4Jan2009

Remember that one time I told my family the winter weather here isn't that much
different from winter weather in Utah? Well, I lied. This week I learned a new concept: WIND CHILL. Oh yes, indeed. This means that the temperature may be listed as 20 degrees but 40 mph winds make it feel more like 20 below. Or something to that effect. Start getting excited, Mike and Andrea, Minneapolis will be a wind chill party!! I will come and visit you there, but only if we stay indoors the entire time.

We picked a bad day to try taking the bus and walking around Shelton. The wind chill was really bad that day, and apparently it gets colder in Shelton because it's farther away from the coast. Luckily there was a Dunkin Donuts on the way to our appointment we got hot chocolate and carried it with us there to stay warm. (Dunkin Donuts is EVERYWHERE here. You can find a Dunkin Donuts almost more easily than a McDonalds. People really go there for the coffee, not the donuts. But they also happen to have very good hot chocolate.) That evening I noticed on my face what I thought was sunburn, but actually turned out to be windburn. I didn't know there was such a thing.

This weekend there was an enormous blizzard. The snow is different here--more grainy and powdery. Almost like sand. It's really weird.

I've been working at, for most of my mission, becoming more bold. I've also tried to
change the way I communicate, to talk less and say more get more to the point and
straightforward. I've been blessed with some bold moments this week which was really
exciting.

Trumbull is picking up the area book is a gold mine, the ward is getting more excited and referrals are practically falling out of the sky. I keep looking at my planner for next week because it makes me excited. I haven't had this many scheduled appointments since the Windsor days. Life is good!

Last night we had a dinner appointment with a family that has three young kids. The
oldest is close to Matthew's age and reminds me a lot of him. Here are a few quotes:

Monson: "Don't you want to eat your vegetables?"
A.: "Well, some of these noodles are whole wheat."

"What if glass was made out of bread?"
"What if your hair was made out of metal?"
"What if your house was made out of paper?"
"What if the noodles were made out of wood?"
"What if spaghetti was made out of candy?"
etc. etc.
Younger sister chimes in with: "What if spaghetti was made out of noodles?"
Missions are so random. I love it.
-Sister Monson

P.S. If any of my old roommates out there are reading this, does ANYONE have Virginia's address? ANYBODY...all my letters keep getting sent back to me.