tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28390018287040832432024-03-13T09:31:21.492-07:00Finding God in the Testing CenterBen's views on life, liberty, and the pursuit of academic overachievementBenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01704727062084945133noreply@blogger.comBlogger91125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2839001828704083243.post-29123440886753608792014-10-01T05:29:00.000-07:002014-10-01T05:29:18.666-07:00How to ask a girl out (and take her out too)Due to some recent (and not so recent) experiences had by some friends of mine, it has come to my attention that young men do not know how to ask young ladies out on dates. Since dating and courtship are necessary aspects to maintain our healthy society I have felt it might patriotic duty and social obligation to do something about this. And so of course I have turned to the blogosphere to get my message out.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgiVHXPafgTfvcq4g4Xfc109sNU3KEM2RcUsTKK19rIgUMB4C8ca_fkn5ZK721TmiC3WfU2F7szLS4sb_0vk3peJswLR3IIRVisB_G3zMbR3qMS40hKqYPFs_t2m1mD4y55WKGInF1Cpwv/s1600/Guy+opening+door+for+girl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgiVHXPafgTfvcq4g4Xfc109sNU3KEM2RcUsTKK19rIgUMB4C8ca_fkn5ZK721TmiC3WfU2F7szLS4sb_0vk3peJswLR3IIRVisB_G3zMbR3qMS40hKqYPFs_t2m1mD4y55WKGInF1Cpwv/s1600/Guy+opening+door+for+girl.jpg" height="306" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image found <a href="http://chrissnormallife.blogspot.com/2011/08/massive-shift-in-our-generation.html">here</a></td></tr>
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How to ask a girl out</h2>
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Now asking a girl out is not actually a physically difficult task, and I assumed it was a somewhat natural part of life until I realized recently that it must now need to be taught. Asking girls out has always been emotionally taxing though and I won't deny that. But it is worth it.<br />
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<b>Step 1: </b>Decide what you will do<br />
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Here is the first major difference between dating and "hanging out" in my mind. You begin with a plan, long before you ever actually talk to the girl in question.<br />
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Never go up to a girl, ask her out and then ask her what she would like to do (while this may be appropriate at times when you are in relationship with a girl, you will always when major points for having a plan first. That is something we married men need to remember).<br />
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Deciding what to do should not be difficult, choose something that is fun and not to expensive. Good dates always include a chance to talk to each other which is why most dates should be made up of two elements: an activity and a treat.<br />
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<i>ProTip: </i>If you are going to a ticketed event you can greatly increase the likelihood you will actually ask a girl out by purchasing the tickets before you start asking girls.<br />
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<b>Step 2: </b>Choose a girl<br />
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Now you may have done this first, but if you have not now is the time. Remember you can take out a variety of girls on first dates, you are not committing to anything except to provide them with a safe and enjoyable evening.<br />
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How do you find a girl? They are all around you!<br />
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A few good places include: Church, School, Work, Clubs, Service Organizations, Food Courts, etc.<br />
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A few bad places include: Bars, Internet Dating Sites, Tinder, etc (sure there are relationships that have worked out from these, but dating is a game numbers and percentages and you should play the odds).<br />
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Ok you have chosen a girl, now choose another, and probably one more for good measure. Why have a back up? It makes rejection less stinging because you know what to do next.<br />
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<b>Step 3: </b>Ask her out!<br />
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There are only two acceptable ways to ask a girl out:<br />
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<ol>
<li>Talk with her face to face</li>
<li>Call her on the phone</li>
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The only exception to this rule is if you have some very extra creative way asking her out, like with a treasure hunt or a poem, for a special event like homecoming or the prom.</div>
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<b style="font-style: italic;">Never </b>ask a girl out by:</div>
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<ul>
<li>Text message</li>
<li>Facebook</li>
<li>Snapchat</li>
<li>WhatsApp</li>
<li>etc</li>
</ul>
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Sorry I have to be the one to tell you this, I wish it had been your dad, maybe it was but you didn't listen to him. It's time for you to step up and be a man and actually talk to a girl to ask her out. </div>
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Now this means you either have to see her in person or you have to have gotten her phone number. There are lots of ways of getting a girl's phone number. Obviously if you were thinking of asking her out over text message than you already have it. If you don't have it than you could use Facebook or some other way of asking her for it, but not to actually ask her out. </div>
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When you ask her out be really clear, don't leave her confused about what is going on. Tell her what you will be doing, what time you will be doing it, and what time you will pick her up. </div>
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<h2>
<b>How to take a girl out</b></h2>
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<b>Step 1: </b>Pick her up</div>
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I don't care if you have a car or not, you pick the girl up. Unless she has offered to drive and you have made arrangements for her to come to your place first, otherwise you go over to her place and pick her up. </div>
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Why? Don't you want her to like you? Don't you want her roommates or family to like you? A great way to start things off on the wrong foot is too not pick a girl up. That's like a huge red flag that says "Hey, I am not competent!"</div>
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<b>Step 2: </b>Open every door</div>
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You listen well, I don't care if it is old fashioned, you open every door for her. Car doors, outside doors, inside doors, gates, etc. You open all of them. The only exception is bathroom doors, she can open those herself.</div>
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<b>Step 3: </b>Never leave her guessing</div>
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You make sure she understands what is going on. Never walk away from her or a head of her. Never make her wonder who is paying if money is involved.</div>
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<i>ProTip: </i>YOU are paying, for everything. If she asked you out then she would pay, and that is fine, but in this scenario you asked her out, and you are going to do the paying (if money is involved, which it does not have to be).</div>
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<b>Step 4: </b>Ensure she is having a good time</div>
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If she isn't, or she feels uncomfortable, or she fills ill, you make it right however you can. Your job on this date is to make sure she enjoys herself.</div>
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<b>Step 5: </b>Take her home</div>
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Now you listen to me good here, you always, 100% of the time, without exception, offer to take a girl home after date. If it is a day date and she has something else going on after it she may not need you to take her home, BUT she will be the one to tell you that, you will never make that assumption. If it is an evening date she does not have anything else going on and you will take her home.</div>
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This should not be a hard concept but I am afraid for many today it seems to be. You take her home, you took her on a date and you are responsible for her safety. You walk her up to the door and you tell her good night there. I don't care if it's awkward, you do it anyway.</div>
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And that is it, that is how to ask a girl out, and then how to take her out. I think you can do that without to much trouble. For a little more reading on this subject you can take a look at <a href="https://www.lds.org/ensign/2006/06/dating-versus-hanging-out?lang=eng">this talk</a> by Dallin Oaks. </div>
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If you have enjoyed this post, please check out my regular blog <a href="http://productivitypad.blogspot.com/">here</a>, or follow me on twitter, <a href="http://twitter.com/halduauthor">@halduauthor</a>. And please share this post using the social buttons below if you know anyone who can benefit from it.</div>
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Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01704727062084945133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2839001828704083243.post-732024186350449422013-02-24T14:30:00.000-08:002013-02-24T14:30:28.070-08:00My Roots: Mads Nielsen<!--?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?-->
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I've been doing family history for a couple months now, but I figured it is not enough for just me an Papa to get to know who our ancestors are, I'm learning all this information and it ought to be something all of these people's descendants can see and learn about. First I would like to talk about a man we've been searching for for a while now: Mads Nielsen. We get our Nielsen name from him so he ought to be important to us. Previous to Mads the surnames were changing every generation using the first name of the father and the suffix sen or dr. That practice was made illegal by the Danish government eventually and Mads happens to be the point in our family in which that took effect. </span><br />
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Mads was born in the town of Aaby, the county of Aalborg, in Denmark, to Niels (sometimes Njels) Madsen and Maren Larsdr, on Sept 10, 1830. Mads was the oldest of at least 7 children, and being the oldest boy he took his father's father's name as was common Danish practice. We don't have a lot of details about Mads' life, we do know that he spent most if not all of it in Aalborg county, although he and most of his siblings left home at young ages to become workers. We know from census records that Mads left home at least by age 15 to work for a man names Lars Pedersen in nearby Biersted. The census at this time lists him as a servant or worker. Lars wife, Catherine Larsdatter was a sister to Mads' mother Maren, named Ane Katrine in other records. By the 1950 census Mads was 19 and had moved to the Parish of Vadum to work for a man Niels Larsen Kudsk. Five years later the census found Mads living with his parents again, they are living in Biersted with two of their younger children, Lars and Karen. At the next census Mads, now almost 30, is still single and once again working for his Uncle Lars.
