October 2008 General Conference -Sunday Morning

Henry B. Eyring -Our Hearts Knit as One

• "And he commanded them that there should be no contention one with another, but that they should look forward with one eye, having one faith and one baptism, having their hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another.
• To become one is to be humble. Pride is the great enemy of unity.
• Realizing that you see others in an imperfect light will make you likely to be a little more generous in what you say. In addition to that scripture, you might remember your mother saying--mine did--"If you can't say anything good about a person, don't say anything at all."

Robert D. Hales -Christian Courage: The Price of Discipleship

• Some people mistakenly think responses such as silence, meekness, forgiveness, and bearing humble testimony are passive or weak. But to "love [our] enemies, bless them that curse [us], do good to them that hate [us], and pray for them which despitefully use [us], and persecute [us]" takes faith, strength, and, most of all, Christian courage.
• Through the years we learn that challenges to our faith are not new, and they aren't likely to disappear soon. But true disciples of Christ see opportunity in the midst of opposition.
• Opposition may be in itself an opportunity.
• More regrettable than the Church being accused of not being Christian is when Church members react to such accusations in an un-Christlike way! May our conversations with others always be marked by the fruits of the Spirit--"love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, [and] temperance."
• Meekness is not weakness. It is a badge of Christian courage.
• This is not to suggest that we compromise our principles or dilute our beliefs. We cannot change the doctrines of the restored gospel, even if teaching and obeying them makes us unpopular in the eyes of the world. Yet even as we feel to speak the word of God with boldness, we must pray to be filled with the Holy Ghost. We should never confuse boldness with Satan's counterfeit: overbearance. True disciples speak with quiet confidence, not boastful pride.
• As true disciples, our primary concern must be others; welfare, not personal vindication.
• Without guile, true disciples avoid being unduly judgmental of others' views.
• "Let us learn respect for others. ... None of us lives alone--in our city, our nation, or our world."
• Sometimes true disciples must show Christian courage by saying nothing at all.

Keith B. McMullin -God Loves and Helps All of His Children

• The ultimate help from Heavenly Father comes to us through His Son, "for God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
• How careful we must be in the use of His name. While His influence, teachings, and deliverance endear Him to us, we would do well not to speak of Him as though He were the friend next door.

Elaine S. Dalton -A Return to Virtue

• Virtue "is a pattern of thought and behavior based on high moral standards." It encompasses chastity and moral purity. Virtue begins in the heart and in the mind. It is nurtured in the home. It is the accumulation of thousands of small decisions and actions. Virtue is a word we don't hear often in today's society, but the Latin root word virtus means strength. Virtuous women and men possess a quiet dignity and inner strength. They are confident because they are worthy to receive and be guided by the Holy Ghost. President Monson has counseled: "You be the one to make a stand for right, even if you stand alone. Have the moral courage to be a light for others to follow. There is no friendship more valuable than your own clear conscience, your own moral cleanliness--and what a glorious feeling it is to know that you stand in your appointed place clean and with the confidence that you are worthy to do so."
• I truly believe that one virtuous young woman or young man, led by the Spirit, can change the world, but in order to do so, we must return to virtue.
• "The will to win is nothing without the will to prepare."
• You must never underestimate the power of your righteous influence.

M. Russell Ballard -The truth of God Shall Go Forth

• "The work of the Lord will grow slowly for a time here just as an oak grows slowly from an acorn. It will not shoot up in a day as does the sunflower that grows quickly and then dies. But thousands will join the Church here. It will be divided into more than one mission and will be one of the strongest in the Church. The work here is the smallest that it will ever be."
• "The works, and the designs, and the purposes of God cannot be frustrated, neither can they come to naught."
• "For God doth not walk in crooked paths, ... neither doth he vary from that which he hath said, therefore his paths are straight, and his course is one eternal round.
• He isn't asking us to die a martyr's death; He's asking us to live a disciple's life.
• This is not a time for the spiritually faint of heart. We cannot afford to be superficially righteous. Our testimonies must run deep, with spiritual roots firmly embedded in the rock of revelation.

Thomas S. Monson -Finding Joy in the Journey

• I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not. I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and nonexistent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey--now.
• "You pile up enough tomorrows, and you'll find you've collected a lot of empty yesterdays."
• There is no tomorrow to remember if we don't do something today.
• Rather than dwelling on the past, we should make the most of today, of the here and now, doing all we can to provide pleasant memories for the future.
• Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved.
• Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family. One day each of us will run out of tomorrows.
• Despite the changes which come into our lives and with gratitude in our hearts, may we fill our days--as much as we can--with those things which matter most. May we cherish those we hold dear and express our love to them in word and in deed.

Until you next see these words;

I'll be watching the leaves.

Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi 

A Few Hours Away

You ever have one of those days where you wake up feeling crappy?
Yah.
That was me today.
The whole sore throat, runny/stuffy nose, achy head sort of stuff.

It took me most of the morning to debate about whether or not I should get up and attempt to go to church and be social. If I should try going to just part of church, all of church....

And finally decided that I shouldn't stress myself out further.
I chose to stay home.

To just have some me time.
*exhales*
Not that I really got it.

It really does feel like I never have the apartment to myself.
I mean, two of my roommates went to church.
But the third, with her graveyard shift, ended up going to an earlier church and then came back home before our regular ward started. And came back home to watch movies and fall asleep to them.

Normally this doesn't bother me.
But I think I've hit that 'full capacity' point.
Where I just couldn't deal with the proximity of my roommates anymore.
Even with them in a different room...
I just wanted them completely out of the apartment.

*shakes head*
But as I may have mentioned before.
I can't really just kick them out of their own apartment.
I just really wish that they would get out of the apartment all at the same time for a few hours.

