It was a monster mash...

Thanks for the warning. I wouldn't want to run into them and have their frail, dead body parts on my car. Man, this takes me back to watching Night of the Living Dead. Remember that movie? I think it still gives me nightmares:) I'm trying to put myself into the frame of mind, driving to work say 5 o'clock in the morning and seeing this. First of all, NO ONE should be awake that early in the morning (I know, my alarm was set to 5 Saturday last week). So, if I were driving with "sleepers" still in my eyes and saw this, that would be something else. Because indeed, if you are driving that early in the morning you are nothing BUT a zombie.

If you are driving along and you see this sign, turn away immediately! For a related story, and somewhat funnier, check this out. God save the Queen!

Feel the burn

My dad's birthday was this past week. His present from my mom: a weekend getaway in Sun Valley (not to be confused with the Valley of the Sun in Arizona where I served my mission). It was going to be a time away from the hustle and bustle of life, and a day of skiing. My dad however does not like to ski alone, he likes to ski with his family. But this was part of the surprise. He begged each of his children to come up and ski with him, but we all came up with excuses that we could not make the trip and that he would just have to ski alone this time.

My sneaky mom though, she coordinated all of us to come up and surprise him on Saturday and go skiing with him. The look on his face when he saw all of us was priceless (the Master Card commercials come to mind). Anywho, after the day skiing I was spent. As I write this right now, my calves are still major sore. My legs felt like they had been struck by lightning--twice!

After we were through skiing, there were some interesting moments in the condo. Here are a few examples: it was explained to my mom what "spooning" is, and even after my brother and his wife demonstrated she still didn't get it. Actual spoons were needed for my mom to grasp the concept. And uh, my mom told us of an experience at a party where she misread the word "organism" out loud in the phrase "the world's biggest 'organism'". I won't write the word she said instead, but I am sure if you think about, you can figure it out;)

The trip was worth it though, my dad had a great birthday.

I'm back baby...

Last night I went and saw Jerry Seinfeld in living color do his stand-up routine. Completely and utterly amazing! This guy is hands down the king of comedy. I have been a Seinfeld fan for just about as long as I can remember. Three years ago he was in town and my brother and I went and saw him then also.

You know the phrase, "side splitting funny?" Yeah, that is what was going on for me last night. I was laughing so hard it seriously hurt. Had I been crying any more, you would have thought the faucet was on. I know, that's not funny, but that is how good he had me going:) I can't even write the jokes he told because that wouldn't do it any justice. He said there is talk of a Seinfeld reunion episode, after all four of their careers are completely ruined--which they are slowly working on. His opening act guy was pretty funny too. Seriously, if Jerry is coming to town, I recommend that you see him. His tickets aren't the cheapest in town, but they are worth every penny.

Jack is Back

As you may have seen if you have read the little blurb in my profile, 24 is one of my favorite shows. After about 2 years with no new episodes (thanks writer's strike) last night brought the first two hours of a two-day, four hour premiere of the new season (next two hours are tonight). My family and I gathered round the tube to watch the thrilling start to day 7 of Jack's adventures.

I don't want to give anything away if you haven't watched yet, or are planning to watch. Let's just say that that last night's episodes were true to past form with twists, turns and surprises. I am excited to see just how Jack will save the world with his 9mm pistol.

And now we know the rest of the story...

Well, it all came to a head last night: The FedEx BCS College Football National Championship. This was no David vs. Goliath game, these were two Goliaths duking it out on the field. With each school having played over 1,000 games each all-time, the University of Florida and the Univserity of Oklahoma had never before, surprisingly, met on the gridiron.

Oklahoma was seeking its 8th national championship, while Florida was seeking its 3rd (second in three years). Oklahoma's highest scoring offense in college football history was going against a top 3 defense. While Florida's explosive offense, and Tebow, was up against a relatively weak defense. The game was billed as a high-scoring affair--but that did not happen.

Surprisingly, this game was defensive (24-14 final). Each Heisman winning quarterback tossed two interceptions. There were red zone stands and points were left on the field. In the end, Florida's Superman (Tim Tebow) willed his team to win, as he has done many times before. Arguably college football's greatest leader today wanted his team to win more than Oklahoma themselves wanted to win. Florida's Goliath came out on top!

Following up with my previous post about my Boise State Broncos, sadness comes over me now as college football's season concludes. Attention now turns to college basketball and March Madness will soon be upon us. Congratulations Gators!

Ah, learning

Here we are, a new year. 2008 is behind us, and 2009 all in the front. With a new year comes excitement, intrigue, mystery, passion, anticipation, etc. of all the things life has to offer. I heard an interesting comment the other day. It went something like, "stop trying to have a perfect past." Indeed the past is behind us. No matter how hard we try, no matter how desperately we wish to change certain things, we cannot.

The only things we can control are the things we can control. Think about it. We cannot change what we, or others, have done in the past. We cannot control the mistakes we have made. We can, however, remember and apply what we learned from those mistakes. That is not to say mistakes won't be made again, but if we aren't learning and growing each time--that is where the true failure lies.

It is not that we have fallen, but whether or not we get up--and how we respond. We will fall, we will fail, but what will we learn? That is the question, and that is where true progression, greatness, and even happiness stand waiting. Let's take what we have learned in 2008 and apply that in 2009.

Happy New Year everyone!