Where I go from here...

Happy Valentines Day.
Last night Andrea Marks and I drove her car from California to Texas. It took us a total of 24 hours and we arrived this morning. Upon our arrival we were greeted by her father, Jay Marks and a pancake-bacon breakfast. Soon after we both were exhausted and passed out for a few hours.

Once Andi and I woke up we ate Chick-fal-a for lunch. I showered and helped her bring all of her things in from her car. As she unpacked we watched Perk of being a Wallflower. I never saw trailers for this movie and I am pretty bummed I didn't see it in theaters last year.

It is all about a boy Charlie (played by Logan Lerman) who has issues. With his stuggles he is also starting high school and trying to find where he fits in. Eventually Patrick (played by Ezra Miller) and Sam (played by Emma Watson) befriend him and welcome him to 'the land of misfit toys.' Throughout the movie there were several quotes I really liked:

“We accept the love we think we deserve.”
“Things change. And friends leave. Life doesn't stop for anybody.”
“So, I guess we are who we are for a lot of reasons. And maybe we'll never know most of them. But even if we don't have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there. We can still do things. And we can try to feel okay about them.”
“Enjoy it. Because it's happening.”

I feel like I could have avoided a lot of issues in high school if I watched movies, read books, and listened to music that I could relate to about not fitting in. And then not only do those things but then also learned what they were teaching. Maybe it has been through my maturing and learned that I now see these morals and can relate to similar situations.

This movie helped me realized that we have a place in this world, whether it is big or small. The relationships that develop naturally and come about organically are those that are going to last. Along with that, the third quote is pretty awesome. I have the power to choose how I am going to improve my life from all of the mistakes and choices I have made in my past. Recently I have become fully devoted to serving a mission of my church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I choose to rise from the darkness I was once surrounded by in order to learn and to become a better version of myself. I want to be an example to others. I want to influence people for good.

All in all, I feel ready. Scared for the hard work that lays before me, but nevertheless ready. I know where I want to be and I am working hard to get myself there.

AM

30 Day Countdown

So the countdown begins...

When I initially received my mission call I was ecstatic! The day my status changed telling me the call was in the mail, I was in Idaho Falls with Daniel Kiuttu and we went straight to a trampoline gym so I could jump and flip around as much as I wanted (which happened to be a lot).

On Friday December 14, 2012 my call arrived at my parents house in Pacific Grove, CA. My parents made sure to keep the letters content a secret by taking the 8.5" x 11" envelope to my dad's secretary (Teri Thomas) to have her open, scan, and email it to me. I had to wait until 3PM MST to read the email. When I did, my jaw dropped the second I read the word "Korea" out loud. See for yourself..

After my mind was eased with knowing where I would be serving, I had two more finals to complete before I could celebrate. I went to dinner with Joel Bennett and Joseph Blackford and grabbed some delicious Thai food. After the finals were submitted, I packed for the Christmas break then got on the road to go home, Saturday morning.

While I was home I received a call from Stake President Green. He had received a call form SLC HQ. They were curious if I would be interested in reported 6 weeks earlier than what was originally assigned. Contrary to my previous plans to attend the Winter 2013 semester at BYUI, I accepted and made accommodations with my apartment, classes, and the storage of all my stuff. A road trip was necessary in order to move all of my things out of my room and bring clothes home.

Now, I am home. I am working as a temp for Dole Food Company in Monterey, CA. I am 90% prepared for the MTC (according to the online missionary portal). As my report date nears, I still feel the same. Stuck in a limbo mostly. I know I can expect hard work ahead of me but this will be a totally new experience. Even trying to think about what I will be doing is unreal to me. I hope that as it comes closer I will be more prepared and in a better mindset to tackle the challenge of teaching The Gospel as well as learning the Korean language.

AM