Ole Miss...

It's time again for another football travel log....oh my life. Thanks once again to my aunt and uncle I was able to go to the BYU @ Ole Miss game in Oxford, Mississippi with my cousin Kaylee. I was a little more exciting for this trip than the Florida State trip because I felt a little family connection. My mother's mother (also know as my maternal grandmother) was born and lived in southern Mississippi until her family moved to Utah to work in the mines...or at least that's how I understand it happened. Anyway....Even though it wasn't the exact place that my family came from, I felt like it was a chance to get to know my heritage a little better.

So on Friday Kaylee and I headed up to the Salt Lake airport and got on our flight to Memphis then on to Tupelo, Mississippi. The airport always has it's own little adventures but luck for us nothing too exciting happened. We landed in Tupelo around 8:30. Now I thought the airport in Tallahassee was small, but the Tupelo airport was much much smaller. It was a building with one door for departures and one door for arrivals, a baggage claim, and a car rental desk. Yep it was a hopping place. We were met at the airport by my aunt and uncle and a couple of other BYU folks who were at the fireside with the team. We were of course in time to eat the team snack and head off to bed.

In the morning I got my first good look at Tupelo. Tupelo and the surrounding areas fits the basic look that I think of when I think of small town southern USA. It was oh-so-very green and humid. As it turns out, Tupelo is most famous for being the birthplace of one Elvis Presley....one of the city councilmen gave Coach Mendenhall a guitar pin to commemorate this historic event during the Friday evening fireside. We got a good look at the land and culture as we took a 30 minute drive to Taylor a tiny town outside of Oxford where the game was to be played. We went to Taylor because there was a Cougar Club luncheon. The restaurant we went to looked like it hadn't been in business for years...and yet it came highly recommended by people in the area. Turns out the building had been there for years....since the town was established and the people had just kept it going from a store to a restaurant. As you can see it's a little rough around the edges but the food was pretty good. I had my first catfish eating experience which was pretty decent tasting as it turned out....partially because you couldn't taste anything but the friedness of it all. So our menu options for the lunch were fried catfish (which this place was famous for), grilled catfish, fried chicken, fried okra, hushpuppies, coleslaw, and potato salad....basically fried or mixed with a lot of mayonnaise. I wasn't really sure what I was eating at first but it was one of those eat this and hope it turns out okay. Obviously I survived. The luncheon part of it all was very interesting; there were people from all over the south ready to cheer on the cougars. There was a brief state of the team address from Chad Lewis (perfect pep talk if you ask me) and then President Samuelson gave a quick thought. Once that was over we were off to the game.

So we set out from Taylor and headed out to Oxford where....two hours before the game....people were up and tailgating away....because my aunt and uncle and the Samuelsons have to do lots of meet and greets and such, Kaylee and I were left to our own devices so off we went to discover the gems of the Ole Miss campus. As I was preparing for this trip, I heard a lot about this place call "The Grove"....turns out it is a 10-acre plot in the middle of campus where people do their tailgating. It was packed with people. Tent after tent after tent. Through our searching we finally found it....we actually didn't have to work that hard to find it....we just followed the people and there we were.....So many people.....such a great football tradition. Before each home game the team will walk through the grove under an archway called "The Walk of Champions". The team works its way through the people who stand aside and give them high fives along the way....if only we could institute something like that in Provo.After all of that sight-seeing we headed into the stadium with an impressive amount of BYU fans to start the game....it was a bit of a stressful game....eventually BYU won 14-13 thanks to a great fumble recovery and touchdown by linebacker Kyle Van Noy.

See Link: http://youtu.be/LwP8kdA-bkw

After the game, we caught the team buses back to the Tupelo airport where we waited until the team could take off. I took a little bit because the plane was running late so we just hung out in the airport and watched football with the team which was sort of funny. It was funny to hear the comments that football players had when watching other football players play. They brought up things that I had never seen in plays before...very educational. Because my aunt and uncle flew with the team, Kaylee and I were left in the charge of what I call the BYU advance crew. It's two guys who makes sure everything goes smoothly during these football trips. They had to wait to go back to the hotel until the plane went wheels up. So Kaylee and I waiting in the airport until everyone was gone....basically they left and locked the doors behind them....we could still get out so we just waiting alone in the airport until the guys knocked on the door to let us know they were ready to go....it was pretty funny...

