things to do

This is for Jennifer since she was asking me about my list of things to do in life. I always try and think of things that are constructive in some way or another. I try and think of things that will give me a new perspective to life or something that will put me out of my comfort zone so that I can experience something different every once in a while. And then of course there are those random things that aren't really good for anything except for saying that you actually did it.

Here are some new things that I've thought of to add to my growing list:

- Be a vegetarian for as long as possible (at least a week)
- Buy a scooter. Or rent one and go on a scooter road trip.
- Write a book
- Try to make one new friend a day for a week
- Go at least two weeks without logging on to myspace
- Write at least one poem a month
- Take more pictures -maybe enter one into a photography contest?
- Keep a regular journal
- Get a job that I love
- Wash my hands more
- Donate to the DI more
- Try more foreign foods
- Learn how to play chess
- Go on a 50+ mile long bike ride
- Read the whole bible
- Go kayaking
- Discover the secret recipe to the KFC chicken
- Discover the 23 ingredients that they use to make Dr. Pepper
- Put a video on youtube
- Go on a blind date

And here is my updated list in its entirety:

COLLECTIONS
-Collect 1,000 different business cards
-Collect 1,000 different fortunes
-Get a famous persons autograph
-Collect 100 girls phone numbers
-Save 1,000 dollars worth of change

SPORTS/GAMES
-Win tip in 21-0
-Play a PS3 game-done
-Get 100 percent completion in GTA
-Solve a rubix cube
-Win a fantasy sports league
-Pitch a perfect game (baseball video game)
-Earn 20 free games for red pin bowling
-Bowl a perfect game
-Bowl a score of 250 or more
-Bowl a score of 200 or more
-Get 3 birdies in a row in golf
-Get an eagle
-Chip in a shot from the bunker
-Chip in a shot from outside the green
-Play a round of golf without losing the ball
-Score par or under - 9 holes
-Score par or under - 18 holes
-Go golfing in 3 different states
-Get 5 hole in ones in miniature golf
-Go night golfing
-Go to a NASCAR race
-Go to a college football game-done
-Go to an NCAA tournament game
-Go to a World Series game
-Go to an NFL game
-Go to an NBA game besides the Jazz
-Attend an NFL playoff or Superbowl game
-Attend an NBA playoff or Finals game
-Go to an Olympic event
-Win a monopoly game
-Make 15 straight 3 pointers
-Make 10 straight 3 pointers with the left hand
-Make 90/100 free throws

TRAVEL
-Go to 2 different countries
-Go on an extended roadtrip
-Go river rafting
-Go scuba diving
-Visit the east coast-done
-Visit the west coast-done
-Sneak across the boarder of Mexico dressed like Mexicans
-Go on a cruise
-Visit 5 casinos in Vegas
-Visit the statue of liberty
-Follow a cop car for 5 miles
-Visit the White House
-See ten things that qualify as the worlds largest or smallest
-Go to a magic show-done
-Go to a comedy show
-Go to Times Square
-Go to an island
-Visit 10 different states
-Go to 10 different roller coaster parks
-Go on the catapult at lagoon
-Ride the Heber Creeper
-Ride an underground subway
-Go on a hot air balloon ride
-Ride jet skis
-Fly in a helicopter
-Float from Jordanell to the Provo River
-Go to 10 concerts
-Ride in a limo
-Go to Denny’s at 4 am -done-
Go to a Hard Rock Café-
Go to a Hooters-done
Go to a Monk Monastery
-Climb a mountain-done
-Watch a sunset/sunrise from a mountain top-done
-Go on an extensive bike trip
-Go on a 2 mile hike or longer
-Go to a really big zoo

OTHER
-Shave legs before graduation -done
-Graduate from high school -done
-Go to college
-Contact the pope, or secretary or whoever is in charge
-Conact the President, Vice President, or whoever is next in line that we can contact
-Buy something on eBay -done
-Get a bobble head doll of yourself
-Taser somebody
-Get pulled over 5 times in a row without getting a ticket
-Talk to a hippie
-Talk to a monk
-Talk to an Indian
-Talk to an amish person
-Apply for a National television reality show or game
-Own a piece of undeveloped real estate
-Write an incomprehensible sentence in a will
-Hold a funeral service for a dead something
-Write a riddle in a bottle and throw it in the ocean, then write the answer in a balloon and let it fly away
-Make a music video
-Make a video
-Take that dumb bible that every hotel room has
-Spend the night at a 5 star hotel
-Spend the night in a tree house
-Sleep in a hammock outside
-Persuade Bill Gates to give me a dollar
-Build something useful out of wood
-Reenact the Civil War in a park
-Ride the worlds fastest and tallest roller coaster
-Shoot a deer
-Shoot a bird
-Hit a bird with your car -done
-Catch a fish longer than your arm
-Catch a fish or something alive in the ocean
-Play a banjo for an amish person
-Pee on a monument
-Pee off a bridge
-Spend a day dressed up as rednecks
-Spend a day dressed up as nerds
-Touch a stranger and say tag your it no touch backs and run away-done
-Teach Darvy something smart -done
-Cook something on the grills in the park
-Eat a whole medium pizza yourself
-Throw a boomerang and scream like an Aussie
-Egg someomes something -done
-Make a birthday cake -done
-Eat at the olive garden -done
-Get a 1,000 dollar paycheck (after taxes) -done
-Get a 2,000 dollar paycheck (after taxes)
-Enter 10,000 worth of money at http://www.wheresgeorge.com/
-Receive 1,000 hits on http://www.wheresgeorge.com/
-Throw something off a roof
-Show billy our carburators -done
-Put a hot dog on Billys antenna -done
-Throw a hockey puck across the Canadian border
-Build an igloo
-Smash something cool
-Catch a fly and tear its wings off -done
-Catch a fly, then put in a jar and stick in the fridge then tie the fly to the end of a thread and hold the other end of the thread and watch it fly around
-Shoot a machine gun
-Sit at a bus stop and tell your life story like forrest gump
-Have a meaningless conversation with someone you don’t know
-Hide a walkie talkie somewhere and talk to people
-Tip over a porta potty
-Tip over a cow
-Plant a tree somewhere in a random place
-Bury a time capsule in a weird place
-Leave a bucket of chicken on Cornel Sanders grave
-Find out who owns the Hogle Zoo
-Steal a road sign
-Build a burrito or a hamburger one item at a time by going through individual drive throughs -done
-Tan something on your body
-Build something out of toothpicks
-Drop an egg off a roof without it cracking
-Visit a museum
-Gut a fish
-Catch a wild animal (or a semi-wild animal)
-Cook something on a camp fire
-Sleep in a self made shelter
-Get a sailor to swear at you
-Get a college degree
-Have a dream that involves chasing something, food, and two tragic deaths
-Put out a fire with a fire extinguisher
-Put out a fire with something other than water or a fire extinguisher
-Cook an egg on a rock outside
-Make out in a car wash
-Eat a bowl of cereal made with one piece of as many cereals as it takes to fill up the bowl
-Go sledding down the hill that’s in the middle of deer creek
-Write a song
-Convince someone your suicidal
-Have a huge food fight
-Buy a stock in the stock market
-Be in a mosh pit-Build a fire without matches
-Sing a song around a campfire
-Make a wish on a shooting star and have it come true
-Make a “boat “ and see if it floats
-Play frisbee at night
-Ride a tandem bike
-Try to break a world record
-Acquire an unusual accent for a whole day
-Be on tv or radio
-Peel a banana with your feet
-Write a well written but extremely confusing complaint letter to a company
-Burn something with a magnifying glass
-Throw a food item in a ceiling fan
-Slide down a hill or a big stairway in a laundry basket
-Stand on your neighboorhood corner and try to hitchhike home
-Go to a fancy restraunt in your pajamas
-Buy something from a yardsale
-Randomly pick out a library cookbook and cook recipe number 25
-Pick out the 7th restraunt in the yellow pages and eat the seventh course on the menu

an eternal perspective

Well I've finally made it to the temple! What a wonderful place to be at. It truly is the house of the Lord and it will fulfill every description of what the house of the Lord should be like. I feel like I've learned and been through more than my brain can handle. It was truly a unique experience and something that I would wish everyone could be a part of. When I walked out, I felt so squeeky clean and pure that -in a morbid sort of way- I might not have cared too much if I was hit by a bus or trampled to death by a llama because at that point you really feel like you could die and be saved and everything would be just fine.

I was quite nervous beforehand because I really didn't know what to expect like I do with a Sacrament meeting or a General Conference etc...But once you get inside the building it is so calm and peaceful that it is hard to be worried about anything really.

