RM status.

It's been six weeks since I got home, but I still think about the mission about mmm 888 times a day. 

I'm obsessed. I understand the obsession. I used to think RMs were so weird for constantly bringing up their missions or having mission flags posted to their apartment walls, or having a supply to last a lifetime of T-shirts from faraway places. 

I'm not necessarily a flag person, but T-shirts I like. 

I love that I still have a reading chart from my mission so that I can follow-along with the mission reading of the Book of Mormon.

I love that I get emails from companions and Elderen friends every Monday.

I love that I can call my Mission President and still have "interviews" with him.

I love that I can skype with people I was teaching (Melissa this one's for you! <3)

I love that I served in T.H.E Mission.

I love that I am a returned missionary.

My mission had the tradition of giving out a new collectible stickers every month, there were even some "limited edition". Let me tell you, sometimes getting your hands on these stickers was a quest in and of itself. Some of the missionaries had their stickers plastered to planners or copies of PMG (Preach My Gospel). I still have no idea what to do with them, so they stay in a cute little envelope.

last weekend.

Last weekend(ish) I found myself on a plane with my Mom, brothers, and Daniela (mejor amiga) bound for Salt Lake City, UT. I spent most of my time by Gate #17 in LAX doing 7th grade math homework and spent half of my plane ride explaining how to graph a linear equation. I don't even want to know how many times that plane ride I said the words, "y=mx + b."

We went up for general conference to hear the words of modern day prophets and apostles. There is nothing like being in the conference center surrounded by thousands of people who are united in faith, anxious to hear the word of God.

breathtaking.

The weekend was jam-packed with family functions, and hadn't been that busy in a long time. The early mornings and late nights combined with spiritually draining days reminded me very much of the mission. I was so bummed that I was overbooked with family functions and didn't have the time to see any kind of mission/byu friends. Sorry again to those who called/texted to hang out. Soon I will return to Provo again, soon!

1. I can't even tell you HOW many times on my mission I would dream about these fried greens beans from PF changs. So much so, that they didn't quite live up to their daydream counterparts/ cousin Natalia holding up her sign for tickets.

2. My Tia Maria & I (she's currently on the RS general board)/ sandwiches from The Soup Kitchen guys, it's SO GOOD.

3. Spontaneous mission reunions!

4. Alberta, Daniela & I held up matching "help my sister out" signs/ pie pizzeria!

5. the breathtaking conference center

6. Sharing some laughs with Linda K. Burton at the relief society/yw/primary conference luncheon

reasons to celebrate.

I'll give you one REALLY good reason to celebrate with me...

I got into Law School.

BYU Law.

& That's not all.

I also got into BYU's MPA program!!!

4 more years = 2 really great degrees behind my name.

So maybe I'll be a slave to the textbooks these next four years, maybe my social life will suffer, maybe i'll have more sleepless nights. But, I have something to be proud of. & I figure it's fine to be a little bit braggy on this little corner of the internet universe that I get to call mine.

Along with much in my life, the decision came with suspense. Remember how I had a weird glitch in my Mission Papers that no one could explain, the same thing happened with my Law School App. It actually was turned in late... as in like sometime last week... YIKES! It kind of was out of my control & instead of being stressed about it, I thought, "I've been through this before." 

It was kind of a tender mercy that the application was turned in late. Had it not been turned in late I would have been accepted while I was still serving a mission. Because it was turned in late, I was able to be home to have a skype "get-to-know-you/congratulations" interview with the dean of admissions. & she was also able to personally tell me how impressed they were with my application and that she would pass my name on to professors. Okay, no more being braggy. :]

this feeling.
so good.

Sometimes we have little things to try our faith, but in the end, it all works out the way that it needs to.

To celebrate my Mom & I went out to see the Cesar Chavez movie (SO GOOD! & I'm not just saying that because I'm Mexican) :] I also may or may not be having this song playing on repeat.

& this image conveys EXACTLY how I feel.