In case you can't tell from the title I am somewhat tired of riding in the car. Know that I am very grateful for my car. It took us all the way to St. George and got us home, but we've spent some time together. About 18 - 20 hours.
Despite the long ride it has been a good few days. We came down to Utah in order to attend a wedding for my wife's cousin Christiana (her husband's name is Corey). They were married in the St. George LDS temple. It was my first time at this particular temple and it was great seeing the classic architecture of the building. I immensely enjoy visiting all of the different temples available to us.
For anyone who is reading this and is unfamiliar with the difference between a normal wedding and a temple sealing/wedding in an LDS temple I will give you a brief overview of what happens. A temple for a member of The Church of Jesus Christ is literally God's house on earth. It were he goes to perform his work. We also go there to make covenants (agreements) with God. Basically we promise to obey His laws and commandment and we are promised certain blessings in return. These covenants are essential in order to enter back into God's kingdom after this life, but there are many people who have never had the opportunity to receive these covenants while they were living. This may be because they never were able to get to a temple. We still see even today many nations that still don't know about or understand who Jesus Christ is, and faith in Him is the first step towards entering a temple. We believe that everyone will have a chance to accept Christ in their lives if they desire to, but they need a body in order to be baptized, or accept these covenats. Those of us who are living have an opportunity to return to the temple and act on behalf of these people. We stand as proxies for them and are baptized, married, and receive those covenants for them.
Now before one can be married in the temple he/she must go through all of these steps. They must have faith, be willing to repent of sins (for many people this mean things such as giving up smoking and/or drinking, living with someone out of wedlock, or any other thing they feel a need to change), be baptized, receive the Holy Ghost, and then they must continue to be faithful for at least a year (they will hopefully be faithful forever). At this point they are interviewed by a couple of different leaders in order to obtain a recommend that they are worthy to enter into God's home. They then promise to live a good gospel oriented life so that they may receive the grace sufficient to be forgiven of their sins. We receive these covenants through what we refer to as ordinances. You will hear many people say that these things are secret, but I prefer referring to them as sacred. Basically, the knowledge and ordinances performed in the temple are available to everyone, but before they can obtain them they must first prove themselves to be ready through faith and obedience. After doing this they are qualified to get married in the temple. In most weddings you are married "'Til death do you part." Its nice that you want to spend your life together, but why are you asking for a divorce when you die? Especially if you believe in an afterlife. We view marriage and family as an eternal entity. It shouldn't end at death, and we should want to be with our families longer then that. In the temple you are "sealed" together "for time and all eternity." Your family will continue after this life. Not only is it a pleasant thing to know about and feel, but we see it also as necessary in order to obtain the highest degree of heaven. In other words, you can get to heaven without it, but its better with it.
If you are reading this and have any other questions go to www.lds.org for more information, or just send me a message and I'll help out the best that I can.
Now back to the wedding.
In the ceremony, the officiator said some good things that I want to right down in case some day in the future they are trying to remember what was said, this is my way of helping out.
The part that stuck out to me the most was when the officiator talked about a what a help meet is when its mentioned in the scriptures. It basically refers to the fact that while the husband is the head of the house, the wife is to help him as his equal. He talked about a few other thing like how they are leaving their families and cleaving to one another. He obviously took time and talked to them beforehand and made sure they understood how the ceremony worked.
One other thing I hope they remember always concerning their recommend. There are three signatures provided showing their worthiness. He mentioned that the most important one is their signature. By signing their name they are attesting to their honesty and willingness to obey.
Afterward they had their first opportunity to perform a sealing ceremony for the dead as they stood as proxies for Corey's deceased grandparents. The spirit of peace and love was very strong at that point and time. Because of that feeling I can't help but think that his grandparent were prepared and waiting for that service to be done for them.
It was a wonderful experience that everyone present felt uplifted by. Congrats Christiana and Corey. Keep that day always present in your hearts!
