Just an Egg

Background story: Monday night we ate dinner, and I made a salad to go with it. I boiled three eggs, thinking Nathan and I would both eat one at dinner, and then I would have one leftover for my lunch the next day at work. At dinner, just as expected, two eggs were eaten. We got up from the table and started cleaning up. As I turned to take some dishes to the sink, I kind of gasped as I saw Nathan salting and biting into that little egg I had saved for the next day. Nate stopped eating it, but I told him to finish it and it was no big deal, I'd cook another one.

Well, Tuesday I went to go eat my lunch at school, and imagine my disappointment when I went to eat my salad, and only then did I realize that I had forgotten to boil another egg. Kind of a bummer, but oh well.

Then I got home. If you know me well, you know I have a problem telling short stories--usually they are pretty (unnecessarily) detailed. And a lot of times, I'll come home and sit by Nathan and just dump anything and everything that happened about my day, and he will sit there and listen. He does more than listen though. Take the egg incident: I came home, was telling him about all the patients I had that day, or what I did, or who I talked to, and of course I told him about how I forgot to boil an egg. And he listened and commented and laughed.

It just left me thinking how fun life is with Nathan, even if we just end up talking about an egg. I feel pretty lucky that I found somebody that loves me and listens to most anything and everything I say.

Our First Christmas

This year was our first Christmas together. Getting married does complicate the holidays just a little bit, and we sure were pretty busy from November through January just getting together with family on both sides and endless family get-togethers, dinners, outings, etc. But we decided to spend the few days around Christmas up in Philadelphia with the Pham side of the family. 

We started out Christmas Eve morning in our own little home, and Nathan made us breakfast. I crocheted our stockings and set the tree up the night before, so Santa would come that night with Nathan's big gift. We had a nice Christmas morning, shared gifts with each other, and then packed up to hit the road. 

Our cute little tree

 Handsome husband making pancakes

 Nathan really loves Christmas. And I get called a scrooge (although I don't think I'm that bad). 

 Emily opening a few gifts 

 Nathan really, really wanted a huge lego set for Christmas. He made a point to go down the lego isle at target every  time we were there. And I don't think he actually expected me to buy it, so I think he was pleasantly surprised. His Millennium Falcon now sits proudly on his night-stand. 

 And we all packed up, threw Rohan in the car, and off we were. He's a pretty good travel dog, though--he loves the car. 

We got to Philly and enjoyed some down-time with the family, just being all together is always nice. It was fun to see another family's traditions besides the ones I grew up with year to year. Like for starters, not doing Christmas Eve dinner and just grabbing some Philly Cheesesteaks: 

 Yeah, that was a great idea. Although I got some serious crap for ruining my cheesesteak with mustard. 

Christmas Eve we spent making some Christmas cookies with the kids. Nathan's brother Josh is a chef, but surprisingly had almost no baking things in the house. So we made do with what we had, but let's just say the cookies were nearly all thrown away the next day. But hey, the kids had fun rolling out all of those candy cane shapes.

Mom still wanted to continue our family tradition of Christmas Eve pajamas, even though we weren't going to be there, so she wrapped them up and sent them with us. It was really nice still having that tradition, and it's one I want to continue when we have kids. It was a new one for Nathan.

Man I love him

Christmas Day we went to Aunt Nga's house and got together with all of the extended family. Nathan's Dad is one of 8 siblings, so get togethers and big and fun, with lots of cousins and kids. Unfortunately, I'm still trying to get everyone's names down and remember who is who, but that could take a while for me. Josh and Mya were picking up a few things and preparing Christmas dinner, so we got the kids dressed and piled them in the car. 

And seriously, doesn't Nathan just look so ready to be a Dad? Those three nieces and nephews in the back seat really do love hanging out with him. 

Being part of an Asian family is seriously so delicious--so much food and it's usually new to me. Love that part. 

After meeting up at Aunt Nga's, we went back to Josh's place and hung around until Christmas dinner. I ended up zonked out on the couch for an hour or so. Josh cooked some seriously delicious food--I definitely ate more than I should have and went to bed very full that night. But it was so, so good. And even better, we had leftovers that he sent us home with for the next two days.

