Last Chance at Life

Summer 2011 Fun

2011-07-10T19:57:00.000-07:00

This summer has been a great summer so far. I have been able to really get in to work and have really enjoyed my co-workers and all of the patients. I don't dread going to work everyday, and actually look forward to it. I feel like the Lord has truly blessed and answered my prayers as I have been searching for the right job and career.

Not having school has also been a blessing. Most days all I have is work and then I am able to go home and don't have homework or papers to write. I have enjoyed catching up on a couple of projects as well as exercising a lot more. I don't feel like my life is rushed and I can enjoy everyday a little bit more. Life really is good.

About a month ago the Director of Nursing came in to my office and asked me if I wanted to run a half marathon with her. I had been wanting to get in to running and so I agreed to train and get ready. It was a run to help raise funds for cancer treatments for families in the valley who could not afford it. It wasnt easy but I was able to complete it, with an ok time. Since then I have signed up for a couple more runs and have really enjoyed getting out and being active. Being in DC and studying all the time sure took its toll on my weight. Hopefully I can slim down a little bit and be a lot more healthy. Here are a couple of pictures from the few runs that I have done so far.

The half marathon was the AF canyon half. The first 8 miles was through the canyon, which was mostly downhill. I thought that would be great but it ended up hurting more going downhill than I anticipated. The last 5 were pretty much flat with a couple of ups and downs. However, I finished, and I was proud of myself. I ended up with a time of 2 hours and 15 minutes which is ok. I definitely needed to train more and look forward to doing another half this summer.

That is me in the background at the finish. If you can zoom in you can see the anxt in my face. Needless to say I was sore the next couple of days. However, I felt like it was a beautiful run and minus that stupid hill between mile 10 and 11, I loved it.

One of the best parts was the free massage at the end of the race. Though it may have been the most painful massage of my life, it sure felt good after.

A week later I signed up and ran in the Freedom run 10K. I thought it was going to be great considering I had just finished a half a week before, in my mind it was going to be a piece of cake. However there were a lot more hills than in the half and I sure felt it. I was running with a coworker who is a marathon runner and she kept our pace about an 8 min mile. I ended up with a time of 55 minutes, which was better than I had anticipated. Next year Ill probably just do the 5K...

This is me crossing the finish. I was glad to be done with this run. I was a lot more dehydrated at the end of this race as well. It was unfortunate, but they ran out of water at mile 5 because we were sharing the same water table with the 5Kers and that was their mile 2. Since we both started at the same time the 5Kers had cleaned out the water table by the time the 10Kers got there. Though it was fun to run through the parade and then be able to watch the parade after it was over. The rest of the 4th was a lot of fun as well. I went to a couple of BBQ's and watched the fireworks that night. Also the Saturday before I went to my brothers house for dinner and met up with Lindsay and her Fiancee. It was good to spend time with family.

I also ran another 5K yesterday in Mona, UT with a couple of friends. It was the Lavender field run and it was beautiful. It is what it says it is-a race through lavender fields. It was a good way to start the day. I have enjoyed running and look forward to doing a couple more races before the summer is over. I am also the alternate on a ragnar team for the Seattle Ragnar race at the end of August. It is a team relay race of 12 where you run over 200 miles. Each runner runs three legs of the race and you run through the night. It should be fun, Ill find out in the next couple of weeks if I am in.

Other than that I have just been working and finding time to date and catch up on life. This having only one job thing is really nice...

Fishing with Papa and Chad

2011-05-10T19:22:00.000-07:00

Every year my dad goes on a fishing trip somewhere, and it seems like the last few years I have not been able to go with him due to work or school. However, this year I had been planning for it for a while and a week after graduation I hopped on a plane to Tulsa, OK where my dad and Chad picked me up. We drove a couple of hours NE to stay at my dads friends lake house. We just spent the next 4 days fishing and relaxing. It turned out to be a perfect way to celebrate graduation. I was happy to spend some quality time with my dad as well. This is the only picture I can find from our trip:

Most of the fish we caught were catfish like the one above. We set limb lines (which are just strings with hooks baited tied to tree limbs that hang over the water). The water was so high because there had been flooding so we were able to take the boat out and catch a lot of great limbs. First we caught a bunch of Shad with fishing nets and then used them as bait to catch the catfish. We spent the rest of the time just lure fishing and experimenting with bow fishing. We were also able to catch up with my grandma who lives near and some other family. I am already looking forward to next years fishing trip.

I am a Master now!

2011-04-29T15:10:00.000-07:00

Well, this last semester has been crazy! I came back from DC with an opportunity to finish up my Masters. I loved my time in DC but I always knew I would come back and finish. The timing worked out for me to go and so I did it! This last week I graduated with a Masters in Public Administration: Emphasis in Strategic Management and Finance. This semester it was good to reunite with some of my Master Program friends, but also to tie up a couple of loose ends. I enjoyed the semester-but it was really busy. I had school (22.5 credits), Volunteering with the Church project, working at a Rehab clinic in Orem, and dating. It seemed to pass by like a blink of an eye, but I am grateful that I did it. Needless to say my blogging fell by the wayside, but I have some fun things planned for the summer. Here are some picture of graduation.

My parents were able to come up to celebrate. I am glad that they were able to make it. Graduation is always a little and drawn out, but it made it fun to have all of my family there.

Here are the two little ones...not so little anymore. Chad and Linds came as well. Big thank you to Chad for going early and saving seats for everyone.

Here is the happy bunch (Minus Jared).

Here is the Masters program graduating class. There are a lot of great people in this photo that are going to do a lot of great things in the world!

This was my home for the last couple of years, I never actually slept here but I came close on a couple of occasions.

I made a lot of great friends in the program. This is Matt Hartvigsen. We spent a lot of long nights together working on projects. It was always fun to have his little boy Max around for a distraction. I love this guy.

This is definitely not one of my most glamorous shots, but it shows how happy I was to be done and eating a Cheesecake Factory Cherry Cheesecake.

Overall I am glad I did and I am glad that I am done. I am looking forward to moving past this part of my life and knowing that I accomplished what I set out to do!

Book Review: The Unlikely Disciple

2010-12-29T20:35:00.000-08:00

I just finished reading 'The Unlikely Disciple' by Kevin Roose, and must admit that I thoroughly enjoyed it. I also must be honest and say that I had never heard of Liberty University, nor this book before finding it on a Barnes and Noble book list.

It has a simple plot, with a very good message. Kevin, a Sophmore at Brown University, took a semester off to attend Liberty University, as he put it, "A sinners semester at America's Holiest University". Because I had never heard of the book nor the University, I wasn't sure what the book would be like, but found the synopsis interesting.

I thought the book was enlightening and provocative in its perspective of being a Christian 'outsider' (though as a Quaker, he technically is a Christian), and I must admit that I have changed my view of sharing my beliefs with others, and working with others in finding common grounds in which to build.

The best part of the book was the parallelism to experiences at BYU, in terms of philosophies and cultural ideas, which can be found in the following descriptions of life at Liberty University:

"I guess I should explain that outside of Jane Austin novels, nowhere is marriage a more frequent topic of conversation than at Christian college. Since arriving here, I've heard hundreds of jokes about the Liberty wedding frenzy--the 'ring by spring' race, going to school for your MRS degree, and on and on. Three weeks into the semester, it's already crystal clear, this school wants marriage like Ohio State wants football championships."

"I've never felt particularly rushed about getting married (probably because I've never taken an abstinence pledge), but when you're surrounded by nuptial-crazed Christians, it forces the issue. Every few days, I hear about another Liberty guy who popped the question, and I spend a few minutes feeling panicked. I'm almost twenty! Shouldn't I at least have someone in mind?"

"At Liberty, hand-holding is third base"

"When you go on a date, all you have to do is follow one rule: pay, pray, and say"

Also, one overriding theme of the book, that was thought provoking for me was summarized in the following paragraph:

"What happens when a Liberty student' [or any student, BYU student, etc.] instilled values clash with his personal experiences? What happens when the moral system we're taught in our classes-- a system where everthing is clear-cut, black or white, good or evil--comes in to contact with the messy, complicated world? Do the values fles to fit reality? Or is Liberty's thoelogical inculcation so powerful that it can convince its students to override their social inclinations?

Roose also had a couple of quotes that sparked my interest:

"Religious observance increases students' satisfaction with academic life, social life, and the college experience in general." -A conclusion of a study by Margarita Mooney. Mooney studied both religious and non-religious college students and demonstrated that students who attended religious service weekly or more were both happier and more successful in school than their non-religious counterparts.

"It is not so true that prayer changes things as that prayer changes me and I change things." -Oswald Chambers

Overall, I would recommend this book, with the caution that there is forward conversation about adult content (though they are not explicit but rather discussion topics), with some language (not heavy).

Pentagon Tour

2010-12-15T08:17:00.000-08:00

Today I went on a tour of the Pentagon. I have driven by the Pentagon multiple times, or have caught a bus there more times than I can count, but I had never been inside. A friend of mine, Rachel Murdock, and I got a private tour from one of the workers at the Pentagon. It is really intense to get inside. After providing multiple proofs of identity and my social security number, and passing through guards and a metal detector they let me in. I had no idea what to even expect. It turned out to be its own little city with restaurants and shops (including a red box room). I guess the idea is that they dont want people to leave, or atleast leave early from work or have to leave for lunch.

Once inside, I lost track of where I was at in the maze of circles. There were a lot of exhibits on the walls about war heros, treaties signed, and paintings. We were able to walk past the Secretary of State's office, and pause to reflect at the September 11th chapel and monument inside. Overall it was a great experience, and I learned a ton about some of the history of the Pentagon, and a new added respect for our men and women in the military.

Here is the Pentagon, which is the largest office building in the WORLD! it is over 6,500,000 sq ft of floor space. Plus just walking around you can get the sense of how large it is. There is a courtyard in the middle where workers can walk around without having to leave, plus a smaller food court area right in the middle (which this Russians thought was an important place because people were always going in and out of it, but they didnt know that is where the food is served). They have finished the revuilding of the wall where the plane hit, but you can still see the seam of where the new and the old meet.

This is the only place that you can take a picture, so with only one picture to show of the tour, this will have to suffice. Overall it was a great tour, one in which I feel very luck to have been able to do.

Lakers vs Wizards Game

2010-12-14T07:58:00.000-08:00

I didnt get as many pictures as I would have liked, but the one above will have to suffice (thanks Becca's Phone!)

One of the vendors that we use for the company I work for (Lotame) took us to a Lakers vs Wizards game, and we were able to watch the game from suite. There was a ton of food, and the view was pretty good. It was just great to get to spend time with some of the co-workers outside of the office. If I had a choice I would probably sit in the stands where I think you can be a little more involved in the game. But you cant beat the food and the company in a suite box.

CNN's Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer

2010-12-13T18:02:00.000-08:00

I should start out by saying that I am extremely lucky in all of the things that I have been able to do while in DC. This includes being able to go to a taping of CNN's Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer. It is crazy to me to see how much behind the scenes stuff takes place just so we are able to watch the news. This seems like a great job, but then again I think I could only handle it for so long. However, it is one of the highlights of me living in DC.

If I were to be interviewed, rather than be there to witness an interview, this is where I would have sat. Overall the studio was a lot smaller than I thought it would have been. They cram a lot into really small places, and just swing the cameras around to different sets.

When we walked by, I just had to sit at Larry Kings desk, just to say that I did. Especially as iconic as he is, and that he is soon to be retired. He is based somehwere else, but they do some tapings in DC as well. The glowing lights were off in the back, but I think the flash brought out some fo the color pegs.

This is what Wolf does when it is commerical break, as he preps for his next interview.

Megan B. and I in the control room with a hundred different screens. Different people controlling what is scrolling on the bottom during the Situation Room, as well as graphics people, people talking to other news stations if they have a satellite interview. It was crazy in there. Talk about stress...

Here we are on the set, as they were live on the air. We had little ear pieces so we could hear what was taking place on and off the air. The camera people were really funny and tried to train us to be camera operators (though I think I will pass)

Here we have Wolf doing what he does best, talking to screens. /It was a lot of fun to see how everything worked out, and see how many moving parts there are to make sure this guy looks good when he is on.

To top off the evening we met Wolf Blitzer himself. I was really impressed with him and how nice he was.

I see possible news anchor in my future, looks so natural...

We also were able to talk with Roland Martin, a Democratic strategist. He was hilarious, especially as him and Wolf were talking about Boehner crying all of the time.

A Violin Named Chance

2010-12-08T11:57:00.000-08:00

Today I am a proud recipient of having a Violin named after me. Though I have never met this boy, or beheld the famous violin, I will be forever bonded to this boy and his little violin. This honor came from Linze Struiksma and her nannying efforts in Germany. Below is the description of how it all went down, and then some pictures of the now famous Nico and his violin, Chance.

So, the other night I was in charge of bedtime duty with the boys, which means violin practice as well. Nico recently got a new violin and Finn took his old one. The old one's name is "Lucy," but the new one didn't have a name yet... I have been trying for three weeks to get him to choose a name, and that night I ALMOST got him to go for "Guido," when he said, "What are names of your boyfriends?" I said, "Nico and Finn." He laughed and said, "NO. I mean you boyfriends at home , or your friends that are boys." I said, "Ben, Chance, Adam, Tyler..."
Suddenly, he yelled, "STOP! Chance? Like in Homeward Bound?" I said, "Well, except that's a talking dog, and my friend is a real, live boy." Nico replied, "Chance... Tell your friend there is now a dog and a violin named after him."

Thus, Nico has named his violin, CHANCE. After, he said, "It's partially cause I have to take a lot of CHANCES when trying to play it right... get it?" HAHA! He's a smart cookie.
So, CONGRATS, Chance Basinger! You have a violin in Germany named after YOU.

Here he is, Nico, the man of the hour with his violin, Chance. I am beaming with pride already. I can just see him becoming famous and talking about his violin named Chance. Keep practicing, Nico, you now have a fan in America.

Here is Nico (and Chance) and Finn practicing away! Keep it up boys! Make me proud!

I just had to share all of this because it really made my day. It is not everyday that you have a violin named after you. Also, a shout out to Linze and her friendship. She is one of those that last, despite the distance and the time apart. Love ya, Linze!

A Christmas Carol at Ford's Theater

2010-12-08T09:41:00.000-08:00

I watched the 'Christmas Carol' last night with a good friend, Rachel Murdock. We not only watched a Christmas Carol, but we watched it in the same theater that President Lincoln was shot. OK, that may sound a little morbid, but it was nonetheless fun to watch a play in the same theater where history had been made.

The story only gets better... We not only watched the play, but we were ushers for the play. Rachel had found a great deal where if you ushered then you could watch the show for free. At the end of the night, I may have enjoyed ushering more than I enjoyed the show.

We showed up early for 'Volunteer Usher Training' where we soon discovered that we were the youngest ushers, by atleast 40 years (No joke-maybe slightly). This was no fly by the night type of gig, these ushers had been doing this for years (and they were good!). As soon as the assignments were read you had to volunteer for them (hands raised high in the air and waving), unfortunately for us we were not as accustomed to this, so we missed out on the prime ushering spots of scanning tickets and ushering in the balcony. Nonetheless we were assigned to the Orchestra seating, where the fun began.

I was a little nervous after the training, as there were a lot of things to remember: 1.) Right side is odd, 2) Left side is even 3.) Help them to their seats. At this point I was quizzed by one of the veteran ushers asking me where seat 101 was. I nearly fainted, I had no idea there was to be a quiz, and even better the lady was serious! I quickly guessed, and seeing the pain in my eyes, she let it pass; only to correct me multiple times throughout the night in improper ushering. For future reference- no pointing, only full hand gestures, and give them a program at the top of the stairs, not at the bottom. The old ladies were especially worried because it was our first time, so they posted a watcher on us to make she we were doing things right. Come to find out, there is a 'secret society' of ushers across the DC area who do this all the time, at all of the theaters around, and we were encroaching on their secret. Needless to say, the real staff loved us, and told us of the funny tales of the 'old secret usher society', but plead with us to come back because the patrons loved us. For Rachel and I, this was heaven: talk to complete strangers about their lives, and then when we were done, we just showed them to their seats. We quickly learned why none of the ladies wanted the first door orchestra seating post-you have to hold the doors open to the outside at the end of the plya-IT WAS FREEZING. Overall, however, Rachel and I lauged during the whole process. It was one crazy night of ushering.

We could have left at that point and been fully satisfied, but the cherry on top was that we were able to stay and watch the performance (or atleast what we could see...) The overall production was great, and there were a lot of great effects. If you get the CHANCE, you should definitely go and see it while it is playing. Here are a couple of shots of the play and the theater:

Here is an audience shot of Fords Theater. It was great to be able to get there early and to walk around, with basically no one there. It was really awe inspiring to think that this is the actual theater where Lincoln had been shot. A definite to do when in Washington.

Here is the 'President's box where Lincoln had sat. We got a little private tour of it (not actually in it but describing it) Apparently it is decorated the same way it was the night Lincoln had been shot. There are three original pieces still a part of the exhibit: The couch, Mrs. Lincoln's chair (to the right of the couch), and the picture of George Washington. Apparently they put the picture of George Washington because it was still a symbol of the Office of the President (a makeshift seal of sorts). The blue flag is a the flag of the treasury, and is only there because they were trying to find flags in preparation for the President to come. The boy they sent out to find flags brought this one back, and because of a lack of time they stuck with it (little did the boy know that his story would be told someday)

Like I said the props and effects were great. Here scrooge is approached by Marley, there were some great actors.

I am all for artistic interpretation (to a point), but couldnt stop laughing at the ghost of the past. It was a little odd to have her floating around the stage-but it ended up working. Here is a little hint: there is a doll of the fairy hanging in the cart of one of the merchants in the market-a little freaky. I just had to have this picture, just for the memory sake.

Here is the cast in the end. Overall a great job. It was great to watch it and get more in the Christmas Spirit. If you have some time in this schedule filled time of year, this is a great way to spend an evening. And if you want to watch it for free you can dare volunteer to be an usher (just beware!).

Christmas lights at DC Temple

2010-12-05T21:47:00.000-08:00

This evening I went with Dawn, Michael, and Lindy to the DC Temple visitor center to watch Lisa Hopkins Seegmiller perform, and to see the lights around the temple. It was a great event, and Lisa was amazing. I had never heard of her before, but she has won a Tony and is nominated for a Grammy. She sang most of the traditional Christmas carols including O Holy Night-which is my favorite. I also ran in to one of my old EFY boys from a couple of years ago as he is serving his mission here in DC now. It was a great evening with friends, music, and then we stayed for the First Presidency Christmas Devotional.

Here is a picture of Lisa Seegmiller, for those of you who do not know her either. You can read more about her by clicking here.

Here is a picture of the lights around the DC temple, they are amazing. Definitely worth a trip to the temple to see at night. Though I would mention that it was beyond freezing and the wind did not help the situation.

Santa Shuffle 5K

2010-12-04T16:23:00.000-08:00

Today I went with a friend (Lindy) to the Santa Shuffle 5K. I was a little hesitant because it meant that I would have to get up at 5:30 a.m. and go run in the freezing cold. I was sold though when she told me it benefited the Make A Wish Foundation.

I was pleasantly surprised with the run (although it was still freezing). Lindy had purchased Santa hats, and I layered up and had a really fun time. I paced myself with this lady who had bells on her shoes which kept my mind distracted. I ended up surprisng myself and doing pretty well, and I even qualified for the DC half marathon (which I will not be doing, just in case you were wondering).

To be honest, I dont enjoy running. It is more of a mind game to me, and I eventually lose to boredom. Though today I had a really fun time, and will probably do a couple of more 5Ks in the coming year.

