76 Days, and My Birthday!!!

So today, my dear reader, is my nineteenth birthday! I am rather excited about the fact that I am planning on having an awesome day, I'm just trying to figure out what I want to do... I know that I want to do something though, so that helps tremendously. My life is something that I think of far too often for a normal person, or at least that's how it feels sometimes, but nonetheless, I have been doing a lot of soul searching. One of my clever readers saw a post that I had before I deleted it, and mentioned it to me in context a couple of days ago. I felt rather flattered and caught at the same time, being that the person had read something that I had written so soon after it was up, and within the few hours that I left it up for. *I'm going to explain why I took it down for anyone else that may have seen it.* The post was about video games, and I really felt in that moment that it was the right thing to post, but now, I think about it and realize that my conviction on that particular matter is not strong enough to properly address the issue. What I mean by this is that I pretty much said that video games are useless and not worth anyone's time or effort, while in the same day (almost) I played them for a while and gave the idea no thought at all. So, that's why the post is gone. It may come back when (or if) I have enough self mastery to give them up, but until then, I'm leaving it at that!

I hope that you, my dear reader, have a wonderful day, and I will write again when I know what I have done for the rest of this day that hasn't happened yet! Best Wishes,

-Doug Knuth

Something Entirely Different!

So, I just wanted to thank people for reading this blog, and let you know that I really appreciate it. I can be a big pain a lot of the time, and I'm sort of socially awkward a lot, and the list goes on, but I really do have the best of intentions, and I'm extremely grateful that there are those that care to read about what I'm really about! My life is gaining new meaning as of late, and I think that I am finally able to more fully understand what it is that I am supposed to do in this world! So I thank you and hope that even though many things I talk about here are rather controversial, that you'll continue to think of me as a decent enough person to associate with C:

Again, many thanks,

-Doug Knuth

Sunday Happiness

So, today was a rather happy day. Well actually, my dear reader, it was a rather amazing and wonderfun (I accidentally created this word whilst trying to type the word 'wonderful'. While it doesn't make sense in this context, I wish it to be known that I did indeed coin this word if it should ever become immensely popular in any degree), well I mean wonderful. I felt an amazing level of peace and joy fill my heart in church with sacrament meeting and the wonderful testimonies that were borne, and I feel as though the day was a success! I am well on my way to going on my mission, and all I have to do now is finish filling out my Visa paperwork, study my butt off, and wait till June 15th (June 15th being my departure date for the MTC in Salt Lake City).

There is something to be said about the challenges that we face in life. I spent three to five minutes today being anxious about the long wait that I still have before I leave for the MTC, and I realized that it is more a blessing then anything else! I have this added time to adequately prepare myself for the upcoming challenges that my mission will encompass, and the time to get to know the doctrine that I will be teaching more. It is a distinct possibility that I will be having a run in or two with Catholic priests, and they have an intimate knowledge of the bible that I can only imagine. Because of this, I believe that I have been given this time to learn and grow so that I can more better understand the old and new testaments, as well as the Book of Mormon.

-Doug Knuth

79 Days to go, and I am SO happy!!

So, this morning I woke up earlier then everyone else, and knew exactly what I was going to do. I had been dreaming about the MTC (Missionary Training Center) all night, various things like forgetting to pack, packing, getting there, and in general being really excited about it. The dreams sort of helped me to remember that I needed to finish reading a book called "The Miracle of Forgiveness". This book, written by one of the Prophets of our church (Spencer W. Kimball) has got to be one of the most depressing books in the world. However, it is also one of the best books that I have ever read. I started it a couple of weeks ago, and had been slightly depressed since, so I knew that I needed to finish it. The book goes through all of the steps of genuine repentance, and all of the different follies that we as humans succumb to. There is an upside though. In the very end of the book (and in glimpses of other chapters) I found the most reassuring and kind words that could ever be spoken (well, written) to me. My own soul's redemption was shown to my through reading this book, and I feel so much better having finally finished reading it.

I had been thinking about all of the different things that this book encompasses, and it doesn't just apply to members of my faith. The principles can apply to anyone, anywhere, since the idea of forgiveness and love versus those of revenge and wrath are in general a commonplace for those that want to have a successful and happy life! There are, of course, always exceptions, people that are steadfast in their belief that hatred and torment are the way to go, but as I recall, most of those people are politicians, or criminals. (Just kidding on the politicians part. ((well, I hope so.)))

