I will try to keep this blog updated at least somewhat with Cami's mission experiences, however if you want the full story, you'll want to subscribe to her mission blog.
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Cami's spent the last couple of weeks madly trying to finish up all of the preparations for her mission. She's been shopping, gathering items that she needs, visiting with friends, and making long late-night FaceTime calls to people, which is actually really only one special person that she's really going to miss.
We ate up our Cami time as much as we could and planned and did little else (hence the lack of posting on this blog).
We did, however, throw in a family photo shoot...
as well as a trip to see Phantom of the Opera at the Kennedy Center.
Then on Sunday, July 31st, Cami was set apart as an official missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, after which the late phone calls stopped and we started calling her Sister Goold.
It was an emotional day, but we could't be happier about the adventure she's embarking on for the next 18-months.
Then the next day on August 1st, Cami and I hopped on a plane to Utah. Glen and the kids said their goodbyes there at the curb...
After we landed in Utah late on Monday night, it quickly became a whirlwind of activity getting ready to drop Sister Goold off at the Missionary Training Center on Wednesday afternoon.
We had some shopping to do, some things to gather, etc. But for as much as she tried to stay focused on actually getting ready, really at this point, she just wanted to eat up her last few hours being a semi-normal 19-year-old. We (and I do mean she AND I, since she was already a set apart missionary) went out to lunch and met a friend at the temple for a session.
Then we came back (later than we'd expected) to my parent's home to hang out with lots of relatives at the open house my mom and sisters planned.
There were no tears here, just some great friends (one of whom you've probably noticed has shown up in a lot of these pictures and may or may not have something to do with all the late-night FaceTime calls) really happy to spend a few more minutes together.
Leaving time came all too soon though...
and Sister Goold and I reluctantly jumped in the car for the 2 minute drive to the Missionary Training Center. She made a few phone calls (to Glen and her siblings) along the way...
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Cami's spent the last couple of weeks madly trying to finish up all of the preparations for her mission. She's been shopping, gathering items that she needs, visiting with friends, and making long late-night FaceTime calls to people, which is actually really only one special person that she's really going to miss.
She also met with as many friends and relatives as possible to say her "see ya laters"!
We ate up our Cami time as much as we could and planned and did little else (hence the lack of posting on this blog).
We did, however, throw in a family photo shoot...
as well as a trip to see Phantom of the Opera at the Kennedy Center.
Then the next day on August 1st, Cami and I hopped on a plane to Utah. Glen and the kids said their goodbyes there at the curb...
and waved as Cami went off on her 18-month adventure!
We had some shopping to do, some things to gather, etc. But for as much as she tried to stay focused on actually getting ready, really at this point, she just wanted to eat up her last few hours being a semi-normal 19-year-old. We (and I do mean she AND I, since she was already a set apart missionary) went out to lunch and met a friend at the temple for a session.
Cami's friends stayed later at the open house than everyone else and she enjoyed one more night of being social.
She practiced her missionary safe goodbyes, but ended up laughing more than anything else.
Wednesday morning dawned too early and eventually it was time to get in the car and head to Provo.
Cami randomly ran into one of her favorite babysitting families in the parking lot at BYU. The Welch's hold a special place in Cami's heart and I think she was as excited to see them as they were to see her.
We spent the last hour before I dropped her off at the MTC, at the Wilkinson Center, so she could say her last goodbyes for the next 18-months. Sister Welch (the mom of the kids above) even ran from the class she was teaching, so she could join in on the fun!
There were no tears here, just some great friends (one of whom you've probably noticed has shown up in a lot of these pictures and may or may not have something to do with all the late-night FaceTime calls) really happy to spend a few more minutes together.
Leaving time came all too soon though...
and Sister Goold and I reluctantly jumped in the car for the 2 minute drive to the Missionary Training Center. She made a few phone calls (to Glen and her siblings) along the way...
and before I knew it I was leaving a piece of my heart behind there in the drop-off lane.
Goodbyes are quick at the MTC, but that didn't stop the floodgates from opening. I had to quickly pull over after leaving the MTC and regain my composure before it was safe for me to drive again.
I am thrilled beyond belief for Cami and know that great adventures lie ahead for her, but, man, we sure are going to miss her for the next year-and-a-half.
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Fun facts:
*August 3rd was a big day at the Provo MTC and 819 other missionaries also started their missions that day.
*Cami's first companion, Sister Jones, is the niece of a good friend of ours. They were in the same ward at BYU and are also both in the nursing program. They had connected beforehand and Cami was very excited about having her as a companion.
*Sister Goold's P-Day (short for preparation day) while she is in the MTC is on Fridays. Basically that means, that's the only day she'll have access to email, so make sure you send your emails before then.
So much LOVE!!
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