Nothin' in Particular

2009-08-28T09:51:00.000-07:00

I think that I am a little homesick.

Not the kind of homesickness that one feels when they leave home to go to camp for the first time, I love Utah and it feels like home here with my husband. But there is still a certain dull aching and longing to go back to my roots, back to the place where I was raised---the Northwest, if only for a small visit.

I miss the ocean, mostly. The rocky beaches, salty wind, seagulls, and smell of seaweed. The air at sea level is rich and feels so good to breathe in, it makes jogging less of a chore. I miss the tractors in the fields, the rain, and the bald eagle pair who live in the tree next to us. I love the diversity of the people that live there. You make the most unexpected friends and get to know so many interesting and wonderful people. And of course, I miss how incredibly beautiful that it is there. All the hiking, mountain biking, and kayaking that I did growing up has only helped me to appreciate it all a little more when I lived there, and now that I am away, miss it that much more.

For more pictures visit
http://web.me.com/lambfamily7/iWeb/Lamb%20Family%20Webpage/Whidbey%20Island.html

Out Trip to Mona

2009-07-15T20:51:00.001-07:00

Isaac and I decided to go for a drive the other day and since I am super excited about my new camera I got for my birthday I was thrilled to go and see if I couldn't get shots of something beautiful. We ended up in Mona, population 850. Mona is basically a large patch of farmland with maybe a gas station and a burger shop--similar to my own hometown. What Mona is known best for though, is their lavender fields. They were absolutely beautiful, and I couldn't have been happier. Isaac waited patiently off to the side as I snapped away... I just couldn't get enough! As we were driving home, we passed by fields and fields of seagulls feasting on grasshoppers which reminded me of a scene from long ago, when the seagulls saved the pioneer crops. The sunset was beautiful and a rainbow even appeared behind the mountains. I am sure that if you listened carefully you may have heard me humming the tune to "how great thou art" the rest of the way home. It was a wonderful night.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-07-01T13:59:00.001-07:00

This was my favorite summer past-time. For me, this picture captures the true essence of summer. Makes me excited for sunny days ahead just thinking about it.

My Parasitic Problem

2009-07-01T12:53:00.000-07:00

Isaac tells me that my family is very open about discussing embarrassing topics, which I certainly can't deny. Maybe that is one of the reasons that I have no problems with becoming a nurse. I have never felt uncomfortable talking about things as they are, and the way I see it, If I can talk light-heartedly with my patients about potentially awkward topics, it makes for a better experience for everyone. No one wants a doctor or a nurse that skirts around the real issue.

I say this as a forewarning, as this post may not be something that everyone would feel comfortable reading, but for those who are not faint of heart...read on. This is a really good story.

