This weekend is my favorite weekend of the year. I love the NFL draft. Every year, it falls on finals week and I lose a letter grade as a result. I also make a prediction about overrated and underrated players. Here are some past picks (I also do it for the NBA).
NFL
Overrated
Vince Young Texas
Reggie Bush USC
John Beck BYU
Underrated-
Tatum Bell Oklahoma State(Yeah, blew this one)
NBA
Overrated
Steve Francis (Maryland)
Marvin Williams (UNC)
Underrated
Steve Nash (Santa Clara)(Great call by a much younger me)
Greg Ostertag (Um, Kansas I think?) (For every great call, there is an Ostertag)
Brandon Roy (Washington)
These were obviously not the only picks but the highs and lows. I want this recorded so people can not say I am lying when I predict them
This year NFL
Overrated
Chris Long DE Virginia
Golston DE Ohio State
Malcom Kelly WR Oklahoma
Underrated
Brian Brohm QB Louisville
Ray Rice RB Rutgers
These arent too say the overrated will be horrible of the underrated will be amazing but they will not meet expectations, either for the positive or negative.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Friday, April 25, 2008
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Jazz Game
I was just about to leave work and go to accounting on monday when my neighbor called and offered us tickets to the Jazz game. As tempted as I was to attend class for the first time since the midterms, it was just too good to pass up. Below is a picture of me and Em at the game. And no, that picture was not taken outside the arena. That is literally the back of the seating behind us, we were on the top row.
(Ah, aren't we cute! And white!)
As you can see, the view is not too shabby. I have a good side view with access to the jumbo tron if somehow I miss something. Considering I paid $0.00 for the tickets, I have nothing to complain about.
Here is my wife's view. She complained the whole time, but I didnt really hear her until the game ended. I thought I offered to switch seats with her, but to be honest, I might have only done that in my mind.
(He literally was like this the entire game, so Emily says)
The guy who sat (well, had the ticket for the seat) in front of Emily jumped up and down every time the Jazz touched the ball and corrected the officials from his vantage point. The whole group around him were season ticket holders and obviously were deeply invested in the game. While we cared, we also were aware of a reality outside the arena so we didn't fit in.
While there, we sampled the Papa John's Pizza and came away sorely disappointed. It tasted worse than the grease collectors they sold in high school. It was like we were buying Pizza left over from the Malone era that was re-dipped in grease and put in a Papa John's box. Word must have traveled because we spent the entire halftime in line to buy ice cream right next to the Papa John's stall and only 2 people bought pizza. 2!
I have been interested to see the rise in popularity in the new Twilight series. I have never read it myself but firmly believe it wouldnt be as popular if Harry Potter hadn't helped re-introduce a love of reading to people. While, like Harry Potter, it has many aspects that could leave it open for blatant jokes and taunts (it is about vampires and teenage love) I will never make fun of it for 2 reasons: 1)Buffy the Vampire Slayer if my favorite TV show of all time and it would be somewhat hypocritical of me to make fun of a show due to some the main characters being a vampire when the main character in Buffy kills vampires. 2) I am a Harry Potter fan, which involves vampires, teenage love, witches, wizards, house elfs, hypogriffs, quiditch, wands, potions, dragons, broomsticks etc etc etc.
We are entering Finals week, or weeks, so our thoughts and prayers are with all those about to embark in this wonderful tradition of cramming and forgetting.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
DayBreak!
Last night, Clint was making grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner. And as he searched the fridge for some bread, we discovered a loaf that had been there for quite a while. It wasn't moldy or anything but it wasn't "ideal" for sandwich making. Normally I would just throw it away but Clint thought it would be nice to feed some ducks somewhere. So today, Clint and I went to DayBreak after church to feed the ducks. When we got out of the car at the DayBreak lake, 
we didn't see very many ducks. And unfortunately, the two or three ducks we DID see kept swimming away from us. It's like they knew the bread we were trying to feed them was old or something. So there we were...at the lake, with bread in hand, and no ducks to feed! The only animal life in sight were the school of gnats swarming above Clint's head as we walked. That was actually pretty funny. You know how in comic strips, the artist will draw some dark squiggly lines above the cartoon's head to show that the cartoon character is angry? Well Clint looked like a real life "angry" cartoon with those gnats congregating above him. I wish we had a good picture of that! We walked around to some other lakes at DayBreak (all the while swatting gnats away fro
m our faces) and finally did see a group of seagulls. We expected them to swim away from us as the ducks had but they must not be as picky about their lunchtime meal as ducks. When we threw the first piece of bread into the water, these birds completely swarmed around us. I feared that poop would land on 
me but we were lucky and did not get hit this time.
