Putting the CHRIST in CHRISTMAS

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!

I hope your day has been filled with jolly cheer, and that great memories were made that will last you a lifetime!

I've been down here at my parent's house since Thursday, and I must say, it has been nice to be with my family. I always feel like I don't visit them enough and I've decided to do better and see them more often.

But let's talk about the real reason for today. Family is nice (I love them of course), presents are nice, good food is really really nice, but after all is said and done, we know why we celebrate this day.

I would like to share with you my absolute favorite depiction of the nativity. It is called "The Light of the World" by Jay Bryant Ward. I found it in the Liahona my first Christmas on my mission. I took it out and hung it above my desk during both Christmas seasons. Take a look:

I love it because of how personal and close it is, and the connection you feel between everyone depicted.

Today being Sunday, we went to church. My family's ward has it at 9:00, so it was early enough that we could go first thing before beginning our traditional festivities. After the Sacrament we heard several musical numbers sung by the ward choir, primary, young women, and young men. We ended with the choir and congregation singing "Oh Come All Ye Faithful", a song that I've never really had at the top of my favorite Christmas hymns list, but after singing and listening to its message today, is definitely up there. All in all it was a great way to begin Christmas morning, the message of Christ, His birth, and His life, in our minds.

Tonight, when the festivities were winding down, I went outside and looked at the stars. It was peaceful, quiet. I sang "Silent Night" to myself. It made me think of the enormity of God and His plan, and how grateful I was for my Savior, that someone as imperfect as me might have a chance to be live with and be like our Father, thanks to Him.

So here's to our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. May we always celebrate His birth, life, Atonement, and Resurrection, that our lives may be filled with peace.

Until next time, peace on earth, good will toward men...

The Final Week

The whole city was deserted.
The freezing air blew eerily across Utah State campus.
Thousands and thousands were gone.
Those that remained wandered lifelessly over the abandoned streets.
Moaning and snarling, they dragged their bodies to the end...

Zombie Apocalypse? I wish.

No, it was the end of FINALS WEEK!!!

Can you believe it?!? It's OVER!!! It's all OVER!!! Muhahaha!!!

And before you say I've gone crazy, you try trudging through a whole week having one final, every day, until Friday, while every day leading up to it more and more people announce to you, "I'm done!" and you must in turn respond, "I have until Friday..." and they will inevitably reply with feigned pity and pretend sadness (they don't care, they're done!) But now, even I can say with pride...

I MADE IT!!!!

Actually to be honest, it wasn't that hard. I did awesome on all my finals. My classes this semester weren't really that challenging and frankly I'm gonna miss most of them. I had great professors and friends in most classes that I won't get to see that often anymore. And things are changing.

I'm getting two new roommates. Clint and Cade have already left. I'm gonna miss Clint, he was an awesome guy. Cade was cool too, but we really didn't see him that often. He was really good about paying his part of the utilities on time though.

Melissa, one of my best friends in the whole wide world, left to go student teach at Layton (It's Layton right Melissa?), that's gonna be weird, not having her around...(Note to Melissa: You're gonna do great! I believe in you!)

Then a bunch of friends I've gotten to know pretty well from my ward are leaving, and new classes are starting, and a new year, with new challenges and trials, adventures and experiences...

Well, you know what they say, the only real constant thing is change (They say that right? Am I making that up?)

Sadly, before all of that happens, and even before this wonderful Christmas holiday, I'm still stuck here a whole week for stinkin' work. Stupid work. I don't know what the heck I'll do with myself while I'm not working.

I guess now is the time to start that new hobby I've been talking about.

Until next time...wanna do something with me?

I love to see the temple...I got to go today!

 

This is the Logan Temple.

It has become one of my favorite temples. 

And yes, its because I live so close. 

Also, it is a shining beacon of light right in the middle of Cache Valley.

Anyone who has spent time in Logan can tell you that. 

I went there tonight with my elders quorum.

I've been trying to go very regularly, weekly if I can. That's my goal at least. 

I LOVE it, it makes my day. Every time. 

If its been awhile since you've been to the temple, I would recommend going. 

Your life will automatically get better.

And if you go with a desire to feel better about life decisions, looking for answers, like I did, and you go with faith, I promise they you will be blessed with what you need. 

Shout out to my family in St. George, wish I could be there! Hope you have a great time!

Until next time..."for the temple is the House of God, a place of love and beauty"

No Shave November: The End Result

First off, I must say, I am SO sorry. Its been almost TWO WEEKS since my last post! And that one didn't even have pictures! I apologize sincerely. To tell you the truth there have been no pictures because my phone (what I use to take pictures) hasn't been sending the pictures to my email. But it got itself figured out, and that added with before and after pictures my friend Mike took of me, I now present you with the end result of "No Shave November":

This was Thanksgiving day, Day 24

Day 28: It was actually starting to bug me really bad by now

Still Day 28: Closer view, the mustache especially was getting too long

And the final day, before and after shaving at midnight, December 1st...

There you are friends, the final days of beardiness. Final thoughts:

I must say I was a little disappointed, it didn't come in as full as I'd hoped. The sideburns especially disappointed me.

It comes in the thickest on the chin and the mustache comes in surprisingly long.

I wish it were all darker. Its almost blond.

I was thinking of just growing out the goatee, since its the only part that really grows. I miss looking older, what do you think?

I don't think I will do it again, at least not for a long while. Personally I think it feels gross growing in all willy-nilly. If I grow facial hair it will definitely be controlled. The only plus was that it kept my face warmer in this harsh winter weather. Now that I've got a really short haircut too, my head has been especially chilly these past couple days.

Hopefully I will blog more often now, again I'm sorry. Now to end on a sunny note, a few facial hair jokes for ya:

 

Until next time...

