it gets easier, promise

so here i sit, all curled up in one of his huuuuge jackets overjoyed with the fact that it’s ALREADY time to blog again. 7 months today (monthly picture below) which is so mind blowing because i swear i just wrote for month 6 like a day ago. let me tell you, IT GETS EASIER! i didn't believe anyone who told me this, but seriously. if you stay busy, time escapes itself. on sept. 24, we hit our 2 year mark since meeting each other. i honestly can’t believe it’s only been 2 years. it feels like ive known him my whole life. he has been such an incredible example to me and i know Heavenly Father allowed me to meet him at the right moment. at that specific time in my life i was dealing with some major issues. when joe came around, my life literally flipped. 180ed. i began to try harder and be better because i wanted to be better for him. then i realized joe made me want to be better for Christ. im so grateful for his Christ-like example to me. his determination. his love. i don’t know what i would do without it or him:)

i have been so busy with work and school which is why, thankfully, time has been going very quickly. i enjoy what i do and ive gotten used to dealing with hailey (the 2 year old i tend) for the most part. she’s a handful but she makes it fun. ive been bringing my 8 year old sister along with me every so often to help keep hay entertained. it’s actually been working wonderfully. she loves playing with little kids and learning from them.

over the month, i attended one of my neighbor’s weddings. it was absolutely beautiful but they were not sealed in the temple. the wedding took place in their backyard. it truly helped me realize how much i want to be sealed in the temple with my companion; to know that we are being sealed by the power of God rather than by legalization of man. i absolutely do not want to be married anywhere else. the temple is my goal and that will never change. it is my heaven on earth and i cannot wait to enter into it and be sealed for time and all eternity. how blessed are we to have that privilege. also within this month, i was able to do a bunch of random acts of kindness. one of them in particular – i was driving home from school on a back road when i looked up the street and saw a girl running. she obviously was not exercising because she was dressed for school and had a backpack on with books in hand. i was just about to pass her on the road when i felt prompted to pull over. (it also helped that as i passed, she stuck her arm out as if for me to stop). i pulled over and rolled down my window… turns out that she was headed to the train station about a mile up the road. when i looked towards the station, i could see the train coming that very moment. i needed no more explanation and invited her into my car. i drove her to where she needed to go so she wouldn't miss the train. i felt really good after doing this. it was so simple, but it saved her from having to wait an hour and half for another train to come. another wonderful opportunity this past month was going to the Relief Society Conference with my mom, grandmother and mom’s friend, tiffany. i absolutely love living so close to the actual conference center and being able to attend meetings that are broadcast everywhere. it fills my heart with joy knowing how lucky i am. it was so wonderful to feel the womanhood and spirit within the room and worldwide. (pictures below) and finally the last thing worth mentioning this month... we had SISTER MISSIONARIES come over for dinner. it was awesome. they were so stinkin' cute and i loved them! (pictures below)

last monday, i got a LETTER!!!!! and not just any letter. it was the first, actual letter, from my elder in 4 months. he had sent me something previously (but it wasn’t a letter) and our only communication has been through email. this letter was 4 pages long and it MELTED. MY. HEART. you know when your missionary is soooo focused and they don’t really express feelings or memories or anything like that? maybe it’s just my elder, but in this letter… he brought up feelings and memories and more. i needed that letter so much. i needed it to calm my troubled heart. even though i am confident he is the one for me, i can’t seem to shake the discouragement that comes from the adversary sometimes. i just have to remember that satan tries to put me down. not only does he know my weaknesses, he knows what i can become with my missionary. a family; everything satan works so hard to destroy. just by me and my missionary staying close and faithful to each other, we are furthering the cause of zion and potentially creating future generations. i know i can do this because God is on MY side. satan has nothing over my God. 

can we just talk about conference for a moment now? INCREDIBLE!!! i had the wonderful opportunity of attending the morning session today and it was unbelievable. (after the morning session, i went over to temple square to take some pictures! (pictures below!)) the whole weekend of conference was indescribable. i felt like every single talk was applicable to me. i learned something new with every speaker. whether it was learning to be more meek, or how to be a better member missionary, or never looking back, or becoming a wife and mother, or coping with depression, missionary opportunities, happiness, conversion, challenges, the atonement, enduring, priesthood, looking up, or change...... i learned so much :') my heart and mind were fully invested and i truly felt the spirit testify to me over and over that everything that was being said was TRUE. The Lord directed and guided those men and woman to teach exactly what i needed to learn. it was so miraculous to me to see and hear my prayers being answered, and know that Heavenly Father DOES answer prayers. almost every single question i wrote down was answered in some way. after this conference, ive never been so excited to apply the teachings so quickly. ive never been so excited to become a wife and mother and do my very best to raise my children in righteousness. i am so grateful for conference!!! i love President Thomas S. Monson. he is God’s living prophet. i know it. the spirit is real and Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ live. how grateful i am to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  

seven months = seven little notes from him 

(he would leave these in places for me to find/secretly hide them:)