Monday, October 25, 2010
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Book Review - The Music Lesson
As many people who know me already know it has been my recent new goal to read more and learn on my own. Its especially important to me now that I'm out of college. To help me with this I made it my goal to read at least one book a month this year. So far I have read Arguing With Idiots; Shoot, Move, and Communicate (my grandfather's WWII memoirs); The Millionaire Next Door; First Things First; Perfectly Legal; How to Learn; The Talent Code; and How to get Strait A's. I have also listened to a few on CD as well including Common Sense, Lone Survivor, Tough Choices (Carly Fiorina's autobiography), and A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity. I am now starting to read Principle Centered Leadership.
The purpose of this post is to reflect on what I learned by reading The Music Lesson by Victor Wooten.
First of all I want to say that I absolutely recommend this book to anyone who wants to perform music. It is the story of what elevated Mr. Wooten from a bass player to a musician. A teacher who referred to himself as Michael. In the introduction he explains that the experience is very seemingly ridiculous and even he isn't sure if it happened or if it was a dream, but he accepts as a real experience and if you look at the musician that he has evolved to today you can't deny that, real or dream, it certainly elevated him into something admirable.
As I read it I felt like I gained understanding into who I observe that he is through his DVDs and music. I don't know if that makes sense to anyone else but me so I'll try to explain. The more I listen to his music, especially live performances, the more I appreciate his ability. What I enjoy about it is his ability to build emotion and intensity when he plays a solo; you know that he is listening to what everyone else is doing and knows hoe to react to them; he is a humble musician, which is extra incredible for someone of his talent; he has an easily recognizable standard of piece and spirituality, which includes believing in God and loving his family; and he wants to teach and help others so they can be great as well.
Here are a few ideas that struck me as I read to attribute in my practicing (along with renewed energy to practice more). Practicing technique in front if the TV has to be one of my favorites. Technique while you play needs to be so ingrained into our playing that we don't think about it. By being able to play correctly without thinking about it you are allowed to focus and listen to other things that are happening in the music. This can create more interaction.
As you continue to read the book you meet other characters and you can't help but laugh as each one is brought in. One of the characters, Isis, presents something that caused me to think quite a bit about space. They talked about how zero is the only number that can mean something and nothing. I'm not the best at explaining it, so read the book to figure out what I'm talking about. By the end of the chapter I couldn't sleep so I kept reading through the next chapter on listening. The book took a more reverent feel from that point on. I find that I sleep better with background noise so I'll usually turn on a movie or some music to fall asleep to. before I did I decided to listen to the silence of the night. I was the only one awake so when I started a conversation with myself my wife didn't call me crazy. It may seem weird, but sometimes I do my best/clearest thinking when I do it out loud. Something about saying it loud causes me to hear things differently then when I just think it. Some of the best papers I've ever written happened that way. Take some quite time and try it out one day. Its fun. Since that experience I've noticed space, or rests, played in music. I even try to play more rests when I solo. Its something I've heard more than once every semester I've been in collage, but rest can really add to the music.
Last lesson that I will mention that I enjoyed was his conversation with music. Music exists, its not our job to create it, but we should participate in it. Keep it alive by allowing it to live in us. I love music and have a different perspective on my role as a musician. I hope I stay true to it.
There's a few things that he doesn't say directly that keep you suspicious. He mentions that the only evidence he has that Michael exists is 12 bars of music that he may have written down. He said he hasn't shown it to anyone else, but each of the 12 chapters is started with a measure of music to a song on Mr. Wooten's Palmistry album titled "The Lesson." Either I missed where he said that that song is the one he got from Michael, or he's just letting you guess if it or not. My other suspicion is the first time he met JD Blair. In the book they go to hear some performers and meets a drummer who plays an amazing solo that consisted of almost entirely space. I believe it was while they were entering the restaurant or club (I don't remember which) and they are talking about "Regulating the groove." He then meets this drummer with incredible timing who regulates the groove. He doesn't mention him after that, but I can't help but think that it is JD Blair, aka. "The Groove Regulator."
I hope if you want to play music that you take time to read this book. It will change how you look at music.
The purpose of this post is to reflect on what I learned by reading The Music Lesson by Victor Wooten.
First of all I want to say that I absolutely recommend this book to anyone who wants to perform music. It is the story of what elevated Mr. Wooten from a bass player to a musician. A teacher who referred to himself as Michael. In the introduction he explains that the experience is very seemingly ridiculous and even he isn't sure if it happened or if it was a dream, but he accepts as a real experience and if you look at the musician that he has evolved to today you can't deny that, real or dream, it certainly elevated him into something admirable.
