March 30, 2012

WEEK ONE!

 

Hey all, so it is my first day out here, spending a great first 4 days here at the MTC. Yesss, LOVING it! I've sent lots of details home in a letter, which I just put into the mailbox today--sorry family. (: But the first day here was not nearly as overwhelming as I expected it to be. THANK HEAVENS. It has been an easy transition, which makes everything so much nicer. There are 10 missionaries here in my district, whom we spend almost all day with each other. Three sets of sister missionaries, and only two sets of elders. All are way brilliant, and we get along maybe too well haha. Sometimes our personal study time doesn't get started until a bit later than it should. ANYWHO!

 

The first day! Got all my supplies, came into the MTC a bit early, met another gal going to Mendoza. Except she isn't in my district. She freaking gorgeous, though haha. Walked into my classroom, and yes, just as everyone says, the teacher only speaks to you in Spanish (or whatever other language you're learning). I had a quick freak out moment and understood nothing, but Hermano Bush (substitute, real teacher is Hermano Miller) slowed down a tad, and I found out that I understand SIMPLE Spanish decently well! I am so grateful I took Spanish this last semester, because it has been such a huge help. I already knew how to pray and testify in Spanish, and the vocab and some grammar is just review. I've been able to help out the rest of my district quite a bit, which honestly is a confidence booster. Well we were in class for quite a while, annnd I really can't remember what all happened haha. A lot of studying, classes, and getting to know the MTC campus and mi compañera! Hermana McBride. SO cute, I love her to death. She's quiet, softspoken, and very humble. Oh, and she always laughs at any of my lame jokes or sarcasm--so kind of her. (; Hopefully I can learn some of her attributes and take that to heart a bit, since I can be the one to kinda make jokes during class. Yes, I'm attempting to curb it, and yes, it is kind of working haha.

 

We taught our first lesson in Spanish yesterday, on our third day out here! Of course, our "investigator" is a teacher here, but he acts SUPER well. Very forgiving of our Spanish skills, but it was so great. I came to realize that I can teach the first lesson, the Restoration of the church, decently well in Spanish. I stumbled over some of the verb conjugations, which we haven't learned HERE yet, but I remembered some from last semester. Anyways, it was an incredible experience.

 

ALSO! Y'know how I was worried about getting my visa and things?? Okay, welllll, OUR VISAS ARE HERE!...We think. We received a paper last night that we will be meeting with the Argentina Consul in a few days and again the week after, which means we've received our visas! We were/are all so stoked and attempting to express our excitment in Spanish last night..."Uhhh...Estoy...ANIMADO!...Uhh...Yeah." Haha it was great. (:

 

Anywho, for any who read this, send me a letter or two! It's saddening being the ONLY one who doesn't receive letters here. (; My address did change just by one number, but that's alright. Shouldn't make too much of a difference. We all fly out May 6th, and we're all anxiously awaiting that day. (: I love you all, but I only have a few minutes left, since it's my first p-day. And I still need to send an individual email to my family! Nos vemos en 18 meses! (;

 

-Hermana Lybbert

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Annnd We're Off!!

Alas, the time has FINALLY come!! I will be getting set apart as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Days Saints in just a few hours. I managed to survive a baby shower this last Saturday, shakily give a farewell talk in church, and hug/shake hands of the many people who came to visit me and say goodbye (: It was a sweet farewell, despite being exhausted afterwards haha. These last few days are mostly just full of/I'm feeling...

Anxiety
Excitement
Nervousness
I'm-So-Ready-To-Go-NOW-ness
Prepared
Unprepared
Relaxed
Uptight
I've kinda got this language down
This language makes zero sense
Confident
IKNOWNOTHING!!

Yeah...You get the point (: But I'm mostly just trying to enjoy the wonderful family around me. I need to take advantage of the time I have left with them! Such as...going to eat sushi for lunch! Muahaha. Winner winner, sushi dinner.

Anywho, my sisters and momma will be keeping my Facebook updated, and I'll be able to keep this blog updated for you all! I love you all, sorry for such a quick post. But thank you for all your love and support. (: If anyone ever wants to write me, feel free! My addresses are in my info section, as well as on Facebook. ¡Adios! Nos vemos.

-Almost Hermana Lybbert

Love of My Life #5!

