Random Observations

-Shay and I saw Hancock last night, it was very good. I had seen a lot of negative reviews, but it is a perfect Will Smith 4th of July movie. I would highly recommend it, but watch out for the little ones, there is a lot of language.

-It was fun to watch a lot of the dancers struggle last night on SYTYCD. When they have to perform two dances, it leaves a lot less time to brush up on each little detail. The "Dreaming With a Broken Heart" dance from Twitch and Kherington was awesome, although I might be a little biased as that is my favorite John Mayer song.

-Why is baseball season so long? Luckily ESPN is smart and airs the My Wish stories on sportscenter during the dog days of summer, in the middle of all those baseball "highlights" that seem to run together.

-4th of July is going to be very different this year. With my dad and janae out of the country and the fact that Shay and I are going to her parents house, means no all-day pool parties and illegal firework shows! Usually I am one who embraces change, but this is my favorite holiday of the year and am nervous that I will be disappointed...but I am still VERY excited for Hannah Montana. :)

-College basketball season cannot come fast enough. After the Australia tour, it seems like the rebels are in the middle of their season. This "teaser" was worth it though.

Just a few things I wanted to get out of my head. Once I can find a good youtube video of it, I will post my favorite SYTYCD routine of this week. (You know you secretly like all the dancing Steve)

Stop Giving Me a Hard Time

I know I have been a horrible blogger over the past two months, but that is about to change. Not only will I update my personal blog more often, but Shay and I have set up a "together" blog which I will post the address for it once we get it all done.

The rebels have started Australia prep, which means we get mid-season like coverage in June!!!! It is an early birthday present for me.

Dont lose faith, I am committed to becoming a better blogger.

Dreaming of Jessica

I rarely remember dreaming during the night. It is an exciting event when I wake up and realize that I actually had a dream the night before, even though I cant recall what it was about. So, when I awake remembering that I had a dream and specifics about what happened in the dream, Hell is on the verge of freezing over!

A few days ago, I woke up from one of those dreams that seems real. It was probably the weirdest/funniest dream I have ever had in my life. Since I am writing this a few days later, I may have forgotten or mixed up some of the details, but the story is still very entertaining.

It was my wedding day. For some reason, everyone was on a bus waiting to go to the temple for the sealing. We were just waiting on Shay. I was sitting in the front of the bus, saving a seat for Shay when another girl got on and sat down next to me. I looked over to her and said, “Sorry, but I am saving this seat for my fiancée, she should be here any second.” When I looked over at her, I recognized her immediately…it was Jessica Alba. She responded, “I was walking by this bus, when I felt that if I got on, I would find the man of my dreams. That man is you.

(No, this is not a made up story to provide a valid excuse to put a picture of Jessica Alba on my blog!)

I was completely shocked by that and had nothing to say. Next thing I know, she tells the bus driver everyone is on and we head off to the wedding. She sits back down and says, “We are getting married right now,” and nothing else.

What happened between now and the next part I don’t remember, but we were married in some form or another.

Next, I remember being done with all the events for the day. Instead of going to our hotel then heading out on our honeymoon, we stayed our first night at my parents house. It wasn’t the house we live in now, but it was still a very nice house. We were going to stay in a room in the attic. It was decorated very nicely, but you could tell no one had been in there in a while. There was a lot of clutter, but not dirty. We brought all of our stuff up to the room, then headed back downstairs to figure out what to do about our honeymoon.

Since the plane ticket was in Shaylee’s name, we could not leave the next morning. We talked it over with my parents and decided to push back our reservations to Saturday, giving us plenty of time to get everything ready. The weird thing is my parents decided not to move back the open house. They said we didn’t need to be there and they would take care of it.

We headed back upstairs to turn in for the night. Even though it was our wedding night, we stayed up late just talking and ended up sleeping in separate beds. Even though I recognized her as Jessica Alba, in the dream I don’t think she was famous or rich. Since we had only met earlier that day, I didn’t know anything about her. What her finances were like, what her personality was like, etc. When I asked her how much money she had saved her response was, “My parents gave me a US Savings Bond when I was a girl.” That was it!

There was a second day to the dream but I don’t remember anything about it. The worst part about the dream was my conflicting feelings about the whole situation with Shay. On one hand, everything felt right with Jessica Alba, but on the other hand, Shay never found out what happened! She would have come out to the bus and it was gone. I wanted to call her and explain, but I figured her parents would be really mad at me and not let her talk. It was a horrible feeling! Also, I don’t know where Jessica Alba came from. If I made a list of 20 famous people I would want to date, she would not make the list. That was very random.

When I woke up, I was so relieved the whole thing was a dream. Both Lindsey and Shay thought it was very funny, but I was still a little worked up over the whole thing. When I got home from work, the whole thing got a bit weirder. I was on the Yahoo homepage and the main headline was this, Jessica Alba gets married in Secret ceremony last night. WEIRD!!!!! I had a dream that I was marrying Jessica Alba the same night she secretly got married. I cant lie, it kinda freaked me out. Maybe it is a sign that I need to be some kind of psychic, I don’t know, but it definitely provided me with a funny story to tell for years to come!

2 down, 2 to go

Year 2 of my university experience came to a close today. Much to my happiness, I only had 1 final this semester. It was in stats, which went really well. My dad made a correct prediction when he said I would do good in my stats class. I never really stressed over the tests or homework and understood everything very well. Overall, it has been a very successful semester for me.

I am heading back to Vegas tomorrow morning. I am excited, as this mean the wedding is that much closer...in fact, only 28 days from today! Invitations are out and have already started arriving. Only a few weeks until Shay gets to go through the temple. I am so excited for her! A few people are throwing a shower for her in Vegas on friday night, that means a guys night for me, chase and dad.

This weekend is shaping up to be a good one. Guys night on friday and, wind permitting, lake on saturday. I still havent really wakeboarded in three years. I tried a few times last summer, but I didnt have enough movement in my ankle to really do anything. Im excited to get up and shred Lake Mead. Also, one of my good friends, Tyler, is coming down. He got home from his mission in January, but we havent been able to hang out too much. Should be a great weekend.

Thats about it! I just wanted to give a quick update of my life. I will try to post some pictures soon.

Trying Again...

I have spent the last 45 minutes writing about a recent connection my brain made through pictures. For some reason, I cant seem to transfer my thoughts from brain to words, which has made me very frustrated. Add that to the fact that some kids wont leave my house and I cant decide what to eat, its been a tough night. Then, throw in not seeing my beautiful fiancee all day, my mind has all but shut down.

My natural born laziness has been threatening to overtake me since last week. My brain seems to be working overtime to figure out reasons why I dont have to go to class. For the most part, I have recognized these thoughts and shot them down before having to decide whether or not to act on them. It has been a long time since I have put myself in a position like this. I am doing great in all my classes and there is only 2 weeks left. I should use this as a time to reenergize myself, but it has had an opposite effect. I have never worked harder in school than this last semester, but it hasnt been nearly as gratifying as I expected. Unless i figure out how to reverse all these feelings, I fear that my determination will decrease, through a lack of incentive.

This morning was beautiful. The sun was shining and it was a very comfortable temperature outside. I feel like that explains my life right now. I really have no complaints. But it is what happens when the wind comes up and the clouds come in that I need to be prepared for. Mae very accurately expresses how I feel, "Ready and Waiting to Fall." I am at a peak, and the normal course of life suggests that the fall will come soon. I am lucky enough to recognize this and am going to be prepared. I am pretty sure it will come in the next 3 weeks or so, when I have have to go a few weeks without my rock. The other night I realized, not for the first time and not for the last time I am sure, just how much Shaylee means to me in my life. She left my house after we had watched a movie, and once she left, my whole countenance changed. I had had a tough day, but I got through it then got to spend time with her. After she left, I got so bitter and was in a horrible mood. I could not see the positive in anything around me. I know Satan is working on my very strongly, he sucks. I feel adversity everywhere I go, even more than usual. The wind is pushing me everywhere, but I am doing all I can to not be effected by it. It was a lot like playing basketball today. We played at an elementary school, outside in the wind. Outside shots were impossible, the wind was just too strong. We had to work together and stay close to the basket for anything to work.

I know I have to go out into the wind sometimes to get everything done that I need to. It is these times that I feel so vulnerable, so exposed. The slightest wind seems to test my balance. My usual steady demeanor is bruised and battered, even sleep seems to sap me of energy. The edge seems so close. I know that only I can cause myself to fall off, which I will not allow to happen. The fall is approaching but it will not be over the edge...it will be to the ground and I will be able to pick myself back up. The nice thing about all of this is I have a safety net. My love and rock is more than willing to push me along, even carry me if I need it.

Wow, that was a personal post but it helped me clear my head. Now maybe I can finish the last post I started...

A Full Mind

Just a few things that are on my mind right now.

-Baseball "highlights" are the worst part of Sportscenter.

-I finished season 3 of 24 tonight. Way better than season 2.

-I need to find season 4...

-Can Eric Gagne possibly be any worse? Does anyone doubt that he was on steroids those two seasons when he was unhittable?

-Tiger Woods will win the Masters by 4 strokes. An amateur will finish in the top 15.

-Im excited to watch the Par 3 tournament while I work tomorrow afternoon.

