My Life

Go Figure!

2010-07-14T01:24:00.000-07:00

My first year of pharmacy school is complete! I worked hard, and among the fruits of my labors was a 3.982 gpa. That is a reflection of many long nights and very early mornings. Not only did I have to endure this, so did my wife. She was left husband-less for the better part of a year, and I admire her strength to not only deal with the circumstances with a smile on her face, but to encourage me as well. Thank you Spring! In addition to being gone during the school year, I have been gone for the majority of summer. I took a job as a Governor’s School counselor at my university. Governor’s School is a chance for the upper echelon high school students (upper echelon in accolades, not in wealth) to spend 5 weeks in a college setting while taking 7 credits. It was the first time I’ve ever lived in a dorm. Who would have thought that first would happen AFTER I was married? All in all it was a terrific experience. I learned a lot about myself; the things I like and the things that need improvement. The very afternoon I finished the Governor’s School, Spring and I left for what would be a 35.5 hour straight drive to California. I am out here for a pharmacy internship and we thought it would be fun if Spring came out for a week. We had a lot of fun with the family, and I was reluctant to have Spring go back to Tennessee. But hey, someone’s gotta work right?

On Spring’s last day in California we made a 2 hour drive to my grandma’s house to spend the night, since it was relatively close to the LAX airport that Spring would be departing from the following morning. We made a quick stop at a store, and upon returning were unable to get the car started. I knew it was a problem with either the battery or alternator, but was hoping for the cheaper to fix problem: the battery. Spring was able to find someone to give us a jump and we were on our way again… or so we thought. Once on the freeway the car started badly sputtering, and then gave out completely. Thankfully, we were on a downward slope and I was able to exit the freeway and pull into a gas station. I knew if it were an alternator problem it would cost $100’s. We had recently bought an extended warranty for our car but couldn’t find the paper work anywhere. We finally were able to find the number for the company issuing the warranty and, sure enough, they were closed for the weekend. We got towed to a auto repair shop and they discovered the problem was simply that my battery had gone completely out. Thank goodness! And another thank goodness that the battery didn’t give up the ghost while we were on our long drive from Tennessee. Just another 40 miles and it would have. In any case, we were finally on our way to my grandma’s. We hit loads of traffic (on the weekend no less) and were so excited to finally arrive at our destination that I locked my keys in my car! Go figure!

New Political Blog

2010-07-14T01:22:00.000-07:00

I just started a new blog in which I articulate my views of the world of politics. Take a moment to check it out.

http://www.adamkcooper-politics.blogspot.com

Tennessee & Beyond

2009-09-25T12:58:00.000-07:00

Spring and I are getting pretty well settled here in Tennessee! Spring was able to quickly find a job, and one that she enjoys at that. That has been a huge blessing for us. Our ward has been nothing less than amazing. I don't think I've ever been invited to so many dinners! Spring received a calling as a Relief Society teacher our second Sunday in the ward and I got a call to be a Gospel Principles teacher and a Ward Missionary. Our callings have been challenging and rewarding (as are most callings). School is keeping me pretty busy. I love finally learning everything that will apply to what I want to do! On top of the school work I was voted as one of the two Honor Code Representatives for my class, was invited to represent my class during a Board of Visitor's Meeting by the Dean, and have been invited to become a Student Ambassador by the Admissions Committee. Oh, and on top of that they already have us out in the field working at pharmacies. It's been a great experience so far. The semester's already gone by so fast... Almost too fast!

Quick Update

2009-07-23T10:31:00.000-07:00

We made it! We're finally in Tennessee! As a quick update, Spring and I got married in the San Diego temple July 11th. It was a beautiful day, albeit a little too windy for Spring's liking. We drove back up to Utah a few days later and packed all of our stuff into a 16 foot Penske truck. The next day we began our 2,000 mile move across country. We drove for about 10 hours a day for the first three days and our 4th and final day was only a 5 hour day. It is absolutely gorgeous where we live! Everything is a robust green. We have a little swing on our front porch which overlooks the rolling hills of the area. Our town would definitely be considered "country," which definitely adds to the beauty. We're only a minute or two from a couple food stores and Pizza Hut, Pappa John's, McDonald's, Taco Bell and Dairy Queen! So we have the sites of the country with the closeness to the "essentials" of a city. I'll be sure to post pictures soon, but for the time being we don't have internet at our apartment and have to come to the local library to use it. That's all for now. :)

Some Untouched Engagement Pictures

2009-05-13T00:19:00.000-07:00

School is Out!

2009-05-04T03:26:00.001-07:00

My last semester at Utah Valley State University has finally come to an end! I now have about a 3 month summer before I begin another 4 years of my doctorate program. There's so much to do in the next three months, but I'm looking forward to every minute detail of it! I get married on July 17th! We've only been engaged for a couple weeks, but most things seem to be taken care of already. Spring has already found her wedding dress! I think the last few things we need to get done in regards to the wedding are finding a tux for myself, taking reception photos and sending out wedding announcements. I am so looking forward to getting married in the temple. I'm grateful for the opportunity I have to be sealed for time and all eternity to the most amazing girl I've ever met. I do not know what, if anything, I have done to deserve someone of her magnitude. Whatever the case may be, it is my solemn pledge to work everyday to be worthy of her. It's difficult for anyone to truly comprehend "eternity," and I am no exception. Even so, may I be so bold as to suggest that eternity alone may not be long enough to spend with Spring? I am so grateful for the opportunity to create not just a family with her, but an eternal family. I have been taught from early on that families can be together forever. When your young it's difficult to comprehend a blessing of that magnitude. Heck, if you were anything like me as a kid, you may have cringed at the thought of spending more than 5 minutes with your family at some point, let alone being with them for forever. Thankfully, I have matured. I now realize the magnitude of such a blessing. I am grateful for the opportunity to be with my current family forever, and am all the more excited to create an eternal family of my own. Two blessings my fiance has blessed me with: A growing capacity for love and a growing desire to become more Christlike. So... pretty much I've found the perfect girl :)

On another note, I was reading and came across the following: [The Lord] doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world. I thought a lot about that. Certainly it is the Lord who bestows blessings upon us. In which case, how might our personal blessings "benefit the world"? My thought is that we do not possess sole ownership of our blessings. Heavenly Father expects the blessings he freely gives us to benefit those around us as well, thus benefiting the world. The blessings we receive should have a positive impact on those around us. We can provide positive impacts by doing something as small as smiling. Sometimes that's all it takes to change the mood of another.

I'm Engaged!!!

2009-04-23T22:43:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-01T00:02:00.000-07:00

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.

Spring Break!

2009-03-18T03:24:00.000-07:00

Spring break is here... and not a moment too soon! At last a break in the storm of life, and off to enjoy the calm of home. Calm? Is that how I would describe home? I suppose it would be difficult to describe anything containing 3 kids, all under the age of 9, as being anything resembling calm. So I suppose that's not how I would describe it, but one does not have to encounter the calm to find joy. My nieces and nephew are as full of energy and spunk as any kids, and yet they fill my heart and soul with unrefined joy and happiness. In a lot of ways they rejuvenate me by allowing me to see what's really important. I do wish I could see them on a more frequent basis than current circumstances permit, but the extended absences make the times I do see them all the more special. This week is not about finding the calm, rather it is about making up for lost time... lost time with those that we find closest to the heart, despite any physical distance.

Digging to sufficient Depth

2009-03-08T22:31:00.000-07:00

One of the many blessings of the gospel is that it offers us protection in our daily lives. About 6 years ago I found myself in a precarious situation. I was in the east Iraqi desert with my Marine Corps unit. We were miles away from the nearest friendly unit and were outside of the protective blanket of artillery. We were left, quite literally, to defend ourselves. Shortly thereafter, we received word that approximately 50 Iraqi tanks were heading in our direction. As an infantryman, the prospect of going up against 1 tank, let alone 50, is debilitating. We had in our arsenal very few weapons that would have any effect on a tank. Our best defense then was to dig. The deeper the fighting position, or hole, the better. This effectively protects the infantryman against tanks. A tanks counters this by placing it's tracts on the fighting position and then spins the tank. Sadly, if the fighting position is not deep enough this act kills the infantryman in the hole. We stayed awake that entire eerie night. Every little noise sounded like that of distant tanks. Thankfully, the threat of Iraqi tanks bearing down on us never materialized. In our lives, the prospect of Satan bearing down on us can also be debilitating at times, and the threat of Satan's army bearing down on us very often does materialize. At the beginning of the school year I found myself very unprotected from such an army, and decided that a change needed to be made. I needed to dig deep into the foundation of the gospel. This year, a meaningful and sincere prayer is how I begin and end each day. I read scriptures before I go to bed and whenever I have time to spare throughout the day and I regularly attend institute classes. By immersing myself in things of the Spirit I have effectively dug my fighting position in the gospel. I can gladly state that my fighting position is of sufficient depth to protect me against just about anything that might be thrown my way. Digging a fighting position in the barren Iraqi desert required a lot of work, as does digging one in the gospel. Both fighting positions offered me protection, but a noteworthy side effect of digging a fighting position into the gospel of sufficient depth has allowed me to gain a closer relationship with Heavenly Father. Protection and a closer relationship with Heavenly Father... it's as sweet a deal as it sounds!

