I can't help but to feel like I've matured a little bit over the summer.
I'm still my weird, wacky self of course, but I just feel like I'm more serious about certain things.
Like working for example. I hate today and yesterday. Why? Because all I've done is sit in my room. I'd rather be working. A year ago, I would have prefered just sitting in here all day playing video games, talking to family, etc.
But I'm still just a kid at the same time. It's hard to explain, but...I am about to go watch the old anime Sailor Moon. It's a girly anime, haha, but it reminds me of my childhood, and my brothers like it, too, so heck...Might as well.
Perhaps it's because I am approaching adulthood. Weird!!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
3 Nephi 18
I'll admit it: I've never read The Book of Mormon straight through. I've read it all with my family before; I've read most of it by myself, but I've never read it from start to finish. But! That's what I've been working on this year, and it's definitely been an adventure.
I was just doing my personal study, and I was reading 3 Nephi 18. Wow. I think it's probably my favorite chapter right now (my favorite chapter varies a lot, depending on what I'm going through in life, etc.) It's definitely an excellent chapter. I suggest everyone reads it! :) It's really powerful.
I finally feel like I'm getting back on track....:) *goes and writes in journal*
I was just doing my personal study, and I was reading 3 Nephi 18. Wow. I think it's probably my favorite chapter right now (my favorite chapter varies a lot, depending on what I'm going through in life, etc.) It's definitely an excellent chapter. I suggest everyone reads it! :) It's really powerful.
I finally feel like I'm getting back on track....:) *goes and writes in journal*
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Destruction!
One thing is for sure: As soon as I turn eighteen, I'm pretty sure I'll be looking for a second job. (There are a lot of jobs I wanted to apply for, but I couldn't because I wasn't eighteen yet.)
Anyways. I love the little place they call El Pollo Loco, but dang...It's not as busy as it used to be; therefore, I'm getting way too many days off.
Working only a few days a week isn't going to cut it, my friends! Hopefully they are just giving me a break, and hopefully I'll be working a lot again soon.
In the mean time...I'll be spending my days off doing Govenment AP homework and hanging out with my sister when she gets here on Thursday! Woo-hoo!!! :)
Anyways. I love the little place they call El Pollo Loco, but dang...It's not as busy as it used to be; therefore, I'm getting way too many days off.
Working only a few days a week isn't going to cut it, my friends! Hopefully they are just giving me a break, and hopefully I'll be working a lot again soon.
In the mean time...I'll be spending my days off doing Govenment AP homework and hanging out with my sister when she gets here on Thursday! Woo-hoo!!! :)
Monday, July 28, 2008
Schoo'
Everything I need before school starts is either A)In the palm of my hand or B)Arranged to be in the palm of my hand.
Now hopefully nothing falls through. :)
Now hopefully nothing falls through. :)
New Dark Knight Theme
I thought about making a new theme for The Dark Knight, but then I thought, "Meh, nah!."
But...Brent Nelson inspired me to make one, so...
In celebration of The Dark Knight's success, I hope everyone enjoys the sweet, new theme! :)
BEAT TITANIC, DARK KNIGHT! FTW!
Edit: I decided to add a little comedy to the theme. ;) HAHA.
But...Brent Nelson inspired me to make one, so...
In celebration of The Dark Knight's success, I hope everyone enjoys the sweet, new theme! :)
BEAT TITANIC, DARK KNIGHT! FTW!
Edit: I decided to add a little comedy to the theme. ;) HAHA.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Today And Yesterday (A True Story)
Sunday amazes me once again. I truly am blessed for what I get every week at Church. My Priesthood leaders are amazing, and I always want to be a little better after listening to their powerful lessons. Today was no exception.
We had a lesson on missionary work. We have missionary lessons often because most of us are leaving in the next year and a half or so. I had a dream last night that I was in the MTC. I was already home-sick, and I didn't seem to have much self-confidence about being there. During Brother Payne's lesson, though, I decided I wasn't going to let that happen. I need to be as ready as I can be, because Heavenly Father needs the best missionaries right now.
After church, I got set apart as the second counsellor in the Priest quorom. It was great. While Bishop Stewart was setting me apart, it felt like I was getting a Father's blessing. I thought that was kind of interesting, but I just realized a few mintues ago that it truly was a Father's blessing--a blessing from my Heavenly Father.
Like I said last night--Yesterday was a good day. I woke up to a phone call from Brent Nelson. He told me that he and Shayla were going to see The Dark Knight, and he was wondering if I would watch Brighton for a few hours. Of course, I agreed to do so, and Brighton was in the palm of my hand within an hour. ;)
Watching Brighton was great fun. He and I mostly chilled in the gameroom. I watched him while he played with all the toys; he is such a precious child! His favorite toys were definitely the little daycare chairs. He liked pulling two chairs over to where I was sitting on the couch, and then he would get on one chair and then point at the other one, motioning me to sit on it. When I sat on the other chair, he got really happy. It was really sweet. :)
Brighton gets car sick, and so he threw up on the way to my house. While his clothes were washing, he wore my old volleyball shirt that I used to wear as a child. It was very cute, and I took some pictures.
After Brighton left, I went straight to work, and that was good as usual. So the reason yesterday was a really good day was simply because I got to spend some time with my little nephew! :)
We had a lesson on missionary work. We have missionary lessons often because most of us are leaving in the next year and a half or so. I had a dream last night that I was in the MTC. I was already home-sick, and I didn't seem to have much self-confidence about being there. During Brother Payne's lesson, though, I decided I wasn't going to let that happen. I need to be as ready as I can be, because Heavenly Father needs the best missionaries right now.
After church, I got set apart as the second counsellor in the Priest quorom. It was great. While Bishop Stewart was setting me apart, it felt like I was getting a Father's blessing. I thought that was kind of interesting, but I just realized a few mintues ago that it truly was a Father's blessing--a blessing from my Heavenly Father.
Like I said last night--Yesterday was a good day. I woke up to a phone call from Brent Nelson. He told me that he and Shayla were going to see The Dark Knight, and he was wondering if I would watch Brighton for a few hours. Of course, I agreed to do so, and Brighton was in the palm of my hand within an hour. ;)
Watching Brighton was great fun. He and I mostly chilled in the gameroom. I watched him while he played with all the toys; he is such a precious child! His favorite toys were definitely the little daycare chairs. He liked pulling two chairs over to where I was sitting on the couch, and then he would get on one chair and then point at the other one, motioning me to sit on it. When I sat on the other chair, he got really happy. It was really sweet. :)
Brighton gets car sick, and so he threw up on the way to my house. While his clothes were washing, he wore my old volleyball shirt that I used to wear as a child. It was very cute, and I took some pictures.
After Brighton left, I went straight to work, and that was good as usual. So the reason yesterday was a really good day was simply because I got to spend some time with my little nephew! :)
Brighton trying to go downstairs while eating a pretzel.
Brighton saying goodbye to his Mommy! :)
Brighton playing with his favorite upstairs you--the barn!
Brighton playing with another toy upstairs.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
"Bid Farewell To Your Bloodstained Past. Vanquish The Dark Knight!!" (And Other Random Thoughts)
No, not The Dark Knight (the movie).
Another benefit about working at El Pollo Loco: I have six hours to just evaluate myself as I work. I've been doing that a lot lately. I was thinking about it today, and I kind of feel like I am a Dark Knight right now, and I am on a quest to become what I should be--A Paladin. Nerdy, I know, but it's true. (Most of you have no idea what I'm talking about, but pretty much: Dark Knight=Not bad, but not good. Paladin=Powerful/great. You'd only understand if you played Final Fantasy IV.)
At Youth Conference this year, our theme was missionary work. A good friend of mine advised me that Satan would do all he could to prevent us from going on missions; he told me that Satan would tempt you more and more the closer you get to obtaining your mission call. He told me that he learned that from experience. I remember smiling and thinking, "Yeah, but I'm different. I've never had a problem with Satan's temptation or anything."
My friends, my lesson tonight is: Never think you are an exception. I have about a year left until I get my mission call, but Satan's temptations have been getting to me the last few months. Negative and/or unnecessary thoughts and ideas that have never entered my mind before are now making their way into my head. Now, no worries--I haven't acted on any of these negative thoughts, but they are only getting stronger.
Earlier this summer, I mentioned how I needed to get back to being more spiritually in-tune. Well, I'll be honest--I haven't been doing such a good job. But today at work, I realized that the only way to vanquish all the negative thoughts is to have the Spirit with me at all times. And to do that, I just need to do a better job with the simple things--prayer, scripture study, fasting, etc. Like I've said before--Wow, a session at EFY would be great right about now! :)
And so my goal for this next week is to get myself back on track--back to being spiritually in-tune and all. I need to concentrate on that one thing. You see--I made a list and I entitled it Changed (For The Better). It's a pretty big list of things that I think I need to do to become what I want to become. The list hasn't been going so well, though, because I made a mistake. Rather than concentrate on one objective at a time, I tried to do them all at once, and that's when you are going to get in trouble and not get anything done. And so I am starting over, and I am going to concentrate on the most important stuff first and then move on down the list.
If there's one thing I've learned this summer it's definitely this: I underestimated myself, and I am a lot more junked up than I originally thought. But I still have a month to do some changing/evaluating, though! :) I hope the world is bearing with me.
Anothing thing learned: Although it doesn't look like it on the outside, I really am a self-centered person. Haha. But I already kind of knew that. ;)
Right now, I would say the thing I am looking forward to most is seminary. I wish seminary was a year-round thing. If you have the right attitude about it and you actually participate (both AT seminary and at home), it absolutely changes your day. Seminary keeps me on top of things, and it's the only thing about senior year that I am looking forward to right now.
Today was a great Saturday. I want to write another post about it right now, but I think I will save it for tomorrow. :)
Another benefit about working at El Pollo Loco: I have six hours to just evaluate myself as I work. I've been doing that a lot lately. I was thinking about it today, and I kind of feel like I am a Dark Knight right now, and I am on a quest to become what I should be--A Paladin. Nerdy, I know, but it's true. (Most of you have no idea what I'm talking about, but pretty much: Dark Knight=Not bad, but not good. Paladin=Powerful/great. You'd only understand if you played Final Fantasy IV.)
At Youth Conference this year, our theme was missionary work. A good friend of mine advised me that Satan would do all he could to prevent us from going on missions; he told me that Satan would tempt you more and more the closer you get to obtaining your mission call. He told me that he learned that from experience. I remember smiling and thinking, "Yeah, but I'm different. I've never had a problem with Satan's temptation or anything."
My friends, my lesson tonight is: Never think you are an exception. I have about a year left until I get my mission call, but Satan's temptations have been getting to me the last few months. Negative and/or unnecessary thoughts and ideas that have never entered my mind before are now making their way into my head. Now, no worries--I haven't acted on any of these negative thoughts, but they are only getting stronger.
