Countdown
There isn't much time left before I report to the MTC. Less than two weeks, actually... Panicking, for sure. But so exciting too!
Anyway, just like I used to do with homework, I'm blogging now to avoid writing my farewell talk I'm giving in church this weekend. My bishop asked me to talk about the restoration of the church. Not necessarily about the who, what, when, where, and why, but the blessings that it brings me in my life on more than just a fact-based level. It's really made me think about how fortunate I am to have the LDS church, to have been raised in it, and to have had the confirmation that it is true. I do really like having that knowledge, however, that makes writing this talk a little bit tricky, just because I'm not really positive where to take it. I'll get it figured out, I guess.
Just for the sake of recapping my life in the last few weeks, here's a quick list of what I've been up to: we went to Seattle, I've been working a lot in an effort to make just a bit of money to put away before I leave, I've been doing a lot of shopping in preparation for this mission thing I'm going on, and generally freaking out about what's left to get squared away before I leave.
Just to put this out there... Seattle was amazing! I don't have the motivation to sift through photographs right now, but my whole family loved it! And I loved photographing it! Haha. Anyway, the weather was so perfect. Not a single drop of rain, we saw all sorts of beautiful scenery from planes, tour boats, ferry boats, cars, elevators, Space Needles, etc. It was so perfect. All three Baker kids made a pact to live there someday. The complication is that during wintertime, you basically don't see the sun. That might be a tiny bit of an issue. But there's always grad school, right? Just do it for two years and leave? I won't lie, I'll probably apply to some grad programs up there, just for the sake of maybe possibly going up there to live. Haha. It was a fantastic trip, and it was a lot of fun to all be together like that before I leave.
Preparation for this mission thing has been a little bit crazy. On the upside, people have started giving me stuff! Who doesn't love presents, right? The Townsends, who I love, gave me a tie, a tie rack, and this great bracelet! Actually, that was from Danielle, their daughter. She and I hung out just a tiny bit before she went away to college. I was best buds with her younger brother. But anyway, I'm totally in love with it. It says, "called to serve," en Español. Also, the gray and pink tie was from the Townsends. :)
What the Farr family gave me was even more exciting (in different ways). They gave me three ties (the black one is from them), a scarf (a man scarf to be exact), a small umbrella, and a great custom photo book full of some of our most happy memories! In fact, many of the photos seen in this post made their way into our great book of times past. It's a pretty special book that I truly treasure. I'm so excited to have that to laugh and reminisce when I'm feeling a little down. They're the best!
Work lately has been kind of interesting. I've been really productive, which has been nice. I trained two newbies to replace me. They both happen to be LDS kids that I know pretty well. I think they'll fit in at LPL nicely! It's been fun to have them around, introducing them to fun people, and taking them to new places. What has been a little sad is knowing that they're replacements, not colleagues per se. Everyone there is so nice, and I just hope LPL will have me back when I get back from Kentucky! They're even throwing me a pizza lunch tomorrow to give me a proper send off! They way they have reacted to my departure has made a real impact on me. They are so supportive, and are excited for me to experience a little bit of what the world has to offer. Everyone also keeps saying how sad they are to have me go, which makes it a tiny bit gut-wrenching. But their support makes me really want to return there after I've served my mission.
As crazy as everything has been around here, I know it's all going towards something so much better. I already feel like serving a mission has really helped direct my life, and I haven't even left yet. I know what undergraduate degree I want to pursue, and I have great friends and family, but all of that isn't enough. This mission is going to really solidify my life during this crazy time period, and I'm pretty positive that it's going to seal out that sensation of being adrift in the world. Even with the little bit of educational direction and social support I have, this is going to help define me, and that will really help me move forward in a good direction. For now, I just have to execute the mission, but I know that a lot of that is going to be a really spectacular adventure.
I won't lie, how much blogging I'm going to do between now and my departure is hard to say. I'd love to write a little more on here, but I just don't see that happening. However, updates will come every single week beginning mid-September. You can read those bad boys here every seven days (and at intervals in between at your choosing)! Someone in my family is going to post letters and pictures here. I hope to send messages back to my family that are full of wit and charm, as well as uplifting memories, so don't be a stranger! Visit me at the Elder Zac blog to get your fill of snark and sass.
I keep telling myself that I'm not dying, and you guys aren't dying. It's just a little hiatus from Arizona, the worries of the world, and comfort zones. I'll be back, in just a little while, and I expect you guys will be here. You'll have new stories to tell, but so will I. I look forward to hearing all about them on my return in the fall of 2013.
