Семья!

09-08-05
Семья!
I’m starting to write a little early because we got our flight plans today! Ура! I will give you that information in two ways, one with the times they gave us and one with the times the way I figured it out they will be in Bismarck. Since I didn’t really have access to anything to know for sure, you might want to double check those times so you can be home when I call. That reminds me, did I ask you to send me a calling card so I can call home? I don’t know if you can get one that works internationally, but that would be the best so I can call you from Germany.
Ok, here goes: (as they gave it to us).
United Airlines LV: SLC, IT at 3:05pm – Sept 21
AR: LA, CA at 3:54pm
Lufthansa LV: LA, CA at 6:55pm
AR: Frankfurt, Germany at 2:25pm – Sept 22
Lufthansa LV: Frankfurt, Germany at 10:30pm
AR: Samara, Russia at 5:30am – Sept 23
Ok, so what I figured out are these times (in order) LV SLC at 4:05pm, AR-5:54pm, LV LA at 8:55pm, AR-7:25am, LV Frankfurt at 2”30pm, AR: 7:30pm
So, let me know what times will be best for me to call during my layovers, which should be from 6-9pm on Wed, and from 7:30am-2:30pm on Thurs. (Left - my name spelled in Russian by using pretzels) I will also probably call before I leave SL, maybe around 2:00pm that Wednesday. I hope that will be alright. Would it be better for me to call on the house phone? I’ll probably do that, but make sure to have my cell phone nearby so you can give me Heather’s and Erin’s phone #s, or you could send them to me in a letter, I guess that would work, too. I don’t know if I can call them, but just in case, I want to have them. Send me both Erin’s house and cell # and Heather’s cell #.
So, I’m flight leader. I guess they pick the flight leader based on alphabetical order, so since my last name starts w/an A, that’s the way it goes. It doesn’t really mean a whole lot, it just means I’m in charge of counting heads and calling people if anything goes wrong. But I guess what my branch president, President Fillmore, said is true. He said I would have more opportunities to lead on my mission, and here his prediction is being fulfilled.
I have to be in the travel office by 11:30 am, so you should try and find out for me when Jordan and them will be coming to the MTC so I can see them and give them my stuff for you. Then let me know. I should be able to wait out front for them, so I just need a general time.
It really doesn’t feel real. I think about going to Russia and I feel nothing. I think about leaving the MTC and I feel great joy because I feel like I can’t do anymore until I leave. But I’m sure when I’m on the flight going across the ocean to Germany, maybe then it will hit me. Or maybe it won’t hit me until a few months after I get to Samara. Who really knows?
Well, I’m going to go to bed for now, but I will write more tomorrow. . . maybe we’ll see how I’m feeling. Well, I guess I will for dure write to answer your letters since everyone was great and wrote to me!
09-09-05
There was something I was going to say, but I’ve forgotten it now. Oh, yeah, I remember now. When you tell me the best times to call, tell me in both Bismarck time and the time of the place I will be in, that way, I won’t get confused, hopefully. And if dad isn’t going to be home, give me another # that I could reach him at.
Now to answer your letters. First, dad, I was so sad to hear about Ron. What did he die of? That would have been horrible to have found out through an obituary. One of the sisters here who is going Spanish speaking had a friend who died in a freak accident. She found out by getting the funeral program in the mail. That was really hard for her. That will be great to get to Conference. (Right - an Elder had a camera that could do split pictures) I wish I could be here for it, but they tell us we will get to watch. I think it depends where we are in Russia because my friend over there had to wait a couple of months. Thanks for working on my website. I really appreciate it. But, do think you could not wait until she has finished them all, but after she finishes each one put them up so that the people who were wanting to check that out can have something to see. Maybe no one wanted to, but just in case, that would be nice. That would be great, though.
Mom, that’s great. Lizzy likes seminary so much. As for the temple, you are lucky. We only get to go one more time before we leave and then, unless some big miracle happens, we won’t get to go again until 2007. I can really going to miss being able to go to the temple.
Yeah, we heard about the hurricane. That is so sad, but it may very well be a good missionary opportunity. I am glad that I don’t have to buy gas, though. That is crazy that it is so easily affected. No, I didn’t hear about the temple president. That’s too bad. Thank you for typing my letters. I really appreciate that.
Elizabeth, I think that is great that you get to go to Relief Society and that Sunday School now, but I was sad to hear about your ankle. You really shouldn’t do that anymore. So, what about getting a job? Have you done that yet? Or what about taking classes? You really need to get on the ball and take care of those things.
Sara, it sounds like school is going really well for you. And that you have a class you are enjoying so much. How’s YW’s going? That must be exciting for you to be able to go to Gen. Conference on your birthday, huh? I’m going to be watching it по-русски, but I don’t know when. Thanks for not telling me about Gizmo. You can tell me about him, but only if it is something good.
I am getting lots of copies of pictures from my elders. It is really great. You will get to see them because most of them I won’t be taking to Russia, but will be in the stuff I give to Becky. Oh, I just want to remind you to answer my questions, but if not, have my letters by the phone so you can answer them when I call. I don’t even remember what they are, so it will have to be done that way.
Yeah, so I am getting really excited to leave, especially now that I know that I can have plenty of weight and I don’t have to worry about fees. (Left - a rainbow) I almost wish I wouldn’t have taken some of the stuff out that I did, but it’s better this way. Then I can have plenty of space for souvenirs and momentos, and perhaps presents if people keep writing me, or for some START writing me. Maybe it will be easier when I can email people, but I almost think not. Well, I don’t think Becky will email me because I don’t even know if she has one and if she did, it would probably be shut down soon after. Ah, нечего.
It is really crazy to think that I have been here for over 2 months. In one way it seems like I have been here for much longer, but in another way I feel like it has been a much shorter space of time. It is really funny how time works. I hate to think about it, but I almost wonder if that is how my mission will be. I don’t want it to fly by because I want to be able to enjoy every minute. A year and ½ really isn’t very much time.
There are a lot of things I only will be doing 1 more time before I leave here. One more night teaching in the TRC, one more day of service, one more day of primetime gym, one more temple visit, one more p-day, and as each day passes, more and more things will be added to that list until it begins to become a list of things I won’t do again. That should make me sad, but it really doesn’t. I’m not exactly sure why.
I think I’ll go now since my pen died and this isn’t mine.
Love,
Сестра Атвуд
P.S. Can you send me another pair of jeans, or two. They should be on the right hand side of my dresser. You’ll know which because they say LEI, have no holes, and probably look newer than the others. There should also be a pair of darker colored jeans and should be at least size 14, I think. All my nice jeans are in the same drawer. I can’t remember which, though. One or 2 would be great so my 1 pair doesn’t wear out completely before I even get to Russia. Thanks.