a little taste of heaven

Oh how I will miss you, beautiful island of Oahu.

tis the season

I love this time of year. The older I get the more I learn to love it. I used to loathe the snow and the cold that comes along with it. Now I welcome it. Snow is a beautiful thing. Each and every snow flake is majestic and falls as if doing a dance. It covers all the dying shrubbery in a beautiful white blanket. Then there is the smell of the crisp fall air, the rosing of my cheeks every time I step outside, carving through the snow on a snowboard, and of course the fall/winter fashion trends.

Another welcoming trait of this time of year is the holiday season. Everyone is giving, loving, and charitable. It seems that others needs are better taken care of and looked after. It is a beautiful thing. As a people we seem to really embrace those around us.

In the spirit of these pre-Thanksgiving weeks, I thought I would give a little rundown of what I am grateful for.

• My family. Each and every one of them. I love you guys!
• Friends. You make everyday so much better.
• A good job. I truly enjoy going to work.
• The view from my apartment window. The mountains never looked so pretty.
• Education. You have changed the way I look at the world.
• Religion. I can be whole again.
• Never ending opportunities. Life is so much more exciting because of them.
• Life experiences. You have helped mold me into who I am today.

the good life

I was talking to one of my coworkers the other day. He mentioned something that has stuck with me. He said "if everyone in the world were to put their problems into a hat and choose which set of experience they wanted in life, we would all want to have our own problems back".

The more I think about that, the more it seems to ring true. We do all have our problems - everyone; not just the obvious ones either. Everyone experiences life in a different way and we all have our own perception of things. Something that may be life altering for one person might not even phase another. One person might come out on top of an adverse event when the same exact thing might completely consume another. As such, we should always be aware of what others may be experiencing on the inside. I know for me at least, way more goes on inside my head than I will ever let out.

What I perceive to be the moral of the story is that you can't judge a book by it's cover. Anyone at any given moment might be going through a life changing experience that has no physical manifestations. There are times that we may appear rude or disgruntled that we don't even realize it. Everything that we do and say has to do with our perception of the world around us - the things we learn, the things we do, and the opportunities that we have. We become the people that we are because of the way that we experience life.

That being said, I do have to give thanks as well. I'm not really sure that life gets much better. I mean, it's pretty much guaranteed to as I continue to get older and experience more things. But, I do have to say this - my life is good. I have an amazing family and excellent friends. I love my job and my roommates. My ward is great, my apartment is great, basically life is just good. And I will be in Hawaii a week from yesterday. Does it get much better? Like everyone else, I have my problems, but really life is good. So good.

Food for Thought

I came across a copy of this article at work yesterday. I found it rather fascinating - which probably has a lot to do with the fact that I work at Intermountain and live in Utah. It also adds some good points to the current healthcare debate.

Making Healthcare Better

my silent plea

More holiness give me,

More strivings within,

More patience in suffering,

More sorrow from sin,

More faith in my Savior,

More sense of his care,

More joy in his service,

More purpose in prayer.

More gratitude give me,

More trust in the Lord,

More pride in his glory,

More hope in his word,

More tears in his sorrow,

More pain at his grief,

More meekness in trial,

More praise for relief.

More purity give me,

More strength to o'ercome,

More freedom from earthstains,

More longing for home,

More fit for the kingdom,

More used would I be,

More blessed and holy

More, Savior, like thee.

-Hymn #131, More Holiness Give Me

with love

“Are you always in a good mood?”

“Do you think it spreads? Do you think it makes others around you happier?”

“I think it does.”

Those were the question posed to me yesterday at work. It struck me and caught me off guard. It caused me to turn inward to try and determine an appropriate answer.

Really, I just want to be there. I want to be someone that others can trust. I want to be the person that anyone can talk to and feel safe sharing deep emotion, or frivolous emotion – whatever is needed in the moment. I want to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ by example. I want others to be comfortable and happy around me.

I try to find the good in everyone that I come in contact with. The amazing housekeeper that strives to keep our lab spotless. The cute little old lady driving her car 25 in a 45mph zone. The adorable old couple walking hand in hand around temple square. The kind gentleman who I stick with a needle to draw his blood twice a week. My amazing and inspiring boss. My best friend who knows me better than I probably know myself. The phlebotomist that I am learning to love far more that I would have ever thought possible upon first meeting her. My roommates who were kind enough to ask me to live with them. My family that puts up with all my crap. My Heavenly Father who looks after my each and every move and is always there even when I stumble. The list goes on. I don’t think I could ever write a comprehensive one.

I am surrounded by amazing people that have done incredible things in their lives and continue to do so. So many of them have come in contact with such tragedy but get through it with flying colors. They all offer inspiration to me. I am a better person because I know them. They help to lift and inspire me to do good each and every day.

My deepest desire is that I can in some way return the favor.

picture memories

My weekend in Federal Way with Emily goes as follows:

We made killer cake batter cookies. 1 package cake mix, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup butter, 1 tsp. vanilla, 2 eggs and you have perfection.

Return of the Sunday afternoon ritual. Beautiful. Emily randomly had a blue feather up her red dress. We were in the green grass on a plaid blanket. Go figure.

Frolicking in Seattle. Girls just wanna have fun, isn't that right Emily? haha.

Joining the gang of 10 BMWs that passed us on our way back from Mt. Rainier - going 70 on windy mountain roads around sharp corners.

Hiking to the Grove of Patriarchs.

There were lots of bees.

The trees were incredibly old - we are talking 1000s of years here.

...and also they were gigantic. They don't come like that in Utah.

Needless to say, I had a fantastic weekend getaway with my best friend. Thanks for everything Embed!