Missionary Letters

So my little brother is currently serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I set up a blog specifically for posting his emails, letters, address, etc. but I decided that sometimes I'll share them here too.

Today is his first day in the mission field after being in the MTC for two and a half weeks.
He's serving in Rochester, New York which encompasses a huge part of the important sites in church history. He's only been there for 48 hours and has already had some incredible experiences being in places that got the church going (the Smith farm, the Sacred Grove, etc.). Reading this email made me so incredibly jealous! These are places that are high on my list of places to go in life.

Anyway, here's the link to the post on that blog, http://brackenallen.blogspot.com/2012/07/july-25-letter.html. Check it out and follow along for the next two years!

Here are some of the highlights though:

"We went to the Whitmer farm and a few other random places, eventually ending at the Smith farm. After walking around and listening to the history behind everything, we went up to the second floor bedroom of the Smith house, the same room where the Angel Moroni visited Joseph! It's funny, because in the paintings of this scene, Joseph always seems to be in solitude, but yet all of his brothers actually slept in that same tiny room with him. Just before we left, we had a testimony meeting with the six new elders, two new sisters, and President Christianson and his wife and grandson. How many people get to start their missions with a testimony meeting where Joseph Smith first heard of the Book of Mormon?"

"The next stop was the Sacred Grove. We walked in and learned about a lot of the area. It's cool, because there is a section of the grove that went through multiple families after the Smith's sold it, but none of them ever felt comfortable altering it for farming. There are actually some trees that are 240 years old, which President Christianson calls "Witness Trees." Eventually, President Christianson had all of us split up and go to our own parts of the grove where we had 20 minutes on our own to do whatever we felt we should. What an incredible experience! Each year, we'll also have a zone conference in the grove. Who can claim that one??"

"200 years ago, a fourteen year old boy was confused about which church to join. Even his parents had different beliefs as far as which church was the truth. One day, while reading the Bible, he found in James a call to pray about any concern we may have. He followed up on this invitation and went into a solitary place. As he prayed, our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him, in person, and instructed him to not join any of the churches, that they were all confused, and that Joseph needed to help Jesus Christ bring back the gospel He established when He was on Earth. This gospel is based on faith, repentance, baptism by immersion, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. All of this was only possible because of Christ's Atonement. Finally, the ability for us to take full advantage of the Atonement through all the principles and ordinances of His gospel were again on Earth! Finally, we could live with our Father in Heaven, again! I can hardly imagine the joy our Savior must have felt to know that the same suffering He, himself, was nervous about undertaking (Luke 22:42) was going to be used again. His Father's "work and His glory" would again be possible. I'm so happy to play my part in letting my Father's "mission statement" (Moses 1:39) be possible."

You guys. All this from a 19-year-old kid. Who'd have thought!?

My Kind of Research

I love my fountain Diet Cokes. No secret there.
The hard part is deciding where to go for it every day.
This morning as I filled up a cup, I decided it was time to figure this all out.

I will take each convenience store I frequent and score it in a variety of categories and see who the winner really is.

Kelly's
12th East and 14th North
Proximity: 9
On my way to work if I choose to go that way. I have to go up to that street anyway, so I generally do it earlier rather than later to stop by here.
Quality: 8
Sometimes the soda is a little flat...
Straws/Cups: 7
The long straws are wide enough, but I hate long straws. The short ones are too thin though. The cups have been... inconsistent. A lot of the time they are really thin and flimsy so don't last very long to be used for refills.
Price: 9
Just $1.06 for a 44 oz!
Customer service: 7
Seems to depend on what time I'm there. The one guy is not the happiest camper, but one of the other employees is a lot more pleasant.
Total: 40

Aggie Station
8th East and 14th North
Proximity: 10
Always on my way to work.
Quality: 7
It tends to be a little too light on the syrup and sometimes overly carbonated
Straws/Cups: 7
Price: 6
It's like $1.40-something for a 44 oz. and refills cost almost as much as a new one at other places.
Customer service: 5
The lady who works mornings is kind of a snot. She's very abrupt and coarse.
Total: 35 

Mooch's
4th North and Main Street
Proximity: 6
Definitely the furthest away of all the places I tend to go.
Quality: 9
They got new machines a few weeks ago, and with that came the increase in awesomeness.
Straws/Cups: 9
For one, you get the choice between a paper or plastic cup and the straws have the perfect height and width ratio.
Price: 8
$1.20ish for a 44 oz., but they do monthly deals so sometimes certain sizes/cups are cheaper.
Customer service: 9
Everyone I've encountered is very friendly and seems to enjoy being there. They remember their regulars.
Bonus points: Fresh limes, attractive male cashiers and a drive-through!
Total: 44


