Good Luck Elder McCarrey!

This is a tribute for my best friend, Jaden! He has reported to the MTC today so that he may prepare to serve in the Indianapolis, Indiana mission! He will be leaving the MTC later in March for the state.

I am super excited for him! It's crazy that he's actually gone. It seems like just yesterday we were running around BYU Hawaii campus, just acting crazy (which was totally normal by the way). Here are 3 prime memories of such occasions.
Memory #1 - One night, I totally don't remember what we were doing beforehand, but we ended up in front of his Hale. We were a little hyped up and kind of started wrestling. Then Jaden started jumping over me and doing all these crazy things. Because he's crazy, he told me to do a handstand against the tree. I told him that I couldn't do a handstand. He was appalled! He couldn't believe that I had been dancing for so long and I had never been able to do a handstand. I told him it was because I was too scared to fall on my head. He immediately began to teach me how to protect my head by rolling out of handstands and dives and such. It took awhile but I eventually learned. It took alot of courage on my part. I truly was horrified and I always fell and hurt my back. Jaden didn't give on me! And when it seemed like he was going to stop, I didn't give up on myself. This is a great example of the kind of person he really is. He's a good teacher. He didn't give up on me even though at times I wasn't even trying. He's also very encouraging. If he thinks you can do it, he won't rest until you can. (This is an excellent quality for Missionaries)

Memory #2 - Around Christmas, there was a little Christmas concert in the Aloha Center. My Relief Society President suckered me into performing in it one night. I was planning on doing it all by myself, but then I decided that I really didn't want to stand up there on a stage all by myself. As Helen Keller put it "Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much!" I mentioned that I was playing for the concert when I was eating dinner with Jaden. Then the idea came to me, I'll ask Jaden if he'll sing while I play on my Viola. (I mostly asked him because I've never heard him say No). So I asked him. He said he would. =D It wasn't until we were actually practicing that he was surprised to find out that there wouldn't be a piano accompanying us or anything. I said "who needs a piano?" and he seemed okay with that. When we performed, I guess a forgot to tell Jaden to dress up. He figured that because this was Hawaii that he wouldn't have to. I was in a nice dress and he was in a T-shirt and Cargo pants! Plus it was pouring rain so he was soaked! Love it! We performed the Christmas song called "The First Noel". He sang two versus, not memorized. I played three versus... all memorized. Okay I only played two versus but I played an introduction. But I had in memorized. He's a really brave guy. He's never embarrassed or nervous. When I tell him that, he gets defensive and says "that's not true". But I don't care what he says, he's still super brave. Plus he's a great helper. I know that sounds super second grade teacher but... he really is! He loves to serve. This is another reason he's going to great as a Missionary!

Memory #3 - This one might come across a little cheesy. But it's a good one. During Fall Semester, kind of around the time when I met Jaden, he was super busy with the School Play. The Play was "Cash on Delivery" and it was super funny. I was super excited to go see it and I convince my friend Michael to come and see it with me. I had decided beforehand that I was going to get something for Jaden for doing such a great job in the play (You know, like flowers or candy or something). From a previous activity, I remembered that Jaden really like Pumpkin pie. So I ran to the grocery store, Foodland, and bought a pumpkin pie. I took a sharpie and wrote on the lid "Good Job Luh!" (Inside Joke, don't worry about it!) Then I hid it in my bag and went to dinner. Jaden was at dinner, before he had to go get ready for the play. At dinner he was eating some mysterious dessert, not unusual in the Cafe at all, and said something like, "I want pumpkin pie!" I tried so hard to laugh! He had no idea that I had already got a Pumpkin Pie for him. Lol. So we went to the play, and it was great. Jaden was the main character, Eric Swan who, unbeknown to his wife Linda, has been defrauding the DSS for two years by claiming benefit for many non-existing lodgers, all of whom suffer from some disability or family loss in which they can claim. That's how the play begins, Eric bites off a little more than he can chew and tries to quit by killing off his "tenants". It's really crazy and it moves really quickly so you have to be paying attention the whole time. I absolutely loved it. It was so funny! Plus, all the actors were perfect for the characters. Each one was really convincing. At the end, we found Jaden and gave him his pie. He flipped out! He was so psyched out that we brought him a pie. Plus he laughed super hard (not that anyone else cares but this was the first night that he hugged me! I was super excited so... Ha!). Later that night, I was going to start some homework before bed when Jaden called and asked if I wanted to eat the pie with him in the courtyard. =D Of course I did! So I went out there with him and we ate the pie and talked about the play. He was psyched to hear that I liked it so much. But he really was fun on stage and easy to follow and listen to. I guess that's my stretch for this memory. He's really easy to Listen to. He has a way of talking, even if it is a monologue on stage, that just makes you want to listen. I like it when he goes off reciting songs and monologues which he has memorized. They're all really fun! He's really Fun!

Well, that is some of Jaden in a nut shell. He made Fall semester very interesting here at BYU Hawaii. He brought alot of things to the table. I learned alot from him and I'm sure I will still learn a ton, even if he is on a mission. I don't understand where he gets all the energy. He's always happy and ready to just get it done. I will surely miss him. But it'll be super fun to write him so I'm totally okay with that. Good Luck Elder McCarrey!