Randomocity!!!!

I'm going through the Temple tomorrow! I'm so excited! I went to the temple yesterday and visited my dad then wandered the grounds. Everything is so beautiful and peaceful there. I'm so excited to be able to enjoy that same sweet spirit in the temple.

I also went and took my missionary plaque picture yesterday. It came out pretty good, thanks to my wonderful photographer, Steve Nissle. Seriously, this guy did my family's pictures and all of my brother's mission pictures. I love his style.

My mother will most definitely laugh at me for this part, but I'm putting it anyway. I do not like spiders!!!! They are really just weird and I hate seeing their legs move. Does anyone happen to know if they have any really weird or large spiders in Georgia? I would really like to know BEFORE I get there. I just keep running into spiders with some long legs (but not long enough to be a daddy long legs) and I kept running into them when I lived in Utah, so I'm a little done with spiders. I don't think you can really ever escape them though. Bummer! :/

Oh, so I authorized my dear sweet mother to be an author on this blog so that you can all read my letters and mom doesn't have to get every single person's email address and etc, etc, etc. It's just easier to post it on here and have you guys come and go as you like. I'll try to write so my letters aren't a bore, but I make no promises :)

Delivery Do's and Don'ts

***WARNING!***

This post is mostly a rant. It may be fun or it may be annoying. Read at your own peril! :)

Alright, so I no longer work at Jimmy John's Gourmet Subs. I LOVED working there...usually. You see, I was a delivery driver, which means I would bag up orders, make sure they had everything, and deliver them to people in our area. I learned a ton from this! Thus, my list of bad things and good things to do.

No-nos:

1. Tick-Tock goes the clock...and I'm still here! Please do not keep your driver waiting at a desk for long periods of time. Hint: 2 minutes is long for a delivery driver. If you are getting your cash out or something, just tell them. If you are doing something else, take a minute, get your food, and let them leave. If you expect your food to get there in a timely manner, let your driver make deliveries in a timely manner. That way, everybody might just be happy.
2. The number you have dialed cannot be reached at this time. If you are going to order a delivery, there is a chance your food might have a hard time getting there. The delivery driver may need to call you. Calling you does not help them if you do not answer. It is only annoying and time consuming. Please, I beg you, ANSWER YO PHONE!!!!
3. Grrr, what's up with yo pen?!?!?! Each delivery at Jimmy John's took about 10-20 minutes. That means, when busy, I could take anywhere from 9-18 deliveries in a short shift. If I only work short shifts for a week (something I never did), I could take 54-108 deliveries in a week. That means my pen gets a lot of use everyday. My pen will die at some point and sometimes it may just stop working. Please do not hate on my pen for getting tired and trying to quit on you. Instead, if you pay with a credit card, keeping a pen handy would be great. This is optional, but much encouraged by moi!
4. No Ice please. I would NEVER have thought of this if I had never had this job, but saying no ice in your drink makes driving really crazy. Not because they have to remember to not put ice in. No, it's because a drink without ice is about 10 times more likely to spill all over your driver's lap and everywhere else too. I totally understand why people don't want ice, but saying "EZ ice" will make it so your driver has an easier time and you get your entire drink, since it didn't spill all over their lap, car, hand, etc.

Gold Stars on your forehead:

1. How's it going? Your driver is a person too. They would love to hear a little about you or your day or be asked about their day. JOKES ARE SOOOOOO HELPFUL!!! If you can get a wise crack in, you get extra points and you also deserve a hug. :)
2. Building 13, Ground Floor, North Side. Directions are soooooooo important to a driver. Let them know if you are in a house, apartment building, RV park, or business. Tell them the name of the business, what floor it is on, if you have to use a certain door, what side of the complex it is on, ANYTHING! You know how you give your friends instructions on how to get where you are? Your driver needs the same info sometimes, and if you don't give it, your food may be delayed and they may have to call you. THANK GOODNESS for those who understand to give directions and extra delivery instructions.
3. Keep the Change!   You do not have to give a large tip! All we ask is you try to give any tip. When delivering a 4 dollar sandwich, I do not expect a 5 dollar tip. Give me a couple coins and I'm good! 10-20% is considered polite, so that would be 40-80 cents. See? No biggie.
4. Here's your pen. I love these people! Trying to be as fast as you can leads to forgetting things sometimes. Or sometimes, my pen winds up on the other side of your food. It is really weird when you have to reach across someone just to pick up a pen so the next delivery can sign their receipt. So, applause for those who remember to return my pen! YOU ROCK!!!!

Anyway, these are probably the most important things that I learned from being a driver. I also learned that the Jimmy John's in Provo, Utah is AMAZING! I love the people that work there so much. They are a great group that have a lot of fun and know how to do their jobs. Applause for these amazing people.

