Well, my time as a pre-missionary is coming to a close. I gave my farewell talks today and they went very well! I spoke on a talk by Elaine S Dalton, the former General Young Women's President. Her talk was titled Be Not Moved, it was such an amazing talk! I urge you all to go read it (the link on her name will take you to it!). I was blessed to be able to give my talk twice actually! I gave it in my home ward along with a boy who is leaving on the same day as me. We then sang Come Thou Fount with our siblings. It all went really well and I did so well at not crying until I was done singing! I then gave another version of the same talk in my singles ward, it was also good! Except that I cried, because my very best friend was in the congregation watching!
But Anyways...
Just 23 hours until I am set apart as a missionary! It's all so overwhelming because I don't feel prepared at all, yet the list of things I actually need to get done isn't all that big.
Well.... I guess packing is kind of a big thing
I should probably get to that
But anyways, this blog will be run by my wonderful mother from now! I'll be emailing her so she can post all of my adventures here!
I would love to hear from anyone and everyone! Please shoot me an email or even a letter! My addresses can be found under the "Send Me Some Love!!" tab at the top of this blog!
God bless
I'll see you all on the flip side
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Monday, September 16, 2013
You might be a future sister missionary if...
You might be a future sister missionary if...
- People keep reminding you when you leave
- People keep asking where you're going (even after the 10th time you've told them)
- People keep telling you about the cousins/brother/sister-in-law/uncle they have living in your area
- People keep telling you what the weather will be like in your area, even if they've never been there
- Boys are suddenly 110% less attracted to you
- Boys are suddenly 110% more attractive to you
- Everyone keeps asking you if you're excited
- Everyone keeps asking you if you're nervous
- Everyone tells you that you'll have so much fun
- Everyone tells you that it will be the hardest 18 months of your life
- PMG is your light reading for before bed
- Shopping is 90% less fun
- Shoe shopping makes you want to cry
- You need to replace 90% of your wardrobe
- You decide to get up at 6:30 every morning and go to bed at 10:30 every night
- You actually get up at 10 every morning and go to bed at 2 AM, 5 days a week
- You can tell people how many days until you report at the drop of a hat
- You count down all your lasts (last full month, last full week, last weekend)
- Your Facebook profile picture is you holding up your call
- Your cover photo is a temple
- Your Facebook name starts with Sister or Hermana
- You're part of the "Many are called...but few are sisters" Facebook page
- Watching other people open their calls makes you cry...even if you don't know them
- Watching anyone do anything that requires more effort that breathing makes you cry because it's just so darn inspirational
- The best gift anyone could give you is a mini hymn book
- You have a blog
- Your favorite weekend activity is doing temple sessions
- You know exactly how many outfits you can make out of 8 blouses, 9 skirts, 4 cardigans, 3 pairs of shoes, and 2 scarves
- Your workplace is your favorite place to tell people about the church, whether they want to hear it or not
- You can't decide if "Called to Serve" or "I'll Go Where You Want Me To Go" is your favorite song
Thanks for reading! Hopefully everyone found it a little true and a little funny :) If you have any to add feel free to comment!! Come back soon for more!
Probably only one or two more posts before I report (in 9 days!)! My mom is going to take over the blog and hopefully have an update every week or so!
Monday, September 9, 2013
I Can Do Hard Things
It's been a crazy busy week in the life of a future missionary! With only 16 days until I report to the MTC it's all coming down to the wire. Everything big is taken care of and it's all just details I have to worry about now. Writing my farewell talk and (thinking about) starting to pack is making everything real. In just a few days I'll be able to count down my days left in Idaho on my fingers!
So this past weekend I got to support my dad in a big bike race that we've participated in several times as a family. The LoToJa Classic is a road bike race covering 206 miles and 3 states in one day. Starting in Logan, Utah and ending in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Both my parents are extremely talented ultra distance road cyclists. I have no idea where that gene went when I was born. I hate biking. I would so much rather run. Which was why I started crying a little bit when I got a letter from my mission president stating I'll need a bike for at least part of my mission. But anyways. With my parents always racing and me never racing it only made sense that I start supporting them! In most long distance bike races all the racers are required to have a support vehicle. That's where I come in. I drive the family mini van along the race course and stop at designated feed zones to hand my racers food, drinks, water, whatever they may need. After years of practice, my mom (who didn't race LoToJa this year) and I make a pretty dang good support team. We were able to get my dad through a feed zone in a matter of seconds. We never timed it, but my best guess is that the time it took from him stopping his bike to him starting back out was about 30 seconds total. Ya, we were that good.
But anyways, I always get emotional and inspired at this type of event. And I was comparing this type of race to the gospel all day long. Life is like a big long bike ride. There are uphill parts that are so tiring we're not sure if we'll ever make it to the top, there are downhill parts that you just fly down with no effort and enjoying the scenery the whole way down, there are also the long flat country roads that go on forever and are so mind-numbingly boring that you would almost rather be battling up a mountain. The church and the gospel are like the nutrition and water we need in order to finish this ride. Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father are the ones supporting us. We trust them in our mid-exercise state of mind, when we can't tell if we're hungry, thirsty, nauseous, or simply need to go to the bathroom, to get us what we need. We might think we need just water to survive, but they know better and give us water enriched with sports drink, plus they know when to give us sports bars or energy gels. The finish line of this ride we call life is when we finally get to get off our bikes and hug those who supported us and thank them for taking care of us.
