Kevin Wright

Bear Lake Classic Race Report 70.3

Kevinlytal@gmail.com (Kevin) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 15:02:00 +0000

Before

Well I drove up Thursday from California to Provo. I visited with some friends and then went up to Logan Friday afternoon. I picked up my race packet and was body marked there. I found out that I could not set up my transition until the next day really early. So I went to a park and got all my gear sorted, went and got some food for the morning and then hung out at Wendy's, since they had free wi-fi. Transitions opened at 5 am, so I got up at 3:50 am and drove out to Bear Lake. I almost hit like three deer through the canyon and I was not even going fast. When I got there, the gate was closed so I parked outside and walked through. I found out that you had to set up in a specific row according to number so it really didn't matter if I got there earlier or later. I could have slept for another hour practically! :) But I set up, got my timing chip and waited for the sun to rise. Sunrise was the start time.

I was pretty anxious. I've been training for an Ironman and I'm very new to the sport. All the athletes looked like they were super into triathlons and I still don't think I quite look like a triathlete but I'm getting there. There were lots of sweet bikes with nice wheels, aero helmets, etc.. But all things considered, I was excited to race and I wanted to know where I was at in my training.

You can see my feet with my wetsuit half on and my setup.. Taken right before the race

Swim 1.2 Miles 39:42

I am not a strong swimmer, so I was a little nervous about the swim. It was a mass beach start. The first part was hard because the water was too shallow to swim but too deep to really walk. The water was nice though! It took me a little bit to find my rhythm but after that the swim went without too much trouble minus a few gulps of lake water and some guy that couldn't spot and kept swimming into me.

T1 2:24

Well I was happy to be done with the swim. It was not as bad as I anticipated. You had to run across the sand to get to T1 so my feet were way sandy. I had to spend some time wiping it all off before I could get my bike shoes on. Other than that, a slight delay getting a glove on and I was off.

Bike 56 miles 2:32:30

The bike course went around the lake with a short intermediate loop in between. Even though I have been biking, the bike never really felt that good. About 3 miles out a guy past me, which was actually helpful because it I was able to use him as kind of a marker. Before the race, I wasn't to excited about having to do an intermediate loop but as it turned out, it was my favorite part of the race. Since the race was relatively small, the racers were spread out. In this section however, all the racers came together. I saw the leaders and I saw people behind me.. there was just more action, it was fun.

T2 1:36

I was happy to be off the bike. Minor confusion about which way to go out of T2.

Run 13.1 miles 1:45:53

The run was a run. It was a flat loop on a dirt road. I got sent the wrong way for a second but I triple checked and finally got sent the right way. I wish they had mile markers at the aid stations just for the simple reason that I wasn't sure when I should start pushing a little harder.At the second aid station, the volunteer asked me, "Do you think this is about mile 2 or 4?" I was like, "uh 2? Secretly hoping that it was at least mile 4!" Oh well. I had a bathroom break in there somewhere around mile 3 or 4 which was nice, the sport drink they were handing out was gross, so once I started taking water I felt better.

Finish 70.3 5:02:03

I was content with my time. I really had no idea what time I was going to get. I knew that I wanted to break 6 hours so I did that and I wasn't too far off from breaking 5. I really liked the race. I had a good time. I finished 1st in my division (25-29) and 15th overall. I have never finished a race 1st before so that feels good even if it was a small race :) and no girls beat me which is also a first.

Then I went home. The end. I don't have pictures so maybe there will be some on the race site in a week or so? I took a couple on my phone..I'll see if I can somehow get those on here.

Pics from the race site..

I update my blog just about as good as Gargamel catches smurfs.

Kevinlytal@gmail.com (Kevin) — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 21:09:00 +0000

For those of you not fortunate enough to follow The Smurfs [One of the most awesome cartoons ever made] as a kid, this is Gargamel. He hates Smurfs and has pretty much dedicated his existence to catching them. And given my title you can probably deduce that he is not very good at it. Poor guy. Lately I've felt that way about a lot of things. Meh, it happens :)

...

So my brother Brian got married a couple weeks ago. I had class here in Redlands until about 8:45 pm on Thursday and I had to be at the Timpanogas temple by 10 am I think so I had the wonderful opportunity to drive through the night to make it to his wedding in time. I did make it without accident or incident so that is fortunate. Brian is probably still off in the clouds, I don't think I've ever seen him so happy. The luncheon was good and the reception was nice, a little slow but what can you do. Brent, Kyle, Brad and I made the best of it and actually had a pretty fun time out on some golf course. Hmm it doesn't look like this computer has their pictures on it. Shoot. I'll have to get those later, which probably means I won't. Just being honest :) Oh wait, I think I just got some..alllllriiiight #;oP

Anyway the next day, too early for my liking after not sleeping fore sure, my dadand some of my brothers and I headed up Mt Timpanogus. It was a pretty good trip. Colder than I had expected and I did really bring anything to prepare for it either. We actually ran most of the way back down, thanks to my dad. He has more adventure in him than he lets out. DO not be fooled. He is as crazy as any of us in this family. Kyle, Brad and I invented extreme trail running on the way down as well, which involved spinning off rocks, tree trunks, jumping gaps and who knows what else. It made the way down very entertaining to say the least. :)

