Share This Day by Josh Kelley

I haven't blogged because I've been busy with school. I just wanted to put in a Christmas song that I totally wish that it could be on iTunes and/or Amazon that anybody can get it, if they want it on their iPod, MP3 player, etc. I embedded this video that shows the lyrics and how it's a good song.

A Century of Honor

That blond boy is my brother Sport, meeting President Monson

Mormon Tabernacle Choir

I was just excited to try to tell all of you online about the exciting scouting event that I have been in. It was the Boy Scout event that I was in the choir and that it was celebrating the 100th anniversary of Boy Scouts of America and the LDS church. It all took place at the Conference Center in downtown Salt Lake City.

It was amazing how the event was going, especially when they are trying to teach other scouts in the audience the history about the first Boy Scouts of America boys that happened all around the United States. The setting was made exactly like in the conference center where General Conference always happens in October and April. They sometimes change the settings of the stage to make it look kind of like it was a lot different than it used to be before.

Eagle Scout Choir

Right on this show, they talk about how the history of scouting began and why every boy was starting to do a good turn daily as their duty. Since I was the autistic one that earned all the merit badges, I was accepted to be in the choir. It was pretty cool of the actual event, despite all the long practices that I had to be at in order to know what I should do.

Anyway, on October 29th, it was the actual event and I was ready to be in it. Some of my family got to see the event.

It was supposed to talk about how scouting was the way to help the LDS church to teach boys how to do good turns and show some support to others daily at all times. Some of those times, all of us in the Eagle Scout Choir got to sing and we always had to sing about Boy Scouts. I just wish that someday, they will make this whole event into a CD so that it can be played in everyone's homes either on their stereos, CD players, iPods or whatever they have that can play the songs from it. I'm pretty sure that you all will love the songs that we have sung at the event.

Right at the end of the event, everybody really enjoyed it and right when the audience was about to leave, Mom told me that my brother Sport, dressed in his uniform got to shake President Monson's hand before he went to catch up with the rest of the family while they were waiting for me outside before the traffic became more severe.They had a professional photographer take all these pictures and then they shared them with everyone for free! In that picture of the choir I am on the very back row on the right-hand side, the tall one.

Eagle Scout Choir

After our choir finished all their songs we left and they brought in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir to sing a few songs. At the very end they had everyone come back on the stage together. It was so cool! There were about 1000 of us standing there waving to our families.

They say that the show was supoosed to be broadcast live around the world on www.lds.org. To make this easier, I linked this video from LDS.org to show you the event if you want to watch it and know of how it's an awesome event that you'll ever see in your lives. I hope that you enjoy the show and I hope you thought it was awesome too.

Boy Scout Choir

 I haven't got to blog for a while, because I've been busy trying to finish up some school work, like reading a Free to Choose boook for my Economics class. I wanted to tell all of you one amazing thing. A couple of weeks ago, I was auditioning to be in the Boy Scouts of America devotional on speaking. I didn't make it to the speaking audition, but I was asked to join the Boy Scout Choir to sing at the Conference Center in the Choir stand. I know I have told you that I have made it in the choir. Well, here's the thing, Mom just got an email from the manager from that audition and was saying that I've done a very good job for not messing up and being neat while doing my part of speaking. But I didn't make it to speaking, instead I got back to joining the Boy Scouts Choir. Mom and I were amazed to hear that I got the chance that I get to be in the choir, even though I wouldn't be able to speak at the conference center with the Boy Scouts program. Speaking about that, the Boy Scouts Choir will take place at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, along with this organ pipe stand in that picture. I hope that some of you may have the opportunity to be watching me be in it.

Thomas S Monson Award

I haven't got to write on my blog for a while, because I was so busy with school. Anyway, I wanted to make a quick post about something that may be able to happen if I could be able to try to do it.

Remember about my big accomplishment in the Boy Scouts of America program? Well, one day Mom was showing me this amazing award that could be counted for my collection of merit badges. It was talking about this special award with the picture of Thomas S. Monson. If you never heard of Thomas S. Monson, he's the LDS prophet for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Salt Lake City, Utah. He testifies in a special conference, called General Conference that happens every first weeks of April and October a year. If you like to know what General Conference is like, then you can find it on TV on Channel 5 of KSL or on the internet at lds.org.

Anyway, about this award, it is called the Thomas S. Monson Award. The requirements for this award is found on this website are on this is in this Thomas S. Monson Award link.I was thinking that I've been having experience of knowing how the things that I've done in my life would help me know of how I should experience the things that have happened to me while being autistic. I hope that you have enjoyed this quick post, if you have any Boy Scouts and are interested in this award, they can, besides, any Boy Scout at any age is allowed to earn this merit badge.