There are no pictures...because I say so

Yeah.

I wanted to update for some reason.

I just didn't want to bother with taking pictures and loading them.

The face is doing fine.

I can now see my mustache just by looking down at my lip.

Seriously I think we passed the sweet spot, now its just bummish.

I'm starting to get things stuck in it. Yeah, you didn't need to know that, but now you do.

But alas, I must keep on. Nine more days. I'll miss it and I won't at the same time.

On another note...Thanksgiving Break is almost here!!! YES!!! Only tomorrow and we're home free!!!

Well not really, I still have to work a bit on Wednesday...but after THAT, I am literally home free! As in heading home to see my family!

And eat SO MUCH! I'm seriously giddy for Thanksgiving! I don't get to eat like this! Period! I am going to steal SO MUCH LEFTOVERS!!!!

ALSO, I'm super stoked for the official beginning of the Christmas season! Christmas is the best time period ever! So even though Mike and I have been listening to Christmas music for a week (yeah that's right, what're you gonna do about it? Huh??), I'm still pumped for it to be OFFICIAL!

BRING IT SEASONS GREETINGS!

Until next time...my mustache freezes in the cold Logan winter air...

NSN Day 15: The Halfway point

This is me. Halfway done. Mmm...maybe someday I will be able to grow a big full mountain man beard.

But this is what I got for now. Oh well.

It's my facial hair and I love it for who it is.

It's late. More later.

With a New Life come New Opportunities

I'm not a fan of writing big posts. And I realize you might not be a fan of reading them. But this one, this one is important.

It all started last Monday. Actually scratch that, it all started last September.

A guy came to my chemistry class asking if  we wanted more info about summer internships. Without really thinking I wrote down my info, sure, why not, internships are good right? Sometime later I get a call asking me if I was still interested. I said yes and the guy on the other side of the call proceeds to give what felt to me like a mini job interview. Apparently I passed, because he set up another meeting for me to learn more. Sure, why not. But unfortunately I had to work during that time so...I didn't go.

Then last Monday I get a call. Apparently they didn't forget about me, they still wanted to meet with me. Gotta love their persistence. So I agreed to a meeting. This time I wasn't working. I go to the meeting and learn about this summer management program where you run your own small house painting business over the summer. Cool right? I decided to go for it.

The story does not end there.

The week before this meeting, my friend Shay had told me about another job opportunity. This job is a sales job, selling Living Scriptures products for 15 weeks over the summer. Then the day of my meeting for the other summer internship, she tells me there's a meeting for those interested in the job. Also, free pizza. Okay, I thought, I'll give it a shot, hear what they have to say. If nothing else I get free pizza right? 

I go to the meeting and to be honest, I was quite impressed. It sounded like a great opportunity for adventure, to see new places, meet new people, gain new talents, learn more about myself, maybe win some cool prizes and vacations, and of course lets not forget the pay. Their goal was to have us make enough money in one summer so that we wouldn't have to have a job during the school year. Now I don't want to count my eggs before they hatch, but according them the average first year salesman makes around $15,000-$20,000 his first summer. Like I said, I didn't know how I would do but honestly, that's a lot of money to make in four months. Especially for a college kid like me, living from paycheck to paycheck. 

If it had been just about the money, I wouldn't have done it. Really, I've heard of a lot of jobs like that. Sounds great for you, but not for me, I would think. This is different though. Number one, this is Living Scriptures we're talking about. Any normal Latter-day Saint child would recognize them. Heck, its how I learned all the Gospel stories, from Ammon to Alma and Amulek on down to Joseph Smith. I still remember those videos. So really, its something I felt good about selling to people.

Number two, I feel like the opportunity to live somewhere else, to work hard everyday, meet new people everywhere you go, would take me back to my old mission days. And I miss those days. Sure it won't be exactly the same but something about it just calls to me, excites me. A chance to push myself again, to learn about myself, to become a better person. That's the real reason I decided to do it.

The next day I set up an appointment for an interview. It had all the normal parts of a job interview, yet somehow I felt much better about it than in other job interviews. And at the end of it, he told that he really liked me and offered me the job right there and...well, I accepted! I know, it seems really soon and honestly, things could change before summer. But as of now I feel really good about it. I'm excited! It's gonna be real hard but hey, isn't everything that's worth doing?

As for that other job possibility, the program looks really awesome. I've researched it. In all truth I will probably do that in a future summer. If you're interested look up CollegeWorks Painting. Great program, great people.

If you haven't figured it out yet, yes, this means that this summer I will not be living here in Utah. I will be afar off in some part of the U.S. I have never been, mostly likely back east somewhere like Indiana, Kentucky, or New Jersey. Least that's what they tell me.

I'm excited. Brand New Life baby.

Until next time...can I interest you in a DVD set of animated Book of Mormon stories? Yes? I'll put you down for ten...

NSN Day 7, End of Week 1

After one week:

The close up. You can see it but...it leaves something to be desired.

Far away shot. Like I said, there, but not super visible yet.

The chin-ish area is pretty dark, but seems confined to a smaller area than I'd like.

No glasses close-up. Eh, not too bad. You can't see the sides though. Its because its almost non-existent there right now.

After one week, we are beginning to see the true potential of my facial hair.

While in some parts, namely the mustache/goatee area, it has grown quite long in a short period of time, there are other parts where it seems to be barely making its debut, namely the side burn area.

And I really wish it was thicker, and darker. But enough complaints, I'm actually starting to like it. It's really "growing on me". HAHA! A little beard humor for ya there.

But the month is young. I predict we are only seeing the beginning of a very beautiful thing.



On another note that I decided to talk about because I'm afraid you'll get bored reading about my facial hair for a month, Aggie Basketball has started!