Alright, alright, I know I left off my last update about Dene's baby girl being born (JORDYN JAYLENE RHOTEN! :D ...), but I'm gonna drive myself berserk if I don't keep these things in chronological order haha. And then perhaps I'll finish off with some fun fact about ARGENTINA! :D

So ever since Christian, Audrey, Kali, and I came back to the Basin after Christmas, there was a chance that we'd all be able to go visit Rexburg. The main reason was to pick up the stuff they left in storage, but they needed an extra driver to bring back Christian's Suzuki...Yup, that's right. ME. Haha like I'd ever complain about a trip to Rexburg to see friends. (: Again, I'm way sad that I didn't take more pictures, but that's alright, I suppose. I had an absolute blast.

We rolled into town about 7:30 PM, and I first stopped at my good ol' apartment to drop off my stuff and see roommates. (: I have this thing about surprising people...I simply just LOVE to do it haha. Any chance I get. :P One day it's gonna get really old, I know, and people are gonna hate me for it baha. Oh well. (: I know I've mentioned my best friend from California a time or two, Kelsey, annnnd she was in Rexburg. And no, I hadn't told her I was coming. So I run over to her place and walk in quietly. I walk back to her room, knock once, and just walk in. It took her a second to look up, but I love that look of shock on people's faces. (: "WHAAA?!?!" Hahaha. She was fairly certain she was hallucinating or that I was a ghost or something haha. It was great. A tear or two and giant hugs. That girl, gotta love her. (: I already miss her crazy faces and shared love for sushi. :D

Haha anywho, I had to catch a quick picture of this lovely baby girl right here before taking off for Rexburg. We kind of matched, but I honestly just wanted a picture haha. The 4th love of my life to come into this world. (;

Annnnd here be my best fraaand on our last sushi date for at LEAST 18 months! **Sniffle**

Well after surprising her that first night, I had the chance to go and see some of the best guys ever. My old FHE brothers from Winter semester 2012! Only two were in town, but it was a blast seeing them, also. (: Jarrod knew I was coming that day; Alec knew I was coming sometime that week, but he didn't know when! So Jarrod picked me up to go get some dinner, but of course we had to go pick up Alec first! Alec thought Jarrod and another friend would be showing up. Baha. AGAIN...I love surprising people. (: He opens the door, gives me a big hug, and his roommate behind him says, "Hmmm pretty sure that ISN'T two guys. Unless I'm blind, that's a girl." Haha I love sarcastic people. :P It was a blast overall! Hung out with Kelsey several times, went running with Alec and later dragged him to devo (baha sucker), and I had to give quick goodbyes to them all before taking off for 18 months!

I am fairly certain that was the one and only time I have ever and will ever drive away from Rexburg with a few tears in my eyes. There are some people I've met there at school who are near and dear to my heart. I'll miss them a ton. Either way, I drove home safely! Annnd I've discovered something about Idaho. As soon as you begin crossing the borders, it suddenly turns wet, white, and cold. Yuck. Give me some Argentine weather, pleaseeee!

OKAY! Bring on some more of the fabulous news!!! Welcome little Miss Jordyn Jaylene, we are so excited to finally have you hereee! :D We seem to have this tradition with any of Dene's pregnancies where we play card games when we're all just at the hospital and waiting haha. I'm pretty sure we played Uno with Jackson's delivery. (; Regardless, it was fun playing golf this time. (:

And, believe me, when this baby girl was ready to come, she was COMING. Compared to both Audrey's and Dene's last pregnancies, Jordyn was so quick and fast. Probably because the doctor was making Dene' laugh the entire time! The best line of all: "Sheesh! Ya think we could GIGGLE this baby out?!" Hahaha she was laughing and smiling the entire time.

And in just over 15 minutes, the new addition to the loves of my life came into this world at 8 lbs. 0.7 oz. and 19.75 inches long. (:

Immediately after, and the momma was doing great. (:

Yes, this is showing a bit more of the momma than you're all used to haha, but I had to include the new baby girl with her momma and dad!

Grandma Mimi with her new grandbaby!

