CC round up

I think I want to start posting a round up or a summary of what I have the opportunity to close caption at work. I get to hear so much good advice and counsel as I furiously type and sync the captions for devotional addresses, and I frequently find myself thinking, "Everyone needs to hear this!!!" But in the midst of frantically trying to type every.single.word and then rushing to get all the captioned lines synced with the speaker and ready to upload for public content, it's easier to just finish the video and move on to the next one (and inevitably forget about what you just had the privilege of listening to).

After captioning an address on Saturday afternoon, I went through the caption lines and copy and pasted the meat of a devotional address given by Elder Dennis B. Neuenschwander, Emeritus member of the First Quorum of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Throughout Elder Neuenshwander's address he gave some wonderful personal and scriptural stories but what's below are just the main points. It will be online and ready to view in a few days if anyone is interested...  www.byui/edu/devotionalsandspeeches

The text and the title of my talk I have taken from the book of Romans, wherein Paul writes to the Romans that, "I take my journey." The scriptures are full of references to significant journeys. Be they of peoples, or families, or individuals. They also describe in some detail the paths, the ways, the roads, and the highways on which those journeys take place. To cite just a few examples: there is the path of righteousness, and the paths of the just and the wicked, there is the strait and narrow path that leads to the tree of life, as well as the forbidden and unknown paths along the way. There are also paths of duty, of wisdom, and of virtue. Additionally, we can read of broad and strange roads as well as plan and strict ones. The Savior taught that He was the way.

First, the destination you choose will determine the road you take. Every journey has a destination. And every destination has a road. The only way for you to arrive at a pre-determined destination is to walk the road that takes you there. But destinations are more than a place. And their attainment is more than completing a checklist of requirements. Lofty definitions that are of lasting worth to you are composed of intensely personal dreams, aspirations, and ideas that demand the very best in you to reach them. The destinations you set for yourself must inflame your imagination, and bring passion to your life. They must be worthy of the sacrifices that you surely will make for them. Your destinations are the driving force of your life. They bring purpose, and focus, and hope, and enthusiasm to the roads that will eventually bring you to them.

Your every road in life will be a toll road. The attainment of a worthwhile destination, whether spiritual or temporal, comes at a cost, and there is never a short cut to paying it. The essential part of success in any area of your life is calculating the cost of achieving it. Thereafter follows the decision regarding the level of your personal commitment in paying that cost. The Lord poses a really interesting question that illustrates this: "For which of you," he asks, "intending to build a tower sitteth not down first and counteth the cost whether he have sufficient to finish it." Money may be the first thing that comes to mind in calculating cost, but it is not the only one, and I'm not sure it's even the most important one. Uncompromising personal commitment to the achievement of a goal by far is the greater cost. Perhaps these words of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow are familiar to you: "The heights by great men reached and kept Were not obtained by sudden flight. But they, while their companions slept, Were toiling upward in the night." When Bilbo Baggins, the hobbit, returned from his adventures, you may recall what Gandalf, the wizard, told him. He said that he was not the hobbit that he once was. So every road you traverse in your lifetime will be a toll road- it will cost something. The toll is often your personal commitment, perseverance, and discipline. Set and meet good daily goals in order to achieve your destinations in the long term. 

Believe in yourself in the face of the challenges along the road of your life. "Doubt whom you may, but never yourself." Don't waste your time trying to act, or speak, or dress like someone else. Your time is better spent focusing and developing your own abilities and talents. This takes courage. It also takes a willingness to try many things, and to fail at some. It takes introspection and education. The more you develop your gift, and the more you discipline it, the richer we all are. Heavenly Father has not forgotten you. Please realize that He has destinations in mind for you that may not, for you at the moment, be recognizable.

Now, just a few words about learning to enjoy your journey. I say "learn," because not all of us naturally enjoy a difficult road. Our inclination is often to make things easier.  Journeys, by their very nature, are not always short, easy, or pleasant. Lehi's journey was anything but easy. Yet, his teachings confirm that God intends, through the Atonement of Christ, that His children feel His confirming love, and the joy that comes from partaking fully of the tree of life. (note from Giulia: if you don't know who Lehi is, I'd love to send you his story- let me know.)

Your destination will decree your road. Make sure your destinations are worthy of your efforts and your dreams and your aspiration. Second, that you would be willing to pay the tolls of the roads that you will walk to those destinations. Third, believe in yourself despite the difficulties, and the challenges, and the problems that could easily drag you down. And fourth, learn to enjoy the journey.

