Bless Me, Ultima

My favorite text this semester was Bless Me, Ultima. Bless Me, Ultima was an amazing book for so many reasons and I enjoyed reading about Tony and all his experiences that made him grow up and see the world in a different way. A big influence in Tony's life that helped him to mature and learn new things was Ultima. I loved this book so much because Tony, like all of us, had to go through different experiences in his life, sometimes difficult, in order to grow up and become a man. Some of these experiences are when he learns about the golden carp form Cico, and when he sees his friend Narciso get murdered.

When Tony learns about the golden carp, he thinks that what Cico has to say about it was unbelievable, but at the same time made a wild kind of sense. Cico told him that the golden carp warned us that if the city did not stop sinning, then it would be flooded. After this experience, Tony asks Ultima if the legend of the golden carp is real or not. I love Ultima's response when she says, "As you grow into manhood you must find your own truths" (125). I loved her response because so much of growing up is figuring things out on our own and making our own best judgment. Ultima could have easily told Tony what she though about the golden carp, but then that would have stopped Tony from thinking on his own about what he really felt about the golden carp. Ultima was trying to help him to be independent and to think for himself. If someone always is telling us what is right and what is not, then we will never learn.

Another experience that made Tony grow up was when he saw his friend Narciso get murdered by Tenorio. When he sees his friend get murdered and also when he saw Lupito get murdered, Tony has the burning question, why does God allow evil to exist? I like these experiences he has because it is really interesting to see the spiritual transformation that he has throughout the book. We all most go through difficult experiences in our lives that might make us question things, but it's through these experiences that we truly find ourselves and start to form our own ideas and opinions.

Bless Me, Ultima was an amazing book that really got me thinking about my own life and the reasons why I believe in and stand up for certain things.

The Love of God

"When I came on this trip, I thought my mom didn't love me anymore." (Patricia Riggen, Under the Same Moon)


In life, sometimes we feel that we are not wanted and not loved by anyone. Throughout the movie, Under the Same Moon, Carlitos sometimes feels that his mother does not love him because she has been gone for so long and he feels neglected. Towards the end of the movie, he comes to the realization that his mother does care about him and loves him dearly. This part in the movie, when Carlitos says that he thought his mother doesn't love him reminds me of how sometimes people don't feel that God loves them.

"And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God, and always retain a remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true" (Mosiah 4:12). Sometimes in life when we sin, we feel lonely and that God does not love us. We feel that way because sin makes us feel horrible and that we are not good people. The reality is, God loves us no matter what and he always is extending his hand to help us out and feel better. Through repentance, we start to feel better and loved. Also learning more about God and passing through experiences that bring us closer to him (repentance) makes us feel and know that God loves us. Throughout the movie, Under the Same Moon, Carlitos realizes that his mom truly does love him no matter what. He realizes that she has been gone for so long and crossed the border for his benefit. She did this because she loves him and wants to help give him a better life. In our lives, sometimes if we pass through difficult situations and we suffer, God really wants us to overcome these hard times and become stronger as a result.

Just like how Carlitos' mom does stuff for him because she loves him, God does stuff for us because he loves us. Carlitos mom loves him no matter what he does and God loves us no matter what too.

Opposition in all Things

"God is supposed to know everything, all right, then why didn't he make this earth without bad or evil things in it? Why didn't he make us so that we would always be kind to each other? He could of made it so that it was always summer, and there's always apples in the trees." (Rudolfo Anaya, Bless Me, Ultima, 207)

In Bless Me, Ultima, Florence and Tony have a discussion about why bad things happen in the world. Florence had a really tough life and doesn't believe in God as a result of his mother's death, his father's death caused from alcohol, and his sisters being whores. Florence wonders what he did to deserve all these bad things. Florence has many questions of the soul that many people wonder about. When Florence wonders why God didn't make this world without bad and evil, he reminded me of 2 Nephi 2:11; 16 when Lehi teaches his son Jacob about how there needs to be an opposition in all things.

"For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my first-born in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad...Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other" (2 Nephi 2: 11; 16). Unbeknown to Florence, God sent us to this earth to get a body and pass through experiences that will help us grow and become more like Him. If there was no opposition, we would not be able to change, we would not know joy because we would not experience sorrow and pain and we would be forced to have only one choice, which choice would be Satan's plan. Since God knows everything, he knew that it would be best for us to have our agency so that we could choose for ourselves. Through making our own righteous choices, we become disciples and we show God that we are loyal and that we love Him.

