6/18/2011

The Scottish Festival

Well, as most of you know that last weekend I went to the Scottish Festival at Thanksgiving Point. It was really fun. Some of you who were there most likely saw me in a kilt. You lucky buggers you. Yes, I did wear a kilt to the festival, and I have a right to. I am at least a quarter Scottish if not me. Plus the last name Armstrong just brings out the best of me. Then when you put me in a Scottish festival it gets even worse. I do have some pictures of me in a kilt but they are not when I was at the festival. So I will post those with this post.
"Look at this awesome person! Only real men can pull this off"

So as you can see above. I look dang good in a kilt. Now some of you are like, "I didn't know that you were like this. It is impossible." Well, all I can say is that kilts are for real men, and we Armstrongs can always pull this off.

So back to the festival. My old mission companion, Elder Jasper, went with me. Then a good friend from Serbia, Nikola, meet with us there. It was a great time to hang out with them. Of course I got some crap from them about wearing a kilt, but I did get them to call kilts, kilts and not skirts. There is a difference, not much but there is. You are probably saying what is the difference of a kilt. One is what you wear with it. You don't wear a sparan with it. You are asking, "what is a sparan?" Here is what it is. It is the little pouch thing that is in front. You can see mine in the picture above. It is black. The other thing is that we usually have a knife on the belt (which by the way is a huge belt usually.) After teaching my friends about the kilt we watched the Scottish Games that were going on. It was really cool. I might be participating in those. I don't know for sure. It would be really fun. I would have to get a lot stronger then I am now.

The only regret that I have about being at the festival is that I didn't have any haggis. I need to try this dish. I have heard some mixed likes and dislikes about haggis, and I have decided that I need to try it before I can make up my mind. Other than that I do wish I could of made it to my nephews b-day party. It was kind of sad that I didn't know where the party was and I didn't get to their house until a hour and a half after the party started.

Well, that is about it for me. See you next time.

6/01/2011

The Weekend


As you read the title you were probably thinking that this post is going to be about last weekend. Well, YOU ARE GOING TO BE correct about that. This post is totally going to be about this past week. Well, it started off with a long drive home. It was not the funnest drive I have done. It was a good weekend did a lot of things. Sorry to Jasper. I have a good explanation on that.

So Saturday I spent the day doing random work for my parents around the house. Put up a waterfall in the back yard for them. It is a pretty cool waterfall, but it would be better if the dirt behind it was piled up a bit higher. Then I helped with my mom put on the coolest item on her bike.

(Note: This is not my mom or her bike or my dog.
I hope that you all know that I would never even buy a dog like that)

Now, the problem is with the dog we have would brake the bike. I have three good reasons for this fact I just said. Our dog is at least 100 lbs over weight. I sti
ll don't know how this happens with raccoons taking her food. Two the basket that I put on is only made for a weight of 35 lbs at the most. So, the beast that we claim to own is 200 lbs heavier than that. (Sorry to the beast, but we make fun of her all the time. There is no way for that dog to fit in a basket like that thou.) The third reason is just the first two reason combined do not make the basket work with that dog in it.

After that great experience, we went to go see Thor. It was a great movie. I wonder how it would be in 3D. It would probably be a good movie, but I get motion sickness really easy. It kind sucks, and that is why I am not a big fan of boats. Sorry girls this guy most likely not own a boat in his life. Unless I get scuba certified and I go scuba diving a lot. I don't see that happening. Okay back to Saturday. Well, that is basically it there was much after that. I guess I did see How to Train Your Dragon. It was a good movie. The dragon reminded me of a dog and a fish at the same time. It looks like a cat fish, but it acts like a dog kind of.
(This is a dragon is what the dragon would look like if it was real.
I actually don't know.)

Sunday was a good day. Went to church and that is about it for me. Saw my cousin and his wife for a little bit. Oh yes, I also was taught how to wear a kilt. I will have to say. I like good in a kilt. You may say that is a little weird since a kilt is basically a skirt, but it isn't a skirt. I had to learn how to wear one for the Scottish Festival that is in two weeks. We also went to see my grandparents graves since it was memorial weekend. The kilt just made it better for is the side that I get my Scottish last name. If you want to see me in a kilt you will just have to wait until after the festival so I can get some more pictures. Hopefully my own kilt will have received on time for me to wear it.