Anyway so the next week was pretty hectic with getting the house ready and everything else for the open house. We had a lot of people over starting Thursday. I had to get out so I went to LindyGroove, a swing dance venue in Pasadena. Here is an old picture of me dancing there that I found on the internet. I am dancing with a girl named Kristi. She is probably one of my most favorite people to dance with, Period. Oh yeah and somewhere in the mix of all this I attended a couple dances at Camp Hollywood. It was pretty fun too. I met up with some good friends from Sactown and made a few more. Oh yeah and on that note, one of the dances was a masquerade ball where you had to wear a mask of some sort. I didn't have a mask so I wore some glasses.. I thought it was cool, my friends made fun of me and were like, yeah we'll never know who you are with those on.. Well I just want you to know that the next dance I went to I was dancing with this girl [she was really good and from England] and quote "Hey, didn't we dance at CH" and I said yes, "Oh I didn't recognize you without the glasses." SO there, they did work!

And then some pics of the open house:

Everybody ranted and raved over Kendall's fruit'kabobs.. Nice work Kendall.

And then family pictures:

This week was a good week for me cycling. I finished the Thursday night crit and the Saturday Raincross ride. Both huge accomplishments for me as they are rather intense rides. I even have a team Redlands Jersey now. Here's a picture of me and Kyle after the 65 mile Raincross ride:

So yeah that's a quick update with a few things left out. I finish my first class next week. I have lots of papers and a presentation to prepare and some math tests that I have to study for again so that is what I will be doing next week along with the Bear Lake 1/2 Triathlon. I'll be going up by myself so if anyone in Utah/Idaho want to come out and cheer me on, you are all more than welcome to! haha :)

Spudman

Kevinlytal@gmail.com (Kevin) — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 22:43:00 +0000

Spudman was this last weekend. It is an olympic distance triathlon. It is actually the first tri that I have done minus a reverse order sprint that I don't count. I wasn't planning on doing it but was able to sneak my way into it last minute. :) My mom insisted that I do it since in a few months I am going to attempt to finish the Ironman Arizona.

It was a lot of fun setting up in t1 and t2.. above is a pic of t1 the day before the race. Anyway two of my little brothers, my dad and mom and I all raced. I had a really good time. The swim was probably the hardest for me, the bike was not bad, I did better on the second half and then I did good on the run and by good I mean no one passed me so I was content. Overall I "placed" 7th in my division (2:14.4?) even though you won't find me in my division results hehe ooops

My family all did awesome as well. Kyle got 4th, Brad 12th and my mom and dad finished (my dad said his good byes before the race because he was super nervous about the swim)

So it was an awesome fun day. I wasn't really sore afterward which is nice because after my marathons I can never walk for like 3 days. I have a feeling that Arizona will be a different story :)

Uncle Wayne and Craig came out to cheer us on, I saw some old friends and made some new ones! I highly recommend triathlons. They rock.

Hopefully I'll have some pictures coming. They are currently on a camera in Idaho and Utah.

The Perfect Birth Control

Kevinlytal@gmail.com (Kevin) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:52:00 +0000

There are many many reasons why I have not ventured into parenthood but here above are two of those reasons. Kyle and Kael. They are my nephews and are visiting for the week while Kerri studies and takes her nursing boards. I love them to death but they are tremendous. I really don't know how Ker does it!

My day starts off like this, I had planned a ride to Oak Glen but instead stayed with the "k's" while big Kyle and Brad go on a ride. Little Kyle gets up and is served eggs and bacon, then graciously throws his eggs on the floor and says he wants more. Kael then gets up and refuses to eat and then cries for ice cream. SO I give him ice cream. Then he doesn't want it and decides to dump it all over himself instead. While I am cleaning him up, Kyle decides to pull out all the droors, books on the bookshelf and destroys half the house.

Kyle and Brad get back. I go for a run.

I get back and start putting the house back together while Kyle is mad about his clothes not fitting and Kael has poopy underwear, joy! We get the house put together only to find Kael dumping paint all over. Where did he find paint?! Really?

I promised that I would take them to the park and I was going to do tennis drills with Kyle and Brad. I went to get the tennis balls and yeah the bucket of balls was filled with water. Awesome! I find a few not wet balls and we are off to the park.

I set up some things for big Kyle and Brad so they can play tennis while I take the k's over to the park. Kyle doesn't want to go to the park so I take them to the ball wall. Kael his playing on the wall while Kyle runs off throwing a fit. I finally get them to the park.

They play for a couple minutes and then Kyle runs back to the tennis courts and makes it so Kyle and Brad can't play. SO nice.

To make the long story short, we go get food, play in the park some more and then go to the library and then home. I'm sure that this is an easy day for a parent but it is a simple reminder of why I am not. Here are some more pictures from our outing.