Despite being careful about the food that I ate in Ecuador, for a week upon returning home I experienced that horrible feeling that I may have not gotten away so lucky. I spent days curled up on the bed and in the bathroom with horrible stomach pains that could not be eased with any amount of pepto-bismal. My teacher had told us that we might have a difficult time readjusting to American food, so I tried to give it time but caved to the pain. Instead of going to the doctor right away like a good nursing student should, I called my friend to see if she had any left-over anti-parasite pills that we gave the kids in Ecuador. I was in luck. I picked up a couple at her house, chewed them up and continued on my way running errands. It wasn't too long before my stomach started churning and I knew that I needed to get home as fast as I could. I barely made it up the stairs and into the bathroom that day and was convinced that I was surely going to die. I stayed home the rest of the day, close to tears and wondering why I had thought that it was so funny to joke about getting a parasite with my mom. I had likely jinxed myself. Isaac called a friend and was able to give me a priesthood blessing. I guess that in a way I was lucky to be sick as I was able to witness Isaac using his priesthood to bless our family.
At the same time as I was dealing with my stomach issue, I was also trying to prepare to run RAGNAR. I only had a few weeks to train, and due to my complete lack of training the past month, I needed to go running any chance I could get. I found though, that running inevitably disagreed with my stomach and I would either be doubled over in pain or frantically searching for a restroom. Such was the case when I decided to go for a run with Isaac. It was a beautiful night, but I unfortunately could not enjoy the scenery as I had to stop at no less than 3 different bathrooms along the way. Lucky for me the provo river trail runs by several parks with toilet facilities, or else we may have made some new friends that night when I was desperate enough to knock on doors. We finally made it home that night, and for the first time, I seriously questioned if RAGNAR was really something I was capable of doing. My family laughed (sympathetically) at my plight and joked about having to have a port-a-potty on a hitch pulled behind the suburban for me to use during my runs. I laughed along with them but was seriously trying to brainstorm some potential options, just in case.
I soon started to feel improvements, but still hurt, and finally made an appointment to go see the doctor at the urging of my mom and Isaac. Despite my nursing experience and statements that I am comfortable discussing embarassing things, the following few days were some of the most humiliating of my life. First of all, the doctor was not at all friendly and was in very much of a hurry to get onto her next patient. I guess that after 8 years of med school I wouldn't want to spend my time discussing feces either. (But maybe she should have thought of that before she took the MCAT). Then came the best part: sampling. Here's how it worked. I was supposed to supply 3 samples over 3 days time. The first was done in the clinic, but the others had to be done at home then brought in no later than 1/2 hour after you go. The clinic bathroom has a small passbox for which I was extremely grateful, but immediately upon returning to the waiting room, I heard the lab tech yell over the noise, "we have a stool." All you can do is smile at the people sitting next to you and suppress the temptation to either hide under the bench or to ask them what they're in there for-- but of course neither can be done as neither are proper waiting room etiquette. When I am finally called up once again to speak to the tech, they hand me my sample container, which just so happens to be a dentures cup (so thrifty), then explain to me the process in rather involved and graphic terms, then smile cheerfully and say "good luck". Choice words for such an occassion. The next two days I begrudgingly follow the directions, bring in my sample, plop it down on the clip-board and try to act non-chelant as I wait for the tech to come over and take it off my hands. As fate would have itI always run into someone I know and stumble through cordial topics trying to avoid having to describe what I am doing there. The tech usually finds this the oportune moment to come over and run through their whole shpeal again with my friend there listening. I was always tempted to just walk out, but I always felt like I owed my friends some sort of an explaination. And so it went for three days, and for three days I cursed those delicous fruit drinks, and homemade chicken that I had so willingly partaken of.
When it was all said and done I was grateful for the experience. I solved the problem, and may have also gained valuable insight to help me to be a better nurse. I have always said that I thought it was a good idea for nursing students to know what our patients experience so that we can provide better care. But from now on I think that I will be content to just imagine. I have had just about all the humiliation that I can take for one month.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-06-04T18:04:00.000-07:00

one word: "Classic"

English Errors Exposed

2008-06-03T18:48:00.000-07:00

I recently was required to undergo a basic grammar test for a research class that I was taking. It was extremely challenging and needless to say I failed, quite miserably in fact. I don't ever remember learning grammar in school, we somehow skipped over that part of my education. I am aware that my grammar is horrible as my roommates are frequently correcting me, but as they always tell me, recognition is the first step to recovery. Although I do struggle with comma placement and hanging participles, I included here some of my more common errors which have more to do with me hearing and using words and phrases incorrectly. I guess that this problem isn't new for me, my mom told me that I used to say many ridiculous things growing up, such as singing "and so my knees are gray" instead of the appropriate words to the song I am a Child of God, "and so my needs are great". Maybe some of you can appreciate these errors and please feel free to share your favorite English usage errors.

"but I am suppose to" this should be phrased "supposed to"

"nah, I am use to it" like the phrase above, this should also have a d "used to"

"I could care less" when I should be saying " I couldn't care less" (Kind of ruins the whole point of what I am trying to say!"

"ATM machine"
"PIN number" this really makes me sound like an idiot: my personal identification number number, nice Taniel, nice

"I feel so OCD right now!" Basically I am saying that I am so obsessive compulsive disorder right now... You can't be a disorder, can you? and yet I still say it all the time

"Alma's Past Experiences" I say this all the time, especially while teaching Sunday School, but my roommate pointed out to me the other day this is a very redundant statement. What other type of experiences are there besides past experiences?

