life back at home...

Well, life back at home. You know, I really love my family, I really do. Sometimes there are headaches, as with anything or anyone, but who would I be without my family. I love being home. I have been able to spend alot of time with my brothers that I wasn't able to do before. I was always gone before I left on the mission. When I got home, it was work and church. I was hardly ever home, and I couldn't do a whole lot with them. Now that I am home again, I still have a hard time doing things with them because they are all busy doing stuff everywhere else. School has started and they are in everything from football to drama to choir. Always gone. But I am looking forward to spending the next few months with them and having the priority be the family rather than everything else.

A large part of me moving home was so that I could get enough college credit to transfer back into BYU as an enrolled student rather than a visiting student or just a night class student. To be completely honest, I could have stayed in Utah and done the same thing. I was going back to fulltime work at 15 dollars an hour(which is pretty darn good for a college student in Provo) and I had a saturday job(that was just fun, I didn't really need that one) giving horse rides in Park City. I could have just taken a night class and then gotten the last three credits I needed to transfer. When my family decided not to move out to Utah, I felt very strongly that I needed to come home. To be completely honest, it is alot harder being home again than being on my own. I was just about to start doing really well financially for a college student and I was very comfortable where I was at. But, I felt that I really needed to come home. As it is, I am taking two classes(because that is all I can afford at the moment) and will be starting work again for DirectPointe as a Sales Associate on monday(finally a paycheck!). With this new job, there is a great potential for earning a lot of money. But if I am only in Texas until December, I will not have earned a whole lot. Anyway, my point is that it is working out. It was really, really hard for me the first two weeks being home because I could not get my job worked out, I had no income at all, and I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to get into classes. As it is now, things have worked themselves out. And it is looking like I will be back up in Utah sooner than I anticipated. Things have kinda taken an interesting twist. So, earning a lot of money with this new job will be very helpful. And reducing costs by moving home is going to help a lot as well.

Kristen came out to Texas to visit last weekend. We had an awesome time and she loved being here. We took a couple of pictures but this one beneath is my favorite. This was taken the morning that she flew home.

Pictures!!!

So the first group of pics I took one morning on my way to class. There were tons of them but I was running a bit late. The truck is towards the bottom.

This truck is a Chevy 2500. It is a deisel with the Allison transmission and 365 horsepower and 660 sq ft of torque stock. It is a bohemoth. Big truck. Yeah.

well...

So, I have decided that this has now become more like a journal than a picture book, as was this blogs original intention. Honestly though, I really don't have a problem with that. I should be writing in a regular journal anyway. I guess I should really try and keep all of that in one place though. And I could go on and on and on for hours. I tend to bable when I write, though I am not like that in person. Anyone who knows me agrees that I am extremely intraverted and don't talk a lot at all. So this becomes an outlet for me, though not many, if any, read this, it is nice for me to "let it all out" so to speak.

So yeah, I was going to write about my experience last two weeks ago. I went out on a date with a girl that is so amazing. I know this is dumb and it seems cliche to write about stuff like this in a journal, but let me explain. I met this girl, her name is Kristen Bleak, when I first moved into the Riviera apartments in May of 2006. My first impression was that she was way out of my league. So, naturally, as a very shy intravert, I kept to myself and didn't really talk to her. My whole thinking was, Maybe if I don't talk to her, I can't make a fool of myself by saying something dumb.(which I do constantly by the way as any one of my friends can tell you. I say some pretty dumb stuff sometimes.) So, I went over a year with seeing her very occasionally and hardly saying anything. Then, a couple of days before I move back, Seth Martinez, an old roommate and someone I highly respect, convinces me that I have a shot and that I should take her out on a simple date the Wednesday before I leave. I honestly thought to myself, Well, it wouldn't hurt. So, we went. It was awesome!!! That was the funnest date I have ever been on. All we did was go to the batting cages and then to her apartment for ice cream and laughs. It was awesome. Apparently, she thought so too. We have talked for at least an hour every night since I have been gone, and she is coming to visit this weekend. We'll see.

So that was that. On a more normal note, I did get into school down here for the fall term, which I am very happy about. But my job is proving to be a little difficult to nail down. I was supposed to stay on with the company I was working for in Utah, but management is being a bit sluggish about this. I have been looking down here in Texas at other places that might hire, all the while trying to keep in touch and get the ball rolling back in Utah. I finally made some headway today back in Utah and got the ball rolling a very small amount, but at least it is moving. I am going to have to keep pushing though or nothing will get done.

So this is my life up to now. And one more thing...my parents just bought a very sweet truck today. I will get some pics tomorrow and post them. It is awesome!! Anyway. Laters!

Life and all that comes with it.....

Well, it has been quite a while since I have written a blog. I was checking out some of my other friends blogs and decided I probably need to update anyone who actually reads this blog. I think Anna is the only one that pays any attention anymore, but anyway. She is correct, my last day at DirectPointe was last Thursday. I moved back home to Texas so that I can focus on getting into school. I am going to try and get my associates degree here and then transfer back up to BYU to get into the business school. I just couldn't perform my responsibilities at DirectPointe and go to school at the same time. The job was really demanding. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed my job, but I couldn't go to school like I wanted to.

