The blogging experience

This is my final blog post for the class and I must admit that I actually like blogging. I have never previously had a blog and I always thought that they were kind of a waste of time. But through this experience I have learned, at least for me, this is not the case. The blog has been a way for me to communicate my thoughts and feelings and also to learn more about myself. The more I write the better I get at expressing my ideas and feelings. I think that blogging is fun and now I have somewhat of an idea of how it works. I think that it would be fun to make another blog after this semester and write about something that I like to do. I am excited that this is the final blog post for the class and yet I would really like to continue blogging afterwards.

A mother's example

My mother is a special and important person in my life. She has sacrificed so many things my brothers and I and I am so grateful for all that she does. She is a beautiful person and I'm continually amazed by her love and care that she shows on a daily basis. One of the things that stands out to me is her willingness to help me in the mornings of the day. Honestly these past few months have been very busy. Between planning a wedding, playing on the BYU soccer team, working 20 hours a week, and going to school full time at BYU, life can get pretty hectic at times. But thanks to the help of my mother I am able to do all of these things simultaneously. Twice a week I have to get up at four in the morning because of the commute that I have drive to get to school. On those days my sweet mother also gets up at four in the morning to make me breakfast and also a lunch to take to school. She then goes back to bed after I leave so that she can go to work and do the rest of the things she needs to during the day. When I ask myself why she is willing to wake up so early only one thing comes to mind. Love. She never complains and she is up without fail every time I have to be up so early. I hope that I can be like my mom one day when I have my own family. I hope that I can be as loving and kind as she is and always had been. I love my mother so much and I owe her everything. She is an example to me of what a parent should be.

Something that I will always remember.

I think that most of us would agree that the majority of the things that we hear go in one ear and then out the other. If we ask a question and then someone gives us an answer, that answer will not normally stick with us. However, when we decide to act and find an answer for ourselves, those answers can stick with us. It's like that saying, "Giving a man a fish will feed him for one meal. Teaching a man to fish will feed him for a lifetime." For example, I can still remember to this day when I received an answer to know if the Book of Mormon was true. I was 14 years old and our Sunday teacher invited us to pray to know if the Book of Mormon was true. I followed his instruction and in about a months time the answer came in an undeniable way. That experience happened over 9 years ago but I can still vividly recall where I was, how I felt, and what it meant to me in my life. Still to this day I know with all of my heart and soul that the Book of Mormon is true. It contains the words of Christ. It is a witness to the world that Jesus is the Christ, the Only begotten of the Father. Can you recall an answer that you once discovered that you will always remember?

Not a finger

Most of you may be familiar with the movie "Christmas Story." It's an older movie but it's hilarious. There is a part in that movie makes me laugh every time I watch it or even think about it. The mom purposely brakes this weird leg lamp that the dad really likes. When the dad comes into the room to see what broke and he finds the leg lamp there in pieces he is absolutely mortified. He knows that his wife did it on purpose because she liked the lamp that he got. He is so upset and angry that at first he doesn't even know what to say. So finally after a long period of silence he shouts, "Not a finger!" It's so random and hilarious that I just can't stop laughing every time I watch. If you haven't seen I would highly recommend this movie because it really is a classic.

Fast sunday tradition

One of the things that I love about fast Sundays is that we get to go to my fiance's grandparents house for a family dinner. The food is always amazing! We always eat a ton of food and then feel really fat afterwards, but it doesn't really matter because the food is so good. Then we play games and talk and it is always really fun! We also have a spiritual thought that is always uplifting and helpful. One of my favorite games that we play is called "mingle mingle." It is a game where you move around in a group and then a number is called out with the people that you have to hug. If you cannot find a group to hug then you are out and must sit down. It's really simple but it's loads of fun! We are going there in a few hours and I am way excited! I love fast Sundays!

When your best is not enough

It is tradition at the BYU soccer games to start the match with a word of prayer. There is a prayer that is offered in the stadium, but we also offer a prayer just as a team before the game begins. As we prayed as just a team I was taught something about the Atonement. One of the things that was said in the prayer was, "Lord, please help us to play to the best of our abilities." As I thought about this phrase the spirit taught me that our best isn't enough. We can't do this alone. My best effort in soccer or in life would still fall short. Yes the Lord expects our best effort but without His help and grace we could never make it back to heaven. So why not pray to play beyond our abilites and be strengthened beyond our means? The Lord can and will grant us such a blessing if we pray in faith and understand that such help is offered to each one of us through His Atonement.

