3 weeks

I've got three weeks.

It's going by really fast.

And I'm sorry I've been slacking with posting, but man, getting ready for a mission is hard stuff

When it's time to mission shop, I just gotta be a big girl and do it. 

But it's definitely a horror. So ladies, just prepare yourself for the emotional trauma. 

And maybe a few tears in the dressing room.

But I just gotta tell myself that it'll all be worth it. Cause it will. In 3 weeks. I'll be Hermana Wood

And that's a fact jack!

It's ok

It's ok to miss the one who would sing with you in the car

It's ok to listen to Mumford and Sons over and over again

It's ok to kill the car 15 billion times while learning stick shift.

It's totally ok to drive to Provo to get some delicious BYU Creamery and wait in line for 30 min

It's ok to anxiously wait for the postman to drop off his letters

And it's definitely ok to want your sweetheart to share in these adventures

But it's also ok to know who you are without him

Sister Missionary Shopping

Alright, let's face it. Elders have it SUPER easy shopping for their missions. 10 white shirts, a couple slacks and lots of ties. Boom. Done.

But ladies, we've got our work cut out for us. And I'm just gonna state it right here. I AM NOT A FAN OF THE PIONEER MISSIONARY LOOK. I am so grateful that the church tweaked their standards on what sister missionaries can wear!! More color, more variety and more classy. But, unlike our fellow brethren, we have to mix and match and coordinate and watch skirt length and material and care, etc etc. Sounds hard, huh? Well, fear no more. I've compiled a couple of different places to look for clothes and shoes. {Mostly shoes because that's what I'm REALLY concerned about}

For months I've been on the prowl for sister missionary clothes so hopefully this helps you girls out!

Tip: DO NOT buy anything until you receive your call! This was so hard for me to resist cause I saw soo many cute tops/skirts/dresses all over Pinterest that I tried to rationalize buying, but I never did. And I'm so glad I didn't because wool dresses would not have been kind to me in Mexico. 

Let's start from the top down, shall we?

H&M shirts here

H&M is perfect for basic tops and shirts! And honestly, their prices are pretty killer! You're gonna need some basics for those good ol' 18 months. 

ModCloth here

ModCloth is a little bit of a hit-or-miss. Either they have adorable shirts or what they pulled out of grandma's closet. But if you keep your eyes open, you can find some pretty cute things! Also, watch the reviews and the laundry care cause if it says "Machine Wash cold" and you're going to the middle of the Rainforest, chances are you ain't gettin your hands on a washing machine. So just be aware.

ASOS here

ASOS has soo many adorable skirts and if you watch closely, some of their prices will go down. But this is the best company that I've seen that does below-the-knee skirts without gearing it towards LDS women. Also, free shipping! Who doesn't love that?

  

ModCloth here

ModCloth has some very cute items, but they are a little pricier. That seems to be the norm with skirts, though. But remember to watch the length! For some reason, ModCloth has more short skirts than long. So look at the measurements and then MEASURE YOURSELF. Don't guess!!

Eshakti here

Ok so Eshakti is my favorite BY FAR. Wanna know why? Two words: Custom Tailoring. Yeah, you heard it right, ladies. You can choose the length of your skirt! And there's also a place to put your personal measurements so it'll fit swimmingly. Worth every penny. And their returns are fantastic as well!

Alright ladies, here comes the heart to heart. I am a big advocate for NO clunky trunky sister missionary shoes! Please show your support by avoiding these!

There are other options that are just as comfortable and durable!! And much cuter!! Don't fall into the "I'm so frustrated at trying to find cute shoes, I'm just gonna buy these!" NO! no no no! You might as well strap bricks to your feet! So please, just hang in there! I've got options for ya! {But remember, cheap price: cheap shoe}

Women's Avesso here

Reviews are great for this shoe! What you really want to look for is durability, versatility and comfort. This shoe has it all!

Women's Captiva Strap Waterproof boot here

Women's Born Julianne here

This lovely flat comes in 10 different colors and the reviews are very positive. This shoe is comfortable enough for lots and lots of walking! And of course it's cute.

So that's all I have so far! Leave comments below if you have any questions or if you've found anything! Also, check out my Pinterest board for more missionary ideas!

Missionary Girlfriend

I never never NEVER thought I would be a missionary girlfriend.

Honestly.

If you asked me 3 years ago, "Would you ever wait for a guy for 2 years?" I'd probably laugh and keep laughing.

I was somewhat cynical back then.

But here I am, I've joined a very special group of girls known as "Missionary Girlfriends". And honestly, my respect for people like Hailey Devine, Eden Lee and Skylar Hunt (my step cousin) {who were missionary girlfriends} has sky-rocketed. Because this is HARD.