Actually OFFICIALLY it starts this Friday with the opening game against BYU!!! It's gonna be insane!!! However we have had two exhibition games these past two weeks and I have to say, I'M HOOKED! I love Aggie basketball! Seriously folks, I don't think you know how much I get into it. I know all the cheers, I know the player's signs, and after every game my throat is sore from yelling! AWESOME!!!

I can already feel the romance blossoming...

Until next time...Cameron + USU Basketball = LOVE

No Shave November: Day 4

How do I look? I know, the man beard is tender yet, but give it time friends, he's on his way.

However despite my enthusiasm I must also inject a little disappointment. It's coming in a little scruffier and less uniform than I thought. And really blond.

But overall I feel we're off to a good start. Four days in and we're already starting show!

Sure its gonna be in the awkward stage for a bit, but with our team spirit and determination we'll barrel right through it and on to a glorious bearded victory!

At least I hope so...but its too late to pull out now, I've got too much riding on this. Were I to give in at any point, I would be forced to endure never ceasing taunts and jeers from friends and roommates. And it would not be pretty.

So onward I trek, on my first bearded journey through life. Nothing can stop me now! Here's to hoping this month is good to me. Don't let me down beard!

Until next time...I can't stop stroking my face...mmm....

Introducing....NO SHAVE NOVEMBER! (Day 1)

I bet you have no idea what this post is about.

Alright I'll tell you.

This month I'm not going to shave !!

I know the name is tricky but yes, "No Shave November" means that I will not be shaving during the month of November.

Finally !! An excuse !!

This month is also "Movember" in some circles, meaning growing a mustache during this month. Movember is actually really cool though because it raises awareness, and money, for prostate cancer. Check it out here: "Movember US"

I might shave near the end of the month and just keep the 'stache. That way I can do both !!

So get used to it people !! This month I'm gonna be hairy !! Whether it looks good or not !!

I will be giving you updates from time to time so you can check my face's progress.

This is day 1:

Up close and personal. Yep.

Aren't you excited! I know I am. Even though sometimes I already feel like a dirty hobo. Awkward stage? Let's hope.

Until next time...grow beard grow !!

This is Halloween

I never know what to be.

For Halloween that is.

In my latter years I've always tried to be creative. Something original.

As a youth I had plenty of common costumes.

Vampire, Power Ranger, Ninja, Harry Potter, Soldier, etc.

One year when I was like 11 I went as the Phantom of the Opera. Now you don't see every kid dressing as that for Halloween.

Sometimes I was an odd child.

But in my recent years I've had to think more.

My costumes from teenage-dom til now have been better.

Most of them are inside jokes. One year I dressed up as my Dad. You'd have to know him (I love you Dad!). The next year I went as this super old pumpkin costume that my parents had made all eight of us wear as children. It was a little small on me but the family got a laugh out of it. Then I was a "chick-magnet", I wore a shirt with a magnet on it, with pictures of baby chickens. The next year I wore a "Nudist on Strike" sign over a bathrobe (Don't worry, I had clothes on underneath).

This year I was...what would you call it? I've had many names for it. The most popular one is "Walk-in[g] Closet". Basically I decided to put on almost all of the clothes I owned at the same time. Check it out:

Huh? Huh? Pretty cool right? I don't have a full-size picture yet or you could get the full effect. I'll show you later.

I even won "Most Original Costume" at my ward Halloween party. I guess they felt sorry for me and my 12 layers of clothes. 

 

All said and done, a pretty solid Halloween. Except it's 10:15 and I'm at home...and we've had no trick-or-treaters...or gone trick-or-treating....

I did get ten doughnuts as a prize for my costume though. Yeah, I'd say that's a win.

Until next time...Cameron's costume 1, Lame Halloween 0

My baby...my child...you were lost...but I found you!

WHOA!

That was scary.

I thought for a while all of my hard work, dedication, and ramblings were gone!

A few hours ago I tried to get on my blog, only to find out that it had been temporarily deleted!!!

WHAAAAAT!?!?!?!

So after my ward Halloween party (see post after this), I got on the Blogger forums and asked for help.

Within 5 minutes it was fixed!

Great job Blogger! I love you!

So no fears peeps, my blog is back. With style.

Or maybe just regular...ness.

Anyway, its back, that's all that matter.

*I give my blog/computer a physical hug*

Just a poor dog, down on his luck

My diet since moving up to Logan has not been what you would call healthy.

We've already talked about the Hot Pockets.

Eating healthy just costs too much. Or maybe I'm just too lazy to cook. Its probably the latter.

Food is expensive. I'd say its what I spent most of my money on.

Last week I bought a box of corn dogs. It was all I could afford that would last me until payday yesterday.

Don't feel bad for me. Corn dogs rule. I quite enjoy them.

But my purchase of them has led me to discover all the hatred towards them held by most.

Y'all are a bunch of Foodists. That's right, discriminating against certain types of food while holding others in high esteem.

Well I'm sorry my poor dog can't afford a bun. He just lost his job recently and he's doing the best he can with his thin corn jacket. It barely keeps the cold out in the freezer.

As for me, I will forever defend my stick-wielding friends. They do their best, and for me, that's good enough. 

Until next time...however, I wouldn't complain if you threw a steak my way...

Geez Cam, enough with the Zombies!

I'm hooked on a new show.

Mike got me hooked on it. 

It's called "The Walking Dead"

And its about Zombies. 

Surprise!

I know, I have a weird obsession. 

Something borrowed

This is an idea I'm borrowing (with permission) from the blog of a good friend of mine.

Sometimes there are things you want to say to people, but have no where to say it.

Well welcome to my blog, the place for ideas who don't have a home anywhere else. 