Thankful for all the Chances- Part III

2010-11-25T09:18:00.000-08:00

I started a tradition a couple of years ago, and wanted to keep it alive. It helps renew my sense of gratitude as I try to list things that I am thankful for not only during this time of the year, but always. So here is just the tip of the iceberg of things that I grateful for this year:

FAMILY -Mom-for her divine gift of charity and compassion, Dad-for continued patience and hard work, Jared-for improving every day, Chad-for being a great friend, Lindsay-for allowing a brother to care so much and for striving for better, Friends-who live all over the country now, and the world-who I don’t get to catch up with as often as I would like but when we do it is like we talked yesterday, that are getting married, or are married and/or having kids, Health-for the gym pass and learning to love working out-even if it is just for my own sanity, Education, the opportunity that I had to have gone to BYU, and the opportunities that going there have afforded me, Living in DC I can honestly say that I love it, I have met a ton of great people, and I still get the chills when I see the Capital, there is just something about this place, Educate the Kids and the chance I have to interact with wonderful people who just want to make a difference, Voices for Virtue for the late nights and all of the great people that I get to work with on this project, Blackberry (shameful I know) but it keeps me connected, Employment-not necessarily the late nights or long hours, but the skills that I am learning that transfer to so many other areas of interest in my life, ‘Divine Discontent’ for wanting to always be better, but also being happy with where I am at (ultimately really to make the world a better place), Make A Wish Foundation for the realization that if I am truly going to be happy I have to serve others, Books for the momentary get away and the generation of thoughts and ideas, Airplanes because I live so far away it doesn’t take make to jump on a flight and be where you want to be in no time, Facebook for multiple reasons, staying connected, and for helping to spread good, Computer for keeping all of my thoughts together and making it easy to stay connected, Mentors I have had some great mentors in my life from my Mission President, to Bro. Wilkes, to Bro. Cox to many more, Goals for the learning the value of goals on my mission, and to have daily things to reach and work towards, Piano and being able to sit down when I want and play, relieve stress, and just be content, This Blog which is more like my journal than anything else, and for the 2 people that read it, Continuous Opportunities I have been blessed with- too many to name, from travelling to meeting new and influential people, to great opportunities to serve, those long Prayers when things just don’t seem to be going right, and those Answers to Prayers that seem to come shortly after, for Food in general but more specifically Thai food, for other people’s blogs where I can track their life and keep some sort of connection, for Life Necessities and not wanting for anything, having a warm bed to sleep in, food to eat, clothes, for God and Him not giving up on me, Being Happy and being blessed to see the good in people, things, and situations, Life Lessons that have taught me patience, empathy, pain, sadness which helps me have compassion for others more, and teach me that I don’t have to be perfect, Hope for good things in the future, and that things in life will work themselves out, that my name is Chance and all of the puns that can come from that, and that people think it is the first time that I have heard those puns, the Gospel and the direction that it has given me in life, Insurance and the peace it brings from just having it, and being able to see the dentist, and eye doctor, and if needed to see a medical doctor, being able to Laugh at myself and the funny things in life, for having so many Choices in life and what I can do in the future, for being able to Cry when life doesn’t turn out the way you thought it would, or when sad things happen to people you love, when I find old Thank You notes and when I receive new ones, My Life Rules and Philosophies which help keep me in check, Life so full of Blessings that I can’t think of all of them to put in this list, and for the renewed realization that I have nothing to complain about but everything to be grateful for.

Book Review: Room

2010-11-09T12:22:00.000-08:00

I just finished the book 'Room' by Emma Donoghue. I grabbed it at Costco because I was looking for an easy read after the conclusion of the elections, and thought the premise of the book was interesting.
Here is the synopsis provided, but I feel that it probably gives away too much about the book. Nonetheless, here is what is printed on the inside cover of the book.

"To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It is where he was born and grew up; it’s where he lives with his Ma as they learn and read and eat and sleep and play. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits.

Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it is the prison where Old Nick has held her captive for seven years. Through determination, ingenuity, and fierce motherly love, Ma has created a life for Jack. But she knows it’s not enough…not for her or for him. She devises a bold escape plan, one that relies on her young son’s bravery and a lot of luck. What she does not realize is just how unprepared she is for the plan to actually work.
Told entirely in the language of the energetic, pragmatic five-year-old Jack, ROOM is a celebration of resilience and the limitless bond between parent and child, a brilliantly executed novel about what it means to journey from one world to another."

The great part about the book is reading from the perspective of a five-year-old boy as he describes the world around him. Because I dont want to give too much away about the book, I will suffice to say that it is an easy read, and one that is hard to put down. I got me through the weekend, but also made me think. It really is sad some of things that happen around us and we have no idea that they are indeed happening.

Today was the day! (Election Day)

2010-11-02T08:02:00.000-07:00

I could hardly sleep. I tossed and turned the whole night in anticipation for today. I had looked forward to this day for nearly 7 months. My life from the outside could almost have been viewed as a love affair with my blackberry. Wherever I was, there she was also. Occasionally she would get low on herself, and I would have to give her a boost. Alas, she and I made it through, it was time.

Her alarm went off at 6:30 a.m. I was already awake. Today was the day. I was more excited for today then I had been for the last couple years of Christmas. There had been many long days and nights in preparation for today. Early indicators had shown that our work had paid off, except having done this a couple of times- I knew nothing was certain until the end.

I got dressed quickly, did a couple of preparatory things for the day, and I was out the door.

As we drove up to the community center there were signs everywhere, some good some bad, but mostly thoughts of all the people that were out late last night or early this morning to ensure that their sign was in the best place, or in the front. However, there was no distracting me now. I had done the research and now it was time.

I walked past the 'nice' people handing out flyers, through the doors, showed my ID (indeed it was me), and then it was time.

I waited for my turn. The old man gestured me forward, I handed him my credentials, and I was in.

Slowly progressing through the prompters, I made my way to the end. The final button read 'Push here to Vote'. I paused, chuckled at how crazy I am, and pushed the button.

No flashing lights went off, there were no big bands playing in celebration, only a nice old lady who handed me my reward: a sticker. I wore that sticker all day long, not because it was fashionable, but because I was proud. Proud that indeed I live in a great country, where the people decide, and decide we did.

Idina Menzel Concert with the National Symphony Orchestra

2010-10-28T15:29:00.000-07:00

To be honest, I had never heard of Idina Menzel before. I have seeen wicked, and enjoy the play Rent, plus I have a co-worker who is in love with 'Glee' and so it is a wonder that it took me this long to figure out she is.

A friend in the ward had an extra ticket to the show, and although I was swamped with work, I agreed to go. She told me that we were going to see Idina Menzel sing with the National Symphony Orchestra, and I figured it was an Opera show of the sorts. However, I was pleasently surprised when we arrived and I read the program. It turned out to be an amazing conert. I was very glad that I was able to attend.

This is the fourth time I have heard the National Symphony play, twice in the Concert Hall. That is one of the great things about living in DC, plus often they have free shows where anyone can go and enjoy.

In case you are like me and have no idea who Idina is... she played in Rent, Wicked, Enchanted, and was on Glee. Here are a couple of shots:

She was very funny. It was a great show. She sang a couple of songs from Wicked, as well as Poker Face from Glee (which she made fun of). She also told a ton of funny stories in between each song. She really made the whole show.

Here is she is (in the green). She sang 'Defying Gravity, and a couple of other noteworthy songs from Wicked. It turned out to be a great evening, again, one in which I was glad to have been in attendance.

Book Review: Night, by Elie Wiesel

2010-10-04T14:06:00.000-07:00

I found this book in the airport in Houston, TX. Apparently it has been around for a while, I just have never heard of it. Maybe I was not paying attention in 7th grade when the rest of the country was reading it (according to those in my office). For whatever reason it caught my eye in the airport and it turned out to be a quick, really good read.

Night A terrifying account of the Nazi death camp horror that turns a young Jewish boy into an agonized witness to the death of his family...the death of his innocence...and the death of his God. Penetrating and powerful, as personal as The Diary Of Anne Frank, Night awakens the shocking memory of evil at its absolute and carries with it the unforgettable message that this horror must never be allowed to happen again. (Amazons version of the book, I thought it was a good account, so I posted it)

I think it is important to be reminded, on occassion, of what took place, and then evaluate what is happening in our day in age currently that could possibly lead to something like this. But not to just stop there but to take measures to ensure that it does not happen.

Like I said it was a quick read, very easy (besides the emotional impact), but caused me to reflect on my belief in God, and in what ways I need to strengthen my relationship with not only Him, but my family and friends.

On a cool side tangent: Last week was Elie Wiesel's birthday (82). Here is the man himself:

He also has started a Foundation called the Elie Wiesel Foundation: http://www.eliewieselfoundation.org/.

New York City

2010-09-20T05:10:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to go to NY this past weekend to attend a conference for work/pleasure. I have been to NYC a couple of times before, but never really had time to explore and see some of the many sights. It was great, but every time I go I realize that I would not like to live in NY, atelast not anywhere close to downtown. However, it is a great place to visit with plenty of things to do and see.

We arrived pretty late, but there were still thousands of people running around in Times Square. Our hotel was right off of Times Square which was nice.

We happened across this fellow outside M&M World. It is a fun place with a ton of M&M's everywhere!

One of the best things was the 'Top of the Rock' or the top of the Rockefeller center. The view is amazing! You really can see the whole city, and it gave me the perspective of how big NY really is. Definitely a must do!

Another view from the top. In the back is the Empire State Building and if you look really close you can see the Statue of Liberty

On the other side you can see Central Park.

I had never seen the Manhattan Temple. As we were walking we almost passed it, it really fits in to the NY scenery. We went inside and found it to be a really great place, where the chapel is on the top, temple being on the second floor. A perfect Temple design for NYC.

One of the best thingsn to do in NY is to see a Broadway play. This trip I saw the Phantom of the Opera. It was amazing. I had heard the music all growing up but had never seen the show or movie, and now I can check that off of my list. It was great!

We took the Staton Island Ferry to go out past the Statue of Liberty. This is the view leaving the city headed towards Staton Island.

Of all the things that I was able to see in NY I think seeing this pretty lady was one of my favorite. It was a perfect beautiful day. I kept thinking about all the thousand of immigrants who had passed this iconic statue on their way to America and how they must have felt. It was surreal to say the least.

I love New York, but only to visit. Great sights, Great Food, and so much to see.

Best Burger Place in the Country, and Whole lot of Spy Info

2010-09-13T06:53:00.000-07:00

Not to take anything away from Sept. 11 in my last post, I thought I would post about some of the other things I did the same weekend.

If you have one place you need to eat at while in DC it is Rays Hell Burger. I had seen it on TV and my roommate Mike had been wanting to go for a while. So we took that bus and were in for the best Hamburger I have ever had in my life.

Here is the delivery. Amazaing hamburger, amazing onion rings.

Just to prove it, here i am in front of the Rays. The next morning we woke up and were craving the place. Really it is that good!

While we waited for another friend to join us we checked out the market on the street. There were a ton of little stands. This is me sulking because I didnt win a free ticket to the Newseum and all the rest of my friends did.

We also visited the Spy Museum. Though I enjoyed it I dont think it was worth the money you have to pay to get inside. This could be the excpetion if you grew up wanting to be a spy.

There were some real neat gadgets and stuff throughout the museum, including the cool spy car that had built in guns behind the headlights.

September 11, 2010- Nine years Later

2010-09-13T06:51:00.000-07:00

I can still remember September 11, 2001. I was just finishing getting ready for school when on the news the first tower had been hit by an airplane. No one really knew what was going on at that point, but I still remember that being a big deal even before we had heard the news that it was a terrorist attack. Most of the day in most of the classes we just watched the news, not quite sure what was happening, but anxiously waiting to see what was going to happen. I cant believe it has already been 9 years since that day.

One of the great things about living in DC is the proximity to so many amzing monuments. We ended up going to the 9/11 Pentagon Memorial, which if you havent been it is a must see.

At first we thought it was this stone and we were a little disappointed, but soon discovered that the real monument was around the corner.

This is the group that went along (Erika, me, Mike, and Brady) I am never quite sure if I should smile in these type pictures or not...

Then the monument continues across to the side, you can see on the Pentagon where it was hit becasue the stones are a little lighter colored than the others.

Here is a picture of the actual part of the monument. It is a bench and depending on where it is facing shows where the individaul that passed away was at. If you have to look towards the building to read the name on the bench, then they were in the Pentago, if the bench is pointed in the oposite direction it means that they were passengers on the plane. The ages range from 3 to 71. Quite breathtaking.

It is hard to believe that anything like this would have ever happened, but now that it has it is important for all of us to not forget, or make the lives that perished be forgotten.

Great Falls, VA

2010-09-06T06:21:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I went with some friends from the ward (Erika and Emily) and my new roommate Mike to Great Falls (On the Virginia Side). It was a great Sunday afternoon activity. There are a ton of little waterfalls running up through this area and it is fun just to sit and watch and listen to the waterfalls.

I waded out to this little rock in the middle of the river. Apparently you were not suppose to do that, I guess only 12 people have died this year in this area from drowning, oops!

Just another picture

Here is the crew: Mike Erika, Emily, and I. It was a lot of fun.

We ended up hiking in an area we were not suppose to go so we could see a better view of the big waterfall. We hiked around the top and were able to get just above the waterfall, which was cool. Two of us fell in, but we did not become a statistic. It was a perfect evening, and ended with some great homemade lime bars!

Book Review: This I Believe

2010-09-01T06:46:00.000-07:00

I finished the book, "This I Believe" over the summer, and have been painstakingly pouring over my own draft of "What I Believe". I would reccomend this book as a starting block to begin the thought process of finding out what each of us truly believes, not in the religious sense, but that of a philosophy in which we feel leads our daily lives. The book oultined "Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women" and includes life philosophies from everyday individuals to Bill Gates, Alber Einstein, Colin Powell, Jackie Robinson, Eleanor Roosevelt, and many others. It often brought me back to the thought of "What Do I believe" In an attempt to satisfy that desire I have drafted up my own personal philosophy, and bearing any change, I hope to have it guide my life as I move forward to indeed make the world a better place:

This I Believe

By: Chance Basinger

I believe in the good of all people. That people, given the chance, will do acts of kindness for each other, and that innate desire to be good can be fostered and grow.

Ever since I was young, I have witnessed many occasions where people have had the opportunity of being good, and have chosen to do so. By reaching out to help a neighbor or friend in need, or giving time to a worthy cause when there seemed to be no more time in the person’s life to give. Where people stop to help change a flat tire, when they are already late themselves, or lift a saddened face, when they were the ones who needed lifting. This innate desire to be good, I believe, is within each of us, a gift given from God, to be His hands when they are needed.

Never truer than at this time in my life, does the phrase from Isabel Allende ring loud, “You only have what you give.” In giving of our time, our talents, and our energy for good, it not only blesses the lives of those who have been served, but it increases our desire to make the world a better place.

I believe that if enough ordinary people, like me, back up their desire for a better world with actions, we can, in fact, accomplish extraordinary things.

Nelson Algren put it best when he said, “the journey is all.” For when our mortal journey is through, it will not be the job we had, or the amount of money we made, but it will be about those we helped along the way.

I believe in the good of all people. That people, given the chance, will more oft than not, choose to be good.

Glen Echo Park: Swing Dancing

2010-08-29T14:43:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, my cousing , Mady, came down and spent the weekend. We had met some friends the last time she was down and we went out to eat and went swing dancing. I must say that I am not a very big fan of dancing in general. I think I got danced out during my years at EFY. However, it turned out to be a really fun evening. The place we went to is in Maryland, Glen Echo. It was designed a while ago as an attraction park. For the first hour they teach you how to swing dance by rotating you through partners (which fun only doubled when you were with a lady over twice your age!). Then you have the rest of the evening to try out your dance moves. For whatever reason the dance instructor lady made it her mission to teach me how to dance. She would make me dance with her and show me ways to 'woo' the ladies. If you can just remember this sequence then you will be set: Triple Step (to the left), Triple Step (to the right), back step, then you will be dancing swing in no time. Here are some pictures of Glen Echo. It is a really cool place to go and hang out.

Like I said, it is an old park designed back in the 50's 60's era, and they have kept it preserved all of the years.

Here is my favorite dance instructor lady on the left with the white shirt and short black hair, dancing with another poor young fellow.

The park itself is rather cool, and I ended up having a really fun time. I am not sure if my cousin did or not, but the comment from the instructor that I was really good dancer may have topped it off just right!

Not a Travelling Man?!...

2010-08-26T14:00:00.000-07:00

I wish I was a travelling man. I really want to be able to travel across the world. As of today I have never been outside of the United States (not even Canada or Mexico). Sometimes when I think about this it sort of makes me a littl travel hungry. So I tried to turn it around and think about all the great places I have been able to see in the United States. I found a map and I colored in the states that I have been to (not just driven through) and though there are plenty of more states to see, I have covered some pretty significant ground (Except Alaska and Hawaii which we wont discuss at this time) Here is the map:

Someday, Someday I will not only have visited all of these states, but will have left the United States.

Boston for the Weekend

2010-08-21T06:35:00.000-07:00

This past weekend some of my coworkers and I went to Boston for the weekend. I have been to Boston a couple of times now, and have really enjoyed it each time. Part of the day on Saturday we went to New Hampshire to the Romney Rib Roast, where I had a ton of fun experiencing a lot of firsts:

I drove a boat for the first time ever. It was a lot of fun and by my overly happy smile you can tell that it was a blast. I was officially dubbed '1st Mate', and made sure to spend as much time as possible on the boat. It was on Lake Sunapee, and it was amazing!

Part of the time I couldnt drive because of the Police. I had no idea that there were police on the water. That would be a cool job. In the background you can see where the picnic was held.

Though it might be hard to see, everyweek they send out an email to the Romney staff and followers, and htis week I made the cut. This is me (bottom right of pic) getting ready for the pie eating contest. Romney was the moderator and Anne was one of the judges. Little did they know that a small farmtown boy from NM would dominate in the pie eating contest. This was the first time I had participated in a pie eating contest, and by coming in first, I may have found a long lost talent.

We took a picture after the pie eating, luckily I was able to wipe off my face enough, but wasnt able to get all of the whip cream and chocolate off of my shirt and nametag. The nametag is now hanging in my office at work.

To watch a video clip of the pie eating contest, check it out on my Facebook page.

The rest of the weekend we just walked around downtown Boston. We went to a couple of noteworthy places:

We went to Mike's Pastry. It is a definite must go to if you are ever in Boston. This time I got the Lobster tail, which was huge and I was only able to take a couple of bites before I was done. I still reccomend the cannolis.

We also went to this amzing pizza place called Regina's. There was a long line out front and so you knew it was good. The pizza is amazing and the atmosphere is great. The waitress yells, and is actually prettyer onary, even telling us that we couldnt have any ranch to have with our pizza. It was just all part of the gig I guess, but the pizza was amazing.

Overall, it was a great weekend. However, I would not suggest taking an early flight to be in to work by 8 on Monday morning. The whole day I was dragging.

Happy Birthday to my Mom!

2010-08-18T08:09:00.000-07:00

Today is this lovely lady's birthday! There are so many things I could say, but none more important than that I love her. Thank You mom for always believing me when I call with a new idea to save the world, and how you never once have told me that it was not possible, (even though it seems sometimes as if it is), but rather encourage me to follow my dreams and to never stop. For this, I owe you the world! Happy Birthday to the best mom a little boy could ever hope for.

It's Official: I am a Zoo Volunteer

2010-08-04T09:58:00.000-07:00

This week marks the end of training at the zoo. It has actually been a lot of fun, and I have learned a ton. I took the test, and passed, and received my official name badge and uniform (just a polo shirt). It has been a great addition in my life as it gives me something else to look forward to then just work everyday. It also helps me volunteer at a place that I love, the zoo. Here are some pictures I took with my phone.

Here is my new name badge. I am sort of proud of it!

In addition to the gorillas and the orangutans, I also work with the lemurs, gibbons, and the macaques. Here is a shot from behind the scense of the ring-tailed lemurs. There fur is really soft, almost like you would imagine a soft stuffed animal to be like. The zoo has four ring-tailed lemurs.

Here are the four, just settling in to go to bed. They spend all of their day outdoors, this is just wher they sleep at night.

This is where they spend their days. Pretty nice setup.