Judas Iscariot

Kevinlytal@gmail.com (Kevin) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 22:46:00 +0000

I could probably go more into detail but I just had a quick thought as I was reading Matthew. In Matt 26:15 -16 it reads "And said unto them [chief priests], what will ye give me[Judas], and I will deliver him[Jesus] unto you? And they covenanted with him for 30 pieces of silver. And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him."

Knowing who Christ* is, I thought to myself how incredible it was that Judas betrayed him for a mere 30 pieces of silver, Judas himself being a disciple of Christ. It was so little and he lost so much!

For Judas it was silver, but what is/are our 30 pieces of silver? What are the petty things that we hold on to or desire that impede us in our path to follow Christ and return to Him?

* "Christ...the greatest Being to be born on this earth-the perfect example. He is the Lord of lords, King of kings, the Creator, the Saviour, the God of the whole earth, the Captain of our Salvation, the Bright and Morning Star. He is in all things, above all things,through all things, and round about all things; he is Alpha and Omega, the first and the last; his name is above every name, and is the only name under heaven by which we can be saved." Bible Dictionary

Street Racing

Kevinlytal@gmail.com (Kevin) — Wed, 06 May 2009 16:06:00 +0000

In this corner we have Kerri the old fashioned and Kyle the Unwakeable

In the next corner we have Kevin the fashion-less and unfortunately awake.

Kerri and Kyle running with a nice green subaru wagon which according to kerri, needs some work.

Kevin running with the ever so fashionable silver subaru with a beautiful crack through the windshield.

Kevin was off to a good start spinning quickly out the drive way taking the early lead and Kyle the unwakeable follows closely behind. After the light turning onto highway 6 Kerri the old fashioned takes the lead with her co pilot Kyle smirking all along. I catch kyle the unwakeable and regain the lead getting onto i-15 as the unwakeable gets caught behind some trucks. Cruising to my wonderful victory, I look to my left to see that wonderful giggle and cheers from Kyle as they pass me on the university ave exit. Try as I might they held the lead from there. Kyle I guess it is safe to say that you and your mom drive a fast car and rule the road. :)

NOw to my last day of work here in Utah. I have a few lose ends to tie un this evening and tomorrow I pack and leave for CA. MOre about everything later.

Kevinlytal@gmail.com (Kevin) — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 19:56:00 +0000

So my car is fixed, diploma in hand and I had the best stake conference. Oh and I sent my bouldering project last week!

Pay it forward

Kevinlytal@gmail.com (Kevin) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 06:54:00 +0000

{The Rules}
1. Be one of the first THREE bloggers to leave a comment on this post, which then entitles you to a handmade item from me - something crafty or yummy, who knows?![ ...Probably will not be homemade from me :) ]

2. Winners must post this challenge on your blog, meaning that you will Pay It Forward, creating a handmade gift -anything!- for the first THREE bloggers who leave a comment on YOUR post about this giveaway!

3. The gift that you send to your Three Friends can be from any price range and you have 365 days to make/ship your item. This means you should be willing to maintain your blog at least until you receive your gift and have shipped your gifts. And, remember: It’s the Spirit and the Thought That Count!

4. When you receive your gift, please feel free to blog about it! If you are not one of the Top Three Commenters on this post, you can still play along. Please take the button and post it on your blog; start your own Pay It Forward chain, and encourage your blogging friends to do the same!

SO, REMEMBER... it is good... :) Pass it forward.

Check Check

Kevinlytal@gmail.com (Kevin) — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 23:17:00 +0000

So I have not written in awhile and I have a lot to say but I am not going to right now. Just some quick updates for those who care.

-My class is done and I will finally have my degree shortly. The transcripts are in transit as we speak. yipee!

-Kate is getting a make over so she will be gone for the next two weeks or so... She will be missed and so will the money that I am spending to fix her. The bill came out to over $4500, I am surprised that they didn't just total her.

-I am not sick anymore! Well, I still have my stomach problems but that is not going away anytime soon.

-I went climbing in St George..lots of fun

-I went dancing in Logan..fun

Things I want to do soon.

-Find a job

-Get into a GMAT class/take the GMAT

-Get a training plan/nutrition plan

-Look into night classes but that will happen after I get the job.

-Fly around the country

Current thoughts circulating through my mind

Kevinlytal@gmail.com (Kevin) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 22:06:00 +0000

-I need to get pictures off dad's computer so I can write about other stuff

-Need to pay my bills...send my checks

-I want to go skiing Saturday

- That would be fun but I need to refer to paying my bills hmm

-I am tired of going over stuff for my midterm and I am only 1/5 done studying

-I need to signup to take my mid term

-I can't wait until this [pointless] class is over

-I guess it does have a point, it is keeping me from graduating

-lame

-I am tired from last night, no I went to bed early but didn't fall asleep until 3 am then got up and went to the gym at 8

-I want to climb..why can't it be 6 yet hmm Brian climbs at 4 for his class and I could go see him but since they are changing all the boulder routes I would have to sport climb and I have no one..until 6 when I go with Dalin

-Hmm tumbling class this thursday but there is a dance this thursday how can I fit in both.. and still work on my class

-ULX is this weekend, not that excited but it will be fun.. I guess the fun will be seeing friends Hmm I guess I may not sleep much this week

-hmm where should I live next month? What should I do this year?