The first time Jackson got to see his baby sister! He was a bit overwhelmed with all the people, I think, but he was willing to give Jordyn some lovin' head bonks. (:

We all gave the momma and her family some time, and we headed home. Jackson woke up a bit upset the next morning, because his mom and dad weren't there. However, when we said we'd go see momma after eating some cereal, he was so game! Him and I got some time to roll around and have fun before taking off, and he playing with cousin Kali, as well. (: And then we were off! So excited to go see his baby and mommy and daddy! :D

Fact: Jackson loves holding babies haha. So he finally had the chance to hold her, and he did NOT want to let anyone take her off his lap. (: It was adorable.

And I was finally able to hold this lovely baby girl at last, as well. (: Stunning little gal here!

And we finally celebrated Jackson's and Grandpa's birthday! Happy 2nd, and happy 51st Papa! (:

Ahhhh it really was a great, quick weekend trip to see so much family and all the Rhotens. (: Unfortunately, I was only able to stay for a little while. I had to get back, because for a couple of weeks I was house-sitting for some family friends while they were off in England and Spain for vacation! So jealous haha. But I have always enjoyed having a place to myself for a while, especially with animals! Haha. The animals were the main reason they wanted someone there to house-sit. They have a new puppy, another dog, several cats, chickens, annnd...wait for iiit...PEACOCKS.

The one above there is kind of the free roamer and takes care of himself. They have another few in the pen to the left. So cool haha. Anywho, I've always wanted to be a long-distance runner! The problem is...I hate running haha. HOWEVER, since I've been way out there in the country, all I had to run on were country roads and dirt canal roads...Yup. Love it. About 5 o'clock or so in the late afternoon is when I really start needing some outside time, so I just pull on my shoes and get going. It is so great. Besides, how could you NOT enjoy running when you have random, unknown friends such as this one join you in the middle??...No, I still don't know whose dog it is haha.

And then to have cheerleaders like this pup and the other dog meet and greet you when you come jogging up the driveway?? Yes, far more motivating. (:

WHEW! Okay, well that's all for now! I'm still not positive how I'm gonna keep y'all updated on mission stuff, but I'm thinking/hoping I can keep it all here on this blog with the help of my parents. **Crossing fingers** We shall see. For the time being: NINE DAYS!!! (Actually, eight days and 20-ish hours baha). Single digits, baby. :D And lastly? I have my flight info for March 27th! I fly out of the Pasco airport at 6:30 AM and from there, I have a ride from Salt Lake to the MTC!

Don't miss out! My farewell talk and "party" are next Sunday, the 24th! :D

Running A Little Late: February&March

When you realize it has been nearly TWO MONTHS since you've updated!...Whoops.

You'd think with all this extra time on my hands, I'd have plenty of time to post a couple updates! Well, I do, in fact. But for some reason, my motivation to do so has been rather low. My bad! But prepare for a good chunk of pictures and fun! :D

End of January: My padre got a couple of free tickets to the Wenatchee Wild Hockey game, which our family loves for some odd reason haha. I'm pretty sure we just enjoy the players hitting the glass and the cool moves. (;

February 3rd: SUPERBOWLLL! To be completely honest, our enthusiasm slowly died throughout the day. I blame waiting for so long to actually watch it. On the plus side, however, I'm almost certain this was the BEST Superbowl we've had when it comes to food. Mmmmmm. SO good! Even for the preggo belly over there to the right hahaha. Love you, Dene' (;

Also part of the food, I had made some cheesecake! As tasty as it was, I was extremely disappointed that it wasn't fully cooked in the middle. Sooo a week or so later, I was in a cooking mood again. Bring on the homemade chocolate truffles and cheesecake! Mhmmm!

I mentioned an update or two back that Janna Hodges was home for about the same amount of time. The friendship Janna and I have has always made me kind of chuckle. In middle school we were definitely best friends. And although we weren't as close in high school, we were always in sports together and found that we were always friends. Close or distant. Going to the same college helped, I will admit haha. But we've always had that tie where we were comfortable randomly calling each other up to go play volleyball or take a roadtrip to Utah or something. Anywho, it really was a blast hanging out again while we were both home. We'd spend P-Days with the sister missionaries here in our ward, and we'd go out on splits all the time. About a month before she reported, she decided she needed to start adjusting to a "missionary schedule". Haha well this is what happens when two gals who have taken full advantage of being able to sleep in for the last two months try to help each other adjust to this "Missionary Schedule" haha.

