Mission Blog

Hi Everyone! If any of you would like an invitation to Jeanne's private mission blog (18monthstacoma@blogspot.com) email me (Caralee) at cturnidge@gmail.com

Jeanne is doing well, she's been in Sequim, WA since her arrival in the field. Transfers are this coming Monday and we'll see where she ends up.

Mission Farewell!

So my mission farewell was yesterday and I gave a nice little talk on faith. I told the whole ward that I don't like to give talks at the beginning, but then decided after that it's more I just don't like being nervous before. When I'm actually giving the talk it's usually not bad as long as everything is going as planned. Which it did and so it wasn't to bad. Also one of my roommates from USU came from last school year, so that was really fun. Anyways, the night before we had a little barbeque and such too, so it was nice going in the spring when it's good weather. But just two more days and I have to say I kind of am ready, although I'm kind of like scardish. Probably won't be bad though once I get there and such, to think in two days from now I'll be stuck with a companion for like 18 months. That will probably be the hardest part, because I'm majorly independent :) Hopefully they're nice companions :)

In Quiet Grove

Hey all this is my missionary song that I dedicated for that purpose. Thought you'd all like to see it and besides blogs are great places to post such things ;)

One second here...

Don't get any ideas here, I don't get along with everyone at DI. It's been a few days since I wrote that and have been at work for a couple of days. I get along with the majority, but there are still some that are just like you know...whenever I work with them I think grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! But then I'm nice and pretend to not care...hahahaha!

Continuing...

As for the guy in the fire that is in Small As Is I also found out that his parents were on a mission when it happened. And I guess they were just taking care of the house while their parents were gone and such, so the explosion was caused by some bad gas lines in the house. I haven't actually even had a serious conversation with the guy about it either, because he's usually just like "oh it's nothing serious" and that type of thing if it is ever brought up. I wonder what his sister thinks of it with being apart of it and all. And the parents have to build a new house now and yeah it's crazy. In fact I wouldn't have even known about it except that he'd told my team lead about since they were the only two DI people in the Career Workshop a few weeks ago. Anyways, she mentioned it and I almost didn't know who she was talking about at first. It's crazy and he's extremely positive about it is all I have to say about it.

My days at DI are coming to an end sadly...

So we got our new schedule on Monday and usually it has when we work for the next two weeks. And I was looking to see that next sathurday someone is missing from the schedule, usually meaning someone has quit. So I quickly started to look to see who it was and suddenly remembered after a moment that it was me. Because my last day is on friday of next week, and then I was really sad that it's so soon. As for like the first week or so I thought that my co-workers, expecially in my area were really wierd. But within about the last two months I've pretty much have become best friends with all of them, except for a select few if you know what I mean. But even the one guy that I was extremely annoyed with I've actually started thinking is funny in the last while.

So anyways, I have thus concluded that DI has some of the coolest people on the face of the earth working at it. Let's start with this guy that I actually knew at the Hub too, we follow each other around I swear job wise. Basically he has twisted arms, so he can't use his hands barely and he is always on crutches because he can't walk. Anyways they figured out a way for him to cashier anyways, so he uses a pencil to push all the buttons. And that makes it so that he can do it independently without a supervisor having to stay around all the time. But this kid is hilarious, even to the point that it's hard to even notice his disabilities and such. Then there is a guy whose in my area who I just recently found out had brain infection when he was 16. And so due to that he now has a major limp and some brain loss. (but not alot about 15% of the brain he said) Anyways, then just yesterday I found out that this guy whose in Small As-Is apparently was in a house last summer that blew up. He was burned all over and the doctors were sure if he did survive he'd never walk again, they were dead serious about it too. But interestingly enough he does walk quite well, with no limps or anything. And they did an extremely go job of skin graphing, because I had no clue that anything like that happened. Then there is this older guy whose about two years from retiring and runs his own business. But the business went completely down with the economy last winter so he's at DI. The funny thing about all of these people that I'm referring to is that the guy whose on crutches is completely hilarious and I barely even notice anything beyond that. The guy who was in the explosion is completely hilarious and you'd never guess anything of the sort. Then the guy whose suppose to retire in two years is completely hilarious and you'd never think about anything beyond that. Probably the most serious of them all is the guy who had brain infection at 16. But he was all telling me the other day about how when they found out that he'd had brain loss that his mom was so upset. And being funny as he is he was like "Mom, we only use like 15% of our brains anyways and so it's fine."

