...And the Elder's Quorum Presidency!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Merry Christmas from the Andersons!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Max Hall Turnovers

I am so disappointed. I'm still a BYU fan, but jeez louise! Eat your heart out U of U:

My Insides Are Revealed (Not as graphic as you might guess)

Spencer the poet, at IHOP


So...I started writing poetry. In Spanish.
...
AND all 3 people that have ever looked at my blog don't know Spanish. So I decided to show how horrible Google Translator is by putting the poem in Spanish, followed by the "translation" that Google provides (you're welcome people...you know you could just learn Spanish):

IN SPANISH:

Ay si supieras que estoy embadurnado de este misterio que eres tu…
Pero soy un ser tan quebradizo que no quiere tu respuesta.

Quisiera probar la savia que se esconde en tus labios
Y descubrir esa forma de ser que me tiene empatado
Siento que camino bajo la sombra de un arcoiris
Sin saber si la seguridad que siento sea fingida

Y ya que nos conocemos y todo,
Porque no dejamos de jugar monopolio
Y dejar nuestros planes estrategicos.
Porque hasta ahora,
por razones que a mí se me escapan
Razono conmigo lo que deberia confundir...
Entonces, atendamos razones
Y vamos a dejarnos por vencidos a este tumulto.
Por que ya quiero dejar la lucha.
Y me siento que sera mas favorable el saber
Que el huir
y Mucho mejor que el no saber mezquino que tengo ahora.
Tengo la solucion delante de las narices....

Ahi voy.
Te veo y no resisto.
Pero despues me pierdo en esos ojos.
Son tan grandes; literalmente son ojos mas grandes que los demas en el mundo.
Y succionan todo el atender del mundo alrededor.
No puedo mirar al vacio atras de ti,
Porque no hay nada atras de tu cara.
Pero no puedo quedarme con la mirada atontada,con los ojos dilatados tampoco.
"Es grosero", siempre me dijo mama.
Y como podria esconder una mirada fija en esos ojos??

Mereces la forma de regodearte con mi adulación exagerada?
Estoy feliz por casualidad y sin haber visto nada por tu parte para serlo.

Entonces sigo,
tratando de respirar cada vez que soples,
esperando sentir el ritmo de ti.
Es dificil tener una conversacion contigo asi,
mientras me enfoco en respirar
y me dedico en la direccion que dirigo los ojos,
queriendo saber si soy una cosa tuya escogida sin metodo
...un juego de azar.
O si tal vez pase lo mismo por tu mente tambien...

Thank you, thank you...and NOW (drumroll) in Google English:

Oh if you knew that I embadurnado of this mystery that is you ...
But I'ma be so brittle that you do not want your answer.

I would like to test the sap that hides in your lips
And discover that way if I had tied
I feel that way under the shadow of a rainbow
Without knowing whether the security they feel is feigned

And as we all know and,
Why do not we stop playing monopoly
And let our strategic plan.
Because so far, for reasons that escape me,
I Reason should confuse that with me ...
Then, look reasons
And we're going to let up in this turmoil.
For that I want to make the fight.
And I feel it will be more favorable to know
That the escape
and much better than not knowing that I mean now.
I have the solution in front of the nose ....

Ahi am going.
I see you and not resist.
But after I lost in those eyes.
They are so big, literally eyes are bigger than the rest in the world.
And suck all around the world meet.
I can not look at the empty back of you,
Because there is nothing behind your face.
But I can not stay with the stunning look, with eyes dilated, either.
"It's rude," mama always told me.
And as might hide a gaze into those eyes?

You deserve the way with my regodearte exaggerated adulation?
I am happy coincidence and without having seen anything of you for being so.

So I continue,
trying to breathe every time it blows,
waiting to feel the rhythm of you.
It's hard to have a conversation with you like that,
while I focus on breathing
and I dedicate it in the direction that leads the eyes,
wanting to know if I am something of yours without chosen method
... a game of chance.
Or maybe the same thing happens on your mind too ...

Well folks, the new issue of the Ensign has come out. This time: General Conference talks.

Sometimes I have a feeling that General Authorities are a little overzealous in their attempts to be funny or to keep our attention. I don't know if any of you remember, but a few years ago, before my mission I think, President Hinckley challenged someone to a duel in the basement. The place erupted into laughter. Then later on in the session, a seventy got up and challenged President Hinckley to a duel to begin his talk.... Nobody laughed. Another one: I can't remember when it was, but it was before my mission. To close Priesthood session, the man who gave the closing prayer mentioned how much we "love President Kimball." It must have been kind of awkward for him to open his eyes and go over and shake President HINCKLEY's hand lol. The following are my top 5 of quotes that I will never forget:

October 2005. Cheryl C. Lant when talking of children said, "Sometimes I have the luxury of immersing myself in the scriptures. Sometimes I read them in snatches. However, it doesn’t seem to matter where or when I read the scriptures; I can still carry them in my heart."