Monday was a good day as well. My Dad, brother (Joel), and I got up at 3 in the morning. Okay, I know you are saying, "wait a minute. 3 in the morning doesn't sound like a good thing to me." Well, it usually isn't, but when you have two raccoons making a mess in your backyard you have to do something about it. We tried doing something about it. We were going to shoot them with paint ball guns and BB guns, but my brother's paint ball gun went crazy and started shooting before he pulled the trigger. So unfortunately they got away without a scratch. Oh well, that just means that next time I am down, if they haven't taken care of them yet, I can help.

The rest of the day was basically getting some things that we need for the BBQ and some other things. Unfortunately nobody but my oldest brother was able to come to the BBQ. The rest of you missed out on some really good brisket, suckers. You should all come next time. It would mean a lot to me. So take this as your invitation to come if you want one.

Then I had a long back to the windy city, and no I don't mean Chicago. I mean Rexburg which is the real windy city. I don't think that I have had a day without wind since I have been here.

4/15/2011

Plantar Fasciitis

"You have plantar fasciitis," the doctor said. Me, "what did you say?" again the doctor said "You have plantar fasciitis." "What is that? I have never heard of it." (Nor 9/10 of the health problem out there) "Is that some sort of disorder where I just want to plant thing and have a fascination to gardening?"


No, plantar fasciitis is a painful inflammatory in the foot. You have your arches right, and your arches are created by ligaments and tendons that pull your bones into an arch shape. Just imagine a bow. You have the wood part of the bow, this is your bone. Then you have the string which is the tendons and ligaments. With plantar fasciitis the ligaments or tendons are inflamed and might be stretched a little. This can cause much pain in the persons foot. The pain is usually in the heel of the foot but can be in other parts of the bottom of the foot. If your foot hurts and you think you have it go see a doctor about it.

(disclaimer-I am not a doctor so if there is anything that isn't true don't be angry)

1/19/2011

The Mission

Sorry that it has taken a long time. I have been busy with school. This blog is going to be about my mission. I know that the last couple have been about the mission, but this one is about the whole thing. In other words it is my thoughts on a mission.



At the age of 19 many young men who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ go on missions. I was one of those boys and I am proud of it. It is a great deal. They don't see their families for 2 years and they can only talk on the phone twice a year (if everything is okay) with their families. A lot of people, I found out, think that this is hard. To be honest, it is for the first little bit. As you work hard though it goes away. In the first month you learn a lot of skills, and a lot of lessons. You are put through a very lengthy day of learn the gospel and if it is part of your mission, you learn a new language. I had to learn a new language, and most of you know that I learned Serbian.

No once out in the "field" things change. The language that you thought you knew isn't even close to what they speak in the country. Your meals are no longer cooked for you, and you have a little bit more freedom. What I mean by this is that they have you locked up in a compound and they aren't always watching over you. You are the one that decides to get up in the morning. Things also get a little harder. You start having to do things that you normally wouldn't do. Some would say that you have to leave your bubble, or comfort zone. This is so true, or at least in the missions in Europe. I don't know about the other countries.


On the mission, you meet people that you never thought you would meet. You also have experiences that you never would have had. You will have both of these happen, believe me I know. The members are always great, especially the ones that help you out a lot. On the other side you have things that you really don't want to happen at all. You will have the complete opposite sides of the spectorum. There are times when you will have a great day and everything doesn't go wrong. Then the next day you will have a day when everything goes wrong. Those days may have been bad but they are sometimes the ones that you learn the most out of. Most people they ask about my mission and always ask about the part that were hard. Then after I answer them they always ask if I hated my mission. I don't know why that is. I tell them the truth about my mission, that it is was hard, but I loved it. So now if you have read this had you ask me if I loved my mission you have your answer, yes I did. Sure there were long periods of time without teaching someone, but I received blessings from it. I learned a lot and now after looking back on it I am glad that I went.

Well, that is it for me. I loved my mission and I will tell everyone out there that missions are hard but they are worth it in the long run. I guess since I am talking about the mission that I kind of have to bare my testimony of the church. I know this church is true. It was set up by the power of God again on the earth through Joseph Smith. He did translate the Book of Mormon with this same power. I know that it is through the gospel that this world is saved and there is no other way. It is through the Atonement that all men will return to God (to be judged) and that all men will be resurrected from the dead. I know that Thomas S. Monson is the prophet today. The Lord leads the church through him today. Our leaders in the church are called of God and that is why that we need to support our leaders. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.