Plethora: I have been using this to mean a wide variety, when I recently found out that it really means overabundance of something.

"anyways..." ahhh, this is definitely NOT a word!

"Head towards center, then make a left.." Should be toward, not towards.

One that I do not say, but I often hear other people say is "irregardless" please do not say this, it is not a real word.

Anyway, there are plenty more phrases which I am sure that I am using incorrectly, so feel free to correct me when you see fit, don't worry I won't be offended, in fact I welcome it!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-05-21T13:39:00.000-07:00

Trip to Moab, it was a blast!

Foss Like Your Life Depends on It... Because It Does!

2008-04-30T12:30:00.000-07:00

Continuing on with my recent entry about mouthwash, I just learned that flossing can prevent heart disease! And yes, this was a credible, peer-reviewed article in a medical journal, I didn't find it in reader's digest. I guess that when you don't floss, the bacteria that live in between your teeth can migrate down and attach onto your heart. I had no idea that taking care of your teeth had so many other repercussions on one's health. So once again, the dentist is right--- "Taniel, you need to floss more!"

Beautiful Spring Blossoms

2008-04-25T12:16:00.000-07:00

I have finally spotted blossoms on the trees and it makes me so incredibly happy. I must admit though, that Brad was right--the trees with the white blossoms do smell bad. I gave him such a bad time about it earlier saying "how can you say that, they smell like flowers", but the other day when I was walking to class I wrinkled my nose only to realize what a hypocrite I was. He was right, they smell like fish! I guess that you can't have everything.

Provo Gems: J-dawgs

2008-04-19T14:19:00.000-07:00

J-dawgs is an economical phenomenon--every kids dream. One man decides he wants to open up his very own hot-dog shack, makes his own special sauce, and before he knows it has hungry college students lined up around the block, waiting for their chance to bite into their very own overloaded, dripping dog, and he is struggling to find ways to expand. I, of course, had to try it out. The hot dogs are good, as far as hot-dogs go at least, I will give them that. The key, is the large variety of condiments that can be loaded on top, including a sweet "special sauce" which the owner refuses to reveal the ingredients of. The owner, of course is great. He was more than excited to welcome me to my first J-dawgs experience, and laughed with the regulars behind me, not even needing to ask for their order. I don't even like hot dogs that much, and I didn't exactly feel like running a marathon when I was finished, but J-dawgs still makes my list of provo gems. With it's laid back feel, great music, apple beer, and better than the average hot dog, J dawgs is something that you can't find everywhere. Check it out at their website at www.jdawgs.com and tell me what you think.
(photo courtesy of www.jdawgs.com)

Wordless Wednesday

2008-04-16T14:37:00.001-07:00

Seriously though, i really am speechless about this one

To Rinse or Not to Rinse

2008-04-15T16:51:00.000-07:00

It has been my experience that you either swear by mouthwash, or could care less. So which is it? To rinse or not to rinse? I wouldn't consider my family rinsers by nature. I never really used it growing up except on those rare days of the month when I did decide to floss and figured that I might as well complete my mini-self-service-dental-cleaning and end with the 30 seconds of Listerine burn. I am now here to say that I am a changed woman.
"Hi, I'm Taniel"
"Hello Taniel"
"I haven't missed a day of rinsing in over 3 months."
"oh congratulations, you are an inspiration to us all!"

Seriously, toothbrushes just don't do it for me anymore. I need the extra cleaning power that mouthwash brings to my hygiene routine. I would like to thank my roommate Stephanie, and he who shall not be named (not Voldemort you idiot) a previous love interest who converted me to their ways. So take a chance, step into the light and rinse your mouth out at night. You can spare the extra thirty seconds, I promise. It'll change your life. (If you sense the infomercial undertone, let me know, maybe I have found my summer job)

The weather in provo, like love, is unpredictable

2008-04-15T16:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, it was sunny with high of 79 here in Utah Valley. The air was warm, the music was upbeat, and one could even begin to see the buds on the trees begin to open up. Spring, it seemed, had finally arrived, and despite the feeling of finals lurking in the near future, the mood was cheerful. Today, it is snowing. Things can change in an instant, and love here at the Y seems to follow this strange bipolar pattern that the weather has set. One minute my friend is away visiting his family, and the next time that I talk to her, she is once again single. A different friend is engaged, who knew she even had a boyfriend? For everything there is a season. My season of love, it seems, is a little late coming, but one never can tell what is right around the corner. Who knows, maybe spring really will come and bring with it a summer fling of my own.

