Sunday, November 22, 2009
thankful
Thanks April for posting this last week!
I'm afriad the ongoing gifts from the wedding eventually made me a fairly unappreciative person. Towards the end we were getting cards from friends and the object that got the most appreciation was which president's face was on the dollar bill! This morning I'm thankful for a lot of things. Three months ago I felt completely unprepared to meet the financial demands and responsibilities of marriage. I'm the kind of person who likes to enjoy the peace of mind that comes from preparation, an unknowning blind step in front of the other has never been my forte. I can remember nights praying for the spiritual sensitivity and patience necessary for a husband and family Patriarch, and days drawing up Ellie's and I's bills and wondering how we were ever going to manage it. More specifically I remember stressing over finding a roof to put over our heads. Miraculously, (and I mean this in a very literal way) we were able to secure an apartment in a complex that was our first choice before turned down because it was full. I wish you could see this place, it's about the size of my parents' living room and kitchen! But it's sufficient for our needs and 400 bucks a month is a killer deal for two in a small college town!
I'm thankful for God's ability to bring about good in those who put their faith in Him. I'm really thankful that He does so even when the individual's faith is lacking! I'm grateful to have found a girl that I love so much and that we were able to be sealed by God's authority for time and all eternity. I'm grateful for my parents and siblings whom I've leanred so much from and have made some fantastic memories. I'm thankful for the roof over my head and food in my cupboards and clothes in my drawers. I'm VERY thankful for the wafflemaker the Grimmet family gave us for our wedding, nothing could be better than listening to music in the kitchen while making a stack of waffles! I'm grateful for the knowledge I have of God and His Plan for us, for the plain precious truths that bring bliss in the good times and strength in the hard times. I'm grateful for the opportunities my Father's given me and the lessons taught from them.
Happy Thanksgiving planet earth!
married life
Events that have transpired in the last month:
1. Deal with last-minute complications of an impending wedding.
2. Finish up paying for a honeymoon.
3. Get married to my best friend for time and all eternity.
4. Tip over and break a lamp trying to cut a wedding cake.
5. Take a cruise to Catalina Island, CA and Ensenada, Mexico.
6. Gaze out at the Pacific Ocean on deck in a jacuzzi next to my wife.
7. Ride a tandem bike all around a small island town.
8. Buy a cheap Nacho Libre mask.
9. Barter a Mexican from an 85$ purse to a 31$ purse.
10. Use a waffle maker 4 times in 5 days.
1. Deal with last-minute complications of an impending wedding.
2. Finish up paying for a honeymoon.
3. Get married to my best friend for time and all eternity.
4. Tip over and break a lamp trying to cut a wedding cake.
5. Take a cruise to Catalina Island, CA and Ensenada, Mexico.
6. Gaze out at the Pacific Ocean on deck in a jacuzzi next to my wife.
7. Ride a tandem bike all around a small island town.
8. Buy a cheap Nacho Libre mask.
9. Barter a Mexican from an 85$ purse to a 31$ purse.
10. Use a waffle maker 4 times in 5 days.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
jack's new cd
For all of you who don't know (but most definitely should know), Jack Johnson is releasing a new cd in twelve days! To say that "I'm stoked", would be a total and complete understatement.
This video makes me smile. You can just feel the love.
This video makes me smile. You can just feel the love.
never a dull moment
I haven't written in a long time. Working three jobs might have something to do with that. Well, three jobs, four sources of income. You see, I fall into that desperate clan of starving college students that sell plasma for cash. It's not bad, I've had a lot better luck with it than my poor fiance. She once had an experience selling plasma involving the needle pricking a nerve and sending incredible tingling pain down her arm, then while attempting to use the other arm the blood returned outside the vein and visibly bubbled up her skin. And after all this, she's agreed to come with me every time I go, so she can bring in that extra $200 a month that we desperately, desperately need.
I hope my best guy friends end up with a girl like Ellie!
Like I was saying, three jobs, four sources of income. Working at Ray's Chevron, a developmental facility for the handicapped center, teaching piano and guitar, and selling plasma. I don't count plasma because well, you don't really do anything. My good friend Russell Gordon, who sells plasma and works as a male model on campus, takes pride in the fact that neither of his jobs require any skills. He just kind of shows up and... is. Ellie and I both laughed really hard when he told us this.
He told us this on a road trip the three of us took to Spokane on a three day weekend last month. Ellie's old college friends from NIC wanted to throw her a bridal shower so we took a special trip, it'd seemed like ages since I saw my family. We had a blast! We went and saw my graceful sister dance at Valleyfest, Ellie had her bridal shower, I laughed harder than I have in a long time helping my brother move (they always wait until you come to visit don't they?), spent time with my hilarious nephew age 1, and saw my friend one last time before he leaves on his Church Mission to the West Indies.
