Thoughts on Life

one down...one more to go...

2011-06-25T00:17:00.002-06:00

Today my dear friend Carissa got married. She married her sweetheart Shem L., (we all went to high school together) and I couldn't be happier for both of them! The whole wedding was flawless and everything from the temple to the reception was just perfect.

Weddings of close friends are always a bitter-sweet thing. You are so happy for them, but at the the same time you know that your friendship will never be the same. That sounds depressing and melodramatic, but it's not. It is a fact of life that things change, people get married, sometimes they move away, have kids and start a life of their own. It's exciting and fun! The thing I've come to realize is that when you get back together with each other months or even years later it often seems as if no time has passed at all. A wonderful little miracle.

I was a little frustrated as I left their wedding because I realized I had my camera with me in my pocket the whole time and didn't take ANY pictures except for one I took on my phone to send to Logan. My frustration quickly dissolved as I realized I was enjoying myself so much that I didn't even have time to take any pictures.

I enjoyed the ambiance of the beautiful lights hanging overhead, the delicious lemon cookies Whitney and Francene made, seeing old friends and familiar faces, but most of all, I enjoyed catching up with everyone.

It was a perfect evening and I'm excited Natalie's wedding is only 2 weeks away so we can do it all again! I'll have to force myself this time though to pause and take some pictures!

EVERYONE SAY CHEESE!!!

Carissa and Shem's wedding (Carissa's backyard). It was beautiful!

Empty chairs at empty tables...

2011-06-07T00:50:00.001-06:00

Saturday night I went to Les Miserables at Capitol Theatre. WOW! It was AMAZING! It was seriously sooo good!

I was once in Les Mis, the musical, at my high school. I could pretend like I was Jean Valjean or Marius, but let's be honest I was chorus member #46. I remember the director always saying, "the chorus is the backbone of the musical." (or something like that - made to inspire the chorus members to feel special even though they weren't good enough to get the leads.) When in all reality, if you don't have strong leads you have NO musical, especially when in comes to a musical like Les Mis.

Lucky for us we had strong leads and still to this day I hear Tyler B.'s voice singing Jean Valjean. I remember Katy S. and I would go up to the catwalk above the auditorium and watch the play going on down below. We would just sit there both crying as Eponine died in the arms of her love Marius. This scene still gets me every time.

One thing I love about the story of Les Mis is the emphasis on new beginnings and moving forward. As a college student it seems every few months you're faced with new beginnings. You seem to get a group of friends that you love to do things with and suddenly they disappear to crazy far off places like Africa and the Marshall Islands.

I find myself trying to avoid getting sentimental about things because sometimes it is easier because if you are sentimental about it change can be hard. Let's be honest too...I'm ALREADY too sentimental. I have every movie ticket of EVERY movie I've ever been to, and variety of other mementos that I shameless admit to keeping. Who does that? I even think to myself, "What are you going to do with that?" Does that stop me from keeping it? Nope.

It goes into a small USU bookstore bag that sits in the lower cupboard of my desk. Wedding Invitations, a fake medal from our Spring Break cruise to Mexico, old airplane tickets from this last year, a few scattered photos, thank you notes, letters, several Euro museum passes, and an aquarium wrist band from the Denver Aquarium.

Looking at these sentimental items doesn't make me sad though. It reminds me of the good times and even if some friends I'll never see again it doesn't take away from the fun memories we shared together. I realize at the end of the day I'm not on my own, but that I can make it one day more because I dreamed a dream that I had a heart full of love. And isn't that what it's all about?!?

"OUR DIET STARTS...TODAY???"

2011-01-24T17:55:00.001-07:00

Well hello 2011. here I am. right here. blogging in the new year. I know I promised you I'd be better. And I haven't been great, but here is a post...so that counts for something right???

Well this year has already been so much fun. I must confess I knew it would be because New Years Eve/Day was a riot. absolute riot...in a good way...not in the "You-burned-my-car-and-trampled-me" kind of way.

Some things to highlight include: a fun trip to Denver over the long weekend, getting food poisoning, eating at Pinkberry...so good (and not associated with the item before it...that was the demise of KFC. bleh.), Logan putting my life in "danger" on the freeway (getting pulled over for 8 mph over the speed limit), feeding a stingray, and starting my new DIET!

Yes sir. My diet started today. By diet I really just mean exercising and not eating candy or sweet desserts. How did I do? Well I had no candy today, but when I came back from lunch to the Dean's Office in the Huntsman School of Business...where I work...Mary had saved me a piece of delicious cheesecakes with strawberries from a luncheon they had. Well who can say no to cheesecake? It would be rude to turn it down right??? And strawberries would count as a serving of fruit...so naturally I HAD to eat it...and did. It was delicious and therefore will forgo dessert tonight because of it. A fair trade off I thought.

Well, it feels great to be back to the blogging world...who knows...maybe I'll even post again this year!!

-

2011...getting back to the way things used to be...but better...

2010-12-30T00:30:00.001-07:00

Wow. it's been awhile since I have graced the pages of this blog. Part of me is saddened by this, but the other side of me remembers the fact I could barely keep up with my homework...at best...and therefore the first thing to go was this dear little blog. I've been half-way around the world and back and decided that instead of ending my blogging experience forever I would get back into the swing of things. I realized how much I love to write and if for nothing else it helps me to remember some funny experiences that have taken place....because let's be honest I think I'm the only one who ACTUALLY reads this. Which I guess really just makes this post a post to me...I'm not sure if it's conceded to post to yourself, but at the very least I've obligated myself to this now. Good luck on the future blogging Brent.

My other blogging life.

2010-10-26T16:56:00.000-06:00

I apologize for my long absence in the blogging world. I have been in Europe the last month and if anyone is interesting in reading a bit about it you can find it at:

brent-europe-2010.blogspot.com

A graveyard of lost souls....

2010-08-23T23:09:00.001-06:00

I will openly admit to everyone I am NOT the world's greatest driver. I'm NOT "bad". I'm....just distracted a lot. A few weeks ago I went to meet a friend for lunch. As I turned on to Fruitland Drive in North Ogden the stack of DVD's I had to return to the Hartvigsen Family quickly slid from off the passenger seat. They became stuck between the door and the seat. My natural reaction was to immediately try and grab the DVD's. This horrid spot seems to capture many great treasures. Candy, change, pens, and the like, always seem to be stuck in this time warp void between the car seat and the door. These DVD's were NOT going to be the same.

I successfully retrieved them, but to my utter horror found myself hurtling toward a power line pole. I reacted quick and with a sharp turn of the wheel I thought I was in the free and clear...until I heard a loud crash and realized my poor passenger side mirror dangling from my car. I hopped out, looked around, and thankfully realized there was not a soul in sight to witness this utter embarrassment. My car survived without a scratch, other than my mirror which really had only lost the actual mirror part. The mirror body was fine and although not secured by screws it stayed on for the next couple weeks until we could get it fixed.

So today my Dad and I decided we would go and fix it. I often wonder if I got my good sense of deal-finding from him. He refuses to buy parts for the car that can be found at the junk yard. Good idea right?!? Well, I have never been to an actual junk yard and all I could think about was the Brave Little Toaster and the scary metal thing that kept trying to get him.

We arrived to our destination which ended up being less of a junk yard and more of a business that gets old cars and basically stages a junkyard. Don't get me wrong, it was huge and junk was everywhere, but we didn't have to sift through old mattresses or anything to find the match for my car. We just walked down the path.

The junkyard was located in the heart of Ogden by the train yard...kind of shady part of town and the management was no different. It would not have surprised me to find a secret mobster poker game going on there...if you know what I mean. My Dad and I paid our $1 fee to enter and set off to find my mirror. We located a perfect match and while he worked on detaching it I wandered around.

I met several interesting characters. An almost toothless half naked troll. For real though. I was messing around with this one car and as he walked by he gave me the creeps. One eye was closed more than the other, he had a bit of a limp, and mumbled nonsensical things under his breath clearly talking to himself. Not to mention his mechanic jumpsuit he had unzipped and pulled down to his waist and the greasy grayed mullet that dawned his head. I would not believe me had I not seen him myself...that is why I snapped a picture of him and his crazy wife with my phone.

As my junkyard experience continued I became very saddened as I looked around. Hundreds of cars not fulfilling their destinies. Most were missing lots of parts as people have come taking only select pieces. It was sad to see so many cars that you could tell had been in bad accidents and to think there were people that were attached to them...very unnerving.

As I continued to look around I realized I was standing in a graveyard of lost souls. car souls that is. Just think how many of those cars dreamed of finding their special family and how they would take them to soccer practices, and dance recitals, and be filled to the brim with stuff when one of the children went off to college.