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<div style="font-family: Arial;">
Mads' married Marie Andersen and they had six children. Their youngest son was Jens Christian Nielsen and he is my great grandfather. As far as we can tell Mads took over the family plot from Niels later in life, although for a while he farmed or worked in the neighboring town of Biersted where Marie was from. It appears that Jens was the only one of their children to come to America. Mads' name was sometimes written Mads Nielsen Vad and we don't know where the Vad comes from or what it means. Sometimes Mads said he was born in Aaby and sometimes in Biersted, the two are close together and it is possible that they are sometimes referred to as the same place. I have not been able to find a record of where or when Mads died. </div>
Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01704727062084945133noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2839001828704083243.post-2129822963693720272013-01-03T09:28:00.000-08:002013-01-03T09:28:12.939-08:00Resolution, the second solutionAs you, my loyal and faithful readers, will know, it is that time of year for the all dreaded goal setting. This was a time much hated by my younger self. I knew as a child that whatever Monday most closely held proximity to New Years day would have a segment of <a href="https://www.lds.org/topics/family-home-evening?lang=eng">Family Home Evening</a> devoted to setting New Years Resolutions. I loathed to the utmost writing these statements on a blank sheet of paper and then hanging it by my bed, resolutely resolving not to look at it. I could never really think of anything good to put on these sheets of paper, much less something I would actually do. I was pretty perfect in my own estimation so what could be the use in pretending toward improvement. And isn't that the case with most of us, even within a single soul, half the soul will not commit for fear of failure and the half refuses to acknowledge faults. So it goes that we walk through life pretending we are perfect and feeling like we are terrible.<br />
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I believe one of the key things that is not understood is failure happens, in point of fact the presence of opportunity for a resolution at all is because we have failed, it is the re-solution, the second solution, because the first one failed. And thats ok, as long as it doesn't stay that way.<br />
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I forever be grateful that my parents taught me to set goals, no matter how much I disliked it. Later on my mission and now in life, I would and will need goals to accomplish anything worth while. <a href="https://www.lds.org/church/leader/m-russell-ballard?lang=eng">Elder M. Russell Ballard</a> said the following which I now whole heartedly agree with:<br />
"I am so thoroughly convinced that if we don’t set goals in our life and learn how to master the techniques of living to reach our goals, we can reach a ripe old age and look back on our life only to see that we reached but a small part of our full potential. When one learns to master the principles of setting a goal, he will then be able to make a great difference in the results he attains in this life."<br />
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So now, Meagan will tell you, I don't always like setting goals and I really don't always like following up on them, but I believe them. I want to do better, and I know you do too. We got problems, and its ok to re-solve those problems. I highly suggest that those looking to improve read the talk by Joe J. Christiansen called <a href="https://www.lds.org/ensign/1994/12/resolutions?lang=eng">Resolutions</a>, which changed the way I looked at goal setting by trying to emulate Christ. It discusses four areas that Christ grew in, that we each need to set goals for improvement in.<br />
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I'm excited for my goals this year, let me share just a couple with you: I have resolved to do more family history, I have resolved to read more books, and I have resolved to exercise more. Please feel free to share some of your resolutions in the comments section below, and don't hesitate to share this post with friends if you have found it yourself, sharing links are located at the bottom of each post.<br />
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I wish you all a very happy a successful week, and a happy new year.Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01704727062084945133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2839001828704083243.post-8359503908995596622013-01-03T08:56:00.001-08:002013-01-03T08:56:25.599-08:00The Simple Chef: Going GreenIn my conquests as a simple chef I recently made some headway over the Christmas Holiday into an area I am very excited about: Guacamole. During the first five days of being back at my parents house Meagan and I did a brief body cleansing diet which consisted of eating fruits and vegetables on the last day of the diet we were allowed to add ground beef. My loving mother made us hamburger patties and then I found there were avocados in the fridge. I did not know how to make guacamole, but I knew it could not be beyond the power of the simple chef to do so. With my more complicated chef mother instructing I made the guacamole, that even, Meagan who hates all green things, liked.<br />
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Ingredients:<br />
Avocado -- as much as you desire<br />
Onion -- diced very small, in proportion to the avocado<br />
Garlic -- plenty, minced, pressed, or crushed, whichever you prefer<br />
Lemon juice -- best if fresh squeezed, to taste<br />
Salt -- more than a pinch, less than a handful<br />
Mix all ingredients together as shown below, refrigerate leftovers.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9vrhZKZUgtvvaYUVW4z8iQ-Tob2jJhSbOI4pGq5fbvxDbqpqWzwrdupQH2sfB_KXweGuODn1R_yGftE2atHGef9xGR0X3f8tej_wXXJR-veOMIm3pQNPQ1bA1mNzYi7taiCgWA-dKGKZh/s640/blogger-image-198546141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9vrhZKZUgtvvaYUVW4z8iQ-Tob2jJhSbOI4pGq5fbvxDbqpqWzwrdupQH2sfB_KXweGuODn1R_yGftE2atHGef9xGR0X3f8tej_wXXJR-veOMIm3pQNPQ1bA1mNzYi7taiCgWA-dKGKZh/s640/blogger-image-198546141.jpg" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYiZTSFY_XZax5XnMEK2jXr0yRIOaESLEBljo2ooRVwqzyzsWlDiOm4_2m5eoDZxU_ZyMe4k031Jt7vZJopvmlilvF-4foamYcHz2DNdCkyAgNHZI7wsK058tpmnB3xoT-b7tWI-9y1wlI/s640/blogger-image--1388321058.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYiZTSFY_XZax5XnMEK2jXr0yRIOaESLEBljo2ooRVwqzyzsWlDiOm4_2m5eoDZxU_ZyMe4k031Jt7vZJopvmlilvF-4foamYcHz2DNdCkyAgNHZI7wsK058tpmnB3xoT-b7tWI-9y1wlI/s640/blogger-image--1388321058.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finished beautiful green guac</td></tr>
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Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01704727062084945133noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2839001828704083243.post-72660620588652707842012-12-09T12:15:00.003-08:002012-12-09T12:19:46.498-08:00The Power and the Pain: the paradox of self-evaluationOf late I have been jotting down ideas for things I would like to accomplish next year in preparation for New Years when I know I will be hard pressed to remember everything that I want to improve or do. This has set me to consider the remarkable change that has taken place in me since I was a child in regards to goal setting. I will probably do a more in-depth post on resolutions and goals at the new year, but this preliminary thought process has given me pause to consider a paradox that comes out of an aspect of goal setting and that is self evaluation. The paradox is this, the power that comes from knowing and understanding yourself immense, but the pain that comes with a truly honest evaluation of your weaknesses and shortcomings can be just as intense. So intense in fact that even the thought of it keeps many people walking on slivers for years.<br />
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What do I mean when I say walking on slivers? I remember when I was a boy I would spend a good deal of time running about without my shoes on and at times tiny slivers of wood would puncture my foot. Now the most sensible thing to do once you realize you have a sliver is to get it removed right away. But the pain of a having a sliver removed can be quite intense, momentarily much more intense than the constant throbbing that results from leaving it in and walking on it. So I would often keep my sliver hidden from my mother for days at a time to avoid having it removed. Many people take this approach to their own weaknesses or problems, the pain of acknowledging and facing up to their existence can be so bad that they would rather endure the constant throbbing of living with them everyday, especially if like my sliver dealing with them will involve another person.<br />
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I lived this way for years, and at times I am still apt to do it. But it is not a truly livable strategy, splinters if left in too long can become buried in the skin and healed over, so that it almost looks as thought there is no problem there at all, but in fact the easy means of dealing with the problem, the little bit hanging out, is the only thing that has been lost. The wound will actually now have to be reopened to deal with the problem and the spot may become infected leading to bigger issues. I now have a system in place to help me do better with this problem. One of the pieces is yearly goals with weekly evaluation of them. Another piece to help discover splinters is a monthly introspection, where I take stock of myself through several processes that I find helpful and discover areas where improvement could be made or splinters could be removed. Let me assure you that the process is painful indeed, but the joy of walking without a dull throb is well worth the moment of fire as a splinter is tugged loose from its places.<br />