Through Small and Simple Things are Great Things Brought To Pass

2008-04-14T21:48:00.000-07:00

When I heard the learn'd astronomer;
When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me;
When I was shown the charts and the diagrams, to add, divide, and
measure them;
When I, sitting, heard the astronomer, where he lectured with much
applause in the lecture-room,
How soon, unaccountable, I became tired and sick;
Till rising and gliding out, I wander'd off by myself,
In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time,
Look'd up in perfect silence at the stars.
----Walt Whitman

Isn't it interesting that some of the most profound life lessons learned come in the most simple of forms. The spirit truly does teach through simple and still means.

General Conference

2008-04-14T21:17:00.000-07:00

General conference is great every spring and fall, but this conference seemed especially uplifting. It was such a neat experience to participate in the solemn assembly during the Saturday morning session. Even though I was alone in my apartment eating my bowl of captain crunch, and trying to figure out what was going on, I made a point to stand when it was my turn. And there, alone in the apartment, I felt the spirit touch my heart and testify that President Monson is indeed called of God to be the new Prophet. This feeling was only further intensified in listening to him speak and recognizing as Elder Holland stated, the mantle fall upon his shoulders. He was still the same amiable, storing telling, ear-wiggling guy he has always been, but there was definitely a feeling of humility, a new responsibility, and a new power in his words that I previously didn't recognize. The talks were great, but receiving a witness that there is still a prophet on the earth today, and recognizing that God does indeed still speak, made the 178th annual general conference especially meaningful for me.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-04-09T15:11:00.000-07:00

Nursing: the true "dirty job" You should try this stuff Mike Rowe. I know that I put up a nursing picture last time, but this seems to consume my life lately.

Three Cheers for Police Beat

2008-04-03T15:44:00.000-07:00

Here is my new favorite call that the Provo Police Received. Hope you laugh as hard as I did.

March 26: The mother of a BYU student called the police when she suspected that her daughter's roommate stole her butter knife. The mother later called to drop the charges.

First Day of Spring

2008-03-20T16:10:00.000-07:00

It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade. ~Charles Dickens

It is the first day of spring today. It is strange how I look forward to every single season, each one a little more than the last---this spring being no exception. Sadly enough, the first day of spring has come and no blossoms are bursting, no tulips or flowers breaking forth through the ground. Only the sun seems ready to share a little of the spring season, but I couldn't be happier. Spring will be gone before I know it, I will enjoy each small pleasure that I can.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-03-19T17:41:00.001-07:00

Art City Clinicals

Police Beat

2008-03-13T11:52:00.001-07:00

I rarely read the daily universe, but I can never seem to pass up reading the "police beat"on Thursdays. I just wanted to share some of the great scandal that happens right here in happy valley.
March 7th A suspicious male was seen walking a dog near Wymount. When police responded neither the man nor the dog was present.

March 10th Residents of Wymount called BYU police when they noticed a suspicious male in their commons area. None of the residents recognized the man, who had been sitting and watching children play for an hour. When an officer responded they discovered that the man was watching his sister's children while she was out of the house and had taken them to the playground. His story checked out.

I chose these because these seem to be in the paper every single week. Some guy is just leisurely walking his dog enjoying the nice weather, or even better, taking care of his sister's children and someone freaks out and calls the police! Is it because they have a little bit of a beard? It seems to me that people should be more open and go and talk to the guy watching the children or the guy walking the dog before they just call the police on them, at least for situations like this where they really aren't doing anything "suspicious" at all. It just blows me away how many calls the Provo police get to go check out suspicious people. I hate to break it to you, but just because someone doesn't look exactly like everyone else on BYU campus doesn't make them suspicious.

