Anyway, this is a sketch I drew... Thursday? I dunno. It's not the best, but lately I've been having trouble focusing right, so I'm more or less happy with it.
"His Father's Will"
3 years ago
Monday, November 9, 2009
11/09.2/09 Photobucket. Bleh.
I dunno, photobucket hasn't been liking some pictures I've been trying to upload, and I noticed you can just upload to blogger, so I thought I'd check that out. I mean, I can't even remember the last time I posted pictures here. Seems kind of boring, you know?
Anyway, this is a sketch I drew... Thursday? I dunno. It's not the best, but lately I've been having trouble focusing right, so I'm more or less happy with it.
Anyway, this is a sketch I drew... Thursday? I dunno. It's not the best, but lately I've been having trouble focusing right, so I'm more or less happy with it.
11/09/09 First Blooms
The first blooms are coming out of those... whatever they are in the garden! Ever since I went berserker mode on the front yard, I didn't expect anything to survive. Oddly enough, though, the bulbs that we planted a few years ago have been fairing even better than the weeds. And at first I didn't discriminate between friend or foe either. Tough little flowers. And I think there are more of them than we planted, which I suppose makes sense. Anyway, I saw this year's first bloom today. ^^
As you can see, there are quite a few of the little guys...So, I probably wouldn't ever describe myself as a green thumb, but I might pass off as a brown thumb (if such a thing existed). After all, have you ever met a boy who hasn't enjoyed playing with dirt every now and then?
Monday, November 2, 2009
11/02/09 Mission Prep.
Since I've long abandoned attempting to reconstruct all of my recent activities, partly due to the fact that mom's probably already done it, I think I'll spend more time focusing on things that have been of special interest to me. One of these at the moment is missionary preparation class. I decided to go to it partly because I thought it'd be cool, and partly because leaders thought it'd be a good idea– not that I don't too or anything. I just wasn't sure if I would be taking it right now. There is a bit of time before I'm old enough to serve a mission, but I guess there's no harm in getting a nice early start.
Speaking of the class itself, though, it wasn't what I was expecting. I thought it might have some practicing time, but mostly I expected to be taught /what/ we would be teaching investigators. But that's not really the point of mission prep. class. I mean, we should already know and have a testimony of that.
What we learn in mission prep. has more to do with /how/ to teach– and that's something I've really taken an interest in. There are a whole lot more effective ways of teaching than merely reading a lesson. The key is really in applying lessons to investigators. You do that by first learning about the person being taught. You get a feel for their life, ask questions, and listen to the spirit. It's only after that that you really know what will mean the most to them. We've learned how being excited ourselves helps them to feel that what we're saying has meaning, how to use companionship study to prepare to teach on a more personal level, how to make commitments with investigators and follow up to see how they've done, and how to recognize and resolve concerns they may have.
It's the kind of information you can really apply to life, even outside of missionary work. It's also allowed me to see some of my own faults. I am a talker. I don't really initiate conversations with others all that much, but when I speak, I use a lot of words to express my meaning. It always makes me feel like it flows easier that way, yet I learned in mission prep. that that isn't always the best way to teach someone. People can get lost in too many words. Often, it's the short, powerful statements that really drive home what we mean. Now, is this something I plan on doing on a daily basis? Probably not. I mean, it's not my nature, but until I can learn to cut my thoughts into these compact statements, I may have to try it once in a while. And it is a useful tool to have. It allows you to listen more. And if there's anything that makes someone skilled at small talk or anything related to it, it's being able to understand the person you're talking with– knowing what questions will provoke the biggest response. Not exactly my strong suit, but it's a work in progress. Currently, I'm limited to reading people. The problem with that, though, is that you can never truly be sure if what you think you're seeing is right.
All in all, I'd say that I'm extremely glad I decided to go. And while I'm still working on some things, I've really taken a lot out of it.
One thing that I've been noticing, though, is that my life has had a fairly simply pattern. When I was younger, I learned a lot about how to be taught well. I learned how to get the most out of lessons and how to look past the minor problems that come up. That doesn't really seem to common trait. Most people I've noticed are quick to get irritated with teachers, and aren't all that excited about what they're learning.
