Teaching and Makin' Omelettes.

So this week hasn't been very eventful until today! It continues to amaze me how quickly something can change, it doesn't take much in this life to change it.
So this afternoon I was talking with my best friend Kylee and we were talking about me living with her in the next couple of months. You see the original plan had been that I would move in with her in August but money was a thorn in my side (like it always is) and I was unable to get a plane ticket to get there so I was just going to wait till September and drive up with another friend. Anyway, we were talking and then suddenly an option that hadn't been there before appeared; I had a job waiting for me as a substitute teacher! But this was the kicker, In order to get the job I had to be at a teaching seminar and it was on august 12th and I really didn't have a way to get there. Then Kylee, being the awesome, amazing, beautiful, funny, fantastic, great and wonderful friend she is offers to pay for my plane ticket out there so that I don't have to miss this awesome chance!
Well back to my thinking, its always hard for me to be spontaneous and plus I had JUST started with McDonald's and I felt pretty bad for doing that to my boss since we are pretty good friends.



So I had to think of the benefits....

1. Guaranteed job
2. $75-80 a day!
3. Weekends and Holidays are always off
4. Work from morning till afternoon
5. I will have the job pretty much as long as I need it
6. Its something other than fast food!
7. It looks good on a resume.
8. I'll be in Idaho sooner
9. I'll be able to save more money for school
10. Make other working skills

Soo when I took those 10 things into consideration and the fact that I was going to get a free ride up there  it seemed like a pretty sweet idea and as my awesome friend Kylee would say "Kirsta, you would be retarded not to take this chance." So BAM! in a span of 30 minutes my ticket was bought and I had made the deal to head to Idaho on the 29th! Craazy.
I do feel bad for doing that to my boss but I think they will be okay and I know they will understand when I explain to them that this is a one time chance practically and its a great way to remain financially secure, which I have never been before.

I guess the phrase "You cant make an omelette without breaking some eggs" applies to this situation.

Okay so here is the spiritual thought: The Lord can only show us the door, we are the ones that choose to walk through it. (I thought that was pretty relevant to the topic :-) )

Till next time,
Live long and prosper!
Kirsta.

18 Months Gone in a Blink of an Eye

I'm back from serving a 18 month mission in the Salt Lake City Temple Square Mission!

So I'm back, I don't really know what to think, it was super fast! The emotions when I first got off the plane were so mixed I felt like I was trapped in a glass case of emotion! 

When I saw Mom and Dad tears instantly filled my eye sockets, I could not help it. One of the many things the mission did to me was make me a cry baby, but that would not be the last time I cried. We met my sister and her family and ate with them, hung out for a while then it was time to go to the Stake President and get released. 

I knew that this was going to be hard but I wasn't expecting how hard. As soon as I sat down in his office I broke down in tears knowing what was going to happen. I wasn't ready to hear the words "I release you from your calling as a missionary" but nothing I did was going to stop it, it was time despite how I felt. Well it happened  I had to take off my name tag which had become as apart of me as my arm, and then I had to walk out and face the world again no longer as Sister Larsen but as Kirsta. Ugh, just writing about it again slightly depresses me. 

So that was 5 weeks ago almost to the day! And needless to say I am doing much better now! Its still hard occasionally and there are things I still miss but I know that the Lord is helping re-adjust to living a normal life. 

What have I been up to recently you ask? Well I will tell you! NOTHING! Ha, I have been sleeping.. a lot of sleep.. catching up on all the sleep I lost while on the mission. But also I am going to start working at McDonald again (joy of joys.) and start preparing to move to Boise in September. I am also helping my parents with some stuff; my dad with his business and the books, and my mom with organizing the house. I have tried my best to keep productive. 

So even though those 18 months went by fast I feel like I have learned enough to fill 50 years worth. I know that is saying a lot but its true and you can ask any missionary you meet if its true and I promise they will agree. I walked into the Missionary Training Center the woman I was and came out of the mission field a woman much different than the one who had started the journey. I know that is part of the mission process, that's part of the Lord's process. I thought I knew who Christ was before, I thought I knew my gospel, but I was so wrong in so many different ways and I think the thing I have learned most is that there is still so much more for me to learn still, I will never stop learning! 

There is a poem I would like to share that really describes how I have changed. 

Fellowship of the Unashamed

"I am part of the Fellowship of the Unashamed. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. I am finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, chintzy giving, and dwarfed goals. 

I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I now live by presence, lean by faith, love by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power. My pace is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my Guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, deterred, lured away, turned back, diluted, or delayed. 

I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I must go until Heaven returns, give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes. And when He comes to get His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My colors will be Clear. 

I am not ashamed of the Gospel. 

(Inspired from Romans 1:16)

That statement "I am not ashamed of the Gospel" I think is what has changed the most. I used to avoid religious topics like the plague. I guess I was scared of offending someone or seeming like some kind of crazed Jesus freak. But I realized something while on my mission; I don't have to be afraid to be religious. This is as much a part of me as my lungs or my heart, it is was drives me to do what I do, its my line of logic. I owe everything I am and everything I have to the Lord and His gospel, why be scared of mentioning it?

Now that doesn't mean that I am going to go all crazy christian on everyone. I understand that everyone has different opinions and there are times and places for certain conversations but I will no longer avoid the topic like I used to. I am grateful to the mission for giving me the courage I lacked and the integrity I needed.

