A very long day...or two

Well, it all started with Saturday morning. Do you ever have one of those days when you absolutely don't have any clothes washed and you're on your last ones? So having a date planned for 12:30 I got up at 9 to start a load. I took out Heidi and we bowled a couple of games...we both did surprisingly awful on the first game, but nearly doubled our score on the second. Later we went to the 5 n' Diner and had some great food. All in all I think we both had a good time.

I had to work Saturday night till 5am. Work was uneventful, for the most part, except for the random girls that paid me for a ride down the street, and the great pie break I took at Brianna's. So I got off work, and just cleaned the kitchen since I needed to stay up for a Priesthood leadership meeting at 6:30am (why so early???) Brennan and I get to the meeting, and they ask for a Spanish interpreter...I wait for someone else to raise their hands seeing as how I am completely dead from work and can't think. Well, apparently no one else can do it so I volunteer. I guess it did keep me awake for the meeting and went better than I thought. Arriving home I sleep in my Sunday clothes for 3 hours, then off to 3 hours of church.

Thinking that I'll get a few hours of sleep after church gets over at 4, I am reminded that we have a movie at 4:30...soooo, I make dinner and everyone comes over to watch the flick. Needless to say, I slept through most of it, then had to work from 8 till 4am.

I thought the fun was over, but as I walked in the door, I found Jordan passed out on the couch. He woke up from my arrival. I had the brilliant idea of going to Denny's. So letting loose a bit of the gift of gab, Jordan agreed to go. I love late night diner trips. We had a good time. Today at five I finally fell asleep and sleep I did for so long! Summery, it was a fun weekend!

The exciting life

Hello friends! I've found that updating this blog has been almost as non-occurring as writing in my journal. I guess it could be due to the fact that really not much happens here in Tucson-at least to me, or could it be that I haven't noticed the exciting moments that fill my days. So folks, I'll begin to fill these pages with anything and everything that happens. After all, life is simply a combination of seemingly inconsequential brush strokes that make up an amazing portrait.

Last week I got to go back to Thatcher to visit. That place always feels great! Late night Jerry's has always been the spot to spend time with good friends. Greg and I gorged ourselves with amazing food. The three days we're filled with a horrible but fun golf game, two shooting outings, baseball, and ice-blocking. I'd have to say, although it was simple, it brought me back to the good ol days and gave me a much needed vacation.

Today I received my tentative employment offer with the Border Patrol. I'm deciding whether or not i'm up to the rigorous task of physically preparing myself for the tests that will shortly follow. It definitely is great motivation to get back into shape and on a more steady exercise schedule. Wish me luck!

All in all, things are going fairly well. Life has a way of dropping obstacles in one's path over and over, but it is fun to have that ongoing challenge and struggle. Gotta keep on truckin!

The City Sleeps

It's almost 2am. The city has turned it's lights out but I can't seem to fall asleep. As I lay in bed I begin to think. Thinking is such an awakening activity. I think of so many things. I think of what would happen if I, by some chance, should not wake come morning. Would anything at all change? Would the businessmen still stroll meaningfully down Broadway? Would Rae make her famous biscuits and gravy at the market? Would the young enamored couple still stop for lunch at the corner cafe on 4th? Sure, the news would come as a shock to some. Family and close friends would shed some tears, share some memories, and maybe the men would carry the casket. Ultimately, however, the everyday comings and goings would continue to clamor, almost without hesitation. I am small, almost nothing. Although this seems so grim a realization, it is merely a fact.

It seems that night is when i think the most. I take my bike out for a stroll in quiet downtown. Up University, down stone, up congress and down church--thinking, just thinking. There almost all is quiet, asleep. A car here, a cop there. I see a man curled up on a bus bench. I think of what path led him out of house and home. What loved ones were left behind. I continue down the street, stop for the train, count the constant cars...ninety seven, ninety eight, ninety nine.

As I arrive back home from this simple half hour stroll, I begin to think of what I care most about. I think of what I would really be upset to lose. What comes to mind is simple and constant. Ask yourself, what do you have? What do you have that keeps you alive? What gives your life the purpose you profess to have? You may be surprised if you sit back and think...just think.

Coming and Going...

It seems as though we all know that the symbolic street we're strolling down has on it's horizon a certain type of fulfillment we have yet to find. It's a sort of hope that the things we're doing will lead us there; that the blood and sweat shed in the process will not be completely in vain.

