Pig Tails & Overalls

Can I just put in a plug for pig tails and overalls. It seems like no matter how many girls I talk to they all think that pig tails and overalls are ''not cute" and ''so third grade.'' I think they both look very cute on girls. Pig tails give girls this look of cute and blissful innocence that I find very attractive. Overalls do the very same thing.


I'm not really sure why girls would think these negative things about pig tails and overalls (if you feel inclined to clue me in please do) - I mean, when I was in third grade I wore plaid shorts and a t-shirt. I don't hear too many guys complaining about plaid shorts or t-shirts these days.
Can I also add one disclaimer? I think the pig tails look the best when they are braided (I don't know enough to know if that has a different name than a pig tail - like maybe a braided tail or something) and those are definitely preferable. As far as overalls go - go with khaki.

Dating

So the whole 'dating' title - it's just a facade. I mean who wouldn't read your blog if you have a post dedicated to dating? I know when I hear the word 'dating' my interest is usually peaked fairly quickly.

This post is about pet-peeves. Everyone has them - they're weird (ever notice how weird is spelled with an E before an I even though it doesn't follow a C? Weird, huh?) but we all have them, and I think it's fun to try and point them out. One thing that I have noticed is that it's usually easier to point out someone else's pet-peeves than it is to identify your own. My roommate Reed for example - we have lived together for 3 years now, and I know his pet-peeves. Probably better than he does. But, with a little help from Reed, I have identified many of my own pet-peeves, which I will now be so gracious as to share with you.

1 - The little thingy in the shower. The pin that you pull to make the water come out of the shower instead of going into the tub. I like for that to be down. The reason is this: I hate it when I get in to turn on the shower and - not expecting it to come out of the shower - am surprised by a blast of icy water when I first turn it on. Also it drips and wastes water. Peace, Love, Granola.

2 - Routines. I don't like my routines to get messed up. Before I got to bed every night I always do the following (in the order given): Wash my face, brush my teeth, say my prayers, stretch, make my going to bed noises (hard to explain over a blog post), place my pillow under my knees while lying on my back (I do this until I am almost asleep), then I turn over onto my stomach and sleep with a pillow under my one arm.

3 - People who do stupid things. Not just people who do stupid things - but, people who know better and do stupid things. It drives me bonkers when I know that someone knows better and still does something stupid.

4 - Loud things. I don't mind loud things in loud places (football games, carnivals, rodeos, etc.) but, I hate when people have loud things in the wrong places. The car that revs it's engine 546 times outside our window at 1AM, the person in the cougareat talking on their phone loud enough for everyone in the WILK to hear them, the person in the movie sitting behind you who sniffs every 5 secs so loud you thought he was bending down to get close to your ear to do it, and so forth.

5 - Dirty hands. I'm no OCD (at least if I am I don't know about it) but I really like to have clean hands. I wash my hands a lot - especially while cooking - to make sure they are clean. I also like to have a nice wash rag to dry my hands on after I wash them. I bought some for our apartment and I wash them every week.

6 - When things don't work. That may seem like an odd category but it drives me nuts when something that is supposed to be working won't work the way it's supposed to. My car, computer, cell-phone, etc. I hate it when something doesn't work - it always seems to happen at just the wrong time.

7 - Wet toes. It drives me nuts when my toes are wet. I always dry off in between them in the mornings. Don't know why - just can't stand it.

8 - Fruity Gum. I seriously want to throw up just smelling it. It makes it 10X worse when someone chews fruity gum and smacks it. I feel bad but I made up my own rule for the MTC - No fruity gum in class - ever!

9 - Doctrinally incorrect statements that are used in church. Christ never said (that we have record of) " I never said it would be easy, I only said it would be worth it."

10 -Parking in provo.

Anywho, those are some of my pet-peeves. I thank you not to judge, I promise, for the most part, I'm still a pretty normal person. Feel free to share your #1 pet peeve, I would love to hear about them

Check this out

If you hate parking in Provo as much as I do . . .


Parking Tickets

Prop 8

Watch this:

Video

Rain

I recently was introduced to the song "Like the Rain," by Clint Black. I really like it. I did a little research and found out that there are, in fact, according to muze.com, over 5,000 albums containing at least one song with the word 'rain' in their title, just since 1960.