-I find out about TFA in a week, actually not sure if I want to do it.. I guess it is an option right? -I like it in Utah, there is a lot for me to do [minus careers haha] hmm which presents a conflict of interest

- What if i work this summer and apply to grad school, that would be awesome

-I like that Idea.. a lot

-So now what? I don't know..

-Oh well I am going bowling tonight

-I'm glad my room is clean but I need to put my laundry in the dryer

- i want to ride a bike but it is cold outside

-Spin class is a lot of work

-I had a dream about my triathlon that I am going to do.. I was running so maybe I will at least make it past the swim and bike

-I better

-I want to go to the temple, when can I go?

- 1 step forward and 2 steps back awesome!

-Last night i was ice skating, I really liked that and I beat everyone at pool which I liked as well, kerri won an I-pod that is very cool I won nothing. I'm not worried about it

-I need to straighten out my music on my computer

-I need to straighten out my computer

- Actually I need to break mine into a thousand pieces, it hasn't worked right in like 2 years

-i want to get a desktop and get back into photography..not inspired here in utah and no money so maybe some other time and some other place when I am successful

-hmm what is success? That sounds familiar.

-Brent needs to send me that list of music

-Ben lee is still great

-I had 2 pairs of head phones and they are both gone. Where are they? I need them..now.

-ps I am glad I am not at work pss I am actually glad not I am not at work very often anymore

-Which brings me back to what am I doing?

-I am typing...[wow, Kevin very productive]

-Actually some people that I will leave nameless have made fun of me for my inability to type, so actually I am trying to develop the skill so that I do not get made fun of

-I haven't talked to Sabra in a long while, that is unfortunate.. oh well, maybe that is a good thing? I do not know. What do you do?

- ...

A day in the life...

Kevinlytal@gmail.com (Kevin) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 06:13:00 +0000

Today I...

woke up

took a shower

studied

went to work

worked on my class

sort of quit my job

wrote on my blog

took another shower

went back to work

went climbing (I finally finished the century route..wow the simple pleasures in life)

talked to ingrid

called my mom and dad

checked on my car title...

and this and that and the other I know not too exciting

But anyway the last one is actually giving me some grief in my life at the moment. Here one of my flaws is shining ever so brightly. I put off getting my title.. well actually I thought my bank had it, I actually put off registering my car because it failed the emissions test because my check engine light was on, so since I never fixed it I never actually registered my car so the consequences on my [lack of] actions are that: I get pulled over for expired registration, I fix my engine problem 500 dollars later and pass my emissions and go to finally register my car only to realize that I was told the wrong thing and my title was not with my bank so I could not register my car. I get a temporary registration while I try to locate my title, I wake up and find that I have another ticket for expired registration but yet it was temporarily ok but the ice on my back wind shield was covering it. So I am still trying to get my title, my temporary registration has now expired and I may be getting a warrant for my arrest and my car impounded. All this I am trying to do through the holidays which is no easy task and not to mention it is smashed :) but I have already talked about that and it is being taken care of.

SO in conclusion, I am sort of jobless, I mean I will still be working for the next couple of weeks at least but not very much, I am pretty broke, I am going to be working hard to finish my last class within the next couple weeks so I will finally be graduated, I am trying to get my car stuff in order and try to stay out of jail, and I am probably moving. I must sound like the most 'with it' guy in the world but believe it or not I feel pretty alright at the moment? to be continued...

ps Ben Lee Rocks, if you have never listened to his music..you should. I put a couple of his songs on my blog so I hope you like it, if not.. I am not that sorry. :)

I have big news!

Kevinlytal@gmail.com (Kevin) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 05:53:00 +0000

So I promised that I would write this post awhile ago, i was going to skip it but here it is anyway. So over the past few weeks there has been a lot of love in the air. My friend Josh is getting married, Brittany just got married, Becky just got married, Kristen just got married, Breanna got engaged, Chris and Morgan just got engaged, my parents just had their anniversary and actually several other friends that are illuding my mind have either gotten married or engaged.

So with everyone with their big news, I have some of my own...

I crashed my car! Oh yes I did. So this is the story, Kate was feeling a little left out of all this love stuff going on and had just gotten a[n] [expensive] tune up so she was feeling pretty good and ready to get back into the game when she saw this big hunk of a semi. So she thought she'd get his attention by spinning on the freeway for him but as she did so, she just got struck down by him and went spinning even more. She is now left with a broken hatch, bumper and tail light. Poor thing, I really feel for her. But hey, moral of the story, she shouldn't have gone for the loser.

