Fare-thee-wells.

Back when I was young and wild and free (four months ago) I decided to give two farewells. One in my new ward that we moved into a year ago, one in my old ward that I grew up in. Different days, different topics. 

Woo! It was a wild ride. 

My first one went well, my wonderful brother played the organ and we had a few people come to my house afterwards. I wasn't nervous during my talk and I felt pretty good about it. 

Then along came yesterday. 

Two of my old roommates from Orem came down the day before and stayed over (yay!), the next morning 5 more of my college friends came including my best friend (yay!). So many of my friends came and people that I have met over the years. My whole family came, it was great. I had only read through my talk once and I was freaking out on the inside. I was sharing my farewell with another girl (who is amazing, by the way) so the chapel was PACKED. Filled to capacity. More chairs had to be brought in and people were still standing in the back. I spoke first, thank goodness. My wonderful brother played the organ again and did fantastic. I only started crying during the end of my talk which is an accomplishment. 

I was amazed at how many people came to hear me speak. I was feelin' the love! All the love and support that I am getting is astounding and I am SO grateful for these amazing people in my life. 

By the end of the day I was about ready to fall asleep on my feet. It was such a good day. 

I love my family, my friends, and everyone who has supported me in this decision.  

Especially my weird family. 

I love to see the temple!

I went through the St. George Temple on September 27th! 

It was a beautiful experience, especially being able to be there with my family. I never realized how much I wanted to be with my family for eternity until they were with me in the temple. It is truly heaven on Earth. 

Going to the temple has made me realize how much I want to share this gospel with people. It is something that needs to be shared! I love it. 

Heck, just read Elder David A. Bednar's talk from General Conference.

I wrote this... two months ago.

I would rather be cuddling with kittens right now than doing what I'm doing.

Shopping.

I can hear all your gasps from here. HEINOUS CRIME, DISLIKING SHOPPING! Calm down, this is a different kind of shopping. This is the kind of shopping that will cause your brain to explode and make you question everything you know about yourself and what your favorite color is. 

Yes, this is missionary clothes shopping. 

Blllllaaaaaaahhhhhhh.......

Here is my dilemma. When I got called to Mexico, I thought: 

Oh! Mexico! Hot, hot, hot weather. Very light fabric. Linen. As little layering as possible. Lot's of bright colors because that's the culture. Can I wear a serape or would that be offensive?

I went a little crazy. I would spend all day online scouring the internet looking for the perfect navy blue skirt. I wore myself pretty thin in just a week and after all that looking I only ended up with one skirt that I somehow acquired from a warehouse in Korea.
And then I realized something. I would be there for two winters and only one summer... not only that, it doesn't get that hot there and the winters are pretty cold. You mean to say it won't be hot, hot hot?!
GAH.
I also seemed to be sticking to my normal color scheme; jewel tones. Not at all like the bright reds and yellows I was trying to go for. What was my problem?!

I had to change my whole mindset. I needed to stop making flowcharts about how blue goes with everything and thus needs to be a staple in my wardrobe.  (Slight exaggeration) I told myself to calm down and get my mind straight.
So I got over myself and headed over to the places that everyone and their dog were suggesting.

I didn't have time to take pictures of all the things I got, so I'll just tell you where I got them. Cool? Cool.

MIKA ROSE
I steered clear from Mika Rose because everyone was telling me to go there. *Rolls eyes* I don't like people telling me what to do. Good thing I'm going on a mission, right? As soon as I walked in I was instantly sucked in. Quality stuff.

MR. MAC
As soon as I started looking for clothes my mom suggested that I stop by Mr. Mac. I refused to because I swore that I would never shop anywhere that was specifically for missionaries. Well... turns out I got some of my favorite stuff from there. A dress that doesn't wrinkle? Score.

DESERET INDUSTRIES
I have NO problem thrift shopping. D.I. is a great place to get skirts! Plus they're already worn a bit so the skirts are more comfortable. I shopped at D.I. in high school. Such a hipster.

YESSTYLE
If you don't mind sifting through literally thousands of skirts, shirts, sweaters, and who knows what, then yesstyle.com is for you. I'm all about shopping online and this site was like heaven for me.

Etsy
Be careful with Etsy though. You'll start looking for a navy blue skirt and then next thing you know you're just set on finding the perfect pair of earrings with real flowers pressed into them. True story. I eventually found my navy blue skirt and it is my favorite skirt that I'm taking!

Target, Ross, T J Maxx
I'm all about plain basic shirts and these places did not disappoint. Also tights, socks, gloves... they have everything.

Ebay
My sister was super generous and bought my bag for me. We looked in the men's department under messenger bags and found the perfect bag! Wwwaaay cheaper than the ones we were looking at on Etsy.

Cobb Hill
I bought a pair of shoes from here and they are heavenly. My mission is a walking mission so I am getting the comfiest shoes that I can find. No matter how clunky they look.

Clarks
My mom is a firm believer in Clarks. I am a firm believer in Clarks. Do not skimp on shoes. Your feet will have no rest for a year and a half!

I may add to list further on down the road, but man I am so busy!

Do not stress about shopping. Obviously not everything you get will match with each other. Get the basics, then move from there.
Good luck!

Picture, Picture.

One stormy day in September my dad and I drove up to Kolob Mountain because I insisted on having a dramatic setting for my missionary pictures. I was beyond happy with how they turned out! Beautiful Zion National Park is in the background. 