But yeah, associating with people like this as I have this spring I feel like I have absolutely nothing to ever complain about again. I've never been in an explosion, never had brain infection, never had twisted arms or lost a job. About the closeth I've ever come to job loss is taking a month in January to get the DI job. And then I've always walking all over town all the time and very easily at that, while other people can barely get around because of limps and such. I am really happy that I went back to DI, because four years ago I just thought it was an annoying job that I didn't like even though I didn't have any horrid co-workers. I just wasn't happy with how things were going and I didn't know where I was even headed yet since I hadn't started at USU yet. I'm glad I got a second chance at it and wish it weren't ending so quickly.

Nothing new...

I'm still just working along with mission clothes shopping, which is becoming an annoyance. Because I'm trying to find stuff and it's hard to get all the right stuff in small town Logan, it's better then it would be in the Basin. But still not fun to go into a store that doesn't have any of the right stuff or even Wal-Mart that doesn't even have all the correct stuff for the First Aid kit. But oh well I've gotten at least 3/4 of the stuff now and will be super happy when I'm all done with that part of it. Yay!

My life...

So I love my job, but just some days I am so glad to leave. Today was one of those days, I got stuck cashiering all day long. Cashiering is alot of fun, except for when you're doing it all day long and the other lazy cashiers will literally leave until the supervisors have to literally make them come up. It's really pathetic and annoying being the good one who stays up there all day long. And then when you page it the other cashiers ignore it and don't come up, until you tell a supervisor. But anyways, it's a major pain too when other cashiers who don't explain the exchange policy to people and so you get stuck being the one who has to tell people that they don't get a refund on something or can't exchange for what they want and then they're mad at you. So yeah I was glad to leave today, although I do love my job and all but yeah you know what I mean. Anyways, I had to miss the afternoon General Conference session sathurday due to work and so now I'm listening to Conference talks on the internet. It's great, at the moment I'm listening to Jeffrey R. Holland's talk about Pornograpy...it's great!! Scary I only have five weeks left and then I'll be gone...:( :)

Crazy how that works...

So why is it that I feel like the team lead at work and I'm not the team lead? Because not particularly everyday, but oftener then not I'll constantly have people as in co-workers who will always come to me rather then the actual team lead or our supervisor. So I'm always instructing people on how to do stuff or giving them things that they could be doing rather then sitting around. I half wonder if it's more because they don't like going to higher authority because they feel silly asking them. And so because I'm nice or happen to be close by they ask me and know that they're get the right answer. So that could be why, but it's wierd how that works :)

Crazy Stuff...

So basically all of last week I had this cold and so I slept it off basically. But then on friday at work I started having my voice sound really froggy and stuff. So then on sathurday at about an hour before I was suppose to leave I basically lost my voice. It was pretty terrible and on sunday it actually got worse, so I went to church but was trying to avoid talking to people. But of course tons of people kept trying to talk to me about mission calls and such, so I had to keep explaining that I had a bad cold. I basically was going to call in sick today, but when I woke up it was basically gone and I could talk again. So then I went to work and the only times it would kind of get bad would be if I were trying to talk alot to someone. And so I avoided that for the most part and yeah it's pretty much gone, which is amazing for how bad it was yesterday. I was glad though that I wasn't going to have to lose hours this week at work. For some reason I seem to be having alot of close calls this spring on getting ill, but somehow I've never had to call in sick.

Mission call finally came...

As you all should be aware I finally got my mission call to Tacoma Washington and I'm leaving May 19, 2010. At the moment May seems pretty far off, although it is like the end of March now...haha!! Anyways, I was kind of hoping that I wouldn't go until June due to funds and such, but hopefully that turns out okay. But now that sister M. has left it's suddenly seeming very near and I have to say that it is kind of sad to think of leaving and going where I know zero people. But it'll be fine I'm sure...:) But there terribly sad thing is that I looked it up and there are three temples in Washington, and none of them are in my mission...can you believe that? One is in Seattle, Spokane and one down south eastward. It's terribly sad, but it's a common curse in the family, since sister A. didn't have one in hers, sister M. has one in Guatamala City and that's not part of her mission. Anyways, that's the news for the time being and I guess that I should head to work now that I have to close. Yuck, I don't know which is worse working really early at 8 am or until 9 pm...but I have to say that I by far prefer 8 am because then you have time left in the day to do stuff after work. Well got to go...have fun you all!!