I listened to this in English while in Mexico. All I could think about was how they were going to be able to change the word "snatches", which probably isn't even a word in English, into Spanish.

April 2002. Spencer J. Condie advised the youth of the Church in his talk: "You young men will grow in stature and physical strength as you engage in folk dancing, sports, and wholesome, friendly athletic competition characterized by good sportsmanship."

Folk dancing? Folk dancing? I've NEVER known a young man to grow in stature and physical strength from folk dancing. Then again, my legs are skinnier than most guy's biceps, so I guess I can't speak from experience.

October 2007. Douglas L. Callister said in his talk that "Brigham Young said of Orson Pratt: 'If Brother Orson were chopped in inch pieces, each piece would cry out: "Mormonism is true."
Okay, that is the weirdest thing I've heard in a long time. There's no way you can spin that to make it sound better. It's just weird. And gross. If you chopped me in inch pieces, each piece would cry out: "Don't quote me in a talk."

October 2002. Colleen Menlove began her talk by exclaiming: "I like exclamation marks!"

Okay. How odd. And probably very difficult again for the foreign language translators to work with during the live broadcast. I don't have a favorite punctuation mark but I'm open to changing that. That comma really is amazing.

April 2001. Carol B. Thomas encouraged parents in her talk to "teach our children to go through their closets regularly and share their clothing while it is still in style, allowing others to dress fashionably too."

I think we all know that you don't go to DI or Salvation Army to buy fashionable clothing. (Unless pit stains and Halloween costumes are the new craze with the youngsters). Of course, maybe that's because we're not encouraging our children often enough to donate their clothing while it's still in style.

Of course, the points of their talks were wonderful. I can't have a top 10 in my favorite spiritual quotes - it would be tough to come by, due to the fact that every conference is so full of powerful, spiritual witnesses. But none will keep you awake better than the weird, awkward statements made in these same conferences. Let me know if you remember any funny, awkward moments of General Conference.

La Gratitud

Lately, I've been feeling really happy for no particular reason. I've recently gone over my journal and realized how grateful I am and SHOULD be for the things I went through there. I remember one specific experience when I was serving as a Branch President in a little town in Mexico. A younger couple wanted to talk to me. As soon as they came in you could tell that they couldn't stand each other in that moment. The wife went on to tell me how her husband was the person she least wanted to see each day. The husband told me that his wife was ugly and a bad homemaker. All I could think of the whole time was, "WOW! I sure am glad my parents at least PRETEND to like me! I really want a wife someday that can at least PRETEND to love me even when upset, and that I can do the same..."

My mission was incredible. I didn't have to knock on ONE door. The people were so ready, they came to us. Or we would contact them on the bus between appointments. Many times people would come up to us and ask, "What do I have to do to become a member of your church?" I am so grateful for a merciful Heavenly Father that is mindful of all of His children. He trusts so much in us that he is willing to let people, even as me, to be His servants. His arm is extended to me all the time, regardless of my mistakes and shortcomings. I have seen His this power in some incredible people I have met recently. I hear stories of people's dark pasts and see the lights in their eyes now. I see that they have changed because the Lord never gave up on them. It shows that I cannot judge people for who they are now, but whot they can become.

So why do I allow myself to get down on myself? Why do I live in the future instead of aspiring for it? It seems that the world nowadays thinks only in how great their lives will be when something happens for them in the future. I will be happy when the semester ends, when the weekend comes, when I graduate, when I find my true love, when I go on my mission, when I turn 16 (or 18 or 19 or 21), when I have kids, when I STOP having kids, when I have grandkids, when my work schedule clears up, when my parents give me some freedom, when the economy gets better, when I enter the temple, when I see my lover again, when I get my own car, when I get a house, when I've paid off my house, when I retire, when BYU beats University of Utah on November 22nd....instead of dreading today while looking forward to tomorrow, I should live for today and look ahead optimistically to tomorrow!

In the new testament, I love the parable of the pearl of great price. I know there are lots of ways to interpret it, but I like to see it one way. The scripture says that "the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it." The merchant man is obviously an expert. He knows his trade and is able to identify those pearls that are of most worth. I like to see this parable in this way: Christ is the merchant man. We are His pearls. He is (and was) willing to buy us after selling all he had. He gave everything to buy our salvation and our souls (ye are bought with a price)....