And that's a wrap--Christmas 2015 was a great one.

Temple Lights and Global Food

This weekend I was taking Kavya up to Dulles airport to fly home to Canada for Christmas break. While I was already up north, I figured it would be perfect for Nathan and I to go to see the Christmas lights at the temple. I told him early in the week about the potential plan, but Nathan also had to work on Saturday. Unfortunately this time of year is crazy busy for him at work.

Fast forward to Saturday morning, when an early morning phone call woke both of us up for the day. Nate got up and ready and headed out pretty early, and said he'd try and make it home in time to ride up with me at two. You know when you can tell someone really doesn't want to do something but they will anyway? Yeah, that was Nathan. He was already so tired, but just because he knew I wanted to go out with him, he came home in time to go with me, and even drove through the nasty traffic for us. So off we went, him yawning the whole drive. We dropped Kavya off, and then headed over to the temple.

Nathan hadn't ever been to the temple at Christmas time, and he really loves Christmas. He constantly tries to convince me of the thousands of lights that will be hung at our house one day, so I thought he would like all the lights and everything. Anyways, we went, enjoyed the nativities from around the world, and shivered in the cold long enough to snap a few pictures. But that was just part one of our little date.

Part two: Global Market. It is so much bigger than the little Asian market Nate took me to the first time. This one is like the size of a Food Lion, and has about a million and one things that I have no idea of even how to pronounce. But for some reason I really enjoy looking at everything--especially the fruits and veggies. Nate kind of just rushes through. In this aspect, I'm a little like my dad in that regard--I could go up and down every isle and ask questions about every ingredient. But hey, Nathan thought Chinese broccoli was the same thing as Bok choy, so I guess my questions wouldn't do me much good with him :). He ended up getting a few random things--some catfish to cook while I'm gone for the next few days at work, and some pork meat things. But I honestly wouldn't know what to do with the majority of that stuff. Maybe one day I'll learn, but for now, the Asian cooking is left up to Nathan. 

And then we went out to dinner and called it a night. Even though he was tired and pretty much went home and passed out, I'm glad he put on a nice smile and enjoyed the evening with me anyway. I love that guy. Now just wait until Christmas Eve until I see him again!

Brain Fart

So last week or so mom texted me randomly and asked:

"Hey what's Nathan's birthday?"

...which is when I was thrown aback for a minute. Wait, could I really not remember my husband's birthday? I was with him that whole day... I was pretty sure it was August 3rd, but I wouldn't have bet my life on it. So I safely replied: "In August."

To which mom says: "Date? I knew that."

I quickly hopped onto my Facebook, remembering that I had posted a picture on Nathan's birthday, so I looked at the date I uploaded it. Yep, I was right. It was the third. "August 3rd lol. I had to double check. (insert crying-laughing face emoticons)"

So a few days later I was talking to Nathan and told him this little story, laughing at myself and my spacey brain. He laughed, but didn't say too much, so I asked him, "Wait. Babe, do you remember my birthday?"

"Yeah. It's in August."

"Yeah but what day?"

"The twelfth?" (I shake my head no) "The thirteenth?" (Still no) "I honestly can't remember."

"It's the sixteenth babe."

So we both laughed at ourselves. Honestly I'll probably remember his birthday from now on because of this little story, but thankfully, for Nathan's sake, he's got his electronic calendar and reminder.

Our little crazy relationship just makes me laugh.

Branching Out

Sometimes being married to an Asian is a little interesting. I love it, but it has definitely broadened a few of my horizons, that is for sure. I remember our second week of dating Nathan took me to eat a typical Vietnamese dish--Pho. I had never had it before, but it was really good. We left the restaurant, and he kindly informed my that I had passed his test--if I couldn't handle a little Vietnamese food, I wasn't a keeper. I even tried the tripe floating around in his bowl of Pho--bonus points. But then there was the time when we were in Philadelphia with his family, and we went to eat Chinese Dim Sum... I still tried many things, but definitely was not a favorite of mine. 

