It's gotta be the shoes. A.K.A. Sneaker stories. A.K.A. Dad for the win!

The inspiration of this post came to me after having a dad moment. As a father it is easy to upset one of your kids; you do something that isn't cool in their mind, you say something silly, you exist. On the other hand, and I love when this happens, I actually hit a home run for one of my kids. It's a joy when I can help provide experiences they really treasure. It's not always easy, sometimes it costs money, and sometimes it seems like you'll need to mortgage the house to hit the mark, but it's worth it. My parents have done so much for me in non-tangeable ways in their love and support. Financially, it was a challenge keeping us kids dressed let alone provide for extra needs. Being a parent now, sometimes it really takes pulling a rabbit out of your hat to make things happen for your kids. You can't explain how it happens, but it does. These shoes and the stories behind them I share to my kids in gratitude for my own parents for magically keeping the feet covered on an aspiring little basketball player.

The 1989 Nike Air Cross Trainer 3 Low were perhaps the first pair of shoes that I begged my parents for. This was a couple of years before the David Robinson sneakers that I've written about. These sneakers came at the dawn of a shoe craze ushered in by the likes of Michael Jordan, Bo Jackson and a host of other professional athletes. I must have seen someone wearing a pair just like this on television or at school, because when we visited the shoe store I knew exactly what I was looking to see. Back then these shoes would cost about $40 which was a lot of money for a 10-year-old kid in my family. I don't remember if I had to beg relentlessly for them, but I was sure a happy kid once I put them on. I remember telling my mom that it truly felt that I was walking on clouds. I loved the soft embossed Nike logo on the tongue. The neon pink color was so visible that you could see how cool my shoes were from across the playground, and I was most excited about the 'Air' embroidered just below the Nike logo on the back of the shoe. These shoes were legit. I must have been wearing these the day I defeated Chase Stevenson in the 5th grade 1-on-1 basketball tournament at Sarah Jane Adams Elementary. In those days I had church shoes and play shoes and that was it. These were for play and I remember loving them so much... Until I began to hate them so much.

This picture was taken during my 7th grade year of Jr. High. I had made the basketball team and perhaps the first order of business to address in the quality of my playing was the quality of my shoes. Once the tread wore down on them they were more like ice skates on a basketball court than anything. The shoes were never meant for basketball to begin with and because money was tight at our house, we came up with a number of terrible ideas to improve the grip of my souls. Have you ever tried to wear tape on the bottom of your shoes to keep them from slipping while playing basketball? Thankfully, I haven't because I was smart enough to try out that Micky Mouse method at home first. It's a dumb idea. Making the basketball team was a dream and therefore I was desperate for new shoes; shoes just for playing basketball. I would take these new pair to my games in a plastic back as to not get them wet or worn down on the concrete. Another $50 dollars later, I had a white pair of Nike Flights with black and blue trim.

These were never favorite shoes of mine, I don't think they had the official air pocket in the heel, but they did what they needed to do. For some reason I always felt guilty having these. They weren't 'play' shoes or church shoes, but my first pair of dedicated basketball shoes. Surely the only thing I was guilty of was growing up. Growing kids have growing feet, thus, the shoes were retired not long after for a larger shoe.

The black Adidas Phantom high top shoe was the shoe I remember next for playing basketball. I was weird to go from white shoes to looking down at my feet and seeing these black beauties. 

If black wasn't weird, than how about looking down and seeing burgundy shoes? I didn't seek these out, they literally landed in my lap. The shoe style was one that I really liked since it was one that some of the good varsity players wore that I looked up to. My dad actually came home one day and surprised me with a Nike shoe box. I opened it to see the strangest color shoes that I'd ever seen. Who wears burgundy shoes? Through one of his connections through work he'd found out about a rejected team set of basketball shoes. I guess the color of burgundy was the wrong color. The result was getting a hold of a pair that was just my size. I loved these shoes mostly because my dad got them for me, and not so much for the added attention I'd get when I'd wear them. Some kids would say they were 'Blood' gang related since at the time gang activity in Layton was on the rise.

These would be the shoes I'd wear as I ended my playing days at the Jr. Varsity level. I was both sad and happy to be cut in the 9th grade. I was interested in maintaining basketball team status, but truthfully I didn't fit in with most on the team and didn't play much. My parents weren't able to attend all of my games at the time, and I was secretly happy they weren't there for those games I sat the bench the whole time. Fortunately there was a strong city basketball program growing up and I could play alongside some other pretty good players in the Jr. Jazz program.

Once I got into High School I thought to try out once again for the basketball team. I was pleased to make the first cut or two, but wasn't truly surprised or saddened by not making the final list. I was however thrilled to finally have a pair of Reebok pump shoes. These were the pair inspired by Dee Brown's winning performance at the NBA dunk contest. My pair wasn't the exact version shown here, but a cooler and sleeker black suede version. I loved those shoes. Never did I think I'd get my mom to pay $90 for them. The grand total must have been around $100 since we got the suede protectant spray the Foot Locker shoe sales man convinced us to buy as we stood below the autograph covered basketball backboard that used to hang above every Foot Locker register. When retiring these shoes after a couple of seasons, I cut open the tongue of the shoe and carefully removed the pump mechanism to use with my next pair of sneakers. I still love the idea of the pump for shoes, but some gimmicks fade quickly. No quicker than the balancing gel in my next pair of shoes.

