Sorry I am a little delayed getting back on here. It has been a busy week!


Our ward Christmas dinner was a phenomenal success. Here's a recap. I went to the church around 10:30 am and began preparing things. First thing that had to get made was Jell-o. Everyone I talked to about having Jell-o was skeptical, but I believe the world loves Jell-o, they just don't remember until they eat it. I made 2 gallons of raspberry Jell-o. With that setting up in the fridge, I panned up our baked beans to be heated later, then began peeling taters for au gratin taters. A few minutes into that, my roommate Aaron showed up to help. We peeled, diced and soaked the taters in salt water to sit until later, then I prepped the yams. Everyone says they hate yams. Reason? Most people eat canned yams. If you want truly delicious yams, here's what you gotta do: get fresh yams! The easiest way to cook them is to bake them like a baked tater. Just put 'em on a pan and bake until they are soft like unto a baked tater. They naturally have lots of sweetness in them, so when they bake, some of that will secrete out, but that's why you have a pan there. When they are done, you pull them out, they will be easy to peel, then dice, lay in a casserole dish, top with butter, brown sugar, and a touch of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg, and the real kicker here is not to top with normal old mini mallows. A few places, particularly Wal-Mart, sell gingerbread marshmallows. They are shaped like gingerbread men and taste really, really good when you toast them on top of your yams. Anyway, after I prepped our yams, which I actually diced before cooking and cooked with the spices and topped later (not as quick or easy as the described method), we ran around town finishing our other preparations. We picked up tablecloths from work, centerpieces from work, and 2 insulated cambro boxes to keep our food hot when it was ready. We also picked up a dresser I bought at DI, which I'll talk about later. Back at the church after our trip, we put our au gratin taters together. The secret to a good au gratin tater is lots of bacon, lots of cheese, plenty of seasoning (I used Lawry's seasoned salt), and enough cream. With all those ingredients in, we put them and the yams in the oven and then began setting up the room. We set 12 tables with 8 settings and for decoration, we dimmed the lights, put up a fireplace projected from behind a sheet on the stage, we set the tables and had the gift bags at each spot, and then we played easy listening instrumental Christmas music in the background. The food took longer than anticipated to cook, but in the end, we got it all out in time and everyone ate tons of food. Here are two pictures from the night.



Here is what the table settings looked like.Each gift bag had 3 Hershey's kisses, 3 Hershey's Nuggets, 2 homemade cowboy cookies, and one candy cane, all wrapped in cellophane gift bag and tied with green curling ribbon.












Here is what it looked like with the fireplace and the ward eating.











As you can see in the picture, we had lots of people come. Our last couple meals the numbers seem to have increased. I generally try to get a count, but I was busy changing pans out and such and did not get an exact number this time. We had 96 place settings though and only a few were empty and at least 1 table sat more than 8, so I would estimate we had around 85 or more attend. One funny thing that happened is halfway through setting our tables, another ward showed up. Apparently the building was double booked or someone did something wrong, but thankfully the building we were in was a huge family stake building, so they were able to use the other half of the gym without any problem. Even funnier is that their ward kept coming to peer in on our setup and the high councilor in our ward came in and said, "There's another ward over there...but our stuff looks way better." The food turned out really well. We ended up only having a few servings of a couple things left. The au gratins were scraped completely clean. The most gratifying comment I like hearing is when people say "I usually hate (insert food here), but I had some of those and I loved them." It's a big part of why I love cooking for people. Not for the glory of being able to brag about making people love foods they didn't like before, but just being able to provide them with a meal they truly enjoy, to me, makes it worth it. Seeing my ward go back for seconds and thirds and fourths and with all the thank yous and high fives, and even a hug I got, I know it was mission accomplished. During a week of finals and preparing for all the hustle and bustle that's coming, we all were able to sit down and relax with a good meal and good friends. There is nothing better in life.

Now, about that dresser. I was at DI looking for a sheet for our fireplace projection when I saw a very nice dresser at a very, very nice price. So, I bought it. I would like to sell my current dresser and use this one, but if it doesn't end up fitting, I will just re-sell the one I bought. It is nice enough it will be an easy sell. I had intended for it to go in our new house, but due to the high cost of and stress of moving out right now, even though we got the house and had the lease and just needed to sign, we opted to stay where we are. Here is a picture of the dresser.










 It is well built, about 4 and a half feet long, and looks nice. 
















This is the mirror that attaches to the right side of it.










So that, I believe, is about all I have to talk about today. I will visit my grandparents in Murray this weekend, get new tires Monday, and set off for Virginia in a week. I am beyond ready for a little rest and relaxation.

A couple Songs of the Day. First is my favorite version of "White Christmas", by the Drifters (Home Alone anyone?). Second is "I'm Gettin Nuttin for Christmas" sung by Billy Pressman.

Here's a bonus too. Since this was uploaded while I was writing this post, here is the latest from the Piano Guys. They are going all sorts of awesome places to film now! Enjoy!

Well, things are getting real very fast.

Work has become busier and busier and will peak over the next week and a half.

Plans for the drive home have come together and final preparations are being made over the next week.

My ward's Christmas Dinner, after several weeks of planning and altering and more planning, will be Monday. It will be awesome.

