Don't worry, it's just been nearly three years since my last post on this particular blog. I do have a great excuse though! Ready? I even brought pictures!

Once upon a time, it was October 2008 General Conference for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I don't remember who the speaker was, but I remember that she talked about the missionaries that baptized her family. The spirit was so strong for me at that moment, and I had a feeling that I needed to serve a mission.

Fast forward a few months to when it finally felt right for me to start working on papers and get the process going. I entered the MTC July 22, 2009 to prepare to serve in the Tennessee Nashville Mission. It was the greatest experience of my life!! I learned to rely on my Heavenly Father and the Holy Ghost, I was able to see first hand the affect of the atonement on wounded souls, and I met and served with the greatest people on earth!


I also learned some very valuable lessons, such as....

...How to ride my bike in a skirt. Believe me folks, this takes extreme talent! Not only do you have to keep your skirt out of the chain and wheels, you need to worry about dogs chasing you, hoping for a piece of leg, and also getting hit by a car, as there are no shoulders or bike lanes in Tennessee. You also needed to perfect the "helmet hair". Yes, any sister missionary can tell you how to still look professional and put together while riding a bike in the heat with a helmet.



Learning how to fight Satan and win is also a good trick to learn. The key to this is not really battle axes, although they do come in handy. It takes perseverance and faith! Sometimes all you can do is pray and pray and pray, but I promise that it can be done! At every low point in my mission, where there didn't seem to be a glimmer of hope anywhere, there was a valuable lesson to be learned about the love of God and the power of His deliverance from Satan's power.

Another valuable thing I learned in the humid south, is how to survive walking all day in scorching temperatures.(Where you never really get out of the shower, even though you towel off, get dressed and leave your apartment.) The key to this? Water. Water. Water. Water. And you should probably be set apart as a missionary, because there is no other explanation for how we really survived.

I was also able to witness some pretty amazing things. Like how many things can be deep fried and still eaten, how durable a trailer house really is and how many dogs can fit inside one. Also, I don't think I've ever seen that much roadkill ... possums take a really long time to decompose by the way... Also, toilets are recyclable, you can use them as "pots" to plant your tomato plants in. Perhaps this isn't exactly sanitary? But that's a hard thing to come by in the south anyway.



I was also blessed to find some new favorite places to visit. This tall fellow is named Rusty, he stands outside The Factory in Franklin, Tennessee. If you twist one of Rusty's thumbs, his head will turn that direction. One day, we went to the Factory for some reason or another, and we discovered that a copy of the Book of Mormon fit comfortably inside Rusty's hand. So, not only is Rusty a pretty cool creation outside and awesome place to visit, he makes a great missionary!!

The absolute best thing I was able to do on my mission was to see wonderful people, that I had come to love as family, accept the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, and be baptized. The journey was never easy for any of them, and sometimes the battles they fight even are even harder, as they endure rejection from friends and even family members, but the light in their eyes and the testimony in their hearts make the hardships easier for them to bear. My testimony and knowledge of the gospel also grew as I witnessed their faith and courage, and it continues to be an example to me now that I am home and have my own hardships to face.

What wonderful people live in the Tennessee Nashville Mission! Modern Pioneers that press forward with determined faith to live the gospel and share it with others.

I have been home now for nearly eight months. I think of my experiences and the people I served everyday, and sometimes I miss it so much I cry, however, it's always "Onward, ever onward"! And so onward I shall go!

Feeling the Need to Let it all Out!

I realize that this is my second post of the day. But, I've gone weeks without saying anything! Not a word, so I guess I'm going to make up for lost time. So, while the two younger boys are protecting the house from "indians and dinosaurs", I'm going to type away!

The more I think about life, the further away I am from figuring it out. This is how it seems anyway. I still can't decide what I want to do when I "grow up", and the more I think about that, the further away I am from coming up with anything! The conclusion? Stop thinking.

I have come up with one answer though, I absolutely LOVE being a daughter of God. So many times I would have been lost except for this knowledge. Sometimes I do slip. I look in the mirror, and I just want to go find someone and say, "Save me from myself!" Even though I am not conciously doing anything but, hopefully, prevention. However, there have been times when I've gotten home from a meeting or a lesson so filled with the spirit and his love that I look in the mirror, and I can almost see what he sees. He truly "looketh on the heart". I read a talk that Sheri Dew gave the other day, she said something to the effect of the women of the church being the greatest there ever has been, ever. And we're only getting greater. We are truly the noble and great ones, born at this time to raise the even more noble and great ones. And refering to Satan, she said, "It is no secret to him that we are the Lord's secret weapon." And I had a light turn on in my brain.

