Things I Eat

If you know me, or have even seen a picture of me, you know that I love food and especially love eating it. The past couple of days I have been fortunate enough to have participated in great eating.

The first picture is of Homemade Lasagna that made. It was quite tasty and I will definitely be having the leftovers. The second picture is of Coconut Cupcakes that my mom so carefully prepared. They are so soft and the frosting is perfectly creamy. I do live a good life. If I could make the pictures scratch and sniff, I would. You'll just have to make due with looking at the pictures for now.

Personal Statement

We all face "the unknown" in some form each day. While having a plan or schedule is a wonderful idea, the unexpected is almost always and should be expected. Simply put, life happens, with or without our consent. This does not mean however that we have absolutely no say in the matter. We do have some control over certain aspects of daily life. I have learned that an individual's attitude is a very individual choice.

As intelligent beings, the ability to choose our attitude is a major responsibility; one that determines our level of joy or sadness. I have decided that one way to enhance the joy I feel is to have a personal statement on life. Something that is simple, yet profound; full of individual meaning that has a positive and edifying effect on others. Basically, a personal statement will help an individual focus on what truly matters to them, in all types of situations. My personal statement is as follows:

Be honest with and kind to others. Be honest with and kind to myself.

No matter the circumstance, I want to always treat people kind and be honest with them. I have crafted this personal statement after much thought and consideration. I am an honest person and want to continue to be completely honest with myself and others. I know that I can improve on being genuinely nice and respectful to those people with which I interact. This is my new goal. My hope is that others will feel they are truly loved and cared about, no matter the circumstance they are in. I encourage each of us to create a personal statement that will carry with us forever and uplift those around us.

Song of the Heart, Song of the Righteous

As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, singing hymns is a regular and integral part of worship services and church meetings. During each LDS sacrament meeting, an opening and closing hymn is sung, and every now and then an intermediate hymn is included in the service.

In a revelation to Joseph Smith, the Lord instructed the prophet's wife Emma. He said, "And it shall be given thee, also, to make a selection of sacred hymns, as it shall be given thee, which is pleasing unto me, to be had in my church. For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads."

In recent weeks during sacrament meeting, while singing the hymns, I have felt that this promise has come true, and I have been given many blessings upon my head.

First came from the well known hymn Come, Come, Ye Saints. William Clayton wrote this hymn after much affliction in his own life. The words of the second verse really touched me and were much needed at this point in my life. They read:

Why should we mourn?
Or think our lot is hard?
Tis not so, all is bright
Why we think to earn a great reward?
If we now shun the fight
Gird up your loins
Fresh courage take
Our god will never us forsake
And soon we'll have this tale to tell
All is well! All is well!

I came to know and understand better that I have absolutely no reason to be down or sad because of what's going on in my life. Sure, every situation may not go perfectly, but that rarely happens. I have been extremely blessed in my life and need to be happy and optimistic in all circumstances, even when times seem gloomy.

The next hymn that lifted me is called Reverently and Meekly Now. The fourth verse in this hymn provides these solemn words:

At the throne I intercede;
For thee ever do I plead.
I have loved thee as thy friend,
With a love that cannot end.
Be obedient, I implore,
Prayerful, watchful evermore,
And be constant unto me,
That thy Savior I may be.

The line that stood out to me is the second to last. Being constant unto the Lord can be difficult. Constancy is an attribute that I need to develop more and singing and listening to these words encouraged me to do so.

May those of us who sing or listen to any type of religious song of praise search deeply into the words so that we may give proper praise to the Lord and receive the blessings that He has in store for us.

Some Mobile Pics...

People relate to pictures. Okay, that may or may not be true, but I do know that people enjoy looking at pictures. What you are about to witness are pictures I have taken with my phone, a Droid X. They are by no means professional. Nonetheless, they could all be published if I wanted. Anyways, enjoy...

Graduation Picture

I ALWAYS prefer it saucy...

