I miss this guy....

Is it wicked to have a favorite prophet?? I just tend to feel like he was an everyday guy that said extraordinary things that always inspire me to do better when I hear/read/listen to them again... it's the same with Eyring... read the quote below today & it struck home. I'm not a peter priesthood or very churchy but for real miss hearing him speak...

“Faith in something greater than ourselves enables us to do what we have said we'll do, to press forward when we are tired or hurt or afraid, to keep going when the challenge seems overwhelming and the course is entirely uncertain.” -GBH

Space time continuum

I always feel like I never have enough time. There's always more to do, not enough time to get everything done before other stuff comes up. I'm not complaining though, it's good to be busy & have things to do but sometimes I think I need a complete break from everything (vacation isn't an option right now) especially with the house, I have this huge list of to-do's and am currently tackling building a custom closet for the master & while it's light outside landscaping... the people that owned the house previously were the laziest gardeners EVER. On a side note.... read labels....especially when applying things like weed (and grass) killers... I accidentally nuked my entire backyard but on the bright side the whole backyard was one giant weed anyways. The awesome thing about having a Dad thats a master gardener is having a dad thats a master gardener... he's sat down & redesigned my yard with me & now we are amping up to start demolishing & rebuilding it to our specifications. It's going to have a lot less grass (makes it easier to maintain) and a lot more trees, shrubs, and cedar. I might end up having to lay sod over the whole darn thing because the existing grass is a mess & the yard is full of strange pits/lumps... it's like they had a caber toss or something... mowing is almost a contact sport. But yeah, if you can't tell I actually like this aspect of home ownership & look forward to having a badass looking yard that puts my neighbors to shame... or at least hopefully shames them into taking care of their lawns... but it's going to take a few weeks of after work slavery & weekend warrior marathons (as well as some $$ the trees I like are freakin expensive!) the interior of the house is thankfully in pretty good shape & I can hammer out most of that biz when it gets too hot outside to work. The other thing that I love is that it's all so distracting & keeps my mind off things that stress me out. Its therapeutic. The last 6months has been bonkers & I want to just purge it from my mind & this stuff is giving me an outlet to get everything back to the basics. Lately I've been missing my brothers that are far away & am looking forward to seeing them next month, I'm looking forward to going to see my cousin in NM in a few weeks, I'm looking forward to this summer... Life is good. My softball & soccer leagues started so I'm pumped to get outside & defend our title & hopefully do well in the soccer league as well. I am glad that I see what I have instead of what I lack... for some reason El Senor has mercy on this fool continually & I don't always feel like I deserve it. But I am grateful & need to be better about showing it. Church is still horribly boring but I find the peace & 3hours of mind clearing introspection refreshing. The last 12 months have taught me that Mick Jagger was right..*LISTEN*.... and I do way more than I realize/recognize... and speakin of the Rolling Stones... their old old stuff freakin rocks. And if you know what that picture above is from you are also freakin awesome.... peace homies.

Moving suuuuucks

So it's done... I'm moved (mostly) and in the process of unpacking & getting everything in order... it's the worst. I HATE moving & unpacking more than anything except onions & black widow bites. But I guess it's ok b/c it's a new step right? meh. I still end up going over to Morg & Kelle's everyday to see the kids & hang out. But it is nice to have my own space & absolute silence whenever I want it. The list of stuff to do/activate/change is eternal but I'm making progress... The neighbor lady came over & I'm pretty sure she thinks that my buddy thats living with me is my "partner" it was a weird conversation & I didn't understand what she was implying until I was already in my house... awesome. It's been an interesting few weeks & lots of stuff is going on. I'm too tired to get into everything but I'm glad things worked out with the house & I'm making progress on getting settled in. Work = chaos. Dating = also chaos... but in a good way. Life = good. I'll post pictures of the house & stuff once I get the art on the walls & stuff... Once this is all done I think it's extended vacation time.