So Saturday morning we had a hot date to the Asian supermarket. Nathan had mentioned earlier in the week that he needed to go, and I told him to wait because I wanted to go with him. I hadn't been to an Asian market, and as soon as we walked in, I started asking a million questions. "Babe, what does this say?" "Babe, what is bean curd used for?" "Babe, why do we only use these types of noodles--look how many there are." Nathan never really had any good answers to my questions. I told him I'm now convinced he's not that Asian--probably only knew the two classic dishes he cooked all the time. Nathan just laughed, but claimed it's because the store had things from all over Asia, not just Vietnam. 

Anyways, we checkout--had our curry powder, big sack of Jasmine rice, shrimp balls, and hoisin sauce, and we were on our way. But we can't forget the husband's favorite snack: 

Squid shreds. Nothing like watching your husband pull apart dried squid and eat it like candy. And then want to kiss you. Um, no thanks. Brush your teeth first, babe. 

Anyways, so we had my parents over for dinner on Saturday night. They hadn't ever been over to our place, so it was nice to have them over and for them to see where I was now :) And Dad got to meet Rohan, our great dane, which he was pretty excited about. Nathan prepared everything for Vietnamese spring rolls for us, and we taught my parents to roll them. Mom was a little bit skeptical, but Dad was excited--Dad will try anything. Mom always has been the picky one, but she did pretty well--she rolled and ate three of them. She loves lettuce wrap type foods, so these were pretty similar, except for she was a little weirded out by the rice paper wrapper. 

 Dad with Rohan, who was VERY happy to have lots of extra attention

 Mom and Dad rolling their first spring rolls 

So yeah, I've enjoyed the new experiences I've had with Nathan and I've enjoyed getting to know his culture more and more. And I'm excited for all of the things he will cook me in the future :) 

Zzzzzzzzzz....

Right now my husband is sleeping, it’s almost eleven o’ clock. He’s exhausted from being out of town and driving for the last few days. And knowing him, he’s sleeping pretty soundly, sprawled out across the entire bed because I’m not home. I won’t be home for two more hours, and then I’ll try and quietly sneak in without waking him up. It’ll be one in the morning, but I’ll quickly hop in the shower because I’ve been cleaning up diarrhea and pee all day today, and hospitals are just gross. So he’ll hear that. I’ll slink into bed, and Nathan will roll over and hold me tight for a minute, give me a kiss, and quickly fall back asleep. And I’ll think to myself just how much I missed my husband while he was gone for two days, and how lucky I am, and then I’ll pass off into dreamland too.

Sometimes it sucks that this is an all-too-common experience for us. Married life is so fun and has been so wonderful, but it is also so busy. Busy because we are both just so dang busy. Because of school, and jobs, and trying to fit in time for families and friends, and exams, and the little random things that seem to come up each week. There are days where Nathan and I are sitting next to each other in bed, but it feels like I haven’t spent any time with him in days. We try and make time for us to do fun things together, we make plans… but then I fall asleep at seven o clock at night and leave my husband up all alone. Or Nathan will pass out at eight, and I’ll start studying for exams. Yep, we’re just tired.

Yeah, I know this is normal life for millions of other people out there, and that so many people are much busier or have more complicated schedules than we do, but hey… I’m a newlywed. So I’d like to spend pretty much all my time with that handsome husband of mine, but that’s definitely not our reality. I’m looking forward to the semester coming to an end, and then having a little bit more time with my husband—for about a month. And then it all starts back up again.

But man am I sure grateful for my husband—he is so patient. He is patient as I sit at my computer and take over our whole bed with books and notes and papers nearly every day. As I stay up late and don’t go to bed with him because I have another exam or test or homework to do. As I complain and whine about having to be in classes and the stupidity of the system. When the alarms go off at 5am every day and wakes him up, even though Nathan doesn’t even need to be awake for three more hours. When I come home dead tired because I went to school and work and all I want to do is go to bed right away. And he is more than patient—I know he’s always supporting me too. Tells me to go study when he knows I don’t want to, but I need to. Calls me and asks me how school was while I’m driving home. Prays for me to drive safely every single day, prays for me that my tests go well, that I’ll be able to get everything done and have good days. Yeah, I sure got pretty lucky. Love that guy. 