Until then, say a little prayer for me every once in a while, and happy blogging!
With love,
Zac
Anyway, just like I used to do with homework, I'm blogging now to avoid writing my farewell talk I'm giving in church this weekend. My bishop asked me to talk about the restoration of the church. Not necessarily about the who, what, when, where, and why, but the blessings that it brings me in my life on more than just a fact-based level. It's really made me think about how fortunate I am to have the LDS church, to have been raised in it, and to have had the confirmation that it is true. I do really like having that knowledge, however, that makes writing this talk a little bit tricky, just because I'm not really positive where to take it. I'll get it figured out, I guess.
Just for the sake of recapping my life in the last few weeks, here's a quick list of what I've been up to: we went to Seattle, I've been working a lot in an effort to make just a bit of money to put away before I leave, I've been doing a lot of shopping in preparation for this mission thing I'm going on, and generally freaking out about what's left to get squared away before I leave.
Just to put this out there... Seattle was amazing! I don't have the motivation to sift through photographs right now, but my whole family loved it! And I loved photographing it! Haha. Anyway, the weather was so perfect. Not a single drop of rain, we saw all sorts of beautiful scenery from planes, tour boats, ferry boats, cars, elevators, Space Needles, etc. It was so perfect. All three Baker kids made a pact to live there someday. The complication is that during wintertime, you basically don't see the sun. That might be a tiny bit of an issue. But there's always grad school, right? Just do it for two years and leave? I won't lie, I'll probably apply to some grad programs up there, just for the sake of maybe possibly going up there to live. Haha. It was a fantastic trip, and it was a lot of fun to all be together like that before I leave.
Preparation for this mission thing has been a little bit crazy. On the upside, people have started giving me stuff! Who doesn't love presents, right? The Townsends, who I love, gave me a tie, a tie rack, and this great bracelet! Actually, that was from Danielle, their daughter. She and I hung out just a tiny bit before she went away to college. I was best buds with her younger brother. But anyway, I'm totally in love with it. It says, "called to serve," en Español. Also, the gray and pink tie was from the Townsends. :)
What the Farr family gave me was even more exciting (in different ways). They gave me three ties (the black one is from them), a scarf (a man scarf to be exact), a small umbrella, and a great custom photo book full of some of our most happy memories! In fact, many of the photos seen in this post made their way into our great book of times past. It's a pretty special book that I truly treasure. I'm so excited to have that to laugh and reminisce when I'm feeling a little down. They're the best!
Work lately has been kind of interesting. I've been really productive, which has been nice. I trained two newbies to replace me. They both happen to be LDS kids that I know pretty well. I think they'll fit in at LPL nicely! It's been fun to have them around, introducing them to fun people, and taking them to new places. What has been a little sad is knowing that they're replacements, not colleagues per se. Everyone there is so nice, and I just hope LPL will have me back when I get back from Kentucky! They're even throwing me a pizza lunch tomorrow to give me a proper send off! They way they have reacted to my departure has made a real impact on me. They are so supportive, and are excited for me to experience a little bit of what the world has to offer. Everyone also keeps saying how sad they are to have me go, which makes it a tiny bit gut-wrenching. But their support makes me really want to return there after I've served my mission.
As crazy as everything has been around here, I know it's all going towards something so much better. I already feel like serving a mission has really helped direct my life, and I haven't even left yet. I know what undergraduate degree I want to pursue, and I have great friends and family, but all of that isn't enough. This mission is going to really solidify my life during this crazy time period, and I'm pretty positive that it's going to seal out that sensation of being adrift in the world. Even with the little bit of educational direction and social support I have, this is going to help define me, and that will really help me move forward in a good direction. For now, I just have to execute the mission, but I know that a lot of that is going to be a really spectacular adventure.
I won't lie, how much blogging I'm going to do between now and my departure is hard to say. I'd love to write a little more on here, but I just don't see that happening. However, updates will come every single week beginning mid-September. You can read those bad boys here every seven days (and at intervals in between at your choosing)! Someone in my family is going to post letters and pictures here. I hope to send messages back to my family that are full of wit and charm, as well as uplifting memories, so don't be a stranger! Visit me at the Elder Zac blog to get your fill of snark and sass.
I keep telling myself that I'm not dying, and you guys aren't dying. It's just a little hiatus from Arizona, the worries of the world, and comfort zones. I'll be back, in just a little while, and I expect you guys will be here. You'll have new stories to tell, but so will I. I look forward to hearing all about them on my return in the fall of 2013.
Until then, say a little prayer for me every once in a while, and happy blogging!
With love,
Zac
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