So with that, here are my letters, to various people in my life:

Dear you, I know, its amazing how two people so different can get along so well. Thanks for everything.

Dear you, I wish you would stop worrying and realize what a beautiful person you are. You have nothing to worry about.

Dear you, what a difference a day can make.

Dear you, you are too much fun, don't stop being your sunny self.

Dear you, you rock, but dishes don't clean themselves.

Dear you, I know its frustrating, but you just have to get used to it.

Dear you, I'm not sure how you feel about me, or I you.

Dear you, you are my hero and I can only wish to be half of what you are some day

Dear you, I owe you the world twice over.

Dear you, you have to be one of the most awesome people in the entire world. Don't stop.

Dear you, could we talk about food a little less?

Dear you, please don't give up, we're all here for you. If only you knew.

Dear you, I'm excited to meet you.

Until next time...sincerely, Me.

Question Mark

You ever listen to a love song...and can't decide who it makes you think about?

Cause it keeps changing.

It happens

Today I slept through my first class.

Yep, my alarm sounded, I turned it off and just kept on truckin' (sleeping)

And I woke up at 10:20, literally right when my first class gets out. Weird huh?

My next class, not til 11:30, was canceled today.

At 12:30 I had math, but instead of going I used the time of my canceled class and math class to finish my math assignment that I didn't do last night

I got to class just in time to turn it in,

Then I went home.

Its a good day. I slept in, the sun is shining and its beautiful outside, and I got caught up on The Office, Parks and Recreation, and Community on Hulu. Now on to Modern Family.

At 5:00 PM we are having a Man Night. Mike, Eric, Zach, and I are going to Eric and Zach's place to cook and eat lots of meat and watch The Dark Knight, with our shirts off. (this is all due to recent trouble with women in each of our lives) Its gonna be awesome.

Until next time...bacon anyone?

General Conference...again

I'm listening to this years October General Conference again.

I loved Conference. I look forward to it every time it comes.

This year I went home to be with my family during all Conference weekend. I went up Friday (cause, well, it was my birthday and I went out to dinner with the fam) and I stayed until Sunday night.

Every October Conference, after the Sunday morning session, the whole family comes up here to Logan to go to Willow Park.

I haven't been in three years so I was really excited to go again. We did everything we normally do, eat a lot, taunt the animals at the zoo, feed them food when we're not supposed to, and dual each other in an intense game of two hand touch football. All the old traditions I love.

I gotta say, I love my family. We have a lot of fun together.

 

Anyway, I realize this is all really random cause, well, conference was more than a week ago. I didn't talk about it then cause Humans vs. Zombies started and well, yeah...anyway, I thought to write about it because I'm listening to it again.

I know God lives and sent prophets to lead and guide us. That is why I love conference, so I can listen to God's servants.

That's all for now, until next time...Welcome to the 181st semi annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...

I know right?

Yes. I am still alive.

I know right?

I really didn't think I would make it this far.

To Friday.

Beside the fact that I have indeed been working very hard to stay alive during the day on campus, I feel like I don't deserve the congratulations.

I haven't been able to participate in as many night missions as I would like, and that's the games are won or lost. In the night missions you earn advantages for your team.

I could be a better human.

And tomorrow I will be. I'm going to the night mission.

It could be suicide, but I don't care, I have to fight for the human race. Be on offense, instead of defense.

I've also decided that if I get caught, I will not become a zombie. I will consider myself dead, maimed beyond repair. I've just fought as a human for too long, cheered for them, with them, and helped them. I just couldn't do it.

But I won't  be caught, so that won't be problem.

Wish me luck everybody.

Guess what?

I'm still alive.

Yep, I survived another day of the Zombie Apocalypse.

Today was harder. More zombies. Lots of classes.

I lost my best friend and roommate to the Zombie Horde. R.I.P. Mike...

Not sure how long I can keep this up, the human numbers are dwindling.

But tomorrow is a new day.

That means more running.

I'm Baaaack!

I survived Zombie Apocalypse Day 2

Today was way easy

I got dropped off after work right at the building of my next class,

After work there was a campus-wide safe zone (humans are safe, zombies can't touch them) in order for the humans to make it to the Colosseum games at the Quad

I participated in the Games, I almost won too

Then class again at a building right next to the Quad

Then after class another campus-wide safe zone because some club was bringing guns on campus and they didn't want anybody getting confused and shot

So I went home

Easy day to survive

Tomorrow however, is a different story

Just so you know...

I survived day 1

It was no easy task

From the first step I took on campus I was on the run

My strategy was stealth and speed, using the buildings (safe zones) to travel across campus, or as I call it "building hopping"

I had a few scares, but luckily never got tagged

I feel pretty good about surviving day one and all except...

Tomorrow is another day

Wish me luck

They're here....THEY'RE COMING!!!

I'm gonna need lots of ammo...
I wish I could run faster...I should have done more cardio to prepare...
Campus is going to be a crazy mess...
Where's my map? I need to map out my course...
I need to find a posse for protection...
Sweating bullets...white knuckles clutching my Nerf blaster...
Are they around this corner?...Or this corner?...
Why is my next class so far away?!
I hear them.
Running behind me.
I must survive.
THEY'RE COMING

Yes folks, this week is Humans vs. Zombies here at Utah State. If you don't know what it is, its basically a huge game of tag between "Humans" and "Zombies". The game starts out with just a few zombies and hundreds of humans. You go through your normal day with classes and whatnot, only every time you step out of a building on campus...you're free game. The humans can use Nerf guns and sock balls to "stun" the Zombies for 15 minutes. All the Zombie has to do it tag you, and you become a member of the "Zombie Horde", furiously feasting on human flesh in order to not die from starvation. In addition to regular activities on campus, the Humans also participate in special "missions" each night in order to earn prizes valuable to the game. Needless to say, this is the most epic game of tag you've ever seen or heard of. And I'm a part of it. Yes, last week I registered and I'm starting out as a Human. Only problem is I still don't have my arsenal, my darts and weapons, so my roommate Mike and I are going to buy everything tonight after midnight (cause you know, todays Sunday...I know, its not something we should do every week...) After that we're going up to campus to map out our courses between classes. I need to get a map...We have to be ready, because starting at 8 am tomorrow, the war begins...

