A Poem

The sky is

Some things in life get old really fast.
If I was given Life cereal to eat every day,
One day, I would get sick of it and not want it again.
And that's saying somethings because
I love Life.

I also love (in no particular order or categorization)
Disney movies, tomatoes, cheese,
Hiking, snuggling, Christmas, chips and salsa,
Friends, family, Nutella, vacuuming, traveling,
Camping, writing, and eating ice cream.

Why do I love these things?
Why do I cherish the moments when I have encounters
With these things?

I think it's because

My interactions are always something special, or unique.

Life cereal: breakfast food. So yummy. I eat it when I have it.
Disney movies: I watch when I have time.
Tomatoes: I eat when they're in season from the garden.
Cheese: I eat to wind down after a long day.
Hiking: I go out of my way to see amazing vistas.
Snuggling: When I'm with someone I love, I snuggle.
Christmas: Once a year.
Chips and salsa: Salty, delicious, and spicy.
Friends: No matter which ones, we always have a grand time.
Family: I love them. And it sometimes hurts that we're so far apart.
Nutella: Sweet heaven in a small jar.
Vacuuming: Nothing is so therapeutic as making those lines in the nap.
Traveling: New sights, new people, new adventures.
Camping: With friends or family or by myself, nature speaks when I'm with her.
Writing: I don't paint or draw. My canvas is a story.
Eating ice cream: I savor each bite of it.

One thing that I love that I see
Everyday,
One thing that never ceases to
Amaze me,
One thing that I can't get over is
The Sky.

My Skies in my town are special.
Clear, cloudy, colourful, calm, or crazy.
At dawn or dusk,
A story rises or sets.
Stories illustrated in vivid colours.

I see it every day. And I never tire of it. I have yet to dislike
Disney movies, tomatoes, cheese,
Hiking, snuggling, Christmas, chips and salsa,
Friends, family, Nutella, vacuuming, traveling,
Camping, writing, and eating ice cream.

If they were repetitive and no fun and
Lacking delicious flavor and I
Had to eat or do the same things
Over and over and over again,
All the while being redundant,
I would,
Without a doubt,
Tire of those things.
Things that I love.

But not my Skies.

I can never tire of
My Skies.

There is Something ethereal
With my Skies.
Something eternal that connects me with you. Something that lifts my heart, my soul, my eyes,
My All.
Something that is fluid and liquid and
Changing.
All the Time. And so we have Skies to make us
Smile. To make us
Wonder. To make us
Connect. To make us
Humble. To make us
Look Up. To make us
Appreciate. To make us
Human.To make Us. You. Me. Us. Under a Sky, which reflects Us:
Fluid. Liquid. Changing.
Clear, cloudy, colourful, calm, and crazy. Stories rising. Stories setting.
Beautiful stories.

Beautiful Skies.
Beautiful Us.

[Title of Post]

It's sometimes difficult for me to see the purpose of keep a blog.

I mean, I'm on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram. You would think that between all the different social media outlets, blogs would become obsolete.

And I have apparently "obsoleted" my blog.

And I apologize because I love writing! I really do!

Perhaps one reason why I don't feel the need to write on my blog is because I'm always writing at my job at the University Journal, SUU's newspaper.

Perhaps it's because I didn't finish everything on my #23b423 list and am so ashamed to show my (cyber)face.

Whatever the reason, I apologize to my huge following. When I say 'huge following' I'm obviously referring to the amount of support I feel from you.

Obviously.

Enough rambling.

Ahem. I think a good place to start is to say this:

This summer was amazing! I was able to be an Orientation Leader for the school I love! I was also one of the Adventure Orientation Leaders and had the opportunity to take a group of seven students up Cedar Canyon and explore Dixie National Forest and Cedar Breaks National Monument. And I got my Junior Ranger Badge.
I was able to visit Washington D.C.  for 10 days and see so many wonderful friends and make new friends.
I spent two weeks in the midwest visiting Katie and her cute family in Madison.
I went on a bunch of hikes that are in my backyard here in southern Utah.
I presented at a high school leadership conference on conflict resolution and passive aggression. In my presentation, I used examples from Harry Potter and Mean Girls. I was shocked by how few of those high school students had not read HP or seen MG. And it made me feel old when I found out that some in attendance were born in 1998.

Now that summer is over, I'm enjoying school.
I think I have finally learned how to say 'no' and am no longer in charge of the #tbirdnation blog. I was just too busy and something had to go.
I've been making loads of new friends and rekindling old friendships.
I love supporting my T-Birds in their athletic ventures as I cheer with my fellow students. There is nothing I love more than singing the fight song after each touchdown. And I actually get to see the game because I'm not working for the athletic department!

As this semester progresses and as super exciting things happen, I will keep you updated, dear reader.

Until then, I'll say adieu.

Walking on Sunshine

The following post has been sitting in my drafts since July. Enjoy.

