Life on a Continuum

So . . . It's been awhile huh! my bad

2011-10-04T14:37:00.000-06:00

So you know that awkward feeling when you haven't blogged in like 6 months, and people are like hey you should blog but then you don't because your almost ashamed of how long its been? Well i do mainly because i am feeling right about now. Well world, and i use that term loosely to mean my one and only reader Josh Sponbeck, i'm back so here is a quick update on my life.

EFY been there done that got the t-shirt. But in all reality it was pretty freakin awesome. Was it hard? did i hate the dances? did the kids with sass get on my nerves sometimes? The answer YES. But was it worth every single second? YES!

School has started up againg and i am a third of the way through with my most time intensive semester yet. Homework due pretty much everyday, thats the life right, and all this of course is happening the semester that i go through with the biggest decision of my life.
UM kind of some big news . . . i'm engaged! Yep thats right peoples on October 21st 2011 i will marry the love of my life in the Salt Lake Temple! She is pretty much the best thing to ever happen to me and i am really the luckiest person in the whole world! I want to thank her for putting up with me, i know i can be a handful, and quite often i ask myself how i got to be this lucky. I love her with everything that i am, and i only want to make her happy. I am so thankful that we will be able to be together for time and all eternity because we are getting married in one of the temples of the Lord. Things have been stressful lately, what with wedding plans, me looking for a job, school, car issues, and whatever else has been thrown our way. I know it has been hard on both of us, and katie has been the one to pull me through. She is strong, smart, determined, caring, loving, selfless, service minded, and the most beautiful girl in the world! Katie I love you!

That is pretty much it, at least for now that i can think of. I'm gonna really try to be a lot better but with how busy things are i can't make any promises. I will say this, i am trying to work on better time managment. If i do that who knows how much time i may free up.

This Just In..

2011-04-06T14:20:00.000-06:00

alright here it is folks, hot off the presses. Yours truly is officially being an EFY counselor this summer. Thats right, as of like 10 minutes ago i accepted the contracts they offered me and it is going down like china town! This process has been somewhat annoying since i had to fill out my I-9 form 3 different times and send it down to them. Granted the first time was totally my bad, the second time was just the fact that the goverment is super anal, and as they say the third times the charm. So what up youth from the ages 14-18 you will be looking to me as your counselor! Are the youth ready for this...who knows really, i guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Also on a completely unrelated note, i wore a Superman cape yesterday and it was legit! I'm convinced that the world would be a better place if everyone wore some form of super hero garb every once in awhile.

Something Worth Checking Out

2011-03-30T13:58:00.000-06:00

So as a side note to what i actually want to say, did anyone notice that the last three titles to my last three posts had exclamation marks on them. Strange, i mean I'm all for showing enthusiasm, but it surprised me three titles in a row with an exclamation mark... maybe a little over used. It reminds me of that episode of Seinfeld, you really don't want to overuse the exclamation mark that's a dangerous game, because pretty soon the actually meaning of an exclamations mark is gone and all it ends up being is just another period with a line above it. And i for one do not want to see that happen, because then to actually show that your a little bit excited about things you've got to start throwing on 2 3 or dare i say 4 exclamation marks to make your point. I for one don't have the time or money (have you seen the price on ink cartridges lately, freak those things are expensive, i find i just don't refill. I think I'm going on 3 months now on EXTREMELY LOW black ink cartridge. My printer may not be to happy but my wallet is.) for that to happen. Now I'm not saying that we shouldn't use the exclamation mark, i just feel it might be something we should think twice about before we just throw it out there. We walk a razor thin line my friends and i for one don't want to fall off.

Now for something we should be using exclamation marks for...General Conference is this weekend! Now that is exciting stuff. I just love General Conference always have. Granted the reasons for loving it have evolved over the years. As a child it meant that on Sunday i didn't have to get dressed in church clothes and i would do the whole church thing in my pajamas sitting on my couch in the comfort of my own home. That was the life as a kid, at any point you could stand up go grab a snack and no one gave you weird looks. The next stage of my love for General Conference was going to Priesthood session with my Dad and my Brothers. It was just great to go, and then of course right after go to Hires to fulfill a long lived tradition. At this point i think i may have been more excited about Hires then Priesthood session, but none the less i was still excited about priesthood session.

The next stage came right before my mission and the intensity of my love just grew while i was on my mission. I had received my call March 26th 2008 and just a week or so later was able to watch General Conference, and i even took notes cause i was just so stoked to go tell everyone i could that we have a living prophet today, that the priesthood has been restored, and that God has a plan for us. While i was on my mission i gained a new appreciation for Conference because i no longer had the luxury of sitting at home in my PJ's. Conference meant 2 full days of serious travel trains, buses, a nice walk and finally you were able to hear from the Prophet and Apostles of God! Seeing the sacrifice that some people made in order to attend Conference really opened my eyes to the importance of this great meeting. And here i am today filled with that fire just waiting to hear what the Lord wants for me for the next 6 months. So to whoever out there reads this, i invite you to hear for yourself what the Lord has to tell us through his living Prophets, it's gonna be sweet!

Things that Chap my Hide!

2011-03-22T17:16:00.000-06:00

Well to the 6 of you who read this (and by saying 6 i am being pretty generous) buckle up cause i feel a good rant coming on. It is just one of those weeks, so sit back and prepare yourselves to be blown away by the things that chap my hide March 22 edition.

People who stop in groups on the 3 foot wide sidewalks, and refuse to step aside to let people pass. Seriously people the world does not revolve around you, and unlike you the rest of us have a class to get to, and i don't know about the next guy but i really don't want to step in the mud on either side of you.
Laziness. Now hear me out here, cause i know some of you will say "Hey have you never been lazy in your life!?" and of course the answer to that question is yes i have, and every once in awhile it is nice to take a little break and just relax. But when the extent of your day is sitting on the couch idling away your time and occasionally getting up to maybe go to class, i'm done with you. Get up, go live life, experience the joys all around you but please get up off your lazy butt and do something!
A sense of entitlement. I was taught by my father the value of hard work, if you want something you work for it. So i am so done with people who expect to be given everything in life. Now don't get me wrong every once in awhile you need help, and i know my parents have done so much for me, i know i will continually be indebted to my parents for the rest of my life. But they did not just hand everything over to me, i was expected to behave and pull my weight. So you people out there that just expect everything to be handed to you on a silver platter...get over yourselves and work for something for a change. I am seriously done with you people!
Disorganization/Dirtiness. I walked into my apartment today, and as a bit of a preface, this week is the week my professors decided to have papers due and give tests. So i'm already a bit irritated, and done with this week. Friday cannot come soon enough! So as i said i walked into my apartment during my break in classes to make up a little lunch. And our apartment was just a solid mess! Now i've lived with this for a semester and a half, and normally i just grin and bare it. I just figure whatever i'll clean it up. But today i was just done with it! Summer cannot come soon enough...at least for this aspect.

So those are some of the main things that are chapping my hide at the moment. And to end on a somewhat happy note here a few of the things that have made me smile lately.

Free Aggie ice cream at the TSC for filling out a survey!
Kid booking it down the hill while i was on my way to class, i'm not sure where he was headed but i am sure he got there super fast!
My polysci professor moving our test back to Friday instead of Wednesday.
Music, listening to/playing
My Dwight Schrute stress ball
Spring Rain

World Record!

2011-03-18T13:58:00.000-06:00

So yesterday up here at good old Utah State as a part of geek week, we set a new world record! What we did was drop 20,000 bouncy balls 100 feet out of a flying helicopter. That is pretty cool in and of itself, but for some reason i think my favorite part is i got out of my German class early to go and see it. I have to admit i was expecting something a lot cooler, but for anyone that has seen this Sony Bravia ad, who wouldn't when it comes to bouncy balls.

So this commercial is super legit, and probably one of the best ads I've seen, mostly cause they have a legit song by Jose Gonzalez playing. ("Heartbeats" i highly recommend checking Jose out) And they actually did this in San Francisco, this is not CGI. Also if you have the sudden urge to purchase a Sony Bravia TV that is totally understandable, my family owns one, and it may or may not be because of this add...okay it probably isn't but who really knows.

But here are some pictures and a video of the world recording breaking experience.

The helicopter that dropped the bouncy balls.

So i realize now that i should have taken a picture of the crowd, because there were quite a few people, and tons of kids, but with the prospect of a bunch of free bouncy balls, what parent wouldn't take there kids to see this?!

And here is a video that i took. I hope you can see, i apologize in advance for the quality of the video and the fact that you have to turn your heads, sorry! But you can kind of see when the balls are first dropped.

Ya i was hoping for a bucket drop. Like the forest fire fighting helicopters, when they dump the fire retardent out of the buckets. That is what i was hoping for, alas it was not so, but now they know for next time. And yes world if you were wondering i did score some swag from this event, mainly a piece of a world record and here it is!

Spring!

2011-03-14T19:43:00.000-06:00

So I am an avid fan of the 4 seasons. I like the change that it brings. Its like we get a new begining with every new season. If winter wasn't your friend then you get to start over again when spring comes and the same goes with each passing change. But for some reason the change from winter to spring always seems to take the longest. Now don't get me wrong I love winter, there are few things in this life that can compare to the look of fresh fallen snow, or gliding down the slopes with that crisp mountian air blowing past you. Also i have so many great memories tied with the winter months, but man i love spring. And here are a few reasons why:

Watching everything come to life!
Its like 7:30 right now and still light outside!
Frisbee (for those of you who know me, know that the weather doesn't dictate when i play frisbee, but there is just something about those spring games. Probably the fact that when i stop playing i don't freeze to death or feel like dieing due to the heat.)
Flying Kites!
Rain, and the smell of Rain!
It just so happens my birthday falls during the spring months

Here are some pictures to prove it!

After some sweet Frisbee!

Park City May 2007

Spring in Germany, ok its 10x cooler there.

FACT

After seeing this how can you not be stoked for spring! I only wish I was in Germany!

Don't let life pass you by.

2011-01-21T14:27:00.000-07:00

You know when something happens in your life, an event or just something that has been on your mind a lot, and your never quite sure if it is the right thing. You spend a lot of time thinking about it trying to figure out if it's a good thing or not. It always happens where you finally think you have it figured out, and then something happens that makes you second guess yourself. As I like to say, life throws you a curveball. Just that kink in things that makes it that much more difficult. But... you can still hit a curveball, it may take a bit more patience and it may be scary to stay in there and swing, but I promise you, you can still hit a curveball. So after you keep thinking about it you decide that you'll act on that thought and you swing. Be it any situation in your life, but you have made the move from theory to pratice, and it works. How great is that feeling?

Sure life is full of a lot of doubt and difficulty, but as a great friend once told me "one of the biggest problems we face in this life is indecision". There is no standing still people, you are either progressing or degressing. If we stand there not acting then it just gets harder and harder to act, that is when the second guessing really comes into play and we are stuck. Sure sometimes we act and it was the wrong decision. But did we learn somthing? I sure hope we have. And next time you know from your own experience. Sometimes it may not pay off, but that one time when it does, the pay off is usually big.

I love the scene in "The Little Giants" where they are sitting in the locker room at half time. And they all go through stories of that "one time" where it did pay off, and that is what it is all about. Believe me all that doubt and second guessing is worth it in the end. As long as you can say "I had a good time!" or "I learned a great lesson!" So don't waste away your life not acting on those things, make sure it is in line with what you feel, know, and believe. And then go out and do, don't let life pass you by!

The Heist

2011-01-05T23:01:00.000-07:00

So this last semester in my psych class a question was posed to us as students. The question was, "If you could do anything humanly possible with no consequences, and you'd never get caught, what would you do?" Just think about it for a second... what would you do? I thought about it, and my first thought was I would pull off a heist. None of this plane jane bank robbery stuff, i'm talking something huge with tons of planning where everyone is just blown away so they make a movie out of it. Ya that big it would be legit. Now I justified it by saying I would be like Robin Hood, you know steal from the rich give to the poor. The poor at this point being me, and i'm sure I would help out reletives and close friends, but really as I am poor I figured it would be alright. So that was my thought steal from the rich give to the poor (me). And I decided to post this mostly because I just finished watching Oceans 11 and 12. And I know there are those out there who will say Oceans 12 sucked. But I still liked it, granted the original Oceans 11 was better as is almost always the case when they make sequels to movies. But I also love the Original Oceans 11, you know the one with the rat pack. The end of that one is great, if you haven't seen it i highly recommend it. So as I have been thinking about it, I love all shows like that, in which somthing epic is stolen and its alright (kinda) cause they always steal from the bad guy (generally). All the planning that goes into it and then you have no clue how it all will work out until the end. I still remember the first time I saw Oceans 11. I just laughed when they pulled away in the swat car and you see the air freshener hanging there from the rear view mirror. Just love it! And then seeing all of them in front of the fountains at the Bellagio while Clare de lune is playing. Classic! So that is what I would do world, given the chance to pull off an awesome heist like in Oceans 11 or any of the other movies like that, I would do it for sure. Well as long as there were no consequences involved and I'd never get caught. Come on I'm not crazy.

A word from the writer: In no way to I condone stealing, everything written in this blog is just speculative. Just in case you were wondering.

Let the Music Set you Free!

2010-11-16T16:07:00.000-07:00

I love music! I can definitely say I have always loved music. Growing up it was always just a huge part of my life, even when i didn't want it to be. But I am a firm believer that there is a power in music that just can't be accessed anywhere else. I would even say there is something godly about it. Just think about it, how often in the scriptures do you hear an account of a marvelous event and almost always it is mentioned that there was singing or music. I think that so much more can be expressed through music. If you really think about it you can express anything on the spectrum of Love to Hate using the exact same word but just said or sung in a different way. The lyrics might not have anything to do with it in fact they often don't have anything to do with it. But the music affects you in such a way that it can change your mood. For example I can't be upset or sad when I listen to Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole. It just makes me laugh at the beginning because of the close memories that i associate with this song. And the happy upbeat sound of his Ukulele just makes me smile. Whenever I am down about anything I have a bunch of different songs that I can play or listen to and just like that the day is so much better.

It goes in every which direction though, there is music that evokes every emotion imaginable. And I just love it. One of my favorite things to do is to have my iPod on shuffle as I walk to class. Sometimes my mood dictates the music that I listen to so I find myself skipping past loads of songs till I get to one that just fits. Other times the music dictates what mood I'm in, when I put my headphones on and hit play that first song can set me down a path for the rest of the day. Funny how that works. And if you look around you can see it in those around you. Well at least I'm sure you can see it in me, cause I'm that guy walking around with his headphones on with a stupid grin on his face and almost skipping to the beat (depending on the music I'm listening to at the moment). Its great isn't it! I really do just love it so much!

I have already sort of mentioned this but music is so intimately tied to memory. In fact the moment I type this my iTunes switched to a song by The Starting Line and almost immediately I was reminded of Junior High, getting together with a bunch of my buddies and playing the original Halo. I just give a slight grin and chuckle and enjoy the music. Other times it reminds me of times with my family, especially during the Holiday season. For me Christmas music doesn't just remind me of the birth of my Lord and Savior, but it reminds me of great times spent with my family and friends. One specific example for me is the Forgotten Carols by Michael Mclean. Christmas doesn't start for me until I listen to that music, and then remember the great times spent with my family seeing the musical each Christmas Season at Cottonwood High. And on top of that the time spent driving to work during Christmas with Josh listening to Homeless or out in the Mission field with companions. There are so many great memories tied to that music.

This life is about making memories with those you love, and is there anything greater then getting a small reminder every once in awhile when you listen to some music? So I guess what I'm trying to say is enjoy the music, and let that music tie you to those you love and care about.

Faith vs. Fear

2010-09-29T00:10:00.000-06:00

So last night as i was thinking before drifting off to sleep, and i had a very interesting point brought to my mind. Some preface is necessary. For quite sometime now i have been trying to make some decisions in my life. Pretty important stuff i suppose, and as such i have gone before the Lord to ask some help. I had been praying about some of these things for quite sometime and really hadn't received an answer. Luckily during church on Sunday we talked about President Uchtdorfs talk entitled "Continue in Patience." I recommend reading it because it is an excellent talk for anybody, patience is something we all need. So after realizing that maybe i needed to be a bit more patient, and acting upon that patience. I received an answer. Its not something that is spelled out for me in black and white, it is something that i need to act upon. A principle that i have learned, and now the Lord lets me choose for myself. That is probably one of may favorite things about our relationship with our Heavenly Father. He doesn't just solve all our problems for us, i mean what would we really learn. In life we learn things best by doing, not by having someone else do it for us. Is it harder this way? Sure, but is it much more worthwhile in the end? You bet! So i felt impressed to pass on what the Lord taught me. And oddly enough it goes along perfectly with some of the stuff i have been learning in Institute. Coincidence...I think not!

What is fear? Well according to m-w.com fear is "an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger." We often speak of fear of the unknown. And last night i realized that fear IS the unknown, or the fact that we focus to much on the unknown, and not on the known. To help illustrate this well I'll illustrate it.

So everything on the right side of what you know is the unknown (duh), and generally speaking we are afraid of that. We as a people like to know things, when we don't know something we generally are afraid of it or at least don't trust it. So what happens when we experience fear is we focus to much on what we don't know instead of focusing on what we do know, the faith portion of the drawing. When we focus on what we do know, the basics, the simple truths, then it makes it so much easier to increase that total knowledge and continue on with the progression. It doesn't matter if you know next to nothing, if you focus on that which you do know, then you can increase your knowledge. But if you keep all you focus on the unknown, out of fear we will not progress in other words we experience damnation.

Lets take an example something really easy. Say you are hungry and you want to go try a new place to eat. Now here if we focus so much on the unknown, like will i like this new place or is it gonna make me sick, or who knows what. Any fear when it comes to a decision, in the end 9 times out of 10 it will stop you from going and trying out your new restaurant. But if you focus on what you do know, like your hungry and your friend told you the place was good. Well then you'll probably end up going. I know a really trivial thing, but you can do it with anything. I catch myself doing it all the time. I stop myself from doing something because i dwell upon the unknown instead of acting upon what i know. I may not know the outcome, but i do know what i know now. And if i don't act then fear wins, and there is no progression.

This is something I've probably known for quite sometime, but for some reason it never really registered, so last night the Lord answered my prayers, and now it is my job to act upon the knowledge that i gained. So don't let fear overcome you faith. Act upon the knowledge you have now and that knowledge will grow. This applies to so many aspects of life whether the question is of great importance (normally the harder ones to overcome) or as trivial as lunch time. Act upon what you know and life will be so much better!

Fantasy Football

2010-09-27T22:33:00.000-06:00

Right now I could be using my time more wisely and be studying, but having just suffered a crushing loss in Fantasy Football, I have decided to get some of my thoughts out.
I've always been a fan of sports, in fact i would go as far as saying i love sports. There is just something about it. Almost indescribable, unexplainable, but sports of any kind there is just a magic behind it. I do have to say that growing up i was biased towards a few sports. Mostly baseball. I understand that a lot of people don't like baseball but i love it. I am one of those people who can sit down and watch a game on TV, something that a lot of people just can't stomach. That's just who I am. And as i have grown older i have come to love most sports. Doesn't matter what it is, well besides nascar. But i don't really consider nascar a sport. But that is a topic for another day. What I'm trying to say is as I've grown i have learned to love those sports that as a kid i just didn't get.

My love for the NFL started the summer before my senior year. I was invited to participate in Fantasy Football with 9 of my best friends. At the time i jumped at the opportunity mostly because that meant kicking it for a Saturday with good friends having a good time, and also cause fantasy kinda intrigued me. Well since then I've developed my LOVE for the NFL. Have my fantasy teams ever been really good? No not really, I'm not to the point yet where i spend days and weeks before the draft planning my team. This year i didn't have that luxury anyways, i was out of the country. So when draft time came i mostly just put my trust in technology and took the highest player on the list.

Well this year it hasn't really worked out for me. After a tough 1 point loss tonight followed by a call from my opponent Brock to rub in the win, i was a little broken. Gloating is just part of the game you love it when your the one dishing it out and you just kind of suck it up and take it when you lose. I know what your thinking its just a game and your not even doing anything for it. But still being a sports lover and a very competitive person any loss is a tough loss, especially those when you are so close to the win that you can taste it. I mean come on Packers you had three interceptions that were given back because of dumb penalties. And man you should have just let them score and then had time to go for it, it at least would have given me enough points to win my game. But alas that wasn't the case and i lost. 1-2 record not looking so hot right now.

But i still love the game, it makes watching football so much fun, and since I've never really had a NFL team it helps me to invest something into the game, which always makes the game better. So even though fantasy football just gives that added measure of stress that a starving college student doesn't really need, I'll take it.

New Look Same Great Taste!

2010-09-22T17:43:00.000-06:00

Well i figured it was time that i updated the look of my blog. And today after being pretty productive, i felt like i might as well do something i like. So i did.
And while i'm on the thought of New look same great taste, how many of you really think thats true, i mean i have been dissapointed plenty of times by a deceptively cool new look, but the product was not as good. So watch out cause next time you go to pick up your newly designed favorite food item, it might not be as good.

Best and Worst

2010-09-15T13:25:00.003-06:00

Alright, after my last post being a somewhat serious matter, today i have decided to delve into my thoughts on reentering the real world after having spent 2 years in another nation not worrying about any of the latest and greatest.

I found things to be a lot different upon my return. I mean for some reason as a missionary you just assume that everything back at home is on pause. You leave and enter into a world where you could care less who just came out with the greatest new technological advancement or who has hit the music scene. All of that just isn't important to you. You have a whole other take on life, and it is awesome! But alas it doesn't last forever, sooner then you think you are thrust back into the world, and hey turns out that in 2 years a lot actually does happen even thought you don't really hear about it. So this post is dedicated to the things that i find ridiculous, and amazing that has happened in the two years i was gone.

Lets start off with the ridiculous, i get back and everybody speaks of "tweets" and Twitter. I don't think it is important for people to be able to know what i am doing all the time, really its just another waste of time, plus it just sounds weird to read somebodies tweet.
It turns our that phones are smart. Whatever happened to my classic candy bar phone or the good old flip phone of yesteryear. They're almost extinct, no your phone needs to be smart. I mean if your phones not smart then your dumb...so i hear. Luckily i am not one to prescribe to such logic, to me world i think that this is the first step to machines taking over the world. I just saw Terminator Salvation, and let me tell you the future looks bleak. So next time you go to answer that smart phone watch out it just might try and melt you brain. You could be the first fatality in what will be an all out war. And even though Christian Bale may be hard core, by the time he realizes his phone is out to get him it will be to late.

They may advertise it will protect you, but come one readers we all saw iRobot as well. That is how they get you.
And if your smart phone doesn't get you i'm sure you could be killed by this kid, I'm not sure that you've heard of him, cause i sure hadn't but he goes by the name of Justin Bieber. Just another one of those pop musician kids who in a couple of years will fall off the map because he entered puberty. Another interesting fact as a guy your voice generally drops when you hit puberty, bet you he didn't plan that into his youtube debut. However during the Renaissance they figured out an answer to this problem so Justin if it means that much to you just go talk to a music history professor find out what i'm talking about and then consult your pediatrician. And if that ends up working out for him don't worry world cause the drugs alcohol and domestic violence suits will for sure get him. He'll end up like all of our childhood favorites. Lindsay Lohan, Brittney Spears, or both Spears sisters for that matter, really the list could go on forever. But hey who am i to judge, i don't even know who the kid is.

Alright i guess i should leave political things away from this happy place...but i'm not to sure about this Obama guy, speaking purely from a political standpoint i'm not to sure america chose correctly, just a thought. My excuse is i was out of the country. Whats yours America? But before i go any further i probably should work on being a bit more informed. So we'll leave it at that.

And on an ending note of things i find not quite as ridiculous but lost a lot of its luster in my eyes...facebook. Still a good thing but not what it used to be, will it go the way of myspace? This writer says yes, why you may ask? Well something bigger and better always comes along. And just as we have shown in pretty much everything, we go for that stuff. What will the new facebook be called? I don't know but if we get to send in suggestions or vote in anyway, i would vote for "Spaces for Faces in My book: A stalkers best friend" your votes would be much appreciated.

Alright enough of that lets move onto more positive things. What changed from the July 2008-July 2010 that is a great improvement. Well this one requires a bit more thinking on my part, mostly because it seems the crappy stuff always takes the forfront in the news.

So the good stuff well number one would have to be youtube. Thank you Preston for helping me enter back into the real world. Youtube was cool before my mission but man it just goes to show how far you can go by being an idiot and having your friend work the camera. Thank you youtube. And thank you idiots alike.

Next on the list is America as far as i can tell, has so far successfully avoided the manpri. For those of you who don't know what the manpri is, let me inform you. The capri is what happend when shorts and long pants were breed with one another creating a hybrid crossbreed child known as the capri. An acceptible fashion statement for women, however in mans strange pursuit of wearing womens clothing and passing it off as his own and "in style," the manpri was born. All the rage in europe right now along with mullets and fannypacks(mostly among teenagers and those in there twenties, not all of eupropes population is tastless.) The manpri is one fashion from europe we Americans need not adopt. So please America stay strong and avoid the almost inevitable onslaught of manpris that will come in the coming years. As for Mullets well that never really left, mostly just went into hiding among Americans who find there homesweet home in trailerparks. And fannypacks, well we'll let the europeans keep that one as well.

And for my final thought on the great things that have happened in the last two years is...well i don't know that i really have one that would be worthy of such a big unveiling. So i'll just say i find Hulu a great idea, i mean who needs to pay for cable anymore, i just tune in through the miricle that is the internet.

And that was the best and worst according to yours truly!

Who Am I? Who Are You?

2010-09-12T23:20:00.003-06:00

Alright world, or maybe a better phrase would be Alright small group of people who actually read this, since i haven't posted regularly in quite some time. But I'm trying to work on that. So here it goes the idea for this blog came to me as i have been reading some books on the topic for example i just recently finished "The Last Lecture"
and "Tuesdays with Morrie"
both terrific books by the way i would recommend them to anyone. And Currently I am reading "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" So if you have read these books you may understand where i am coming from, if not like i said read them, and hopefully my post can add some insight into things.

So all to often in life we hear the question "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Or people will tell you "I'm still trying to figure out what i want to be?" etc... Well I have been thinking a lot about this recently since I'm at the point in my life where if i don't have it figured out i probably ought to get it figured out. So as i have thought about it and read these books, another question was posed to me, which i feel is a lot more important then the first question. Who do you want to be when you grow up? I mean think about it... its not what you do that really matters. It is who you are and how you live you life. When all is said and done, what will others say about you? Or better yet what will you say about yourself?

