Kevin Wright

Good Bye Brent

2011-01-05T13:30:00.001-08:00

Outside the Salt Lake Temple

Belz

Dropping off Brent.
Outside the MTC.

Yesterday, Brent flew into Salt Lake in anticipation of entering the MTC today. So I picked him up at the airport, went through a session at the Salt Lake Temple, visited with Kerri, Kendall and the boys, visited Grandma and Grandpa, had dinner and went to see Tron. I let him sleep in a little today since he wont be able to do that for the next 2 years.
Today, we listened to as much music as possible, had lunch at KFC (I have no idea why he chose KFC, gross!) and then I dropped him off. No big deal, I'll see him in two years.

Rock Cliff race report

2010-06-28T18:35:00.000-07:00

I'll just write a quick few thoughts.

Jordanelle is a sweet place for a triathlon. I'm glad it was a little later too, mainly because I hadn't slept much the last couple days and it allowed for it to be a bit warmer for the swim.

The water was not as cold as people said it would be so that was nice although people can't swim straight! While that is no mind blowing discovery, when there aren't 2700 people in the water, there is sometimes room enough that you don't need to get swam over by the same stupid people and yet you do :) Plus I got hit in the face with a log. So that was the swim.

I had to get off my bike twice to fix things and it wouldn't shift right the whole way. Also a traffic control guy step right in front of me and sent me into the loose gravel. Kinda scary but I didn't crash. I averaged just over 18 regardless. That was the bike.

I stopped and talked to my dad for ten minutes about 1/4 mile into the run. That was the run. It was kinda warm by then.

So the outcome wasn't great, I think I finished 5th in my age group or something. Glad it was only an olympic distance because I just wasn't feeling it. I liken my experience to a Cat 5/pubic bike race. Moral of the story, pay the extra $500 bucks and get a wet suit stripper ;)

Ironman St George

2010-05-02T15:36:00.000-07:00

Now when Ironman St George was announced in 2009, my dad's eyes lit up. He had been contemplating Ironman ever since I had signed up for Ironman Arizona in late 2008. St George has special significance for the both of us because that is where our racing career began. Together we ran the St George marathon in 1998 and many subsequent years since. To this day, it is one of my most treasured memories. Without my consent, he signed me and him up for IMStG. I was committed.

St George marathon 1998.

My dad has one big problem. He has an extreme fear of swimming. So for the past year he has dedicated a lot of his time learning how to swim. He has read books, done drills, attended total immersion swim classes, done open water swim practices, some smaller triathlons, etc and yet still just has this extreme fear of the water. He got to the point where he could swim the distance but was slow and was not able to sight so he does not swim very straight. Now triathlon is an individual event but that doesn't mean that someone else can't help. That's where my race begins.

I painted my shoulder and a stripe down the side of my wetsuit so that he could see me and I swam on his right side. This way he did not have to sight, I did. So one problem solved. Now the time cut off, a huge unknown!

Since my dad spent so much time working with the swim, he spent less on the bike and run training. So again, making the bike cut off, a huge question mark, especially given the difficulty of the course and the wide speculation of weather conditions.

I was not worried about his run. He has ran 20+ marathons, boston qualifier. He knows the distance, he can get it done. I just had to make sure he got to this point!

Swim 2.4 miles 2:16:18

Before Swim

It was a beautiful calm morning out in Sand Hollow. Couldn't have asked for a better day really for Ironman. There were tons of spectators and support. The water was a brisk 59 degrees. The gun went off. My dad and I waited until some of the faster swimmers went and then we started swimming. He got about 200 yards and then panicked. He pulled up his head and said "oh no, there's no way!" When he said this, I thought "Crap, what do I do?" I told him to take a deep breath, he did and just started swimming. I was relieved. By the time we got to the first turn-around buoy we were toward the very end of the swimmers. When we got to the second turn-around buoy there were still some swimmers behind us. At this point I asked a kayak guy how we were doing on time. He assured my that we were doing alright. By the time we got to the final turn-around buoy, there maybe a few swimmers behind us. We had about 20 minutes to get to the top of the boat ramp. It was going to be close. I poked my dad and told him to give it everything. We got to the ramp and my mom was there cheering. Guess what? 2:16:18 <2:20!!!!!!!!!!>

Out of swim, my dad is awesome!

T1 9:01

Happy to be out of the water, we grabbed out bags and headed to the change tent. SInce we were the last ones out, we had it all to ourselves not to mention like 2-3 volunteers each helping us with our stuff. We got our bikes and then onto the course!

Bike 112 miles 7:43:38

Mounting for the bike course

Just happy that we made it to this point, we got on our bikes and I had him go out first. (Since we had to be several bike lengths away to avoid drafting) I knew that it was going to be a very long ride and we again were up against the clock. Going out to the main road, I past him and tried to set a little stronger pace. He told me as I was passing to go ahead and go because he was 'probably not going to make the cut off and he didn't want to ruin my race' Really, dad? You said that in the swim too. Guess what, if I have anything to do with it your gonna finish. So we made it, to the start of the first loop. About 1 minute after we had pros passing us already on their second loop. And then more and more people. Wow we still had another loop and we hadn't even done the first! haha Anyway we plugged away at the hills and descended down Veyo reaching speeds of 40+ Even with going that fast our average was 14 something an hour (We had to average 14 mph to make cut off) It shows you how tough that front side of the loop was. Now we were on to the second and the winds were a lot stronger. I was mildly panicked. We did not have a lot of time to spare, we were right at cut off pace from my calculations and I'd push and then my dad would fade and then when I let off he would just come on strong. He was so courageous and literally gave everything he had. Going up 'the wall', while almost all were walking their bikes, he pushed through all the way to the top. We got up Veyo and drilled the down hill again. Turning off to the last couple of miles, we saw mom and Bri. They said that we would make the cut off. I was soooooooooooooooo relieved! I can't even tell you. I knew, at least I was pretty confident that we would now finish! Then we cruised on into bike dismount with 15 and change to spare.

T2 7:25

This was a pretty chill transition. We came in, got our bags and I put my stuff on and helped my dad get all his stuff together. We were off to the run!!!! YEsssssss!

