Monday, December 19, 2011

Legality

I think 21 would have been a different birthday had I had the desire to go out and celebrate my legalness to divulge in whiskey and liquor. Instead however I spent a lovely day catching up on sleep, hanging out with family and watching the second Sherlock Holmes movie. I hope my 21st year of life was as good as my 20th, something leads me to believe it will be even better.

Monday, December 12, 2011

A call from Kirtland

Last night I had the opportunity to talk to a sister currently serving at the Historic Kirtland Visitors' Center. She called in response to my comment card that I left in July, way before it was ever a possiblity I would EVER serve there myself. I thought she was calling about my mission but she just wanted to ask me about something I wrote. I informed her that I would be coming to serve there in March-ish and so we had a nice long talk about what I should expect. It was exactly what I needed especially these days when doubts are constantly in my mind. She reinvented my excitement adn calmed A LOT of my fears. The Lord does care about us. He sends us help when we need it the most. That is just one more thing about which I am ready to testify. Thank you Sister Maynerd for being so close to the spirit and calling me when I sooo needed it. It makes me excited about the possibility that I could be that sister missionary to someone else. Bah. 1.5 months. February please come faster.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Monday, November 14, 2011

Man celeb crush

After many years of having a huge celeb man crush on Sean Connery, I have switched to Alan Rickman. Some bias may be involved because he stars in my favorite movie but for now we will push that aside. I liked him when I first saw Sense and Sensibility, but I couldn't commit because of Sean's daper english accent. "Bond, James Bond." But what truly won me over was this.


He loves Harry just as much as I do.

Sometimes

Life feels a little like this.


Like it did today.

Tis the season...

for these bad boys of creamy deliciousness. I'm obsessed.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Just because it's Halloween

I ran the Provo Halloween Half. 13.1 miles. 2 hours. 9 minutes.

My roommate Alli and my friend Ben somehow convinced me that running a half would be a good idea. I was skeptical. Still I paid my fees and planned on training. The training part, it never happened. I have known about this race for 10, yes 10 weeks, I still had plenty of time to get in shape. Well we all know how time has a way of speeding up when we don't want to do anything. About two weeks before I ran my first run (besides my 2.8 miles for the relay) which was about 4.8 miles. The next Tuesday I ran 5, I know this only because I made my mom come pick me up so I could measure. I felt good. I didn't feel out of shape, and supposedly the course was all down hill. Now I had run a couple of 2 milers and a few 5ks but nothing that pushed me. On Friday we drove down and stayed with my sister. Saturday we woke up at 5 and loaded the buses at 5:30. The race didn't start until 9 so we waited in the warming tent. It wasn't very warm. 9 o'clock rolled around and we were off. I pushed my body as hard as I dared, I not for having a heart attack in my 20s. 2 hours later we were finished. At the finish line someone handed me a medal, congrats you finished. I stretched a lot, found my team and then tried to relax VERY tense muscles. Let the pain begin. I couldn't walk properly for about 3 days after, and when I moved it was really, really slow. Worth it? Absolutely. If I do another one, I think I will train for it.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Called to Serve

Dear Sister Hillman,






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 Ohio Cleveland Mission. In addition to your calling to share the gospel, you will be assigned to serve in the Historic Visitors' Center. It is anticipated that you will serve for a period of 18 months.


You should report to the provo Missionary Training Center on Wednesday, February 1, 2012.


On October 20, 2011. I opened an envelope that will change my life. I am going to Ohio, I get to teach the gospel where so much of the restoration happened, I get to teach where Joseph Smith taught. I think it's the best mission out there.


The best part about this whole thing, my best friend Jenna Davis, received and opened her call the same day I did. She will be serving in the Los Angeles Temple Mission. We enter the MTC on the same day. How lucky am I? I feel like so many people are going on missions. It's a great thing.


I am excited for this adventure. 3 1/2 months. Let the count down begin.


Tuesday, October 18, 2011

They're Changing

And I couldn't be happier. Fall is the best and most beautiful time of year. Bring on football, scarves, hot chocolate, pumpkin patches, harvest, raking and jumping into piles of leafs. Glorious. Don't you just wish it looked liked this year round?

