Just so ya Know

I have started a word-of-the-day blog in which I post another awesome word every day.

Click here to see it!

Yekaterinburg, Russia.

Yep. Folks, that's where I'm going. I report to the Provo MTC on April the 24th of 2013. And then I'm off to a magical land of ice and snow and Russian. I really don't have words for this occasion, it's just too grand. I shall surely have to write about it later.
I will say this though. I was not expecting this at all, but I am extremely thrilled about it!! My chess playing will come in handy! I'm really excited to learn Russian, and hope that I can manage it. Apparently the letters don't make the sounds that they're supposed to.

A Thought

Our life on earth is a piece of heaven that we have been given to test us to see what we will do with it. 

I colored it and made it fancy because that way more people realize that it's important.

On Skyping

I love skyping. We have really cool technology. We're extremely blessed that we can talk face to face with somebody far away; in a different state or even a different country. Today I was blessed to be able to skype with my wonderful brother Will on his mission in Milwaukee, and it was very cool to be able to see how he has grown.
I also had the privilege of skyping with my wonderful friend Taylor May in Washington who I miss very much. If anyone wants to skype me, please contact me so we can do it. I would absolutely love to.

Christmas Time!

I just want to mention a couple of my favorite things about Christmas Time.

First of all, the happiness. I love how the Spirit helps to make people so happy! I love seeing people walking around with a smile on their face because they've tried a little harder to keep their thoughts focused on the Savior and on helping others. I wish people would always stay so focused so that happiness could always be so thick in the air.

I love the lights. Christmas lights are so wonderful and beautiful. They help to remind me of the Savior, and that He is a light for us; that looking toward Him will help us to be happy and help us to see through the darkness.

The music. Songs about Jesus Christ that are sounded all across the nation, gladdening hearts everywhere and bringing the spirit into many lives. Music that can soften the heart and turn people to look selflessly outward.

People. People everywhere, with thoughts on their minds of giving instead of getting. People who are focused on others are so beautiful to see, to talk to, to watch, to hear. It is so wonderful to see people with a smile on their lips as they walk with a close friend or family member, eager to see their face when they unveil the wonderful surprise they have for them. People laughing, skipping, running, smiling, singing, holding hands, handing off presents, presenting surprises, surprising each other with acts of kindness. Adventuring. People who get that it doesn't matter where you go, what you do, what you gift, what you get, as long as you are focused on other people and the savior. People who would sing even if the Grinch took all their presents and fancy decorations because they can feel the Savior's love and they have each other.

Laughter. Hearing people laugh, seeing people smile. It just shows that people are happy, and it makes others happy as well! Laughing is literally a way to share your happiness!!

Food. Food is good. And candy. And Chocolate. Oh, and pie; we mustn't forget pie.

The cold. I'm not sure why, but around Christmas Time, I love the fact that it's cold outside! The chill in the air is so refreshing! And it helps people to be grateful for their warm cozy houses and their delicious hot chocolate. It gives one another reason to be close to loved ones. It helps one remember the humble circumstances of Christ's birth.

The stories. Stories are so beautiful. I love to hear touching tales of the lives of people; a time where somebody made another's Christmas though selfless service and charity. I love to hear reminders of the true meaning of Christmas. I love to get to know people better through tales of their lives.

The love. To see a general shift from people being grumpy to people being grateful. For people expressing their love for the Savior, for each other, for Christmas, for friends, for family, for food. I love hearing that people love stuff!!! It's far too easy to dislike something; and around Christmas Time, we realize that liking that very same thing leads to much happiness! It's too easy to say, "This song is dumb. It's cheesy, and it has nothing to do with what Christmas is really about." But it's far for enjoyable to let it make you smile, and to dance about to it, and say it's cute, and then remember what Christmas is about anyway!! Why would you let yourself be unhappy in such a time of love? People love things for a reason, and if you can figure out how to love the things they love, you come to love them more as well. That's what Christmas is about. Learning to love as Jesus loved.

Folks, I love Christmas.