Cake

These past few weeks have been super busy for me. I am sure that they have been busy for most of you as well because finals week is already here. It's hard to focus on other things when there is so much homework to do. In order to help motivate myself to just push through it I have decided that when this semester is over Nicole and I are going to have a big cake to celebrate. Believe it or not this really helps me. Whenever I get tired I just think one simple word, "Cake!" As the semester comes to a close it's exciting not only because it will be over soon but also because there will be cake. I can't wait!

Children

Today at church it was fast and testimony meeting. I love these meetings and I think it's great to hear what others think and feel when it comes to the gospel. The testimonies that I love the most are the ones that come from children. They are always so sincere and heartfelt in what they say. One kid about 10 years old in our ward stood up today and said that he was so sad when his uncle had to leave on his mission for two years. Then he started to cry and said, "My uncle came home and I was so happy to see him. It makes me happy to go on a mission one day and I know that the church is true." His testimony touched my heart and it amazes me what comes out of the mouth of children. It's easy to see why the Lord tells us to become like them. They are so pure, clean, and close to God.

What do you think about?

I am a firm believer that our thoughts eventually become our reality. The things that we think about we bring about. For example, if I constantly think about messing up during a presentation then I am probably going to mess up. Or if I am constantly telling myself that I am useless and worthless then I am going to feel crumby about myself. This is because if we choose to think it, then our minds will create it. The mind is no respecter of persons. You must decide if you want give it good thoughts or bad thoughts, but whatever you choose to think, it will create. That is why we have be careful about the things that we surround ourselves with. That is why the media is one of Satan's greatest tools to bring us down. If we are daily listening to music that talks of drugs, violence, and immorality then what do you think is going to show up in lives? Hopefully it doesn't but music and other things can influence our thoughts and actions if we allow it to. The prophet Brigham Young said, "The greatest mystery a man ever learned, is to know how to control the human mind, and bring every faculty and power of the same in subjection to Jesus Christ; this is the greatest mystery we have to learn while in these tabernacles of clay." (Journal of Discourses, 1:46-47) We can learn to think of virtuous things with practice and persistence. And the greatest of all good things is God. But I think it's interesting to occasionally ask ourselves, "What do I think about during the day?" "Are my thoughts uplifting?" "Are they positive?" "Are they clean?"

Would you rather be deaf of blind?

This is a really tough question. Each one has its pro and cons, but I believe I would rather be deaf. It would be really hard to live your life never being able to hear the voice of your family, friends, and others. I really can't imagine how hard that would be. But what would give me hope is that I know that I could learn to communicate with others. Whether it be through sign language or some other way it doesn't really matter as long as some form of communication could be achieved. I remember that there was one missionary in my mission who was deaf and he was an awesome missionary. He truly loved the people that he taught and he had so much faith. He didn't allow his disability to hinder him and everyone who was his companion learned a lot from him. So if given the choice I would have to go with being deaf because I feel that it could to some degree be overcome.

Small and simple things

"Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass." (Alma 37:6) I have always loved this scripture. Last night I had an experience that made me think of this passage. It started at the soccer game. As I was playing, thinking, and observing, I had the thought come to me that a game isn't won in one single attempt. Nor is it won because of one great play or individual effort. Soccer games are one in the details. The team that does the small and simple things well and consistently is the team that will win the game. When I came home from the game it was late and I was tired. It had been a long day and I was ready for bed. I needed to eat dinner still and so my future mother in law offered to make me something. This little act of kindness touched my heart. She also had had a long and stressful day and must have been tired. However, she thought of others and made me dinner despite her fatigue and need for rest. Then about ten minutes later I found her ironing her family's shirts that they needed to wear to church tomorrow and I was again greatly impressed. This may seem small and simple but it was so kind of her and nice. It is by small and simple things that we can do good to others and change the world.

My favorite place to go is....

This may sound funny to some people but my favorite place to go is the temple. The temple is such a beautiful place and there is no place like it on earth. Whenever I go to the temple I feel peace and joy. The buildings are magnificent and the grounds are breathtaking, but the spirit that I feel is what impresses me the most. I feel as Moses did when the Lord said, “Moses, Moses. … put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.” (Ex. 3:4–5.) I remember that thing that I missed the most as a missionary, other then my family, was going to the temple. The temple is the house of God. If we go often enough our natures will be changed and we will become more like the Savior. This is my favorite place to go and I wish that I never had to leave.