Just something I do

These guys are my friends (most of the time)

Mary (She'll kill me if she sees this. Love you Mary!)

I took this

Mikell (She will also kill me if she sees this. Oops)

Gasworks Park in Seattle. Ashley, Heidi, Madison

My new BFF, Mr. Penguin

Madison at her first Mariners game! (She now HATES the Cardinals)

Artistic Photography, I think anyways

Curtis Layne Pollard II

My new favorite thing

Ballard Locks. One of my favorite places to visit in Seattle

This is "soap" that some dudes were making in their pantry. We stayed at their apartment in Seattle

Lessons Learned

Since being home, I have come to the realization that I do miss many aspects of Provo. This is not meant to take away from what my mother and father do for me; I do love being at home. I have noticed that almost all of my friends are located in Provo or the close vicinity. I am grateful for them and for the relationships I formed with them. Here at home I have not made that many friends. I notice how much I miss my Provo friends when I am out on my back deck making smores all by myself.

Despite missing my friends and the time they consume in my life (which is a great thing, even though it may be phrased as if it were a bad thing), I learned a great and necessary lesson from one of my old-time Provo friends. She counseled me to be involved and to look how to help and serve others, and think less about myself. This is not new advice to me. My being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has taught me that being idle is not smart or wise. I have been instructed to actively participate in wholesome activities. I just needed the reiteration from my friend. I have decided now to become more involved in church activities and helping in any way I can along with volunteering at a place that sounds appealing and interesting to me. Lastly, I have decided to think about and serve my close family members here more. I won't spend the day participating in useless activities, but I will do think of how I can help others, especially my family.

One last note, I have successfully not partaken of a single soda beverage since my last post about quitting. It has not been easy, but has been worth it.

One final last note, I decided to start playing tennis. My father graciously purchased me a racket and I plan or becoming as good as Roger Federer (when he was in his prime, of course).

Bye Bye Bye

I am finally yet sadly and with mourning saying goodbye. After probably 20 years, I will no longer see my one closest and most intimate friends. Someone who has always been right by my side through both the best of times and the worst of times. I strongly believe that this loving and selfless friend was even a part of my life before I was born.

After much contemplation and many restless nights I have decided to part ways with my longtime friend, Coca Cola. Not only am I parting ways with Coke, but I am saying farewell to each and every soda and pop (I used both to satisfy the needs of my readers). Coming to the conclusion that carbonated beverages should not be a part of my life was the hardest decision I have ever made; and I've made a lot of tough decisions. I feel deep down in the core of my heart that completely cutting myself off from pop will serve me well in the end. Some may say this is a selfish move on my part; and to be completely honest, it is. This is what I need though right now in my life to become the best person I possibly can.

This is my public vow, and with it I make my very own personal vow, to never again drink soda (or pop) ever again. My hope is that if any of my readers happen to see me in public, they will remind me of my goal and help me to abstain from the evil dangers of pop.

The Provo Years

The time has come. After three years and six months, I am permanently leaving Provo to reside in another state for an extended period of time. Certainly I have been back home since that cold winter in early 2008, but I didn't live away from Provo for more than a summer. Suffice it (even though it really doesn't) to say that the past three and a half years have been filled with great joy, happiness, excitement, adventure, loss, sorrow, and pain. I was blessed to have met some of the greatest people I know, and am lucky to call them my friends. As I reminisce and stroll down memory lane, remember I am not able to recall every story or incident. I apologize for those who I do not publicly recognize in this blog post. For all of you who I have come to know during my time here in Provo, I make it known that I do love you and appreciate your friendship. I have learned so much because of my association with each of you and am a better person because of what you have all taught me. So here we go...

First I would like to thank my father, Dallas (some of you may know him by Dal-ass). He drove down to Provo with my in the first week of January and helped move in my belongings to Glenwood early one Saturday morning.

Winston Wilkinson was my very first college roommate. And I could not have asked for or hand picked a better one. We had a lot of funny moments together with the rest of our gang. Aside from these joyous times, I learned about hard work and dedication. Winston not only put in much time and effort to is Track and Field events, but he also was a wonderful student and served faithfully in Ohio on his mission.