On the flip side of that, though, I'm only just now learning how to teach– how to get my point across more clearly. Before, I was terrible at talking to people, let alone teaching them. I remember being terrified to give talks in church, yet no matter how lame a teacher was, I always remembered getting /something/ out of the lesson, even if it meant studying on my own. I've been a little out of balance, now that I look back, but I oddly don't think I'd have it any other way. It's through listening and learning that I've learned about myself. I have a greater understanding of who I am, and that makes it much easier to express my thoughts.
Am I a contradiction? I don't speak much, but when I do, I almost speak too much, and I like listening rather than talking, yet I'm terrible at asking the right questions. I know why I want to be a psychologist, but could this just be another small reason that added to it? It's a skill that I've always thought about, and that I've truly wanted to possess. Maybe it's just another thing about psychology that I hope to learn.
-meaningful pause-
Hmm... it always amazes me how things progress. I began this post talking about missionary preparation class, and it becomes this rant about just how strange I've become compared to others I know. But really, is strange a bad thing? I dunno. I figure the more I think about that, the more I'll question my choice to pick a different path, not that it was really ever much of a choice. These things seem to just happen. I imagine all we can do is make the best of it.
Speaking of the class itself, though, it wasn't what I was expecting. I thought it might have some practicing time, but mostly I expected to be taught /what/ we would be teaching investigators. But that's not really the point of mission prep. class. I mean, we should already know and have a testimony of that.
What we learn in mission prep. has more to do with /how/ to teach– and that's something I've really taken an interest in. There are a whole lot more effective ways of teaching than merely reading a lesson. The key is really in applying lessons to investigators. You do that by first learning about the person being taught. You get a feel for their life, ask questions, and listen to the spirit. It's only after that that you really know what will mean the most to them. We've learned how being excited ourselves helps them to feel that what we're saying has meaning, how to use companionship study to prepare to teach on a more personal level, how to make commitments with investigators and follow up to see how they've done, and how to recognize and resolve concerns they may have.
It's the kind of information you can really apply to life, even outside of missionary work. It's also allowed me to see some of my own faults. I am a talker. I don't really initiate conversations with others all that much, but when I speak, I use a lot of words to express my meaning. It always makes me feel like it flows easier that way, yet I learned in mission prep. that that isn't always the best way to teach someone. People can get lost in too many words. Often, it's the short, powerful statements that really drive home what we mean. Now, is this something I plan on doing on a daily basis? Probably not. I mean, it's not my nature, but until I can learn to cut my thoughts into these compact statements, I may have to try it once in a while. And it is a useful tool to have. It allows you to listen more. And if there's anything that makes someone skilled at small talk or anything related to it, it's being able to understand the person you're talking with– knowing what questions will provoke the biggest response. Not exactly my strong suit, but it's a work in progress. Currently, I'm limited to reading people. The problem with that, though, is that you can never truly be sure if what you think you're seeing is right.
All in all, I'd say that I'm extremely glad I decided to go. And while I'm still working on some things, I've really taken a lot out of it.
One thing that I've been noticing, though, is that my life has had a fairly simply pattern. When I was younger, I learned a lot about how to be taught well. I learned how to get the most out of lessons and how to look past the minor problems that come up. That doesn't really seem to common trait. Most people I've noticed are quick to get irritated with teachers, and aren't all that excited about what they're learning.
On the flip side of that, though, I'm only just now learning how to teach– how to get my point across more clearly. Before, I was terrible at talking to people, let alone teaching them. I remember being terrified to give talks in church, yet no matter how lame a teacher was, I always remembered getting /something/ out of the lesson, even if it meant studying on my own. I've been a little out of balance, now that I look back, but I oddly don't think I'd have it any other way. It's through listening and learning that I've learned about myself. I have a greater understanding of who I am, and that makes it much easier to express my thoughts.
Am I a contradiction? I don't speak much, but when I do, I almost speak too much, and I like listening rather than talking, yet I'm terrible at asking the right questions. I know why I want to be a psychologist, but could this just be another small reason that added to it? It's a skill that I've always thought about, and that I've truly wanted to possess. Maybe it's just another thing about psychology that I hope to learn.
-meaningful pause-
Hmm... it always amazes me how things progress. I began this post talking about missionary preparation class, and it becomes this rant about just how strange I've become compared to others I know. But really, is strange a bad thing? I dunno. I figure the more I think about that, the more I'll question my choice to pick a different path, not that it was really ever much of a choice. These things seem to just happen. I imagine all we can do is make the best of it.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
10/20/09 Music!
