Season's Come and Go

Gary!  Gary! Gary! Gary! Gary!
Courtesy of trackemtigers.com

Football season is coming to a close and my Aggies did not disappoint. Ending the season 7-5 on a 5 game winning streak and with a bowl game on the way in Boise, Idaho! Definitely looking forward to where Gary will lead us in future years. It's a great time to be an Aggie!

STEW!!!!!
Courtesy of thesonoragrill.com

With the end of Football season, comes the start of Basketball season, and the Aggies are in the rebuilding year which means patience on my end.  Over the past 4 years or so, Aggie Fans have been spoiled. They watched as the players were well integrated and ran the perfect Stew system. As the Aggies are now 4-4, and the season looks to be turning into a disappointment, yet I will remain strong. Stew is a hall of fame coach, and will pull things around, just wait.

Confession

Boy...School starts and life goes completely nuts!!!  It's nothing but work, work, work, school, school, study, school, work, work, work from 8 am-5 pm nearly everyday.  Not that that is a bad thing, though.  I'm not complaining, just stating that it feels really crazy busy.  When I'm not at work, I try to be with my girl.

Her....She's Pretty :)

But she works too...sad :(  So when I have nothing to do with school, study, work, or my girl, I waste my life away playing some form of a video game and sacrifice a few IQ points in the process.

But that all aside, I have a confession.

I love Aggie Football.  I love Aggie Basketball.  Pretty much just Aggie Athletics in general.  I ain't no fair-weather fan, either.  Thick or thin, rain/snow or sunshine, good or bad, I'm converted and with them all the way.  Kind of an addict, actually.  But that isn't so bad, is it?  With this new addiction, however, I have developed somewhat of a man-crush on Robert Turbin, who I affectionately call, "The Turbin Train."  All Aboard!  WOOT WOOT!!!  I mean, the guy is an absolute stud!  Oh, and his arms are bigger than my thighs.  That is pretty much merit for awesomeness by itself.

See?  Awesomeness.  (Courtesy of ksl.com)

Let's not forget the Wagner Wagon...
(Courtesy of USU)

...or Chuckie
(Courtesy of ksl.com)

           I LOVE me some Sagebrush!  GO AGGIES!!!  

Bucket List

I know, I know... I'm too young to have a bucket list.  Well the way I figure, it's never to early to start making goals.

This last week, I went with my roommate to a Demolition Derby here in Logan.  I had never been to one before.  I thought it was really really cool!  It was quite anti-climactic, however, because the best drivers weren't the winners.  It ended because both of the last two cars died, but one died before the other.  Kinda lame, I know.  It's like being told you are getting a dog for Christmas only to open the box and find a chihuahua.  Disappointing.

But it got me thinking.  I don't know a lot about cars, but I would like to learn about cars.  I would even like working on a car.  It gave me an ingenious idea for my Bucket List.

Get this: Build and Drive a Car in a Demolition Derby!  

How cool is that??!!?  I get to figure out a lot about cars and work on them, then I get to play bumper cars with real cars!!!  Sounds like a triple win to me! :)

Panic Button

Do you ever have those days where you feel like a car, and someone keeps hitting the panic button on the car remote?  I've had a few days where I have felt like that over the past few weeks.  Summer is drawing to a close and there is just so much time and so little to do!!  Scratch that, reverse it.

School starts in less than two weeks.  I am not really looking forward to it.  I mean, who honestly looks forward to the coming of the bane of their existence?  It's like being tied to a wall and having one of those hatchet throwing guys telling you not to flinch as he throws the hatchet, because he is about 85% certain he won't hit you.  You know it's coming, and you may have confidence in the guy.  Heck, you may not even flinch, but it doesn't mean that you are looking forward to it.  At this point, the hatchet is flying recklessly through the air towards me...

See?  Calm and Peaceful

Yet, still I find ways to keep myself distracted.  I have a lot I still wish to do with what remains of summer.  Most of it involves being outside enjoying the weather and nature. Fishing (I seem to be on that kind of buzz recently) is always a pleasant option.  I rather enjoy the calm that surrounds the activity.  It almost always involves a trip to my "Nothing" box and is quite therapeutic, especially with hatchets flying at you, metaphorically speaking.