Why oh why?

It's so sad when you meet really cool people and suddenly things happen so you disconnect. Basically at DI there is a girl that I've become friends with and we get along really good. So anyways, because it's DI they're trying to get people looking for more permanant jobs and such all the time. And this girl went to a job interview at a place that her brother works at a few weeks ago so she should find out this weekend if she got it. Apparently if they don't call her back then her brother is going to say something, because he gets along really well with the managers and has been there for two years. So most likely she'll get the job and it's really sad because she was one of the ones I was friends with and now she's going to leave. But there is a new girl that started last week who for some reason we hit it off really well and so it's fun working with her too. Although she's only part time and only works at night so I only see her about two or three times a week since I don't work every night. But it's sad when you meet people and then suddenly they're gone.

Mondays are the greatest day to be off on...

So I was off today at work, although it's annoying when they put me off on monday. But anyways it turned out to be a very good thing, because yesterday I had a ear ache and just a strange achy feeling. So I figured if I just slept a ton it would all leave by today, well this morning it was alot worse. I woke up with a ear ache, head ache, and symptoms of the flu it appeared. So yeah, at about 11 a.m. I decided that I had to sleep more so I had to sleep half the day to even get it to leave. Very annoying...but a good thing I was off or I probably would have had to have called in sick today at work and that wouldn't have been a good thing. Just hopefully it's gone by tomorrow all the way, since it's mostly gone now but still slightly there. I just hope I don't have ear infection since usually that's the only reason why I get ear aches. So annoying if that's the case since I'd have to go to the doctor and take $50.00 out of my so called missionary fund. Which at the moment is a rather small mission fund, $600.00 compared to $7000.00 isn't very much and wouldn't be appreciated if some had to be taken out :(

You should all watch this...

At DI they have like a hour long devotional every friday and last friday we watched this movie about a guy named Tyler Wilkinson in St. George. I found it on youtube and thought that you should all watch it, here's the link tot he first part of the video and then you should be able to find the rest from there...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqjqfu1S2T0

Life is life...

I've just been working at DI...which hasn't been bad at all. In fact it's been pretty good and generally it goes by really fast. So I'll be there and then glance up to see that it's lunch break and then it's suddenly time to leave. It's nice after being at jobs that drag on forever and you're so glad when you can quit the job. I think alot of it has to do with not having a job for awhile and now I'm just glad to have a job. And the Sales Floor is alot more interesting then the back, since I ran around doing stuff all the time compared to just standing in one spot for hours on end every day.
Along with that I was off today at work and so I went to the temple to do some family names. I have to say that my bishop must have been inspired to let me go through early...since it just about didn't happen. But the reason why I say that is because these names I've been doing had their baptizm/confirmations done like two years ago. So if I weren't doing them it might have taken another six months or more to get through them all. But it's very easy for me to go since the Logan temple is like three blocks off so very easy to get to. It's been great fun and somewhat confusing...but I was happy today that I finally get alot of it. Well I actually don't get to much of it, but I see the meaning to some of it now. Anyways, that's all I can say since we don't share temple stuff with the outside world...right?
But I turned in my mission papers yesterday...or they were supposed to be turned in...so we'll see how that goes. Somehow I see it being in the states...so you know it'll be interesting to find out what happens in that regard.
But other then that I haven't been doing to much...I should study for the GRE but it's hard to when I wake up in time to head off to work and then when I get home I either go to institute class, or am really tired and yeah you know how it goes. Anyways farewell to you all...:)

Finally...

I got a job at DI today, I was quite shocked to get the call since they have a huge waiting list. I guess it helps that I worked there before...probably had something to do with it. But since it's DI I get full time and should be starting in the next few days. As of next wednesday I'm turning in mission papers, hopefully it doesn't take a month after that to get my mission call. Just you watch though I'll probably go to Boise Idaho...j/k, usually it's the place you never think of that you end up going to. We'll see though right?

This could actually be fun...

So I realized as of today that not having a job could actually be kind of fun...I had to conclude that though after two weeks of fruitless job searching. Or course I'm not saying that I'm not going to job hunt anymore, since I will kep doing that. But rather then just worrying about jobs and such I have decided that I could actually do alot of cool things while I'm waiting around. Like learning spanish and sign launguage, which is of course due to the fact that I'm probably going to tell the 2010 census people I know sign launguage. And then there is a spanish learning center in town and it's like only $20.00/class...so that could be cool. (I might not get to far though with no money but maybe just the beginning class) And then the temple opens again next week, since it's been closed most of the week. So since I've been given a pile of family names I have decided that I should hurry and go do them since it's like three families and nothing has been done in two years when the baptizms and confirmations were done. So I plan to do that next week along with studying for the GRE of course. And there are always books to read...so I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't be bored even without a job. Although I do need a job so that I can pay for 40% of the mission like I said I would on the mission papers.