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Temple to Temple 2011

37.5 miles. 8 Runners. How amazing is it that we have two temples close enough that we can run from one to the other? This year I ran on a coed team. 4 boys and 4 girls. I started the race this year, running a distance of 2.8 miles. I know, I know. I really pushed myself on that one. It was nice to get it out of the way, and be able to cheer on the rest of my teammates without worrrying about my upcoming leg of the race. It was a day full of loud music, cheering, food, heat and fun. Sometimes it amazes me how we work up to something for so long and then it's over. Just like that. It becomes part of our history, something we'll tell the kids about one day. I think my team was amazing, I like them all very much. We placed 17th overall and 11th in our division. I think we were nothing less than champions. I mean really, its us, what else do you expect?

Diving Through the Sky

I have a new obsession. Skydiving. I love the feling of free falling. Always have. So I figured to get the greatest rush I would have to just jump out of a plane. I was right. Last Saturday a roommated and a couple of friends from high school went down to Ogden to cross Skydiving off our bucket lists. It had been kind of cloudy last week so we were scared they wouldn't be able to take us up. If there was rain or wind there would be no jump. It cleared up for just the perfect amount. We didn't know exactly what to expect. When we walked in all of the instructors were either sleeping or just laying around, like it was a typical Saturday morning, and they weren't about to do anything crazy, like jump out of a plane. We figured there would be a training and then they would suit us up and prepare us for the jump. False. When we arrived they made us sign a waiver informing us that this was a dangerous sport. We had to promise that our ghosts wouldn't sue them if we died. Anyway. After we were checked in we met our tandems. The whole lot of them were HILARIOUS, we could not have had a better group. They suited us up, while they told us all we needed to know about exiting the plane safely in about 10 minutes. I think my tandem was a little anxious to jump because as soon as I had my harness on we were out the door and in the plane waiting for the others. The plane ride up was about 20 minutes. I don't think anyone can really be prepared for jumping out of a plane at 12, ooo ft. One would think that they would get you used to the idea by talking you through each step. Nope. Before we knew it we were high enough up, the red light came on, they opened the door and the first set had jumped. When it was my turn he rocked me out of the plane door, back in and then we dived into the sky. Amazing. I felt like I was floating in mid-air. It's hard to describe what it actually feels like. After about 60 second I felt the parachute catch our weight and slow our fall. It was cool. I could see everyone else in their descent as well. I saw a view of Ogden that was amazing. 7 minutes later we were back on the ground, I believe there was a lot of jumping and screaming involved. In less than an hour we became certified Tandem I skydivers. We have diplomas to prove it. It was so much fun, but mostly I am happy none of us died.

The Before



The After


Wilson. They a ton of random things in their shop.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Just so you know

At this very moment my mission papers are in Salt Lake City. Church Headquarters. Where President Monson is. Assigning me to a mission. Somewhere in this world. Ah. I'm peeing my pants I am so excited. If I am calculating right (don't be too hopeful I failed math...twice) my mission call will be here next Thursday. I can't belive it is actually happening. I want to sing, laugh, cry, scream, jump for joy, run away, ask for them back, and leave right now. All at the same time. Stayed tuned for the unveiling. I'll let you know as soon as I know.

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Wisdom Teeth

I got them out last Wednesday. It was a breeze, everyone got me worked up for nothing. It only took about 10 minutes to get them out once I was numb and they had filled out all my papers for the mission. I was a little loopy once I got the pain meds in me, and was in heaven when everyone stopped by with ice cream and love. I didn't even swell. The hardest part was being a girl who LOVES food and not being able to eat anything solid. It took me about 5 minutes to eat a little Ritz cracker, by the time I bit a chunk off and let it sog in my mouth and then finally swallowed it. I now know what it feels like to be my year old niece Gracie, except I think she could still beat me in an eating contest. Just one more step complete. My papers should go in Wednesday if all goes well.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

