This Is Why I'm Fat

So my friend Owen has a knack at finding really random websites that are really interesting. He frequently visits Today’s Big Thing which has some pretty impressive videos. He also discovered This Is Why You’re Fat. It normally features really disgusting things like The Spamsicle and Dorm Food Casserole. One day however they featured The Pursuit Of Awesomeness Ice Cream Sandwich.



We talked on Facebook about it and even texted about how good it actually looked. So today I decided to pursue awesomeness. I didn’t have blueberries or raspberries so I mixed cherries in with my ice cream. I must admit that the final product was pretty awesome. It would have been easier to eat if the brownies were more cookie like, but it was still really delicious. Give it a try!

Is It Over Already

Monday was a really exciting day. I woke up late as usual. We just kind of hung around in the morning. I went out to my car to straighten up the trunk and accidentally locked the keys in the trunk. Thank goodness for AAA. Two hours later the guy arrived and broke into my car so I could open my trunk and get the keys. I can be such a scatter brain sometimes.



In the afternoon we made our way to Palmyra. Savannah and I did some sight seeing. We went to the sacred grove and the Smith family home. The grove was especially pretty. The weather was perfect. We also discovered a stone fence, which both of us had never seen before. That was pretty cool. After that we went to see Alvin’s gravestone. That made me wonder why they always put cemeteries on hills.



Then we went and picked up a really good pizza for dinner. It was a buffalo chicken and blue cheese pizza. We then went back to the hill and ate our pizza. I pretty much inhaled it because it was really good.



Then they had the cast talent show. That was a lot of fun. They had a lot of good and funny acts. Synchronized Swimming. Primary children doing the twist and shout. A lot of singing acts. I thought one of the best was a tribute to John Williams.



After the talent show and munch and mingle we went back to the Steele estate. Savannah and I snuck into her dad’s office to try and fax something. We weren’t exactly sure if it worked. Hopefully it did. Then I e-mailed some pictures to myself and went to bed. It was a really fun trip. I’m glad I had the chance to see the pageant which was really amazing and spend some time with great friends.

Oh Canada--Terre de nos aïeux, Ton front est ceint de fleurons glorieux!

Sunday found ourselves at the Hill again. We had sacrament meeting with the whole entire cast and work crew. We got there early to get a good seat. Hunter made these in the car ride. They were actually a lot of fun.



After church we walked around for a little bit. I learned this really cool dice game and ended up winning which was really cool. Then we went to the seating area and talked with Mathieu and his wife and baby Ella. It was fun to see them and the baby. After that I got the backstage tour. I got to see the costume shop where a lot of the cast members get dressed. It was cool to see how well done they were. I also got to go behind/under the stage. I got to see where Sister Steele meets up with Alma every night. It was neat to see all of that. Then I talked to Owen on the phone. It was fun to talk to him. Then we had Thanksgiving dinner, which was really good. Then we had the fireside which was pretty interesting. Despite the rumors that David Archuleta was speaking, he wasn’t the main speaker.

Savannah had been talking about how weird last year’s devotional was really weird and not that good. It was about the Constitution and stuff like that. Well, we were destined for a repeat after we found out the opening hymn was The National Anthem and it was the same speaker as last year. We also had the treat of singing “Oh Canada” as well. That was exciting because Savannah’s dad decided that instead of singing the second verse in English, he decided to sing the first verse in French. He belted it out really loud. It was hysterical. The fireside ended up being about justice and freedom. It was pretty boring actually.

After munch and mingle, we headed back to Bloomfield. At around eleven o’clock we tried to have family prayer. It started with Brother Steele trying to gather all of the kids to the living room. It wasn’t so successful. John then decided to try and slit people’s throats with a knife. After finding out he wasn’t just trying to practice for the pageant, we discovered the John had his tote and chip card which made it okay. Then we had a super huge laugh about the difference in pronunciation between “done” and “dones.” That one lasted for a while. After a good spiritual thought we checked up on someone’s Facebook status to make sure that they were okay. Then after talking about a love of “hoeing” we actually said the prayer. That whole experience really made me want to have siblings. It was cool to see the closeness of that family.

After family prayer we played Mad Gab for a little while and talked and then we went to bed. It was a fun day. Only one more day to write about!

Saturday with the Steeles

So Saturday was another fun day hanging out in western New York. We all kind of slept in which felt really good. I had cereal for breakfast. It was a new kind that I had never heard of. It was Rice Krispies, but they were extra big. They were pretty good. Check them out. Then it started to pour down rain. Savannah and I went on a trip to Wegmans. 20 packages of blueberries later we emerged victorious. After we dropped of the goods, we went to a graduation party for one of Savannah’s friend. There I got to experience a staple of western New York: salt potatoes. It’s basically potatoes boiled in salt water and then when they are done they cover them in more salt and butter. They were amazingly delicious.



Then I dropped off Savannah at “the Hill” and I went exploring. Thanks to Danielle (my dad’s GPS thing) I ended up at the Erie Canal. I sat on a bench and wrote some post cards for a couple of hours. The weather was amazing. It really was a beautiful site and great day to be out there.

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Then I went back to “the Hill” to wait for the Pageant to start. Rosemary came around and asked for a referral. I’m sad to report that I didn’t giver her one. Sorry, but I am a really bad member missionary. It’s something I’m working on. Then Pageant started. It was pretty normal until Samuel the Lamanite came on stage and started prophesying about thunder and earthquakes. Well, they came along with rain. By the time I got back to my car I was soaked. After that they canceled the rest of the show. We went to Munch and Mingle and then went home and straight to bed, which felt really good.

