Mr. + Mrs. Smith go to Washington

Rockville, Maryland actually. We have spent the last week - from Friday January 15th to Friday January 22nd - with the Stromsdorfers. Now we are in our new home! It is a real home too. With two bedrooms. The funny part is that we are sleeping in the second bedroom because it has a bed. And frankly, every time I go into the master bedroom I keep thinking I am going into someone's parent's room. But I am the someone and I am the "parent" adult. It is a weird feeling. Like I have to grow up - bigger.

Our view is gorgeous, the grass is green and there are so many trees. While none of them have leaves on them, it feels very homey, woody. And then there's the temple! We don't have a view from our house, but it is on the same lot as where we meet each Sunday for church. It shoots out of the top of the forest like a great white castle. I can't wait to go in! Church was great - such a friendly ward. Lots of young couples, army medical students, law students, older families. We have joined the choir. Fun. Annnddddd. We love it. This is where we are meant to be.

Of course, it is hard to be away from old friends. It is difficult to not just drop by with an arm full of board games or run off to our favorite Mexican joint. We don't have anyone to spend a few hours with jamming out to Rock Band or sharing Family Home Evening on Monday nights, but it will come.

We are close to other family that we haven't seen in awhile. My brother Ian and his wife Ashley with Lauren, Kate and soon-to-come Lincoln live 12 hours away in Clarksville, TN. Nikki's cousins live in Pitman, NJ and I have many friends in New York City (which is just a $25 round-trip, 3-hour ride on the China Town Bus!!). I am SOOO nervous. Can't help it. I have a wife to support, not to mention my unquenchable appetite. But it goes well for now. We have the faith that we are where we are supposed to be, and that I will find the job that is right for my career.

summer ending

SCOPE Art Fair in the Hamptons was a good week: wall blew over, we danced our asses off, The Mormons got everyone plastered! Yes, good week at SCOPE!

From SCOPE I stayed in New York City with Liz from the staff. I met up with my old high school friends Laura, Amie Swope and her boyfriend. It was interesting and good to catch up with her. Of course so much of High school life comes up again and a bit of the drama gets rehashed but she is a really good person who I think will someday join the church. When I was at the Book of Mormon printing building in Palmyra I was impressed to contact her and gaver her number to the missionaries. Then tonight she was talking about her beliefs, about how Heavenly Father loves all his children and sees them for their potential and not their faults, and how she realizes the Bible has been translated a bajillion times. She kept saying what a good person I was and how I was able to always be a good person and not judge others, just loved them and that I was a good example of a Mormon. She and her boyfriend are moving in together and I think that they will get married shortly. I am so happy for them because I think they are both headed in the right direction.

Liz and Queenie asked us tons of questions about the church on the bus ride home last night and Chase and I got to tell them all about it. It was like being on a mission again. Liz was the most verbally curious but Queenie had very insightful and probing questions. She talked about how important pray was and asked how someone could now what was true, and what church to join. It was a great opportunity for me to bare my testimony of the prayer and the Spirit and Heavenly Father's love for all his children and that He will help us find the truth because He loves us and wants us to be happy.

Christmas Eve To Do:

Today is already underway! I am avoiding doing anything too crazy because I am WORN OUT!! But SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO excited for Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There are so many presents under the tree this year...and Santa hasn't even come. It is beautiful weather, I want to go for a swim.
1. 10:00 - Wake up
2. Go to bank with dad to deposit mullah
3. have a quick snack
4. Don't go to Olive Garden with Mom, Kendra and Mom's friend (phew! A bunch of women at Oliove Garden - No thank you!!)
5. Clean up the wrapping mess in the living room
6. Vaccum
6.5. Watch "Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang" (starring Val Kilmer and Robert Downey Jr. - a Smith kids Xmas tradition) while I clean and vaccum.
7. take a shower - i will be stinky
OR
7. Get in the pool, then take a shower.
8. Talk to you, you'll be done with work finally.
9. Get dressed and go to the Andersen's for dinner and games
10. come home and read Luke II (Dad) and a new, short Christmas Book (Mom), sing Christmas carols
11. watch Nightmare Before Christmas!
12. Last Sleep 'til Christmas

Let's Try This Again

Here I am, sitting once again watching Project Runway reruns. The weather keeps tempting to drop but sits tauntingly in the mid 80s. Evert morning, before I read my scriptures I go to the weather channel to see what the day will bring - and if I can finally where my new jeans. Snotty weather, has a mind of its own. I am trudging through the monatany of school - community college even. I have dropped so far. But, there is an upside, I am one semester closer to graduation. When that might be is anyone's guess. Until then I can keep going to my sanctuary, I happily have a renewed temple recommend and it as my goal to attend once a month. The Institute Ward that I attend here in Gainesville goes frequently on Orlando Temple trips so there is ample opportunity for me to go - and little room for excuse.

Dastardly Late

It is with great shame that I post this entry SO late after my last. Since I have posted I have come to Utah on Vaca. My very good friend Shelby had her wedding reception on July 14th so I came out here for that and am staying until August 7th. During that time I am bumming it at Andrew Glassett's cave. He is producing my album/EP that I have written. He is also releasing a full-length album and we are going to have a double release on August 3rd.

Writing this album has been amazing! Not because I can connect to my artistic self, but because my songs ROCK! I write really good pop songs. The duo (Me and Andrew) are called DAYglo, and the album is called Cloud Warrior. It will be a phenomenal release show. It is a performance art piece based on my experience as a 7 year old visiting my friends so I could watch MTV and listen to the top 40 hits of 1988. The stage is set up as a bedroom with a bed, a dresser and various accoutrements. Among those will be a radio which I will lip-sync my songs to. It is gonna be AWESOME!

One a Month

I am doing well at consistently posting once a month. If there are more then that you should count yourself lucky. If I only post pictures or lame video it is an attempt to appease the masses that hunger for all things Collin and want to know what I might be watching or into at the moment. It is a burden to carry the responsibility of a trend-setter but one I must bear if I am to fight against the Main Stream Media. Do I do that? Oh, wait, I'm thinking of someone else.

As for ME, my Utah relatives were in town this weekend. They consist of my mother's brother, his wife, there last two girls at home - twin seniors in high school, their married daughter who is my age and their two sons - under 4. WOW, did you want to know all that? Nope. Oh well. We hung out, went to dinner, talked, caught up. Ate some more. Split up and say Ocean's 13 and Surf's Up. I saw Ocean's 13 on Friday with friends so went to Surf's Up with the boys instead - cute movie, very mellow.

I feel like I got a lot out of spending time with them. The older boy Braxton (SUCH a Utah name!) got his finger slammed in a door and had to get stitches and a pretty big bandage. He was so cautious about everything after that, carefully using his left hand instead, not using his right except to hold something in his arm against his body like a cup or a light saber. What got me was not only how conscientious he was about it but how well he adapted. If I were as conscientious about the personal wounds I carry, letting them heal rather than trying to use them in spite of being broken, I believe I would have greater success and more quickly recover from injuries I inflict myself and from others. I hope I would cause less harm too, because I would be more sympathetic.

The Weather Outside is Delightful

I live in Florida. I am bragging for all you who have never been here before or came in July to visit Themepark Land. It is beautiful right now. Has been since February. I've been at the beach every other week since February. Today I am going knee boarding with a friend of mine - he is married, has two kids, and a career...and a boat. And that is what we have in common. He has a boat and I like to go to the water and ride in it. He likes to put gas in the boat and I like to be driven in it - in the water. It's May. I'm tan, quite tan since I've been on the beach since February. Did I mention that?

Somehow, I missed out on a lot of water activities in my high school days. I have actually never been water-skiing, wake boarding, or knee boarding. I learned to windsurf...at scout camp. So, I'm not sure if that even counts, because I haven't done it since. But now I LOVE boating and boats and skiis and water and money. You have to have a lot of money to own and upkeep a boat. Not to mention take it out, fill it up, and haul it back. I'm just guessing here but I don't think a trailer with a boat on the back of your F-350 INCREASES fuel efficiancy. Just guessing. So those that go out have money, or are friends with those who have money. And as Grandpa always says, "It's just as easy to be friends with a rich kid as a poor kid." Actually, he says "it's just as easy to fall in love with a rich girl as a poor girl." But that seems worse in some ways. My cousin, the golden child, did that and he's living in hog heaven - as they say here in the South (this is kinda the South still). Unfortunately I don't know any really rich girls I would marry.