College Days

The story

2009-07-06T14:39:00.000-07:00

Awhile back I decided to start a blog about my lovely college days with all the fun details to go with it. College then left me with no time to blog. Instead the blog became an out for my dating frustrations, which at the time seemed legitimate, but are now so funny to look back on. Don't get me wrong, dancing with your girlfriends still makes you look like an idiot, but I am so grateful for the events this summer that have changed my life.

As an introduction, University of Utah sports had become my life. To follow the 13-0 football team to a Sugar Bowl defeat and to watch the basketball team's dominance to a Mountain West Conference Championship, I THOUGHT had made my life complete. I had given up on females and their stupid games and decided that sports could give back 10 times more than any girlfriend could. Girls were ridiculous and my walls were built high.

Near the first of April I was sitting at work one day doing my Facebook thang. (I wouldn't call myself an "Fbook Stalker" but I got pretty professional with the etiquette.) I was checking out a photo album of my buddies', who just happens to be a photographer, when I happened upon some pics of some beautiful girls. That was the first time my eyes fell upon one Becca Spear. Now I wish that this happened some other way than through Facebook, maybe so that telling the story doesn't have to make me seem like such a creeper. You have to hear me out on this one, I am not one to find my next date on Facebook, but this time around I had to at least give it a try. I did the logical thing and commented on my favorite picture of her, making sure she was tagged so that both Mike and Becca would get the notification. "So when are you introducing me to Becca... haha." Notice the laughing gesture.

I truthfully never expected anything to come of it. Like I said before, sports meant much more to me than any girl... and gross weirdos comment on girls' pictures all the time right? And all I really did was suggest a compliment that I quite possibly was attracted enough to this girl that I might consider wanting to meet her and take her out. Harmless, right? Almost 30 minutes later I received a text from Mike with the words, "So you really wanna meet her? She's down."

On April 24th, 2009 Becca and I went on a date. She opened the front door and I almost ran out of air. I decided that no matter the outcome, at least I'd have a night to stare across the table at someone or something so gorgeous. We went to Cafe Rio, took a hike up Ensign Peak, then played a rousing game of Candyland. I couldn't get to know enough about this girl... I wanted to know everything. Usually first dates stressed me out, trying to make a great impression instead of being myself. I mean, setups were the absolute worst way to go to enjoy my weekend off from school. But the stars aligned and we hit it off. Thanks to my buddy Mike, a date 2 was in order since he sent me a copy of the Facebook chat conversation they had about how much she wanted me to ask her out again.

Almost 3 months later, without any type of stupid games or nonsense involved along the way, last week Becca accepted my proposal to marry her in the Salt Lake Temple on October 10th, 2009. She has destroyed any type of wall or barrier that I once had, and has made me happier than any other time in my entire life. We are all meant to go through crap in order to distinguish the crap from the happiness... Rascal Flatts explains it better than I ever could below. But I am so grateful that the Lord has blessed me with such an incredible girl to walk side by side with me through life.

And with this post... my blogging days are over. The adventures will continue, but now I'll have the love of my life to experience them with. "Suddenly life seems so much." :)

Nuff said

2009-05-10T00:41:00.000-07:00

Rascal Flatts - The Day Before You

I had all but given up on finding
The one that I could fall into
On the day before you
I was ready to settle for
Less than love and not much more
There was no such thing as a dream come true
Oh, but that was all the day before you

Now you're here and everything's changing
Suddenly life means so much
I can't wait to wake up tomorrow
And find out this promise is true
I will never have to go back to
The day before you

In your eyes I see forever
Makes me wish that my life never knew
The day before you

Oh, but Heaven knows those years without you
Were shaping my heart for the that day I found you
If you're the reason for all that I've been through
Then I'm thankful for the day before you

Now you're here and everything's changing
Suddenly life means so much
I can't wait to wake up tomorrow
And find out this promise is true
I will never have to go back to
The day before you

Was the last day that I ever needed alone
And I'm never going back
No I'm never going back

Now you're here and everything's changing
Suddenly life means so much
I can't wait to wake up tomorrow
And find out this promise is true
No I'm never going back
I will never have to go back to
The day before you

Girls: That's All I Ever Blog About

2009-02-13T13:34:00.000-08:00

This is how it's been going the past 6 or 7 months... Taylor + ♀ = Major Problems.

