My Mantra

This is my Mantra. It may be the longest Mantra of all time. But it creates transformation in myself. I go to it almost every single day. It has so much meaning in my life. 

This was given in a BYU Devotional on May 14 1996, by Elder F. Enzio Busche of the Quorum of the Seventy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

He speaks the profound truth. His testimony is my testimony. I thought I would share. 

P.S. Yes, I am fully aware of the word Mantra and it's origin in India and how it trickled into becoming an essential part if the Hindu tradition and a customary practice within Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism. But Latter-day Saints can have mantra's too!

The "New's"

Happy late Easter! And Happy late Birthday to....ME. Yep, I'm OLD! 23 years old. I hope no elderly people get offended when I say I'm old. I am not comparing my age to that of someone in their late 70's or 80's. It's just I feel old. I'm the oldest I've ever been. And I honestly sometimes I forget I'm not 17 years of age anymore. If you would have asked me when I was age 6 if someone the age of 23 was old, I would have said yes. So I still stand by that same hypothetical answer! I'm old! I had a nice birthday. On Monday night BB (Joe) baked me a cake, and we couldn't resist so we had two HUGE pieces that night. Then on Tuesday (my birthday) I worked until 5 p.m. and Joe got out of class at 4:45 p.m. So we drove down to Idaho Falls and went to the Olive Garden and ate some very delicious food. It was a good 23 birthday and everyone's cards, and birthday calls made it even more special.

Oh, yeah, HAPPY EATER!!! (4 days late). Ours was a great one. No candy. No bunny rabbits or Easter egg hunts. Just church and spending time with close friends. This is a video of what Easter is really about. 

This was Joe's last Sunday of being the Ward Executive Secretary because we are MOVING! I told you this is the week of "NEW's." Well, church starts at 9:30 a.m. and Joe has meetings starting at 7:30 a.m. So for Easter Sunday I woke up at 5:15 a.m. to make this delicious meal:

Yep, its an egg, hashbrown, ham and cheese casserole.

Then we both went to our ward's Sacrament Meeting for the last time. It was so amazing and probably one of the best Sacraments I have ever been in. All three talks were about Christ and his life and the Atonement. I learned so much. Then we went to our NEW ward. It was great! We surprised David and Melissa Berg as they are living in the apt complex we are moving into. So we are now in their ward! It was their first Sunday in a married ward. We sat by each other. This new ward is a trip! Hahah on Easter Sunday we had two talks about the Proclamation to the Family and then one talk on.... I'm actually not sure what it was on. :-). I stayed for Sunday School and Relief Society in the new ward. So I had 4 hours of church. Joe had to leave after the new ward's Sacrament meeting because he had to rush back to the stake center to finish out his last duties of Ward Exec Sec.

Later that night we were invited to the Berg's home for Easter dinner. It was delicious. We had cashew chicken. We loved that we were eating Chinese food on Easter. Joe and I made Mound bars for desert. They were delicious. We played games and just barely beat the berg's in Cranium. It was a fun night! We always have fun when we hang out with them. Oh, David and Melissa gave me an AMAZING birthday present! A HUGE shower head! It's so nice! I've been talking about how I wanted to get one! So they got it for me!

Oh boy. Today is Thursday. We will be able to move into our NEW Apt on Saturday April 30....2 days! I can't wait!

Going off our week of NEW's, last Saturday (for my birthday) We went and bought a new Acoustic Fender Guitar! It's my baby and I love it and now Joe and I can play together! It's great! We also bought him a NEW old bike! He loves it! He named it SigFig after Significant Figures in Chemistry. Here is my new guitar:

I would post pics of SigFig, but that would mean I have to get Joe to stop riding it. hahah. Once we brought that bike home it was like watching a 3rd graders eyes light up. He hopped on the bike and took it for a spin. He is probably the most proud bike owner ever! Well, we will post pics of our new apt. I can't wait until Saturday! So ready to get out of this apt we are in now.