In my opinion the top 3 are:

1 - Rainy Days And Mondays, by The Carpenters

2 - Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head, by B.J. Thomas

3 - Rain, by The Beatles

Why do you suppose that is? Why are there so many songs about rain? Well I stick with the guys @ http://www.lacarte.org. They make the claim that it's probably because rain is the easiest word to rhyme with 'PAIN.'

Pain - it seems to show up on a lot of songs... In fact that's one reason why I love country songs so much. Not so much the pain aspect as much as the ability country music has to put into words the feelings that are hard to describe. In honor of my love for country music (don't judge me) I present to you the top 100 country songs.

1. A Woman in Love - Ronnie Milsap
2. Almost Like a Song - Ronnie Milsap
3. Always On My Mind - Willie Nelson
4. Amanda - Waylon Jennings
5. Amazed - Lonestar
6. Anymore - Travis Tritt
7. Before The Next Teardrop Falls - Freddy Fender
8. Behind Closed Doors - Charlie Rich
9. Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain - Willie Nelson
10. Breathe - Faith Hill
11. But For The Grace Of God - Keith Urban
12. Carrying Your Love With Me - George Strait
13. Cold Cold Heart - Hank Williams
14. Cowboy Take Me Away - Dixie Chicks
15. Crazy - Patsy Cline
16. Don't Take The Girl - Tim McGraw
17. Feels So Right - Alabama
18. Forever and Ever, Amen - Randy Travis
19. Forever And For Always - Shania Twain
20. From Here To Eternity - Michael Peterson
21. Gentle on My Mind - Glen Campbell
22. Golden Ring - George Jones and Tammy Wynette
23. He Stopped Loving Her Today - George Jones
24. He'll Have To Go - Jim Reeves
25. Hello Darlin - Conway Twitty
26. Hello Walls - Faron Young
27. Help Me Make It Through the Night - Sammi Smith
28. Help Me Understand - Trace Adkins
29. How Do I Live - Trisha Yearwood
30. How Forever Feels - Kenny Chesney
31. I Believe - Diamond Rio
32. I Believe In You - Don Williams
33. I Can't Help It (If I'm Still In Love With You) - Hank Williams
34. I Can't Stop Loving You - Don Gibson
35. I Cross My Heart - George Strait
36. I Do - Paul Brandt
37. I Do (Cherish You) - Mark Wills
38. I Fall To Pieces - Patsy Cline
39. I Love the Way You Love Me - John Michael Montgomery
40. I Melt - Rascal Flatts
41. I Still Believe in You - Vince Gill
42. I Still Miss Someone - Johnny Cash
43. I Swear - John Michael Montgomery
44. I Walk The Line - Johnny Cash
45. I Wanna Make You Cry - Jeff Bates
46. I Will Always Love You - Dolly Parton
47. I'd Love To Lay You Down - Conway Twitty
48. If Tomorrow Never Comes - Garth Brooks
49. I'll Go On Loving You - Alan Jackson
50. I'm Already There - Lonestar
51. I'm So Lonesome, I Could Cry - Hank Williams
52. It Only Hurts When I Cry - Dwight Yoakam
53. It's a Love Thing - Keith Urban
54. It's Your Love - Faith Hill & Tim McGraw
55. Keeper Of The Stars - Tracy Byrd
56. Kiss An Angel Good Mornin' - Charley Pride
57. Let's Make Love - Faith Hill & Tim McGraw
58. Love Me Tender - Elvis Presley
59. Love, Me - Collin Raye
60. Lovesick Blues - Hank Williams
61. Me And You - Kenny Chesney
62. Must Be Doin' Somethin' Right - Billy Currington
63. My Woman, My Woman, My Wife - Marty Robbins
64. No Place That Far - Sara Evans
65. One More Day - Diamond Rio
66. Only One Love In My Life - Ronnie Milsap
67. Pure Love - Ronnie Milsap
68. Raining On Sunday - Keith Urban
69. Remember When - Alan Jackson
70. She's In Love With The Boy - Trisha Yearwood
71. She's Got You - Patsy Cline
72. She's More - Andy Griggs
73. Somebody Like You - Keith Urban
74. Something That We Do - Clint Black
75. Strawberry Wine - Deana Carter
76. The Dance - Garth Brooks
77. The Heart Won't Lie - Reba McEntire
78. The Man In Love With You - George Strait
79. The One - Gary Allan
80. This Kiss - Faith Hill
81. To Make You Feel My Love - Garth Brooks
82. Today I Started Loving You Again - Merle Haggard
83. Tonight I Wanna Be Your Man - Andy Griggs
84. Two Sparrows in a Hurricane - Tanya Tucker
85. Unanswered Prayers - Garth Brooks
86. We Danced - Brad Paisley
87. What a Beautiful Day - Chris Cagle
88. When I Call Your Name - Vince Gill
89. When I Said I Do - Clint Black and Lisa Hartman Black
90. When Somebody Loves You - Alan Jackson
91. When We Make Love - Alabama
92. When You Say Nothing At All - Keith Whitley
93. Where've You Been - Kathy Mattea
94. You Had Me From Hello - Kenny Chesney
95. You Won't Be Lonely Now - Billy Ray Cyrus
96. You Won't Ever Be Lonely - Andy Griggs
97. Your Everything - Keith Urban
98. Your Man - Josh Turner
99. You're My Best Friend - Don Williams
100. You're The Best Part of Me - Dale Watson