So in an attempt to keep the peace with the female species and myself, about 6 months I swore off girls and officially started my dating fast. Honestly, it was one of the healthiest things I've ever done in my life... I started up Rho again and met tons of new buddies, I had time for my Utes who went 13-0 (making it to 10 out of 13 games), and I had the most amazing trip of my life to New Orleans.

I've had a lot of time to observe... and finally after many months of deep thought and note-taking... I have come up with the top ten reasons why men don't ask out girls as much as girls wish they did. Now don't get me wrong, this is not a bash-on-girls post. They're just things that girls should probably learn sooner than later.

1) If you like playing hard to get, you're just not worth getting.

2) Society says men have commitment issues. Well women don't know what they want. So there.

3) Girls love the chase, but never like being caught.

4) Chivalry is dead and it's the felines' fault. Girls only date jerks no matter how much they say they like sensitive.

5) Dancing with your girlfriends just makes you look silly.

6) Girls should probably ask the guy what he's thinking rather than what their best friend thinks the guy is thinking.

7) Reciprocation is always appreciated.

8) If you're not interested, then don't act interested.

9) Dancing with your girlfriends just makes you look silly. Did I already say that?

10) If you don't think you're too good for the guy, then don't act too good.

Girls... can't live with'em... can live without'em.

Friends

2008-12-23T15:13:00.000-08:00

If it wasn't for my amazing fellas and fam... I don't know where I'd be. We had some sick memories this semester traveling with our Utes. Here's just some pics in retrospect from every game. I love you guys!

BYU 12-0!!!
San Diego 11-0!!!
TCU 10-0!!!
Oregon State 8-0!!!
Colorado state 6-0!!

Air Force 4-0!!!
UNLV 3-0!!!
Utah State 2-0!!!

I refuse...

2008-10-17T15:39:00.000-07:00

Well I don't refuse to NEVER ask out a girl ever again... but for a pretty long while. This probably isn't the place to vent, but I haven't posted for awhile. And why not? How many people ACTUALLY read this. But anyways.

Recently I've heard time after time after time from females how stupid it is that guys never ask out anymore. Now hearing this kinda took me by surprise at first... personally I feel I go out on a good amount of dates and lots of my buddies do as well. I mean, if we're not hanging out with the fellas then we're probably on dates.

Well recently I've been interested in a few different girls and decided this Fall Break would be a great time to catch up and ask out those who I've been meaning to take out. Well I'll have you know that I have tried everything and to no avail have the girls accepted my invitation. Normally you would call a girl around Monday to Wednesday to reserve her for the weekend right? Well after a few attempts I decided to maybe ask a day or two before. That didn't work either.

Now I'll have you know, the reason why I haven't had the chance to take these girls out are because they had "things going on" the week or two before. After how many times asking a girl out and her finding "excuses" for both weekend nights does a guy give up so she doesn't think he's a) desperate or b) stalkerish? I mean, I thought I had a good handle on feeling if a girl was giving me excuses or just was honestly busy... But now I'm completely lost.

Thus I come to the conclusion... either a) I am not dating material and girls throw up at the thought of a guy like me taking them out for a night... or b) girls just don't want to go on dates as much as they say they do. (Don't even try option c. I know the girls just honestly don't have something already planned. haha)

In either case, I refuse to ask out another girl for awhile. Either until my grotesque appearance grows on some random girl or girls actually begin to realize that no one's going to ask them out if they refuse every time and play the game too hard... I accept college football as my "girlfriend."

UTAH FOOTBALL!!!!

2008-09-02T16:15:00.000-07:00

Oh my... just when I thought I couldn't be happier: Utah Football came along again! I completely forgot how much I love that beloved sport with a passion! This last week we were able to scrape a win past Power House Michigan on their turf and I swear I was about ready to have a heart attack in the 4th quarter. I LOVE FOOTBALL!

Now, pretty sure no Zoobies ever read my blog so I'm gonna be venting for a minute here. I HATE BYU!!! I know those are harsh words, but I've been brought up to despise the TDS (Team Down South) and that's the way it will always be. The second we beat Michigan automatically the cougs started trying to discredit our win and boost up their victory over Northern Iowa... haha, do the zoobies know how ridiculous that sounds? UNI looked like a freaking High School team. But anyways, what I can't stand the most is all this hype about the TDS's "Quest for Perfection". UHHH!!!

Supposedly they do go undefeated... The "Quest" will have been a pretty lucky prediction about the future... which is probably the most arrogant and cocky thing a football team could ever do. Not even USC promotes that THEY WILL go undefeated.

