Do I really get to be with them forever?!

I love my family. I've been thinking about them lately. I know, they only live in Springville, and I in Provo, but sometimes I miss them. I don't get to see them as often as I'd like, that's for sure. I was looking through some pictures of them recently and laughed and missed and pined.

I won't do this all at once, but I'm gonna write about each member of my family. Who they are. Why I love them. Things I've learned from them. These types of things. I'll start at the youngest.

My younger brother Jaden is one of the best people I know. I only know three other people who are as unaffected by others' opinions, and they're all in my family too. He is 17 years old. He'll be 18 in July. He graduates from Springville High in May.

I get to go to his eagle court of honor tonight. He's had it mostly done for years now, but he finally finished it in true slow-bro fashion. The world just spins at a different pace for Jaden. That's one of the things I love most about him. He thinks for himself.

He loves few things as much as he loves basketball. You can try and credit three older brothers who also love it, but a love like Jaden has for it only comes from playing in the backyard until the sun tells you it's time to quit. I can't even count tell you how many times I come home and find Jaden in the backyard shooting all by himself. The kid loves basketball. He plays every chance he gets.

Another thing he loves is sleep. He loves it so much he sleeps through three alarms, fifteen rousings by my mom, and sometimes even from Aunt Liza. It's incredible. He was the only eight year old I've ever heard of that didn't want to get up on Christmas morning. He definitely gets this from my dad. The kid loves to sleep, and is dang good at it.

The kid also loves to have fun. He's one of the funniest, wittiest people I know. His jokes usually aren't loud, and if you're not careful you'll miss them, but I laugh harder at his than almost anyone's. He rarely misses out on a good time, because he's usually at the center of a good time.

He's only 17 and a half, but Jaden just gets it. He has his priorities straight and he just does what's right. He seems to have it figured out much quicker than most. He's quiet about it, but his actions show where his heart is. Family is a top priority to him. He'd rather spend time with his family than just about anything else. I've learned a lot from him in this regard. He came out to visit me with my mom in D.C. He's at every significant event of every family member. If he never said a word, and he doesn't normally share feelings like this, you'd know exactly how he felt about his family.

It's awesome to have a brother who's 8 years younger than you that teaches you how to be a man. I've learned a ton from Jaden, and I'm sure that will only continue. I tell everyone he's one of my best friends, and he is. There are few people I would rather spend time with than Jaden, and few may be too many. His ability to care for others inspires me. After all, he's the one that came up with our family motto, "Take care of each other". I want to be like him when I grow up.

Who's got two thumbs and loves holidays?

This guy!

I love the day off of school and work! You get to catch up on things that you haven't had time to do for a long time. It's wonderful. I have been studying, yes, but it's at home. I don't have to walk up to campus once today. I don't have to go to work. I don't have to leave my bedroom if I don't want to. I have, but only because I decided to. I have no obligations today :)

I would hate this for an extended period of time, but a day every now and then is one of my favorite things in the world. I love holidays!

A timeout for some Jazz

I can't believe I haven't already commented on this. The Utah Jazz are currently on a 9 game winning streak! They haven't lost since early January. When their streak began, they were in 11th place in the west and the playoffs were a serious question, maybe even in doubt. They are now solidly in third place in the west, one game out of second!

As I've watched bits and pieces of games, and studied box scores, there are a few things that stand out:

First, assists. The Jazz lead the league in assists per game. They average right around 27 assists every single game they play! That's incredible. Most games a team only makes about 35-40 shots, so for a team to assist on 27 of those shots is the epitome of team basketball. It's hard to beat a team that shares the ball that much.

Second, Andrei Kirilenko is playing like the all-star he was in the early 2000s. The guy is everywhere. His defense is back. He's scoring nearly 20 points a game during their streak. He's getting steals and blocks. Before the Clippers game last night he was shooting 82% from the field over the last eight games!! 82%!! Are you kidding me!? So, despite his best attempts to look like Lloyd from Dumb and Dumber, he's playing some incredible basketball.

Third, team defense. The Jazz are actually playing some pretty good team defense lately. I even saw Boozer block a shot the other day! If the Jazz could play solid defense consistently, they could beat anybody, except maybe the Timberwolves. :)

The Jazz have a chance tonight to make it 10 straight by beating the Lakers. This would also help them in the western conference playoff race. GO JAZZ!!!

The Liberating Effect of Forfeiting Liberties

One of my new year's resolutions was to get a 4.0 this semester. I knew this would require a level of focus previously unknown to me. I have, quite possibly, my toughest class load yet. I'm taking 16 credits, working, and trying my best to fulfill my calling. Throw on some dating and basketball and I'm a pretty busy boy.

I sat down at the beginning of the semester and outlined my plan to achieve my goal of a 4.0. Many social activities were cut out. Televised sports have gone by the wayside. My sleeping patterns required rearranging. The library has become my home away from home. The 7th cubicle on the north side of the 5th floor has become my domain.

I worried that it would be difficult to maintain the level of focus I had the first couple weeks of the semester. I was at the library daily. I was ahead in every class and still working further ahead. I agonized over a missed point on a quiz. The result has surprised me. I still study a lot. There are still things I turn down for the sake of my goal. I've found, though, that I feel so much more free using this approach. I can choose which social activities I want to go to the most. I'm not at the mercy of a due date to determine leisure time. By forfeiting certain liberties that I haven't in the past, I feel like I am so much more in control of my life. I've become more free by forfeiting liberties.

