E N G A A G G E E E D D D D D D D D D D D . . . . . . .

How do people do it?
I have 11 days until I get married and it is driving me nuts!  I have already waited over 100 days, and I would prefer to not wait anymore.
Blargh.

I have nonmember friends who are engaged, and their wedding is in December...OF NEXT YEAR!
Holy poop.
How can they wait that long?

I completely understand why people elope.  That makes sense.
I love you.
You love me.
Let's get married for time and all eternity!
Bam.  Done.
Instead we put ourselves through this torturous period of being engaged where we know we're going to be married soon, but we're not married now.
It's the hardest, corest form of dating there is.
And I will be happy when it's over.

Not that I'm not happy now.
I'll just ALSO be happy then...

~Boy

Grinds My Gears

You see, the problem isn't losing, it's the fact that there is nothing I can do about it.
If I lost because my opponent was superior to me, then by heavens I will congratulate the dickens out of that person/animal/inanimate object.  It is when there is absolutely nothing that I can do to possibly affect the outcome of the match when I get upset.

I don't know why I'm an optimist.
But I firmly believe that there is nothing involving me that is outside of my control.  DESPITE how many times this has been proven wrong to me.

For example, I don't remember having brain surgery on my list of things to-do, but it happened to me nonetheless and the precursor was completely outside of my control.  All I could control of the situation was how I reacted to it, not the outcome or if it happened at all.
I don't recall having my parents get divorced on the list, either.

Even though life has demonstrated to me a number of times that there are things that are outside of my control, I continue to believe that I am ultimately in charge of my own destiny.  That I make the choices.  I make the outcomes.
Why have I been instilled with this optimism?  I don't know.

I have been a student at BYU-Idaho for a total of 5 semesters, all of which I have participated in what they call "RecSports".  This is their lame excuse for a sporting program, seeing as how they removed the actual sports and teams upon the transition from Ricks College to BYU-Idaho.
Spring '11 - Grass Volleyball/Flag Football
Fall '11 - Indoor Volleyball
Spring '12 - Mud Volleyball
Fall '12 - Indoor Volleyball/Flag Football
Spring '13 - Flag Football
All but one of these semesters this organization has either wrongfully eliminated or tried to wrongfully eliminate my team from championships.
I won't go into full detail but know that they exist.

This just puts me in a foul mood.
I don't like it when I come up against something that I have no power over.

Maybe I have too much of a John Wayne complex still lingering from my teenage years...

I've moved on now, and I intend to drown my sorrow with video games, energy drinks, and Doritos.
Only because my fiancee isn't here, otherwise I would drown myself in her loving arms.
Which would be much better for my overall health I feel.

~Boy

THE FINAL COUNTDOWN

Perhaps this should be a weekly blog...

I just don't have enough to say or keep track of on a daily basis to justify boring people with.

FOR INSTANCE

Saturday

-Picked up Crystal

-Spent lots of amazing time with Crystal

-Found a game store in Rexburg I never knew existed

-Played games

-Went to bed

Sunday

-Picked up Crystal

-Went to church

-Napped

-Dropped off Crystal

-Showered and read my book

-Went to bed

I know I've said it before, but when life is unexciting there really is no desire to blog and lots of time to do it, but when life is exciting I want to write things to do but have no time to do it.  It's a tricky balance.

***

So...what's on my mind right now you ask?

Well, I am sitting in the Ricks building contemplating whether I should buy one of the delicious BBQ Chicken Wraps and a Cranberry-Grape drink for an early first lunch or if I should just wait until I get home and eat something before going to the gym.

I'll do that second part no matter what, I'm just wondering if I'm hungry enough to justify eating a FIRST lunch now...

#FirstWorldProblems

AMIRITE?

Today is about reflections...

Reflecting on where I was a year ago today

Reflecting on where I was 5 years ago today

Reflecting on where I was 10 years ago today

I never thought or suspected in the slightest I would be where I am, doing what I am doing.

Or that I would be so close to getting married.

One month and one day.

Holy cow.

Or that I would be rocking a sweet mustache.

Don't believe me?

Not my problem.

If you know me, you know I can grow a pretty sweet mustache for absolutely no good reason.

Well, my motivation has run out...

I think I WILL get that first lunch..

My starving muscle children demand it.

~Boy

America, the land of the fee and the home of the whopper.

I love America, guys.

Yesterday was the 4th of July and I got to celebrate America by doing all of the normal American things...

-Making poor life decisions (3 Rockstars in one day)

-Hanging out with your shirt off (Suns out, guns out!)

