The Best Things in Life. . .

As most of you already know, Lyndsay gave birth today to our second child, Ava Jane Budge. (I don't know why, but I have been really tempted to say that Lyndsay "passed" our child. I don't know why. It isn't like she was a rock or something! Although, I imagine the pain associated with that kind of an experience is somewhat similar to what a girl 5'2" girl must feel trying to push out a 9 lb. 12 oz. baby!) I have been thinking a lot about the whole experience and how it has been very different for me this time compared with the last child we had. I thought that I would share some of my thoughts and emotions that I had throughout the day as Lyndsay gave birth to (passed) our little angel.

Most of you who know me know that I have spoken a little about the differences in anticipation between the two children. With Micah, I was terrified! I mean TERRIFIED!!! I didn't know what to expect, I wasn't totally sure if we were ready, and when we took Micah home, I remember thinking to myself: "I am going to kill this child." (Now, let me be clear in saying that I didn't want to harm my child out of frustration, although I am sure that most parents, including me, have felt that way. Instead, I thought I was going to kill him because of my lack of knowledge concerning raising a child.) Luckily Micah is still alive today, although there were some close calls: using the couch as an art canvas, throwing things at other people including mom and dad, etc. (I feel like I need to let you all know that I have learned, from Micah, that I was more prepared than I knew. I was surprised to find the amount of inspiration, support, and love throughout the entire process and I wouldn't trade my little train conductor for anything in the world. In fact, the two days we have spent in the hospital have been some of the most difficult for me because I have had to be away from my son for so long. Who would have thought that the couch artist would have such an amazing spot in my heart!)

In anticipation for this, our second child, I do not believe there was a single ounce of fear in my body. In fact, I was secretly rooting/praying/hoping that Lyndsay would go into labor early so our little angel could be here! I know Heavenly Father is in control and I was more than happy to accept His will with all of this, but I am sure glad he saw fit to allow Ava to come to us almost an entire week early.

While at the hospital, before Ava was born, I was all smiles. (Part of that probably came from the fact that I actually had a decent night's rest before heading to the hospital. With Micah, Lyndsay went into labor right as we were preparing to go to bed. I didn't sleep for nearly 36 hours! But it was amazing how awake I was and how alert I felt as I was waiting for our little Micah to come! Once he was born, I seriously hit the wall! haha.) I kept looking at Lyndsay and smiling, and looking back at my playing cards (we were playing skip-bo, which, for some reason or another has become our unofficial official "wife's-in-labor"-game.), and then I would look back and Lyndsay and smile. I also remember feeling the butterflies in my stomach. The same butterflies that I felt just before getting on the "rocket" and "re-entry" rides at Lagoon several years back. Almost as if I knew I was in for a roller-coaster of emotional joy. I couldn't help but feel like our little family was going to be more complete.

Well, the time came for Lyndsay to push. I was a little worried about how I would react to the whole process because I tend to be a little queezy with things like that. It isn't that I feel like I want to throw up or anything, I just go light-headed and almost pass out. The funniest part is that I don't even realize what is happening until it is almost too late. (When I was younger, I had to get stitches in my finger and I thought it was so cool to watch the stitches go in. My mom and dad had to tell me to sit down and put my head between my knees before I passed out. I didn't believe them, but as I have been trained by my mom, "I hear and I obey." It wasn't until I put my head between my knees that I realized I was almost a goner!) However, with Ava, I was totally fine. I would look at Lyndsay, hold my breath while she pushed, and then I would peak down at the progress. Lyndsay did great, by the way. She had that "little" baby out in about 15 minutes of pushing. (When she did it so fast, I remembered a line from one of her friend's blogs where her friend said that she felt like her body was made for having babies. I don't know if I would go as far to say that for Lyndsay, but she is pretty close!)