McDonald's
7th North and Main Street
Proximity: 7
Quality: 10
Seriously, you can't beat McDonald's Diet Coke.
Straws/Cups: 8
If it were just the straws, this section would get a full 10. The downfall comes from the fact that the biggest you can go is a 32 oz.
Price: 10
$1 baby! You can't beat that.
Customer service: 6
It's McDonald's. Let's be real. It's full of teenage kids and other people who really have no desire to be there. However, because of that, you're through the line real quick
Total: 41

QuickStop
TSC
Proximity: 10
Right on campus
Quality: 6
Always flat and sometimes too syrup-y
Straws/Cups: 7
They only have paper cups, so they aren't as durable. The straws are the perfect height, but too narrow.
Price: 7
$1.35 for a new 44 oz., but refills are 90 cents, and on Friday, new ones are just 60 cents.
Customer service: 8
I'm friends with a lot of the people who work there, and they get to know their regular customers. However, there have been times I feel like I've had to wait an unnecessarily long time to check out. 
Total: 38


And there you have it. Cold, hard facts. You can't argue with this kind of science.

Life Lately

It's been awhile, eh?
Hello old friends. (whoever of you read this...)

A lot has happened lately, but at the same time I feel like nothing is going on.
My day-to-day life is boring and uneventful.
I go to work. And then the gym. And then home. And stay there.
Then do it all again the next day.
So hey, if you do fun things, invite me! :)

The biggest thing these last couple of weeks is that Little Brother (no, not the dog from Mulan...) is on his mission!! (click HERE if you don't know what that means)

It was such a surreal experience to drop him off...

We went to lunch, then over to the temple to say all the goodbyes and stuff. 

It was raining and cold. Which was kind of convenient, because then you couldn't tell what were tears and what were raindrops on everyone's faces. 

In some ways, it hasn't actually set in yet that he's gone. 

There are moments I go to text him little things and remember I can't. 

But that's about it so far. 

He's doing the right thing, and that's all that matters. 

He's been great about writing so far (you know, that whole week and a half he's been gone), and I post things he writes on his blog. 

If you want to keep tabs on him, follow me there too! 

http://brackenallen.blogspot.com/

That's basically it. 

An update of sorts, right? 

One of these days I'll get back to being good at the blogging game. 

In Tribute

“Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim.” 

It's not often that I am seriously affected by the death of someone famous.
(though I will always remember the moment I heard Heath Ledger had died)
But then Tuesday night I saw on the Twitter that Nora Ephron has passed away.

My love of Nora Ephron movies is no secret
(see?) (and this?)
The woman was incredible.

Nora wrote about strong women, being strong women.
Her characters were still soft and feminine
They were women who were strong, but weren't afraid to be female.

Her writing was quick and witty and smart.
Her characters were not your stereotypical damsel in distress.
They were there to fight and do their thing, and if they found love while doing it, then great.

“Reading is everything. Reading makes me feel like I've
accomplished something, learned something, become a better person.” 

Nora is a woman I would have wanted to be friends with.
She created women I want to be friends with.
I am going to watch as many of her movies as I can this weekend.
Her book (this one!) is in the mail.

She was a journalist and a writer.
A role model.
And she will be missed.

Thank your, Nora Ephron, thank your.

“My mother wanted us to understand that the tragedies of your life one day have to potential to be the comic stories the next.” 

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

These past few weeks, we have discovered the best form of entertainment around.
You ready for this?

Coach-pitch baseball.

No but really.

This is Chase.

He is my boss' kid, and one of the greatest kids you'll ever meet.

He knows more about sports/Utah State/every other school than the rest of us combined.

He's not afraid to tell Stew and Gary like it is. 

And he's a baseball champ.

He plays twice a week. 

His dad is the coach.

And it's an excuse for the rest of us to leave work early and watch his games.

We know the names of all the kids on the team. 

We get endless high-fives and autographs. 

Chase has a 4-year-old brother named Davis. 

There are very few things that bring me as much joy as these boys do. 

Davis and I are basically best friends.

We sit together at games while we share a bag of chips, talk about his day (today he rode horses and watched a dog eat a snake), and play catch. 

Today he decided he needed to try and hit the ball, not just catch it. 

I was actually really impressed! He hit the majority of balls I pitched to him, enjoying every second of it. 

He nailed one pitch that hit me in the thigh.

I gave him a hard time about it,

"Davis, you're not supposed to hit me, just the ball!"
His response?
"Well, you're supposed to move!!"

Valid point, sir. 

These boys have the sweetest relationship.