Most of my time is spent working on these things, so the time is going by quick. Today, I did have two opportunities to unwind a little before it all becomes true chaos.

This morning, I spent a couple hours out at the gun range shooting skeet. It was about 30 degrees with a strong, steady wind making it feel closer to 20. But a couple jackets, ear muffs and gloves helped a bit. It was a good day of shooting. We are used to throwing the clay pigeons from right next to us and these were being thrown from 15-20 yards in front, so we were shooting at them 30-50 yards out. It took a few shots to get used to them being further out, but at the end of the day, we hit plenty. I hit 2-3 out of every 5. Normally I would want to do better and usually I might be better, but, considering the strong wind, bitter cold, and sometimes having to wait a minute or longer between each single shot, which I learned really throws your groove off, I am happy with my shooting. I'm happy anytime I get to shoot off some shells. I went through 45 of my own 12 gauge shells and also shot a real small shotgun a bit for fun.

I went straight to work from shooting and had a fairly easy day in the kitchen. After 5 hours there, I ran home and changed and a group of friends and I went up to Idaho to the hot springs. We had a good time up there. As usually happens, when I get to a hot spring, I enjoy just unwinding and de-stressing and I do a lot of thinking while I soak. The people I go with generally enjoy being a bit louder and playful, so I always end up breaking off from them for a bit to clear my mind. It feels fantastic sitting in hot mineral water left alone to my thoughts for a bit. Good for my muscles, good for my mind, good for me. Tonight it was nice because a light snow was falling through the evening and that just made it really peaceful. It was also 20 degrees out, so getting out and walking around felt good before hopping back in and thawing out my frozen hair. All in all, it was a worthwhile trip.

In the morning we will bake off some cookies for the ward party, then after church put the cookies in small cellophane bags with some Christmas candy tied off with ribbon for each member of our ward that comes to the dinner. I cannot divulge all the things I have planned for this party, but I planned for weeks so that I could get the absolute most out our budget and make this the best dinner we have made for the ward. This time, everything will be made from scratch by my committee and I. I'll try to get pictures of it all and share how it all went when it's over.

It's been a busy day, so it's time to hit the sack and rest up while I can. Song of the Day is Trans-Siberian Orchestra playing their awesome version of "Carol of the Bells".

This evening, I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of one my greatest musical inspirations. The man my dad called the German Leprechaun, John Biehl, passed peacefully in his sleep this afternoon.

I frequently and fondly remember his inspiring renditions of the hymns on piano, organ, and even accordion. Without even looking at a hymnal, he would sit down and play hymn after hymn, transitioning them all flawlessly as if they were one spiritual masterpiece. He is the very reason I own a piano. I loved the way he played and the way I felt when I heard him play so much that I began trying my own renditions of the hymns. At first, they were more centered on the technical aspect of the music. I took piano lessons from Brother Biehl for a short time. Those lessons taught me a lot about the basics of piano playing and now that I have a little better understanding of the different key signatures and how they relate and such, I do what I think he did. I sit down and I play what I feel deep down. That feeling, for me, is indescribable. That is what I mean when I have said in the past, such as my recent blog post on music, that playing calms me.

While he personally inspired me on piano and organ, his accordion playing will never be forgotten by anyone who saw and heard him play. At dances, ward parties and other activities, he would dress up in his German best and entertain us all with his accordion. Every Christmas too, he would make a huge gingerbread house and show it off to the ward. He always seemed like he was 90 years old when I knew him, but he had such a bounce in his step. He was a hilarious guy.

The choirs of heaven have gained a treasured soul today...

This evening, I cleared my dry erase calendar of November and filled it with the days of December. As I did, I paused for a moment in amazement that another year will soon draw to it's close.

 This year, I have immeasurable and innumerable things to be deeply grateful for, and, as usual, after Christmas, I will do my year in review, but this coming Sunday marks the first day of Advent, which is the season and time of preparation for the coming of Christ. When I reflect on this year and as I look around my room at everything I have, my heart fills with love and thankfulness, because I know that everything I have, from my job, house and clothing to things like my piano, car, and computer, are gifts I have been afforded in this life. Every day I try to live worthy of that, to use what I have to better myself and those around me, to not waste opportunities.

This Advent, I have a goal of truly preparing myself to always have Christ in my life. I will give service to others, share what I can with friends, and listen closely for promptings of someone in need. During this season of Christ, I want to share my testimony of the goodness of all that I know to be true so that I can partake of the sweet and true spirit of Christmas.

 I have experienced hustling, bustling, busy Christmases where I focus on working and getting extravagant gifts for family and friends, but this year, though I want more than anything to give the world to my family and friends, to deliver them boxes upon boxes of wonderful things to bless their lives, I cannot. But I can give them all of the love and care that I possess, I can give them my heart, I can give them my service. I will give all that I have in my soul.

Anyone who knows me very well probably knows that I listen to all different kinds of music. Today, I wanted to try to explain what music I like, what music means to me, and hopefully convince people that I do, in fact, listen to what people tell me is "normal music", because many people tell me my music taste sucks.

First and foremost, music is a HUGE part of life for me, whether I am listening to it or making it. Music can cheer me up, music can pump me up, music can calm me down, music can help me through a hard time, music can draw me nearer to God, music can help me express myself, and so much more.

