last tuesday night {they called her on a mission}

first everybody screamed.

then when she said which MTC she was going to,

everybody screamed again.

but louder!

we all

clapped,

smiled,

and

jumped up and down with the buzz of excitement.

we all talked about how we couldn't believe that ashley was going on a mission,

and i spent about 20 minutes trying to figure out if her area covered my hometown of half moon bay.

it does not.

then we spent the night eating chocolate pie and cookie,

looking through the maps in her packets, 

reading about her mission presidents,

listening to people reminisce about their old mission stories,

and talking about visas and passports and interesting stuff like that. 

sean and jaren watched videos about the mexico city missionary training center 

on their phones and ipad,

and i wished that girls could have gone on missions when they were 19 when i was 19 

{you used to have to wait until 21 and by then i was already smitten with sean 

and was all "mission whaaaat? take me to the temple sean! let's get married and have babies!"}

{best decision of my entire life, BTW!}

the dads of the high school kids all talked about how fast your kids grow up,

and how you blink and your kids are going on missions.

things like that.

and i sat their nodding my head like,

"i know, i know"

but in my head i'm thinking,

"no way, that's soooooooo far away!"

even though i know it's not.

pretty much one of the most fun nights of the entire summer.

everybody made their guesses for about an hour before she opened her mission call. 

i guessed Fiji. 

because doesn't she look like a white Fijian person??!! 

yeah, no one else thought so either.

sean and the kids guessed california.

smart little devils.

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA

spanish speaking

reporting to the 

MEXICO MTC 

October 30th.

awesome

awesome

AWESOME!!!

i can't believe sean and the kids guessed right.

it's times like these when i wish we were gamblers.

shucks.

brennan can't wait to go,

and max wants to know if i can come with her when she goes.

be still my heart.

i love this life of ours.

and i LOVE this missionary.

Sister Mehr.

...

"i hope they call me on a mission,

when i have grown a foot or two.

i hope, by then i will be ready,

to teach and preach and work 

as missionaries do."