Have you ever taken a step back and just watched as the world kept on turning? They come and they go. You see a student struggling to succeed where she has watched many fail, a single mom juggling two jobs and three children, while trying to find some time for herself. Maybe you see one of the many who feels alone, while being surrounded by people, or even an "old man" wondering why things can't be the way they were when he was in his prime. It's a surreal feeling to simply "stop and stare," to wonder.

As I think about this fragile life, with everyone and everything coming and ultimately going, It makes me want to take what I have and do amazing things; to really live! Life has ups, and it definitely has it's downs, but what good is it if you set it on a shelf collecting dust? I am of the belief that it needs to be used up and shared as much as possible. Take a step back and just think. And remember, the tapestry of life is all the more beautiful when you notice the vivid colors with which it is woven.

-dedicated to my friend Kirk

Reflections of Summer

More than two full months have come and gone since the end of the spring EAC semester. Most of us have left for the summer and have taken jobs, maybe explored uncharted lands, or even made new friendships. Although this short time will no doubt merit a stamp in the individual archives of memory, or even a closet in the chambers of the heart, It is in a small town known as Thatcher where so many memories lie and will for so long be ingrained in each of our maturing minds. For many, including myself, it has become a true home away from home. A place where the troubles are ever evident, yet constantly suppressed and remedied by the steady support of dear friends.
I have spent two years growing to love this town--and I ask myself: why? why do I love this place? The answer doesn't lie so much in the countless cotton fields, or the cottages that complement the small tough town. I've found in the past two years that the answer lies in the people--coming and going--that for one reason or another, enter your life and cause you to think or feel differently. These people, who are mostly of my own age group, have come to a place where they feel they can be themselves; a place where they aren't constantly standing someone else's shadow. A place where they encounter people who struggle with the same weaknesses and difficulties--people who are willing to sincerely listen and be listened to.
Looking back on the time I have spent in this place, I would be lying if I said that my expectations have not been surpassed! I never had the desire to come to Thatcher. But something brought me here. This mysterious happening and all that has come from it has brought me to the conclusion that life is what you make of it. It's not dependent so much on where you live, but rather the kind of friend you are willing to be, and whether you are willing to really LIVE. The friendships I have made--the REAL friendships--will live on and those people that have changed my life will never be forgotten. I send out a tribute to "that friend" I leave nameless. The friend that stood a little higher to pull ME up; the one who helped me without even knowing it; the one who will go on with their life not realizing how much they have impacted mine. This is to you. You made the difference. You made me who I am.
As we contemplate changes--those past, present and future--let us recognize the little things that that give us all what we treasure most. That is what life is made of, not so much great events, but as a wise woman once said, "small things done with great love."

Women!

As I sit here with Matt talking and pondering life's mysteries, my mind is brought down to the depths of the female mind and its workings. Since the world began, and as long as I can remember, women have played a large role in our lives. They are our Mothers, our Sisters, our friends, and as we come to the point of life known to some as the quarter-life crisis, some of our female counterparts become potential partners for serious Courtship and/or Marriage. I myself am in my 24th year. This, in effect, makes me part of the group expected to settle down with a lovely young lady. As Matt and myself, along with many young men, are thus expected to find and marry one of these beautiful creatures, we have come to ask ourselves: Why is it such a complicated thing? What in the female mind causes them to become so incomprehensible? As Matt says, "I just want someone to love. Someone who will show that same love back to me." I believe that any a young searching man has felt this same desire. To have "Somebody to love." This cited, I raise again the question: Why so complicated? How can something so beautiful and pleasant become at times so irritating and confusing? I do not call the mere female irritating, but rather her way of thinking. The form of thinking which causes even the most sensible of young Men to become crazy, almost to the point of losing their most powerful organ: the mind! As we reflect on the unexpected and mentally confounding things that the women in our lives have done, may God grant us the intelligence to somehow be elevated to a same level of understanding so as to allow us to find that special someone: That woman who is not only ready to be loved, but who is wiling to give back that same love. Thus, may we come to be one in this divided world.

Days go by

Well folks, life has continued sometimes quickly, sometimes not during the past while. Finals were indeed a success for me as I am now a (far from) fluent french speaker, an acclaimed "B" Englishman, and a mathematician, among other things. I'm hoping to be graduated
very soon with my degree in Languages.