P.S. Weather.com and I are best friends once again. I knew the separation wouldn't last.

P.P.S. Checkout this picture:

Yeah, that's me. Riding 10 miles in under 30 minutes. Less than a 3 minute mile time. And I even did two climbs! I kinda rock...just sayin.

A Birthday Toast!

Today 23 years ago on the side of a Californian highway my beautiful wife was born. It is hard to believe that she ever was an infant. She is and always has been, in my eyes anyway, a woman! She is very independent. She can do and succeed at any thing in life and you better believe she can handle it on her own. That drive and determination is contagious. That’s one of the reasons I lover her so much! She is my everything, my cougar, my queen, my lover, and my eternal companion! Her happiness is the reason I breathe.  So here is to you D. Happy birthday ! I look forward to spending all of your birthdays with you. Even when you are old and wrinkly!

Weather.com out

That's it. I am done with weather.com. Anyone who knows me understands that this is big. Huge. ENORMOUS! I'm a true blue through and through fan or better yet...addict to the website. What can I say, I live vicariously through weather.com. I'm never outside, because work keeps me cooped up in our apt 60 hours a week. But that does not stop me checking out the website for the weather forecast in Rexburg 9 times a day.

My frustration started about two weeks ago. Joe was on his break from school and I was working. I would open the blinds in our bedroom and the weather would actually look pretty good. Imagine that. So Joe and I would plan on doing a bike ride or going on a walk when I got off work. So I did what I do best and checked weather.com. The website said it was going to rain every day. Did it rain when it said it was going to? No. It did not. So we never did our walk or bike ride. Then yesterday I checked the website again. It showed a sun and said "partly cloudy." I thought to myself, this is rather strange, Why am I hearing thunder booming and seeing lightning?

This picture doesn't do it justice, but just know it was pouring down rain.

So there you have it. This is why I am giving up weather.com....at least for now.

p.s. There may be an ever-so slight chance i'm just not being fair. The weather is rexburg is known to change on a dime.

Another wonder....

  This morning it was extremely hard to wake up. To get going even now is hard. I sure am happy it is Friday. I still have a lot of studying to do! My motto for this semester is any thing less than an A is failure. This may seem a bit extreme but I want to master the material this and every semester. My classes all intertwine. It is great to see my Psychology and Biology classes meshing together and supporting each other.

  So that was pretty boring I know but this Friday morning is just that… boring. A beautiful freezing spring morning in Rexburg. I am sitting waiting for my Chemistry class to start and I am listening to a group of students talking at a table next to mine. The girls at the table marveled at the fact that the guy sitting there was taking 16 credits. They admitted them selves that they were taking 14 and that one more class would just be too much. Oh, and I just learned that he has been going to school here for 2 and a half years. WOW. And now he is guessing the age of the unmarried girl. Its great, here at BYU-I at the start of the semester the flirting is out of control. I think it is interesting that when people flirt ordinary things become almost magically extraordinary! Any thing a guy or a girl could say is “awesome”.  huge contrast but an improvement to when you are married. I get stoked about a hacky sack and carry it to the movie theatre and my wife frankly lets me know that that is the kind of behavior she would expect from a third grader! What can I say I love my hacky sack and my wife loves me for who I am and does not have to sugar coat one bit of that love because it is sweet enough already!

  Last night we watched a king’s speech. That is the movie I took my hacky sack to. No I didn’t play during the movie I just wanted to bring it with me. I hadn’t seen it in a while.  If fact I thought I had left it in California. Renee found it for me last night! I felt we had some catching up to do! Ok, back to the king’s speech, it was a great movie. It was nice to be entertained and subliminally receive a history lesson at the same time. The acting was superior and the price was not bad either. The cheap theatre is a friend to the Kennedy Klan (sorry movie hopping).