Yeah, we still didn't make the 6:30 AM mark. :P

(Janna took off and reported on the 6th of March! She's headed to the Louisville, KY mission; if ya wanna keep up with her, she has a blog, too! http://sisterhodgesinkentuckycountry.blogspot.com/ )

Near the end of February, transfers were coming up for our missionaries, and we found out we'd be getting a THIRD sister missionary again! Well the senior comp (Donaldson) was heading to Spokane early in the morning to pick her up, and Sister Lambert was needing a companion for the next day. We all decided it would just be easiest if I went over the night before, stay the night, and "live the life" of a sister missionary the next day haha. It was a BLAST. I absolutely loved everything. The time in the morning to exercise, the peace and quiet in the mornings, so much time to really immerse yourself in studying scripture and the language (if learning a new language). It just made me that much more excited to take off! (: Anywho, the sisters have this on their giant mirror on one wall. I loved it.

On Tuesdays, the sisters try to make it to the "elderly home" for rummikub (sp?) with them folks. I joined them, and it was hilarious haha. Gotta love old people. They can say just about whatever they want, because they're old. :D

And then Hermana Donaldson got home with the new sister! Hermana Pendleton has been temporarily reassigned here while waiting for her visa to Peru. (: Good ol' Quincy--her first area haha.

Oh!! And I also had the chance to go to my first-ever Zone Conference with them; it was crazy incredible. Hermana Donaldson and I both have the Crying Syndrome. Simply, we just cry a lot when it comes to Gospel stuff haha. But it was way awesome. All the other missionaries there were super confused when they met me, for two reasons: A) I had no name tag. "Hola Hermanaaa...? Uhhh..." Yeah, that was hilarious. And then B) I'd introduce myself as Shelan. "Oh I see, Hermana Shelan...?" And then I'd have to explain: "Oh, no, Shelan Lybbert. Sorry, I'm not a missionary...yet...And no, I wasn't named after the lake...Yes, I'm so glad you enjoyed serving 6 months in Chelan...Yes, I'm sure it's a great place...No, I wasn't even born there...NO. There is basically NO relation to the lake whatsoever. Mine is with an 'S'..."

Yeah...I had that conversation a few times haha. Anywho, President Mullen always takes pictures at the meetings and such to put up on the Spokane Mission blog for parents. I had to rummage through and find some of us. :P Yes, I'm in the yellow, on the right of both pictures.

You know you're preparing for a mission when: every time you come home, your family just assumes you've been out with the sister missionaries, since you've been spending so much time with them anyways haha. But really. The week I stayed the night with them, I'm pretty sure I spent 4-5 days of the week with them, whether it was at church, P-Day, going to lessons, practicing the first lesson with Janna and them, splits, etc.

Yes, Janna and I were looking for some help on teaching the first lesson, the Restoration, so we thought we might as well as the professionals: Our Missionaries! We all had a blast and really enjoyed going in circles teaching, switching teaching comps, etc. Before leaving, we all had to steal a quick picture of us all. Thank heavens Hermana Lambert has long arms, because we could barely fit all of our giggly faces in haha. I've come to love every single one of these gals. Serving seems to bring people together.

Top: Hermana Pendleton, Janna Hodges, Me

Bottom: Hermana Donaldson, Hermana Lambert

End of February & Beginning of March: Many of you heard that my madre and I were in a play! Yes. I was casted/coerced into the play Meet Me In St. Louis...I had only ever done one other play before, and that was when I was 10. It was Oliver and Company. It's not really my kind of thing, but apparently they were needing a couple of gals my age. The director hears from a few little mice that I'd be in town, so I get a call one day. Yes, I accepted to help. My thoughts: "If nothing else, it'll make time pass quicker, right?!"...Oh yes. It did. Because you know who I was?? The flirtatious Southern belle! GAH?! Seriously? What the crap. I can sing, that's fine. If you REALLY need me to dance, fine. But you seriously just asked me the be THAT girl who flirts with every guy on stage? Whaaat. Yeah, I finally got over it. I did it. Granted I was freaking out internally and felt completely awkward (I'm gonna have this no-dating dealio for the mission down NO PROBLEM). Nevertheless, it ended up being rather fun, and I enjoyed doing it with my Mama. (:

Okay, that's plenty for now haha. I have several more pictures and great exciting news! I have another "Love of My Life"!! Dene' had her baby girl! :D But I'll leave that news for the next update. (:

Quite the Rhoten Week!