I'm so happy. Yesterday, I finished rating all the songs in my iTunes library. The ones I listen to, at least. Yay! And I really like some of the widgets I've been using to help out with that. I've almost always used iTunes controller, but this display is very useful. Unlike some other displays, it actually shows what point of the song is playing. Nice for when you're doing something else and you want to know where one song ends and another begins. That way, you can accurately rate the song you're listening to, instead of mistaking it with another one that was just playing. -nods- But yeah, now I know which songs to skip.
Hmm... I haven't posted in a while. Suppose it'd be a good idea to review what has been going on... Not sure I will though. Instead, I think I'll talk about seminary. In general, seminary is awesome. Not much can take away from that. But the younger class is /hilarious/. We were combined today, since our teacher was sick, and I gotta say, their class is lively. You've got loads of people who like to talk, and one or two people who like to scold said talkers. But one of them is kind of funny. She's there, smiling, then all of a sudden she'll whip her head around, give a glare that could stop a mountain lion, occasionally say something like 'shut up', then turn back around and smile as if nothing happened. Scary? So yeah... we learned about Jacob and his credentials. You know, righteous, cares about the people, is called of God... All of that stuff that we can have too– and should have so we can better spread the Gospel.
It still cracks me up that people get cold so easily. It's got to be no lower than 50, and they're
acting like it's freezing... Understandable, I guess. Mom and I like cold weather. We're the odd ones. But really... I dunno.
Myst is crazy. Joe and I just finished the fourth one this Saturday, and it was insane. Sad ending. Very sad. Avoidable? Possibly, but we haven't figured it out yet. I mean... really. The only half decent character dies. Sure, it's noble, but the whole family is messed up. Meh... Maybe Yeesha will turn out okay. At least she probably won't be as stupid as Cathrine. I tell you, that lady doesn't think. And she writes dreadful ages. I mean, Serenia is basically a cult of druggies. Seriously, they use this 'incense' and stare at a mask with crazy eyes to travel to some freaky spirit world. Crazy people. Still, Serenia beats Spire. Anyone would go crazy if they were stuck there for twenty years. And the fact that it's got crazy explosives doesn't help.
Anyway, moving on. Life is good. Towels are good too...
So, I'm running out of topics that I want to talk about. I've got to figure out what I want to be for Halloween. I feel like I should do something with caution tape. I've still got a lot of it. I might try to be a mistborn next year, but it's a little work. The cape will be the hardest. I also have to find some vials and a bag of coins. Maybe Yen. I like the holes in them. This year, though, I might be lazy. I dunno, we'll see what happens.
I think I'm going to wrap this up. I've got plenty of things to do today. So yeah, Halloween... Never quite saw the point, but it should be fun. Anyway, see ya!
Hmm... I haven't posted in a while. Suppose it'd be a good idea to review what has been going on... Not sure I will though. Instead, I think I'll talk about seminary. In general, seminary is awesome. Not much can take away from that. But the younger class is /hilarious/. We were combined today, since our teacher was sick, and I gotta say, their class is lively. You've got loads of people who like to talk, and one or two people who like to scold said talkers. But one of them is kind of funny. She's there, smiling, then all of a sudden she'll whip her head around, give a glare that could stop a mountain lion, occasionally say something like 'shut up', then turn back around and smile as if nothing happened. Scary? So yeah... we learned about Jacob and his credentials. You know, righteous, cares about the people, is called of God... All of that stuff that we can have too– and should have so we can better spread the Gospel.
It still cracks me up that people get cold so easily. It's got to be no lower than 50, and they're
acting like it's freezing... Understandable, I guess. Mom and I like cold weather. We're the odd ones. But really... I dunno.
Myst is crazy. Joe and I just finished the fourth one this Saturday, and it was insane. Sad ending. Very sad. Avoidable? Possibly, but we haven't figured it out yet. I mean... really. The only half decent character dies. Sure, it's noble, but the whole family is messed up. Meh... Maybe Yeesha will turn out okay. At least she probably won't be as stupid as Cathrine. I tell you, that lady doesn't think. And she writes dreadful ages. I mean, Serenia is basically a cult of druggies. Seriously, they use this 'incense' and stare at a mask with crazy eyes to travel to some freaky spirit world. Crazy people. Still, Serenia beats Spire. Anyone would go crazy if they were stuck there for twenty years. And the fact that it's got crazy explosives doesn't help.
