natalie update

Well, I worked on a little video the other day. It's a pretty simple on about a girl named Natalie that was diagnosed with Juvenal Onset Diabetes. I'm pretty sure I've written about her in the past.

Well, I just checked online to see how the donations for the Step for the Cure was going. Let's just say that they are well above 100% of their goal.

It makes me really happy to see that there are still people in the world that can take a need of someone and take the time to donate, contribute and even in a small way, take the time to make a difference in someone's life. From all the pictures that I got from Devany (mom), I can tell that this girl is adorable. She seems to be so energetic and life-loving. What a neat thing for me to take part in.

Tonight I made some new friends. They are friends of friends who are now just friends. But as we got ready for bed, which as you can tell, I'm not being very good about being in seeing as it just passed 5:00 am as I sit here Facebook stalking and typing away, we discussed our favorite passages of scripture. I pulled out a scripture that is so dear to my heart, that I don't often share it... and since I only have 2 readers, I thought I would share with you what insight I get from a simple and overtly overlooked one.

And thus the Lord caused stones to shine in darkness, to give light unto men, women, and children, that they might not cross the great waters in darkness.

Now, the first time that I share this scripture with others, they read it, and stop, dazed and confused. So let's do the back story:

Mahonri Moriancumer (Commonly referred to in the scriptures as the 'brother of Jared') had a dilemma. He was commanded of the Lord to build a ship. One unlike ANYTHING anyone of the time had seen. It was to be built for a long journey across the ocean and thus had to be windowless and air tight. But with this comes a lack of light. So BoJ tells the Lord that he sees a problem, and the Lord, in His infinite wisdom, doesn't fix the problem, but rather asks BoJ what to do. He quickly devises a plan and tells the Lord:

I know, O Lord, that thou hast all power, and can do whatsoever thou wilt for the benefit of man; therefore touch these stones...

Here's what's so cool. He does it. With His finger, he touches the stones and they glow. It totally works! God didn't solve BoJ's problem with some light from the heavens to come down and sit in the middle of the ship. No. First he let BoJ figure out a good plan in which he used other stones. God being the Father of all wisdom and knowledge, prepared them so that they would be the source of light unto the people.

God uses people to bring His light into the world of darkness. He let's us find the light from those who are around us. Strength from our family or friends. Kindness from a stranger. Help from a leader. Love from God through a fellow man.

So I ask you this: What are your stones? What brings you strength? What has God put in your life that truly brings peace and God's love? Think about it for a moment. You can come back to reading in just a moment.

[Intermission]

Now, there is only one more thing that I leave you with. A question so vital to our own happiness. One that is a thousand times more important than the ones previously stated...

Are YOU a stone in someone else's life?

I hope that in this small gesture of creating a simple movie for a cause that would have otherwise just passed me by, that I have been a source of light, if only for a moment, to this wonderful family. I pray that I have helped someone feel the love of God, and the life changing light and warmth it brings. God is in the details, and we are the details.

the red coats are coming.

Dear Boston,

My name is Morgan. It's nice to meet you.

Thank you for your wonderful falafel. They are super tasty.

Although it was hot, I am thankful that you were so kind as to have fountains for us to run though.

Tomorrow will be fun and we won't be tired from traveling. Thanks for letting us stay.

Sincerely,
Mojo

but a banana in your ear

Our new song for the trip: Put a Banana in your Ear. Don't ask.

We said a sad farewell to Eric and Kate, and we were on the road again for Albany!

We had a fun stop at an historical landmark for my church. It was pretty sweet. Kirtland, OH baby! I know, for most of you, that doesn't mean much, but for members of my church it's pretty freakin' sweet. That's kinda the birthplace and there were some cool things that happened there. Feel free to check it out. We did.

We went and had a tour given by the sister missionaries. One from Hawaii (who could easily take Grant on in a teasing war. I was impressed) and one from Orem, so like neighbors.

I took some pics, but they are on the camera... in the car...

Elektra (the receptionist at the hotel) recommended a restaurant for us in Albany, but we got lost a little bit. So we walked down this street and found this AWESOME Chinese place called Awesome Wok Chinese. Yeah. That's how you know it's good.

rain, rain, go away

(Cincinnati, OH) Day two may have started a little rainier than we had expected... Oh well. I guess you can't win them all.

Although I think we are running into this storm a lot on the trip. And when I say run into a lot, I really mean, get in the middle and follow it all the way to Boston. It rained at the hotel last night while we were sleeping and then we drove right into the heart of it.

I'm a little worried about the baseball game in Boston though. We have tickets for the Sox Vs. Yankees game in Boston (Fenway Park) on Saturday. As you can see, with the whole "driving with the storm" party we are having, I'm scared the extremely expensive tickets are going to go up in smoke... or rainy haze as the case may be.

I'm pretty amazed at how much rain there is here. And it comes with NO WARNING. About ten times today alone, we have been hit with sudden POURING rain. It's so bad that we can't really see out the car. It's amazing. I was Google Talking with Sallee while in the smooshed (Spell check is really angry with that, but offers no real help or suggestions) back seat of Grant's car and she too reminisced on the awe of how quickly they come and how mysteriously they seem to appear AND vanish.