As I read it I felt like I gained understanding into who I observe that he is through his DVDs and music. I don't know if that makes sense to anyone else but me so I'll try to explain. The more I listen to his music, especially live performances, the more I appreciate his ability. What I enjoy about it is his ability to build emotion and intensity when he plays a solo; you know that he is listening to what everyone else is doing and knows hoe to react to them; he is a humble musician, which is extra incredible for someone of his talent; he has an easily recognizable standard of piece and spirituality, which includes believing in God and loving his family; and he wants to teach and help others so they can be great as well.
Here are a few ideas that struck me as I read to attribute in my practicing (along with renewed energy to practice more). Practicing technique in front if the TV has to be one of my favorites. Technique while you play needs to be so ingrained into our playing that we don't think about it. By being able to play correctly without thinking about it you are allowed to focus and listen to other things that are happening in the music. This can create more interaction.
As you continue to read the book you meet other characters and you can't help but laugh as each one is brought in. One of the characters, Isis, presents something that caused me to think quite a bit about space. They talked about how zero is the only number that can mean something and nothing. I'm not the best at explaining it, so read the book to figure out what I'm talking about. By the end of the chapter I couldn't sleep so I kept reading through the next chapter on listening. The book took a more reverent feel from that point on. I find that I sleep better with background noise so I'll usually turn on a movie or some music to fall asleep to. before I did I decided to listen to the silence of the night. I was the only one awake so when I started a conversation with myself my wife didn't call me crazy. It may seem weird, but sometimes I do my best/clearest thinking when I do it out loud. Something about saying it loud causes me to hear things differently then when I just think it. Some of the best papers I've ever written happened that way. Take some quite time and try it out one day. Its fun. Since that experience I've noticed space, or rests, played in music. I even try to play more rests when I solo. Its something I've heard more than once every semester I've been in collage, but rest can really add to the music.
Last lesson that I will mention that I enjoyed was his conversation with music. Music exists, its not our job to create it, but we should participate in it. Keep it alive by allowing it to live in us. I love music and have a different perspective on my role as a musician. I hope I stay true to it.
There's a few things that he doesn't say directly that keep you suspicious. He mentions that the only evidence he has that Michael exists is 12 bars of music that he may have written down. He said he hasn't shown it to anyone else, but each of the 12 chapters is started with a measure of music to a song on Mr. Wooten's Palmistry album titled "The Lesson." Either I missed where he said that that song is the one he got from Michael, or he's just letting you guess if it or not. My other suspicion is the first time he met JD Blair. In the book they go to hear some performers and meets a drummer who plays an amazing solo that consisted of almost entirely space. I believe it was while they were entering the restaurant or club (I don't remember which) and they are talking about "Regulating the groove." He then meets this drummer with incredible timing who regulates the groove. He doesn't mention him after that, but I can't help but think that it is JD Blair, aka. "The Groove Regulator."
I hope if you want to play music that you take time to read this book. It will change how you look at music.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Reflections a Week Later
Obviously I'm not very good at writing in a blog, but I am trying to do better. My goal is once a week (probably every Saturday). I've been thinking all week about what to write and I thought I would like to go over my notes from the recent General Conference for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. For those of you who read this and are unfamiliar with this religion there is a Semiannual worldwide conference every April and October. It gives the leaders of the church a chance to address the concerns they have for all of us, members and nonmembers and talk about the state of the church. Its an opportunity to learn and reflect. It has been recommended to me multiple times in my life that I should prayerfully listen to conference with a question or two. I decided to do that very thing this conference; I had three questions. I wont say what they were, but I will report that two were addressed and guidance was given to answer the third. I won't mention every talk, just a few things that stand out to me.
Saturday Morning
I always enjoy this session and feel it is the perfect way to start these weekends. I especially enjoy the announcements of the new temples. Pres. Monson also talked about missionaries and Senior couple missionaries. I get excited to think about being able to do that one day with Melissa. Although we haven't ever discussed anything beyond just going one day, I ind of like the idea of going on at least 3 or 4. After visiting Nauvoo I hope we can serve there at one point. While I'm on this subject, later on I heard another talk on missionaries (Elder Nelson). While the words were more directed at young men serving, I realized that even though I served one mission I still am in the process of preparing for then next.