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I am reminded of Eustace in C.S. Lewis's masterpiece the Voyage of the Dawn Treader which Meagan and I have been reading. He was a boy who never acknowledged his faults or weaknesses until he was turned on the outside to what he was on the inside, a dragon. This period is a time of self discovery and evaluation for Eustace, a very painful but in the end rewarding experience. There is one particularly applicable quote where it says "He began to wonder if he himself had been such a nice person as he had always supposed" certainly not a comfortable question to be asking oneself, but it does get better and the great lesson of the story is that Eustace begins to change, but cannot complete his change with out the help of the Lion, Aslan, who is Christ. And that is a great message for all of us, when it is too painful for us to do the removing ourselves, Christ will do it for us.<br />
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So don't be afraid, be better.<br />
<br />Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01704727062084945133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2839001828704083243.post-90130473800454276772012-12-02T11:58:00.003-08:002012-12-02T12:00:34.143-08:00The Boy, the Queen; the Witch, the SithTo get what they want they become the very thing that they despise.<br />
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In my ponderings sometime ago I came across this strange association of Anakin Skywalker and the Witch from Snow White. No it is not the simple concept on the face that they are both villains, nor is it the fact that both wear dark hoods (although this is interesting), it is this idea that in striving to achieve what they most desire, both of which are selfish pride riddled desires, they become in essence the very thing that the most despise.<br />
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In many ways these two characters are fundamentally different. The Witch has one goal in life which she has already seemingly achieved, that is to be the fairest of them all. Anakin's desire he has never had and that appears to be a longing to shield himself from pain and trial, and consequently he also desires to do the same for those associated with him, but more because he doesn't want to have to deal with it than that he loves them. So one is looking to maintain or recapture her desire and the other is looking for a way to accomplish the impossible that has never been. But they both fall to the same thing in the end. Anakin becomes a Sith Lord that thing he feared so much as a boy and has despised as a Jedi, and the Witch of her volition turns into the most haggard and ugly of individuals.<br />
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I believe this is highly representative of souls cankered in pride and self absorption, they can never achieve what they truly want but they will go to great lengths to try, even the destruction of that the have previously worked for (and then had to wear ugly hoods).Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01704727062084945133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2839001828704083243.post-31646368439623101312012-11-25T15:07:00.002-08:002012-11-25T15:07:36.945-08:00Why the Wii U marks the beginning of the last generationEvery once in a while I like to do a post on technology, and I have been thinking recently about Nintendo's new system, the Wii U and what it will mean for the technology industry. I don't actually really play video games anymore even though I was once very involved in them, they have just decreased significantly in importance for me. But I do like technology and I feel this new nintendo system marks a very important point for video games, the beginning of the end of console gaming.<br />
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Let me explain why, first of all we have seen the handled gaming market, once considered a nintendo stronghold, dismantled in a mater of a few years, primarily by the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Nobody else (Sega, Sony, and Nokia had tried) had been able to touch nintendo's gameboy blockade on the market, the most interesting thing is that nintendo was the first company to really introduce touch screen gaming into the market with their DS and many of the technologies they developed there were what would later make the tablet market successful in gaming. They were also the first to introduce gyroscope motion sensing technology into handhelds which has also become a major part of phone and tablet gaming.<br />
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Now Nintendo has introduced a game system with a tablet controller, a touch screen motion sensing device in the living room. This will pave the way for people's actual tablets and cell phones to become the controllers they use for video games on their TVs, this will help with the breakdown of the console system.<br />
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The second major factor will be the recession, the economic troubles have already stalled this generation of consoles, elongating the time the the Wii, 360, and PS3 have sat on the top of the heap. I fully expect both Microsoft and and Sony to release another set of systems next year, but I think it will be their last. People will no longer want to pay for a separate set of hardware for gaming during times of economic trouble when they already of devices capable of playing games.<br />
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The final blow will come from Apple as it generally does. Apple will release a TV that either runs iOS or some similar operating system which will be capable of running apps as well as a million other things. This will integrate the iPhone and iPad into the livingroom in such a way that will make video game consoles obsolete and cumbersome. What points to this? The current Apple TV already allows for you to mirror your tablet onto your TV, and hackers have found code inside it that points to gaming being in development. Apple is also widely rumored to be in production of an actual TV monitor instead of just a set box top. Once this happens Google and Windows will be forced to follow suit in some way. Microsoft is already well set up to make this change with the Kinect.<br />
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All of this seems to point to the death of console gaming as we know it. I think the Wii U will provide the bridge into this manner of gaming, my only question is why nintendo is doing this, it doesn't make sense for them to bridge their way into their own demise. Whatever happens doesn't really make much difference to me, but its something to think about.Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01704727062084945133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2839001828704083243.post-19783577385451757872012-11-18T12:57:00.002-08:002012-11-18T12:57:20.486-08:00Thoughts of a Sixteenth Grade Something: Music and the State of the Soul<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So I had some pause for reflection recently, as many people know I like music, I come from a musical family and enjoy most music and I sing a lot. I'm also a huge fan of having theme music, in one of my classes we always have a question of the day and a couple weeks ago one of the questions was if you had a theme song what would it be. I was very surprised by the number of people who didn't know how to answer this question, my problem was which of my theme songs to choose here are just a few of the theme songs I've had:<br />
White and Nerdy by Weird Al<br />
Eye of the Tiger from Rocky<br />
Vindicated by Dashboard Confessional<br />
Defying Gravity from Wicked<br />
Out of My League by Steven Speaks<br />
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I also had a theme song with every companion on my mission that I had a car with (you listen to more music when you have a car) a couple of those were:<br />
For some must push and some must pull -- Elder Phillips<br />
The Rising -- Elder Bowman<br />
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But theme songs are not what really go me thinking about music and the state of the soul, they are just part of the tangental connections. I began thinking about this because I do not listen to a lot of music currently, even though I like music I don't usually listen to it because if I am listening to something it is normally a podcast. But I opened up my iTunes recently and looked at the playlist called most played. And this is what got me thinking, because it is very telling about the times in your life when you listen to music the most, what I found was that I listen to music when I am depressed. I hadn't thought about it before but I now see that I listened to music a lot before I met Meagan, and now I don't. Its clear what I feel when I listen to music from what my most played songs are:<br />
