Blue Wizard of Oz

Sometimes, I use this blog to post about my annoyances. Tonight, I definitely had one.

I went into the rec room at about 10 to watch the second half of the Denver Nuggets game. Seemed like it would be a good idea. When I walked in, the TV on the bottom floor was occupied, but there was still the one on the balcony. So, sure, why not, I'll just go watch that one. On my way up, I look at the TV, and I see that the people are watching a comedic version of Wizard of Oz where everybody has blue skin. That was okay, I thought, maybe I'd be able to overhear it and catch a few laughs during the game.

Well no, to my unfortunate realization, this version of Wizard of Oz they were watching was done in complete seriousness. I was astonished to think anybody would even THINK of making this version of the play into reality.

 For the next hour and a half, I sat there and endured one of the most miserable performances of a hit musical I think I have ever seen. The fact that they all had blue skin was bad enough, and didn't make any sense. This isn't Smurfs, or Avatar for that matter. And isn't Oz supposed to be a green city, anyway? Awesome choice. Just great.

Then, there were the random musical numbers thrown in haphazardly, which seemed to have nothing to do with the plot. For instance, soon after Dorothy was kidnapped by the witch, I hear this jazzy piece where everybody's happy and dancing all over the stage like they had just won the Lottery of Oz. Then, it's back to the forest where they're fighting the flying monkeys. Somebody tell me that makes sense somehow. Please, I would love to hear how. By the final number, Dorothy's voice was so tired out and out of key that the game was hardly even enjoyable anymore.

Whoever was being made to watch that video must have had a very cute girlfriend. I think that might be the ONLY way I'd end up subjecting myself to that, unless it was between that or death. And even then the choice would be a toughie.

The fact that the Nuggets were losing the whole time made me seriously regret going to watch the game in there. I walked out of the rec room wondering what the world was coming to tonight.

Also, Christmas music playing nonstop on the radio since November 1....... Really?

I love most everything about Provo, but 2 straight months of Christmas music and blue wizard of oz plays being watched in glenwood apartments make me wonder about this town's sanity sometimes.

Success Stories

"The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will." - Vince Lombardi

Yes, this post does have to do with sports, but that's not what it's actually about. I promise I have something interesting to say if you keep reading.

Tonight, I was watching a little bit of baseball in the background and saw that the Saint Louis Cardinals came back from a 6-0 deficit in game 5 to win and advance to the next round. They were down 2 runs and to their last out, but ended up winning by 2, anyway, on one of the best comebacks I've ever seen.

If you're not familiar with this team's story, they just won the World Series last year. After that, their manager, one of the best managers of all time, decided to retire and leave the team scrambling for somebody to replace him. On top of that, their best hitter, Albert Pujols, one of the greatest hitters of all time and the team's clear leader, decided he wanted more money, and so he left them to go to the Los Angeles Angels.

They were left without a leader. They were left without a manager. The competition was getting better and they were seemingly getting worse. But, somehow, even with all the background noise going on, the Cardinals found a way to win. They didn't fall apart when it looked like things weren't going their way.

I hate being preachy when I'm blogging. It seems cheesy and fake to me. But, I do think there's something to be learned from a team that doesn't give up after seemingly falling apart. I think we fail to realize that our success is not indefinitely tied to our circumstances.

 It's possible to do just as much with less if you put in more work than those who are supposed to be better than you. It is possible, I promise. I know of a kid who wasn't considered to be the thinnest, strongest, or the coolest person in his school. Supposedly, he wasn't supposed to be able to be any of that. But, then he started to run everyday. He started to push himself, to lift weights. He tried out for the football team, joined the basketball team, and worked harder than just about every single person his age. What happened between then and now? He became one of the best football players on his team, one of the best basketball players on his team, and is the third best runner on his varsity cross country team in only his second year of high after sitting out most the first year with an injury. He had people tell him he couldn't do it, they laughed at him, but didn't let that affect him. He willed himself to be successful.

If you find that you've just lost the best manager and hitter in the league and you're struggling just to stay afloat, or if things somehow get bad enough that your girlfriend breaks up with you, you lose your job, and you fail three tests in the same week, you don't have to be affected by it. Things will get better for you. I promise. Just keep working hard and doing everything you can to better your situation. You may not have the success equal to being the best team in baseball, but you can and will make yourself successful if you want it and work hard enough for it.

Thanks for reading, I appreciate all your support and will try harder to keep up with this blog better than I have been.

I would recommend taking a few minutes to watch this video if you can. Probably one of the most inspirational videos I've seen.

Talking With Children and Small Compliments

Have you ever worked with young kids who think, since you're an adult, you know and can do everything and anything they need? Sometimes, even when there's nothing you could do, they insist that you fix their problem. Since you're an adult and know a lot more than them, you're supposed to know everything. The possibility that you might not is almost unfathomable. Talking with young children is, essentially, what I do for a living now. 

The job I've been working lately has not been the easiest job I've ever had, for sure. I work at a call center called Vivint doing tech support. In other words, customers call in and need me to fix something for them. They're a lot like children, since they think you must know all the answers and can fix every conceivable problem. And they're not always in the most patient or happy of moods, since it's usually the case that their alarm system has been malfunctioning somehow or their service has not been good. Every day, there's a lot I have to deal with. Sometimes I wish I could just tell them there's nothing I can do and walk away. But yeah, I'd probably get fired for that one. haha

However, yesterday actually ended up being pretty good. It wasn't anything that happened during most the day, the shift was mostly just normal. But, at the end of the night, right when I was exhausted and about to go home, somebody else called in to my phone line. At this point, I was pretty unhappy that I couldn't leave and didn't want to answer the call. If I answered it, that meant I'd get out late, and I really just wanted to be done. 