This week has been heavenly!
I finished my stay in Washington DC. While there I saw new sights, met new friends, played tourist and tour guide, learned some Hungarian folk dancing, and fell in love with the Federal District all over again.
On Wednesday, I had the blessed opportunity to sing in the Cedar Area Interfaith Alliance Choir concert. The program was entitled The Seven Miracles that Saved America and was based on the book by Chris and Ted Stewart and illustrations by SUU artist in residence, Ben Sowards. It was a lovely program held in the spacious area of Christ the King Catholic Church. The program had narrations of fictional letters based on historical facts and the miracles were the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus, Jamestown, a summer fog during the Revolutionary War, the Constitution, Abraham Lincoln and Gettysburg, the battle at Midway, and Regan's life being spared by a fraction of an inch.
Perhaps my recent stay in the nation's capital made my heart so tender as I spent Independence Day with my family in Kanarraville, Utah, population 320.
That town knows how to party and they surely appreciate, as do I, the greatness of this country and its divine origin. I got tons of candy at the parade, enjoyed the community talent show, supported the volunteer fire department, and enjoyed watching a waterfight, BBQ, four wheeling, and fireworks! Holy cabooses, were there fireworks!

Fireworks!

Hats

I like hats.

Looking at my hat collection, one would not think that I like hats because I only have a few in my collection: one snappy hounds-tooth fedora, an old olive green brimmed hat, Mickey Mouse ears, an SUU Events baseball cap from my term of employment with Athletics, and multiple winter hats.

I love films that take place in an era when wearing hats was something that everyone did. I was just in Cedar Valley Community Theatre's production of Hello, Dolly! and everyone wore a hat and it was fantastic.

My favorite hat to wear was a straw hat that I took on trek to Martin's Cove when I was 15-years-old. That hat remained with me for years until it met an unfortunate end when my dad took it river rafting with twelve-year-old Boy Scouts.

I seriously loved that hat! I took it hiking, wore it gardening and cutting the grass. It was the perfect hat to wear sunbathing. Here's a picture of me wearing that hat.

But I digress. The purpose of this post is not to talk about literal hats. No. It's to talk about all the hats I wear.

I have been very blessed to "wear" many hats.

Some of my hats have been:

Friend
Boy Scout
SUU Orientation Leader
Journalist/reporter
Newspaper editor
Photographer
Student
T-Bird
Elder
Creative director
Dancer
Actor
Singer
Music teacher
Wordsmith
Son
Grandson
Uncle
Blogger
Runner
Gardener
Therapist
Tour guide
Liaison
Cab driver
Bed and Breakfast manager
Southern Mother
Meal coordinator
Hiker
Golf cart driver

Just to name a few.

No, many of these things have not been paid positions, but I have learned and grown so much from being well-rounded and interested in a myriad of different things.

I like hats.

I like that I do a lot.

I'll wear more hats.

And it'll be okay.

-----

Update on #23b423: I've done a lot more things, but I have been a negligent blogger and haven't posted any updates. I'm sure I will soon.

How Lucky I Am

Well, I didn't perform as well as I would have liked this semester, but a lot has changed over the course of a few short months.
Through the changes, the ups and downs, one thing remains consistent: my awesome, wonderful, unconditionally-loving, supportive, hilarious, punny, quirky, sa-weet family. 

The whole gang at Nick and Kaylee's wedding. July 2012.

A Sunday

I wanted to do a status update with this, but then realized I think I have a lot to say. So, in a note it goes!

Today started off rough: I slept in. A lot. And I missed my 9 a.m. ward. I was excited to go to my own ward because it is the first Sunday in ages that I haven't worked and been stressed.

So I went to a different ward at 11 a.m. and sat with Ginny and Katy and heard from the music department chair in sacrament meeting.

Following church, I crashed on the couch then made a delicious salad for family dinner. Gail and her family came over as per usual and we had a lovely chat about every topic under the sun. I'm so grateful we are able to gather every week; it helps me remember how cool we are (but more importantly how much I love them).

Dinner finished up and I went outside with the kids: 11-year-old C and 3-almost-4-year-old J. It was a glorious evening! Upper 70's and hardly a breeze. Gail and Seth pack around three Razor scooters in their vehicle so we had fun riding those around the neighborhood.

Every time J's scooter fell, even if he didn't fall with it, he would say, "Good thing I have my helmet on!" I would chase them, they would chase me as I would jump in trees, climb walls and fences to avoid their clutches.

Then I would chase them. And I would catch them. Because I can.

Football Monkey-in-the-Middle was played and I gave Caroline throwing tips. Which is weird. Cause I don't do sports.

Cartwheels, headstands, handstands, and yoga poses were shared on the front lawn in our quiet neighborhood.

Bubbles were brought out and Momma Linda, Gail, and Seth attempted to blow bubbles with the uncooperative bubbles. Grey Cat joined us on the lawn and shared his shed hair with everyone, but we still like him.