Run 26.2 5:30:50

Running.. I think on our way back to the second loop

I was excited to be here, now my dad might say otherwise. He had given everything and more on the swim and bike. His tank was pretty dang empty, at least that's the impression I got. When we walked the first half mile, I started to worry..a little. But I got him to start an easy jog. This lasted maybe one hundred yards and then we walked again. Eventually he found what was left of his legs and we were able to pick spots to run to and then walk. Then we would walk a lot of the up hill and jog the down hill. During a section of downhill, I ran into an old friend Scott. He helped us maintain a pace for a little bit as we chatted. Eventually we developed a 3:1 cone method. We ran to 3 cones and then walked a cone. This helped us maintain a 12:30ish pace, I think. My dad, being the positive person that he is said, 'We're probably the only ones on our first lap of two' MMMM no dad that's not true, AT ALL! So we get to special needs and down a red bull and turn to the second loop. We maintained the best we could. At about mile 16 ish we got a glow stick (from Brian, he got put on glow stick duty hehe). We plugged away slowly and was so happy when we got to the last turn around. A friend of mine, Kylie was in the band that was play there and to I got to wave and she called out my name through the speakers.. That's right, I know people haha. Just after this point my dad had said that it was the hardest thing that he has ever done. The course was tough but we plugged through it. It was either all up or all downhill, no flat areas. We got down to the round about and headed for victory!

Kevin and dad, you are Ironmen! I was pretty emotional coming across the finish line. It was one of those things that you wouldn't trade for a million dollars. And it is ours forever!

Total time 15:47:12 (my dad beat me by one second...I guess it's payback for when I beat him by one second in our first marathon!)

Finish stretch!

Aftermath and comments

The race was superb, well organized and beautiful! It will be as my first marathon, a treasured moment that I will never forget! The volunteers and community were outstanding and welcoming. I love St George for this! Thank you volunteers, thank you St George! The course was exacting and just. I would do it again. I would recommend it to anyone that loves a challenge and is willing to really work to get there. I would not recommend the course to first timers who just want to do an Ironman. They are all hard, so why not pick a less demanding course?

For more pictures, click here.

The Day of Lawf

2010-02-15T21:23:00.000-08:00

So I went down with Kate to the place I love the most, to be with the people I love the most. Add fresh squeezed lemonade, home made chocolate covered pretzels, nachos, cheddar popcorn, skiing, snowmobiling, games, fireworks and fun-filled pictures, what a great way to spend a weekend!

Kyle showing his mad skills.

Brad's turn! Let the record stand that I taught them everything they know!

Well Kyle and Brad nailed the flip so now its Brent's turn! hehe

Popcorn is good, skiing is good. Why not put them together?

Whoop!

Plastic Boxing champion right there!

Happy birthday Brent!

So they say you look at the cards to collect and it says something about your personality. [This explains soo much]

Come on Brent!

BOOM! Right hook to Kyle's face..

Ironman Arizona 2009 Race Report #193

2009-11-24T15:42:00.001-08:00

Before

So I flew into Phoenix Thursday night. Brian and Bobbie picked me up and I stayed with them for the night. Friday, I met up with my family to pick up my bike as they continued on for the tour of tucson. I then headed to check in and get my race number. I couldn't believe the race had finally come! I have anticipated this day for awhile. I thought I would be more nervous but I actually was very calm, maybe a little too calm as I saw all the other athletes practice swimming and doing their weird training rituals as I just stood there taking in all the scenery :) Saturday, I checked in my bike, helped brian around the house and then met up with my family for dinner at Chili's. It was perfect. Sunday morning came, I put on my tri gear and headed off to make last minute preparations to my bike.

Swim 2.4 1 hour 20 minutes 56 seconds (Goal 1 hour 35 minutes-ish)

I was pretty nervous about the swim, after all I didn't do much swimming in my training and I have heard terrible stories about the swim. I waited till the last minute I could to jump in the water. The announcer said that if we didn't get in right then, he'd come push us in himself. So I jumped in. It was a brisk 60 something degrees. I swam about 150 yards to the nearest kayak and waited for the gun to go off. It went off at 7:00 and so did all the swimmers. I waited till most had swam off so that I would get too caught up in the 'washing machine chaos." It didn't matter though. I got hit really good one time to the face, swam over several times and so on. Overall it wasn't as bad as I thought though. The caution spots are the start, the turn around, and about 1/4 mile from the finish. Also make sure you double check your wetsuit, my neck strap wasn't on right and I now have a burn mark on my neck from the velcro rubbing.. Oh well, live and learn.

T1 Swim to bike 7 minutes 35 seconds

So I reached the steps and some wonderful volunteers helped me out of the water. I crossed the mat and got my wetsuit stripped. I was in no hurry to get to the changing tent. I walked all the way there, took my time getting my stuff on and then jumped onto my bike. It was a pretty uneventful transition though I did think "wow, the swim is done and I only have two more legs of the race. This is soo cool!"

Bike 112 5 hours 58 minutes 44 seconds (Goal 6 hours)

The first lap was pretty crazy coming out of transition. The road was narrow and it was hard to avoid "drafting." During orientation they made such a big deal about penalties and I did not want one, so I was always super concerned :) Going out had a bit of a head wind, my chain fell off and that was note worthy. I knew I had to do this loop 3 times and I was mentally prepared for it. The second half of the loop was much quicker. Soon enough, I was reaching town to start my second loop. On the way in, I saw my family cheering. I kind of got choked up, but that was really the only time that that much emotion hit me all at once. So the second loop was about the same as the first except the Pro's lapped me about half way through. They were hauling!!! So it was pretty cool to witness and be apart of, even if they did dominate me haha. By the third loop, I was kind of tired and my butt hurt but I was just enjoying the moment...thinking wow, this came quick. I only have one more loop of the bike and then the run. This is soo awesome. I was out of my aeros for a little less than half of this loop. I munched on a cliff bar, continued eating gu chomps and was estatic for the gatorade at the aid stations. It was cold and good! I didn't use my special needs bag, which is fine considering I didn't put much in it. So anyway the third loop ended and I came into transition.. I was thinking to myself ok did I really do 3 loops? My computer says 112, ok yes I did, I don't have to do another loop :).. Dismounted and entered t2. I have always heard of 'bike wabbles' I believe in them now haha. My legs felt like hula hoops as I went to get my run bag.