Notable Landmarks passed today? Well let's see...

Iowa: None, although there was quoting of Field of Dreams ('Is this Heaven?' 'No, It's Iowa.')

Okay I lie. There was that exciting part where I-80 turned slightly to the right, but it was fleeting and we were back to going in a strait line.

Although we did pass one awesome place of note on our trip today...

Yes, the exit for Knox College. Ah, the memories... *Sallee's Memories plus the one time I came out to visit*

We're staying with Eric and Kate whose picture I stole from their blog. They are totally awesome for letting us stay with them. We even got a tour ("tu-er" NOT "tore". "Uuuu" sound, like in pOO). This is the first time we've seen them since the move to Cincinnati: A city whose name I learned how to spell today while trying to find it in the GPS... after about 30 incorrect spellings. They have a great place and live in a very lively city. It seems like a huge place (with 2 Million people, it should) but the area they live in is quaint enough to still be labeled as comfortably rural-urban.

seop #4: road to boston

Well readers, the time has come for the final Summer Of Epic Proportions trips (number 4): The final and big shebang. Road trip to Boston!

For those of you who don’t know why Boston, I’m headed to help my friend Grant move in to the housing at MIT. He’s there to do his PhD. I know. Smarty pants.

We’re driving across country in a little car packed to the brim with stuff. It’s a pretty funny sight to see. There is barely room for the three of us driving out there. The back seat is pretty cramped, but all withstanding, it’s pretty fun.

Awesome.

We have some pretty big plans for the trip, including New York, Niagra Falls, DC and a tour of the White House. Oh yeah baby!

So my friend Frances is living in DC and I sent a text to let her know that we were going to be in town. I was hoping to meet up with her one of the days and go to lunch or just chill. We are going to be in DC on the weekend so I thought that would work out pretty well. It worked out better that well. After a few texts talking about plans, Frances told us that we could crash with her. That’s going to be way better than the plans we had. Sa-weet!

operation codename: boot

Natalie is back from her surgery, and she came with a new, boring, fun-killing toy... a boot.

Well, after we told her that her new nickname was "Boot" and that her boot's nickname was "Fun-Killing Boot," we got to work making sure that this boot could rock out. (The name of "Fun-Killing Boot" comes from the fact that Natalie was going to come to the GSL with us, but she couldn't because she can't get the boot or her foot wet. Boring. Fun Kill...)

Here was my contribution tonight:

The picture doesn't quite do it justice. Yes, those are freaking awesome flames coming out of FKB. My logo is the M in the corner. Yes, it's on fire too. Awesome.

Natalie is going to be just fine. She just needs some time to have a little R&R.

an soep reunion

'Twas a Summer of Epic Proportions reunion! We drove to Magna and saw Urka (Erica) in her play at the Empress Theater. The play was Once Upon a Mattress. It was awesome. And don't you worry, we all wore our SOEP shirts. Each of the cast members, including Erika, told us how distracting it was to look into the audience and see a complete row of BRIGHT YELLOW shirts as seen below:
A delightful reunion followed by IHOP. Mmmm... Pancakes...

soep trip #3

You know, looking back on my blog posts, I didn't ever really write about Yellowstone, which was the inaugural Summer Of Epic Proportions trips, but I'm sure when I get some time, I'll write about it. But for now, trip 3: buoyancy.

We (2.0 et al) took a trip to the Great Salt Lake. For those of you who do NOT know about the GSL, you will be pleased to learn that it is one of the most salty bodies of water in the world. That being said, only one organism can live there. Brine Shrimp.

These little buggers are a delicious treat for most fish, but since the water is so salty in the GSL, they seem to thrive without the natural predator. They are tiny and if you are not looking for them, you won't see them, but in the lake, THEY ARE EVERYWHERE AND NUMBER IN THE MILLIONS! It's kinda gross to swim with them (including the stink of the lake), but that is in fact what we did.

We had stemware with bottles of sparkling apple cider and other good beverages. We got out in the water, and watched the sun set as we drank cider and played. One would think that as soon as you got out far enough, it would be hard to keep afloat with all the stemware, bottles, etc. Not the case in the GSL. Because we are more buoyant, it was in fact hard to be completely immersed in the lake. I tried. Floating is so easy, that it's hard to sink, if not impossible. It's quite the experience. If you can stand smelling horrible for the next 48 hours (with showers... showerS) it's amazing to try.

After some frisbee and such, we got out and headed back to Sarah's house for some treats. One of the group members has a hot tub in the apartment complex so we headed over there. We all rinsed off as best we could and got in the hot tub. Even with the best rinsing, when we got out, we still found little brine shrimp not-so-enjoying themselves in the hot tub. ...Sorry to those that have to clean it...

Quickly heading to the Pi Pizzeria for a bite, the night came to a conclusion. Good times. Although smelling myself even after a shower, hot tub and a shower... this is going to be an interesting thing to explain to those around me. Although with the salt deposits after swimming, you come out feeling like you are COVERED in sand (which is purely salt), your skin does look amazing!