SISTER WISE!

I got my call on Thursday this past week, the 11th. What is awesome is that when I wrote the previous entry about being anxiously waiting...that was the day they did it all! how awesome?!

So, I'm headed to the Russia St. Petersburg mission! and am soooo excited!!!

"Have you heard? Theres a rumor in St. Petersburg! Have you heard? Sister Wise is preaching through the streets!"

I report to the MTC on August 26th [which is the same day I left for Ukraine last summer] Ukraine has prepared me a lot for this call, I wont have culture shock, I know I love Borsch and some foood, I love tea. haha its great! and I know a little russian, I can read and write in it, i just dont understand much. But thats what the MTC is for.

When I got my call I was sooo excited and freaking out and just shaking. The spirit was so strong. It was a beautiful moment to have so many people who care about me there, even my family through skype :)

So now afterwards I have this awesome little speech I wish I'd said but at the time I was just too excited and anxious and only said like three things. BUT it goes like this: On Tuesday we had a devo with Pres. Eyring and he talked about how the climbs that God gives us aren't meant for us to climb alone. [And then I'd add] that all you have been with me on this climb and I am so grateful for the help and company because you were needed. And now its time to move on to another climb. I love you all.

something like that. oh well. whoever goes on here will get to hear it now.

I am so happy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

but now I have to study for my Physiology Exam on Respiration and Digestion. ahhhhhh

waiting

I'm really anxious and just waiting to hear about my call... If it comes this week I doubt I'll be able to get any homework done so im trying to do some ahead of time but I really cant concentrate. I need to just put it out of my mind and not concentrate on it when I dont have any control over it. but i cant help it ahhhh. my stomach is constantly jumpy and floping around. oy oy oy. I dont like the unknown. Im a planner, i like to be on top of things and see them out how theyre going to go. ive gone over the moment of it coming a thousand and two times in my head. always slightly different, tweeking it here and there. but it wont go that way. it will come completely unexpected and throw me out of thought. I dont know if i'll be able to open the envelope ill be so shakey with excitement and anxiety and ahhh. this week is sooo long. and it might not even get here till next week, or the next one. i have no idea.

Exhausted!

I just had my first mountain biking class -yes I get credit for going mountain biking. It was awesome, yes very hard and a lot of uphill, I even had to get off and walk up once BUT I made it on most parts. Wow, and the place we went had a gorgeous view. And Im making a really good friend in the class, she is just purely wonderful, we get along really well. I got all nice and sweaty and muddy and there were COWS! ahh they frightened me so much, I was just zipping down this one hill and there it was right around the corner. It was def scared but I think me moreso haha. And now im home and showered and clean and the soreness is just begining to set in... my butt hurts, I'm going to have to get some of those fancy padded butt biking shorts. Oh and gloves cause my hands are getting raw. I really look forward to every friday now. Supreme!

Also, I LOVE MARY KATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She made a giant map and put it up on the wall labeling all the places that everyone is guessing I will serve for my mission. She is the BEST. I am so happy, I can't stop grinning.

AND i've had two midterms this week, and was first completed with BOTH of them [in class] and they both seemed oddly easy. I guess Im improving on my study skills, sweet.

Neko Case was FANTASTIC! I loved it. She has a great stage presence and was hilarious. And shes beautiful and her voice, wow, very powerful. She played most of my favorite songs and
emmas favorite, star witness, was in the encore.

yesterday I shot hoops for an hour and half so that was really relaxing and haha I can feel slight arm muscles starting to form.

I got out of class at 10 and now its a super long weekend until wednesday! crazy. hopefully I'll find other people who stayed up here in the nothingness of Rexburg and make friends. I do have a TON of homework to do so thatll consume a lot of time. And its gorgeous out so ill cruise around on my bike some. Too bad dads not going to be in utah anymore or id have caught a ride down and seen him, oh well. I'll be down there next weekend for Neko Case- im sooooo excited!

So in my leadership class our homework assignment is to run the bleechers twice, ahhhh. and he said each set should take 4 minutes. oy!

Oh, i bet ill have time to play bananagrams this weekend! hooray. and set and all sorts of games. thats exciting. So i've been flying kites with Kelli everynight when the sun goes down. We lay in the grassy field and just fly them for an hour or so as a wind down for the day. It was fun because we would swoop down and try to cut each others string with our kite and actually succeeded twice, mad skills.

In meditation we learnt about this concept of SHENPA and its really neat. shenpa is when something consumes you and you obsess and freak and the natural human instinct is angst and be nervous and fearful and upset. Instead we should just step back and breathe and even meditate a minute to calm down and look at the situation and instead of jumping right to angst about the situation to realize there isnt much of anything we can do and to let the light of christ work in us and overcome the urge to panic and worry and have shenpa.

My plan for the weekend is to find a barbque to attend on monday.

I am jealous of all you back home who get to see all the motorcycles everywhere for Rolling Thunder. And of everyone who's going to the free wolf trap memorial day concert.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend Everybody!

Well its been a stress filled week but i'm holding on. I was informed today that there is a tunnel system under the sidewalks and you can get into it through a room in the basement of one of the buildings. I cant wait to explore!

And something else cool, I was walking through the parking lot after checking on my mission papers from the health center and this guy was walking too and holding a box of pizza and gave me a slice of his pepperoni pizza! it was awesome and inspired.

Oh! and in my D+C class I did a little powerpoint presentation on the phrase 'song of the righteous' and talked about music and worshiping through music. So the exciting part is, I played my harmonica in front of the class. I played sweet hour of prayer and it was pretty cool. I know because people told me, haha.

AND i had a study session for my program mgmt class and the only other person who showed up was this cute witty guy. It was fun.

I took my first physiology exam and got a B! an 86, solid.

Asside from massive wind storms, up to 60 mph and our power getting knocked out, nothing much is happening. and haha obviously its back on now...

and we've been having a desperate housewives marathon -my roommate has all 4 seasons!

I am going to help start Rexburgs first official series of Farmers Markets. Awesome huh?

It rained, snowed, hailed, fogged, and was sunny today. ahhhhhh. At least I have an umbrella ella ella a a a