Summer Plans

I love summer.
I love the carefree life that is associated with summer.
I love that summer is sunny.
I love that summer is a perfect time to be ambitious and start goals.
I love that summer is a perfect time to accomplish goals.
I love that summer is a time to finally be able to relax and once in a while enjoy the sun.
I love that summer screams family and friend time.
I love that summer gives you that time.

My summer plans are quite simple.
I've decided it's about time to enjoy the simple life.
The life of a single adult.
I'm going to enjoy my family.
I'm going to enjoy the sun. I'm going to enjoy life with my friends.
I'm going to enjoy life on the farm. I'm going to work hard and get ready.
I'm going to prepare for the life of a future missionary!

That's right, I've decided to serve a mission. I'm soooo excited and I can't wait. But I have 5 months of waiting!

Oh ya, so I got my mission call. I finished my papers last tuesday (5/10) and I got the letter in the mail yesterday (5/18). It was such a fast turn around...I wasn't really expecting it. I was so surprised when I saw the letter on the counter I think my heart stopped. My sister thoroughly enjoyed watching me FREAK out and try to keep my cool. But regardless... It came. And after the longest and most nerve wracking and annoying 7 hours possible, I got to open my call.

Ta-Da!

I'm going to the BRAZIL LONDRINA mission.

I report to the Brazil MTC on October 19th!

Ya that is exactly 5 months away.
Ya, that is a really long time.
Ya, I will have a blast :D
Ya, I will die of humidity (Southern Brazil has around 75% humidity close to year round).
Ya, it will be a crazy 18 months.
Ya, I don't know what I'm doing.
Ya, I am overwhelmed.
Ya, I am scared.
And ya, I am excited and can't wait!

So what are my summer plans exactly?

• -I plan on getting my visa figured out
• -I plan on spending a month having fun with my nieces and nephews...and of course my sisters!
• -I plan on reading a book (not sure the book yet, but I'm reading it)
• -I plan on working out/exercising ALL the time
• -I plan on eating a lot of American food
• -I plan on reading a lot from Preach My Gospel
• -I plan on learning a basic foundation of Portuguese
• -I plan on going to Lake Powel

In the fall I plan on:

• -Going to Provo to hang out with friends
• -Cleaning out my room and throwing away some old clothes
• -Packing for 18 months in 2 suitcases (I pack 1 suitcase for 1 week!...uh-oh...)
• -Cutting my hair (I need something that I won't want to chop off myself while I'm there)
• -Having my parents cook for me :D

Most importantly, on October 19th, I plan on arriving at the MTC in Brazil (probably being a basket case), trying to put on a brave face and saying, "I'm ready to be here".

On October 19th I plan on being a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

10 Things

Yup, you guessed it. I'm home for the summer and loving it.

So here is a list of 10 things I hate about the farm (gotta take the bad with the good) and 10 things I LOVE about the farm.

10 Things I Hate About the Farm

1) the Bugs!
{The amount of bugs increases I swear 10 fold when you go out to the farm, therefore increasing the bugs splattered on your car, the bugs found in your house, and the mosquitos biting you}

2) the Dirt!
{Seriously, dirt everywhere. Where sometimes that is a good thing, it can also be a bad. Case in point, we go to town and my mom gets her car washed. By the time that we pull into our home, there was already a nice layer of dirt on it}


3) the SLOW internet
{Wow, wow. Can I say I have to keep myself occupied by opening 3 different tabs AND playing a game AND eating all at the same time. And if you want to watch videos or listen to music...forget about it}

4) the Inconvenience of it all
{Well that about says it all. After all, town is at least 30min away, meaning the closest grocery store}

5) No take-out
{If we bring any food home, we have to buy it not warm and bring it back and then cook it}

6) Everyone knows everyone
{And I think I should include that everyone is related to everyone in our ward and this area. The thing is is that people are awesome here, but regardless of what is going on, they always think that it is their business to know. Nothing is private here in good ole Basin City}

7) well....that's about as far as I got...I can't think of anymore.

10 Things I LOVE about the farm

1) Wide open and beautiful
{It is so beautiful out here and it is so green and everything. It's actually pretty hard to describe the beauty in a small blog post...and I could talk forever about it}

2) Lack of Concrete
{I forget how much I despise concrete until I'm back home. It is a nice trade off to get away from the concrete and trade it for green, even dirt and weeds, which I mentioned before.}

3) The air
{It is cooler here, because of lack of concrete, and now there are water sprinklers to cool the crops down. Also, there isn't as many cars, so that is really nice to keep the air clear}

4) The stars
{While I might be a little prideful in this, I think there is no place better to see the stars then my home. You don't have to go anywhere and you can see a beautiful night sky because there are no city lights}

5) the People
{the people in my ward and the people in our community are amazing. They are so warm and welcoming and really care about us. As previously mentioned, that can be a problem, but they are the kind of people that would give the shirt off their back for you and they are very humble}

6) the lack of "stuff"
{cars rarely go by and you don't see buildings wherever you go and it's replaced by fields, it's awesome}

7) Sunsets and Sunrises
{This is unique to Utah, but we can never see sunrises and sunsets. Here, you can enjoy both and man, they are gorgeous. Something that everyone needs to experience.}

8) you don't have to see people
{I could go a week without talking to anyone other than my family. And lets face it, sometimes people annoy me and it's really nice to not have to be in contact with anyone...even though I love you all.}

9) Relaxation
{Even when it is the busiest time of the year, people still know how to relax and enjoy life in general. Because town is so far away, we learn to have fun out here, even if that means sitting in a lawn chair or taking an afternoon nap}

10) it's my HOME
{I think I could probably keep on going and keep on talking about home and how much I love it...after all, my post is called "10 Things"}

I am home for 2 months and I'm so excited. It feels so good to be home. And who said I can't live in two different places :)