...the rest of the trip

well it was a great trip to maryland...i had a day to spend before going to the temple with the flores family. so i immediately headed down to annapolis to find me some pupusas. they were delightful. i washed it down with a big gulp from the sev that was across the street from our old condo.


this is the view from across the river looking into annapolis at the U.S. Naval Academy.


then i ventured up to b-more, specifically highlandtown...where i roamed the streets as a young elder in his first area. not gonna lie, felt a lil uncomf walkin around that area alone and at night time...


...but i had to get me some chicken rico! it was so good...peruvian style charbroiled chicken...i love that place. it was my first time back there since eating there with mom,dad, and grandma nielsen when they visited me on the mish. so it holds a special place in my heart...then i made it back to my hotel and visited with an old friend robby t. the next morning i was pleasantly surprised to not only get to see the flores, but the entire cedar creek branch practically. that branch was clearly the branch that i became the closest to throughout my mission. it was a great trip, the only thing that would have made it better was a little more time out there and if chrissy could have come along to see and enjoy with me.

un día especial

I flew out to Maryland this weekend for a very special experience. While serving in Winchester, VA I became very close to Salvador Flores and his family. He was baptized a few days before I got transferred there, and I got to teach him the recent convert lessons and watch him grow in the gospel. I participated in his ordination to the Aaronic Priesthood and watched him baptize his wife Sandra and daughter Fátima...I also got to teach him how to prepare and bless the sacrament...and then sat with him as he did it for the first time. I gave members of his family priesthood blessings, and was amazed by their faith....I ate many a delicious meals of carne asáda, frijoles negros, and ensalada on Saturday afternoons. And we played many a games of futbol together. I learned a lot from his family and greatly appreciate their example of humility and faith. They are an amazing family. Yesterday I was at the Washington D.C. Temple as Salvador and Sandra went through the temple together and then were sealed to their three little girls. It was an experience I'll cherish forever. I will never forget sitting there in the temple and looking over at Salvador and he just grinned at me and waved. I was filled with an overwhelming feeling I can only describe as a tender mercy of the Lord. As I hugged both of them they both said, "gracias por venir." I wouldn't have missed it for the world. Indeed my friends, there are a few times in life when you realize what good times really are...yesterday was one of those for me.

speechless...

words can't express the disappointment i felt when i saw colt mccoy leaving the field injured on the first drive of the game. four years he and his team worked to get to that game...and to go down like that was straight devastating. if it hurt me so badly, i can't even begin to imagine how he feels. you can't say they don't have heart though, it looked pretty ugly and they fought to get it close. but it just wasn't the way it was goin down this year. i guess the sweetness of victory only comes because of the bitterness of defeat. our greatest glory is not in never falling...but in rising each time we fall. hook em horns.

the eyes of Texas are upon you

gameday is finally here...i've been waiting a long time for this moment. bittersweet, in that it is the last time Colt McCoy and Jordan Shipley will suit up in the burnt orange. i wish them and their teammates the very best in this their final game...may the rose bowl be as sweet to us as it was the last few times we've been there. hook em horns.
p.s. on another interesting note, i returned home from the mish two years ago today.