In life we have much happiness, and in mine I find peace and consolation in the thought that I have loving friends and family that support me in all of my righteous endeavors! I mean, I wouldn't be half the person I was without all of the friends that I have that lift me up and help me to see that there is more to life then just sitting around and watching TV all the time!

So, I guess that right here I want to thank all of the people in my life that help me. Yes, that includes you, my dear readers, since you obviously care enough about me to read what I have to write, and to hear what I have to say. You are all wonderful people that I care for immensely. I couldn't do it without you. Thank you, and best wishes for your Sunday (or whatever day you end up reading this on!)

-Doug Knuth

Around My Mind in 80 Days (also known as 80 days till departure)

I started writing this an hour or so ago, and was distracted so it was all babble and no substance, so here's another go at it. Today makes eighty till I leave for Utah, never to return for two whole years, and I had an interesting day. We are (as I mentioned yesterday) installing new locks in the house, and I helped dad do the first door today! We got it finished later this evening, since there was a bit going on. Aside from the door fixing, we drove up to Bridgeport Village and Picked up the rest of my white shirts and my three suits, along with my pants for my mission! Very exciting!!! After some lunch and shopping at Borders and Oblation (an AWESOME paper store) we returned to Salem for Dak's Eagle Court of Honor! I thought a lot while we were there, and after when we got home, about the significance of Scouting in my life.

The Boy Scouts of America is an amazing organization that helps us young guys to not fall by the wayside, as long as we can be active, and enjoy the challenges that scouts brings into our lives. There isn't a compromise in standards, and you can't take the easy way out in scouting, if you want to be awarded the Eagle Scout award. I didn't really even think of it when I received my Eagle, but seeing all that Dak has done, and all the potential that he has really sparked something with me. Young people all around are becoming the examples of tomorrow.

-As a side note, I have recently discovered something. All of my life my mother and father taught me that I need to respect my elders (meaning people that are older then me), because they have more life experience, and because they have most likely gone through similar things that they can relate to you with. While I still find this true, I have come to find that you can't always look to the people that are older then you to be the example. Now, I'm not saying that kids shouldn't listen to their parents. I wouldn't say that unless the parents are doing something seriously wrong, and that's really not a common occurrence (or at least I would like to think that it isn't). What I mean is that for a young adult, sometimes you just have to be your own example, when no one else is around to watch, you need to be someone that you yourself can look up to. We are so drawn to people that look glamorous, or seem to have all the answers that we can't seem to realize that once in a while we are having the wool pulled over our eyes!

Any ways, back to what I was saying. Young people are the examples of tomorrow, and the leaders that are coming into their own! We need more then ever to have a positive environment in which we can achieve a level of excellence unparalleled by any other! With so many resources at our fingertips we have become a somewhat slothful and lazy generation, but what we really need to do is take the ball and run! Imagine if Abraham Lincoln had been given a tiny sliver of the technology and information that we have today! He was a great man with little to no schooling, and yet he led one of the most controversial and dare I say epic battles that has been fought on American soil! He wasn't born a six foot six man with a beard that had great ideals of freedom, he worked hard at them and did his best to be an example to those around him. He did so much with so little, and we do so little with so much that it doesn't seem right, at least to me. I believe that we need to think bigger and better then we believe we can, and bring back the determination that the earlier generations of the United States had, so that we can better usher in the new era of the world. Right now we are in an era of turmoil, an era of disposable pleasures and no consequences, but that needs to change! We need to take up the responsibility that has been left to us by our parents, and their parents, or we will surely fail.

It is my firm belief that there is nothing that we can't do if we set our minds on it. One man changed the way the world thinks many a time, so why can't we? The answer is that we can. All we need is a little bit of effort and some good old fashioned elbow grease to get the job done.

"Hard work never killed anyone, and hardly working keeps you from living at all."

-Doug Knuth

Just thinking about some things before I retire for the evening (81 days to go, soon to be 80)

I think that I am going to write about my day, but first a little about things that I'm thinking about.

My friend Skylar asked me which came first, the chicken or the egg. I thought about it for a minute, and then came up with an answer that I was rather proud of!

The answer is that the chicken had to have come first, because if the egg had come first then there would have been no parent to care for it, and the egg would have ended up dying, and there would be no chicken at all.. That's that question answered!

Today made me think about the relationships I have with people around me. I think that we need to be honest with those around us. I hate playing that socially awkward game of tag that encompasses talking about things that people don't tend to agree on, and I really and truly think that we need to have a phrase that adequately ends a conversation and begins a new one. I know that there are such phrases that exist, but I need one that is altogether different and is not rude... I'll give it some thought and come up with something!