Earlier this summer, I mentioned how I needed to get back to being more spiritually in-tune. Well, I'll be honest--I haven't been doing such a good job. But today at work, I realized that the only way to vanquish all the negative thoughts is to have the Spirit with me at all times. And to do that, I just need to do a better job with the simple things--prayer, scripture study, fasting, etc. Like I've said before--Wow, a session at EFY would be great right about now! :)
And so my goal for this next week is to get myself back on track--back to being spiritually in-tune and all. I need to concentrate on that one thing. You see--I made a list and I entitled it Changed (For The Better). It's a pretty big list of things that I think I need to do to become what I want to become. The list hasn't been going so well, though, because I made a mistake. Rather than concentrate on one objective at a time, I tried to do them all at once, and that's when you are going to get in trouble and not get anything done. And so I am starting over, and I am going to concentrate on the most important stuff first and then move on down the list.
If there's one thing I've learned this summer it's definitely this: I underestimated myself, and I am a lot more junked up than I originally thought. But I still have a month to do some changing/evaluating, though! :) I hope the world is bearing with me.
Anothing thing learned: Although it doesn't look like it on the outside, I really am a self-centered person. Haha. But I already kind of knew that. ;)
Right now, I would say the thing I am looking forward to most is seminary. I wish seminary was a year-round thing. If you have the right attitude about it and you actually participate (both AT seminary and at home), it absolutely changes your day. Seminary keeps me on top of things, and it's the only thing about senior year that I am looking forward to right now.
Today was a great Saturday. I want to write another post about it right now, but I think I will save it for tomorrow. :)
Thursday, July 24, 2008
"The Dark Knight" (Themes and Quotes)
THE DARK KNIGHT (THEMES)
I've seen The Dark Knight four times. Yes, I think it's that good; guess what? I'll probably see it one more time before I settle down and leave it alone. Why leave it alone, you ask? Well, because I have to move on to the next highly-anticipated, over-hyped thing: BYU Football 2008, my friends. Buuut this post is for The Dark Knight; BYU Football will have to wait until August 30. The cool thing about The Dark Knight is that I got something new out of it each time I saw it. Check it out:
Viewing #1 (Midnight Showing): After watching this movie the first time, I learned one thing: "Some men just like to watch the world burn." It's true, my friends. The Joker was just insane in this movie. And you know what's sad? There are people in the real world who are almost as crazy as him--terrorists!
Viewing #2 (24 Hours Later): I was more excited to see this movie the second time than I was to see it the first time. That has NEVER happened to me with a movie before. Watching it the second time was interesting because you already knew what to expect, but guess what? I noticed some things and figure some things out that I didn't realize the first time. It was sweet. Anyways, what I learned after watching it the second time: There is at least a little bit of good in each of us--even the bad guys (except for The Joker). There is one part in the movie where a criminal does something you wouldn't expect a criminal to do--he steps up and makes a righteous choice, and in the process, he saves many lives. That was huge for me, because I don't even know if I would have had the guts to do what he did--And I ain't no bad guy!!
Viewing #3 (The Free, Early-Morning Showing): What I learned here is simple. The Dark Knight is the greatest Batman movie ever. This one movie re-kindled my love for Batman. (It has died down a little bit over the last year.) It was also during this viewing that I realized just how great Heath Ledger did as The Joker. Wow. I never liked the guy, but DANG--He sure did an awesome job with my favorite villain! Another thing I learned: Chris Nolan is going to have to give it all he's got in the next movie if he's going to want to make a movie that is even better than The Dark Knight. (Is that even possible?)
Viewing #4 (The IMAX Showing): TEH HUGE SCREENZ!!! I think what I learned during the fourth viewing is the most valuable of them all: Even the greatest men can fall. In the movie we have two heroes--Batman and D.A. Harvey Dent. They both love the same girl, and they both go through the same horrible things brought about by The Joker. The Batman pulls on through and doesn't ever fall and become one of the bad guys. It was different for Dent, though, and he eventually becomes the villain Two-Face. So my question to you, my friends: When Satan (A.K.A. The Joker for short) tries to destroy us and make us fall, are we going to endure like Batman? Or are we going to fall and become miserable like Harvey Dent?
THE DARK KNIGHT (QUOTES)
"My father...was a drinker. And a fiend!"-The Joker
"What would you have me do, then?"-Bruce Wayne"Endure."-Alfred
"You see--to them, you're just a freak. Like me!"-The Joker
"Some men just like to watch the world burn."-Alfred
"You complete me."-The Joker
(If anyone (AKA Brent) can think of any other good quotes from the movie, post 'em!)
WHAT HAPPENED, EL POLLO LOCO!?! (Janitor Job Class: Mastered! + Respect For A Guy Named Brian)
So tonight El Pollo Loco fired me. VAT THE!?!?!
I'm just joshin' ya! :)
But seriously: "What happened??" I looked at my schedule for this next week (the week in the fast-food world starts on Thursday and ends on Wednesday), and I have THREE days off. What did I do to deserve this!? Haha.
So pretty much: I went from working six days a week to working five days a week. And now I'm down to four days a week? Surely this is a joke!
Hopefully they are just giving me a break. ;) Five days is OKAY, but...Six would be best for me because I have a lot of money to earn before next October! :)
With that said: I'm actually just going to accept having three days off, because it will be nice to have three days off while all my family is in town the next couple of weeks.
There is this guy named Brian. He was the manager I didn't like so much in the beginning. I've realized, though, that he's actually not so bad. He's pretty tight! Today I also obtained a great respect for him.
You see--I had yesterday off. And so today when he first got there at five, he was telling me how the lobby was in such bad shape. He said, "We had someone doing it, but it's just wasn't as clean without you." Now--you see--the last week or so I've kinda felt like no one appreciates what I do in the lobby. I love cleaning the lobby, and it was good to hear a manager tell me that I do a good job. Later in the day, he again told me a did a great job, and I really appreciated that.
With that said: I am pretty much a janitor. And I feel like I've mastered the Janitor Job Class! Boo-yeah!
I'm just joshin' ya! :)
But seriously: "What happened??" I looked at my schedule for this next week (the week in the fast-food world starts on Thursday and ends on Wednesday), and I have THREE days off. What did I do to deserve this!? Haha.
So pretty much: I went from working six days a week to working five days a week. And now I'm down to four days a week? Surely this is a joke!
Hopefully they are just giving me a break. ;) Five days is OKAY, but...Six would be best for me because I have a lot of money to earn before next October! :)
With that said: I'm actually just going to accept having three days off, because it will be nice to have three days off while all my family is in town the next couple of weeks.
There is this guy named Brian. He was the manager I didn't like so much in the beginning. I've realized, though, that he's actually not so bad. He's pretty tight! Today I also obtained a great respect for him.
You see--I had yesterday off. And so today when he first got there at five, he was telling me how the lobby was in such bad shape. He said, "We had someone doing it, but it's just wasn't as clean without you." Now--you see--the last week or so I've kinda felt like no one appreciates what I do in the lobby. I love cleaning the lobby, and it was good to hear a manager tell me that I do a good job. Later in the day, he again told me a did a great job, and I really appreciated that.
With that said: I am pretty much a janitor. And I feel like I've mastered the Janitor Job Class! Boo-yeah!
Time Flies (Twilight Rant + Trip To Utah)
Time flies, my friends. Four weeks from now, I will be getting ready for a little thing called "Senior Year." School starts August 25.
One week from now, my sister KT gets here, and I am excited for that!! :) I'm really excited to see babies Ella and Tori.
Two weeks from now, I'll be getting ready for Cynthia and Joe's wedding. Yikes. 0_0
The brothers went and saw The Dark Knight this morning without me. Darn shame, really. I could have seen it a fifth time! But..I got sleep, so it's okay. Matthew tells me, though, that they had a Twilight preview before the movie. Twilight had better not be another Titanic, where every girl in the world pays hundreds of dollars to go see it thirteen times. I'm going to be angry if Twilight is anywhere NEAR the top 25 movies in box-office sales.
In other news: I'm taking a trip up to Provo in September. The BYU vs. UCLA football game is on September 13, but I think I'll drive up there the morning of the 12th so that I could spend a little more time with Chris Berry. I plan on coming home the next Monday, September 15. I have a few ideas for who will be joining me, but...Nothing's set in stone yet, because it's quite a few weeks away. Should be a great trip!
Well, I hope everyone has a good rest of the summer! The next couple of weeks are going to be exciting for me with all the family coming to visit for Cynthia's wedding. :)
One week from now, my sister KT gets here, and I am excited for that!! :) I'm really excited to see babies Ella and Tori.
Two weeks from now, I'll be getting ready for Cynthia and Joe's wedding. Yikes. 0_0
The brothers went and saw The Dark Knight this morning without me. Darn shame, really. I could have seen it a fifth time! But..I got sleep, so it's okay. Matthew tells me, though, that they had a Twilight preview before the movie. Twilight had better not be another Titanic, where every girl in the world pays hundreds of dollars to go see it thirteen times. I'm going to be angry if Twilight is anywhere NEAR the top 25 movies in box-office sales.
In other news: I'm taking a trip up to Provo in September. The BYU vs. UCLA football game is on September 13, but I think I'll drive up there the morning of the 12th so that I could spend a little more time with Chris Berry. I plan on coming home the next Monday, September 15. I have a few ideas for who will be joining me, but...Nothing's set in stone yet, because it's quite a few weeks away. Should be a great trip!
Well, I hope everyone has a good rest of the summer! The next couple of weeks are going to be exciting for me with all the family coming to visit for Cynthia's wedding. :)
Coming Soon: "The Dark Knight" Themes
Monday, July 21, 2008
Oh Yeah, BTW:
P.S.
This is what I've been eating the last 15 hours or so:
BEST. CEREAL. EVER.
I definitely recommend it. I've been pretty light-headed the last few days, not feeling so good, ya know? BUT this cereal has been quite the cure. For now anyways. I'll be sick of them by Thursday.
A Weekday Off (Finally)
I have Wednesday off this week. It'll be good to finally have a day off in the middle of the week.
Here's a little sketch of what I have planned:
12:00 PM= Wake up.
1:00 PM= Take paycheck to bank; get cash for tithing, put the rest in savings.
2:45-6:30 PM= Free Time.
6:30-8:00 PM= Mutual (FINALLY).
8:30-10:00 PM= Go to Brent Nelson's house with Matthew; chill there and eat hot'n'spicy's, etc.
10:15 PM= Leave for the IMAX theatre.
11:10 PM= THE DARK KNIGHT (THE IMAX EXPERIENCE)
3:00 AM-5:00 AM= Go home, chill with Matthew, sleep.
That is for everyone is wondering when they can stop by and visit me. I am free from 2:45 to 6:30 PM, especially since Logan is at camp and Matthew is working.
Here's a little sketch of what I have planned:
12:00 PM= Wake up.
1:00 PM= Take paycheck to bank; get cash for tithing, put the rest in savings.
2:45-6:30 PM= Free Time.
6:30-8:00 PM= Mutual (FINALLY).
8:30-10:00 PM= Go to Brent Nelson's house with Matthew; chill there and eat hot'n'spicy's, etc.
10:15 PM= Leave for the IMAX theatre.
