開始

A few thoughts to start with: this is my second attempt at a blog.  The first had its IPO about four years ago, but since the mission it has been taken private again and serves as my journal.  Lately I've felt the need to reach out to a larger audience, hence Blog 2.0.

For those of you who don't read Chinese, the title roughly reads "Child of the Year of the Dragon, Full of Noble Aspiration".  I don't redefine myself very often, but this seemed to fit.  This picture took forever to load, but it was cool enough to be worth it.  If there's Chinese you don't understand on here, ask and I may tell you what it means.  好不好？

To jump right in, I'm in Maple Grove, MN, living with my aunt and uncle and company and working for Medtronic.  I left Provo last Friday morning bright and early and drove here with my sister Hannah, arriving Saturday evening.  The highlight of the drive was probably visiting the Winter Quarters Temple in Omaha, Nebraska.  If Hannah sends me the pictures she took, I may post some of them here.  It was so peaceful and quiet, and I felt that the pioneers who had sacrificed so much had hallowed the ground so that a temple could be erected in their honor.  Neat to have a temple next to a graveyard, contemplating the connections.

Maple Grove is a brand spanking new suburb about 20 minutes outside of Minneapolis, home of the world's largest Target (enormous) and a large new Hindu temple servicing worshippers throughout the Midwest (also enormous - you'd think I'm in Texas!).  Queensland Lane, in particular, is home to an aunt and uncle, four cousins, two dogs, a rabbit, a gerbil, a hamster, and me.  The dogs are awesomely fun, albeit allergy-inducing; I may have to take Claritin for the first time in my life living with them.

This is Haley (aka Sammy), dog #1.  Dog number two is an awesome Sheltie named Duke (aka Terry).  I've taken it upon myself to rename all their animals so as to cause mass confusion and terror (parenthetical names are the new ones).  Don't you think she looks more like a Sammy than a Haley?  Anyway, it started when I called the rabbit Ferguson (or Fergie) because I couldn't remember her name (still can't, for that matter), and then it dawned on me that they all had the wrong names!

So I show up at church for the first time on Sunday, and by the third hour I've met with the bishop and been given a calling - member of the ward choir.  I would have gone to choir anyway, but it was a nice gesture nonetheless.  Break the fast happened was after church, and lo and behold I was whisked away to meet with another member of the bishopric and given calling number two, family home evening dad!  Guess they do things quickly out here.  I was pondering checking out the other YSA ward this week, but with two callings now, it's safe to say I've been headed off at the pass!

Work is pretty good; there'll probably be another post along those lines soon, but for now it's bedtime.  Minneapolis takes the injunction "early to bed, early to rise" seriously - I get up at 6 every day to make it to work by 7:45 at the latest!  Who knew I would get up earlier every day this summer than I have for months?

English title: beginning