Good stuff! Everything was so applicable to our current situation- being poor college students and the road we took just to get to where we are. 

At the end of his address as Elder Neuenschwander (how's that for a name??? new-en-shwan-der) summed up his four points I was reminded of "The Princess Bride" where Inigo Montoya (spelling...?) is attempting to give Wesley the run down of everything that has happened since he's been dead. And then I saw this on pinterest and I got a good chuckle:

Anywhoooo...

I also captioned an address by Elder Russell M. Nelson earlier this week that I really enjoyed- "Education is a Religious Responsibility." That one should already be available online at www.byui.edu/devotionalsandspeeches  (I think that's the address anyway...) From what I can recall at the moment, the main points he made are these: we are intelligences and we have been commanded to acquire more knowledge, and in the pursuit of knowledge do not discredit or leave out what God has already counseled or commanded- something which the world is quite adept at doing. :)

Happy Sunday y'all!

October!

Woooeee mama! We are busy! David is still surviving his many tough classes. Giulia is still having fun in her classes. Oh and we also clock in to work every weekday. Weekends we've stayed busy with projects. And somehow we've managed to go to the fitness center together almost every night. We have a few more mid-terms to finish this week = we are halfway through our first semester at BYU - Idaho!!! In short, October has been on hyperspeed. We would be alright if it went a little faster the next few days- we are heading out for our hunt on Thursday afternoon! No Halloween parties for us. We'll be having our own party finding and setting up camp on Halloween. Then Friday and Saturday- it is on! 

Now for pictures. From our fancy camera flip phones:

HORT 311 chainsaw use and maintenance. Yes, I started and used one. Yes, I took one apart and cleaned it. Yes, I sharpened the chain. And yes, I put it back together. Yeehaw!

 HORT 230: working on a circular design. Don't look too close at it, it's a work in progress. But I do like the patio that cascades down to the firepit with a sitting wall.

Got the command center up. Chalk board on top. Plexiglass/markerboard in the middle. Tin sheet/magnet board on bottom. We still need to put the framing trim up. 

Finally found some curtains for the kitchen! I wanted something with a strong red accent. But everything with red was either all red, or really weird patterns and colors, or expensive. So I found this tablecloth with a floral print that I liked, cut it in half, hemmed the cut, and ran a seam across the top to pull the curtain rod through. Also pictured- new light fixture in the kitchen. Much better than the golden nipple that was there before. :)

 The apple orchard on campus! Love this place.

 

Smoothie gone wrong. When I tried to twist the pitcher off the power base, the pitcher twisted out of the part that keeps the pitcher connected to the base. Follow me? So, everything quickly dropped out of the bottom.

And you can't let a good smoothie go to waste!

Finally got something up to cover the open staircase window/opening.

HORT 311: stump grinder

HORT 311: Timber!!! We watched our instructor cut down a dead tree in the gardens.

And then we practiced making felling notches with a chainsaw. These are my notches.

 Spray painted our wood side tables white.

We had the cutest little visitor the first weekend of October!!! It was so lovely to see you Ashely and Zaley! Thank you. :) The morning that this picture was taken, there were several tractors/diggers/etc in the yard ripping and tilling everything. It was fun to put Azalia up to the window to watch the tractors and then the workers outside would see her cute self in the window and would smile and wave big at her. cute!

The very end of September we bought fancy flip phones. And we don't really miss our smart phones except for the awesome gps/navigation. Now we actually have to look up and know where we're going before we get on the road.
 

For Giulia's Arboriculture/HORT 311 class, we had to do a group project. Essentially, we could do whatever we wanted. We made a tutorial on how to properly prune a tree.
Here is the crab-apple tree in our yard that we used as our subject.
Before pruning:
 
  After pruning! It looks like a tree!!! Can you tell which way the wind blows most often?
Our original plan was to take the whole thing out, but when the guys in my group saw the tree they said, "No! Keep it! It has potential, it just needs a trim." So, the tree survived the chopping block.

And we also planted an apple tree in the front boulevard. When I have the video all edited and narrated maybe I'll put it up here. But it's not due until December...so.....

We got a package all the way from Delaware!

Inside were 4 Apple-cider doughnuts!?!?!! 

 yum!

Sighted in the rifle. 

Giulia's arm was a little sore afterwards. 

Now, back to studying for tests and quizes and completing design projects and getting ready to leave for our hunt! Hopefully when we check in next, we'll have a picture with a deer or two.