Biking 206 miles in one day is hard. Really hard. That's why I've never done it. Life is also hard. But if we accept the support that is so willingly offered to us by our Savior then it becomes a beautiful ride through a gorgeous country.
Another tender tidbit on this years' LoToJa... Last year a man from Mesa started LoToJa, not knowing it would be his last. On a bridge about 180 miles into the race, there was a wreck that resulted in his death. This year, his wife started riding the course on the bridge and finished the race in his honor. She received a finishers medal at the awards ceremony the next morning. It was a really beautiful tribute and many eyes (including mine) were wet with tears. Faith in humanity: restored.
On a happier note! My dad finished LoToJa for his sixth time this year and received his 1000 mile club trophy! Plus he set a PR for this race of 9 hours and 27 minutes!
And so, in conclusion. It was a good weekend. Seeing as I'm done working (quite sad, actually) I have plenty of hours in my days to prepare to leave! Getting all my shopping for the little things like razors and a new make up bag done. I'll actually have to start packing soon... shudder. It's kind of like how it felt when I was getting ready to leave for college. But times 100.
We also got to do a session in the Logan Temple the day before the race, it was so beautiful! First time I've done a session outside the Boise temple!
Hope you enjoyed this post! Come back soon for more and feel free to email me or comment below!
So this past weekend I got to support my dad in a big bike race that we've participated in several times as a family. The LoToJa Classic is a road bike race covering 206 miles and 3 states in one day. Starting in Logan, Utah and ending in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Both my parents are extremely talented ultra distance road cyclists. I have no idea where that gene went when I was born. I hate biking. I would so much rather run. Which was why I started crying a little bit when I got a letter from my mission president stating I'll need a bike for at least part of my mission. But anyways. With my parents always racing and me never racing it only made sense that I start supporting them! In most long distance bike races all the racers are required to have a support vehicle. That's where I come in. I drive the family mini van along the race course and stop at designated feed zones to hand my racers food, drinks, water, whatever they may need. After years of practice, my mom (who didn't race LoToJa this year) and I make a pretty dang good support team. We were able to get my dad through a feed zone in a matter of seconds. We never timed it, but my best guess is that the time it took from him stopping his bike to him starting back out was about 30 seconds total. Ya, we were that good.
But anyways, I always get emotional and inspired at this type of event. And I was comparing this type of race to the gospel all day long. Life is like a big long bike ride. There are uphill parts that are so tiring we're not sure if we'll ever make it to the top, there are downhill parts that you just fly down with no effort and enjoying the scenery the whole way down, there are also the long flat country roads that go on forever and are so mind-numbingly boring that you would almost rather be battling up a mountain. The church and the gospel are like the nutrition and water we need in order to finish this ride. Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father are the ones supporting us. We trust them in our mid-exercise state of mind, when we can't tell if we're hungry, thirsty, nauseous, or simply need to go to the bathroom, to get us what we need. We might think we need just water to survive, but they know better and give us water enriched with sports drink, plus they know when to give us sports bars or energy gels. The finish line of this ride we call life is when we finally get to get off our bikes and hug those who supported us and thank them for taking care of us.
Biking 206 miles in one day is hard. Really hard. That's why I've never done it. Life is also hard. But if we accept the support that is so willingly offered to us by our Savior then it becomes a beautiful ride through a gorgeous country.
Another tender tidbit on this years' LoToJa... Last year a man from Mesa started LoToJa, not knowing it would be his last. On a bridge about 180 miles into the race, there was a wreck that resulted in his death. This year, his wife started riding the course on the bridge and finished the race in his honor. She received a finishers medal at the awards ceremony the next morning. It was a really beautiful tribute and many eyes (including mine) were wet with tears. Faith in humanity: restored.
On a happier note! My dad finished LoToJa for his sixth time this year and received his 1000 mile club trophy! Plus he set a PR for this race of 9 hours and 27 minutes!
And so, in conclusion. It was a good weekend. Seeing as I'm done working (quite sad, actually) I have plenty of hours in my days to prepare to leave! Getting all my shopping for the little things like razors and a new make up bag done. I'll actually have to start packing soon... shudder. It's kind of like how it felt when I was getting ready to leave for college. But times 100.
We also got to do a session in the Logan Temple the day before the race, it was so beautiful! First time I've done a session outside the Boise temple!
Hope you enjoyed this post! Come back soon for more and feel free to email me or comment below!
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Nobody said it would be this hard...
I am 24 days from leaving my family for 18 months. I have 22 days left in my beautiful state of Idaho.
24 days.
Everyone keeps telling me I'll have the time of my life. It will be the best 18 months I ever have.
So why does it feel like I only have 24 days left to live?
Nobody told me it would feel like the goodbyes are final goodbyes. Nobody said it would be so difficult to explain to people why you're happy and sad all at the same time. Nobody said it would be hard to explain why you even want to do this.
I knew the tears would flow, but never did I anticipate the ease and volume that they would present themselves with. I knew I would be saying goodbye to friends and co workers, but I didn't know how attached I would be to the people I'm leaving for a year and a half. I knew the packing list would be long, but I didn't quite comprehend how much stuff you need for 18 months of life.
Going on a mission is hard.