I borrowed this list from http://countrymusic.about.com

Reminders...Skadush

Hello all,

I'm back and plum-full of blogging topics. I dedicate this post to reminders. Before I embark on a verbose post all about reminders I just wanted to take this opportunity to introduce everyone to my new favorite word "skadush"



Now - on to reminders. I am one of those people who has to have reminders - I am known for being notoriously forgetful. I have my schedule all spelled out for me on my computer (using Ical), I have it again in my Missionary Planner (which I get complimentary from the MTC), I use a minimum of 5 post it notes a day as reminders of things to take to school, to turn in, to read, etc. I have printed out versions of my schedule I carry with me, I have them posted on my wall, and I have my schedule on my google homepage. Despite all of my efforts, invariably, I miss appointments, forget birthdays, show up late to meetings, and completely space commitments. Due to my cursory nature I am constantly on the look-out for new ways of reminding myself. I stumbled on one today that I found very interesting and wanted to share with all of you.

Check out HassleMe - it's awesome. Now I wouldn't recommend using this for set appt's like a meeting, etc. But, for things like calling someone you want to check up on, feeding your pet, etc. This is revolutionary. With random email times you avoid falling into a rut and forgetting altogether. Skadush that!

The Rose

This post goes out to everyone. I love this song. This could be the one non-country song that really speaks to my soul like a country song does. I like this song because I think everyone can relate to different parts of this song at different times of their life. At the risk of taking away from the song I will say no more.... Enjoy "The Rose"