Great-grandma and dad returned home from their journey to Salt Lake and joined the throng out front: some on chairs on the porch, some sprawled the grass, petting Grey Cat, some blowing bubbles, some bringing out too many toys to play with.

I thought we looked like a Norman Rockwell painting of stereotypical Americans enjoying family time in the front yard.

I had the blessing to not only spend time with my family, but great friends, too.

I had another dinner later night (I provided the salad and some asparagus) with Katy, Ginny, and Joe. It was a lovely spicy chicken alfredo and Asian chocolates for dessert.

The warm evening proved too difficult to not take advantage of, so we four plus Chaliece and Jessica went on an adventure hoping to play tennis. The courts were locked and the lights were off. Undeterred, we went to another court. It was also locked. So we ended up at the Cedar High tennis courts and attempted to play in the dark. It didn't work.

Not wanting to waste the lovely night, we went to the roof and watched the stars, sang songs with guitars, had a good ol' time talking. Katy and Joe told jokes. Or they were kissing. No one will ever really know for sure..

To top it off, we watched Baby Mama, one of my favorite movies of all time. Katy and Joe didn't enjoy it nearly as much as me, but I'm OK with that.

I'm grateful for the people in my life whether they be friends, family, acquaintances, or hey-sayers.Without them,
 my Sundays would be sad,
my Mondays would be mundane,
my Tuesdays would be terrible,
my Wednesdays would be woeful,
my Thursdays would be thorny,
my Fridays would be feudal,
and my Saturdays supine.

And that's the truth.

Texty text

The following conversation happened with me and my friend, Elise.
I thought it was funny so I decided to share.

Elise: Do you think I would be a bad best friend if I didn't make it down for Isie's reception? I can't afford to go down by myself and I don't know anyone going down. Do you by chance?

Me: I don't, but I'll keep a lookout. You should be OK... Hopefully. Does UVU have a ride share board?

Elise: Not that I know of. UVU is lame. And I checked Craigslist and there's one person wanting to carpool named Slater...sounds like a murderer. 

Me: Find out his real name and Facebook stalk him. And pretend to be a man. 

Elise: Haha! Pretending to be a man only helps me until I'm in the car with him. But I'll see...

Me: Haven't you seen She's the Man? Ha.

Elise: LOL, oh Eric :)

Me: Then just make up hunting stories about how good of a shot you are and that you have your concealed weapons permit. 

Elise: Also a great idea, until he starts conversing about guns and I have no idea what he's talking about. 

Me: Then you pretend you're narcoleptic and fall asleep suddenly without warning!

Elise: Bahaha! How do you know all these clever tricks? 

Me: I have weird dreams

Elise: More like nightmares! Well, I will see what I can do. Goodnight!

Me: Ciao! 


So. It was really late, so if there are things that we said that didn't make all the sense, that's why.

This is basically a play by play of my spring break

This past week was Spring Break and I had a marvelous adventure living as Eric the Nomad for about 4 days in the Salt Lake and Utah Valleys.

I rode public transportation and relied on the graces of others to get to where I needed to go.

I headed up with Momma Linda and one of her coworkers who had a conference in Salt Lake.

I went and helped with the SUU Orientation booth at two admitted student receptions.

The first reception in Salt Lake was at the Radisson Hotel. But for some reason, I had the notion that it was at the Sheraton. They do both end with an "ON." Perhaps that's how I got confused.

Well, the nice people at the Sheraton called up the shuttle and I made it to the Radisson for the reception (late, but happy). I really enjoyed the refreshments they had: brownies and creamy lemon bars. Way good. That was my dinner.

I went to Nick's work, hung out for a bit while he finished up his duties and then we took UTA Trax to his home in _____ Jordan. I never know if he lives in South or West Jordan.

Thursday, I pretty much bummed around Nick's for the greater part of the day. Then I took a two mile walk along the Jordan Canal to Trax, then transferred onto FrontRunner, and rode down to Lehi for another ASR at the dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving Point.

We at Brick Oven pizza and famous, delicious root beer in the parking lot. So delish. I know that I gave up soda for the "Project Healthy Music Majors (and Eric and Cassie)" thing, but it was too good to not drink. The dinner was provided by some SUU folks whose names I can't recall.

Before the formal presentation at the reception, there was a projection screen displaying things like, "Use #tbirdnation and tweet why you're excited to go to SUU," and "What club are you going to join at SUU?"  and "What are you going to study at SUU?" and "Why do you love SUU?" and "Take a picture with an SUU alum." So the OLeaders responded to all of those.

Hahahaha! These things crack me up! Well, the ones from SUU Orientation. I'm sure Rachel just prematurely tweeted the "I plan on studying." I don't know why I find that so hilarious.

 During the reception, the OLeaders (Orientation Leaders) present had a grand ol' time taking pictures and what naught. I'll steal some off Twitter that my friends with smartphones took.

A mammoth! A mammoth!

