I'm Engaged!!!

I suppose the best place to begin this blog is to say I'm marrying my dream girl. She's everything I could have hoped for, and so much more. As far as the engagement goes, I wanted to propose on Saturday the 25th. Spring (my fiance) I think was catching on that I was going to propose to her soon. To throw her off my scent I told her the fulfillment department of the ring store contacted me to tell me that there was a two week back order on the ring. The scent was lost! The weather reports weren't looking too good for the weekend. The last decent day weather wise was Thursday. On Wednesday I decided I was going to do it on Thursday. Wednesday night I went to see Spring's dad and asked permission to marry his daughter. He said yes! Thursday afternoon I took Spring up the canyon under the false pretenses of a hike. We walked a little ways to a spot where two little streams come together to become one. I told her that before we went any further I needed to tell her a story about these two little streams. I said, "These two little streams are cool all by themselves, but they wanted to be a part of something bigger and better so they came together. Now they're both apart of something bigger and better than anything they could have been on their own. We're both cool, you and I. I want to be apart of something bigger and better though. That something is being with you for all time and eternity. I want to learn with you. I want to grow with you. I want to grow closer to Heavenly Father as we both grow closer to one another." I then got down on one knee and asked her to marry me. She said yes! We're getting married July 17th in the San Diego temple. We're both ecstatic about everything! Here are some pictures:

The Two Little Streams




Where they converge









And this is where we'll be getting married!

Nodding Off

Making it to church has become somewhat of a struggle as of late. I no longer make my own schedule at work, and as a result I often find myself working the Saturday night shift from 10pm til 6am Sunday morning. Having church at 9 doesn't make it any easier. I have found out the hard way that should I attempt to catch a couple hours of sleep before church I won't wake up to my alarm, let alone make it to church. Instead I try to stay awake. By the time the 3 hour block is over I'll have usually been awake for 25+ hours. Staying awake in church under ideal circumstances can sometimes be challenging. Obviously 25+ hours of wakefulness is less than ideal. I recall as a kid rather enjoying watching some of the men in my home ward as they dozed off during sacrament meeting. There was certainly finger pointing and most definitely snickering, especially if one began to snore. I now have a better understanding of the sacrifices they made to make it to church. I now realize the importance they placed upon being there every Sunday, regardless of the circumstances. This past Sunday I was very happy that I made the necessary sacrifices to attend church. As the 1st hour ended the bishop announced that the stake president would be in attendance during sacrament meeting. I remembered just then that months prior I had told the stake president I would bear my testimony the next time he came to fast and testimony meeting. The first thought that ran through my head, admittedly, was "Oh no!!!" My testimony aside, it was one of the best meetings I can recall being in. The Spirit was so strong. Most people, for whatever reason, talked about the value of the friendships in their lives. One individual stated that being a friend was one of the greatest callings one can have. I would have to agree with such a statement. Similar to the common adage "you are what you eat," is "you are who your friends are." I have been lucky in life to be around people who place within me an aspiration to be better, as well as an aspiration to draw nearer to Heavenly Father.
I have also received a request to put more pictures on my blog. Not that this picture has anything to do with this blog, but here's one anyways.