A little advice from yours truly.♥

Alright, so I know I'm no "experienced MG" or anything, but I think 4 months is long enough to throw SOME form of advice out there. Don't worry, this post isn't me giving arrogant advice to waiter-haters; it's me giving sincere advice to anyone who might be in a situation that is like mine or sort of like mine. (Or is just stalking my blog and is wondering how I'm doing. Haha.)

So to start things off, I kind of thought something was wrong with me when Jordan first left. Why? Because I never really had a breakdown. I never understood it, because this emotional strength came from out of nowhere. Yes, I was pretty sad for a while, but I'm just going to come out and say that I think I handled it very well. =P And, despite the sadness, I have been doing better and better every day. SO! Here is my advice to anyone who has a missionary out in the field, who is away from a loved one, is currently in a long-distance relationship, or is just going through something totally new:

Make the most of it.

Seriously. That's it. I guess I should probably elaborate a little here though, right? I'll start by pointing out where my inspiration came from. There's a little quote that I've pretty much started to live by from Elder Wirthlin's talk a few years ago: "Come what may and love it." Here's the video for any of you who have no idea what I'm talking about:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVNYhcYEwIE

See, so many people get so caught up in the destination they want to reach that they miss out on, well, life! Lately I've been trying to push myself out of my own comfort zone to experience new things. And let me just tell you, it's been great so far. I don't even know how to explain this to you, but the past four months have been both the hardest and the greatest months of my life. I've gained so many leadership positions, strengthened relationships, and developed a relationship with my Heavenly Father that I am so grateful for. I guess what I'm trying to say is that even though Jordan is gone for a little while, I've done my best to make the most of it. Life doesn't stop when hard times come.

So! Keep smiling, my friends. Because I will be doing the same. =)

Love, me.♥

No need for sympathy

Any time I tell new people about Jordan (which tends to be quite a bit. Haha oops.), they give me that sympathetic look and apologize. I understand that we won’t be seeing each other for quite some time, but for goodness sake, he didn’t DIE! =P Silly gooses. In all honesty, this experience hasn’t been nearly as hard as I was expecting it to be. I’ve stayed as busy as I can, and time has gone by so quickly already. I mean really. 108 days today! Whaaaat?

 

Haha. Anyway, I came to the conclusion yesterday that this has got to be twice as hard for Jordan, since it’s all new to him. The day he left, I said goodbye to one person. He said goodbye to all his friends, family, and to Utah altogether! So now when I’m sulking on the couch reading some of his letters, I just remind myself that I’ve got it easy, all things considered.

Which is why I recently sent him a package from the heart. It has a letter for any sort of bad day I could think of. Whether he’s feeling a bit discouraged, homesick, or he’s just had a really rough day, there’s a letter for him to open. It seriously took ages to finish, but I think he’ll love them.

AND in other news, I have gotten a letter every week for three weeks. THIS NEVER HAPPENS. I'll try not to get used to it, but there are no complaints here. I'm sure my neighbors think I'm crazy, since I usually skip back into my apartment with a smile on my face any time I have mail. Oh well, life of an MG. Haha.♥

 

A little something most people don't know.

I’m not one of those Mormon girls who always dreamed of getting sealed in the temple to a returned missionary. Actually, I never thought twice about the temple or missionaries until Jordan came into my life. He invited me to start going to church with him and educated me a little more on how things work. So when he told me of his decision to go on a mission, I supported him.

In the beginning, my version of “supporting” him was just letting him follow his dreams because he was my boyfriend and I wanted him to be happy. And that was it. But as time went on, I learned more about what a mission really was, and how passionate he was about serving others. He believed (and still believes, of course) in the gospel 100 percent, and that inspired me to learn more about the church.

Now I support him with what I feel is a more appreciative kind of support. I believe in what he is doing. I get excited when I hear that he had a successful day out in the field. And I truly believe that California is where he needs to be right now. Like I have told many of you, it has already opened up so many opportunities for both of us to grow and become better people. But it has also enhanced my faith, which I don’t think would have happened if he hadn’t left.

Yes, I am still quite the newbie when it comes to the church, but it won’t be like that forever. I can safely say that my beliefs and values have changed a crazy amount already, and are continuing to change. My eyes have been opened to so many things that I was missing, and I have Jordy to thank for that. Even though he’s out teaching the people of California, he is still teaching me as well. And that’s why I call him my missionary.♥

What's a blog? I want one!

So blogs have certainly gotten popular lately. I figured I'd start one, too. Not for anyone in particular to follow; mostly just for myself, so I can see how far I've come. You see, my boyfriend, Jordan, left on his mission 3 months ago. Today is our 2 year anniversary! What better day to start blogging, right? Here's a picture of the two of us, just so you can see how ADORABLE this guy is:

....So what is two years anyway? I mean, that time WITH Jordan just flew by. Now my life has done a complete 180. I've had to figure out how to fill up all this new free time, but in a productive way that will hopefully help me grow to become a better person. I've realized how much of our relationship I've taken for granted now that the only contact we get with each other is through letters/emails. I've also realized how much I've neglected other important people in my life. But that's the best part about all this: it's the ultimate learning experience, and I can take the time to change things that I otherwise may never have. I like to view it as my second chance at a lot of things. ;-)

Yes, there are "waiter-haters" and non-supporters of what I am doing. But I just want to put a few things out there before anyone judges me for my decision to wait for Jordan.
First, I don't like to call it waiting. So many people (myself included, if you would have asked me two years ago) think that waiting for a missionary means that you're putting your whole life on hold, in hopes that maybe, just maybe, things will work out two years down the road. This. Is. Not. True. Not for me, anyway. Here's one thing I strongly believe: there is nothing wrong with not dating. Why? Because I don't need to. This doesn't mean I don't have guy friends to hang out with. This doesn't mean I don't have a social life. This doesn't mean I don't go out and have fun. I'm not locked up in my bedroom, avoiding guys at all costs. That would be silly. However, I believe in dating to marry, and I am not looking for anything like that right now. Even if Jordan was here with me right now, I know I'm not yet mature enough to get married. I'm just not. So I'm taking this time to do one thing: to improve myself. That's it. Since Jordan and I started dating right after I graduated high school, I've been Lauren-and-Jordan for my entire college career so far. Now that it's just Lauren for a while, I'm focusing on just Lauren. And I should be allowed to do that.
Second, this is a mutual thing. I didn't just tell myself that Jordan and I will be together again when he comes home. He believes it just as much as I do. And his love is what makes everything a little bit easier.

Aaanyway, these posts will probably be extremely sporadic. I have great days, bad days, and everything in between. But that will never affect my support for my handsome man and the sacrifices he is making for our Heavenly Father. Yepp, 2 years is a long time. But there's one thing a good friend of mine always reminds me: time never stops, even when you do. So we're making the most of it. And I know it will all be worth it. ♥

Love, me.