Offering Gratitude

On the eve of our National holiday, I thought it appropriate to offer my thanks for, in no particular order:

1. My knowledge of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
2. The Book of Mormon
3. The Program
4. My health
5. My wonderful and supportive parents
6. My endearing fiance'
7. Our new-to-be landlord
8. Our new-to-be home
9. Our soon-to-be temple sealing
10. My awesome sister
11. My love of food
12. Exercise
13. A job or two
14. School
15. A cute little town to live in
16. The opportunity to walk/ride my bike to school

The list will continue...

Be free

Just a funny lil story.

Ginny and I were riding down Airport Rd. in Hammond and saw a bus stopping ahead to allow some neighborhood children to exit and return home to their family. We stopped and waited. As the bus leaves, we both look over at the young kids to only see one of the kids about 10 feet from the road unzip his pants and relieve himself. Yes, he was tee teeing on the side of the road. I guess he couldn't wait until he got home. We lost it! It was hilarious!

Ima need you to get off the sidewalk!

SeLU is not a bike friendly campus. How come people never learned bike etiquette? It is not okay to ride your bike on the sidewalk when there are pedestrians there. They have the right away. If you are coming up from behind a pedestrian, they still have the right away. You should probably announce yourself, "passing on left" far in advance so they know you will be coming around them (this goes the same for joggers approaching walkers). Even if you announce yourself, you should still try to go around the pedestrians because they have the right away; they have the right to be there.

Also, young lady on SeLU campus in the motorized mini 4-wheeler cart thing. I'm sorry that you have you to ride that on campus for some unapparent reason to the rest of the world. But, ou also do not have the right away on the sidewalk. As a courtesy, pedestrians will move out of the way for you to pass (more than likely because they think you are going to hit them if they don't). The least you could do is say, "thank you." I mean, we wouldn't want you to make an actual effort and say, "excuse me." This is not your campus and no one will ever really respect you unless you respect them.

Not the KS but mucus? Really!?!?

So, I finally went back to the health center and explained my symptoms to the dr. He did another urine analysis and there was no blood in my urine and the pain I was describing wasn't consistent with kidney stones. Phew! Very good news! But he told me I have mucus on my prostate. Yeah, I know. I was a bit weirded out too. Something I've learned from working in the medical field is, don't be surprised. My fiance' works with injured athletes and they surprise her all the time. Also, I've learned that just because we think something is what it is (mucus only is for our respiratory system) does not mean it can't manifest itself somewhere else. Supposedly, I have some sort of infection in my prostate causing it to inflame so I am taking an antibiotic and a decongestant...for my prostate. Isn't medicine wonderful???

Kidnaaaay Stooooones.

::Disclaimer:: This post is not for the faint of heart of unscientific minds.

For some reason, I have had some unfortunate birthdays. A few years ago, Ouizer, a friend of ours and I were involved in a semi-serious wreck the midnight of my birthday. This year, around the same time, I discovered I probably am passing a kidney stone.

About a week and a half ago, I thought I had a UTI. My mom gets them all the time so I assumed I could have a problem too. I even think I had one a long time ago. I went to the store and picked up some pain reliever. I got some relief that weekend but the pain didn't really subside so I went to the student health center on campus. The doctor told me that guys don't really get UTIs and thought I might have something wrong with my prostate. And yes, he checked my prostate in the traditional way. He gave me some pills and they started to work.

As I said before, around midnight I started developing a strong, tense and tingling/numbing feeling in my lower back, above my obliques. I was still experiencing the same symptoms from what I thought was the UTI and my doctor thought was an enflamed prostate. I'm about 98% sure what it might be. I've only had two "episodes" of the above mentioned pain but I will for sure keep you all up to date of my experiences.

My Birthday

Yesterday, I was awoken to a disturbing chorus of some rendition of what, if I was drunk, would sound like the "Happy Birthday" song. Not only was I woke up early on my birthday but the sound was so atrocious. :-) HA!

My birthday was anything but traditional. Ginny brought me some wonderful pastries from a local, The Cocoa Bean; a giant cream puff, an eclair (my favorite) and a pumpkin muffin (Ginny is a bit addicted to pumpkin...everything!). They were all delicious. I also got plenty of texts and messages from friends and families!

On to presents...Ginny got me a shirt (soon to be seen in

our engagement photos) and the best remake of the best movie ever!!! If you watch Glee, the song, "Home" sung by Kristen Chenowith is from the Wiz. I'm so very excited to see it again. It has the incomparable Diana Ross and of course, the King of Pop, Michael Jackson (when he was, uhm, a little darker.)

I also got a great bike from Ginny's family. I'm way excited about it. I've wanted one for a while. My parents actually gave me some money for a bike a few months ago but some unforeseen expenses arose that quickly took that money. I've wanted to ride my bike to school since I'm so freaking close to campus and now I can!! YAY!

