Day:11

 He is 11 days in  and I got a letter on Thursday! I am actually quite surprised how I'm doing. I'm doing really well;  working,getting ready to start school on  Monday (yay!) and going to the gym. Working out really helps me de-stress and clear my mind, which I love! I also keep busy by doing crafty stuff. I love sewing, scrapbooking and everything inbetween. That has been helping a lot. I love having a creative outlet :D but don't get me wrong there is still a lot of adjusting to do. Chris is loving the MTC! He has  three sets of companions in his room and they get along really well. His companion is from Ohio and sets a good example for Chris. I am so proud of my missionary he can already say a prayer and bear his testimony in Chinese after only being in for a few days!! 

Male Mail/E-Mail

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I declared through Facebook tht for the new two years my theme song is: "Here's the mail it never fails, When I comes I wag my tail, When it comes I want to wail-MAIL!" Tuseday Chris sent his family an e-mail!!! Finally!!! Almost a week and we hadn't heard a thing Elder Wolf! Naturally, I read the e-mail multiple times tring to get something new each time. Desperately wanting to peice together his days with the details he gives. Chris is surprisingly doing very well, I was half expecting him to say that he hates the MTC. It is the exact opposite...that couldn't make me any happier! He loves his companion and roommates.Elder Wolf can say a sort prayer and bear his testimony his Chinesse. I pray harder for him each day to comprehend the language and for him to get good sleep at night. I don't know but for some reason I am really worried about him sleeping well. Amyways, now that I have a taste of letters I just want more and more! it doesn't help that I have been expecting on since Tuesday for me  and isn't here :( but getting his e-mail and hearing the night-and-day difference in the way he sounds has put me on a high since I have read it! A wave of relief washed over me when I heard he was loving it and I can't wait to get pictures and more letters!!!!

A watched pot never boils

Patience is a virtue... But not one of the YW virtues. I think that's why I have such a hard time with :D Because we never focused on it like the choice and accountability and integrity. Or at least that's my story as  to why I am not that patient.Haha!   It's so hard to try and not count the hours until your missionary comes home! It's only been  days but it feels like and eternity! But the best part of my days are being able to put a sticker on my big 2 year mission calander that Chris had made for me. It's decorated with his handwriting and tons of Taiwanese and  American holidays.  Of course there are good days and bad days, like everything in life. For the most part it has been going by fast. Thanks to work, that is the one thing I like about it. The letters help too. They put you on cloud nine for a few days! I just try and think about all the good he is doing and how he is changing so much for the better

1 Nephi 9:6

I was thinking about Chris this morning. With Chris if something doesn't go the way he has planned in his mind he gets really stubborn and upset. I was wondering how his mission would go? How successful he will be? If he will baptise people?I decided that I should read my scriptures since I haven't already and I came across 1 Nephi 9:6 " But the Lord knoweth all things from the beginning; wherefore, he prepareth a way to accomplish all his works among the children of men; for behold, he hath all power unto the fufilling of his words..." That made me feel so much better because I know Chris will do all the work that the Lord has prepared. Elder Wolf will talk to people with soften hearts,open hearts and willing hearts; all which has been prepared my from the Lord. Because He wants everyone to be successful in what they are doing, especially in missionary work!! I think I will probably send him that scripture with  a letter explaining what I know the Lord has in store for him.

26.2 miles

The past few days on my way to and from work (which is only three minutes or so) almost all of our songs have been on the radio! It's so crazy because they aren't even that popular or even the same style. I get in the car,one song  is on and than another and another!!!It's making my heart ache! I feel like within the past week my heart has just run a marathon. Finally trying to recover. But even though I tried to carbo-load  before the starting line, my still heart wasn't prepared...maybe not even now. All I am left with is a soar heart. If you think about it, the race hasn't even started yet.The finish line is so far away, hardly even able to visualize. My emotional tri-athlon hasn't started (first denial, sadness,than impatience). I am definitely in denial now, just waiting for reality to set in. All of those things I really do need to carbo-load...spiritual carbs!? Yeah spiritual carbs:D Like scriptures, prayer,fasting and General Confrence. Sorry, enough cheesy metaphors! Now I am going to go eat some spaghetti!!

"Prayer is the passport to peace" -Thomas S. Monson

Since I have had a lot more time to myself I have noticed Christ more in my life. I know it's because I havent needed Him like I do now. I have never remembered a time in my life where I have NEEDED prayer to a much higher level an before. Because I know when I pray and read my scriptures I can feel at peace and more calm. Which made me decide I want to complete the Book of Mormon before Elder Wolf leaves the MTC! I know he wil be so proud of me :) Another reason I have relied heavily on the Lord in the past few days is because my family isn't LDS and doesn't support our relationship. When I told my mom abut Chris leaving she tried to hide her smile than just started busting up laughting.Last night my mom and I even got in an argument about me dating(she wants me to start dating now). I got pretty upset and told her that Chris hadn't even been in for 30 hours and how dare she even bring it up. Normally with this stuff happening, I would vent to Chris. With him gone I am ajusting to dealing with my problems semi-alone (with the help of the Wolf's). Now I am looking for divine help :) which really has done a lot!

