One Crazy Day at a Time

Gila Valley Temple

2010-05-15T08:46:00.000-07:00

So a couple of a weeks ago, my mom asked me if I would be willing to ditch work to go to the Gila Valley Temple open house with her. I told her that it sounded like fun but that I couldn't ditch work that week. Well we never got all the schedules of everyone who wanted to go aligned... So I figured that we wouldn't get to go. Well on Tuesday of this past week, I found out that Christy was getting out of the hospital, so i decided that it would be fun to try and go with her, but I didn't know when it ended. So the next night I went to the Mesa temple because my aunt was gettting her endowments. I mentioned to someone that Christy was getting out on Thursday and my mom asked if that meant I was ditching work on Friday to take her to the open house and I said sure. From there it grew, and Christy, Sandy, my mom, Jayce, Karley, and I all ended up going to the open house on Friday. It was awesome, I was so glad that I was able to go with Christy. My mom has more pictures that I am sure she will put up on her blog, but here are a few.

The Love of My Life

2009-09-24T21:48:00.000-07:00

I do not know how so much time always seems to go by between posts. Something that bothers me is when people don't update their blogs often enough, yet I seem to do a fine job of not updating. I frequently blame my lack of bloggage on the fact that I don't have anything to write about, I am often jealous that my mom seems to have so much fodder for her blog. Well, people have been requesting a new post, especially my mother who is sick of seeing the lovely picture of herself... So I thought that I would attempt to comply. One of the things that has been on my mind recently, rather the thing that is always on my mind, is a certain young lady.

I am very much in love with Christy, for many reasons, and so I thought that I would list some of those reasons here.

This is from a journal entry dated July 23, 2008 although some of these have been added since that time.

Why do I love Her?

She is the most caring person I know.

She is funny, and seems to think that I am too at times.

I feel lost when I don't get to see her.

She is the most beautiful girl I have ever met.

When she touches me I feel tingly.

When I am with her no matter what we are doing I am happy.

She lets me hold her hand.

She worries about other people.

She is always optimistic.

She is smart.

She will make a wonderful mother.

She loves kids.

She is fun to tickle.

She loves the gospel.

She makes me want to be better.

She loves her family.

She loves my family.

She makes me feel like I am special.

She loves the temple.

She likes baseball.

She likes watching movies.

She enjoys reading.

I can talk to her about anything.

Despite trials she stays true to what she believes.

She is strong and faithful.

She has never asked me to stop singing.

Even amid trials I know I want to spend eternity with her.

She loves the Scriptures.

She is patient with me.

She isn't afraid to point out my faults such as a lack of four wheeler driving skills.

She can cheer me up when I am sad.

She is the person I can turn to with any problems I have.

Lastly, I love her because she is her.

I'm Alive!!!!

2009-06-19T17:53:00.001-07:00

Contrary to what, by now, must be popular belief, I am alive. It has indeed been awhile since I have posted a blog. However, I am still here.

The other day I came home, and only my mother was at home. She was in her room reading, so when I opened the front door, I yelled "Hello, are you alive?" To which I received no response. As I neared her room, I could see her feet at the end of her bed. At which point I again questioned, "Are you alive." This time she answered, "Of course I am alive. Can't you tell by my alive face?" This is what I saw.

After a short deliberation, we decided that she was indeed alive. She also went through other poses to convince me of this.

Basketball Fun

2008-12-26T15:44:00.000-08:00

So today Jayce and I decided to go play basketball at the church. As is customary on our basketball trips to this locale, Jayce tried to shoot the ball backwards from half-court. and
wouldn't you know it...

Woo-hoo. Jayce was excited, but making this shot has become quite usual for him, so he tried to shake it up a little bit in this tribute to Christy.

Yes indeedy, from the knees.

After that we picked up Janaya and Christy and went to Dennys for lunch. While we were there, someone had the brilliant idea to have everybody order for someone else. So we did. Then we all traded food once it came. The waitress seemed a little confused, but hid it well for the most part. During lunch, Steven texted Jayce and asked him if he wanted to go to the church to play basketball, so Jayce, Steven Janaya, Christy, and I went to the church to play basketball. We played bank for a little while, and then the men decided it was time to play 21. For those of you who don't know 21 is basically a game where everyone plays everyone else. Also, most rules are abandoned during this game. What started out as a friendly competition, quickly escalated into mayhem as people attempted to drive to the hoop and were met violently by other competitors.