Night time

Its night time.

My room is dark.

My roommate is asleep.

Today was a really fun day.

After class, we went off-roading.

The fall canyon leaves were beautiful.

I stood up in back of the jeep like a madman.

There were a lot of cows in the road

We honked so they would move.

We rushed home for FHE

We were late, but still

played the games

Look, arrow. 

Blogging...isn't it about...time?

Lately its been harder to blog everyday.

If I'm not busy studying and doing homework, I'm socializing

Yes Mom, contrary to what you see on Facebook, I do my homework.

See? PROOF!

Tomorrow and the two school days that follow it I have an exam in each one of my classes. Tomorrow Math and History, then Biology Friday and Chemistry Monday.Yeah, they decided to pile it on all at once. Today it hit me, cause see, its been awhile since I've taken tests, and I got a little overwhelmed. Then I went to Institute and that helped. Then I went home and ate a Hot Pocket and that REALLY helped.

So yes, this leaves less blog time. Its okay, you only wanna hear the fun stuff right?

Just don't be surprised if I continue to skip days every now and then. This is college, and I hear that it has some kind of magical time-stealing powers that plague us students.

Well, time for bed, after many hours of studying. Hopefully my brain will be recovered by tomorrow, because it is an important day, my first educational exam in 3 1/2 years.

Until next time...wish me luck. I'll need it...

...and now I can't get all of the paint out of my arm hairs...

WOOOO!!!!

PARTY ROCK!!!!

Dear Everybody and their dog,

Tonight was AWESOME! I went to a paint dance with my friends, got drenched in watery paint, then got into a paint fight with REAL paint, turned all green and looked like the Hulk, then went and got a slurpee with my roommates and the apartment next door, still covered in paint. It was a RUSH!

Well everyone, I need to sleep. Gotta wake up early tomorrow and take down the paint dance set up.

Until next time...I still have paint on my elbow...dang it...

It's so easy, a Caveman could do it!

Dear World,

       Its late. Really late. I should be asleep. But I don't feel tired. So I figured, hey, why not post at 3 am. The past few days have been awesome. Yesterday night I went up with Mike, Kevin, Jerrica, and Lauren to a cave Mike and I had found called The Green Door. Its actually more of a tunnel.

Anyway, after basically everything going wrong (not having meat for the tinfoil dinners, forgetting the firewood, losing each other on the drive up, passing the trail for the hike up, etc.) we made it up there. We proceed to make a fire with Mike's steel wool and after much coercing (and after Kevin got involved, as he would say), we were able to make fire. We felt like real men, HUH!

After putting the dinners on the coals we started taking lots of night pictures. If you don't know Mike, my best friend and roommate, I should tell you he is a huge photography lover. He's really good too. We took lots of night pictures involving steel wool spinning in circles, and "painting" with flashlights and LEDs. Here's some examples:

 

If you want to see more pictures by Mike, go here: "Endless Photography" Mike's Photo page

Anyway, after tons more pictures I haven't shown you, we ate dinner (with Lauren's various cards from her wallet, cause we forgot the forks. I ate with a Costa Vida rewards card), then took more pictures, and talked, and the fire started smoking us out of the cave, while the rain (yes it rained quite a bit while we were there), drove us in, so we sat just at the mouth until the fire died down and the smoke receded, allowing us to fully enter the cave. We soon get settled for sleep. I had an awesomely warm sleeping bag that Lauren (was it Lauren's?) provided me. Unfortunately Kevin didn't get one and slept with a funny train blanket we made fun of him for, and Mike had this super thin sleeping bag with a broken zipper that Kevin and I called a five year old's sleeping bag, because it looked really small for him.

I fell asleep rather quickly, as did Kevin. But apparently the girls and Mike stayed up later, even going for a stroll down the tunnel after we were asleep. They told me I talked in my sleep and snored. Wouldn't be the first time, right family?

Kevin woke up early and left cause he had work, and the rest of us slept til around 10:30. It was the first time I had slept in for two weeks. Its was awesome, even though my back said otherwise. We hiked down and had doughnuts for breakfast the girls had left in their car, then returned home.

Its was way fun, I loved sleeping a cave/tunnel, even if there were weird lobster shaped bugs that attacked us. I would definitely do it again.

Until next time...call me caveman.

A real brain-BUSTER

I tried a new game on campus today.

I call it "quick-compliments".

It consists of looking at every person you pass (or most people, if its really busy) and just by looking at them for a few seconds, coming up with a sincere compliment that you would give them if you had the chance.

Sometimes its hard because they pass so quick,

Sometimes I try to make it harder by coming up with something deeper than a common one-layered compliment. For example: "Hey I like your shoes." would instead  be more like, "Hey I really like your shoes, they go with your shirt and it makes you look really confident."

Another example: I saw a girl with a diamond headband  and a shiny necklace and I thought, "Your headband is really beautiful the way it sparkles in the sun and that and your necklace really make you stand out."

I don't know why or how I started doing this. It started a few days ago and it was only today that I really consciously realized what I was doing.

I noticed that it really put me in a better mood because whenever I see someone I think something positive about them, and that makes me happier. I think I will continue to do it.

Until next time...I really like your comment below, it lets me know you are an awesome person.