T2 Bike to Run 4 minutes 49 seconds

I grabbed my run bag, and went to the transition tent and put on my shoes. Brian was there as a volunteer so I talked to him for a second and then went to the rest room. It hurt soo bad. I couldn't believe it. Ouch. It hurt so bad actually that I had to go a little bit on the run but opted to wait just because I was so afraid to go again. Yikes! And then I was off to the run.

Run 26.2 4 hours 16 minutes 53 seconds ( Goal 4-4 1/2 hours)

It took me 8 miles to really find my legs but after that, I found a rhythm and stuck with it. I stopped at every aid station, took my time drinking water and coke. The sponges were awesome. I'd squeeze one over my head as I entered and as I left. Seeing my family cheer on the run was also very helpful. Since it was a 3 loop course during the first loop you would see signs for miles 13 and 20 ... you would think that it was discouraging but I was like "oh sweet I'll hit that on my next loop and the next on the last." Even though I was really pretty tired, my mental game was really up to par. I was enjoying each section of the course and of the run. I was kind of sad when I started my last loop. All the anticipation, work, worry, money ambition...and I have 8 miles left of it :) I was handed a glow stick on my third lap as the sun was about to go down. With about six miles to go, I heard someone say "hey lets pick it up if we are going to get 12 hours." That was my goal. I thought "wow I might be able to make it. I wonder if I have enough energy" So I picked it up and stayed with the guy until the nearest aid station, then I felt some energy and I took off. I skipped the next couple aid stations and then really kicked it in the last mile. I turned the corner to see the finish line, my family was on the left. I almost missed them because I was running pretty quickly. And then I crossed. I am an IRONMAN!

140.6 Total time 11 hours 48 minutes 54 seconds (Goal 12 hours.. skidoosh!)

Overall place 790 Division place 51

After

I got my shirt and medal. Brian was at the finish line to catch me. I went and got a coke and then met up with my family. Surprisingly, I felt pretty good. I was a catcher last year and I was expecting to not be able to walk and then end up in a medic tent or something. But that didn't happen. I actually felt better then than after any of the marathons that I have done. Wierd but I'm not complaining :)

Final thoughts

I just want to give a big hand to IMAZ and the volunteers. It was an A+ race. They had every detail covered and it ran seamlessly. Loved every minute. honestly..well almost honestly, the 3rd loop of the bike could have had some minutes taken off and I wouldn't have minded one bit :) My only disappointment was that last year when I volunteered, everyone got to break through the tape at the finish so I really looked forward to it but this year they didn't have the tape holders :( Oh well its not the end of the world.

I couldn't get the pictures to work so here is a link to PICTURES

Bear Lake Classic Race Report 70.3

2009-08-31T08:02:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-08-22T14:09:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-26T15:43:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-22T17:52:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-17T15:46:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-06T09:06:00.001-07:00

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.

2009-03-15T12:56:00.000-07:00

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

2009-02-24T22:54:00.000-08:00

{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

2009-02-24T15:17:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-14T14:06:00.000-08:00

-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...

2008-12-30T22:13:00.000-08:00

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!

2008-12-30T21:53:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-21T21:22:00.000-08:00

*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?"

2008-12-13T13:16:00.000-08:00

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.

2008-12-11T13:12:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-07T19:57:00.000-08:00

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.."

2008-12-02T13:24:00.000-08:00

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.

2008-11-18T21:50:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-09T14:08:00.000-08:00

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

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

2008-11-08T09:48:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-05T10:05:00.001-08:00

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.

2008-10-21T22:21:00.001-07:00

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

2008-10-14T21:57:00.001-07:00

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!

2008-10-09T15:27:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-02T15:47:00.000-07:00

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."

ABS Bouldering Competition

2008-09-27T14:15:00.000-07:00

So I had things I wanted to get done today... But I went to check out a climbing competition and later decided to enter it instead. Way to be responsible Kevin. Way to go! Anyway, it was a lot of fun and I learned a bit how it all works. I stuck most of the intermediate routes on my first or second try and a couple of the easier advanced routes but after a couple hours of climbing, I was pretty spent. It made me excited to maybe do future events. There is one on ropes in November that I might check out and then some early next year. Don't get me wrong, I am not at all interested in getting way competitive or anything, I am by far not good enough but it is a lot of fun and is a way to help me improve..I think. Whatever the case may be, it was a good day. I also met some new climbing friends so if I can get work off on Tuesday, they invited me to go climbing with them.

This has nothing to do with the competition but are some pictures I stole from Sabra from when we went climbing last Saturday. Parley's Canyon.

Sabra v10 Sweet picture...better climber

Amanda, Jeremy and me. Deciding on the routes to set up. Bottom: Ryan and Amanda.. It started to rain. yipee

...

2008-09-25T20:42:00.000-07:00

So this picture really has nothing to do with my post, I just think it is more interesting when you have something to look at. This is a picture taken this past August in Yosemite.

Anyway, now completely switching the subject. This is day one of me not eating sweets ie candy, cookies blah blah blah No I am not giving them up completely haha yeah right, that is not going to happen but I do consume much much more than I should so I am cutting back just for kicks.. no not even because I am trying to be healthy. I guess we will see what happens.

On to other entertaining notes, the St. george marathon is coming up soon. I am quiet excited about it!? I look forward to it every year now just because it is a time to be with and share experiences with my family. This year my mom is going to run it for the first time. I ran it for the first time with my dad in 1998...It is now 2008. It will be his 11th and my 5th St. George Marathon. Good times. Other than that I am still hoping to volunteer at Iron Man Arizona this year in November so I can get into it next year. If that happens, I have a lot to do next year :) That and a trip to Africa are the two major things I want to do next year. If other things come my way, I am open for those as well :)

Yeah so along with my last post, I have had some really fun climbs lately. Yesterday, I went to the Quarry with Sabra and Ryan and climbed for a few hours. It was way fun to get on the ropes, though indoors is sure different than outdoors. Last Saturday, I went out to Parleys Canyon with the same bunch plus some and it was probably the best day I have had since oh a very long while :) I am hoping to work on my lead climbing so that I can be a better climber for next season. Anyway good times...and to come!

Messin' around.