Letters to Sister Teach

I haven't blogged very much, because I've been busy, but I want to make it quick that I've been sending my sister Teach a lot of letter to her since she left on her LDS mission to Fort Worth Texas. I may as well just explain each of the letters in some details. I hope you enjoy of what I've been saying to her.
















 Special Education Letter

Dear, Sister Teach.

I’ve been hearing that you’re still doing so well on your mission. I just wish that I would be more like you on your mission, but I can wait for my mission call once I graduate from SLCC. And speaking of SLCC, I’m taking a Special Education class, which means I have to take ten hours of going to South Jordan Elementary to help in a class with kids who are disabled. It’s kind of fun, because I get to hear what the teacher is teaching the kids, and then sometimes, I get to read the kids a book at story time, before the teacher does anything else educationally special for the students.





    I’m working on another class called Disability, which both the Special Education and Disability classes are taken by the same professor that I’m learning from. Mom was thinking that my future career should be a special education teacher, just like Mrs. Craig when I was in her class. Speaking about Mrs. Craig, since you still remember her, she’s retired from teaching at the elementary school, but I just met this special education teacher named Mrs. Jackson. She’s so nice, I wish you could meet her. In fact, I wish you were there for me to help Mrs. Jackson with the class, just like we did. I hope to hear more from you soon.


    Sincerely, Brother Dog Walker.

Turmoil Letter

Dear Sister Teach


I wasn’t quite sure of what I should write to you about that has to do with either you on your mission or what we have been doing while you’re away. But then it got into my mind that I should tell you that my life is going into a turmoil-like style. The siblings and I have been hearing from both Mom and Dad telling us that Dad went back to work on Pioneer Day, because we have heard that L3 is being half laid off. We have been a bit worried that if Dad got laid off from the entire company, we would have to move to different states that have other technology companies Dad could work at.



    The kinds of states that have technology companies would be in New Mexico and California. We all think that Utah is the only place we love to reside. None of us feel like moving away to a place that isn’t like a real home like ours in South Jordan. We’re just hoping that Heavenly Father would help us figure out what’s for best for us and that we’ll be happy with the way we’ll be having. Even sometimes, things don’t just work out the way we always want them to be, like if L3 was laid off entirely, then we have no choice, but to move away to a state where they have other L3 companies with no lay off issues.


    I’m still hoping that we’ll be fine, just like you are fine in Texas. We still can’t wait to talk to you on the phone around Christmas. Maybe we’ll send you some presents that would be supportive to you and your companion on your mission. Right now, I got to work on some more homework before the end of the semester in August. I love you.

Sincerely,

Your Brother Dog Walker













Testimony Letter


Dear Teach,                                                                5/30/13

I heard that the only thing that you wanted for a birthday gift from all of us, especially me to tell you our testimonies. I have one testimony. I believe in Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father, and I believe in the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and the prophets that have been prophesying about the church. I believe in the church and a lot of things from the LDS church.

Unfortunately, I hate to say this, but I haven’t been feeling worthy to our church, because I kept on thinking about all the sins that I have done in my life. I haven’t been causing those sins though, but I have been thinking about them, making myself feel guilty. I told this problem to Mom. She’s been telling me this, “Heavenly Father did forgive you about your sins, but you have to learn how to forgive yourself, so you won’t have to feel that impression anymore.”

I guess that I should be able to try to forgive myself, but I’ve also been thinking that doing those happy moments, liking saying “I love you,” and “Thank you,” forgiving yourself, and making apologies were an awkward thing to me. Maybe I should stop thinking about it that way, and just get used to he idea. I hope that you’re still doing well on your mission.
Love,

Dog Walker.



 Religious Letter

Dear Sister Teach,

I just wanted to make this a quick letter, because Mom was planning to take all the letters from the rest of the siblings together. Here it is. I would like to say something that I have done in one day. Mom and I went to the temple last week. She went to temple service meetings while I went to do baptisms for the dead. There were two groups of fifteen people doing baptisms, but here comes this amazing thing. I was reading the Joseph Smith History story in the Pearl of Great Price. I read the entire story while being at the temple, while waiting for my turn to be confirmed and be baptized, and while waiting for Mom to be done with her meetings.
It was really amazing to read the entire story in one day, just like reading the Book of Mormon during President Hinckley’s challenge for a year. It gave me such thoughts about Joseph Smith went through all those trials and tribulations for trying to tell the people in town about his experience and the truth of what he encountered. I wish I was like him to tell everyone about what he believed and what he learned about from the Church. Maybe sometime, I should try to be more like both Jesus and Joseph Smith. I hope that you understand that.
I missed you so much, Kiyna, I wish you would come and try some new camping technique. Kiylee’s friend invented this type of technique called Wolf-Em Sticks. They are sticks that work like roasting marshmallows, but you make little biscuits and you stuff some pie filling pudding, or whipped cream inside to make it taste like you can wolf it down. It’s actually a cool technique. Maybe when you come home from your mission next September, you can try them. I’ll write to you again soon. I love you.
Sincerely, Your brother, Dog Walker.

