Not so Fast there, Charles.

So I usually consider myself to be pretty computer literate.  I type, I can use MS Office proficiently, I have 5 buttons my mouse.  I manage to surf the internet without giving my computer aids.  I know binary code.  How then?  How did it take me like 30 minutes to make a meme?  Oh well.  It was a painful process that included many google searches and cursing Paint for being so dumb.  I won't go into much detail, just know for future reference that you can in fact put text  in your picture, but you cannot change its color.  Racism.

So it's been a while since I blogged.  I guess I'll give you a quick 34 word recap of what I've been up to.  Announcements, internship, announcements, work, announcements, internship, work, church, running (trying), sleeping, announcements, workinternshipchurch, looking for a place to live, dancing, stuff, watching funny videos of animals, other stuff, phone calls, CF clinic, etc.

And there you have it.

So below there is the meme that took me an obnoxious amount of time to make.  On Tuesday I fasted as part of the Ward's 40 day fast for missionary work.  Merilee did hers on Monday and had a great experience.  She's such a great example.  She had a neat conversation about the Church with one of her coworkers that day.  I knew that my fast would have blessings, even if I didn't have any missionary experiences that precise day.  It's a good thing I had that attitude or else I would have been like Chan here because pretty much the only person I had a conversation with that day was with another member at the lab where I'm interning.

 

And he wasn't even inactive!  The last significant missionary experience I remember having was probably a couple weeks ago when I was online and chatted with a friend from school.  He was always really skittish talking about Mormonism in class, and I could tell that he had certain perceptions probably from knowing Mormon people at school.  I forget what exactly we talked about but I do remember just telling him that I didn't mind answering questions or talking about it and that he could feel free to ask me anything.  I felt like it was major for him for someone to be so open and non-defensive about it.

Okay folks so that's pretty much it.  Excuse me while I go look for a place for me and my bride to live.

Into the Sun

I've learned that it's always safer just not to listen to Lady Gaga.  Just don't.  Especially after watching one of her music videos (a big mistake I made one time).

So since I last posted about my and Merilee's engagement, we've talked a lot about it.  We've been getting input from a bunch of people, weighing our options and the risks associated with marriage, and we've decided after all, that marriage is a really good idea and we're really excited for it.

I had a crazy two weeks of finals.  So far grades are out for DVC.  Laspo will come out with grades soon, hopefully.  Right now I'm sitting pretty (whatever that means) with two "A"s from DVC.  Boo-yah calculus and nutrition.  I'm really worried about my physics and chemistry classes though.  I only scored 100% or higher on pretty much every exam in those classes.  Really though, having your entire future, as it would seem, in the hands of your summer-bound professors is quite stressful.

Right now I'm still part time status at the Chalet, and still tutoring kids in their last couple weeks of school.  I'm hoping to get an internship through my chemistry teacher's wife who I met when she gave a lecture on natural polymers for our last lecture on organic chemistry.  She'll be back in the country in 2 weeks so hopefully that will get things going.  It's a sort of challenging point right now.  I'm trying to get stuff with the VA going so I can get educational benefits.  I'm also figuring out if I can take a summer class that will benefit me, while trying to decide on what to do with work since I might/might not be interning.  It's all pretty messy even before you add wedding plans.

On a happier note, I'm making wedding plans!  Oh, my life is so great.  Sunday we took engagement pictures.  We haven't gotten them back yet but I got some previews here.  They were taken by our photographer's boyfriend, who shot them with his smartphone while she shot with her camera.  So they're not really the pictures, but some of them are good enough to be.

Like this one.

And this one.

There was actually lots of sun in our faces for parts of it.  You'd think we were witnessing the second coming.

Yeah, like I said, lots of staring into the sun.

The camera was able to capture "the look" that Merilee does, multiple times.

We also decided to take some kissy pictures.  We aren't the type of couple to send pictures of us making out with our announcements, but we took some anyways in case we wanted to gross anyone out.  I also think Merilee just wanted evidence in case I ever say that she's never kissed me.

This one was actually my favorite from this batch.

They called this "the smolder."