In any case.
I hit that proximity point of nontoleration.
And decided to take action.
By taking myself out of the apartment.

So I sent a Mayday text to my sister, asking her if I could come over to her house and lock myself in her room for a few hours and be antisocial for a bit.

As lucky her, she's actually living in a house. Where there's tons of space. Tons of area to spread out. Where the walls are thick, and you can't hear every little tiny thing that happens within the place.

Which meant, that even though she and her roommates were there.
Once I was in her room.
By myself.
With the door shut.

I instantly felt alone.
I relaxed.
Finally, an atmosphere where I could just regenerate.
After all, I am more introverted than extroverted.
So while I can deal with people everyday.
I need to have my own little quiet 'me place' where I can just be myself. Relax. Not have to worry about other people. Just recharge.

Which is what I got, going to her place.
A place to recharge for a while.
Where I could after a bit, go be social and not dread it.
Though I totally dreaded having to come back to my apartment afterwards :( *sighs*

In any case.
It was rather funny.
As I grabbed all the little things I thought I would need.
Snackage, laptop, notebooks, music, and of course a pillow and a blanket so I could cuddle up anywhere I pleased.
And just relax and do stuff.

Which, lol.
For all intents and purposes.
Made it look like I was walking over to a sleep over.
I guess one of her roommates thought as much.
As when she let me in, and I went to the kitchen to put away dinner things, and had all my stuff with me.
She asked "Are you Moving in or something?" -You know in that teasing but concerned sort of way.
And I was like "No, just getting away from my roommates for a few hours. Because they're always home."

Yah.
Definitely was the 'awayness' that I needed to get myself feeling a bit better. :)
Hopefully I can keep up the feeling for a while.
We'll have to see. :)

Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

A Long Line

Standing in line is always interesting.
Because it can either be a nuisance that leaves you frustrated and/or angry.
Or it can be a little thing, where you don't mind the wait and are content to just stand there, until you get to the front of the line.

I had to stand in two lines today.

The first one, was crazy long.
Because my Sister and I decided to go to the Provo City Center Temple open house.
I already knew that it would probably be a crazy wait.
Mostly because it was a Saturday, and people have more time to stand in line on Saturday's because many people don't work.
So I knew it would be more popular, and I was expecting to have to wait a bit.

But when Kikay and I got there....
The lady told us it was a 2 hour wait.

Did we want to wait that long?
We'd been planning to have dinner later.
Maybe we should move dinner up to being first,
And then do the tour of the temple later. As the lady said that it would be a shorter wait then.

Only the slight problem was....that I had a possible evening plan of seeing a movie with my roommates later. Who knew how long the line would be in the evening....
So we decided to stick with the 2 hour wait.
Because who knew if Kikay and I would have the time to wait later on.

Lucky us.
The line, even with the crazy ton amount of people. (like the lines for comic con, or Disney Land crazy) we were able to move through the line pretty quickly.
I have to say the bustle of voices wore thin on me pretty fast as well. Especially when we had two girls standing behind us who had those loud carrying voices, where we could hear every. single. word. of their conversation without effort.
Which was annoying. I know it wasn't on purpose. But yeesh. Keep it quiet. I can barely hear myself speak in the crowd, I don't want to hear you guys either.

Still.
We were lucky. And managed to only have to wait in line like an hour, and then we were able to do the tour in an hour. So our '2 hour wait in line' ended up being the whole thing together. Yay us!

But by the end of it, we were both tired and starving.
And wanting dinner.
But we didn't want to stand in another line to get food.
....with it being the Dinnertime Rush though.....
Anywhere we went on a Saturday would end up being busy.
So it was a matter of choosing the shortest wait.

We ended up deciding on Zupas.
But as luck would have it.
We were like 2 minutes too slow in finding parking.
And ended up getting stuck behind a sports team of guys, and a sports team of girls. Jamming up the line.
Which, great, it was a line, but we figured the line would move faster as Zupas is able to move pretty quickly....when people know what they want.
However....
What wasn't as great was the fact that people kept cutting in line in front of us.
Volleyball girls who came up after us, moved ahead of us to join their team mates.
A couple who knew another couple allowed them to cut ahead.
a family with a party who arrived later than them allowed them to cut in line to join them further up.

Which. Was decidedly uncool.
Especially since Kikay and I knew what we wanted. We would have taken like 2 seconds to get everything and go.
But Noo...
*shakes head*
If anything, if you had two parties meeting up, you'd wait at the door, or move back in line to join the latecomers. That's what I would do.
Instead, Kikay and I, and a bunch of other customers stood in line for far too long as both School Teams took forever to get their orders.
Bleh.
Thankfully we finally got our orders and were able to head back to my place, to the relatively quiet atmosphere and eat there in peace.

So,
It goes to show...
That how tolerable standing in line is....really depends on who the people standing in line around you are.
Some make it tolerable.
Others make it miserable.

But!
The Provo City Center Temple Open House was amazing!!
You guys should definitely go! It's beautiful. Heartwarming.
I wish I could have spent the rest of the day in there. :)
Because it's amazing! Such a good spirit there, even with all the people. :)

Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

By Myself

You know that quote from Harry Potter.
Where Harry was like "I'll be up in my room, making no noise and pretending I don't exist."

Yah.
That's what I kinda did today.
I just needed time to be away from people.
Which is hard to get when you live with roommates who are always around.
Considering I'm used to an apartment life style where I can depend on people to not be in the apartment for a couple of hours or so, leaving it to myself.
It's recently gotten on my nerves. The fact that I can never get more than like 10 minutes alone in the apartment....is rather wearing for me.
I like people. But there are times when I just....need to be isolated.