The trip seemed eerily serene and without incident. The adventures of Ellie and Randy are never that way (example: our first date, another story for another day). We were making our way back to Rexburg at 1 a.m. when Murphy's Law payed us a visit. First the CD Player stopped working, then all the needles on the dash dropped to zero, then the lights started fading, and finally the engine died and we slowed to the shoulder of the highway. A highway in the middle of Nowhere, Montana. I knew that it was either the battery or the alternator, and five seconds after we slowed to a stop Ellie, Russell and I were all on our phones to our dads. They confirmed that it was probably the alternator and that we should get it towed to the next town, Dillon, fifteen miles away.
Me being nervous about being hit by oncoming traffic, I recruited Russell into pushing the car to the next exit. Summer had been holding on rather late in both Rexburg and Spokane, so none of us had packed very much in the way of warm clothing. So in sweatshirts and jeans, we pushed and pushed and pushed with Ellie steering and cheering us out of an open window. It was a freezing night and soon my heavy breathing my made my lungs feel like they were filled with battery acid. But push we did. In my head all I could hear was that classic Primary song "Pioneer children sang as they walked, and walked, and walked, and walked... and walked and walked and walked." Despite everything, all of us kept our happy moods and laughed at the image of two guys bent behind a Ford Focus, pushing it down a highway under a silent Montana sky at night with a girl yelling "C'mon boys, you can do it!"
Finally reaching an exit, parked the car at the end of the off-ramp and I called my dad again. He had one number for a towing service in Dillon but warned that my insurance would only cover the cost if it was done during normal business hours! Suddenly I wished I was with AllState, they always say "you're in good hands"!!! Unwilling to cough up the cost, the three of us collectively agreed to spend the night in the car. And I welcomed the idea of snuggling next to my fiance through the night, however cramped we might be.
Cramped we were.
And snuggle we did not.
We almost froze to death. Not paying heed to my practical Boy Scout training, I was anything but prepared. I had no blankets. We opened out suitcases and threw random clothing on top of us in an attempt to block out the cold. Out of the three of us, I got the most sleep, probably three hours, Ellie slept maybe an hour and Russell pulled an all-nighter. We were miserable. But morning came, and eventually we saw the first rays of sun hit our windows with frost collecting on the inside from the cold and humidity. We opened the doors to a crisp, beautiful, cloudless morning, but there's no way anyone can appreciate these things without any sleep the night before!
I called the tow truck and a very nice man came and saved us from our freezing state. When we got into town he let us take his truck, we drove as fast as we dared to McDonald's and had a breakfast that tasted better than any meal I have ever tasted!
What did I learn from this? You can endure anything if you're surrounded by good friends. When I dropped Russell off at his house, I said "We'll be laughing about it soon. I mean, not right now... give it a week." I'm so lucky to be engaged to my best friend and have someone to laugh with through all the hard times and struggles that will most-assuredly come!
I hope my best guy friends end up with a girl like Ellie!
Like I was saying, three jobs, four sources of income. Working at Ray's Chevron, a developmental facility for the handicapped center, teaching piano and guitar, and selling plasma. I don't count plasma because well, you don't really do anything. My good friend Russell Gordon, who sells plasma and works as a male model on campus, takes pride in the fact that neither of his jobs require any skills. He just kind of shows up and... is. Ellie and I both laughed really hard when he told us this.
He told us this on a road trip the three of us took to Spokane on a three day weekend last month. Ellie's old college friends from NIC wanted to throw her a bridal shower so we took a special trip, it'd seemed like ages since I saw my family. We had a blast! We went and saw my graceful sister dance at Valleyfest, Ellie had her bridal shower, I laughed harder than I have in a long time helping my brother move (they always wait until you come to visit don't they?), spent time with my hilarious nephew age 1, and saw my friend one last time before he leaves on his Church Mission to the West Indies.
The trip seemed eerily serene and without incident. The adventures of Ellie and Randy are never that way (example: our first date, another story for another day). We were making our way back to Rexburg at 1 a.m. when Murphy's Law payed us a visit. First the CD Player stopped working, then all the needles on the dash dropped to zero, then the lights started fading, and finally the engine died and we slowed to the shoulder of the highway. A highway in the middle of Nowhere, Montana. I knew that it was either the battery or the alternator, and five seconds after we slowed to a stop Ellie, Russell and I were all on our phones to our dads. They confirmed that it was probably the alternator and that we should get it towed to the next town, Dillon, fifteen miles away.
Me being nervous about being hit by oncoming traffic, I recruited Russell into pushing the car to the next exit. Summer had been holding on rather late in both Rexburg and Spokane, so none of us had packed very much in the way of warm clothing. So in sweatshirts and jeans, we pushed and pushed and pushed with Ellie steering and cheering us out of an open window. It was a freezing night and soon my heavy breathing my made my lungs feel like they were filled with battery acid. But push we did. In my head all I could hear was that classic Primary song "Pioneer children sang as they walked, and walked, and walked, and walked... and walked and walked and walked." Despite everything, all of us kept our happy moods and laughed at the image of two guys bent behind a Ford Focus, pushing it down a highway under a silent Montana sky at night with a girl yelling "C'mon boys, you can do it!"