-If I were Bill Self and my alma mater was offering a $6 million signing bonus and $3.5 million per year, I would go.

-If I were Kansas, I would not offer more than $2.5 million per year to keep him.

-Psycho T needs to return to UNC, so does Ty Lawson.

-The UCLA style of play will never win them a national championship.

-I already miss UNLV basketball. Its gonna be a long 7 months...

-My earliest memory is from a packed Thomas and Mack. I remember Tark being introduced and the shark would go around the top of the arena. Visiting teams would leave the floor instead of watch the fireworks and introductions. The only players I remember are Larry Johnson, Stacey Augmon and Greg Anthony.

-Why dont the fireworks intimidate anymore?

-Only 7 weeks until my wedding day.

-My parents are so supportive. I am glad they have let me make decisions and mistakes. It has taught me so much about life.

-There are new episodes of Scrubs, The Office and 30 Rock this week!

-Today is one of the days that I absolutely hate the game of golf. I went to the range and could not hit the dang ball. I have never been so frustrated while practicing, but I stuck around and tried to push through it to no avail...I will be back out there tomorrow.

-Lately I have been in a music funk. Im not really in the mood to listen to anything I have, and nothing new sounds good. This really frustrates me, I never listen just to listen, but that is how I have felt the last few days.

-I like blogging. It allows me to express myself and let others know what is going on in life. I dont care if no one else reads, I will still write. I write for me, not anyone else.

-I saw a flyer for a physics club meeting and thought of Alec.

-Tiffany has helped us so much with our announcements.

-I hope I have more energy tomorrow than today.

I think that is about it. I have more in my head, but nothing is forming into anything complete. Now that college basketball is over, I dont know what I will watch each night, but I am happy I wont have to hear Jay Bilas force his opinions on me.

April Fool's Day

I have never been one to do much to anyone on April Fools Day, but today was different...

I decided last week that I wanted to do something to shaylee, since she is rather gullible. :) I knew I wanted to do something related to the wedding, since that can be a high stress topic. Heather warned me that I couldnt mess with the wedding actually happening, that was too over the top. After thinking it over, I decided to do something concerning our honeymoon.

Justin and I talked about it, and we decided on a fire happening at our hotel, leaving us without reservations. Justin made me promise I would use some of the things from the Welshly Arms SNL skit with Will Ferrell. I made sure to tell her Mom, knowing Shay would call her about it. Here is what I did.

I created a fake email from Marriott Customer Service saying there had been a fire. I read this to Shay, then told her I had just gotten off the phone with Barbara Hernandez, our "customer service rep." She told me that since we made our reservation with Marriott Points, we were very low on the priority list for getting another reservation at a Marriott resort.

I then told her that Barbara suggested the Marriott Montana resort. She said honeymoon couples love it because the rooms are nice and there is nothing to do. (Sorry Trent...) She being the great person she is, was trying to be very positive. I also tried to be positive, telling her that maybe we could get in to some other Marriott hotel. I told her I would work on it.

After institute, I told her that I had found some cool stuff to do. Like helping out on a ranch, an all day horseback ride, etc. At this point she asked me if this was all a joke, but I told her that I had the email to prove it!

Finally, I decided to tell her it was all a joke. I called her and asked her to come over so I could show her something. She came over and I showed her the email as I was pulling up the SNL skit on my computer. I sat her down, and once she saw the Welshly Arms neon sign, which I had said was the name of the resort, she figured out what was going on. She wouldnt look at me for the next few minutes! I am sure she is laughing now, but she got pretty worked up about the whole thing. She hadnt had the greatest day to start with, then I did this to her! It was a great first April Fools Day entry.

Championship Week

Only 4 more days until I can enjoy my spring break! Not only that, this weekend we saw the beginning of my favorite sports time of year, "Championship Week."

This is a marketing device created by ESPN for the college basketball conference tournaments that decide who gets the automatic invites to the NCAA Tournament. Mind you, it lasts about 9 days, but ESPN isn't CNN, they don't have cool devices to crunch numbers! (Quick side note: How can these news channels "declare" winners of political races when 1 out of 2500 precincts have reported?) I think the purpose of the marketing blitz is the fact they show the Women's NCAA tournament and the NIT for the next month and know the ratings will be lower than the NHL, which is saying something.

I think there have 5 automatic berths handed out up until now, but the big conferences don't have their tournaments. The greatest part about all of this is the perfect timing of spring break. Now, I don't have to skip class Thursday and Friday for the 32 games played in that time period. Plus, I will be at my parents house in Vegas, which means 62 inches of pure High Definition! Hopefully Keith and Janae can come through with HD this year, they choked worse than anyone paired up with Tiger! In addition to all this, SUU is dedicating 2 new buildings, 2 remodeled buildings and a clock tower on Friday afternoon, which means classes are canceled starting at noon. I still haven't gotten my hopes up too high for this, as it wouldn't surprise me if my stats professor didn't even know about this and gives us a Friday test.