So many dreams lost as they sat in this junkyard with creepy troll man and only the occasional passerby who remembers what they once were. Someone who remembers the lost dreams of the lost car souls....

Clearly I am not happy with so many lost dreams behind me...

Dating, templates, and so much more....

2010-08-10T16:20:00.000-06:00

This one is quick because truth be told I'm not the biggest fan of everyday blog posters or multiple posts a day bloggers. Mainly because I can barely fit in a few minutes each WEEK to catch up on my favorite blogs, let alone follow daily streams. (If this is you...I still value your blog, but just know I only catch a few posts here and there.) :)

I decided to change my template today. Although argyle is still very much "my thing" I decided a new background was needed as a new semester rolls around and new stories demand telling.

The main reason for this post is to vent my utter frustration in trying to find the perfect template. I'm sure you can all relate! Isn't it funny how you scour millions of websites searching for the one and only template that "represents" you? "Is it even out there," you wonder? "Will you ever find it?" It seems to me that all of this reminds me a great deal of dating. You ask friends for "sites they found a good template on". You download one you think looks great, but discover it messes up your dates and cuts off half of your words. Some you even keep uploaded for months, but it seems until you find the "perfect one" you're always on the search.

Well....although I have yet to find the "perfect one"...template or girl...I hope you enjoy the new change. :)

The Best Part of My Day!!!

2010-08-10T14:28:00.000-06:00

I've transferred back to the Riverdale JC Penney for the summer and while at work today I saw an old friend of mine. My dear friend's name is Ashley Cook. Ashley has down-syndrome and I've known her since Kindergarten/1st grade. In 1st Grade we both had Miss Lebar and every day I would take Ashley to lunch five to ten minutes early so that she was sure to get her food first because she wasn't the quickest eater and needed the extra time.

SIDE NOTE: I would NEVER get school lunch. I ALWAYS brought a sack lunch. (Except for Pizza Friday) Not because I was against the food...I was just THAT picky! It wasn't until 4th or 5th Grade that I finally got school lunch and that was only because they had these things called lunchables a few days a week...school district knock off of the real lunchables...or I'd also eat if it was chicken nuggets. Not much of a surprise if you know how much I still love Chicken today.

Everyone loves Ashley Cook! She is just the sweetest, cutest girl! Ashley will always hold a special place in my heart. We shared many elementary school memories together. Through Jr. High and High School I would see her here and there and in 11th Grade I helped out for a semester with the Special Education Seminary Class which was so fun! She was also one of the Special Ed students my Mom worked with at Weber High School so my Mom would give me updates and cute stories of things she had done or said.

In high school she would carry around this cute purse that said, "Drama Queen" on it, and what made it more perfect was she was voted Queen of the Valentine's Sweethearts Dance our senior year! You should have seen her with the tiara on. It was adorable! Waving a perfect Miss America wave with her hand.

One memory in particular, I remember being mortified, but now look back laughing. I always tried to be nice to Ashley through the years, and I think from being lunch buddies in the 1st Grade, she would always tell people that she loved me....naturally...who doesn't love me?!? Well, one time in 6th Grade she took it one step further. She told a large group of people that she was pregnant and that I was the FATHER! I was mortified! We had been through BOTH Maturation Program DVD's...we knew what it took to really get someone pregnant!! Somehow I managed to recover. :)

So today I'm at work up front at the registers instead of in the Men's Department, and I see her waiting in the check out line. I knew she hadn't seen me yet so I decided to go on break so as I came around the counter I got her attention by waving to her! She saw me and yelled, "BRENT!!" and quickly came running over! She gave me a big hug and said, "Oh, I LOVE you!" I told her that I loved her too and that seeing her had made my whole day! Which it did! I congratulated her on her recent graduation from Canyon View (the post-high school Special Education Program). She was just so nice and told me she had come shopping with her Mom, who she pointed to, and her sister-in-law. She made sure to tell me that her brother Kevin had married the sister-in-law and that she was great! It was so cute! I gave her another big hug and told her how awesome she was!

The whole way back to the break room I just had the biggest smile, and every time I've thought about it today I still just smile! If only the world could be full with more people like my dear friend, Ashley Cook!

Briefcases and the sort....

2010-07-07T01:28:00.003-06:00

The summer is in full swing and many summer adventures have already taken place. I fear that the void of recalling them in writing has made them quickly disappear. All I seem to be left with is the knowledge that it has been a most enjoyable summer as the days have turned into weeks and small details have been long forgotten.

After an exceptionally great find at the local thrift store today I feel such a great event needs to be recorded. I shall be perfectly honest in confessing my tiresome need to own yet another carrying case for something which does not need another case to be carried in.

I dare-say my childhood has a great deal to do with it. I vividly recall many memories at Grandpa and Grandma Meacham's house. One of the rooms in Grandma and Grandpa's basement was unfinished and served as their storage room. For a child this room was filled with nothing, but treasures. Old board games and knick-knacks that had been collected over the years dawned the shelves. Between the Holiday decorations and other personal belongings there was no end to the possibilities.

My favorite of these treasures was one of Grandpa's old black briefcase bags. It had a top flap that folded over, unlike the way a conventional briefcase closes. This top flap was secured by two bronze clasps that when pushed in, would unlock the hocks, and many untold treasures would be found inside. I often would search for prized possessions to put into my briefcase. Most times I would have fake money, "important papers", or other silly things in my briefcase.

I would often tire of having to collect all of these items each time I arrived to Grandma and Grandpa's and devised a plan of securing these assets all together. Looking back I know Grandma would have kept it safe for me, but secrecy seemed of utmost importance. Instead I would secretly hide it behind the maroon couches in Grandma's nice living room. The couches looked like something you would find in a fancy hotel and because of the other sitting areas in the house this room was used for more formal visits or when formal dinners were hosted at the nice dinner table found in the same room. At Thanksgiving this was where the grown ups would eat as us grandkids wrecked havoc at the informal dinner table found in the kitchen.

Knowing all of this I knew my briefcase would be safe and before leaving with my family I would secretly slip it behind her larger couch. I would return a few weeks later and find my briefcase untouched and still full of all of my treasures. I would run around the house pretending to be a spy or a business man on some secret mission equipped with everything I would need to solve the case. And when finished I would slip it back. This went on it seems like for years, but everything seems so much longer when you're six.

It's these memories I blame for my incessant need to buy briefcase like backpacks (messenger bags) and other sorts. It is probably at this young age I also conditioned my mind to seek a career in business...as becoming a spy just didn't seem sensible.

Well...all I have to say is...welcome to the family little, red, two handled bag. May you bring us all many great years of wonderful use.

My Return to the blogging world....and high school....

2010-06-22T23:32:00.000-06:00

First let me apologize for the long absence from the blogging world! I have written many posts, but never finished them and so thus they were never posted. They will hopefully make their way out of my "drafts" box in due time.

Tonight I witnessed the most hilarious thing and I could NOT pass up the opportunity to blog about it. I'm currently in Logan and helping with the annual Utah Association of Student Councils (High School Student Government) hosted by the Utah State University Admissions Office. I've been helping out as an advisor and with really anything thing they need me to do. It's been a lot of fun and I've been reliving some of the old high school glory days.

Well, tonight they had a talent/variety show. I'll be honest it was pretty lame, but there was one act worth mentioning. So they announce that a kid from Gunnison, Utah...who REALLY knows where that is at??? They announce he is going to be reading a poem. Everyone kind of chuckles and he looks really funny too with this blazer and these gym pants on. So he starts reading some weird poem about these two lovers who rendezvous in Portland Oregon, and he's reading it pretty funny and everyone is laughing. BUT THEN.... all of the sudden this dance music starts playing and he drops the mike and rips off his side button gym pants. Following the pants is his shirt. The next thing I know this kid is in LITTLE booty shorts. like almost speedo! He's also wasn't the most physically fit and had a GH (for Gunnison High School) painted on his chest. The crowd went crazy!! Everyone looked around to see if we were going to pull him off stage...we didn't and he kept dancing. He had a whole routine prepared and with every movement he made his stomach and the GV letters would jiggle and jiggle! One of the Recruiters from the Admissions Office was sitting next to me and her face was priceless horror when he ripped off his pants. Whitney, one of the other recruiters who planned most of the conference, was busting up with uncontrollable laughter!! It was SO funny!

He danced his routine, picked up his clothes, and ran off! It was hilarious! By far the most surprising, most memorable, and best talent of the evening. Although I have returned to the blogging world, I hate to disappoint my fans by informing you I have not fully returned to wonderful days of high school and will not be posting any kind of reenacting video of myself. I know, I know....I decided to just take this all in steps!

If my life were a movie...