Happiness

2009-03-04T04:50:00.000-08:00

What’s the difference between someone who’s happy and someone who’s not? It is that one encounters trials while the other somehow abstains from such encounters? Perhaps it’s an issue of money. After all, most marriages end as a result of financial turmoil. Or maybe it’s the fact that one person is more popular than the other. Or one is married and the other is still going stag throughout life. In reality, the issue of happiness has nothing to do with any of the aforementioned reasons. Happiness isn’t contingent on whether we are currently enduring a trial or not. We find opposition in all things, even in good things. That’s part of life. It certainly doesn’t have anything to do with money. Anyone who has traveled to a 3rd world country can tell you that there is no positive relationship between money and happiness. If anything, there is a negative relationship where the less money you have the more happy you are. If there is such a negative relationship, I think it has to do with realizing what’s truly important in one’s life… and it’s not money. Surely marriage can be argued as being a basis for happiness, but happiness can and should come long before that. Besides, if you can’t be happy before marriage what would make that change after a marriage? Like my drill instructor said, “The recruit you are today is the Marine you’ll be tomorrow.” There are very few intellectual things that can be taken from my time in the Marines, but I’ve found this statement to be rather profound. So how does one find happiness? Well, we all encounter opposition, and if happiness isn’t based on whether or not we are currently encountering opposition then the most important aspect of finding happiness is realizing that it’s that very opposition that allows us to find happiness. Bruce C. Haffen writes, “Without the taste of bitter in our experience, the taste of sweet is lost on us – we are without context, without a frame of reference and even the sweet things of life may be without meaning or purpose.” Continuing the point that our joy is in fact contingent on the presence and not the absence of opposition Haffen writes, “Joy-like grace- may well come in the midst of contrary experience, for it is a real part of life. Joy is not an alternative to opposition; it is part of a compound that includes opposition.” Further illustrating the point, those who have taken college courses have undoubtedly encountered a struggle or two. For those who have put in a lion’s share of effort to understand and to overcome these collegiate difficulties, eventually a figurative light bulb will turn on. At that point a measurable amount of joy is realized. In contrast, a student who finds the topic easy and does not encounter any struggles with it will glide through, more often than not without joy having not gone through the trial. In our personal lives, it’s important that we don’t seek to just glide through. On that very note Haffen writes, “When we are asked at the judgment bar how our life on earth was and what it all means, the following would not be a particularly satisfying answer: ‘Oh, it was nice. No big problems, really. It was a very nice life.’” We must not resist the refining fires that arise in our daily lives. I have been told that the measure of a man isn’t taken when all is well; rather it is taken during the tempests of life. How do we react in such a case? Do we act with honor and courage, or is it something we find ourselves needing to work on? Do we turn for help or do we pridefully think we are strong enough to handle it on our own? Just as important as IF we turn for help is to WHOM or to WHAT we turn for help. I know from my own personal experiences, as well as libraries of other’s experiences, that as we turn to our Heavenly Father for help we will be given the adequate strength to not just survive the tempest, but to find joy in it as well. When it comes to our interaction with our Heavenly Father, I try to imagine the interactions I will someday have with a child of my own. When my son is going through a problem and then decides to come to me for help, I imagine I’ll cherish the opportunity to lovingly guide him through life’s storms. I’m sure our Heavenly Father cherishes those opportunities as well. He wants us to come to Him, and we’re better off when we do. It makes one wonder why it doesn’t happen more often.

Super Exciting!

2009-02-28T23:24:00.000-08:00

So I've been reviewing my finances in preparation for pharmacy school. One route I can choose to go is just taking out student loans and focus on school. The road would lead me to about $170,000 in debt. That's not something I'm super excited to start. I have, however, been looking at another option: The military! I was so excited when I finished up my 8 years of service last summer and it pretty much went without saying that I'd never consider going back in. After running the numbers though, I think I'd be foolish to not go back in. So here are the numbers. After my second year of pharmacy school (assuming I get accepted into the military health program) I would receive approximately $84,000 over the last two years of schooling based on my current Time in Service (8 years). This would enable me go to school and live rather comfortably without loans (saving me tons!). Those last two school years count towards my time in service, bringing the running count to 10 years (at 20 years you can retire). For the next three years I would be a practicing pharmacist in the military making $64,000/ year. Doesn't sound too great, except for the fact that I get basic housing allowance on top of that. This ranges depending on zip code, but a conservative estimate is $18,000 a year. This housing allowance is also tax free, bringing the yearly income to $82,000. I would be required to serve for 3 years, bringing my running time in service to 13 years. At this point I could choose to stay in or get out of the military. If I chose to stay I'd be 7 years away from retirement and at this point the government would probably be willing to pay off some, if not all, of my existing loans as an incentive to stay in. At 20 years time in service I would be approximately 41 years old. My retirement would be approximately $52,000/year (having contributed nothing) and I would still be able to work as a civilian pharmacist and easily make over $100,000/yr. So, including retirement that is about $152,000/ yr. Not to mention lifetime military benefits that save you a ton of money! So yeah... I'm pretty excited about the possible prospect of being able to retire in in 14 years!

What Lays Ahead

2009-02-28T01:38:00.000-08:00

I've publicly declared this upcoming summer "The Summer of Adam." I've been looking forward to it for some time now, and I've begun to map out what it is I would like to accomplish during this Summer of Adam. My first intention is temple work. My parents recently shipped me a slew of our family names that are in need of temple work. I very much look forward to completing that, and I will. I very recently started taking institute more seriously and have started to attend more regularly. I'm 4 classes away from graduating institute so I will be taking those 4 classes over the summer. I very much intend on cultivating existing friendships and creating new ones. I plan on hitting up the pools of Provo on a very regular basis and I am still very much determined to get my 2 mile time down to 12:00. There are several 5k races over the summer and I plan on participating in as many of them as I can! This will mark the first summer since I've arrived in Utah (some 5 1/2 years) in which I have not attended school, but just because I won't be in school doesn't mean I won't be able to learn. I'm already beginning a compilation of books I would like to read over the summer. I will still be working so I will not have as much free time as I might like, but if I plan and budget appropriately I should be able to take the last 6 to 8 weeks off of summer to fully enjoy my last few bites of Utah. My ward last summer felt as close to family as I think a ward can, and I will try to do all I can to duplicate that this summer. As it stands, I will be leaving Utah in the early morning hours of August 4th or 5th. I would very much like to take a few church history related detours, but that is still up in the air. I should arrive in Tennessee no later than the 12th and will start my first year of pharmacy school about 2 weeks later. It'll be quite the drastic change for me, but I'm very much looking forward to it. This entire process has been made entirely possible by my Savior.

Just prior to the Fall semester of 2006 I was 3 semesters away from graduating. I had just gotten out of the Los Angeles Temple when my friend called me. He had just gotten out of his orientation for dental school. He was kind of complaining about something he was told about during the orientation. He was told that he would be required to go through 4 years of schooling without being able to wear shorts! I proceeded to tell him how miserable that was and that I wouldn't be able to do it (seriously!). Soon thereafter I wished him luck and the call was ended. No sooner did I hang up when I received a feeling that I needed to change my major and go into a medical field. It was a strong feelings. Even so, I tried ignoring it and even tried discounting it altogether. As it persisted I found myself resisting. I argued, "I'm a year and a half away from graduating!" I continued, "It'll take me so long to finish if I change now. I probably couldn't do it even if I decided to!" The feeling, however, persisted through my objections. After fervent prayer I logged onto my school account and, one by one, deleted all the classes I had previously registered for. I didn't so much as know what classes I needed to take. After a few phone calls to friends I had signed up for a full time semester under a completely different major. That was 2 1/2 years ago. Between then and now I have gone through rough patches where I didn't know if I could make it. This past summer I began the application process to pharmacy school. The requirements were high; high enough to not know beforehand whether or not schools would have me interview, much less accept me. I sent out approximately 14 applications. One by one I began receiving invitations to interview at the various schools, very literally across the country. As of today, I have received 9 invitations to interview! My first two interviews were at schools and locations I really wanted to end up in! Yet, both such interviews, the locations and the overall experience were missing something. I then interviewed at a school that I had more or less applied to on a whim. It was East Tennessee State University. I had never been to Tennessee before or anywhere even near it. I wasn't even able to spend a full day in Tennessee, but it was still long enough to offer a peaceful feeling... a feeling that I suppose can be vocalized as, "This is home!" This whole journey is not one I had envisioned for myself, but I know it's what Heavenly Father has envisioned for me. I'm still a ways away from completing the journey, but the light at the end of the tunnel is beginning to come into plain view. I'm very much excited for this journey.

Quick Thought

2009-02-22T22:47:00.000-08:00

The past year has seen it's fair share of ups and downs. I've already discussed this a few times, but I'm really going to miss a few friends when I leave at the end of summer. While those friendships have indeed grown over the past year, the friendship that I've been able to develop the strongest over the past year is the one between Heavenly Father and myself. I'm so very grateful for that opportunity to grow and to progress. This has indeed been a good year.

My continued struggle for motivation

2009-02-21T22:02:00.000-08:00

Coming into this week I had three tests that I would need to tackle. The first was my Vascular Plant Taxonomy Test. I hadn’t been to that particular class in some two weeks and hadn’t taken a single note in even longer. I wasn’t able to adequately motivate myself to study for it until the morning before. Even so, I think I did pretty well on it. Next was my physiology class. Again, my lack of motivation as of late had me desiring a few more hours of sleep rather than make myself go to class. It had also been about 2 weeks since I had last been, and I had missed all the material that would be covered on the test. This class means absolutely nothing to me. I took it more for fun than for any other reason. It was rather tempting going in there and taking the test without studying at all for it, but I decided I paid for the class so I might as well put a small amount of effort into it. I ended up with an 80%. I continue studying for my calculus test tonight and I will be taking it on Monday. As long as I get an 80% or above on that one I will be quite satisfied… seeing as I’ve missed the past week of those lectures as well. I’m going to make a much more concerted effort to go to all my classes. Yes, this in indeed my last semester here and I want to have fun, but I also want to make sure I learn something in the process. Aside from that, I think I’m too competitive to allow my grades to slip too much.

This week had some random occurrences as well. I hadn’t seen a certain friend of mine in a little over two months. I had just gotten to school and needed to get some studying in. I don’t all together like studying by myself so I called several of my friends to see if they were studying. They weren’t. I then thought it best to play around on the computers for a little bit. All the computers downstairs were full so I headed towards the “secret” computer lab on the second floor. Just as I was about to enter the stairwell I noticed my friend heading in my direction. I found myself heading up the stairwell trying to avoid recognition. I left the stairwell and turned to the lab. After a few feet I could tell those labs were full too. Just as I turned around the stairwell the door flew open. It was my friend. We ended up talking momentarily and then found a room to study together. Although I initially dreaded the contact, I left with a rather big smile on my face.

I finished the book I had been reading this week, Broken Things to Mend, and bought two more. I’m pretty excited to get started on those. Truman G. Madsen is one of my favorite LDS authors.

A couple of my friends and I got together this week and started making plans for Spring Break. I’m leaving for Tennessee in August, Cody is leaving for Oklahoma in June and Houston is leaving for Texas in July so this will be our last little oorah outside of a few rounds of golf we’ll get in after the semester. What we’ve managed to plan so far is reason for excitement: a backpacking trip in Bryce Canyon! I haven’t been on an actual backpacking trip since I was a scout! Easily 10 years ago or more. The trail is called Under the Rim and it’s about 26 miles or so. There’s still a lot of planning to be had, but the few pictures that we found on the internet were amazing. I’ve always been the type to be inspired by majestic scenery, and I think this place will offer the majesty so required for inspiration. If you can’t tell, I’m excited.

What's New?

2009-02-14T21:57:00.001-08:00

It has been so easy to put off my studies for... well, just about anything. My motivation is rather limited, rather fragile. I've been accepted to the East Tennessee State University School of Pharmacy. I only have to pass one of the three classes I'm taking. The others are more or less for fun. I decided I need to recommit myself to my studies, if for no other reason than to ensure I don't take any bad habits I might acquire into my doctoral program. In regards to work I feel I've been treated rather unjustly. Making a long story short, a new program came in. With the new program came new staff, most of which were just hired. So I went from a management position to the bottom of the deck within a matter of a few days. I'm still trying to remedy that situation, and am also trying to secure other avenues of income should the remedying not go according to plan. So back to the Tennessee bit. Looking at the calendar, I think I will probably end up leaving Utah on August 4th. A friend of mine got accepted into a grad school at Duke so we will probably end up driving together. We're talking about taking a few detours to visit some church historical sites. I'm very much looking forward to that. I'm getting rather excited about the Tennessee situation in general. I can get my own place for $350/mo. I've never had my own place so that will be great! I also very much look forward to not having to juggle work and school when I'm out there. I will solely be a full time student! I'm excited about the new people I'll meet and the new experiences I'll gain out there. I very much look forward to being "different" when I move out there. What I mean is.... in Utah a dime will fetch you a dozen good LDS lads. I personally think of myself as being worth at least slightly more than a dime so it'll be good to get out. On the other hand, I'll be leaving some majestic scenery! I've certainly taken the mountains for granted but I will very much miss the inspiration they provide, which is to say nothing of how much I'll miss the recreation in which they provide. More so than that, I'll miss the friends I've been able to make through my years of calling Provo home (lets not repeat the fact that I'm referring to Provo as home). Most of my friends, however, have already moved on or will be moving on soon enough. Those that will be moving on will be moving on about the same time frame as me. So, if I were to stay in Utah for any longer, there would be far less for me here than ever before.
I'm already dubbing this summer the official "Summer of Adam." It's going to be awesome! I'm going to get so much golf in, so much motorcycle riding (provided I don't have to sell it), vacations and most importantly my summer will consist of a steady diet of temple work! I have so many names of long lost ancestors to serve. I love the opportunity the church provides in serving our ancestors and provide them with an amazing gift... one in which they can longer provide for themselves. The type of unity that creates with one's ancestors is something of grandeur!
In a time of economic uncertainty, wars and rumors of wars... I'm grateful that I have the means to support myself and that I live in a country where I do not need to fear for my life, my family or my friends. How blessed are we?
Ok, one last thing. The following is an exerpt from the book I am presently reading:
"Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a Lutheran pastor, theologian and participant in the Nazi resistant movement. Bonhoeeffer wrote, 'I can no longer condemn or hate a brother for whom I pray, no matter how much trouble he causes me. His face, that hiterto may have been strange and intolerable to me, is transormed into the countenance of a brother for whom Christ died, the face of a forgiven sinner.'" I know there are times when people get under our skin. It seems almost natural to react in some malicious way, but that's not Christ's way so it should not be our way. If we look at those around us as Bonhoeffer did we will be that much closer to having Charity in our lives and ultimately, a little more Christlike. That is my goal.

Bones

2009-01-07T02:20:00.000-08:00

Over the past four years of schooling I have learned some rather interesting things. Others not so interesting. Among the interesting things I have learned is the slippery slope that emerges when one chooses to be idle, such as choosing not to walk. I am lucky enough to still have both grandmothers in my life. One of them, however, chose a long time ago to have a cart move her around rather than walking under her own power and energies. Her past and current medical issues are evidence of the slippery slope that she has had to endure over the years, but what causes this slippery slope? On a microscopic level bones have essentially two types of cells: Osteoblasts and osteocytes. Osteocytes break down bone while osteoblasts lay down new bone. They are both constantly at work. However, the levels of activity of one or the other may be skewed based off one's activity. When one exercises and places stress on the bones there is far more building than breaking down. Conversely, when one stands idle and places no stress on their bones their is far more breaing down than building. Bones have to be used to grow stronger, or even to maintain their strength. I think Heavenly Father helps us grow stronger the same way we allow our bones to. He places all sorts of stresses on us. I imagine at times He doesn't want to cause pain and heartache to the very children he loves, but He understands the big pictures. He knows what's best for us, and ultimately what will make us happpiest. In addition to allowing us to grow, this process allows us to become closer to and more like our Heavenly Father. And that should be our ultimate goal.

I need to POT TY

2008-12-16T22:04:00.000-08:00

This is what happens when you ask to use the bathroom the wrong way in Marine Corps bootcamp. A recruit is supposed to ask for permission to speak. When allowed to speak the recruit is supposed to say, "This recruit requests permission to use the head, sir!" Well, this recruit said he "NEEDED" to use it. And yes, this was my life for 3 months.

A Profound Understanding...

2008-12-07T22:26:00.000-08:00

A friend told me some time ago, "Some people come into your life for a season. Other people come into your life for a lifetime." I've thought a lot about that this week. I suppose mostly as a mechanism to deal with what's going on in my own life. In any case, I've had absolutely amazing people come into my life. People that have taught me life lessons, and even allowed me to learn more about myself. A lot of these people, however, have gone their own way. Still, the lessons I've been taught through them have stayed with me. I wouldn't be the person I am today without these "friends for a season." I think it's important to realize that your friends move on, more often than not in a direction that's completely different than your own. That doesn't mean we shouldn't make friends. I think more than anything it should illustrate the importance of enjoying friends to the fullest while they are still in our lives. Life goes by pretty fast if you haven't already noticed, and before you know it the the people that have become so dear in our lives are suddenly gone... Be it through death or just the road they embark on is different than our own. I have another 9 months or so in the state of Utah before I begin a new chapter in my life in Tennessee. Over the 5 years I've been in Utah I've made my fair share of friends, and sadly I'll be moving away from all of them and will have to start from scratch. Technology can facilitate a way to keep in touch, but that's ultimately not the same thing as being able to spend time with people. The doctorate program I'll be attending doesn't require a degree and so I've more or less chosen not to finish earning it. I'm 21 credits shy of said degree. Perhaps that's irresponsible of me. In a lot of ways I agree with that, but at the same time I want to spend as much time with the friends I have and make as many new friends as I can as well. I've spent the past 4 months cooped up at school for 40 hours a week and working 40 hours on top of that. Am I going to remember 30,40,50 years from now that I received a meaningless degree (I'll be getting my doctorate in 4 years anyways), or am I going to remember the special time I was able to spend with friends old and new alike? I think the latter is more likely. And who knows, perhaps somewhere in the mix I'll find friends that will be with me for a lifetime.

Rocky Balboa

2008-12-04T20:32:00.000-08:00

A movie has to be pretty good for a sequel to be considered, let alone to be made. The sequel often times has to be even better than the original for a 3rd movie to be made. That's why there are so few trilogies out there. Despite all that, there are 6 "Rocky" movies! Rocky VI was released in 2006... 16 years after Rocky V. What attributed to its success? Why did Rocky, a fictional character, become as iconic an America staple as.... Apple Pie? I think it has to do with the fact that Rocky, like all of us, take punches. While Rocky's beatings were far more literal than ours ever are it doesn't remove the fact that sometimes we get beat up as we go through life. What makes Rocky Rocky is that after he takes his beatings from opponents that are often times bigger and stronger than he is... he carries on, often times stronger and more determined than at any other point in the movie. That's why we cheer for Rocky, because ultimately we want to be like him. Maybe not in the sense that we want to hop in the ring against an Apollo Creed, rather we want to be able to take life's punches and come out of it stronger and more determined to accomplish our own goals.

I've found myself in various "life beatings" throughout the years. Some have been more difficult than others. Some have taught me more than others. More often than not, greater lessons are learned from the more severe "beatings." At the present I find myself in the middle of one such beating. I know that when it's over I'll come out of the ring a better person, but knowing that doesn't take all the pain away. But like Rocky, and as I've always done, I'll take the punches... and after I've taken my hits I'll carry on more determined and more focused than before. In short, I'll be a better... more complete Adam. Those that put their money on Rocky made out pretty big, so too would anyone willing to put their money on me!

I Stand All Amazed

2008-11-30T21:19:00.000-08:00

The past couple weeks I've had to prepare for several interviews for doctor of pharmacy programs. There's a list of potential questions I was given to help me prepare. One of these questions was: What are some of your strengths? I was actually asked that question during my interview at East Tennessee State University, and I think my answer was excellent. My answer was that one of my greatest of strengths lays in the fact that I'm quick to identify a problem (specifically within myself) and do everything I can to fix that problem. About a month ago I identified such a problem. I wasn't feeling spiritual enough, and for me that's a big problem. The gospel, like many things in life, is one of those things where if your not progressing your typically digressing. Perhaps it wasn't a dire situation, but it was a situation that needed to be fixed nonetheless. In addition to reading my scriptures with greater frequency and spending more time on personal prayer, I went on a music fast of sorts. No radio and no cds. I listened solely to conference recordings, Mormon Tabernacle Choir or other music that would be considered "Sunday music." I've finished about a month of that, and I find myself with little desire to resort back to the radio. Instead of having a random song stuck in my head I'd have a random hymn stuck in there. Whenever a problem would arise a hymn would come to mind and it would put me at ease. The effects were amazing. If nothing else, it brought me closer to Heavenly Father and helped me to remember Him with much greater frequency. I highly encourage others to try this music fast.

Put your hand up

2008-11-23T21:20:00.000-08:00

All of last week I was interviewing for doctor of pharmacy programs. It was quite hectic without even considering the amount of school I was missing. The interviews went as well as I could have hoped for, but I wanted to share a "non interview" related experience I had this previous week. My interview at East Tennessee State University had gone on for an hour more than I thought it would and I only had three hours to make a 2 1/2 hour drive to a school out in rural Virginia for my next interview. I had my mapquest directions in hand, and that was about it. My cell phone reception discontinued before I even left the freeway. I got off the freeway onto a "state highway," and knew I was going to have problems finding the place. As I continued on, the "highway" became more and more narrow and less and less... well, pavement. It eventually became a dirt highway and narrow enough to where if a car would have been coming from the opposite direction, one of us would have had to have stopped and put it in reverse for a while. It was getting pretty near my interview time and there was nothing in sight aside from coal mines and seeminly never ending rolling hills. I saw a truck stopped in the road a little ways a head so I stopped and asked if I was going in the right direction. I was dressed in my white shirt and tie for my interview and the "fella" looked at me like it was the first time he had ever seen such a combination. He looked puzzled for a moment and told me I could in fact get to where I was needing to go if I continued on but added that it was a long ways a way and that the roads were pretty bad. I had only 20 minutes left before my interview so I went as fast on that narrow mountain road as I could go. There were no signs so I had to do a lot of guessing, and that method concluded with me wandering into a completely different state. Ooops. By this point I was getting rather frustrated. I had pretty much been lost for the past three hours, without cell phone reception and there were no road signs or signs of civilization for that matter. After another hour of what ended up being aimless wandering I decided to miss my interview altogether and head back the way I came and spend the night in Tennessee. Again, I was pretty frustrated. Heck, I'll even go as far as to say I was mad. I was mad that it was so rural. Mad that there were no signs whatsoever. Mad that people would actually want to live out there. I was even mad at the fact I was so absurdly lost in a state that voted for Obama! I was definitely searching for things to be mad at, and I was filling my bag full of things! As I was in this morbid state of mind I approached a man while driving. He was in front of his very humble dwelling going about his own business. I was driving a Toyota Corolla, and since it wasn't a truck was a dead give away I wasn't from around the area. Even still, the humble man turned towards me as I drove, smiled and waived at me. It was such a simple gesture. He probably didn't even think anything of it. I waived back and before I was even able to put my hand back down, I had a feeling of peace overwhelm me. Attitude is such an imporant aspect of life, and I was quite literally amazed at how big of an impact that simple smile and waive had on my attitude. I was no longer angry. If anything I felt a little foolish for having let it come to anger. Applying this into a greater context, if we will but expend a small amount of energy and smile at those that walk by, or if we're willing to so much as waive... I submit that such small and simple acts can have a profound effect upon those around us. After all, the smallest act is greater than the best intention.

They Jacked Our Meat!

2008-08-29T22:05:00.000-07:00

One day during the summer before our senior year of high school my friend, Wolfy, and I decided that we were going to go to Six Flags Magic Mountain. We didn't have any money but he had a season pass, a free friend pass and a free parking pass. Again, we had no money so before we made the hour long trip to the park we packed ourselves some sandwiches. We had just arrived at the park and were getting everything out of the car. I asked Wolfy, "Where'd you put the sandwiches?" He said, "No, where did you put the sandwiches?!" They were an hour away in Wolfy's kitchen! It was 10 am. The park wasn't closing until midnight, and we planned on staying the whole 14 hours! At about 3 pm our stomaches started churning... we were hungry! We started going into restaurants and asking for water cups. When they weren't looking we poured as much pink lemonade into our cups as we could! The sugar allowed us to function, but we were still in dire need of solid food. We stuck to our original plan of staying until midnight, despite our empty stomachs. The park started closing and we headed for the parking lot with the rest of the crowd. By this point we were moving ever so slowly. We just didn't have any energy left. We had just gotten to the parking area and started looking for our car... when I saw something shiny on the ground! My eyes immediately dilated. It was one of those plastic packagings that you would find at an Albertson's Bakery. I thought it was muffins, or something like unto it. I ran up to the plastic packaging. They weren't muffins. No, it was half of an albertson's chicken. Just sitting there. On the ground of the Six Flags parking lot. Never did a thought enter my mind to discourage me from eating it. We didn't even wait until we got to my car. As fast as we opened the packaging our fingers and lips were covered in chicken grease. We continued to walk to my car and literally devoured that half chicken. Now the distance between where we discovered our half chicken and my car was about 30 yards. As we were nearing completion of our chicken feast we heard a man's voice yell, "HEY! THEY JACKED OUR MEAT!" Wolfy and I looked at each other, scampered around my car in opposite directions, met on the other side and finished our chicken as fast as we could! We were literally shoving chicken in our faces. We licked our fingers the best we could and then bolted in the car for a quick get away. But OH NO! We left the headlights on the entire day! The battery was dead! We uttered some silent prayers hoping we weren't about to get beaten up. We didn't thankfully but we were the last car to leave the parking lot. So much for a quick get away! Our stomachs still weren't quite full. Between a coupon and 213 pennies we found in my car we were able to purchase 6 tacos at a Taco Bell and then made our way uneventfully home. It had been a long day.

19 year old boy

2008-08-27T01:02:00.000-07:00

Eleven days after I graduated high school I found myself wondering what I had gotten myself into. I was in Marine Corps boot camp and I couldn't remember why I had signed on the dotted line to put myself in this position. Yet, here I was. Up to that point it was the hardest 13 weeks of my life. One of the few things that kept me pushing forward was knowing that this was only going to be a "part time job." After training I'd get to live my own life! Get a regular job, go to school, and just have the freedom that we've all come to take for granted. Ten days before the commencement of boot camp, however, the terrorist attacks of September 11th changed everything. I received notice after my training that I was being involuntarily activated for a minimum of 1 year, with a possible extension. I had to drop out of school and, most importantly, give up the freedom I was so excited to have once again! The first six months of my activation were miserable. I had just turned 19 and I wasn't use to this sort of life. I felt like I wasn't free to live my own life. Not to mention the verbal abuse, peppery spraying, gas chambering, forced marches, and freezing temperatures that needed to be endured. I had never been so down in my life. I didn't feel like I was progressing. I felt so stagnant. I don't know what it was, but something motivated me to snap out of my funk after six months. I told myself, "You have six more months... lets make the best of it!" Compared to the first 6 months of training, the latter 6 months were much harder. Still, with my newly acquired positive attitude, the last six months were amazing. Easily among the best six months I've ever had in my life. It was this positive attitude that motivated me to become the best Marine I could be, and ultimately kept me alive in Iraq.
I've learned so much from that experience. As miserable as I was, I'm so thankful that I had the opportunity to go through that pain and suffering to learn that life lesson. Many of the people I know can vouch for me when I say it's difficult to catch me without a smile. There is always something to smile about... always! No matter how bad a situation might be, a reason to smile can always be found. That's simply the product of a lesson I learned as a little 19 year old boy.

My Pharmacy Essay

2008-08-25T01:44:00.000-07:00

The manner in which I've worked towards many of my goals has elicited from many people the question, "How do you do it?" Accomplishing any worth while goal usually requires some sacrifice, and I've always been willing to make such sacrifices to accomplish the goals I've set for myself. After a while, however, it doesn't feel like your sacrificing anything at all. While in the Marines I made a goal of becoming the best Marine I could be. I knew that not only did my life depend on it, but the lives of many others depended on it as well. Knowing that my preparations had helped keep those around me alive, the sacrifice of attaining that level of preparation didn't seem like such a sacrifice. I imagine that a career in pharmacy is similar in that my preparation as a pharmacist may decide lives. It's this that will motivate me to be the best pharmacist I can be. It's a challenge that I met as a Marine and a challenge that I look forward to as a pharmacist.

When I was a child my family lived in Los Angeles, California. My parents couldn't afford to buy a home in the area so we moved several hours away to a place that was more affordable. My dad, however, continued to live in LA during the week and would only come home on the weekends. That was his sacrifice for a home and to get our family into a better neighborhood. That's a sacrifice I never want to have to make. Among the many things that motivate me to succeed, my motivation to never have to sacrifice time with my family trumps all others. The family unit works much better when the father is present. When I have a family of my own I don't want to have to compromise my time with them for anything, and that's my greatest driving force.

I have often pursued avenues to distinguish myself and to attain a certain level of prestige. One such avenue led me to join the United States Marine Corps. I learned many invaluable lessons in the Marines, but none so much perhaps as the lesson of hard work. Among other things the Marines are well known for being proficient at their jobs, no matter the work environment. They're able to accomplish this by often requiring more out of you during training than would normally be required in a typical scenario. My time serving in Iraq was no cake walk, but in comparison to the difficulty of the training it was easy. I expect pharmacy school to be similar and very much look forward to the vast amounts of knowledge and skill I will be able to obtain there.

I decided just prior to the Fall of '06 semester to change my major from history education to biology to pursue a career in pharmacy. As much as I enjoy history I've always enjoyed the sciences more. I've always enjoyed how the human body functions and how pharmaceuticals play a part in continued and extended human function. When I have completed pharmacy school I would like to work in either research or in a hospital. I feel I would be able to help people in those settings more so than in other settings.

I work at an alcohol and drug rehabilitation center for youth, and have been there for nearly four years. I've seen the adverse effects of ill advised decisions, and I take a certain amount of pride in knowing that I've set a good example for four years worth of kids coming in and out of the program.

My two most sought after feelings are those that accompany a worthy accomplishment and helping someone in need. I believe pharmacy school will give me ample opportunities to enjoy both said feelings. My love for learning is only trumped by my love of helping others. I've experienced many successes in my otherwise short life: winning various athletic competitions, scoring high on difficult examinations, defeating an opposing army, etc. While such accomplishments create a measure of joy, it is nonetheless short lived. However, memories of helping those in need linger over a much longer span of time. I can remember the specifics of leaving the necessities of a Thanksgiving feast at a neighbor's doorstep some 15 years ago much more vividly than I can recall many of my personal accomplishments, even if those personal accomplishments have taken place much more recently. Again, I believe a career in pharmacy will prove to be a major accomplishment in my life, and will also put me in a position to help others who stand in need, and that is something worth pursuing!

Tender Mercies

2008-08-22T22:00:00.000-07:00

In one of Elder Bednar's first talks as a member of the 12 he spoke of the Tender Mercies of the Lord. Ever since then I've been able to identify such Tender Mercies in my own life that remind me how much my Father in Heaven loves me. Today was a rough day. Certainly a very emotionally draining day. To ease my mind I decided that I needed to go on a motorcycle ride. I wasn't sure where to go, I just knew I needed to go somewhere. I was planning on going on one of my usual routes, but felt like I needed to go up the canyon to do some thinking. I got to my destination and walked to a place where I knew I'd be alone. I thought, threw rocks, prayed and even sang. After spending about an hour there I started heading back towards my motorcycle. As I was doing so I noticed a familiar looking person walking towards me. It was a friend of mine. A friend who I really wanted to talk to. Perhaps I even needed to speak with him. I couldn't believe it! I was in shock! What were the odds of running into him? At that moment I was once again reminded how much my Heavenly Father loves me. I may not understand his plan, but He does love me. That's exactly what I needed. I walked up to my friend and told him how crazy it was to run into him. He answered saying maybe it wasn't so crazy after all. I think he was right.

Daily Armor

2008-08-07T21:40:00.000-07:00

When one thinks of history's greatest battlefields the imagination is drawn to the pitched battles of Korea, Vietnam and World War II. In the three day battle of Gettysburg some 50,000 Americans lost their lives. Surely this has to be considered when discussing history's greatest battlefields, but it's not. The greatest battlefield takes place within our own minds between the forces of good and evil, everyday! An army's success is so dependent upon being well supplied. In my own experience, military planners hadn't expected us to move so swiftly towards Baghdad. We had basically outrun our supply chain and had to wait 2 days for our supplies to catch up before we could begin our northward march again. So it is too in the fight for our minds, or rather the battle for our wills. The better supplied we keep our mind the better protected in our daily battles we'll be. And just as an army would suffer the consequences of being supplied with bad rations, we too suffer the consequences of listening to profanity laced music and watching things that detract from the spirit. One of our enemy's battle plans is to corrupt the most fundamental units of society: the family. I work at a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center for youth, and in the 4 years I've worked here it's become clear to me how brutally effective the corrupting of the family structure is as a battle plan. All the more reason to guard against it. I was recently reading an article on Fox news. It was more or less an audit of the major television networks and the shows they broadcast. I don't recall the exact figures but for every mention of marriage there were three mentions of the joys of promiscuity. Pornography is another way to corrupt the family. I had always known that it was a bad thing, but it wasn't until just recently that I saw just how destructive it can be. It breaks up families. I had always heard that it had, but it's different when it's happened to someone that you care about. It hits on a whole new level. Again, the greatest battles take place everyday within our own minds. Every morning we wake up Satan is ready to throw everything he has at you. If your not equally prepared, chances are you'll lose. And in this battlefield, if you lose you give up a lot more than a piece of land.