My special grandmother

Unfortunately my grandmother died about ten years ago. Even thought she is gone I still have the memories of her in my heart and mind. When I think of my grandma two things come to mind; cooking and endurance. My grandmother's cooking was absolutely divine. She would always cook us a large and delicious breakfast every time we came to visit her. She made us pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, muffins, fruit, and cereal all for breakfast. It was wonderful! She thoroughly enjoyed cooking for us and expected us to eat everything that she made. She would ask, "Kip, would like some more?" I would respond, "No thanks grandma. I can't eat anymore." Then she would literally slap some food on my plate. When it came to eating more food no was simply no an option for her grand kids. The other thing that always stood out to me was her endurance throughout life. My grandmother had been through a lot of physical trials that were very painful. She needed heart surgery three times, broke her hip at age 75, and her leg was run over by a giant tractor which left a brick size dent in her leg. These are just a few of the things that she went through and she still pressed on. She went on to live over 80 years of age and she found joy in her family. I love my grandma and I hope to see her again one day on the other side.

Soccer Game 2 - 0

Last night we won our soccer game against Colorado University 2 to 0. It was a really fun game for me and our team played fantastic! Our forward Jace Green scored two great goals and I had one assist.The weird thing is is that we don't have another home game for a month. Our next game in Provo will be the last week in May. This game marks the end of our pre-season training and now the season is approaching fast. We will be ready. I am really grateful for the opportunity to play soccer at BYU. There is no other program quite like ours. Yes we get play soccer at a high level but more importantly we are surrounded by good people who live the standards of the gospel. I look up to my coaches and teammates as examples and I am grateful for their positive influence on me. And not only that we have amazing fans! They are awesome!

(Make Up Post) A dream come true

When I was young kid I always dreamed of becoming a professional soccer player. It was all that I thought about and worked towards in my free time. I knew that this was a big task so I decided to set goals and checkpoints along the way to help me reach my destination. One day my boyhood dream became a living reality. Real Salt Lake gave me a tryout and I couldn't believe that it was actually happening. The experience that I had was just like everything I imagined and all of the hard work that I had put in finally paid off. Although I didn't work out when it came to sign a contract, I learned some valuable lessons from this experience. I learned that our thoughts and dreams become reality. What we think about we bring about. I know that if we set goals and review them every single day, then those things will show up in our lives. Set a goal, consistently review every single day until it shows up, and I promise it will come.

(Make Up Post) If there were no television

I am not a person that watches a lot of television. I like to be outside and play sports and do other things with my time. I don't have anything against those who watch T.V. but I never really had a favorite T.V. show growing up. As for me I think that I would be totally fine without television and that it wouldn't really have an effect on me. I feel that there are a lot of bad shows and that those shows can effect our behavior and our thinking. The media can confuse us if we will allow it to. However, I do like watching movies and I know that there are many good shows on television as well. How do you think it would effect you in there was no television? Would it be a good thing or a bad thing for you?

(Make Up Post) When everything went wrong

I remember this one day when I was in Argentina where everything went wrong. None of our scheduled visits were home that day and we did a lot of knocking on doors. But what happened at the end of the day was the worst. In Argentina the weather has the ability to go from clear and sunny to cloudy and dark in 15 minutes flat. Before I got there I didn't believe that this was possible but I soon learned that the weather in Argentina can change in an instant. So all of the sudden, baseball sized pieces of hail started to fall from the sky. They flooded the dirt streets in a matter of minutes and there was water up to our knees. I remember that we had to search for the high ground and slowly work our way back home. It tooks us nearly two and a half hours to get home when it would normally have taken us about thirty minutes. We tried to turn it into a fun experience and look at the positive side of things. But as far as getting things done and having things work out, it was a day when everything went wrong.

(Make Up Post) If I were a superhero I would be....

If I were a superhero, I would be Batman. I would choose him because he doesn't have any special powers. He just has brains and a really deep voice. Although he appears to be scary, dressed in all black, he actually helps other people and doesn't boast about his own abilities. Not only that, he also gets to drive around a sweet Batmobile!  He uses his talents and gadgets for the benefit of mankind. I am not really a big superhero kind of guy but if I was forced to do anything super, then I guess I could do it wearing the Batman logo.

(Make Up Post) In love with my best friend

It's funny but some of the simplest things in life can bring the greatest joy and happiness. There are a lot of things that make me happy in life. Things like playing soccer, spending time with my family, and reading are just a few. But the thing that makes me the most happy in the whole wide universe is spending time with my fiance Nicole. She is absolutely wonderful! When we are apart my heart longs to be with her and I cherish every single moment that we have together. There is nothing better to me then to hear her laugh and to see her smile. It doesn't matter what we do, it only matters that we do it together. I can't imagine what I would do without her and I am so grateful that our love doesn't have to end here on earth. She really is my best friend and I am so excited that we will be married soon in about or month or so. I can't wait! I love her so much and I am grateful everyday for all that she is. She's so great!