the number one played song in my iTunes is Defying Gravity from Wicked and number two was Galaxies by Owl City. For me this is highly indicative because I listen to these songs to try and boost my spirits during times when I am down.<br />
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Music is a powerful player upon our soul, and I feel it is worth some introspection on our part to see what we listen to and why. I find it very interesting when scripture makes reference to music. In the old testament I think we can place David as the master of music David and his son are attributed with writing the book of Hymns we find in the bible known as psalms. David used music to express his most poignant feelings, both joy and sorrow. My younger sister would say that he used music to uncage his spirit. I think this is something we all can do, and probably it would be healthy to do from time to time. But the lesson of music from David I find most important is that David was a player of the harp and he used his skill on the instrument to free King Saul from the influence of an evil spirit (1 Samuel 16). To me that says volumes about the power of music upon the substance we know as spirit, it can do it to our spirits it can do it to other spirits. I think this elevates our choice in music to one of the most important choices we make each day. The choice we make when we turn on iPod is what we will do to our own spirit, and what spirits we will attract to ourselves. Its something to think about before we push that button.<br />
<br />Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01704727062084945133noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2839001828704083243.post-41425842530063677472012-11-11T12:51:00.001-08:002012-11-11T12:51:06.591-08:00ReadingSo I have been thinking a lot about reading of late, probably because I am in a reading class this semester. I love reading, I have loved reading for as long as I can remember. I think reading may, combined with writing, be the single greatest accomplishment of the human race, and I have my serious doubts that they came up with it on their own, seems to me as though it must have been a gift from God. Reading and writing a phenomenal in part because the acts themselves are amazing and showcase the incredible nature of the human brain, and in part because they are the means of progression for humans. Think about it, the fact that we can write and read is what allows us to preserve knowledge and made it so everybody doesn't have to go through the same discovery processes over and over. Its incredible. The fact that right now I am writing down a message using a finite alphabet of 26 characters and 10 numerical symbols and that I can transport to you any knowledge I might have is simply astounding. All the worlds knowledge is available to us through reading. My reading class has mostly been the facilitator of this line of thought as well as some things that Steven Covey says in his book, the 7 habits of highly effective people.<br />
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In other thoughts on reading I have thought to myself about what an influence it was on my life and intelligence to be taught at an early age to read and to love reading. My nephews have caused me to reflect upon this, Aaron who is four is learning how to read right now which is such an amazing time for a kid who without realizing it is learning to decode from a writing page meaning which will be the source of learning for the rest of their life. Maxwell is 2 and he loves to be read to, Amy says he would sit on your lap and listen to stories all day if he could, just think of all the things he will know and have learned about by the time he can read. Bradley is 1 and he has just figured out that he is suppose to sit on a lap and listen to stories, he likes to laugh when he is read too even though he is probably not understanding much of the story yet. Charlie is just a few months old, he's just barely beginning to take in the world around him, and every night his mom, Brooke, reads a book to him, isn't that the most wonderful? Just think how soon he will start learning cognitive processes and discover how much about the world he can learn from books, if he is anything like his cousins it won't take him very long. I love it, it makes me so excited for these little boys. And it makes me so grateful for parents who taught me to read at an early age and read to me, and encouraged me to read. It reminds me of Dr. Benjamin Carson who gave a forum here at BYU last year, he is one of the smartest most accomplished men in the world and he attributes it to his mom having him read so much.<br />
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What scares me now is the number of children who are taught how to read, but are not taught to read, the ability is ensured but the skill is not ingrained, and the passion is not ignited. In Covey's book there reads the line "The person who does not read is no better off that the person who can't read." And that is certainly something to ponder on.Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01704727062084945133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2839001828704083243.post-27183548214032597622012-10-21T12:31:00.000-07:002012-10-21T12:31:26.420-07:00The Bonds of BrotherhoodI find the ties that bind to be a very interesting topic. What causes people to come together, to enjoy one another's company, and to be friends. Often it is a commonality that brings two people or more together. What I find interesting is that it is generally the lack of a certain attribute or belief within a microcosm that will cause people who poses it to become friends. For example, I am left handed, no one would think of being right handed as a basis for friendship, because you would have to be friends with nearly everyone. Being left handed on the other hand makes you unique and when you find another person with that uniqueness it binds you together. Several of my close friendships have been with other south paws, yours may have been to but it may not have been defining for you the way it was for me (unless of course you also are left handed, in which case we are probably very good friends, or would be).<br />
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The more a group of people are the same the more minute the details that make friends, the more a group is different the more broad those attributes can be. For example in most places two people being mormons is a reason for them to bind together as friends, they immediately know that certain things about them will be the same and different from those around them. In Utah this is not the case, nobody is friends simply because they are both members of the Church, you would have to be friends with everyone you met, and that would be overwhelming. This was very prevalent on my mission with Africans, whenever my friend Elder Fayanni met another African there was an immediate bond just on the principle that they were from the same continent. They may not even speak the same language natively, in Africa they may have wanted to kill each other, but in Philadelphia that continental heritage was enough to forge an instant friendship.<br />
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This is found everywhere you go even if you don't always think about it. At the root of most of our closest relationships is a commonality that at least brought us together initially and may still be a binding factor in the friendship.<br />
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I think a major reason for this is that sharing a common set of experience or knowledge cuts the way more quickly from a very surface form of communication we use when we first meet someone and allows you to dive deeper into things that are more meaningful and personal. You know there will be things you wont have to explain to this person and you know that they will understand simple references, or certain feelings. This is a wonderful thing although sometimes it is very healthy to interact with people who have little in common with us so that we might have to explain things and thereby better understand ourselves.Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01704727062084945133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2839001828704083243.post-67932929004617136772012-10-14T12:40:00.002-07:002012-10-14T12:40:09.754-07:00The simple chef: Throwing out the rulesHi, I'm your host, the simple chef, and since I previously told you the two rules for being a simple chef, I am now going to tell you how this week I threw those rules out the window. It happened when I found myself standing in my closet, I mean kitchen, looking at my wife's computer screen. You may ask why I was looking at my wife's computer, the reason for this is because my wife had just walked out the door to go for a run and I was suppose to be making dinner, the recipe for dinner was from an infamous place known as Pinterest, and that is not something that happens on my computer. Hence my wife had left me with the recipe displaying on her computer, Creamy Garlic Pasta.<br />
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No you careful students of the simple culinary arts will immediately say "use rule #1, follow the directions of the recipe exactly, to the minute and teaspoon, and all will be well." Well, all would be well if the recipe was on a box and inside the box was nicely packaged ingredients that the recipe called for, this however, was not the happy situation in which I found my simple self. In point of fact the reason I was still staring at the computer screen instead of standing at the stove was that not only were the ingredients not inside a box, most of the ones listed on this place known as pinterest were also not inside my closet, er I mean kitchen.<br />
