Wednesday, August 6th was the big day. Listi's final hours with us crept up immensely fast, the vacation flew by far too quickly, like always. When she opened her letter on June 7th, we thought "wow, there is so much time!" Then there I was, watching her as she slept thinking about how truly long a year and a half was. (Note, this was not as creepy as it sounds!)

    It was past time for her to wake up according to her missionary schedule, but I felt compelled to let her sleep in for this last day. So finally around 8:30 I woke her up from her slumber. We got in touch with Mama, who was sleeping in a room on another floor. She met us upstairs and we packed up everything. At 9 o'clock I thought 'well 4 more hours to go until...'

    I couldn't even hardly think it. It was like anticipating taking caster oil, not worth the effort of worrying about because it was essential. Until then I had tried to be her champion, supporting a mission through everything but it became so visceral. About a month after we were married I told Graham that Listi and I wouldn't ever be close, the two of us were far too different, which has caused more arguments than I could count. But, as we dwindled down to hours left together, I began to think how wrong I was. My sister had become one of my closest companions, only for her to be whisked away as soon it happened. 

    We went to IHOP, Listi's favorite, for a proper send off meal, knowing she wouldn't eat a bite at the MTC that day. She still hardly ate a thing, which was to be expected since she has began to show signs of nervousness. 

    Next we dropped by Walmart to pick up last minute items, mostly makeup, snacks for Listi's stay, surprise gifts for everyone at home and a few things forgotten until the last minute. After spending more than we planned (doesn't that always happen on trips?), we drove back to Shannon's home, since she volunteered to drive us to Provo and the airport. In her driveway, I chopped away the last of her rat's tail. She knew I wouldn't let her get away with it! 

    As we drove the 45 minutes to Provo, I became more and more nervous, Listi was as well, though she certainly fought to keep us from thinking that. She read her scriptures, I tried to take more footage for my video of our trip, Mama spoke to Shannon about everything. 

    Eventually, we saw the Provo Temple, we pulled to the side of the road so we could photograph it. Our driver said "Oops! Car trouble (wink, wink). No, I better stop before I jinx myself." 

    Meanwhile I was searching in vain for the grand rectangular Missionary Training Center sign, absolutely wanting a picture next to it! Since we couldn't see it, we pulled upwards towards the actual MTC to inquire about it. "No we haven't had that sign in about two years! But you can pull up to the left." What?!? She wasn't supposed to be there until 1:15, it was only 1:02! That was 13 minutes too early!!!

    Listi was complacent, not exuding any kind of emotion. Surprisingly, mama or myself didn't have tears flowing but I think we were all dreading the next few minutes. Sweet young missionaries were all scurrying inside with lots of luggage, happy and nervous. There were tons of missionaries, so we eventually figured out that half were escorts to the newbies! We joked about the Dork Dot, a orange sticker that was to be put on the name tag. 

    As we pulled to a stop there was a smiley brunette sister missionary waiting to assist. Not to be dramatic,  but my heart was pounding thinking "this is it, this is it!" So we unloaded her bags, Mama asked if we had any time and we were told we had 3 minutes with her. So I snuck in a huge bag of snacks I'd secretly bought with a note into her biggest suitcase. Mama and I asked for a picture, then we both went in for a hug. "I love you!," was all I could say before my voice caught and I knew I would have to quit speaking. She turned around, without a smile or a frown, and rolled away without looking back.

    Gone in the blink of an eye, a year and a half before we are reunited. 

    Before we had left the parking lot, my phone began to ring. Daddy! I felt plumb sick to my stomach thinking that he had wanted to speak to her and missed his chance. But he was totally fine, he had caught her earlier in the day and was just checking in. I figured if he had spoken to her it might have done more harm than good, definitely intensifying her  anxiety. 

    So away we left towards the Salt Lake Airport, our adventure practically over. Rain began to come down in heavy sheets, Shannon flipped on the windshield wipers and swiftly as they came on, one side broke off and began to scratch the windshield. Jinxing? We certainly thought so. But through the rain we went, unable to use the wipers but surviving the trip :) 

    After being a life saver and such a sweetheart, we parted from Shannon. We had 3 hours before our flight and we wanted to rest, since I never can on a plane anyway. Wouldn't you know that as we walked in there were several groups of families holding up "Returned with Honor," "Welcome Home Sister/Elder" or "We love you!" Mama and I could not resist watching the joy family and friends felt as they embraced a missionary home. Yep, I already imagined us sharing that moment with Listi, despite dropping her off 2 hours prior.

