Katie and Me

Well Katie,
It is one o'clock in the morning. I talked on the phone tonight with you for over an hour. After I got of the phone with you I visited with my roommate Heidi for another 2 hours (part of that time was me telling more about you and our conversation about everything). Now I am here... sitting down at the computer to blog. This will be brief because of my desire to be alert during my Sunday meetings, but it seems like it's about time that we really start putting this blog to use.
So it only seems fair to start this blog with a few of my 1st impressions of you. It was a sunny summer sabbath day (how's that for alliteration?). There was a nice sized group of missionaries singing hymns outside the Madrid MTC. There were only two hermanas though. I knew that there would be a good chance of me training one of you, but which one was the question. You both were gorgeous, smiley, and seemed cute. Here were the differences between you though. Hermana Cresine just seemed so simple and calm. Her hair was long and straight. She wore a simple button up blue blouse and a long black skirt. She seemed focused and in control. Then there was you, Hermana Whitlock. You stood there singing in your black and white plaid skirt, white blouse, big red bead necklace, red earings, and of course who could forget the RED shoes. (the red shoes just really caught me off guard especially because I knew the missionary handbook had suggested bringing only dark colored shoes, either black or brown... and you know how I was about obedience : )) Your long brown hair was bouncing around your shoulders in perfectly curled ringlets (which I was sure had taken you forever to do... probably wasting good study time). You finished singing and grabbed your little Coach purse and tucked it securely under your arm. I thought to myself, "surely this Hermana is high maintenance," and knowing my own personality, I really felt we wouldn't have much in common. I really knew that if I had to train you that it would be a huge struggle for me. I was actually pretty positive that you wouldn't have the dedication or determination to set the "world" behind and dedicate yourself fully and completely to the missionary labor. I was sure that if I had to train you, that I would probably want to kill you (kill is actually too strong of a word, but I'm just going for dramatic affect here). That is when I realized that I wanted to train the simple, unassuming, focused, and definitely not high maintenance Hermana Cresine. And that is also when my companion Hermana Torres gave you the title La Pija!
Well, Heavenly Father answered my prayers and gave me what I wanted. I was given Hermana Cresine as my companion. I also thought that Hermana Brienholt was the perfect companion for you because she was tough and patient and could easily whip you into shape! However, as any wise person knows (and I have since repented of my initial judgments, first impressions can sure be deceiving. Long story short (because I really do need to get in bed)... my training experience wasn't what I expected (even though I still absolutely loved it) and when I left dear Barrio 3 to serve in our delightful trio, I realized you were nothing like what I had expected. Behind your curls and frills there was a passionate and determined Hermana who had so many things to teach me about what it meant to be a good missionary. (that transfer we had so many wonderful experiences and good memories together, but those will have to be shared in a separate entry)
The rest of the story since those wonderful days in Barrio 5 and 1 is that I have discovered that we not only both like being good missionaries, but we really are pretty much the same person. I mean we are still different and have our different quirky personalities, but there are so many random similarities about us and our lives that it is truly mind boggling! We were just meant to be bestest friends. I honestly believe a person can have lots of best friends. Just like how your little brother Matt is your best friend, my little sister Whitney is mine... but aside from her there is you! And since you are really so much like me that it's like I'm best friends with myself! Seriously though, when watching you sing that one day at the temple, I never would have imagined that we would one day be close and eternal friends. It is still funny to think that I am best friends with La Pija!