2010-05-14T00:22:00.000-06:00

Recently I've often wonder if my life can be predicted like a terribly written movie. In the last few days I've had the chance to watch several movies that I had not seen before. In one scenario I was able to completely predict the entire plot. I watched as the plot developed. I thought, "How can these characters not know what is going to happen???" Many times I even wanted to say nonsensical things at the TV like: "Don't you know it's YOU he's in LOVE with?!?!" or "Can you REALLY trust her?!?" As if, in some magical way the characters could hear me. Naturally, after the movie ended, I secretly congratulated myself at my expertise in being able to know precisely what was going to happen.

The thought of this fascinates me as I thought about this idea with my own life. Do others watch my life with the need to yell important things at me? Just think, what if you could watch your life as a movie. Not in a creepy way...like there are secret cameras filming your every move...like the Truman Show...more of a 3rd Person take on your own life. I imagine that it would be very fascinating...and not because you're just watching you! You would probably view situations differently and pick up on things that you just naturally miss while living in the moment. I understand that eventually you'd have to return to LIVE your life, but what if for a day you could just watch yourself?

I only wonder what I would yell at myself. Probably something to the extent of: you're shirt's inside out, your zipper is down, there's a cop ahead, this girl is crazy, take your camera with you, order tonight's special, ask for that girl's number....you know...all the basics...appearance, food, driving, and relationships. And would the voice be audible for all to hear, or just you? If everyone could hear the voice that could potentially be very awkward. "LARRY...you didn't wash your hands after using the washroom!" Of course that would never be ME as I am disgusted by people who use the bathroom and don't WASH their hands. And in that example clearly it is not Larry telling on himself, but rather someone else, but you get the idea though.

All of this comes to a point and here it is: I must ask that if any of you have been tuning into my "movie" that you please let me know of any major advances in the plot I'm clearly missing. I'd also appreciate it if you would share some popcorn with me and remember I respond best to kindness, not shrill tones or demanding overtures. Thank you!

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!!!

SUMMERTIME

2010-04-27T23:23:00.005-06:00

Well, I've decided I have become far too serious in my old age. Tonight I let the joys of youth take hold as I took the pieces of a ripped phone book at threw them all around my friends' apartment! It was liberating! I felt the worries and impending doom of next week's finals slip away with each great toss of paper into the air. Each piece seem to float ever so gingerly toward the ground covering close friends and nearby furniture. As the thousands of names on each page came crashing down I realized that I have become far too serious in my old age.

Shorts bring a sense of youthful energy into my life. I feel a great deal is from the fact that for 2 years I wore nothing, but slacks. Slacks represent respect, reverence, authority, responsibility, and adulthood. Shorts allow the wind to blow against your legs, water to splash on to your skin, and life to be felt, not just lived.

This summer I've decided that I'm going to have an adventure. I'm going to relish in the fun activities that only come with summertime. I'm going to wear shorts, eat roasted marshmallows, swim at the dam, hike Ben Lomond, and remember what it's like to be a kid again.

The Real Winner!

2010-04-19T21:48:00.003-06:00

With the increase in temperatures there has also been an increase in the amount of people using alternative modes of transportation around Utah State's campus. My personal favorite is the crazy unicyclist that weaves in and out of people. Bikes, scooters, skateboards, long boards, and other forms of transportation have popped up everywhere! I think it's great that people are enjoying the wonderful weather.

What I don't find so enjoyable is almost being run over! Many times a day! Just this afternoon on my way to my Climate Change Class it happened again! This time it was different because this experience turned from almost being run over to a game of "chicken" or a mid-evil joist. Picture this: A particular biker was coming down the sidewalk. In the opposite direction I was walking toward him on the same sidewalk. I was on the very edge and could not go to the right any further. (I find I obey traffic rules sometimes while walking...which is ironic because I don't normally obey them while driving) Due to other people walking the same sidewalk and the fact we both were headed into each other, it became clear one of us was going to have to move out of the way. I decided I was DONE accommodating these bikers. It was MY TURN to have the right of way! Thankfully, I had a pair of sunglasses on...which does increase the intimidation factor because you're never quite sure where someone is looking. We came close and closer until finally he pulled out and veered to his left across the grass. VICTORY! Brent....1 point....random stranger....NONE!

I also had one of those great awkward moments today. As I got off the Stadium Express Aggie Shuttle I was walking past the softball field and thought I heard someone say my name. I turned and looked and saw this girl, who was in the bleachers watching the softball game. She was turned around toward me and was waving and saying something. I thought: "I don't know you!" Then I realized it was this girl I met on the Aggie Shuttle the other day who happens to be the younger sister of an Ambassador I knew my freshman year, before my mission...who I loved! So I said, "Hey Mars! How are you?!?" (Full hand wave above my head included) It was kind of loud too because she was a ways away.. Then I realized someone else had gotten off the Aggie Shuttle right behind me and that it wasn't me she was yelling to, it was this kid. I quickly turned and thankfully, because of the location of the bleachers, I was out of sight. It was SO embarrassing! I just laughed the whole walk to Oakridge! 1 point Brent...1 point random stranger. Just you wait! I'll get ahead!

MY FIRST 5K RUN...

2010-04-14T01:00:00.010-06:00

Written yesterday:

Today was a fairly busy day with two tests (both that I needed to get good scores on to get good grades in the classes), a big study session for a test this Friday, and our Ambassador Meeting. Needless to say, when I arrived back to my apartment at 9PM tonight I just wanted to do nothing! I decided to call up Carissa and ended up going to her apartment. Nothing exciting was planned for the evening...in fact she had lots of homework she was working on. At around 10:00 PM I was contemplating what movie to put in, and remembered I needed to call my friend Caleb. I called him and asked him how he did on our Business Law test, and then he invited me to come to a Midnight 5K Run sponsored by the Alumni Association as part of "A-Week". I laughed when he asked. I said, "Caleb, I have never even ran a 5K!" He assured me that he and our other friend Milo would probably just lightly run and walk it. I ended the phone conversation with a, "I'll THINK about it and see..." (Which everyone knows, that really means "NO")

So, that was going to be the end of it...UNTIL...Carissa laughed at the thought of me running. She recalled a "memory" of hers from tenth grade. This memory included us starting out and two block in to the run, me saying, "Let's just walk..." Then according to her, I pulled out some treats from the fannie pack I was wearing and we just walked the whole time.

First of all, I DO NOT own a fannie pack! Second, I might have brought water, but I don't think treats were involved. The walking is probably true, though. So after Carissa's wonderful recollection, and a good laugh of our last running experience...for the sake of my dignity...we agreed we would head to the 5K run. I ran home and changed, (no pun intended) and came back to pick her up.

A little after 11 PM we arrived to the registration table. Everyone met at the "True Aggie A" by Old Main. We signed the waiver and got our sweet running numbers. We then waited for another 30 minutes FREEZING in the cold before the race began.

Kyle (My roommate...he met us there), Carissa, and me

Midnight came and Carissa and I, and about 150 other people, embarked on our 5K adventure. At first Carissa and I weren't really competing and were in it for the thrill of the run, but as we remained constant and steady we started passing a bunch of people. We ran past the Spectrum, around the cemetery, and weaved in and out of buildings on campus. We kept running the whole time and finished the whole thing in about 22 minutes. From what I found online the average 5K time is around 28 minutes. Considering it was my first 5K, that no training was involved, and that an hour and a half earlier we were munching on Doritos...we are THRILLED!! Carissa and I decided we'd "train" for the 5K on the 4th of July as part of North Ogden's Cherry Days Celebration.

In the end it was a lot of fun! I gained Carissa's approval and she told me she was proud that I could run! Maybe next time I'll have to whip out the fannie pack and some treats!

RIDE IT!!! USU AGGIE SHUTTLE

2010-04-08T11:09:00.005-06:00

This video was for an Entrepreneur Week Competition. We had 72 hours to create a video that came up with an innovative idea to get students to take the shuttle. It reminded me how much I enjoy video editing. I wish the quality was better, but enjoy!

Did you just pinch my bum?!?

2010-03-17T00:56:00.005-06:00

Spring Break this week has been so rejuvenating! My traveling adventures included a fun trip to Las Vegas. Now that I'm 21 I thought I would try my hand at REAL roulette....okay....so I didn't go down to Vegas to gamble. I went to Las Vegas with my parents for my cousin's wedding. Saturday she got married in the Las Vegas Temple. It was a really nice wedding and was such a relaxing trip. Wearing shorts was awesome too! I am SO ready for summer.