4 Puppies

There once were four puppies. Each was different, but each was good in it's own way. Each morning the puppies would awake to the sound of children as they walked by their puppy pen. "Choose me! Choose me!," each barked out loudly.
Afternoons were spent wrestling, digging, and doing other such puppy things. Days past and the puppies grew - each day looking for that special child to come who would choose them.
Scratch.
The largest of the puppies was named Scratch. Scratch was one of those puppies who was always the biggest and the strongest when all the puppies wrestled, and yet, he had an incredibly soft heart. Scratch would never do anything to hurt anyone. He often spent time talking with the other puppies when they felt alone or hurt. One day along came a child. Her name was Linda - Linda was young, happy, go-lucky, and carefree. She was excited for a puppy and immediately began playing with the puppies when she arrived. Something about Scratch stood out to her. He was big, but gentle. Linda decided that Scratch was the puppy she most wanted and took him home with her. Days past in bliss - they were best of friends - playing, laughing, and crying together. They spent the better part of a year together - everyday Linda running home from school to meet Scratch and play. There were few things Linda enjoyed more than Scratch and nothing Scratch enjoyed more than Linda. Then Linda joined the drama club at school. She began to see less and less of Scratch. She wanted nothing more than to be with him, but she just didn't feel like it was right for her to miss her drama meetings. Scratch began to try harder and harder to get her attention and there were days when Linda skipped out on drama to spend time with Scratch - but, afterward she felt bad. She didn't feel good about spending all that time with Scratch and not going to her drama meetings. Until eventually Linda's parents took scratch back to the puppy pen. Linda couldn't give Scratch the commitment he needed and it wasn't fair to leave him tied up in the backyard waiting for her.
Spud.
Spud was another puppy who grew up with Scratch in the same pen. He wasn't quite as big as Scratch but he was happy and enjoyed life at the pen. Spud had been taken by different kids at different times but always seemed to end up back at the pen - it just didn't work out with the different kids and Spud was sad. One day in walked Chelsea. She was unlike the other children - her and Spud just seemed to click. She came back to visit him in the pen, time and again, and each time Spud hoped more and more that she would take him home with her. Just when Spud had given up hope in walked Chelsea and told him she was taking him home. Joy filled little Spud's heart as he walked out with Chelsea - surely this would be wonderful. Days were spent together talking, confiding in, laughing, and enjoying one another. Spud was as happy as he had ever been. Hours flew by as they spent time together and it seemed that there was never enough time for them to talk about all the things they wanted to talk about.
Then one day Chelsea started acting differently - she didn't seem as excited to see Spud as she had been before. She seemed more aloof and not as happy. Spud tried to understand what had happened but couldn't seem to come up with anything.
Why could this be? Then one day, out of the blue, Chelsea told Spud that he would have to go back to the pen. "But, why?" he inquired, "What about all the wonderful times together, what about, what about..."
Spud was heart-broken. He didn't understand why this was happening. He felt alone, confused, and most of all sad. Chelsea still promised to visit him often at the pen and promised many more memories, talks, and laughs. But, Spud was still sad - why did such a good thing have to end? How could they possibly have as much fun if he wasn't with her anymore?
But, the day came and Spud returned to the pen.
Brutus.
Brutus was an extremely kind, soft puppy. His name definitely didn't suit his soft demeanor and attitude. He was the most carefree of all the puppies - nothing seemed to slow him down. He was often found in random and solitary projects where he was content and happy. None of the children who came to play seemed to suit Brutus - he was content being himself and spending occasional time with the other puppies. One day, all that changed. Brutus wasn't feeling up to his usual solitary games and on the recommendation of another puppy decided to play with one of the children he had seen so many times before. Her name was Abby. Something strange happened that day - it was love at first site. Brutus hardly knew what to do with himself. Having no expectations whatsoever of even enjoying himself he found himself utterly stunned with the amazing time he had with Abby. They both seemed to find each other hilarious. Brutus began to spend less and less time in his usual endeavors and more and more time with Abby. She was amazing - his new best friend, confidant, and joy. Well, the time comes, as you may have now expected that Abby decided to take Brutus home. For 2 weeks they both spent every waking moment together. Laughter filled the yard as they played together. Brutus was as happy as he had ever been. Then one day Abby did the unthinkable - she brought home another dog! His name was Gilbert. He was nice enough of course (Abby wouldn't have any of the other kind of dog in her house), but Brutus was devastated. He had thought that he and Abby were to be together - he didn't at all expect to be sharing time with Gilbert. Why had Abby done this? The next week was the hardest for Brutus - he tried to be as happy as he had been before - but he wasn't. He tried to spend time with Abby, but always felt that it was some sort of competition between him and Gilbert - each vying for her time. It wasn't fair, and he wasn't happy. The time arrived that Brutus had to be taken back to the pen. It just wasn't working out - 3's a crowd and he felt crowded.
Ricky.
Ricky was one of those charming puppies. It seemed he could charm his way into the heart of any child - and he did. The problem was Ricky never seemed to have any sort of attachment to them. He watched as the other puppies left then returned but never seemed to find himself attached to any child in particular. Until...
In walked Brandy. She was unlike any of the other children. She was intellectually challenging to Ricky. He couldn't just charm her into getting his way - and he liked it. Here was a child that he could attach himself to. She challenged him and he challenged her. Ricky found himself being more and more drawn to Brandy. They would have long talks that Ricky kept thinking about long after Brandy had left. This is new, this is exciting. Maybe here was finally a child that Ricky could see himself going with. For 3 weeks Brandy and Ricky would spend time together - almost daily - Ricky found life more satisfying when he was with Brandy and he looked forward to seeing her. One weekend Brandy didn't come - Ricky was worried sick. What could have happened to her? But then the next Monday she was back. "I had to go and visit another puppy pen to take care of some things," she explained. Ricky was just happy she was back and they had a wonderful time that day. But Ricky still felt a little unsettled. Something wasn't quite right. Why was she visiting other puppy pens? Wasn't this one the only puppy pen should she be at? Day by day his fears grew as Brandy spent less and less time at the puppy pen. Oh, she always had a good excuse for why she needed to leave early or why she wouldn't make it the next day - but that's just it - all of a sudden she was full of excuses. Ricky was distraught - he felt empty, discouraged, and sad. Then one day as Ricky was talking with another puppy he overheard one of the children: "Oh, Brandy. No, she doesn't come here anymore. She's always going over to that other puppy pen. I think she found a puppy over there that she's actually taking home..." Ricky stopped listening. That was all he could take. He ran to the corner and plopped himself down. "I'm done letting myself get attached," he thought. And there he remained, in the corner, saddened by the experience that left him hurt.
4 puppies. All a little less willing to smile at the children as they walked by. All hurt by those they had grown close to. All confused.