(Make Up Post) If I were an animal I would be....

If I were an animal I would be a dog. Compared to a lot of other animals in the world, dogs have it pretty easy. Most of them get to stay in a nice warm home with a family that loves and takes care of them. Usually, the owners will take their dogs on walks and play games like tug of war, so dogs get to see the outdoors and have a lot of fun. I think that it would also be fun to protect your family and to have that as a main priority. Dogs do not have many things to worry about but one thing that is important to them is that those who take care of them are safe and sound. They are constantly on the look out for evil and danger that could harm their family. A dog can be more then just a pet or an animal, they can be a friend. That is why I would be a dog if I were an animal.

(Make Up Post) Did you think to pray?

I absolutely loved President Monson's talk last conference titled, "Consider the Blessings." It is one of my all-time favorites. I wrote a little summary of what I have learned from his teachings about prayer. Prayer is essential for our happiness. At times we may question if our prayers are ever heard and answered. One of the greatest joys in mortality is to know that the Lord hears and answers our prayers. He is in the details of our lives. These answers can come in a variety of ways but often He will answer our sincere petitions through the service of others. Prayer is simple and profound. Through prayer we can converse with the Maker of the universe, the designer of the plan of salvation, and the Father of our spirits. We can receive guidance from He who knows all things. Because of prayer I was able to obtain a witness that God does live and is ever close to us. This provides meaning and direction in all that I do. How grateful I am for the opportunity to pray each and every day.

(Make Up Post) An attitude of gratitude

Last week I was on a trip in Portland with the BYU soccer team. Our goalie and captain, Bryan Hale, taught me a great lesson in a simple conversation that we had at a team dinner. As we were eating he brought up the topic of being grateful. He listed several things that he was grateful for that I found myself taking for granted. Seeing his humility and recognition of the small things in his life prompted me to ask myself, "Am I grateful for the small things in my life?" "Do I realize all that the Lord has given me?" As I pondered upon these things I found that I can do a much better job of living with an attitude of gratitude. The very air we breath and the earth we live on are blessings from a loving Heavenly Father. Each new day, our families and our friends, and the gospel of Jesus Christ are wonderful blessings we can enjoy. We as a people have great reason to rejoice. Look to find the blessings in your life large and small, and you will find greater happiness.

(Make up post) Soccer last weekend

This past weekend the BYU soccer team went up to Portland and Seattle to play two division one soccer teams. In the first game we won 1 to 0. It was such a fun game! We connected our passes smoothly and possessed the ball the majority of the time. They were a good team but they couldn't seem to find a rhythm. Then we were on to Seattle to face another strong opponent. This game was a disaster. We have never lost a match as bad as we did on Saturday night. With 6 to 0 as the final score, it is obvious that we need improvement. After going down 2 to 0 in the first half, we tried to battle back with the energy we still had. We lost the battle and the war. They scored four more goals in the second half. Although we lost we learned a lot from the experience. Our next game is this Saturday at 7:00 P. M. in Provo and we must come up with a win. I am looking forward to the game and I had a wonderful experience this past weekend.

(Make up post) Soccer with Real Salt Lake

This was a very fun week for the BYU soccer team. On Monday we had the opportunity of playing the Real Salt Lake reserve team. This was the first time BYU has ever played in the immaculate Rio Tinto Stadium. If any of you is familiar with soccer and with this beautiful stadium, then you will recognize that this is as good as it gets. This is the dream. Even though the weather wasn't in our favor, we still had quite a large crowd at the game. About 6,000 fans came out to watch the match. Real was clearly the better team but I felt that we held our own and played well. Our defense was solid and our offense had a few good looks on goal. Although we lost 1 to 0, we had a wonderful experience. The atmosphere and energy of playing in that stadium was incredible. We got to see, feel, and live what these professional players experience at the highest level of soccer. It was wonderful! I hope that we can return one day.

Daily coming unto Christ

As we daily access the power of the Atonement, the "mighty change" (Mosiah 5:2) required to put off the natural man will take place. We can be strengthened and enabled through the grace of the Savior to have our natures changed. The Lord can help us to "have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually." (Mosiah 5:2) Elder Russell M. Nelson recently taught, “God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, but we are not. Each day, ours is the challenge to access the power of the Atonement so that we can truly change, become more Christlike, and qualify for the gift of exaltation and live eternally with God, Jesus Christ, and our families. For these powers, privileges, and gospel gifts, thanks be to God!”  (Thanks Be To God Gen. Conf.)