Here is the other species of lemur, the Red Fronted Lemur. This little guy is named Red Oak. He is adorable! Come and visit on Saturday's from 10 to 1, or if you want a private tour just let me know!

Mt. Vernon Youth Conference 2010

2010-08-02T11:22:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I was able to help plan and participate in the Mt. Vernon Stake Youth Conference. I had looked forward to participating in this for a while. It was Thursday thru Saturday and so I took two days off of work. It was exactly what I needed: Camping, time off of work, spiritual, fun, working with teens, and meeting new friends in the stake where I live. I was paired with Mary McMullen which made the weekend amazing! The food was great, the kids were great, everything turned out great. Now back to work and the daily grind and I am missing the fun already! Here some highlights of the weekend.

We started out at the Mt. Vernon chapel where we registered everyone and made sure they had all of the paperwork filled out and met with the separate teams. Mary and I were assigned the 'gray' team. When we first got our assignment we thought that gray was a little depressing so we changed the name to 'Chrome'. We also bought matching shirts for a couple of the days (what....we got matching shirts, no that would be rediculous!) We also got some candy, duct tape (necessity), squirt bottles, and some other necessities! After the registration we took all the kids (nearly 80) to Mt. Vernon to go through the musuem there, and see where George Washington lived. It started out with a guy who was George Washington's personal physician (Dr. Craiks). He was in character and did a good job of explaining who Washington was. We couldnt help but laugh about how serious he was about his character. He told of a Indian chiefs prophecy of Washington. "The Great Spirit protects that man, and guides his destinies-he will become the chief of many nations, and a people yet unborn will hail him as the founder of a might empire. I am come to pay homage to the man who is the particular favorite of Heaven, and who can never die in battle." I had never heard that before, aparently a lot of people had. If you want to read more about that I found an article that covered it really well. Just click here. We then had lunch in the blistering heat and had a service project. The service project was clearing brush at the main gate entrance to Washington's home. I got a really bad splinter that went under my thumb nail, and some guy dug it out with his pocket knife, needless to say it is still killing me.

Here is the pile of 'debris' that we cleared out during the service project that shall never be mentioned again. Some of those participating would randomly throw sticks around the rest of the weekend and say, "I am doing service"

This is me running to catch up to Mary after we had to end the service project an hour early due to a severe thunderstrom warning. A lot of the kids, including myself, felt that maybe God had heard our prayers that it was so hot that he sent the storm so we didnt have to finish the service project. I think there was some truth to that! We affectionately call the service project the "Service Project of which will not be mentioned"

The staff at Mt. Vernon were concerned about the approaching storm so they had us gather at the barn for shelter. It did not start raining for another hour, but if it had we would have been well protected.

Here are two boys in my group on the bus ride from the barn to the visitors center. Again, the staff at Mt. Vernon were very concerned so they provided shuttles for us from the barn to the center. We ended up having to wait at the visitors center for a while as we got in contact with all of the driver to take us to Hemlock camp ground.

Here are some of the kids in my group (Sarah, Melissa, J-Shroed, Mark, and AJ's arm)

One of the games we played was called the Peanut Butter Pit. The group had to work together to get everyone across this mud pit. This is AJ (I prayed for him to be in my group) taking the lead and leaping across. Unfortunately we lost one and she fell right in, but she was a good sport about it! There were frogs and turtles in the pit, which was cool.

Here I am encouraging them to go across, they were all a little worried after the girl fell in. After each activity we had a 'debriefing' and talked about how each of the obstacles could be compared to life or the gospel. It was a great experience for me to discuss life matters with the kids and caused me to reflect on my life and my goals as well. Here is Sarah being brave and swinging across.

They convinced me to go, I am just glad that I made it. You can see the terror in my face!

Good thing Mary and I had some experience with Youth and team building acitivites because occassionally we had some time in between each of the team building activities and had to keep everyone busy. This is affectionally called the log game. The had to arrange themseleves from shortest to tallest, youngest to oldest, etc. They did the challenge without talking. It was a lot of fun to watch them struggle through it. They all were great sports! This Sarah climbing over J-Shroed, AJ, and I think Mark.

One of the activities that everyone looked forward to was the zip-line. Here is am getting geared up to take the plunge. It was a lot of fun, and everyone participated. (Where's your girlfriend?)

This picture probably sums up the weekend the best. This is us Friday night at the dance, exhausted, matching shirts, with one of our favorite kids: Joey. Joey's a stud and was a lot of fun to have around. This is Mary, my 'wife' for the weekend, and on display is our matching shirts for Friday. Prior to the dance they had duct tape covering the 'wes' of the Awesome with 'Chr', and it said Proud to be A "Chrome" Indeed I was proud to be "Chromey" for the weekend. Like I said it was exactly what I needed. I love working with the youth. They bring so much life back in to anyone who interacts with them. They are also an inspiration when it comes to the gospel. I think I have said this before in some of my EFY posts, but it is amazing how much you can grow to love someone in just a short amount of time. Here are some inside jokes of the weekend just for reference:

"AJ likes Twilight, what?"

"Carlos!" (Can't say enough about Carlos)

"CIT-Counselor in Training"

"Service project which shall not be mentioned"

"Fire Boy" (AKA Jack Jack)

"You cant dance with the youth, but you can, but YOU cant because you are a creepazoid!" (Thanks for this one Mary)

Ninja (Game of choice for Youth Conference 2010)

"I have another story"

Giant Spiders

"Chance, you are viscious"

"Where's Your Girlfriend"

"Next year when we plan this..."

Here are the "Chromey's" Sure do love these guys!

Quite the Weekend: Busch Gardens, Car Accident

2010-07-28T13:28:00.000-07:00

This last weekend I went with a couple of friends to Williamsburg, VA to go to Busch Gardens. I had heard a lot about the theme park, and had done my research and so I was very excited to go. Deep down I think theme parks may be one of my favorite 'activities'. This may trace back to my EFY trips to disneyland, though I think I loved them long before that. I will go with the bad news first:

I got in a car accident. I have never been in an accident before and so it was a little tramatic. It was not like a car on car accident, more of a 'debris' accident. A semi truck had a tire blow out and the tire tread flew at our car. I swerved as much as I could but we hit the tread and ran it over. Here is a picture of the result, but it does not do it much justice.

The right fender is also damaged, and it took some paint off of the right door. When I got it inspected it had also ripped out some things underneath the car, and ripped out the windshield wiper pump. The very unfortunate part about all of this was that I was borrowing someone's car while they were travelling. Needless to say it was a very hard phone call to make. Everyone was ok, and I am assuming the truck driver is ok because he did not STOP!! The grand total estimate to fix the damage...$2,011.74. Yep, most of my savings gone just like that. Cars are expensive!

On to the good news: We did end up making it to Williamsburg late that night. We checked in to a hotel that gave us a price, and we left and booked it online for 50% less and then went back to the hotel. The lady at the front desk was suprised. Unfortunately, it was not the best hotel around and we ended up getting what we paid for. The second night we asked for a different room and it was a lot better. First room had mold, and the carpet was nasty. If you are going to Williamsburg, do no stay at the Quarterpath Inn.

On Saturday we made it to Busch Gardens. It was only 105 degrees that day, with a heat index of 112. All of the smart people stayed indoors or went swimming which meant that we didnt have to wait in anylines longer than 10 minutes. We basically rode all of the rides atleast 6 times. Including the most amazing ride I have ever been on in my life: Griffon.

At this point in the ride you are at a 90 Degree angle (Straight Down) and the ride just stops you. You are just hanging, with the shoulder strap the only thing keeping you from this point and death. Needless to say this was all of ours favorite ride. There are also a lot of animals, including bald eagles and wolves that were fun to look at. Overall, it turned out to be quite a great day at the park. We ended eating at Golden Corral (thought of you, Adam) for dinner. In the morning we went to church. The highlight of the meeting was a little two year old boy who came up to visit us. His dad quickly came up to grab him and in his obvious discontent of being pulled away was, "OH COME ON!" I couldnt stop laughing, he obviously had heard that from his parents.

That afternoon we went to the beach and swam and read. We quickly discovered that we were swimming with a bunch of Jelly Fish, and my friend even got stung by one. We decided at that point it was time to go home. Definitely an unforgettable weekend, but it was great!

A DC Fourth!

2010-07-06T11:34:00.001-07:00

It is really hard to describe how amazing it is in DC for the 4th of July. It was a great weekend, plus we got an extra day off of work on Monday. There were a lot of tourists in town, but overall it was a great time.

I went to the zoo with a co-worker and her family, and since my new position at the zoo I was designated as the tour guide. They stole a quick shot of me without me knowing giving directions and suggesting where we should go. I have literally spent 4 Saturdays at the zoo, and I find or learn something new every time. Must see at the zoo: Elephant show (11 am on Sat), Big Ape House, and the "O-Line". They also have really good (expensive) food: frozen lemonade, fresh lemonade, BBQ stand, and a Dippin Dots. The zoo is quickly becoming my new favorite place.

Just like the Memorial Day weekend concert, they had one for the 4th of July. It was a lot of fun, and there were a ton of people out on the National Mall. I met up with some MPA friends and co-workers for the concert. There was definitely an all star line up including...
My Sister's favorite: David Archuletta. He sang the Star Spangled Banner, and another song. I made sure to rub it in to Lindsay that I was at the concert.

Reba McIntyre sang as well. She was the main performer and did a great job. They started setting off the fireworks while she was singing and it was amazing.

Gladys Knight performed as well and did amazing.
The best part was really the fireworks, sitting on the capitol lawn, and having them go off behind the Washington Monument was just memorizing. I truly am proud to be an American. Not only was it the Nation's Birthday but two good friends' birthday as well: Cam Lee and Dawn Dettling, Happy Birthday you two!

Childhood Dream Achieved: Zoo Volunteer

2010-07-01T15:05:00.001-07:00

When I was a kid I always wanted to be a zoo keeper, especially for the Giraffe's. I am not sure where the fascination came from, but nonetheless it was a dream that I had. When I first heard that I would be moving to DC, I knew they had a zoo close by and I inquired to see if they had volunteers. I found out they indeed they did, but they preferred to have someone with a degree in a closely related field. This, however, did not stop my inquiry. I figured since I had a Bachelor of Science degree, and I had taken two Zoology classes that I would be more than qualified. To my excitement they called me in for an interview. Come to find out my "Science" degree wasn't exactly the science that they were looking for. As the interview continued she finally said, "Well, it is easier to make a nice person smart, than to make a smart person nice" So she offered me a position as a "Primate Interpreter" which basically means that I will become and expert in the primate section of the zoo, which included Gorillas, Monkeys, Lemurs, Orangutans. I will be able to serve as a guide on Saturdays for a couple of hours, and during special programs and events. Here are a couple of snapshots of my new friends on Saturdays.
The zoo has a really cool "O-Line" where the Orangutans can wander around a portion of the zoo freely over an overhead line that they can swing from. It is really cool.

They had a new baby gorilla born at the zoo, Kojo. Here he is at just over a year old.

Looks like this will be my new home on Saturdays! If you are in town and want a tour, let me know!

An Update on Life in DC

2010-06-20T14:58:00.000-07:00

I feel like a lot has happened since the last time the I updated my blog, so every time I think to update it I get overwhelmed and don't end up updating. So I decided that I would over-blog today and just throw all of the pictures up and give a brief description of each. They are not in chronological order so it might be hard to follow, but needless to say I am loving my time in D.C.-except for the humidity.

Among other things I celebrated my 26th birthday in June. My sister, Lindsay, flew out for the weekend to spend the birthday with me and we had a ton of fun being tourists in DC. It was fun for me to show her around because she has never been to DC before so everything was new. It was especially hot that weekend, but sh was a trooper and survived. On the Saturday we caught a bus to NYC to check things out up there. We left in the morning and came back the same night. Needless to say we were exhausted...but NYC was a ton of fun. We experienced the subway, where we met a district of Elder's who couldn't afford the fare and so we were able to help them out. It was a neat experience. We had NY pizza, and caught up with our friend Nat Harward. But the best part was...

We were able to see Wicked. Lindsay's birthday was in May and so I promised her a trip to see Wicked for her birthday. She loved, and I thought it was really good. A Definite must see. It was really fun to have Lindsay out for the weekend, and it made home feel that much closer!
I bit the bullet and bought a gym pass to Gold's Gym. I don't write this to brag, but I have been going nearly every day and loving it. They have some really good classes from spin to weight lifting. I have lost some weight and gained some muscle. I have never really been in to working out, but it has become somewhat of a hobby and I am loving it.

I found a new favorite place to eat...Potbelly's. It is really good-especially with the Hot peppers. But the sandwich is not what completely make it a favorite. It is the ice cream sandwiches: Home made cookies and ice cream make for one of the best ice cream sandwiches I have ever had in my LIFE!

For Memorial Day Weekend Jeremy and Jill Erb invited me to the Memorial Day concert and parade. The Parad was fun, really hot, but I enjoy parade's. I am pretty sure there were a lot of dehydrated marchers in the parade.

The Memorial Day concert was really cool and hosted by two famous actors. Joe from Criminal Minds hosted it as well, and I have been a huge Criminal Minds fan for a while. During the parade I yelled out "Joe" and he looked at me and waved!

The setting for the concert was right on the Capitol lawn, it was really cool. Lionel Richie performed as well as other well know artists. It was fun to catch up with the Erb's as I had served with both of them on the mission.

Back to my birthday celebrations: The office threw me a birthday party complete with a pinata and all. It was a lot of fun and we had Potbelly's for lunch including ice cream sandwiches!

We work with Romney's PAC and were able to attend a fundraising event in MD. It was fun to be there with some of my co-workers and to catch up with some old Romney folks.

This is just one of the many museums and monuments in DC. I have been able to go to a lot of the attractions and really enjoy the American History Museum and the Natural History Museum. There are so many that I am looking forward to exploring...

This is our office at a National's Game. One of our clients took us to the game, it was a lot of fun and to hang out with people out of the office.

Overall, life is DC is great. I live in a great location where it is easy to use public transportation and get around. I am enjoying the social scene as well. Church is great and I look forward to attending institute each week. I guess to sum it up is DC is all I would have hoped it would be.

Zoo, Symphony, and Drinking...

2010-05-23T16:41:00.000-07:00

...water, of course!

I was able to get some free tickets to the National Symphony Orchestra for the past weekend with Guest Conductor John Adams. I have never really been to an orchestra performance, and though I enjoyed it, I must admit that I prefer older classical pieces than the more modern pieces that were played that evening.

The performance was at the John F. Kennedy for the Performing Arts (shown above). It is a beautiful building, and the seats were great. I did enjoy myself and plan to go back.

Besides the music selection, I was very impressed with the performers. The first song was fabulous, but like I said it sort of went downhill (for me) after that. The played some more modern classical music composed by John Adams. This, however, did not take away from the talent of the artists themselves.

Inside the performance hall is breathtaking, what I would have imagined a performance hall of this magnitude would look like.

My favorite part of the weekend was going to the National Zoo. Growing up I always wanted to be a zookeeper, because I thought it would be cool to work with the animals all day. Unfortunately, it would be extremely hard to make a living as a zookeeper, but I imagine very fulfilling.

And to the drinking. All of you know that I have made the decision to not drink alcohol, coffee, or tea. This is based on my beliefs and my membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon). I did, however, have a great time celebrating the birthday of one of my co-workers sister's 21st birthday. It definitely is a whole different world that I don't understand, but I appreciate the invite and for the free entertainment. The only person missing in this picture is my coworker and office mate, Becca!

Another week in the Nation's Capital

2010-05-16T18:43:00.000-07:00

Well it has actually been two weeks since I have updated...but I am still alive and loving it. I have been really busy with work but have still been able to do a couple of touristy things in my spare time. I have had a couple of buddies staying with me while they look for jobs or housing, so it has been fun to have them keep me company. I have also moved in to another apartment and different ward. My old place was nice but far away from anything, and because I don't have a car it was really hard to get around. I love my new place-it is in a place called 'The Melrose', this is because there are a lot of Mormon's who live here and the place literally looks like Melrose place. There are at least 40 Mormon YSA who live in the complex, it is great!

I was able to visit a couple of memorials this week: Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, and the Korean War Memorial. Here are a couple of pictures and some of my thoughts.

This is the Vietnam Memorial. It is amazing as you walk along the wall and read all of the various names of soldiers who died or are missing. It really puts a lot of things in to perspective as you think about their sacrifice. I don't know about anyone else, but when I see memorials like this or hear about soldiers making sacrifices it makes me feel like joining the military and doing something more for society to give back. To be part of something bigger than one's self.

The Korean Memorial is really moving as you look in to the faces of the statues of the soldiers. They look so cold, lost, and brave all in one. It definitely surfaces some emotions as you read about those who sacrificed during the Korean war, a war that honestly dont know much about.

One of my favorite monuments is the Lincoln Memorial. There is just something about the memorial itself that causes you to reflect and helps you put your life in more perspective in relation to the bigger picture. We do need to stand up for others rights and by doing so we build a stronger nation. It is amazing to look up at Lincoln and to then read his Gettysburg address and to reflect on what happened during the civil war. I have read the book about Lincoln entitled 'Team of Rivals' and it is one of my favorite books about leadership. It was given to me by a good friend and mentor, Wynn Wilkes. I recommend it to anyone.

This is a larger shot of the Lincoln Memorial. If anyone come's and visits we are definitely going here.

Other than work and staying busy, life has been good. For once in the longest time that I can remember I don't feel like I am running around going crazy. I have been able to take some time and to enjoy what I am doing. I have been able to exercise almost everyday, eating better (packing lunches and making dinner), and just been able to read some more books. One book of note is 'The Travelers Gift'. It was given to me by my mom as I was boarding the plane to DC, and it has some great life lessons in it which I have been able to slowly apply. I have also been looking forward to my sister, Lindsay, coming for my birthday (June 6). We are going to spend a couple of days visiting the sights and then heading to New York. I bought tickets to go see Wicked for her birthday. I am excited for her to come. Again, life is good, and time is going fast. Just trying to make the most of it!

Weekend in Philly

2010-05-03T06:56:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I went to visit my buddy Tanner Clark. He lives in Philadelphia where he is going to Dental School. I had never been there and wanted to check out the historical sights (i.e. liberty bell, independance hall, etc.) It was a great weekend with great people, sights, baseball, and food. I will definitely be going back sometime this summer. Below are some fot he pictures I took from my phone. (Next on my list of things to buy: Camera)

Here is a picture from the Art Museum stairs looking toward downtown. It is really pretty there, and there were so many people out and about as the weather was nice.

I just wanted to mention this beauty, the magabus. You can find really cheap round trip tickets to basically anywhere on the east coast. I found round trip tickets to Philly for under $20. They have a/c, comfortable seats, electrical plug-ins, and free wi-fi. It made for a real nice/easy trip there and back.

If you are ever in Philly you have to check out the 'Rocky Stairs' and look out on the view of the city, Here is where he stood during the filming of the movie.

One of my favorite places was the Reading Terminal Market. I had never seen anything like it in my life, just fresh food and vegetables everywhere, including candy, food from all over the world, music, anything you could think of. You could spend an entire day just walking around checking out all of the different booths. I loved it!

We figured out that the Phillies were playing the Mets. We told everyone that we wanted to go but everyone said we couldn't get tickets. However, we were able to find two tickets and watch the Phillies beat the Mets 10-0 in the second series game. It was a lot of fun. It is now a tradition to go to a major league baseball game when I am visitng friends.

We rode bikes around town checking out all of the sites and had to stop by this place. I didnt know that this icon came from Philly. BUt is sits in Love park. There were a bunch of Hippies giving out free hugs and smiles to everyone. One guy even offered Tanner and I a drink from his water bottle because he was worried we were going to be dehydrated. I would have refused but after Tanner took a drink I felt obligated.

We checked out the Liberty Bell and th surrounding sights, including the Ben Franklins grave, Christ's Church, and all of the other sights. The fun part was just riding the bike around everywhere. We stopped and got 'Water Ice' which is a mix of Italian Ice and Gillati, it was delicious.

