November 16, 2009 "5 more days til my Birthday!!!"

Family!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Well. To be honest, I never have any idea what to write to you anymore. New Jersey is awesome. I am just so in Jersey I forget that I'm right by New York except for when I see the skyline sometimes. The weather here (yes, I am writing about the weather.....lame) has been pretty crazy. It will be raining and freezing then it will be 70 degrees out the next day. I don't really understand, but I like it when it's warm. We went out knocking for a looooooooong time in the pouring rain. I think I was hoping that looking like a drowned cat would make people want to let us in. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Maybe they were just nicer about saying "NO- get off my porch." :) So! I almost was going to get sick. But! In my wisdom I had purchased Emergen-C just for times like that and I started popping those little packets like crazy. And drinking tons of water. Like, gallons. My poor comp, I had to use the facilities a ton. But! I did not really get sick!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 So take that!
My branch is really the sweetest branch ever. I love all the people that we get to work with. They are so willing to do missionary work. If they're not, then we get to kindly remind them:) We've been really blessed in the amount of lessons we've been able to teach. I have been really good about not being bossy, but I've started to do more scheduling and the Lord has blessed us SO much is being able to get more lessons in this week than we ever have before. I love teaching. I am really trying hard to be better about teaching by the Spirit, it's something I can always improve on. Even if I think I am a really good teacher, what I say doesn't mean anything unless the Spirit is present. So! That's always nice and humbling:)
So! We've been doing service at a part members house the past few weeks. Her name is Sister Weber. Her husband Hans is straight from Germany. They are AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love them. We've been raking a lot of leaves and helping with the gardening. Which I love. Since I get to be outside. And not in a dress. And I love raking leaves for some reason. So she has this big oak tree in her yard and as a result has 20 billion acorns that need to be removed. I was trying to rake them, but I got too frustrated because the little rake comb things had too much space in between them so I sat down and started making piles of them with my hands. My companion was laughing at me but duh it was a more effective way of doing it and I filled up like 2 buckets full of acorns. Then she started picking them up my way too. Take that! :)
On an interesting side note- I got bangs. Full on bangs. My most favorite Sister Montes cut my hair and I got bangs. I haven't had this much bang since I was like 5. But I love them. It's exciting.
I love my life. I love the gospel. I love that I have absolutely nothing to do with anything but it's really just how much God loves his children. If I can help them to feel that love, then I feel blessed. Everyone should serve a mission. It's good for your constitution (? I have no idea- it sounded good in my head:))
I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Be good. Do work.

Sister Picard

PS!!!!!!!!!! IT's my birthday I just remembered! Olde folde. 22..... ugh. Make sure and tell Claire Russell how old I am. Because I am SOOOOOOO much older than she is:)