This all happened by the way over Donner Pass in California coming back to Utah. My brother was in the car with me and we were both fine, thank goodness. It could have been a lot worse to say the least. I just have to take Kate in to get her fixed. That'll just leave me carless so I will se when that happens. I will try to get a few picks of it before it is fixed though and post them on here. The end.

The perplexity of the perplexed

Kevinlytal@gmail.com (Kevin) — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 05:22:00 +0000

*Disclaimer*

This is mostly random strands of thoughts that may or may not have a point and may or may not make any sense at all or both [or] could have and make a point if I finished my thoughts but failed to do so.

Now it is not all to often that I write philosophically or with deep intent though my mind often operates as such. This is quiet possibly why I do not always communicate as well as I would like to. Though if you know me at all it would not really surprise you that I think in such ways. In college some friends called me a rubix cube as I was complicated to "figure out" or in other words understand what I was all about, I guess. Though I wondered what was so difficult to understand [at the time] as I thought I was generally straight forward. I can now see that I am not. I often quote songs that have a much deeper meaning to me than what appears to be on the surface. Often times, they scream what I really want to say but yet fear openly expressing myself in that manner.Many details that someone may not even catch or recognize such as word choice, phrases, punctuation, smiles, compliments, deeds or sacrifice may be a window into who I really am or what I am really feeling. I guess in a lot of ways, my feelings and desires are coded into an outer service so therefore people may see only what they want to.

I guess I do this for a variety of reasons. One may be personal expectation for myself. Expectation that I should be happy.. and should not let things bother me and ...should learn from experiences and except them willingly...should be an example and should this and should that. And so if I am not this or I am not that, I am therefore not where or who I should be. And with this mind set what confidence could I have at all?

Another reason: expectation of others. If I am to live a life of success, I must do and be a. b. c. and d. So if I am not a. than I must be x, which would make me a "not as successful" person and who doesn't want complete success or to be viewed by others as "having your life together"? My question though [to myself], who defines success? Success of one may be complete and utter failure to another. Why on Earth would I succumb to an expectation of another? Well that has many answers, for one, I love and value some people and some people's opinions. Yet if these people really cared for me as I do them, would they think less of me or want to be around me less? Possibly.. but if that is how they really felt than maybe it would be best that we were not around each other at all.

I guess what it may come down to is the fear of failure. If I expose my desires and feelings, I am therefore vulnerable to defeat, humiliation, disappointment and sorrow amongst other things. So yeah it may sound like a good idea to protect myself from such sentiment but tonight I say that it is not a good idea. Fear is the proponent of damnation and therefore all forward progress in life dissipates in its presence. It perpetuates misery and silences love and happiness. Men are that they may have joy as the scriptures state.

Now this may sound like a very pessimistic post and whereas it does come from much frustration inside I am actually very optimistic about it. It may not make sense to some but it is my feeble attempt to clarify some things that I have been feeling for some time and of other things that have transpired as of today.

Today I wrecked my car. Now it is not completely ruined but it is quiet banged up as I will explain in my next post. First off, I will say that am very grateful that everyone is safe and we were all able to drive away. The crash itself, in the scheme of things is rather insignificant. Whereas I now have added nuisances to deal with, I also have a fun little story to tell after all is said and done. My pain though, if I am allowed to feel pain at all is my pride. My first accident..what do others think, I am not as competent as a driver now?.. am I a safe driver? are now questions that may come into ones mind. Questions that I do not want to be there but inevitably are. That sucks. And yes, whether or not I should feel that way, I do. But how do I classify such emotion.. because one part of me can laugh and joke and be understanding of the situation whereas another part actually does hurt. I will usually report the first and encode the second because I feel that this is what people would like to hear but in doing so does not give me the personal satisfaction that I need. Where does the second half go..? It gets locked inside for only me to feel.

Now I am not sure how I am going to piece this next part to the prevalent topic but I need to..for me. I have often asked others a thought that goes something like this, " Would you want to live a day where you had something that made you happy knowing that that thing would be inaccessible for you thereafter?" Most people I have asked have said no. I on the other hand, say that I would. Why should I deprive myself of having an experience of such joy just because later it would not be there. Could I not learn something in the process? Would I be better having a consistent par experience with little up and little down? I guess that is a personal question that can be answered different by each person but would explain why I choose to act the way that I do sometimes. I say this because I am in love with a girl who I feel is indifferent toward me. Where I may be wrong, that is my perception anyway. Should I not do things with her or speak to her because it would "inhibit" my ability to quote unquote, move on? The truth is, she inspires self achievement, she makes me smile, she radiates the Spirit and in turn makes me yearn to do the same. She is funny, smart, beautiful, caring and sensitive. Loving, giving, selfless and charitable to go on. So whether or not she and I ever even end up dating, I still want to be around this person and would appreciate that others would be forgiving of that matter. I really do understand the consequence believe it or not. Yes I will admit that at times it is hard and it can be, at times frustrating or disheartening but with that aside, I want her to succeed and be happy even if that is without me. While it is probably common knowledge to most people that know me that I care about this girl and that she is very important to me, I often do not speak directly of her. I do however, have her encoded throughout my writing, conversation...etc... [I mean I am not even using her name in this post yet you know who I am talking about. Case in point. ] This may be because of the aforementioned fear of failure, expectation and so on. Though this very reason may be the cause of the real failure or a part of it at least. Which is the real tragedy?

