What A Magical Trip

Last weekend my mom, cousin Kathleen, Aunt Alison, and I ran all over San Francisco. Our travels were based on where we could eat, which of course means it was a grand time. Unfortunately, we never met up with this guy, but I guess that means we'll just have to get together for another weekend.

I had a three hour layover in Phoenix, so I was able to spend some time with my whole family. Robert made some salsa, which was quite amazing. This sounds ridiculous, but I swear that the sky in Arizona looks completely different than the sky in Utah. It's probably all of the pollution in Utah that makes the sky look weird. Anyways, I prefer the Arizona sky and Prescott sunsets. Sidenote in connection with an earlier post: I described Prescott sunsets as legit in my english class, and I'm sure you can imagine the looks I got for that one.

How is this guy not constantly bawling from
chopping all these onions?

I looked all over the place for the Full House crew (ok, maybe just for Uncle Jesse)

but I couldn't find them anywhere.

Be Mine

Today is just heart day all around. Not only is it Valentine’s Day, but it's also Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Day. I think that this is a very worthy cause (the heart defect part, not the buying chocolates part) that not very many people know about, so I’m going to try and make you aware. And this whole heart deal makes me who I am, so it's pretty important to me.

Proverbs 27:19 

As one face differs from another, so does one human heart from another.

It took me a few days to write this post because I wasn’t exactly sure what to say. I could write a book about all of my experiences, and maybe I will someday, but it's impossible to summarize everything. It's all connected, so I couldn’t just tell you about one event, because then I’d have to explain the story that came before that. And I really don’t have the time to write the whole saga that is my life.

I was going to explain how blessed I am because I have a normal life. Then I took a step back and realized that to almost anyone else, my life is far from normal. Really though, what is normal? I don’t think there is a set standard in existence. Everyone has their own normal.

My normal is being excited that I don’t have to go to the doctor for another year instead of six months. My normal is knowing what TGA, ASO, ECMO, and QTc stand for. My normal is questioning if there is anyone else who thinks about life the same way I do. My normal is wondering if the shirt I’m wearing is going to cover my scar. Sidenote:  You know what I’ve always thought my scar looked like? Rafiki’s stick. Maybe that explains why I love The Lion King so much. And I’m totally comfortable with my scar. However, I’m not comfortable with people staring, or the awkward feeling when they want to ask what it’s from, but don’t because they're afraid to offend me or something.

I’ve always thought that this was just something that happened. Life can’t always perfect, and I’m one of those whole fall in the imperfect category. Well, there is a specific reason God made me the way He did. This didn’t just happen, it was planned.

Psalm 139:14-18 

I praise you, so wonderfully you made me; wonderful are your works! My very self you knew; my bones were not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, fashioned as in the depths of the earth. Your eyes foresaw my actions; in your book all are written down; my days were shaped, before one came to be. How precious to me are your designs, O God; how vast the sum of them! Were I to count, they would outnumber the sands; to finish, I would need eternity.

So why did God plan this for me? I don’t know. For now, I know that I need to use my experiences to help others. Those who are like me, who are searching for anyone who knows what they’re going through. And maybe somehow along the way, I might inspire someone in the 95.5% of the population who was born with a normal heart. I won’t fully come to understand God’s reason for this until I’ve done everything He wanted me to do. Then He will show me what the purpose of everything was. And what an amazing day that will be. 

God is perfect, so He didn’t make a mistake when he created my heart. Oh, oops isn’t a phrase in His vocabulary. He looked at my heart and said, That is beautiful, and it’s going to do good things. He says that every time He creates something. If He didn’t mess up when He made me, then He certainly didn’t make a mistake when He made you.

Genesis 1:31

God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good. 

Just Chillin' Out in Utah

I don’t have anything to report that I can devote an entire post too, so I’ll just talk about some random happenings in my life.

All of my classes this semester are ten minutes apart, unlike last semester when I could go back to the dorms between class. I’m done in time to go to Mass over at the Newman Center, so by the time I get back home it’s about 1:00. Now I know that a five hour day isn’t that bad. Actually, it’s pretty dang nice. However, I’m discovering that I don’t exactly have the same energy that I did a few years ago. How did we survive going to school for seven hours a day for twelve years? I really wish that I could have the energy of a fourteen year old again. I suppose there’s a reason why people start to drink coffee when they’re seventeen.

My english class is all about nature writing. We read about what others have said about nature, we write a response, and then we have a class discussion. Since it’s an honors class, a majority of the people feel that it’s necessary to sound intelligent. First off, you’re in an honors class. We know you’re smart. Secondly, I’m in the same honors class, so I’m smart too. Therefore, I’m not impressed by your use of obscure and lengthy adjectives. The other day I said something to the effect of, “you know, if you’re just chillin' out in the forrest...” and the people in my group acted as though they had never heard a person say the word chillin' before. 

Many people have asked what I think about Utah. Translation: “How is it living in the mormon capital of the world?” It’s hard to explain, but you can just feel the difference between the culture of Utah and the culture of Arizona. About 60% of Utah is LDS, and as ogden-ut.com says, “Ogden is also the most diverse of Utah's cities, with a non-Mormon population exceeding 50%” Glad to see I live in a culturally diverse city.  

Here are some examples of what it’s like to go to college in Utah. Last week we played jeopardy, and this guy missed his question and responded with, “Fuh!” He didn’t say the whole world, but you would’ve thought he did. The whole class began to laugh, and it sounded like little kids when they hear their parents swear for the first time. Then the last thing we read in english was an excerpt from a book about a man's adventures on the Appalachian Trail. Our instructor actually used white out to cover up some profanity. Really? Are we not in college? Oh yeah, that’s right. We’re going to college in Utah. 

Ogden’s weather is slightly colder than in Prescott. A few days ago there were 35 mph winds that made the windshield -15. I enjoy the cold when it’s refreshing, but I don’t appreciate it when it just takes your breath away. It’s my breath, and nothing has the right to steal it.

These temperatures turned poor Jasper into a freezer. Unfortunately, I forgot to remember what happens when you freeze carbonated drinks. Yesterday when I was driving I heard this high pitched squealing. I thought it was the radio, and then I remembered the 2 liter bottle of soda behind my seat that I bought last weekend. Of course, it froze and then started to leak all over the place. Fortunately, the explosion just happened so the mess wasn’t too out of control. 

Jasper hadn’t been taken to the car wash in probably three months, so I took him for a bath a couple weeks ago. We went to a nice car wash because I wanted to make sure all of the salt would be cleaned off. Well, this nice car wash was $11. Naturally, it snowed the next day. The advantage to going to a nice car wash is that they have 48 hour guarantees. Jasper really didn't need another bath, but the fact that he was getting one for free made me feel good. 

And then I found 5 bucks.

Hebrews 13:1-2

Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels.