In The Stars

     On a long ride home early in the morning, you look up and see the stars dancing and twinkling in the night sky. So many light flashing up there. The sky and stars ever changing. You come to realize how small on is in the vast galaxy.
     Our past, our present, our future vary on where we come from and the decisions we make. We all have dreams in our lives. We all strive to succeed at something we like to do. It is amazing how far we go to make things reality. Some of the dreams we have have memories of the past written in them. The "ghost of our past" as I call them can pull up deep emotions and memories, some we are happy to see and others we try to put away.
     Sometimes when I listen to music, I see and feel the memories of places I have been, the smell of the air and the emotions. Some may be simple like from a trip and other that bypass the brain and go straight for the heart and soul. Even a simple piano melody may pull up emotions so strong that they almost knock me down. Puts you into a seep thought about your own-self. For me it is the unknown of what lies ahead.
     Ill be the first to tell you that I am only human, Im not perfect. My life has had many ups and downs. Currently I am slowly coming out of one of those downs. My life has not turned out the way I hope it would. Over the last 3 years it has been at its most turbulent. So many moves and changes, so many people in and out of my life. It has been difficult to bear at some points. The ghost of my past haunt me and wont let me put away my past. I dont regret any of my choices I have made but it does hurt when they remind you where you are in life.
     When it comes down to the basics though, I do have a good family, great friends. When I think about it, granted its not what I had originally dreamed but I am doing what I dream. I am a meteorologist. I operate a successful twitter account (@OUweather) and a facebook page in which both are growing. I am happy to be forecasting for that. My life is full of ups and downs. I work two different jobs and I currently seeking a more permanent job for the future. There are two forks in the road, one leads to the rail road and the other back to school, both choices I am prepared to make. One seals the future while the other has more doors. Who knows what lies ahead, but I am for-certain, challenges await, both big and small. Life is good and it will be good.

"There comes a point that we are pushed toward the crumbling edge of the dark abyss. Whether it be by choice or ways not in our control, we all must stare down and make decisions. But take a moment to look back at the past, see where you came from. Look to your left and the right, see who stands beside you and holds you. Then finally look forward, the road may be dark but you have the experience of the past and the support of those beside you to light up the dark and make the future brighter."

1 Year

The Sacred Grove, Palmyra NY

On the sixth day on fifth month of the two thousand and eleventh year at the seventh hour, a new door was open and I took the step through and I havent looked back. I have been through alot over the last year. There have been many ups and downs but I really started to find my self. I started to find what I was looking for. 

On May 6, 2011, I was baptized and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Alot led up to it and alot has happened since then. Feelings of joy and happiness and the feeling you never want to feel when you stare straight into the Grim Reaper's eyes. Friendships were made and others lost to time. Battles won and lost. Difficult changes that throw your life into a tail spin. Finding your calling in life. Stress that pushes us to the brink. Joy that brings tears to the eyes. 

I was baptized at the end of my second year at the University of Oklahoma and came back to Richmond not knowing what to expect. It was much better than I thought. Everything just fell right into place. Made many new friends in the ward in Midlothian. The summer was great. I made it up to Palmyra NY to see the church historical sights and saw for the first time the DC temple. It was amazing. Coming back to Norman was great. Just to be back with friends and share laughs was comforting. Made more friends and built stronger bonds. Life is never that easy though. A mutual agreement was made over the fall that I would not return to Norman in the spring. It is tough to put to words what I felt. Lost, surrounded, just gone. But from the darkness there is a light. You find who you truly are when you have nothing. You step up to the challenge. Over the last few months I have really found what I wanted to do. If it werent for those challenges, it may have been never been found. 

There have been events and people that have shaped my life and and I am thankful for them. My friends in Oklahoma have been truly like family to me. I would love to name but out of the respect of privacy I wont. If it werent for them out there, where would I be today. Bonds have been built over the last few years that time cannot wear down. They stand through time and eternity. Im thankful to my Heavenly Father for all that has happened over the last year and the years before. There is a rhyme and a reason to the way things happen. I went to Oklahoma for a reason and I returned to Virginia for a reason. Im starting to see the reasons. Im looking forward to what another year brings and even further into the future. My goals are to finish my meteorology degree Virginia Tech and to one day have a family. There is a lot to look forward to. 

