GREAT NEWS!!!

I finally got a reliable computer and imported all my mission pictures so I can finally start blogging again!! 

These past 2 months have been torture. Isn't that the best news?!

So once I get all those posted I can talk about how I'm engaged.

That will be fun :)

two-second mission-intermission (woah. nice.) for Virginia.

Hi.

Since I have no idea where my mission SD cards are at the moment, and I have this mad bug to write, I'm just going to give a quick update on my totally normal life. (paha!)

I'm currently sitting on the (clean? Uh...) floor of the Charlotte North Carolina airport. Why, you might ask your inquisitive self? Well because I have decided to move to Virginia.

I'm sure this comes as no surprise; I have stopped being surprised at my sudden life changes, but I swear there is a song somewhere that describes my situation. I come home from my mission, I love home and my family and the old smells and sights, it will always be the home I adore, but I have this ache to get out. A man comes into my life (again) and invites me to Virginia. I have many wonderful options, like dream schools and dream jobs and people I love, but I just can't say no to Virginia.

Moving to VA has been on my mind for three years (or.... 8) and I just knew someday I would end up there. I have no idea how long I'll be there or if I will love it (that's a lie, I have pre-chosen to love it no matter what), but I know it is right and I'm going for it. I'm sorry if I didn't get to see you since I got home (only three weeks ago! Crazy!) or if I have been in a mental Limbo, but you know how I get when I have my mind set on something! I can't stop thinking about it, and I can't focus on anything else until it happens. I am the World's Worst Listener, and I'm sure that just about all of you have fallen victim to my shallow ears. I'm working on it.

What is it that excites me about The Unknown? Is this normal? I feel like I should have some degree of fear or nervousness about doing these psychotic things, but... I just don't. I trust that I know it's right. I don't care what you think. I guess that's kind of rude, but I trust in my Loving Father's care (it has never failed me. Ever.) and I know this will be a success, even if it turns out to be completely different than I have dreamed it up to be. I have no job and nowhere to live, but... who cares! These are where miracles happen, and I really believe in all that miracle stuff.

My buns are crampin from sitting on this floor.... I like it. Man, I'm just strange.

I love you guys. Thanks for laughing at me, with me :)

Travels to the field, and The Villa

The journey to Italy was so great. 

 Sudweeks' face says it all 

 Luckily for us, the Assistants were hungry and grabbed some pizza for us on their way to the airport! We had a pizza party in the parking lot. 

 First stop: THE TEMPLE! There is a secret passageway that goes to the roof of Ikea, which is a lovely viewpoint of the temple. It's not illegal, but we have been kicked off a few times. Whatevs. 

 I'm too lazy to put this picture upright. Here I am at the Villa mission home! woot. 

We got there, had some words, and went to bed. I was SO tired, I just hit the pillow and was out. Everyone else had jet lag problems (I'm above jet lag), so they were all up talking. Something aroused me from my deep slumber on the top bunk, and I rolled over, but I was a little disoriented and I... fell out of bed. Two bed-stories up. Onto the tile. President's wife came to see if we had been hit by an astroid, but I was already back in bed, sound asleep by the time she came up :) The others were still laughing about it when I got up the next morning (and still laugh about it every time we see each other. Thanks guys). 

Me with President and Sorella Kelly. Two of my favorite people in this world. 

The MTC (holy prison)

On March 28th 2012 I headed to Provo with the ol fam and the dropped me off at the lovely MTC curb, shaggy hairs and all

 Don't I look French?! Oops. 

I met my wonderful first companion, Sorella Sharlin Openshaw. We were the shortest non-Asian companionship in the joint. 

 The other Sorelle in my district - Spicq and Sudweeks

 Our dashing zone

 We aren't bored, but lets see if we fit into our laundry bags. Yes. Yes we do.

 The district

 After about 2 days the Elders (Anziani, in Italian) decided we were all good enough friends for them to make illustrations of us. Hm. 

 Sorella Spicq turned out to be a little whiz at speaking Italian, so she got shipped off to the field after 3 weeks, and we gained another companion! The spicy Sorella Laura Sudweeks. She added more flare to our companionship for sure. 

