Dynamite Comes In Small Packages

Death of a Hockey Stick

2011-08-06T14:49:00.000-06:00

So Thursday night in my co-ed leaugue I put my stick in the way of a guy winding up for a slapshot. My poor stick collided with the big oaf's. She didn't stand a chance. Although after the contact, I thought everything was ok because everything was intact. Then a few seconds later I went to wack the puck hard out of our zone and pbthhhh. It was like my stick had a hinge on it and just bent backwards like a noodle when I made contact with the ice.

I'm not just a little sad about this. Condolences are appreciated.

Here are some views of the wreckage.

The carnage

I mean, it's not a huge deal, I can just get another one. But I liked that stick alot. And it wasn't the most expensive stick you can get, but $85 down the drain isn't exactly a spilled slurpee.

At least it's not as bad as my friend Laura. She broke a $220 stick her husband got her for Christmas a few weeks ago, and Thursday night she broke her backup. Maybe we shouldn't play with guys, they hit harder.

I think I'm in love...

2011-05-05T01:27:00.003-06:00

I speak from experience when I say I could listen to Terrence Mann all day long! As many of you know, I'm pretty new to the whole broadway/musical scene. It hasn't really been my cup o' tea until recently. And of everything I've heard so far, no one matches Terrence Mann's voice. He is incredible! Love, Love, LOVE him. Seriously, I can't get enough. He plays Chauvelin in the Original Broadway Cast of The Scarlet Pimpernel, Javert in the OBC of Les Miserables, and the Beast in the OBC of Beauty and the Beast, plus a few others.

He's amazing in everything, but The Scarlet Pimpernel really showcases his talent. Here's 'Where's the Girl' sung by TM.

Sing it to me Terrence!

The crazy thing? I didn't even discover Terrence Mann until I went with Brittany's family to see Viewmont High School's production of The Scarlet Pimpernel (Centerville, UT) on March 12.

I tell you what, these kids were amazing! Now, I'll be honest and admit I haven't seen many high school plays so there's not much to compare them to, but I have a hard time believing there are many colleges, let alone high schools, that could match their performance. In fact, I liked the lead girl's performance better than the OBC lead! She's actually in my Uncle Alan and Aunt Brenda's ward in Centerville. The guy playing Percy was incredible and I think the best actor of them all, but the one that impressed me most was the guy playing Chauvelin. Wow. I'll admit I was kind of crushing on a high schooler. I couldn't even really see his face from where I was sitting, but that voice! Was that really coming out of a 17 year old? Here are some samples so you get a taste. I wouldn't say he's as good as Terrence Mann, but he's by far the closest. In my mind, he's better than the other leading men who have sung on Broadway. Justs for kicks, YouTube other high schoolers singing "Where's the Girl" -- it will take you about a second to realize they're not even close.

Get this kid an agent! I'm like his #1 fan!! 'Falcon in the Dive' is great, but 'Where's the Girl' had all the ladies in the audience swooning.

Falcon in the Dive

Where's the Girl

The Riddle (Start this one at about 2:45 because it cuts there and starts over) Of course I love this one with Terrence Mann even better :)

Who's your favorite Broadway star?

We snowshoe for the butt-slides!

2011-04-20T12:53:00.001-06:00

Well, this post isn't entirely about snowshoeing. I'll get to that in a second.

On Saturday I had a soccer game at 9:20am. It was a good game, but we ended up losing by one goal. Boo. I really need to work on my free kicks though. In indoor the PK's are more like in hockey meaning you can dribble before you shoot. I'm just terrible at them and I feel like I have no way to practice! Plus, girl goals count for two which adds to the pressure, and the disappointment when I miss. Oh well.

Then at 11:00 I met Mel, Shelby and her mom Lori at the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon for a snowshoe. Usually the group also includes Kate and sometimes Brittany, but Brit was out of town and Kate broke her collarbone a few weeks ago and couldn't come :( This particular trail we've hiked a few times before, but it's one of our favorite spots for butt-sliding so we keep going back.

Sample of the awesomeness below:

The snow was perfect on Saturday, we had a blast! Here are some pictures of the whole group from a couple months ago.

Kate, Mel, Brittany, Me, Shelby

Climbin' up! I remember this one was a pretty tough hike and the wind was really blowing. The hardest one though was when Shelby, Mel and I went up the 'Secret Trail' a few weeks after this. That was more like snow-CLIMBING! (Brittany, Lori, Kate, Shelby, and Mel.

Brittany, Kate, Me, Shelby, Lori

A taste of the beautiful views we get to see

After snowshoeing we met up with the rest of the Low family at TopIt for some ice cream.

I usually get just a little bit of ice cream with all of my toppings. Mmmm! And it's just down the street from my house!

After that I ran home, showered and got ready for Stake Conference. We had Elder C. Scott Grow of the 70 there. He talked a lot about marriage and preparing for marriage. It seems to really be a theme among the general authorities lately. In fact, Elder Grow told us that the first Thursday of every month the general authorities do a session in the temple and then have a testimony meeting. He said President Monson got up and said, "You want to know what I worry about most?" -- "Girls that don't date." Elder Grow said he mentioned the same thing 3 months in a row, then charged the GA's to carry the message. Wow, if that's what worries him most it must be a problem. I feel like they've really been focusing on the young single adults lately - like all the talks in Gen Conference about singles, and the realignment and reconstruction of singles stakes that's going to take place next week. The thing is, I agree with everything they're saying, and I know how important it is, it's just hard sometimes to apply it. I really don't think there is any shortage of desire to be married. What I have a hard time with is figuring out the balance between how much I should be doing to try to make it happen, and how much I should be relying on God's timing. Because I really think that as long as you're not sitting like a bump on a log at home all the time (and I've even seen some of them get hitched), and you're supposed to get married, it will happen in the Lord's time. It's not really something you can force.

Anyway, after SC I met up with Sara and Lis Thomas at the Broadway Theater downtown to see the new version of Jane Eyre.

It was great! I thought they did a good job of cramming what's normally a 4+ hour film into 2 without skipping too much. And the Mr. Rochester is...very handsome and has a very nice voice :) They only downfall of the movie was the ending. It was very abrupt and left me thinking, "that's IT?!!"

So overall it was a very busy but awesome day!

The King's Speech

2011-04-18T00:04:00.019-06:00

Ok, I LOVE this movie! Yes, I know it has Colin Firth, but - while I do relish in being numbered among the millions who regard him as the "thinking woman's heartthrob" - that is not why I like it.

L-R: George V, Prince Edward, Prince Albert,
King Edward VII

I like it because it is a story about perseverance, strength, courage, hard work, trust, and friendship. It tells the story of King George VI (father to the present Queen Elizabeth II) and his struggle to overcome the debilitating stammer that plagued him his entire life. Born Prince Albert Frederick Arthur George (or 'Bertie' to his family), he was the second son of King George V and Mary of Teck. As a child he was teased mercilessly for his stutter. In fact once, he was asked to tell what you get when you divide a half by a half and he refused to answer because he knew he had trouble with the 'k' sound as in 'quarter'. This led to his classmates and others marking him as stupid. His father wasn't very helpful either. His best response to his son's struggle was "Get it out boy!" As he grew older and became Albert, Duke of York, he was required to make public appearances and sometimes...speeches. These he dreaded more than anything. In fact, Albert confessed in his journal that for him public speaking was 'hell'.

Queen Mary of Teck and her children, standin L-R: Henry, Mary, Edward, Albert; sitting in carriage, L-R: George and John

In 1925, his father asked Albert to give the opening speech at the Empire Exhibition at Wembley. As Albert approached the microphone his voice failed him in what proved to be a painful experience for both he and the audience. In the audience that day was Lionel Logue, an Australian man known for his abilities as an elocutionist and curer of those with speech difficulties.

Albert, Duke of York and young Princess Elizabeth

A year after the disastrous Wembley speech Albert decided he had to overcome this difficulty. He became frustrated however when therapist after therapist failed to cure him. Finally, somehow, he got in touch with Lionel Logue. As was shown in the movie, Logue required absolute equality in their sessions and emphasized hard work, muscle relaxation, and constant practice. The Duke knew curing his stammer would require a lot of hard work on his part and he was ready and determined to do it. According to Logue, Albert worked harder than anyone else he ever treated.

Royal Family, L-R: Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, Princess Margaret,
Albert, Duke of York (George VI), Princess Elizabeth

After about 1-2 years of working with Logue, Albert began to be confident in his speaking abilities and believed Logue had cured him enough to perform the taks he had as Duke of York, such as giving speeches to a few thousand or at private dinners, etc. They stopped seeing each other every day as they had at the beginning and only had contact about once a year. Then in 1936 George V died and Albert's older brother David, became King Edward VIII. However, David was in love with an American woman named Wallis Simpson who had been divorced twice. He was determined to marry her but, as head of the Church of England, Edward could not marry a twice-divorced woman and remain on the throne. So less than a year after being made king, Edward famously abdicated, thrusting Albert onto a throne that he never wanted or ever expected to have.

Queen Elizabeth, Princess Elizabeth, Princess Margaret, and King George VI on coronation day, 1937

Now, as King George VI, he would have to make more speeches, to larger crowds, and often in front of a microphone which would then be broadcast. This put his speeches - and perhaps his speech difficulties - on display for the entire world to hear. He contacted Logue and again they began working tirelessly to prepare for first the King's coronation, then a Christmas message, etc. Then just two short years after becoming king, WWII began and George VI needed more than ever to be the kind of leader - and speaker - that could inspire his nation in that time of great trial.

Logue used to laugh when he would see pictures such as this in the newspapers because he was present for most of the king's major speeches and knew he always spoke staking up with his jacket off and the window open

I saw The King's Speech 3 times and read the book within a week and a half! I wondered what it was about the film that made me love it so much? I think I liked it because it was just plain well done, well acted, and clean. (I know there was the one scene where he drops like 8 f-bombs, but other than that it's the cleanest movie you'll ever see). It is so wonderfully inspiring and you walk away uplifted and ready to conquer any struggles you may have in your life. I loved it because it wasn't a story about wanting power, but about a man who would give anything not to have power.

Lionel Logue and wife Myrtle

The book was a great addition to the film because it added so many insights into George VI's personality, his friendship with Logue, relationship with his family and other tidbits that made the story really come alive. As I read I was a little jealous of Logue, an ordinary man who had a king call him his friend. I learned that The King's Speech was also a fascinating family history story. The movie producers found that Logue had a grandson and tracked him down to ask if he happened to have anything of Logue's. He went up in his attic and pulled down a box that hadn't been touched, let alone looked at, in over 50 years. Inside they found hundreds of pictures written to Logue from the King, photographs, gifts, and even George VI's patient card filled out by Logue the first time he met him! These findings provided many of the personal details of the movie and served as the main documents for the book. Amazing the treasures you can find!

However, even after seeing the film several times and reading the book, I still couldn't get enough of the story. I looked up pictures and watched or listened to every speech of George VI's that is available. It's so heartbreaking to hear/watch him struggle, but then you cheer him on as he gets past it and gets another 3 or 4 words in. In his 1937 Christmas Broadcast you can hear him practically forcing the words out, but he gets through it. If George VI had been born just 10 years earlier, there would have been no broadcasting or microphones. His speeches would have been written and later distributed. Born 10 years later and his speeches could have been recorded and edited. But the poor guy was thrown into power right as the microphone and broadcasting was becoming popular. Or perhaps he was born at the right time? to be an inspiration to those who struggle?

In all my reading about this story, it seems like George VI was exactly the person Britain needed to be king at the time. The perfect man for the job, as much as he didn't want to believe it. While reading the book and watching the movie I thought of this quote from Harry Potter (And yes, I am going to quote HP right now :))

"It is a curious thing...but perhaps those who are best suited to power are those who have never sought it. Those who...have leadership thrust upon them, and take up the mantle because they must, and find to their own surprise that they wear it well.

George VI was a model of quiet strength, perseverance, and hard work. We could use more heroes like him nowadays. And that's why I like 'The King's Speech.'

Go see it! As Prof. Fluhman would say, "I dare you not to be inspired!"

Humorous (yet true) Las Vegas Driving Directions :)

2011-04-17T21:34:00.000-06:00

First, it's pronounced Los Vay-gus, Ne-vah-da (NOT Ne-VAW-da). It doesn't matter how they say it in other places.

Some things to remember when driving in Las Vegas...

1. All directions start with, "Go down 95...' cause you DON'T want to get on 15!"

2. Las Vegas Blvd, Charleston Blvd, and Torrey Pines have no beginning and no end.

3. It's impossible to go around a block and wind up on the same street that you started on. The Chamber of Commerce calls this a "scenic drive".

4. The 8:00 am rush hour is 4:30am to 11:30am. The 5:00pm rush hour is 11:30am to 10:15pm. Friday's rush hour starts on Thursday morning and ends sometime late Sunday night.

5. Just remember that Camino Al Norte is Martin Luther King Blvd., Boulder Highway is Fremont Street, Eastern Ave is 25th Street or Civic Center Drive, Desert Inn is Lamb Blvd., Spring Mountain/Sands/Twain are all the same street. Don't try to figure it out. Just accept it. If you question the intelligence behind this naming convention, people will simply tilt their heads to the right and stare at you.

6. Henderson is the only place in the world where THREE "parallel" streets intersect at one traffic light. That would be the 4-way of Green Valley Parkway/Eastern Avenue/Maryland Parkway. For laughs, ask any middle school Geometry teacher to try to explain it.

7. Rainbow Blvd. has THREE exits from the 95, this just makes giving driving directions to newbies more entertaining. There is also a Lake Mead "Drive" and a Lake Mead "Boulevard" and both run east/west but are 30 miles apart. You have to be specific when you say "the corner of Lake Mead and..." Again this is just another way to harass the 5000 newcomers who move into our valley every month.

8. The 215 beltway intersects on the north and the south with many of the same streets, such as Jones/215, Decatur/215 and Rainbow/215. You must be specific in your directions or the repairman will end up 25 miles from your house. Ditto for newcomers.

9. Many major roads just end abruptly in somebody's garage, a Home Depot, a Casino or McCarran International Airport Runway and start again after the interruption. That was done to encourage you to "see the sights" and meet new people. For fun, just try to take Harmon Avenue from Rainbow to Nellis.

10. Do not attempt to access any road after an apocalyptic event like snow, blowing dust, or a 3-day weekend.

11. For God's sake, as well as Channel 13's, 3's, and 8's, DO NOT try to drive your car through a street-turned-river. Even though it only rains less than an inch a year, SOMEHOW, 6 feet of water ends up on the east side of Bonanza, and a woman has to get helicopter-lifted off the top of her car

12. Once a year, when it rains, the Las Vegas Wash and the City of Las Vegas are one.

13. Construction on I-15 and US 95 is a way of life and a permanent form of entertainment. I-215 will never be completed. Get used to it!

14. Stay away from the corner of Nellis and Las Vegas Blvd. if you don’t like the thought of being in a remake of the movie "Top Gun."

You know you're from Las Vegas if...

2011-04-17T21:27:00.000-06:00

(I thought these were funny and oh, so true!)

You know you’re from Las Vegas if…

1. You know which one is Siegfried and which one is Roy

2. You know how to get to any casino on the strip without taking Las Vegas Blvd

3. You can now predict where construction signs will be misleadingly placed

4. You accept the fact that stop signs and red lights mean very little to tourists

5. You have no idea how a lottery works

6. Limos are an everyday sighting

7. You've attended a drive through wedding

8. You've been to a museum... at a casino

9. Your house is made of stucco and has a red clay tile roof

10. The water from the cold water tap is the same temperature as the hot one

11. It's noon in July, kids are on summer vacation, and not one person is moving on the streets

12. You actually burn your hand opening the car door

13. The water in your pool has been too hot to swim in and you don’t even have a heater

14. You have visited the Statue of Liberty, Venice, the Eiffel Tower, and the Pyramids without having to leave town

15. The song “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas” has no meaning to you

16. You’ve golfed in December in a short sleeved shirt

17. You’ve tried to work on your car in the summer and burned your hand picking up a wrench that was left in the sun less than two minutes before

18. You have never had a car battery last longer than three years

19. You have seen more Elvis impersonators than policemen

20. You only go to the Strip when you have people visiting from out of town

21. You have gone grocery shopping at 3:00 am

22. You've never seen a closed gas station

23. You are still asked "smoking or non?" when you go to out to eat

24. You remember the ugly lion

25. You can wear pants in the summer and shorts in the winter

26. You don't pay a State Tax, thanks for coming J

27. You know that prostitution is illegal in Las Vegas

28. You are in a town with 24/7 entertainment but you can’t find anything to do

29. The grass isn't greener on the other side, it's just less brown

30. You know your mayor used to work for the mob and still hangs out with show girls

31. Growing up here...you realize it's actually a "small city"

32. You learned how to use crayon's by playing KENO at restaurants when you were a kid

33. ...WET and WILD!!!!

