4 DAYS, 21 HOURS, 35 MINUTES, 31 SECONDS

The amount of time before I'm officially a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints.

Wow. This is REAL.

I've been waiting around thinking this would never come, like a total drama queen, and now IT'S HERE. It completely snuck up on me without me even noticing. 

My farewell is on Sunday. Topic: Becoming a Disciple of Christ. I have so many family members and friends traveling from far and near to come support me and I feel SO blessed and loved.

Preparing for this mission has been quite a bit harder than I thought it would be, and I'm so grateful for the amazing help my mom, dad and ward family have been to me. 

My mom. What a woman. Seriously, I don't know anyone else like her. What did I do to deserve her in my life? I think that is going to be the number one hardest thing about leaving for 18 months. Not having her near, and not being able to just call her up anytime I want. I've come to a realization that having my mom is truly a privilege. We should never take our loved ones for granted... they won't be with us forever, and we should cherish every moment we spend with them.

I've been given several teaching opportunities by my ward in the past few weeks and I'm really grateful for the experiences. It's put into perspective how far I have come as a teacher... and how far I still need to go. It gave me a little taste of what I'll be doing for the next 18 months. 

4 days. 21 hours. 35 minutes. 31seconds. Then I will be set apart as a representative of Jesus Christ. 

Hermana Franklin.

Can I really do this?

The Crane and the Lillies

Okay everyone. I’m really struggling here.

Before I explain, I’d like everyone to remember that this is a judge free zone. Good? K, thanks. Haha…

This is the issue… I can’t decide how I feel about the ending of Prison Break.(HEY, remember? No judging...)

(I should mention…. SPOILER ALERT.)

Seeing as I’ve been spending a lot more time alone than I’m used to, I’ve developed a minor addiction to Netflix. Maybe major. Haha… Sooooo productive, I know.

Let me begin by saying that I missed the Prison Break Bandwagon by a long shot all those years ago when it was popular. (Just like I did with LOST, 24 and Friday Night Lights). So I decided to spend my dear, sweet time seeing what I missed out on… And I will say this…

It WAS addicting. I could watch 4 episodes in a row and still eagerly start the 5^th. (Then I would realize I spent more than 3 hours sitting in the same spot staring, unblinking at a TV screen. And then I’d just feel ashamed of myself. Haha.)

Why was it so addicting? Well, Like any addicting TV show, the plot was constantly thickening, always moving and ALWAYS intense.

The whole sha-bang, really. Rescues, revenge, betrayal, alliances, twists, turns and romance.

I think I hit my psychotic break last night when I had to remind myself SEVERAL times that these characters are, in fact FICTIONAL.

Seeing these people run for their lives for four seasons made me attatched to them in a way that is almost…. well, not almost… IS embarrassing.

I loved Michael Scofield.

He was brilliant, mysterious and clearly cared more about his family than anything.

I rooted for Lincoln Burrows.

He was innocent, and I hated the world for believing otherwise. He was a big tough guy who just wanted to be with his son and brother.

I admired Sara Tancredi.

She was smart, and made it possible for the brothers to be together. And even though she had been through a lot, she didn’t play the “victim”, she was tough. Tough women rock.

I ADORED Fernando Sucre.

He always came through, I never questioned his motives, and he was the best “best friend” anyone could ask for.

I despised Theodore Bagwell.

Scum like him is the reason we have prisons. Ugh… I can’t stand that guy.

I had a hate/ love relationship with most all of the other characters… as I hated them in the beginning but grew to love them at the end, or vice versa.

The point is… I had a very serious relationship with ALL of them. Haha…

RIDICULOUS. IT’S A STUPID, COMPLETELY UNREALISTIC T.V. SHOW THAT AIRED 7 YEARS AGO. FRICK. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?

*Sigh*…..Okay, Let me just get this out.

WHY IS HE DEAD?

WHY did Michael have to die??

The man who saved everyone.

The man who made everyone free.

The guy who allowed them all to have their family safe, and then never be with his own.

The guy who put dangerous terrorists behind bars forever.

The father of a baby boy yet to be born!  

THE man who never gets to experience the joy of HIS triumph over evil.

WHAT THE HECK IS THAT ABOUT?

I’m just sort of, well… MAD. I’ll admit I even shed a tear or two. (Or a thousand...)

But, I guess should have known the tumor would come back. And that it might eventually kill him.

I should have known a character like that would eventually sacrifice their life… It’s all “in his nature”. Plus, the whole thing builds up to a dramatic ending like that.

He was in one heck of a lose/lose situation.
I should have seen it coming. I really should have. And I actually think I did.

I knew they wouldn’t all survive in the end. When Sarah “came back from the dead” I think it confirmed to my subconscious that Michael was eventually going to have to give her up FOR REAL.

But I didn’t let myself believe it. I really, really wanted a PERFECT happy ending. Where Sarah and Michael go to Costa Rica together and raise their perfect Son together.

Instead Michael dies in the jail where they abused his defenseless wife.

WHAT?

Sure, The Company was brought down. Sure, SYLLA is in the hands of someone trust worthy. Sure, many bad people were brought to justice.

But what about Brad, and Danny, and Veronica, all the people that T-Bag killed along the way… and yes, what about Michael?

Was it all worth it? Would Michael have done all that he did, if he knew that he was just going to give his life in the end?

Well, I don’t know. But something tells me… Yes.

Yes, he would have. I think Lincoln Burrows and Michael Scofield understand more about sacrifice than the average person. Lincoln sacrificed a lot of his life so that Michael could have a good one. A life with an education and a job, a productive place in society. Michael gave up his job, his money, and eventually his life for Lincoln, Sarah and his little son.

I guess that’s what it’s all about… Brotherhood and sacrifice… Putting the needs of others before your own.

I guess that’s what we call true love.  Way to go Michael.

Alright. I suppose I’m at peace with this tragedy .

“And they lived happily ever after.”

(And again, let me remind myself that Michael Scofield isn’t real. Haha.

BUT I think our world really could use a few more “Michael Scofields”.)

Looking Back

Well folks....

Here's to writing the date wrong on all my checks!

This last year has been a good, memorable year. A lot of significant things happened...Here's just a few...

• The New York Giants won the Superbowl 
• Queen Elizabeth marked her 60th year of reign as Britain's monarch
• The Artist wins Picture of the Year at the Academy Awards
• The Summer Olympics were held in Great Britain this year
• The century's second, and last solar transit of Venus occurred (the next is predicted to occur in 2117)
• Hurricane Sandy killed hundreds of people and caused considerable damage in the Caribbean, US, and Canada
• Obama was re-elected as president of the United States
• A series of terrorist attacks are directed against United States diplomatic missions worldwide
• The age for LDS missionaries was lowered from 19 to 18 for boys and from 21 to 19 for girls

But when I look back on the last year, some of the most significant things that happened were never on the news and will never be anywhere to be found in a history book...

I met so many friends who mean the world to me. 

I think if I've learned anything about friendship, it's to hang in, stay connected, fight for them, and let them fight for you. Don't walk away, don't be distracted, don't be too busy or tired, DON'T take them for granted. Friends are part of the glue that holds life and faith together. Powerful stuff.

Thank you.

Thank you for not giving up on me.

Thank you for encouraging me.

Thank you for laughing with me.

Thank you for crying with me.

Thank you for teaching me.

Thank you for being patient with me.

Thank you for reading with me.

Thank you for being adventurous with me.

Thank you for being a part of my life.

Thank you for 2012.