30 days hath September,
And some others if you remember.
The rest get that extra day,
except February, which is always really gay.

If you can believe it, I totally just made that poem up off the top of my head. Hehehe...anyway, time goes by so quickly. It seems like yesterday that I was still at Seven Peaks. Now I wake up and think, wow, I have school, homework, a different job...it's crazy! The changes in the way I feel still blow me away as well. Unlike that one guy, what's his name? Oh...that's right...Obama...well, unlike him, I feel real hope and have experienced real change and have taken responsibility for my life and I feel great. I'm not saying I'm the happiest person alive. I still have my sorrows and I still have TONS I want, and in some cases, need, to improve, but overall, I am doing well.

A brief experience I would like to share. Today in writing, my group-mate (is that what you call them?...it is now) was helping organize our group assignment. She was just going through the stuff at my desk and then she looked at me and asked "How are you doing?" Now, I get asked that several times a day, and most of the people, my boss in particular, kind of just ask as a formality, kind of like a "Hey, how's it going?", informal thing. At the time this girl asked me, it kind of caught me off guard and I gave a typical, "I'm surviving" response. But, later, it really kind of hit me as I thought about it how much I really appreciated her asking how I was. She didn't ask it in some super sincere way. As a matter of fact, I'm not even sure what way she meant it, but, to me, it was asked in a simple but genuine way and it really made me appreciative and got me thinking about how I really was. So, I'm sure you have heard people talk about this before, but, if you can, when you see someone you know, if you're going to ask them how they are, be genuine. If you really don't care how they are, just say hello. I'm glad I am around a few people that are genuine. I go through every day telling the same people the same thing and on rough days, it just makes me feel worse. You never know what kind of day people are having or what kind of trials they are going through in life, so be positive and you'll make more of a difference than you know. I'm going to work on that.

Happy October everyone.

Well, my little stomach problem seems to be improving, but lingers a little. I don't want to gross anyone out or anything, but it's really just that my digestive system is taking a couple days off and does not want to do a solid job...or, my digestive system isn't holding things together as well as I would like...maybe, well, nevermind, if you don't get the picture, I won't paint it for you, it's not Louvre quality...loo quality, yes, but not...ok, ok, enough potty humor...(cue Mom and Amelia's eye rolling and Dad's quiet snickering and hand over the eyes)

This morning I was feeling really lazy for some reason. I wrapped up in a blanket and just sat there until the last possible minute and then I got dressed and went to work. I had a big assignment due in class today so I did do a little research on it so I could write it after work. After a pretty relaxing and oddly reassuring day of work (reassuring meaning that I felt reassured about things in life), I came home and wrote my paper. I should have started a day earlier...well, I should have started last week, but I pushed it aside as I wrote my other papers, but, in the end, I had plenty of seconds to spare before the online submission deadline.

I did email my bishop asking him to basically hurry up and start my papers. I'm ready to jump right in and get them done!

As far as other things, I do have some commentary on music. I have lots of songs on my ipod. Classical music, folk music, a little country, some rock n' roll, some modern pop, some doo-wop-she-wop. There's EFY music, there's movie soundtracks (don't ask where or how I get all this...lots of it is actually legitimate!), there's almost every Frank Sinatra song, the entire discography of John Denver...anyway, my point is, I have a huge variety of music. I listen to music to help pass time and to help me think. Today I was listening to the words to some John Denver music and it was quite refreshing to hear. I guess my commentary is that if you ever need to feel alive, I recommend listening to John Denver. There's tons of songs about emotions and feelings, but John Denver sings with a real passion for life and love, whether it be love of a person or love of nature, his music really helps me enjoy life.

Oh, and I've decided that I'm going to try writing some comedy stuff to possibly present in some form of comedy show, whether it be an open mic night or maybe the creation of an online show of my own. Everyone tells me I should, so I'm going to try and find the right niche for my ability to make people laugh. We'll see what happens. Stand up is really hard and I'm not sure if that's what I would be good at, but an online show I can definitely see. So, look forward to that. I'll try to get something going.

I really have little to say today. Work was normal. Class went well. I went through my daily routine.

I guess I can share a somewhat funny story. I was making my brownies today and listening to music. The particular song was "With or Without You" by U2. In that song, there are a couple higher notes sung and held out in a couple places. So I'm in the kitchen whipping up my brownies and the song is starting it's long instrumental ending. In the last 30 seconds or so of the song I hear that one note being held out and out and out. I was like, wow...I don't remember that being there, but that's an impressive amount of time to hold a note. After a little bit I just thought it was too long to be true, so I went to check on it. That's when I realized the note was not coming from the song, but that the hose attached to the back of the dryer had come off and that it was creating the exact pitch that is sung in the song. I had to laugh at the craziness of the odds of that happening. Fit perfectly with the song though...

My stomach has been a little bit uncooperative with me the past 24 hours. Not sure if I ate something bad or what, but nothing I have eaten has helped me feel better. It's not getting worse either though, so we'll see. I should be fine pretty quick.