I don't think I really have a favorite genre of music. I grew up listening to the oldies, but there are many new songs I love just as much. I enjoy listening to pop songs as much as I do songs of the 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, and 90's. One thing I have noticed in my musical taste is that almost always, I prefer songs with meaning, and usually I play more mellow songs. It just depends on my mood that day. Some days, I'll enjoy listening to a song, but the next day, I'll turn it off when it comes on. I can say that I dislike screamo punk music and the heavier the metal, the less listening time it gets. Rap is not music and therefore will not even be discussed. Country is complicated. There are several country songs I really like, but as a whole, most of it don't make no sense. I really don't care how big your truck is, you don't have to sing about it. Hip-hop is alright most of the time, but if you have to throw a cuss word out every other line, you are missing the point of music. I feel that music is for expression and if all you can express is negativity or crudeness, the world has little use for it. That brings up an interesting point actually. Profanity.

I admit that working in a kitchen for so long, I swear more than I should and more than I would like. It's something I work on. But, I find it kind of funny that we as a society have labeled profanity as a bad thing and we recognize it as unprofessional, yet we accept it as the normal everywhere in media. I mean, look at the root of the word, profane, which literally means vulgar. All these rap artists go out and speak rhythmically to a beat (hehe, that's a sophisticated way to say "rap") about all kinds of crude, vulgar, and essentially stupid things, then they talk about world peace and solving the problems in America. The core of the problems both here and around the world is that we have stopped living with values. I'm sorry, but you can't do both. You can't contribute to the downfall with the vulgar lifestyle and try to fix the problems in the world which are created by the very same lifestyles. Anyway...I got off track.

That is why I prefer mellow music and music with meaning. When you are singing about something good, people feel good. I don't recall a time ever listening to "Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows" while planning to go fight someone.

Anyway, the gist of what I am saying is that I love to listen to music. What I have on my iPod may be a lot of stuff most people don't have, but most of what I have either came from our old computer growing up or from friends, and I certainly don't only like the music I have, I love listening to other people's music, it is just too huge of a task trying to go through tens of thousands of songs and sort them out. It is far easier to just listen to them and hit skip when needed.

As for playing music, I am not a great pianist by any stretch of the imagination, but I cannot describe how soothing and relaxing playing can be sometimes. There is just something about it that calms me from the inside out. Those days when I feel like I have a knot inside me from all that's going on, I sit at my piano and I play it out of me.

I believe in the power of music. Life would be a dreary and depressing place without it.

And for our Songs of the Day, I have included a few different songs from different genres that I enjoy. The first is a great not stupid country song, "Love Me" by Collin Raye. Next is "The Climb" by Miley Cyrus. Third, "Father and Son" by Cat Stevens. And we'll top it off with the king, "Falling in Love With You" by Elvis.

I would like to acknowledge our Song of the Day first today and ask that if possible, you read today's post with sound on so that the spirit of my message might be better felt. Our songs are "Because I Have Been Given Much" played by Marvin Goldstein and "Each Life That Touches Ours for Good" sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

In church today we had a very good lesson and discussion about some things that I felt I should write down. I jotted down some notes and since this is something that applies to everyone, I wanted to share it and hopefully it will help inspire some of you as it did me.

Essentially, we were talking about getting the most out of our lives. Older people had been asked what they would have done better or more of in life and as we read the answers we got to talking about spending time with those we love. In these modern times, we have Facebook and YouTube and whatnot and we read a great quote that said that often we spend too much time sharing trivial things and linking things to friends and family. There is, of course, a time for those things, but doing them too often has its consequences. I think back to a Facebook post I wrote recently about how I am terrible at wasting my time. It said this:

"I wish I was better at using free time...I swear I cycle through the same 3 websites (Facebook, yahoo/email, and a news site) 10 times, then I get up, get a snack/drink, sit back down, cycle through them again...an hour or so later, the monotony gets to be too much, so I walk around my house...when I realize nothing in my house is of interest, it's back to the 3 websites once again...occasionally the routine is broken by me having to pee and sometimes I find a movie to watch, but I really think about 85% of my times is wasted in my cycle of websites and walking around..."

I posted it jokingly, but also with the realization that I can and should be doing much more with my time. Facebook is a great tool to share things with friends and family who are far away, such as when I post my blog link on there. It has great use for certain things, but when all we do is cycle through and through and share rather pointless things, it really does become a bad habit. As someone remarked in our lesson, being on Facebook isn't a sin, but if it is preventing us from doing more important things, it is a problem.