Most everything in the temple is symbolic of something and everything is there for a reason and a purpose and I feel as if it may take me a whole lifetime to figure out everything. But one thing that really got me was how the temple puts into focus the eternal perspective of everything. You know, life isn't just another bad day or another deadline or another homework assignment or another shift at work. There is so much more to life than just what is happening now at this moment. Life is eternal and life is one eternal round that never ceases to exist. Humans will never cease to exist and there are so many mini-miracles packed into every second of life that it just seems impossible for any mortal human mind to even comprehend what is going on. But it is so comforting to know that there is a plan through all this chaos of life, and its comforting to know that there are things I can do on this Earth that can really matter to not only me but so many other people.

Well I could go on forever and ever but I've tried to keep my blogs short and sweet. Plus I'm REALLY tired at this point.

What a wonderful day.
THE END

yay

the people i know

So I've always wanted to actually write a full book from start to end but I can never stay motivated enough to actually do that. I'm great at starting a story and introducing all the elements but I can never really get through the middle and the plot...its kindof depressing. One thing I love to do is make up characters. I like the idea of defining a person and making a person unique and come alive...even though they are just something that lives in my imagination.

Here are some descriptions of some of the people I know. See if you can guess which one is you. Too bad there are only about 2 of you that read this! Oh well..

-She has always seemed a little introverted. Careful to never reach out too far or overstep her bounds. Everything she does is so calm and serene, but you know somewhere inside her there is something big growing just waiting to break free. There is a beauty inside of her that few others still have. She has a tendency to reserver herself and her trust for those that have clearly proved themselves worthy of it.

-She always has big things on her mind, and you know she will end up accomplishing whatever she truly wants. Her beauty is raw, plain and undeniable. She has a love for many things and her passion can be felt with her every movement. She attacks everything she sets her mind upon and usually won't give up until the job is done.

-She is frail and tender. She has a storied past and if you give her half a chance she'll let you know all about it. She is sensitive yet strong. She keeps a happy face in spite of all thats happened to her. She's been through more than most should ever have to and for that she is an inspiration.

-He was a funny kid and a stereotypical preppie boy. Many people have misjudged him, including me in the beginning. One day I found out what he was truly like and liked him I did. He was always trying to fit in, but maybe he never really found his niche. He always seemed to be fighting a uphill battle and many people gave up on him long before I did. He spent most of his time trying to find favor in the sight of others when he really should have been trying to find favor with himself. One day it all caught up to him and now he doesn't know what he is anymore, what he is doing or where he is going. It makes me sad.

-He used to be a lot smaller than me, but not anymore. Its hard to figure out how we got to know each other. We used to play little league football together. We have become the best of friends and we share so many things in common. I can relate to his weird sense of humor and we both are very competitive. He has always had great potential as long as he doesn't get himself sidetracked with unnecessary things. One day he will break out and become larger than life.

-I used to hate him. I thought he was arrogant and too good for me. I guess I had prejudged him before I got to know him. Now he is my mentor and someone I can look up to.

-It's been a while since I've seen him. He was my first best friend I ever had until I had to move away. Our neighborhood was our stomping grounds. We were always on the move doing something. Too many good memories to ever forget. Sometimes I drive by his house just because. One time I saw him outside, but was too shy to stop. I'll probably regret that forever.

Well there are a lot more but I'm out of time for now...if I save it as a draft I know I'll never get back to it.

Goodbye for now

quotes

This is the beginning of a new day. God has given me this day to use as I will. I can waste it--or use it for good, but what I do today is important, because I am exchanging a day of my life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever, leaving in its place something that I have traded for it. I want it to be gain, and not loss; good, and not evil; success, and not failure, in order that I shall not regret the price that I have paid for it.
-Dr. Hartsell Wilson

There is nothing worth more than this day
-Goethe

It is never too late to be what you might have been.
-George Eliot

I am only one, but still I am one; I cannot do everything, but I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.
-Edward Everett Hale


Across the plains of time bleach the bones of countless thousands, who, while upon the threshold of victory, sat down to rest. And resting, they died.
-Paul H. Dunn


Many people have the right aim in life-but they just never pull the trigger.
-Anonymous


There are three kinds of people in this world; there are those who watch things happen and those who make things happen. And then there are the people who wonder what happened!
-Anonymous


Said one bucket to the other: 'Whenever I get filled up, I get emptied out real soon." Said the other bucket: 'Whenever I get emptied out, I am ready to be filled again."
-Anonymous


I do the very best I know how; the very best I can; and I mean to keep doing so until the end. If the end brings me out all right, what is said against me won't amount to anything.
-Abraham Lincoln


You have powers you never dreamed of. You can do things you never thought you could do. There are no limitations in what you can do except the limitations as to what you cannot do. Don't think you cannot. Think you can.
-Darwin P. Kingsley

Strangers are just friends you haven't met yet
-Will Rogers

If my life had been made up of eight hour days, I do not believe I would have accomplished a great deal.
-Thomas Edison

It is not the critic who counts; not the one who points out how the strong man stumbled or how the doer of great deeds might have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by sweat and dust and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes up short again and again; who knows the great enthusiams, the great devotions, and spends himself in a a worthy cause; who if he winds knows the triumph of great achievement; and who, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.
-Theodore Roosevelt

Quitters never win. Winners never quit.
-Virigia Hutchinson

The harder the conflict the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheaply we esteem too lightly.
-Thomas Paine

thinking and dreaming

I am a big dreamer in life. I'm not just talking about dreaming at night, I'm talking about daydreaming. I guess you could sortof call it a type of pastime for me. I'm a hopeless dreamer, kindof like how some people can be described as hopeless romantics. There is something so magical about daydreaming. Dreams can escape the laws of reality and transcend the bonds of time. I find that when I daydream I feel liberated and alive. I can take myself to a new place, a new time, a new life. I dream about the future, I dream about the past, I dream about the present. I have many many dreams and ideals and perfect situations that I can imagine up in my mind. I can start out with one concept or idea and make it branch off into a thousand different scenarios. I am one of those people that can sit there and think for hours and hours and I can literally amuse and entertain myself with my own thoughts for who knows how long. You know those questions about "if you were stuck on an island what would you do?" Well most likely I would just end up just sitting there thinking and daydreaming to entertaining myself.

Jennifer has talked a bit about trying to dream lucidly, or basically recognizing the fact that your in a state of dreaming and then trying to directly control the dream itself without ever leaving your state of dreaming. I guess my daydreaming is quite similar to this concept in a way.

Besides dreaming, I think about things a great deal. That doesn't necessarily mean that I find the answers to the things I am thinking about, but I love to think all the same. I generally tend to delve into big ideas and concepts. I enjoy taking a huge idea or concept that I haven't really figured out yet and wrapping my mind around it and wrestling with it and completely reducing it and digging around it until I can shrink it into those one or two basic fundamental elements and principles that prove or disprove the whole theory. It is a bit like a mental excercise to me. The more I excercise my mindpower with reason and with logic conclusions the easier it becomes to think about life itself. Right?

Im not sure what the whole point of this blog was really. I guess I just wanted to talk deeply for a minute. The governing laws and mysteries of life really fascinate me and I wish I had more people to talk to about them. But most people think I'm crazy and laugh that I would think about half the stuff that I do. I guess thats why I'm here writing it in my blog.

The end.

The Footprints of God

This has been hanging on my Grandma's wall in a frame my whole life. I just barely read it today!

In the deepest sleep one night I dreamed
That on the beach I walked.
God was by my side each step
And quietly we talked.
Then on the sky my life was flashed;
The visions all serene.
Two sets of footprints in the sand
Were there in ever scene.
But then I noticed in some scenes
Of suffering,pain,and strife.
Just a single set of footprints
At the worst times of my life.
'God, you said you'd stay by me
In good times and in bad....
Why then did you leave me
Each time my life was sad?"
"My precious child," God answered,
"When your life had pain, I knew;
The single set of footprints
Were the times I carried you."

My Trip

Hello my little blog spot and my little blog readers! It's been a while since I blogged, I just got back from vacationt to California and it was great! Now I'm going to tell you all about it!

This is Dylon...

And this is me...

And we went to California! We began our trip on Saturday morning the 21st and it took us a while to get going because like usual we didn't really do a good job of preparing before we left. But we were soon off on the road and heading toward Las Vegas for the night. We were running out of gas near the Utah border so we took this exit to Littlefield and basically we got lost on this little dirt road for about an hour and then when we finally made it out we were in Nevada. It was pretty weird...I have some videos of this experience but they are too big to post on here or on myspace so that sucks. I dont know how to make them fit on here :( they are funny though.