I was supposed to go to Baton Rouge to hang out with my parents to attend the best Mexican buffet ever...PANCHOS! But, I have had some, uh, medical problems. I won't be going there for that. My sister has also planned a dinner with some cake tomorrow. I hope I will be all better so I can go to that.

The Day That Ruined a Poor Innocent Little Girls Life....

On a cold, dreary, and rainy Louisiana morning 29 years ago, I was soundly sleeping in my warm and cozy bed when all of the sudden I was woken up by my mother screaming loudly and in such pain and agony, I was scared for my life... My mom and dad were whisked away to the unknown for what seemed like hours... Cold, hungry, and all alone I waited for what seemed like an eternity until my parents brought home a strange package... The package screamed and screamed and projectile vomited all over them, and all over me and all over the house... They told me he was my brother... now at 3 years old I didn't know what a brother was, but I surely didn't like it... I told them to take it back, I didn't want any part of it... As this "brother" (as he was so often called) grew up he continued to be a pain in my side... teasing, tormenting, and getting me in trouble for beating the daylights out of him... Then he learned to talk... and to walk... and run all over the place making messes and breaking things and blaming them on poor innocent me... Now he is all grown up... I still wish they would take him back...
Well at least he is about to be married and from now on will be Ginny's problem..
Good Luck Ginny!!! You had your chance to run, now you're stuck with him...
Happy Birthday Brother!!!
ps. maybe you shouldn't have the same password for everything in your life :)

Wow...when did it get to be Saturday?

This week has flown by. I was able accomplish a great deal of stuff but there is so much to do still. My next few weeks are strictly wedding duty. Oh, wait, I also go to school full time and have two jobs...hmmmm. Oh well. Everything will get done.

Thursday, Ginny and I got together with the amazing Sierra to take our engagement photos. I think they will turn out so good. Here is one that she sent us. I'm so excited to see the rest.

Some enchanted evening.

Tonight, I enjoyed the Southeastern Louisiana University performance of South Pacific. I was blown away by the performance. I haven't seen a college performance of any show in a while and I really wanted to watch this one. The acting was very good and the singing was very good; the main characters and the chorus did so well. Also, the orchestra was phenomenal. I always cringe a bit before an amateur performance starts when they are using an orchestra. It was a pleasant evening.

Wonder of wonder miracle of miracles.

It's finally happened! Ginny and I are engaged! I'm so excited. We've set a date for Jan 8th to be sealed in the Redlands temple in California. We will have a reception there and another in Louisiana about a month later. We will probably live in Louisiana for the rest of my undergrad-another year and a half and then not sure what's after that. We are way pumped.

YES!

Ok, since I haven't posted in a few days, I have a double post.

First, I live in lovely Hammond, LA. It's a really great town. For those of you who know me from Canon City, it's roughly the same size. What I didn't know when I moved here, and it wouldn't have swayed my decision because I needed to move here anyway for school, was that Hammond is the town every train in the world has to go through. UGH! And these are not small trains. I'm talking about 50 cars on some of them. Ginny and I were driving to her house (from school to her house, we have to cross two sets of tracks) and we crossed over the last set of tracks and as the wheels of the vehicle passed the tracks we heard **Train Whistle**. We both emphatically said, "YES!" and then turned and high-fived each other. We, of course, laughed at each other; it's such a relief to know we did not need to sit and wait for that train.

Also, Ginny and I are taking a social dance class. I needed 2 extra fine art credits so I could minor in it so I figured it would be fun and fairly simple. I dragged Ginny into it, too. The class is composed of 4 guys and about 15 girls, depending on the day. It's a little difficult to partner up with everyone so we have to go through the dance a few times; the guys usually have to dance with about 5 girls per dance step to ensure everyone gets a turn. For testing, it's a whole other ball game. I had dance training back in the day when I attended Ricks and some in high school. I know how to lead and have done most of the moves we learn at one time or another. So, I pick up the dance steps quickly and lead the girl; a great benefit if she forgets her part. We have tested twice, foxtrot and swing. Both times, I had a line of girls waiting for me. I think waiting is the wrong word. They were fighting over me. Of course, ego booster! I say this only to laugh about it because I don't think I'm that good but I am definitely flattered that everyone wants to dance with me. Halfway through the test, the other guys can leave and I am left with 4 other dance partners. I'm glad to help and it's a lot of fun. Plus, Ginny is having fun with it as well! Maybe one day we will be on SYTYCD!

and I'm a Mormon

So, I just got done with a full day of spirit filled goodness. General Conference was amazing! There were so many great talks. I wish my memory worked a little better but it sufficient to say I enjoyed a great deal of them.

