OH, THE MISSION...

I've been home now for 2 years. Holy cow. So I found some pics of me on the mish and I couldn't resist. They make me laugh so hard, I honestly hardly even recognize myself. Paraguay threw me for a loop. That experience feels like I dreamt it. It was the "best of times and the worst of times". Honestly, the hardest thing I have ever done in my entire life, hands down. I was determined to stay a "cute sister missionary" and was committed to not let myself completely go but it really didn't take me long to not give a crap about what I looked like nor how much weight I was gaining. I put on a hefty 20 pounds, mostly on my chin. I couldn't even wear any of my rings, my fingers were completely swollen, due to the horrendous heat and I had a constant glistening greasy face, covered in sweat with accompanying pit stains. I had the worst cankles you can imagine, and they were covered in mosquito bites at all times. I am sparing no details, but it was not pretty. The best part was that I just did not care. There were more important things to me at the time, and at one point I accepted the fact that I might probably never get back to normal. I really didn't care! I referred to myself all the time in my letters home as "fat 'n happy." haha!
Note the glistening face below... and the depth of the dimples which had much more cushion


And that hair... Doesn't even look like me!


Here we are sitting on the temple grounds, the week before I came home. (Me on the far right, notice the pudgy fingers).