*blurred for privacy*

Relief Society Conference:

me & mom 

me & grams 

mom, me & tiffany (mom's friend!)

Sister Missionaries:

Salt Lake City Temple pictures after morning session:

half a year... say WHAT?

can't believe i get to say this, but... IT'S BEEN HALF A YEAR!!!! 6 months!!! done!!! check!!! my favorite elder has been gone for half a year and i miss him like crazy! he's doing fantastic and absolutely loves every minute of it as i knew he would. the people of Brazil are treating him kind (mostly) and i'm very grateful for that. he has baptisms often and says the people are so receptive while learning and accepting the gospel. i'm so happy for him:) letters take pretty long to send and receive so we've been emailing almost every week. i told him i'd always write to him, but he's okay not to write back some weeks because emailing home should be most important. (it takes up so much time to write home - he'll write me if he has left over time, or sometimes a minute before writing home.)
so randomly, i have already started on his Christmas package! how funny is that? i need to have everything ready to go so it will get there at a decent time. i made him a shirt on zazzle.com and me a matching sweatshirt. his says "Called To Serve" and mine says "Missionary Girlfriend." they are SO cute! (pictures below) i've already figured out how to make the package meaningful and everything. i will share my ideas with you once it gets closer to its departure date.

i've recently started my first college experiences. it has definitely helped move the time along. i started at UVU in orem on aug. 26th. the first week was a struuuggle. i literally spent hours in the counseling office fixing classes and rearranging my schedule. things were just not working out. i eventually got it fixed, but it was really really stressful. other than that, it hasn't taken too long getting used to the campus. i've seen a few friends and that's been fun. my days aren't too long either and i have friday's off. (thank the heavens!) best feeling ever. oh by the way, on the first day of school, i got a delivery:) i think the Lord knew i would need it because of all the chaos! FLOWERS & CHOCOLATE from my missionary!! love him. (picture below)

now, more on the personal side of things if anyone is interested, i started a nannying job this past wednesday. one of my friends sisters needed help. she has 5-1/2 month old twins and also a 2 year old girl. while the mom is busy with the twins, my job is to basically keep the crazy 2 year old under control. she is the most active - go go go - girl i have ever MET! she's adorable! the first day was a little overwhelming though. i felt like i needed to memorize everything the mom was telling me. it was also crazy because i worked from 3:30-9:00pm; one of my longer shifts for the first day. i will usually be working Mon: 3:00-6:00pm & Wed: 3:30-9:00pm. she is paying me pretty good, which i'm so grateful for because i am poor and all of the money for tuition, books, food, clothes, my car and just about everything has come from my parents. they're the BEST to help me out. i'm so grateful!
in other news, i have started my own Scentsy business. for those of you that don't know what Scentsy is, it's a party plan company. we sell wickless candles with super cute warmer designs, 90+ amazing fragrances and SO much more. seriously! we have stuffed animals for kids, room sprays, car fresheners, plug ins, laundry detergent, lotions, body wash... the list goes on and on and on.

if you ever need perfect gifts for weddings, baby/bridal showers, birthdays, holidays... COME TO ME:) i promise you'll love what you get and see. if you're interested, visit my website at https://myrandat.scentsy.us/ :) there is an online catalog on the very bottom left - check it out!!! i have pictures of some of the products below as well.

thanks for reading this month friends. i'm so excited for what the next chapter of my life holds. school, waiting, friendships... i know i have been so blessed by my Heavenly Father. i give all my praises and thanks to Him.

six months = six bracelets he has made/given me

his Christmas present! (obviously the sweatshirt is mine though;)

first day of school flowers and chocolate:)

SCENTSY PRODUCTS:

(+ much much more!)