Peoples portrayals of themselves are often very interesting to hear. I once sat in a room with a few other people, and we were asked to share with the group a talent that we felt we possessed. The things that people said were very interesting. Some of them i agreed with completely, from my point of view i could see exactly what they said is a talent or a trait they embodied. Some of them i was somewhat confused by. Who was correct, did i have a false perception of the person or did they have a false perception of themselves. In all comes down to perspective. We all have an interesting perspective, the way we see ourselves, and the way others see us is often very different.

Isn't this a part of our lives here, figuring out who we are and how we can best use our time here. Once again it isn't about what you do or how much money you made, but did you make a difference, who were you? How did you live your life? I believe that we are all children of a loving Heavenly Father, and as such we have limitless potential. We truly can accomplish anything we put our minds to. He understands us perfectly, some of you may disagree with this statement, but i know it to be a truth. Some of you may argue that i can't know that. Well that is a discussion for another time. For the time being just trust me. There is someone out there who knows us perfectly. And the cool thing is he is there to help us figure that out. He is there to help us figure out who we are. And can show us how we can live our lives to the fullest. We only see a small portion, whereas he can see the whole thing. That is why older people are often wiser. They have experienced so much in there lives. There perspective has been widened. That is also why the input of a loved one can help us grow so much. We see what we choose to see, and at times that means we are blind to the obvious, and a pointed comment from someone we love or someone we trust can help to open our eyes and point us in the right direction. With the help of others we can discover who we are, and better lead our lives. What will they say when your time has come? What will you say when all is said and done? Remember it isn't about what you do, its about who you are, and how you live you life.

I'm Back

2010-08-19T21:04:00.002-06:00

Alright world, after a long stint away from the world of blogging, I am back. For those of you who actually tried to follow my blog while i was on my mission, sorry that i kind of crapped out like 10 months into my mission. But it is a very busy time and every second counts. Those of you who have served missions understand this point, and for those of you who haven't take my word for it. But alas that time in my life has passed and real life has hit like a ton of bricks.

Since being home I have taken the time to get into the normal flow of life. And it is still weird somedays, but i'm home. I am pretty well ready for school i've got a place to live and a car, the only thing that is lacking for me to fully embrace real life is a job. But that will have to wait till i am actually up at school. So that is whats up with me right now.

Sorry this was such a lame post, i promise a lot more in the future, but hey i am just trying to break into the things.

Sorry Its been a while!

2009-04-27T21:23:00.002-06:00

Okay well i don't know what the last post was or anything like that but i just wanted to let everyone know that yes i am alive and doing well, but i am not in Frankfurt anymore, i am now way up north in a city called Wesel (remember it is german so it is pronounced vesel) But ya it is a really small city but it is super sweet we are working hard and seeing a lot of success, I love it, my companion is Elder Kutterer he is from Seattle washington and has been out for only 6 weeks. But he is a stud and his german is great so not a problem at all and he works hard and we are both striving to be 100% obediant. But things are going pretty good. I would love to hear from you all at some point you can either send a letter or email either way, and i'll try to be better at responding, especially for letters. But you can keep sending them to the address in frankfurt cause that will assure that i get them every Zone conference or you can send them to my new address, but i don't know how long i will be here and if i don't get them who knows when or if i ever will get them, but either way i don't really care. my new address is
Viehtor 12
46483 Wesel
Germany

The address to frankfurt is
Corneliusstrasse 18
60325 Frankfurt am Main.

Thanks for all your love prayers and support.Love Elder Rogers

What a Week!

2009-01-27T15:51:00.002-07:00

Hey world sorry for not writing last week but i hope this can help make up for it, thanks for those of you who sent emails and for those of you who didn't i would love to hear from you elder_srogers@myldsmail.net

This week was super awesome but also super hard. It started out when we found Leo, we were out contacting at 8:50 at night we have to be home at 9:00 but the Lord always blesses you in the last 10 minutes of a long hard day. We saw Leo walking down the street and he was wearing shorts, which is pretty crazy i mean it is January in Germany not the warmest time, so i say to Elder Stimpson "hey check out this guy in the shorts we have got to talk to him." So we do, we stop him and tell him we want to talk with him about God and Jesus Christ, well this is all in German and he tells us i don't know german can you speak english, well of course we can. So he tells us we can come with him he had a few things he had to put in the fridge so we go with him up into his apartment and we sit down and we share with him about quickest 1st lesson ever and we give him and english book of mormon which was a miricle i had it.(normally i just carry an extra german but on that day i felt that i should bring an english one with and i knew that somehow i would use it) and we taught an awesome lesson he was asking great questions about how we really know, so we told him about Moroni's Promise. What an amazing man Moroni was, when i get to heaven i am gonna give that Man a Huge Hug!! But anyway we told him he could know as well. Then we taught him about prayer and to close the meeting we asked if he would offer the prayer and if we could do it kneeling. He said sure and he said about the sweetest prayer i have ever heard, it was short and simple but perfect. He addressed our heavenly father, thanked him for the day and his last weekend that asked if he would bless that his mother would get better and also to know that the Book of Mormon was true and he closed in the name of Jesus Christ Amen. It was so sweet he is from Brazil so we are gonna bring him a Portugese BoM what a blessing the Lord is prepareing people for us everywhere and we just need to work hard and be obediant.

Well after that we had some awesome appointments and great contacting experiences but there are to many to talk about and not enough time. But the hard part about this week was the Long days of working hard and basically getting nothing, but tell you what i will take a million days like those for the one day when we meet people like Leo it is 100% worth it.

Also this week we tchüssed our investigator Annie, she is so awesome and our meetings were so spiritual but she just wasn't willing to accept that there was only one true perfect way to return to live with God, i just feel sorry for her, that may sound bad, but i can just see her sitting under the Tree of Life and we are right there lifting her up to grab the fruit but then she tells us to put her down and that she is good just sitting by the tree and not partaking of its wonderful fruit that brings our souls exceedingly great joy. Preach my gospel tells us that we will have experiences like this but not to let it get us down, but it is so hard, luckily i can always turn to my loving Savior and Redeemer for help.

Thanks everyone for your love and support and prayers they mean more then i can try to express through mail in any way so remind me to give you all a big hug next time we see each other.

Love Elder
Rogers

Frankfurt!!!!!

2009-01-13T18:46:00.000-07:00

Well everybody i am off to Frankfurt after a short stay of 6 weeks in Aachen. I am kind of sad to leave because we have a baptismal date for the 31st of January. But this is what the Lord wants and i am so excited to go. My new companion is Elder Kimball he is one of the AP's, I will be one of the AP buddies. Basically I have two comps Elder Kimball and Elder Stimpson. I will be with Elder Kimball unless he and the other AP are off doing stuff for President Ninow, then i will work with Elder Stimpson. I am way excited and i know that the Lord answers prayers and know each of us individually because, I have been praying for a hard working companion, and the Lord knows that i needed one cause i have been at wits end with elders who are more here to vacation then to do the Lords work. But now I know for sure that i have companions who will work. We'll see how things play out.And just incase anybody has sent stuff to me in Aachen and i haven't got it yet, no worries, another plus of an AP comp is that he will be up here for ZoKo so anything i missed will still get to me. But just so you all know you can now send stuff to:Elder Spencer RogersCorneliusstrasse 1860325 Frankfurt am MainGermanyCan't wait to here from you all. I hope your all enjoying your time back in school. Have fun!!

Elder Rogers

P.S. Thanks everyone for you emails and Letters they really do mean so much!!

God answers prayers!

2009-01-06T15:28:00.001-07:00

Hey i just wanted to share a quick story with all of you it is kind of funny but it illustrates that God answers our prayers even for little things.

Yesterday we went by on a member to help him out with something, well as we were leaving he came out with us to say goodbye and closed the Door behind him. He locked himself out. We were running late for another appointment, but we decided we needed to help him out. So i said a prayer asking the Lord the his door would be opened. Well Elder Reichard happened to have on him a Leatherman pocket knife. The ones with the plyers screw drivers, saw basically an all in one thing. Well he trys to Jimmy the door open kind of the Credit Card thing but with a knife, it doesn't work. Well i look down and notice that the door handle has screws on it, so i say unscrew it, he does but at first it doesn't look like it helped at all, Then i noticed that there was like a Nut type thing and i figured it was the back off the Door handle, i had a feeling that if we turned that hard enough and pushed the door would open. Well Elder Reichard tried, no luck. So he gave it to me and said "Here you try!" So I took the plyers got a hold of the tiny little nut, and twisted and pushed, and sure enough the Door popped right open no problems. It was so sweet. The Lord answers prayers, even if it is to break into a house (granted the owner was right there with us.) I know that if i wouldn't have humbled myself and prayed that door wouldn't have opened, or we would have had to blow it off its hinges. The Lord loves each of us and will help us no matter what, we just need to have the faith, then humble our selves and he will lift us up and give us the Love and help we need. This church is true and God loves all of us no matter what.

Love
Elder Rogers

New Years!

2008-12-30T17:33:00.002-07:00

Hello everyone!! I hope that all of you had an amazing Christmas. I definitely did. Talking to my family was absolutely awesome!! That was probably the best gift. It is strange how much somthing like that can really help. It puts a smile on you face and then it is so much easier to stop people and talk with them, or ask if you can help someone out on the street. I just loved it. I hope that all of you were able to spend some killer time with all you family and friends.

I'm sure that all of you are enjoying your time off of school, i loved Christmas break, but soon enough it was over, so don't waste your time doing dumb stuff like working (just kidding that is really important) or sleeping (that is what class is for) But go out and have some fun.

The new year is almost here i hope you all have fun with that, i love the new year. What a time it is to be able to reflect on the last year and then make some changes to make this year a better one. I challenge everyone who reads this to find something in your life that you can make better and do it. I promise you that you will feel great! And it will make a difference. And if you can't find anything to make better in your life, do something to make someone else's life better. That is what life is all about, making people happy it is so great that i get the chance to do that everyday.

I am loving being out serving my Lord and Savior as a missionary what a blessing it is, that everyday i wear his name right next to mine. This Church is true folks, I know it is. I know that it brings peace and comfort into your life, because i have felt it myself, and i have been told this from the people we teach even when they don't fully embrace or except this gospel, they know and recognize it brings peace and comfort. Have a Happy New Year!!

Love
Elder Rogers

MERRY CHRISTMAS FRÖHE WEIHNACHTEN!!!!

2008-12-28T00:34:00.001-07:00

Alright everybody i apologize that my last few post haven't been so good but i hope that todays post will redeem myself. First off, thank you all so much for you letters emails love support and prayers, it really means more then i can express so Thank You!! I love hearing from you and i am seriously working on replies today since i have finally found some time to get it done. So i apologize for any of you who have not recieved a reply to letters or emails. Okay so what i really wanted to do is talk a little bit about Christmas! What a marvalous time of year! I have always loved Christmas i have so many awesome memories that just make it such a wonderful time of year. Starting as a little kid and going to sleep on Christmas Eve full of anticipation, heck i still do that as a not so little kid. To waking up Christmas morning and opening presents and seeing Family members opening presents that i had picked out so carefully. Next we have one of my favorite Christmas Traditions every year we go as a family to "The Forgotten Carols" for those of you who know what i am talking about you know that it is an excellent way to invite the spirit of Christmas into you heart. For those of you who don't know about it, check it out online or email me and i will explain it. But it is one of my favorite Christmas Traditions. Next one of my favorite Christmases was the Christmas of my Senior year in High School where i had the Opportunity to sing all year round to help others feel the Spirit of Christmas. For those of you who were there with me i hope it means the same to you. We all know "The best way to spread Christmas cheer is to sing loud for all to hear!" I loved that Christmas so much because through the Music that we sang I felt so much closer to my Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ. And That is what Christmas is all about, which is why this Christmas is right up there for Favorite Christmas Season. Why? Because everyday i get to go out on the Street or knock on somones door and try to give them the greatest gift i have ever recieved and that is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Although i am not at home enjoying the things that mean the most to me, family and friends. This Christmas is still so amazing!!!

I know that this church is true and what a marvolous opportunity i have to be able to share this wonderful gift with the people in Germany. I am telling each and everyone of you who reads this, that Jesus Christ came to this earth for you and for me, he loved us so much that he never made a mistake and then he took each and every one of our mistakes upon himself so that we can return to live with him and our Father in Heaven. I know that Christ loves me and knows me personally. I know that he loves each and every one of you! And I know that if you are going through a hard time you can turn to him and he will embrace you with loving arms. So remember him this Christmas, remember what he has done for you, and then go and help somone else to realize there Saviors love for them, do it by giving service, making a phone call, giving somone in need help, anything you can do will help someone realize there Saviors love, and i promise you will feel closer to him because of it. I love you all and once again thanks for you love and support. I hope to hear from all of you soon.

Love
Elder Spencer Rogers

Aachen!!!

2008-12-09T16:21:00.001-07:00

Alright everybody, i arrived well in Aachen and it is great. My companion is Elder Gragg and he is way cool. He goes home New Years eve so i only get to serve with him for a short while but it is good i have already learned a lot from him. So Aachen is so Beautiful!! I love it. It is really cold but it is basically that way around all of Germany, so i'm just holding out for spring. Our apartment is like 10 times bigger then my old one, like i'm talking we have a downstairs, and also we have a flippin Organ!!!?? I walked in and saw it and was like HUH?!! But it totally works and i like to go over and play some stuff here and there it probably annoys my companion but i only do it here and there when we have a spare second which isn't to often. But it is so cool that we have an organ, a guitar would have been better but hey how many people can say that they had an apartment with an Organ in it. Also the ward here is super cool, really small but i love it. Don't get me wrong i was sad to leave Duisburg but i really do just love Aachen! We have a really cool investigator Torsten he is a retired US Marine. But he is actually a german. He lived in the US for 10 years and for 5 of it he was a Marine. He speaks perfect english and he is just about the coolest guy that i have ever met really it blows my mind how cool he is. whatever we teach him he thinks about it listens to what we have to say and the spirit testifys and he likes it. Or at least it makes sense to him either way he is so cool.Well that is about it thanks everybody for your love and support. I hope to hear from you all for Christmas. And Remember why we really Celebrate Christmas. I know that Jesus Christ came to this earth for us and as long as we have faith in him we can return to live with him our Father in Heaven and our Families for eternity.
Love Elder Rogers

Aachen here i come!!!

2008-12-02T15:33:00.002-07:00

Alright once again world i don't have much time because i am being transferred down to the beautiful city of Aachen right on the boarder of Belgium and the Neatherlands and i might be able to visit both and it is totally okay because portions of both countries are in our mission hahahaha i totally love it. But this means that i have to get my apartment ready for two new elders because this area is getting whitewashed. So deswegen (sorry sometimes german just starts to kick in) that is why this is so short. But i'd love to hear from you all especially during this christmas season. And to those of you who have written i will try my hardest to write today but i promise i'll get back to you. And if you send anything between now and next tuesday send it to Frankfurt the address is

Germany Frankfurt Mission
Cornelisstrasse 18
60325 Frankfurt am Main.

or just email me at elder_srogers@myldsmail.net
Love you all! i know that this church is true. Keep it real.Elder Rogers.

Just a quick note

2008-11-25T16:41:00.002-07:00

Alright folks i don't have a ton of time but i though i would just let you know that transfer calls are this Saturday and then if i get transfered i will be there next wednesday. So hopefully if you have any letters coming or whatnot they will get there before then. But i do have a feeling that i'm staying because currently i am in a Drit ( 3 elders instead of just 2) my companion was transfered this week down to Frankfurt so i am with two other elders in my area. And Whitewashes(when two new elders come into an area) are really hard especially when we have investigators we are working with. But we will see. Also let me tell you all that Christmas has arrived. Oh my heck Germans know how to celebrate Christmas. If you want pictures write me and i'll send some pictures back. But i promise you all that it is just so crazy i love it. And guess what it even has been snowing the last 3 days. Everybody told me that it won't snow up in North Germany where i am. But i had faith and the last 3 days it has been snowing like crazy, it doesn't really stick but hey at least it is snowing. I just love it. there is nothing greater then being a missionary. I know that this church is true. I know that it can change you life for the better. I know that we can pray and talk to our Heavenly Father and he will answer our prayers. I know that Jesus Christ is our savior. And i challenge all of you to remember that especially this Christmas season. But enjoy all of your wonderful thanksgiving meals. For thanksgiving, i will be teaching people the gospel and i'll tell you what i am so Thankful for that. Keep it real my friends.
Love Elder Rogers

ZOKO!!!

2008-11-18T18:55:00.000-07:00

Okay so this last week we had Zone conference(ZoKo) and it was just stellar. Total cool (it is a german phrase gotta love it) So thank you all who are out there supporting me through prayers and letters i love you all so much. Thank you Rose for you letter i got it last wednesday it was great and i'll for sure be getting back to you. But let me tell you all about ZoKo.Alright ZoKo, it was absolutely amazing!! Really we got down to Düsseldorf and in the stake center ready to go but we just kept waiting and waiting but it turns out that President and Sister Ninow and Elder Kopishca took a wrong turn and ended up 50 Km out of our mission. So they were about 45 minutes late. But it is a good thing that President and Sister Ninow had an area authority with them because you can only leave the mission with permission from one of them. Anyway when they got in we started right away because we had a ton to learn. We got all the lame business out of the way and then Elder Kopishca came up and he began to teach us. It was so fantastic, the first thing he said is that when he walked in and shook all of our hands that he felt a mixed spirit in the room, excitement, nervousness, and everything else that comes with a big event. And he told us to write down what we expected to get from this zone conference and that by the end of the day we would get out answer to what we wanted, it was really cool because i did just that and sure enough by the end of ZoKo i had my answer it was really cool. But then he jumped into talking about faith. He told us the he doesn't believe in disobiedent missionaries, just missionaries that lack the faith. He gave the example of a missionary who continually doesn't get up on time. He asked us what we would call this missionary, we said lazy, disobeident, tired, etc. And he told us that all those answers were not correct. He said that this was a missionary that lacks the faith. This missionary thinks that it won't make any difference whether he wakes up at 6:30 or 6:45 or 7:30. But if we have the faith that it does then that makes all the difference. Then he told us that we need to stop just doing missionary stuff and actually do missionary work. We need to use every moment of our day to do the Lords work, And we need to work towards something. He told us to everymorning set our alarm for 6:29 and then for that minute before we have to get out of bed we invision a young man between the ages of 17-23 dressed in white waiting to be baptized, and then to pray and ask the Lord to find this person today. And he promised that if we do this everyday, we will find this person and bring them into this Gospel. We were told that we were not able to leave this mission until we baptize our replacement. And when we have the faith that they are out there and are ready we will be able to find this person. And it was so cool because the next day I did it, i woke up and invision this person, and then when we went out relying on the spirit for where to go, the first person we talked to, Thomas, he fit exactly what i invisioned. We set up an appointment right there on the street. It ended up falling out but still it was such an amazing experience, we are trying to set up another appointment now to meet with him.Also elder kopishca also talked to us about how we need to stop wasting our time with people who are not interested and start relying on the spirit to talk with those who will be interested. Really it was just amazing i leared so much and i probably could go on forever, but i think i painted an okay picture of what it was. Thanks for all you do i'd love to here from you out there. Let me know how you doing and what is going on in America, enjoy thanksgiving. i know i'll be missing it, enjoy an extra helping of everything for me. Keep it real, and I'll catch you on the flip flop.Elder Rogers

The Crack down Begins!!!!

2008-11-11T20:10:00.001-07:00

The Crack down Begins!!!!

Alright world can i tell you that right now i am about the happiest most excited person on the Planet!!!! I honestely don't know where to start but hopefully this comes out right. First of all Schwester Banda (our investigator) came to church this sunday!!! All 3 hours that is huge and she totally loved it. The ward welcomed her in and helped her along basically Elder Armstrong and I just watched and let her go, it is so much better when the ward does most the work that way when we go she still has a really strong base to work off of. During the 2nd hour we did an investigator class that our GML (gemeindemissionleiter or ward mission leader) taught it was on the Plan of Salvation and it was absolutely amazing. To start off he wrote on the board Das Plan der Erlösungs and asked what we thought it was. Schwester Banda raised her hand and said "I think it is a plan that our Heavenly Father has for us so we can be happy and return to him" O Meine Gute!!! She is just so awesome. After Sacrement she had to leave pretty quick so we didn't really get a chance to talk with her about it but we are meeting agian so it is fine, and also she was there for all 3 hours that is huge considering for her church was 45 minutes and then heading out. So awesome, we haven't committed her to baptism yet but if the spirit dictates it will happen on Thursday. I'll let you know how that goes down. Alright so that is just one reason why i'm so happy, the other is that tomorrow is ZoKo (zone conference) with Elder Kopishka(sp?) he is in our area presidency. I am so excited it is going to be great. One I am really excited because it sounds like President Ninow will be cracking down and shaping this mission up. I absolutely love it, this mission needs it bad, we have a lot of "black" missionaries, that means that they break a lot of rules that are in the white handbook. Opposite of white is black hopefully it makes sense. Anyway i am so excited because that means that everybody will be stepping there game up or going home cause i am positive that is what it will come down to. It will be so great. This mission we are told is the only mission in the church that is losing more members then it gains. Membership over here is actually going down, and with what I've seen missionary work wise, it makes sense. The last mission president was really lax and it makes sense because he was on his mission for 5 years before he went home but now there will be some changes and the culture of this mission is really going to change. Like i say i am about as excited as anyone can get. So that is basically why i am so excited, plus with the emails i got today i found out the utes are 10-0 totally beat tcu who was the only other undefeated team in conference play, we are ranked 8th in the BCS which i absolutely hate but hopefully this year it will be good to us. Also 2 more Murray guys are coming to show Germany what is up. That brings our total to 7. And Christmas is coming!! And Germany knows how to celebrate Christmas!!!! So unbelievably cool.

Okay EllBell thank you so much for the Email it really means so much, i opened it up and read it and i almost started jumping and screaming in the Internet cafe. So awesome!Everyone else i'd love to hear from you.Missionary life is absolutely amazing all you have to do is work you hardest follow rules, and the Lord will bless you. I know this chruch is true with all my heart, I know that the Lord has a plan for us and we just need to ask him and we will know right what to do. Love you all thanks for you love prayers support and letters. Keep it real.Elder Rogers

P.S. If you happen to be in Murray Utah this weekend go the Murray High Thursday Friday Saturday and Monday night and check out the Play, they are doing Peter Pan, It starts at 7:00 pm and my little bro, Jonathan, is playing John.

Interesting week

2008-11-04T19:42:00.000-07:00

Well Hello to everyone i hope everyone had a great Halloween and is looking forward to the great holiday of Thanksgiving, man i am sure gonna miss that, Germany doesn't have it, but that is alright we are gonna get together as a district and do our own, i'll let you all know how that turns out. And also i'm alright with it because Germans really know how to celebrate Christmas so i am just super excited for that. Well this week was kind of interesting because basically my whole district was sick, I'm talking walking dead it was kind of Ridiculous. Be sick as a missionary has got to be about the worst thing ever. But despite that we still keep going. So Schwester Banda one of our investigators just a totally awesome lady. She speaks great German and also Spanish, she used to speak english but she said she has forgotten most of it, she was born and raised in Mexico but she has lived here in Germany for the last 20 years. She is just so awesome she told us yesterday in our appointment that she really wants to come to church with us this sunday, and also we have another appointment with her on thursday and depending on how things go and what the spirit dictates we might commit her to baptism. But we will see, keep praying for her. But other than that the work this week has been kinda ridiculous, i hope i never get sick on my mission not only cause it would suck for me but it sucks for my comp as well. I suppose i did get a lot of study and extra sleep in. Naps are good but i would so much rather be out there working. So hopefully this week will be better, Elder Armstrong seems like he is on the up and up. But only time will tell. The whole district seems to really be picking things up and once again i don't know how many times I've said it but this cycle is gonna be great. I love being a missionary it is truly the greatest time of my life. I know that this church is true, people if i didn't know it was true i sure as heck wouldn't be out here doing what i do. This is the only time of my life where i go out everyday, stop people on the street and talk to them about God, Jesus Christ, the Book of Mormon, and Joseph Smith, and when they say they are not interested or don't have time or screw you or any other strange profanity i truly feel sorry for them. They just don't know what they are missing. I pray that i can help them find what they are missing and help them accept it, because I KNOW IT'S TRUE!!! Love you all your letters prayers and support me so much to me i can't even exlpain it. The church is true the book is blue.Love Elder Rogers

Hey All!!!

2008-10-28T19:35:00.000-06:00

Hey world how are we all doing? Well things are going really well for me, i continue to see the Lords hand i my life daily i really am so blessed and grateful for this opportunity i have to serve my Lord and Savior as a missionary.

Things are really picking up in our district, we have set some sweet district goals and everyone seems pretty excited about this cycle. Also Elder Armstrong and I have this new investigator her name is Schwester Banda. She is an older Mexican lady and she is just flippin awesome. She is really humble and so ready for this gospel in her life, she is so thankful for God and she recognizes his hand in everything she does. We have met with her twice and have an appointment scheduled for thursday i am so excited. This is what missionary work is all about. I know that it is only because of the Lord that this is possible and that all i can do is act as a tool be a mouthpiece for the Lord and i am so blessed for the opportunity. Thanks for all of you love prayers and support it means more then i can even begin to express i have truly been blessed with the greatest family and friends. Love you all and thanks.
Elder Rogers

Still in Duisburg

2008-10-21T17:25:00.001-06:00

Alright before we really get in to it a few items of business.A big Happy Birthday to my fantastic little brother Jonathan (the one who posts these) He is 16 today that means this kid is out driving and dating, totally crazy for me to believe. But he is great, so give him a shout out if you've got the chance. He is a great kid. Happy Birthday lil' Bro love you.

Also another big Happy Birthday to the Amazing Brooke Hunter also today (the 21st) I don't know how many times i've said it but i really have been blessed with the greatest friends in the world. I don't know why i deserve it but thank you to all of you out there that i can call friend you really are the greatest.So both of you go out and have some fun for me today (if you read this)nothing to crazy but just go out and enjoy it. Love you both thanks!

