The Last Entry

Hello.

As the title implies, this will be my very last entry. I got my mission call. I shall be serving in the Anchorage Alaska  Mission. This encompasses all of Alaska and the Yukon Territory.

I got my call on Saturday, May 2nd, 2009 at approximately 1:30 in the afternoon. I was so excited that all I remember doing was screaming and running out to the car where my mom was. I could not wait. I had to open it right away. The problem was, that I was so nervous, that I was hyperventilating, and it took me a second to calm down before my hands stopped shaking enough for me to actually open the envelop. I managed to get through reading the first small paragraph before I was so choked up, I couldn't read any more. That was the important part, because that is where I found out where I am going.

My dad and brother, Spencer were on the phone so they heard, and Christopher, and Marty Jr. were there too.

Oh, I am SO happy. I have been waiting for this for SO long.

I hope that I will be able to live up to the Lord's expectations, so that I may serve he people of Alaska with all my heart, might, mind, and strength. For, the rest, God will just have to make up the difference.

Anyway. So long, and thanks for all the fish. LOL!

So....

I have really amazing news!!!! I just discovered that my mission call went in the mail last Friday!!! That is WAY earlier than I expected, so I could basically recieve my mission call any day now!!!!! WOO HOO!!!!!!! I am SO excited!!!!

I have already told my mother that I am taking the key to the mail box. No one is checking for it but me!!!! Three times a day! Everyday!!! I want to be the very frist to see the big white envelop. I have been waiting for this my entire life!!!

It is so wierd for me. So surreal.

Most of the people that I tell about my mission papers are happy that I am so enthusiastic, but are incredulous as to why I would put my entire life on hold to go out and preach to people that I don't even know for a year and a half.

I wish that I could make them understand. This is not a sacrifice for me at all. This is one of the greatest things that will ever happen to me in my entire life. I am so blessed that God would entrust the teaching of His children to one such as me. As imperfect as  I am, as unworthy as I am, He would use me as an instrument in His hands to save others.

I pray more than anything that I may work my hardest, my best, my humblest, so that when I return, I will here the words "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."

RANDOM PICTURE OF THE REXBURG TEMPLE!!!!

Tee hee hee!!

I am going to go clinically insane!

MY MISSION CALL IS COMING IN THE MAIL!!!!!!

I am now officially too excited to write much more.

AYAAYAYAYAAYAY!!!!!

I'm going to go clean the house! I want it to be clean when I get my call!!!!

Laters!

Clarisara

Man! Have I ever been busy!

I am not entirely sure where I should start there is so much to tell.

I'll start with the thing that is foremost on my mind which is my new job. Yes, you heard me right. New job. I quit up at the Lodge because they were going to try to force me to work on Sundays, and I had told them from the beginning that that was my line in the sand. I would do anything else that they asked (as long as it was legal and ethical obviously) but that I would not break the Sabbath Day. It is a Holy Day, and I intend to hold to that all of my life.

Anywho, I work at Gallos (another restaurant) now, making about the same amount that I had at the Lodge without the hastle of working on Sunday. Frank, my new boss actually insisted that I did not. YAY!

On the other hand Frank has a thing for younger women (he's like 50) and I think he has a crush on me. Sheesh. How do I attract these people. He gave me a peck on the lips yesterday, and claimed it was an accident. I slapped him. Yup. Slapped the boss. He deserved it. I think he knew it too because he did not reprimand me for it. If he gets any more forward, I just might have to quit this job too.

I finally got another haircut...today actually. I like it. The lady who did my hair did an excellent job, but I am not sure that I will ever go to her again. She saw my widow's peak and asked me if I was balding. That scared the living daylights out of me!!!! It turns out that I am not, and she was mistaken, but all the same... She also noticed that my hands were cold and had me rub lotion into them. Weird. It didn't do a blasted thing. I did not tell her that though. After she finished cutting, she took a small iron and flipped my hair up. I looked like a bad sixties sitcom. Blegh!!! I didn't tell her that though because the cut was good and I wanted to get out of there before my mom was done with the kids' dentist appointments. I'm going to shower tonight to get rid of those ridiculous curls. I don't want to go to work like that in the morning.

Spencer came back from his mission in Australia on the 4th of March and is trying really hard to get off to college in Utah. I'm glad for him. It is time for him to get on with his life. Though, I cannot picture him getting married. It is hard for me to believe that anyone could deserve my brother. *shrug* There it is.