I'm a honey-dew

A code word for someone who wears a green BYU-Idaho Student Support polo. We were the "Honey-dos" this semester. I have said it over and over, but can I just tell you one more time how much I love Get Connected. This was my fourth time participating in the GC program, once as a new student my self , a volunteer the next semester, a mentor following that and then I topped it all of with being a council member. I am truly blessed to have had the opportunity to serve with some of BYU-Idaho's most wonderful people. I didn't realize what I was getting myself into when I told them I would be available to help the week of GC. I knew it would be a lot of work, but I never realized how much actually went into making this program what it was. We worked in the office for hours, days and weeks in order to get everything ready for 5000 new students. Early mornings, late nights, delicious food, games, meetings, and again more fun than I have ever had. I love the people I got to work with for one week more than I ever thought possible. Each one of them brought a special spirit and influenced my life in someway. I wish I could just record this whole week and then put it on here, then maybe, just maybe you could get a glimpse of just how blessed I truly am. I had to give the closing testimony at Spirit Conference. It was the testimony right before we watched the movie "His Hands" it makes me cry every time. I will never be able to repay what His hands did for me, but through this program I hope that my hands can start to become like those from Galilee. I am truly blessed. The spirit challenge is my favorite part of the whole process. I was a tempter this time around, and much to my dismay I was told more than once that I made the perfect devil. They gave us a list of things to say that would get them off the "Rod." These weren't things like drink this beer, or come to this party. They were suppose to be the small subtle thoughts that Satan gets us to believe everyday. My heart broke everytime I told a volunteer they weren't good enough and they will always be worthless, that no one cared and they were all alone. My heart broke because I could see in their face that they actually believed it. Finally the last person had made it past me, I went to the top and waited with open arms to welcome them home. It helped me see what it is like for our Heavenly Father to watch us let go of the rod, and wander, but then when we hold on he will be there waiting with open arms waiting to welcome US home. How did I get to be so blessed. I never thought I would love new students as much as I do, but I love them so much. And might I add we had an excellent crop of delicious new freshmen boys. Ugh. Just in time for mission papers. Typical.

Monday, August 22, 2011

The process begins

Today, after about 8 months of flip flopping back and forth about what I was going to do with my life, I started my mission papers. It is a great feeling, I am full of happniess at my decision. The road to this point was confusing, full of stuggle and completed with prayer. Have you ever had a plan and in one, one short day have it destroyed? I started this year off not know what I was going to find, but I knew how I wanted it to end. Me entering the MTC. I planned it. I was ontrack to graduate with my Associates and take 18 months off to serve a mission. Everything was going perfect until, February 24, 2011. I met a boy. This is not a love story, it won't be ending with happily ever after, just stick with me okay. I saw him and instantly thought "Chelsey, maybe a mission is not for you."what the? I dismissed it, I wasn't going to miss out on this adventure because of some stupid boy. We talked maybe once over the next two weeks before we saw eachother again. We talked for a couple of hours, I found him to be funny, smart, athletic and heck I even thought he was cute. If I am being honest eventhough I wasn't really looking for a hubs, if I was, he would be the exact person I was looking for. My heart, however, was still thinking mission. We spent more time together, I told him my plans for graduating, and my desire to go on a mission. He thought that was pretty neat. Things kept interupting my plans. My plans for graduation fell through, I wasn't going to have my requirements done, my bank account was slowly losing the money I had put away for the 18 monhts I would be gone. I didn't even like my major I was so inlove with when I started. I had applied to other colleges incase the mission thing didn't work out. When I got accepted to multiple I didn't know which one I would chose. Ugh. I hate making decisions, and it just felt like I couldn't make the right ones. Mr. February didn't make anything better or easier. I could tell that I was falling for him, and I knew he was falling for me. I started to become okay with the idea of us, we hung out a lot, and for a while everything was fine. One night we were talking when I brought up the mission topic, and how my preparations were going. I confessed I didn't know what to do anymore. He told me I could only know through prayer and fasting. Which I did, a lot. I wasn't getting an answer, I wanted to serve a mission, but part of me wanted to stay and fall in love. I knew I couldn't do both. We had just spent a whole week of being inseperable. I saw him everyday, and loved it. I loved him, I know I did. One night we were walking. I told him I was still thinking of a mission. We stopped. His words cut "Chelsey, you know I won't wait for you right?" He pulled his hand out of mine and walked away. I continued on walking with tears streaming down my face, I needed my answer. For the next little while I prayed, fasted, went to the temple, and read the scriptures. I got what I thought was my answer, about three weeks after our walk. I went to his apartment, I told him we needed to talk so we went for a walk. He told me he was sorry for what he said but that he had something to tell me, I let him go first. He told me he had gone on a couple of dates with a girl, he wanted to continue to date her, "she is the girl I need...and want." I felt sick. I knew I should have gone first. My head was down, I raised my head to looked him in the face. I simply replied, "my answer was you." Oh man was that awkward. He asked why I hadn't told him sooner, well I didn't know he was going to fall inlove with the first girl he went on a date after me. I walked away muttering something about asking again. Ugh. He didn't try to stop me, he didn't call me, we didn't hang out anymore. I would seem him on campus, he'd say hi and be all cute again but then I would remember her. Have you ever watched someone you love with fall inlove with someone else? I felt dead. I cried myself to sleep almost everynight. I put on a good front so no one would know. I had no idea what I was doing with my life. I finally broke down and called the only person who knew the whole story. She told me to ask again but to "ask the right question." Bah, typical. I was asking the right question. I kneeled down that night, and asked Heavenly Father what I needed to do from here. Nothing. Whatever. I continued going to class, not really hearing what anyone was saying, I didn't really care about learning. Stupid boy, ugh. The next Wednesday I was walking through the MC and spotted the Sister Missionary booth. I felt the need to stop. I listened to them talk, listened to them share their simple testimony. I asked if it was worth it to them, and the reasons they chose to serve a mission. One of them looked me in the eye and told me "because I needed to." For the first time in a really long time I felt peace. I knelt down when I got home and confirmed my decision with my Heavenly Father and felt his arms surround me with love. From there it became clear that a mission was my answer all along. Things started working out again. I was still hurting, but I needed this. I don't know why He made it so complicated, or if there was a purpose. As much as I hate to admit it I haven't stopped loving him. I dread the day they get married, and it's her he spends eternity with instead of me. I know one day I will find my own new and improved Mr. February but still, his loss right? Sometimes our plans change, we go through a time of uncertainty, but it is only because it helps us see what we truly need. It is for our growth, and learning. Everyday I learn more about what He has instore for me. While I didn't know if I would make it this far with my plans, I'm really glad I did. I don't know exactly what is going to happen but for now, I hope they call me on a mission. I am ready.