We had a hard time going to bed that night...after a whole day of eating fried foods our stomachs were angry at us.....so we stayed up for a while sort of in denial that our flight left Tupelo at 6:40 in the morning.

So early up we were and we headed to the airport. Like I said before Tupelo is a very small airport so when we got there we were welcomed by the same security guards that were there the night before. They all laughed at us because we had stayed there later than they had and there we were bright and early in the morning....it was pretty funny...we just make friends wherever we go!!

The rest of the trip was uneventful....we flew from Tupelo to Memphis...Memphis to Minneapolis...and Minneapolis to Salt Lake (because that's the logical route to Salt Lake of course).....

That wrapped up the trip....I realize a lot has happened in BYU football since then but it was an excellent way to start the season....

Oh Summertime.....

So this has been a bit of an interesting summer.....at the beginning of the summer I decided that I would try things that I've never tried before. Mostly my decision was based on the fact that I needed to be more social so I decided I would just do the things that people around me were doing or take the step to invite people to do what I was doing. Much to the delight of my roommates, I have made great strides in my social self. So here's a quick recap of summer events.

After March Madness was over I had to find something to do with myself....so I turned to the NBA finals. And continued to watch basketball...but I watched with other people...that counts as being social, right??

In June we had a ward social at our bishop's barn. It's not really a barn in the raising animal sense but definitely a barn in a big red building shaped like a typical barn way. His property includes the barn, a house (not their full-time house just a mountain home), volleyball, basketball, and tennis courts, a pond, and a giant hill. What more do you need for a great ward activity? So I mentioned the giant hill....yeah it's great for a giant slip 'n slide. Now I am a pretty worst-case-scenario so when I see people going down a giant hill at high speeds I think of broken bones and hospital visits....no wonder I had never tried one before....but before I went I decided I would just have to do it. So I stood at the top awkwardly...waiting for the moment and then...I went....and then I went again and again and again. It was a pretty good things that I decided to do. No injuries but lots of fun and adventure. There was also a zipline into the pond...I didn't try that...I'll have to wait until next time!

Another adventure came in the form of frisbee...my roommates are obsessed with playing ultimate frisbee. This game is a little foreign to me. You see frisbee is not really popular in New Mexico. Apparently in Utah, California, and Arizona is it very popular. My roommates usually play twice a week and I decline to come...we had a good little pattern going until we played frisbee for FHE...and then I had to join the madness. So I played and it was fun...and my roommates have been trying to get me to play ever since but I'm not sure I'm good enough to play with their legit friends so I'll have to improve so I can play more. They also keep talking about this game called gatorball.....but everytime I go to play it doesn't work out....maybe it's just not meant to be.

So those are the major moments....well they may not seem major to anyone else but they were to me...just doing things outside of my comfort zone with people who are outside of my comfort zone. It was all pretty good for me as it turns out. Hopefully there will be more advances to come!!!

The Jimmer Experience....

Those of you who know me best....okay those who know me at all....know that I love BYU sports. My obsession began during the 2001 football season and has only grown since then. My obsession has definitely shifted during the years (from love of cute boys to a love of the actual sports) but one thing has remained the same....the respect I have for BYU athletes. These are college athletes who are asked to live a higher standard. They are asked to live an Honor Code that most find ridiculous and most of them do it well. Many of the men served two-year missions where they became out of shape and out of practice and then came back and have to fight twice as hard to get back into shape. I have seen a lot of athlete's give interviews and there is just something different about a BYU athlete. It is clear that to most of these athletes it is important to be good people than to be good athletes. One good, very national, example of one of these athletes is Jimmer Fredette.

Over the past two years I have had lots of chances to see Jimmer play. I have also watched dozens of interviews he has given to local and national media. Each time I am impressed by his calm, confident demeanor.