Once we checked into our Super 8 Hotel which was supposedly the largest Super 8 Hotel in the world but basically it was pretty crappy and kinda scary. Actually, all of Las Vegas was pretty scary. I had never really been to Vegas before but I was kinda creeped out and terrified for my life. In Vegas we met up with a friend that I have from work who happened to be down there as well. We went to Hooters to eat. (another place I had never been and I was thoroughly unimpressed with the attractiveness of the waitresses) After Hooters Chris ditched us and me and Dylon went to the...

Stratosphere! It was actually pretty cool up there. You have to pay to get all the way to the top but the view up there at night is way amazing. I felt bad that I didn't bring my camera with me to the top. I left my camera in the car because we were going on the three rides that they have up there and I knew I couldn't take a camera on them. They had some pretty cool rides at the top. There is a ride on that red pole at the top that shoots you up the tower and drops you back down, kinda like the Rocket at Lagoon. It was pretty intense...And it was really windy up there. Except the wind in Las Vegas is not refreshing at all its like a blast of hot air right on your face, even at night. Dylon and I also got our faces etched in these two cubes, we did a serious one and a funny one they are pretty awesome to look at!

After that we just drove around and saw all the lights and didn't really know what to do except go to bed...

Sorry thats all the pictures for Las Vegas. I kinda forgot about taking pictures while I was there!

We also went to a magic show the next day which was pretty cool. The guy had some crazy tigers that he made disappear and stuff...but he had a really creepy smile that was just weirding me out a little too much. Then we stopped by the worlds largest gift shop which turned out to be a huge disappointment...although Dylon bought a Jesus bobblehead which was pretty sweet. Basically all of Vegas was disappointing and I couldn't wait to get to Cali. So we hit the road again that day but we were really...

tired. And we had only traveled about 20 miles away from Vegas when we got stuck in traffic because there was a wreck and so for the next 3 hours we only went about 30 miles. YAY. But we finally made it to Los Angeles at like 2 in the morning we found our hotel pretty easy, mostly because we had directions to it plus it was like the tallest building in the city...Here is the hotel that we stayed in..

It was really nice and I got a huge discount because I work for Marriott. Right after we checked in we went over to the Denny's because its the only thing open at that time. Gotta love Denny's! We asked our waitress where the beach was and she laughed at us and told us to go down this street like two miles...So we did....and I was driving and all of a sudden an armadillo popped out of nowhere on the side of the street and I almost ran it over. I tried to hurry and turn around and take a picture of it but it ran away. It was pretty weird I had no idea that armadillos lived in California. Maybe it was someones pet? So we got lost and we just kept driving and we got more and more lost and then all of a sudden there was just black darkness out to our left and I was like "I wonder if thats the ocean" so we got out and went down this little trail and we were on these crazy cliffs with the ocean below us. It was so loud and beautiful. I couldnt take a picture because it was too dark but it looked really amazing. Once I figured out where the ocean was I wanted to go down onto the beach and walk around. I really like the ocean at night. You can only see a little ways then it gets pitch black and all you can do is smell it and hear it. Its very dark and mysterious out there. Very majestic in a powerful way.

We were supposed to wait in line that morning for Jay Leno tickets but we were too tired so we just went to bed. I think our hotel was a little too nice for us, we ordered room service and the guy came up with all these fancy dishes and some fancy little ketchup bottles and grey poupon and wine glasses but we didn't drink wine just mountain dew. It was awesome..And then we just sat there and made funny faces like this one.

After that we went to the 5th largest mall in the US which was about a block away from our hotel. But it wasn't anything special just a big mall with a lot of stores and a lot of people. I made a video about it but I guess its too big to put in here so oh well..

After that we rented these awesome cruiser bikes and followed this bike trail that they had that ran along the beach it was pretty awesome. I have a pretty cool video of that too but I can't put it on here I guess. Bummer I almost crash in it because I'm trying to film and ride my bike at the same time. Not a good idea really haha. Then I decided to go back and rent some boogie boards and go play in the ocean and it was really really really fun...Here are some pics.

This is off the Redondo Beach pier which was a pretty cool pier. It went around in a semi-circle and there were lots of shops and places to eat fish and stuff. There was also this one gift shop where I bought a really cool triton shell and they showed us their killer whale named Georgette.
She's 16 feet long and apparantly shes "just a baby." They also told us that there was a surfer that was eaten last month in San Diego, which made me REALLY excited to get back into the water!

When the sun started to set and it was getting darker I wanted to go back up to the cliffs to get a some good sunset pictures...I decided that the ocean is a very hard thing to take pictures of but I have a couple okay ones..

Oh yeah and we also hit some golf balls off these cliffs into the ocean. Not really for an particular reason but it was actually really fun haha. I have a video of that too! After this I think we just drove around for a while and got lost again! But its easy to find your way around, you just base everything off where the ocean and the cliffs are. I got to learn how to drive around pretty well around this area and I actually thought it was a pretty cool place to be. It wasn't as dirty or trashy and run-down as a lot of the bigger California cities. It also wasn't as big so it wasn't overwhelming. It was kindof like Heber, with an ocean! What could be better?

After that day we woke up and went out to eat for breakfast then played on the beach some more and then we went over to Los Angeles because we had tickets for the Frank TV show. I had never heard of the Frank TV show before but I guess it plays on TBS and it was the first show of the new season. It was our first time actually driving into LA and I was kinda scared because the traffic is ridiculously horrible. Then I accidentally passed our exit and we got lost for a while but luckily we had a lot of extra time to spare. We were still really early for the show and we ended up waiting in line with a bunch of crazy people, and there was this ice cream truck guy who kept driving by and I dont think he had any teeth and I'm pretty sure he hadn't showered or washed his hair or beard for like a month. Yeah he was kinda scary and we were all a little scared of him. But I felt bad for him. There was also this guy that washed our windows out in the middle of the street as we were stopped for a red light. And then there were some kids trying to sell things to us when we stopped for gas. Dylon and I saw a lot of homeless and poverty stricken people that you just never see in Heber or Utah really. It was pretty sad in a way, and it makes you feel so fortunate to be so lucky and blessed. There are a lot of things that we all take for granted everyday.

Here are some pictures of LA. I was doing most of the driving so I didn't snap many pictures.

Los Angeles was a lot like Las Vegas to me. It sounds exciting and it's really big and you know there are a lot of things to do there but once you get there you just feel surrounded and overwhelmed on all sides and you feel pressed in and everyone's running around like they're in a hurry and no one is nice and everyone is just focused on getting from point A to point B. It was really dirty and trashy and it just seems like no one takes the time to take care of anything..I have a few videos of this too..By the way we got completely lost on our way back from Los Angeles because we didn't have directions haha. Not a good idea...

We were in the live audience for Frank TV was pretty cool. We had first row seats but then the lady moved us back for some reason she never really told us why. We were kinda bummed. I had never been in a live production before and it was neat to be able to see how they did everything. They had a lot of techinical errors and Frank made a few mistakes while talking so they did little things that were called "pickups" where they redid the act and the audience had to act like they had never seen it before.

The next day we went to...

Which was REALLY awesome! (if you like rollercoasters)

Thats only a few of the rollercoasters they had. They were pretty insane. They had a couple that lifted you up like your laying on your stomache and flying around. It was great, we spent the whole day there and we had a lot of fun. They had this basketball competition that me and Dylon played in and we both won electric guitars which was pretty awesome! And we also won like 8 stuffed dogs lol. That was a fun day. I left my camera in my car though so thats all the pictures of that.

After the park closed at 10PM we drove for about 3 hours to San Diego beacause we were going to the zoo in the morning, however we hadn't reserved a hotel because we were unsure of what our exact plans were so we drove around for a loooooong time trying to find an affordable place to sleep but we finally did at about 2 in the morning. We woke up pretty early to get to the zoo, I heard that it was like the largest zoo in the US so I was a little disappointed when it only took us about 3 hours to get through all of it...I didn't even think it was any bigger than the Hogle Zoo but the animals seemed a lot better kept and they were way more active than the ones at the Hogle Zoo so it made for a good experience. Here are just a few pictures.

All the animals were pretty awesome. Especially those polar bears they were all in the water dunking each other and stuff it was pretty cool. I should have gotten a video because they were moving too fast for me to get any good great pictures. Plus there were a ton of people around the glass. I decided that if I lived around the San Diego Zoo area I would love to be able to work in the zoo with the animals and stuff. We also got a portrait of ourselves drawn up...they were kinda cartoonish and exaggerated a little but they are pretty cool. We also had tickets to go over to their Journey into Africa Park which is about 30 miles away from the zoo so we headed over there next.

