tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80628987787582599222024-03-19T23:57:39.587-07:00That's Ben Gardner's BoatBGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08494179671052519838noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8062898778758259922.post-74834069744420279742011-06-07T19:29:00.000-07:002011-06-07T19:36:20.363-07:00Indiana University of Pennsylvania<div><br /></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">When I tell people I’ll be going to Indiana University of Pennsylvania they either say “that’s the biggest party school in Pennsylvania!” or “So is that in Indiana or Pennsylvania?” </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">Turns out it’s both.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">IUP is located in the town of Indiana, Pennsylvania. It’s about an hour northeast of Pittsburgh. Here are a few fun facts that I took from Wikipedia on Indiana and IUP.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpkp4ppdQfl3YCwtHmwEd9Ucoz0xIhKs2xmpK-iQSnZ3YqIeU3VHCHO4Cx-7l3-de72Dvc4CN5rEWw88pA2phCXCWRjFn6pUPRMhx6lquF6aqyjfNP8X97KvyehqYoOh96BvaQPnOc_aXM/s1600/pennsylvania-map.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 208px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpkp4ppdQfl3YCwtHmwEd9Ucoz0xIhKs2xmpK-iQSnZ3YqIeU3VHCHO4Cx-7l3-de72Dvc4CN5rEWw88pA2phCXCWRjFn6pUPRMhx6lquF6aqyjfNP8X97KvyehqYoOh96BvaQPnOc_aXM/s320/pennsylvania-map.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615671644359968370" /></a><div><br /></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; color: black; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >Indiana</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" ><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">-</span><span style="font-size:7.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";color:black"> </span><span style="font-size:7.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";color:black">Small town of about 15,000<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHoFzLcd4RY6rHrQnc10rmR8ERXuO4VUhYyw9wCVUIzSLAHpE0IL6-K0vNVpATm7F31HB-m_IjDCIF0gORpGXcyHbjrEwaBJdruZTahdIT0EONtIKjkCVaj1pMblFyeQajZN2IxIkcIonk/s1600/indiana_pa.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 181px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHoFzLcd4RY6rHrQnc10rmR8ERXuO4VUhYyw9wCVUIzSLAHpE0IL6-K0vNVpATm7F31HB-m_IjDCIF0gORpGXcyHbjrEwaBJdruZTahdIT0EONtIKjkCVaj1pMblFyeQajZN2IxIkcIonk/s320/indiana_pa.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615671273173031858" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">-Calls itself the Christmas Tree Capitol of the World<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1C4MSYBJlh8cfXR8GA3hXF7M-ldxwtz-ImF651y6ke0Kz3kNH_ELbli_9rHKajfizsCD2SIsgqTk8BgYH9HqkuZIUIdmk762OFNaJ04SRnU5CNQYulUbHVgnYb9hyphenhyphenyxsKFR0pQmLCLWzI/s1600/ChristmasTreeCountySign.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 223px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1C4MSYBJlh8cfXR8GA3hXF7M-ldxwtz-ImF651y6ke0Kz3kNH_ELbli_9rHKajfizsCD2SIsgqTk8BgYH9HqkuZIUIdmk762OFNaJ04SRnU5CNQYulUbHVgnYb9hyphenhyphenyxsKFR0pQmLCLWzI/s320/ChristmasTreeCountySign.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615671079715709458" /></a><br /><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">-</span><span style="font-size:7.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";color:black"> </span><span style="font-size:7.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";color:black">Birthplace of actor Jimmy Stewart and of pro football player/TV announcer Jim Nance<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; color: black; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >IUP</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" ><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">-</span><span style="font-size:7.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";color:black"> </span><span style="font-size:7.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";color:black">About 15,000 enrolled students<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">-</span><span style="font-size:7.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";color:black"> </span><span style="font-size:7.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";color:black">Mascot is the Crimson Hawks<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzYvyxZ-qtf01Hk_x88GAYqooeKVozAKsRAuh5pWA35sjf4MnlFUe58Wocuxf42g5SL4RGJVfiAopkFGUR8st_nQ2Vc-hjIhcsNBdIgm6DoUrp2u5qWL_66jsqoToHiHSIHuV4euDFFcaP/s1600/crimsonhawks.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzYvyxZ-qtf01Hk_x88GAYqooeKVozAKsRAuh5pWA35sjf4MnlFUe58Wocuxf42g5SL4RGJVfiAopkFGUR8st_nQ2Vc-hjIhcsNBdIgm6DoUrp2u5qWL_66jsqoToHiHSIHuV4euDFFcaP/s320/crimsonhawks.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615670695478556882" /></a><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">-</span><span style="font-size:7.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";color:black"> </span><span style="font-size:7.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";color:black">Competes in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference – Division II<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">-</span><span style="font-size:7.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";color:black"> </span><span style="font-size:7.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";color:black">Notable alumni include Pittsburgh Steelers founder Art Rooney, Co-Founder and CEO of Youtube Chad Hurley, and George Hood Jr., the Guinness World Record holder for spinning. I join an elite group of individuals.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">-</span><span style="font-size:7.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";color:black"> </span><span style="font-size:7.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";color:black">It is one of the few universities that offer the Doctorate of Psychology (Psy.D.) degree, which is what I will be earning. It’s a degree that focuses on training clinical psychologists as opposed to researchers/professors. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">I’m very excited about starting the PsyD program at IUP.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It’s a good fit for me and I got along really well with the faculty.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>There’s even a fellow BYU Cougar that’s a faculty member.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I wanted to go to a program that focused on clinical work but didn’t skip out on the research and IUP offers exactly that.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The program also has a good reputation with employers/internships and most of the students end up with their top choice after graduation.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The only downside is the location.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>My family is in CA, my friends in UT, and there won’t be a ton of theater opportunities for Rosa in Indiana.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Luckily though, Pittsburgh is an hour away which will have a lot for her to do.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We’ll also be a lot closer to her hometown of Cleveland, OH (about 3 hours) which will be great.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I’ll finally get to see where she grew up and we’ll have family close by.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The move and program will mean big changes and new challenges but we are excited to start our new life out in Indiana, Pennsylvania.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Who would have thought?<o:p></o:p></span></p>BGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08494179671052519838noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8062898778758259922.post-51504267375539118652011-06-05T18:15:00.000-07:002011-06-05T18:16:04.996-07:00Grad School<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Preparing for and taking the GRE along with applying for graduate school was one of the worst experiences of my life. I rank it up there with going to the dentist or the DMV. In fact, I would rather get work done on my teeth at the DMV than take the GRE or apply for grad school. Alright, so maybe it wasn’t <i>that</i> bad, but it was a big pain. The GRE is the worst test I’ve ever had to take (and I got to take it 3 times, plus one time taking the Psychology subject GRE, which wasn’t that bad.) Grad apps are a pain because each school has its own little system of doing things. It’d be much easier if there was a universal system of turning in apps. Also, you have to pay anywhere from $25-$100 per school just to apply. So it’s not just a pain in your [insert preferred location of pain] it’s an expensive pain in your [same location].</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">I looked at several different options for grad school. I was focusing on doctoral programs in clinical or counseling psychology and didn’t really care where the programs were. The big thing for psychology graduate programs is faculty match. The school wants students who are interested in the research and work that the faculty are interested in. My interests are in trauma- I want to work with disaster victims, PTSD patients, and other types of people suffering from traumatic experiences. My career play is to work for the Air Force as a clinical psychologist. I looked at programs where work was being done in those areas and those schools included Auburn University, University of Minnesota, BYU, University of Wyoming, Eastern Michigan University, University of South Dakota, University of North Dakota, Indiana State, Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP), Yeshiva University (Bronx, NY), Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Dominguez Hills, and Cal State LA. The Cal State schools all had masters programs that interested me and were my back-ups in case I couldn’t get accepted to a Ph.D. program. I also applied for a teacher position with Teach for America.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman""> <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">My initial top choice was actually South Dakota. They have a really cool program that focuses on disaster mental health. All of the faculty there work closely with the American Red Cross and were heavily involved in the mental health aspects of recovery after 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, and other big disasters. I thought that I had a good chance at getting accepted there. Other good chances were BYU, IUP, and North Dakota. I wasn’t really a long shot at any of the schools but they were all competitive so I didn’t know what to expect.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">I got the last of my applications turned in at the end of January and the waiting game began. It was frustrating, to say the least, that the first few schools that responded were all rejections. After what seemed like forever, I was invited to interview at BYU, IUP, and with Teach for America. Interviews went really well and after each one, I thought “this is the school for me.” I thought I could succeed in any of the programs and was really looking forward to hearing back. BYU responded first, the day after the interview actually, and I was put on their wait list. I didn’t know how far down on the list I was but was excited to at least have a chance. I think I waited about 2 weeks before they sent me an email saying all spots had been filled. I also had received a rejection email from Teach for America. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">The news from IUP finally came in and of course I was on the wait list. They at least told me I was #4 on the list. I liked my chances. They interviewed 60 or so candidates and I was in the top 20. The days dragged on and the April 15<sup>th</sup> deadline (that’s when programs should have their spots filled) was nearing. On April 14<sup>th</sup>, Rosa and I were headed to California for the Ragnar Relay when I got the news. I had been accepted! I had one night to think it over but I knew I would accept. The hard work had finally paid off and I am on my way to becoming Dr. Gardner. I’ll be attending Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s Clinical PsyD program starting this fall.<o:p></o:p></span></p>BGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08494179671052519838noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8062898778758259922.post-42475817523299881252011-06-04T10:51:00.000-07:002011-06-04T11:06:46.589-07:00Ragnar Relay SoCal<div>Rosa and I joined our extended family team for the Socal Ragnar Relay -- a 200-mile relay race from Huntington Beach to Coronado Island.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We had been looking for some motivation to exercise and thought this would be a great idea.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We started training right away….and then stopped a few weeks later.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Fortunately, we still had months to prepare as it was only Fall 2010 and the race was April 2011.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Christmas came and we both were fitted for the right running shoes (a suggestion given to us by every runner we ever talked to).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We stocked up on some cold-weather running gear as well and started running.</div><div> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>About 2 weeks into my training, I started developing shin pain.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>My entire shin would get really tight and swollen, to the point where I couldn’t fully move my foot up and down.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Logically, I went to the internet to find out what was wrong and diagnosed myself with shin splints.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I took a couple of days off and did a lot of stretching/icing.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I also bought some compression socks on the advice from a post on a runner’s website message board. My first time running again felt good, no pain.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But a few days later I noticed the pain again.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I went back to resting/icing/stretching/self diagnosing on the internet but the pain would not go away.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I eventually went to a physical therapist and he told me the problem was my shoes (I had thought this might be the case but didn’t want to believe it since I had been “custom fit” for shoes).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I tried a more cushioned and neutral shoe, hoping that would solve the problem.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>After a few runs, the shin pain was still there.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Not wanting to spend money on another doctor’s visit, I went to see a trainer at BYU that Rosa had access to through her major.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He had worked with runners before and runs 5 miles or so every morning.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I figured he knew what he was talking about.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>His solution was that my strides were not long enough.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He gave me some tips and after putting them into practice my shins hurt worse than ever.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>At this point I was getting very frustrated.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The race was weeks away and I hadn’t put in much training because of injury.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I went back to the internet (at the suggestion of my cousin Christy, who was experiencing similar pain) and watched a Youtube video on shin taping.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I tried the taping and had a pretty good run my first time with it.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I decided to try the taping with my old running shoes as well (not the ones I was fitted for, the $50 ones I bought at Famous Footwear) and had the best run of my entire training.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>After two pairs of running shoes, a trip to two different doctors, compression socks, a gym membership and a dozen or so Youtube videos, it seemed like I finally had a solution! Who needs doctors when you have Youtube? I got about 2.5 weeks of solid training in and headed for California for the race.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"></span>The actual race was an awesome experience.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Each team of 12 separates into two 15-passenger vans and we take turns running.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>My cousin Jason rented our vans 3 months in advance to make sure we had them.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Unfortunately, Enterprise called us the day before and said they no longer had our vans, but would give us mini vans to make up for it. So kind of them<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>They said a “corporate account” came in and took them.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We fit into the vans but were extremely cramped <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>and had no room to stretch out as we went from room for 30 to room for 16.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I would recommend NOT renting from Enterprise.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Ever.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I was runner 5 in van 1 along with my dad, brother, Rosa, cousin Janae and her husband Erick, and my Aunt Patti and Uncle Mark.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>As one person in our van was running, the rest of us would drive ahead and wait at the exchange point.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We’d provide water and snacks along the way as well.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>While van was driving, van 2 would be “sleeping” and waiting for us to finish. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>While van 2 was running, van 1 would “sleep.” Hence the slogan Run, Drive, Sleep?, Repeat.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Overall I ran about 13 miles split between 3 legs.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was a lot of fun and I would recommend it to anyone, especially if you can get a team of family/friends together.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The distance can be intimidating but if you stick to the suggested training schedule (and not get hurt) it’s very possible.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was the first race that I had ever done but I got through.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I joked a lot about “retiring” from running after it was all over but that was just out of frustration from my injuries.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I’m actually starting to run again and look forward to training for another race.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p></div><div><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh80_ySsGGBklleLY8s1rUw30wbrnCYL9sY5cJOxZ30yn3es-Bx9HVa5frx5RNmAtlxzl4HjcdX2gw5wrn1H7BFIYEkxDWpRLSmdW2zVnx8sUtuRaELF0Yhyphenhyphen6A5mYGCqaPKxlEwZKC1_q6Z/s1600/Ragnar+finish.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh80_ySsGGBklleLY8s1rUw30wbrnCYL9sY5cJOxZ30yn3es-Bx9HVa5frx5RNmAtlxzl4HjcdX2gw5wrn1H7BFIYEkxDWpRLSmdW2zVnx8sUtuRaELF0Yhyphenhyphen6A5mYGCqaPKxlEwZKC1_q6Z/s320/Ragnar+finish.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5614427162338521106" /></a>Team "Hey Pal, Are You Going to Finish Those Fries?" after finishing Ragnar SoCalBGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08494179671052519838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8062898778758259922.post-78195328954737943192010-08-27T10:25:00.000-07:002010-08-27T11:07:07.192-07:00Las VegasRosa and I got married in the middle of winter semester last year; leaving very little time for a honeymoon. We stayed a few nights in Salt Lake with the intention of doing something fun once we had more time. We finally got to do that this past week as we stayed three nights in the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimHYLGZd2T_uizQk8lOKyZ5IVsz2TazSKQBVJbT4pgShJkDuRQsEjy63tJBRmn1M5Ew1vD98m2gg9ZrV9xL5BEyjLZAGOKAEJLKKIAH-pfNRYLHt79cgQsTJ0fbmsFhaOW4oMi78oxG93a/s1600/Summer+%2710+014.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimHYLGZd2T_uizQk8lOKyZ5IVsz2TazSKQBVJbT4pgShJkDuRQsEjy63tJBRmn1M5Ew1vD98m2gg9ZrV9xL5BEyjLZAGOKAEJLKKIAH-pfNRYLHt79cgQsTJ0fbmsFhaOW4oMi78oxG93a/s320/Summer+%2710+014.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510145805232994514" border="0" /></a>Waiting for our flight.<br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><img src="file:///C:/Users/Ben/AppData/Local/Temp/moz-screenshot-2.png" alt="" /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvh5FEPyz7cGMaYI_C6W5u7w-t_2BtuZtAVVrmt3WGOFnTaWVK29HhJA4NkhrfsHEABJ7DCsKzEzZRDRCT5Kichoaf8AQPGort3tjBEiC-oa8ni76vboODzynwnWrze40Lh-BF6Oj6fLph/s1600/Summer+%2710+032.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvh5FEPyz7cGMaYI_C6W5u7w-t_2BtuZtAVVrmt3WGOFnTaWVK29HhJA4NkhrfsHEABJ7DCsKzEzZRDRCT5Kichoaf8AQPGort3tjBEiC-oa8ni76vboODzynwnWrze40Lh-BF6Oj6fLph/s320/Summer+%2710+032.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510150054829941522" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Our hotel<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2j1OTL1nalwj-tlO6n4Uu4_CdvrGJ8L1bnwjRFfGHWMiz5zrD47o5t5-2EtxN62EXZwsx7dNHPd6-Uzy57rqGShIUbOlyEJJEl9hkFB_cQaksNx2dFciNcbcfPQPqkRNBphI8RoaGde3q/s1600/Summer+%2710+017.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2j1OTL1nalwj-tlO6n4Uu4_CdvrGJ8L1bnwjRFfGHWMiz5zrD47o5t5-2EtxN62EXZwsx7dNHPd6-Uzy57rqGShIUbOlyEJJEl9hkFB_cQaksNx2dFciNcbcfPQPqkRNBphI8RoaGde3q/s320/Summer+%2710+017.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510145813129368898" border="0" /></a>The view from our room. We played the "we're on our honeymoon" card and they gave us a room with a sweet view. Obviously, it was even cooler at night. But I forgot to get a picture. Whoops.<br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbDKlDPn8RnXj-uZraUXbLFGvFeP-ohQsS_Ho9Z4X2ZU93e4JB6XfpDh4Nk_wch33nL4aRTzimAA9XV81vl4421j-t9g0HIpRKnunAHERjZOZzHbwwZXECd-1r4Cx7I6Ew5sGOsU33dbxK/s1600/Summer+%2710+020.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbDKlDPn8RnXj-uZraUXbLFGvFeP-ohQsS_Ho9Z4X2ZU93e4JB6XfpDh4Nk_wch33nL4aRTzimAA9XV81vl4421j-t9g0HIpRKnunAHERjZOZzHbwwZXECd-1r4Cx7I6Ew5sGOsU33dbxK/s320/Summer+%2710+020.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510145832694031570" border="0" /></a><br />Mirage Volcano<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDsRHchGn7gmQW_dNeogoxuXJjCUESn-sHkZBIMjSyEPubazNkbx9RBc1ojdwXaN6VMnSvNyOd3sf_aaNJDCdzvhloq5GQ2ZotzH77T_w3ZZqz5qiQa4P7p3NVGbZhzVGOPWYcT_UzWstw/s1600/Summer+%2710+018.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDsRHchGn7gmQW_dNeogoxuXJjCUESn-sHkZBIMjSyEPubazNkbx9RBc1ojdwXaN6VMnSvNyOd3sf_aaNJDCdzvhloq5GQ2ZotzH77T_w3ZZqz5qiQa4P7p3NVGbZhzVGOPWYcT_UzWstw/s320/Summer+%2710+018.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510145821634315826" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">The Strip<br /><br />We spent most of our time doing touristy stuff like walking the strip and seeing the free shows there. The volcano at the Mirage was cool but the fountain show at the Bellagio is definitely the coolest free thing to do.<br /><br />Side note about the strip: Utilize any public transportation. The hotels look close together but man do you walk a lot. Las Vegas Monorail FTW<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimHYLGZd2T_uizQk8lOKyZ5IVsz2TazSKQBVJbT4pgShJkDuRQsEjy63tJBRmn1M5Ew1vD98m2gg9ZrV9xL5BEyjLZAGOKAEJLKKIAH-pfNRYLHt79cgQsTJ0fbmsFhaOW4oMi78oxG93a/s1600/Summer+%2710+014.JPG"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjUZr2rhT4oDKfsGhVTgx8mVEgGi5qp2fvuSYw2TewAkAF7D6gJ62JNsmYkXCrFArsBhHTTPNrK3a5sPxvmE-d0sOFaWWY99NwdjD1cnNBcB0yjd0Y16riqmVKP1PYxImWIQrjYSjdA7GZ/s1600/Summer+%2710+027.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjUZr2rhT4oDKfsGhVTgx8mVEgGi5qp2fvuSYw2TewAkAF7D6gJ62JNsmYkXCrFArsBhHTTPNrK3a5sPxvmE-d0sOFaWWY99NwdjD1cnNBcB0yjd0Y16riqmVKP1PYxImWIQrjYSjdA7GZ/s320/Summer+%2710+027.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510145834743538178" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Our last night we went and saw The Lion King at Mandalay Bay. It was INCREDIBLE. Definitely worth the price of admission.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Unfortunately, we didn't take very many pictures. Neither of us are very good at remembering to bring a camera or actually use it when we do bring it. It also didn't help that my camera was being weird and would not take a focused picture. They almost always came out blurry.<br /><br /> We had a blast on our late honeymoon though. It was nice to get away from Provo and spend some time together. It also helped that the MGM has a killer pool complex that we spent most of our days at. Seriously, it's awesome. There's like 5 pools and a lazy river. I know there's a lot of crap in Vegas but we managed to have a good time and avoid the garbage. It was a fun trip and we look forward to going back.<br /><br /></div></div>BGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08494179671052519838noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8062898778758259922.post-16120776866549131512010-07-21T18:53:00.001-07:002010-07-26T22:25:33.216-07:00Updates<div style="text-align: center;">I've been wanting to do more blogging lately. I'm pretty sure I've said that the last year or so but that's besides the point. Here's what's been going on lately, starting with the most recent:</div><div><div><br /></div><div><ul><li>Rosa is currently making on of those token, newlywed blogs. Stay tuned for <i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i>even </i></span>more </i>important information about my life. It is taking longer than expected because we can't come up with a creative name. My vote for the blog name is BROSA.</li></ul><ul><li>I added a picture of a boat to the front page and updated some of my profile. It's so much more legit.</li></ul><ul><li>I signed up for the Southern California Ragnar Relay. It's a 12 person team, 180 mile relay race that runs from Ventura to Dana Point, CA. It'll take place April 15-16, 2011. I'm not much of a runner so I've got my work cut out for me. I'm on a team with my immediate and extended family. </li></ul><div> <a href="http://www.ragnarrelay.com/race/southerncalifornia">http://www.ragnarrelay.com/race/southerncalifornia</a></div><ul><li>I'm working on my grad school applications and studying for the GRE, which is one of the worst things in the world. My plan is to get a Ph.D. in clinical or counseling psychology and then enter the Air Force as a clinical psychologist.</li></ul><ul><li>I graduated from BYU with a degree in psychology.</li></ul></div></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJSgwD0tY-0KUQi2XZAAJMgML517VDe8b5tl2kBWYNhtC4kabjIl-YsOpBhyaLrgOOUkWHQirQ8fjNDmI6FXXgIXesCjqgyNuAvVxbjs2KGegvNdQ_a6O0hRPBfOwPWqtRFaisnU1hyi-W/s1600/Summer+%2710+014.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJSgwD0tY-0KUQi2XZAAJMgML517VDe8b5tl2kBWYNhtC4kabjIl-YsOpBhyaLrgOOUkWHQirQ8fjNDmI6FXXgIXesCjqgyNuAvVxbjs2KGegvNdQ_a6O0hRPBfOwPWqtRFaisnU1hyi-W/s320/Summer+%2710+014.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498449086992970034" /></a><div><br /><div><ul><li>I got married 6 months ago and we still like each other.</li></ul><div><br /></div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtngNxE25qpRYc0KFRin6RoQiiL7kflkePmvU1KCdjNSY_Lz4uHA0_NHYRn4snHUBUZq49icLvemZpZeIn071rLBiKU6vuB2CcD_S9D2JD5P5YbvdDSqx6o4c2_1mM7MjFFN67uOWwZoYs/s1600/we+like+each+other.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtngNxE25qpRYc0KFRin6RoQiiL7kflkePmvU1KCdjNSY_Lz4uHA0_NHYRn4snHUBUZq49icLvemZpZeIn071rLBiKU6vuB2CcD_S9D2JD5P5YbvdDSqx6o4c2_1mM7MjFFN67uOWwZoYs/s320/we+like+each+other.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498451092901627138" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 223px; height: 320px; " /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwY5WUAr2T6sdyUSuLaDZiqye1GnQT6J17nmCtql0UcLzdhFb8i5Yiwejnyv2xBrRKlc6AUOSOYq41w-Ng48qJepEDNX_dgQVNp_YHVnZaAFP9YCRL9eA0ub5pw9SLasw2PZKZBKmriQ8a/s1600/temple+group.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwY5WUAr2T6sdyUSuLaDZiqye1GnQT6J17nmCtql0UcLzdhFb8i5Yiwejnyv2xBrRKlc6AUOSOYq41w-Ng48qJepEDNX_dgQVNp_YHVnZaAFP9YCRL9eA0ub5pw9SLasw2PZKZBKmriQ8a/s320/temple+group.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498451085948375122" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 246px; " /></a></div><div>That's pretty much it. There are tons of other things that have happened but that's all I can think of. Plus, who really wants to hear me rant about how inept the Dodgers' owners are? At least the Lakers are good. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>BGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08494179671052519838noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8062898778758259922.post-75104945204997701732009-09-23T18:56:00.000-07:002009-09-23T19:21:14.749-07:00engagedWell in case you haven't heard, I proposed to Rosa on Monday. We'll be getting married in the Los Angeles LDS temple on February 12th, 2010. Abe Lincoln's birthday. That really has nothing to do with it but I thought I'd point it out. There will be a reception in Bakersfield that same evening. <br /><br />Here's how the engagement went down:<br /><br />I bought the ring Monday morning. Rosa didn't think I'd be able to get it until that Friday (I may or may not have lied about when my paycheck was coming :)), so she was expecting it for at least another week. I was planning on making her dinner on Tuesday and proposing then, but I started to get a little antsy. I wanted to get it done! Rosa came over Monday afternoon and we were hanging out a little bit and I had to resist the idea of just pulling the ring out right there and asking her. Later that evening, I was debating on whether I would wait until the next day. My roommates told me to just go for it. Jake Lee also told me that he would be having a dinner group at our apartment on Tuesday night so I decided I'd better just get it done. Obviously a dinner group could have been easily moved but I really wanted to ask her. So I decided to do it Monday.<br /><br />After some quick thinking, I ran to the grocery store to get some Martinelli's sparkling cider. I brought it home and texted Rosa, inviting her over to relax for a little bit and have a treat, something that we had done many times before. She came over a few minutes later and I handed her the bottle of Martinelli's after she asked what I got for a treat. She laughed at first and asked "why Martinelli's?". I told her that it was so we could celebrate. Still confused, she asked what we were celebrating. I smiled at her and said "our engagement." I took her by the hand and got down on one knee. I started saying a few things that I previously thought out in my head but was interrupted by a couple of "Are you really doing this?!'s and "Is this really happening?". I was really nervous already and for some reason her saying that made me more nervous, even though I could tell she was really excited and was smiling so much. I eventually found the words and asked Rosa to marry me. She responded with a quick "of course!" and that was that. We're engaged and I couldn't be happier :)BGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08494179671052519838noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8062898778758259922.post-18761661688135065902009-06-28T18:07:00.000-07:002009-06-28T18:15:33.121-07:00New JobAfter a long search and a few months of being completely broke I finally was able to get a new job. I quit my old job at the library back in April because I thought I had something lined up. I actually had a few things going for me but unfortunately they all fell through so I was stuck without a job for awhile. At times it was kind of nice. I slept in every day and pretty much had nothing to do but that quickly got old. I did a couple of weeks of EFY to give me a little money and kept up the job hunt.<br /><br />I was finally hired at Provo Canyon School as a team coach. I'm basically like a mentor/counselor at a school from troubled youth. Most of the kids have had a tough time growing up; suffering from different mental disorders or behavioral problems. I'm excited for the opportunity I have to work with them and hopefully I'll be able to help.<br /><br />My first day on the job was a "Handle with Care" training. There are times when the kids can start getting out of control and we have to learn how to help and/or secure them if necessary. We were also trained on what to do if they lash out at us. We learned a few ways to get out of being choked and how to block a punch and different things like that. We were also given a little handbook with helpful diagrams on how to get away if being attacked. I was flipping through the book and came across this gem:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0o21hoAAB1ZrDJcUOgT2Gp_hz1TvIihvJkwIvS1UGSwHI6Wq3lHM-6YleOafRLKB6l8fg4bw8PV5kUr-GoqiuvyU9nvkoSbb6BtFLeGaIaS2nlMq-eX-wUGbL8UfbTcv8QGRnNeBYLsvO/s1600-h/CIMG1351.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0o21hoAAB1ZrDJcUOgT2Gp_hz1TvIihvJkwIvS1UGSwHI6Wq3lHM-6YleOafRLKB6l8fg4bw8PV5kUr-GoqiuvyU9nvkoSbb6BtFLeGaIaS2nlMq-eX-wUGbL8UfbTcv8QGRnNeBYLsvO/s320/CIMG1351.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352551400500783106" /></a><br /><br />This is what you do if someone is biting you. You grab their nostrils and pull up. I laughed pretty hard at the picture and found it to be very informative. So now you know what to do.<br /><br />Anyway, my first few days have gone really well and I'm excited to have a job and hopefully help some of the kids out.BGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08494179671052519838noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8062898778758259922.post-84609948631166352152009-06-22T14:30:00.000-07:002009-06-22T15:01:29.147-07:00Summer so farSummer 09 has been a good one so far. I've been out of the job which has been frustrating and kind of nice sometimes (except the being broke part) and I haven't been taking classes. I'm pretty much a bum. It's been nice to have a break though and as of today I have a job. I got hired at Provo Canyon School. It's a school for troubled youth and I'll be working as a counselor/mentor. I believe the official term is coach. I'm really excited to start working and I think it's going to be a great experience for me. <br /><br />Besides efy, I've been keeping busy with intramural softball and ultimate frisbee, camping and other random adventures throughout Provo. I still haven't made it back to California but I'm planning on going around August<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCDLR685U00RaKuIN6YHszy3xsY1Sd1rCzXdd__KPun5czUgctqS8T1UY64MUmtbHsKYnVm39hfh99PXWZ2ak4TLPXqJwjmF5F-3KsD_BygYhYJ9ESJGufZA5YchjneL7Q7Jtr4WUPNin2/s1600-h/Summer+09+003.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCDLR685U00RaKuIN6YHszy3xsY1Sd1rCzXdd__KPun5czUgctqS8T1UY64MUmtbHsKYnVm39hfh99PXWZ2ak4TLPXqJwjmF5F-3KsD_BygYhYJ9ESJGufZA5YchjneL7Q7Jtr4WUPNin2/s320/Summer+09+003.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350270871655523106" /></a><br /><br />I went camping/fishing with Jake Lee and the two Starkey California Highway Patrol Officers Scott and Ben. Classic.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFnCbe6QMvtmhfZbrQRlJ_XlLt6Udvvpf5Uf2br-iAwczEYp6vbo678SvyxKGK7vRwVomcj3ovCmdvVl1PWvUFmZJ5CkS8E06HEYSuAqvpM8lbUGKFFN8rl6Czxt7nby7tPyZQsmRkMkiU/s1600-h/lakers+champs.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFnCbe6QMvtmhfZbrQRlJ_XlLt6Udvvpf5Uf2br-iAwczEYp6vbo678SvyxKGK7vRwVomcj3ovCmdvVl1PWvUFmZJ5CkS8E06HEYSuAqvpM8lbUGKFFN8rl6Czxt7nby7tPyZQsmRkMkiU/s320/lakers+champs.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350273104952974098" /></a><br /><br />The Lakers beat the Magic in 5 games to win their 15th NBA championship. What a great day. After his epic performance in game 4, I'm considering naming a son Derek Fisher. Kidding... Maybe...<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn1Tc2ZGeKEhfk9lLchosM-dV-cXSqMpYQ2mbxWzbJuB7RiDRAAZJMFjU9gtJBxjtwyBhOcluKg18swwXWxd4yGjzEabHhYlAXWULffJFXBQ3YDBonea3fdw5BjvNt7KDyBUdKrisVdWwq/s1600-h/ben+and+rosa.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn1Tc2ZGeKEhfk9lLchosM-dV-cXSqMpYQ2mbxWzbJuB7RiDRAAZJMFjU9gtJBxjtwyBhOcluKg18swwXWxd4yGjzEabHhYlAXWULffJFXBQ3YDBonea3fdw5BjvNt7KDyBUdKrisVdWwq/s320/ben+and+rosa.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350273848725504546" /></a><br /><br />I finally had the chance to see Rosa perform in Singing in the Rain and it was amazing! She did a great job and the show was really good. Anyone who gets the chance to see Singing in the Rain at the Hale Theater in Orem should do it! This was taken right after the show :) <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQtin10vNqaUBenUizSSPowLte_3rKPBYplCqD49a42af9fcRyjnonwBED23NBerMeolLMK6kLBnv7MUBFaV26Vju5mrfV3cCGwAR3Jct_TkJldFYoNsEf7_BNBmM2CZkUv4HOrHf0HFEe/s1600-h/swine+flu+no+text.bmp"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQtin10vNqaUBenUizSSPowLte_3rKPBYplCqD49a42af9fcRyjnonwBED23NBerMeolLMK6kLBnv7MUBFaV26Vju5mrfV3cCGwAR3Jct_TkJldFYoNsEf7_BNBmM2CZkUv4HOrHf0HFEe/s320/swine+flu+no+text.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350274506523082178" /></a><br /><br />Pretty much our entire ward (apartment complex) has gotten sick these past few weeks and even though I did get sick for awhile, I was able to avoid the swine flu. This picture really has nothing to do with me but it makes me laugh. A lot. Stupid kid. I get the feeling that this is what my kids will be like. The pig lickers.<br /><br /><br />Well that's what has been going on so far these past few weeks. I'm excited to start working soon and hopefully more fun things can happen. And maybe I'll start blogging more. I say that every time and it doesn't work out too well but who knows, maybe this time it will happen.BGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08494179671052519838noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8062898778758259922.post-78155226515317882092009-06-22T13:58:00.000-07:002009-06-22T14:29:57.732-07:00EFYFor the second consecutive summer I had the opportunity to work as an efy counselor. Efy (especially for youth) is a week-long camp for youth that is done by the LDS church. You don't have to be Mormon to go but probably 99% of the participants are. It's a really cool experience to work as a counselor and always a lot of fun. I worked two amazing weeks here in Provo. I guess it was really more like 1.5 weeks. I did the first week at BYU and my 2nd week I was supposed to work in Salt Lake City at the University of Utah campus. However, I unfortunately got sick at the end of the first week. I came down with a fever and pretty much every other swine flu symptom (tested negative though). There was something definitely going around efy and I got it. I was told on Sunday that I should not work the week in Salt Lake because I needed to get better. I was a little upset but understood why I couldn't work. I also knew I wouldn't be able to give 100% and efy is a pretty demanding job actually. <br /><br />Tuesday comes around and I get a call from the Provo coordinators asking if I'm feeling better. I take my temperature and was feeling much better so they ask me to take over for a counselor who got really sick. I came on Tuesday night and worked the rest of the week. It was a lot harder than I expected to come on mid week but I think the week went alright. I had really great co-counselors so that helped a ton. Both weeks were a lot of fun and really good experiences. I had the chance to work with great co-counselors and amazing youth!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0j2OwdqRhw_r4izOoSdkV0dxScz1wNNx14wAKK6B2-OjURxHKUmn32QSSJ-Q6f4rhtMNxyGiWedsk1R6xcRsTK6bBJsSMA_51mzrpMVyQOoWWo7USuZaJC7ynaVhXL-712SNrSAysJR8N/s1600-h/Co's.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0j2OwdqRhw_r4izOoSdkV0dxScz1wNNx14wAKK6B2-OjURxHKUmn32QSSJ-Q6f4rhtMNxyGiWedsk1R6xcRsTK6bBJsSMA_51mzrpMVyQOoWWo7USuZaJC7ynaVhXL-712SNrSAysJR8N/s320/Co's.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350263991442225730" /></a><br /><br />These are my co-counselors Jessica and Kelli. We were pretty much the best counselors ever. I always am really lucky when it comes to co's because they are always awesome.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhijBkcLzlgvXF6hmSOMUIwcNk7vWYX_Pdddkjefmm1Xf80BS8kRneccm-Hsbg53Z3AB0-BaQi_QIh4aAsN_iLh4hKSnnmeyYklV-1ZXfL1MLelSmv7J1iu30m5uIp3BPfFgwgY3JI3CpwL/s1600-h/show+unto+the+world+boys.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhijBkcLzlgvXF6hmSOMUIwcNk7vWYX_Pdddkjefmm1Xf80BS8kRneccm-Hsbg53Z3AB0-BaQi_QIh4aAsN_iLh4hKSnnmeyYklV-1ZXfL1MLelSmv7J1iu30m5uIp3BPfFgwgY3JI3CpwL/s320/show+unto+the+world+boys.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350265136296346594" /></a><br /><br />My boys from the first week. I always tend to get the crazy ones. This was a really fun group and I loved working with them. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBt_peS5O1EM6bncHr_H-iyY_woGSo0Ydp6M7R-WxnbxE-TbBCbIwjhhLCuceh3PFSUQvYVjFNlqpn5LkoGsDSL3LRJj7M2LY4sSsRcR-SdAVMDkxumijfpQzHZA0O9CT8z_W52ME3k4aZ/s1600-h/show+unto+the+world.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBt_peS5O1EM6bncHr_H-iyY_woGSo0Ydp6M7R-WxnbxE-TbBCbIwjhhLCuceh3PFSUQvYVjFNlqpn5LkoGsDSL3LRJj7M2LY4sSsRcR-SdAVMDkxumijfpQzHZA0O9CT8z_W52ME3k4aZ/s320/show+unto+the+world.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350265510167574882" /></a><br /><br />The entire company "Show unto the world". Such a great group!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiv4Zpa2hsMhTa-USN2pSKeZ8uBCQAcOfljdVBH67L44QUboHy-Zh_IqY6-7l42OQUcfqG32IgRnHMyQEUQi506niWGOWJDo4iNZdz1ZbKruJAQWhEn0jTuBeFAbqNu38-H28oW2IyuQT-/s1600-h/In+the+light+co%27s.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiv4Zpa2hsMhTa-USN2pSKeZ8uBCQAcOfljdVBH67L44QUboHy-Zh_IqY6-7l42OQUcfqG32IgRnHMyQEUQi506niWGOWJDo4iNZdz1ZbKruJAQWhEn0jTuBeFAbqNu38-H28oW2IyuQT-/s320/In+the+light+co%27s.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350265868472723090" /></a><br /><br />My Co's from the 2nd week, Megan and Katie Jo. Once again I had awesome co-counselors to work with. I'm pretty sure there isn't a single picture where all three of us were looking at the same camera. There were about 30 youth lined up in front of us with cameras. We're kind of a big deal<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJir1A67SvvtzsO9g9C-rUHDvVHm8133RgaeA912eya_eQNckdgIcDh-dYy4ieTGCShY50QrvaOmQ3HUGiAWiHQUgrgmoJFT9fSNYFi-Yp74TdZvTX7WADcrGgDjU3CNAgcnzrIMQBiGMi/s1600-h/In+the+light.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJir1A67SvvtzsO9g9C-rUHDvVHm8133RgaeA912eya_eQNckdgIcDh-dYy4ieTGCShY50QrvaOmQ3HUGiAWiHQUgrgmoJFT9fSNYFi-Yp74TdZvTX7WADcrGgDjU3CNAgcnzrIMQBiGMi/s320/In+the+light.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350266485339985618" /></a><br /><br />The entire group from the 2nd week. Our company name was In the light. This group was really good at making a cheer for games night<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmOL4BxFEEevFDSyg1Lg3U_snIydeUwXI84FPWoaX9d0PQfG0kJvO-6hx8yKqaxCRtAR6RXGpkFCe2039d5sE9e_RJSd8lbrgP93vpQYtyMMwYwW2tAffQNIvJKOqw4ntO2JKh4RNpsN8F/s1600-h/In+the+light+boys.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmOL4BxFEEevFDSyg1Lg3U_snIydeUwXI84FPWoaX9d0PQfG0kJvO-6hx8yKqaxCRtAR6RXGpkFCe2039d5sE9e_RJSd8lbrgP93vpQYtyMMwYwW2tAffQNIvJKOqw4ntO2JKh4RNpsN8F/s320/In+the+light+boys.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350266772760899906" /></a><br />My boys from the second week. Another awesome group of guys to work with. I'm grateful I was able to feel good enough to work with themBGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08494179671052519838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8062898778758259922.post-51506228365228834852009-02-27T13:40:00.000-08:002009-02-27T14:26:43.911-08:00BYUSAAs some of you may know, I've been involved with BYUSA the past couple of years. Last year I served in the Student Honor Association (SHA) as a Program Director for Human Resources. Basically what I did was create and deliver a training presentation for new SHA volunteers. This year I've been involved with Campus Activities. I've helped plan and carry out all the BYUSA campus activities like Fall Fest, Homecoming, Battle of the Bands, the Concert Series, etc. It's been a lot of fun and have been a wonderful chance to serve BYU and meet a lot of cool people.<br /><br />A couple weeks ago, BYUSA put out a video explaining exactly what BYUSA does. I think a lot of the BYU population doesn't really know what we do. They see the activities and free food that we give out, but besides that, don't really know what the point of BYUSA really is. Hopefully this video can help everyone understand a little more as to what BYUSA really does. Enjoy!<br /><br /><br /><object width="576" height="388"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://www.facebook.com/v/601938548339"><embed src="http://www.facebook.com/v/601938548339" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="576" height="388"></embed></object><br /><br /><br />Hopefully that showed you a little of what BYUSA really does. There's a lot that goes on, especially with the Executive President and Executive Vice President. I know that both of them spend at least 30 hours a week doing different BYUSA activities. As I mentioned in an earlier post (I think) BYUSA elections are coming up and I've decided to help my friends Garrett and Nat. I really like the ideas they have and I've been able to work with both of them this past year in BYUSA. I've seen their work ethic, dedication and commitment to BYUSA and know that they would be awesome! <br /><br />Check them out at garrettandnat.com<br /><br /><object width="576" height="384" ><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://www.facebook.com/v/604704455439" /><embed src="http://www.facebook.com/v/604704455439" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="576" height="384"></embed></object>BGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08494179671052519838noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8062898778758259922.post-62219911218479002262009-02-26T17:48:00.000-08:002009-02-26T18:13:47.178-08:00Life, the oscars and BYUSAAlright, I'm not very good at this blogging thing but I'm gonna try to get better. I've probably said that a million times but this time I mean it! It's not like many people read this thing. Yet.<br /><br />Life has been pretty good for me these days. I had those fun car accident and lost luggage adventures over Christmas break but that's all been settled and is done with. I was able to get my pickup fixed and the Taco (nickname for the car) is back in action. It was about a month that I didn't have it and I'm so glad to have it back. <br /><br />School has been going pretty well. I still suck at the testing center, that one A I got last semester was a fluke but it's alright. I'm not upset about it. The <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">latest</span> failure came this past week but it actually wasn't my fault. The test was incredibly difficult. No one got an A and I think the highest grade was a low B-. The class average was a 66% and I was right around that. The TA sent us all an email basically telling us she's an idiot and that the test had nothing to do with anything we learned. The entire class will get more points or have the opportunity to retake a test or something like that. <br /><br />Valentine's day came and went without anything too exciting happening. I went over to Jason Barber's apartment with Dustin and Jake Lee. We had some pizza, watched the slam dunk contest and played some poker. The movie "Blank Check" was on TV. I hadn't seen that since I was a little kid. It was a pretty classic night. I take that back, Valentine's day was very exciting. <br /><br />Last Sunday was the Academy Awards. I was a little upset that The Dark Knight didn't get nominated for very many, especially Best Director. At least Heath Ledger won best supporting actor. I enjoy watching the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Oscars</span> but one thing that I hate is when the winners get all political in their acceptance speeches. I don't really care what the topic or point is, I feel like they shouldn't bring up politics. To me, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Oscar</span> night is a night to celebrate the accomplishments of cinema from the past year. Not talk about your own personal opinion. Maybe that's just me though. Oh well. I also think Wall-E is the most overrated movie ever. I could go on about this.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">BYUSA</span> is in the middle of it's student body elections. I've decided to help my good friends Garrett and Nat. I know a lot of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">BYU</span> students don't think too highly of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">BYUSA</span> but I encourage everyone to study the initiatives and get out there and vote. And take a good look at Garrett and Nat's because I know they'll do an amazing job.<br /><br />Well that's all from me. Hopefully I can get better at writing in this thing.BGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08494179671052519838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8062898778758259922.post-58648755661978488202008-12-19T20:47:00.000-08:002008-12-19T21:13:58.145-08:00Going home for ChristmasI've been really looking forward to this Christmas break. No school, no work, just time to relax and enjoy myself. It's also cool that I'd get to go see my good friend Tyler Jones get married. Now usually I would just fly home and have my Dad pick me up in LA or something like that but this time I needed to go to San Diego first for the wedding. The plan was for Jake Lee and myself to caravan down to Mission Viejo with our good friend Bryce Mosley. We were going to stay the night at his place then drive to the wedding Saturday morning. After the wedding, Jake and I were going to drive back to Bakersfield. Sounds like a good plan right? It didn't quite work out that way.<br /><br />We were supposed to leave about 2:30. Bryce had a final that got out at 2 then we'd be on our way. 2:30 came around and I didn't hear from Bryce. It also started to snow a little after 2. I got a text from Bryce at 3 saying they were a little late. We finally left at around 3:30. It was snowing pretty hard by then but we figured it would clear up a few miles down the road. That's usually what happens anyway. So we're driving down the freeway and it's really snowy and really slick. I'm going like 30 miles per hour and hating every second of it. We're almost to a little town called Nephi when things started to get really fun. I was driving in the slow lane going about 45 mph. People are passing me pretty frequently when all of a sudden a semi comes blowing by me. It's pretty much driving in both lanes and it kicks up a huge cloud of snow that had settled on the pavement. It was hard for me to see and I'm not really sure if I swerved or what happened but I'm now fish tailing. We fish tail for a few seconds and then I start to spin. My tail spins to the right and I'm completely perpendicular with the road. At this time I start to yell all sorts of fun expletives and Jake Lee also woke up. He had been asleep and got to wake up to me yelling and driving sideways on the freeway. Probably wishes he would have just stayed asleep. All of a sudden a huge white blur smashes by me and clips my bumper and I spin some more. That blur turned out to be a white '99 GMC suburban. I hadn't fully stopped in the middle of the road though so that was lucky. I spin some more and end up on the side of the road. The other car is driving in the median but made it out okay. My airbag did not deploy and neither Jake or myself were hurt.<br /><br />So now I'm sitting in my car trying to figure out what just happened when I see some guy has already pulled over and he's holding my bumper or something. Not sure how he pulled over so quickly and was able to grab random parts of my car but whoever you are, thank you. I walk over to the other car to see if the other guy is okay and he's walking towards me. Pretty much in the same sentence he asks if 1. we're okay and 2. am I insured. He did ask if I was OK first, just for the record. And his family was okay too. The only damage to their car was minimal. Mine looked pretty bad but if I'm lucky it'll just be some body work that needs to be replaced.<br /><br />The police and tow truck come and take us to a truck stop in Nephi where we take care of all that paperwork and fun stuff. Turns out my registration card and my insurance card are expired along with my tags. I have a sticker that was supposed to be replaced in June. Didn't quite get to it though. So I fill out my report and talk to the highway patrolman and all that stuff. He told me he should give me three tickets for having all my stuff expired but he had another accident to attend to. Whoever got in that wreck, I truly hope you're okay but thank you for getting me out of a couple of tickets.<br /><br />We called Bryce Lee and he drove down to come get us. Luckily we crashed right by a Wendy's so we got ourselves some Jr. Bacon Cheeseburgers. At least I picked a good place to crash, right? Bryce Lee came in this awesome jeep and took us home. So now we're back in Provo but we found some good flight deals and will be home on Sunday. Sorry Tones, we won't be making it to your wedding but we tried. <br /><br />Now that I think about it, things could have been a lot worse. Had my car rotated just a bit more, we would have been in a head on collision. If I drifted a little bit more into the left lane, that big '99 GMC suburban would have crashed directly into my door at about 60 mph, which possibly could have been fatal. So yeah it sucks that I wrecked and possibly totaled my car, but we're very lucky that things did not turn out to be a lot lot worse. <br /><br />I also didn't have a chance to take any pictures except for one on my cell phone so if you want one I can send it to you through text or just come be my friend and I'll show you.BGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08494179671052519838noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8062898778758259922.post-39191291563005667292008-12-19T20:41:00.000-08:002008-12-19T20:47:39.768-08:00Finals Victory!Finals have come and gone and I managed to do pretty well this time around. I actually got my first "word by my score" in the testing center. For those of you that do not go to BYU, allow me to explain. BYU has a big building called the testing center. As you probably have figured out, it's where you take all your tests. You turn in your test to the office place then walk down some stairs and you'll see a TV monitor with the last 4 digits of student ID numbers and the correlating score. If you do well (90% or above) you get a word like "congratulations or awesome!" next to your score. Well this time I managed a "way to go!". After 3.5 years of BYU, I finally got one. To be honest with you, I never thought it would happen. The testing center pretty much destroys my life every time I go there but this time I managed a victory. Ben: 1 Testing Center: a lot. I'm making a comebackBGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08494179671052519838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8062898778758259922.post-32503848507517982022008-11-30T22:03:00.000-08:002008-11-30T22:12:49.663-08:00T-Givin<span style="color:#0066cc;"><br /><span style="color:#000000;">So I just got back from Bakersfield CA, the center of the universe, for thanksgiving break and I had a wonderful time. I drove back last Tuesday and came back to Utah on Sunday. I pretty much just ate and slept all week. It was great. And my parents bought a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Wii</span> so that took most of my time. I definitely didn't do much homework so <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">that'll</span> be fun to catch up on.</span> </span><br /><u><span style="color:#0066cc;"></span></u><br /><u><span style="color:#0066cc;"></span></u><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274699492800837362" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcqGzbxi32FeZGsic7ibw6fxxfG932bXcd5CGG42bk_9jXDD2fug4CSUgN6CCkoFzU_JXPA4bWyPm5-Q7EVIkPqD9P_zYxiKSxCg9qWWLTdhcS4uV9IBpFHsyR_2htQKEpAson4b8pGpKX/s320/Random+-+Fall+08+021.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div>This is a Bakersfield winter. No snow, no ice, just fog. Beautiful grey fog. When it got really foggy we'd have fog delays. Early morning seminary got canceled and school started 2 hours later. It was epic.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274699485122501490" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqG0QafhO6orKKrtVEwzcj88JK5hP62_YWmcMepJ64F4LwJQNd3kRWlKt5oeizkuFUH_-7Q4kOygdmg5zR7MtZSX7b5KzOuE2Ydvz2I7bn31Wn5uy_76MEfgu5QeAgZ5Tes0nVTHQe7HW6/s320/Random+-+Fall+08+010.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div><br />I got up at 3:30 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">friday</span> morning to get in line at best buy. I bought a laptop and got a really good deal so it was worth it. It was nuts, so many people were there. Luckily no one pushed to get in and it was pretty calm, just really crowded. I also waited in line at best buy with a rapper from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">bakersfield</span> named Lil' Heat.<br /><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274699481728738514" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOVEms-rksX_t5mlwbFBfsuGxLwVu6Y6vkmWCOSQT-8K2Mc4HXJZLYVRGo6cB-wmmhdTTbnNXFyFVkWo1AME6AAEY3f0CF6CUPXT8HN0YJ8vAEVPWX0xBYIOAhzFIl5bI3E7yoe_Nwzp4B/s320/Random+-+Fall+08+008.JPG" border="0" /><br />The line went from best buy, past two other big stores and around the building.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274699479793255154" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_AvuD3ZAw-xtaJPDeGDoi7NEHphiy9MK8A6EqKpBFjXcoVGPECYXzHfvmXFKz8wHrFnW96mnj-9DyhvNN2lndnn1Sn08OuG05h7Pi5ptANHoOAlNnzRB4sOT3DamZ64JUaLGmSlnUEpPJ/s320/Random+-+Fall+08+006.JPG" border="0" />My brother Brad observing the table. And apparently casting a spell on it.<br /><div><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274699466710560642" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSA7cXQG7_iDxAOZogCoLTv6xQE218ugjUrA-Yyo8g0u8WdCpfyzytrRhc0zs-EYUOy-XsBN37T0EBecY6YqXVRQ8xl3R8F_7roG13toI68Zc34T9mVtosyZoQaGg75Mo2Cb2P551G2kNF/s320/Random+-+Fall+08+004.JPG" border="0" /><br />My Dad <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">cuttin</span> the turkey, which was delicious.<br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div>BGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08494179671052519838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8062898778758259922.post-57524393122816136482008-11-30T21:37:00.000-08:002008-11-30T21:54:33.569-08:00Ultimate Frisbee<div>My freshman year at BYU I joined an intramural ultimate frisbee team with some guys in my ward. By mistake, we signed up for the top division. We didn't think it would be that big of a deal though since we thought we were all pretty good at frisbee. Our first game freshman year we threw off to start the game. We sprinted down the field to get our defense going and were able to knock down one of their first passes. I saw the frisbee get knocked down and headed to the endzone where someone hit me wide open for an easy score. 1 - 0. We were feeling pretty confident. Unfortanetly we that was our only score of the night and we lost 12-1. We then preceeded to get outscored 60-4 or something like that in the next few games. And so began my ultimate frisbee career. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>We all went on our missions, returned, and formed the same team. We sucked again our sophomore year but we managed to win a regular season game and 2 playoff games. Hey, we're getting better.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>This season started off as every other season. Signs of greatness but mostly just crappy defence and getting owned. We didn't win a game all season but since we didn't forfeit any, we made the playoffs. We were placed in the last (worst) division and I'm not sure what our seeding was but it was probably pretty low. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>We won our first game by about 8 points and were really excited about the way we played. Good defense, good hustle, and lots of effective quick short passes. Our other strategy was to throw a hail marry. Didn't work too well but it was fun. Well with our new confidence and this great new strategy we dominated the playoffs and made it to the final four. The semi-finals were classic because it was freezing cold and snowing. Epic. We called it the Snow Bowl or something like that and we played great. To make a long story short, we lost in the semi finals, won the finals of the losers bracket and advanced to the final game where we lost 11-4. Despite the score, we matched up pretty well against the other team. The big factor was they had about 3 guys that were faster than all of us, and in a lot better shape than we were. They out ran us bigtime. Our cinderella run was over but we were pretty excited about our season and just like the Dodgers, BYU, Lakers, (basically all my favorite sports teams) there's always next year.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioeVZv2_M0mxpqbA6uryz1KJfCa0_LT3ZqZ36ebY4Kx0QnLmj-B_zBsJjanjgLxBvHbz37Jtk7KR4NrJbfEmu0KkDbeQ8CIfiaWcVxwRlMXenSclLp2wNaCaWitn5QOrzfN9TsVWhCRbmg/s1600-h/Random+-+Fall+08+003.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274694891742621298" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioeVZv2_M0mxpqbA6uryz1KJfCa0_LT3ZqZ36ebY4Kx0QnLmj-B_zBsJjanjgLxBvHbz37Jtk7KR4NrJbfEmu0KkDbeQ8CIfiaWcVxwRlMXenSclLp2wNaCaWitn5QOrzfN9TsVWhCRbmg/s320/Random+-+Fall+08+003.JPG" border="0" /></a>Team "Bronco for President"</div>BGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08494179671052519838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8062898778758259922.post-37433385329057288712008-10-23T20:34:00.000-07:002008-10-23T20:42:34.241-07:00Work in progressThis week has been pretty busy for me. I had a midterm for my political science class and a lot going on in BYUSA. We're just wrapping up all the homecoming activities that went on. I'll write about that later and put some pictures up. I'm working on making this blog look awesome and what better way to do it than by putting up a picture of Jack Bauer. There is no better way. Now I've got to make an awesome title thing with some pics and put some of those little side bar things on there.<br /><br />Oh yeah. Here's the part of Jaws where it talks about Ben Gardner. Watch from about the 2 minute mark to about 5 minutes. <br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hb3gYaKT6r8&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hb3gYaKT6r8&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>BGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08494179671052519838noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8062898778758259922.post-40961166587426617902008-10-16T21:49:00.000-07:002008-10-16T22:04:27.271-07:00New blog and Sucky Sports TeamsI've got a midterm to study for so I figured it'd be a perfect time to make a blog. I've been wanting to make one for awhile now. I think my first desire to join the blogging world was during the Olympics. I really wanted to let the world know that I hate the Chinese gymnastics team. And the entire sport of synchronized diving. I'll probably post about that later. Anywho, here's my blog planet earth, enjoy.<br /><br />This has been a crappy week in BG's sport life. First the Dodger's were eliminated from the playoffs. They had a pretty good year and I'm not too upset about it except for the part that they just rolled over and died the last two games of the series. Not much of a fight. BYU also lost tonight. TCU was the first team to figure out that our cornerbacks line up 10-15 yards off the line of scrimmage so they threw a bunch of short passes. And our defense is really slow. So we got killed. We went from being BCS National Champion hopefuls to maybe not even making the Las Vegas Bowl. Talk about a fall. Now my entire happiness is in the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers.<br /><br />PS. A little trivia game for you, what movie does my blog title come from? And you can't Google it.BGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08494179671052519838noreply@blogger.com4