    Mama and I grabbed lunch at the food court, I insisted she try Cafe Rio, bought a few bags of dark chocolate covered pomegranates and waited on our flight. We flew Delta coming home, which was a first, and I was so dang impressed! There was free music, a screen with games and comfy chairs! No person sat next to us, though we had a spare seat, so we had a storage chair for all of our mess. It was literally phenomenal because we were both so tired and needed some down time. At one point I said, "can you believe we jut left Listi on the other side of the country?" And Mama replied, "hush I can't even think about that!" 

    Flying to Atlanta was a breeze! We relaxed and giggled and took pictures of the glorious mountain range. As we started to circle in, I became so stressed. It was nearing midnight, since we jumped ahead a few time zones, and things on the airport were shutting down. My biggest concern lied in the fact that we only had about 37 minutes between landing and take off. All planes require check in and loading but Atlanta is a humongous airport that often requires the use of the subway to get to and fro. As quickly as we could we got off the plane, we darted towards the subway and watched as the minutes ticked down. We became those people I had gawked at before, the two of us sprinted to our spot. We had 15 minutes til take off but we had just reached out terminal. Imagine! But luckily we were B5, right up front. Until we realized the numbers were listed from greatest to least, meaning our terminal was one of the farthest down, past all greater numbers and a food court. A tear could have easily escaped my eye at this point! So we hustled towards the end, Mama gasping for a minute to rest, when the heavens opened and a choir of cherub cheeked angels sang. "Do you need a lift?" A Delta worker in a little luggage cart asked. "Yes! Thank you!" we wheezed. Our little friend, who we helped on the Subway, also headed to JAX, bummed a ride off of us and didn't leave us alone until we ran away from him in the next airport.

    Graham picked us up at 12:13 precisely with a bouquet of flowers for me and a single flower for his Mother in Law (Funny story: so he buys the flowers early, around 8, and thinks he wants to keep them hydrated. In they go to a vase of water, where he returned to see all of the stems broken off! Curse you cheap Publix daisies). We got in the car and rushed home so I could be prepared to work the next morning. 

    Well that's it. Our fantastic trip to SLC, taking Listi to the Missionary Training Center and having a completely blast. I'm sad to end this chapter, it was a trip I will eternally be grateful that I went on, just so jam packed with exciting memories. I will be back, without question. It was so fun and so short that I can't think of doing anything else. :)

SLC (pt. 3)

    As we fled The Garden, some old Granny got on to us for standing on a couch and leaning on the windows near the temple, we were eager to go onwards. 

    If you're LDS you're familiar with General Conference, if not it's a biannual gathering if our leaders broadcasted to us. Well it's always held in the same location, the LDS Conference Center. As we entered the building we were swept into a tour group and led to the roof. That in itself is one of the best things about Temple Square, every building has continual free tours guided by missionaries or volunteers, so they're chalked full of direction and information. So up we went to see the views from above, and in typical fashion, tons of small botanical gardens. 

    Finally we were taken inside to see the actual room, filled with an enormous set of organs. Prophets, apostles and regular folks like myself have littered the floors for years. What a special place!

    And then it was time to briefly (like te most briefest of all brief) visits for the North and South Visitor's Centers. As we began to exit the South, a whirling torrent of rain came down in sheets- but were we to be dismayed? Nay! We ran through that rain without batting an eye, though we should have considering Listi was unwilling to share the "family" umbrella. And wouldn't you know the rain finally let up and we rounded a corner and...

    WOW. Can you handle that? I can't. Here is a series of selfies, proof that I was present at this magnificent sight, the best I have ever seen.

    (My instant camera was everywhere with me on this trip.)

