Goodbye!

Well, my time has finally come. It's a bizarre/surreal set of emotions as I say goodbye to many people. It's sad in a way, but I'm so excited, so ready for this to happen. I know this is what I'm supposed to be doing right now, so I'm not exactly scared, but this is the biggest event in my life thus far, so it's a little nerve-wracking.

For those who wish to write me whilst in the MTC my address is

Elder Jace Parker Stringham
California Arcadia Mission
Provo MTC
2005 N 900 E
Provo, Ut 84604

I apologize if I don't write back very promptly. I'll try to get Mom or Ali to update this for me every once in awhile so y'all will know what's going on with me.
Please know that I love you all. I'm so very grateful for your friendship and support.
See you in two years!

What Happened In October

October was a pretty crazy month in the Stringham household. One of the best birthdays I've had came on Conference Sunday. It wasn't like I got anything supercool, but I had a very enjoyable time as I was able to catch up with an old friend.

The following week, Sydnee and Kenny got hitched in the Salt Lake temple. That was an incredible experience for me because I was privileged enough to go and witness it. The reception on the other hand was more difficult than previous wedding receptions that I have participated in. The weather wasn't very cooperative, so we had to scramble to arrange things perfectly within our last minute reception center at the Holladay City Hall. But overall, it was a very exciting time. Welcome to the family Kenny!! (I hope you know what you've gotten yourself into.)

The day after the wedding, I gave my farewell address in Sacrament meeting. I feel that things went well. I mean, after all, we did get out twenty minutes early.

On the 17th, I embarked upon a cruise with Mom, Dad, and Ali to the western Caribbean. Much eating did commence as soon as we boarded the Carnival Glory. We visited such places as Cozumel, Belize, Roatan, and the Bahamas. My favorite part, by far, were the Mayan ruins in Belize. We rather liked the trip, but it became evident towards the end that it was time to come home.

Times Like These

The past month has been one of constant change. The whole world I’ve become accustomed to has been thrown into oblivion. The Posse, although still close, is being separated. Pace reports to the MTC on Wednesday; Nick and Josh are down in Provo attending BYU; Joey, Soup, and I are still in Salt Lake, although I leave on November 5th and they are both busy with work and school. The Posse aside, the vast majority of my friends has left to either BYU, BYU-Idaho, or Utah State. This leaves me at home with few things to occupy my time, and because of that, I have been able to reflect upon my life.
I have realized that I took my high school years for granted. They are the best years I’ve experienced thus far, but when looking back on those events, I don’t think I fully understood how great I had it. I was always caught up with the metaphorical paper cuts that I never stopped to admire the blue skies. But now, after having learned that lesson, I can’t exactly go back and change the way my outlook was back then. The only thing I can do is accept what’s happening and move on, but that doesn’t make it any easier. In fact, it probably makes it harder as I try to enjoy my remaining days as a teenager.
It’s times like these that we learn who we are. It’s times like these that we learn what matters most to us. It’s times like these that we learn the lessons and make the decisions that guide us throughout the rest of our lives.

Mission Call

I received my call to serve on friday, August 16, 2008. I will be laboring in the California, Arcadia mission. I will be speaking Spanish and I report to the Provo MTC on November 5th.

I cannot even begin to describe my emotions. I know that there is nothing more beneficial, more necessary for me at this stage in my life. I can think of nothing better than to give two years of my life towards serving the Lord. I feel so blessed knowing that I will be preaching the Gospel to the people of Arcadia. This is an exciting time and I am very fortunate that I get to learn Spanish. I can't wait to leave! These next two and a half months are going to go by so slowly.

Due to all the family being in town for Sydnee's wedding on October 11th, my farewell will be on October 12th at 10:40 a.m.

Young Men's Backpacking Trip

On July 31-August 2, the Teachers and Priests in my ward went on an 11-mile backpacking trip in the high Uintas...our destination-Red Castle Lake. It was an adventure that can only be experienced firsthand. There is nothing quite like being at 11,000+ ft. above sea-level. As I took a few moments to myself, I couldn't help but think of this beautiful scenery as a wonderful testimony of God's creation. Something happened to me up there. I can't put it into words, but the Spirit and the peace that filled my soul was incredible. Rarely do we get an opportunity like this, and I tried to make the best of it.

Graduation

On Wednesday June 4th, 2008, I graduated from Olympus High School. The ceremony was held at the Huntsman Center. It was a bizarre feeling. I didn't quite feel like I was that old and it never really set in until the final "throwing of the caps." Once it had set in, it was like a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I finally graduated and no one can take that away from me!

After the ceremony, there was a big after party at the school that went from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. It was crazy! They locked all the graduates inside the building, but there was a ton of stuff to do. One teacher was hosting his own Deal or No Deal game show with a potential cash prize of $150. There was glow-in-the-dark mini golf, a mechanical bull, board games, video games, tons of food, inflatable playground sets, dodgeball tournaments, and a magician. At about 2 a.m. there was a big auction and raffle for tons of prizes, including Gold's Gym memberships, plane tickets, iPods, movie packages, car washes, balloons filled with cash, and the coveted Vespa. (As you went to certain events throughout the building, you would receive play money which was used to bid for items in the auction.)

Sacrament Talk

The graduating seniors in our ward spoke in church yesterday (Mother's Day). We were asked to speak on our favorite Seminary scripture mastery scripture, and then give some remarks about our mother's. I chose to speak on Proverbs 3: 5-6. I felt like it went pretty well.

This is an exciting time in my life, but it's a little scary, too. So many things will be happening within the next six months that I won't even have time to breathe! I am most excited to begin the process of going on a mission. For the first time in my life, I'll be heading into something on my own, without anybody there to hold my hand. The responsibility is all on me, and hopefully I'll be able to rise to the occasion.

(If any of you want to read my talk, give me your email address and I'd be happy to send it to you.)

Additional Prom Pics

These pictures were taken professionally at the dance itself.

Prom

We had our Senior Prom on friday, May 2nd. (My date was Sarah Matheson) We started the days festivities by kidnapping our dates and making them breakfast, and then we went and played kickball at a park. Following kickball, some of us went and saw the new movie "Iron Man." We then dropped our dates off at their houses for the afternoon so that they could get ready. We picked them up in the limo, went to the Roof restaurant at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, and then went to the dance at the State Capitol Building. After the dance, we rode in the limo for another hour, and finished the evening by having somewhat of a dessert cook-off.

Concert Choir Tour

I recently went on the choir program's annual performing tour. We were in southern California from March 27-April 1 and had a lot of fun. The highlights of the trip were our full day at Disneyland/California Adventure on the 28th and going to see Wicked at the Pantages Theatre on the following day.

First Post

So I was looking at Sunny's blog, and the thought came to me that it might be kind of fun to create one of my own that keeps everyone updated about what's left of our family here in Utah. I know we might not be that interesting, and sometimes we at home hardly ever see each other, but since I hardly know what's going on with y'all, you probably don't know what's going on out here.