Their Africa park is probably even bigger than the Zoo itself and it was pretty cool. They put it out in the middle of nowhere so it seemed like you were in Africa. Most of it looked just like another zoo but down at the bottom of the park they had the African Tour going and basically you get in a trolley and ride around in this "African Safari" that they've made. Its actually really neat, its just a giant enclosed area where there are cheetahs and rhinos and giraffes and other African animals just walking around everywhere. Of course they kept the cheetah's seperate from everything else but all the other animals were free to interact with each other it was great. I have lots of videos of the tour but here are some pictures.

Well after that we decided to hit the beach one last time before we said goodbye to our time there. I'm glad that we did because it turned out to be really great. The beach was really nice in San Diego as was the city, it was a big city but it definitely seemed to be much more clean and better kept than Los Angeles. It really seemed to make a difference. We boogie boarded some more and the waves were a lot bigger and better than the ones in Redondo Beach. But watch out for the killer seaweed! If you have ever been to the West Coast ocean before then you probably know what Im talking about. There are these huge piles of this rough stringy seaweed that floats in and it seems like the whole ocean is covered in it. Its a little bit frightening when you find yourself tangled in a giant ball of it..

Anyways after that we just headed back home and drove through the whole night. Not really much else to say about that we just took turns sleeping and stuff.

Overall it was a fantastic experience. I am really glad that I was able to go and spend time with Dylon, we had a lot of fun together and these are memories that I will never forget my whole life. I definitely need to stop and take a vacation every once in a while...

THE END

My Mission Call

So today I finally recieved my mission call in the mail. It normally comes on a Wednesday so I was all prepared for it to arrive yesterday and it never did so I had kinda decided it wouldn't come until next Wednesday and that would be while I was on my vacation so I thought that would be a bit of a bummer. I had it sent to my Grandma's house and I think she might have even of been more excited than I was if thats possible.
It was a very surreal experience to recieve a letter written and signed by the first presidency of the church, and the apostle himself. It is probably the coolest thing I have ever recieved in the mail. I am being called to the California Arcadia Mission which is Spanish speaking and it covers a lot of territory! I leave on August 13th so not too far away really. My packet came with a map of my area which was pretty cool to look at, although I dont' recognize most of the cities. It includes the whole east side of Los Angeles and Pasedena all the way east to Chino and then it goes north for like 60 miles. I sure hope we get to drive autmobiles! Ironically, me and Dylon may have to drive through a section of my area seeing as how we are traveling to Los Angeles. Kinda funny huh? haha.
I have to admit I was slightly disappointed with the fact that I am remaining in the states. I would have loved to of gone abroad somewhere, just because it would have been such a completely different experience to have, but thats alright there's really no room to complain for things like this and I said all along that I didn't have an preferances as long as there was good weather and good food! Well, Im sure I will complain about how hot it will get but I'm sure the food will be great. I am very eager to see my mission and to meet all the wonderful people that I know are out there. Also, judging by the picture of my Mission President, he looks like quite a nice guy. (Hopefully? lol jk) It seems like every missionary falls in love with the place he was sent so I imagine it will be no different for me. I really can't wait to take advantage of this oppurtunity that awaits me.

Well that is all for now I am out of time for now. Im sure there are more blogs to come though.
-Travis

my new hobby

So lately I've been seeing the world in a different view than I regularly do. I was just randomly driving around Park City one day before work because I was way early and I couldnt help but notice how beautiful everything around this place is. All the mountains, the green hills, the old antique main street houses. Everything really is pretty up here. We really are very lucky to be surrounded by such amazing beauty. This world is full of beautiful things that a lot of people dont take time to appreciate. I guess that is a big reason why so many people come here...it's just so scenic I love it. For a long time now I have wished I had a decent camera to capture all these moments so that they wouldn't fade in my mind.

So I've just been thinking about all the moments in my life where I wished I would have had a camera to capture it all...Well a few days ago I bought myself a new digital camera! I'm pretty excited about it all! I plan on taking it almost everywhere with me (hopefully they let you on your mission??) Its going to be so great I can't wait to explore my new hobby. I've already taken a lot of pictures but most of them are crappy I'll admit but its ok theres a delete button for things like that. Anyways I took a couple that I really like but I'm an idiot and I can't figure out how to get them on here...Somebody want to help me with that :) ??

the papers are in

My missionary papers are finally in! Yay! They went to the Stake Presidency the other day...I'm not sure if they've made it to Salt Lake yet or not though, so I'm not sure exactly when I will be getting my call, but it shouldn't be longer than a week or two..I'll keep you posted for sure. Definitely very excited and a little anxious.

On another note, I've planned a trip with me and my best friends for the end of the month. We are going to Cali, to the beach, six flags, San Diego zoo, a comedy show, a magic show...etc...I'm really looking forward to it, I'm way past due for a vacation. It will be good to spend some quality time with friends before I take off for two years, because who knows what I'll be coming back to anyways?

Well thats about it guys, I'm really sorry my blogs are getting lame but really all I've been up to is work and sleep and churchy stuff. I'm glad that I still have a few readers here and there though! Leave comments it makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside.

:)

The Red Bird

I saw a red bird the other morning in my Grandma's backyard. It was a beautiful red bird but it flew away.

So I went and bought a birdfeeder and hung it in the backyard. I hope it comes back some day.

Graduation- 2 years later

Yesterday I was able to go to the Wasatch High School graduation ceremony for the class of 2008. I dont think I've ever really written about my graduation much so I might as well do it now. This was the first time I had been to a graduation since my own graduation and as I was sitting there I couldn't help but think about how it felt like when I graduated. It is one of those experiences that you try and capture ever little occurance, like your preserving it in a bottle, so that you can remember it and relive it for the rest of your life.

I remember walking into the building with the music playing and seeing the whole crowd of families standing up and cheering as we entered. I can remember walking past all the individual teachers and shaking their hands, most of whom I had many personal experiences with. After seeing the look of happiness in their eyes and satisfaction on each of their faces, I may have not fully appreciated my teachers and advisors until that moment. At that moment you realize that all they wanted most was to see you succeed, and all their dedication and all their overtime hours were put in for you.

It is at times like this when you stop hating the school system, you stop hating the power that teachers seem to have over your life, you stop hating all the tests and quizzes and you stop hating all the times they pushed you. Really all you can do is appreciate every moment you were pushed to see how far you could excel. Then you start realizing that the whole purpose of school is to teach and to prepare. All school really is, is a set of tests and trials and experiences that teach and prepare you for life itself.

I can remember exactly where I sat and who I sat next to. As I looked around at all of the people that were around me I could remember growing up with these people. I remember picking out one or two of the most distinctive memories for each person I knew. I remember thinking about all the oppurtunities I had taken advantage of, but what hurt the most was thinking of all the oppurtunities I never got to experience. I resolved right then and there to try and take advantage of as many experiences as I possibly could, and to never live my life with any regrets.

For me graduation was not the end of something, but the very beginning of many more somethings. In many ways graduation stands not as an end but as a beginning. It was very much a transition period, I could feel the "shelter" and "protection" of the school system releasing me into a world I hadn't quite experienced yet. I needed to learn how to fly on my own and I knew things were going to start changing at an ever increasing speed and I wondered how would I be able to handle it all?

So how have I handled it all? All I can say is it's a work in progress. Only time can tell right?

Dear Duck

Dear Duck,

I want you to know that I am very sorry for hitting you with my car today. Although I never meant to hit you, it appeared that you were actually the one that flew into my windsheild. Either way I am sorry, please forgive me. I hope that you have not left behind any little kids and if that was your husband/wife with you I hope that they are doing okay without you. Do not be sad my duck, I am sure that you are resting in a better place, for this world is a cruel place and you will no longer have to dodge speeding cars. And soon enough you will get to see the rest of your family again.

RIP Duck
Travis

Imagine

Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one


I couldn't decide if I liked the remake even more than the original song, so I included it too.


Basically one of my most favorite songs ever.

a happy sunny blog

So now that we are officially into Spring, and (hopefully) have had the last winter snow of the year I figure it is time to write a happy sunny blog. Because the days really have been happy and sunny lately. Almost to perfection and I love it. Its not too hot yet but its definitely not bitter cold anymore. There are flowers blooming and birds singing everywhere.

I guess I've sortof just realized that this will be my last Spring/Summer in the valley for two years or so and I'm learning to try and enjoy it as much as possible. I think I should go on a hike soon, I just dont know where yet? Hopefully I will be blessed enough to go on a mission somewhere that is just as spactacular as this place is.

You know we as kids like to complain a lot about this place and how boring it can be and how plain it is but the longer I stay here the more I appreciate just how nice it is here. It is a wonderful place and I think it will always feel like home to me and possibly I may just stay here forever.

