How Good Life Has Been

I have to honestly admit that the last six months have been some of the best I've ever had. Dreams, some small and some large are coming together like I never knew them to do before. The lessons I've learned and truths I've gleaned have been instrumental at helping stay afloat and overcome circumstances that would have in the past put me under.

2015 Year in Review

Another year gone by, and what a year it was! It was sometimes referred to as the 90's on repeat. Terminator and Jurassic Park in theaters while Bush and Clinton run for the White House.

 Most importantly, I married my eternal companion, Katie Helfert. We were married on the unseasonably cold, windy and snowy day of May 9th in New Mexico.
 

Following suit, our planned honeymoon to Costa Rica was rained out and we had to resort to Plan B in Palm Springs California, stopping at the Petrified Forest, Grand Canyon, San Francisco, and the Redwood Forest over the course of our trip.We also made an impromptu December trip to Atlanta, Georgia which included a drive down to New Orleans and Pensacola, Florida.


I saw lots of family


I gained more family!



Significant Events in 2015:

•  The U.S. Debt passed 18.8 trillion dollars
• Largest terrorist attack on the city of Paris since WWII
• Massive earth quake in Nepal
• A presidential primary race mostly full of walking jokes
• Homosexual Marriage was legalized by the Supreme Court in all 50 States - quite the milestone as signs of the times tend to go.

Popular Things:

• Selfie sticks
• Star Wars EVERYTHING
• Hoverboards

Fun things this year:

• Rush 40th anniversary tour with Jess
• Lagoon Day with Katie hosted by Packsize
• Lots of good Dota and Counterstrike with the gang
• Durango Bluegrass Meltdown 
• Bowling and going to the movies 

Went to the Movies this year:

• Ant Man
• Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
• Inside Out
• Avengers: Age of Ultron
• Taken 3
• Mortdecai
• Seventh Son
• Divergent: Insurgent
• Furious 7
• Mad Max: Fury Road
• Jurassic World
• Terminator Genisys
• A Man from U.N.C.L.E.
• Hotel Transylvania
• Bridge of Spies
• The Hobbit Extended Trilogy
• The Martian
• Interstellar
• Hunger Games: Mocking Jay Part 2
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens
• Creed

New Places:

• Drove through Washington D.C.
• Springfield, MO
• Vancouver, Canada
• Seattle, Washington/ Space Needle
• Detroit, Michigan and Windsor Canada
• New Orleans, LA
• San Francisco, CA
• Minneapolis, MN

Projects

• Building a shed
• tiered garden
• window well covers
• pergola
• replaced a window
• many car repair and maintenance projects
• Cabling jobs here and there

Things that I have learned this year:
Learning to focus on one thing at a time and putting all energy into a task before adding another and spreading my energy in multiple direction. (still working on this skill)

  Thoroughly Enjoyed This Year:

• Monster energy drinks
• Jim Butcher - The Dresden Files 
• The music of Alan Jackson

Visited States This Year:

• West Virginia
• Tennessee
• North Carolina
• South Carolina
• Virginia
• Michigan
• Illinois
• Iowa
• Wisconsin
• Missouri
• Idaho
• California
• Arizona
• Nevada
• Colorado
• New Mexico
• Arkansas
• Oklahoma
• Kansas
• Maryland
• New Jersey
• Delaware
• Washington
• Ohio
• Florida
• Mississippi
• Alabama
• Louisiana
• Georgia
• Indiana 

Map of soil samples:

• dark green are states I've visited and collected soil
• light green are visited states missing a soil sample
• red are un-visited states (which include Alaska and Hawaii)

 


Dressed up for Halloween
Sarah spent three hours doing my old man makeup



Things I am Looking Forward to in 2016

• Paying off my car
• Attempt # 2 at visiting Costa Rica
• Attending the temple on a regular basis with Katie
• Serving with the Stake Young Men's Presidency
• Fulfilling my new calling as 1st Counselor in the Stake Young Men's presidency
• Making a trip to Mt. Rushmore and Yellowstone

Things I am Not Looking Forward to in 2016:

• Another ugly presidential election

It was a year of improvement, learning, stress, worries, business trips and lots of travel, Church, home improvement projects, success at work, but not nearly enough visits to the gym.

