The Cowboy State.

I've been to a lot of states in my lifetime, but I was lucky to add another to the list last weekend! My sweet roommate, Gabi, invited me and another one of our roomies, Regan, to visit her grandparents in Wyoming! I had never been to Wyoming and, to be honest, I had no idea what was there {which I now know isn't a whole lot haha} so I was way excited to go!

Road Trip!! Road Trip!!

The drive up was so fun! We stopped in a super tiny town to visit Gabi's great-grandparents and then kept trecking it to Pinedale. There were a few really tiny towns on our way up there. It was so cute! Once we got to Pinedale it was SO COLD and snowy!

I was probably the most excited person to visit Wyoming, ever.

On Saturday, we went snowmobiling! I'm not very adventurous and I'm definitely not a thrill seeker, so snowmobiling majorly took me out of my comfort zone. I didn't go very fast at first and I never got brave enough to leave the trail, but I had fun! I was proud of myself for trying something new and daring greatly - as my mother would put it!

Even though I didn't enjoy the snowmobiling a ton, it was worth it! The views were gorgeous! We came across a beautiful waterfall. We had to go down a HUGE hill to get there and I almost peed my pants I was so scared, but I'm so happy I got down there to see it. It was so pretty. The water was warm and steaming and the rocks were covered in pillows of snow and scary huge icicles. It was one of the prettiest things I have ever seen.

Once we got to the end of the trail, we arrived at the Granite Hot Springs. We changed into our bathing suits {which was a freezing experience} and jumped into warm, slimy water. It was kind of gross, I'm not going to lie to you, but it was warm and relaxing, so I didn't even care. I never wanted to get out, but we had to eventually. We took a lovely picture in our swimsuits lying in a snow bank...again, a freezing experience, but college is for memories, right?!

That night we went to Divergent at the local movie theater, which only shows two movies at 9:00pm on Friday or Saturday - adorable! Divergent was amazing! I loved it and immediately bought the book when we got back to school. On Sunday we went to church with Gabi's grandparents. The ward was so small, but so sweet. The members were so welcoming and fun to talk to. The lessons and talks were amazing, I loved every second of the three hours. We even got to hear the full time missionaries from the area speak. They were so sweet and they made me that much more excited to go on my mission!

We left on Sunday afternoon, but before we left I caught this gorgeous view! Such a fun weekend!!

I Hope They Call Me on a Mission.

I can remember the day I decided I wanted to go on a mission. It was a Sunday and I had just finished reading the special edition of the New Era magazine all about missionaries. I remember being so impressed and touched by the stories and experiences each missionary had. I remember the sweet spirit I felt as I read and the strong desire I had to keep that spirit with me always. In that moment, I knew I was going to go on a mission - there was no doubt in my 13 year-old mind that it was the right thing for me to do.

6 years later, I have a mission call. It wasn't smooth sailing the past 6 years and there were times when a mission wasn't even on my radar, but now, the time is here and I'm going! My call came late (with my luck, it's not a surprise this happened), but thanks to my sweet bishop and stake president my sister, Alicia, was able to walk into church headquarters and pick up the call herself. Seeing the call in person brought the craziest mix of emotions. I was excited to see it, relieved that it had arrived, nervous and anxious to open it, but calm all at the same time. The calmness wore off, which I'm sure my family will attest to, the second I decided to open it.

It was Wednesday, March 12, 2014 in the Salt Lake City Sheraton. I was surrounded by friends and family who love me and who were just as excited as I was for me to take this step in my life. My mom, both of my sisters, and the McNeil's, who had surprised me earlier that morning at brunch, were all there. We called my dad in and my best friend, Kim, and we opened it together.

"Dear Sister Janes, you have been called to serve as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You have been assigned to labor in the California, Arcadia mission. You should report to the Mexico Missionary Training Center on July 9, 2014. You will prepare to preach the gospel in the Spanish language."

What an amazing day. What an amazing thing  the Gospel is and what an amazing opportunity  to share it with the people of Arcadia. I know some days will be hard, I know I may not find success in the way that some people believe I should, but I have never been more excited to do something in my entire life. I love the gospel of Jesus Christ and I cannot wait to share it and its glorious message with everyone I come across. What a blessing it is to serve the Lord, to teach others about His love and His glorious atonement. What a dream come true for me to finally be going on a mission! What a blessing!!

Em.