And as luck would have it during this trip, I ran into several people I knew. At the New York, New York Hotel Roller-coaster at 11:30 PM I ran into my friend Robyn (You may remember her from my "Mardi Gras" post and being mistaken for a boy). She was down for Spring Break with some people and the crazy part is that I told my aunt and cousins as we were driving to the New York, New York Hotel that I was positive I was going to run into someone I knew. Let's just call it a gift. :)

The other person I ran into I wasn't quite expecting, but resulted in a hilarious story. As we stopped to get some gas in Cedar City I decided to go to the bathroom. As I stood there using the restroom someone came and pinched my bum. My initial thought was, "Michael you're so stupid!" (That's my older brother...he and his wife Ashlie came down to Vegas with us for the wedding and flew out from there on a sweet cruise) As I slightly glanced over my shoulder, I only caught the shoulder of the person who pinched my bum entering the stall that was next to where I was standing. I was thrown off because I realized the person was wearing a blue shirt and I clearly remember that my brother was wearing a black shirt. I had the thought to stick around and find out who it was and realized I didn't have the guts to confront a complete stranger about pinching my bum and decided to quickly wash my hands, leave, and chalk it up as one of the reasons I will never live in Cedar City. I almost got out of the front doors of the gas station before I heard someone say, "MEACHAM!!! STOP!!!" I turned around and to my surprise it was none other than Elder Hoyt...one of my companions from last spring...and he was wearing a blue shirt! :) Mystery solved. We chatted for a bit, I introduced him to my family, and laughed about the situation. When I was in the bathroom I contemplated that my bum pincher could be Elder Hoyt because I knew he lived in Cedar City, but thought: "What are the chances he would be at this random gas station at 2:00 PM in the afternoon on a Friday?!?" Well....I guess the chances are pretty high.

Last time I was went down to Las Vegas, in November, I ran into my Mission President and his wife at a gas station in Nephi. They too were headed down to Vegas, but for a missionary's wedding. So, the moral of the story is that if you want to meet up sometime all you have to do is head down to Las Vegas and stop at any of the many gas stations along the way and chances are we'll run into each other. So, all I really need to know is: do you prefer Shell or Chevron, and do you mind if I pinch your bum???

Growing up, but not feeling any older

2010-03-09T23:18:00.006-07:00

Well today has been a very insightful day. Not for any particular reason, but for some reason it feels like it has been. Tonight I realized that I'm getting older. BIG SHOCK...I know! The thing is before tonight I've never really felt like I was getting older. Mostly it has only been the passing of time that clues to me that I'm aging and the fact that I am having the time of my life doing "grown up things" now. But tonight I feel like I'm older. I'm not sure why. It's a good feeling. One accompanied with a weird sense of confidence in myself and the future.

On another note, it's been a GREAT week! Several things mark it as such:

1. My new favorite song is: "Need You Now" by Lady Antebellum. The song is just so good!

2. I got accepted into the Huntsman Scholars Program which is AMAZING! It's a scholars program through our college of business. A few years ago, self-made billionaire Jon M. Huntsman donated $26 Million to our college of business. It was renamed the Huntsman School of Business and since that donation a lot of great things have happened. (Side note: Two weeks ago Stephen R. Covey announced his plans to create the Stephen R. Covey Center for Leadership inside the Huntsman School of Business here at Utah State....also AMAZING!) One of the other things that was created from Huntsman's donation was the Huntsman Scholars Program. A competitive program focused on exposing students to international business and politics. One of the unique things about this program is the “Scholar Semester” in which 30 students go through an intensive 15-credit semester in the fall that integrates coursework in economics, political science, ethics, marketing, and management. The program shrinks a whole semester of classes into six weeks. Following the six weeks of classes the scholars go to Europe to travel, network, and learn more about business on an international scale. All expense paid of course. After the trip to Europe the scholars then return to campus to process and reflect on their experiences. Oh and did I mention the $1,000 per semester stipend you receive?!?!

SO I'M HEADED TO EUROPE IN THE FALL!!!! I've already heard we stay in this charming bed and breakfast up in the Swiss Alps and travel to France, Germany, (obviously Switzerland) and on the weekends we can travel by train to Italy and other parts of Europe! I'm so stoked! I don't know how I've been able to have so many great opportunities in my life. All the credit is due to the Lord. There have been many tender mercies and this is another one!

AND I get to meet my role model Jon M. Huntsman. He proves you can be successful and still live you life founded on principals of honesty and generosity. His book, "Winners Never Cheat" is my favorite book next to scripture. It's a must read!!!

3. The last great thing from this week has been professors who graded their exams on a GREAT curve like 56% to 80%.....THANK YOU FOR NOT FAILING ME!!!

Aggie Basketball Tonight!!

2010-03-01T17:52:00.002-07:00

I found this video on a friend's blog and loved it! It's my favorite cheer at the games! You just can't beat the Spectrum!

CD MIXES FROM THE PAST...

2010-02-28T23:19:00.005-07:00

So tonight as I was cleaning my room I found my old CD Case. I've looked through it many times since being home from the mish, but tonight I realized that I haven't ventured to go through some of the old CD mix-a-lots I created back in the day. I decided that there is no better time than the present. So...I popped open my CD case and began my adventure. Much to my surprise I found MANY great songs I had forgotten about and many NOT so great songs that I probably could have been fine with never hearing again. It was also reiterated to me tonight that I enjoy listening to a unique variety of songs.

One particular CD entitled "Brent's Vegas Mix-A-Lot" included such songs as: Michael Jackson's "I'll Be There", Kelly Clarkson's "Because of You", the "Numa Numa" song, "Remember When", Sean Paul's "Shake That Thing", "If I Were A Rich Girl", "Mr. Mom", "So Crazy Right Now", the Coca Cola lime "Put the lime in the Coke you nut..", and a bunch of heavy metal songs that my cousin added to the end of the CD. Quite the array....I know...now in all fairness the CD was created while I was on vacation and people do crazy things on vacation...

The other mixes weren't quite so varied but did include some fun transitions like: Green Day to Karen Carpenter...who died of Anorexia...to Cold Play. Or Beyonce to Rosemary Clooney to All American Rejects to Ella Fitzgerald. And just think...that's exactly what my iPod does now when put on shuffle.

In the end the evening has been a fun trip down memory lane, and I've added a few more GREAT songs to my music library.

THE AGGIE SHUTTLE BUS EXPERIENCE

2010-02-23T08:55:00.008-07:00

So I wrote this last Thursday, but never posted it. Hopefully it brings some humor to your weekend!

THURSDAY MORNING:

What a great start to the morning it's already been! I was supposed to wake up at 8:00 AM so I could catch the 8:35 AM Shuttle that goes to campus from my apartment complex, but didn't wake up until 8:25 AM. I frantically threw on some clothes, drenched myself in cologne to mask the fact that I didn't shower, (I'll do that later...don't worry.) grabbed a Special K Granola Bar, and left my apartment hoping to round the corner of the building next to mine and still find a group of people waiting for the Aggie Shuttle Bus. I locked the door, pulled my keys out and realized I left my phone plugged in on my nightstand. I quickly unlocked the door, ran to my room, and scrambled to grab my phone and make it back out the door. On my way back out panic again filled me as I noticed the microwave clock displaying 8:35 AM. I ran down a flight of stairs, rounded the building, and see a line getting on to the shuttle. I booked it and made it there before the shuttle left. Before I got on the shuttle I had an awkward run in with someone I graduated from high school with that I really hadn't had ANY kind of conversation with since the 3rd grade. We exchanged pleasantries and both boarded the bus.

It just so happens that the T/TH 8:35 AM Aggie Shuttle Bus is always packed and today was no different...except for one thing. Usually when there are lots of people on the bus the driver just tells those standing to keep moving back. Naturally I found myself standing on this fateful morning. Well today the announcement was made...and then a guy took matters into his own hands. I would describe him as a larger gentleman and he had previously been sitting, but he got up from his seat and yelled, "EVERYONE GET TOGETHER!! WE'VE GOT 14 MORE STUDENTS TO GET ON THIS BUS!!!" He then proceeded to push his weight down the aisle and pushed everyone together. I found myself very, very close to this old aqaintance of mine and ignored the fact that he was smashed up against me. Instead I just looked another direction and pretended he wasn't completely smashed into me. Thankfully I realized that the person sitting down, whose lap I was almost sitting on, was a girl I knew named Jessica that lived up my street back home and who was an avid participant in night games and other fun activities growing up. It made it a lot less awkward. We chatted for the ride to campus and we heard them announce that there were 78 people on the bus and that the record was 110 people on one bus...or something like that...well, no records broken today, but still one of my most eventful Aggie Shuttle Bus Experiences. Thanks for the ride.

Sing Us A Song You're the Piano Man!!!

2010-02-11T13:17:00.012-07:00

Playing the piano in the USU Skyroom Restaurant

Well what an array of things to mention today. First off...I did it!!! I played the piano in the Skyroom!! It went really well. I even had some random kid come up to me before he left and tell me that I played really well. It made my day!