I hope to think more of others especially my family, feel more positive when things aren't going my way, I hope to succeed as a husband, brother, son, home teacher, employee, servant of God and so forth.

A family photo for Christmas:

The Time to Travel

Today I am sitting in an airport, on a layover, waiting to make my next flight for work. There have been a lot of these lately. It has been a crazy year. I've traveled a good ten times for work, six trips have been since I got married.

Things that have defined this year for me when traveling are Pay Day candy bars, Monster Energy drinks ( a new found love of mine), dramemine, Audio Books, a  special interest in the American Revolution and its history, Alan Jackson music, driving in a rental car to gather soil from each state I pass through.

I've had the opportunity this year to gather soil from:

• White Sands, NM
• Vancouver, BC, Canada
• Washington State
• Maryland
• Virginia
• Delaware
• Idaho
• New Jersey
• Missouri
• Oklahoma
• Arkansas
• Kansas
• Minnesota
• Illinois
• Iowa
• Wisconsin
• Tennessee

This in addition to the last couple of years':

• Ohio
• Pennsylvania
• Kentucky
• Indiana
• Colorado
• New Mexico
• Texas
• Arizona
• California
• Wyoming
• Nevada
• West Virginia
• New York

I'm grateful for the chance to travel, and some times frustrated by the tedious nature of its bureacracy and the various hoops I find myself jumping through to do it. Life is good though, long waits in the airport afford a good chance to think and read about things I normally wouldn't have the time for. Laptop battery allowing, I am trying to make good use of this time today.

2014 Year in Review

Wow, what a year!
As I finish my thirtieth year, I look back and feel better about where I am than I ever have before.  If I could sum up this year with a phrase, it would be travel and change... Between work, camping, hunting, visiting family and friends I have been on the road more than I ever have in my life. I probably spent more money than I ever had in any year previous. I have a fiance, a new boss, new skills and dreams and have visited new places.  I learned a lot. I got better at keeping my word and serving others. It truly was a good year.

Here's the status of my U.S. Map:

•  Red are states I have not yet visited
• Light green are states I have visited but not yet collected a soil sample
• Dark green are states I have visited and collected a soil sample

Firsts this year:

• Asked Katie to marry me!  
• Started collecting a soil sample from every state I visit
• Visited the Redwood Forest on Easter Sunday
• Camped on a cliff above the ocean
•  Drove through a tree
• Bought a second car
• poured a concrete driveway
• Visited two oceans and a great lake
• Saw a Bengal NFL game in Cincinnati, OH
• Saw the entire Hobbit trilogy at the movies (it took almost 10 hours) 

New Places:

• San Diego Zoo
• Hollywood CA and the La Brea Tar Pits
•  Portland, OR
•  Mt. St, Helens, Washington
•  Cincinnati, OH
• Pittsburgh, PA
• West Virginia  
• Charlottesville, VA
• Walk on the beaches of the Pacific Ocean
• Walk on the beaches of Lake Erie
• Visited Dallas Texas and Dealey Plaza where JFK was assassinated

I gained a new niece and nephew along the way!

Great experiences

• Camping in the Uintas
• Visiting New Mexico
• Seeing the Toadies live in Park City
• Meeting with the missionaries and taking part in Katie's investigation of the Church
• Seeing my first Bengals game with Katie, Nick, Ashley and Gabe
• Taking Katie to the San Diego Zoo
• Eating some amazing southern fried food in Atlanta
•  Date night at Flemming's Steak House with Katie
• Went on many walks an adventures with Katie, Doogan and Hazel
• Traveling to Texas for Thanksgiving to visit Katie's family
• Watching movies at home with my family and friends
• Playing Dota and Counter Strikeand listening to everybody yelling across the basement
• Having Friday morning breakfast with Katie, Gabe and Adrian
• Camping and hunting near Monticello, in the San Rafael Swell and the Uinta Mountains
• Walking barefoot on the beaches of California and Eerie, Pennsylvania