We followed that up with a quick trip to Sonic for drinks, and then it was back home.

Bishopric Barbeque

2008-12-21T14:20:00.000-08:00

So ever since I have been in young mens, there has been a traditional BBQ in the month of December for the youth of the ward. When I was a deacon, this BBQ consisted of having hamburgers at Kiwanis Park. This was fun, and we had good times enjoying various activities at the park and eating lots of food. This is how I remember the bishopric BBQ. It was always one of my favorite events of the year.

Now, I am a teacher's quorum advisor, and I got the privilege of attending the BBQ again for the first time in four or five years. Well since my last BBQ, the bishopric has made a lot of changes, to improve this event. First of all, the food. They have gone from low quality (hamburgers), to high quality (carne asada). Secondly the locale, upgraded from Kiwanis Park to Brother Jones' farm. Last big difference, there is now a hay ride.

So here is how things went. The young men, young women, and their leaders met at the church to carpool to the farm. I happily opened my truck, which has become known as the fun-vee, to Jayce and Steven. Bishop then asked if I would pick up Scott and James. So the fun-vee set out in search of some new passengers. We picked up Scott, and the dropped Jayce off at a store to pick up some snacks, while the fun-vee went to pick up James. Sadly, James was not at home so it was back to pick up Jayce and hit the open road.

Fully supplied with oreos, chocolate covered pretzels, starbursts, and gummy worms, we began the approximately 45 minute trip to the farm. As we cruised down the freeway, we joyfully rocked out to the music pumping from steven's i-pod. As we neared our destination, it became apparent to us that the fun-vee had to arrive in style, so we rolled down the windows, cranked up the bass, augmented the volume, and let everyone know that the fun-vee had arrived.

It was then time to hit the hay, and cruise around the farm. This hayride, is a trailer loaded with hay attached to a tractor which then takes us on a trip around the farm. The adults decided to enhance the ride with a little Christmas music to really allow the joy to fully penetrate the hearts of those in attendance. However I am pretty sure that it wasn't joy the persuaded Jayce to tell me to stop singing or die. Then came the time to return to where the food was, this was accomplished by driving on a main road. Needless to say the cars stuck behind the tractor were not all full of the Christmas spirit.

When we returned, the food was pretty much ready. So we had soft tacos with Carne Asada. Along with chips and salsa, and beans. The food was delicious! After we ate, we cleaned up, and it was back to the open road. As the fun-vee began to pull out, bishop stopped us and queried if we had room for Trevin. Of course we did, so the fun-vee was back at it with an extra passenger.

As we neared the freeway, we were faced with an interesting dilemma. Should we return on the I-10, the way we had come, or should we be a little crazy and follow the loop 101 all the way around? As with any fun-vee, ours was a democracy, and so it was put to a vote. 10 or 101? Well the 101 won unanimously, and we were headed home. A little while later, we pulled into the church parking lot to help unload tables and chairs, and found that we were, regrettably, a little too late. The bishopric had already finished unloading. I guess, we made the right decision during that vote after all;)

Now I will be the first one to say, that I had a good time during the evening, but it is my humble opinion, that this upgraded BBQ left a lot to be desired. Most noticeably, a park, and a good old fashioned american hamburger. The way things should be.

Someone has stolen your heart!

2008-11-24T05:38:00.000-08:00

Tempe- A young resident was shocked to find a ransom note taped to her door early Saturday evening.

Upon arrival at the specified location, she was met by a small and sinister man clearly associated with the plot. He told her that he could guide her on with a clue but that she would first have to complete a task for him. She was given a balloon, and told to blow it up. After that she was instructed to draw the face of her boyfriend on the balloon. She was then supposed to demonstrate her first kiss. After her first attempt, the mean man popped her balloon claiming that it did not accurately portray her boyfriend. He did however redeem himself in a small way by blowing up the second balloon for her. She then proceeded to demonstrate her first kiss. She received her next clue, which led to the home of a neighbor, and a monkey from build a bear.

