About Me

How does one even begin one of these?

I'm an Arizonan for life (unless you count my 2 years in Europe/Asia. Also a pretty someone might change my mind about staying in Arizona for life, but that'll be up for debate). It is the grandest state. Though I was born and started school in Mesa, my home and heart are in the rural area of the Gila Valley, the Duncan Valley to be specific. I'm just happy to be an American. I'm sure I'd be happy anywhere in this amazing country.

I was raised a Duncan Wildkat. After graduating high school, I attended Eastern Arizona College for a while before being accepted into the College of Pharmacy at the University of Arizona, and I suppose that now I'm learning to spell it right - W-I-L-D-C-A-T.

Duncan used to be the Punkin' Rollers. Though cliche and a (unique, fun) spelling error, this is a step up. I'm proud to be a Wildkat.

I'm also proud to be a University of Arizona Wildcat.

While in Duncan I grew up working most summers on my grandfather's farm growing mostly cotton, alfalfa, and pumpkins along with occasional chili and corn or whatever else. Mostly I just picked up rocks and hoed weeds, occasionally driving a tractor or helped with irrigation. I helped my other grandfather out a bit on his pig farm. That's the "From Farm" part. Now that I'm in the College of Pharmacy, it's becoming one of my passions. That's the "To Pharm" part. I look forward to where this interesting path can take me. I love using my knowledge of health and medication to help people get and stay healthy. I'm not the smartest, but I try to make up for it with heart and hard work which I got from my rural farm life. As much as I respect those who work hard at that life, it just wasn't for me.

(Eventually, I'm going to get a photo of me in my white coat standing in or near a cotton field. Don't hold your breath, though.)

I've developed many passions over my quarter-of-a-century-plus lifetime. More than anything I'm just an all-around nerd. I don't know everything about all of the things in which I'm interested, but I like being interested in a lot of things.  I've grown up playing and watching sports of all kinds. I love to read, and I'm finally getting around to writing (like this blog). I like music and can play the piano and sing with some slightly above average talent (assuming the average is pretty low). I'm not much of a cook, but I certainly like to eat. I love languages and travel, or at least the idea. I like a lot of the typical nerdy things, too: Star Wars, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Star Trek, the Marvel and DC Comic Universes, video games, and a lot more I'm sure that I'm forgetting. But you get the picture. Heck, just follow my Pinterest account and you'll get an idea.

If you can't read/see the shirt, it's of Han Solo and it says, "I'm in it for the money."

Above and beyond everything that I've described so far, I believe that I am a son of God. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly referred to as "the Mormons". My faith is a large part of who I am, and probably the most important. Nothing else in my life really matters compared to the importance of the Gospel. I firmly believe in a loving Heavenly Father who sent His Son to be the prime example and perform an infinite Atonement. Jesus Christ is my personal Savior. Thanks to Him, the path to return to live with God (and our families) in eternal happiness is possible. This is why I try my best to keep the commandments which have been given for our benefit. I'm not perfect, but Christ was and is, just like our Heavenly Father. And because He was perfect, I have the chance to become like Them.

"The Book of Mormon is true." I served my church mission in Novosibirsk, Russia.

Much of this blog will be about my religious experiences, spiritual insights, and missionary service, but it will also include other aspects of my life. I will share experiences from the world of pharmacy (so long as it doesn't breach HIPAA) and my nerdy adventures (or, you know, lack thereof, because at my heart I'm an introvert that is just as comfortable experiencing something from my couch as I am out there in the big, scary world). I'll probably share my opinions about some things, and maybe some of them will be controversial or you won't agree with me exactly. So long as you can respect me, I will respect you. I'm mostly just writing to get my thoughts out there instead of bottling them up inside. So thanks for at least giving me a read. Have a good day, week, life, whatever and God bless.