Your Mexican Auto Insurance Policy

2008-08-07T21:09:00.000-07:00

At the conclusion of every summer I tell myself I'll never do summer school again. Yet, every summer I find myself in the same place. This has by far been my hardest summer ever, and after an extremely hectic week I can now breathe a sigh of relief knowing it's over. Before that sigh has so much as finished, however, I come to the realization that in 20 days I'll start all over again. I need to make the most out of those 20 days, so in a little less than 32 hours I'll be on my way to Mexico with the Charity Anywhere Foundation. I actually have no idea what I'm going to be doing down there, and it doesn't even matter to me. I'll be given the opportunity to serve those that stand in need of it. I've been so busy this summer doing what I've needed to do that I haven't had many opportunities to focus on and serve others, and I couldn't be more excited that I can finally take the focus off myself and and help those that stand in need. What a spiritual experience this is going to be!

The power of a friend

2008-08-02T02:48:00.000-07:00

I have been blessed in so many many ways. Among the greatest of my blessings are the friends I've had the privilege of having. Friends that put your happiness even above their own, because they know that you being happy will make them happy. One night, a very long time ago, I was really upset about something and I needed someone there for me. I called up one of my best friends, Ben. When he picked up I wasn't even able to say anything. I just cried. Ben hung up the phone and a few moments later I heard the nearing 'thud thud thud' of someone running towards me. It was Ben. He didn't say anything and he didn't have to. Just being there was enough. On another occasion I was going through a very difficult time, yet was able to keep my difficulty a secret from just about everybody. One random night, however, my door bell rang. It was my friend, Mick. I hadn't seen him for a week or two and he had never really come to my house before so I thought it was a bit odd. In any case, he asked if I'd come out and take a walk with him. After we exchanged pleasantries I asked him to what I owed the pleasure of his visit. He said something to the effect of, "I actually don't know Adam. I just felt like you needed some help and wanted to make sure everything was alright." Even our innermost bottled up feelings are known by our Father in Heaven. I told Mick that everything was fine, and after that visit everything was. That visit did so much for me, and Mick didn't even know it. He just followed a prompting. Often times our prayers are answered through friends, and that was one such occasion where mine was.
Towards the end of high school I became really close to a family in my ward. I grew particularly attached to one of their sons, John. I could fill a book or two on all the crazy things we did! Last July I received a text message from my brother saying that he had heard John had died sometime that morning. I made a few phone calls. It was true. John was gone. I've always been exceptional around death. I had seen it more than a hundred times while serving in Iraq and it never phased me the least bit. Though, none of those hundred were a friend of mine. The few weeks leading up to the funeral I was ok. The emotions, however, flooded back when I went to the funeral. I, again, have been fine since the funeral and don't think of John all that often. For whatever reason I was talking to a friend about John recently and I started to get upset again about losing him. I wondered why. What I've come up with is that a friend, someone who puts your happiness even above theirs, is hard to come by. They're the ones that are so important to hang onto. Thankfully with the knowledge of the Gospel I know that I'll see him again, but it's still not easy to lose a friend. I'd be so much less of a person today without my friends. They are quite literally a blessing in one's life.

What do you want?

2008-07-31T21:23:00.000-07:00

I always knew growing up when Thanksgiving was drawing near. The closer it got, the more advertisements for this that and the other would come in the mail. As a kid I would go through these advertisements over and over again. Circling and, often times, recircling all the many things I wanted from Santa that year. Just the thought of all the new toys is enough to make the naughtiest of little boys yearn to be placed on the good list, and mom's have a gift of leveraging their correspondence with Santa to whip these naughty boys into shape. As time passed, I found myself asking for fewer and fewer gifts. That didn't seem to matter as much anymore. What I've come to realize is that being able to spend quality time with my family is a far better gift than anything than can be bought at Wal-Mart (probably one of the few things left in this world that can't be bought there). I don't get to see my family very often but it's always special when I do. As my love for toys has dwindled the love for my family has grown. Every passing year I seem to love them just a little bit more than the year before. As much as I love my family, my love for them is surpassed by the love for my nieces and my nephew. They brighten my life. Nothing has ever been able to put so big a smile on my face. And then I realized what I want this Christmas... My family.

Memories

2008-07-28T21:47:00.000-07:00

I've often been in awe of the effect that memories can have on our lives. Perhaps this is unique to myself, but I often seem to store only the good memories. Memories that uplift and encourage. It's been said that, "God gave us memories so we may have roses in the Decembers of our lives." I cannot underscore just how true that is. I remember I was watching conference. President Thomas S. Monson was giving one his articulate and uplifting talks when he quoted the above quote. I immediately rewound (thank goodness for TiVo) and jotted it down. I've always been fond of memories. All too oft I find myself remembering the good times of a not so distant past. These memories always serve to put a smile on my face. Sometimes, however, we forget some of the best of our memories. This only highlights the importance of keeping an up to date journal. Last night I was a bit down and needed something to uplift me. I began reading my old journal entries. I not only found myself laughing out loud, but also found myself with tears in my eyes. Happy tears though. It's always pleasant going back and seeing how much you've progressed. As you read journal entries from the past your more able to look at the situation with a much grander perspective, and in just about every case (at least for me) everything turned out wonderfully when I put my faith in my Heavenly Father. As simple as a lesson as that may seem, it's nonetheless important to be reminded from time to time. I've realized that some of the lowest times, times when it felt like the world was bearing it's weight on my shoulders, have often become my fondest of memories. It's times like these that have forced me to my knees, and ultimately grown me into the person I am today.

A deep thought at 3am

2008-07-28T01:28:00.000-07:00

If I wasn't already prior to this weekend, I am now fully convinced of the fact that I will never stop learning. There is so much out there to learn. In both the seen and unseen worlds alike. And as much as there is to learn there is an exponentially greater amount of information that hasn't been tapped just yet. External lessons aside, we may spend the next 80 or so years in our mortal state and still never fully know ourselves. With every test, every challenge we not only become stronger, but better understand ourselves as well. If for no other reason, it is this fact that makes having a relationship with our Father in heaven so important. Because he does know us. He knows our weaknesses and strengths. Our highs and lows. And, ultimately, He knows the path that will lead to eternal happiness. We may at times want to do things our own way, or walk down our own path… but that's just us being stubborn. When our lives are guided by the Father there's only one direction we can go. We might face a season of unpleasantries on that path, but ultimately even those trials will lead us to happiness.

What I've learned (this is over a year old)

2008-04-07T22:44:00.000-07:00

I'm a couple months shy of 24 years spent in this mortal existence. In this relatively short time I've experienced many things. More things, I think, than would a typical person of my age group be able to boast. Some experiences have brought me down while yet others have lifted me up. Although some of my experiences have brought me lower than I've ever wanted to venture I'm not quite sure how readily I would give such experiences up these "tough" experiences have made me into the person I am today much more so than those that have otherwise initially built me up. One's character is determined, I believe, not by how the individual responds to the good, but rather how one responds and reacts to the bad. As aforementioned, I've been through many of the good but have been through my share of the bad as well. Going through these bad experiences is always painful on some level. I've learned that bad experiences hurt the most when things are completely out of your control. If you can..t control a situation then you have no hand in the outcome. That, to some degree, scares me. What I've learned (and at the same time has at times hurt me the most) is that the path that YOU want to take isn't always necessarily the best path. In attempting to navigate a maze, the best route typically cannot be easily discerned while in the maze itself. Conversely, someone with an elevated vantage point would be able to map the best route. There..s only one person who has the vantage point in our lives. We too, as it were, are running around in a maze of sorts trying to find our way to the goal. We can decide to listen to the one with the vantage point or we can disregard it. Ultimately in the end we will be much happier and go through much less strife if we listen to the directions given us. Still, listening doesn't always take us in the direction that we want to go in. Going in the "right direction" will still have obstacles and trials. We may not want to experience or even navigate through such things.. but nothing worth while was ever easy and nothing easy is ever worth while. In the maze of life there will always be pain and suffering, both the good and bad alike. Likewise, choices and decisions will be placed before us.. some of which are much less than easy or obvious. As long as we listen to the "vantage point" we can be assured that we will head in the direction that we ultimately want to head. As we go through the obstacles in life we can take comfort that we always have someone to help us.. to guide us. Someone who has been through the same such obstacles.. who knows both exactly how to navigate such obstacles, and to comfort us if we don..t quite do as well as we..d like. Our vantage point wants to help, but it is up to us to heed the counsel given. He..s offering the map of the maze. It..s up to us to use it.