March Madness

Nope... not talking about basketball... this month has been insane. Weird lawsuits with the house are tying up the title so I'm in this weird waiting game with the settlement date a week away.... everything else is solid, all repairs have been made, I'm prepping for the move & besides stress, fear, and anticipation I'm good to go. If not then I'll just start the search over.

Work has been nuts, I'm busier than I have been in a long time, and just went to AZ for a conference that was actually really good. I learned a lot & it's interesting to see how other firms use different applications/methods. But I'll avoid boring you to death with the nerdy details. While in AZ I got to see some amigos I knew from my time in NC & it was really good to see them again, they are doing well & have darn cute kids so it's always good to see old friends & especially those guys. They played a pretty big part in my life so it was good to catch up & also realize how important they were to me & my brothers. It helps that they are still hilarious too. But it was really good to see them. I saw another friend from school that I hadn't seen forever & she's doing well too, I couldn't believe it had been a few years since she moved from SLC but I guess time is starting to fly? is it that way for everyone? holy crap.. it's like every year speeds up more and more! Also went on a blind date that my cousin initiated, blind dates usually suck & I went in with the usual attitude about it.... Left extremely surprised. Really cool/fun girl & I ended up having a great time, we got together again before I left & round 2 was just as fun. Kudos to my cuz for knowing how to pick'em. Sadly the weather in AZ was terrible... it was colder there than here in SLC so it kinda sucked but I'd rather have that then death heat! I found myself thinking of weird stuff while I was there (probably from the benedryl I had to take b/c of all the pollen) like how I really really wanted to go exploring for the lost dutchmans mine/scorpion hunt.... retarded but I couldn't get over it. Next time I'm there I'm bringing a blacklite & old-timey treasure maps.... Overall a really good trip but I'm exhausted & playing catch up on all this work/house stuff so I am kinda flustered.

Lately I've been thinking about how blessed I am & how much I take for granted.... too much. I need to do better & try harder. I've been doing great but there's always more you can do right? I met my new bishop & he's pretty cool, too bad I get the boot in October & have to go to the other singles ward! But I get the feeling that he's going to let me hang around a bit more... hopefully. So I found myself sitting next to this guy in Elders Quorum... the night after I watch him at this thing He won & wasn't even beat up too bad @ church... It was kinda rad to see someone beat the crap out of a guy one night & see him at church the next day. Anyways not much else going on... another blind date this week so we'll see if it matches up to the last one & then a weekend full of catching up with amigos sooo yeah life is good & things are always getting better... I wish there was some way I could have a sit-down with the big guy & go over where/what/who and all the stuff he wants me to do... but I should be focusing on the basics & looking for opportunities to serve. I'm still waiting for my calling, I'd rather not teach but I'm surprisingly open to do whatever they ask. Anyways hope all is well & for you East Coasters & Texans.... it's time to come to Zion!!!

Divine intervention

So the hunt is almost over... I put an offer in & it was accepted... I'll post once the deal is sealed but it looks like I bought me a house (again) blessedly this one requires minimal work (they remodeled most of it last month but there's some stuff that I'll for sure fix) so I'll blah blah & post pictures once I actually close on it.... it's worth noting that this house is 2 houses away from my current residence so moving will be cake & I still get to see morg, kelle, & the kids all the time.... Life is good & the Lord is strangely looking out for me even though I'm retarded sometimes... but I'm grateful. So I'll hopefully post again in a week or so with an update... until then I'm praying that it's not a meth house or I don't get shanghaied.

New Hobby

So I've started upgrading things on my car myself & realized that you not only save a ton of money installing stuff yourself but you also learn a crapton about how to fix it when/if it breaks. I only wish today's engines weren't so computerized so I could dip into all that stuff. This week I put the pictured bumper on... took brute strength, a bit of skin/blood, and a few hours. Went pretty smooth & I actually had fun doing it. Had a few people lend a hand & besides a few hiccups & repeats it was fast. Next project is a roof rack. I'm thinking about getting an old muscle car that has a intact body & redoing the engine. I want to learn how to do that stuff & have been enjoying just learning about this stuff & then making it better. I'm thinking of getting an old SS or something but for now I'm going to keep tinkering with this FJ....