The most embarrassing thing happened AFTER I finished playing! After me there was another student there who was ready to play next. I've heard him play before while at lunch in the Skyroom, and I knew he played really well. So, I finished up playing and joined my friend Logan (who was there with his two bosses) for my free buffet. As I walked over to get my food I realized there was money in the tip jar on the piano. My initial thought was: "I GOT TIPS?!? I didn't even see anyone come over and put them in..." So I went over to the piano where he was paused in between songs and pulled the money half way out of the tip jar so he could see it and asked: "Are these my tips?!?" (Clearly they couldn't have been his because he just started playing) He replied, "Oh...those are mine...I put them in there to get it started." I smiled and said, "Oh...of course...I didn't think I had any, but thought I would check. Thanks." I walked away, got my Parmesan chicken, and sat down. It was hilarious! I was embarrassed, but what curbed my embarrassment is the fact that he must REALLY be embarrassed! I caught him putting money in his own tip jar! THAT'S EMBARRASSING!!! It does however make perfect sense to put money in there to encourage others to leave a tip and let them know what amounts to leave or else you might end up with a few quarters....it's just funny that I caught him. On my way out of the Skyroom after my free buffet the hostess in charge said, "You played really well! We'll see you next week!" :)

A few funny stories worth mentioning include some of these:

On Friday at work at JC Penney I had the wonderful opportunity to measure a gentleman's inseam. I had him hold the tape measure at his crotch and I took the other end to the floor. The only problem was he shops in the "BIG AND TALL" section. And let's just say his problem wasn't being too tall...so much so that he couldn't really even get his end of the tape measure to the top of the pant inseam. AWKWARD!!!

Women returning bras to JC Penney is ALSO awkward. We always have to ask if there is something defective with the item being returned and most of the time it's returned because it doesn't fit and people feel the need to tell me...as if to justify why they are returning it. What they don't understand is that I would rather NOT know and just need to know if I have to put a defective tag on it.

It always astounds me to find women's clothing in the MEN'S fitting rooms. I could understand if it was somewhat close to the Womens department, but it's not. It always makes me wonder if it was just some lost lady who ended up in Mens or if it is some gender confused man...What great fun I had at work this past weekend!

Also this last weekend I was reminded why I never shop at Lee's Market (used to be Acres) in North Ogden. My friend Natalie [who was also my platonic Valentine for the weekend :)] and I went in there at around 9:30 PM on Saturday to get some ice cream. Next thing I know...it was a full high school reunion. I saw a least a dozen kids I graduated with from WHS in 2006. Not that I minded seeing them...in fact several were my good friends that coincidentally ended up there at the same time....but still...several were married and everyone knows that can be just awkward. You go through the exchanges of: "How are you? What are you doing now? You've been married how long?" Which really only results in both of you coming to the same conclusion in your head that as much as you liked the person in high school...if you REALLY cared...you probably would have stayed in contact or at least have talked to them via facebook in the last year. Needless to say, 20 minutes later we walked out with some good Butterfinger ice cream! All of course bought with the tip money I got from playing the piano! :)

Well now I've done it!!!!

2010-02-09T23:53:00.002-07:00

Today ended up being just an "okay" soup day at the Skyroom. Asian-Pork-something soup just wasn't my favorite, but I did enjoy the broth due to the itch in my throat I woke up with. You better believe I skipped Accounting and didn't wake up until 11:00 AM. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices so you don't break out with a full fledge cold.

As Logan and I were paying I decided to ask the hostess about playing the piano and what the qualifications were. She said you have to audition, but that's only because they've had a few people who have thought they could play the piano, but really can't. We all laughed at the awkwardness of that and I explained that I've been playing the piano for 13 years. She showed me their schedule and offered to let me take over one of the open hour shifts. I wrote down the openings and told her I'd get back to her. She said I could even come this Thursday and play. I told her I would think about it and then I began to walk away.

THEN the little voice inside my head said, "Brent, if you don't say yes now you never will. Every time you come up for lunch you'll bring it up in conversation about how one day you're going to play the piano here...but really it will become one of those things that you can do at any time if you REALLY felt like it." (All that in the space of 2 seconds)

So I turned around went back up the one stair I had stepped down and said, "You know what? Put me down for Thursday!" She said, "Okay, and just so you know if there happens to be a problem and we would prefer you not to play again, I'll just come over to you and offer you your free meal for that day and that will be it."

So this Thursday from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM I will be the pianist in the Skyroom. you're all invited to come and celebrate the accomplishment of one of my goals for this semester. I am a little freaked out....not to play necessarily, but for the length. Do I even have an hour worth of repertoire?!?! And if I am allowed to come back I'll hold the hour shift for the rest of the semester. If not....that will be a funny, embarrassing blog post. I'll let you know how it goes.

One more thing...

2010-02-08T16:31:00.005-07:00

I have some funny additions that must be added to the events of this last week. On Friday I got asked by my friend Katy (from High School) to the Institute Girl's Choice Valentine's Dance. It was a lot of fun and brought back some funny memories of Sr. Cotillion our junior year. The most disgusting thing happened while we were there though. The closing prayer was said, the last song had been danced too, and THEN someone proposed!!! How tacky! I really wanted to throw up everywhere...I was that grossed out that someone would ACTUALLY propose at the Institute Dance. I even tried to justify it by saying, "Well, maybe they met at Institute so this building is kind of special..." But to no avail I was still very much grieved to the level our Mormon sub-culture had dropped. I thought it could go no further after a movie based on Home Teaching....I was wrong.

BUT THEN....I was at work the next day and this girl I work with was telling me this hilarious thing that her friend did at the Institute Dance. Her friend FAKED an engagement at the end of the institute dance! HALLELUJAH!!! IT WAS ALL FAKE!!! THANK YOU!!! I told her how happy I was that it wasn't real and described the disgust I had felt. She laughed and told me that it was actually the couple's first date!! They had met at a mutual friend's house the previous Sunday and their first date ended up being the Institute Valentine's Dance...and their first kiss! Can you believe that?!?! That's just funny...

Another story needs telling from this last weekend. In my huge synopsis of Mardi Gras I completely forgot one of the funniest things. One of the girls we went with had a really funny moment. At the table where you bought a ticket to get into Mardi Gras the students selling the tickets were checking School ID's. And unlike the basketball game where you can get in with anyone's ID, they were being strict that the picture ID matched. So this girl (Who I'll leave unnamed) gave the volunteer at the table her ID. The girl volunteer then replied, "This is a boy's ID! You can't get in with this!" To which the girl replied, "No! That's MY student ID and my hair is just pulled back!" To which the volunteer replied, "Oh...Oh yeah! I'm SOO sorry! I just didn't look at it closely...You're a gorgeous girl!! I'm so sorry!" Poor little volunteer girl! haha! Logan and I died laughing, and even the unnamed girl thought it was pretty funny! And it was only funny too because the unnamed girl is a very cute girl.

Zac S. from Weber High ended up winning the plasma screen TV at Mardi Gras with around $250,000! Rumor has it that he got a bunch of people together that weren't going to gamble and just had them give away their 3 tickets. Either way... kudos Zac. He also happens to be my FHE Dad! Small world!

Today I also was the drawn as the winner for the Skyroom's weekly FREE BUFFET. I was super excited! Sorry Logan...better luck next time! :)

What a weekend! Today has been fun too! I went down to Salt Lake to pick up a girl from the Airport who flew in from California to interview for the Ambassador Scholarship. She was really nice and we had lunch on Temple Square (She's a member) at the Nauvoo Cafe. VERY GOOD FOOD! We were there a few minutes before lunch started so we walked around Temple Square. We got cornered in the Tabernacle by 2 sister missionaries seeking referrals. :) I haven't completely forgot those days. haha! Well, I'm headed off to get my laundry, go to Dinner Party Group, and then to FHE to go Ice Skating. (Combined Wards Activity) Who knows...maybe I'll even come back engaged!!! I can't decide which is worse...FHE or the Institute Dance....either way...both are just awful!

The Reason I Don't Gamble...

2010-02-07T01:25:00.009-07:00

Tonight I attended the annual Utah State Mardi Gras Party. It's a huge party at the Student Center the Student Government puts on every year with a giant dance party, hypnotist, fortune teller, fake tattoo parlor, and CASINO!!! [Basically all the things Mormon wish they could do, but don't :)]

My gambling adventures began when we arrived fashionably late because of a prior engagement. (The USU Basketball game vs. Nevada...we won...of course...) The Sunburst and International Lounge on the second floor of the student center had been transformed into a high stakes Casino. Upon arrival to the Casino everyone is given a ticket that gets you $1,000 in chips. There was at least 20 black jack tables, several poker games, craps, and my personal favorite...Roulette. If you gambled all your money away you could go back two more times for tickets. They marked your hand so once you reached the max you were out of luck.