It's hard waiting a whole week to hear from your sweetheart, IF he has enough time to write you. It's hard not being able to reach out and hold his hand or put your head on his shoulder or feeling his hugs that only he can give. It's hard not hearing his voice or talking to him. And honestly, it's hard keeping a relationship going when ALL you have is letters and pictures.

But I've never been more proud or satisfied than being a missionary girlfriend, especially Dex's missionary girlfriend :)
Because as much pain and sorrow that I've felt with Dex being gone, I've felt equal amounts of joy and excitement. He's on a mission! He's really there in DC!
It was not easy getting to this point in our lives, which is a whole other story, but it has been so worth it!

This is such a learning experience for me and it's been really hard. But I couldn't be more happy than where we are in our lives right now.

Later I'll probably post tips about being a missionary girlfriend, because there are things I've learned that I think would help the entire ARMY of missionary girlfriends out there, but I'm still learning. So we'll hold off on those for a while.

The future is exciting, isn't it?
Especially when you watch this. :)

There are the hard days

Well, it's been 11 days since I sent my sweetheart off on a mission, but who's counting?

It's been hard, but at the same time I've found strength to carry on. I think because I expected it to be hard it hasn't been too hard to handle. But the hours after he left I sobbed and sobbed. At 11 o'clock at night I cried to my mom {bless her heart} and sat on the kitchen floor. I missed him already. It seemed he had become imaginary, a ghost or a figment of something I dreamed. He didn't feel tangible or attainable. He was gone. And I was still here.

All these doubts started to surface, like "Could we make it two years? What kind of people will we be? Will we still love each other? Will he forget about me? Will I forget about him?"

But soon after I received a letter from an Elder Armstrong and my heart leaped. I couldn't read that letter fast enough. He still loved me! He told me about all the adventures he had had thus far and how exhausted he was. My love and admiration grew ten times after reading that letter. And it continues to grow every time I see a letter addressed to me and I read his scribbly handwriting.

It was amazing and comforting to see how many people have reached out to me this past week, giving me words of encouragement and advice on how to weather the next two years without my partner in crime. It's really helped and made me feel peaceful.

I've come to accept that there will come certain times where I'll want to tell Dex about a nightmare I had, or ask him certain questions, or share something with him that'll make him laugh, but he won't be there. Instead of him being a text message away or a few blocks down the road, he's now a letter away and hundreds of miles from me.

But I'm so excited for the adventures to come! I'm excited for him to get to DC {this Wednesday} and for me to start my mission! Life is exciting and wonderful! These next few years are going to be the most memorable moments of my life and I'm excited for them!

Good-byes and tear stains

 

I said goodbye to the best human being I've ever met. He's challenged me every day, he's comforted me, he's wiped away my tears and he's been there to laugh at the weird things I do.

Last night he was set apart as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After he's set apart, he's to abide by the missionary rules {no being alone with the opposite sex, no inappropriate physical contact with the opposite sex, etc} So as we walked out to my car to go to the Stake President, we were both sobbing. We stood next to my car and kissed through our tears. Here was this strong boy, one who never cries, and he was sobbing because he knew we would be apart for 2 years.

Quietly, he took my face in his hands and said, "This will be our last kiss, ok?"

LOST IT.

I was crying but I tried to pull myself together as we entered the Stake President's office.
As soon as that responsibility as a missionary was put upon Dex, I felt a great peace. I knew the future would be as bright as my faith. I felt peace that Dex would be okay and these experiences that we're gonna go through together will only strengthen our relationship.

There are going to be really hard days and then there will be days where I can make it through. Take the good with the bad. I can do this.

It's not goodbye, it's see you later.

The temple

Saturday I went through the temple for the first time.

For those of you who don't know, a temple is a building that LDS members revere as very sacred and it's a building where we do special work for relatives that have passed away. There are promises we make in the temple between God and ourselves and it's a very special day when you're able to enter for the first time. You have to be worthy enough to go in, and meet certain moral requirements.

For 19 years I've been taught about the temple and looked at it with wide, wondering eyes. What would it be like inside? Would I feel peaceful? Would I feel beautiful?

As I slipped on my temple dress, I felt pure and wonderful. I was dressed in white and I felt like I floated from room to room.

It was everything I thought it would be and so much more. I know that temples are sacred and beautiful to Heavenly Father. By being inside, we're able to hear Heavenly Father's voice more clearly.

It was such an amazing day

Everything in a rush

Whew. It's been crazy since getting my call.