I woke up and saw my shadow so 6 more weeks of duisburg. Well anyway, I'm pretty excited, things are really starting to pick up and i think we will be getting a whole lot done this cycle. we have some changes to make in our district and as a companionship but these changes will bring the best so i'm pretty excited. So i went on a split this last week with the ZL's. I stayed up here in Duisburg with Elder Phillips who is actually going home tomorrow. But he was such an awesome missionary he was working so hard and gave me such a great example to follow. With him we found about 4 people and then the next day with elder armstrong we just kept it going and found 3 more, of the 7 potential investigators 3 of them seem really cool and will probably at least meet with us again. We just need to call them and set up appointments, i'll let you know how that works next week.But other then that things are going just as usual. Our District will be minus 2 missionaries, becasue they formed a new district so now my area is the second highest in the mission pretty crazy. It was super nice this last week to go to a normal sacrament meeting, the last two weeks we have had general conference then stake conference so it was super nice to just go to a normal meeting for once. The investigators i mentioned last week we haven't been able to meet with other then Andrés he is a really cool guy super religous which is awesome, but he knows his stuff. The only hard thing is that he doesn't live in our Mission, he lives in the Hamburg Mission, but he goes to the university here in Duisburg. We'll see what happens with him.Well i better head, but just want to say thanks to all of you for your love and support you don't really know how much it means. I have been truly blessed with the greatest friends and family in the World! The Church is true i know it with all my heart and you can to just read the Book of Mormon and pray about it the Lord will answer your prayer. Keep it real love you allElder Rogers

INVESTIGATORS!!!!!!!!

2008-10-15T16:21:00.002-06:00

Well world, how are we getting along? Good i hope, as usual only a jerk would hope things weren't going good. Things for me are doing really well, things are really starting to pick up, out here in the Dirty D and i am so excited for it, Heavenly Father is really seeing fit to bless me and my companion right now, and i promise we are gonna work our hardest to show our gratitude for all he has done.Well first things first, a few shout outs are in Order, Thanks a ton Daniel and Rose for you emails i know i already told you but they mean a ton! Both of you rock, i truly have been blessed with the best friends wherever i go. Also Thanks a ton to Brooke for you letter that i finally got last friday i'm sure this letter had quite the adventure to get to me. But really thanks it means so much and you better believe you'll be getting a hand written reply, thats how we roll as missionaries. So if you all want a handwritten letter from germany go ahead and write me up here at:
Elder Rogers
Mercatorstrasse 8047051 Duisburg
Germany
So thanks a lot you all are amazing, and if you would leave a comment on this blog and thank my awesome little brother for posting these and letting you all know what is up! On to the good stuff.
Alright lets talk about some people. Well Dennis, we kind of don't know what is up with him. We gave him a call and his finace answered and said she would have him call back later. well about a half hour later we get a call back from her telling us to leave him alone that he doesn't want anything to do with us etc. She told us that he doesn't need our sect, which in german means cult, we explained to her that we weren't a sect and that we just wanted to give him a book and tell him about it, she really didn't care which was really sad. So Elder Armstrong just wanted to leave it at that. But i told him that we really need to get in contac with Dennis, i have a really strong feeling that he really needs the gospel in his life right now and i am not gonna give up on him the spirit has testified to me that we need to teach dennis or at least give him a book of mormon so i told elder armstrong we need to call back later and hopefully talk to him, i pray that the spirit will let us know when is a right time to call back. But for now we pray and wait, but we are not giving up on him.
Also yesterday we found this really cool guy that totally had an electronic bible on his phone/pda and was way interested we've got his info and are gonna give him a call probably tonight, it was awesome. For someone to be religious in germany and not only that but have a bible on them at all times is really rare, most people we talk to either don't believe in God or are Muslim, so we are pretty excited about him, his name evades me right now but we'll know soon enough.
And also a couple other elders in our district found a spanish lady and her family in our area and are giving them to us, she really sound "golden" so i'm pretty excited to get to know her and hopefully make her life a little better.So that is what is going on with me, just trying to work my hardest and do what the Lord wants me to do. Keep it real hope to hear from you all soon.
Elder Rogers

Just a quick e-mail!

2008-10-07T16:36:00.001-06:00

Well world i don't have a lot of time, but i wouldn't want to leave you all hanging for a week. Things are going pretty good for me out in Duisburg, my first cycle (6 weeks) is slowly coming to a close which just blows my mind time really flies as a missionary. I hope all of you got a chance to check out conferene this last week it was absolutely amazing, we didn't get to watch all the sessions we missed Sunday Afternoon cause of the time change, in fact when all of you were watching Sunday and Saturday morning we were watching them at 6:00 PM totally crazy, you've just got to love time changes.
Well just a quick bit of info, we found a quasi investigator the other day, his name is Dennis and he is a pretty cool guy finding him was an interesting experience but i don't have a ton of time so i'll tell you about it next week, just know that i am really excited about this, i have a really good feeling about him. Faith hope hard work and prayer, keys to flippin success you've just got to love it. Well thank you to everyone out there your all amazing, and a big shout out to Coleton the only one who has written me! But seriously people i'd love to hear from you and ask coleton i totally wrote him back with the details on what is up. So you might want to try it yourself. elder_srogers@myldsmail.net Keep it real!
Elder Rogers

"Germany....like a mini suprise everyday!"

2008-09-30T15:10:00.002-06:00

Alrright world how are things going? Good i hope. Things are going pretty well for me and how could they not, i a flippin Missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Or Der Kirche Jesu Christi der Heiligen der Letzten Tage. That is the name that i so lovingly wear on my chest every day and i absolutely love it. But before i get to far into things i have a few things i need to say.

First off, Happy Birthday to my wonderful mother(on the 4th), she is truly the most amazing mom anyone could ask for i am so grateful for her and all that she has done for me in my life!!! I could honestely go on forever because i am so grateful for her, she is part of the reason i am out hear right now. Love you Mom thanks for all you do for me.

Next another Happy Birthday to... Ell Bell(on the 3rd), one of the most amazing people on the planet!! What else can i say. Thanks for being such an amazing friend, for always playing frisbee and being flipping amazing at it and being just an all around spectacular friend. I am truly blessed with the GREATEST friends ever and i am happy to call you one.

And Finally Happy Hump day Elder Dehlin, i know that he can't read this but still it blows my mind that one of my very best friends has been out serving our Lord for just about a year. Time fly's by so quickly out on a mission it just amazes me.

Well now that i got the most important things out of the way lets talk about what's going on with me. Well what can i say i'm in flippin Germany which still suprises me sometimes, i wake up and get going and head outside and then i hear someone say something in German and i'm like wow i am totally in Germany. Sweet! I don't know if i'll ever get used to that but i'm okay with that because then it is like everyday a mini suprise. Totally worth it.

Well right now we aren't teaching anybody but we are going out each day and looking for those that the Lord has prepared to hear this wonderful message. I know that there are those out hear who are waiting to hear this message from me. I know that the Lord has prepared them and all i need to do is go out and open my mouth. I love this work, one of the Elders in my district always looks at me and says "Rogers...Get Excited!!" And i think that i have really started to grasp that. So i share that challenge with all of you, Get Excited! Go out and have fun and share the Gospel if you've got it and if not i promise you that it is the greatest thing ever! And if you want to find out for yourself all you have to do is pray. It is as simple as that, get on your knees and ask God with a desire to know, and he will let you know i promise you that.

Also we have this totally awesome book called the Book of Mormon. Really this book is totally spectacular! Just sit down and read a little of this book, if you want some suggestions on where to start, what does Julie Andrews say? "Let's start at the very begininig, it's a very good place to start!" But if you don't feel quite up to that mabe read 3rd Nephi chapter 11, i just read it a few days ago and it is so amazing. Or maybe Alma 32 or 36, i could go on forever because it is so amazing. Just check it out and let me know how it goes ask me questions just whatever i know it will change your life for the better. Wait a second i hear some of you saying "But i don't have a copy of this book." Problem solved just hit up www.mormon.org and you can read it online.

But if none of these solutions tickle your fancy, i challenge you to sit down this weekend on saturday and sunday and watch a living Prophet of God speak. You can totally do it an it would be totally worth your time once again you can check it out online or if your in Utah change it to channel 5 from 10:00-12:00 both saturday and Sunday otherwise just ask a member about it, your bound to know one. But ya just a few challenges for you, and i promise you will be blessed if you do them. Well i better head out but i'm doing great, once again i'd love to hear from you, check out the last post for my email address. Thanks to all you out there who are supporting me on my mission you all rock.Elder Rogers

Finally in Germany!!

2008-09-23T20:44:00.003-06:00

Alright world what is going on? I'm back sort of, my little brother is posting this for me since i am confined to one site on the intenet but i figure i can still write and my wonderful little brother will post it for me.

Alright things are going pretty well for me out here if flippin Germany! It is so crazy sometimes i have a hard time believing it myself, like i want around the corner and stop someone to tell them about the gospel and i still expect them to answer in english but nope it is totally german. You've just got to love it. But just to let you all know, i'm up in Duisburg , otherwise known as the dirty D, it is a pretty interesting place all the way up,we are the 2nd highest area in the mission. My companion is Elder Armstrong from St. George/ San Diego and he is a great Elder we get a long so well. He love the office and music and he is totally chill so ya he is great. My district is pretty funny 8 Elders and well i don't know how to explain them just that they are pretty funny elders. We do a whole lot of finding out on the F=C3=BC=C3=9F. It is just an area where no cars are aloud so we just walk around and talk to people about the Gospel. The Germans aren't very receptive but we still try, mostly we talk to a lot of Turks and Africans they are the most receptive. But i totally love the people, at least they are straight forward and tell you how it is. If only they knew what they were missing. Right now we don't have any investigators which is kind of sad, but we still work our hardest and we know that the Lord will bless us! =20

So that is what is going on with me out in Germany. What is up with you people? I suppose your all at school which is crazy it is so funny to think one year ago i was walking to class everyday at Utah State, great times, those of you up there i want to hear what is up, come to think i want to know what is up all around no matter where your at i would love to hear from you.

I can recieve emails from anybody and if i have time and can respond to you, so i promise if you email me and will work my very hardest to reply, my companion loves to email so i've always got plenty of time. my email is elder_srogers@myldsmail.net and i can't wait to here from you i won't name names but i have a few in mind specifically, you should know who you are. But ya my P-Days are on Tuesdays. But remember i'm 8 hours ahead of those of you in utah. But i'll respond in order that they came besides my parents and family, they always come first that is just how it works but like i said i've got plenty of time so let me know whats going on out there, ask me questions i'll answer them to you specifically or if i don't have time just check out the blog and you can get your Elder Rogers fix there. Can't wait to hear from you, love you all your all such great examples to me in my life. The Church is True i know it with all my heart. The Book of Mormon is the word of God and we become better people by reading it and following its counsel. So do it and let me know how it goes. Thanks again.

Elder Rogers

Deutschland Deutschland hier ich komme!!!‏

2008-09-04T18:36:00.000-06:00

Oh meine gute!!!! I have been in the MTC for 8 1/2 weeks and i am
so ready to peace it! Well mostly to eat real food but also i am
so excited to go to Deutschland and teach those amazing people the
most amazing thing in this world and eternity, the Gospel! But
first i have to pack, which so far doesn't seem like it is gonna
take to long but who knows. So also on the deutschland note, i am
so excited to meet my trainer, pray that he is the type of
missionary that will work me hard and get me into shape. I know i
am. Also i've decided no matter what he is gonna rock so pretty
much it doesn't matter. Oh and one last thing real quick. I don't
have the Acclamation CD with "his love" on it, you know the one
that we have. Ya i don't have that one and would love to have it,
as well as the forgotten carols, whenever you get around to sending
a package to deutschland, or maybe you could have jonathan make the
CD's tonight and one day it tomorrow, if that wouldn't be a
problem, really whatever is easier for you. But if you do send it
tomorrow make sure you one day it, cause the post office is only
open half day on saturday and i'm out at 3:00 AM monday morning!!!!
Ya i got my flight plans a week ago friday and we are flying from
Salt Lake to Dallas then after a 5 hour layover in Dallas straight
to frankfurt!!!!! Wooooooo HOOOOOO Crazy i look forward to it,
hopefully i can share the gospel with a ton of people on the way
over. But ya we have to be to the travel office at 3 in the
morning to get already to be at the Airport at like 4 or something
like that. But oh boy am i stoked, i've got some pictures coming
in a package to you, i'll send that off on tomorrow, it has a few
other things and ya just stuff i don't need, we can only have the
two suit cases under 50 pounds and one carry-on, and a backpack
counts as a carry on ridiculous i know but hopefully i can stuff my
backpack in my smallest suit case and just have that, if not
hopefully there is enought money on my debit card to pay the extra
150 for a third suit case. We see, if you send me the package
tomorrow let me know what to do in the letter. okay well enough of
leaving stuff even for the last week that has been the only thing
on my mind.
We will be released as ZL's on sunday and the new ZL's are great
elders and they will really help out our zone. I am so glad to
have all my time to write in my journal at night, it has been great
to have it back this week. But i really was blessed to be in this
leadership position, it really opened my eyes and hopefully will
help me throughout the rest of my life. But right now i am doing
my last load of laundry in the MTC and it is sweet.
Okay so the deutsch is going great my goal is to become completely
profficient, which means to be able to speak deutsch like i was a
native so pray that i can do that. I know i need to work my butt
off to do it but i know if I do the Lord will see that it happens.
But i've got to go finish laundry and finnish packing. Love you
all hope to hear from you one last time in the MTC and i'll write
some letters on the airplane and send them in texas to you. Love
you all so much you are such an amazing family and i am truly
blessed to have you in my life.
Love
Elder Rogers

1 More P-day in the MTC‏

2008-09-03T22:13:00.000-06:00

So yes can you believe it!!!!! This is my second to last P day in
the MTC i am flipping out. This time tomorrow i will have flight
plans that will have me going from SLC to Frankfurt i can't even
believe it. Really i am in total shock, i thought that 9 weeks in
the MTC would be forever but um it didn't. Wow so crazy i feel
alright about leaving i'm not like so ready to go, i actually
really enjoy the MTC sure the food really sucks now but hey at
least i'm not preparing it, and it really i have learned so much.
But i am so excited to go really it is gonna be so crazy. Pray
that my Trainer will whip me into shape. I've decided that i don't
have to like him i just need to respect the fact that he can make
me into a great missionary. But ya, also since i leave a week from
monday if you could get those CD's sent to me soon i would love it
really like i'd love it a ton. If you haven't already finished
them, could you add, Pray of the Children on to it by Octepella as
well as The King Singers both are on my page on the Homecomputer in
iTunes. And like i said anything that uplifts is approved and i
would really love it. But ya as soon as you can get on that i
would love it.

Alright so the Deutsch is going great. I am really working on not
platueing and i can really feel the Lords blessings. It has been
so amazing, and people compliment my german all the time. Some
elders asked how i got so good. I honestly don't know what to tell
them besides the fact that its not all me, sure i put forth the
effort but it is the Lord that is doing it. I still have so much
more to learn and understand and i'm sure 2 days in Germany will
remind me of that but it is just so cool to really be able to
measure the Blessings from the Lord in your Life. But ya hopefully
that explains how the German is going.

Gospel wise i'm still loving it. It still ceases to amaze me how
much we as missionaries are blessed. But really i have learned so
much. I'll be reading in the Scriptures and something will not be
so clear, and all it takes is a prayer and some careful thought and
just like that you have an answer. That is how the Lord blesses
you. But really i just love learning more and more about this
gospel everyday really nothing else is interesting compared to all
that we can learn about the Gospel. Speaking of such, did you get
my other email about Dallin H Oaks? How are you doing on
memorizing the sacrement prayers? Keep it up, cause i know you
will be blessed for it.

Well let me tell you whats up on the ZL front. We get to babysit
all the missionaries in our zone, and let me tell you babysitting
is no fun. Even babysitting missionaries is no fun. You wouldn't
beleive how many missionaries will look for and find loop holes to
the simplest rules to follow. It is ridiculous. I mean our zone
is amazing really i'd put money on the fact that we are the best
zone in the MTC but still we have elders who choose not to follow
rules or who choose to break rules thinking it is better to ask for
forgiveness then it is for permission. That is a total joke. And
thanks for letting me know that Dad really especially when i am the
one who has to go about doing the disciplining. Wow but really it
is just the small stuff. WE don't have problems with anything big,
and that could be why sometimes it is so frustrating but just those
little things that will make us way better missionaries.

Okay so thank you so much for the package, the german chocolate
really got me even more excited to go to germany and be eating it
all the time, i'll have to send some to you when i get there. But
also thank you for the music, i am singing it this sunday for
sacrement and then i will be trying out to sing a week from sunday
in the devotional in front of the whole MTC. I'm pretty excited it
is really crazy hopefully it will go how the Lord wants it to go.
But pray for me and wish me luck. Well i'm not quite sure what
else to say, but i've still got about 10 minutes so i'll sign off
read you emails and maybe send you another Email, if not be looking
for a letter. I love you all so much you are such a blessing to me
i don't even know how to express it but thanks for all you do.
Love Elder Rogers

What an experience!!!

2008-08-20T14:52:00.000-06:00

Ok yet another week goes by and i still can't believe i'm in the
MTC learnin' German!!! Really the other day when we were going
over some ridiculous grammer concept i just started laughing in the
middle of class. That is probably from the fact that i've been
doing the exact same thing everyday for the last 5 weeks, but also
cause i am flippin' learnin' German. It has been so amazing to
learn it. And this week has especially rocked because we started
teaching the lessons auf Deutsch. Ya this last Tuesday Elder
Houston and I taught the Restoration auf Deutsch and it was
amazing!!! Here is what happened: So tuesday morning I still
don't feel as prepared as i wanted to be, but as always we worked
at it and then prayed and told the Lord that we couldn't do this
without his help and that we knew that since we put forth the
effort to prepare he could do the rest for us. So we went into our
TE with Bro. Sorber. Bro. Sorber is only like the coolest teacher
ever, and also the hardest Teacher to teach. If you screw up he
will let you know like hardcore, he will start pullin up scriptures
and ripping you down. But that is only if you screw up bad. So we
sit down and we start teaching him. We get through God is our
Loving Heavenly Father and Families, then we get to prophets and as
i finish i tell him that we have prophets on the earth today, and
that it is so important that we have prophets and that we listen to
them. And he starts going off, on how all the answers we need are
in the Bible and the Book of Mormon, so why do we need prophets
today. Now let me remind you that this is all in German. So we
kind of fumble around with the issue of drugs and what not, but
then he pulls out a scripture that warns us about drugs. So i kind
of take a second and think about things then the spirit prompts me
to talk about the Family and Pres. Hinckley proclamation to the
world stuff, so we do, we start talking about it and how the family
is under attack today and that because we have prophets we know how
to strengthen and keep our families safe. He just ate it up and
was fine with having prophets today. Well since we had just gone
off on this point about prophets it didn't feel right to go back to
Christs earthly ministry. So we started talking about Joseph Smith
and all the ordinances that were restored through him, like correct
baptism. Oh no i did not just open up a door i didn't want to go
to. But yes, yes i did. So he says well i was baptized, and we
tell him that it was not correct, that we must follow the example
of Jesus Christ and be baptized by immersion. So them he asks
about all the people that lived between Christ and Joseph Smith
what about them, God loves them, but without proper baptism they
are lost. So we talk about Temples and Baptisms for the dead.
Once again can i remind you this is all in German. I don't even
know how to say have the stuff i said!!! That is all the Lord, and
no one else can tell me otherwise. So we explain it all and the
spirit was so strong that it made sense to him and to us. So wow
we got out of that explosion alive, but then he realizes that we
just told him that his baptism didn't count and neither did his
families. So we just explained that yes it wasn't correct, but
that he could be baptized into the true church on the earth. So
what do we do next? We flippin committed him to baptism!!! And he
said yes!!!!!!! Are you kidding me! I couldn't believe it. we
hadn't even taught all the stuff you supposed to. But then again,
we don't teach lessons, We TEACH PEOPLE!! Wow this was amazing.
We closed with giving him some scriptures to read and telling him
to continue to pray about it. Wow it was amazing. But that is not
all, he starts to give us feedback, told us our german was really
good, and that he liked how we addressed his concerns and how we
talked about the temple, a thing most missionaries are afraid to
talk about period, but we did it in the first lesson. And then the
flippin Icing on the cake. He told us that in his 2 years of
teaching at the MTC no elders have ever committed him to baptism.
When he said this i had the biggest grin on my face. He told us
that the spirit when we teach is so strong that no one would ever
say no to a commitment like that. I had the dumbest grin on my
face for the rest of the day. And you want to know why? I'll tell
you, it's because this Church is True, it is because whom the Lord
calls he qualifies. That was not me in that room teaching and
speaking all that german and talking about things i had never even
studied. That! Was the Lord! And i will boast in my God
continually. As of myself i am nothing, i am weak, i am a 19 year
old kid who is doing what the Lord wants me to do. But with the
Lord nothing can get in the way!!! Nothing! Family and friends,
when i walked out of that room, they could have handed me a plane
ticket to Germany and said "elder we need you there right now."
And i would have taken it without the least bit of fear, and i
would have with the Lord gone and done whatever he wanted me to do.
In that moment and even still i do not fear whatever is in store
for me in this life, on this mission, or for eternity. I love this
gospel it is absolutely amazing to be here learning how to teach
it. I love you, I love the people in Germany, and I most
especially love my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Well I really don't know what else to say, i will be writing a
letter as well so look for that. Thank you for all you do, for
your love and support, I know it was because of you prayers that
the experiance i had, was able to happen. I love you all so much,
i don't think you have any idea how much i love you. This church
is true. I know it! Thank you so much and I love you all.
Love Elder Rogers

Zone Leader a week early!!?

2008-08-07T20:23:00.000-06:00

That's right family this last sunday Elder Houston and I were
called as Zone Leaders a week early then usual, i'll explain later.
But wow it has been really intersting to have some more added
responsibility on top of what all the stuff we have to do anyway.
And this week has been kind of a struggle. The reason is because
we are in charge of the older Elders as well so what do they do
when someone younger is in charge, well just what Laman and Lemuel
did when Nephi was in charge of them. Ya the first night they were
a real challenge. We are supposed to be in out rooms and quiet at
10:15 then lights out in bed at 10:30. Well no one follows that so
we were asked to really get all the elders to follow that. And oh
how they didn't want to. And hearing it from Elders 3 weeks
younger then them is not the way they want to hear it. But we
prayed and asked for the Lords help and he totally blessed us. The
next night all the Elders without really being invited by us, were
just about ready to go to bed. Wow we are so blessed really and
the Lord really cares about us and what we do.

But anyway, the reason we have been called as ZL's a week early is
because the old ZL's are being called into there mission a week
early so Predident Curtis called Elder Houston and I as ZL's, he
said that he really had a strong confirmation from the Lord that we
needed this calling and that there was something we were supposed
to do. I am not quite sure what it is yet , but i know with the
Lord's help we can find out. Thank you so much for you prayers
they really help me a lot i can really tell.

So the german is going really well, we play a game called HELGA
where each day we draw names, and whoever is Helga wants to speak
the most german during the day and then at night we vote and see
who wins, at the end of the week the winner gets a prize. We don't
know what it is yet, but it will be cool. So that really helps
with SYL(speak your Language) Because when it is a competition we
all know that i really want to win. Right now i'm in a 4 way tie
for first, but today i'm pulling out all the stops, you have no
idea. But ya it really helps and it is so crazy how much we learn.

Now on to the important stuff, the spirit. As i've said so many
times the spirit in the MTC is absolutely amazing. On Tuesday
Elder Houston and I taught one of the teachers. Bro. Sorber, he is
such an amazing teacher, and he will totally rail on you when you
do something wrong. So Elder Houston and I prepared as best as we
knew how and practiced a lot, and really really prayed a lot. So
we went in and Taught him about the Atonement and the Word of
Wisdom. IT was so amazing!!! The spirit was so strong and wow it
is almost unexplainable. But after Bro. Sorber asked how we felt
he felt (the investigator) and we said good we thought we kept him
involved and did everything we had been taught. Then we braced
ourselves for the onslaught. But guess what? It didn't come.
Honestly, he went to say something and just stopped. And he
said,"all i can say is remember how you prepared, remember how it
felt to teach this, and do it agian." Wow can i just jump around
screaming how much the Lord blesses us! It was amazing. But next
week we start teaching auf Deutsch! Holy cow, from now on the
lessons must be auf Deutsch, i am so scared, but i am even more
excited because i know that as i prepare, the Lord will do the
rest. I just know it!!!!!! This Gospel ROCKS!!!!!!!! I don't
know if i can say it enough. But wow, i am on such a spiritual
High right now i don't know what else to say, so I still have some
time so i'll probably send another email later today. LOVE YOU SO
MUCH thanks for your support and encouragment you are the best.
Elder Rogers

What a week!

2008-07-31T17:31:00.000-06:00

i got your letters and you packages. So thank you a ton for the
two packages. The Butt Pillow is glorious! Really i don't think
anyone understands how bad the chairs are until they sit in them
for 12 hours a day. So having the Butt pillow rocks. Also the
banana bread was glorious. After three weeks in the MTC i am so
sick of the food. It keeps tasting worse and worse everyday.
Hopefully i make it for the next 6 weeks. Thanks for the flag,
now are room looks like we are excited to actually be going to
Deutschland! I hope you enjoyed the pictures. I can't believe
Elder Green is out serving already. He was so ready to go and he
is gonna rock it out in California. So the reason my hair was
parted was because our whole zone decided to part our hair that
sunday, and i didn't have time to put my contacts in so i wore my
glasses. I don't know how many people called me Clark Kent. Kind
of funny, to bad i don't have my Superman shirt with the cape.
That would have been great.

But things are going great, i am pretty much recovered from being
sick, my nose is still a bit stuffy but all is well. We taught the
second lesson this week in our TA. Basically we go and teach a
volunteer like they are an investigator. It was amazing! Elder
Houston and I didn't feel very prepared, we didn't feel like we
knew the lesson as well or how to teach it. So we spent all
Tuesday morning practicing and getting ready. When we went in to
teach that afternoon, we still didn't feel as ready as we would
have liked. But we prayed that we would be directed in what to
teach and how best to apply the plan of salvation the our
investigators life. And wow we were so blessed! The Spirit taught
the lesson through us. Things popped into my mind that i had not
planned for or studied, but we used them and just went with it.
She seemed really receptive, and the spirit was so strong. We
challenged her to be baptized!! Ok so i know that she is a member
already and that she is supposed to be receptive to what we teach.
But the Spirit still helped us out so much and i was prompted to
say some things that i am sure really helped her in her personel
life. So wow, i am so excited to teach people in Deutschland, but
not quite yet. I'm hoping to learn the language first.

Speaking as such, the german is coming for sure. So long as i
trust and have faith in the Lord i will be fine. We learn so much
and i love the language it is so fun to speak, and some of the
phrases are just hilarious! I love our Teachers, but Sister Duffin
is gone. She is in Deutschland for the next 2 weeks. Crazy but
she'll be back and by then we will have taught the 1st lesson auf
Deutsch! I can't even believe it. These first 3 weeks have gone
by so fast. We got new Deutschers yesterday, i remember when it
was my first day and now i'm the second oldest group. Wow pretty
soon we'll be the oldest and then only 3 more weeks till
Deutschland! But i'm not gonna lie so far not impressed with the
new Deutschers, i don't know they didn't seem as excited as we were
our first few days, in fact some of them seem down-right scared!
But by sunday we will have them whipped into shape no doubt.