11:10 PM= THE DARK KNIGHT (THE IMAX EXPERIENCE)
3:00 AM-5:00 AM= Go home, chill with Matthew, sleep.
That is for everyone is wondering when they can stop by and visit me. I am free from 2:45 to 6:30 PM, especially since Logan is at camp and Matthew is working.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
On BDN's Mind
There are a few things making my world go 'round right now:
-My family.
-Sleep.
-John Mayer.
-The Dark Knight.
Now consider this: What if all of us tried a little harder to become what our Heavenly Father wants us to become?? I know I could definitely do a little better. I hope that we all realize that.
I'm watching you, my friends. I'm watching to see which of you are passing your test and which of you are failing your test. A lot of you are passing, others are failing. But not only am I testing you--I am also testing myself as well. Me? I'm not failing, I'm not passing. I'm sort of in-between.
But we can't be in-between, my friends. Being in-between is just as bad as failing. Why? Because you aren't passing. That's the common misunderstanding people get. "Oh, no worries--I'm good, because I am not failing." It's not true. You aren't good unless you are passing.
And so I hope we will all take a chance to change this summer. I hope we will all take a chance to ponder about ourselves and our decisions and realize what we need to do to be on the "passing track" rather than the "failing track." I know I have a long way to go; but at least I'm working on it.
With that said--It's time for sleep. But remember this, my friends: We all have enough room inside of ourselves to become a little better, even if you don't think so.
-My family.
-Sleep.
-John Mayer.
-The Dark Knight.
Now consider this: What if all of us tried a little harder to become what our Heavenly Father wants us to become?? I know I could definitely do a little better. I hope that we all realize that.
I'm watching you, my friends. I'm watching to see which of you are passing your test and which of you are failing your test. A lot of you are passing, others are failing. But not only am I testing you--I am also testing myself as well. Me? I'm not failing, I'm not passing. I'm sort of in-between.
But we can't be in-between, my friends. Being in-between is just as bad as failing. Why? Because you aren't passing. That's the common misunderstanding people get. "Oh, no worries--I'm good, because I am not failing." It's not true. You aren't good unless you are passing.
And so I hope we will all take a chance to change this summer. I hope we will all take a chance to ponder about ourselves and our decisions and realize what we need to do to be on the "passing track" rather than the "failing track." I know I have a long way to go; but at least I'm working on it.
With that said--It's time for sleep. But remember this, my friends: We all have enough room inside of ourselves to become a little better, even if you don't think so.
Friday, July 18, 2008
It's Going To Be Another Long "Knight"
After only getting a few hours of sleep and what not, I am proud to announce that I am about to sacrifice my sleep once again to see the best movie ever--The Dark Knight.
As soon as I get off work, I am heading over to the Fiesta to meet Matthew. He gets off at 11:00 PM.
He and I will be meeting our eldest brother, Brent Nelson, at the Boulder Station theatre for the 11:50 PM showing.
It will be great to sit down and watch a super-hero movie with Matthew and Brent Nelson. I believe the last time the three of us did that was five years ago when we saw the first Hulk movie together. Wow.
Can't wait to witness the masterpiece again.
As soon as I get off work, I am heading over to the Fiesta to meet Matthew. He gets off at 11:00 PM.
He and I will be meeting our eldest brother, Brent Nelson, at the Boulder Station theatre for the 11:50 PM showing.
It will be great to sit down and watch a super-hero movie with Matthew and Brent Nelson. I believe the last time the three of us did that was five years ago when we saw the first Hulk movie together. Wow.
Can't wait to witness the masterpiece again.
The Day That Was Saved (Also Entitled: BDN's New Favorite Movie)
Wow. It feels like forever since I actually sat at my computer. I can't sleep. I'm about to tell you why.
Today (or yesterday, rather) was supposed to be one of the greatest days of the summer. And while it was one of the greatest days so far...It had potential to also be one of the worst days ever.
You see--it started like this: I woke up around 11 AM or so. "Junk," I think to myself. "The day is already gone." I'm starting to get used to that feeling, though, and so I decided to be a positive about it for once. "Alas!" I thought to myself. "Twelve more hours until I leave to see The Dark Knight."
And so my four hours of free time before work began. I spent it with Matthew and Logan as usual. Three o'clock came along and all was well. I started getting ready for another busy day of work. When I got out of the shower, I turned on a few songs from Wicked, and the brothers and I sang the songs together.
And then that's when it happened. It was time for me to go to work, but before I went I decided I would text my good friend Scott to get some final plans set for the night. (I was originally going to go with my friend Mac, but decided to go with Scotty instead.) The final plan: Scotty would pick me up from work, we would go to the movie, and then he would come back to the house and spend the night.
It fell through, my friends. Scott informed me that both of his cars were in the shop and that he wouldn't be able to drive. "Junk it!" I thought. "Scott and I are the only ones going, and Matthew has to work. And I can't drive!! How are we going to get there??" Matthew told me he would talk to Dad while I was at work to see if he could get Dad to take me and Scott or something. It was risky, but it was a risk we had to take--I had work in fifteen minutes.
But it only got worse. 3:45 PM finally came, and it was time to go to work. I went outside to see which car was still at the house; Dad said something about going to the dentist. To my great surprise, BOTH cars were gone. "JUNK!!" I said to myself. "How am I going to get to work!?" I freaked out for a while, but then I realized that the only way to solve the problem was to stay calm.
And so I called my good friend Brother Payne; he's always been good to me, and he gave me a ride to work one time when the family was out of town. I needed a ride..And I needed it quick! But he never answered. I lost all my calmness and started to freak out again. And that's when Matthew suggested the Beattys. Sister Beatty, being the kind lady that she is, provided me with a last second ride to El Pollo Loco, and I barely made it on time. I really appreciated that.
Work was work. My manager didn't ever asked me to stay, so I left at ten. I called dad around 9 PM and asked him if he could pick me up; he said he didn't have a car. So right after 10:00 PM struck, I began my walk home.
When I got home, I saw that there were still no cars. "DANG IT," I said. "Matthew has let me down. I must see this movie!" The day was officially ruined. Or so I thought. I walked into the house, and Logan informs me that Dad and JoAnn are also going to the movie, because they got free movies tickets. JoAnn got home from the hospital, and Dad, JoAnn, Scotty, and I set off.
So what I'm trying to say is: Our days can only be ruined if we let them be ruined. I almost let that happen today, because I was being so negative. But if we are calm and think positive, everything we'll probably be okay. :)
And I have a new favorite movie now. Usually I have the power to put other movies above my Batman movies. But WOW, my friends, WOW. The Dark Knight was just TOO powerful, and now takes the belt for Best. Movie. Ever. My friends, remember that title: The Dark Knight. Not only is it the movie of the year, but it's the movie of the decade. 'Nuff said. Absolutely great movie.
The only reason I'm awake right now is because A)the movie was so good;I'm still blown away and B)for the first time in my life, I actually got the goose-bumps from watching the Joker. Heath Ledger did an A+ job with this one, my friends. And I'm glad he did because the Joker is my favorite villian from any of the comic series.
Other than that..I can't say much, because I have brothers who are probably reading this that don't want me to spoil the story for them. But I just thought I'd say I recommend it to everyone.
GREAT. FILM.
Today (or yesterday, rather) was supposed to be one of the greatest days of the summer. And while it was one of the greatest days so far...It had potential to also be one of the worst days ever.
You see--it started like this: I woke up around 11 AM or so. "Junk," I think to myself. "The day is already gone." I'm starting to get used to that feeling, though, and so I decided to be a positive about it for once. "Alas!" I thought to myself. "Twelve more hours until I leave to see The Dark Knight."
And so my four hours of free time before work began. I spent it with Matthew and Logan as usual. Three o'clock came along and all was well. I started getting ready for another busy day of work. When I got out of the shower, I turned on a few songs from Wicked, and the brothers and I sang the songs together.
And then that's when it happened. It was time for me to go to work, but before I went I decided I would text my good friend Scott to get some final plans set for the night. (I was originally going to go with my friend Mac, but decided to go with Scotty instead.) The final plan: Scotty would pick me up from work, we would go to the movie, and then he would come back to the house and spend the night.
It fell through, my friends. Scott informed me that both of his cars were in the shop and that he wouldn't be able to drive. "Junk it!" I thought. "Scott and I are the only ones going, and Matthew has to work. And I can't drive!! How are we going to get there??" Matthew told me he would talk to Dad while I was at work to see if he could get Dad to take me and Scott or something. It was risky, but it was a risk we had to take--I had work in fifteen minutes.
But it only got worse. 3:45 PM finally came, and it was time to go to work. I went outside to see which car was still at the house; Dad said something about going to the dentist. To my great surprise, BOTH cars were gone. "JUNK!!" I said to myself. "How am I going to get to work!?" I freaked out for a while, but then I realized that the only way to solve the problem was to stay calm.
And so I called my good friend Brother Payne; he's always been good to me, and he gave me a ride to work one time when the family was out of town. I needed a ride..And I needed it quick! But he never answered. I lost all my calmness and started to freak out again. And that's when Matthew suggested the Beattys. Sister Beatty, being the kind lady that she is, provided me with a last second ride to El Pollo Loco, and I barely made it on time. I really appreciated that.
Work was work. My manager didn't ever asked me to stay, so I left at ten. I called dad around 9 PM and asked him if he could pick me up; he said he didn't have a car. So right after 10:00 PM struck, I began my walk home.
When I got home, I saw that there were still no cars. "DANG IT," I said. "Matthew has let me down. I must see this movie!" The day was officially ruined. Or so I thought. I walked into the house, and Logan informs me that Dad and JoAnn are also going to the movie, because they got free movies tickets. JoAnn got home from the hospital, and Dad, JoAnn, Scotty, and I set off.
So what I'm trying to say is: Our days can only be ruined if we let them be ruined. I almost let that happen today, because I was being so negative. But if we are calm and think positive, everything we'll probably be okay. :)
And I have a new favorite movie now. Usually I have the power to put other movies above my Batman movies. But WOW, my friends, WOW. The Dark Knight was just TOO powerful, and now takes the belt for Best. Movie. Ever. My friends, remember that title: The Dark Knight. Not only is it the movie of the year, but it's the movie of the decade. 'Nuff said. Absolutely great movie.
The only reason I'm awake right now is because A)the movie was so good;I'm still blown away and B)for the first time in my life, I actually got the goose-bumps from watching the Joker. Heath Ledger did an A+ job with this one, my friends. And I'm glad he did because the Joker is my favorite villian from any of the comic series.
Other than that..I can't say much, because I have brothers who are probably reading this that don't want me to spoil the story for them. But I just thought I'd say I recommend it to everyone.
GREAT. FILM.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Another Beautiful Day
The last couple of days here in Vegas have truly been nice ones. The weather has been great, and I've been enjoying it.
Today went by really fast. I was up fairly late as usual, and so I didn't wake up until 11 AM. Matthew, Timmy, Logan, and I were planning on going to the movies with Landon at 11 AM, so the first thing I did after waking up was walk out the door. (Very rare!) Landon, Logan, and I saw Wall-E and Timmy and Matthew saw Journey To The Center of The Sun.