Anyway, moving on. Life is good. Towels are good too...
So, I'm running out of topics that I want to talk about. I've got to figure out what I want to be for Halloween. I feel like I should do something with caution tape. I've still got a lot of it. I might try to be a mistborn next year, but it's a little work. The cape will be the hardest. I also have to find some vials and a bag of coins. Maybe Yen. I like the holes in them. This year, though, I might be lazy. I dunno, we'll see what happens.
I think I'm going to wrap this up. I've got plenty of things to do today. So yeah, Halloween... Never quite saw the point, but it should be fun. Anyway, see ya!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
09/16/09 Could be better, could be worse
So, it's been a while. Not too happy about that, but we'll see what we can do.
As for all the stuff I haven't posted about:
-The Elders (and some family) came for dinner a few weeks back. On Stake Conference, I believe.
-A few days later, David and Teresa came to visit, and we had lots of fun family get togethers.
-Mom, Miriam and I went camping at Mackerricher state park for Mom's Birthday.
-I finished off all but one of my merit badges. All that's left now is making an appointment with the counselor for communications and work on the project. Life is pretty hectic right now, though, so I may continue to put that off. I just get really tired of the stress after a while, don't you?
- And now I'm struggling with some stupid school stuff. ALEKS is being its traditional retarded self, but it won't listen to my regiment of remedies I've picked up since I've started working with it. Big pain. And my online computer class isn't working at all. Which would make me lean towards getting a book for it, but Travis doesn't have any that are better than "Push the power button to turn on the computer." He thinks the online class is pretty good, but I'm not possitive I'll be able to get it to work. Kind of annoying. Plus, because of all of these stupid problems, I haven't written to Andrew in ages. Haven't blogged, haven't worked on the house, and I've barely been able to maintain the stuff I've already done. In short, I'm having a lame week.
I might talk about what happened in this past month sometime, but right now I'm just not in the mood.
On the somewhat bright side, I got some sketching pencils on Monday. I'd been thinking about it without much vigor for a while, but then I saw some at Office Depot while I was looking for organization stuff, and I decided to check them out. Anyway, they're very good! Awesome for shading and what not. You can make it more even, and with the different pencils, you have a lot of control of how light or dark you want it. So, I suppose life isn't so bad. I still have a lot of stuff to do, so I haven't been able to do as much with them as I had hoped, but they're something to look forward to when this is finally cleared up.
Really, though, I think I've been needing this stress. I've been having too many fun things. Family visits, camping... I think this wave of sudden things I need to do will get me back into my everyday rhythm. I'm hoping so, at least, because if not, I may have some problems in the future. But enough about future. Before Thursday night, I need to do this week's Japanese and Psychology, look into my computer class, maybe go back to the battlefield of ALEKS, and if I can manage all of that, work on all of the things I've been putting off. Andrew's letter, organizing the house and computer, scoutwork, and who knows what all.
I work best with a deadline, though, so we'll see how we do.
Bye. It's been fun, but I can't really think about blogging at the moment.
As for all the stuff I haven't posted about:
-The Elders (and some family) came for dinner a few weeks back. On Stake Conference, I believe.
-A few days later, David and Teresa came to visit, and we had lots of fun family get togethers.
-Mom, Miriam and I went camping at Mackerricher state park for Mom's Birthday.
-I finished off all but one of my merit badges. All that's left now is making an appointment with the counselor for communications and work on the project. Life is pretty hectic right now, though, so I may continue to put that off. I just get really tired of the stress after a while, don't you?
- And now I'm struggling with some stupid school stuff. ALEKS is being its traditional retarded self, but it won't listen to my regiment of remedies I've picked up since I've started working with it. Big pain. And my online computer class isn't working at all. Which would make me lean towards getting a book for it, but Travis doesn't have any that are better than "Push the power button to turn on the computer." He thinks the online class is pretty good, but I'm not possitive I'll be able to get it to work. Kind of annoying. Plus, because of all of these stupid problems, I haven't written to Andrew in ages. Haven't blogged, haven't worked on the house, and I've barely been able to maintain the stuff I've already done. In short, I'm having a lame week.
I might talk about what happened in this past month sometime, but right now I'm just not in the mood.