Not so great experiences

• Scraping my new car on a parking garage pillar
• Walking the Las Vegas strip
• getting chewed out by my boss
• falling off a ladder on a cabling job
• working some seriously long hours at customer sites
• spending some long hours fixing trucks and cars
• Having a miserable and expensive let down taking the Starline Tour in Hollywood 

 Great movies this year (saw a lot of movies this year)

• Captain America 2
• Interstellar
• Dracula - The Untold Story
• X-Men Days of Future Past
• Spiderman
• Big Hero 6
• The Hobbit - Battle of the Five Armies
• Meet the Mormons
• Hunger Games Catching Fire Part 1
• Unbroken

In the news and broad events this year:

• Roll-out of Obamacare
• September - Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson Missouri - rioting and looting
• Republicans gained control of congress
•  Ice bucket challenges
• Ebola 
• Missing Malaysian Flight 370
• Curved screen TVs and phones
• Bluetooth fitness wristbands 

Also fun this year:

Mud bogging

Celestial burgers

 

Playing guitar

Shootin'

Christmas Devotional with the Elders

Interesting Things in My Lifetime

I have lived to see

Crystal Pepsi and the New Coke
The beginning of "Open Late" fast food restaurants
The advent of the barbecue pizza
The invention of gushers, fruit roll-ups, and lunchables
The Atkin's Diet craze

Some of the Best Lyrics (Ongoing)

"I don't want the world to see me, 'cause I don't think that they'd understand. When everything's meant to be broken, I just want you to know who I am."



"All the love gone bad turned my world to black - tattooed all I see. All that I am, all I'll be. I know someday you'll have a beautiful life, I know you'll be a sun in somebody else's sky, but why, why can't it be mine?"

Reconciling the Memories

Sitting at work and thinking of hunting. It's a strange thing to flash back in my mind to a walk through the woods, carrying a rifle, binoculars, food, thick clothing, game bags, a radio, gloves, ammunition... It was dawn; almost dark and very cold, especially when still groggy and stiff from sleep. I remember the crunch of branches and leaves under my new hiking boots, the dampness of thawing dew, the clinking of Winchester cartridges in my pocket, and the clatter of the radio on my hip. It was my first morning out on the hunt. I had never wandered the woods with a rifle at the ready - planning to shoot a living creature. I vaguely thought this must be a bit like war, and I was a soldier.  I scrambled up and down ravines, climbed over logs and spent my energy liberally.... Something I would learn not to do. At times I could hear my own heartbeat and constantly watched my own breath pass through my field of vision, desperately looking and hoping to see signs of an elk. I headed north, occasionally pausing to check my compass and GPS map to find my way back to camp.. I saw claw marks, scratched by a bear into the Aspens and Conifers.... I remember feeling that I was truly a visitor, hunting a creature on his home turf. My spike elk, he had to be out there.. Faster, quieter, and of better senses than me. It was humbling to think my one and only advantage was the rifle in my hands...

Suddenly I am pulled back to the conference room, the pristine glass table, whiteboard diagrams, speakerphone, Ethernet cables, the humming refrigerator full of beverages for visitors, flourescent lights and clicking laptop keys. I ponder the strange and varied experiences I have had. The vast spectrum of smells, emotions, thoughts, sights and sensations that have fallen in line going back over the thirty years of my life.

2013 Year in Review

2013 wasn't as filled with recreation as 2012. I didn't fly a plane or wake board... or even snowboard!. But it was a good year... 2013 was far more about personal progress and financial stability, traveling, and lots of change.