4 puppies, back in the pen
4 puppies fighting the blues
4 puppies start over again
4 puppies sad and confused

Haircuts & Nintendos

I was just thinking today about haircuts. Haircuts are great for many reason (all of which I will not take the time to discuss here) but I want to discuss one of my favorite reasons for haircuts.
When you get a new haircut it's like a fresh start - you're a new person - it's like a new chapter in your life. I always love getting my haircut right after I take midterms - My mom cuts it, I shower and then when I step out and look at myself in the mirror I think: "Self, your a new man. You haven't bombed any tests with this haircut, you haven't offended anyone with this haircut, you haven't had any embarrassing moments, bad days, etc. with this haircut. So don't screw it up"


It's almost like you get a new identity - untarnished, with no baggage, etc. Now as I have thought about it the interesting thing is that from as far as I can tell this affect only affects the receiver of the haircut. When my buddies get haircuts I don't look at them and think: "Oh, wow - this is the post-haircut Steve I am dealing with now..." but the receiver of the haircut gets the wonderful new chapter feeling. Interesting.
While we are on the topic of new identities I found this website that allows you to generate a new name, email address, mom's name, social security #, etc. It's pretty cool.
Anyway - I was trying to think of other things/events in life that seem to signify a new chapter in life(aside from spiritual events such as baptism and taking the sacrament at church) and from as far as I can tell nothing happens as frequently as a haircut. Thank goodness for haircuts and the chance to "start over." It's almost like the reset button on the old nintendo game systems.

Long time

First of all I must apologize to all of you faithful readers out there - I readily admit that by now there might not be more than 2 or 3 of you, but at one time I was averaging 30-40 hits per day...
Anyway, I'm back from a long and wonderful summer as an EFY coordinator in the Northwest. I grew to love my team, we were all about as different as we could be but that was what made it so fun. I need to give a shout out to all of them - they made it what it was and I'm grateful for that.
I love the kids, the dances, the games, pizza night, devotionals, late night talks with counselors, ice cream, big mama (this monsterous black lady from the south who always gave you more food than you could eat), the speakers, the testimonies of the youth, sleeping on a different bed every week, driving, flying, navigating through airports (always made me think of Brian Reagan), rental cars, working with administrators, coordinating, having ample time for scripture study everyday, running on no sleep week in and week out, random trips to lighthouses, tillamook, volleyball, ultimate frisbee, bowling, cafeteria food everyday for 8 weeks, french toast sticks every morning, spending time with my dad, talking to my mom on the phone, telling everyone I met about the color code, refusing to be part of the drama and then getting sucked into it all, being he liaison with the university when we broke their hammock or their big screen TV, making kids get haircuts, dancing, Miley Cirus and all her wonderful music, learning how to fall asleep anywhere at anytime, talking trash with 50 yr old men, having my eyes opened to the world outside Utah, the sunsets over the Puget Sound, the same music at the dances twice a week for 8 weeks, inside jokes, new sweat pants, the doghouse, cheesecake for dessert, French fries everyday for lunch for 4 weeks, giving haircuts, the Olympics, more facebook friends than I've ever had before, the clapper, random talents kids have these days, pokemon, and so on and so forth.
If I could sum up the summer into one lesson learned it would be this: Always give everyone the benefit of the doubt - you never know what they are going through. Time and again this was pounded home to me as I talked with youth, counselors, friends, etc. You never can tell what they are going through and 99% of people really do try to do the right thing and be good. And when they don't they almost always know it - they usually don't need someone to tell them.
I loved it - I'm different because of the experience. The people I met have and will continue to change my life. The experiences I had have and will continue to shape me. If I was Julie Andrews EFY would definitely make my favorites things list...
Right behind raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens.

