letter???

soooooo adams been in the mtc for what 21 22 days now? and i havent gotten a letter yet. ive sent 2 and im sending my third tomorrow...should i be freaking out yet?!

Uhhhh?

I've been thinking a lot about my waiting experience lately (even though I should totally be thinking about finals and packing). I'm almost done, Zack is almost home. This is my last semester without him and it ends next week. After I drive home on the 10th I'll have 2 months and 6 days left without him, that's like 67 days.

No one and nothing could have prepared me for the feelings I've been feeling as of late and you all will probably think I'm crazy.

I'm TERRIFIED. I'm not ready.

It's been so long since I've been around him, I'm a totally different person then who he left, and I'm sure he's a totally different person too. We haven't been writing at all since the beginning of March, which has been hard for me, but he told me to trust him, so I am. We'll talk again when he gets home, it was just too distracting for us and I'm sure he's just as scared as I am for him to be coming home. What if things don't work out? I know that means that they weren't supposed to and everything happens for a reason and what not and I still won't regret my decision to wait, but still...it's scary thinking all this time I've invested in our relationship (2 1/2 years before he left and now the 2 years he's been on a mission) went to waste. (not to waste, but you know what I mean.)

I daydream a lot about what our reunion will be like, I have nightmares that he'll surprise me, show up at my door a week earlier than expected and I'll be in my pajamas with bedhead and THAT is how he gets to see me again for the first time in two years...not the way I want to be seen, that's for sure. But that would be my luck. He told me the day he'd be home, but after a lot of convincing. Before he left he always said he wouldn't tell me when he was coming home so he could surprise me, and he kept that up for awhile after he found out when he'd be home...and then he told me, but I don't believe him haha.

I wish I could come to an MG night before I head home for the next 5 months, but I don't think it's going to be likely...maybe when I get back in the fall I'll come to one, even though I'll have graduated...I'll keep you girls updated after he gets home, if any one is interested.

long overdue.

Well, I'm running out of battery life on my laptop and time to write, but thought I should today.

I will have to tell our full story (if I haven't already) on some other day, but today, I wanted to just write my thoughts on missionary work --

This past week, my cousin (well, 2nd cousin 1ce removed) came to visit from Salt Lake, where she works as the Director of Church Library Services at the LDS Church History Library. As we talked, we talked about our family history (mainly coming on my mom's side). Having these message drummed in my ears all weekend, 24/7 was not at all bothersome to me, but more of an inspirational weekend to help me get on my way, off my butt and moving on my personal history history collection as well as doing as much as I can before I add on another family when I get married. Then it all clicked. I, too, am doing missionary work! I am being a missionary to my family and to those on the other side as I read about them and honor them. And, Ryan, my missionary, is serving the Lord here to help those understand what the truthfulness of the Gospel is really all about! How neat is that?! I guess I thought it was common sense until the lightbulb clicked!

Anyways, I just thought I'd share that little mind blurb.

Oh well hello ONE YEAR MARK, you came a lot faster than I expected.

        I think the title says it all! Elder Avellar hit his one year mark this last week, on the 24th of March and I just cannot believe it. I literally have been in shock! Haha. He told us a few months ago that he would be taking the later transfer home so he won't be home until May 7th (which peeves me that I have to wait another 6 weeks on top of the 24 months I've been waiting.. But that should make it easy right?) so I had mixed feelings about whether or not I should celebrate his one year. I decided against it but I definitely acknowledged it! I'm making him a CD with just me talking on it, sortof like a tape recorder but I don't have the money to buy two of them so I'll just make him a CD for his CD player and he can listen to it :) haha. Hopefully that'll be done by his REAL 1 year mark in May and then I can send him a 'One Year' package. He is changing so much, I love it.. He's growing and I'm growing and I just love the progress that we both are making. His letters are so encouraging because I know that when he comes home, we are going to be so much better, so much different than we were before. I could have married him before he left, I really could have. But I'm so, so glad that he decided to serve. It has made such a difference in the both of us and I would not have changed anything about this last year if I had the chance.

Celebrating the MP's wife's bday (Austin's 1 year mark too) at the HR Cafe in Malaga

          I haven't introduced us yet on this blog so I guess I should do that huh? Well, my name is Linsey Huffman, I'm from northern California in a little place called Lodi, it's about 40 minutes south of the capital city of Sacramento. I'm here at BYUI doing my foundations but I'm wanting to do the nursing program so I'm doing prereqs for that too. This winter 2011 semester is my first semester here but I'm a sophomore. I took a year of classes at a community college back home before I came here.

          My sophomore year in high school, Elder Austin Avellar moved from Sacramento to Lodi to finish out his senior year. He grew up in Lodi (where I'm from) but moved back and forth between his divorced parents houses but has since lived with his mom after his senior year. At the time of our meeting I was immediately attracted to him but I was dating another guy, bad bad bad story. That guy was not a very good guy, not a member, no job, didn't graduate,  definitely not someone you want to spend your life with, not sure what I was thinking. Anyways, my junior year I ended it with that guy and Austin and I became really good friends. I was sortof lost and not sure of my place in the church at that time.. Austin brought me back to the light and helped me to realize the importance of a real relationship with the Father. Immediately after I dumped my ex, I remember saying to my friend that I was going to marry Austin. I hadn't even dated him at that point but I just knew that we would be together!