Provo Gems: The Biofeedback Lab

2008-03-13T11:07:00.000-07:00

Aside from a good cup of Gelato, this place is top notch when it comes to stress reduction. Located in a hidden corner in the bottom of the WILK, the biofeedback lab specializes in measuring and decreasing stress levels by using medical equipment to get "feedback" from your body. I initially had to go for my nursing class, but it is open to anyone. You make an appointment and when it is your allotted time, you go and sit in the ridiculously comfortable chair, get thermometers taped onto your fingers, and electrodes glued onto your forehead and enjoy the session. I came out feeling so good I was unsure that I could stay awake through my next class. Very yoga-esque in nature, this may not be for everybody, but I believe that everyone should find some way that they relieve stress as we all have those extra stressors that make our lives difficult, and the biofeedback lab is a great way to get back on your feet and feeling good.

Kids Say the Darnest Things Part 2

2008-03-12T10:21:00.000-07:00

Here is a follow up to the last videos I posted. Please Enjoy "Snotty Doctor" and "Charlie"

Worldless Wednesday

2008-03-12T10:18:00.000-07:00

Daylight Savings...

2008-03-10T20:40:00.001-07:00

Daylight savings took me off guard this year. I had no idea that it was daylight savings, but luckily my phone changed by itself so I wasn't late for church. Once at church, I participated in over a dozen conversations in which my main purpose was to listen to various people complain about losing an hour of their life. Time is a strange thing. Just by moving back the hands on a clock are we really losing an hour of our lives? Time continues on no matter what the clock says and yet it is amazing how much power the clock has over our lives. Even if we were to solely base time on what the clock says, we still wouldn't lose anytime as once the fall comes we move it right on back, so really it could be considered more of a sideways shift in time if you will. Well, since I really have no idea what daylight savings is all about (except that Benjamin Franklin came up with the idea--thanks to Nathan and National Treasure) I did what anyone would naturally do... I looked it up on Wikipedia. Here are some tidbits that I found out, just for your information (and of course wikipedia is the best source of information because anyone can get on and add information)
1. The Department of Transportation did a study in 1976 and found that Daylighted Savings did not significantly save any energy.
2. DST adversy affects farmers as their schedules are set by the sun
3. DST is good for retail, apparently people shop longer
4. Effects on Traffic fatalities are debatable

There you have it... think what you will, but stop complaining, you probably would have spent that extra hour on facebook or writing a blog about daylight savings anyway.

The Healer's Art

2008-03-10T19:16:00.000-07:00

After half of a semester in the nursing program I am finally starting to comprehend what it is that I will be doing for the rest of my life and quite honestly, it scares me on various levels. It isn't that I am questioning that I should be in this field of work, I know that I love the complexities of the human body as well as the human spirit. I am scared of the responsibility that this work takes, the responsibility of doing things just right because it is someone's life that I hold in my hands. It scares me that missing a math problem no longer means a few points docked off my test score, but instead means the difference between healing someone and ending someone's life. Even though med errors are scarce, it only takes one mistake. Possibly what scares me the most is that I have chosen a career in which the people that I work with are quite possibly in the most vulnerable and even spiritual states that they may ever be in, and are experiencing life changing times. I can hardly explain the responsibility and pressure that I already feel in having to fill such a big role. Who am I to have the power to be an advocate, to heal one's body, and one's heart all at the same time. I am not trying to say that nurses always are able to heal on all levels, but that is ultimately our goal. Maybe what I am trying to say is that I have no problem experiencing empathy and sympathy, but I am not confident in my ability to transfer those feelings into actions. The way I see it, the savior is all of these things that I am striving to be. An advocate, a healer of the body, and a healer of the soul. Ultimately, he is the master teacher and I will strive to learn from his example. But since I cannot make anyone repent or even invite them to in a professional setting, it really comes down to me being a constant example of the savior even when I am not discussing deep gospel topics. I need to be an instrument of sorts to transfer his love to my patients through everyday actions...and this alone is a difficult responsibility that we all share. "Savior, may I learn to love thee, walk the path that thou hast shown, pause to help and lift another finding strength beyond my own. Savior may I learn to love thee--Lord, I would follow thee. I would be my brother's keeper, I would learn the healers art. To the wounded and the weary I would show a gentle heart.." That hymn has really taken on a newfound meaning to me in these last few months. I know that I have much more schooling to go and I will continue to learn and improve in my skills, but for now, I pray that I can have the spirit guide my conversation and technical work, that I may be not only an instrument for the patient to the doctor, but an instrument for the savior to the patient.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-03-05T08:06:00.000-08:00

