Seeing Friends

Yes! In just two days I'll be heading up to Rexburg to see my best friends in this whole world, actually, my only friends really. I've grown so close to the wonderful people that I met up at school that I don't know what I do without them here back home. I see that my potential to be a better person has gradually diminished over the summer with a lack of friends. Any gift that I might have to bring a little laughter to other people has grown dormant, and that makes me so sad. The only thing that I want in this world is to see those I care about happy, I love to see that shining light of joy in their eyes and laughter all around, it's what lifts me up, what gives me strength and hope in a world full of so much that is in opposition to the Spirit of the Lord.
You see, all my years before going to BYU-Idaho, I had one friend who I saw very little of and who wasn't even a member of the church. I was literally a social outcast in my school and I really didn't have much self-worth. When I went up to Rexburg, however, I finally found out what it was like to have friends, ones that shared my beliefs and standards. Most of all, they were honest and genuine. For the first time that in my life that I could remember, people complimented me, and that small aspect of their friendship meant so much. I know that may sound silly, but it's something I've never had. That's why my friends mean so much to me and why I enjoy going to Ricks so much. I don't want you to think that I don't love my family. I do, and I'm sure I'll learn to appreciate them above anything else on this earth as I grow up. But at this stage in my life friends are very important to me.
Oh! I can't wait, it'll be great to laugh freely again, and to smile so much that my cheeks hurt. An entire summer of daily drudgery and unsociableness is worth it, for just those few days of spending some time with friends before my mission.

Midnight Marathon

My goodness, the only time I come on here is around midnight, must be my difficulty with insomnia. Oh well, glad whoever is reading this could take some time and enjoy my company for a while.
Today was a pretty swell day, just went shopping for all my white shirts, slacks, and shoes for my mission. You should've seen the ladies face in Van Heusen when I asked her if she could get me 10 white dress shirts and 4 pairs of slacks. I made the same face, however, when she said matter-of-factly to me: "So, you're going on a mission are you." Ha, I was so suprised, but at the same time very happy, just to know that we, Mormons, have certain qualities to us that allow us to stand out in these latter days. I'm am so happy that I've been raised in such a way that has allowed me to be prepared to serve the Lord and to have a desire to do well in life. I pity those who have been raised in environments without love, happiness, or peace. But I hold even greater respect for those people who have been raised in those settings and have come out strong and valiant.
Okay, off my soapbox or whatever you call it. I'd like to let all my friends know, at least those who read this, that I feel so honored to have had you as my friends, and I am truly thankful for the joy you have brought me and good influence you have been to me. I hope to see you all soon.

Mwahahaha, it is alive!

Alright! My second blog, and my first public one. Kinda scary. I figure a publice blog is a fun way to vent or ramble and allow friends to see the wierd side of me, even while I'm away from school, which is where almost all of my friends are.
As the date for me entering the MTC has drawn nearer and nearer, I've been frantically searching my life to find a sense of security in know that my life is in order and that I have sufficiently prepared for the challenges ahead. I am often times discouraged though, being back home in the regular routine of going to work all day long and then coming home for some food and sleep has caused me to lose hold of being cheerful all the time and keeping my mind sharp and aware. I'm always thinking I've not made enough good choices in life, or I blow every little mistake I make into something way out of proportion. I'm losing the ability to have faith in myself and to be able to be honest with myself, because I often feel like I'm losing my grip on reality. I'm sure this will sound not very nice, but I can't wait to get away from my home again. It is so hard to be able to strengthen my abilities to make tough decisions, mature through having more responsibilities, and other necessary things for being able to take care of myself in a foreign country for TWO YEARS when I'm am living at home under my mom's thumb and the only thing I'm doing besides living at home is going to work every day.
I love being home, and spending time with my family, but I need more growth in my life, and that's not going to happen until I get out their on my own. . . and I can't wait!

Blogging at midnight, take two.

Okay, so I figured my first blog was a wee bit on the dreary side and that is totally not me. Which I finally came to conclude after reading what I'd written and also remembering the good ol' days back at school. Hmm... let's do a quick update on my life:
I'm back home in the countryside of Oregon living on our 11 acre plot of land that is almost devoid of all human life. My nearest neighbor and friend is about two fields away and he's usually working all the time like me, so we never see each other. Right now I'm employed at a grain elevator (It's where farmers take their wheat and put it in big bins, then we put the wheat onto barges that take the wheat down the Columbia River to Portland, and then it gets shipped to Taiwan or some place like that) and will continue my many adventures there until September when I'll leave for the MTC and then to the Land Down Under.
Work is awesome, though it seems like a dull place to others. I'm always sneaking up on my co-workers, Joey and Dave, trying to scare them but most of the times my plans are foiled by an ill-timed turn of their heads in my direction while I'm crouched in my raptor position (imagine Calvin and Hobbes when Calvin would pretend he was a T-rex) ready to pounce. I also have become friends with a wide variety of animals there including a Kingsbird (The little guy in the picture), a pidgeon, a bull snake, three baby mice (unfortunately the bull snake became acquainted with them also), and a Rockchuck (cousin of the woodchuck).
I would never have dreamed of how many exciting things I would be able to do at my job. For an entire week I worked on a catwalk 125 feet of the ground and then later in some underground passageways about 20 feet below ground, and lastly I am working on a large river-barge at least once a week.
Haha, the coolest thing is that my sister works out there with me also, she sits in the scale house and weighs trucks in and out. She has of late taken up the worshiping of the sun gods, a.k.a. sunbathing. This has proved an inconvenience to me for an odd reason I will explain. One of my coworkers has developed a habit of sneaking over to the the scale house and "accidentally" intruded on my sister while in the process of soaking up the sun. Now don't fret, she wasn't dressed imodestly, just in beach attire. Being her brother and all, I have to protect her from these intrusions and had to devise my own code for notifying her when my coworker was going over to where she sunbathes. The signal was for me to call over the walkie-talkie and use a rarely used color in my sentece. For instance today, as I saw him approaching the scale house, I said: "Um, ya, this water out here looks very periwinkle if you ask me. Or maybe it's more of a sea green, or pea green." Of course I sounded like an idiot over the radio seeing as how Jennie, my sister, was the only other person listening on the walkie-talkies there who knew I wasn't going around the bend babbling on about the water's color. Jennie, however, was saved from being intruded upon, even though my boss started to look at me funny no doubt thinking I'd spent just a little too much time under the sun.
I believe I have done well enough in bringing my avid readers up to date on my daily happenings so far.

Once Upon a Couch...

Hmm, that's me, and uh, that's the couch. We tend to both get along quite well.