I was thinking about my job again today. I work alone for 4 hours. Some days that is fantastic. I have 4 hours to just ponder things and I get a lot of great thinking done. Other days, though, those 4 hours go so slowly and it's torture. Today was really neither. I was detailing a van that is going up for sale today and I found that there was not much on my mind, aside from things that might get me down. So, rather than let myself down on a Monday, I just plugged up my music and went to work. I focused completely on doing the best job possible and nothing else. I felt really accomplished after and that lifted my spirits. When I got home I went right into doing my homework and then after I finished that I...get this...for the for what might be the first time in this ward, I went to FHE. It's not entirely my fault I haven't been to FHE in this ward. The first couple semesters I was here they did not have an organized FHE really. For the past semester or two they have had an organized one but I did not go. Then this summer I always worked so I missed most ward activities. With evenings and weekends free, I should be able to participate more, which I hope will help me out a lot.

I'm starting the search for a dentist this week. I am going to try to ask people who have lived in the area for a long time who they recommend. Soon as I get a good recommendation, I'm going to go in for a check up and get a preliminary report on what needs doing. I don't need my papers started to go to the dentist. They will know what needs doing. My papers should be started soon anyhow. I'll email my bishop and see if he can get them started this week. The sooner the better.

Well, it was a very bittersweet weekend. BYU lost yet another game in horrible fashion, but I had a most amazing date.

The date was with Mary and was a last date of sorts. With me hopefully going on a mission soon and with her dating other people, last night was a possible end to things. Despite that, we had one of the best dates we've ever had. Immediately following the game, we went home and changed out of our game clothes. I bribed Annie to bring her car down so that Mary would not have to drive her car. To you guys, that doesn't make much sense, but Mary does not like driving her car and driving in general, so it was a kind of big gesture of appreciation. We fought a bit of traffic down University Ave. headed up to Sundance. When we got up there we had dinner (a delicious, hearth baked veggie pizza and soup) and enjoyed a good hour of conversation. Then came the highlight of the night. During the summer months, Sundance runs daily lift rides. You ride up the ski lift for a good 10-15 minutes and instead of getting off at the end, you turn back around at the end and ride it back down. It's a great scenic ride. It would be breathtaking during the day, but, they offer an even more unique experience on nights during the full moon. For a couple hours on a couple nights during the full moon, they have full moon lift rides. That's what we went for. It was nice and chilly up there and in our rush after the game, I left my jacket and we forgot a blanket. I got some hot chocolate for us while we waited in a quite large line. The line moved quickly though and it was soon our turn. From the moment we began going slowly up the hill, almost all of the cares of the world melted away. It was an unforgettable experience, gliding through the air, up a gorgeous mountainside lit only by the light of the moon. I will forever cherish that incredible experience that I was able to share with my dear friend Mary.

Over the past several years, I have noticed something. Ever since I can remember (which isn't saying much), I have always been a little behind in things. I have often felt that maybe all those concussions as a child put my brain behind. Let me try to explain. When I say behind, I refer to my development as a human, both physically and mentally. Not everything has been like that, because being with my age group a lot, I learned the things I was "supposed" to when I was probably "supposed" to. But there have always been things that should have made sense to me that did not make sense to me until a year or so later. I don't think I'm making any sense here. I'm sure you have all had times like that, but I mean that I have felt like this my whole life. I always felt like I was running the same race as everyone else, but I was a mile behind the rest. The things seem trivial at first. My teeth did not come in when they were "supposed" to. When I was 13 and 14 I had half my teeth pulled because they were "supposed" to have fallen out and been replaced by adult teeth. I can't think of many specifics, my memory is not that good, but when I look back, that feeling of being behind was always there. When I was 19 and "supposed" to be going on a mission, I did not feel 19 and despite the health issues that I was going through, I never really felt like it was actually time for a mission. Ultimately, the point I want to make is that last night, I realized something new. I am catching up. On a time line, I'm still behind, but in the infinite perspective of things, there is no definitive time line and right now, I think I'm right where I need to be. Right where I'm "supposed" to be.

Happy Friday Everyone!

Well, my Haribo candy arrived today. 12-5oz. bags of Pico-Ballas and a 5 pound bag of peach rings. Two things about that. I've been calling them peach rings, but, they are actually not peach rings, but just peach candies. There is a rather notable difference. Here are images of peach rings and just peaches:

PEACH RING

PEACH GUMMY CANDY

 Haribo actually does not make a peach ring. I hope I did not mislead any of you. Still though, Haribo peaches are absolutely divine. The second thing, was that my peach gummy candies did not look like the above picture. At least not until I spent 10 minutes pulling the salvageable ones apart. I called Amazon directly and was connected with a nice man with a strong but not too strong Indian accent. (Luckily, I re-watched Paul Blart: Mall Cop the other night, so I was brushed up a bit on Indian accents.) He happily refunded my purchase. Amazon does not accept returns so my option was a replacement or a refund and I keep or dispose of the candy. Since the peaches are edible (though in somewhat larger pieces for the most part), I decided I would just take the refund and eat what I could of them, rather than get another 5 pounds.

The reason I got the peaches in the first place was because I have been craving Pico-Ballas for a long time. These are pico-ballas:

They are an absolutely addicting little candy. You can eat an entire bag before you realize it when you start feeling sick! I LOVE Pico-Ballas. Anyway, so I wanted some of them and the best price was to get 12 bags (one bag would be like $1.50 plus $5 shipping and handling). 12 bags was something like $12. The shipping made it $20, but, if I spent $5 more, I got free shipping on them plus what else I bought. So, I found the next best Haribo candy they had. 5 pounds of peach candy. Grand total of $27.88 with free shipping (a $10 value). I'm not entirely sure if the Indian fella refunded just the peaches or the entire order, but it sounded like he did the whole thing, which makes it even sweeter. Either way, I'm a happy man with one sweet tooth.