A lot can change in 8 months

Eight months have flown by since I got home from Chile. I purposefully tried to keep myself really busy, especially since I wasn't jumping back into school right away. I started working. I took an EMT class for a few months, and am now a certified EMT. I began volunteering with the county's rescue squad, which has been an awesome experience, and one I'll keep doing. I taught gospel doctrine for church, which was awesome and always filled my Saturday nights and Sunday mornings. I started dating someone, which was a little unexpected. I started getting things ready to go back into Nursing School, and started a new job in the hospital.

So now, we are halfway through September and I cannot believe how quickly time has flown. I am finally back in school full-swing, and I am just so ready to be done with everything that school entails--tests, quizzes, reading, blackboard, clinicals, professors, peers. But alas, two more years. Classes have been going on for a month, and I already am feeling too apathetic for my own good. I'm just looking forward to May 2017 at this point. 

And it doesn't help that in just THREE short, little days, I get to marry that guy I started dating:

I am so ready, and so excited. I can't wait to start life with Nathan and see where our lives take us. So much more than I ever imagined, and a different path than I imagined. He just makes me so happy, and I can't wait to start life together with him. Love that guy! 

So yeah, I've been a little busy, and seems like I'm only getting busier.

I'm Back.

Well I can't really believe that after a year and a half has gone by since I last wrote. Time really did fly by. Now looking back it feels like just as quickly as I started by mission, it ended. I don't really know how to describe my mission in words. It was just absolutely amazing and perfect for me. I learned so much down there, and I know I grew in so many ways. I know that I still have a long way to go, but without a doubt, my mission will have a strong influence and impact on the rest of my life.

Tonight I went out teaching with the sister missionaries here in my ward. I actually never went out with the missionaries before my mission, so it was the first time for me teaching WITH the missionaries, and not AS a missionary. We went to appointments, appointments fell through, we knocked on doors, contacted people, and had a lesson with an awesome guy. Missionary work is so awesome, wherever you are in the world. It is awesome being the missionary, and it is awesome being with them. Tonight definitely brought back all of the feelings I felt day after day as a missionary. I really miss it. I don't think I expected to miss being a missionary so much, but I do. I guess it kind of makes sense, it was my entire life for a year and a half. But I miss it so much, and I miss the people and culture of Chile.

I'd love to say I wish I could go back to being a missionary and be in Chile, but I know that is not true. I can't, and wouldn't want to, be a missionary down there forever. I have to start the rest of my life, and now just work to apply everything I learned and experienced in Chile to my own personal life here in the states again. But, I'm pretty sure I'll always miss the life of Hermana Kemmey down there in Chile.

Missionary Pictures

After church today I asked Mom to snap a few pictures of me before I head out next week. Mom is awesome, and I love looking at these and just imagining how much I will grow through this experience. God is so good. I am so grateful for this life and His love and His gospel. He knows us so much better than we will ever know ourselves.

Don't think I've really ever been happier about anything in my life.

Sacrament Talk

I can hardly believe that time has passed so quickly and that next week I am leaving for Chile! It's a little crazy, but I think I am pretty much ready to go. Typically, before missionaries head out, they speak in their home wards (church). I had the opportunity to speak in both my ward, and also in my old bishop's ward. I really enjoyed writing this talk and sharing it:

About a year ago, I tried to convince anyone in my family to sign up for a mud run with me after seeing pictures of some friends who had recently run one. After some serious begging and convincing, I got Suzanne to say yes. We eventually signed up for another one because they looked so fun, so we were looking forward to doing two mud runs in May.

Our first race was three weeks ago, and then we ran another one last weekend. The race courses were about three miles long, filled with several different obstacles and lots of mud, as expected. By the time we were done running, we were covered from head to toe in thick, nasty mud. It was everywhere, but it was a ton of fun. After the first one, we just hoped in the car mud and all to avoid waiting in lines to rinse off, so when we walked in the house still caked in mud, and Dad just started laughing at us.

Looking back and thinking about the mud runs Suzanne and I just finished, there are a lot of parallels to our experiences here in this life, whatever we may be doing.