It doesn't mean I got that at all today.
As my roommates were all there all day today. *exhales*
So I did what I could.
Which was stay in my room.
Making no noise.
Pretending I didn't exist in the apartment setting for a while.

It was actually pretty relaxing.
Laying there.
I was content.
To just not do anything.

Not that it was quiet by any means. The roomies were audible through the thin walls/doors/vents etc.
But it was more distant.
With me being in my own space, in my room.
Being antisocial.

Because I need it.
I need time by myself to refill up my energy levels.
Today helped a bit.
Hopefully I can find more alone time to get them back up.
Because I really need it.
Alone time.
To have no one around.
At all.
The apartment to myself.

....Guess we'll see when I can manage that.....

Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

I Am With Thee

Being steadfast and immovable also means that you keep moving forward with "a steadfastness in Christ."
Several  years ago, I had the opportunity to run the Boston Marathon.
I had trained hard and felt I was prepared, but at mile 20 there are hills.
The locals call the steepest and longest hill Heartbreak Hill.
When I reached that point, I was physically spent.
The hill was long, and because I was a novice, I allowed myself to do something no seasoned runner ever does--I started to think negatively.
This slowed my pace, so I tried to think positively and visualize the finish line.
But as I did this, I suddenly realized that I was in a big city, there were thousands of people lining the route, and I had not made any arrangements to locate my husband at the end of the marathon.
I felt lost and alone, and I started to cry.
I was wearing a big red T-shirt with the word Utah printed on the front in big block letters.
As the spectators saw that I was crying, they would yell, "Keep going, Utah."
"Don't cry, Utah."
"You're almost finished, Utah."
But I knew I wasn't, and I was lost.
I also knew that even if I stopped running and dropped out of the race, I would still be lost.

Do any of you ever feel like you're running up Heartbreak Hill and that even though there are people lining the route, you are alone?
That's how I felt.
So I did what every one of you would do--I began to pray right there on that marathon route.
I told Heavenly Father that I was alone and that I was on a hill.
I told Him that I was discouraged and afraid and that I felt lost.
I asked for help and strength to be steadfast and to finish the race.
As I continued to run, these words came into my mind:

Fear not, I am with thee; oh, be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid.
I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.

That sweet answer to my prayer gave me the strength to continue on until I crossed the finish line.
And despite my fears, my husband was right there and all was well.

That day I experienced more than a marathon.
I learned some important lessons.
First of all, never wear a big red shift with the word Utah printed on it.
Second, I learned that no matter how well prepared you think you are, there are hills on the course.
I learned that people cheering for you along the way are absolutely essential.
I learned again that day that we are never alone.
Our Heavenly Father is only a prayer away, and the Holy Ghost is within whispering distance.

Elaine S. Dalton -At All Times, in All Things, and in All Places -April 2008 General Conference

Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

Facing the Whirlwind

You've probably heard the saying that goes along the lines of "Help someone else and it will help yourself."

Well, funnily enough....I had that happen to me a couple of days ago.

I'd had a rough day.
I'd just worked an 8 hour shift all by myself because my coworker who was supposed to be with me called in sick. Leaving me alone.
It was all very handable. I did what I needed to do.
Which meant that I didn't get everything I needed to get done done.
But all the important "you can't hand this off to other people when they come in." Stuff got done.

So I was alright with that.
Mostly because I wasn't focusing on the work problem. That one is going to be a never ending one that pops up time and time again. And most of the time I can handle it.

No, I was focused on something else that day.
The possibility of finally being able to find an apartment where I could move in and live by myself for the first time without breaking the bank in order to do so.
If you read my post yesterday, you know how well that experience went.
Aka. Not very well.

Basically as soon as I walked in the doors to tour the place, I was gut punched with changes in the rent price from what was online. (apparently a special happening this month only or something, but they should SAY THAT ON THEIR WEBSITE!) Pulling it up another $200 making it so that even without all the other add ons like $20 for parking, $99 for internet/cable $$$ for all the utilities....I wouldn't be able to afford to live in such a place and actually have money left over for anything else.
But I had to play it cool. Do the stupid tour anyway, my heart being crushed further and further with every step I took.
Because I'd really talked myself up about this place. I'd convinced myself that I would be able to live here. That if it felt right, I would choose to live here. I would finally be able to move into this place and call it home once my current apartment contract ended.
So yah, it was a hard slap by reality that hit me that day.

And I suppose it was a 'tipping' point.
Just one setback too many.
Just one stress too much.
Just one...whatever it was.

But it devastated me.
Still is a bit devastating really.
To once again have a plan fall through. *sighs* This is why I don't like making plans. Because it feels like it always falls through when it involves what I want. What I need. What I think should happen.

Devastating.

And it was....like nobody cared.
Ha. I guess I'm a bit too good at hiding my hurt from others.
I'd bring it up. And they'd be like "Oh that's too bad...maybe next time."

Which I'm So. Tired. Of. Hearing.
But they didn't understand, couldn't know how much this actually was hurting me. How much I was disappointed that this plan did not work. That I was not okay even though I was trying to play it off as okay.

Yah, lots of tears were shed in my room.
References to my woes made on Facebook and Twitter.
You know in the good vague sort of way....

In any case.

Like the day before my disastrous apartment visit.
I'd been working on posting quotes I liked from General Conference on Twitter.

Posting things to help uplift other people who might need to see something positive in their feeds.
Admittedly...lol once I write down the quote and post it....I kinda just move onto the next thing. I don't really think about it.

Skip forward to the day after the disastrous visit.
Where I was still upset. Because I hadn't slept well. I felt close to tears all day long, and barely managed to appear alright at work.
(yah, it really made me off kilter this set back. Probably a full moon sort of woe playing with my emotions.)