Ouch

Howdy all. I know it's been quite sometime since I last posted but I've been busy with EFY. I am a coordinator up here in the Northwest (Oregon, Washington, & Idaho) and I love it. I have been moved to post again because of an experience I had. In all honesty I could probably feel 300 posts with all the learning experiences I am having, but I just wanted to highlight one.
Have you ever had someone say something to you that really hurt? They were joking, and you knew they were joking, but it still really hurt? I consider myself and pretty easy-going guy, with pretty thick skin (judge for yourselves, I could be wrong on that one) but, I had something said to me that really stung.
We all have things we believe in - things we try and do. Things we stick up for, invest ourselves, in, commit ourselves to, etc. I have some things like that (I think everyone does) and it was when someone began to poke fun - to call me out in a way - on one of those things that I really do believe in, something I am trying really hard to do because I really think that it's important - it was when they began to make fun of that, that I was really hurt.
This caused me to think. We really do need to be careful about what we say. This person and I have a great relationship - we tease each other all the time. I expect that we will continue to be good friends and tease each other. But, this experience made me think about how careful I need to be. A little slip of the tongue and I may hurt someone else.
Sarcasm. It's one of my favorite things in the world. I love it - use it, laugh at it - all the time. I also think though that it gets me into more trouble than anything else. It's hard to know when you've crossed the line. When your remarks may stray into an area that someone else feels really strongly about, somewhere that they really believe in, and have committed themselves to do. Even though it's simply sarcastic it still hurts. And as has been said many times: "There's a little truth under every sarcastic remark."
Don't worry - I'm fine. I have moved on, and everything is okay. But, I still think the point stands. We need to be more careful about what we say - especially when it is sarcastic. You never know when you may say something that really hurts someone.

The Felt Family

So... My little sister asked me to take some pictures of her family.  

I'm no photographer by any means, by I thought it was fun...

Parents

I have an interesting question running around in my brain. I have heard it said that if you are a guy you generally look for a girl who is like your mother. And if you are a girl you look for a guy like your dad. Now, this makes sense as they (your mother if you are a guy, your dad if you're a girl) are most likely the most important person of the opposite gender in your life before you get married. Is that really a true thing though?
I had an interesting conversation with a friend a few days ago who mentioned to me that the guy she's been dating for a long time now just isn't the one for her. We talked for a long time and when it finally came down to it - there were just some little things that he couldn't do for her that she needed. She really wanted someone who would bring her flowers on her birthday (she had even told him this) but, he cooked her a nice dinner instead. She wanted someone who would tell her she looked beautiful all the time - that's just not his style. Not that he was a bad person or anything, he just wasn't what she needed. As I talked to her it finally came out - she wanted those things because she had seen her dad do those things for her mom. As she had grown up and thought about the man she would marry she had already placed certain qualities on him - and most of these had come from her dad and mom's relationship. Interesting.
Another case in point - I have another friend. This particular person dated someone for a long time - long enough to get engaged/married for sure. They broke up multiple times, got back together, etc. Why didn't it work out in the end? Well the person he was dating could never feel good about them getting married - and one reason was that he didn't have certain qualities that she had seen in her dad and brothers. Not that he was a bad person, or her expectations were too high, because I don't think either one of those is true - he just wasn't what she had seen herself marrying. Hmm.... interesting.
So...this makes me think. Maybe there was something to arranged marriages. I mean if my mom has the qualities I am looking for in a potential wife - who better to find her for me than my dad (who is married to my mom and found those same qualities) and my mom (who would be able to relate extremely well to this girl who would be just like her)?
Just some food for thought.

