hello present-self, this is your present-self speaking

Sometimes late at night I have great ideas. I don't want to forget them so I write them in a text and send it to myself. A few days ago I woke up and checked my phone and there was a one-word text from me. "Sheeple."I can only assume it's some fusion of the words "sheep" and "people". Sheep people. There is some meaningful concept behind that that I wanted myself to remember. I just wish I knew what it was.

home is wherever i'm with you.

This:

is Elder Stepp. And this post is my tribute to him. So buckle up, this is going to get straight up maudlin. I met Ian at a stake dance in central Texas when I was 14, and we've been involved in some capacity since we were 15.

Here are a few things I know about Ian:

1. He is one of the most generous people I've met. He is always giving away his stuff, buying people tickets to movies when they can't afford it--he bought his brother a new Xbox when it broke even though it wasn't even Ian's fault. He's also thoughtful, which I think comes with his giving nature. The gifts he gives are always so kind and specific to the recipient.
2. He has great taste in music. Check this out if you don't believe me.
3. He is so fun. There is no one I'd rather hang out with, even when we have nothing exciting to do. He's always one of the first people our friends invite to hang out because he somehow makes stuff more fun.
4. He is the best friend a person could ask for. People always gravitate toward him because he's so warm and easy to get to know. He's very loyal and tries to never leave any of our friends out.
5. He's extremely unique. I've literally never met anyone like him.
6. He has a good, kind heart and he wants to do the right thing, the right way.

He left for the MTC last Wednesday. In two months he'll be serving in the Mexico City North mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and there is no doubt in my mind that he'll be a wonderful missionary.

Good bye, E. See you in two years.

The way you make me feel!

Wonka recently came out with a new line of candies, which they are dubbing "exceptional." One candy in this line is the so called Fruit Marvels. They are enticingly fat adorable little spheres. Ian and I were grocery shopping and he picked up a tin. We were excited to try them, but were quickly disappointed because they're straight up gross. We let them sit dismayingly in their little purple tin and I quickly forgot about them on the ride home as I sang a Michael Jackson song at the top of my lungs. I opened my mouth wide to sing passionately about pretty baby with the high heels on, and Ian popped a few of the forgotten candies in my mouth. And then a few more. And a few more until not a single one more would fit. We thought it was hilarious, kind of a much more uncomfortable game of "Chubby Bunnies." We laughed and laughed and then finally I couldn't stand to have them in my mouth a second longer. I opened the car window to spit them out, and in my head I advised myself, "Now Sara, be careful about getting them on the side of his car." I opened my mouth and SPIT EXPLOSION. All of the laughter stopped. QUARTS of orange spit all over my sleeve, the inside of the door, the floor, everywhere. I didn't even know what to do. Ian looked at me with a smile like he just couldn't believe what I'd done, then handed me a box of tissues with a "get to work" expression. I did the best I could, but the interior of his car seems to be stained with light orange drool. We stepped out of the car and he said, "Did any of it get on the door?" Lo and behold, not a drop got on the waterproof exterior, just the cloth interior. A success!