And then I checked my mail.
And noticed that I had three notifications from Twitter

Which meant that something I'd posted had been found and liked, retweeted, or started a conversation.

So I checked.
And three different people had liked/retweeted the same tweet of mine.

It was from Elder Andersen's April 2014 General Conference Talk this particular quote.

And it said:

 Don't let the whirlwinds drag you down.

It's funny.
I don't even really remember posting this particular tweet.
And I don't know if the three people who liked it even were aware of my problem.
But it was the little boost I needed.
I needed them to draw my attention to that post.
As it basically kicked me into a different gear.
To start getting back on my feet.
To drag myself up out of my funk.
And find some positive energy again.
To start working my way back into again figuring out what I'm going to do about my apartment situation.

Don't let the whirlwinds drag you down.

Don't let the whirlwinds drag you down.

Don't let the whirlwinds drag you down.

Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

My Own Apartment Complex

To preface this....
Looking for an apartment sucks.
Seriously it does.
Especially if you're ready, after 8 years of roommates, to finally move out and live by yourself.
Especially if you're working in a retail job.

Because guess what?
Unless I want to use up an entire month's worth of paychecks to pay one month's worth of rent. And not be able to save money, not be able to buy food, not be able to have anything extra in case there other problems like you know...problems with the car.
I can't afford such a living.
It's completely foolhardy to go for such a thing.
Yet that's basically the cost of rent in my area. Seriously. Why?

My frustration stems from this problem....
Is that it's not just rent you end up having to pay for when you're renting an apartment. No it's renter's insurance. It's utilities. If you're lucky it's just gas and electricity. If you're not then it's water, trash, sewer, who knows what else. It's paying extra in order to get an internet connection, to get cable. It's paying extra to be even able to park at your apartment complex!

It's the most greedy thing ever! Forcing you to pay money for all these little extras when you're already paying to live there. Why force you to pay more? Why try to milk as much money out of your renters as possible?
It's stupid. Completely greedy stupid.

Especially if you're living in a college town.
Where people are poorer than dirt, working retail jobs to make ends meet, to go to school. To get their degrees.
Why make their life miserable in adding rent on top of that?
Why?

Why isn't there affordable housing for those people who don't want to live with roommates, who just want to be out on their own?

So.
I've decided.
When I get rich (you know from when that book I will eventually write and get famous from.)
I'm going to build my own apartment complex.
And I'm going to make it amazing.
It's not going to be some inexpensive super flimsy walls that let in every sound sort of deal.
No, they will be thicker walls/floors/ceilings. Like two feet thick or something.
(I'll get the contractor to tell me how thick of walls need to be to be nearly soundproof.)
The windows will be thicker too. So you don't hear every single little thing that happens outside the window.
The rooms will be tall. Have those 9ft ceilings everyone is always raving about.
The kitchen will come with all the necessary things. Fridge, Stove, Oven, Microwave, Dishwasher (a good kind, not the crappy ones that require you to clean the dishes before you can clean them.), and lots and lots of counter space. Lots of drawer and cupboard space for your food and dishes. A nice pantry.
You know. Space.
A good sized living room. You know where you can comfortably put a three seater and two seater couch in there. A TV without it feeling cramped.
(Who knows how big this floorplan will be in the end, but at this point, why not?)
The dining room....
I so hate having the kitchen and the living room all part of the same floorplan. I mean, the noise of the dishwasher alone, the sink being on, or trying to cook a meal....It drowns out the TV.
So there has to be a way to arrange it so that the apartment will still feel spacious without it causing a lot of noise from the kitchen area.
The bedroom would be big enough to fit like a Queen size bed. A desk. A bookcase.
A walk in closet would create the space needed for clothes.
Laundry. Oh yes. A washer and dryer in every apartment. Probably in that Walk In Closet, so you don't have an excuse not to put your clothes away once they're clean.
Then the bathroom would have a sink, toilet, a tub/shower deal. With enough space to not make it feel cramped.

Yes. Super nice apartment.
Ground floor would have their own mini yards (probably couldn't afford to do more than like 6-10 square feet?) to let their dogs outside.
Floors above would have a deck, wide enough to fit two deck chairs, maybe a small grill.

Parking? I'm thinking underground for tenants. Above ground for visitors.

So.
I probably won't furnish the place, beyond providing the kitchen appliances and washer/dryer.

But paying for utilities? Already included in the rent.
Paying for a parking spot? Nonexistent. You get a sticker to show you belong there. An assigned parking spot.
I'll probably have to figure out some sort of system for towing cars that shouldn't be parked in my complex. *shrugs* We'll figure that out when we get to that point.
Paying for internet/cable? Included in the rent. Maybe I'll invest in a Netflix account for all the apartments....hmmmmm that's something to look into....*shrugs*

I'll have security cameras. Special keys, possibly even locked buildings. At night I'd hire a security guard to walk the premises.
The office hours would be Monday-Saturday. 9am-9pm (without closing early) so that my tenants can come with problems at any time.

Pets?
Sure. Bring them in. I'll give you permission to keep two animals without extra charge. But after that, I'll add in a little fee. Like $5-$15 extra depending on the size of the animal they bring in.
(I'll have to enforce a way to make sure their dogs are quiet...if they bring dogs.)

And guess what?
Rent will be affordable.
Why? Because I'll already be rich. I'll be making money in other places. I won't mind pushing money into my apartment complex.

And because I would own the place, I can afford to be as picky with my tenants as I want.
Which would probably basically be "No smoking, no drinking, no drugs, no wild parties, no weapons." and I can hold the right to evict them if they break this contract.
Yes...probably need to brush up on rules on what I can and can't be picky about before I get into all that...