At the new location, the young woman was met by a jolly sort clad in an Arizona Diamondbacks uniform. This man informed her that she would be hitting five baseballs to receive her next clue, however, if the man caught one of the balls that she hit, she would be forced to start over, and if she were to strike out, the game would end and she would have to wait a week to try again. After a handful of pitches the girl eagerly awaited what would be her fifth and final hit. She hit the ball and it gently glided straight into the hands of the jovial pitcher. Who proceeded to give her the clue anyway, along with a stuffed dog dressed in a diamondbacks uniform.This clue guided her to the church where she had been baptized.

As the chauffeur pulled up to the church, a very nice young couple was waiting. They eagerly described the girls next task. She would fill in all the information to her baptismal program. Upon completion of the task, the girl was informed that she had indeed finished properly and that her next destination would be the temple. She also received a bear in a baptism dress.

The girl suspected that her journey was about to come to an end, and was shocked to find not the man that she expected but rather a cheerful man with yet another clue. To obtain this clue, the young lady had to arrange sentence strips containing the plan of slavation, in the proper order. After a short while, she was done. Although she was not as confident as she had been with other tasks, she had indeed properly placed each step. The clue she gained led her to Taco Bell.

At Taco Bell, the girl was met by the same young couple that had met her earlier at the church. They sat near two cups full of mild sauce packets. She was asked to search through the cups to find the three packets with a special message, each was marked with a star. As she sifted endlessly through what seemed like hundreds of packets of mild sauce, she thought that she would never find the special sauces. Close to giving up hope, the girl finally found one star, and then another, and then the final star. The packets said, make a wish, ta-dah, and the feeling is mutual. The girl was then given a clue leading her back to the temple. She also got a veil, that would transform her baptism bear into a bride bear.

As the chauffeur approached the temple, she pulled up to the curb and instructed the girl to get out. The girl was a little unsure, but complied anyway. After walking around the temple grounds, she finally saw standing in a ray of light, the cruel man who had stolen her heart. He was dressed nicely, and his demeanor did not seem as cruel as the ransom note had depicted him. As she approached, he spoke.

"You went through a lot of trouble to get your heart back."

"Yes I did."

"Unfortunately you can't have it back. I plan on keeping it for eternity. However I am willing to make a compromise, and you can have my heart for eternity as well."

With that the man dropped to his knee, swept the hat off his magic bear, revealing a ring and queried,

"Will you marry me?"

The girl quickly responded in the affirmative.

The man then escorted her to his truck. There was a dozen roses waiting with taco bell mild sauce packets, that said will you marry me, decoratively placed among the roses.

The girl has declined to press charges according to one authority close to the case.

That is right folks, she said yes, and I am now officially engaged!!

Fall Break!!

2008-10-06T07:39:00.000-07:00

Well, It is that time of year again, yes you know the one I am talking about. It is fall!! Not that one could really tell by walking outside, no out there it still feels just as warm as ever. However looking at the calendar, and finally being on fall break has assured me that fall has arrived at last.

Anyway, I love my job; however, one can always use a week off. Now if I only had some great and exciting plans this would be a very special week. My mom decided that we needed to go somewhere for fall break; unfortunately all the exotic yet close enough travel spots to reach by car simply were not sounding so happening! Such beautiful locales as Flagstaff, Snowflake, Bisbee, and Ajo. Some more enjoyable sounding venues included Las Vegas, and San Diego. Somehow San Diego just seems like more of a summer vacation spot to me, and seeing as the calendar clearly dictates it is now fall, that is simply out of the question. I will admit though, that going to a session at the San Diego temple is something that I have wanted to do for a long time.

However, it is Jayce's fall break too, and I don't think it would be very fair for my mom and I to take him to San Diego, and then leave him to go to a session at the temple.

Upon discussing other possibilities for this week I have received varying answers. My mom is a big fan of cleaning and other types of manual labor. At this point in my life, working during a break is simply to much of an oxymoron. Jayce desperately wants to go fishing. Fishing??? Ummm, I have never really been an advid fisherman, I mean I enjoy it, but how enjoyable is it really to drag in endless amounts of algae?? I don't really have the first clue about fishing, where to go, when to go... Oh well, I foresee a fishing trip in my near future.