34. You use to have to run across the street in your bare feet in the Summer to prevent second degree burns

35. You go to other cities and see these “stars” that you learned about in school.

36. You have never bought a nightlight for your children. You just open the blinds to their window

37. Before people come to visit from out of town they can’t get the concept that you don’t live in a casino

38. You think it was better when the Mob ran the town

39. The best parking spaces are always determined by shade rather than distance

40. You no longer associate bridges (or rivers) with water

41. You have no idea what a scarf does but think it looks good

42. You don't own an umbrella

43. When you go to different cities, you're amazed things aren't open after 9 pm

44. You know the spaghetti bowl has nothing to do with food and you want nothing to do with it

45. Snowfall is something that only happens on TV

46. You think someone driving wearing oven mitts is clever

47. You discover, in July, it only takes two fingers to drive your car

48. You've had a second degree burn from your seatbelt

49. You leave a bottle of water in your car for only 30 minutes, and it's boiling hot

50. You’ve had at least 10 Chapsticks melt in your car

51. When buying a car, the most important thing you consider is how cold the a/c can get

52. You have never seen a snow shovel and don’t know anyone who owns one

53. You wouldn’t know what to do with it if you did!

54. You have discovered that you can get a sunburn through your car window

55. Half of the people you know work in a casino

56. You realize that asphalt has a liquid state

57. Kids will ask, "What's a mosquito?"

58. You notice your car overheating before you drive it

59. It doesn't faze you to see slot machines in grocery stores

60. The only volcano you've seen is in front of the Mirage

61. Half of your neighbors are from California and the other half are from New York

62. They all moved to Nevada to avoid oppressive taxes, but now demand the same services that they had at home

63. You think a well-organized pile of rocks can be a nice lawn

64. You can say 115 degrees without fainting. (But it's a dry heat!!!)

65. You can be in the snow, then drive for an hour and it will be over l00 degrees. (Thank God for Mount Charleston!)

66. Vehicles with open windows have the right-of-way in the summer

67. The term Lake Las Vegas doesn't seem problematic in the slightest

68. You have to walk through a casino to see a movie

69. Sixty degrees is cold enough to wear a jacket

70. You can wear shorts in the winter

71. You get bored in the ‘Entertainment Capital of the World’

72. You are outraged to pay more than 9.99 for prime rib and a lobster tail

73. What the heck is a last call?

74. You know the seasons: Really hot, 2 weeks of nice, not so hot, 2 weeks of nice

75. You know never to merge right when driving north on I-15; it'll just end anyway

76. You've never had to pay for parking

77. And no, we do not live in Los Angeles and commute every day! People actually live in Las Vegas!

Ice Breaker Women's Hockey Tournament

2011-04-13T23:23:00.003-06:00

This weekend my hockey team, the Salt Lake Black Diamonds, had a hockey tournament in Ogden. We played the Boise Wildfire first on Friday night and tied 3-3. I scored a goal too! Well, technically it was an own goal by the other team because it hit her skate and went in, but hey, it counts. Brittany, Sue, Paul (aka PTM), and my friend Dave from softball came to watch the game which was so much fun. Then B, S, PTM and I went to dinner at TGIF's. It's kind of become a tradition to go there with Paul after Ogden games and I love it!

We beat the Park City Predators 5-2 in the second game. And the third game...well that was an exciting one. We were winning 2-1 against the U-18 Lady Grizzlies. Then they scored 2 more, making the score 3-2 them. The second period went by with no goals. The clock kept ticking in the third period and still no goals. We had to win this game if we wanted any chance of being in the championship. Then, with just over 4 mninutes to play we started going crazy. We scored 3 goals in .50 seconds!! A fourth goal made the final score 6-3. So exciting! Luckily we won by so many goals because we found out later that we had to have won by 2 in order to be in the championship game.

Sunday we lost pretty bad to the Ketchum 5-Stars. They were actually a really good team, but on top of that the officiating was absolutely horrendous! We had someone in the box for most of the game, and the other team? Nothing. Maybe a couple of times. Oh well, now we have a lot of things to work on for next season.

I LOVE HOCKEY!!

On the bench waiting for our shift (My line for this game, Shelby (18), me (20), and Dawn Z. (2)

Pep talk from the coaches between periods

Goal!! That's Lori on the left, and me skating behind the Wildfire girl

Some girl hit me and apparently Lori didn't think that was very nice and let her know it...

Breakaway

2nd Place!!

Back, L-R: Coach Mike Hintze, Jenn, Janelle, Deb, Laura, Shawn, Sara, Lori, Shelby, Jacks, Coach Tony Tyler; Front, L-R: Lori, Dawn T., Jo-Anne, Sami, Lindsay, Meghan, Susan.

Sliders and Brooms and Hacks... and Stones and Skips, Oh My!

2011-03-06T21:29:00.009-07:00

aka CURLING!

Last year Brian Farr came with me to my friend Shannon's wedding reception at the Olympic Oval. While there we saw some flyers for a curling class and thought it would be so fun. So the next week, we tried it!

Here's me "delivering" the stone. It's a lot harder than it looks, you have to get enough umph behind it to make sure it gets all the way to the other side (without 'throwing' it), keep it going as straight as possible all while trying to stay balanced and not fall on your duff.

"Sweeping" -- This is also a lot harder than it looks. If the stone starts to slow down or go off course, the leader tells the sweepers to SWEEP!!! This creates friction with the ice and causes the stone to go further than it otherwise would.

Oh, and I may or may not have totally fallen on my butt while attempting to sweep :)

New things I've discovered about curling:

It's so much fun
It's a lot harder than it looks
Don't make fun of curlers because that stone is dang heavy and I wouldn't want one flyin' in my direction (not that that has happened to me)

I even thought about joining a curling club after this experience. Ya, that's right.

A Regular Ski Bunny

2011-01-25T20:54:00.000-07:00

Last winter I went skiing for the first time ever and had an absolute blast! It was a ton of fun. A group of friends from my ward went to Brighton for their 2 for 1 night skiing deal. Preston also came up from Provo to go boarding.

My friend Erin was so great and gave me a couple lessons on the bunny hill to get me going. She must have been a really good teacher because after just 3 times down the bunny hill we decided to hit the big slopes. I was so surprised and happy that I picked it up so quickly, it made it a lot more fun and I came away resolved to go skiing more often.

It didn't really happen, because I haven't gone again until this year. But again, I had such a fun time! I think my friends Kate and Shelby and I are going to try to go to The Canyons sometime this winter.

Basically, I'm a regular ski bunny :)

The Wait is Over!!

2011-01-06T19:18:00.001-07:00

I've always loved the San Francisco Giants.

My dad grew up in the Bay Area and, although it probably made more sense to be an Oakland fan because of proximity and their winning record during his teen years, he chose to support the Giants and stuck with them through thick and thin. So it was only natural that he pass on his love for the men in Orange and Black to his kids. I remember him making sure we knew the difference between the 'good' baseball Giants as opposed to the 'bad' football Giants. I wore Giants shirts and collected books and memorabilia. I loved to watch Matt Williams, Will Clark, JT Snow, and Kurt Manwaring. I collected their cards. In fact, I still have a whole stack of them, in perfect shape, practically untouched from when I first bought them in the 90's. I made a special effort to care for those, almost never going through them because I didn’t want to bend the corners. “Miracle at Candlestick” has been proudly displayed on my bookshelf since that season in 1993. I still have my Matt Williams figurine, and remember how sad I was when he moved to Arizona. When I found out a high school teammate of mine was Dusty Baker’s niece, I wasted no time asking for memorabilia. I remember going to my first Giants game at Candlestick Park in July 1996. They were playing the Colorado Rockies. We sat behind right field under the mezzanine and, like any game at Candlestick, it was bitter cold. The fog coming up from the bay was so heavy it almost felt like rain. In fact, I remembered it as rain until my dad reminded me of that thick, thick mist, probably known only to those who have experienced it in San Francisco.

(Preston and I; Train ‘em young!)

I have never even thought about cheering for another team. While some fans turn their back on their childhood teams, not me. When it comes to Major League Baseball, I will always bleed orange and black.

One blogger said, “Real San Francisco Giants fans carry baggage and lots of it, including a half-century of wait-until-next-years and a Game 6 that left a hole in their heart the size of a World Series ring” (http://articles.sfgate.com/2010-10-06/news/24113535_1_juan-uribe-buster-posey-fans)

While I may not be old enough to have experienced over 50 years of pain watching a Giants team that was usually ok, or even pretty good, but never quite good enough -- I am old enough to remember the pain of 2002. October -- the San Francisco Giants vs the Anaheim Angels. I remember I had a Young Women's activity the night of game 5, but luckily I had a leader (good 'ol Sis. Rosenkrantz) that loved baseball as much as I did and turned on the game for my friend Melissa Cowles and I.

For game 6 - that game of awful games - I was out of town for a soccer tournament with the Tabagators. The night of the game we went to dinner as a team. It was practically torture having the TV in the bar where I couldn’t see it, even though I had some parents periodically checking the score for me. I was staying with Raquel Bray and the second we got back to the hotel, I turned the game on. I watched in horror as we blew a 5-0 lead with only a couple innings left to play. In fact I remember thinking at the time, "We had a World Series win in our pocket. In our pocket! But no, we just had to take it out and play with it and now we've lost it!" Sure, I knew we still had a chance to win it in game 7, but I also knew how hard that would be, playing in Anaheim and coming right off a disheartening loss like game 6. Mr. Bray turned game 7 on the radio for the drive home on Sunday. I sat in the back, wanting to cry as I listened, knowing more with each scoreless inning that we would lose.

My family had an Angels helmet that we would play with growing up. Where we got it or why in the world we kept it I have no idea. But for Halloween 2002, with the heartbreaking loss still very fresh in our minds, we took that helmet and stuck a butcher knife through it. Then, in our front yard turned 'cemetery' we gave it a place a top our 'tomb of the unknown Angels fan.' It may seem morbid, but hey, we were ticked. Ever since I’ve had an almost subconscious hatred of the Angels that people don’t usually understand. It’s not like they’re the Dodgers. But they did enough damage that year to justify my feelings.

Rule No. 1 for those jumping on the SF Giants bandwagon: "They need to know how it hurt in 2002.” (http://articles.sfgate.com/2010-10-06/news/24113535_1_juan-uribe-buster-posey-fans)

So you can imagine my extreme pride and joy this season when my Giants won the World Series for the first time since coming to San Francisco in 1958!!

I live in Utah and don't have cable, so I wasn't able to watch many of the mid-season games. I checked their record every once in a while and about midway through the season it didn't look like they were doing so hot, about 50%.

-------------------------
"Giants baseball. Torture.” The phrase stuck, defining a season that included four straight months out of first place and 52 games won or lost by one run. (http://articles.sfgate.com/2010-10-06/news/24113535_1_juan-uribe-buster-posey-fans)
-------------------------

But starting in September things started turning around. My dad gave me a call and told me they were only one game away from winning their division. What?! Then started the checking of scores daily rather than weekly or monthly. Sure enough they beat the SD Padres to win the Western Division!

I couldn't watch most of the Atlanta series (no cable), but my dad kept me posted. I watched the Giants win game 1 against the Phillies. Game 2 was a Saturday night and the ward was over at my bishop’s house for dinner. I wore my Giants jersey and asked to have the game turned on in the basement. This guy that I didn’t even know really ticked me off by saying he was going for the Phillies because they had the best chance against the Yankees. Well, boo yah! 1. The Yankees didn’t make it to the WS anyway, and 2. I don’t see your Red Sox anywhere either. Off soap box. Well, we got past the Phillies, kicking Roy Halladay and the rest of their pitching superstars’ trash. I watched the last game of that series at the Old Chicago restaurant in Boise, Idaho where my hockey team was eating dinner after a tournament game. I don’t think I paid attention to anyone around me the whole time. Although I did look away long enough to take this picture
When they got the last out I jumped up with a resounding, “Yesss!” It was probably a little embarrassing, but I didn’t care. The Giants were going to the World Series! Their first postseason appearance since 2002, playing the Texas Rangers.

(My Halloween costume)

The morning of Game 5, the San Francisco Chronicle stated my feelings perfectly: “The Giants (we’re checking, this might be a dream) are on the verge of bringing home the biggest party since the glory days of the 49ers.”

BJ and Preston came over for one game of the series, and Melissa Cowles came over for another one. I love that Melissa is also a Giants fan. They won game 1 and absolutely destroyed them in game 2! I talked to my dad that night. Even after a 9-0 win we couldn’t get too excited. My dad said, “You know, I’ve been disappointed so many times that I’m not even going to entertain the thought that we could win. I just have to take it one game at a time.” But when they won game 4 in Texas we couldn’t help but get excited, only ONE MORE!

Part of me wanted them to win in San Fran, in front of their home crowd, but hey I would take a win any way they delivered it! I watched Game 5 all by myself and, after not wanting to believe it until it actually happened, THE GIANTS WON!!! It didn’t matter that I was alone, I celebrated as if there was a party all around me!

After the game, and after answering all the texts from friends congratulating me on my teams triumph, I called my dad. We talked for hours about our memories of cheering for the Giants, the history of the team, and not believing it had actually happened. I mean, my dad had waited for this moment...well...his entire life.

------------------------

I thought this blogger really captured the feelings of many Giants fans so I’ll end with his summary of the season: “There’s been a lot of publicity about Giants Torture. With their great pitching and so so hitting, their games are often nail biters. I never considered myself tortured by the G-Men, but I never started a season thinking, this could be the year. I always knew better.

This year, when the boys made the playoffs, I was right there with the “experts”, if they’re lucky, they might squeak by the Braves, but they’re gonna get killed by the Phillies. The Phillies after all have great pitching AND great hitting. But hey, it’s the Giants and they did their best.

Then I watched in awe as the pitching took over and dominated every series they were in. I breathed into a paper bag a couple times, got up and walked around the room, looked way, and clenched fists and jaw, and when it became really tense, it was.. as they say.. torture.

And it was great.

So for the first time in my life, my team has won the World Series.

I think, for the first time, all of us fans of the Orange and Black will have the same thing on our minds.

This IS the year.

(http://oldandintheway.org/2010/11/02/a-giant-love-affair/)

So...a lot can happen in a...year.

2010-04-21T17:58:00.001-06:00

I know it's been a really, really long time since I've blogged, but hey, it's a new year and I'm ready to get it going again. A lot has happened so I'll be playing a little catch up.

First off, I got a new job! The eBay job really wasn't the best fit -- AT ALL. So I was hired as a Project Supervisor at
And I love it! I work with great people in a field that I love. And on top of that, my friend Melissa works there too. Good times.

It's not every day...

2010-01-23T14:31:00.017-07:00

...you meet someone who is 90 years old.

And it's even more rare to meet a 90 year old who walks 2 miles a day, works out at the YMCA, works several shifts a week at the Las Vegas Temple, and lives by himself. Well my Grandpa Mathews hit the 90 mark on January 2nd and yes, he does all of those things. (Man I hope I got some of those genes! :))

To celebrate this amazing milestone we had a big party for him with family and friends.

My mom has been planning this party for months. Every time I called her she was planning food, ordering supplies, or figuring out decorations for the tables. Well, she definitely did not disappoint. If there's one thing I know about my mom, she never does anything half way. The party turned out wonderfully. The food was amazing, the decorations top notch, and most importantly, it was a day to remember for my grandpa. All 3 of his sons, all 12 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren made the trip to Las Vegas for the occasion. I think for him, having his entire family there was the best part. In all, we estimated that about 150 friends came to celebrate with him. Some were old friends, some new. Some came from far away, others were local. Some even surprised him by not telling him they were coming.

I hope this party was fun and memorable for my grandpa, but most importantly I hope it showed him just how much he is loved by everyone he comes in contact with.

In case you weren't able to make it to the party, here are some pictures of what you missed :) --

The Food = Amazing! (Compliments to Dana Mathews)

The Guests

The next day after church my grandpa referred to his birthday as one of the best days of his life.

We love you so very much Dasil G! Happy Birthday!!

I finally finished them!

2009-09-20T21:32:00.004-06:00

I may be the last person on the planet, but I finally finished the Harry Potter series!

I finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Friday night at midnight. Yes, I decided to be a total loser and spend my entire Friday night reading. But it was worth it, sooo good. Although I kind of wish now I had spread out the reading a little bit because now I'm kind of sad it's over.

I started reading the Harry Potter series last year because my roomate insisted I would like them. I had nothing against reading them, I guess I just never had the desire or time, or something. So I read the first 3 but for some reason stopped halfway through the fourth book. Then this summer my friend Ben found out I had stopped reading the series with no plan of action to get a hold of the others and finish them. He first looked at me like I was crazy, then promptly took me to his house where he grabbed the fourth book, handed it to me, and told me I had to finish them.

Well, I'm really glad he did that. The Harry Potter books really are so good! I had a ton of fun reading them. The books fully transport you to Harry's magical world. So many times while reading the books I found myself wishing I could be there at Hogwarts, living in a castle with a four poster bed and a trunk full of spellbooks. I wish I could clean my house or wash my clothes with a flick of a wand. I wish I could go on adventures and discover hidden secrets.

My favorite character was by far Dumbledore. Now, I know he's fictional so don't think I'm going crazy, but while reading the books I often wished I could be like Dumbledore. He was so wise, understanding, and witty. He could command respect without ever raising his voice. He could win any argument with his completely reasonable and witty replies. There were so many times that I re-read Dumbledore's words (really JK Rowlings) so they could sink in further. Like the time he talked about death and darkness and explained to Harry that it isn't really death or darkness we fear, but it's the unknown. So true, those of us who know what lies in store for us after this life have no real reason to fear death. I know I'm probably reading way too much into it but, dang, so good nonetheless.

While my favorite character was Dumbledore, the best character of the whole series was probably Snape. And JK Rowling did an amazing job concealing his true loyalties until the very end. You were never really sure where he stood until the very end. Awesome.

Anyway, if you haven't read them I highly recommend it. If not just for something fun to take your mind off life.

Some more catch up stuff that just can't go overlooked any longer...