Wall-E isn't actually as bad as everyone makes it out to be. Landon, Logan, and I thought it was great. During pretty much the whole movie Landon just kept saying "Wall-E!" and "Eve!" over and over again. It made me laugh. (For those of you who don't know: Eve is Wall-E's lover in the movie.)
I would say it was fifty times better than the last Pixar turd I saw in theatres--Finding Nemo. Finding Nemo has always bugged me quite a bit. I hate when people try and convince me that Finding Nemo and/or A Bug's Life are the best Pixar movies; and then when I tell them I am not a fan of either, they are like, "HOW CAN YOU NOT LIKE THEM!?!". I just laugh at them and think, "Wow. It's called an opinion, my friend." But don't get me wrong--I'll sit down and watch any Pixar movie if I have to, but there are only a select few I would just put in and watch because I want to, if you know what I mean.
After the movies, we all went to McDonalds, and I bought everyone lunch. Landon got fries, Matthew and Logan got Hot'n'Spicys, and Timmy got a double cheeseburger. I, of course, went behind everyone's back and bought two Hot'n'Spicys for myself. Matt and Logan thought we got an extra one or something. In reality, I ordered it for myself. I ate it before Matthew could steal it from me. (He stole BOTH my churros the other night, my friends.) We got home and made the second part of lunch: dino nuggets to go along with Landon's fries. I also gave him a small cup of milk with a straw. He loved it!
And now it's 3:00 PM all over again, and I must go to work soon. I was planning on writing this post tonight, so that I wouldn't have to rush it in before I go to work, but I plan on watching Batman Begins tonight as soon as I get home (I must watch it to prepare for The Dark Knight tomorrow!), so I had to write it now. That, of course, is the good news. The bad news is: Landon leaves while I am at work, and that really makes me sad! I will miss him, but I look forward to seeing him again whenever his mom and his two sisters get here in a few weeks!! :)
And now I'm off to work. Hope this one flies by; I'm tired already.
Today went by really fast. I was up fairly late as usual, and so I didn't wake up until 11 AM. Matthew, Timmy, Logan, and I were planning on going to the movies with Landon at 11 AM, so the first thing I did after waking up was walk out the door. (Very rare!) Landon, Logan, and I saw Wall-E and Timmy and Matthew saw Journey To The Center of The Sun.
Wall-E isn't actually as bad as everyone makes it out to be. Landon, Logan, and I thought it was great. During pretty much the whole movie Landon just kept saying "Wall-E!" and "Eve!" over and over again. It made me laugh. (For those of you who don't know: Eve is Wall-E's lover in the movie.)
I would say it was fifty times better than the last Pixar turd I saw in theatres--Finding Nemo. Finding Nemo has always bugged me quite a bit. I hate when people try and convince me that Finding Nemo and/or A Bug's Life are the best Pixar movies; and then when I tell them I am not a fan of either, they are like, "HOW CAN YOU NOT LIKE THEM!?!". I just laugh at them and think, "Wow. It's called an opinion, my friend." But don't get me wrong--I'll sit down and watch any Pixar movie if I have to, but there are only a select few I would just put in and watch because I want to, if you know what I mean.
After the movies, we all went to McDonalds, and I bought everyone lunch. Landon got fries, Matthew and Logan got Hot'n'Spicys, and Timmy got a double cheeseburger. I, of course, went behind everyone's back and bought two Hot'n'Spicys for myself. Matt and Logan thought we got an extra one or something. In reality, I ordered it for myself. I ate it before Matthew could steal it from me. (He stole BOTH my churros the other night, my friends.) We got home and made the second part of lunch: dino nuggets to go along with Landon's fries. I also gave him a small cup of milk with a straw. He loved it!
And now it's 3:00 PM all over again, and I must go to work soon. I was planning on writing this post tonight, so that I wouldn't have to rush it in before I go to work, but I plan on watching Batman Begins tonight as soon as I get home (I must watch it to prepare for The Dark Knight tomorrow!), so I had to write it now. That, of course, is the good news. The bad news is: Landon leaves while I am at work, and that really makes me sad! I will miss him, but I look forward to seeing him again whenever his mom and his two sisters get here in a few weeks!! :)
And now I'm off to work. Hope this one flies by; I'm tired already.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
BDN Update (Yesterday and Today)
Dear World,
Yesterday I was way too tired to write anything on this blog, but I'll fill you in now. I gave blood yesterday morning, and that was sweet. I didn't pass out or anything, but my arm really hurt afterwards. The lady kept moving the needle around, so I am thinking I'll end up with a big bruise or something. However, the arm was already feeling better today, so maybe it's not as bad as I thought. Either way, I've been sort of drained of energy since I gave blood. I gave quite a bit; I'm starting to think they accidently took half of it. Haha.
Over the years, I've had quite a few friends tell me "BDN, you know exactly what to say to make me feel better about myself" or something like that. Well, over the last year or so, I kinda felt like I lost that ability. But yesterday at work, a co-worker of mine (she's a really sweet kid) was having a hard time, and I just talked to her, and I suddenly noticed a change in her attitude; I am not sure if that was because of me, but I really felt like I helped her out the best I could. She likes to ask me questions about the Church, and I later gave her a Mormon.org pass-along card. It felt really great to do that.
And then the weirdest thing happened: My manager Christina asked me if I could clean the bathroom before I left; I said yes. She replies, "Do you want free chicken to take home to your family?" I says, "You serious??" She says, "Yeah, because I like you soo much!" Weird. We're not supposed to get free chicken! But alas, she handed over a whole chicken, and I took it home. Matthew and I ate it all. It was great. I'm going to have to thank her for it next time I see her.
All I did today was play with my nephew Landon. He is my first nephew, and he's three now. He's very talkative this year, and he was very fun to play with! Chasing him around our big house is great exercise as well! ;)
The first thing I did when I woke up was give Landon a big hug and what not. My original plan was to cry all over the child, but I was so tired, so I only got about one tear out of me. Landon came into my room, and I put on my shoes. I took him downstairs, and we played with some of the daycare kids for a while. Landon loved the snack: pizza!! (Landon loves pizza, for those of you who don't know.)
The daycare was expecting to have Landon most of the day, but I didn't let that happen because I am too selfish. After we ate the pizza, we went back upstairs, where I gave him more food (I couldn't in front of the other daycare kids). Landon and I shared a bowl of cereal. He and I both made a big mess; he got a few pieces of cereal on the floor, and I kept spilling milk on the floor. We watched a little bit of Sponge Bob while eating the cereal, even though I later figured out that Landon's mommy doesn't let him watch that show usually. Good thing he was too busy playing with his favorite toy (the toy helicopter) to even really notice the TV was on!
I tried to get Landon to take his nap around noon, but he didn't want to. I tried putting him on Timmy's bed and then leaving him alone, but he started crying. Having the soft heart for Landon that I have, I said, "Okay, Landon, do you want to take a nap on Uncle Ben's bed?" And he said, "Okay." And so he got onto my bed while I played a video game on Matt's bed. He pretended to be asleep a few times, but he never actually got to sleep.
He eventually got out of the bed and started playing with toys again. He laughed a lot while playing with Uncle Ben and Uncle Logan, and he even called his mommy and daddy twice. :) He was making me laugh a lot while he asked such questions as "Uncle Ben, where's dinner?" when it was only 1:20 PM.
Around 2:30 PM or so, Landon wanted to go downstairs. I told him he couldn't because the daycare kids were napping. He didn't like that much. But then I asked him if he wanted to watch Disney Channel; he liked that idea, and he hopped onto the couch. I ran into my room real fast to write down a note for Matt. When I went back into the kitchen, I noticed Landon had fallen asleep on the couch. :) I grabbed my baby blanket and put it on the cute child. (KT, if you are wondering, he woke up a little bit after 4:00 PM, from what Matthew tells me.)
Work wasn't boring today, but it could have been. During my break, I started talking to another co-worker of mine about missionary work and what not. He asked me some questions, and I answered them all the best I could. He really got me laughing when he said, "Is it true Mormons don't eat pigs??" I said, "No, we can eat pigs." And then he said, "OH! It's cows--that's right." I just laughed and explained to him a little bit about the Word of Wisdom. Before he had to go back to work, he asked me what we learn at church and what not. I gave him a few examples of what we learn every week and what not, and then I eventually said, "There's no way I could just sit here for thirty minutes and tell you everything we learn, because we learn a lot, my friend." And then I asked him if he had the Internet and what not, and when he said yes, I told him about Mormon.org and gave him a pass-along card.
So yeah, the last two days have been great. It's been great to have Landon back, and I really feel like Heavenly Father's preparing me for my mission with all the missionary oppurtunities that I have every day. Sharing the Gospel with people at El Pollo Loco is so easy because every one is so nice and what not; I love it! And I hope my co-workers continue to ask me about the Church.
Until next time, my friends!!
Yours Truly,
BDN
P.S.
Check out the pictures that I posted earlier of Landon's adventures here at the house!! :)
Yesterday I was way too tired to write anything on this blog, but I'll fill you in now. I gave blood yesterday morning, and that was sweet. I didn't pass out or anything, but my arm really hurt afterwards. The lady kept moving the needle around, so I am thinking I'll end up with a big bruise or something. However, the arm was already feeling better today, so maybe it's not as bad as I thought. Either way, I've been sort of drained of energy since I gave blood. I gave quite a bit; I'm starting to think they accidently took half of it. Haha.
Over the years, I've had quite a few friends tell me "BDN, you know exactly what to say to make me feel better about myself" or something like that. Well, over the last year or so, I kinda felt like I lost that ability. But yesterday at work, a co-worker of mine (she's a really sweet kid) was having a hard time, and I just talked to her, and I suddenly noticed a change in her attitude; I am not sure if that was because of me, but I really felt like I helped her out the best I could. She likes to ask me questions about the Church, and I later gave her a Mormon.org pass-along card. It felt really great to do that.
And then the weirdest thing happened: My manager Christina asked me if I could clean the bathroom before I left; I said yes. She replies, "Do you want free chicken to take home to your family?" I says, "You serious??" She says, "Yeah, because I like you soo much!" Weird. We're not supposed to get free chicken! But alas, she handed over a whole chicken, and I took it home. Matthew and I ate it all. It was great. I'm going to have to thank her for it next time I see her.
All I did today was play with my nephew Landon. He is my first nephew, and he's three now. He's very talkative this year, and he was very fun to play with! Chasing him around our big house is great exercise as well! ;)
The first thing I did when I woke up was give Landon a big hug and what not. My original plan was to cry all over the child, but I was so tired, so I only got about one tear out of me. Landon came into my room, and I put on my shoes. I took him downstairs, and we played with some of the daycare kids for a while. Landon loved the snack: pizza!! (Landon loves pizza, for those of you who don't know.)
