Hi, I don't know your name, but i'm really going to miss you!

Today was my first day of church in college. I'm not perfectly sure how the wards are arranged, but I know that all the people in my building are in the same ward. which is pretty cool because then we get a greater chance to get to know each other.

although there is a track-station right next to the institute, its faster to walk because my building is on the same road and the nearest station to board is a circumventional route, then you'd have to wait for the train, and it's just fast to walk.

There are four meeting houses in the institute building, I know that at least 1 of them has real benches, but the one my ward meets in has plastic, stack-able, chairs. I was actually surprised at how packed the room was. I also found it funny to note that the chairs closer to the front were cushioned while the chairs in the back were hard plastic, good old LDS style.

This week was kind of weird, especially as a freshman because the bishopric was being reorganized and all the previous bishoprics and their wives were speaking. It was a very spiritual meeting, but I found it rather funny that they were talking about how much they'd miss being in our ward, when 40% of the ward had never even met them yet. It was really kind of cool to watch just how much they cared for the rag-tag group of college students, and I saw a similar kind of love developing in the new bishops demeanor as well. I think I'm going to really like it here.

To think, the School made another error.

Short post this time, make a long story short, when I went to pick up my books on Monday they gave me the wrong package, I had chosen to ride my bike that day so I had to heave the whole 30Ib. up hill, not fun, but not impossible. I preceded to open the package and discover that I had been given the wrong books, so the next day I heaved them all the way down hill early in the morning to get my actual books. I ended up exchanging the 30Ib package for one that was so heavy it broke the bag as I carried it around. I had been dull enough to pick them up at the start of the day so that for the rest of the day I was lugging around a huge collection of text books.

Advice for all those yet to enter college: pick up text-books on your way HOME not on your way to class, much more convenient.

(I did however, "accidentally" keep the complementary starbursts that they include in each package, whoops, I guess I'll just call that my payment for my troubles. I was hoping for a gift-card or something like that though...

To think, the School made another error.

Short post this time, make a long story short, when I went to pick up my books on Monday they gave me the wrong package, I had chosen to ride my bike that day so I had to heave the whole 30Ib. up hill, not fun, but not impossible. I preceded to open the package and discover that I had been given the wrong books, so the next day I heaved them all the way down hill early in the morning to get my actual books. I ended up exchanging the 30Ib package for one that was so heavy it broke the bag as I carried it around. I had been dull enough to pick them up at the start of the day so that for the rest of the day I was lugging around a huge collection of text books.

Advice for all those yet to enter college: pick up text-books on your way HOME not on your way to class, much more convenient.

(I did however, "accidentally" keep the complementary starbursts that they include in each package, whoops, I guess I'll just call that my payment for my troubles. I was hoping for a gift-card or something like that though...

Technically technology is supposed to work, right?

Story time, k? I moved into college monday, but I also had marching band on monday. the Marching Band allowed from 12:00pm-6:00pm to move in. After finding my mom and brothers, we went to the housing office to get checked in, they told me everything should work so we went to my dorms, we grabbed almost all the stuff I had packed and tried to go inside. but my keycard didn't work (wouldn't open the door) so I call the housing office and ask "what's up", they didn't know and told me to call the Ucard office, they haven't an idea either and ask me to come down so they can look at my card, ("coming down" constitutes about a mile walk 1-way, and a mile walk back up hill the other way) so I walk down, they tell me it should work, and I try to walk up, but I missed the dorms and ended up walking another half-mile to the hospital, taking the bus back to the Ucard place, and starting over again, I finally get to my dorms and I swipe my card, it doesn't work still. So I call the Ucard place, more ticked then i've been in months, and politely ask them to try again. they take the pin number from my card and put me on hold for five minutes, then tell me it should work. It does and I finally get to move on with the rest of my day.----After 2 hours of walking around like a chicken with his head cut off and tied to a flag pole, me and my family were finally able to discard my stuff in my dorms. they left around 5, and I went back to marching band at 6. 