The thing that I have wanted to do for my break, is hit the restaurants that I usually go to for lunch time, that is the places that are either to busy or closed by the time I get off work. Unfortunately, my sister's (all three of them) have got me going back to Weight Watchers, and I am already feeling incredibly guilty for wanting to go out to eat. So I will either have to find a way to dissuade my guilt or I will miss out on this exciting adventure as well.

A Get Well Card

2008-09-04T17:54:00.000-07:00

So, how is it that I think I am doing fairly well with this blogging thing, and then I look and it has been 2 weeks since I last blogged? I really, guess I just don't know what to write about. I enjoy my work, and often times stuff happens there that I find entertaining, but I don't know how to turn it around and create a decent blog. I am not like my mother writing things that make everybody laugh, or want to give a standing ovation in front of there computer. I guess, perhaps I just have higher expectations for myself than anybody else really does and it doesn't ever translate through me.

Well, enough lamenting, here is just a little bit to get you caught up. I am still going to work every weekday in an elementary school special needs class. I love the children I work with and am constantly amazed by them. My girlfriend has been sick for quite a while now and I miss her. One of my students at school asks me everyday, "How is your girlfriend." Well this week my response has been she is sick. Everyday this student says, "You should make her a card, or if you are too lazy you could just buy her one. Girls like Hannah Montana, you should buy her a Hannah Montana card. That will make her feel better." Well apparently this student had enough of my reluctance and today informed me that she was going to make a card for my girlfriend. So during centers she brought me some paper and markers and said draw a picture and write a message and I will do the rest.

I told her I didn't know what to draw.

She said, "draw her favorite animal."

I said, "I don't think I can draw a monkey."

"That doesn't matter, she will like it because you care enough to try."

"Okay if you say so."

So I proceeded to draw what I feel is a very nice palm tree, a river, and a monkey, that I am told closely resembles the devil. After that, the student decorated the inside with a handprint and got other students to sign the card. Now all I have to do is deliver. Believe me I have to deliver because tomorrow, the first think I will hear is...

"How is your girlfriend. Did she like the card."

Party at the Park

2008-08-23T22:00:00.000-07:00

Today I had the opportunity to hang out with one of my best friend's kids. I have known this friend for almost 8 years and he is truly one of the best people that I know. Since the time that I met him as my seminary teacher, I have come to admire him, and love him and his family. For a while now, it has been a tradition for my siblings and I to send Christmas presents to his family, especially his children. Over the years, we have tried to stay close, and I try to spend time with him and his kids occasionally.

Every now and then Jayce, Janaya, and I will "kidnap" his children. Originally we did this because he stop letting us babysit his kids because we wouldn't take his money when he tried to pay us. So we decided that we would just take his kids and hang out, and then he would have no way to dispute because he can't pay us to hang out with his children. Anyway, it had been a while since we had seen his kids, so Jayce suggested that we once again kidnap the children.

I called him up to see if we could, because of course it is inappropriate to kidnap children without parental consent, and it turned out that the kids were available, so Janaya, Jayce, Christy, Caitlyn, and I took four children to the park. We decided that it would be fun to have a picnic and play at the park. When we went to pick the kids up, one of them ran around saying, I am hyper, I am hyper, I am so very hyper. We knew that we were going to have a fun time at the park.

When we got to the park, the kids immediately ran to the playground, so Janaya and Caitlyn decided to prepare the picnic while the rest of the adults played with the children. Pretty soon, the food was ready, and we all went to eat sandwiches, chips, carrots and capri suns. Around the picnic table there were some very hungry red ants, so Jayce and I got to carry children to the benches so they wouldn't get bit. One of the children ate a few bites of his food and proclaimed himself full. That was until he found out there were cookies, and all the sudden he had some room left. (Yes mother we made him eat more real food before allowing him to eat a cookie.) Soon, everyone was done eating, and it was back to the playground.
\

I don't know what it is about kids, but their favorite activity seems to be racing. Now I am not in top athletic condition, and in addition to that, the pants that I was wearing do not stay up when I try to run, so I respectfully declined the invitation to race. Jayce got to run the majority of the races, but Christy and Caitlyn also took part. The rest of us hung to our somewhat lame excuses in order to not run.