On the somewhat bright side, I got some sketching pencils on Monday. I'd been thinking about it without much vigor for a while, but then I saw some at Office Depot while I was looking for organization stuff, and I decided to check them out. Anyway, they're very good! Awesome for shading and what not. You can make it more even, and with the different pencils, you have a lot of control of how light or dark you want it. So, I suppose life isn't so bad. I still have a lot of stuff to do, so I haven't been able to do as much with them as I had hoped, but they're something to look forward to when this is finally cleared up.
Really, though, I think I've been needing this stress. I've been having too many fun things. Family visits, camping... I think this wave of sudden things I need to do will get me back into my everyday rhythm. I'm hoping so, at least, because if not, I may have some problems in the future. But enough about future. Before Thursday night, I need to do this week's Japanese and Psychology, look into my computer class, maybe go back to the battlefield of ALEKS, and if I can manage all of that, work on all of the things I've been putting off. Andrew's letter, organizing the house and computer, scoutwork, and who knows what all.
I work best with a deadline, though, so we'll see how we do.
Bye. It's been fun, but I can't really think about blogging at the moment.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
08/19/09 Haywire...
So, I would've posted yesterday, but the computer went crazy on me and I couldn't log into my google account. Anyway, the whole password manager thing can make things difficult sometimes, especially when you made a grammatical error with the password itself. You see, using a blend of English and Japanese jibberish, you can make a pretty tough password that you can still remember, but when you use the wrong Japanese translation, it can take a while to figure out. As you can see though, it worked eventually. I'll have to change that password now. If nothing else, that word'll kill me if I forget about it again.
Anyway, that's not what I was going to talk about. There's a lot to go through before I leave. Starting with Sunday: The lesson went just about as well as I could expect it to. Sister Shrimp's class is always talkative, but when you throw in two visitors and the younger class, it's uh... interesting. Not sure what I would've done without Riley there. He's good and getting people to quiet down. -nods- Anyway, so yeah, the lesson itself was okay. I didn't do all I was planning, but I got the basic idea down. Plus, I got some feedback from the Temple President story. I like it when people remember the story you're telling, so they already know a little about where you're hoping to go with it. It was a good story, too. So, we were doing Baptisms for the Dead a few weeks ago, and the Temple President told us something really interesting. With missionary work, you see a lot of cases where a family will be taught, but only one person will join the church. The Temple President explained that in the spirit world, entire families are praying constantly, hoping that just /one/ person will be converted, so their genealogy could be done and their ordinances performed. Pretty powerful stuff. So anyway, I used that to set home the importance of eagerly pursuing the work of by-proxy ordinances for those that have passed on, which was the topic of the lesson.
Yay!
SO.. Monday... School started, I mowed the lawn, cut back a tree, prepared a super amazing Family Home Evening lesson- complete with roadmap, and was excited about grilling pizzas!
The plan was simple. We'd make little pizzas, personalize them, and stick them on the grill plain and simple. Well, there's a lot to account for. Messiness of the toppings, sheer size of the pizza itself, and how lucky you feel while performing the operation. Over all, Anna's pizza turned out the best. You see, I told Joe to hold a rolled-out pizza, and he did, but then he said that he hadn't washed his hands since doing something with a dumpster. Anyway, I wasn't all that put off by it, so it got selected as Anna's pizza. I'd share, of course. -nods-
We learned though. Small, thin pizzas with not much on them. That's what works. I think. Maybe we should talk to Ruth and Tom. They actually know how to do it...
Anyway, good stuff.
On Tuesday, I went berserk on our front yard. I got rid of all the weeds that have grown back since I got sick, and attacked the trees again, sawing through a couple branches with a hacksaw (slow process). Then, after Mom and Joe got home, I pulled up two of the trees that were trying to grow next to the house, as well as a stump that once belonged to a holly bush. It was just in the way...
But anyway, that was awesome! I was going to blog about it, but that's when the computer made my life miserable. After a wonderful night's rest, though, the problem was a little easier to fix. Good stuff. So now I get to attack trees again. Or do schoolwork... Or write a letter to Andrew... Or do scoutwork. I should kind of do all of them...
Oi... I gotta go. Bye!