These pair of Converse reacts had some neon yellow gel in the heel of the shoe. The purpose being that as weight was applied to one side of the gel compartment, the liquid would flow to the opposite side of the shoe and therefore create added support. I can't say that I ever felt any added support, but the main memories I have in these shoes are as follows:

1. I remember playing on Tuesday nights with the men in our stake. It was basically open court at 9pm and the men didn't mind that I'd come to play. There were inactive guys, men on the high council, bishopric members, and a couple of us kids. It seems that in every instance I was graced by the presence of a gym rat, a spiritual mentor, or someone named Dennis. And in a few special occasions, John Stockton, lookalike Bill Dutton would come play. He didn't play nearly as well as John Stockton, but he looked like him so much in those days. I ran into him a couple years ago and the likeness had seemed to wear with his grey hair color and different style, but he was still the same old Bill with a nice friendly southern drawl that made you feel appreciated when he spoke.
2. I remember wearing these shoes when I went on one of my first dates to SLC. I was super nervous to make the drive by myself, but I had to take the chance since Ariane Nelson agreed to go with me to see the U2 laser show at the Hansen planetarium. I wore these shoes, knee-length denim shorts, too much cheap cologne, and a white t-shirt covered by a red plaid shirt. Part of our date that evening was passing through the festivities taking place after the announcement granting SLC the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. We ran into my Uncle Steve and his family that night by chance, and I remember how terrible I was at introducing my date to my extended family. I'm still terrible at making introductions. Can we just make that not a thing anymore?
3. I remember wearing these shoes one weekend right after I got them to a friends house one weekend. I figured we wouldn't be running around outside so I didn't have to worry about wearing down the tread on my shoes. Sadly, we took our activity outside with some water balloons. We decided that we'd hide on the side of the road amidst some thick oak brush in 'the dip' on Antelope Dr. and throw water balloons at cars driving by. There were six of us, 3 boys (Doug Rose, Bryan Tesch, and myself) and 3 girls (Jody Poll, Heidi Pabst, and Kristen Black). I didn't think we'd actually hit any cars and that actually was the case. Right in the moment of exhausting our supply of ammunition we heard some mighty bass pumping down the road. This wasn't the kind of car you played juvenile tricks on in the first place. The boys didn't have any more balloons, but the girls had one more. They threw it. They hit it. The next thing I heard was mighty bass hitting the brakes. My running around outside then commenced in a life-saving effort to escape the wrath of whomever was driving that car. I feel lucky to have never seen the man, but we definitely heard him shouting a string of obscenities through the night air. The thick brush cut our legs as we ran, and the mud on the ground massaged its way all over my leather shoes. Bryan and I ran to safety together leaving the others ultimately with different and more exciting escape stories to tell later that night. I was so upset that my new pair of shoes got so soiled that night. Perhaps that helped me stay out of trouble whenever I'd meet up with mischief seeking friends from that point on.

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Choir Retire

Sometimes you feel impressed to do things without really knowing why. There is no real discernable reason, and there is nothing pushing you to action other than a subtle whisper from the Holy Ghost. That still small voice is something that I try my best not only to hear but to heed. In doing so, I’ve felt impressed to retire from my service in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir at the end of December 2016. I don’t really need to do this. My kids don’t want me to do retire. So many people have come up to me in the last two weeks and shared how much they enjoy looking for me on television broadcasts. I don’t want to retire and I have reasons I'd like to stay… but I’m afraid of what I’ll miss if I don’t heed this prompting. If I stay in, I can look forward to what I’ve enjoyed so much over the last 9 years in broadcasts, rehearsals, recordings, concerts, and so on. But if I stay in, I’ll never know what I’m needing to accomplish right now outside of this calling. It’s time. I keep thinking of the tenor that gets to replace me as T-068 and all of the great things they will soon get to experience. When I think about that tenor, when I think about my growing kids, and when I think about my sweet wife, it makes it easier for me to do this. I’ll not only be leaving the weekly routine of a choir member, but I’ll be leaving some of the greatest friends that I’ve ever made. I’ll be leaving the greatest music that I’ve ever made. I’m tempted to think that I’ll be less satisfied with my church involvement and in my life’s work if I stop. My faith tells me this is not the case. I’m determined to not be too sad to retire, but instead to be so grateful that this has happened to me. My faith tells me there is so much life to experience back in my home ward, within my family and community, and maintaining good relationships that I’ve built over this past decade. For this I’m so grateful. Today marked the beginning of my last 10 weeks in the choir. With that being said I decided to brainstorm 10 favorite memories from my choir experience. Enjoy:

10.) THE WINK: That one time that Mack called me out by name in the choir for not knowing the words to a memorized song in the broadcast runthrough. Since I knew the phrase I’d botched, I knew when I’d be on camera for the actual broadcast. I couldn’t help but produce a sly wink to Mack signaling to him that I’d memorized my lines well.

LINK: https://snarrblog.blogspot.com/2013/10/where-everybody-knows-your-name.html

9.) THE BIKINI ELEVATOR RIDE: I rarely take the elevator in hotels when on tour with the choir. The first time that I did, several bikini-clad gymnasts from the U of U, on their way back to their rooms from the hotel pool, decided to share the space with a bunch of us choir folks. All of the choir members got off on their respective floors as we ascended leaving me (rooming on the top floor) alone for the rest of my elevator ride with the very visibly ripped and toned gymnasts (rooming on the second to top floor).

LINK: https://snarrblog.blogspot.com/2012/06/az-motab-gymnasts-elevators-and-bikinis.html

8.) CHRISTMAS DEVOTIONAL EATS: Each December we perform an evening Christmas Devotional. Rather than travel back home from Salt Lake just to have to quickly return again, I have great memories of spending time with friends and enjoying a sacrament meeting and a meal with them. There was the one time when some friends and I lunched, went to a baby blessing, and then were invited to a Peruvian restaurant for dinner before we made it back to perform the Devotional, and more recently the time a small group and I went to enjoy a relaxing brunch at the Little America before heading back to perform in the evening.