Late and lost

Today at 1:00 my fiance and I were supposed to go her friend's farewell. We left our ward at around 1:00 and headed out to find her church. It should have only taken us about fifteen  minutes to find this place but we just could not find the right church. Over the next hour we entered into seven different church buildings only to find that her friend was not in the chapel speaking! We were even using her GPS app on her phone and we still could not find the right one. Then as we were about to give up and just got home we tried one last time. We decided to go up a little higher then we had previously gone and sure enough we found the church that we needed. So we rushed into the building and unfortunately she had already given her talk. We did get to talk to her though, so that made all of that searching worth it. Even though it wasn't the funnest thing we still laughed the whole time in the car and made a good experience out of it. It was fun to just spend time together and to problem solve and work as a team.

Playing out of your mind

There are a lot of books that I like, but there is one that really stands out to me. It is called, "Playing out of your Mind." The book explains how as a soccer player, one can learn to have the attitude of a champion. Now, I wouldn't say that I am a champion, but this book has helped me to improve significantly. The principle of the book is to teach you how to use your mind as a key factor on the soccer field. It does this by teaching about goal setting and positive self talk. Many people may not know this, but your mind really does affect how you play. In fact, it is your mind that controls your body, not the other way around. I still turn again and again to the techniques in this book to help me on the soccer field, and essentially in every aspect of my life.

The fall of death

A couple of weeks ago, I went to my a funeral with my now fiance. It was her great-grandmother's funeral and Nicole was playing the piano for the musical number. It was very spiritual and many people in the audience were crying. As they finished the song, the spirit was strong and the room was silent. You could have heard a pin drop it was so quiet. Then as Nicole was walking off the stage, she tripped and fell on the railing! Her sheet music slapped against the wood and made a clap like thunder throughout the whole chapel! She regrouped herself and with a bright red face from embarrassment, she raised her arms and stated to the whole audience in their silence, "Sorry! Sorry." It was absolutely hilarious. Her whole family was laughing. I remember feeling bad for her, but at the same time laughing so hard because of how funny her fall was. We all continued to laugh for several minutes and the subject has been mentioned more than several times since! I honestly have never laughed so hard in my life!

The Natural Man

In the scriptures we are taught to put off the natural man and woman "For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the Atonement of Christ the Lord." How are we supposed to do this? How do we get rid of our own personal natural man and woman? We are to come unto Christ and be perfected in Him. Line upon line and in the strength of the Lord we can put off the natural man (woman) and one day be perfect in Christ. But we must first come unto Him in order to allow his Atonement to change us beyond our own abilities. Faith in the Savior unlocks the door to becoming as He is and following in His ways.

Teamwork is how it's done!

On the fourth of July in 2010, I was playing with the BYU soccer team against the Ogden Outlaws. It was a pretty big game and the crowd was full of energy. As the game was coming to a close, it could have gone either way. We were winning 2-1, but Ogden was hot on our heels. The clock was ticking down the time and we were determined to win. I could feel the adrenaline rushing through my body. I stole the ball at half field and started racing towards the goal. I could see the goal getting closer and the crowd was cheering louder. I could see my teammate Janzen off to my right, standing there wide open and ready to get the ball. I passed him the ball and watched him hit it right past the goalie and into the back of the net. We ended up winning the game 3-1! Afterwards, we celebrated by watching the firework show on the field. Victory is sweet in whatever shape or form. 

Please, Don't Judge

About three years ago I took my now fiance on a date to Yogurt Stop. The date was going great and everything was fine, until we left the safe doors of the building. As we were walking outside, I was feeling a little uncomfortable with my digestive system. Being the clever man that I am I thought it would be alright to "release" some of my discomfort before I entered the car. I helped her into the car and as I was walking around to my side of the vehicle, I was able to relieve some of the pressure that was mounting in my stomach. As I got into the car and sat down in my seat, I was thinking "mission accomplished". Yeah right. There was nothing I could do about the smell. It was too late and all hope was lost. It didn't matter that is was February, in a last chance effort to save my dignity, I rolled down the windows. At first my date started to protest at the thought of letting freezing cold air into the car, but once she realized what had been done, she could not contain herself. She burst into bundles of laughter! This was the last reaction I was expecting from her. Needless to say, she was very forgiving and understood that I had only tried to do what any good guy would do in the same situation.