  Racquetball and cycling tonight! It will be fun to get stomped yet again in Racquetball by Renee. She hits super low and she gets better every time we play. Which is scary because that means the chances of me ever beating here are very slim.

Like to hear it? Here it goes.

            To preface my first blog I think it is important to know that writing is not something I consider a personal strength. My wife is an amazing writer. She has so much talent and is very humble about the talent she has been blessed with to write. So if you are following the Kennedy Klan Wonders then it is probably best that you skip my section of the blog.

            Renee and I are approaching 5 months of marriage. Marriage has been fun and at times it is hard to believe that I am married at all. I think it is because it feels so natural to be with Renee.

            School has been great so far. Last semester I took 18 credits and this semester I am taking 16. I am going to try to be more involved with things on campus this semester, I have done a poor job of that so far in my college career. It seems that these past two semesters it has felt like I belong in the classes I am taking. They just feel right. Does that make sense? When I am in my classes I feel like I am preparing for some greater good. I feel the pressure of their workload and difficulty starting to build. The crazy thing is that I look forward to the challenges they will present! I know they are preparing me to be the best ophthalmologist I can possibly be. It is important to note that Renee has shown so much interest in my education and it will be because of the Savior and Renee that I am a successful, productive student.  

            Last semester I had an impression that each assignment I do, every hour of study I put in, every test I take is not just for me. I felt impressed that I am engaged in a refining process that is preparing me to bless the lives I will eventually meet as a medical professional. The Savior was the master healer so I feel that there is no better way to spend a lifetime than striving to help others heal physically and spiritually. I subscribe to the belief that spiritual well-being and physical well-being are perfectly intertwined. 

            The Kennedy Klan Wonders continue as we found out last night that an apartment that we want to move in has become available! We are stoked to be moving into a nicer place and closer to friends!

What's in a name?

Apparently...Taxes.

So the story goes something like: Boy and girl meet. Or rather they were set up by boy's best friend. Eventually...boy and girl fall in love. Now this is modern day, so the question is, who's last name? Girl thought and decided that although she dearly loved her last name, she would give it up. Boy would not be having that as he just wanted unity and keeping his last name was not as important....So boy changed his last name to Kennedy. And it suits him very well I might add. 

Ah, now we get to the fun part. What does Joe's new last name have to do with taxes? His passport has changed. His drivers license was changed. His social security card was changed. His bank account name was changed. Apparently the IRS DID NOT get the memo! We tried two nights ago to apply for an extension on our taxes because we are so busy blah blah blah and basically haven't filed our taxes yet. We learned this morning that we were rejected an extension. WHY???? Oh, that's right, because the IRS says that the name and social security number of Joe is different than the name they have on their accounts. UGH!!!! Government, Beurocracy, red-tape bologna. That is our life at the moment. Wish us luck (or rather Joe luck) as he is the one in our relationship who stepped forward and decided to brave this evil beast better known as the IRS. Get back to us in a year from now to see if we can actually get this sorted through. My bet: we will still be trying to get this situation fixed in 2012. Thank goodness 2012 is the end of the world. We might not have to worry about it for too long! ;-)

P.S. Joe and I are not really concerned about when the world will end. But whoever thought of 2012.... good year to pick. And if our current president is re-elected..that prophesy may come true. ;-) bahhahah

Formalities

R is for Righteous. Renee is truly and completely a daughter of God. She is Faithful and wants to follow her Savior Jesus Christ. She studies her scriptures and says her prayers.  She has a testimony of the Atonement and has a desire to follow the will of God.
E is for Eloquent. Renee says what she means and means what she says. She has the ability to convey her thoughts in a very complete and concise way.  After talking to her if you don’t know where she stands then you were not listening very well.  

N is for I Never Want to be without her. Really, I mean this! Every day I can never get enough! I look forward to waking up every morning next to her. I love her from her toes all the way to the last hair on her head. My goal is to make her the happiest woman in the universe for time and all eternity. If she is not happy, then I am not doing my job.