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This is where we break rule number two, because, as you faithful students of simplicity will recall, the act of using whatever ingredients come to mind or hand, or both, is never to be used in conjunction with a recipe. So here I find myself, orange apron on and ready to cook and my rules have flown out the window. But being the resourceful individual I am I quickly recovered and went to work. Chicken stock became a can of chicken broth from the bottom shelf (I briefly considered making my own from bullion cubes, but lets not be extreme), and linguine substituted nicely (well functionally might be a better word) for angel hair. I chose a large pot since the place known as pinterest neglected to give me a size, and olive oil and butter I actually found. Minced garlic in a can is really the same thing as cloves anyway so I gave a generous amount of that to my concoction and sprinkled about an unspecified amount of parsley. Mozzarella is practically a cousin to parmesan anyway so that was fine. And in the end if the sauce was a little to thin that just meant there was plenty left over for my ramen the next day.<br />
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And that my friends is how things got a little more complicated for the simple chef.Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01704727062084945133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2839001828704083243.post-61990605622325360202012-10-07T12:36:00.000-07:002012-10-07T12:36:20.291-07:00Thoughts of a Sixteenth Grade Something: Pinocchio and the Humanity of Self Denial Its time for another the stroll through synapses of Ben's brain. This particular instance occurred while on the way to school. Meagan and I drive to school and along the way we pass one of Provo's finer establishments a little place called Ozz. Ozz as it happens is "family fun center" it just happens to be a little bit ghetto and appears to actually be a pool hall fronting as a mexican restaurant, weird I know.<br />
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Anyway I remarked that instead of going to school we could just go to Ozz, because of Ozz's ambiance this led me to think of Pleasure Island in Pinocchio, they seem to be similar. This thought led me to consider Pinocchio and the scene at pleasure island, something I have not done in depth previously because I don't really like Pinocchio as a disney film, however my memory of it was recently refreshed by the ride at disney land which I visited in August. At this juncture I reflected on what happens on Pleasure Island, Pinocchio is convinced by his friend to go there and they glut and squander themselves on anything and everything they desire. All the boys who come to pleasure island eventually turn into donkey's, even Pinocchio. On this occasion I considered the deeper meaning in this story.<br />
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Why do the boys become donkey's after their experience on the Island? I believe this points to a natural experience, that an essential part of being human is the act of self denial, this is what elevates man above the animals. The ability to consciously deny yourself something that you want because you conceive of achieving something greater if you do, this is a wholly human attribute. Therefore this lesson is shown to us as the wooden boy transforms before our eyes from even the image of human, which he was before, into what he has become, an animal focused only on the desire of the moment.<br />
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Unfortunately many people today are sold the idea that all their wants are right and that they should seek immediately whatever they might want regardless of consequences. This idea is sold to the world by Satan and countless people swallow it, hook, line, and sinker. The act of self denial is to exercise agency, which is the gift of God, the act of seeking immediate fulfillment is to live by instinct as do the beasts. The more a person chooses to satisfy and please their immediate senses the less human they become. Since I haven't actually watched Pinocchio in many many years I cannot remember if this lesson is explicitly pointed out, but it is certainly there, and it is certainly a lesson worth learning.<br />
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Just a thought, from the way to school.Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01704727062084945133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2839001828704083243.post-45735788622932487682012-09-30T12:17:00.000-07:002012-09-30T12:17:14.711-07:00The Simple Chef: Ben's foray into the world of culinary artsSome people are mistakenly under the impression that I cannot cook, this is simply not the case. I say simply because the simple truth is that I can simply cook, that is I can cook simply. And I for one believe that there is a lot of value in being able to quickly make food that can fill you up, fortunately I have a wife who can do much more than simply cook, but there are times when I do cook and I thought you might all like in on a few of my secrets. Yesterday I cooked for both breakfast and dinner and they highlight my two, sometimes opposing, culinary secrets.<br />
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#1: If you have a box and on the box is a recipe, follow it, follow it as exactly as possible, do exactly what it says and then it will probably come out ok. This is the first secret to being a simple a chef, be able to take directions from others. Pictured below is me making dinner: Hamburger Helper. Which if I were writing a blog on money saving I would let you know how we got a great deal on a large quantity, but I'm not, so I'll just say that pasta in all its forms is the friend of the simple chef and Hamburger Helper is one of those forms. I made the stroganoff kind and the most important thing to keep in mind, should I inspire to put on your own simple chef's hat, is this particular concoction needs to sit for several minutes to let the sauce properly thicken before serving. So don't make it when you are starving because you won't want to wait the proper amount of time and the sauce will be to runny. Fortunately I did not know I was starving until we started eating last night so I was able to let it sit and it was just about at perfection.<br />
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#2: Should you not have a box of pre-preped food use whatever you want and just go to town. Let yourself experiment a little, generally if you have good raw ingredients you can't go to wrong (I love farmer's markets for this very reason). For breakfast yesterday I made O'brian potatoes, which I love, they are fairly simple and you can really go wherever you want with them. I prefer to fry the diced potatoes with peppers and onions, salt and pepper them. Because I don't have a recipe for them I can just do whatever I want. Sometimes I add more vegetables, sometimes less, sometimes cheese, or hot sauce or salsa. Thats the secret, just go where your heart leads you, and you can be a simple chef too.Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01704727062084945133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2839001828704083243.post-19281842859429471392012-09-16T12:19:00.002-07:002012-09-16T12:19:45.504-07:00Thoughts of a Sixteenth Grade Something: an introductionSo I've decided that once in a while, whenever it might strike my fancy, I will give a little insight on the blog into the way that I think, not necessarily what I am thinking about, but the way that I am thinking about it. Why would I do this you ask? Because I have come to realize, or at least think that I realize, that I do not think in the way most people do. I am not talking about <i>what </i>I think, like about politics or something else (although that is different than most people as well I am sure), no I am talking about the <i>way</i> that I think. The way that my mind interacts with the information it encounters and from there builds arguments, evaluations, insights, opinions, and understanding.<br />
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You may now want to ask, "Ben, why are you thinking about what you are thinking about?" and that is exactly my point. I think about what I think about, I have come to this realization because Dr. Isachson who is my reading teacher has a favorite word, this word is the beacon of our souls in that class and all we do must connect to it. That word is: Metacognative-awareness. Essentially it means: thinking about what you are thinking about, consciously realizing that you are conscious. If this sounds like circles within circles to you, you are probably right, and it could be taken to far, but something about it has resonated with me because it put down in words something of the way that I myself think. Metacognative-awareness is highlighted by a drive to know and understand deeper than just the surface of a text or situation, it is the act of bringing all you know and you can predict to bear against a scenario or problem.<br />