This could only happen to me

2008-04-07T22:42:00.000-07:00

In my diligent effort to remedy my "singleness" I've been putting forth some effort as of late. My efforts, however, haven't borne any fruit but they have produced some funny stories. I was telling a friend about them today and she thought it would be a good idea to make a book of all of my stories (trust me, I have a lot of them). So, this is as much a way to appease her as it is wanting to find out the feasibility of such a book. Enough of the intro, lets get to the stories!

All pharmacy programs require their applicants to have successfully completed a psychology class, so I decided to take psychology 1010 this semester. So here I am, a 24 year old college senior taking a freshmen level psychology class. Being a freshmen level class, I'm easily one of the eldest students in that class, and for whatever reason, the female gender seems more interested in psychology than your average male. Thus, about 85% of the class was female. So the first day of class, I did what any single person does…. I "scoped" it out. I decided which girls in class I wanted to get to know a little bit better. Our teacher soon thereafter began class and was going over the grading scheme. Among other things, we were going to be graded on a group project that we would have to present in front of the entire class. She then split us up into groups of 10. Well, I was lucky enough to have two of the girls I wanted to "get to know better" in my group. I, of course, was delighted by this. Our group met and we all exchanged numbers with one another. That's the background information.

One day I walked into class and one of the cute girls in my group was sitting in my usual seat. I sat next to her and we started talking. Class started soon thereafter and we obviously stopped our conversation. Throughout the teacher's lecture this girl, Rachel, was texting non stop. Usually I don't mind, but in this instance it was a bit distracting. I decided I needed to pull a prank on her! I opened my notebook and turned to the page I had written down the numbers of everyone in my group. I found her number and I texted her. This is what the text said: "I would appreciate it if you refrained from texting during my lecture. Thanks, your teacher, Jan." She opened up her next text message and she couldn't help but have that certain look of bewilderment. She closed her phone and put it back her in pocket. It didn't come back out. Ten minutes I leaned over to her and asked, "Hey, you didn't happen to get a text message from the teacher, did you?" Her eyes got as big as softballs. "Na-Uh! Did you get one too?!?" At this point I couldn't stop from laughing and I fessed up to the deed. After that we spent some time together. We went to a concert and went on a motorcycle ride or two. Among our conversations, she told me she was 18. I didn't like that too much but I decided I shouldn't let that decide if I liked her or not… so I continued on. A few days later was Saturday. I wanted to do something with her, but she had to work until late that night, 11 pm to be specific. For all those out there that know me well, I'm sure you'd agree that I'm a "retard". I decided I hadn't done anything retarded for a while, and that I should fix that. So, in my effort to do something retarded, I went to the store Saturday night and bought a long stem rose and a bottle of Martinelli's. If you don't know what that is your seriously missing out. In any case, I got to her work at 10:30. I parked a good distance away from her car so Rachel wouldn't be able to see me. I then walked over to her car, hid the rose and two glasses in a tree near her car, and placed the Martinelli's on top of her car… so she wouldn't miss it. I then returned to my car and waited. Finally, around 11:30, a car pulls up near Rachel's car. Two girls hop out. One girl grabs the Martinelli's and both girls hop back in the car. Combining the darkness with distance I was from Rachel's car I couldn't tell if Rachel was over there or not. So, after a minute or two, the car that the two girls jumped into parks and three people get out: the two girls and a guy. Again, couldn't tell who was who. At that point I had three options: Save face and leave, go over there and perhaps Rachel is one of the three people, or if Rachel isn't one of them go over there and get my Martinelli's back! I decided to go over there. As I was walking over, one of the girls went into the backseat. I wasn't trying to be sneaky, but the girl and the guy had their backs to me, and when I was about 5 feet away from them I exclaimed, "HEY!" The girl flips out and commences to cuss me out. After a moment of shell shock I made my way over to the backseat of the car and Rachel was indeed there. I asked Rachel what was her friend's deal, and I found out they were best friends. So I got a little turned off. I left a few minutes later just feeling absolutely retarded….so mission accomplished I guess. The next morning I woke up to 6 text messages from Rachel. In paraphrase the texts said, "Adam, I'm so sorry. I should have told you sooner. I thought it would have come up in a previous conversation, but it didn't. I graduated from high school a year early…. I'm only 17!" lol. How do you handle something like that? And if your wondering, she had in fact told me she was 18.

Two weeks later I went to class and the teacher informed our group that we were scheduled to present our project in two days. So, being the eldest, I took charge and called everyone that night to make sure everything was getting done. In doing so, I inevitably had to call the "other cute girl" in my group. We ended up talking for about 45 minutes… while she was at work. She obviously could have gotten off the phone had she wanted to. When she did get off work she called me and we talked until her phone died. So I thought this looked promising! The next day we met up to go over what we had with the project and after 5 minutes we started talking about pretty much everything but our project. About 40 minutes into our conversation she mentioned that she was working a full time job, a part time job and going to school full time. I inquired as to her reasoning for doing so. Her answer: Bills. I called her BS and told her that I had way more bills than she has. To try to figure it out I asked her how much she pays a month for her car. "Nothing, it's completely paid off." I was even more confused so I asked further about these bills. Before I let you know what she said I want to remind you that we had been flirting for a good solid 2 days now. Ok, so her response to her "bills"…. "Well, I'm getting married in 11 weeks, and we're going to have a lot of bills, and I'm just trying to stay on top of them before they really get bad." I immediately thought to myself, "Seriously? What are the chances… I seriously have the worst luck… wait, maybe she has a ring on her finger and I just didn't see it." I took a few glances at her ring finger… nothing. So I asked, "Where's your ring?" "Well, my boyfriend said he's going to propose to me sometime this week, I just don't know when it's going to be," she replied. The next day in class, guess what was on her previously nude ring finger? You guessed it. She got proposed to that night. Very likely within an hour or two after we had finished flirting with one another.

About 2 hours before that, however, I passed up a chance of a lifetime! I was on campus at BYU going to a basketball game. A very attractive young lady was walking in my direction. This, obviously, was reason enough for excitement. We neared each other and, in so doing, made eye contact. I said hi and she returned my hi with a hi of her own. Just as we passed she stopped and turned around… and I did the same. "Sorry!" she said. "I couldn't see you. The sun was right behind you. YOU LOOKED LIKE AN ANGEL!" Those were her exact words! "You looked like an angel!" I responded, "Wow, that's a really good first impression!" She followed up, "Yeah, it is!" And then, being the retard that I am, I walked away. I know, your probably asking yourself, "What the heck are you thinking?" Funny thing is, the stupidity of the situation didn't quite hit me for about a minute, but when it did hit a minute later it hit hard! I felt so absolutely retarded. So this took place on a Tuesday evening, right before 7. Guess where I was the following Tuesday right before 7? You guessed it! I had been sitting there for about 20 minutes when I saw the girl I thought I had seen the week earlier. So, I followed her and she got in her car. At that point I completely chickened out and walked right past her car. A few seconds later I was able to must up some courage by telling myself, "Dude! Freakin grow a pair! Worst case you'll have a funny story to tell!" So I turned around and walked back to her car. Luckily, the car door was still open. I walked up to her car… "Excuse me, did I run into you last week?" She looked at me for a moment, "No, I don't think so." "Really? I look like an angel…. Not ringing any bells?" She looked me over again, "No, I'm sorry." So maybe it wasn't her, but she was still a cute girl. I really considered asking her out anyways, but come on… that would be weird, right? So I thanked her for her time and I walked away. So yeah, that's my dating situation for the past month. Hope you enjoyed. Let me know what you think.