I guess the first lesson that could be taken away from this experience is to be very cautious of others trying to tempt and convince us. I had to work on Suzanne for a while before I got her to agree to run with me. Gray was a little more resistant, and he never let me convince him to run with us. So I guess you’d have to ask Suzanne for sure, but I don’t really think I convinced her to do any evil, and we had a good time. However, there are so many situations today where we are easily tempted and people try to convince us every day to lead us away from this gospel and the Spirit. In Alma Chapter 34, verse 39 it reads, “Yea, and I also exhort you, my brethren, that ye be watchful unto prayer continually, that ye my not be led away by the temptations of the devil, that he may not overpower you, that ye may not become his subjects at the last day; for behold, he rewardeth you no good thing.” We learn from Alma that having faith in Christ, being humble, and continually leaning unto Heavenly Father and Christ through prayer will help us identify and resist the temptations of the devil. The Lord often helps us to avoid temptations, and we are blessed as we endure them. Just like the lyrics of the song Taylor just sang, I know that Christ has the power to ransom us from Satan’s grasp and power, and that as we truly come to know and believe in Him, we can feel of the peace and love He wants us to for eternity.

Another prominent lesson we can pull from our mud run is the importance of preparing, and being humble. For the past few months Suzanne and I have looked at each other and said, “We need to start running every day again.” But unfortunately just thinking about running never actually did anything for us—we definitely could have been a little bit more diligent with our efforts in order to be more prepared. The first run was a lot of fun and it was more obstacles with just short periods of running in between. The course was pretty flat, and we ran it with really no problem. I was thinking the second run would pretty much be just like the first. Then the night before, Suzanne was looking at pictures on the internet and she turned to me and said, “This course looks a lot harder than the last one.” We started running the course a week ago, and there was a lot more uphill and climbing then we had anticipated. When I think about my lack of diligent and consistent preparation for this race, it reminds me of the importance of our spiritual preparation during this life. It needs to be a continual and consistent thing, and I do not want to be the “servant, which knew the Lord’s will, and prepared not himself” (Luke 12:47). In Alma Chapter 5 verse 29, it reads, “behold ye must prepare quickly; for the kingdom of heaven is soon at hand.” If we make the efforts every day to prepare ourselves a little more to face each day, to go through life’s experiences, and eventually see our Father in Heaven and our Savior again, we are told in D&C that “if we are prepared, we shall not fear.” This earthly life is a preparatory state, and I want to be as prepared as I can be to meet my Father and Savior again someday. I don’t want to finish my life and know that I could have definitely prepared a lot more, like I was thinking for the mud run.

 So we started running, and there were a lot of obstacles, just like we face in this life. Some of them were a lot of fun, and we actually enjoyed being knee deep in the muddy water with hundreds of other people. Some obstacles we didn’t enjoy so much.

One of my favorite obstacles was an underground tunnel. Suzanne hated this one. There was a tunnel that was only big enough for you to crawl through on your hands and knees, and it was actually pretty long. We started crawling through, and after a few feet, you really couldn’t see anything—it was pitch black. The turns in the tunnel were unexpected and you couldn’t see them, so you sort of just had to feel your way through the tunnel. Suzanne was behind me, and I guess it turns out she is a little claustrophobic because she was making a lot of noise back there. In Job Chapter 29, verse 3, it reads, “and by His light I walked through darkness”. Similarly, in Micah Chapter 7, verse 8, it reads, “When I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me.” Through Christ’s light and through the light that the gospel brings into our lives, we can make it through dark and trying times. There have been several times in my life when I haven’t really known which direction to take, and it definitely brings peace to my mind knowing that we have a Heavenly Father that loves us so much and a Savior that has done so much for us, that they do not want to leave us in the dark. We never have to be alone.

