California: Day 1

So today my family and I drove to Cali for a fun little vacation called Dan and Eryka's wedding...on Saturday.

We were planning on leaving at 7 am sharp (Dan threatened to leave anyone who wasn't ready), but then, we had the little mishap of Kelly losing her wallet. It wouldn't have been a huge deal if it didn't have my driver's license in it. Without that, I have no way of getting home, which = no bueno. We looked and looked. We tore my room apart. I looked places. Then my mom would tell me to look places (often places I had already checked, but looked again anyway). And my mom looked, and my brother and my sister looked. And we looked places we didn't think had any chance of it being there. Then my dad made me look through my backpack for probably a 5th time (no joke), and lo and behold, guess what we found? My wallet. By then it was 7:15...and Dan was still around, so we finished loading up the car and headed out.

So then we drove. And we drove and we drove and we drove. Well...I rode. We stopped for breakfast and then drove some more. While riding in the car, I named Pokemon and Dan would make their noises. It was pretty entertaining. And then we made some bathroom stops like none other and while waiting Dan and I made bets. He won the "How many times are we going to stop?" with I think a 7...but I won the "How many times is Steph going to call?" with a 10. Technically she called more than that, but he guessed 7, and Mom said like 3 of the calls counted as one since she had to answer her phone to deal with car stuff. I asked my mom what she would do if each of her children called as many times as Steph called her (after the 3rd, or 4th call), and she said she just wouldn't answer her phone anymore haha. Although I think most days aren't quite that high.

And somewhere in there we stopped for lunch and gas. And more bathroom breaks. Don't let people over the age of 30 load up on Diet Cokes :) Driving through Nevada was really boring. There wasn't really anything to see. Except I saw casinos in like every town we drove past haha. I took a little nap during Nevada too. Then after Nevada we hit California. It was really pretty. We had Dad commenting on the elevation like every two minutes. Woah. We were at 7,000-something feet x-number minutes ago. Now we're at 1400. Dad. Gotta love him. And apparently you aren't allowed to bring fresh produce into California? I guess you learn something new every day. Thanks Mr. "Please-Stop-Here-And-Let-Me-Check-To-See-If-You-Have-Fresh-Produce" Guy. You are a gem.

There were a lot of funny comments here and there...but I've forgotten most of them unfortunately. How disappointing. 11 hours is a long time. 9.5 was spent driving according to the GPS.

Then we went and got dinner with Eryka and her family. We went to Mary's Pizza Shack (?) and had delicious salad and pizza. Mmmmm. The best conversation was Eden (Eryka's step-dad) when he remembered where my mom works. It was probably a good five-minute conversation...and it was funny to watch Dan get embarrassed :) That's what you get for having your future mother-in-law buy bras from your mom :)

Now we're at the hotel. Dan ditched us for Eryka. You wouldn't think he missed her or anything...especially with how slow he was driving and how many times he wanted to stop and go to the bathroom. I'm the only one here among the living though. My parents have been asleep for a while now...although I guess it's just hitting on eleven Utah time....but they probably went to bed like 9ish Utah time. Lame.

Well, I better get some sleep for a fun-filled day of adventure tomorrow. We're headed to San Francisco tomorrow. And we have our own personal tour guide haha. It's awesome that Eden offered. We'll get to do more things and cooler things since he knows his way around. Hopefully there'll be pictures next time...

Peace out Chuck Wood

MARCH!

Oh my! March is going to be a crazy month!...but I'm going to love every second of it! I would much rather have a month packed full of fun and adventures than a super quiet and boring one. My biggest adventure is coming up this week. On Wednesday, we are headed to California! I've been to SoCal probably 5 times, but I've never been up north. I get to see the Golden Gate Bridge.

from here

We're going to Bodega Bay where The Birds was filmed. I remember watching that movie when I was little (like 7,8,9ish?) and it made me laugh, even though it's supposed to be scary (although maybe laughter is how I deal with scary things?) But I just watched a clip on YouTube and I laughed still...so maybe it's just funny :)

And we're going to see the Jelly Belly Factory since it's in the area!

But...we're not going to Cali just to play. I'm getting a new sister! Well sister-in-law. These two cute lovebirds are tying the knot on March 12, 2011...which is this Saturday! They're getting married for time and all eternity in the Sacramento California temple. Then they're going to honeymoon their way back to Utah to make their home in Bountiful. On the Saturday after their wedding, they're having a Utah openhouse/reception thing...which means family coming to Utah! I get to see family I haven't seen since Christmas and don't know when I'll see them again next, so it'll be great having them in town.

And then the next Saturday is Festival of Colors! It should be a blast. I'm lame and have never been, but have wanted to ever since I found out about it 2(?) years ago. It should be tons of fun and lots of people.

And then throw in there work and meetings and school. Lots and lots of school. Oh! and friends coming to visit me in Logan! Exciting! :) And all the fun roommate stuff we love to do.

Stay tuned for posts and pictures of all the fun that's in store.

Peace out Chuck Wood.

Day 4: A Habit You Wish You Didn't Have

A habit I wish I didn't have? Oh there are so many.