7.) CONFERENCE SKETCHES: I discovered the best way to get the most out of general conference was to sketch while I wasn’t singing. Sharing these sketches with friends has become a fun tradition, and one that caught the attention of the Mormon Buzzz blog.

LINK:http://mormonbuzzz.com/this-choir-member-sketches-during-conference-and-the-results-are-stunning/

6.) CONCERT FAVORITES: I couldn’t believe I was actually singing with music legend James Taylor during the Tanner Gift of Music concert. Hearing him perform ‘You’ve got a Friend’ live was a real treat. The audience lit up the conference center with their cell phones in a way that I’ve never before seen. The Christmas concerts are quite famous for their production value, and the Candy Bomber concert not only had incredible candy parachutes coming from the ceiling but a touching and inspiring true story to go along with it that still brings tears to my eyes. The Sesame Street Muppets were a dream guest artist for me. I’d like to think some of my graphic art propaganda featuring muppets had something to do with its inspiration. The message during their concert was joyful, loving, encompassing and simple. It was beautiful and enjoyed by all ages.

5.) TOUR RUNNING: Running on tour (or variations of healthy exercise) has been the source of so many cool memories and great relationships. I think my highest mile total in any one day was close to 13 miles, and I figure that I put in about 60 miles across the duration of our 3 week Europe tour. It has taken dedication and some really early mornings, but I don’t regret any of it for a second. Along with the running I was introduced to Soul Cycle in New York City which is an hour long spin class that made me sweat harder than I ever had for a workout. It was awesome. There was the time in Frankfurt when I rented a bike with friends and we rode out of the city about 25 miles, had a picnic lunch, found some ice cream and rode back. I discovered that when you run past a petting zoo you just have to stop and visit the animals, and I also discovered in Amsterdam after my very first hot yoga class that some people feel comfortable stripping down to their nothings in front of strangers to change out of their yoga clothes.

4.) TAMARA: Normally when guest artists come perform with the choir, there isn’t very much interaction with the individuals in the choir. That changed for me each time my sister-in-law Tammy Mumford came to work with the choir. Not only is she absolutely beautiful, she draws people near to her with her delightful personality. I could see how envious the rest of the choir was each time she would wait for me after our rehearsals to chat. The best was when she came up into the choir loft and sat down next to me and chatted with all of us in the upper tenor section.

3.) MARATHON RECORDING: There are several people that I know in the choir that have run marathons before, but even so, it’s a tiny fraction of the overall membership of the group. I like to consider myself accomplished in that not only did I run full marathons on Saturdays and faithfully show up each time in a sore state ready to perform broadcasts on Sunday morning, but I also (along with another dear friend) run a Saturday morning marathon and booked it down to SLC afterward to catch the second half of a CD recording session. Now that my friends is a marathon week.

LINK: https://snarrblog.blogspot.com/2012/06/another-marathon-in-books.html

2.) HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRESIDENT MONSON: I participated in the birthday committee for about 5 years and the best part of this involvement is getting to wish members of the first presidency a Happy Birthday. I’ll never forget the first time we visited with President Monson. He had so much energy and he pleasantly greeted us all and shook our hands. The funniest thing he shared with us was a question that he and the brethren in the quorum of the 12 apostles were quizzing one another about. He asked us the same question: “See the child with the goat in the bottom right corner of the painting ‘Christ with the Children’ [by Harry Anderson]? Is that a little girl or a little boy?” This painting is perhaps the most famous and familiar painting for me since I’ve seen it in church ever since I was little. I’d never thought about this question and the fact that the Lord’s prophet was asking our opinion was hilarious. He thought it must be a little girl since if it was a boy he’d be throwing rocks or something at the goat.

1.) GORDON B. HINCKLEY VIEWING: President Hinckley died shortly after I started the Temple Square Chorale in preparation to becoming a member of the Tabernacle Choir. I had a desire to go to his viewing in the Conference Center, but with a busy schedule and with lines so long it didn’t seem like I was going to get much time. We were excited to hear at rehearsal that same week that we’d be ending early and going up with the active members of the full Mormon Tabernacle Choir and paying our respects in a private viewing. President Hinckley loved the choir, so it was a joy to sing to him surrounded by the choir for the very first time under the direction of Craig Jessop. My experience couldn’t have been sweeter since my older sister, who has always been an amazing example and friend, was there singing by my side. It was perhaps the sweetest memory I have in the choir and I got to enjoy it in my very first couple of weeks in the calling.

If that top 10 list wasn't enough, I thought I'd add 10 of my favorite choir themed graphic designs and 10 of my favorite often sung songs with the choir.

10.) Central States Tour Graphic and Activity Book Cover

9.) Schmoozing with the Stars Themed Birthday Gift for Ron Gunnell

8.) Guess Who Featuring Mack Wilberg and Choir Member Friends

7.) Arizona Centennial Concert Poster

6.) Women's Wardrobe 2016 Calendar, Men's Wardrobe 2015 Calendar

5.) Mack Wilberg Illustration

4.) Rexburg Sticker Graphic. Version 1 is on the left. Version 2 developed after we learned there was a shortage of buses in SLC and the ultimate solution was to use a Wendover 'Fun' Bus to carry all the choir members to our Rexburg performance. As you can see the transition from V1 to V2 was so simple I couldn't help myself even though we were instructed not to talk about the fun bus or draw attention to it.