The internet discussion led us to talking about interacting with friends. I can personally attest that the following statement is absolutely true: There is NO alternative to spending real time with someone. No matter how much you may message on facebook, or like someone's statuses, or share youtube videos, or even text message all day long, being with that person, spending actual time together, is irreplaceable. I have some personal examples. This Thanksgiving I spent time with my brother. We occasionally talk online and share funny videos from time to time, but actually spending time with him is a completely different experience. We never stop laughing, we go play sports. The quality of life for the time we hang out is 100% better. Another example occurred also over the break with Cami. Here is what I posted about it on Facebook:

"I am grateful for the tender mercies in this life. Tuesday night, my best friend lost the centerpiece of her world, her beloved dog. She and her dog shared the sweetest love I have ever seen between a dog and owner. So sweet and gentle was their love that tears filled my eyes upon hearing the tragic news. Today, I went to see her. I was heartbroken and thought that it would be many days before the deep feelings of sorrow began to lift. However, this morning, before I visited, she was introduced to a tiny pup in need of a loving home. It was mere hours since her loss, but, as if it were meant to be, the new pup crawled up onto her shoulder the same way her other dog had and she was moved to bring him home with her. I arrived and expressed my sympathies and was introduced to the pup. I very quickly realized that this dog was sent to her home to bless it with joy and happiness. Dealing with the recent loss will be a painful and difficult trial for them, but I find peace in knowing that although we cannot explain why such a loving dog had to be taken from this life, He is ever mindful of us. I was able to spend half of my day with my friend and her family and I saw that this trial has drawn them all a little closer together. This Thanksgiving, I am grateful for the experience I had in witnessing the growth of a family's bond in the midst of adversity."
That experience made a big impact in my life. I will always remember the way I felt that day. Had I not gone out to see her, I would have wasted an entire day cycling through my 3 websites, watching tv, and sleeping.


Our discussion in class moved on to how we can make real behavior changes. The bishop made a great comment about things he has done. He wanted to be better at going to the temple, so he put a temple bag in his car and a shirt and tie so if he was driving by and wanted to stop, he could. He wanted to hike more, so he put a hiking bag in his car with shoes and snacks and water so if someone called him up and wanted to go for a hike, he could. Reading scriptures each night was difficult for him, so he keeps his scriptures on his pillow so he physically has to move them before he can go to bed. If all we do is write down what we want to accomplish, chances are, we won't get very far. Making real behavior changes requires a lot of effort and I think if we put actual physical things in our way to force us to change, it will do a lot. Or, if we want to stop doing something, physically remove things, like if you want to watch less tv, you could move the tv or put a cover over it. Be creative in your methods because it makes a difference.

There are a few hymns that have stuck with me the past couple weeks as I have begun my quest to make the most of my time and to give more of myself. First, Hymn 219:


Second, Hymn 293-

Each life that touches ours for good
Reflects thine own great mercy, Lord;
Thou sendest blessings from above
Thru words and deeds of those who love.


For worthy friends whose lives proclaim
Devotion to the Savior’s name,
Who bless our days with peace and love,
We praise thy goodness, Lord, above.


I hope that we will all strive to spend less time with the trivial things in life and work harder on the important ones. I will leave you with a scripture found in Matthew 6:19-21.

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

Before things get a little busy with the holiday this week, I wanted to take some time to pause and share some things I am truly grateful for.

First, my family. Every single day something happens that makes me grateful for having such a large and fun family. I have been blessed beyond measure with my family. They have taught me, been examples to me, inspired me, and encouraged me to live a life of honesty, integrity, trustworthiness, passion, and so many important values, and those traits have led me to so many successes in my life. When I look at all the great things I have done, I know that I never would have accomplished so much without them. I absolutely love being around them, I can't wait to visit home again, and yes, mom, dad, Lance, Amelia (and Max and Lydia), Michael, Annie, Camilla, Angela, and even little dog Shilo, I love you all.

Second, my friends. I have lived in many areas, met many people, and seen many friends come and go. Although they may not be involved in my life now, they have been important to me throughout my life and during the times that each friend came into my life, they also have done so much to help me find joy and happiness and success. Some have helped me through hard times, some have added brightness to good times, but all are remembered and appreciated deeply.

Third,  my best friend in life, Miss Cami Bodily. I absolutely could not let this Thanksgiving pass without publicly expressing my sincere love, appreciation, and gratitude for this wonderful friend. I don't want to embarrass her too much, and I do not want to sound so boastful that I sound exaggerative, but words just seem to fall short of fully articulating how I feel. Thank you Cami. Thank you for always smiling and always making me smile. Thank you for listening to me, even when I talk about the dumbest things that are of no interest to anyone but me. Thank you for sharing so much in your life with me. Thank you for making my birthday so special. Thank you for my bleach trays and toothbrushes. Thank you for my prized presidential pooper. Thank you for trusting me, for respecting me, for understanding me. Thank you for being you. You are so beautiful. Heart-stopping. Stunning. You shine. You make everyone around you shine. My life has been forever changed for good because of you. It is such a privilege to see you that each time you come, I am as nervous as when I first met you. Thank you for all that you are.

I am grateful for so many other things in life, from electricity and technology to even the simplest of things. I do my best to be mindful of all that I have and look for times when I can give all that I can as well and each night I give thanks for these things. I hope that you all remain mindful throughout your lives of the things you have been so graciously granted in this life. May peace find you this Thanksgiving and keep you well.

First things first, I am officially a first-time uncle!!! Over the weekend, on Saturday, my sister Amelia and her hubby Max brought little Lydia Elizabeth Warnock into the world. She was 6 pounds, 13 ounces and was 19 inches long.