2009-09-20T20:19:00.004-06:00

I got to the end of this post and realized it's going to have to be picture-less because I can't find the cord that connects my camera to my computer. So when I reference a photo, you're just going to have to imagine :) The only picture you get at the moment is the one I stole of PTM from Facebook.

Ok, there have been some events recently (my definition of "recently" for this post being anything in the last 6 months :)) that can't be forgotten in the dark hole of my laziness in writing on this blog.

I digress -- I think my journal writing is somewhat like Joseph Smith's, with "periods of effective journal keeping, but there were also gaps when months and even years went by in silence (Mark Ashurst-McGee and Alex Smith, "The Joseph Smith Journals," Ensign, Dec 2007). While neither of us, I'm sure, are proud of this, at least he could employ scribes to help him later in life. Hmm, that might be something worth looking into...scribes...ya.

Ok, back on topic.

I had to get this one posted because it barely meets the "rarely" cutoff. In March my cousin Paul (aka PTM) took me to a Jazz game. Big deal you say? Well this wasn't just any Jazz game. It was his company's turn to sit in the box seats. Yes, that's right. Notice the "Luxury Suites" logo on the ticket, announcing to the world that we are more important than everyone else :). Seriously though, that's the way to watch a basketball game. They had all kinds of food, drinks, snacks, and desserts, and all still pretty close to the action on the court.

It was so nice of him to take me to the game, I mean, he could have taken anyone. (And I'm sure his parents were not a little displeased that he didn't take a girl whose not a relation :)) He took me because he knows I love basketball, and would probably appreciate it more than anyone else. Well, except for our other cousin Christie whom he took last year. She's pretty much the biggest Jazz fan EVER.

Anyway, thanks PTM for taking me to the game, I had a blast! And thanks for being my number one hockey fan in Ogden!!

Here's a pic I stole of PTM from his Facebook

Next up --- Fourth of July Lewiston Extravaganza. We went to Lewiston for the 4th again this year, and again Sis. Hall did not disappoint as the "Goddess of 4th of July Fun." This year we actually decided to add another somethin' somethin' to the festivities and ran the 5k race. The Mathews family represented pretty well, I must say. Preston won the whole thing, I got 4th for the girls, 2nd in my age group, and BJ got 10th overall, 3rd in his age group (which included Preston). Here's our little ribbons. Hopefully Sis. Hall doesn't get in trouble for bringing an outsider "ringer", and Preston can come back again next year!

Third --- My Stanley Cup Final Party. The final was in June and it was the Detroit Red Wings vs Pittsburgh Penguins. What made this game really exiting was 1) The Penguins were a heavy underdog, and 2) this was the exact same match up as last year when the Red Wings won it all right in front of the Pittsburgh fans. Well, revenge is sweet. I invited some friends over and made sure I had everything in the Pens colors of black and tan. For snacks I had ding dongs (they look like pucks, PTM's genious idea), Pepsi and Lemonade (closest drinks to Pens colors I could find), and chocolate cupcakes with buttercream frosting. I also put the players names and numbers on the cupcakes which I think added a little something. That's my specialty, I do the cupcake/players name and number thing for my Suns parties too.

It was an exiting, exciting game and the Penguins came out the victors. To make it even better? The final was won in Detroit. Muahahahahaha. Take that!

NeNe Sticks

2009-08-27T22:36:00.003-06:00

This morning I got a text from my mom informing me that my Grandma Hunt's sister, Jeannine, had passed away. Aunt NeNe was a strong woman who often fought against the odds and won. Whether it was raising two children alone during the '50s and '60s when it wasn't exactly the norm, or fighting cancer and living years after many doctors predicted she would. Today, that cancer finally got the best of her, but she didn't go down without a fight.

She remained ever faithful in the gospel of Jesus Christ, and will always be an example to me of dedicated service and enduring to the end.

I will never forget the times spent with her at my Gp's cabin. She and I would often share the upstairs bedroom, and although we never 'chatted it up like schoolgirls', I always felt special being with her. One night she told me about how her name is spelled differently on her birth certificate, but that she had always spelled Jeannine with two N's so that's how she kept it.

My brothers and I loved going to visit her in St. George on our way home to Las Vegas from school. We would visit her at her home where she was always so hospitable and glad to see us there. We'd look at her old pictures and she would show us the most recent ones of her grandkids and great grandkids, she was so proud of them. In the most recent years we visited her at a hospital in St. George. She was so feisty with the doctors it was almost laughable, but it was that same personality that most likely kept her with us for so long. The last year of her life she lived in Missouri to be closer to her immediate family. I hope it was better for her, but we certainly missed having her close to us here. Although my grandma's children and grandchildren weren't her closest family, she was always an important part of our lives. We will miss you NeNe Sticks!

Until we meet again...

Songs that mean something to me - Part 1

2009-08-25T21:28:00.004-06:00

Ok, I've always kind of liked the song Who I Am, by Jessica Andrews. Not because of any particularly genius tune or catchiness, but because I really like the words. It talks about the important things in life; about being confident in yourself; about having a family that loves you and supports you.

There have been times after high school that I felt a little sad/mad at myself that I didn't play sports in college, or even try. I felt like I was wasting my talent. More importantly, at least in my mind, I felt like I was disappointing my parents. They had spent so much time and money giving me opportunities to play sports at the highest level I wanted to play at, and here I was..wasting it. Not even using that talent to help pay for college.

But my dad, what a good guy, simply told me once that it was worth every penny to see me happy, doing the things I wanted to do. He also said that it was sports who helped shape me into the person I am today. Sports can teach young people how to work hard for something they want, how to practice, how to work as a team, respect authorities, listen to directions, and to be graceful in winning as well as losing.

Here are some of the lyrics to the song:

If I live to be a hundred
And never see the seven wonders
That'll be alright
If I don't make it to the big leagues
If I never win a grammy
I'm gonna be just fine
'cause I know exactly who I am

So when I make a big mistake
When I fall flat on my face
I know I'll be alright
Should my tender heart be broken
I will cry those teardrops knowin'
I will be just fine
'cause nothin' changes who I am

I am [Billie Lea's] granddaughter
The spitting image of my father
And when the day is done
My momma's still my biggest fan
Sometimes I'm clueless and I'm clumsy
But I've got friends that love me
And they know just where I stand
Its all a part of me
And that's who I am

It's true, I do look a lot like my father. And as far as my biggest fan? Just ask the woman who allowed her car to transform into a locker room; the one who put on her taxi cap nearly every day to make sure I was at every practice; and who attended almost every game I ever played in. I had been playing hockey for about 2 years before my parents (and grandpa) were finally able to watch me play a couple weeks ago. I think it killed them to hear me talk about it, especially with it being so new, and not be able to come watch me play.

I love you mom and dad, thanks for everything!

A night with Jan Shipps

2009-08-19T22:16:00.009-06:00

Last Friday night my Bishop and his wife invited me to their house to have dinner with them and their special guest, Jan Shipps. I had read her first major book, called Mormonism: The Story of a New Religious Tradition, for a couple of classes at BYU as well as some of her articles. She also helped edit the Journals of William E. McLellin which I used extensively for the John Johnson Home Site Guide I helped with. She has been president of the Mormon History Association and gave a paper on Mormonism at a conference commemorating, Joseph Smith, Jr., held at the Library of Congress in 2005.

Her newest book is entitled Sojourner in the Promised Land: Forty Years among the Mormons. Puzzled by that last title? Here's the kicker -- Jan Shipps is not a Mormon. She is actually a lifelong Methodist, but during the 1950s she lived briefly in Logan, Utah. There she became fascinated with the Mormons - their religion, culture, and place within the greater American religious context. She never looked back. She has been studying the Mormons ever since.

Her husband Tony also came to dinner as well as other historians John Hamer and Jean Addams. When I was first introduced to John I knew I recognized his name from somewhere. My bishop then told me he has been studying all the Mormon schismatic groups which jogged my memory. I remembered him as the author of this book:

The group of us talked a little before dinner - of course about church history topics. Jean has studied the Hedrickite Church (or he Church of Christ (Temple Lot)) so we talked a little about them. We covered everything from the soon to be non-existent office of church patriarch, to Emma Smith, to Utah mining.

It was definitely a different experience talking about church practices, offices, priesthood, and history with people who don't believe in the faith, yet most likely know more about these topics than 99% of church members. It was also a little out of the ordinary to have to distinguish which church I was talking about with each comment. LDS? FLDS? RLDS? Hedrickites?

They were all so sweet and fun to talk to. At dinner John asked me what topics I'm interested in studying and encouraged me to write a paper and attend the John Whitmer Historical Association meeting this year. He's actually one of their Exec. Directors and helped start their new press. Jan Shipps asked me what my plans were for more schooling. I must admit I felt a little sheepish not really knowing exactly what I wanted to do. I mentioned possibly getting a masters degree in Library Science and Archives. At this Jan's husband, Tony, spoke up. He has an MLIS degree and worked in libraries for years. I told him I wasn't sure about it because I didn't want to work in a public library. He gave some really good advice, and put me in my place, when he told me, "Well, you don't always get to do what you want." Very true. Sis. Marsh and Jan then encouraged me to maybe take some classes at the U.

After dinner Jeremy and I went into the living room with Jan and her dog, Mr. Darcy :). We talked for probably an hour and a half, just the three of us. She told us about how she got into studying the Mormons, where she went to school, how she paid for school, her family, all the odd jobs she has had, etc. She was very, very interesting to talk to. I even got her to sign my book.

I am so grateful to Sis. Marsh for inviting to me this dinner and giving me the once in a lifetime opportunity to associate with such great Mormon historians in such a close and intimate setting.

My little mishap

2009-08-15T10:44:00.016-06:00

So back in May (Tuesday, the 19th to be exact) I went to our ward softball practice like normal and after warming up I took my usual spot in left field (cause that's where you get the most action). Paul was up to bat and the second hit of the night came to me. I ran hard to the left and dove for it.

Well...

To my extreme satisfaction and I'm sure the pride of my parents and maybe some of my friends, I caught the ball...but...rather than my glove sliding along the ground after the catch like normal, my glove hand completely caught on the ground and I kind of awkwardly rolled over it. I felt a pop or at least something definitely not normal. I ripped my glove off, with the ball still in it, and started walking off the field. My friends Rachel and Ben came right over and looked at it. I could already start to see a bulge right on top of my hand. Rachel did some little tests and we decided we should definitely go to the quick care.

So Ben and Rachel took me to the Instacare where they said it was definitely broken (and the bulge was the bone sticking up, ew). The doctor wrapped it in a splint and told me to go see an orthopedic specialist because I would probably need surgery. Luckily though, when I went to the orthopedic surgeon a couple days later he said the bone was still in good alignment (in fact if you look at the xray of the top of my hand you almost can't tell it's broken) and all the ligaments and everything intact so no surgery was needed. Phew.

After the instacare Ben and Rachel and I ran around trying to find an open pharmacy and finally found one after 3 tries.

The funniest part though? As we were driving back to the field Rachel got a call, the rest of the softball group was locked inside the field! It was kind of funny telling them about my hand with a fence in between us until a guy came with the key to let them out.

Here are a couple of the x rays...

So I had to wear this thing for a while.

Here's what it looked like, although I forgot to take pictures until a couple weeks after it happened. So this is the no-so-swollen version.

The doctor specifically told me NOT to play sports for 2 months. Ya, that ain't gonna happen. Besides my broken pinky in kindergarten (playing football mind you) this is the first injury I've ever had. I've never had to sit out of a single game because of an injury...ever. In fact, when I told BJ I had broken my hand the first thing he said to me was, "Well you're about due." No sympathy, no nothin' :).

My friends took me to a movie the next night so I wouldn't try to play soccer with the ward. I honestly have the best friends in the world, from Ben and Rachel dropping everything to take me to the Instacare, to Jamen being at my house when I got home that night to ask how I was doing, to Paul being my "escort" to the movie so I didn't have to drive, to a bunch of texts asking how what happened and how the team was really going to be hurting without me, etc, etc. My friends are the best!!

Oh, one more funny thing. Two days after I broke my hand, a group of friends went to Cafe Rio. Well Brian S. showed up and he was wearing the same kind of splint that I had on. We found out that he had broken his hand in pretty much the same place (except his was on the ring finger, mine the middle), on the same day, at almost the same time of night!! Crazy.

It was kind of nice not being the only gimp at softball, batting one-handed and playing Jim Abbott style in the field (I put the glove on my right hand to catch the ball, then I would take the glove off, put it under my other arm, take the ball out and throw with my right hand). It was pretty awesome but I'm definitely glad to be able to play normally again. The bone is still sticking up a little bit so you can see the bump but it doesn't really hurt at all anymore.

So that was my little summer adventure.

p.s. The hardest thing for me to do with a broken hand? Put my dang hair in a ponytail, that hurt more than anything!

Trips

2009-08-13T17:32:00.014-06:00

Logandale/Lake Mead/Family Reunion/Grandpa's Cabin
At the end of May we had a Hunt family reunion in Bunkerville, NV. Luckily Preston, BJ, and I were able to get off work (actually I was in between jobs, more details to come) so we were able to go down on Thursday night to spend more time down there. I drove down to Provo, then we took Preston's car down to Cedar City where BJ was living for about a month while he was doing a pharmacy rotation. We stayed the night in Cedar City then drove to Logandale in the morning.

LAKE MEAD

Preston wakeboarding

WyWy found a good place to nap :)

Aunt Megan and Ben

The wakeboarders

The other boat

Gm and Gp Hunt

FERLIN HUNT FAMILY REUNION (Bunkerville, NV)

The Bunkerville Chapel

Ferlin and Verda Hunt

Story time!

Chelseigh and Ethan with the awesome t-shirts they made

Gm Julia and I, she just turned 91 yrs old!

Bunkerville Cemetery

Some of the cousins (front: Chelseigh, Wyatt, Marissa.
Middle: Mackae, Mallory, me. Back: Jake, Preston, BJ)
So as we left the cemetery I decided to go in my Uncle Adam's car, and not 5 minutes later we get a call that my parents had a little...mishap. Somebody made a left turn right into them as they were pulling into a gas station.

Preston talking to the cops

I'm thinking this worked out though because now they have this...

Pretty sweet car if you ask me.

The Cabin
The fishermenPreston's catchMy grandpa's Mmm, mm Dutch oven

St. George
A couple weeks after the family reunion some friends and I took a trip down to St. George for the weekend. Paul's grandma and grandpa live on a golf course down there and they wanted some free golf :). We had a pretty big group so some stayed at Paul's gm's place while the rest of us stayed at Rachel and Brian's gm's house on the other side of the city. It was such a fun, relaxing weekend.

Views from Paul's grandparents house...so beautiful!!

The boys found a big gila monster in the backyard and of course HAD to play with it

Ely
The next week Preston was talking to our cousin Sheena. She and her husband Joe had decided to join the church and she wanted to invite us to the baptism! BJ couldn't get off work on such short notice but Preston and I drove the 4+ hours out to Ely for the occasion.

It was such a good feeling to be there with my family (Gp and Gm Hunt, Uncle Andy, Aunt Paula, Marissa and Jake) and see another member of the family, someone I love so much, take that important step and be baptized. After the baptism we went to dinner together, then went and saw Sheena's house which I've never been too before. Preston and I then turned around and went straight back to SLC. On the drive home it was pitch black, as in no sign of life for at least 30 miles around. It was actually pretty fun driving in the dark...the only ones on the road...if we break down...or eaten by a bear... .... ... there's no one to hear us scream. Aaaaahhhh!!

2009-08-13T17:15:00.002-06:00

I'M BACK!!!

Well friends, after a long...long hiatus from blogging I am now back and intend to continue pursuing my life's goal of boring you all with pointless stories about my life with full vigor.

I'll probably spend the next week or so just trying to catch you up on what I've been doing for the last, oh, 4+ months since I last wrote. Enjoy!

2009-03-21T14:51:00.007-06:00

MARCH 21, 2009

Last weekend a group of friends and I decided to go down to Vegas for the Mountain West Conference Championships. Initially we just invited the BYU fans in our ward, the idea being, BYU would be in the championship game. It all depended on how BYU played on Friday night, but of course if we wanted to get down there we couldn't wait for that, so we decided to go anyway.

Hmmm.

On the way down we listened in horror as BYU played like CRAP and lost to San Diego State.

Once again BYU dissapointed and we were forced to watch the University of Utah play in the championship game instead...and win...ugh.

But we weren't gonna go down without screamin'...literally.

... we made signs...

At the game we ran into Bro. Bingham, our 2nd counselor! (me, Paul, Bro. Bingham, Brian F., Rachel, Andrew, Jeremy)

Ugh, Rachel made me take this discusting picture with MY camera. Utes ::shiver::

Rachel and Paul

And of course we had to get us some In 'N' Out

That night we went down to The Strip

Me, Brian, JeremyThe circular escalator at Cesaers

Jeremy

Umm, don't tell the Bishop...or their moms :)

On the way home (Jeremy, Paul's car, and Rachel)

Love the mountains

Basically this trip was so much fun, the game, The Strip, Original Pancake House, In 'n' Out, swimming, movies, blah blah blah.

And my parents were SO awesome to let us stay at our house. Thanks!!

All I ever needed to know in life, I learned from Calvin and Hobbes...

2009-03-10T12:47:00.016-06:00

About chores: "If you do the job badly enough, sometimes you don't get asked to do it again."

About reality: "Reality continues to ruin my life."

