Happy as a Clam

Wow. I am horrible at blogging regularly. I should just quit claiming that I will, then I will avoid the self disappointment when I don't. Haha. This post won't be exciting or anything, just a basic update on me. Here are some fun things that have caught my attention this past month: 1) Pocket Princesses. Find it on facebook. This lady draws cartoons of Disney Princesses if they all lived together and it is the funniest thing I've seen. It's squirt water out of my nose funny! Well, at least to me but I have been labeled as easily amused, so be aware of that. So if you are having a bad day, go read these. 2) Crochet. For a while I've been dubbed as an "old soul." I wear nightgowns, my back creaks, I use words like hooligans. So I figured I'd finish off the image and start crocheting. I made some book covers and it was fun. Nothing fancy. It made my TV watching time seem like less of a waste because my hands were busy. Who knew that two hours of si...

Hello Readers! So. I write. A lot. Sometimes it's good and sometimes it's not but that's okay. Sometimes it's a blog post and sometimes it's a short story. VERY RARELY it is a poem. This is one I wrote back in college. I barely remember composing it. But as I was decluttering my computer I ran across it and thought I would share. I hope you enjoy. P.S. This isn't completely true or false. It's bits and pieces of both. For example: I never owned a Chevy. haha. But it is made of some experiences I have had in learning how much I must rely on God through the good and bad times. There will always be struggles in our lives. ALWAYS. But they are so much easier to carry when we stay close to the Lord and let Him help us carry them POEM My bad day was a Monday That’s nothing new for me On Monday I always trip or fall Forget my phone or lose my keys I stubbed my toe at 7 The shower was cold at 8 Poured juice into my cereal That made me re...

This post took so long to write. I wanted to write about my mission.  I wanted to write about my coming home adjustments. I wanted to write EVERYTHING. But words are insufficient for the feelings I have about the past 18 months because those experiences were orchestrated by a Greater Being. So what I've written will have to suffice. I decided to begin with the infamous Returned Missionary dilemma a.k.a the "where's my nametag?!?!" breakdown. How is it possible to live more than one life? To be two different people? Well, serving a mission makes all of these seem slightly more possible. The person I was before my mission is different from who I am now. It isn't a large difference but I have different desires, fears, strengths and weaknesses. As I re-entered my old life, I noticed quickly that I am not the same. I've change my education and career goals. I'm more able to take on challenges that terrified me before. I've let go of desires that n...

Well, this is my last post on Happy as a Clam (for 18 months). I will definitely continue writing on here when I return. Blogging has become a passion, even if I don't write very frequently. I have loved writing and reading since before I can remember. In the video of my 1st birthday, of all the toys I get, the first thing I reach for is a book. Literature of all kinds make me so HAPPY. I've enjoyed the journal-blog. I loved doing the travel-writing blog, but now I am going to attempt the letter-writing blog. During the next 18 months you can hear about my adventures as a missionary at www.sistermarywilliams.blogspot.com Thanks for listening to my ramblings and insights and adventures and discoveries and travels and so on. Until next time, stay HAPPY.

It's been too long. But I've had other things to do. I've had a lot of preparation to do. Material, Physical, Emotional and Spiritual (in no particular order). Material Preparation . I officially hate shopping. Do you know how hard it is to find 8-10 cute missionary length skirts? (FYI missionary length does not mean knee length, it means PAST the knee length) Did you know NO ONE sells attractive raincoats with zip-out liners? Have you ever tried finding practical, sturdy, non-clunky shoes? On top of all that I had to put together a first-aid kit, buy and pack luggage, sort through my jewelry to see what was "simple" and finds some nice hair accessories. Believe you me, this is only the beginning (don't get me started on immunizations and official documents). So, basically, I've been shopping since May and I might cry the next time I walk into the mall or Wal-Mart. But it was worth it. I feel almost possibly slightly close to being materially prepared. May...

Lately ( or maybe always) I've been missing London. My study abroad there was truly a life changing experience. Now, I'm sure I've never missed something more. There are a few things I miss. 1) The city . The double deckers, the tube, the parks, the gardens, the castles, the palaces, the musicals and plays, the museums and the food. London is just so darn classy and it has buildings older than America. Life in London is so different from my childhood growing up in a small country town. It was a new adventure and I loved it for the culture, the setting and the the people. 2) The experiences . Traveling to church with a backpack and some solid shoes (it was a long walk) made me feel like a missionary. That was fun. But I loved the fresh air, the cute little houses I passed and the peace and quiet of life in England. I loved rushing home for dinner, knowing I'd be in big trouble if I was late for an amazing meal. I loved everyday doing something fun for the first time. 3) ...

Over two years ago I made a decision. I decided I wanted to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It wasn't something that could be accomplished over night. It took a really long time. There was lots of planning to do but most of all a lot of counseling with God. I wanted to make sure I was going for the right reasons. I wanted to be sure I could do it. I wanted to go at the right time. Finally, this past January, I set a date. May 25th. This was my availability date, or the day that I would be available to be called on a mission. This is when all of the craziness began, all of the paperwork and shots and appointments. It took longer than I expected and I was getting antsy. I just wanted to leave! I knew I was making the right decision and I wanted nothing more than to put on the black name tag and serve God for 18 months. Once all the paperwork was completed it was sent to Salt Lake City to church headquarters. Sometime during the next few weeks, by ...