White Trash Bash

A few weeks ago, we had two dear friends part from us. Don't worry, they didn't die or anything crazy like that. No, they just moved to the midwest. Halie is now in Kansas City attending UMKC for her graduate degree in piano performance, while Michael Ted is in Omaha, Nebraska to pursue his law degree at Creighton. Since they are some of our dearest friends, we decided we needed to have a going-away party for them.

After some brainstorming, the concept of the White Trash Bash was born. We basically just invited people to dress up like white trash and bring their own meat to cook on a grill. The front lawn of our super-ghetto green house was the perfect place to have the party, especially because we live on the corner of a very busy intersection and we wanted to see how people would react. We got some pretty funny looks. We must have looked pretty legitimate!

So, here's to you, Halie and Michael Ted! Thanks for being such amazing friends. You are truly an inspiration to us all. Good luck in your new adventures! We can't wait to see you again.

The front of our humble abode. It was perfect.

All the girls (plus Michael Ted).

The spread.

Michael Ted and his lovely pretzel cigar.

Joel the grill master.

Shern and Jenna.

Our beloved Jessica.

Trey, Scott, Jennie, and some kid that I don't know.

Kaylee and Daren.

Joel and me with baby Joelsephine. We're so white trash it's ridiculous.

He's really good at babysitting.

The party by night.

The grand finale was the burning of Daniel Manjarrez's guitar. Don't worry, we got permission first. It was quite the spectacle, complete with a musical speech by Kaylee and Jennie honoring Halie and Michael Ted.

J Boog Concert

Hey, remember when this happened?

When I got home from my trip to the UK, I was greeted by these beautiful flowers and an envelope with my name on it. Joel, being the awesome boyfriend that he is, surprised me and bought me tickets to see J Boog in concert. There had been a number of times that J Boog had come to Utah to perform, and every time something had come up and I couldn't go. Not this time, though! On July 26th, 2013, I got to see one of my favorite artists finally perform live.

It was probably the loudest concert I've ever been to, but it was awesome. Siaosi and the Hot Rain Band opened for the man himself. They weren't too bad, but I was starting to get antsy by the time J Boog finally made it to the stage. But baby, when he did get up there, it was like the heavens opened and celestial music came pouring out.

My favorite part of the whole thing, though, was being able to experience it with my best friend Halie. Many parts of our friendship stem from our mutual love for J Boog and Hawaiian reggae music, so being there with her was the best thing ever. Joel was so thoughtful to buy both of us tickets.

So, for those of you who aren't familiar with J Boog and his good vibes, which is probably most of you, I have included a few links to some of his best stuff below. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

"Let's Do It Again"

"Waiting On the Rain"

"Police and Thieves"

"Sunshine Girl"

"Leaving With Me"

Heaven On Earth: Lake Powell

July 13th - July 20th, 2013

Thanks to the generosity of the Markham family, Joel and I were lucky enough to spend an entire week at Lake Powell. It was seriously the best week ever! We lived on a houseboat in Knowles Canyon for the entirety of our stay. Our time was spent reading, wakeboarding, tubing, fishing, jet skiing, napping, playing games, and eating great food, among many other wonderful things.

Oftentimes when you go on a trip to Lake Powell, problems arise. Whether its a broken water pump, weed-smoking hippie neighbors who shoot off fireworks at two in the morning, or a bad sunburn, you are more than willing to brave it all because IT'S LAKE-FREAKING-POWELL. You look at your surroundings and can't help but feel completely content with your situation because you know there's nowhere in the world you would rather be. Simply put, it's heaven on earth.

On our way to Bullfrog! Peace out, Brovo!

Our view every morning from the top of the houseboat.

Joel caught the same catfish twice! The first time the little bugger got away, but failed to leave the hook behind. All Joel said to that was, "Well, looks like there's a fish out there with a hook stuck in its mouth." After that Joel decided to fish off the back of the boat that was parked alongside the houseboat. It wasn't long before he got a second bite, only to find out that it was the same fish, as proven by the hook stuck in its mouth. What a greedy catfish.

He was happy to have his hook back.

This is me attempting to wakeboard. I didn't have any problem getting up; it was the staying up that was the problem. On our last run of the trip, early Saturday morning, I finally got it.

Here's a small portion of the crew! Joel, Matt, Richelle ['s thumb], Colton, Lizzie, and Abe. 

The water at Lake Powell was so warm it felt like bathwater. It made it a lot easier to jump in!

A shot of Joel wakeboarding. He's a lot better than I am!

Just one of the many beautiful views from the channel.

Panoramic view from the top of our houseboat.