-Putting off responsibility (Who wants to do homework on that day?!)

-Being fat (Totally skipped the gym...:()

It often bugs me when I hear people ragging on America.  I will admit that the current path it is on sucks.  I do not approve of the administration or the decisions they make. GOAHEADANDCALLMERACIST but America at it's worst is just as good as any other country probably.  Now, I'm not ignorant.  I am well aware that other countries have their good traits and I am well aware that America has many, many bad ones.

All of which I am ashamed of.

I wish we weren't thought of as a bunch of WalMart-attending, twinkie-loving, fat-celebrating, celebrity-obsessed, racist, gun-toting, homophobic, white folks.

I want us to be the country known for freedom, fun, success, love, fitness, and all other good and wholesome things.  Knowing, however, that this will never be the case I strive to instead exemplify those things in myself and push against the stereotype.

Obviously I am unable to change some stereotypes(I am white), so sue me.

Guys, I am really bad at political rants.  I just lose steam because I really don't care that much.

The point being: I love America.  I hate the things that people willingly do to make America less awesome than it is.  I love...you?

The last couple days have been good!  Luckily I haven't sunburned myself even more than I already was from last weekend, and now that sunburn is actually peeling!  Oh joy.  So that's fun.

It's only...35 days until I get married.  BAH!!!!  So crazy.  And awesome.

That's all for me.  It took a lot of energy to try and find something to rant about.

~Boy

I Know It's True

Oh, hello!

Let me tell you about my day!

Today has been very rough, but that's no way to start.

It started with a girl...

A girl I loved.

Her name is Crystal.

Crystal and I are getting married in just over one month and one week and one day.  Too many ones?  I think not!

Today was the day I said goodbye to Crystal for all but 11 days of that one month, one week, and one day.  She finished her formal schooling last semester (being April) and she has just begun her internship, which is this silly thing people have to do that I am grateful Psychology majors do not!

For her internship, she will be at a Boy Scout camp called Treasure Mountain, located in Alta, WY.  This camp is almost exactly a one hour drive from where I currently am!

This is sad.

We spent most of this week as we normally do:

Playing games, kissing, driving around, kissing, kissing, taking nice walks around the neighborhood when it is not blisteringly hot outside, and possibly even kissing some more.

Today was much the same, yet very different.  Today had a much shorter timeline than our usual lunch to curfew routine.  Today we would begin our journey to Treasure Mountain at 5PM, effectively cutting our day in half.

She, in her usual, loving, thoughtful manner, was thinking about me and what I would want to eat.

You see, yesterday was the annual Rexburg Tailgate Party at Egin Lakes.

What are we tailgating you ask?  Good question!  Seeing as how Rexburg has no real sports teams(or sports teams within 4 hours of here) it seems like a silly thing to do.  But we decide to have a large party and call it a tailgate anyway.

I, being at least 1/2 ginger, am very susceptible to burning all of the skin off of my body at the slightest sign of sunlight.

Yesterday was VERY sunny.

I was badly burned because my loving fiancee is very bad at applying sun block.  In her defense it was spray sun block, and that stuff and I just do not have a good track record.  She did her best, but it was still not enough to help me defeat that old nemesis of mine, sunlight.

What does this have to do with what I should be eating for lunch?  I'll tell you!

Because I was badly burned and spent most of the evening hours laying face-first on my bed with my back slathered in a thick coat of Aloe(also lovingly applied by her) I was very much unable to attend to my regular church meetings.

The thought of putting a collared shirt on was enough to make me contemplate time travel murder, resulting in the collared shirt never being invented.

Me skipping church being the case I woke up just before noon, and she was mindful of my nutritional needs.

She came over and we made a wonderful brunch of French Toast, Hash Browns, and Orange Juice.  It was the best.  Ever.

Best what, you ask?  The best everything.

Then we laughed at the world while surfing the internet, defeated the Balrog in Lego Lord of the Rings(a completely appropriate Sunday video game) and watched Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame, which she had never seen.

There are so many things about that movie I never got as a child...moving on.

Then the dreadful time came.

The drive was wonderful and we had some very inspiring words to listen to from the incredible Jack R. Christianson.

It created good conversation and the mood was light.

When we arrived at the camp, nestled in the beautiful foothills of the Teton Mountains, the air was cool and we were in high spirits, despite the fact that there is no cellular reception out there, meaning her and I would have no means of communication while she is gone.

We remained in a good mood until it was time for her first meeting and it was time for me to go.