I realized today that we are in a bit of a boring phase. Halloween and the exciting fall colors are past, but Christmas is not yet in full swing. I decorated my house for winter though, which adds a little excitement and this Sunday is our 3rd Annual Pie Night and we expect over 30 people to descend on our humble little townhome to satisfy their sweet teeth.

Also today, I stumbled across a news article about people renting their cars out. I was intrigued and checked it out. Turns out, it is pretty cool! You basically just list your car for rental and they take care of the scheduling and money and everything. The car is fully insured by them, they do a little background check on renters, the renter covers gas, I can put limits on how far they can drive, and they even have 24/7 roadside assistance for the renter. No one in the valley here had their cars for rent, so I thought, what the heck, I'll be the first and maybe make a couple bucks some day. I'm going to try to promote it relentlessly and see if I can get the ball rolling. You should all check it out HERE. You can search Logan, Utah and find me! If you want to sign up to rent your vehicle, use this link (https://relayrides.com/?code=51450rMQduj) and I get credit for signing you up! Even if you don't sign up, it's a cool system you should read about.

As a bonus today, I think everyone should watch these two commercials from Duluth Trading. I linked them to Facebook as well if you want to share them!





Song of the Day is: "The Cello Song" by: The Piano Guys (Steven Sharp Nelson!!)

I would be lying to you if I said the election did not affect me. It did. A lot. But I would also be lying to you if I said I was bitter about the results. I went into election night feeling as confident as could be. I expected a big victory and I was excited for America's real comeback. That did not happen. Around the time I expected everything to start breaking our way, things turned the other way. Live results sway back and forth, but signs began to point to a re-election victory. I held out hope as long as I could, but soon every projection hurt and each time they said "we have another projection for you" my heart raced. When they made big projections such as the GOP keeping the House and the Dems keeping the Senate, they would say "we have a huge projection for you"...on those, my whole body stopped. Then it came. I knew this one was it. I knew that over a year of believing and fighting and donating and talking and reading and waiting was all about to come to the wrong end. The announcement was made. I closed my laptop. My eyes gently closed, my head fell slightly, I took a deep breath and released it slowly. I stood up, walked across the room, my lips pursed. I put my forehead against the wall. I took in the moment, felt the disappointment and tried to understand it.

I reopened my computer and remained in front of my tv to watch the brief concession speech. I wrote a message to my little sister and also to my best friend that I was proud of them for getting involved. I truly am proud of them. Now, a week later, my resolve has not changed. The man I wanted to lead will not, but I still have goals to achieve. I have a future to prepare for. I have hopes and dreams to follow. The path may have more bumps in it now, but I will never stop fighting for what I believe in, both in my personal and this nation's future.

 With the elections done, I have a lot to do. Register for school, keep working, host two holiday parties, make it home for Christmas. The world keeps spinning.

Song of the Day is "May it Be" by Enya.

The sun has set on the final day of the 2012 campaign season. For over a year now, we have watched candidates battle through a brutal Republican primary season that saw more frontrunners than even the wildest Kentucky Derby could see. While the Republicans fought their battles, President Obama sat in his corner, building his armada for the pending war.

From state to state across the nation, Mitt Romney rallied his warriors time and time again and beat what were at times great odds to emerge the victor of the Republicans. He immediately shifted focus to November and began putting his war machine together. His challenge was immense. The nation still reeling from economic troubles. He had to persuade the still bitter members of his own party, as well as the skeptical others across the country to trust him.

Many fell in line behind him with anti-Obama attitudes more than pro-Romney ones. The selection of Paul Ryan as his running mate, others began to see the commitment to something greater than self. Once the "i"s were dotted and the "t"s crossed at the nominating convention, things really picked up, but the incumbent maintained a healthy lead.

Enter the first debate.

For many, including our beloved media, the debates are "meaningless". They so rarely make a difference, some wonder why they continue to have them. Mitt Romney reminded us why. I have seen athletic teams crush completely helpless opponents, I have seen cars crumpled and destroyed in accidents, I have seen forces of nature annihilate structures, but I will never forget the blistering lambasting The Governor delivered to The Great Orator. Never before have I seen a man who supposedly cares so much about a cause have so little to say. He was limp. Inanimate. Empty. As politicians do, they tried to spin it. The president's campaign blamed the moderator for giving Romney control. They suggested all sorts of outlandish and outrageous excuses for the president's lack of..well...everything. Americans were smarter than that.

The entire race changed overnight.

Enthusiasm skyrocketed. Money poured in. The polls stopped and turned around. Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan were knocking on the door at 1600 Pennsylvania. Suddenly, we did not have to settle for another four years of monotony. Suddenly, people saw a light.

Expectations for the remaining debates were high for the president. He had to stop his slip and slide; he had to right his ship. He came out feisty, but Romney was cool and relaxed and repudiated the president. Romney looked like the president and Obama the challenger. Romney moved through his plans for the future and Obama attacked and attacked, offering little policy of his own. It was too late. The nation had seen what they feared; a weak president with nothing to say, no new ideas to try.

Since the debates the momentum has carried and carried. States once securely blue turned gray, then shifted red. No amount of attack barrages could stop The Governor. It took a literal act of mother nature to slow him for a few days, but when the storms of Sandy had passed, the enthusiasm was still there. The media and the leftists have thrown all they could to help the president, but they just can't stop the movement.

