Last Weekend: On Parties and Setting Aparts

What a delightful way to end my time at home! I got to spend precious days with my family, went to a magical party, got some wonderful pictures, gave my farewell talk, got set apart, and kissed my dog.

Me + Katherine 5ever

Me + Jonathan, Broadway's next big thing

Me + Sophia, my younger sister from another mister

Me + 🍪

Me + my favorite alto in the universe, Kyra

The next day I gave my farewell and got set apart at the church. Some truly beloved friends came to see me!

Walker, my best seminary friend

Evan, my favorite pocket-square wearer

Sam, who is the cutest human in existence

And Kyra, who I spent an hour just walking around with talking about how much we'll miss each other. 

There were many other people who I love and will miss that came to my call. Friends, teachers, and family; I'm so glad they all came and were there to support me. Thank you everyone ❤️

Bye California!

This morning I said goodbye to my lovely family! I know the time will go by fast. See you in 18 months, SC.

Top 4 Online Stores for Sister Missionaries

SCENE:

An LDS boy opens his mission call. "Cool," he says. "I leave in a month. Time to go out and buy a new suit, and perhaps some socks."

END SCENE.

SCENE:

An LDS girl opens her mission call. "Cool," she says. "I leave in a month. Time to start obsessing over every little detail of my clothing, trying my utmost not to look like a pioneer, finding sales, evaluating different shades of pink, deciding which blouse goes with the greatest number of skirts, returning countless items I bought online because they don't fit, worrying about how many tops are really reasonable for a person to own for eighteen months, realizing that this skirt makes me look like an actual whale, making sure that skirt is long but not too long because MTC rules and mission rules are different, wondering what nail polish is most practical, pondering on how best to transport my makeup, reading reviews online to decide if I really want this skirt, going thirty miles to the other H&M because they were out of my size in my mall, deciding how many clothes are too few and how many are too much, figuring out how to look modest without looking dowdy, finding an outfit I can wear every week without getting sick of, realizing that I actually have to get rid of half of this because it doesn't work with garments, and doing it all on a budget and a weight limit."

Later in this scene, LDS girl finds out that she can indeed get sick of shopping, despite what thirteen year old LDS girl said.

END SCENE.

This has been my life for a whole month. Me and my very understanding mother have been scrambling to find skirts that are past the knee and also don't look like something out of a nightmare my great-great grandmother might have had. I would have been so grateful to have a list of places with cute clothes that fit well and work on every body type. 

In the immortal words of Kim Kardashian, "Shopping online is like the greatest invention of life." Shopping online saves SO much time -- if you can do it right. These four stores all have consistent and reliable fitting, unlike many online stores.

So here is my good deed for the day. A master list of places with amazing deals and clothes that I love! You're welcome.

1. Choies. 

By far my favorite skirt shop is Choies. I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere else, and they always have HUGE sales. We're talking under fifteen dollars.  Their midi skirts make me feel like a princess in a ball gown. They fit like a dream and have 24 hour shipping!

Perfect if you're a) going to Japan b) Asia c) a female with good taste. Sakura skater skirt, $13.90.

Subtle coloring and patterns with flattering waistline and shape make this skirt perfect. painted floral midi, $15.

This one makes your waist look INCREDIBLE. Pink high-waisted skater midi, $16.

 Goes with everything - also, no way you're getting bored of those gorgeous colors. White Rose Pleats, $16.

Cheerful and bold (just like the ideal sister missionary) White cherry skater, $13.99.

I especially love what this one is paired with. Dang, I wish I could wear heels on my mission. It's so flowy and dreamy. Peach High waisted skirt, $22.

And my personal favorite...I own this skirt and it's amazing! Goes with almost anything, doesn't wrinkle, extremely comfortable, and looks like it's straight out of a Monet painting.

Blue floral print pleated, $38.

Here's me and my mom at the temple! I'm wearing the Choies frog patterned skirt, and it's darling.

Choies had a TON of other super cheap, gorgeous options that I just couldn't fit, so go have a look around!