About dealing with misogynists (you show him Suzie Derkins!):

About the possible effects of television: "Oh, great altar of passive entertainment... Bestow upon me thy discordant images at such speed as to render linear thought impossible!"

About life's cruel ironies: "There's an inverse relationship between how good something is for you, and how much fun it is."

About reading: "Reading goes faster if you don't sweat comprehension."

About effective time wasting: "A day can really slip by when you're deliberately avoiding what you're supposed to do."

About self esteem: "So the secret to good self-esteem is to lower your expectations to the point where they're already met?"

About politics, voter apathy, and idiots who like to hear themselves talk: "When I grow up, I'm not going to read the newspaper and I'm not going to follow complex issues and I'm not going to vote. That way I can complain when the government doesn't represent me. Then, when everything goes down the tubes, I can say the system doesn't work and justify my further lack of participation."

About government:

About writing: "I used to hate writing assignments, but now I enjoy them. I realized that the purpose of writing is to inflate weak ideas, obscure poor reasoning, and inhibit clarity. With a little practice, writing can be an intimidating and impenetrable fog!"

About history (hmmm): "History is the fiction we invent to persuade ourselves that events are knowable and that life has order and direction. That's why events are always reinterpreted when values change. We need new versions of history to allow for our current prejudices."

About elitist intellectualism: "People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don't realize how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world."

About parenting: "Being a parent is wanting to hug and strangle your kid at the same time."

About parents: "What assurance do I have that your parenting isn't screwing me up?"

About crushes:

About artistic interpretation (ok these were just funny):

About love: "The best presents don't come in boxes."

About agency: "It's only work if somebody makes you do it."

About life: "Life is like topography, Hobbes. There are summits of happiness and success... ...Flat stretches of boring routine... ...And valleys of frustration and failure."

About death:

That it's ok to feel like sometimes you just don't fit in:

Everything is so amazing...and nobody is happy.

2009-03-04T14:42:00.002-07:00

10 years later...

2009-02-24T23:08:00.003-07:00

Wow. It’s been ten years. I’ll never forget February 24, 1999, because that’s the day my family became more precious to me. We were on our way to my Great Grandmother Holmes’ funeral in Mesquite. My older brother had recently gotten his drivers permit, but wasn’t used to driving at freeway speeds. After getting too close to a semi, he over corrected, sending us into a ditch. We hit the bottom and the car rolled 3 ½ times up the other side of the ditch, landing on the other freeway facing the opposite direction from where we came. That scene and the ones that followed will always be in my mind. In some ways it seems like just yesterday, while in others it’s like a distant memory. But that experience made me realize more than ever how much I love my family.

It’s sad isn’t it? Sad that it takes such a traumatic event to remind me how much my family means to me. Equally sad though, is how quickly I could forget such a powerful lesson about the impermanence of life. It’s so easy to lose that sense of what’s really important, and treat loved ones as though I have all the time in the world to right any wrongs, or make my love for them known. It’s easy to forget how close I came to losing them.

The scriptures always teach us to “remember,” I think not only to learn from past experiences, but also to see the hand of God in our lives and recognize how much He has done for us. Remembering can strengthen our faith to endure the inevitable trials of the future and help us to see the silver lining in even life’s most difficult challenges. From that experience I learned to love and appreciate my family, I saw the Christ-like love of others for us, and I learned a powerful lesson on priorities.

“Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family.” –Pres. Thomas S. Monson in “Finding Joy in the Journey.”

**If you remember when this happened, please put any memories you have in the comment section. I'd like to know what everyone else remembers. How you heard about it, etc. Thanks!

New discoveries...

2009-02-12T15:50:00.001-07:00

I’ve discovered and learned about many things while living in Utah. For example:

Fry Sauce – perhaps the best thing to come out of Utah besides, oh, Steve Young.

The term “Ward” - No, not referring to the geographical boundaries of members attending your congregation, but referring to the actual building you meet in. Like, “FHE is at the ward tonight.” Wuh?

Inversions – apparently you’re NOT supposed to go running outside when one is going on.

That you actually have to pay for parking downtown in most cities besides Las Vegas.

But my newest discovery, and one that has occupied my Saturday mornings for the last few weeks and probably will continue to because I LOVE it…

SNOWSHOEING!

This, my friends is a new favorite activity of mine. Many of you know that I'm just not a fan of snow. Having lived in Las Vegas my whole life, all I think about when I think of snow is how annoying it is to drive in, scraping off my car and getting snow in my shoes, and slipping on the ice created by the snowplows trying to clear the snow--ugh. But snowshoeing has given me a new appreciation for this type of precipitation. It is absolutely beautiful!! Especially if you're the first one to break a new trail along freshly fallen snow, wow. And since I’ve only recently discovered how close the canyons really are to me, I’m gonna go all the time! Seriously, a ten minute drive from my parking lot and I’m at the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon. Awesome – I know.

My first time was about a month ago with a big group of friends (and some strangers :)). It was kind of funny because 2 of my friends had planned to meet on the same day at the same time, same place for snowshoeing and both asked me to go with them. So when they figured out they were planning the same activity we combined forces and had a big group. It was a night hike so we started at about 8:00pm and hiked to Doughnut Falls up Big Cottonwood. Preston came up from Provo too so it was really fun!

It was almost a full moon that night and it was beautiful! We didn't even need headlamps to see it was so bright. (I got this picture from one of the other people on the hike).

Preston and I before embarking on our first snowshoeing excursion ever! My friend Emily let me borrow her shoes, and Preston borrowed a pair from my friend Brian.

Nancy, Kristin (in white), and Morris.
Morris (the planner of the event)

Brian Shelby

Me going down the awesome butt-slide at the top, and Jamen not hitting me on his way down :)

At the top there was a little cave you could crawl down into and inside there was a waterfall, it was amazing! Here's preston in the cave, but it was so dark in there you can't see the waterfall behind him...lame.

Preston about to put his snowshoes back on after our break at the top.

Oh Brian...

Since that first excursion I've gone 3 more times. This guy at work, Mel, goes every single weekend! Seriously this guy is awesome! He used to work at Zion National Park, so when some friends and I hiked the Narrows and Angel's Landing this summer I asked him for some tips. That started a lot of conversations about hiking and other outdoorsy activities. Anyway, we had talked about going snowshoeing for awhile, but let's be honest, I was a little worried he would totally school me notwithstanding he is, uh, more-advanced-in-years than me. But he invited me so I went. The group included me, Mel, his friend Neil (Mel and Neil went on a bike trip this summer from Kansas to San Francisco--crazy), and Neil’s son Jesse. We hiked to Willow Lake and it was gorgeous. Going with Mel wasn't as hard as I thought either. Jesse and I practically raced up the mountain, but Mel and Neil hung back, slow and steady, but they can go forever! Endurance is key for them apparently, they just bask in the beauty of it all--and I like that :).

Mel, me, Neil taking a break

Mel and I starting back

Mel, me, Neil

The next week Mel, Emily, and I hiked to Lake Mary. I crossed my first frozen lake! Of course, that was after we let Mel go first, don't want to take any chances right?!

Mel and I

This butt slide didn't turn out to be as good as we'd hoped, but it was still fun. This is me and Emily behind.

Me and Emily

Last weekend Mel had something on Saturday morning so Emily and I just went by ourselves. She had never hiked Willow Heights so I did that one again. We didn't go very far though cause Emily had eaten one too many Tim Tams at her party the night before and I was running on 1 1/2 hours of sleep (dumb, I know) so we turned around as soon as we got to the lake and were back down the mountain by 10:45am. Mel came up later and must have just missed us but he could see we had been there and was sure glad we broke trail for him. You're welcome.

Emily taking a picture of her new snowshoes, which I believe she has named Joe--just Joe.

So beautiful! (Emily and the mountains :))
Me in the trees
Mel has already given us some options for this Saturday -- USA Bowl, Bear Trap, or Mineral Fork. So many hikes, so little time...

Senior Year

2009-02-10T11:41:00.008-07:00

I stole this from Kelley Brasier who posted it on her Facebook profile. I thought it looked like fun might give people a small glimpse into my high school experience, so here it goes.

Centennial High School

1. Did you date someone from your school?

2. Did you marry someone from your high school? Not likely

3. Did you drive to school or ride the bus? Drove (seminary before school and sports after school, the bus was usually not an option)

4. What kind of car did you have? 1985 Chevy Nova (Class of 2004 “Worst Car” award, Yeah Baby!)

5. What kind of car do you have now? ’96 Mercedes Benz

6. It is Friday night now...where are you? Uh…Hopefully out on a date, more likely watching a movie, wishing I was playing hockey

7. It was Friday night then...where were you then? Babysitting (Thanks to the Brasiers for keeping me employed J) or hanging out with friends

8. What kind of job did you have in high school? Babysitting, Latter-day Book, and teaching sports classes to kids at Becker Community Schools

9. What kind of job do you have now? At the moment, an internship with the Church History Dept. of the LDS Church

10. Did you play a team sport? I would say so!! Lot's of them.

11. Were you considered a flirt? Haha, NO

12. Were you in band, orchestra, or choir? Nope

13. Were you a nerd? I’d like to think I wasn’t but, I took Calculus.

14. Were you a jock or a cheerleader? A cheerleader? Please…

15. Did you get suspended or expelled? No, I like rules.

16. Can you sing the fight song? Did we have one? “Stand up and shout for Centennial, the Bulldogs will always prevail…”

17. Who was/were your favorite teachers? Fish, Cerrone, Mitch Danger, but I would have to say Mrs. Mays is my favorite because, let’s face it, she’s the ONLY reason I passed the Calculus AP test (which meant I didn’t have to take it in college, hallelujah).

18. Where did you sit during lunch? At a circular table with my cross country peeps (Hey Laura and Melissa, do you have any gum?)

19. Were you a superlative? "Most likely to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated," ya, that didn't happen :)

20. When did you graduate? 2004

21. What was your school mascot? Bulldogs

22. Did you ever TP anyone's house? Oh yes, the Mathews Mafia is well known at Palo Verde High School for a single brilliant TP-ing job (Remember that Mathews cousins?). Oh, and we once got rear ended, ON PURPOSE, by some drunk kids who thought we were TP-ing their house but it was really the one next door (Remember that Ali, Andy, and Preston?)

23. Did you have fun at the prom? what was the song? I sure did! And I definitely don’t remember the song because thankfully Mike didn’t like dancing either.

24. Do you still talk to the person you went to Prom with? Not really, but I saw him at the store in Provo a couple of months ago!

25. Are you planning on going to your next reunion? Ya, I think it would be fun. And it will be easy because I still live relatively close.

26. Do you still talk to people from school? Definitely

27. Did you ever sneak out of the house? No way, 1) My room’s on the 2nd floor and I’m a chicken, 2) I didn’t have a single reason to sneak out, and 3) See #15

28. Who was your favorite band? Honestly, whatever my brothers were listening to. They were usually in charge of the radio.

29. What are/were your school's colors? Navy and Carolina Blue

30.If you could go back and do it again, would you? Mmm, I had a good time, but I’m happy to have moved on.

This was the only picture I already had on my computer from high school. Ali and I got our picture in the newspaper along with an article and then the next week we raced Palo Verde in a dual meet. We ran as a pack most of the way and on top of that Ali and I made a wrong turn! Well, one Palo girl beat us and sure enough when we crossed the finish line we could hear people telling the winner, "You beat the newspaper girls! You beat the newspaper girls!" Really?

Super Bowl XLIII

2009-02-03T16:36:00.008-07:00

Good game yes, but entirely NOT how I wanted it to turn out.

I did NOT want the Steelers to win. You want to know why?:

1. I always cheer for the underdog (unless they’re playing my team, in which case I want the underdog annihilated).
2. The Steelers just won the Super Bowl in 2006, and I don’t like to see dynasties on the rise (unless of course, it’s my team).
3. I know this is a totally FEMALE comment to make, but come one, the helmets? Can we get some symmetry here? Put the symbol on both sides please!
4. Despite being one of the oldest teams in the NFL, the Cardinals have only qualified for the playoffs 6 times, and have only won 5 playoff games (including this years 3 wins) Seriously, it was time for them to win.
5. The valiant efforts of Warner and Fitzgerald, daaaang.

6. And lastly, and perhaps most importantly - The Steelers win means they surpassed my team for number of Super Bowl wins and…I just didn’t want to see that.

So as we all know, despite a valiant effort by the Cardinals, it was the Steelers that came out the victor. Like one commentator said after the game, “A lot of times it’s not what you do in a game, it’s when you do it.” And the Cardinals just happened to take the lead with just under 3 minutes to play—plenty of time for the Steelers to score a touchdown and win the game. Boohoo.

Therefore, with much regret it seems I will have to say goodbye to the only record that, despite frankly terrible seasons these last 10 years, has allowed me to proudly exclaim my allegiance to the 49ers.

Don't mind me, I'll just be over here in a fetal position in the corner, sucking my thumb and clutching my 49er blanket.

Oh David

2009-01-30T11:10:00.002-07:00

Ok, I've made no secret of my cougar crush on David Archuleta. Seriously though, just listen to his voice. This is him singing "Be Still My Soul." Goosebumps are guaranteed.

Ya, I'd say that's a perk of the job

2009-01-22T22:58:00.002-07:00

This morning at work the other interns and I were playing a fun little game of apostle one-upsmanship. “My cousins, sister’s, great-aunt, once removed, saw Elder Nelson across the Conference Center pavilion 3 years ago.” “Well I took a class from Elder Hollands son.” “Well I went on a date with Elder Oaks grandson.” “Well President Monson smiled at me once from across the room.” And so on and so forth.

Then promptly at 9:30 Amy, Emily and I went on our daily “smoke break” to the Church Office Building for doughnuts. I know, a habit that must be broken but…why? Well, it was colder than the dickens outside so we took the not-so-secret tunnels part of the way. But since we’re apparently not super important people around here we only really have access to the underground parking. As usual we passed the “General Authority” parking lot underneath the Church Administration Building with its arsenal of Toyota Avalons, but never once have we seen a General Authority walk out of there.

After eating our doughnuts and chattin’ it up with the other “smoke break” regulars, Richard Bennett, Jeff Johnson, and Jeff Cannon (Joseph Smith Papers people) we started walking back. Emily had class so it was just Amy and I. We walked past the GA parking lot and started down the long walkway to the stairs leading up to street level. Our conversation consisted of the normal talk about boys and tv shows like Alias and CSI. Amy was to the right of me and we left the space to the left of me for other walkers.

Then, just as Amy was telling me all about how CSI: Las Vegas is the best one, she stopped talking. I looked over at her and her eyes were following a cart that had just passed us. So naturally I looked at what she was looking at. Is…that…President UCHTDORF?!!! I asked Amy, “was that…?” “Ya! That was the whole First Presidency!” I whirled back around to get a look at the others. By this time all I could see was the back of President Monson and Eyrings heads. But, hey, I SAW them! And they passed right by me! We watched them go all the way into the tunnels where only cool people are allowed access. And I’m pretty sure the security guard on the back was laughing at us with our mouths hanging open. Whatev.

So for my next round of apostle one-upsmanship – “I got passed up by the First Presidency in a cart!” Oh wait, gotta make it sound cooler… “I shared the same walkway with the First Presidency!” No, “The First Presidency looked at ME (cause I’m sure they had to have when as they were coming up to us on the walkway right?)”

Some thoughts on inauguration day...

2009-01-20T22:37:00.006-07:00

This morning I took part in an historic moment as I watched the inaugural events for Barack Obama. Here are some of my thoughts from the day.

First, however much I may disagree with Obama’s policies and ideas for the future of this country, I couldn’t help but see the importance of the moment. Monday night my friends and I held our annual Dr. MLK Jr. day party where we go to KFC and then watch Undercover Brother. This “event” is for fun and meant to be a little facetious, however I do recognize the contributions of MLK and how far we’ve come as a nation. That morning as I watched the “I Have a Dream” speech in its entirety, I couldn’t help but admire Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for his service to this country. Standing as the leader of a peaceful revolution is not an easy task. Perhaps not since Gandhi has a person garnered so much respect and admiration from his followers that they were willing to endure every kind of opposition for him. This morning as I watched the inaugural events for President Barack Obama I thought of MLK. Not because I think Obama is anything like Dr. King, but because I, like so many others, saw this moment as a victory for Martin Luther King. Anyone who makes changes in the world and does it peacefully earns 5 stars in my book. Martin Luther King deserved to see this day, it’s a shame he did not. As Obama mentioned in his speech, it truly is a remarkable thing that in a country where 60 years ago his father might not have been served at a local restaurant, his son is now accepting that same countries highest office of leadership.

But it wasn’t the skin color of this nation’s newest president that struck me the most. It wasn’t his speech by any means, and it wasn’t even the beautiful music played, or the excitement of the crowd. No, what struck me the most is nothing new. In fact, the same thing has happened 44 times before. Here’s what impressed me: The setting was the West Wing of the US Capital Building. President Barack Obama along with VP Joe Biden sat with their families. Behind and to the left of them sat the former President George W. Bush, as well as 3 other former Presidents – Jimmy Carter, George HW Bush and Bill Clinton. At 12:05pm Obama took the oath of office and immediately afterwards was congratulated with a handshake by George Bush. Just like that, power had changed hands. In fact, according to the 20th amendment to the Constitution, Obama became the 44th President of the United States when the clock struck noon. The switching of leaders in America is as almost as simple and easy as a time of day. Obama then stood to address the nation. He first spoke of his humility at the task before him and gratitude for the trust given him by the American people. He then recognized the former president saying, “I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.”