Take a picture with an alum! #tbirdnation

I then went back to Nick's to spend yet another night in their ever-so-cold basement dwelling. Seriously. So cold. I added extra blankets that night.

On Friday morning, my good friend and fellow OLeader, Marie, was receiving her endowment in the Salt Lake Temple along with her mother who journeyed all the way from Ohio. I was invited. Prior to the session, I had made plans to eat some breakfast with mom. But. I slept in.

A lot.

So, my lovely sister-in-law drove me to Trax. As we were pulling into the station, the light rail train pulled in! So I ran to the train and caught it... without paying.

So I went to the temple after stealing from UTA. Sorry. IOU $2.75. Or however much it is.

I then dashed to meet mom to grab my temple bag while wearing Nick's borrowed shoes and shirt (I dunno how I forgot dress shoes and a white shirt. Good thing we're the same size).

I, the thief, then ran to the temple from where I met mom in front of the Salt Palace Convention Center. I made it! Winded, tired, wheezy, and sweaty, but I made it nonetheless.

Photo blatantly stolen from Marie's Facebook.
Back row: me, Beth, Dille.
Front row: Rachel, Marie, Ty, Marie's mom Teresa, and Teresa's escort.. Didn't get her name.

 The session was lovely and we all enjoyed The Lion House Pantry for lunch courtesy of Marie's mom.

We're at a table in the Lion House. Really. Rachel, Marie, me.

 I got a ride to Nick's from Rachel, fellow OLeader and Marie's escort for the temple, then I took the train to American Fork where I was met by my great friend Marina.

She showed me her stomping grounds around Lindon and we had a great time together. She even showed me a waterfall. She really likes waterfalls.

At the waterfall in Highland.

Funny story: Marina was giving me a tour of her house. We came to the toy room and she said, "This closet is the best because it's just full of dress ups!" She opened the door and it was EMPTY! Her face fell, and I laughed hysterically at her reaction. I wonder where the dress ups went.

Marina drove me to Orem where we picked up Jenni and went swimming with some of my ol' mission pals, Michael and Josh.

After swimming in the outrageously chlorine-y pool, we cleaned up and went to a dance party for a bit.

Jenni and I weren't feeling the dance party, so we went to Brick Oven for a late dinner (10 p.m.). On our way there, there were many parties that we stopped by. No, we weren't invited. But doors were open, so... YOLO.

One instance: we walk in, say "Sorry we're late" as we walk by. Stand by a couple of girls, say "Sorry we're late" and get told "It's ok. Thanks for coming." Ha. Then Jenni said, "Well, we have to go," and we take off out the back door.

We then went to Jill's birthday party. They were dancing in a circle in the typical awkward Mormon singles fashion. We didn't know Jill. Nor did we get the chance because we ran away before too many questions were asked.

Brick Oven was divine. And our server, Ricci, is roommates with a chick that I went to high school with. Small world, eh?

We got their famous root beer (so incredible!), salad, pasta, and pizza for a very nice price. And the service was excellent. I'm totes going to eat there again.

Following dinner, we met some people rehearsing for Cirque du Soleil and some tyrannosaurus rexes (how do you make that plural?). That evening I learned: BYU has some interestingly friendly people. It made me really glad that I go to SUU. Not there's anything wrong with BYU...

We hung out with some more of my mission friends then headed to Jenni's house to sleep. We slept. Woke up late. And Jenni's mom made some delicious, hearty waffles.

I then went to my uncle Rob's house to get picked up from my mom. And what did my mom get for me?

Post to come...

Just in Case

In case I die and I don't get around to doing a legit will, we're going to count this blog post as my will.

Request 1: Whatever nominal funds I have, they are to be donated to either SUU, OSU, or some arts program for children. Pick one. I'll be dead, so I won't have much say in the matter.

Request 2: "The Lord is My Shepherd" from John Rutter's Requiem must be played at my funeral. It's pretty much the most beautiful piece ever.

Request 3: Don't fight over my stuff. Donate my instruments to the ICSD. All of my cool clothes should either be burned, shredded, cut up and made into blankets, or shipped to third-world or developing countries.

Shortest will ever.

My living will: keep me alive as long as insurance covers it. After that, pull the plug. Please. Your money is more valuable than my life... probably.

I'm What Now?

Last weekend, I had the privilege to travel to Temecula, CA to speak at my nephew's baptism (I almost typed funeral... weird).

It was fantastic being in the 70 degree weather in February. It was also fantastic being with so many family members.

One of my nieces, Ella (who we lovingly call "YElla" due to her abnormally high decibel levels) is a doll. She is five, blonde, nice white teeth, a big mouth, and I'm probably her favorite uncle.

Who am I kidding? I'm definitely her favorite uncle.

Anywho, after family prayer, the kids go around the circle of people and give hugs and kisses. As soon as "hugs and kisses" time started, Ella ran over to me, threw her arms around me, pulled back, looked at me, and said in her very loud voice, "I'm hugging you first because you're the weirdest!"