Apparently NOT the last crusade

2008-03-04T20:56:00.000-08:00

Did you hear that they are making another Indiana Jones movie and yes... it is still starring Harrison Ford. I know right, how old is that guy? And yet, even if the action scenes are an old man chasing Nazis in a wheelchair, I am not going lie, I still really want to see it! So if anyone has a burning desire to pay to go watch yet another Indiana movie, count me in. Old or not, Harrison Ford will always be "Docta Jones" to me.

Don't Mess...

2008-03-04T19:37:00.000-08:00

"Some folks look at me and see a certain swagger, which in Texas is called 'walking'."
---George W. Bush

My word, what is up with Texas? I can promise that it is not just George who feels the need to swagger. I have had several chance encounters with Texans recently, and I am always blown away at the amount of pride that they have for their state. I would be willing to pay money that each one of those people I met have some Texas paraphernalia in their possession, whether it be a bumper sticker, key-chain, fleece throw or worst case scenario, a poorly drawn flag on a piece of cardboard which sits proudly in their front window. Texas is a big state, I will give them that, but they aren't the biggest. I am pretty sure that you could fit two Texas' in Alaska and you don't see Alaskans claiming that everything there is bigger, even though one could argue that it is. (Bigger Fish, bigger oil reserve, bigger earthquakes, and bigger incomes.) Also, I can't quite understand what Texans mean when they say "Don't mess with Texas." Don't mess with them or what? They are going to gather the troops and the south will rise again? Maybe they missed the memo that the civil war is over and they not only lost, but are definitely still a part of the United States. I must say though, that I am awfully critical for someone who has never set foot in Texas. Who knows, maybe Texas is all that it is cracked up to be, and I just am too cynical to realize it. I will have the answer to my question when I leave to spend a week in none other than grapevine, TX at the end of march. Until then, don't mess with Utah.

Kids Say the Darnest Things

2008-02-29T12:51:00.000-08:00

These have got to be some of the funniest commercials I have ever seen, and I wanted to share them. They are produced by the Trigon Blue Cross blue Shield and feature two adorable little kids. Enjoy! "carrots and spinach" "Karate" and "injured bad"

Beginnings of Provo Gems

2008-02-29T12:23:00.000-08:00

I feel that so many of us don't know well enough the town in which we live. So I have decided, with the help of my roommates to begin a small quest to find the very best things that Provo has to offer--the diamonds in the rough. If I happen to find other odd stones and rocks while searching that are of particular interest, I just may write about some of those as well. With that said, the first Provo Gem is: Maestros
Maestros is a small, quaint gelato shop located on center street that produces some of the best gelato I have ever had (and I have had some pretty good gelato in Italy). I have always questioned why Americans seem unable to reproduce this delectable dessert, but my woes were put at ease upon finding this place. They periodically rotate out their flavors, making for a myriad of new decisions each trip, and the pair who own it are so friendly and when asked are more than happy to tell you about their travels through Italy. Portion sizes are small so you don't feel like a fat cow after you finish, but just enough to tempt your taste buds. Great for a roommate outing, a date, or even a pick-me-up solo trip. I would recommend this place to anyone.

Do unto others...

