Airport Blues

Do not let the title of the post fool you. I had the greatest weekend ever. Molly came to visit me and we spent from Thursday afternoon till Sunday afternoon together (excepting sleepy time, of course). I met a few of her great friends including my two new favorite people ever: Ethan and Katie. They rock.

[Side note: I hated the movie 2012 but it was fun to laugh at it with Molly.] [And I do not apologize if you liked that movie. That is a foolish opinion :P ]

So back to the title of the post.

At the airport I had to say good bye to her. Let me set this up by reminding you all that I am no super-human, but not too many things bring me to tears. Needless to say, I was crying for quite a while after I watched her clear the security checkpoint. I was trying to hold back for a few minutes, but then she waved goodbye and I walked away looking like I put my face in a bathroom sink and ran the faucet. I stopped trying to hold back. I turned on the mix she made me. I made it home safe. And then I ran to my computer to get this all down.

I am in love folks, thought most of you knew it. I wish time would shift into high gear, but I also want to enjoy the here and now. It's rough, but life is great. There is nothing better than this.

I'm so pleased

This has been a very sabbath-like Sunday. Since coming to BYU I have really struggled (ironically) to feel like Sunday truly is a day of worship the entire day. Most of it I originally blamed on others, but in the end it is always my decision.

Today I had an interview after church so I stayed in my suit, then I had a nap followed by a leadership meeting from the stake.

(Side note: my stake president is President Thomas S. Monson's son)

I also took some time to read the Koran. It has always been a goal of mine to read that in order to further understand the Muslim faith. I found a lot of beautiful phrases and also some fascinating differences between the Muslim view of God and my own view of Him.

Here are two of my favorite lines found in the Sura II "The Cow":

...whoso shall follow My guidance, on them shall come no fear, neither shall they be grieved...

and

And seek help with patience and prayer: a hard duty indeed is this, but not to the humble.

Truly there is much to be gained by reading this book. I am trying to be open-minded and draw parallels between it and my own beliefs. Fascinating.

Anyway, I am just so pleased that today felt like a great Sunday and like I really kept the spirit of it with me the whole day.

I hope it went as well for you all as it did for me.

Fiiiiiinally

Now listen, I don't know that this new song is going to turn out like I have it set in my head, but it's something that came from the heart. I wrote it at work today...while I was working. Anyway, it's the first time I've come up with something at least half way decent since before the mish. Here goes nothin':

You may be shocked it's not the first time

That I've wanted to put down this rhyme.

My pen to paper and I'm scratching out every other word.

Won't take for granted the times you told me

That all you wanted was to unfold me.

Unscrew the hatch and try to figure out how everything works.

I never swore that I'd be perfect,

Just wanted everything to go on right as rain.

I went and proved that I'm imperfect;

Just want to know that we can make things right again.

I failed to mention it's not the last time

That I will be force to sing you this rhyme.

I wrote these words down to apologize for everything I said.

I never swore that I'd be perfect,

Just wanted everything to go on right as rain.

I went and proved that I'm imperfect;

Just want to know that we can make things right again.

Despite the fact that I'm imperfect

You go on loving me and wipe the tears away.

I won't expect you to be perfect;

Just want to know that you'll be by my side each day.

Really the rhyme pattern makes more sense if you hear me sing it. I'll work on getting the music notated and then some semblance of a recording. Thanks for reading.

- Rex

HFAC shift strikes again

Every single time I work a shift in the Harris Fine Arts Center, I feel nervous. I just feel like I'm never doing what I should be doing. I also feel bored out of my mind pretty much the whole time unless Molly and I are in a text conversation.

I pretty much only want to quit my job on Thursday nights.

Today I watched "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and it caused a great rush of many different emotions. I liked some of the movie but there was a lot of emphasis on sexual relations being the most fulfilling part of life (I might have stolen that thought from Molly).

It's been a long day. I'm tired. And all I had to do was go to work. Wow.