    At 5:00 the time arrived. After taking a few hundred photos of the Salt Lake Temple, we finally entered it. My lifelong bucketlist item was checked off with love. Without going into detail, just know that I was thoroughly pleased and eagerly invite all LDS members to go, if possible. It was extra special because some of our closest friends were able to experience it with us: Ethan, Jonathan and Amy. (Fun fact, Amy was having labor pangs and I was terrified at the thought of delivering a baby during the middle of the session. Alas, no baby came :)

    As we exited, we began to stress when we realized we would cut it close to make Listi's curfew. So we bid Ethan farewell, grabbed the quickest bite from the food court (Red Iguana for me, Chick- Fil- A for the Mizell's) and ran towards the train. With a hop, a skip and boom we were heading towards cousin Shannon's! Luckily she scooped us up and we scurried to her home. Her family and ours stayed up sharing stories and learning more about each other. I am so grateful for her hospitality. Daddy always said it was hard to find a nicer group of cousins, he was right! 

    So finally we slipped into the bed and I thought about how it would be a long time before Listi and I would be able to split a room again. And then everything blended together as I fell into one of the best night's sleep I have ever had. 

SLC (pt. 2)

    I originally figured after loving Utah with all of my heart I would be able to wrap up the trip with blogging gusto! I guess I just hate to close this chapter. But anyways:

    On day 2 of our trip to Salt Lake City trip, we had destined this day to be one of sight- seeing. I had researched, asked around and finally settled on a schedule I felt confident in. I am super grateful Mama and Listi let me make all of the plans- it was truly the cherry on top. 

    Let me just say that if you visit Temple Square,  the entire keystone of our viewing pleasure, in one day (like us) you'll need to have your game shoes on. Although everything was right next to each other, we were unfamiliar so we took lots of time just getting to the right spot.

    We flew in late and everything operated on a 9am opening schedule so we didn't arrive until then. It's just hard to explain how incredible it felt to watch as the Salt Lake City temple appeared. My breath was quite literally taken away as we the tip of the temple crept over the hedge. Architecturally, it's magnificent. 

     As we were all truly awe- stuck by being in the vicinity of such a magnificent place, we dropped by Kneader's in the City Creek Mall for breakfast. My croissant was delicious and then some, so good, look it up if you go- very Panera'esque. 

    As we ate in the restaurant, Listi's pal joined us. Ethan served in Douglas 2nd ward for the final transfer or two, the two became friends and he drove 2 hours north to spend the day with us before Listi left.

    Our Temple Square escapade began with the Church History Museum! But c'mon when you're there every destination in between becomes a photo opportunity. (Insert little embarrassed emoji here.) Truly we weren't able to offer it as much time as I had planned, we were behind on schedule due to breakfast. Highlights from there include: the bookstore (which we accidentally started with first), the enormous Moroni- located on most temple steeples-, morbid death masks of Joseph and Hyrum Smith. This was only the beginning of photobombed candids. 

    As we left, we were in a hurry to accomplish two tasks. One, visit with the dear Hepworth family, sons included!, and, two, make sure to be on time for the movie in the Legacy theatre. We successfully did both, but not without cooing over the baby boys and running to the movies. ;) The Church produces a free movie held in a large theatre inside of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, every few years, whenever a new one is created, they will trade it out. Whenever we went it was a movie about the life of Joseph Smith, the first prophet in this dispensation. As they wrapped the movie up, it depicted his violent death, it was very moving and tears may or may not have been shed. 

    (Joshua & Joseph make me giggle!)

    Our movie finished up with a good deal of time before our lunch reservation. Since we hadn't had a great chance to get pictures with the Temple we sought out the ideal photo spots. As we walked we saw many (!) couples marrying. Wait- on a Tuesday morning? Turns out that 2 months of the summer this temple, a very old building, is closed for maintenance purposes. We arrived, this being Monday, on the first day they reopened. When hearing this news, I just, I don't know- felt so overwhelmed with gratitude. My greatest wish with coming to SLC has been to visit the Temple, I would have been devastated had it of been closed. But, things were wonderful around Temple Grounds. An adorable circular platform is placed strategically in front of the temple, an elegant photo spot, y'all. We took more pictures than I would have imagined necessary.

    We realized that we had a few more moments before our next appointment , so we took my friend Jonathan's suggestion to go toward 26th tower for the Church Observatory. As we peered over, mountains with letter, the capital building and so much more was visible. It always mesmerizes me how different every state is, the people, the landscape.