TIP: I'm five two and don't have an exaggerated waist, so I love the pleats and the flares -- they make my body proportions amazing and they feel really comfortable to me. But pleats and flares look good on everyone! They create nice lines for your body and are easy to get in and out of. (Plus if you feel bloated it's a good way to hide it!)

2. White House Black Market

On the pricey side but I got one skirt from them and it was TOTALLY worth it.

It's not a great picture, but it's the full black midi skirt. It's the best quality ever, does not wrinkle or even stain, and looks PERFECT with everything. I think it was around $70, which is a lot, but with all the use I'm getting out of it it's gonna pay for itself.

TIP: Pack tops that can easily tuck into skirts. If they bulge out on top then it looks unprofessional. Also, you start double checking if you accidentally gained 20 pounds every time you go past a mirror.

3. ASOS

I've seen Asos recommended a few times, and for very good reason. They have a wide variety of skirts and they're all gorgeous. Their dresses are beautiful too, and I snagged a couple of those.

I own this one in mint green. It's simply enchanting. I feel like I'm in a different decade when I wear it. It's flattering and goes with everything. Textured Pleat, $18 If this color doesn't catch your eye they have tons more!

Skater dresses galore. The material is very flexible and so comfortable. And that pattern and those half-sleeves!! Closet Scuba Midi, on sale for $62. 

Obsessed with this dress. Look how simple it is, and it works for all body types. Animal Print with Belt, $27.

A great fall and winter dress, very flattering, Pleated Skater Dress, $28.

Classy and classic. Also comes in other colors. Simple Midi Belted, $36.

I own this one! The pattern is just HAPPY, it gives me joy just to look at. And the quality is incredible; it's comfortable and moves well. Textured midi, $45.

This is one of my favorite skirts I own. It's cotton candy colored and retro, and it has this gorgeous insert in front (but it's still completely modest. You look like a ballerina when you move, but it's a lot more practical than a tutu. It also comes in black (see below, and imagine it with an actual piece of clothing). Scuba Midi with Sheer Panel, $30

If you want to indulge yourself and feel like an angel sent down to preach from heaven, here's the magical Metallic Lace skirt, $85

The thing I love about ASOS is how much variety they have. I love their petite section, and they have tall and plus-size as well. They have a huge variety of colors, patterns, and styles. There really is something for everyone.

TIP: Obviously if you're reading this you care if your clothes are cute, but make sure they're comfortable. That pencil skirt might be adorable, but if you're walking ten miles a day and having trouble breathing because every inch of body fat you own is being compressed, you'll wish it was (well, probably pants) a different skirt.

4. Land's End

Land's End is probably the most practical out of all these. It's simple, no nonsense - all plain patterns and straight lines. It's where you get the wardrobe staples - which is mostly what missionaries wear anyways! In addition Land's End started as a heavy winterwear store, so their items are gonna LAST. Their stuff is like The Queen of England, or a tortoise: adorable and immortal.

Grey dress with black velvet polka dots! Belt it and you're in business, ladies! Petite Gray Flocked, $40.

I have this one in purple (below on right), and it is PERFECTION! It gives off this subtle shimmer when you move and fits literally everyone. Boatneck Velvet, $35. 

I'm a sucker for cute patterns and wrap dresses. Bless Diane von Furstenburg. modal fit and flare dress, $25

Colorblock is always a good idea. Pleated Colorblock, $60

hard to see but this one has tiny white polka dots. They're enchanting, and this skirt is so comfortable! I feel like a chic secretary from the 50's in it. Polka dot skirt, $20.

TIP: You want skirts that are wrinkle free and durable. They need to be able to travel and last in any conditions you're going to encounter. 

In conclusion, there is no reason to look like this:

when there's so many options! Remember, being attractive on the inside is 99% of being a successful missionary, but looking your best gets you 100% of the way there. When you feel attractive, you look attractive, and you're way more confident! 

Enjoy, and comment with any other tips or good stores.

Blue Eyes: On Leaving a Temple

Today was my last time going to Newport Beach Temple for eighteen months! I'm excited to go to the Provo and Seoul temples, but I'll really miss Newport Beach. That was the temple I watched go from dry dirt to bare interiors to perfection inside and out. That was the temple I did my first baptisms and endowments in. That was where I got to meet the Prophet!

