My name is Carly, I'm 19, my favorite nail polish color is lovie dovie by Essie, and it is time for a change. In 5 days I'll be leaving to move to Salt Lake City, Utah to serve a mission for 18 months for my church. Growing up, the thought of going on a mission always seemed distant and not really a part of my life plan but mid- February, everything changed. I was home from school for a few months just working and spending time with my family and I kept having this feeling of something missing that I couldn't quite shake. I've always had a good sense of who I am or at least the kind of person I would like to be, and I kept feeling like I was falling short. One of my parents' best friends, and someone who has been a part of my life and basically a second father, passed away. This was a reality check for me. I realized that in my 19 years of living, I could not think of one meaningful conversation I had had with him. Of course when you're 15 or 16, you're pretty focused on yourself and sitting down having long conversations with adults probably isn't number one on your list of priorities, but I was upset. I wanted to be better. I wanted to care about what the people in my life spent their time on and learn about their lives and what they loved. I started looking at everyone around me trying to think about the last time I had asked them how they were or took the time to listen to what they were saying instead of always talking. I guess I wanted to figure out how to get out of myself and focus on those around me. I started thinking about going on a mission because half of most missions deal with service to others and the other half, is helping people learn of Christ and know that they are loved. I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and in my church, you are assigned where you will serve. I submitted all my paperwork and medical information and waited for my call. In my head I kept picturing myself sleeping on a dirt floor in a hut somewhere in South America, or maybe in a quaint little apartment in downtown Italy, or maybe down unda in Sydney, Australia, then I got my call: Salt Lake City, Temple Square Mission. For those of you who have no idea what temple square is, let me show you.

It is gorgeous. The site, Temple Square, draws in people from all over the world. Some, simply because of how beautiful is, others because they are curious as to what exactly "the Mormon" religion believes. The picture above is of our temple where members of our church can be married for eternity and we try to draw closer to our Father in Heaven. I am so excited to begin this new chapter of my life. I will try to post weekly about the people I meet and the experiences I have while putting life as I know it, on hold for a while. Life is about trying new things and this will definitely be new!