Well, today was interesting for me. After tap dance (which went well, for awhile there my brain was having difficulty separating similar tap steps, but now it seems to be doing better), I headed to the culinary support center for my job interview. It was no interview, but rather a tour and explanation leading up to them actually going into the system and hiring me. I hardly had a chance to think before they wanted me to come in for my first shift the next day. Going into it, I had expected myself to accept the position. However, there was one thing that really got me thinking. I may have divulged my pay before, but to be safe (we all know how sensitive pay rates are for some reason), I will not say the exact rate. I make a certain amount, which is an above average amount, at vehicle rental. The work is not too difficult and not stressful at all. In fact, I often find it very relaxing, despite it being a decently physical job at times. There is a little bit of paperwork involved, but nothing too complicated. In all, it is a very ideal job for an ideal wage. The culinary support position starts at a full dollar less per hour. The person who was hiring me was not aware of my full experience in foods, but thought that starting me 20 cents higher than the usual rate was fair. That still puts me at 80 cents less per hour. When you do the math, that translates to $16 less each week, approx. $64 less per month and $192 less for the remaining 3 months of the semester. This position would be working in a cold room (46 degrees, humidity controlled, state of the art equipment and everything), preparing fruits and vegetables for all the various food-related things on campus. I really like the idea of learning a different aspect of food preparation. I turned that job down. I love food. I love looking at it, I love smelling it, I love tasting it, I love everything about it. I almost love it enough to take an 80 cent decrease in pay, but, something just didn't feel right about it. It's unfortunate. I would love to work in that new, state of the art building. I wish they would get permission for me to work 2 jobs and work over 20 hours per week. I read the official campus policy and it says students "should" only work 20 hours. Not that 20 is the absolute, set amount. That is if you are a full time student anyway. I am not. But, this is BYU where someone says something and people take it like law. Good luck convincing them to ask the employment office to allow me to work 40 hours a week. Anyhow, I feel quite lucky to have had 2 job offers for good jobs in such a difficult time for finding work. I'm glad I have had so many opportunities to build a strong resume and have such amazing recommendations from employers.

I wanted to add the remainder of my great day on.

I first forgot to mention something really cool about having my ipod. As we were sitting there before the play began, we were trying to find a synopsis of the play so we would understand it as we watched. The playbill did not have one, so we thought we were out of luck. Then, I realized I have wifi on my ipod, so, I logged onto the campus secure network, went to google and found a synopsis. I was very proud of technology.

Dinner at Texas Roadhouse was amazing. I got an 11 oz. ribeye steak. YUM! With it I had peach lemonade (YUM), steak fries, rolls and a caesar salad. It was all delicious. That pretty much ended my great day. Oh wait...it didn't. I have an interview after tap dance in the morning about a job at the culinary support center. Hopefully I can get either a better job or a second job!

I expected today to be a decent day. It turned out to be a great day and it's not over yet.

I started out with breakfast. I don't usually make much for breakfast, but today I made myself two nice, big pancakes. That alone made my morning better than usual. With a full stomach, I headed to work and just got in the zone. I turned music on my ipod and prepared cars. In 4 hours I did 9 vehicles today. The cars we have are: Toyota Prius (which are actually much cooler than I ever give them credit for), Chevy Malibu (which are so zippy!), Toyota Camry, Toyota Sienna, and the GMC Savana (the beast of all beasts: the 12 passenger van). We also have some pickup trucks, a cargo truck (like a moving truck) and a big rig, which I hopefully will never have to deal with. Anyway, work went great and then I came home for a little rest. At 5 I went to a performance of Aclestis with my writing class. It wasn't too bad, but it seemed to drag on and on for what happened in the play. Now I have a few minutes break before I head off to dinner at Texas Roadhouse. I received an email about a job I applied for awhile back. I'm hoping to either replace or supplement the vehicle rental job. This one is a food service job, so, it's more appealing to me. We'll see if my schedule works with theirs and what they can offer me. It's a campus job too.

Looking back at what I've written, today doesn't seem to be so amazing. I guess it's all in the mood of the day and attitude of me. I've been in a great mood and get this, I've been smiling a lot today. So, for me, as mundane as some of the things I've done are, I had a great day.

I had only a few chapters to go in the Book of Mormon, but it was late on a Saturday night and I needed sleep. I counted the pages I had left and determined that it would be fitting for me to end on the Sabbath. I awoke the next morning and with several hours before church to spare, I sat down on the couch and began reading. I read for a good hour or so before I arrived in the final chapters of Moroni. Excitement and anticipation overwhelmed me as I drew nearer to the end. With only a few page turns left to go, I closed the book. I felt too good to be sitting in my pajamas. I showered and put on my Sunday best and then resumed reading. A few, short minutes later, I turned the last page, read the last words, then calmly closed the back cover, completing the journey I began when I was a deacon. That day was one of the best of my life. That day defined my determination and solidified my resolve to improve my life.