For those of you who don't know, I'm a Mormon. I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and I know this is the church that our Father in Heaven has restored the gospel of Jesus Christ through. If you would like to learn more about it, click the "Little Stream" button or you could just ask me; I did spend 2 years teaching the gospel to people!

Enjoy~

Doh!

So, I forgot to post this last week when it happened; probably from the loss of consciousness I received from it. JK. But, Ginny and I walk every Tuesday and Thursday around SLU and I usually wear a hat because it keeps the sweat out of my eyes. So, we are walking around, rounding a corner and I see a box that looks like a McDonald's box on the ground. For some reason, my eye was fixed on it. I don't know if it's because I haven't eaten McDonald's in almost a month or because it was half eaten. No clue. As I turned the corner, though, BAM! I head-butted the stop sign. Luckily, I was wearing a hat; even though that's what impeded my vision in the first place. It didn't even really hurt. And I know what you're thinkin', "He has a hard head." hahaha, not really. My head is way sensitive to stuff like that. But, no harm, no foul.

Compulsory school

I figured I would throw down a positive blog while things are still positive with school. I really enjoy my classes. My professors all seem fairly legit and I enjoy the material we learn. For certain, there is a lot of reading but at least it's about things that interest me; social work, psychology, social problems, anthropology, etc.

I just started searching for a job. I thought I would take the first few weeks in school to really get a grasp on things. I am at a point, now, where I feel I can spend some time working very light part time hours. I have the possibility of working in a psychologist's office working with some insurance companies. I'm kinda excited about it and really feel that it would work out for me in a lot of ways.

I've also been working out lately. I don't want to jenks myself and definitely do not want the awkwardness of someone telling me, "Have you been gaining weight?" when I've been working out for the last month. So, please, if you see me, tell me that I've lost so much weight and you're so excited for me. That would be awesome.

Go Green! Go Gold!

I'm not quite sure where my lack of desire to watch sporting events started. My dad is an avid fan of most sporting events. He played high school football and, from what I understand, he was actually pretty good. I even played t-ball and soccer when I was younger. Oh the Green Machine! Up until a few years ago, I'd moan or even leave the room if someone else turned on a football game or especially a basketball game. Yuck!

When I moved to Louisiana, though, football is a season. We are told there are three seasons here. The year starts out with Crawfish season, then moves into Hurricane season and then Football season. Of course, LSU football is an event; or at least watching it is. People will start tailgating at LSU the day before. LSU campus becomes a busy maze of tents and purple shirts with smells of every kind of southern food you could desire. Even if you don't tailgate, the city of Baton Rouge buzzes on game day with excitement and anticipation. It's almost laughable but you get roped in, or at least I did. I found myself watching football for the first time...and enjoying it. The camaraderie is amazing. These people know the players individually as if they were professional. It's astounding. This isn't just LSU football, though. However, it is the largest and grossest example but definitely not the only school.

And this is where you find me today. I've just started at Southeastern Louisiana University and I attended my first football game as a student. It was a great game. We played UT-Martin and SLU held up against the Hawks. It was way fun and I really enjoyed it. We sat in the student section (not nearly as crazy as the LSU student section) right next to the band, who deserve a honorable and genuine recognition-they were very good!

Change gears with me. I became very emotional yesterday when I woke up and flipped on the TV and saw the replay of the news coverage for the attacks from 9/11/01. I remember vividly driving home that morning from a church meeting and listening to some random babble about building being crashed into and not understanding what happened. I walked inside the house and my dad was watching the news coverage and I just stood in the doorway and couldn't move. It was surreal. Yesterday was great, though. A time to remember. The SLU band played a tribute to all armed forces at halftime and I was extremely touched. Thanks to all who daily sacrifice time and energy for my safety!

A hot mess

Summer was full of fun, adventure and a lot of change. I moved and I'm all settled in. Shortly after I moved, Ginny and I took a trip to California; where she is from. We vacay'd for a few days then worked for a company which administrates cheer and dance camps. In 2.5 weeks, we worked at 4 different camps; UCLA, UC-San Diego, UC-Santa Barbara and a smaller camp in an even smaller town. It was a ton of fun. I learned a lot, got a great tan and enjoyed the beauty of SoCal! The weather was absolutely stunning-especially in Santa Barbara; what a great little town.

After we returned, we both started school. Ginny is starting her second year in her master's program and I'm finishing up my sophomore year for my undergrad in general studies. I'm in a ton of classes that I love; Social Work, Social Problems, Psychology, American History, Adolescent Development and Ginny and I are taking a Social Dance class together; we just had our first test today. It was interesting.

