Oh Thank Heaven, Part III

I love Thanksgiving break! I got plenty of stuff done today, but I didn't have to worry about having a schedule. That's always nice. Well, I'll go right to the point. The countdown will continue.

First things first though...

THE THINGS I'M GRATEFUL FOR TODAY:


1. I went to the MTC to volunteer today. I was an investigator. A Spanish speaking investigator. I was very impressed with the missionaries and their ability to speak their new language. I am grateful I can still speak it, and I'll admit the missionaries I was working with made me sound pretty good! Ha! What I'm also grateful for is that even though I was there to volunteer, and we were doing a role play, the message and testimonies I heard today were what I needed to hear. Go missionaries!


2. I'm grateful for good friends. This afternoon I was in the parking garage installing a new air filter (don't ever pay a mechanic to do that, it takes 5 minutes). I ran into my neighbor Mike who invited me to go to In-N-Out burger with him and some friends. I hadn't eaten since breakfast, and I hadn't been to In-N-Out since a 2003 trip to Vegas, so I went. I had forgotten that the food at In-N-Out completely DOMINATES other burger places. It was delicious. And the company was great.

3. I'm grateful for time to clean. And I'm grateful to live in a clean place. After I got home from In-N-Out I had some spare time so I did the following: mopped the bathroom floor, mopped the kitchen floor, wiped down the kitchen counters, cleaned my bathroom, washed my sheets (and the bathroom mats), vacuumed the whole house, and dusted all the fans, electronics, and air supply vents. Whew! The house has never been cleaner. Also, I have the place to myself for a few days because all the boys are gone. That means the house will stay as clean as I keep it! Yesssss!!

A FEW MORE OF MY TOP 10:

6. I'm thankful for my comfortable circumstances. I'm not sure the best way to describe this one without being prideful. In my life I have lived in various circumstances, but I will admit that I have always had my needs taken care of and in most cases my wants as well. I understand that I am not entitled to the comforts and conveniences I enjoy. I will admit that if it were up to only me I would not have even 90% of the things I enjoy. Nevertheless they are blessings and I am thankful for them. Among the many comforts I enjoy, I especially enjoy having a comfortable and clean place to live, a vehicle that has aged very nicely (170,000 miles and counting), the means to keep my stomach full, and all the tools and toys that help me work hard and play hard too. I'm also thankful that I was taught how to take care of the things I've been blessed with. That way my blessings last longer.

5. I'm thankful for faithful friends and examples. Before I came home from my mission, President Cornish gave me some of the best advice I've ever received. He said that once I got home I needed to choose my friends wisely, because "You are who your friends are." It may not happen overnight, but after several months you become who your friends are. I've been lucky to have friends and examples that have helped me to improve who I am. I am surrounded by people who elevate me and inspire me to be better. I am lucky to be around people who are trustworthy and honest, people who share the same beliefs as I do and strive to live righteous lives. The influence of those whom I call my friends has had a profound positive impact on my life.

4. I'm thankful for my roommates. Again, I'm not trying to be sappy and cheesy. I'm just trying to be grateful. And yes, I am making a distinction between friends and roommates. I'll explain. The saying "You are who your friends are" isn't enough when it comes to roommates. A roommate is a friend you see behind closed doors, and one you see in every life circumstance. In addition to being friends, I would without hesitation say that the role my roommates have played in my life has gone beyond being a friend. I'd say we're more like brothers and in a few circumstances the relationship could be described as parental. After nearly 3 years of living together my friendship and bond with my roommates has grown to the point that we are each others' extended family. Nothing can replace or compensate the value of living with people you can trust in every way.

Well, there ya go! Only three more left! I'm almost done!

Oh Thank Heaven, Part II

First, I already posted something today. So you should scroll down and read it. It will probably be more interesting than reading about all the gratitude I've been having lately.

Well, as promised, here are a few more of my Top 10. I will label them numbers 7 and 8 but don't forget that 6-10 really could all be number 6. Just sayin'.

THE THINGS I'M GRATEFUL FOR TODAY:

1. Today was a day of good food. For breakfast I had eggs and bacon and toast. Delicious. That happened really close to noon. So that could also count as my lunch. Don't judge. It was good. Before dinner I rolled through the food section of Wal-Mart and happened upon a 13 oz. slice of New York Strip on sale for less than $5. I got some asparagus and hollandaise sauce to go with it. And with one of my personal favorites, Pasta Roni, it made everything complete. Oh boy. That was good. See?