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This is the way my brain has been doing things forever. All of my experiences, all the things I've learned or heard are cached inside a complex web in my mind. When a new concept or situation arises strands of mental spider silk connect that new piece of information to anything that might have some relation to it and then I must run all the way down that thread to its logical conclusion, the fact that this all happens very fast is what causes what to others may seem at times to be harsh and hasty reactions, or bizarre questions. And there you have it, the thoughts of a sixteenth grade something.Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01704727062084945133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2839001828704083243.post-62787214662285092862012-09-02T11:58:00.000-07:002012-09-02T11:58:14.776-07:00Of Marriage and blogsHey all my faithful followers (of which there are thousands I am sure) I was married (insert cheers) two weeks ago and I have a blog with my wife <a href="http://ourlifeisabowlofcherries.blogspot.com/">here</a>. Where we will be posting things that will be similar to the weekly postings from Washington DC, I will still try to post my thought posts to this blog every so often, but I have seen from my elder sister's example that maintaining two blogs is sometimes not easy, so I make no promises about that, but I still do have views on life, liberty, and the pursuit of academic overachievement so I will try to keep letting the world know about them.<br />
thanks all,<br />
Ben<br />
<br />Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01704727062084945133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2839001828704083243.post-14972655463872535542012-07-24T19:14:00.003-07:002012-07-24T19:14:48.829-07:00Of falls, hills, and riversThis past weekend I had the amazing opportunity to go to upstate New York with a group from my singles ward. We headed out at 7:30 Friday morning, our objective was Palmyra, and the hill cumorah pageant. <br />
Enroute(actually off route) we went to Niagra falls, which was a great experience. We went on the Maid of the mist boat ride which took us out to the falls so we could see both sides and get soaked drone the mist, well at least get our blue ponchos soaked. After the boat ride my car decided to stay behind and wait for the light show on the falls. I have provided pictures for those who have never seen this before. <br />
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After we were done at the falls we went to Keokua college on the shores of one of the finger lakes, where we were stating in the dorms for the weekend. It was late when we arrived so I checked in, called Meagan, and went to sleep. <br />
We had to be up fairly early the next morning to head out to palmyra. We first went to the Smith family farm where the sacred grove. We drove past the hill Cumorah on our way to the farm and saw the set for the pageat, it looks like a Nephite temple and we started getting excited. At the farm we saw the Smiths cabin and frame house as well as their cooper shop and barn. In the attic of the cabin we were able to stand where Moroni had been when he appeared to Joseph. That was pretty amazing. We did not go to the sacred grove on Saturday, we saved that for the sabbath.<br />
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After visiting the farm we stopped by the temple and then we ate lunch at a park in town and then we went to the Grandin print shop where the Book of Mormon was printed. This was especially interesting to me because of the research I did for work this year on books at the time of the restoration. <br />
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From the print shop we went to the hill Cumorah, we wanted to go early because they would be closing the paths for the pageant. The hill was steeper than I thought it would be, and if we had been a few miles south in Pennsylvania they would call it a mountain. It was really cool to be on the hill where Joseph got the plates, the Moroni monument is really cool. <br />
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From the hill we headed out to Fayette and the Peter Whitmer farm where the church was organized. I had a really cool experience there. The visitor center at the farm is part of the Fayette church building. After we had started going through, but before we went out to the old house one of the senior elders came walking through the exhibit and asked if anyone knew American Sign Language. Of course I told him that I did, to which he gave a look of relief. A group of deaf members had arrived and the missionaries had no way to communicate with them. He took me to them and then we went through the tour with me doing my best to interpret. It definitely was not very smooth, but everyone seemed very grateful for it. One of the deaf men has been away from the church for 20 years and is working on coming back, his friends who lived in New York had him come up so they could take him to pageant. It was a really special experience for me to be able to help. <br />
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After the Whitmer farm we went back to Palmyra, had dinner and got our seats for the pageant. The pageant was amazing, the special effects astounded me and blew my mind. The Spirit was really strong and it was so cool to be there where Moroni and Joseph had actually been. <br />
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On Sunday we woke up early and packed up and headed for church in Palmyra. There were so many people at church it was crazy. They had around 20 people passing the sacrament. Afterward we went the sacred grove, the Spirit there was very strong, many people say like a temple, I believe that feeling is the result of evil having been vanquished in that place. <br />
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After that most people headed back to Washington directly, but Ben Haymond and I changed over to Katie's car and the three of us headed on a slight detour to Harmony PA on the banks of the Susquehanna river. This is of course one of my favorite spots because I used to come here as a missionary. The day was very peaceful and happy there by the river where the priesthood was restored. A lot of memories came back to me there but all to soon it was time to be on the road again.<br />
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We made one more short stop in Hershey, where they have a brief free factory tour and Ben could smell the chocolate air and see the kiss street lights. <br />
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Then we finally did arrive back at the Barlow, worn out but full of good memories and firmer testimonies.Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01704727062084945133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2839001828704083243.post-62677209766057765982012-07-15T18:38:00.002-07:002012-07-15T18:38:41.397-07:00The Bronx is up and the Battery's down<!--?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?-->
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This weekend I learned something extremely useful, I finally learned why in On the Town, Gene Kelly sings the Battery's down, I've know what the Bronx being up is for some time. I learned this piece of trivia on my first trip ever to the Big Apple. On Friday morning and afternoon we had briefings for class and immediately after that Michael-Sean, Stephen, Alex, Jeff, and I caught a bus from Dupont circle, excited to be in the bit city. Unfortunately we would not be there quickly, traffic around Baltimore was heavy and delayed us by about an hour, so much for the charm city. We did finally arrive at Penn Station (the one in NYC) and got on a New York subway headed for Columbia University, where we would be staying with a friend of Michael-Sean's When we exited the underground transit what should we be greeted by but the Pulitzer Building, at which point we promptly broke into a rendition of "And the World Will Know" The finished we unloaded our bags and walked around the Columbia campus before going to sleep.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everyone needs a picture of a Subway Payphone</td></tr>
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The next morning we headed down to, you guessed it, the Battery. I caught my first glimpse of Lady Liberty here. Michael-Sean, Jeff, and I got tickets to ride out to Liberty and Elis Islands on the ferry. It was fun, a little rushed though so we could get back for our reserved time for ground zero. It was great to see the statue of Liberty even though you cannot currently go inside, and at Ellis Island it was very interesting to walk where my great grandfather had walked when he came from Denmark. We almost missed our ferry back to the city because Michael-Sean and Jeff started talking with some sister missionaries in the genealogy library while I was wandering the examination rooms upstairs. Luckily we did make it though and got back to Manhattan in time and met up with Steve, the friend we stayed with. We picked up tickets right by Trinity Church which you may know is feature on National Treasure and then we were able to go down through a twisty way of security to finally arrive at the ground zero 9/11 memorial. It was a really great place be, one of my favorite memorials i've been to this summer. We went and stood inline after that to get broadway tickets and then went to 5th Avenue and Canal Street. At night Michael-Sean, Steve, and I went to the Phantom of the Opera which was quite a good experience for my first broadway play. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First Glimpse</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I've got a ticket to ride</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mariner Merchant Memeorial</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jeff, Me, and Michael-Sean, on the ferry with the skyline</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trinity Church</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Freedom Tower</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For everyone who wanted to know what the top <br />of the Chrysler building shines like</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is not our kitchen, it actually is Grand Central Station</td></tr>