I always wonder to myself how I got to be so lucky to be put into such a wonderful life. How did I ever get lucky enough to be born in the most free land in the world, in a time where new technology is making life so exciting and much easier than it used to be? How did I ever get lucky enough to be born and raised with the knowledge that I have, and the ability to orchestrate my own life how I see fit? And how can I ever prove that all these blessing that have just been handed to me are justified, and how can I ever prove that I really do deserve all that I have ever had? And how can I ever take full advantage of all the many oppurtunities that come my way? And how will I ever be able to keep as many doors of possibility open to me as I walk my path of life?

blarrrrrrrrrr

Sorry, not very many blogs lately, I've been so busy. I also just plain haven't had any good things to write about...Kinda wondering if my whole blogging expedition is coming to a close. Probably not though, who knows?

Blah.

beautiful release

Spend all your time waiting for that second chance
For the break that will make it ok
There's always some reason to feel not good enough
There's vultures and thieves at your back
And it's hard at the end of the day
I need some distraction, oh beautiful release
It's easier to believe in this sweet madness
It's easier to believe

another job- why not?

So there is an AYS position open at the Marriott and they just offered me a significant raise if I would work that job with them, in addition to my Loss Prevention and Night Audit jobs. If I took the job that means I would have to give up my other job at Raintree. I decided to accept the raise and stay with Marriott. I think it will be beneficial to me to just work at one place. Even if it is 3 different jobs. Yes, 3 jobs in one hotel.

Man I am going to know this place inside and out by the time Im done. Oh wait, I already do! I might as well just rent out a room and stay here 24/7. Or even better, they should just give me a room to stay in. Its getting kindof ridiculous, I must say. But I need the money more than anything. I hate the fact that money plays such a dominant role in my life-and it shouldn't ever be a number one priority for anyone but if this means being able to afford a mission quicker, then I guess you've got to do what you feel like you have to do.

And if I ever decide to get into hotels after my mission....just imagine what my resume is going to look like. haha.

overwhelmed and frustrated and going insane

So my boss at my second job-Raintree Resorts just got fired. Which was really unexpected and quite a shock for everyone that works here. The company is run by some people in Mexico and they don't really know what it is like down here and I guess they thought he was the problem, which he definitely wasn't. So this leaves me in a very awkward situation because my job was to be his assistant and the only reason I got this job was to help him. He was like the head and the brain of the operation and I was just his arms lol. Now I have no head. I really don't know if there is still a place for me here maybe they will tell me to go to?

Although I may have been happy for about .01 seconds when the thought of only having one job and working a regular 40 hour week came to mind. But this is not a very good situation because I'm really depending on this second job and the secondary income to save up another extra couple thousand dollars for my mission. Basically everything I earn for one job covers all my bills and living expenses that I just naturally have, and everything I earn for this job gets saved. So without this job there is not much saving at all...I want to leave as soon as possible but I still have SO many expenses to cover....

Even though the Bishop has told me that the ward can take care of the rest of my monthly mission expense I still have a goal of saving another $1000-1500 dollars just so I have a good conscience in knowing that I didn't have to burden others at my expense.

I just got done buying a years worth of contacts= $300
(and depending on where I go I may have to buy a whole other years worth)=$300
And lets not forget a pair of glasses for backup=$200
Then comes at least another suit (probably two), two pairs of shoes, socks, ties, shirts..blah blah= appx. $650-700
I still have $300 on my credit card...
Damage from Jeep that needs fixed before I can sell it=$1000
Dentist appointment on the 22nd...= $100 - ?

So basically another $4000 before I can even think of leaving. GAH! Oh man living life is expensive......but all of a sudden putting your "normal life" on pause to leave for two years is even more expensive. Especially when the only place you can get money is from yourself, not your parents or some wealthy uncle or grandparent. I devote 16 hours a day and 20 straight hours of work on the weekends to try and make this happen but its just not happening very well. I'm tired, I never get enough sleep, my emotions are drained like a battery that won't charge anymore. I feel like a hamster running in its wheel, I can work myself into the ground and never have anything to show for it. I hate driving to Park City in the middle of the night. I clock in at the exact same times everyday, I do the exact same things everyday, I eat the same food everyday, no one hardly ever talks to me except my co-workers. I feel overwhelmed and frustrated. I look like a walking zombie. If I close my eyes for more than 10 seconds I'll probably fall asleep. I hardly feel like a part of society. I only interact with like 10 people everyday. I feel like I have no place anymore, like I'm in my own little world that never has an end. One day flows into another that flows into another and pretty soon I have no idea what day it is or what time it is and I don't even care anyways. I think I'm going partially insane. This blog sucks.

-Feeling overwhelmed and frustrated
(I'm going to start ending my blogs like the anonymous people do when they write to those advice columns or whatever)

an accomplishment

So I've finally actually finished the whole Book of Mormon and it only took me about a month. And it just looks like I used it as my coloring book because I used 5 different pencil colors to mark certain things like good things, bad things, warnings, promises, and instructions. Which took forever but it definitely helps. It's funny because it was actually pretty easy to read it all but I pretty much thought that it was impossible to do before. I guess the big difference was that I actually WANTED to read it and that seemed to make all the difference. Plus somehow I understood it a lot better than I ever have before.

I suppose this works the same way with everything in life. We really only truly accomplish something when we want to. Not when we have to or when we need to...The ability to achieve something must come from within us and it must be built upon self-desire and self motivation.

Now I just can't decide whether I should re-read it again or start on the Bible. Hah.

a tale of life with lyrics.

So I decided I would try an experiment and make a story out of various song lyrics. (yeah I'm extremely bored) Here are the rules..

1. Each sentence is a different lyric. (with a few choice commas and "ands and buts" to make the lyrics flow a little better.
2. I didn't use any one song twice

Sounds easy but its actually pretty hard.

I will call this story LIFE. Well its not really a story, just a bunch of good lyrics put together in a way that makes sense.

There's a life inside you. Your life is a song that you sing and the whole wide world is listening. How you receive it, well that’s up to you. Just live right now just be yourself. We may lose and we may win but we will never be here again. Just take time to realize that everything can pass you by. Because It's the heart afraid of dying, that never learns to dance, it's the dream afraid of waking, that never takes the chance. It's the one who won't be taken, who cannot seem to give and the soul afraid of dying, that never learns to live.

And nobody ever seems to remember that life is a game we play. So if your not willing to give it all you got, if your not in it for life let me make it clear so you might be. And when this life makes you wonder what have you got to lose, just go back to the moment of truth. And when it comes it moves so slow kinda like its saying I told you so. No one ever said it was easy, no one ever said it would be so hard. When you try your best but you don't succeed, when you get what you want but not what you need, when you feel so tired that you can't sleep but if you never try then you'll never know. It's not always rainbows and butterflies its compromise, it moves us along. And sometimes you bend sometimes you stand, sometimes you turn your back to the wind. Then on your knees you look up and decide you've had enough, you get mad you get strong, wipe your hands shake it off then you stand. You fell down of course, and then you got back up of course and you started over. And when the stars all look the same don't feel the cold or wind or rain everything will be okay. Because our lives are made in these small hours these little wonders, these twists and turns of fate time falls away. So make the best of this test known as life. Because life's a dance you learn as you go.

And life is more than who we are and life is made up of all that you’re used to. It is the clock upon the wall this is the story of us all. And all you touch and all you see is all your life will ever be. But it's hard to get hold of and hard to let go, always something we look for from the day we were born. So stop turn and take a look around at all the lights and sounds. Because right here right now there is no other place I would rather be. And if we had everything, would we still want to live?

And there’s no time to think about the starting or the end, we’ll find out I’m sure. Though we know that time has wings we're the ones who have to fly. What a dizzy dance, our lives are better left to chance. And it’s a bittersweet symphony this life yeah, and every new beginning comes from some other beginnings end.

So I have worked on this forever even though it doesnt look like it, it hasn't turned out as good as imagined but I wanted to capture a sense of perseverance. I wanted to convey an expression that life is not always "rainbows and butterflies." Everyone has a big time in their life where they are pushed to the ground and they have their face rubbed in the sand and there are always those times that require a certain endurance and a certain amount of grit, and will, and just plain old hard work to get through.

My absolute favorite line is "It's the heart afraid of dying, that never learns to dance, it's the dream afraid of waking, that never takes the chance. It's the one who won't be taken, who cannot seem to give. And the soul afraid of dying, that never learns to live." Yeah. Thats pretty good huh?

