Again We Go

It seems that times keeps flying faster and faster, leaving me wondering how it is already time to go again. This time I'm not so gung-ho and chipper about going back to school and honestly I really wish I didn't have to. Winter went too fast and  school is just one of those things that I just have to "get through" before I can end at my true destination, my mission. But, it needs to be done. I can't go on my mission without graduating with an Associates, making my future education a much smoother transition when I come home. I hope things will be fine for this last semester at Brigham Young University - Idaho but I feel that most of my time will be spent in study rooms and the library -- studying for long hours at a time to insure I make the best grades possible so that I can positively know I will graduate. It might be a lot of pressure to carry but I know that it will take me closer to my MTC entry, one day at a time.

Goodbye Utah, you have treated me well! And a reluctant hello again Idaho.

Wish me luck?

8:00, Please Come....

12:00 pm - Slowly working through my Nutrition test but I am not that interested. I have an hour left of work before I can go home. I want to go home so bad and show off the "white envelope" to my family.

12:15 pm - Did I just "Save and Submit Later" on my online test? Yes, yes I did. I can't focus anymore on it. I will have to finish it when I get home. Basically after that I spun around in my chair while looking at the ceiling (because I am still a kid at heart, and my mind couldn't take the anxiousness).

12:30 pm - Thomas (the kid that takes my spot for the afternoon shift) comes in while Craig and I are talking about how to drastically discipline strong headed kids.
               Me: Wow, that is really intense!
               Thomas: I have no idea what you guys are talking about.
               Craig: Ya, but it works.
               Me: I don't think it would work on everyone though.
               Craig: I would say most cases.
               Thomas: Just have me beat them up. Just kidding. What are we talking about?
               Me: Naughty kids.
               Thomas: Oh... ya... just kidding.
Seriously the kid is crazy. Which he then grilled me on what pencil lead was and what happens when it  heats up. To all of that, I had no idea, resulting in a, "I really am failing this test aren't I?" To which his reply was, "Oh my goodness," while simultaneously sighing. Ya, I stink at science. Thanks Thomas for the science lesson though, I now know what pencil lead is (carbon - a very, very stable element), what happens when it is heated (a whole lot of "pretty much nothing") and how you can use a car battery to make a pencil into a light to help you see in the dark, on the side of the road, to fix your car.

1:00 pm - I hit the "clock" button and race out the door to my car so I can go home and wave the mission call in my parents faces! If you can't tell, I was excited!

2-8 pm - Me freaking out, having an anxiety attack about opening my call. Cleaning the house and decorating for all the company planned to arrive for the call opening. Finishing my Nutrition Exam and celebrating the fact that I have Nutrition NO MORE!! Then after all of that, a birthday dinner for Shaelie at our favorite restaurant Koi Sushi Bar and then back for cake with Grandma and Grandpa Wood just before everyone started trickling in! Yaaay!

8:15 pm - Everyone has arrived and my mom is forcing me up in front of everybody, yikes the nerves! My dad, although I told him not to, is telling everybody we are going to sing "I hope they call me on a mission" followed by "Happy Birthday." Then, it was my turn to stand up and open the call. As soon as I stood, the spirit filled me up to the brim and I just started crying. I bawled through the whole mission call.

8:45 pm - So many hugs! I felt so loved in those moments after I finished reading. Many congratulatory remarks as well as tears of joy and smiles. I just felt that after I read it, the anxiety, worry, discouragement, and inadequacy washed away leaving me happier than I think I have ever been in my entire life.  I couldn't be more relieved, excited, and in love with where I am going!

Thank you to everyone who came and supported me!

**Want to know where I am going? Click Here.

The Longest Day. EVER.

6:58 am - Dad calls down to my room to wake me up, it's already morning, wwhhaatt?? How did that happen? He ask if I want to help decorate the kitchen or sleep more. I decide to grab Shaelie's posters off my floor and run upstairs to help decorate the kitchen.