Do we realize how remarkable this is? Do we take it for granted? Historically, issues of succession have been the cause of wars and revolutions. Without democracy and freedom, dictators may hold onto power until someone, somehow, rises up and removes him. As of yesterday, George W. Bush stood at the head of the most powerful nation on earth, yet as so many presidents before him have done, when the will of the people demanded it, he willingly relinquished that power to another, even one of an opposing party. It was done without struggle and without hostility. This seamless and smooth transition of power in the United States is part of what makes this nation great. Every time the presidential mantle is effortlessly transferred, Americans are proving to the world that we are not a nation of individuals, but truly are a United States.

The last thing I want to do in this post is thank President Bush. I want to be sure that amidst all the popularity and iconicity of Barack Obama, that President Bush’s accomplishments are not clouded or downplayed (probably too late for that). I truly believe the test of time will prove George W. Bush to be a man of strong character and values, one who did the best he could with the intelligence placed on his desk, who despite the worst slander his critics could throw at him, as well as their efforts to undermine him, was able to keep us safe as a nation during his term in office. Does anyone really think 9/11 is the last time an American life will be lost as a result of radical Islamic terrorists? The idea that Pres. Bush has kept us safe these last seven years may not seem like much of an accomplishment to some. But Americans may just come to appreciate it more when we have a leader, now or in the future, who relaxes policies in an effort to curb support at home or abroad. President Bush said in his farewell address last week, "You may not agree with some of the tough decisions I have made. But I hope you can agree that I was willing to make the tough decisions." Time will reveal the kind of President George W. Bush was, and I believe it will be a positive discovery. As one commentator said, “He will be viewed at last as a man who picked up the worst hand of cards dealt to any president since Roosevelt and who played it out better than anyone had a right to expect.” Thank you to President George W. Bush for being willing to make the tough decisions based on trusted advisors as well as your conscience. YOU had the data, YOU had the intelligence, WE DID NOT, and therefore are not at this moment in a position to judge you. Thank you for being the kind of leader America needed these last 8 years. And God bless Barack Obama with wisdom to lead this nation into what I hope is a bright future for the next 4 years.

Calvin and Hobbes

2009-01-05T23:22:00.002-07:00

Wow, it's been almost a month. I've probably lost whatever faithful readers, if any, I once had because of my neglect. Well tough, a Christmas vacation post is coming soon! In the meantime, feast on some classic Calvin and Hobbes...

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin

2008-12-11T15:05:00.008-07:00

Last Friday I had the opportunity to go to the funeral services for Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin. As my friend Amy and I were walking in I thought how lucky I was to be able to go to the funeral of an apostle. I mean, everything has to be just right. You have to live in Salt Lake City or very close to it, you have to have a job that will let you off for two hours plus travel time if you need it, etc. I'm just so lucky. We left work at 11:00am and literally walked across the street to the Tabernacle for the service.

As we took our seats my thoughts turned to the history of the building and how much it represents for Utah and the Church. It was host to jubilees commemorating Utah statehood and other anniversaries and celebrations. Many prominent non Latter-day Saints have spoken at its pulpit including several U.S. Presidents, Susan B. Anthony, Charles Lindbergh, and others. I then thought of how many funerals have been held there to honor great leaders of the church like Brigham Young, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, Karl G. Maeser, Ezra Taft Benson, Howard W. Hunter, James E. Faust, and now Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin. It was great to sit in a historic building and take part in a tradition that dates back to the days of Brigham Young.

Funeral of Pres. Wilford Woodruff (1898)

Funeral of Karl G. Maeser (1901)

Funeral of Pres. Ezra Taft Benson (1994)

Funeral of Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin (5 December 2008)

The funeral services were very nice. Elder Wirthlin's son, Joseph B. Wirthlin Jr., Russell M. Nelson, Boyd K. Packer, and Pres. Monson were the speakers. Each gave a fitting tribute to a wonderful man and servant of the Lord. But two things stuck out to me more than the rest.

First, most of the speakers talked about Elder Wirthlin's love of sports and his days as a star University of Utah running back. They used to call him "speedy" Joe Wirthlin. Awesome. I also thought it was touching when Pres. Monson related that earlier that week he had received a call from U football coach, Kyle Whittingham who expressed his condolences and then said that for the bowl game in January every player would have the initials "JBW" on the back of their helmets. It was also funny that apparently in recent years Elder Wirthlin acted as a kind of self appointed chaplain for the U team, following them to games and such. Gotta love it.

But what struck me the most was when Pres. Monson was talking essentially to the Wirthlin children and grand children. He talked about Elder Wirthlin's love for his wife Elisa (who passed away 2 years ago) and how they didn't want to be separated at Christmas time. Then he said, "They are together. You remember that if you forget everything else. And live so that you can be with them eternally."

I know this advice applies to all of us. If we think of our righteous loved ones who have passed on it can serve as motivation to live our lives in such a way that when our time comes, we will be worthy to live with them eternally.

Happy Turkey Day!

2008-12-04T19:31:00.017-07:00

So I love Thanksgiving! Lot's of family, great food, parades, football, and Bond.

I'm kind of mad I didn't get a picture of all the food because my mom always cooks up an amazing feast. But this will have to do. After dinner we watched a bond movie (it's tradition) and ate some pie. Then my cousins got the food back out of the fridge. I asked what they were doing and they responded matter of factly, "Second dinner." Like, duh, what are you thinking? So this is us eating Thanksgiving dinner -- again.

(Uncle Robert, Mandy, BJ, Mark)

(Mark, Mandy, Paul, Preston)

Friday we went to look for glasses for Preston and I. Yes, I am finally joining the glasses club. I hope it's a cool club.

Then that night my brothers and sister, Mark, Paul, and Mandy went to see Quantum of Solace. Most of us had already seen it but, it's Thanksgiving, we HAVE to watch the latest Bond movie.

Saturday afternoon my mom's family came down from Logandale for our Thanksgiving football game. My team got creamed but that's ok, it was so much fun. MVP's - my vote is Preston and Mackae

Team 2: Austin, Aunt Paula, Sam, Mark,
Meghan, Paul, Dad, BJ, Uncle Andy

Team 1: Ethan, Mackae, Uncle Robert,

Preston, Mallory, Jake, Marissa,
Uncle Adam, Jeff

(Uncle Robert, Preston, Mackae, Jeff, Marissa, Jake)

(The grandparents: Gp. Mathews, Gp. Hunt, Gm. Hunt)

(Paul "The Incredible Hulk" Mathews)

Saturday night was crazy, but so much fun! We had 45 people at our house! My mom's family was still hanging out after the football game and then my dad's family all came over too. I love being with family so much.

Brucie had been wanting to go swimming all weekend so that night we decided to get in the hot tub.

(Rachel, me, Preston, BJ, Bruce, Mark, Paul)

Little Rachel was so cute! She loved playing with the balls in the pool. She'd grab all of them and just smile so big and laugh and laugh. A girl after my own heart :)

We put the red lights on and Bruce love it!

(Alii, Nona Rae, Wyatt, and Mallory beating up on BJ)

(This would be Tai, our "hunk of burnin' love")

Well that's all I've got as far as pictures go. It was such a fun, fun weekend. I can't wait for Christmas!!

24-48. Wow.

2008-11-24T11:29:00.012-07:00

I have no words for this disaster of a game. I listened to the first quarter on the radio - I was coming back to SLC from Provo - and was hearing some rediculous numbers like: # of Utah offensive yards = 160, # of BYU offensive yards = 40, # of Utah plays = 27, BYU = 8, # of Utah 3rd down conversions = a million/every time down the field, # of BYU 3rd down conversions = 0, zip, natta, 21 completed of 41 passes. Those aren't the kind of numbers that win you big games guys.

But when I showed up at Wade and Gary's apt to watch the game (with them, Erin, and my friend Amy) the tide started to turn. The score was 3-17, but we came back in pretty exciting fashion. Our first touchdown was on a run from Unga, then we scored again on an awesome deceptive play where they did a direct snap to Unga while Max Hall was yelling another play to the opposite side of the field, kinda Boise State-ish.

We kept the score close with a run from Hall for a third TD.

24-27...and then...we completely and totally SELF DESTRUCTED.

It started with a fumble from Hall in the pocket that resulted in a touchdown for Charlie. Then you name it, it happened. Pass after pass batted away. 4, count 'em 4 interceptions! (And we're lucky there weren't more), 3 said interceptions resulted in Ute touchdowns. Oy vey!!

Max Hall might as well have been wearing red. Well, I shouldn't say that. To be fair, Hall is an awesome quarterback! And I'm sure there are lots of other factors in those interceptions. And he's allowed to have an off game. It just stinks that it had to be THIS game.

Final score...oh the pain...24-48.

I was however, surprised by the lack of deriding comments from my Ute friends at church on Sunday. Could it have been the location? No, hasn't stopped them before. Maybe it was sympathy for our self destruction? No, I'm sure they liked every minute of that. Maybe they knew no words needed to be said. I mean, we know right?

Well, whatever the reason, I didn't get too much flack yesterday - BUT, just give it 'till...oh...the first "dicussion" about which school is superior. No doubt in my mind, the first line of their testimony will be this "blowout."

You just wait and see. I'll report back my findings.

The mountain standing in my path to euphoria

2008-11-21T15:37:00.013-07:00

I've been living in Salt Lake for almost 7 months now and basically...I'm loving every minute of it!

My job at the museum is awesome. I work with great people on a subject I love.

I get to see this beautiful site every single day.
I live in a nice apartment (no picture for safety reasons. You understand :) ).

I have awesome roommates. (me and Hailey)
I live at the foot of the breathtaking Mt. Olympus

There's a beautiful view of the city at night up here

My friends are awesome!
My hockey team is awesome! (pictures to come)

My brothers live nice and close.
Etc., etc., etc.

However, one thing stands in the way of absolute euphoria for this place, this people and otherwise my present circumstance...

Which is....
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Yes, I'm referring to my unfortunate position as a Cougar fan in Ute territory.

Every time I grab my BYU hat, or pull on my Cougar blue sweatshirt I just know to prepare myself for reaction. Last week at hockey for instance I wore my sweatshirt and probably 3 people told me I "better be careful wearing those colors around here," and "we need to get you some red."

I'm lucky though because I do have a pretty good size support group of fellow Cougar fans like Paul, Jared, Erin, Jamen, Jeremy, Wade, Gary, Andrew, and Brian. So usually at least at a ward function I normally get one positive comment regarding my choice of attire.

Well, today at 4pm MST it all comes to a head when the Cougars take on the Utes. If the Cougars can pull out a 'W' I can walk just a little taller in church on Sunday and maybe even offer a few jabs to my Ute friends who think the U of U is the best thing to happen since fry sauce. But...if, heaven forbid, the U walks away the victors... I will NEVER hear the end of it. Never.

GO COUGARS!! My safety in a hostile environment is on the line! :)

Let's do this again...

p.s. For the record, my friends are actually pretty cool about it, every person I've met up here has been nothing but sweet to me, just an occasional joke and even less occasional mockery, but always with a smile on their face. My brother's roommate told me awhile ago that I really only need to worry about the drunk U fans :).

Recent happenings...

2008-11-01T13:19:00.011-06:00

A couple weekends ago I went to a Real Salt Lake game at the new stadium with two of my friends from Provo. It was awesome!! Just look at this stadium...B-E-A-U-tiful!! I mean this, this is a soccer stadium! It brought tears to my eyes just looking at it...

Me and Allen cheering another Real goal...with the zoom on...oops :)

Look at this beautiful sunset just as we walked in for the game. Talk about purple mountain majesty!

Allen, me, and Spencer. These guys are so much fun! I miss working with them at the jewelry store!

Allen, me, and Spence dogg again...

_____________

Keifer's birthday at the Cheesecake Factory...what the--they spelled his name wrong!

It's K-e-i-f-e-r! Helloooooo!

Keifer (BJ and Preston's old roommate) with his birthday cheesecake

Two girls that I totally forgot their names :) and some of the old Glenhood crew - Keifer, Valerie, Kyle, Sara (?), Me, Preston (supposedly putting up Keifers age, but sorry Pres, Keifer's not 53, or 35 for that matter :)) Kristy.

Nice face Preston

___________________

On Monday I went and played tennis with Matt Hammond and after missing a good shot from him I threw my racket down and broke it! Dang! Sad day! I've had that racket since I was like 8 when my parents signed us up for tennis lessons. Oh well, looks like sports equipment girl will have to be on the lookout for a new tennis racket.

____________________

Last Saturday I went to a Sigma Gamma Chi date night with Brian Farr. We dressed up as Nacho Libre and Nacho...Libra? :) Anyway, it was so much fun! We had a Halloween themed dinner and then broke up into groups to make scary movies--ours was the best of course!

__________________

For the last couple of months I've been playing in a soccer league down in Spanish Fork...yes that's an hour away, stupid, I know, but so much fun! We were the first place team in the A division going into the tournament and we didn't dissapoint. We had three games this week and won them all to win the championship. Go team Elite! (Paul, our Home Teacher, even came down to one of the games, now that's what I call dedication!)

p.s. How do you like those snazzy uniforms? :) Flames and everything! I say next year we just opt for t-shirts and call it a day.

(Me, Brina, Robyn, Kelsey, Hailey, Seri, Amaris)Me and my roommate Hailey, she's pretty much awesome!

______________________

Yesterday at work we had a Halloween potluck and Richard Oman introduced us to this hobo (Larry) that he found on the street who he thought could use some food. Love the costume Larry!
Th-th-th-that's all folks!!

"Home means Nevada to me"

2008-10-31T08:39:00.007-06:00

Some Nevada history for ya...

When Utah Territory was created in 1850 it included much of present day Nevada except for the southern tip (including Las Vegas) which was part of New Mexico Territory. Then in 1859 the first major silver mine, Comstock Lode, was discovered near Virginia City which attracted thousands of miners to the area. In 1861 Nevada became its own territory, and in 1862 its eastern boundary was enlarged, reducing the size of Utah. Then on October 31, 1864, during the height of the Civil War and on the eve of a presidential election, Nevada entered the Union as its 36th state. "The Silver State" became its present size after it acquired another piece of Utah's western border in 1866, and its southern tip from Arizona Territory in 1867.

"Home Means Nevada"
words and music by Mrs. Bertha Raffetto (1885-1952)

Way out in the land of the setting sun,
Where the wind blows wild and free,
There's a lovely spot, just the only one
That means home sweet home to me.
If you follow the old Kit Carsen trail,
Until desert meet the hills,
Oh you certainly will agree with me,
It's the place of a thousand thrills.

CHORUS:
Home means Nevada,
Home means the hills,
Home means the sage and the pines.
Out by the Truckee's silvery rills.
Out where the sun always shines.
There is a land that l love the best,
Fairer than all I can see.
Right in the heart of the golden west,
Home means Nevada to me.

Whenever the sun at the close of day
Colors all the western sky,
Oh, my heart returns to the desert grey
And the mountains tow'ring high.
Where the moon beams play in shadowed glen
With the spotted fawn and doe
All the lifelong night until morning light
Is the loveliest place I know.

CHORUS:

Photo Tag

2008-10-24T00:13:00.007-06:00

I saw this on Julie and Sis. Layton's blogs, and both tagged EVERYONE, so I thought I'd do it.

You're supposed to post the sixth picture in your sixth album -- What does that mean anyway? The sixth picture in the sixth album of pictures stored on my computer? On my flash drive? In my Picasa? I have pictures EVERYWHERE! So I did all of them...

Picasa: Festival of Colors at the Hindu Temple last year

On my computer: Shooting with Bro. Nishimoto (Christmas 2007)

USB: Preston at Chris Farley's grave

I tag EVERYONE!! Just do it, you know you want to.

Last last Friday night adventure

2008-10-21T14:26:00.005-06:00

So I'm a little slow blogging about it, but last last Friday night my friend Lindsay (from hockey) was having her wedding reception in Mapleton. I knew, I knew, I KNEW I shouldn't go. I mean, Mapleton is an hour+ away, plus I was already late, plus I still needed to get a present, plus I was going right back there the next morning for a soccer game. PLUS when I put the address in mapquest it didn't like it and kept asking me if I meant Spanish Fork. Sure, they're close enough I thought, and mapquest knows what it's talking about, right?

But I wanted to see everyone and I told them all I was going so I got in my car and started driving. My window had broken earlier that morning and wouldn't roll down anymore. Better than having it be stuck down I say, but it fell a little so the wind was getting in just enough to be annoying.

I got all the way to Spanish Fork and stopped to get a present. I knew there was a fishy miscalculation when the people behind me in line at the store said, "Where are you going? 1250 S 1250 E? Well that's our house." Curious. And...I don't suppose...you're having a wedding reception at your house...right now? :)

My cheapskate mentality wouldn't let me turn around and go all the way home, wasting all that gas, without at least going to the address and checking just to make sure. Yup, no reception there.

Dahhh! Well...I guess I'll just drive home.

This is where I get on my blogging soapbox. Not kidding, the first thing I thought was how funny this would be to blog about. A much better response than my typical one which would be, namely, cursing about how stupid I am, what a waste of time, what a waste of money, what am I going to do with this present, I'm ticked that after all this I still won't get to see everyone, etc. etc. Instead? I laughed about it. Thank you blogging, you've made me a better person. Off soapbox.

My second attempt at "making the trip worth it" was to call everyone I knew in Provo to see if I could latch onto them for the night. No such luck. Thanks all my Provo friends for NOT answering your phones. Preston was on a date, an acceptable excuse, but where were all the rest of you hosers?