My blogs will focus on the big dance for the next month or so. We are less than 7 days away from the CBS Selection Show. All I need is for the Rebels to come through in their tournament this weekend so I can watch the show without suffering a stress related death. Depending on how BYU does, and our own performance in the tournament, I am expecting a 9 seed...maybe 8 if we beat BYU in the finals. That will be another win over a top 30 RPI team. My word of the month is bracketology...do you read it? I think it moves to daily updates this week, which will cause me even more stress because of the daily movements of my rebels. As long as we can beat TCU first round, I think we are in.

That brings me to something else, but very closely related, that I am excited for. The Mountain West Conference Tournament. Another weekend of exciting games, and grumblings from the other fans about home court advantage.

Here is what I have to say on that subject. Yes, we get a home court advantage, and I have no problem with that. They do all they can to make it feel like a neutral court, i.e. UNLV logos are not seen on the court or in the arena, the rebs use a different locker room, they have to stay at a hotel instead of at home. But all in all, the Vegas fans show up in droves. Any team would give up all those things to host the tournament! To anyone who wants to make comments or complain about this, I would like to direct you to your favorite teams coach and athletic director, they voted in favor of it. As one assistant athletic director said last week, "No one is complaining when the revenue check comes in the mail!" Every team knows from day one of the season the tournament will be in Vegas...deal with it. On a related note, UNLV went to the finals of the tournament 2 of the 4 years it was held in Denver...although not many people would know that since there was no one actually at the game.

Anyways, back to what I was talking about. The Wyoming fans are definitely the most annoying. WYO, WYO, they chant staggering around to find the right seats, since they cant read their tickets through the massive buzz they are enjoying. I will go out on a limb and say the conference has liked the fact they made mini runs through the last two tournaments, it definitely boosts alcohol sales! Since I cant get to Vegas until Thursday afternoon, I was hoping to miss the Wyoming game, but they will probably be BYU's sacrificial lamb in the late first round game.

New Mexico has a crazy tattooed guy that always comes. I expect a big number of NM fans, since they need a good run to lock up a tournament spot. And Air Force always has the few cadets that make the trip. As always, BYU will have their fair share of fans, but since it is a football school, they wont really show up until the finals. AS for the other teams, I don't think San Diego State really has any fans. TCU is just too far away for them to play in our league, although they make our football seem better. Colorado State hasn't won a game yet in conference, which equals a play in game exit wednesday morning. I don't know who would pay to see just that game. Utah will have a smattering of fans, but they wear red and will blend in with the UNLV and New Mexico fans.

I will make predictions later in the week, but let me just say this. The one team I do not want to play is Utah. Luke Nevill is a much better NBA prospect than Trent "I am such a horrible free throw shooter my wife is addicted to pain killers" Plaisted.

All in all, it is shaping up to be a great month. Wedding plans are gliding along smoothly, Shay will even be joining me for the conference tournament. As will one of my good friends, who just happens to be a BYU fan. Trevor "Cosmo" Tripp and his fiance Lauren will be staying with us.

To end, I have one complaint, why does this all have to happen in March when the weather starts getting warmer and it is absolutely beautiful outside?

Signed,
Bracketologist in training

An empty mind

I have a huge desire to write a great blog today, but nothing is coming to me. Its been that kind of week. I guess I will just give some updates since my last post.

Wedding plans are coming along great. We went to Vegas this weekend to get a few things done. Our open house in the backyard is going to be very fun. I shouldnt even call it an open house, it will be a big party. We were looking into putting a plexiglass dancefloor over the pool, with floating lights underneath, but it ended up being too expensive. A custom floor needs to be made...too bad.

The best part of the weekend was a Full Ho feast. No, Full Ho is not one of those vegas clubs...it is a great little chinese place off Jones and 95. I think I had a whole takeout box of Kung Pao beef.

I am currently sitting in my Geology Natural Disasters class. I dont think I have ever taken a more worthless class, but it count for the same GE credit as Chemistry. Our labs have been identifying rocks and minerals...stuff I did in junior high. The Professor is really cool though, that is what keeps me coming to class. He gets so excited about hot spots and earthquakes. There are a few guys in my class who suck up to him daily, which only makes him more excited to teach.