This surprised me. It shouldn't. This is exactly how the gospel works. Heavenly Father gives us commandments to direct our focus. Yes, these commandments require us to give up certain things. Some liberties are removed by our desire to keep His commandments. There are weeks that I want to stay home and watch the NFL playoffs rather than go to church. There are nights that I don't want to go to institute. There are times when I feel like cussing, usually at myself. There's also no way in the world that I would ever do these things. I've learned over and over again that keeping His commandments makes me free.

I love it when things click in my head.

A difference of opinion

So, I went to the Jazz game last night. Fun game, win number 7 in a row! I love the Jazz. My Jazz love will have to be saved for another post, though. This post is about the ride home.

I went with my dad, my older brother, my youngest brother and a girl he brought. I was driving, my older brother was in the passenger seat, and the other three were in the back. I don't remember how it came up, but we started talking politics and such. My older brother has very opinionated views on all things politics. He has a very dim view of big government and "so-called democracy".

I am an international relations major, so I was unhesitatingly drawn into a debate. I disagree with many of his views, but it was very refreshing to talk to someone with such a different opinion. He wasn't just playing devil's advocate, either. He honestly believed what he was arguing, and I loved it!

I love differing opinions. Especially when you can have a respectful, open debate. I love it when people think for themselves and are willing to question things. Elder Enzio Busche said, "On the road to salvation, let questions arise, but never doubts." That's what I try to do. I love to think things through. I believe there is an immense value in the process of questioning the answers, researching, and coming to your own conclusion.

How many times are we counseled to do that in the scriptures?!

Moroni's promise exhorts us to read, ponder, and ask God. - Moroni 10:3-5

"You must study it out in your mind, then you must ask [God] if it be right." -D&C 9:8

Those are just a few examples. That is how it's supposed to work. Clarity and answers come as we think, study, and pray. Too often we skip the first two steps and just want the answers given to us. That's not real learning. Real learning takes place in the process, not in the answer.

Here's a toast to differing opinions!

BYU's Bigs

Ok, I just got back from the BYU-TCU basketball game. I went with one of my best friends and we had front row seats, incredible! Thanks Ashley! I have followed BYU basketball very closely this year, but haven't had the opportunity to watch as many games as I would like. Obviously, BYU is very good this year. Their guard line is one of the best in the country. Jimmer Fredette is a National Player of the Year candidate. They're ranked #12 in the country. They're good. My question mark was their big men. I had my doubts about how far they could go with Chris Miles and Noah Hartsock and Jonathan Tavernari as their main contributors at the 4 and 5.

But after watching tonight, I'm very optimistic! It's true, Miles and Hartsock aren't scoring machines, but they don't need to be. They get plenty of scoring. I was extremely impressed with Miles and Hartsock on the defensive end. Their help defense on the high screens was smothering. They moved their feet well and forced the guards out way further than they wanted to be and still made it back to their man in time. Inside, they played solid defense without fouling, which will be crucial come tournament time.

It was very encouraging to see BYU's Bigs. I am believing more and more that this team could make some noise come March. Go Cougars!!

The NFL cares about the community

Love is like a frog

Ok, I've been thinking about this lately. I like to make analogies and theories in my head that make sense to me. Here's one of my new ones. Love is like a frog. A frog starts out as a tadpole. In the beginning, it is very limited in what it can do. It swims around, eats, and grows. It is very much concerned with survival and growth. Eventually, this tadpole starts to grow legs. It continues to develop until it becomes a frog, hopping all over the place and eating flies. It must learn how to use these new legs, though. Unfortunately, the only way to learn how to hop is trial and error. No matter how much a frog watches another frog hop, it will not be able to hop itself until it tries over and over again. This is, no doubt, a very painful process as it keeps making mistakes and landing on its face. Eventually, however, the frog becomes very adept at hopping.

Ok, here's how it made sense in my head. Love starts out very limited. When we start to understand love, in high school for example, it's like a tadpole. It is very limited in its scope and ability. We tend to look at love then as a benefit to us. "She loves me, and I like that. It benefits me to be in love."

As we grow, however, and learn more about ourselves and more about love, it starts to change shape completely. We start to realize that love is not a self-centered endeavor. We have to get out of the water that is so comfortable to us in order to get where we want to be. We also have to learn how to truly love. This is a painful process. You cannot really learn how to love by watching other people be in love. Yes, you may observe a few things that you want to do when you're in love, but the actual loving part is an experience that can only be perfected with practice. It is a trial and error process. We often become frustrated when relationships don't work out because we feel like we're back at square 1. As far as a relationship goes, you may be back at square 1, but as far as love goes, you're hopping right along.

Ok, let's break with the frog analogy. Learning to love, falling in love, and finding the person you want to spend eternity with are all daunting tasks. I admit to frustration over failed relationships. I hate the square 1 feeling. But when you meet someone new, and the excitement comes back, even stronger than it was before, the lessons you have learned about love will make an even sweeter experience.

I didn't used to like the idea of dating a girl that had dated a lot of guys. I felt like it would make it harder for her to fall in love with me because she would have so much to compare to and long for from previous relationships. I now understand that love builds on itself. Loving increases the ability to love. There is no limit to love. It's not like we all have $100 worth of love to give out how we choose. When we give love, we learn to love even more truly and unselfishly.

Then, when we find someone that truly loves us back, the trial and error process that hurt so much seems so worth it. We understand that without it, we would not have been prepared to love this person the way they deserve to be loved.

The heartache and pain we experienced in past relationships was because we would need that extra ability for the one we will ultimately find. We will be grateful that we kept hopping, because she is worth every fall on our face and more.

I may have fallen on my face a lot. It's taken me a while to learn how to hop really well. I'll tell you this, though, when I finally find the one I'm looking for, I will understand what I have. The pain of my learning process will be the best thing that ever happened to her. I'll be ready.