we didn't see very many ducks. And unfortunately, the two or three ducks we DID see kept swimming away from us. It's like they knew the bread we were trying to feed them was old or something. So there we were...at the lake, with bread in hand, and no ducks to feed! The only animal life in sight were the school of gnats swarming above Clint's head as we walked. That was actually pretty funny. You know how in comic strips, the artist will draw some dark squiggly lines above the cartoon's head to show that the cartoon character is angry? Well Clint looked like a real life "angry" cartoon with those gnats congregating above him. I wish we had a good picture of that! We walked around to some other lakes at DayBreak (all the while swatting gnats away fro
m our faces) and finally did see a group of seagulls. We expected them to swim away from us as the ducks had but they must not be as picky about their lunchtime meal as ducks. When we threw the first piece of bread into the water, these birds completely swarmed around us. I feared that poop would land on 
me but we were lucky and did not get hit this time. Saturday, April 12, 2008
The talk I gave at Misty's Funeral
Below is the tribute I gave at my sister's funeral. Sorry it has taken me so long to put it up. And sorry...it's kinda long. I tend to ramble.
A TRIBUTE TO MY SISTER
I didn’t ever imagine that I would be standing here today speaking about Misty under these circumstances. While these last few days have been difficult for everyone who knew Misty, we have found comfort in sharing stories about her. In all these stories there has been a common thread…Misty was fun! She brought so much joy to our lives with her quirky but loving ways. And so while I don’t treasure the circumstances that brought us here, I am deeply honored to have this opportunity to share some of my most special memories of Misty with all of you.
Margaret Mead said, “Sisters is probably the most competitive relationship within the family, but once the sisters are grown, it becomes the strongest relationship.”
A few years ago Misty had come over to my apartment to hang out. She had brought Colette and Camille and they were keeping themselves busy playing with a little red banana chair in my living room while Misty and I chatted. And I remember watching these two girls sort of fighting to sit on the chair. And finally, Colette (the oldest) looked like she had had enough. And she took her two fingers and put them right between her younger sister Camille’s eyes and very quietly just…pushed. And down Camille fell. Of course, Camille started crying. And Misty hadn’t seen what had happened. So she looked and Camille and said “Shhhh.” I couldn’t help but laugh.
This little exchange I had just witnessed between Misty’s daughters was like a window back in time…back to those early years of my childhood with Misty. She was two years older than me and knew just what buttons to push. And she was smart. She knew that the loud one got in trouble and so she would always quietly tease me until I wailed…and then I got in trouble. I never wised up.
Misty and I did have that competitive relationship for SO many years but I am so happy to say that somehow, I am not quite sure when, our relationship changed. We developed an unbreakable bond of sisterhood! Misty was still the quiet one and I was still the loudmouth but somewhere along the lines we stopped competing with each other and started caring about each other. I cannot wait to see the day that Misty’s little girls’ competitive relationships turn into what Misty and I have.
Pam Brown said “If your sister is in a tearing hurry to go out and cannot catch your eye, she’s wearing your best sweater.” Growing up, I would have to say that I was usually the one in the tearing hurry. Misty had such STYLE! She wasn’t afraid to try something new or make her own fashion statement. It could be one of my dad’s shirts, or my mom’s, or my little brother’s. She wore it and worked it! I adored her sense of fashion. Probably the bulk of our fights (which usually ended with a fistful of my hair being pulled out) were the result of me borrowing her clothes without asking. But even though we fought over clothes she still helped me occasionally. In the ‘80’s when the folded pant leg was the “hip thing” she took the time each morning to help me fold my pants. Now that is sisterly love! And eventually she came around to sharing her clothes with me. In my sophomore yearbook she wrote “It wasn’t that bad having a little sister floating around the same halls as moi. Don’t worry, I guess you can wear my clothes.” And the years have gone by since high school but I still love the way Misty put herself together. I still have articles of her clothing that I borrowed from her that I couldn’t bear to give back because I loved her sense of style.