I think we got the kids pretty well worn out, so it was back home. I asked the kids on the way home if they had fun. They all answered yes, and then came the excepts. Except when it was hot, except when I was sweaty, except when I was itchy, except when I missed my mom and dad. I guess a park in the summer is not as much fun as we had hoped. However, we were asked to return every Saturday, so apparently it wasn't all that bad.

So there you have it, a party at the park.

Drinking Games!!

2008-08-23T11:34:00.000-07:00

Last night, Jessica calls to see if we would like to come over to her and Trevor's house for a party. There will be pizza, and games. Jayce and I were put in charge of getting drinks and asking the girls, Christy, Janaya, and Caitlyn to come and bring dessert. Jayce called Janaya and she said that they could come but they couldn't bring dessert. So Jayce told her that if she brought Christy, he was sure I would spring for dessert. So then Jayce called Jessica to tell her that the girls were coming. So then Jayce had to call Janaya back and tell her to invite Tania at which point Janaya told him that the girls would be able to provide a pan of brownies for our soiree.

While all of this was happening, Jayce and I were watching the Cosby Show. We were enjoying an episode where Vanessa goes to a friends house and gets drunk playing drinking games. Jayce and I both thought what better way to rock a party than by playing drinking games. So we called Janaya and told her to bring some shot glasses (she collects) to the party.

Jayce and I then hurried to the store where we purchased a cake, some juice, and some sparkling apple cider. We were off to the party. Woohoo!!

The party was great fun, and after dinner, broken glasses, boundless hilarity, an excursion to deseret book, and a thouroughly one-sided game of taboo, it was time for the drinking game. We decided to play the one that we had seen on the Cosby show, where you go around a circle clapping a rhythm, and naming citys using the letters of the alphabet. Atlanta, Buffalo, Crede, Denver... and so on and so forth. The person who breaks the rhythm or can't think of a city is required to take a shot. Quite etertaining; however, we discovered, that when using sparkling cider, no one actually gets drunk. And when people get drunk, they get stupider resulting in lack of city nameage, and more drinking. Fortunately none of us were drunk but unfortunately none of us were getting any stupider. Luckily for us, we weren't the brightest bunch to begin with. All in all it was just a fun night!!

Vincenzo's Perfect Pizza

2008-08-04T21:10:00.000-07:00

So, today I came home from work, and I recieved a text from my brother who wants pizza. I happen to have a brother who is a big fan of my homemade pizza; unfortunately, this requires work on my part. In his text, he asked if I would help him make homemade pizza. Code for will you please make me pizza, and I will be your willing slave in accomplishing that task. I then queried whether or not we would have to take an adventure to the store to successfully perform the creation of the pizza. It was decided we would discuss when he returned home.

Before he returned, I decided that homemade pizza sounded quite delicious, and that I would indeed like to make some. Once he returned, I told him to prepare a shopping list and to my surprise, he discovered that we had all the necessary ingredients to make the pizza. Consequently, we set to work.

Now I enjoy cooking, and I enjoy making cooking more enjoyable, so I often take upon myself new personalities as I cook. Today I became Vincenzo, pizza creator extrordinaire, and Jayce became my slave. Along with Vincenzo came a really lousy, but thoroughly entertaining Italian accent. So Jayce and I slaved away to create Vincenzo's Perfect Pizza.

At first, it was a grueling chore as we pounded away at the dough, to create a delightful crust, a necessary attribute of any perfect pizza. Things got easier once the crust had been laid out, and we had this to work with.

The toppings, are no doubt the easiest part of the pizza; however, the sauce must be seasoned just right to create a absoulutely perfect pizza. Topping placement is also critical, as the pizza must remain aesthetically pleasing.

Lastly, for a pizza to be truly perfect, it must be enjoyed by all, even the slave who helped create it.

Back in the Grind??

2008-08-01T16:47:00.000-07:00

Alright, so I knew when I decided to write a blog that I would be harassed if I failed to post regularly. However, you would think the way my mother constantly badgers me, that she knows nothing that is going on in my life, except from what she gets in blogs.

Today I started work, again...