So here are my Top 5 to finish out the summer:

1. Hiking Tony Grove
2. Backpacking in the Uintahs
3. Demolition Derby
4. Swimming (Porcupine Reservoir)
5. Floatin' the Flume

Now if only there were an EASY button to get everything I need for school...

"Good Things Come to Those Who Bait"? Right...and Pigs Fly

Anyone who knows me knows that I love the outdoors.  I love hiking and camping, and I especially love doing these activities in places near lakes/rivers because I also love fishing.  Like, a lot.  Fishing is a great activity to accompany my Nothing Box, which is my favorite box. :)

I've always been the kind of person to use more lures or flies than bait when fishing.  Using bait in my mind is just sitting here and waiting for the time to pass until the fish decides it is hungry.  If you use a spinner lure or a fly, you are tempting him with something he feel like he need to attack.  There is a lot more thrill to it.  Bait fishing in my eyes is the lazy way.  Oh...how I ate my own words.

I went fishing last week with a buddy of mine, Thomas by name.  It was super early on a Friday morning and we had been a few times before but with minimal success.  Patience was wearing thin, so that trip I decided to succumb to the idea of bait fishing.  I don't think it was meant to be my day.  We went to Porcupine Reservoir. We tried fishing off the bottom with worms tipped with a marshmallow so it floated.  We were told that it was a good method.

I don't know what we were doing wrong, but 2 hours, 5 worms, 3 lost hooks, and 0 fish later (this was just me, by the way), frustrations had maxed out.  We decided to change location and went to this small dam located up Blacksmith Fork Canyon.  For another 30 minutes at this new place we tried worms floating them from the top this time instead of the bottom.  Still, our luck did not change.

Finally, in frustration, I switched my line to have a good ol' Silver Jake's Spin-a-lure.  Mind you, we had been fishing for 2 and 1/2 hours with no luck, using bait.  4th cast, I catch an 11 inch Brown trout.  No joke.  Over the next 20 min, I catch 4 more.  My buddy Thomas traded to one as well, and caught one on his first cast.  "Good Things Come to Those Who Bait" my eye.  I'm stickin' to my method of jigs and lures.  ♫ Come on and get on my hook, fishy. Come on and get on my hook, fish fish! ♪

Sandy Eggo? I'm makin' Waffles!

Last week, my family took a week long vacation to San Deigo. Rather than bore with tiny details, main points will be observed.

Saturday: Las Vegas. It was HOT!!! Go figure...it's in the middle of the desert. We caught some of the Circus Acts in Circus Circus, went the M&M World and paid an arm and half a leg for bulk M&Ms, encountered some Born Again Christians, watched the Belagio Fountains and Mirage Volcano.

Sunday: Drove to San Diego. Was threatened to be put in Timeout by my nephew, arrived in San Diego and watch the Sunset over the ocean from some cliffs. Super tender and kinda lonely...

Monday: Zoo. Not quite sure what all the hype is about the San Diego Zoo. Sure they got Pandas...but they don't do any Kung Foo! Talk about a disappointment... Just kidding, but seriously.

Tuesday: Beach. Need I say more? (Downside: Really bad sunburn on my back. Not recommended)

They felt like burying us

Wednesday: Sea World. Sea Creatures are cool. Shamu = Huge! Dolphin show = Disappointment. Where are the Dolphins? I came to see dolphins not men in tights and bird costumes... weird people, weird.

Thursday: USS Midway. Old Town. Mormon Battalion Museum. Very cool tour. Found some gold, but blast...It was only gold for fools! San Diego Temple followed by the beach with seals. Seals out of water are funny.

Friday: Beach again and San Diego Padres game. Bratwurst = Delicious...but probably not worth the $6.75 I paid for it.

Saturday: Back to Vegas. Nice Condo, sweet pool, greasy pizza. :)

Sunday we came home. Thus ended the vacation. It was full of family, fun, games, and plenty of laughter!