I was the first one to cry.

I never cry.

Ok, I rarely cry.

But I cried freely at this moment.

Never have I loved someone so much.  So completely.

Never have I allowed someone to be so close to me, and know me so intimately.

It felt like I was leaving half of myself at that camp as I drove away.

Our goodbye was short, but heartfelt.

I got a strange text from my mom on the way home simply saying "hi.  How are you doing?"

I answered "it's rough" to which she was very confused.  She had no idea that I had just dropped off Crystal.

I feel I did fairly well, because I only cried half of the way home on that hour long drive, and I haven't cried while here, yet.

She told me she would probably be crying later that night.  She doesn't cry in the moment often, but she does afterwards.

The words of Jack on the drive there and home helped me to realize that I am terrible at recording my life.  He stated a number of times that he keeps a very accurate journal, and that is how he has so many stories to tell and lessons to share.

I feel like I have wasted so many stories and lessons, and I feel a definite guilt from this.

So here I am updating the world wide web on my life.  Perhaps someday I will have an ancestor view this ancient post on whatever futuristic technology they have and it will comfort them when they leave a loved one.  Who knows!

Continuing with my day...

Upon getting home I wanted to be alone so I took a shower.

Showers hurt quite a bit when sunburned, so it became somewhat of a bath.

Baths hurt, too, but I felt it necessary.

I read some of my book and after finishing two chapters I felt I had been in there long enough.

And here I am.

All-in-all, it was a good day, despite it's many hardships.  I think I will be ok tomorrow, and hopefully remain as such until I see my lovely Crystal again.

So, thank you Jack for helping remind me of God's mercy and more so for reminding me to write this down.

Thank you mom for being sensitive enough to the promptings of the Spirit to text me when I needed it.

And thank you Crystal for allowing me to love you.  I will become a better man for you, I promise.

Good night moon,

~Boy

Hindsight

Not that I am not absolutely stoked about my current romantic situation, because I am, but why do we always find out someone liked us AFTER the fact?

My mom is the Stake Relief Society President, and so she gets to go around to all the different ward conferences and such.
Today she was in my old singles ward in Minnesota.  After all the meetings were over and such she got talking to the Bishop's wife for a while.
APPARENTLY he thought that I was the bee's knees.  Which is cool, I suppose.
It also explains why he asks me when I'm coming back to the ward every time I stop in for any period of time.
I'm kind of a big deal.

BUT, that's not the only piece of information my mother procured.
The Bishop's wife also told my mom that a lot of the ladyfolk in the ward had a thing for me.
"News to me!" I told my momma.
Now, of course, this could be good, old, lady banter, but it could also be true information!
The world may never know.
Unfortunately next time I go back to that ward I have to look the Bishop in the face and say I will never be coming back to that ward.
That will be a sad day for them.  But an amazing day for me.

C'est la vie!
I'm extremely glad that I found a girl who WAS willing to express her interest.  Good luck to the rest, but I've found the best.
POEMS

Now back to my highly exhilarating job.
yay.

~Boy

Thank You Macklemore

I forgot what alone time felt like.

I have been working for the last 16 days straight in the oil fields of North Dakota.  For my job I am confined to a pickup truck with another man.

For 13-14 hours every day.

In case you don't know what that's like, it's worse than the mission field(in the sense of constant contact with someone).

The guy who worked with me today had to leave a little early, so I now have some time to myself.

Since being out here I have purchased 11 songs on iTunes, and they are as follows(in order):

Sure Be Cool If You Did - Blake Shelton

Better Dig Two - The Band Perry

Downtown - Lady Antebellum

Runnin' Outta Moonlight - Randy Houser

Carry On - Fun.

Hell and Back - Kid Ink

Let's Go - Travis Barker

My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark - Fall Out Boy

Take A Walk - Passion Pit

Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye - Luke Bryan

Pursuit of Happiness - Kid Cudi

I haven't listened to most of these songs since I downloaded them.  All because there is constantly another person there, and they probably won't like all my songs.

So this is the first time.

And I decided to start one song back in my download list...And We Danced - Macklemore.

It is nice being alone.

Except for the fact that it's Valentine's Day.

This is the loneliest Valentine's Day I've ever experienced.

Most V-Day(easier to spell) I spend alone because I don't have a S.O.

This year I do.

And I am 12 hours away from her.

I would give just about anything to be with her today instead of in a truck in the middle of a field in North Dakota.

However, if I'm going to be here, I'm glad I at least get to be alone here.

~Boy