I once saw this show on the Discovery Channel(pretty much my favorite channel ever)

It was about these climbers that have climbed Mt. Everest many times and they were talking about how hard it gets towards the end, they talked about how exhausted you become and how dillusional you can get. They talked about how sometimes they want nothing more than to just sit down and take a break or maybe take a nap, but if they did this they knew they would die. The only way to stay alive is to keep going and keep trying. They talked about a guy they knew who just gave up. He was tired and he decided to just sit down for a minute, but even though they tried with all their power to persuade him to keep going he just couldn't do it. He just sat there and died right in front of them. I suppose that although normal life may not be as dramatic, the concept is still the same.

Life throws everyone a whole host of trials and ups and downs and all that really matters is how we deal with them. They are our gigantic mountain that we must summit, they are our deepest valleys that we must descend. They are the things that build you up, just to smash you back to the ground. They are the things that make you white hot, just so that they can hammer you and bend and shape you. They are the things that grind you so that you either become sharp or you break off and become dull. They are the things that we hate to love, but love to hate. They make us who we are and prime us for our next big challenge.

What do we do when we are pushed beyond limits we've never crossed? How do we react when we are brought down so many times that we don't think we could get back up if we were brought down one more time? When life is throwing you so many things you can't even catch them all, and you start to drop things then you start to think how much more, how much longer?...It is in these moments we define ourselves. In these moments we write the definition of what we are truly made of. These are the things that teach us, these are the things that we learn from. They are the things that make us become us.

And yet, even though these things can be the ugly side of life.. somehow ironically, maybe these are the things that make life so beautiful and so fulfilling. There is a certain quality, a certain silver lining through everything in life. For if we never knew these things, we would not be able to comprehend such happiness. We would not feel satisfaction of accomplishment and we would never have a desire to push through and endure to the end.

It is not so much what happens to us in our lives no matter how bad that we should care about, what really matters is what we do with those things that happen to us, and whether we can make them good.

Blindly Living

Once upon a time I was telling someone of some of the dissapointments I was having in my life and this person described me as "blindly optimistic." Which I took as a good thing...but they meant it in a negative way. Which led to a epic discussion of whether it in fact was a good thing or a bad thing.

So I decided I would write a blog about it, since I most often use my blogs as an open forum of thought and discussion...except I mostly just discuss with myself I think.

I guess to fully understand what blindly optimistic means I must first figure out what the word "blindly" means in this phrase. According to dictionary.com Blindly means : in a blind manner, without understanding, reservation, or objection.

So it is fair to say that I was optimistic without understanding, reservation or objection.

According to this particular person, being blindly optimistic is just a surefire way to set yourself up for a big disappointment. That is why they consider it a bad thing. Which is true in a way, I can't deny that. It is kindof like having a fear of heights. Just like it is physically hard for someone people to jump out of a tree, it is just as hard or harder emotionally to let yourself fall from heights that you are not comfortable with, which can happen a lot when you enter into any situation "blindly."

However it is impossible to not go through life without some type of blindness in any way. There are many types of things we do blindly in life. We are all blindly optimistic, we all have a blind trust, we all at some point love blindly, and many of us have a blind faith in many things. Being blind means you have to let your guard down, you have to be uninhibited and unrestricted. You have to open your eyes all the way and be %100 open to the consequences or rewards of the situation. It means you might not know why, or how you believe in what you are doing but you do it anyways because its right, because you might achieve something, because you dream of making something happen. It means not taking into account the many times you have fallen before. It means not thinking about how bad it hurt the last time you tried and it means stepping up to bat, even when you got hit in the face the last time you stood at the plate.

I think many people are afraid of the commitment that comes with such openess. Many people censor themselves because of the past. They know that they have tried before and have been ungracefully denied. Instead of being unrestricted and open many people become restricted, they withdraw their efforts and become closed. Maybe they don't try as hard the next time, maybe they don't climb as high in the tree next time because they know it hurts too much when they fall. People think if I just lower my expectations, then I know it won't hurt me as much when I fail.

I firmly think this is the exact opposite of what we need to do. Because what would the opposite of "blindly optimistic" be? It would be "guardedly optimistic" or "that would be cool if it happens but I don't think it will." I believe if someone ever loses this blindness for the things of life, they have lost a part of their innocence that is so essential to experiencing life to its fullest. I believe that when you get to the point where you are lowering your own expectations just so you might not fall as hard, then you really are never going to discover your true potential. Its like resorting to play defense the whole football game instead of offense. Sure, you might play excellent defense but your never giving yourself a chance to score and so your never giving yourself a chance to win. We cannot be so preoccupied with preventing failure, that we cheat ourself out of success.

Sure you might look dumb when you get hurt, and you probably will fall many many times but you have to let it roll off your shoulder or the next time you fall your only going to give 90% effort and the next time 80% and so on until you don't feel like trying at all. And at the point you have resigned yourself to your own fate of failure. The game of life has won because we have spent the whole time playing defense because we were too afraid of what might happen. Since we were too afraid of what might happen, we never knew what could happen.

Anyways that is all.

The End.

song of the day

Listen to They Might Be Giants- Birdhouse in your soul

and then everyone should make a little birdhouse in their soul. :)

ps. my last post was my 100th oh yeah :)

My Ten Favorite Places

Here is a list of my ten favorite places in the Heber Valley...including Midway...just the whole valley. You know what I mean.

1. I love this place at night when the stars are out. I go to this place to get above it all. It provides an excellent view of the whole city, and its lights. I go to this place to clear my mind. This place breeds intense thinking and deep conversations. Many nights have I gone there, with or without people it is always there for me. The night before graduation was especially most memorable.


2. This place is nearly identical to the first place except it is a little higher up and provides a slightly different view of the whole valley. It is number 2 because it takes a little more effort to get there, and usually I'm too lazy. It is no less remarkable or thought provoking. There has only been one other person up there with me. Maybe thats how it will stay.


3. I go to this place to feed little feathered two-legged semi-aquatic/mostly land animals. I think they now solely depend on my food for their survival. Maybe they even recognize me by sight, or maybe I stink and they can smell me. I hope this doesn't make me sound like a player but I have taken almost every first date that I have had here first. I need to know if they enjoy it like I do. I don't care how hot they are, if they can't enjoy this then I have no place for them. haha. I have layed on the grass, I have sat on the playground, I have randomly walked around on the golf course thats next to it. I have hiked on the hills behind it. I have brought my dog here and watched him jump into the pond after these animals that I have referred to and he almost drowned, but I just laughed at him. This place has a calm, almost serene effect to it. Maybe its the water, maybe its the animals, maybe its all the green leaves and grass. I don't know. I love it.

4. I sit at this place, often when the sun is setting. Just me and my dog. Both silent companions looking out into the world at we love. I can see the highway from here and I often wonder about the people that are in these cars that I see. I wonder where they are going or what they are doing. I can see the airport and its planes land and take off and I wonder what it would be like to fly like that. I can see Mt. Timpanogas rising above in its white beauty with dark red and orange clouds around it and wonder what it would be like to be God and be able to create mountains like that.


5. When the weather is good, there may be no other pefect place to be than here. Just like place number 3, I almost always take my first dates here as well. Its a place mostly for little kids. I'm pretty much too big for all of the slides but maybe I like it because it makes me feel like a kid again. It has good grass and I definitely could lay on it all day. The swings are definitely a favorite, especially the second one from the left. It is my swing and always will be.


6. For a couple summers it was my home away from home. I loved it because it was a beautiful place to be. I loved the fresh cut green grass, I loved the smells, I loved the fog and mist that hung over it in the morning and the birds siging in the trees. I loved watching deer run across the grass and after everyone would leave, I loved to take a golf cart and just randomly drive it around the course. It was a good place.


7. I love driving this road, okay well its more like several roads but I love driving it. If I am having a stressful time the first thing I do is just go drive somewhere but I always end up driving this route. It takes me through Heber, to the highway, through Midway, past Memorial Hill, and back down to Heber. But there is one section or road that is much better than the others. I enjoy it a lot. But watch out for deer at night.


8. I've spent so much time working here I often thought I could never get away from the place. I met so many people there, so many people that I still know that have influenced me for the better. I dedicated a lot of hard work to this place, I started working there before most of my friends even thought of having a job. There was a lot of frustration spent and I almost always left exhuasted. But somehow it felt like home to me, maybe because it was more of a home to me. I know this place inside and out. It's changed now, probably for the better but it will always be the same for me.


9. I go to this place everyonce in a while and sit in a chair next to a big window that looks out onto Main Street. It is my chair and my window, and they don't even need to ask where I would like to sit anymore. During the winter I just order hot chocolate (it is very good hot chocolate) and sit and look out the window. For some reason I just like to sit and look. Call me weird but I feel like you can learn more by observing and watching sometimes.