After our first week of classes, we flew to Michigan for a family reunion of Ginny's Dad and his 3 brothers. THAT was great. We all enjoyed a great weekend and I had some incredible corn and played Aggravation; we need to play it again. The game is a lot like Sorry but the board was handmade by Ginny's uncle. On the way up to Michigan, I had a *clearing of throat* touch of anxiety. I refused to re-board the airplane for the return home. Reluctantly, Ginny agreed to ride back with my by train. Looking back, part of my wishes I would have just got on the plane because it was a 2 hour flight as opposed to a 22 hour train ride. But I really loved the train ride. We rented a sleeping closet, I mean cabin and it was quite doable. It was more expensive than a plane fare yet still enjoyable. The food was good and the scenery was gorgeous! Trains hold such a great history. I have a few pictures posted on Facebook under the Michigan album.

Getting back to our dance test. There are 16 girls and 4 boys in our class. Every boy has to dance with multiple girls. We were able to chose our partners. Of course, Ginny and I chose each other. But she was not the only one who wanted to dance with me. I danced with at least 7 other girls. It was insane. I was quite flattered! I do have some dance training with ballroom so I'm much more use to this style of dancing (foxtrot).

Now, I'm just going through life and indeed enjoying school. I just started exercising and realized that I am a sweaty hot mess but I feel so much better. I've also given up all carbonation to help lose weight. Oh, and I got new glasses!! They rock! Life is good.

Moving Day!

I just finished packing. I'm still doing some last minute laundry but it all has a place and as soon as it's done, I'll be ready to move. I'm way excited to move to Hammond. I feel like I've been in limbo for the past few months. I hate limbo. I hate not knowing what is around the next corner. Now, I will be in school full time (17 credits...eek) and not have to worry about work too much. I will finally be able to put the nose to the grindstone and get some serious school done. I will also be closer to Ginny which will be immensely wonderful and so much easier for our relationship. She's a good support and has sacrificed a lot to come to Baton Rouge each weekend; mooching off of friends and relatives so we can be together at least two days a week. Ok, not really mooching but definitely living out of a suitcase for the weekend, barely getting unpacked, and come back the next weekend. Thanks family and Ginny!

My new roommate seems fairly decent. He has a mature attitude and it seems we will get along just fine. I'm moving into a house which will be wonderful. I'll have my own room again, my own bathroom (for a while) and I can't wait!

I'll officially be in Hammond as of Friday night. Hopefully, I can get it all in one trip.

A month?

Purely an update of what's happened, what's happening and what is planned to happen.

This summer has been pretty busy. I took off time from school so I could stop spending as much money and bumming off my parents. I'm quitting my job at the clinic and taking a break from the medical field, again. I'm moving to Hammond, LA (about 30 minutes East of where I live now) to attend Southeastern Louisiana University. I'm way excited to be going to a big boy college. Everything has been falling into place, which is comforting. I found a house to rent a room in for the right price. I have a job for the next month that will help make some money and I'll be closer to my girlfriend.

This is kinda boring, yeah? I'll hopefully have some more interesting posts later. Hmmm...

Wal-mart unattended

Last night so friends and I went to Wal-mart. I'm not an overly big fan of the place because of the lack of organization and check-out clerks. But it does stay open late and we needed a few things. I was a little more impressed with this Wal-mart. I know WM has been attempting to clean and organize the stores better and I applaud their efforts. The lines were still a bit long but not too bad. The lady behind us, though, needed some help that WM could not give her. It was obvious she was a grandmother watching her 3 or 4 year old grandson. She was buying him a bouncy ball. When I was kid, this was a treat. This child deserved no such treat. He did not listen to his maw-maw and definitely needed a good whippin'. And I will always remember this child's name because the lady said it about 20 times, attempting to get his attention. His ball bounced all around the check out line and even landed between a woman's legs. He became preoccupied with a few things and wondered off from his caregiver. She was getting her change back and he took off through the double doors into the lobby. I was not about to let this kid get run over. I followed him into the lobby and kept an eye on him until this woman made her way to him, a few minutes later. Seriously? And then, did she thank me or even reprimand the child? No. Simply, "C'mon (name),let's go home with your bouncy ball." If was that child, I would have been spanked, the ball would not have been purchased and the stranger would have been thanked for their service. She gets the award for the least inattentive woman of the evening!

Vegas, King, RC, SD and airplanes.

This past week Ginny and I took a trip to Las Vegas! No, we didn't get married. We met her parents and brother (Donnie, in case you were wondering) there. We had so much fun. Our original intent for the trip was just to go to California, where she is from. But we decided that a stop in Vegas to see Lion King would be a great way to kick off the trip.

We landed at the airport Tuesday night and her parents picked us up. The first thing we noticed was the dry, cool climate. It was wonderful! We left 95 degrees and 80% humidity and went to 70 degrees and about 0% humidity; so nice! I experienced In-N-Out for the first time.

It was pretty delicious. I was hungry, as I always am. It was about 1 am our time when we finally ate so it was a little weird eating that late. I really enjoyed the fries (animal style, of course) and the hamburger was way good too!

