can you believe that the crew has gone and wouldn't let me sign on.

{me and my own personal shakespeare.}

dedicated to the boy poet who taught me to rhyme...

one by one

they marched away

with tags and ties and testimonies

leaving me, alone today.

the last one to go left last week

for a place they call perth

but a warning for them to keep in mind

paul's been preparing since birth.

i know paul as a curly haird boy

with a gold medal as fate.

he also can spit a wicked beat

and was my prom date.

but now he is gone

to austrailia  may he roam.

believe me i'll be counting the days

until he and all the rest are safe back home!

good luck paulie!!

i know you will blow the people of perth away

just like you did to the people of taylorsville high school.

now one on the corner has swagger like us.

{pretend i look as good as this guy.}

remember grandpa brice?  i love this kid.  seriously.  at his farewell, i sat by these girls who told me repeatedly that i acted like a "big proud mama" all throughout elder natter's magnificently hilarious talk.  and to tell you the truth...i feel like his "big proud mama" because i could not be more proud of this guy right here.  i was in complete shock when he told us he wanted to serve a mission since he was usually telling me how stupid i am for being dead set on only being interested in marrying {or even dating...like mama always says "you marry who you date"} returned missionaries.  and now look at him.  heading to guatemala and doing so with total swag.  i don't know how possible this is but, bricey, make me, "miss big proud mama paige" even more proud than i already am! 

after 3 months of searching...

{my bfsp and my cousin. or better known as aldste harton and soeur wood.}

...have met at last!

aren't they cool?

bye bye baby.

{elder thomas.}

remember how much i love tv?  still true and to be totally honest, i watch some pretty ridiculous stuff

including but not limited to:

jon and kate plus eight {pre catastrophy}

the biggest loser

the marriage ref

seinfeld

the food network

and the list goes on {for an unhealthy number of hours}

usually i will keep such information, or guilty pleasure more like, to myself so i can maintain my fine tuned reputation.  one day i let something slip.  i was something like, "who cheats on their wife when they have a set of twins and a set of sextuplets?!"  i quickly caught myself and i pretended like i wasn't really a tlc junkie.  but as my slip still clung to the air, justin said "i know right" and the rest of the night was spent discussing shows on tlc.  and yes, we ignored everyone who made fun of a small obsession with the network made for middle aged women.  my justin is as close to the male me as possible.  no wonder i admire him so much.  he can keep up with my seinfeld knowledge.  he is quite but easily one of the funniest silent people i know.  he went to my preschool, junior high, and high school and together we were legends.  and now that legend is headed off to brazil, to share his knowledge, strong testimony, and unbelievably adorable charm. 

 i love you, elder thomas.

p.s. he is the first to pinky promise letters.  what a gem.

23 short moments more.

{my mom did it

england london south style.}

about a year or two ago {or something like that.}

{my sister is doing it

washington dc north style.}

11 months to go!

{my cousin is doing it

paris france style.}

20 months to go!

{my other cousin is doing it

toulouse france style.}

17 months to go!

{this fool is doing it

stokholm sweden style.}

23 months to go!

{continue to} make us proud!

au revior, cousine.

not only is he leaving us today, but my gem of a cousin, Kenzie {or shall we say, sister wood}, is off to her newest adventure. 

{maddy and sister wood.}

destination:  toulouse, france.

lucky girl!  preachin' the word on the coast of france.  good luck to her, her brother currently serving in paris {really.  rough life for that family.  i guess i'd better plan a trip to europe to pick up my family...}, and to her family...especially her little sisters, because i remember how fun dropping your pride and joy off on the curb and leaving them behind.  

i am so grateful for my family and friends choosing to sacrifice 2 years of normal life to serve of Father in Heaven.  i miss them, love them, and pray for their success!  

good luck sister wood!!

i'm living in your letters.

it all started in preschool, where we marched in halloween parades and sunflowers grew in paper cups at the back of the classroom.  but it wasn't until junior year, on the way to third period french, that the bfsp legacy began. that crazy, habitual liar, who is freakishly good at accents and fooling me, my best friend since preschool, is off to his newest adventure.  

destination:  sweden.

imma miss video blogs & gelato runs, downtown treasure hunts & midnight movies, 5 hour phone calls & replacement sister activities, L and G nights & photo shoots.  but i will be busy for the to do list elder harton gave me to accomplish while he is gone...

