March 15, 2011 Letter

Dear Mom, (and everyone else)

Okay first, Kami, why did you dye your hair black?! Your hair color was so pretty! I haven't gotten anything in the mail yet, but we don't' usually get our mail until the end of the day. I got to see Miriam a mere 3 and a half hours after she entered the MTC. My dinner is at 4:30, and that is when they have all the new missionaries eat dinner that first day, so I was on the lookout! We are also in the same residence hall, so she lives just down the hall from me. We see each other almost everyday. It's a pretty sweet set up. Okay, to answer your questions from the email, and then your letter. Sundays are sooooooo nice here. We still get up just as early, but Sundays are the only day that we get to do our personal study right in the morning (usually it is sometime int he afternoon). So we get up, get ready, go to breakfast, then do personal time. We then go see music and the spoken word, It is broadcast to the MTC. Then we have relief society. They have a speaker come, this Sunday it was the second counselor from the general primary presidency, I can't remember her name, and I don't have my notes with me, sorry. Then we have about a half hour break where we do more personal time. Then it's lunch (11:30). Then we have sacrament at 12:30. And sacrament meeting will actually be kinda stressful while we're here. Everyone in the zone has to prepare a talk (in Spanish) on the same subject, then they randomly choose two people to speak. You have no idea if you will be speaking until they call your name. Then we have time to go to the temple grounds if we want too. We didn't go this last Sunday, but we did go my first Sunday. It was really cool, and we'll go again this Sunday. Then it's district meeting, then dinner. Then more personal study. Then a fireside, and those are always awesome. Then they show a couple of different church movies in a couple of different buildings. We watched the Joseph Smith movie. Then its daily planning and off to bed!!!

My companion is from Montana. We both graduated 2007, and she's been going to BYU for the last couple of years. Hermana Habel is totally awesome and I love her. She keeps me laughing and from being too serious.

We get to go to the temple every P-Day. Our P day schedule is as follows. We get up to go to the early morning workout class (Tuesday is yoga). Then we go start our laundry, then we get breakfast. As we finish our laundry we write letters. Then we keep writing letters as we get ready. Then we come to the lab to write you!!! Then we finish any letter writing we have before lunch. Then we go to lunch (11:30). Then we walk to the temple, and try to make the 12:40 session. I think thats the one anyways. Then we come back and have companionship study. Then we have dinner (4:30). Then we (hermana habel and I) go to choir ( and no, I haven't seen Coach yet, lame). Then we have devotional, devotional review with our district, daily planning and bed!

Miriam doesn't have a calling card, I'm sure she would be happy to get one. Pictures are on their way. I can only write letters on p day and I forgot to write you one telling you what all the pictures are about, so I'll be sending it today. I will try to send new ones every week.

I am glad that you and Daddy got to have a good time in Vegas! We've been keeping up in the MTC as best we can. My companion's brother in law is Noah Hartsock, so we've been talking to anyone from the outside world for information. It's pretty funny actually.

 Our regular schedule isn't even that regular. Everything is switched up on different days. But we have gym for an hour, we are with teachers studying for 4-6 hours a day, and we have 4-6 hours of study time on our own, whether that is personal, companionship, or language. We also teach progressive investigators, and that seems to be going well so far. I really enjoy the teaching, but I feel as if my Spanish is lacking. Oh well, it's only week 3. There is still much time to improve and I plan on doing just that!

Please tell Tyson and Tara that I said congrats! I am so excited for them, and Kami sent me a picture! She is gorgeous! I only wish I could see her in person!

I do prefer snail mail or dear elder.com, only because I have such a limited amount of time on email, but I am happy to hear from you anyway I can!!!

Love,

Corinne (Hermana Orton!!!)