When it seems tough don't give up, don't ever give up. 

Big time players step up in big time situations. 

Life is has been good and it will continue to be good.  

The Treasure Chest

Flashing neons of the world grab our attention and distract us from what really is important. They range from the smallest of things to large objects that one person is small compared to it. What have we become? We are attached to our phone, cash and other materials and it is hard to depart from them. These are the treasures of the world and from dust they were taken unto dust they shall return.

"Lay not the yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, where thieves break through and steal" (Matthew 6:19). The treasure we have here on this planet will never last forever. It will come and go in our lives quicker than we know it. Why are we so caught up in these things? They are the neons of the world. They appeal to our senses. They are flashy, they entertain us. We get distracted from what really matters in our lives. Not to get you wrong or anything. Some of things we have are good. We are able to communicate across the world in a heart beat. It makes our lives easier but sometimes we forget what truly matters. So what is our true treasure?

"But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, where thieves do not break through nor steal; For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." (Matthew 6:20-21). Our true treasures will not rust nor be stolen. Our treasure is not physical but kept in our hears and souls. Our feelings, our memories are what is most important to us. we share a bond with others that physical material can't take the place of. What hurts more, a lost phone or lost memory?

On thing I have learned with the weather, especially tornadoes is that it is not just the physical damage that is inflicted, there is emotional damage as well. A house can be replaced in a year but the memories lost can never be replaced.

Our relationships with others, and our memories and our precious moments our the most important things we have. Our bonds with others can be indestructible. Money cannot buy these, you make them. It is a true testament to who we are.

Treasure the love you receive above all. It will survive long after your gold and good health have vanished.

Eventually tomorrow will never come. Either a friend leaves, a family member grows up or we slip the surly bonds of earth. We must enjoy what enjoy what we have and enjoy our time with those we love. Love is spelled T-I-M-E (Uchtdorf, Of Things that Matter Most). It is important to be with those we love because at some time tomorrow will never come. These are some of the best days of your lives so make memories and enjoy them. Life is good.

A New Year for New Beginnings

2012 started off like any other new year, but we have no idea how it will finish. The way it finishes is up to us. We have the choice to either make it a good year or a bad year. There is many things going on right now in the world to start of the new year but many things we do not have control of. We choose how to handle the things we can control and we can determine the outcome of what we do by the choices we make. How do you want to live in 2012? What do you want to achieve in 2012? YOU choose the answer.

New Years is full of resolutions, goals that we want to achieve. Many people have goals like lose weight, get a better job, make more money, ect. Those are perfectly acceptable goals but after awhile some people lose sight of the goal. What if we reached higher and looked for a goal that would not last us through this year but for years to come? Have you thought about that?

There are many things that we can do this year. How much of a challenge do you want. There are some things out there that we can do that are a big challenge that also have a big reward. Here is an example of one. Enjoy what you have with the people you love. We live each day looking to expand on what we have already gotten. We look for better jobs, better cars, better home, more money, ect. What we should be doing is enjoying the things that we already have with the people we care about. Money and other worldly processions dont last forever, it is the memories we share with those we love that will last for eternity. We have the oppertuinity to put down our phone and spend time with our family. We can stop playing video game and enjoy time with your friends. The relationships we build will become stronger and last much longer. The friendships will be filled with happiness and joy. These are the moments that matter most.

Another thing we can do this year is stand up for what you truly believe in. There are many of us who sit in the shadows waiting for someone else to do what has to be done. There is so much that can be changed in this world and it may be waiting on you to act. You dont have to feel alone because you are not alone in the fight. When you rise, others will follow. Fight for what you believe.

