across the miles and the years

a few weeks ago i was feeling low. and not the typical kind of low, but the kind of low that's there when you wake up in the morning and smothers the chirping birds and the smell of breakfast. nothing was savory. nothing had color.
aching for light, i opened the Ensign and read this article. the sun began to emerge and slowly burn off the gloom. within days i received these letters from faithful friends.





my heart swelled as i read them and their words pushed every cloud from the horizon.
how could they have known? they really couldn't have.

"The answer to your prayer may be the face of an old friend, one you have not seen in years but whose needs suddenly come into your mind and heart and feel as if they are your own. I’ve had that happen to me. Old friends have reached out to me across the miles and the years to offer encouragement when only God could have told them of my burden."

i thank God for faithful friends, and for answers to prayers.

went to chicago

in a van





with my friend





if i was crying





it was for freedom





from myself and from the land.


my best friend, no, my brother, griffith, needed to go to chicago to pick up his visa from the spanish consulate today. in need of adventure i tagged along. it was the perfect experience - just what i needed. we probably spent more time driving to and from than actually visiting the city itself, but the conversation and brotherhood flowed with every mile, only pausing to listen intently to a new tune and to draw blueprints for the world's coolest treehouse. we talked about careers, girls, bands, bounced around ideas to solve inner city poverty. we swapped music, randomly paid the toll for the person behind us, and tested $200 pens. we drank a mixture of every fountain drink from a massive double gulp, and tried to see if we could make it on one tank of gas. we did. and i felt like a kid again.

you came to take us
all things go, all things go
to recreate us
all things grow, all things grow

that's fine

my buddy griff reminded me of this band last night. it's good to see a band with good chops, style, and personality. check out their youtube page and also their amazing covers. i especially like their version of single ladies.

eskimos don't wear galoshes... they wear MUKLUKS!

my sister-in-law showed me this the other night. pretty much made my day.

every concert. ever. ...i think.

lately, in trying to figure out career and other big decisions, i've been thinking a lot about who i am and what i've accomplished in my lifetime. i haven't done a whole lot. i haven't mastered a sport, received straight A's, made an incredible piece of art nor saved anyone's life, but i have been to a lot of concerts. that's an accomplishment right? yes. it is. and to prove that it i've decided to show you in list form.
this list is the result of about a month of brain racking and research, but its most likely still incomplete. i tried to list each line as a different event with the openers first and the headliners last. a lot of the openers have slipped into the recesses of my mind... but that just means they weren't good enough to remember. the list is in no particular order, but kinda in chronological. if you were with me at any of these shows and remember any details feel free to post them and we'll rejoice together in the beautiful memories of good vibes.
i am no athlete, artist, nor hero, but it is safe to say that i am a music lover, and the permanent ringing in my ears proves it.


40 below summer, papa roach, hoobastank, incubus
jem, guster, dave matthews band
dave matthews band x2
new amsterdams, guster
guster, john mayer
frog eyes, wolf parade
juanes
modest mouse
some crazy chinese opener with stuffed fruit puppets, wilco
youth group, death cab for cutie
love you long time x3
seve vs. evan
minnesota blue
utah symphony x2
byu men's chorus
carbon leaf, guster
gomez
rilo kiley, coldplay
eels (minnesota zoo)
the continentals
the hosannas (church)
desert noises, miniature tigers, the morning benders
the devil whale, moses
the archer's apple x2
dandy lyon
sayde price, desert noises, parlor hawk
sleigh bells, yeasayer
free energy, mates of state




wolfmother





golden smog, of montreal





olympic hopefuls, the fray, guster





franz ferdinand, death cab for cutie





hockey night, maria taylor, mates of state





cloud cult





ted leo and the pharmacists





dosh, andrew bird





mathematics et cetera





andy martin





bob dylan tribute concert





rooney





sigur ros





eels (london)





ok ikumi







ingrid michaelson, guster, the avett brothers





peter miller (we are the willows)





the antlers, the national

awake, my soul

you were made to meet your maker

maybe we should get them in a size bigger...

when investing in a new piece of clothing, and not just another thrift store impulse but something new and nice like a suit or pair of dress shoes, i sometimes have to remind myself that i no longer need to compensate for future growth. i'm fully grown now, and i don't need to think about growing room like our parents did when we were children. we can all recall the the late summer school shopping when our bodies were still growing, and all our clothes were bought a little baggy and our shoes a little bulky. surely we would grow. they might feel a little awkward and difficult to maneuver now, but in a few months we would fill them, and in a few months more we would outgrow them. with the foresight of the parent encouraging the process we would be allowed to flourish without restriction. being but children we may have had no idea how much or quickly we were going to grow, but with our parents having gone through the process themselves and having seen it countless times in other children, the future could be more or less envisioned. we would grow, and we would need clothes to fit when we were bigger. by buying a size bigger our parents would meet our future needs.
i have to think that the responsibilities placed on us follow a similar pattern. when they are first given to us they seem massive and unsurmountable. we clunk around in these cavernous clown shoes and wonder how we're ever supposed to fill them. but thankfully our Father gave them to us wisely, knowing we would grow. if we continue to bear them patiently, we'll arrive at the day when they comfortably cover and protect us on our journey. if we cast them aside and chose a smaller size, however, sooner than we wish they will be too small and will painfully restrict our progress.
right now i feel as if i'm a child anxiously fingering through the racks trying to select the clothing i will wear as an adult. should i buy a suit? should i buy scrubs? a set of work boots? and what size should they be? i'm not sure. i could don them all if i really wanted to, but what am i going to want to wear in 30 years? i don't know. but through the foresight of my parents, both heavenly and earthly, the future can be generally envisioned. through a careful process my garments will be chosen, and as i slip them over my head, layer by layer - college graduate, husband, professional, father, priesthood holder - they drape and swathe my tiny body. when i feel as if i'm about to drown in linens i hear the comforting words coming from somewhere above, "don't worry, son, you'll grow into them."