Finally reaching an exit, parked the car at the end of the off-ramp and I called my dad again. He had one number for a towing service in Dillon but warned that my insurance would only cover the cost if it was done during normal business hours! Suddenly I wished I was with AllState, they always say "you're in good hands"!!! Unwilling to cough up the cost, the three of us collectively agreed to spend the night in the car. And I welcomed the idea of snuggling next to my fiance through the night, however cramped we might be.
Cramped we were.
And snuggle we did not.
We almost froze to death. Not paying heed to my practical Boy Scout training, I was anything but prepared. I had no blankets. We opened out suitcases and threw random clothing on top of us in an attempt to block out the cold. Out of the three of us, I got the most sleep, probably three hours, Ellie slept maybe an hour and Russell pulled an all-nighter. We were miserable. But morning came, and eventually we saw the first rays of sun hit our windows with frost collecting on the inside from the cold and humidity. We opened the doors to a crisp, beautiful, cloudless morning, but there's no way anyone can appreciate these things without any sleep the night before!
I called the tow truck and a very nice man came and saved us from our freezing state. When we got into town he let us take his truck, we drove as fast as we dared to McDonald's and had a breakfast that tasted better than any meal I have ever tasted!What did I learn from this? You can endure anything if you're surrounded by good friends. When I dropped Russell off at his house, I said "We'll be laughing about it soon. I mean, not right now... give it a week." I'm so lucky to be engaged to my best friend and have someone to laugh with through all the hard times and struggles that will most-assuredly come!
Sunday, September 6, 2009
one single moment
There are moments, in anyone's life, that shake them out of the daily routine. This moment causes them to look back on their life and wonder, "How did I get here?" Any demands from friends, teachers, family, or bosses fade away into nothing, and that individual focuses their entire energy on that moment. Sometimes it involves a decision that will affect the rest of your life, sometimes the consequences go beyond death and into eternity. In that moment you can feel helpless with so much out of your control, especially if there's a decision to be made by someone else. You think about your life and second-guess how prepared you really are to face that moment. With so much riding on it, even your body voices it's anxiety: you can feel your heartbeat in your chest, you hear your breathing in your head and feel your mind spin.
It causes people to stop, think, feel.
You know that somehow, you will never be the same again.
This was one of those moments.
It causes people to stop, think, feel.
You know that somehow, you will never be the same again.
This was one of those moments.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
don't ask me why
Just like any other night, I was perusing Facebook and stalking all my friends in a very semi-creepy way, and stumbled upon the blog of a very dear friend of mine. I've been friends with this girl for two years last month and never knew she had a blog. I read and read and read and read, and found the refreshingly down-to-earth perspectives and thoughts, thoughts I hadn't heard since the late-night conversations we'd have in obscure locations (Shari's booths at 2 a.m., empty Taco Bell parking lots).
Anyhow, I felt inspired. So here I am.
I feel like a vague introduction is in order.
I'm 23 years old but if we met you probably wouldn't guess any older than 19, people are always saying that to me.
I'm a devout Christian, and hold a firm testimony that the Savior's church has been restored on the earth.
I love Italian, Greek and authentic Mexican food.
When I was in Kindergarten, all the kids in my class were asked to make a collage of something they liked, when the teacher came to my table she looked over my shoulder to see a piece of construction paper covered in JCPenny models with three words: "I love women!" Seventeen years later I find myself engaged to the most beautiful and genuine girl I've ever known. We're getting married on November 6th of this year, go me!
The name of my blog, "On and On" comes from my favorite musician's second album. That man is Jack Johnson, everything he writes makes me think.
I spent two years in Australia and would love to see more of the world.
My love for NBC's "The Office" has no end. I have a trivia board game that I am yet to be beaten at.
Family is very important to me. I'm the second of four children and am the Uncle of one hilarious newphew (age 1).
In the summer of 2005 I took a girl on a date and I made her throw up. You think I'm joking, or you think it was the food. It wasn't. It was me. Take my word for it.
Enough introductions. I'm going to bed.
Anyhow, I felt inspired. So here I am.
I feel like a vague introduction is in order.
I'm 23 years old but if we met you probably wouldn't guess any older than 19, people are always saying that to me.
I'm a devout Christian, and hold a firm testimony that the Savior's church has been restored on the earth.
I love Italian, Greek and authentic Mexican food.
When I was in Kindergarten, all the kids in my class were asked to make a collage of something they liked, when the teacher came to my table she looked over my shoulder to see a piece of construction paper covered in JCPenny models with three words: "I love women!" Seventeen years later I find myself engaged to the most beautiful and genuine girl I've ever known. We're getting married on November 6th of this year, go me!
The name of my blog, "On and On" comes from my favorite musician's second album. That man is Jack Johnson, everything he writes makes me think.
I spent two years in Australia and would love to see more of the world.
My love for NBC's "The Office" has no end. I have a trivia board game that I am yet to be beaten at.
Family is very important to me. I'm the second of four children and am the Uncle of one hilarious newphew (age 1).
In the summer of 2005 I took a girl on a date and I made her throw up. You think I'm joking, or you think it was the food. It wasn't. It was me. Take my word for it.
Enough introductions. I'm going to bed.
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