Last post EVER. ...until 2013.

So...I don't know if this will actually be my last post, but it probably will be. I'm turning this blog over to my parents to post my mission emails. This means that I won't be on here to bore you to death for 2 whole years. Isn't that great? Actually, you'll be able to read my emails. So...never mind. I'll still be able to bore you to death. ;)

There was this one time, when I ate a guacamole burger and then went to cross-country practice. That was a bad idea. Guacamole burgers and 4-mile runs don't really go well together. Like, at all. I had a dream last night that I was on my mission. And Elder Sowards, Elder Barry, and Elder Thomas were there. Man, wouldn't it be amazing if we had all been called to the same mission? Haha. That would be so cool! Then again, we might not get much done... Nah, we'd probably convert everyone in the entire mission. Haha.

This is the scripture that I chose to be on my missionary plaque:

Alma 29:9: "I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy."

So there you go. I have been waiting for this my entire life. I've been excited about it ever since I could sing "I Hope They Call Me on a Mission." Now it's actually happening! :D Wish me luck, eh? Actually, don't wish me luck. There's no such thing. Maybe...pray for me? I would appreciate it very much. :)

Well, I love you all. God bless and God speed. Choose the right, don't do drugs, stay in school. You know the drill. "Nooo, not the drill!!" ;)

Trust in the Lord.

And have a nice day, eh?

-Elder Joseph Morris Cannon

P.S. I added another page (over on the right) that has my MTC and my Bogota addresses. That's so you can all write me. Because...you're going to write me, right? hehe.

Why did the boy throw his clock out the window?

Because he was a hoser.

Who on earth would really want to see time fly? Doesn't it do that on its own? Like, without chucking things out of windows? I've been waiting to go to the MTC for 5 months, and for the most part, it's felt like it couldn't be going slower. But now that I have 9 days left, time is going way too fast! And, I'm really super-excited to go to the MTC, it just feels like there's too much time and too little to do. Strike that. Reverse it.

I haven't even bought my luggage or finished my immunizations. I still need my vehicle driving record, and a bunch of things for my "small first-aid kit" that's probably going to fill an entire suitcase. Hehe.

I have started writing in my mission journal, and that's really cool. I've never been amazing at keeping a journal, but so far I've been pretty regular with this one. The mission one, that is. Another exciting thing, is that today is my last day at the call center. Hallelujah!!!!!     ...ahem. I really don't hate the job, but...I really do. It's just not an incredibly happy place. That's all. I don't know, maybe there's someone in this world that likes people swearing at them on the phone...it's just not for me.

Well, so y'all know, I know that I have been called of the Lord to preach to the people of Colombia, because that's where He needs me most. I know that it'll be hard, but I, like so many others, will come to call these next 2 years the best of my life. I do hope that the years following will be even better, but I guess I'll just take life one amazing year at a time. Maybe I should try taking it a day at a time. That might be a little easier to manage. Anyway, I hope y'all write me. You'd better. ;) That was random. No...I'm random. Why do elephants paint their toenails red? So they can hide in a cherry tree. Have you ever seen an elephant in a cherry tree? It works pretty well, eh?

I love you all, my family and friends. I'll be praying for you, and I hope that your prayers will go with me as well. This gospel is true. Our Heavenly Father loves us. Jesus Christ did atone for our sins, and made it possible for us to return to live with Him again. The Book of Mormon is the word of God, and we will get nearer to Him by reading it and following its teachings. President Thomas S. Monson is a true prophet of God, and he leads and guides us down the path of righteousness. I love this gospel, and I testify of its truthfulness in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

-Joseph Morris Cannon

Btw...it's May now.

Just...in case you couldn't tell...it was snowing last week, see. But May has come and not a moment too soon. I just hope this warmth that May has brought will stay for a while. I'm sure it will, and then I'll be burning hot all the time and wishing for some snow. What an ungrateful life I lead. I really do like the cold and the snow...it just...never seems to stay within its boundaries. Snow should fall from late November until February. Then it should stop, and not snow again until the next November. But this is Utah we're talking about, so of course there's snow on and off from October until April. If we're lucky, there's snow on Christmas, and none on the 4th of July. Okay, I've never seen snow on the 4th of July...but my dad has. Anyway, suffice it to say, I'm glad for the warmth, and I hope it decides to stick around. At least until I go to Colombia. Then I'll be set. ;)

I gave my boss my 2 weeks notice yesterday. That was pretty much one of the most exit (that's the abbreviation for "exciting") things that's happened to me in the past few weeks. It was kind of scary, because...well, my boss just scares me.  I'm not entirely sure why. She just does. But I came out fairly unscathed, so I figure it went well. 