Anyway, that's not what I was going to talk about. There's a lot to go through before I leave. Starting with Sunday: The lesson went just about as well as I could expect it to. Sister Shrimp's class is always talkative, but when you throw in two visitors and the younger class, it's uh... interesting. Not sure what I would've done without Riley there. He's good and getting people to quiet down. -nods- Anyway, so yeah, the lesson itself was okay. I didn't do all I was planning, but I got the basic idea down. Plus, I got some feedback from the Temple President story. I like it when people remember the story you're telling, so they already know a little about where you're hoping to go with it. It was a good story, too. So, we were doing Baptisms for the Dead a few weeks ago, and the Temple President told us something really interesting. With missionary work, you see a lot of cases where a family will be taught, but only one person will join the church. The Temple President explained that in the spirit world, entire families are praying constantly, hoping that just /one/ person will be converted, so their genealogy could be done and their ordinances performed. Pretty powerful stuff. So anyway, I used that to set home the importance of eagerly pursuing the work of by-proxy ordinances for those that have passed on, which was the topic of the lesson.
Yay!
SO.. Monday... School started, I mowed the lawn, cut back a tree, prepared a super amazing Family Home Evening lesson- complete with roadmap, and was excited about grilling pizzas!
The plan was simple. We'd make little pizzas, personalize them, and stick them on the grill plain and simple. Well, there's a lot to account for. Messiness of the toppings, sheer size of the pizza itself, and how lucky you feel while performing the operation. Over all, Anna's pizza turned out the best. You see, I told Joe to hold a rolled-out pizza, and he did, but then he said that he hadn't washed his hands since doing something with a dumpster. Anyway, I wasn't all that put off by it, so it got selected as Anna's pizza. I'd share, of course. -nods-
We learned though. Small, thin pizzas with not much on them. That's what works. I think. Maybe we should talk to Ruth and Tom. They actually know how to do it...
Anyway, good stuff.
On Tuesday, I went berserk on our front yard. I got rid of all the weeds that have grown back since I got sick, and attacked the trees again, sawing through a couple branches with a hacksaw (slow process). Then, after Mom and Joe got home, I pulled up two of the trees that were trying to grow next to the house, as well as a stump that once belonged to a holly bush. It was just in the way...
But anyway, that was awesome! I was going to blog about it, but that's when the computer made my life miserable. After a wonderful night's rest, though, the problem was a little easier to fix. Good stuff. So now I get to attack trees again. Or do schoolwork... Or write a letter to Andrew... Or do scoutwork. I should kind of do all of them...
Oi... I gotta go. Bye!
Saturday, August 15, 2009
08/15/09 Over the mountains and through the woods...
More like hills. Lots of hills. Not many trees either, come to think of it...
Anyway, there's much to talk about. This week and last were meant to be busy. Very busy. And you know what, they still kind of were. Odd little thing, that.
Anyway, as you know (I think), last weekend we went camping down in San Luise Obispo (I hope that's spelled right...) to visit David and Teresa. The trip was awesome, the car ride long, the memories... -dramatic- /unforgettable/... Okay, anyway...
So we got up there and met David and Teresa at the camp, at which point most of us were thinking that it wasn't much of a campsite. I say most only because- the scout that I am- I had seen plenty worse. And in all fairness, it was a pretty good campsite. Water and bathrooms nearby, dry kindling to help light a fire, and a good bit of shade. The only real downside was that it was a little cramped. People next door, small-ish campsite, you get the picture. Of course, you all know what I believe real camping is, but that's not important.
So, we set up camp, start up a lovely fire, and visit. After we had some coals, we threw in the foil dinners and roasted hotdogs. The hotdogs were mostly just because they were there and we felt like snacking. Uh huh. You didn't think hot dogs were appetizers, did you? Well, they're very good ones. (especially when made into pigs in a blanket, but that's another story...) The foil dinners were delicious, as expected, and we didn't have any burnt, thanks to the /real camping/ foil dinner cooking secret. You see, the second time I made foil dinners (ah, the memories...), I had read on a website to try wrapping a slightly damp paper towel around the foil dinner, then add another layer of foil. Ever since that fateful day, I've never had a burnt foil dinner. -nods- That's real camping. Foil dinners, hamburgers, and hot dogs. For dinner, at least. And whatever you do, no tri-tip. That's not camping! How could you do such a thing??? I'm telling you... I'll never forget that one. It's just not natural...
Anyway, that was amazing. After dinner, we had smores and wuffums (D&T, how do you spell that?). -happy dance- Also real camping.
Let's see, after that, we read scriptures, had family prayer, played some Killer-Uno, and went to sleep. Good stuff.