Well, I'm glad she knows why I'm her favorite.

World Nutella Day!

How did you celebrate February 5? Aka, World Nutella Day?

I had a Nutella and banana sandwich. And ice cream with Nutella. Yum.

#11

I DYED MY HAIR!

Or, as I like to say, I got my her did.

Watch the first 14 seconds of this clip: 

I went to Evan's Hairstyling College. My hair stylist's name was Brittany. I wanted to go a darker brown everywhere and get a splash of bright red. When I told that to my mother, she wasn't too terribly excited. So I just did the splash of red. Why red? Because I'm a T-Bird!

Before Brittany could put in the red, she had to bleach the natural color out. So there  was a period of time that I had a spot of lovely blonde hair. I wish I took a picture of that.

Good things about this experience:
I love the feeling of someone shampooing your hair.
It was only $6, plus tip.
Brittany and I became fast friends.

Things I didn't care for:
It took a lot longer than I anticipated, but I'm understanding because it's a hairstyling school and they're learning.
The building is going under some minor renovations, so it was loud.


Picture time!

Adding the red.

The finished product!

Me and Brittany. She did a very good job and will be a fantastic hairstylist when she graduates in September.

#23b423

Shhh. It's a Secret

I like Justin Bieber's music.

Get over it.

#20

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 2013:

Wake up a 04:50.
Wash face.
Eat breakfast.
Layer up.
Borrow mom's moon boots and snoveralls because I don't have warm clothes of my own.
Get picked up by Daryl Bulloch and drive to Otter Creek Reservoir to go ice fishing with five old guys (one of which was my dad).

Let me tell you: I don't like fishing. I don't like cold. Because of those two things, you would think that I would have hated ice fishing.
Well, you are absolutely right.

Our group (me, dad, Daryl, Ron, Roland) were the first ones on the lake* at.... I don't even know what time. Outrageously early o'clock. It was cold, calm, and clear. I lost two toes to frost bite. Just kidding. I have all my digits.

I didn't catch any fish with my own pole, but I did reel a few in from others' poles.

I fished, napped on rocks, napped on the ice, slid around wishing I had brought my ice skates, froze, and was bored for a long time.

Daryl, Ron, and Roland are hardcore fishermen. Dad would like to be. I would never like to fish again in my life (but I probably will). We were there all. Day. Long. I wanted to be done at noon. That was not the case. We left at four. We were the first ones on the lake and the last ones off. Seriously.

The fishing was comparatively slow, according to the experts. But dad and I came home with eight fish... most of which were caught by Ron's pole. I gutted and cleaned them. Dad filleted them.

Picture time:

This is me ice fishing. So fashionable, eh? the sun had just barely crested the surrounding hills. 

I was using a jig which requires you to move the line up and down thus resulting in ice on the line which was a reel pain. Pun intended.

Largest catch of the day goes to Daryl.

This is ice fishing. Exciting, no?

So styling it's not even funny. Check out the snotsicles.

Napping on the ice.

Large bowl of cleaned fish. I don't know why I didn't get a photo of me holding the chain (?) of fish. Ron has one...

Fish heads.

*It's a reservoir, but I call it a lake. Get over it. 

#23b423

The Ghost of Christmas Past

This morning-- wait, this afternoon. I didn't even wake up until noon. I love winter break!-- I went through all of the Christmas newsletters that mom has sent out. She's been doing this since 1993 and she talks about each of the kids and the year's highlights. I thought I would share with you

Eric: 1993-Present

(Illustrated Edition)

so that you can see how much I've really changed.

1993, Christmas at grandpa and grandma Autrey's farmhouse off Route 66 in Missouri:

Clockwise from top left: Katie, me, cousin Tiffany; Me and grandma; Me; Sometimes I played dress-up with my sisters; Damian and me at Bass Pro Shops in Springfield; Christmas morning. Me, dad, Gail, Damian.

From the newsletter: Eric is a big three year old who talks and sings non-stop. We go from fits to fits of laughter with him.

1996, (Mom wasn't always consistent),

Momma Linda in her traditional spot under the tree distributing gifts. And me. Being an awesome six-year-old.

From the newsletter: Eric sang his first solo in sacrament meeting the Christmas just prior (1995)..... Eric's enjoying life. He sings, and plays with friends, loves our cats, and knows all the neighbors better than all the rest of us combined. He's the neighborhood socialite. We enjoy him lots. We hope the neighbors do, too. 

1997,

Top: going around: Nick, Katie, Damian, Momma Linda, dad, me.
I was ill this Christmas and "stopped the drips" by shoving tissue up my nose. Cute and creative.

From the newsletter: Eric (7) finished up kindergarten last spring and as of fall, became a full-time student! Celebration time for this mom! He loves school, and it's so fun to see him discover reading! I love it when he reads me bedtime stories (yes, he reads to me!), and stops to chuckle at the funny antics of Dr. Seuss Characters and others.