2008-09-22T22:23:00.000-07:00

So here are a few clips of me messing around at the Quarry climbing gym in Provo. Nothing to incredible but what ev. I like climbing. I am slowly getting better. :)

Provo Marathon Race Report

2008-09-07T12:21:00.000-07:00

Well, yesterday I ran the Provo Marathon and I finsished about the same time that I always do, though I do not know for sure because there was no official clock nor did I have a watch nor did anyone tell me when I crossed. The only reason I know is because I asked what time it was when I finished [11:04] And I know that the race was supposed to start between 6:30 and 7. There was only one bus of marathon runners so it was also the smallest race I have run as well. We get up to the start and we have to walk a ways up just so that the race would be 26.2 and there was no offcial starting line? They just had us all behind some beat up truck and then it drove off with a siren going off which I guess meant start because everyone started running. It was kind of cool actually. The first half was really nice. It was cool, beautiful and you had other people running with you. We started up past vivian park and made our way down the canyon with a little loop when we made it to bridalvale falls. The second half sad to say was pretty lame. We came out of the canyon and ran a few loops through the industrial part of the riverwoods and then on the provo river trail and through some parking lots. The aid stations did not have anyone there just a table with some water on it and then was absolutely no one cheering until the absolute finish line. With one exception, at around mile 18 there was a family passing out gatorade and jellybeans. Oh man, those jellybeans were sooooo good. I wish I had taken two cups! Also since it was so small, the second half I was basically running by myself the whole way with exceptions of relay runners blazing by me :) I also love steet signs like. Speed limit 15 miles an hour...If only! or SLOW, its like "Thanks for reminding me" haha Anyway, I finished, got my shirt and medal and I am pretty content right now. Running makes me feel better, and I do not mean physically because I am pretty stiff right now. Anyway, I am going to count this as my training run for St George in October. Plus I didn't feel too lonely doing the marathon after the fact because I found out that my parents were also on a long training run...only I get credit for mine hehe Why run if you don't get credit for it, right? That's my philosophy.

Anyway, to "celebrate" I stopped by a friends party for a little bit and then got PF Changs and a movie and slept. It was nice.....very nice!

New Phone

2008-09-05T11:47:00.000-07:00

So after 4 years, I finally had to get a new phone. It is nice, it takes pictures and slides open. It'll take some time to get used to but it is probably a good thing.

Back Packing

2008-09-01T21:07:00.000-07:00

"The Diving Board"
So I have not written in over a month and my sister has reminded me of that once again so I thought I should at least write about my backpacking trips. I left on July 24th to California where we (my dad and nephews) stopped at our cabin for the night. The next morning my dad went for a run and I woke up to my nephews painting the whole main floor of our cabin with eggs, flour, mustard, mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, powder sugar and who knows what else. Not to mention them putting my phone into the "Paint." [Which by the way, phone is now on its last limb as of today as it is split in half, hanging by a wire.. 4 years though, not too shabby ...I want an Iphone.. haha like that will happen] So after cleaning all that up and a little bit of fishing, we continued our journey to CA, eating at In-N-Out and dropping of the boys with mom. I danced that night in LA and then the next night in Irvine and then stayed up the rest of the night packing, which by the way I did not give much thought but it turned out that I had the most stellar efficient packing system. Just another little side note.

So my dad, kyle and Brad and I start backpacking at cotton tree meadows I think on our way up to Whitney. The night before I did not sleep much as I hiked out in the middle of the night to make some phone calls that barely went through. I guess it was worth it.. who knows. Anyway the first day was killer. It was 14 miles and I was pretty tired. Brad had a hard time the first day and then after that he did great. The top of We made it to the top on Wednesday and were up there for a few hours as we had to wait for the whole group to get there which was not taht smart considering it is 14,495 ft. Anyway, I packed out early on Friday to meet up with some friends and then went with them to Yosemite the next week. Yosemite was super pretty and a lot of fun. There was a lot of water to play in and we hiked to some pretty cool lakes and peaks including May Lake, Clouds Rest and Half Dome. Yep so all in all over two weeks, I did not have to work and probably ended up hiking 130 + miles. It was not entirely thrilling to come back to reality to tell you the truth.

Anyway, so a couple of weeks ago I also decided to hike Timp with my friend Ryan. We almost died going up the glacier but it was fun. we saw goats and I swam in the glacier lake.

On our way out..Some lady asked if I even knew what a pay phone was.

Looking over the falls

Bouldering the last day of Yosemite.. Crazy awesome!

Hanging over the North face of half dome

Down Clouds rest and up Half Dome

Clouds Rest..we camped on top and watched the Sunset and Sunrise. I did not sleep much, it was beautiful

Guitar Lake

Swimming in guitar lake..not the only lake I swam in. I swam across May Lake.. very stupid!

Top of clouds rest.

Top of Whitney

Memories

2008-07-14T22:56:00.000-07:00

This was on a friend's blog and thought it looked pretty fun!

1. As a comment on this post, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments. Just let me know which you prefer.

2008-07-13T19:14:00.000-07:00

Badger Creek

So in 2005, I spent my summer as an Outdoor Youth Adventure Counselor where I led groups of youth through ropes courses, initiatives, canoe and white water trips, pioneer treks and other way cool fun activities. This took place in Idaho, more specifically Tetonia, Idaho on a piece of property owned by BYUI called Badger Creek. I must say that is was one of the most impacting things I have ever done in my life and this place is very very special to me.

This weekend, I had the opportunity to return there and do some ropes courses and see some people I have not seen in awhile. It was probably the best weekend I have had in a long time! I loved it. So I could not get the other cooler clip to load but here is one of me going down a small zip line.

Anyway here are some more pictures.

Ker, Kyle, Kael and Kendall

Me and Bellz

Dinner

The Jex Family

Bobby and Ashleigh. They just got engaged, who wold have thought?

Yep so good weekend, I got to see Rexburg and the temple, went out to Badger and than to finish the wonderful weekend, I spent a day in Logan with Nate and Heidi. It was awesome. I took a couple pictures there as well but on their camera since my battery was dead. But I made tortillas (or at least I tried). They were pretty good none the less. And later we ate at their parents house and then planned out details for our trip to Yosemite coming up in a couple weeks which is going to be absolutely sweet!!!!!!

And now back to the grind. Yipee. Though I am planning to hike Timp on Thursday which should be a good little hike. :)

The Constitution Party

2008-07-08T22:09:00.000-07:00

The Constitution of the United States

I recently read The Book of Mormon and the Constitution (which is very good) and the presidential election is coming sooner than I would hope. Both of these things have made me reflect on what I believe, what I want and my duties as a citizen of the U.S. and also as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ.