On Snow

Snow can be a wonderful thing. It can be so wonderfully fun to build snowmen with friends, and feel the refreshing cold pierce through the warmth of your hands, and then have to retreat to a warmly abode with a cup o' cocoa. It's beautiful to watch the light and fluffy flakes lazily drift down from the sky while cuddled up in a big chair with some grand friends for great conversation, and lovely music inspiring a jovial mood in the background.
But, as much as I like snow, I cannot say the same for Ruthenium. Ruthenium, my car, does not like snow.
Now, a deep enmity as Rue has for snow cannot be founded in a single day or night, but only through a long series of negative experiences and persisting problems. The first problem that sets poor Rue on edge in the edge of a storm is the fact that she, unlike other cars, is incapable of performing the simple function of defrost. This makes it so that every time the weather snows, or rains, or randomly decides to be moist, the insides of the windows of Rue fog up horribly, which makes it rather difficult to see. Sometimes I have to resort to drying the interior with a towel before continuing a journey. The second problem is that Rue also has no heating, which makes driving anywhere in the cold, well, cold. Rue is also incapable of rolling down her windows, or honking her horn, or turning off the battery and check engine lights, or having AC, or turning off her headlights, or accurately displaying the amount of gasoline in the tank, but these are just general problems, not snow problems.
Ruthenium has also had some unpleasant experiences with the snow. For example, on friday, Rue obliged to drive Seth and I up to salt lake to Seth's aunt's house. On the way there, we were caught in a terrible blizzard. Due to the impossibility of seeing the road, I had to pull off the freeway and we sat in a parking lot until the weather cleared, which led to a very late night indeed.
Today, Rue thought she would be fine on the ice roads, but no, she was wrong. Rue was going along like a happy little car, when suddenly there was ice instead of road. Rue then proceeded to drift over and smash into a curb with a terrible thud. After that, the alignment of the wheels was thrown off, making driving yet another slight more difficult.
Also, a light snowing all day made it requisite that I scrape off the windows before going anywhere today, so I ended up having to do that at least five times. The last time I did, my hand slipped and I sliced my knuckles open on some of the ice that had become a part of Rue's exterior.
Basically, my car just wishes that it was summer again.

A Story

Tonight I had the privilege of volunteering in the MTC referral center. That means I was at a computer, and when somebody went onto mormon.org and requested to chat with somebody, I got to be one of the people who could chat with them. It was really awesome. I got to talk to lots of people and answer their questions about the gospel.
Anyway, we were supposed to only be getting chats in English, but one time somebody started a chat with me, and they began the conversation with "Hallo. Ich habe eine frage." This means, "Hello, I have a question." IN GERMAN!!!!! I was super excited!!! I was then able to have an entire conversation with this person from Germany, and I could understand everything he was saying and was able to answer back! Folks, my German is definitely not that good. I'm positive that I was able to understand words that I have never heard before in my life. I was able to dispel both the rumor that Mormons can have more than one wife, as well as the rumor that the Mormons are in charge of the NPD (the neo-nazi political party in Munich.) And then, after that, The guy told me that he wanted to learn more about the church!!!! After that, I told him about the Book of Mormon, and then he gave me his address and I was able to refer him to the German missionaries who are going to go to his house to teach him!!!! This is the coolest thing that has ever happened to me. What are the odds that that person would just happen to begin a chat with the volunteer who could speak a little bit of German? Folks, the gospel is true, and the Lord will make sure those who seek it will be able to find it. I'm so very grateful for this opportunity that I had to share the gospel with somebody, and to give them the opportunity to learn more about the Church.




Also, for Seth: After we finished each chat, we were supposed to mark who each person was that chatted with us and what they wanted. The options were like, "Seeking information" and such. One of the options was "Trolling."

I have a blog?

Happy December everybody!
How in the world has it been a whole month since that crazy Milkshake party? How is the semester over? It's weird, ladies and gentlemen; it's a strange thing.
I'd like to take just a couple weeks to say "thank you."

Thank you to my fantastic roommates, Seth and Jordan. You guys are the greatest ever, and you've been an amazing example to me. You two have helped me to grow in so many ways, and to become such a better person. I really could not have asked for better roommates, because they simply don't exist. Your tolerance of my ridiculousness as well as your kind and giving spirits have been essential to my survival this semester. I am very confident that wherever you go, you will always exceedingly bless the lives of those you come into contact with.

Thank you to one of my best friends in the whole wide world, Kristen Blair. Kristen, thank you for being such a light. You have helped me to see so much; about myself and about others. You have helped me to grow and learn and find the way from places of strugglement to higher ground. You have helped me to smile through sadness and to find joy in the little things of life. You have helped me to have a much greater focus on the gospel in my life and you've helped me to see the music in everything. You are so kind and loving and just all around perfect.

Thank you to Taylor May. What in the world would I do without this wonderful girl in my life? Taylor, it has been so fun to get to know you this semester, and I'm so very glad that I decided to sit by you and Eva in church at the beginning of the semester. You always know just exactly how to make me happy, and I don't know what in the world I'd be eating if you didn't feed me so much good food. I'm pretty sure that over half of my smiles of this semester came from you and your perfect loving kindness. You're going to be the best missionary that Oklahoma has ever seen!
Thank you, of course, to Eva Jane as well. Eva, Thanks for being so much fun. Everything's always a party with you around. Thank you for singing for me and playing your guitar for me and for always being so outgoing and happy. You have fun in India, okay?

Thank you, Dallin, Nathan, and Tyler. You guys are all so good. You've been a great help to me this semester. I've had a grand time eating Milkshakes with you guys, and learning valuable mission lessons from Dallin, and planning hiking with Nathan, and attempting to speak Afrikaans with Tyler. Thanks for just being awesome and for being our friends.

Okay, there's at least ten thousand more people that I need to say thank you to, but I have to go right now. Just know that there are more to come!

I love you all!!!