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Home

No matter how long you have been gone it is always good to be home. This is my the view from my seat as we were landing. A sign of home. I like these mountains.

Fair Port Harbor

About 20 miles north of Kirtland lies one of the great lakes. Lake Erie is wonderful. It is suprisingly warm and surrounded by sandy beaches. It was perfect for swimming and building sand castles. I loved the light houses and the sail boats and all the different people. We all took turns being buried in the sand and playing in the water. It was just a great way to finish out our little road trip. I could definitely get used to living in a place like that.

Poor kid. Played to hard at the beach.

Kirtland

We continued north to hit Kirtland, Ohio. Another stop on the church history tour. It was quite the experience. I went with the expectation that it was going to be a lot like Nauvoo, not even close. It was little but still held so much history that I would definitely suggest it to anyone. It is owned by two different churches. The LDS church and the Community of Christ church (RLDS). The LDS owns the Saw mill, Newel K. Whitney store, Newel K. Whitney's home and the Johnson Inn. The store was my favorite part, it was the household of Emma and Joseph along with the school of the prophets. Learning about the school of the prophets was a whole experience of itself. The temple is owned by the reorganized church. We had to watch a movie at the beginning of each tour, and they both brought very different feelings to them. We were led around by a senior missionary couple from Twin Falls, Id, so that was nice. A taste of home. They had a strong spirit to them, and you could feel their testimony. I look forward to serving a mission with my hubs one day too. It was cool to walk in the places that Joseph Smith walked and taught, where he met with the apostles and received revelation. The temple was a unique experience it. It is a very plain, simple and beautiful building. You appreciate the sacrifice that the early saints had to face in order to bring it to the earth. We walked through the first floor then we walked up a flight of really, REALLY steep stairs. Looked around the second story court and then I sat in the pews about 20 feet from where the savior came to accept the building as his house. If you get the chance. Go. It was worth the 3 dollars. The last picture is from the stone quarry where they cut the stone for the temple. It was not what I expected. It was far away from the temple which made my appreciation of their sacrifice grow.