I LOVE Tyrone!!!!!!!!

Chris does this impression of a southern gangsta named Tyrone and it is very funny! His brothers does an accent like Chris's but his is named Shaniqua. When they get going at improv with the accents they are drop dead HILARIOUS :D !! Two nights before Chris left we went laser tagging with his family, in the way back to town Chris and his brother where telling this story about how they went to the prom and Shaniqua was really sweaty and Tyrone had borrowed Lamar's formal clothes because Tyrone had no money. Just reading it without the accent and grammar (or lack there of) doesn't even get a chuckle out of me but when I replay it in my head with the accent I can't control my laughter!   It is a good memory that showcases my Missionaries goofy sense of humor, that is something I really will miss the next couple of years...Just thought I would share that moment!

MTC Entry Day

This was my diary entry for August 15,2012. The day Chris went to the MTC!!! Today is  the day Elder Wolf went to the MTC! It was a hard day. Even though the night before he was ordained an Elder, which I was privileged to attend! During the ordination it was really awesome because instead of feeling sad or depressed I felt so peaceful and excited after it was over and so did he. Which I really think I needed because other wise I would have been a basket case :) Before he went in  to the MTC we got to visit for a little, it was good and I will treasure it for the next two years! We just talked about the record  cereal consumption at the MTC and having him separate the darks and whites when doing laundry.Just silly small talk topics. One thing that Elder Wolf and I did was we wrote letters to each other and said our real good byes and some important promises we where going to keep. We figured that  we  couldnt remain calm and  not brake down while saying them which worked for us. It made the good byes a lot easier because it was more light hearted and not so serious , granted we did cry a bit. Chris and I  got to say the serious stuff in the letters and that was important to us. Now that he is a Missionary serving the Lord  24/7 I know he will get so many wonderful blessings that will be countless! Elder Wolf will have so many opportunities to change people's life and even his own when he is focusing on the work. I personally just have to remember all of those things when I am feeling lonely or sad becaus he is where he needs to be and doing what he needs to be doing. But as this huge change happened in both of our lives the day did go on and this is how mine went... I was scheduled to work 3pm-1am and I came in to work about a half our early and just started working. Oh and FYI Chris and I worked at the same place for a year and I just got promoted to manager two months before he left so my crew members know Chris and still talk about him. Anyways, I was working and a cook asked me why I was here so early I replied that I just wanted to come in and I guess something in my eyes changed because she gave me a puzzled look and asked " oh Chris left today didn't he?" and I could feel my lips quiver( more like my whole body)  for a second and just started bursting out crying.  And she kept apologizing over and over even though I told her it was perfectly fine and I didn't mean to react that way.the rest of the night about how normal my ob can be.  I would catch myself looking at the clock and thinking "Oh he is eating dinner"  five minutes later " Yup, still eating dinner... I hope he isn't over eating or getting gassy". Few hours later..."He is probably getting ready for bed, I really hope he wears his old man pj's and flosses" and so on.Work is over right now and I sprayed some of my Elder's cologne with only watery eyes, it's a huge step up from earlier today!  Today is one of the first days of our next two years I forgot to mention earlier, the hardest thing that happened today was when I was driving away from Chris's house one of our songs was on the radio and I started balwing :( so sad!!

My Role

As Chris's best friend and girlfriend I see myself as a soft place for him to  land and a rock when he needs support. When he was going through the process of filling out his papers/before he got his call he  would  kinda get flustered at points and was wondering if this was the right decision. In the back of his mind he always knew it was the right choice, he just had to be reminded. Which is where my role comes in to help him remembe. The night he knelt down and seriously prayed for the first time about serving a mission, the strong  unmistakeable feeling of peace, and where he felt sure, through  the spirit, a mission was the completely right thing to do with his life.

 I guess where I am going with this is as his girlfriend I want to make him feel confident with the choice he made, not trying and make him apprehensive. Right now he needs to be focusing on himself, and the Lord and I need to be right behind Chris making sure he is putting his efforts in the right place and not trying to focus on me, because thats not the way it's supposedly to be.  I think every missionary girlfriend should try and be that way too.

I know the choice Chris made is perfect and I am so excited to see Heavenly Father work through him, and see the change from boy to man! And I'm looking forward to hearing all the missionary stories he has to share with me over the next two years.

Salt Lake

Chris and I went to Salt Lake this past Friday, which I always love doing (P.S. - they where putting up Christmas lights when we there!) because it reminds me how much I really do want to get married in the temple! Not just to some average Joe but to an above average Chris! Hahaha! Really though, seeing him go on his mission is just another awesome stepping stone for him and us.

Chris's Farewell

 Today is Chris's Farewell and he did awesome, naturally!  I just wanted to share my favorite part of his talk. Enjoy!