The daycare was expecting to have Landon most of the day, but I didn't let that happen because I am too selfish. After we ate the pizza, we went back upstairs, where I gave him more food (I couldn't in front of the other daycare kids). Landon and I shared a bowl of cereal. He and I both made a big mess; he got a few pieces of cereal on the floor, and I kept spilling milk on the floor. We watched a little bit of Sponge Bob while eating the cereal, even though I later figured out that Landon's mommy doesn't let him watch that show usually. Good thing he was too busy playing with his favorite toy (the toy helicopter) to even really notice the TV was on!
I tried to get Landon to take his nap around noon, but he didn't want to. I tried putting him on Timmy's bed and then leaving him alone, but he started crying. Having the soft heart for Landon that I have, I said, "Okay, Landon, do you want to take a nap on Uncle Ben's bed?" And he said, "Okay." And so he got onto my bed while I played a video game on Matt's bed. He pretended to be asleep a few times, but he never actually got to sleep.
He eventually got out of the bed and started playing with toys again. He laughed a lot while playing with Uncle Ben and Uncle Logan, and he even called his mommy and daddy twice. :) He was making me laugh a lot while he asked such questions as "Uncle Ben, where's dinner?" when it was only 1:20 PM.
Around 2:30 PM or so, Landon wanted to go downstairs. I told him he couldn't because the daycare kids were napping. He didn't like that much. But then I asked him if he wanted to watch Disney Channel; he liked that idea, and he hopped onto the couch. I ran into my room real fast to write down a note for Matt. When I went back into the kitchen, I noticed Landon had fallen asleep on the couch. :) I grabbed my baby blanket and put it on the cute child. (KT, if you are wondering, he woke up a little bit after 4:00 PM, from what Matthew tells me.)
Work wasn't boring today, but it could have been. During my break, I started talking to another co-worker of mine about missionary work and what not. He asked me some questions, and I answered them all the best I could. He really got me laughing when he said, "Is it true Mormons don't eat pigs??" I said, "No, we can eat pigs." And then he said, "OH! It's cows--that's right." I just laughed and explained to him a little bit about the Word of Wisdom. Before he had to go back to work, he asked me what we learn at church and what not. I gave him a few examples of what we learn every week and what not, and then I eventually said, "There's no way I could just sit here for thirty minutes and tell you everything we learn, because we learn a lot, my friend." And then I asked him if he had the Internet and what not, and when he said yes, I told him about Mormon.org and gave him a pass-along card.
So yeah, the last two days have been great. It's been great to have Landon back, and I really feel like Heavenly Father's preparing me for my mission with all the missionary oppurtunities that I have every day. Sharing the Gospel with people at El Pollo Loco is so easy because every one is so nice and what not; I love it! And I hope my co-workers continue to ask me about the Church.
Until next time, my friends!!
Yours Truly,
BDN
P.S.
Check out the pictures that I posted earlier of Landon's adventures here at the house!! :)
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Best. Musical. Ever.
Dear World,
"Wicked" is one of the best musicals ever, if not the best. It's a fact, my friends, so just face it.
Everyone either request a copy from me, or go and buy it as quickly as possible.
Best. Musical. Ever.
"Wicked" is one of the best musicals ever, if not the best. It's a fact, my friends, so just face it.
Everyone either request a copy from me, or go and buy it as quickly as possible.
Best. Musical. Ever.
Yours Truly,
BDN
Two Fingers (Sometimes Four)
I have a confession: I took keyboarding, but I don't use any of the techniques that I learned. I still use two fingers to type. I have been doing it since about 2001.
After seven years of typing like this, I can do it with ease and can do it without looking. I have even come to the point where I sometimes use my two thumbs to hit the space bar.
So I think we should come up with a new name for my method of typing: The BDN Method. I'm giving lessons! Anyone can take them; lemme know if you are interested.
After seven years of typing like this, I can do it with ease and can do it without looking. I have even come to the point where I sometimes use my two thumbs to hit the space bar.
So I think we should come up with a new name for my method of typing: The BDN Method. I'm giving lessons! Anyone can take them; lemme know if you are interested.
This Week's Adventurous Events
-I am giving blood tomorrow at 9:30 AM.
-Landon is coming to stay with us for a few days starting Tuesday.
-I am going to the midnight showing of "The Dark Knight" (Movie of the year! I said it first.)
-Cynthia gets here Saturday night!!
-Landon is coming to stay with us for a few days starting Tuesday.
-I am going to the midnight showing of "The Dark Knight" (Movie of the year! I said it first.)
-Cynthia gets here Saturday night!!
A Hauntingly Beautiful Walk Home
Wow. I left El Pollo Loco around 10:50 PM, and just got home about twenty minutes ago. I am tired, and will probably fall asleep as soon as I get in my bed; Matthew isn't home from work yet to keep me awake. But that's probably a good thing, because I need some sleep before church tomorrow.
But alas, what a beautiful night! It was sweet walking home with the moon-light shining down on the dark streets. And what made it even cooler was the lightning that kept flashing in the distance. I could also hear the crickets in between the songs on my Mp3 player, and that was a sweet effect.
While I walked, I listened to DMB's "Before These Crowded Streets" album. Wow. It fit the dark setting perfectly, and it was actually kinda haunting/frightning listening to that music while walking home. But I thoroughly enjoyed it; it was good to actually not be surrounded by people for once and to just walk, listen to my music, and fall into some deep thought. It was pretty sweet
With that said: I have some sleeping to do and what not; I just wanted to let everyone know I made it home safely. For those of you who were wondering, I mean. ;)
But alas, what a beautiful night! It was sweet walking home with the moon-light shining down on the dark streets. And what made it even cooler was the lightning that kept flashing in the distance. I could also hear the crickets in between the songs on my Mp3 player, and that was a sweet effect.
While I walked, I listened to DMB's "Before These Crowded Streets" album. Wow. It fit the dark setting perfectly, and it was actually kinda haunting/frightning listening to that music while walking home. But I thoroughly enjoyed it; it was good to actually not be surrounded by people for once and to just walk, listen to my music, and fall into some deep thought. It was pretty sweet
With that said: I have some sleeping to do and what not; I just wanted to let everyone know I made it home safely. For those of you who were wondering, I mean. ;)
Saturday, July 12, 2008
A Day Off
I could sure use a day off today. I'm already sore and tired, and I'm not even at work yet. But this is a good experience for me, so I'd better just pull on through.
Here's the plan:
-Matthew works until around 2 AM tonight, so he can't give me a ride home.
-I get done around 11:00 PM-11:30 PM (most likely); Matthew will not be here to pick me up.
-Dad will be too busy to pick me up--watching a TV show or some'.
-'Ergo, tonight will be the night I decide to walk home. Even though I'm super tired, I do like to choose a day every now and then where I walk home. I shall bring my iRiver, and it shall keep me company on the way home. And then I'll get home around 12:00-12:30, and I'll wait for Matthew to return.
Let's make today a good day, my friends. :)
Here's the plan:
-Matthew works until around 2 AM tonight, so he can't give me a ride home.
-I get done around 11:00 PM-11:30 PM (most likely); Matthew will not be here to pick me up.
-Dad will be too busy to pick me up--watching a TV show or some'.
-'Ergo, tonight will be the night I decide to walk home. Even though I'm super tired, I do like to choose a day every now and then where I walk home. I shall bring my iRiver, and it shall keep me company on the way home. And then I'll get home around 12:00-12:30, and I'll wait for Matthew to return.
Let's make today a good day, my friends. :)
The Fly That Couldn't Fly
Yesterday as I was sweeping the floor at El Pollo Loco, I came across a fly on the ground.
"If I'm quick enough, I bet I could sweep him up," I thought to myself. And so I tried.
To my astonishment, the fly was easily swept into the dust pan. "Weird," I thought.
I took a peek into the dustpan, and he wasn't flying out; rather, he was crawling out.
"A fly that cannot fly!" I exclaimed. I let him escape a few times, but then swept him right back up into the dustpan. It was fun teasing the fiend.
I took one more look at him and said, "Why can't he fly? He has two wings! Most unusual, indeed."
And then I emptied my dustpan into the trashcan, and the fly is no more.
"If I'm quick enough, I bet I could sweep him up," I thought to myself. And so I tried.
To my astonishment, the fly was easily swept into the dust pan. "Weird," I thought.
I took a peek into the dustpan, and he wasn't flying out; rather, he was crawling out.
"A fly that cannot fly!" I exclaimed. I let him escape a few times, but then swept him right back up into the dustpan. It was fun teasing the fiend.
I took one more look at him and said, "Why can't he fly? He has two wings! Most unusual, indeed."
And then I emptied my dustpan into the trashcan, and the fly is no more.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Good Day
"You're alright--I don't care what they say."--a random costumer at El Pollo Loco today. Wow. Did I need that more than anything!
Today my heart leapt twice. It's been forever since my heart has leapt twice in the same day. (P.S. My heart only leaps if I am really happy and/or excited.) It's hard to say where it was all coming from, but it was great.
I've decided to come up with a little game called "Who Can Give BDN The Most Hugs?" It's going to be great; there shall be a grand prize and all. More details on that as they arise.
Before I head off to chill with my brothers...I just wanted to thank everyone who sent me positive remarks/compliments today. It was really helpful. Thank you Kerstin for calling me and waking me up this morning, and thank you Brent Nelson for making me laugh. :)
Today my heart leapt twice. It's been forever since my heart has leapt twice in the same day. (P.S. My heart only leaps if I am really happy and/or excited.) It's hard to say where it was all coming from, but it was great.
I've decided to come up with a little game called "Who Can Give BDN The Most Hugs?" It's going to be great; there shall be a grand prize and all. More details on that as they arise.
Before I head off to chill with my brothers...I just wanted to thank everyone who sent me positive remarks/compliments today. It was really helpful. Thank you Kerstin for calling me and waking me up this morning, and thank you Brent Nelson for making me laugh. :)
A Message To The World From BDN (Part 2)
Dear World,
Wow. Good thing I had an awesome day today. It has inspired me to write this letter.
I just wanted to apologize for going ballistic last night. It's been tough times lately, but I realized at work today that I just need to suck it up and continue with my life. (Something like that.)
So I'm just going to forget about everything that has happened over the last couple of weeks, and I am welcoming all friends to bother me all they want--whether it's through text or over at El Pollo Loco. And when I eventually get days off, I welcome all friends to invite me to do stuff with them again.
Let's face it--I'm a changed man, but I'm going to try my best from here on out to make it only good change. :)
I'll see everyone tomorrow at the Mission Hills Park at 7:30 AM for breakfast. ;) Well...if not, I look forward to seeing everyone again.
Your Friend,
BDN
Wow. Good thing I had an awesome day today. It has inspired me to write this letter.
I just wanted to apologize for going ballistic last night. It's been tough times lately, but I realized at work today that I just need to suck it up and continue with my life. (Something like that.)
So I'm just going to forget about everything that has happened over the last couple of weeks, and I am welcoming all friends to bother me all they want--whether it's through text or over at El Pollo Loco. And when I eventually get days off, I welcome all friends to invite me to do stuff with them again.