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Today we went to church in the chapel that is adjoined to the Manhattan temple and then we took a walk through central park and found the statue of Balto and the bridge from enchanted. Then we rushed back to Penn station and I am now on a bus headed back to the District of Columbia. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We got on the bus at the New Yorker Hotel, which happens<br />to be where Tesla died</td></tr>
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<br /></div>Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01704727062084945133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2839001828704083243.post-76727984049894066202012-07-08T05:53:00.002-07:002012-07-08T05:53:26.028-07:00I'm proud to be an AmericanWhat a week it has been to be an American. The 4th of July in the Capital of the nation and the weekend at Valley Forge and Philadelphia, quite amazing.<br />
The Fourth of July began with a reading of the declaration of independence on the steps of the national archives complete with Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin. Then we went down constitution ave a little ways to stake out a place under a tree for the Parade. The parade was a good time, lots of bands from all over the country, they had some trouble with balloons though.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In case you don't know what that is it is an octabike (one that 8 people ride)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLYB8uivAzD13BbXwFj5cpoW6jto3q4MAuFfryNYiXcATcQ2FHufqnafGzH7jggCHKttxXKHH3AwPFWm0o8b8lQ977MSidHixhEKfz3WRIXR2HwmWonv2zagMpVOjLAOIdbAh2XHa6ncVq/s1600/P1030431.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLYB8uivAzD13BbXwFj5cpoW6jto3q4MAuFfryNYiXcATcQ2FHufqnafGzH7jggCHKttxXKHH3AwPFWm0o8b8lQ977MSidHixhEKfz3WRIXR2HwmWonv2zagMpVOjLAOIdbAh2XHa6ncVq/s320/P1030431.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was the Hari Khrishna float, <br />which we don't really know why it was the<br /> final float of the independence day parade,<br />but whatever floats your float I guess.</td></tr>
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The day rounded off with some all american food at Johnny Rockets and watching the fire works from the edge of the Potomac river at the Jefferson Memorial. We watched them burst over the water with the Lincoln on our left and the Washington on the right. Quite the experience.<br />
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On Friday Morning we left for Valley Forge. When we crossed over from Delaware into PA I could actually see Chester and some the streets I walked and houses I knocked on as a missionary. We stayed at the campus of the freedom foundation at valley forge so we went there first and unloaded our stuff and had lunch. In the afternoon we toured the camp via our bus with our tour guide Rob, who came with complete colonial attire.<br />
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The place where we stayed, the freedom foundation, has more monuments on its property than I have ever seen, they are everywhere. I'm not quite sure why but they are pretty cool. Here's a couple I saw in the afternoon during some open time.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An acorn</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Colorado's medal of honor monument in the medal of honor grove.</td></tr>
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After dinner we had a visit from Ned Hector (reenactor) who was a free black revolutionary war soldier. It was one of the best parts of the trip, he told us of his experience at the battle of the brandywine, taught us how to fire a cannon, and explained to us the untold history of blacks in the revolutionary army where they made up about 10% of the soldiers and had the most integration there would be until the Korean war.<br />
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The next day in the morning I took a walk and looked at some of more of the monuments.<br />
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Then we had breakfast and it was off to Philly! I was so excited. I got to do a lot of things in Philly that I hadn't seen as a missionary. We went to the Constitution center for two presentations, toured independence hall, and saw the Liberty Bell. I also saw the location of Benjamin Franklins house and grave and a model of his printing press, and ate a real philly cheesesteak at the Reading Market. I was sad to have to leave the city of Brotherly love when the day was over.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outside Independence Hall (the old state house)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Signing the Constitution</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and my old pal Ben</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The original pay phone used by the founding fathers</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me in the old court room</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The place it all went down in 76 and 87</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Liberty bell</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ben's printing press</td></tr>
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Well it was a great week, and I am proud to be an American.Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01704727062084945133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2839001828704083243.post-6451685920725464932012-07-01T13:04:00.001-07:002012-07-01T13:04:04.709-07:00Checking off the listThis is very well could have been my last weekend in DC because of various travel plans throughout July, therefore there were a few things from the tourist list that I needed to accomplish this weekend, a series of fortunate events put me in a position to do most of them. <br />
On Friday we were able to go on a capital tour finally. After class we went to the capital and Joe from our ward who interns with Senator Hatch and is from the U (hence he has to work Fridays) took us on the tour. It was very cool to see the inside of the capital, and Joe knew a lot of interesting facts. <br />
Friday night there was a giant thunderstorm that we latter learned knocked out most of the power in VA. <br />
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Saturday most people were gone, little did they know most of their plans would fall through because of power outages, but I went to the natural history museum, which was pretty much the last major museum I needed to see. It was really good, my favorite exhibit was the national gemstone collection. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Titanaboa exhibit</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another one of the more interesting things in the Natural Museum</td></tr>
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After that I briefly stopped in away the Hishhorn Museum of modern art, I think this place was made more for people on drugs, but now I can say I've seen it. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With my Chinese Zodiak</td></tr>
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Saturday night several of us went on a monument walking tour where we saw the Einstein, the Vietnam, the Korea, the Lincoln, the WWII, and the Washington memorials and learned a lot more about each of them. It was a lot of fun.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me with Dr. Einstein, pay no attention to that lady</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View off the back of the Lincoln</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Washington Monument at Night</td></tr>
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Well that's pretty much what happened this week.Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01704727062084945133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2839001828704083243.post-52533701019616968452012-06-24T13:23:00.001-07:002012-06-24T13:23:40.457-07:00The names Wozniak, Gary Wozniak<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
On Friday I went with Steven and Nate to the international spy museum. It was really interesting place where we learned all about the art of espionage throughout history. Although I really wonder how much is really told how much actually can be known about the history of spies, and at the end there was a thing saying the best spies and there missions are never known. That being said what we do know is extremely interesting. The earliest example of spying they gave was when the Israelites invaded canan and it of course continues to this day. At the beginning of the museum you are asked to assume a "cover" which you need to memorize and remember so that you can act your cover and not give yourself away. Here is a picture of my cover story: </div>