The fuel gage kept creeping lower and lower, taunting me. reminding me of every penny down the drain.

Well at least the drive back wasn't a total loss. First, I saw a falling star on the way home, gotta love that, THENNNN the song "Crush" by David Archuleta came on the radio. I love that song! I had to gently maneuver my sensitive volume control to get it high enough to hear over the blasted wind whistling in my ear from the broken window, but it was worth it. I blasted David Archuleta without shame. Alright, I'm gonna come clean here. I'm pretty sure I have a little cougar crush on David. But who doesn't just love him?!!

Moral of the story? MapQuest isn't as smart as everyone thinks, my gut should probably knock me over the head so I'll listen, my friends have better things to do than hang out with me, gas is expensive, blogging makes this world a better place, and David Archuleta makes me happy. I'd say the night went well. Now what to do with the wedding present...

Oh and um, sorry about the commercial before the video, I couldn't get any other ones on the blog.

Sad, but oh so true...

2008-10-16T14:20:00.002-06:00

BYU/Utah birthday hockey game

2008-10-14T19:26:00.013-06:00

The Friday after my birthday (Oct. 3) some friends and I met at Hires for some hamburgers, then went to the BYU/Utah hockey game. It was a blast!

The group at Hires: Sue, Tiffany, Brian, Me, Jared, Chaney,
Nancy, Diana, Rachel, Ben, Kevin, Brittany.

me and Rachel

Ok, Rachel is a DIE HARD Ute fan, so I'm not sure how I got away with this picture. I don't think she was paying attention

Making sure Rachel is dressed in the appropriate colors for the game. While this picture was being taken she was yelling, "I'm melting! I'm dying!!"

She got me back though...

me and Diana

Sibling rivalry: Ok this is the funniest thing ever, Rachel is a die hard Ute fan but her brother Brian loves BYU, even though he goes to the U.

Blanket war (me and Ben)

Chaney and I cheering another BYU goal (13-4 was the final score I believe)

Taunting Ben after another BYU goal. Don't worry, he got me back.

Rachel crying after witnessing the annihilation of her teampoor, poor Ute fan

Chaney and Brian, Matt Cowan, Brian S. and Mary (in the back)

me (behind the blanket) and Brian showing our loyalty

First row: me and Ben,
Second row: Brian F., Chaney, Rachel, Diana, Nancy,

Third row: Brian Shelby and Mary (but you can't see her :))

HAHA, that Ute player seriously missed the check. Oops.

Watchin' my boys warm up

Well, it was such a fun night and I'm so happy everyone came!!

(p.s. Thanks to Kevin for all the pictures and making the video!)

Suns/Jazz Preseason Game

2008-10-10T21:31:00.009-06:00

So last week my friend Nate called me up and asked if I wanted his extra tickets to the Jazz/Suns preason game. Is the pope Catholic?! Of course I want them! I had 3 other activities that night but I dropped them all. Why? I love the Suns! But more importantly...I love Steve Nash! And let me just give you a little recap of the last/first Suns game I went to last year...

My awesome brothers got me tickets to a Suns/Jazz game last year for Christmas. And it was great because they also called up my cousins Christie and Nikki (die hard Jazz fans) to get tickets and come with us. So fun. I'll also never forget how my cousins apparently didn't know we were rooting for the Suns. When they walked up to where we were sitting Christie took one look at our shirts and said, "WHAT?...are you wearing?!!" Well, it was really fun except for 3 little...ok, BIG things--no Grant Hill, no Shawn Marion, and NO STEVE NASH! I.was.ticked. Nash was sick or something, he's NEVER sick! Except for the one time I go to watch him play. Ugh. And the Suns lost by a good 25 points. What made up for it was the constant heckling coming from my brothers. Oh, have you never been to a game with them? Hmm, well they don't care whose winning or losing, in fact it's probably more fun for them to heckle when their team is losing. In fact I think they heckly their own team. BJ is proud of his status as an equal opportunity heckler :) It was a good time, but I really wanted to see Nash work his magic in person!

Anyway, so I was really excited for this game because I could see no reason why Nash wouldn't be playing. I was not dissapointed.

Me and my boys

My friend Paul came to the game with me warming up...
There he is...Nash. Although he kept practicing that corner shot on the opposite side from where we were. Lame Steve, why can't you help me out a little?!
Nash againDragic--I've decided I like him. He was a hustlin', reboundin', passin' machine!
The National Anthem. Tip off...Shaq Diesel didn't even win it. What the?
Me and Paul
The group
Nash shooting freethrows--and making them of course
Me, Paul, and Rory's hand
This is apparently my "I'm really excited" face
Ok, funny story - So the Jazz bear was launching these little balls up to the crowd during one of the breaks. I was looking in my purse and didn't see one coming our way. Well, I turned around just as Paul was launching himself over the seats in front of us, landing on top of the row in front of that, sacrificing his body to the max, trying to get the ball--so that he could give it to a little boy of course :). In his attempt, he sprained his left pinky... he's my hero. I have included this picture of the beginning stages of the swollen-ness. It was awesome and, sorry Paul, so funny!!
Good times.

If I hear this one more time, I think I'm gonna scream

2008-10-09T10:09:00.005-06:00

#1 Every time I meet a new person the question of whether or not I'm in school always comes up. This is fine. It's the conversation that follows this inquiry that gets me in a huff. The rest of the conversation usually goes something like this:

"No, I graduated last year."

"Oh great! What did you graduate in?"

"History."

::Silence::

"Oh."

::Silence::

"What are you going to do with that? Teach?"

What is it about my chosen field that renders people speechless? Do you feel sorry for me? And apparently the only thing one can do with a History degree is teach. Lately this conversation has ended quite positively because, at the moment, I can tout a job in the Church History Dept. "Oh great!" people say. Because, hey, good for you, you found something other than teaching to do with that utterly useless major.

Why, oh why do I always have to defend my major? Ya, I have a History degree and I'm proud of it! So you can just take your little cool "sounding" degree like biology, or finance, or communications and go to you know where. What are you going to do with your major? And you know what? I can do a lot of things you can't do! Can you bust out a 10+ page, footnoted paper in 4 1/2 hours? Can you piece together property titles and discover land ownership for a 100 year period? Can you read and comprehend 8-10 books per semester--per class? Can you do well in classes with essay tests where its practically impossible to ever get a 100% because, you know, no paper is absolutely perfect? No, you're sittin' pretty with your multiple choice tests. Can you look at today's world and see parallels with the past that can, in fact, enlighten your understanding, broaden your scope, and open your mind? No? Alright then.

#2 "How tall are you?" Which is inevitably followed by "Did you know that if you were (whatever number they make up) inches shorter you'd be a midget/legally handicapped/get a sticker for your car and get to park in the close parking spaces?" Why thank you! You're the first person to EVER tell me that. I'm sure glad I have you around. Maybe I'll just skip right over to the DMV and see if they'll give me my complementary midget sticker anyway, I'm close enough right?

Yes people, I get it, I'm a little shorter than most. But guess what? I'll be laughing all the way to the shoe store because I can wear whatever size heel I want and not have to worry about it. And shoes always look cuter on my little feet anyway, so there!

#3 "How old are you?"

So yesterday I was at the Family History library looking at land deeds for Joseph Smith's Kirtland store using my amazing skills I learned as a HISTORY MAJOR. Well my little card doohicky that I normally use to print wasn't working so I went to the desk to get one of their extra ones and the following conversation took place...

"Excuse me, my bypass card isn't working so I..."

"Now how old are you?"

"23."

"Oh, ::snicker, snicker::, I remember the first time I saw you come in here and I thought to myself, "What is that little girl doin' here, she should be in school."

"Ha ha" ::I'm gonna give you my best fake laugh because you're a nice missionary and I'm sure you think you're really funny, but really, you should get an award for the most insulting version of "I thought you were 14" I've ever heard::

"Just give me the *$#@ card!" (Ok I didn't really say that).

Really people? If you want to ask me how old I am--fine. No problem. I realize I look a lot younger than I am. But for the love of pete, when I tell you my real age, DON'T follow it up with "Oh, I thought you were (fill in the blank with any number ranging from 14-20)." Keep that little tid bit in your head. And one more thing, at this point in my life, when I'm trying to look mature and attractive to the male population, it DOES NOT make me feel any better to say "Oh, you'll be grateful you look so young one of these days." Great! I hope you're right, but not right now!!

Whew. I think I'm done. The rage has been successfully transferred to the blogosphere.

And p.s. If you have said something like this to me, don't worry. Don't think I hate you. It's just me, it's all me :) From now on, I'm gonna choose not to be offended. Thank you.

A&W Root Beer...gotta love it!

2008-10-02T23:38:00.003-06:00

Well, another year has come and gone. And once again, we went to A&W with a bunch of friends and got wasted!! Thanks for coming everyone, it was so good seeing you!!

Here are some pictures of the blessed event (sorry they're blurry, not sure how that happened, it's kind of annoying).

Ok, let's see if I can get everybody (Megan F., Erica, Jewell, BJ, Rachelle, Chris, Rachel, Karalee, Paul, Scott, Vanessa, Kyle, Vanessa B., Keith, Dustin, Stephanie)

BJ, Preston, Dustin, Rachel, Scott, Paul, and Karalee

Whitney, Me, Bradley, Preston, Jeanettie

Me and Spence-dogg (and yes, I'm totally standing on a chair!)

One year older and wiser too...

2008-10-01T18:14:00.008-06:00

Well, Preston and I turned the big 2-3 today. I don't have anything profound to say except for this...

"Life moves pretty fast, if you don't stop to look around once in a while, you might miss it."

-Ferris Bueller

Every time a birthday comes around I'm reminded how lucky I am to have a twin brother. And not just any twin brother--I'm lucky to have Preston. No matter what life threw at me, especially during those oh so fun school days, I always knew I had at least one friend. One person who loved me for me, without any conditions. One person to walk home with, play around with, and have a conversation with. He's always supported me and included me. I look up to him in so many ways. It's been so much fun growing up together, helping each other mature and become the kind of people we hope to be. Having him gone for 2 years on his mission stunk for me. I hated not being able to talk to him whenever I wanted. When he came up to BYU life was great. We lived in the same complex for 2 years and it was so fun! He'd just drop by all the time to chat, watch a movie, or get some free food :).

But really, I feel like having him as such a major part of my life has prepared me for future relationships. In other words, I feel like I know, at least in a small part, what it's like to love someone so much that you'd do anything for them. That even though you fight sometimes, at the end of the day, you want more than anything for them to be happy. You need that person in your life who knows you so well that they can cool your temper, bring you back to reality, or make you feel like you're worth a million bucks with just a smile or a few simple words. Preston can do that for me. (Now I just need to find a non-brother version... but that's a whole 'nother beast :))

Happy Birthday Preston! Love you!

Now, at the risk of embarrassment and public harassment, I've posted some "through the years" pictures for your viewing pleasure...

False alarm...

2008-09-22T17:42:00.003-06:00

Ok, it looks like this now...Whew. I'm ok with prolonging the inevitable until at least Halloween.

It's inevitable...

2008-09-22T10:48:00.004-06:00

Well people, it's beginning. This is what it looks like outside right now...

Am I happy about this? No. Because you know what this means? It means winter is coming. That blasted season that living in Las Vegas allowed me to avoid for the first 18 years of my life.

*Reasons I hate winter:

1. I don't like being cold.

2. I don't like the bottom half of my pant legs soaking wet all day because I had to walk somewhere in the nasty slush.

3. No more going outside and kicking the soccer ball whenever I want. Now there's white stuff in the way.

4. The She Devil struggles in the snow.

5. What am I supposed to wear to church?! Tights? Ugh.

*Now to be fair, winter isn't a total loss. I do like it for a couple of reasons:

1. Christmas

2. Hockey season!

3. I'll admit, it's beautiful (just as long as I can view it from the comfort of my warm home and not have to walk out in it).

4. I don't have to be as creative with my outfits. I just put on whatever miss matched thing I want, throw on my coat or hoodie, and call it good.

5. "If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant." - Anne Bradstreet

2008 Reptile Expo

2008-09-21T14:18:00.008-06:00

First, my roommate Hailey and I had a soccer game yesterday morning in Spanish Fork. It was awesome because we played a really good team with "girls who played in college" and beat them 2-1. Hailey got the first goal in probably the 5th minute, and then I scored the winning goal with 2 minutes left in the game! It was awesome!

Then after the game I went to the Reptile Expo at the Utah State Fair grounds in SLC. I'm sure you can guess whose idea this little activity was ::cough:: bj ::cough::

Well it was really fun! My mom's cousin Kristy and her son Tyson met us there as well as Kristy's brother Tyler and his wife and two kids. I didn't get too many pictures but you better believe I at least got one of BJ and I holding a huge albino boa!

Tyler's kids loving the big snake! I tried to get them petting it but my camera was too slow snapping the picture :(

BJ also finally bought the camilion he's been saving for for a year. The camilion doesn't cost too much but he had to get the cage, plants, sticks for him to crawl on, the right food (yucky crickets that apparently escaped once and ate BJ's roommates alive while they slept), a heat lamp, etc. etc. So after collecting all the habitat stuff he finally brought little "Camo" home (Camilion's name not verified). Jewell was brave and held camo while BJ tried to feed him some dinner, but I think he was a little stressed out from the days activities. I'll have to get a better picture of him later. Oh he also got a praying mantis!

Ward Softball - Oh so fun!!

2008-09-18T09:05:00.019-06:00

Ward softball ended this week and I am so sad! I've loved every second of it! Despite the fact that a certain umpire on a power trip didn't like us from the very beginning. But we're not gonna let that ruin our fun are we? No siree.

We had a game every Wednesday night and the die hards practiced every Tuesday as well. I was talking to Paul last night and I think we were both having a little softball meltdown. We have nothing to do with our Tuesday and Wednesday nights now! Blahhh! At least until volleyball starts....

(Back Row, L-R: Diana, Paul, Kristen, Ben H., Melinda, Ben B., Matt

Middle, L-R: Ryan, Jared, Traci

Front, L-R: Tyrel, Meghan, Rachel, Jamie, Ashley, Kallie)

Tyrel and I in the outfield

Ben B. about to speed around the bases. It was stressful running in front of him! And I'm not exactly slow!
Brian at 1st base, and Andrew pitching
Mary at bat, Rachel on base

On Saturday we had a Stake tournament. The first game we beat them pretty handily. Ok we annihilated them! Then off to watch the BYU/UCLA game (59-0! woop woop!)

Our second game it took us a little bit to get warmed up, but once we got it together at about the 3rd inning it was no contest.

The next game was the championship against the 48th ward. We played well but ended up losing in the last inning by 1 run (they had last ups, don't you hate that?)

Here are some pictures from the championship game (thanks to Tiffany for the pics!)

___________________________

Waiting for the championship to start. That's a pretty good deal Matt's got going there...

Brian, Rachel, and Meghan

I also want to point out the "magic bat"/"the green machine." You may not think having a good bat makes any difference, but oh does it ever! I'll tell you what, I will be checking the sale racks (it'll have to be a major sale) for a composite bat like this. You don't have to try nearly as hard to get a good hit with this piece of batting glory.

Diana New Ben B./"mighty mouse" high five! Rachel about to smash the ball to smitherines!
Tyrel, aka "wheels"
Take your base (I know it's terrible to walk in slow pitch softball, but the pitches were equally terrible) Us getting in trouble...again. But that's Bro. Walker there on the right, he's cool. It was the other power trip girl ump that hated us. Maybe it's cause we're good. It's usually like that!
Brian our ringer, probably getting ready to hit another one out of the park
Ben B., our amazing shortstop. There's me playing left center.
Matt
Our faithful fans, Sue and Tiffany! Brian at first base, and Andrew the pitcher.
Ready to go Me trying to take it to left field. It worked but look at me picking up my back foot. Terrible.
Tyrel, Ben B., and Traci talking some strategy I'm sure :) Ben B., Brian, and Adam
Tyrel and Melinda
I'm gonna miss softball so much! Most of my very best friends in the ward I've met playing softball. Although probably not quite as fun, I'm sure volleyball will be great as well.

p.s. I LOVE my ward! The SL University 49th ward is the best! No contest!

The Narrows

2008-09-17T09:26:00.011-06:00

August 29-30, 2008

BJ and I met up with Mike and Julie Humphery's in Provo Friday night (8/29) and then carpooled down to Zion's. Another group (Adam Wingate, Mike Nicholls, Megan, and Nicole) was coming from Vegas, and Mallory came with Adam's mom who was going up there anyway. Preston went down from Provo the night before so he could be first in line to get a backwoods pass. See anyone can hike part of the Narrows from the bottom up, but if you want to hike from the top down you have to have a backwoods pass. There is also a limit of 50 people doing this route at a time, so groups are limited to 12 people. We initially planned for a bigger group but a lot of people bailed which turned out to be a good thing because of the group limit.

Anyway, poor Preston kept running into problem after problem. First, he found out that only 6 people were allowed per campsite and we had 10, ugh. So we had to get another campsite. Then he was able to get a backwoods pass but only for 7 people.

So when our car showed up that night we were trying to figure out who would go from top to bottom and which 3 would hike up from the bottom and meet them.