Make Them Smile

Whether we like strangers or not, we all have the ability to make them smile. Just like a treasure hidden in the earth, you have the hidden talent to turn a stranger's frown upside down! Now whether you believe this or not, it is true. All you need is practice, hard work, a little bit of know how, and stupidity. First, you see them approaching you in an unfamiliar way because they are a stranger. The first thing you want to do is try smiling at them. If that doesn't generate a smile out of them, then you are going to have to step it up a notch. Try smiling even bigger, which will include needing to squint your eyes a little bit harder. Then put your hand up in a friendly manner and wave at them. If that doesn't work, than you have to whip out the big guns. Fall on your face. No one can hold back a smile and laughter when someone trips in public!

What did you just say?

In my last transfer as a missionary I had a hilarious experience with my companion. His name is Elder Sutherland and he only had 3 months of being in Argentina. Surprisingly, his Spanish was pretty good for only having 3 months in the mission field and he was well ahead of the other incoming Elders. But as you will see from this story he clearly had more to learn. We had just finished a delicious lunch with a member family and we wanted to go and get some dessert afterward. So we went to this bakery where they have facturas which are like really good cinnamon rolls. So the guy working there asks us where we are from and some other questions. And then he asks my companion, "So which girls do you think are more attractive. The girls from the United States or the girls here in Argentina?" My companion then paused for a few seconds and looked as if he was in deep thought. I waited apprehensively for his response. He then says with a calm and normal look on his face, "I like them both." I couldn't believe what I had just heard. The man laughed and said, "Well of course you do. They are both woman right?" Honestly, I was stunned. We left the bakery and I turned to my companion and said, "Elder! How could you say that? You are a missionary! You can't say things like that!" With a confused look on his face he said, "Why not? All that I said is that I like both the United Stated and Argentina. What's wrong with that?" Then it all made sense. He clearly didn't understand the question. I then told him what the man had really said and I had never seen his face go so red. He was so embarrassed. I couldn't stop laughing about this for about a week! I still laugh about it today. We really left a great impression as missionaries that day! Missions are very hard but there are also tons of funny things that happen. It's a fun time and a life changing experience.

Broken and Fractured

Many years ago a truly tragic event took place. My family always goes up to my uncle Lon's house in Newdale, Idaho for the Easter holiday. We usually spend four or five days there and it is way fun! But one year, at least for me, it wasn't so fun because of a accident on the trampoline. My uncle Lon has a deck in his backyard and right below it is a trampoline. So us kids were all taking turns jumping off the deck onto the tramp and having the funnest time of our lives. One time right when I was about to jump my brother had this awesome idea to lift my hands off the deck so that I would just fall onto the tramp. As he detached my arms from safe wooded object I knew that it was not going to be good. I should mention that in between the deck and the tramp there is about a twenty foot gap. So yes I did fall but not exactly onto the tramp. My back smacked the metal bar of the tramp and the momentum was so strong that I was thrown onto my face with a loud thump to the ground! I couldn't move my arm for about 3 hours afterwards. I thought that I was never going to be able to use it again. But slowly I could move it again and we went to the doctor to find our what I had broken. It ended up that I fractured my shoulder blade and I was better in about 3 months. But the pain of smacking that metal bar was excruciating. All of the other years at uncle Lon's were wonderful and enjoyable.

Consider the Blessings

Consider this quote from our Prophet President Thomas S. Monson. "We live in a unique time in the world's history. We are blessed with so very much. And yet it is sometimes difficult to view the problems and permissiveness around us and not become discouraged. I have found that, rather then dwelling on the negative, if we will take a step back and consider the blessings in our lives, including seemingly small, sometimes overlooked blessings, we can find greater happiness." (Consider the Blessings Oct. 2012 Gen. Conference italics added) What simple and yet profound counsel from our inspired Prophet. We each have blessings in our lives but sometimes we fail to recognize them. Too often we are like Zerahemnah in the Book of Mormon and neglect the Lord's goodness to bless us.

