Slow Time

There I was, asleep.
Or trying to sleep.
For some reason, I hadn't fallen 'deeply asleep yet.'
I'd gone to bed like two hours before,
and it took me a moment to realize that my dreams weren't totally my dreams.
I was hearing voices.
Loud voices.
Drawn back into wakefulness.
I realized, that the loud voices, were coming from outside.
I glanced at my clock. It was nearly 1:30am in the morning.
And the people outside were acting like it was bright and sunny outside.
Like really. They were loud.
Shouting, laughing, talking at the top of their voices.
It sounded like a full out party happening below my window.
-and this window wasn't on the ground floor.
It was only a group of 6ish people when I finally stumbled to a place where I could see who was outside.
I was like. "Seriously? You had to pick right outside my window to have a little mini crazy party?"
Then I was like "Totally cool guys, I would join you if I didn't have to get up in 4 hours!"
And then I went back to bed.
Listening to them talking, trying to block out the sound and not succeeding.
Really, I'm not exaggerating this.
But part of the problem is, that our windows are super thin. Even with them firmly shut, it's like they're wide open.

In any case. I laid there in bed, deliberating about going to the balcony and yelling down at them to please go away so I could get some sleep.
And failing at finding a polite way to do that.
Finally, I decided to just pray. It was a quick thing.
"Heavenly Father, please make the people outside be quiet."  

And surprisingly enough. Almost immediately right after the words ran through my mind,
I heard the group outside making their goodbyes.
Probably half of them left right then.
While the others, idk if they left, but they got quieter after that point.

It was such a surprise gratification for me, and brought immediate comfort to my exhausted mind, that I fell asleep soon after. ^^
Yay for answers to prayers! :D

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

The Dream

I was racing with my brother to get to a particular house, or a racing starting point maybe, but I ended up missing the street I needed to take, in my car. I thought that turning down the next street would get me on the right path, but when I turned down, it turned out to be a very rickety dirt road. I say rickety because the road was part dirt path, part wood boards like a pier. I'd ended up in a poorer district of town, which looked a bit like my neighborhood, but 'junkified' And I was in the back behind my house. I hit a dead end, of a fence blocking my exit. So I got out of my car to deal with the blockage -since the street was too narrow to turn around- and I ended up pushing my bike up and out of the gate that leads from my backyard. In our front yard stood my manager Reci, who was visiting Reth. I knew it was Reth's house I was behind, and I'd been trying to get out of the pickle that I was in without her knowing that I had been back there....
I was at work, doing tasks, when I glanced at the clock which told me that it was time for me to go clock out, but while making my way through the old library/newlibrary building, a group of three boys came up to me, wanting to know if I had...an old farming sort of device used for irrigation, they weren't going to use it for that purpose, but they did need it -which was like a long sheet of metal with ripples in it.- I thought that we did, and so I lead them into a side room, that was half outside half not, and showed them the old farming tool sitting in the grass. It was what they were looking for, though they didn't know if they wanted to buy it or not. I left them, and realized, that I had clocked out like 15-30 minutes before and had just spent 15-30mins helping a customer, and I wanted to get paid for that, so I headed back to the clock in room, temporarily getting distracted when our new manager Cint held up a long sleeved version of our new shirts, that had grey sleeves with a blue main body. She asked what I was still doing here, and I told her that I couldn't remember if I'd actually clocked out, as I was waaay over my clock out time, (my clock kept reading almost 7 and I'd been supposed to clock out at like 330, but I knew that wasn't quite right hence why I wanted to see if I'd clocked out or not.) and if I had, then I needed to add in some customer service time, if I didn't...I really needed to clock out....

Then the unholy tones of daylight pulled me away....
and I became myself again. :)

-S.N.D

A New Hero

I dislike summer.
Odd as that is, since my birthday happens to fall in summer....

Okay, overall, I actually am alright with summer. I mostly dislike the 'hot' hot temperatures. Like....anything over 80 degrees.

However, there is something else I really really really dislike about summer.

All the shows on tv....end.
They have their grand finales in the spring time,
and walla!
Nothing.
Nothing until Fall.
>.<

I've never understood this logic.
I mean, it's SUMMER
As in. Hey look, All the kids from elementary to college don't have school!
Which means, hey, they can stay up late, they have a ton of free time...
Why not do the good shows during the summer when people have Time to watch it?

>.<
Instead. We get reruns.
*yawns*
On the bright side, that means more time outside, more time socializing, more vacations.....
*shrugs*

But I bring up this topic for one simple reason.
There's a new show coming out.
....In the fall.
As in, not during the summer. >.<
Boo.

