9 and counting...

it's tough to believe that 4 months has already flown by and in 9 short little days i'll be going into the MTC.

hello.

that came a little faster than i thought.

getting ready for a mission is tough.

and fun.

and time consuming.

and busy.

and a huge ol' growing experience.

in january, i never thought i'd be cramming the last week before the MTC and putting my life into boxes and now i've purchased lovely Rubbermaids and find myself in the travel section of Target more often than not. awesome. i love how everything is so little though. little laundry soap. little toothbrush (which is entirely inadequate for my 18-month need). little kleenex. little everything, really.

now it's just time to pack it all into the bags and organize the heck out of everything so it's completely packed, labeled, and put in its place. the joys of packing. i'd better get used to this though. it's going to happen every 6 weeks for the next 18 months. woo!

for now, life consists of a lot of studying and reading a whole lot, playing with the kiddos so they won't forget in their little brains who the heck i am, playing with friends, organizing, cleaning, running errands, driving my mama to work and back so i can use a car, and the list could go on and on and on... life is so good though. i never could have picked better timing for all of this, but isn't that how Heavenly Father is? i thank heaven every day that He is omniscient, all-loving, and that He provides a Comforter when i feel like i'm going to lose it with stress or something. at least He knows the plan!

the hardest part is trusting Him. but. i found an awesome solution. want to know about it? click here to see.

done and done. cha-chiiiiiingggg!!

i never imagined that i would be calm as i walked into the testing auditorium tonight. how could i be calm? pencils scratched scantrons, people squashed into the too small seats, backpacks were strewn about the room (and bless her soul, that little girl with the rolling backpack... you looked more like you were on a dang vacation toting that carryon around the room staring everyone down for an empty seat), and test monitors peering over every shoulder to ensure cheating wouldn't occur. how could it with their hawk-like eyes following each person's every move?

anyway.

i somehow didn't feel any anxiety, fear, waves of panic, or even the teensiest bit nervous about taking this beloved 15-pager. i just knew it was the last one.

i sat down. on the floor. pulled out the good ol' no. 2 and went to town.

1 hour and 17 minutes later that exam was toast and i wanted to stand up and cheer.

my last academic test for the next 18 months was OVER!!!!! IS over!!!

i was so exhilarated that i didn't even check my score. i happily dropped my test and scantron into the hands of the all-too-happy testing center employee and traipsed out the doors.

(personally, i seriously think the employee had just finished his last final and was cracking every joke in his book in celebration that the monsters were defeated for this semester. no one can actually be that happy collecting exams during finals week. meanwhile, other students shuffled through the doors as they had yet to take their tests... just an opinion folks. he's probably a happy chappy with nothing on his mind now that tests are over. maybe he's even graduating this semester. no wonder he would be happy...)

so. that's that.

my tests are over.

let the celebrations commence.

no more of this for a while... thank. goodness. :)

kid like

i have awesome days at school.

sometimes, i feel like a little kid when i come home, though.

i shuffled down the sidewalk to my home after taking a 'yeah-that-was-kind-of-ok' final feeling like my brain was going to leak out of my head.

'so', you ask, 'what do you do after days like THAT?'

because let's face it - school is hard and finals week can wipe. you. out.

period.

here was my solution. (and reader, please note that i make lists. for everything. there have only been two posts when i haven't made a list... how embarrassing...)

- p.b. and honey sandwich, bananas on the side

- nap time

- a notion to play the day away and leave my last final until thursday

that last option, my friends, is an awful one.

awful to take the final and awful to leave it alone.

that's what i think about that mr. professor (who is thankfully NOT reading this collection of sentences...)

but i am done. done with school (almost) for 18 months.

i could not be happier with my life.

good things are happening all of the time for me (if i look hard enough).

today is a kid day.

xxoo

time time time

goede dag!

yep, i'm still here. i seem to make posts just before big events in my life. not that i don't have interesting things happen between, say, now and last august when the last post was made - i'm just busy living my life rather than documenting it online.

the latest news is that i'm going ON A MISSION!!!! my punctuation seems to be excited about this.

i've been called to the...

BELGIUM BRUSSELS NETHERLANDS MISSION

...and i report to the lovely provo mtc on may 18th. one month from today in fact. ah!

it's hard to believe that the time has flown by so fast since january 14th when i first read my call letter. where did the time go? i have yet to figure that one out.

these are other things i am currently exuberant about...

- friends who ride bikes and have barbie-Qs. yum.

- finals are (almost) over... ok, three down, four left.

- my friend had her harp recital and it was incredible. period. she is amazing.

- it's raining outside and the flowers are finally happy to have a drink. i am happy to jump in the puddles on the way home from school...

- i will be done with school for ever and ever (umm... if forever and ever is 18 months...) on wednesday

- i have the most awesome sister who has agreed to be my running buddy for the next 3 weeks to help me get back into running again. she is my motivator.

so things are winding down with school

... and winding up for moving home and mission.

it makes my stomach excited and my brain spin. and i am ready.

i think.

bring on europe, man.