I'm giving up my friends and family, my laptop, my phone, dating, jeans, flip flops, alone time, and over $7,000 to do this.
I want to be there to tell my fellow future sister missionaries that it's ok to scared. Heaven knows I'm terrified out of my wits! And I'm not even going anywhere remotely dangerous! I'm so so scared, but it's ok because I have the comfort from my Heavenly Father. What more do I need? If God can help Moses part the seas then he better be able to stop my tears and tell me that everything will be fine. And if Job can show faith through bankruptcy, abandonment, and illness then I can show faith in perfect health, with a whole support system of a family, and with abundance that I don't even appreciate as much as I should.
It's been an emotional few days. Getting down to the wire with not much time left for preparation. It's all getting real, and that's the scary part! I report in less than a month. I made a list of everything that I need to do and buy to be ready to go, it's less than a page long. I'm leaving my job this Thursday, and this is really proving to be harder than I thought it would be. I didn't think I would love the goofballs I work with this much. But I do. Oh well.
It was my last Fast and Testimony meeting before I leave, so naturally I had to get up and bear my testimony on missionary work. Just hoping my farewell talks go more smoothly!
Be faithful and happy. Don't worry about anything, because God has your back. Always has. Always will. Promise.
Thanks for reading! This was all my emotion just kind of pouring out into a random post! Come back soon for more and feel free to comment or email me!
Monday, August 26, 2013
The 30 Day Countdown Begins
Well, here it is! The last month of my life as a pre-missionary! It's... difficult to describe these feelings. It's kind of like this....
My thought process: ONLY 30 DAYS LEFT!!!! ....oh my gosh.... only 30 days left.... I'M SO PUMPED GET ME OUT THERE!!!.... I'm not going..... I'M GOING TO BE THE BEST MISSIONARY EVER!!!!....I'm going to be the worst missionary ever....
Ya, that's pretty much it.
But, in honor of my 30 days until I report I thought I would post 30 things NOT to procrastinate on while preparing for a mission!
30 Things NOT to Procrastinate on While Preparing for a Mission:
1. Immunizations. Seriously, I'm leaving in 30 days (!!!) and still haven't gotten one of my Hep shots, I'm so worried I won't be able to go...
2. Shoe Shopping! As soon as you get your call, start asking around and finding out the best shoes for that climate. Go find them where you're going to buy them, if they're already on sale, buy them. If they're not on sale first ask for a missionary discount, if that doesn't work then keep watching the shoes until they do go on sale. If they don't go on sale and you're like a month from leaving just suck it up and buy them.
3. Bag Shopping. A mission bag has been one of the hardest non-clothing items to find. It's worth the time to look around and find good quality, good sales, and good fashion ;)
4. Reading the Book of Mormon. I was already reading the BOM consistently, but I only recently committed myself to reading it cover to cover one more time before leaving.
5. Reading Preach My Gospel. Just starting reading it! Please!
6. Going through the temple. Go as soon as you can! Seriously, it is the most beautiful place and the most important work. Go and go often.
7. Taking Mission Prep classes. Even if you're just thinking about a mission, sign up for an institute mission prep class and go. It will give you good pointers and might tell you if you're supposed to go or not.
8. Sending in your Acceptance Letter. Try to send it as soon as you get your call. The sooner you send it in the sooner you'll hear from your mission president (in most cases).
9. Watching The District. Start watching it now so you can re watch it and re watch it as many times as you want! And believe me, you'll want!
10. Starting Family History work. I'm not a huge family history person. I feel bad, but it's really not my strong point. Get started early so you're not rushing to get it done before you go.
11. Compiling a complete packing list. No matter how long you have until you report, start your list. This way if any family asks you "what do you need? I want to help!" you can look at your list and say "I need a mini PMG, or a mini hymn book, or a travel size alarm clock!"
12. Memorizing important scriptures. This is will bless you on your mission. Start memorizing early so you can really get the words and the meaning behind them ingrained into your mind.
13. Getting a driving record and have your license renewed. The DMV sucks sometimes. Scratch that. The DMV sucks all the time. Just get it over with.
14. Start collecting addresses. Tell your friends and family that you want to leave with an address book full of addresses so you can start telling them about your adventures right away!
15. Settling bills/debts. I had a doctor bill up until a few days ago that I was really worried about because I was trying to pay for mission stuff, not doctor stuff! Get all debts settled so you can peacefully save up for the important stuff!
16. Working out who will be in charge of your finances while you're gone. It could get awkward if you're a week from leaving and your parents or whoever is incharge of money doesn't know how/what to do for financing the mission! Meet with them and your bishop at the same time so you can work it all out.
17. Figuring out your health insurance for while you're gone. Cause it's not fun to be on the phone with an insurance company a week before you leave trying to explain your situation.
18. Waking up earlier. I know. I'm not ready to get up at 6:30 AM everyday for 18 months either. But any preparation for this is better than none.
19. Getting in the habit of DAILY study. You may study the scriptures and PMG consistently 4 or 5 days a week, but that's not enough out in the field. Just try to get in the habit of studying at least a little bit every single day. Without fail. And no. I'm not good at this. But I try.
20. If you have a job, settling when your last days will be and if you'll be able to come back after your mission. It's so nice to know you'll have a job after being away for a year and a half. Managers will most likely want to know if you plan on coming back and when you plan on leaving pretty early on. And make sure you don't tell them your last day is going to be the day before you report. I'm leaving my job about 2 weeks before I leave so I have more time to prepare and say goodbyes.