Anyway, I have been looking around at different political parties and I have found one that I am very interested in. It is the Constitution Party and here is their platform. Check it out. Let me know what you think...and even still, would it even be worth being apart of as it will never be big enough to have an influence?

Independence Day

2008-07-08T21:30:00.001-07:00

So, I have found that I like to celebrate my independence by not being in this country on the 4th of July. I was in Mexico in 2003 and 2004, Sweden in 2007 and I was going to be in Spain this 4th of July but it did not work out as I had planned. So as disappointing as that sounds, I had a really good 4th.

I had work in the morning which was actually quite busy but luckily I was only there until two. I then had a Bar-B-Q with my family. Afterwards I went on an awesome hike up past Vivian Park with my friend Ryan. We were planning on a short hike and then meeting up with Sabra and doing another hike in Salt Lake. As it turned out, we ended hiking a good ten miles or so and Sabra went to the Stadium of Fire, so I guess it worked out for all of us. After our hike, Ryan and I made some dinner at Pizza Factory and went up to the MTC field to watch fireworks. I enjoyed it! There were a lot of people so you can imagine how trapped we were when we tried to leave. We waited awhile for people to leave and then found a back road to Sabra's where I dropped her and Ryan off at his car so that they could go dancing. I went to bed. I am not sure that going to bed made much of a difference because I was still really really tired the next day. Go figure. :)

Really tall plants. Really, they were tall.

Trees and a trail. I think this is where I got sap all over me. That's what I get for hugging a tree. But it was cool, it was like one huge tree that split into like two trees.

That's Ryan. By the look on his face , I think he is trying to figure out how many trees he had walked by so far on our hike. Cha Cha was not around to help in out on this one.

*Pictures courtesy of Ryan Martinsen

Two Things

2008-07-03T15:22:00.000-07:00

I saw this on Ker's page so I'll do it for fun.

Two names you go by:

Uncle Kevin

Kev

Two things you're wearing right now:

Hemp necklace

Deodorant

Two things you would want in a relationship:

Communication

Fun

Two of your favorite things to do:

Climb

See my nephews

Two things you want very badly at the moment:

Reciprocation

Sleep

Two things you did yesterday:

Worked

Got my hair cut

Two things you ate yesterday:

Breakfast potatoes

Licorice

Two people you last talked to:

Kael

My mom

Two things you are doing tomorrow:

Bar-B-Q/Fireworks

Reading

Two favorite Holidays:

New Years

Christmas

Two favorite beverages:

Cherry lemonade

Orange Dream Machine from Jamba

Two people no longer alive that you'd like to talk to:

Adam

Abraham Lincoln

My Qi

2008-07-03T15:18:00.000-07:00

So I was talking to Bishop Richey when I was home and thought I'd write myself a little reminder that I need to think about my Qi and goals and hitches. hmm... about that.

Kate

2008-07-03T15:02:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, I flew down to California. I must say it was nice to have a few days off work to enjoy some time with my family. They are as nuts as ever. I look out into our backyard and there is this huge ramp that my brothers built that they were going off of on their skis, yes their skis in June. They were using dish soap to help them slide and then they were hitting a rail off the end of it... very entertaining. They are also consumed in riding bikes all over everywhere which is awesome. I would like to start riding a bike soon so I can do an Iron Man. That would be so sweet but yet it would take a lot of work...blah

So yeah, while I was down there I also got to enjoy the luxuries of Cuca's and In-N-Out and went dancing on Thursday and Friday in Pasadena and Irvine, so that was fun as well.

And the real reason for my trip... Last Friday I picked up my new car. It is everything and more that I wanted. It is a Silver 2002 Subaru WRX Wagon. And she is awesome and her name is Kate. So anyway, thats about it. I am content.

This is the only picture I have right now but I'll try to get more later.

Salt Lake City Marathon

2008-04-21T20:57:00.000-07:00

Hey so this last Saturday I was able to run the Salt Lake Marathon. It is the sixth one that I have done now. Let me say though that this marathon was totally spur of the moment with no thought put into it. For example, I made it to pick up my race packet 10 minutes after they shut down the convention, luckily they still had the box out and let me pick up my chip and number, to my credit, I made it there 10 minutes early but could not find the pace for my life. I probably ran more then than I did in the marathon. When I picked up my packet, the lady was like "well go get some rest." Did I? No I went dancing instead but i did not stay the whole time so I am still somewhat responsible right? Well I stayed in Salt Lake and it was like midnight and I had no clue where the start line was or what time the race started, thanks Brent for helping me out! I then found out that I had forgotten my undershorts and had mismatched cotton socks. haha yuck!

Anyway about the marathon. I loved it! It started at the U of U and went down through sugar house and Murray and back into Salt Lake. I have never ran one through a city before. It was pretty and a complete different experience. I saw lots of little restaurants that looked pretty good, dry cleaning for $2 for each item of clothing, a ski shop, etc. When running you become aware of things that you would usually not notice. Maybe that is why I like to run? I cannot think of any other reason really. Also, I have never heard so many cow bells. Ridiculous but nice. It is always nice to have people cheer. And on that note there was an awesome 3 piece playing some Dixieland Jazz so I stopped for a bit and danced and talked to them..it was awesome and then again at mile 20 there was another combo playing some jazz! So needless to say I stopped to enjoy some more music and danced a bit more. Yeah so there was a strong head wind for the first 13 miles which was not particularly nice but the weather was cool, not too hot until the last mile or so. And I finished, so that's nice. I ran it in 4:19 so my slowest one yet but also probably my most relaxed. I am not as sore either which is nice except my left knee kind of hurts but it'll be fine. I mean I still went climbing today. :) So family, I have another number to add to the wall. Yay.

Anyway, with that said, good times. I'll probably run the Top of Utah, Ogden and St. George this year so I can complete the Grand Slam (All the marathons in Utah) but we'll see if I have the motivation and energy to do that. I actually want to prepare for an Iron man but that would take a lot of dedication. I almost signed up for one in Australia this year but didn't..and there is one in South Africa next year that would be amazing so that may be possible...hmmm

Well that is it.