"When most people think about what ‘being patient’ is, they probably think about it in terms of patience towards other people , but what about being patient with ourselves? Joseph B. Wirthlin, in the May 1987 Ensign said “We should learn to be patient with ourselves. Recognizing our strengths and our weaknesses, we should strive to use good judgment in all of our choices and decisions, make good use of every opportunity, and do our best in every task we undertake. We should not be unduly discouraged nor in despair at any time when we are doing the best we can. Rather, we should be satisfied with our progress even though it may come slowly at times.” Most of our weaknesses aren’t fixed overnight; we really need to be patient with ourselves and we need to ask the Lord for help. But in order to ask Him for help we need to be humble."

Chris leaves in 3 days :D :D

Difference between NEED and WANT

Chris got his mission call about 4.5 months before his MTC entry date. Which has been pretty hard because at first I wasn't trying to show him how hard I was taking everything. I was showing him the super excited side of how I was feeling, not the side that was wondering what I would do with out his support and help.

When he had 43 days left before he leaves I just broke down and told him all of the emotions I was feeling. I didn't tell him how hesitant I was about him leaving because I didn't want him to hear me say I was sad about him leaving because I thought he might want to stay. That's why I was having such a hard time with  myself because on one side I wanted him to stay so dearly, But the other half NEEDED him to go! I remember it being a real tug-of-war. I had to express to Chris the need and want I had, this is where the definition of need and want become very important; Where wanting him to stay is so much less important than me needing him to go because I know of the enormous spiritual growth that happens.

When I told Chris about the tug-of-war I was having Chris said that he thought I just wanted to push him out the door. It wasn't even the case at all.

Now only four days left until he leaves, and there is still a small part of me wanting to be selfish and have him stay but as each day passes it becomes smaller and smaller. I realize that the people of Taiwan need him waaaaaaay more than I do. Right here, right now he has been called to be a full time servant of the Lord. I would never try and hinder that. That needs to be his number one priority before everything else right now. I want to be a strength to Chris, always trying to be virtuous and honest ( thanks Young Women's  leaders for teaching me everything of the sorts :D ) and not to be a set back. He also needs to learn from them too!

Tomorrow is his farewell...actually in like 10 hours. He is writing his talk right now (which is on developing Christ-like attributes) and I am here writing this :) I am so excited to hear him speak because he is just so cute and awkward! Jk! I am excited to hear his testimony and hear all the inspiration he has received for this talk.

Paragliding!

Last Saturday (8/4/12) Chris and I went paragliding for the first time ever! It took about a month to be able to actually get up in the air because we had to reschedule our appointments due to a fire and several days of bad weather - but at least the rain is good practice for Chris! Taiwan gets a lot of typhoons.

Chris's mom has always wanted to try paragliding, and his Dad bought a gift certificate for it for Mother's Day last year. She didn't want to go by herself, so she invited Chris and I to go along with her.

We went up on Friday to try and go, but the wind never picked up enough, so we had to delay until the next day. When we went back, it was obvious the conditions were great! At one time we counted 49 para-gliders and hang-gliders in the air, with more waiting for a shot to get up.

I had forgotten that I was afraid of heights this whole time and when we got there it hit me. But I conquered my fear, got over the edge of the cliff, and then up to 1500 feet in the air and I had the time of my life! I was like a bird! "Caw-Caaaw! Caw-Caaaw!" It was so fun, I want to start taking lessons so one day I can have my own gear and go whenever I want (weather permitting, of course!). Unfortunately, due to college tuition and the desperate need for a car to get to school, I am lacking the funds to do so.  

The Beginning

Hi! My name is Hunter. My boyfriend, Chris, and I have been together since December 2009, our Sophomore year of High School. We've spent a lot of time together over the years and we are into a lot of the same things! For instance, we are both going into Culinary Arts and we are both studying it in college. At the moment he's a year ahead of me, but that's about to change. Chris and I often cook together at his house for his family and we've catered his Aunt's wedding. He won a Bronze medal in an ACF culinary competition, but when I do the competition this year, I'm getting GOLD! :D This past June we went to Disneyworld together with his family and his Grandparents. It was SO much fun! We were both in our High School's Marching Band together for three years, both playing the Clarinet. He was the section leader of the clarinets and flutes at first, but then we both led the section together. We met in Band class in 6th grade, and at first we didn't get along very well; he even scribbled me out in his year book! But in Marching Band everything changed. We spent countless hours marching around together and to make a long story short, we grew really close. But that's not the point of this Blog. Chris and I are both members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS or Mormon, as we're better known) and Chris has been called to serve as a Missionary. He will be away from me for 2 years in the distant land of Taiwan. Taichung to be specific. He will be speaking Mandarin Chinese and enters the MTC on August 15th 2012...exactly one week after my 19th Birthday, and 13 days from right now. I am making this blog to share his missionary experiences and my thoughts and feelings about everything that is going to happen to him and what's happening with us over the next two years. The best two years.