So, today has been a pretty good day. I woke up and took my mom to work, as I do every day, and then enjoyed life. There are so many things that I am thankful for, although today I had a hard time being rather appreciative of the rain. I cashed out my C.D. from Chase, and officially have no more to do with them as a bank (thank goodness)! I then went to work, and, well, worked for three and a half hours. Then the day got interesting. Mom and dad picked up new locks for the house today, and we'll be putting them in tomorrow (I'll explain that later) Mom came home not feeling well, and having some unhappy symptoms, dad took her to the urgent care clinic to get looked at. To take our minds off of the possible imminent doom of my mother Skylar, Kayla, and I went out to get dinner at Applebee's and then sojourned to Fred Meyers to get movies! Kayla did some shoe and clothing shopping too.. it was fun! After the goods were paid for, I dropped Kayla and Skylar off at Kayla's apartment so that they along with Amy could have some girl time. I went over to the other Fred Meyers, since the one on commercial didn't have The Blind Side, and picked that up as well! Overall, I say that this day was a success!

-Sub-Note 1. My mom only ended up having had a slight asthma attack. She only gets them once every two years or so, and so her inhaler was bad... No fun at all. But she didn't have a heart attack, which is a very positive way to think of things in this situation! She's fine now and probably enjoying a well deserved sleep after such a long day at work.

-Sub-Note 2. The reason that we are installing new locks in the house is thanks to my mother's in-laws. You see, dear reader, they are rather troublesome. The chapter of this story that begins the tale that will explain this situation to you began in May of last year (2009). My mother had been sort of reconnecting with her long lost black sheep of the family brother, who had made himself a bad name pretty much anywhere people knew his name. Drugs and gambling were his favorite things, before he got married again, and had a little boy. His wife held all of the same likes while they were "happy" if you could call it that... but when they would fight, my mother's brother's son would disappear for a couple of days, or until my uncle would come pleading back to her. They were handing the child to many different unsafe situations, and it took a couple of nights under a bridge, and being chased by the police for my mother's brother to realize that something in his life was wrong. (if only he could have realized that forty years ago.) So he called my mother while he was in an airplane on the way from San Diego to come and stay with us. I was so overjoyed you don't even know how sarcastic this text is. But none the less, he was here, and I was going to try to make the best of it. Things were alright and going well, and then they got off of the plane and we met up with them. The next nine months were fraught with emotional turmoil, lying, cheating, a little bit of illegal activity, and eventually at the beginning of this month, my mother's brother, his wife, and their son left in a large nasty old motor home, with momma meth and daddy do drugs in the back seats. Our family sacrificed a lot to try and help them, my mother gave her brother a free place to live, with no bills, she gave him the truck that her father told her never to give him, she gave him money, clothing, and pretty much everything and anything that she could to try and keep a minimal level of peace in the home. All that we got from it was nine months of sleepless nights, broken or missing possessions, broken hearts, lots of stolen or otherwise shadily procured goods, and porn stuffed in the bathroom and bed that we let them use. The day that they left was one of the happiest days of my life, and we are finally getting some semblance of order restored to our otherwise chaotic lives. The problem, however, lays in the fact that my mother's brother thinks that he and his wife and their son will be allowed to move back into our home. The warm spirit that should fill a home runs screaming for the hills when the arguing comes from them, and the smell doesn't help either. We finally decided as a family (it wasn't hard) that they were no longer welcome to live in our home. So, dad bought new locks for the house, and we're going to install them tomorrow.

So thanks for reading, and I hope that you have an awesome part of your life that you are experiencing for the next delayed period of time that spans between now and the next time we communicate!

-Doug Knuth

Religion (and why I'm going on my mission)

So, this is a little about my faith, for those of you that may not know too much about what I believe in, and the why behind my mission!

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, more commonly referred to as "That Mormon Church".

We are Christians, contrary to popular belief, and although we have differing beliefs, there isn't anything outrageous about the things that we do.

For the specifics, you can go to the church's website, where you can find out more about the basics of what we believe. http://www.mormon.org/mormonorg/eng/

As far as why I'm going on my mission, I'm going because it's one of the most, if not the most important thing that I can do. I'm going on my mission so that I can help people in any way that I can. I don't plan on forcing my beliefs on anyone, all I want to do is help people know the truth about what I believe. Misconception about religion, politics, and pretty much everything is how most of the conflict in our modern society, and that's what I want to help eliminate. I don't care if I don't end up converting one person on my mission to Portugal, as long as the people that I teach understand what I believe, and why it's important to me! The idea of people understanding what the gospel is to me, and why it brings such happiness into my life is what my mission is, and why I'm so super excited about it! I know what I believe and I believe what I know!

