Scrabble is not for the faint hearted

Last night, I spent over 2 hours playing Scrabble with the Sullivan's. It got intense when Jake got 81 points over a word play he made!! I was in it to win but sadly, he took the coveted spot I had been keeping me eye on. I couldn't get rid of my Z!

Wow, two hours of playing a word game. I think that's my record so far.

I still think the husband and wife were in cahoots in making sure I was kept in third place.

This morning didn't start out to as I expected. I kept forgetting things-- I left the stove on, while I started reading a book in our living room. The next thing I see is smoke filling up our kitchen. Thank goodness the fire alarm didn't go off (it usually does). I would have felt bad for waking my roommates up at 6 am because I was trying to make some eggs.

At work, I couldn't figure out why I couldn't log onto my computer, and couldn't unlock our office door. I had a good time laughing at them experiences though.

As I catch up with some old friends, I am amazed at all their accomplishments. One of my friends from the mission is now a diplomat. He is waiting to receive his new assignment. While others are preparing to work at locations around the world. I am so excited for them and in some way I wish I could join them. I'm not bitter about being here though. I see my stay here in Utah as a necessary stop over before I go back out.

I've always wanted to go see the world and still do. I can't wait to finish my grad degree and use that to get me to where I want to be-- travel the world and make it a better place. At least in some odd way be a positive contributor.

I had lunch with a colleague today and I had mentioned that while I was in high school, I had great aspirations of working for Green Peace, living in Washington tied to a tree somewhere. I'd still like to do that one day, work for the betterment of the world-- not being tied to a tree somewhere. A friend once told me that he was quite concerned about my political beliefs in high school. Call me idealistic, I guess.

But in someway I've already had the opportunities to do some of that-- by serving in the Philippines for my church and also working for UNICEF and the US Air Force in Japan. And yet despite of all of these accomplishments, deep down inside I still have a great need to see the world.

Someone once said that I am a man of contradictions. I think I can understand that statement better now. Who would have ever thought that a tree hugger would ever become a military veteran? I sure never in a million years could have foreseen this, and yet I learned to love both worlds.