Behold, the Colorado Clipper! 

Joel jumping the wake like a pro.

Watching the sun come up on our last run at Lake Powell.

The conclusion of a week-and-a-half of no shaving.

LAKE POWELL TOP FIVE:

5 - Finally getting up on a wakeboard.

4 - Stargazing.

3 - Flipping Joel off of the jet ski.

2 - Pushing Joel off the tube. Twice.

1 - Watching Joel attempt to catch fish with his bare hands. [Please see below.]

Weekend Update: May the 4th (Be With You)

Friday, May 3rd, 2013: Rooftop Concert Series - Desert Noises and The Blue Aces

If you haven't heard of the Rooftop Concert Series, allow me to paint you a picture. First, imagine a multilevel parking garage. On the very top level of parking there is a stage with a few Chinese-looking white lanterns dotting the vicinity. Then, imagine a butt load of hipsters, with a few bros thrown in here and there, surrounding that stage. Place a few relatively up-and-coming bands on the stage, have them play for a while, and you're good to go.

That, my friends, is the Rooftop Concert Series. It's one giant hipster orgy, complete with kids wearing cameras as accessories, multicolored fanny packs, and cutoff "mom jeans" that I swore went out of style in the mid-90's. Half of those kids were there, knowing it was the closest they were going to get to Coachella; the other half probably didn't even know what Coachella was (stupid posers). The whole scene was intoxicating, perhaps even a bit infuriating, but in the end I was there for the same reason they were: to hear some great music.

I won't bore you with a synopsis of the concert. All you really need to know is that it was AWESOME. Below is a video and some photos that I snagged of the concert. If by any chance you see a photo that was your own work, I apologize in advance. I may or may not have stolen a few of these off Instagram.

Saturday, May 4th, 2013: Road trip to St. George

After taking the morning to recover from the concert, Shawn, Jenna, Joel, and I hopped in my car and drove to St. George. The occasion? The long-awaited wedding of one of my very best friends, Colton "Wayne" Simmons Campbell.

The reception was held at the Sand Hollow Golf Course clubhouse. It was BEAUTIFUL. The scenic southern Utah landscape laid out before us in an array of earthy colors, reminding me of all the reasons why St. George is one of my favorite places in the world.

The Life of a 21-Year-Old BYU Alumnus

It goes without saying that these past three weeks have been crazy.

In the last three weeks I have studied for and taken finals, packed up my apartment and moved into a house, driven to St. George for the wedding of one of my best friends, and, most importantly, graduated from BYU.

Well, I didn't fully graduate. I walked, but come the end of June I will be completely done. Fully graduated. BYU alumnus.

Holy crap, BYU alumnus?! Only old people have that title! I'm 21, for goodness sakes!

Graduation was a pretty bittersweet experience for me. I realize that graduating from an institution such as BYU is a pretty awesome accomplishment, but at the same time I still feel like there's so much more to do, so much more to learn. The bottom line is this: I'M NOT READY TO BE DONE YET.

This leads me to the main questions that have been stuck in my mind ever since I realized my time left here is short: Did I take advantage of my education? Did I utilize my resources to their greatest potential? I'm not talking about grades; heaven knows I didn't get the most stellar marks in my classes. What I'm talking about is educational opportunities available to me outside of the classroom. Mark Twain once said, "I have never let my schooling interfere with my education." Did I follow that same mantra?

While there are a few resources I could have better utilized to enhance my education, I feel confident in saying I took advantage of what I had. I participated in clubs and organizations, I traveled, and I made many friends and learned many lessons along the way. I became more aware of who I am, but more importantly, I gained a greater understanding of who I want to become.

If anything, my experiences at BYU have taken my love of learning and turned it into a passion. I no longer see education as being a piece of paper that says I have aptitude in a particular field; it's much more than that. I now perceive the empowering nature and eternal value of education. I have witnessed the ability that education has to change peoples' lives all over the world in the same manner that I myself have been affected and improved by the knowledge of others. Learning truth is a divine principle that all benefit from, and education is the means by which that truth can be revealed.

So, here's to becoming a lifelong learner, dedicated to improving myself and helping those around me achieve their dreams. It is time to do better. It is time to BE better.

I think Gandhi said it best: "Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever."

And live forever, I shall.

Jennie, Halie, and me. The World is Our Campus.

Peace out, Zoobs!

You bet I rode that cougar.

From left to right: Halie, Shawn, Jennie, Michael Ted, me, and Daren.

Jennie, me, and Halie. I'm so happy to have been able to graduate with these lovely ladies.

Just me and my beautiful, hilarious mother.

Had to get one with my dad.