God loves us so much that he sent us to earth to learn and grow. As stated previously, opposition is necessary in all aspects of life and as soon as we realize this and apply it into our lives, we will understand why we are put into certain situations and how we can use our agency to change ourselves or our situations for the better.

The Sins of the People

"I thought about telling everyone in town to stop their sinning, or drown and die. But they would not believe me. How could I preach to the whole town, I was only a boy. They would not listen." (Rudolfo Anaya, Bless Me Ultima, 124)

In Bless Me Ultima, Tony is worried because of the golden carp's warning that the city will be flooded if the people continue to sin. Tony desires to tell the people that they should stop sinning, but feels as if they would not listen if he were to warn them because of his young age. Tony goes to seek comfort from Ultima in regards to the carp's warning, but is told that he must decide on his own if the story of the carp's warning is actually true or not. Tony's desire to tell everyone to stop sinning reminds me of Lehi in The Book of Mormon and how he warned the people of Jerusalem that it would be destroyed as a result of the peoples' iniquities.

In The Book of Mormon, Lehi has a vision that the city of Jerusalem shall be destroyed because of the people and their abominations. The people mock Lehi and they become angry with him because of his words that the city will be destroyed because of their sins. In Bless Me Ultima, Tony believes that according to the golden carp, if the people continue in sin, the city shall be destroyed. Knowing that Tony didn't warn anybody in the town to stop sinning made me think of Lehi and what would have happened if he didn't heed unto the Lord's counsel to leave Jerusalem. If Lehi and his family didn't leave Jerusalem, they probably would have been killed or taken captive to Babylon. I believe that his decision to stay would have greatly altered history for the worse. It probably would have taken many years for someone else to get the plates of brass from Laban and The Book of Mormon would definitely have different people in it other than Nephi and Lehi.

I am very grateful for Lehi's decision to leave Jerusalem as a result of the Lord telling him to leave. We have The Book of Mormon in big part because of him and Nephi. I am not sure how Tony's decision not to warn the city of their possible destruction will play out, but I really hope that he and his family will be safe in the end.

Receiving Spirits

"She received the spirit." (Black Orpheus)

In the movie, Black Orpheus, there are some instances that lead you to believe that the devil does indeed have power to imitate miracles. Towards the end of the movie, Orpheus is frantically looking for his love, Eurydice, who he unknowingly killed. While looking for her, he runs into a group of people dancing in a circle. All of a sudden, one of the ladies starts going crazy and flailing her arms around. A man who was watching the dance with Orpheus said that the woman received the spirit. Watching this scene reminded me of my experiences in Brazil and how I heard many stories of people speaking in tongues and going crazy as a result of receiving the spirit.

In Matthew 7:16 it reads, "Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles"? With every miracle, we can know if it was a miracle from God or from the devil by the way it makes us feel. Miracles that are done in the name of God bring peace to our hearts and clarity to our minds. True miracles bring the spirit, and some of the fruits of the spirit are, "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith." (Galatians 5:22) In Black Orpheus, I do believe that the woman that went crazy was overcome with something, but it was not the Holy Spirit. I believe that she was overcome by a demon that took over her body and made her do all sorts of crazy things. I believe that because when I saw that scene, I did not feel any fruits of the spirit as I mentioned before. Some of the feelings that I had were fear, uneasiness, and contention. These are not feelings that come from the spirit. During my time in Brazil, I saw and heard of instances that occurred in this movie of people receiving spirits, and I could always discern if the spirit came from God or from some other power by the way the instance made me feel. Watching this scene and thinking of my experiences also made me want to always strive to stand in holy places and do righteous activities so that the devil and his followers will have less influence over me and my body.

The devil does have power and it is important for people to use their discernment so they will not be tricked by instances when people supposedly receive "the spirit." This world can be very dangerous and we must be very careful.

Extermination of Races

"M. Blancheland was in favor of the complete, absolute extermination of the slaves, as well as of the free Negroes and mulattoes. Anyone with African blood in his veins, quadroon, octoroon, sacatra, griffe––whatever the degree––should be put to death." (Alejo Carpentier, The Kingdom of This World, 72)

Over the years, there have been people that believe that certain races are inferior to others or cause some type of threat to society. As a result, many people from these races have been brutally murdered. In the book, The Kingdom of This World, M. Blancheland was in favor of exterminating the slaves or anyone with African blood in them. He felt this way because of an uprising of the slaves and because he thought that their voodoo and secret religion posed a threat. After reading about how M. Blancheland wanted to exterminate anyone with African blood, it immediately made me think of Adolf Hitler and how he wanted to obliterate the Jewish race.