So besides me turning into a grease monkey life is good, I've been going to this ward & really like it. Good people & friendlier than any ward in Utardia I've ever been to so I'm probably going to stick around. Work continues to steal my soul & I still feel that between work & keeping up with my resurrected social life I don't have much time to sleep/do anything else. But I guess that's a good thing, time has been flying... it's freakin February!! anyways I got to see a bunch of my married amigos this weekend at the superbowl party we had @ my friends & I really wish we could all hang out more, I miss those dudes (and especially the ones that weren't there) I think we are going to start planning the next get together later this month. If not I'll probably start working on it anyways. Still lazily looking for a place but am going to start looking in earnest b/c there are several friends that are going to live with me so I've got to get going before they look elsewhere.... I'm looking forward to having roomates/tenants again. Plus these guys are mostly like me so it'll be on par with the good'ol days.

Did my taxes last week.... don't really even remember what my return is... and it's because the accountant we usually go to is an old guy that is pretty cool... this year I got the hottest accountant ever. I've seen her in previous years but never had any interaction... this year she came out to grab me & panic instantly set in...anyone that knows me knows that when I am retardedly attracted to a girl I tend to get so nervous I could literally puke... it's ridiculous. But this is one of those girls that makes my head spin (She looks like Bryce Dallas Howard but prettier). I've decided I'm going back & getting her number/asking her out but I haven't quite figured out how yet. I also failed to mention part of my cowardice is from my twin showing up & knowing exactly what I was thinking/feeling. His sinister/devious smile & mouthing things behind her immediately caused this terrible dread/fear to come over me that he was going to embarrass/humiliate me so my survival instincts screamed for me to flee....which I did as soon as possible. Soooo yeah, besides being a huge wuss, I pose this question... is it inappropriate to ask out your accountant? if not I'm for sure going back... my ego & honor demand it. Anyways hope all is well amigos!

-LS

Radmobile

Adios Sonata, it's been real. I will miss your mpg and darkness. I won't miss off roading on eggshells. Hello tank (and hello not so awesome mpg) I love both cars but the little ones days are numbered. Now I have to find a house (I probably should have done that first.. oh well) life has been crazy lately. I feel like I never have time to do anything, I'm either working or out running around with my amigos or house hunting/other biz. On the bright side time is flying, but that just means I'm getting older faster! Life is good... just hectic. I can't believe how fast my nieces & nephew are growing... I can't wait for my nephew to be able to be a real human & walk/talk. My nieces are hilarious so I imagine he's going to be similar. He's such a happy kid & rarely cries, it makes it easier to babysit him when all he likes to do is smile & crawl all over you. Those stinkin kids are whats making it hard to move. Mr. P can stand on his own & ghetto walk a few steps so he should be running around shortly. The girls are too smart for their own good & funny enough to make me give in to their treat oriented manipulations. I love being an Uncle to such awesome little terds. Anyways, this past weekend a bunch of us went to Mesquite NV to go dirtbiking & it was awesome. Warm weather, a little rain, and some really cool terrain around lake Mead/Valley of Fire. One of the nights they talked me into going to a buffet.... much to my regret. I watched my cousin consume over 30 lobster tails, lots of crab & other questionable food only to have it be ME that woke up at 3am & barfed my brains out.... no more buffets ever again... the food tasted good but obviously something sinister was in there.... The other 4 guys had no issues (except being gluttons) So besides the night of vomitus maximus it was an awesome weekend of nice warmness & motorcycle mayhem. Winter finally showed up here in SLC but it's still not even that cold/snowy, it's been a weird one so far. I've never minded the winter but really can't wait for spring b/c  I've got trips planned for Yosemite, Havasupai, and a few other places with a bunch of different people & I'm a little impatient to hit the road. I think & hope this is going to be a really good year....especially since the world is ending next December. So in the meantime buy ammo/gas so you can raid people that have food storage when the world goes all Mad Max Hope all is well amigos!