Oh my heavens!! It has been a wonderful week. I finally have some interesting/new things to write about, since I had the chance to get out of my typical routine here at home. I'm still trying to figure out where to start haha.

Well first off, the first thing that went outside of my routine as of late was the best unexpected surprise ever. I was downstairs, reading up on some Argentina stuff, and I hear the door open upstairs. Silly me, I just assumed it was West! Then I hear a, "Heeyyooo!" Eegads. (: Christian and Audrey! Ugh, I wanted to cry I was so excited. Ah, and of course, lovely baby Kali came along with them. (: Such a talkative and giggly girl she has come to be. Can't help but Love that family.

They didn't stick around for a super long time, of course, considering we were all gonna be seeing each other again that weekend in Tri-Cities!...

This is the part I get sad about...I simply did NOT take enough pictures. Seriously, how was it possible that I was surrounded by so much family and loved ones (not as many as I'd like, of course. I always am missing my family who is farther away ): ...), and I took almost NO pictures?! Gah. I'm rather disappointed. Any chance I can have a redo? (;

Anywho, here is the exciting news!! Ever since I received my mission call back in November, I've had the chance to go through the temple for the first time. I had been waiting--for various reasons. But I simply just wanted to wait until I was...certain I was ready. While family was all over for the holidays, I slept on the couch and had a lot of extra time to read for some reason. Audrey, Dene', and I had been talking a little bit about temples, in general, earlier that day; the topic made me extra curious, and I delved into any and all resources regarding the temple for the next few days. That was it. I wanted to go. I needed to go...Anywho, a couple interviews and phone calls later, and I was headed to the temple that next weekend! Unfortunately, it was extremely last minute. So not a whole lot of family was able to come with me, but I know they would have been there to support me if they could.

Of the entire week, this is the time I decided to lose my head about taking pictures?! Gah. I'm so sad. I didn't even catch my own picture of the Columbia River Temple. I didn't think to even snap a photo of all those who were there to support me or even a picture of my family playing games. **Sigh** Fail, Shelan. Hopefully I'll remember to catch some more of these at my farewell. For now, be content with this stolen picture of the wonderful temple! :D Haha.

Not even a very good picture. Meh. Whatever! I've certainly learned my lesson. Anywho, the plan was to just drive home after the session and ice cream, but Kenny has this way of convincing practically everyone to stay the night haha. Kerry and Gaylene were fine with it, and so Mom, Dad, Christian, Audrey, West, and I all stayed with the Rhotens and went to church the next day! The "new plans" were to drive home after that. Welllll, silently, I was really hoping to go to the temple again soon. It was such an...awe-filled experience. Different than I expected, but really how much can you "expect" when first going through haha. But I knew there was so much I missed, and I wanted to understand it more. I think it was Dene' or Kenny, I'm not sure, but someone mentioned that it was fine if I wanted to stay a couple more days. They convinced me with: "It's not like you have anything better to do at home anyways!" Haha. Uhhh yeah, kind of a strue story. So my plans were to stay until Tuesday. Go to the temple again early that morning and then head home with Dene'...Except Kerry (by the way: Kerry and Gaylene are Dene's in-laws) mentioned how him and Gaylene were working in the temple Friday night for a few baptism sessions, and he said, "Well you might as well just stay until then and help us out!"

...Really??

OKAY!

It was (is) always so kind of them for always letting me come--often for weeks at a time haha. I always love spending time with them, relaxing, playing games, having time with my nephew, and helping out my preggo sister on occasion haha. Well, so began my wonderful week with the Rhotens! I DID, in fact, get in a few pictures. Thank heavens.

Heading home from one of Jackson's cousin's basketball games, and Jackson needed something to entertain this poor, grumpy, sick kid on the way to the doctor's. Cameras! PERFECT.

"Hi, Bug!"