I had met with my bishop a few times to discuss service mission opportunities. I was hiding behind the fear of my health and wellness and was still struggling for answers concerning a mission. I had found some very attractive service mission opportunities, but through my meditations, I had many questions and thoughts that made things unclear. Then one day an email arrived in my inbox. The full contents of the letter are special to me, but I will share a few lines that helped me. "I counsel you to prepare your papers with your bishop as if you are going to fill a full time mission. If it is not to be, the Lord and the church will reject the application." Just days before receiving the email, I was thinking this same thing. Receiving it again as a confirmation helped me make the decision to prepare to serve and hopefully serve a full-time mission. I informed my bishop of my decision and we began gathering the information needed to get my papers started.

As August came to a close, things at work became very busy. We had exclusive events for very large groups almost back to back. I worked one 57.3 hour week, followed by another 50.5 hour week. Unfortunately, I took a few steps back in my progression. My scripture study became less frequent and I have noticed the difference. I still magnified my calling, attended church meetings, fasted, prayed and paid my tithing, but the difference between reading daily was so noticeable. In recent weeks, I've found myself with less energy, more pessimism and ultimately a lower level of happiness. I know it will be a huge challenge for me and I expect there to be temptations and traps at every corner, but I have felt the true happiness that comes with doing what's right and I cannot deny myself the opportunity to partake of that more.

Currently, I am retaking courses I failed 2 years ago when my health problems began. With hard work, I will pass each of my 3 classes with scores that will raise my GPA from the dead. With school, I am working part time and will work on my mission papers.

Friends, family members, even random blog readers who stumbled upon this by accident: I have turned my life completely around. Each day I find new things to change. Respect, love, friendliness, timidness, care, responsibility and so much more. Each day I try to take a step forward. I hope that any of you who have even the slightest desire to change will. This was my summer of miracles. Begin your season of change now.

I just wanted to quickly write to let you all know that I will not be finishing my story today. I know you're all anxiously anticipating it, but I thought I'd rather write it on a Monday, since Monday's are traditionally boring days. This way, we all have a little bit of a better Monday.

I do have one thing that's exciting to talk about though. I have been in the process of trying to find a good mp3 player for some time. I had decided to not get one, but with my new job where I'm alone for 4 hours each day washing cars, I thought one would be handy. I ended up getting a great deal on a 32 gig ipod touch from my manager at seven peaks. It was slightly more than I was planning on spending, but it was a good deal, so I went ahead with it. No need to worry, I am still being wise with my money and anticipate having a good amount saved up by the end of the semester. The ipod touch is amazing, by the way. The features are incredible. With a free app I downloaded to it, I can text from it for free. With wireless access I can do all sorts of things I would usually need a computer for. I can email, check movie times, watch youtube clips and so much more. I won't waste money on anything for it, but I will certainly utilize the free features of this superb piece of technology. My plan with this is to sell it to Mary when I leave. She is very, very anxious for me to go on a mission now...hehehe.

Well it's been a busy week for me. I've been getting the hang of my new job and finishing up my old one, mixed in with classes and general life. The new job is ok, but I would not mind a different job. It's very monotonous, every day I wash cars and vans inside and out and fuel them and get them ready to be used. That's it. For four hours I do that. Having been in some really fun jobs recently, this one seems quite mundane. The pay is good and it's work, but...stupid economy.

Normally I'm excited for football games, but this weekend I almost forgot about it. I expected a beat down and though we got lucky in the first half, we totally blew it in the second. I will only say a few brief words more on the subject. Keep Riley Nelson out. He either throws bad or he makes a bad decision to run. Granted he can run well at times, but he won't ever scramble to make a pass, he'll just tuck and run at the thought of pressure. Next, this is tackle football, not touch. Finally, if things keep going bad, just forget the other games and prepare to beat Utah. That is all that I need.

For those who have not heard, I am finished with Seven Peaks, possibly forever! We got all the cleaning and closing down done and I picked up my paycheck and bonus. There will be one last small paycheck for this last week, but that's it. That bonus should enable me to pay off my short term loan and rent and then start saving money again. I won't be a thousandaire for a while, but I'll manage.


Tomorrow I'll see if my bishop has my mission papers ready to go so I can start doing my stuff for it. I want to get it done so I can get my call soon as possible so I can really prepare to go.

My love sac is awesome. Let any nay sayer (MOM!) come forth and fall on it and then tell me it was a bad choice. A bad choice was the mini donut maker I picked up the other night. Both the angel and the devil on my shoulder told me I didn't really need it, I even said out loud to Mike it was stupid, but, for reasons I will never be able to explain, I got it. It was $16 plus tax. I'll be making my first batch either tonight or tomorrow. Do not worry though, I am still in complete control of my finances and I don't go off making dumb decisions all the time, nor do I expect to make any large (or small) purchases aside from a cheap dinner for my review paper in class and possibly dinner next week with Mary.


I will conclude my summer story tomorrow and then I might start writing some other story.

By the way, I put a page visit tracker on so I can see how many people visit my blog, plus I can break it down and see details like where they are viewing from, how long they were on the page and such. Pretty cool eh?

I think I finally got over the fact that today is Wednesday and not Thursday. Too bad that will only be the case for an hour and fifteen minutes more! I'll probably think it's Wednesday all of tomorrow.