They make life that much sweeter. 

We only have one more week of Cardinal baseball. 

Then come fall, it's time for soccer with Davis!!

You Spin My Head 'Round, Baby Right 'Round

Here's the thing, peeps.
I'm kind of over this whole "be a grown up" business.
After an hour-long conversation with my dad, my head is spinning and I'm ready to just quit and go back to childhood.
Oh wait, that's not a choice?
So now my head is spinning. This is all new territory and I'm not sure what I'm doing.

It all started with my parents informing me that I have until August to find and set up my own car insurance.
After an hour of attempting to look up stuff online, I realized I had no idea what I was doing or looking for.
(if any of you have suggestions on who to go with, talk to me!)

All of that car talk got me really thinking about seriously looking into getting a "new" car.
Mine has all sorts of problems and is just a pain.
Maintenance is expensive, and I feel like it's going to explode on me at any minute on long drives.
Not cool.

After a little bit of research, I realized a monthly payment really isn't THAT expensive, and is probably with it at this point.

Here's the thing about me.
I am terrible at the whole "saving money" concept.
If the money is there, I want to spend it.
And I do. On stupid stuff.
(You know like clothes, eating out, all that kind of stuff.)So my logic is saying, I have the money, I can just spend it on something more productive.
Plus, with as much as I spend on the constantly depleting oil that goes in my car, along with the gas for the awful gas mileage I get, I could almost make a payment out of that alone.

SO.
I'm officially in the market for a car.
Something under 100,000 miles.
For sure less than $10,000, but I'm really aiming for like $6-7 thousand tops.
Oh, and let's say anything 2005 and later.

My dream car is a Mazda3.
I think they're darling, for one, but people also love them.
I've really never heard anything bad about them.

Next choices would be an Altima or an Elantra.
I'm scouring KSL, and just starting the whole process, but if you have any suggestions or tips, PLEASE let me know. I have no idea what I'm doing.

And now, I'm going to try and stop thinking and go to sleep.
Because that's the kind of grown-up I am, putting the stress off while I can.

Unrelated completely: I ran outside for the first time in like a year and a half today. And I didn't die. And my knee isn't screaming in pain.

Oh Hey.

So clearly it's been awhile.

And this morning, I happened upon a post that got the wheels turning. Favorite musicals? Oh, so so many. So let's talk about them. And watch some. And sing along.

First of all. We have to talk about this.

You GUYS!

Don't worry, I've only watched it like 30 times. At least. 

I mean, really. I can't get enough of it. 

Maybe I tear up a little bit each time I watch it... It's fine.

Christmas can't come soon enough. 

Clearly, this is one of my favorites. 

And now, in no particular order (because that is FAR too hard), here are some others that I adore. 

Into the Woods

I couldn't choose a favorite song, so luckily I found a medley from the Tony Awards. 

Mostly, I LOVE Stephen Sondheim. Everything he writes. 

I love the fairy tales that are incorporated into the show. 

It's funny, romantic, but then sad and dramatic. 

The first time I saw this show, I apparently saw the children's version, which is just the first act. Then when I saw the full thing, I was in shock and horrified.
And now, I can't get enough of it. 

Sweeney Todd

Again, with the Sondheim.
The man's brilliant I tell you. 

The first time I saw this show was live in LA on a choir trip. 

I'll admit that I fell asleep for a few minutes, but that was because we'd been at Disneyland since 7:30 that morning. 

Dark room, comfy chairs, and teenagers after that is not the best combination. 

But now, I've seen it live again and the movie countless times (shh...) and I can't get over it. 

Brilliant.

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

Quite the change, yes?
This one is the epitome of cheesy musicals, and I love it. 

Who can resist seven rugged mountain men? 

This is one of the shows I always wanted to be in. 

Aida

First of all, let's just talk about Adam Pascal.
And how much I love him. (he'll make another appearance in a minute)

And the show. I mean, come on. 

Tim Rice and Elton John are a perfect duo. 

I love the story, the music, everything.

Phantom of the Opera

It's cliche, I know. But I don't care. 

I saw this live in Vegas this last March and my love was confirmed.
If you ever get to see it live, don't hesitate. 

Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Cheesy and cliche, again, but whatever.
This was the first show I was ever in, and it sparked my love of theatre. 

And yes, I still have all the colors memorized. 

Rent

No show makes me cry quite like this one. 

And Adam Pascal.
Amen.

Newsies

Do we need to elaborate on this one?
If I were to go to New York right now, this is the show I'd see. 

Let's be real. I could on with these forever. 

So I'll stop now. 

You're welcome?

What are your favorites??