Right now I'm listening to the Spirit soundtrack. "Run Free" by Hans Zimmer. It always amazed me how someone who's originally from Europe could compose a song that sounds like America. This song...it is America. That might sound weird, but it's true. Wide open prairies, big blue skies, patriotism...it's just...America. It's hard to describe, really. Anyway, Hans Zimmer never ceases to amaze me. 

Don't you just love good music? I wish I had more patience/time/resources for composing. Because I love it so much. I heard a song just this morning that made me want to compose. There just aren't enough hours in a day, or days in a week. I have other "more important" things to do, like...work and eat and sleep. Honestly, I would put composing above every one of those things if I could...sigh. One of these days. 

After working 4 months at the call center, I promised myself that I would make a living doing something I actually enjoy. Because there's no way on this green earth I'm going to sit in a chair making phone calls for the rest of my life. It's just not for me. 

Well, happy May, everyone! I'll be in the MTC before it's June, and I'll turn this blog over to one of my parents to post my mission letters. That's the plan for now, anyway. I wish I could type music. That sounds ridiculous. But thoughts come into my head in the form of music, and I want to write them down for you to see...hear...and I can't. 

Wow, I'm ADD. Anyway...Have a nice day?

Love y'all.

-Moscas

I'm speaking in Church.

But not until May 22nd.

I meant to post this Saturday, but instead I went and got pizza with the fam and then watched Iron Man. I'm too lazy to go edit all the 'todays' and turn them in to 'Saturdays' so you'll just have to pretend.

Anyway, if anyone wants to come to my farewell talk...thing, please do. I'd love to have you there. :)

Church starts at 11.

Maybe I'll get someone to post this on facebook, because...probably nobody really gets on here. Not even me. Heheh. Okay, I do. Just...not all that often. Lately anyway.

I went to Missionary Mall today and got 2 suits, 4 pairs of matching slacks, 2 pairs of shoes, 8 shirts, 10 pairs of socks, 2 belts, and 7 ties. Whew. Did I miss anything? I don't think so. One pair of shoes that I got, my mom called "spray-on shoes." They're completely water-proof, and it's all one piece. It's almost like they poured some rubber in a mold and out popped these shoes. Haha. They're comfortable though, so I'm not complaining. Colombia is going to have plenty of rain, so I'll be ready for it. I didn't get a rain coat yet, which I will definitely need. I've been told not to buy an umbrella until I get down there, because apparently they sell them on every street corner, and will probably be better than anything I could buy here anyway.

I'm going to the MTC in less than 8 weeks!!! I'm getting a little tired of this waiting game. Not that life is boring...it's just...I have a call from the Lord to preach the gospel, but I've been waiting 11 or 12 weeks, and I have another 8 to go. I just want to get out there and start teaching. Learn Spanish, get to know the people of Colombia, and get preaching.

Um. Anyway. I'm gonna go eat some food...maybe sleep some more. It's not even 8 am yet. :P

Have a nice day, eh?

-Elder Moscas

This post doesn't have a title.

So, I realized that I hadn't posted at all this month. I'm usually pretty good about keeping this useless thing up to date. In other words, I'm usually pretty good about...being useless? Probably. Anyway, hope you find this post just as useless as all my others. I know I did. ;)

The groundhog was lying. It's been just as wintery and cold as it ever has been for the past six weeks. Fortunately, those six weeks are over, and spring is finally coming! My favorite thing ever is being able to go outside in shorts and a t-shirt, and not be cold. If you know anything about me, you'll probably know that I'll wear shorts no matter how cold it is. But the t-shirt, not so much. This morning I slept in until 7ish. I usually give my sisters a ride to school at about 7:10, so I hopped out of bed in my pj's (shorts and a t-shirt), threw on some shoes and was out the door. It was so nice! I didn't feel like I even needed a jacket (which was convenient, because I couldn't find my jacket anyway). Yep. Spring. I love it. I hope it decides to stick around for a while. I also hope it rains! I love rain. :) It's one of my favorite things, really. Singing in it, running in it, dancing in it...I love it. :)

I think there's a reason I usually blog at night, instead of at...8:30 am. I'm not usually as ADD or...random this early. Usually my main thoughts at this time of day are, "I wish I were back in bed," and "I wish I were back in bed." Oh well.