In the morning I attended a mandatory district wide meeting for IA's and PA's. It lasted about fifteen minutes once it got started, a very beneficial meeting. Then, I got to attend a portion of the Frank Elementary School Staff meeting, which had an olympic theme, and I evidently missed the entertaining part of the meeting. Although I did hear a few good stories. While sitting at our team's table, one of the ladies who is new to the school, was introducing herself to the IA's, and she looked at me, did a double take, and jumped up and hurried around the table to give me a hug. This lady worked at the elementary school that I attended when I was still in elementary school, and also worked with my mother, so it was exciting to see her there.

After a nice summer break, I can finally get back in the grind. I am excited because I love my job. Today, I got to help make final preparations for the classroom. It would seem that over the summer, I have lost my IA skills, you see today I went in to laminate some cards, and by the time I got back to the classroom to cut them out, air bubbles were forcing the lamination to pop open. After much contemplation, it was decided that the laminator had not been hot enough when I used it, but I really do know how to use a laminator, and it appeared to be working fine. When I got home I told my mother about this incident and she told me right away that the problem was that I was laminating cards taped together back to back, and she didn't even know what I was laminating yet. Apparently, her skills haven't diminished.

I will be much more excited once school actually starts and I get to see the students again as well; however it is nice to have a job again. I love work, even if my mother refuses to believe it (I guess it just has to be the right kind of work).

The Dark Knight

2008-07-25T07:48:00.000-07:00

So the other day I went to see the new Batman movie, The Dark Knight, with Jessie and Trevor. It has quickly found its way toward the top of my all time favorites list. I don't know why, but I have always liked batman, and I think that this movie is by far the best Batman movie yet produced. The actors all do an excellent job with their characters, and I felt that Heath Ledger's Joker was absolutley legendary. Go see this movie!!

Remember when...

2008-07-21T07:50:00.000-07:00

1. As a comment on my blog, 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.

The Grotto

2008-07-10T19:05:00.001-07:00

Well today, we decided we needed to have a little adventure. After much deliberation we decided that hiking to the grotto was just enough adventure for all of us. The grotto is a waterfall in a grotto which cascades into a small pool. We had all been there before, but our last trip there was not without excitment, as my Uncle led us down the wrong trail, and a little ways out of our way. In order to prevent such events from repeating themselves, we took great care in planning our journey looking online for directions. We finally felt that we had things under control and departed. After driving about five miles into Payson Canyon, Grandma swore up, down, and sideways that we had gone too far. My mother and I both protested that we had not yet reached the trailhead hence the reason that we had not seen the sign pronouncing the beginning of the trailhead. For the next couple of miles, Grandma was certain that we were headed the wrong direction and wasn't afraid to let us know. Finally, we rounded a corner and there was a big sign that read The Grotto with an arrow pointing to the trailhead, meanwhile Grandma is still complaining that we have gone to far, and questions why we are parking. Grandma did not want to make the hike with us, so decided to stay in the car.

After piling out of the mini-van, we were well on our way. The trail began with a treacherous slope leading straight into the sky, as I stood at the bottom pondering why I was doing this, the adventurer in me took over, and I was off. Okay, so really there was a short little hill, but it is much more exciting this way. After traveling long distances over crumbling brides, and unsure footpaths, we finally arrived at our destination, The Grotto.

I must say that it was a fun adventure, and the hike of about a quarter mile wasn't too bad (at least now that it is over) The waterfall looked very nice, and it was fun to be able to spend time with the family. Jessica, Jayce, and Trevor decided that they were not through with their wanderings, and decided to climb to the top of the waterfall. I know that from some of these pictures, it is not apparent that they are at the top, but I guarantee that they really were.

After we returned to the car, we drove up the canyon, and stopped for a picnic. It was a lot of fun, and it felt cool, but there were a lot of annoying bugs that I just didn't like.

Oh yeah!

2008-07-10T17:20:00.000-07:00

The other day, Trevor was playing a game on his computer, and Jayce and Jessica were watching him, to my shock and amazement, when trevor won, the computer went "Oh, Yeah!" Even more to my surprise was when all three people echoed it. Needless to say, I spent quite a while trying to catch the "Oh, yeah" and Trevors happy dance; unfortunately this is the best I could do.

You may have to turn up the volume for full effect.