But my roommate who was with us last semester graduated from BYU then went to Boston and worked, after six months she went on her mission and within three days of getting back she was in a graduate program at USU and did the whole move thing is those three days too. So she was always saying that she wished that she'd taken a break for a couple of semesters, meaning that maybe this is a good thing since I've been in college the last six years. And when there have been breaks I've always been working and stuff like that. So I should just stop complaining about not having a job and actually enjoy myself for once in my life. Since I hear that missions are no easy thing...but only 12 days left until I turn in my mission papers!!

Hilarious Dream last night...

So I had the funniest dream last night, I actually don't remember much of it. But I dreamed that I was at home and we were in the house on a sunday, so I was all mad because no one woke me up and I skipped church. And so I was in the house all annoyed to look out the window and see these back hoes dumping piles of dirt on our stairs outside. These back hoes were making really loud noises and everything, but suddenly I woke up and I could still hear the loud noise from my dream. Funny enough it was 6:30 a.m. and it was the garbage truck outside my apartment, it was just hilarious that the back hoes just so happened to be in my dream at that exact same time that the dump truck was outside my apartment. So the loud noise was probably just coming from the garbage truck, I was annoyed to get woken up though because that garbage truck is way to loud and it's amazing that I wake as little as I do when it comes by.

I've officially made up my mind...

Good News first: I talked to the financial aid office on campus and they said that they'll defer my student laon and so I don't have to pay it off until I get back from the misison.

Bad News second: So I went into Intermountain Staffing and signed up with them, but then they wanted me to go into Icon at 5:30 a.m. on wednesday and so I told them that would be impossible since I have no car and the buses don't drive around that early. Pretty much they just said to come check with them again in a few days, so I have just been job hunting still since that could happen alot and then I'd only get 15 hours a week. Most definately not enough hours to make $5000.00 by the summer when I leave. So it finally got to the point that I didn't know where to go and apply or anything, since subbing with the school district is full. And I talked to some people at the summer cleaning job I had and they sound like they just hired new people. So yeah, I finally decided that I had to resort to going and talking to the DI people since that would be my best bet. Well, as the story goes I went into DI and the lady I would have liked to have talked to was in a meeting so I had to talk to this guy I didn't know. So I explained that I had worked there before and just needed a job while waiting to go on a mission...you'd think they would be understanding of that since it's church run. But he was like "oh, well you can apply again but we have a waiting list so it might take a month or more for you to get back on." Yeah, I left basically devastated and normally I'm not a crier but I walked out the door and started crying my little eyes out because that was my last option. I guess other then Wal-Mart, because I've honestly applied at every single job on the job board that isn't like a TA for some math class that I've never taken and stuff like that. But everything that has applied and such I've tried at and have heard nothing back at the majority of the jobs. So I walked out crying and suddenly remembered that I'd be getting on the bus in the next five minutes so I had to hurry and pretend like that I was just fine. So anyways at that point I was just like "I can't go on a mission if I don't have a job like soon and that is simply all there is to it unless I borrow every last cent from the Myton Second ward which I can't do. But of course I knew that I would be going, so decided that it would have to work out somehow but it might take moving the availability date on the papers back a couple of months or so."

Last night I went to my mission prep class and the teacher started talking about how as soon as you make up your mind to go on a mission satan will try to stop you at every cost from going. So this girl in the class started telling us about her brother and how he had his call and everything. But right at the exact same time their Grandma died, then their mom broke her hip, and all this other stuff. So he started wondering if he should really go, but then he did since he had the call and everything. So the main point of this was that satan will try to stop you at every cost to not go and as our teacher said "just make sure you move forward in going no matter what". Suddenly right then and there it just hit me like a brick that satan is honestly trying to stop me from going and that is all there is to it. That would explain why I'm suddenly depressed everyday and just want to give up by just sitting in my apartment reading, rather then going out applying for jobs in a crashed economy. And so I suddenly knew that I'm supposed to turn the papers in on February 3, for some reason and so that is exacally what I'm going to do. No sooner and no later then that is what I'm going to do...although I have no clue as to how I'm going to start up insurance if I haven't gotten any pay checks by February 3, but I'm sure it'll work out.