The picture looks like the plate is suspended in outer space. It's not. We just have a dark table.

2. Today I'm also grateful for clean teeth. See the post below for details.

3. Today I'm grateful for sticky notes. Without them I would forget everything and get nothing done. They are awesome.

This is what my desk looks like, except I write on my sticky notes and don't arrange them so neatly.

A FEW MORE OF MY TOP 10:

8. I'm thankful for my education. Yeah, it's not over yet. Also, school is not my best subject. But I'm thankful for the chance I have to be at the school of my choice learning about the industry I'm most passionate about. I know my future opportunities are infinitely greater with a degree. Even though I haven't particularly enjoyed most of my assignments, I enjoy the atmosphere and the people and the experiences I have been exposed to during my college career thus far.

7. I'm thankful for my experience and talents. I know I've been given some talents. Others I wish I had, but I don't. Over time I've been able to improve on the talents I've been given as well as develop others through experience. While I won't list what I think my talents are here, I am grateful for the joy they bring into my life. Everyone feels good about themselves when they can do something well. I'm grateful for the opportunities I have to share my talents to enhance my own life as well as benefit and improve the lives of others. Abraham Lincoln said, "Whatever you are, be a good one." As I have gained experience and developed my talents, I have learned more about who I am so I can be a good one.

Well, that's enough for now. As I've looked over my list and realized I may not finish before Thanksgiving, I've decided that I like that idea. I will not finish my list by Thanksgiving so I can prolong the suspense as well as give each item more thought. As I get closer to the top of the list, I think I'll want more room to write as well as include pictures. So now you won't be surprised when you wake up first thing in the morning on Thursday hoping to see the rest of the list. I'm telling you right now that's not gonna happen. You can sleep in.

I Am Legend

Today I went to the dentist. It was my usual 6 month cleaning. For some reason, and maybe I'm about to put my finger on it, it was the most pleasant and enjoyable trip to the dentist in my entire life. At this point, I've gone probably 50 times. (Extra visits for fillings make up for the first few years of not having teeth, according to my estimates.) Anyway, from start to finish, here's why my dentist visit was so pleasant this time around.

Last week I got a pleasant phone call from the office reminding me that I had a 6 month cleaning coming up. We decided on a time which I knew I would forget about so I asked if they could give me a reminder call the day before. Sure enough, they called me yesterday to remind me of my visit. My schedule had changed since I made the appointment and they set me up with a more convenient time no questions asked. I arrived at the office maybe 5 minutes early and began to flip through a magazine. Not 30 seconds later the receptionist came in and told me how long of a wait I should expect (10 minutes). I HATE going to appointments to hear the receptionist say in a robotic voice "we'll be right with you" only to find out 20 or 30 minutes later you're still in the waiting room reading an issue of TIME magazine from 3 to 6 months ago.

To my surprise, not even 5 minutes later I was called back. According to my calculations, if I was 5 minutes early and I was called back 5 minutes after I got there, that means I was in the chair at the exact time I was supposed to be in the chair. Cool.

The hygienist was friendly and we had a nice conversation. She was courteous enough to remove her hands or any other objects from my mouth before asking me questions. There's an idea. She explained to me what she looks for on the X-rays - something that I've never had explained. She also explained to me more in depth than ever before the different benefits of brushing, flossing, and rinsing. I was so impressed with how things were going I didn't even really think about how getting my teeth cleaned is sometimes uncomfortable. I'm sure every hygienist has some sort of motivation to sell an extra service or product. Mine did. To my surprise, when I declined, she quickly offered a similar solution that I could do on my own at home and save a few coins. Wow! And on top of all of that, on my way out she gave me a bag with toothpaste and a toothbrush and floss. It was a toothbrush that I'll actually use, and she even double checked to make sure it wasn't pink. How thoughtful.

Okay. All that was just icing on the cake. Now here's why I REALLY enjoyed my visit...

After complimenting me on such great teeth, she asked how often I floss my teeth. Without thinking I told her I floss every single day. She was surprised and didn't believe me. I told her that in 2008 my New Year's Resolution was to floss every single day. I have done that for almost two years (minus a few weeks from having my wisdom teeth out, I was hit and miss). She couldn't believe it. She said I was a legend. She wanted to put my picture on the wall for all to see. She recommends to patients all day every day to floss daily. She had never had a patient that actually did it. For so long. Until me. I am legend.


