Flat Top

Last night I went on the funnest date ever!  At 6:15, Kevin arrived to pick me up, and he was early.  It was funny because I went to change into shorts, and I could hear my parents asking him about his family and his prospects.  I remember specifically hearing him say "I'm hoping to become a lawyer" and I thought "Good boy, Kevin!"  Ha ha ha.  I really want to remember that time because he was so sweet and thoughtful.  He and I hiked up a peak called Flat Top. It's very popular.  As such, I thought it would be an easy hike.  No--it had mud and ice and snow and slippery gravel.  Some parts were extremely steep.  From the side of the mountain, you can see massive piles of snow leading down down down in the mountain's folds.  In those snowbeds you can see lines where people thought it would be fun to slide down.  It looked like a water slide.  Kevin told me we could go down that, that it was safe.  I told him he was crazy.  We climbed, and just about the time I was getting exhausted, it was time to rock climb to the top of the peak.  There, it was flat (hence the name Flat Top).  It was a fun climb.  Once we were there, I felt way less tense, like I wasn't walking sideways on the world.  Ha ha.  He surprised me,  oh boy did he surprise me!  He had made sushi, really good  sushi, and chocolate-covered strawberries. Finally, on our trek down, I decided I didn't want to climb.  We went down the snowslide.  Kevin went first, his hands and head preceding him.  I followed, often losing control and digging my heels to slow my speed.  When I got to the bottom, Kevin caught me, and I bowled him over.  I need to remember this because obviously, someone thought it was worth that trouble to make me happy. C:

The Moose in the Bottom of the Cereal Box

It's amazing how in 3 weeks I've gone from sitting in the basement doing next to nothing, to being so busy I don't have time to do chores for the landlady.
I've begun a job on-base, mowing lawns.  Today was my third day.  It's very gratifying work, because I see the results of my labor almost immediately.  At the end of today, I was driving my mower through the streets, looking at the fresh-cut lawns.  It's a simple pleasure, to see lawns that were once ragged and unkempt given lines and order.  It's similar to the sensation of shaving your legs after a winter of pants and nylons.  I'm getting paid to do something that calms me down.
I went to institute today.  For those of you reading this, unfamiliar to LDS culture (ha, no one reads this), institute is similar to Bible study.  The difference is that it could be the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, modern prophets, etc.  I could go on a spiel about the things we talked about but I would rather talk about my feelings.  I actually went to seminary twice this week because I'm lucky enough to live somewhere they do that.  I felt answers to questions I didn't know I had.  I felt peace.  I felt like there is still so much to accomplish.  I felt like the Lord was telling me that just because I'm not a missionary anymore, doesn't mean my work is over.  I felt the prompting: Expect miracles.  Still.  C:
Today, I was driving home from work; I was turning right at a stop-light, when in my peripheral view, I saw a horse.  I was thinking "Holy cow how did a horse get on base?  Someone should come get that horse."  When I looked up, however, I saw not a horse, but a baby moose crossing the street.

Doing VS. Becoming

I am in Alaska as of almost a week ago.
Now, how do I own it?  I've been sitting in the basement for almost a week just enjoying doing nothing.  But let's be honest, I have never enjoyed doing nothing.  I'm tired of being slow-paced.  On my mission, I know I drove many of my companions crazy because I do everything slowly.  That's something I'd like to change; because if I'm going to have it all, I have to grab it faster.
I need to become a fast person.

In the World

I've returned from serving an 18-month mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  I'm out of routine, out of structure, out of work, out of money.  It's a wonderful time of my life.  Since I've been back, I've read the Hunger Games, kissed a boy, and watched probably a million movies, among other things.
I've determined that I will learn to play the trumpet, study English education, and not have a boyfriend for a while.  These are some things to keep me busy.  The most important thing I am doing right now is sustaining my own conversion to the true and living church of Jesus Christ.  I read my scriptures every day and pray and go to church happily every Sunday.
I'm going to be real and let you in on a secret: I'm scared to death of where I am in my life.  I know it doesn't get easier as a body gets older.  Emotionally, I'm weird and possibly unstable.  Fiscally, I'm nada.  Intellectually, I don't even know where I stand.  I'm moving to Alaska in 3 days; you'd think I'd be used to shifting so much, but it chips away at my heart every time.  It seems as I delve deeper into faith, the leaps get longer and deeper.  But this is what I signed up for, so bring it on.

The Call

Last week was spent sleeping in till 10 or 11; eating scarcely, especially anything healthy; and incessantly checking the mail. It was possibly the most unproductive week I've had in a long time. Finally, after almost a full week of waiting, it came.
My mission call letter.
I made an odd combination of skipping and hurtling to the front door, closed it a little too excitedly, threw the other envelopes unceremoniously aside, and called my mom into the room. We called my sister on speaker phone.
I read aloud, covering the lines I wasn't reading with my hand, as I often do when I'm reading something and I don't want to spoil a surprise by glimpsing the next line prematurely: "Dear Sister Hinrichsen:
"You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the Utah Provo Mission..."
The rest of the letter had to wait as we all began bubbling up giddy laughter. After a spell, I read through the letter and tore through the rest of the packet I had received, noting things that need to be done before I go.
I told friends who showed curiosity about the call.
Since then, I've heard many things about the Provo Mission and the people the First Presidency chooses to send there. But I don't care. I am worthy and I am serving because I have faith in Jesus Christ and faith must be acted on. Because there is a living, loving Heavenly Father and we-YOU!-are important to him; and I feel responsible for this knowledge that I have been blessed with. I've been told many times that I would be a great missionary, and I believed it until recently. I know now it's not about me being great at all; what I need is to be humble. But you can't consciously be humble. So I do the things I know to be good and push thoughts of myself away as often as I remember.
I'll know what kind of mission it is when I get there.

The Addition

Emily, my very first niece, was born today. She is beautiful, as if you didn't know. It's unreal to think that this little being that will grow up to be a woman who looks like 2 people I love and admire. Tomorrow morning we are heading West to go see her and her parents. I don't know if this is normal, but I'm actually quite anxious. I feel irritable even though I know I'm happy about it all. I guess it's just all so new to me. I can't imagine how Brittany and Jason feel.