3.) Conference Sketches. Each session of general conference I'd prepare paper, and 2-3 sharpened red pencils in order to sketch during the 6 hours of conference I would attend. I'd get about 19 sketches over the weekend. Some drawings turned out much better than others, and it is now fun to compare sketches of the same person from different years.

2.) Till We Meet At Sesame Street. This illustration is very special to me. I was so excited to perform with the Sesame Street muppets. The whole concert came and went so quickly. Our tradition is to sing to our guest artists, 'God Be With You Till We Meet Again' after the concert weekend ends. This image captures that scene and the spirit and the light we felt and created during our performance is uplifting us all in the picture.

1.) This is one of the first illustrations I put together in the choir and still one of my favorites. The juxtaposition of the choir subject within the tattoo style on some dude's back. It features Mack Wilberg, Lloyd Newell, and my friend (fellow tenor) Dale Bowman. I recently showed this picture to Lloyd Newell and he loved it.

10 of My Favorite Songs To Sing With The Choir

Called By Thy Name

Brother James Aire

Battle Hymn of the Republic

My Shepherd Will Supply My Need

The First Noel

Betelehemu

God Be With You Till We Meet Again

Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing

Cum Sanctu Spiritu

Walk On

10 Things We Have an Excuse to do on Leap Year

Realizing that tomorrow is February 29th, I began to realize the many opportunities we aren't taking advantage of on this special once-in-every-four-years day. Think about it. We have an extra day tomorrow. A whole extra day! What is going on that we don't make a bigger deal of this day? Sure, it's a day to celebrate the long awaited birthday for those poor souls who were actually born on February 29th, but why haven't the ad wizards gone berserk exploiting this day for commercial gain? Or why aren't we socially doing something about this? We should all take the day off of work and school and just enjoy our extra day. Here is a short brainstorm of ideas for to be considered on this special day:

• Do all the stuff on your chore list you have been putting off (not my favorite idea, but it may be super satisfying to get your crap done)
• Create some leap year predictions/goals. Where do you want to be and what do you want to be doing in 4 years. Revisit your list the following leap year.
• Let's be honest. People with leap year birthdays should get serious discounts on this day. Start with free meals or desserts.
• Why aren't there crazy car sales on Feb. 29th? A one day sale with a special 4-year loan option. It'd be a great way for a dealerships to end their sales month with a sales boost.
• Why are offices open on Feb. 29th. We should really all get the day off.
• Leap year family traditions should be huge. Make this the one day you eat candy all day, take a break from New Year's resolutions, or take the family to that special restaurant for breakfast.
• Make February 29th the day you choose to learn a new skill. Something you've been dying to do: take a cooking class, oil painting, dance lessons, etc...
• Take the time to make someone else's day. Pull out all the stops. Acts of kindness, service, letters, gift giving... Choose to make it anonymous if you like.
• Go shopaholic crazy, spend the night on the town, and return your purchases on March 1st.
• Choose that series that everyone has been talking about on Netflix and binge all day. Put together a food spread that would outshine any Super Bowl party. 

Whether you decide to be lazy, be social, be productive, be thoughtful, or be crazy, just make it amazingly memorable. Hopefully it's a leap forward kind of memory. 

Enjoy your extra day!

The Wonder Woman Experiment

Christmas time can be a time of hard decision making. There are those Christmas lists to satisfy and doing so while balancing busy schedules, crowded stores, budgets, and somehow remembering the true meaning of Christmas. This year was for me the first year my wife told me not to buy her any presents. She had a good case; she'd already purchased everything that she wanted for Christmas for herself. I can't fault her for doing so. It's not that I'm a terrible gift giver (at least I didn't used to think so), but it is because half of the magic of getting something new for her is having the opportunity to choose it herself and weigh options as she shops. I could have gotten her gift cards that allowed her to both receive a gift and go shopping for things, but the gift card has never been a go-to gift choice for me. I wanted to communicate my love for her in a fun and memorable way.

In all my wondering I walked into a game store one evening thinking about a fun family game I could  find. That is when I found the Wonder Woman puzzle. It was perfect. We love puzzles, and I was sincerely wondering what to get my woman for Christmas. Besides, I like to think of her as an amazing wonder woman any way. 

I brainstormed some practical gifts that I could purchase, customize and/or ornament with the 'Amazing Amazon' with a tight budget. Any big purchases outside of my Christmas budget would have me raising the funds by donating plasma. The gifts I thought of were definitely not needs, but they were more or less nice-to-have items that I figured would get some good use that included: a puzzle, protein powder, Athleta work out leggings, work out tank, winter hat, fleece blanket, and a Wonder Woman key chain. Plus, each of these items had something to do with activities that we enjoy together. I had even painted a cute little picture of a Wonder Woman with an invitation to start the new year of with dinner at a fancy restaurant in Salt Lake.

Christmas came and I was nervous in seeing her open these gifts. Previous Christmases, I'd given gifts to her that weren't necessarily on her Christmas list and still hit the ball out of the park when she removed the wrapping paper. This year's gift experiment was a completely different approach. Despite crossing my fingers, I think the Wonder Woman theme was somewhat a dud. No huge smiles, no tears of joy, no Christmas home run. It's understandable. There is only so much the woman in navy blue star-patterned britches will do for a non-fan despite the cleverness of the gift. And when I say clever, I mean it. How perfect was it that the explanation behind the color coordinated M&M's were actually presented as 'W's'? How fortuitous is that? It's taken her a little bit to get used to each gift and understand the feeling and thinking behind each one. She's a good sport. I can only imagine getting something similar, like a Popeye the sailor man themed Christmas for me. I can't think of much with this theme that gets me excited. So not every fun and creative idea is a winner in any old context. I learned that in the context of a penny-pinching Christmas, any dime available might be best appreciated being put toward something that is truly on the official wish list. While I recognize that is true, I'm still a dreamer. I love trying to come up with gifts that transcend what can be purchased at a store, or words that can be written on a card, or gift certificates that can be exchanged for goods and services. For better or for worse, I'll always remember 'the Wonder Woman' Christmas as something that taught me not only the value of thoughtful gift giving, but also the importance of being exactly on the same page with my wife on Christmas spending. Spending in general, really. 