We stayed at the Southpoint hotel. It's fairly nice. It's at the south end of the strip and everyone kept saying it was a great location for the strip. The town didn't seem very busy to me so I wasn't too worried about where we stayed, in regards to the strip, but it was easy to where we got for the next part of our trip...Lion King.

I've always wanted to see this show, every since it came out! The show was showcased at the Mandalay Bay theatre. We all went and really enjoyed it. The costumes are awesome and most of the actors were really good. I didn't enjoy the older Simba as much as I'd hoped. He was the understudy but I still was hoping for more, even from an understudy. He just didn't capture it for me. Timon and Puba were awesome but I think my favorite character was Rafiki.

After the show, we walked the strip. I was kinda disappointed because we didn't get to see a ton of stuff because it was so late. We did get to see New York, New York and the Bellagio. NY, NY, has a dueling piano bar where two guys play piano and sing requests. That was way fun! Then we went to the Bellagio to try and catch the water show but they must have already stopped doing it by the time we got there. Sad. But they have a garden inside the hotel! It's got real flowers shaped into different creatures. VERY gorgeous! Then we walked back. We went through the Luxor which is an awesome looking hotel! I LOVE hotels. I would love to go on a vacation where I just go stay in different great hotels. I could stay in Las Vegas for a couple weeks, I'm sure!

The next day we left and headed for Rancho Cucamonga. We stayed with Ginny's aunt and uncle. RC is in a valley surrounded by grande mountains! I miss the mountains so much. And the weather was very pleasant as well. While in RC, we ate spaghetti at Vince's, got free hot dogs at the largest tent sale at Tai Pan, had a family bbq and got burned by one of Ginny's cousin. OH and I realized I do not like toddlers close to pools; I'm a nervous wreck! I did wake up in the morning one time, though, and had to go read outside at the pool. The lighting is a little bad in the picture, but you get the idea.

We also went to San Diego to visit the temple there and meet with a friend of mine for dinner. The temple is beautiful inside, of course. Sadly, the outside is under construction so I didn't really get to enjoy the grande splendor of the facade. It is still an amazing temple, though! Our dinner with Chase and Paula was fun. I haven't seen him in a few years and never met his wife until that night. They are adorable. We also went to the Mormon Battalion center. Ginny said it had been remodeled and looked a ton better. I thought the church did a superb job with the presentation. I also ran into a friend of a friend that is serving there. The church is so small! We drove back that night and I realized why California is known for their driving. HAHA!

My trip back to LA (Louisiana, not Los Angeles) was bitter-sweet. I was definitely glad to come back home but sad to leave Ginny, California AND not happy I had to ride 2 airplanes home. Ugh, recently I've developed a little flying phobia. I'm not sure why I have it. As a kid, I flew a lot! But now, I really do not like the ascent at all. And turbulence? Really? I honestly contemplating Dramamine. But I forged through it and enjoyed it as much as I could.

The trip was fun. I was able to meet a lot of Ginny's friends and family and we all had fun. There was a lot more that we did but I'll not bore everyone with details. I enjoyed California and would hope to go back one day.

That is not what she said

Today turned out to be a great success.

My parents were hosting a crawfish boil today for some of our family and friends. At 730 AM my mom called me and cancelled it due to the weather. For those of you not familiar with our traditions, it's not just because we didn't want to get rained out. But the crawfishermen catch and sack the crawfish in the morning and then sell that at market. Well, if it's lightning, the fishermen (Boudreaux and Thibodeaux) in the metal boats do not go out on the water. So, I called my friends and told them the sad news.

Most of them were awake and one was already on his way over to my house to cook breakfast anyway. I invited the others over and we all ate breakfast and talked. It was a good morning. Then, some of us left to go in search of a park to go swinging. I've never been the swinger type; unless it involves 40's music and a dance partner. But we went, crashed a family reunion, almost stole a kid's really nice soccer ball and then left in search of a sno cone. What do you say, sno cone or sno ball, that was a debate today. Also, I say "cabinets" when referring to the space that appliance sit on. For instance, "Go wipe of the cabinets." I was corrected on more than one account today. I'd like to know if anyone else calls them that.

We arrived at our first sno cone shack which didn't open for 1.5 hours. Not cool. So, we decided to go to one closer to our friend's house. When we go there, it wasn't going to be open for another 2 hours!! WTH? Isn't it almost summer. Ima need them to do betta. So, we forewent the sno cone idea and went in search of another park to swing and play in. On our way there, the rain came. Ugh. So, we were a little a hungry and decided to go find a place to eat. Rotolo's has become a new favorite of mine. They have good pizza and let you keep their cups!!!! What?! Amazing, I know?!! We indulged in their blackened chicken Alfredo pizza while sitting outside in a covered patio listening to the X-generation radio station. All was amazing. We then left and bought a movie at Wal-mart (my friend just moved into his new apt and has no DVDs). We get to his apt and get all comfortable on his brand new sofa in front of his brand new flat screen TV just to find out his DVD player isn't working. Fail! We end up watching Deja Vu on TV-still a great movie!