Another fun obstacle they had was a huge, raised balance beam that went uphill, you jumped over a few higher boards, and then balanced back down. It reminds me of how life can be a balancing act. For me, if I looked down, I would lose my balance a little bit—looking straight ahead was a lot easier for me, helped me focus more. I think of my Mom when it comes to balancing. She has to balance the lives of nine kids, work, exercise, finances, church, serving others, friends, and so much more every day. She is honestly one of the most amazing women I know, and she does so much for everyone else, and it is definitely a trial in and of itself to balance everything that she does. Elder M. Russell Ballard said, “Coping with the complex and diverse challenges of everyday life, which is not an easy task, can upset the balance and harmony we seek. Many good people who care a great deal are trying very hard to maintain balance, but they sometimes feel overwhelmed and defeated.” He made several suggestions to help us establish and maintain a balance in our lives, such as setting priorities and goals, establishing family relationships, and studying the scriptures. He said, “when I am in tune spiritually, I find that I can balance everything in my life much more easily.” I feel so blessed and grateful to know the purposes of this life, and to have an eternal goal to be able to live with my Heavenly Father again one day. I had Sister Phelps as a seminary teacher for four years, and I remember her saying all that time that as we put God first in our lives, everything else will fall into place how it is supposed to. That has definitely helped me obtain a balance in my own life, especially in deciding to serve a mission when I have many other things going on. The eternal goals and truths I have help me keep a central focus and give me an eternal perspective to help me make it through earthly life.

One of the hardest obstacles was having to pull ourselves up a muddy, slippery hill using a rope. You couldn’t really even crawl, because there was a network of barbed wire just above our heads. I definitely am not the strongest person in the world, but if you didn’t cling on to that rope, you would slide right back down to the bottom of the hill and have to start all over again. I had a death grip on that thing. To me, this one is so obvious. When I don’t cling to the gospel with all my might and strength, things are so much harder. The gospel has helped to guide me, and has lifted me up just when I needed it to. I find peace and direction from the scriptures, the prophet, and so many loving leaders. In 1971, President Harold B. Lee said, “If there is any one thing most needed in this time of tumult and frustrations, when men and women and youth and young adults are desperately seeking for answers to the problems which afflict mankind, it is an ‘iron rod’ as a safe guide along the straight path on the way to eternal life, amidst the strange and devious roadways that would eventually lead to destruction.” That was forty two years ago, and it remains very true today. There are so many paths that try and lead us away from happiness and peace in the gospel. Undoubtedly, at times I will slip and fall. I struggle just like everyone else. However, just like the rope in that race never went away, the gospel will always be there for us, and that is such a gift. We can quickly regain hold of the iron rod. Through the atonement, we have the gift of being able to repent and learn from our mistakes and trials. Christ suffered all of our pains, sorrows, and sins so that we can have a way to return to our Heavenly Father despite our imperfections, so that we can grow here in this life. In Mosiah Chapter 13, verse 28, it reads, “and were it not for the atonement, which God himself shall make for the sins and iniquities of his people, that they must unavoidably perish.” Whenever I fall just a little bit, I can always come back hanging on even tighter. God’s divine plan is so incredibly merciful, and he has provided the way for us as we lean to Him and have faith in Him.

I’ll tell you about one last obstacle. At the end of the race, there was one last mud pit again with barbed wire over top. You could see the finish line about twenty feet in front of you, and we watched other people finish the race as we tried to get through this last mud pit. This mud was incredibly sticky. It felt like it was sucking my feet deep into the ground, and I lost my shoe. I was tempted just to leave my shoe right there in the mud, since we weren’t keeping them anyway. Trials can hit us at any time. Satan wants to cause us to sink into everlasting misery and woe, just like him, and I’ve found he will try to work on us as hard as he can. However, in Doctrine and Covenants, section 6 verse 13, we are taught that “If thou wilt do good, yea, and hold out faithful to the end, thou shalt be saved in the kingdom of God, which is the greatest of all the gifts of God; for there is no gift greater than the gift of salvation.” Working through life’s experiences, through all the obstacles, having faith and building our testimonies to cling to, trying hard to prepare for the next life, and enduring to the end will all be worth our while.

I am definitely grateful for the fun experiences we had doing those mud runs this month. I am grateful for my crazy sister who let me convince her to sign up for a three mile run where we get covered in mud from head to toe. The relationships we have with our families are so important, and I have such a strong testimony of eternal families. I am so blessed to be sealed for eternity to such a crazy and fun bunch of people. Families give us teams to lean on and to work alongside—they are some of the best people to run this race of life with.