But back to rent.
I know I can pick and choose my tenants based on how much money they make in a month, based on their credit history, based on their past history in paying rent to other places.

So why not use that to my advantage?
I know apartments already vary their prices depending on the size of their rooms. More for bigger, less for smaller.
So I'll do the same.
But the system would be different.
Since I can request to see four weeks worth of rent I can see how much money you make in a month.
I can build my apartments to be different sizes.
Everything is included. But perhaps the bedroom would only be able to fit a twin bed instead of a Queen. *shrugs* The rooms would be smaller...so you'd be paying less in any case.

So that those part time retail workers will be able to afford to live in a nice place without having to find a second job. (and the smaller apartments would only be available for part time workers, who make under a certain amount a month.)
Depending on where I end up building my Apartment complex....
I would go around and get a general idea of how much money part time employees can make in a month, and then charge half of that as rent.

For the bigger apartments?
How about like $800 a month? Those apartments geared towards the full-time workers, who are still in the lower end of things. Perhaps full-time retail or something...
(Can I choose my tenants based on what type of jobs they hold? hmm....)

I could have prequalifiers. "Must be a Student to live here." "Must have a job to live here."
I could also have rewards. $100 off monthly rent if you're a full-time  student.

But even more importantly.
I wouldn't raise the rent on my tenants who have already been there a while.
Perhaps I'll start the rent at $800.
My lease would follow other leases. You know... 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months. Doesn't matter how long you sign the lease for, rent will always start out at the $800 mark.
But the longer you stay, the less rent becomes. Say like every 6 months you stay in my complex -and don't destroy my apartment/keep it in good condition- I'll lower the rent. Probably something like $50. So if you stay a year, you would be paying a $100 less. (maybe I'll have to lower it to $25 off every six months...hmmm...)
In any case. The longer you stay, the better for you because the lower the cost of rent!
Of course I'll have a cut off. (Can't have you living there for free after all.) Like once you reach $500 a month, it won't get any lower than that. I still need some money to make the repairs that inevitably will need to happen.
Every six months I could check out the apartment. And if I decide repairs are needed, then rent won't go down that six month period. You'll be paying to have the apartment fixed by keeping the rent at the same rate... yah...something like that.

Maybe I'll have a rewards system too....like report a problem in your apartment to me before I discover it and I won't hold it against you the first time. (accidents happen.) (repeat offenses may expect a fine...or eviction if they're bad enough.)

Sounds pretty good doesn't it?

Yah. Everything provided. Rent covers the cost of everything. And that rent can go down the longer you stay in my complex and you're good to my apartment I'm renting to you.


Admittedly, when I get rich. when I build this apartment complex.
It could all backfire on me.
Things could go horribly wrong.
I'm aware of that.
There are probably hundreds of thousands of unseen problems to renting out an apartment complex in this manner.
Perhaps I'll have to marry a business minded man to be ensure I have the right permits and follow the right laws and such....

But why not try it out? Why not see how this goes?
Why not give those people a chance?

Like I said. When I get rich.
It won't matter if I make money off of the complex.
I'll already be making money through other ways.
What will matter is that I'll give the young adults in today's world a chance to save money. To be able to save for college, for that car, for that dream home. Without worrying about how they're going to live in their current apartment.

Perhaps it's an idea that will fall flat on its face.
But I won't know until I try it out right? :)

Ha.
Now I'll have a response to that 'fun' question of "What do you plan for your future?"
Well dear questioner, my plan is to get rich through publishing a book (or seven) and with my money earned build an affordable apartment complex for the single part-time working class in our country. :)

Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

October 2008 General Conference -Priesthood Session

Richard G. Scott -Honor the Priesthood and Use It Well

• The family proclamation states that a husband and wife should be equal partners. I feel assured that every wife in the Church would welcome that opportunity and support it. Whether it occurs or not depends upon the husband. Many husbands practice equal partnership with their companion to the benefit of both and the blessing of their children. However, many do not. I encourage any man who is reluctant to develop an equal partnership with his wife to obey the counsel inspired by the Lord and do it. Equal partnership yields its greatest benefit when both husband and wife seek the will of the Lord in making important decisions for themselves and for their family.
• As a bishop, when you counsel with a husband and wife who are in marital difficulty, do you give the same credence to the statements of the woman that you do to the man? As I travel throughout the world, I find that some women are shortchanged in that a priesthood leader is more persuaded by a son rather than a daughter of Father in Heaven. That imbalance simply must never occur.
• The purpose of priesthood authority is to give, to serve, to lift, to inspire--not to exercise unrighteous control or force. In some cultures, tradition places a man in a role to dominate, control, and regulate all family affairs. That is not the way of the Lord. In some places the wife is almost owned by her husband, as if she were another of his personal possessions. That is a cruel, unproductive, mistaken vision of marriage encouraged by Lucifer that every priesthood holder must reject. It is founded on the false premise that a man is somehow superior to a woman. Nothing could be father from the truth. The scriptures confirm that Father in Heaven saved His greatest, most splendid, supreme creation, woman, to the end. Only after all else was completed was woman created. Only then was the work pronounced complete and good.
• Of our wives, mothers, grandmothers, and sisters and other important women in our lives, President Hinckley declared: "Of all the creations of the Almighty, there is none more beautiful, none more inspiring than a lovely daughter of God who walks in virtue with an understanding of why she should do so, who honors and respects her body as a thing sacred and divine, who cultivates her mind and constantly enlarges the horizon of her understanding, who nurtures her spirit with everlasting truth."
• By divine design a woman is fundamentally different from a man in many ways. She is compassionate and seeks the interests of others around her. However, that compassionate nature can become overwhelming for women who identify far more to accomplish than they can possibly do, even with the help of the Lord. Some become discouraged because they do not feel they are doing all they should do. I believe this is a feeling that many worthy, effective, devoted women of the Church experience.
• As a husband, when you sense that your wife needs lifting, hold her in your arms and tell her how much you love her. May each of us ever be tender and appreciative of the special women who enrich our lives.
• You shouldn't have to lose your priesthood to appreciate it more fully.