Hidden Blessings

Hello Readers!

So many times in our lives, we are faced with challenges and difficulties. We are plagued with doubts, fears, and misunderstandings. However, there are a couple things that will always be true:

1. Someone loves me, you and every single person in the world.

You are never alone. There are always those around us who we do not realize love us and want to be there for us. Look closely for them and they will always be there.

Even without those people, God and Jesus always love us. They are ALWAYS there for us, through thick and thin, our greatest accomplishments, and our most insane moments of stupidity.

2. Our prayers are always heard and always eventually answered.

Our loving Heavenly Father continually listens to our prayers. He knows what is happening in our lives and He wants to help us if we will only ask Him in faith.

God's time table is so very, VERY different from ours. Sometimes we have to wait years for a prayer to be answered. Sometimes it is mere seconds. Sometimes we don't ever realize that our prayers have been answered, but I testify to you that they will always be answered. It is just a matter of waiting for God's time table.

Today was very scary. I thought someone very close to me was going to die. I was worried about how it would affect my going on a mission. I have been praying recently that I would KNOW that my mission call came from my Heavenly Father and that his plan encompasses me serving that mission. As I wondered how my mission might be affected if my loved one did not survive, a wonderful peace came over me. I Know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I have been called to serve in the Georgia Atlanta North Mission for a reason at this time. I don't know what that reason is and I may never know. It is enough for me to know that the Lord is guiding my steps and that I am following His Plan.

Thank you for reading! By the way, I will be giving a talk in church on September 16th. I would love it anyone and/or everyone could make it. It will be at 11am at the church on Brown and 40th Street, just East of Val Vista.

May the Lord bless you all and watch over you continually!

A bad map and some raving

So, here's my mission boundaries...sorta. The green surrounded area is the approximate area. This map looks a little different than the one they sent me in my packet, but I don't have a scanner and I can't find it on the internet, so a more accurate map will follow. 

I sorta go all around Atlanta, but I don't think I actually go in it.

Sooo, some funny facts I have learned about Georgia:

Georgia is about half the size of my home state of Arizona. However, look at the difference between their counties.

15 for Arizona, 159 for Georgia. That's insane! Even when the two states are blown up so they look the same size, you can barely read what the Georgia map says.

You know what I'm really excited about in Georgia, well besides the number one priority of serving the people? THE FOOD!!!! The food in this state is what people consider comfort food or good home cookin'. Fried chicken, pulled pork, cornbread, peaches, pecans, fried green tomatoes, I just want to try it all! I'm glad I feel this way, cause I've never really like grits (what seems to be a staple in the Georgia diet) or peach cobbler (which is supposed to be such a good dessert). I'll try all that I'm offered if I can.

I'M GOING TO GEORGIA!!!!!!!!!

I got my mission call today, and it turns out I'm going to Georgia Atlanta North Mission! I report on September 19th. Sooooooo, the ones who got the mission report date right are...

Corey Smith
Keisha Hansen
Alejandra Ocampo-Hironymous
Rachel Weaver

Congrats Guys!!! And the closest guess...

Nathan Hironymous with North Carolina!

All the Illinois guesses were close, but Nate won. And your prize...

Knowing you won :)

I know, lame. Sorry

I should be posting more about my mission in the next couple weeks, but I'm moving down to Arizona next week, so you might have to wait until after that.

...? Oooooookay...

I have no clue when my papers are coming I guess. Right now, I'm fine with it. The Lord will send me when he wants me to go. Give me like 10 hours and I'll probably start freaking out again. That's when I remind myself that the Lord is taking care of me and that he knows what I need most in my life. He will know when I am supposed to go. He will take care of me. I just have to remind myself of this time and time again. The Lord is ever mindful of us.

So, in the meantime, I ask about others days and try to help others out if I possibly can. "Lose yourself in service" would be awesome right now. I just don't know a ton of places to serve. Wait...indexing! This will be a partial solution. Indexing is a perfect service that you can even do from the comfort of your own home. I always forget about it cause I accidentally took it off my desktop.

Random Thought: In case anybody was wondering where an awesome name like Candace comes from, I'm not quite sure. However, it is referenced in Acts 8:27 "Candace queen of the Ethiopians" That's right, some people can brag that they share names with celebrities, but I share mine with a queen from a powerful kingdom in the Bible. Thank you Mom and Dad for making me feel important :)

On the Road again!

As of Thursday Morning, my psych evaluation has been sent in and my papers are on the move again! I'm guessing I'll get my call on the 18th or 19th of July although there is a chance it could come this week. I'll make sure to post on here when I get it!

I'm so excited1