Except Ye Become As Little Children

People sometimes ask me why I love Brazil so much. Today while pondering the exact reason, I had an epiphany--I feel no prejudice there. Like a child that has not had the time or experience to develop any sort of preconception, that's how I feel in Brazil. It's a fresh perspective and I enjoy every new opportunity and every new friend. Perhaps that is one reason why Christ admonished us to be as little children.

God Be With You til We Reunite Again

Hi Family,
I spent this week at work wishing I could have been able to stay in Idaho and enjoy more company, but I am glad for the quick 2 days I was able to spend with ya'll. It would be great if we could make this an annual event as Samantha suggested on her blog. California is sweet, Brazil is even better, but I would trade all that for more hot tub pow-wows in a second. Love you all and hope we can get together again soon.

The Bridge to Nowhere

5 miles up a trail into the Angeles National Forest is a bridge that leads to nothing. Apparently plans were made many years ago with the intent to build a road up the canyon but nothing ever materialized. What do you do with a bridge to nowhere? ... bungee jump of course!!!



I learned from my jump that I instinctively face the prospect of death in silence, no screaming whatsoever...

Adventure

I am currently reading Into the Wild. For those of you not familiar with the story, see this link. Let me be clear, I don't intend to embark on a reckless journey which puts my life in peril; such an excursion would be selfish. But there is definitely a part of me that yearns for adventure in its rawest form. What is it with males in their early 20s? Lately, drawing upon my roots, I have acquired a renewed interest in the desert. I love the following quote from Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist:

"But the desert is so huge, and the horizon so distant, that they make a person feel small, and as if he should remain silent."

This was the exact feeling I had recently as I looked out over the inspiring contrast of sand and shadows at dusk, near a quiet rest stop somewhere around the Arizona/California border.

I think a camping trip to the little Sahara will do just fine.

The Road Ahead

I am not sure that my blog will ever boast such cool experiences as it did when I was in Brasil, but I am pretty excited about what the next 8 months has to offer. In mid-June I will be moving to Los Angeles for a 6-month internship in corporate finance with Johnson & Johnson. I have been interested in living in southern California for a while now and I think I will fit in well with the rhythm of life in LA. I don't know where I will be living yet, but you all are invited to come and visit if you get the chance.






Yesterday I went with Dan to the Kennecott Copper Mine, the largest open-pit mine in the world. I was amazed by the size of the mine and the fact that I am taking a Geology class right now enhanced the experience. It is supposedly 2 Sears Towers deep (I recognize that some UK insurance company now owns the rights, but it will always be the Sears Tower to me). We humans can engineer some pretty cool things.






Lastly and most importantly it is Mother's Day. For the first time in my 24 years on the earth, I now call home sometimes looking for mom only to find that she is busy at work. I am very happy she has a job that she loves, but more importantly, I am happy and grateful to have a wonderful mom who was never too busy for me while I was growing up, who never put herself first, and who dedicated herself to loving me, teaching me, and providing me with much opportunity in my life. I love you Mom.