This life is a race with so many obstacles and so much nasty, thick mud. In Hebrews chapter 12, verse 1, we are counseled that we might “lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” Also, we are told by King Benjamin that “it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize.” As we have faith in Christ and prepare ourselves to endure and grow in this mortal life, we prepare ourselves to obtain the immortality and eternal life the Lord desires for us to obtain. The little medals and t-shirts Suzanne and I got from running our mud races were nice and cute, but they pale in the comparison to the prizes we can obtain from faithfully and successfully running the race of life. We had so much fun running those two races. We have so much fun in everyday life, and this race can be just as fun, but it too requires a lot of work and effort.

I love this gospel so much, and I love the guidance that it gives me in my own race of life. About a year ago, I was in Germany visiting the Shield’s family and taking care of their four little kids for a week. We walked to church one Sunday and during sacrament meeting, a sister missionary was speaking about her experiences after just returning home. I wrote the following in my journal that night: “At dinner, Aubrey asked me if I was going to serve a mission. Honestly, I think I would LOVE that. I’ve thought about it on more than one occasion, but who knows where my life could be in two or three years. I guess it will all work out in the end.”

During the Saturday session back in October, I actually wasn’t even watching conference. I had no idea about the age-change revelation because I was racing in Philadelphia for a Crew Regatta with VCU. My great friend Kavya and I had been talking about our plans for the future that day, like we so often do. Her education and life for the next several years is pretty much planned out, and in comparison to hers, my plans for the future have always been a little bit haphazard. We were talking that Saturday about what we were going to do after we graduated, and I mentioned possibly serving a mission, but like always, who really knew what would happen. I had time to figure it all out anyways. She thought I was just a little bit crazy, like always.

When I walked into our house late Saturday night, Mom asked me if I had heard the news, but I had no idea what she was talking about. She told me about the age-change, and I hopped on the internet to read it myself. Initially I was definitely shocked and surprised. Hours before I had just been talking about wanting to serve a mission, but at that point it was something I wanted to do in the future. Now, I could go now if I wanted to.

I didn’t decide immediately that I wanted to go—but after a little bit, I was ready. Honestly, even though I wanted to go, I was pretty sure it wouldn’t happen because so much depended on what VCU would say. I emailed a dean at VCU asking him if my spot and scholarship could be held for two years, and to my surprise, they had no problem. Then, one night I opened up my scriptures and read 3 Nephi Chapter 28. I read verse 18, and I knew then that now was the right time for me to serve a mission: “But this much I know, according to the record which hath been given—they did go forth upon the face of the land, and did minister unto all the people, uniting as many to the church as would believe in their preaching.” Everything added up perfectly. I put in my papers, I got my call, and now I am just a little over a week away from leaving and heading to Chile for the next eighteen months.

When I think about why I want to serve a mission, Luke Chapter 22 verse 32 comes to mind: “But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” I have a testimony of this gospel and the peace, happiness, and strength it gives to me in my life. I want to share it with others, and I want to share the love that our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have for us. I know that by sharing the gospel and my testimony with others, that they can be strengthened and they can find hope and purpose, just like I have. I know that the gospel enhances so many aspects of our lives, and helps to lift us up, and it is a humbling thing to be called to share the gospel with people in a completely different part of the world, in a language I really don’t know yet. I am so grateful for the trust, faith, and love Heavenly Father has shown me these past few months, and I am so grateful to be called as a Missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

So I guess this is the next obstacle in my ever-changing race-course of life. I know it’s going to be hard, but I also know it’s going to be the greatest thing I have done so far in my life.

In Zechariah chapter 10, verse five it reads, “And they shall be as mighty men, which tread down their enemies in the mire of the streets in the battle: and they shall fight, because the Lord is with them.” I want to live a life where the Lord can be with me, where I can be guided by the Spirit, and where I can be mighty for His purposes. I want to tread down my enemies in the mud and sludge of this world, and be able to return home again one day. I hope that I can be a mighty missionary while serving in Santiago, Chile, and I know that as I have faith in and try to follow the ultimate example of the Savior, I can be.