the simple things

5 months today!:) it's crazy how time is flying, yet at the same time, moving slower than ever before. i decided to create/take a picture for each month he is gone. it will make sense when you see the photos posted below! it's so fun coming up with ideas to symbolize each month and i really enjoy it.
thinking back on these last few weeks, nothing truly out of the ordinary has happened. i feel like every post i've made has something worth while to explain or write about... but all that has happened lately are goodbyes! EVERYONE IS LEAVING ON THEIR MISSION! i have been to at least 10+ farewells in the past month. it's incredible to see the Lords work moving forward. it truly is, in these last days, when the Word of God will spread to every nation, tongue and people. i'm so proud of all the missionaries going out! they will do amazing things.
lately, i've been feeling like answers to my prayers come in all different ways and meanings. as in, one day i receive an answer, and the next it's a completely different answer from the day before. i've concluded with this idea;

i really believe that this is what may be happening. Heavenly Father trusts us enough to make a choice that will be right EITHER way. either way, something will go right for YOU. no matter which choice, something good will come of it. it brings a sense of comfort and peace thinking of it that way, wouldn't you agree? 

i believe that Heavenly Father wouldn't allow us to keep going in the wrong direction for too long. He cares too much. He allows the Savior to help us and guide us along. even though we may stumble, our Savior picks us back up, brushes us off and tells us to keep moving. Christ is our source of strength in this marathon of the Lord God. 

i love this gospel. i'm so grateful for the little incidents and experiences in life that strengthen my testimony, no matter how small. the simple things. this past saturday, i went with my missionaries sister to help babysit their niece and two nephews. during the time there, one of the little boys eyes were bothering him a lot, so he started to cry and came to me for help. he seemed to have an infection, so i told him we'd go find a wet washcloth to wipe his eyes. he followed me around and started asking me questions like, "have you had this before? did it hurt you to?" "did you use a washcloth this same size?" "did you use the same color?" "will this hurt forever?" my heart! with the saddest little look in his eyes, he was begging me to make the pain stop. i teared up as he laid his head on my lap and held onto me as i put the washcloth to his eyes. 

i began to think of Christ's love for these little children... for all little children. i even felt a motherly love as i held this little boy and wished i could do more to help him. i pondered the love that our Father in Heaven has for each of us. how He loves us, every single one, and just wants us back. 

i then thought of all the children being born and how they are saved for these last days; the strongest! the most valiant! someday, even my own will be more valiant and stronger than me, and that's all i hope for. 

i can't wait to be a mother! the gift of motherhood is wonderful and i'm so excited to hold my baby boy, or baby girl, look into their eyes and realize how special they are. to realize that they just left the presence of God and He trusts me enough to raise them. i pray that my children will continue in righteousness. i pray they will be so much better than i am. i pray they never forget who their Father in Heaven is and how much He loves them. 

thanks for reading this month:) these are the creative "months he's been gone" pictures i was explaining before. they're so fun! 

one month = one key to my heart

two months = M+J

three months = three words

four months = four flowers (he gave me)

five months = three sweatshirts + two of his hats

i love him and miss him to death!! only one more month until half a YEAR!:) i can do this. ♥ 

 

for the love

4 months down today!!:) almost out of the 600's people... it's kind of a big deal. so since i've written last, my elder got his VISA! i was so stunned when my mom told me the news. i checked my email and sure enough, he had let me know too. he was to leave for the Brazil Salvador South mission on june 10th. not gonna lie, i was kind of devastated when i first heard he'd received his visa... i really thought he'd be in colorado for a while longer. it was so nice knowing that he was just a state over rather than 5,000 miles away from me... but of course those feelings went away knowing that he was needed in Brazil now. he is doing FANTASTIC! he has been down there for almost 4 weeks and already has 3 people committed to baptism, plus more family members interested in the discussions. i'm so happy for him! he loves it there and says the people are some of the most wonderful he's ever met. in his last email, being such a jokester, he told me that he bought a machete for $10 after seeing how big the spiders were. hahah! he rambled on and on about it and then said, juuuust kidding;) i seriously thought he bought a machete for $10 though! (can you say gullible? yep that's me) i've been missing him so much lately. (especially over the july 4th holiday! we had some good times last year) i even had a dream about him the other night and it broke my heart when i woke up. it was so real! i just can't wait until he has served with all of his heart, might, mind and strength and then gets to come home:) but hey, guess what! only ONE MORE 4th of july without him; thinking about it that way tends to make the time seem shorter for some reason.

