Jared W's Story of the Week

My Brother, the State Champion

2009-05-21T15:16:00.000-07:00

This year I had a great opportunity to coach a championship lacrosse team. I coached for Orem High where my brother Dave is caption of the defense. I actually didn't start coaching at the beggining of the year. I went to his first couple home games and sat on the sideline and cheered and tried not to give too much advice. After a few games the team was having a losing season again. My mom told me that my brother had never been on a team with a winning season. It was then that I decided to try and help out with the team.

My brother Pete was helping coach the defense, and my speciallty was in offense and face-offs, so I decided to see if I could help the offensive players. I started going to practice and the games. I focused on the three attack players and the face-off specialist. I spent quite a bit of time figuring out the strengths of each of these players. I then felt that I understood each of them well enough to help them become better. So I went to work.

During the next few games I had several frustrations with the team, but I also had several victories. I was able to make comments that I felt really made a difference and helped the offensense score more goals. The team started to improve quite a bit, but I still felt that they were missing something. Then for the last regular season game they played an undefeated team. I thought they stood a chance at winning, but it was going to be rough. I was out of town for the game so I didn't see it, but Orem won 18-6. I was shocked. When I came back and went to practice the attitude had changed. They no longer were just there to win a couple of games, they wanted so much more. I wasn't sure how deep there commitment was yet. Then a seemingly insignificant thing happened that I think showed quite a bit.

The coach was announcing at practice which players had been voted all conference. He started by saying that there was one disappointment. He said that since there were so many players from our team that won he thinks that made so one player didn't make it. He said that my brother dave missed it by one vote. My brother promptly responded that it doesn't matter. He said, "Just take state. Just win state, that is all I need. I don't need any recognition, just win state." The thing that surprised me so much is that he meant it. He really didn't need anyone to tell him he was good, he was so focused on the team winning state that personal regonition didn't matter at all. It was then that I realized that my brother was so focused on winning the state championship that I knew if that attitude would spread to enough of the team then they could do it.

I soon found that it seemed that most of the starting players seemed to have caught some of this attitude. (I am not saying that it started with Dave, there were definetly a couple of other players that I thought had developed this attitude earlier in the season just as my brother had.) Soon most of the team was on fire. The tournament started with an easy game, but the team took it seriuosly and had a blowout victory. The next game was a tough one, but was well fought and won. Then came the team that Orem had previously beat 18-6. It wasn't as easy this time, but the team pulled out a 7-5 victory to put them into the championship game.

Then came time for the championship game. My brother was so focused. He worked so hard and went over and over in his mind how the defense was going to play. He made sure he set a good example for the defense and then he made encouraging and helpful comments to help his teammates improve. All season long he took personal responsibility for ever point that scored on his defense. Yet every time the defense played well he was quick with praise for his fellow teammates and for my brother Pete the coach of the defense. It was so great to see my youngest brother become a great leader. He was someone who could lead his team to a victory. He was someone who was focused enough that I believed that it could happen.

The championship game started out the same way every game started, with the other team scoring first. I was definitely nervous, but I trusted my guys on offense and I knew my brother Dave was going to make sure the defense held their end of the field. I reviewed with each player on the offensive end what their job was and how they would score. Then it happened. We scored. Then we scored again, and again. I usually don't cheer at sporting events, but I was screaming from the coaches box every time we scored. I needed my guys to know that they were playing it perfect. Each one of them was doing their job. At the half the score was 9-2 for Orem High. I walked around and gave encouragement to the whole team, because they were all playing so well. They pulled through to the end of the game winning 15-9.

When the final whistle blew and the team stormed the field along with a mass of fans I had such an incredible feeling. They had done it. There had been some mistakes along the way, but that day Orem High showed that they had the best lacrosse team in the state. It felt so good to be a part of that amazing experience. The energy from the crowd was so incredible. The celebration that followed was as diverse as it was powerful. Some yelled at the top of their lungs (my bro Dave) some had huge smiles on their faces, others were very teary eyed. Whatever the method of celebrating the victory the message was the same--"We did it!"

That is a day that I will not soon forget. Nor will I forget the countless practices that my brother worked his hardest and encouraged others to do the same. I will always remember how several people on the team stepped up and decided that this year was their year. It was great to see so many people grow so much this year on that team. I especially will always remember my brother Dave. This was not just the year that he became a state champion, this was the year that he became a great leader. I hope he can continue to be a great leader throughout the rest of his life. Dave--congratulations, I am so proud of you.

Pictures

2009-05-10T14:14:00.000-07:00

As many of my readers know, I don't take a lot of pictures. My blog is one of text rather than full of photos. Several people have questioned me about this policy on not taking pictures and I realize I have many reasons that I don't take pictures, but recently I have realized another reason. Let me discuss this reason along with my day yesterday.

Last night I was on a beautiful full moon hike with a beautiful girl. We got to the top of my favorite cliff up Dry Canyon and the view was incredible. The girl I was with said it was an amazing view then quickly followed it up by say, "I can't believe that you don't take pictures!" I was kind of taken aback by this statement. I had told her a few days before some reasons that I don't take many pictures, but it was interesting that upon being confronted with an amazing view the first thing on her mind was why I didn't take pictures.

I have several small reasons that I don't take pictures and so none of the reasons stands alone as being convincing, but I want to speak about one reason that I gave my friend on the night hike. I try and spend a lot of time in the outdoors and see beautiful sights often. Pictures can be good to help remind me of a particular occasion or to show others how I do awesome things. However, I want to keep a store of beautiful images in my mind from all the wonderful views that I have seen. Because I don't have a camera that takes good pictures, I spend extra time trying to experience each view. I try and soak it up and remember it, I try and remember the smell the feel, the temperature, the colors, the emotions, and the place. I love remembering such images in my mind and reliving them. I know that I could still do this if I had a camera, but think the mindset is different. People who have a camera on a hike are often looking for a good shot or a good view. I am looking for experiences to have and images to remember. In short, I am too busy experiencing the out-of-doors to spend much time capturing a pathetic copy in picture form.

I do try and to my best to experience life to the fullest and remember those experiences. I think I will record some thoughts and experiences from my day yesterday to help me remember and help you to understand what I am busy doing.

I woke up way to early in a tent next to two of my best friends. We enjoyed some time around the fire. Chatted for a while then packed up and headed out. I had enough time to shower before I went to help coach my brother's lacrosse team. It was the quarter-final game in the state tournament and it was close all game long. In the end, Orem pulled out a victory and advanced to the semi-finals. I think they have a really good chance at taking state this year.

I then went and shoveled some horrible smelling compost for my parents. I could only help for a few minutes because I was going rock climbing with my rock climbing buddy (everybody needs a rock climbing buddy). We hiked up Rock Canyon a little ways and set up the rope on the tallest wall that I have ever done. It was a different sort of climb, but it was still challenging. It was scary to look down after I was more than half way to the top, but I kept on going. After we each climbed that wall we went to an easier wall so that I could practice speed. I was able to get to the top much quicker by taking chances and just forcing my way up even though I didn't know if there was a good hand hold up farther. After I did that a couple times we moved to a wall nearby that had a super hard part. Brian tried it and fell three or four times before he got past the obstacle, and when he came down he said, "I don't think that you can do it, not in your Chacos anyway." (I don't have rock climbing shoes so I climb in my Chacos which are sandals.) So naturally I needed to climb the wall. I did fall three or four times at the obstacle and by the time I reached the top I was bleeding from every appendage, but it was so worth it. It was my best day rock climbing ever.

After a much needed nap I went to my old ward's opening social BBQ. I enjoyed chatting with old friends, playing ultimate and, of course, a sweet BBQ. I then went to my new ward's opening social and enjoyed meeting new people and participating in the random activities. I also enjoyed exploring the park, because I hadn't been there in a long time and it is such a good park. After my ward activity I was really worn out, so my roommate Jason and I decided that we should spend a few minutes defending the world from alien attack. After killing several aliens some girls dropped by to visit us, so we put away childish things. We decided that a dance party needed to happen. So we were dancing it up when more people dropped by. It soon became a great event. I had to cut it relatively short because last night was a full moon and I never miss going on a full moon hike when there is a full moon.

So, like I said at the beginning. I went on a beautiful full moon hike with a beautiful girl. We had a great time spending time together and had so much fun chatting and enjoying the views. Overall yesterday was a great day, one to be remembered. I don't have a single picture taken from a camera from yesterday, but I can say that I have many wonderful images in my brain that are coupled with emotion and other senses that helped me remember what a great day it was. I hope I can keep adding to the store of wonderful memories so I always can have an amazing view if I just close my eyes and remember.

No Man is an Island

2009-04-27T12:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my Grandmother’s funeral. This is my second grandmother to die this year. I am now officially out of grandmothers. I had several good thoughts at the funeral in January which I already wrote about. This funeral I had very different thoughts, but still very important to my life. The thought that kept going through my mind during the viewing and the funeral is the impact that my Grandma Williams had on this world. She is a very small woman--she may have been less than 5 feet when she died. She may have been small, but she had a huge impact on hundreds of lives.

It was repeated several times that she was a piano teacher for more than 70 years. I can’t imagine doing anything consistently for that long. She directed orchestras, bands and choirs all over the country. I just kept thinking of all the good that she did because of her love for music. She helped so many to learn how to play and love music. Music was her passion that she spread to so many.

In addition to her love for music affecting so many, I also thought about her love for the gospel. She raised her family in a small town in northern Michigan. There was a small branch of the church that had an organ but no one to play it. The branch president told the missionaries to go and baptize an organ player. Two weeks later my grandma started coming to church to play the organ for the branch. Her decision to join the church has helped so many people live happier lives. Her ripple effect is felt by so many and will continue through generations to come.

Her humor will be remembered for a long time also. Even with her failing health she always had a joke. She enjoyed a good prank every now and then also. Her last thing she said to a non-family member before she passed away was a joke to her doctor. She always liked to keep people on their toes.

I have had some time to think about how she affected me in my life. She always made me think that I shouldn’t take life to seriously. She always had a simple solution for every problem, whether it was a good solution or not. She led a very simple life and she truly enjoyed it. She has helped me to understand that I can have a great impact on the lives of others. I hope that I can always remember that I am affected by others and I affect others in turn. I hope that I can live my life so that others are better because I am around them, because after all, no man is an island.

Early Spring Adventures

2009-03-29T14:23:00.000-07:00

I love the Spring weather. I have had many outdoor adventures now that the weather is happy. I think that I should list a few of adventures I have had in the past couple of weeks.

Full Moon Hike up Dry Canyon
Pi Night at Jeff's house
Hike to Battle Creek Falls on a beautiful afternoon
Camping with my cousin Jon in Johnston's Hole
I saw the Utah State Ballroom Dance Team's concert in Logan with a good friend
I put up sheet rock at my parent's house at Bear Lake
Lots of sweet dance parties and chillin with good friends
Horseback riding with Zack on the face of Timp
Festival of Colors

I think that I will talk about the last two because those are the most recent and possibly the most awesome.

My friend Zack and I get together almost every week to swap stories (usually about girls) and to discuss life (also usually about girls). This has become an important part of my life because Zack can give me a good perspective on things and he is always such a good friend. It came time that we needed to get together for a good quality adventure. We decided to take two of his horses up into the mountains and enjoy nice morning ride. So yesterday morning we got up early (8;30 am is early for me okay) and got the horses ready for the ride, which involved me getting bitten on the shoulder by a horse.

We decided to start at Canyon Glen Park in Provo Canyon and go up the mountain from there. We spent a little while saddling the horses (I saddled my own horse for the first time). We then rode up the steep hill into Johnston's Hole. It was a beautiful day for a ride, the sun was shining and the mountain was beautiful. I found that it is easier to enjoy the scenery when you don't have to focus on where your next step will be. We had fun telling each other about our lives and our adventures. It was great riding up.

However we all know that what goes up must go down. As we started to head down I noticed that my saddle was a little loose, so I got off and tightened it. The snow was melting and causing the mud to be especially slick. Zack decided that it was important for us to leave the trail and go straight down the mountain. This is when things really got dicey. My horse, who apparently had a loose shoe, decided that the slope was two steep. She started to walk to the side instead of straight down. This would have been okay if my saddle stayed in the same position, but no such luck. So as my horse was sliding down the slope sideways my saddle was sliding off the side of the horse. It became quickly apparent to me that I no longer wanted to be on the horse. As I was falling off I yelled to Zack that I was falling and he told me to jump off the horse. Those of you who have ridden horses may understand that it is not always that easy to 'jump off the horse.' It sometimes takes some skill to get your feet out of the stirrups. I didn't have much skill, but I think I made up for it in determination. I somehow managed to get off the horse and get out of its way before anything tragic happened. I decided to walk my horse for a minute until I could find flat ground to tighten the saddle. It was a great trip with Zack and I hope we spend many more adventures in the mountains solving our girl problems and discussing life.

Saturday afternoon Zack and I and a few other friends decided we needed to go to the Festival of Colors in Spanish Fork. We tried to go a little early but the traffic was horrible getting there. After a few of Zack's 'short-cuts' we made it there just in time to join the fray. We were right in the middle of thousands of people when everyone threw brightly colored chalk into the air. It was an amazing sight, and it was hard to breath. It was a festival to welcome Spring. I can't think of a better way to welcome in spring than getting covered in colors and dancing to religious rock music. It was possibly the craziest festival that I have ever attended. There were several people crowd surfing, there were many lost cell phones and the crowd was so packed that at times we could only move with the crowd. It was crazy but it was great.

After we decided that we have breathed enough chalk dust and we were ready to go we went to somoneone's friend's inlaw's house (or something like that). We went swimming in their indoor pool (after we had showered, of course). The house was on the mountain and there was a beautiful view of the valley. It was my first time swimming since Aug 28, 2008, and I loved it. It felt so resfreshing after the chalk dust and the swimming of laps helped my muscles relax after the horseback riding of that morning. We had a great time and we were all glad that we had swimming as our post chalk dust activity.

Yesterday was a great day. I did fun things, I spent the day with good friends, all seems right in my life. I am excited to see what this next week brings because there are many more adventures to be had. I have met several great people recently and I am excited to get to know them better and I am always excited to meet new people. It has been a long time since the universe has seemed this in order. I the laws of entropy and enthropy must not be working in my life. Things and great and I am excited about life.

Parking in Provo

2009-03-10T16:30:00.000-07:00

Last night I got a parking ticket south of BYU campus in Provo. Let me first say that I was clearly parked in a red zone and I deserved the ticket. I was dropping a girl off at her apartment and there was no parking within a half a mile that I could park legally, so I parked in a red zone and during the course of us saying our goodbyes I got a ticket. My frustration is not with the police officer, nor with the laws--there are red zones for a reason (of course at 3 am I didn't think I was a traffic hazard). My real concern is with the lack of parking altogether.

When you go to park in Provo you really have three forces that you need to watch out for: BYU parking enforcement, Provo Police, and all the booting/towing companies. It is well known that when you go into a hostile territory you need to evaluate your threats. I have been parking in Provo for a long time and so I will give my threat assesment.

Most dangerous: booting and towing companies. If you park in a parking lot of an apartment or a business that enforces its parking then there is a 98% chance that you will be booted if you are parked for over an hour past midnight. The fee for this is about $60, of course they are raising it all the time, so it may be higher now. As a general rule if I am visiting someone at their apartment I try and park on the street. That has worked well for me thus far.

Second most dangerous: BYU Parking Eforcement. When you are parked on BYU Campus don't think that you will get away with parking in an 'A' lot for a few minutes, because you won't. Also when the sign says 30 minute parking it doesn't mean 50 minute parking--don't think it doesn't get checked, because it does. The bright side is that the ticket is only $20 and if you appeal it then BYU will often wave it or cut the fee in half.

Third most dangerous: Provo Police. If you have a choice between a 'No Parking Zone' on a city street and an eforced parking lot after midnight--go with the city street. While there is a parking eforcement guy that patrols south of campus all day, at night it is just the regular cops. So during the day park in a parking lot, but at night the street is your best bet. The ticket for parking in a red zone is $25. I don't think I stand a chance of fighting it, so I will just pay it. I don't think I will change my parking habits either. Sometimes I drive around for 10 minutes to find a place and then walk 5 minutes to get to where I am going. Other times I take a chance that while I am dropping a girl off or picking her up I will be safe. I get a parking ticket in Provo every couple years. I figure that $12 dollars a year is well worth being able to park on random city streets at night. My one caution is that just because Provo Police is the third most dangerous for parking does not mean that they are not dangerous, as I found out last night.

I hope this guide helps people park in Provo. I have been parking in Provo for 5 years now and I have paid over $150 in parking fines. I have learned some lessons the hard way, but I feel I have gotten much better at navigating the jungle. I realize that sometimes there is just no place to park anywhere near the place that I am going. Sometimes I just walk, and sometimes, well, you know...

Jared W makes a rash decision...

2009-03-01T18:35:00.000-08:00

I haven’t written for a while, that is not because I haven’t had any good stories, but rather it is because I have been out living life and gaining great stories. A quick list of some things that I have done since I have last written seems in order here.

I repelled down the huge cliff that we tried before but didn’t have a long enough rope
I went running in the mountains
I danced the Salsa
Had a dance party almost every day, most of which were with myself
Played in the park with my niece and nephew while we were all wearing capes

Went to Vegas (details to follow)

The big adventure that I feel the need to write about involves my trip to Vegas, but that isn’t the whole story. Let’s go back to three weeks ago…

I was sitting in a hot tub with my friend Zack discussing life. We try to get together a couple times a month to sit in a hot tub and discuss our lives. As we were discussing my life he made a suggestion that I had heard many times before from many people. He said, “Why don’t you go to grad school?” I had been asked some form of that question a thousand times previous to that fateful night. I thought about it and we discussed it some more. I went home that night thinking that I needed to gather more information.

The next day I did some research with my friend Google and I discovered that the University of Utah had a Masters of Finance program that only lasts two semesters. I decided that that program would be right for me. I then started down the road to meet the application deadline on March 1. I needed to take the GMAT so I got some books and started studying. I have done some serious studying since then. My sister Amy told me that she didn’t think I have ever studied this much for anything before. I think she is probably right. I studied so much that I thought my brains would fall out.

Along with all the studying I had to jump through all the other hoops for the application process. I needed to find someone to write letters of recommendation. I couldn’t think of any professors who like me, so I tried to think if any of my Econ professors would even remember me. There was one class were I made jokes in class all day. So I called that teacher and not only did he remember me, but he was excited to write me a letter of recommendation. I don’t get to read the letter, but I am curious if it is payback for disrupting his class. I guess most teachers don’t get that good of opportunity to give payback to disruptive students.

So this last week my friend Mary and I went to Las Vegas to have fun and take the GMAT. I had studied as much as I was going to get in. I felt as ready as I ever was going to be. I went in there full throttle, I figured that oughtta keep those fighters off my back. I tried hard and I came out conqueror. I got a 640, which isn’t bad and isn’t great. I was hoping for a better score, but this score is good enough to get into the program, and might be good enough for a scholarship. After the test Mary and I had dinner and walked up and down the strip to see what there is to see. The fountains at the Bellagio were pretty great, that was probably our favorite part.

The rest of this weekend has been spent getting my essays ready to submit and finishing everything else that needed to be done. I submitted my application today. I am now planning to go to graduate school. I must be crazy. I haven’t done something this rash in a long time. But I feel good about it and I guess that there’s only one way to find out…

Worst Case Scenarios

2009-02-09T13:59:00.000-08:00

Those of you who know me well know that I have always made it a point to be prepared for all worst case scenarios. I have read the “Worst Case Scenarios Survival Handbook” more than once and I have always thought through different scenarios in my head. I especially have thought through everything bad that could happen while I am in the mountains and what I would do if it happens. Having said this I realize that there really aren’t very many things that can really go wrong when I am in the mountains, or at home for that matter. Since I have thought through all the rational scenarios that I could come up with I have moved to some less rational ones. I need to tell the story about two conversations that I had last Saturday.

I was hiking with my friend Jason on the face of Timp on Saturday. We talked about many things, but it seemed that the conversation kept coming back to what we would do if we were attacked by Orcs. I have talked about this several times while hiking on the face of Timp because, as Jason and I agreed, Timp is the most Lord of the Rings-like mountain. This time, however, we spent quite a bit of time discussing different strategies and tactics that could be used against the Orcs. I decided that we didn’t need enough weapons to kill all the Orcs--just one--then we could use its weapons to defend ourselves against the rest. Anyway, we went on and on about various things that we would do or that would happen if Orcs attacked us on our hike.

Luckily we were not assaulted by any mythical beings, or real beings for that matter. We returned home safely and I felt that the trip was a great success and I feel much better prepared now should anything happen to me while I am in the mountains.

Then Saturday night I was chatting with my BFF Jeff. I told him about me being prepared for Orc attacks. He told me that he had been having some weird dreams and that because of those he found himself figuring out what he would do if zombies attacked his house. He said he realized that he didn’t have any guns so his best bet would be to hide and hope they weren’t found. I didn't want to nitpick, but I was like, Jeff, is this really your plan? Spend your whole life locked inside your house? Then I realized that without food or guns it would be hard to make the call.

Jeff and I spent some time discussing various strategies. We decided that hiding would probably be the best strategy under the circumstances. After we had discussed it for a while we both felt better now that we are better mentally prepared for when zombies attack.

Clearly I realize that zombies aren’t going to attack and that the likelihood of Orcs swarming the hills of Timp is slim. However, I do know that because I have thought through the various scenarios I can sleep well at nights knowing I am prepared. Judge me if you want. You are welcome to think I am crazy. But if you do, don’t come running to me when the zombies attack just because I will know what to do and I will be prepared.

Listening

2009-02-01T19:10:00.000-08:00

I found that my life was being overwhelmed by the noise of everyday life. It seemed to me that it was difficult to get a quiet moment to think—I mean really think. So I decided to remedy this by going to the mountains by myself. I thought it would give me a great chance to really clear my head, and I certainly seem to have done that. Let me tell you a little bit about how this went down.

I left Monday about noon. I backpacked up Rock Canyon with the heaviest backpack I have ever carried. I was doing well for a little while because others had walked on the trail recently. However, at the Squaw Peak turnoff I was left to blaze my own trail through the two and a half feet of fresh powder. It was hard going. I was sinking in the snow about a foot and a half with many of my steps. In addition to the snow on the trail there was plenty of snow on the tree branches. The trees were bending over the trail so much that I had to use my walking stick to get the snow off the trees. Sometimes I thought I could make it under them and my backpack would hit the branches and all the snow would dump on me. It seemed like I had 50 pounds of snow dumped on me on this part of the trail.

It is easy to look back on a hike in the past and think that it wasn’t really as hard as I thought it was. However, I brought a camera and recorded myself talking to it like Survivorman. When I listen to the recordings I sound progressively more and more depressed as I go on. It was hard to figure out what was the right trail because it was all fresh powder and there were trees hanging over the trail. I have been on that trail so many times that I think I was able to guess right enough times to make so I didn’t have to backtrack. The last hour of my hike was in the fading light or just plain dark. I was so exhausted that I would hike for a minute and rest for a minute. It came to the point where at the end I would walk ten steps and rest for a minute. It was hard going, but I finally made it to the campground.

Once I was to where I wanted to be I set up the tent quickly and started my camp stove. I made some hot chocolate while I put on some more warm cloths. Then I cooked my frozen piece of chicken over the stove which took a very long time in the freezing weather. I finally consumed all of the chicken and I got my dry clothes on and got in my sleeping bags. Yes I did bring two of them plus a fleece liner. I didn’t want to freeze all night. I went to sleep for a couple of hours then woke up and couldn’t get to sleep until probably 5 or 6 am. I just laid in my bags and thought and thought and thought. I was great to have perfect silence and just have my head clear.

The next morning I woke up and took my time to get out of bed. It made it easy that the sun was shining and the air was much warmer than usual. I decided my project for the day was to build a fire. I needed wood first. There was at least five feet of snow so that made collecting snow much harder. I knew that at the campground where I was there was cut firewood somewhere for the campers. So I went to various mounds and dug to the bottom to see if I could find wood that I could burn. On the fifth mound I found a great treasure of cut firewood. I spent an hour digging it up and transporting it back to my camp. For those of you that think I am a wimp I want to see how long it takes you to dig through five feet of snow with the bottom three feet being frozen. It takes a little while.

I then dug a fire pit at my camp. This also took a little while because I wanted it right. After I had gathered a little kindling it was then time for me to start a fire. I used flint and steel to ignite newspaper, and then I set up a lean-to with crumpled up newspaper and small twigs. I could not get the twigs to stay on fire. I tried again and again. I used different twigs and tried to get anything to sustain a flame. The twigs would not burn. As a last resort I even used my camp stove to try to ignite some twigs for the fire. Each piece of wood I put on the stove took almost a minute until it was actually on fire. I had never dealt with anything that frozen before. After the sun had been behind the mountain for about an hour I finally decided that it was important that I got warm and quick. I went in the tent and got dry and got in my sleeping bags. This is when I got my best thinking done. I really had hours to think and read and cry. Once I felt that I had worked through everything and my head was clear I went to sleep.

I woke up early in the morning and packed up quickly. I flew down the trail. There were several spots where I was running even though my legs were so sore from the ascent. I got home and took a long shower and a nap. Since that day I think my life has been clearer. I feel like I have a greater view of where I need to be going. I am very excited about my future and my life. I think that it only took a couple of nights in the mountains for me to be reminded how to listen. There is great reason to believe that maybe this year will be better than the last.

Live Like You Were Dying

2009-01-22T14:39:00.000-08:00

One week ago was my grandma’s funeral. I thought that I would be able to deal with it just fine. I had spent an enormous amount of time with her in the past couple months. She was ready to die and ready to be out of pain. I even had a chance to say goodbye which I am glad that I took. However, her funeral was hard on me. I guess I didn’t realize quite how much I would miss her. It is hard to realize how much you will miss someone when you have always had them. While sitting at the funeral I wrote a few notes of the things that I have learned from my grandma. I hope that these can help someone else live like they were dying. I am going to start with a quote by Henry David Thoreau:

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life

I feel that my grandma sucked the marrow out of life with all the energy that she had right until the end. I will now share some things that I have learned from her.

• Dance everyday – My grandma loved to dance. She met her husband dancing. She danced all the way up until she got polio in her late twenties. She wasn’t able to dance the rest of her life, I think that I need to help make up for the fact that she didn’t get to dance as much as she would have liked to.

• Experience nature every chance you get – She didn’t get out very much the last several years of her life. Ever since she had polio it was hard for her to go anywhere. When I spent time with her in the last few months she would always look out the window to see if there were any deer in her backyard. She always looked for the Quail that lived in her yard. Every time we walked past the window she would stop and appreciate nature. She didn’t get very many chances in the last few years of her life to go up in the mountains, but I do have that opportunity and I am certainly going to take advantage of it.

• Laugh – She told jokes right to the end. Even if she was in so much pain she still told jokes and laughed at her own jokes. She was so funny.

• Smile – She never really frowned. She was in so much pain all the time, but she always smiled. I think that that added so much to her life. I hope I can smile through it all also.

• Attend the temple often – She only had enough energy to go out a couple times a week. She would go to church and the temple. This really made me think-- if I could only go out once a week would I go the temple?

• Walk on your own two feet as long as you can – When I took care of her these last couple months there was something that I didn’t understand at first. She hardly had any energy. It took so much out of her for her to walk with her walker. Yet she still refused to get into the wheelchair to get from her bed into her chair on the other side of the house. Sometimes it took half an hour for her to go from one to the other (with a sit-down break in the middle). Why was she like this? I am still not completely sure, but I think that I have an idea. All she could do on her own anymore was to make the trek from her bed to her chair. She was determined to do all she could on her own and then get help with what she couldn’t do. Her spirit of independence was inspiring. I got the feeling that she could do anything that she put her mind to.

• Share what is important to you with those you love – Grandma always called her kids to tell them when there was something good on TV. She called to give and receive updates on the rest of the family. She always was there for anyone who was struggling. One year ago she sent me a hand written letter. This letter must have taken her several hours to write with her shaky hand. She enclosed one of her favorite talks and said how she was praying for me and was trying to help me with my life. That letter still means a great deal to me.

• Reach out to help everyone you can – Grandma never complained about her health. There was only one thing that she said that was even close to complaining. She often said that she wished she was stronger so that she could help more. She always wanted to help her kids and grandkids. She did so much good with helping us pay for our missions and college. She always was so generous with her money. She would help in any way that she could. I hope that I can put forth as much effort as she did to help those around her.

• Spend time with children – She loved her grandchildren and her great-grandchildren. She loved spending time with small children and loved when they would visit. I think this is something that can keep anyone focused on what is important. It is easier to keep in mind what is important when you are spending time with young children.

• Use adversity as stepping stones – Grandma had bad health her whole adult life. Instead of using it to inhibit her she would use it as an aid for you more rapid progress. She was always so humble, appreciative and loving. I really think she used her obstacles to help her achieve these wonderful qualities in great abundance.

• Love – This is the quality that she had in such great abundance. She had so much love for everyone. She showed love for everyone. I always felt her love every time I was in the room with her. I realize that this is something that is hard to gain for all of us. How do we deal with being hurt? How do we overcome selfishness? How do we forget about ourselves and just focus on others? I don’t know the answers to these questions, but I believe that the answers lie in grandma’s life. I intend to find them. I want so bad to love like grandma did. I intend to work towards that end in honor of grandma and all others who have loved me.

I learned so much from grandma. She lived like she was dying her whole life. She did her best to live each moment to the fullest. I will miss her, but I will also make sure that she will live on in me. When I see a deer in the mountains I will watch its grace for an extra second for grandma. When I see a sunset I will try and linger a moment longer realizing how much grandma would have loved it. But most of all I will continue to try to live by the motto “Dance like nobody’s watching and love like you’ve never been hurt.” Thanks grandma for everything. I guess I will see you in a few years when it is my turn to move on to the next great adventure. Goodbye Grandma.

Full Moon Lunacy

2009-01-11T15:23:00.000-08:00

Last night was a full moon, so clearly a full moon hike was in order. I had planned to go to the same meadow that I usually go to and have a fire and even cook some food over the fire. I knew that things would be different this time because of the snow, but I thought we could make it work.

I started at the trail head at about 7:30, so I thought we had plenty of time. My friend Heather came with me, she was all sorts of excited for a good adventure. We hiked relatively quickly since the trail was well packed down and it wasn’t too hard of a trail. Half way though, however, we went off the main trail and only had a couple of snowshoe tracks that we were walking in. The hike got considerably harder at this point because we didn’t have snowshoes and we would fall through the crust of the snow often. We kept going even though the trail just seemed to get more and more difficult as we continued on. After what seemed like an incredibly long hike we finally reached our destination—and that is when things got dicey.

When we got to the meadow we had to go off of the trail we had been following. Since there was more than three feet of snow every step was very difficult. I had planned to find firewood by either digging some up or tearing them off dead trees. This task seemed like it was a lot harder now that I was actually there. I asked Heather if she thought we shouldn’t have a fire and we should just go back down. She asked if I thought I could start one if our lives depended on it. I told her, “Of course I can.” Then she said that we came for a fire, we should have a fire.

I then spent 20 minutes breaking off tree branches and even digging some wood from under the snow. It was both difficult and dangerous. I was pulling dead trees on top of me, it wasn’t fun. Once I thought I might have enough for the evening I went about starting the fire. This part wasn’t very hard. I started the fire quickly and we had a hot fire to warm us up. After I made sure both of us were warm I started cooking some taquitos over the fire. Then I started cooking the piece of chicken that I brought.

The fire turned out difficult to maintain because it kept burning lower and lower but the big logs didn’t sink with it. So I had to readjust the fire several times and every time I did I got more snow in the fire which made it hard to keep it going. We did manage to keep the fire going the whole time we were there. It finally melted down to the ground and then we just didn’t get very much heat from it because we were three feet above it.

When we decided to go we kicked some snow on the fire (not that we were actually worried it would start anything else on fire). Then we continued down on the hike. I was difficult going down, but we had a great time. It was one of my best adventures in a long time for several reasons. I enjoyed the challenge to start a fire in a meadow covered in snow. I enjoyed the great conversation around the campfire. The mountain was incredibly beautiful last night. Also, and perhaps most importantly, I felt that Heather, my adventure buddy, fully appreciated each part of the adventure. She really appreciated the difficulty of starting a fire, and the beauty of the mountain. It was a great adventure and I hope to continue to have wonderful adventures in the future, after all, this is 2009.

2009: The Year is Mine

2009-01-04T14:56:00.000-08:00

I was considering doing a review of the year 2008. I decided against it for a couple of reasons. First: I already did a picture review of the summer, and second: I really didn’t want to write what I really felt about the year. I guess we can suffice it to say that I learned a lot from 2008, but those lessons are still a little too hard to talk about. So I am going to write about 2009.

I am really excited for 2009. I have been looking forward to it for some time now. Ever since New Year’s Eve night I have felt that there has been a huge weight that has been lifted from me. I think that this is the time for me to make things happen in my life. I didn’t have a lot going for me in 2008, but this year is going to be different.

Friday night I went hot-tubbing with my sister and her husband. We went early evening, and it was the perfect time. It started snowing when we were there. It was so beautiful to see the fluffy snow fall down. It is a great experience to be in a hot-tub when it is snowing. There is something really great about snowflakes landing on your bare skin and still being warm. It is something that I hope to participate in several times this year. It was an amazing evening. I enjoyed having some good quality chill time with my sister and her husband. I don’t hang out with them often enough.

It was a long December, but there are many reasons to believe that maybe this year will be better than the last. I am looking forward to a great year. Thanks to all my great friends who have been with me through the hard times. You guys are great and I really do appreciate you so much. I think that we all have a lot of great things coming soon.

Rock Canyon: A Place of Solace

2008-12-24T15:56:00.000-08:00

My readers have spoken and I must respond. It seems that most of the team wanted to hear about my adventure by myself up Rock Canyon at 1 am. The funny thing is that that is not my best adventure and kind of a hard story to tell. The story of my time in the canyon is very short. The real story is what led to me going up there. I think I will try and give some background so you can understand why I did what I did. I can’t fill in very many details of the events of that night, but I will try and give you enough so you can understand why my journey up Rock Canyon was necessary.

Last Wednesday started out as a fairly good day, but I have never been one to leave things as they are when they are okay. I decided that the time had come for me to gain some needed closure in my life. So I went about a covert operation to try and gain some closure from a situation that has left me in much pain for some time. (Yes, I plan on being this ambiguous the whole time). This operation was thwarted by people that I really believed cared about me. I realize that they didn’t really understand how much I needed some closure and they didn’t understand that stopping me in my caper would stop the needed closure. But the result was the same. As I was coming to grips with what happened and more importantly, why it happened, I was getting more and more frustrated.

I then went to say goodbye to my good friend who was going to be moving back to California. A friend that I wish I spent the time necessary to get closer to, but I didn’t. I then was frustrated enough that I thought a run would help, so I went running for a couple of miles. That gave me little help, so I went to talk to my good friend Mary. I spent a few minutes talking to her, and then I had to leave because she needed to talk to another one of our friends. Normally I would have just stayed and joined in, but this girl she was talking to was on my list of girls I’m not allowed to communicate with (my least favorite list in the world).

So I left Mary feeling that my life was really a mess. I feel that my life is only as good as my relationships are, and, well, it sure seemed like they were doing well. It was almost 1 am at this point and I had nowhere to go. I wasn’t going to go home; there was no way I was going to sleep anytime soon. So I decided I needed to go somewhere where I could focus on the one relationship that I felt was going well in my life: my relationship with God.

I drove up Rock Canyon and called Mary, told her where I was and I told her that I would send her a text when I was down so she knew I was okay. (I realize that Mary isn’t my mother, but when I hike alone I want someone to know where I am.) I got out my sleeping bag that was in my car and unzipped the bottom enough so I could stick my head through then I started hiking. I hiked fast to try and get some energy out, so I don’t know exactly how long I hiked, I just know it wasn’t very long. I went up about a mile and climbed up a large rock and lay down. It was quite comfortable because I was in my sleeping bag and there was a nice layer of snow, but I have never been in so much pain in my life.

I lay on the rock and thought and prayed, but mostly cried. I felt like I was so stuck in my life. I couldn’t seem to move forward, definitely couldn’t go back, and I hated where I was. So I lay there and prayed and cried and thought. I was in a lot of pain, but I still noticed that it was a beautiful night. There was a low cloud cover which caused the city lights to be reflected so it was quite bright where I was. The snow made everything pure and beautiful. It was a very still night.

After I had been laying there for a while (I really have no idea how long, it was all a blur). I think it was long enough that my tears were melting the snow underneath my head. I heard a sound that instantly triggered the word ‘animal’ in my head. As I was getting up to see what it was I realized that the sound didn’t belong. It was the sound of metal tags jingling against a collar. I found the source of the sound relatively easily. There were two dogs jogging up the trail. I sat there and watched them as one walked by and the other noticed me and started barking. After he barked for a while his master, who was still out of view called him back. When the guy came into view I tried to move a little so he would notice me. I even said something, but his dog was barking too loud that he didn’t notice. When he got close to me he turned on his light to try and find out what his dog was barking at, so I waved and said, “He’s barking at me.”

We talked for a couple of minutes. He said he hikes up Rock Canyon every night. He usually goes to the campground, but he had a late start tonight so he probably wouldn’t go that far. He made sure to ask if I was staying the night—I must have looked very odd laying on a rock in my sleeping bag. Then he continued on. I went back to thinking and crying and praying.

I eventually didn’t have any tears left and so was forced to return home. I got home, wrote down some of my thoughts (which are published on my private blog).

That was a really depressing story wasn’t it. Sorry blog fans. I usually write a better story than that. I guess I wanted to give you the story you asked for, and there it is. Don’t worry about me. The next day I talked with Jeff and he made everything all better (he always does). I have my ups and downs like everyone else; I am just trying to enjoy the ride.

It's been a long December

2008-12-21T11:38:00.000-08:00

I think that it is time for my readers (all three of you) to vote for which story I tell. Here are some adventures from the last couple of weeks. Just leave a comment to vote for which one you want to hear more about and I will write about that one. (Must be 18 or older to participate, no cash value, only one vote per person (except Jeff, he has two votes), all votes must be received by Tuesday December 23 at 11:11 PM)

Adventures in the last couple of weeks:

• Sweet Snowfest adventure up Rock Canyon. This included but isn’t limited to: Somersaulting race, snow angels, sliding down mountain trails. Hot chocolate and Hot-tubbing party. Story of Diane’s comment.

• Brady’s soup party then night hike. Beautiful weather just before the storm. Great fire and fun and friends.

• Concerts: BYU choirs with Maria, we sang Halleluiah Chorus. Kurt Bestor with family, left halfway through and had hot chocolate with my friends and read Christmas Stories. Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert with Megan, what a great concert and good times with a great friend.

• Great chat with Jeff. He can still solve all my problems in one evening. What a great guy with a great wife.

• Evening with Mary and Natalie. We looked at lights and then we hiked up to the top of a cliff and I let off some steam by screaming to the world—very therapeutic.

• Didn’t break my neck – just thought that I would throw that out there.

• Hiked up Rock Canyon by myself at 1 am and laid on the ground in the snow and pondered life for hours.

• Watched almost every sunset, watched the moon every night that it was out before 2 am, looked at Venus and Jupiter almost every night and enjoyed the stars every night that they were out.

• Loved, laughed, cried, hurt and still spent every day with people that were important to me.

The Life I Live

2008-12-04T11:38:00.000-08:00

I did want to write about our annual Thanksgiving Couch-Burning. Then I realized that event doesn't describe my life for the last week. Instead I will include a couple of pictures from the event and write about something else. I recently looked at my favorite quotes and I thought I wanted to share my favorite quotes with the team and maybe a couple thoughts on each of them.

Me and My BFF Jeff at the Couch Burning

Me chillin' next to the burning couch

A man only begins to be a man when he ceases to whine and revile, and commences to search for the hidden justice which regulates his life. And as he adapts his mind to that regulating factor, he ceases to accuse others as the cause of his condition, and builds himself up in strong and noble thoughts; ceases to kick against circumstances, but begins to use them as aids to his more rapid progress, and as a means of discovering the hidden powers and possibilities within himself.
-James Allen, "As a Man Thinketh"

This is one of my favorite quotes in the whole world. I have read this many times. I have memorized it more than once. I love this because I want to learn to use my circumstances for my more rapid progress and to discover the powers within myself.

"Promise yourself to be strong so that nothing can disturb your peace of mind, to make friends feel that there is something inside them. Look on the bright side of everything and make your dreams come true. To think the best, for forget the mistakes of the past, and to press on to other things. To give so much time to improving yourself, that you don't have time to criticize others. To be too large for worries, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, too happy to permit the presence of trouble. To think too well of yourself and to proclaim this force to the world, not in loud voices, but in great works."-James E. Talmage.

I like this quote because it has so much that I want to do and to be. I especially want to be too large for worries, too strong for fear and too happy to permit the presence of trouble. I hung this quote on the bathroom mirror on my mission and tried to live by it. I appreciate this passage because recently I have more fully come to understand this. I feel that I have had a lot taken from me but my ability to choose if I am happy of not. I haven't always chosen to be happy, but sometimes I do. It is those times that I do choose to be happy that I count as great victories.

We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way. –Viktor Frankl “Man’s Search for Meaning”

I appreciate this passage because recently I have more fully come to understand this. I feel that I have had a lot taken from me but my ability to choose if I am happy of not. I haven't always chosen to be happy, but sometimes I do. It is those times that I do choose to be happy that I count as great victories.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. -Nelson Mandela

This is quote that I believe was originally by Marianne Williamson. I just know that it is true. From all I have seen of people we are afraid of how great we are. Too many people spend too much time hiding from their greatness. That is why it is so wonderful when someone steps out and decides to be great.

I think that is enough for now. I hope that you all enjoyed some of my favorites through the years. I am still inspired by all of these quotes and I hope to someday live up to them. More stories to come later...

I still can't believe that he went over the edge...

2008-11-23T14:02:00.000-08:00

My friend Brian and I have been on many adventures together. We have hike in just about every part of the mountains surrounding Orem and Provo. When it is just me and him we often go on adventures that others wouldn't want to come on. For example when we went camping up on the base of Timp in early Spring. His sister said we were crazy and that it was too cold. We just looked at each other and smiled and commented how it wasn't going to be nearly as bad as the time before. Oct of 07 we backpacked up Slide Canyon and we almost died. It rained and rained until we got high enough and then it snowed and snowed. I have never been so close to hypothermia in my life. Needless to say, we push our limits when we are together.

Yesterday I went on a repelling trip with Brian and a couple other friends. Brian is getting married soon and so it is important for us to have a few last adventures before he leaves the world of singlehood. There is a cliff up Dry Canyon that has been my favorite cliff for a long time. I have wanted to repel off of it as long as I can remember. I decided that this is where we needed to go. I asked Brian what equipment he had and he told me that he had a 60 meter rope and a harness. So I told him I would borrow all the other equipment that we needed.

As we met in the parking lot and started the hike up I noticed that his backpack wasn't as big as I thought it would need to be to hold a sixty meter rope, but seeing as this man was the best outdoors man I knew, I didn't worry. We hiked to the top of the 150 foot cliff. And Brian started setting up. When he finally got his rope out I told him that I didn't think it was long enough. He hooked it on anyway and threw it over the side. It was hard to tell from leaning over the edge how far the rope went down, but I knew it didn't go to the bottom. We decide the rope was probably a 30 meter rope rather than a 60 meter rope. We pulled the rope back up and tied a smaller rope on the end to see if that would make it long enough. After throwing both ropes tied together over the edge it was still hard to tell if it made it to the bottom, but we didn't think that it did.

This is the Cliff that Brian went down

Question: What would you do in this situation? Would you unhook the ropes and find a smaller cliff to repel? That was my thought (which is what the rest of us ended up doing later). There were plenty of cliffs close by. All of us who aren't Brian might choose that option. Brian, he took the path less traveled, and it made all the difference.

This is the cliff the rest of us went over. It was much smaller.

Brian decided he was going anyway, and I wasn't about to stop him. He was shaking a little as he backed over the edge of an 150 foot cliff with ropes that were probably about 125 feet combined. After he was half way down and decided he wasn't going to make it with the rope where it was. So he anchored himself to a bolt on the cliff and had us unhook the rope and drop it too him. He then anchored the rope from there, but he had to double the rope up so that he could retrieve the rope after he was down. This made so he had to anchor himself in one more time and repeat the process before he made it to the bottom.

First let me say that I was blown away by the extent of Brian's skill in getting himself down safely and retrieving his equipment. But the thing that impressed me the most was Brian's audacity to go over the edge. Brian was so confident that he knew that whatever happened after he went over the edge he could deal with it. He did have quite a bit of equipment strapped to him - he wanted to be prepared. Still, he went over the edge!

I think if I had more of Brian's confidence and attitude in my life then I could do so much more with my life. I think most of us are so afraid to go over the edge. We are so afraid to take chances that we don't know how they will end. Brian probably wasn't sure how he was going to get to the bottom when he backed over the edge, but he knew whatever happened he would deal with it and succeed. I hope that someday I can be as amazing as Brian. I hope that someday I can have the guts to take risks that are worth taking. I hope that I can get better at taking a step or two into the darkness only to find that the way is lighted for a step or two. Until then I am glad I have friends like Brian who show me that it can be done and it is worth doing.

sorry

2008-11-16T15:38:00.000-08:00

I know I just posted something. I decided it was too personal and needed to be deleted. Too bad, I think it was one of the best things that I have ever written. Life is like that I guess. If any of my good friends would like to read it they can email me a request and I will send it too them. Of course my good friends already know what it is about if it is personal.

I just love a good adventure

2008-11-14T13:25:00.000-08:00

Last week I had some good adventures that need to be mentioned. I went elk hunting with Zack. It was the muzzle-loader hunt and we were trying to shoot a male elk without more than one point on its rack. Well we rode the horses all over the face of Timp and I don't think that we even saw any male elk at all. We sure found the herd and chased them all over the mountain. It was some pretty intense riding. And, for that matter, it was pretty intense pulling the horses down steep slopes that they really didn't want to go down. I was a great adventure. I can breathe up in the mountains. I sure love spending time away from it all. We may not have even fired a shot, but it was a day well worthwhile. I sure appreciate my friend Zack and his adventures.

I also had a couple of quality dance parties. We just played some music and danced our hearts out. I realized that you can become very good friends with people when you dance like crazy together. I feel much closer to all of my friends from the dance parties we had. Thanks for a great time.

Hot-tubs are one of my favorite parts of winter. I love being in a hot hot hot-tub when it is cold outside, especially if it is raining or snowing. One night two friends and I stayed in a hot tub for a couple of hours (despite the warnings to only stay for twenty minutes). We talked and let out everything that was inside of us. It was very therapeutic for the whole team. I foresee a winter filled with hot-tub adventures. Let me know if you want to join in.

I think my best adventure from last week was my Nauvoo Reunion with all my old friends from Nauvoo. I was surprised at how many people came. I think the farther we all get from that experience the greater that we realize it was. We sure had a great time and gained life-long friends. It was fun to look around the room and see that some people hadn't changed much, some had progressed and a little and some had progressed an enormous amount. I sure like seeing the progression in my friends. I was very impressed with a couple of people who had become so great in the last three years.

The Nauvoo party was also great to get in touch with old friends. I am glad that I got some phone numbers of some of my long lost friends and I have already started talking with them more often. I sure like old friends who are still your friends regardless of how much time has passed. I think things are looking up for me in my life if for no other reason than the fact that I have great friends who are there for me in my time of need. I am sure glad that even though life gets hard sometimes I am never all alone, all alone in my time of need.

Halloween, caving, and roommate adventures

2008-11-03T11:13:00.001-08:00

I have had many great adventures recently. Since it was the week of Halloween I took the opportunity to wear a cape almost daily. Since I was dressed as Neck-Brace Boy (a lesser known super hero) I got a chance to give him some publicity. I enjoy representing a great hero that defends our quality health care. We need more heroes like him. I guess I wear capes all through the year, but I have worn a cape in public recently. Since Halloween I have enjoyed my first serious spelunking adventure. We repelled down into a cave in Rock Canyon. We then explored the whole of the cave. Then we ascended out of the cave using devices called (appropriately) ascenders. That was a sweet adventure, even if it was a little claustrophobic at times.

I think my favorite event of the week was my Saturday night activity. I had a little reunion with two of my favorite roommates of all time. My roommates from my second year at Snow College: Albert and Darrell. They brought their wives, they told me I could bring a date, but I opted out. That would be a really great first date if I brought a girl to hang out with my old roomies and their wives.

I had a great time just chillin' with some of my best friends of all time that I haven't talked to in over a year. It was enjoyable getting to know their wives too. I had gotten to know Janell a little bit a year ago. However, Albert's wife Jenny I had only talked to a couple of times previous. She was mostly quite so I didn't get to know her really well, but she is high quality for sure. I am sure glad that Albert married an awesome girl, because Albert is freakin' awesome.

I am not sure what my favorite part was. I loved hearing about their lives. I loved telling some good stories from mine. Perhaps the best part was retelling good stories from long ago that affected our lives so much then, but now we are able to laugh at them. Albert and Darrell were great roommates back in the day, and they are now great husbands to their wives, great employees at their jobs and great friends to everyone else. I appreciate them a lot and I think they are continuing on the tradition of being great. I sure am a huge fan of Albert and Darrell. I hope they continue to dominate life.

The Colors of Fall

2008-10-21T17:49:00.000-07:00

The past few days I have been in the Manti La Sal Mountains with my friend Zack and his family and friends. We were trying to shoot a deer. While we may not have had a lot of luck in that area we still had a great time. The daily hikes were beautiful. The horseback riding was hardcore. The fireside chats were worthwhile. I did a a lot of thinking while I was walking through the forest looking for a deer for someone else to shoot.

I think that yellow is my favorite fall color. To me I think red is the color of early fall, yellow is the middle, while orange and brown are the end. Yellow is the color of the Aspens. I walked through many Aspen forests these last few days. Seeing the yellow leaves coat the ground was great. There is a special feeling in the Aspens that I don't feel anywhere else. I love the color Yellow and I love the Aspens.

Even the sunrises and sunsets are different in Fall. This is the sunrise for this morning. I sure appreciate the colors of the sunrises in the mountains with the evergreens in the foreground. This was a place of incredible beauty. These mountains were a place that I could breathe, and more importantly think. I loved my time spent there.

I had some great times on horses this weekend. I figure that I went from novice to proficient on horses as a result of this trip. There were many things that contributed to this. Maybe it was all the hours spent riding through the forest without a trail. I think the biggest factor was one experience. Zack saw a buck and so he jumped off his horse a pulled out his gun. He through the reins to me and told me to hold his horse. He then set up and fired at the deer that was running away. He was only standing out five feet from my horse and his. Both horses went crazy, but I was able to stay on my horse and calm down both of the them. I think that gave me enough experience points to level up. Anyway, I had a great time riding the horses.

The Adventures of Jared W. Summer '08 Picture Review

2008-10-12T17:41:00.000-07:00

I went on a lot of sweet adventures this summer. Since I don't own a camera I didn't take many pictures. However I got some of the pictures off of my phone and gathered pictures from others and here is a very incomplete list of my adventures. I hope you enjoy seeing a few of the adventures that happened this summer. If you want to hear stories from any of these adventures let me know.

Wind Rivers of Wyoming. One of the most beautiful places that I have ever been.

The Narrows of Zion. What an adventure!

Brian and I still go hiking even though he is engaged.

Hawaii. I climbed the tree and picked the coconut. Then I opened it on a rock. I am similar to Survivorman.

This was watching my brother Pete in the triathlon at Bear Lake. I watched two triathlons this summer, maybe someday I will participate.

I went to Bear Lake several times. Also a good time at Bear Lake.

Bryce Canyon was as beautiful as always. We hiked through what seemed like the whole canyon.

My sister Amy got married and now I am the only adult single member of my family.

This is me at Amy's reception. It was a sweet party.

I went to a lot of receptions this summer. And I mean a lot. I usually wore a Guayavera, I got tired of dressing up every Saturday.

I went on some good fall hikes. This one is up by South Fork Park. It was a wonderful day.

This was a camping trip with my brother Dan and his kids, Koda and Cambria. I didn't sleep very well because it rained on me and I didn't sleep in the tent. This is also my favorite meadow in the world. I had many great adventures here this summer.

This is a waterfall on the trail to the top of Timp. I hiked to a lot of waterfalls this summer. I love a good waterfall.

This is at the top of Timp for the sunrise. It was a wonderful hike that we started at 2 am.

I went on many walks next to Provo River. I sure like this river.

This is coming off of Big Springs. I love the hike up here, I usually hike to these cascades several times a year.

Hawaii Trip in Living Color

2008-09-21T15:12:00.000-07:00

I have decided that rather than write about my Hawaiian adventures that I would post pictures of the adventures with small captions about them. If you like a picture or caption and would like to hear more about the experience then you can ask me and I can elaborate.

Acaca Falls = Amazing. The hike to this is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. It was an incredible rain forest. The falls were beautiful too.

Me swinging on some vines in the rain forest near Acaca Falls. It was beautiful and fun. It took some convincing to get Laura to do it, but she did in the end.

This is Rainbow Falls. It was a beautiful site, but even a better hike up to the top.

Here is the video of me on the best rope-swing that I have ever been on. It was so much fun. This is right above Rainbow Falls. Yes, I did almost hit the cliff wall.

This is in Volcano National Park. We hiked through this crater that was a lake of lava in 1959. It was a fun hike. There was steam coming up through cracks in the ground all over. It was fascinating.

Macalena Beach was the most beautiful beach that I have ever been to. It took quite a hike over sharp lava rock, but it was so worth it.

Of course I had to climb the coconut tree at the beach to pick some coconuts. I broke them open over the lava rocks to have a delicious drink.

I also tried to body surf at this beach. I did fairly well, but as you can see the waves weren't quite up to scratch. These waves did not have the power necessary to break anything, but it was fun nonetheless.

Of course the black sand beach needed to be visited. It was interesting to see the sand that was as black as tar. Of course you can see by the size of the waves that I sustained several injuries at this beach. Even though there was a sign that said we couldn't take any sand with us, I left with many grains of sand under my skin.

This is me snorkeling/body-surfing at the black sand beach. I am standing on sharp lava rock watching the wave come. Yea, I didn't stand a chance.

This is Magic Sands Beach, aka Break-neck Beach. This is the last beach we went to. It had the best waves by far. There was some great body-surfing here. Of course the body surfing did result in my last blog entry and this next picture...

Here was me at the hospital being asked if I did drugs.

This was the last rainbow we saw as Laura and I were leaving Honalulu. It was a great adventure and it is sure to be remembered for a long time.

Jared's Neck-Breaking Adventure

2008-08-31T20:58:00.000-07:00

So I figured that I owed everyone an explanation for all the pictures that showed up on facebook all of a sudden. So here is the story of what happened with my neck. I am just going to put mostly facts here; I plan to write an entry of my thoughts and feelings for this whole adventure. Let’s hope that comes soon. So, here’s how it went down…

Thursday August 28, 2008 was supposed to be our last day in Hawaii. We decided to go to a beach nearby after checking out of our hotel. This beach had the best waves of any beach we had been to yet. I immediately went out into the waves and started trying to body surf. I was relatively new at this sport, since I really wasn’t sure how to body surf exactly. My first clue that I shouldn’t have been there was that it seemed that I was the only non-local in the water at that time. I also should have caught the hint after a few waves really took me for a ride under the water and drove me all around. I figured that I would eventually figure out the technique seeing as I had caught a few waves in for a good ride. Then I was early on a huge wave that picked me off my feet and slammed me to the ground. I thought I hit on top of my head, but since the bruise is on the upper part of my forehead I think that must be where I hit. When I hit there was a crunch that I both felt and heard. There was an instant feeling that went down my right arm like my funny bone had been hit - hard. I got to my feet after the wave had past and tried to stumble into shore when I got nailed by the next wave. After I got to my feet again I hurried to the shore holding my neck.

The lifeguards came out to me right away. They made me lay down so they could assess my situation. They checked my limbs and decided I was mostly okay but they really thought I should go to the hospital. After I told them five times that I wasn’t going they had me sign a refuse treatment form and then let me go. I went and lay down on the beach for a while. My neck hurt pretty badly and my right arm was really tingling. So I called my brother Dan to find out what he thought of the situation. He thought because my arm had the funny feeling that there was something up with my nerves and I should get it checked out. So I called my dad for the insurance information and then decided to go to the hospital. I went to let the lifeguard know that I was going to the hospital and he said he didn’t want me to drive there. He had me lay down and they put a neck brace on me and called an ambulance. They had me strapped to the body board by the time the medics got there. That started my ten hours of being mostly strapped to a body board.

In the emergency room I was chillin there with Laura Haber. We told them that we were trying to catch a flight that night. They did their best to run the tests to get me out on time. They took some X-rays and then they did a CT-Scan. I lay there for a while hoping they would let me go soon when Dr. Yu came in and said, “I am glad we did the CT-Scan, because the X-rays showed that everything was fine, but the CT-Scan showed that you have a broken neck.” I said, “Are you kidding?” Then he went on with technical stuff that I didn’t pay much attention to. I had a broken neck.

He told me they were going to send me to the trauma unit in Honolulu. So I got a backpack with my stuff in it and Laura got a bag with her necessities. They put me on a different board (I guess the beach lifeguards wanted theirs back). I then went to the airport in another ambulance and they put me on a very small plane. Laura was really worried about flying on such a small plane. I told her that it was going to be just fine. It would be a fun plane ride. The plane ride was mostly fun except my lower back and tailbone were really starting to hurt from being strapped to a back board for so long.

After the landing of the plane and my ambulance ride to hospital they put me in a large room and there were people all around me. I got asked all the same questions all over again and the ER Doctor told me what to expect. He said I would get am MRI and a CT-Scan done and then the next day the neurosurgeon would look at my results and make recommendations. He said that there were still many options that might happen to me and prepared me for those. There was a guy named Frank would was a social worker who brought Laura Haber to a room and came and tried to make me feel good about myself. He called my dad and let me talk to him.

I went to give a try at the MRI machine at about 11:30 pm. I was supposed to lay still for forty five minutes or so while they scanned my whole body. My lower back hurt so badly from being strapped to a board for so long that I couldn’t sit still. The technician pulled me out of the machine after ten minutes and gave me some pain killers and told me that if I couldn’t sit still then I would have to have the scan done the next day. I really wanted to be done with this ASAP so I willed up all the will power that I had left and told him to put me back in the machine. My whole body was aching and just wanted to move, but I wouldn’t let myself move. After almost half an hour it was getting so bad I almost gave up and told him to scan me the next day. Then Stairway to Heaven came on my headphones. I had requested this song and I knew that I could stay still as long as this song was playing, because Stairway makes everything better. I was able to get through the song then he told me I had five minutes left, so I was able to survive the last five minutes.

They gave me more painkillers after I got out of the machine which didn’t do anything– same as the first time they tried painkillers. After the CT-Scan they brought me to a room and put me in a bed. It was so comfortable! They even let me lay on my side! I lay there for a long night with many thoughts going through my head. I slept less than twenty minutes all night, I am sure. Laura came in my room about 7:00 am. I didn’t realize how grateful I was that she came with me until she walked in the room that morning. So we began the waiting for the doctors to come in and let me know what was up.

After killing time as much as possible with trying to sleep and talking a team of doctors came in the room and told me that they weren’t the real doctor that was in charge of me but they had talked with him. They said he looked at my results and I would probably just wear a neck brace for six weeks and then call it good. That was such a relief. After that info they let me get up a go for a walk and use the bathroom (what a relief). They also let me eat food; it had been a long time since I had eaten anything.

We waited until the doctor came and told me what I could and couldn’t do for the next six weeks. He then said I could go soon. They unhooked the IV (finally) and I just chilled until they gave me all the release materials. Laura and I hung out on the front lawn of the hospital and I talked to some people on the phone. We then went to the airport to finally end our crazy adventure. Laura gave me her first class ticket and she sat back in coach. I tried to sleep that night on the plane and I think I got maybe an hour or two of sleep. Once I got home and gave my mother a hug I felt the crazy adventure was finally over. I gave Laura a hug and tried to thank her and apologize for what she had gone through in the past couple days. I then went home and I am now trying to adjust to my new life.

Meteor Shower of Goodness

2008-08-17T15:07:00.001-07:00

This week there were some great events that I participated in. I went on a hike with friends by the light of the full moon. I rode the lift at Sundance the next night under the almost full moon. Both events were incredibly beautiful. I also had some great late night conversations this week. I stayed up late to finish "Breaking Dawn." However all these adventures were not nearly as good as my Monday night activity.

Every year on August 11 there is an incredible meteor shower. There are more shooting stars on that night than any other night the whole year. So, naturally, I needed to go enjoy the view with some good friends.

The crowd I went with was an interesting one. There were a lot of people that ended up coming including my little brother and his friends. After it got late the groups started to drop off, one by one, until there was just me and four friends there. I think the group dynamic added to the experience many fold. There was quite a variety in the personalities and temperaments of the five of us. I think I spent the whole night laughing and chatting and enjoying good conversation. It was great to spend time with four of my best friends. It was truly great company to have.

The location added greatly to the whole experience. We went to my favorite meadow in Utah. It is on the Big Springs' Trail. We hiked up a little less than a mile to see that the whole meadow was basking in the light from the waxing gibbous. It was one of the most incredible sights that I have seen. We found a place in the center of the meadow to lay our blanket down and enjoy the stars. Because of the cold we all had to snuggle close together and share blankets. I feel that we all got very close on that occasion.

The sky. The sky was incredible. Right after we lay down we saw an brilliant shooting start that streaked across the horizon. It left a bright trail that left us starring even after it was burnt out. Several of us agree that this was our favorite shooting star of the night. This didn't mean we didn't see a good show, because we did. There were short bright ones, long dim ones, and everything in between. I have been asked several times how many I saw and I think the best estimate that I can come up with is about 75 in the five hours we were there. It was amazing how they didn't get old, not even after several hours of shooting stars.

We all huddled close until after four in the morning when everyone but me and Laura had fallen asleep. Then we decided it was finally time to go. We got up and hurried to our cars. As we drove home and I continued to stare at the sky I realized that we had just witnessed an amazing event that most people don't experience. We were in a beautiful mountain meadow far away from city lights. We saw meteor after meteor as it entered the atmosphere an put on a unique show. I am so grateful for all the beauty that I have seen this summer. I have had many adventures and they seem to keep getting better and better. I look forward to adding to my experiences every week of my life. It was a great week.

Weddings, adventures and ponderings (seems to be a trend)

2008-08-10T15:09:00.000-07:00

I had another incredible week. I hiked Timp starting at midnight. It was a beautiful hike and we got up to the top for the sunrise. Then after I arrived home I had enough time to take a shower then go horseback riding. I went with my friend Ann Marie to the Oquirrh Mountains. We went up a beautiful trail about five miles then came back down. I even galloped on the horse for a little while. It was so much fun; I think I need to ride horses in the mountains way more often. I had all these great adventures, but the one that I will write about is the wedding of my youngest sister Amy.

There are many times in my life, especially this summer, when my heart has longed for there to be more in my life. Of all those times I don’t recall any being as acute as that of my feelings yesterday. My sister Amy has been a joy to our family for so long. She has spread joy and happiness to everyone she knows. I give her credit for the fact that everyone in my family hugs every time we see each other. She has been a great blessing for so long.

Amy has always held a very special place in the hearts of my family members. Because of her health problems that she has had for years, we have loved her even more. I am very protective of my sister and I knew that she would marry someone very special. It was wonderful for me to realize, yesterday, that she had just married someone who would cherish her and take care of her for the rest of her life. She had found the person she needed for her to have a happy life.

I don’t usually cry at weddings, in fact, I don’t remember every having cried at a wedding (and I have been to a lot). But seeing the exquisite joy on my sister’s face right after she was sealed to Kent for time and all eternity was too much for me. When I hugged her a couple minutes later we both cried as we expressed our love for each other. Also at the dinner when my other sister talked about how great Amy was, I also had to wipe away the tears that were coming.

Even with all this emotion I think the greatest emotions of that day were in my pondering during these events. I felt deep in my heart that I wanted to share a day like this with someone that I loved. I wanted to love and cherish someone so much. I want to have someone to share my life with; to share the good and the bad and the great. Yesterday there was an incredible rainstorm and I went and stood out in it and spread my arms and looked to the sky. It was so wonderful, but I wanted someone at my side to enjoy the beauty of the moment as much as I was.

I experienced so many beautiful moments yesterday that I realized that I need someone to share them with. I have so much hope that I will find someone so wonderful and we will have endless amazing moments together. I really believe that if I keep doing what I need to be doing then I will find the girl of my dreams. While I am definitely trying to live in the moment – I am looking forward to that day with great anticipation. And, oh, what a wonderful day it will be.

The Summer Sky

2008-08-03T14:29:00.000-07:00

I spent a few days this last week at Flaming Gorge. It was my first time going there and I was excited mostly for the boating aspect. I did get sweet air on the wake board. I also got wicked speed on the tube. However all that seemed to be overshadowed by the beauty of that place.

I have really started to appreciate the night sky this summer. I have appreciated the moon for many years now, but the stars have never been a large focus of wonder. Maybe it is because I have learned many summer constellations, maybe it is because I have felt especially alone this summer. I am not sure what brought it on, but I have spent a lot of time staring at the stars this summer.

While I was on the trip sitting around the campfire after everyone had gone to bed I began to be amazed. I am so amazed by the order of the universe and how everything works. As I was thus pondering I also enjoyed seeing many shooting stars. I really enjoyed the beauty and order of it all. It was wonderful looking at the stars.

In addition to the stars there was also wonderful sunsets, amazing cliffs, beautiful birds, and great company. It was a great trip that I will always remember. I do enjoy my adventures and they do seem to get better and better. I am excited for more starring at the night sky, more sunsets, more great conversations with friends and -coming up next week- more shooting stars.

Here's the thing, they started out friends...

2008-07-27T15:12:00.000-07:00

So I went on some great adventures this week. I hiked Angel's Landing and the Narrows in Zion National Park. I hiked in Rock Canyon and to Big Springs. They were all great adventures, but the one that needs to be written about is my BFF Jeff taking the next step in his life and getting himself a fiancee.

Jeff and I have been friends since we were born. We have been best friends for the last five years. I have spent so much time with him in the last five years that I almost don't know how to not spend time with him. Since I have had a few girlfriends in that time and Jeff hasn't had any we just assumed that I would get married first. (Maybe that is a bit presumptuous, let's say I thought I would get married first.)

This last Wednesday I went on a hike that I will always remember. I went to a meadow on the Big Springs Trail and set up for a romantic picnic so that Jeff and his girl could have a wonderful time. I did all this knowing full well that it would be the death of independent Jeff.

Anyway, Jeff and I have talked to each other extensively about what we are looking for in a wife. We have discussed everything about what we want our life to be like when we get married. We have also conversed about what we will be like at that point in our lives. I feel that Jeff has gotten what he has worked for. He has progressed and hope for something that is great. It has been interesting to see the progression on Robyn and Jeff. Everything from them overcoming personal issues to start dating from dealing with their first conflict. It is interesting how they have come together to form an incredible relationship.

I have long hoped that Jeff would find someone that would be so good for him that he would have a great chance at happiness the rest of his life. I have hoped for someone that would motivate him and help him progress and grow. I have hoped that he would find someone who would appreciate him for who he is and were he is going. I have hoped that he would find the woman of his dreams. So you can understand how even though it is sad that I won't be able to spend as much time with him, I am so excited that he is making the decision to get married. I feel this is the best decision he has made in his life. I still hope the best for Jeff and I think he will have the best as he and Robyn embark on this crazy journey called marriage.

Twilight - and how it relates to my life.

2008-07-20T14:19:00.000-07:00

Yes I am talking about the book by Stephanie Meyer. I have read all three of the books in the series and I feel I need to make some comments about my first experience in the vampire romance genre. First I would like to say that I did enjoy the books. I thought that Stephanie did an excellent job at character development. It is in the three main characters that lies the genius of the Twilight series. At first I thought I would write why I think Edward is way better than Jacob, even though it should be obvious, but then I decided to take a different course in this blog. I have decided to discuss the various characteristics in the different characters that I see in myself. I realize I am going to compare both good and bad characteristics to myself. Please let me be a little liberal with these and don't take offense if I claim to have a characteristic that I don't really have. I think I will also mention traits that I wish I had or I am trying to develop.

Edward:
What a great guy. I love his patience and his self control. When I was reading about him I was reminded of how hard I have worked to gain patience and self control. Depending on who is reading this may say I do or don't have that, but these are virtues that I will make a part of my life even if it takes awhile.

Some people believe that Edward is controlling, others label him as protective. I think he originally is a little of both. However I like to view people by how they change and progress. In Eclipse when Edward seemed controlling because he didn't think it was safe for Bella to chill with werewolves. However once he realized it was safe he apologized and then changed. The practice of recognizing when you are wrong and then actually changing is a trait I have worked hard to gain. I was so impressed with how well Edward stuck to his decision after he had professed to change.

Another trait that Edward has that causes disputes in many forums discussing Twilight is that he always likes to be right. In his defense, who doesn't like to be right? Also in his defense, he is right most of the time. I think I have had this characteristic for most of my life. I am trying to get over the fact that I always have to be right. I am getting better at being willing to admit that others can be right even if they don't have my same point of view. Even though many people claim this is one of Edward's biggest faults, I kind of like it. It makes him human. I makes him real. It goes along with his confidence that really pulls them out of many sticky situations. And, once again, he really is right most of the time.

Bella:
Sometimes I had so much trouble relating with Bella. Her crazy, emotionally-charged, sophomoric decisions. At other times I could feel her pain because I have had situations in which I had to make similar decisions.

The characteristic that I most identified with that Bella demonstrated through the second two books was that of loyalty and truly caring about people. The fact that she didn't want to be with Jacob didn't make him less important to her. She wanted him to be happy and she wanted him to be comforted in his time of pain. This is something that I have seen in myself and have struggled with. How much should I care for my ex girlfriends? How much should I allow myself to worry about their happiness. I have gone through this discussion with myself and friends many times. In the books it is easy for me as the reader to say, "Well Bella should tell Jacob it is over and not see him again." Then I realized how many times I have come to that in my life where there are people that I care about that I can't tell them that I won't see them anymore. In fact in the last couple months is the first time in my life that I have had the courage to tell an ex girlfriend that I can't talk to her anymore because it wasn't good for either of us. In fact I have done it twice in the last couple months, and both times it caused more pain than I could have imagined. It may have caused me more pain than the actual breakup. I definitely understood how Bella had such a hard time saying goodbye for good. That is one of the hardest things that I have ever had to do in my life.

Jacob:
I definitely have some real concerns with Jacob and his questionable tactics to win over Bella, but he has many redeeming qualities. I also have found myself in a similar situation that he has found himself in.

I can relate to being the friend of a girl that loves someone else and then falling in love with that girl. It happened to me about nine months ago. After I fell in love with her and made that known she didn't want to date me but didn't want to lose me as a friend. She eventually fell in love with me also and then she was torn in half trying to decide what to do. Should she wait for her missionary or should she date me? I felt a lot like Jacob as I tried to convince her that I was the key to the future. However I differed from Jacob in the fact that I tried not to use manipulative tactics. So, in the end, I decided that I had to let her go. I tried not to hold it over her head or make her feel bad for her decision. I truly desired her happiness and so I wished her the best in her life and I am trying to move on.

I understand how Jacob had such a hard time letting a girl he loved go. But I feel that if he truly loved her he would have desired her happiness more than just wanting to be with her. This is why I will always pick Edward above Bella. Edward seemed to always choose the happiness of Bella above all else.

Twilight is a series that I have enjoyed and I look forward to reading Breaking Dawn and finding out who the three main characters become. In the mean time I will continue to try and gain the best traits I can and make the best out of hard situations.

The Watchman on the Tower

2008-06-29T14:26:00.000-07:00

I had a week packed full of adventures this last week. I clearly am not going to write about all of them, but I figured I could list of few of them and then elaborate on one of them. This week I:

Walked behind Stewart Falls and got soaked
Jumped in the Provo River with my clothes on (again)
Went on a killer hike up the face of Timp with Jason
Went backpacking with Steve and Brian up Grove Creek
Saw my first Rattlesnake in wild on the Grove Creek Trail
Went to Amber's Cabin up Hobble Creek and looked at the stars
Went swimming everyday
Played in a river almost everyday
Went to a luau and ate some pig
Took a nap under a tree at the park
Had many, many, many great conversations with great people.

The Watchman on the Tower
I went hiking with Jason on Wed morning. I knew it was going to be hard, but I had no idea what to expect. I just knew we were going to try to get to a green rock on the face of Timp and that there wasn't a trail. We started out at Glen Canyon Park at a good pace. It was a fairly steep trail and I just hoped it would level off eventually, I was soon to find out that that would be the least of my worries.

After a little while on the steep trail we decided to leave the trail and go straight up the mountain. After a while of weaving through trees and bushes it became clear that we would have to 'bush-whack' through the Scrub Oak to continue on to our goal. I was wearing shorts and sandals at the time and after a few minutes of forcing my way through the Scrub Oak I had over 20 scratches that were bleeding on my legs and feet. As we continued to our goal we found that there was no way to reach the green rock without going through a lot of brush. It started to get frustrating as pressed through because we couldn't tell how long the Oak lasted until we would be in a clearing again. Jason mentioned that it might have been a good idea to print off the screen from Google Earth that showed where we were. I think the most frustrating part for me is that we could avoid a lot of Oak if we could just see the terrain from 30 feet in the air where it was clear the best way to go.

It became very obvious to me that we could avoid most of the pain of the Scrub Oak if there was someone on a watchtower that told us which way to go. I was reminded of my Seminary days when we watched the Watchmen on the Tower video that told us that our prophet could see things that we don't see that can hurt us. I was also reminded that as we go through life it is often like we are stuck in fields of Scrub Oak. Sometimes we can see our goal, but most of the time we are just trying to push through the next obstacle. How much easier it is to live life if we could see it from a birds eye view. I think that many of our friends and family can see our lives from a better perspective than we can. It seems we often respond to our friends by telling them we don't have time or energy to look at the big picture because we are pushing through the Scrub Oak of life. This hike made me realize that looking at our obstacles from many perspectives instead of just one could really help us avoid most of them, and the rest we can have courage that we will only be in it for a short time.

We ended up making it to the rock. From there we planned out a route to get to the bottom by going through as little Scrub Oak as possible. Sometimes when we were in the middle of the Oak we were tempted to take a path that appeared easier at the time, but we always stuck with our path that we planned when we were at the top. We went through about 10% as much Scrub Oak on the way down as we did on the way up. I finished the hike after only having lost about a cup of blood rather than a pint. I still have the wounds on my legs to remind me to get help from someone who sees each situation better than I see it myself.

Provo River, Eagle and Fire

2008-06-22T15:16:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of adventures happening and not a lot of time to write. I will try and keep everyone updated on my adventures even if I have to leave out details. (I love how I assume that people actually read this blog.)

My first adventure of the week started out walking down the Provo River Trail with my friend Laura. We were on our weekly Monday Adventure and we were having a good chat. We were discussing how Laura has recently realized that she needs to expand her comfort zone and do things that are hard for her. I thought this would be an excellent opportunity, so I decided to make it happen. I decided that it was too warm to be dry so I decided to jump in the river. I jumped from the top of a stump that was about 10 ft high. It was cold and exhilarating. I really enjoyed the rush of it all. So then I started convincing her that she should do likewise. I realized that since we didn't have swimsuits on we would just have to be wet the rest of the adventure. I thought it would take more convincing but she agreed to jump right away. She jumped in and got out quickly. We both jumped in a couple more times. As we finished our adventure we both agreed that jumping in the river made the adventure so much more...well...adventurous.

My next adventure of note starts Thursday morning. I was woken up by a phone call from my good buddy Zack. He said we were going on a triple date and we were going golfing. He asked me if I was in. I told him I didn't know who to get for my date. He said I was going with his sister and that I could marry her if I wanted. I agreed to the date and looked forward to spending time with my good buddy and for golfing. When we were on the golf course we decided to do a date scramble. It was clear that we were going to hit from my date's spot every time. She is on the BYU golf team and made quite a showing of her skills.
We were on a hole that was ridiculously hard. It was a par 5 and it seemed like that might have been low. So after an amazing tee off from my date we both hit it from where her ball ended. I hit it in the brush and lost my ball, but she hit it to the sand trap next to the green. after we made it up there she got ready for the shot and hit the most incredible shot I have ever seen. It was a perfect hit. The ball landed just before the hole and rolled in nicely. She had gotten an Eagle on the hole and, needless to say, my date and I won.

I will try not to give too much detail on my weekend adventures. I went camping with Jeff Friday night and it was good to just chill next to an old friend and roast some hot-dogs over a fire. We were in an incredible meadow near Big Springs. I was blown away by the beauty when the moon hit the meadow and everything was covered in a soft white light. Jeff and I chatted just like old times and we slept under the stars. It was nice to be up in the mountains, away from it all, and to be with a good friend. Jeff and I discussed many things, as usual, but one thing that stuck out is our fascination with fire. We both are amazed by fire and its power and possibilities. There is something about fire that makes both of us want to sit and stare and wonder. There are many powers in this world that are amazing. Jeff and I like to learn about and discuss all of them, but fire is one of our favorites. (that and compound interest.)

Anyway, whether it is jumping in the Provo River, witnessing an Eagle, or staring into fire with a good friend; My adventures go on and there are many more adventures to be had. If any of you need some adventure in your life, you know where to find me. Until then, keep your stick on the ice.

For time and all eternity

2008-06-02T15:18:00.000-07:00

I have been spending the last few weeks mentally preparing myself for most of my good friends moving on with their lives. I am not talking about getting a job or buying a house, I am talking about getting a new best friend for time and all eternity. Jeff and I have talked about how we just keep getting younger and younger friends, but I don't know how much longer I can keep this up. I mean, honestly, if I make friends with the people coming out of high school now we can't even agree on how many planets there are in our solar system. So I think maybe I should consider moving on too. That is a scary thought for many reasons that I won't go into right now.

I realize I have had friends get significant others, finances and spouses for some time now. This year seems to be different, it appears there is a landslide of weddings. I have a good friend getting married almost every weekend this spring and summer. I realize they are still my friends, but we are just in different games now. I will likely reclaim many of my friends when I make the leap and get an eternal best friend, but until then I am not sure what my best strategy is. I guess I have to start over with finding new people to spend my time with.

Which brings me to my next question: Where? Should I try and make more friends who will soon get married here in Provo or should I seek other circumstances? I think that Provo and I have enjoyed each other for a while but I was never meant for Provo. I think I should try a new place that might work better for my situation. Right now I am thinking that Washington DC might be a place that can handle me. It seems to be out-a-control enough for me. I guess I will try and seek my fortunes there.

I hope I still can keep in touch with old friends even after they have to plan their schedule for two. And one day, maybe I will be ready to join them and have my own permanent best friend. Until then I will: try and support my friends in their endeavors, make new friends, try and figure out my life, keep loving and loving and loving, and most of all prepare myself for the chance I have to make the decision for time and all eternity...

Just like old times...

2008-05-20T19:49:00.000-07:00

So last night Jeff and I talked until 3:30 am. This used to be a weekly occurrence, but, as of late, it seems that we haven't talked as much. I realize that Jeff has someone else to spend time with-someone who is much more fun for him to cuddle with. I guess I have been missing my best friend a little. It was nice to talk last night, 'just like old times.' We didn't get together because one of us needed counsel, there was no pressing need or emergency that brought us together. It was good to discuss everything from hammocks to mold, from yard work to (of course) girls.

I think that Jeff and I have changed our priorities recently and perhaps made way for more important things. However, I still believe that no matter where we go, or who we go there with, Jeff and I will always be able to clear out an evening every once in a while to just be friends.

I have spent a good portion of my free time the last few years of my life meeting new people and creating new friendships. I think that will always be important to me. I think I will always make new friends wherever I go. I also hope that I will never lose sight of how important an old friend is to me. Recently I have been very blessed by great friends who have crossed my path, some of which I thought were perhaps long gone. It has caused me to believe that I will always have old friends there in my time of need, and I will always try to be there for my old friends whenever I can.

Whether it is a 20 minute phone call every other week or a talk until three in the morning I will always be grateful for old friends. Even if all I get is a cheerful 'hello' and 'how are you?' when we accidentally cross paths I will always be grateful for those whom I consider my friends and will always be a part of my life. No matter where I go or what I do, I hope that I can, every once in a while, have an experience that is 'just like old times...'

There's only one way to find out...

2008-05-18T16:54:00.000-07:00

"There's only one way to find out." Those words have gotten me into more trouble than any other words I have ever used (maybe with the small exception of "I like you"). Anyway, I figured I was telling stories so often that perhaps I could put them in a place where everyone can see them and stayed filled in on my life. I am not sure if I will be a good blogger or not since I really don't read anyone else's blog. I don't know what most people put in blogs. I figure I will put random thoughts and experiences that I have and if you don't like it- then don't read it. I am not sure how I will go about it since I customize each story to my audience. It may work, then again, it may not. Whatever happens, I figure there is only one way to find out...