          Two months later, (this was December 2008, my senior year) we started dating. About a month into our dating, I remember us just sitting in my car at a lake in my hometown, it was dark but we were just talking about whatever as on our minds. I remember just looking over at him on the other side of the car and my heart was just impressed with 'He's the one.' Three months after that we knew we wanted to be married..
          The impression I received about Austin in the car that night is spoken of in my patriarchal blessing and I know that the Lord was telling me who my companion was, in that moment. We pretended we were engaged everywhere we went, we went to jewelry stores and tried on rings just for fun. We bought matching wedding bands that have a quote on them that says, "To thine own self be true," it's a Shakespeare quote. Neither of us are into Shakespeare but it's a good message nonetheless -- he had the inside of mine engraved with "Give me two years.." -- symbolizing my wait for him during his mission. We dated for a 15 months before he left on his mission in March 2010 for the Spain Malaga Mission.

          I am waiting for him loyally and am not dating.. Not just because I love him and I know I want to marry him, but because it just doesn't feel right. The Lord has told me that he is the one and I don't see why I should submit myself to dates with other guys when both of us would be miserable during the date.. Austin is so good to me and I am so grateful for all that he is. He is such a great example to me and I love him with all my heart. I can't wait to marry him. :) Well, that's our story! I left out a wholeeee lot of details but for the most part that's us! haha.

Frustrating Elders in Pendleton (where I live)

The missionaries live just down the street from me and our mail boxes are right next to each other. When we have a letter going out we have to put up a flag so the mailman will take it. I go by the flags to see if the mail has come. Anyway one day the mail had come and they went out later and put the flag up. I didn't know that the ma...il had come so I continued to wait. I finally decided to just go out and check. Well the mail had come. Anyway tonight at FHE I was talking to them and told them to not put the flag up if the mail had already come. They asked why I got so excited for the mail I wasn't a missionary. I said yeah but I have a missionary and they were like distracting from the work, distracting from the work. I was so close to saying jealous. I'm slightly hurt though. I know I'm not distracting but it hurts when people who don't know me or missionary well judge us. Sorry this was so long.

rexburg mgs e-letter!

hey girls,

if you haven't already looked at the mg facebook/discussion page, there's a neat little discussion just for you! i'll paste it here:

Please, only respond if you are a REXBURG MG.

Megan (Christensen) and I are putting together an email "list"/newsletter that we'll send out weekly for you guys. We want to make sure we can keep in touch and know where girls are and get together MORE often.

If you are interested, email: rexburgmgs@gmail.com

In the subject line, put your name.

In the message, add the following:

-Your mish's name, where he is serving, and his estimated return date

- Where you are living in this next semester (Spring)

- What you are studying

- Your birthday

- Anything else you want to know! :)

We hope you join us soon!

Oh dang...

As of midnight tonight I will get to say goodbye to the 700's and 600's. Hello 599! It feels weird that he's already been gone that long but at the same time I feel like he has been gone for forever. I just miss him so much and some days I just want him home.

One of his really close friends and I have started hanging out a lot and we're becoming pretty close. Every time we're together Dallin always comes up in the conversation. I, like every MG, love talking about him. It makes me happy but sometimes where our conversations lead scare me. Most of the time they lead to talking about him coming home. We are the "wait and see what happens" couple and sometimes I hate the fact that I have to wait 2 years to know if he's in my future or not. His friend keeps telling me that I shouldn't be worried if it's awkward when he first comes home which I know is to be expected but he also keeps telling me that he's so worried about pleasing everyone that he doesn't know how to keep who is more important in his life straight and spending more time with them. That really scares me that when he comes home he's not going keep me his priority. I know he loves me but I'm scared he doesn't love me enough. There's so many other things his friend has been telling me that are worrying me. He is in no way trying to discourage me from waiting but I can't help but question whether or not I made the right decision in waiting for him. I'm so in love but yet so scared and I don't know what to do...

99.

99 days LEFT.

Holy cow...I remember when I was saying he had been OUT 99 days, now I have 3 months and 1 week left until he comes home again. I'm pretty excited/scared/nervous etc. I just can't wait to see him again, but at the same time that thought terrifies me...it's been so long!

HE'S GONE!!!

Hey It's Megan! Ahhhh! I am soooooo excited today :))) Adam is finally gone! He reported to the MTC this morning. (It's weird to think he's actually there right now! haha) 2.5 months down! Only 24 more to go :) Now I really get to start my countdown...I'm so excited for him!!! These are going to be the best 2 years of our lives. Here we go! Let the countdown begin...

one week!!!

finally! he leaves in one week from today! ive made it through 2.5 months :) only 24 more to go now! im so excited for him! and now i finally get a pen pal. ive always wanted one. ahhhhh! anyways, thats all.