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In the Museum we got to learn about a lot of different spies and skills spying requires, and my favorite part was seeing the gadgets that spies have used. There has been some really crazy stuff. I did remember my cover until the end of the museum and was able to pass the questioning. Here is a spy car and some get smart memorabilia for the twins:</div>
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Unrelated pictures:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The elevator doors at the national achieves </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of my co-workers who left this week, Barry</td></tr>
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<br /></div>Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01704727062084945133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2839001828704083243.post-32994680555833320482012-06-17T14:11:00.002-07:002012-06-17T14:11:30.373-07:00I represent the peopleFriday was an interesting day for class. We went to the national defense university to engage in a strategic diplomatic "game". Each of us took the role of a member of either the U. S. or Mexican government and we met in our own country groups and then in bilateral talks. I took on the role of a Mexican congress man and consequently my catch phrase became that I represent the people. It was very interesting exercise that took the majority of the day. We found out first hand that it is very hard to get compromise between sovereign nations. Anyway it was fun and instructive. There are no pictures unfortunately.<br />
Saturday I had the sobering experience of visiting the Holocaust Museum. It is a very emotionally draining experience but very worth the visit. My favorite part was learning about the rescue efforts the pockets of Jewish resistance who did all they could to fight back. There are no pictures of this either.<br />
Here's some random pictures that I haven't put up yet.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the Capitol</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Meditation Maze</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Pay Phone</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Washington as viewed from the Jefferson</td></tr>
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<br />Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01704727062084945133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2839001828704083243.post-84481599533678488622012-06-10T05:17:00.000-07:002012-06-10T05:17:18.248-07:00In which I accomplish two life goals with a single strokeFriday was an interesting day, two things I've always want to do got done: Attending a political rally, and visiting the Supreme Court of the United States of America. Me and several of my friends attended the "Stand Up For Religious Freedom" rally in upper senate park around noon on Friday, there were many of these rally's happening simultaneously all over the country. The catalyst of course being the infringements Obama care makes on religious freedom. It was good experience to be a political rally for the first time and to feel the energy there of people united in a cause. After this event we went to the Supreme Court for our class briefing, which incidentally was where the rally was marching, but we left early to get there on time. We got to walk around the Supreme Court building and watch a film on the court, then we had a briefing with a BYU graduate who is clerking for Justice Kagen. That was really interesting and gave us kind of an inside view of the court.<br />
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<br />Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01704727062084945133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2839001828704083243.post-16169417271326908062012-06-03T06:07:00.001-07:002012-06-03T06:07:46.499-07:00The crag of old ragYesterday was a day for an adventure. Holly, who is a girl in the program but who lives in VA with her family, invited some of us to go with her and some people from her ward and hike old rag mountain in Shenandoah National Park. . Having been trapped inside the concrete jungle for more than a whole moon now several of us jumped at the chance to breathe the fresh "mountain" air and feel the excitement of adventure in our blood. 6 of us caught the metro up to the last stop on the orange line (I should say the last working stop since track work prevented us from going all the way to the end) and then Holly picked us in her SUV and we met up with Natalie's fellow intern Anne, who is from Germany.<br />
We stopped for gas a food at a wonderful place called Sheetz which is HQ'd in Altoona PA and was the bread and butter of us missionaries in Pennsylvania, so that was a great nostalgic moment for me.<br />
We then headed up into the hillish mountains of VA.<br />
The hike up Old Rag Mountain was beautiful and a lot of fun. We could not have had a better day for it. We went the short way up to the summit which meant that about half way up the trail disappeared an we began doing what we called bouldering at BDSR but the locals refer to as "rock scrambling." This involves climbing over, under, around and sometimes through the crags of the huge boulders that make up the higher parts of the mountain while following little blue painted arrows to know you are actually going a way proven to get you to the top. This was a lot of fun, but also difficult at times especially where the rocks were slightly slipper from rain the night before. We reached the top and ate the food we had packed and enjoyed the spacious vistas of Virginia's forests. Then we came down the longer but much easier path to the bottom. All in all it was a ton of fun to be out in nature with good friends and fresh air.<br />
Here a some pictures in no particular order:<br />
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<br />Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01704727062084945133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2839001828704083243.post-1616595553084505192012-05-27T06:16:00.002-07:002012-05-27T06:16:44.118-07:00A day at George and Martha'sYesterday I had the privilege of visiting Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington. It was one of my favorite places to visit so far. So much of it is original to the time period after General Washington returned from the presidency. Seeing the house and grounds where they lived and worked is very cool we even got to meet Martha Washington, visiting the tomb is very solemn and spiritual, and the museum and learning center help you to learn about their lives. We even got to see the famous wooden dentures (but you are not allowed to take pictures). I went with my good friends Ben and Jeff, and Jeff's friends Margarita and AJ, so it was all a really good time.<br />
Unfortunately my camera didn't end up taking any of the group photos and much what you see you can't photograph but here are a few I did get.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and the Washingtons</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the Potomac from Mount Vernon's back porch</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Washingtons' tomb</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Memorial to the slaves at the slave burial plot</td></tr>
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<br />Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01704727062084945133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2839001828704083243.post-62562079899309247012012-05-20T13:38:00.001-07:002012-05-20T13:38:37.560-07:00Back to PennsylvaniaThis Saturday I returned to Pennsylvania for the first time since leaving my mission. As a class all of us BYU students went up to Gettysburg, which was one of my favorite places to visit on my mission. In preparation for the trip I had been reading Killer Angels which tells the story of the battle in detail. Loaded up on the bus at 8 o'clock in the morning, we thought we might run into delays because of security checks they were doing around camp david, but we never got stopped. When we got to Gettysburg we first went the cyclorama and museum and the visitor center, and then we went to General Pickett's buffet for lunch. After lunch we picked up out guide, Bob, and he got on the bus's microphone and told us all about Gettysburg as we drove around, we were able to get out and walk around in several places. It is one of those places where I think you can feel that the hand of God has been there. Horrible things took place there and its not necessarily a fun place, but it is a spiritual one if you choose to view the events of history as being orchestrated by a divine creator.<br />
Here are some pictures:<br />
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A couple other things of note happened this weekend. On Friday we had no class because of the trip, so in the morning I ran down to the Lincoln Memorial and read the Gettysburg Address because we were suppose to before the trip, and I went through the small museum in the basement. After that I went with Stephen, Nate, and Michael-Sean to Arlington, where we watched the changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown soldier. We then met up with Peter and Preston and looked around the cemetery some more. When we were done we headed out to Old Town Alexandria to see the water front on the Potomac, that was fun. We also saw the house where Lee grew up, and church that George Washington went to. Here are the pics from that:<br />
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<br />Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01704727062084945133noreply@blogger.com0