But what happens if Washington or UCLA, or better yet Colorado State gets in the way of the Zoobies "Perfection"? What then? I'm pretty sure Mendenhall will give a great speech on the strength of character and courage that the team will have perfected this season. Don't you love those Zoobies? Always flappin' their lips but seem to shut them at the most convenient time.

What gets me more than anything is their Holier-Than-Thou attitude that just drives me nuts!!! Austin Collie has never paid attention in a religion class and has the guts to say their victory last year was attributed to their "righteous living on and off the field"? And is Max Hall receiving help from above after dropping the F Bomb 3 times on national television against UCLA in their bowl game? I don't think so. If you profess it, Zoobies, then live it.

Anyways, prideful cougars just throw me off my rocker. They should spend less time chalking up their stats and read the BOM where they should learn that pride becomes before the fall. Aiya! That's all I have to say about that.

Isn't the rivalry so much fun? The second BYU does well they think they're just too hot to trott. I love it! I love it! I love Utah Football and I love watching Johnson charge down the field, Casteel get his extra yards, and Asiata start from fresh. It's a beautiful thing football is. I can't wait for November 22nd!!!

First Day of School!

2008-08-26T14:51:00.000-07:00

While laying on top of my houseboat in Lake Powell a couple minutes after a beautiful mid-afternoon ski, basking in the warmth of the sun, and smiling at the scent of sun tan enhancer... my ipod changed to "So Long Sweet Summer" by Dashboard. The rest of my trip was ruined and I swear I started crying at even the thought of jumping back into the grind again.

I got home and immediately started shoving my pens, notepads, calculator, etc. into my backpack with disgust on Sunday night. I was mad, summer had come and gone. But for some reason, the second I stepped out of my car into the institute parking lot... it all just felt so right. I felt like I was home again after a long vacation and I was happy.

Now previously I remember the dreaded 18 minute walk from the Tute to the WEB to be torturous and a waste of time and energy. But for some reason I caught myself looking up into the trees and breathing the fresh mountain air. I think I was even smiling!!! And it only got better. I walked to the Union with a buddy just like every day last year and thought I'd painfully have to burn some time before the next class, but surprisingly I thoroughly enjoyed myself while chattin' about life with some friends.

The next couple of classes weren't all too exciting, but it JUST FELT GOOD to be in school again. I just felt happy. I don't know how else to explain it. Rush week should be killing me right now with stress up to the yin yang... but I love it. Being busy makes me happy. I don't know if this post makes any sense, but it was probably the best first day of school I've ever had. I am so completely excited for this school year and especially the fraternity. I love college!

On and on

2008-07-08T16:16:00.000-07:00

So I'm sitting at work today, bored out of my mind and thought I might expound on a few thoughts. The thought of the day... life won't ever slow down and your problems will never disappear. They won't. So make the best out of every day you've got no matter the circumstances.

Last semester was probably the craziest time of my life trying to juggle dating, school, work, and church. I would think, "Gosh, if I can only make it to this weekend my life will perfect." or "Once this test is over I'm home free." Once the weekend was over or the test was done, it would be back to the grind. After going through this vicious cycle over and over, I finally started looking a little farther down the road. "If I could only be done with this semester so I can be happy again..." The semester ended, my stress level dropped to none, and I thought I was on top of the world again.

I changed to full time in my job, and for a little bit I thought I was extremely happy, mainly because I had finished the semester. But soon other problems and other stresses began to creep into the daily grind... co-worker issues, frustrations in my calling, the complicated dating scene, etc. The list never ends, and never will. I've actually even found myself thinking, "Man, if I could only get done with this summer and get busy again..." Haha! How fickle am I?

So recently I have had a rude awakening that no matter the circumstances in life, we are always going to have trials and walls to get around. So instead of always looking forward to better days and wishing today would just be over, why not make today the best day ever?

Moral of the Story: No matter what day it is, or what season of the year it is, or whether you're married or not, or if you're still struggling through college without any money, or missing the beloved people of Spain... be content with what you have. Be patient, focus on the positive, and do your best. Life if so much easier when you're just havin' fun with it.

Dating...

2008-06-06T15:33:00.000-07:00

So I was thinking today that dating can be the most fun yet roughest part of life. There's not really much I have to say on the subject, except that never has life been more stressful and fun at the same time... With school out of the way for a few months and just work during the day (which consists of me facebooking for 8 hours) I've had a lot of time to hang out with the fellas and pay attention to the people I haven't had time for in a while.