10. My grandma sold the land a long time ago. But once upon a time I used to live there, next to my cousin. We had lots of farmland around us and we used to go "exploring" around the old barns and fields. We would always find something fascinating like a calander from 1970 or some old mysterious bones, most likely from a cat. Once there was a whole family of racoons that lived in the attic of one of the barns and we trapped them. We used to raise pigs together for 4-H there and once we caught a snake and it had babies the next morning. Those were part of the childhood memories everyone loves. They are the memories that we will sit around and talk about "back in the day." Those were carefree times, they were innocent times. Those were good times.

My Dream Jobs

So I decided I'm lame and I don't really have anything from my real life to blog about. So I'm going to construct a list of things that I wish was my life. This was a pretty fun list to make too.

This is a list of my top 10 Dream Jobs. They are in order of when I thought of them, because it might just be impossible to put them in order from best to worst- plus it gives me headache. But I did come up with 10 pretty bangin jobs. I'm sure you'll agree. Umm hmm.


National Geographic Photographer
Pros: I would get to travel the world. I will get to be able to see things I would never otherwise to get see, I would get to do things I would never otherwise get to do. I could fill up my whole house with pictures that I, myself took. I could capture "the shot." Plus I might just flip open a magazine or a calander and boast that I did in fact take that picture.


Cons: I may just drop my camera one too many times probably out in the middle of the ocean and watch it sink to the bottom, and get fired. Maybe I would fall out of a tree stand and paralyze myself, or I might just get eaten by a leopard. I may contract some weird flesh eating disease in some remote part of the world and the closest hospital would be 100 miles away. Or I could just sit in the savannah for 36 straight hours waiting for a herd of elephants to pass by. Fun.


Independant Filmaker/Music Video Director
Pros: I could really get to express my creative side. I could be as random and idiosyncratic as my mind wished. Maybe I could make the next Napolian Dynamite and potentially make millions. I could make music videos for some of the best bands in the world, I would be able to get to know the band members and maybe get their autographs. Oh yeah. There are endless possiblities for making a music video. That would be fun.


Cons: I really dont have a creative side in the first place. I don't know first thing about the best camera angles or even how to turn most video cameras on. Ok, well I might know how to turn them on but knowing me I would probably think I was recording and go the whole scene without actually recording anything. That would suck...but I would get a kick out randomly exclaiming CUT! every now and then...What if my music video flops and I end up on the list of MTV's Top Ten worst videos ever? I would establish a bad rep in a day, I would become old news and my career would be over before it even started.



Onwer of a Zoo (or whatever they are actually called)
Pros: I would be surrounded by animals all day everyday. This would make me very happy(I love animals) Not just animals like dogs and cats, but exotic animals like penguins and monkeys. Maybe I would even be able to take some home because everyone would like to have a pet penguin waddling around the house. I would be able to reserve the whole zoo for a day and throw the best family reunions ever. (or any type of party for that matter.) That would be fantastic.


Cons: I would probably stink all day. I would probably spend too much time playing with the animals instead of keeping track of the finances or whatever you do. I might grow a little too attached to certain animals and probably yell at little kids for teasing them. I would get caught with roughly 54 different species of animals at my house that I have "snuck" out of the zoo. I might enjoy this job so much I might neglect my family. That would be no bueno. What if a lion or alligator gets out at night and terrorizes the neighborhood? I could get fined, or lose my job. Or worse someone could die. Then I would quit and feel really bad and retreat into the depths of my own misery.



Teacher
Pros: Probably the most realistic occupation out of all of these. I would love to be able to teach, it's about helping kids, it's about making a difference in someones life while they are still young and teachable. It's about influencing the youth for the better. It's about inspiring and expanding their horizons. Thats what its all about.


Cons: I might still act more like one of the kids instead of a mature teacher. I would be tempted to have an abstract grading system and weird classroom rules that never make sense in the first place. Other veteran teachers would probably look down on me for not being strict enough, or refer to me as "the greenhorn." Instead of eating the in faculty room and bonding with all the other teachers, I would probably spend my lunches in the gym playing basketball with the kids. Oh well, it would still be great.



Novelist/Writer
Pros: I like to write. Once again I could use my creativeness. This is a career that really has no boundaries. I like that. Judging by the length of my blogs, maybe writing a full length novel really wouldn't be that much of a stretch. If I am good enough I can inspire kids to read, something that no one really does a lot of anymore. Maybe I could become as rich as J.K. Rowling. After all, there really is not much to writing if you think about it. Just assemble the english language in such a way that sounds really good and come up with a good idea to write about.


Cons: Writing is much harder than it sounds. I take that back, to be GREAT at writing is really hard. It takes a long time to think out a full plot, and insert all the small details and descriptions that make a story something great. It took J.K. Rowling more than 15 years of planning to figure out her story. I don't think I could do that. I would get bored with my own story way before the public even knew about it. Most likely I would never make enough to live off of this career. Dang.


Cruise Ship Captain
Pros: I have seriously taken this career into consideration. It would be unique thats for sure. Once again I would get to travel, I get to wear that cool hat and hopefully I would get to turn a huge wooden wheel. I would get to meet new people all the time and I would get a kick out of jumping on the intercom system and yelling "ICEBERG ICEBERG! HEAD FOR THE LIFEBOATS!" when its only obviously that we are on our way to the Bahamas and were clearly sailing in tropical waters.


Cons: First of all I dont know how you ever even become a cruise boat captain? I don't know one thing about steering a boat or the nautical coordinates you use to navigate your way around the Earth. I guess in emergency situations I could navigate off the North Star. If any of the passengers knew of my ineptness they would have never gotten on the boat. Too bad for them I guess they'll never have the chance to get off the boat either...he he..More than likely I'll be tempted to put the boat on cruise control and lay around in the pool, or play Marco Polo with my crew members. Even though the captains quarters is probably very very nice, I would not really look forward to spending that much time on a ship, and I would probably attach a barf bag across my neck and take it with me everywhere I went.



Song Lyricist
Pros: This would be a very intriguing career to me. Most songs that are sung are written by someone else. I think I would love it, can you imagine hearing a song you wrote being sung on the radio? This may not even take too much skill, have you ever looked up lyrics to an awesome song and realized that the lyrics really aren't that wonderful or they really don't mean a whole lot? Then you think to yourself, "Wow I could of maybe wrote something that good." Besides some of the most famous songs are written while the authors were on drugs...It can't be that hard then right? Yes, this would be a fascinating job and it could earn me a lot of money. Plus I get my name mentioned on the CD cover and I get credits. Oh yeah.


Cons: Instead of making MTV's Top Ten worst videos I would make MTV's list of Top Ten worst written songs. What if I wrote a really cheesy chorus and it was mimicked for all time and enternity? What if I accidentally got on the wrong side of all those "gansta rappers" and ended up shot or stabbed in the studio like they always seem to end up?



Sports Coach
Pros: It is just about every guys dream to be some kind of sports coach. Coaching sports would be fun, not just because I'm a big fan of sports but because once again, I would get to teach kids. It's not like sports is the most important thing in life, but its the lessons you learn as you play sports. Its the concept of pushing yourself farther than you have ever pushed yourself before. Its knowing that you can achieve something you never thought you could have before. Its the discipline you learn as you actually have to work towards your goals to accomplish great feats. Thats what sports teaches you about yourself and about life really.

Cons: I'll have to start my pep talks 2 hours before each game if I start talking like I blog. Instead of listening to me they will just want me to shut up. I will stylize my coaching techniques to that of Denzel Washingtons in Remember the Titans, and I will wake them up in the middle of the night to go running through Heber's cemetery to point out the little grave that says Unknown Black Male and then I will give a big speach about race and how it can tear us apart or bring us together and in the process I will leave my players utterly confused and bewildered. I may be a little too passionate of a coach and I might just take it a little too seriously. I would come to practice everyday in the shortest shorts possible, with the same sweat stained t-shirt and a sweatband or two of course. I would occasionally blow my whistle at random times just to scare my players. After an emotional win or loss my "after game remarks" may just very well last another two hours and somehow I'll find a way to tie the game into a bigger game called Life and I'll end up telling them all how important it is to succeed in life and we will all be crying after the end of every game.

Astronaut
Pros: This job would be out of this world. HA. Get it? No but seriously, how cool would it be to be looking at all of earth from space? How cool would it be to just float around? I mean really how could you say no to something like that?

Cons: Besides the fact that I would never make it through the rigorous tests and trials that I would have to endure, I don't take very well to the fact that I would have to spend the whole trip in an adult diaper. I have to admit the movie Apollo 13 scared the crap out of me and dashed all my desire to actually consider being an astronaut. I dont really like the idea of accidentally floating away into nothingness or instantly vaporizing myself either...And if I ever came across my actual alien up there I think that adult diaper would come in handy.