1998, 

Even at a young age, I was a master at photobombing. Me, grandpa Liebhardt, Nick, Katie.

From the newsletter: Eric, our youngest, is eight now. He was baptized just a couple of months ago and is in the second grade. He loves reading and all kinds of other stuff- mostly playing with his friends. 

1999,

I couldn't find any Christmas photos from that year. Mom said "Maybe our camera was broken." I found this gem and figured it symbolizes my favorite part of Christmas: Family. Me, Katie, and Nick laughing in Katie's bed.

From the newsletter: There isn't anything on me specifically. Except that I'm nine. And played the days away with Nick during the summer.

2000, my first trip to Disneyland occurred around Christmastime.

All aboard! Big Thunder Mountain Railroad! LtoR: Gail, dad, Damian, Katie, Nick, me.

From the newsletter: Eric (10) is in 4th grade and still loves reading. Have you all read the Harry Potter series? Eric devoured those as quickly as he could. He just keeps busy with friends and I'm still attempting to teach him the importance of picking up after himself. I wonder if this is a hopeless task sometimes. But he's just so dang HAPPY all the time!

2001,

Dad, Momma Linda, me, Nick, Katie.

From the newsletter: Eric is in the 5th grade this year. It is his turn to have the longest commute to school, but he's a good sport and rides the bus. He also took up a string instrument this year. He's learning to play the violin at school.

2003, 

One of our favorite holiday pastimes is playing games such as Settlers of Catan. LtoR: Gail, Katie, me, Nick, Damian, Tandy.

 From the newsletter: Eric: 7th grade, improving on the violin, reading, reading, reading, science camp graduate from the past 3 summers, archeology camp, Life scout, happy camper, hiker, and movie buff. 

2004, 

Me and Katie. We sang in the Messiah that year. 

 From the newsletter: Eric is in the 8th grade. He is progressing in music. His other grades are good, too, overall. He had in interesting comment when we questioned him about some missed assignments on his grade sheet. He said, "The overall grade is good, and just so long as I'm grasping the concepts, it's okay." Hmmm. He's going to be one we're going to watch more closely in the future. For now, we watch, listen, and enjoy as he sings and plays. 

2005, 

We had another Disneyland Christmas this year. LtoR: Damian, me, Braeden, Hercules, Seth, dad.

From the newsletter: Eric is still here at home, ran cross country, and performed in a school play, Grease (as the nerd). He also got to be in a small independent film called (Nerd)² [pronounced "nerd squared"] as a nerd. Is he being typecast? He's still singing and fiddlin'. 

2006, 

Christmas cuteness. Mom, grandpa L, grandpa and grandma A, me.

 From the newsletter: Mom just talked about all the fun trips everyone went on. I didn't go on many because I was being awesome working at Taco Time. Woot.

2007, 

Me unwrapping a gift and Seth.

From the newsletter:  This newsletter was actually written by me from mom's point of view. I did it like a newspaper with different sections. The Arts and Entertainment section is this: Our family sure has been busy going to concerts and plays... mostly Eric's. In February, he was a supporting actor in the silly western play "Westward, Whoa!" More recently in November, he was cast as Tevye in "Fiddler on the Roof." He did an amazing job singing and acting, but it was nice to get it over with and breathe! And, of course, his orchestra and choir concerts keep us busy. In September, he played his first big recital and did very well.... You might say that we support the arts... through Eric.

2008, 

The Christmas card we sent out. Our family is growing!

 From the newsletter: We didn't have one this year.

 2009,

The Christmas card from 09.

From the newsletter: Eric has gone away from home  for a couple of years. He left in September and is serving a mission in the Washington DC North mission. He is in Maryland, serving the Lord, working hard and loving it from what we can tell from his letters.... Eric did manage to graduate from high school- whew! Last one through! And he managed to squeeze in that Eagle Scout award at the very last minute, too.

2010, 

I was on my mission for Christmases 2009 and 2010. Me and Elder Hutchison. I was chubby then. Wow. I actually sent out a Christmas card with Elder Hutchison, but I couldn't find a copy to share here. Oh well.

 From the newsletter: {We love to visit our kids and grandkids in:} Maryland--Eric, though we only visit him via email and letters since he's serving a mission.

2011, 

Christmas card from 2011.

 No newsletter... 

2012, 

This year's Christmas card. Nick's wedding reception in July.

Again, no newsletter 

But I do hope you enjoyed this, especially the blast from the past pics. Those made me laugh.

I sincerely hope all y'all had a wonderful Christmas and that you were able to enjoy the Spirit of this special season.

Headline-worthy News

I love being a music major.
I love creating and interpreting art.
I love performing (except when I get performance anxiety... which is too often).
I love the faculty and staff in the music department.
I love teaching. Being a teacher is, in my humble award-winning opinion, one of the most noble professions.
I love the students that I have the pleasure of teaching. Such nice kids.
I love the way music makes me feel.
I love the way my music makes others feel.