This is a poem

Morning

What is this song?

My roommates phone won't shut up

He keeps on sleeping

Why can't he hear it?

I kick his bed to wake him up

Get up! 

Your phone broke my dreams

Ride the bus to class

This professor always talks about food

We're in chemistry, why food?

Yes, I am hungry

The girl next to me is an old friend

She feels like a new friend

I feel happy

She makes it worth it

Institute

My instructor is short

But full of awesome

Everyone participates

This guy next to me is married

And he always talks about it

Still

I love this class

More day

More classes

Keep learning

Turn in homework

Take notes

Saw a childhood friend

That preacher guy on campus annoys me

Last class, Institute again

Rest of the day

This is the good part

Played with a new friend

We fed some ducks

I caught one of them

She had to go

Time zooms by on a laptop

Soon I'm "cleaning the sink"

This poem doesn't make sense

It has no rhyme

It has no rhythm

Is there a name for a poem like this?

I don't care

I'll make one up

From now on, a poem of just words

will be called a "Cameron"

THE END

Until next time...anybody up for a Haiku?

A tribute to Mexico, mi segunda casa

I know what has just now flashed into your mind. Mexico...is hot and dusty, with cacti and mustached men in sombreros shaking maracas. Yep, that's about it. NOT.

This is the idea of Mexico that we grow up with taught to us by cartoons, TV, and movies. Sadly, it is a very ignorant view which robs us of opportunities to learn so much from this beautiful country and culture.  And unfortunately, the state of the border and the Mexican drug war hasn't exactly been helping its world image either.

But I will stand as a guardian and defender of Mexico, its people, and its culture. I love Mexico. That's why I called it "my second home" in the title. There is so much beauty and rich traditions that have opened my eyes as to who the Mexican people really are. Not the mistaken view so many have here. Most of the time you're judging Mexico based on a generation of Latinos that were probably born here and have never set foot in Mexico, and American society has screwed them up. Those are the troublemakers. (not all of them, I know personally many respectable and good young Mexican-Americans with values. I'm not talking about them) Real Mexicans, not the drug traffickers, or the gang-bangers, but REAL Mexicans, are humble, faithful, happy, down to earth people who work hard for and love their families. Those are the people I love.

And in case you didn't think it was beautiful, this is a video portraying the state of Mexico where I served my mission, Veracruz. Just take a look:

Veracruz is breathtakingly beautiful, a place wholly unlike anything we have here. Its like a different world. One of my greatest dreams would be to have months off where I could explore what parts of Veracruz I haven't seen, and the rest of Mexico. It is an amazing country.

Sure the government is corrupt, the water is dirty, the sanitation system isn't very advanced, and the educational system is lacking, but in spite of everything, I love Mexico. I love the Mexican people. And I REALLY don't like it when people make fun of Mexicans or make Mexican jokes, even if they're not trying to be mean, or hate them. I just don't like it. Its the same kind of ignorance I unfortunately came across sometimes in Mexico, but the other way around, targeting Americans. If we're ever gonna learn to get along and love one another, we have to stop being so ignorant to other cultures. We have put ourselves in their shoes, which is what I did for two years. And now they are my brothers and sisters.

I'm asking you to give up your bias of Mexico. Judging them as drug-traffickers and law breakers would be like them judging us based our own criminals, or worse, on our air-brained celebrities they see on TV (which unfortunately they do. Who could blame them? What would you think of America if all you had seen were episodes of Jersey Shore and Keeping up with the Kardashians?)

All I'm asking is, give Mexico a chance.

Until next time...VIVA MEXICO!

This time, it's personal

First, I would like to show you a video:

Despite the sad nature of the music video, I am in love with this song. It's my new favorite song, I listen to it everyday. I know its a little odd that a 21-year old college guy would consider this his favorite song, but I guess it all boils down to this:

Deep down, I'm a hopeless romantic.

This is Urban Dictionary's definition of "hopeless romantic":

"This person is in love with love. They believe in fairy tales and love. They're not to be confused as stalkers or creepy because that's not what a hopeless romantic is. All hopeless romantics are idealists, the sentimental dreamers, the imaginative and the fanciful when you get to know them. They often live with rose colored glasses on. They make love look like an art form with all the romantic things they do for their special someone"

Yeah I know, I don't look it, and I certainly don't act it, but its true.

 I told you at the beginning that I would get personal at times. Well this is me getting personal. I'm not one to talk to just anybody about my romantic life and feelings, let alone post it on the Internets for the world to see.


But putting all that aside, lets get real personal.

I'll be honest with you. There are A LOT of awesome girls up here at USU. I've never been around so many. Some times its literally more than I can handle and I just have to ignore all of them, because there are simply too many. And that's not just around campus, but here at Old Farm, where I live. HECK even in my ward I feel surrounded! (Which is probably due to our 3 to 1 girl to guy ratio...) It literally took my roommates and I a few days to calm down when we moved in before we got our heads straight. That's no lie my friends.

But now we're thinking clearer (most of us...) and starting to really become friends with a lot of different girls. And we're not just hormonal guys meeting as many a we can because of some male instinct thing to find a mate (most of us...), speaking for myself, I feel like I'm genuinely enjoying getting to know closely so many great and respectable young women. It really has changed my perspective. I don't feel so much like a "wife-hunter" RM anymore. More like a guy putting a puzzle together. Some pieces help build the corners and the edges, some help fill in the middle. I'm looking for that one perfect piece to complete that one hard part, but while I do it, I fill in other parts of the puzzle. And that's great too.

Only sometimes I do feel like its an all sky puzzle, with zero clouds for reference, and I lost the box anyway so I'd never know. Yep, just looking for that piece.