I guess that you may have caught on that details matter to me. I do analyze and take care to even the smallest of things because what is important is usually encoded within. [I may sound like I am losing my mind or may even be confusing you or freaking you out but that's fine and I am probably not as extreme as I sound.] Now this can be to my down fall, especially since not everything that other people do is done with such thought or meaning and yet I will break down words, comments, gestures that were really just that, words comments and gestures.Tough. This can lead me to feel a number of not so pleasant feelings when really I have no just or real reason to have those feelings. And so I am happy but yet at the same time am "frustrated" for lack of a better word for no apparent reason..and so how can you express both at once? How should I feel?..... I guess being direct is most important in order to eliminate the non existent but yet is exactly what I am not.

I guess to conclude this random non sensical blurb of words, I am my own impediment of having success and being the person I should be due to my fears and feelings, merited or not dot dot dot

"If you try to fail and succeed, which have you done?"

Kevinlytal@gmail.com (Kevin) — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 21:16:00 +0000

So yesterday I succeeded in failing at several things. Most of which are not important but failure none the less. Now i could chose to be disappointed or upset or I could choose to not let it bother me and learn the lesson I am supposed to learn. I choose to not let it bother me but I am not sure I am learning my lesson. Go figure, I am pretty stubborn. I mean for one example I've been failing for 1151 days and still wont secede (I had to do the math, I wasn't really keeping track). I guess failure is also how you look at things. Maybe this failure has really been a success? I mean I wouldn't have it any other way..well maybe I would but I do not regret any of it. Who knows. As for now, I guess I will keep on going :)

Break from the routine...sort of.

Kevinlytal@gmail.com (Kevin) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 21:12:00 +0000

SO yesterday was a pretty good day. I was up early to prepare and go to my interview for TFA. It was rather long with lots of little activities and lessons and other stuff. I knew one of the other applicants interviewing. She was in my stats class that I took at BYU a couple of summers ago and we studied a lot together..and we both passed. SO it was cool to see her. Anyway afterwards, I went and got some chinese food and talked to my friend Alexis. SHe just got back yesterday from a mission. So it was way cool to talk to her as well. So after all the cool stuff, I caught up on PB and Chuck. It was a good episode of Chuck. PB took some pretty dramatic swings and I am not sure how it'll all play out. But oh well. I went climbing afterwards for a good long while. I fell at 96 so I am almost there and beside that, it was a decent climbing day though i am starting to blow out my toes..I am going to have to get new shoes soon. So yeah after that I went to the Brick Oven with some frineds from my ward and then bowling. It has been a lond time since I have bowlked but I had a really good time, I like to bowl :) I broke 100 both times, do not ask me how, it was a fluke. I didn't get 1 strike. ps when did it become one big dance party? And then I came home and went to bed. Awe yes bed. It is sucha nice place. :) Anyway so the interviewer asked me how I plan and prioitize and get things done in a day. Looking at this one I had yesterday, I'm not sure. hehe

Christmas Devotional

Kevinlytal@gmail.com (Kevin) — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 03:57:00 +0000

So I had the chance to go to the Christmas Devotional today. It is the first time I have been to the conference center for an event. It was really neat. The messages were excellent and the singing was outstanding. It was funny to have the tabernacle choir sing the first two versus of the last song and then have the congregation join in. You can sure tell the difference! :)

"Yesterday I got so old.."

Kevinlytal@gmail.com (Kevin) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 21:24:00 +0000

So anyway, these last couple of weeks have been very busy and needless to say I just do not have the energy that I used to. That is not to say that I did not expend all the energy that I possibly could. I was planning on going straight to Arizona two weekends ago and last minutes decided to take a detour to California (wise choice). As I was headed down, I enjoyed the sunset over the Utah valley and I thought to myself, my attitude is a choice and I chose to enjoy the moment. I write that down so I do not forget that later when I can choose to enjoy other things..sometimes I forget that I can choose :) Anyway when I was in California I was able to enjoy a few of my favorite things ie My family, cucas, in-in-out, the park, dancing and the beach.

I later left with my brother Brent to Arizona where I was able to see my good friend David and his wife and his new kid. I also volunteered at the Ironman Arizona race. It was pretty awesome to see. I was a catcher at the finish line and I literally caught many many people. So awesome in fact that I am signed up for next year's event! Yipee. So the drive home was not so fun (I guess I chose that as well) but at the same time it was fun to hang out with Brent for several hours as we ate peanuts and drank water and drove through small towns for 12 hours.