Today was a decent, no frills day. I went to work this morning and worked until 2 pm. I had a little break before my 4 o'clock class. Class was good and only lasted an hour and a half (compared to the 3 hours that are allotted for the class). After class I turned some mellow music on and did some meditating. I got some good thinking in about lots of things and I think I'll try to meditate to mellow music more. I did make one decision that will be a great challenge for me. I have been needing to go to the store for the past few days to get some groceries. Then, today it kind of hit me how much non-perishable food I really have. Therefore, I have given myself a challenge to eat all of that food before I go buy anything else. The only things I will buy will be essentials like butter, milk, bread and eggs. Hopefully, this will cut my costs further and allow me to save even more. I won't be starving myself by any means. Off the top of my head I know I have at least 8 macaroni and cheeses, a month's worth of Ramen (with a Ramen cookbook (which is Mary's, but until she reads this and decides she wants it back, I'm keeping it)), lots and lots of pasta with a couple cans of pasta sauce, a huge re-sealable bag of pancake mix, lots of spices, flour, sugar, bakers chocolate (semi sweet and white), lunch meat, cream cheese, pork chops, BYU Creamery Raspberry Sherbet and ice cream cones...basically, I can survive without buying more food. I've tried eating the food I have before, but my body always rejected having the same things and I had no appetite for food at all. Now my body must have decided it can take it, so, I'll take it!

It's late tonight and I have an 8 o'clock class, so, in the interest of not leaving anything out (I'm really tired today), I won't write another chapter in the summer story until tomorrow. Works out for you all anyway since you likely won't read this post until then. I will just add the chapter to the end of this, so if there is anything after this sentence, you're in luck!

Chapter 4: Pieces Come Together

Going into the summer, there were many reasons to believe I had no hope of a bright future anytime soon. I had nearly $800 in debt to the bank, family members and even friends. I was living on food stamps and had been depending on that monthly food allowance for nearly a year. I had little motivation for life and I was the butt of many jokes, even my own. I was someone who could not be taken seriously. But, as I put in extra hours at Seven Peaks and as my life-ometer, as it were, climbed higher and higher each day, it became more apparent how serious I had become. Each paycheck, I paid my tithing first, rent at the beginning of the month next, then devoted almost everything else to debt. I devoted myself to living in poverty of new things. I bought no new clothing. I purchased the bare minimum of groceries, visiting the grocery store as seldom as possible. Finally, the light shone through as the end of the tunnel of debt grew nearer. I ended my dependence on the food stamp program in June. I began saving money for the first time in my life. My bank account grew as quickly as my confidence in a bright future. Spring Term ended and I had accomplished a new feat in life. My hard work paid off and I received my first college "A" grade. It was an "A-", to be technical, but no amount of technicality can take my "A" away from me. With school over, I devoted all of my time, energy and effort into my job. During all this, each night and even some days on break at work, I could be found with my replica Book of Mormon. I could not put it down. To read the Book of Mormon is one thing. To be captivated in an understanding that cannot be described is another. I was captivated.

I started my new job today. But first, I had to get officially hired. To do that I had to go to the student employment office and stand in a line. To do that, a nice old lady told me I had to shave my sideburns up. Rather than use a disposable razor to shave my entire face off, which I thought would be cool because then I could stand in line, bleeding to death and make them sorry, I just went down a floor and got a haircut. I'd been debating when to go in for one anyway. By next week, no matter how I try to stop them, my sideburns will inevitably be right back where they were. Anyway, first day of work was good. I just trained and shadowed the boss and tried to remember all I could. This first week will be like that and then I'll get more responsibility and eventually, I'll be left alone to run the place for about an hour each day during my shift. That's exciting! I like running places.

The other big news today is that I bought a big bean bag chair. I hear mom thinks it's a dumb idea, and maybe it is, but, it makes me happy. I hate my stupid couches and this love sac is awesome. It's actually bigger than my couch and seats one more person. I'll get some pictures up when I can. For now, it's time for another chapter of summer tales.

Chapter 3: The Book of Mormon

For nearly 21 years, I had heard the stories of the Book of Mormon. I studied them in seminary and I read them with my family in family scripture time. On at least two occasions I can remember, I attempted to read the Book of Mormon all the way through. Each time I fizzled out somewhere between 2nd Nephi and the beginning of Alma. When I did read, it was usually late at night and somehow I never remembered what I had read the day before. The stories did not intrigue me and overall, I was just never too motivated to really read and understand what I was reading. With all the good things going on in my life at the beginning of summer, I began to really feel a desire and a motivation to read the Book of Mormon cover to cover. I had seen a cool copy of the Book of Mormon somewhere that read more like a book than a scripture. I knew that I had to get a copy of that. The annotated version that we use today was just too distracting for me to concentrate. It split things up and made everything harder for me to follow. Used for studying, there is nothing better, but for reading the Book of Mormon just to read and understand it, I did not think it was the best. I did a Google search and soon found the replica version of the Book of Mormon that I had seen. I gathered some opinions on it and if it would be well suited for my purpose. The general opinion was that it would not be easier to read and would not be a good use of my money. That was just what I needed to go ahead and buy it. I eagerly boarded a bus with my brother, bound for Deseret Book. We quickly located the book and I took a copy off the shelf. I had not seen any pictures of the inside of the book online and they were sealed in plastic so I could not look in them at the store, but I knew that if I was ever going to read it, I had to buy it. To my delight, after I had purchased it and opened it, it was the very thing I had hoped for. The layout looked no different than any novel I had read. Excitement filled my entire body as we took a bus home. Back at my apartment, I wasted no time in getting started. I said a prayer expressing the desire I had to read the Book of Mormon cover to cover and I asked for help in reading and understanding it. That prayer was heard and that prayer was answered.