Ear Plugs, Free!

Last night I was going to bed and I told my roommates so they wouldn't be too noisy. I was really only hinting at the fact that they keep me up late. Tyler caught on. He offered me some ear plugs. I felt a rush of excitement because I had hopes of finally falling asleep before midnight (note that the present time as I write is 11:53 p.m.). I couldn't fall asleep but that's because being in love makes your head spin and your heart rush pretty much all the time. Don't worry about me; it's a good feeling.

So now I have my earplugs in because I'm ready for bed. The only thing that bothers me is being able to hear myself breathe. It's like I'm holding a stethoscope up to my nostrils. Loud. Loud. Loud.

Tomorrow will be a busy day. I know I need to plan time to go to the gym, but it's always so busy after I get off work on Wednesdays. Maybe I'll just walk. Parking is a nightmare.

Ok, now that I've appeased the angry "Don't always blog about your amazing girlfriend" gods, I feel like I can mention Molly:

There is definitely no one in the world who understands me like she does. Tonight our conversation ranged from awkward to outlandish to extraterrestrials (okay, stretching it). Being so far away isn't as bad when you have conversations like that to build on. Life is enormously challenging right now, but I have never been so happy ever. If you can't see it in my writing, you can see it on my face. I feel like my smile muscles have been working overtime for the last month and a half. I probably have a buff face by now just from feeling the way I do.

If you're thinking about settling for something less than the best, let me guarantee that it's not the way. "When you least expect it" everything will turn out right. Why? Because we're not as smart as our God. And we don't realize how much He loves us.

Alright, I'm done. I'll let it go for a few more days until the emotions build up again. I started blogging to have an outlet. It's working.

7:30 wake-up call

My mind possesses a series of unwritten rules; guidelines, if you will. One of the most prominent lately has been the following:

You cannot sleep until everyone is quiet, and when everyone wakes up and starts making noise, you will wake up.

Some might argue that there are two rules, but they are closely intertwined. I would call them one. Regardless, my phone's alarm lost the race to my roommates' alarms. 7:30 wake-up indeed.

Last night was a thrilling round of security at the Harris Fine Arts Center where, of course, nothing exciting happened. At least I got some homework done and had a nice text conversation. I wish they had cameras installed so I could just sit in the control room and watch from there.

My goal (before the semester ends hopefully, though it has just begun so this is probable) is to finish my children's book that I started back home. Oh, another goal: recreate my mission board game "Viaje de Lehi" in English and try to market it or at least make a really nice one for my family.

That's it for me folks. I have to review class material before I ship off.

Take it easy.

Distance makes the blog grow monotonous?

It is an indescribable joy to converse with someone you love about a mixture of important and trivial things. Maybe it's just me.

Think about it: when was the last time you had an amazing conversation?

Were you discussing Plato's Republic, or were you talking about that idiot from Dancing With the Stars? It could have been both. What I want you to realize is that it has so much less to do with the content of the conversation than it does the parties involved.

I was reminded last night (and consequently included this in our conversation) that our dialogue had become very much like Benedick and Beatrice of Shakespeare's great Much Ado About Nothing, in which the two who fall in love begin discussing which of the other's virtues were most appealing.

This is something I never thought in a million years I could have with someone. Certainly not someone who also maintained the temple as a constant goal in her heart. This is not meant to offend any LDS young ladies, but history certainly proved that I was more fit for another crowd. Having decided to only marry in the temple thus became an almost sad endeavor. But, God knows all. He knows me. He loves me. Hence, I am not relinquished to a meaningless existence. I will have an eternal companion who fills my life with everything that is good.

I know this blog is generally dedicated to me expressing my love, but I guess that's all I really care to do.

