Hey everybody!! I'll be leaving in a few short days and I thought I should catch up everybody on my summer!! Let me just start by saying I have had a fantastic summer! I got the chance to go down to Idaho for almost a whole month to see my mom, sister, and brother. My dear big ol' brother, Jake, got married and in doing so, I gained a new sister!! So shout out to Shalimar! I also got the opportunity to meet 3 of my adorable nephews! Ayden (sorry if I butchered the spelling Shalli), Ruben, and Logan! Logan is Angie and Ryan's and Ayden and Ruben are Jake and Shalli's!

I also got the opportunity to meet some fantastic people while down in Idaho! So here's a shout out to Brittney and Anthony Puckett! We made some delicious and of course unhealthy food! We also went to the Rexburg temple to do ceilings! It was my first time doing ceilings but it was super neat! This is a bit out of order but I got to go the Logan temple to receive my endowment (I did this first before the ceilings of course)! While I was in Logan I got to see one of my old friends Jackie Tew! So here's another shout out! I got some crazy shopping done and I can honestly say I now have more fancy clothes than I ever have had in my entire life! I suppose that isn't saying much considering my usual wardrobe... but all the same.. SOO MANY MISSIONARY CLOTHES!!

After Idaho, both of my sisters, Angie and Kayci, and their chilluns all flew back up to Alaska! It was a ton of fun having most of the cousins together! They finally started liking each other towards the end of the week(;  I got to have some one-on-one time with Kollin and we went and got some ice cream and had a jolly ol' time! We went up to Whale Pass and did some fishing. Of course my daddy-o out fished Angie and I put together! Zed was super excited to use his knife to gut fish (which we all did a mental fist pump and let him)!

Anyway it was super hard to see them go and realize that the next time I see them they will all be older and doing crazy things! I know I'm going to be bawling when I leave home. This last week at home is pretty much just quality time with my Alaska family. I had to say goodbye to Sophie last night, also. I'm also studying the scriptures like crazy and of course Preach My Gospel. As that one quote goes, "A missionary is somebody who leaves their family for a short time so that others may live with their families for eternity" I know I am embarking on a mission that will not only bless me, but bless my family also. I am truly grateful that I have the opportunity to serve even if it means leaving the most important thing in my life for a bit. I will have my family for eternity and that is exactly what I want for others. I know that the Book of Mormon is true and a necessary mile stone on the way to eternity. I love you all and the next post will be officially from Sister Tomkinson!

Until then,
Future Sister Tomkinson