Goal # 2123: Take and Pass the Test to Become a Untited States Citizen

ALRIGHT!!!! I am a citizen of the United States!!! Actually, I was born one, but if I hadn’t been one, I would be now because I just passed the test to become a United States citizen. The test is made up of 96 questions. I got a score of 95% correct. I messed up on a couple questions about how long terms are in the senate and in the house and 2 other questions that I just didn't know the answers to. But 91 out of 95 questions correct is a pretty good score. I guess I know my American history pretty good. Of course, it helps that I got my undergraduate degree in history.

 

Goal #203: Find Something Unique and Bizzare in the Mountains

When my brother Tom and I were hiking up to the summit of San Jacinto, by chance we found the remains of a dead mountain climber. Her name was Brittany. How do we know that?  Well, here’s the rest of the story.

As Tom and I climbed down into a crevice to get out of the wind, we found a small wooden box, measuring about 6 inches long by 4 inches wide by 3 inches deep. On the top of the box was inscribed a short message. It said, “Here rests the remains of a dead mountain climber. Please do not disturb.” On the back of the box was the name Brittany. No last name.

From what we can piece together, it appears that Brittany was an avid climber and outdoor lover. We have no clue what she died of but it appears that family or friends cremated her body and brought a portion of her ashes to the summit of San Jacinto Mountain where she can enjoy a new sunrise each and every day. I thought it was a wonderful tribute for someone who surely must have loved being in such a glorious place.  

Goal #1699: Help Catch a Criminal

I didn’t make an effort to go out and find this guy, he found us. My wife and I were young college kids living in a basement apartment at the time this happened. I was putting my daughter down for a nap on our bed and was reading her a story. As we were reading, the window suddenly burst open above my head. I looked up in time to see a pair of legs coming through the window. I got up and yelled to see who it was. I thought it was someone pulling a prank.

As soon as the guy heard my voice he pulled his legs up and took off running. I ran outside in time to see him running down the street. I got a good look at what he was wearing and called the cops. Minutes later, a cop came by and asked me to get in their car. They drove by another cop who had the guy in handcuffs standing next to his car. It seems this guy (Scott O.) was out of the county jail during the day on a work release program. A few months later I went to court to testify against him. He was just a young kid, about 22 years old. I expect he was breaking into houses in an effort to get money to buy drugs. They ended up adding another year to his jail sentence and taking him off the work release program.

Goal #151: Regain the 30 Pounds I Lost in the Philippine Islands

When I left to live in the Philippine Islands for a couple years, I was 19 years old and weighed 145 lbs. When I returned, I was 21 and weighed 115 lbs dripping wet. When I got off the plane my mother cried. I just assumed it was because she was so glad to see me. Years later she told me that she was crying, not because she was glad to see me (although she was glad to see me) but because I looked so terrible. She just kept asking, “What did they do to my son?”

I was so skinny by the time I was in my last area that when I went to pick up my working companion at the airport, he thought that someone was pulling a joke on him. Elder Whitchurch thought that the other guys found some skinny American who had lived there all his life and gave him a name badge and told Elder Whitchurch that I was his companion. It wasn’t until the next day that he realized I really was his companion. Kind of sad isn’t it.

When I got home, it took several trips to the hospital to finally completely rid myself of all the worms and parasites I had inside my body. After a couple of months of medication and LOTS of food, I finally started gaining weight again. It took several months before I finally regained all my weight back. Decades later I still experience health related problems from this experience. But if I were given the choice I wouldn’t trade that 2 year experience of living in the Philippine Islands for anything. It was a life changing experience in so many ways.