There's lots I have to do and it's all whizzing past! Passports, visa, acceptance letter, temple recommend, and shopping.
Please keep my passport in your prayers because I'm having a mini heart attack. See, I can't get my visa {which let's me legally stay in Mexico} without my passport. And I'm hoping my passport get's back to me with the speed of light, because we waited a bit too long to send it in. These past couple of weeks have been so crazy!

Dex has only got 22 days left. And I can kinda feel the panic setting in. What will I do without my best friend for two years? He's the only one I can talk to, cry pathetically and kiss, all within a 30 minute time span. I mean come on, he's a keeper.
The next three months is what's gonna be the hardest, I think. Because he's gonna be SUPER busy all day every day, taking his mind off everything but the work he's doing {which is good. That's exactly how it should be} but selfishly I can't help but wonder about me. Will I have enough to do to keep me busy? Or will I be curled up in a burrito of sadness, listening to "All I Want" by Kodaline?

But last weekend Dex and I did something we've looked forward to this whole summer. We went to see fun.! And let me tell ya, it was fun {heh heh}. We stood by a mom and her two girls and we struck up a conversation. The girls were 16 and 13 I'm guessing. It was fun to tell her and her girls that this wonderful human standing next to me was serving a mission in just a few weeks, but that I was also serving in a few months! I could just see the lights in those girls' eyes light up. I was so proud of Dex and so happy to stand next to him that night as he told those girls how excited he was. And I felt like I gave those girls maybe a glimpse of what their future might be like.

As the music started and the lights dimmed I couldn't help but scream. I've loved Nate Ruess {the lead singer} since the 4th grade, when he was The Format. His voice is just...ah. So beautiful. Dex wrapped his arms around me and we sang our favorite songs and fist pumped and cat called til our voices hurt.

I love that kid. And just a warning, I can already tell the closer we get to Dex's departure date, the more mushy I'm gonna get.

Called to Serve

My life has been changed completely. I feel a tidal wave of emotions at this point.

I, Kellie Ann Wood, have been called by the most powerful being in this universe to serve as a messenger to the people of Mexico Hermosillo. I will be spreading this glorious and wonderful gospel in Spanish.
I leave for this spectacular journey Dec 18.

Yesterday was a whirlwind of emotions. I sat at work in the morning, so anxious to go home. I was so excited to have my friends and family around me, who have gotten me where I am today, to hear where I'll be for 18 months.

As soon as I saw my passport and visa application {which you'll see in the video} my heart jumped into my throat, hence why my voice sounds so terribly shaky in the video.
As soon as I ripped that envelope open, I got tunnel vision. Everything disappeared, it was only me and the Lord. My heart surged and my eyes watered as I read where my home would be for the next 18 months. Hermosillo. The spirit rushed into me and I felt this was where the Lord needed me. I had waited four months to know. And now I knew.

This church is true. I'm going to be a missionary. Me, Kellie.

And now for your viewing pleasure :)

Assignment Made

My call has been assigned
The Lord is strengthening me.
To say I'm completely and totally ecstatic is a wee bit of an understatement.

I'M GOING ON A MISSION!!!

Right now, I feel lighter than air and it seems really surreal.

I'm going to be a missionary. I'm going somewhere to preach something I've known all my life. 

This can't be real. I'm so excited!

Curl Up

My call hasn't been assigned.
The Lord is testing me.
To say I'm sad is a wee bit of an understatement.
But I woke up today and saw one of my favorite quotes written on my chalkboard wall {yes. I have a whole chalkboard wall, it's my favorite}
"Be true to the faith you do have." -Elder Holland. It really lifted my spirits.

But it's still a little sad.

Excuse me while I go curl up in my sweats with a mug of tea.

Endless Waiting

Right now, I'm just waiting and waiting and...waiting for that amazing call to be assigned to me.

And wow. I'm really getting a lesson in patience.

I just want it to come! It's agonizing! Every day that crawls by feels like a month.

And what's even more obnoxious is that I keep having dreams of opening my call and right as I'm about to read where I'll be serving, I wake up. I mean, COME ON.

And then I start getting worried that maybe it's been lost amongst the THOUSANDS of other missionaries having their calls assigned.


I'm just like

please.

I'm sure next Wednesday and Thursday I will be watching my mailbox like a hawk. Cause it's gotta come next week. It just has to. I can't take ANOTHER week of waiting.

And this is how I'll act when I see the mailman

heaven forbid it get's lost in the mail.

The future is bright

It seems really surreal that I'll be going on a mission.

And pretty scary. I'm still working on my papers but hopefully it won't be too long until they're submitted.

Thinking of putting a badge over my heart and a Book of Mormon in my hand fills me with excitement. Teaching people about Jesus Christ and the plan of salvation makes me really overwhelmed but completely giddy.