Here's me, BJ, Julie and Mike's campsite. And yep, that's my "bed" on the table :)

It's a long hike so we decided to get up at 5:30 to get a move on. Well, when we woke up it was still dark and we could see lightning. We knew there was a chance for rain and anyone whose done the Narrows knows that you have to worry about flash floods. So we called the Park Ranger to ask if he thought it was safe (dumb, their never gonna tell you to go because they have to cover their butt). He called us back at like 7:30 and said not to go (surprise, surprise). So we waited some more till daylight and there wasn't a cloud in the sky! So we got a late start and all decided to just go together from the bottom up. It just stinks that we didn't get to use the backwoods pass that we bought.

So here's some pictures from the hike, it was soooo fun! Random: On the way up we ran into the Roundy's! I looked up ahead of me and thought I saw Bro. Roundy. Then as my brothers passed him he kept looking back at them so I knew it was him. I just love the Roundy's! What a great family. So I had a little chat with Bro. Roundy and we were on our way.

BJ and Mike

BJ in a cool little crevace

Me
Mike and Julie
BJ and a makeshift bazooka :)
A triumphant Meghan right after she totally fell in, all the way!

Julie: "BJ looks like he's naked."

Meghan: "Ewwww!"

Bathroom buddies :) You can just figure that one out
Preston, Megan, and Mallory
Preston and Megan (no, not Meghan)

Mallory, Megan, Preston, and BJ. Look at Mallory go! Totally in the water!
Mike N. always wanted to take the hard way
This hike was probably 85% in the water and I loved every minute of it! I felt like an explorer or something fun like that
Cleaning the sand out of our shoes
BJ the turtle (on the way down he would use his backpack as a flotation device and float down the river)
Break time. Some of the boys had fun jumping off this rock.

Mallory, Mike, and Meghan
Cute Julie
Preston climbing
This is only about 1/3 of the monter of a bag of trailmix provided by my mom. 3 cheers to mom!!
The group: Mallory, BJ, Mike and Julie Humphery's, Adam and Nicole (in the back), Megan, Preston, Mike Nicholls. Not pictured: Meghan the photographer :))

This hike was so fun! I highly recommend it. And going only about 1/4 of the way from the bottom up only wetted my appetite to want to go again and do the whole thing. Next time Narrows, next time we will conquer you!

My mom met us at Zion's to pick up Mallory and our family plus Mike and Julie had dinner at a sandwich shop in the park.

We split up, Mom and Mallory back to Vegas, Preston and I in my car going to SLC (Preston was staying with BJ while he was homeless), and BJ, Mike and Julie in BJ's car. BJ was going to drop them off in Provo and then they were going to then drive up to Logan. Well considering we didn't get into SLC until 2:00am they decided to just stay the night at BJ's apt. So it was funny, right as I'm getting off the exit to go to my place I get a call from Mike who says, "Hey we're right behind you." What? How did that happen? I mean, we both stopped on the way home at different spots. But we just happened to meet up again. Anyway, we went to my apt. and everyone put their stuff back in their own car. I had been driving Preston's car the last couple of days so I took my stuff out and he put his in, my bags were in BJ's car, Mike and Julie took their stuff from BJ's car to theirs, etc. etc. It was craziness! Anyhoo, to conlude this crazy two day excursion, Preston and I even got up for 9:00am church the next morning! Holla!

Catch up on our hiking excursions...

2008-09-15T14:09:00.015-06:00

CHARLESTON PEAK

(August 16, 2008)

As soon as we got off the boat in San Diego we got a call from our cousin Ryan Stewart asking if we wanted to go on a hike with him that weekend. He told us it was a 16 mile hike to the highest peak at Mt. Charleston. Well, being the hiking machines we've been lately we couldn't pass up the invitation. So we got up at 5:30 in the morning and headed up the mountain.

Here's the trail description - "The trail is 8.3 miles one-way, with an elevation gain of about 4300 feet -- from 7600' to 11,918'...and over half the trail is about 10,000 feet. Although the trail itself is excellent, the elevation gain, length and high altitude make it very challenging for most mortals."

Challenging for most mortals, yes, but for those of the immortal Mathews family? (or rather the Stanton family) Mere child's play.

Ok, maybe it wasn't that easy. This picture was taken at the very beginning of the hike, before the beastly switchbacks, before the not-so-flat meadow, and before the completely barren, not so appealing to the eye last mile.

(Back: BJ, Preston, Amber, Front: Me, Ryan)

In a nutshell? This hike kicked. my. bootay! By the end my legs felt like lead, and even the slightest downhill grade, or heck even flat ground, was like water after a long draught.

I think Preston's expression captures how we felt by the end.

Well, lest I sound too pessimistic, or too much like a wuss, we did have a fun time on the way up, and we made really good time. And that's without allowing either Preston or Ryan to lead because they're just too fast. We stopped a couple of times on the way up to eat some snacks. Well during one stop I walked over to where Ryan was eating his snacks, saw a bag of something, and decided to state for all to hear, "Man, you know what sounds really good right now? Some Beef Jerky Nuggets." Ryan turned his bag around, "Here you want some?" That's when I noticed it said "Beef Jerky Nuggets." Not just regular beef jerky, but it was actually the nuggets! What the random? Everyone thought I had seen his bag and was just not-so-slyly asking him for some, but I swear I didn't.

Me and my brosWhile the satisfaction of making it to the top is always enough motivation for me, there was something else we were looking forward to seeing towards the end of the hike...

Just before the final ascent to the top of the peak was this plane wreckage. It came from a C-54 military transport plane that crashed on Nov. 17, 1955. All 14 passengers were killed. What's interesting about this plane crash is the mystery surrounding it. The newspaper reporter responsible for covering the tragedy at the time was told the plane was headed to Indian Springs, NV from California, however Indian Springs had no record of a plane supposed to land there that day. This led the reporter to believe the plane was actually headed to Area 51. His theory seemed to be confirmed by the fact that no one appeared willing to discuss any details of the crash with him.

A family friend, Steve Ririe (he was in our ward before it split, and my mom knew his family, and a couple of his brothers were my dad's roomates at BYU) hiked the mountain in 1998 and came down determined to find out what happened to that plane, where it was going, and take steps to erect a monument there. After getting the run around for a while he was finally allowed access to the formerly classified CIA documents related to the crash (after 40 years the documents can be released). And his research shows that the plane was part of a secret CIA project to develop U-2 spyplanes. But as the number of U-2 airframes being delivered to the test site increased, they had to figure out a better way to transfer Lockheed employees from Burbank to Area 51 without arousing suspicion. So they began regularly scheduled flights of C-54's to the test site. This transport plane crashed only 7 weeks after the program began. Crazy stuff. Preston rummaging...

Apparently the year after the crash the Forrest Service requested that, for safety reasons, they blow up the remaining metal parts of the plane, leaving only the aluminum parts (which explains how there could be hardly any rust after 50+ years).
What's really sad is that, as you can see from this picture, 100 feet higher and they probably would have lived. (Newspaper article about the crash, and another)

Ok, back to the hike. Seriously? By the time we got to the plane wreckage I wanted to sit down and not move another inch, but but am I a quitter? No siree. We finally made it to the top cause we're like that.

At the top... (notice Ryan's bag? The infamous Beef Jerky Nuggets)

Right before I got to the top another funny thing happened. My friend Becca called me (I couldn't believe I was even getting reception up there, 12,000 ft!). Well, after about 30 seconds of conversation she says, "Where in the world are you, the high desert?! What's with the wind?" HAHAHA!! Actually...yes I am. We about died laughing!

You can see 300+ miles in either direction from the top!

Cousins (Ryan, Preston, BJ, Meghan)

(Meghan, Amber, Ryan, BJ)

Well, we didn't sit at the top for long before we decided to get a move on and start heading down the mountain. The first part we took pretty slow because it was rocky and steep. Well, let me rephrase that, the girls took it slow, the boys maintained a pretty steady pace...

Here they are, way ahead of us, and apparently aware I'm taking a picture of them.
Amber and I bringing up the rear
Then we got to the meadow... and got a little stupid. We decided it was taking too long and decided to run. RUN! And that after the butt kicking the mountain just gave us no less!

Here's BJ and Ryan starting to run...

Well, we ran, and ran, and ran. We ran the two miles through the meadow and kept running all the way down the switchbacks to the bottom!! (Well at least Preston and I did, BJ was wearing sandals)

Preston was ahead of me, but tried a shortcut that didn't work out as well as he'd planned. So as I was going I heard him behind me and turned around to see him climbing down a huge fallen tree trunk in a wash. I laughed at him and kept going. He quickly passed me again though. Then further down the trail I was running down a switchback and heard my name. I looked down to the switchback below me and there's Preston trottin' along with a group of 4 guys. What? Are you doing? Do you even know those people? I thought. What a dork. Well, I guess they were guys in his singles ward :) Anyway, Preston and I made it to the bottom in record time (not verified :)). Running down really did feel great, until we stopped. And the next day, oh boy, I couldn't move! But it was still really fun!

We waited at the bottom, totally pooped, for probably half an hour when a car passed us and made a quick stop. They rolled down their window and saw that it was the Carney's!! And Alli was with them too which was completely a coincidence because she lives in Maryland! Alli ran cross country with me at Centennial. She is just the sweetest person ever and is an awesome runner. We always ran 1-2 on the team and shared hotel rooms on trips. I just love her! She's getting married next year and her fiance was with them so I got to meet him (although I did meet him once before at the Centennial alumni meet). What are the chances we'd both be in town at the same time and meet, of all places, up Mt. Charleston on that particular road? Love it when stuff like that happens.

Stay tuned for The Narrows...

Massacre at Mountain Meadows

2008-09-11T07:32:00.013-06:00

“On September 11, 1857, a band of Mormon militia, under a flag of truce, lured unarmed members of an emigrant company from their fortified encampment and, with some Paiute Indians, killed them. More than 120 men, women, and children perished in the slaughter."

On this, the anniversary of that terrible event, I wanted to take a moment to discuss recent developments in the way The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints tells the history of this atrocity. Most importantly, a book has recently been published by Oxford University Press entitled Massacre at Mountain Meadows by Ron Walker, Richard Turley, and Glen Leonard. The book is the culmination of 7+ years of research and writing. Hundreds and hundreds of Church employees and volunteers helped with the effort and the authors were given unprecedented access to documents and materials relating to the massacre. The fact that all 3 authors are, or at one time have been in the Church's employ (Ron Walker is a former Professor at BYU, Glen Leonard is the former director of the LDS Museum of Church History and Art, and Rick Turley was just appointed Assistant Church Historian and Recorder) has raised some question as to the credibility of the book and the ability of the authors to approach the sources objectively. While this is a legitimate concern, even a casual perusal of the book would prove to the contrary. The book is a model for good scholarship.

Ron W. Walker, Richard E. Turley, Glen M. Leonard

________________________

I remember the first time I heard of the Mountain Meadows Massacre. It was when I was working at an LDS bookstore in Vegas. A man came in and, let’s just say he was a talker. After chatting for a bit about his love for church history he said with a hint of pride in his voice (which looking back now was kind of odd), “You know, I’m a descendent of John D. Lee.” When I told him I didn’t know who that was he seemed surprised and said, “You know from the Mountain Meadows Massacre?” or something like that. Well, in subsequent years I read and heard more and more about the massacre. But it wasn’t until classes at BYU such as Utah History and LDS History that I really got a feel for what happened. I’m grateful for professors who weren’t afraid to discuss the sometimes controversial and even dark points in our history.

Since my first real introduction to the tragedy I’ve been fascinated with it, not because I’m proud of it, and certainly not because I condone what they did. But I think that I, like the authors of the new book, wonder how otherwise decent men could commit such a calculated, evil, and inexcusable atrocity against other human beings.

My second to last semester at BYU I took a history class entitled Mormonism and the American Experience with one of my favorite professors, Grant Underwood. As we studied the massacre and looked at several documents relating to the event, we also had the privilege of having Ron Walker, one of the 3 authors of the new book, come and speak to us. Since that time almost a year ago I have been anticipating Massacre at Mountain Meadows with excitement. I had read other books by the 3 authors and therefore knew the quality of their work. Also, working for the Church and spending a lot of time at the archives recently has given me the opportunity to talk with many of the people involved in the near 7-year project the book represents. I heard from their own mouths the lengths the authors and others involved in the project went to to ensure a well-researched, quality book that would hopefully prove to be the new standard for church institutional scholarship.

I preordered a copy in June and eagerly awaited its arrival. It came in early August and it took me about 3 weeks to read it. Though it only took that long because there were distractions :). The book is very readable and is told as more of a narrative, sparing those not naturally inclined to history the feel of a "textbook."

Here's the summary from the dust jacket of the new book:

“Massacre at Mountain Meadows offers the most thoroughly researched account of the massacre ever written. Drawn from documents previously not available to scholars and a careful re-reading of traditional sources, this gripping narrative offers fascinating new insight into why Mormon settlers in isolated southern Utah deceived the emigrant party with a promise of safety and then killed the adults and all but seventeen of the youngest children. The book sheds light on factors contributing to the tragic event, including the war hysteria that overcame the Mormons after President James Buchanan dispatched federal troops to Utah Territory to put down a supposed rebellion, the suspicion and conflicts that polarized the perpetrators and victims, and the reminders of attacks on Mormons in earlier settlements in Missouri and Illinois. It also analyzes the influence of Brigham Young’s rhetoric and military strategy during the Utah War and the role of local Mormon militia leaders in enticing Paiutes to join in the attack. Throughout the book, the authors paint finely drawn portraits of the key players in the drama, their backgrounds, personalities, and roles in the unfolding story of misunderstanding, misinformation, indecision, and personal vendettas.

The Mountain Meadows Massacre stands as one of the darkest events in Mormon history. Neither a whitewash nor an expose, Massacre at Mountain Meadows provides the clearest and most accurate account of a key event in American religious history.”

Another aspect that peaked my interest was that I found one of my own ancestors, William Mathews, on the pages of the book. Fortunately not as a perpetrator, but as a freighter on his way to California who because of his location in proximity to the site of the first massacre, and the fact that he had a non-Mormon in his company with him, may have inadvertently sped up the local leaders’ decision to perform their final horrific act on September 11th.

In an effort to spare my readers of a super-duper long post (I say super-DUPER because it's already going to be super long) with an extensive summary of the book, I'll simply say that I found it to be a very gripping narrative, very informative, and very well researched (evidenced by the 200+ pages of footnotes). Every Latter-day Saint should read this book in an effort to not only understand the tragedy for themselves, but to be informed enough to face those who would use it to tear down the church.

_____________________

To further feed my fascination with the MMM, I attended a panel discussion last Friday night with the new book as its focus. Three Western scholars, including the widely recognized John Mack Faragher (he wrote the textbook for my American West class) offered their critiques of the book, after which Richard Turley responded to those critiques. I took a lot of notes myself that I will post here, but I have to also credit Ardis Parshall, who types so fast she was able to take detailed notes as the panel was happening, for helping me fill in the gaps. Here are the parts that I found most interesting:

John Mack Faragher, Professor of History at Yale University:

JMF began by critiquing the authors' use of certain words, or lack thereof, to describe those who participated in the massacre. He said, "The most important question in the book is this: What led normally decent people to commit mass murder in a method and a manner and on a scale, in the authors’ words, “so calculated … so premeditated, evil and cunning”? The men who committed the atrocity at Mountain Meadows, they write, were neither fanatics nor sociopaths, but normal and, in many respects, decent people." Mack Faragher argues that they were fanatics, and were characterized as such by other Mormons like Samuel Knight who said they were fanatics "guilty of a dastardly deed." JMF noted he would rather they used a simply word such as "ordinary" to describe the perpetrators.

JMF then discusses the authors' study of the preconditions for mass murder. The 4 most important of which are demonizing, authority, obedience, and peer pressure. JMF notes that "the single most significant factor in incidents of collective violence is the process the authors call demonizing, the classification of one people by another as “the other.” Devaluing, stereotyping and dehumanizing the enemy makes mass murder possible." There is numerous historical evidence to show that "mass murder is unlikely, even impossible, without this condition." He also notes that this process was well advanced in Utah in 1857.

JMF also felt that the authors didn't devote enough pages to the role of Utah's "political structure of unassailable authority, absolute obedience, and significant peer pressure" characterized by the Mormon Reformation, which he believes played a very key role in creating the environment where such an atrocity could happen. He wonders to what extent sermons preached by Brigham Young, that often emphasized vengeance and retribution, "could have created the context for vigilante and mob action." JMF believes the Mormon Reformation 1) enforced group discipline, and 2) in a way sanctioned legal violence in pursuit of sanctioned goals. He notes that Mormons initially took a passive approach when faced with anti-Mormonism in Missouri and Illinois, yet before long LDS leaders began "[partaking] in the rhetoric of extermination" (such as Sidney Rigdon in his 4th of July, 1838 speech). "Such moral sanction for lethal violence continued as an important part of Mormon rhetoric. On Pioneer Day 1857, in Cedar City, men unfurled [a] banner inscribed “Terror to Evil Doers” … Isaac Haight … declared, “I am prepared to feed the enemy the bread he fed to me and mine.”

JMF admits that the Saints had reason to fear yet another attempt to destroy them and the society they had worked so hard to build, but "nothing justified focusing their fears on that emigrant train."

He ends by noting that in Southern Utah there was a "mix of self-righteousness and lust for vengeance among Mormons, and it was a lethal combination. The plan of employing the Paiutes to do the dirty work of killing, particularly of killing the women and children, was despicable and shocking. But equally damning is the fact that the final massacre was planned as a coverup of the initial crime."

"In the end, self interest and moral cowardice led to the logic of extermination. because they feared the consequences of what they already had done or condoned. Finally, it came down to the most ancient modus operandi known to man, the attempt to destroy the evidence."