Yesterday

2008-04-17T16:25:00.000-07:00

SoI had a really good day yesterday. The weather was a bit better so after work, I was able to climb and visit my sister and play with Kael and Kyle. My dad came over and we had a good dinner. Also I bought some grease for Kerri. (You'll have to let me know how that goes hahahaaaaa!!!!) I also saw a part of Alvin and the chipmunks which brought me back to my wonderful childhood days. And, I was introduced to the game tanks. I am not good to say the least nor do I plan to play it much more because it could be very addicting. Anyway, so yeah... things are going alright

Ice.

2008-03-31T21:40:00.001-07:00

So, it snowed the other day and this morning everything was iced over. At least it was where I was at [which was in Provo]. So as I go out to my car, my windows are frozen over in ice and my door took great effort to get open because it was also frozen shut. Anyway the best part was that the latch was frozen so when I got my door open, it would not shut. I had the wonderful opportunity to hold my door shut all the way to work today. That was a first. Anyway, thats all. I love ice. You can ice skate on it and fall and break your wrist on it...but that has never happened to me of course. :)

General Conference

2008-03-30T14:16:00.000-07:00

Prophets in the land again.

So this upcoming Saturday and Sunday, the world had the opportunity to hear the voice of a living prophet and apostles!

For information about what a general conference is, how and when you can listen click here. It is worth your while!

"5"

2008-03-20T09:47:00.000-07:00

My sister did this, so now I want to.

5 Things on my "ToDo" list today:

1. Take my car to the shop.

2. Mail a check to Scott for my tent and climbing shoes! wooohooo

3. Finish my homework for the week

4. Go to work

5. I finished everything else that was really pertinent so I guess, enjoy what I still have to do. I mean I will do other things and I could do other things and I want to do other things than I have listed but I do not think I will. [Sigh] :)

5 Snacks I enjoy:

1. Almonds (All kinds)/Hot peanuts/Granola

2. Fried Rice

3. Slurpees/Orange Dream Machine from Jamba

4. Chocolate Milk!

5. Oranges and Bananas

5 Places I have lived:

1. Fontana, CA

2. Redlands, CA

3. Rexburg, ID

4. Oaxaca, Mexico

5. Provo, UT

5 Places I have been:

1. Europe: Sweden, England, Germany, Holland, France and Denmark

2. Costa Rica

3. Cayman Islands

4. To the finish line of a marathon

5. California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Montana, Idaho, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Florida, Nevada, Arizona

5 pet peeves I have:

1. Bad Driving (I am sure I fall into this from time to time myself..but still)

2. People that are rude to me before they know me

3. Yes busy work is ridiculous!

4. People that manipulate [and/or take advantage] to get what they want. I hope I do not do this! If I ever do, tell me so I stop. Yuck.

5. I cannot find a way to say this so I am not going to.

5 Things you may not know about me:

1. I have been to 6 different schools in six years. Palmetto(5), Mariposa(6), Moore (7), Cope(8), RHS(9), REV(10) Also through high school I never did the same extra curricular activity twice. 9th: Water Polo, Soccer, Track, ASB 10th: Cross Country and Golf 12th: Tennis and Year Book

2. I was a certified life guard

3. I am not right or left footed. I can use them both equally well. I am right handed but do many things left handed such as play hockey, sweep, bowl (I could go either way but that is probably because I am not good at either)...

4. I had to take a growth hormone to make me grow [I was 4'11" when I was 16 and 92 lbs yikes!)....I am still short though. Along with this, I had to stuff my shoes at Magic Mountain to get on the rides. haha stupid 54" rule!

5. Haha I am listening to the news right now and they are talking about having more regulation of the market. I am totally against this!!!!!!!! Can I emphasize this enough?!!!!!!

Soup of the Day!

2008-03-18T13:43:00.000-07:00

This morning I was preparing the pasta side of the kitchen for the day and a part of those responsibilities include making soup. Today it was some sort of Potato Cheddar something.. I don't know but it is pretty good.

Anyway so I go to put it out by the salad bar and I did not realize that the floor was still wet from being mopped. As I turned the corner, my feet flew from under me and as if in slow motion I focused on the soup and was thinking " The Soup! Don't lose the soup!" and then I hit the floor. My first thought afterwards was, I hope I didn't lose all of the soup, my second thought was, it is all over me and it is burning and my third thought was, ouch my knee hurts but I have to get this soup off me. At least Kendall was there to witness the whole event so someone else beside me can really appreciate this.

It turns out that I saved almost all the soup except for some that got on me and just a little on the floor so I did not have to remake it which was to my delight. My arm only stayed red for a little while so no severe burns. My knee is a bit bruised but function-able and I hurt my finger a little
but should heal shortly. I guess I lost some of my pride as well but I do not know if I want that back anyway. HA! The worst part is I usually get stuff all over me so I was trying really hard to not have that happen and I always let the water over flow and I was focused on not doing that as well and yet today they both happened once again. When am I ever going to learn?

So yeah, good times!

Fruit Snacks!

2008-03-13T12:11:00.000-07:00

Today I got into my car and saw a bag of fruit snacks! Yesterday I was offered a bag of fruit snacks and I excepted them and then forgot about them. So when I saw them there, it was very exciting and they were good..all of them! It is something so small but yet it was like one of the best things about my day soo far.

How would I be different had I not accepted them? Well, I'd probably be fine and move on with my wonderful life but I would have missed something.

I love to do things for people but sometimes have a hard time letting others do things for me. I kind of realized that yesterday. Hmmm, interesting...

Why?

2008-03-09T14:34:00.000-07:00

My sister Kerri, was complaining that I have not posted in awhile, so here you go.

This week I was able to help work on Kerri and Kendall's house. Well I taped dry wall and scraped cottage cheese off the ceiling so not much but it was fun. I was covering one of the corners and ended up leaning into wet compound which was quiet messy to say the least. But at any rate I am excited. I will probably get to stay in one of their rooms for awhile. So I think that will be fun!

Yesterday, I was managing with Taylor. I am not going to lie, work is always more pleasant when working with him rather than without. He is awesome. The waitresses were also more pleasant than normal. Heather hid under the counter and they told Taylor that there was another leak at the wait station. When Taylor went to check it out they scared him pretty good. We also decided that we wanted food (not from the Pizza Factory) so we called up PF Changs (One of my favorite restaurants mmmmm) and we made a trade. Two pizzas for some really good food. It was surely one the the best parts of my day. Yes...