-Doug Knuth

Another one tonight (I'm on a roll, not a boat)

So, I am really in a mood to write what I am thinking tonight, and so I'm going to. I've been thinking about a lot of things in my life lately, what is important to me, and what isn't. There are a LOT of things that can't just be explained through words alone (some need music for me) and others just need a "cut the crud and tell me what's going on" moment. I am SO tired of dealing with all of the social injustice of so many things in this world, so I'm going to take them one by one.

1. Twilight

2. Politics

3. Life in General

4. Some DUMB ideas people have about parenting.

1. One of the most controversial topics in today's world, and one of the most loaded words in the human language as of now. Twilight. It makes me sad to see the same enthusiasm for Twilight as for Harry Potter, but with three times the negative feedback. Twilight is a book. It really doesn't matter if the Vampires sparkle, and aren't conventional. It isn't even a very big part of the book. The biggest reason for this dispute seems to be the idea that they are "out of the norm", and that they "aren't real vampires". I find this second statement to be rather ironic, since vampires are fictional creatures, and therefore cannot be 'real', or 'not real'. I do understand the relative terminology, but the basic fact is, it's all fiction, so it can be whatever you want it to be. Twilight haters have really hit a nerve with me, not because I am an adamant Twilight fan, but because of their general outlook. Every person that I have spoken with that dislikes Twilight has had one of around three reasons. 1. They sparkle. I addressed that already, with the idea that it is fiction, and therefore anything and everything is possible. 2. Edward is unrealistic, and Bella is too. In all actuality, Bella isn't all that unrealistic, and neither is Edward. There have been plenty of people in my life that I could relate quite well to these two, and I find it unfair that people are so mean to people that don't even exist in reality to defend themselves. and 3. Twilight is dumb because ______________*insert the other reasons here involving grammar and/or general whining about how Sister Meyer "Can't write". This is the one that gets me the most. Sister Stephanie Meyer has written a series of books that came from her own mind. She worked hard on them, and is now very successful because of it. They are generally found either in the Twilight specific section of the bookstore, in the popular fiction section along with a slough of other vampire novels, or where they originally resided, in the young adult fiction section. People that critique Sister Meyers on her work in a literary sense are rather rude. You wouldn't look at a Dr. Seuss book and say "well this isn't written well, why, it doesn't even have real words in some spots", but this same idea is being applied to her books. The books are meant to be for an audience of teenagers, and anyone else that wants to read them, but they are written so that they are easy to read. Just the same as the first Harry Potter book didn't challenge me past what I could read, I found Twilight an easy read. Now, I'm not an avid fan, as I said before, but there is nothing wrong with these books that you couldn't find wrong in just about any publication. There will always be typos, and sentences that don't make sense to someone, but when it really comes down to it, it's just a book. You can choose to read it, or not to, and that's really all that you can do. If you don't like it, then well, so what? If you did, good for you. There is nothing else that need be said about it. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but it isn't always something that you should share. Opinions can make and break relationships, and while it is a good thing to share how you feel, be sensitive to how other people may react. Social graces are few and far between, but they are still important.

2. The President (and the Government). I don't care who you are, if you're in America, you've been involved somehow with politics. This is where I stand. America has lost sight of what politics are really about. The vast majority of Americans are so obsessed with party lines that they have decided that it is better to stick with parties then to vote having read up on the issues. Lines are drawn where they shouldn't need to be drawn, and people are just not knowing what they think they know. I guess the thing I have with politics is that people just go with the flow, and don't actually vote according to their own beliefs. Our government is something that is supposed to take care of us, but all I seem to see is people needlessly complaining about it. My thoughts on this? Suck it up or do something about it. Anyone has the power to become active in their community as a leader in a political sense. All it takes is effort. This, however, is where most of the population falls short *myself included a lot of the time*. We just have so much else going on in our lives that there isn't anything that we think that we can do to possibly better ourselves or those around us. We need to be better people together to form a more perfect union, because goodness knows that there is nothing less perfect then anyone's view of the government right now. Be active in your community, and do something to help. That's what I think we need to do.

3. Life in General.

Okay, so this one may be a little more angry then others, but it's how I feel, and I feel that I need to share it.