But that is what is happening in the good old MTC. I'm glad that
Aunt Stella's Funeral service was good. i know that right now she
is being taught the gospel by missionarys just like me in the
spirit world. So that is crazy about Leslie. I'm so glad that the
Lord blessed her and they were able to find out the problem. So
it is so crazy that school starts soon, and i am so happy that i am
not going to school!

Alright to answer some questions. I have not tried my new contacts
yet, but i will put them in tomorrow and i will send a letter
telling you how they feel. Also i am going to send my glasses
today, thank you for taking care of that. The envelopes you sent
will be fine. I only need them for pictures cause pictures don't
fit in the small envelopes. And Dad we are supposed to speak
Deutsch as much as we can. But we are not total Deutsch till like
the last 2 weeks or something like that. But it is a lot of fun to
speak it as much as we can.

I just got back from the Temple, we did Sealings and it was amazing
i just love it. To think that i am acting as a proxy so that a
family can be sealed together for time and all eternity is so
amazing to me. How can this gospel not be true. Sorry if i didn't
answer all your questions but i'll be sending a letter as well.
I'm out of time so I love you all so much and am so grateful that i
have amazing family and friends like you. I would be so lost
without you in my life. Ich weiss dass, die Kirche wahr ist. Love
you! read the Book of Mormon and pray often.

Love Elder Rogers

Week number 2 in the MTC

2008-07-28T21:20:00.000-06:00

Alright, so i've been in the MTC for 2 weeks now and i'm still
loving it! Let me recap my week kind of. So a lot has happened
since last week and the days all kind of blend together but we'll
see how well this goes.

The german is coming! I've found as long as i work my hardest, and
use the language it comes really easy. But if i don't use the
language or work my hardest it is just a pain in the butt. But we
have talked a lot about learning a new language, and even when you
are promised the gift of tongues it still means you have to work
for it. The Lord isn't just gonna hand you something for free, he
has done enough of that anyway. So long as i work my very hardest
the Lord will bless me to become fluent in the Language, I KNOW IT!
And i have already seen it happen. Like i said last week,
everytime we pray it is auf Deutsch and whenever we know the world
auf Deutsch we have to use it, if we don't, we won't get a response
from whoever we are talking to. So that helps, the MTC is all
about SYL. Speak Your Language. And i know that it is for real.

Gospel wise, i've learned so much more than i could even imagine.
We taught the 1st lesson again Tuesday and it was amazing. The
"investigator" was really interested in our message and wanted to
read and learn more, it was so amazing how the Spirit guides us in
what to say and teach. I just love it. Also yesterday we went to
the RC (referall center) It is really amazing. We get to call
people and answer phones and tell them about the gospel, send
missionary's and other church stuff to them. But anyway i was
doing outbound calls and i talked to this lady from the South.
Apparently it was the wrong number, the lady we were trying to get
a hold of had moved, and this lady went off on me it was really
funny. She kept telling me that she believed in Jesus our Savior
and Redeemer, and that he Atoned for our sins. And she went off
for like 2 minutes on this. I just sat there, said i was sorry and
that we too believe Jesus Christ to be our Savior and Redeemer.
And that i would make sure to take her off the list. But it was
really funny that she was yelling at me about Jesus telling me
stuff i've known my whole life. Wow you've just got to love the RC.

So along with the gospel it was really cool this past week cause i
have been really sick. It started with a cough a few days after i
reported to the MTC then last Saturday i woke up all stuffed up and
had a sinus Headache. Well i made it through the weekend feeling
like crap and kind of complaining, but not really. Then on Monday
i went to the Health Clinic and got checked out. He made me feel
like an Idiot for getting sick kind of strange but then the doctor
gave me some pills and sent me on my way. Well anyway about Sunday
afternoon, my outlook on this whole sickness thing turned from "why
this, why now?" To "what does the Lord want me to learn from
this?" Well that was about the greatest change i could have ever
made. I started to feel better, and as i humbled myself and relied
a lot more on the Lord i felt stronger, and i never felt the spirt
more then i did from Sunday to Tuesday. Wow because i was relying
upon the Spirit so much and i was doing the best i could i was
truly uplifted. Elder Houston gave me a Priesthood blessing on
Monday Night and it was such an amazing experience and i knew that
what the Lord promised me with would come true. I learned that God
gives us trials so that we can make our selves better. I learned
that without the spirit i am absolutely nothing and it has been
such an amazing blessing. Being sick in the MTC rocks! Well
except for the being sick part, the spirit that came with it was
the best, such a huge learning experience. WOW!!!

So other then all that we have been doing some pretty fun stuff all
around, class 12 hours a day, sleeping for 8, and gym and lunch for
2. Great fun! Oh ya when i was sick, i couldn't play in gym,
after 3 days i was about ready to burst, it was driving me crazy.
All i can say is "gym time is inspired of the Lord"

But i only have 30 minutes of computer time so i need to go. I
love you all so much and i am truly blessed to have you as Family
and Friends. The Church is True no doubt about it.
Love Elder Rogers

Elder Rogers' First week in the MTC

2008-07-28T21:19:00.000-06:00

Hallo Familie und Freunde!

How is everything going? Good I hope. Things are just going
amazing in the MTC I really love it. Learning German is crazy!
Honestly i have learned more this last week than i did in 3 years
of german in highschool. how ridiculous! but the reason why is
because of the spirit of the Lord. Really the spirit is everywhere
in the MTC, it is absolutely amazing.
I love the fact that i can email here as well it is amazing. It
makes things a lot easier, but don't worry i still write letters,
if your lucky you'll get one, also it is a lot easier to decide who
to write to if you get letters, or better yet packages. Oh i just
love shameless plugs. But really letters are like a missionary's
life. One elder in out district is so paranoid about mail he will
ask about it 6 times a day. It is so hilarious, he will pop up out
of nowhere and ask about the mail. Or he will remind our District
Leader Elder Harsh to make sure he gets the mail. I'm pretty sure
he won't forget:)
But we have an awesome time here we work 12 hours a day, which gets
hard but i wouldn't have it any other way. German is going great!
We all gebet(pray) and bare our Zeugniss(testimony) auf Deutsch!
And everyday we learn even more. Even the grammer is making sense
to me and it comes really easily, which is crazy cause i hated the
grammer when we studied it in school. But the Lord blesses those
who ask for help and those who work for it. I know that if you
will ask for his help and if you will have the faith that he will
help. He Will!!!
Just a story to prove that, Elder Houston (my companion) and I
taught the first lesson about the restoration on Tuesday. We teach
it to a member, who volunteers at the MTC as an investigator. We
prayed before that all of the preparation we did would come in
handy and that we would be prompted in what to say, and to be
directed on how best to teach our investigator. Let me just tell
you, that i was not the one teaching that lesson! It was the
spirit! Everything just flowed really well and things would pop
into my mind that i had never thought of or prepared for. The
gospel is true! and it blesses us all so much, i know it for real!
So that is what is up teaching/learning side of life, but what
about everything else the MTC offers. Well the food is alright, it
is like a midway point between Elementary cafeteria and USU
marketplace. It brings back some memories of days gone by, but i
am pretty sure i'll be sick of the food by the time i leave. Lets
see... what else. Oh yes Gym! I love gym or as we Deutschers call
it sport(pronounced shport) It is awesome, the only thing that i
have trouble with is the fact that you can't play Ultimate, what is
up with that. They play soccer, and Ultimate is a non contact
sport. All i have to say to that is BOOO!!!! But we play awesome
stuff like volleyball, both regular and beach, kickball, which is
so much fun i haven't played forever, 4 square, croquet,
basketball, softball. Ya it is that cool! Don't you wish that you
could play all those awesome sports everyday, with enough people to
field a team.
So ya that is basically life in the MTC. We live in our classroom,
we sleep in our rooms. That is how it goes. If you have any
questions, just write me. I love you guys so much! You really
have no idea how blessed i am because of you my family and my
friends. I hope to hear from everyone soon. I love letters!
(another shameless plug, next time i'll see how many i can get in.)
I love you and miss you. The Gospel is True and i know it will
bless you if you have Faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Love Elder Rogers
p.s. read das Buch Mormon (the book of mormon) it will bless you!

Message from MOM

2008-07-28T21:12:00.004-06:00

Well, Spencer (I mean Elder Rogers) has been in the MTC for three weeks on July 30. He asked his little brother, Jonathan, to post his e-mails on his blog. The reason he asked his little brother to do it is because his mom is CLUELESS when it comes to this new technology stuff!!! So, Spencer's first two e-mail are finally being posted. We'll do much better in the days and weeks to come.

Today Is The Day!

2008-07-08T16:59:00.003-06:00

Alright world in 2 1/2 hours i will be a missionary! This is a very surreal feeling. Something i've waited for all my life and now it is so close. It is absolutely insane! But here are some thoughts i've had the last few days along with some of my comings and goings.

Last Sunday at home. I don't think it could have been any better. It was totally missionary focused. In Priesthood we discussed how we can be better member missionaries and we had some great ideas which i'm sure i'll put into practice in good old Deutcshland. Then in Sunday School we were talking about Alma 17-22, for those of you who don't know this is the story of Ammon. Like the greatest missionary ever! If your unfamiliar with it, read it! I promise you'll love it and really feel the spirit. My favorite scripture from this section is definitely Alma 17:2-3 It reads:

2.) Now these sons of Mosiah were with Alma at the time the angel first appeared unto him; therefore Alma did rejoice exceedingly to see his brethren; and what added more to his joy, they were still his brethren in the Lord; yea, and they had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth; for they were men of a sound understanding and they had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God.
3.) But this is not all; they had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and when they taught, they taught with power and authority of God.

I love this scripture because i look forward to the day when all my friends are back together and we will still be brethren in the Lord. I can only imagine how amazing that day will be.

Testimony meeting was great. Such a strong spirit attended to us. And i knew that what i was about to do was the only thing for me to do. Also we sang patriotic hymns as the 4th of last Friday. And as we closed singing The National Anthem, it brought tears to my eyes. It just hit me for the first time that i won't be in this great country and how blessed we truly are to live here. Wow it was an amazing spirit.

I spent the rest of the day with my family and reading the 7th Harry Potter. I started it Sunday afternoon and finished it Monday, reading on a time deadline kind urged me on. Sorry to my family for neglecting them whilst i read. And then that night I tossed around a Frisbee with Ell Linds Russ and Tobin. It was great! I had a blast so many great memories at that park you've just got to love it!

Alright. As this will most likely be my last post for awhile. (i'm gonna have my family post my emails here once i get to Germany in about 2 months so look forward to that.) I thought it best for me to post my testimony.

I know without a doubt that this church is true! If i didn't, i wouldn't be going on a mission. I know that Christ lived a perfect life, and then suffered all of my sins and died on the cross for me and for everyone else. I know that he loves me and always wants me to be the best that i can. I know that the Book of Mormon is the most true book on the earth, and i know that we will be blessed for reading it and following the counsel found in it. I know that after we have done all that we can do to be saved, that we are saved by the grace of our loving Savior Jesus Christ. I know that we are lead by a true and living Prophet, Thomas S. Monson. I know that as we listen and heed to his counsel that we will never be lead astray. I know that all of the apostles and general authorities are called of God to lead us in these the latter days. I know that if we have faith in our Savior Jesus Christ we will live better lives and then one day return to live with him. I know that as i put my faith in our Savior that i will make it through those rough days with him by my side. I testify of the power of the Holy Priesthood! It is the power of God on this earth. I have witnessed it's power in my own life and the lives of others. I have been so blessed to have a loving family who supports me in everything i do, and also friends who are right by my side to pick me up when i fall. I know that it is by the light of Christ that we see in these dark days when sin is so prevalent upon the earth. I thank my loving Heavenly Father for all he has done for me and say these things in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

Thanks to all you readers you rock. For those of you who would like to write me, i've posted my address on facebook as well as here. Hope to hear from you. And as always, keep it real world, and i'll catcha in a few.

MTC address, Use for the first 2 months.

Elder Spencer Wallace Rogers
Germany Frankfurt Mission
Provo Missionary Training Center
2005 North 900 East
Provo, UT 84604

This is the mission home, once i'm in Germany you can send stuff here and it will eventually get to me.

Elder Spencer Wallace Rogers
Germany Frankfurt Mission
Corneliusstrasse 18
60325 Frankfurt am Main
Germany

Rain Check

2008-07-08T02:27:00.002-06:00

Ok so i've slacked on my daily blog till i leave sorry. And right now i really do have some stuff i need to say, but it is way to late for me to force myself to think so tomorrow i'm post them. In fact suspect multiple post tomorrow cause that will probably be it. Maybe one last post before i leave wednesday morning, but i doubt it, as i will be a missionary. We'll see, if the parentals approve it will happen if not then it won't. Keep it real world, until tomorrow/today since it's so late.

More and More Goodbyes

2008-07-06T00:25:00.008-06:00

So this past year I have dubbed the year of a thousand goodbyes (you know like Disney's year of a million dreams just not as cool, no one ever dreams of saying goodbye to close friends and family.) Some of you may recall how i don't believe in goodbyes just see-you-laters, but i didn't think the year of a thousand see-you-laters sounded as good. So whenever i say goodbye it really means see-you-later. But really from last summer to this summer has been the year of a thousand goodbyes. I've had some really hard ones, and others that weren't as hard. But today was a hard one, i said goodbye to several of my favorite things, and people.

I started off the day with a hike. My Dad and I went up and hiked around Silver lake and Twin Lakes, up by Brighton Ski Resort. It was prodigious! The mountains are seriously my favorite things. There is nothing like looking up at them and inside i just think "how can you not believe in Heavenly Father with something as amazing as those!" Really i love looking at them, hiking in them, camping, skiing, the whole deal. You can't beat these mountains i don't care who you are. Well we got up and it was a cool 66 degrees. The mountains were as green as i had ever seen them, and there was still a ton of snow, for it being July 5th it was stellar.

Ya it was that green!

Postcard anyone?

So my dad and i had a great talk. It was killer, he told me about a lot of the things to expect, and i got to ask him any questions i had. It seriously helped a lot, i haven't been really nervous about what i'll be doing but there were a few things. And now i feel great. I know it is still gonna be a shock but at least i sort of grasp what is about to happen in my life. So we walked around silver lake then took the hike up to twin lakes reservoir. Just look at these pictures.

That was amazing, such an awesome hike. So i said goodbye to my mountains and that was rough. I know that i'll see mountains, and not just any mountains but the Alps but really i don't know if you can compete with what we've got.

Well after the hike i just kinda chilled all day, took a much needed nap, and hung out with the fam. I went and ate at Hires with my little brother, and that was great. I really do love Hires, i've got some great memories there. After we lit of some fireworks just for kicks, come one you've got to love playing with fire. (but only in safe environments. Remember only you can prevent forest fires.)

And then i went and did one of my favorite things. I met up with Ell Brooke and Lindsey, and we hit up the sconecutter! Let me just tell you world, these three girls are amazing! Really i was truly blessed to have such stellar friends! And these three especially since i got back from school and most my guy friends were gone on missions. They were there for me. Playing frisbee with Lindsey and Ell. Having great talks with all of them, playing the question game, watching crazy awesome movies like little giants, and going to sconecutter. Some of my greatest memories include these three ladys and i wouldn't trade it for anything. Thanks, you guys rock! But tonight like i said we hit up sconecutter, and just talked. We went up and sat on the overpass between the Jr. High and High school, it was great. Here are some pictures from the event.

Linds and Ell doing "the brock"

Sconey Island, great times in there.

Hey i'm taking a picture!

The only thing that would be better then this night would be to have Brock Josh Preston and Alvin there with us. This was definitely the hardest goodbye since the guys left. Thanks again ladys for putting up with me, and being so amazing. I'll miss you a ton and like always, this isn't a goodbye just a see-you-later!

Day 5? I'm not sure i kinda lost count.

2008-07-05T01:27:00.003-06:00

What up world? Happy 4th of July! I sure enjoyed it cause i'll be out of the country of the next 2. My father so lovingly pointed out that all the things i did today probably won't happen for another 3 years depending on my return. So here's whats up.

So if you know me at all, you know that i am the furthest thing from a morning person. So usually i sleep through parades. Why must they be in the morning, i say we have a parade at dusk. Make it an electric parade like in Disneyland. (note the electric parade is no longer in Disneyland but in California Adventure) But ya wouldn't that be cool. And on the 4th there would be fireworks over the parade or after it either way works for me. Well i decided since this will be my last 4th that i would go to the parade. News Flash, i should have stayed in bed! I mean really i was pelted with crappy candy over and over again, there were like 4 real floats, and the rest was stuff i could care less about. Not to mention the old guy sitting next to my family who felt he needed to pass his ideals onto every float car or person. This is how it happened every time, mind you there were 100+ entries.

Old Guy (OG): " Is that an All-American car!?" usually twice per car. And if it wasn't a ford, dodge, or Chevy he would yell at the driver or kids in the car that they didn't belong in the 4th of July parade. Or something to that extent.

OG: "We want our oil, and we want it now!!!!" Every time a government official of any kind walked past this was yelled, and each time he seriously wanted an answer.

OG: "That's not how you wave!!! Your not doing it right! (childs name) show them how to do it!" Tell you what if i'm on a float i'll wave however i want! Deal with it.

So anyway the parade was really annoying and sleep would have been a much better option.

Well after the parade i took a nice nap, just think of all the sleep i missed while listening to this guy yell at parade floats. But when we all woke up we went and hit up the fun days at Murray park. I've never been so this was a first, we did have a great pulled pork sandwich. That was the highlight i promise. So since fun days wasn't all that fun, the fam went and got a snow cone from Island Flavors. Oh i love this place. Putting cream on top of a snow cone, and then in the bottom is a little scoop of vanilla ice cream. BRILLIANT!!! You've got to love that. Then we went and saw Kung Fu Panda. I really like this show, pretty much i just love Jack Black but really it is a great film.

And to end the day we lit some fireworks, which i've noticed as i've grown up that they've gone down hill. It used to be so exciting, and i still love to do them. I mean what boy scout doesn't like to play with fire, but still they were a whole lot cooler as a child. And finally the one thing i love to do on the 4th, watch the fireworks at Murray Park from my roof. A few years back i decided i was sick of only seeing some of the fireworks from our front lawn, so i pulled out the ladder jumped on the roof and ever since then that is what i do.

This is a Disney Firework, but you get the gist.

I think i love it so much because it gives me an excuse to get on the roof. For some reason i really just love sitting on the roof at night, during the day it is blasted hot so don't try it, but at night... much love! I've decided that my house will have a window that opens up to the roof, so i can just go out and chill on my roof, look at the stars or whatever. That's how i do world. Let me know how your 4th was and i'll catch you on the flip flop. (josh isn't even here and he still gets me saying things like that. Gotta love that kid!)

Day 4

2008-07-04T00:49:00.002-06:00

Alright for the few of you who actually care about my daily comings and goings here is the ever exciting day 4.

So today was kind of my chill with the fam/watch tv/think day. Cause i did a whole lot of each. But i did however go see Hancock with a bunch of friends and played a little tennis and tossed around the disc. Hancock was great! Language was an issue but i really enjoyed the story, and i'm a sucker for anything superhero related. Over all i definitely recommend the show. Although i am really sick of the same previews over and over again, especially since i've seen so many movies lately all the previews are the same and i can pretty well quote them all word for word. But after they played a couple of the old previews there were a few new ones. Like Step Brothers with Will Ferrell and John C Reilly. This movie looks hilarious, same stupid stuff Will Ferrell always does but i still love it every time. To bad it's rated R. But i figure by the time i get home it will be playing on TV every other night and i can watch it then. Also the new James Bond film Quantum of Solace. This looks Flipping amazing! I loved Casino Royale and this looks right up there with it. Definitely on the top of my list of movies to see when i get home. But enough about that stuff.

Coleton and I went and hit around a tennis ball and tossed around the disc. Thanks Coleton it is times like that, that i really love! And it was a blast.

So that was pretty much the extent of my day, but i do have a few thoughts for you. This one is for everyone, but especially for those younger readers. Are you ready cause this one is huge. drum roll please......... LIVE LIFE TO IT'S FULLEST!!! I was talking to Coleton about how i wish i could go back and relive those awesome times in High School and last summer with all my friends. I wish i could go back and fix my regrets, the few that i have. One was not going to Disneyland with the guys, and not going on senior trip. These two were kind of out of my hands, one my parents said no. Granted it was really last minute. And the other i was in summer school. And my last regret was not getting to know everyone as well. Sure i knew them and was friends but i really didn't get to know them till much later. Really those were my only major regrets that i had. Also here is some advice, go out and do stuff. If your working or going to school all the time, sure you'll have money and maybe be a little ahead of the curve. But your going to hate yourself later for it. And if you do work a lot and make some money, go out and do stuff. Spend it and make some killer memories. i think i learned that a bit to late.

I know it sounds like i'm going to die sorry, but i know that things won't ever be the same. And i wish i could go back and relive all the awesome stuff i did, and do even cooler stuff. So if your younger then I don't do what i did, have as much fun as you can. If you work all the time your gonna hate looking back and remembering how you hated that you worked all the time and didn't go out and have fun making memories with family and friends. The song that says this all to me is of course by John Mayer, and it's one of my favorites. Stop This Train. Hope you enjoy it. Really listen to the lyrics. And you'll get it. Keep it real world, catcha on the flip flop.

Day 3

2008-07-03T01:38:00.002-06:00

You better believe it folks, i've got a week left! Can't even believe it myself, but more on that later. Day 3 has come and gone and i retract my comment that day 2 was most boring cause today takes the cake so far, but once again i did some sweet stuff that i'd like to share.

Alright, if i haven't complained to you personally about all appointments i've had i'm doing it here so enjoy. Another appointment, you've got to be kidding me, but on to why i put this in here in the first place. I had my dentist appointment today, and i enjoyed it for a few reasons. First the assistant that cleaned my teeth wasn't a member and didn't know a lot about the missionary program, so i got to explain to her a little bit about what we do and how we do it. She was blown away that we had anywhere from 8-12 weeks to learn a language then go out and teach in it, and by the end of the 2 years that most are fluent. It was really cool to see her excitement and surprise as i explained more, with the help of my dentist of course. I wish i would have had a pass along card but alas i'm not well stocked. Hopefully my dentist will have caught onto her interest and maybe follow through on it. Who knows? Well the second reason i enjoyed it was because they said that my teeth are great, and i should be set for the next 2 years. Haha, who said flossing matters. Just kidding folks you should floss everyday! It's real important.

Alright after my experience at the dentist, my Mom, Grandpa, and lil' bro hit up Italian Village for lunch. I absolutely love this place, if you've never been there you've got to check it out. My personal favorite is the pizza bender w/sauce. Oh it is delicious. But it was fun to have lunch with part of my family and just talk, great times.

The rest of the day was filled with shopping for missionary stuff and just chillin, well at least until Mein Vati und Mutti und Ich hit up the Temple. I love to see the temple and love to go even more. I have to admit because my life has been so packed i've missed my weekly temple trip for the last couple weeks. Poor choice, as josh would say. Really my week isn't the same if i don't go to the temple. It was really cool to go with my parents again. The last time i did a session with my parents was when i went through for the first time. So i loved it, and it was really cool cause i really felt that the work i was doing was really really appreciated. Like this guy had been waiting awhile for this to happen. It was amazing! There is nothing like the feeling when your in the temple, it just can't be beat. So my point is go to the temple. Even if you think you don't have time. If you make time to go to the temple, the Lord will make time for you to finish everything else on your plate. No matter if it's baptisms, endowments, sealings, or initiatory. It is all great! If you guys have questions about the temple just ask i'll answer them as best i can.

So the temple rocked as always, and after we went and got dinner. It is tradition to eat after the temple doesn't matter what time you go, you've just got to go out after, at least if your with me. So we hit up Olive Garden. I know two Italian places in one day its pushing it but it was oh so good. great dinner with my parents definitely gonna miss that.

Well that was the extent of Day 3. And it being a week till i enter the MTC i've got some new emotions that i haven't felt since i got my call. Nervous. I know you may be surprised but up until now i haven't felt nervous about anything mission related. But now its hit and it is really just about little things but still its how i feel. I know the Lord will help me through so long as put my faith and trust in him. So no big deal... hopefully. Also i'm starting to realize all the things i'll be missing out on. I know i'd like to think the world stops while i am gone for 2 years, but it won't. I'm worried about friends not being there when i get back, that i won't know them and it will just be awkward between us. I'm sad about missing out on family stuff. And wondering what the world is gonna be like when i have to come back and live it in and start my life. I don't know if any of this makes sense. And i know that what i'm doing is the only thing i should be doing now and it is the only thing i want to be doing, but i still can't help but think about this stuff. So thats whats on my mind now, keep it real world and i'll catch you tomorrow. You guys rock!

Day 2

2008-07-02T01:39:00.003-06:00

Alright folks I'm willing to bet today will be my most boring day for the next week or so. But none the less i did some great stuff and also I've got some thoughts on my mind so keep your hands and arms inside the ride at all times and have fun.

Alright once again world i slept in today but can you blame me when i go to bed at 1:00 or 2:00 consistently. But I woke up and did something vital to my well being when i get home from the mish. I backed up my iPod onto my home computer as well as my Laptop and my external hard drive. For some reason i feel that some sort of curse will cause me to loose all my music so I'm doing all i can to fend it off. Also i did the same thing with pictures. so hopefully I'm secure. Also while i was doing all this i picked up John Mayer's new live album. For those of you who don't know i have a pretty severe "Man Crush" on him. But really of anyone to have a "man crush" on john mayer has got to be the best choice, go ahead try to argue with me. Anyway, the album is so so so choice! I figure it is the closest I'll be to actually hearing him/seeing him live for the next little while. So what i leave in 8 days can't i enjoy some steller guitar killer lyrics and amazing vocals. But enough of me going on about john mayer. Well one last thought check out the album if your a fan you'll love it, if your not a fan, we can't be friends.

Alright after hopefully saving my pictures and music for the next two years i hit up the mall for lunch. My escapades to the mall during my life have included eating, chilling in Brookstone and Lovesac, and checking out gamestop. Yes i'm a nerd get over it. And other stuff. When i go to the mall generally the last thing on my mind is shopping. most the time its "How can i kill time without getting kicked out of whatever store i'm in?" Anywho i picked up my lunch and as i'm walking out of the food court i spot Brooke working at bath and body works? is that right there are a couple stores like that and i never know if i am getting it right. Anyway, i stopped and talked with her for 5-10 minutes before it looked like her manager or another employee looked pretty ticked so i left. Side note i love visiting people at work/i love getting visited at work. Always an excuse to stop working, and you never know what you'll get roped into. One time Alvin and I got roped into sweeping and mopping the floor at KFC while waiting for Brock to get off. It was awesome, i can now say i have worked at KFC. At least for 2 seconds. Good times.