Then the dentist came in. The first thing she said is, David has flossed his teeth every single day since January 2008. His eyes got big. His jaw dropped. He began to praise me for accomplishing the impossible. He said that I was maybe one of five people in the whole world who had done this. He said he wanted to bring in the whole office to give me a standing ovation. I replied by saying, "Please don't." His reply, "No, Dave, please let us do this." Ha. Anyway, the standing O never happened, but as he left the room he did bow down to me. Wow. I am legend. And the streak continues.

This is how I work my magic. I floss with the Reach Flosser. It's the best thing ever. You don't cut the tips of your fingers off by winding floss too tight. Your fingers don't get slimy. The corners of your mouth don't crack from shoving two hands to the back row of teeth. The heads can be changed out and they last over a week. Also, another thing that annoyed me about regular floss is that when you throw it away it never lands in the wastebasket, but rather drifts to the bathroom floor right behind the toilet. Gross. Yeah, that hasn't happened to me since I got the Reach Flosser. Put it on your Christmas list if it's not on there already. You'll be glad you did.


Also, if you go to this website, you can print off a coupon. Get the flosser, get some refills, get on your dentist's good side. You too can become legend.

http://www.reachaccess.com/

Am I a Loser?

This has been a great weekend so far. Last night I didn't have any big plans and in my mind I didn't need any big plans. After a long week of school and an afternoon of golf all I wanted to do was watch some basketball on TV. So those were my big Friday night plans. Watching basketball with Cory and Cody. It was amazing. The apartment six living room. Where amazing happens. On Friday night.


So, here we are, three college dudes sitting at home on a Friday night watching basketball. We've carried on a somewhat meaningless conversation interrupted by the occasional highlight or blooper. We've brought up the idea of actually doing something with other people, but we quickly rule that out. Usually for two reasons. One, we assume that everyone else is busy carrying out their big Friday night plans. Two, even if we got a hold of someone we'd just really hope that they'd come over and join us in watching TV. Both options require way too much effort, way more than we're willing to exert.

By this time I usually chime in. "Are we losers?"

Following that comment we then spend the next ten minutes convincing ourselves that we are not losers. And we are right. We're not losers. We just want to relax with the boys on a Friday night. And sometimes the best Friday nights are spent at home just doin' what we do.



Okay. Now that Cory and Cody want to hang me for giving up our secrets (sorry parents, we're not always like this) I better change the subject. I opened my post with the statement that this has been a great weekend so far. Friday night was just getting me started.

Today was another great Saturday. It began with a great game of flag football at the park with a bunch of guys in the ward. No, I did not get a ride home in an ambulance this time. I wore my knee brace, thank you. The only damage I incurred from the game this morning is that I have realized that my body no longer recovers instantly after extended physical activity. Depressing, I know.

So on top of a great game of flag football, what else made my Saturday so great? Well, more football of course! By the time I had eaten dinner at about 7, I had nothing left to do except laundry. We all know you have to be home to do laundry so I picked a few games to watch and did my laundry. This time around Cody had already left to Arizona for Thanksgiving and Cory was with his family who is in town for Thanksgiving. I had the house to myself, the washer and dryer were doin' work, and I had ESPN to keep me company.



On a night like this I'd usually ask myself, "Am I a loser?" But not tonight. Tonight the only thing that went through my head went a little something like this: "All my life I've heard the advice to be happy in your present circumstances. Presently I am at home by myself doing laundry and watching football. Presently, I am tired and would rather not do anything else. Presently, the only thing that would make this evening nicer would be to have the girl of my dreams watching football with me. Presently, that's not gonna happen. In conclusion, I am doing a great job being happy."

Call me a loser all you want. But now you know I'm happy being one.

PS - It's late and I'll get to more of my Top 10 tomorrow.

PPS - I wasn't a loser all night since the Renshaw Bunch stopped in and watched SportsCenter with me for a while. It was very enjoyable.

Oh Thank Heaven

I've got an awful lot to be thankful for today. Thanks to inspiration from Kason & Jasee's blog I'm on here makin' a list of things I'm grateful for. (Check them out under the 'Others That Type it Down' column.) So, I gave it a little thought and I came up with a Top 10 list of things I'm thankful for. In addition to the Top 10, I have a few miscellaneous items to throw on my list. So here's what I'm gonna do. Here's my game plan.