I'll be a missionary! I'll stand in the place of the Savior, teaching His children about the wonderful plan that He created because He loves us infinitely. He didn't leave us alone in this life to just wander around. We have a purpose and a mission on this earth. He knows us personally and intimately, He knows our quirky habits and how often we make mistakes and how hard we try.

I can't wait to be a missionary!

  

His Story

So, it's been a loooong time since my last blog post and I have to admit, being graduated feels awfully nice.

No school, no homework, no lockers, no dumb teachers! This is the life.

But some of you, (*ahem, my lovely Instagram followers) are probably tired of the mushiness and sappiness that is my feed. Well, I do apologize. I promised myself that when I came out "officially" with my relationship with Dex that I wouldn't be one of those annoying couples that posts ALL. THE. TIME about how "soups adorbs" their relationship is and "OMGEEE he is the sweetest!!"

And what ends up happening?

All dis bidness...

and dis

And muuuuuch more.

The evidence is on my Instagram. All over it.

I looked at my feed yesterday aaaand sadly enough, I've become the monster I hoped to never unleash.

But, it's reeeaaaly hard not to when your best friend, (who's also your heart's duet) is flippin awesome as all get out. I mean, really. He makes it pretty darn hard NOT to brag about his flippin awesomeness (albeit awkward moments)

And I've realized that it might never stop....

It might slow down a little but honestly, let me let you in on a secret

I HAVE NO LIFE OUTSIDE THIS KID.

sad, but true. And it's something I'm trying to change, branch out a little, have a girl's night with Alexis, spend time with the sister. GET SOME ESTROGEN. You know you spend tooooo much time with your significant other when he claps and celebrates you having a girl's night. talk about down-right sad on my part!

Progress, though. Progress is key.

Anyways, after that huuuge rambling. We'll move on to the main part of this post.

Dex's story :) as promised :)

Without further ado, I present to you the sweetest most patient guy a girl, as wacko as me, could ask for.

I guess it all began when we had a "temple month" activity at Kiwanis Park for mutual in October, 2011. I sat down with Jake Richards as we got ready to listen to Hogan Walker, who was going to introduce the Temple Month topic. On one side of me, Jake sat, and on the other was a female, though at the time I hadn't cared about who she actually was, because I thought I didn't know or recognize her. I would whisper to Jake every now and then, not paying much attention. About half way through, I got uncomfortable and I sat on the cement floor. This girl, who I had been sitting next to for the last 30 minutes, said something, and at first, I didn't really recognize that she was talking to me. My brain took half a second to actually comprehend what she had said, "You know, you are probably going to freeze your bum off by sitting there."

That statement caught me off guard, for a few reasons. One, I'm not the guy who most girls just go up and talk to (I like to say that I'm reserved). And two, I absolutely loved how she put it. (Dont ask me why, it just sounded awesome!). I responded as I turned to face her, "I have a lot of fat on my butt, so I'm not too worried." Or at least that's what I tried to say. I bet it came out more as, "I have a lot of fat on my butt, so... OH.....". I saw that the girl talking to me looked familiar, and yet, was quite beautiful. I decided then and there that I wanted her to like me, like I liked her. We had a bit more small chat here and there until the meeting concluded. But most of the time, I was watching her. As I checked her out, I grew to like her more. It was time to leave, and I already couldn't wait to see her again. Later that week, I figured out who she was, because I finally remembered that she had come to night games once. 

Her name was Kellie Ann Wood. 

 Alright, so forewarning... I may have been a bit forward about my flirting. Or at least, at one point. You see, I got her number, and I would text her a lot. I would send a paragraph or two in texts, while getting one to five words in response. So finally after about two or three months, I was a boiling kettle, and I blew my top. I couldn't contain how I felt, so I boldly went about texting her how I felt. And when I say boldly, it probably sounded like: "Kellie, I know that you probably won't want to hear or read this, so I'm just getting it out there. I love you. I've loved you for awhile now, and that's why I've texted you so much. I've put hints out there, and I don't know if you aren't seeing them or if you are ignoring them. I also know that you probably won't want to talk to me, especially after this message, but I'm just frustrated that we can't be straight with one another."

She stopped responding to me. And I got utterly disappointed at myself for ruining the communication we had, albeit small conversation. 

Finally, I got the crazy idea to ask her to Prom. I thought she would say no, but surprisingly she gave this guy a chance. I guess once you get to know me, I'm not half bad, because she fell in love.

There you go :)

The rest is kinda history. But in the beginning I was really cold and unfeeling towards him, but after seeing him at prom, my feelings did a 180. I fell in love with him.

