Holy Schmidt!! I just did that!

I am an official finisher of the Ragnar 2012! what is Ragnar. It's the largest Relay race!  You get 12 people family or friends and run 200 miles over the weekend.  It is the most obscured, crazy thing ever.  There were over 1,100 teams meaning about 13,200 people running from Logan to Park City.  I can say enough about it.  we have already signed up for next year!  I loved doing this with my family1  they are the coolest people ever!

Our team name was "HOLY SCHMIDT"  It was awesome!  We had T-shirts and our van was decked out with our name all over it.  We even had people taking pictures with our van! We had just as much fun preparing for the race as we did running it.  We designated our run to Lexe Selman.  She is my hero.  Many of you know that Lexe is battling Leukemia and is winning the battle.  We were "running for Lexe" with her number 13 on our backs and thoughts of her in our hearts. Lexe kicks Leukemia and we kicked Ragnar for her!  We love you Lex!

I ran three legs.  For some reason my first, which was my "easiest" kicked my trash! It was only 3.8 miles but it was hot.  It ended with a battle to the end with a girl that tried to pass me so I cut her off and ran in front of her. Rude, but awesome.  I almost peed my pants though! HA Leg two was by far the best!  I started running at 4:15 AM it was totally black and silent.  I had my new skull candy ear buds in and flying!  I blew past four people in my first mile and continued with a fast speed for 7.5 miles and raced a girl to the end feeling like a beast and..... NOBODY WAS THERE!  Heather was just chillin in the honey bucket line! Which was ironic considering she had just told me a few hours ago that she would never not be there.  i told her that was my biggest fear of Ragnar, that I would race in and my team wasn't even there. Luckily, Braden found me and told me she was on her way.  She is SO LAME! (I still love you Heaffer!) PS she still peed on herself anyways :)  Leg three is when I really became a beast!  I ran 4.0 miles up a mountain.  Okay fine, I didn't "run" I walked for the most part with a little jog on occasion.  I gained 1700 feet in elevation in 4 miles.  I thought it would be the death of me but after all my energy shots and GU chomps and caffeine drink, I was wired even after my run I could still shake my butt at Heather running past and summiting the mountain!  Our family rocks!

32 hours after we started, our 12 members rejoined together in our Holy Schmidt 13 shirts and ran through the finish line, with Howie as our lead man!!  It was such an amazing weekend and I hate that the next Ragnar is a year away but maybe this next time I will actually train for it!  If anyone is debating about running the Ragnar I say don’t hesitate just do it!!! It’s so worth it!!

Pictures to come soon!

All Is Well

Have you ever sat and thought about everything that you have?  I am sitting here in a beautiful home, with lights and comfortable furniture. I am next to my brother who, in my mind, is one of the most incredible kids on the earth, and I think how am I so lucky.  I think people ask God, "how could this happen to me," when things get hard or something goes wrong.  Tonight I find myself asking that same question but opposite. How come I got to be so lucky?  Why was I born into an amazing family? Why did I have the privilege to grow up in America and have the freedom and ability to realize my dreams?  How come I got to grow up in the Gospel, when I was taking advantage of it and somebody else had to go through a lot of hard trials in order to come unto Christ?


I love my life, family, religion, education, home and dreams.  I have everything I could ever need or want and yet I forget.  I forget what I have and look to what I want.  I forget who I am and try to be what I am not.  My eyes are then opened to the lives of others and the hard things that they have to go through.  I watch Lexe Selman, two days before her 18th birthday, smile and laugh as her mom injects syringe after syringe of her medicine, helping her battle leukemia and watch her body deteriorate from so much chemotherapy. I watch the video of Stephanie Nielson who suffers from severe burns all over her body, say she is lucky and that loves the trials that come her way. I am grateful fro those around me that go through trials and help me realize all that I really have.  I am so grateful for everything.  I am grateful o be me, to have the siblings and parents that I do.  I am grateful for this gospel that constantly gives me the hope and love for the greater things in life. 

“In all of living, have much fun and laughter. Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured.” 
― Gordon B. Hinckley

A Lack of Excitement

So I just spent the last half hour reading my sister's blogs and literally laughing out loud to myself as I am in the kitchen eating my veggie burger (No I am not vegetarian but my sister introduced me to some awesome veggie burgers and I can't get enough of them).  Meanwhile my roommate is in here room with her door open probably thinking, "Only three more days that I have to live with this crazy chick!" Ha She loves me :)

So I thought to myself, "Hey I haven't updated my blog in a while.  I should do that!" Oh wait, I am not pregnant nor do I have an adorable girl to take pictures and tell funny stories about.  Yeah thats right why would anyone want to read my blog?  Easy answer.... They don't! Well too bad I am writing anyways.

I love life!  I truly do! I might just be hopped up on happy pills that come in the form of sunlight, shorts, flip-flops and sunny G's, but that's how I am feeling.  I kind of failed at school this semester.  I hear that RM's are way good students especially right after they get home form their missions.  Well it's a lie.  I couldn't care less about school.  It just needs to end as soon as possible.  I feel like school is getting in the way of my education.  So I just finished the first of four finals.  I will finish Thursday and with out hesitation, My friend Carrie and I will jump in the car and drive to California for some much needed R&R!  Laying on the beach reading and not having a care in the world sounds like paradise!  We will be there for a week and then I have a lot of driving ahead of me.  I will go from California to Logan Utah in a matter of two days.  That how much my friend Mckell's wedding means to me.