Today we had regional conference. There are two things that can pack the Marriott Center to capacity. One is a nationally ranked basketball team playing against Utah. The other is a conference featuring two of the twelve apostles. Having been to both events, I have to say that there were lots more empty seats at the basketball game.

Regional conference was really good. Steven E. Snow, from the Presidency of the Seventy, conducted and spoke. Julie B. Beck, Relief Society President spoke. Jeffrey R. Holland from the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke. Then President Boyd K. Packer spoke. So, obviously it was really, really good.

Just a few notes before I move into my summer story. My new job starts tomorrow. I'll get officially hired and begin work. This week we are finishing up at Seven Peaks as well. I'll work a few hours each evening helping clean and close down all the stands. School continues to go well. BYU Football continues to struggle. Average everything together and life is about an 8 or 9 out of 10. Now onto the story.

Chapter 2: Back to School

School had been a nagging thought in my mind for some time. Part of me wanted to go back to school, part of me did not. I had taken some of the steps to return in previous semesters, but I still needed to reapply. I did not get things in order in time for the Winter 2010 semester, but, driven by the allure of student privileges, I had started reapplying for Spring 2010. To be completely honest, all I wanted was to become a "student" so I could join the student sports fan club and win prizes. BYU is smarter than you think though, because with my acceptance letter came the stipulation that I register for and complete the semester or term I applied for. Thus, whether I liked it or not, I was going back to school. Given my financial status and my new job, which required me to be free from 9 am to 9 pm, I could only take one 8 o'clock class. Of all the classes offered this spring, a grand total of two were from 8:00-8:50 AM. One I had already taken and passed with a B+. And so the stars aligned and I soon attended my first day in Jazz Dance. Even better, my worst fear was realized and I was the only male in the class. I could not help but laugh at my situation. I was never mad or frustrated, but I was determined to go to class every day and do my absolute best and to enjoy my class. This highly humorous state of affairs turned out to be another miracle in my life. Waking up at 7:00 AM each morning Monday through Thursday and participating in rigorous stretching and dancing motion for an hour boosted my energy levels tremendously. My mind, body and soul were revitalized and slowly, but surely, I began to make other changes in my life. Slowly, but surely, the summer miracle unfolded.

With all the good things going on recently, I thought I should go back a few months to the beginning of summer and see what all I accomplished to get me where I am today. I will break it up into parts over the next few days so you don't have to read a huge novel in one sitting.

Chapter 1: The Job

I guess it all started during the cold, rainy days of March and April when I applied for a job...

I was having no luck at all with the job hunt. Finally, a job opening appeared on Craigslist that I felt completely qualified for. "Assistant Foods Manager", read the title. Knowing Seven Peaks was not a globally known institution that required a culinary degree and decades of experience, I got excited. I quickly began tailoring my resume and cover letter for the position. A response to my email informing them of my interest in the job invited me to fill out an application on their website. I did so and tacked my shiny new resume on with it. Soon after I was called to interview for the position. I knew my interview skills were fairly dull, so I read and reread dozens of articles on the subject. I went into that interview brimming with confidence. I was informed at the end of the interview that I would be considered for two positions. One was the assistant manager, the other was food supervisor. Joe, the manager I was interviewing with, explained how they were essentially the same, but the assistant manager would have administrative duties one day of the week and start at a slightly higher wage. I was ok with whatever. At that point, I would have accepted almost anything. Soon after that interview, I was told that I was being considered for a supervisor position, but that I would have to re-interview with the manager and new assistant manager in a few weeks time. The days rolled by and no new jobs came up. Finally, the second interview arrived. I brushed up on my interview skills and nailed it. I walked away knowing that based on what they needed, if I did not get the job, they were making the worst decision in the history of worst decisions. They were good decision makers. When I got home, I already had a message from them. One phone call later, I was employed and not even the most threatening cloud on that freezing, raining evening could dampen the excitement that buzzed around my apartment.

First things first, I have a new job! It went smoother and quicker than I can believe. Yesterday morning I got up at 9. I turned on the Price is Right and got on my email. I read an email from Kraft and clicked to move it to my "Kraft" folder. I accidentally put it in my "jobs" folder. I was going to check for jobs after breakfast once I was more awake, but I thought, well, maybe it's a sign for me to check now. So, I went to the campus job site and searched for jobs. One had just been posted for a position as an assistant at the vehicle rental place BYU has. It listed a number to call for an interview. Now, if you were to take a poll, I bet 95% of you would say I would either not call (because I hate calling people) or I would procrastinate calling for several hours. Well, somehow, having only been awake for 15 minutes, I went straight to the phone and called! 40 minutes later I was showered, dressed up, picking up my resume and a reference from the printer at the field house and shaking hands with my interviewer. We talked, had a good meeting and he said to call back tomorrow to see what he decided. So, today, I called him back and he said he wanted to hire me. I report at 9 AM Monday to get officially hired.  

