Dear Future Parents

Dear Future Parents,


I have found a bit of data that you might be interested in. I know a fool-proof way to ensure that your daughter gets married within 4 years of High School. You don't think that there is just  ONE thing that could have such an effect? Well, let me show you the evidence....


Lone Peak Chamber Choir- 2005-2006

Sopranos:

1. Karlie R. -MARRIED

2. Lacie J. -MARRIED

3. Sally D. -MARRIED

4. Nicole B. -MARRIED

5. Britney P.- kind of flown off the radar, but last time I checked, she was not married. 

6. Nicole C. -MARRIED

7. Sabrina B. -MARRIED

Altos:

1. Martha P. -MISSION

2. Jade J. -MISSION

3. Emily S. -MARRIED

4. Becca S. -Neither

5. Leslie F. -MISSION

6. Brooke L. -Niether

7. Danielle S. -MISSION

I thought this was interesting, but it wasn't until I moved on to the next year that I realized just how true this was... 

Lone Peak Chamber Choir 2006-2007

Sopranos:

1. Lindsay R.-MARRIED

2. Sally D. -MARRIED

3. Katrina L. -ENGAGED

4. Tia H. -ENGAGED

5. Lea W. -MARRIED

6. Trish R.-MARRIED

7. Trisha R. -MARRIED

Altos:

1. Martha P. -MISSION

2. Jade J. -MISSION

3. Stacy E. -MISSION

4. Jessica L. -MISSION

5. Melissa B. -MISSION

6. Emily B. -MISSION--this is an update- apparently she is expecting her call this week- Thanks Melissa!) It just helps to prove my point haha

7. Erin M. -neither

Yep, that's right. For some reason, boys can't resist those high fluffy voices. For my Senior year to have ALL of the sopranos engaged/married, and all but ONE of the altos on missions (mind you, she is not a member of the church, so I think she is exempt). It's crazy stuff. So parents, if you want your daughter to get married in college, or you are just too excited to plan a wedding you can't wait more than 4 years, put her in choir, and make sure she's a soprano. 

My nickname in choir was "Beef" because I was told on many occasions that I had a "beefy" voice. This is sounding worse and worse as I type it, but I was told it was because I had such a rich, dark singing voice...  As much as I loved being an alto, the evidence is clear that guys prefer sopranos. So parents, don't let your daughter grow up listening to Karen Carpenter, otherwise her choir teacher will tell her it sounds like she gargled with drain-o (A comment I got all the time) because she can sing so low. 

I think I have proven my point. 

Case closed.

Sincerely,

Martha

Dear X-Men

Dear X-Men, 
Can I just say WOW? This past Thursday I went and saw the new X-men First Class movie. It was SO good. So good in fact, I went and bought the trilogy and watched them all. *The following may contain spoilers-however the movies are like 10 years old, so you probably already watched them* I bawled when Professor X died, I just didn't think it was possible. Then when Magneto told Pyro "Charles Xavier did more for mutants than you will ever know. My single greatest regret is that he had to die for our dream to live." I could just die. It was so good. Then at the very end when Magneto moves that chess piece a little bit, I'd be lying if I said I didn't totally gasp! And then after the credits when you find out that Professor X transferred his mind into the body of that guy born unconscious! Holy crap! Please just come out with the next X-men movie! Don't get me wrong, I love the origins, but I'm dying for the next one. I don't know why it has taken me so long to discover them, but they are soo good! I especially like that Eric and Charles aren't really enemies, they are still old friends, but with different ideas. Super cool. I also liked First Class because I love seeing how people get to be where they are in the other movies. Wow. I never thought I would have a post this nerdy, but WOW! 


Also, Kevin Bacon plays the bad guy in X-Men First Class. At first, I could not stop thinking about this commercial: 



Too funny. 


But seriously, if you haven't seen these movies, WATCH THEM. NOW. Don't wait. Heck, I'll watch them with you. 


Sincerely, 
The next member of the X-men,
Martha

Dear Grandpa Goodwin

Dear Grandpa Goodwin,


I just wanted to say thank you for everything. You were an amazing man and I know that I would not be the person I am today if it were not for you. 

Thank you for not forbidding my Mom from dating Dad. I know you probably wanted to.


Thank you for taking all of your kids and their kids on a Church History tour back East. I know that is where a lot of our testimonies started.


Thank you for all the BBQ's in your backyard. They were a lot of fun, and they helped bring our family closer. 