In my notes I have lines for Personal Revelations (PR), or impressions I receive during the talks that I want to specifically apply in life. I will be talking about those more than anything most likely
PR – Pledge, as Elder Holland does, to do better and live more closely to God
At the end of his talk, Elder Holland mentioned this pledge that he made and I felt I could do the same.
Elder Costa of the 70 used a talk given by Pres. Benson as notes for his talk. Pres. Benson's talk was titled “14 fundamentals in following the Gospel of Christ.” I plan on looking this talk up and reading it. It was mentioned in another talk during another session adding to its importance in my mind.
I enjoyed Bro. McConkie's talk as well. He talked about the how of learning. As someone who enjoys teaching and learning I paid close attention to what he said. It caused me to look back at the teachers I've had that have influenced me and what they did to stand out as a teacher. He mentioned how to be a successful gospel teacher and as i listened it was apparent that the same goes for a teacher of any subject. It starts with having a love for what you are teaching. then he gives 4 ideas to follow. 1) immerse yourself in the scriptures (or subject material). 2) Apply what you desire to learn. 3) Seek heavens help. 4) Use our agency to act and make decisions as we feel directed by the spirit through our hearts and minds.
Elder Christofferson's talk on consecration proved to be very inspiring as well. I appreciated what he said on how leisure can be good as long as we are finding wholesome activities. I have been working on trying to make sure the things I do in my free time is more wholesome.
With Pres. Uchtdorf he mentioned the four types of relationships we need to build by order of importance. 1) Our relationship with God, 2) our relationship with our family (love is spelled T-I-M-E), 3) our relationship with our fellow man, and 4) our relationship with ourselves. the best way we can create and secure these relationships in this order is through service. With our relationship with ourselves he suggested taking time to enjoy nature and God's creations, which is something I haven't done in a long time, but lately have been feeling a stronger need to fulfill.
Saturday Afternoon
At the end of Elder Cook's talk he quoted Joseph Smith when he said, "No man should be in bondage one to another." I applied it different then what he was teaching as I looked towards debt. The more I learn about debt the more I realize that it is bondage and you can easily see how those who loan money hold other people in bondage.
Bro. Edgley's words on faith helped out a lot, but I will talk more about my thoughts on faith later. I will say though that I liked it when he said that faith can move a mountain of sin and replace it with peace.
Elder Anderson's talk led me to realize a little more about the scripture "If ye love me, keep my commandments." Everybody who loves Christ is imperfect, but those who love Him most are the ones who work the hardest to keep his commandments. Our level of obedience can reflect our level of love.
Elder Scott also talked about faith. It seemed to be a reoccurring theme, at least to me. He mentioned how faith cannot be destroyed by Satan, but only by ourselves. However, ever time we act with faith and it is an act of worthiness that will be followed by a witness of truth.
Priesthood Session
this year I feel it was one of the best priesthood sessions I've ever witnessed. As I mentioned before, Elder Nelson's talk inspired me about returning to the mission field one day, but it was also a good reminder to open my mouth and be a missionary at all times.
Elder Kearon's talk was very pleasant. What stood out to me most is something he said in connection to the Anti-Nephi-Lehites. They buried there weapons of war to testify that they were done committing sin against God and his children. We need to show that we will bury and reject our sins in order to be forgiven of them.
The main thing that I got out of Elder Uceda's talk was that the words "I'm sorry," along with the love of God can restore peace and harmony to our family and home. Through this same spirit we can have peace with God.
Pres. Uchtdorf's talk also mentioned a Pres. Benson talk on pride. Its one I've heard a couple of times and is extremely powerful. I will be rereading that one as well. I realized that the difference between pride and righteous praise is were the credit is given, either to ourselves or God. He talked about an experience with Pres. Faust where he learned that he should be grateful for praise, but not to inhale it. He ended by reminding us to choose to be humble today.