Other than that, not much has really gone on the past couple days. Tap dance is going well. Music 201 is going well. Having taken the classes before makes it easier to remember things. I should definitely come away with good grades in tap and hopefully writing. Music 201 may be difficult just because studying the material is a pain in the boo-hiney. I still think that both Mike and I can get at least a B in there. Funny story about that. I was telling Mike that being in a class together would be helpful for me because he cares about it and wants to do well. Then I thought...crap, we're screwed. Hehehe...seriously though, I think we'll do well. My roommate is also in the class, so we can all study together.

One more class this week and a couple hours of work between today and tomorrow. Going to a women's soccer game tonight, possibly a women's volleyball game tomorrow night. Last employee party at Seven Peaks on Saturday (right during the friggin game, but I'll get radio coverage over the loudspeakers at the park). Lots going on, lots going well.

Oh look, I have a blog!

Apologies again for my slacking. I seem to be forgetting more often. It's probably because I go to bed earlier so I'm not updating it late at night like I used to. I'll have to remember to put it in my schedule of daily duties.

You haven't really missed out on much though. Sunday was a good day, as usual. Church was good. Had a lesson on missionary work that was inspiring and then had a lesson on home teaching. Didn't feel like that one was geared towards me as much because my companion and I have been tops on home teaching. I still learned a lot though that I can and will apply. Annie and Mike came over for some lasagna Sunday evening. The lasagna was absolutely delicious. I was very pleased with my creation!

Monday was Labor Day and we had the absolute most BEAUTIFUL weather. The high did not get too much into the mid-70s and the morning was so refreshing somewhere in the 40s. I worked, but I gave all my day passes to Mary, her roommates and her sister and brother-in-law, so I took a big break to swim with them. We all had a good time. Mike came and swam for a bit too, but he left before I swam. Labor Day evening Mike and I watched the Boise State football game.

Today was a standard Tuesday. I went to tap this morning and had a good time tap dancing. Then I went to the bookstore to pick up a gospel art book (which is only $3.50 and I recommend it). I'm using it to get pictures for my walls. It's a lot cheaper to cut them from the book than buy them individually. If you guys ever need church pictures, get the gospel art book. From 9-5 I had nothing to do but a little homework, so, for the first time in years, I did some real homework! I just had a half to full page easy response/opinion paper to do and then a little light reading. No problem. I also took a very relaxing half hour nap before going to my writing class. That went well and then I came home. I watched America's Got Talent, saw some truly phenomenal stuff and now it's about time for me to wind down and either watch a movie or go to sleep. Since my nap was later in the day and I have no early classes, I'll likely watch something. Tomorrow Mary is coming over at noon to move her stuff out. It will be good to free up some space. I've kind of let things get messy and I've used the storage stuff as an excuse. So, once her stuff is gone, I'll move Amelia's stuff out of the way completely and clean up my room. Then I can get more organized and not have important papers mixed in with laundry and things like that. There are still only 3 people in my apartment. My roommate has yet to show up. Honestly, I will not mind if he never moves in. I enjoy the space and I enjoy not having to be quiet if I have a roommate that goes to bed at 8, or have to sleep with the light on because I have a rude roommate who stays up late doing nothing. Either way, whether he comes or not, I'll survive just fine. I figured today would be move in day since some people don't come back until Labor Day. We'll see what happens though.

Food service work at Seven Peaks is over! All that is left is closing down the stands. We have to super clean everything and get it checked off by the general management. That should be fun. I don't work again till Thursday, so I'm hoping the worst of it is done by then. I'm actively seeking new work and have applied at a few places. I keep checking every day for new postings. Hopefully something comes along soon! By my calculations, I have rent money to last until November, but I need to buy food as well as save up money, so I need work. Keep on praying!

That's all I have today. Hopefully some exciting things will happen that I can share this week. I will probably go on about the weather again since it is supposed to be very nice and chilly on Thursday! Winter is coming and I can't wait!!

I apologize for missing a day again. I got to work yesterday and realized we had no one scheduled to work the pool party from 9-midnight, so, given the confusing supervisor situations going on right now, I just decided to run it and with a dinner bribe, got 2 employees to work it with me. I got home and 12:40 and had to be back at 9 am to cover a shift for another supervisor, so I went straight to bed. Anyway, not much happened yesterday.

All I really have to say is GO COUGARS!!!!

The game was great today. Compared to Washington, we seemed more calm today. They had more mistakes, but I give LOADS of credit to our defense. They were great. It was super exciting to finally get the season started and I'm looking forward to things. As far as quarterbacks go, I think if Riley Nelson can throw more accurately, we'll be in good shape. Heaps did great scrambling and seemed more accurate. Lots of dropped passes though by our receivers. We'll see what happens. Our defense needs to keep it up and then I won't worry too much. Halftime was great too having LaVell Edwards on the field with all our All-American quarterbacks of the past. Jeffrey R. Holland was with the administration on the field too and said a few words. Speaking of quarterbacks, Max Hall has a bright future today. The Arizona Cardinals released Matt Leinart, their back up quarterback, and put Max Hall on as the back up. Everyone who has seen Max play has been very impressed and in a few years, expect to see him starting and probably going far in the NFL.