-Adam

Anticipating Summer

2008-03-19T02:37:00.000-07:00

The warming weather with the end of the semester in sight can mean only one thing: summer is near. I can't stand the cold. I often wear nothing more than jeans and a short sleeve t-shirt during the winter. Mostly because that's what I'm comfortable with, but also to spite the cold. With summer comes long motorcycle rides, hitting up Provo's many pools and enjoying the freedom that inevitably coincides with the season. Yet, summer's freedom can begin to bother me. Sure, the freedom is great for the first few weeks but I can't help but feel that I'm wasting time by not progressing. It's this feeling that's had me in summer school full time since I began college. This summer will be no different. I'm undecided so far as to the specific classes I'll be taking, but it's looking like it will entail Organic Chemistry II and Cell Biology. Both beastly classes. I'll also be studying for the Pharmacy College Admissions Test (PCAT). To be perfectly honest, I'm a little bit anxious to start summer school. Not because I don't enjoy freedom. No, I enjoy freedom as much as the next person. I'm anxious because I can finally start to see the light at the end of the tunnel. While still a faint light that requires the eyes to focus to be able to pick up, I'm excited nonetheless. In reality I still have a full year of undergraduate work ahead of me plus anywhere from 3 to 5 years on top of that depending if I decide to get my MBA alongside my doctorate. Either way I'll have student loans that will rival most mortgages.
As hard as last summer was, I had a blast. Microbiology was one of the funnest classes I've ever taken. How many classes can you take where bringing your poo into class is a requirement? I found myself being a little disappointed when we were instructed to skip a few chapters due to time constraints. I really felt like I was missing out on something by skipping those chapters. I believe 4 people out of 40 ended up getting A's and I was one of them. I spent 30 hours a week studying for just that class, but I was sad when it ended. This current semester hasn't really challenged me. I rarely to go to any of my classes anymore, and yet the lowest grade in any of my classes is a 94%. This summer will definitely be a challenge.
Aside from school I'm excited to go on the trips that always seem to pop up during summer. I plan on learning to wakeboard this summer. I wouldn't mind going skydiving again, but the last time I went wasn't that big of a rush for me. A bit of a letdown actually. Maybe hit up Zions. Who knows. Trips like that are usually more sporadic than planned so we'll see what happens. Either way, I'm excited for summer!

Spring Break 2008

2008-03-16T19:02:00.000-07:00

Went down to St. George with one of my friends from school. We wanted to go golfing, but had some difficulty getting a tee time. The courses were either holding tournaments or were full. We finally got in through a waiting list. It was a beautiful course, and much more importantly we got to play in our shorts!

We then decided to go to Zions to hike to the waterfall of Court of the Patriarchs. While not an "actual" trail, it's the most fun of any of the hikes at Zions. The waterfall was a mere trickle, but coming off a 500 foot cliff still made it quite impressive. The way back down was a bit fun as we bouldered down the river.

The following day we went back up to Zions to hike Angel's Landing. The landmark of this hike is the 1400 foot cliffs that you stand atop. Not the best place for one timid of heights, but still fun.

After words we went to Texas Roadhouse. One of the guys that we went with was having his birthday. We informed our spunky waitress, and a few moments later she came back with a horse saddle on top of a child seat. She made the birthday boy sit on it, then proceeded to hop on our table and put a spotlight on him and then had the entire restaurant give him a YEHA! Fun times.

Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder (DSPD)

2008-03-13T15:39:00.000-07:00

It's 4am. I've been in bed now since 11 and I haven't managed to fall asleep. My mind is racing, thinking about anything from how to break down a zone defense to how to correctly spell supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. I have to wake up in two hours for seminary and after school I have basketball practice.

I had to endure the above situation countless times during high school and to some degree I still do. Out of desperation I once took 6 tylenol pms to help push me into sleep. It did nothing more than make it difficult to wake up the next morning. (And having weighed about 125 pounds at the time I'm lucky to have woken up at all) I would still toss and turn for hours on end. When I would finally fall asleep I'd have to wake up an hour or two later. You'd think it'd be easy for me to fall asleep the following night after having such sleep deprivation, but it wasn't.

While this would typically be classified as being a detriment under normal circumstances it proved to be an asset in others. In the Marine Corps they force sleep and food deprivation. The food deprivation was new to me, but I was all too familiar with sleep deprivation. Somehow my body keeps working at near 100%. There were many times in Iraq where we were on "alert," where no one was permitted to sleep the entire night. On one specific occasion we were in what could be described as Iraqi's Eastern Desert. We were well beyond the range of artillery and were essentially all by ourselves. There were about 100 of us and the nearest unit of 100 was about 1/2 an hour away. Not the best of conditions during war. We received word that a tank battalion with upwards of 60 Russian tanks were heading in our direction. For those who are unaware, when infantry goes up against tanks one side gets slaughtered. Other than a handful of missiles to shoot at them we were pretty much defenseless. We dug our fighting positions (or fox holes) as deep as we could. You see, a common technique used to tanks to kill infantry is by putting their tracks above the fox hole and spinning the tank. If the hole isn't deep enough, the man in the fox hole is no more. So obviously we dug our hole deep and couldn't fall asleep all that night. In the still of the night just about every noise sounds like distant tanks. Morning came and our unit of 100 men relocated behind a canal while a couple of A10 Warthogs flew over and took out any tanks that were nearby. As a result of our "relocation" our company commander lost his command. All in all, the first 30 days of the war I got about 30 hours of sleep. Most of the time we were bunched in the back of a moving truck with our knees in our chest. It was heaven when we were finally able to sleep horizontal!

Last semester I was taking a heavy load of classes and working 40 hours of graveyard. I was getting about 2 hours of sleep on average a night. I would often come home and not be able to fall asleep before I'd have to be up some 2 hours after I got home. While I'm able to get more sleep now, I usually still have trouble falling asleep, despite the sleep deprivation.

Casually looking through Wikipedia I came across Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder. It is often developed in late childhood or early adolescence and never completely goes away. It is often misdiagnosed as insomnia. The difference is those who have DSPD are able to get a full night's sleep once they fall asleep but are not able to fall asleep until much later than normal. It is believed that a delay in melatonin production is the cause. Melatonin is secreted through a gland in the brain in very minute amounts which causes drowsiness. It also is a very potent antioxidant. Your body does not produce melatonin in the presence of light and this knowledge has put working grave yards on a list of potential carcinogens.

I've been taking oral melatonin ever since I self diagnosed myself. That seems to help a lot. Which is good, because who likes carcinogens?

Time Off

2008-03-13T13:53:00.000-07:00

We live in a world full of monotony. My life is no different. With few exceptions my life consists of three things: Work, School and what 9 out of 10 doctors describe as sleep depravity. As necessary as monotony is to sustain a regular life, it is paramount to break from it to keep one sane. That is exactly what this week is about. Yesterday I went indoor surfing. Odd as it may sound, it's quite the experience.

I'm heading to St. George for the rest of the weekend to enjoy, among other things, playing golf in my shorts! Californian's have been wearing shorts since... well, rarely does the weather keep those in California from wearing shorts. I am definitely out of my element when I have to scrape snow and ice off of my windshield every morning. We're also going to spend a day or so at Zions. Although I'm deathly afraid of heights, Zions is among my favorite place to vacation. Such a fun place. So here's to keeping me sane this weekend

March 11th

2008-03-12T03:33:00.000-07:00

I've taken 3 tests in the past two days. I'd love to say that it was quite the accomplishment, but it really wasn't. This semester is one of those "too good to be true" sort of things. I promise I've pinched myself several times already. Still haven't woken up. Today I took my macroeconomics test. Haven't opened the book since our last test about 3 weeks ago. I got to school and got a text message from a friend I hadn't seen for a while. He was in a study group with some of my other buddies preparing for their Organic Chemistry II test. I don't know what it is about those guys, but when I'm around 'em I just get going. We were laughing and having a good 'ole time. Nearly forgot I had a test to take... Nearly.

I departed for the library to begin my macro studying. When I got to the library one of my other friends was studying for the Organic Chemistry II test. By the time I got done talking to her it was 3:30. I had an intramural basketball game to go to so I had to be done with the test by 7:30 at the very latest. Again, hadn't yet opened the book. So I absolutely whizzed through the material. Not to say it was easy material. Quite the contrary. I just started skipping stuff. I gave myself about an hour to take the test, but that wasn't enough time. 7:25 came around and I still had about 10 questions left. So.... I guessed. 86%. I was a little disappointed though. That test dropped my grade all the way down to a 113% ;) lol

Our intramural team is horrible. There's so much more to basketball than talent. There's an intellectual side to it that is very much under appreciated. I would love to coach one of these days to instill that intelligence into others. Over the past couple years I've instilled this intellect into one of our players and he's improved a ton because of it.

Spring Break is.... well, now. I'm going surfing up in Ogden, and then I'm heading down to St. George to play golf in my shorts! Very excited about that. Not such a big fan of the pants lol