Got my first elk

Took my truck on some 4x4 trails

caught a fish and ate it
Katie came into my life

Went to the fair

Dressed up for Halloween

Found out I was a direct descendent of Christopher Columbus
Suffered through a whole month of inversion and below freezing temperatures and scarcely saw the sun
Bought a hunting rifle
Flew on what felt like 100 flights.
Visited Atlanta
Visited Denver
Visited New Mexico
Visited Boston
Visited Los Angeles
Visited Iowa

Passed through airports at:

Albuquerque
Atlanta
Boston
Cedar Rapids
Charlotte
Chicago
Columbus
Denver
Detroit
Las Vegas
Los Angeles
Memphis
Minneapolis
New York
Phoenix
Washington D.C.

and of course Salt Lake City.

Visited the Pacific and Atlantic oceans within two weeks

Stepped onboard the U.S.S. Constitution (Old Iron Sides)
Visited Chaco Canyon and the Salinas National Monuments in New Mexico

Went swimming, shooting,camping

Left Diabetes Specialty Center
Started working for Packsize
Bought a house for the first time
Completed the largest structure cabling job I've ever done with Nick and Jess (306 runs)
Worked a 19 hour day and a 90 hour week
Tried to share my testimony of Jesus Christ
Strived to think more about others
Learned to play Bach's Cello Suite Prelude No. 1 all the way through
Visited all of my grandparents
Helped with Rachel's wedding


There were times this year when I was on cloud nine. There were times when I felt so sad I hardly ate or slept for a week. I worked until I was ready to collapse and my body ached, other days I slept until noon. I've been proud of myself, I've been sorely disappointed in myself. I've been praised and honored by coworkers and chewed out by bosses.

The Way I See the Days

Ten years ago I remember the greatest challenge seemed to be the tediousness of life. I despised having to have a job... I hated having to go to school... Paying bills, registering my car, waiting at a stop light. Everything seemed pointless and unnecessarily cumbersome. (So sometimes I just didn't do it.) Night came and I wanted to stay up late to enjoy the embers of free time. There seemed to be no point to all the demands of daily life.

Life was all about relaxing, having fun and not being bothered. Independence meant no one could tell me what to do. Writing, playing and listening to music was all important.


It's funny how things are different now. I care about my job, I pay my bills on time. I try to stay ahead of all these little things before they turn into problems. Life is still a battle, the difference is I now know that it must be fought. I wake up in the morning and set about my duties. The path of least resistance is no longer an option...

I look forward to mowing the lawn, wiring a light in my house, helping someone fix their car or move a couch. I'm learning to value character over physical beauty. I'm learning that events, conversations and accomplishments are only as precious and special as you make them.

2012 Year End Summary

At the end of each year I like to jot down a few of the things that happened. Wow, 2012 went fast. It seems like just yesterday I was thinking about my year's summary for 2011 (that I never finished). Let's see... 2012 contained the last triple matching date (12-12-12.) The world was supposed to come to an end last week on 12-21-2012. Somehow we managed to survive... We did however, see terrible hurricanes, snow storms, drought conditions, unseasonable warmth, earthquakes, solar flares and solar eclipses (I actually got to see that one). There were terrible shooting tragedies in Colorado and Connecticut, the American Embassy was burned in Benghazi we saw the most expensive and perhaps ugliest presidential election race in the history of our country and we're hours from going over the "fiscal cliff."

A few of the things that went on in my life this year:

Accomplishments and Firsts:
Earned my A+ and Network+ certifications
Paid off my student loans and credit cards
First trip to Ohio
Visited the Kirtland Temple with Lindsey and her family
Attended my brother Nick's wedding as best man
MC-ed the reception
Approved a 100,000 dollar  invoice at work
Was promoted to Supervisor
Worked with Jess on cabling projects
Watched my nephew turn two years old
Recorded a music video
Recorded a five song EP with Wicked This Way Comes (still in progress)
Called to serve as Sunday School President
Bought my first silver coins
Bought a .40 caliber pistol and a 12 gauge shotgun
Went Elk Hunting for the first time
Went camping in Canyon Lands National Park
Sold my car and bought a truck
Dined at the Roof Restaurant at Temple Square (tasty but pricey!)
Saw my first High Frame Rate movie