the next day, I got all ready for MB and went outside, then remembered i'd forgotten some money to pay for my uniform fee, unfortunantly, my card wasn't working again, I had to get to marching band so I delayed trying to fix it until lunch time. I called the Ucard office, they put me on hold, and then someone hung up on me!!! so I called agian and it was busy, I called until it wasn't busy and they told me that they had no idea what the problem was, they'd call me back when they had a solution, so I went and got some lunch came back to my dorms and waited, they never called me back. so I decide to call them, they told me that they had been trying to call, but couldn't probably because I was blocking their phone lines, when it never said on my phone that i'd missed a call, and I had waited a more than sufficient time for them to be able to call me without interfering with the phone call they said they had tried to send. finally, they told me they were just going to print me a new card and that I could pick it up after marching band at 5. (5 is also when the U card office closes, along with every other office in the school, meaning if this card didn't work I'd be locked out of my house the entire night with nowhere to stay) after band I went down to pick it up, but didn't have enough time to make sure it worked before the activity the band was having that night, (we watched iron man in the band room, they actually have a good projector screen unlike the dinky tv's in AF's band room) I got a ride with a friend back up to my dorms, and luckily, the card works!!! no telling wether or not it will work tomorrow, the next day, next week, or some other time in the distant frustrating future....

I'm wondering, does anyone else have a "moving" story to trump this one? if so, I'd really like to know, share please!!

The Day I obtained Divine Power

Today, I obtained the power of God, The Melchizedek Priesthood, I also slept in and missed church, but that's besides the point because it was actually a good thing. See, it goes like this: because I missed my singles ward I was able to go to my home ward, because I was able to go to my homeward I was able to be awarded my Duty to God Award, bless the sacrament one more time in my ward before going to college, connect with my home-teaching companion to go home-teaching one last time, say good by to the Burninghams (my favorite teaching couple of all time who better be reading this), and sit with my dad and brothers for the opening exercises of Priesthood meeting. So in the end it was a blessing that I slept in late and didn't go to missionary prep, so there!!! because if I hadn't then I wouldn't have achieved my Duty to God, wouldn't have been able to do all those good things, solely because I woke up on time, just goes to show that The Lord can make anything into a good thing.

At the actual ordination meeting I got to enjoy having my bishop, young mens leader, grandparents, and high-priest leaders there, along with my family, I couldn't help laughing when Bro. Hull asked my parents to share things about me, I was thinking "share things to embarrass me", and as anyone knows, I have found a way to enjoy being embarrassed, so it follows, I was laughing through the whole thing-silently-but laughing, I felt bad because I was laughing during their testimony parts too.... but it was actually really nice to hear all he good things they said about me, I'm glad people think i'm so good, makes me relate to Nephi, sort of.

It's not often I get to hear my parents bare their testimonies, they don't often bare them in church, maybe that's why I find it so hard to stand up myself? I'm getting better at that. It was really nice to hear my Mom and Dad speak with the spirit, it brought the spirit into the house and prepared me for my ordination.

Now that I have the Melchizedek Priesthood I have a sacred duty to My God to continually be doing good, giving service, and keeping all his commandments, I hope to be successful in these endeavors, and by reading the scriptures I am comforted in knowing that this is possible.

DUCK!!!!! OW!!! sorry!.......

This week Me, Sean, and Tysum have decided to play racquet ball in the mornings. I tried to get them to play with me earlier in the year but they resisted. To bad I leave for college next week and we only get to play for two weeks, we'll have to make it a habit that during school breaks we play.

Racquet ball can be a dangerous sport, so, I have decided to type up a little lesson on how to safely play racquet ball. first, the ball is your enemy, your goal is to get it to go !SpLaT! against the wall opposite the door. second, the ball is your enemy, it will do what ever it can to NOT go !SpLaT! against the wall which is opposing, just hit it harder. second, if Sean is standing it the way of the opposing wall, the ball will hit Sean, so, my advice, if you are Sean and you are standing in between me and the opposing wall, DUCK!!!