Jimmer is the best player I have ever seen play live. I now watch basketball games expecting someone to pull up and shoot a three when his defender gives him the slightest room. That doesn't happen....that is a Jimmer thing. I remember talking to my family after the first time they watched Jimmer play live....they were quite amazed. It's something to watch highlights....you think they just show the good stuff...there are so many more great plays they just can't show. I think part of the magic that makes Jimmer who he is is the support of the fans....the undying love for Jimmer. Obviously there have been signs made, chants created, and videos produced about him but there is a quiet respect that people have for him. Almost as quiet as the respect he has for others.....

I have heard multiple accounts of Jimmer in good times (after a big win) and in bad times (after a big loss) and each report comes back telling me of a respectful and kind individual. My grandma wanted to see Jimmer play. After the game she had the chance to meet him...and boy did he make an impression. Jimmer is a look you in the eye kind of person...that's something you don't see everyday...especially from a player who was just celebrated as one of the best players in BYU history. His interviews are always professional and calm. He says what he means to say. He loves basketball but he realizes what is really important.

Mostly there will be the memories.....I can say I was there when Jimmer scored 45 against TCU....I was there when you had to wait 4 hours outside the arena to get seats in the lower bowl of the student section (and that was just the waiting outside...there was another 2 hour wait inside)....I was there when Jimmer made shots from way way beyond the arc....I was there when Jimmer scored 52 against UNM when he broke Danny Ainge's scoring record and then made his way to Dariese Gary, UNM's injured point guard, with cameras all around him to wish Dariese the best. I was there.....my parents have Danny Ainge's shot against Notre Dame....I have Jimmer's half court shot against Utah.

Someone will probably come in and break the records....someone will come in and dazzle the crowd and excite the nation with their play....that someone will be another generation's Jimmer. For now I remember The Jimmer Experience......

Korean Exchange...

About a month ago my dad got an e-mail from one of his mission companions who is currently a mission president in Korea. He asked my dad about a woman who thought my dad had baptized her while he was on his mission in Korea and she wanted to get in contact with him. My dad okay'd the release of information and soon heard from Sister Koo. He didn't recognize the name at first but after some more information he started to remember. After more information my parents found out that her husband was a general authority so they were coming to Salt Lake for general conference. Sister Koo wanted to see my dad and so my parents came to Salt Lake for conference. (Now this has a double bonus for me because it means homemade cinnamon rolls for me....not that everything is about me...) Before they came up my parents went through the cedar chest in our house and dad got a good reminiscing moment with all of his mission things. One of the most treasured things he found was a Bible he had everyone that was baptized while he was a missionary sign. He looked and found Sister Koo's name and then was sure that he had in fact baptized her.

Friday afternoon was the day appointed to meet with Sister Koo. I picked up my parents at my sister's house in Farmington and we headed to the Marriott Hotel in downtown SLC. There have been very few times where I have seen my dad get this nervous/anxious/excited. It was pretty cool. When my mom saw her in the lobby I felt such a surge of joy. When she saw my dad both of their faces lit up. My dad doesn't look much like he did when he served a mission so I think she had a hard time recognizing him at first. In the e-mails she talked about the sparkle my dad had in his eye and once she saw that I think she knew.



It was an amazing experience to see my dad relive part of his mission. Being the youngest, I didn't hear much about his mission. It was so far away from the time I was born. I had looked in the cedar chest a few times and seen the things in there and sometimes he would tell stories about how he only had to knock on 7 doors his whole mission and he got in every single one. He never said much about the people who had come to the church because he taught them. In that moment I felt so proud of my dad and his decision to serve a mission. After Sister Koo was baptized the rest of her family was baptized (her brother was a member before she was). She then helped fellowship her future husband's family into the church. Elder Choi (her husband) is a member of the area 70 in North Asia.

On Sunday we were able to go to a fireside that the Korean ward in Provo had for all of the Korean General Authorities. I didn't understand much of it seeing as it was in Korean and sometimes the translation wasn't the best but the Spirit was amazing. Sister Koo pointed out my dad (it was a bit of a delay because of the translation....kind of a funny moment) and you could see those missionary feelings come back into his heart.

I am so grateful I was able to experience this with my parents. My dad talked about how as a missionary he didn't have the ability to really keep up with the people he taught. It's not like today where everyone has facebook and can contact you. Sister Koo looked for "her missionary" for 40 years. The timing of her finding him couldn't have been better. Everyone likes to know they've done something to help someone else. Truly a once in a lifetime experience!!!