Jay E. Jensen -Arms of Safety

• Each priesthood holder should remember that he is acting on behalf of the Lord and be reverent and dignified.
• True servants of Jesus Christ are properly groomed and dressed, reflecting always His standards and not the worldly drift of casualness. Having every detail carefully attended to ensures that the Spirit of the Lord will be present. The dress or appearance of those administering the sacrament should not be a distraction for those who are earnestly seeking the blessings of the infinite Atonement.
• It is a privilege to hold the priesthood: "It is a commission to serve, a privilege to lift, and an opportunity to bless the lives of others."
• "For some reason, we think the Atonement of Christ applies only at the end of mortal life to redemption from the Fall, from spiritual death. It is much more than that. It is an ever-present power to call upon in everyday life. When we are racked or harrowed up or tormented by guilt or burdened with grief, He can heal us. While we do not fully understand how the Atonement of Christ was made, we can experience 'the peace of God, which passeth all understanding.'"

James J. Hamula -Winning the War against Evil

• "Being left to choose good or evil," they "[chose] good" and exhibited "exceedingly great faith" and "good works."
• With God's kingdom restored to the earth and your entry into the world, Satan knows that "he hath but a short time." Therefore, Satan is marshalling every resource at his disposal to entice you into transgression. He knows that if he can draw you into transgression, he may prevent you from serving a fulltime mission, marrying in the temple, and securing your future children in the faith, all of which weakens not only you but the Church. He knows that nothing can overthrow God's kingdom "save it [be] the transgression of [his] people." Make no mistake about it--the focus of his war is now on you--you who seek to "keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ."
• So, as we enter the final climactic stages of the war against Satan, be sober, my young friends. Understand that you cannot partake of drugs, alcohol, or tobacco. You cannot participate in pornography or other immoral activity. You cannot lie, cheat, or steal. You cannot use false, demeaning, or dirty language. You cannot deface your body with tattoos and other piercings. You cannot do these things and be victorious in the battle for your own soul, let alone be a valiant warrior in the great struggle for the souls of all the rest of our Father's children.

Dieter F. Uchtdorf -Lift Where You Stand

• "Lift where you stand."
• However, there are those who sometimes struggle with this concept. And when they do, they seemed to fall into one of two camps: either they seek to lead, or they seek to hide. They covet a crown or a cave.
• Those who seek to lead may feel they are capable of doing more than what they are currently asked to do. Some might think, "If only I were a bishop, I could make a difference." They believe that their abilities far surpass their calling. Perhaps if they were in an important position of leadership, they would work hard at making a difference. But they wonder, "What possible influence can I have as merely a home teacher or a counselor in the quorum presidency?"
• Those who seek to hide may feel that they are too busy to serve in the Church. When the chapel needs to be cleaned, when the Mendez family needs help moving, when the bishop calls them to teach a class, they always seem to have a ready excuse.
• "The Lord expects each of us to have a calling in His Church so that others may be blessed by our talents and influence."
• Oddly enough, often the root cause of both of these tendencies--seeking to lead or seeking to hide--may be the same: selfishness.
• The Lord judges so very differently from the way we do. He is pleased with the noble servant, not with the self-serving noble.
• When we stand close together and lift where we stand, when we care more for the glory of the kingdom of God than for our own prestige or pleasure, we can accomplish so much more.
• No calling is beneath us. Every calling provides an opportunity to serve and to grow.
• God knows what is best for us.

Henry B. Eyring -O Ye That Embark

• "And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on  your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up."
• Time and again over your life, the Lord has been giving you the experiences to build strength, courage, and determination. He knew how much you would need that to serve Him.

Thomas S. Monson -To Learn, to Do, to Be

• When there's a will, there's a way.
• "Do your duty, that is best; leave unto the Lord the rest."
• Learn what we should learn, do what we should do, and be what we should be.

Until you next read these words;

I'll be watching the leaves.

Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

 

Why This Group?

Today I was able to finally meet all but two of my Online Missionary committee at church.
As we had decided to meet up, to figure out what in the world we would do to be able to fulfill our calling to be online missionaries.

*shakes head*
I was the only girl in that meeting.
-We had two missing who were also girls-
But the other half dozen people in the room?
All guys.

Which was great odds for me personally. One girl with six guys.
I should be able to get a date out of that shouldn't I? ;) haha.

In any case.

I understand that God helps you to magnify your callings, help your weaknesses become strengths.
But boy....there is a lot of weakness here.
Not to be harsh...just an observation.

Because in my experience with guys....
They aren't the most active on social media.
Of course there are exceptions to every generalization.
There are guys who are constantly online doing things.

But my group?
Not so much.
We went around, saying what social media platforms they use.
And the guys all basically said "Facebook, but I only check it every now and then."

....yah....We're going to have a long way to go....

Like I said....honestly, I understand that weaknesses can be made into strengths. And this group of online missionaries I'm in charge of could become the best online missionary group ever.

Yet...
I have to wonder,
Why more girls weren't called to be online missionaries.
Because girls are way more social with other people online and in person. They're more likely to reach out to others and find friendships.

It's also....if we were to have an active online presence....
I think a good solution would have been to look online and see who in the ward is the most active in their postings. Who has an actual 'presence' online.
As if they're already online....already comfortable with their social platforms.
Then it would be a lot easier to establish a good ground work for online missionary work.