...Seems like a 'Wonder'ful idea for a 2016 goal doesn't it?

The United States of What?

One of the things I enjoyed most of the 5th and 6th grades was learning US and world geography. It's hard to say how either has benefitted me in life since I've stayed in Utah most all my life; however, it was somehow comforting to know that I knew where Perú was when I was called to serve a church service mission there for two years. I was to live in Lima which I knew was a highly populated capital city. I am always asking my kids in grade school if they've been taught the 50 states and their capitals. The answer up to this point is no. What the heck are they learning?

So I'm asking myself, why learn capital cities anyway? What does that information serve? I've decided that it does matter in subtle ways and that along with capital cities it is important to know other large cities in a particular state. And what else about a state is important? Are the examples below a little over the top? or do they in a small way keep one informed about areas within our country. To me, the answer is somewhere in the middle; however the examples below make it easy for me to stereotype people from any given state. And then there are those maps that don't seem to make any sense at all...

You must be able to find one of these businesses on every street corner in their respective state. Or is that not the case? I didn't notice any Hooters on my last visit to Florida, maybe they're all located in Boca Raton. Next time I visit Oregon, I'll be curious to see if everyone wears Nike shoes.

This is the superhero in charge of saving your state. If I called the super hotline in Texas I should expect to talk to Wonder Woman, or at least her side kick? or maybe just leave a voicemail? Makes sense that she's there in that big old state with her lasso skills and all.

So these businesses might not be the most famous, but they're places you must consider working at in each state.

You must be a fan of this team in this state.

If food influenced the name of a state as opposed to other features/history.

You can thank each of these states for these companies. How this list corresponds with the other business maps I have no idea. Maybe it means that New Mexicans are more likely to have orange fingers from all those Cheetos they are consuming.

Another person's opinion about best teams in any given state. This person is suggesting that these teams might not be the most popular, but they are the best. The validity of such information changes daily; something that drives cartographers up the wall.

The only thing given at halloween per state. This may influence kids under the age of 8 to want to live in a particular state.

Shouldn't this just be a huge map divided up between Coke and Pepsi?

These maps are somewhat interesting. The subtle messages definitely stick in your mind as a kid. Find the state that best fits your hobbies/interests. Is that a heavenly basketball flying over the Great Salt Lake? Do I need to move to California for a career in skateboarding?

Learn to stereotype each state with each of these platters. Funeral potatoes are always linked to Utah. In the eleven years I've been in my home, we've had them once. It's not that we don't like them, we do, it's just that people really only think about them when someone dies and you typically make them for members of a grieving family rather than bake them for yourself on a regular weekday.

What would states be like if the borders were determined by Fandom. Historically in some instances this isn't far from the truth. Actual state borders were affected by religious affiliation, opinions on slavery, pride in one's region. For an informative read on this check out Mark Stein's 'How The States Got Their Shapes'.

If state topic assignments like these are really that useful, maybe coming up with new categories to educate ourselves about one another during the next census would be cool:

Most appreciated body part per state
Favorite excuse per state
Biggest reason for coolness in every state
Most annoying aspect of each state
Most popular non-famous person per state
Favorite movie in each state
Best band/music artist from each state
Most common outfits/clothing from each state
Most common slang from each state

The Snarrly 100 Top Movies

I started putting this list together as a way to think of movies that I wanted to be able to share/enjoy with my kids. That idea grew into creating my 100 favorite movies. So far I've been able to share about 35 of them with my children. As their minds mature and attentions spans grow, I hope to introduce a few of these to them year after year.
Finalizing this list got me pondering about the idea of curation and my personal history that I'm recording. Each one of these movies either says something about me or has some significance in my life or else it wouldn't have made the cut. The collection of movies doesn't have any value in and of itself, but the personal experience that I have tied to these flicks is golden to me. I'll be sure to write an extended explanation full of fun details for my own personal indulgence. Memories this list will bring to the forefront of my mind should be fun to review. Just a quick glance at these small thumbnail images gets my mind going:

Support your local Sheriff is what I would call our family movie (the family I grew up in). My mom introduced us to it, and it's full of laughs every time I watch it.
The first Mission Impossible is the best that franchise has to offer. I saw it in the movie theatre with my friend Michelle Higgs and quite honestly I didn't really follow it all that well and was confused when it ended. I pretended that wasn't the case back then, and thankfully, I get it now.
My mom took me to see Dances with Wolves in the Trolley Square movie theater. She insisted that I see it on the big screen. I've how to quote some of the Sioux lines from the show. I remember seeing the previews for Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves before the show.
Spellbound is a great documentary. I got it from the library back when my wife believed that I didn't know that the library was primarily for books and not movies.
Big is a special show for me. I had a 'big' friend growing up; a friend of the family named Jared. He was a kid even though he was grown up, but not because of a wish on the Zoltar machine.
I remember seeing Clue for the first time for a New Year's eve party. I still loving watching that show on that holiday.
Into the Woods became a special show for me after performing in it with my wife. We learned so much about ourselves and the meaning of the show as we rehearsed and performed our parts. The music is absolutely incredible!
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is one of my favorite 'root for the bad guy' films. It's also one of the only movies that I've heard my dad say that he enjoys.
Return to Me was the first movie that I saw with my wife in a movie theater. We never went to movies while we dated before our wedding. It's a great mixture of laughs and cries...