November 6th, 2012: The day we, the people, the leaders of the free world, take charge of our future.

We believe in America, and we believe that Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan will lead us back to greatness.

I have a lot of more serious things I've wanted to say on here, but with it being election week, I want to have a little fun first and I will post the more serious stuff after the dust settles.

This evening, somewhat out of the blue, I sat up from where I was laying and announced to my roommates and a couple other folks who were present that if Mitt Romney was elected president, I would let my sideburns grow until the inauguration. For those who are unaware, I have had sideburns since Kentucky. In all of my pre-Kentucky pictures, my hair is all the way above the ear. Then, all of a sudden, *bam*, sideburns. I think there was something in the water that became permanent. Either way, after I was commissioned a Kentucky Colonel, I decided that the sideburns would go along with the title. At times I have trimmed them up to the bottom of the ear lobe, but they always remain as a reminder of the honor I received and the responsibility I feel comes with it. With winter coming on, I have regrown them down and in, with the idea of going for civil war mutton chops (I LOVE the movie Gettysburg). They grow rather quickly, so I can only imagine how huge they will be if Romney is the victor.

As for election predictions...I have Romney winning it. 

Just for kicks, here are images of how they look as of this writing.
























Song of the Day: "My Old Kentucky Home"

I love when I don't have to work on a weekend and I have lots of fun and/or productive things to do.

Friday I was only scheduled for 3 hours of work. My car was low on gas and usually when it's really close to empty and I park on the inclined driveway, the gas tilts away from wherever it's supposed to go and I can't start it. That happened Friday. Thankfully, I was leaving my house an hour before work so I could go dispute a Comcast bill. It is unfortunate that the car died and now I can't dispute the bill until next week, but, it was a beautiful 50 degree sunny day after 3 days of cloudiness and rain and snow, so I walked to work, which felt amazing. At work, I was invited to a hockey game with Chef Rich, Dave, who I have not mentioned before but he is the Marketplace Customer Service Manager and he's an awesome guy, and then three other guys I also know well. We have a contract with US Foods that makes them pretty much our food supplier, and they had a suite at a Utah Grizzlies hockey game at the Maverick Center in the Salt Lake and invited Rich and whoever he wanted to bring to come down and enjoy the game. Someone had dropped out at the last minute and since I was there and was getting off work in time to go, I decided to go with them. We had a great time, the suite was cool, the game was really good. It ended in a shootout that Utah won 4-3. It was a genuinely fun time.

Saturday morning I went over and helped Cami, her dad and brother move Cami out of her apartment. She sold her contract and will now save lots of money by staying at home. I remember the days in Texas and Kentucky when we were helping people move all the time. Out here I don't get as many opportunities to help with things like that so I was grateful to be able to help Cami move again.

Kind of a random side note here. Just thinking about liking service opportunities, I am very glad I did not spend my whole life here in Utah. I think here in Utah people get tired of things like helping someone move and whatnot. With such a huge LDS population a lot of things are kind of an accepted normal, even though many people usually dislike some of that. For me, there's nothing I love more than jumping in and helping someone move or driving someone without a car somewhere important, or making cookies or a meal for someone who is down or is stressed. I do it because it feels good and there is really no thinking twice about it. I know not everyone here is like this, but I feel like sometimes people do things more because it's the way things are rather than they have a true desire.

Anyway...it was also good to get up early and start working because I had a lot to do at my place and I was ready to go once Cami was on her way. I got home and got right to work. I started a load of laundry and then spent two hours cleaning out the garage and re-organizing it so I can start parking in there again. I do not want to spend all winter clearing my car of snow and deicing it in the frigid air. Parking in the garage just makes a whole lot more sense. You may hear people who say they are true winter folks because they clear their cars every snowfall and they endure the cold and wetness to do it and yada, yada, yada...yeah, they prolly just don't have a garage. A true hard-core winter person would keep their car safe in the garage.

Once the garage was clean and my car was parked inside, I moved indoors. Dishes, wiping counters, cleaning sinks, vacuuming floors, continuing laundry, just going room to room doing what had to be done. Another couple hours and the house was once again beautiful. I then showered, shaved, played some piano, watched some tv, worked on some upcoming events I'm hosting, had some dinner, and then around 8 went over to a friend's party. I stayed there for a bit and then came back home, tired and ready for a good night's sleep. It's stake conference this week so we'll get church over with early in the day. HURRAY!

Sunday afternoon will probably have a nap in it, I'll try to remember to email recipes to Sister Annie in South Carolina, I'll Skype home to see if the windows are boarded up for Sandy back in Virginia, I may find motivation to make cookies since I keep all the ingredients in stock most always, we'll watch the new episode of the Walking Dead, I'll put in my bleach trays for an hour, then I'll complete the successful weekend with a good night's rest to prepare me for another week.

Things to watch for this week: Pregnant sister Amelia is due to have her baby next Sunday I believe, so be watching for news on that. I will finally become an uncle. Still deciding if I'll be Colonel Uncle or Uncle Colonel. This week is also Halloween, hurray! It is the final week of election season too so I'll be watching the polls and the news as closely as ever. I generally have to go look every two hours no matter where I am or what I'm doing. Oh, and the clocks fall back next Sunday too, be aware. Alright, I think that's all I got.