I am the QUEEN of procrastination. I almost always wait until the last minute to do a project or paper or whatever I need to be doing. And somehow I almost always manage to pull it off. And if it's for school, I usually end up getting a good grade. I guess I work well under pressure. But then there are the days where I realize how big what I'm supposed to do is. I get so overwhelmed. I don't know where to begin. I usually end up crying (my response to every emotion: happy, sad, angry, frustrated, tired, etc.). So yes, procrastination would be a great habit to get rid of.

Biting my nails. I've been impressed with myself lately. I have maybe broken this habit. Almost. Time will tell. I hope so.

Drinking soda. Honestly, it really isn't that amazing. And, it's really not that amazing for you. Depending what you drink, it adds lots of extra sugar you don't need. It corrodes and stains your teeth. It replaces other drinks that are better for you, like milk and water. It eats away at your money. I probably drink it mainly out of habit now. When you go out to eat they ask you if you want a drink. I need to be smart and just ask for water cups haha.

A messy bedroom. My bedroom usually looks atrocious. Really, if I would just keep all my clothes put away and keep my school stuff organized, it would take away the majority of the mess. I should probably work on that...

Yokes

So today I went to my home ward for church since it's spring break. In Sunday school our teacher asked, "What is a yoke?" Funny Ray Lutz called out, "It's the inside of an egg!" It was pretty great. But we got into the lesson and explained it.

from here

So if you don't know, a yoke is a wooden beam that connects two oxen together. This allows them to work together and share the weight of the load they are pulling. The oxen don't have to be the biggest or strongest, what is important is that they work together when they pull. If one thinks he can do it on his own and gets out of sync with his partner, pulling the load becomes much more difficult and it takes longer to accomplish the task than if they cooperate and work together.

In Matthew 11: 28-30 it says:

28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

I have heard this scripture so many times and have thought about it a little, but maybe it just clicked a little more today. I think I've understood what it means, but it makes so much more sense when you hear it verbalized by people. It says take MY yoke upon you...for MY yoke is easy, and MY burden is light.

A yoke is made for two, not for one. We don't share it with just anyone. We share it with the Savior. He asks us to share it with him. We take His name upon us when we are baptized. Through the gospel we learn of him and through Him we find comfort and peace. Sometimes we become stubborn. We think we can do it on our own. We struggle and fight. We are falling out of step with the ox in the other side of the yoke. It may be through unconscious acts or it may be through deliberate actions. Either way life becomes more difficult.

Sometimes it becomes hard to get back in sync. We have developed our own pace. However, it is possible. You had to take a few awkward steps to get out of sync, so there may be some few awkward steps to get back in, but it's possible.

There's the part of Sunday school I remember in a nutshell...well a rather large nutshell. Plus a few embellishments of my own that hopefully add to and don't detract from what we learned.

California in 2.5 days! Less than a week for Dan and Eryka's wedding! Yay! :)

Day 3: A Picture of You and Your Best Friends

Well...I can't choose just one. So you get multiple pictures. Best friends. They're people who love you unconditionally. You screw up. You can say mean things. Yet they're always there for you. You may hit rough patches every once in a while, but you always seem to work things out.

Oscar - yes. I know. He's dead. BUT, he was one of the best friends anyone could ever have. He was always, ALWAYS there when you needed him. He was content with the simplicity of his life. You knew he always loved you. When you were sad, he would be there. Sometimes he would get annoying...having to pee 50 times a day, barking incessantly for food, and having horrible breath. But all the good outweighed the bad...and probably outweighed him...my chubby little friend :)

Sierra - is a great friend and has been ever since I was little. When we were little we always played at her house because she had the best toys (the benefits of being an only child!). But, if that's all our friendship was based on, it wouldn't have lasted throughout the years. She is sincere. She always has the best of intentions. She is so much fun to be around. She is easy to talk to. She has incredible fashion sense. She is sweet and caring and funny. I miss seeing her all the time since we now go to different schools.

Angie - is the greatest. She is probably the most accepting person I know. No matter who you are or what your background is, she is willing to give you a chance. She is a bundle of fun. I love that when we hang out we can do exciting things and have a great time or can do absolutely nothing and still feel the same way. She is pretty much my therapist. I can tell her pretty much anything. She lets me vent to her and tell her all my stupid stories and frustrations. She offers great insights, but still allows me to think on my own and make my own decisions. Angie is pretty much the most awesome person I know.

Kevin - What an amazing person. Kevin is so much fun. We always see the clock at 12:34. We've only been friends for just a little over a year, yet we've helped each other through a lot. We still plan to have Chia Pets with our faces on them someday. We also hope to achieve the status of Pokemaster. Kevin is the king of sucking up to people. He is friends with everyone he meets. I can tell him pretty much anything. I love the conversations we're able to have. I admire him for all he has been through and is going through. Kevin is the greatest.

It's crazy how much you can love people. I love each of them so much and would do just about anything for any of them. I have had periods of time without each of them in my life. I think those times have made me realize just how important they are to me. Whether just a few days or many months that I was separated from them, life felt incomplete. Something was missing. Life was awkward and hard and since I'm a cryer, you can bet I cried and cried...or maybe sobbed is a better word. No matter where life takes us, these 4 have had a major impact on my life and will be remembered forever.