I could go on and on and on, but I'll save that for another time. In some ways making this kind of a list just underscores how valuable these accompanying details of our lives are since they can quickly link our minds to forgotten memories that have made us who we are. That there is worth the price of admission.

Celebrating 37

37 years worth of experiences and stories is an awful lot to wrangle together. Viewing my past through the angle of clothing through the years has inspired a fine collection of experiences.  Each one of these stories is deserving to be celebrated with my children and with dear friends. See a brief preview description below of each outfit and the story it brings from memory.

Leave a comment about the story/outfit you remember. I'd love to hear from you!

Read about how these graphics were put together here: http://snarrlyillustration.blogspot.com/2015/05/celebrating-37-years-of-curiosity.html

1 - Birthday Suit

This should be pretty self-explanatory. It's the first outfit that we all wear, and it's important to embrace who you are in your own skin. Hopefully, at 37, I'm doing that better than ever.

2 - Cub Scout Dropout

I was so excited to become a Cub Scout. On the days that I had cub scout meeting I got to wear my uniform to school and salute the flag during the pledge of allegiance. I went after my first couple of merit badges with all the energy that I had. Then, from one day to the next, I stopped. Was it because scouting began to require things that were outside of my comfort zone? Was it lack of leadership or parental encouragement? Whatever it could have been, I had plenty of opportunity to join back in and I never did. I'm not sad I'm not an Eagle Scout, but at the same time, what do I have to show what I did otherwise? Some sketchbooks maybe?

3 - Surf-n-Swim Ry

School shopping was a big deal as a kid. We went once a year to the back-to-school sale at Nordstrom. We'd buy some clothes, and then they'd sit in my closet until the first day of school when I was finally allowed to wear them. This outfit commemorates the return to shorts to my wardrobe. For years as a small kid, I just didn't feel comfortable wearing shorts. This pair of T&C surf design shorts with accompanying sky blue T&C shirt turned that around. The shorts folded up at the bottom revealing a decorative pattern of Yin and Yang that was the coolest thing for me. They were long shorts that went below my knee and they looked amazing with some white canvas classic Converse shoes.

4 - 5th Grade 1/1 Champ

Many of my shirts from the 4th to the 7th grade looked like this one; a character screen print of one of my favorite sports heroes at the time. Spud Webb, John Stockton, Karl Malone, Don Mattingly, and NBA All-Stars were some of my favorites. Finally (and much later) the '97 Western Conference Champion Utah Jazz was my last caricature shirt. I left that shirt in Peru with a family that wanted something from Utah. The minifig representation is only somewhat accurate since I wore each of each of these shirts at least two sizes too large. I of course was wearing one the day I won the 5th grade one-on-one basketball championship.

5 - Jr. High Dance

This outfit reminds me of going shopping with my mom. It was probably an outing in the spring since I usually got a new dress shirt and tie around Easter each year. The stripes just seemed cool, and I remember the tie had a cool metallic sheen to it. The only thing likely missing from this depiction is an extra long braided belt that was buckled with the excess belt portion tucked back under the belt to hang downward. So cool 1993, so cool.

6 - Sky Ry

The Sky Ry outfit was a costume I wore as Sky Masterson in Guys & Dolls. It was as royal blue as you've ever seen and much to big for my then High School Junior frame. The redeeming quality of this suit was that I liked it more than any of the other costume options presented to me. It would have been nice to find a hat the same color, but I had to settle for the grey.

7 - S.B.O. Ry
It was a fun experience to wear a letterman sweater as a Student Body Officer for a year. I probably would have worn it more had it not been so itchy, it made for a really good hall pass.

8 - Atticus
The most memorable aspect of this costume from 'To Kill A Mockingbird' was the pair of glasses that I wore that didn't have any lenses. Atticus is spat upon by the unruly Bob Ewell in one scene. We didn't practice with actual spitting until the final dress rehearsals. The glasses did nothing to protect my eyes from the spittle of Bob Ewell. All of us on stage realized at the same time what had happened and got a good laugh. I'd have to bite my tongue during that scene from that point to not break character.

9 - Enry Iggins
My favorite costume from playing Professor Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady was a fancy smoking jacket that had a cool tonal pattern on it. That character had so many lines to memorize. It was a relief at the end of each show when I got them all, and did so in order. There were a couple of slip ups; most memorably, "Damn the Pierce, and damn Mrs. Coffee!"

10 - Elder Snarr
This dark green patterned suit was my favorite missionary suit until I took it to be dry cleaned. It seemed to come back a couple sizes too small.

11 - Canadian Ry
This Roots zip-up sweater was a real favorite. I still wish I had it. I bought it in Canada just before I got engaged to my wife. She and I visited Waterton, and Lethbridge mostly, and we decided to bring our mothers along for the ride. It was the first time I mentioned the prospect of marriage to my mother-in-law. I'm sure if we weren't experiencing car trouble at the time she may have driven right off the road. It reminds me of a wonderful period in my life.

12 - Jump Jive Ry
These outfits for Weber State Singers seemed pretty cool. We had this fancy black button instead of a bow tie. Jump, Jive, and Wail was part of our performance list, so try to imagine some amateur choreography happening in this over-sized blue vest to that swingin' tune.