Important things:
Visited Mom and Dad and my grandparents  
Delivered food to a needy family for Christmas
Helped someone on the side of the road
Was helped on the side of the road
Gave change to a homeless person
Voted for president of the United States of America
Attended general and stake conference
Spent lots of good time with my family
Interviewed Nana, Grandpa and Grandma on audio recording
Worked on Genealogy indexing
Coordinated a whole year of Sunday School classes and somehow stayed on schedule



Fun things:
Went snowboarding - but not nearly enough
Went wake-boarding - but not nearly enough
Played some gigs around town
Bought another guitar
Bought two guns
Went rock climbing
Went hunting
Went camping
Went swimming
Went boating and rafting on a lake
Flew a plane for the first time
Won a battle of the bands competition
Spent 20 hours building an Iron Man costume and won a costume contest
Went through a haunted corn maze
Watched Thriller

Not so fun things:
Had an eye infection
Stabbed myself several times with a punch down tool
Had a double gum graft surgery
Worked on a car in the freezing wind
Had my teeth teeth cleaned at the dentist
Had my side mirror busted off
Worked a 17 hour shift
Ran out of gas and pushed my car uphill - (funny story)
Camped in 70 mph wind

Books this Year (not all have been read cover to cover):
Treasure Island
7 Miracles that Saved America
7 Turning Points that Changed the World
7 Habits of Highly Successful People
Count of Monte Cristo
Edgar Allen Poe collected poems and stories
Jesus the Christ
Pompeii: The Hidden City
Grimm's Fairy Tales
The Bible and Book of Mormon

At The Movies this Year:
Avengers
The Amazing Spider-man
Hunger Games
Prometheus
Expendables 2
Lawless
This Means War
Bourne Legacy
Dark Knight Rises
Mission Impossible 4
Total Recall
SkyFall
Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2
Rise of the Guardians
2016
The Hobbit

Altogether, I'd say 2012 was better than 2011. Especially since the house didn't burn down this time around! As for 2013, any year that's gonna have movies about Superman, Thor, Wolverine and Iron Man all within six months has to be great! Here's to a fantastic 2013 with with bigger goals and another year in the life!

What I'm looking forward in 2013
Iron Man 3
The Wolverine
Man of Steel
Thor: The Dark World
Star Trek: Into Darkness
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Crossing off one more year of Obamanomics
Buying a house
Camping!
Completing my Microsoft cert
Completing the Wicked EP
Developing my piano ability

Core Sample

Today was a slice of my life. I worked, I played, I ate, I sang, I got frustrated in traffic and I enjoyed being with my baby.

The neat thing about today however was the fact that we played and won a state-wide talent competition called "Best of the Best". It was held at the Depot downtown at the Gateway. Tons of fun. We played with another band called "The Samuel Smith Band" who were also very talented and tight sounding together. We had to suffer through a lot of rap, some hip-hop, piano pop, and terrible comedy, but in the end somehow we were decided the winners. We played "Mirrors" and "Tears Don't Fall". It was a ton of fun and I feel very grateful and overwhelmed to say we won another battle of the bands competition. I feel that we are lucky to have such a good group of talent and dedication in our band members and want to further develop as a band.

We also played a show on Wednesday. This show was very low-key in comparison. It was held at a place called the Underground, which couldn't have been a more fitting name. It was really just a converted garage with graffiti on all the walls and a PA set up. Whitney and David came to the show and we played pretty late, never the less it was a ton of fun! We've had a really fun week of playing shows!

Night of the Wicked

Night of the Wicked at Club Vegas.Wicked This Way Comes is hosting an All-Ages Halloween, in-costume concert. Night of the Wicked is an all-ages event so no alcohol, weapons, etc.  8 dollars pre-sale or 10 bucks at the door.

BTT!


https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=263180387046668&ref=ts

Battle of the Bands

And so it was that Wicked This Way Comes did continue to progress through upheaval.

Monday night we had the cops called on us while practicing in Jess' garage. To be fair, we were playing way too loud. Louder than usual in fact. Around 8:30 pm we had a police officer show up and shut us down. He thought I was giving him attitude when he asked us to turn down and I played a few riffs (after turning the volume down to test). All in all we had to play quiter with the door closed and all of our acoustic insulation strewn about to absorb some of the sound.