I want to close with my testimony that I love this gospel. I love the scriptures and how much they apply to our day, and how they can apply to my life specifically. I know that the Book of Mormon is true and I know that Joseph Smith was the Prophet of the Restoration. I know that Thomas Monson is the living prophet today, who leads and guides us with so much love. I love my family, and am grateful for them every day. I know that the ultimate prize if we endure to the end will be greater than we can ever imagine. I am grateful for the experiences in life that allow us to reflect on our eternal potentials. I am humbled and grateful to serve the Lord over the next eighteen months, and I am excited to see how this experience will change me and others. I know this gospel is true and I know that the Lord truly does have a plan for each of us and knows us all so well. I love how Heavenly Father truly knows the direction of our lives, and He truly hears us and loves us. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

sooooooooooo close.

so close to being done i can almost taste it.

sitting in a random building on campus. it's pretty quiet in here. my friend deserted me to get some sleep. i guess it's a good thing that at this hour of the night you need an ID badge to get in here, lol. the library is way too busy these days. standing room only.

eight hours til i am free from organic chemistry. studying is going a lot better than i expected, so let's just hope this exam goes the same way.

tomorrow i shall pass out.

**Update: hahahaha. that exam did NOT go well. but that's okay, because i am done with organic chemistry classes forever.

Seriously Decreased Enthusiasm

Classes officially ended yesterday. Folks, I sat through my last college class for two years yesterday. Now I just have to make it through these next two days studying the crap out of organic chemistry in hopes to make an A. My final is Friday morning at 9am, so as soon as that is over I will be done worrying about school :) I have two nursing finals next week, but I know I'll do fine on those ones!

This semester both seems to have really drug on and also flown by super quickly. It has seemed to fly by whenever I've looked at the missionary countdown on my computer and see that I only have so many days left before I am in Chile. When I'm in classes and working through exams and papers and labs, it seems like it will be forever before I am in Chile. To say my enthusiasm towards school has seriously decreased would be one hundred percent accurate. I called Dad last night and he said he knew that would happen. Ha. Yeah, something about moving to another country in just about a month and living there for eighteen months not having to worry about homework, lab reports, papers, exams, etc, makes school just seem that much more frustrating. At this point, I'm just ready to be in Chile.

My room is completely pack up, and has been for almost a week. I still have a week left in this room.
I'm ready to be home and away from Richmond.
And I am almost ready to head to Chile.

Struggling through to the end.....

Love the Weekends

Other than the college kids that actually do live at home, I think I am home a ridiculous amount for the normal college kid. Every single weekend this semester, I have gone home. I love it. School is great and all, but there is just so much more to do for me at home. Even if it is just sitting on the couch in my pajamas all day, it's always better at home. The weekends are always good, and I think they have helped this semester blow by just a little bit more quickly. Always a good thing.

This weekend when I got home a lot of the kids were actually gone. It was just Bryce, Rachel, Evan, and I, so we went out and got some ice-cream. The weather was so nice, so we just spent the rest of the night outside. Evan would stay outside all day if he could, no matter what the weather. He follows anyone outside.

He was pretty excited about getting his own little chocolate ice-cream cone.

I really do have some seriously cute brothers. 

Rachel and the boys: chocolate, Oreo, and key lime pie for Bryce. He liked trying the weird flavors.

Sunday was church. The morning actually started off pretty interestingly because Mom decided to give her elbow a nice whack. It swelled up, and grossed poor Bryce out. One of Mom's friends from Colorado came to church with us. Mom actually found Kanoe when she was searching to find more about her birth mother and her biological family. Kanoe is great friends with Rose, mom's half-sister who was also put up for adoption. It was so good to see her!  

 

Folks, I accurately diagnosed her with olecranon bursitis. Just go ahead and call me Megan Kemmey, M.D.

 Suzanne and me all dressed up for church, wearing skirts from Kavya :)

 On the way over to church, Evan broke his glasses (the pair we had just found THAT morning) right in half. Seriously, that kid. 

 I got really mad at him and he got upset. He definitely did not want me holding him during church, that's for sure. 

 

Kanoe and all of us girls

 Kanoe and Mom 

 Kanoe gave me a card congratulating me on my mission call. Loved the inside of it.

After church, Mom just snapped a few pictures on her iPhone. Dad was actually just a tad grumpy about two seconds before this. Don't worry, he usually doesn't scowl quite so much.

 

 Me with my slightly grumpy pops :)

 

 He might've been a little grumpy, but he can't resist my jokes.

The weekends are the best. Counting down til Friday afternoon again.