13 - Hawaiian Ryan
My first Hawaiian shirt that I got to wear as performance attire on a choir trip to Hawaii. It was my only time I've been to Hawaii thus far, and I got there aided with a pair of crutches. I should have kept this shirt on more to avoid the terrible sunburn I got my first day on the beach. I'm hoping to return one day as crutchless Hawaiian Ryan.

14 - PJ Ry
These snowflake pattern flannel PJ's were a Christmas gift just after I got married. They often were accompanied by my Root's beret. I always wondered why one might wear a cap at night like you see in the cartoons from time to time. I used the beret as my cap, and without fail I'd pull it off midway through the night as I slept and throw it on the floor where I'd find it the next morning. The more functional reason for wearing the beret was to not appear with bed head hair in pictures on Christmas morning.

15 - Olympics
I feel like it was fate that I got this volunteer position with the Olympics. The big perk for me was the complete outfit. Weber State University shut down during the games in 2002 and since I was working on campus, my volunteer schedule fit perfectly into my no-work schedule. You could see me at the Ogden Ice Sheet in all my gear watching curling all day long. I loved it. It was fascinating to watch and then interview the players. The biggest pain to endure during my volunteer work was removing my shoes to get through the metal detectors since the only black shoes I had were steel toed.

16 - American in Paris
We couldn't just travel to Paris without thinking about what we'd wear as we took our picture in front of world famous landmarks. This must have been what the wife liked best for the scene. I really liked it too until the turtle neck got stretched out after plenty of wear.

17 - Great Great Great
Sometimes clothing is enough compensation for volunteer work. I volunteered as a member of the Wildcat Club Board of Directors right after I graduated from WSU. I wasn't big into the sports there, but I figured this would be worthwhile of my time and for networking for a couple years. My purple WSU pullover was worth it. I soon found out however how hot I got when wearing it. It was definitely made for cold weather. It's a mystery where this ended up. I sort of think my wife sent it to the D.I., but she of course denies the accusation. Maybe one day it'll turn up.

18 - Strucker
When I took an agency job in SLC, it seemed appropriate to get a few new shirts since the dress standard in the new office was much more relaxed. I was so thrilled with my new position that I wanted to embroider the company logo on a couple things. This shirt had the little hammers logo on the front pocket, and even though I really liked to wear it, it seemed to shrink with every wash till it became unwearable.

19 - T-068 Blue Blazer
My involvement in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir has brought with it countless blessings and about 5 different performance suits. Each suit is housed in a large dressing room where I go each Sunday morning before the weekly broadcast of Music and the Spoken Word. The Blue Blazer Suit is the only blazer I've ever worn and recently sparked my curiosity to determine the difference between a suit coat, blazer, and sport coat. Do you know the difference? Fascinating stuff!

20 - Towel Days
To date, Towel Days is a myth, but I'm hopeful that one day it'll happen. The myth came about when my sister-in-law came to live with us one semester. In describing how things ran around our house I couldn't resist but fib about the two weeks in April where we were nothing by bath towels around the house. Buff-n-Fluff at its finest.

21 - Mr. Incredible
I treated myself to this set of Under Armor when I purchased my wife similar gear for Christmas. She was doing some long-distance running and this clothing is a necessity for outdoor training in the winter months. I had the incredibles symbol embroidered on them because I felt like what she was doing was super incredible. She's always been an incredible example to me.

22 - I'm a Ghostbuster
This is my favorite Halloween costume ever. Sometimes I feel like I just want to put it on even when it isn't Halloween. It's a combination of articles of clothing that I've happened to accumulate over the years. The best part of it is the authentic Ghostbusters arm patch that I've had since the original movie came out over 30 years ago. It actually was sewn onto my S.B.O. letterman sweater sleeve midway through my senior year. I've removed it since and it now sits on the all black jumpsuit I received performing in the closing ceremonies for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games.

23 - Derby Cap Ry
I'm not a huge fan of sweater vests or derby caps for that matter, but for some reason I love this combo. It doesn't make me feel like a golfer nor even want to go golfing like some people must expect. I'm always asked about golf when I wear it. Most of all, it makes me happy to think of those that have said, 'Nice hat,' and from that point on we become friends. There is a catch to this though. If I see another derby cap in my proximity, especially worn by someone near my age in a somewhat similar fashion, the derby hat comes off. I don't want to end up in a 'Who wore it best' episode.

24 - Heritage Ward #7
The reversible black jersey is a favorite. I remember seeing some of these church basketball jerseys in my dad's drawer growing up. Now I've got one of my own. Lucky number 7.

25 - Music Man
Harold Hill was a role that I couldn't possibly pass up the opportunity to play. I had a wonderful time playing the character I'd loved since childhood. Aside from finally learning all of the words to the song 'Trouble', I got to learn to tie a bow tie that we made at home.

26 - Snarrly MC
I was asked to MC the Miss Syracuse pageant for a couple of years. In doing so, I learned a thing or two about these city pageants: I don't agree with them even though I find them sort of entertaining, you don't mess with mama bear at a pageant (which means be very careful what you say), and there is way too much 'let's give a round of applause' mumbo jumbo.

27 - Cinderella's Prince
This costume is memorable since I put it together with my wife for a production of 'Into the Woods' where she was playing the role of the Baker's Wife. We found the white jacket at the D.I. and pieced the rest of it together with things from home. For many it was a relief to see the Baker's Wife and the Prince were married in real life after witnessing our 'moment in the woods'.