7:05 am - In the kid's office, still half awake, with camille. We finished up the posters and try finding the "blue tape" to stick them all around the kitchen.

7:12 am - Shaelie comes downstairs for breakfast. I tell her she needs to go back upstairs because we aren't done hanging up the posters. Does she listen? Nope. Instead she insists that she has to leave for school and needs to grab breakfast before she goes.

7:23 am - Shaelie is walking out the door for school as the whole family, minus Brynlee who is still asleep, yells HAPPY BIRTHDAY! (I pinned a "Birthday Girl" badge on her backpack but I'm sure as she pulled into the school parking lot, it would be off, laying on the floor of the passengers seat.

7:31 am - I walk back downstairs and turn on the music on my computer while I try to find something to wear to work for the day. I swear it takes me forever to decide on an outfit...

8:03 am - Dad calls down to my room, "Alyssa?" "Ya dad?" "The post office might just have your call." "REALLY??" *long silence* "Yes! They really do. Today is an eventful day!" "It sure is dad!" *me laughing so hard with estatic joy and amazement after my dad hangs up the phone.* It's here.

8:35 am - Dressed, hair fixed and make-up applied. I walk upstairs to cook my waffle and head out to work for the morning.

8:44 am - Driving down the drive way after scraping ice off my front window and almost spilling my peanut butter, buttermilk syrup, fresh raspberry waffle all down the front of me. (phew! A close one.) I decided that I needed to sit in silence all the way there because I have been so anxious the last four and a half days that I needed to find some "inner peace."

8:58 am - I arrive to work, only to realize that I left my badge at home, again. Day two, Alyssa? Shame on you. Next time take it out of your locker and put it in your purse, okay? Okay.

9:00 am - I knock on the mailroom back door to have my boss, Craig, let me in. "Oh hi! I'm really frazzled this morning aren't I? Sorry about the badge, again... BUT HEY! My call is here!?" He just stared. Apparently he wasn't expecting me to say that. Slowly though, a smile surfaced as he said, "Well how are we going to keep your mind off of the call until you go home, we wouldn't want today to feel too long huh? Maybe I can have you package some orders up for me before the post office, would that be good?" I just laughed and nodded my head. I need the distraction. Seriously, I have the nicest boss in the world. I LOVE staying super busy.

9:19 am - Craig leaves to go to facilities and finance to drop some documents off. I'm left to my own devices until I have to go to the post office. My choice of poision, study for my nutrition final. Gross.

9:45 am - Head out to the Lehi and American Fork post office. I decide it would be easier to swing by the AF one first and pick up my.... MISSION CALL!! And then swing back the other way on my drive back to Xango.

10:00 am - Walk into AF post office. "Hi. I'm here to pick up my... umm... mission call."

10:02 am - Out of the post office with my call in hand :) Oh my hiccups! It's real! I have it, right now. Wait what am I doing? What is air? This can't be real. *pats envelope to make sure it's real (50+times or so).

10:07 am - Walk into Lehi post office. *still stunned and worrying about it being left alone in the van by itself. I should have brought it in, just for good measure. Can't have anything happen to it before tonight. Oh well, I'll be out in a second... *still worrying.

10:20 am - So the lehi post office took a bit longer than the AF one but I am finally back at Xango, knocking on the back door, aaggaaiinn. (Sorry Craig...) I slide my call into my nutrition book and proceed to put my phone and the company van's keys away. Time to put the mail in the boxes, stop worrying about your call. It's safe.

10:25 am - Only seven letters and a return? People, where is all the rest of the mail? I get super bummed when there isn't a whole lot of mail to hand out to the departments. I sit back at my desk and stare at my UPS calendar until I start to feel a headache coming on. Guessing the only thing to do at this point is to start studying again until someone comes down with an order or requests a package pickup.

11:05 am - I start getting distracted and decide to take a break. I am soo glad winter online semester ends this week but I really am hating on finals. No one should ever have to take a test on the last week of school. We should just have an end-of-semester discussion on what our favorite part of the class was. Mine: when it's over :) hehe. I'm kidding but seriously, I'm a bit disapointed with my classes this past semester. But, oh well. Spring semester starts a week from monday so we'll see if that one is better. And then I GRADUATE LOLLIPOPS!