Achievement Letter

Dear Teach,

Are you still doing a fine job on your mission? I hope that you are, because just a few weeks ago in Sacrament meeting, I was asked to say the closing prayer. I did bless that you would still do fine on your mission and that you are teaching a very well job to the people in Texas. I don’t know if it was Mom or anyone that was worried that the ward would be confused of who you are while saying it in a prayer. But everyone said amen right when I ended it. Everyone thought it was a good prayer they’ve ever heard from anybody.


Anyway, I wanted to speak about what I’m doing for school now. I’m barely starting the fall semester and I’m taking the Disabilities class on campus. This Disabilities teacher is very nice that she even loves hanging around people with autism. I told her that I’m an autistic one in her class and she said that she would love to hear some things about me as being autistic. She even asked to ask us to do some research for a project on the kind of disability that exists to a person who may have it. I’m thinking that I can talk about my disability, as long as I don’t make it too complicating to explain to the class.


11 Here’s one more thing I would like to say about. Mom found this kind of fun thing for me as a Boy Scout to earn and that it would help me to know about how important it is. It is called the Thomas S Monson Award. It’s kind of like earning a merit badge, but it’s more likely an award that can be for any scout, even Dad could earn it. Here’s this award of what it’s like and maybe you could say if you think I should earn that award and add that to my collection of merit badges. I’m happy that you have been gone on a mission and serving the lesson about the church to people in Texas.

Sincerely,
Loving,
Yours Truly,
Your autistic brother, Dog Walker





Quitting Job Letter

Dear Sister Teach,

I don’t know if I should be telling you about this, but I have to tell you about what is going on at my job. Mom and I were hoping that I would have a schedule change so that I won’t feel tired for church anymore. The employer made the changes for me, but there’s just one problem about that. It made the night manager so mad that he wanted me to come work on Saturday nights, instead of Sunday nights, which Mom and I were certain that the employer made the change. We only had two choices to do about it. Either work the Saturday nights or quit the job.
So Mom and Dad were telling me what I could do if the night manager wouldn’t let me have Saturday nights off. They said to ask Heavenly Father what is the best thing to do. I prayed and asked before I went to sleep after work. Right when I woke up, it gave me my answer in a dream. The answer is to quit the job. So Mom made me a letter of resignation to give to the manager. So I gave the letter of resignation to the manager and he let me work the days until the last day that I’m ever going to work at Wal-Mart.
Mom and I were trying to contact Becca to see if she can help me find a new job that wouldn’t make me work the Saturday night shifts. We haven’t gotten her response yet, but we’re just hoping that she’ll be able to help us again. I know it’s sad that I have to quit working on Wal-Mart, but that’s what Heavenly Father thought was better. He said that if I quit working at Wal-Mart, I’ll be able to go to church again, because working at Wal-Mart on Saturday nights made me feel unworthy and that it’ll let me have some time to finish a lot of homework without any trouble.
Mom and I will still contact Becca to see if she can still help me find a new job that will best suit me and that I won’t feel unworthy from church. I still miss you. I’m excited that we’ll get to talk to you on the phone again around Christmastime. I love you.
Sincerely
Your brother, Dog Walker

End of Semester Letter


Dear Teach,
I’ve heard that you’re still doing pretty good on your mission with new companions that are there to support you. I wanted to tell about how I bared a testimony in sacrament meeting on Fast Sunday and told the people in the chapel about you. They all thought it was an amazing testimony that I testified in a very long time.
Here’s another thing, I did very well in my Writing class. I wanted to send you one of my assignments that I have done in the class that you would be amazed to see. It’s right in the box where Mom sent it to you. It shows a descriptive paragraph and a picture that I created on Paint. The assignment on it was to write a descriptive paragraph on a picture that represents something and why it’s important to know.
I was feeling a little doubtful if this was appropriate for a missionary like you and your companion to read and see of how I’ve done some of my work in school. But Mom said it was fine to show you, as long as it’s only for your spare time from teaching the Gospel and the Church to the people in Texas. I heard that you bought birthday gifts for Noah, Kinsey, and Dad. I thought it sounded amazing that you could send birthday gifts home, maybe you could do the same thing around Christmas, just like we’re about to do.
I still miss you. I’m almost done with the semester for the summer. I’ll be going back in the fall with different classes.
Love you,
From your brother,
Dog Walker