I ended up being surprised. The individual calling in wasn't happy with his situation, he had been having continual troubles with the system and didn't know what to do. In fact, he seemed to understand that I was having trouble helping him. And yet, while on the call, he actually became happier. He said that I was the nicest person he had ever talked to about his security system, that he was about ready to have it taken out if he didn't get somebody friendly this time. It wasn't necessarily that I was the best, it was just that he said it seemed like I actually cared and wanted to help him. 

That last call made my week, since it was the first time at this job that I actually felt successful. I'd never felt confident that I could even be competent working at the call center, and I was given just a little bit of hope last night. If you ever get the chance to give somebody a small compliment, you might be surprised at the effect it could have. In this case, it made the difference to where I went home in a good mood and felt good about my work for the first time since I started there.

The best thing about talking with small children and customers is that, once in a while, even when you don't feel that you're good enough to anybody else, they can give you the confidence to feel that you're great at what you do. 

90 Degrees And Still Going

It's hot here in Provo. I decided to go for a run tonight, and once I decide that means I'm going to do it. I'm really stubborn to the point that I follow through with just about everything I decide on, even if it's gonna be miserable.

Well, funny story..... right after I decided to go on a run, I walked outside and found out it was incredibly hot still!  My first thought was, "Man, Provo really sucks." I mean, you'd think it would be a bit cooler out by 8 at night, but apparently not. I looked at a sign a few minutes into my run and saw it was still 90 degrees..... So, just in case you were wondering, you're not gonna go for a nice cool run here during the Summer. haha

I do have somewhere I'm going with this. Yeah, running can be miserable sometimes. But, what makes it less miserable, what really makes it so you can keep your pace and go on, is your attitude about it. If you're wondering the secret to running, it has very little to do with being athletic or having a runner's body. That has a little to do with it, but it's mostly just what you think about while you're going. You HAVE to keep positive. The minute you start getting frustrated or think about how much you hate it, that's when you start to notice that it's hot out, that you're tired, your feet hurt, you're getting cramps. The only way to be a good runner is to be an optimist. Instead of noticing what hurts or what's not going well, you think about keeping up a good pace, the pretty view at the top of the hill you're climbing, how happy you're gonna be to finish the run, or what's waiting for you when you're done.

Why do I bring this up? It's might sound dumb, but it's something simple so many people don't realize. It doesn't just apply to running. I blogged last time about finding something meaningful in life. But, when I think about it, none of this is going to matter unless you have the right attitude. If you don't think you're going to be happy, then you're not! It's just not going to happen. The only way to enjoy your life, to feel good about yourself, is to decide that you're going to. You can always find something to be miserable about, but ALL that it is going to do is MAKE you miserable and slow you down.

Just like when you're running, a bad attitude will do absolutely nothing else for you besides making you sad. You start to notice that maybe you don't have as many friends as you want, that you don't look as good as you like, that you're stressed out, or even that you're just not the person you want to be. Even if any of it's true, thinking about it gets you nowhere. Thinking about how you're going to make things better and the view "at the top of the hill" you're climbing is going to make you feel better, and you'll be happier about where you are.

I can promise you that having a good attitude about where you are and keeping away from negatives thoughts WILL make you happy, whether you're running a marathon or trying to get through a day working at McDonald's. I can also promise you that, as long as you think the view from the top of the hill is going to be amazing, it really will be.

This is a huge part of my philosophy on life, and I hope maybe something I've written can help at least one person. 

Finding Meaning

I really don't have enough time to write a blog post right now. I've been pretty busy with work lately and training to do much of anything else.

But, tonight I was running and thinking a lot about life and how many people aren't happy. It just seems like a  lot of people really don't care about anything they're doing. And, I feel like sometimes I need to write about something important. Something people actually might need to hear.

If I was to tell everybody something, something regardless of where they're from or who they want to be.... I'd say find something that you value. Find something that means something to you, and pursue it. Don't go around life wondering what you're gonna do, continuing to follow what you think other people want of you. That's not gonna make you happy, listening to everybody else, following the crowd, looking at what the person next to you wants and not even asking what you value.

Spend some time thinking about it. Find what you want to be and what means something to you. It's just sad to me seeing so many people who don't have anything important to them, with very little purpose to their life or any real goals. They seem so sad. And, I don't think anybody deserves anything else than to be truly happy.

I've found a lot of meaning to my life and feel like I'm relatively happy right now. I really hope everybody who reads this can find a way to do the same.

P.S. If you're ever unsure of a direction to go, I would love to share with you what's been able to help me. Click on the link I posted labeled "my faith," or just ask me anytime.

Sleep?

Some people sleep at night. Most people sleep at night. That's usually not me. I'm typically the person who sleeps during the day and stays awake most the night. It's been this way most my life.

When I was 2, I still remember being awake in my crib at night scared to death while unable to sleep. I'd sit there and wonder what was out in the dark while I was trapped in a cage.

At 5, I played around my room at night sometimes while my parents and family were in bed. I didn't know why people wanted to sleep so badly while I just wanted to have fun.

By the time I was 9, I just played video games at night when I couldn't sleep. Like most boys my age, I was pretty much obsessed with the video game systems I owned, so I enjoyed not sleeping. I was in school, so I got enough sleep to function..... just usually not as much as everybody else.