I'm no Romeo, no Casanova,  but I know that someday it'll happen, if I do my part. I'll find that one special puzzle piece that completes the puzzle, I'll find my eternal companion. I don't know how soon it'll be, but I sure will have a great time along the way, filling in my puzzle. 

Until next time...wanna be my wingman?

A very non-lazy Sunday

Wow, I am tired. What a DAY! I've been up since 7:45 this morning and I've been going going the whole time. Here's the breakdown:

7:45 - 8:45- Wake up and get ready (Sunday clothes and everything)
8:45 - 11:00- Leave to pick up my date for this weird blind date Sunday morning breakfast date that a good friend of mine set me up on at her and her husband's house. It actually turned out to be a really fun and the girl was really cool. Plus I got a real breakfast, so it's already a good morning.
11:10- 1:30- Rush back home to be there for my little brother Weston's Aaronic priesthood ordination, eat dinner (lunch) with the family
1:35- 2:30 - Rush back up to Logan and make it in time for Sunday School.
3:45 - 4:30- I teach the lesson in Priesthood, it goes really well
4:30 - 5:00- Stay after church to talk with the bishopric 2nd counselor, was extended and accepted a calling as the Ward Facilities Chairman (I open and close the church, and shovel the snow in the winter, among other duties)
5:00 - 6:00- Catch up with roommates and we all eat quick dinners (for some reason I'm hungry already by now)
6:00 - 7:15 - CES Fireside, speaker Dallin H. Oaks, it was really good
7:15 - 8:00 - Go home and catch up on Facebook, watch videos about 9/11 (under the guise of finishing homework)
8:00 - 8:30 - Ward prayer and socializing after
8:30 - Now (9:00)- Come back and start working on blog post for the day


So yeah, today has been HECKA busy...and the greatest thing is I have no reason to believe this week will be any different...ahhh, its just like the mission again, go, go, go. Its okay, its good for me. I've gotten really lazy in my months home so it good to have a schedule again. Alright, right now I think I'll go watch a Disney movie with the girls from J1. Maybe I'll go to bed early tonight. Maybe...

Until next time...quit rushing me already!!!

Let's get a good look atcha now

Smile for the camera!

So I've noticed, from looking at other people's blogs, that taking pictures of yourself and/or the people/things in your life is pretty mandatory. This for me is a problem, because I do not have a camera, except for me little crappy one on my phone. I really want to buy a new one, because my last camera broke while I was on my mission, two weeks before I got home. But as of now I don't have the money. So...what do I do?

Well today we're gonna settle for some crappy self-shots taken on my phone camera. Quit complaining, its all I've got.

This one is called "Cameron ponders life"...or was it "Cameron stares at a spiderweb"? Eh...

This one is "Spicy Elegance" Which come to think of it would make a good deodorant name....Dear OldSpice...

I know its hard ladies but try not to stare too long at this one: "Blind Seduction"

This is called "You might think I purposely cut half my face out to look artistic, but reality is that the camera was crooked" I know its a long name, but it seems to fit.

And our final shot, called "The Creeper" Yeah you can stop looking at this one now...Why did I save it for the end???

So? What'd you think? I thought I looked kinda purdy don't you? Yeah I didn't think so, dang it...maybe one day...

Now that you know the quality of my pictures...please don't stop reading my blog. I swear I'll make up for it in content !! Wait !! Aww....

Well, until next time...I hope there's a next time...Please come back...Please...

New friends, old friends, and "What was your name again?"

 Question: How many people do you think I have met since I've moved up here to Logan?

Answer: Hundreds, maybe THOUSANDS OF-okay maybe that's an exaggeration, but I'm actually not exaggerating about the hundreds thing. Sure I'm not BFF's with every one of them, but I literally have shaken hands and exchanged names with dozens, if not hundreds of people. Now I'm not bragging, especially when you consider the fact that I remember the names of maybe 20 or 30 or those people, I'm only highlighting another aspect of college life: meeting new people.

Personally I love it. I've never branched out and been so social in my whole life, well, except for my mission. But that was different, most people I talk to here are actually happy to see me, instead of averting their eyes and hoping I pass them by. It really is quite exciting.

So the upside has been that I've pretty much done something social every night that I've been here, ranging from ice cream parties (with 100+ guests) to bon fires in the canyon, with movie watching, dance parties, and pranking other apartments mixed in between, among other things. It really has been a quite exciting almost 3 weeks.

The downside? My sleep deprivation habits have finally caught up to me. All those late night social events have taken their toll. Today by my last class I was DEAD. I could not stay awake. So I took a nap when I came home. If you don't know how I feel about naps you should know that we have a love/hate relationship. On one hand they're great for resting after a long day (or many long days), on the other hand I usually wake up and feel like I've slept into the next century, only to find that its only been an hour.

But all in all I wouldn't change anything. Already I have tons of great memories, and I've only been here 3 weeks! Whenever a week passes by I can hardly believe that its only been a week. My roommate Mike and I frequently catch ourselves saying, "Was that really just last week?" Its just that so much happens in a week, its hard to believe. I already have met several people who I know I'm going to be best friends with this year, in addition to reconnecting with a few old friends that I haven't seen in a while. Another exciting part of the college life.

Well, that's all for today. Until tomorrow....what was your name again?

I burnt my tongue on a Hot Pocket

Literally, I just did. I don't make these things up. "What are you doing eating a Hot Pocket so late Cameron?" you ask. Well I haven't eaten anything since early afternoon-ish and I just got home, so give me a break!

"Why are you up so late Cameron? Didn't you make a NEW LIFE GOAL to go to bed earlier?"

Well I have a question for you: Why are you so nosy? Its nunya bi-ness, so there.