The Song of the Day is from the Piano Guys. It's their Over the Rainbow/Simple Gifts mix. I think it provides a good tone for how upbeat this weekend has been.

Life continues to move along quickly this year in the Logan area. Not even Halloween yet and we have had our first major winter storm, which dumped several inches of snow across the valley with much more in the mountains. It was a very wet snow too. Generally, about one foot of snow accumulation yields one inch of liquid water. In this storm, we had between 2-3 inches of snow, containing 1.42 inches of liquid water. It has snowed on and off since the main storm hit Tuesday, but the snow is gone from the ground now. The mountains look stunning in their majestic white.

This evening, I witnessed a heavenly sunset over the mountains. The sun had come out after more snow had blown through and there were some higher clouds hovering above the mountain. As the bright sun dipped below the peaks, it radiated a magnificent brightness off the clouds and it just looked amazing. Usually a great sunset here is because of the pinks and oranges, but this one was a beautiful bright yellow contrasted against a very blue sky and highlighted by the snow-capped mountain peaks. It was a moment I wish I could share in picture with you, though even a picture could not capture the majesty of the moment.

I do, however, have a picture of the snow.



I recently announced I was going back to school and asked for donations. As of this writing, there have still been zero donations, so, I recently began looking for a part-time night job. There isn't much out there, but I hope to find something to help alleviate the burden.

The following video I shared on Facebook and would like to share again here. I like it because I think it helps show the passion and patriotism Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have for this country that I think our current president seriously lacks. President Obama did not grow up in America. He grow up overseas seeing America differently. He does not love America and you can hear it every time he speaks. You can hear it emanate from Romney when he talks about how great we can be.



Today, the Song of the Day is "Hazy Shade of Winter" by Simon and Garfunkel.

Yep, beginning in just a month and a half, I will be returning to college at Utah State University to pursue a degree in Political Science. I am excited, nervous, freaking out, and still kind of shell shocked that I put everything together in literally a matter of just a few short days (everything was done in one day except my BYU transcript because I had to fix an administrative oversight to up my GPA before it was sent). I can't apply for federal aid or scholarships this semester, so, donations can be sent to my address here in Logan...seriously. Not. Even. Joking. Send money.


In other news, I neglected to mention that on Sunday I watched Felix Baumgartner's 24 mile skydive live. I took pictures on my phone and screen grabs on my computer throughout. It was really amazing to watch.

Also, today was Cami Appreciation Day. Let me explain. Cami has had a lot of little medical problems throughout this year. Her wisdom teeth were taken out way back in May and she has had infections and complications that continue even today. She hurt her back and has had pain from that all year. She has a little cyst on her neck and recently had a pain in her thumb diagnosed as a growth on her tendon, which may have to be cut off (the growth, not the thumb). This morning, she had to once again be inconvenienced by going to the doctor, this time at 6 am, to have her finger MRI'd. Seeing as none of these problems are quick fixes and she keeps being inconvenienced by doctors and such, I thought that she could use some positivity to distract her from all the dumb negative stuff that undoubtedly is causing her some stress. So, the other day, I decided that today would be Cami Appreciation Day. I shared the below poem with her last night, surprised her with this delivery of flowers today, and had a bunch of people at work send her picture messages of them holding signs that said "Happy Cami Appreciation Day!"

The Poem:

Boy, what a week it has been. Well, that's not really true. Most of the week was uneventful.

I spent a little time each day working on that thing I cannot formally announce quite yet, though there are now a small handful of people who are aware of it. I am awaiting an official certain something before I make my formal, official announcement to everyone.

Wednesday we did go play volleyball for 3 hours at the church. As a result, my entire body from my chest up hurt real good come Thursday morning. I took ibuprofen responsibly but frequently between Wednesday night and Friday.

Saturday I worked a bit, watched a little football, and then had an overwhelmingly joyful evening with Cami. I had not seen her in a couple weeks and had only talked to her a little. Come to find out my phone has not been sending and receiving texts very well, which led to even less communication between us. But the evening was beyond words. Cami and I began hanging out back in March and since then, with the exception of a short period, we have talked and shared things and been in close contact throughout most days. So, the past two weeks have been just excruciatingly difficult for me. I have made no secret of the close friendship we share and at times it seemed as if that was about to be lost. When you date someone and break up, it is painful. But when you share a strong relationship with a person who you care deeply about, even the thought of losing that, to me, is such an indescribable pain. I thought I was losing my best friend, and I am extraordinarily thrilled and humbled to have had the opportunity to reaffirm that friendship.

Sunday was church and rest and the season premiere of The Walking Dead. Now I have to live each week dying over the cliff hangers and trying to figure out what's going to happen next!

Today, Monday, I have the day off and am going to have my malfunctioning phone assessed, bake some zucchini bread, do laundry, clean, and provide dinner for FHE for the ward.

The song of the day is a piano version of "When I Look at You", performed by Sunny Choi. I chose it because the song has been on my mind for a couple weeks and last Monday on my day off I wanted to be able to play the song, so I sat at the piano, worked out the chords, and can now play most of it fairly decently. I like the song, but I like playing it even more. It is kind of special to me.

