Mi Entrada Última de Utah

Note: This entry was written yesterday. Today Elder Brannon flew out to the mission field serving in the Arizona Tucson Mission.

The beginning is written in Spanish. An English translation is available at the bottom.

English Title Translation: "My Final Entry from Utah"

I cannot guarantee that any of this Spanish is correct, but it gets closer each time!

¡Buenos días!

Hoy es mi día último antes yo salgo a mi misión. Estoy muy nervioso, pero tengo esperanza para el futuro. He preparado y estoy listo saliendo. Yo salgo en la mañana por la mañana de el aeropuerto.

Mi familia y yo fuimos a Cañón Bryce en la semana pasada, y ¡nosotros tuvimos un tiempo gran! Esto fue nuestro tiempo tercero en el parque, pero fue tan muy bonito y majestuoso como siempre. Estoy emocionado a poder volver cuando regreso de España. Yo recomiendo enormemente que ustedes van allá y visitan si no ha estado. Unos fotos son en el fondo.

Porque de el largo de mi entrada hoy, el resto es en inglés.

—

General Conference was two weeks ago, but I promised to talk about it in this entry so here we are. I absolutely loved the different talks, with a particular focus on Elders Oaks and Jackson. I was pleasantly surprised to find Oaks (considered to be a Supreme Court nominee twice in the 70s/80s) discussing the importance of moderation, kindness, and understanding in our politics. Elder Jackson then gave a wonderful talk discussing the "culture of the Gospel." Given the worldwide dispersion of our church, I appreciate a reaffirmation of the concept of cultural diversity combined with a universal and unifying love of the Gospel. I had a great weekend watching General Conference, and my friends and I had several frenzied group chats flying for the entire duration.

And temples! The recent temple announcements are major, including the unstable states of Bolivia (constant political upheaval) and Kiribati (seriously threatened by climate change). Whether the decision of the Church to construct temples in these two nations implies better fortunes ahead is unknown. Today, actually, is the date of a very consequential and very polarized

It was, as usual, a very spiritual experience and most of the talks were very near and dear to my heart. I enjoyed Conference more than usual this year, and I know it's because of my mission. I look forward to next April and hope you all do too!

Cheeses

I tried two cheeses this week, with another two to be tasted later today. I'll make sure to make my remarks on them next week.

So one of this week’s cheeses was a blue cheese called Rogue River, from Rogue Creamery in Oregon. We were told by the cheese people that it recently won a prestigious, global cheese award for blue cheeses, which was an upset because apparently this is the first time an American cheese has defeated blue cheeses from Europe. It’s expensive so we bought a small amount to take home. Boy was it good.

So we take it out of its wrapping. Instantly, the entire kitchen smells of blue cheese. My mother across the room remarks on it (she doesn’t like blue cheese) within a few seconds. It’s incredibly strong. A small piece has fallen off — it’s still very crumbly, though creamier than most blue cheeses — and I take it and eat it. Even this tiniest morsel of blue cheese is an absolute explosion of flavor, incredibly creamy, almost buttery. It melts in your mouth.

The casing of this cheese is actually grape leaves. The slightly herby taste of the leaves permeates the cheese, though it is subtle and the cheese definitely leaves a stronger impression on the leaves. There is also a hint of pear. The texture begins tantalizingly rough but breaks into a creamy delight on the interior as it melts. Though the outside of the cheese crystallizes a bit, the roughness primarily comes from the strands of penicillium mold that makes it a blue cheese. Perhaps a cheese this delicious and filled with penicillium can heal the soul and the body at once. The taste is at once sharp and incredibly smooth. It’s the strongest cheese I’ve ever had, and yet the taste as an almost indescribable smoothness, like butter, as it quickly melts on the tongue. An absolute must have. You need this cheese. Go buy the cheese. Unless you don’t like blue cheese, in which case I understand though I disapprove.

—

This week I also had the delight of trying out a Wisconsin cheese called Butterkäse. Unlike most of the cheeses I’ve tried, this one did not come in a wedge and was instead a sort of rounded block. I cut off a slice; it’s quite pliable, and in fact can bend quite a bit before breaking. It is almost squishy in texture and easily yields to the knife. It has an internal grain, or directional weakness, though its direction is not consistent and can be explored as one bends and breaks off pieces of the cheese. However, it cuts very smoothly without imperfections.