1. find my fashion staple.{i.e. courtney's red boots}
2. write lots of funny, motivational, and spiritual letters.
3. be able to play and sing {yeah i'm not a singer} an entire Ingrid/Regina song.
4. do something different everyday.
5. keep blogging!

so, elder harton, good luck and be excited because they don't call it the best two years for nothing.  everything is going to be great. sweden!  now let the letter extravaganza begin.  bye bye see you soon!

countdown clock:  24 months.

Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

from babies to elders.

overnight.

{elder tyler and elder lusty (23 more months!).  mtc.}

{continue to}

make me proud boys elders!

auf weidersehen good-bye.

the a.c.t {yeah it still gives me the chills thinking about it too} is a big deal.  right?
i knew that.  i knew that it was a big deal that deserved to be taken seriously. 
did that change anything?  no.
i didn't prepare the way that i should've.
i didn't study good enough. {excuse me...i didn't study well enough}.
i didn't sleep the night before, and this is why...
adventures are a big deal to my high school friends.
our weekend was not complete unless we did something thrilling
like being chased around the slc cemetery by middle aged women
or seeing how long we could sit in a dark, scary tunnel before crying.
{true stories.}
the night before the big test was absolutely no exception.
what was on the agenda, you ask?
driving zeek's dad's somewhat run down car
up a forbidden dirt hill
lined with no trespassing signs.
because my parents raised me right
{and i know that they are almost the only people who are reading this right now}
i urged the group to obey the signs and get away from the forbidden hills.
but they didn't listen.
they didn't listen until the poor white car started smoking then slowly came to a stop,
on top of hill.
next to a "no trespassing or the cops will hunt you down and gut you like a fish" sign.
minutes away from curfew.

"please tell me that is dust and not smoke."said zeek.

but nobody told him, because it was in fact smoke, not dust.

we were stranded.

and i was officially late for curfew the night before the act.

but like always we figured it out, got away, and laughed about it all the way home.

...until the a.c.t. started a mere 4 hours later.

 

{pointing to our boy in mississippi.}

here's what i'm getting at.

zeek.  mr. adventure

has officaially started the biggest adventure of his life yesterday.

and i could not be more proud of him.

jackson, mississppi, take care of my zeeky for me?

 {zeeky and me.}

p.s. yes, as a matter of fact i did 

see zeek's family at brick oven pizza

right after they dropped him off.

and yes i think that they thought we

followed them around all day.

{i swear we didn't!}

he got misty eyes as they said farewell...

 

{spring break.  st geezy.}

i know this kid.

he can rap like crazy

and his car smells like licorice. 

he has a burberry scarf

and he'd wear it on our "adventures".

dalilah is his favorite name

and once we were followed by middle aged women.

i first noticed his black rimmed glasses

and his sweater vests.

we watched scary movies everyday of october once

and we even filmed our own.

the day before my birthday

is the same day he'll leave us for 2 years.

miss you already, elder lusty.

{lucky guatemalans.}

p.s. dani and deja.

you are creepy.

swak.

this is my missionary box.

soon she will be full of letter from all over the world.

washington dc.

brazil.

guatemala.

sweden.

chile.

paris.

switzerland.

even as far away as jackson, mississippi!

what a magical container.

so please...

don't forget to write

or "drop a line"

(as my new scottish friend would say)

elders and sisters

because my box is hungry for more.

p.s. ignore the terribly dirty "white" carpet.

whoever thought white carpet was a good idea

must've also invented skater shoes and black licorice.

one of the many joys of student housing.

i'll go where you want me to go.

i went to my friend's mission farewell today.  the first of many to come.  oh boy it was surreal.  i knew that this was an inevitable day, the day to say goodbye to the boys.
the boys who got me through high school.
the boys who laughed at my jokes that the girls didn't find funny.
the boys who didn't think it was weird to be just friends.
the boys i'd hang around when i couldn't handle hearing another dramatic high school girl story.
the boys who take me to the high school dances when nobody else would.
the boys who were always down for an adventure.
the boys who would ask me for the "girl's point of view".
the boys who are the greatest example to me.
the boys who are my boys.
even though i will miss them.
even though i will have zero friends this summer without them.
even though i will go broke because of all the care packages.
even though i will have to get a typewriter to write all the letters to them on. {true story, i want one!}
even though 2 years is a long time.
i am so proud of them and their decisions to serve our Lord and Savior.
there couldn't be better people to represent my church and my beliefs.
return with honor, boys.  and i'll be here waiting for you all when you get back!