Afterwards Ouizer cooked beef stew and rolls so we went there, ate dinner and watched Hancock; another great movie!

Then the Wii came out. Mario Brother's for the Wii was played by a room of people in their mid to late twenties. There will be a video posted on YouTube of the action and I'll try to post it on here as link. Oh, so amazing! It hasn't loaded yet but the link might still work, once it does load. We had a blast and played for about 4 hours. There were 6 of us playing, 3 at a time, and trading remotes. So much fun!

This day was so much fun. It was a great day of relaxing and talking and friendship. I enjoyed it so much!

Exhausted.

Such an exhausting weekend. Ya' know how emotional issues can tire you out almost as much as physical labor? Ugh. It's been one of those weekends and it's even spilled into the week a bit. I'm not really wantin' to discuss what happened because there are parties involved that wouldn't appreciate spilling their business online. I will say this, though, business and friendship is a hard thing to mix. I know some people can do it but it needs to be all business from the beginning or all friendship. I don't think people should be able to mix and match when it suits their best interest. I do believe that people need to look out for themselves and stand up for what's right but at least keep your ethics.

K, I'm done with that.

This next month is super busy for me. I've got a lot of little get togethers, finishing up school, finals, and a major trip planned for the end of the month. I'm pretty pumped about the trip. The girl and I are going to Vegas to see Lion King with her parents. Yes, I'm meeting the parents for the first time. I'm a little nervous. We'll all drive back to Cali to meet the rest of the fam. I'm way excited about going see the San Diego temple! I've seen pictures and want to see it so bad. Hopefully I'll get a session in. We're gonna watch a baseball game too. Ginny's way into baseball and I'm excited to learn more about it. I'm learning and getting better. :-)

Anyway, this month will be fun. I'm very excited to get out of April and into May. Don't forget about Mother's Day!!!

991

So, I had a little interesting afternoon.

First off, let me preface by saying I work for a neurology clinic and we are required to wear scrubs. I dislike wearing scrubs because people automatically think you are medical personnel. I know more than the average person about the medical field, but mostly behind the scenes stuff, i.e. billing, insurance and other paperwork.

So, as I arrived home to my apartment complex, I get out of my vehicle and a lady from another apartment calls down to me, "I just had a seizure." Now, it is a coincidence that I've work with seizure patients and have seen fake seizures and real seizures and I know some signs of what to look for after a seizure occurs. I was on the phone when she called down, so I hung up and went upstairs. By the time I arrived, she was already laying on the ground and very confused. I asked if she would like me to call 911. I was going to anyway but just wanted her to know I was there. She really didn't say much but I got my phone and began to dial...9-9-1. Yes. Cliche, I know. I was a little frazzled and obviously not thinking straight. I dialed it incorrectly. It reminds me of a quote from Madea Goes to Jail, "My daughter tried that, I hit her so hard she dialed 9-19. " Ha, I luckily realized it before it even had a chance to ring (if it was going to ring). All in all, the ambulance came, the woman was taken away and appears to be fine. Ha. I'm the idiot.

No one mourns the wicked...GOOD NEWS!

I probably should be doing the 6 hours of homework ahead of me but I'm gonna post this while it's still fresh in my brain.

Last night, Ginny and I went to see Wicked in New Orleans! It was fantastic. I've seen a few musicals and I would have to say I enjoyed this one the most out of all of them. It may be because I'm more mature now and I appreciate the hard work these performers go through to put on a show like this. Regardless, it was amazing! Ugh, I'd go see it again right now. Our seats were great, the show was spectacular and the company I was with was awesome as well!

After we took the picture above, we were told by one of the ushers that we would have to delete all of the pictures I already took (3). She said there was a copyright issue. WTF? Really? Luckily, she was nice and didn't watch me delete them and told me it was only her job to tell me to delete them. There were some other choice witches that were not so kind to others.

After the show, we met up with a friend of mine, Erin, and went to Port of Call on Esplanade. It's kind of a dive bar but had a great hamburger!

On our way back, I thought I should go to the bathroom (such a shocker). We walked through the quarter for a bit and found this bar on the corner that was a last resort. I kinda joked about it being a gay bar when I first went in. I asked the bartender where the restroom was and he pointed down the hall. I went down there and the first door I came to said, "Steve". I thought, "is this someone's office?" I went to the door right next to it and it said, "Adam." It clicked. I chose door #2 and then we left. We laughed about it on the way back-so funny!!!