Jayce vs. Sammy

2008-07-08T09:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Jayce and Jessica went out for a walk and Jessie inadvertantly stepped on Sammy, a garter snake, who was basking in the sunlight. Jayce was ecstatic and ran willy-nilly to find the snake catcher (looks kind of like a garbage picker-upper). Jayce then preceded to catch Sammy. Unfortunately when Jessie took the snake catcher to hold Sammy, he slithered away. So this morning, Jayce was determined to find Sammy once more. We were all a little shocked when Jayce ran in yelling he's back, he's back. This time I was prepared to document the experience though. Jessica, Trevor, Jayce, and I all went outside to "catch" Sammy. However, when we got there, Sammy was quickly returning to his hole under a slab of cement:( Jayce would never say die, and returned multiple times to the scene of Sammy's disappearance. On the third try, we walked outside, and Sammy was curled up outside his hole, content and basking. Jayce lunged with the snake catcher, startling Sammy into retreat, and as Sammy was about to slip from our grasp once more, Jayce made a last ditch effort and with another thrust of the snake catcher came away with the prize. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you... Sammy!!

Brotherhood...

2008-07-08T07:43:00.000-07:00

In an effort to strenghten the bonds of brotherhood, my brother-in-law (Trevor), Jayce, and I have all decided to forgo shaving during our vacation to Utah. Basically on Saturday, I was too lazy to shave, so I said that I had decided not to shave for the rest of the trip. Well yesterday at lunch, Jayce asked me if I still planned not to shave so in jest I said yes, and invited Trevor to join with me. It went straight down the hill from there. You see Trevor can actually grow facial hair, and will look cool after not shaving for a week. Unfortunately I am not as facially folically blessed as he. Meaning I can't grow hair on my face, rather it just grows under my chin and fills in my sideburns leaving some rather interesting patches of hair in random places on my head. Jayce, well Jayce has it easy seeing as how he hasn't shaved a day in his life, it shouldn't be too hard for him to refrain during this trip. The brotherhood attempted to have the father figure join in on this sabbatical from shaving; however he, sporting the same problem as me, politely declined to acquiesce to our request. I have yet to determine whether or not pictures will be added to this blog, after the week is up. I guess it depends how ridiculous I truly look.

Firework Extravaganza

2008-07-07T22:38:00.000-07:00

Every year that we come to Utah during July our family has a tradition of lighting fireworks. This is normally one of the highlights of our summer trips to Utah. It is something that my dad enjoys doing, and in turn he got all of his kids hooked on lighting fireworks. I remember when I was younger and used to beg to get a turn to light the fireworks, and now I am more than happy to let Jayce and my cousins Spencer and Jacob light them while I just watch. I enjoy the experience and wanting others to be able to enjoy it too, I recorded some of the fireworks, unfortunately watching a video just isn't the same as seeing them in real life, but at this point in time it is what I have to offer.

This firework was called the T-Rex and was one of our final and biggest fireworks, it actually lasted about a minute and a half, but I couldn't get the long video to post, so this is just a portion of it. It is always interesting to try and figure out how fireworks get their names. They range from King Kong, and Laser Dragon down to Butterfly in Flower. I always enjoy hearing the comments of people around in relation to the fireworks as well, sometimes it is easy to agree that one is lame, while other times their could be one that you like that other people disparage.

Here are some pictures of random fireworks throughout the evening.

St. George

2008-07-07T08:23:00.000-07:00

So we recently started our vacation by traveling to St. George, Utah. We left on Friday, and drove for a while. Jayce and I got to watch Walker on DVD while we traveled. This really helped us to pass the time. It was fun, because we had headphones on and got to spout randomness from the show, while our parents got to try to understand what was happening to lead us to say the things that we said. When we arrived in St. George we were hungry, but we had to go check in to the motel and meet, my Grandma and Aunt Kathy. We then hurried over to IHOP and had a delightful dinner. Then we returned to our hotel.

Later we left our hotel at 7:00 to attend a play that started at 8:30. We had no idea how long it would take to get to the venue, it took about 15 minutes. We then got to wait forever to be seated. This was kind of nice because it gave me the opportunity to talk to my girlfriend. Unfortunately the cell phone reception up against the mountain was a bit shoddy, and communication was not as simple as it should have been. We saw the Sound of Music, and it was entertaining. I don't know that I loved the entire cast, Captain Von Trapp was not quite as good as he should have been; however, overall it was a good show. After the show was over, Jessica, Trevor, Jayce, and I decided we were all still hungry so we went on a midnight Taco Bell run. Quite fun, quite fun.

