Você fala Português?

As I'm sure many of you know, I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (aka LDS aka Mormon). In October 2012, during General Conference, the ages at which young men and women are able to serve missions were lowered, to 18 for the gentlemen and 19 for the ladies. This caused quite the hubbub for the entire world*, naturally, and I quickly submitted my papers. I recieved my call on November 15 to the Portugal Lisbon mission! I report to the MTC in April (yeah, it's a long wait, I know. Trust me... I know).

So why, you may ask, would a 19-year-old girl (or guy) decide to drop everything in the middle of the school year to move across the globe, to a place she doesn't know, to try to teach strangers in a language she doesn't speak?

Gooooood question.

Lesser of Two Evils

I apologize for my somewhat lengthy blogging hiatus. You see, I attended spring term here at BYU, where I ACTUALLY HAD FRIENDS!!! And now that I'm home for summer, I haven't had enough motivation to get out of bed before noon, let alone to be witty, sarcastic, and annoying.
So about two months ago, I took the Salt Lake Express shuttle to good ol' Rexburg, Idaho, for my best friend's missionary farewell (Yes, I paid $115.70 for that. But I saved three dollars so it was a good deal). While I was there, I stayed with my wonderful cousin at her apartment. I also got the opportunity to tour BYU-I (aka the "lesser" BYU) and spend a little bit of time on the campus. After this experience, I came to one conclusion.

The woodchuck's 24 hours of fame

Ah, Groundhog's Day. The day we bestow the responsibility and blame of weather patterns upon a small, unassuming rodent. On Groundhog Day, if the poor little creature sees his shadow, six more weeks of winter are "predicted". This whole tradition, however, is backwards on so many levels.

"Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore..."

Nope, we're not in Kansas. We're someplace much... different. Utah, baby! Awhile ago, I did a Google search of facts about people who live in Utah. I came up with a list of 50 things that if you experience, you are probably Utahn. You know you live in Utah if...

1. You have four seasons: Almost winter, winter, still winter, and construction.
2. Someone in the Home Depot store offers you assistance and they don't work there.
3. You've ever worn shorts and a parka at the same time.