Easter

This weekend started off a little rocky, but it turned out to be pretty stellar (yes, if I say stellar, it will come back in style.)

My car has been misbehaving for quite some time. I've talked to it, changed it's poopy parts and even given it the best food I could find. But, it was still not cooperating. I was oh so ready to exchange the beast for a new one. I went to a few different car lots and found one or two that I thought I could afford. My parents were very determined to get me to just fix my current car as opposed to buying a new one. Fortunately, no one would finance me with an affordable not for a car that I wanted AND my dad and uncle are pros at fixing cars. Just as a side note, we've replaced the fuel pump (yeah, the one inside the gas tank) 3 X in the last year and it still was not working right. SO, I went to the Ford dealership to have them run a diagnostic test on the SOB. They did and gave me what was wrong with it. I brought the info to my dad and we determined that the parts that needed to be fixed were affordable and my parents helped me out with the finance part and my dad replaced one part and my uncle cleaned another part. It runs so much smoother now. Phew! I'm kinda excited I didn't have to buy a new car. I really like mine AND I'm almost done paying it off.

Ginny was able to meet my parents and a few other family members this weekend. My parents boiled some crawfish and we had a great time! We played cards Friday night and a little Saturday. I got to eat some delicious crawfish and enjoyed the whole time! I really can't wait until my parents move to Baton Rouge so I can see them more often! I also can't wait until Ginny moves to BR too-45 minute drive is a long time to drive to see each other.

All-in-all, my car's fixed, I spent all weekend with the girl AND I had crawfish. GREAT weekend!

Roommates

Top 10 Reasons You Know You Live With 3 Other Guys

1. You clean out the sink one night and then next night there are more dishes in there.
2. One of those dishes was a large cup (not a bowl) used to eat cereal out of.
3. The bathroom always stinks; not because of bowel movements but because the towel on the rack hasn't been cleaned in over a month.
4. The same above goes for sheets on the bed except (for those with a weak stomach) for an undisclosed amount of time.
5. Each room has their own distinct odor with a valid attempt to cover up with Axe body spray.
6. NO ONE knows where the broom is.
7. A conversation is frequent, First roommate:"Hey, are you downloading anything?" Second roommate: "Yeah, why?" First roommate: "Can you hurry up, the internet is too slow to support 'Counter Strike'". The same conversation is had with the other two roommates with answers similar.
8. The freezer is full of ice cream and frozen pizzas.
9. No decorations are on the walls.
10. The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Boston Legal, and or The Dark Knight can be found.

A fun trip for "business"

From an earlier post, I am now at liberty to say what I was hinting to. I am dating again. She attends my ward and is a great individual. She's an athletic trainer going to school to get her master's in kinesiology. We've been together a little over a month and I'm enjoying life with her! She lives about 30 minutes away from me but we make it work.

This weekend, we went to College Station, TX to see some of her old friends. She use to be the athletic trainer for Utah State's softball team and they were invited by Texas A&M to play in a tournament. We drove through Houston and had lunch with the GF's mission president and then went on to College Station to catch the last few innings of the second game. We watch two more games on Sat. and one on Sunday. We had a blast.

One of the funny moments from the trip was during sacrament meeting when the organist stopped playing the opening hymn after the before the 4th verse. Ironically, we were just talking about that very same thing the day before. Also, there were a ton of young married couples there and the bishopric was eying us when we sat down and all through sacrament..."fresh meat." Too bad we were just visiting.

A cool factor is I met the wife of my "grandpa" from the mission. My trainer's trainer is married to a sister of one of the softball players. Small world indeed!

Support of the Who Dat Nation

I have heard the phrase "Who Dat?" so much this past week. For those who follow and don't know what "Who Dat?" is...feel yourself lucky. HA! I'm kidding. The phrase has been adopted by New Orlean's Saints fans. It has been yelled, whispered and holla'd at work and every other place you can imagine since they won two weeks ago. Today is their ultimate game. It's the first time they've ever been to the Superbowl.

I'm not one for tagging on the band wagons and the last minute. Nor am I one to even really follow football. However, I feel a certain pride for my state and it's national football team. I'm sporting the black pinstripe suit with my gold tie to church in honor of our team. I'm proud to cheer them on this evening and hope for the best.

And in true Louisiana style, a part will ensue Monday regardless of the victory in New Orleans. Mardi Gras started early this year and it will be crazy!

In this crazy life and through these crazy times...

School has become apart of my life once again. I'm taking 12 credit hours at BRCC. It's not completely overwhelming yet. I know I have to stay on top of all this jazz, though.

Work is still going well. It's so comforting to be in a job and be able to pay for school at the same time. I have a goal of not getting into debt until the very last possible moment. Hopefully when I get in an undergrad program I'll be able to use my dad's VA benefits to help with school costs. If not, loans it is. I cannot afford to stretch out school any longer than needful. As it is, I should be taking at least 15 credits this semester to be sure to graduate on time. I also just recently heard that SELU has a great Marriage and Family counseling program. I'm way pumped to check it out! I was already decided that I was going to go there for my undergrad and master program. After hearing this, I'm even more positive!!!