Incidentally, I FINALLY GOT MY MISSION PAPERS IN!!!!! I will be getting my mission call in two to three weeks, and I cannot help but count down the days.  I AM SO NERVOUS!!! I am so EXCITED!!! So ready to get out there and serve the Lord!

I have already told my parents that I want to go and get my endowments in the Mesa temple.

Lately, I wake up smiling. I cannot help but be happy. Frank calls it being blonde, but I do not care about his opinion on the matter anyway. I am just SO happy!!

I got kicked out of my other room. I am still with Aubrey, but the two of us have been squeezed into Christopher's tiny room. So... I have no bed again. Snap. We bought a mattress but it was owned by a smoker previously so it reeks. I have been trying for several weeks to get the stink out, but I am beginning to think that we will have to try something else. If it is not usable by the end of the week, that's it. My back hurts. I have been sleeping on a frame with mattress pads, and it is NOT comfortable. Not at all. Yick. And I really do mean Yick.

I am making the extra effort to get back into shape. My boss calls me pudge and pokes my love handles. It is really annoying. Let's just say that I have been inspired.

Well, I am about done now. I am sure that there are other things that I have skipped over, but I don't want to try that hard to remember them at the moment.

LOL!

Take care everyone! (if there really is an everyone that reads these)

Clarisara

So I totally just got finished writing on my family's website. It will be interesting to see if anyone comments at all. Most of the time they don't bother.

Anyway to save some time I have decided to paste what I wrote there to save me some time writing here. I was pretty much planning to write the same things any way.

Here:

Hey there everyone! It's been a while since I last got on the family website, and even longer since I have updated everyone on whaat has been going on in my little corner of the world.

I am still waitressing at the Lodge, though I am not sure how much longer I will be. My boss Lisa is quitting on the 15th and she was the one pulling strings so that I would not have to work Sundays. The lady that is replacing her has already intimated that she intends to have me work Sundays when it's busy because that is her day off and she does not want to work on her recreation day. I'm praying about it, but I am still not sure what to do. Another motivator is that I am really wanting ot spend the holidays with my family because I will be gone for so long. The Lodge does not give days off to anyone on the holidays. Last year I missed out on family time for nearly every major holiday excepting Easter, Mother's Day and Father's Day.

I am working really hard to save money for my mission and I have managed to save about $4,000. I am really happy about this because the more I can save, the less my parents and my ward will need to contribute.

Speaking of preparing for my mission -because I still have every intention of going- I have very nearly gotten my papers in. My doctor says the x-ray for my chest worked out and I am healthy. I was very excited because I thought this meant that she would sign the doctor's portion and I could finally turn everything in. Apparantly not. Now I have to go in for some more shots that the doctor just realized were not done.   LOL! Also my bishop will not let me turn in the paperwork until I have health insurance. Unfortunately, I am no longer covered by my dad's insurance. Darn. I never realized just how expensive even a basic plan is for just one person.

Things are going well at church. I have really grown to love my little primary class. When I think that I will only be teaching them for a few more weeks it saddens me. They all have just the sweetest spirits, and all of them are unique and strong in so many different ways. I just keep praying that what I have taught them will reach them somehow. They are all so special and they deserve the best.

On the other hand, I look forward to teaching a new class in January. I have had the opportunity to teach them on some occasions and they are really fun to be around.

My dad, Aubrey, Amanda, and I are all in the Christmas Cantata this year, and are enjoying the beautiful Christmas music that has been arranged by the conductor. He is a skilled composer for the church, and has written and adapted many pieces for various groups including hte Tabernacle Choir. We are so lucky to have him in our ward. He and his father are really good friends of mine.

Several members of the family have been catching colds, and I am afraid that I am the one to blame. I came home from work with a nasty chest cold, and it has been passed around since then. Melissa's home sick today and is sleeping on the couch next to me.

I hope that everyone is well. I love you all!

It's amazing how I can be so long winded. Not that I mind. In a way it is a good thing I can write long drawn out entries. I think that I write more than I talk actually.

A friend of mine named Jared pointed that out to me. I have been going with him to Latin Dance lessons on Monday nights. He is a nice guy but totally not my type as I have pointed out to anyone who is willing to listen. It will be a cold day in hell before he and I get together.  As I was saying he pointed out that I am muter than a fish at times, and not all that good at debating or comebacks. It's true. Not because I am not capable, but because I am not comfortable. Putting down someone or telling them that they are wrong is simply not in my nature. I prefer to get along with anyone so when I disagree on any certain point I'll get very quiet. My head goes blank and any argument I would have had goes straight out the window. Sometimes I wish that I wasn't always so close-mouthed about contraversial issues, but there it is.