Let's face it--I'm a changed man, but I'm going to try my best from here on out to make it only good change. :)
I'll see everyone tomorrow at the Mission Hills Park at 7:30 AM for breakfast. ;) Well...if not, I look forward to seeing everyone again.
Your Friend,
BDN
BDN's Monday Through Saturday Routine
3:00 AM-10:30 AM
-Sleep
10:30 AM-2:00 PM
-Chill with brothers
-Get stuff done
-Eat
-Etc.
2:00 PM-3:00 PM
-Get on my computer and do a little Facebooking and Blogging.
-Visit Antsmarching.org and check out the latest and greatest in the DMB community.
-Check how much money I have in my checking account for my dinner at El Pollo Loco.
3:00 PM-3:45 PM
-Get ready for work
-Drink a glass of water
4:00 PM-10:00 PM (Sometimes 11:00 PM)
-Clean the lobby at El Pollo Loco, etc.
11:00 PM-3:00 AM
-Throw uniforms into the wash.
-Watch DVD's with brothers.
-Listen to music with brothers.
-Play games with brothers.
-Etc.
-Sleep
10:30 AM-2:00 PM
-Chill with brothers
-Get stuff done
-Eat
-Etc.
2:00 PM-3:00 PM
-Get on my computer and do a little Facebooking and Blogging.
-Visit Antsmarching.org and check out the latest and greatest in the DMB community.
-Check how much money I have in my checking account for my dinner at El Pollo Loco.
3:00 PM-3:45 PM
-Get ready for work
-Drink a glass of water
4:00 PM-10:00 PM (Sometimes 11:00 PM)
-Clean the lobby at El Pollo Loco, etc.
11:00 PM-3:00 AM
-Throw uniforms into the wash.
-Watch DVD's with brothers.
-Listen to music with brothers.
-Play games with brothers.
-Etc.
Survey (For The Kids)
Full Name: Benjamin David Nelson (Duh)
Single or Taken: Single
Sex: Male
Birthday: October 6, 1990
Siblings: Five Brothers; Two Sisters
Eye color: Blue
shoe size: Nine
Height: 5"8'+
Innie or Outie: Innie
What are you wearing right now: My undies and a shirt.
Where do you live : Las Vegas, NV
Righty or lefty: Righty
Can you make a dollar in change right now: Nope.
Do you have a BF or GF? Yes, I have a Guardian Force (for all you Final Fantasy VIII fans out there)
Did you send this to your crush? I don't have a crush, sorry.
Best place to go for a date: No idea!
Who am I with? My brothers.
Do I have money? A little bit.
What season is it? Summertime.
How do I feel? GREAT!
Fashion Stuff---------------------------------------
Where is your fav. place to shop: Amazon.com
Do you have any tattoos or piercings? No.
Do you plan on getting any tattoos or piercings in the future? No.
Favorite kind of pants: Jeans, I guess.
Favorite color: Blue
Favorite Number: Eight has always been a good number to me, but #34 has been my lucky number the last couple of years.
Favorite Boys Name: Benjamin Dandin Nelson AKA BDN II
Favorite Girls Name: Don't have one.
Fav. subject in school: Math
Animal: Squirrels
Drink: Milk
Sport: Football, Basketball, Volleyball
Fast-Food Place: McDonalds, El Pollo Loco
Month: October and December
Band: It changes on me a lot. John Mayer's the best right now.
Movie: "A Beautiful Mind"
Juice: Orange
Finger: Index
Breakfast: Hmm. I don't really have a favorite breakfast, but I do eat a lot of cereal.
Cologne: Don't care!
Perfume: I don't wear perfume.
Have you ever--------------------------------------------------------------
Given anyone a bath: Yes.
Smoked: Nope
Bungee jumped: Nope
Made yourself throw-up?: Nope.
Gone skinny dipping: Absolutely. Good times.
Eaten a dog biscuit: Sick, no.
Put your tongue on a frozen pole: Haha. Some' like that..
Loved someone so much it made you cry: Yes.
Broken a bone: Nope.
Played truth or dare: Yes
Played Spin the Bottle? Nope
Been in a physical fight: Haha. Yeah.
Been in a police car: Nope!
Been on a plane: Yep!
Been in a sauna: WTJ!?
Been in a hot tub: Yes
swam in the ocean: Yes
Fallen asleep in school: All the time.
Ran away?: Once or twice.
Broken someone's heart: Mucho persons!
Cried when someone died: Yes.
Flashed someone: My brothers. HAHA.
Cried in school: Yes.
Sat by the phone all night waiting for a call: Stupidest thing anyone could ever do, IMO. BIGGEST waste of time. However, I did wait all day for Brent Nelson to call from France once. Haha.
Saved MSN conversations: Yes.
Saved e-mails: Yup. I have everything dating all the way back to 2005.
Fallen for one of your best friends? Multiple times.
Been cheated on?: Kind of. Haha. I was young!
Done something you regret?: I don't regret doing things.
Your good luck charm: Good luck charms don't exist.
Best song you ever heard: Hmm. Way too many.
What's your room like: It's called "The Lab." Matthew and I have everything in here that we need to live.
Last thing you said: "I'm done."
Last thing you ate: Peanut Butter/Chocolate Pops Cereal
What kind of shampoo do you use? I dunno; bottle's black.
Best thing that has happened to you this year: Experiencing Matthew's return.
Worst thing that has happened to you this year: Gordon B. Hinckley's death was really tough for me; that's definitely been the worst so far.
Have you ever had...
Chicken pox: Yes.
Sore Throat: Of course.
Stitches: Only in my mouth, on my gums
Broken nose: Nope
Believed in love at first sight: There's no way that this could work, sorry.
Do you---------------------------------------
Like picnics:.Yeah!
Like school: Yes.
Would you:-----------------------------------------------------------------
Eat a live hamster for $1,000,000: Absolutely!!
Kill someone you didn't know for 15 billion dollars: Haha. No.
If you were stuck on an island, what people would you want with you? My siblings.
If you loved someone and you were keeping something from them and it Would hurt them if
they found out, would you tell them: I dunno. Stupid question. Haha.
Who was the last person that called you: My sister Kerstin. :)
Who was the last person you slow danced with? Allison!
.
What makes you laugh the most?: My brothers and sisters.
What makes you smile?: My nephews, my nieces, my siblings.
Who is the last person-----------------------------------------------------
You yelled at: Haha. I dunno. Probably Logan Nelson.
Who broke your heart: Myself
Who told you they loved you: Kerstin Peterson!
Is your loudest friend: BDN
Do you/Are You:------------------------------------------------------------
Do you like filling these out: Yes.
Do you wear contacts or glasses: Contacts
Do you like yourself? Absolutely. BDN is a little junked up sometimes, but I think he's awesome, and I always have his back.
Do you get along with your family: Best. Family. Ever. (Answer your question?)
Do you do drugs: Nope.
Stolen anything over $50: Haha. No.
Obsessive?: Not at all.
Anorexic?: Nope. I'm actually getting pretty fat eating El Pollo Loco every night...
Suicidal?: Not lately! ;) Haha. It's a pretty good time to be alive.
Random----------------------------------------------------
How many people are you sending this to: Thousands!
What are you listening to right now?: "Gravity" (John Mayer)
How many buddies are on your list: Quite a few. haha.
What did you do yesterday?: Woke up, ate, chilled, went to work.
Hated someone in your family: I have been close. ;)
Got any awards: Yes.
What car do you wish to have: *shrug* Don't care.
Where do you want to get married: It'd be nice to keep the tradition strong and get married hear in Las Vegas, Nevada.
If you could change one thing about yourself what would it be?: I just wish I could understand myself a little more, buuut...Other than that, I think I'm great, and I don't need any sort of change.
Good driver: Depends on who's in the car. ;)
Good dancer: I wish.
Good Singer: Haha. Heck yes.
How many remote controls are in your house: A lot!
Are you double jointed: Nope
What do you dream about: I don't dream anymore.
Last time you took a bath: Yesterday
Sun or Rain: Rain
Scary or happy movies: Neither!
Root beer or Dr. Pepper: Dr. Pepper
Mud or Jell-O wrestling: Pudding wrestling.
Vanilla or chocolate: Both
Skiing or Snow Boarding: Neither. Hate snow.
Summer or Winter? Winter>>>>Summer
Silver or Gold? Silver
Sunset or Sunrise: Sunrise
Sprite or 7up: Sprite
Orange juice or apple juice: Orange
Cats or Dogs? Cats.
Coffee or tea: Haha.
Phone or in person: In person. The phone blows.
Oldest, middle, youngest or only child: Middle.
Indoor or outdoor: Depends.
sexual preference: Female.
favorite sleeping position: I can only get to sleep on my stomach for some reason, but then I'm guessing I roll over and what not in my sleep, because sometimes I wake up on my side, etc.
Toilet paper or paper towels: Toliet paper. Duh.
Single or Taken: Single
Sex: Male
Birthday: October 6, 1990
Siblings: Five Brothers; Two Sisters
Eye color: Blue
shoe size: Nine
Height: 5"8'+
Innie or Outie: Innie
What are you wearing right now: My undies and a shirt.
Where do you live : Las Vegas, NV
Righty or lefty: Righty
Can you make a dollar in change right now: Nope.
Do you have a BF or GF? Yes, I have a Guardian Force (for all you Final Fantasy VIII fans out there)
Did you send this to your crush? I don't have a crush, sorry.
Best place to go for a date: No idea!
Who am I with? My brothers.
Do I have money? A little bit.
What season is it? Summertime.
How do I feel? GREAT!
Fashion Stuff---------------------------------------
Where is your fav. place to shop: Amazon.com
Do you have any tattoos or piercings? No.
Do you plan on getting any tattoos or piercings in the future? No.
Favorite kind of pants: Jeans, I guess.
Favorite color: Blue
Favorite Number: Eight has always been a good number to me, but #34 has been my lucky number the last couple of years.
Favorite Boys Name: Benjamin Dandin Nelson AKA BDN II
Favorite Girls Name: Don't have one.
Fav. subject in school: Math
Animal: Squirrels
Drink: Milk
Sport: Football, Basketball, Volleyball
Fast-Food Place: McDonalds, El Pollo Loco
Month: October and December
Band: It changes on me a lot. John Mayer's the best right now.
Movie: "A Beautiful Mind"
Juice: Orange
Finger: Index
Breakfast: Hmm. I don't really have a favorite breakfast, but I do eat a lot of cereal.
Cologne: Don't care!
Perfume: I don't wear perfume.
Have you ever--------------------------------------------------------------
Given anyone a bath: Yes.
Smoked: Nope
Bungee jumped: Nope
Made yourself throw-up?: Nope.
Gone skinny dipping: Absolutely. Good times.
Eaten a dog biscuit: Sick, no.
Put your tongue on a frozen pole: Haha. Some' like that..
Loved someone so much it made you cry: Yes.
Broken a bone: Nope.
Played truth or dare: Yes
Played Spin the Bottle? Nope
Been in a physical fight: Haha. Yeah.
Been in a police car: Nope!
Been on a plane: Yep!
Been in a sauna: WTJ!?