But it's looking awesome!
And if you're into super heroes. It might just be your type of show!

And it's a tv show, that's going to be about one of my favorite supers.

>.>
<.<
The Flash.

....You mean the guy that just runs really fast?
Yes.
Him.

Don't ask me why I like him.
I'm not sure, there was just something that caught my attention...and I just like him.

AND THEY'RE DOING A TV SERIES ON HIM!!!
Sooo excited. I mean, I've been waiting forever for a Flash movie to come out,
But a TV series?
Ohhhhh I hope it's good.

And I have no reason to believe otherwise.
As the same guys who made the Arrow TV Series (The Green Arrow, Superhero, My current favorite TV show....which also isn't running over the summer >.< grrr.)
Are in charge of making The Flash.

And so far. :)
It looks good!
I can't wait!

Here's what I'm talking about. :D

Cool right?
I think it's super cool ^^
Plus, The Arrow is in it!! :D
-Fun fact, Flash -before he was flash- was introduced on Arrow for a couple of episodes in season 2. So it's super great that the Arrow has a part in Flash as well. ^^
It leaves the door wide open for crossovers and such.

Sooo while you're waiting for The Flash,
You can always spend the summer watching the 2 seasons of Arrow. ^^

I can't wait! ^^

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

Mamma Moment

The story is told of "the six-year-old who got lost from his mother in a large supermarket [and] began to call frantically, 'Martha, Martha.'
When the mother was found and they were reunited, she said, 'Honey, you should not call me Martha' I am "Mother" to you,' to which the little fellow rejoined, 'Yes, I know, but the store was full of mothers and I wanted mine.'"

Ben. B. Banks -"Feed My Sheep" -October 1999 General Conference

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

Waiting on the Edge

So there we were, me and my family, hiking out in the middle of the desert.
Away from people.
-Okay, mostly away, National Parks always have people somewhere.

We were heading out, back to the car, before a threatening storm hit us.
As hiking on wet sandstone...not fun.

But, we took a slight detour.

As two years ago, when my Dad and I made the same hike, we discovered this cool little crevice.
And since we had the rest of the family with us, we figured we show them that cool spot. :D

So over we hiked, and in the narrow canyon way we went. ^^

It's not a long canyon, but it pieters out in a Y shape. With two different ways we could take.
A narrow way, and a narrower way.
I had been of the mind to try out the narrower way, and to send my family up the narrow way.

But then, my dad was like "Wait, I want to take a picture of all of you down there, wait a second."
So there we sat, waiting for my dad to come up and around to take a picture of us at the Y, crossroads.

A picture of the crevice.
We were standing at the point.
The route on the left side of the picture is the narrower way.
The route on the right side of the picture is the narrow way.

Dad, was taking forever.
So for fun, I grabbed onto the nobby part (the pointed triangle you see) and pulled myself up, basically to show that I could, before dropping back down.

I'd thought that he was going to come up along the right side of the crevice (right side in the picture)
But instead, he decided to come up on the left.

And it's a good thing he did.
Because as he jumped over the narrower way,
He said oh so matter of factly.
"Hey, There's a rattlesnake."

For a moment I thought he was kidding.
A rattlesnake? In Arches National Park?
Ha!
Never seen one there.

He wasn't kidding.

No, camped out right by the exit to the narrow way out of the crevice, was a rattlesnake.

We literally could have been struck in the head, or on the hand if we placed them in the wrong spot in the wrong moment.

But.
We didn't.

As my Dad had made the decision to get a picture of us in the crevice.
As he had decided to come up on the left side of the picture instead of the right.

And saw.

 

This is a picture of him, after Dad urged him gently to move away from our exit with his walking stick.

 

It's actually rather amazing that Dad noticed him at all.

As, this rattlesnake, is reddishpink just like the Red Rocks it lives in.

 

I mean, I had lifted myself up to get a view outside of the crevice just minutes before and hadn't noticed him.

Of course...I hadn't been looking for snakes. Just at the view in the distance.

 

But seriously. Scary. I mean, we could have been hurt. :S

 

Luckily we weren't. ^^

And with a quick jaunt over to the visitor center,

we found out that this rattlesnake is a midget faded rattlesnake.



They only get to be about 3feet long at the max, and as they get older, their pattern fades.
The rangers at the center also told us that the midget faded rattlesnake is a bit more docile then some of its cousins. More likely to run away instead of strike at people.

Still doesn't mean it wouldn't have attacked us had we appeared right in front of it suddenly. :S

But, thankfully, that didn't happen. :D

We got to see something we hadn't seen before in Arches, without any harm coming to us or the snake. :)

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

ARCHES ARCHES EVERYWHERE!!!