It's not our perfectly styled hair, mancured nails, flawless skin, perfect figure, or designer clothes that makes us incredible women. When we talk about Madam Curie, or Eve, or Emma Smith, or Queen Esther, we don't talk about what they looked like, what brand of shoes they were wearing, no! We can raise amazing kids without wearing make-up, gel in our hair, and worrying about our weight. We are daughters of God, it's our knowledge of the gospel, our kind hearts, and sweet spirits that matter. Satan is attacking us on every side he can physically, but like anything he does, it doesn't matter!

Yes, I'll admit it, more often then not I am worried about what I look like. I hate that I can't control my acne, that I have frizzy hair, and that I have a few extra pounds on board. But this stops today. From now on, I will try my very best to look at myself and others as who they really are. Children of our Heavenly Father. Sons and daughters that are precious beyond imagining. Kind of like when you see a baby or a little toddler, no matter who they are, you can't help but love them. Why is it harder to do this with adults? It's my new resolve to love everyone, no matter what color, how dirty or ignorant, and how rude they are to me.
So, when I start complaining about someone, or saying I hate them. Slap me! Don't let me get away with it.

Another thing, once I started thinking about this, I realized, nothing else matters. We may be totally in love with that certain movie star, we know how old he is, where he was born, whether he looks best with short hair, brown hair, whiskers, no whiskers, or whatever, but when Christ comes again, where will that put us? All of the sudden the fanatical things that people worry about dim and fade away. I don't know whether Christ looks better with a beard or not, and really, I don't care. I just know that I love him! He is my awesome older brother who thinks I'm worth enough to pay for my sins, and die for me. He did this because he wants to be with me forever. He wants me to be happy. What better person is there?

I am a child of God! I've been singing about it all my life, and now, finally, 21 years, seven months, 16 days, 21 hours, and 49 minutes later, it's sinking in, and this time, I hope it sticks.

20 Questions

For Lack of Something Else to Do!

1. When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? Everything!
2. What have you done in the past week to help someone else? Well, I'm babysitting for my sister right now, I've run numorous errands and done thousdands of chores for my mom....
3. Who is the best-dressed person you know? Hmmm... That is a good question. Probably Amy, I heart her clothes...
4. What is on your nightstand? I don't have a night stand. But my dresser is by my bed, and I keep books and the controllers to my TV, DVD player, and the X-Box 360 right there
5. If you were a cat, what kind of a cat would you be? I'm going to go with a Lion or tiger
6. If you lived in a house surrounded by acres of trees, what particular type of tree would you want flourishing on your land? Weeping willows or quakies...
7. What do you find to be very overrated? Ipods
8. How many email addresses do you have? Like five...
9. Have you ever felt replaced? Yes
10. Would you rather watch football or baseball? Football hands down
11. What is the wallpaper on your phone? The baby mouse I found in my yard and rescued from my dog.
12. Name a lyric from the song you're listening to. I'm not listening to a song
13. Do you use a feed reader? No?
14. What chocolate do you always leave in the box? The lemon ones. Ew
15. What would you do if you found out your ex is engaged? Be very happy for him!
16. Do words hurt you? Yes... Even though I pretend they don't.
17. Are you a talker or a listener? It really depends who I'm talking/listening to. There's some people I will gab at all day, and then there are some that I could listen to all day.
18. Have you ever walked on the beach at night? Hmmm.. I don't think so.
19. Who is your favorite professional athlete? I used to love Steve Young, I haven't picked a new one since he retired...
20. Which TV show have you seen pretty much every episode of? Alias

The Crazy Places Life Takes You...

Sometimes I wonder if we start life with a road in front of us, and if it's straight, because Heavenly Father knows us and the choices we will make, or if there are cross roads and turns and hills everywhere. I noticed while reading the Book of Mormon this time around, that even though the prophets cry repentence unto the wicked people (don't you just love my Book of Mormon lingo??), it's still prophesied that they'll be destroyed, and it happens. So do we ever fight fate? Is it possible to win? I wonder what would've happened to those people if they would've listened... Or were they already doomed because of those prophecies?

Just some food for thought. I don't like taking it too far because it messes with my head, and I can't figure anything out after. It just makes me wonder if I knew I would be in this exact spot before I came to earth, or if I was supposed to be down some paved road in a whole 'nother state or something. *sigh* I don't regret anything, but I just kinda wonder. It's one of those things I can't help, especially when I'm making new choices and trying to figure my life out. I think I'm coming to the conclusion that life can't be figured out, just experienced. That's my other thought for the day...

Well! Here it is, the coolest picture I've taken in ALONG time! Probably ever! While in Blanding, Annie, Aubrey, and I were at the reseivoir, and while I was wandering around, AKA wading in the lake, Annie and Aubrey were standing on a rock, and they looked down and saw this. Since I had the camera, and was already wet, I decided to just wade in and take this. I ♥ how it turned out! I pretty much fell over in the water when I saw how cool. :)

Just a little more than three weeks 'til spring everyone! Hurray! Soon there won't be any ice left out there to photograph!