So other than that, my day was pretty ordinary but good none the less. I finished some school work and actually went to a BYU dance since I had the night off. The friday dance at the skillet was actually a lot of fun. Jon was the DJ and played good music. I felt like I danced a lot better than I normally do as well. That does not mean that I did, I just felt like it so I had a good night. And I am really looking forward to this weekend. I am going to the Sacramento Exchange and I suspect that there will be good music and good follows. Hurray! I am headed down I think with Ryan and Jon and maybe Sabra if she gets her act together and decides to come. :) So yeah, good dancing + good friends= Good Weekend! Oh yes, I am excited to say the least. Hmm.. it appears that things are going well for me. I had a good week. What more can I say? I mean I could go into detail but I am not going to. If you really want to know then feel free to ask. One thing that I did not do much of is sleep though. I am tired and I am going to try to take a nap. That generally consists of me lying down and not sleeping. So if you are really good at taking naps, I think I need a few pointers to help me get more out of it! Please.

But before I take a nap, I just wanted to share some things that my Bishop talked about in church today. He wrote two talks and decided to combine the two of them. One was on being happy and the other was about commitment. He kind of combined the two in a short phrase

"Happy...to do it"

I just liked it, so I thought I'd share it. Also he said that we need to spell out happy every day.

Have a grateful heart

Attitude

Ponder the Lord's tender mercies

Pray

Yern to serve others

I think that this is a pretty good pattern to follow in order to be happy. What do you think? Maybe easier said than done...? Maybe not but I do believe that we should be happy. Happiness is pretty much what drives us to do what we do. For example, actually this is not really an example but more of a thought. Let's say you have a lamp and a genie and you have one wish [excluding the wish to have infinite wishes]. What would you wish for? :) Then ask yourself, why? If you continue to ask yourself why enough times, I am sure you will end up with something to the effect of "because it would make me happy." I only had to ask why once before I came to my conclusion...

The Family

2008-02-24T14:01:00.000-08:00

So a couple months ago I committed to memory The Family: A Proclamation to the World. Sadly to say I could probably only do the first few paragraphs now.. so I should probably review it some more. I would encourage everyone to read it and even have a copy in the home!

Today I was reading a talk Don't Leave For Tomorrow What You Can Do Today which emphasized the importance of family and could be extended to anyone you love. Elder Costa taught, "We can lay down our lives for those we love not by physically dying for them but rather by living for them- giving of our time; always being present in their lives; serving them; being courteous, affectionate, and showing true love for those of our family and to all men-as the Savior taught."

I want to live for people.

I love my family. They are simply amazing! I am so glad that I can be with them forever.

This is just a few years old. haha! :)

Another good talk. Just for fun.

Lindy Hop

2008-02-17T17:39:00.000-08:00

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindy_hop

So I started to lindy hop about 2 years ago. It is now the only form of dancing that I am actually somewhat capable of doing though I think it would be really cool to learn other things such as tango but that is really beside the point. The point is that I really really enjoy dancing.

To some, that may be surprising... i.e anyone who knew me before two years ago. I told one of my good friends from high school about it and he could not believe me. He reminded me of a time when we were skateboarding downtown and we stopped for lunch at a little diner with a juke box and I tried to dance and had not a single bit of rhythm in me. He claims he has video footage of this and I am afraid of what the incriminating evidence will show... actually to my defense it could show how far I have really come. hehe

Anyway for everyone who has known me since, knows that I really like to lindy hop. I have been able to go to many events in many different states and even to an event in Sweden that lasted an entire month!

If you asked me why I like to do it so much, I probably could not give you a very good descriptive answer. I think a lot of it has to do with the music because whenever it is on ( when it is good) I cannot help but be happy. I don't know, it just makes you develop yourself on so many levels. It is athletic and social, takes work and effort.. maybe dedication would be a better word and it is just fun! If you asked me why I wanted to get better, I could probably give a better answer. So when you start out, you are not good at all and everyone around you seems amazing and follows usually dread dancing with you. One time when I was in Utah (down from school in Idaho), I was dancing and I heard a friend say "Oh my gosh, that was soo amazing. He is so good! aoh!" [with a shake of her head and a glimmer in her face] or something to that extent. When I heard this, I was like...man I want girls to say that about me when I dance with them [instead of them rolling their eyes and putting up with me for an entire song and then running away]. That may sound selfish but it really is not. I want to be able to have a girl..good or not.. to feel awesome and when they can feel like that, then I also have an awesome time. Did that make much sense? And so I continue to try to improve myself because it is a never ending process and that way, when the follows are better I can also be able to dance well with them.

This weekend, there was an event put on in Utah called Harlem Nights. Skye [DC] and Frida [Sweden] (some of my most favorite dancers to watch) came and taught workshops. I was able to attend one of them and it was really fun. More than anything though, I was able to dance with Frida a couple times and Nelle from Denver. They are incredible follows [and made me feel awesome]. When you dance with people that are better than you it really pushes your ability to dance. These are not the only follows that pushed my ability this weekend but they are follows that are very much above my ability which is sooo cool. I also had a fun time dancing with some people from Canada, Claudia and Edina...and of course I had an amazing good time dancing with Sabra and Heidi but not Julie because she wouldn't dance with me tisk tisk but had she danced with me I am positive that I would have had a good time dancing with her as well.

Anyway, those are some of my thoughts on the matter. I could probably ramble on and on about it but I think this is sufficient. I encourage anyone who is interested or could possibly be interested to just go do it. If you are in Utah, I will drag you there if that is what it would take. I do warn you that it can be addicting! If you do not believe me you can ask Jon. Poor kid, I ruined his life. Well I do not think that is entirely true. haha

So this is a fun clip of some great dancing.