He notes that the Frontier was a violent place and attracted reckless and violent men. This point was understated in the book according to JMF. A combination of the "acquisition of vast western territories that were weakly governed and challenges to the legitimacy of the state contributed to massive outbreaks of both political and everyday violence. He said, "We tend to take violence for granted. We tend to see it as a straightforward and uncomplicated phenomenon. People are prone to violence when their primary groups – their families, their mentors … – see violence as acceptable, hold beliefs in support of violence, and themselves are violent. The socialization to violence is a developmental process that usually takes place at home during childhood... It commonly includes the violent subjugation of an authority figure, the witness of the violent abuse of a loved one, usually a mother or sibling, the deliberate coaching in violent techniques. You have to learn to be violent. You 'have to be carefully taught.'" He then notes that John D. Lee was abused by an aunt, and was later accused of domestic violence by his wives. He then ends by saying it may be very useful to do a study to this affect of all the perpetrators in the massacre.

Phil Barlow, Utah State University:

PB began by noting that this book represents a breakthrough in LDS Church History. The Church will likely now begin addressing other controversial aspects of its history. "It will learn that the Church will not crumble by such a candid, thoughtful probing of difficult contours."

"I’m going to suggest that this book will be cathartic – painful, but cathartic – but I’d also like to warn that catharsis can in some situations be too thorough. It can make people neglect important truths that the authors embrace: That is, we humans, including LDS humans … are capable of evil. Puritans in the 17th century were, the German nation in the 1930s was, contemporary American soldiers guarding prisoners at prisons in Cuba and elsewhere, are capable." He said that as a whole Mormonisms dominant gene is good, but their may be a recessive violent gene, just as there can be in anyone.

PB also mentioned the effect of Brigham Young's rhetoric to his devoted followers. Brigham Young did, under the pressure of war, issue orders to this effect concerning smaller circumstances: 'Don’t start the violence, but if aggression comes … don’t leave witnesses to tell tales abroad and further attract the unjust wrath of the nations upon us.' Such rhetoric naturally affected the attitude of his devoted followers. Brigham Young was a human. It was a difficult situation of war, and the pressure of war, so I’m not construing myself as in a position to judge him. But those are difficult words that need careful thought.

This next thought by Barlow was particulary interesting to me. He said another implication of the book is that "there are proper limits to authority and regard for authority and obedience and faith. LDS culture and teaching emphasizes obedience, obviously; it’s emphasized as the first law of heaven … More faith is always good, and more than most cultures they have elevated notions of authority extremely high. But I’d like to suggest that there is nothing virtuous about blind obedience, or blind faith. Our authors specifically point to the danger of theocracy where all power is concentrated in single or few hands. There may be a time to say no. There may be a time to question absolute notions of authority, and Mormon doctrine teaches as much when it alludes in passages in the Doctrine & Covenants to unrighteous dominion leading to “amen to the priesthood” of these people."

PB concluded by noting the implications of the book, especially in light of its sponsorship by the Church, on Mormon History and culture. He said we live in a time where the internet "renders it impossible for any institution to completely fence its history. The publication of the book also means that Mormon culture has reached a place of enhanced maturity and confidence … better able to see, as Juanita Brooks insisted more than half a century ago, that “nothing but the truth is good enough for the church of which I am a member.” The church will not be undercut … for coming to terms with this … for its willingness to point to the culpability of its own people rather than to the convenient … [distortions]."

Donald Fixico, Arizona State University:

DF is an Indian (although he noted not a Paiute :)) and praised the book as a "roadmodel for scholarship." He noted, as did the authors, the dispicable way the Paiutes were used as pawns in the Mormons' act of imperialism. He noted the similarities between the Mormons and Paiutes in that "both were vulnerable to the westward expansion of American society. Indians had felt the effects of this expansion for some time; the Mormons felt it when they saw the expansion coming, the military coming, American culture coming to dissolve what they had built in the west."

He noted the interesting relationship between Mormons and Indians. "Brigham Young understood them, [he told his people] go to them, learn their language, teach them to farm…he put himself in a precarious position, that by putting them [the people] adjacent with natives and mediators, he put the Mormon community between the Indians and the US, it was the US that had attacked native peoples. Brigham Young was smart. He understood this alliance with natives, used it to his advantage, by putting them as allies he saw the power in them. They had power because they were an ally in the eyes of Brigham Young."

He ended by praising the book as one that raises new questions and brings a new perspective.

Richard Turley, one of the 3 authors and Assistant Church Historian:

It was our intention that [this] book create discomfort. If we look at the Mountain Meadows Massacre from a distance, or a pedestal of righteous indignation, we miss much of the meaning of the massacre. These people who carried out the massacre, if we think of them somehow as being categorically different from ourselves, become strangers … And yet the history of violence suggests that the difference between ordinary people and those who commit atrocities is not that far. We like our criminals to be so different from us that we can rest easy and say we are not like them...They are so different from ourselves that we don’t need to worry about our own proclivity towards violence. We hope that readers of this book will shorten that distance … and recognize that all human beings, unless they check a natural tendency… may give way to violence under certain circumstances.

He reminded the audience of Phil Barlow's comment that the book can create pain that leads to catharsis, however we must not let that catharsis go too far. If we forget that point, Turley said, "we will have missed one of the main points of the book."

One of the most striking things for me was when Turley started talking about Dr. Fixico's remarks and the role of the Paiutes. He said, "I want to make it a particular point, that the Paiutes, who from the very beginning were intended as scapegoats for what happened at Mountain Meadows, have suffered under a burden that needs to be relieved. I don’t mean to get too personal here, and for those who may be listening or recognize the circumstances I’m describing I don’t intend to be offensive. I have sat with groups in southern Utah who continue to insist that the burden for this should be on the Paiute people. I tell them to give that up; it was your ancestors who were the principal aggressors in this event. [At this point the audience applauded] You need to relieve them of a burden under which they have suffered now for a century and a half."

"These people in southern Utah had been sent to befriend the Paiutes and to live among them. A relationship of trust was established, and that trust was violated in the Mountain Meadows massacre."

Turley ended by noting that "this is the most difficult subject in Mormon history. And our feeling was that if we could confront this topic face to face and in a straightforward manner, with all of its horror and all its gore, then people who write about Mormon history would feel able to confront virtually any topic …but will also help to generate good scholarship on other difficult points of Mormon history."

After a question from the audience about frontier violence Turley noted that, "In the literature about violence, there is considerable discussion about the failure of people to stand up at important events in the cycle of mass killing and try to stop it. With the Mountain Meadows massacre, there were several junctures at which someone could have stopped what happened, clear up to the final massacre itself. But no one did. That’s one of the most frightening elements of group violence that many human beings are susceptible to.

"It’s easy to step back, to say “I wouldn’t have done it.” It’s important for all of us to examine ourselves and say, is that capability in us?"

John Mack Faragher then entered into the discussion and said, "I would certainly agree with both, although I also disagree. Every event is unique. We see how contingency plays a dramatic role, and the presence and absence of certain individuals and events determines the outcomes. On the other hand, there is the commonality of pattern. And so I would go back to these points: the ease with which Americans of the mid-19th century talked about exterminating each other. This is really quite dramatic and revealing. Coming from a culture in which the extermination of native people was assumed to be a national policy goal, this constant discussion of extermination, I think, is extremely revealing and very disturbing that it was available to people who found themselves victimized [and in turn victimized others]." He then used homicide statistics (as high as 700 per 100,00 in the 19th century to today's 6 per 100,000) to conclude that "[The 19th Century] was a murderous time. It’s not only at Mountain Meadows where the massacres are taking place. The Mountain Meadows massacre is one such event of many dozens of such events."

To conclude, I believe this book represents a turning point in Mormon scholarship. It will show that an open, honest approach to our history is beneficial.

*For Ardis' entire transcript click here.

*For another discussion of the panel with notes click here.

*For the new website go to http://mountainmeadowsmassacre.org/

September 11, 2001

2008-09-11T07:31:00.010-06:00

"None of us will ever forget this day."

-Pres. Bush (Address to the Nation, September 11, 2001)

On this the 7th anniversary of the September 11th attacks, I wanted to take a second to reflect on my experience of that day....

I was a sophomore at Centennial High School. First thing that morning I went to Coach Miller's classroom to finish an assignment. As I was finishing it up a girl on my cross country team, Megan Romeo, came in and as she was leaving said, "Did you hear that a plane crashed into the World Trade Center?" I said I hadn't and, I'll admit my ignorance, I remember thinking "which one is the WTC again?" When she said a plane crashed into the building my first thought was a little jet plane or something that would definitely cause damage, but nothing significant, so I forgot about it. 1st period I had Chemistry and class went on as usual, so again I thought nothing of it. My 2nd period French class was when I first started to realize the magnitude of what had happened. I walked into the room and noticed the TV on. There was a woman reporter standing in the middle of a road covered in white ash with people similarly covered walking or running on all sides of her. My first thought was that something had happened in some far off place, because this just doesn't happen in my country. But as I listened more to what she was saying I realized that this was the plane Megan was talking about.

For the rest of the school day we watched the news reports, no one could concentrate on schoolwork, not even the teachers. We continued watching as the second plane hit, and as the towers collapsed...

At home we watched the news all night; we couldn't stop watching.

I remember the following week hearing a lot of kids saying, "Well, if I was in the tower I would have... Or "If I was in that plane I would have..." I got so sick of it I wanted to just rip into them. You don't know what you would have done in a situation like that. My guess is you would have hunkered in the corner and peed your pants (excuse the language). Oh, it made me so mad!

For the next week, even the next month, we were glued to the TV. America had been shaken in a way that it hadn't been in my lifetime. But just as one of Japan's greatest mistakes following their attack on Pearl Harbor was their underestimation of the American spirit and response, this terrorist group could not have guessed how their evil act brought the country together, rather than push it apart. Americans experienced renewed patriotism and showed it with incredible vigor. Flags flew, service was rendered, blood given, etc. America was mobilized and united in their efforts, and it was amazing to be a part of.

Excerpts from Pres. Bush's Address to the Nation on Sept. 11, 2001:

"Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shattered steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve.

"America was targeted for attack because we're the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world. And no one will keep that light from shining.

"Today, our nation saw evil, the very worst of human nature. And we responded with the best of America."

Pres. Bush's remarks on the 5th anniversary of the attack, 2006:

"On 9/11, our nation saw the face of evil. Yet on that awful day, we also witnessed something distinctly American: ordinary citizens rising to the occasion, and responding with extraordinary acts of courage. We saw courage in office workers who were trapped on the high floors of burning skyscrapers -- and called home so that their last words to their families would be of comfort and love. We saw courage in passengers aboard Flight 93, who recited the 23rd Psalm -- and then charged the cockpit. And we saw courage in the Pentagon staff who made it out of the flames and smoke -- and ran back in to answer cries for help. On this day, we remember the innocent who lost their lives -- and we pay tribute to those who gave their lives so that others might live."

Let us never forget that fateful day and the awful realization that we are not impenetrable, that we can be wounded, but also that America will always rise to the occasion. That as a strong, resourceful nation, we can continue to stand as a "beacon for freedom and opportunity" and share that light with the world.

"Advice For Mothers"

2008-09-10T14:49:00.007-06:00

I know this is an odd post for me considering I'm nowhere near being a mother. But since I hope to someday have the opportunity to raise children of my own, I often think about how I want to raise them. I watch what others do and take note of what seems to work and what doesn't. And while I'm perfectly aware there's no perfect way to do it, and no way to ensure your children "turn out right" I do believe there are methods that put the odds in your favor.

I've been blessed with an amazing mother and father who cared more than anything about their children and who I'm sure spent many sleepless nights contemplating how best to deal with situations involving us kids. Hindsight is always 20/20 and while my training is no where near complete, I'm now in a better position to look back and see the good things they did. And I think one of the things I appreciate the most is their constant focus on the big picture. It takes a great deal of courage to do what you feel in your heart is right regarding your children - even if that means allowing them to experience life's harsh realities which at the moment may make you "unpopular" in their youthful and inexperienced eyes - knowing that in the end, even if you don't see the fruits of your labor until 40 years down the road, it will be for the best.

Well, I came across this passage in a book entitled Joseph Smith's America and thought it must have been ripped right out of my mom's book on raising children.

It comes from Lydia Maria Child in her 1831 Mother's Book (She also wrote The American Frugal Housewife):

"The period from twelve to sixteen years of age is extremely critical in the formation of character, particularly with regard to daughters. The imagination is then all alive, and the affections are in full vigor, while the judgment is unstrengthened by observation, and enthusiasm has never learned moderation of experience (aka “Teen Crap” as it’s called in the Mathews household). During this important period, a mother cannot be too watchful. As much as possible, she should keep a daughter under her own eye; and above all things she should encourage entire confidence towards herself. This can be done by a ready sympathy with youthful feeling, and by avoiding all unnecessary restraint and harshness. I believe it is extremely natural to choose a mother in preference to all other friends and confidants; but if a daughter, by harshness, indifference, or an unwillingness to make allowance for youthful feeling, is driven from the holy resting place which nature has provided for her security, the greatest danger is to be apprehended. Nevertheless, I would not have mothers be too indulgent, for fear of weaning the affections of children. This is not the way to gain the perfect love of young people; a judicious parent is always better beloved, and more respected, than a foolishly indulgent one. The real secret is, for a mother never to sanction the slightest error, or imprudence, but at the same time to keep her heart warm and fresh, ready to sympathize with all the innocent gayety and enthusiasm of youth. Salutary restraint, but not unnecessary restraint, is desirable.

It is a great mistake to think that education is finished when young people leave school. Education is never finished. Half the character is formed after we cease to learn lessons from books; and at that active and eager age it is formed with a rapidity and strength absolutely startling to think of. Do you ask what forms it? I answer the every-day conversation they hear, the habits they witness, and the people they are taught to respect. Sentiments thrown out in jest, or carelessness, and perhaps forgotten by the speaker, as soon as uttered, often sink deeply into the youthful mind, and have a powerful influence on future character. This is true in very early childhood; and it is peculiarly true of the period when youth is just ripening into manhood. Employ what teachers we may, the influences at home will have the mightiest influences in education. School-masters may cultivate the intellect; but the things said and done at home are busy agents in forming the affections; and the last have infinitely more important consequences than the first."

Yay or nay? Any advice from mother's out there is most definitely welcome...

Vacation - Dinner Time (arguably our favorite part of the cruise!)

2008-09-08T16:10:00.009-06:00

We ate dinner every night in the dining room with our awesome servers Jimmy (L) and Jesus (R). They were so fun and entertaining! Preston, Mally, and BJ
The twins
Preston and Mallory
Me and Grandpa
"There's got to be more to life than being really, really good looking."

Oh BJ...

Gangstas
The fam

Vacation - Ports at Cabo San Lucas and Ensenada

2008-09-05T17:26:00.006-06:00

" Everyone's thinkin' it I'm just saying it...Pirates!"
Um, ya. See that entanglement of power lines? And they wonder it caught on fire and was sparking everywhere.
The arch at Cabo from our little boat on the way to go snorkeling

The boat we took to go snorkeling
Ready to go!

On the boat we met these nice ladies, Barbara and Jeanine

So pretty
There wasn't a port big enough at Cabo so everyone had to be taken to shore in these little boats
Um, I think the big funny glasses that girls wear are getting to be, well, too big :)

This is what Grandpa did the whole time we were shopping at Ensenada
And dad too...

The Mexican Coast Guard pretending to do something important I'm sure
Port at Ensenada

Gotta have a soccer field! Nice little stands too!
Oops

Vacation - Fun on the Boat

2008-09-05T16:56:00.013-06:00

Our cabin (Preston and BJ were down the hall with Grandpa)
Grandpa Mathews

Mally going down the slide

Mallory and Preston in front of a WWII museum on this aircraft carrier.

One of our favorite spots to hang out on the boat
Me with the Cabo Arch in the background
Mally buggin' the boys :)

Maybe we're a little violent
BJ being the Joker
I'm sensing a theme here...
Cute Mallory

Waiting to get off the ship on the last day

Oh the Beej
I loved this spot on the back of the boat (when there wasn't a bunch of people of course)

Dad and Grandpa reading, as usual :)

Vacation - San Diego

2008-09-03T08:38:00.012-06:00

Ok wow! So I didn't post for a while I know, but THEN I didn't have internet for a couple of days! Arrgh! Sorry. Anyway, this lack of internet has also made me realize how pathetically and hopelessly dependent on the internet I am. I actually looked forward to going into work after the long weekend because I knew I could finally check my email and facebook. Whew, I need a therapist or something. Anyway, back to the family vacation...

After hanging out in Vegas for a couple of days we headed off to San Diego for a day before boarding the ship for our cruise.

Most of the time we spent at the beach.

Notice my dad's beach attire. You know you're a Mathews if...

You go to the beach wearing long pants, regular close-toed shoes, and a button up shirt. I'm surprised he didn't have his signature CAT hat on. Gotta love it!

The heads of the family (Said like in The Godfather)
I call this Preston's Casino Royale, Daniel Craig, coming-out-of-the-water-in-such-a-way-as-to-attract-the-ladies picture.

BJ got a new skim board that was really fun! (Although it was quite clear we all could use a little practice :) )

I sure look like I know what I'm doing...

Totally biffing it!

Waiting for pretzels, the likes of which we had no idea how great they would be!

Look at this! Mm mmm. Hawaiian pretzel, made to order, goodness.