Finally, look into the future. Do you know what will happen to us in the long run? There is hope out there for all of us in this uncertain world we live in. We are never alone as we live our daily lives. Our Heavenly Father is mindful of us all and he loves each one of us. It is a crazy world out there so have God on your side. With God on our side, we have nothing to fear in our future. We may face hardships and troubles but in the long run we will be lifted higher than ever before. There will be so much happiness and joy in our lives, its difficult for me to explain. This is who I am:

I invite you to take a look at my profile here on mormon.org and read about our faith here on mormon.org. I invite you to take a look and to start to read the Book of Mormon. Pray over the Book of Mormon to see if it is true. I know that the Book of Mormon is true and I invite to to discover it. My life is so much better since I have came to the Church. This is a new year, make it a good year. Life is good.

2012, A New Start

After an interesting 365 days of the year 2011, I look forward to 366 days of the year 2012 (leap year). 2011 was filled with both joy and hardships, but in the long run it came out to be a good year. I found a new path in life by becoming a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I have never been happier with my life right now. What has been hard is trying to figure out where do I go with my life in the next few years, but I feel like an adventures is calling my name out. With the end to 2011 I sum it up like this, Im a champion. Beautiful weather, great friends, great family, a job, school, a new found path, an adventure. Life is good, lets carry that into 2012.

Change: Like it or Not; It Will Always Be with Us

Changes in our lives our completely unavoidable. Sometimes we see it, and sometimes it is completely unexpected. We may love the change or the change knocks us over. There is nothing we can do to avoid it. These changes are essential to our lives. They shape our lives and it makes us who we truly are. We are being shaped by the Lord and he is helping us find our purpose in our lives. He knows the final destination for us, we don't exactly know where we are going. We can dream and that can help us find who we are but only the Lord know where we are going.

Over the last few years, I have been attending the University of Oklahoma for meteorology. I was enjoying my time out there, making new friends and forging relationships with people. My friends out there were like family to me. Then came a change that was somewhat expected but no matter how much you expect it, it knocked me to the ground. I was coming back to Virginia because the cost of OU was becoming to much. It was so hard to accept the fact that I would be leaving a live that I loved so much. I found the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints while I was there at OU. I made many very good friends there as well. Even worse on me was the fact something from my past came up that I had through I burned the bridge to. Well, apparently parts of the bridge still remained. It was a long and hard week on me.

Well after all that, I found some comfort. I found it in the scriptures, through missionaries and through friends. Im thankful all their support and help. I had no idea where I was going in life. There were many options out there for me to take but with the help of the Lord. Im starting to feel confident in where I am going. I starting to mae friends at the YSA Ward here in Richmond.

There are changes and challenges we face everyday. Some are more difficult than others.

"Our testimonies fortify us and strengthen us as we face challenges in our daily lives. Some people struggle with difficult health problems; some experience financial problems; others have challenges in their marriage or with their children; some suffer from loneliness or unfulfilled hopes and dreams. It is our testimony, combined with our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and our knowledge of the plan of salvation, which helps to get us through these times of trial and hardship." (Barbra Thompson, Personal Revelation and Testimony)

The Lord will help us as we go. He is molding us to become who we are truly meant to be. Im thankful for all that happened in my life. I took that issue from by past and have put it behind me and looked no more to it. The scriptures are here to help us overcome our fear and face the uncertain future with faith. There is hope out there for all. Dont feel alone and lost. The right path is there. Here are a few scriptures that I have learned (some from others that help me).

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6)

"I do know that whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day." (Alma 36:3)

"And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall." (Helaman 5:12)

Life is good.

Life is Always Good

Over the years, there have been many great times and there have been rough times in my life. I constantly face many challenges and obstacles. I have the times where life seems to be perfect and I don't want it to changes. In the long run, I have come to appreciate the challenges that are placed in front of me because they teach me something. When we are brought down, I will be stronger than before. Today I face a major challenge, the life I have built up in Oklahoma will vanish in a flash. It has not been easy on me emotionally because I will be leaving my friends, who have been like family to me, at the end of December.

Even though I face this hurtle, I feel like everything is going to be ok. Even though I'll be leaving everyone in December, a part of me will remain. I use the phrase "Life is good" many times. For me, life is always good. As long as you still have the air in your lungs, life is good. I have great support from church, my friends and my family and for that I am thankful for them and all that they have done in my life. Life is good and it will continue to be good.