I am glad it is Sunday

2008-02-03T19:54:00.000-08:00

So Friday after work I had the wonderful opportunity to work on my homework and see my nephews and then be challenged by Jeremy to Dr. Mario. (Dr. Mario by the way is an old Nintendo game that I used to play as a kid [Kinda like Tetris but way better] and my sister has recently obtained a copy of it and I have had a chance to play it on a couple of occasions since.) Needless to say I was the victor and though I am still a bit rusty I am up for other challengers! Anyway, I then had the chance to go lindy hop in Salt Lake City which again was a lot of fun. I really like to lindy hop, which I will save for another time I think.
Afterwords, I went out to eat with Jon to the Village Inn. I had a side of hash browns while Jon ordered some egg meal. Needless to say his meal looked...a little more appealing. Even though I did not get home until 2:30 and had work at 7 it was worth it. I have had a lot on my mind and it was nice to talk it out. It is amazing what talking can do... I recommend it to everyone... really it is soo nice.
Saturday, I am not going to lie was not an easy day, in fact yeah, it was not very great at all but alas at least after work while I was working on some assignment, my nephews found it entertaining to use me as a human trampoline. I love those kids. They are so ridiculously intelligent and have huge personalities. I am sure their mother appreciates it. hahaha... Oh man :)
I dialogue all of this not to bore you which I am sure I have but to make a point. Today is Sunday. I was able to rest, attend my church meetings, read what I wanted to, cook a meal, work out little things that I have been thinking about, etc. I did not have to work or do homework. I am not saying that I do not enjoy these things but it sure is nice to have a time to take a break. ..Yeah it is great! Not to mention, it has just snowed several inches and it is dark and beautiful outside!

A sincere real tip!

2008-01-30T22:45:00.000-08:00

So today I was scheduled for a day delivery shift at my work and I actually had a pretty good day. So that is nice but there was one delivery that was a little interesting, for one he said he was in Orem when he was really in Provo though that is not the interesting part. When I delivered his food, I am not going to say he was rude but rather nice in a mean sort of way. I do not know how else to put it. I'll explain like this, he commented on the size of what he ordered and questioned me giving him the right things, which I did. He also gave me a 5 dollar tip which was nice considering his order was like 20 something dollars but then he was like.. how was the tip? Was it big enough? Just kidding... (that is the best way I could put it but it was a lot more than that, I mean how do I comment on tone of voice and demeanor?) Anyway, so I leave a little like... what was that all about?

I later look at the five and find that it just looks different. With further inspection, I realize that it is counterfeit which raises a few questions. What would be better, no tip or a counterfeit tip? I mean either way, I am not better off because I am not going to spend the counterfeit bill. Apart from this, I guess if I did not get a tip in the first place it would kind of be lame but I mean the fact that he knowingly gave me something that is worthless not to mention illegal, I guess maybe I would prefer no tip. Really...what is going on in that person's head?

...

Again, as I think of this, I could relate it to so many other situations. One that comes to my mind is dating. And once again these are my thoughts and could be totally different for someone else... So you like a girl and you take her out. She does not like you but as you ask her out she continues to say yes and her reason being (I am guessing).."she does not want to hurt you." And inevitably in the end it does not work out. Now what would have hurt more, her telling you at the beginning that she was not interested (no tip) or after several dates? (Counterfeit tip) Granted it is probably my fault for not picking up the signs that she is not interested. In my defense, I am a boy. That could just be a cop out, in fact I am enitrely sure that it is but hey I am going with it :) At the same time however, how satisfying is it when she does like you back... (a sincere real tip)! I am positive that it is pretty much amazing. That word does not give the feeling justice I imagine.

Anyway...I am sure people have their own reasoning for why they do what they do. It's likely, or not, that that man had a good reason as to why he gave me that counterfeit bill. I will probably never know. But I do know that I would appreciate a sincere tip.

Means

2008-01-29T11:46:00.000-08:00

So today five years ago I entered the Missionary Training Center (MTC) where I began a two year service mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to Oaxaca Mexico where I had the opportunity to teach about the wonderful plan of happiness that God has for each one of us on this earth. Three years ago Saturday I returned home. As I returned home, I wrote this (I'll see if I can translate it into english): "It's going to be an adventure. I hope I can always do the most of the best (It makes sense in Spanish... el maximo de lo mejor) and always have the end in mind. Do not get lost in the means that take you to that end."

I have thought about this a lot. As I look at the ends that I want to meet and look at the means I am going through right now to meet those ends, I could be doing wonderful good things and be actively making myself better but are these good things impeding me from really accomplishing my ends and doing something greater than I am doing at the current time? Am I lost in the means that will take me to my goal or am I using these means in a way that is taking me ever closer to what I desire?

Since I have been home, on occasion, I know I have gotten lost in the means but right now I feel good about what I am doing and accomplishing. I mean look at my last post, it is so obvious that I am going places. I say that sarcastically but I am.. and to all the skeptics, I reaffirm what I said. Just you watch! :) I am able to use these means to my advantage instead of letting them control me. Though, if I find that I am not getting where I want to go then I am going to have to re-evaluate and make some changes that I feel will help me get where I want to go. Isn't life awesome?

...and as a side note, something that I learned this morning at 5:30, this can be taken metaphorically but I am stating it literally. Plan for red lights, one minute can put you an hour off schedule. :) and that is not always a bad thing!

Today...

2008-01-28T10:51:00.001-08:00

So, I saw that my sister posted a list of things that will happen for her someday. I wanted to compile a list of things that happened/will happen for me today.

1) Woke up and left Logan

2) Picked up my dad from the airport

3) Doing laundry

4) Cleaned my house (except for the floors, I haven't gotten that far yet)

5) Clean my car and get an air freshener...Do I really need an explanation for that?

6) Call and get my work schedule for the week

7) Read my scriptures (I put that in past tense but I guess it can be future as well because I plan on doing that again today)

8) Along with number 7, President Hinckley past away last night and I just want to say that he has made such an impact in my life and that he is an extraordinary man! I will miss him.

9) Ate nachos

10) Got gas

11) Ask a friend out to lunch

12) Take a shower, brush my teeth and shave my face.

13) Go to work at the Pizza Factory

14) Do my extremely non-sensical busy work of online classes...yawn

15) Go to the store and get some stuff to make dinner. I am thinking thai. mmmm

... by the way there is not an order to these except for the order that I think them in :)

16) Called my mom..didn't pick up Called my sister...didn't pick up Should write Brian but I'll do that "Someday..." maybe not today and maybe not tomorrow but hopefully by tomorrow (Sorry Bri I love you!)

17) Be sad that I missed Prison Break but I am sure I'll get over it someday or wait I am pretty much over it already. Speaking of television shows...when does Lost start again? Oh and return The Office to my sister and beat her in a game of Dr. Mario? I'll be on level 15 if you are on 8!

18) Mail my checks

19) Keep this wonderful smile* that I have had all weekend :)

20) Dream

21) Listen to jazz music and think about lindy hop

22) Get started on all these things. They may seem seemingly insignificant but they are not and you will see.

*For another post...if I keep this up. It is all so new to me.