He was a leader of the Lamanites who fought against and eventually lost to captain Moroni. Clearly the Nephites had received help from on high during their battles and it is interesting to note the response of Zerahemnah. He says, "Behold, we are not of your faith; we do not believe that it is God that has delivered us into your hands; but we believe that it is your cunning that has preserved you from our swords. Behold, it is your breastplates and your shields that have preserved you." (Alma 44:9 italics added) We may choose to look to another source other than God for an answer as to where our blessings come from. But that doesn't change the fact that in reality they came from Him. We have all heard of the glass of water as being half empty or half full. But if we look closely enough we will realize that is a blessing from God that there is even any water in the glass in the first place. "Behold, are not the things that God hath wrought marvelous in our eyes? Yea, and who can comprehend the marvelous works of God?" (Mormon 9:16) I know that if we will consider the blessings that we have in our lives then we will find greater joy in each day. The Lord has blessed us with so much more then we can ever fully comprehend. We just have to open our eyes and soften our hearts to recognize His goodness to each one of us. Consider your blessings everyday this week and I know that you will see a big difference in all that you do. Count your many blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

Are you sure?

The day had finally arrived! Everything was ready for the special event to take place in the afternoon. The roses and ring had been bought and the chocolate covered strawberries were carefully placed in a red bag to be stored until later. As most of you can probably already tell by now this is the story of how I got engaged. Anyways, Nicole is a person that really likes nature. But since it was snowing and it was cold outside we couldn't go on a hike or anything like that. So we found this reception home near my house called Western Gardens and went to check it out. It was beautiful and the perfect place to propose. So then I bought some roses and chocolate covered strawberries and set up a tour at Western Gardens. Nicole, now my fiance, had no idea that this was coming by the way. She thought that it might be coming in a month or so but she was never expecting it to happen so soon. So I told her that we were going to this tour so that we could get some ideas for the future. It was a short 10 minute tour and then it was turn to ask her to marry me. So what I did was I had previously cut out some really ugly and weird rings of a magazine and I glued them to a lined sheet of paper. I only put 4 or 5 on one paper. After we had finished the tour we sat down together on this wooden bench and I told her that I had a question for her. Then I reached into my pocket, pulled out the lined paper, and I asked, "So what do you think of these rings Nicole?" I could tell that she didn't like them. I myself didn't like them and it really took some effort to act like I had really considered getting her these rings. So we talked about the rings and their styles for about five minutes or so and then came the final question. I said, "There is one more ring that I want you to see Nicole." Again I reached into my pocket and this time I pulled out a little blue box with her real ring and got down on one knee. I then asked, "What do you think of this ring Nicole?" She was shocked and there was a silence for about 5 seconds. She then said something that I will never ever forget. The first thing that she says to me is, "Kip, are you sure?" "Are you sure that you want to marry me?" Of all the things that I was expecting her to say that was the last thing that crossed my mind ha ha. I answered, "Yes Nicole, I am positive. Will you marry me?" Thankfully she replied, "Yes. Yeah! Yeah! Yes!" You all know what follows. Then there was lots of hugging and kissing and saying, "I love you!" It was such an amazing experience and the best day of my life! I hope that each of you get to have a similar experience one day because you won't find anything better any other way!

Thoughts on being engaged

It has not even been a month since I have been home from my mission and I'm already engaged! It has been a little over month now but when I got engaged on January 26th I still had not been home a month. I honestly never thought that it was going to happen so quickly but when that answer came I knew that I had to act. I had dated my fiance for a year before my mission and I have known her for most of my life. We grew up in the same ward together and we both attended Hillcrest High School. During my mission we wrote each other almost every week and she ended up waiting for me even though all of my companions said that she wouldn't hold out. I am so glad that she did! Her name is Nicole and she is my best friend in the whole wide world. It doesn't matter what we do, as long as we are together, that is all that we need. I can't recall any other time in my life that I have been as happy as the day that I proposed to Nicole. It was the best day of all my life! I can only imagine how it's going to be on that special day when we get married. To all of you guys out there who are thinking proposing soon to that special someone I highly recommend it! It will be the funnest and most exciting thing that you will ever do! Unless of course she says no which would just be awkward and really crappy. I don't wish that on anyone! But honestly I am so happy and excited for all that is to come!

A witness is power

Testifying of Christ is so vital and important! That is the calling of every prophet, apostle, and missionary who has ever lived and will ever live on this earth. The message that we as members are called to preach is that He, through unspeakable suffering, overcame death and hell. That everyone's tomb will one day be empty and that everyone's soul can again be cleansed and pure through the Savior's Atonement. I know that this is true and it is a privilege and blessing to be apart of this great work. Jesus Christ lives and He can heal our wounded hearts. He personally felt the shame and guilt for each of our sins and for the sins of all mankind. That burden caused Him to tremble because of pain and bleed from every pore as He took upon himself the bitter and brutal cup of sin. I testify that He did pay the price for you and me. He made our repentance possible and through Him we can be cleansed, healed, and transformed. We can qualify for heaven and God's kingdom only through Him! Let us all eagerly accept His promise and invitation, "Come unto me... and I shall give you rest unto you souls." (Matthew 11:28, 30) The faster we come unto Him the faster we will feel of His peace and love in our hearts. So why not start now?