That's about all the excitement going on. I got a paycheck from work and that will help keep me going until my next paycheck and my bonus check. By then, I hope to have a job. I've applied for a few jobs already and have been looking daily for more to apply for. Hopefully things will work out. I talked briefly to the food manager at work about the new trafalga lehi. They will be looking for a foods manager over there, but since he is getting things started and there isn't really enough work for 2 people, they won't be hiring for that for a while. Sadly, I'll likely be gone by the time they need a manager. Too bad! I would love to be food manager there!

I have noticed one thing I would like to share. Lately I've found myself with an insatiable hunger. I ordered an extra large pizza at work and ate half of that, plus munched on snacks all night. Tonight I had 4 corn dogs and would have a few more if I didn't have to get to sleep real quick here. Hopefully, I can work out at the gym and gain some weight! I'm seriously hungry though. I hope it lasts a little while.

Pretty standard day today. Went to tap dance and got to tapping today. Having taken tap before helps, so I should pull through with an A this time around. After tap I went and bought some textbooks and a pocket journal for writing down important things to remember.

Having nothing else to do, I headed home and just relaxed the rest of the day. After hours of boringness, I went to my writing class at 5 pm. That should be a good class. There are only 10 of us in the class and the teacher is nice and will be easy to get help from. I may be able to pull an A out of that class too. My only concern is Music 201, and having Mike in the class with me should help and we may pull Bs out of that one. Time will tell.

Tonight we went to a pep rally at the stadium. It was great. The marching band, cheer leaders and Cougarettes (8 time national champion dance team) were all there. Then they had some of the football players there and it ended with a very impressive 5 minute firework show. There were at least 5000 in attendance by my estimate. (As we found out with the big rally in Washington last weekend though, attendance counts vary a lot.)

Two more days until game day! I have confidence in our defense hopefully stopping their offense enough to make a game for us. All we have to do is use our two quarterbacks to our advantage and confuse them enough to score more than they do. Usually when you score more than the other team you win...

I'm way stoked for it!

I received my package in the mail today from mom. I enjoyed it very much. Thank you.

Me with Mike and Chris' cut of the fireworks $$$

I know I said today was going to be a really busy day, but, I lied. Well, I didn't lie. It was going to be a busy day, but I changed my plans. I still went to class at 11, watched the news conference at 12, but I skipped my wells fargo checking account opening. I decided that I would think about it a little more. If I'm going to be leaving soon and plan on having enough money in my US Bank account to not have to worry about stupid fees, why not just keep that account? I'll debate it a bit more, but it seems like more of a hassle than anything to open a new account and switch over, just to use it for a few months. I went to the doctor at 2:40 and had a good check up. I am in good health. We talked about things and I told him about over exerting myself and what happens then. We talked about what I've done to improve my health and what has worked and what hasn't. He recommended some vitamins to take and he told me I should definitely be working out and keeping in shape, eating 3 healthy meals and went into detail about sleeping. Ultimately, I need to be on the routine I was on in the spring term. That's when I felt my best. I was up at 7 every morning, went to jazz dance, then went to work. I ate 3 meals, slept normal and I felt amazing. Since then, sleep has been more irregular, exercise less frequent, meals more combined and missed and I have not felt my best at all. Some days I'm more tired than others. So, I will establish a routine here and get back to feeling good soon. As far as a mission goes, the doctor said I would be fine to serve in any developed country. He wouldn't want me going somewhere like Africa where I wouldn't get to eat right and such. He stressed how important the things we talked about were and, having experienced the difference when I don't do those things, I know it is important. While there I got my ear clog removed. It was a big, nasty glob of earwax. It was about the size of your pinky toe-nail. Gross and cool at the same time. Mom will think it's just gross. I was impressed by it. I was more impressed though at the ability to hear fully out of my ear again. I have acute hearing (and acute face), so it was nice to have that back. The new freedom made my other ear feel clogged I could hear so well. I did leave with one prescription. I had a cold sore last week that has scabbed over and is finishing healing now and he gave me a pill that can knock cold sores out quick for most people. He said as long as I start taking it as soon as I feel it coming on, it should be effective. I'm stoked to try it, though I hope I don't have to for awhile. It's a 3 times a day pill and you take it for 5 days. I got the first dose today and I'll hold onto it until I need it. Then I have 5 refills so I can always keep it on hand for that day when my right upper lip (cuz that's where it ALWAYS happens) starts to get that all too familiar and depressing tingling feeling.

After the doctor's office I went to swim at Seven Peaks with Mary. We had a great time. There were absolutely no lines at all. We went to the slides we wanted and went right down. There were barely a handful of people there. From there we went and got some Cracker Barrel. 10 oz. Rib Eye Steak for me, Fried Apples and Herbed Chicken for her. Both were fantastic. My medium rare steak, dry aged for 28 days, had a beautiful line of pink in the middle and melted in your mouth, as it should. Phenomenal. We had to wait a bit before going to work out so we stopped in at Wal Mart to get some things for Mary. I got a $6 lamp for my living room. Then we worked out and headed home. It was a very fun day hanging out with Mary and getting important things done. Now I gotta run to bed so I can be tap dancing in 9 hours.