 Our last day at the TRC... It looks to me like lunch didn't agree with them

Our farewell choir before getting on the bus to the airport.

One of my favorite parts of the MTC were the devotionals. We had President Packer, Perry, Ballard, Christofferson (my favorite), Scott, and Hales, as well as many of the 70. Also David Archuletta, because he was in training and they would make him sing all the time, hehe :) (Lil Davie and I made eyes at each other on several occasions... and he opened my door 4 times... but whatever. NBD). 

Another favorite part was our weekly service. We got assigned to clean the women's bathrooms in our resident hall. This would normally be nasty, but instead of sponges they gave us pressure washers. It always turned into a high-presssured-bleach-and-water-fight. Great for stress relief :)

I honestly don't remember a lot from my MTC experience, but I remember feeling very inadequate and humbled. Luckily I had great teachers and mentors, and CJ came in to the TRC a couple times, hehe. (Funniest moment - CJ walks into the TRC and I go running up to him and give him a hug and everyone around us freaks out because they don't know we are related. YES!)

Some people hate on the MTC, but I loved it. I was there for 9 weeks, which is 3 weeks longer than they go now, but I'm grateful for every day I was there. Quit hating on the MTC!

Sister missionaries - listen up.

I feel that it is really important to share the two things that made all the other sister missionaries in my mission jealous. 

The biggest physical discomforts on the mission are your shoulders and back from carrying so much lovely crap everywhere, and your feet. 

Number one -  MY BAG. 

Best bag ever. It is called the Osprey Flap Jill Mini, and it saved my life. I wish I could just have ten million dollars and buy every new sister missionary one of these bags! It is the perfect size, the strap has this comfy part for your shoulder, and it isn't dorky! It is waterproof, which came in handy many many times. It faded a bit by the end of two Sicilian summers, and the little buckle on the front broke after about a year of being clipped about 2876 times a day, but it was just the best.  I left it to my last companion, and she still uses it every day. The only time I wasn't wearing it was when I was sleeping or cooking. BUY IT. 

Number two - leather sandals. If you are allowed to wear sandals in your mission, get some good leather ones that you can also wear to church (this also depends on your mission president). I wore mine every day from the beginning of May till September, and they were NASTY by the end of the summer, but heck. One pair of shoes for all summer is great. I would put a picture of mine on here, but the church wanted them for the Church History Museum. (I told them no -- I didn't want to scare the children. Also anyone within 16 feet of them passes out because they smell so bad. Save the temple square missionaries! Don't display them!)

What else... I went through a few umbrellas, finally found one that was wind resistant and squished down small enough to fit in my bag. That was a good day. 

Bring more clothes than they say. You get SO sick of them. 

Bring nail polish. It makes you feel pretty, and its great for pranks. 

Don't make one of those cereal box scripture cases. TACKY. And offensive. 

Don't carry around more books than you have to. One BOM to give away, some pamphlets, a bible and some pass along cards. If you don't have what they want, its a great excuse to ask them for their address and offer to drop it by later! 

You're awesome. Go and DO! 

Thinking about blogging about my mission someday

Oh hello!

I realize and accept the awful shame I have put upon myself for not blogging yet. Ugh. I feel like a 28146298 pound cow has rested upon my feel-good soul, and I need to get him off (actually it's a her cow), so... I am going to do it.

I am currently in Seattle, where Amy has given me the privilege of using her big mamma Mac computer to use for the week! It is a bit intimidating. I have to turn my neck to see the other side of the screen. Plus I'm a bit technologically handicapped. Whatevs.

So! I shall start. Wish me luck. Also wish that the washer and dryer break so I CAN'T do laundry, because that takes about 10 hours a day.

The end.

The grand re-entry into... I have no idea

Hi.

So I just got home. I don't really know what to say other than I am here, I just had the best experience of my life (no, really though) and... One of these days I will start blogging again! I'm kind of excited. Blogging is good.

Princess Diaries just came on, so... I can't exactly blog while something so fantastic is right in front of my face. Sorry!

Later