Without further ado...

It has been a long time.  I haven't written on this blog in just over three years.  In that time, I've spent three months learning a bugger of a language (Albanian) followed by a year and nine months living in Albania.  I was there on an LDS mission, trying to share what I know about Jesus Christ and His church.  It was simultaneously a fantastic adventure and a mundane drudgery.  It was well worth my time though.  I was able to help some people find a little more meaning in their lives as well as learn and grow by leaps and bounds myself.

I also completed yet another year at Utah State University.  I was studying electrical engineering, but over the course of the year have discovered a certain lack of drive in that direction.  I almost never went to my classes or did any of the coursework.  However, my roommate pointed out that I never once missed a band class or percussion lesson.  I have long liked the idea of being a musician or a teacher, so is it too much to ask for both?  I am now officially a music education major with a band emphasis.

This last week and a half, I've been engaged in marching band camp.  While I enjoyed it immensely, I am also ready for a break, which I get until Monday at 3:10.  When I do go back Monday, it will only be for hour and a half rehearsals once per day at most, much more manageable than ten to twelve hours per day.  I've been very frustrated with some of the leadership (or lack thereof) in the drum line, but all in all it's been good.

Well, I don't really know what else to say.  One of the most fun summers of my life is at its close.  Two of my very best friends lived next door to me all summer and we spent much of our time just sitting around and talking.  We also went on a road trip to Caleb's neck of the woods (western Oregon) where they have actual woods.  Spending an entire week with Daniel, Caleb, and Heather was awesome, as was getting to meet Caleb's family.  Caleb has long been one of my favorite people, and now I have a little more context to understand why he is the way he is.  His family seem very friendly as well as deliberate.   I'm not exactly sure how to explain it, but I get the vibe that most things they do and say are intentional.  Stephen Covey in his 7 habits talks about the difference between those who act and those who are acted upon.  Caleb's family is definitely on the act end of the spectrum.  I think they're great.  I enjoyed all of the time I spent with them.

I'm not so sure how often I'm going to get on here and write, or even what I'll write, but I'd like to start writing more.  I have an idea for a song that I'd like to write about one of my favorite TV shows, and an idea or two on short stories.  We'll see what I feel like when it comes time though.