“Whatever you shoot be sure it’s Remington”

I spent this past weekend in Western New York visiting one of my best friends and attending the Hill Cumorah Pageant. This week my blog will focus on my trip and adventures with the Steele family. I left on Friday at around 12:30 and hit traffic in Harrisburg and Northern PA. The traffic did give me an opportunity to admire the capitol.



It was a really nice drive. Pennsylvania really is a beautiful state. I was constantly amazed by the beauty of the scenery. Because of traffic the trip took seven hours instead of five. Anyway I got to “the Hill” as the locals call it and got something to eat at the concession stand. Nothing like an Italian Sausage with peppers and onions. Then I met up with Savannah and her friend who were already in costume.



It was pretty impressive. She also got me the best seat in the house: front and center. I was grateful for that because it was pretty crowded. The show was really impressive. I thought that it was going to be not so great, but like most things the Church does it was done really well. I really liked the tree of life scene. It was cool with the water mists and everything.



Then after the show I borrowed Hunter’s cast tags and snuck backstage and attended their nightly devotional. I got to meet some of Savannah’s siblings and her dad, who gave me a big hug. I felt really welcome to say the least. Then we headed over to Zion’s Camp and attended munch and mingle. It was kind of awkward when someone came and asked me my name since I technically wasn’t supposed to be there. The Steele’s straightened it out though and I didn’t get kicked out. After munching on some good snacks, we headed to Bloomfield where the Steele family lives. Remington rode home with Savannah and me. I think that he has the coolest name in the world. “Remington Steele.” We basically just went home and went to bed. I got to sleep on a really comfortable couch. I was pleasantly surprised.



I also learned a lesson that night from the example of a sixteen year old. I went to brush my teeth and I saw Remington reading his scriptures. That really had an impression on me. Even though it was super late he was still taking time for the important things in life. That made me realize that I needed to work on my daily scripture study and prayer. I need to put forth the effort to make it a part of my daily routine. Thanks a lot Rem.

Let Freedom Ring

Today America is celebrating its 233rd birthday. It is the longest lasting democracy in the World and the model for almost every other free nation in the world. I consider it a blessing to live in the greatest country on the earth. The only reason we are free however is because of the men and women who have fought to protect the rights that we now have. It is because of their sacrifice that we enjoy the life that we have here in the United States. John Adams said "Liberty must at all hazards be supported. We have a right to it, derived from our Maker. But if we had not, our fathers have earned and bought it for us, at the expense of their ease, their estates, their pleasure, and their blood." Ultimately though, we need to remember that America is the country that it is because of its divine destiny.


One of the least known stories in American history concerns the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Many people think that all of the founding fathers were willing to sign the declaration. This was not the case. They were worried about the repercussions of their actions. They were worried that the revolution would fail. They were worried about being captured and killed by the British. This led to a heated debate in Independence Hall. In the midst of this debate a voice rang out by a man who had walked through locked doors to enter the hall. Thomas Jefferson recorded in his journal what he said:

They may stretch our necks on all the gibbets in the land. They may turn every tree into a gallows, every home into a grave, and yet the words of that parchment can never die. They may pour our blood on a thousand scaffolds and yet from every drop that dyes the axe a new champion of freedom will spring into birth. The words of this declaration will live long after our bones are dust. ** To the mechanic in his workshop they will speak hope; to the slave in the mines, freedom; but to the coward rulers, these words will speak in tones of warning they cannot help but hear. Sign that parchment. Sign if the next moment the noose is around your neck. Sign if the next minute this hall rings with the clash of falling axes! Sign by all your hopes in life or death, not only for yourselves but for all ages, for that parchment will be the textbook of freedom, the bible of the rights of man forever. ** Were my soul trembling on the verge of eternity, my hand freezing in death, I would still implore you to remember this truth God has given America to be free.


God indeed has given America to be free. Now it is up to us to keep America free. This is something the founding fathers worried about. They doubted whether or not the common citizen would be willing to make the sacrifices necessary to protect the freedoms the people were fighting for. Jefferson warned in his Notes on the State of Virginia that “it can never be too often repeated, that the time for fixing every essential right on a legal basis is while our rulers are honest, and ourselves united. From the conclusion of this war we shall be going down hill. It will not then be necessary to resort every moment to the people for support. They will be forgotten, therefore, and their rights disregarded. They will forget themselves, but in the sole faculty of making money, and will never think of uniting to effect a due respect for their rights. The shackles, therefore, which shall not be knocked off at the conclusion of this war, will remain on us long, will be made heavier and heavier, till our rights shall revive or expire in a convulsion.” Jefferson warned that the intentions of men would change, becoming solely concerned with money and nothing else. This is his warning to not only the revolutionary generation, but it is also directed to our generation of Americans as well. The responsibility that comes with freedom is to keep the “spirit” vigilance so the government does not deny the people of their natural rights. This is especially relevant since in recent months we’ve seen the government take unprecedented control over the lives of its citizens. Most Americans have been silent on this issue. It is time for us to speak up. Even though the times have changed and man’s intentions have changed, the power still rests with us, the people, to control our own destiny. Ultimately, it will be up to us to decide whether or not, as Jefferson states, our “rights shall revive or expire in a convulsion."