Adolf Hitler's ideology of the Aryan race was one of the things that led him to believe that the Jewish people, as well as other groups of people, needed to be eliminated. These people needed to be exterminated in order for Lebensraum (living space) to be provided for the Aryan race. In Hitler's opinion, the Jewish people were the great enemy of the German people. In comparison, in The Kingdom of This World, M. Blancheland believed that the slaves, as well as anyone with African blood, needed to be eliminated in order for peace to be restored. It is so sickening to imagine a person who thinks that the only way to have peace for their people is through the extermination of another people. Both Adolf Hitler and M. Blancheland had very radical ideas of what was needed to restore order in their respective communities. I also believe that these men had such crazy ideas because they had too much power. It seems that when a person is given too much power, more often than not, they become corrupt and end up doing unthinkable things. These two men were responsible for horrific things as a result of their crazy ideas.

I think it is extremely unfortunate that people such as Hitler and Blancheland thought of exterminating a  group of people. It is so selfish to think that the only way to make yourself and your group of people happy is through the killing of others. People have done unthinkable things throughout history as a result of the desire for what they think is the perfect world.

The Decisions of Others

 (Emilio Fernández, Maria Candelaria)

In life, it is very easy to be affected by other people and their bad decisions that they make. Many people say that if another person does something bad, you should not let that affect you, but that is easier said then done. In the movie, Maria Candelaria, Maria is looked down upon in her community because of her mother who was a prostitute. As a result of her mother, people thought of Maria as a whore and did not like her for that. Unfortunately for Maria, even though she was a really good person, she was not liked because of the bad reputation of her mother. This aspect of the movie reminds me of Adam and Eve and how we are all affected by their decision to eat the forbidden fruit.

As a result of the Fall of Adam and Eve, physical and spiritual death entered the world. When Adam and Eve were in the garden, they talked face to face with God. After the Fall, they were no longer in His presence. Physical death entered the world, meaning because of Adam and Eve, we will all die one day. Though we inherited the effects of the Fall, we are still responsible for our own actions and sins that we commit and not for the transgression of Adam. In the movie, Maria Candelaria, she was also affected by the actions of her mother. Though she was affected by these actions, she still made a choice to be a good person and try to do what was right. Unfortunately for Maria, she was involved in a big painting fiasco that ended up making her seem like she was a risqué woman. As result of the misunderstanding, the townspeople stoned Maria to death because of what they thought she had done. Sometimes in our lives, no matter how good we try to be, we could still be affected by the past actions of someone else.

The story of Maria Candelaria really makes me want to be a good person that makes wise decisions so that my descendants will not have to be affected by the things that I have done. As Dr. Seuss once said, "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, it's not." In order to be a transitional character in your generational line, you have to make a conscious effort to be the change in your family. Doing so will reduce the risk of tragedies such as Maria Candelaria's.

Holidays and Poverty

"Our poverty can be measured by the frequency and luxuriousness of our holidays. Wealthy countries have very few: there is neither the time nor the desire for them, and they are not necessary. The people have other things to do, and when they amuse themselves they do so in small groups." (Octavio Paz, The Labyrinth of Solitude, 48)

Countries such as Mexico are known for having many holidays and large parties. In general, having large parties and being with your family and friends is very much so apart of Latin culture. In the eyes of an American, Latinos are very fun-loving people who like to relax and have a good time. From reading the chapter by Octavio Paz that talks about the Day of the Dead, I was reminded that people living in poverty generally have big parties and celebrate holidays to the fullest. Paz reminded me of my experience in Brazil and how I recognized that when I was in more impoverished areas, the parties seemed more frequent and more luxurious.

When I lived in Brazil as a missionary, I was always shocked to see how often parties occurred and how big of a deal the people made of the frequent holidays. When I was in poorer areas, the parties seemed more frequent and more luxurious then when I was in wealthier areas. From reading about the Day of the Dead in Paz's book, I recognized that people who live in poverty have parties so often and celebrate holidays to the fullest in order to escape reality and the difficult situations that they are living in. I believe poorer people want to party and drink in order to live in a fantasy world and live as if everything is really good.