    Finally, 'twas lunchtime. For this I had combed the internet and picked the brains of those I knew had visited. "The Garden" is located on the 10th floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial, a restaurant popular for its magnificent view. I am now soooo glad I called to make a request for the best seat in the house! We truly were placed in the most adorable location. The food was pretty good, better to some (Ethan) than to others (Listi). But the view man, that view is what made it so worthwhile.

    And on this note, I'll finish up the rest of our day later :)

SLC (pt. 1)

    Okay, it's official, moment of truth: 

I take things for granted.

1.) Like my husband letting me spend an atrocious amount of money for a plane ticket to Utah because it was important to me. 

2.) Like my job who let me have days off without the issues I predicted would ensue. 

3.) Like my extended family being so kind they'd drop everything to run to my aid.

    Two weeks ago on Monday, August 4th, my trek to the capital of Utah began. I pressured Graham into getting off early and taking me to the airport because this would be the final time in 3 years we would all be together. As we pulled into the airport the knots inside my stomach were unbelievable- our last day together in so long... 

     Mizell's, though, aren't ones to put on a passionate theatrical production so we grabbed supper together from small places in the Jax airport and made small talk. I noticed my Grandma Marilyn was white as a cotton ball, sick from worrying and being sad. Graham, as always, was totally nonchalant, Mr. Cool, and gave Listi his famed awkward side hug, excited for her new adventure. My Daddy wasn't smiling or frowning, just kind of taking it all in- he shares a special bond with Listi and hasn't been sure how to take in the thought of a mission. Granger, trying to lighten the mood said, "hey, Daddy don't start crying now!" And without blinking he whips back, "don't you start crying!" 

     Without missing a beat Granger's eyes flooded with tears and he cried pitifully as he leaned down to shield himself. Acey realized what was happening and he broke down too, he is the only one who won't be with us to welcome her home on 2016. Grandma, Listi, Mama and I followed in suit. So there we are, a group of bawling adults all huddled together in the JAX airport. So much for us not being into theatrics. I finally leaned over and said to Ma, "We've got 48 more hours with her! We can't be acting like this!" We hugged, photographed and finally looked to see that our plane would leave in 45 minutes, it was time to go through security.

    I felt so sad to watch everyone but us girls leave, it was just so upsetting. So I'm getting misty- eyed again, looking back and forth between them walking away and Listi with her crazy short hair. Finally Listi said, "it's not like I'm dying!" Which was true, plus we had all of the great Salt Lake waiting before us! So we perked up immensely and boarded the plane.

    No matter how many times I ride one (I've been on about 10 in total) taking off in an airplane still freaks me out. The "what if's" run through my mind, the looming distance between land below and the turbulence are enough to just about make me stick to a car permanently. But y'all know I was the "expert" on this trip, considering Listi and Mama had never flown, so I had to show my poker face and offer a supportive hand :)

    The arrival trip ended up being so fun! I brought my typical carry- on bag of snacks we munched through, every couple of minutes a film crew (us!) was rolling to get the flight footage and we had a layover in North Carolina- time to mark that off my bucketlist. After super uneventful flights (which involved Listi and I switching off who got to rest on Mama's shoulders) our hearts were pumping to finally be there, there, in Salt Lake City.

    We scurried over to grab Listi's luggage (70 lbs of it- did you understand that? 70 lbs!!) So at 11pm we rolled into the rental car section of the airport, smiles despite the intense amount of luggage. Well suffice it to say that about an hour later, I surpressed the most intense frustration, we didn't have keys to a vehicle and our host Shannon came by unexpectedly to pick us up. What a sweetheart! 

    Finally, 2am our time, we keeled over into the bed and I don't recall the briefest trouble I had sleeping.

    

The Great Salt Lake

    I've been home from Salt Lake City for days, but I just can't quite write about it yet. I'm still processing all of my thoughts, reliving and reliving until I can finally accept that I'm back home. 

    Until I get the strength, here's my video summary if our trip. It was a fine one, I'll leave it at that.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gtxiEI_xiMg&feature=youtu.be

August is Upon Us

    For whatever we reason lately, I have been experiencing a phenomenon unknown to my physical body- I fall asleep at a late hour and yet arise at precisely 8:30 every morning. This weekend I imagined sleeping in to the max, but not even close. So here I am. 