Thank you for doing everything you could to keep our family close. I don't know where I would be without my best friend and cousin, Sarah. 


Thank you for all the compliments after I would play the piano at your house. They made me feel really special. You were really good at that. 


Thank you for your giant hugs. They were the best, and I'll probably miss those the most.


Thank you for taking all of us girls shopping on multiple occasions. I had the coolest grandpa ever. Not because you would give us money, but because you would go shopping with us and we got to hang out with you. It was so much fun.


Thank you for giving Mom a Father's blessing when she had cancer. That will always be a really special memory. 


Thank you for being so strong in the gospel. It makes these hard times infinitely easier.


Thank you for the last 2 months of getting to serve you and Grandma.


Thank you for all the funny things you would say while on your pain medications.


Thank you for giving me the opportunity to pray for you to pass away peacefully so you could reunite with Allison as well as the 370,000+ people you helped get to the temple. That was a really special experience.


Thank you for bringing our family closer again through these last few months and your funeral. It was something I think we really needed. We'll try to be better at staying close so we don't have to do this again :) I promise we'll have more BBQ's, and still keep up with the Christmas party.


Thank you for the love that I felt from you while we all sang (or at least tried to, I was crying so hard) Love at Home. I will always think of you when I hear that song. 


Thank you for giving me the opportunity to see how much you and Grandma love each other. That was really sweet. I loved seeing her take care of you and I loved seeing your gratitude. I hope I can have that someday. 

Thank you for being my Grandpa and for loving me. I love you back and I will make you proud.


Love Always,
Martha

Dear Swamp People

Dear Swamp People,
If loving you is wrong, I don't want to be right.
Later Gator,
Martha

Dear Canon Rebel

Dear Canon Rebel,

I would just like to personally thank you for helping me take these pictures of my adorable nieces and nephews. We just need to get some of Landon and Matthew and we'll be set. 

Gonna miss taking pictures of them for 18 months,

Martha

Dear Mission Call Part 2

Here is the video of me opening my mission call.... I finally got it off of my phone. I wouldn't recommend watching the whole thing, but I'm too lazy to edit it. Just watch until at least 1:17. It's too funny. 

Dear Mission Call

Let's just start off with all of the 'signs' I thought I was seeing...

As soon as I decided to go on a mission, I had a dream that I got called to Libya. Yikes.

Then, the day before I got my call, I woke up after dreaming about being called to Paris, France. 

On the way to school, I told Reeve I would like to go anywhere but the midwest. 

I went to school where a foreign girl from work shared a cookie from Ukraine.

I looked at all the visitors on my blog and it seemed like every single one of them was from a foreign country.

My parents told me about the nice white Cedar City man that my Grandpa was convinced was from Samoa

I went to Target to get some hair stuff, and a guy walked in front of me and said "excusez-moi"

On my way home, I listened to the Charlotte Church Pandora station and every song was in a foreign language.

I came home and my Dad was watching a History Channel program about all the states, particularly Kentucky.

I opened up msn.com and the first thing on there was a news article about Paris

That night I watched Biggest Loser where they flew all the contestants to New Zealand.

As I was going to bed, I followed tradition and played one round of Wheel of Fortune on my phone. The answer to the bonus round was Rome, Italy. 

The next morning- the big day, I walked into my Drug Abuse class and this girl was speaking in French.

Then the whole class was about my teacher's study abroad to Ukraine.

Then, I headed home. And I saw you there, sitting on the counter. No one else was home. It would have been so easy just to take a peek and then act surprised. But alas, I knew I couldn't. So instead of open you, I watched an hours worth of other people opening their mission calls on youtube. The rest of the day made me feel sick. I was so anxious and nervous. Then it finally came time to open you up. 

Nebraska Omaha mission.

 I started to laugh. But then I got really excited when I found out I will also be at the Winter Quarters visitors center.

 I leave July 20th (5 days after Harry Potter- I might have seemed more excited about this in the video my family captured, but I assure you, I am more excited for my mission. It's just an added bonus that I will be here for HP).

I couldn't stop laughing after I opened you. I hated the trek the first time I went, and I had to be begged to go the second time. And now I'm getting to learn ALL about it and actually appreciate it. Luckily, I won't have to wear pioneer clothes-believe me, I checked. 

I am so excited and I don't know what I'm going to do for the next three months, because I just want to be out.

But thank you, mission call, for telling me exactly where the Lord wants me. 

Looking forward to the best (and hardest) 18 months of my life,

Martha