Yes, the hour right now is very wee, but . . .

I just have to announce that it's official: I am going home for Christmas. Kelsey is too. We are both going home for Christmas. 

P.S. Miracles totally happen.

Anyway, I can't wait! The 4-hour layover in Detroit on the return flight is sure to be a blast . . . not. But we're going home. That's all that matters. And to tell you the truth, I would have rather enjoyed having that four hour layover in Atlanta. As crazy as that airport gets, I just don't think I can get enough of all the black ladies callin me darlin and sweet pea! BAHHHHH I'm so excited for home!

Also, I just realized that once I get back to Utah after Christmas, I will have been on sixteen flights this year. Sixteen. That's crazy! I guess I'm making up for not ever leaving the state of Utah in 2009 (except for that day trip to Idaho with Mary). Good thing I love traveling. 

A cold and frosty morning. There's not a lot to say about the things caught in my mind.

There actually is a lot in my mind (and in my heart) right now, but it is almost 2:00 AM and the homework is still looming. I've enjoyed my Thanksgiving break, perhaps a bit too much, and now the last two weeks of classes are upon me. With this comes the realization that I will pretty much graduate in five months, after which I will complete an internship in who-knows-where, and that is when it happens. That is when the next chapter of my life begins: I will have regained non-student status; I haven't had claim to that since I began kindergarten in 1994. That will have been sixteen years prior. Sixteen years of formal education.

I have a confession.

Though I did have those years from ages zero to four when I did not attend school, I have no clue what the whole "not being a student" thing is like.

With those realizations comes the huge one: that every decision I make impacts my life, and especially those that I make in the coming years can change things drastically. In the words of Marty McFly, "Whoa . . . that's heavy."

But. 

The facts are these:

My Heavenly Father loves me. 

He takes care of me.

He has given me incredible opportunities. 

He will continue to love me.

He will continue to take care of me.

He will continue to give me incredible opportunities. 

Of these opportunities, none of them will be straight-up bad.

I will be choosing between many good things.

I have to choose what I think is the best?

No.

I have to choose.

And then with His help, I will make it the best.

I am sitting in my living room with only the Christmas lights on. Paper snowflakes are hanging from the ceiling. The only noises I hear are the keyboard and the clock, ticking away words and time. That means the dryer has stopped and it's time to get my pink blanket out and put the gray one in. My living room stays so cold, so I have to keep the blankets warm. 

I am so blessed. So what else really matters?

Marius

My dear friend Mark is working on a documentary about an extraordinary young boy named Marius.

Marius is from Romania. One night a boiler exploded in his house, killing his parents and leaving him with third and fourth-degree burns over seventy-five percent of his body. Thanks to some skilled surgeons, a couple of BYU students and their families as well as countless others who have contributed to his recovery, Marius has made tremendous progress and is now about to be adopted into a loving family here in the United States. 

Mark is working hard to make sure that Marius's story is told, and this is why I believe in his cause:

The power of the human spirit is incredible. Not only am I amazed by the way that people have reached out to help Marius (or the way they've responded to this project), but the attitude that Marius has about everything that he has encountered is phenomenal. He does not allow himself to be restricted by his circumstances, and he lives his life. Happily.

How many of you can do that? How many of us have enough faith, enough courage, enough willpower to forget ourselves? To forget our trials, heartaches, and losses? To forget our scars -- whether physical or emotional -- and rise above whatever deformities or imperfections we may have? How many of us are as happy and grateful as we should be for just being alive?

Words from this eleven-year-old boy who has every excuse in the world to let himself be sad, angry, or broken:

"How can I not be happy? I have people who love me. I'm going to get fixed."

We can all be happy. We are all loved. We can all be fixed.

Go here to learn more about Marius, about Mark's project, and about what you can do to help.

*Update 11/12/10:
I talked with Mark last night and learned a few more things about the adoption situation. Soon after the family learned that the adoption would go through, the mother was diagnosed with cancer. For a little over a month, she was driving anywhere from 2 to 4 hours (depending on traffic) each way to receive her chemotherapy and other treatments. This has been yet another financial strain on the family as they have had to work on finalizing the adoption as well.

Mark and his team have set a goal that with everyone's help will be a piece of cake to meet: in addition to gathering funds for the completion of the documentary, they want to raise enough money to pay for Marius's adoption as a surprise for the family. If we can get six or seven hundred people to donate twenty dollars, this goal will be realized. (If you're a poor college student like me, go in on it with your roommates; if there are four of you in the apartment, each of you gives five bucks and then we've got another twenty going toward the goal.) You can donate through the project site, or if you're in town feel free to contact me and I will see that the money gets to Mark and his team.

Mark is leaving today for Romania to do a few more interviews of family members, friends, and others who played vital roles in Marius's life, both before and after the incident. He and his team will be gone for a week and a half. Let's see what we can do before they get back!

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Life's surprises

Turns out I can sort out my priorities.

Turns out I have the best friends in the world.

Turns out snow in October can make me happy.

Turns out I make a hot nun.

Turns out 2 years isn't that long at all.

Turns out starting from scratch is a wonderful thing.

Turns out I can do a lot more than I thought I could.

Turns out life is beautiful.