I went to go pick up Dene' and Jackson from the doctor's, and this poor boy...Infections in both ears. Plus a wicked cough. Needless to say, he hadn't been feeling to well the past few days. Something that he does enjoy and keeps him busy, though?? Like many kids: Making Messes! He's a pro. (; Check out all those cards on the floor and his proud smile! Haha love it.

Something that I really loved? Every night Kenny, Dene', Jackson, and I would read just a few verses from what they call "The Book of Jesus" haha. AKA: The Book of Mormon lol. Jackson did his darndest to read, too. (:

This gal. Her and Trista, mis hermanas. They're both such wonderful Mommas. Of course they're not perfect, but goodness gracious. They are incredible. So much patience and love for their babies. It is impossible to doubt where their hearts lie: within their families. Trista and Dene', amongst others, are two role models for me. Their families are their world, and they get in all the cuddles they can "stand" (;

So attched to his Momma.

All.

The.

Flippin'.

Time.

Sometimes that preggo Momma needs a break from carrying around a 2-year old!

So what did we do during the week?? Not a ton of stuff, which was perfectly dandy with me. I simply enjoyed being around. However, there was an "Open Gym" day at a gymnastics gym here in town! Five bucks per child? DONE...Something funny we noticed about Jackson, though? He's more of an observer than a "Let's Get Out There And PLAY!" kind of child. It was a little odd for me, at first haha. I couldn't help thinking of Brook and Sam or some of the kids I nannied. I was imagining what all they would be doing. Brook, most likely getting to know some new kids, "Hi! I'm Brooklyn, I'm 6. Can I be your friend?" (: I love it. And then Sam...? Playing with either his momma or with Brooklyn, perhaps? Typically him and Brook get along quite well and enjoy playing with each other. Brother-Sister love! And then I was thinking of Austin and Nicky. Oy! Austin would probably be running EVERYWHERE and possibly destroying a thing or two on accident haha. Little Nick would probably be sticking to my side or "observing" like Jackson...Boy did it make me miss all of them...

Anywho! Random Summer moments popping in my head. This is mostly what Jackson did haha. Watched others play. (:

Unlessss we went with him! He didn't like this foam pit the first time Dene' tried helping him in, but once Momma got in, too?! Oh, believe me, he was SO game!

Jumpin' monkeys!

"One, Two, Threeee!"

Haha I really just love this picture.

Such a good sport she is, even if she is 8 months pregnant!

Love it. (:

We got to do some cleaning and finished some laundry. Which, of course, means what? Sock fights?! Haha.

After a great week in Richland and several trips to the temple, Dene', Jackson, and I were ready for a peaceful drive back to good ol' Quincy this morning. (: Who doesn't love to dance and sing with cups, along with country music??

Ahhh. It really was fantastic. And since Dene' is due here pretty soon (6 weeks!!), Gaylene mentioned a little idea of me going and staying for a few weeks (or the whole month of March, she said haha) to help out with the baby and everything. Yayyy!! We shall see about that later on, but oh boy! That would be incredible. (:

I decided to finish off my night by going to the Quincy Jacks LAST wrestling match of the season. Why? Well I love wrestling, for one haha. Two, it was the last one! Three, they were wrestling Chelan (baha). Four, Chelan and Quincy were tied for first in the league! So this match would decide who the league champions were. SO awesome! It was a close match the whole way through until the very end, and we were down by 14 points. Only three more guys were left to wrestle, so we needed at LEAST two of them to pin their guy (if a guy pins his opponent, he earns the highest amount of points: 6. A wrestler earns less points for winning other ways such as a decision/major decision/etc.) The score was 21-35. The first of the three got up, and he won 11-3, which is a major decision, which means he got 4 points! Not too shabby. But we were still down by 10...

A kig from church gets up, and let me tell you. Carter Bushman is a phenomenal wrestler! It was a tough match, but Carter used his "specialty" head&arm and pinned the guy! Closest match!

And then next up was Tonio, and his match was about the same as Carter's! So intense, and once Tonio caught the other guy, we were ALL up on our feet and screaming. PINNED! So great!

It's a WIN for the Quincy Jacks wrestling team!

League Champs! Way to go, boys (:

Okie dokes! That's all for now! I'll continue preparing for the MTC and Argentina in the meantime, and I will be taking off in less than 60 days! So exciting. (: Love you all!