Well, yesterday (Monday) My mom and I shopped almost all day... and by all day I mean from 2 in the afternoon to 7:30 at night. It was actually quite nice; we got almost EVERYTHING that was left! Two nights before, I went looking through all of the stuff that we purchased last year, and discovered that I had 3 suits (one of which was bought 2-3 months ago), 7 long sleeve shirts, 4 ties, 6 pairs of socks, a pair of shoes, a journal, and a notebook. So a trip to get the last bits of clothing and a lot of the daily necessities was all that was left!
About three fourths the way through all of this my mother commented that I was much easier to shop with this time, "You weren't exactly ready last time." "I know I wasn't!" This last year has been wonderful, and I am so grateful for the friendships I was able to rekindle and new friends that I made over the year; it has been more than wonderful, and the preparations were dire for me to not be destroyed by my first companion... I honestly think I might have come home had I gone out the first time I was called.
(ah ha, for those of you that didn't know, I got a call right around this time last year. The same place... I can't tell you how glad I was to hear that I was going to the same place.)
I'll upload some pictures of what I bought to this later (it's late, check the post time...) But it was a fun trip to the store, and I was actively hunting and thinking about stuff that I might need when I'm on my own. Being on my own (with someone else 24/7... literally) will be a very interesting to say the least. My mother commented that she thought I'd have a fair amount of homesickness, and I'm begining to think that she might be right. Not necessarilly the "home" portion, but the being able to call a friend or family member whenever I want will certainly be a shock. There have been a few times recently where something has happened and I've grabbed whomever and they've instantly cheered me up because they know who I am and how to do so (Thank you Lynnae; 9 days)! That will be a major shock when I've left... and I may finally be begining to understand how big that will be. I'll have paper to write on, and that will help with getting stuff out of my mind, but it is gonig to be a BIG shock.
Well, pictures to come, and sleep for me now!
~Elder Douglas Westwood*
From Mission Call To Arriving Back Home
Don't dwell too much on all that. It will just freak you out. Just know that really, the only person who will be able to help when things get hard is the Lord. You'll get it down. I promise. Your knees will never be the same. ;) LOVES!
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