Cycle of College Life

I start each week going to work in the morning. Then I go to class until mid afternoon. When I get home from class I begin to do my homework that is due the next day. I usually finish about 11:00 or 11:30 in the evening. At that time, I finally retired to my bed. I wake up the next day and start the process over again.

Everyday is the same old thing. Sometimes I feel like I am drowning in schoolwork. If I ever get a time to breath, I try to spend that time with my wife. There just aren't as many hours in the day as when we started courting. I even skip out on my soccer games--my favorite thing to do outside with my friends!

The worst thing is by the time the weekend hits, I finally get a small break. That's not the worst thing because that is a good thing. The worst thing is that my break is devoured by time. It is just too short. Next thing I know, I forget to blog. But life goes on.

In other news, I did a pumpkin of my wife and me. I have a picture but it is on Heather's computer. Maybe next time I will post it.

Birthday!

Friday morning my wife got up to go pee, or so she told me. What she was really doing was setting up my birthday surprise. Finally, I dragged myself out of bed and walked into the living room to see a brand new rug that matches our living room furniture. I was excited because it helps make our apartment actually feel like a home. On top of the rug my wife had placed a Happy Birthday message with sweet messages about us.

Then she made bacon for breakfast. I was being treated like a king! After breakfast, she showed me a slide show of our lives up til now. It was very thoughtful and I loved it. I have the most amazing wife!

Then she gave me a T-shirt with a Nicaraguan flag on it. She did this because I both needed clothes desperately and wanted a flag of Nicaragua. It was very thoughtful.

Then she took me shopping to get more clothes. It was a wonderful day. Best birthday ever.

Jamba Juice

So this week Shayne Clarke gave our class an assignment. We are to buy a stranger a coke. It sounds a little weird but it gets good. Essentially, he wants us to give something to a complete stranger. It can be anything we want. Well I actually got really excited about this and told my wife. She, too, was super excited. We wanted to pay for someone behind us at like a restaurant or grocery store. Saturday night I finally got my chance.

We went to the showing of Pirates of the Caribbean at the Wilk with some of her students. We decided we wanted to get some Jamba Juice. So we decided what we wanted and asked the cashier in hushed voices if we could pay for the person behind us. She said there was no way of knowing the price of what he was going to get. I was a little disappointed. Then I asked her, "Well, what if I leave my [credit] card with you?" She said that we could do that.

So I paid for our drinks and she secretly held onto my card as the unsuspecting, young man stepped up to place his order. I didn't really want to be around when he found out that I had paid, so I went upstairs to wait. I came back after a couple of minutes. He received his drink and saw me as he walk away. He smiled and said, "Thanks for the drink." It made me really happy to see him smile as he walked away.

Afterwards, as my wife and I drank ours, she explained that he looked around confused when he was told his drink was being paid for. I really liked this assignment. My wife and I have decided to try and set aside five dollars each month to do this for strangers every now and then.

Family Circle

This weekend has been one of the greatest! First of all, my parents-in-law came into town from Missouri and took us to dinner. I love spending time with my in-laws. I think it is interesting when people complain about having to spend time with their mother-in-law, or how their father-in-law will complain that "he" is not good enough for his daughter.

From these descriptions parents-in-law sound so horrible and ruin children's lives. But my experience is that my in-laws are amazing! They are so loving and kind. They are able to have fun and joke with my wife and me. They give advice and I adhere as if they were my own parents. I love spending time with my parents-in-law.

Then, today, I had the opportunity to join in on the blessing of my brother-in-law's daughter Bailey. It was such an amazing experience. The Spirit was so powerful, and I swear that Bailey knew she was receiving a blessing not only from her father Will but also from her Father in Heaven. She stayed so quiet and listened to every word as if she could understand. It was an amazing experience! Don't tell my wife, but it really makes me want to have kids soon. =)

That Person

You know who person that seems to always have everything? That person who receives money to pay for school and board from his or her parents? That person who likes to talk about his or herself? Yeah, I really don't want to be that person. I hate how they make me feel. I would hate to ever make anyone else feel like that too.

The person I want to be is that person who is slow to anger. That person who can take a bad situation and make it seem great. That person who works hate for what he or she has, yet it is always helping others as well. That person who finds joy not in having everything but in making others feel like they have everything. I would love to be capable of not feeling stressed out all the time. I just want to be at peace, to get through school, and to love my wife. Life is hard. And I know that everyone has it hard too. Some have it much harder than me. THAT is why I want to be that person who could care less about his or her situation and more about the lives of others.

I am tired. I am sore. I am racking my brain at every corner. I want to be that person though. From now on, I will try to live more like Jesus Christ. I will try to develop His attributes. Some of you may say I am being all religious and sappy, but the reality is that we all need to come closer to Christ. He is the perfect example. He is the way.

I know my wife is a shining example to be in certain areas. She gives me strength. I love her very much. And if this blog seem unorganized or nonsensical, that is okay. It is my blog, with my thoughts, and my feelings.