On Saturday, I went to the Relief Society meeting with these girls and my mom. The meeting was so wonderful and President Uchtdorf's talk hit home for me. He reminded the sisters of 5 things to 'forget not':
Forget not to be patient with yourself.“Dear sisters, many of you are endlessly compassionate and patient with the weaknesses of others,” he added. “Please remember also to be compassionate and patient with yourself.”
Forget not the difference between a good sacrifice and a foolish one. President Uchtdorf defined an acceptable sacrifice as giving up “something good for something of far greater worth.”
Forget not to be happy now. Stop waiting for your golden ticket, or your "I'll be happy if/when..."
Forget not the 'why' of the gospel.
Forget not that the Lord loves you. "No matter how dark your days may seem, no matter how insignificant you may feel, no matter how overshadowed you think you may be, your Heavenly Father has not forgotten you. In fact, He loves you, with an infinite love. …" This one is my favorite.
Those ladies in the back look like they're having a blast.
Before the conference, we went to my absolute favorite restaurant, Settebello. They have the most authentic Italian pizzas you will ever have in your life. Promise. I've had pizza in Napoli, and let me tell you, it tastes the same at Settebello in Salt Lake. If you haven't been there yet, GO NOW! Or just sometime soon.
Waking up 20 minutes before your alarm, realizing you have to pee. Then deciding if it's worth it to get up and go, and try to sleep for 18 more minutes, or try to sleep through the discomfort. Worst feeling ever.
The crazy amount of pot that was being smoked at the Fleet Foxes concert. One of the members of The Walkmen actually said, "Hey, are you guys smokin' pot?" The response was "Wooooo!!! Yeeeaaahh!" Everyone was really friendly, though.
It says in my mission packet to pack 4-5 outfits. What? And wear them 75 times each? Psssh, heck no!
The dumb anatomy jokes I come up with. The latest is 'I'm gonna kick your acetabulum'. Whoa, I'm a nerd.
Awesome:
How freaking amazing Fleet Foxes was! Oh my word, I swear they are better live. I was near tears the whole time, thinking it was a spiritual experience. Later, I realized it was probably the pot I was smelling. But pot or no pot, they were awesome.
A random boy walked past me and said, "Hey, nice toms". Thank you, random boy. I like my toms too.
I've spotted a little bit of yellow in the trees! Fall is near!
I've been saying 'goob' a lot lately. As in, "Stop being such a goob".
Along the lines of insults... I think calling someone a 'wet sandwich' is pretty hilarious. Like, "Why are you being such a wet sandwich?" If you can name the movie it's from, we can continue to be friends.
One of my favorite things is laughing so hard that no sound comes out. Then you just hear huge gasps for air.
I really love when boys have crinkly-eyed smiles. It's actually one of my favorite things and makes my knees a little weak.
One movie I will never tire of watching is Just Friends. Hilarious.
I'm a huge fan of scary things, like horror movies, haunted houses, and roller coasters. When it comes down to it... I enjoy getting the pants scared off me.
I heard they eat cats and armadillos in Argentina... and that makes me a little nervous. If anyone asks, I'm allergic to both.
Last night, I had the special privilege to go through the temple. My Stake President encourages the missionaries in our stake to go through soon after we receive our calls. I prepared with Temple Prep classes beforehand and had special interviews with my Bishop and Stake President. I had gotten my call the week before, and within one week, I was prepared to enter the temple.
I was anxious and overwhelmed, but the Spirit of the temple is undeniable. During the process, I saw three familiar faces among the temple workers. All three of them helped me along and it was so comforting to know that God was keeping watch over me that night. My family and close friends met us in the Endowment session, and when I saw everyone there, it calmed my anxiety. Even though I don't remember every thing that was said or everything that happened, I do remember the Spirit I felt and the love that surrounded me. As I walked into the celestial room, I saw my family members and friends, who all hugged me and congratulated me on this great accomplishment.
I can't wait to return to the temple and learn more about the blessings we receive there. What a wonderful place the temple is. It truly is The House of the Lord.
I found this quote on another blog, and I thought I would share it:
“I hope someday you will have a longing that seems to wring your soul where you hit a wall that seems insurmountable. If your duty lies beyond that wall, do not stand back and say, ‘I cannot do it.’ You may want to do it, but wanting is not sufficient. You must ask God for power. Then you must be willing to exercise your faith and do everything you are able to do. “You can walk from where you stand, up to the wall. When you get there, and you have gone as far as you can, you will find in answer to your prayer that there is a hidden ladder by which you can scale it, or there is a door which you could not see from where you were first standing. God’s hand is shown. He will help you. All good things require effort. That which is worth having will cost part of your physical being, your intellectual power and your spiritual power. ‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.’ But you have to ask, you have to knock, you have to seek.”
