Three Months Down, 21 more to go

Hello everyone! Well here's the scoop for now: Nate made it safely to Korea about two weeks ago. From what I have heard he is healthy and happy. The food is wonderful, which make for a happy Nate.

As for me, many new and exciting things! First, i am going to summer school wooohooo! Gotta get that degree:) It will be a brutal five weeks, at this point in my life I enjoy being greatly distracted from other things, so i am looking foreward to it. I also have decided to take some music lessons for fun! learning new things when a grade is not attached to it, is relaxing. I bought my shoes for the month yesterday, actually two pairs, I am stocked through June. Super cute!

Nate sent me a letter and I am still awaiting its arrival. But by now I am a "Pro" or in other words a "Boss" when it comes to waiting on things. I realized something very important the other day, now before I get this out there, remember that I am his girl friend and best friend, so our relationship is comprised of many emotions. Any ways, I realized that this whole mission is not about me at all. Now I am not one of those people who love all the attention in the room, not that there is any thing wrong with that, but that is simply not me. Furthermore, I understand now that this mission is about the people in Korea that Nate is serving, I am literally last on his priorities list for the next 21 months or so. Its not a bad thing! Its great that he gets an opportunity to serve the way that he is! But its important to realize this, for any of those who will be waiting on their missionary. You are less likely to:

•  A get your feelings hurt and be a crazy emotional mess the whole time( yes it happens).
•  B realize how lucky you are that he gets to even write you at all (He would love to communicate more but his duty as a missionary is to follow the rules and stay focused),
•  C it will help you take care of yourself (You matter as well)
• D mature in the situation.(learn to grow, it can be fun!)

Being left behind, we are sacrificing allot, especially the parents and the girlfriend/best friend.You are bound to miss things,
 For example: GIRL IN WAITING= no more kisses, hugs, "I love yous", holding hands, dancing, having an immediate body guard, a best friend who knows you better than anyone, someone to laugh with, someone to cry with, someone to fish with (who will bait the hook for you), someone to share notes with, someone to flirt with, some one to cook for, someone to care for, someone to dream with, and most of all someone to love.

Nate is not my only friend, I am sure I can convince my peeps to go fishing with me, but the silly things that you do together are what you miss the most.

So far I have learned allot of things: being patient is hard but doable,  long distance relationships can work, but you have to let things be in the Lords hands and realize that you only control yourself in the situation. Hugs and Kisses are nice, but true friendship and dedication are just as wonderful. Three months down Ladies and Gentleman, 21 more to go.

Lots of stress and big decisions

First i must say the cutest thing that has happened in a long time. Nate  sent me a picture of him and his district (there are three girls in his district) and in the corner of the picture, was a picture that he had pasted of me. I flipped the picture over and the back said:"your still the most beautiful person in this picture, don't worry." Cute right!

Secondly, i am buried in home work with only two weeks left in the semester i am not sure how i am going to get every thing done. I am late on sending Nate his package of the month, and i still havent hand written him a letter since last week. thank goodness for the Internet...kudos to dear elder.com.
I have been considering joining the singles ward, not sure yet though, Pros would definitely be being around people my own age that are a good influence on me, and being that it is a smaller ward, perhaps i would get the chance to serve more. Cons.. well the obvious,  it will probably make Nate uncomfortable. I thinking about it, but for now, i have way more important things to do.

Happy two months everybody! it seems like it has been allot longer though. For now going crazy trying to get my head above water. Nate's fantastic like always.

10 page papers, and a whole lot of mess

Hello again,
 Last week was really terrible, and after a few teary days, i wrote Nate a letter about how i was feeling. It may not have been the best idea ever, but it happened anyways. Unfortunately i now receive my letters on Fridays. Many would think that this one day difference shouldn't matter but oh believe me it really does. So on Friday (sigh) i received two letters in the mail. And i was suddenly reminded why Nate is my best friend. The letters were so sweetly written that i cried again, tears of joy though. and have had a much better week.