Well, take care all you people out there!

Clarisara

Heave... Heave... Gasp!

I just got a run. I cannot believe how out of shape I have gotten. I am totally working out from now on. Apparently it is good for you and I need to thicken my blood up for my next doctor's visit anyway. Not to mention the fact that rigorous exercise is an excellent stress reliever.

Work was slow again today and I was stuck behind the hostess stand once again, but I am not entirely sure that I would call it being stuck this time. I was getting a higher hourly wage, and I didn't have to endure stares from the dishwasher. That was a relief. I have a very short fuse lately, and I am not sure that is a good thing with him. Ignoring him--like I do with all the other guys that are chasing me--seems to work for the most part. I swear if he calls me Jessie again though, that I will kill him! I hate it when people call me that.

My papers have gone in to the bishop, and I am SO nervous!!! People are starting to guess where I will end up, and I think that my mom probably has the closest guess. She had a dream that I was in some remote tropical place with little children all around me. I was teaching them. My mom's dreams usually turn out accurate. It will be interesting to see if that is the case. Last time she guessed that my brother Spencer would be going some place that starts with an A. He ended up in Australia. LOL! Crazy.

I have the day off tomorrow. I think I will take advantage of the peace and quiet to organize my parents' bills smoe more. That will get my mom off my back. She has asked me to do it several times in the last few days, and I know it will relieve some of her stress. Perhaps I will surprise her even more by cleaning the house in between breaks from that.  Hee hee. I know I will be much more irritable about this tomorrow, but for now, the prospect is not too daunting.

Aubrey is taking her ACT pretest right now. She takes the real thing in the middle of December right before winter break at the schools. It is good that she is doing that. I never studied and I didn't do nearly as well as I probably could have. I will help her where I can. I hope that she gets into BYU-Hawaaii like she wants to. She deserves the best.

Amanda is definitely a teenager. That is all I have to say on that matter.

Melissa, is crazy, "sophisticated", and progressing very well musically. I get along with her much better than I used to. Wierd how that worked out.

Spencer hasn't written to me in ages, but then I haven't written to him either, so I don't feel too upset about it.

Christopher is gone on an outing with Bradley this evening, and I cannot help but be slightly nervous about it even if he is a friend of my Mom's.

Marty Jr. has been really clingy lately. Apparently I am his new best friend. He listens to me better than he listens to anyone else which is odd because he has never been very close to me before. My mom thinks it is because I offered to drive him down to Alamogordo for the bishop's interview for his baptism. Speaking of which that is going to be soon. I am excited for him.

I cleaned my room--somewhat--yesterday. I could actually see the floor! What a miracle. *eyeroll* I haven't looked again yet, but I am sure that Aubrey has managed to tear apart what little I have accomplished in this area. She always does. I just don't let it bother me anymore.

My parents are stress-buckets as usual. They are doing too much. I am not going to go into details because I just ran to get rid of my stress--as mentioned above--and I do not want my back to knot up all over again. Suffice it to say that I am worried sick about them, and I am trying to help in any way I can without killing myself.

I have another guy chasing me. His name is Justin. Yeah, he's really cute, and funny, and we have a lot in common...BUT I am still not ready for a relationship. Besides, he is not a member of the church and I am getting ready to serve a mission. *frown* What is it about unavailable women that is so attractive to men? I am wearing myself out just trying to avoid them all.

Speaking of guys, I am still going dancing with Jared on Mondays. I might as well. I paid the money for the class, and neither of us wants a relationship. I am hoping that this will help me improve my dancing, and chase away some of the suitors. Basically, I am attempting to kill two pigs with one bullet. LOL!

I am sick of hearing Obama's name. They are already making coins and bobble heads of him for goodness sake. He irks me. I am also sick because of all the "reforms" he is trying to push through. Like partial birth abortion. Like stem cell research with aborted fetuses. He makes me sick. Have I said the word sick enough in one paragraph? SICK!  There. I feel slightly better. I will feel even better when that !$%@$% is out of office in four years. My one consolation is that I did not vote for the idiot.

Well, I'll leave you alone to ponder all the inspirational things that I have said. Whatever.

Later all!

Clarisara