I have also had some new developments in other parts of my life. I'm not completely at liberty to say at the moment. After a discussion or two, I'll definitely update with some new information-hopefully good information.

So I was told the other day that I have to be married before I can become a Marriage and Family Counselor. Hopefully I will be since that's at least another 5 years away. It just hit me kinda weird. I know it would definitely help to be married but I don't think it's a necessity. I've seen several relationships and have been in many different types. I'll learn as I go and schooling will help a lot. It's something I never really thought about though. Do we all need to have real life applications before we start a career?

I'm small, I know...

I've had a lot of emotions/feelings pass through the past month or so. There's been love, lust, enmity, disgust, a lot of irritation/frustration, bliss-filled butterflies, and heartache.

I have realized that emotions are grande. I've been trying to feel them and understand where they come from. I love getting to know myself and growing. Progression is such an amazing thing, even though there are still growing pains involved.

If I'm at all at liberty to offer advice, it would be to always look for ways to progress. Don't try to become perfect all at once because it will not happen, trust me! Discover ways that works best for you. Make things happen. If you want it, don't stress about it. We do need boundaries, but not limitations; does even make sense? We need to follow guidelines but not be so weighed down by things that inhibit us from have the agency we so need and desire.

RW

So remember when I have "Party in the USA" stuck in my head. It's a catchy song, yeah?

You'll never know how much I love you!

The title is a little deceiving. I'm just making a list of things that people probably don't know about me.

1. I have false teeth
2. I hate shaving
3. The toilet paper only goes one way on the roll. Yes, it does!
4. I love cleaning other people's homes.
5. After my sophomore year of high school, I wanted to be a veterinarian assistant. I didn't want to be a veterinarian b/c it took too long in school.
6. After I my senior year in high school, I was going to go to school to be a musical conductor of sorts. But my real desire then, and probably always will be, a musical performer.
7. When I was a kid, I always wanted braces and contacts and thought I never was going to get either and I had to end up getting both.
8. I like road trips but I don't love them.
9. I love an song that I can "belt" to. (If you don't know what "belting" is, please look it up and I'm sure you have done the same thing in your own car. )
10. I love analog clocks. Any and all will usually works.
11. I love picture frames.
12. I could have my feet massaged and/or my head scratched for hours and enjoy it.
13. I love collecting different versions of songs that I like; especially Over the Rainbow.
14. Have way too many pet peeves to mention in one post.
15. I love recording songs of me singing but really do not like listening to myself.
16. I love four part male harmony.
17. I have moved on average at least once a year since I was born.
18. The year I came home from my mission, I moved 3 times plus helped my parents move.
19. I am three years, three months, and three days younger than my only sibling.
20. I'm addicted to my laptop.
21. I'd rather have room temperature water most of the time.
22. When I feel like I'm going to throw up, I crave hot Diet Coke.
23. When I was a kid and I was running around a lot, I'd also crave Diet Coke.
24. I don't like anything with artificial sugar.
25. I've been lactose intolerant since birth.
26. I secretly wish for a full head of hair.
27. I LOVE Celine Dion's voice.
28. My closet is organized by types of clothes. i.e. pants, sweaters, polo shirts.
29. I have so many t-shirts that I rotate them in my drawers when I do laundry.
30. I HATE wearing shoes.
31. I can't wear socks to bed and keep them on all night. Undoubtedly they will be kicked off before morning light; consciously or subconsciously.
32. If I could, I would sleep in the nude on most nights.
33. I'd prefer to deck out in pants and a sweater to go to bed just to have the window open and a fan on. I love it to be cold when I go to sleep.
34. I miss so much about Colorado.
35. My mother and sister can make me cry when they sing.
36. Seeing a woman in a white dress is breathtakingly emotional.
37. I think more people need to be less dependent on their cell phones.
38. I've said the F word when someone cut me off the other day. This has never happened ever before!
39. I can drink a gallon of water and still be thirsty.
40. I wanted to go a mission ever since I was baptized.
41. I love the turrets scene from Deuce Bigalow.
42. I love the movie Friday. "You ain't got ta lie Craig."
43. I love soul food.
44. I love women with red hair and green eyes.
45. I have several VHS tapes from my high school of Musicals I was in.
46. I LOVE big dogs.
47. I want a lot of kids.
48. I have a Bass Pro pillow I got from a family while I was on my mission. I sleep with it every night.
49. I can't stand central heating but I love space heaters in the bathroom during winter.
50. I am OCD and HAD to end this at 50. K, maybe you knew about the OCD.