My mom told me that all I asked for for my tenth birthday was to meet President Hinckley. (Since that came true maybe I should have tried also wishing for a horse or an end to poverty. Opportunities lost.) I got to go to the NB Temple dedication, which was three days after my birthday. It was lovely and so spiritual. When it was over everyone left the temple but lined the exit so they could see the Prophet leave. His huge Tongan bodyguards warned us not to try to touch him or anything. I was a little disappointed I couldn't shake his hand, but I managed to wriggle my ten-year-old body to the front of the masses, as close to the doors as I could be, so that I would be one of the first people to see him. He was a small man with a large cane, bent with age.  I felt so happy that I could be this close to a Prophet of the Lord. Then he came over to me to say hi! He bent down even further, took my hand, and said "Why, hello there!" The thing I remember most about him is how blue his eyes were. Like cornflowers, or the bluest sky. They didn't look like the eyes of a young man.



Today I did my first sealing session inside the Newport Beach Temple. It was my first temple, and my last temple before my mission. As I was leaving an adorable old couple came up. They had curved backs and hair like clouds, and gave friendly and enthusiastic hellos to my family. They said that they had seen me and my mom's duet at the Gospel class the other day and had loved it. The man shook my hand and met my eyes. They were the color of cornflowers. They were the color of the bluest sky. They were young eyes. They were the exact shade of President Hinckley's eyes.

I feel as if this was a sign: I was able to leave my temple knowing that the servants of God are watching over it and us. It was a sense of finality, of finishing a chapter, and of knowing that the next will be just as thrilling and humbling as the next.

Squid Pancakes: On Going to Korea

Confession time: I really liked the squid pancakes.

Yes -- it's true. I, a self-avowed seafood snob, who won't touch anything that came out of the ocean unless it's drizzled in lemon sauce and named 'salmon', absolutely and entirely enjoyed the squid pancakes. I know, I know. It's taken me some time to come to terms with liking weird food too. But it's what was placed in front of me - by an amazing chef, no less - so I ate it and trusted in them and it was delicious.

***

I've been called to the Seoul Korea mission. It's an impossible feat to describe in a few sentences how joyful, nervous, peaceful and ecstatic this makes me feel. I know that there is work for me (and on me!) to be done there. And by 'work done on me', I don't mean that staple of Korean culture, plastic surgery. I mean that I have a lot of growing to do and things to learn and testimony to build. I know that it will be not only a time of great spiritual growth for people I may teach, but also a time of great spiritual growth for me personally. 

***

I consider the term 'growing up' to be inaccurate. It's supposed to mean maturation, but any tree can grow up and easily be blown over. Weeds grow up, but are easily pulled up. When trees grow, they do indeed 'grow up'; but it's a superficial growth, because without roots dug deep there is no promise that the tree will stay planted. I believe that 'growing down' is a more accurate term. Growing down means becoming stable, sated, finding nourishment, more prepared to receive light.

Just getting my call has grown me down. It's a story for another time, but I dug my heels in when I got the prompting to submit my mission papers. I didn't want to leave what I had. What I had was good. What I had was great. I was in college, had made it into one of the best choirs, had amazing friends. I did not want to give my life up to go to Bozeman, Montana and feel rejected every day.

And that was part of the problem. See, I'm not only a seafood snob; I'm a shoe snob, a clothes snob, a place snob, and a comfort zone snob. Going on a mission would upset all of these snobberies. I was resigned to going to the Midwest -- maybe even Utah, where I was sure no one needed to hear the gospel -- then returning to college and living out my days as a lonely spinster with clothes two years out of date. Putting in my papers brought a sense of relief and joy. I was excited that I had followed the promptings I had felt. But it was also a sense of, well, 'what the heck did I just do to myself?'

Like most other pre-missionaries, I thought going foreign might be nice. But I treated it as a foregone conclusion that I was going to the Midwest. And worse, I thought that was a bad thing! Like I said, I'm a place snob. My family travels a lot. And not to Indiana.