21. If you're going to school, making an official deferment. This is SO important. I go to BYUI so they are pretty easy going about this sort of thing, but if you don't go to a church school make sure the school knows exactly when you'll be gone and why and all that jazz.
22. Telling your bank where you're going. You'll want your debit card to work while your gone (providing you're going somewhere where you'll be able to use it) so make sure you let your bank know where you're going so they don't deactivate your card because they think someone stole your identity!
23. Start following any mission rules feasible to your daily life. Preparing to follow these rules will help you transition a little more easily into the missionary life. But hey, I am not by any means saying you should give up dates before you go! Fill your canteens girls! ;)
24. Getting ready to walk/bike A LOT. Ya. I'm not so excited to have to bike everywhere. But refusing to believe it's going to happen and blocking it out of my mind will only make it more difficult when the time comes.
25. Start talking to people who live in/have lived in/served in your mission. I'm serving in Arizona. Without fail, every single time anyone finds this out they say "oh my gosh look out for my cousin that lives there!" or "ah! my missionary is serving there! Look out for Elder so and so!" or "I used to live there!" or "I have family down there! If you meet any generic-last-names tell them I say hi!" Every. Single. Time. And you know what? I don't remember a single name anyone has told me to look out for. Sorry, not sorry. But in all seriousness, if you know anyone who served in your mission ask them questions! Ask them about the weather/climate, ask them about the president, all that jazz! Getting advice from someone with first hand experience is priceless.
26. Starting a mission journal. As soon as you get your call. Or even as soon as you start your papers. Dedicate a journal to missionary-related journal stuff!
27. Start writing all the missionaries you know for advice. Even all those guys in your ward that you don't really know all that well but you have their address anyway (you all know there are so many of them!) send them a card and tell them where you're going and ask for one piece of advice!
28. Trusting the Spirit. Acting on prompting from the Holy Ghost is such a big part of missionary work, start that right now! Pray and ask for missionary experiences and act on ALL prompting you receive! Practice makes perfect.
29. Starting your missionary work! Like I said above. Pray for missionary experiences. Before your mission is the perfect time to tell people about the church, they will more than likely be curious about what a mission is and why you're going. Tell them and bear your testimony to them.
30. Making memories with family and friends to last you 18 months! You won't see these people for a year and a half! Take pictures! Make memories! Have fun! These fun times will carry you through your mission when you are missing them like crazy.
Well, there are my 30 things not to procrastinate doing while prepping for your mission. Hopefully it's been at least a little informative! If you have anything to add please comment below or email me! Thanks for reading and come back soon for more!!
Ya, that's pretty much it.
But, in honor of my 30 days until I report I thought I would post 30 things NOT to procrastinate on while preparing for a mission!
30 Things NOT to Procrastinate on While Preparing for a Mission:
1. Immunizations. Seriously, I'm leaving in 30 days (!!!) and still haven't gotten one of my Hep shots, I'm so worried I won't be able to go...
2. Shoe Shopping! As soon as you get your call, start asking around and finding out the best shoes for that climate. Go find them where you're going to buy them, if they're already on sale, buy them. If they're not on sale first ask for a missionary discount, if that doesn't work then keep watching the shoes until they do go on sale. If they don't go on sale and you're like a month from leaving just suck it up and buy them.
3. Bag Shopping. A mission bag has been one of the hardest non-clothing items to find. It's worth the time to look around and find good quality, good sales, and good fashion ;)
4. Reading the Book of Mormon. I was already reading the BOM consistently, but I only recently committed myself to reading it cover to cover one more time before leaving.
5. Reading Preach My Gospel. Just starting reading it! Please!
6. Going through the temple. Go as soon as you can! Seriously, it is the most beautiful place and the most important work. Go and go often.
7. Taking Mission Prep classes. Even if you're just thinking about a mission, sign up for an institute mission prep class and go. It will give you good pointers and might tell you if you're supposed to go or not.
8. Sending in your Acceptance Letter. Try to send it as soon as you get your call. The sooner you send it in the sooner you'll hear from your mission president (in most cases).
9. Watching The District. Start watching it now so you can re watch it and re watch it as many times as you want! And believe me, you'll want!
10. Starting Family History work. I'm not a huge family history person. I feel bad, but it's really not my strong point. Get started early so you're not rushing to get it done before you go.
11. Compiling a complete packing list. No matter how long you have until you report, start your list. This way if any family asks you "what do you need? I want to help!" you can look at your list and say "I need a mini PMG, or a mini hymn book, or a travel size alarm clock!"
12. Memorizing important scriptures. This is will bless you on your mission. Start memorizing early so you can really get the words and the meaning behind them ingrained into your mind.
13. Getting a driving record and have your license renewed. The DMV sucks sometimes. Scratch that. The DMV sucks all the time. Just get it over with.
14. Start collecting addresses. Tell your friends and family that you want to leave with an address book full of addresses so you can start telling them about your adventures right away!
15. Settling bills/debts. I had a doctor bill up until a few days ago that I was really worried about because I was trying to pay for mission stuff, not doctor stuff! Get all debts settled so you can peacefully save up for the important stuff!