Plus that's not what I want to talk about anyway. Firstly I just wanted to admit my failure to post everyday since I started. I was going good until today, then I just got swamped and didn't have time til now. Technically its Friday, hence the failure. Anyway, sorry to leave you hanging today (as if any of you actually reading this were actually waiting for my post)

So about Hot Pockets- yes, you thought you escaped this subject but you're wrong, we are talking about this- ahem, anyway, about Hot Pockets, they are one of the many inexpensive diet staples of the typical USU student, in addition to Top Ramen and Mac and Cheese, among others. This is one aspect of college life, the food. A confession I have to make, which may cause my mother concern (even though I already told her, but then kind of covered it up so she wouldn't worry), I actually have been losing weight here at school. Not because I'm on any diet or do any specific excercise, its because of the simple fact that 1) I don't have very much money and thus don't have very much food, and 2) Sometimes I'm just too busy to eat.

So there you go, wanna lose weight? Then come on over and be a student here at USU.

Anyway, this was all just one example to highlight how different my life is here at college than it was at home. Not the most exciting post, but I felt bad for not posting today so I came up with it without thinking. Wow, I am falling asleep, I literally just dozed off in the middle of that last sentence before I could a....I just did it again. Okay, I'm going to sleep. My brain is shutting down and there's nothing I can do about it. Goodnight, buenas noches, adios. Until next time...go to sleep...

Kid History - My not so secret love

WATCH THIS:

Wasn't that the most HILARIOUS thing you've ever seen?? I love it!

If you don't know, this is episode 6 of a YouTube series called "Kid History", made by a bunch of Mormon guys here in Utah. My family showed me the first episode when I got home from my mission and I was rolling on the floor laughing (or ROFLing as it is know in many circles). Ever since I've been in love.

I've watched this one at least once every day since it came out last month and it makes me laugh EVERY TIME. Its just good, clean, wholesome, All-American fun, my kind of fun.

So that's my post for today, to let you in on a little bit of my humor. Until tomorrow..."What in da FREAK just happened??"

My Testimony

Do you have several hours? Just wondering. Today I decided that as I'm starting out on this blog, one of the first things I should do is let you know how I feel about the most important thing in my life, nay, what makes up my life, period.

I am an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have been since birth. My parents are, and their parents are, and so on until some really awesome guy (or girl. or both) decided to join the church back in its first years. So all I've know my whole life has been the church.

Needless to say, after years of following my parents, which I thank them for (thanks Mom and Dad!), I gained a testimony of my own. I was pretty young when I started trying too. I was about 12 or 13 when I read the Book of Mormon for the first time. I prayed and fasted about it seriously a couple years later, and by sixteen I was in. I was 100% committed, true blue, dyed to the wool. The rest of my testimony on different parts of the Gospel of Jesus Christ came bit by bit, or line upon line, but the base was there. I had no desire to deviate. "To where?" I would think. There simply was no other way of life for me.

I won't turn this into an autobiography, I just want you to know much a part of my life the Gospel is. My Father in Heaven has been very patient with me and has granted me this testimony through blessing and trail, triumph and failure. And I know I'm still going too. Yes, the journey is far from over. But I know who leads me, so I have no fear.

So my friends, it's all true. Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer, this is His Church and Gospel. He speaks to us today through His prophet, Thomas S. Monson, who I have a witness is a prophet of God. I know the Book of Mormon is His word, and I love it, it is my favorite book. Every day I thank God for the blessing of temples. I love to see them, I love be there, I love to talk about them. How sad my life would be without their far-reaching blessings in my life.

The list goes on. I love the Gospel. I know I may not always exude an exalted glow, but I want you all to remember that Cameron James Decker believes in Jesus Christ and His Gospel.

I know this post is long, but we're lucky we got away with as short as it was. If you're reading up to this point, thank you for your time and attention, I appreciate it. Until next time, shalom.

YAY! It's tomorrow! And I'm still awake...

Why am I awake? I have to wake up at 6 AM Tomorr-er TODAY! I don't know why I do this to myself.

This brings me to my confession. I believe that since moving up here to Logan, I have gotten to bed before midnight MAYBE once or twice. Maybe just once...serious, this habit is getting bad, especially because I have to wake up for work at six pretty much everyday. At night I don't want to go to bed, but in the morning I don't want to get out of bed. Crazy...

So here's to my new goal of going to bed earlier. I think we'll start with before midnight and work backwards. That's a good goal right? So let's put that down as another...

NEW LIFE GOAL!

This will be a common theme in my blog. Hopefully you see them often, and you see them being completed often. We'll see. More tomorrow. Or today. Whatever.

I am a robot looking for new parts...

WANTED: NEW HOBBIES FOR CAMERON, WILL PAY IN CASH HUGS


Yes, I am looking for new hobbies. Truth is, I guess I'm looking for something to define myself I little more. Sure, I'm Cameron, I'm LDS, I'm a political Conservative, I'm an Aggie, all great things. But I feel like I need something more. 

Any ideas? 

So far I've come up with:

Photography

Guitar playing (but seriously this time)

Hiking (hardcore)

Physical Fitness (getting ripped basically)

Cycling/Mountain biking

Dancing (ballroom, break, Dougie, etc.)

Learning more languages

All of them have pros and cons, with almost all having "Money required" in the cons list. This could be the biggest trip up. Guess I'll have to learn to save and budget huh?

So we'll see where this goes. I could pick one, or more than one, or none of these. We'll see. I guess that's my motto right now. Just do what I know, be who I am, and we'll see what happens. That's a good motto right?

Of course I have my main goals: become an engineer, marry in the temple, magnify my callings, but there's a lot of in between to fit in there. So I suppose that's the part I'm talking about. The cream between the cookies if you will. Great, now I'm craving Oreos.