Misty was so creative and artistic. One of her favorite activities was scouring neighborhood pickup. If you don’t know what that is, in down town Salt Lake, they have a system where people can put trash or unwanted items out on their front curb to be picked up by the city for disposal. Misty would go around town and find little restoration projects…she would find what seemed to be the most hideous window pane and turn it into a unique, beautiful work of art on her living room wall. When Clint and I moved into our house a few years ago, we spent a lot of time at RC Willey picking furnishings for our home. But still, to this day my favorite piece in our house is the little black sitting chair that Misty found at neighborhood pickup. She restored it, sanded it, and painted it. And then she cross stitched a beautiful little pillow with President Hinckley’s “Be’s to put on the chair.” I’ve always treasured that chair because I knew the joy that she felt as she made it for me. Those types of artistic projects were her passion.
I read a poem: Sister to sister we will always be, a couple of nuts off the family tree.
Misty used to joke “Emily, have you noticed that the older we get our laugh starts to sound more and more like Mom’s goofy laugh? And it is true. Our laughs do sound more and more similar each day. She loved you, Mom. I think she liked knowing her “goofy” laugh came from you.
I know how much Misty loved you, Mom, because she was always the one to coordinate what to do for your birthday. She convinced me, one year, to ride down to Shopko in the freezing cold on the handlebars of her bike, and find a present for you. When we got there we found this beautiful crock pot that was $20.00. I was 11 and she was 13 so we had no money. We had like $5. Now that would have been the end of it for me. I would have found a $5 gift for our mom and called it a day. But Misty was so determined and ambitious. And she was so resourceful! She had brought along some Little Ceasar’s coupons and we stood outside of Shopko for what seemed like hours and sold these coupons for $1 each until we had enough dollars to buy the crock pot for my mom. Misty always cared about others more than herself. She was so determined and when we made a plan, she made sure we got it done…even if in her own creative, Little Ceasar’s sort of way.
Misty had a serious sweet tooth. She loved cotton candy and peeps and robin eggs and bubble gum ice cream… and peanut butter. She loved her peanut butter! She used to take spoonfuls of peanut butter and just eat it plain. We would find spoons all over the house. When David was dating my mom he brought Misty a very special birthday present…her very own jar of peanut butter. I think that was probably a day of heaven for Misty. I think her little girls have had wonderful Halloweens with Misty because she was probably just as excited as they were to go trick or treating.
An older sister helps one remain half child, half woman.
Misty and Kaylyn (my youngest sister) had a very special relationship. Even though Misty was 13 years older than Kaylyn, Misty knew how to relate to her. Kaylyn has told me, on several occasions, of a time that she spent the night at Misty’s and they went to the grocery store in the middle of the night because, on a whim, they decided they wanted black light bulbs in the entire house. Or another time when they went to the store to buy bubble gum flavoring for suckers that they were making. There was no stopping Misty’s creativity. People had fun with Misty because she was willing to try anything. And just from looking at the pictures that Shawn has taken over the last few years I can see that Misty continued to keep that creativity going with her little girls. She made them beautiful, unique birthday cakes and she caught little snakes and lizards and showed them to her girls. She was never too old to just play.
Barbara Alpert said “She is your mirror, shining back at you with a world of possibilities. She is your witness, who sees you at your worst and best, and loves you anyway. She is your partner in crime, your midnight companion, someone who knows when you are smiling, even in the dark. She is your teacher, your defense attorney, your personal press agent, even your shrink.
Misty was all those things for me. She’s the sister that would “ballroom dance” with me when we were children, even though our mom had told us repeatedly to go to bed. She was the sister who strategized with me prior to Halloween so we could visit the houses with the best candy as many times as possible and get the most candy we could get in our pillow cases. And she was that sister… that dropped everything a few years ago in the middle of a cold winter night to meet me at Thanksgiving Point…because I was in a moment of personal despair. I remember her wrapping her arms around me and crying with me and saying a prayer with me. And she told me how much she loved me and how much Heavenly Father loved me. Then she went back to her car to get it warmed up and came back over to give me a hug. And as she hugged me goodbye I saw her car…rolling down the empty (thank goodness) parking lot. She had forgotten to put the brake on. And when she saw it, she took off after it. But I remember she turned her head to me as she was running and yelled “I love you!”