Well came home and just chilled for a few hours, when rob gives me a call and asks if i'm in for the TRIPLE CHALLENGE (dun dun daaaa, dramatic music and guy in deep voice announcing. just do it in your head and you'll catch what i'm getting at.) For those of you who don't know what the triple challenge is, it is a Triple with cheese and bacon, large fry and large drink. At wendys if you didn't know that already. that is about my daily allowance for calories right there folks gotta love it. A bit on the history of this challenge. Preston would get one of these all the time, and it wasn't a problem for him, well most the time it wasn't. It kind of became a joke. Getting the "meat sweats" and all that great stuff, not to mention feeling awful after, unless your preston in which case after so many it wasn't a big deal. So about a month ago after seeing Kung Fu Panda we were at Wendys and that is when Coleton Rob and I had the great idea to do the challenge, but also to ride our bikes there to do it. So today was the day. We rode over and ended up just Rob and I doing the challenge. Coleton got a triple but no large fry and drink, and Jimmy well he ate chicken nuggets. Proud to say we did it! well maybe not so proud, here it is 6 or 7 hours later and i still feel like crap, oh well all part of the game my friends.

There it is. (we recreated it cause i forgot to take a picture of mine, so that is coletons burger, my crushed up fry box, and robs empty drink. But you get the idea.)

This is how i felt after, and for the next several hours.

Preston would be proud, well he probably would call me a girl cause i felt like crap after but that is just his way of showing he is proud of you, sort of.

Alright after riding home on my bike, which was really hard mind you. I sat around trying to rebuild strenth. Then because everyone is either working, out of town, on missions, or has school in the morning. I went and saw Get Smart all by my lonesome. It was great! The only downside to seeing a movie by yourself is well there are a lot of downsides. walking into a theater full of couples about your age and sitting down by yourself, no one to talk about the film after not to mention the ride there and back by yourself. But i was fine with it, cause i don't have the time to wait for people to be able to go to a movie with me, i can't be alone for the next 2 years let alone see a movie so all was well. But it did get me to thinking on my way there how much i miss the guys, cause you better believe Alvin Brock Preston and Josh would have been with me to see it if they were here. Also driving out to the Carmike brings back so many fond memories of driving out there in the Jeep and stopping at every Wendys and Taco Bell on Redwood Road. Great times!

The Carmike is the only place to see a movie 4 bucks for a matinee 5.50 for regular shows you can't beat that. Plus no one is ever there so it is like having your own private screening. For more on the Carmike 12 West Jordan give me a call and i'll set you straight. Well that was my day. kind of nostalgic almost but mostly i'm nostalgic all the time so nothing new. Hope you enjoyed day 2, day 3 is shaping up to be a great day! But you'll just have to see.

Day 1

2008-07-01T01:13:00.002-06:00

So i figure since this next week and a half will be pretty packed, I'll chronicle each day here as well as in my journal. Today's post will cover my farewell and Monday. Hope you enjoy.

Alright so my farewell... i felt it went really well. At least to me the spirit was really strong. I picked the songs that we sang, at first i had all the missionary songs and then as i thought about it i decided to switch it up, why i didn't know but during the meeting it hit me. The songs went as follows. I Believe In Christ, I Stand All Amazed, and Behold A Royal Army. We sang I Believe In Christ and i felt this comforting feeling and such an amazing spirit. Same type of thing as we sang I Stand All Amazed, it really helped me to allow the spirit to guide and direct me as i spoke. The first speaker was great i loved what she had to say. If you weren't there, her remarks we titled "The Marathon of Life" and she related marathon running to life in general and the mission work it was great! Really invited the spirit even more. Next my Brother and I sang one of my favorite songs "His Love" And it was amazing it was as if Angels were singing with us i felt such a strong spirit. Especially as i began to sing my part in the second verse it goes:
"Gently he beckons and i fall upon my knees, His loving eyes see past my weakness to my needs"
As i sang that i felt the most wonderful spiritual feeling, those words stuck in me and it surprised me i almost stopped singing it was the spirit of our Loving Heavenly Father testifying to me the truth of those words. Why it hit me as we were singing it for the real deal, and not the hundreds of other times i had sung it or heard it, i don't know for sure. But i think it had to do with how strongly i felt the Spirit as we sang. I felt we did well, and everyone said we did. But it wasn't all me all tell you that, i had my talented brother next to me carrying me along as well as the spirit lifting me up.

Alright my talk was on Increasing our Faith in Jesus Christ. I did mostly as planned but near the end it was the spirit telling me what to say not what i planned. It was an amazing feeling and i was so grateful for it. Again i was told i did well, i don't have the time nor space to go into details sorry but ask someone who was there and they'll tell you honestly how i did. Thank you to Friends and Family who were there to support me I love you guys. The rest of the day was spent chillin with family and friends and it was great.

Alright on to Day 1, I slept in till 11:30 12:00 Excessive i know but I'll be missing it for the next 2 years so bear with me. Well i had another appt. today. If you ask me I've had 1 to many already. They ripped my retainers out and sanded the glue down, not the best feeling ever believe me. I watched a couple of baseball games, if you don't know my feelings on baseball, read my post on baseball. Little league and then my good old Cardinals taking it to the Mets. Gotta love it. Then I went and visited the Sponbecks with Ell Bell and Coleton. I love that family! Today we did Muffin Monday, we made good old Blueberry Muffins and they tasted great, Sorry no pictures i forgot to take out my camera. But we visited with Kent Vicki and Staci. And it was just great! After watching a Slide show of "the guys" Ell and i went to play some Ultimate, Nate Rubens last game. It was great i just love that game! After we hit up the 7-11. Do they have 7-11's in Germany? I'm gonna miss Slurpee's if they don't. Maybe i should check that out. Well i came home and had a chat with the parentals, great stuff I'll miss that for sure. So pretty eventful day and I'm hoping all week is like this, but we'll find out. So tune in tomorrow for the hopefully exciting Day 2 dun dun daaaaaa (dramatic ending)

My New Favorite Quote...

2008-06-26T01:48:00.003-06:00

"Your an Island of reality in an Ocean of diarrhea."

If you know what its from I'll give you 10 Rog-points, when you reach 1000 Rog-points you will get 5 extra minutes for lunch. Also you keep track of your Rog-points, i don't have time for that.

P.S sorry no picture, but i felt it would have been to graphic.

Part 2 sort of

2008-06-24T01:25:00.007-06:00

Alright, note to all readers and fellow bloggers, when spreading out one idea over several posts write down what you want to say. Cause in all honesty when i started this i had ideas for at least 3 solid posts, now i can't remember what the heck else i was going to say. So this will probably be the final post to the series, and i don't even know what I'm gonna say. So here we go.

Alright so as most of you know i just got back from my last vacation for 2 years. We hit up sunny California and all the usual stuff one does in California. I'll chronicle where we went and what we did, throw in a few pictures and call it good.

Day 1: Alright this was unusual for us as travelers, usually we fly in Sunday and start everything Monday. Not so this time folks. We flew over Monday morning, drove to universal studios and hit the ground running. If you've never been to Universal i would say go do it. They've got a couple good rides, great shows, and i love the back lot tour. We saw all the NY city scape burnt down, they were cleaning up and gearing up for a new one. Also I got my picture taken with Curious George, it was awesome. I really want a monkey just like him, just think of the adventures i would have. It would be glorious!
So it was a great day at Universal crowds we minimal weather wasn't to bad, a start to a great vacation.

Day 2: Disneyland. What more do i have to say. If you don't like Disneyland go live in Communist Korea. I mean really when they say happiest place on earth they mean it. You can't beat that feeling when you first walk into Disneyland and walk down Main Street USA. I feel like a kid on Christmas morning. Just love it! Alright just some friendly advice I'll pass on to you world, so long as you use it responsibly. Agreed? good, alright the best way to to Disneyland is with a wheelchair. Already i'm hearing 2 questions, Why is it the best? and Why did you have a wheelchair?

Well it is the best because Disneyland was built before the Americans with Disabilities Act was applied, so the rides are not wheel chair accessible except through the exits, so if you've got a wheelchair you just go through the exit and skip the line, who needs fastpasses when you've got a wheelchair.

And we had a wheelchair because my little brother had foot surgery and can't really walk all day long. So world we agreed you would be responsible with this advice, that means only get a wheelchair if someone seriously needs one. They only have a limited supply and what if you take one and someone that really needs one doesn't get one, well you've just ruined there day at the happiest place on earth, how does that make you feel?

So Disney was awesome, and on our last day we got those dream fastpass things, which was great because the last day we didn't get a wheelchair, we weren't planning on being there all day so we figured Jonathan could tough it out. It was awesome, and as a huge surprise Saturday, our last day, was not crowded at all, which is really odd for Disneyland, usually Tuesday and Wednesday are the least crowded, which is when our first two days were. And they were super crowded. This is the best picture of the dream fastpass i have, they are the things around my families neck. Basically they get you to the front of the line for all the best rides no questions asked. Also just a side note we were in California Adventure they day the new Toy Story Mania ride opened, and it is awesome way better then the Buzz Lightyear ride. So Disney Rocked as usual and that was where we spent most of our time.

Not so much day 3 as the 3rd and 4th places we went. Sea World and Huntington Beach. Sea world (is that one or two words?) was fun those fish or mammals are crazy insane. Here are a couple pictures from Sea world.

And finally the beach, i apologize no pictures for this one. But i didn't want to chance ruining my camera before i leave for the mish. But it was awesome, Frisbee on the beach and in the ocean. Boogie boarding/ body surfing, and naps on the beach just can't be beat. We watched the fog roll in and out several times which was crazy cool, all of a sudden you can't see a thing, then it clears up to be all bright and sunny. The waves were huge, and would break one after another so if you got taken out by one, you weren't coming up till it washed you up on the beach. So crazy. I love the beach! A couple things on my list of things to do are learn to surf, camp on the beach, and play a wicked game of ultimate on the beach. Also sleeping on the beach is glorious if you've never done it go do it you won't regret it.

Alright folks that was my killer vacation, a last hoorah before i pack up and give myself to The Lord. It was a blast and i can't wait for the many other vacations i will go on in my life, but for now here i come Deutschland! Keep it real world, until next time.

Wilkommen zu Hause! (Translation: Welcome home, at least I think)

2008-06-23T00:09:00.003-06:00

What up folks? I'm back home in good old Murray Utah, at least for another 2 1/2 weeks, but home none the less. I'm hoping to break what i want to say into several small post throughout the week, but if i don't succeed sorry. You don't have to read it all, just remember I'll be gone in 2 1/2 weeks and you won't be able to read it. Oh the guilt trip you've got to love it. Well to start off this mini series of post on the same topic I'll start at the very beginning, it's a very good place to start. (gotta love Sound of Music)

Alright world, vacations! Some of my most memorable experiences ever have happened on family vacations. Every year, since i can remember as a family we have gone on some form of vacation. Whether it was up to Park City or down to St. George, or on a cruise, we always to do something. It becomes something that we all look forward too. Every year my mom and dad would sit us down and we would discuss where we wanted to go on vacation, of course we would throw out the impossibles every year in hopes that it would fly, but generally we were given several choices and we voted on which we would prefer. We've been to California several times, Florida, Oregon, Texas/Cruise, Illinois/Missouri, Wyoming. Sometimes we drive other times we road trip it. Either way we have a blast. Some vacations are more relaxing others, like the one we just got back from, we are running around all the time. But like i say, no matter how you cut it, it is always a blast. Sure we kids fight and pick on one another, but what is a family vacation without that.

Well my main point out of this is I'm really gonna miss times like these. Doing tons of stuff, all over the country. We just got back from California, i guess it is kind of a tradition now, that before each one of us leaves on our missions we are gonna hit up California. Why not? But it was a blast. That's it for this post, look forward to the next few segments, and here are some pictures from past vacations, well the last two is all i had my camera for, and I'm way to lazy to get my parents camera and do all that.

Always got to have a picture of the mickey. (Disney World '07)

We need a plan navigating Disney World is a science (Disney World '07)

Universal Studios Hollywood '08 (we parked in Curious George, I Love Curious George!)

Mien Bruders und Schwester in law. (i have no clue what in law is in German) Disneyland, teacups at night. '08

The Fam Bam, my last ride on Space Mountain for who knows how long. Disneyland '08

I'm here, and this is the word.

2008-06-21T00:50:00.004-06:00

What up world? I'm just chillin here in the big CA! The state that holds or will hold 3 of my best friends, gotta love it. Things have been a blast. We hit up Universal, Disney of course, Sea World, and the beach. Gotta love it! Although it has kind of been bittersweet. The whole trip we'll be having a stellar time, and then i think about missing times like this for the next two years, and I'm really gonna miss it. Vacations have been a huge part of my family life, and some of my greatest memories have been family vacations. I know I'm gonna love serving and i am still way excited to leave, but still i can't help it when everyone talks about how much fun it is gonna be to do this or that, and then the next thing out of there mouth is "oh, you'll be gone." But still can't wait only 2 1/2 weeks to go. I'll post more about the vacation and hopefully some pictures, i realize I've really slacked on pictures so I'll try. But I've really got to use my time wisely.

Reading Rainbow

2008-06-14T01:16:00.003-06:00

Alright world. Do you remember that show? With LeVar Burton i loved that show. What ever happened to good Television, anyways. All I've got to say is books rock. I love to read, but most the time I never know what to read. Well it could be the fact that i leave really soon, or it could be the fact that all of a sudden a i have discovered a ton of books i want to read. Or it could be a combination of both. But i have found some awesome books and just thought I'd share them with you.

"The Last Lecture" (Randy Pausch, written by some guy who's name escapes me.) This book rocked! For those of you who don't know what a last lecture is, I'll give a brief explanation. Every year Colleges ask one professor to give a lecture as if it were there last lecture before they were to die. What would you say? Would anybody listen? Would you seriously lecture on physics or what your paid to lecture on? That kind of stuff, well minus the last question that was just me saying why do we waste our life listening to professors drone on about crap i don't care about. Anyway that's what a "last lecture" is. The book is about Randy Pausch's last lecture. Randy has pancreatic cancer. 98% of people with pancreatic cancer die within 5 years. He was given 3-6 months to live. So this was really his last lecture. Anyway i can't say much more about it without telling you the whole book, but PLEASE read this book!! It will change your life. well maybe not but it's a great book anyway. Also to get you interested look up "Last Lecture, Randy Pausch" on youtube and you can actually watch his last lecture. Note do not just watch the lecture, the book adds to much to his story.

"I Am America (And So Can You)" (Stephen T. Colbert) If you are a Colbert fan, read this book. I'm talking serious fan, if you just sorta like him but feel that sometimes its not that great, or offends you, do not read this book. But for all you serious Colbert fans out there this book was hilarious. My favorite chapters were on old people, and Education. But this is a serious dose of Colbert, take it in stages otherwise you'll OD for sure, believe me that is what i did, and i almost returned the book to the library, luckily i waited a few days and picked it up again and finished it. So once again read this book serious Colbert fans or you are a terrorist!

"Mere Christianity" (C.S. Lewis) I've not finished this one, as i really want to comprehend it fully so I'm taking my time, also reading 4 other books at the same time doesn't help. But so far great book on understanding Christianity. If you wonder what being a christian means read this book, it will explain it. Also I'm glad to read this to understand what other christian faiths believe, as i will run into a lot on my mission.

"The Enoch Letters" (Neal A. Maxwell) Elder Maxwell was a huge fan of C.S. Lewis, and if you are familiar with "The Screwtape Letters" by Lewis, this is a reversal of that book. Instead of someone from Hell writing about all the stuff they do to drag you down, this is a book from someone who is trying to lift you up and accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. Once again I'm not done with this but i have loved every "letter" and can't wait to finish it. Also I've never read "The Screwtape Letters" so if i got the description wrong I'm sorry, it was checked out of the library when i went to get it, it is next on my list of books to read. So check out "The Enoch Letters" I have really enjoyed it.

And last but certainly not least... The Book of Mormon Another Testament of Jesus Christ. I am always reading this book. Why because it is so amazingly good! Every time you read it you pick something else out. This book is the only completely true book out there folks. I promise you if you pick it up and read it with full purpose of heart and a pure conviction, and pray about it. The Lord WILL testify the truth of it to you. If you've never read this book I promise you it will change your life. It is because of this book that i am giving up 2 years of my life to go on a mission. There is nothing else out there i would do this for. But don't take my word for it, read this book and let the spirit of The Lord testify the truth of it unto you!

Thanks world, those are the books that I've either read or currently reading, check them out if you'd like I've loved everyone especially that last one. Keep it real world, and until next time.

In My Mind, On My Mind, Around My Mind

2008-06-10T00:53:00.002-06:00

Alright world I've got a lot on my mind and can't really organize it into anything coherent, so as Preston called it, here is another addition of "mind grapes."

Bikes- I love to ride my bike! It is something that you don't do for awhile then all of a sudden it hits you. This is what has happened to me. I fixed up my bike that I've had since the 5th grade. That thing is a stalwart! The only thing I've ever had to do to it is change the occasional flat tire. And ya i just get a new tire. All the patches and glues and stuff out there just suck they never work for me, and throwing a new inner tube in the tire is so much easier, so that's what i do. My bike isn't anything fancy it doesn't have those new "never feel anything" shocks, i do it the old fashion way, I take every little rock, curb, bump, and i feel it. Sure it may hurt but it reminds me I'm alive. Nothing against shocks, there great but me and my bike go way back and he doesn't need shocks to keep me coming back. So moral of the story go for a bike ride, if you don't like to bike alone give me a call cause for the next 4 weeks I'm so in. (note i am gone all next week, feel free to call and ask but i will respectfully decline, plus you won't be able to call me for the next two years might as well do it now.)

Ultimate Frisbee- How often must i say this, I LOVE THIS GAME!!! Nothing better then tossing around the disc with some friends. Even if there not friends, Frisbee brings people together. If you don't like it I understand i don't like a lot of things, but i understand why people like them and I'll give them a try every once in awhile. Also i just ordered a new disc online and i can't wait to get it sometime this week, nothing quite like getting something new and using it for the first time, no matter what it is.

Time- Never in my life has time meant so much to me. Because I've only got 3 weeks left at home and i have so much i want to do people i want to spend time with and all of that stuff. If your not doing anything give me a call cause I'm always up for an adventure, maybe we could ride bikes, toss a disc, or just talk. Talking till all hours of the morning is one thing i am gonna miss a lot. You learn a lot about people when you up late talking, you should try it sometime, hey give me a call and try it with me. Sounds great. So as a note even if you don't know what you are gonna do, do that with people. Figuring out what you doing is gonna be more fun, and you might just end up talking forever. So Moral of this story, time is short even if you don't think it is. So live it up while you can, when you look back on what you've done you shouldn't regret it at all. Even when all i do is watch TV of sleep i love it cause I'm not gonna be doing that for the next two years.

Friends- I think this is on my mind all the time. Why? You may ask. Well because i have been blessed with the best friends ever. No matter what they are there for me. My whole life I've had the best friends, some of them i don't see a lot, if i see them at all. But we are still friends. I don't know that I've ever really lost a friend that I've been close to. I don't attribute that to me at all, i attribute that to all my friends who put up with all my crap, so thanks everyone you rock and i definitely wouldn't be the same without you. So moral of this story, let your friends know you care, give them a call, write them a letter, blog about them, haha I'm doing that right now (ignore shameless plug) Just let them know is all I've really got to say.

The Mish- This one is always on my mind cause hey i leave in 4 weeks. Wow i can't even believe it, 19 years waiting and the day is only 4 weeks away. I am excited, scared, nervous, anxious, and pretty much any other emotion a person can feel. I am so excited to share something that has brought so much happiness to my life with others. You out there SHARE THE GOSPEL! I've done a crappy job of it hopefully the rest of my life i can do better. Do you know what the definition of Gospel is? Well according to the coolest black man i know it means Good News. If you've got some good news share it! And I can't wait to. I'm scared cause this is gonna be something completely new to me. I can handle change no problem, but changing almost my entire life well that i think would scare anyone. Nervous... well I'm nervous that i won't be as good as i know i can be. I am nervous about a whole new language, about companions who suck, and leaving friends and family. But all that being said I know this is the only thing i should be doing, and I know that if i turn to the Lord he will lead and guide me. Anxious, well wouldn't you be anxious to do something you've looked forward to for 19 years.

Well that is pretty much what is on my mind. Did you notice how many times i told you people to call me and do stuff. Oh the shameless plugs, you've got to love them. keep it real folks until next time, oh and if you don't have anything going on give me a call. (i had to do it one more time come on who do you think i am.)

Backpacks aka the male purse.

2008-06-05T16:26:00.002-06:00

World all my problems are solved thanks to a little help from my friend sTu. sTu is my backpack. we met just a few days ago and now we are the best of friends. Whatever i want to bring with me is now possible. I thank rose for getting me on the backpack kick. She suggested a backpack after my tyraid on why i can't carry a purse. and i was in the market for a new one as i need one for the mish and what do you know i came across sTu.

Yes i named him cause really what is something if it doesn't have a name. I name a whole lot of inadament objects. My car "The Exploder" My iPod "the pod" I stole that from Preston but hey he is in Russia by the time he finds out I'll be in Germany. I've yet to come up with an appropriate name for my computer and my camera but you better believe I'm thinking. I chose sTu because it simple name yet says a lot about him, just think about it. Also it could be short for stupendous or something ridiculous like that. Also it is spelled sTu not Stu or stu always sTu. Anyway sTu is awesome and i have him everywhere i go.

I went to the library yesterday and checked out some books, and they are inside sTu right now so i can take them with me everywhere i go. Later that day i went to blockbuster and rented a movie, stuck it in sTu and i was set. And finally i went to work today and everything i needed was inside sTu. I had my keys my pod my camera and 3 books to choose from while i had some downtime. Also i found some bubble wrap sitting around and no one claimed it. Are you kidding me free bubble wrap you better believe I'm all over that. I stuck it in sTu and all is well.

Anyway backpacks are the answer to all those guys out there mad because we can't carry purses. Go get a backpack, name him or her, and take them with you everywhere. That is how it's done world. My pockets are no longer full of a bunch of stuff, and now I'll have Frisbee on me no matter where i go.

An Amazing Day!!

2008-06-01T23:31:00.002-06:00

Today was one of the most amazing days in my life. Why you may ask? Well because it was totally gospel oriented. I recieved my patriarchal blessing today. For those of you who don't know what a patriarchal blessing is, True to the Faith states:
"Patriarchal blessings are given to worthy members of the Church by ordained patriarchs. Your patriarchal blessing declares your lineage in the house of Israel and contains personal counsel from the Lord to you."

You can recieve your patriarchal blessing at anytime pretty much as long as you are mature enough to understand that this is our Father in Heaven actually giving us guidence and promised blessings. From the time i was about 12 i felt i was ready. But i never really got the ball rolling. I would think about it, talk to the bishop, parents, and leaders about it but then things would get in the way. Well i am a firm believer in the fact that everything happens for a reason. I am so glad i waited till today to recieve my patriarchal blessing. I think it really meant a lot more now that i have a mission call and have been through the temple. It was such an amazing experience.

To go to a man i have never met and to recieve a blessing that is tailored just for me from my Father in Heaven is just another reason for me to KNOW that this church is true! It seems to me the best days i have experienced are those that are gospel oriented. Things like Baptism, recieving the Priesthood both Aaronic and Melchizedek, recieving my mission call, and now recieveing my patriarchal blessing. All these days stand out so much as i look back at my life and the many things i have experienced. The reason for this is because these days are so important to me, and the spirit i felt on these days was so strong that there is no way i could ever forget it. I love this church so much i know it is true and can't wait to serve the people in germany!

If any of you have any other questions about patriarchal blessing feel free to ask me and i'll do the best i can to answer it. Keep it real world

I'll admit it i'm jealous of your purse!

2008-05-30T00:54:00.002-06:00

That's right world, i am one of those guys who is jealous of the fact that girls get purses. And i know some of you are saying "so why don't you carry a purse?" I'll tell you why, cause you look stupid. Come on have you ever seen a guy carrying a purse and not thought "what an idiot." or "he's got to be gay." or any other myriad of thoughts like that. I just wouldn't feel right carrying one, although it would be sweet. And it's not that i care what people think, well i do but only to an extent. I don't care who says it, you always care what others think. Maybe not everybody but you definitely care what someone thinks of you, don't try to argue because you'll loose. End of story.

But anyway now that I've gone an my tyraid on why i can't carry a purse let me tell you why i want to. First off we guys get the shaft on this, i know girls get the shaft on a whole lot of stuff but we guys get it on this one. Our whole lives are confined to 2 inch flap of leather. All our stuff must fit in that and then we have to carry keys phones iPods gum and whatever else in our pockets. BOO is all i have to say to that. I hate it when my pockets are full of stuff i feel bulky and weird. If i could carry a purse i would have a spot for everything.

I would especially love it for my keys. I am a firm believer in the way certain things tell others who you are. One of those objects is my keys. I have certain key chains along with the two keys i need. And everything on there is there for a reason. Some people just have a key and that is cool with me, is says i like it simple and easy. But because i have key chains as well, having a purse to stick my keys in would be glorious. Then i could just keep my phone in my pocket and I'd be set. Plus with a purse i could carry along a book to read when I've got down time and my iPod all the time. I try to have my pod on my most the time but sometimes it just isn't practical and for this purpose alone a purse would rock. And anything else like a tazer, tazers are sweet. You can't carry a tazer in you pocket what if it went off. Bad news! Also I'd have a pen a pad of paper, you never know when you need to write something down.

George Costanza said " I can't carry a pen." Jerry asks why not, his response "I'm afraid it will puncture my scrotum."

Valid point to this day i don't carry a pen, at least in my front pocket. Those are the reasons that i wish i could carry a purse. So world when it becomes socially acceptable for men to carry purses you better believe that I'll be one of them.

P.S. this post is the big 5-0. 50 post have been achieved, here is to 50 more! Thanks!

44 Days!!

2008-05-27T00:51:00.002-06:00

That's right world in 44 days i will enter the MTC! Holy crap. To some of you it may seem like I've got a ton of time, but in my mind i don't. It's not that i am worried about leaving or that i don't have most of my stuff ready. What it is, is that every time i do something one thought crosses my mind. This could be the last time i do that for 2 years. That thought is amazing and craptastic all at once. On one hand, sweet I'm finally going on a mission, on the other hand, crap i am really going to miss that.