So why do we see ourselves so differently when we look in the mirror? Why do I see myself sometimes and think things such as, "Wow kid you're skinny", or "Holy crud you could fly with those ears of yours," :) instead of thinking and seeing the person that Christ sees? If we could only see ourselves as those pearls of great price. Instead of thinking negatively, I should be thinking of the power I have as a child of GOD. I hold His Priestood. I hold more authority than the President of the United States (take that Obama!:) ). I am loved by the single most important person that has ever walked the earth, and He knows my name.

Today marks 13 years since my sister Tami died. I wonder often what she would be like. I'm sure she'd have kids by now. Her pictures are all over our house, reminding me of her sweet smile and her kind and caring nature. I wonder what SHE thought about life and the world in general as she knew that she was on the verge of death. Did her perspective on herself change into the one that Christ had on her? Did she see herself through Christ's eyes? I really want to think so.

There is so much to be happy about in life! I know who I am and what I want. I am confident that the promises the Lord has given me will happen as long as I am faithful.

We Are Crazy.

So yeah. What would you do if you were at the top of a mountain and found a frozen lake? Well, to us the answer was obvious...

Maple Mountain Pics

Blake (President Merrell) and I went up the back side of Maple Mountain. This was 'round June I think. It was awesome!! We found a frozen lake at the top. We didn't expect snow, so that was kinda cool. I especially enjoyed sliding down the mountain on our bums on our way back.



Grandpa Anderson almost to the top. It was steep! And slippery. We
could've easily died.

There was a lake at the top! It looked cold...

Beautiful Beautiful



Beautiful Beautiful

Beautiful

I Learned Things From the Jehova's Witnesses Early Saturday Morning

The Jehovas Witnesses came to my door early Saturday morning. At first, I was ready to bible-bash and maybe answer the door with a book of mormon in hand (maybe with some reading glasses, which I don't need), or turn up BYU-TV before answering the door. I resisted temptation and was actually surprised. There was no resistance or really any message at all. They just told me they wanted me to read something and gave me an issue of AWAKE!. I was so pleasantly surprised to have an experience with the Jehova's Witness that didn't take longer than 2 hours 20 minutes (plus the fact that I didn't feel angry at the end of it) that I decided to look at the issue. I thought I might want to share the message with you:

All Suffering SOON TO END! I was surprised they knew I was doing homework and almost done with it at the time. I was also looking forward to the free pumpkins, apples, land, and pet moose that I was about to have when that suffering ended. And that extremely yellow grass looks nice and soft.

I was so excited to learn so much that I decided to look on the internet and found several other breaking news(es) about the world from the front covers of other issues...I really learned a lot!:

The plural for the word "Youth" is "Youths". I didn't know that.

I don't think my heart would have been opened enough to investigate other issues had THIS one been the message for me from the JW's that day. They didn't seem to hate me...but I guess they do.

Thank you for reminding me about daylight savings time on Sunday. I was immediately reminded of my meeting at the stake center at 7 A.M. Sunday morning. I will remember this issue when my alarm clock startles me Awake! at an early hour. At this point, I will start counting with my fingers to make sure I have the time right and don't stumble into an empty church meetinghouse, dazed and confused.

There is a Watchtower specifically for SINNERS! This made me happy because they didn't give ME the sinner issue. I wonder if they could see light in my eyes. They gave ME the message about pet moosen with a girl next to me eating fruit! :)

SO TRUE. All of the old people from that generation just WILL NOT DIE. They are creating a shortage of jobs, and ruining social security completely for their own grandkids. I will do my part for future generations and die from too much cholesterol in my system by age 80.




And now...back to suffering (homework)

Give Him Some Lovin'

I love Neal A. Maxwell. Everything he did and said inspires me. I mean, how cool do you have to be to get a book selling on Amazon called "The Neal A. Maxwell Quote Book"? His childhood was flooded with feelings of a lack of self-worth and self-esteem. He was horrible at English as a child, but near the end of his life he practically made up new words for the dictionary because he was so faithful and diligent in conquering his weaknesses.

I am reading a book for the second time called "Not My Will, But Thine" by Neal A. Maxwell. I am just so impressed with his knowledge of US as human beings and God's role with us.

I'm gonna give you one of my favorite parts. It's pretty good. If you don't like it, well you're crazy. It might seem that I took a paragraph here, a paragraph there, but this is the order it comes in. It is like two pages of the whole book. I highly recommend it to anyone. I especially like the end of this. Anyway, this would be under my favorite quotes but its way too long. I promise edification:

Mortality, this precious micro-dot on the canvas of eternity, is such a
brief moment. While in it, we are to prepare ourselves for the time when there
will be no time.

