LIFE IS GREAT!

Eric Liebhardt:

Born at approximately 2:00 pm
weighing 9 lbs 2 oz (or something like that. Mom doesn't remember)
and 19 1/2 inches tall.

My birthday wish for this year: everyone should own one funny hat.
My birthday wish for last year: I don't remember, but I'm sure it had something to do with a certain girl.
My birthday wish for next year: I don't know. But I'm sure it will have something to do with open hearts and willing minds.

Cake this year: No cake. We had apple pie made from the apples from our backyard.
Cake last year: I don't remember. Probably a Duncan Hines/Betty Crocker mix.
Best birthday cake: DQ ice cream cake is the bomb-dot-net! Or fudge brownies and cookies 'n' cream ice cream. Mmmmm.

[Almost] every year, Mom asks what I would like to eat for my birthday dinner. This years menu included the following: Dutch oven potates [with bacon and cheese!], dutch oven BBQ pork (pork shoulder roasts should always be cooked in a crock pot. They're waaay more tender that way.), dutch oven elk [apricot, honey, pineapple- dad's recipe] (I was skeptical at first, but it was delicious!), rolls, strawberry jell-o salad (the best thing ever), green salad, a variety of soft drinks and punches, and apple pie and ice cream for dessert. Mom and Pa outdid themselves this year.

Presents acquired this year: My presents was the presence of those I love! I had lots of family from all over the country come, albeit they were in Salt Lake for a scrapbooking expo, but they still made the four hour drive to Cedar! Gramma from Georgia, Aunt Donna from Georgia, Aunt Laura from Texas, Katie, Casey, and Hayden from NV, Tandy, Lexi, Braeden, and Ella from CA, Uncle Robert, Aunt Janet, and Sarah from UT, Gail, Seth, Caroline, and Jonathan from UT, plus my local family: Nick, Mom, Dad, and Gramma L. And I had my non-family family: Isie and Venice , and Katie. I would have invited about twelve hundred more people (we had enough food, too), but I didn't have a way to contact several because I lost my contact list when I lost my phone...
And I got a surprise phone call from my brother, Damian, who is serving overseas! We had a nice fourteen minute, eleven second conversation. He just called to wish me a happy birthday! My family is great!
But. I did get a few great things: a box of LIFE, a new scripture case (mine was falling apart), and some money (which is very helpful for the mish), and Isie is in the process of making a quilt for me to take on my mission (yeah, they told me to bring a blanket. Weird)! And Nick made a funny card with lots of insults on it. Oh, and Mom purchased 92% of my necessary mission clothes. Thanks Momma! I love you!


Only ten days til the mission! On Thursday, mom and I were talking about how, often times, Elders will come home from their missions looking different/fat. Mom said, "What if we don't recognize you when you come home?" My response: "Mom, I'll be wearing a name tag." Duh. She worries too much.

I also got to attend a session at the Salt Lake Temple with Mom and Gramma A. on Friday morning. It was so great! I'm glad I got to go before the mish.

So. Pictures of the celebratory day of birth? Yes? Ok!

All of my nieces and nephews! This is the last time that we will all be together for at least two years! Hayden (on Katie's lap with Katie hiding behind him), Caroline holding Jonathan, Braeden, and Lexi holding Ella.
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(Not a birthday picture, but still cool.) When Tandy and the kids came to town, Tandy really wanted to go eat someplace that she couldn't eat at in SoCal. So the Grammas, me, Braeden, Gramma L, Lexi, Tandy, Ella, Nick went to the Pizza Factory. I had a Calzone. Twas delish.

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Katie, Venice, me, Isabel (Isie). We are so good looking.

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We're still good looking.

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We then played Harry Potter and were going to make a short movie, but we ran out of time because we were going to go to the CES Broadcast fireside. I will definitely post the pictures/video of us being wizards and looking into the pensieve later, but this post is already waaay to long, so I think I'll stop now. It was a great birthday!

WHAT'S ON MY MIND

[Missionary tag] My mission: The days are flying by and there's still lots to do. Lots and lots and lots and lots to do.

[Pile of folded shirts] The inevitable clothing shopping: I do not like shopping. Especially for clothes. The image of a folded pile of shirts represents the things I must purchase before September 23. Some of those things? 8 white dress shirts, 1 pair of slacks, 1 suit, lotsa socks, shoes. And that's only a portion of the list.

[Burger King King] The Burger King: He's just really creepy.

[Camera] Pictures: As I'm preparing to serve, I think: should I still do some legit missionary pictures? What pictures should I put in my little album I'm going to take on my mission? And should I buy that digital camera on Ebay to take on my mission?

[Messy garage] Gramma's carport: I've been helping my grandmother, Berenice, clean out her carport. It is messy. There is so much clutter and garbage and junk and dirt. It seems like an impossible task. But. We're making progress.

[Milka] Milka: The other day, dad informed me that I had a package in the mail. It's contents: Milka!! And a wonderful letter from my German friend Maria M. There was also a ladybug stuffed animal. In Germany, ladybugs bring good luck.

[Peach pie] Peach pie!: We had peaches. So mom made 3 pies. I think I've eaten, cumulatively, one pie. Or close to it. They are soooo good.

[Mailbox] Letters and other informative items: Oh how I delight in receiving letters! There is something about a handwritten letter that takes me back to a simpler time; a time full of nostalgia and peach pies; a time when junk mail didn't exist; a time when life was simple, uncomplicated by computers, TV, mobile phones, and loud media. I've been getting letters from a couple of missionaries and Maria.
And. I got MTC info and info regarding my mission. And I'm waiting for my new debit card. Woot for mail!

[Christmas tree] Christmas: I love Christmas. Even though it's only September, Christmas has a way of sneaking a way into my thoughts. This Christmas will be... well, different. But there is no place in the whole wide world I would rather be.

[St. George Temple] Temple: I'm trying to attend the temple as much as I can in the next few weeks that I'm home. The St. George Temple has been closed for the past two weeks for it's scheduled cleaning and maintenance, but it reopens on Tuesday.
I had a nice long visit with my across-the-street-neighbor, Josh, who recently (less than 1 month) returned home from serving in Florida. The nearest temple to his mission is the Orlando Temple and he only got to attend once because it was four hours out of his mission. I hope that I'll have the opportunity to attend the DC Temple often. And it's even in my mission.

[Guy sleeping] Sleep: I love naps. And I love sleeping in. It seems like my body needs 12 hours of sleep/day. Maybe my brain manufactures excess melatonin? I don't know how I'm going to fare in the mission field, but I have faith that the Lord will give me the strength and energy to carry on.

[Alarm clock] Tomorrow: Tomorrow will welcome me. With tomorrow (and every tomorrow) there are new challenges, blessings, and friends. Although I'm not a fan of waking up, I hope I can face tomorrow with a smile and a willing attitude.

*Not Pictured*

[Speaking] Opportunity to speak: I will be speaking in sacrament meeting on the twentieth for 15-20 minutes. That seems like a really long time for me to talk.

That's not all that's on my mind. There's tons more going on in there. One might even say, it's mind bottling. And no, I don't think the expression is really "mind bottling." It's from a movie.
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HAIR RAZING EVENTS

Yes. I said "hair razing." Raze as in to tear down; demolish; level to the ground or to shave or scrape off. Meaning I lost my lovely locks of wavy, luscious, voluminous, golden-brown hair. Although I'm not bald, I feel like I am. It's quite a contrast to go from 5 inches of hair to one inch, and it's nicely tapered down on the back. But I love it. And I'm going to save a fortune on shampoo! Thanks mom!

This is a lovely before photo of my hairy head. It doesn't look 5" long because of the beautiful waviness of it, but I plucked out a hair and measured it with a ruler. 5".

In the process of the hair razing.

The finished product! Rather dashing, eh?

I'm really not that distraught about losing

it, but that is a very large pile of hair.

Why is it italicised from this point on?!

So why did I cut my hair? Well, the next day, Saturday, I was planning on going to the temple and do my missionary photos. My good friend, Krista, is a marvelous photographer and she offered to do them for me. So I packed my bag and left Cedar around 7:15 to meet Krista at 8:00. I got there. And I waited. And I waited. And I waited. For about an hour (48 minutes, according to my clock) and decided that she just forgot.

(Oh, let me insert right here why I didn't call her: I lost my phone the day before. I have no idea where it is. I retraced all my steps around town and there is no sign of it. Not even crushed pieces in the road [which is where I think it is. I played a rousing game of Chinese Fire Drill and it's likely that my phone fell out of my pocket when I jumped out of the car.]! It's just mind bottling.)

So rather than wait around even more, I went to my first session at the St. George Temple. It was lovely.
After the temple, I drove to Santa Clara to Krista's house to find out what's up. Turns out, we suck at making appointments. I was positive that we had agreed on 8:00. She wasn't sure what time. She texted me multiple times the previous night and that morning. But. My phone is lost so I never got her messages. Instead of taking pictures in the now horrible noon lighting, we just sat in her sitting room talking. And ate a bowl of Life :)

Today, Sunday, was a wonderfully spirit-filled day. Block meetings were canceled across Utah (My college ward had a short 1 hour sacrament meeting) for the Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple dedication- the 13th temple to be dedicated in Utah. I went to the seventh dedicatory session with my parents and then to the ninth and final dedicatory session with my brother, Nick. The Spirit at both sessions was sooo amazing and I'm so glad that I got to attend with family, which is really what the blessings of the temple are all about.

And I finally had a Court of Honor for my Eagle Scout award. I finished it about 1 year ago, but I never had a Court of Honor. I, along with 4 other young men from my ward got 'em! Here are some photos.

Myself talking about scouting experiences.

Starting with me going clockwise: Eric Liebhardt, Evan Harris,
Justin Jones, Jesse Carter, & Lance Brown.

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