I recently discovered the game that Keith and janae have on the tops of their blogs, something like travelpod. Talk about an addiction! I still havent matched keiths high score, but I am getting there. Geology is a great time to practice. My sudoku is also improving rapidly. I will be taking alec to school soon! Wow, I sound like such a dork...but im not scared to admit my sudoku addictions. In fact, I always have one little book in my backpack, one in my car and another in the living room. Whenever I feel the urge, I can satisfy my brain. Monday, I had a two hour break between classes and didnt have any homework to do. I didnt feel like going home, so I went to the library and broke out the sudoku. Those two hours passed so fast!

Well, thats it for this rambling post. Hopefully I will have a more interesting topic to blog about later this week. March Madness is only a few weeks away...

A smattering of thoughts

Just a few things that have been on my mind...

-Why do people make movies that are rated R just for violence? Shaylee and I just finished Michael Clayton (conveniently edited by clearplay) and there was literally nothing else cut out other than swearing. Just cut those 20 words out and you will make at least $20 million more!

-Stephen Colbert is the best satirest of our time.

-3 months is such a long/short time!

-Yankee Stadium is looming in my near future.

-By the way, Michael Clayton was the best George Clooney movie I have ever seen. I know that isnt saying much (he has taken over hollywood despite having just one movie in the top 100 grossing movies of all time), but I would recommend it to just about anyone.

-Why are some people so flakey?

-Females do not belong in the broadcast booth for a mens college basketball game, keep them as sideline reporters!

-Many people gave me a hard time about my body pillow that was mentioned in a recent post. Shaylee was the one who told me to include it...she finds it very amusing.

-Friday Night Lights CANNOT end like it did. If it doesnt get renewed, I am going on a killing rampage of NBC executives.

-I need a tan.

-This has been an excellent College Basketball season...and will only get better once the rebs are dancing!

-KFC hot wings bring me so much joy and happiness.

-The name Alec basically means Superman...(to quote keith)look it up.

-I wish I had been better at writing in my journal as a child.

-Texting is ruining the way people develop relationships, I think I will devote a whole post to this one day.

Proposal details and wedding stuff

I have received many requests for details on how I proposed...but Im not good at telling the story so I will leave it to her.

So here I am, My first attempt at blogging! Kind of exciting stuff... bet you've been dying to hear about Dixon's proposal! Well, no worries, I am here to give you all the details. So, Once upon a time, I used to go swing on swings in my hometown Kaysville Utah with my girlfriends...but this wasn't just plain swinging on swings, this was better than that, cuz we would swing on swings with frostys! I know, its pretty fun stuff! Well, I told Dixon that I did that with my friends in high school all the time, but I don't know how he remembered that, cuz its not like I kept telling him that over and over. So, this past weekend when we were up visiting my family, Dixon made a request to go swing on swings with me, but substitute hot chocolate for the frostys! Well, I am not one to turn down swinging on swings, so of course I was gung ho about that! After putting ice cubes in our hot chocolate so that it wasn't so hot... I guess I lied, we didn't have hot chocolate, we had warm chocolate! But anyways, we went to the ghetto park where I used to always swing! Dixon was pushin me on the swing, and me being the random person that I am was rambling on about stupid things, when he slowed my swing down to a stop, and said "wait here!" My heart started racing a little bit, because I am a blonde, and I hadn't even thought that this was a proposal... well, he comes around and gets down on one knee and says "Shaylee Anderson, will you marry me?" Now most people would think that I would answer right away, but I was completely breathless, I couldn't even say anything, bless his heart, he had to wait for ever till I finally said "YES!!" and then it was an episode from legally blonde with me waving my hands all funny and kind of sort of hyperventilating... I didn't even know that I could hyperventilate! So after freaking out just a little, we got in the car and he put on our song... I know, so romantic right?! I thought it was a little piece of heaven! Fun story huh?! I sure think so!


That was the great story from my beautiful bride to be! We are excited for the big day, May 28.

Now, on to our day. We decided to go down to St. George and get some wedding stuff done. Register, sample cake, look at wedding dresses and find what we are going to wear in our Engagement pictures. We were feeling very ambitious, to take all of this on in one day.

We started at Bed, Bath and Beyond, where Tiff told us is the best place to register. They give you cash for returns instead of store credit. The girl who got us all set up was very helpful. It is an overwhelming thing, especially for the girl. It doenst matter to me if all the different kitchen things match our mixing bowls and salt shakers. I never realized we would have to decide how to decorate the whole house in 2 hours. We were showed how to use the scanner, which was my favorite part, and we took off. There were a lot of decisions to make, most of which received an "its fine with me" answer. I enjoyed smelling the different scents of candles. I dont know how many times I said, "Shay, just scan it, if we dont get it, but want it, we will get 10% off, if we do get it and dont want it, we can take it back!" After 2 hours, we had gone through the whole store and scanned more than 200 different items.

