See you in a year and a half

I am off for a year and a half of learning
a year and a half of loving
a year and a half of striving
a year and a half of hoping
a year and a half of finding
of praying
of changing
a year and a half of my life to serve the Lord and teach my brothers and sisters.

I hope you make it a great year and a half and I will see you later!!!

Love,
Me

One Week

I have one week left, actually less than a week and I'm feel like I'm just going through the motions, it really doesn't feel real. I can't believe that it has been two months since I got my call. I have been packing my bags, it is crazy how much you can fit in three bags if you just pack right. I have started to say goodbye to a number of people. My roommates came down last week and we had dinner and then they said goodbye. It made me sad but like I said earlier it doesn't feel real yet I still feel like I have a trip to make up to logan or something. When I seriously think about it I am very nervous about everything. From entering the unknown, to speaking another language, going to the MTC, going to Texas, leaving my family, wandering around a city that I don't know (without mountains to help navigate), did I mention doing the hardest thing in my life. It all makes me really nervous but I'm also very excited; to be that close to the Lord and his Spirit. It will be such a special time!!! I hopefully will blog one more time before I go but we will have to see!!

count down

I don't really know what to write but I feel like I should because I only have 3 weeks to go until I am a missionary... It is very crazy to me... and I feel no where near ready. I have been spending lots of time with family because I will miss them lots while I am gone. Right now Justin and I have been playing a game of monopoly for quite a few days. he has to do homework and stuff but as soon as that is done we play the game. We are not quite sure who is winning because I have a lot of expensive property but he has more money.... I think it will still be a long game yet. I love spending this time with him because he is going to grow up lots while I am gone... I am pretty sure he is going to start his growth spurt... he could be taller than I when I get back. I also should be working on a talk right now but for some reason can't figure out what exactly I am supposed to be talking about... I sit down to do it and I am just stumped and can't come up with anything. I'm excited to go out but very nervous... I think I realized how nervous I was last week. My cousin went into the MTC last week and it made me realize how close it was to when I go in. My aunt was telling me about dropping him off and it finally struck me that I'm leaving and I'm leaving for a year and a half when I can't see my family... this is going to be HARD but I'm sure I can do it. I know the Lord wants me too, and I know I will grow.

Also I have a new goal. I'm in the middle of the Book of Mormon and I have a goal to read it hopefully by the end of the week.... i'm having some marathon days that hopefully will help. As for a temple update I have to still go to Oqquirh, Logan, Ogden, and St. George but by this time next week I will have been to all of those temples..... I feel very lucky that I live in a place where so many temples are avaliable to me.

Anyway this blog didn't really say that much but it is kind of what is happening in my life.

Goal before the mission

I have a goal to go to every temple in utah except for Vernal and Monticello. That is 11 temples folks!!! 11 of them. I have already visited three; Draper, Manti, and Salt Lake. Hopefully I will visit both the Jordan River and Bountiful this week. It is a goal to also keep me going to the temple as often as I can. I love going to the temple because I love pondering about the plan and what certain symbols mean, I also love feeling the Lords spirit. I love it so very much.

The hardest thing about this goal is that a lot of the temples close for two weeks during this time of year. This means that I'm going to have to do a lot of planning to make sure that I can get to all of them before I leave. But I'm determined to do it so hopefully I will be able to. Where there is a will there is a way, right?

Also I have a new discovery concerning temples; Manti temple is one of my absolute favorites.... I think I might even like it more than the Salt Lake temple. It is just beautiful inside and out. I love it lots!!! I visited it for the first time last friday and have found myself hoping to get back to it anytime possible. I absolutely loved it.

adjusting to life at home

I am moved in at home, the holidays are over, and my siblings are back in school. I remember that school starts up at USU on monday and that I will not be up there with my fellow classmates. I'm sad that i'm not up there; I miss them. But all in all i'm adjusting nicely. My bed is still on cinder blocks (more storage space I guess). I am helping clean out closets in my house that haven't been touched in more than 4 years! I have read 2 books in 2 days. I might be giving two farewell talks, one in my home ward and one possibly in my student ward (roommates I hope you will come to both). I went through the temple last week (actually a week ago today) and I want to go to as many temples in utah as I can.
I feel like there is tons to do before I go on my mission and there is only 43 days until I enter the mtc. I'm excited to go and teach the people but I'm nervous to speak spanish. I am also nervous to be leaving home for that long. but it will be good!!!!

Lots of emotions!

"I hope they call me on a mission, When I have grown a foot or two,
I hope by then I will be ready to teach and preach and work as missionary's do"

Well I have grown a foot or two and I'm ready to teach and preach in Spanish to the people of Houston Texas.

I have very mixed emotions about everything. I feel a mixture of nervousness, excitedness, sadness, happiness, excitedness, nervousness, sadness, happiness. It is this round emotions that I have had ever since I have gotten my call. I can be way excited about it one minute and then way sad the next. The feelings of sadness and nervousness are not because I don't want to go I really do. It is just that I'm leaving a part of my life behind. I have decided the best way to describe what I'm feel is to compare it to finishing a book in a series. As you finish the book you are sad to end the book but you are excited for the next book.

I'm sad because I'm leaving work, (I know kind of weird to say but I have worked there for 2 1/2 years). I have made many friends there; friends that I hope last for a long time. One such friend has also become a roommate and someone I can talk to about anything.

I'm sad because I'm moving out from my apartment I'm leaving some very great friends. I know that I will still be friends with them. But even so some of them could be married when I get home; everyone will be off doing other things. That is great but it is still hard leave them.
I will be leaving my family for longer than I will ever have before. This is hard, I know I can do it but that won't make it easier.
I'm putting my education on hold for a 1 1/2 years. It is funny, if i would have stayed with my original major I would have been a new graduate right now. But I have decided once again to postpone my education for yet another year and a half. I'm mostly nervous because I don't want to forget everything I have learned..... But I know the Lord will bless me in this area.
I'm nervous because I know that a mission is one of the hardest things that you can do in your life. A mission may be one of the best times in your life but that is because it is one of the hardest times in your life. You have to learn to rely on the Lord with all of your soul... and that can be hard especially for someone like me who likes to plan everything that she is going to do.

But I'm excited also.... I'm excited that for a year and a half I will be under the Lord's guidance. That I will be doing his work and helping him achieve his purpose. I will be teaching my Brothers and Sisters in Houston all about what I believe. All about our Heavenly Father and his plan of Happiness. A beautiful plan that is individual and yet all encompassing.
I'm excited because I get to learn spanish and this will help me in my schooling.
I'm happy because I know that what I'm doing is right, I know that I am supposed to be going to Houston. I feel so much at peace when I think about all that I will be doing down there.

I really am happy and excited!!! It is just hard to see a part of my life end. But it always is... I've done it before and I will do it again. Such is the rounds of life.

well obviously i'm not better yet

Today: I'm grateful for a beautiful sunset that lit up the sky. It was beautiful. I was grateful that although work was busy there was a small moment when I could look up in the sky and see the colors all mixing to become a beautiful smear of light. I couldn't help but call all my co-workers over to look at this sight. It made me think that surely God exists because something that beautiful couldn't "just happen". I also wished that I had a camera so I could capture this moment and keep it forever.



Yesterday:

I was grateful for a professor that understands and help me see that I really understood the subject better than my test score said I did. It was also a relief to find out that my grade in the class will still be about what I thought it was going to be before I took the test. That is something I'm very grateful for.



Wednesday:
I was grateful for getting out of class early so I was able to work on some homework, also so I could have sometime before going to a performance for the night. I'm grateful that the performance wasn't very long and it was also entertaining. I thought it was good.