For the past few weeks, I have been thinking about life.

My goals. 

My plans. 

Short term. 

Long term.

Where I want to be. 

What I want to do. 

What type of impact I want to make.

So I thought about the attributes I have. 

What I am I good at? 

What makes me happy? 

What can I see me doing?

As soon as I started at SUU, I applied and got accepted into the music education program. I have made so many great friends and memories. The faculty and staff really care. And they even decorate the music building for Christmas. I love it! 

But sometimes good things end. 

As I thought about my major and my career path, something didn't feel right. I felt doubt and uncertainty.

So I did what any Christian would do: I prayed. I did some research. I sought guidance and counsel from God about my uneasy feelings. 

The heavens did not open and tell me what to do. In fact, I became more restless about where I was going in life. 

A couple weeks later I made a decision: I am changing my major. To Hotel, Resort, & Hospitality Management. 

Upon making that decision, I felt so good! Those uneasy feelings of doubt and uncertainty went away and I'm at peace. 

Here's a good talk to read on the subject: http://magazine.byu.edu/?act=view&a=2536e

So. Life changing news.
Awesome, happy, wonderful, peaceful life changing news.

Turkeys and Stuff

This month has been full of reminders that we need to be grateful for those things that we do have. I saw those reminders primarily on Facebook and Twitter. Let's be honest, those are really the only two websites that I frequent.

Many people posted one thing each day that they are grateful for. Touching things, really. Bearing their souls.

And I posted one thing that I'm grateful for. On Twitter.

Yup. That was my only thankful post.

But you know what?

Although I am so thankful for Downton Abbey, I am grateful for a multitude of other things. Will I list them here? No. Because I don't want to. You should watch this video. It's great.

So, dear reader, even though I may not tell you of my gratitude via posts or tweets, know that I am thankful. Not just in November or on the fourth Thursday of that month, but all days.

"Gratitude is a mark of a noble soul and a refined character. We like to be around those who are grateful. They tend to brighten all around them. They make others feel better about themselves."

-Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin

Freudian Slip

I love my family.

We are all so weird.

I mean different.

There are five kids in my family. I'm the youngest. I have two brothers and two sisters.
We all went to Southern Utah University.
The areas of study varied from German, chemistry, sociology, and biology.

And then there's me: Eric, Bachelor's of Music Education candidate.

Both of my brothers took the medical road. My eldest brother is a Doctor of Osteopathic medicine and will be graduating from residency in June. My other brother is currently working on his Doctor of Pharmacy degree.
And they were both very active members of the Sigma Chi fraternity.

And then there's me: Eric. Who didn't choose to study science or go into medicine. Or join Sigma Chi.

And you know what?

That's okay.

My parents are supportive and are okay with the field of study I have chosen.

At least I thought they were.

My mom recently sent me a text that said, "When is your residency graduation?"

Hmmmm. Freudian slip?

Zombies

Zombie-mania has been sweeping the nation.

We find zombies mentioned all over the place: movies, television series, literature, and even the news.

Southern Utah University even has their own resident zombie expert, Dr. Kyle Bishop, who I heard lecture on the topic in September.

I recently jumped on the zombie bandwagon, first starting with SUU's Halloween party, The Scream. My friend Ali found way a legit makeup technique on Pinterest to make us look like grotesque zombies.

Me and Ali. And a Snake at SUU's epic Halloween party.

Isn't that makeup intense?! While at the Scream, we received many compliments. And also many shudders. I'll also be wearing that costume to school tomorrow. Woot.

Last night I started watching AMC's The Walking Dead television series on Netflix.

I was up really late because I was doing the wash and I had to wait for my last load to finish in the washer so that I could dry the clothes and have something to wear to school today. While waiting for the clothes to finish, I decided to start watching TWD.

It's pretty freaky.

When the laundry (and the first episode of TWD) was done, I went in the bathroom to get ready for bed only to discover that I was out of contact solution! Blurgh!

It was 02:30.

I needed contact solution.

I had just watched a pretty creepy show and was not too keen on the idea of leaving my house to head to Walmart to purchase contact solution at this terribly late (or early?) hour.

But I did.

I drove to Walmart. Guess how many cars I saw on the road?

Zero. The road to Walmart parallels I-15 and I only saw about three cars on it the whole time I was out.
Creepy

I went to Walmart.
Parked.
Looked around.

No sign of life. The world is stationary.
This is creepy.

I go into Walmart to be greeted by
no one.
Absolutely no one.
No employee.
No patron.
Just merchandise and fluorescent lights.

As I walked to the aisle where the contact solution was kept, my heart raced.
There are walkers there, waiting for me. Hungry. 

Luckily, walkers don't exist and I purchased my contact solution without dying or becoming undead.

It was still pretty creepy, though.

The Great American Road Trip

I'm no stranger to the open road.

Driving to the nine hours to visit my sister in Reno doesn't even phase me.