Following Bed, Bath and Beyond was the bridal store. This overwhelmed Shaylee, but it would get worse! She tried on a few wedding dresses and looked absolutely beautiful. Now she knows what kind of dress she wants.

We picked up some lunch then went to Target to continue registering. The scanning gun at Target was a lot better than the other one, in fact, it even looked like a gun. I enjoyed Target a lot more than Bed, Bath and Beyond. A lot of the stuff was similar, but I liked the electronics section. They had all 6 seasons of scrubs, which would be a great present (hint, hint). We spent another 2 hours there, and left after adding almost 300 things to our list.

We had about an hour before we needed to be back, so we went over to the mall to choose what to wear for our Engagement pictures. I thought Shaylee was overwhelmed looking at dresses, but that was nothing compared to how she felt at the mall. She could not find good colors to go together and just got more and more frustrated. It is much harder for girls to shop than it is for guys. She came very close to breaking down before we decided to head home and try again next week.

All in all, it was a very productive saturday. It actually feels like our list of things to do it getting shorter instead of longer!

ITS OFFICIAL!!!

As of Saturday night, Shaylee and I are officially engaged. We are getting married on May 28th in the Bountiful Temple. There is a lot to do between now and then, but we are excited to get it all planned. Here are a few pictures of us and her ring. James did such a great job!!! Sorry that the picture is sideways, but ive tried to change it a few times and nothing worked.

ABC's of Dixon Wade Leavitt

Thanks a lot heather!! I am not a big fan of these things, but I have been called out.

A - Attached or single? Attached
B - Best friend? Shaylee Anderson
C - Cake or pie? Pie, without a doubt
D - Day of choice? Friday & Saturday
E - Essential item? iPhone. "Its more than a phone, it a lifestyle" ~Dixon Leavitt
F - Favorite clothing item? Duh...shoes
G - Greatest ambition in life? The greatest dad in the world
H - Hometown? Vegas baby!!!
I - Indulgence? Food - KFC hot wings, Life - Music
J - Jan. or July? July, its my birthday month!
K - Kids? Of course!
L - Life isn't complete without? Music and the gospel
M - Movie? Can I name more than one? Recently, The Shawshank Redemption, Across the Universe and Juno
N - Number of bros and sis? 1 awesome brother, 3 crazy sisters
O - Oranges or apples? oranges in juice, apples off the tree
P - Phobia or fear? failure
Q - Quote? "Its harder to do things when you are tired" ~Bob Bertolini (If you dont know him, you are missing out on many great quotes.)
R - Reason to smile? I am alive and healthy
S - Season of choice? summer
T - TV show? Friday Night Lights, The Office, The Real World, College Basketball
U - Unknown fact about me? As much as I hate to say this, I am starting to accept dogs for who they really are. :)
V - Vegetable? Carrots and Brocolli
W - Worst habit? I am way too judgemental.
X - ray or ultrasound? Ultrasound! When they are rubbing that gel on an injury it feels so good
Y - Your favorite food? Dont ask me to judge...
Z - Zodiac sign? Cancer

I guess I am supposed to name people here to do the same thing...but I dont want to put you on the spot. If after reading this, you feel so inclined, please repost for yourself.

When can I go to Heaven?

On the drive home last night, we found out President Hinckley had passed away. Luckily, as we recieved the news, we were coming to an exit so Shay could get off to let her tears dry. I called my mom and talked to her for a few mintues. It was very hard news to receive. Ever since he got very sick about two years ago, I had started to wonder how I would feel when he finally did pass. I never wanted to find out the answer to that question. At first, I was extremely sad. He was "my" prophet. The one whose talks and sermons helped me form the man that I am today. While talking to my mom, I admitted this was a very selfish way of thinking. He finally gets to rejoin his wife and live in a better place. Since hearing the news, I have reflected on how he has effected my life.

When I was around 12, I went to visit Gram in Salt Lake when she lived at Eagle Gate. Both Presidents Hinckley and Faust were in her ward. I had attended her ward a few times, but never had the opportunity to see President Hinckley there, as he traveled very often. This time, he walked in about a minute before the meeting started. Immediately, the whole congregation rose to their feet out of respect for the Prophet of the Lord. An amazing spirit could be felt during that meeting. After, he hung around for a few minutes outside the chapel. Gram leaned down to me and told me I could go shake his hand. I was a bit nervous, but very excited. I waited for the few people in front of me to talk to him, then approached. I stretched my hand out and he took it. Then, he opened his arms and gave me a hug. It was very unexpected. The love and power of the Prophet was evident to me, even at such a young age.