PR – less TV and more cleaning, exercise, reading, and practicing need to be done
The last part of Pres. Eyring's talk he was explaining about how we can perform in the Lord's work. Not everybody will accept what we say, but its important that we say it anyways as long as we are speaking for the Lord. PR – sometimes we just need to open our mouths. The power of the Holy Ghost comes to us in His service.
Pres. Monson talked about the 3 R's of agency. The right to choose, the responsibility to choose, and the results of choice. I missed part of this talk due to a technical problem in the broadcast, so I need to go back and reread it.
Sunday Morning
Elder Eyring's talk during this session is the one I mentioned before that uplifted on the topic of faith. As i listened to it I felt his faith radiating and filling me spiritually. I felt a strong fortification in my faith in certain areas where I had a testimony, but was seeking extra confirmation. He didn't address the question directly, but a confirming spirit clearly took over. As he quoted the scripture that says, "be still and know that I am God" is something I feel I need to remember when I'm struggling with something.
PR – the focus of this talk seems to be faith. This topic has been on my mind. I’ve had the faith that I would receive answers to the questions I’ve been having and I’m already seeing it performed. I will probably always have questions, I just need to remember to have faith and I will receive an answer.
This is strait form my notes and is something I hope to always remember. He also mentioned how the Lord calls on those who trust in Him. I need to continue to increase my faith in case the Lord needs to trust me.
Sis. Cook talked about leading our children and the youth of the world in the right direction. We can't have one hand on the rod and the other in the world because that will only leave our children confused. She mentioned we need to be careful with how we dress and the media we allow into our home.
Pres. Monson talked about gratitude this time. We all need to be more grateful. Too often we focus on what we lack instead of being grateful for what we have. The things that we are (or should be) most grateful for are usually the things that money cannot buy.
Sunday Afternoon
I found Elder Perry's talk to be a good reference to look for when working with youth.
PR - What is the legacy we are leaving with our children? Is it one of a good name?
This is what I got from Elder Arnold's talk. How will we be remembered by our children, grandchildren, etc. Is it something we want to be remembered for. We are free to choose, but we aren't free to choose the consequences. The commandments protect us from death and destruction.
In Pres. Monson's final address he reminded us that safety is found within the gospel.
PR – How do I show that I am grateful for them?
He mentioned how the brethren and leaders of the church pray for us like we do for them and they are grateful for us. I can feel that appreciation, but am I doing enough to show that I appreciate them.
That concludes my new blog. I know it was kind of long, but I hope you found it useful and helpful. Stay tuned for more blogs to come. Thanks.
Saturday Morning
I always enjoy this session and feel it is the perfect way to start these weekends. I especially enjoy the announcements of the new temples. Pres. Monson also talked about missionaries and Senior couple missionaries. I get excited to think about being able to do that one day with Melissa. Although we haven't ever discussed anything beyond just going one day, I ind of like the idea of going on at least 3 or 4. After visiting Nauvoo I hope we can serve there at one point. While I'm on this subject, later on I heard another talk on missionaries (Elder Nelson). While the words were more directed at young men serving, I realized that even though I served one mission I still am in the process of preparing for then next.
In my notes I have lines for Personal Revelations (PR), or impressions I receive during the talks that I want to specifically apply in life. I will be talking about those more than anything most likely
PR – Pledge, as Elder Holland does, to do better and live more closely to God
At the end of his talk, Elder Holland mentioned this pledge that he made and I felt I could do the same.
Elder Costa of the 70 used a talk given by Pres. Benson as notes for his talk. Pres. Benson's talk was titled “14 fundamentals in following the Gospel of Christ.” I plan on looking this talk up and reading it. It was mentioned in another talk during another session adding to its importance in my mind.
I enjoyed Bro. McConkie's talk as well. He talked about the how of learning. As someone who enjoys teaching and learning I paid close attention to what he said. It caused me to look back at the teachers I've had that have influenced me and what they did to stand out as a teacher. He mentioned how to be a successful gospel teacher and as i listened it was apparent that the same goes for a teacher of any subject. It starts with having a love for what you are teaching. then he gives 4 ideas to follow. 1) immerse yourself in the scriptures (or subject material). 2) Apply what you desire to learn. 3) Seek heavens help. 4) Use our agency to act and make decisions as we feel directed by the spirit through our hearts and minds.