My evening began with a rousing round of black jack. My friend Logan, a girl named Robin, and I happened to find a table with a dealer who didn't really care too much about taking our chips...and she was free with giving them back to us. She also allowed us to break the "Max Bet Rule" of $500. In one round I won $1,500! I was quite proud. After awhile of playing Black Jack it got boring so we decided we'd take all of our winning to the Roulette table.

Let me just say this...If gambling was my thing Roulette is where I'd always be found! Most of the time it's win big or lose big. I arrived to the table with my friend Logan and I luckily found someone I knew who was already at the table who explained how Roulette really works and the different ways to get more chips other than just picking a number. The first spin I put chips on "black", and "odd" and balanced out with the marble landing on a red/odd. Still with no clue what I was really doing, I put $100 on Red-16. As luck would have it the marble landed on Red-16...I won!!! $3,500 all in one fell swoop. I was really proud and pretended that I won because I knew what I was doing. Everyone at the table was all impressed and I landed myself 3 gold chips. Who knew that an hour later...in the end...I would end up losing all of it to that darn Roulette table. Oh, well! The only real point to getting chips anyway was that if you cashed out your chips at the end of the night and you had the most they had a flat screen TV you could win. And trust me I'm sure whoever took it home had a LOT of chips. I witnessed someone winning $17,000 in one spin at the Roulette table.

I wasn't out to win the TV anyway, but to just have fun pretending to gamble. The dressed up waitresses walking around with soda drinks made for a nice touch and there was a huge stage set up with entertainment for all the gamblers. Moral of the story...I don't think I'll be headed to Vegas anytime soon....at least not to gamble. I will be going down in March for my cousin's Wedding....maybe I'll have to throw in a few bucks at the Roulette table while I'm in town. I'm just kidding! Before my Mom (Who is from Vegas) gets worried about me I need to share the very important lesson that I learned from my fake gambling experience:

Me: "Put it all on Red-16! I have a good feeling daddy's going home with a new Beamer!"

Coupier: "Black-5"

Oh well, better luck next year!!!

This is the roulette table I was at most of the night. If you look closely at the bottom you can see my lucky number Red-16.

Moving Up in the World...

2010-02-02T13:05:00.012-07:00

I recently found my new favorite spot on campus. Previously it was the 3rd Floor bridge in the Library. It's a great place to study with comfy chairs and a sweet view of the library lobby through the glass railing. So you might ask, "How could anything replace the Merrill-Caizer 3rd Floor?!?" Well it's really quite simple...food is naturally involved. My new favorite place on campus is the illustrious Utah State University Skyroom Restaurant. Found on the top floor of our Student Center, (or "Centre" if you're Canadian) the Skyroom offers a sweet all you can eat soup and rolls meal. ("Buns" if you're Canadian) All for only $3.50! It's a sit down restaurant, at the top of the building, and has a live pianist...so naturally you feel pretty classy every time you eat there. The soup changes daily and they always have two kinds. I'm most often found there with Logan and Sarah on Tuesdays or Thursdays around lunchtime. It's a good incentive for me to go to Institute too...instead of heading home after my morning class gets out. The Skyroom has also introduced a riveting challenge into my life. My goal for this semester is to play the piano at the Skyroom. It's all volunteer, and anyone can do it. I assume there is some sort of audition, but I don't think they are too picky. I figure if I tell everyone this goal it commits me to follow through on it. Then again...who REALLY reads this?!?!

While on the topic of food I must announce that I have recently joined a really exclusive dinner party group. Okay, so it isn't THAT exclusive and it was set up through my ward, but it's still great! There are 15 people in the group (All from my ward) and the dinners are Sunday through Thursday. On those nights you show up to the apartment that's scheduled for dinner at 6:30 PM with your own plate, flatware, and cup. You can either stay and eat, quickly eat and take off, or get your plate to go. It's really quite fun and has been great getting to know some people in the ward. I've even been pleasantly surprised with the nice meals that the guys in the group have come up with. I was scheduled last Wednesday and with 3 Exams on Thursday I opted to just pick up some pizzas. (There was salad and AMAZING cookies my mom made) By "picking up pizzas" I mean...I decided to have it all catered...that's just how I do things now...all since I started having lunch at the Skyroom. CHECK PLEASE!

THE SKYROOM

CLIMATE CHANGE

2010-01-20T15:38:00.009-07:00

I love college. I have this random honors life science class called "Climate Change" every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The class only has 13 people in it and because it's an honors course the teacher is way more relaxed. No busy homework...usually something to read before the class and then a fun discussion on it during class. Well today my teacher Dr. Hipps (Best described as Bill Nye the Science Guy meets "Granola"...in a good way) wanted to make sure there were some primary principles of science that we understood. After all it is a science class.

Principle 1: You can't prove something true...which is true...ironic. The only way to prove something true is to prove other things false...scientifically speaking. I don't know if that makes any sense, but in class today it did. Anyway, in any normal college class the teacher would lecture for the entire class about the how "you can't really prove something true, and that science has shown us by evidence that such princples can no longer......" and so on....

Well, not in Dr. Hipps' Class. He brings a meter stick to class and asks for a volunteer that wouldn't mind the entire class measuring their height. Some kid named Max volunteers. We get put into groups of two and I'm paired up with Lauren...the true "Granola" (She's a really nice girl, but has the khaki shorts, the fleece "Columbia" jacket, the natural look, her hair is only a few conscientious steps away from dreads, and she is concerned about "humanity's effect on the atmosphere").

So everyone gets a chance to measure Max taking up a good 20 minutes of the 50 minute class. I love college. Some groups even made him lay on the ground. Lauren and I came to the conclusion that he is 68 and 7/8" tall. We all compared our different answers and discussed how no one could REALLY prove how tall Max was. Cool object lesson and I determined if you can't REALLY prove how tall Max is the same must be true for me and that's when I decided I am ACTUALLY 6 feet tall not 5'8 3/4". The more I thought about this, it seemed to apply to everything! I didn't really get my one and only C+ in STATS 2300 my Freshman year...I REALLY got an "A". I like science now....who knew.

It's much better than the awful Accounting Assignment my friend Caleb and I started at 10 PM last night. We thought we'd breeze through it and he'd be on his way to see someone a few doors down and I'd be out on a run. 3 HOURS LATER....we finally finished...and by finished I mean we determined we had worked too long on this stupid assignment and made the most educated guesses we could for the few problems we couldn't get the accounts to balance. Trust me...accounting problems become quite funny at 1 AM. The only plus side was this morning when the professor said we'd only be graded on effort and if it looked like we had actually made an attempt to answer the problems we would get credit right or wrong. Then again how can he REALLY prove those are the right answers?!?!

THE SCOTSMAN

2010-01-18T01:45:00.008-07:00

SHOW ME A SCOTSMAN WHO DOESN'T LOVE A THISTLE,
SHOW ME AN ENGLISHMAN WHO DOESN'T LOVE A ROSE,
SHOW ME A TRUE BLOODED AGGIE FROM UTAH,
WHO DOESN'T LOVE THE SPOT...

[clap, clap]

WHERE THE SAGE BRUSH GROWS!!!!!!
[Utah State University's School Fight Song...THE SCOTSMAN]

I'm happy to announce the wonderful beginning of a great semester. So far I'm all moved in, I've attended all my classes, signed up for institute (and went...which is sometimes the hardest part), and have managed to fill my week full of work, frozen yogurt, office reruns, American Idol, Ambassador fun, and an awesome free outdoor Dashboard Confessional Concert...just to name to a few things.

Winter time in Logan can be bleak sometimes with the low temperatures, the "great" inversion, and all the snow, but something that makes it all worth it is the Utah State Boys Basketball Games. Notoriously known for our LOYAL fans, the Aggies have one the best home winning records in the nation at The Spectrum...which is why BYU refused to come to Logan for the last few years and finally in December had the cougar courage to come back.

Now what does all this have to do with anything?

Nothing really...except for one of my favorite things that happens at the Utah State Basketball games...THE SCOTSMAN. (words printed above) Picture this: half of a basketball arena with crazy loud fans, add the words from above, and (my favorite part) great actions! The first round through singing The Scotsman you wave your arms from side to side, but the second time through you get to "milk the cow"! [In lieu of the university's agricultural heritage] Imagine your arms if you are intensely running and combine that with milking a cow...and you've got it....

Now, The Scotsman is a sight that truly needs to be experienced in person to fully feel the Aggie Spirit, but this short video clip below will have to do:

Everything else this semester is falling right into place. Great classes, great professors, great ward, (51st Ward of the University 3rd Stake...I was in the 7th Stake Freshman year) and best of all, great roommates! All RM's and really nice. (Kyle, Mike, and Andrew) The only problem so far has been our leaky dishwasher that had to be fixed the other day.