One of the best parts about Philly is the food. No matter where we ate it was great. We went to this restaurant called Hibachi Grill. They have live Jazz music in the background and it overlooks the Delaware River including the Washington Bridge. They cook your food right in front of you and serve it fresh. They also do a little show while they are preparing the food. It was great-defintely recommend it.

My favorite place where we ate was Chickies and Pete's. I had already eaten a little before so I wasnt terribly hungry when we went, but they have the best fries called 'Crab Fries' and you dip them in this cheese sauce-So good! To feel part of the crowd that was drinking, I ordered a Hank's Orange Cream Soda! They have flat screen T.V's everyhwere with every game imaginable on and the place is huge. There are Wii's everywhere or rockband. Like one of the guys said it is an Adult Chuck E Cheese, or Chuck E Cheese on steiroids. Definitely going back there.

This is a picture of the Washington Bridge. Every since my mission in Oregon I have been fascinated with Bridges. Just everything about them is inspiring to some degree. This was from my phone on our way to dinner at Hibachi. It was beautiful.

Overall, it was nice to have a little vacation and to get away for a while. Met some great people, and had a great time in Philly. Thanks to all who made it so great!

I made it to DC!

2010-04-26T07:46:00.000-07:00

Well I made it! I have been in DC for about a week now, and I am learning to love it. After a whirlwind flight from Salt Lake to DC, via Denver and Houston on FIRST CLASS (the rumors are true, huge seats, hot towels, endless drinks, full course meals, and movies on demand, it was amazing!), I made it to DC on Sunday evening and started work Monday morning. One of my mission companions Jeremy Erb and his wife, Jill, picked me up from the airport and drove me to my new home. Luckily they had an air mattress in the back of their car, and were kind enough to prepare a food basket for me, I survived the first couple of days. My first week at work was somewhat hectic, mostly as I tried to figure out how to get from my apartment to work via the bus and metro system. The best way to learn is to get lost (Check). I am hoping this is the right move and am feeling better about the decision all the time. The weekend was great, I was able to get a bed, unpack (mostly), sleep, and best of all visist Arlingon Cemetery. I have visisted DC a couple of times as a tourist, and my favorite place to visist is Arlington. I went by myself and spent about 3 hours just walking around the cemetery and reading about all of the various heroes that have given their lives for out country. It was an amazing time that helped calm my nerves and put life back in to perspective for me. It was exactly what I needed. Here are some pictures from the visit:

It was a perfect day, it had rained in the morning and was a little drizzly, but the weather was perfect and the birds were out.

It is still breathtaking to look out and to see all of the headstones. According to the nice lady at the information desk, there are about 300,000 soldiers buried in Arlington with about 6,400 buried annually.

I think because it had rained in the morning and was still a little drizzly, there were not very many people there, and so I had a lot of time by myself. I enjoyed reading the various headstones and the names of the various people. There were a lot of great enscriptions on the headstones on of which read, "Sleep Well Brave Soldier, God is Nigh" Not sure where the quote is from, but it struck me.

One of the interesting parts is the changing of the guard. It is a spectacular event to witness and a reminder that all soldiers are remembered. If you want to read about it, this is what I read before I went and visited: www.arlingtoncemetery.org/ceremonies/sentinelsotu.html

On Saturday I also attended the BYU Management Society, DC chapter dinner where Orson Scott Card spoke. I felt like I was back at BYU because I saw so many people I knew, including Dean Cornia who had given me advice about coming to DC. As I am still trying to figure out what I am doing, and where I am going I feel that this is a good place to be, great job, great place, and a new experience.

It's Official...

2010-04-06T22:45:00.000-07:00

I am moving to Washington, D.C!

I accepted a great job. Found a place to live. After 6 years, I am saying goodbye to BYU.

Oregon Portland Mission

2010-04-05T17:07:00.001-07:00

I recently planned our mission reunion for the Oregon Portland Mission. I will be home from my mission 5 years this June, wow! I do not think I have any posts about my mission, except for random mentions here and there. I was so excited to be a missionary for the Church. I had literally prepared my whole life up to that point to be a missionary. I really cant describe how I felt at the time of my call, and then entering the MTC. I loved every minute of the MTC, and even wrote in my journal that I would have stayed there for two years. The immense feeling of the spirit there is nothing that I have ever felt sense except in the temple, and on a few other occasions. When I arrived in Oregon, the experience was everything that I had hoped for up until I got my trainer, and for purposes of this post, lets just say he was less than stellar. I had hit a brick wall running at full speed, and it hurt. Why was I there, were all the missionaries like this, was it going to be like this for the rest of my mission? That was the only time during my mission that I wanted to go home, and of course now I am glad that I didn't. For whatever reason, we stayed together for two transfers; transfer day could have not come soon enough. Till this day I still have a hard time forgiving my trainer, but I hope he is doing well in life and is happy. Sorry for the tangent, but it was such an integral part in shaping me as a missionary, because anytime that I felt I was slipping in the slightest I would remember him and it would snap me back in to perspective, so for that I have to say thank you.

As I look back now on my life since the mission, every good thing I can trace back to my service as a missionary. I loved my mission more than I could ever say, and am thankful for the experiences, friends, and life focus that I gained from my time in Portland, OR. As I said above I was able to plan our reunion this last conference weekend. I hard a really hard time tracking everyone down to update their contact information, and to have them send their bio updates to share in the mission newsletter. As the time came for the reunion I had a conflict, my water polo team had advanced to the semi-finals and we would have to forfeit if I wasn't there. The reunion started at 7:00 in Bountiful, and the game started at 8:15 in Provo. Trying to figure out how to do both I decided to go up early for the reunion and help set up, print out the newsletter, and visit with my Mission President and his wife. Then hurry back to catch my water polo game. (Here comes another aside)

I think part of the reason you are called to a particular mission is the Mission President, and on more than one occasion it has been confirmed to me that I was called to Oregon partly because of the Weston's. They have been such a special part of my life since. I spent quite a bit of time with him and his wife, and from there established a pattern of setting goals and then going after it. They have been such a stable influence in my life, and I am grateful for my association that i have with them. They will never know how much I look up to them as examples. They are definitely one association that I will be eternally grateful for. Here is a picture of them before they fulfilled their mission in New York. I sure do love them. My heart goes out to them at their recent loss of a grandson. The funeral was on the day of the reunion, and yet they wanted to still have the reunion because they were anxious to catch up with those in which they had served.

As I close, and as I reflect back on my mission there are too many experiences and people that I have met, to capture within this blog. I have gained some of the best friends from my time as a missionary, as well as families that I have witnessed make the biggest decision in their lives to follow the Gospel. I will be forever grateful for the call of a missionary, and count it as a privilege to have been able to serve my time in Portland, Oregon. I am sorry that I missed all of the missionaries that attended the reunion, and considering the outcome of the water polo game, I wish I would have stayed.

Book Review: "Life of Pi"

2010-04-01T16:44:00.000-07:00

I recently finished the book "Life of Pi." It is a fiction novel by Canadian author, Yann Martel. I was suggested it while on a date, and was intrigued because it had to do with zoo animals. (For the record, I think one of the coolest jobs would be a Zoo Administrator) I quickly found myself highlighting and taking notes of random thoughts and phrases throughout the book. The basic plot follows the life of an Indian Hindu boy, whose father owns a zoo. They run in to economic hardship and are forced to move themselves as well as all of the animals to Canada. While en route the ship they were on sunk. Everyone perished except this boy (Pi), a 450-pound Bengal tiger, a wounded Zebra, a hyena, and an orangutan. It reflects on the story and what he learns about spirituality, life, and survival. The aspect that really caught me off guard was the ending, as it offers insight into something we all do in trying to reconcile our mistakes, failures, and disappointments in life. I highly recommend this book to anyone. It is graphic in nature at times (there is a tiger and a wounded zebra, not to give anything away). However, they are crucial elements in understanding the development of who Pi is. Here are a couple of quotes that stuck out to me:

"I'll be honest about it. It is not atheists who get stuck in my caw, but agnostics. Doubt is useful for a while. We must all pass through the garden of Gethsemane. If Christ played with doubt, so must we. If Christ spent an anguished night in prayer, if he burst out from the Cross, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" the surely we are also permitted to doubt. But we must move on. to choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation."

"I have nothing to say of my working life, only that a tie is a noose, and inverted though it is, it will hang a man nonetheless if he's not careful."

"These people fail to realize that it is on the inside that God must be defended, not on the outside. They should direct their anger at themselves. For evil in the open is but evil from within that has been let out. Than main battlefield for good is not the open ground of the public arena but the small clearing of each heart. Meanwhile, the lost of widows and homeless children is very hard, and it is to their defense, not God's, that the self-righteous should rush."

There are other great insights throughout the book, especially in the first part. It is a relatively easy read, and easy to pick up where you left off. I would be interested to hear if you have read and it and some of your thoughts. Happy Reading!

I Am So Naive!

2010-03-28T18:09:00.000-07:00

A While ago, the Presiding Bishop came and spoke at a fireside in my ward. As he discussed all of the facets of the church welfare system, I thought to myself-‘if his position was a job (rather than a calling) it would be the best job in the world.’ The more I thought about it the more I wondered what he actually did, on a day-to-day basis. (This is where I was definitely naïve, and I am somewhat embarrassed at my question.) I approached Bishop Burton after the fireside and asked him what he did on a day-to-day basis. He sort of smiled and said something to the effect that no two days were the same. Without even thinking, I asked him if it would be possible to job shadow him for a day, and to find out what he did. (Looking back on that question, I can’t even believe that I asked). He paused and said, “Well, no one has ever asked me that before, but I think we could work something out.” He gave me his email address and told me to arrange something with his secretary. When I went home, I was somewhat embarrassed that I asked, and had concluded that I didn’t want to burden him with my questions, or to take too much of his time. I didn’t’ email his secretary for a couple of weeks, and then decided to do so. It didn’t take long for his secretary to contact me, and we started the process of figuring out a time that would work. Then…the earthquake in Haiti occurred. I got a brief email explaining that it might be sometime before there would be an opportunity to spend some time at the Church Office Building, understandably. Intermittently I would receive and email telling me they had not forgot about me, but to give them more time. About two weeks ago I got an email saying they were ready, and we scheduled a time to spend the day this last Friday.

I caught the early morning express bus, and spent a most wonderful day at the Church Office Building. I spent some time with Bishop Burton and he had set up a world wind tour of all of the various aspects of what he supervised. I spent some time with managers of various projects from the clean water project, to the Neonatal Resuscitation project, the wheelchair program (including a training where I met the designer of all of the wheelchairs). I rode around for a while testing out there new design, and gave some feedback. I also sat down with the Director of Emergency Response Services (ERS) (the guy in charge of the Haiti relief, and all of the natural disaster relief for the church). It was amazing as he had just returned from a trip to Haiti, and showed me some pictures of some of the devastation, as well as some pictures of the people there. It was really life changing. The fact that struck me the most was that there are only two full-time employees that work for the ERS department. The aspect that makes it run is all of the volunteers, and local church members in the areas. I sat in on a meeting where they were evaluating the effectiveness and efficiently of their efforts in Haiti. It was absolutely amazing what they were able to do, and to be the first organization on the ground to assist the people of Haiti. Here are just some of the highlights:

Following the devastating earthquake on January 12, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints provided relief supplies, shelters for displaced persons, and medical teams to assist those affected. To date, the Church has committed $4.25 million of assistance, and is planning to provide ongoing relief and recovery support.
Relief Supplies
As of February 1, the equivalent of 28 truckloads of relief supplies (including 9 air shipments), has been shipped to Port-au-Prince, including:
 Food – 208,834 pounds
 Water filtration bottles – 16,070
 Hygiene kits – 12,840
 Blankets – 11,760
 Newborn kits – 2,304
 First aid kits – 4,000
 Medical supply modules – 25
 Tents – 1,696
 Tarps – 1,319
 Quilts – 600
 Other items

Five additional containers of food, medical supplies, and shelter items have been provided by area leadership in the Dominican Republic.
Relief supplies and some cash assistance, has been provided to several NGOs, including:
 CARE
 Food for the Poor
 Red Cross
 International Relief and Development
 Islamic Relief
 Healing Hands for Haiti

Local leaders have also provided some assistance to local charitable organizations.
Shelters
A portion of the relief items are being used in nine Latter-day Saint meetinghouses that have been set up as emergency shelters. Up to 9,000 people have sought assistance at the shelters, which has included both Church members and others in the community. The shelters have been supported by daily deliveries of food and other supplies from a secured warehouse just outside of Port-au-Prince.
Medical Teams
Soon after the earthquake, a team of 17 doctors and 3 nurses was sent to the area to assess community health needs and assist with medical procedures in Church shelters and in clinics and hospitals in the community. More than 1,000 patients have received care from Church medical teams, the majority of which were not members of the Church. Two mental health counselors also assisted in shelters and with first responders. Various specialties have been represented, including:
 Trauma surgeons
 Orthopedic surgeons
 Family practitioners

There are also numerous stories and information not included above, of people sacrificing to serve the people in Haiti, not only the members but all of those affected by the devastation. I also talked to a missionary couple in charge of the welfare services in Russia and many of the surrounding countries, and what they are doing to help serve those in need in those areas.

The more and more I learned, and the longer I spent talking with people around the office, the more embarrassed and naïve I realized that my first question was. The Church Welfare System includes all of the above-mentioned projects but also the bishop storehouses, Deseret Industries, Church Farms, Canneries, and Employment Services. My testimony was strengthened beyond measure on how much the church is doing to help the poor and needy. I also ran in to a friend, Lauren, who interns with the Church Magazines and was able to look at the layout for the May Ensign, including some of the Conference talks…conference promises to be a great event!

I think back about my question in posed to Bishop Burton, and now that I have some sort of glimpse in to what he does, I understand his pause and smile on his face. I also appreciate the opportunity that he afforded for me to have the experience of having my faith strengthened, and my eyes opened to all of the wonderful things that the church does, and what happens with the money that is donated through fast offerings and giving. I guess the lesson learned was…don’t be afraid to ask, you’ll never know the answer you will receive.

He's Home...

2010-03-01T16:20:00.000-08:00

This stud got home from his mission last week. I drove down on Wednesday afternoon to meet him at the airport with my family. Of course his plane was delayed for four hours, it was worth the wait! I sure do love this kid, and words cant describe how proud I am. It was great to spend time with him and the family this last weekend, we laughed, played games, ate wonderful food, and watched movies! It was a surreal experience for me as it brought back memories of my return home. I remember the day vividly, it was an emotional experience to say the least. As I look back on my mission it seems only like a dream. I remember all of the high hopes and goals you have for yourself as you return home, and it reminded me to be better. Welcome Home, Chad. I sure did miss ya!

Sat Down and Cried Today..

2010-03-01T16:06:00.000-08:00

A recent event marked the end of a very painful, growing period of my life. I am sad it is over. There is a quote on my desktop that is a great reminder for me it reads: "Today we sailed on."-Christopher Columbus, it describes perfectly what I felt at times, when the only thing I could do was sail on.

Last Wish...

2010-02-13T10:47:00.000-08:00

I have enjoyed being a part of the Make A Wish Utah Board, and have been able to attend the board meetings. I have learned a lot about the 'behind the scenes' of a non-profit organization, and have been able to apply a lot of the principles that I am learning in my Finance and management courses. However, I did not feel that I was contributing very much because I would go to the board meetings, and then really be unable to do anything after that. I talked to the CEO of Make A Wish, and told her that I would like to be more involved and help out. Life Lesson: Be careful what you wish for. I got an email on a Tuesday that Make A Wish had received a 'rush wish' where a little girl had been given only a couple of weeks to live and they needed help. Here wish was to run a mile and to meet Max Hall. From there I accepted the challenge, little did I know what I was getting in to, and what I would learn from the experience. I only had a week and half to put everything together, so right away on got on the phone and started calling in favors. Little by little things started coming together. We were able to secure the Smith Field House through extraordinary measures by many of the BYU Administration, Doug Padilla the operations manager for the BYU Track Team started things in motion to have all of the track equipment set up, a classmate of mine had connections to the cheerleaders, a couple of football players are also in my class, in the end it turned out amazing. Here are some pictures of what took place:

We ordered Bib numbers with BYU and Make A Wish. They turned out really cool, of course Tiffany (the wish girl) got #1. We also ordered participant T-shirts that had Make A Wish on the front and the BYU stretch logo on the back with Tiffany's wish mile and the date. They turned out really great. Unfortunately because we only planned to have around 150 and over 600 people showed up we didn't have enough for everyone.

Breanna Johnson (A Wish Granter) made a cool banner that we hung up behind the awards podium. It turned out great!

Then they arrived! Tiffany's whole family showed up in a stretch limo. We wanted to the whole family to feel like celebrities so we had a limo pick them up at their home and take them back after the event. It seemed as if we were always waiting for the limo. It think it was a nice touch.

The people just started coming, more and more. The Annex in the Smith Field house was packed. There were atleast 600 people in attendance from community members, volunteers, athletes, and media. They were all waiting for Tiffany to arrive, and when she did they went crazy! The formed a path for the family to walk through and everyone was cheering and screaming. It was really touching . We had many of the football players and other athletes surrounding her as her bodyguards. The doctors were concerned that people would mob her and try to touch her and kiss her, and because she was so fragile we set up the bodyguards. (Some of the names I remember were: Unga, Di Luigi, Chambers, and others) It was great to have them be a part of it. They even ran the mile with her.

We had all of the racers line up. We designated lane 4 as Tiffany's lane. Total there was about 70 people who were to run in the race. Thanks again to Doug Padilla, we had a gun start, including camera screens that showed the whole track so you could watch the race, timers, lap counters, cameras for the photo finish, finish line strap, everything that you would need to make a real track meet possible. It was unbelievable.

We had a surprise in store for the family. I had been able to secure to have Max Hall come from Arizona where he is training for the NFL pro day at BYU. He flew in on Friday, got hooked up with a sweet car, and really made the event what it was. We pulled Tiffany off of the race on before the last 50 meters and surprised them by having Max Hall there. You should have seen the smile on her face! It was priceless. Max Hall was so great with her. He ended up pushing her to the finish line for a remarkable photo finish with the whole crowd once again going crazy! It was really a fairy tale finish, indescribable.

We had an awards ceremony for all of the racers. Each one of them got a medal. Tiffany of course received first prize: a real gold medal from the BYU Track Team, Max Hall autographed jersey, Two brand new bikes and a pull cart for the family. It was so cool to see it all play out. I had pictured so much of it in my mind as I was planning it, but it really ended up better than I would have imagined.

This was a great photo of Max and Tiffany.

We then told everyone to crowd together where we had a surprise. This is another picture to show how many people were there. It was crazy!

Tiffany's older brother is on his mission in Washington, and was not able to be there. They had also decided to not have him come home for the funeral. The surprise was that we got a video recording from him where he spoke to Tiffany and his family. Afterwards he had him and a couple of his companions sing "Families can be together Forever" It was a real tear jerker. It was kind of sad as I watched the family, but It was a great way to top off the event.

Afterwards we had food and music and a celebration. We had a lot of puffed cheeto's because that is her favorite food. We had pizza, but not enough, again we had only planned on around 150.

In the end it was such a great experience to be a part of. Although I was running everywhere answering questions and making sure everything went off just right, I left feeling a sense of accomplishment. In a matter of a week and a half we had put on a major production. Here I am with Max Hall. I was really impressed with him, how he responded when we asked him to come, to how he handled the whole situation with Tiffany, to just being an all around nice guy. I felt bad because I called him quite a bit making sure all the details were in place from his flight, rental car, to his meals. We had dinner right after the event with some of the folks from Make A Wish and Max came along. It was great to see him in that setting. He kept saying how humbling it was for someone to wish to meet him as their final wish. I can only imagine. Thanks to him and the following people who really made this possible:

The staff at Make A Wish

Breanna Johnson

Amanda Kizerian

Drew Chapman

Cameron Call

All the volunteers from BYUSA (Elise, Landon, Cami, Angela, Bro. Cox-love you guys!)