I would love to look out the window and watch the American splendor pass by, but, unless I'm at the wheel, I fall asleep rather quickly (solution: Dr. Pepper).

My family has great memories road tripping together.

I remember (or at least I think I  remember) driving to Missouri to visit my maternal grandparents at Christmas when I was three. Momma Linda, dad, Damian, Gail, Katie, Nick, and I. One brown GMC diesel single cab truck. We had a camper shell on the truck so we stuck a mattress back there to travel in comfort and style. It was wintertime and very cold. To stay warm, we burrowed into piles of blankets and I think we had some sort of duct going from a heat vent through the small, sliding window into the bed.

We're pretty resourceful.

 That's definitely the longest drive I've done. We did that same drive again when I was twelve.

This past weekend, we went on another road trip through the wondrous grandeur of Southeast Utah.

SUU had fall break and I thought it might be good time to visit some Utah National Parks during the long weekend and help me do my #23b423 list. So we did.

I was really excited to go camping. It has been years (seriously sad) since I've been camping in the great outdoors. I was excited to sleep in a tent, and make our food, and have sand in every orifice of my body.
My parents had other plans.

 

Yeah. We stayed in a hotel. In Green River (ghetto town) which is about an hour away from Arches National Park- the first park we were going to visit. 

Here's a quick recap:

Saturday: 

We left after SUU's loss to Weber State to our hotel in Green River.

Sunday: 

Left GR super early to hike Delicate Arch before sunrise to watch the sun rise over the park. We drove all the paved roads in the park seeing awesome formations. Driving through the park reminded me a lot of the scenery in Disney/Pixar's Cars. Momma Linda and I did a couple short hikes.

Went to Dead Horse Point State Park. Left and came back because we missed the actual point. We're awesome like that sometimes. 

Went to Canyonlands National Park Island in the Sky District. Incredible! A well kept secret. Looks 3x the size as the Grand Canyon and has spectacular formations. Mom and I did one short hike. 

Ate at one of two restaurants in GR. Not impressed. 

Went to bed early. It's amazing how much you can get done when you wake up at 04:45. 

Monday aka Winday: 

Alarm went off. Mom said "Ten more minutes." Usually I'm the one who says that. Ha.

Ate breakfast at the other restaurant in GR. I liked it better, though it is more difficult to screw up breakfast. 

Drove to Goblin Valley State Park. The drive provided beautiful views of the San Rafael Reef. Two words: majestically rugged. Goblin Valley provided crazy cool formations. Reminded me of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in Disneyland. It was very windy and I did end up getting sand in every orifice of my body.

Drove through Wayne County. It inspired me to write a book Fiftly Shades of Beige: The Exciting Story of Wayne County (it's not erotic in any way). Wayne County doesn't have a lot going on except for

Capitol Reef National Park. We only saw a tiny, tiny portion of the park which is so huge! Hiked to a natural bridge. Fruita historic town would be cool to visit during harvest season.

Drove. Saw fantastic views from UT Highway 12. I didn't take any photos. So sorry. Everyone should make this drive. It's so pretty it hurts.

Drove more. Cute, small towns, pastures, forests, creeks, canyons. Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument was creepy to drive through. The highway drops off on either side at one point (and it wasn't even on Hell's Backbone Road!). 

Drove to Bryce Canyon National Park. Ate lunch/dinner at Ruby's Inn.

Home.

Four national parks. Two state parks. One national monument. Less than 48 hours. 855 miles. It was amazing how much beauty is so close to our home!

Picture time!

Delicate Arch before the sun rises.

The sun lights up the natural beauty of the park.

Dad, Momma Linda, and me on a rock that overlooks the arch.

Shadows.

Huge (and adorable) field mouse cowering in a corner of a waste bin.

Me and Momma Linda. Turret Arch. Arches NP.

Can you see the Parade of Elephants? Double Arch is behind the leading elephant's bum.

Natural bonsai? It's only about 12" tall. Canyonlands NP.

Momma Linda overlooking Upheaval Dome- a very unique geological feature (salt hills, remnants of a dome in a crater). Canyonlands NP.

Dad and Momma Linda at Canyonlands NP.

Driving parallel to the San Rafael Reef.

Wild Horse Butte in background.

Goblin Valley!

Momma Linda and me in Capitol Reef National Park with Hickman Bridge in the distance.

Looking down the canyon. All cotton wood trees were yellow. The green field below is an orchard in Fruita. 

Last stop before lunch/dinner at Ruby's Inn.

The next time you're needing a vacation, look at what's near your home. I had never visited Arches, or Canyonlands, or Dead Horse Point, or Goblin Valley, or Capitol Reef. And they're all within a four-and-a-half drive from my house! I'm kind of beating myself up for not seeing these things sooner.

Now that I know how close these sights are, I'll be going again. Maybe for spring break. And this time I want to sleep in a tent.

If you're a visual person, this is the route we took.