In contrast, Americans don't party as much compared to poorer people in Brazil because they are too concerned with their work and making money that they don't really have time to sit back, relax, and party. Americans also want to concentrate so much on their work and try and get ahead of the next guy because as a country, America is very competitive. There is some truth to the statement said by Paz that wealthy countries don't really desire holidays. The reason being is that they want to continue to work and get rich. This is their form of happiness and they don't need to live in an imaginery world as often as poorer people because in general, they are happy with where thay are at. When Americans do choose to relax and enjoy themselves, more often than not they go on vacation with a small group of people rather then have a huge party. I believe this is the case because culturally, Americans would rather be with close friends rather than a huge group of people.

Poorer countries have big parties and frequent holidays in order to escape the misery that they are living in. It is their form of relaxing and way to have happiness. Wealthier countries don't party as often because of the lack of time and because of their desire to continue working in order to become wealthier.

The False Fortune-Teller

"Go, go in peace, with your mind at ease." (Machado de Assis, The Fortune-Teller, 53)

In the short story, The Fortune-Teller, the fortune-teller is constantly trying to make sure that Camillo and Rita don't think that Villela knows about his wife's affair. The fortune-teller is a very sinister character who tells people exactly what they want to hear. She uses metaphors to appear wise and acts as if she knows Camillo's fate. Unfortunately for Camillo, he doesn't stand for anything so he ends up believing whatever the fortune-teller tells him. The fortune-teller gives Camillo false hope that everything is going to be all right, which eventually leads to his death. The false hope given to Camillo by the fortune-teller reminds me of the scene in The Dark Knight when Harvey Dent tells Rachel that she will be okay while they were both tied up in separate warehouses.

Much like the fortune-teller, Harvey Dent also lets Rachel know that everything was going to be okay while they were in danger. Harvey Dent and Rachel were both tied up and Harvey told Rachel that people were coming for her and that she would make it out safely. In the end, the police end up coming for Harvey and Rachel dies from a bomb explosion in the warehouse. The quote I chose by the fortune-teller shows that the fortune-teller let Camillo know that he was going to be all right and that he should leave in peace because Villela was not going to hurt him. Since the fortune-teller gave Camillo this hope, he no longer was afraid of Villela and even laughed that he had been afraid. Camillo ends up going to visit Villela and is killed with two gunshots.

These two instances where people are given false hope makes me think about how I do not like it when people tell people that everything will be all right when there is a chance that everything will not be all right. If you feel that something bad might happen, you should never act as if everything will be all right. Making it seem like everything will be all right is bad because if something actually bad does happen, that person you told will be devastated and will lose all trust in you next time. It is okay to comfort a person when something bad might occur, but you should be real with the person and prepare them for what could occur. If the fortune-teller warned Camillo that Villela wanted to kill him, Camillo would not have gone to Villela's house and would still be alive. In The Dark Knight, I understand that Harvey was trying to comfort Rachel, but if I were him, I wouldn't have made it seem like everything was going to be okay, I would have at least said good-bye just in case.

Your Perspective

 Velasco, José María, The Valley of Mexico, 1875.

Velasco loved to make paintings of the Valley of Mexico because from his perspective he believed it was very beautiful. Recently in class we discussed Velasco's paintings and also talked about where different people in the class are from and how they feel about the landscape of their city. The discussion really got me thinking about the place where I'm from and how I feel it is also very beautiful. I feel that most people have a positive perspective of where they are from because of the people that live there and the experiences that they have there.

Like Velasco, I too believe that the place where I'm from in California is an extremely beautiful place. This is a beach in Laguna Beach that is about 10 minutes from my house. Some people might think that this is just any other pretty beach but to me it is much more. I grew up coming to this beach and had so many amazing experiences here. The media might say that the people from this area are rude and stuck up and make other preconceived notions about this place, but I think differently. I know several people from this area and for the most part they are very nice and down to earth people. I feel that it is very easy to judge people without knowing them. To me the people of Laguna Beach are something that makes this city even more interesting and beautiful. I can understand why people make preconceived notions and I am also apart of that group. I remember when I came to Utah for the first time, I thought it was just another ugly desert. As I lived there for a while and got to know the people, the mountains and the lakes in Utah began to be very beautiful to me. Another thing that made me like Utah even more is that this is the place where I met my soon to be wife.

I strongly believe that places are beautiful to you according to how well you know the people and the experiences that you have there. Once these things occur, your perspective will begin to change and things that used to be ugly will seem more beautiful. I love where I'm from and also now love Utah because of the good people and the memorable experiences that I had there.

Pensive Leaders

Obregón, José María, The Inspiration of Christopher Columbus, 1856.