Decision Time

So, I've long thought that there was something weird about the dating game - well many things maybe. But, lately I've been thinking about this weird phenomenon that happens to me sometimes, and to many others that I know. There's this guy/girl that is mildly interested in a girl/guy so they take them on a date. The date is fun - they have a great time so they decide to do it again. Second date - much the same - fun time. Well this whole time the guy/girl is thinking to themselves: "I wonder if they are interested as well...I'm having a good time with them...hmm...maybe this could work out..." So they go out with the significant girl/guy again. Once again they have a good time. Then they get the post-date text..."Hey thanks for taking me out, I had such a good time! :)" The next day they get another text: "Hey, what are you up to today? Hope everything is going well! :)" That's it - game over. The blatant use of exclamation points and smiley faces gave it all away - your cover is blown. Now the guy/girl knows that the other is interested. At first they jsut suspect - they aren't sure, and they let their inner-selves talk them out of it. But, subsequent texts follow - each interlaced with more and more punctuation and smiling faces. Until the day comes - theres no room for doubt any longer. They know the other is interested.
They should be way happy right? The two of them should hook up now, and be happy, right? But, it doesn't happen that way. All of a sudden our initial guy/girl who asked the other out isn't that interested anymore. For awhile they respond to the texts with gusto, then slowly responding becomes more of a chore, until they don't respond at all. Initially they may take the other person out, but as the dates winds on they realize that they aren't nearly as interested as they thought they were before they realized the other was reciprocating feelings of interest.
Why?
Why does this happen?
Well, I don't really know - but I am prepared to propose an answer. When everything is vague and unclear it's easy to still be interested. Theres no commitment, no decisions, just interest and those exciting tinglies inside. But, the second the other party shows their interest all of a sudden it's D-day. Now you've got to decide - no more playing around. If you take her out again but you aren't really interested then you're leading her on - if you don't take her out again then you are breaking her heart because she is interested now. What do you do? Well you get all frustrated with the whole thing, and with yourself because you realize that you weren't really that interested in her in the first place. But, it took her forcing you into decision time for you to realize it. Interesting...isn't it?

Kids

Aren't little kids adorable?

Cause I'm going, going, back, back, to, Cali, Cali . . .

Sorry ya'll I know I haven't blogged in far too long. It's been a crazy few weeks though. First of all - don't worry, I have successfully recovered from my run, and enjoyed 13 oz of top sirloin from Outback Steakhouse.
So, the other day me and my buddy Reedo went to California. No real reason - just needed a vacation of sorts. And, I mean - it's that time of life - I'm young (relatively speaking), single, free as a bird, and a college students - just seemed like the thing to do.
We drove out on Wednesday afternoon - getting there about 10pm that night. It was my first time ever driving through 'the strip' in Vegas. Interesting - that's about the only word I can think of to describe it. Sometimes peripheral vision can truly be a curse if ya know what I mean. Well bright and early things got rolling the next morning. We were in Westminster, CA so we drove out to Huntington beach for the morning. The morning was spent watching the AVP tour (that's the association of professional volleyball players) on the beach, and then played a game ourselves. What a sight it was to see the 4 of us, topless, and white as the day we were born, running around trying to get our 'sand feet' under us. We weren't very good, but it was a blast. On the way home we went to In n' Out - I am still at a loss for words to describe the way I feel about the Double-Double Animal Style that I ordered. Incredible doesn't do it justice at all. We were greeted by a very friendly who immediately told us that she was 'very happy' that we were doing 'just fine.' When asked what we wanted the driver of the car (Reed's uncle) answered: "How about a better attitude?" Anyway - the burgers were great. We then went home, showered, and headed out to the Semi-Finals of the Men's NCAA volleyball championship. The games were good - we were pleasantly surprised by Ohio State as well as Penn State - we went in assuming neither had a chance but they actually put up some good games.



The next day was once again spent on the beach, playing beach volleyball, watching the AVP tournament, and eating at In N' Out burger. We went to an Angels game that night. The baseball was good - but the people there were much more entertaining. First we have the double-fister's.

