Sunday lessons: thou shalt think before you speak

I live in Utah these days. I know I've mentioned this before, but normally I'm teasing the state or myself when I mention that fact about my life. Today, however, I'm really happy that I live in Utah. Why, you ask? Five words: Music and the Spoken Word. That's why.

A Louisianan friend from efy found herself in Utah this weekend with a hankering for some MoTab. So we filled Gus with a couple more efyers and off to Temple Square we went. Let it be known that Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing as arranged by Mack Wilberg is my absolute favorite hymn at the moment; and today's broadcast closed with that song. The music filled my soul, found my pride, beat it to a pulp, then left me with the hope that I can be so much better than I currently am. "Here's my heart, Lord, take and seal it. Seal it for thy courts above." I am so grateful to have witnessed that presentation and to feel of the testimony shared there.

Utah, you have your perks.

In fact, Utah, since I'm being nice to you today I'll keep talking about how awesome spending Sunday on Temple Square is. It's stunning. You can't help but be completely overcome by the sheer majesty of the Salt Lake Temple. I admire and greatly appreciate the effort and sacrifices made by early saints to build a "sacred structure where the Lord could teach, guide, and bless" them and future saints.

The visitor's center, also great. It's filled with cute sister missionaries who are such pleasant company and great conversationalists. One even thought that we were all childhood friends, what a compliment. Then we listened to a presentation in Spanish, and I understood it! Happy day in the world? I think so

Another favorite from my Sunday on the Square was watching countless presentations of I'm a Mormon. They are incredibly uplifting stories of real people. Each story ended with the person explaining their different roles in life (fathers, mothers, teachers, publicists, professional football players, olympians, lawyers, friends, painters, etc.) followed by the standard quote "and, I'm a Mormon." Sometimes I couldn't contain myself and would follow up by cheering "yeah you are!" or "I just love him/her." I'm probably not the most reverent person alive, and I should probably learn to think before I speak seeing as this action repeated itself anywhere from three to seven different times. But, ya know, sometimes I can't help myself. My heart gets so full of happiness, and confidence, and triumph, and other goodness...and sometimes it has nowhere to go, so it comes out my mouth.

Stephanie, Michelle, and Sean you are absolutely wonderful. I'm so glad I spent my Sunday with you three. You are all amazing and inspiring people, and I definitely look up to each of you. Oh, and thanks a whole lot for putting up with my ridiculous nature.

Anyway, I guess all I'm trying to say is that my name is Jari Santos. I'm 22 and still learning to think before I speak, I love spending time with good friends at good places, I'm about to graduate and have no idea where my future is headed, I'm loud, I like to travel, I'm a halvsie, and I'm a Mormon.

(I'm sorry that I sound all kinds of crazy, bright-eyed and bushy tailed. But, hey, you're the one who stayed to read. So happy Sunday to you.)

Is it bad?

A lot of really amazing things happened over the past month or so. So many, in fact, that I'm not going to blog about them each because that would just be overwhelming. Let's just say that I decided Wyoming is amazing, I drove a 4wheeler for the first time, I started running again, I have awesome roommates and friends, I am a wimp when it comes to haunted houses, I dressed as I pirate, I taught myself how to knit, I am kicking microecomonics' butt, I carved a Despicable Me themed pumpkin and discovered an amazing recipe for roasted seeds, I'm preparing for the GRE next week, and I'm in the process of getting scuba certified. Phew.

Now that that is out of the way, let's talk about how lists are one of my favorite things in the world. They are how my brain chooses to function. Recently I've been asking a lot of rhetorical "is it bad.." questions. They make me laugh and so I'm documenting them here. Feel free to laugh with me or at me, I don't really care.

Is it bad that I eat nutella by the spoonful?

Is it bad that I sat home on a Friday night an watched a National Geographic special on Blood Diamonds by myself?

Is it bad that I choose comfort over cuteness every single day?

Is it bad that sometimes I hope that life as I know it will completely fall apart so that I can justify making creative, daring, don't know where this will take me choices?

Is it bad that I really like high side ponytails?

Is it bad that my taste is apparently too good for American chocolate, so I buy expensive stuff form elsewhere?

Is it bad that I find articles about the developing world so much more interesting than ones about Wall Street or the upcoming elections?

Is it bad that I often eat out alone?

Is it bad that when the temperature drops below 40 it suddenly becomes really difficult for me not to cuss?

Is it bad/immature that my favorite book of all time is Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie?

Is it bad that anytime I read Peter Pan, or Harry Potter, or Lord of the Rings or anything of the like that my brain is stuck in a fantastical state for a solid month?

Is it bad that I'm addicted to Pinterest quote boards and read blogs that belong to complete strangers?

Is it bad that occasionally I look at the facebook profiles of people I knew in high school and feel a lot better about myself?

Is it bad that I shower people in compliments and hand out the word love like it's candy for people that I don't even know that well?

Is it bad that I want a Volkswagen van more than any other material thing in existence?

Is it bad that I never want cable, and that I kind of don't even want a TV?

Is it bad that I can sit in front of a fire and be entertained for hours?

Is it bad that I actually like the taste of mate?

Is it bad that I can drink 3 Tim Tam Slams in one sitting?

Is it bad that I think about food more often than I think about my future?

Is it bad that I hold myself and those I love to really high standards?

Is it bad to post all of these things on a public blog?
Probably.
Too late.