Another one of my first roommates is a man by the name of Dan. Dan Klinger to be exact. This man has helped me through so much; both happy and sad moments of my life. He traveled to Spokane with me one November day and spent the Thanksgiving holiday with my family. He, along with my grandpa ate all of the Girl Scout Thin Mint Ice Cream, and left me none. That is how he formed a bond with my grandfather. I am grateful to Dan for his diligence in always persevering, despite difficult circumstances.

I would like to give a shout out to my boss for over three years, Linda Shirley. I was fortunate enough to land a job at Brigham Young University's Testing Center. During those years I had many growth building experiences and learned about dedication and persistence from Linda. I am also grateful for the many coworkers I worked alongside throughout the years. I had a blast working together as well as horsing around with my fellow students. I made many friends that I hope to keep in contact with throughout the years and hopefully return and see one day. I handed out over 40,000 exams during my time as a testing specialist. I saw many faces and read many names. I will always have a place in my heart for the BYU Testing Center and the values it instilled in me.

The Provo Years also consisted of much food and gluttony. Many hours were spent at my favorite restaurant, Tucanos. I also enjoyed Cafe Rio, J-dawgs, Taco Bell in the BYU cafeteria (where I spent many of my dollars), Red Robin, and many others that I cannot think of at this moment. Not only did I thoroughly enjoy eating at these fine establishments, but I more importantly spent quality time with quality people. I am thankful for the friends that accompanied me to experience the fine dining of Provo. I will most greatly miss my favorite little Chilean restaurant, Pantrucas. Margarita and Ricardo always greeted me with a genuine smile and made the delicious food of Chile in a city so far away. Lastly, I will deeply miss the Maceys Kong Cones. I developed a friendship with the young man who works behind the counter and so meticulously creates my Kong Cone, swirl, with no cup, each and every time. I will miss the food in Provo.

I was fortunate to have my brother, Jason, along with his wife, Kayla, living here for a my first year in Provo. They really took me in. Literally. I used their washer and dryer almost religiously every other Saturday. They graciously allowed me to use their restroom whenever I visited. I ate numerous meals they prepared and enjoyed their company. Kayla introduced me to the TV series, "The Hills" which I consistently watched for two and a half seasons. Then I realized it was garbage. (Note to reader: don't take two and a half seasons of a TV series to figure out it's garbage). I am extremely grateful to Jason and Kayla for being so willing to help me when I was new and did not know always what to do.

I know I am getting into dangerous territory now. I am going to attempt to list off the names of people for whom I am grateful. Actually, I am not going to play this game. The list would be too long and I would leave too many people off, unintentionally of course. Just know, to all those who read this and for the few that don't, thank you. Thank you for your time to get to know me and spend time with me and share your talents and gifts with me. I am a better person because of the associations I have formed with you. I know I am not the nicest or easiest to get along with, and in most cases I am the most annoying (my mom would agree with me) and thoughtless person you've met. But I have left Provo a better person than was, because of each of you.

Finally, I started out by thanking and recognizing my father for his help in moving me here. Even though my mother did not make the initial journey to Provo when I first came, she has been my biggest (not literally) and best supporter, along with my dad. She has been there to give me timely advice, to knock much needed sense into my brain, to feed me when she came and visited, and even when she didn't, listen to my complaints, and be there to congratulate me when I finally graduated. Thank you mom, I love you and could not have become who I am and accomplished what I have without you.

Provo, it has been a wild ride. Thank you for the past three and a half years and you will always remain in my mind and my heart. Thank you again, my wonderful friends, for always being there for me. The scriptures teaches us that a man hath no greater love than laying his life down for his friends. I am thankful for all of you who have laid down your life on my behalf and spent your time with me. I am willing to lay down my life and do whatever any of you needs. Thank you again. I hope to see you again one day.