excited

There are a lot of things coming up in my life.
ok. not a lot. just like, six. that i can think of.
and i'm excited about all of them.

1. Teaching Sunday School
- i taught Sunday School a few weeks ago, and i absolutely loved it! i loved teaching about the Book of Mormon. it was not as hard as i thought it would be. also, i get to teach it with my little sister. life can't get better. but it can, cuz right after i teach, i'm headed to Califronia
2. Going to Disneyland
- i love Disneyland. this little vacation is super spontaneous. my dad LOVES to win things off the radio. He tracks the things he wins and it's actually really impressive. it's his little quirk that makes me love him so much more. but on monday, he texts my sister and says that he won tickets to Disneyland. and the only time that both she and i can go is this week, so we're doing it. feel free to be jealous.
3. Going through the temple for the first time
- this is such a big deal. i'll be completely honest. i'm nervous. i don't know what to expect. i've put it off for a few months, mainly because i am scared, and also because i love my soccer shorts way too much. don't judge me, trials aren't all universal. this is mine :) but i finally have my date set and ready to go! now that i have it set sin stone, my nerves are going away, and i couldn't really care less about my soccer shorts. i just wanna go!
4. Giving my farewell talk
- oh gosh. i'm excited, but i wanna throw up. i am just excited to see all of my friends. i'm terrified to actually talk. why? i stutter, i talk too fast, i laugh at my own jokes.. yep. it'll be interesting for sure! entertaining to say the least. 
5. Finals
-i enjoy taking tests. so naturally, i'm excited about taking my finals. i love seeing what i know. it's like a game for me. hard to describe. i'm not excited about taking them so close to the date that i enter into the MTC, but i signed up for classes, so i'll do what i have to do to pass. yay tests! really.. once those are doe with, i'm off.
6. MTC
- i just wanna leave! i've waited for.. about 5 months so far (since i put my papers in), so what's another month? TORTURE. i don't wanna do anything. I can't focus on school, i just wanna leave. But, this too shall pass and i'll be gone soon. I can't wait. i love this gospel, and i want people to grow to love it as much as i do. 

pretty much, there isn't much time left until i am gone, and it's finally beginning to hit me. i'm more excited than i am scared, but that doesn't mean that the fear doesn't creep up on me. i'm human. it's exciting to think that in 28.5 days, i will be a missionary. living life in the MTC. It's unreal. There are no other words that can describe my life right now. except maybe one: Exciting.

-raela.

wanna know something?

     So, I got my mission call. Yep, if you haven't seen where I am going, click here :) yay! but I am so excited. I cannot even wait until i get to leave for the Dominican Republic! but before I do, i thought you might like to know WHY i decided to serve a mission, since girls don't have to.
READY?

go.

     I remember sitting in church one day, as a primary kid. Our teacher asked us what some of our goals were. Get married in the temple, have kids, go to college, etc. then, i raised my hand. "go on a mission." my teacher looked at me, and said, "yes, the boys will go on missions." that kinda offended me. I wanted to go on a mission. i didn't care that it was for boys, but i wanted to go. From then on, it had always been in the back of my mind. I had friends talking about how it's dumb for girls to go on missions. and for a while, i thought it was dumb, too. But I still had a secret desire to serve, and i didn't know why.

     In May of 2011, I had the opportunity to go to Peru. I went with my parents and older brother. He had returned from his mission the summer before, and we wanted to go and visit parts of his mission. I was lucky enough to go and experience that awesome country. But while i was there, i saw all of the different lives that my brother had changed while out serving. Not only were the people changed, but i noticed something different about him while he was there, among those he served. He was happier, and had a light in his eyes that he just wanted to share with everyone. For example, we had a cab driver that took us to the Lima, Peru temple. He asked a little about why we were there, and without any hesitation, my brother shared the gospel with him. I could feel the spirit so strongly. The cab driver was interested! and he kept asking questions. He asked if he could wait for us and pick us up after. of course we said yes. We went to the distribution center, and my brother bought a Book of Mormon for him. He wrote his testimony in it and gave it to him when we returned. That really made me jealous. I wanted to be able to share the gospel with people as easily as he did. I wanted to change people's lives. I longed for that.

     Another thing that hit me was when we went to the temple. There were buses and people camped out on the temple grounds, waiting for the opportunity to go inside and feel the spirit. How blessed I am to live in an area with temples in close proximity! I don't have to save up all my money for years so i can afford a trip to the temple with my family. Seeing that people were so dedicated to get to the temple made me want to go even more. So i thought about it. A LOT. it wouldn't leave my mind.

I was worried what my parents would say about me wanting to go, so i didn't tell them for like, 3 months. i remember the conversation i had with my mom in the car when i told her i wanted to go. i was freaking out. she seemed surprised, and happy. so that was good. i wanted to keep it on the down-low, but i realized that it wasn't really possible. things spread. REALLY fast. so people knew. but that's alright.

So I know most of you missed me opening my call, so if you want to watch me opening it up, here ya go!

Guys, I know that i am supposed to go on a mission. people in the Dominican Republic have been prepared for the gospel, and they are supposed to hear it from me. I cannot even wait to get out there. I want to serve. I want to be an instrument in God's hands. I want people to be as happy as i am. I love the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I love my Savior. I want other people to love Him as much as I do.

and another big thing in my life, i am going back down to school for another semester. i love school, and to top it off, i will be rooming with my best friend, Riss! i get to room with my sister. how cool is that?! anyways, life is good. EFY is over, and that makes me sad. I miss it. I love my kids. I learned so much from them. I love my co-counselors. i have made lasting friendships and i have learned a lot about life through them. i doubt anyone will really read this, but i just thought y'all should know :)
thank you for reading! follow your dreams!
-raela

College vs. [my] Reality

Maybe it's just me.
But when people describe college, they always talk about parties, loads of friends, crazy stuff, right? right. but for me, that sounds nothing like college.

Music, Dancing, Dressing up, Fun times

i hear of people going to parties, and making so many friends in college. honestly, i have about 5 friends in college. i only hang out with one on a regular basis. not to mention, she's also my roommate. and my cousin.
......yeah.
you may call me lame, but i thoroughly enjoy it. i love my life. i love my college experience. even though it is far more different than i first expected, i love it.

Music, Dancing, Dressing up, Fun times

Sometimes, expectations exceed reality. Even if it's in an unexpected way.