20 - The Final Post . . . or is It?

            Writing this blog was quite a different experience for me. Truthfully when we first started, I was not excited at all. On my mission I was never good at writing a journal and a blog seemed to me just like another big journal. Plus, it would be a journal that everyone could see. But as I started to write, I realized how easy it was to just put my thoughts in text. Sometimes I felt that as I wrote, all of my jumbled thoughts ended up on the screen. After a while I decided that it wasn’t such a bad thing. A blog allowed me to express myself. I could write about anything I wanted. I wrote about everything from chocolate milk to how I feel about the Savior.  

            Even though it was a great experience, I’m not exactly sure if I will continue to write in my blog. It will be hard to keep up with as I work on my other classes. College students don’t have any time at all. Well at least good colleges students. Maybe once I am done with college or maybe during the holiday break I can continue to post. But for now it was fun and I am grateful for the chance to do it.

19 - The Best Chocolate Milk in the World

            That is a pretty bold claim. The best chocolate milk in the world. Well if you’ve ever had it, you would agree with me. So what is the best chocolate milk in the world? It is none other than Reed’s Dairy Chocolate Milk.

            In Idaho Falls there is a dairy called Reeds Dairy. Here they make top of the line ice-cream, cheese and milk. And everyone’s favorite thing the get here, besides the huckleberry ice-cream, is their Chocolate Milk. It is one of the richest and creamiest chocolate milk you will ever taste. My roommates really love BYU Creamery Chocolate Milk but when I brought home some chocolate milk from home they were instantly converted. My roommates are from all over the United States, from Georgia to Oregon.

Didn’t I say though that it is the best chocolate milk in the world and not just the United States? Do not fret. It is. I have also had another previous roommate from China and he loved it. When I was in the MTC, I was lucky to have some milk packaged to me and I shared it with the missionaries there. One of those missionaries was from England and he said the chocolate milk was superb.

If you don’t believe me that it is the best in the world, you will have to go to Idaho Falls and try it yourself. I promise you the trip will be worth it because once you try Reed’s Dairy Chocolate Milk you’ll never want to try any other ever again. 

18 - The Unexpected Visit

          This past weekend on my way home from Thanksgiving, I decided to take a quick stop and see my Grandma Lasley. My Grandma Lasley is someone I hold most dear in my life. When my parents went through their divorce my Grandma and Grandpa Lasley were there for me and my siblings when my dad wasn’t. They never looked down on my mom or blame her for what happened. They were their only to support us as we went through this trial.

            My Grandpa Lasley passed away from throat cancer my first semester in college. It was really hard for him to go because at the same time that he was dying from cancer, my Grandma Lasley was developing Dementia. It was really hard after he passed away.

            When I went and saw my sweet grandmother, she was sitting on the coach wrapped in a blanket. Because of the Dementia, she didn’t recognize who I was but in her eyes I could still see that she loved me. As I visited with here, I told her about my recent engagement. I showed her a picture of Sophany and I. She really enjoyed the pictures. She never said anything back but I knew that she cared.

            I hadn’t been planning on going to visit grandma. She probably won’t even remember our little talk. But to be with her has lifted me higher and helped me to understand how much she means to me and also how much others in my life mean to me. Thank you Grandma for everything. 

17 - Peppermint Wonderland

            For Christmas this year, I am going to go visit my fiancée and her family in Stockton, California. I am looking forward to being with her like none else. As we got to know each other of the past couple of months, we have found that we share a common love. Mint. Her favorite color is green and for our wedding she want the colors to be green, white, and silver. And of course that means that there will be mint there. So for Christmas dinner when I go there I wanted to share with her family on of my favorite desserts. I call it Peppermint Wonderland, formally known as Toothpaste Pie. Because all amazing things must be shared to the world. I give to you the recipe to Peppermint Wonderland Pie for you to share with your family this Christmas Season.

Peppermint Wonderland

1 c. crushed Grasshopper Fudge Mint Cookies

3 Tbls. Hot water

1 Graham Cracker Crust

3 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/3 c. sugar

2 Tbls. Milk

¼ tsp. peppermint extract

8 oz. cool whip, thawed

6-10 drops green food coloring

Red hots and/or peppermints

Mix cookies and hot water. Spoon into crust. Refrigerate

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually beat in sugar, milk, and peppermint. Fold in cool whip.

Add food coloring

Fill crust with filling and decorate with candies.