Happy Letter

 Dear Sister Teach,

I’ve heard that you are still doing a very good job on your mission, especially when I heard that your companions thought that Neal was being the most attractive one in the family. Don’t tell Neal that I just said that I was surprised to hear your companions say that. Right when Mom told Neal about it, we both thought that Neal has finally found the right daughter of God to get married to. I sometimes feel like I cannot find the right daughter of God to get married to, because I’ve been assuming that a lot of girls have boyfriends already and that they think I’m not the most attractive one like any of the other boys.
But I’m not going to tell you anymore sad news. Right now, I’m going to tell you some great news. With my first paycheck and now getting close to the second one at Wal-Mart Market, I got my very own Key Bank debit card to save all the money I earned while working at the job. I have been spending some of that money on my debit card on some things, like this week, I put two different boxes of special cookie mixes that both tasted like Pink Lemonade and Key Lime, along with the canned frosting that goes with them. You know about Dad? He doesn’t like some cookies very much that we have been making, but guess what…Dad liked the Pink Lemonade and Key Lime sugar cookies. He thought they were amazing, maybe someday, we could use those again on another special occasion, maybe his half birthday treat.
And another thing that I bought with my debit card, is a bottle of fry sauce just for you. I remember a lot of these times that you have always made homemade fry sauce with both ketchup and Mayo. I also know that Utah is the only place where there is fry sauce, so I sent you one bottle of fry sauce for you and your companions, in case you are having a hamburger and some French fries for either lunch or dinner.
So, ever since that I’ve been causing a lot of sins for some of these years, I’ve been discussing with the Bishop and he said that I should try to keep the Holy Ghost with me, by thinking of others and Jesus whom will be helping me go through all the hard times, just like you, Mom, Dad, the Bishop, and everybody else have been helping me with.  I’m trying really hard to feel like that I’m being a happy person even when you have to get used to having a hard life. Also, the Bishop went downtown and told with the LDS prophets and elders there. They said that I’m called to serve a service mission downtown. I hope you think that sounds like an amazing moment to hear about. I’m hoping to see you at home again. Love you so much.
Sincerely,
Brother, Dog Walker..
P.S.
Hopefully, you and your companions enjoy that fry sauce.





So those are all of the letters that I've been writing to my sister Teach when she's on her LDS mission. Sometime today, I might as well get back on writing more to her, because she loves hearing of what I''ve been tell her.

Pioneer Day

I know I haven't blogged for a while on mine, because I've been so busy. I wanted to show a cultural tradition that everyone in Utah does. I hope that you enjoy it.

Pioneer Day is mostly celebrated in Utah, because that’s where the Pioneers have arrived when they were carried in handcarts and wagon trains. There are some rodeos and parades that happen in the state around Pioneer Day, just like the Fourth of July. Some, who have experienced living in Utah, may have some pioneer relatives that have walked across the country for months to try to get to Utah where they can live their own religious beliefs there.

The customs that Pioneer Day has is talking about their experiences and how they have been part of Utah’s history. One of these things that the Pioneers have done was doing so much work with less spare time on themselves. If all of us still lived in the time of the pioneers, then we would have to do a lot of chores and that we wouldn’t have so much technology like we have today. Despite about all the labor the Pioneers may have done, we still love enjoying the historical events about the Pioneers, especially the way that they talk about their experiences and the way they have been dressed. Sometimes, even on Pioneer Day, we go to a National Park called “This is the Place,” compared to that quote that Brigham Young said. The people in Utah, including my family and I enjoy Pioneer Day, because it’ll give us great stories about why the Pioneers came to Utah and the things that they have done to make Utah one of the best places to be in America.

 People celebrate it by going to parades, seeing fireworks, and even going to a National Park about Pioneers called This Is the Place. The National Park can also show of how Pioneers did different skills then the kinds of skills that we have today. They can have some fun things that they have done and that they would learn how to do crafts, that the Pioneer workers make and that they’ll be able to take a ride around a train or even a horse carriage.

 Also at the park, they all go inside a pavilion to have a barbecue that they set up, depending on what kind of food they have. Some other booths at the National Park can be selling buttered corn. They also can go into farm pens where they can pet the animals that the National Park owns. They also have this special drama in the middle of a road where they shoot candy out of cannon for all the children, (and adults). This Is the Place National Park is the most amazing park that they always love to go to every Pioneer Day, because there are Pioneers working the experience to the visitors to learn about them.

Pioneer Day is one of the cultural traditions in Utah that happen every July 24. At the night of Pioneer Day, they always go to a special place where they set up the aerial fireworks. Then when the fireworks are over, everyone goes home and they all remember the wonderful day they have been having while celebrating Pioneer Day.

New Blogs

I don't know if this is strange or not for you, but I have made two new blogs for myself, One is for my WRTG 0900 class at SLCC and the other is just a special one that you would figure out amongst yourselves, if you read about it. The two new blogs I came up with myself are Utah Boy Scouts and Kiylee's Christmas. If you would love to check them out just click on the links and they'll lead you to them. I'm sure that you'll be able to love the designs of the blogs and what they are telling about. Tell you soon. I got to get back on some homework, the semester is almost over and I got to get working.