Bizarre Bradyisms

Almost One Month Later

It has almost been one month since my life has drastically been altered.  It feels a little odd to think about how little has happened in the past month and at the same time how much has happened.  I feel like I’ve been an absolute “bum” during this time because I look at how little I’ve accomplished.  But then I think about how much I’ve gone through and what is still waiting for me in the future.  It is difficult to describe without giving away too much information, but know that some days and good and others simply are not.

Tomorrow I’ll be going to another doctor’s office to get some consultation there on a few options and that will be an interesting conversation to say the least.  I’ve been on a lot of medications that definitely take my energy away and make it that much more difficult to get out of bed.  Thanks to my mother who is taking some time off of work to be an impromtu “nurse” to make sure I actually eat.  She and the rest of the family is simply amazing.

I figure I might as well make mention of this because she has been a source of much happiness for me during this time.  I’m dating a girl from my singles ward back in Utah whom I met in November.  Her name is Rachael and we had only really been dating for a few weeks before my incident occurred.  I was a little concerned she might call it all off when I told her, but she in fact did not, which means so much to me.  The physical distance between us has definitely been hard, but I was able to see and spend some time with her when I went back to Utah right after Christmas to gather some belongings.  She may come out and spend some time with me soon, but that really depends on how things play out in the next week or so.  I’m keeping my fingers (and toes) crossed for that.

A Few Thoughts…

When these words are actually made public, I should be in the middle of a pretty significant turning point in life.  I say turning point, but perhaps that is not the best way to describe the situation.  Let’s just say things could go really well or they could go really poorly; in either case let me be the first to say that everything will be fine.

Many of you know that I am LDS and have a firm belief and even a knowledge of the reality of God.  This past Sunday at church I was able to speak briefly and leave my humble witness and testimony of that knowledge; let me try and repeat just a small portion of those words here.

I know that God the father lives.  I know that his son Jesus is the Christ.  I know that He is the redeemer and savior of the world and I am grateful for the knowledge.  I know the gospel and church of Jesus Christ has been restored to the earth and continues to be led by Him through a living prophet today.  I am grateful for that knowledge and the clarity it has brought to my life up until now.  It is because of this knowledge and my faith in Christ that I am able to sit and write these words the night before this actually posts with absolutely no fear in my heart or concern for what may come. 

I love my family and consider myself extremely blessed to have been born to such wonderful parents.  I have shared numerous experiences with my siblings that have meant so much to me and always will.  May each family member know that I love them individually and collectively. 

Finally, forgive the following cheesiness, but may I just say a few words to my you, my “beautiful.”  Thank you for being a part of my life these past three weeks and making them some of the best I have ever had.  I consider myself lucky to have had your smile and uplifting influence impact me in so many ways during that time.  And by the way, number three sucks.

Unplanned Changes

This may sound a little odd to those who actually read this here blog of mine and I’ll try and keep it as un-cryptic as possible, but please realize that I am trying to keep a certain sense of privacy during this time and don’t want it publicly available to everyone who should ever come in contact with me in the future.

I was recently on the job in Oakland, California when I ended up in the hospital for a unplanned event.  I’m doing okay and can still think, walk, talk, and etc.  I have however, flown back to Colorado to be with my family and will be here for a least the next few weeks.  I’m still trying to figure out the logistics of what is to happen next but I’m very optimistic about the future outcome.

I’m not seeking for pity, but if you want to know the more specific details of what I am talking about, you should know how to get a hold of me and I’d be willing to share them with you via email.  I appreciate all of the thoughts and concerns that have already been and will be given in my behalf.  I am also grateful for the many friendships I have developed over the years, even though I may not have been as diligent as I could have been in maintaining them as each of us have moved on with our individual lives.

Thank you all, and I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas.

Offer Letter

Almost a full 7 days after hearing that I’d been offered a job, this afternoon I finally received an actual offer letter.  The company name is Xirrus and basically what they do is develop and sell what are called wireless arrays.  In non-techno speak, that means they make products which allow large business to have a wireless computer network similar to those you have in your home but much, much bigger.  The great part about what they do is that by having many radios combined (up to 16) into one physical device, the management of the network and overall coverage is a lot easier for the businesses.  This is similar to what you see on cell phone towers with many different radios.  Granted, I’m just speaking from what I’ve learned during the interview process and I still have a lot left to learn in the days, weeks, months, and years (hopefully) to come.

My job title is “Wi-Fi Application Engineer” and that basically boils down to me performing site-surveys on location at customer’s buildings and business campuses.  What is really exciting about the job is that this will involve about 50% – 75% domestic and international travel.  I will still be based here in SLC and work out of my home when I’m not on location, but traveling all over the country and even world just sounds fantastic right now.  I don’t have a family to worry about nor anything else that would be inconvenienced by this type of lifestyle, so I’m all for it.  Plus, it sounds like if things work out in the next couple of years, I may be able to move up in position and not have to travel as much making family life (should that happen) a little easier.

I won’t be starting until November 23rd which is still 2 weeks away.  I would have like to be starting earlier, but I’m not complaining at all.  This will give me time to get a few other things in my life in order (such as another Cisco test, my Christmas lights, etc). 

Finally, without getting too personal, I want to express my gratitude to my Heavenly Father with whom I have been able to have a closer relationship during the past 2 months.  Also, I’m grateful for the prayers and thoughts expressed by friends and family during this time.  Additionally, I want to make mention of the fact that this job came as a referral by an old and almost lost aquaintance who I worked with while at BYU; to him I also say, ”Thank you.”

Five

 People use big events that occur in their lives as a way to measure how quickly years pass without drawing attention to their own age.  For example, adults will use when they graduated from college.  Others will use the days they were married or when their children were born.  Not being able to use any of those events yet, I still relly on something else until one of others takes place.

Today marks the 5th year of having returned from my mission in Uruguay.  I can’t say things have turned out even remotely close to how I imagined they would have, but it’s okay.  I’m happy and I’m doing the best I know how.  A few months ago, I decided to stop comparing myself and my accomplishments to others around me.  Life is not a competition against one another, but against who you were yesterday.  All it takes is to try to be better than you were the day before and not get too upset when that doesn’t happen all the time.

Here’s hoping that the next five years turn out as well as the past five have.