I remember the "B's" talk like I heard it yesterday. My youth leaders had told us that a special meeting with the President of the Church for just for the youth had never happened before. That was a great tactic to get us excited for it! In the months following that talk, we must have watched it 3 or 4 times. President Hinckley taught such deep, important principles with great simplicity; the evidence of a great teacher. To this day, there is a beehive hanging on my wall reminding me of them.

I always loved watching President Hinckley's conference talks. The way he pointed at the audience/camera when making an important point. The little fluctuations in his voice that conveyed the importance and emotion he felt about the gospel. In his later years, watching him carry his cane up to the podium without using it, all to follow his doctors orders of carrying a cane with him! What a simple lesson in obedience! His talks were the first ones that made me excited about General Conference, for reasons other than being able to stay home from church for the weekend.

His council is constantly bouncing around in my head. One talk that stands out to me was given right before the passing of his wife. It was called, To the Women of the Church. Never before had I heard such a powerful talk about the sanctity of women. It was given during the General Relief Society meeting, and for the next few years, many people quoted or referred to it often. While working in the office on my mission, we listened to many talks and conference addresses. I remember the day that one came on. From the beginning, I stopped what I was doing and listened intently. It changed the way I treat and think of women. I had a greater appreciation for my mother and sisters. In 10 minutes, I changed the person that I was. I believe that is a definition of power. An agent in change.

I have looked up to President Gordon B. Hinckley for as long as I can remember. When I really found out the church was true for myself, I had those feelings while listening to I Know that My Redeemer Lives with a picture of President Hinckley on a projector. I will always call him "my" prophet, but not in a selfish way. Like my mom and President Kimball, President Hinckley showed me what it was like to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Even as I sit here in the library writing this on a cold, blustery day, my head is filled with memories and my eyes are filled with tears of joy. I know I am not the only one that has learned so much from this Man of God. His travels around the world have been greatly documented, he has even left physical examples of these travels through the many temples built during his time as Prophet. The beauty of the gospel is that my testimony is strengthened by his passing. I know President Monson and his counselors will continue the plan that God had for His church in our day. As long as I am alive, I will use the principles and teachings of President Hinckley to increase my testimony and faith in Jesus Christ. We have lost a great man from this Earth, but he served well and will be a huge asset to the Lords work in the Spirit World. I hope and pray that I can be half the man he was.

I made it!

The week is over! Once I get through the first week or so, the hopeless feelings subside. I was actually one of the few that understood our stats homework this week, although Im sure that will not be a normal thing!

A miracle happened last night! Shaylee came over and we watched the Jazz-Suns game. Let me say that again in different terms, a cute girl came over just to cuddle on the couch and watch an NBA game! Not only that, but she knew who each and every one of the players were. One of my dreams has now been fulfilled! At halftime, I told her I was living a dream...I wasnt joking. Dad and Alyssa were sitting front row on the baseline about 3 steps away from the jazz bench and even got some tv time on TNT.

The second biggest thing that happened this week was my huge Madden victory over Justin. We have had some epic battles since coming back up here. The other night I beat him 72-34! Yesterday he beat me to gain back some dignity, but the damage was done.

I would like to give a shout out to Uncle Keith for publicly announcing to the world my disdain for dogs. Now, maybe people will stop being so surprised about that fact when it inevitably reveals itself!

Thats all for now. I got Justin and Shaylee into Friday Night Lights so we will probably spend most of the weekend watching that!

Happy New Year!

Sorry for the belated New Years Wishes. There was a lot going on around New Years, then I woke up early yesterday morning with my stomach disagreeing with the rest of my body. The rest of the day was spent on the couch. Literally, I got off the couch maybe two times before 9 last night!

Shaylee came down for the New Years weekend. Also, the Marquezes were staying with us. We had a full house, which was very fun for all. We didnt do too much. A lot of movies, eating and football...all the things a good new year should have. Like every year, there was a huge fireworks show on the strip. We found a great place to watch them and Shaylee and I sat and talked for a long time. She is a great girl!

Jake went into the MTC yesterday. It hasnt really hit me yet. I know I will finally feel it when I am watching the NFL playoffs this week and start to text him about something. I talked sports with him more than anyone else! We worked out a deal to end my NBA strike also. We decided that I would take over his NBA viewing duties once he left, which would end my 2007-2008 boycott. For those of you who dont know, this is a huge deal. I think the WGA should bring me in to handle their negotiations!

I have a few more Top 10 lists for you to finish that off. The first is actually a Top 5 list.

Top 5 TV shows of 2007
1. Scrubs
This is my favorite show of all time! I hope the writers strike doesnt keep me from seeing how it ends.
2. Heroes
I watched the first season on DVD in about 4 days. The second season started off slow, but the last few episodes totally made up for it.
3. The Office
The third episode of this season was my all time favorite. I am glad they are back to the half hour format.
4. Friday Night Lights
An amazing show with an amazing cast.
5. 30 Rock
I think I found a show to replace Scrubs once it ends this year.