So yeah, I moved home. I got here in one day. Man that was a long day. We made the trip in 19 hours. We left Provo at 5 in the morning and didn't get into Fort Worth until about 12 Utah time and 1 AM Texas time. That was such a long trip. But we did it. And man does it feel good to be home.

Well, I think this will be it for now. I had an interesting and very surprising and and a very good experience on Wednesday night. I will bring that up though when I see how things turn out because of it. Laters.

ho...hum...

well, i don' t have any pictures to post this time...again. i really need to get better at that. i think i also need to get my blog out there as far as viewed. it would be nice to have more people that pay attention i guess. i don't know. its all good.

today was the first full work day for me in about three months. it was crazy today. it was "bring your kid to work day" today. we do things a bit differently at DirectPointe though. rather than let the kids hang with their parents, we give them things to do. i was asked to be a supervisor i guess. it took a lot out of me. right around noon is when we got done with all of the activities and the kids went home. i sat at my desk and started to work and then, all of a sudden, my energy left me. i was drained. props to parents. kids are a handful.

i am still going to school. i have a cebuano class and the first half of new testament. i love school. i never thought that i would ever say that but i do. school is the best thing. i love learning, even though i don't learn like i used to. i am not a sponge like i used to be. thus it takes a lot more out of me to remember stuff and to actually learn. i used to be a master at test taking. now i am way better at homework than tests. it has been way too long since i have been in school. five years. way too long.

recently, i have had a lot on my mind. my life is going in the right direction and i feel like i am doing what i am supposed to, it is just that there seem to be a few things missing. almost like a hole in my life. i am probably the most fickle guy in the world. it sucks. i have hurt some one very special to me because of it. and it wasn't intentional. and i still care a lot about this person, but i have blown it. and hence the hole. she is moving on, which is the right thing, but i am dying. and it has nothing to do with her. i am just a moron. i don't want to put her on another emotional roller coaster, but it is so hard to be without her. i am happy for her that she isn't letting me hold her back, but i am having the hardest time. emotions suck sometimes. but then other times, they are so beautiful. so life is life. maybe next time i will have pictures.

Happy Birthday to Me...

well, today is the day. i was born 23 years ago this day. can i say that i don't feel 23? i don't feel a day older. i feel more tired than usual though. but that is because of finals i think. i have three finals to take in two days. i have one at 7 tomorrow morning which is going to be killer because it is my chem final and i am not doing so hot in chem. i am going to try and study my brains out so that i can get a decent grade on the final to hopefully bump up my grade. anyway, my birthday.

not much of a day, as i wanted it to be. i would much rather not draw attention to it. i have put too much expectation on my birthday when i was younger and was disappointed every time. i can't tell you how many times that i tried to have a birthday party or something when i invited a lot of people who i thought were friends only to have three or four people show up. not a huge self-esteem builder. that is why i don't like birthday parties and especially surprise parties. can't stand 'em.

i spent most of the day working. i got a call from dad first. we talked for a bit but he had to get to work and so did i. then mom called and i got to talk to her for a bit. then i got a few texts here and there from friends. i am surprised at how many people actually remembered though. i tried to keep it hush. i really didn't want to make a big deal out of it. as negative as i am about my birthday, i am very thankful for the friends that i have and their support for me.

mom sent me a box that got to me today. i don't think that she was intending it for my birthday, but it got here today so it made it that much better. and she is bringing some good stuff when they come up and bring Kati's stuff in a week. i haven't seen the fam since Christmas. I wish we could be closer. it isn't until you are far away that you realize how much you love them.

so, happy day. :D

Father's Day

Well, it has been a whole month. Today is Father's day. I already talked with my Dad today and wished him a happy Father's Day. I kinda wanted to do the same thing for Father's Day that I did for Mother's Day, but just say the things I like most about my Dad. And I am sure that some of these will be the same as for Mother's Day.

My Dad works so hard to make sure that his family is comfortable, but is there for us all at the same time. Not too many Dad's can say that they make enough money to comfortably support their family and still be there for them. My Dad can.

My Dad loves my Mom and we know it. I cannot tell you how many times that he has told us this in family councils and stuff. Aside from that, he has told us and proved to us over and over again that he would much rather be out shopping with Mom than doing anything else.

My Dad loves the Church. I have never known a man so devoted and so willing to sacrifice for what he believes. I know that many of the early members of the church had to sacrifice a great deal, but I never knew them. My Dad is a living example of having an eye single to the glory of God.

My Dad loves his kids. Everything he does, he does first for the betterment of his family. That entails moving a lot, and every time that we moved, it was always to a better standard of living. He is also my mentor and greatest teacher.

I love my Dad. Happy Father's Day.