This picture of Christopher Columbus depicts how being a very pensive person can bring one to amazing discoveries and accomplishments. In this picture, I can image that Christopher Columbus just finished talking with King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain about the idea of sailing to the East Indies. The king and queen supported Columbus' voyage because they thought it would give Spain the advantage in the lucrative spice trade with India. In the above picture, I can image that Columbus is in deep thought about how he is going to arrive in the East Indies. He has his compass and drawing instrument trying to picture what drawings his empty map might consist of. As history tells us, Columbus ended up going west and arrived in what we know as the Bahamas. Though Columbus never made it to the East Indies like he had hoped, he will always be remembered for helping Europe become aware of the American continents and for the initiation of the Spanish colonization of the New World.

Just as Christopher Colombus came up with a great idea through pensive thought, so did Martin Luther King Jr. His pensive thoughts brought to pass many marvelous things. Martin Luther King is known for being an inspiring leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He will always be remembered for his advancements in civil rights by using tactics of nonviolent civil disobedience. As a result of Martin Luther King’s moments of deep thought, he was able to change the way a nation thought about African Americans and over time was able to help them receive their equal rights.

Through their times of pensive thought, Christopher Columbus and Martin Luther King were able to think of amazing ideas that greatly affected the world for the better. It is astonishing to see how two men could have such a great influence on the world.

Solitude and Leadership

"The position of the leader is ultimately an intensely solitary, even intensely lonely one. However many people you may consult, you are the one who has to make the hard decisions. And at such moments, all you really have is yourself." (William Deresiewicz, Solitude and Leadership, 8)

Being a leader can be a very lonely position as we have learned from the chronicles of history. From this solitude, leaders can make wise decisions or detrimental ones. Two specific leaders come to mind from both ends of the spectrum. Abraham Lincoln and Adolf Hitler, both of whom made decisions in solitude. We see from solitude that it can become a strength in promoting good ideas for the betterment of society, or it's influence can leave a nation in ruins. 

In Lincoln's moments of solitude, he would often read, write, and walk alone. Lincoln's moments of solitude had a positive effect on him and they helped to influence the country for the better. I believe his moments of solitude had a good influence on him because he was doing positive and uplifting activities. Throughout his time as a president, I'm sure he was counseled by many people on what decisions he should make regarding the country, but in the end, he made the final decisions. Lincoln once said that, "my own wisdom, and that of all about me, seemed insufficient for the day." In his times of solitude, he recognized that he needed help regarding certain matters, and that is when he got on his knees and prayed. In the end, Lincoln's solitude was beneficial and helped him make wise decisions, one of those being issuing the Emancipation Proclamation.

In Hitler's moments of solitude, he came up with many ideas that would greatly influence the world in a very negative way. In 1923, as a result of his attempted coup in Munich, he was sentenced to prison for nine months. While in prison, he wrote the book Mein Kampf. In his book, he said that Germany was superior to all other countries. He said that an Aryan race would control the world. In his book, he also discussed the conspiracy theory about the Jews. I believe since Hitler was not living an admirable life, his moments of solitude involved evil activities. As a result of his moments of solitude, he decided that he was going to brainwash the German nation into thinking that the Jews were the great enemy of the German people. As a result of his moments of solitude, 6 million Jewish people were killed along with 5 million non-Aryan people.

I believe the activities that leaders do while in solitude can have a very positive or negative effect on the way in which they think and make decisions. Abraham Lincoln and Adolf Hitler's moments of solitude greatly affected the world.

The Savage Spaniards

"He would not allow Spaniards to behave worse than savages."(Isabel Allende, Inés of My Soul, 154)

In Inés of My Soul, the Spanish conquistadors changed drastically once they reached the Americas. When the conquistadors were in Spain, I'm sure they were civilized and respectable men who strove to follow the law. Once the conquistadors arrived in the Americas, they started to do horrific things, one of those being raping and mistreating women. The conquistadors' change of behavior once they were away from their homeland of Spain reminds me of the behavioral change that occurred with the young British boys in the movie, Lord of the Flies.

In the movie, Lord of the Flies, a group of British boys are stranded on an uninhabited island in the Pacific Ocean as a result of a plane crash. For sometime, the boys on the island try acting in a civilized manner and try governing themselves. Overtime, the group of boys end up splitting into two groups. One of the groups is led by a righteous boy named Ralph, while the other is led by a savage and power hungry boy named Jack. In the end, Jack and his clan commit murders, burn parts of the forest, and become savages because of the situation of being on an uninhabited island with no authority figure. The movie ends with Jack and his clan chasing after Ralph through the forest in order to murder him. As a result of the fire, a passing British naval vessel goes to see what is the matter. A British naval officer sees Ralph and a group of boys running after him with spears and thinks that the boys are just having fun. He thinks that because he expects better from sophisticated British boys.