2008-02-27T20:11:00.000-08:00

"Whenever I see an old lady slip and fall on a wet sidewalk, my first instinct is to laugh. But then I think, what if I was an ant, and she fell on me. Then it wouldn't seem quite so funny."
---Jack Handy

This quote cracked me up. I don't know if it is just me, but sometimes I feel like people at BYU tend to act overly concerned when someone falls or does something stupid. Let's be honest, when someone slips and falls, or runs into a pole, or trips up the stairs, I laugh..and laugh hard. Some might consider this inconsiderate or rude, but do unto others as you would have them do unto you right? And if I ran into a pole, I would hope that someone could appreciate the moment for what it really is....freakin' hilarious! I find that people asking "oh my goodness, are you ok?" over and over again only makes the person who fell/tripped/hit their head feel worse, when I am sure that wasn't their initial goal. That is not to say, that you shouldn't inquire as to their status, because they could be seriously hurt (in which case you might feel bad about laughing) but it is ok to crack a smile and you will most likely find that it lightens the situation. So next time I run into a door that says pull, please, for my sake, laugh your head off. It will make me feel better.

Finding Beauty in the Desert

2008-02-27T11:39:00.001-08:00

While I call Washington my home, I consider Utah my temporary home while I am here at school. I have noticed during the few years I have lived here how many people from out of state whine about living in Utah. Regretfully, I was once one of those. I thought that Utah was a dry ugly desert with no beauty to offer. I have since realized how ridiculously wrong I was. Anyone who has witnessed the enormous canyons of redrock, the beautiful snow covered hills, or even the desert cacti cannot deny that Utah is really a geographic wonder. Once I learned to expand my views of what I see as beauty I have been able to enjoy a much richer experience here in Utah. So many people think that they have to travel around the world to enjoy themselves and to witness beauty, but I have been to some very beautiful places in the world, and yet I consider Utah one of the greatest places on the planet. I wish that everyone else could have a change of heart like I experienced. I become easily frustrated when I hear people discussion their loathing of Utah. I want to scream at them to open their eyes and look around instead of whining while keeping a steady gaze on concrete below them. There are many, many beautiful places in the world, and each one is beautiful for its own unique reasons. Only when we are able to recognize and appreciate those differences will we be able to understand the meaning of beauty and more fully understand the depth of God's creations. Enjoy what you have around you, that is what life is all about!

Snip, Snip

2008-02-22T13:04:00.001-08:00

It has been long overdue, I am going to get my haircut. For most of my life I have had relatively short hair, basically just because I am not patient enough to grow it out. I end up getting bored with it and cut it off before it has a chance to grow. I have never really been attached to my hair in the way that some girls are, in that they cry and obsess over it, refusing to cut it. Hair is a very strange thing in that way. How can girls become so attached to dead particles of protein that are coming out of their head, which will inevitably grow back? And yet, as I have grown out my hair longer than I have in a long time, I can almost catch a glimpse of their possessiveness... but not enough to prevent me from chopping it. I think that I am only going to take a few inches off, add some layers and highlights, but only because I am not in the mood for a short cut. It may be a disaster, but that's what life is all about.

"mankind was my business"

2008-02-22T10:21:00.000-08:00

"Strange is our situation here upon the earth. Each of us comes for a short visit, not knowing why, yet sometimes seeming to a divine purpose. From the standpoint of daily life, however, there is one thing we do know: That we are here for the sake of others....for the countless unknown souls, with whose fate we are connected by a bond of sympathy. Many times a day, I realize how much my outer and inner life is built upon the labors of people, both living and dead, and how earnestly I must exert myself in order to give in return as much as I have received. " --Albert Einstein

I love Albert Einstein and his complexity of understanding the world, not just about its physical aspects, but also his thoughts on the spiritual aspects of life as well. Of the many things that my mom has sought to teach me, most prevalent is her advice to me to remember "that people are most important thing." Throughout our sojourn here on earth I have found that it is most often this principle that we give the least attention. I am convinced that the principle of being connected to each other physically, spiritually, and emotionally is central to the gospel of Jesus Christ, and that at our Judgment, we will not be asked so much an accounting of ourselves, as much as we will be asked what we have done for each other. I hope to daily improve my ability to understand and appreciate my connection with others, both who came before and who share the earth with me today, and to work even harder to devote my life to that which is most important: fellow man.