After all the premise so far is simple.
Reach out to others, Reconnect, Share light (positive things.) online, and just be a force of good in the online community.

So...
this is going to be an interesting group....things aren't always simple, or reasons clear as to why people are called to their callings when they seem inadequate.

Definitely going to be interesting.
At least the group all seems to be keen on at least trying. Keen on fulfilling their callings.
So there's that at least. :)

Here's to this interesting adventure. ;)

Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

The Fish Bug

It's taken a while.
But I think, my parents have once again caught the bug.
The fish tank bug.

You see, growing up we went through three or four cycles of owning fish tanks.
Where we'd start with one....then get another, and another, and another.
Until we basically had fishtanks in every room of the house....
And then we'd tire of them,
Slowly get rid of them.
Get down to just one or two or none.
And catch the bug again, and we'd be up to multiple fish tanks once more in hardly any time at all.

We've had a long lull in fish tanks at my parents place.
I feel like sometime while I was away at college, we got rid of the last of the tanks.
And hadn't had any since that point.

I mean, in college I've almost always had a small fish tank.
Most of the time just enough room for a single betta.

But at home?
Yah.
Nothing.

Until like...last year? For mother's day.
When my MotherDearest requested a betta as a gift. :)
Which I happily obliged in getting her. :)

That was the start. In a way.
Though no by means the catalyst I suppose. lol.

In any case, a couple of weeks ago,
My Daddoo set up a small tank of his that he'd found at the D.I. Basically only big enough for a betta.

Yet, it wasn't even a week later, maybe like two or three days? lol. That I heard the news he'd gotten a much bigger fish tank. One that my Aunt was selling. A 35 gallon tank.
Which is a big jump from the little one gallons my parents now both have on either side of their bed.

But oh.
I'm oh so jealous of them.
Its no secret that for like the past two years I've been wanting to get myself a big fish tank.
A 125 gallon to be specific.

But due to living in an apartment, specifically student housing, I'm lucky to be able to get away with two small betta tanks.
Having more than that....
Yah. I don't think it would go over so well.

But to have a tank, any tank that could hold more than just one fish. Like a dozen or so fish, I think at this point in time I would be content with.
Which is why I'm a bit enamored with my Daddoo's tank. As it's BIGGER! :)
It's really too bad that I don't get the opportunity to go home much anymore. :( As I really want to just curl up in a chair by that fishtank and watch the fish swimming about for a while. :)

lol, in any case.
The fish bug didn't end there. ;)

As today, my parents made the drive down to get one more fish tank. :)
A 10 gallon, as my Daddoo wanted to upgrade his little tank by his bed.

:) So he's fully recaught the fish bug now. lol :)
And I believe Mother Dearest is catching it too.
She took over my Daddoo's little tank, putting a few of her favorite fish in it.

But I can only wonder if its a matter of time before she too will upgrade her little tanks into a bigger tank. lol. :)

I wouldn't mind it if she did.

I'm totally jealous of both of them for being able to have bigger fish tanks.
Soon. Though.
Hopefully Soon, once my contract with my current place is up, I'll be able to move into a place that won't be soo.....disapproving of larger tanks, that I'll finally be able to get a larger one of my own.
I dunno if I'll be able to get my dream 125 gallon tank until I settle down into a place that is a bit more....permanent.... but I could get a larger tank like a 35 or 45 maybe even a 60 gallon.

Until that point.
I'm going to be quietly wishing I had access to a webcam directed to my parents fish tanks. So I too could enjoy them. lol.
I guess I'll just have to find a good reason to head home again soon. ;)

Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

The Problem Arm

It's the little things that get you in trouble.
Those things that you don't even think about.
Hardly remember doing.
But it's the one domino to bring everything else down.

I've probably already done a blog post about this a while ago...but if not here's the story with a continuation of the problems.

So, waaaaay back before Thanksgiving I was making dinner.
Cooking bacon I think.
And wouldn't you know it.
My finger happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
And I burnt myself.
Oops.
I had the brief thought to place my finger under cold water. Might have even done it, but I can't remember for sure. I don't think I did. Because I always say I didn't.
In any case. I was in the middle of not burning my bacon.
So I continued on.
Thinking nothing more of the burn.

Cue somewhere around the same time.
At work, I ended up banging my elbow in the place multiple times in a row.
And it ended up hurting. Getting a little swollen.
I suppose I hit it just right....
But you could definitely feel a specific lump there.
And....as time passed.....it got bigger more feelable.

So.
Fast forward a couple of weeks.
Like the first week of December or so.
I took a weekend off to head home.
-I needed to use up some extra vacation time-
And it would be nice to take a break from scrubbing those fish tanks at work for a few days.

But while I was there...
My finger totally killed.
Like it ached, it was swollen, it was painful to the touch.

And wasn't getting better.
A little more time passed.
It was suggested that I might need to pop the area on my finger.
And get whatever puss/inflammation or whatever was in there, out.
Which I did.
And since I now had an open area on my finger.
I wrapped it up nice and snug in a Band-Aid with Neosporin to comfort it and get it better.

Only....
It wasn't getting better.
And just after Christmas.
I decided to have it checked out.
Because I was starting to get smaller reddened areas, three of them to be exact,
a little beyond the main burn.
Which. Was. Not. Good.
I knew what that meant.
It meant that whatever was wrong with my finger was spreading. The infection  was going elsewhere.
Never a good sign.
So I went and saw a Doctor.
Who prescribed a specific cream for that sort of burn/inflammation for me to use for a couple of weeks.
And if it didn't get better....well then I might need to see a Dermatologist for my problem.
At that same time, right before I saw the Doctor, I also started getting lumps on my arm. Just one on each side of my elbow. I wasn't sure what it was, but since my arm there was still tender, I thought maybe it was swelling or something. but didn't think it was anything to mention to the doctor. After all, I could have just hit my elbow there as well, and it was being irritated.

