"Recognize that there is a power greater than ours, that no matter how good a man is, he is not good enough, that no matter how wise he is, he is not wise enough, that no matter how strong he is, he is not strong enough for all the things which he will face in life, and that there is a source of power to which he can go with the assurance that he will be listened to and that there will be a response."

- President Gordon B. Hinckley

There's nothing like some tripped-out pop to take you to a sunny place. I've been listening to this in the car on the way to and from work and imagining I'm on a summer road trip. I want to marry this album. Very tempted to buy tickets to Tame Impala's Melbourne show..

After the longest three weeks of my life, I got my mission call. For Mormons, a mission call is the most important/highly anticipated letter you'll ever get. It's a letter from the prophet assigning you to serve in one of the 300+ missions worldwide for 18-24 months. I'd been waiting many months (years really) for this and there it was, sitting in my mailbox. I ran inside, impatient to open it. Luckily half my family were home to witness, although in hindsight I wish I had've waited for all of them to get home. But the suspense was killing me, so I opened it. Hands shaking, I pulled the contents out and started to read. My eyes went straight to the location; I couldn't help myself. I yelled something in disbelief then read out the first sentence for my family's benefit.

"Dear Sister King. You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the England Manchester mission."

!!! There was a lot of screaming, hugging, crying, phone calls, and Facebook statuses on my behalf after the announcement. I've been somewhere between shock and excitement ever since. But as excited as I am to serve in the country I've been dreaming of for as long as I can remember, the reality that I'm going to be a missionary is setting in and I have a lot of preparing to do. I report to the MTC on January 24th.

Some fun facts about my mission and the Manchester area in general:

My mission area is pretty much the whole north west coast and goes as far east as Manchester, from the Scottish border down to the middle of Wales.

Probably the biggest thing I'll have to adjust to in England is the insane cold. The average temperature in winter is 4°C and a 'warm summer's day' is around 18°C. I think I'm going to have to invest in some thermals if I'm going to survive walking the streets every day. I found it kind of funny that the first thing on the personal items to bring list was an umbrella. Typical England. At least I get to enjoy an Australian summer before plunging into the cold and wet.

Weather and culture aside, I'm really looking forward to being a missionary. It's the best decision I've made. I know that the hardest things are always worth doing and that as long as I have a testimony of the things I'll be teaching and a desire to serve and love others, Heavenly Father will make my weaknesses strengths. I've been listening to general conference in the car this week. I loved the talk by Elder Nelson about missionaries where he explains their purpose. It really reassured me that by going on a mission I'll be able to help people change their lives for the better and have the happiness and peace the gospel has brought to my life, and that's a much better way to spend my time than anything else I could be doing right now. Here's the talk:

My mission papers are in! So now begins the longest 3-4 weeks of my life; waiting to find out where I'll be serving for the next 18 months of my life. I came across this awesome talk by Ronald A. Rasband about how missionaries are assigned through revelation. I know that wherever I go, will be where the Lord needs me. Here's an excerpt from the talk:

For the past two weeks I've been sacrificing sleep to watch Wimbledon. And for those who know me, I'm not what you'd call a 'casual' tennis fan. I used to have pictures of Federer and Nadal on my bedroom wall, and going to every grand slam is pretty high on my bucket list. So it would probably surprise you (and me) if I told you that after two weeks of anticipation, I got home last night and went straight to sleep, completely oblivious to any significant events that were being broadcast on TV. I'd actually forgotten about the men's final, and it wasn't just any men's final- it was Federer's return to form and Murray's chance at making history! As bad as it sounds, I was sort of hoping Federer would win so I wouldn't have missed Murray's first grand slam as the first British man to win Wimbledon in 76 years. Still, poor Andy. If you feel like a punch in the heart, watch his speech below. I really felt like giving him a hug.

I love Australia but sometimes I get this unbearable wanderlust and I just need to see new places and people and explore and it's all I can think about.

(image source: fasterlouder)

Kimbra's live show is like watching a five year old prance around stage while playing dress-ups in a whirl of confetti, except that the five year old has some killer dance moves and a voice that somehow reminds me of both Nina Simone and Bjork. Mega lady crush.

About a month ago I went to Supanova expo dressed as the TARDIS, spent way too much on merch, and met OLIVER & JAMES PHELPS (AKA the Weasley twins). If that's not a perfect day then I don't know what is. I have a deep and abiding love for nerd conventions. They're the rare places where people want to take photos with you if you're wearing a crazy homemade costume; where you can start a conversation with complete strangers about a fandom; you don't have to explain pop culture references to anyone and you don't need to apologise for screaming and jumping up and down because Fred & George Weasley are real and put their arms around you.

I love Sundays. Best day of the week in my opinion. And why is that Dudley? Well, it's one whole day where I get to clear my head and ponder what I really value in life. Today I was studying my favourite book. I'm up to the part where Alma and his people are in bondage to the Lamanites. Despite being treated like slaves with absolutely no way of escaping, they trust that God will keep his promise to free them. Their patience reminded me that the Lord always answers our prayers, even if it takes longer than we expect. And while we wait he eases our burdens so that we can endure our challenges with faith and hope (Mosiah 24). I love it how the scriptures always tell me exactly what I need to hear. I so needed a reminder to be patient this week (and always really).


Anyhow if you can't be bothered with my ramblings watch this video. It's pretty great.

Like this guy, I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, written by ancient prophets to help us in our day. It is another testament of Jesus Christ. It supports doctrines and clarifies ambiguities in the Bible. It contains everything we need to find peace and true joy in this life, and eternal life with our families. I've come to know that it is true through answers to sincere prayers. I know it in my mind and heart and I cannot deny it. It contains absolute truths that help me to live a better life and have confidence in the future. Basically, if I could recommend one book in the world to anyone it would be this book. Life-changing.

Ok so I'll admit I spend a lot of time on this whining about post-grad life. In all fairness it's hard to feel like your life has a purpose when most of it's spent at home on Seek. However I read this university commencement speech today which kind of re-inspired me not to put so much onus on work and live. This guy gets it! Read below (via half & half).

Bjork seems to make anything from taking the train to washing the dishes epic and beautiful.

So I'm a little late to the party (The Shins' homecoming party that is) but for those who aren't aware, James Mercer & co. are back together with a new album to be released in March. Rejoice! To tide us over in the meantime, here's their new single 'Simple Song'. In more depressing news, The Shins are one of the  millions of amazing acts announced for this year's Coachella lineup. Take me to California!!