16. Working out who will be in charge of your finances while you're gone. It could get awkward if you're a week from leaving and your parents or whoever is incharge of money doesn't know how/what to do for financing the mission! Meet with them and your bishop at the same time so you can work it all out.
17. Figuring out your health insurance for while you're gone. Cause it's not fun to be on the phone with an insurance company a week before you leave trying to explain your situation.
18. Waking up earlier. I know. I'm not ready to get up at 6:30 AM everyday for 18 months either. But any preparation for this is better than none.
19. Getting in the habit of DAILY study. You may study the scriptures and PMG consistently 4 or 5 days a week, but that's not enough out in the field. Just try to get in the habit of studying at least a little bit every single day. Without fail. And no. I'm not good at this. But I try.
20. If you have a job, settling when your last days will be and if you'll be able to come back after your mission. It's so nice to know you'll have a job after being away for a year and a half. Managers will most likely want to know if you plan on coming back and when you plan on leaving pretty early on. And make sure you don't tell them your last day is going to be the day before you report. I'm leaving my job about 2 weeks before I leave so I have more time to prepare and say goodbyes.
21. If you're going to school, making an official deferment. This is SO important. I go to BYUI so they are pretty easy going about this sort of thing, but if you don't go to a church school make sure the school knows exactly when you'll be gone and why and all that jazz.
22. Telling your bank where you're going. You'll want your debit card to work while your gone (providing you're going somewhere where you'll be able to use it) so make sure you let your bank know where you're going so they don't deactivate your card because they think someone stole your identity!
23. Start following any mission rules feasible to your daily life. Preparing to follow these rules will help you transition a little more easily into the missionary life. But hey, I am not by any means saying you should give up dates before you go! Fill your canteens girls! ;)
24. Getting ready to walk/bike A LOT. Ya. I'm not so excited to have to bike everywhere. But refusing to believe it's going to happen and blocking it out of my mind will only make it more difficult when the time comes.
25. Start talking to people who live in/have lived in/served in your mission. I'm serving in Arizona. Without fail, every single time anyone finds this out they say "oh my gosh look out for my cousin that lives there!" or "ah! my missionary is serving there! Look out for Elder so and so!" or "I used to live there!" or "I have family down there! If you meet any generic-last-names tell them I say hi!" Every. Single. Time. And you know what? I don't remember a single name anyone has told me to look out for. Sorry, not sorry. But in all seriousness, if you know anyone who served in your mission ask them questions! Ask them about the weather/climate, ask them about the president, all that jazz! Getting advice from someone with first hand experience is priceless.
26. Starting a mission journal. As soon as you get your call. Or even as soon as you start your papers. Dedicate a journal to missionary-related journal stuff!
27. Start writing all the missionaries you know for advice. Even all those guys in your ward that you don't really know all that well but you have their address anyway (you all know there are so many of them!) send them a card and tell them where you're going and ask for one piece of advice!
28. Trusting the Spirit. Acting on prompting from the Holy Ghost is such a big part of missionary work, start that right now! Pray and ask for missionary experiences and act on ALL prompting you receive! Practice makes perfect.
29. Starting your missionary work! Like I said above. Pray for missionary experiences. Before your mission is the perfect time to tell people about the church, they will more than likely be curious about what a mission is and why you're going. Tell them and bear your testimony to them.
30. Making memories with family and friends to last you 18 months! You won't see these people for a year and a half! Take pictures! Make memories! Have fun! These fun times will carry you through your mission when you are missing them like crazy.
Well, there are my 30 things not to procrastinate doing while prepping for your mission. Hopefully it's been at least a little informative! If you have anything to add please comment below or email me! Thanks for reading and come back soon for more!!
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
An 18 Month Packing List?!?
My life for a whole year and a half is limited to fitting into two suitcases and a shoulder bag! I guess I can only speak for myself, but I feel like many girls my age could probably fit half their wardrobe into that, not taking into account toiletries, accessories, books, etc... And yet, here I am, compiling a packing list that is to last me a whole of 18 months. This is my first draft of a packing list, please feel free to tell me if I forgot anything or have something here that I won't need! Keep in mind, I'm going to Arizona, so I don't feel the need to pack any really heavy winter clothes. Hopefully this will be helpful to other sisters out there!
Arizona
Here I Come!
·
Clothes
o
Missionary clothes
§ Skirts
§ Blouses
§ Dresses
§ Jacket
§ Cardigans
§ Tank
tops
o
P Day Clothes
§ T
shirts
§ Jeans
o
Exercise Clothes
§ Shirts
§ Pants
o
PJs
§ PJ
pants
§ PJ
shirts
o
Shoes
§ Flats
§ Flipflops
§ Sneakers
o
Unders
§ Garments
§ Underwear
for exercise
§ Bras
§ Sports
bras
§ Spandex
Shorts for Biking
§ Slips
o
Accessories
§ Belts
§ Necklaces
§ Bracelets
§ Earrings
·
Toiletries
o
Teeth
§ Toothbrush
§ Toothpaste
§ Floss
o
Hair
§ Shamp/Condit
§ Hair
brush
§ Bobby
Pins
§ Hair
Ties
§ Hair
spray
§ Curling
Iron/Straightener?
