Still at home.

     Well... the cat has been out of the bag for a while. So I guess I had might as well write about it.
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to go to the zoo with some pals from EFY (Especially For Youth, an LDS summer program).

EFY, Summer of 2013. Best company ever: Just Eat It.

#efyhogwarts

    And we're all about to go serve full-time missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, so naturally we decided to have an adventure before we left. The zoo yielded much entertainment and education for us.

The soon-to-be Elders, making friends at the zoo. The giraffes suspect nothing.

We needed a picture of the three of us before our missions.

       Naturally, we discussed the good times at EFY. And then a thought struck me: Five of us have received mission calls. A year and a half after that life-changing week, and five of us had accepted the call of full-time service to the church. Elder Oakes has been serving in the Philippines for about a year, and Elder Martin just departed to serve in Chile. Now (the soon-to-be) Elder Stanger will be heading to Japan and (the soon-to-be) Elder Hjelm is going to Texas, both of them report on December 17th. I was asked to report on December 3rd. 

      And this isn't even including the other members of our company that are preparing to serve missions. This happy thought tarried with me as we finished up our zoo visit and returned to the Hjelm residence to watch some Studio C. I think that our company was successful. :)

        I drove home, and then something rattling happened. I sat down in the living room across from Mom and Dad. They said that they had received a call. Of course, but stomach tied itself in a knot and I anticipated bad news. But my father informed me that the Stake President told them that he had received a call from the MTC (Missionary Training Center). They had asked me to report on December 17th instead of the 3rd, if I was able.

         Apparently, since I had placed in Intermediate Spanish on my over-the-phone language evaluation, they wanted me to report two weeks late so that I could get the full 4-6 weeks of training. I had a decision to make. I informed my parents that I would pray about it and ponder. After a restless night, I came to the conclusion that it would be best for me to report on the 17th.

         SO here I am! Sitting at home, watching the LDS Christmas Devotional, waiting for my mission. I will admit that the extra two weeks has been a blessing. I have had more time (which it turns out, I've needed) to gather belongings and prepare to leave my family for 18 months. I was even able to go out with the spanish-speaking sisters from our area one more time!

Hermanas Clarke, Singer, Killingsworth and I at the Spanish-speaking branch Christmas party.

  

   I've been blessed with the opportunity to go and teach with the Hermanas in my area for some time now. Hermanas Biggs, Huchendorf, Syphus, Olsen and Killingsworth have all helped me a ton in preparing for my mission and my Spanish vocabulary.  

  I went to the Spanish-speaking branch Christmas party on Saturday night, to see the Hermanas and the Spanish-speaking members one more time. The food was great, Hispanic food is starting to grow on me! :)

  

     The sister missionaries left before the Nativity program, but I tarried a bit longer. The branch's second counselor, Hermano Valle (sp?) and I ran into each other shortly before I left and we talked. He told me something that struck me:
"My people, the Latinos, need your help. Go in strong."
I'm going to remember that.

     In other news, John came back to town briefly. And such warranted a selfie after Sunday school.
He's something of an older brother figure, and I remember listening his farewell talk in the same chapel in which I gave mine.

 Noble, John and I. Gospel Doctrine is a grand class.

Also, Grandma Jo and Savannaah got to come stay with us for a week. Savannaah is such a darling, and was so fun!

Alex, Savaanaah and I.

They were here for my farewell open house, which was also tons of fun! The food was great. Oh, and seeing friends was pretty neat, too.

(Soon-to-be) Elder Hjelm, Cortney, myself, Brooke and Noble.

       Been spending plenty of time with Mom, filling my social 'canteen' before I leave. I've got a list of things that I need to do before I leave, so I'm working through that. Dad and I put a cover on the truck for the drive to Provo. I'm a little nervous, really excited. I think that going in is going to be like jumping into a cold lake, like at young women's camp. I just need to say bye to Mom and Dad, then take a breath and enter the MTC. After that, I'll have a very busy schedule and I will not have time to miss home. In the meantime, I'm just going about the house and getting ready to set off.
So... I don't really know how to end this blog post.