11:18 am - Wednesday's are always pretty slow in the mailroom so I decide that since I don't have a lot of time after work that I should probably start my nutrition final case study exam. uhgg...bleh...please no...whyy?... I can't... my brain is dead... you know what we should do instead?... no, Alyssa... stop that....it's test time... uhgg, fine!  Yup I hate tests.

11:24 am - Still stalling....

11:29 am - Okay. Question 1.

Part II: 8:00, please come...



Where in the World?

I receive my mission call this Wednesday (if any of you are in UT, you are welcome to come to my house at 8 pm to see me open it)! I can't tell you how long and anxious the wait has been for this moment. It's finally here. Honestly I never knew how hard it would be to wait six months before I would receive my call. I am so happy it's finally arriving this week!

You are probably wondering if I'm nervous. I am, but the kind of nervous that is good for you. I don't worry about where they are sending me or the language I might have been assigned to speak. My nervousness stems from how my reaction will be. I will be over joyed where ever I am sent but I don't want to feel like it's not as cool as someone else's and have people think I am going for the wrong reasons.

I love this church. I love my Heavenly Father and my brother Jesus Christ. I know that Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God and that he restored the true and everlasting church of Jesus Christ back to the earth. I am so grateful for the priesthood that was restored with the church. I am so very grateful to the keys and covenants that we have on the earth to help us come back to our Heavenly Father. I know that we will be able to live with our families again after death and that we will be resurrected to live with our families and Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ once again. I am honored to serve a mission of the Lord Jesus Christ for a year and a half of my life. There is nothing better I would rather do than serve! I want people to feel the warmth and happiness I feel as I do the right things and live in the Light of Christ. I am so grateful to have the family and friends that I do. Each of you have made my life better than before and I can't thank you enough! I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen! 

Happiness in the Little Things

"Learn to enjoy every minute of your life. Be happy now. Don't wait for something outside of yourself to make you happy in the future. Think how really precious is the time you spend, wether it's at work or  with your family. Every minute should be enjoyed and savored." -- Earl Nightingale

The last couple of days have treated me very well and I can't help but express how happy I am! While I expressed my pure happiness earlier today, I started thinking of all the things that make me happy.  So, I thought I would share with you a list of 25 things I love that make me really happy:

*in no particular order*

1. Hand-Written Letters

2. DisneyLand

3. Orange Julius's (or smoothies in general)

4. The Book or Mormon

5. Walks 

6. Rain Storms

7. Long Drives

8. Picnic's

9. Bubble Baths

10. Dancing

11. Talking to Friends

12. Peanut M&M's and York Patties

13. Going to the Movies

14. Book Stores

15. Traveling to New Places

16. Good Music

17. Laughing so Hard you can't Breathe

18. Cuddling While Watching a Movie/Show that they like.

19. Raspberry Creme Italian Soda's

20. Farmer's Markets

21. Decorating Cakes/ Cupcakes (or cooking/baking in general)

22. Going on a Long Run + Knowing I can do it!

23. Writing Short Stories

24. Photo Shoots

25. Dressing Up for no Reason at all.

There's my list, now what are some of the things that make you truly happy? I would love to know!

Feel Good Music

I was reading Tid Bits of Liv today and she had posted a video by Robert & The Carrolls I was quite impressed with their music so I clicked on their Youtube channel and found this beautiful video. I can't stop playing it! Hope you enjoy!

Finding Who I Am

The last month I have searched long and hard at who I really am. For so long I have felt at a loss to who I really am and I felt I needed to take a period of time to {re}find myself. I have come up with a list in that time that I would like to share with you.

First and foremost:  I am a Daughter of God.

                   I am the kind of girl who...

• puts 210% of my energy into each and every person I meet. No matter how exhausting it may seem, it's the only thing that makes me the happiest is when I am able to help people to the very best of my abilities.