§ Blow
Dryer
o
Make Up
§ Foundation
§ Eyeliner
§ Mascara
§ Eye
Shadow
§ Lip
balm
§ Lip
Gloss
§ Brushes
o
Skin
§ Lotion
§ Face
Wash
§ Sun
Screen
o
Body
§ Deoderant
§ Towel
§ Hand
Towel
§ Wash
Cloth
§ Biotin
§ Mini
ibuprofen/Tylenol
§ Insect
Repellant
§ Kleenex
§ Razor
§ Shaving
Cream
§ Soap
§ Body
Wash
§ Q-Tips
o
Feminine
§ Tampons
§ Pads
o
Nails
§ Clippers
§ Polish
§ Mani
Set
·
Misc
o
Gospel books
§ Scriptures
§ PMG
§ True
to the Faith
o
Clothes Hangers
o
Journal
o
Pens/pencils/highlighter
o
Notebooks
o
Shoulder Bag
o
Camera and Charger
o
Bedding
o
Alarm Clock
o
Laundry Bag
o
Small Flashlight
o
Batteries
o
Stationary (stamps, paper, envelopes)
o
Ipod and Speakers?
·
Documents
o
ID
o
Debit Card
o
Driving Record
o
Temple Recommend
o
Family history Chart
o
Insurance Card
o
Immunization Record
o
Copy Of Mission Call
o
Address Book
Thanks for reading! Have a great week, come back soon for more! Follow me on Pinterest, email me at sistersparhawk@hotmail.com, or comment below!
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Confessions of a Food Service Worker
So, I work in a restaurant. Obviously I'm not gonna say which one, but I work in an awesome burger-and-fries joint. Anyone reading this post who has worked in food service before will probably relate to a lot of these points. For anyone reading who has never worked in food service, this will be your insight into what it's like and the things that may go on while we're preparing your food!
Quick disclaimer!! I love my job, I love it so much and all the people I work with and for. This post is for humor purposes only, I don't want to offend anyone! I can assure you that wherever you go to eat all food safety laws are more than likely being followed and no food service worker would likely ever do anything to diminish the quality of the food you are receiving. Of course, I can only speak for myself!
1. It's hard to hear you sometimes! In my restaurant the register is fairly close to the fryers and grills we use to prepare your food. Fryers are loud. Personally, I don't have any problem being heard by customers(grew up on stage, what can I say?), but the customers have to speak up as well! If you mumble that you don't want tomatoes on your burger I might not hear it and you will have tomatoes on your burger and no one wins in this situation. Don't be shy about telling me what you want! It's your food, speak up and make sure you get what you want! It's my job to get you your food exactly as you asked for it, I don't want to have to lean over the register and ask "sorry, what? what did you say?" over and over again!
2. Yes, we talk about customers. If you are socially awkward, rude, attractive, unattractive, a good tipper, a bad tipper, or pretty much anything, we will probably talk about you to our co workers in the back kitchens. We know exactly where in the restaurant we can talk as loud as we want without being heard. If we are being professional, it won't affect how we treat you or how we make your food, but sometimes we need a good story to tell! And a story about a customer who spent 20 minutes trying to decide what they were going to eat while simultaneously telling me her life story and showing me pictures of her multiple cats and also trying to hire me into her pyramid scheme business is a good story!!
3. We like tips!
I'm not on a reduced salary, but I still don't make much money. Tips are a really important part of my income! I count on my tips to buy gas for my car! Even just a dollar or two will make us happy! And if we notice you tipping well we will more than likely pay extra attention to you and your food, making sure you're happy and your food is well made!
4. We can't just give you free food. In many many restaurants even the employees don't get free food. Even if we wanted to give you free food we probably wouldn't be able to. With how ordering works I have to input the food you want, then you have to pay for it. Only after you pay for it will the order be sent to the kitchen where it's made. If you don't pay for it then the order doesn't go to the kitchen and you don't get food. Even if there was a way for me to sneak people I know free food it would be a big risk to my job and honestly, giving you free food is so not worth me losing my job. Sorry.
5. We don't have any real power. I'm not a manager or owner. I just work at my restaurant (even though I say MY restaurant, that's just easier to say than "the restaurant that I work at"). It amazes me how often people will tell me to change rules or give me suggestions that I don't have any power over. I've had people tell me I picked a bad location for the restaurant (um, sorry? I guess I should have asked you where you wanted it before I even started working here). I've had people tell me to put different foods on the menu (ya, like I have that kind of power, please), I've even had people tell me to take certain foods off the menu (if you don't want it, don't order it)! Telling your cashier at a grocery store that the price of your gallon of milk is too high isn't going to change the price the next time you go in, so telling me that I should offer a different type of fry won't give me the power to make that happen. And in a few instances I will actually agree with whatever you want changed, if I could I would change that! Someone told me they wanted waffle cut fries once, I was like I KNOW RIGHT? Too bad though.
6. If you are attractive and we are single we might try to make your food extra delicious. To be honest, this might just be me. My life is a little sad like that.
7. Ask questions! If you don't know what something is on the menu go ahead and ask what it is. It's the employees job and responsibility to know what it is and to tell you. Don't be afraid to ask us to run down the menu for you. It's our job to show you what you are going to be eating, that's what we're getting paid for. People always act apologetic that I had to spend two minutes telling them everything that we serve, but I really don't mind it! Don't be shy!
