6 years

I've decided to be a little nostalgic and revisit my first day as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. October 18th, 2006 was a silly day. I was nervous and scared beyond belief. The night before, I had laid on the floor in my bedroom and, being the baby that I was and still am, cried my eyes out. The next morning, we packed up all my garbage in some sort of minivan. Why we were driving a minivan, and where it came from, I have absolutely no idea. We have never owned a minivan. But I remember that it was a minivan. We drove north. We stopped in Fillmore to grab snacks, but all I felt like was a bottle of orange juice. In Provo, we stopped at Brick Oven to eat, but all I felt like was a bowl of soup. Stephen Miller met us there and said goodbye to me.

We went to the MTC. I received a dork dot (hooray!). I have noticed in photographs of that day of how horrible, how ghastly ugly my tie was. We entered some sort of chapel room. I don't remember anything, except singing "called to serve," and then it was time to separate. It seems like most missionaries remember this part well, and have a most difficult time letting go of their family. I did not. "Whaaaa?" you must be saying. "Did you hate your family or something?" On the contrary my friend. But I had to go to the bathroom REALLY REALLY BAD. So I made it quick. Ha ha!

Once past this, I received some sort of shot, and then I met my MTC companion, Elder Scott Riley, whose most notable characteristic, I think, was that he hated me more than pond scum.

Here's some pictures, if you prefer a "picture book" rendition of the day.

The Fillmore Maverik. I got some orange juice. Also, it warms my heart that Google Images has a picture of the Fillmore Maverik. Otherwise, this story would be painfully incomplete.

The Brick Oven in Provo, Utah. I ate a bowl of soup, and saw Steve. Hi Steve!

The MTC in Provo, Utah, which is renowned the world over for containing an endless supply of cereal. Here, I had to go to the bathroom, which made leaving my family less difficult. Also, Elder Riley and I got in a yelling match in the laundry room once (not technically October 18th). There you go. MTC.