Camilla Hodge

Steven the photographer

Mark Boothe-He volunteered to be the DJ for the event, and we really could not have done it without him-He is an excellent DJ.

Lane Olsen-videographer who willingly taped the event and put together a sweet video of the event.

After all was said and done, it really put life in to perspective for me. As I go through life and I think this and that is hard, I will always remember this little family and the strength that they have in facing such a horrible situation. I ended up gaining more from this experience than the time and effort that I had put in. Later this week I attended the star raising for this little girl at the Wish Place in Salt Lake, and was again reminded of the things that are important in life: Family and Friends and the time that you spend with them. Thank You Searle family for reminding me of that. May God Bless you and your precious little angel.

Chance's Heroes: Mr. Rogers

2010-02-11T11:01:00.000-08:00

I have wanted to post something about this for a while. I have had a long time fascination with Fred Rogers (aka Mister Rogers). I remember watching Mister Rogers' Neighborhood as a kid, and the more I learn about the man, the more I have come to see him as one of my personal heroes. He majored in music composition in college (which he used to compose the music on Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood). While finishing up school he saw television for the first time and was disappointed. In an interview with CNN conducted a few years before his death, Rogers stated, "I went into television because I hated it so, and I thought there was some way of using this fabulous instrument to be of nurture to those who would watch and listen." He went to divinity school and studied theology becoming an ordained presbyterian minister, specifically set apart to focus on children through media. He eventually started a broadcasting company called Family Communication, Inc. (FIC). Initially, the company served solely as the production arm of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, but now develops and produces and array of children's programming and educational materials. Over the last year I ahve been able to read a lot of his books, either by him or written about him. Each time I am able to learn something, and have always walked away feeling a sense of responsibility to be better and to make the world around me a better place. For that I am thankful for the man we know as Mister Rogers.

I just finished "You are Special" and again found numerous insights into various aspects of my life: Relationships, Family, and Dedication.

My favorite book about Fred Rogers is definitely, "I'm Proud of You". I appreciate anytime in life where I am reminded of the things that are really important, and this definitely was one of those times in my life.

There is a display of Mister Rogers' sweater and sneakers at the Smithsonian Museum. I was able to go there in High School.

Above is a Monument they made in his honor in Pittsburgh. I think one of the things I admire most about him is that he had a vision of what he wanted to do, and he went after it. In the end it made a difference in the lives of millions of people, including me. He just wanted to do something in life that made a difference, making the world a better place to live. For that, I consider Mister Rogers one of my heroes.

Winter Fun

2010-01-25T08:00:00.001-08:00

It has been quite the winter so far! I have been able to do a little bit of traveling, and even survived my first semester of Grad School school with flying colors. As I look around I am in a good place, and really have no room to complain. I have been able to capture some of fun along the way:

If you are ever in Boston, MA you have to go to Mike's Pastries, or Modern Pastry and get a cannoli. If you haven't had a cannoli before please give me a call, I will rush order one to you-it is that good!

I have been to Boston twice in the last couple of months, and really have fell in love with the city. I was able see the full scope of the city from Harvard to attending church in the divinity school. The city has a special place in American History and one can definitely feel that as you walk around and see the old houses and buildings. I was there when President Obama flew in to campaign for the Senate race in Boston and the airport was shutdown; I am sure Delta payed a big price for that, because there was a lot of people missing their connecting flights.

One thing I haven't done is spent too much leisure time doing things that I enjoy. One exception to that was going ice bowling with Bethany, Elise, and Lindsay. Whoever knew that you could walk out to the middle of Utah lake in the middle of winter and go bowling.

Here is our bowling lane in the background. We just scraped out a ice lane and set up the pins and bowled away. I had a lot of fun!

I went to a conference in Lincoln, Nebraska and on Sunday afternoon we drove the hour or so to Winter Quarters. If there is a ever a place that has a solemn, reflective feeling it is at Winter Quarters. As you reflect about the sacrifice that the Mormon pioneers made in leaving their homes, it is really humbling.

Here is the winter quarters temple right next to the cemetery where hundreds of mormon pioneers were buried.

Here are some of the friend I made at the conference. Two from the Middle East, and one guy from Madagascar. I laughed so hard at each of these guys, and learned a lot about the persecution they have experienced being Arab Americans after 9/11.

Here is the place where Brigham Young was sustained as the prophet after the long wait after Joseph Smith was murdered.
As you can see the pictures really have no order, I lose patience sometimes in downloading the pictures to the blog. Here I am in front of the Winter Quarters temple.

Who do you know that eats the little piece of paper in between all the slices of cheese. Oh wait, thats me. I had made the sandwich and kept thinking that the meat was really tough. At one point the small piece of paper left came out. On the right is a full piece of cheese paper, on the left is the remainder of what is left. Yep, I ate 3/4 of the paper without realizing it.

I am right in front of the Winter Quarters monument, where so many of the pioneers have been laid to rest. It is a humbling experience to be there and to witness and read the accounts of those pioneers. The visitor center there is wonderful. (I am not sure what to do in front of memorials, do you smile, frown, or just stand there?)

In light of being at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln we had to try on the hats, at least. They have wonderful sports facilities, and you can definitely tell they are proud of their athletics. We were able to walk on the field and go through the locker room, and see the weight room. All I have to say is, they better be good, they sure spend a lot of money.

Overall, the winter has been great. We have had quite a bit of snow. I have been able to exercise regularly, and have been feeling really well. School is going great and I am looking forward to finding a meaningful internship, here's for hoping.

2010...Ready or Not!

2010-01-03T20:37:00.000-08:00

I have been meaning to update my blog recently with my New Years Resolutions, and was reminded/challenged today to do so. As I look over "My List" of life goals, I wasn't really able to accomplish hardly any except the following:

2. Obtain as much Education as possible-this is probably a reoccurring goal but I started my Masters this year so it has to count for something!

6. Learn ASL-I took the final class my last semester of undergrad

So as I look at "My List" these are the goals I will look forward to accomplishing this year...

1. Get Married

12. Compete in a Triathlon

23. Golf under 100

Here are some of my resolutions for the year...

1. I want to be more healthy (Physical)

To accomplish this I am going to:

Exercise at least 3 times a week

Watch what I eat by buying groceries ne

Prepare and compete in a triathlon with a couple of friends

Be in bed by 10:30 and up no later than 6:30

2. I want to be more prepared for marriage spiritually (Spiritual)

To accomplish this I am going to:

Continue to read Book of Mormon Daily

Work in the Temple as an Ordinance worker

Memorize a scripture a week

3. I want to get married (Social)

To accomplish this I am going to:

Go on 3 dates a month

Try to open up more and communicate

4. I want to get a 4.0 in school (Intellectual)

To accomplish this I am going to:

Do all assignments

Work with my tutor

Teach others the principles I am learning

Complete all assignments a day early

New Years resolutions are meant to stretch you and make you work hard, so that is what I have outlined here. I am excited for the next semester to start tomorrow and to interview for internships for the summer. I am looking forward to working in Hospital Administration and am applying for internships across the country. I am excited because I have a Health policy and finance class which should be directly applicable. I am also taking a Athletic Training class because I want to be able to coach my kids sports when I am older. It is going to be a great year!

Happily Ever After...

2009-12-31T19:12:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to recap something special that happened on Tuesday (Jan. 29th). I was able to attend the wedding of Steele and Ciera Kizerian. I met Steele as we both campaigned for office in BYUSA, and ever since I have admired Steele for the person he is and am proud to call him friend. I had met Ciera briefly as she was a friend of a friend. I was with Steele one day and we ran in to Ciera and I introduced the two to each other, and it took a while for them to make the connection themselves, but as the title says, it truly will be Happily ever after. It was a wonderful ceremony, and I was proud to be able to play a small part in bringin

g two wonderful people together. I truly wish them the best, they definitely deserve it. I couldn't help but to feel an overwhelmingly amount of love for both of them, and could definitely feel the love that Heavenly Father had for them on this very important day in their lives. I look forward to the day...

Here is a couple of photos that definitely dont do justice to how beautiful Ciear looked, and how happy Steele was!

Steele had a perma-grin the whole day, it was great to see him so happy!

You probably could not tell, but it was freezing! They were both troopers as they spent a couple of hours outside taking pictures! Best of luck to both them, I sure do love 'em!

Good Morning...

2009-11-28T04:55:00.000-08:00

I am sitting here on my couch not sure what to do... so I blog (That is the logical thing to do, right?) I was awaken this morning at 3:38 in the morning to a loud crash and glass shattering and people running. When I finally gained my composure I looked out my bedroom window and saw a guy standing outside looking at something. I yelled for my roommates, and then remembered I am home alone. I got dressed and ran outside, only to find that my car had been broken in to, along with some other cars in my complex. The sneaky devils used cinder block to smash in our windows and take what they could find... unfortunately for me that meant my wallet! That includes my credit cards, debit card, BYU credit card, BYU ID, Drivers License, and yep my Social Security Card (This is the point when I remember that you are not suppose to keep your social security card in your wallet [Not that I had forgot], please don't remind me). I also know that you are not suppose to keep your wallet in your car, thank you, but I always forget it and so I leave it in the car (Those of you who know me well, know I lose things easily). We called 911, the officer came and took a report, apparently this is a regular Friday night thing. Last Friday they broke in to 7 cars, tonight a couple more. As soon as the officer left, I googled a checklist of what to do when your car is broken in to and it came up with a long list: Remove registration, insurance, and any other paper that has my name on it, cancel all of your cards, contact the three credit agencies and put a fraud alert out and hold on your credit (Which by the way the lady on the phone said I had really good credit, if that is suppose to make you feel better), contact your derivers license issuing state and report a stolen identity card and pay money to get a temporary license (haha, with what card). So I cancel my cards and right after the bank calls and says someone is trying to use my card at Betos in Springville. Ha, no free meal on Chance tonight. So now what do I do... I am tired but I cant sleep and it is only 6 in the morning, blah. As soon as it is light outside and I muster up some courage to go outside again, I will try to get a picture of the dirty deed. It is hard to explain but you just feel violated and scared. But I am alive and well so I have to be thankful for that.

Lessons learned:

Just because you are in Provo and feel safe, there are some bad people out there.
Dont leave your wallet in your car
Dont put your social security card in your wallet
Google is amazing, they have answers to everything

Lets try some positive thinking here:

There was no cash in my wallet, for some reason I took it all out just hours before
I cancelled my cards before they could use them
No one got hurt
I have some really nice neighbors who are very helpful
They didn't steal my car again, haha
I don't have to work til 11:30 so I can at least get some rest

Either way, I just got a dose of drowsiness so I am going to try to capitalize on that... Goodnight (Or should I say Good Morning...)

Book Review: I am David

2009-11-27T12:25:00.000-08:00

Written in 1963, 'I am David', tells of a story of a little boy who escapes a concentration camp with the help of one of the guards. He ends up traveling to Denmark to find his mother. He meets a lot of people along the way, and learns to trust people again. He saves a girl from a burning barn, and ends up staying for about a month with her family. The parents grow suspicious, and he eventually leaves. When he makes it finally to Denmark, he finds his mother in a phone book and they are able to reunite.

It is a real easy read, and easy to get back in where you left off of reading. It took me a little while to get through, as some parts of his journey are a little slow. However, overall I enjoyed the book. It is a testament to the resiliency of kids-especially after going through the experience he did in the concentration camp. Overall, I would give it a 3 out of 5 stars.

Thankful for all of the Chance's: Part II

2009-11-22T18:55:00.000-08:00

A couple of Thanksgivings ago I posted about what I was thankful for, I often refer back to the list when I feel down in the dumps, so I wanted to post another list. The problem is that there is no way that I could list all of the things that I am grateful for-but such a list helps you to realize all of the things that you really do have to be thankful for at this time of year. Here is what I came up with:

Mom for all of the sacrifices she has made for me, dad for the example of hard work, Chad for being such a great missionary, Lindsay for being so close and cooking for me all the time, Jared for being brave enough to stand up for what he believes, my mac computer which has saved me multiple times this semester, my apartment, my roommates for always keeping things real, the show Criminal Minds because it is on at 11 when I get home and it puts me to sleep, my mission for giving me direction in life, my mission president and wife for being great examples, MPA team for forgiving me for being obsessive, my MPA friends for just going through the process together, my professors for loving what they do, that I grew up on a farm, friends that I love but don’t keep in touch like I should, my car (ruby) for all of our wonderful years together even though she is falling apart now, my dinner group which feeds me 4 times a week, my calling which helps me remember my mission, youtube for providing so many hours of laughter, BYUSA for what it taught me about myself, my cell phone which is always dead and lost but keeps me connected to the world, my job at the stadium which lets me watch the game so close but reminds me not to be so crazy about sports because fans lose all sense of reality in sporting events, 2009 which kept me single but allowed me to date a great girl, for getting in to the MPA program, healthcare reform because it gives me something to talk about, my summer moving home so I could get closer to family but realize that waiting tables is hard work, for fun trips to Vegas that keep me sane and meeting great people, this years trips to Colorado, Boston, Nebraska, and Texas which remind me how much I love to travel (it may just be the experience of taking off in an airplane I really do love that), graduating from college and that so many of my family could come, the multiple non-fiction books that I have read this year which has given new perspectives on life, the Christmas season that is coming so soon ( I love Christmas), for fall weather, my mission companions and those I served around, driving a snowmobile finally this year, snowshoeing, power point which makes things so easy, that I understand excel enough to help others, that somehow I got elected to be the secretary for the National Association of Graduate-Professional Students, working with Make-A-Wish Utah which has changed my life, those long prayers when things don’t seem to be going just right, the answers that come from those prayers, swimming, my internship doing rehab therapy which gave me a new appreciation for life, the therapists I worked with for being so patient, for the couple of days I have been able to sleep in, for my slip on shoes which are so comfortable and can be both causal and dress up shoes, being able to go to the temple and receiving answers, for being a home teacher, for cinnamon life, peanut butter and jelly, and spaghetti sandwiches which have been staple foods in my life lately, for the Book of Mormon, for Mormon messages on youtube, General Conference, for a great Stake President, sincere thank you notes, the people I taught on my mission that keep in touch with me because I am so bad at keeping in touch, for being so poor, for snow and all of the memories it brings back, for my blog which lets me keep some sort of track of my life, movies-I love watching movies because you don’t have to think you can just enjoy, that I can play the piano and escape for a while, for people who write blogs so I can keep up with them, those who pay their tithing so I can go to school at BYU, weekly devotionals at BYU which always refocus my attention, the food mart in the Tanner building which costs way too much but keep me alive, for cookies because they are my favorite dessert of all time, that my name is Chance and everyone calls me Chase, for all the people that think I am Adam because I laugh every time, that I was an EFY counselor and all the calls I get about mission calls, that I taught Seminary, facebook for all of the people that I am able to semi keep in contact with, the internet which makes things so much easier, that I am healthy, this list which has made me think that I really having nothing to complain about but everything to be grateful for.

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving, just remember there are so many things to be grateful for in this life, we just need to take the time to think about them. Just know that I am grateful for you, because in some way or another we have had an experience which has made you interested enough to read this post.

A desire to be better...

2009-11-01T11:38:00.000-08:00

I was reading recently through my journal and came across an entry that started me thinking about what I needed to do to be better. There are allot of things in this journal entry that are personal to me, but respect that those who care enough to read my blog would care enough to understand the message that I am trying to convey: This entry was dated 31 August 2009:

My friend Eric came over tonight, and with Drew my roommate we had a general discussion about the church, which turned in to a specific conversation of the atonement as it specifically relates to those attracted to the same gender. One thing is certain: that I don't understand the full infinite power of the atonement, but I am slowly learning to appreciate it more and more. I have had this topic on my mind as we have debated the issue of civil unions and marriage in my Masters program but also as it relates to my brother who is gay. I think the question arises: Does God really love me? Does He know who I am? That is what I am going to be watching for this week in the little things that occur, and in my daily prayers, I am just going to ask if He is there, and does He know me.

I had some thoughts about the Gospel of Christ, and as I thought more and more about it I really feel that as member of the church we limit our hopes and desires because the "Three Kingdoms" become codified in our mindset. You have to do this and this in order to be here, or if you don’t do this and this you are definitely going here. And yet the plan for Heavenly Father's children includes all of his children, not just those that are perfect, but those who have righteous desires. In other faiths I think the concept of grace is easier to understand because it is just a heaven and hell, and because you have to be really 'bad' in order to go to hell, you can be more confident in the realization that you have a better chance at going to heaven because of God's grace. Yet in the three-kingdom system it is easier for us to settle on the realization that we may never reach the celestial kingdom, well at least I think that way in which I think it would just be easier to settle. And as we sin we begin to think that there is no way that I can be good enough to enjoy the merits of the celestial kingdom (as it relates to a codified checklist). And yet as I type that I understand and really believe that to question is healthy, but to doubt is not from God.

I really feel as the atonement is allot grander than anyone from our mortal perspective could understand, and it will only be when we are before Him to be reconciled will we truly understand His love for us. That is exactly why I need to be able to reach out to others more and to love them for who they are, God's children. (The funny thing as I talked tonight and as I am typing, I am surprised at the things that I really do know to be true.) I become bogged down at all of the intricacies of the Gospel, and yet they are plain and simple. Faith. Lets start there.

As I read this entry I was reminded of the fact that I need to reach out to others more and to love them for who they are, God's children. I hope in my day to day interactions that I can help others to feel that they are indeed children of our Heavenly Father, that they are loved, regardless of their race, religion, sexual orientation, or whatever differences we come across in our lives. No matter how hard today seems, I know that tomorrow will be better if we choose to serve the Lord today.

Is it already fall?

2009-10-16T13:44:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I have been able to update. I finished a quiz early today and thought that I would update on things happening in my life. My main reason for keeping this blog i for myself, so that I can at least feel like I am keeping some sort of record of my life, so for really no other reason than that my posts tend to be a little long, but again they are for me. A nice bonus is that I am able to keep tabs on friends who are now scattered throughout the world (literally) and vice versa. So here goes nothing...

This is my new home:

I have really enjoyed the MPA program thus far. I am taking a full load of classes including Basic Decision Analysis, Economics, OB, Communications, and others. Also, allot of my time has been spent doing job shadows or interviews and trying to secure a summer internship for next summer. The students are great and on a daily basis am amazed at their desire to do good in the world. There is more reading than can be accomplished but the best part is that I am interested in what I am learning. I am daily engaged in discussions both in and out of the classroom of real world issues. There really is hope for the future, especially in the hands of my fellow classmates!

One of my favorite things that I have been involved with this semester is the Make-a-Wish Foundation of Utah. I was selected to be a board fellow for the Utah chapter. It has been a really humbling experience as I have reviewed child after child who is suffering from life threatening diseases, many of them will live, but many of them will succumb to the diseases which have cause them and their families so much suffering and pain. I am just grateful to sit among so many qualified professionals and discuss and make decisions for the future of Make A Wish Foundation of Utah. There really is allot of behind the scenes things that have to take plac

e. If you have time you should check out the new blog www.makeawishfoundationfoutah.blogspot.com to read some of the stories of wish children from Utah. It has helped me to be more grateful for the things that I do have.

I also enjoyed this last conference, especially because my mom came up to spend the weekend with Lindsay, Jared, and I. It is good to see her walking around and enjoying life. It was also great to eat some of her home cooked meals. We had fun playing games, and we look forward to having Chad join us here in the next couple of months as he approaches the end of his mission.

I was also able to get together with the EFY team that I worked with two summers ago. We had been planning it for 2 years and it finally happened. It was good to see everyone and to catch up, especially as Dani and Dave got married to eachother, Brooke A. is Engaged, Jeni Weston is married, and Brooke B. is now back from her mission. What a great bunch of people.