One of the 12 Apostles
Pros: Haha yes, I did actually think up this myself and I would consider it very much a dream job. Well I suppose there are a ton of pros to this one. Let's start with the potential of meeting the Savior and God, as well as a whole assortment of great people face to face. Then lets go with the fact that this job must mean that I am doing something right and I'm pretty much ensured a happy life forever and ever. I would probably get to travel a lot and experience a lot of great and wonderful experiences that just will never happen to anyone else. What a job it would be.

Cons: Thinking and writing up all the talks I must give. That would be very hard for me. The whole job would just be plain hard. Especially at General Conference where like 1/4 of the world is watching you. What if I went crosseyed trying to read the teleprompter? It would be hard to be such a good example all day everyday. It would be unbelievable hard to maintain such a good image in the public scrutiny, as well as answer very difficult questions in such a way that doesn't offend other people.
ps. I have no idea why this one has a smaller font. I tried to fix it but it made it worse?

Sundays

For some reason I really love Sundays now. It may quite possibly be my most favorite day of the week. Yes, Sunday.

It's weird, in the past I've never really been a big fan of Sunday. Most stores were all closed, a lot of my friends couldn't do anything, you HAD to go to church, and you generally just happen to feel like a lazy blob on Sundays. Sundays were like a little speedbump that got in the way of my other "more important" activities.

But it's a little different now. I don't know if it's because now I have such a crazy hectic work schedule or if it's just because I have been plain busy but I actually look forward to Sundays now. I embrace it and I welcome it. Sunday's mean I get to have a break from "normal life." Sundays are like the light at the end of a dark tunnel that is six days long. Sunday gives me a chance to exhale and breathe normally. I feel like I am replenishing my strength, my mind, my thoughts. I decided it is very important to have a day like this.

Sundays are wonderful.
You just need a break sometimes you know?

ps.
There is this really weird song that I heard the other day. It creates the weirdest mood ever, it is almost unbearably depressing, yet somehow there is a sliver of happiness and hope weaved through it. It's like one of those songs you would hear in your mind as you were dying or something. I judge music the most by what type of mood it puts me in, I just can't tell what type of mood this song has. I am posting the lyrics because they are amazingly amazingly poetic, something that I love. It is full of meaning, yet somehow I don't know what it means haha. The words are golden though. Read them, but go listen to the song. It's better.

Spend all your time waiting
For that second chance
For a break that would make it okay
There’s always one reason
To feel not good enough
And it’s hard at the end of the day
I need some distraction
Oh beautiful release
Memory seeps from my veins
Let me be empty
And weightless and maybe
I’ll find some peace tonight

In the arms of an angel
Fly away from here
From this dark cold hotel room
And the endlessness that you fear
You are pulled from the wreckage
Of your silent reverie
You’re in the arms of the angel
May you find some comfort there

So tired of the straight line
And everywhere you turn
There’s vultures and thieves at your back
And the storm keeps on twisting
You keep on building the lie
That you make up for all that you lack
It don’t make no difference
Escaping one last time
It’s easier to believe in this sweet madness oh
This glorious sadness that brings me to my knees

In the arms of an angel
Fly away from here
From this dark cold hotel room
And the endlessness that you fear
You are pulled from the wreckage
Of your silent reverie
You’re in the arms of the angel
May you find some comfort there
You’re in the arms of the angel
May you find some comfort here

Something to think about

I read this in a forward, one of the most meaninful forwards that I've ever read in my opinion...Maybe its not exactly correct, but it is correct in its concept, and it sends the right message. It makes you think a little huh?

A TEENAGERS VIEW OF HEAVEN..

17-year-old Brian Moore had only a short time to write something for a class.

The subject was what Heaven was like. "I wowed 'em," he later told his father, Bruce. "It's a killer. It's the bomb. It's the best thing I ever wrote..."

It also was the last. Brian Moore died May 27, 1997 the day after Memorial Day. He was driving home from a friend's house when his car went off Bulen-Pierce Road in Pickaway County and struck a utility pole. He emerged from the wreck unharmed but stepped on a downed power line and was electrocuted.

The Moores framed a copy of Brian's essay and hung it among the family portraits in the living room. "I think God used him to make a point. I think we were meant to find it and make something out of it," Mrs. Moore said of the essay. She and her husband want to share their son's vision of life after death.

"I'm happy for Brian. I know he's in heaven. I know I'll see him."

Brian's Essay:

The Room

In that place between wakefulness and dreams, I found myself in the room. There were no distinguishing features except for the one wall covered with small index card files. They were like the ones in libraries that list titles by author or subject in alphabetical order. But these files, which stretched from floor to ceiling and seemingly endless in either direction, had very different headings. As I drew near the wall of files, the first to catch my attention was one that read "Girls I have liked." I opened it a nd began flipping through the cards. I quickly shut it, shocked to realize that I recognized the names written on each one. And then without being told, I knew exactly where I was. This lifeless room with its small files was a crude catalog system for my life. Here were written the actions of my every moment, big and small, in a detail my memory couldn't match. A sense of wonder and curiosity, coupled with horror, stirred within me as I began randomly opening files and exploring their content. Some brought joy and sweet memories; others a sense of shame and regret so intense that I would look over my shoulder to see if anyone was watching. A file named "Friends" was next to one marked "Friends I have betrayed." The titles ranged from the mundane to the outright weird "Books I Have Read," "Lies I Have Told," "Comfort I have Given," "Jokes I Have Laughed at ." Some were almost hilarious in their exactness: "Things I've yelled at my brothers." Others I couldn't laugh at: "Things I Have Done in My Anger", "Things I Have Muttered Under My Breath at My Parents." I never ceased to be surprised by the contents. Often there were many more cards than I expected. Sometimes fewer than I hoped. I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of the life I had lived. Could it be possible that I had the time in my years to fill each of these thousands or even millions of cards? But each card confirmed this truth. Each was written in my own handwriting. Each signed with my signature. When I pulled out the file marked "TV Shows I have watched", I realized the files grew to contain their contents. The cards were packed tightly, and yet after two or three yards, I hadn't found the end of the file. I shut it, shamed, not so much by the quality of shows but more by the vast time I knew that file represented. When I came to a file marked "Lustful Thoughts," I felt a chill run through my body. I pulled the file out only an inch, not willing to test its size and drew out a card. I shuddered at its detailed content. I felt sick to think that such a moment had been recorded. An almost animal rage broke on me. One thought dominated my mind: No one must ever see these cards! No one must ever see this room! I have to destroy them!" In insane frenzy I yanked the file out. Its size didn't matter now. I had to empty it and burn the cards. But as I took it at one end and began pounding it on the floor, I could not dislodge a single card. I became desperate and pulled out a card, only to find it as strong as steel when I tried to tear it. Defeated and utterly helpless, I returned the file to its slot. Leaning my forehead against the wall, I let out a long, self-pitying sigh. And then I saw it.. The title bore "People I Have Shared the Gospel With." The handle was brighter than those around it, seemed newer, almost unused. I pulled on its handle and a small box not more than three inches long fell into my hands. I could count the cards it contained on one hand. And then the tear s came. I began to weep Sobs so deep that they hurt. They started in my stomach and shook through me. I fell on my knees and cried. I cried out of shame, from the overwhelming shame of it all. The rows of file shelves swirled in my tear-filled eyes. No one must ever, ever know of this room. I must lock it up and hide the key. But then as I pushed away the tears, I saw Him. No, please not Him. Not here. Oh, anyone but Jesus. I watched helplessly as He began to open the files and read the cards. I couldn't bear to watch His response. And in the moments I could bring myself to look at His face, I saw a sorrow deeper than my own. He seemed to intuitively go to the worst boxes. Why did He have to read every one? Finally He turned and looked at me from across the room. He looked at me with pity in His eyes. But this was a pity that didn't anger me. I dropped my head, covered my face with my hands and began to cry again. He walked over and put His arm around me. He could have said so many things. But He didn't say a word. He just cried with me. Then He got up and walked back to the wall of files. Starting at one end of the room, He took out a file and, one by one, began to sign His name over mine on each card. "No!" I shouted rushing to Him. All I could find to say was "No, no," as I pulled the card from Him. His name shouldn't be on these cards. But there it was, written in red so rich, so dark, so alive.

The name of Jesus covered mine. It was written with His blood. He gently took the card back. He smiled a sad smile and began to sign the cards. I don't think I'll ever understand how He did it so quickly, but the next instant it seemed I heard Him close the last file and walk back to my side. He placed His hand on my shoulder and said, "It is finished." I stood up, and He led me out of the room. There was no lock on its door. There were still cards to be written.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."-Phil. 4:13 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."