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.

5 Month Anniversary

This last Thursday, Heather and I celebrated our 5 month wedding anniversary. I had a lot of fun surprising Heather. And this is what I did. Ever since I heard Elder Richard G. Scott's talk about leaving a message for his wife on 100 hole punches, I wanted to do something similar. So I took a new pack of 100 post-it notes. It was the kind where every other side was sticky. I folded them in such a way that I was able to write a message on them while still stuck together. Then I separated them and spelled "I [heart] U" over two doors and one closet in our living room.

When she saw the message, she was very excited. She started immediately to unscramble the message and put the post-it notes together. It probably took her hours, but she didn't care. When she finally finished, it read:

TO MY DOVE

I AM HERE AND YOU ARE THERE

IT IS TIME, TIME TO CARE

I HAVE SOMETHING OF A SIMPLE DARE

PLEASE SAY YES, TO BE FAIR

A DATE WITH YOU I'D LIKE TO SHARE

TOMORROW NIGHT WHEN LOVE IS IN THE AIR

-- HAPPY 5 MONTH ANNIVERSARY --

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH HEATHER

LOVE ROY

Heather thought it was very sweet. So the following night we went to Spicy Thai. We order 4 entrees because the leftovers microwave so well. Our waitress couldn't help laughing, though, for how much food we were ordering. Before she even brought our food out, she decided we needed a bigger table. It was a very fun night. We very fat, dumb, and happy. =D

College Stress

How does anyone go to school and keep up a positive attitude? Last April, my wife Heather and I were sealed for all time and eternity. For those of you not familiar with this terminology, we basically are married for this life and the next. Ever since that time, I have been trying very hard to plan every important aspect of our lives. Heather will finish up her school by June and start into her student teaching. I, on the other hand, just barely changed my major to Information Systems, plus I have a desire to achieve a Masters of Information Systems Management. So I essentially have five years at least before I graduate from BYU. That is a lot of time in my mind, a lot of time and money.

Both Heather and I work on campus. She is a peer mentor for all incoming Freshmen, and easily makes 20 hours per week. I work for BYU OIT as a documentation specialist, and as such, I am required to work 18 to 20 hours per week. Sometimes I wish I could work more hours. Other times I feel too overwhelmed as it is. I just wish I had more money available to cover the cost of going to school.

This semester I am taking more credits than I ever had in the past. Also, in past semester I wasn't working while going to school. I have never had this much to do at once. Being married, should also be called to attention. I love spending time with my wife, but we hardly see each other between work and school. I just wish life could slow down for one moment. I wish we could just be kids again, without any cares in the world.

I know there are a ton of people at BYU who are in more stressful situations. Some work full time or have two jobs while going to school. Others are taking 18 credits or more with independent study courses. Others already have children. Some even have to deal with all of this. So respectively, I should just count my blessings and shut up. At the same time, i have my worries, doubts, and stresses too. They are not the same, but they are there. I just want peace. I want to know that everything will be alright. I want the future to be secure.

Home Is Where You Feel Like You Are at Home

Being a college student can be hard! Often times you are hungry, tired, overwhelmed, and home-sick. It gets a little better once you are married. By better I mean worse. You feel worried about finances, stressed about school, and hungry for lack of food, BUT you now have a home with your spouse wherever you live.

My wife Heather and I still miss the large, open, clean homes of our childhoods, but we get to spend everyday and every night together. This last weekend, though, we were able to feel what it was like to have not just an apartment but a real home, all to ourselves. The reason? My brother-in-law was out of town!

Now before you go and think we are horrible people throwing parties in somebody else's home, you need to know that we didn't. We spent a quiet, homework-free weekend in their home. We did our six loads of laundry while we watched movies on the big screen T.V. We played with the dog. I even let the dog sleep with us! I am not a huge dog person, but dogs are starting to grow on me.

I can't wait to have our very own home one day, one where we will be able to raise our family and make it a refuge from such a troubled world. As much as I would love a large home, I am content. I love my wife, I love our small family, and I love our home, whatever it may be.