The next morning, we boiled water the old fashioned way and had oatmeal and hot chocolate. There's something about fire-boiled water... It's cool. Anyway, oatmeal and fire water? Real camping. I was really happy with the arrangement. I mean, we were near people, and we were within walking distance of the nearest bathroom, so I can't call it real real camping, but it was close, and very fun.
After we ate, we lounged for a bit and decided to tour campgrounds. Both the one we were staying in and one that David and Teresa liked. The latter of which, I must add, was indeed very nice. Very nice playground. Thought of Andrew. Took pictures.
We had lunch there, lazed around a bit, then went to David and Teresa's. Another dog was visiting, and there was a small matter of getting the two used to each other, but other than that, we really didn't do much but visit until dinner. D&T made some wonderful hamburgers! And a vegetarian alternative. And corn on the cob. And watermelon. Lot's of food...
After dinner, we decided we didn't want to sleep on rocks again (-sighs-), so the guys went to break camp. -hits fast forward button-
Okay, not much happened. We went back, visited some more, went to sleep, got up, got ready for church, went to church, got spiritually enlightened, went back to get everything packed, and hit the road!
Just some last comments before I move on to the next topic:
The impromptu choir performance was awesome. Lot's of people got up to sing, too. I was a little surprised. -nods-
Also, I really liked the priesthood lesson. I'm thinking I might use some of it for my Sunday School lesson.
Next day...
Monday was interesting. I mostly did paperwork for scouts, finishing of Cit. in the World, so I'm pretty much set. By the end of it, though, I was beginning to get a little bit of a headache. I wemt to bed...
... and then it all went down hill... At 1 AM, I got out of bed and promptly ran to the bathroom to throw up.
This, unfortunately, was not in my plans. My plans were to do yardwork. Both here and for the Penas. That... uh... didn't happen. To make a long and annoying story short, I was feeling horrible with a crazy migraine for several days. I couldn't keep food or pill down, light was a nightmare, and I kept getting dehydrated. Wednesday and Thursday, Mom stayed home and helped, but I was still mostly out of it. By Thursday, though, things were looking up. And by Friday, I was back to my regular- if not mentally sound- self. I kept track though. I threw up seventeen times. Fourteen of which took place within twenty-four hours. Ouch.
But, I'm better now, and it's Saturday, so something more must have happened. On Friday, Joe filed some stuff in his room, and Mom and I ran some errands. We got some wood mulch, got a schoolbook for a college class, and did some business with our fall classes. I have a card now. XD I can go cruising on lightrail.
That's pretty much it. Today was more interesting. Today, we rented a truck, went over to Debi's and picked up a couch. A really big couch. With recliners. It was in a room that was too small for it, so she gave it to us to put in the family room. Things are still in motion, but the dust should settle soon enough. In any case, it gives me a project to work on. ^^ After we did all that, we went to the Squeeze Inn. Fun stuff! Good workout, too. -nods-
Well, I'm afraid that's about it. I've been busy, eh. Kind of feel bad for Andrew though. I need to send him pictures. And I'm a couple days late with the letter now. He'll forgive me though.
Oh yes! While I was sick, I was able to watch a movie that David and Teresa loaned to us when we left. Stardust! Not exactly what I was expecting, but pretty funny. Different though. Definitely different. Awesome action music. After a little searching, I found one of the better tracks, and it is good...
Anyway, I've got to go work on the Sunday School lesson I'm giving tomorrow. See ya!
... Di-na-mi-tey! XD
Anyway, there's much to talk about. This week and last were meant to be busy. Very busy. And you know what, they still kind of were. Odd little thing, that.
Anyway, as you know (I think), last weekend we went camping down in San Luise Obispo (I hope that's spelled right...) to visit David and Teresa. The trip was awesome, the car ride long, the memories... -dramatic- /unforgettable/... Okay, anyway...
So we got up there and met David and Teresa at the camp, at which point most of us were thinking that it wasn't much of a campsite. I say most only because- the scout that I am- I had seen plenty worse. And in all fairness, it was a pretty good campsite. Water and bathrooms nearby, dry kindling to help light a fire, and a good bit of shade. The only real downside was that it was a little cramped. People next door, small-ish campsite, you get the picture. Of course, you all know what I believe real camping is, but that's not important.