I was talking to my friend who had already served and mentioned that I was probably going to go to the Midwest, in a defeated and world-weary tone of voice. He paused a minute then gently reminded me that he had gone to Nebraska. I felt terrible. Who was I to disparage what had been one of the greatest times of his life? He told me how at first he had been disappointed, but once he had gotten into the field he realized just how much he loved the people. He told me that missionaries are like keys, made to fit the locks that are like people searching for the gospel. It has to be exactly the right key and exactly the right lock. No other key and no other lock would work together. (I have a sassy internal dialogue and I almost asked him about master keys, which fit many locks, but then I realized that there's only one true Master key -- God knows how to speak to all of us.) 

***

This changed my perspective completely. Somewhere in the Midwest I was going to find someone who had waited their entire life to hear the gospel, and because of my specific personality and history and lifestyle, I was the one with the tools to teach it to them. That was a very special feeling to me. I felt a great sense of peace steal over me, as great senses of peace often do. Wherever I went would be perfect for me. It was suddenly about the people, not the place. I grew down and felt rooted in the realization that God had a perfect plan set up already.

Which is all well and good, but my fingers still shook as I opened my call. I had complete trust in God and where he would send me and I would be overjoyed and blessed to go anywhere. Getting my call was already a blessing. But now I was concerned with having every tool at my disposal to be the perfect key. So when I read Seoul, Korea, it didn't register at first. 

I don't speak Korean! I'm strawberry blonde and don't like seafood! I don't even know where South Korea is! Aren't they next door to those nuts who got The Interview cancelled through the sheer force of their nasty personality? 

That was the first coherent internal dialogue I had. I was completely shellshocked. Going foreign hadn't even crossed my mind as a possibility. It had taken me time to cast off my place snobbery, but I had done it. Letting go of some of my pride and small-mindedness had been hard. And now I wasn't even GOING to Wisconsin?

But when I read 'Seoul' -which I mispronounced - I felt a great measure of peace stealing over me again. Seoul is exactly the right place for me. Unexpected, sure. Full of food that should have stayed in the ocean's hellish depths, sure. But perfect? Absolutely. I know there are people waiting to hear the gospel in Seoul. People who I can get through to because I am a unique child of God. At the risk of sounding like a special snowflake, because of my unique trials and challenges, I can reach some people in ways that others can't, just as my companion will connect better with some of our other investigators. Each of us is a wonderful, unique being. Some of the best advice I have gotten so far about serving is 'play to your strengths. They may not be the same as someone else's, but they are still strengths, and you will need them.'

Although I had been well prepared to go to Michigan or Illinois or Ohio, that wasn't where I'm meant to go. It had taken me effort to accept God's ways rather than my own, and finally I was completely open to His plans. Going to Korea was unexpected, but it gave me roots; it grew me down into the realization that God does know where I'm meant to go. 

***

I love pancakes. Blueberry, chocolate chip, fluffy, apple, buttermilk pancakes. I will eat them all, possibly in one sitting. They're like manna. A doughy gift from above. Pancakes are amazing, man. They're familiar and don't require adapting your taste buds. You can make them yourself and eat them in your house, in your comfort zone, with a nice American fork.

I went over to the house of some wonderful members, one of whom had been on a mission to Korea, to try out some Korean dishes. Kimchi, check. Rice, check. Rice with chopsticks, debatable. Pancakes? Cool. Korea isn't so different from America. So I took a bite.

They were squid pancakes. Just the thought of eating squid, for some weird, white American reason, makes my stomach churn. But I loved them. They were fantastic. Years of training my parents to never make me eat weird food, wasted. 

The pancakes were unexpected. They had a weird texture and an unfamiliar taste. They were like alien food to me; I had never eaten anything remotely like them. But I loved them. They may not have been good ol' American style buttermilk pancakes, which is what I was ready and eager to eat. Which is what I have eaten all my life and love. I would have been happy with buttermilk, if that's what had been prepared for me. But I got squid pancakes. It's what the experienced chef place in front of me. I was concerned about the kimchi, but it was delicious, and so despite my own inhibitions I trusted in the chef when I got squid pancakes.

Seoul is my squid pancake. And confession time: I loved the squid pancakes.