We are here for a reason. I don't believe that the universe just sprang into life one moment, and started growing legs from there. I believe in a higher power, that he is called God, and that he cares for us. I believe that he created us, and this Earth, and that we're massively screwing it up. But, the thing is, we can totally fix it!!!! Each of us, as I've mentioned, has untapped potential. Doctors and science will tell you exactly what you want to hear if you don't want to do something, and they'll prescribe you with enough pills to make you think that your life is wonderful for a while, but the truth is, you have to do something for yourself. I'm tired of excuses. I'm tired of letting myself think that I'm not good enough, and I am tired of the people around me doing the same thing, or worse. As a man thinketh, so is he. This is possibly the truest non-biblical statement I know of, and there is nothing better then the idea that we are amazing people that can do amazing things.

We (me and my imaginary readers that I pretend to have) need to step it up a notch. Everyone's talking about the end of the world, some as if it is going to be tomorrow, and others like it won't happen for Eons, but if you think about it, it doesn't really matter when it happens, because someone's going to be here, and we need to make this world the best it can be for when that happens!! What I mean is, we are responsible for the future generations. Our forefathers fought and died to bring us this freedom, but I sometimes think that they gave us too much. We are taking for granted their sacrifice, and have become lazy, corrupt, and above all, prideful and greedy. I don't like to think about what we really have become, but it is the truth. Just sixty years ago the idea of a girl that wasn't married being pregnant was enough to bring shame to your entire family, and to get you ostracized from a community, and sixty years before that, you could find yourself dead. Now we think nothing of it, and allow ourselves to be lax in all parts of our lives. I'm being awfully blunt here, but I feel the need to be. We think that sex, drugs, alcohol, pornography, video games, and other worldly things are fun, and that they aren't that bad, but THEY ARE. We are whiling our lives away in front of a monitor or screen, and we don't know how to live anymore. What I wouldn't give some days to live in an era without cell phones and wifi everywhere, so that we could just enjoy the splendor of nature around us. There is so little of the wild left in the world, and all we care about is if our order was right at McDonalds.

My point here is that the world sucks. It is really hard to be optimistic when all around me I see people not caring, and just giving in to this sick sleazy greasy fat low unhealthy dark (continue on with depressing words that talk about America today) world that we have become accustom to! Oh how sad it is when I see a young child of four or five, already too obese to run around, because of the restrictions that "help them stay safe". This brings me onto point four.

4. Parenting. I'm not a parent. This is obvious. I am an eighteen year old(soon to be nineteen year old) young man, that seems to have more common sense then most parents in america today. I don't care who you are, or where you're from, there are some things that are fundamentally wrong with parenting, and the way that children are forced to act in school.

When I was a young kid, we had an old wooden play structure at my elementary school. It had real tire swings (the kind that were a real tire with three chains that led from the tire to a ball bearing in a large wooden cross-beam) and real fun. A boy was playing and got his leg stuck in one of the other pieces of the play structure, and broke his leg. He ended up being fine, and our play structure got torn out because it was "unsafe". Come on! What is unsafe about an old wooden play structure??? Not much more then what was wrong with the plastic coated metal one that replaced it. When the new one was finished, a little boy fell and broke his arm. We didn't get another new play structure then. Why? Who knows. The reason that I am typing about this is because it was ridiculous. Parents have decided that they will keep their children safe from harm, and in doing so have doomed them. The Bible says that there is opposition in all things for a reason. Children that aren't allowed to run around and play, that aren't allowed to get their elbows scraped, that aren't allowed to get their feelings hurt every now and then, are socially retarded compared to those that came before them. Allowing children to watch TV that is childish in nature, not for children, is also a contributing factor. Shows like Chowder, Spongebob Squarepants, Flapjack, and many others have sophomoric and degrading humor, whereas shows like Mr. Rogers and Sesame Street are underwritten because they teach children how to be a good role model, and a decent human being. These shows also generally are slotted next to things that end up exposing children to things that they are not emotionally or developmentally mature enough to correctly comprehend, and end up giving a skewed version of reality that is vastly disproportionate to a realistic world.

Video games can never be a match for actually doing something with your life. I am a very guilty party to the idea of video games. I have played them for years and enjoy them, but I see how they suck away my life. The thought of racking up over one hundred hours of playing only one of many games in a matter of months is sickening, and yet it happens. I even in the last couple of weeks have spent over forty hours playing Poke'mon Soul Silver. It is something that I am ashamed to admit, but I do. I spend too much time in front of the computer, TV, and DSi, and as a result other parts of my life are diminishing. I can't remember the last time I went on a jog, or a hike, or just went out to enjoy the weather and play.