so in my last post i mentioned how i'd be going out of town all of june on a trip called Heritage Tours. i was able to travel to each of the sights that took place in the history of the restoration of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. (also a bit of pioneer history at the beginning) we traveled from utah (where i live) clear over to nyc, down to washington d.c. and back. i was gone from june 3 - june 22; by bus. yes... a bus. well, two buses actually. about 90 kids all and all came on this tour. i learned so much and have never had a stronger testimony. i was able to gain new insights by experiences throughout the tour and i gained stronger relationships with my Savior and Heavenly Father. but most of all, i was able to gain the strongest testimony of Joseph Smith - the prophet God called to restore Christs church. before going on this tour, i believed. i thought i knew... and i did, but i know even better now. i know this church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is TRUE! without a doubt in my soul. i've been to the places joseph smith said he saw God the Father and His son. i've been there, and the spirit testified to me of the truthfulness of it all. i've never been more confident in knowing that i belong to God's true church. when you put it all together and begin to understand the things that i learned, it all makes sense. i gained a stronger testimony of the Book of Mormon - something i've always always needed. i've read the book 4-5 times, but never really understood what it was trying to teach me. i get it now, and it's the best! i read the BofM in 3 weeks:) i'm so glad i was able to accomplish that. i also had the opportunity to be a missionary myself; i gave out a Book of Mormon with my own personal testimony inside. i really hope and pray that the family i gave it to gives it a chance. it could changed their lives. i love this gospel. it's blessed me in so many ways! even on the tour, we truly felt the Lords hand as we traveled. we were protected in so many ways! to name a few:

1. our bus driver fell asleep at the wheel going head on to a semi-truck; we didn't DIE!
2. one night, specifically a blessing to me and the girls in my district, a man tried getting into our hotel room. (literally followed my friend up to our room, pounded on the door, waited outside the room) but we were protected and saved by one of the boys in our district.
3. a tornado! as we passed a spot on the freeway, a tornado began to form... but as we passed, it STOPPED! the funnel literally sat mid air. 15 minutes after we passed, we heard it touched the ground when we were out of sight.

there were so many more!! these blessings in and of them-self were proof to me of a loving Heavenly Father. He does watch over us and care for us. how grateful i am for Him and His endless love.

all of the pictures below are ones i took on tour. this is a photography blog too, remember? enjoy and thanks for reading:)

happy 4th of july!

boston temple

washington d.c. temple

washington d.c. temple

carthage; joseph smith

kansas city temple

heaven shining down ;) 

palmyra temple

sacred grove 

the tornado that began to form while we passed!

the place that Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father appeared to Joseph Smith. THE PLACE!

what if?

so i've decided to update just a tad early because my regular once a month isn't going to cut it for june. as much as i would have loved to post on june 6th, which is 3 MONTHS DOWN, i will be touring the country. i'm headed to every church sight from Utah to NYC on Heritage Tours! i am so excited. it's basically a 3 week mission prep :) i know it's going to strengthen my testimony and increase my knowledge of the gospel in ways i never could have without experiencing it first hand; going to the actual place where Joseph Smith stood... where God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him... ohhh i'm so EXCITED!!!

in other good news, this thursday is my high school graduation! CLASS OF 2013 BABY!!! i seriously can't believe it. it's surreal because school is all i've ever known, and the people around have always been there. now everyone is going their separate ways to college and honestly, it's scaring me a bit. i'm not worried about losing my friends or anything like that.... just with the fact that it's time to grow up. i'm 18, but i still feel like i'm 12 years old at heart. not quite sure how much i like this growing up thing. i guess it's necessary though right, if i want my missionary to come home and see me as someone who is ready for marriage and as someone who is ready to experience the real world.

can i start off by saying that the first 3 months really ARE the hardest? there are a few specific reasons why they seem to be:

1. you haven't seen or talked face to face in 92 days...
2. letters get spacey. i haven't heard from him in 3 weeks :( and he doesn't like to email. i'm kind of worried that the letter i sent never actually made it to him.
3. you start having doubts which then turn to fear, just to have it turn around and go back to being perfect again. GAH! i hate when this happens. there are so many roller coaster emotions and it makes me CrAzY!

some days i know i've totally got this, and other days i feel like, "what if it really doesn't work out?" then i have to slap myself for ever thinking so. it's hard. waiting is hard. but in the end, i know it will be worth it... right? it has to be worth all of the tears, and hurt, and weeks without contact, and everything else. it will be worth everything just knowing that someday... he'll come home and hold me in his arms once again. just like one of my favorite quotes says:

"Being away from you is the most painful thing ever. But it's worth it because of the day that you will hold me in your arms, and never let go." 

someday, he'll never let me go. i can't wait for that day. when time loses all meaning, i mean. after you are sealed to each other, time literally means nothing. you have eternity! ETERNITY to be with each other, yet, i still feel like that will never be long enough for me.

i'm so grateful for elder cook's service. he is doing the Lords will and i love it so much. i love him so much! and i know he loves being out there more than anything in the world. i miss him terribly, but at least the days have been going... i've found that staying busy really does help, and trying not to count the days specifically (even though i totally have one of those temple missionary countdowns haha). in reality, the work our boys do is only 2% of their life. they've had eternity to prepare for it and they'll have eternity to reflect on it, but they only have two years to live it.

_________________________________________________

i've had some really neat experiences with the spirit these past two weeks:) they've been small and simple things, but have made a huge impact on my testimony of the Holy Ghost. i've been very grateful for the experiences that help me see that Heavenly Father really does care. He watches over us and gives us the experiences we need to strengthen ourselves. i found this quote/prayer the other day and it instantly became my favorite!

it struck me so hard! Heavenly Father knows me exactly, which is why sometimes... i feel so afraid. what if i let Him down? what if i make a wrong decision? what if i try to figure things out on my own and pass by what Heavenly Father actually intended. i pray so hard for what this quote says. i need Him. i need the spirit to guide me and give me strength. i need the wisdom and direction from His hand in order to feel like i'm doing something right. i don't ever want to let Him down. i don't ever want to make a decision i'm not supposed to, even though i know i'm human and i will make mistakes.

in the end, i guess it's just knowing that you tried your best. God isn't going to be upset if you tried, right? i just need to remember that. it's so easy to think and compare your efforts to someone else's... and i have that problem. specifically with this whole mission announcement. everyone i know is going, and i feel like if i don't serve, i will be looked down upon. or that Heavenly Father would be disappointed in me. which brings me back to what i said before... i don't want to make a wrong decision. what if God is telling me to do one thing, but i don't see it? what if i'm choosing for myself and passing by what is supposed to happen? does anyone else feel like this sometimes? i'm so afraid that i will mess something up... timing.... my future... just by making one wrong decision. i guess that's what faith is though; trusting in God no matter what, even if you don't know the outcome. 

sorry i ranted for a bit.. it's something i've been needing to get off my chest for a while. i know i just need to move forward with faith and confidence in the future. Heavenly Father knows my heart and intentions and that's what i'm counting on... 

happy may:)

may 6th was 2 months down, people!! does it seem like time is flying, because i can't decide? part of me says yes and the other says heck NO! i've heard the first 3 months are the hardest and i believe it. waiting and waiting and waiting......waiting......andddd still waiting. good thing we know it will all be worth it in the end :) i mean, how can i know he will dedicate eternity to me if he didn't dedicate two years to our Lord? that's why i'm okay with him being gone, because... i know he is where he is meant to be, for now.

in other news, may 3rd was PROM!!!!!!!! hate to burst the excitement bubble, but i didn't get asked. yeah, senior year... didn't go.... oh well. my friend cassidy and i went and saw iron man 3 instead!! so awesome. if you haven't seen it, go. ohhh and no big deal or anything but my birthday was this past saturday! may 4th! i'm 18 :) i spent the day at Temple Square taking beautiful pictures of my future castle (pictures brought to you by myrandathurmanphotography) it was such a nice day and i enjoyed it very much. later that same day, i had a "party" with some of my best friends. they came over to my house, we ate some olive garden, and we watched leap year :) cutest movie ever! (even though the redhead chick bugs me a bit!) it had a perfect ending... just like i'm praying my story will <3

school is winding down, thankfully. i took my AP psychology test yesterday and it wasn't too bad. besides the first FRQ which i totally bombed on, but other than that ;) i think i did alright. graduation is in 23 DAYS and then i'm outta here for a month; i'm going on heritage tours. i can't wait for that. we're gonna go visit all the LDS church history sights! i think i'm most excited for Adam-Ondi-Ahman, where the Lord will go when He comes again. or maybe navoo. or new york. i don't know actually. wherever we go, i'm just ready to feel and experience an incredible spirit.