Trust me, I could cleverly tell stories regarding other BYU-based adventures, and I may, but there is no real substance to the thing. I write what I feel, and for the past month I have had one very distinct feeling. If you can't enjoy that, I'm sorry for you. One day you will. I apologize not for the content of my blog. (Not that anyone has voiced concern, but I'm sure reading this is no fun for those who don't care about my love life).

For now, off to class with me. I bid you all a digital adieu.

Little Signs

Too many things are going well for me. I say too many because they're unexpected and amazing. Here's how it all started:

I went to psychology class today and was completely bothered by the teacher's style. I could list all of the faults I found in her, but she's human and I should just let it go. I'm sure if I had to teach as many classes as she does I would struggle in many more ways.

Anyway, I decided to drop the class for sure.

So I texted Molly to tell her. She said to check out the Marriage Prep class. I thought, "What a great idea!"

My only requirement was that it fit the exact time slot that would be left available by my psychology class. I figured that I would almost definitely not get the class. I started looking at psychology classes to replace the one I had dropped and found one that had a bunch of available spots and that fit my required slot. I added it with excitement. Then I decided to just check the marriage prep classes. Here comes the little miracle:

As I told Molly, "It just so happens..." that there was one class that fit the exact spot my psych class was in, and "It just so happens..." that there was one available spot left in that class. Tell me that isn't incredible.

The Lord is very good to me every day. I do not deserve such rich blessings. What a great time to be alive. Despite all of the challenges we face as young people, there is nothing better than being this age at this date.

I guess I need to double my effort in temple attendance, scripture study, etc. to show gratefulness. That's always a good thing to do.

Well, go do something nice for someone else and you'll be shocked how much good will follow you.

Turbulence is expected

This has been a fascinating few days. Since my arrival on Saturday, I have reshaped my opinion regarding many of my roommates and have felt the cool ocean breeze of learning once more. I have also felt the longings for home and Molly. I compare this experience to being a shirt in a washing machine and trying to distinguish the soap from the water; I'm still confused about when I'm feeling excited and when I'm feeling down. The picture is hazy.

So I've been reading information on the period between the Old and New Testaments for the last hour (not including time I took to cook dinner). I learned a great deal but am worried that I will retain but little.

And now I am fully aware of the awful aftertaste of cheap alfredo sauce. Blegh.

Now I am waiting for Molly to call. I don't know if that sounds pathetic, but if it does, you have never lived far from someone you love. Ever. Or you would know. Hearing them in pain or upset is like dying a little because you can't do anything. You are too far away and suddenly you feel keenly aware of that fact.

Oh, another fun detail: my work schedule was first terrible, now great. I had to work last night by myself from 7-11, then again with others at 7:30 this morning until 11:30. Needless to say it was a long night and I didn't get much sleep. Luckily everything has been fixed and I will not have to deal with such an odd schedule again.

TTFN.

First Impressions Can Suck

So after an 11.5 hour trip from Clovis to Provo, I am somewhat settled in. I can't find my phone charger, which is unsettling...but hopefully it's just in my car.

Anyway, the real purpose of this post was to describe what could potentially be an early misconception: I believe the guys who live in the room next door are complete nerds. According to Skyler, they speak "Changlish" which is apparently the Chinese-English hybrid spoken by RM's who served in Taiwan. He said, in a joking manner, "If you hear me and Mark speaking Chinese in full sentences, we are probably just saying bad things about you, so don't worry." His humor is alarming. But I'm not writing to attack this guy. I'm sure he's cool in his own right. I just don't want to live with him.

Fortunately I have my own room (in which I was able to open my eye faucets momentarily when I arrived and felt the gravity of the situation bearing down on me).

Tomorrow I really just want to go to the Academy Ward, have dinner with my family, and spend the evening with the Fites. I also want an education and solid career potential...but at this very moment I want it less than those other things.

Tyler seems to be a pretty cool guy though. He's from the Seattle area and appears much more down-to-earth. Thank heavens.

Well, enough whining. The Lord has blessed me too much already. Time for trials and faith and good times.