THIRTY DAY CHALLENGE BOOKMARK

i have had so much fun making this. i've learned a lot about photoshop and graphic design, but more importantly i have been able to challenge myself and others to read from the greatest book on earth—The Book of Mormon.

i made a pdf that you can download here to print off and use in your own copy of the Book of Mormon.

i have found over the past two days that we only have time for the things we make time for. i promise and testify to you that as you make it a priority to read from this book daily, your life will be filled with the treasures and blessings that are only obtained within its pages. i have a testimony of the divinity of its contents and origin. it is a sacred text and should be handled as such, with reverence and respect. make time to study from it. enjoy the time you spend within it. 

imagine completing it once every thirty days. the blessings and consequences of such a feat would be marvelous.

i challenge each of you to diligently devote the time necessary in order to read it in its entirety in a short thirty days.
 

 

 

 

 

 

download

THIRTY DAY CHALLENGE UPDATES

i've updated the thirty day challenge graphic.

(don't worry, the text inside is still there. i just wanted to compress it a little)

what do you think?

maybe tonight i'll post the file you can download to print off 

and use in your own copy of the Book of Mormon.

SWEDEN

my friend Gemma (she said if i posted anything without her consent she'd kill me—come at me!) is in Sweden right now.

well, technically she's in Denmark right now, but she's living in Sweden.

the other day she sent me a postcard and it was awesome! 

we FaceTime all the time.

good luck killing me from Sweden...

ELDER ELLIS AND THE LITTLE STREAM

get a load of this

my brother is doing great. he only has about seven more months left in Portland!

i'll be the first to admit that it's going to be very hard leaving before he gets home,

but boy oh boy is going to be great to see him in two years.

he is an amazing example to me.

BOOK OF MORMON THIRTY DAY CHALLENGE

well, it's official. i have thirty more days until i leave on my mission.

i've been reading from the Book of Mormon everyday,

but i've decided that in order to get into the rigorous

study habits of a missionary, i would read the entire

Book of Mormon in the thirty days that i have left.

i had nothing to do today so i made this,

a little chart for keeping track of my progress.

feel free to use it if you want! in fact,

i challenge all of you to read along with me.

photoshop is like the hardest thing in the world to use.

i wish i would've been a lot better at it.

maybe when i get back.

the challenge starts now!

i sized the picture just right so it fits (when printed) in a standard size Book of Mormon.

SUNSET SPEEDER

i just went to drop off my sisters at my cousin's house and was lucky enough to catch the sunset.

and to make it even more epic, i was listening to this song the whole time.

the good part starts around 2:40

it couldn't get any better, now could it?

oh yes, yes it could.

i have a confession. i speed like an angry german. i have a personal collection of ultimate speeding roads.
ask nicely and i'll give you a few.

i found a new speeding road. this one is great. except for that dumb stop in the middle.
other than that, it's open and windy for the whole stretch.

let's just say i was going fast enough to get from salt lake to my house in roughly eighteen minutes.

but of course, i plea the fifth.

BACON AND A FLY

this morning we had ward breakfast for pioneer day. and this is what we had. this pot of gold.

i met two Elders there and set up a few appointments to go on splits. i can't wait to be a missionary!

just thirty-two more days.

and this was just so cool i couldn't help but share it.

this little bugger was attacking my ham and cheese sandwich so i followed him around.

he ended up posing for me.

speaking of buggers—i just started reading this:

it is so good!

while i was waiting in line for the batman premier i needed something to do so i decided to buy a book on my iPhone.

you would think that reading on that small of a screen is a pain, but honestly, i don't mind it at all!

i would totally suggest picking this one up. i hear they're going to make a movie out of it!

MEN THROWING ROCKS WITH THE OTHER HAND

this got me laughing pretty hard because today i mowed the lawn and had to throw rocks out of the way with my left hand while my right hand was still holding the throttle and i realized how pathetic my left arm is. 

useless appendage...

SHOTGUN UPDATE

i never made my birthday post. yeah, yeah, whatever. i know it's late but hey—it's still my birthmonth.

it started with homemade kneader's french toast.

then we celebrated at in n out (i used to work there!)

and ended with my favorite cake. ever.

north pole toffy cake. the recipe is top secret.

i just figured, like just now, that i might as well give you a few other updates since you're here and all.

since i don't really have very many friends anymore (they're all around the world,) last night i tagged along with my little brother, Matt, and his jr. high friends. it was pretty fun. we had a fire pit.

today i went to the Manti Temple. if there were one thing that i wish upon all of you, 

it's simply that you have the chance to go through this Temple. it is a very special place to me now.

i've fallen in love with Emma Watson. she is to me what Zachary Levi is to Jessie.

check. me. out. kidding, that's vain. but really. 

someone told me i look like lee harvey oswald. 

i don't know what to think about that.

i have resorted to eating nutella on toast for every meal.

