So! I dno if any of you remember Sara Kirk, whom I graduated with. She was friends with a lot of us LDS people, and Trevor Marcusen was a good friend of her's. Well let's just say Trevor sent her a wedding present! Haha she thought it was hilarious, and she posted a picture of her present on Facebook:
For the past two or three years, I have continued to think about this journal, off and on. I had seen it online once, and I fell in love with it. A few weeks ago, in church, I glance over at Kaitlyn and find her writing in her own leather notebook. Reminded me again of this journal I've been wanting, and I told her about it. "Well if you've been thinking about it for that long, you know you're not gonna regret it! Just buy it!"...So I did. (: Fifteen dollars!!
I went to go take another test this last week and decided I should get something to eat beforehand. So I stopped by the cafeteria place, the Crossroads, and picked up something to eat and drink. My Sobe drink was very encouraging! :P
Competitive softball season just started up, and I'm on the Hawks team. At first, I had doubts about my team. Competitive softball isn't as competitive as I'd hoped for, and I worried about my team's talent. Well we had our first two games this Friday and Saturday! We won them both! :D These are a couple of my teammates. Steph on the left plays third, and Kam on the right is our pitcher. Love these gals. (:
Saturday evening, I went over to Christian and Audrey's! I got a mass amount of laundry done, but best of all, we had some chucklesome moments with Kali baha. For example:
Annnd this is the only look I ever get from Kali haha. So glad my niece loves me. :P
Last weekend, after the first session of Conference, I took a quick trip to Utah! Of those friends I was able to visit...They're all freakin' engaged it seems! Hahaha or something close to it. :P I can't exactly throw out specific names, but there are a few haha. I am so stoked. (: Anywho, I watched Sunday session with a friend and their family before heading back here to Rexburg. And we were rolling back into town just as the sun was going down. (:
OKAY!...So just to start off my ranting and raving about missions, I had to include this hilarious picture. It's not lying, either! Haha. The dating pool is gonna drop DRAMATICALLY for the next while haha.
Many of you know of the huge announcement that President Thomas S. Monson made last week during the first session of General Conference, Saturday morning. Most of my roommates were out of town, Melody had taken off to watch it at a friend's place, and Wuendy was watching it in her room. So I was sitting in my living room, watching conference and enjoying the quiet simplicity of it just being me. Uchtdorf opened the meeting, and then Monson soon got up to make some quick announcements about temples and such. He then switched to the topic of missionary work. He began with a story about an 18-year old young man who had received permission to serve at an earlier age, rather than waiting another year. It was mentioned that in many countries, young men have the option to begin their missions at 18, but that was not the policy in the United States. President Monson said that, effective immediately, ALL young men, despite the country in which they live, now have the opportunity to serve at the age of 18 if they are worthy and feel capable of doing so! That was so unbelievably exciting!! I couldn't help but giggle a little at the screen shots of the young men in the crowd, like the one above haha. And then immediately I could feel a slight anxiousness about me, as my mind began to think, "Wait, what about the girls? Will they change the age? Maybe to 20?" I was hoping SO badly they would lower the age to 20, secretly hoping for 19...
I can't even remember exactly what Monson was saying exactly. All I remember is dropping my face to my hands and bawling like a child. Quite literally, I was choking on my tears, because I was hysterically crying. I didn't know what to do other than pray and cry and thank my Heavenly Father for answering my prayers. Just a few weeks ago, in my last blog post, I had said, "I know I've mentioned a mission a few times, and this was just another small reinforcement as to how much I would love to go (referring to Kaitlyn's experience with the Philippine women at the farmer's market). It's really frustrating knowing I still have over a year and a half left; I'm continually trying to think of ways to get around that haha. Obviously no such way, for the most part." ...I had tossed around the idea of even taking off next year to just go home and train teams or do some sort of service to those girls back home, whom I love so dearly. But I knew that probably wasn't the best idea. Anywho, immediately after the announcement, I texted Mom, Dad, and Trista: "I CAN GO ON A MISSION!! NOW!" And soon after that, Christian texted me: "AAAAAH! GUESS WHAT! YOU CAN GO ON A MISSION TODAY IF YA WANT!" We exchanged a few texts, and he told me that he somehow knew I'd have the chance to serve before 21. We had briefly talked about it a few weeks earlier when I had spent a few days at their apartment before school. Well Mom and Dad were in Northern Idaho and unable to watch conference at the time. Next thing I know, they're calling me up. Dad was on the phone, and he sounded a bit confused haha. He asked me to explain what was going on...If any of you have heard me try to talk AND cry at the same time, you know it doesn't work haha. I began bawling and choking up all over again. I simply couldn't explain it. I asked if they were able to watch conference, but they weren't able to obviously. So I struggled to choke out that Monson had just announced that men can serve at 18, and women...We can serve at NINETEEN. That I could go NOW!
I can't thank my parents near enough. I know adding another "bill" of sorts to pay for a mission will be difficult, but they have never--not EVER--denied me their full support of me serving a mission. And I must thank Dene'/Mom a bit, as well. I mean, yes, I had expressed interest in being an exchange student, but I decided it was a bit expensive, and I'd rather use that money for a mission or school. I sort of dropped the mission idea for a couple months. And then December rolls around, and Audrey, Dene', and I are sitting in Audrey's temporary room (before the wedding) until probably 3 in the morning. Somewhere in the conversation, Dene' says, "Shelan, you realize Mom is kind of like...planning on you going on a mission? I wouldn't doubt if they're saving up or something!"..."Uhhh really?? I haven't even really tossed around the idea THAT much..." Yeah, well, it stuck with me. During Winter semester, I made it a habit of going to the temple often, and that is when I decided I should go. I made that my focus. And I am so excited to say that I had my initial bishop's interview last Wednesday, immediately after my interview my bishop got Bishop Pete's number and tried to get a hold of him that night, and my online mission papers opened up that night. I have started them, and I am now in the process of setting up an appointment with the dentist here and finding a doctor to receive a physical from. I'm hoping to get them finished in the next couple of weeks! I went to Mission Prep and Temple Prep yesterday, and I am able to go through the temple as soon as I have my call. (: I will be deferring next semester, I have sold my contract for Winter rent to Kaitlyn, my roommate, and after this semester I am GOING ON A MISSION!! And I am so unbelievably excited. So incredibly grateful. I am really doing this!
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