yesterday was p-day:) we all know what that means!! EMAILS!!!!!!! well, to be honest, i usually don't get any because Elder Cook prefers hand written letters, but i checked anyway and...... drum roll please...... there were TWO in there from him! umm yeah. you could imagine the look and smile on my face when i saw them. it was a birthday email:) you have to know why i was so happy though. you see, the previous thursday before my birthday, i'd been expecting a letter. i went to the mailbox though, and there was nothing there. i basically broke down that day because i thought, "of all the weeks to skip out on writing me, you chose my birthday week?" anyway, long story short, he did email yesterday and apologize for not being able to write. this email/letter was my favorite so far. he said, "I hope this brightens your day my sweet dearest most sincere friend. the love of my life, you're the apple to my pie, you're the straw to my berry, you're the one i wanna... marry.... Sister Thurman you're a wonderful choice (est) daughter of God. No one like you will ever walk the face of this earth. You are unique and one of a kind. You're truly a divine Daughter of God. He loves you and so do I." :) ahhhhhh!!!! i love him... and miss him so very much.

lastly, i just have to add - it is pouring rain as i write this part of the post, and it's taking me back in time :) back to the time when we danced outside in the pouring rain to our favorite songs. i was in his big yellow sweatshirt and he was in a t-shirt. we were drenched in 2 minutes, but didn't care... we danced like no one was watching. we sang like no one could hear. and we loved like nothing could tear us apart. i still remember the look on his face as he looked at me, sopping wet. he, not having a care in the world as to what my hair looked like, whether or not makeup was streaming down my face, or whether or not people were watching. he held me close, told me i was beautiful and made me feel like i was the most important person in the world.

i can't wait to dance our timeless waltz again when he comes home :)

thanks for reading and have a great week!!

PICTURES:

me and cassidy at iron man 3 :)

wait, what day is it?

i have decided that i'm basically the worst blogger ever - ALREADY! the posts are so spaced out, but that's okay:) i will get better, i promise!

life is absolutely crazy right now. it's winding down to the final few weeks of senior year and teachers are bombarding us with last minute assignments and tests!! ahhhhh :p my stress level has peaked and my face has the wonderful grodies to prove it! (every girl's dream, right? nasty zits after stressful situations... uhh not! so unfair, seriously) but other than that ;) life's been great!

my missionary has been gone for ONE MONTH and 12 DAYS! ummmm... where did that time go? it was probably the longest yet fastest, hardest yet happiest, most stressful yet peaceful month of my life. since the day i met him, he's never been out of my head. ever. so everyday... in every way, he's been here:) i miss him so much, but the moments apart only help me realize how precious time is together. this past Tuesday he left the MTC to enter into his reassigned mission; Colorado Springs! i was a little worried at first when i heard he'd been reassigned to the states, because he was SO excited to go to Brazil, but of course he said that as soon as he heard it was Colorado, the spirit testified to him that that was where he needed to be. since my Elder Cook has been gone, i've received 6 letters from him plus an envelope full of flowers:) cutest thing ever! his letters made my week 100000x better. his p-days were on friday in the MTC, so they usually would come on saturday, or the following monday depending on what time he'd write. he learned so much and had the opportunity to be a district leader and a zone leader while there too!

he is doing so well and absolutely loves being out there. i'm so grateful for his example to me! he continues to strive for righteousness at all times and in all things, and in all places.

here are a few pictures of him while he's been away:):

Elder Talbot (left) & Elder Cook (right)
two of my best friends found each other
at the MTC:)

Elder Cook (left) & his first companion
Elder Hall (right) at the doctor's office.
Elder Hall was getting physical therapy
on his shoulder!
















he looks so grown up already:') i can't wait to see what Heavenly Father helps him become. he's going to be one extraordinary man♥ i love him so much.
__________________________________________________

life events from march 6 - april 18:
1. got all my letters:)
2. hung out with a lot of friends
3. hung out with joe's family (A LOT)
4. little sisters baptism
5. farewells galore!
6. march 26 was joe's birthday! i sent him a fun package:)
7. went to hawaii for spring break! April 1st-8th; it was absolutely beautiful. i wanna go back!
8. visited pearl harbor

9.  visited the dole plantation
10. visited the polynesian center
11. CONFERENCE! YES!
12. ONE MONTH DOWN!
13. swam with dolphins! no big deal;)

it's been crazy, but it's been fun. even with all this time passing, and all the events happening... i have this quote that i try to remember even when the days get hard:

Don't count the days, make the days count!

pff, i still count the days ;) only 687ish more to go! BUT.. the point is... time goes on and life goes on. you have to make the most with what you've got. don't let anything hold you back. besides, all good things come to those who wait♥