I havent had allot of time for 'leisure' activities, mostly between school, Make A Wish, working (Graduate Student Society, and Event Staff Supervisor), church calling, I have been able to do much fun things. So I was grateful when a couple of guys from my ward (Chase and Joe) invited me to go with them to Las Vegas to see the BYU vs. UNLV game. I was a little hesitant because I had a big project due the next week, but am thankful that I did. I am always grateful to be able to make more friends and to have a good time. They also had an extra ticket so Lindsay was able to go as well, it was fun to spend the weekend with her! Here are just a couple of highlights from the trip

Here is the Vegas group! Like I said, it was a ton of fun! (Joe Boyer, Linds, Me, Stephanie Putnam, Chase, Aubin, Heather, Reed)

One of the coolest things was the lion habitat in the MGM grand, I had been to Vegas a number of times and had never even heard of the Lion Habitat. Lions are allot bigger than I thought they would be.

By far the best part of Vegas is the Bellagio water show. I could have spent the whole day just watching the water show.

The reason for the trip was the BYU vs. UNLV football game. To put it plainly it was blowout, it was fun to be there and to make friends with the UNLV fans. They were a little drunk and had a couple of degrading remarks, but in the end we were all laughing and having a good time.

It would not have been as fun with out this girl! Love her!

Just a quick shot of the game!

We also went to M&M world which was really cool, it smelled like chocolate throughout the whole store and there were more M&M's than any one person could eat in a year.

We stayed at this beaut of a hotel. It was a little smoky but the rooms were cheap and they beds were comfortable. There were literally surveillance cameras everywhere. I think the rooms are cheap because they think you will more than likely gamble, nope not us, haha!

I dont think I had ever seen a flamingo, for those of you wondering, they are real!

Again, it was a ton of fun, and I am thankful that I was able to get to know this bunch of great kids! As a side note, I found the best place for a shake...Maverick! They have this cool machine that you put in your selection of ice cream and it takes it away and produces one of the best shakes that I have ever had.

I have failed in a couple of areas, and want to apologize. I have not been able to keep up with most of you on your lives. I hope to be better at that. A shout out to Stephen and Sarah Glenn on their new baby boy!

Play, Relax, Ready set Go!!

2009-08-25T19:59:00.000-07:00

Well today I started the first day of my Master's Degree, without going in to much detail, the MPA program took us to the ropes course (I thought the same thing, ropes course in a graduate program) but nonetheless it was fun and we were assigned our teams that we will work with this semester! I am a little nervous, but ready or not, it started today! I really felt today that this is where I needed to be, which made me feel alot better about my decision.

I wanted to touch on a couple of things I have done in the last coupleof weeks prior to being back in Provo...first of all I was in a play...?! When I was younger I was involved in an outdoor theater program called Anasazi the Ancient One's and loved it. Well the playwright called me in the middle of the summer and said she had a part for me to play that she thought would be perfect for. To be honest besides the play when I was little I have never done anything quite like that since I was maybe 14, so I agreed thinking it would be a good experience and get me out of my comfort zone. I ended up playing a Mormon polygamistt with two wives. The basis of the play was telling the story of how the Indian children in the area were taken to boarding schools, and how slowly over time their traditions have been lost. I really had alot of fun, I even had a solo in the play where I sang a love song to my wives. I got to meet alot of great people, but unfortunately I have no pictures! We had nearly 400 people come andsee it over the two weeks it was enacted. Some exciting news for the playwright, Sharon French, one of her plays has been bought to be a Broadway play, it will start in two years.

I also was able to work at the old trading post that I used to work at for a week to earn a little extra money, they paid in cash and were very gracious! I had forgot in moving how the Navajo Culture is and how much I love the culture itself but am saddened at the way that it is heading (maybe I will post about this more another time)

However, probably the most fun thing I did all summer was go to Houston to visit my friend Stephen Glenn and his family, Sarah and Parker! I really had a great time, it was a perfect mixture of sight seeing, relaxing and just talking. There were very gracious hosts and allowed me to burden them for 5 days! The only thing I regret is that I didnt visit them more often when they lived in Provo! Definitely my favorite part was playing with their son, Parker. He is 18 months old and is probably the smartest, cutest kid around. He definitely is the life of the party (and knows it) and he has the best two parents I have seen. Here is just a synopsis of

some of the fun we had:

Here is the big guy, Parker! I really love this kid! He is on the verge of talking but knows what most of the sounds of the letters of the alphabet make!

We went to visit the Houston temple and walk around the grounds. It was really pretty! The only thing about Houston is the it is very humid!

Parker loved playing in the water, everywhere we would go he would always get excited at any water that we saw! It was fun to go swimming with him later that day and to play "toothpick"

Here is one of Stephen, Parker, and I.
We also went to the Natural science museum, I didnt get any pictures, but here is one I found on the internet. This is a picture of one of the attractions at the museum, it is called "Terracotta Warrior's" I am not totally sure what the whole story is but just know they were made to protect the emperor in the after life! It was actually really interesting!

We also went to the Astro's vs. Diamondback game and were able to watch it in a suite. All you can eat food, drinks, and a huge dessert sundae in a baseball helmet. It was an indoor stadium and it was great. I really had a great time just being there.

Here is Parker in the suite eating a hot dog, boy can this little guy eat. He was a trooper because he stayed up at least 4 hours past his bedtime and was not trouble at all.

On Saturday we went to the NASA space center and was able to get a tour of the facility and to learn alot about the future of space travel. Here is one of the retired rockets. I dont know that you can grasp the magnitude of the size of this beast but it was HUGE! I still have the question of why we even travel to space, billions of dollars, really?

Overall, it was the perfect vacation before I got started in my program. I really love the Glenn's and am grateful to their hospitality. A special thanks to Sarah (I am sorry I dont have a picture) for being a great hostess and at the same time being 8 months pregnant! If you are ever in town she makes the best pork chop and potatoes and pull apart rolls. I am grateful for their friendship and will ever be blessed to call them friend!

Hospital Internship...Done

2009-08-08T16:33:00.000-07:00

This week was my last week at my internship with the local hospital. It really was a great place to work and to learn. I worked with a great therapy team, including doctors, nurses, and administrators that didn't seem to get tired of my constant inquiries. I even got offered a job! I think for the first time in my life, except maybe teaching seminary, I felt as if I had something real to offer, and people trusted my opinion on a professional level. It was great to work with the patients. It really has given me a lot of inspiration to watch spinal cord patients, TBI's, CVA, and multiple other injuries and surgery patients work hard at their recovery. It also taught me to drive more careful, wear my seat belt, not drink (haha), excercise, eat right, and in general to be more healthy. I gained alot of great friends in the health industry that have given me advice on life, education, financial managment, and many other life related areas. I enjoyed my time, except maybe for all of the documentation, but that is what you get in the healthcare industry. Now I just take the certification exam in September and I will be a liscensed Therapist!! (haha, Troy!)This is the hospital I worked at!

Here is a side view of their new addition!

Other news: I am also done working at the restaurant! All I have to say is I have a lot more respect for servers! I think everyone, atleast once in their life, needs to be a server. There were multiple times where I got jipped on a tip or two, not because of bad service, but because people did not appreciate the work that was being done for them. It really takes alot of work, and constantly answering people questions, making sure the food is ordered right, refilling drinks, refilling drink, and refilling drinks! I definitely tip better than I used to, atleast 15% and 20 % if they are good! This helps offset the 2.17 that they are getting paid an hour! It was also interesting for me to be able to be an employee again where I was not seen for what I had to offer. I was just another server; and unfortunately was treated as such. There are alot of mis-management issues that I was able to observe, and really saw the value in appreciating your employees! Lets just say if I was a manager, or owner for that matter, of an establishment I would not tell my employees to 'shut-up', punish them by not allowing them to check out even when there are no customers in the restaurant, punsihing by not giving them very many nights, or making sure they have all of the bad customers that come in. It was just a whole new world, the employee morale was low, and it really showed. While I was there there were 7 servers who quit, and they were having a bad time hiring new servers! One night the owners were arguing in the back about money, and one of them got really mad and said I guess we can save money by turing out the lights. (Mind you everyone there in the restaurant could hear them yelling) and they turned off all of the lights. All of the servers just walked around and apologized, because there was no way we were going to get good tips after that! Last story and then some positive things, haha: I was serving one table of 18 and it was a wedding party and the manager kept walking up to my table every 15 minutes or so and asking them if they were receiving good service (she said because I was new and wanted to make sure) well anyway after their dinner was through they were automatically grated 18%, they left an additional tip, and two different people as they were walking out handed me $20 dollars because, "This is for having to work with such a horrible boss" I had to laugh, because it was definitely true! As for the positive I really enjoyed working with the other servers. I had a hard time understanding some of their life decisions, and some were even in their 40's still working there. I enjoyed working with people with such diverse backgrounds, and it gave me even more motivation to complete my schooling and to work hard at doing well. I am excited to get back to school and to have a social life again.

Update: A Chance at Life

2009-07-12T16:26:00.000-07:00

A while ago I posted about some goals I had set for my life and some rules to live by. Here is my report and my follow up goal setting.

The rules to live by were:

God First
People before anything else (after #1)
It's always better to be happy
But if not...
Serve others before my self
No Regrets

I am happy to report that all is well, so far. I could have been better at putting people before anything else, and serving them before myself, but hey #6 no regrets. I will try to be better in the future. On "My list" Numbers 2 (Education), #4 (Piano Arrangement), #6 (ASL), and #19 (scuba diving) are under way. I have decided to post my 10 year plan on my blog in hopes that those who read will help me be accountable to my goals that I have set. Here is a rough go at it:

Ultimately I have decided that I want to get in to Health care. My passion really is for people and helping people. I thought for a long time that in order to do so I needed to be a doctor or other type of health care provider. I have also identified that my passion is along the lines of business, in the sense of leadership and team building. I have had the opportunity over the last year to interact with a lot of health care administrators and have been intrigued at the many exciting possibilities that are within health care administration. There is a lot of good to be done, and I feel that in the coming years health care is going to be a very hot topic, and there is going to need to be individuals in positions to be able to help align local and federal governments in regards to health care policies. This will help me to be in a great position as I start looking to move in to local government settings.

3 Months:

Dating 2 times a week
Temple worker
Start sending resumes/making contacts for summer 2010 Internship
Establish a Mentor (Good news on this one: I was selected to be part of the President's Council Mentor Program at BYU)
Follow up lunch with Dr. Gray and colleague
Start taking spanish classes
3 Job shadows with local Health Care Administrators
Start building "Rolodex"

6 Months:

Maintain relationship or dating 3 times a week
Select summer 2010 internship
Choose Master's emphasis, most likely Local Government and Finance
6 Job shadows with loacl Health Care Administrators
Start building Healthcare Portfolio
Continue with Spanish, Apply for Humanitarian Service
Maintain "Rolodex" and always be adding to it
Save 10/10

1 Year:

Internship
12 shadow health care administrators
Healthy Health care portfolio
Maintain "Rolodex" and always be adding to it
Save 10/10
Humanitarian service (atleast 2-3 weeks, Spanish prefered)

2 Year:

Married
Graduation in top 10% of class
Secure employment/Internship
Save 10/30
First Home

10 Year:

Health Care Executive
Expert in the Health care field
Nursing/EMS certification
Develop/Start World NPO Healthcare
Hold elected office (City Council, School Board)

These are some specific/general goals as I look forward to the future. I realize that they are incomplete, but it gives me a generalized direction in which I would like to be heading. I really liked a quote I read in a book I am reading called, "Never Eat Alone" by Keith Ferrazzi in which he quoted George Burton Adams,
"There is no such thing as a "self-made" man. We are made up of thousands of others. Everyone who has ever done a kind deed for us, or spoken one word of encouragement to us, has entered into the make-up of our character and of our thoughts, as well as our success"

I am grateful for those along the way who have got me to this point where I am in my life. I am happy and there really is nothing to complain about. I would appreciate those in my life to follow up with me on these goals that I have set and hold me to them. I will be giving it my all as I move forward in life.

P.S. I am also trying to work on identifying some of my strengths and weaknesses, so if you could just take a minute and write some the the strengths/weaknesses that I have that you have percieved in my interactions with you-it would be greatly appreciated.

Fireworks and Mud Equal Fun!

2009-07-11T21:19:00.000-07:00

Fourth of July Weekend I had some friends come down from Utah for a visit: Mindy, Brad, Nat, and Troy. It was a lot of fun considering I haven't done a lot of socializing this summer. We had the usual amount of delicious food, ping pong, around the world, ping pong blow, ultimate spoons, fireworks, movies, guns, and lack of sleep! I am really glad they came, it really made for a memorable 4th of July!

Here is one of my favorite pictures and memories now, Teaching Bradley Graham how to drive a tractor. Brad really did good rota tilling the field to prep it for mud volleyball!

This is a classic of Farmer Brad!

We built a mud pit and flooded it and let it soak for a couple of hours and set up a volleyball net! The missionaries came over because it was their P-day and their whole district came. Basically it turned out to be a mudfest of wrestling, throwing mud, and being completely covered in mud! It literally took over an hour for us to clean up after! Here is some of the evidence!

This is us trying to play, but everytime that you hit the ball you had mud splattered all over your face. It was really hard to move around and jump in so it didnt turn out to be a competitive game of volleyball.

This is us at the start with nice clean clothes, that soon changed! This was so much fun.

We also went tubing down the river on our property. It was really hot on the 4th so it felt really good to float down the river. Here is Brad, Nat, Me, Troy, Mindy, Lindsay!

This is one of the entrances to Mesa Verde. We went on Friday morning. This 36 foot ladder was a little shaky, but the view at the top was amazing. I hadnt been to Mesa Verde in a long time. It really is amazing that the anasazi/pueblo people lived in these cliff dwellings.

Here is the group at one of the dwellings, Nat, Mindy, Lindsay, Me, and Brad. It was really hot and we didnt bring any food, luckily there was an "Indian Food" stand at the side of the road.

This is the view after climbing out of the dwellings. It was really a long ways down to the bottom!

This is the entrance. The people who inhabited these dwellings were about 5'2", so it was hard to fit through some of their doors and entrances!

This is one of the dwellings we were able to visit called Cliff Palace

This is the view from the top. It really was amazing what they were able to accomplish with so little technology. This dwelling was built in 1200 AD

This is a full scale view from above.

This is the happy crew at the end of the day, minus Troy. I really am so lucky to have such great friends!

First things First...

2009-07-11T11:43:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading this book and have learned a lot about what it means to be successful...

Here are some of the lessons that I have learned...

1. There will always be someone who will take your place...except in the home. Someone can easily take over your job when you leave, someone will always take your place as bishop, or teacher, or CEO, or anything. But no one can take your place in the home. I think I have learned this lesson the hard way already in my life in my relationships, and is probably the reason why I am not married...yet. I often place a high priority on making sure that I am being successful at what I was doing (i.e. work, school, volunteering) that I neglected to make dating and marriage a priority. I had rationalized in my mind that I was working hard at all of those different things so that I could provide for my family in the future, that I neglected to actually start a family.

2. Guard My Habits. Most successful businessman have excellent habits. Kevin Rollins, former CEO of Dell said, "The true defining situation for a person what they do when they are alone and dont have to do anything else. What do they do? Do they do frivolous things? That's when you define what you are." I have thought alot about what I do, not that I do anything bad, but am I doing productive things during my free time... the answer is... not always.

3. My Word needs to be my Bond. If you treat people fairly and honestly the first time, they will trust you and want to do business with you the next time. this can be in business or anything in life.

4. Dont become sucked in to the trappings of power. You're never as important as you tink you are. When it comes to praise, if you are not careful you start imagining that people are talking about you personally, when they are in fact speaking about the organization. It goes back to my first thought, no one is ireplaceable.

5. If it's not worth doing well, it's not worth doing

6. Learn to say, "NO". I really struggle with this one, because there are so many people that I want to help, and there are so many things that I want to do. I read Neal A. Maxwell's biography, and he struggled with this as well, and he put up a sign on his office door that read something to the effct of My time cannot accomodate to the many requests of which my heart string pulls.

Here are a couple of basic rules that I need to apply in my life:

Rule #1 Do the most important things first
Rule #2 Do the urgent things second
Rule #3 Delegate the things that are urgent but unimportant
Rule #4 Skip altogether the things that are umiportant and not urgent

I really enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to anyone that is interested in learning about establishing daily habits that will help anyone be successful in whatever they choose, whether it be business or not. There sure are a lot of things that I need to imporve in my life.

Life lessons learned the hard way...

2009-07-11T11:21:00.001-07:00

I was sent this link earlier today and it taught me a really important lesson. I taught Seminary at Lone Peak for almost two years. It was there that I learned to love teaching the Gospel and helping out students that were in need. However, there really is a fine line of getting too close to students and their problems. It is really easy to love the students as you plan, present, apply lessons that you as the teacher have prepared. But here is the lesson I learned today... you can never compromise the trust that is given you as a teacher, or a mentor, parent, or anyone in a position of trust. You are in that position for a reason and often times in that position we can start to feel that we are better than we really are, and forget that while in that position when people trust eachother they become vulnerable. My prayers go out to Bro. Pratt's family, to the girl who he betrayed the trust of, to the staff and students at Lone Peak Seminary, and to Bro. Pratt himself. I hope all of us can learn a valuable lesson whether it be the lesson that I learned or something that you need to learn from this unfortunate situation.

If you want to read the full article it is posted below

ksl.com - Seminary teacher accused of sexually assaulting student

A Life Full of Work....and Drunk Driving

2009-06-28T16:50:00.000-07:00

There really is not much to update on from the last time, just have been working an average of 80 hours a week plus all of the around the house/farm stuff I really have not had allot of time off. This got me thinking of all the jobs I have had over the years:

My first job was at a fast food joint called "Get and Go"
I started a lawn-mowing business with a friend (Basically just old people in the ward, some of which have still never paid us!)
I worked at a fireworks stand two years in a row, working all day and then getting paid to sleep in the tent so no one stole the fireworks at night
Grocery Store bagger and eventually Cashier
I worked as a CNA at an assisted living facility
I did a summer of construction work, Renovating Aztec High School
Line Cook at Red Lobsters
Missionary Training Center
Landscaping for BYU football and baseball fields
Admissions Office
Event Staff at Football and Basketball Games
Especially For Youth
"Body Transporter" -Ask if you want details
Seminary Teacher
Tour Guide at BYU
Teaching Assistant
Therapist
Server/Waiter
Piano Teacher
County Director for Congressman
Navajo Trading Post

I have had a wide variety of jobs and experiences from each, but am grateful for the people that I have met along the way.

I have also had some interesting experiences with some of my friends from high school and the servers that I work with at the restaurant. Everyone decided they wanted to go to Applebees after work one Saturday night and I hadn't done anything in a long time so I agreed to go. As soon as we sat down and everyone started ordering I knew I was in trouble, everyone ordered alcohol. As the evening progressed I realized that I was going to have to drive these people home, because I surely was not going to allow them to drive home drunk. When I announced that I was going to drive everyone home, everyone was reluctant saying they were o.k, but I knew better. What started out as a couple of friends out for dinner, turned in to Chance being a drunk driver. I felt like a babysitter, with people throwing up, passing out, and me worrying that someone was going to die if they choked on their throwup and not wanting them to be on the ground and no one else around to take care of them. I guess as one of my jobs I should put DD. No thank you, not for me!!

On a more fun note I have enjoyed haning out with this beautiful girl:

I moved out to go to college when she was still pretty young and so we never really got to hang out and get to know eachother. I have had alot of fun with her playing games, going to dinner, water fights, ping pong, toe pinching, blanket stealing, watching movies, playing with "killer" the helicopter, and just laughing. If anything I am grateful that I have been able to spend more time with her! (PS I am still waiting on my birthday present!)

Summer Fun 2009

2009-05-25T17:01:00.000-07:00

I was thinking today that I really haven't been doing much, comparing to all of the things that I would do in Provo (Travel, friends, etc.) but then I started thinking...wait I have done alot so far this summer. Not including the two jobs that I am working almost everyday, I have been able to do a lot of things around our farm to help my dad and my mom. Here are just a highlight of some of the things...Castrating the cows: Poor guys!This is the tractor that does all the work. Affectionately known as "Masey" This picture is for Brad Graham.

