I'm Way Too Excited For These Things

Just to let you know. I finally got my FBI clearance the day I did my last post!


You know how girls get excited about clothes while guys get excited over what women call "toys"? Mostly technology and cars, or both. Before you get on a gender role soap box I'll just stop you right now and say that I know that it isn't always that way. I'm proof.

I think the T-Mobile girl is a good combination of both.

Here are a few of the toys that I'm excited to have bought for the mission. I do have to admit that my excitement mostly comes from my feminine side. 

The missionary blanket:

I bought this blanket from Deseret Book for $25 and I'm not totally sold. It's made of suede which is soft and it's large as you can see, but it's also extremely thin. In the summer it will be great, but northern France can get pretty cold in the winter and I'm not sure it will be warm enough.

What really gets me excited is how compact it is! 

It's freaking' smaller than Preach my Gospel! I still think I'm going to have to bring my Snuggie, but the missionary blanket can't be beat in convenience. 

The hair stylers:

These things are all dual voltage, which is great. You can find them at Target or Walmart for pretty cheap. I had such a problem with that when I did my study abroad. My 3rd day in Paris I tried plugging in my iHome and it burst into flames. I almost did that with my blow dryer several times, so I made sure to avoid that this time. The blow dryer has a switch and the straightener automatically adjusts. And for some reason it comes with a tiny one. Any idea of its purpose?

Speaking of power difference, my adapters/converters: 

I'm not sure which name goes with which function, but the large one changes the power from 110 volts to 220. That way things won't blow up like my clock did. The other ones allows the metal tongs to fit into European outlets which are round instead of squarish like ours. You can buy them at Target or Walmart, but a lot of times they're packaged with ones from other countries that you're not going to, which is a waste of money. I got these at a travel store in the mall. About $5 for the small ones and $10 for the big one.


Alarm clock:

I decided to get a clock that used batteries instead of plugging into the wall because then I wouldn't have to worry about buying more converters then necessary. This one was about $12 at Target.


And my favorite thing. My bag!:

I'm not just excited about it in the same way that I get excited about a purse. Honestly, a backpack would be more comfortable, but all European missions require a side bag because they don't stand out as much and are more accepted by Europeans.


What really gets me excited is that it's a SafePac bag. I borrowed one from a friend during my study abroad and it gave me wonderful peace of mind. I knew I had to have one for my mission. This one was about $100.


It had really nice features that prevent it from getting stolen. The bag is made of metal mesh so thieves can't slash and grab stuff as it falls out. The straps have metal wire so it can't be cut from my shoulder.  There is a guard that keeps cyber-thieves from stealing private information from my electronics (not that I'll have a lot on my mission). 

My favorite safety feature is that almost every zipper connects to a hook so pickpockets can't easily unzip my bag when I'm not looking and take things. 

The zipper and hook

The bag also had two side pockets for a water bottle and umbrella. It is smaller than most side bags, but I'm hoping that means it won't hurt my back so much. Plus, it still has plenty of room for a notebook, planner and few other odds and ends.

I can't wait to use all of them starting next week. Next week!