So, we set up camp, start up a lovely fire, and visit. After we had some coals, we threw in the foil dinners and roasted hotdogs. The hotdogs were mostly just because they were there and we felt like snacking. Uh huh. You didn't think hot dogs were appetizers, did you? Well, they're very good ones. (especially when made into pigs in a blanket, but that's another story...) The foil dinners were delicious, as expected, and we didn't have any burnt, thanks to the /real camping/ foil dinner cooking secret. You see, the second time I made foil dinners (ah, the memories...), I had read on a website to try wrapping a slightly damp paper towel around the foil dinner, then add another layer of foil. Ever since that fateful day, I've never had a burnt foil dinner. -nods- That's real camping. Foil dinners, hamburgers, and hot dogs. For dinner, at least. And whatever you do, no tri-tip. That's not camping! How could you do such a thing??? I'm telling you... I'll never forget that one. It's just not natural...
Anyway, that was amazing. After dinner, we had smores and wuffums (D&T, how do you spell that?). -happy dance- Also real camping.
Let's see, after that, we read scriptures, had family prayer, played some Killer-Uno, and went to sleep. Good stuff.
The next morning, we boiled water the old fashioned way and had oatmeal and hot chocolate. There's something about fire-boiled water... It's cool. Anyway, oatmeal and fire water? Real camping. I was really happy with the arrangement. I mean, we were near people, and we were within walking distance of the nearest bathroom, so I can't call it real real camping, but it was close, and very fun.
After we ate, we lounged for a bit and decided to tour campgrounds. Both the one we were staying in and one that David and Teresa liked. The latter of which, I must add, was indeed very nice. Very nice playground. Thought of Andrew. Took pictures.
We had lunch there, lazed around a bit, then went to David and Teresa's. Another dog was visiting, and there was a small matter of getting the two used to each other, but other than that, we really didn't do much but visit until dinner. D&T made some wonderful hamburgers! And a vegetarian alternative. And corn on the cob. And watermelon. Lot's of food...
After dinner, we decided we didn't want to sleep on rocks again (-sighs-), so the guys went to break camp. -hits fast forward button-
Okay, not much happened. We went back, visited some more, went to sleep, got up, got ready for church, went to church, got spiritually enlightened, went back to get everything packed, and hit the road!
Just some last comments before I move on to the next topic:
The impromptu choir performance was awesome. Lot's of people got up to sing, too. I was a little surprised. -nods-
Also, I really liked the priesthood lesson. I'm thinking I might use some of it for my Sunday School lesson.
Next day...
Monday was interesting. I mostly did paperwork for scouts, finishing of Cit. in the World, so I'm pretty much set. By the end of it, though, I was beginning to get a little bit of a headache. I wemt to bed...
... and then it all went down hill... At 1 AM, I got out of bed and promptly ran to the bathroom to throw up.
This, unfortunately, was not in my plans. My plans were to do yardwork. Both here and for the Penas. That... uh... didn't happen. To make a long and annoying story short, I was feeling horrible with a crazy migraine for several days. I couldn't keep food or pill down, light was a nightmare, and I kept getting dehydrated. Wednesday and Thursday, Mom stayed home and helped, but I was still mostly out of it. By Thursday, though, things were looking up. And by Friday, I was back to my regular- if not mentally sound- self. I kept track though. I threw up seventeen times. Fourteen of which took place within twenty-four hours. Ouch.
But, I'm better now, and it's Saturday, so something more must have happened. On Friday, Joe filed some stuff in his room, and Mom and I ran some errands. We got some wood mulch, got a schoolbook for a college class, and did some business with our fall classes. I have a card now. XD I can go cruising on lightrail.
That's pretty much it. Today was more interesting. Today, we rented a truck, went over to Debi's and picked up a couch. A really big couch. With recliners. It was in a room that was too small for it, so she gave it to us to put in the family room. Things are still in motion, but the dust should settle soon enough. In any case, it gives me a project to work on. ^^ After we did all that, we went to the Squeeze Inn. Fun stuff! Good workout, too. -nods-
Well, I'm afraid that's about it. I've been busy, eh. Kind of feel bad for Andrew though. I need to send him pictures. And I'm a couple days late with the letter now. He'll forgive me though.
Oh yes! While I was sick, I was able to watch a movie that David and Teresa loaned to us when we left. Stardust! Not exactly what I was expecting, but pretty funny. Different though. Definitely different. Awesome action music. After a little searching, I found one of the better tracks, and it is good...
Anyway, I've got to go work on the Sunday School lesson I'm giving tomorrow. See ya!
... Di-na-mi-tey! XD
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