I was giving surveys in my sleep last night. Sadly, it's not the first time this has happened, and it probably won't be the last. I had a dream that I was giving a 20 minute political survey to people at work. That's...not too much of a surprise, because that's exactly what I did at work yesterday. It's just sad that I have to be dreaming about it. I mean, it was painful enough the first time around, right? Actually, as far as political surveys go, this one was pretty harmless. I did feel like it was really redundant though, and 20 minutes of redundancy isn't good when you're trying to keep someone from Richmond, VA on the line at 8:30 pm. Don't even ask my why we were calling them at 8:30 pm, because I have no idea. I did get 3 people to complete the survey though, which wasn't bad compared to how most people did. Um. Why am I still talking about this? How about I just bore you to death. Sound like fun? You'd probably be more entertained if I just gave you the 20 minute survey. 

Today is Wednesday. Know what that means? It means that there are 10 weeks until I enter the MTC!!! It's amazing how fast time is going by. Then again...there are times when it seems like it couldn't go any slower. sigh... I'm hoping to get some missionary clothing soon. That would be cool. I can start breaking in my mission suits and shoes. :)

So...I kinda want to go for a run. Yeah, I'm gonna go for a run. Why waste this amazing day sitting inside on the computer? 

See ya.

-Joey

13 weeks from yesterday...

I'll be in the MTC!!! How crazy is that? Like, really crazy.

Aaaaanyway, I'm pretty much stoked. Still. My stokedness hasn't really changed. If anything, it has grown. I got a sweetawesome new mission camera! That was super-exciting. I still haven't decided what to name him though. I've never been amazing at naming things. Have I said this before? It took me practically until we sold it to name our old car...and then every time I referred to it as "The Ferrari" everyone was like, "You got to drive a ferrari? Since when?!" And then I would have to tell the whole story and how it wasn't really a ferrari, it was a 20 something year old Toyota Corrola.

Can you say, FAIL ?

My Caps Lock can.

Sometimes I tell funny jokes. The other 98% of the time, it's pretty much just more of that FAIL business...

Here's a picture for you:

There's a couple of good looking guys. Well...maybe one good looking guy. I never was much to look at. So...yep. My dad and I went skiing the other day. Skiing. That's the coolest word. It has two i's right in the middle. :) Skiing. Um. Anyway, we went skiing and had a blast! I had never been before, so my dad helped me get going, but I think I picked it up pretty quick. I'm not saying I'm pro or anything...because I'm really not. I didn't do anything harder than a fairly easy blue run, so...I'm not that amazing. I did enjoy it though, I will say that. I only crashed 3 or 4 times and only broke one ski pole, so all in all, I think it was a pretty successful trip. By the way, it was the stupid ski lift that ate my pole. Not really...we were just on our way up the mountain, and we were going to go past the first stop, where the lift seat gets really close to the ground so you can get off if you want, and I didn't even think to lift my poles out of the way. My pole got caught under the lift seat and bent pretty bad. It broke completely in half on the way down the mountain, so I stashed it at the bottom, and just got used to skiing without poles. It wasn't too bad once I got used to it. I just had to figure out how to balance using my arms, instead of the poles. The picture I posted was our "before" picture. We decided not to take an after picture. My dad said it would look just like the before picture only with hat hair, and more sweaty and tired-looking. We did get quite a few "during" pictures though, on my dad's cell phone. We got some videos too. On the way home, there was a really pretty sunset. I'm really grateful that I live in such a beautiful world. I'm also really grateful for an awesome dad that will take a day out of his week to take me skiing. I love my dad. :)

I started reading Jesus the Christ by James E. Talmage. I haven't read very much, but it's already such an interesting book. Not only is it a powerful testimony of the divinity of the Savior, it's a detailed history of the events of His life. His...premortal, mortal, and post-mortal life. :) It's an amazing book. If you have time, you should read at least a chapter or two. It's jam packed with little spiritual nuggets. 

