False alarm!

Just kidding, lacrosse season is NOT over! Wooooooooo!!!! I got a text on Saturday from mama coach (coach's wife) telling me that we made it to the playoffs!! I did a little dance around my house I was so happy. Our official last game for the season is this Saturday April 21st at Westminster's Dumke field @ 10 am. We will be playing Westmin to determine if we go on to play at 4 or not. Hopefully all goes well, as coach says, "every team is beatable on any day." Gotta love that man.

In other news, yesterday was quite an eventful day. My puppy turned 8 years old! I am about to go on a search for Tuck Ever Lasting's stream, just so I don't have to ever worry about my puppy getting too old. After church we made her some treats once again, she loved them.

Hugs for the birthday girl!

One happy pup.

Sunday was not only eventful because of Lady's birthday though. My 20th birthday is coming up, as nervous as I am to be out of my 'teens' I am excited to actually be taken seriously as an...adult. Sure, we will go with that. Turning 20 means lots more responsibility, means I am one year closer to marriage. It also means I am one year closer to deciding whether to go on a mission or not. Through the past couple years I have been toying with the idea of going, which means I have also been trying to find excuses not to go. Every now and then I would come across a quote or a person that said something about going on a mission. I would hear it and "take it into consideration" but not really LISTEN to what they were saying. 

The last time I bore my testimony during sacrament meeting was probably 10 years ago when my grandma would nag me so much that finally I would go up just to make her happy... Our ward's testimony meeting was yesterday, and for the first time in ten years I felt my heart beat like I was already up there. Immediately I knew that I had to go up (isn't that THE worst feeling ever?? gahhh). I tried bargaining with the Big Guy.. I tried to pick someone in the audience and use them as an excuse, "well, if 'so and so' goes up I will" and every single time I did that they would go up. I tried convincing my sister to go, she said no. I looked to my right, down the bench sat Sister O, the young women's president. I caught her attention and invited her with a very subtle head nod.. she said yes. 

Since she is my partner in crime in young women's I should have known better to ask her. Here we were, president and secretary, making our way up- the bishop with a big ol smile on his face... I thought I was headed towards disaster. Before I knew it my sister had followed me up (no wonder the bishop had smiled... ).After all was said and done, I couldn't remember what I had just rambled- I prayed it was something somewhat spiritual, I made my way back to my seat next to my mother and realized how much of a relief I felt. Like the whole world was lifted off my shoulders. As I sat I realized something, the reason why I hadn't gotten up in so long... Years ago I had made a New Year' resolution to bear my testimony during sacrament meeting every month. GAHHHHHH! Well, I guess I will just have to get used to that heart-in-my-throat feeling... 

After sacrament meeting my mom and I had a lovely talk with a newly married couple in our ward about their life, studies, and missions. I thought, "oh no, here we go again. More mission stuff." 

Before I knew it I was disclosing all sorts of information about what I had thought and heard about missions. How everyone keeps bringing it up. I guess you can call yesterday a major change of heart. After a few tears and a really guilty feeling for not listening to the spirit/prepared earlier I realized I now have ONE year to prepare. So I guess this makes my decision final, within a year and a little bit I will be out somewhere serving the Lord for 18 months. 

Some may say this decision was a bit rash, but I know deep inside that after YEARS of thinking about it, it was finally time to make a decision. And now, by sharing it with all of you, I am now committed to see it through. It will be very, very hard to leave my family. It will be hard to be out there with people I don't know, but I also know that many blessings will come to my family because of it. I am thankful for the things I felt and experienced yesterday, I know Heavenly Father loves me. I cannot wait to share with others this glorious, life-changing gospel. I hope for all of your support and most importantly, I expect letters every week!!

Well, you read it here first. I guess I should have titled this post, "BREAKING NEWS: mission announcement." haha. 

"What is the point of being alive if you don't at least try to do something remarkable?"- John Green

Have a great day.