Run, just keep running! Don't look back!

A year ago I had left public school and had begun to work for Wendy's and now it's almost over. There's only one thing standing between me and the trophy of graduation, one last sprint for the finish line of the race to finish highschool. When I started independent study, I knew what I was getting into, but I still wasn't prepared for the transition of my thoughts and goals. I'm now my own person; before I was a kid blowing bubbles in a pool of life, now I'm a man making waves and splashing all around me, but someday I will be a titan causing tsunamis of change with each step I take. How have I changed from boy to man? You see I've given this a lot of thought and realized that I have convinced my parents that I am responsible enough to be trusted to the reins of my own life and now I have control over its direction and speed. Yahh! I'm going 60mph now and I long for more speed, but...am I going the right way? I am, I'm sure of it! And that confidence is what changed that boy into this man.

Beware of Misinterpretation

Since I was five years old, I've moved from place to place. I've had a dozen homes, twice as many schools, and hundreds of different friends. As a result I may have adapted some odd quirks and strange manners. But there have been people that I've known that were exluded from the people around them and often mocked for their differences. I was taught at an early age to accept all people in spite of our differences, and to praise our similarities. If you praise each other for things you have in common, it builds a love in your friendship that will make it that much more beautiful and valuable. On the other hand, if you put people down, make snyde remarks to their face or behind their back, or ignore them, you are brutally damaging that person just as if you physically assaulted them. People need to be accepted and loved, it part of human nature.

"Compassion is sometimes the fatal capacity for feeling what it is like to live inside somebody else's skin. It is the knowledge that there can never really be any peace and joy for me until there is peace and joy finally for you too.”--Frederick Buechner

I'm not saying I'd sit in a circle and sing Koom By Ah or anything, but let's all try to be more compassionate this week.

How Video Games Helped Me to Succeed In Life

Heroes of Might and Magic

I've played video games since birth. At two years old I was learning and having fun with the first Reader Rabbit. At six I was playing Warcraft 2 and Mario Brothers, and at 8 Diablo and Civilization. When I reached 12 I played Empire Earth and Unreal Tournament. At 14 I was playing Splintercell Pandora Tomorrow online with some impressive skill. Now I play Left 4 Dead and Company of Heroes when I can with my older brothers. I've seen a lot of people frown on video games, and perhaps they do take up a lot of time, and perhaps a great deal of time spent with them will stunt your athletic growth, but in moderation video gaming can teach you a great deal.

When I was in the fourth grade, I recall getting extra credit for knowing the word artifact--which I learned from Heroes of Might and Magic--and I was also picked to be the youngest member of the Nerd Alert Force at my school =P. It was a lot of fun showing othe

Left4Dead

r people up with my computer savvy. Whenever there was a problem with a computer and nobody more qualified was around to help, my classmates or teacher would call me over. Now I am considering information systems business degree as my major. I may not be very good at basketball, but I'm just as physically active as anyone else. All in all I'd say that video games can be a part of a well-rounded individual.

The Only Person Fooled By My Poker Face Is Me

I took advantage of Martin Luther King Day to have some fun with my brothers, but now it's back to my work!

I had a lot of time to reflect over the weekend and I learned something important about myself: I'm bad at hiding my feelings. My emotions are written all over my face and eyes and the harder I try to contain them, the more they slip through. It's a good thing I was taught not to gamble, because my pokerface is a lost cause. According to a Steven Gaffney--don't ask--91% of people that took a survey lie on a regular basis; he points out, rather cynically, that the other nine percent were probably lying. If this were really true, I think I should be better at it by now...

Before You Reach For The Stars, Look Up!

I started highschool back in Arizona; my first year started in '05 so you do the math and you'll figure out when I'm going to graduate. Perhaps there was nothing I appreciated less at this time in my life than getting up early in the morning and rushing to a moldy old building where I would be informed of what is fact and what is fiction. I've come along way since then. Highschool is almost over, so now what? I've taken an inventory of my goals: go on a mission, go to college, and get an awesome job. Oh yeah, and I've got to fit getting married in there somehow. There's a really cool quote by a guy named Larry Elder,

"A goal without a plan is just a wish."

I'm going to make up a plan, I guess I'll start with my goals. Well, I probably won't get an awesome job without some college, and I won't be able to go to college unless I get good grades and save money now. Okaay, so first I need to make money, no problem, I work at Wendy's. I'll finish highschool in about half a year and I won't leave for my mission for a year and a half after that, soo...I think I'll work really hard and save at least 30% of my income. I might also take some community college courses to get some core credits out of the way before my mission. Then I'll go on a mission. Then I'll go to get accepted by BYU or UT and I'll become a famous businessman! Can't really plan to get married so I think that covers everything on the list. That wasn't so tough!

When the Saint Comes Marching Home, I Will Be Waiting

My brother Andrew is a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Ladder Day Saints serving in the northeastern US. He wears a badge that someday I'll be wearing; printed in bold white letters on a black background are

_

I'm so proud of my older brother and I can't wait to see him again!

If Only Moroni Would Wait to Toot His Horn Until Ten o' Clock

Before I started highschool I couldn't wait to start going to seminary classes. Well, nothing's changed, and I still enjoy spending time with my friends learning about God. But why has it got to be so darn early in the morning? Isn't there a saying that goes "the early bird gets the worm?" I suppose someday I'll be thankful someday. But right now I just want to sleep!

She Danced Into My Life

I've never been really into those reality shows about dancing, although I admit I have watched a season of Dancing With the Stars, but I really do enjoy dancing. Unfortunately, I think I was born with two left feet and try as I might, it is hard for to overcome that. Actually it could also caused by my status as an Awesome Video Gamer that gave me my poor dancing ability, but I prefer the other theory. Last night many girls danced through my arms and I had the time of my life twirling them around and around. They actually seemed surprised that I would spin them, but told me that they really enjoyed it. It seems that guys don't spin girls at church dances anymore. At least this guy does, so Ladies fear not! Erik is here now =P.

I'm Part of a Youth Foundation

I've joined with the Foundation of Apologetic Information and Research (FAIR) to start a youth group associated with their mission. I want to get involved in the work that FAIR does, and this is my way of contributing. Several other youth or young adults have joined with me and we've dubbed ourselves...get ready...Youth FAIR! Haha we're pretty creative right? Anyway, I think our name rocks, and besides our content will be fabulous! You can keep up to date on the doings of YFair by reading my blog.



If you're interested in joining our group, post a comment here.

Geared Up, Good To Go Now

I'm out of money again! Do you know the feeling? Was it all of the movies we went to? Maybe it was the winter clothes I bought? How about all of the gifts for Christmas? I had to buy those airplane tickets, didn't I? The truth is I am outa money again, but I actually do know where every penny went and have for the past six months. Financial Literacy, or Economics, is a class I had last semester. I thought the class would be lame, but I think it's been the most valuable class I've ever taken in highschool.



Have I told you 'bout my highschool? No? Ha! That's because I don't have one, or at least not in the normal sense. When I moved to San Antonio, Texas, I was excited to start school since it was right down the street, but then they told me I couldn't go...they said they had too many students...what kind of reason is that? So they shipped me several hours a day over to another school. I was feeling pretty low at that point. Then my friend told me about a way that I can teach myself and still get credit for highschool. Is it a good system? It's got its ups and downs. Did you think it was hard being a student? Try being both the student and the teacher.