Well Misty, I love you too. We were never good at saying it to each other. But I’m saying it now. Of course I will miss our “chats.” But you will always be in my heart. You will be in all our hearts!
I didn’t ever imagine that I would be standing here today speaking about Misty under these circumstances. While these last few days have been difficult for everyone who knew Misty, we have found comfort in sharing stories about her. In all these stories there has been a common thread…Misty was fun! She brought so much joy to our lives with her quirky but loving ways. And so while I don’t treasure the circumstances that brought us here, I am deeply honored to have this opportunity to share some of my most special memories of Misty with all of you.
Margaret Mead said, “Sisters is probably the most competitive relationship within the family, but once the sisters are grown, it becomes the strongest relationship.”
A few years ago Misty had come over to my apartment to hang out. She had brought Colette and Camille and they were keeping themselves busy playing with a little red banana chair in my living room while Misty and I chatted. And I remember watching these two girls sort of fighting to sit on the chair. And finally, Colette (the oldest) looked like she had had enough. And she took her two fingers and put them right between her younger sister Camille’s eyes and very quietly just…pushed. And down Camille fell. Of course, Camille started crying. And Misty hadn’t seen what had happened. So she looked and Camille and said “Shhhh.” I couldn’t help but laugh.
This little exchange I had just witnessed between Misty’s daughters was like a window back in time…back to those early years of my childhood with Misty. She was two years older than me and knew just what buttons to push. And she was smart. She knew that the loud one got in trouble and so she would always quietly tease me until I wailed…and then I got in trouble. I never wised up.
Misty and I did have that competitive relationship for SO many years but I am so happy to say that somehow, I am not quite sure when, our relationship changed. We developed an unbreakable bond of sisterhood! Misty was still the quiet one and I was still the loudmouth but somewhere along the lines we stopped competing with each other and started caring about each other. I cannot wait to see the day that Misty’s little girls’ competitive relationships turn into what Misty and I have.
Pam Brown said “If your sister is in a tearing hurry to go out and cannot catch your eye, she’s wearing your best sweater.” Growing up, I would have to say that I was usually the one in the tearing hurry. Misty had such STYLE! She wasn’t afraid to try something new or make her own fashion statement. It could be one of my dad’s shirts, or my mom’s, or my little brother’s. She wore it and worked it! I adored her sense of fashion. Probably the bulk of our fights (which usually ended with a fistful of my hair being pulled out) were the result of me borrowing her clothes without asking. But even though we fought over clothes she still helped me occasionally. In the ‘80’s when the folded pant leg was the “hip thing” she took the time each morning to help me fold my pants. Now that is sisterly love! And eventually she came around to sharing her clothes with me. In my sophomore yearbook she wrote “It wasn’t that bad having a little sister floating around the same halls as moi. Don’t worry, I guess you can wear my clothes.” And the years have gone by since high school but I still love the way Misty put herself together. I still have articles of her clothing that I borrowed from her that I couldn’t bear to give back because I loved her sense of style.
Misty was so creative and artistic. One of her favorite activities was scouring neighborhood pickup. If you don’t know what that is, in down town Salt Lake, they have a system where people can put trash or unwanted items out on their front curb to be picked up by the city for disposal. Misty would go around town and find little restoration projects…she would find what seemed to be the most hideous window pane and turn it into a unique, beautiful work of art on her living room wall. When Clint and I moved into our house a few years ago, we spent a lot of time at RC Willey picking furnishings for our home. But still, to this day my favorite piece in our house is the little black sitting chair that Misty found at neighborhood pickup. She restored it, sanded it, and painted it. And then she cross stitched a beautiful little pillow with President Hinckley’s “Be’s to put on the chair.” I’ve always treasured that chair because I knew the joy that she felt as she made it for me. Those types of artistic projects were her passion.
I read a poem: Sister to sister we will always be, a couple of nuts off the family tree.
Misty used to joke “Emily, have you noticed that the older we get our laugh starts to sound more and more like Mom’s goofy laugh? And it is true. Our laughs do sound more and more similar each day. She loved you, Mom. I think she liked knowing her “goofy” laugh came from you.