Oh Babylon, Oh Babylon!

To start out, there will be no more talk or obsession with Aggie Basketball...at least for the next few months.

This morning I was privileged to have a visit from a wonderful person named Ernesto.  He came to my apartment to drop off some reading material to someone that was no longer living in that residence.  The person he was looking for was no longer there, but he took the opportunity to talk to me.  You see, he was a witness of Jehovah and had very important things to share with me.  This is how it all went down...

I was just getting ready to have some breakfast around 10:00 and the doorbell rang.  I thought it may have been the managers so I went to answer it.  I was still in pajamas, I hadn't yet showered or eaten, and I am still quite certain I hadn't cleaned all the sleepers out of my eyes yet.  I answered the door and there was Ernesto, an immigrant from Mexico who was clean cut, with a rather neat looking mustache and looking sharp in his slacks, shirt and tie, and vest. 

As I stated above, he had some reading material he was looking to deliver to someone he had talked to in that apartment some time ago.  My thoughts were that it must have been a Long, LONG time ago because the people who were there before would not have asked for some of that reading material.  Ernesto seemed to be a few months behind schedule.  Nonetheless, like a good missionary he took the moment to begin to preach to me.

I was kind and respectful as he valiantly began efforts to bring about the salvation of my soul.  He talked of Jehovah and how his people are saved.  How no one else will be saved and how only 144,000 (a.k.a. "Jehovah's People") would inherit the kingdom of Heaven.  Much of what he had to say was quite exciting and interesting.  There was much nodding in agreement, followed by some raised eyebrows.

As he talked and showed me scriptures from his "Bible", I was caught up in reflection of my time as a Missionary on the Lord's errand.  Two years, spent far from home, family and friends, in a foreign land, learning a foreign language, preaching the Good News.  I considered the differences between My mission and Ernesto's Mission.  I asked to come in and sit down for a short while to leave with them our short message, while he preferred to stand in my doorway...for 40 minutes...and talk about Jehovah.

I asked him what I needed to do to become part of "Jehovah's People".  His response: "Repent and Be Baptized."  "Well great," I said.  "I repent every day and I've already been baptized!"  Logically, I thought I was already qualified to be part of "Jehovah's People."  Apparently not.  He said Mormon Baptism doesn't count.  I smiled, shook my head and asked myself, "How could I have forgotten about that?"  He told me the first great commandment to love the Lord God with all thy heart, and then the second to love my neighbor as myself.  I asked him who is our neighbor and he said that it was all the other religions out there.  "But some people don't have religion," I said.  He shrugged it off.

The kicker...He began to say that I was like the Pharisees. (Whoa now...)  He said that The Devil is my Father.  (That wasn't so kind...)  He said that all other religions are part of the Great Babylon. (Ouch...)    He brought out a little plastic pouch that had anti-mormon things in it. (And the blood starts boiling...) Pulled out a paper that had Book of Mormon references on it and how they were wrong supported by scriptures in the bible.  (Keep in mind that the References from the Book of Mormon had been taken completely out of context and hence, were invalid.  I don't believe that he considered I might know that.)

The more it dragged on, the more he tried to pull me into a bible war it seemed.  He was so concentrated on converting me with his words and his Bible that he forgot one thing...What I know, I know for myself.  It burns deep within me, and carries through every fiber of my being.  Lucky for me, I kept my cool.  I was kind, polite and asked him to leave so I could get showered and go to work (which now I was about half an hour late for).  He was a good man, who had concern for the salvation of my soul.  I wish him the best of luck.

But Ernesto, if you want to be more effective, don't begin the conversation by bashing on one's religion.  Don't tell me that  The Devil is my father and I am part of Great Babylon.  If you really want to talk about religion with me, don't start by bashing on my beliefs. As you told me "Love thy neighbor as thy self." Just sayin... 

Oh...and don't just stand in my doorway.  Come in and sit down...My knee was starting to hurt...

Good thing he thinks my name is Brad...  HAHAHA!!!

(This was a long one, I know.  Sorry!)

Let the Countdown Begin

Yeah...It really is a BIG deal! :)