Hey, you!

Have a spectacular day.

Over the Hill?

To my Dad, Kirk Weiler. Not Kurt, Krik, or Queed (that's my grandpa), but KIRK. Here are some things I love about you. One for every year...

1. You make it possible for me to be at BYU
2. You pay for a meal plan that is coveted by those who do not have one
3. You used to tussle with me when I was a young child
4. You would put a blanket over your head and become "The Shadow"
5. You take me on fun vacations
6. You measure RVs with a log over your head
7. You always keep the lawn looking nice
8. You get smug when you say something clever
9. You did 50 push-ups last year just to prove that you could (51 this year?)
10. You pay for me to go skiing
11. You take care of my taxes
12. You can cook 
13. You like to be outside and have passed that trait on to me
14. You made me hike Mount Timpanogos when I was 10
15. You helped me realize how fun water skiing can be
16. You taught me how to do dishes
17. You are a good driver and always get us home safe
18. You always make sure the hot tub is in good condition
19. You've helped me with a lot of homework
20. You taught me how to correctly throw a ball
21. You have explained 401Ks, taxes, and other money stuff to me many times
22. You used to let me push you into our pool in Las Vegas
23. You've provided me with a car ever since I could drive
24. You taught me how to be more aware of others
25. You drove Rebecca, Spencer and me down the canyon even though you had a broken collar bone
26. You are funny
27. You make your own lyrics to the hymns (Put your shoulder to the wheel push along....We all have work, my name is KIRK...)
28. You like eggnog
29. You put up with us making fun of you 
30. You like to balance utensils and various objects after dinner
31. Your favorite ride at Disney Land is Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (or at least I've always associated you with that one)
32. You cleaned the windows above the kitchen sink
33. You quote Shadow from Homeward Bound perfectly 
34. You quote Shadow from Homeward Bound despite the fact that I always thought it was mean (it's actually very funny)
35. You yell "Gryffindor!" like the Sorting Hat
36. You insist on saying dinosaur in a way that rhymes with "hour"
37. You call Dobby the elf Doby
38. You made up the word "drow" because it's "word" backwards
39. You wear knee-braces on both knees, which I think is awesome
40. You'll often have cuts on your hands/arms and you don't know where they came from
41. You eat peaches and milk (sometimes)
42. You had bread soaked in milk as a child and thought it was good...yuck
43. You did crazy things as a child and I like those stories
44. You keep a dollar bill in your scriptures to remember that the scriptures are more important than money
45. You can do a dock start with a slalom ski (can you still do that?)
46. You taught me how to drive a motorcycle even though I was underage
47. You suffered through early morning carpools with snobby teenagers
48. You hit my thumb with a hammer 
49. You married Mom
50. You take care of my siblings and me
51. You are my Dad.

Over the hill? Never.

Happy Birthday Dad. I love you.

Aloe Vera for the Soul

Yesterday was a great day. After stake conference (which I was unexpectedly called upon to speak in) a big group of my friends all went out on the grass hill near our buildings. We sat there, chatting, snacking, and playing games for a good 5 hours. It was grand.

As the day went on, however, we realized that something was happening. Our once pasty white skin was rapidly turning pink, red, and in some cases, purple. As the night progressed I was overcome with chills, headaches, and the sensation of my flesh being on fire. (Dramatic yes, but I assure you it was uncomfortable) That's when the Aloe Vera was busted out.

As I applied this soothing balm to my battered skin, the feeling of relief was instantaneous and thorough. I sat there, considering my history with sunburns and marveling at how dumb I am. Every year I think that I somehow am stronger than the sun. Every year I burn. Every year I apply gallons of Aloe Vera. Every year it soothes my pain.

The Atonement of Jesus Christ is the same way, except it is not a once a year thing. It is constant. As I consistently fall, make wrong choices, and struggle through challenges- as I consistently think that I am stronger than I really am and consistently allow myself to be burned by the fiery darts of the adversary, Christ is consistently there to sooth my injuries. His Atonement allows Him to understand completely the pain of my physical sunburn and, more importantly, my spiritual burns. And, like Aloe Vera, He applies the balm of love, compassion, support and strength in order to sooth my injuries.

I am so grateful.

To read more on the healing power of the Atonement go here:
The Healer's Art

Better Than Ruby Red

Let's think of the most famous shoes ever. Do you have your answer? My answer is Dorothy's ruby red slippers. I admit that they are magical, what with transporting her from the world of Oz back to Kansas. They're pretty cool. I just have one complaint/question:

Why only one color?

These are my party shoes. One of my friends said they looked like a birthday party. I consider that a great compliment. My mom gave them to me about a month ago and I love them.

I could teach Dorothy a few things about footwear.

To Bean or Not to Bean

This past weekend I traveled back to Salt Lake to celebrate some birthdays in my family. It was fun to see everyone, but the highlight of the trip might just have been the game that Rebecca and Wes introduced to the fam. The purpose was to plant beans that you can later harvest and turn in for coins. It's a game of wits, bartering, and economic understanding.

It's called Bohnanza.

I highly recommend it. And if you do ever play, here's one suggestion- Don't ever go for the wax beans. They're bad news.

Eavesdropping Entertainment

Today I was sitting in my History class, waiting for the daily quiz to appear. I still had a few minutes, so I was looking over some of my keywords for the class. I wasn't completely focusing and overheard a conversation taking place directly behind me. It was in regards to the most recent campus news, that of the excusal of basketball player Brandon Davies from the BYU team. Here's how it went:

Guy: "I don't know, I think that our team will be ok. I hope that our team will be ok."
Girl: "Yeah, hopefully. He was a pretty key player though."
Guy: "I know. Man, things will be alright though. This is just a trial of our faith."

He was dead serious. 
I lost it. I sat there, laughing, for the next 3 minutes.
Come on guys. I mean, I like a good basketball game as much as the next person, but let's not get our religion confused with a sporting event.

I Think I'm in Love.