Post 200.

Well big news for a big post. I know many of you who read this know that I put my papers in for a mission before the last two weeks happened. I got my call on Saturday night, the night of my Grandfather's funeral. He passed away on Tuesday the 7th, the day the call was sent. It doesn't take four days for mail to come from Salt Lake. The Lord works in mysterious ways and knows that is what our family needed to end a not so fun day.
The funeral went really well. I sobbed through my song I was supposed to sing, but people said it was great. [Let's be honest though, they aren't going to tell me it sucked.] The rest of the day went by fast. I can honestly say I have the best family in the world! We were discussing the reasons why we are such a close extended family and nobody could pinpoint one reason. The only thing that we came up with was that Grandmother and Grandfather loved each other and loved us--which made for a strong foundation for our family. I can't fully express my feelings for them, other than I love them and am so grateful for the Plan of Salvation. I can't even imagine going through these trials not knowing that I would be able to see them again. How grateful I am for the gospel!!
On to the big news...

I was called to serve in the Oakland, California Mission. I would leave December 10 and speak English. There is a Temple, Visitors Center, [the second most visited church site in the world] and FAMILY! My dad's cousin and his wife live in Piedmont, which is just barely north of Oakland. The mission president and temple president are in their ward. I am still unsure of what the future holds. What a decision to make!!

Jakie comes in one week! We can't even wait...CAN'T EVEN WAIT!! We all need a little Jakie-love. He has a way of cheering everyone up. When Rick and Sarah were crying right after they found out about Dad, Jake didn't understand why everyone was crying--just that Grandpa was sick. His reply, "Don't cry. I will always take care of my Grandpa!" And he will.