I have my Top 10. I also have some things I'm particularly grateful for today. So, between now and Thanksgiving I'll work on my Top 10 as well as what I happen to be thankful for the day I'm posting. Now you know my plan.

The Top 10 came in an interesting order. After my Top 5 I really couldn't put the remaining 5 in a specific order. Well, I tried, but as I looked at each additional one on the list I had a really strong case to put that one in at #6. I found that I kept bumping others down as I slid the one I was thinking about into slot 6. A few minutes of that and I realized that I was going nowhere. I settled the argument by keeping 6-10 in the order I wrote them down. Okay. Good. Now you understand. Moving on.

THE THINGS I'M GRATEFUL FOR TODAY:

Me on my first golf outing, Summer 2009

1. Today I had no class. I did wake up early and work on a group project, but that's not what I'm thankful for. What I'm thankful for is this: Uncle Jeff loaned me a set of clubs a while back and today Cody and I went and played 9 holes of golf. In Utah. On November 20th. The fact I played golf today is what I'm grateful for. My score is irrelevant to this post.


2. Not too long ago I discovered the AXE Detailer Shower Tool. It's basically a poofy sponge for the shower. For dudes. Well, I have one and I never feel more clean after a shower than when I use that thing. Its amazing. You should try it. Seriously. I'm not being sarcastic. The AXE Detailer Shower Tool is for you. You will be grateful just like me.


3. Technology keeps us all connected. Today I am grateful for the ability I have to keep in touch will all the people in my life. It really is amazing how phones, blogs, facebook, email, skype, and all the other technological products we use can keep us in touch with so many people. I'm grateful for it. Especially since every once in a while I get a nice text message from my favorite sister reminding me how cool she thinks I am.

HERE'S A FEW OF MY TOP 10:

Remember the order they are in according to my earlier explanation.

10. I am thankful for my future. I've been on this planet for almost a quarter of a century. I've made some pretty good mistakes. I've made a handful of pretty good decisions also. All in all, considering the circumstances I'm pretty happy with my progress so far. I'm grateful that I have an army of people pointing me in the right direction and I'm very optimistic about the opportunities my future will bring.

9. I am thankful for my job. My special job. I want to try and explain this one without being cheesy. I hope it doesn't sound like I'm boasting either. I'm just listing an un-edited Top 10 and this one made it. That said, I should probably tell you what my special job is. Well, a few weeks ago I was asked to work in the Provo Temple. That makes me a temple worker. So every Monday morning Cory and I head to the temple for a few hours and work with a bunch of guys 3 times our age. Its a very rewarding experience. I have seen how my special job has been a blessing and a positive influence in my life. I'm thankful for the privilege I have once a week to go to work.

In here.

Well, that's enough for now. Stay tuned.

The Story of Cory

Here is the story of our pet fish Cory.

Two years ago this November, Cory went to a party where White Elephant gifts were exchanged. Cory came home with a large quantity of goldfish food. It was probably 1/4 used. Soon thereafter Cory went to the store and came home with 4 goldfish. Three of the fishes were gold in color and somewhat larger than the other more white goldfish. Since at the time we had three redhead roommates and myself, we named the four fish after each one of us. Jason, Marshall, Cory, and the small white fish was Dave. All four fish shared a glass candy jar and enjoyed life together. Well, at least they did for two weeks then Jason was found floating at the top. Not more than two weeks later, Marshall went the way of all the earth. It was a sad moment. Our fish were not destined to survive very long, so we thought.

At this point, I took it upon myself to feed Cory and Dave twice a day and to make sure their home had clean water. I had experience caring for fish as a kid and I felt I could keep the fish alive. Well, life got busy and I failed to secure a long term feeding product when I went home for Christmas break. This was Christmas of 2007.

Dave did not survive Christmas break because he was not fed. Cory miraculously survived. We had no idea how long he would live since all of his friends had gone belly up. Since the death of Dave, Cory the fish has survived some miraculous events.

Once our apartment was broken into and Cory the fish was "freed" and placed in a bathtub full of water.

Once Cory's scales began to turn black all over. I think he had fish cancer. I cleaned his bowl and fed him extra and after a few days his scales turned orange again. A miracle!

