This is not the California I remember!

Dear Family,

I get a FULL HOUR on the computer!  Do you know how cool that is?  I don't feel like I have to speed read!  It's awesome. Oh and let me just say, Carlsbad is nothing like Victorville.  Nothing.  Carlsbad is very very pretty.

This week has been pretty crazy. After I called home we had to board pretty quickly.  Really being a travel leader was fine.  We are all big kids after and everyone could handle themselves except for Elder Hemelgarn who was over weight and tried to bring a Swiss army pocket knife in his carry on.  It's true.  Also the ride was only an hour so that was great.

We got to San Diego and were picked up by the APs and President and Sister Cook.  It was all going super fast as we got in the car, and drove up the the mission home and took pictures and had something to eat.  I would like to say that we were fed breakfast burritos.  Yes, with egg.  And I ate it until I was full.  Okay, I'll say it.  "GO ME!"  Then President Cook had to do interviews and so for the first time since he has been president he let the new missionaries take a nap.  I had been up since 2 AM and so I absolutely loved it.  Then we had some training and went to the transfer meeting and got my companion.

I really like sister Bean.  It was pretty funny because when President Cook put us in companionships he told the group something fun about us.  When he got to me he said, "Sister Bean you are going to have to be careful with Sister Allred, because she can get a little wild and crazy."  Everyone in my district looked confused including myself because never once did I get wild and crazy in the MTC.  Once I sort of started to dance in my seat a little and that threw everyone for a loop.  But then President Cook said "In Idaho when she gets bored she sets up a pool in her kitchen and goes swimming."  I had briefly mentioned that in my interview because I totally blanked when he asked me what my hobbies were.  Take that Elders, I do more then just read and study.  Ha!

I'm assigned to work in the La Costa ward Del Mar area.  We are still in Carlsbad, but it's the southern part of the mission.  We were white washed into the area (which means both the missionaries are transferred in to the area) and there haven't been sisters here for a really long time.  It's been hard being white washed into your first area because, ordinarily when white washed you have no idea what you are doing, but because I'm new, I really have no idea what I'm doing.  I just kind of wander around asking if people want to hear the gospel.

Actually I really haven't talked to nonmember.  It's mostly been members and less actives.  Sister Bean really believes in working with the members and hates tracking.  We have done it a couple times and I've have people refuse to shake my hand and slowly start to back away from me and I introduce myself.  One night we went downstairs to our neighbor to ask for wax paper, and she said she debated opening the door or not.  Wow.  Okay.  Thanks for telling me you want to avoid me like the plague.  Can I have some wax paper?

Thursday was fun because we had a couple appointments set up and then we had that huge black out.  I don''t know if you saw, but apparently it like went into Mexico it was so huge.  Sister Bean and I didn't really know what to do and so we just went to our appointment, but they had completely forgotten about us.  Then we just started driving around the rich gated communities because, hey they're open so why not?  It was pretty fun until we realized our phone was on silent and the district leaders had called to tell us to be home a half hour ago.  That was not fun, but also pretty funny.

Holy cow that went fast.  I think I might have missed a few dear elders because I'm not sure if I got Eldon's and Deborah's last letter.  But I'm going to a training tomorrow and might get something then.  I love you and love the work that I'm doing.  I know that this is the true church and that testimony gets reconfirmed everyday I am here.  I miss you all.

Love,

Sister Allred

also did not get Daniel's address and I need Eldon's