I'm also proud to announce that every Wednesday at 10:30 AM on campus, yours truly will be leading some prospective students around Utah State's Campus. USU students: If by chance you happen to see us...a loud outburst of "GO AGGIES!!!" is always welcomed. For those of you interested in taking the tour you can sign up online...or if you're interested in your own private one on one tour I'm more than happy to oblige. :) I'll even finagle some free Aggie Ice Cream Coupons! (wink, wink)

Moving Out

2010-01-09T01:14:00.003-07:00

There is something liberating about moving out...Especially during your college years. Three months living at home has made me realize I just could never live at home for four years while attending university...and NOT because of my parents whom I love dearly, but because of the huge lack of human socialization. College is about late night fast food runs, going to haunted nunneries, basketball games, midnight crape parties, going to bed way too late, True Aggie night...not one yet...for the record...

College is more than an educational experience...it's a LIFE experience.

Having to deal with crazy roommates sometimes (hopefully not this year), running to catch the Aggie Shuttle, fun apartment neighbors, living on the third floor and staying up way too late having a war with the apartment across the little courtyard...ending in your windows being covered in some sort of cheese sauce/gravy and theirs being covered in wet flour covered paper towel balls...all in the dead of a Logan winter.

Now everyone can't afford this luxury, but if you can...take it and run or all of the college memories you tell your kids will begin with, "So this one night Grandma, Grandpa, and I were bored and we decided to..."

I've already got WAY too many of those memories from my childhood! :)

2009-12-24T23:16:00.002-07:00

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house,
not a creature was stirring not even a mouse.

Or for that sake, Brent,
for he was well spent.

All the holiday shoppers and the JC Penney sale,
sometimes made the season seem like it was from.....Outer Space....what did you think I was going to type? :)

A sweet sweater gathering of friends of old,
Twas a nice night together, out of the cold.

Christmas Eve with the family down in Salt Lake City,
Out to dinner and Temple Square, oh the lights were so pretty.

But of course the true meaning for the season,
Is all because Jesus Christ is the reason.

Merry Christmas!!

Another Great Year!

2009-12-14T00:23:00.002-07:00

Dear [Insert Name],

Well it's been another great year! Where to start....everyone in the family is doing really well.

Veronica is revolutionizing the 7th grade. At the ripe old age of 13 she has already become quite a tennis star. She currently plays on the Varsity Tennis Team for Weber High School with a topspin that is virtually impossible to return. She is the 7th Grade Class President as well as the President of the Honor Society, Mayor of the North Ogden City Youth Council, and sits on a special National Board of Teens that meet together once every 3 months in Washington DC. She meets with several members of the President's Cabinet to discuss important issues facing teens and what legislators can do to improve the lives of teens nation wide.

Thomas is 15 and you'd think he was Beethoven by the way he plays the piano. He went to an International Competition in Switzerland and brought home the first place ribbon. He'll be playing with the Utah Symphony as the special guest pianist this next month. He's skipped yet ANOTHER grade in school which puts him on line for graduation next Christmas. In his spare time he's started an non-profit organization helping under privileged children, who don't have hands, learn how to play the piano with their feet. He was approached by the Harvard Admissions Board again and is thinking that is where he'll attend in 2011 after graduation.

We welcome the great addition to the family of Mark Huntsman...the former Utahan Governor's son. Stephanie and Mark were married last fall in the Salt Lake Temple and the special Congratulatory Dinner was quite the affair to attend. If you weren't there it was because you weren't important enough to get on to the VERY exclusive guest list, but yet we still feel like you should know that it happened. Mark is an International CEO for his grandfather's company Huntsman Corp. Stephanie has been busy at work as the State of Utah's youngest Senator at the age of 24. She still maintains an active church life as the new Relief Society President of her new ward and Mark was just called into the Bishopric. With triplets on the way we're sure excited for several new additions next year! One is to be a boy and naturally they have already promised me it will be named after me.

Jane and I couldn't be happier with all the wonderful things the children have done this last year, and from the looks of it next year is looking to be even more successful.......

...............

Okay so maybe that's a bit exaggerated, but seriously...you totally know exactly what I'm talking about with those Christmas Letters that people send out to keep you "informed" on what's going on....and by keeping you informed they really just want you to know how much better their family is than yours. :)

"I CAN HELP WHO'S NEXT!"

2009-12-09T23:26:00.001-07:00

I had a funny man that came into JC Penney today. I asked, "How are you doing today?" He said, "I'm dead and you?" I replied, "I'm good, thanks!" [pause, pause] After an appropriate amount of awkward brain processing I asked, "Did you say you were dead?" He replied, "Yep." I then said, "I've never seen a dead person walking around before." We both started laughing. And then when I asked to verify his credit card with his ID I said, "Most Driver's Licenses have Date of Birth. Does yours have your Date of Death too?" Followed by more laughter, and his response, "I bet you've never seen a dead person's ID before..." All I can hope is that our dead friend has a computer and that when he got home he took the JC Penney Online Survey and in the spot where you can put a helpful Associate's name, he put mine. I'd get another cool little silver thing that I can put on my name tag and feel important.

There are all kinds that seem to come through the store. Probably less "kinds" at JC Penney than at Wal*Mart. Thank goodness. My favorite is probably the little old ladies that plan their whole day around going to JC Penney. They buy TONS of stuff for their grandkids and a fair amount for themselves and while you're ringing everything up they carry on a fun bit of conversation asking you if you think their 13 year old granddaughter, Suzie, is going to like the sweater that she picked out for her. And it always seems that grandparents are attracted to the most awful clothing for their older grandchildren. I always smile and say, "I'm sure they'll love it, but if not that's why I'm printing you these gift receipts."

One of the funniest comments from today happened right after I rang up these items for this middle aged husband and wife. The computer system prompts you to ask them if they want to make their $46.72 purchase an even $47.00 by donating the $0.28 change to the JC Penney After School Program. I asked and they said, "No, we do all of our donating through the church." I just smiled and said, "Alright, your total today is 46.72." All the while I was thinking: I'm sure God would be alright if you donated an additional $0.28 to the JC Penney After School Program. I can see their point, but it just made me laugh. Had one of my supervisors not been at the register next to me I probably would have said, "Oh really? I make donations to that fund too! What a coincidence!" Oh the places you'll go, but much more entertaining is the people you'll meet.

Christmas Time Is Here!

2009-12-04T20:06:00.003-07:00

I love how this time of year is always magical no matter how old you get. Kind of like Disneyland. It always has a special magic to it. It's the time of year where despite being 21, your mom can still tickle attack you while you're laying on the couch in front of the Christmas Tree when you're being a little smart aleck. Oh there's no place like home for the holidays. No matter how far away you go. I met a man from Tennesee and he was headed for Pennsylvania and some homemade Pumpkin Pie. Classic.

Timing is everything.

2009-12-02T14:03:00.003-07:00

Timing is everything.

Waiting for the red light to change. Speeding through the yellow. Waiting for the bicyclist you've hit to move so you know he's not dead. Listening to the clicks of the metronome while playing the piano...my least favorite...mainly because my internal rhythm is terrible. The number of days you spend in the hospital before your friends realize you're there and come to visit. (Sorry, Cole) The "meet cute" of any good chick-flick. The "meet cute" of your own life. The minutes left on the clock at work when it's dead and you're sent out on the floor to straighten sweaters that will inevitably end up back in a disarray that you'll have to fix time and time again. The days left until Christmas. Waiting for your "real" life to begin (Despite not realizing that it's been going for awhile now). The moment you find the sweetest argyle sweater vest on sale.

Timing is everything. And it's about time.

"Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing!"

2009-11-25T01:40:00.015-07:00

With the wonderful world of iTunes I've been cautious of not letting my mind and love for music take over my expense account. Since the recent purchase of an iTunes compatible device I discovered the temptation to avoid spending unneeded amounts of money at iTunes even harder. I've had iTunes for years, but prior to this I had to go to ALL the trouble of purchasing music and THEN burning it on to a CD to listen to it. Now it's just a click of a button. Thankfully I've been able to avoid this temptation-minus a few songs.

So...you might ask: "What wonderful music have you purchased lately?!?! The newest Taylor Swift song? Miley Cyrus? or Michael Buble?"

No, No, and No. Although all good guesses the correct answer would be: "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing" by Stevie Wonder. Yes that's right...the blind one.

I have a great love for Stevie Wonder, Lionel Ritchie, Phil Collins, The Moody Blues, The Beatles (of course), The Beach Boys, Earth, Wind and Fire, ANYTHING Disco, and many, many others thanks to my parents. A well hidden Meacham fact is that we are a family of DANCERS. (Much like the Osmonds, but on our own, less famous level) We do not claim to be great dancers...or even good for that matter, but that does not, and has not ever affected our love to get up and bust a move. But what's dancing without great music?!?

