. Life .:. Choices .

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step, so watch your step" - Jeffrey R. Holland 

In my young life, I have had to make some pretty big decisions that have affected my life and the direction it is going in.  When I was younger my cousin, who was the same age as me, died and I had to figure out how to move on from such a tragic event.  It took me a handful of years to come to terms with this event and it ended up being a decision I had to make.  Meanwhile, to cope with it and other events I reverted to soccer as a coping, I made this decision because I knew that drugs and alcohol wouldn't get me where I wanted to go.  I had also seen the decisions of my friends who chose these copings and where they ended up in life.  I ended up being an excellent goalkeeper for my travel team and for my high school team.  I thought I was going to go to college on a scholarship and figure out life from there.  As I approached my senior year I ran into some problems that I thought I had avoided with school and my education and that affected my ability to get a scholarship or even talk to schools.  I tried out with some lower division schools and they were all seeming excited, which made me feel like I had made my way to college.  A couple weeks after these try-outs I received the emails from the coaches, all saying that they weren't interested at this time and that they were pursuing other options.  

I. Was. Devastated.

I had a hard time finishing up school and participating in the rest of the season we were in, I thought that my life was ruined and that I would end up working at McDonalds or as a Janitor the rest of my life.  

This was when I made a decision to get away from Utah for a bit.  My grandparents took me out to upstate New York for a couple months, where all I did was help them renovate their house and watch the World Cup in South Africa.  I got to the point where I could think a lot about what I wanted to do with life and where I was going. 

I made the decision that I should help other people.

I knew from all the years in soccer and the great coaches I had that gave us opportunities to help other people, that I wanted to do more of it.  I went on a mission to teach people about God and to help people in various ways of service (cleaning dishes, taking out the trash, building renovation, and really anything else we could find) because I had learned when you are focused on other people you forget about your problems. 

I went to Malaga, Spain for this service opportunity where I lived for a couple of years, and I met people that changed my life. Some of the most humble and willing people to give the clothes off of their backs for others.  It was one of the most memorable experiences that I will never forget. 

But putting off college for those years and waiting to start that academic part of my life was a hard decision to make, knowing that everyone else was getting a chance to get jobs before I would be able to, but I don't regret that decision ever. I have learned valuable life skills that have incorporated themselves into my lifestyle and character today that wouldn't have happened if I didn't go. 

The next choice I am in the process of completing and it is to marry my Fiance and Best Friend of 7 years. I came home from Spain and we had started to hang out and date and we started to date seriously together.  We are getting married in just about 3 months.  Some people think that we are too young to get married, but I think that if you feel it is right and you are ready to make that kind of commitment then it doesn't matter how old you are.  We have made that commitment and are just getting ready for the big day!! 

While I was in Spain, she had gone to China to teach english for a program with one of her friends.  We have been talking about the decision to go this next fall, because she can go back as a head teacher with her friend and her husband. We are deciding and making all the calculations of the pro's and the con's of everything and we want to do it.  We will be living there for 4 1/2 months teaching english to kids and living in their culture and their environment.  

Plus, who doesn't wanna see the world??

It's a big decision, putting off school again to have an experience this big could  have challenges later when trying to graduate and coming back to school.  

But life comes at you, whether you are ready for it or not, and you can sit around waiting for it in fear, or you can stand up and meet it head on and directing your life where you want to go, and what stories you want to have and the life you are going to leave for those you leave behind. 

Get out and live it!