Choices

Well, good news and bad news.

Good news? Eric got into both the University of Alabama Birmingham and Virginia Commonwealth University.

Bad new? Now we have to choose one!

We'll be talking about it together over the next few days before he has to give his answer to UAB, but if any of you have any feedback, that would be great, too!

New Orleans!

Well, apparently on Bourbon Street it's Mardi Gras every weekend.


Other than that, not much news. Just making my way through hours of meetings--it's a good thing that I like the people I'm with!

Always when I should be doing homework

Big project due tomorrow. What am I doing? Blogging.

I guess part of my distraction stems from the fact that lately I feel this itching to get something off my chest. The past year or two have made me acutely aware of how many people in this country really have no idea what members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints really believe.

Now, this really only bothers me when people--naively or ignorantly--have some ridiculous assumptions. I'm just going to clear up a couple that really bother me.

1. I am not brainwashed. I am not a sheep following all the sheep around me. I am a successful college student who thrives on learning about the world around me and exposing myself to new situations, people and cultures. I strive for excellence in every aspect of my life, which would automatically repel me from blindly following any person or philosophy.

My faith in "Mormonism" comes from a lifetime of learning and self-discovery. Sometimes I have doubts, and I have to work through those on a personal level with my God. Intellect, in fact, does play into being able to overcome those doubts. However, when I let intellectualism go into overdrive, darkness settles in. I don't like that feeling. When I allow myself to open myself up to faith and spiritualism, I am not hiding behind it; rather, it broadens my intellectual understanding and light fills my life.

Now, I understand there are people out there, perhaps even people who read my blog, who think religion is a crutch for weak minds. Do me a favor and at least give me--and billions of other people who have some sort of faith in a higher power--the benefit of the doubt. Some of the greatest minds in history have acknowledged the existence of deity. You can have your opinion, but try not to assume that because I'm religious, I'm dumb. For some reason that bothers me.

2. This second thing isn't really an assumption. It's just something that bothers me. I really, really, really dislike it when people get their information about my religion from people who hate Mormons. In a search for information about Judaism, I would hardly go to a Neo-Nazi for illumination.

If you want to know what I believe, I would love to share some thoughts with you. If you would rather read about it online, Mormon.org is a great Web site that clearly explains our basic beliefs. You can even chat live with a representative. But please don't go to malicious Web sites or angry ex-Mormons or the minister who teaches how I'm going to go to hell, etc. for information about Latter-day Saint beliefs.

Ok, that done, I think I'll work on some homework! Wish Eric luck; he's off to Virginia tonight for an interview with Virginia Commonwealth University. He'll find out if he gets in the same day he interviews, so we'll have news for ya'll.

Among other news...

This weekend went well for both Eric and me.

Eric felt really good about his interview and loved the people at Alabama Birmingham. If he gets accepted and decides to go there, he's considering a joint degree with a hospital informatics master's. He loves technology so I think it might be a good fit if that's what he decides on.

I learned a lot about corporate social responsibility and public relations and made some great connections with professionals and students in San Jose. Good times.

Now on to the not-so-good times of the weekend:


Computer viruses!

Ugh. One found its way onto Eric's computer (which I had borrowed for the weekend so I could have InDesign and work on some things for PRSSA). It hence found its way onto the USB drive I was using, and through that made its way onto my computer. My virus software caught it and my computer wasn't infected, but Eric's was too far gone and he had to do a system reboot.

Blah.

Trips

Well, wish us luck! Eric is flying out to Birmingham, Alabama, to interview for grad school. I'm off to San Jose for a PRSSA event.

Me in 50 years and apparently with a lot of sun damage.

So, I found this on the internet today and thought that I would post it. I look like Clint Eastwood's cousin or something. Anyways, hope you aren't too creeped out by my aged looks.

young and good lookin'

old, cancerous, and in pain.

I just think that this will help in motivating me to get back in shape and to wear sunblock. If you want to age yourself, go ahead, but it ain't pretty.

Colorado Trip!

Well, we (Cindy, Eric, Jessica, and Rosalia) went on a trip this last weekend to Colorado to support Mason getting baptized. It was a really fun trip. Dad even flew into town, so that was a bonus. Here are some pictures from the event. The road trip there and back was not as bad as I thought it would be. It was relatively painless. T.J., Michelle, and the boys were great hosts for the trip too. If you want more details on Mason's baptism, I think that there should be a new post coming to T.J. and Michelle's blog soon. Enjoy!

look at these studs.

T.J., Mason, and Kristy

Jessica and Mason

Mason and Rosalia

Eric, Mason, and Cindy

This was the lunch provided after the baptismal service. It was fun to see all of Brandon's and Mason's relatives. They were all very supportive :)

Badger women... they don't play.

Pose off! You know those weird looking manikins in the malls, well these are an ode to them.

Family photo

We ate some Chinese food that night at a place called "Chopsticks." It was a tasty.