Underground Car Guy

This week my oldest niece, Ashley, is graduating from High School.  It is hard to believe that this little girl that I watched from a distance, is now a young woman, and going out into the big wide world.  I remember graduating from the same high school back in 1988.  There was over 800 plus of use getting our diplomas that night. A few days later, I was on a plane to Hawaii, for a week of fun with other classmates.  I had worked all senior year, and back than I think I paid $300 for the total trip.  There was about 15 of us from Mesa High that went on the trip.  About two weeks later, we were all back together to share our pictures of the trip.  The talk turned to what next.  For most, it was off to college.  I was one of three Mormons that went on the trip, and I knew that in two months I would be putting in my papers for a Mormon mission, and with in six months I would be in the mission. field.  I was shocked to find that many envie...

So, I see that people are somewhat reading what I have written.  But some of you do not know who I am.  So here is a little bit about me. My name is Bill.  I was born in Weisbaden, Germany in 1969.  My dad was in the Air Force and got out about 3 months after I was born.  My dad moved use to Tennessee, where my sister was born.  We moved to Arizona in 1978 after the death of my grandfather. I went to Mesa High School and graduated in 1988.  If you want to know more about my high school years, you can read my posting, "If I could turn back time." I served a Mormon (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) mission from 1988 to 1990.  I served in the Ireland Dublin Mission.  I guess you could that I am a practicing member of the church. I married my wife in June of 1991.  We were married for 21 years before we separated.  I have 3 nieces and 2 nephews. I attended Mesa Community College, were I transferred over to Ari...

As this is the weekend for Mother's Day, and having spent a few hours with extended relatives, my mind keeps going back to the family.  I was lucky to grow up were both sides of my family have large extended families.  I was lucky to know most of my grandparents brothers and sisters and there children.  It was great, because I had many 3rd and 4th cousins around my age. But family was one of the failings of my marriage.  For me I never saw me and my wife as a family.  I always saw a family as a mother, father and children.  It was hard to translate this in the 21 years we were together.  How does one have family home evening, family pray, family scripture study, just between 2 people?  And then being a member of church that the major focus is the family.  I always felt like the outsider looking in. But my thought on the extended family were fun times.  Like I said, both sets of grandparent had large families.  While living in ...

Growing up in the LDS Chruch (Mormon) , you are taught early in life that going on a mission is something you should do. In Primary (A Sunday School for children from 3 to 12 years of age), you sing a song, " I Hope They Call Me on a Mission. "  Now at the age of 18 ( 19 for girls), a young man may choice if this is the path that they want to follow.  For me in 1988, the age was 19, and my time had come.  I don't remember anyone asking me at the time if I want to serve a mission, but when was I going to turn in your papers. Disclaimer:  I am writing this at my point of view of my mission serve.  This not to argue for or against serving.  But this my experience in going through the process and then serving a mission.  And I hope that it does not offend those who may  be named in this. My birthday in the first few days of August.  So through the month of August I went and saw my Bishop for and interview, and got the paper work to fill...

The last few days I have been talking to people and they have been telling that I should be single and dating again.  One even asked if I thought I would every be married again.  I  have been separated now for 8 long months.  I really do not know what the future will hold.  But it scares me to get back into the dating seen again after 20 some odd years. As a teenager I did not really date much.  My first real date was not until I was 17.  I did go to my Senior Prom, and I did date a wonderful girl after high school and before my mission.  But I just did not think girls like me in the way of dating or loving you.  I did have one girl that I truly loved for a while during this time and when the time came that I wanted to be boyfriend and girlfriend, she said no.  I was the guy that was always caught in the friend zone.  If there was someone who did have a crush on me I had no idea.  OK, I did have one idea, but they would never...