So today being Easter i spent the day with Nate's family. They were all very nice and i had a great time. It hard though, to see all of their smiling faces being that Nate is the reason that i know all of these wonderful people, and he isn't here to enjoy the time with them. He is truly missed and holidays are just not as fulfilling with out him. Thinking that next Easter i will still have a year to go doesn't help much either. So for now, blahh... I have two ten page papers to write, i am grateful for the distraction.

On a spiritual note if i keep reading my scriptures and praying, i feel closer to him. Being a convert to the church, i am very grateful for his sacrifice.

P.S. Cant wait for the time to start flying. Yesterday was our 21 month anniversary.

Smiling oh how ive missed you

He has been gone one whole month that means only 23 more to go! It has gotten so much better in the last week or so, Ive bumped into old friends and got to hang out with some good friends. This coming weekend will be a fun time i am sure, i get to go to the movies with my assumed cousin, we will call her Kelly, being that i don't have her permission to write about her. and then Sunday is a family party at Nate's house, i am really excited and may bring my newest addition Kloe, a two pound puppy, with me. I have just had a wonderful week with lots of inspiration and prayers answered.

Nate is doing fantastic, he is learning alot about himself. At times he looses himself in the service and that is a great thing. Although being apart is not ideal, i still  get those moments when i read his letters and fall in love with him all over again. Besties for life.

Status: Still waiting, just a little more patiently. 1Year, 10 months and 28 days left to go

The Best of all days a

Well we can jump for joy, i can go a couple of days with out crying. Thursdays are letter days, which also happens to be the night of my institute class. I just love Thursdays, its the best day of the whole week. Well Nate is doing fantastic. He is learning so much about himself and the church. He says the sweetest things and its always what i need to hear. I am so happy as his best friend that he is having this experience. As his girlfriend, i am happy he went but sad that he is gone. The tears have stopped though, and i can talk about it with out sadness.

Nate in his letter was curious if i had found another boyfriend. Silly boy, he doesn't realize that i don't miss having a boyfriend nearly as much as i miss having him around. He is so funny, and crazy, clearly irreplaceable.

Happy to be a part of this for now.
P.S. Next Thursday will be the one month mark. that's 23 left to go

Letters to Home

I was very pleasantly surprised to receive two letters on thursday afternoon. I had given up just the day before on waiting for the mail to arrive. Thursday as the mail lady delivered our mail, my mother asked if i would like to get the mail, i said no with a sigh. As she rushed in to the living room she was screaming JESS it came it came!! I burst into tears before i could even rip the first one open. The first letter told about his experiences that he had that week and it was so perfect, he included a list of things that i was aloud to do while he was gone. NOT dating was on the list twice and weaving him a sweater was second on the list.
The second letter was in regards to how frequently that we should write. We had planned only to write once a month before he left.... now it is once a week which is much kinder to the both of us.
So for now grateful for the postal services and thursdays.

In Spite for a Smile

Well here we are, week one is over. Only103 weeks left to go. Tuesday Nates mom received a letter for the whole family from my missionary. It was all good news, he is having a grand time and is learning a lot. He has a companion named Elder Dyer,  and the two of them seem to be working out well for each other.
I sent Nate 2 letters so far.... No personal responses but however my name was mentioned in the letter to his family... Well any how i had asked him in one of my letters if i could send him cookies, he responded in the family letter that it was okay to send cookies and that his companion had already received four boxes and that we were slackin.. So i replied yesterday upon reading the letter. I printed off a picture of a dozen cookies and then i cut them all out. I put them in an envelope with a small note that read: My dearest Missionary, If you want real cookies, i want a real handwritten letter. Love Jess. Now before i get an angry mob allow me to explain that i am only trying to provoke a smile in my missionary. Still having a hard time that he is gone, but i have managed to smile once in a while.