Chill 3 hours.

16 - Carrots, Broccoli, and Spinach Oh My!!

            Growing up I did not eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. Probably the only fruit I ate was an apple and the only vegetables I ate were corn, potatoes, and green beans. Everything else just didn’t look appetizing to eat. It all tasted just fine but the hardest thing for me was the texture of the new foods that I tried. They were always so hard to swallow.

            When I was called to serve in California among the Lao people, I knew that I would be eating some weird foods. So from the day that my mission started I decided to throw out my fears of food and just try it. Who would have known that fruits and vegetable were actually good to eat. In memory of overcoming my food fear, I wanted to post my list of new foods that I have tried. Some on the list may shock you so be warned.

Starting July 2012, these are the new foods I have eaten and liked. Egg Nog, Apple Sauce, Papaya, Bananas, Peanut Butter and Honey sandwiches, Apple Pie, Pumpkin Pie, Apple Crisp, Onions, Yogurt, Honeydew, Tripe, Brussel Sprouts, Grapes, Melon, Carrots, Tomatoes, Pineapple, Pear, Pecan Pie, Cucumber, Tangerines, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Curry, Octopus, Papaya Salad (my favorite Lao dish), Sticky Rice, Bamboo, Chicken Liver, Sour Cream, Orange, Coleslaw, Yam, Peaches, Avocado, Pig’s Blood, Jello, Mussels, Pig Stomach, Cabbage, Artichoke, Cherry Pie, Blackberries, Strawberries, Raspberries, Cherries, Radishes, Apricot, Kiwi, Oatmeal, Egg Plant, Pickled Beets, Quail Eggs, Asparagus, Squirrel Head, Deer Brains, Gu tsav (Hmong Pepper), Thai pepper, Pho, Pig Liver, Spam, Rhubarb, Plum, Spinach, and Squash.

            There are probably so many more that I haven’t written down and I liked every new bite.  Hope you enjoyed my list.

15 - What Language is That?

            January 2012 I received a big white envelope in the mail. It was a letter that I had been waiting for a long time to get. It was my mission call. With family and friends gathered around I had opened it up to see where I was going. Reading it to myself, I said out loud “what language is that?” My mom started freaking out thinking that I had been called to some strange land but then I eased her fears when I read the words California Sacramento Mission. The language that I was to speak, Laotian. At first, unlike my mom, I was kind of disappointed that I was going states side on my mission. I was really hoping to be called it Italy but the Lord had different plans for me.

            My mission to serve the Lao people in California was one of the best experiences of my life. I would have never given it up for the world. Like many missionaries, I had no idea what I was getting into. I wish that I could be able to say everything that I can about my mission. Write every experience down on this blog. But if I did, I would be here for weeks writing and writing. My mission really did change my life. I grew physically, spiritually, and mentally. Learning the Lao language was one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life. ແຕ່ວ່າມັນມ່ວນຫລາຍທີ່ຈະເວົ້າໃນພາສາລາວ. This opportunity I had to go and be a missionary not only changed my life only but the life of many others around me. Like I said I wouldn’t have changed it for the world. 

14 - Tabula Rasa

            One thing that I am grateful for is a chance for a new beginning. I don’t remember where I learned it from but the Latin phrase Tabula Rasa has been a slogan for me. In English, Tabula Rasa means a “blank slate.” In this life we can make so many mistakes. Mistakes for the most part are not bad. They are part of learning and part of growing. But there are even some mistakes that we make that we know could have been prevented. Those are the mistakes that are bad.

            Sometimes in my life I have felt that there are some mistakes that I can never get rid of, some that I cannot make up for. But that is not true. A Tabula Rasa has been made for us. A blank slate can be started on again. This is possible through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ made it possible for all of us to be forgiven of our sin by His Atonement. When He atoned for our sins or for our mistakes, He paid the price for our sins and promised us that if we follow Him, He would give us a new start, a clean slate, a Tabula Rasa. Oh how grateful I am for that. I am so grateful that I can start again and be clean.

Most of the Tabula Rasa are mad out of clay or wax. When you write into them, it stays there after the clay has hardened. In my mind the memories of my past mistakes are like these hardened tablets on a shelf. They remind me to not make those mistakes again. When I repent and follow Jesus Christ, I am given a new tablet to start over, to make this tablet better than the one before it. I am so grateful for the chance to start over and I am so grateful for a Savior that has given be that chance. Because of Him, I can be better.