Then last night after institute and going to the Joseph Smith movie at the Kent Concert hall I still was rather frusterated and upset. And so the Joseph Smith lesson manual from the last two years of priesthood/relief-society just happened to be sitting there by my bed. So I picked it up and started reading chapter two, and when I was reading I ran across where Joseph Smith was trying to figure out why he was getting so much persecution when he was just telling the truth. And so anyways he ended up saying something along the lines that he learned at a early age that satan knew that he was going to be an "annoyer and disturber to his kingdom" and so that's why the persecution continued. And suddenly right then and there I realized that by going on a mission I like Joseph Smith (not quite as dramatic mind you) would be an "annoyer and disturber" to satans kingdom and that's why he's trying so very hard to stop me from going on a mission. So I have determined that no matter what I will not be decieved by satan...!

Well, today I went over to this interview at a preschool which is more of subbing when the head teachers are gone. But I went in and did the interview and just happened to find out when I got there that I knew the director of the preschool. And so I did the interview and they offered me the job right then and there, I know there is always the thing about how you should tell them that you want to think about it. But I absolutely need the job and so I took it, and after I left I concluded that since they said they were covered next week and I probably won't get on for another week and a half that I should still apply at jobs and see if anyone gets back with me. Because there could be a better job then just subbing, since that isn't an everyday thing, so I'll wait and see and if anything better does come up then I'll just tell them that I changed my mind because I got a better job.

Anyways I would try to get with Intermountain Staffing tomorrow but I got a message on facebook from a friend saying that she's going to the Ogden temple tomorrow morning so I'm going to go with her. Maybe it's a bad idea since I do need money at the moment, but possibly I'll get some new ideas as to where to apply when I'm there...never know! And she sounds like she wants to apply at the census job, and we have to do it in Ogden so we might stop by there too.

Back in Logan...

I really wish that I didn't have to be in Logan looking for a job, because it's the usual Logan and not very many decent jobs. I applied for this 2010 census job in North Logan, but from what I hear it's one of those jobs were they only take people who know spanish. Sigh...I really need to learn spanish and I really wish that I'd taken more spanish in college and such. But other then that I've been applying, and applying, and applying...all during Christmas break I was and only heard back from about 4 of the 30 places I applied for. So I'm going to go to intermountain staffing and sos today, along with job service and the school district. At least I'll be able to get temporary work at either sos or intermountain staffing, so that I'll at least not be bankrupt. It's pretty sad that it's still this bad even after graduating, but that's the problem with not doing a specific major like engineering or el ed. But I couldn't have got a elementary teaching job with staying only one semester. I will keep applying of course, but I may end up doing factory work if I can only get with intermountain staffing or substituting with the school district. Anyways, I am going to institute now and then I'm going to go and do all that along with checking at some of the book stores. Yuck, yuck, yuck...job hunting is so annoying...bla!

Today happenings...

I found out last week that the Logan temple is closed until January 27, due to cleaning and such. So I had decided that I should go like today to the Vernal temple, before going back to Logan in the next few days due to Logan Temple being closed. Well, it was the strangest thing but this morning I woke up and for some odd reason I was extremely grumpy. It was wierd because I'm generally not the grumpy type, but I was really grumpy. So then my mom asked me if I was still going to go to the temple? And I was so grumpy that I didn't even want to go anymore, but then I started thinking about it and realized that it was probably Satan trying to stop me from going or something. So I quickly changed my mind and went anyways and I have to say that this day and turned out much better then it would have if it had stayed the same way it was this morning. So I'm glad that I didn't let myself stay grumpy all day long and all...!

I'm really happy because I found my friend Kelsey's missionary blog and so her family put's all her letters on it for everyone to read. Of course I've been really nervous about the whole mission thing, since I'm really not the missionary kind. And I've never in my life had a teaching calling or anything like that, so it's rather strange that I'm even going. But since I've found her blog and started reading her letters I've become less scared about going...although I'm still nervous. But that probably won't totally leave until I'm actually out there. Well, I changed dates a little and it's offically May 3, 2010 that I put as the available date. So my papers will be turned in on February 3, 2010...so a little under a month from now!

Just hopefully all goes well with getting a job once I get back to Logan in a few days...!!