 

So because of all of this I am going to try to leave a spiritual thought at the end of each blog entry. (no matter how random or bizarre the entry may be) I will not be perfect at this but Imma try!!

I love you guys so much! Thanks for your support and until next time..

LIVE LONG AND PROSPER!

-Kirsta Larsen

Home again.

I step out of the airport. The air is thick with moister, the noises of the city and the crickets work together to make an oddly comforting symphony and I know that I am home.

It is odd, I used to hate this place. The humidity was unbearable, the people drove me insane and the bugs were horrible. But as the years have gone by and I have gone to other places and have grown in many different ways I realize all the merits this place has, I begin to miss it more and more every-time I leave and I cant help but feel comfort when I step out into the sticky air once again.

Its not so much the place itself I miss but the people here. My best friend Kylee has been there since I was a little girl and she was there waiting for me at the airport, it was so amazing to see her after more than a year! In fact I am at her place at this very moment as I write, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I have missed her bluntness and her sweet, sweet heart. It takes a little while to get used to her personality but once you do there is no replacing it. I will soon see my family whom I have missed very much. I get to see their new girlfriends/wives and I get to see my beloved nephew Erich who brings tears of joy to my eyes every time I see him. And as I write this blog I realize that it isnt really the place that I miss at all, but the love around me, the comfort of knowing that no matter what happens I have several people willing to do anything for me.
I have the great blessing of a close dear friend that understands me better than anyone and a relationship with my family that some people only dream of. I know that I am blessed and I thank God everyday for it, I would be incredibly ungrateful if I didn't.

Isn't it amazing how much we take for granted while we are young?I mean I am not trying to pretend I am wiser than I am. I know that there are still many things I take for granted and I think that most everybody takes somethings for granted. . But as I look back on my teenage years, those foolish, funny years, I wish I had taken more time to just take a deep breath and enjoy my surroundings instead of looking towards the next tomorrow, when I was young that's all there was. .  and to some degree its still like that.

All I can try to do is take moments like these, when I actually see all I have and how happy I actually am and try my best to hold onto it until the next moment rolls along. We spend so much time focusing on our furture that we forget to be happy with our present and I dont want to look back on these times when I am 30 and think "Wow, I was so ungrateful and stupid!" Which I know I will to some degree. . everyone does.
But my hope is that maybe I'll be able to lessen it and appriciate this place and my life a little more.

Sorry about the somberness of this post and the back and forth feel of it, just one of those thinking nights I guess. Good night.

Harry Potter and Zombies

So I was apart of the millions of people that went to go see the last Harry Potter at a ridiculously early hour, only instead of 12 I was there at 3 am. All I have to say is that it was TOTALLY WORTH IT! By far it is the best the of the series. The actors have grown greatly and emotions were intense and the action kept you at the edge of your seat. . plus it made me tear up a little, I NEVER TEAR UP at movies. This however was the exception, the great, great exception. It goes needless to say that this movie has the coveted Kirsta's stamp of approval. I can't go much further than this cause I do not want to spoil things but if you have been on the fence let me push you over and say GO AND SEE IT!

Now on to other important topics. Currently I would like to address America's obsession with. . .ZOMBIES! Yes, Zombies, it has become a huge topic of discussion amongst me and my friends and amongst Americans all around. Will it be the next apocalypses? What kind of Zombies are more likely than others? Well through my extensive studies I have come to conclusion that the Zombies we will more than most likely face wont actually start out as Zombies, at least the way we know them, they will start out as the sick and feeble, and then BAM! they will go crazy. It will start out as a virus but will soon get out of control. Yes, that is my prediction. If you would like to see it come to life watch 28 DAYS LATER starring Cillian Murphy.
Also I used to think living in a fortified house in the swamps was the  best idea, ya know since the water and wild life would be all around for natural protection, but talking with Jacq (my local associate on the matter) I have realized that up in the freezing cold mountains would be a better idea.

Here are the reasons.
1. Because its high up and zombies aren't very good at climbing.
2. It is so cold the Zombies would freeze before reaching us.
3. It also acts as the safe point from the non infected humans who have gone insane.

In conclusion.
America's obsession with this topic is both good and bad. It keeps us aware but also keeps us experimenting. . . I will start looking for land available in the mountains.

Till next we speak.

The first.

Well tonight will be my first ever blog post, I feel like I am growing so much! I can actually express emotion and thoughts for others to read and not be completely embarrassed about it, completely being the key word. So while reading, please keep in mind my newness.

I guess I should explain my title a little bit. I know that its a little depressing, pessimistic, dispiriting etc. But it is also very appropriate. Ever since I was a child I have always thought that the grass was greener on the other side and I never really got over it, even now I am still desperately trying to get to that other side of the blasted fence. But don't worry, this will not be a whining depressing blog, though I am sure sometimes it will have its moments, I will try to keep it relatively positive because even though I feel this way I have always tried to stay optimistic. I often call myself an optimistic pessimist because I hope and pray for the best but I prepare and expect the worst, which I think, if we are all honest with each other, we all do.

Now, the reason I started a blog in the first place is so friends that I have made while in school can keep up with me and hear my wonderful opinions which I know they all love so much. But, also for a creative outlet. I have tried journal writing, and I haven't completely given up, but this seems like it would be a better outlet than a journal so we (and by we I mean me) will try it. So if you follow me and you do not know me than WONDERFUL! I always like to know that people pay attention to me :).

Well that is it for my first blog post, not very interesting I know but I assure you it will get better. At least I hope it will. Haha.