What happens in Vegas....

So I just spent like five days in Vegas.  I've heard people say that Vegas is a three day kind of town.  It you stay for less than three days you won't get the real feel of it, but if you stay for more than three days you're likely to end up in more trouble than you set out for....  I'd probably have to agree.  Truthfully I didn't get into any traditional 'trouble' like someone would suppose when it comes to Vegas, but I certainly got a lot more out of this trip than I was ever expecting.  Being with my friends and hanging out all day everyday was awesome.  I really do have some of the best friends ever!  My old roommate was getting married (the reason for the trip) so it made quite a special time for us all, and I LOVED going to the sealing, it was beautiful.  The only thing that rivaled the excellence of the temple was the day before and after where I got to enjoy some time with a girl I met in my ward this past semester.  Her name is Lyndsi and she's a native of the Las Vegas area so we picked her up from home and had her along for some of our activities.  My roommate, Reece was pretty happy about that, he's been trying to get me to hook up with a girl all semester.  I guess he got his wish because all that time with Lyndsi seemed to end with us being pretty much together.  It was certainly the last thing I was expecting from this trip, but I can't complain.  I guess in the back of my mind it is what I wanted all along.  YAY!   She is a really awesome girl, I'm super excited to get to know her better next semester.  (that's the biggest problem with the situation, just as we began to really want to spend time together we have to be separated).  Anyhow... I'm excited for life, and for skiing this break.  All in all, I am so thankful for all that has happened in the past week or so :D

... like the ocean needs the waves.

I've been pondering on the phrase, "all drains lead to the ocean." I believe this is a Disney take on the world-wide saying that 'all roads lead to Rome' although I don't know if that's really where it came from, that's what is certainly sounds like. Anyhow, it's an interesting thought though, and the more I use it the more meaning I see in it. This originally comes from Finding Nemo where the fish in the dentist's tank are trying to escape back to the ocean and try to get into any drain in the office, believing that it will lead them back to the ocean. In the end this is true, and Nemo is able to escape by going down the spit collector drain and later finding himself in Sydney Harbor. I thought it was a clever line and like it quite a bit.

I started to use this phrase on a weekly basis while I was serving as an office elder durring my mission. We would often have errands to run around the city and we wouldn't know how to get where we were going. My companions would sometimes get worried, but I told them over and over again that all drains lead to the ocean, and all roads lead to EDSA. Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue is a large (4-6 lanes in either direction) highway that entirly encompasses most of Metro Manila, if you drive long enough in any direction you will eventually end up back there. So they began to understand that whether not I knew where exactly I was going, we couldn't get too lost because we could always get back to the main roads which would lead us home.

Since being home I've realized that more and more of my life is centered around that idea. For instance, I've driven around Provo quite a bit, but I always get 'lost' around south campus. I just don't have the locations of different landmarks memorized so when I go in that area I just remember that all drains lead to the ocean, and I keep driving, right turn, left turn, right turn, left turn... until I finally drive by the place I'm looking for and it's all good (ok, honestly I don't just drive aimlessly, but you get the idea). Recently I've begun to understand it as a very gospel oriented subject. I may not know all the twists and turns, but I know that eventual out come. All we have to do is, "just keep swimming" and we'll get to where we need to be. Isn't that so true? We don't know which road we'll take, how I'll get there, but I'm headed in the general direction of the Celestial Kingdom and I expect I'll get there someday. Obviously not all roads lead there, but there is a general direction of paths that head there, and I like to think I'm on one of them.

It breaks down into everyday things too like temple marriage. I don't know who I'm going to marry, I don't know when or where, but I just keep swimming, right? Dating different people, finding what I like... it'll lead to the ocean someday, right? Or college, sure I don't know what my grades are right now, but I'm doing my best to head in the direction of graduation... I guess it can be kind of a lackadaisical view on life, but that's me :D It's an odd feeling sometimes when you're swimming and swimming and you don't see or feel the ocean yet. It takes faith and hope, and charity so that you stay happy on they trail.

It's beginning to feel a lot like.....

Christmas time *is* the most wonderful time of the year! It's so very nice to see snow (uh.... well in the mountains) and think of Christmas, and drink hot chocolate, and listen to sweet music. Yesterday I was SO happy to see the most beautiful Christmas tree ever (thanks to Mallory) and it even smelled like a Christmas tree!! I can't wait to get home and see our train, and tree, and all the presents. I love love love it so much. Even on a dismal day like today, I'm sitting at work, there are no calls, life is so boring, at least I have Pandora and Frank Sinatra's Holiday channel to keep me company.

I had a marvelous experience just now so I thought I'd write about it. I was getting pretty bored, wasting all kinds of time browsing the internet absentmindedly.... I took out my head phones for a sec and walked around our little office space and then came back. As I put my earphones back in my overall happiness increased dramatically as I was welcomed by not only a holiday song, but a Christmas song, that's right a CHRISTmas song. I sat and listened to "What Child is This" and was filled with the spirit. I'm so thankful for the 'reason for the season' and despite not having snow, or a tree, or presents at my apartment right now, it's just as Christmas-y as ever. Merry Christmas everyone!!!