Elder Christofferson's talk on consecration proved to be very inspiring as well. I appreciated what he said on how leisure can be good as long as we are finding wholesome activities. I have been working on trying to make sure the things I do in my free time is more wholesome.
With Pres. Uchtdorf he mentioned the four types of relationships we need to build by order of importance. 1) Our relationship with God, 2) our relationship with our family (love is spelled T-I-M-E), 3) our relationship with our fellow man, and 4) our relationship with ourselves. the best way we can create and secure these relationships in this order is through service. With our relationship with ourselves he suggested taking time to enjoy nature and God's creations, which is something I haven't done in a long time, but lately have been feeling a stronger need to fulfill.
Saturday Afternoon
At the end of Elder Cook's talk he quoted Joseph Smith when he said, "No man should be in bondage one to another." I applied it different then what he was teaching as I looked towards debt. The more I learn about debt the more I realize that it is bondage and you can easily see how those who loan money hold other people in bondage.
Bro. Edgley's words on faith helped out a lot, but I will talk more about my thoughts on faith later. I will say though that I liked it when he said that faith can move a mountain of sin and replace it with peace.
Elder Anderson's talk led me to realize a little more about the scripture "If ye love me, keep my commandments." Everybody who loves Christ is imperfect, but those who love Him most are the ones who work the hardest to keep his commandments. Our level of obedience can reflect our level of love.
Elder Scott also talked about faith. It seemed to be a reoccurring theme, at least to me. He mentioned how faith cannot be destroyed by Satan, but only by ourselves. However, ever time we act with faith and it is an act of worthiness that will be followed by a witness of truth.
Priesthood Session
this year I feel it was one of the best priesthood sessions I've ever witnessed. As I mentioned before, Elder Nelson's talk inspired me about returning to the mission field one day, but it was also a good reminder to open my mouth and be a missionary at all times.
Elder Kearon's talk was very pleasant. What stood out to me most is something he said in connection to the Anti-Nephi-Lehites. They buried there weapons of war to testify that they were done committing sin against God and his children. We need to show that we will bury and reject our sins in order to be forgiven of them.
The main thing that I got out of Elder Uceda's talk was that the words "I'm sorry," along with the love of God can restore peace and harmony to our family and home. Through this same spirit we can have peace with God.
Pres. Uchtdorf's talk also mentioned a Pres. Benson talk on pride. Its one I've heard a couple of times and is extremely powerful. I will be rereading that one as well. I realized that the difference between pride and righteous praise is were the credit is given, either to ourselves or God. He talked about an experience with Pres. Faust where he learned that he should be grateful for praise, but not to inhale it. He ended by reminding us to choose to be humble today.
PR – less TV and more cleaning, exercise, reading, and practicing need to be done
The last part of Pres. Eyring's talk he was explaining about how we can perform in the Lord's work. Not everybody will accept what we say, but its important that we say it anyways as long as we are speaking for the Lord. PR – sometimes we just need to open our mouths. The power of the Holy Ghost comes to us in His service.
Pres. Monson talked about the 3 R's of agency. The right to choose, the responsibility to choose, and the results of choice. I missed part of this talk due to a technical problem in the broadcast, so I need to go back and reread it.
Sunday Morning
Elder Eyring's talk during this session is the one I mentioned before that uplifted on the topic of faith. As i listened to it I felt his faith radiating and filling me spiritually. I felt a strong fortification in my faith in certain areas where I had a testimony, but was seeking extra confirmation. He didn't address the question directly, but a confirming spirit clearly took over. As he quoted the scripture that says, "be still and know that I am God" is something I feel I need to remember when I'm struggling with something.
PR – the focus of this talk seems to be faith. This topic has been on my mind. I’ve had the faith that I would receive answers to the questions I’ve been having and I’m already seeing it performed. I will probably always have questions, I just need to remember to have faith and I will receive an answer.
This is strait form my notes and is something I hope to always remember. He also mentioned how the Lord calls on those who trust in Him. I need to continue to increase my faith in case the Lord needs to trust me.
Sis. Cook talked about leading our children and the youth of the world in the right direction. We can't have one hand on the rod and the other in the world because that will only leave our children confused. She mentioned we need to be careful with how we dress and the media we allow into our home.
Pres. Monson talked about gratitude this time. We all need to be more grateful. Too often we focus on what we lack instead of being grateful for what we have. The things that we are (or should be) most grateful for are usually the things that money cannot buy.
Sunday Afternoon
I found Elder Perry's talk to be a good reference to look for when working with youth.
PR - What is the legacy we are leaving with our children? Is it one of a good name?
This is what I got from Elder Arnold's talk. How will we be remembered by our children, grandchildren, etc. Is it something we want to be remembered for. We are free to choose, but we aren't free to choose the consequences. The commandments protect us from death and destruction.
In Pres. Monson's final address he reminded us that safety is found within the gospel.
PR – How do I show that I am grateful for them?
He mentioned how the brethren and leaders of the church pray for us like we do for them and they are grateful for us. I can feel that appreciation, but am I doing enough to show that I appreciate them.
That concludes my new blog. I know it was kind of long, but I hope you found it useful and helpful. Stay tuned for more blogs to come. Thanks.
Friday, September 3, 2010
First Blog
I'm not really sure what to write in my first blog. I guess it starts with whats going on in my life.
Right now I just graduated with my undergrad, a BA in Music, and am currently looking for a job. Depending on the job I get, right now the plan is to move down to Utah at the end of the year so my wife, Melissa, can do her student teaching and finish school. While down there I plan on preparing and applying for grad school. I plan on studying something more business/accounting oriented (Accounting was my minor). I've always considered myself somewhat business minded and have always thought about running my own business. When I was younger I could see myself owning a guitar store or a car dealership. I actually even like the idea of combining it all into one business. For now while I look for work I keep busy playing music for a few different groups. In fact, this week a bluegrass group I play for, The Teton Shadow Boys, will be playing a couple of shows at the Eastern Idaho State Fair. I also play jazz for a few different groups on the area.
I was born in Idaho while my parents were going to school at Rick's. I lived in Utah until I was about 13 and we moved back to the good land, Idaho. I graduated from South Fremont High School and then I did a semester at BYU-Idaho in Electric Engineering. I decided engineering wasn't for me that semester. Interesting side note, in my high school calculus class my buddy and I use to say that all of our lives everyone taught us that 1 + 1 = 2 and when we would go to college and study engineering they would prove to us that 1 + 1 = 10. So in my Electronic Engineering class where you study binary numbers I learned to in fact 1 + 1 = 10. I don't know how it happened. My buddy, who went to study Civil Engineering disagrees. He learned that 1 + 1 = 2.0000001, but never just 2. I gave myself two years to decide what to do while I served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Chihuahua, Mexico. I spent my first couple if months in the training center in Provo, UT. In Mexico I started in Ciudad Juarez and then I spent the next 7 or 8 months in small towns outside of Casas Grandes/Dublan. Then I spent some time I Parral, the same place where Pancho Villa was killed. We even found a museum dedicated to him. Then I returned to Casas Grandes to finish out the two years. I got home at 4 AM on Jan. 6, 2005; and started right into classes, literally; my first class was at 8 AM that morning. This time I was studying Business. I did that for a semester expecting to continue down that path, but something change my mind. My minor was in Music and the more I got into it the more I realized that that was what I needed to study. So I moved forward and changed to Jazz Studies with an Accounting minor. I almost did a Spanish Cluster, but this way I was able to take more Accounting classes (what was I thinking?). After a couple years I realized that I was going to be in school forever. I still hadn't taken any accounting classes in the first couple if years. Probably because I was in at least three music ensembles every semester since I switched. To help lessen my music load I switched to a BA in Music. I still had to take other classes but eventually I got down to just one ensemble by the time I graduated.
While going to school I met my amazing wife Melissa. We dated for about 9 months before we got married at the Mount Timpanogas Temple in Utah. She also is studying music. She plays the flute. We were married on July 22, 2008. On Nov. 11, 2009 our Daughter Ethne was born. she has been a joy in our lives as well as a great exercise routine. Everything else has been written in Melissa's blog.
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