During the weeks since I last wrote, some telling events have transpired. So many things need to be mentioned! I have recruited a new roommate with which to share my 'spacious' dwelling in Howard's. His name is Haban: Matt Haban. To tell you the truth my friends, Matt is a literal stud! Don't let his height fool you. As he himself proclaims, "I make it up in 'other' places." We have big plans to do some fun, crazy things during the following semester, and hopefully, date a few gorgeous women. We are quite excited assuredly!

I also feel the desire to share a bit about the roommates that have 'touched' my life during this last semester at Howard's 103. Adam, Alan, and Chris! These boys have truthfully been great. We've had a lot of fun together. We've gone on dates (with respective female companions), watched countless movies, shared bills, been to fiestas, and many other fun and exciting things. I think I can fairly say on behalf of Adam and Alan that Chris will be missed. It wont at all be the same without you man!



Close to the end of October, Talmage, David, and I headed off to Agua Prieta, Mexico for a weekend of cheap hotel rooms and great food. We ate so many Mexican hot dogs, tacos, and burgers. Hey, we even had goat! (the boys didn't know what it was till after;) The hotel was surprisingly cheap at only $24/night with two beds! Can't beat that. All in all, we really didn't do much of anything other than ride the ghetto bus, go shopping, eating, and then off to home. It was, however, a fun experience!



Coming back to St. David for the break, I had supposed that all the excitement would have to wait till next semester. Boy was I wrong! Yesterday a good friend Donna asked a startling favor of me. First of all, if you are a city slicker, you better stop reading now. You should know that here in the country things are done differently. Donna asked me to put down her dog 'Ebony'! I can definitely say that I've killed my share of animals, but having known this black lab for years, I was shocked to learn of the Vet's diagnoses: Cancer. Despite the belief of some, I will never treat an animal like a human. That said, I accepted the task and today went to their home to preform the feat.
As I had left my firearms in thatcher, Donna offered me the piece of my choice. Would it be the big, beautiful Glock 9mm, or would i choose the steller stopping power of the 357mag? The decision was so difficult to make! Which would best get the job done? I wanted to make this the least painful killing i could for the animal! After all, it had suffered more than enough. I called John and asked which he preferred. He said that either would work. I stuck with the 9mm and headed over to the grave site with joey.
As we dug the hole, we talked about school and even planned a quail hunting venture for tomorrow. Joey asked if it was deep enough, to which i replied, "There's nothing worse than a having to remove a dead dog from a hole because it's not deep enough!" Joseph agreed. We continued picking and shoveling. Beads of perspiration were sliding down our faces. The minutes seemed hours. My heart suddenly felt an unexpected sadness for the animal as Joey brought the trembling dog. Clearly she was uncontrollably shaking due to the killer disease which possessed her body. I thought, "What could she be thinking? does she realize that she is about to meet her maker? Can she sense that death is so close, almost gnawing at her?!"
As we brought the dog to her graveside, i pulled out the Glock. The sight of the semi-automatic weapon struck fear in the dog's mind. "Could she really know what is about to happen?" I imagined. We finally got her to the hole. With the gun in my hand, i slid the cold slide back to load a round into the chamber. Hoping it would be instantaneous, I shot the animal in the head. She was dead at that very instant! The suffering was over. The pain was gone. Then, all was silence. Her body lies now beneath the earth. Ebony was a playful, obedient animal. She wont be forgotton.

I have many hopes for the semester that lies ahead. I hope it will be one of fun, growth, and the cultivating of old friendships, as well as new ones.

DOG: DAN'S BLOG

Ladies and gents, I have offiacially been inspired to start a blog. As you can see, I am calling it DOG, and i hope that it will be the means to convey the deepest thoughts of my soul and the yearnings of a humble, yet charming and whitty character: DAN (in real life!)

Life right now is good. What else could be said of the life in beautiful Thatcher, Arizona. Having lived in quite small comunities most of my exciting life, I've learned quite a bit about small towns. You can either choose to have fun with what you got, or choose to live in the future waiting for something better to come around...the first is deffinetly the better choice.

Turning my thoughts to both the past and present, I would like all of my readers to know that much has happened in my life to bring me to the point I am at today. Over the years, many events, friendships, hard times, and very good times, have shaped my mind. I can definitely say that my way of thinking, my outlook on others, on life and in general, I have become the man known to most as DAN. I do enjoy a good laugh and thus, if I can cause this sensation in someone, my days and weeks will most definitely be more enticing. Thus the motto by which Dan lives and thrives: HAVE FUN! MANY THINGS ONLY HAPPEN ONCE.