I guess before my mission the dating scene seemed so harmless and uncommitted with 2 years of safety space ahead... But now everyone seems to think this is the real deal! We're playing for keeps now. Whatever happened to taking a girl out for a fun night without having to promise a second and third date? Buddies are dropping like flies and every 19 year old girl seems to be jumping on the "M" word bandwagon. It's just craziness and I'm still just trying to understand the whole thing. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not looking to be a bachelor to my mid thirties (by the way - I love "The Bachelor") but I think this is the time to just live life up. I mean, come on, I'll only be a single, white, American 22 year-old once in my life.

No time...

2008-02-03T20:56:00.000-08:00

So wow, it's been awhile since I've done anything with this blog. But I'm gonna have to admit that my brother brought up a good point. It is kinda girly to blog, and since I know of no other male who blogs, I just might have to end my blogging days here today.

Special events that you've missed... I aced my finals and got nearly a 4.0. Nearly. Stupid Computer Science. I got a job over the holidays and now work part time at a software engineering company debugging problems in the software. Yes, you may call me a nerd. Over the holiday I dated a girl for a month or two and just recently she didn't even have the nerve to break up with me over a conversation. Yes, she wrote me a 10-texted break up. Advice ladies, never do that - anyone can do better than that. And now, life just won't slow down with the part time job and full time U of U schedule hitting me hard into the pavement. I just don't have time to sleep anymore. So I guess you're lucky that I'm taking time out of Statics/Strengths studying to update this "girly" blog. So there it is...

Moral of the story: Women are like monkies ... can't let go of one branch until they get a firm grasp on another. "Two words."

Chick Flicks...

2007-12-14T23:47:00.000-08:00

So all this extra time on my hands from not studying or doing homework has really given me a chance to catch up on my chick flicks ranging from The Notebook, to Return to Me, to Startdust (I personally think it's a chick flick). It's really interesting ... and sometimes I hate admitting it, but I am absolutely addicted to chick flicks, possibly even more so than most girls. I swear every night this past week I've asked my sisters, "So what chick flick should we watch?"

You might think me a freak, but I believe it's just because I'm a hopeless romantic. Everything that's supposed to go right (and does in the movies) never goes right in dating. I text her too early, I call her too late, I come on too strong, I don't flirt enough, I get scared to ask her out again, ya di ya da. The list goes on. But those things just never happen in a chick flick. Or they do and then the guy miraculously gets the girl; probably because the girl can't resist his hollywood 12-pack.

Can it be the same in the real world? I hope so, I'm still waiting for it to happen. But until then I'll just sit on the couch and enjoy every moment of the cute little stories that another hopeless romantic wrote specifically for me. Or maybe I should just get off my butt and make it happen. Hmmm? And if you're a guy reading this post ... arrgh. (That was a manly grunt to prove that I'm still a man.)

Finals ... why?

2007-12-12T00:28:00.000-08:00

So here I am killing over because I'm not sure if I can EXACTLY remember how to doubley integrate the polynomial that needs to be converted to spherical coordinates, or how to write a function in C++ language that uses a recursive call, or what embotellamiento "really" means in spanish. We work and stress and study for 4 long months of the year, yet only have 2 measly hours to answer 10 questions that covers about 1/50 of what we've learned. I've never been known to test well. In fact, my parents probably thought I was a "problem child" in elementary school because I couldn't score above a 10% in listening nor reading. And the scary thing is, finals are usually 30-40% of your final grade in college; but why?

Sure, finals test your knowledge of what you've learned ... but even more, test your abilities to cram as much of the info that's been thrown at you for the past months into your head for at least a couple of hours so that your life doesn't completely fall apart from losing your scholarship or gpa. One slight miss of the note-cramming could end up giving you a C in the class, which leads to a poor gpa and less chance of getting a great job, and without a job you can say goodbye to trying to support a large family, living happily ever after with that special someone is no longer an option, and life as we know it is completely ruined. All because of finals? Yes, and the injustice must be stopped now before I waste anymore time venting on this blog.

Moral of the story: Finals week stinks.

A blog, what's that?

2007-12-06T16:23:00.000-08:00

So I have no idea what this is, nor do I have much time to figure it out. But somehow it seems a bit more intruiging than myspace or facebook. Just so you know, I just got home from my LDS mission in Spain, I'm studying at the University of Utah, and I love life. It couldn't be better. Life's hard most of the time, and I guess I'm finally realizing that stopping and "smelling the roses" is a must to survive. Blogging's just another way to smell'em.