This movie reminds me of the part in Inés of My Soul when Valdivia threatens his men that he would take their women away if they continued to mistreat them. Much like how the young British boys became corrupt overtime after being far away from home, the Spanish conquistadors also became corrupt and savages. In both Lord of the Flies and Inés of My Soul, the people were far away from home and were in a very difficult situation. It's amazing to see how even such sophisticated and educated people could become so savage as a result of being put through hard times. Much like the British naval officer in Lord of the Flies, Valdivia expected more from his men and was disappointed to see them act in such a savage manner.

Lord of the Flies and Inés of My Soul prove that even the best of people can change for the worst once they are put in very difficult situations. Trying to act in a civilized manner even during arduous times is a great problem that the world has.

Who Should You Love?

"It is difficult to love persons of other races, cultures or classes, even though it is perfectly possible for a light-skinned man to love a dark-skinned woman, for her to love a Chinese, for a "gentleman" to love his maid."(Octavio Paz, The Labyrinth of Solitude, 199)

I believe the more similarities that you have with a person, the easier it is to fall in love with them. In The Labyrinth of Solitude, Paz discusses how it is difficult to love someone who you are not very similar to. He then goes on to say that though it is difficult, you could still possibly fall in love with someone unlike you.

Paz's quote made me think of the group date that I was on this weekend. The group consisted of my fiancée and I (top picture), my tall blonde friend with blue eyes with his girlfriend who is also tall with blue eyes, and my tall African American friend and his tall African American girlfriend. The group of us were joking about how we all looked very similar to our respective partners. I was always taught that I should marry a woman who is similar to me, meaning socioeconomically, culturally, racially, similar goals, standards, and mindset. Even the brethren of the church counsel people to marry someone of the same race, culture, and socioeconomic background. I truly believe that human beings are innately more attracted to a person who has many similar qualities and physical features as them or to someone that they are accustomed to being around. As weird as it sounds, my father always told me that I was going to marry someone who is like my mother; and this April I will be getting married to a woman like my mother.

On the flip side, there are always exceptions to things. For instance, in Inés of my Soul, Inés comes from a very different socioeconomic background than her lover Pedro de Valdivia. Inés grew up as a poor seamstress, and Pedro was a powerful field marshal to the famed Francisco Pizarro.

Though I believe that it is much easier to marry someone who has as many similarities to you as possible, there are many instances where couples from completely different backgrounds meet, fall in love, and make it work out.

A Little About Michael Andraszczyk

Hi, I'm Michael Andraszczyk and I'm from Laguna Niguel, CA. I was born in San Diego, CA, and have lived in Southern California my entire life. I've lived in the city of Laguna Niguel since I was three years old. My family decided to move to Laguna Niguel from Los Angeles because our home was destroyed in the 1994 Northridge earthquake. I love California and plan to move back there when I am finished with school. The picture you see above is was when I was three years old. I was holding my favorite football blanket. I loved it and would always carry it around with me wherever I went.

I have been playing sports ever since I was five years old. I have played soccer, baseball, basketball, football, cross country, and track. My favorite sport of all is track. I have been running track since I was ten years old. I have been fortunate enough to have some success and managed to win five National Track & Field Championships and three silver medals. I am currently on the track team at BYU and am competing in the 800 meters. I really enjoy the people on the track team and have formed some great friendships over the years. This is currently my third year at BYU and I am really loving it. My major is Latin American Studies and my minor is Business Management. I plan on graduating in April of 2014. My dream job after college would be working for New York Life. My dad recently joined with this insurance company and he is already really enjoying the good business he is getting as a result of joining. I am planning on doing an internship this summer with my dad so I can learn the business. I really hope that everything turns out the way that I want it to.

Right now the most important thing on my mind is my fiancée Jessie Fackrell. Jessie and I met last year on April 24. Right when we met, we had an immediate connection and things just took off from there. I feel so grateful to have her in my life and can't wait to marry her. She is my best friend and I can't imagine my life without her. Jessie is from Sandy, UT, but she is fine with getting married on April 27 in Newport Beach, CA. Right now we are anxiously planning our wedding and we are counting down the days. We will be taking our engagement pictures here in about two weeks and will soon after send out the invitations. This should be a very exciting year.