• dances all the time, anytime. Down the stairs, across the floor, in a grocery store or at a mall.

• sings in the car, at the top of my lungs, when no one else is in the car with me or with eight people jammed into my car-- it doesn't matter.

• can't just simply describe something to someone, I have to make sure that when I talk to someone they see exactly what I see in my head. Lots of descriptors :)

• really loves food and creating new dishes. I cook, I bake, I create and I love catering! I have always wanted to open a little suave cafe full of delicious affordable and extremely healthy dishes that are drool worthy.

• loves to read. I always have a book in my purse, backpack, bag, etc! I can never leave the house without one. For any of you asking what kinds I like, my top three are: Fantasy/Fiction, Murder Mystery/Crime Fiction, Holocaust type stories. Wow... You guys probably think I am really dark or depressing ahaha I promise I'm not, they are just the ones that I feel so intrigued and drawn into.

• takes "way to many" (as my sisters point out) pictures. They always ask, "ughhhh... you aren't putting that on instagram are you??" haha I reply with a very defensive,"NO. It's for my blog sillies!"

• never posts anything (or at least feels that way) on my blog but ALWAYS thinks of things I can write about. Sorry, I really do try!

• seems to have this very "confident" air about myself which makes people think I want to be alone all the time when in actuality I hate being left alone.

• (as hard as it is to admit) is a perfectionist. I get it from my beautiful mother :)

• loves beyond anything else, to travel. I dream big on this one and hope one day I will be able to get to see all of it! I love culture, different foods/smells, sightseeing, languages and people.

• isn't phased by dead animals (I cry over them but I'm not creeped out) but can't bring myself to go into a room if there is a spider in it, *forever haunted by spiders, creepy little buggers.*

• can't decide if I want to go into (1)English Creative Writing, (2)Psychology/Sociology, (3)Culinary Arts, or (4)Forensics/Criminology Anthropology. Yup, four very different areas and I want to do them all. I might be in school for a very looooong time :D

• openly admits to being weird. I accepted that fact a very long time ago. The only way to survive sanity it to accept it! Normal people don't know what they are missing out on.

• always writing down things in notebooks. I have the memory of Dory the Fish from the Disney  movie Finding Nemo. Yup, it's that short.

• knows every song title, artist name, movie title/plot. I can tell you what movies an actor has been in as well as what actors are in a movie. I am a walking encyclopedia when it comes to stuff like that.

• loves finding really big fun words. Every time I don't know what a word means, I write it down and look it up!

• loves fall and everything about it. The crackling fires, falling leaves, smore's, pumpkin spice hot cocoa and the heightened thankful feeling that hangs in the autumn air.

• switches from my American to British accent without realizing it and half the time uses American Sign Language, French, Spanish, German, Chinese and Italian interchangeably with my English. *I'm not fluent in any (pretty close in ASL) but english, so no need to ask, I just LOVE language and have picked up a little of each.

• always has music playing. When I'm driving, dancing, cleaning the kitchen, cooking, doing homework, running, or just sitting.

• loves my family, friends, and every person I have had the pleasure of coming into contact with. Those that support me in all my endeavors. I can't thank you enough!

This isn't all that I am, but it's a pretty good list to a glimpse of who I really am. We are always changing and sometimes I feel we don't look and say "is this me?" If we don't every once in a while, we can lose ourselves. 

One thing I will always know about myself is that I can always know who I am through Christ. I am grateful for the knowledge of Him and His love for me. He is always there, wanting the best for me and believing in the potential He gave to me as I came to this earth to live in mortality.

Confession Time *Continued*

PICTURES!

Moving is such messy business!

Skiing Time. Such a gorgeous day!

The process of making Nate's birthday popup card (mind you, this was at 11:30pm)

Nathan's birthday gift. A 250 page book of handwritten uplifting and inspirational quotes. It took me 23 and a half hours of writing to get it done in time to send it to him for his birthday. It takes 3 weeks to get to Brazil. SO annoying, but the letters are well worth it!