Been in a hot tub: Yes
swam in the ocean: Yes
Fallen asleep in school: All the time.
Ran away?: Once or twice.
Broken someone's heart: Mucho persons!
Cried when someone died: Yes.
Flashed someone: My brothers. HAHA.
Cried in school: Yes.
Sat by the phone all night waiting for a call: Stupidest thing anyone could ever do, IMO. BIGGEST waste of time. However, I did wait all day for Brent Nelson to call from France once. Haha.
Saved MSN conversations: Yes.
Saved e-mails: Yup. I have everything dating all the way back to 2005.
Fallen for one of your best friends? Multiple times.
Been cheated on?: Kind of. Haha. I was young!
Done something you regret?: I don't regret doing things.
Your good luck charm: Good luck charms don't exist.
Best song you ever heard: Hmm. Way too many.
What's your room like: It's called "The Lab." Matthew and I have everything in here that we need to live.
Last thing you said: "I'm done."
Last thing you ate: Peanut Butter/Chocolate Pops Cereal
What kind of shampoo do you use? I dunno; bottle's black.
Best thing that has happened to you this year: Experiencing Matthew's return.
Worst thing that has happened to you this year: Gordon B. Hinckley's death was really tough for me; that's definitely been the worst so far.
Have you ever had...
Chicken pox: Yes.
Sore Throat: Of course.
Stitches: Only in my mouth, on my gums
Broken nose: Nope
Believed in love at first sight: There's no way that this could work, sorry.
Do you---------------------------------------
Like picnics:.Yeah!
Like school: Yes.
Would you:-----------------------------------------------------------------
Eat a live hamster for $1,000,000: Absolutely!!
Kill someone you didn't know for 15 billion dollars: Haha. No.
If you were stuck on an island, what people would you want with you? My siblings.
If you loved someone and you were keeping something from them and it Would hurt them if
they found out, would you tell them: I dunno. Stupid question. Haha.
Who was the last person that called you: My sister Kerstin. :)
Who was the last person you slow danced with? Allison!
.
What makes you laugh the most?: My brothers and sisters.
What makes you smile?: My nephews, my nieces, my siblings.
Who is the last person-----------------------------------------------------
You yelled at: Haha. I dunno. Probably Logan Nelson.
Who broke your heart: Myself
Who told you they loved you: Kerstin Peterson!
Is your loudest friend: BDN
Do you/Are You:------------------------------------------------------------
Do you like filling these out: Yes.
Do you wear contacts or glasses: Contacts
Do you like yourself? Absolutely. BDN is a little junked up sometimes, but I think he's awesome, and I always have his back.
Do you get along with your family: Best. Family. Ever. (Answer your question?)
Do you do drugs: Nope.
Stolen anything over $50: Haha. No.
Obsessive?: Not at all.
Anorexic?: Nope. I'm actually getting pretty fat eating El Pollo Loco every night...
Suicidal?: Not lately! ;) Haha. It's a pretty good time to be alive.
Random----------------------------------------------------
How many people are you sending this to: Thousands!
What are you listening to right now?: "Gravity" (John Mayer)
How many buddies are on your list: Quite a few. haha.
What did you do yesterday?: Woke up, ate, chilled, went to work.
Hated someone in your family: I have been close. ;)
Got any awards: Yes.
What car do you wish to have: *shrug* Don't care.
Where do you want to get married: It'd be nice to keep the tradition strong and get married hear in Las Vegas, Nevada.
If you could change one thing about yourself what would it be?: I just wish I could understand myself a little more, buuut...Other than that, I think I'm great, and I don't need any sort of change.
Good driver: Depends on who's in the car. ;)
Good dancer: I wish.
Good Singer: Haha. Heck yes.
How many remote controls are in your house: A lot!
Are you double jointed: Nope
What do you dream about: I don't dream anymore.
Last time you took a bath: Yesterday
Sun or Rain: Rain
Scary or happy movies: Neither!
Root beer or Dr. Pepper: Dr. Pepper
Mud or Jell-O wrestling: Pudding wrestling.
Vanilla or chocolate: Both
Skiing or Snow Boarding: Neither. Hate snow.
Summer or Winter? Winter>>>>Summer
Silver or Gold? Silver
Sunset or Sunrise: Sunrise
Sprite or 7up: Sprite
Orange juice or apple juice: Orange
Cats or Dogs? Cats.
Coffee or tea: Haha.
Phone or in person: In person. The phone blows.
Oldest, middle, youngest or only child: Middle.
Indoor or outdoor: Depends.
sexual preference: Female.
favorite sleeping position: I can only get to sleep on my stomach for some reason, but then I'm guessing I roll over and what not in my sleep, because sometimes I wake up on my side, etc.
Toilet paper or paper towels: Toliet paper. Duh.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
A Message To The World From BDN
Dear World,
I can't even fill out a survey without getting the crap bashed out of me, so I just went ahead and deleted my "20 Years" survey.
I want to tell the whole world to just leave me alone. I was making progress--things were getting better for me--, but now I'm worse off than I was before because I'm under the impression that the world thinks I'm a bad guy.
So alas, if your last name isn't Nelson or Peterson, leave me alone; I don't want to talk to people anymore. Summertime is for me and my family. I'm sick of everyone, especially myself, and my family is the only cure for that. They know me better than anyone else--they are the only ones that understand me, and appreciate me no matter what I DO or SAY. Those two things are the only thing that are gonna help me in the long run.
So yeah, leave me alone for a while. Please and thank you.
Yours Truly,
BDN
I can't even fill out a survey without getting the crap bashed out of me, so I just went ahead and deleted my "20 Years" survey.
I want to tell the whole world to just leave me alone. I was making progress--things were getting better for me--, but now I'm worse off than I was before because I'm under the impression that the world thinks I'm a bad guy.
So alas, if your last name isn't Nelson or Peterson, leave me alone; I don't want to talk to people anymore. Summertime is for me and my family. I'm sick of everyone, especially myself, and my family is the only cure for that. They know me better than anyone else--they are the only ones that understand me, and appreciate me no matter what I DO or SAY. Those two things are the only thing that are gonna help me in the long run.
So yeah, leave me alone for a while. Please and thank you.
Yours Truly,
BDN
Dear Anonymous
Dear Anonymous,
Thank you for coming to visit me at work. It was the best. As usual, I enjoyed the conversation that I had with you. You tell some sweet stories, and I loved the one about you and me taking long walks on the beach. I appreciated your visit very much.
Your Pal,
BDN
Thank you for coming to visit me at work. It was the best. As usual, I enjoyed the conversation that I had with you. You tell some sweet stories, and I loved the one about you and me taking long walks on the beach. I appreciated your visit very much.
Your Pal,
BDN
Summer Music
Every summer, BDN finds some good music and then claims it as his summer music for that summer and for future summers. A few examples are listed below. Put a link to some YouTube vidoes for anyone who is interested in how any of the music goes.
2005
Album: Stand Up (DMB)
Song: Spotlight (DMB)
2006
Songs: The Idea of You, Kill The King, Shotgun, Break Free (DMB)
(The Idea of You: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOHjdfWweeI)
2007
Albums: Wicked (The Musical), Joseph and The Amazing Technicolored Dreamcoat
Song: Status Quo (High School Musical)
(Defying Gravity: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=262x9n5YCa0)
2008
Album: Where The Light Is (John Mayer)
(Free Fallin': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFOCvuii96w)
(In Your Atmosphere: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_KnnHRQeaE)
Just a few, really. I could make a list that went all the way back to 2001 if I wanted to, but the last four years are my favorites, so that's them.
2005
Album: Stand Up (DMB)
Song: Spotlight (DMB)
2006
Songs: The Idea of You, Kill The King, Shotgun, Break Free (DMB)
(The Idea of You: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOHjdfWweeI)
2007
Albums: Wicked (The Musical), Joseph and The Amazing Technicolored Dreamcoat
Song: Status Quo (High School Musical)
(Defying Gravity: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=262x9n5YCa0)
2008
Album: Where The Light Is (John Mayer)
(Free Fallin': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFOCvuii96w)
(In Your Atmosphere: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_KnnHRQeaE)
Just a few, really. I could make a list that went all the way back to 2001 if I wanted to, but the last four years are my favorites, so that's them.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
A El Pollo Loco Story: More Visits + Forget Weekends
I had more visits at El Pollo Loco last night. Brother Dow (my old priest quorom advisor and my dentist) and his wife stopped by and visited El Pollo Loco last night. Brother Goodfellow and his family also stopped by. It was good to see more people from the ward!
And forget weekends! I only get Sundays off starting this next week. Wow. That's six days a week. But I am glad my one day off is Sunday! ;) Hopefully things settle down at El Pollo Loco, though, so that I can get my Saturdays back before Kerstin gets here. :)
And forget weekends! I only get Sundays off starting this next week. Wow. That's six days a week. But I am glad my one day off is Sunday! ;) Hopefully things settle down at El Pollo Loco, though, so that I can get my Saturdays back before Kerstin gets here. :)
A El Pollo Loco Story: Chase Family Visits BDN
My favorite part about working in the lobby at El Pollo Loco is being able to visit with familiar faces as they eat their food.
Today, one of my heroes came to visit me. Good ol' Brother Chase! Brother Chase was my seminary teacher my junior year, and he was amazing. He is definitely a legend. One reason I'm not looking forward to senior year as much as I probably should is because Brother Chase isn't teaching seminary again. However, I'm lucky enough to have Brother Chase in my ward, and so I get to stop and talk to him every Sunday. It's great being able to keep in touch with him.
Last December, I helped Brother Chase put grass in his backyard, and so I was at his house all day for two Saturdays. During that time, Brother Chase's family and I got to know each other pretty well. I instantly became fans of his four little kids; and they seemed to like me a lot, too. (His two oldest, anyways.) GREAT. FAMILY.
Anyways. Today he brought his whole family in to El Pollo Loco for Family Home Evening. It was really sweet! His kids are so cool and cute. They are all really young, and they were making me laugh as they asked me questions like, "Hey, Ben, are your kids married yet?" and made comments like, "I didn't know Ben lived HERE!!" (referring to El Pollo Loco). Those are just two of my favorites; his family definitely had me smiling while I worked. I took a break and visited with them for a while, and Brother Chase and I talked about having his family over for a swimming party/BBQ. His kids are going to love that.
Before they left, they were sure to make their table nice and dirty so that I had something to do after they left. As they were leaving, Brother Chase's oldest (Hazel) said, "Bye, Ben! See ya next time we come!" That put a big smile on my face.
After they left, work got really boring pretty fast, but their visit was definitely a great way to start the week off. :)
Today, one of my heroes came to visit me. Good ol' Brother Chase! Brother Chase was my seminary teacher my junior year, and he was amazing. He is definitely a legend. One reason I'm not looking forward to senior year as much as I probably should is because Brother Chase isn't teaching seminary again. However, I'm lucky enough to have Brother Chase in my ward, and so I get to stop and talk to him every Sunday. It's great being able to keep in touch with him.