Thank you, dad!

I don't think people realize how hard it is to pose with a Book of Mormon.

Understanding. Finally. Hallelujah.

View from my apartment in Orem. I felt like this post needed a picture. So here you go. 

I am so happy because guess what. Today, 3 1/2 months after I opened my call, I now understand what I was feeling when I opened it. In vain I have struggled... sorry, that was Pride and Prejudice. But really, I have struggled to put words to how I was feeling.

When you're waiting for your call, pretty much everyone has that one place that they are secretly hoping to go to, and then they have that one place that they are resigned to. For me, I wanted to go out of the US and I was resigned to going to Texas. (Disclaimer: I have nothing against Texas. I promise.) A lot of people were getting called to Texas and I figured that I would be one of them. Let's just say I wasn't very happy about that. BUT I had high expectations. I just knew that when I opened my call and my call was to Texas I would have this miraculous confirmation that Texas is where I needed to be and that I would have this sudden surge of love for everything about the state.

RIGHT? No.

When I opened my call I remember my thoughts scrambling as soon as I read "Mexico Saltillo Mission." MEXICO? I was supposed to get called to Texas so I could have this huge humbling experience! I know, my logic is weird. For pretty much the rest of the day I couldn't get a hold on what I was thinking. That's what was the most frustrating. I couldn't form a coherent thought that brought me any sort of comfort. Now I understand that the Holy Ghost was saying: Megan, this is your mission. Step up and take that responsibility.

Responsibility. That's the word. I had already learned through previous experiences to accept what the Lord has to offer without question, so accepting my call was no big deal. I love Mexico, it's part of my culture, I'll feel at home. But man, the feeling of extreme responsibility was a lot to handle. It made every fear become heightened. I hadn't been able to find anyone that had been to my mission because it was only a year old. I had no idea what to expect. I was scared. I was feeling this way for 3 1/2 months. THREE AND A HALF MONTHS. Until I went to my friend's farewell that I mentioned in a previous post.

What I didn't mention in that post is that afterwards when we all gathered at her house to eat, I was sitting with a bunch of her friends. I had no idea who any of them were so Kristan introduced me to them and mentioned that I was going on a mission. When I said that I was going to Mexico one of her friends practically jumped out of his seat and asked me which mission in Mexico. When I said Saltillo he said "THAT'S WHERE I SERVED!!" We both flipped out from excitement and instantly began speaking very animatedly. He told me everything I needed to know and instantly all my fears where gone. It was a miracle at it's finest.

All I have to say is, trust in the Lord. He knows what you need.

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6

Smile!

I went to my dear friend Kristan's farewell today. She's going to Peru next week and she's going to rock as a missionary, I just know it.

She moved away when we were in 2nd grade and we've been pen pals ever since then. It's crazy how two 8 year olds made sure to send each other letters and stay in touch. She has influenced my life in more ways than one and all I can say is that we were meant to be friends and stay friends. As soon as I got her text saying that she was working on her papers, I knew that my time had come. And as soon as I acknowledged that, there was no turning back.

Sometimes I don't understand why I feel like my going on a mission is such a big deal. It's only 18 months, there are plenty of sister missionaries out there, and I'm just not that big of a deal. But today as we were singing the closing hymn, "God Be with You Till We Meet Again" (which never fails to make me cry) I looked at Kristan up on the stand and although she was crying, she had the biggest smile on her face. I realized that even though I don't feel like I will make a difference, this is what I want to do. This is where I want to be. And no matter how scared I am, this is the happiest decision I have ever made. I want to be able to smile that brightly at my farewells. I want my friends and family to see that I am happy with my decision and that I am ready to do the Lord's work.

One missionary in Peru, one in Mexico. Adiós mi amiga!

So I was a really cute baby. 

That's irrelevant. 

Ever since I decided to stop being stubborn and go on a mission I have been looking back on my life. Once I received my call everything became clear. All the little decisions I made, all the big decisions I made, all led me to this. I won't go into details, but boy, it's like I planned on going on a mission my entire life.

Even though I am terrified out of my wits, especially now that I've realized I only have 6 weeks left, nothing has ever felt so right.

Here's where the baby bit comes in. 

When I received my baby blessing those 19 years ago a dear lady transcribed it for me, which I am thankful for because most people don't have theirs written down. It's been sitting in my baby scrapbook all these years. I can't tell you how many times I've read that blessing and thought how cool it was that it says that I'll love books. I mean, that's super accurate. 

SO HOW ON EARTH DID I MISS THIS:

"...bless you that you will prepare yourself in every way to serve a mission, and as things are in line, in due time, that you will be able to."

What.

You mean to say I've had this right in front of me this whole time?! And I've never noticed it?!

I've always prided myself in being extremely observant. I guess that claim can be thrown out the window. 

If I thought this felt right before, now it just seems RIGHT. Capitalized. Italics.

Thank heavens for baby scrapbooks and their preserving nature. 

Not only did this help my solidify my decision to go, I also gained a powerful testimony of the priesthood. My dad has the power of the priesthood and Heavenly Father trusted that my dad would say the words that I needed to hear, even all these years later. 

So here is my plea to all you new parents out there:

Transcribe your children's baby blessings! It will mean the world to them in years to come.

Look at me. So cute and unaware that someday I will be scared out of my mind because I'm going to live in Mexico for a while. 

Aw.