    Tomorrow Mama, Listi and I leave for Salt Lake City! Since I have been a little girl I have dreamed of this place, the basic Mormon central. For it to be a reality is almost mind- boggling. We are making what could have easily been a lengthy sight-seeing trip into a jam packed 2 night trip. Actually, now that I know Listi will officially be operating on a LDS Missionary mode (curfew, attire, et cetera) a small trip is much more appropriate! Tonight she will be set apart as a sister missionary, wow! 

    I had a cousin, Ashlee, take a few photos of Listi in her missionary clothes to keep as memorabilia. A huge thank you to her for spending part of her day taking these! The ones I have seen look so cute! Tucson has no idea that they'll be getting such a pretty, sassy and Southern missionary. I know they are going to love her because she is so nuts. Seriously she is such a tomboy, people in the training center will probably be amazed by her.

    Speaking of, I keep getting the giggles knowing the moment Listi enters the MTC she will be getting the "dork dot." Graham said that basically all missionaries on their first day get a little sticker in case they need assistance getting around the place. I mean really, I need to see this! I know she will capture all 12 days (apparently that is the new time-frame for missionaries speaking their native tongue) with tons of pictures.

    So the little girl is going to have her own blog! If anyone gets curious about what that little rat is up to, our family will be posting her letters home for all to see. Her blog address is simple! 

Www.listimizell.blogspot.com

    It's so odd to think that my intermediate family won't be together again for a few years. This mission, man, it feels me with joy, dread, uneasiness, gratitude and adrenalin all in one moment. I hope these next 18 months fly by for us, but maintain a lengthy presence in her life. I want to be selfish, but I know she is truly doing a greater good. :)

    In other news, I'm going to be an aunt! A little sidekick to spoil! Super huge congrats to Jared and Kipin on their expectant bundle. Graham's family hasn't had a sweet baby in bit so I'll say it was perfectly timed. I figure I'm just going to keep a extravagant stack of Aunt and Uncle onesies at our house in case baby comes over to play! (See example below.)

Seriously, I am so thrilled at how our families have multiplied during the past 3 years we have known each other... I truly love our families so much! We have the most loving, kind, fun people in our clan. I completely wear out the term 'blessed' but when you know, you know. 

    Well please think of us tomorrow as we board where I'll be our stressed- out coordinator and non- doomsday cheerleader whispering "Planes really are safe!" every three minutes. 

    

Georgia, on my mind

    Sometimes when I think about things that I love my heart swells with pride until the merest pin poke would make it explode into a crazy spurt of fondness, oozing with sentimentality. Not many things bring that kind of devotion, but now my home manages to do just that.

    I am so in love with the state of Georgia. I truly am. Despite anywhere I've been so far, I haven't found a place that can accurately capture every emotion that place can. 

    What makes it so wonderful? Easy Q! The scenery, the atmosphere, the people, the food. 

    Georgia is generally such a lush place, everything likes to bloom. The green fields seem to roll, with pines standing tall in the distance. There is access to the coastline, if that's your thing. Even in winter you can still find beautiful scenic spots.

    Everything is laid back. No one outwardly suffers from tunnel vision based on work.  Some days you run into a group of hatched biddies in an incubator, quick for your cuddling amusement. A good vacation can be as simple as taking it easy on a porch swing.

    People just seem so different in Georgia; there is the perpetual question "y'all want anything?" when you're a guest. I don't have to look over my shoulder at a gas station when pumping. People don't ask for "10$ to get to the Westside." And I can actively assume a person is going to hold my door as I walk in behind them. 

    Food from the South is always my number one (minus all the dang greens). Just think, the chicken is fried, the mashed potatoes are fresh from the garden and macaroni is always a side. I can call in an order of Jade's Fried Pickles and call it lunch. It's easy to ache after boiled peanuts and chocolate delight. Can anything get more delicious? 

    Another thing, it's the perfect mix between quaint and fast paced. There are options of bigger towns like Atlanta or Savannah, bustling and brash... Or plenty of small ones to skim through. You might find a completely different lifestyle of people just a small region apart. The differences keeps the mundane out of things 

    To tell the truth, some days I just daydream of packing all our things up to go home. I yearn to add "Georgia" to my mailing address, it's a very special place to me. Because, really, no matter where I live, it'll always be home to me.