I have always know this feeling would come, but it really hit me just before one of my best friends left about a week ago. My mom was asking him what his last movie and TV show were going to be. He said that he wasn't worried about that he didn't really watch movies and he really only watched the Jazz games. What he was worried about was his last song. When my mom asked him that it just hit me like a ton of Feathers. (I figure a ton of feathers is more dramatic cause it would be a whole lot more and it doesn't hurt when it is dropped on you. really a plus in every direction.) Well it hit me because all that stuff has been a huge part of my life.

Movies are one of my passions. Nothing beats a good movie, well maybe somethings but you know when you walk out of a movie smiling because it was so good, or when you stand up after watching that one movie you watch all the time and say "still as good as the first time i saw it." That is what I'm talking about. I am going to have a hard time picking out my last movie. New movie it will probably be Wall-E, and the one of seen plenty of times is gonna have to be The Count of Monte Cristo. I just love that show.

TV shows, well if you know me, you will know that of course the last TV show I'll watch is gonna be the office. By the way season finale was amazing wow. But what is gonna be hard for me is deciding which episode to watch as my last. I am still not sure what it will be, I'll gladly except suggestions. Probably one from each of the 4 seasons.

And finally music. My last song is gonna be the hardest decision for me. I love music! I honestly don't know what i could say to let you know how much i love it. So i think what I'll have to do is create a "Last Playlist" and listen to that last as a whole, but still if the last song isn't good I'm gonna flip. Just think world, if you had to pick one song as your last real song for 2 years what would it be? That is not a rhetorical question, i need answers.

So anyway I've got some really hard decisions to make, not to mention last home cooked meal, last game of Ultimate, and i need to decide if I'm gonna go on a last date. During High school i didn't date much because i figure why spend money on someone elses wife, and why would i pay for girls to hang out with me. I know they are rather cynical views but you can't deny that they're true. Don't get me wrong I've been on some awesome dates and i don't mind spending money on girls, i figure it goes towards a good cause. And I'm pretty sure two years from now those views will be completely different. But for now I'll see what happens. Is it to late? Maybe I'll just stick to hanging out with the coolest girls in the world, instead of dating them.

Well that's what has been going through my mind lately, also i am deathly afraid my iPod will die before i leave, and that the exploder won't last. Here's hopin'. Keep it real world, until next time.

back from a short nap

2008-05-25T17:53:00.003-06:00

That's right world I'm back and great news so is the Exploder. He lives to fight another day, although i doubt he will win any great battles. I was so excited to find out that all i needed to do was pay 460 bucks and the Exploder would run like, well like a really warn out car. Luckily the parentals foot the bill for which i am extremely grateful. Don't get me wrong trax is great and all but there are sure some weirdies riding it. Also being able to go wherever i want without hitching a ride or borrowing a car is so nice. I know people live without cars and with gas now i might as well, but i missed the exploder. He is one of my last great friends that hasn't left me. So yay! Well i could write more but for once in my life i have achieved a short post. The day is mine! Keep it up world and i'll see ya in a few.

Sad Day :(

2008-05-20T18:07:00.003-06:00

Today world we say goodbye to a verygood friend. Actually two very good friends but hopefully one will come back real soon, and the other well i'll see him in 7 weeks.

I am talking about of course Alvin Green. Alvin and I met Jr. year playing on the Tennis Team. That's right the Tennis team! It was so much fun, and we thought we were so hard core. Since then Alvin and i have been great friends. Alvin leaves tomorrow, and as of this moment is a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. That means that i am the last one left of the 5 of us. Brock, Josh, Preston, Alvin and I, we did pretty much everything together and i miss them a ton. Some of the best times with Alvin were, of course Tennis, Sconecutter. Chasing after Alvins car when they ditched me to ride with Brock and his "girlfriend."

I don't like this girl at all, pretty much she sucked. Nice girl but to step in a month before brock left was lame. Note to all the ladys out there. DO NOT do this! Unless your cool and let your boyfriend hang with the guys. Or if said guy has no friends, then of course he needs a friend. Anyway Alvin always comments on how fast i ran, he didn't think i had it in me. I can run pretty fast when i need to.

Other things that will be missed, volleyball, Alvin was the one who would get us off our butts to do something cool like that. And pretty much anything active like that. Thanks Alvin i'll miss you but hey i'll see you in 7 weeks. God Speed Elder!

And on to my second friend. The Exploder died today. Really i am heartbroken. That car and i have been through a whole lot but hopefully he can be fixed and come back to me. More to come on this later, but for now i am going to ride my bike to my little brothers baseball game.

The Best Super Hero Movie

2008-05-16T00:26:00.002-06:00

This is it folks. This is the post i have been talking about. First thanks to Lindsey for the idea. And also this might not be as good as you may be expecting. Preston was the movie guy, really that kid would surprise me each week with his movie Monday post i just loved it. But since he has been gone for 5 months I'm gonna step in on this one.

Rules must have already been released and i must have seen it. I've seen most of the super hero movies because well i love them, also if i didn't see it, it wouldn't make it on the list anyway. Also when i say super hero i generally mean comic book stuff. That is why batman and iron man are possibilities. Batman is not a super hero, you have no argument that can prove he is so get over it. He is a rich guy with issues and a vendetta against crime. No special powers, no mutations, just a lot of money and free time. And finally it must have been recently released. This rules out the old batman movies and superman although they are awesome they aren't in the running. That should about do it for the rules hope you enjoy, and if you don't agree let me know I'd love a discussion on this.

Alright first we need to have our options out there, if i miss anything let me know. Spider man (1 2 and 3), X-men (1 2 and 3), Batman Begins, Fantastic Four (1 and 2) Superman Returns, Iron Man, Daredevil, Hellboy, Hulk, Transformers. I realize that transformers is not a superhero movie but it counts cause i say it does. I think i got them all, i left off some of the lame ones that i have seen cause really there was no point plus it is kind of embarrassing that I've seen them.

From this list i am immediately getting rid of Spider man 3, both fantastic fours, Hulk, Daredevil and Hellboy, and Superman Returns. Why? well actually other then the whole Emo part in Spider man 3 i liked it but since when does turning emo make you an amazing dancer come on what a joke. Fantastic four 1 and 2 again actually liked these movies but they could have done such a better job with them. And Hulk was just a complete joke. I didn't help that i saw it at a drive-in but it was hard to follow and was a complete waste of my time. Hellboy was just weird fighting strange snake looking things and alien lions wow. Daredevil again wasn't bad but it just isn't up there for me. Superman Returns was good cause i love superman, but you can't have a superman movie where superman can't punch anyone because they are to weak and he would kill them. Superman needs someone to fight.

So this leaves behind Spider man (1 and 2) All three X-men, Batman Begins, Iron Man, and Transformers. The next to go is X-men three, really it was just its name, The last stand. They can't end it like that no way and the next one is just a wolverine spin off all i have to say is BOO!. Next i get rid of both Spider man 1 and X-men 1 both great shows but they get beat out by the others. Now it gets tough the 5 remaining shows are some of my favorite of all time. I'll tell you why and then just announce my winner.

Spider man 2: Spidey vs. Doc Oct, it doesn't get much better then that. I loved the fight scene. I loved pretty much everything besides the whole floating Cadillac in the sky scene. If that is what Heaven is I'll stay down here for awhile longer.

X-men 2: best opening scene in all of the comic book movies. Night Crawler kicking butt in the white house sweet. Plus some of the best fight scenes, and at the end with the for shadowing of the Phoenix, so much potential. I just loved it.

Batman Begins: I loved this show, i loved being able to watch batman be born it was such a cool thing for me to see. That is what really got it for me. Best line "where are the other drugs going!" just love that.

Iron Man: I could be that i just saw this twice but still it is so cool. Having suit that can dominate like that. Do you think i could take one on my mission. It would never wear out with daily use so I'd be set. And again watching where Iron Man comes from is so cool.

Transformers: Come on all i have to say is the name and your all freaking out. Awesome cars, Huge fights, Hot Girls, Big explosions. It is the perfect guy movie.

Alright the time has come. The winner is BATMAN BEGINS. I just love this show, ever since i saw it with my dad and brothers it has been one of my favorite shows just behind The Count of Monte Cristo. In fact i think I'll watch it tomorrow. Well here is the order my top 5 superhero/comic book moves go.
1. Batman Begins
2. Iron Man
3. Transformers
4. X-men 2
5. Spider man 2

There you have it folks. Iron Man will have to fight to keep its place i think I'm biased because i have just scene it, while the others it has been awhile. i was going to do a ton of pictures but it is late and this is long enough already sorry again but thanks for reading.

Just some thoughts

2008-05-14T00:45:00.003-06:00

Well it is pretty late and i should be asleep but i just got this urge to blog. I have no clue what i am going to blog about but i figure when i get the urge to do it i should otherwise who knows what will happen. I suppose I'll write about things that are or have been on my mind lately.

I need friends. i know, i know, i have friends but most of them are gone whether it be work missions or preparing for missions. And thanks to all of you who are still here that keep me sane you rock. The reason this has been on my mind lately is because about this time last year i was having the time of my life. Senior year was almost over i was done with AP tests and me and the guys were just having a blast. Everyday we would do something. In fact I'm not completely positive I'd have to go back into my journals and check but i think this time last year we were in the middle of nostalgia week. Everyday after school we would do something that we used to do when we were younger. This included baseball, kickball, football, wall ball, volleyball and of course when we would finish any of these activities we would top it off with swimming at Preston's house. It was glorious. I wish i could go back and relive it all cause it was prodigious. I miss my friends so much. I know that they are all doing what they should be doing, and hopefully when i get out there it won't be so bad. But right now it's killing me. Once again thanks to my friends who are here, and my family. I spend so much time down at the baseball field with my family that it sorta keeps my mind off my friends. But now my friends are all gone or getting ready to leave in the next few weeks and i am stuck here working till June 14th baby and I'm done. which leads me to my next point.

Work. well what can i say except work sucks without your best friend there to laugh at all the stupid things people do, and laugh at ourselves for all of our shenanigans and tom foolery. I can't wait to be done with that kind of work for two years. I get to do an even better kind of work. So here is my advice to you, work somewhere fun do something you like and if it isn't fun and you don't like it drag a friend along for the ride and it will make it fun.

Thanks listening to me be all sentimental, i promise a better blog soon I've got a sweet idea but it is gonna take some deep thought and research, ya its that cool.

Missionaries!!

2008-05-10T00:07:00.003-06:00

If Spencer promises he will deliver, i promise. Wow i thought that was really clever but anyway as i promised last night in my quick update i will tell you all about josh sending me the Book of Mormon. (note: from now on Book of Mormon will be referred to as B.O.M.) Also I'll throw in some other missionary stuff along the way.

Alright, so last night when i got back from my little brothers baseball game and walk through the doors the phone rings. Talk about the good Lord and timing. Well i see that the number is from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. At first i think it was my bishop trying to give me a calling till i leave, so i almost didn't answer it. Don't get me wrong i would love to have a calling, but just not in the young single adults. YSA and I don't gel, the whole 18-30 thing gets me, how bout we make it 18-25 i feel better about that. Anyway i ended up picking up the phone and on the other end is a nice oriental sister missionary. She never gave me her name so I'll call her Sister Y. Well Sister Y informed me that she was calling in behalf of my friend Elder Joshua Sponbeck. Except she didn't really say it like that. She said she was calling about Elder Sponbeck, when i heard this for some reason my mind immediately thinks of the worst thing, i don't know why it's a defect I'm trying it get rid of but it happens. Anyway when she explained that she was from the church and that she wanted to send me a B.O.M. in behalf of josh. I said sure cause hey i could use a free B.O.M. to give to someone else at some point, i figure I've got to get used to it cause it's what I'm gonna be doing for the next two years. Well she asked me if i had ever heard of the B.O.M. and i said yes that i had read it a several times and that i am a member. She laughed and said that since i already have a B.O.M. she wouldn't send me another, and then she challenged me to keep reading the B.O.M. and then reminded me to keep writing my friend Elder Sponbeck. When i hung up i just started to laugh out loud.

You see Sister Y may not have got it and you may not have got it in fact i didn't get it to begin with but it worked in a couple of ways. First josh let me know that he was still out there and i needed to write him again. I was doing really good for awhile then finals hit and all that so i stopped. Second it just added another funny experience for josh and i cause really we've had quite a few. And in a way i think it was josh letting me know that he is there and misses me like i miss him. Josh and I have been best friends since 7th grade. when i drove away the Sunday before he left, it was one of the hardest things for me to do. Josh has always been there for me no matter what was going on. he still is now but it just takes a lot longer. Letters are great to get but i can't tell you how many times something small happens to me and i just want to call josh and tell him, but i can't. And josh is out there working doing what he is supposed to do. That means if i send him a letter it could be as much as a month before i hear back from him. No good.

Well my missionary story is not over yet. about 10 minutes after i hung up Sister Y called back again. I guess on the referral card josh wanted me to give the missionaries a number for another friend that isn't a member so this person could get a B.O.M. from josh. So josh helps again by really getting me into the missionary attitude. Sister Y challenged me to say something to this friend that could change there life forever. So cool i can't wait till i get the chance to.

So i wrote josh a letter to tell him all about it, and i can't wait to hear what he has to say about it. One more thing for he and I to laugh about. Well all missionaries rock. I wanted to say more but i am really trying hard to keep my post shorter, doesn't seem to be working. But i can't wait to be a missionary it is what i have been living my whole life for and it is just around the corner. Keep it real world and look forward to some awesome posts. I've got some great ideas.

Quick Update

2008-05-09T00:35:00.002-06:00

I am alive but after my last few post being longer then the entirety of most peoples blogs i decided to take a break. Also this is gonna be short, more to come on some of it.
I solved our wireless router problem "The Day is mine!" Also i went through the Temple last Saturday and it was amazing, went again yesterday with a couple of the guys so choice. Saw Ironman, and have come to the conclusion that i am Ironman/will be him at some point, I'm currently working on my suit. Working a lot, have come to the realization that work sucks when your best friend isn't there with you all the time. And finally tonight i got a call from a sister missionary. I think she is either in the MTC or Temple Square. Elder Josh Sponbeck wants to send me a copy of the book of Mormon, long story short josh knows how to get to me. more to come on this i promise but alas (when i say that i feel like dumbledore/pre J.K. Rowling making him gay, what was up with that?) i have work in the wee hours of the morning and must enter into a period of sleep. Keep it classy world. (Anchorman what a great show!)

Me/soon to be me

Josh wants to send me one of these, i wonder what it is?

Why Am I Still Married To Technology?

2008-05-01T00:55:00.005-06:00

Look at me world. I said that i might not blog as often now that I'm home but then i realized that i don't sleep. I just sit and stare for awhile till i give up, then what do i do? of course write a blog especially when somethings on my mind. And that thing is technology. I like to think i know a thing or two about technology. Key word "THINK!"

I am in a seriously messed up relationship with technology sometimes i really really love it to the point that i would marry it. But then we get in a fight, it does something bad to me, and i do something bad to it. It's a vicious circle really. And just think of the messy divorce that would come from it. And think of our creepy technosapien children. (technosapien is a cross between technology and a human) Anyway the point is technology loves to piss me off.

For example this semester when i realized that my hard drive on my laptop was nearly full i decided to purchase an external hard drive to keep all my music on and to have it there to store away when i go on my mission. Well i got it and put everything on and it worked great... then of course it had to go and make me mad. It started to make this weird clicking/buzzing noise then it would just disconnect from my computer. Well i have tried most everything next to taking it somewhere and letting them do something about it. Well it still works for me but only when it feels like it and then it will shut off right when I'm in the middle of something awesome, like the cure for cancer and world peace. I am convinced i could figure them out if technology just worked for me.

Next example. My dad brought home a wireless router like 6 months ago, but because our computer moved like a college student going to class in the dead of winter when it is 8000 degrees below zero we couldn't set it up. What I'm trying to say was it was slow and was on the verge of death. We just got a new computer so my dad and i started what we thought would be the easy task of setting up our wireless network. Well an hour later we were stuck at the same point, and i swear to you it is not user error i checked, double checked, rechecked the double check, and then checked again just for good measure. Every time the same thing wouldn't let us pass and we were stuck. So my dad went to bed, but me with my insane inner drive to get back at technology by bettering it spent another 45 minutes searching every possible way i could get it to work. But technology prevails and once again I'm left with the raising our technosapien children alone.

I realize that we still have the cable connection and all that jazz, but with the wireless i have freedom plus we can connect the Nintendo Wii and xbox 360 to it and for the next 2 months i can destroy people all around the world in Mario kart and super smash brothers, come on how cool is that. Anyway eventually I'll figure it out/ my dad will ask the geniuses at his work and they'll figure it out for us.

I realize that all I've done is rail on technology but really we all love it. Because if we didn't have it i couldn't have posted this for all to read. Also when you figure something out it is such a great feeling. For example when i got home yesterday i began to put things away. For things like the TV fridge microwave and other such items i needed to take them into what i have come to call the black whole. The black whole is supposed to be an exercise room. cue hysterical laughter. But really we might as well be running a used electronics shop. We have a couple TVs a record player and a ton of accessories to computers including 2 monitors. So i took one of the monitors and have successfully set up a duel display. You know like in the stores when they have a ton of screens showing what is being filmed on the camera, kind of like that. Basically on my laptop screen right now i am writing this, while on the monitor i hooked up i would have my iTunes displayed playing my favorite tunes, if my hard drive didn't hate me so much. It's pretty sweet!

So without technology we couldn't do a ton of things we take for granted. And yet agian, I'm forced back into my horrible marriage with technology one more time. Here's hoping :) Once agian i prove that i short or even average length post is impossible to me.

It's Not Goodbye it's See Ya Later

2008-04-29T08:48:00.002-06:00

Alright folks get this, as of this exact moment i am packing up my room completely to move back home. So exciting! Anyway i don't believe in Goodbyes i came to that realization the start of this school year. Why did i come to that realization? Well what with me leaving home which was actually pretty tough because i am really close with my family especially my mom. And all my friends were leaving me. Whether it was to other schools or missions they were are packin up and heading out. So i decided then and there that it is never a goodbye but a see ya later. I said it to my 3 best friends when they left on there missions and i say it to everybody because i know that no matter what i will see you all again.

So let me tell you my plan when i came up here. Pretty much just chill by myself till the weekends when i could go home and chill with the guys. Well i pretty much did that but i made some awesome friends that "saying see ya later" to is not gonna be as easy as i thought.

So this post is a shout out to all my Logan friends. There are not many, but i have never had a ton of friends cause all i need is a few solid ones and i'm set. So this post goes out to Rose Nate Daniel Kyle and Ellen cause frankly i think your the only ones from logan that read this so if anybody else up in Logan reads this its for you as well. Also yes this goes out to Daniel although he headed out after fall semester i still had rockin times with him. And Kyle because really this year wouldn't have been the same without kyle chasing me down the hall and tackling after an especially heated game of ping pong. For those of you who don't know the story check out my Ping Pong post. It is a pretty early post but i promise you it's worth the read. Alright here are some things that i will miss or just won't ever be the same.

Ping Pong: this is where it all happened if you never witnessed a game i'm sorry
Dinner: 5:00 o'clock on the dot no matter what. Thats how we did it.
Wal-mart runs: at all hours of the day especially those 3:00 am runs those rocked
Slurpee runs: i love slurpees and when we would hit up the 7-11 it was awesome
Jamba runs: Last night we took our last jamba run sad day i know but wow i love that place
Hallways: That's right i will never look at a hallway in the same way playing frisbee, bowling, and duels with ping pong balls, hallways will never be the same.
Naps: something about my dark room naps really got to me. I don't know that i'll ever take another nap as satisfying as those.
Scrubs: We watched this show at least 2 hours a day i promise well at least i did.
the office: watching it on the projector was choice i'll miss that
House: for a couple weeks we had house marathons it was awesome
Movie Monday: a tradition we started last christmas and it went on ever since. we watched some awesome movies and it was always a party.
The Colbert Report: watching this with nate was a daily ritual if we didn't get our Colbert fix it was a rough day.
Nates laugh: come on i am gonna go through withdrawls without that thing to bad i never got a recording of it. Come to think of it nate coughing up crap all the time.
staying up way to late: like those times we stayed up till 3:00-5:00 am when we had class the next morning.
oranges: i'll never look at an orange in the same way, oh the orange game what a delight.
fortune cookies: man those things dictated my life i tell you.
Music: i pretty much had music going 24/7 cause my stereo and iPod were always right there and plugging them in wasn't a problem. but at home sure i'll have my ipod but it just won't be the same.
And last but not least... Blogging: I promise i'll do it at home but the frequency might go down a bit. But really it is never gonna be the same as it was this year.

Alright i thought about a lot of these things last night while i was trying to get to sleep so if i forgot something let me know. But i had a blast this year and i'll always remeber these things but they just won't be the same. Thanks to all of you. You really helped me out this year in more ways then you may know. I'll miss it and all of you but like i say it's not goodbye it's see ya later.

The End hahahahahaha

2008-04-28T12:28:00.002-06:00

That is right world i am so done with school for 2 years. I took my biology final this morning and lets just say i felt like punching one of my professors in the face. Holy crap he was so nitpicky on like 2 subjects, what a flippin joke. But it feels good to be done and back into the blogging world. I really had such a hard time restraining myself from wasting time on here. But i did it, and we'll see how it paid off in a couple days. Oh i do have one more final tomorrow morning at 7:30 what a joke no one should be up that early to take a test. But it is for creative arts and really that class is such a joke i just hope i can pull an A out of it. But can you believe it world i am so done with school now the only thing really on my mind is serving a mission. I can't wait i have a feeling that this summer is going to be really long until July 9th hopefully not but we'll see.

So i have pretty much packed up my room ready to go home tomorrow. It is kind of a bittersweet day cause i am so happy to be done with school but at home all my best friends are either on missions or leaving pretty quick here. So i guess some of you will be seeing a lot of me cause i have no one else to bug. Don't you just love it.

Okay here is an update on my life for the last week. Pretty much i studied and played ping pong. I went to my last acedemic lecture for 2 years last friday and it was such an amazing feeling walking out of that auditorium. Also i went to my last mission prep class. That class was one of my favorite parts of the week. If you are up at Utah State take an Institute class from Brother Black he is such and awesome teacher. He has fun but he'll tell you whats up as well i loved it. Also i watched my last episode of the office and scrubs with nate and rose that was cool i guess. For those of you who don't know I love the office and scrubs they are definitely my favs as of the moment. Oh and of course i took my last dark room nap. For those of you wondering what the heck a dark room nap is, well, it is the most glorius thing ever. In my Apt. we have a common room and it doesn't have any windows so you shut the doors and turn of the lights and it is just prodigious. When i sleep i really need it to be dark sometimes the smallest bit of light will drive me crazy, so i really loved my naps. And last i hit a big time 90's music phase. So i'm a big fan of that. But world keep it up i think i'm gonna go and i don't know do cartwheels down the hall or somthing.

A Leave of Absence

2008-04-21T18:42:00.002-06:00

Well world i apologize but this blog will most likely be my last till Wednesday the 30th. As it were finals are just around the corner and i will be living the life of a hermit. That is right i will be hiding in my room studying as hard as i possibly can out of fear of loosing my scholarship. Although if while studying an amazing blog comes to my mind i will post it but my bet is the only things on my mind for the next week and a half will be Biology and Econ. So if your desperate for some of your daily "me" go ahead and read some of my old posts, by old I'm talking like day 1 and so forth but if not i understand. Good luck with your endeavors for the next week and a half and wish me luck.

Explosion of Thought

2008-04-20T00:54:00.002-06:00

This post is going to be like when you throw stuff at a wall and certain things stick and other things don't, so pretty much just a random cluster of thoughts hope you enjoy.

So I'm pretty sure that i begin to go through blog with drawls. I don't even want to know what it will be like when I'm out serving the Lord and i can't blog when something crosses my mind, or i can't go and read whats going on in my friends lives. So that means that: first I'm gonna have to keep a list of cool blog entries for when i get back and also that you people out there are going to have to write me so i know whats up.

It just hit me to day that my finals are right on the doorstep, and i am no where near ready. This is not a good thing because i need to rock my finals in order to keep my scholarship. So world if you happen to see me next week and i am not either studying, going to class, or eating, yell at me and threaten to do something horrible to me unless i don't go back to studying. I'm serious cause if you don't I'll blame my loss of scholarship on you, and you'll pay 75% of my tuition for the next 2 years. I'm really just looking for a scapegoat, but I'm serious don't mess with me. Anyway I'm am mildly freaking out i suppose a week from now i will be trying to suppress my ulcers but we'll see.

Also this Friday was great, i jut did some pretty random stuff. And that is cool. We played Frisbee in the hallway in my building, we bowled in the hallway, we playing ping pong and pretty much anything else that is completely random in a hallway. It was awesome, I'll miss those days when random is all i need but can't really have. Also just on a completely random note (how many times do you think i can use the word random in this post, I'm mean wow) the office was awesome on Thursday, go Kevin and way to go Jim i am so excited i get to see the rest of this season out.

One more thing i would like to point out to you readers, i love movies which means i generally would see most everything that is coming out but due to lack of funds the last movie i saw that i payed for was I Am Legend, and the last movie i saw that someone else payed for was Enchanted ya it's been that long. Ergo you should all take me to movies because i can't afford to see them. Just kidding, you can if you want but I'm pretty sure eventually I'll find a way to see them. But, i recently came to the realization that money isn't everything, and so what if my bank account starts to become empty. I want those experiences that I'll enjoy forever. What the heck does it say about a person when they have lots of money in there bank account but never spend any of it. And miss out on those experiences. But i probably won't really follow this principle until late in life when i will just spend all my money cause I'm gonna die soon. BOO, that is what i have to say to that, I want to spend my money now. It is like those commercials on TV "It's my money and i want ti now!" But with me its "It's my money and i want to spend it now!" Stupid college taking my money, stupid government taking my money, stupid gas and cell phone bill... Oh to live for two years and not have to worry about money, i long for a day like that... Wait a minute, a day like that is coming in 80 days, i just counted, alright! So here is me being preachy for today, don't hoard all you money go out and spend some have fun and enjoy life.

NOTE: I still hate school for sucking away all of the money i will ever make for the next 7 plus years.

Well that was just like an explosion of thoughts. As Preston called them "mind grapes" a cluster of thoughts sometimes completely unrelated, but it's what comes to mind.

The Oh So Unpredictable Mother Nature

2008-04-16T14:37:00.003-06:00

World, can i just say i love Mother Nature. She is always keeping things interesting. Today i experienced yet another different form of weather. I was walking to my Billiards class at the Fieldhouse, and it was cloudy outside but the sun was poking through in several spots. Well all of a sudden is starts to snow/hail. It was like hail but it was light like snow so it kinda just fell down in little balls. The thing about it though was that it carried with it the fresh scent of rain. Don't you just love the smell of rain? I do it is just beautiful. So today i experienced a sunny snow/hail storm with the fresh scent of rain. How absolutely wonderful.