The closest thing I can think of to describe its taste and texture is string cheese. This is not meant to insult it. It’s mild, with a pleasant taste that is both buttery and slightly nutty. It is smooth and not overbearing. The texture, too, is soft and smooth, but it does not melt easily. It is a good cheese to eat on its own as its taste is complete without the addition of other ingredients to calm it down. If you’re looking for something you can eat straight as a snack with a taste more complex and thoughtful than string cheese, I would recommend this cheese. It represents Wisconsin well.

English Translation:

Hey!

Today is my final day before I leave to my mission. I am very nervous, but I have hope for the future. I have prepared and am ready to go. I leave tomorrow morning from the airport.

My family and I went to Bryce Canyon last week, and we had a great time! This was our third time in the park, but it was just as beautiful and majestic as always. I am very excited to be able to go back when I return from Spain. I highly recommend that y'all go there and visit if you haven't been. Some photos are at the bottom.

Because of the length of my entry today, the rest is in English.

General Conference was two weeks ago, but I promised to talk about it in this entry so here we are. I absolutely loved the different talks, with a particular focus on Elders Oaks and Jackson. I was pleasantly surprised to find Oaks (considered to be a Supreme Court nominee twice in the 70s/80s) discussing the importance of moderation, kindness, and understanding in our politics. Elder Jackson then gave a wonderful talk discussing the "culture of the Gospel." Given the worldwide dispersion of our church, I appreciate a reaffirmation of the concept of cultural diversity combined with a universal and unifying love of the Gospel. I had a great weekend watching General Conference, and my friends and I had several frenzied group chats flying for the entire duration.

And temples! The recent temple announcements are major, including the unstable states of Bolivia (constant political upheaval) and Kiribati (seriously threatened by climate change). Whether the decision of the Church to construct temples in these two nations implies better fortunes ahead is unknown. Today, actually, is the date of a very consequential and very polarized

It was, as usual, a very spiritual experience and most of the talks were very near and dear to my heart. I enjoyed Conference more than usual this year, and I know it's because of my mission. I look forward to next April and hope you all do too!

Cheeses

I tried two cheeses this week, with another two to be tasted later today. I'll make sure to make my remarks on them next week.

So one of this week’s cheeses was a blue cheese called Rogue River, from Rogue Creamery in Oregon. We were told by the cheese people that it recently won a prestigious, global cheese award for blue cheeses, which was an upset because apparently this is the first time an American cheese has defeated blue cheeses from Europe. It’s expensive so we bought a small amount to take home. Boy was it good.

So we take it out of its wrapping. Instantly, the entire kitchen smells of blue cheese. My mother across the room remarks on it (she doesn’t like blue cheese) within a few seconds. It’s incredibly strong. A small piece has fallen off — it’s still very crumbly, though creamier than most blue cheeses — and I take it and eat it. Even this tiniest morsel of blue cheese is an absolute explosion of flavor, incredibly creamy, almost buttery. It melts in your mouth.

The casing of this cheese is actually grape leaves. The slightly herby taste of the leaves permeates the cheese, though it is subtle and the cheese definitely leaves a stronger impression on the leaves. There is also a hint of pear. The texture begins tantalizingly rough but breaks into a creamy delight on the interior as it melts. Though the outside of the cheese crystallizes a bit, the roughness primarily comes from the strands of penicillium mold that makes it a blue cheese. Perhaps a cheese this delicious and filled with penicillium can heal the soul and the body at once. The taste is at once sharp and incredibly smooth. It’s the strongest cheese I’ve ever had, and yet the taste as an almost indescribable smoothness, like butter, as it quickly melts on the tongue. An absolute must have. You need this cheese. Go buy the cheese. Unless you don’t like blue cheese, in which case I understand though I disapprove.

—

This week I also had the delight of trying out a Wisconsin cheese called Butterkäse. Unlike most of the cheeses I’ve tried, this one did not come in a wedge and was instead a sort of rounded block. I cut off a slice; it’s quite pliable, and in fact can bend quite a bit before breaking. It is almost squishy in texture and easily yields to the knife. It has an internal grain, or directional weakness, though its direction is not consistent and can be explored as one bends and breaks off pieces of the cheese. However, it cuts very smoothly without imperfections.

The closest thing I can think of to describe its taste and texture is string cheese. This is not meant to insult it. It’s mild, with a pleasant taste that is both buttery and slightly nutty. It is smooth and not overbearing. The texture, too, is soft and smooth, but it does not melt easily. It is a good cheese to eat on its own as its taste is complete without the addition of other ingredients to calm it down. If you’re looking for something you can eat straight as a snack with a taste more complex and thoughtful than string cheese, I would recommend this cheese. It represents Wisconsin well.