The Not so Crazy Life.....

So the title of my blog has become a bit misleading in recent months. I find myself with more lazy days than crazy days. When I graduated last April I gave myself a year to figure out what I wanted to do with my life....that year is about up. In two weeks I'm supposed to have my life figured out....not likely to happen. I applied to grad school and so far have been rejected by all but one....not a pleasant feeling. So while I wait for the final word from Utah State I spend my time working and hanging out with people and hanging out a lot by myself.

This sounds so depressing....I'm really not depressed about life...more just sick of waiting for answers that I have no control over....so to put some spunk back in I should go into what I have been doing over the past few months since blogging has not been one of those things.

In February the whole family headed home to watch the musical Wicked....I was a bit concerned that because of all the hype it would not be as good as I anticipated....luckily it was that and more. I suppose I shouldn't have been too surprised that I like it given my love for all things musical and cheesy. It was fun to be with the whole family....a bit overwhelming but fun nonetheless. We did the normal family things while we were home....taking family pictures, eating at all of the ABQ hotspots (ok just our family hotspots), watching sports with the guys (explaining sports to my mom), and other moment of general merry-making. Our family is basically chaos when we are all together. I don't know how families with more kids handle all of the noise and activity....

In March we took our annual MWC tourney trip to Vegas. I've decided that March Madness is the best invention ever....okay not ever but it's a very good use for the month of March. So basically this is how this trip goes....wake up, eat, watch basketball live, watch basketball on TV/nap, eat, watch basketball live, sleep and repeat...can you say best trip ever?? This trip was a bit of a different one because it is the last year BYU will be in the MWC. I made sure to savor all of the fans from the different schools. Each has it's own unique personality and fan base. It was a little sad to think this is the last time we would play some of those teams but once they started booing our team I became less sad. This was also the year of the Jimmer. I will not go into too much detail about the Jimmer now but will instead save that for a later post which I have committed myself to write. Pretty much he is amazing. Watching him score 52 points against UNM and break Danny Ainge's record is something I will not soon forget. The rest of March was filled with watching more basketball. BYU made it to the sweet 16 and was just a point away from reaching the elite 8....what a great time to be a Cougar fan!!!

The month of April is pretty much a post in itself so I will have to save that for another time...one thing I did this semester that I thought I would never do is play on an intramural basketball team....thanks to my cousin Kaylee I had the chance to put my sharp basketball skills into play (ha....sharp....). It was one of the funnest things I have done in a while and I am so glad I got the chance to do it....we'll see if I can sneak my way onto another team next year if I'm still living in Provo....

Well that's a good wrap-up....more posts about specifics in life coming soon!!!

2010 in Review....

So I've been trying to think of a creative way to catalog (and remember) what happened the last year of my life and bullet points were the best I could do....

• I started my last semester in college....scary....
• I finished my last semester in college....
• I GRADUATED FROM BYU!!!! (woot woot)
• I spent extra time with my sister and her kids....what a blessing....
  
• My best friend and longtime roommate Laurel got married...
• I moved out of the Villa for the last time.....for real....I'm not moving back....
• I got released from the most rewarding calling ever (Relief Society President)....I have missed those girls like crazy since then
• I moved to a new apartment complex....Alta Apartments....
• I had some crazy summer adventures with more interesting roommates....
• We had a nice flood in our apartment....fun stuff
• New roommates came and the others left.....I love the girls I live with!!!
  
• I got to go to Disneyland and Tallahassee, FL in the same week!!!
• I turned 23....the best part is I keep forgetting how old I am....
• I got to go home before my birthday so I got to spend time with my parents (not to mention the ABC cake)
• I turned in my first grad school application...
  
• I took a trip to Arkansas to visit the lovely Laurel and her husband Nate....
• I went home for the New Mexico Bowl....gotta love a BYU bowl game where I can sleep in my own bed...my house bed not my apartment bed.....
  

Whew.....it was a whirlwind of a year.....it doesn't seem that exciting to the outsider but to me it was yet another crazy here....2011 will bring a lot of changes....grad school, job, bum...whatever comes my way I'm ready....