Second, the ball has an infatuation with the floor, or should I say, an addiction. we all know we are suppose to love our enemies, so it is your goal to keep the ball from touching the floor as much as possible, this however is impossible, but if at any time sean is standing in between the floor and your  ball, there is only one think for him to do, DUCK!!!, but of course, the ball is headed towards the floor, so in this case, it's a lost cause, sorry Sean.

Third, the ball loves the side walls that are perpendicular to the far wall almost as much as it loves the floor, if you aim for these walls, the ball will hit something!!!! so don't, your far better off making it go !SpLaT! on the opposite wall, safer that way too.

Fourth, take a moment and look at the ground, IT'S HARD, it will hurt if it hits you!!! so, it is your decision, if the ball is about to hit the ground, (and we've already established that that isn't a good thing) you can either, a.) dive and make a fool of your self as you miss the ball and it collides with your cranium at the exact time that your cranium hits the floor causing a double conktusion of the brain, or b.) wait for it to bounce back up and hit it doubly hard in the general direction of the nearest opposing wall, be considerate of the other players though.

Fifth, don't stand behind another player as he tries to hit the ball, this game isn't called raquethead for a reason.

Last, if you want absolute guaranteed safety you can either wear a 100% supersonic-bullet proof suit of mythril armor....... or you can sit with popcorn and t.v. dinner in hand and watch with a birds eye view from the windows above as everyone else gets pummeled to pain by the enemy of all man kind, the ball.

             all views expressed in this article
             are the expressed opinion of
             no one in particular,
             do not blame anyone for injury
             sustained by the following of
             these guide lines. Ever.

Blue Skies, The Tragedy

This week, as I've already stated, I spent 90% of my time at a Blue Skies Music Camp, I wasn't attending this camp, I was just 'at' the camp. My brother, Tyler, was the one attending. seeing how most of the camp was 16-17 year olds, he really needed someone there who he know so he wouldn't feel so lonely. usually this is my mom, this year the responsibility fell on me.

don't get me wrong, this camp seemed like a total blast for anyone who played a stringed instrument, but I don't, so even though I got to attend most of the classes/groups my brother did, most of it flew right over my head. there were basically five highlights to this camp that I want to point out, first a girl, second an instrument, third a girl, and fourth and instrument, go figure right?

the first girl is the one I already mentioned, if you want to read that post click on this link: http://smileall-ways.blogspot.com/2010/07/mandolin.html all I want to say on this subject more is that after I returned the mandolin she basically ignored me the rest of the week, and that I have decided that I want to learn how to play the guitar.

second instrument is the penny whistle, I brought a penny whistle to show this other guy named Taylor who brought one, the fervor what contagious and by the end of the camp we had 15 people who had boughten pennywhistles and were learning how to play them, we even got the leader of the camp (Aaron Ashton) to set up a pennywhistle class taught by a professional pennywhistle player. it was pretty sweet.

the second girl actually became my friend, sort of, she isn't LDS, but keeps the standards better than half the girls in my singles ward, and she has a boyfriend. but she made the camp funner because we became less of the "guy with his weird brother who cares more about his nintendo then actually participating in the camp" and more of someone who was fun to sit with at lunch, it just made the day a little funner to have someone to talk to other than my brother.

one of the coolest things about this camp was that there was only about 35 kids there in total, with only 5 people on staff, hence we got to know the staff rather well. on the first day I told them that I was only here with my brother, didn't play any plucked instrument, and was a clarinetist. they mentioned that I could bring my clarinet and they even let me participate in the choir!! it was pretty sweet. in the final concert I played in one of the bands and sang with the choir.

other things I need to mention: the band names were really cool, the concert was relaxed, the performers were wearing things like flipflops and even a kilt!!! it was super cool. some of the names were as follows, "semidisfunctional pyrokenetic earthworms", "untitled", and mine was "bowl of success" we sang a song satyring the camp staff, it was sweet because the camp was called "blue skies" and the song was called "blue skies" it was really funny.

yeah....... CADENTIAL ENDING!!! that's about it.....

have fun!!!!