It was a peaceful weekend in Provo. I drove down Friday at mid-day, made good time and good gas mileage. Mike and I met up, had some dinner and headed over to the #4/#6 ranked BYU Women's Soccer match against #21 Santa Clara. It was a sluggish game for both sides, which was really taxing to watch. It ended in a 0-0 tie.

From there we hustled to the football stadium and watched BYU defeat Utah State 6-3. It was a late game and we got out of the stadium near midnight. Hungry and cold from hours of outdoor sports, we ducked into Denny's and enjoyed a hot meal. Finally around 1 in the morning we got to bed.

Saturday morning dawned and we streamed conference. We were surprised as everyone else to hear the changes to the missionary ages. We watched the two Saturday sessions. I may have dozed for a minute here or there, but caught the vast majority of it.

After the two sessions, we actually got up, showered, and got ready for priesthood session. With some time to kill before it began, we drove around town a little and saw all the changes that have been made in the past year and a half. The Provo Tabernacle, soon to be the Provo City Center Temple, has the spires off as the work to secure the shell of the building. New housing on campus is under aggressive construction, with some buildings open and several more to be finished in the coming year. Seven Peaks Water Park added one small slide, but has tons of locations under their new brand that includes several Trafalgas and other water parks in the wasatch region. Most things are the same and I had fond memories of fun times past as we drove around the area I lived for 3 years.

Priesthood session was good and we rewarded ourselves for staying through the prayer in the Marriott Center with a pizza. Then we watched some of the always hilarious Hogan's Heroes and turned in.

Sunday was two more sessions of conference, a Skype session with all of the family that lives out East, and me packing up and heading back to Logan. I have Monday off, but decided to come back Sunday night so I could get some things done in Logan.

This week is rather uneventful. I work during the days and will fill the evenings with activities as they come. I have some very time sensitive things to take care of concerning something I am working on, though I cannot elaborate any further than that at this time.

I did come up with a motto for life this weekend. I was reflecting on some things and this just came to my mind:

Man, life has flown by so quickly lately. It seems like it was just yesterday I took the big step to move from the security of my Provo life to the uncharted waters of true independence. Now a year and a half later, here I am in North Logan, completely amazed at all that has happened.

The wonders of this life never cease to amaze me. In the year and a half since I left Provo I have learned so much, experienced amazing things, and been blessed beyond measure.

Today, I want to dedicate this post to everyone I have met since moving from Provo. There are far too many to list, but there are a few who's impact deserves sharing with you all.

Taylor Smith from Zion Ponderosa. Life is always an adventure with Taylor and the friendship we have is great. I am always intrigued to hear what new things she has done and even now I am waiting to hear her report on her latest adventure working in the Cedar City area this summer.

Katie Kapp. I am not a hugger as pretty much everyone knows, but Katie has somehow broken past my wall and has the unique privilege of giving me a hug every now and again. You could say that she hugs me on behalf of everyone else. But, Katie is an excellent person who cares about people and I am glad to be counted amongst her friends.

Myles Hopkins. I find it really funny that Myles and I are such good friends. Myles hated me when I started here. So much so that you can actually credit him with me being moved to my current job in catering. But, as time went on, we became friends. Now we are roommates. I feel kind of like we were meant to be brothers. We grew up watching the same old-timey shows and listening to the same music. Our interests are very similar and even the family loves seeing him on Skype each week.

Corey Cozzens. He doesn't know it, but he has been a mentor to me, both in work and in personal life. Sometimes, I wish he didn't work in food though, because I think he has far too much potential and the kitchen life is a brutal one that can rob a man of his destiny. But he loves what he does and I can't argue with that.

Cami Nicole Bodily. I mentioned Cami in a recent post, but I cannot say enough good things about her. I wish that everyone could meet Cami and just spend a day around her. Only then would you be able to better understand why she is such an important person to me. I could try all day to say what I feel in my heart about Cami, but the words would still fall flat.

To all of you who I have met and who have helped make a difference in my life and who have allowed me to make a difference in yours over the past eighteen months, thank you. I want you all to know that I fall to my knees every night and call upon the powers of heaven to grant you the blessings you need in your lives.

Thanks again for being my friend.

I am 23 years old. To some, I am an old guy. To others, I'm still a baby. In my eyes, I am older than I want to be and younger than I think I am. In my 23 years, I have learned important life lessons, then new experiences have come along and changed what I thought I knew. I call this development. I will probably never know everything as well as I might want to, but therein lies the reason that I am even here.

Today, I didn't really have much to say, but I thought I had better share something. After all, an opportunity not taken is an opportunity missed, so, I want to briefly share something I have learned in this life that made a big difference to me this past weekend.

There is a God. Not just a God though, but a living God. He did not create the Earth and then kick back and leave us to figure everything out ourselves. He is there every day; watching us, guiding us, helping us, encouraging us, and listening to and answering us. He knows our feelings and our desires. He knows what makes us happy, what makes us sad. He knows where we want to go in life, and when we are wrong, he takes us to where we need to be. The following video is a new favorite of mine about this and is the main thing I wanted to share today. I hope you will watch it and also share it.