This is the view out the back of the house. This is the San Juan River, my family has three acres down near the river bed, we usually would go camping or paintballing in down there, really good childhood memories. I get to look down on this everyday.
This is the lower pasture and the name of our farm comes from this tree. It blew over and then the limbs turned in to there own trees. We call it the Lazy Cottonwood.

Taking care of this beautiful lady! The hospital was a little rough, but she is doing better everyday!
I go on rides with my new buddy, Sadie. Everytime you start up the fourwheeler she comes running to jump on. We planted some new grass in this area which was previously occupied by some weeds, Its been only two weeks and it is looking good so far!We planted the garden, and everything is starting to come up: Tomatoes, peppers, beans, corn, and some different melons.Taking care of the huge lawn is a chore, but it is looking good!Discing the fields under to prep for planting, we decided to plant corn this year as it would be easier to take care of and put some nutrients back in the fields.

Overall things are going well and I am enjoying my time, what little of it I have. It has been good for me and has given me a lot of time to think and to make more life goals. I am excited looking forward to more summer projects: Painting the house, re roofing the house, putting in a new fence on the east side of the property, planting new trees, and spending time with families! Does anyone want to come visit?

On Going Home...

2009-05-02T11:20:00.000-07:00

It is sort of a hard thing to explain, going home. I moved away from home in 2002 to start school at BYU. A year later I went on my mission to Oregon. Finished my mission and then started back at BYU. All in all, I have been away from home now for 7 years. I have grown, changed, met new people, had exciting opportunities, and yet when since moving home I have felt like I am just back to who I used to be. Same people, same town, same bedroom, the only thing different is that I have a college degree. To everyone around me that does not make me any different in who they see me as, I am the same ol kid who has just been gone for a while. Why did I move home? There are a couple of reasons:

1.) Both of my parents, have or will have surgery, and I feel a sense of responsibility to be able to take care of them
2.) I can live at home and save a lot of money
3.) I can help take care of the farm and catch up on all of the projects that have gone behind since my dad had his accident (New roof, paint the house, new fence, fence repair, on and on)
4.) I can still have an internship at the hospital doing therapy
5.) I got a really good server job in town at the Bluffs, sort of the upscale restaurant in town (I am scurrying trying to learn about different types of wine, I had no idea there were so many!)

All in all, I guess it really is only for a couple of months. I just never really pictured myself at 24, unmarried, college graduate, and living at home! I can see this in some of the people that I have ran in to and they ask what I am doing, simple reply, "living at home just working!" I don't know that they fully understand all of the reasoning. On the other hand, I have enjoyed doing some farm work on the tractor, and seeing people that I haven't seen in a while. New Mexico is pretty around this time, and there is a lot of things that I can do while I am here. I ordered the Rosetta Stone for Spanish, will be able to help out the missionaries, the bishop will probably have to help out with the Young Mens, and I can enjoy mom's home cooked meals! Mostly it is just lowering my pride and making the most of the situation. It is a great reminder as I have rubbed shoulders with those who are multi millionaires and to come back to New Mexico and see some of the most humble of humble people, both in the way they live and in who they are. In the end it really comes down to that I feel that this is where I am suppose to be, and there is always something to learn. Starting Monday, I will work from 8 am to 3 pm at the Hospital, then 3:30 to 10:00 at the Bluffs, with the exception of Thursday night I have off from the Bluffs and Saturday I don't work at the hospital in the morning, but still have the bluffs at night. Sundays will hopefully be a day of rest. So I am home now, and will be til the end of the summer when I start my Grad program in the fall, we will see what is in store for me this summer!

Graduation Time!!

2009-05-01T08:13:00.000-07:00

I recently graduated from BYU with my Bachelor's on April 23 and 24. To be honest, life does not feel much different. This comes with the reality that I will be going back in the fall for a Masters and so I am not quite done yet! There are a couple of highlights from Graduation. My whole family came (except for Chad who is on his mission) and my my aunt Robin and Mary, and cousin Candy and her daughter Mady. They all flew from Georgia, Oklahoma, and made the tedious drive from New Mexico, Thank You to all of them! To finish out our year in office Adam and I were asked to give the opening and closing prayers, respectively, at the Commencement services. The main speakers were President Uchtdorf and Elder Nelson. I was dressed in my new suit (Thank You, Boothes!) and in my cap and gown waiting with Adam when Ron Clark (Director of Public Affairs and Guest Relations) asked Adam and I to follow him. We followed him to this back room of the ASB and in the room was President Uchtdorf, Elder Nelson, Elder Christofferson, and President Samuelson. We got to meet each of them and chatted for nearly 10 minutes (mostly just listened while they chatted amongst themselves). Then Ron came in and said, "Brethren it is time to go" and we filed in line after the "Brethren!" We were in the front of the procession and led the graduates in. It was a really great meeting. Pres. Uchtdorf received an honary doctorate, and seemed to be really touched. He spoke about using time wisely. Elder Nelson also spoke and told a great story about a situation where he was in where someone needed medical care and he could not provide it for them because he did not have the equipment, the only thing he could do was give the man a blessing, and how when everything else fails, the Lord has the answers. The prayer went well (meaning I didnt trip or stumble on the words!) After we followed the Brethren out, they thanked us for our prayers and wished us the best of luck on our future endeavors. My family had dinner with the Boothe family, Mark graduated as well. My family also got to meet alot of the people that I worked with over the past year in BYUSA, and the Dean offered a free lunch for my family at Tucanos. Friday we had the Convocation where we got our "sample" diplomas, and then the family went to Temple Square and to dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. Saturday morning we all went out to Breakfast and it was goodbye as everyone had to catch flights and drive home. Here are a couple of pictures to highlight the weeks events:

Here is the family (minus Jared and Chad) Jared did come down but wasnt there for the pictures.
Here is my cute grown up sister, Lindsay! I think she was most excited because she got to buy a new dress! She will be 19 next week! I cant even believe it!
Here is the extended family that came (L-R, Papa, Mom, Lindsay, Mady, Me, Mary, Candy) We couldnt find Robin Gravess!
This is after we finally found Robin! My prayers go out to her as she was recently diagnosed with Leukemia!
This cute girl is a trooper, she attended three graduations and saved seats for my family!

Here is my good friend Stephen Glenn, he was my freshman roomate and has been a longtime friend.
Here is with his family, Sarah and Parker (There is another one on the way, it is a boy!)! They are off to Texas where he has a job with Exxon.

I hadnt seen Josh Watt for a long time, we served in the same mission and would wake up extra early to go play soccer on the mission. I was glad I ran in to him that day. He is moving away with his wife and two kids to start Optometry school.

The Boothe Family (L-R, Annalece, Me, Susan, Randy) They are a great family and have been a huge support, not to mention wonderful dinners! Thank you again for the suit!

Here are some of my classmates, (L-R, Derek Struiksma, Brianna Haynie, Brad Robinson, Dr. Palmer, Meegan Small, and nice guy I dont remember his name, and me)

Here is the family at the big dinner at The Cheesecake Factory, this is my favorite place to eat, mostly because of the wonderful Cheesecake! A quick shout out to Mindy who took the picture and was there, thank you for coming!

When all is said and done it was a wonderful weekend of food, family, friends, and trying to move out and clean my apartment! Glad it happened, Glad it is over!

A Chance for Appreciation...!

2009-04-15T11:59:00.001-07:00

I sure love all of the following people:

Christ and Nat in Communications! Nat is probably has the best communication skill set of anyone that I know! Christ was new this year, but has done a great job! The Communications area has undergone drastic changes, many of which were published in the Daily Universe, facebook, and other mediums.

Oh Brooke! Without her tutoring skills in Economics, I never would have made it! She had the challenge of creating a brand new area, Human Resources, and carried through like a champ! She articulates her thoughts better than anyone you will ever meet!

These two gave me the most grief this year, but from it I have gained two great friends! Nate Ward (My Advisor) and Steele. Steele always asked why? He always kept me on my toes

Inside joke: What's up Dawg? Give it to me straight! This one is for you Bro. Ward!

Adrienne and James were over the clubs area this year. More than any other year clubs went through a complete overhaul of processes and systems. James was the man for the job!

Again, Bro. Ward- I just thought this picture was funny because Nate and I love politics and would often get distracted in our stewardships and just talk about current affairs and what we would do different if we were in office!

Jeannie and Brad! They were over the Student Honor Association this year! Jeannie is a great example of making the most out of life, having gone through alot of struggles in life she is one of the strongest women that I know. She was kind enough to give me "The Neal A Maxwell Quote Book: Illustrated Edition" because she knew how much I love Elder Maxwell! Brad really is the man, we were in his ward last year and asked him to apply, I had no idea how much good he would do and how he would impact my life for the good!

This one was just funny!

Angela, Elise, and Adam- I love these three more than they will ever know! Angela is the office mom, and everything which comes with being a mom of 100's of College students! Elise was the best secretary anyone could ever ask for, this year would not have been the same without her! Adam, I can truly say I love him like I do a brother (Why is Uncle Ruri Brown?) He is the man, all of the success of the office can be traced back to his desire and his dreams for this year!

What a job these two had, and what an excellent job they did at it! Tamara and Nicki were in charge of the Campus Activities area which has the largest budget and most active part in BYUSA. Nicki is the only success this year in terms of getting married! (Objective #4) I love these two!

Here we are at the beginning (Pass the torch 2008) Little did I know how much I would grow to love each and everyone of these great people!

We were professional, when we had to be! Right Steele?(L to R-Top Chance, Nicki, Adam, Brad, Nat, Bottom James, Elise, Brooke, Steele)

Here are all of the officers: The one's who made it happen!

Group Hug! In the end I feel as did Ammon in Alma 26:16 "...I cannont say the smallest part which I feel"

A Chance to Move on...?!

2009-04-15T11:41:00.000-07:00

Well time surely has flown by this year! It really is a bitter sweet. I have loved my experience in BYUSA and all of the many great opportunities that it has afforded to me. At the end of the year BYUSA has a 'symbolic' pass the torch. The new President and Exec Vice-President for next year is Elise and Landon. So atop the SWKT we pass the torch to the new officers and sware them in with the oath of office. Here are just a couple of the pictures from this bitter sweet event:

Here is a picture of the old and new Executive Presidency: Landon, Elise, Adam, and I. One thing for sure is they are a better looking team! (President Samuelson said "And that is no joke!" commenting about their better looks!) It was a little rainy and cold, same as last year.

This is Landon and I as Landon is taking the oath of office. I look like I am really serious, but it was alot of fun to pass a flaming torch. We didnt mess up like Justice Roberts and Pres. Obama!

This is one of my favorite pictures from pass the torch! In the middle of the ceremony the National Anthem started playing (Every morning and night when the flag is raised and lowered, they play the National Anthem over the loud speaker and everyone on campus pauses to pay respects) Although this looks like we are being disrespectful we are laughing at Nate Ward because he looks so patriotic holding the torch and having his hand over his heart! Adam and I have sure had a fun time this year!

Here is the man sent to clean up my mess! He will do great, he really is the man! I wish him and Elise the best of luck in a year filled with fun, laughter, disappointment, lack of sleep, retreats, food, meetings, devotionals, and absolute splendor!

I have loved the opportunity that I have had to serve and will miss the office, the people, and the fun!

A Chance for a Decision

2009-04-09T09:16:00.000-07:00

Well I knew this day would come, but it has come sooner then I thought it would. Today was the day I had to notify either University of Chicago or BYU of my intentions to attend Graduate School. It really has been one of the hardest decisions I have had to make. Both schools have alot to offer, but both also have some down sides to them as well. In the end my Decision is.....BYU! I understand that debt for schooling is an ok debt to incur, however, with the troubled economy the way it is, if I attend BYU I will come out with a considerable less amount of debt than I would if I had chosen Chicago. Unlike other programs where job placement is considerably higher if attend one school or the other, BYU and Chicago have relatively the same job outlook in the public sector. This is not the case with alot of other programs, such as Law School. In the end I will have alot more flexibility in choosing what I want to do as far as job placement. The idea being to apply to the State Department and do embassy work for a couple of years. I feel really good about my decision, reaffirmed through fasting and prayer. Here are some of the reasons I have chosen to stay:

Program Felxibility (I can take the courses that I want to take, there are alot more electives offered at BYU)

Debt (30,000 compared to over 100,000)

Scholarship Opportunities
BYU

Siblings will be attending in the coming years

Network base already established

These are just some of the few that helped to sway the decision. Now that the decision is made I am really excited to be able to start my course work, in an area where my passion and interest lay. Here is the official acceptance letter:

In the end who would not want to live here for two more years!

This is the campus, it is so amazing how it has grown since I started back in 2002, there is a rare campus that is more beautiful than the BYU campus

One of my favorite things is to be able to look up at the mountains, I always enjoy driving/flying back in to town and seeing the mountains, and the big "Y" on the mountain!

Ok this one is a little doctored up, but it is the Provo lake-there are so many recreational opportunities around, from winter skiing to hiking, camping and fishing!

I know Grad school will be hard work, but I am ready for a challenge and still accomplshing goal #2!

A Spring of Chance's

2009-03-28T10:12:00.000-07:00

I was really thinking the other day about all of the great opportunities that I have had in the last couple of months, and how I have really no record of them (obviously because I have not updated my blog!) So... more for me than for any of the two readers I want to have some record of the things that i have done:

For the first time in my life I went snowshoeing, and I had a blast! I figured since I was living in Utah and never have been skiing, snowboarding, or anything snow besides tubing I needed to try something new! I was invited by Jeni Weston and her friend Ashley Murray to go up to sundance and walk around in the snow! Adam came along as well as Nic Hoggan. Here are just a couple of pictures from our little adventure!

One of those funny pictures that you put the camera on the car and then run and hurry and get in the picture! I think Adam is holding Ashley's leg for some reason!

I really had so much fun and am grateful for such great friends: Adam, Jeni, Ashley, and Nic

At the end of February I went to Colorado Springs with Steele, Brad, Nat, and Adrian. We went to the Air Force Academy for a conference on Character and leadership! Of all of the conferences that I was able to attend this year, this definitely was the best! We flew out on a Wednesday and came back Saturday. (We almost missed our flight on Saturday because we were eating at Cheesecake Factory: I love cheesecake!) There were some fabulous speakers and one that particular changed my life. I went to a presentation called "Rachels Challenge". Rachel was the first victim at the Columbine High School Shooting, and her dad was there giving us a challenge to remember those who have touched your life and share that appreciation to them freely. There is alot to her story, really life changing. (visit racheljoyscott.com and rachelscott.com ) I remember watching the tragedy at columbine on TV and it having a huge impact on my life. Here is one person who really has touched millions. Someday I hope to be able to do the same.

This is a picture of Rachel:

Rachel was also an artist, and here is one of her art that touched me!

Overall the trip was alot of fun. Thank you to my cadet host Alex and his roomates Jonathan and Kyle ( Kyle: I will beat you at FIFA someday). It was really cold and the wind is crazy on the air force base. The chapel is amazing and all of the staff and cadets were really nice. Steele and I had some fun with some of the cadets on Friday night. We went to a Morrocan Restaurant (temple) which was really funny. We had to take off our shoes, and we sat on the floor to eat. They come out and wash your hands for you because you have to eat with your hands. After we had ordered we realized that the meal was going to cost us almost a 100 dollars and so Steele and I cancelled our order. The owner was really upset at us and kept glaring at us the whole time. They provide live entertainment! How lucky for us it was a belly dancer with little finger cymbals. We just laughed and all of us, including the other 5 cadets with us, went to Chic fil a, however you spell that, and ate a real meal! I really loved my time there, and have contemplated joining the Air Force to help pay for Grad school!
Here is a great picture of the Air Force Academy:

The last couple of months I have also been helping out Mitt Romney and doing some fundraising meetings here in Utah for his PAC. Each time it has been at his cabin and have loved being able to interact with him and some pretty influence opinion leaders and financially sound contributors. This last one there were about 50 people invited to come to a meeting and dinner in Park City, first at the Marriott then dinner at his cabin at night. It was great to be able to meet alot of people, and to talk to people I have met along the way. I talked with Elder and Sister Madsen again, they are always great and offer really good advice. One of my favorite things that Elder Madsen does is takes a notebook and while he is talking to people he is writing down notes! I also got some business cards and some people I need to follow up with when I am getting done with my Masters. Here is a couple of pictures of his cabin, which is amazing! This is also where I met President Bush, and found the lady who had my picture with him:

This one is at the top of the mountain in Deer Vally just before you drop down to where his cabin is. There were huge sniper guys sitting right here when Presdient Bush came!
This is the other side of the house in his driveway

This is one of the living rooms! The house is really amazing, but sadly he just sold it for 5.2 million dollars: I guess he was tired of having 4 houses!

I also have been dating a girl, Annalece Boothe. If I had to sum up her in one word, it would have to be amazing! She is beautiful, she sings like an angel, she is funny, spiritual, and has the most adorable laugh you will ever hear! We have had alot of fun together, laughing, traveling, and being with her family, and going to Young Ambassadors shows and firesides. We took a trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming where she has spent most of her summers growing up doing shows up there. There have a family friend, Alane Fraser, who bought us plane tickets and pampered us for the weekend! We stayed at her house in Jackson and just had the most peaceful weekend anyone could ever imagine! This is how Annalece summarized the trip:

We flew out on Friday afternoon...saw a show (Seussical the Musical...kids style)...went to the movie "Knowing" (p.s. never see it)...woke up to breakfast Chance had made for the family...went for a drive to see the Tetons (picture included)...found some moose...walked around town...ate at Billy's Burgers for free(thanks to Steve and Ben)...saw Matty's show again...went snowmobiling...had some dinner at Sidewinders, went shopping at the Whole Grocer (inspired me to go visit our local natural foods store)...went home and changed into jammies...went to the movie "Duplicity" (once again...LAME)...slept in (well, I did...he doesn't do that sleeping in thing)...went to church...came home to the best dinner in the world of ribs, corn casserole, and Chance's dessert that I love and crave wildly...hopped on a plane and flew home!

She summed it up great! Here are some pictures! My four favorite parts were: Tetons, Moose, snowmobiling and spending time with Annalece!

I had never seen a moose before, and we saw 6! They really are ugly! (Especially the Mangy ones!)

This is Annalece and I in front of the Tetons, they are amazing! In the flight in Jackson is a little valley in between mountains and so you have to have a steep descent and steep ascent when flying in and out, so it was a little shaky! If you have never been then you are really missing out!

I never knew how much fun snowmobiling was! We just rode around the Fraser property! We even almost ran over the dog in the background that looks like it is going to the bathroom!

Well to wrap this novel up! I am really happy these days! Life is great! School is almost over, Graduation is coming, my family is coming for graduation, BYUSA is almost over and things are looking up! Funny (last) story: I am the Stake Executive Secretary and so two weeks ago was stake conference and we had Elder Sybrowsky visiting and I got to meet with him, and I spoke at one of the sessions. Anyway he had travelled with the Young Ambassadors last year when they were in Australia and so he knew Annalece. So during one of his talks in the main session of conference he was talking about how his wife had taken a chance on him, and he paused, then smiled, and said "And someone else in the audience might have to take a Chance!" And then he winked at us, I could have died!

Glimpses of Life: Dog Bite

2009-01-06T12:13:00.000-08:00

Granted I don't remember much about this occasion, but it has had an impact on my life nonetheless. I was around 3 years old and we lived in the 'Canyon'. At that time my grandma lived 'Up the Canyon' and unannounced to my mother, I decided that I would go and visit my grandmother. Unfortunately for me between our home and my grandmothers home was my uncle's home. He had some dogs, and one particular dog that was chained to a trailer. The couple of snapshots of memory that I have, I can remember walking up to the dog, and then the brief memory of the dog jumping on me.

Apparently my father was away at the time in California, and from my mother's recollection she heard me screaming. The only real memory that I have after that was being in the hospital. I had to have 67 stitches (this may be one of those fish stories that keeps growing, but I think I remember the number 67), and the doctor being able to put his finger in the top of the cheek and then out the bottom. I was lucky as the dog missed my eye and chomped down on my cheek. I have multiple scars above my right eye and on my cheek. It is has healed really well, and I am left with a 'fake' dimple when I smile.

The last memory is receiving a teddy bear and a sucker from the Doctor. (The most important parts, right?) Needless to say because of the swelling I was unable to see out of my right eye for a while, and I even fell down the steps on our porch about a week later, tearing my right ear and needing more stitches. Mom says that we would have people stopping us in Wal-Mart giving her money because they felt bad for me.

Fortunately, I am not afraid of dogs, and have no real 'trauma' feelings related to the incident, but it becomes a great story to tell, or at least a good conversation piece.

A Chance to Catch Up II

2008-12-25T09:17:00.000-08:00

Well my goal to update my blog has been not been chronic (I recently took the GRE and so I have all of these words in my head, I am going to try to use as many of them as I can! PS I got a 1410 on the GRE!) I really am the only one culpable. Its dubious that I will continue to update my blog, but please exculpate me! I will be guilty of chicanery if I promised to update my blog, mostly because I am quiescent, and just don't have time otherwise! (Ok enough of that!) There are a couple of things I wanted to make sure that I got on record. These are in no particular order:

One of the cool things about being in BYUSA is some of the perks! We were invited a couple of times to sit in the President's Loge and watch the football games. The coolest part about it is a ton of the General Authorities come to watch the game, even some of the Apostles. Above is all the General Authority or Auxiliary leaders of the Church that we got to meet. It was so much fun, especially watching the Apostles as they got in to the game and were cheering! Even the late Elder Wirthlin was there a couple of times, and even though he couldn't walk at the time he would struggle and stand up to do the Fight Song. We asked him who he cheered for when BYU played Utah, he said, "whoever is winning!" It was a good answer! Some of the highlights were talking with the apostles, watching their wives cheer louder than them, high fives with Elder Christofferson and his wife. The second game we watched, in addition to those above, Elder Oaks and Scott came and watched the game. It was Elder Scott's birthday and we got to sing him Happy Birthday with a cake and all, and then he blowed out all of the candles! (I got the picture off of Adam's blog, thanks Adam!) There is a group picture of us with Elder Perry, but I dont know who has it?

Well one of our families favorite things to do is to play games! My favorite game is Settlers, probably because I win allot of the time, but here is a shout-out to Lindsay for winning for the first time, you should have seen her she was so excited!

This was the group at Thanksgiving, The family, Travis B., Nat H, Mindy, and the missionaries? I was allot of fun with allot of great food! Even filtered air!

Since I am pulling pictures off of other peoples blogs, this one is from Mindy's, Here is the bunch of us playing ping pong blow! We even got my mom to join in for some of the fun!

Here is probably one of my favorite pictures with the Kenyan kids during the summer. They were freezing after we swam a while and so we wrapped up in this towel!

This is from the day with the Kenyans at the Museum, we went and saw a 3D movie, most of them never even watching TV before, so just imagine the look on their faces when we were watching an I Max 3D movie about the ocean, it was alot of fun!

Here is some of them swimming with Steele and I, they loved swimming but were scared to death of drowning so they would cling to you as if they were about to die! Allot of fun!

I had to put in a plug for all of my USU friends, I went to the BYU vs USU game and BYU won! I had heard for two years how if we (BYU) would play USU then we would lose because USU was the better basketball program, blah blah blah, I will let the score speak for itself! I had a nice dinner afterwords with a grieving USU family! (Funniest comment of the year: He is saving himself til marriage!)

Suzanne got tickets to the First Presidency Christmas Devotional and so we went up with some of her friends. The bad part is that we were running late and there was no parking anywhere! I dropped everyone off to get their seats had to park the car. The only parking I could find was at the new LDS Business College/BYU Salt Lake Center parking, and then I ran. I barely got there in time! It was really nice!

To close out this wonderful semester of fun, classes, dating, traveling, applying to Grad School, weddings, I thought it appropriate to show you where I spent allot of my time last week! The testing center! The picture above is the line that you have to stand in to get in to the testing room! Doesnt it look like an entry in to a dungeon? When I used to give tours I would tell people that is was the most spiritual building on campus! (There is allot of prayers offered in that building!)

Here is a picture that I just found from the summer! Can you imagine 4 guys squeezing in to a Disney teacup, then all trying hard to spin the cup as fast as they could! I felt as if I was going to throw-up! When we got off the ride operator told us that she was afraid it was going to spin off, she had never seen it go so fast! (Pictured: Ryan S, Me, Brad G., Adam R.) That is how I felt the semester was like, it was just spinning and it was everything I could do to catch up!

Update on Life: One Vote, Educate the Kids

2008-11-16T12:25:00.001-08:00

One of the problems of not updating ones blog for a long period of time is that there is alot of things that the blogger would like to metion so he/she can remember them, but unfortunately does not have enough time to blog about all of them. So in atempt to catch up I am going to highlight just a few! (In no particular order)

For Halloween I attended a Halloween Masquerade Murder Mystery party. I was part of the Werewolf Clan. John Leishman (pictured above) and I built this fountain in the room. It was really difficult but alot of fun putting it together!

Here I am with some friends (Brad Robinson, Adam, and Chris Giovarelli) Chris organized the party, it has sort of turned in to an annual party that is alot of fun. You will notice I have a little hair sticking out of my shirt and a scar on my face. Both of which were provided by Linze Struiksma, she was a Music Dance Theater major and is really good at all of the makeup and stuff. I had so much fun acting like I was fighting Adam for the serum (which prevented the werewolves from transforming when there was a full moon)

During conference weekend we had a mission reunion. It is always really good to get together with friends from the mission. All of the blessings in my life right now I can trace back to my mission, I am so thankful for all of the people that I met and served on my mission!

This is my roomate Drew Chapman! It has been alot of fun living with Drew, he loves to talk about politics and is one of the nicest people one will meet!

Here I am with some more friends from BYUSA. We had to be in a couple of parades this last fall representing BYU, we had alot of fun at a couple of them including the Salt Lake parade in July where we were boo'd at by all of the U fans! This was BYU's Homecoming parade!

Many of you have been asking about Suzanne, well here she is with me at Halloween. Just guess what we were! We had alot of fun! We party hopped and then went to the Haunted House on campus where we ran in to Gisel and her husband. It was so funny because Gisel was screaming the whole time that we couldnt even get scared because we were laughing the whole time!

This is one of my favorite things we have done this semester while being in office! This is Elise May, Erik Linton and I vacuuming all of the hair during one of our activites during One Vote week! I had been planning this acitivity all summer. We organized activities on campus to register students to vote for the then up and coming election. We had bands, food, free haircuts, and plenty of volunteers who helped nearly 3,000 students to register to vote! I was so excited at the result!
These are some beautful children that I met this summer! There are orphans from Kenya who were sponsered to come to Utah to attend a childrens National musical festival in Salt Lake. I had a friend who mother helped organize them to come over and so I was able to play, eat, and listen to them sing at numerous concerts. I truly fell in love with them and wished that I could provide them a better life than what they have. They came raising money so that they could take back that money and help the orphanage/scool that they came from in Kenya. They represented about 750 children from there school. I have never seen kids so happy with what they have and what they were given. We were able to take them to buffets, water parks, museums, movie theater, and swimming. Really a chance of a lifetime for them. I really learned that God loves all of His children! They left a permanent impression upon my heart and someday I will be in a position to help them out more than I was able when they were here! If you want to track them you can find them on the web at singingchildrenofafrica.org.uk . One of my favorite things was that I taught them how to give what we call bones or some call a fist pound, something where you just stick out a fist and then the other person hits your fist with theirs. They would always run up and say, "Chance, Bones" I loved it! I pray God will bless them in their lives!

Overall this semester has been great, I have met so many wonderful people and have had so many great experiences, that sometimes I fail to realize what a blessing all of this is to me in my life!

Life Goals

2008-11-16T11:56:00.000-08:00

New Goal: Update Blog weekly!

In my office I have a couple of things posted up around my desk to remind me of some of the goals that I have made, as well as the rules in which I wish to live my life. I thought I would share them with you:

Chance's Rules to Live By

God First
People before anything else (after #1)
It's always better to be happy
But if not...
Serve others before my self
No Regrets

Here is what I affectionately refer to as "My List"

Get Married
Obtain as much education as possible
Have kids (8)-If necessary adopt, if not necessary adopt
Write a complete Piano Arrangement
Coach Soccer
Learn ASL
Tour and Travel Europe
Live in Chicago
Run for elected office someday (Governor/Senator)
Learn Spanish
City Manager (Help establish and flourish a community)
Compete in a Triathlon
Write a Book
Become EMS certified
Be a session director for EFY
Go to Africa (I want to see a Giraffe in the wild)
Go to Australia ( I want to see a Kangaroo in real life)
Help develop an International Community
Learn to Scuba Dive
Fly a Helicopter
Get my pilots license
Work at a Zoo
Teach Seminary
Serve as an Ambassador to another Country
Golf Under an 80
Bowl over a 250
Develop a NPO organization to support developing countries

Well there it is! Any other suggestions about possible goals, let me know!

Obama's Chance!

2008-11-10T20:19:00.000-08:00

Well election day came and went, we have elected a new President, Barack Obama. Our country has definitely come a long way in electing a black President. It is great to be part of history in the making. Here is to the next four years, Obama!

West Point Academy

2008-11-09T14:34:00.001-08:00

The National Center for Ethics in America was held at West Point Academy. All the delegates stayed with the cadets at the conference in the barracks. It was a three day conference where we had numerous speakers on different aspects of ethics: College, Business, and Journalism. The speakers brought up allot of different aspects from ethics of professors; should they share their opinion in teaching, or teach both sides and let the students make up their own minds. Ethics in business, and the most interesting one was the editor of the Wall Street Journal. The interesting thing about BYU going to a conference like this is we are able to give more than receive. Most schools are actually trying to establish a honor code type at each of their schools. The coolest thing about the whole conference is that we were able to answer so many questions about the church! From drinking to polygamy, you name it we got it! Here are some of the highlights of the conference; incidentally none of the have to do with the actual conference itself but of just being at West Point and the people that I met!

Here is an aerial view of West Point, the buildings are really rustic and resemble what one would imagine a fort to be. The academy is an actual army base and so there are Military Police everywhere, and we had to have our badges to get around campus.

Every morning at 6:30 all of the freshman have to yell out minutes for the day, it is sort of funny because they yell in a loud monotone voice. "Attention all cadets, there are five minutes until assembly for breakfast formation. Dress is as per class" Repeated every minute till all of the cadets line up for breakfast. If the freshman mess up they are yelled at. The Freshman are not aloud to talk outside of the classroom or their barrack room. The showers were communal and reminded of the old style MTC showers.

This is the view from the library onto the field where the cadets do their marching. It is really beautiful off in the distance is the Hudson River. West Point Academy was an actual army base during the Revolutionary War and was put in place because it sits on the Hudson where the river curves in an "S" that way the boats would have to turn and would have their side facing the cannons set up at the base and could take them out! There is allot of history at West Point which was cool to learn about

This is the view from what they call Trophy Point. It also shows the "S" shape that I was describing previous. At trophy point they have cannons from every was fought from the enemy. They are lined up along this point.

There are cannons like this all over campus, they are cannons from the civil war and they are buried in the ground. They represent that the United Sates will never again turn its cannons against itself

This was my ethics council group at our end of the conference banquet! These are some good people! Our mentor was Major _________, he is an Army Recruiter and he nigh convinced me to join the army and enroll at the Officer Training School.

This is the room that I stayed in, my cot is in the middle. The guys I stayed with were really hospitable. I have alot more respect for the military being with these guys, they stayed up late most of the nights I was there completing their homework.

This was a really cool monument. These chain links were a plan devised by the army to place across the Hudson to stop ships. It was never actually used, and later on Engineers tested it and found that it would not have held

One of the nights we were able to go on a boat cruise of the Hudson. Most of the people called it a "booze cruise" but we just had sprite. Brad, Tyler Keener, me, and Brad G. Tyler was a really cool guy from the Air Force Academy, he was not drinking either so we ended up hanging out with him during the cruise. He had alot of questions about the church and it was good to get to know him!

This is an accident movie, I meant to take a picture of the mess hall, but it was on video and then right at the end my camera went dead. I didnt have my charger so this was the last thing I got. Overall it was a great conference, and I loved New York and West Point Academy

New York City for the First Time!

2008-11-09T12:20:00.000-08:00

Each year Brigham Young University is invited to attend a conference entitled the National Conference of Ethics in America! I was selected as one of three delegates to be able to attend and be part of round table discussion on ways that we can improve, or assist in improving the state of ethics in America today! I will talk a little bit more about the conference itself in my next post but wanted to just highlight some of the trip itself to New York! I had never been to New York before, but it turned out to be exactly what I thought it would be, Amazing! We left Salt Lake around 7 in the morning and flew in to Newark, Stewart Falls airport! The first thing that caught my eye was the leaves on the trees, which had just barely started turning the magnificent orange and yellow everywhere! We arrived about 3:30 and caught the hour and half train ride in to New York City. Our train followed right along the Hudson, and the view was absolutely breathtaking.

This is one of my favorite views from the train along the Hudson. You cant really tell too much about the leaves changing color, but I loved the rainbow! The crazy thing about it was we were just passing an American Flag and was able to get a corner of it in the picture!

This Mark Boothe and I at Grand Central Station, at first when you get off the train it looks like a grungy train station but as you come out in to the main center then it is was cool, sort of like you would imagine Grand Central Station would be like. Murals on the ceiling and marble looking floor and stair cases.

Then you step outside and this is what you see, absolute wonder! There are people everywhere, the taxis are honking there horns, the lights are so bright it looks like daylight, it is exactly what you would think when you think of New York! I loved it!

Here is a little video shot of us walking around on times square. My favorite thing is the crazy taxi drivers! They really are crazy!

Here is a billboard of allot of the famous broadway shows: we were late in figuring out our travel schedule so we couldn't get tickets to Wicked, but we did however get tickets to "In the Heights"

Mark B., Brad Graham, and I just outside of In the Heights! It was really good, and also the first broadway show that I had ever seen!

We couldn't be in New York and not have cheesecake! We ate at a place called Roxy's, the food was amazing and it definitely was the best cheesecake that I have ever eaten! I really loved New York!

Graduate School

2008-11-09T11:49:00.000-08:00

Well, it has been a while since I last updated my blog; but lets just say that things have been a little busy! I know that is really no excuse for anything, except for the fact my blog is not high on my priority list of things to do! School has been busy as I am preparing to apply for Grad school! I have narrowed it down to a couple of places:

Columbia
New York University
University of Chicago
University of Texas
Pepperdine
BYU
University of Utah

Each school has its own positives and negatives! I really would like to go to an East Coast school, to start my roots into Public Service, but, as you look at costs it is almost overwhelming! Tuition alone at most of the schools is 40,000 that does not even include cost of living. That makes BYU even more appealing is cost, but I have already been here for 4 years now and am ready to experience something different! I have decided to get my master in Public Policy and Administration. The most ideal job for me would be a city manager of sorts. I really would like to work with all types of entities within a city: Health Care, School System, Policy Setting, Business, etc. It just means a couple more years of school, but it will be worth it in the end, hopefully! School, BYUSA, and work have almost been too much too handle but somehow I am able to fit it all in! Not including all of the trips that I have taken recently! (updates on trip specifics to follow!) But above all else, life is good! I really have nothing to complain about, or that I am wanting for! The Lord has blessed me in so many ways that I cannot even measure! The status of Chance's life: Great!

PS. if you would like to vote on where I should go to Grad school, post a comment!

Arches, Drowning, Walk of Death, and Chance!

2008-08-04T12:25:00.000-07:00

This is Adam, Brad, Tim, Me, and Scott at the begninning of what we labeled as "Man Trip" about to embark on our weekend adventure to Arches National Park. We drove Friday morning to Moab and went out to eat at Zax's Pizza place and the food was amazing, our favorite was the Honey Chicken Pizza! We needed to find a place to stay so we went to Arches, but was just a half an hour late of them seeling out their campsites! One of the places they suggested was Negro Bills campsite, which took a while to find but below is what we found:

I dont know if you can really see it at all but this was Negro Bills Campsite, nothing but dirt and burned weeds! Needless to say we did not end up staying at Negro Bills! We found a place just down the road called goose island or something and it was right by the Colorado river and didnt look half bad so we decided to post camp! It was really hot as you can imagine and so all of us decided to go swimming in the lovely Colorado. Here is a picture of what we were to swim in!

Why would anyone swim in the muddy muddy river except 5 boys who were hot and had nothing else to do! We all jumped in and everything was fine because we are a 1/3 of the way in and we are still on a sand bar! We set our sights on a boulder across the river where we could jump in and swim around! When we finally hit the depth of the river the current was faster then we had anticipated and was now sweeping us past our target. No matter how hard we swam it didnt seem like we were getting any closer to the shore. By this time I am getting really tired and we hear Scott from the group yelling "I am in trouble!" I start to panic a little bit because I am already tired and I dont have my glasses or contacts in and so I cant see anything anyway! So I start swimming faster to the shore where I could be of more help and realize that I am not going to make it! My body started cramping up and I was really tired. At this point Adam is starting to have an asthma atack and now three of us are in trouble. The current is really sweeping us down stream now and I came to the realization that I was probably going to die! The only thing I could think about was this was really dumb, my mom is going to be mad, and had the life flash before my eyes experience! The only thing I could think to do was to roll over on my back and just float! As I was floating I was praying hard for my friends that were stuggling, my family, and if it was His will that He could rescue me! As soon as I ended my prayer I hit a tree branch and looked up and I was at the shore. Before the prayer I was a good 20 feet from the shore and I knew God had answered my prayer! As soon as composed myself I yelled out for my friends all of which had managed to make it to shore! The problem now was we had to make back to the other side! We rested for a bit and just backstroked all the was back to the other side! The problem soon became apparent that in all of our struggles we had drifted a mile or two past our camp, and none of us had shoes! When we found a good place to get out of the river the only place was to walk on the road asphalt. Remember now that we are in Moab and it was already over a 100 degress, making the road even hotter. Out feet were cooking!! We would run for a bit and then we found this old plastic trash can that we would all huddle on and let the water from our shorts drip on our feet! We called the this Moab Walk of Hell! When we finally made it back to camp we were anxious to put our feet back in the river!

These are the survivors from the Arches Colorado River of death and the Moab walk of Hell!

This is our campsite, ok not really the best place but it was a place to put our sleeping bags out! Adam and Brad slept on the picnic tables and the rest of us slept on the ground! Again the heat seemed to be too much so we ended sleeping on top of the sleeping bags! Come morning Adam and Brad were attacked by horse flies and the rest of us had inadvertantly put out sleeping bags on an ant hill! The worst experiences make the best stories! The rest of the trip was worth all of the trouble!

This is one of my favorite arches we saw it on Friday afternoon and climbed around it, and then on Saturday we found the backway to climb up to the arch, the view was amazing!!

This is the group at the Delicate Arch, the arch that is on the Utah Liscense plate. It was a little bit of a hike to get there, but the hike was well worth it!

Yours truly at the Delicate Arch!Both days we were at Arches (besides the portion of heat that caused us to go swimming) the weather was really nice! On Friday night it sprinkled some which cooled everything down. This is us at Balance rock.
Our goal for the trip was to find 5 beautiful women, it was 5 or nothing! Adam was distracted a little bit from this goal when he found this beautiful rock. Really Adam?

When we left Arches on Saturday we had hiked over 15 miles, nearly died, blistered feet but having enjoyed the trip nonetheless! There is something about just being in the open and in nature to really confirm that there is Something out there greater than ourselves. And Luckily for us He was watching over us!