We need to bring the world back into our lives before it is too late to do so, and we need to do it soon! People, we only have one life to live, and how are we going to feel if, when God asks us what we did with our lives, all we can talk about is how far we got in Halo? There is nothing more devastating to me then the realization that I am wasting my time on something, so I think I am going to do something about it! And to you, my imaginary readers (since no real person will probably make it this far in my long winded rant about life) I say, Live each day as though it is your last, and be happy in the morning when you come to find it wasn't. Be the person that you want to be, and it'll happen. Don't sell yourself short, but don't worry about being name-brand. And finally, Be happy, because life's awesome.

-Doug Knuth

Post after the first post (82 Days Left)

So, as you all may know (you being the people I imagine in my mind are reading this to better understand my madness and/or aren't really real, but I wish you were so that I would know that someone out there wants to hear what I think) I'm going on my mission to Portugal, and I leave for Utah in 82 days. I have a lot of things I feel as though I need to say, and many things that I want to work through in my mind.

So to you, my dear imagined readers, I hope that these things will not depress your imaginary feelings, or make you want to maim your imaginary selves. (For anyone that is real and reading this, Hi, and don't send me hate mail, you're reading MY blog).

This is where my blog begins. Lately I have seen so many discouraging things in the media, and so many negative images all around me, that I've become just a little MANICALLY DEPRESSED. Not really, of course, but one would wonder how such a wonderful and amazing world can be taken for granted by so many. I mean, seriously, our world ROCKS, and we don't care enough to go out and make a difference. This is where I get a little manic. It's this idea, in theory, practice, principle, and any form of thought or slanderous libel (yes, that was intended) that can encompass it. Because it is so horrible, I am going to post it in italics, just so you don't think that I think this way.

"Why should I help? I'm just one person, and nothing I do can help anyone." OR "It doesn't matter if I help out, since it'll get done any ways." OR "Oh, I don't like doing that..... because.....__________(fill in the blank"

I'll admit that I've been party to this many times myself, but COME ON!!! There is so much good in this world! We need to be aggressive about getting it!!! A self-fulfilling prophecy is saying that something is going to happen, and then making it happen. IE, you say that you can't do something, and then don't try, or allow yourself to fail because you said that you'd fail.

It is this very attitude that will lead to the downfall of mankind. We as a human race have untapped potential, and can do ANYTHING that we set our minds on. Look at all of the people that we call great. They worked HARD and got results. Abraham Lincoln didn't get to where he was because he just sat around and watched TV. I don't care weather you like Barack Obama or not, he's become highly successful because he WORKED HARD. nothing can be achieved instantly, but something takes effort. *That's by me, by the way* We need to take up the reins of our own destiny and fight like heck until we get where we want or need to be. I'm making a promise to myself that I am going to be better. I'm making a promise to the children I will have, to whomever will consent to be my wife *after my mission*, to my parents, to my friends, to my companions, to the people that I don't know but try to be a positive force of good for each and every moment that I take a breath. I make a promise that I will be a better person. I'm going to be amazing some day, and although I am not there yet, I'll make it. I'm going to do something with my life, and I am going to start it now. Success starts with a willingness to admit that you aren't good enough, that you need help from those around you, and that there is something higher that you cannot reach, but need to press on for no matter what.

There is nothing more that I can think of other then doing my best right now. I was having a pretty sad and depressing night, day, and week, even though I am about to go on one of the best journeys of my life. I realized that tonight. That I am letting all of these small things get in my way, and that I need to let them go. My life here on Earth is to short a time for me to fret and groan about all of the things that I need to do. I will go and do the things that come into my mind, with a fullness of joy in my heart, and I will do them to the best of my abilities.

My challenge to anyone, real or imaginary that reads this, is to be better. Be kind to someone, try something new, go out on a limb. The worst that can happen is that your limb breaks and you land on one a few feet below. This is my message for this blog.

-Doug

First New Blog

So, I had a blogger account forever ago, and I can't for the life of me remember what it was... I

know I have the address somewhere, but it was SERIOUSLY out of date... so I am making this one. I plan on having my mom post letters that I send home from my mission here, and hopefully some pictures or something... for now though, I need a place to write what I'm thinking, otherwise I fear my head will pop... So yeah, welcome to my new and improved blog, and thanks for reading.

-Doug