This last week was pretty fun as my family was all here for thanks giving. I even got to seerian's girl friends several times..every time I saw Brian actually. They would not let go of each other, not even to eat. WEIRD. But hey, I am happy for them all the same. I took my brothers climbing. They are really good. Why did they get all the natural talent?? I guess i was the practice son and they perfected them after me. That's my guess. So yeah, for thanksgiving our family ran the Orem Earn your Turkey race. We all finished and did really well. Again my brothers ran circles around me but that is to be expected, they were both on the varsity cross country team this year.

Anyway, that is the short of it all. My life is pretty alright I must admit though I am practically falling asleep as I write this. So I'll try to attach some pictures and be on my merry way.

Deep breath, exhale.

Kevinlytal@gmail.com (Kevin) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 05:50:00 +0000

Well...go life. Not a whole lot exciting has been happening for me but things have been going well, all things considered. I went up to Syracuse last Saturday to help out with the grand opening of the new store. It was beautiful to say the least. Sunday I was petty much a mess. Super shaky, dizzy, weak tired and stuff. So I think I felt bad enough that I would have wanted to skip church but alas I was teaching. Ha callings do work :P Despite me not feeling well and some mix up of classes, my class went really well but not really how I intended it going which I think is great.

Anyway today I went climbing at the Quarry. I led a 12a. Now before you think wow thats good, I fell like four times but it was fun. My left arm is absolutely killing me right now. I think I have tendonitis (lots) so I should probably rest for awhile..but I do not want to. Any other things that I can do to get rid of it??? Also I was talking to a guy there and he invited me to go on a ski/road trip to colorado so if scheduling works out, I think that would be a lot of fun.

As for non important boring things, I watched Chuck today. Poor Chuck, if he only knew.. I am drinking lemonade..mmm lemonade and eating kettle chips and moving past the potato chip? mm more than less, good progress I think. Whatever. I wish I had almonds that would be awesome. I also need to find my ipod charger cord, it had been dead for like 3 weeks and I will need it for my trip to Arizona! I need to get gas too. idausofhqerfqeriunfqerueeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeejhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhn qwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww nnnnnnnnnnnnjjjjjrr

Kevinlytal@gmail.com (Kevin) — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 22:08:00 +0000

So I am now lead climb certified at the Quarry. I am excited. :)

Let's play "Guess what is in my trunk"

Kevinlytal@gmail.com (Kevin) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 17:48:00 +0000

So as I opened my trunk today at 6:15 am in front of the Orem Fitness Center(I did a sprint tri today), I just stood there for a second looking inside. There was a tennis racket/balls, golf balls, climbing harness/shoes, dance shoes, running shoes, a road bike/helmet/shoes, swim cap/goggles, school books, life cereal, nalgene bottles, power-ade, chacos and a massive first aid kit. Then I wondered... what would someone think if they saw the random assortment of things? I don't know what to think myself really. Hmmm

Updates

Kevinlytal@gmail.com (Kevin) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 18:05:00 +0000

So I have been pretty good lately. My mom came up last weekend to help me with some papers. I am going to submit the rest of my TFA application today. I am also going to work on my class today..I am way behind.

I got to watch Kael for a bit the other day and have got to play around with Kyle and Kael so that has been fun. They had the most awesome halloween costumes ever! I actually dressed for halloween this year, probably the first time since I was young. I was waldo. It was fun. I just worked and danced. I got 3rd in the work costume competition so I got a 25 dollar gift card to PF Changs! yeah!

I went climbing in rock canyon on saturday and it was a lot of fun! I lead some pretty cool climbs..one of them I was surprised that I made it up without hurting myself but I did. :) Yesterday I was bouldering for an hour after work and I finally completed my first v6 I was pretty happy about that and I am pretty close to another! Also, I am getting to know a lot of the better climbers there so that is fun. Anyway, after climbing there was a yoga class. There was a new teacher and she was way good. The class kicked my butt so I think that is a good thing :)

Anyway I also voted yesterday absentee so hopefully my vote counts haha..riiiiight. Yep well I need to fold my laundry, make lunch and study so I am leaving now.

Kevinlytal@gmail.com (Kevin) — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 05:21:00 +0000

To more interesting things, I am meeting with people from Teach for America this week, I am going to see some good friends in Logan and I am meeting with the Economics Chair at USU to find out more about their graduate program. My mom is also coming up to help me get in gear and because she loves me. yipee.

Impulsive Buyer

Kevinlytal@gmail.com (Kevin) — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 04:57:00 +0000

So today I was looking at steep and cheap and saw these. They were 25 dollars so I figured what the heck, so if nothing else I can tear them up this winter in the gym or have a back up for someone my size. IE Brent! or Brian! PS My arms are killing me right now. I need to take some recovery days but I do not want to.

Why I liked last weekend so much!

Kevinlytal@gmail.com (Kevin) — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 22:27:00 +0000

1. I had Friday and Saturday off work

2. Car ride down to St. George

3. Picking up my race number with my mom and dad!

4. Going to Zion's to see Becky

5. The St. George Marathon in the rain in 3:32

6. Going back and seeing my mom and dad at mile 24

7. Conference! Saturday afternoon, Priesthood [Amazing] and both on Sunday. The Sunday ones were especially cool because I was in a meadow with the colors changing on the trees and beautiful rain clouds over the mountains.