I then find myself in Draper.  Yes, that is right I am moving back home.... living with my parents. I will be a 23 year old returned missionary and just about to graduate and living with my parents.  I definitely fit the stereotype.  At home I will be sitting on my butt doing nothing....  I wish! Instead I will be taking an intense Russian course for 2 weeks, 5 1/2 hours a day.  I think my head will explode. I will need week of recovery after this before I will be able to communicate in English again.  I then will start working.  I am so excited for my job this summer.  I will be working as a property manager for Huntington Apartments in  Bountiful. I will be there for 10 weeks while the manager is on maternity leave.  I am excited for the job expierence because I am going into business management.  And with all this time I will spend most of my time playing with my little nephew that is due the day before my birthday!  I can't wait for him to come!

Boo to novel length posts! Sorry!!

My personal principles statement

So I had an assignment in my class to create a personal principles statement and explain what it means and how I decided the things that were important to me.  I figured I would share it with all of you! Enjoy!

Personal Principles Statement

“My purpose throughout life is to rejoice in those things that are central in my life; my family, my belief in Christ, relationships with others, and the excitement that comes from the world around me, by being true and trusted friend that helps and encourages others to see the happiness and light this life has to offer.  I desire to have a family, which is the greatest joy life has to offer, and that they are always aware of the love I have for them.”

            My family, my belief in Christ, relationships with others, and the joy that comes from the world around me are what I consider to be central in my life.  I know that I am who I am because of these very things and if taken away from me I would not be the person that I am.  My family is my safe harbor.  They are rock of support for all that happens in my life, good or bad.  They remind me who I am when I forget and they love me even when I have disgraced them or the family name.  My belief and trust in my Savior is my constant.  He is the one thing I will have forever.  He is my brother and my best friend that has walked my path and I can always lean on Him, for all that I need.  Relationships are what bring a smile to my face and a light in my eyes.  I value the relationship that I have and the people I know, because they make life exciting and fun.  The world is a beautiful place that makes me want to open my eyes and experience all that there is to do on this earth.

            I know that I am of worth, that I have the ability to change lives.  Starting with my own and moving on to everyone in this world.  I want to be someone that others can call a true and trusted friend.  Someone they can rely on through the thick and thin and know that I am there for them.  I want to be that person that enters a room and the light and energy of life follows.  I want others to feel the enthusiasm and energy for life that I have be being in my presence.  I know that the optimism and joy for life, which I have within me, can lift others when they are down and put a smile on the face of a heavy soul. Life is to be enjoyed and I hope to help others truly enjoy what life has to offer.

  I want to leave a legacy of service, love for life and love of God. When I finish this life, I would hope that others can look back on my life and are confident that I gave of myself to benefit those around me.  I believe that if you love God then you love and serve those around you. There have been amazing men and women that have gone before us and have devoted their lives to serving and loving all those that have crossed their paths; I would hope that I could join them in the legacy they have left behind.

My greatest desire of all is to have a family of my own, a husband and children that desire the same things that I do. I hope that I have the opportunity to teach my children to love the wholesome things of this world, so that they can carry on the legacy of service and love that I have carried on from my parents.  I believe that family brings the greatest joy of all.  I know that my family is what makes me happy.  I love to spend time with them and to learn and grow from the things that they are doing in their lives.  I want my family now and my future family, to have a constant assurance that I love them and desire only the greatest things of this world for them.

Are you normal?

Okay so for all those that have been reading about my adventures in Ukraine, thanks for your support and love.  I am very appreciative. This blog ended as soon as I got home, in fact it pretty much ended earlier because I didn't really feel like doing e-mail when it got close to the end.  I am sorry for my lack of dedication in my e-mails.  I was thinking about how it would be sad just to let this blog go to waste and I have had some thoughts and figured a blog is a great way to express myself.  I apologize now,  I am not a writer.  I am sure you all have already realized this from my e-mails.  I am not an English major and can't remember anything I learned in the past 10 years of English classes so if my bad grammar and spelling bothers you then, Well you don't have to read this :) 

Are you normal yet?

I have come across this question with almost every person I have come in contact with since being home.  Sometimes I don't even know who these people are.  They just here that I am a returned missionary and have to ask.  My question to them and to you as well is, what is normal anyways?  When I decided to ask one of those people that asked me if I was "normal," I turned the question back to him.  What does that even mean?  He then chose to go through a list with me:

• Have you been alone?
• Have you watched TV?
• Have you watched a movie that you hadn't seen before the mission?
• Have you been out on a date?
• Have you held hands with someone?