Tuesday evening we all packed up and went to Heber City - our first gig outside of Salt Lake! We played the Heber City Battle of the Bands and won! We played with four other bands. In all fairness, we had the most professional gear and undoubtedly the most stage experience. I suppose we were just the bigger fish in a smaller pond. After we played our two songs (Forged from Beauty and Like Sheep) we sat on the grass out in front of the stage watching the other acts. At the end they pulled us all up on stage for an American Idol style critique. The three judges voted us the winners! We won $350 bucks and a recording session in Heber. Afterwards we went to Beto's for a late dinner and had a blast hanging out as a band. It was seriously one of the most fun nights I've had all year! The only thing that would have made it better would be if Lindsey and the rest of my family had been there. At least Adrian came with me.

Running Against the Wind

Went for a nice long run tonight through the streets of Kearns and West Valley. My running shoes felt snug and light weight on my feet as I set out. I must have been feeling my oats because it never felt better to run uphill. Jason Call's music and the hymns we recorded in the mission office were my music selection for the evening. As I ran, the rain began to drizzle.  The rain never turned into a downpour but never slowed down either. After a while I wasn't sure if I was more damp from sweat or rain. I don't sweat much so it was probably rain. I passed over 5600 W on the catwalk and ran around the elementary school a few times. From there I headed up to the Usana Amphitheater and around the fire station. I crossed 54th south and headed down to our old band house.

Running through suburbia gives one an interesting impression of modern life. The smells: sometimes it's water from a sprinkler that smells like the rubber hose it came out of. Sometimes it's pungent odors of trash sitting in a barrel waiting to get picked up in the morning, sometimes it's the fragrance of flowers and trees in people's yards. House after house, street after street. What a strange grid we live in. No one around, no one making noise. It is after all, nearly 11 p.m. - my favorite time to go running. The air was thick with humidity, the ground seemed warm beneath me, the sky overcast and reflecting a dull orange from the rest of the valley below. So much on my mind, yet it all seems far away when I run.

My worries seem to burn off like calories. I seem to stay at least a few paces ahead of them, and as long as I don't stop running I know I'll stay content. I ran around the LDS chapel on 62nd south a few times. The grounds were as pristine and beautiful as they should ever be. I stopped in front of the doors just to look at my own reflection for a moment. Reality hits me once and a while and when I look in the mirror I see a grown man. I wonder who I'd think he was to see that guy for the first time. I ran through the sprinklers, and kept circling. My legs begin to burn after a while, but that was somewhere in the background. I thought perhaps I'd figure something out if I just ran around that building enough times. Finally I turned toward home, feeling a blister beginning to form and having escaped for 6 miles of solitude. The night -  quiet, dark, peaceful, all mine... I came home, but in truth felt like I could have ran all night. I'm starting to really enjoy this night running.

More Than a Feeling - Boston and a Bike Ride

 "It's been such a long time, I think I should be goin'."

I took my bicycle out for a ride for the first time this year tonight. Music blazing through earphones and a freshly tuned up bike make for a good night. Boston was my music of choice for the evening. I was so eager to explore the neighborhood. I haven't gone for a night time bike ride in four years. This used to be a nightly ritual back in Denver. It's one of the best ways to clear one's mind and put things into perspective. Perhaps more than anything, just a way to fight loneliness or melancholy at the time. 

"I get so lonely when I am without you. But in my mind deep in my mind I can't forget about you."

The world feels like a familiar yet different place at night and on a bicycle. The road ticks and vibrates away beneath the tires so differently than it would in a car. I cleared the hill up to 56th and crossed over the busy street on the catwalk. I stopped twenty five feet above the headlights passing beneath. The whole city stretches out before me. The best part of a catwalk is getting to ride down really fast on the downhill side. I came sailing out and headed up the hill towards Backus Highway.