Be prepared this summer to hear all about my adventures with this kid before he leaves for his mission. I'm really gonna miss him.

{And if ya'll can't handle the mushy gushiness, I understand}

A little confession

So, I don't think it's a big surprise that I'm in love.

You can see it here, here aaaand definitely here.

Last summer was definitely a summer to remember because I fell in love with this kid right here

So I'm officially coming out and saying that I'm in love with Dexton Armstrong. Shocker huh?

Some of you may be saying "pfft. Kellie, this is old news. I already knew this. You didn't hide it very well." well alrighty then! You can just move along and go about your way :)

But to those of you saying, "huh?" well, let me explain.

{And before we proceed, let me just say that yes, I realize that I'm 18. Yes, I'm young and haven't seen much of the world. And yes, I've continued to date other guys throughout the year, and I've had so much fun getting to know different personalities. But even after all that I'm still prepared to hear people's opinions of how I don't know anything or how steady dating causes heartbreak. So let's proceed!}

It all started with getting my heart broken a few years back and being afraid I would make the same mistake of choosing someone who was completely wrong for me. I was afraid to open up {I think we all go through that at one point or another} So I completely detested Dex for really no reason at all, except for the fact that he had a crush on me. But, we kinda both agree he went about wooing me a little backwards {and that's a different story, which, with Dex's permission, I'll tell later haha!} but basically I was cold to him and didn't want anything to do with him. 

Fast forward when this amazing boy had the courage to ask me to prom my junior year, despite me being cold and short with him, he still decided to ask me to the most expensive dance of the year. Later, he told me that he was so nervous the day before prom. He had tried to plan the perfect date possible because he was sure that was going to be the only date he had with me {sad. Way to go Kellie}

So I accepted, much to my uncertainty. I thought it was going to be a disaster. But I put on a happy face and went along with it, cautiously. But to my surprise, I had a great time. Dex made me feel like a princess and it wasn't awkward. At all. So that's when my opinion started to slowly change towards him. 

And throughout last summer I fell more and more in love with him, finding things I loved about him and he really helped me heal my emotional scars. He's always been so encouraging and very very VERY patient with me. 'Cause I'm kinda a lot to handle {no surprise there.}

So why have I suddenly admitted my love for Dex now?

Because I'm moving into a new chapter of my life. Hello, I'm graduating! And I want to share all the adventures I have, and Dex is my best friend and also my sweetheart, so I just want everyone caught up. {And maybe brag a little bit how flippin awesome he is}

 So, you always hope that the love will continue to grow and everything will go smoothly. I'd be lying if I said everything was perfect between Dex and me. I get mad and annoyed at him. And he get's bugged. But we work through them and try to improve. I believe that instead of walking away and calling it quits in a relationship {unless it's a really bad situation and you're not happy} is a cop out. And I understand relationships end for all different reasons and if you feel it necessary to leave, then leave. But I believe when two people want to work through it and improve themselves selflessly for each other, then I feel it's worth it to stay. But to each their own :) {Sorry if it sounds like I'm preaching, I'm just trying to explain myself a little better}

This year has definitely been a big learning experience and has tested my limits but it's always been nice knowing that I have a best friend who's willing to hug me and listen while I cry, even wiping my tears. Dex is truly the kindest person I know.

{oh my golly! Kissing?!}

{Then and now.}

And if things don't work out between us, then I'm not gonna lie, I will be super heartbroken. But I'll pick up the pieces and continue on the best I can. This life is for learning and I will have certainly learned a lot about myself.

But I love Dex.

And that's that.

{Editor's Note: Refer HERE to my plans regarding my future}

The Kindness of Strangers

As I was sitting in my little booth at work, listening to the rain pitt-patter outside and perusing Pinterest, a lady approached my window and I could see she was wearing the Thanksgiving Point logo.

She was a little winded but she introduced herself and she asked for my name. She was from the Education department.

She explained that there was going to be a class going on down in one of the classrooms.

So a few minutes later she came back with two containers in her hand, one stacked on top of another, and asked me if I had a key for the big classroom.

I replied that I didn't, sadly. Then she asked,

"Have you had lunch yet?"

And I was a little taken aback but I replied that no, I hadn't. So she was like, "here," and handed me one of the containers. She explained that it was chili from the deli and then saw that I didn't have any spoons so she ran back and got me a spoon! 

How nice was that??

So I enjoyed my little bowl of chili whilst listening to the drizzle outside, thinking how nice that lady was.

It was very cozy.

Pinterestingly Enough #5

Oh I know you missed this! But you might see a different pattern with this bunch. Let's see if you can tell :)

If the last pin didn't give it away, I don't know what will :)