The next day, I woke up and went with my mother to the DELUXE continental breakfast at the hotel. I had a DELUXE bagel, and some DELUXE Orange Juice. Then we had to decide what we wanted to do for the remainder of the day. Momma, Grandma, and Aunt Kathy decided that they wanted to go shopping. So they left, and when Jessica woke up she felt slighted. Then I got to talk with Christy while she walked to work. The men, then decided that we wanted to go to In N Out for lunch; unfortunately Jessica was stuck with the men, and did not want to go to In N Out. She wanted to go with the women to Café Rio. So the women met us at In N Out and took Jessica with them. After lunch, the men went to the St. George temple because I like to photograph temples, and had not taken pictures of that temple yet.

After taking pictures of the temple, the men went to the movies to see Hancock. It was a letdown. Apart from all the swearing, pretty much all the funny parts were shown in the preview, so it really wasn't worth paying money to go see.

After the movie we went back to the hotel, and chilled for a while. Pretty much just watching tv. Then we went to eat dinner at Sconecutter. After that we went to go see Les Misérables. I really enjoyed this play. I like the music a lot, and enjoyed all the actors/actresses. Unfortunately I don't know the music very well, so when I try to sing it I get like three words out and have to start over.

Sunday, we woke up and went to sacrament meeting, and then on to Payson, and Grandma's house. Goodbye St. George.

The Temple

2008-06-28T09:51:00.000-07:00

Today, I was reminded yet again why I love the temple so much. There is such a peace inside that building that everytime I walk in I wonder why I don't go more often. Today was extra special because it was the first time that Christy was able to go in. I still remember the first time I went to the temple and experiencing the calm of that moment, and I was excited to share that experience with someone who I care so much about. I am so grateful for the gospel and my testimony of it, I have received so many blessings from it.

Got a Date??

2008-06-27T09:13:00.000-07:00

So last night I was sitting in my girlfriends apartment, and I get a text from a friend, Brian

"are you and the gf up to anything tonight?"

Of course we had no plans because Christy had to go to puppy training and so I proceeded to tell that to Brian Apparently, this friend had made plans for a date, but they fell through due to his dates age. Now Bri, was in need of some ideas for a date. It was finally decided that we would meet at Christy's house after she had taken care of her plans, where we would play games and just hang out. Brian also suggested that we should have milkshakes, stating that he would bring the ice cream. So at 9:30 I get a call from Brian that they have arrived, and then I hear him say I forgot the ice cream, so Bri got to run to the store to get ice cream. Meanwhile, back at the apartment, my little brother, and Christy's roomies discovered some new pratical uses for their placemats, including a loin cloth, and bonnets.

By the time Brian and his date returned, we were definitely ready for more fun, which was good because we played a game called curses. If you have never played this game, I heartily reccomend it, hilarity is sure to ensue. The basics of the game are that a player must perform a challenge, such as acting like a psychiatrist and diagnosing one of the other players. If the person completing the challenge performs adequately then they get to draw a curse card. They then choose a person in the group to curse. People must perform their curses or eventually they lose the game. So you end up with people acting like Mr. T. who cannot bend his elbows, and has to spurt random cliches, a rolling stone gathers no moss, everytime it is his turn to do a challenge. I must say however that everyone performed admirably and it was one of the funnest games I have ever played. I truly wish that I had video of that game, as the joviality cannot truly be described with the written word.

Also by the way this is just me wondering, who doesn't know what peachy means?? For example if i say that my girlfriend and I are peachy would you know what I meant?

New Blog

2008-06-27T09:07:00.000-07:00

Alright, so everyone in my family has recently started blogging and I was beginning to feel left out. There is so much good stuff happening in my life right now that I should probably write it down. First of all my life is good because I happen to have the most amazing girlfriend in the world. Her name is Christy, and I am grateful everyday that I get to spend time with her. She can put a smile on my face without even trying and that is very exciting.

Since it is summer I am not currently working because I work in an elementary school. I have the most amazing job working with special needs children. I love it, and right now I miss it more than I ever thought I would.

I never wanted to blog because I am afraid I will run out of stuff to write about, but I have decided to worry about that when the time comes.