In The Beginning

  Though this blog is mainly about Calvin's mission, I feel I have to set the stage - since it will be mostly written and maintained by me, his mother. 30 years ago when I was in 8th grade I had to write an essay titled "What I Want to be When I Grow Up." We 8th graders were informed that this essay would count as an English grade and would be placed in our permanent files (those mysterious files we were not permitted to see, that followed us from Kindergarten to college and contained every single academic achievement and act of misconduct we ever committed, but with more immediate consequences than the records kept in heaven). My essay was titled "I Want to be the Mother of a Mormon Missionary." When my mother and I arrived for my Academic Advisement Appointment, the guidance counselor admitted he had no idea which "track" to place me in - the business/technical track or the academic track - even though I had clearly stated in my essay that I needed all the education I could obtain. With some raised eyebrows, they put me in the "college track."
  Here I am, 30 years later, fulfilling the dreams and hopes I had expressed in that essay. My son, the Mormon Missionary, is in his second week at the MTC, just a few blocks away from the dorm I was in, in 1987 my first semester at BYU. I didn't serve a mission myself, so I have all sorts of questions! What is the MTC like? Is the food like the Cannon Center's food? What do the dorms at the MTC look like? What sorts of things do they sell at the MTC bookstore? What is a typical day like in the MTC? Is it hard? I went on a study abroad program and one of the young women in my group was a returned missionary. She commented that she had the utmost respect for missionaries who lasted even a week at the MTC because it's really hard - so I know it's really hard!
  Why keep a blog about Calvin's mission? Well, for one thing, so his family and friends can keep up on things and we can all read about what's going on. That's the main reason. This is a convenient place for everyone to see how he's doing.
  Another thing is I am planning on putting together a book for Calvin when he is done and if it's all in one place it will be a lot easier! And it's ALL going to be here no spell check! So let's get started!