The strategic answers available to help us in this mortal moment are
awesome. Where else but in the gospel of Jesus Christ in its restored fulness
can one find the needed explanations for a God, perfect in His power and
goodness, who nevertheless permits evil and suffering? Clearly, He desires to
“set (us) us as a free people,” if we will. But will we then stay that
way?

So often in life, it seems, a blessing is quickly succeeded by a
stretching. Spiritual exhilaration is often short lived, being soon followed by
vexation, temptation, and even tribulation. Perhaps this is so because we cannot
handle exhilaration for any length of time. Or is it because we need to get on
with the next challenge, there being so little time for languishing? Or is it
that experiencing the sharp, side-by-side contrast of the sweet and the bitter,
almost continuously, is essential until the very end of this mortal experience?
Or are we at risk if in extended spiritual reveries we quickly forget the needs
of others?

Whatever the reasons, the Lord hastens us forward – submissively on to the
next work to be done. Handcarts are to be picked up again promptly, after
pausing whether for gladness or for sadness. We are to “seek” first to build up
the kingdom of God, and to establish His righteousness. But we cannot build up
the kingdom if we are tearing ourselves down. Thus we must deny ourselves
certain things as part of taking up the cross daily. Significantly, Jesus
stresses this in His Nephite Sermon on the Mount. Temple covenants provide us
with specific standards, and temple attendance with much-needed reminders of
commitments made.

Submitting, but only episodically, is a telltale sign. Such reluctance is
evidence of weak faith. So is putting off obedience. Sufficient submissiveness
to kneel now means we will not be strangers to that posture later when “every
knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ”. It will take
no faith to renounce worldly things when these are among the ashes of a melted
planet.

Meanwhile, spiritual submissiveness brings about the wiser use of our
times, talents, and gifts as compared with our laboring diligently but
conditionally to establish our own righteousness instead of the Lord’s. After
all, Lucifer was willing to work very hard, but conditionally in his own way and
for his own purposes.

Those who insist on walking their own way will find that all such paths,
however individualistic in appearance, will converge at the wide way and broad
gate – where there will be a tremendous traffic jam.

Giving place in our souls and in our schedules, making room for God’s words
and work, requires intellectual submissiveness. It requires us to be responsive
to all entreaties from the Lord, rather than being dependent upon thunderbolts
to move us, or upon being commanded in all things. Submission requires
sufficient dedication and perspiration to “try the experiment” of His gospel’s
goodness, to begin to follow Him in earnest.

When Jesus said, “Come, follow me,” it was an invitation, not a taunt.
Moreover, His firm footprints are especially recognizable. They reflect no
hesitancy, and no turning aside; they lie in a straight path. The prints are
also sunk inerasably deep into the soil of the second estate because of the
heavy burdens He bore. A portion of that depth is attributable to us,
individually, because we added to the heaviness of His pressing yoke.

So how can we have the necessary faith to be submissive if we are filled
with sharp doubts and nagging questions? Before we can submit to God and His
plan, we must be persuaded to do so voluntarily.

Whew! That took a lot longer to type than to read. Anyway, this is pretty much awesome. It says a lot to me. I get frustrated with a lot of ppl in this world. Especially cuz they don't even know they're fetchers. He shows the fetcher in all of us.

Disturbed and Purturbed

Dear girl who sits by me in Accounting class,

I always thought you were great. I didn't know your name or anything. You were exactly the good company I needed that wouldn't distract me from learning my major.

Then, about a week ago, I saw your butt.

I was walking to the parking lot after class. There you were, leaning over to take a picture of a flower on the side of the way. I began to wonder why I wasn't appreciating the natural beauty around me. So I looked over at the flowers. My attention was diverted, because your butt was showing outside of your pants. The beauty of the world rapidly vanished. The flowers in my mind were burning. I wasn't sure I'd ever hear a little child laugh again.


It wasn't a plumber's crack. It wasn't the beginning of a butt shaping from your lower back. It was roughly half of your butt I saw that day. Other passersby saw it, double-taking in shock and disbelief.

It has been a rough week. I can't talk to you anymore. Something unnatural and unexpected and uncomfortable happened between us, and I am the only one that knows it. What do I do? Should I tell you? Would it be appropriate? Or do I let it eat at me, waiting for the end of semester to come in hopes that I won't see you in any business classes again?

Please notify me as soon as possible.

-Spencer

Disclaimer to All

Hello everyone. I am extremely sarcastic sometimes. I like to complain until I get what I want. That's what my parents taught me. I write notes like crazy on Facebook but I got sick of the lack of versatility in the notes application. So here I go. I'm blogging!

Basically, my comments may not be for anyone but me. So don't take anything seriously from me. Seriously. I am hilarious if you look at things through my eyes, so just do that and there shouldn't be a problem.