I'm a Mormon and I Love My Life!

It's Easter Sunday, and I'm sick. Most likely just an awful cold that I'll get over this next week. I've been wanting to do an entry like this for a while, but never could find the time to sit down and say exactly what I wanted to say.

Thank goodness for colds.

I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have been "LDS" all my life and I have been extremely blessed. Easter is a great time to think about my Savior, Jesus Christ, who is the director of this great work on earth. It is because of Him that we will all have the opportunity to return to live with Him and our Heavenly Father someday. How blessed I feel with this knowledge of a Heavenly Father and Savior who love me and know me personally.

I don't smoke, drink alcohol, and I believe in abstain

ing from sex until marriage. But those are just a few aspects of my religion. I also believe in being kind to others and showing charity to friends and strangers. I believe in honesty and acting with integrity at all times (even if the outcome would be less desirable). I believe that marriage is a sacred union, one not to be taken lightly. I know, that makes me quite the freak in the eyes of this world.

But guess what. I don't care.

In a time when people are scrambling around, desperate to know the answers to life's greatest questions, I know exactly why I'm here. I'm here to learn, to receive a physical body, and live a worthy life wherein I become the best person I can be and help others to do the same. Have I reached perfection? Nope. Do I plan on it? Nope. I know there was only one perfect person to live on this earth, and that was my Savior, Jesus Christ. However, I CAN dedicate my life to following His example and doing my best to become like Him. That is all that is asked of me. Seems pretty reasonable.

I feel that members of my religion come under a lot of scrutiny. More so than most other religions. You might feel this is deserved. I mean, we have the audacity to send representatives of our church out to tell other people about our faith (that was my sarcastic voice. See? Not perfect just yet!). I order to understand why we do this, let me ask you a few questions:

Have you ever gone to a store where the service and goods were superb?

Or eaten at a restaurant where the food was extremely delicious?

Have you ever read a book that you just loved? Maybe you even found it to be life changing?

Our first instinct is to tell people about great things that happen to us. I can't tell you how many times I've made recommendations to friends based on great experiences I've had. So, when I have access to a religion that I know provides many answers to heart felt questions, and is organized in the same way Jesus Christ established when He was on the earth, and has been the source of so much happiness in my own life. . . I'm going to tell people about it. I'm going to tell everyone about it. Shoot, I'm even going to blog about it.

The truthfulness of the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been confirmed in my heart time and time again. To deny what I KNOW to be true would be to deny all that I am and all that I hope to be.

And yeah, there are a lot of haters out there. A lot. And they are welcome to their opinions, just as I'm welcome to mine. I do get a little upset when the haters take their ignorant assumptions and try to tear down my faith. I've been a member of my faith for 3o years. I know a thing or two. Probably a lot more than someone who looked at a couple articles online and jumped to some pretty hasty conclusions based on the hasty conclusions someone else came to.

I'll end by telling you my conclusions. That my Savior, Jesus Christ, rose from the dead, and it is because of this miracle that some day all of us will be resurrected. That Jesus Christ Atoned for my sins, and the sins of everyone on this earth, and that by following His example, we can someday return to the presence of our loving Heavenly Father.

For more information on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, please visit mormon.org

My Chemical Romance!

My favorite band is My Chemical Romance.

There. You see? You just made a snap judgement. Stop that.

No, I'm unabashedly interested in this band, and I don't look or act like the "typical" MCR fan. They came to Salt Lake City last night and performed at "The Venue." The place is so small, and I was so close (I mean, really, any place is close in the Venue) I could have chucked my cell phone at any member of the band.
The concert was amazing! There are really no Stephanie Meyer-esque adjectives to describe the experience or the performance. (Gerard Way's vocals were like velvet?) Kristina, my friend Rachel, and myself waited in line in the chill Utah air for about an hour. The types of people we saw really spanned the gamut. From gals wearing fluorescent tutus to guys with more piercings than I have limbs, and the age spectrum was all over the place. Some parents brought their kids, but most teenagers were just dumped off on the sidewalk.
Anyway, I don't feel you're interested in a play by play of the evening, so I will simply record the various realizations I had during the concert:
1. I am totally attracted to men with charisma. That's probably why I dig actors so much, because they command a stage. It's brilliant! However, my eyes did not just drift to Gerard Way (as I thought they would), but I was very impressed with Ray Toro (the guitarist) as well. He smiled so many times through the show.
2. I would be friends with Ray Toro.
3. If you want to jump up and down in a crowd like that, you must all jump up and down. It stops working if the people you are pressed against don't want to jump.
4. I was the only one (not a parent) that was wearing a watch on the floor.
5. Non-conformists will do anything the band tells them to do. And they'll do it all together. And they'll do it happily and excitedly. Ha! Gotcha!
6. Mosh pits that form around me turn me into a violent, angry sort of person. I was so mad with the pressing and pushing crowd already, that I punched a guy in the back after a girl next to me got trampled by their stupid moshing.
7. I love the band, I dislike most of the fans. I felt it was kind of like the feelings I have for snowboarders. I will tolerate their presence, but they'd better not be rude or cut me off, or that is it!
8. Some people are dumb enough to take their elementary aged children to a concert like this. Poor form, people.
9. This is a great band live. I've heard so many artists and bands really suck it up when they don't have all the fancy equipment to make their voices sound on key. These guys were fantastic.
10. Singing my favorite song ever, "I'm Not Okay," at the top of my lungs, while reaching out to My Chemical Romance, who is 15 feet away from me, while jumping in sync with the gal next to me, and sweating like I do after an hour on the stair climber, feeling like I'm sitting in a hot tub, and looking in a similar fashion, was some of the best 3+ minutes of my life.

So. . . you should like My Chemical Romance. They're a nice band.