8. Speak up when something is messy or wrong. If we forgot to put cheese on your burger just tell us and we will be more than happy to throw some queso on there for you (as long as you're not rude about it, then we will be less happy, but we'll still do it)! If the bathroom is out of paper towels we won't know unless we go in or someone tells us! It's not rude to tell an employee "hey, the bathroom is out of toilet paper by the way." But it is rude to say "Ew, your bathroom is nasty, go take care of that."
9. If you enjoyed your meal, tell us! Some of my favorite moments as a cook are when a customer takes the time to tell me personally that they enjoyed their meal. One of my favorite days at work was the day when a woman got a to go order and actually took the time to call the restaurant later and tell my manager that it was the best burger she had ever had! She remembered that it was the only girl working at the restaurant at the time that made it and told him to tell me good job! I was so happy and proud of myself that day! That kind of thing will improve a workers attitude and efficiency.
And yes, this happens every single time. Sorry.
10. If you are a rude customer we won't ruin your food, but we will think about it. Let me repeat that. I would NEVER purposefully ruin anyone's meal because they were rude to me, but I will most definitely fantasize about it. I will probably trash talk about you later and dream about giving you extra pickles when you asked for no pickles. But I won't actually act on it. Promise.
Well, there are my confessions of a food service worker. Hopefully you found it a little funny, more than a little accurate, and a little informative. Next time you go out to eat, be nice, speak up, tip, and say please and thank you!
Thanks for reading! Come back soon for more posts! Don't forget to follow me on Pinterest and feel free to comment below or email me at sistersparhawk@hotmail.com
Quick disclaimer!! I love my job, I love it so much and all the people I work with and for. This post is for humor purposes only, I don't want to offend anyone! I can assure you that wherever you go to eat all food safety laws are more than likely being followed and no food service worker would likely ever do anything to diminish the quality of the food you are receiving. Of course, I can only speak for myself!
1. It's hard to hear you sometimes! In my restaurant the register is fairly close to the fryers and grills we use to prepare your food. Fryers are loud. Personally, I don't have any problem being heard by customers(grew up on stage, what can I say?), but the customers have to speak up as well! If you mumble that you don't want tomatoes on your burger I might not hear it and you will have tomatoes on your burger and no one wins in this situation. Don't be shy about telling me what you want! It's your food, speak up and make sure you get what you want! It's my job to get you your food exactly as you asked for it, I don't want to have to lean over the register and ask "sorry, what? what did you say?" over and over again!
2. Yes, we talk about customers. If you are socially awkward, rude, attractive, unattractive, a good tipper, a bad tipper, or pretty much anything, we will probably talk about you to our co workers in the back kitchens. We know exactly where in the restaurant we can talk as loud as we want without being heard. If we are being professional, it won't affect how we treat you or how we make your food, but sometimes we need a good story to tell! And a story about a customer who spent 20 minutes trying to decide what they were going to eat while simultaneously telling me her life story and showing me pictures of her multiple cats and also trying to hire me into her pyramid scheme business is a good story!!
3. We like tips!
4. We can't just give you free food. In many many restaurants even the employees don't get free food. Even if we wanted to give you free food we probably wouldn't be able to. With how ordering works I have to input the food you want, then you have to pay for it. Only after you pay for it will the order be sent to the kitchen where it's made. If you don't pay for it then the order doesn't go to the kitchen and you don't get food. Even if there was a way for me to sneak people I know free food it would be a big risk to my job and honestly, giving you free food is so not worth me losing my job. Sorry.
5. We don't have any real power. I'm not a manager or owner. I just work at my restaurant (even though I say MY restaurant, that's just easier to say than "the restaurant that I work at"). It amazes me how often people will tell me to change rules or give me suggestions that I don't have any power over. I've had people tell me I picked a bad location for the restaurant (um, sorry? I guess I should have asked you where you wanted it before I even started working here). I've had people tell me to put different foods on the menu (ya, like I have that kind of power, please), I've even had people tell me to take certain foods off the menu (if you don't want it, don't order it)! Telling your cashier at a grocery store that the price of your gallon of milk is too high isn't going to change the price the next time you go in, so telling me that I should offer a different type of fry won't give me the power to make that happen. And in a few instances I will actually agree with whatever you want changed, if I could I would change that! Someone told me they wanted waffle cut fries once, I was like I KNOW RIGHT? Too bad though.
6. If you are attractive and we are single we might try to make your food extra delicious. To be honest, this might just be me. My life is a little sad like that.
7. Ask questions! If you don't know what something is on the menu go ahead and ask what it is. It's the employees job and responsibility to know what it is and to tell you. Don't be afraid to ask us to run down the menu for you. It's our job to show you what you are going to be eating, that's what we're getting paid for. People always act apologetic that I had to spend two minutes telling them everything that we serve, but I really don't mind it! Don't be shy!
8. Speak up when something is messy or wrong. If we forgot to put cheese on your burger just tell us and we will be more than happy to throw some queso on there for you (as long as you're not rude about it, then we will be less happy, but we'll still do it)! If the bathroom is out of paper towels we won't know unless we go in or someone tells us! It's not rude to tell an employee "hey, the bathroom is out of toilet paper by the way." But it is rude to say "Ew, your bathroom is nasty, go take care of that."
