Week 1: Arriving to the MTC

Real Quick, Happy Birthday mom!!! I'm sad I couldn't be there! but this is life haha, I just want to let all of you that I love and miss you all, I've been struggling here. ha it's hard and I've been struggling with a lot more than I thought, (if you want details, ask Lexi. I wrote them once and it's too much effort to do that again ;) so it's weird i've only been here a week. It honestly feels like I've been here for like a month..... I'm not even kidding. We have 16 hour days and we go all day long and it's hard! it's hard for me to try and cope with some of the things here. I hate all the rules.. This place is ridiculously strict and I don't understand the purpose behind most of them.. Ha we often joke that this place is like a correctional facility, and in a way it kind of is. I love this area though. Even though I'm indoors most of the time and hardly see the outside world and this place is like it's on little city. It's like they purposefully make it seem like there is no such thing as a city outside. So it doesn't seem like I'm up in provo or the salt lake area. but i am and i do love the area. i just have a feeling that this really is the place i need to be when i get home from my mission. i just love it up here and i love the surrounding nature. the only view i have really over all of the buildings is these gorgeous mountains that tower over this area. and they have trees that are changing colors and it's just beautiful. i know i'm going to love life up here. it's just like a weird feeling being here and "a missionary" but i am. i'm glad i get to talk to nana and grandpa during meals, even though i rarely see them and when i do we talk for like 5 minutes. but either way it's cool. The food here is ridiculous, Alec, Calvin.... You have no idea what's in store for you... and you can't help but get so much food... you go in thinking... "yeah i'm going to eat light and healthy this meal... OOH!!! Lasagna with garlic bread and all sorts of deserts and drinks for free!! HA screw light and healthy!" then you walk with your tray full of food. i did however have a salad one night (i know right? me eating a salad??) that's when you know something is up! ha anyways. Im still making it through here day by day.. even if the days are so long. and i go to bed exhausted, i still am truckin. I'm not used to having a companion 24/7, that's really hard. especially since i can't even go to the bathroom without him holding my hand. that's been a struggle and i want my personal private time, i desperatly need that. i need to get out and do my own thing, and i can't and i have a hard time with accepting that. i can't even leave the campus. (it's like a college campus, i pictured it differently in my head) but it's hard! I'm in a fishbowl all day long and really the only time i walk around is when i go to eat. other than that i'm mostly in a classroom all day long... i do have gym time for like an hour and i enjoy that. all the guys in my room (my comp. and another companionship) are all going to the same mission and at the same time. then we have 6 others in my district and all of them are going to New Mexico. Most of the guys are pretty cool. elder coughlan (one of the guys going to my mission[he's really cool and i like him]) but he messed my name up and thought it was bowler, like "bowel-er" and it stuck so he does it on accident sometimes but other times they all do it for fun. whatever. it's cool i guess haha. K i wish i can write more but my computer time is almost up. write back and i'll email next week! but i get mail and can send that everyday so yeah. 

Thank you guys for all you have done!

LOVE YOU ALL!!! Miss you guys too!