Honorable Mention
Private Practice
Pushing Daisies

Weird...all 5 are from the same network. Go NBC!!!

The last two lists are special this year. Since I missed 2005 and 2006 due to a mission, I am going to do my favorite albums I have found since coming home.

Top 10 albums
1. Jack's Mannequin - Everything In Transit
2. Cavalier - Your Honest Answer
3. Dave Melillo - Talk is Cheap
4. The Format - Dog Problems
5. The Early November - The Mother, the Mechanic, and the Path
6. Acceptance - Phantoms
7. Anberlin - Never Take Friendship Personal
8. Cartel - Chroma
9. Tyrone Wells - Snapshot
10. Until June - Until June

This Fishbowl Life is All They Need

Let me start by saying I am glad I dont live in a fishbowl. If you dont know what I am talking about, listen to Into The Airwaves on my music player.

Anyways, my SLC trip has come to an end. I have had such a good time, but am ready to head home for the holidays. Let me recap the last few days.

Sunday we were able to relax and enjoy life. Keith got a bit worked up by the Miami victory, which was funny for the rest of us to watch. Alec and Janae love to play Pinochle on yahoo games, but Janae doesnt have a great rating. They decided that they would play together, and I would play against them at the same table with someone else. Once the first hand was over, I would quit which means a forfeit, and their ratings would go up. Tiff got a great picture of all of us on the couch with our laptops. That night, I talked Kadee and Troy into coming up and chilling with us for the night. Shaylee came up also and we had a good time playing Guitar Hero and watching The Bourne Ultimatum. I defended my speed crown against Shaylee, which I dont let her forget!


On Monday, I drove up to Logan with Shaylee and her twin Kylee to visit Lindsey and Richard. Lindsey, Richard and I went to lunch at the restaurant where Lindsey works. Her rooommate, Anne, was our waitress. When Richard and I get together, we have a good time, especially at restaurants. Poor Anne got the brunt of our jokes, which included Richard asking her to wipe the ice cream off the sides of his mouth! After, we went back to Lindseys house and watched the Jack Johnson DVD while having a discussion about lifes deepest, darkest secrets. Shaylee, Kylee and their friend Leslie Ann joined us for a while, which somehow led to a discussion about the 7 wonders of the world. We looked them up on Wikipedia (speaking of wikipedia, does it bother anyone else that wikipedia get such a bad rap from educated people?) and found out that there are many more than seven wonders, in fact there is a world panel whose only purpose is to define the seven wonders of the world!

From Logan, we headed back to Shay's house for her families annual visit from Santa. This was my first time meeting her family and I was very impressed. We had a great dinner and then it was time for santa. He loved giving me and James (Kylee's boyfriend) love advice! Overall, it was a very fun night.

Tiff's little brother Austin flew in yesterday so he has been partying with Alec and I. Today we decided to go to the zoo. Austin had never been and so we went. We actually had a pretty good time. We were one of maybe 10 people in the whole place. Following the zoo, we headed to the Gateway so I could finish up my Christmas shopping. I was able to get everything I needed, which is a record for me because there is still a week before Christmas. One side note on the trip. Alec has gotten me addicted to Sudoku. I got a Sudoku book today because I am hooked.


Tonight, Shaylee and I went to Temple Square to look at the lights. I had not been there around Christmas time for so long! Temple square was decked out and so was the plaza between the Joseph Smith building and the church office buildings. They had a bunch of paper bags with different Christmas related words punched out in different languages. It was really cool. We sat in front of the Christus statue for a few minutes, which I really enjoyed. After we were done there, we went to Starbucks for some hot chocolate. Shaylee had never been inside of a starbucks...what a utah girl!

When I got back to Alec and Tiff's house, we sat around talking for a while. I called Jessica to ask her about the Chris Brown concert and while I was on the phone, Alec started doing different dances. He started out with the Soulja Boy and moved on to different mission inspired dances. He ended by performing a cheer in front of the tv. I was literally on the ground laughing!

I have really enjoyed my time up here. This is really the first time I have been able to spend a lot of time with Alec since he has been home. Also, I spent a lot of time with Shaylee, which has been amazing. She is such a cool girl and I enjoy getting to know her. Hopefully I can convince her to come down for New Years! I cant believe there is only another week until Christmas. I cant wait to go look at lights with the fam. That is one of my favourite traditions, right behind Christmas Breakfast at Grams, but I will save those things for another day.

Remember, its gonna be a hard day, so hang on, dont panic, there simply is no need. We are hanging here.