"Sail on, on a distant highway. Gotta keep on chasing that dream."

This year the air is thicker with moisture than it is most years. It had just rained and the grass smelled sweet, shiny streets, darkened houses. I sailed down past the Salt Lake Tribune building letting go of the handle bars and just letting the bike go as fast as it could. The whirring of gears, the rushing of air, the release of freedom and being alone with my thoughts.

"Good times and faces that remind me. I try to forget your name and leave it all behind me...."

Eventually I know it's time to head home. Even when I start to get tired I don't want to go back. The night should last forever; the streets seem to go on endlessly. As I glide quietly through these suburban streets at night there are so many thoughts to ponder, so many ideas to paint in the night sky, so many memories to recall...


"When I'm tired and thinking cold, I hide in my music, forget the day, and dream of a girl I used to know. I closed my eyes and she slipped away..."

To Sit Beneath the Trees

I am one to sit in my car in the middle of the night and stare at the moon through the trees. Wonder what might have been and what might be.

 I thank God for the trees, for the leaves, for the air; for this gift of mortality. Melancholy but content. Lights of the stereo, strains of strings, the romp of piano.

Thank God for Classical Music.
 I am alone but I thank God for the peace and solitude. Summer nights are indeed perfect, the moon almost bright enough by which to write.

She is marvelous in my memory. I have held onto her for so long... Perhaps out of pain, perhaps out of pride, undoubtedly out of love.

Why?

May I learn to forget, may I learn to forgive. May I unstop the corks of my growth, may I take root and grow strong.

I am one to sit beneath the trees and stare at the moon...

They don't get much better than this!

Had a gig on Friday night at Cruzrs Saloon. We did a special acoustic set. Being the only band for the night is awesome. We covered Alice in Chain's "Down in a Hole" and played a total of over two hours. It was so much freakin' fun. We made over 400 bucks this week too.  Every time we sell a WTWC shirt I smile to think that that shirt will be seen by thousands of people. After the show we had to do a little drag-racing to see if Jenny's hot little Altima is faster than my Mazda6. (That's still to be determined) As we were about to take off there I was revving my engine ready to smoke some tires, Ben was standing on the passenger seat hanging out of my sunroof shouting at Jenny as the cross traffic signal turns yellow and then red.  I was like "Sit down man cause we're about to smoke this stop light!" Somehow he got back in the car  in time before we peeled out. Needless to say we left some burned rubber all over that intersection in Cottonwood Heights. All in good taste of course ;) We had a rowdy 1 am breakfast with the band at the Belgian Waffle. Saturday morning, Nick, Adrian and I went and saw Sheer-Luck Holmes at the Desert Star; it was a great show I loved the Johnny Cash themed Olio. Saturday night we went to a Bee's game that turned out to be a nail-biter up to the THIRTEENTH inning. By then I was thinkin' "Hurry up and lose so we can get out of here!" We lost by one point to the Fresno Grizzlies but it was still a blast.  Man I wanna get in on the pie eating contest held down on the field.They did fireworks afterward and it got me stoked up for Independence Day. Sunday we had a barbecue at the house in Magna and roasted some S'mores. Now THAT is the way to end the week!

 Any weekend that involves a blazin' show, some drag racing, waffles, fireworks, baseball and barbecue qualifies as an amazing weekend in my book.

Oh and let's not forget the waffles... Mmm tasty.