I may or may not have driven my family crazy this past weekend.
 
Why?
 
Because most of the words that came out of my mouth went along the lines of:
*points* "I bet there are Arches over there!"
"I wonder what's hiding over there."
"Look an Arch! Let's hike to it!"
"Do you think there are Arches there?"
"But let's go there! There's Arches over there!"
 
Yah, I was a bit obsessive about Arches.
-Not that that comes to a surprise to any of you guys, as I mentioned I was obsessing over them a few days ago. Enough that I stayed up waaay too late to look them up.
 
In any case.
That was most of the trip.
Arches. Arches. Arches. LET ME GO SEE THEM!! :D
 
lol. So we did.
Below are a few of the arches I was able to take pictures of (and find the pictures of when I put them on my computer.)
 

Unknown Arch Name along Delicate Arch Trail
 

Unknown Arch Name along Delicate Arch Trail
 

Delicate Arch!
 

Different View of Delicate Arch
 

A Third View of Delicate Arch
 

...My family always refers to this as Peekaboo Arch on Delicate Arch Trail. Not Sure of It's Real Name
 

Possibly Pine Tree Arch -Side Trail To Landscape Arch
 

Tunnel Arch -unsure Which one It's supposed to Be. -Side Trail to Landscape Arch
 

Pet Arch (don't ask me why it's called that) By Dark Angel
 

Possibly A far view of Crystal Arch on Side Trail to Pine Tree Arch from Landscape Arch Trail
 

Pine Tree Arch -Side Trail from Landscape Arch Trail
 

Pine Tree Arch different view.
 

Maybe a small view of Partition Arch, or a different Arch entirely.
 

Private Arch -On Primitive Loop to Dark Angel
 

Double O Arch - Trail to Dark Angel
 

Navajo Arch -Side Trail up from Landscape Arch. One of my Favorite Arches. :D
 

Landscape Arch! :D
 

Box Arch -Primitive Trail to Dark Angel
 

Private Arch -Different View
 

Unknown Arch Name -Primitive Trail Loop
 

Shadow Box Arch -Across from Double O Arch
 

Shadow Box Arch again.
 

Unknown Arch Name in front of Black Arch view point
-Any hole in the rock that is 3 feet or longer is considered to be an arch.
-Took tons of pictures of Arches like these...didn't post just...cus it's a lot of pictures. :D
 

Black Arch -Dark Angel Main Trail.
-I'm positive I could find this arch from the Primitive Trail Loop. >.> *New Goal* To Go into it. Not just stare at it from the View Point.
 

Partition Arch -Just up from Landscape Arch.
 

A Different View of Partition Arch
 

Pothole Arch -On the Road to the Windows Section
 

"Double Arch" -My Family calls it Triple Arch. -Windows Section (Also a Favorite Arch of Mine)
 

Elephant Arch -Windows Section
 
 

Back view of 'Double Arch', North Window, Turret Arch -Windows Section. (I had closer pictures of North Window, and Turret Arch, but they couldn't be found when I looked for them. O.o)
 

Unknown Arch Name of Arch in Sego Canyon (not in Arches National Park
 



 

Box Arch -Different View

Unknown Arch Name -Dark Angel Trail

 



 South Window -From Delicate Arch Trail

 

My family probably hopes that this trip helped with my obsession.

It didn't.

They may actually need to refer me to 'Arches Anonymous' ;) lol

However, until they actually sign me up for that.... I've discovered a new life Goal. :D

 

I want to take a picture of Every. Single. Arch. In Arches National Park!! ^^

 

It should be easy enough....There are only over 2,000 of them. ^^;;

And most of them...are probably only around 3 feet wide. :S

Yikes!

 

But it should be an adventure!

 

...I just need to get down there again.....

Soon.

Hopefully. :D

...as soon as I can find the time off, and a buddy to drag through the desert with me. ^^;;

 

Until you next read these words;

I'll be watching the leaves.

Enjoy the day!