Later, after a long span of not having his water cleaned I finally cleaned his water. Cory did not adjust well to the clean water and started to swim sideways. I thought he'd go belly up but after a few days he got back to normal.

Cory's original tank got a crack in it and one night I bought him a new bowl with new rocks and a new plant. He has loved his new home ever since.

Once Cory got to go to a first grade class in Mapleton as a guest. He survived the car ride there and back. One of the children got to feed him.

When we all went to Washington Cory was with a babysitter for almost a week. He survived.

When we went to Panama Cory had another babysitter who in a previous assignment killed 8 out of 11 fish. Cory survived.

It has been two years since Cory became a part of our home. The giant can of food is about 2/3 gone now. Cory is still going strong and he loves swimming around in his bowl that sits between the stove and the fridge. I still try and feed him every morning and every night. What a great pet.

That is the story of Cory.

PS - I think I blinded him when I took a picture of him with the flash because he swam right into the edge of the bowl and when he turned around he swam into some rocks. Haha! Sorry Cory!

Keepin' It Clean

This is what my kitchen looks like. Right now. Be surprised. I did not clean it just to take the picture. There is no need to be showing off. In fact, the floor is in desperate need of a mopping. And there are dishes in the drainer. And that towel on the right should be refolded. And the stove/microwave has been in service since the late 1800's when BYU came into existence.

Why am I showing you this picture? Well, its your chance to peek into my life. And the life I live with three other dudes. This has been a pretty common look for our kitchen for a little over a week now. Let me explain the life we used to live...

I am a guy. I go to college. I live with three other guys. They go to college. We all grew up in great homes that in some way or another were kept clean and in order. We all know that the cleanliness of the homes we grew up in were a result of having a good mother. Now, we have good fathers too, but lets be honest and say that our fathers have more of an indirect influence on how clean the kitchen is. In fact, I bet now that I am at college, my mom's kitchen is easier to keep clean. Lets assume the same for my other three roommates. So four mess-makers now live in a home that is not under the care of a mother. Bad news.

A common occurrence in my apartment is that we use ALL the dishes in the entire house before we wash them and start over. We are all clean people but its hard to find the motivation to keep things clean when three other people contribute to the mess. Usually one roommate's tolerance for filth is lower than others, and he is the one that breaks down and cleans up. I have been pretty lucky with roommates and we generally all contribute in some way on a regular basis. Like any human, however, cleaning up after others is annoying and can cause strife. Its also hard to tell who makes the most messes and who cleans up the most messes because our schedules vary so much. Cory was cleaning last week and felt he was pulling more than his share of the load and came up with this GENIUS idea: KEEP SCORE

Since October 18th, we have been keeping score of who does what. Three simple chores are on the list. Each is worth one point. Since that day our kitchen has been VERY clean. Its interesting how keeping score can motivate us to clean up after ourselves. For example, when I am done cooking something I immediately wash those dishes or put them in the dishwasher. I do not get a point for doing that, but it does prevent someone else from getting a point. Our trash never gets overflowing anymore because someone gets a point for taking it out. Our dishes never stack up in the sink with a clean dishwasher because the first person with a chance to empty it gets it done. Thus, dirty dishes always have a place to go. Things were pretty even until this morning I woke up to a clean dishwasher and a stack of dishes by the sink. Two points for me! Later, I'll take out the trash and that will give me a healthy lead. Then I can slack of for a few days and guess what? Nobody can complain that I've been slacking because I'm ahead! Once I fall behind, I know its time to step it up again. Cory, this was BRILLIANT. Now I wonder who will break down and mop the floor. I will if its worth three points! Haha!

Now a few other side notes:

The house LaVell built.

We didn't have end zone seats this time. FINALLY! Even though to the left of me was the very edge of the section, the view from this corner is far superior to an end zone seat. Except when they kick extra points and field goals.

ESPN came to Provo. This is their bus. It motivates me to do more with Saturday.

Me and Nate in front of the bus. Chris Fowler said it well after the game, "The Mountain West showdown that turned into a Mountain West beat-down." He was right. I was depressed.

Before the game Nate and his buddies and myself found the Marines' booth. We did pull-ups for free gear. I did 19 3/4. Just shy of winning a football. Instead I got a waterbottle that I accidentally left in the stadium under my seat. Nate did 24. He is a beast and got a football to prove it. I'm going back to the gym more often.