- President David O. McKay
Man, I love it. You must do all you can, and God will help you.
So, in my papers, it says that instead of sheets, I am to bring a sleeping bag. I found this one at rei.com, and the reviews say that it is perfect for traveling and for warm and cool nights.
Farmer's Markets. Every Saturday, I would ride a cruiser bike with a basket and load up on fresh fruits and vegetables for the week. Doesn't that sound like a dream?
We got in to Oakland this morning and after a great lunch, we walked to the farmer's market and got some delicious peaches. We also got some Thompson grapes, which are like mini green grapes, and are SO GOOD! And you know what? They guy told us that they were picked that morning. Fresh and tasty.
This is the video of me opening my mission call! As you can see, my legs get really restless when I'm nervous. Warning: there is some crying in this video.
Hello my lovely friends!! I know you all probably know this, but I got my mission call on Wednesday.
Want the whole story? Good, cause that's what you're getting!
As you know, last Friday, I found out that my call had been assigned. That meant five more sleepless nights.
I woke up on Wednesday and went to class, hoping, praying that my call would arrive at my house (you see, we weren't sure of the mailing situation because of Labor Day). Then, at 11 am, my mom called me, and screamed into the phone, "IT'S HERE!". I was pumped. But guess what? I wouldn't get done with class until 6:30 that night. Boo. I spent the rest of the day fidgeting, definitely not learning anything. I finally made it to my last class, and unfortunately it was my most boring one. I. Could. Not. Sit. Still. Luckily, we got out of class early, and I booked it home and waited for everyone to arrive at 7.
I am not the kind of person who paces, but man, I was pacing around that whole house. Every minute seemed like an hour. I was so nervous, and I could tell that my mom was a mess. She suggested that we go pray in my brother's room, just our family, and my adopted brothers Josh and Tyler. Tyler said a beautiful prayer that immediately put me at ease and invited the Spirit. I knew that wherever I was called, it would be perfect for me. I knew the God knew me, and that He knew where I needed to be.
Finally, everyone was there. I did not waste one second. I plopped down in my chair and announced that I would be opening it right then. There was no way that I was going to wait any longer!
Someone gave me the idea to try to cover up the mission with my hand so I wouldn't see it right when I opened it. But I kinda saw something Spanish... so it only worked a little bit.
"Dear Sister Squire,
You are hereby called to serve as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the ARGENTINA BAHIA BLANCA mission."
I was so shocked and so excited. I was crying so hard, almost to the point of hysteria. I was that excited. You see, I wanted to go to South America so so bad. Everyone kept asking where I wanted to go, and I kept that desire a secret and would reply with anywhere Spanish speaking. My biggest fear was that I would be called to a visitor's center, or somewhere too close to Utah. My prayers were answered and I knew God knew the desires of my heart, and blessed me with the call to Argentina.
I had a group on facebook where my family and friends could guess where I would be serving. About 13 people guessed Argentina, but only ONE got it right on! So congratulations to Eileen Williams!!
Best friends right here. Gonna miss them SO BAD
I've got some beautiful friends!
I depart to the Provo MTC on February 1st. There, I will study the gospel and prepare to preach it in Spanish. I can't wait to go. I am so excited and so ready to be a missionary. I can't wait to share this wonderful truth with the people of Argentina.
My mission call was assigned this morning! That's right. That means I will have my call by this Wednesday! I am so excited!
Last night, I went with my parents to my cousin's groom's dinner. At our table was one of their former bishops, now a member of the 70. We got to talking to him, and he found out I was waiting for my call. And you know what he said? "Well tomorrow morning, I'll be sitting in with Elder Holland as he assigns mission calls. Hopefully one of those is yours!" What are the odds? Seriously!?
Today, my mom called the bishop and we found out that my call had been assigned. Shortly after that, we went to my handsome cousin's wedding, and there we saw Elder Wilson. He told us that he didn't see my profile come up, because he was switching between rooms where Elder Holland and Elder Perry (my favorites) were assigning calls. So one of those fine brethren was inspired and chose a mission for me!
I absolutely cannot wait to get my call. I've had new mission dreams, one where I was rejected, and another where I was called to Singapore (random, right?). So, here's to 5 more sleepless nights! Woo!