Well to show how unpredictable mother nature can be let me explain what the weather has been like this week in wonderful Logan Utah. Monday was absolutely amazing as explained in my last post. It was sunny blue skies and a slight breeze. Just amazing. Then on Tuesday we dropped 30 or so degrees and it was cold and snowy. I loved it. Those snowy days in April mean so much. First it reminds you what you just went through during winter so we need to appreciate those warm days. Next it lets you see the beauty of snow again, we won't see it for awhile i would say after this week. I just love it. Some people choose to be a downer on a day like yesterday, and to those people i say boo. If you don't like it go live somewhere else. Spring in Utah is just something you've got to love. And don't get me wrong i can't wait till it is bright and sunny and warm, but enjoy everything. Roll with the punches. That is kind of a new philosophy I'm trying to adopt. And of course today's sunny snow/hail storm with the fresh scent of rain. Life is an adventure. Enjoy it, go with whats given you and make the best of it. When you look back you'll be happy with what you did.

Another Viable Cure

2008-04-14T14:32:00.002-06:00

World i have done it. That's right i have come up with another viable cure for the epidemic that is sweeping the world. Mondaymisotisis is treatable. You all have heard of my other ideas for cures, if not just go and read my post titled "A Case of the Mondays" and you'll know. But on to the cure. All it takes is and Beautifully sunny day + happy tunes + letter from a good friend. I know that the Beautifully sunny day doesn't happen as often as we all would like. But today well i can't even believe that I'm even blogging it is such an amazing day outside. But we will have to find something equally as good as a sunny day to substitute for it when a sunny day is not available. And letters don't always come on mondays but just give a good friend a call and talk to them.

Anyway today is just amazing. Even though i have finals to worry about and one more test before them nothing could phase me on this Monday. Usually everything would phase me on a Monday but with my cure all is well. I woke up and thought crap Mondaymisotisis strikes yet again but then i went to breakfast and enjoyed breakfast then it was bright and sunny outside wow then in my econ class we are done with all new material amazing. And folks with the help of my good friend iPod and my even better friend guitar i was doing great. Then i went and checked my mailbox and i got a letter for Brock. I have been sending that kid letters for the last 3 weeks with no reply. Even about my mission call still no reply. But today i got it. It was so good to hear from him. He is doing great! Then i sent him a massive 5 page letter. it felt so good! Brock is one of the few people that i can tell anything and he'll come back in a way only he could. so i can't wait to hear from him again. For those of you who don't know Brock, well I'm sorry. He is the best. Like i say he is one of my best friends and i can talk to Brock about anything. He may laugh or joke about what i have to say but sometimes that lets me know just how retarded i am being. And hopefully I'll be able to see him before shipping of the Germany for 2 years. My family is planning a trip to California before i leave and we'll be right by where Brock is so I'm gonna find him and i don't know what but you better believe I'm gonna find him.

So here is how we get the cure to work. First be a part of the cure. Send your friends letters or call them on Mondays. I realize that in order for a letter to be received on a Monday you'll probably have to send it Thursday or Friday or earlier depending on where it is going but just do it. Even if you are suffering yourself hearing the voice of a good friend is one of the best things to happen. Talk to them. For me there are few people left that i can just call and talk about anything so i am forced to write letters. But for those of you who have good friends that can talk to you do it, it works wonders. Plus you'll miss it when you can no longer give them a call. Second always have music going. Music makes everything better. Most times i play music to suit the mood that I'm in but not if your trying to cure Mondaymisotisis. Even if you feel crappy listen to happy upbeat music. Or music that speaks to your soul. And then of course go outside and enjoy the warm weather. Days like today are few and far between. World go out and enjoy it.

Baseball

2008-04-12T01:32:00.003-06:00

I know what your all saying right now. "Baseball... Baseball what a joke!" Or something to that extent, because really who likes baseball now-a-days. ME! That's right i love it. And to you who say boo to America's Pastime well America says boo to you. But really i think i have professed my love for baseball in other blogs. The point of this blog is to let you know that I'm just like you that's right, and you'll see why.

First off I'm right there with all of you when you say that watching it is so boring. But i add to that by saying watching it on TV is boring. There is exceptions to that. If it is two really good teams and it is a really good game, you'll usually know by the end of the first couple innings. And if it is the World Series. No ifs ands or buts. Although no matter how bad the game is, seeing a game in person cannot be rivaled. Generally by this i mean Professional but it goes for everything Little League, which i will profess my love for later, Babe Ruth, High School, College, Farm Leagues, Double A, Triple A, that should just about cover it. All of these games are made better by actually being there. For those of you who don't like baseball i have a challenge for you. Go to a MLB game. But don't just go, go with someone who knows the game, preferably me if your paying, and go with an open mind. If after, you still at least don't accept the sport i applaud your efforts for enduring 9 innings of a sport you don't like, but i might still yell at you for not liking it.

That right there is Busch Stadium, home of the greatest team ever. The St. Louis Cardinals

On to my next reason why baseball is great. Well it gets so much crap for being slow or lazy or things like that. All i have to say is talk to a scientist about how hard it is to hit a round ball with a round bat at speeds as high as 110 MPH. It is pretty dang hard. Skill wise baseball is the hardest game also rules i think are pretty hard cause there are so many. I will give you credit on the lazy sport thing. But up in the mind it is the most difficult. I give props to soccer players football basketball and everything else cause you people work hard and your sports are awesome plus all that continual running is killer, although playing Ultimate at a Collegiate level as let me experience the whole running continual thing so after awhile it isn't that bad. And to those of you who say it is slow, yes it's pretty slow, but not while you actually playing. I admit at times it seems slow but it really isn't.

Next: Little League. That's right folks little league baseball is the greatest thing ever invented. I played soccer, basketball, football, the works. And baseball is at the top. I know that now and thought that while i was playing. Granted the only soccer, basketball, and football i played was through Murray rec. But that was all the baseball i played. Organization was better, while i was there team unity was great. I played with the same core group of guys from the time i was 8 till i was 12. I never experienced that with any other sport. And pretty much the most intense games i ever played in or ever saw have been Little League games. Those kids are out there just having fun and trying to win and it gets pretty intense at times. I absolutely love it.

Murray Little League Baseball, the best!

Not the Four-a-Diamonds at good old Grant park but it'll do.

So pretty much i love baseball. I am gonna miss it for the next two years but luckily it is my little brothers last year in little league. So the next time that i can watch one of those games without being called a "creepy guy who gets way into games where no one he knows is playing" is when I've got kids playing, and hopefully I'll be coaching them. Give baseball a break. They try hard and no one gives it a chance. I give major props to other sports. I don't like to watch soccer on TV but going to an actual game is amazing and playing is really fun, i just suck at it. And well i don't know of many people who don't like watching Basketball or Football. Well just kidding my mom hates football, and i only got really into it because of fantasy. But that's besides the point. Basically love all sports and give all sports a chance they each have something fun to offer. Don't be Haters world, be Lovers. Any questions on baseball or anything i would be happy to answer, especially if you right now profess to dislike baseball. Keep it up world, till next time.

Note: I pretty much hate country music. But this song by Kenny Rogers is a great baseball song, plus everyday in health senior year Josh would say "Hey Dodge, wanna hear an awesome song?" and everytime it was this song. Also i have never listened to the whole thing, but from what i have heard and from what josh says about it, it has to be good. Also Winter by Joshua Radin is just a sweet song.

A HUGE Test

2008-04-10T16:35:00.002-06:00

Shoot world that is really all i can say. Today my good friend Rose sent me a message on facebook. Well pretty much that message said: John Mayer is coming and you can't go because you can't HAHAHAH! K that's not really what it said but it might as well have. Pretty much John Mayer is coming on July 21st ya really can you believe it. He comes 13 days after i report the the MTC. Pretty much i have wanted to see John Mayer live since the begining of time, seriously this is how i think it went down. Me and John chillin in the pre-existence...

Me: John i hear your going to be an awesome musician down on earth.
John: Ya that is the plan.
Me: Well it looks like we'll be down there about the same time.
John: That's cool
Me: Ya i think i am going to be one of your biggest fans.
John: Awesome
Me: Ya i can't wait to see you live.
John: I'll be there, i won't remember you, but i'll be there.
Me: Sweet, just make sure you play in Salt Lake while i'll be there, and can go.
John: Well we'll see, i don't think i'll have much control over that.
Me: Oh... well just try.
John: I will.
So that is basically how i see it, well then john and i play some sweet music and head on our way.

Ya so lets just say i'm pretty dissapointed. I know it's bad cause really i'll be doing what i have dreamt about forever, serving the Lord full time. But i can't help it, i also miss Jack Johnson but thats by like a month so it doesn't cut as deep. So world that was my first big test of my desire to go on a mission, i suppose i passed but with a few misses here and there. So if you really want to make me happy go to the show then write me in the MTC telling me that it was the worst show ever and that it was a good thing i missed it. Also to please me beyond all belief have a ticket for me in two years to see John play the most amazing show ever... you know i'll be there.

Keep it real world and note to world: If anything else amazing is going to happen right after i enter the MTC keep it on the DL till at least i'm in the MTC even better would be while in in Germany Thousands of miles away.

Germany isn't it about time.

2008-04-07T14:38:00.005-06:00

Before i get to the topic of this post i have a couple of things I need to say. First Mondaymisotisis strikes again, i am really starting to worry hopefully when school gets out I'll recover before my mission. Second well i forgot what it was but it will come up later. Now onto my Germany post, well actually i never really knew what this post was going to contain so I'm just going to wing it. Hope you enjoy.

Well world i am going to Germany in about 21 1/2 weeks about. I account for my waiting time before the MTC and then in the MTC so that should be pretty close. So it turns out that the mission president in my packet will not even be there when i get out. So that is pretty cool I'll come in and have one mission president my whole two years. I'm pretty excited about that. But the mission president in my packet was a professor of German art and Literature. I thought that was pretty intense. We'll see what my president will be like when i get out there.

There is a Temple in my mission, so hopefully I'll be able to go to the temple, that would be awesome. Also on a completely random note, there is a Wingers in my mission. Ya i know pretty cool, cause wingers is really just in Utah Idaho and Oregon so there is one over on the air force base i think. But I'm pretty excited cause i really love wingers.

So for some reason the picture wouldn't work so if you really want to see it just google it.
Frankfurt Germany Temple

So my cousin served in this exact mission like 13 or so years ago I'm not exactly sure but he loved it. He said that it was very clean. So when i picture Germany I picture walking into Fantasy Land in Disneyland. Why you may ask? Well Disneyland is really clean and Fantasy Land has castles and old buildings so ya, if you want to try and picture my mission picture Fantasy Land.

This is Fantasy land in Disneyland.

This is actually Frankfurt. (just compare the two it's basically the same thing!)

So ya really i am just so excited, maybe later on i will give some more pertinent information. If there are any questions or request for German info just let me know then it will make it easier on me.

Just Do It

2008-04-06T02:26:00.003-06:00

How much do you think Nike makes every time someone says that phrase? Just a thought i mean really everybody knows it well pretty much everybody knows it there is always a few out there but seriously. Well that is not what i wanted to talk about really i just wanted to say Conference was great today. I actually took notes and listened intently. I loved it. So when it comes to watching conference just do it. Even if your not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The council given is a worldwide council. Love one another, Give service, be righteous. All those things. I recently have come to realize that if it is good it's of God so as long as the person is saying stuff that is good then it is of God it doesn't matter if there Black, White, Purple, Aqua Marine (what a fun color), LDS, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, or any other kind of religion or race or whatever. If it is good it's of God. Well that was me being preachy for the second time today, i believe i am over my quota.

But what i really wanted to say is please go read John Mayer's Blog. Just click on the link to the right of this post really it is worth the extra 5 minutes it may take. For those of you who don't know i really really really love John Mayer. His music "Speaks to my Soul" (Ellen you really should of put a Trademark on that term cause if not I'm going to keep using it) He is the greatest guitarist of my generation. Yes i said it i don't care who you are i know his early stuff was kind of pop lets sell some albums type of stuff, but really sit down and try to play his stuff and tell me he isn't really good.

Also his lyrics really speak to me. Stop this Train is a prime example. I first really started to listen to that song right as I was graduating from High School and starting college. Friends were going on missions i was getting ready to go all these major changes in my life. It really spoke to me. Pretty much the whole Continuum Album spoke to me. I went out and bought the sheet music to it and the preface to the music really say's it all. (if you ever want to see it let me know) So that was my John Mayer Pitch. And like i say Just Do it! Read his last blog entry it really spoke to me, like all his stuff does.

Some Words I Like

2008-04-03T12:03:00.003-06:00

So i have wanted to do this post for quite sometime. So instead of doing my Germany post I'll do this one right now. But don't you fret world... my Germany post will come. Also congrats to Fielder for the call to serve in the Rapid City South Dakota mission. He is gonna tear it up. Well onto the words.

Shenanigans: I just love to say this word it is so funny, also it is hilarious to hear someone use it for real, like when someone in charge of you says "Enough of these shenanigans!" I mean come on if someone tells me that i just laugh and continue on with my shenanigans.

Tom Foolery: When used in conjunction with the above word you are just asking for it. I often like to use then together as a joke, cause really if you use them not as a joke well you are a joke.

Bubbles: Just say it and really pronounce those B's it always makes me happy.

Inconceivable: Really it is just because of Princess Bride but for those of you who went to good old Murray High and knew Mr. Wood just picture him saying it. It gets me every time.

Brilliant: This is just an all around good word. When i think of it i either see a British person saying it like (think British accent) "That was brilliant really brilliant." Also i think of those Guinness commercials you know "Hot Wings BRILLIANT!!" or "Sports Bar BRILLIANT!!"

Literally: I really just like this word because for the longest time i could not say it. Literally I'm not kidding you i could not say it. So when i could say it, it was really cool.

Quintessential: Really it is just a cool word like this is the quintessential collection of novels.

Gym-a-cafi-torium: Some may say this is not a real word but for those of you who say that it is a synonym for Multipurpose room. Just think in elementary school you used the Multipurpose room for a gym, a cafeteria and an Auditorium. On an unrelated note don't you remember that room always smelling so bad.

And the last word for now is really a lot of words. Pretty much any word where the plural ends in an I. Like Octupi as in lots of Octopus or LexI as in the plural for Lexus or anything like that. They are just really fun to say. So world what are some of you favorite words. Look forward to more of my favorite word posts and my Germany post. Keep it real World, and watch conference this weekend, it is gonna be awesome!

A Case of the Mondays

2008-03-31T14:56:00.004-06:00

World just say it with me I HATE MONDAY'S, good let it all out. All that pent up hatred towards the first day of the week, it's good for you self-esteem. On Mondays nothing is ever accomplished no matter how hard you try things just don't get done. For example right now i should be studying for my Biology test but because it's Monday it just isn't happening oh no.

Let me tell you something world, for the last few Mondays i have woken up and felt terrible, then the whole day just seems to be a waste. Some may say that my over exertion during the weekends is what cause this. To them i say NAY! I suffer from what those in the medical field call Mondaymisotisis (Mon-day-my-so-ty-sis)also known as Mondayitis. This is an epidemic sweeping the nation. Only recently has it been shown that it is a real disease. Those who suffer from Mondaymisotisis feel sick and extremely groggy when they wake up. Whether that be at 9:00 or 1:00 it is always the same. Also for these people Mondays are always filled with a whole load of crap useless classes dumb homework assignments... the works. The skies are darker, it snows when it is supposed to be warm (both literally and figuratively)food doesn't taste the same, people around you accentuate your already negative mood. And those are just a few.
(note: i enjoy the snow, but not when it's just about April)

People if you suffer from any combination of those symptoms and the many more there is help. But in order for this help to come we must band together and get Mondays removed from the calender all together. Some of you say that will never work then Tuesday would just feel like Monday and pretty soon we wouldn't have any days of the week. Well to you nay sayers here is another proposal. The weekend should be extended to Monday. Here is what would happen. You would still have to go to work or school or whatever you do with your Mondays, but it would always be a party. That way people would look forward to Mondays. No work is required. If you choose to do work then hey it's your choice and then your that much ahead for Tuesday when real work is required. I believe this is the solution to this epidemic sweeping the nations.

Clinical trials have begun on monkeys but they just don't get it so it's going no where fast. I propose we start immediate trials on Humans, and i volunteer myself for the studies. Don't worry about me world I'll be okay but meanwhile try not to let your Mondaymisotisis take over. Remember Tuesday is only a day away. For those of you who consistently feel the same on Tuesday as you do on Monday, you either are clinically depressed, ill, or suffer from nothing. Either way you should really get that checked out.

A Few of My Favorite Things/People....

2008-03-30T01:11:00.003-06:00

Well world as usual before i get into my post i have some business i need to take care of. First off sorry if the video didn't work. It worked when i uploaded it and previewed my post but it wouldn't show up in the actual post so sorry, I'll keep trying but it doesn't look to good. Next thank you readers for your congratulations and excitement for my call. It really means a lot you guys rock. Also thank you readers for leaving comments. It always helps to be reminded that people might care what you have to say. Also on the mission front, i will be posting some stuff about my mission so you guys will know all about it, but not today. Well that takes care of business on to what i really want to say.

Like the title says world, I will be telling you a very small portion of my favorite things, in fact really just one aspect. And that is Friends. World i have the best friends in the entire world. Just some examples from this weekend. I get down to M-town and it is windy wow, first thought "Dang it is way to windy to play Frisbee :(" Second thought "But it is a great day to fly a kite!!!:)" I love flying kites. There is just something about it that makes me feel free. Also whenever i fly kites i always give a couple people a call Ellen and Brooke. I love those two girls so much. This is the second time we have flown kites together and i wouldn't trade it for the world. Thanks lady's! But on to friends and why i love them. When i went to go fly my kite i gave Ellen a call and she showed up right away. Then i called Brooke she didn't answer but sure enough she showed up. Even if it only was for a few minutes she was still there. That is just one example of why my friends are so great. They are always there when you need them. So thanks.

Moving on to that night. Well it has become sort of a tradition to get the guys together (the few of us that remain) and have a going away sleep over the weekend before they leave. Well that is what we did. Field opened up his house and he Wessmen Spencer and I just chilled. Coleton was missed but the kid needed sleep. Well this night it really hit me just how few of us our left. Up until now it really has seemed that there was still a lot of the guys to hang with, well this weekend it really hit me. But you wanna know what? Those remaining guys are always there to have a good time. Thanks a ton guys i don't know what I'd do without you.

Because of how few of us our left, it really makes me miss everybody. Especially Josh Brock Preston and Alvin (Alvin isn't gone yet but he might as well be, he actually spends time at his college). Those kids are my best friends in the whole world! We were always doing something, whether that was chillin at "the place" or Preston's basement or sitting in front of a blazing fire in the middle of august at Brock's we were always there for each other. And we still are. I have started to write josh Brock and Preston weekly to let them know whats up and they always let me know how things are going. Alvin and i talk every once and a while, maybe not as often as we should. I hate talking on the phone. But we still talk and hang out occasionally. All i can say is the lord better keep me really busy the next two years cause not being able to talk or see these guys just might kill me.

And last but not least Ultimate. I know that some of you may be sick of me going on and on about ultimate Frisbee, but i love it so much and some of my best friends love it to. Here is a quick shout out to Ellen (again), Lindsay (i never knew Lindsay as well mostly through Frisbee and josh, but she is awesome), and Jason. You guys rock thanks for always playing, and you are a few of my favorite people. I was going to use things but that is kind of weird as they all are people.

So that sorta came out like i wanted it to but it is 1:36 in the AM and i did play Ultimate for 2 and 1/2 hours so can you blame me if my mind isn't functioning properly? Keep it real world and thanks.

Opening of the Call

2008-03-27T16:52:00.004-06:00

Here is the video of me opening my call. Please read the entry below it before you watch the movie!!!!

Mission Here I Come!!!!!!!

2008-03-26T22:02:00.002-06:00

World the day has come. After 18 years of waiting it is finally here. For those of you who don't know it is the Germany Frankfurt Mission. I will be speaking German obviously and I report to the Provo MTC on the 9th of July. Thanks to Preston these are the odds that I would have been called to Germany 1:67 Germany-5 Total. World i can't even believe it. I have waited my whole life for this moment and now it is here and i am in total shock. So the drive down was intense. I got the call that it was here at 1:30pm and i left at 2:36pm believe me you'll see in the pictures. So never did the thought cross my mind that i would go to Germany. I was thinking Asia or the Islands something like that but Germany I am so FLIPPIN' EXCITED!!!! My cousin served in that same mission like 10 or so years ago and he said it was amazing. I cannot even wait. I guess those 3 years of German in Jr. High and High School were there for a reason. I am always using German words here and there so now instead of saying random German words i will be able to yell complete conversations in German. So here are some pictures chronicling the event. (note: All pictures taken in car were while the car was stopped)

This is me freaking out in my car

When I left, longest hour and 40 minutes of my life

Oh how I loath traffic

The Time I pulled into the driveway

The Call!!!

That's me Elder Spencer Wallace Rogers

It's Official

Holding the most important envelope of my life

Waiting (not so patiently)

Agian waiting (not so patiently)

Opening the Envelope with Meine Mutti (German for my mom)

And the grand finale a video of me actually opening my call. First off i must warn you my 12 year old brother is filming and didn't quite know how to stand still, next i am the first to admit it I'm a baby so there are tears. Up to the opening I was so excited i just felt like jumping around screaming, but as you'll see, as soon as i read "Dear Elder Rogers" it hit me that this was really happening, that was the moment that i realized what was going on. Something i have dreamt about forever and the only way my body could handle the complete shock were tears of elation (big word in other words Joy) So i apologize for the tears it happens again when i read where i will be serving and then when it said "You have been recommended as one worthy to represent the Lord as a minister of the restored gospel." I guess that i have just worked so hard for this moment when it said that, i was so happy i could barely get it out. For the next hour or so when i would tell people i would choke up cause well it's really happening. So here it is. Scratch that, the video up loader wouldn't work so i had to go without for now. But i will keep trying to post it so look for that but hopefully the above paragraph explains kind of what it was like. Sorry this didn't get posted last night, and sorry there is no video but like i said I'll keep trying. I'm going to Germany world!!!!!

IT'S HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-03-26T13:39:00.000-06:00

Yes world that is right, my call as of this exact moment is sitting on my kitchen table at home. What am i thinking right now? Well why the heck am i writing a blog and not on the road going home to open it. All i have to do is check into my last class of the day and i am on my way down to open that sucker. World i am so excited. This is probably the most excited i have ever been in my life. I mean this call will change my life forever and i am so stoked. So tonight world look for a post cause here i come world Spencer Rogers is going on a mission!!!!

T-minus 24 hours and counting...(hopefully)

2008-03-25T15:05:00.000-06:00

Well a couple of things first. I hope everybody likes my addition of a music player and also the new colors and what not i updated. If not let me know cause I'm open for changes. Also like my title says hopefully I'll have my call tomorrow. I am really hoping and praying it comes tomorrow cause if not, and it comes the next Wednesday i won't be able to open it cause my Dad will be in London. So keep your fingers crossed world. Well enough business on to what i really wanted to say.

So this blog kind of ties together my last two blogs. Here is the story. Last night i wasn't in a very good mood so i decided i would go to bed at a decent hour, for me that means 11:00. Well i did but as i was sort of half asleep i just heard these lyrics come to me and music as well. It was so cool. I jumped up grabbed the pen that is always right by me when i sleep and luckily i had a blank piece of paper right there as well. So i wrote down the line thinking that i would write that line down and then work on it tomorrow. Well i laid back down and closed my eyes and then more lyrics came to me. This is so odd because generally i will come up with the tune and then try to put lyrics to it. But the lyrics came to me along with the music. The only problem is that i don't know quite how to put that music to my guitar. In fact i think that it is more of a piano song. This adds even more problems. I don't really play piano, i mean i can read the top hand alright but that is about it. Also i figured out this sweet string bass line to it, well another problem. I don't own or play bass. I am sure if i had one I could figure out what i wanted cause it is pretty easy but oh well. Anyway so for the next half hour or so i worked on this song. It was just a really cool thing to happen to me cause like i said in my last post i am never really happy with my lyrics and they generally don't come to me all that well. So world i am going to post what i came up with. It is kind of simple and it is not done yet so hear it is:

Do you know what it means
To only live in dreams
(repeat)

chorus
Dreams are always there
Dreams are all you need
You know what it means
To only live in dreams

Everything you need is only a dream away
The car, the house, the job, the it's girl all there
That is what it means
To only live in Dreams

She was always there
You saw her when you slept
She lives in your dreams
The girl without a care
Your favorite place to be
Was in your Dreams

Chorus

In your Dreams

Like i said kind of simple but it really spoke to me. I don't often remember my dreams but the ones i do seem to tell me a lot about myself. It seems that everything i have wanted i have dreamed about. So there you have it, it came to me while i was sleeping kind of cool, i think, tell me what you think I'll take anything thanks world keep it up, and hopefully only one more day.

Some Words

2008-03-24T13:51:00.000-06:00

World, do you wanna know what i hate? Well the fact that over the weekend i had a ton of great ideas for blogs. I was lovin it! But as soon as i get back to school and have time to sit down in front of my computer, my mind goes blank. What a joke but maybe they'll come back to me.

Well i would just like to throw some stuff out there for all to read. First it is spring, i love spring. Definitely my favorite season. Why you may ask well other then allergies there is nothing wrong with it. Allergies can be handled with drugs at least for me thank goodness mine aren't so bad. But really after a long winter it is so choice to be able to go outside and just chill. Playing Frisbee football baseball and anything else. Not that cold stops me from playing outdoors in fact that is tons of fun, but spring is where it is at. Also it starts baseball season. I love baseball always have. Ever since little league, which i sorely miss. We were just there to have fun it didn't matter what happened, well maybe at the time it did. But as i look back the only games i remember are the intense ones. I remember hanging with the team making plays and being with my dad as he coached our team. Stl. Cardinals baby we were the shiz. Well now i only have a couple months to enjoy little league until i have kids. My little bro is in his last year. After this it just isn't the same so i am going to enjoy it while i can. So YAY Spring!!