Well, I'm looking at my Blog Post Checklist and I'm pretty sure I've done everything on the list. You know, told at least 7 dumb jokes, posted a picture, rambled about something completely pointless...you get the idea. I'm pretty sure it's time for bed now.

Have a nice day, y'all. :)

-Joseph

P to the S: Chuck Norris counted to infinity. Twice.

Call.

It started out as a feeling,
which then grew into a hope,
which then turned into a quiet thought,
which then turned into a quiet word.

And then that word grew louder and louder,
'til it was a battle cry

I'll come back
when you call me.
No need to say goodbye.


I guess the word "call" got me thinking about this song. It's really one of my favorites. For one, it's Regina, so that's a plus. It's also got a lot of orchestra, which is another big plus. And it was in Prince Caspian, which I loved. :)

So I got a mission call. If you didn't know already. Probably the only people that actually read this blog (if there are any. ;) ) already know. I just thought I would get on here and post it. For posterity's sake. Or...something. I got it in the mail on Wednesday (the day all mission calls come), but I wasn't expecting it for at least another week, maybe two. So naturally, I freaked out. I was on the verge of hyperventilating/passing out by the time I got inside.

Colombia Bogota North Mission!!! :) Spanish speaking, and I enter the MTC on May 25th, 2011.

Anyway...there you go. I'm pretty much really excited. :) Also, I'm using a lot of smileys. :) I'm just happy. :D

So...I kind of ran out of things to say. That's usually a good sign that I should end a blog post. But has that ever stopped me in the past? Pff. Of course not!

But I'm kind of tired of blogging today, so I'm gonna let y'all go.

Have a nice day, eh? ;)

-Moscas

P.S. Chuck Norris can sneeze with his eyes open.

I heart Rexburg

Whenever I start a blog post, I want to start it with the word 'sometimes.' I'm not sure why. Also when I start a blog post, it's usually not something I've planned on blogging about. It just comes out from my fingertips and sometimes makes sense. Probably more often than not y'all have no idea what I'm talking about or if there's even a point to any of this.

Well, I'm not keeping you here...

Sometimes I think I should just go sleep instead of trying to keep up with all of the crazy things going on in my life. Work, school, school, etc. Sometimes I think that sleep will be much better than a good grade in a class. Then I usually suck it up and go to class anyway. 

There really isn't a point to this post...just so you know. I just like to blog because it lets out the stress that's inside me. Sometimes my posts have a point. But today? ...not really. I'm just venting with my fingers. 

Rexburg is a wonderful place. There's plenty of snow, plenty of awesome people, but there's never enough oreos. At least...not lately. The first half of this semester my roommate and I would buy a few packages, and then go through them in a day or two. Lately...I've been using my money on other things, like...food that will actually keep me alive (I always said I could live off of oreos, but it's not really true, as much as I would like to believe it). Anyway...I think I might buy some today. 

The semester is almost over. I can't believe it's gone by so fast. And yet, it seems like forever ago that I moved out of the house. It's like it's been this way my whole life. Such a weird feeling. In two weeks I'll be back at home eating my parents' food and sleeping in their house. I'm excited to come home. :) 

I'm really going to miss Rexburg though. Maybe I'll get my mission call to Rexburg. Haha. That would be wonderful. :) It'll probably be more like...Nigeria or Greece. Who knows? There have been a few people that have said they think I'll go spanish speaking. I'm thinking that would be wonderful. But...I'm not going to count on it. 

Yesterday I got a TB test. That was the last thing that needed to happen for my papers to be finished. I just have to wait for the 17th of this month for my stake president to be able to turn them in. Aah! So exciting! I will probably have a mission call in less than a month. And then I can go to the temple, and start buying suits and other awesome mission stuff. Actually...then I can find a job and save every penny I earn for the mish. 

Then I'll serve for two years...and then I'll come home. I'll be an RM. Goodness. Life goes so fast. Then I'll get married and get old and then die. 

I'm excited for life. :) 

Bring it on!

So, anyway...have a nice day! I'm gonna go do the homework that I've been procrastinating by posting here. :p 

-Joey

P.S. I added this snow stuff...to make you feel like you're in Rexburg. It's magical, isn't it? :)