Sunday, May 31, 2009

I'm Engaged!!

...details will follow

Thursday, May 21, 2009

The Natural Man

Do you ever do something and afterward think, why did I do that? It drives me crazy that even when I know better, I don't always make the smart choice. How do we combat this natural man tendency? How do we allow the atonement to change us and strengthen us so we stop giving into the deceits of the adversary? I'm bothered that I haven't figured it all out yet.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Discover All That is Human

I read this article this morning and felt it had a profound message for all of us. I highlighted the areas that struck me.


PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The head of the world's most popular search engine urged college graduates on Monday to step away from the virtual world and make human connections.

Speaking at the University of Pennsylvania's commencement, Google chairman and CEO Eric Schmidt told about 6,000 graduates that they need to find out what is most important to them — by living analog for a while.

"Turn off your computer. You're actually going to have to turn off your phone and discover all that is human around us," Schmidt said. "Nothing beats holding the hand of your grandchild as he walks his first steps."


He also urged graduates not to lay out a rigid path for themselves. Rewards will gravitate to those who make mistakes and learn from them, Schmidt said.

"You can't plan innovation or inspiration, but you can be ready for it, and when you see it you can jump on it and you can make a difference," he said.

The Class of 2009 is graduating in a tough economic climate, but such downturns can be a time for innovation, Schmidt said. He noted that Rice Krispies, Twinkies and beer cans were all products of the Great Depression — not to mention staples of college life.

He playfully compared today's "Google and Facebook generation" to his own: cell phones vs. phone booths, Wii vs. Pong, blogs vs. newspapers, Red Bull vs. Tang.

Perhaps most notably, Schmidt said, members of his generation spent all their time trying to hide their most embarrassing moments. Today's generation records and posts all those moments on YouTube, he said, drawing laughter from the crowd.

"And I am looking forward to watching these for the next 30 or 40 years," Schmidt said.

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

The World is Flat

I have stat counter attached to my blog. It shows me how many hits I have, how many direct hits I receive, where referred hits come from, what cities people live in who are accessing my blog, etc. etc. However, one thing I wish it told me was who you all are. Today someone accessed my blog from Thailand. I have a bunch of friends traveling the world but I have no idea who is in Thailand right now. I love that someone half-way across the world can stay in touch with me. This technologically globally integrated world fascinates me! Thanks for reading!

(PS - For those worried about privacy factors, I can't stalk you with this analytical information. It just gives me statistics.)

Saturday, May 9, 2009

And So It Begins

Today I worked out after a long hiatus. My body groaned and ached and panted as I pushed myself up the hills around my house. But oh! how good it felt! After spending months in the Tanner Building and the last two weeks sitting in a cubicle today felt liberating. It feels great getting back into this habit. Attached is a picture I've posted before, but felt it was appropriate for my exercising today.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Rendezvous


This picture titled Rendezvous is one of my favorites. I find the mystery and romantic feel intriguing. My words are gone from me today so I'll leave you to decide your own thoughts and feelings about the painting.

Monday, May 4, 2009

Seriously?

Did I mention that yesterday Andrew and I have officially been dating for seven months? Wow! It has been quite the ride. Okay, truthfully it hasn't officially been seven months, but October 3rd became our "official" day. Here is the quick story that I hope he doesn't mind me sharing. We were hanging out the night of the 3rd. He was going to Salt Lake that night because the next morning was general conference. Instead of going up right after the BYU football game, he came over to my place and we watched The Hunt for the Red October. He will say I seduced him. But he gave me the invitation. :) The next week was crazy but we still were able to spend some time together before I left for Atlanta Thursday morning. We didn't see each other again until Monday 13th. That is technically the day everything became official but the 3rd is really the beginning of our dating story.

Sunday, May 3, 2009

A Fun Update

I have neglected blogging for important things like finals, moving Andrew apartments, and starting a new internship. Andrew and I have had some fun intermixed with school. We went to the Draper Temple open house in February. Since both of us have been temple workers, we were both amazed at how small and quaint it was compared to Provo temple.

In March, Andrew's friend Jon came to visit. That weekend we went to a Passover dinner. It was an interesting experience and fun to watch Andrew down spoonfuls of bitter herbs. Since he loves horseradish, he thought eating them in that quantity wouldn't be a problem but even he was overwhelmed by the after taste.

Last October I bought two tickets to Wicked at the Capital Theatre. I had just started dating Andrew so had no idea who my date would be when the show was playing in April. Happily Andrew agreed to be my date. He wanted to see the play without any previous exposure to the music or storyline. Granted some of his guy friends made him think we were seeing a "chic musical". Fifteen minutes into the show he realized those guys were wrong. The show was phenomenal! Absolutely amazing! I saw it in Phoenix 1 1/2 years ago and this production was superior. Even Andrew gave the cast a standing ovation, something he doesn't do very often which shows the quality of the performance.

To cap off April, we went to the MBA grad night. It was to have a night of fun games, yummy food, and good conversation. Right now I am looking forward for the snow to melt so we can go play at my parents' cabin. Until that happens, I am keeping busy with my internship and organizing the chaos that happened while I was in school.

Jon eating bitter herbs


Andrew reacting to the bitter herbs


Playing rock band