Pleasant Surprises

I've come to like the term "pleasant surprises". Many surprises come to us, some welcome and others we wish had never reared their ugly head. I think we can probably name a few surprises we've all had in the last few weeks or months... as of late I have felt very fortunate, and have been pleasantly surprised numerous times since I have made my stay in Washington DC.

The Johansen's--The Johansen family encompasses my sister Talai, her husband Aaron, and their child Owen. I came out here a couple of weeks before I began my internship and was able to spend some time with the Johansens. While I was growing-up my sister and I were always pretty close, and would trade secrets from time to time, but with her marriage and move to the East Coast it has been harder to maintain the relationship we enjoyed (and maybe at times despised (since then I've grown-up a little bit)) while growing-up. Those two weeks, and the dinner outings with Talai, Aaron, and Owen has endeared a level of love and friendship I may have not have experienced otherwise. The time that I've been able to spend with them has given me a stronger love for Talai, a deeper respect for Aaron, and a heart that melts when Owen smiles at me (I'm still trying to get him to laugh for me).

My Roommate, Jim Bird--I didn't really think much about who I was going to room with, mostly because I feel like I'm so laid back and can get along with anyone, but when I learned that Jim is a journal writer, scripture reader, fashionable dresser, hip-hop lover, country lover, and ladies man I knew that I was in for a great semester.

The City--I've visited a lot of cities, but I have never lived in one, and in the past I always said that I couldn't live in a city--living in DC has proved me wrong. I love the city. I love the arts here. I love taking the public transportation, mostly because I get to meet new people almost every day or I can dig into a book or newspaper without worrying about driving off the road, for me it's one way to unwind. I have come to love the city life so much that I am now looking for jobs in New York City, Chicago, Washington DC, and San Francisco.

Honorable Mentions: Apple dumplings, Steak and cheese, Aunt Shauna and Uncle Dave, Uncle Chad and Aunt Tracy, running along the Potomac, finance, the humidity, watching couples walk hand in hand on the river trail, updates on the BYU game from Tanille, and sharing what means the most to me with others.

Is This Love or Infatuation?

I have been in Washington DC now for almost three weeks, and working in Washington DC for a week and I think I'm in love... at least I think this is what love feels like; but I think the greatest test of love or infatuation comes with time--so maybe I'll stamp this email as RESOLVED in a couple of months.

One example: Because Washington DC is a large city, there are a lot of opportunities to meet new people. The other day while busing to the metro station I began talking to a gentleman and I learned of his Arabic background. To save you the details of our conversation, in short we talked about everything from our religious beliefs to what we wanted to accomplish in our lives... awesome conversation. Luckily we work near each other so I'll have the opportunity to keep in contact with him. There are so many amazing people out here, and I look forward to meeting and becoming friends with as many as possible!

Repentance------->Meekness

Lincoln Haycock made some great comments to my post "Meekness...". If you have some time you should read them. I'm hoping that he'll begin his own blog. As I read his thoughts and re-read my post I began to think about Moroni 8:26 a little more.

Meekness is certainly a key to charity, but they key to becoming meek, at least from what I've begun to understand is being repentant or maybe preface to repentant the desire to be better--to change. I've found that when I am striving to become better my prayers and thoughts are focused in such a way, as my prayers become focused a certain wave of meekness envelops my life. Anyways, for me, this points to the importance of prayer... prayer helps open the windows of heaven.