Soon I'll be able to say this. 

But if any of you guys here at home want to send me an email, I would LOVE that! My email address (after December 16th) will be samantha.curnow@myldsmail.net
The drive to Utah begins on Saturday. I'm ready to go, and the church is true!

                  With love,
              (soon-to-be) Hermana Curnow.

Last week, I left my job.

    A week ago, I left my job.
    You know, despite how often people tell me that I am a good writer, I have no idea how to start blog posts! Haha, but I'll give it a shot.
     I finished my last shift at McDonald's last Saturday. 7am-3pm. And to think that two years and ten months ago, it began with a Calvin & Hobbes crew neck.
       When I began driving, my Dad counseled me that it was time that I began to seek employment. I searched earnestly, and I'll admit I really wanted nothing to do with the food service industry. But options for a sixteen year old girl with no diploma or real skills were slim. I finally decided to apply for work at the nearby McDonald's, which was undergoing renovations at the time.
        I turned up for my first interview in a Calvin & Hobbes crew neck (I came straight from school. I know, I'm a dork). The assistant manager conducted the first interview and told me to come back for a final interview with the manager. I returned, and got the job! I didn't realize just how much this job would influence me.
I attended the local community college for my junior and senior year of high school, still working at McDonald's. Work became a social "plan B" for me in my senior year, when all but two of my friends left for college (the August birthday caused a weird age gap between my close friends and I). My life was a routine: Seminary, school, music practice, study, work, sleep, repeat. So I would look forward to work as a chance to socialize with people outside of my family. I came to really appreciate my coworkers, and look forward to seeing them. But McDonald's was not only a place where I went to earn money and occasionally refill my social canteen; it is where my journey to my mission began.
       The first Saturday of October in 2012, two missionaries came in to eat. After they went to sit down and eat their meal, I was instructed to do a quick run in the lobby (wipe tables, do a quick sweep, etc.) I had previously greeted the two Elders, and so as I wiped the table next to them the senior companion turned to talk to me.
"Did you see the morning session of General Conference?"
I hadn't. I was at work. He went on to inform me about a huge announcement that had been broadcasted in the Saturday morning session:
Eligible young men could now serve at the age of 18, and eligible young women could serve at the age of 19.
This. Was. HUGE.
       Previously, young men had to wait until the age of 19 and young women until 21 to serve a full-time mission. It was all that I could think about as I got off of work and went to get ready for Homecoming! I had contemplated serving a mission, and now I could do so two years sooner!
The thought of serving a mission had crossed my mind before, but now I was determined. I was going to serve a mission.
      The more I prepared to serve, the more I knew that this was the right path for me. I took on more hours at work, in order to support myself over the upcoming 18 months (missionaries are not paid for their work. All of their efforts are a voluntary service). Finally, my mission call came. And then I received my endowment in the temple.
And now here I am, spending these short few weeks preparing to preach the gospel in Spanish and serve the people of Florida. It's a pretty big gap from the high school sophomore looking for her first job.
      I was pretty sad about having to leave McDonald's. Change can be tough, even if you're moving on and heading for something greater. And I have no doubt that I will carry the lessons that I learned and memories that I made at McDonald's with me into my mission and throughout the rest of my days.
      I am ecstatic to serve as a full-time missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
                 Yours truly,
               soon-to-be Hermana Curnow.

                                        Aidan snapped a quick pic before I left my last shift.

                                              Mel and I (she was 'Mr. Frodo' and I was Sam).

            A post-work twin picture with Katie (people were constantly confusing us with each other).

I turned in my two weeks notice during the 'Monopoly season'. These are the only four Monopoly pieces that I care about, and now I get to use them! ;)

Barb and I, all dressed up for the employee Halloween party!