Last December, I helped Brother Chase put grass in his backyard, and so I was at his house all day for two Saturdays. During that time, Brother Chase's family and I got to know each other pretty well. I instantly became fans of his four little kids; and they seemed to like me a lot, too. (His two oldest, anyways.) GREAT. FAMILY.
Anyways. Today he brought his whole family in to El Pollo Loco for Family Home Evening. It was really sweet! His kids are so cool and cute. They are all really young, and they were making me laugh as they asked me questions like, "Hey, Ben, are your kids married yet?" and made comments like, "I didn't know Ben lived HERE!!" (referring to El Pollo Loco). Those are just two of my favorites; his family definitely had me smiling while I worked. I took a break and visited with them for a while, and Brother Chase and I talked about having his family over for a swimming party/BBQ. His kids are going to love that.
Before they left, they were sure to make their table nice and dirty so that I had something to do after they left. As they were leaving, Brother Chase's oldest (Hazel) said, "Bye, Ben! See ya next time we come!" That put a big smile on my face.
After they left, work got really boring pretty fast, but their visit was definitely a great way to start the week off. :)
Monday, July 7, 2008
Memory Lane
The bad thing about me keeping one of these blogs is that I'll probably want to post something every day. That's just how I am. So I am going to try and not get too excited and post sparingly.
Last night--or this morning, rather--Matthew Nelson and I were up until 3 AM. We were taking a little trip down memory lane; talking about the things of our past, etc.
We started off the journey with a famous home video called "Christmas 1999." Wow. It sure was refreshing to watch that. I about peed myself, and it was just sweet to realize how much cooler I am now than when I was my young, nine-year-old self.
Last night--or this morning, rather--Matthew Nelson and I were up until 3 AM. We were taking a little trip down memory lane; talking about the things of our past, etc.
We started off the journey with a famous home video called "Christmas 1999." Wow. It sure was refreshing to watch that. I about peed myself, and it was just sweet to realize how much cooler I am now than when I was my young, nine-year-old self.
After watching home videos, I decided I would mess around and look some new video games up on the Internet. Matthew joined me, and we checked them out together. But alas! That's not part of our trip down Memory Lane.
Matthew and I probably sat down at my computer and watched YouTube videos for two hours. We decided to look at some videos of rare, Suikoden II footage. (Suikoden II is a game from our younger years.)
We talked about this game for a while as we watched those videos, and it really brought back some memories of when Matthew and I used to play this game in our room in Mississippi. We talked about how sweet the series is and how disappointed we would be if they didn't release a new game soon. (Suikoden V was the last one to come out; that was in 2006.)
Although we mostly talked about something like video games, it was pretty refreshing talking about old times; it truly brought back a lot of memories of the earlier years of 2000. I miss those days!
In other news: My break from work comes to an end today. I have work at 4 PM as usual, and it should be good to be back. I get my second paycheck either tomorrow or Wednesday. I look forward to it; it should be a pretty big one.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
E-mail: BDN Update (Might As Well Be A Blog Entry)
Dear Friends,
Wow, it's been a while since I've done this. I realize that this message is being sent to pretty much all of my friends, and really hope everyone gets it. I'm pretty sure a bunch of these e-mail addresses are old, and a lot of people probably won't get this. But I've always liked to take a little time to update everyone on BDN, so here I go anyways.
The summer so far has been like all my other summers here in Henderson. Summer for me is probably the best time to make some changes, and so--of course--I always do. However, the changes so far haven't been so great. A part of me has been missing, and I've kind of gone back to the old, negative BDN that I was those many years ago. BUT the great thing about the summer is that we have three months to figure everything out and to change into someone we WANT to be. So I've been working on that the last couple of weeks. (More on that later in the e-mail, though.)
I finally got a job at a little place called El Pollo Loco. We have a new one here in Henderson. It's been pretty good. I have one manager that just drives me nuts, but I've only had to deal with him two days a week so it hasn't been so bad. Other than that, the other managers are tight, and everyone I work with is really nice. Right now, they have me just working in the lobby and cleaning up after people's messes and what not. I've actually enjoyed it quite a bit. They were going to originally have me in the back actually preparing food and what not, but I guess I was just too slow for them. And, yeah, I never did work well under pressure like that.
I work five days a week, and I think I'm going to start getting weekends off. Thank goodness. Today was my first day off since I went to camp last week. Overall, it's been a good day off. There was a certain part of the day, where people were getting on my nerves, but I got over it pretty quick, so it didn't ruin my day. I've spent the last couple of hours re-evaluating myself and trying to figure out what's missing from the BDN formula. The re-evaluating was extremely successful, and I think I'm going to be back to the good ol', positive BDN again.
I think a big part of my negativeness was coming about because I haven't exactly been "spiritually in-tune" lately. I could sure use a session at EFY right now. But, I'm not going this year, so I need to make spiritual things happen for myself this summer. You see--last year at EFY 2007, a special thing happened to me--my testimony absolutely sky-rocketed. It was my third year there, but it was the first year where I actually wanted to CHANGE for the better. And so my whole Junior year, I got in the habit of reading my scriptures every night, saying my prayers, passing off good ol' scripture masteries, etc. But since school has ended, that habit sort of died, and I can definitely notice a difference. And so I think I found one of the missing pieces to the BDN puzzle. A session at EFY would definitely be a great boost, like I said before. But I got to make it happen for myself this summer. After all, EFY's not going to be there for me when I'm on my mission next year, right?
The biggest piece of the scattered puzzle has been found, but there are still plenty of other missing pieces that I'm trying to figure out. For example, whatever happened to the creative-minded BDN? What the heck is wrong with this fool? When was the last time BDN actually completed an actual good short-story and sent it out in an e-mail. It's been nearly four years, my friends. So yeah, my old creativity is just one of the other many things I am trying to find. And I will find it.
But enough about me. This next paragraph is going to be about what I've been living on the last few days. No--not food, not video games; none of that junk. Rather, I've been living on a little thing called Where The Light Is. It's a new John Mayer CD/DVD. Now, I know quite a few of you aren't John Mayer fans, but hear me out! I know he writes some junky songs sometimes, and those junky songs are usually on the radio. (Except for his new stuff. All his new stuff on the radio is high-quality stuff!) But have you ever thought about the stuff NOT on the radio? Well, I am here to tell you, my friends, that John Mayer's stuff that is NOT on the radio is some of the greatest stuff you will ever hear. Unless, of course, you don't like the Blues, Acoustic, and/or Jazz genre. Then you won't like it. But if you happen to like those genres or John Mayer for that matter, I definitely recommend this CD/DVD. If anyone wants to hear it but NOT buy it, I am willing to make copies. Why? Because it might be the best CD I've heard in the last five years. And good music is hard to come by these days.
Dang. This might as well be a blog entry. Maybe I should get a blog.
Well, I hope everyone's summer is going great! Look forward to my next update; I think I could get used to sending out e-mails like this.
Yours Truly,
Benjamin David Nelson
Philipians 4:13
Wow, it's been a while since I've done this. I realize that this message is being sent to pretty much all of my friends, and really hope everyone gets it. I'm pretty sure a bunch of these e-mail addresses are old, and a lot of people probably won't get this. But I've always liked to take a little time to update everyone on BDN, so here I go anyways.
The summer so far has been like all my other summers here in Henderson. Summer for me is probably the best time to make some changes, and so--of course--I always do. However, the changes so far haven't been so great. A part of me has been missing, and I've kind of gone back to the old, negative BDN that I was those many years ago. BUT the great thing about the summer is that we have three months to figure everything out and to change into someone we WANT to be. So I've been working on that the last couple of weeks. (More on that later in the e-mail, though.)
I finally got a job at a little place called El Pollo Loco. We have a new one here in Henderson. It's been pretty good. I have one manager that just drives me nuts, but I've only had to deal with him two days a week so it hasn't been so bad. Other than that, the other managers are tight, and everyone I work with is really nice. Right now, they have me just working in the lobby and cleaning up after people's messes and what not. I've actually enjoyed it quite a bit. They were going to originally have me in the back actually preparing food and what not, but I guess I was just too slow for them. And, yeah, I never did work well under pressure like that.
I work five days a week, and I think I'm going to start getting weekends off. Thank goodness. Today was my first day off since I went to camp last week. Overall, it's been a good day off. There was a certain part of the day, where people were getting on my nerves, but I got over it pretty quick, so it didn't ruin my day. I've spent the last couple of hours re-evaluating myself and trying to figure out what's missing from the BDN formula. The re-evaluating was extremely successful, and I think I'm going to be back to the good ol', positive BDN again.
I think a big part of my negativeness was coming about because I haven't exactly been "spiritually in-tune" lately. I could sure use a session at EFY right now. But, I'm not going this year, so I need to make spiritual things happen for myself this summer. You see--last year at EFY 2007, a special thing happened to me--my testimony absolutely sky-rocketed. It was my third year there, but it was the first year where I actually wanted to CHANGE for the better. And so my whole Junior year, I got in the habit of reading my scriptures every night, saying my prayers, passing off good ol' scripture masteries, etc. But since school has ended, that habit sort of died, and I can definitely notice a difference. And so I think I found one of the missing pieces to the BDN puzzle. A session at EFY would definitely be a great boost, like I said before. But I got to make it happen for myself this summer. After all, EFY's not going to be there for me when I'm on my mission next year, right?
The biggest piece of the scattered puzzle has been found, but there are still plenty of other missing pieces that I'm trying to figure out. For example, whatever happened to the creative-minded BDN? What the heck is wrong with this fool? When was the last time BDN actually completed an actual good short-story and sent it out in an e-mail. It's been nearly four years, my friends. So yeah, my old creativity is just one of the other many things I am trying to find. And I will find it.
But enough about me. This next paragraph is going to be about what I've been living on the last few days. No--not food, not video games; none of that junk. Rather, I've been living on a little thing called Where The Light Is. It's a new John Mayer CD/DVD. Now, I know quite a few of you aren't John Mayer fans, but hear me out! I know he writes some junky songs sometimes, and those junky songs are usually on the radio. (Except for his new stuff. All his new stuff on the radio is high-quality stuff!) But have you ever thought about the stuff NOT on the radio? Well, I am here to tell you, my friends, that John Mayer's stuff that is NOT on the radio is some of the greatest stuff you will ever hear. Unless, of course, you don't like the Blues, Acoustic, and/or Jazz genre. Then you won't like it. But if you happen to like those genres or John Mayer for that matter, I definitely recommend this CD/DVD. If anyone wants to hear it but NOT buy it, I am willing to make copies. Why? Because it might be the best CD I've heard in the last five years. And good music is hard to come by these days.
Dang. This might as well be a blog entry. Maybe I should get a blog.
Well, I hope everyone's summer is going great! Look forward to my next update; I think I could get used to sending out e-mails like this.
Yours Truly,
Benjamin David Nelson
Philipians 4:13
One More Time
So, uh, I wrote an e-mail today, and I really got to thinking.
And I thought, "Maybe I should try starting a blog again."
So here I am.
And I thought, "Maybe I should try starting a blog again."
So here I am.
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