When I was 15, my life was completely crazy and I was often up doing homework until late at night. I was determined to get the grades needed to be accepted into BYU, so I could actually use the time I spent awake being productive and getting things done. Being something of an insomniac helped as much as it hurt. I definitely was exhausted during school most days and wanted to go home and sleep.

Three years later, at 18, I was a freshman in college, and felt like I was 9 again. Staying up late was fun again, since there were so many people up and everybody was always doing something. Every once in a while, I'd pull an all-nighter to work on a paper or get studying done, but it was mostly just fun.

Fast forward to now. I'm 22, and I only have about a year left in college. Sleeplessness has become a bit more of a real obstacle with actually having to work and be more responsible for my finances and life. I've been able to dodge it a little bit by working later hours, but it can't go on forever. Soon enough, I really will have to learn how to sleep at night and function during the day. I think the time in my life has finally come where I have to undertake that task and grow up a little bit.

I'm not sure how I will start sleeping after a whole life of relatively sleepless nights..... I'm going to try and figure it out, though.

Living Off Cereal and Sandwiches

I went grocery shopping tonight. Just about every time I've gone grocery shopping for about the past three years, I've bought the same exact things. Tonight wasn't much different. I wasn't sure what else to buy, so I just went ahead and bought cereal, milk, apple juice, and canned fruit. The canned fruit was a bit different, I don't usually even get that creative. Haha I'm just not very original at shopping I guess, and I've found what I like. For the past three years, the list has almost always included:

Milk

Eggs

Cereal

Apple Juice (or, sometimes, a different type of juice to mix it up a bit)

Macaroni and Cheese

Hamburger Helper

Hamburger

Grapes

Oatmeal

Bread

Lunch Meat

Sliced Cheese

Sometimes, like tonight I might buy something extra. Usually, though, if I think about getting something else, I'll sit there for about five minutes and wonder what else I really need. I'll usually be too indecisive to make a decision quickly, and grocery shopping takes way too long. So, I've just gone with just about the same things every time.

 The more I think about it, the more I realize how weird this is. I don't know how I'm still alive. haha I guess my parents help me with food once in a while, so that keeps me going sometimes. I really am just living off pretty much cereal and sandwiches.

Honestly, I don't think this changes much until I get married. I've somehow kept myself living, so I guess it works. 

"Please Walk Instead of Run"

Today, I was working at Dippin' Dots in Seven Peaks scooping ice cream for people.

It's not such a bad job: you really just sit inside a small, air-conditioned shack and scoop ice cream for several hours. Honestly, sitting in an air-conditioned room for my job helping people is much better than sitting in a hot apartment all day while bored to death.

Anyway, I heard something I thought was really funny while I was running an errand. These two kids go running past me carrying a 2-seater tube and one of them yells out, "I don't care about that sign that says please walk instead of run!" Then, they just continue running on their way to wherever they were going.

I wasn't even sure what to take from this. The kid had basically just yelled out to everybody he didn't want to follow the rules. It just seemed so pointless. Honestly, it seems like such a simple thing, but I feel like it's an attitude which has infected our entire American culture. It's not unusual for people to blatantly disregard rules and announce to the whole world that what they are doing is blatant. Disregarding rules for the sake of showing your individuality and rebelliousness is something people commonly do because it seems like the cool thing to do. Ironically, by doing that, it seems they are actually just following a new norm of rebellious behavior, thus, going completely against their own intentions.

I recently saw a discussion on Facebook about whether it's okay to avoid saying the pledge of allegiance with everybody else. Isn't this the same argument? It's usually just somebody refusing to stand since they don't want to be like everybody else and want to show freedom of speech. Why would it be okay not to stand during the Pledge? What is the importance of freedom of speech if it's not something we're even willing to stand and support. Maybe if you're from another country, I'm not quite sure about that. However, it just doesn't make sense to me that so many people choose to do something for the sake of rebelling.

I'm fascinated by this point of view, nevertheless. Maybe somebody else could provide a better commentary than I do, I just sometimes wonder about the attitude our culture has taken toward blatant rebellion.

Wedding Reception

The other day, I was able to go to the wedding reception for my good friends Scott Richey and Chelsea Dahl.

It was a really good experience, especially since I've known them both for a long time and they were each really deserving of something great to happen in their lives. I don't usually go out and dance at things like this, but I actually did this time after some convincing.

Anyway, this post is a shout-out to them, wishing them a happy marriage and a great life together. I'm grateful to have had both of them as friends these past few years

Year In Review

Today's my birthday, and I'm officially 22 years old. I've been thinking tonight, and realized I'm not actually sure what I've done for the past year. I'm not really sure I've actually accomplished much. Maybe I have, though. I mean, I could probably list at least a few things that I did which weren't a complete waste of time and were a good experience for me:

• Ran a half marathon. This was a pretty big one. I actually had to train for several months to get to the point where running a long distance like this one wasn't too difficult. I'm just glad I finished it. 
• Had my first kiss. It took 21 years, but it did come.
• Finally got another job.
• Moved out of Centennial Apartments and into Glenwood. It was a really tough decision for me to initiate change and move into a new place, but I feel like it's also helped me to grow and realize I can make new friends and adapt. I've even joined a dinner group over here and made a few friends. I don't know what's going to happen, but I'm glad to have a new experience.
• Drove a boat for the first time. It was down in Monterey Bay, California. Quite the interesting experience, too. haha the boat broke down for a bit in the middle of the ocean and we started sinking, while I was feeling really seasick most of the time. We did make it out safely, and I was able to drive the boat for a while and feel like a captain. So, maybe it wasn't too bad. 
• Got to be one of the groomsmen at my roommate's wedding. That was a really good experience and I'm really happy for them.
• Got to help film and be in two different short films, one of which won Best Picture at the Ward Oscar Night. It was basically just a good time our church ward had to make movies and show them to each other. That was a lot of fun. The first was called Brother Husbands, pretty much just a parody of the show Sister Wives, and the other one that won was called Sardines, about a group of kids playing Sardines in a building and slowly being caught by a guy in a mask. That was a lot of fun.
• Had my own personal trainer for a couple months and actually got a bit stronger. My friend offered it to me for free since she was trying to improve her training abilities, and those were the toughest workouts I've probably ever had. haha
• Stayed up all night on more than one occasion, talking to a girl I really liked and who really liked me. Those were some of the best conversations I've had, and it was a really good experience.
• Attempted the cinnamon challenge for the first time and completely failed within seconds. That was a really awful experience that made me hate cinnamon for a while, it'll be a while before I try again. haha
• Drank Yerba Mate for the first time. It was actually really good. Thought I would hate it.  
• Went to the world record largest game of dodgeball ever played. BYU and Utah put it on between the two schools, but people didn't really follow the rules and it was really chaotic. Still, kind of a fun time. 
• Had dreams about Disneyland all the time. I don't know what inspired all those, but it's just been a dream I've periodically had is about me going there and having fun. Guess I need to go sometime soon. haha
• Volunteered at the Utah State hospital and had a great experience working with the patients there.
• Read through all the epistles in the New Testament and learned a lot from reading them.

There's been a lot more I've actually done, but I feel like these are some of the ones that stand out. I've really done a lot more this year than I had, though. Looking forward to the future and seeing what comes next. I'm glad to have had so many good experiences. Thanks to everybody who's been around this year. 

Now, let's see what I can do in the next year. 

The Glenwood Hot Tub

Just got back from hot tubbing tonight.

It's always quite the experience going to the Glenwood hot tub. I feel like hot tubs here in Provo are the equivalent of bars, since nobody really drinks. Haha everybody goes there to talk and it's the one place where everybody is your friend. They're not drunk, but they're all so relaxed and happy most the time so it has a similar feeling.

The one here has a unique feel to it. And, when I say feel, I mean that literally. There's usually hairs, bugs, leaves, and all types of unsanitary things floating around that could probably make you sick. It makes me laugh to think we go relax by sitting in a pool of our own filth which is at just the right temperature for bacteria to grow. I know the chlorine is supposed to clean it all out, but I'm not sure I completely believe that. haha also, it kind of smelled a bit there tonight like somebody hadn't showered or was really sweaty. The more I think about it, the less I want to go in there. I'll just not think about it. That'll solve my problem.

I also went to see Snow White and the Huntsman tonight. It was kind of interesting, but really long and didn't completely make sense or tie everything up. My date did enjoy it, and it was a good time so I was happy. If I was a movie critique, though, I probably would not recommend it. But, I'm not. Feel free to go see it and think what you want, anyway. haha

One last thing before ending the post, today I paid over fifty dollars to fill up my car's gas tank. That's way too much money. I really hope gas prices go down soon, since it's getting a little ridiculous. I'm glad my car has good gas mileage, or it would be a lot worse.

Hope everybody has a good weekend!

Dream Post

I think I have crazier dreams than most people I know (besides maybe one girl I met here at BYU who had some equally crazy dreams). It usually doesn't make much sense and is completely chaotic.

Last night, I had a dream I owned a bunch of young pets. I think some of them were puppies and others were little bunnies. I loved all the little guys and was trying to keep them alive. I don't know why I dreamed about puppies and bunnies, it doesn't make any sense to me.....

And, there's usually a lot of destruction. I've had countless dreams about running away from tornadoes. When I was on a cruise boat, I'd have dreams about the boat sinking. I have dreams about being on other boats and those boats sinking. In another, I dreamed one of my friends was stuck in a ventilation shaft and was floating down it like a river and I couldn't save her. I seem to recall a dream when I was little about King Kong being after me as Mary Poppins and I ran away to escape.

One of the weirder ones I've had included ruins in Mexico, Micky Mouse, characters from The Land Before Time, and I was trying to escape from these ruins where our plane had landed. It gets so weird sometimes.

I don't understand how I can have dreams about puppies and Disneyland (see my earlier post about that), and then have these crazy dreams about destruction and things going wrong. My mind must be pretty far out there. haha

Running And A Birthday Party

I'm starting to think going on a run solves all the world's problems

If I seem restless lately, it's because I have been. I recently was working a pretty stressful job and then was let go, and the past few days have just been really long. While everyone else has been at work or school, I've sat in my apartment mostly just thinking. I only have two roommates, and they're gone a lot. So, I have a whole apartment to myself for long periods of time. haha it would be pretty awesome if I wanted to have a party, I guess. And I have lots of time for blogging, too..... haha just in case everybody wanted to hear more from me.

Anyway, so the other night I decided to go for a run. That's what I do when l'm stressed out or thinking a lot. For just that short period of time, I can think about anything I need to and get all my worrying out of the way. Then, when I get back, nothing seems quite as bad. My head is clear, and I can think and concentrate better. I feel like, when you're running, you have so many good ideas and solve so many problems with that endorphin rush.

For all of you who don't run, it's a good way to clear your head and let yourself unwind. Yeah, it does hurt sometimes, but you always feel better when you're done, and it's a good way to release frustration. Especially when you think as much as I do, your thoughts can get in the way sometimes and do more harm than good with all day to think. Running helps me slow everything down and forget my problems for a little while.

On a side note, next week is my 22nd birthday. I'm throwing a party for everybody who wants to come, and have probably invited most of my friends. It should be a lot of fun, though I'm worried I might have invited too many people and won't be able to talk to all of them much. haha I guess that's why they invented pizza, so everybody could feel united and eat together. It really does make me feel good to realize how many friends I've made here in Provo. I've been really blessed to meet some great people and have so many more friends than I ever thought I would make. When I first moved here my freshman year, I felt incredibly lonely and felt like I just wanted to leave since I had no friends yet. After nearly 4 years, so much has changed for the better. I would be ungrateful if I didn't thank the Lord for all I have.

I don't know how I feel about getting older. It really doesn't seem like much of a big deal to me, and I feel like I should be the one giving things to other people for making my life as good as it has been.

So, that's about it for now. Leave a comment and tell me what other kind of posts you'd like to see!

Working The Day Shift

"It isn't what you have, or who you are, or where you are, or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about." -Dale Carnegie

I have a job now. I'm a park host at Seven Peaks water park here in Provo and will be working full time once we open on May 26. I'm glad to have a job, since I'm actually making money and supporting myself. I haven't been able to say that in a while!

However, it's a little bit weird having this schedule. It's been a long time since I've been able to consistently wake up before 10 in the morning..... and I will have to do that all Summer long now! So, I am finally going to have to figure out how to wake up in the morning or get fired. I think I'll take the first option. haha and I have to work Friday and Saturday every weekend the rest of the Summer, since I'm a supervisor at the water park. I'm not to worried about it, just glad to have a job with fairly consistent 9-5 hours every day without a lot of menial tasks.

I realized a yesterday morning that waking up sucks when you stay up late. I should have remembered that, but I haven't had to wake up early in a while since I usually don't schedule classes for the morning.... and when I do I sleep through them.... yeah, that was kind of a problem. Anyway, I was pretty grumpy at work yesterday, so I'm think I'll start going to bed earlier now. I'm a lot more tired when I'm working during the day, too, since having to talk and negotiate with people for hours at a time is more exhausting than you'd think.

I had my first kiss a couple weeks ago from today. It was pretty enjoyable, but just decided I'd bury this in a post so it doesn't seem like I'm bragging about it or anything. It came near the end of the date I was on and just kind of happened, not even awkward or anything. Girls are kinda cool, I enjoy dating. It can be frustrating at times, but then there's those moments when things seem to be worth it for all the trouble you go through.

I'm also in a dinner group in my new ward at Glenwood. This means I get dinner every night, actually a pretty good dinner. It's been several years since I've had that, since I just don't usually know what to buy to cook good food for more than a few types of dinner when I shop. I enjoy actually eating dinner most nights. Maybe that's why some people like to cook. haha

I'm starting to make some new friends in the ward, my job is going pretty well, the weather is good for running at night again, it's baseball season, and I am going home for the weekend tomorrow. Life is good.

Easter Testimony

Since I have this blog, I feel like I should share my testimony of Easter and the Resurrection here. I want all my followers to know that I have a testimony of Jesus Christ. I know that He lived and died for us so that we can live again. I'm so grateful for this. I know we have a loving Heavenly Father who wants the best for us, who was willing to give His son to redeem every one of us from death and sin. Christ allowed us a way back to live with our Heavenly Father and families again, and I know this is true. As Easter comes to a close, I invite everybody to take a few moments to ponder over the Savior and His resurrection. This message has given me a lot of happiness in my life, and I know it can do the same for all who come to Christ and believe in Him.

The Case for Utah Weather

Okay, so everybody talks about how much they hate Utah weather. But, nobody ever talks about how great it really is.

Here's why it's awesome: it adds something a little more exciting to your life. Think about it for a second: that one moment when you were on that date and things got awkward, your date seemed really shy, and then you asked, "How about this Utah weather? Crazy, huh?" Then, you proceeded to have a good laugh and the awkwardness is suddenly gone. Let's face it, that happens all the time when Utah weather saves us from boring conversations.

Also, two years ago, I woke up one morning around June and was prepared to have a really mundane day, since things hadn't been going so great lately. Then, I realized that it was snowing, and my day was exciting again. It took my mind off the bad things and I thought about how great it was to have snow in late Spring.

Then, there's some Winter days when it's freezing cold, and suddenly you have one day in Utah that's really warm, and for that one day you really enjoy yourself. When it goes back to being cold, people are unhappy about it and talk about how terrible it was for Utah to play with them like that. They don't often talk about how great it was to have that one day, only how the weather shouldn't have changed so suddenly.

I actually really enjoy having a conversation piece once in a while that everybody can relate to. I like those Spring days when you get a short taste of Winter again, and those Winter days when you get a short taste of Summer. I really enjoy not being able to predict what's going to happen from day to day. Having it warm everyday like California would be nice, but I don't think things are so bad how they are. It's actually pretty enjoyable sometimes.

I think Utah's weather patterns are amazing, it just takes some time to notice it.

1,000 Pageviews!

I was just looking at my blog tonight and realized I had finally gotten to 1,000 views! Just wanted to say thanks for supporting my writing here. I'm gonna try harder to post more frequently and more interesting, since I've gotten a few more followers than I used to have! Thanks, guys! You'll be getting lots more good stuff from me in the future! If you have any good ideas for what you'd like to hear from me, or more I could write about, maybe even changing up the blog format a bit, I'd love to know and I'll do my best.

Derek

Memories of Centennial

Lately, I've been thinking a lot. One of those thoughts has been that I'll be leaving Centennial Apartments soon, and I'm kind of sad about it. I feel it's a needed change just to get somewhere new and have different experiences, but I've made so many memories here and had a great time getting to know the ward.

So, I'm making a list of some of my favorite memories here. I want to remember the good times I had, and this is one way I will make sure things don't get forgotten. If you have anything to add that I've forgotten, feel free to let me know. This is just what I remember:

• First came back to BYU, and didn't know anybody, when Scott Richey (longtime resident of 105) befriended me as a roommate and made me feel like I had a friend. We had a lot of times where we were both just up talking and watching movies or TV shows since neither of us slept. It was a lot of fun in that apartment. He also helped me out a lot. One thing I can think of was on my birthday, when nobody showed up to go to Tucano's like I had planned and invited people to go to, he went around trying to find people and, when nobody still wanted to come, he drove with Joe and I down to Pizza Pie Cafe and paid for my birthday dinner. Scott's been an awesome friend. I'll sure miss that guy. 
• Mattress Mondays: gathering up all the mattresses and moving them to the front room to watch a movie and fall asleep out there. This was something we did in Apartment 105 on Monday of Finals week. It was definitely an interesting tradition...
• Terrible Movie Tuesdays: another apartment 105 tradition which was on the Tuesday of Finals week, where we simply rented a really dumb, cheesy movie and watched it. I remember one year we watched Old Dogs.... and that movie was really awful.
• In The Name of The King Day: last of the 105/208 holidays, on the final Friday of January we'd invite lots of people over, get hoards of food and watch In The Name of the King, which might be one of the most unintentionally funny movies ever made. It's still celebrated by one of my old roommates, and we actually had the celebration again a few months ago. Good times...
• Endless Boxes of Little Caesar's Pizza stacked up from the pizza joint just down the road
• Smashing our Halloween pumpkins while listening to Smashing Pumpkins
• Watching Matt Wakatsuki live on virtually no real food....... and somehow survive.
• Drinking Yerba Mate with Derek Larsen and occasionally Derek Heiser when he came over
• When Chelsea and Scott went through the fridge and threw away about ten packs of mini carrots that I had bought. I kept buying more and forgetting about them, and then buying more again and again.
• Spring Semester with Scott Man and Gordo. It was just the three of us, and we had a lot of fun. The apartment was usually a big mess, though.
• My birthday, when Scott, Gordo, and I all dressed up in jeans and blue-collar shirts, then went to the store to buy ice cream and sparkling cider. We made a toast to "life only getting better." A couple weeks later, we went to Tucano's along with Joe, and had a different toast: "to getting huge." Still working on that one. haha
• Tiffany Jackman's dinner date banquet, where she homemade amazing food for all the guests. It was a girl-ask-guy thing, and I ended up being invited at the last minute, but I really enjoyed that.
• Boring Summer nights when Dallin would come over, since his fiance wasn't there, and we'd end up playing video games (usually Modern Warfare), playing Scrabble, or doing something else completely random.
• Playing the flashlight game at the ward campout, the same time Brandon Love fell into the bushes, though I guess that was probably dangerous
• Bejeweled Blitz, Robot Unicorn Attack, and Tetris Battle
• Going to Stan's Diner across the street the night before Thanksgiving, buying a chicken sandwich, then spending the entire night and most of the next day in bed feeling sick. Needless to say, I never have gone there again. haha
• Walking over to King Henry's and hanging out/going on walks with a girl I really liked. I even made her a homemade Blackberry pie (except for the crust) at one point, and walked it over there, and also woke up early one day to deliver her french toast and a note as a surprise to begin the day. Those were some of my favorite times here.
• Late Night Wendy's runs
• Sitting at the pool tanning when I had nothing better to do
• When Emily had an FHE where we watched football and ate Thanksgiving dinner. That made me happy, since I didn't eat much during the real holiday after being sick. 
• Getting half of our apartment (including Tiffany Manwaring Doman) addicted to Facebook Scrabble and playing game after game against them while we all sat there in the front room
• Making dinner for an apartment of girls and bringing it to them to eat. I made a comment that it was kind of awkward at their apartment and ended up on the quote wall..... haha
• Cinnamon Challenge (see my earlier post about this). I had no clue what I was getting into there....
• The Hot Tub, just going out there and sitting to talk to whoever was there at the time. It's almost never been empty. 
• Becoming friends with Ty the cleaning check lady. Never thought I'd ever be friends with her when I first moved in, but she's actually nice when not checking your cleaning.
• Apple Juice. While I've been here, I've almost always had a bottle of apple juice nearby I'd be sipping on throughout the day. Probably not very healthy. Maybe I should change that habit.....
• Going on a date where I forgot my wallet. Didn't end too well.
• Introducing one of my roommates to his future wife and watching them hit it off the best I've ever seen
• Watching Rockies games on the TV while almost all my roommates have been completely bored by it
• Having a quote wall in the apartment which was mostly dominate by random things I'd say. 
• Watching through nearly the entire series of LOST for a second time with Brad and Rachel. 
• Getting body-slammed by Cole Stahl while everybody sat there and laughed. I didn't enjoy it at the time, but it's funny to look back and laugh at it. Cole was awesome.
• Failing cleaning checks and paying tons of money. Not one of my favorite memories.
• Watching and talking about sports with Andrew Doman, and then later Eric Olsen
• Guys' Weekend going to a hockey game one night, a movie the next and then staying up half the night playing Super Smash Bros.
• Insomnia, and seeing each one of my roommates react differently when they realize I'm still up at 3 in the morning.
• Spending several hours with a girl talking and cuddling under a blanket outside one night, under a tree because it was raining
• The all-night basketball video game contest between Matt, Doman and I
• Skyping with K.S. (decided to withhold her whole name, for privacy) and talking to her almost all the time for a little over a month. Some of the deepest conversations I've ever had were with her.
• Going on long runs to train for a half marathon
• Game nights on Sunday after Ward Prayer
• Watching Batman cartoons and playing Modern Warfare with the guys
• Long sessions playing rock band with the roommmates 
• Filming Brother Husbands, the kind-of controversial movie we made that was actually really funny. I played the part of the pushover husband secreting plotting against everybody.
• The Ward Capture the Flag Game, where our flag was captured once before the game started
• Michael getting every song he ever played stuck in my head
• The one-person couch
• "Derek's engaged!" *Everybody Claps* (Periodically, for the last two years, somebody has announced I'm engaged at Ward Prayer for no reason, and it became a running joke that never died.)
• Getting Ready to Say Goodbye

Guess It's Back to Training

For a while, my brother and I have been talking about running a full marathon, after running a half last year. We had been thinking about doing one this Summer, but I wasn't really so sure and didn't know if I really wanted to train for it.

Well.... after talking to my brother today, it seems our mom signed us both up, and paid the entrance fee already. She was being nice and really wanted to help us. It looks like I will have to to run 26 miles in just over 2 months from today.

Wow. Training to run 26 miles is something I've never fully comprehended before. Guess it's about time to start comprehending it, cuz I'm not getting out! 

So yeah, back to training and running long distances. Might need some new shoes, too.

I'm excited to conquer this challenge.

The Kitty and the Doggy

Once upon a time, a dog wandered along a beach, looking for a friend. Doggy was lonely, and wanted somebody to play with. But, Doggy couldn't find anybody. Doggy was sad.

One day, as Doggy searched, he saw an island about fifty feet away. A small kitty sat alone on the island's beach. Doggy was so happy to see the Kitty, he ran up as close to the island as he could without going in the water.

 "What are you doing here over there, by yourself?" Doggy asked.

"I came here with my friends, and the bridge broke after they left. Now, I don't know how to get off. I'm kind of scared," the Kitty replied.

The doggy looked and saw the broken bridge. He thought about swimming across the water, but the water was deep and the waves were dangerous.  So, doggy came up with a plan.

"I'm going to fix the bridge for you. Then, we don't have to be alone anymore," doggy said with a big smile.

"Okay," Kitty said. For the first time in a long while, Doggy was happy.

Day and night, doggy worked to repair the bridge. He used rocks and sticks to build it up, and enjoyed having somebody to talk to .

While Doggy worked, he and Kitty talked. They shared their favorite things, where they were from, what they didn't like, and talked about their lives. Doggy couldn't wait to finally meet his new friend, and was excited that the bridge was almost finished.

One day, Doggy made a mistake, and the bridge broke again. The sticks and rocks fell into the water as he looked on. So, Doggy, sad that the bridge broke, went back to the beach and walked along like he had been doing before he saw Kitty. Doggy didn't know what to do.

While Doggy was walking back on the beach, he missed Kitty. He wanted to see her again. When he looked up and saw a palm tree, Doggy realized that had not been using the right materials to make the bridge. Sticks and stones were not very strong, but wood from a tree would be harder to break.

He went back to the broken bridge and saw Kitty, this time sitting up in a tree, turned away from the beach. When he asked why she was up there, Kitty said, "I don't want to see another person come and then leave again."

"I'm going to rebuild the bridge, this time stronger. Just wait, you'll see."

As Kitty watched, Doggy slowly rebuilt the bridge using the palm trees from the beach. It was hard, and Doggy was tired, but he didn't stop.

Eventually, Doggy finished the bridge, and it was strong. He walked across to see the Kitty, and they happily played together in the afternoon sun.

So Doggy and Kitty were finally on the island together. That night, as they sat on the beach, wagging their tails against each other, Kitty said to Doggy, "I thought you'd never come back."

Doggy quietly replied, "I couldn't leave you here. I'm back, and now I'll never leave again."

So the two of them took the bridge off the island together. They walked along the beach, just the kitty and the doggy, and were never lonely again.

The End

Hand on the Stomach

So, I have some interesting habits apparently.

Today, when my roommate made shakes, he told me I had a habit of putting my hand on my stomach every time I'm hungry or thirsty, or just want something to eat or drink. Like, I wanted a shake, so I put my hand on my stomach when I walked over to get one. When I want oatmeal or apple juice, I'll put my hand on my stomach when I talk about it or go to the pantry to get some.

Somebody a while ago also told me about a habit where I smack my lips a couple times after taking a sip from a drink. And then I started taking sips from the drink and trying not to smack my lips, and had such a hard time not doing it! Haha and a couple years ago, another person told me I put a hand over my right eye and shake my head every time I get frustrated over a game I'm playing with somebody or something else that happens. I can't believe I do these small things without even noticing. It's really weird, and I just keep doing it.

I would guess, if anybody observed themselves for a while, they'd find they have some interesting habits, too. There's also some that are not so good. For instance, when I get extremely stressed out, I'll start talking a lot, sometimes just talking in circles, and over-thinking everything. Somebody told me that the other day and said it probably wasn't such a good thing, and I agree. There's always things we need to work on, and that's just one of mine. I'm always searching for ways to get better, so I'm glad I realized that so I can try and do better.

Anyway, I still have dreams about Disneyland. I even had one last night. Pretty crazy. My family will probably be going there this Summer, and I might go with them. It would definitely be cool to finally get there again, and maybe there's some reason for me to go which is why I've been having all these dreams. We'll see if I can or not, but I kind of hope I can after having these dreams for so long! haha

I found out the other day that I have only 20 credits left after this semester until I graduate. So, I'm going to have to figure out what to do when I'm done with school. I couldn't believe I have so little time left! I thought I'd be going for another year, and it looks like I'll probably be done by this coming December. Wow. So yeah, I guess that's good. I'll be done with this stage of my life and on to something else. Actually a little bit sad that I'll be done. I'll definitely miss being at BYU with so many people my age, but every stage of life has good things, and I'm sure there's a lot of good left to come!

I'll be moving to Glenwood in the Fall, away from Centennial for the first time in nearly three years. I'll be there probably without any people I know, so it'll be a fresh start.

That's all, for now! Good luck to everybody out there, and hope you all have a great week!

Splurging

Tonight, I think I ate more junk food than I have in a long time. I'm not really used to eating junk, so my body doesn't take it well when I do.

I ate 5 Krispy Kreme donuts, 3 cans of soda, several cookies, some chips, pigs in a blanket, and a clementine in between to make myself feel a little better. I may look like a male version of Ms. Piggy by tomorrow when this is all digested. Oh well. If I can't get huge muscles, I could probably go for a huge stomach instead! No, it probably wasn't worth it. But, I figure if you're gonna eat terribly, why not go all out, right? haha  actually, I can't even convince myself that's true. I think I'm gonna eat a little better tomorrow. Somebody check up on me to make sure I'm not dead. Or, if you don't hear from me again.... I probably am. haha 

Disneyland Dreams

Last night, I found myself on the Thunder Railroad ride at Disneyland. Earlier this week, I'd been visiting somewhere else in the park. Last week, I was on some kind of a weird date going on kid rides with one of my friends. Some time before that, I was stuck wandering around through the shops and attractions to try and find what I wanted to do. 

Yes, for about six months now I've been continually having dreams about going to Disneyland. It doesn't make much sense. Yet, they keep coming back. I don't even like the place THAT much. I'm pretty sure I've gone to the most magical place on earth so many times in my dreams that I'm actually starting to get tired of it. haha Maybe this means I need to find a way to get to Disneyland somehow. If only it didn't cost so much.....

Here's What's Happening

So, I haven't written here in a long time. Things have been crazy. But, I guess I should give an update..... since I do have a blog.

The past year, I've dated more than I ever had in the past. I met a lot of girls and had some good experiences. There wasn't very often when I didn't have some girl I liked and talked to a lot. So, I've learned a lot that way. There's something about continually dating where you start to learn what's really stupid. Like, if you want to make a girl angry..... do these things. And yeah, I seem to know how to do stupid things pretty well. haha dating a lot was fun, but also really stressing. Maybe more stressing than anything else in school. I won't even hide it, I'm a complete romantic. When there's a girl I like, I do everything I possibly can to make her feel special, like make her breakfast in the morning or just something small like a text before she goes to bed. It's easier to get hurt or taken advantage of when your heart is in it, but also a lot more rewarding. Dating hasn't quite worked out for me quite yet.... but it only works out once, and I'm not married yet. haha

School. Yeah, that's been fun. I was too focused on other things like dating for the past couple semesters that I didn't do so well. Also, I watched too many sports. I enjoy keeping up with sports scores and all that a bit too much. That's not such a great thing if you're not thinking about your grades enough. haha but my grades were terrible last semester. I barely passed 3 out of 4 classes and failed the 4th. I'm trying a lot harder now, that is for sure. I'm starting to learn that I need to focus on what I want in life. I mean, a lot of things have to take a backseat if you want to get somewhere. I can't just go hang out with friends or watch TV like I used to do a lot. That's not gonna get me anywhere. It's okay in moderation, but not to the extent I've done it in the past. I'm gonna start focusing on things that are gonna get me somewhere. Trying to decide if I like the psychology major or not. I really don't know if it's my favorite. Like, I really love to help people, but that's the main reason why I'm doing it, and I don't know if I can keep up that enthusiasm for the rest of my career. Still thinking about that. Anyway, I have to do well this semester or they're not gonna let me stay at BYU anymore. I definitely have some motivation from that.

Still don't have a job. Last semester, I did volunteer for a number of hours at the Utah State Hospital though.  It was required for a class and I was hesitant at first, but it was a really good experience. Most the patients there really appreciated that we were there to help. They're fairly normal people just trying to get over their trials like everybody else. I really wish there was more I could've done to help with that. Still, giving them the time to talk with somebody felt good. This is why I kind of want to be a psychologist: to help people like this to overcome their trials and progress. In any case, I still do need to get a job soon unless I want to pile up so much debt that I can't repay it. Hopefully things work out. I know they will, somehow.

In other news, I've been working out still. It's mainly been strength training. I don't have a lot of time to do it, but I'm slowly getting stronger. Definitely feels good and I kind of enjoy it.

That's about it for news right now. I'll try to update things more often on this blog. Even if nobody reads, it feels good to write for a bit. haha maybe I should just be a journalist. I'll just do that, why not. Okay, I won't. But maybe. Bye.