I know how much Misty loved you, Mom, because she was always the one to coordinate what to do for your birthday. She convinced me, one year, to ride down to Shopko in the freezing cold on the handlebars of her bike, and find a present for you. When we got there we found this beautiful crock pot that was $20.00. I was 11 and she was 13 so we had no money. We had like $5. Now that would have been the end of it for me. I would have found a $5 gift for our mom and called it a day. But Misty was so determined and ambitious. And she was so resourceful! She had brought along some Little Ceasar’s coupons and we stood outside of Shopko for what seemed like hours and sold these coupons for $1 each until we had enough dollars to buy the crock pot for my mom. Misty always cared about others more than herself. She was so determined and when we made a plan, she made sure we got it done…even if in her own creative, Little Ceasar’s sort of way.
Misty had a serious sweet tooth. She loved cotton candy and peeps and robin eggs and bubble gum ice cream… and peanut butter. She loved her peanut butter! She used to take spoonfuls of peanut butter and just eat it plain. We would find spoons all over the house. When David was dating my mom he brought Misty a very special birthday present…her very own jar of peanut butter. I think that was probably a day of heaven for Misty. I think her little girls have had wonderful Halloweens with Misty because she was probably just as excited as they were to go trick or treating.
An older sister helps one remain half child, half woman.
Misty and Kaylyn (my youngest sister) had a very special relationship. Even though Misty was 13 years older than Kaylyn, Misty knew how to relate to her. Kaylyn has told me, on several occasions, of a time that she spent the night at Misty’s and they went to the grocery store in the middle of the night because, on a whim, they decided they wanted black light bulbs in the entire house. Or another time when they went to the store to buy bubble gum flavoring for suckers that they were making. There was no stopping Misty’s creativity. People had fun with Misty because she was willing to try anything. And just from looking at the pictures that Shawn has taken over the last few years I can see that Misty continued to keep that creativity going with her little girls. She made them beautiful, unique birthday cakes and she caught little snakes and lizards and showed them to her girls. She was never too old to just play.
Barbara Alpert said “She is your mirror, shining back at you with a world of possibilities. She is your witness, who sees you at your worst and best, and loves you anyway. She is your partner in crime, your midnight companion, someone who knows when you are smiling, even in the dark. She is your teacher, your defense attorney, your personal press agent, even your shrink.
Misty was all those things for me. She’s the sister that would “ballroom dance” with me when we were children, even though our mom had told us repeatedly to go to bed. She was the sister who strategized with me prior to Halloween so we could visit the houses with the best candy as many times as possible and get the most candy we could get in our pillow cases. And she was that sister… that dropped everything a few years ago in the middle of a cold winter night to meet me at Thanksgiving Point…because I was in a moment of personal despair. I remember her wrapping her arms around me and crying with me and saying a prayer with me. And she told me how much she loved me and how much Heavenly Father loved me. Then she went back to her car to get it warmed up and came back over to give me a hug. And as she hugged me goodbye I saw her car…rolling down the empty (thank goodness) parking lot. She had forgotten to put the brake on. And when she saw it, she took off after it. But I remember she turned her head to me as she was running and yelled “I love you!”
Well Misty, I love you too. We were never good at saying it to each other. But I’m saying it now. Of course I will miss our “chats.” But you will always be in my heart. You will be in all our hearts!
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Moving On
I wanted to wait a few days before posting a new blog out of respect for Misty. It has been tough for the family the last few weeks but slowly we are all doing our best to move on.
The best part of working from home is getting to let my dogs out of their kennels so they can. . . sleep. If you can tell, there are actually two dogs in that picture. Adorable? I think so, although Tess has some serious gas problems. Don't believe me? Stay in a closed room with her for half an hour. You will die.
Molly is the best dog. She combines the two things all dogs should be....loving and afraid. I feel kinda bad saying that but seriously, her fear of us makes her come when called and wag her tail like crazy when we show love.
Sunday my wife and I celebrated the passing of March with a big steak. How big you ask? Look at the picture. Amazingly big. Too bad it was as tough as a shoe.Don't worry, the cell phone was merely added to show scale.
That is about it. I just wanted to show that I could upload pictures if I wanted to (So take that Bri!).
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