My Merry Missionary!

I need to update you on our 3 hours on the phone with my little Missionary (Little?) in Horizon City, Texas. Austin surprised us by calling us on Christmas Eve day to let us know that he would be calling us at 11:00 am on Christmas Day. Ashley answered the phone first and led me to believe it was Derek calling. I was shocked when I figured out it was Austin! Good thing I wasn't holding any yogurt! (When Austin came home from Basics, he came a couple of days early. He stopped at the Stake Center to say hi! to Scott, and then came home to wait for me to return from grocery shopping in Pocatello. I got out of the car with a big flat of yogurt and was walking towards the house, when I see this huge person in an army uniform. It was my baby! I was so surprised and happy to see him that I threw the yogurt in the air and ran to hug him! Needless to say we had yogurt all over the garage, but it was worth it!) (My exchange students gave me a plaque for Christmas that says "Families are like fudge, Sweet with a few nuts in them!" Ain't it the truth??) When he called back on Christmas, we got to talk for quite awhile. He is nearing the end of his mission, only two months left out of twenty-four, so he is making plans for the future while trying to live in the present. I did break portocol by giving him the "You've got your work cut out for you to find a wife as wonderful as Derek found!" (Love ya Wif!) It is funny how girls are starting to write him again now that he is coming home soon. I personally believe (NO, I'm not Miss Carolina...) that he has not met her yet, but that she is out their waiting, anxiously ready to join in our fudgy family! (read quote above!) He has had a wonderful mission and his love for the Mexican people and their Mexican food has grown in leaps and bounds. He already has plans to travel back down there in April to see some of his families that he was instrumental in converting! We have a wonderful letter from a missionary companion of Austins that wrote to us about what a phenomenal missionary Austin was and how he was instrumental in changing many missionaries attitudes with his enthusiasm and positive example.
He said Austin was a "great force for good in the mission field!" Quite an honor to come from one of your peers. Austin plans to move up to Rexburg with a buddy of his, finish his military service and work on getting his degree before he comes back to take over the farm so that Scott and Dianne can retire to a life of leisure! Of course, the option of Iraq looms ahead of him also and he said he will just take it as it comes. His patriarical blessing says that he will have a family so that lessens my fear of his military service. I asked him if it specified which life it was to be in....
We are anxious to see him and hopefully to have all of our family home together for the reunion..except for Adam who cannot get away at that time:( We are already planning what is going to be painted on the building off of the highway so get your painting duds on and for heaven sakes, "gimmie the pan, gimmie the pan"! Good Times! I think I even have Scott won over to a life of vandalism, because he is making plans for the bulding, too! (This is an old abandoned building off of I-15 that everyone paints on to welcome home their missionaries. We painted a Peruvian flag for Derek and an alien for Emily, and we are going to paint a llama for Austin. Kristi nickamed Austin "Tina" after a llama on a movie we watched and it has stuck. We even sent him on his mission with an apron with a llama named Tina on it! This building probably has 1,000 layers of paint on it from all of the messages that have been left on it!) Austin has learned to love to serve others and his Savior.