(you'd think that with all of the junk that i eat i'd be a tub o' lard by now)

and last but not least—i got a new wallpaper for my iDevices.

this is big, because i'm not really the kinda guy that changes things very often.

especially not the scene on my desktop.

which is (in case you were wondering):

so that's it! that's what i've been up to. as you can probably tell, my instagram has been getting a little more love than clay-all-day. i promise that as i bring things to a close here for two years, i'll start doing some cooler stuff. or whatever—cool is all just relative anyways, right?

oh! and i'm going to see the dark knight rises tonight!

here, listen to these:

non non non!

this could be a pepto bismol commercial. (sorry, it's kind of edgy)

her voice...

the translation:

AB: You know, my lovely,
that the brightest loves tarnish
the dirty sun of the day, the day
they are subjected to scrutiny?
I have an irrefutable idea
for avoiding the unbearable:
Before the hate, before the blows,
the hisses or the lashes,
before the pain and the disgust --
Please, let's end it there.

CJ: But I kiss you and it passes.
You see,
you can't brush me off like that.
You thought to get yourself out of it
by leaving me like
some great love that must die.
But, you see, I prefer
the tempests of the inevitable
to your stupid little idea.Before the hate, before the blows,
the hisses or the lashes,
before the pain and the disgust --
End it there, you say?

AB: But you kiss me and it passes.
I know, you can't be brushed off like that.

AB: I could avoid for you the worst.
CJ: But the best is yet to come.

AB&CJ: Before the hate, before the blows,
the hisses or the lashes,
before the pain and the disgust --
AB: Please, let's end it there.
CJ: But I kiss you and it passes. You see?
(Repeat)

AB: You kiss me and it passes.
I know, you can't be brushed off like that.
CJ: You can't brush me off like that.

and with that, i don't think i can ever listen to a song in english again.

compare that to anything on the radio today. i dare you.

CHALK WALL #ONE

last night Jessie and i made something for you.

you know, because we love you.

you should definitely watch it in hd on vimeo.
bonus points if you can give me the times when these things happen:
beach ball
soccer ball
physics lesson

this was our first try, so we kinda came up with it as we went.

i think it still looks pretty great, though!

stay tuned for more chalk walls! (hopefully soon.)

oh and today is my birthday. the big nineteen!

SECRET PROJECT

i've been working on a totally top secret project with Jessie.

we'll be finished soon and then you'll be all like

i can't tell you what it is (okay, i can, but where's the fun in that?)

so here are a few hints...

we got kinda frustrated and had to turn to Siri for help—she was worthless.

we had a pretty good laugh, though. Siri is funny, i would totally date her...

trust me. the final thing won't be so blurry. in fact, it'll be in 1080p.

LA VIE EN ROSE

this song...

CHALK WALL TIME LAPSE

i think i'm going to make one of these.

LITTLE BROTHER

i've taught him well.

ROBOT AND FRANK

this movie was made for me.

and i'll miss it by two days.

if anyone can get me an advanced screening i will forever be in your debt.

LOL ROFL LULZ

"last i heard he was in guadalajara!"

bahahaha!

THE REUNION

in instagrams.

you know what, follow me.

@clayrellis

 

i drove most of the way because i love driving long distance. there's something about the open road...

we could only stay for a day because my parents need to be at church tomorrow for their callings.

oh also, if you ever get the chance, stop at maddox in brigham city, their fries are the bizzom.

like my disgusting hair? it rained so hard, plus i didn't shower. i swear i'm going to go bald.

LEAVING

to a family reunion in idaho.

life is meh.

MY BEARD

with much sadness, i must report that my beard is gone.

this was the last photograph we had together.

COUNTDOWN

so it begins.

i figured fifty was as good as any number to start counting down from.

and since i have next to nothing to do everyday, i'll be updating it each day.

hey i might even throw a few doodles on there if a good day

passes by—but i'm not promising anything. boredom is taking up

most (if not all) of my free time. if anyone wants to hangout...

if enough people ask, i'm willing to make a tutorial on that guy up there.

it's really not that hard and actually kinda super fun.

here's an interesting fact to go along with this:

i only make my best stuff past midnight. i finished this at close to three in the morning.

(so yes, technically i have forty-nine more days, but don't ruin the round fifty for me,

and yes, i scheduled this post so that it wouldn't conflict with the date—details people)

i don't know why that is, but i've made some pretty killer stuff in the middle of the night.

just ask Kate.

DUBSTEP DISPUTE

who doesn't love a little dubstep?