So for a couple of weeks....I did that. Put the cream on.
It was at the same point I went on my cruise.
And while I was on that cruise.
I noticed that the bumps by my elbow....were spreading.
Going in a line up my arm, towards my armpit. Four bumps. :S
Which I could only assume (cus I took anatomy in college) were that my lymphnodes were swelling up.
And if they were swelling up...then that wasn't good because that meant infection.
And there I was....in the middle of a cruise outside of the United States. :S

But thankfully... my Daddoo had brought some medicine with him, that were an anti-inflammatory or something like that. An antibiotic? I don't remember.
So I took that while on the cruise.
Along with spreading my cream on my finger.

Wondering if they were at all connected.
Because the finger is so far away from the elbow.
and I had no swollen lymphnodes on my forearm...

But. The medicine I had.
Wasn't helping.
So my Daddoo told me to go see a Doctor, again.

As soon as possible, after the cruise, I went up and saw my Cousin, who is a doctor.
And she recommended putting me on an antibiotic for like 10 days.
To see if that would help.
Mostly focused on the lymphnodes. But it could help a bit with my finger as well.

So for like two weeks after that.
I had to take take that medicine. Which was annoying in part because I'm a grazer/snacker. I eat little things throughout the day.
And the medicine had to be taken on an empty stomach.
Which meant I needed to take it either half an hour before I ate, or two hours after I ate.
So. Hard. To. Do. *shakes head*
But.
I managed.

And all the while I was still working at the PetStore.
But, I was careful to not get my finger dirty. -As I'd been forbidden to wear band aids as they can make it difficult for the skin to breathe and spread the inflammation.
But working in a petstore it wasn't like I could go around with my hand unprotected.
So for like a month and a half straight, I wore a single glove on the hand that had the burn.
(Ended up getting Called Michael more than once when the managers finally noticed what I was doing.)

The antibiotics seemed to work.
The swelling in the lymphnodes of my arm went down a bit. The swelling in my elbow also went down. And the redness of my finger also faded.

But....didn't disappear completely. >.<
Everything was still there.

Less obvious.
But still there.

And then.
Like three days after coming off the meds....
I ended up having an allergic reaction.
Had to go back to my cousin, to see if we could figure out what it was.
(No idea. I'm not aware of being allergic to anything....though I have decided it might have been a reaction to a particular bunch of tomatoes I'd recently bought...)
So once more, I was on drugs. Steroids of some sort this time if I recall correctly.
To get rid of the red spots that were covering me from basically head to toe.

That was like a week of meds.
Happened like two weeks ago that I took the last dosage?

And all the while....
My arm was slowly getting better.
Noticeably my finger was finally becoming less red, less swollen, healing! Yay!
The swelling in my elbow, basically gone.
But the lymphnodes?
Yah. Still feelable, still swollen.
The largest one is healing, though it got more red and scaley first, like a burn, but has healed even as it's gotten a bit more tender.

I don't know if it's just from how long I've had to deal with this, or something changed over the past week.
But then my arm has started getting achy.
In the elbow and shoulder.
Like I've been using it too much, though I haven't been using it at all.

In any case.
Since my hand was finally healing.
I've felt comfortable to go gloveless in the store now.
(Yay. It was sooo annoying.)
But, since I still had everything healing....
I've been careful to avoid scrubbing tanks with that arm. As I don't want to get another infection because all those problems haven't healed yet.
My poor right arm is getting soo tired of scrubbing tanks without my left arm's help.

In the meantime.
My Daddoo and my Cousin met up at my Daddoo's art event.
And got to talking about my arm.
As they're both in the medical field.

And finally decided....That they think they know why my arm is taking forever to heal.

Apparently.
In fish tanks.
There's a bacteria of some sort that exists there.
And can be spread to humans,
via contact through cuts or burns.
And it can be very difficult to remove quickly.
Especially because the symptoms appear to look like other problems, and those problems are treated first, while the bacteria isn't treated or something like that.
In any case. It's not a noticeable diagnosis. Or one people would think of.

But is common to fish tank owners, or in my case, pet store workers.

And if the problem goes untreated....it can cause more and more problems to appear.
Cue my paranoia. *shakes head*

So who knows if all the random little things I've been experiencing the past little while are all connected due to that bacteria. or just some of them.
More than likely all my arm problems are due to it.
I just hope none of the other random little things, like being a little more achy after work....are part of it.

In any case.
The decision was made that I should probably call my Cousin and get on some new antibiotics. Stronger ones. To help scourge the bacteria infection away if my arm wasn't noticeably improving.

And while I can see a difference in how my arm looks.
Other people who don't see it everyday, don't see a difference.
Which isn't good.

So today, I called my cousin, and had her prescribe me these medicines.
*sighs* It's another couple of weeks of having to take meds on an empty stomach. Boo. >.<
But at least this batch I only have to do once a day instead of twice, so it makes it easier.
I just have to remember that I can't eat anything dairy related for the first four hours after I take the meds.
Which since I basically only eat cheese....isn't a problem. Especially since I don't currently have any cheese to eat....

So. I get to start these new meds tomorrow.
I could have started them today.
But it's a lot easier to take the meds in the morning when I wake up, before work, as I don't eat right away when I wake up. So that will make things easier on me, especially considering I work at the same time everyday this week, it will help me stay consistent on taking the meds every 24 hours.

Here's to hoping that this time it works.
That I can finally get rid of this problem and be able to work without any restrictions at the end of it. :)

Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi