and uniquely different than me and thusly I was faced with the decision to either put myself out there or wade out the semester alone. I watched as they all clicked with one another as an outsider wishing for the past to be relived. They are simply a different speed than I am and it took some adjusting to, a conscious decision to make it good again and so I did, I decided to try..
The result, the past two days have simply worked. I can't pin point the reason, I don't know what changed but i felt a click tonight. Tonight, at an amazing concert featuring the one and only Marny Proudfit our wonderfully amazingly talented roommate.. Intermixed into the bobing and people watching, the enjoying and catching my first free t-shirt I finally felt the roommate click set in. It just happened in one of those moments you wish to never forget the mental picture it just felt good and I am so grateful for it.
This last month up in logan will be bitter sweet for me, maybe being my last time living in logan I want to live up every moment before I move on to the next exciting stage in my life. Having roommates to laugh with and connect with will make this possible..

So that click, the small realization that for this last month I have the chance to really enjoy the flamingo house and fill my time with slim in six, treat wars, laughing, and talks.. it brings a smile to my face. Simple and set.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

the waiting game..

I am torn tonight..
On one hand I broke one of the goals I care a lot about tonight. The worst part of having to do school work on a sunday is that I could have done this homework that decided to lear it ugly head at me all day today yesterday. Did I? Not in the slightest.. I had good intention to, I even had the time to, but I simply didn't which makes the entire thing worse that I didn't even have a good excuse to break my no homework on sunday commitment but it happened I studied my heart out today and took an exam. Glad it's over and next week is another start!

On the most opposite side.. I'm done! Done! DONE!!! with my papers that is.. I had my stake president's interview today and am so glad to be blessed with amazing men that take pride in fulfilling their callings to help me in this process. It seems like just yesterday I made the decision to really truly go but it is now here and all I have left to do is wait. Wait for a place and a date, stuff that will change the progression of pretty much everything from here on out. The word stoked is an understatement.. as of now I am not dying in lack of patience but I'm sure that feeling is to come in the next couple weeks, for now I am just happy! Happy to be waiting and happy for the realization of only five weeks left of school!

Today was good to me.