8. My cabin

9. My sister, Kendall and nephews.

10. Guns

..Life is good!

50 Random questions

Kevinlytal@gmail.com (Kevin) — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 22:47:00 +0000

1. Do you like blue cheese? No, but I like orange cheese and white cheese.
2. Have you ever smoked a cigarette? Nope
3. Do you own a gun? I had a BB gun when I was a kid but my brothers thrashed it. So as of right now no but also my grandpa has a sweet gun that is he going to give me when I pick it up.
4. What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic? I get the green apple slushi.
5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointment? Usually I just think it is a waist of time or I hope it is something really severe but it never is severe and is almost always a waist of time
6. What do you think of hot dogs? The real question is, what do hot dogs think of me? I like to eat hebrew national hotdogs bbq'd or on the stove or cold but never micro-waved. I like them with deli mustard and relish. mmm
7. Favorite Christmas Song? Grandma Got Run over by a Reindeer. [Kerri] Kevin and I used to know all 8 verses by heart.
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Juice. Orange or mango preferably.
9. Can you do push-ups? Yes but a better question would be how many and that my friend will remain a mystery.
10. What is your favorite movie? Dumb and Dumber, probably but it had been awhile. I also like the prestige and most comic book based movies.
11. What’s your favorite piece of jewelry? The neckless I have around my neck. It is hemp and simple but it has a reason to be there. It is one string but wrapped around twice to look like two. For me it is symbolic of the relationship I should have with God. It is around my neck because that is where air and food to nourish me must enter. Kind of hard to explain (Never have).
12. Favorite hobby? I like to climb.
13. Do you work with people who idolize you? Possibly but I wouldn't know why. There are so many cooler people to idolize.
14. Do you have ADD? No but I have SUBTRACT.
15. What’s one trait that you hate about yourself? I am selfish but do I hate that I am selfish?...well sometimes I wish I was more concerned for others and not for my own personal qualms.
16. What’s your middle name? Lytal
17. Name three thoughts at this moment: 1. Should I drive my car to St. George tomorrow or ride with my dad? 2. What is in Sabra's head? Explanation, she told me about a fireside tonight that she thought I would be interested in and left it at that. It just seems random I guess.3. I wonder if I'll see Becky this weekend?! 4. I know it said 3 but I want to climb really bad but my arms hurt.
18. Name 3 things you bought yesterday. I bought two oranges...I should have bought 3! Shoot.
19. Current worry right now? Ha do I need to answer this? Honestly. How about: If I run fast, when will I die out? I am thinking mile 15.
21. Current hate right now? My last class..and our government (I do acknowledge that it could be worse though)
22. Favorite place to be? My parent's cabin and Badger Creek.
23. How did you bring in the New Year? I was dancing at the Rhythmic Arts festival in San Diego. :)
24. Where would you like to go? Thailand.
25. Name three people who will complete this? Me, myself and I.
26. Whose answer do you want to read the most? Um any of my friends really but since none of them read my blog, none of them will.
27. What color shirt are you wearing? White
28. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? I don't know if I have ever slept in satin sheets. I am pretty sure mine are some sort of cotton and they are nice.
29. Can you whistle? Sure.
30. Favorite color? Green
31. Would you be a pirate? If I could marry Elizabeth Swan.
32. What songs do you sing in the shower? I don't sing in the shower...usually. If do, it is just random thoughts in my head
33. Favorite girl’s name? Taylor and Andie.
34. Favorite boy’s name? Kyran.
35. What’s in your pocket right now? Cell Phone, car keys and a quarter.
36. Last thing (Person) that made you laugh? Becky or maybe it was me laughing at Taylor for wasting his time with a computer game that he thinks is sooooooooo cool.
37. Best bed sheets as a child? My transformer sheets of course! :)
38. Worst injury you’ve ever had? This one girl broke my heart this one time and that hurt real bad and then it happened again. haha No probably when I broke my wrist (It took forever to heal) or when I got a contusion in my leg would be the worst, actually my ankle still hasn't completely healed from when I fell on it (April). These reoccurring stomach things have to be at the top of my charts even though it is not technically an injury.
39. What is your favorite snack? Almonds.
40. Favorite thing to do on Sundays? Giving talks! I love giving talks.
41. Who is your loudest friend? Diego. He is from Redlands.
42. How many dogs do you have? None.
43. Does someone have a crush on you? No.
45. What is your favorite book? Green Eggs and Ham or any of the Berenstein Bears
46. What is your favorite candy? Licorice or chocolate orange sticks
47. What is your favorite sports team? Angels.
48. What song do you want played at your funeral? Never thought about it but Lavender Coffin by lionel hampton would probably work.
49. What were you doing 12 AM last night? Sleeping.
50. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up this morning? "I should probably pray for help."