A Change of Plans...

So much to do and oh so little time!

Up until this past week I thought I had everything figured out. Financially anyway, with this financial plan I was able to pay off my loans, buy everything I need for my mission, pay for half of my mission, AND have money for when I get home. Sounds pretty great, eh?

Well, I guess it was all too good to be true. But that's life, and you've gotta learn to bend in the wind, and as Tim Gunn would say, "Make it work!"

So, I've planned an emergency trip to Utah! I'll be there from the 6th- 11th of May.  I was lucky enough to find a $100 plane ticket home. Which is SO great! I'm going to go visit my Big sister and her cute little family so I can sell my car! Which will hopefully help me get at least some of the things I need for my mission if not help me survive until I can finally leave!

Why am I going to Utah to sell my car? Well, why ever not?

The license plate is from Utah and my Bro-in law is a BOSS at selling cars. I also plan to get a Utah Drivers License so that if I ever feel the need to go to UVU again I can, without having to pay out-of-state tuition. That's the WORST! If I go to BYU again it really won't make a difference because tuition is pretty decently priced anyway, but this way I'll be covered on ALL fronts!

I have a pretty good idea what's going to happen when I get home from the mission. But a girl has to have her options!

By the way... How is it that student loans add up so quick?! I've only had them for 2 semesters and I already want to cry!...oh wait...that already happened D:

There is still SO MUCH to do! I wish reality would just HIT ME already! I would have so much more motivation!

I did get to cross some things off my pre-mission bucket list this weekend though!

I went to the Ape Caves with a ton of friends at like midnight one night. It was pretty creepy and we all thought we were going to either die or get eaten by cougars. All our parents were probably watching the news waiting for our missing faces to show up.

Yep, that ghost right there between Jess and Bo would be me, and of course,
what would an adventure  be without Cody?! 

I got to ride on a Motorcycle this week too! Uhh...it was awesome. Thanks Tom! 

One of my goals before leaving on the mission has been to attend the temple at least once a week. It's been such a blessing to go through with my friends who are going for the first time! It is the best and is definitely what keeps me going, not to mention it seems to be the cure to every over-thinking problem I have! 

To my Mormon people: Go to the Temple and GO OFTEN! Like seriously, every week if you can!

To my not-so-Mormon people: Do everything you can to get there, including (but not limited to) Getting baptized, Repenting, reading the Book of Mormon, taking Missionary Discussions....All that! Ok, maybe not in that order.... but seriously, give it a chance!

You can be sealed to your family FOREVER!

That's what we have because of temples- ETERNAL families! Go to the temple. Go often.

That's my goal, to go every week for the rest of my life! (besides my mission) 

This week Jess went through to receive her Endowments (another super cool part of what happens in the temple)! She'll be serving in the Tennessee, Knoxville mission! 

Tom, Me, Jess, and Cody! 

Another blessing this last week was spending time with one of my good friends, David! Who was home for a short ten days before returning to Camp Pendleton for more training. He's a stud. If only every Marine were like him!

As for my progress on reading the Book of Mormon....Well I've reached 1 Nephi 11...haha! Hey, It's progress! 

I decided that I needed to find a place to study, because in this house it is SO HARD to feel the spirit. I wont go into details, but I don't know why I haven't figured it out before now! 

I used to be pretty good at reading when I had the priesthood at home AKA mi padre. But now it goes like this- When I go to mission prep or institute or church I'm SO pumped about the Gospel and I just want to keep it going when I get back to the house, and in the car I'll be thinking about what I want to read and all that stuff and I'll be on this spiritual high and it's really fantastic! But when I open that door it just all falls away! What's the deal?! I'm blaming at least 60% of that on the fact that no one in this house holds the priesthood- I'm definitely willing to take the blame for the other 40% though (procrastination has been getting the best of me) 

But now I guess I just gotta take the "Stand ye in holy places" approach... which really should be the approach no matter what. But hopefully I'll be able to find that place- either mentally or physically- where I can have that solid study time every day. Otherwise, this girl's gonna find herself in some t-r-o-u-b-l-e. 

Only 70 days left! Yikes! Better get a move-on!