E is for Educated.  Not only am I in love with her beautiful smile; I am in love with her intellect. My sweet heart has 4-year degree and it shows. I love to hear her talk about politics and other various issues that come up. I feel so inadequate when it comes to intellect. I feel that she surpasses me in every way. Not only is she book smart, but she has a sophisticated interest in music and in arts. She is a lover of Broadway classics and she is always introducing me to some amazing song or band!

E is for Eternity to spend together. Eternity together and as far as I am concerned that still is not long enough! I know there is a life full of ups and downs ahead. I know there will be challenges, but I know that there is no woman better for the job than Renee to go through the lessons of life with. She is strong willed and does not settle for less. She is my woman; I am her man, for Eternity! 

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J stands for Joyful:  There are not many men that have so much Joy in their hearts. Joe finds joy in other peoples accomplishments as well as his own. He finds joy in serving. He finds joy in music. He finds joy in unity. Joseph is jubilant!  His high spirits and his happiness about life rub off onto whoever is around him. His blissful nature is so warm and enjoyable to be surrounded by. I am grateful to be marrying a man that has so much joy in his heart and finds joy in others around him.

O stands for Open Minded: Joseph is incredibly understanding and has an immense capacity to be receptive to new ideas. I am inspired by how non judgmental he really is. His unprejudiced nature followed by a curiosity to learn more, has given him many opportunities to have a full knowledge of things.

S stands for Service: It does not matter the task, or that nobody is watching, he understands what true service is.  This is the first of his many characteristics that made me fall in love with him. I’ve watched him do things for other people without them knowing, and without Joe knowing I was watching him. He is always willing to drop whatever he is doing to help a friend or stranger is need. Not only that, but Joe shows me his love for service and for me by serving me every day.  And I am one lucky girl!

E stands for Enthusiastic: His enthusiasm is fun and exciting, comforting and charming! It is his optimism about day to day routine things that makes him such a pleasure to be around. His enthusiasm has the power to uplift other people.  Joe is enthusiastic about the gospel, about his hobbies, about my hobbies and about family. In fact there aren’t too many things Joe isn’t enthusiastic about. :-)

P stands for Potential: The minute I met Joe, I saw his potential. Anyone who knows him knows exactly what I’m talking about. Joseph’s potential is limitless. It is mesmerizing. It is encouraging.  There is not a single area or position on earth that is out of reach. He is blessed with many talents and gifts and he appreciates them and is aware of how to apply them so he can learn more and become more.  His potential is invaluable.

H stands for Honorable and might I add Handsome? Joseph is admirable, worthy, praiseworthy, moral, principled, good, respectable, upright, honest and righteous. All of these are perfect words to describe my Joseph and nothing brings me greater joy than knowing I am about to marry and honorable man!

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There is our introduction. We actually wrote that about each other many months ago when we were engaged. Now we don't have the time or energy to write something that detailed or that "cute."

Life is busy. We are almost 5 months into marriage and everyday is a blur of busy life, school, work, bills, shopping, and an occasional dinner with friends. We still manage to find a little time to spend with each other doing fun crazy adventurous stuff that only we could find entertaining. We have recently become very into horribly made movies (E-list movies). Netflix has a plethora of them. Most recent: Blue Demon:  

We also play Racquetball as often as possible. From the time I taught Joe a year ago to now, he has become quite skilled. I still beat him every time we play (he beat me once), but it is great fun and we enjoy the physical activity.  Another thing we have been doing to get my bum in shape is this nerdy sport:

BYU-I gym. This picture below is pure success for me. 18.3 miles in an hour. Wahoo! Might not be that great to some people but that record is going to get better and better and I'm excited. 

Unfortunately, besides sleep, work, school, eating, an occasional workout and if we are super lucky some quality time together, we really do not have time for much else. But we are 4.5 months strong in our marriage and life is still good. :-)