9. If you enjoyed your meal, tell us! Some of my favorite moments as a cook are when a customer takes the time to tell me personally that they enjoyed their meal. One of my favorite days at work was the day when a woman got a to go order and actually took the time to call the restaurant later and tell my manager that it was the best burger she had ever had! She remembered that it was the only girl working at the restaurant at the time that made it and told him to tell me good job! I was so happy and proud of myself that day! That kind of thing will improve a workers attitude and efficiency.
10. If you are a rude customer we won't ruin your food, but we will think about it. Let me repeat that. I would NEVER purposefully ruin anyone's meal because they were rude to me, but I will most definitely fantasize about it. I will probably trash talk about you later and dream about giving you extra pickles when you asked for no pickles. But I won't actually act on it. Promise.
Well, there are my confessions of a food service worker. Hopefully you found it a little funny, more than a little accurate, and a little informative. Next time you go out to eat, be nice, speak up, tip, and say please and thank you!
Thanks for reading! Come back soon for more posts! Don't forget to follow me on Pinterest and feel free to comment below or email me at sistersparhawk@hotmail.com
Monday, August 12, 2013
Hot and Cool Adventures
So lately I've had two very different adventures/experiences I would like to document. While traveling home from South Dakota we stopped at Craters of the Moon National Park. Such a cool place if you've never been! You need to register to go into any of the caves, but it's free and easy as long as you haven't visited any other caves in the past few years! The day we were there was a hot day, walking around on the surface of the park I was sweating. But going down just 3 feet into a cave and suddenly the air was like 15 degrees cooler! Craters of the Moon has some really awesome caves for all levels of caving. Some of them you could just scramble around jumping on the rocks, a few we were on our bellies army crawling and wishing we had knee pads.
Here I am down in Buffalo Cave. At one point I found a kind of nest and eventually saw the creature living in it, it was an ROUS (that's a Princess Bride reference if anyone wanted to know; Rodents Of Unusual Size)! But I really had no idea what it was, I only saw it's bum and tail, it looked like a giant rat.
One of the craziest things about the caves was the temperature difference! One of the caves, Boy Scout Cave, was actually filled with ice! I could be very comfortable in my swimsuit on top of the cave, but as soon as I got down into the cave I would be more comfortable in a sweatshirt and gloves!
Caving really is such a cool.... what do I call it? Sport? Hobby? Past time? I'll call it a sport I guess. It's a really cool sport! It's so fun finding tiny cracks in the lava on the surface, squeezing yourself down into it and finding a whole cavern that you could have a picnic in! It's just not for the claustrophobic. At all.
So the next adventure I had is less an adventure, more an experience. I tried Hot Yoga for the first time!
And let me tell you, it kicked my sorry butt and had me down in Child's Pose for at least half an hour. I was one HOT mess, and I don't mean in a good way. As I was signing up for the class the teacher told me that since it was my first time my main goal was to stay in the room the whole time. I naively thought "ya, ok, EASY, I can sit in a room for an hour" Nope. Not easy. I almost wasn't able to stay in the room for the hour and 15 minutes. In case you don't know, in Hot Yoga you are basically folding yourself into a pretzel multiple times in a room that is heated to between 105 and 108 degrees F and usually with elevated humidity. Now I've done regular yoga plenty of times before, I'm not good at it, but I know what to expect if I go to a class. That barely prepared me for Hot Yoga. Same moves, but your whole body is slippy slidey with sweat and sometimes you can't see because sweat is in your eyes or your hair (my ponytail is pretty long) is sticking to your face. I have literally never sweat that much in an hour in my life. Doing regular yoga, I can mostly do the moves (just not well), but in Hot Yoga I got so heated and nauseous that every 5 minutes I was collapsing down onto my mat and sitting in Child's Pose (also known as the This Is Way Too Hard For Me And I'm In Over My Head Pose) for embarrassingly long times. Every time this happened the teacher would say in her soft flowy yoga-teacher voice "remember there is no pressure to perform all the postures, listen to your body, take as many breaks as you need" just so everyone in the class would know that somebody (me) had to rest because she couldn't even complete a full sun salutation. Embarrassing.
And yet, I kind of enjoyed it! Since it was my first time I got a new-student package, two weeks unlimited yoga for 20 bucks, a good deal as long as I actually go! So, I'll be going back a few times a week to see if I can actually get to the point where I'm doing Hot Yoga, not just Hot.
Thanks for reading and tolerating my ranting about the random things I do. Come back soon for more!
One of the craziest things about the caves was the temperature difference! One of the caves, Boy Scout Cave, was actually filled with ice! I could be very comfortable in my swimsuit on top of the cave, but as soon as I got down into the cave I would be more comfortable in a sweatshirt and gloves!
Caving really is such a cool.... what do I call it? Sport? Hobby? Past time? I'll call it a sport I guess. It's a really cool sport! It's so fun finding tiny cracks in the lava on the surface, squeezing yourself down into it and finding a whole cavern that you could have a picnic in! It's just not for the claustrophobic. At all.
So the next adventure I had is less an adventure, more an experience. I tried Hot Yoga for the first time!
And yet, I kind of enjoyed it! Since it was my first time I got a new-student package, two weeks unlimited yoga for 20 bucks, a good deal as long as I actually go! So, I'll be going back a few times a week to see if I can actually get to the point where I'm doing Hot Yoga, not just Hot.
Thanks for reading and tolerating my ranting about the random things I do. Come back soon for more!
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