As of February 5th, my sweet sister became a 'Sister' in the San Diego mission field.
YAY!
Madison Rain is beautiful, kind, non-judgmental, hilarious, & so optimistic.
I look up to her in so many ways.
(note: don't tell your kids you are "leaving" & then attempt to take a quick photo...
you will most likely get results like this..)
She got her call at Thanksgiving time while all of the family was together.
That was an incredibly special time for all of us as she read her call out loud.
She broke down into happy tears and was instantly grateful
& knew it was meant to be.
Her farewell was on the 26th of January, so Chase, the girls, & I jumped in the car and went to WA for the quick weekend trip.
Before her talk, my mom, T, Madi, & I sang a rendition of "The Olive Tree," with Anne (SIL) on the piano.
'Sang' might not be the right word. Madi had the first line of the song to herself...
..."There's a call that comes to you and me..."
Literally, the THIRD word into the song she started crying even until the end.
Fortunately, the other 3 of us kept it together enough to carry the tune (sort of), but it wasn't exactly pretty.
Especially without our beautiful soprano part. ;)
Nonetheless, the spirit was definitely present and it had become even more
evident once Madi started her talk.
Madi had 9 days in the Provo MTC and is already serving the Lord
somewhere on the streets of San Diego.
Before she left, we had a little bit of fun bowling & spent some relaxed time "hanging out".
On the morning of her talk, I gifted her this necklace.
Like me, she loves pocket watches.
So I decided to make her her own little "missionary" memento.
All the charms represent her & this new chapter in her life.
A few representations:
Sun & sand dollar: SAN DIEGO
White pearls: Her temple worthiness & her own endowments done
Musical note: her musical talent
Mini-watch: she likes them & to remind her she ONLY has 18 months-
a limited amount of time as a full-time missionary.
...and something else that I can't remember or make out in the photo...
We love you, Sister Stakkeland!
Shine brighter than the San Diego sun!!!!
Shine brighter than the San Diego sun!!!!
Hey! This is Jaymie (Albertson) Farr. I'm obsessed with that necklace and would like to make something like it for Blaine's sister who is leaving on a mission. Where did you buy the charms and necklace? How did you make it?
ReplyDeleteHey Jaymie, I'm glad you liked the necklace. I've made a few like this one: for myself, one for my SIL for Christmas, and then this one. For mine I used a big watch (like the size of a pocket watch) but I kept the other two watches smaller because as a missionary, I didn't think my sis would want anything that big dangling around her neck. All the charms and the necklace are from Hobby Lobby (don't forget to print off a 40% coupon from online for the most expensive item- the watch necklace). All the charms will be found in the jewelry making aisles...tons to choose from! I bought the chain and necklace as a set (already together) and then added the charms to it. The watch necklace won't be found in the jewelry aisle. All three times I found those watch necklaces up front on racks right next to the cash registers. This was the same case for the 3 different Hobby Lobbys I went to. You may have to buy a small package of metal hoops (also in the jewelry aisle) to attach the charms to the chain, but, most charms I purchased already had hoops on them. I don't have any tools for "jewelry making" I just used needle nosed pliers from my tool box to attach everything. It's that easy! Good luck!
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ReplyDeleteThanks for all the info and simple instructions! I made the necklace last week and gave it to Blaine's sister at her farewell on Sunday. She loves it! And I love it too - I might need to make one for myself!
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