Since I can remember our family has always had random dance parties. Almost always taking place in the kitchen...or I should say...on our dance floor. It no doubt always starts with my Mom. Usually she'll be doing the dishes or the bills with music from the kitchen blasting through the house. One thing leads to another and the next thing you know the whole Meacham family is in a circle in middle of the kitchen each person adding their own dancing flare to the mix.

Some of the earliest memories of my life captured by a camera were those of these dancing parties. The picture above is us dancing to "Rockin Around the Christmas Tree".

The seasons change, years go by and yet the dancing still continues. Even this morning my cute niece Makayla and I were ballroom dancing to Josh Grobin's Christmas CD, spreading the tradition from generation to generation. A few of these rare dances have been caught on video and the tapes remain in the Meacham Family Archive only to be view by selected people on very special occasions.

Some people have even witnessed our family dancing skills in public, again only on a rare occasion.

The thing is we don't just stop at dancing. As we have gotten older we've put our dancing beats and creative minds to use and have come up with our own songs.

The first has become famous and is titled: THE SANTA RAP.

"MERRY MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!
HAAAA HAAAA HAAAVE HAVE NO FEAR!"

"CAUSE ME AND SANTA ARE HEAR TO SAY,
IT'S TIME TO HAVE A HAPPY HOLIDAY!"

Another song includes a funny parody on my sisters Sherry and Mindy that my brother Mike and I put together with help from my brother-in-law Shawn. It was an instant hit!

All of this put together must really beg the question: "What do the Meachams REALLY do behind closed doors?!?!" To which I'd reply: "Don't you worry 'bout a thing." We're probably all in the kitchen dancing the night away.

The Secret Sarcastic Side of Technology

2009-11-06T00:20:00.002-07:00

Yes that's right...personification at it's best.

Why is it that anytime you REALLY need technology to be your friend and help you out it always turns out to be some crazy, revenge seeking, arch nemesis out to punish you?

Hypothetical Situation #1

You're trying to register for your college classes....to keep this general we'll just say you're going to register at Utah State University....When you finally get all the crazy little numbers you need to correlate with your classes and times you hit "Submit". You get a response back saying that there is a "system communications error" and to contact "your registrar". Doesn't the CRSAN (Crazy, revenge seeking, arch nemesis) know there are only two spots left in the only Accounting Class on T/TH at 9:00 AM?!?! And who is my registrar? I can guarantee that they do NOT want a call from me at 12:20 at night.

Luckily the CRSAN was just lying and all he really meant was that there are too many people on this server. Try again in 40 minutes and you'll get your Accounting Class. Thank goodness for technology.

My Return to YSA!

2009-11-02T12:13:00.002-07:00

Well I finally did it. I returned to the wonderful world of a YSA (Young Single Adult) Ward. I figured my excuses had run out and that after being home 3 weeks I should probably return to people my own age. Week one, although not my "Homecoming", I was obligated to attend the Family Ward. And let's face it I way too weird to go to a YSA Ward that week. Week two was the "Homecoming" and so therefore I could not attend the YSA Ward. The following week we attended the "Homecoming" a second or third cousin...I'm not exactly sure...I just know he's always at the Stucki Family Christmas Party every year (Everyone from my Great-Grandma, who's still alive [97], on down-5 Generations).

So this week I decided my excuses were out. I made arrangements with a friend of mine to pick me up so I that I wouldn't have the embarrassment of showing up alone! (Despite rumors that the YSA Ward I was going to attend was like High School all over again-same people) 10:45 came and went and at 10:58 I phoned his house and found he had forgotten about going with me and had gone to a Spanish Ward in Inner-City Ogden. I found myself with a perplexing dilemma. Do I go back to the Family Ward...where the Elder's Quorum is made up of a bunch or older men and only 2 people under the age of 25 or do I go to the YSA Ward by myself?!?!

Now a little background would probably help. A YSA Ward is no new thing for me. I attended one for a year while attending Utah State University before my mission. I also served in 2 YSA Wards on my mission and really enjoyed it, but I still remember my first week at the USU 7th Ward, 5th Stake's Sacrament Meeting. It was Fast and Testimony Meeting. After seeing the funny LDS films like Singles Ward, and the RM, you think the jokes they make are just hilarious Mormon sub-culture things that don't really exist. I want to testify that they do exist.

My first Sacrament Meeting was FILLED with "Thank-a-monies" and my personal favorite the "Roommate-a-mony" ("I'm so [sob, sob] thankful for my roommates. [sob, sob] I didn't know anyone before coming up here [sob, sob] and I just LOVE THEM!!! [sob, sob]) I didn't think they really existed either, but they do. Keeping this all in perspective I knew EXACTLY what I was getting myself into by going...and ALONE, and LATE of all things. Now I have to ease the mind of my friend who forgot me and tell him that it worked out just fine. I ran into someone I knew as I was walking into the building who was also late and it ended up being a very good church service. Fast and Testimony Meeting turned out all right! NO ROOMMATE-A-MONIES...big shock...then I remembered almost everyone in the ward is living at home. haha. But still it turned out to be a positive experience.

We all know the number one reason we go to church is to worship the Savior, but I still can't help, but think that with a YSA Ward, the second reason they exist (and probably only like .01% behind number one) is to get people married. There are some things you can control and others you can't so just embrace it and say, "I DO YSA".

The Loss of My Childhood

2009-10-19T23:24:00.003-06:00

It seems as the years start to pass that some of the great memories of yesterday begin to fade away. And some of them are DESTROYED! Upon my recent return home to lovely North Ogden after several years of being gone more and more of my childhood memories are being destroyed.

It all began when I was younger. I had the best childhood possible. Older siblings and their friends to tag along with, night games every weekend, a sweet fort in the trees behind our house called "The Hutt", and many other coveted childhood wishes. The first destruction took place when my favorite childhood memory turned out to be a lie...well...a dream. For years, whenever I had to fill those funny little elementary questionnaires out, my favorite childhood memory was always the same.

(WAOOOOOOWOWWWMMMM!!! [Traveling Back in Time Noise])

Next to our house was a huge field. We spent hours in this field. We ran the risk of the neighborhood rumor that Old Man Storey if he caught you in his field would shoot you with his gun. It wouldn't be with a bullet, but somehow jimmy rigged with salt coming out to teach you a lesson. It was in this field that my favorite memory occured. One summer in a part of the field he didn't plow, there was a huge conglomeration of plants. These plants were large, tall, green and leafy. Like something you'd find in the Amazon. We'd track through this maze of greenery and make pathways leading to little "rooms". When it was time to go in for bed we'd come out. The crazy part is that the next day when we returned the pathways and "rooms" were all gone and we'd have fun all day long recreating them and making up little plots always centered around us being Star Wars characters with some impending doom that we had to combat.

For years this memory was my favorite and when talking about the fun times growing up with my siblings I would mention my favorite memory. The same thing happened every time. None of them had any recollection of what I was talking about and would always make reference to a few peach trees in this area of the field I was referring to, but no tall, green, leafy plants. It would always end with me frustrated saying something along the lines of, "You guys just don't remember." It finally hit me in 10th or 11th grade that tall green leafy things don't grow in North Ogden, and that my favorite memory was a dream. My childhood memory DESTROYED.

It happened again today. As I was watching a movie with my Mom and Dad, and my sister. My mom brought us down some treats and we commented that it was fun watching a movie with treats and that it was better than the theaters because we never bought the overpriced, over-buttered, over-salted popcorn and the little boxes of treats you spend at least ten dollars for. My Mom commented on how our family always used to break the "rule" and stop by Kings and stock up on candy that we'd fill our pockets full of before going to the movies. Kings was the place to go. Whenever I was younger and got a "reward" in terms of a treat I got 50 cents to spend at Kings. I could buy one candy bar or bag of Skittles, etc. or I could break that 50 cents down and get several things that equaled out to that. They had everything from a piece of Bazooka Bubble Gum to Tootsie Pops, to my all time favorite, Jolly Rancher sticks. It was the best and today my Mom broke the news to me that Kings is no longer in business. They went under.Memory DESTROYED!

These two things coupled with the recent destruction of the elementary I attended makes me ask the question: What next?!?! Perhaps the school mural we painted on the wall out behind the Elementary in lieu of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games? Perhaps the city playground my best friend Alex fell from the top of and I thought he had died? (He's still alive) Perhaps the crazy house by the Elementary that the whole month of December would blast Christmas Music loud enough for you to hear if your class was in the west part of the builing? (Maybe that one would be more a public service...but still) Perhaps the rest of my childhood memories will be DESTROYED. Until then I will hold on to the small fragments I have left of everything I hold dear.