(It's the same size as my hand!!)

I am addicted to sugar, I'm not kidding. If there was rehab for choc-o-halics I would be the first to be admitted. It's bad. So my family has this rule where we can have one treat on Sunday evening and the rest of the week is sugar free. For over 2 weeks I have been telling my parents how much I am craving smore's (on a constant basis). They got fed up with how often I talked about them that they made me one and made me eat it. OOH so good!! hehe I feel bad but I liked the smore to care too much :) *I need serious help, though, not kidding whatsoever*

On My Mind: Confession Time

I don't know how many times you have to apologize for not writing often but I definitely couldn't count the times on my hands and feet, but I really do regret everyday that passes without me writing on my blog. I think about all the things that I could tell you guys (if anyone actually reads these) but in a strange sense I'm afraid of what I should write and I end up not writing anything. It's the troubling thing about being a perfectionist and a writer, you want only the best of your writing to be presented, it's a terrible flaw of mine. The time I have spent away from my blog, has helped me rediscover myself and the reasons why I started this blog in the first place.

In all honesty, because we're honest here, I haven't been writing very well lately because I have started to care more about what people would like me to write instead of writing stuff for myself. This brings me to believing I have realized yet another flaw I have (which can sometimes be good and sometimes really bad) which is that I have a great tendency to put everyone and their needs in front of mine until I forget I personally even exist. I work so hard to keep everyone else happy that when everyone is fine and I have time to see where I need improvement, I get stuck in a downward spiral. It's not fun, I know now that I need to practice balance and that everyone needs their "me" time. In relation to my blog, that is exactly what I have done to my writing. I have put other people's opinions about me before myself and I have built walls around me and that scares me.

I feel I'm gradually coming out of it but life is a constant process. We all have days that aren't so great, but if we are able to learn to always be happy and know that we are extremely blessed, even the worst days can't be ruined. A lesson I learned today. Many things went wrong this week, especially at work. There were days where I felt I completely failed. At everything. But I kept going, even when I wanted to run out crying, I stayed. I picked my broken pieces up and carried on and today I looked back at it all and realized I had smiled through all of it , and it made me glad. Life is a way of refining what we have been given because we are stronger than we seem, and smarter than we look.

..............................

A lot has happened since my last post. I moved back into my parents home in Alpine from Provo, I won't say too much about the sitution other than it was really rough on me and it made more sense to move back until I go back to BYU-I for my final semester before I leave on my mission. Which reminds me I am finishing my mission papers this weekend and the Stake President will send them in March 27th!! I was able to go skiing with one of my best friends, Adrianne (I had the opportunity to teach her how to ski, she did an amazing job!) and she leaves for the MTC on March 20th, serving in the Italy Milan mission-- SO PROUD! I sent off a birthday gift to my really good friend Nathan who is serving in Brazil. The project was really intense and my hand will basically be crippled for the rest of my life with how much handwriting and scissor use went into it but I am so excited for him to receive it on his birthday on March 25th. It's actually been really fun since I have moved back. I love my family, they are my best friends, my counselors, my protectors, my court jesters, and most importantly the greatest people I could be blessed to spend eternity with. I hope your week has been wonderful and your weekend even better. I'm off to sleep now with the intention of waking up on a Saturday morning at 5 to go running and then off to Rexburg for the day to show Shaelie a few apartments so she can choose where she is living next Fall :) 

P.s. She's all grown up *tear*, I'm so proud of her *sigh*, she a beauty and a champ *hooray*!

It's March Already?

Spring is around the corner and I honestly cannot believe that it is already March. I can't even tell you how fast time has come and gone. I still am trying to grasp onto the time that has just flown by. But I can't wait for what the rest of my today's hold. My advice, don't take the time you have right now for granted, it may be all you have left. Also, believe in yourself, no one holds your happiness other than yourself. Smile, dance, laugh, and love what you are given!

Till next time! Loves and hugs!