Moving on i would just like to say i love music so much! Playing singing or just listening it is so amazing. My cousin just gave me some killer music. Joshua Radin. I have heard some of his stuff but because of low funds i wasn't able to purchase any. Well my cousin Lindsie saved the day. Right now i am listening to Joshua's music and i am lovin it. As Ell Bell said in her last blog "it speaks to my soul" (I like that Ell way to be) Well music is so awesome, being an amateur musician myself i love listening and hearing new sounds that i can try to incorporate into the stuff i play. P.S. world by amateur musician i mean i own a couple guitars, love playing, think i can sing, and try to write my own stuff. I hardly ever am happy with what i write. I have a really hard time expressing how i feel in words, that i like when i sing it. Something to work on i suppose but tell you what when i get to that point where i can write lyrics well enough you'll know world, you'll know. Along with that i love/hate it when you listen to something new and there is one line that is totally you and i always say "Why couldn't i think of that!?" I love it because the line is so me, it is how i feel. I hate it because of what i said before WHY? But no sweat one day it will come.

Well that is what i had to say, I'll try and post tomorrow and then Wednesday hopefully a call will be opened and I'll let the world know. Hooray!!!

Sometimes I Wonder Why?

2008-03-23T02:30:00.000-06:00

So it is 2:31 in the AM, and i am doing pretty well anything but what i should be, what is that you may ask... well sleeping. Let me tell you world that all my life i have been one of those people who wake up at night. I'm not saying I go to sleep then wake up no, once I'm asleep... I'm asleep for good. But i am saying that once everyone starts to go to bed i start to think or talk or read or whatever till early into the morning. I come to regret this later when i wake up to go to class or what not but i can't help it. I always like to reflect on the day, see what i was blessed with, what i need to work on, or what i wish i would have done. So that is why i wonder why. (did that last sentence make sense, it's late)

Moving on, i know that this whole thinking or whatever till odd hours of the morning is going to be terrible on my mission. What with the whole bedtime and a time that i actually really seriously have to get up at. And if you think about it, there is going to be a ton for me to think about each night as i try and go to sleep. Well i guess I'll have a hard, awesome, sleep deprived to years. But don't most missionaries. I have a feeling the good Lord will give me a hand.

I would just like to say in closing: I don't regret the fact that i don't sleep. I love sleep but when i am all alone at night i can't help but think, and i love those times. It really helps me put things into perspective and it helps me realize where i stand at the moment. When i tell people i don't sleep i get weird looks and the same question all the time, Do you not like sleep? Well i answered that above, but i just challenge you to think about your day, and dream/imagine what is before you. (I say dream cause i hardly ever remember my dreams, but that is another topic for another blog.) Maybe don't do this at 2:30 like i always end up doing but give it a try it will tell you a lot about yourself, i think.

Bad News...

2008-03-16T00:54:00.000-06:00

World i need to print a retraction. Well in my last post i so proudly announced that i would be getting a mission call the is next Wednesday. BAD NEWS, i found out today that they were never submitted. Needless to say i was not to happy, when my dad told me i felt like sulking in my room and playing angry music on my guitar. Then i realized i don't know how to play angry music, generally I'm a pretty happy guy. Well then as i tried to walk away to sulk my Dad reminded me that I'll still go, I'll still go when i supposed to go, and I'll still be going to the same place. That is where to Lord wants me. A test of patients (is that correct? English is so confusing) is what i have heard thousands of times. Quite frankly I'm sick of it but i know that I'll deal with a lot worse out in the field so I'm going to say it for all to read THANK YOU for making me wait Lord.

Well now onto feeling like an idiot. In my total excitement i began telling everybody within year shot that i was getting my call this coming Wednesday. Complete strangers, random people, people i don't even like. Everybody! It began with "Hopefully this Wednesday I'll get my call." And then changed to "I'm getting my call this Wednesday!" To quote Aladdin "I feel sheepish" extra points for who said it. So i apologize world but eventually it will come and then "The world will know!" even more points for what that quote is from. (wow two Disney quotes in one post) So until then i guess I'll have to learn to wait patiently (notice correct spelling, i looked it up) Sorry world but just think if your disappointed times that by one billion and that is how i feel. My time will come.

In My Mind

2008-03-15T00:47:00.000-06:00

Last night i really wanted to post but it was way way way past when i should have gone to bed so i post-poned it till tonight when i should be in bed haha. So I've had a lot going through my mind the last few days and i thought I'd share it with the world. (note: by world i refer to the few people who actually read this THANKS)

So the last few days have been really good. Each day i am getting closer to knowing just where i will be for the next two years. I am so excited! I tell everybody i can, so hopefully I get my call this coming Wednesday cause if not i won't be the only one disappointed. But I was thinking about it today and today my call was probably made can you believe it. I was thinking about it at around 2:00, and well my call could have been made at that time. How unbelievably cool would that be. Wow i am so excited to the max!!! Well anyway that has been what is in my head for the last few days, along with just straight up missionary work.

Whenever i think about missionary work, i think about some of my best friends who are out there serving right now. And since i am a terrible writer i don't hear from them as often as i want to. (This is my fault I'm a terrible person i know.) So to supplement that last night when i should have been sleeping, i went back and read some of Josh's and Preston's old posts. This was one of the best and worse decisions i have made lately. Best because i was hearing there voice again. Both of them in my opinion really made there blogs theirs. (for any of you out there reading this if i didn't use the there and theirs correctly either tell me or deal with it) When i read them i can pretty much hear them telling me this stuff. It could be that I've known them for so long or that we spent a ton of time together but i can just hear them in their writing. Another reason it was good is because it really made me miss them. Miss them? you ask, how is missing them good. Well when i miss them it makes me think how crappy it is to be here not on a mission and how bad i want to be out doing what they are doing. Also the missing them is the bad part. I think about all the great times we had and all the outlandish schemes we came up with and how it will never be the same again. I know they will be there when i get home but will they really. We all pretty well agreed not to get married for at least the first year. I really want to hold them to that, but if it is the right girl and the right time who am i to interfere with there life and the Lords plan for them. But on that note I'll probably beat the crap out of them before i get over it and tell them congratulations. Well anyway just thought I'd say i missed them a ton and maybe this will get me to write letters so i can hear what they have to say now, instead of what they said months ago. So if you are really bored or just don't sleep at times like i do go over to my links and read some of Preston's or Josh's blogs.

Well just would like to say Spring Break rocked thanks to the Fam the Guys and Brooke (we finally did it, we watched little giants about time) And all you people out there who made my week a fun one. Keep it real and if i don't post before next Wednesday I'll be posting on my call and my feelings about it. Feel free to call me or facebook me with guesses to where i will serve. the winner will receive... well probably nothing but know that they guessed where I'll be, out of anywhere in the world you guessed it. Well world so long for tonight and I'll catch you later.

Where will I go?

Insert Title Here

2008-03-12T01:25:00.000-06:00

Hello people i thought that now would be a great time to blog, one because i can't sleep and two because i've got some things i'd like to say. here it goes.

Well first off a follow up to my last post. Everything worked out, hooroo!! I was so nervous but right after i posted last i got down on my knee's and said a prayer. The coolest thing happened, as soon as i asked for things to work out i got the best feeling. I felt so calm i wasn't angry or frustrated i just knew that things would work out for the best. Well the day came and i went to my interview a little bit early. I was hoping that is meeting before went short and i could get right in. Well that's not how things worked out in fact i didn't start my interview till 3:00, i was nervous i'm not going to lie i said a quick prayer while i waited and i got that same calming feeling. I went into the interview and things went great. Look out world I'm going on a mission!!! You'll all know in hopefully one week, i know i'm counting down the days. Well i finish the interview at 3:36, no lie i ran to my car and sped down to the church. Might i add that the church was almost exactly the other side of town. Well i run in, i was later told i looked vary epic with my tie flowing behind me and scriptures in hand. John was speaking. Everything worked out, if that isn't proof that our Father in Heaven loves us i don't know what is. Something as trivial as seeing a friend speak and making it on time, the our Father in Heaven Loves us and so does our Savior Jesus Christ. Well speaking of John what a great man he is going to rock it in Samoa.

This is what i want to address next. John! Folks let me just tell you John is one of my most favorite people. I met john probably sophmore year, i didn't get to really know him till end of jr. and all through sr. year. Big mistake, john is someone that you always want to be around. He is such a good example, he always wants to have fun and wants everybody to be included. I should have got to know him long before i did. John if you ever read this don't be embarressed or whatever else about what i say. You are a great guy no doubt about it. John has always been an example to me, and for the next two years he is really going to live it up. His Companions will love his insight to the gospel, his love for life and for sharing the message of our Father in Heaven. He has waited long enough for this so Go Forth and Serve!!

Moving on to another subject... Ultimate Frisbee! I can't talk about john without saying a word or two about Ultimate. There are few people i know who love frisbee as much as this kid. And those people know who they are. I have had a chance to really play and just toss with John lately and what an awesome experience. I've learned from him, and love catching that sweet pass from him. As Josh would say "He has sent everybody some pretty sweet Air Mail!" Thanks john for all those frisbee's tossed and caught. Well i think i'll close this post on that. John the people in Apia Samoa are blessed to have you serve them as a missionary. Keep it up and God Speed Elder!

Frustration

2008-03-05T20:38:00.000-07:00

I know what your thinking world, whaaaa? another post it has only been a day! But i am so frustrated right now i just have to get it out. Well i am frustrated because everything seems to be working against me. Here is what's up.

I only need to meet with my stake president and then i can send in my mission papers. I was supposed to meet with him last week but he was to busy and we had to move it to this coming Sunday. I wasn't to happy about it but i thought hey what's another week. Well that is until i found out that my interview this week is at the exact same time one of my really good friends speaks for his farewell. So i thought well I'll just switch times to earlier that day if i can and if not I'll be down all week because of spring break so it will get done. Well i call the stake office and leave a message. I get a call back from some old guy who is hard to understand and he tells me that if i don't have my interview this Sunday at the exact time i am scheduled for i won't be able to meet with the stake president till the end of the month. I was so mad, i know that he has a demanding schedule but I've done everything i can to conform to his schedule and he can't do anything. UGH!! So i have to keep my appt. because i really want to turn these papers in, i just hope that i will be able to make it to the last bit of my friends talk. It just seems that everything is pulling against me and i hate it.
Plus one of my best friends just got his call and i am so excited for him and i want to feel that excitement for myself. I want to know where i am going, when and what language I'll be speaking and everything. SCREAM!!!!!!!! so that is what is going on i almost feel like running to get my frustrations out, and i hate running. This is no good World why aren't things working out!

Ultimate!

2008-03-04T22:07:00.000-07:00

Hello People, how is everyone doing this fine week? I'm lovin it here in good old logan. Mostly because I pretty well have nothing to worry about. No tests and next week is spring break. As Josh would say hooroo! Anyway I really hope that this spring break is a good one, as it is my last one for 2 years. Thats right people i hopefully will get my mission call in a few weeks. Whether those weeks are slow or fast is yet to be seen but no doubt i'll know pretty quick here. I'm not quite sure what this blog is about so for now we'll call it an update on the life that is mine. I have a lot of things going through my mind right now and if some of it doesn't come our right deal with it:)
Well first things first is this semester i have been taking probably the coolest class ever... Ultimate Frisbee. That sport is the best sport ever invented i love it so much and for that love i have Josh to thank. That kid loved the game, he would play all day everyday if he could. I remember after we would finish playing he and I would be sitting around and he would be hurting so bad but to him it was so worth it. I have hit that point now. We play indoor and a game like ultimate should not be played indoor all the time. My legs kill after but it is so worth it. Without this class this semester I would have dropped out long ago. Also a shout out to John, Ellen, and Jason. Those people keep ultimate alive and playing with them is the best. GO ULTIMATE!

Anyway as of this moment i am in a debate/discussion about drugs and such and i can't think of what else to talk about so this post is done keep it up world.

Hooray and Whaaaaa?

2008-02-11T15:30:00.000-07:00

Yes world i am back! I know your all so excited to hear from me. This last week was pretty good mainly because have to been outside? Well i have and it is beautiful I love those first few warm days as you come into spring. I know it is going to get frigid again and i won't want to go outside but I love it it makes me so happy i just want to go run around outside yelling....which is when campus police are called to come stop the lunatic outside. Anyway spring is one the way, which tells me to go get in those ski runs that i won't have for two years and to throw snowballs at people and to do all that awesome snow stuff. So i will! Well that was the Hooray part now on to the Whaaaaa?

So here is what its up peoples. As it is the week of Valentines Day i would like to say a few words about this and other ridiculous holidays! That's right i said ridiculous and for those of you out there saying Valentines isn't ridiculous its about love and all that crap this is for you. First, what constitutes a holiday? For me it means a day off of school. Do we get a day off of school for V day? NO!!! If that's not enough i don't know what is. V day is a joke it is just an excuse for couples to show off and for guys to give gifts to girls Boooooooooo. Plus it has lame candy those stupid little hearts with sayings on them. The sayings don't make sense half the time or they are full of innuendo. Well enough about V Day...any arguments can gladly be sent to me and i will show you where they are wrong and possibly insult you while doing it. Here are some other lame holidays: Columbus Day, St. Patrick's Day(unless you drink the whole where green thing messes with my whole get out of bed put on whatever is close and leave routine). All the other ones are alright cause they deal with our country which rocks and our Veterens who deserve a day. Also i'm not to partial to Halloween, i know what you saying "What about the free Candy?" Well i no longer get free candy and haven't since 6th grade also you have to walk around in the freezing cold and thinking of a good costume to much work plus no good feasts! There you have it. In my opinion it shouldn't be called a holiday unless a day is taken of of school for it. Any problems like i said let me know and i will let you know what's up!

Parking

2008-02-02T20:02:00.000-07:00

Holy Crap people, i just did the most amazing thing that no one besides me will care about. I did the perfect parking job. Ya i know what your thinking, Big deal...no one cares etc. But let me just tell you people, parking is a big deal. Don't you hate it when you go to pull into this sweet spot and your wondering why no one has taken the spot, and then when you go to pull in the car next to you is parked so horribly that the spot is useless unless you drive a motorcylce. Wow i hate that and i know you do to. Well today when i pulled in to a spot in the parking terrace up here in the frozen lands of the north, i parked so well that you wouldn't even believe. I was flippin out. I pulled in and was so close to the car next to me when i pulled in but i kept with and and when i was done i wanted to stand there and cherish how well i had done, then the cold kicked in and well i wanted to go inside. Well the moral of the story is parked amazingly. You are all jeolous i know. And when you park next time make sure you are centered in your space and not crooked, other people want to park as well.

Moving on i want to talk about parking i general. Let me tell you about the first parking stall. It choice i absolutely love it when i get that first space in the parking lot, it feels so good. Even better than that first space is the pull through bonus in the first space. That is a small miricle let me tell you and if you happen to get the first stall pull through, take a picture or film it or something cause it probably won't happen agian for quite sometime. Well unless you are up at some ungodly hour in which case take it no one wants you spot. I know this because last semester of senior year i took early morning seminary. Instead of parking over by the seminary i would everyday take the first stall pull through right by the entrance. Take that all you kids who had NHS (national honors society) parking, my spot was ten times better. But back to my point, no one cared that i got the spot everyday, i was there at a time when no one should be there so i got the spot and no one cared.

To finish up the parking post, i would like to say a little something about the diagonal parking stalls. WHAT THE DUECE!!! I hate having to know which way i'm supposed to be going when i park, i just want to drive around wherever till i find that good spot. Plus when you have the diagonal parking it basically eliminates the pull through bonus because when you pull out you going the wrong way. Man i hate that stuff, one day i'll go in the middle of the night with a bunch of people and paint the diagonal lines black and then paint the correct lines over them. I will take care of all this nonsense. Well thats what i have to say about parking. Park well my friends.

LAME

Farewell President Hinckley

2008-01-28T13:37:00.000-07:00

First People i'd like to address one thing what is up with the 50/50 vote on whether i should change my template or not. So due to this i am going with what is easier for me....keep it where it is unless i get tons of comments telling me to change the template. So there you have it, now moving on to real business.

I would just like to say farewell to our beloved President Gordon B. Hinckley. That is one awesome man. When i found out i was completely shocked, by the way thanks for letting me know Fielder. I mean he is the Prophet of the Lord i just thought that he was invinsible. Well as i thought about it and when my mom called to let me know as well i shed a few tears. I mean Pres. Hinckley was the prophet for pretty much my whole life. I do remember Pres. Hunter for his brief 8 month stand as our prophet but pretty much it has been Pres. Hinckley. But as i thought about his passing i thought wow he is so lucky he gets to be with his Wife and family agian how cool is that and he gets to be in the presence of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. After i thought about this i was so happy because it was time and i know Pres. Hinckley knew that and so did the Lord. Now Pres. Hinckley gets to do the other half of his great work in life. By this i mean while he was Prophet he more than doubled the amount of Temples on this earth and now he gets to be on the other side teaching those people while we down here baptize those he teaches up in Heaven. How cool i just love it, and i hope we as a people don't let him down and we do all the temple work we can. Well people of earth that is what i've got to say so Thanks President Hinckley i'll try not to let you down.

Free!!!!

2008-01-26T15:58:00.000-07:00

Listen up people of earth...I just received a wireless guitar set up for free. This thing's list price is a whopping $540 bucks and i got if for free cause my aunt found it at work. How lucky am I. It is missing the Mic but i don't care the only part i want is the guitar stuff so i am set holy cow i am feeling so good right now. I just want to go and try it out but alas i am stranded from my electric guitar. and if only my little bro had an amp for his guitar then i could try it out but he doesn't oh well i'll take it anyday, who said there is no such thing as free stuff. Lies i tell you sure i had to drive over to my aunts house which took all of 5 minutes to get there get the set up and come back home, well worth it i am stoked, this week rocks to the max!!!

I feel like running outside and breaking into song but it wouldn't be cool unless a ton of other people came out and broke into song with me, oh to have you life be a musical it would be sweet. Speaking of this one of my dreams in life, i have many dreams. This one would be on the medium scale as dreams go. Anyway the dream is to be in a big public area like the gateway in SLC, or in Times Square even cooler. And break out into song and dance with a ton of other people could you imagine how amazing that would be, and when the song ends we would all just go on our way. The image would be priceless. One day people it will happen just wait. Well people that is whats up keep it real I'm out

Hoo Roo!!!

2008-01-25T01:12:00.000-07:00

Hello people of earth, this week is alright by me. In fact I loved it, any week where you only go to classes 2 1/2 days is awesome. School was out on Monday and i didn't have class on Tuesday so I had the opportunity to go to the Civil Rights Day Concert at good old Murray High. I loved it, the singing part. The speakers were...lets just say interesting. This concert is something that I definitely miss about choir. That was the one time I could sing like I was black and not be made fun of. It was awesome I got to see and talk to some people I hadn't seen in quite sometime and I got to sing "Keep Hope Alive" just do it folks. All in all it was awesome.

Well since that was Monday. I came back up to school on Tuesday and let me tell you, not having class is so awesome I wish i could never have class on Tuesday/Thursday, or better yet no class on Friday would be killer. But alas the dream could not last to bad though. Also on Tuesday I finally got the 2nd season of House M.D. "Oh Happy Day!" People House is awesome, I kind of want to be a doctor cause of him but then I think I don't think I could be that heartless to people, but walking with a cane would be cool. So all in all watch House, it will change your life.

This week I got my external hard drive that I bought for a steal of a deal on ebay, what a great site. So now I have all my music on there for safe keeping over the mission. Also I have written the guys in the mission field and I feel better inside for it. Well the week had to end and the end to a good week will always be something that reminds you how good your week was, for me it was finally adding the classes I need to be a full time student. The Prof. were great and let me sign in 3 weeks in so that's good but now, I have to wake up at a decent hour everyday of the week, it will be hard I know but it had to happen at some point. Well that's my week in review people, I really am in such a good mood I don't feel like ranting today so I apologize, I've got a great one cooked up for the future. You'll know when you see it. Well farewell people of earth enjoy your weekend, I know I will.

Car Show '08

2008-01-22T00:52:00.000-07:00

Hello People of Earth!! Today i did one of my most favorite things to do. I went to the Car Show and got to look at/sit in some pretty sweet cars that i will probably never own. The Car show has been a tradition in the Fam Bam for several years. It started out with my Grandpa and I going when i was some age younger than i am now. I loved it. It was how my Grandpa and I connected we both really loved cars. Well after that first time every year over MLK Jr. Day break we would go to the Car Show. Things have changed a bit now. It is now something that i do with the boys (as my mom lovingly says) My dad and now my two younger brothers. Sometimes it is a pain cause they have to sit in all the cars even the ones that aren't cool. But i love it, and I'll miss it when I'm gone. This year we added one new member to the crew my mom came and it was really fun even though it was no longer the boys. Oh and one day i will go to the Detroit Car Show.

I've got a bunch of pictures so I'll post a few of my favorites. But first i would like to rant about something.....E85 ethanol/all the fuel crap. THIS REALLY GRINDS MY GEARS!!! Everybody thinks that the answer to all our fuel problems is Corn, well crops in general, but mostly corn. WRONG!! there is no answer to our fuel problem at least not an easy one like "Hey lets put that there alcohol in our cars and run on that he he he he!" (that was some moron somewhere i just know it) The problem with using corn is hey now the price of corn to eat goes up and from there all prices go up. Stupid also Hydrogen Fuel cells granted I'm not an expert and at one point i thought this was the answer. But no, just because it doesn't emit toxic fumes that Al Gore as told us are ruining our planet. That is a rant for another day. doesn't mean that we don't pollute a ton trying to get the hydrogen ready to put in our cars, plus i don't know about you but i don't want to be hit while driving a car with pressurized Hydrogen. Well there is a ton more but it frustrates me to much to continue. so my solution. Use up all the oil that we have now. I mean all of it from wherever we can find it. And then force all of us fat lazy Americans to walk around and shed a few pounds. Then because we are so tired one of the lazy's who was just driving from McDonald's to McDonald's will solve all our problems. There you have it folks. Enjoy the pictures.

You can't beat the new camero

This right here is the Murray Pride
Porsche Boxster Sweet!!

I love this car the Subaru Impreza Turbo Charged mmmmmm i can hear it now

I have a belt buckle of this car

The Lotus Line up when can I drive?

The Coolest Car Ever Made Ford Mustang

Welcome Back, Welcome Back, Welcome Back!!!

2008-01-20T23:19:00.000-07:00

Hello people of earth! Thats right i am finally back to blogging. I took quite the break and the reason was I was home. At home I have so many other things to occupy my time. Friends Family Movies Video games and all that jazz. And my new years resolution was to keep up the blog, so far i haven't done so great but now i'm back and ready to play. For my next few posts i think that i'm going to rant on a few things that really grind my gears so check it out. Also I feel bad about my blog being dead cause Preston inspired me to blog and i really let him down before the Mission. Thats right now my readership has decreased to i don't know 1 maybe at least i hope its more than that but with Josh and Preston gone i don't know who reads this. My parentals are interested so if you read this Welcome, hope you enjoy.

School is going well but really people, i just want to serve a mission. All my really good friends are either gone or have been sucked into the black hole that is Provo Utah, thats right Alvin (if you read this) I'm talking to you. But it's cool i'm hoping to be staying in logan more often this whole driving thing is getting pretty old. Not driving as a whole, don't get me wrong i love to drive but driving down from Logan and then back up Sucks!! Well thats about it besides in blog news i'm thinking I need a whole new lay out and i'm thinking of adding a media player, i don't feel bad stealing ideas from Preston now that he is gone. So let me know if your out there and be looking out for my rants and i'm thinking of making Story Time Tuesday into a twice a month thing. Its hard to think of my past stories outside of a conversation. Thank you people of earth keep it up!!

Whaaaaaa!!!???

2007-12-31T01:05:00.000-07:00

To answer everybody's question, no i am not dead just enjoying my Christmas break. Folks i am all about having 3 weeks breaks it is sweet, the only problem is i seem to be alone, by this i mean that josh isn't here. He is off doing the one thing that i want to do most right now Serving a Mission. Now that he is gone it seems like i have to wait forever to go, next semester is gonna suck. Well anyway things have been going good I've just been playing GH3 and Wii in my spare time which is all the time beside when i work so its pretty cool. Keep it real folks and I'll be back on the usual schedule starting on the 7th of January when all i have to do is pretend to study.

Finals

2007-12-12T00:39:00.000-07:00

Hello Everybody, it is finals week for me and therefore i am trying to study/not die so this will be short.
Two finals this week, Biology on Thursday and Chemistry on Friday booo. But after that i am finished for a whole 3 1/2 weeks so i am way excited. Things are going pretty good i am maybe somewhere near the mid line of my continuum just because of finals. This week i have the Super Nintendo up and we are dominating on Megaman and Mario it is sweet. Well can't wait to be done but i need to study up so keep it up world.

The End of an Era (sort of)

2007-12-04T19:12:00.000-07:00

Here we go sorry i didn't get this our earlier today but at least i remembered. Today is Josh's last Tuesday for two years so this Story Time Tuesday goes out to Josh.

Well where to start cause i really don't have one story for this it is more like a on going story that never really ended and it never will i guarantee that. Well i guess we start at the beginning. Josh and I met in the 7th grade. You want to know what we did well we begged for money at lunch, and we made bank. On average 4 dollars a day some days more some days less and we would spend that money on whatever junk was in the vending machine. It was awesome had we saved that money we would have had enough to buy a car when we turned 16 something like that it was amazing. Well since that day no matter what was going on i could always count on josh, give him a call ride over and chill no matter what he was there.

Well moving on through time we hit sophomore year. Tell you what if it weren't for josh i wouldn't have made it, i put up with his wrestling crap cause i wanted to there was no option for me it was a must and boy was I grateful. Josh and I walked to the carls everyday it seemed like, and it was awesome josh would use his U of U Ticket stubs and get a large lemonade and a famous star, me, well thanks to the M card two westerns baby no other way to go. We did this all the time and we continued to do it all through high school, maybe not walking but we would hop in Dora or the Exploder and hit up anything and everything. Josh was there. I don't think there was one time, one experience that i enjoyed in high school that josh wasn't there for. Oh and Josh we never got in another game of Monopoly so when we get back watch out cause i'm gonna be gunnin' for ya.

Josh was with me all the time even at work, that's right folks it was me that brought josh to the lion house, and if it weren't for josh it would have sucked, driving down together complaining about things like the red turn arrow the 5 second walkers nay the 5 second strollers. We did it all those are some times i wouldn't trade for anything.

This leads up to right now my latest venture in life, College. Josh may not have been up here with me all the time but no matter what he was just a quick phone call away and let me tell you, I lived for the weekends when i would come home walk in the door to my house and drop my stuff off then go over to chill with josh. My all time favorite week of school was and will forever be the week josh came and stayed with me. We just chilled played some ping pong and did whatever but just because josh was here it made it the best.

This first little while is gonna be tough i know but i know he is doing what is right and i can't wait till i can get out there as well so good luck Josh I'll miss you and things won't be the same but i already have a list of things we need to do when we are both back and they will get done. Thanks kid for always being there i wouldn't be where i am today without you. Good Luck God Speed and I'll see ya later.