Repentance and humility go hand in hand

Repentance is an act of humility. In order to repent we have to recognize our mistakes and feel a sincere sorrow in our hearts. We must have a desire to be clean and to change. Only when we are brought down into the depths of humility can we truly repent. The prophet Enos exercised that type of humility when he received a remission of his sins. "And my soul hungered, and I kneeled down before my maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul. " (Enos 1:4) It takes humility to bow down before God and confess our sins. It takes humility to say, "Father, I can't do this on my own. Please help me." It takes humility to cry out from the depths of our souls, "Dear Lord, have mercy on me a sinner. I want to change and do what's right. Will you please forgive me?" This is the essence of humility. If we will humbly seek the Lord then He will hear our cries and cleanse our souls. All who will repent He will receive! (see Alma 5:33)

Why I Write

 There is a phrase that has stuck with me over the years. The phrase is, “As soon as you think it, ink it.” I don’t know about you but I find that I forget things pretty quickly. There are so many things to remember in one day that I would go crazy if I had to remember them all in my head. But writing things down not only helps me to remember them better it also frees up my mind so I can use my energy for other things. 

Another reason that I write is because my words will live on even after I am physically gone. Writing withstands the test of time. One of the best examples of this is the Holy Scriptures. Even though the words were written thousands of years ago they still bless and change our lives today. How remarkable! There is a scripture that illustrates my point. “My sons, I would that ye should remember that were it not for these records and these commandments, we must have suffered in ignorance, even at this present time, not knowing the mysteries of God. For it were not possible that our father, Lehi, could have remembered all these things, to have taught them to his children, except it were for the help of these plates.” (Mosiah 1:3-4) That is why I write. I write to remember and capture memories and experiences that will last a lifetime and hopefully bless others along the way.

Kip Critchlow
Writing 150 Sec 68

I really like Burton’s piece and I think that he has a great point. I agree that we live in the age of digital learning. The internet and computer are some of our greatest sources of information and we use them frequently.  It would be interesting to see how students would do if we shifted everything to learning digitally and we all got ourselves on the web. I wonder what the outcome would be if such a change occurred and what the long term effects would be. Would we lose our vital communications skills if we made this switch? That’s the question that I have. All in all I like the idea of switching the schooling system and would be interested to see how it unfolds overtime.

Introduce Myself to the World

Introduce myself to the world
My name is Kip Critchlow and I am twenty two years old. I come from a family that consists of my parents and three brothers. I absolutely love my family. We have a lot of fun together and I always enjoy being around them. What I love the most about my family is that they always support me in my endeavors. They are always there for me.  My father’s name is Jay and my mother’s name is Paula. I am the third son of my family. Colby is the oldest, then Cade, then me, and then Keaton the youngest.

 I was born and raised in Utah and I was always a very active boy growing up. I love to be outside and one of my favorite things in life is playing soccer. I have played it all my life and I am currently playing here at BYU this year. The soccer world has brought me some excellent benefits over the span of my life.  For example some of my closest friends are my teammates from my soccer teams. And I also learned how to set a goal and work to achieve it. As a kid my dream was to play professional soccer one day. That was what I wanted more than anything.  To make a long story short after a lot of practice and hard work that day finally arrived. I was offered a contract from Utah’s own Real Salt Lake professional team.  In the end I decided not to sign the contract but I had learned an important lesson: Dreams can and will come true if we will work to achieve them.

 I recently returned from serving an LDS mission for 2 years in Argentina. I had a wonderful experience. I can now speak Spanish fluently and I learned so much from the people there. The reason that I bring this up is because my faith is another very important part of my life. I find joy in serving others and I like to begin my day studying the scriptures. They help me to find answers to my problems and understand the true meaning of life. It is such a blessing to know that we do have a purpose here on earth and that there is always hope through Christ.

 I also took piano lessons when I was younger for about nine years or so. The piano is a beautiful instrument and I like to be creative and compose my own songs. I only have a few that I have made up so far but it’s something that I love to do.

 Another thing that I love to do is to learn the techniques of communication. I enjoy reading about body language and how to communicate effectively with others. I find that the information I learn is very useful and I can apply it to everything that I do. Communication is an essential skill in order to succeed in life.

So that is the life of Kip Critchlow in a nut shell. I hope that this gives a better idea of who I am and who I want to be.