These were the people who for some reason unknown to me kept going back for more beer. It seems like each inning was a signal to our friends to get up and spend another 12$ on a glass of beer (12$ on a glass of beer! Holy cow - these people must be rolling in it) and then there were the teenage girls who got in a fight in the middle of the game and had to be escorted out by the police. And finally - there was the nice lady in the car next to us. You see at Angels games it's pretty much impossible to get out of the parking lot so we ended up sitting in the lot for awhile. The lady in the truck next to us was carrying on an extremely loud conversation with the man in the truck (her boyfriend or husband, or just some really realy unlucky stranger) about how bad she needed to go to the bathroom. Over the course of the conversation we learned that she had drunk 'just a few beers' and that before the game she had wanted to take a cab and he had wanted to drive. Well now there they were sitting in the lot and she was screaming at him - literally screaming. I think the following quote will illustrate the scene we viewed from our front row seats:
"You *&^%ing idiot. I told you to take a cab. But, No, we need to drive. I *&^%ing have to pee - and here we are sitting - I hate you you (*&^er. Get me the (*&^ out of here! Don't tell me to shut-up. *&^%! I don't (*&^ing care if the kids are watching me - I'm no (*&^in role model"
It was at this point that our friend (this guy was a champ - I figuratively raise my glass to him)
simply rolled up her window with the power window switch (thank goodness for power windows) amidst her progressively louder screams. Good times.
The next day we went to a Filipino market/restaurant and spent the day with the people I love. We actually met Ramiele Malubay, a Filipina who was on American Idol for awhile. Me and Reedo were the only white boys there who could speak Tagalog so we went up to her and asked to get a picture with her. She was fairly surprised but consented - so amidst the cheering of all the Pinoy's in the restaurant we got our picture taken with her.

That afternoon we went to the Men's NCAA Volleyball championship. I only took pictures during the first game because it was too exciting and I got tired of watching through the lens of the camera. It was incredible - if I could think of a better adjective than that I would use it (Dani feel free to offer suggestions). Incredibly close games, phenomenal spikes, awesome digs, etc. Good volleyball, ice cream, and cheesecake might be the three closest things to heaven found here on earth - well Lake Powell gets pretty close as well.
We got up the next morning and made the drive home. We knew we needed to be back in Provo bu 2:30 to make sacrament meeting. Without going into too much detail I'll tell you that we made it from Anaheim to Provo in 8 hours... Use your imagination...
From the ambrosial taste of In N' Out to the Jack-Johnson-feeling of Huntington beach, California was wonderful.
One day I'm going, going, back, back to, Cali, Cali...

5 Miles 45 minutes One big ole' piece o' Meat

So as many of you know I had a roommate who was challenging my physical finesse.
In January he came in our room and told me and Reed (my roommate) that he was willing to bet we couldn't run 5 miles in less than 45 minutes. Well the natural man came through and our ego wouldn't let us back down on this one. April 26th was set as the day and a steak dinner the prize. Of course as you can imagine we didn't even think about it again until about march when I began to go running 1, maybe 2 times a week. I would run anywhere between 1-3 miles depending on how ambitious I was feeling - each time promising myself I would never do something so stupid as this again.
I don't like running - at all. There isn't one thing about it that appeals to me. Some people do it because they want to lose weight, others because it 'feels good after,' and still others because they feel it's a stress reliever - yea, none of those apply to me. I don't like it - I don't hate those who do, I just count myself one of the lucky ones who doesn't have to go through it ever again.
So yesterday was the big day. We (Reed, Steve, and I) set out at 4:16 PM on the charted course (up 9th east around to freedom blvd, back down 5th north, and into the colony). We brought Steve along because we knew he would keep a good pace and he wanted to keep training for the football team. It was - well, I guess exactly as you would suspect - 5 miles of not a whole lot of fun - although we did have some good music (I put together a way awesome playlist). About 3.5 miles in Reedo stopped on us and we were afraid that he wasn't going to make it. We were low on time so me and Steve had to keep going. At 4.5 miles Steve had to stop as well (stomach cramps) and I'll be honest - it's a lot harder to run all by yourself. With no one there to push me that last 1/2 mile was by far the longest. Well, I came in at 40 minutes with Steve pulling in at 42. I was worried that Reedo wouldn't make it and so I got in the car to go pick him up - but, props to this guy. He came sprinting in just in time to make the 45 minute mark - he had run all the while by himself after taking a break in the middle.
All I know is this better one hecka good steak.
Oh, and it does feel pretty good to be able to say that I ran and 8 minute mile - I mean that's not like something to brag about but at least I know if I'm ever being chased by some lunatic murderer guy, as long as he doesn't run anything faster than an 8 minute mile then I'm off the hook.
Now the big question: Now that you've developed this habit of running are you going to keep running all the time to keep it up? I answer with a resounding: "Yea, right! I don't think I will ever run again. I'll just buy myself a steak the next time I want one." Well let me give two disclaimers to that blanket statement. I will run again to:
1 - Escape a psychopath murderer
2 - Possibly win over the heart of a young lady