 

-Sarnic Dirchi

 

 

October 1999 General Conference Priesthood Session

Joseph B. Wirthlin -Growing into the Priesthood

• The Lord has His eye upon you. He loves you. He knows you. He knows your triumphs and your trials, your successes and your heartaches.
• He knows that at times you may look at the challenges you may face and may think they're too big to handle. He is, however, willing and ready to help you grow into the men you are to become.
• You may think at times the duties you have as Aaronic Priesthood bearers are insignificant or unimportant, but I assure you they are not.
• First, place Heavenly Father first in your life.
• Because your Heavenly Father is perfect, you can have complete faith in Him. You can trust Him. You can keep His commandments by continually striving to do so.
• "[God] never will institute an ordinance or give a commandment to His people that is not calculated in its nature to promote that happiness which He has designed, and which will not end in the greatest amount of good and glory to those who become the recipients of his law and ordinances."
• God's commandments are not given to limit or punish us. They are exercises that create character and sanctify souls. If we disregard them, we become spiritually flabby and weak and without defense. If we keep them, we can become spiritual giants, strong and gold in righteousness.
• Second, come unto Christ and follow Him as your Savior and Redeemer.
• Third, nurture the companionship of the Holy Ghost.
• The promptings of the Holy Ghost may come to you in a still, small voice. You cannot grow into the man you must become unless you first rise above the things of the world that clamor for your attention.
• The failure to live a clean and chaste life deadens the promptings of the Spirit. Take your thoughts to higher levels than the vulgar and immoral.
• Fourth, love and revere Joseph Smith as the great prophet of the Restoration.
• Fifth, love, follow, and be loyal to God's living prophet.
• "I have every reason to regard you," said President Gordon B. Hinckley, "as the greatest generation we've ever had in this Church--notwithstanding all the temptations which you face."
• That does not mean you will not face your share of heartache, challenges, and trial.

Richard C. Edgley -"Behold the Man"

• "Behold the man!" Yes, Jesus is the man. He possesses all characteristics of the true, ideal man. His ways, not Satan's ways, lead to manhood. Anyone who believes otherwise is already tangling himself up in the everlasting chains of Satan's deception.
• There is no manhood in succumbing to Satan. There is no manhood in being defeated by his principles.
• I suppose it is natural for us to equate strength, machoism, and maybe even boisterous and aggressive behavior with manhood. However, the attributes of true manhood are not necessarily physical.
• "We wrestle not against flesh and blood [which is not the real test of manhood], but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness." Real courage includes standing against the evil one, even when we stand alone, often feeling the disdain and the ridicule of others. This is courage. This is strength. This is manhood, and it can be tough.
• Some burdens that we are called to bear are so heavy that we can only conquer them through humility, submissiveness, and contrition. That sounds like a contradiction, doesn't it--gaining strength and power through humility, submissiveness, and contrition. But that is one of the great ironies of life--we can receive power beyond our natural ability by submitting our will to the Father. We all fall victim to the tempter to some degree. Sometimes we even get entangled in serious transgression--transgression that has eternal consequences. Those who have committed serious transgression must follow the carefully planned path of repentance provide by the Savior and often directed by a bishop or stake president. This becomes the true test of manhood, and not all are man enough to meet this challenge.
• You can describe a man in inches, pounds, complexion, or physique. But you measure a man by character, compassion, integrity, tenderness, and principle. Simply stated, the measures of a man are embedded in his heart and soul, not in his physical attributes. But they can be viewed in conduct and demeanor. The qualities of manhood are so often evident in this thing we call countenance.
• Satan has his man and God has His man, and Satan has his characteristics of manhood and God has His. Satan would present his characteristics as the true measurement of manhood and God's criteria as weak and wimpy. But one must understand that Satan's criteria will almost always be the easiest and the wimpiest. Satan's way takes no courage, no character, no personal strength, and it proves no manhood at all.
• Moses, in a moment of both motivation and rebuke, charged the Israelites, "Who is on the Lord's side?" What he was really asking was, "Whose man are you, anyway?"

H. Bruce Stucki -The Faith of a Sparrow: Faith and Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ

• We should strive to be in His presence and to respond to His call, yet many of us lack the faith and the trust to come unto the Lord when He calls. He is calling us today to be faithful and to trust Him, that He might feed us.

James E. Faust -Of Seeds and Soils

• "Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves--It must needs be that this a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding."
• The miracles of modern technology have brought efficiency into our lives in ways not dreamed of a generation ago, yet with this new technology has come a deluge of new challenges to our morals and our values. Some tend to rely more on technology than on theology.
• We also need to prepare our own seedbed of faith. To do this we need to plow the soil through daily humble prayer, asking for strength and forgiveness. We need to harrow the soil by overcoming our feelings of pride. We need to prepare the seedbed by keeping the commandments to the best of our ability. We need to be honest with the Lord in the payment of our tithing and our other offerings. We need to be worthy and able to call forth the great powers of the priesthood to bless ourselves, our families, and others for whom we have responsibility. There is no better place for the spiritual seeds of our faith to be nurtured than within the hallowed sanctuaries of our temples and in our homes.
• "If the world is going to be saved, we have to do it."
• We cannot be ashamed of the doctrine because it is not popular or socially acceptable. We must not apologize for what has been revealed through our prophets in our time. It is the word of the Lord of the world. There is always a price to be paid if we are to have a witness of this holy work. There is always a trial of our faith.