28 - Joseph
Of all the times I've performed on a stage, this marks the only time thus far that I've received a dime for doing so. I was unsure about auditioning for the production of 'Savior of the World' put on each year by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the Conference Center in Salt Lake City. I was humbled to play such a wonderful role during the first act. The experience truly taught me a lot about my abilities, my weaknesses, and pillars of my faith. It was a dear experience that I was able to share with my whole family.

29 - Little League Coach
I don't really see myself doing much coaching, but time will tell as my kids get older and opportunities present themselves. This is the first time I got to play a coach, and I did it for a small bit in a 30 second television commercial for America First Credit Union. I kicked off the commercial by singing the line, 'I like convenience...' The commercial was played all over the place and lots of people noticed. It was fun to be spotted.

30 - Pink Tie Ry
I enjoy wearing suits, and I enjoy getting them from Mr. Mac. My grandfather knew Mac Christensen as one of his customers. Even though grandpa was an ornery soul Mac loved him; of course, Mac seemed to love everybody. I got to know Mr. Mac a little closer as he served as President of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. He is an amazing man. It was a no brainer to go get new suits from his store. Usually with a new suit will come a new tie. I've determined that you really do get what you pay for when it comes to ties. When I bought this black pinstripe suit I knew I couldn't get a cheap tie. When I saw the pink textured tie on the shelf it reminded me of grandpa and his style. He wasn't afraid to wear pink. I think of him each time I put on the tie.

31 - New Year's Day
I got together with some of my best high school friends on New Year's Day in 2014. It had been a long time since we'd gotten together. These were good bunch of youth to hang around and now they are all good men. I wore this sweater and pair of khakis and can be seen in the center of our group in the picture that we posed for in front of the Cracker Barrel restaurant. It was that day I knew that I needed to get serious about writing and began writing memoirs under the title of 'Mordinary'.

32 - Beach Blanket Bingo
I've only been to the beach a handful of times; a couple times in California, once in Oregon, a couple times in Peru, and once in Hawaii. The Pacific Ocean is the only ocean that I've ever stepped in, and I've only seen the Atlantic from sight seeing in New York or driving in Rhode Island. Needless to say, much of my beach experience is lived vicariously through movies. The beach life painted by Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello in the 60s seems so dreamy. So even though I'm only at the local splash pad, In my mind I can easily slip into a game of beach blanket bingo... It's just a phrase and a silly song, I have no clue how you'd actually play it.

33 - Run Ry Run
Running is an important part of my life, and how fortunate I am to combine what I know and enjoy about design with the hobby I love. Years ago I won a poster design contest for the Ogden Marathon. That lead to them asking me to rebrand their race. That rebrand lead me to being able to design this shirt for the 2014 marathon. I still get a kick out of seeing people wear it around.

34 - Snarrly 180
In all my life I never had a purposeful diet. I ate whatever was in my path with no thought as to what it was doing for my body. Fortunately, I grew up in a pretty healthy home so I inherited a good set of habits and tastes for food. Running made it easy to eat whatever I wanted and so I did. It wasn't until I determined to adjust my diet along with some purposeful exercise that I noticed some cool results. I set a goal for myself the fall of the 2013 that I would get down to 180 lbs. I hadn't been there since 1998. I didn't know what I was getting into, but I soon found out that my clothes didn't fit me any longer and for the first time I had to buy new clothes because of a weight change. Thank goodness it was because of losing instead of gaining. I treated myself to a stylish Puma polo shirt once I got down to my goal weight and had maintained it for 3 months.

35 - Favorite Color is Light Tan
My suit shopping experience when I bought my pink tie was a nice one, but my wife wasn't there to provide her input. They were nice suits, but I could have done better with the sizes. Now that I was needing suits for a thinner frame, I brought her along to help choose. I'm glad I did. She convinced me to get a nice light tan suit that fit my slenderized self really well. I love wearing it. I love the line from Nacho Libre when Sister Incarnación states her favorite color. I feel that same way about light tan now.

36 - Snarrly Vacation
As mentioned before, it was a transition for me to lose some weight and have to get new clothes. I was worried to do so at first because I hadn't proved that I could keep off the weight. Sometimes some new clothes will help maintain that confidence. I got several new things for my birthday from the wife that just felt nice; things I didn't think I'd ever wear. What really feels nice is when someone notices. I wore some of these new clothes on a extended family vacation that summer and enjoyed hearing feedback from brother/sister-in-laws about looking stronger. My mother/father-in-law were just concerned I was getting too skinny. It just means they love you when they say that.

37 - Tux-n-Tie Ry
I've worn a tuxedo many times throughout my life. 99% of the time it is because I'm performing in some event with some sort of choir. The 1% was the time that I wore one at my wedding or the times that I wore my choir tuxedo to a high school dance. I enjoy wearing one, it can make you feel handsome. As I write this it makes sense that I aspire to wear one for an additional reason at least some other time in my life; one that fits amazing since what I currently wear for choir performances is massive.
In my imaginative birthday celebration with all my friends since the day I was born to the present, this perfect tux is what I'm wearing. The shirt is nice and crisp, and my cuff links are custom with my initials. It fits amazing, is incredibly fancy and the mansion in which the celebration takes place matches my attire. All my friends are dressed super fancy as well, there are bright colors, nice shoes, and some sequins. It gets better. Since this imaginative party is in a mansion, it has a giant pool. Half way through the party we all change into swimming suits and have underwater breathing contests and diving demonstrations in the perfectly warm water in the spring air. Everyone changes into cozy attire afterward and we socialize while nostalgic music videos play on screens in the background. What a birthday party we're all enjoying! If you've gotten to the end of all of these descriptions, let there be no doubt that you were invited and are present at that party. Thank you for coming!