These were just a few that I could remember.  Is that what is normal?  Is it really normal to waste my time in font of the TV? Or watching movies all the time?  Is holding hands with someone right away something that makes a person normal?  Who decides what is normal?  Maybe we are all confused and being focused on the gospel really is normal.  Haven't we heard from leaders that we are not mortal beings having a spiritual experience but we are spiritual beings having a mortal experience.  I am not going to go all "preachy" and call everyone (including myself) to repentance.  It has just been on my mind every time I get asked if I am normal or if I am still "weird."  It is something I want to personally figure out what is "normal" for me personally.  I want to figure out who I am and what my standards are.  I fear that question might be the cause of so many RMs going off the "deep side" once they have come home.  they try to conform to society of what is "normal" and they loose everything they were and what they learned the past 18 months to 2 years.

The adjustment is hard. I feel like I have eyes watching me everywhere I go and judging me about how I am going to handle my first hug, my first date or first kiss from being home.  It makes me feel pressured. I have been home 4 weeks now and yes there are a lot of things I am still getting comfortable with.  There are things that I am okay with and can handle, but there are still things that make me uneasy.  I might even wish that I never completely conform to the norm of society.  I think I like being "weird."  It makes life fun and makes me laugh at myself.  Okay Okay I am done.  I will get off my soapbox. :D

And for all those curious cats out there.... yes, according to those questions given above, I am normal.  Even if this blog post isn't very normal.  If anyone has any ideas and want to attempt to answer me of "what is normal?"  Please feel free to let me know.  Thanks!
Z Lovem
Lauren

letter#70 November13

Another letter to the president.

I hope you have had a great week. We sure have. We were way excited for our investigator to get baptized. I felt like we really did our homework with this one. I try really hard always to have the transition from the missionaries to the ward a very smooth transition. This time was pretty good. She had all the ward missionaries on lessons with her, as well and the Relief society President. She was also able to meet the ward mission leader. We then had the ward pre-plan her visiting and home teachers. So we had one home teacher (Alexander Polyakov the recent convert) baptize her and the other teacher give her the gift of the Holy Ghost. Her one visiting teacher was at the baptism and the other one was sitting by her at sacrament meeting when she got the gift of the Holy Ghost. We put so much work into getting her into the ward yet we are still worried about her. She still is a little shaky on her testimony. She has so much desire to know everything which is incredible. I just hope she really works at strengthening her testimony.

President, I feel like in some areas of the work we are really succeeding and others we are SO far away from fulfilling our purpose. I want to go out of my mission sprinting and just really give it EVERYTHING that I have. Which is what I feel I am doing, but yet we are really struggling to find new investigators. We try to talk to a lot of people. Even everyone that crosses our path but maybe it's my lack of faith that is holding us back but I feel like I try. Also I confess I judge people and see if the ward would accept them. We don't want to bring someone with a load of problems that will weight the ward down but we also don't want to deny anyone salvation. We are not the judges. That was me just rambling on. Sorry. Well anyways, I think I need to restrengthen my faith. I know that there are people out there ready to accept our message I just need to do it with more love and faith. Thank you for always being a great example of those two attributes for me. I really do feel your love for us and for this work and it makes all the world of difference. Your faith is admirable. I really want to have as much faith as you have. Thanks so much for all that you do for us and for the mission. We are grateful for your sacrifice.

Letter #69 November 7th

Lauren's Letter from this week was mostly business, but I really liked her letter to the president. So here it is:

Dear President,

How are you doing?> I am doing so good. I am loving the pretty weather. It is beautiful and fresh outside. We have had a few days inside this week so I am especially grateful for the opportunity to be out and about. We will see how long we will be out. Sister stiles has been sick and the poor thing had the greatest drive to get out and work but she still isn't feeling great. We hope that we can figure things out so she can be out an about at 100 % again. She is a trooper.

Last night I found myself awake for an hour and 40 minutes or so. I was not wanting to be awake I just couldn't get the work out of my head. I was wide awake with thoughts of our investigators. I was racking my brain to see how we could get them baptized. I was even going through the lessons with them and what I would say in order to help them progress to a date. It was the weirdest thing. I didn't want to be doing that I wanted to be sleeping I just couldn't stop myself from analyzing every part of the work and all of our investigators and less actives we are working with. I then realized how much I really love this work. I love it so much. I really want to help these people because I love them for who they are, my brothers and sisters.

This week my best friends got married and I didn't know it until the day before when I got her announcement. I was pretty bummed. Not going to lie before that point I was pretty excited to go home. Not because I was sick of missionary work I was just feeling myself preparing for the change that is going to take place. I would say I was almost trunky that it would effect the work because I would have random thoughts of things I wanted to do when I was home. Well when I got my friends announcement. I started to think about what I was doing. I was wasting time that is a very limited time on thinking about going to a place that I will be for the rest of my life. I can think about home when I am there. Because I will be thinking of Ukraine when I am home in Utah. I know that my time is ticking down. And I know that I want to give it my everything before I get on that plain. I was fueled with the love of the work and I am really pumped to keep going. I am excited to live in the moment and really focus on these people here that I love so much. I want to help them as much as I can and truly give my all to this work. I am so grateful for your example to me. I learn from you all the time. I love this mission and all that is happening. I can't wait to hear about all that happens after I leave it will be incredible. Thanks again!

Sister Schmidt