Thomas S. Monson -Priesthood Power

• I hope with all my heart and soul that every young man who receives the priesthood will honor that priesthood and be true to the trust which is conveyed when it is conferred.
• "Do your duty; that is best. Leave unto the Lord the rest."
• Miracles are everywhere to be found when priesthood callings are magnified. When faith replaces doubt, when selfless service eliminates selfish striving, the power of God brings to pass His purposes.

Gordon B. Hinckley -Why We Do Some of the Things We Do

• The Church is an ecclesiastical organization. It is an eleemosynary society. It is concerned primarily with worship of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our great mission is to testify of His living reality. We should not be involved with anything not in harmony with this major objective. We should be involved with whatever is in harmony with this objective.
• We are obligated not only to learn of ecclesiastical matters but also of secular matters.
• If we cannot give to all, why should we give to any? The answer is that if we cannot give to all, let us give to as many as we can.
• I hasten to add that we deal only with those legislative matters which are of a strictly moral nature or which directly affect the welfare of the Church. We have opposed gambling and liquor and will continue to do so. We regard it as not only our right but our duty to oppose those forces which we feel undermine the moral fiber of society. Much of our effort, a very great deal of it, is in association with others whose interests are similar. We have worked with Jewish groups, Catholics, Muslims, Protestants, and those of no particular religious affiliation, in coalitions formed to advocate positions on vital moral issues.
• God-sanctioned marriage between a man and a woman has been the basis of civilization for thousands of years. There is no justification to redefine what marriage is. Such is not our right, and those who try will find themselves answerable to God.
• Some portray legalization of so-called same-sex marriage as a civil right. This is not a matter of civil rights; it is a matter of morality. Others question our constitutional right as a church to raise our voice on an issue that is of critical importance to the future of the family. We believe that defending this sacred institution by working to preserve traditional marriage lies clearly within our religious and constitutional prerogatives. Indeed, we are compelled by our doctrine to speak out.
• Nevertheless, and I emphasize this, I wish to say that our opposition to attempts to legalize same-sex marriage should never be interpreted as justification for hatred, intolerance, or abuse of those who profess homosexual tendencies, either individually or as a group. As I said from this pulpit one year ago, our hearts reach out to those who refer to themselves as gays and lesbians. We love and honor them as sons and daughters of God. They are welcome in the Church. It is expected, however, that they follow the same God-given rules of conduct that apply to everyone else whether single or married.
• We shall go forward and never flag or be deterred in our efforts to build this kingdom and establish righteousness in the earth.  

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

The Dream

...involved scenes from the season finale of Once Upon a Time, and the recent book I read, Cruel Beauty.

-S.N.D

A Mother's Influence

The influence of your mother will bless you throughout life, especially when you serve as a missionary.
Long years ago, Elder Frank Croft was serving in the state of Alabama.
While preaching to the people, he was forcefully abducted by a vicious gang, to be whipped and lashed across his bare back.
Elder Croft was ordered to remove his coat and shirt before he was tied to a tree.
As he did so, a letter he had recently received from his mother fell to the ground.
The vile leader of the gang picked up the letter.
Elder Croft closed his eyes and uttered a silent prayer.
The attacker read the letter from Elder Croft's mother.
From a copy of that letter, I quote:

"My beloved son, ... remember the words of the Savior when He said, ... 'Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsely for my name's sake.
Rejoice and be exceedingly glad for you will have your reward in Heaven for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.'
Also remember the Savior upon the cross suffering from the sins of the world when He had uttered these immortal words, 'Father forgive them, for they know what they do.'
Surely, my boy, they who are mistreating you ... know not what they do or they would not do it.
Sometime, somewhere, they will understand and then they will regret their action and they will honor you for the glorious work you are doing.
So be patient, my son, love those who mistreat you and say all manner of evil against you and the Lord will bless you and magnify you.
... Remember also, my son, that day and night, your mother is praying for you."

Elder Croft watched the hateful man as he studied the letter.
He would read a line or two, then sit and ponder.
He arose to approach his captive.
The man said: "Feller, you must have a wonderful mother.
You see, I once had one, too."
Then, addressing the mob, he said: "Men, after reading this Mormon's mother's letter, I just can't go ahead with the job.
Maybe we had better let him go."
Elder Croft was released without harm.

Russell M. Nelson -Our Sacred Duty to Honor Women -April 1999 General Conference

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

Editor's Note: As a Heads Up, I will probably not be posting for the next couple of days. VACA!!!! Red Rocks Here I Come! :D