Best Birthday I Ever Had

You know when you have those unexpected great times? The ones you really didn’t plan but just kinda fell together? This weekend was one of those. For lack of a better word, it was EPIC! I had my birthday dinner with the family on Friday night. Jess and Sarah and the whole band showed up. Lynsie made me this huge, three layered music cake. Marie made a delicious dinner. Ashton and I sat around jamming on the acoustic guitars. Saturday morning we got up early and had something of a band field trip, snowboarding at Solitude. Ben got us discounts since he is an instructor there. Aside from the fact that I was completely off my game and spazzing down the mountain, it was a totally fun day. I recall at one point falling in five feet of powder, and after trying to drag myself above the snow and wearing myself out. I just laid back in the snow, breathing heavy, staring at the sky through the pine trees thinking “man, this beats the heck out of a day at the office!” After snowboarding, I raced down to South Jordan where I bought a Line 6 Spider Valve head from a kid named Zack (good price too). After that I went to Jess and Sarah’s where we hand-tossed some pizzas and watched “Knight and Day” with Heather and Bryson. Sunday was a good day at church, I took a three hour nap when I got home and woke up just in time to watch the Super Bowl. Cheers and boos erupted throughout the game as the Packers squeaked out a nail-biter win (yeah Packers!)  against the Steelers while we drank root beers, ate ice cream and Peanut M&Ms (Yeah Packers!). I went to bed watching the dying ember glow fading from my new amp’s tubes thinking “Man, what a weekend!”

What I've Learned from Movies

If a man doesn't follow his dreams he might as well be a vegetable." - Anthony Hopkins, The Fastest Indian
"It is not our abilities that make us who we are, but our choices" - Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter

"Take the straight and narrow path and if you start to slide, give a little whistle, and always let your conscience be your guide." - Jiminy Cricket, Pinocchio

"I think I can, I think I can, I think I can." - Casey Junior, Dumbo

"The things you own, end up owning you." - Tyler Durden, Fight Club 

"Don't start what you can't finish!" - Ace Ventura, Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls

2010 - Year in Review

How can I describe the last year? It has been so full. It has been a year of achieving goals, of feeling discouraged at times, of moving forward and staying afloat, of exquisite joy and complete numbness.

The first few months took some adjustment to get used to life in the states again.  Overall I must say, it was great and I feel so blessed.



People:
I have thoroughly enjoyed being with my family this year. The funny times and crazy conversations  on the couch never seem to stop when we're all together. On the rare occasion when we're actually all home together I always feel happy just to be home. I came to make new friends at work, I watched some friends get married, I've gotten to know some great people at church and I'm playing in a band with Jess, Ashton, Ben and Nate, called "Wicked This Way Comes." I met new friends at school and played video games with new buddies from work.

We've been visited by Nana, Joanne and Mike. Mom and Gabe came and visited for a few days during the summer. Dad and Pat came out during the fall.

I had the privilege to date a few amazing girls and even had the luck to steal a kiss now and then.

Travel:
I have made two trips to New Mexico in February and in October. One by plane and one in my car.
I made one trip to Colorado in July for Seth's wedding.
I have traveled to the four extremes of Utah. From Wendover to Moab, from Tremonton to St. George.
I flew through Las Vegas
I've gone to Moab with Jess and Sarah, and again with Jess and Bryson for jeeping.

Experiences:
My first nephew was born - Joshua Stephen Iverson
I financed a car
Performed a video voice-over
Won a costume contest
Watched my first 3D movie in theaters
Started taking voice lessons
Took an interest in the World Cup
Cheered for Sean White in the Winter Olympics
Went jeeping with Jess and got to drive off-road
Went to an NBA game
Shot a .44 magnum
Got a bad sunburn
Enrolled in college
Went wake-boarding
Started working as a bilingual
Traveled overnight on a business trip
Had periodontal surgery
Joined a band that I didn't form
Dated an actress
Danced and sang in a show
Went through a haunted house
Bought a new guitar
Stayed awake driving all night
Won a Simpson's Trivia contest

Pizza:
I've had pizza with Jess, Sarah and Alyssa, Haley, Mike and Brittney, Jordan Williams my companion from San Luis, at home with family, with Clint and Lacey, with Dad and Pat from England, with Stephen and Lynsie, and with Nick, Adrian and Alyssa at Dion's.

Fun:
I've been able to go ice-skating, potato gun shooting, wakeboarding, gift shopping, snowboarding, bicycling, camping, swimming, offroading, hiking, slip and slide at the Christensen's, played soccer, IMAX movies, jamming in a band, singing lessons, hand tossed a pizza, ran until my legs ached and burned, laughed til I cried.

 What a year...