When Ava came out and she first began to cry, it took everything within me to stop keep from crying. I think that my emotions came through a lot more with Ava because I was able to really focus on how I felt instead of rushing around like crazy when Lyndsay was taken away for her emergency C-section with Micah. I just stood there with a HUGE smile on my face, watching as the nurses took over and did all the stuff they had to do. She didn't cry much, which seems to be a pattern with her. I think the only times she has really cried have been when she was given a bath and when she had a bit of a stuffy nose. She is completely opposite from Micah in that respect. (Micah is like me in that he wants to be a part of everything that is going on. He doesn't want to miss one second! Ava seems to be more like Lyndsay: very quiet, calm, serene, and enjoys being at peace.) For me, however, hearing the cry was such an amazing experience. I always thought that movies did a good job of kind of portraying the emotions that come when you first hear the baby cry (the movies always go silent and you hear a single cry from the baby. Everyone gets all happy and blah blah blah). They don't even come close! I can't even describe the kind of love/joy/elation that comes from that kind of an experience. (It makes me wonder how my Father in Heaven must feel when I do things right, or when I come closer to Him in some way or another.)

We spent the next two days coming up with a name. We tried Charly Jane, Alivia Jane, Taytum Rachel, etc. Those four were our main choices until Lyndsay sent me a text message as I went off to take one of my finals. She said, "Hey, how do you feel about Ava Jane?" It felt like the first time I laid eyes on Micah and knew that he was going to be called "Micah." I knew it would be right and that she looked like an Ava. (Now, the rule is that if/when we have our next girl, you can't take our names because if our girl looks like an Alivia, then we are taking it! Our territory has already been claimed so BACK OFF! haha)

Now, our little Ava is stuck in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit trying to get her blood sugar and heart all sorted out. I can't even begin to describe the kind of grief and sorrow that a parent feels to see his/her little child go through what they do. Ava has been such a trooper. In fact, she sleeps through most of all that they do to her (I consider that to be a blessing from my Father in Heaven because if she cried through all of that, I am pretty sure I would lose it!). Despite the difficulty of having to leave her at the hospital when we go home tomorrow, I know that she will be okay. Maybe God is just keeping her at the hospital for a week until we are able to make it through our finals! Who knows? I wouldn't be surprised if that were the case.

Anyway, I could go on and on, but I think that my novelette needs to come to a close. The last few things I have to say have to do with the title of my post. I have heard it said that "the best things in life, they sure aren't free." I think I would have to agree, but maybe not in the way that most would think. I have learned and been reminded these past couple days that the best things in life come at the cost of giving of yourself in order to bless and lift the life of another. It isn't free. It takes a lot of love, patience, and sacrifice (and "bearing down"). It takes dedication and being in tune with the spirit. It takes just a little extra time to stop by, to write a card, to visit, to sit and just be there, to give a hug, a kiss, a gentle touch. Yes, I have learned these past couple days that true happiness, true joy, true love comes from sacrificing oneself in the service of others. Thank you all so much for your sacrifices in our behalf! We sure love and appreciate you!

"Adventure is out there!"

First off, I need to give a small apology for my rant and rave on the last post. Obviously I was pretty frustrated that day! haha. I actually had MUCH MUCH more that I wanted to say, but I stopped to read through my post and thought that I should probably just stop where I was at. You will all be pleased to know that I have recovered from my previous frustration.

So, we recently picked up the movie "UP" on blu-ray. We watch it probably about once or twice a day for Micah because he loves it so much. In fact, the first time we saw that movie was the first time we decided to take Micah to the movie theater. It was, for the most part, a big success meaning he made it mostly through the entire movie without fussing too much. There was one part in particular that was pretty funny though. We were watching the movie and it got to that part where the big thunderstorm comes while they are flying in the house. Carl Frederickson (the old man) and Russell (the little boy) are being tossed back and forth in the house, you see thunder and lightning, and there is menacing music going on in the background. For a child, it is pretty intense. Well, the suspense keeps building and building until the screen suddenly goes black and it is completely silent. Micah was very worried about the old man and the boy so while we were in the theater when the screen went black and it went silent, Micah screams out, "OH NO!" EVERYONE in the theater laughed, including Lyndsay and Me. Every time I watch that movie I remember that story!

There is also another thought that I have each time I watch that movie. I can't help but think about the adventures that I have had in my lifetime. I have had some pretty wild experiences: sledding off a roof, white-water rafting, getting in accidents, spinning out going fifty on state street, getting shot at, going over a sheer drop in a snowmobile, a one-sided snowball fight (We had a water balloon launcher! haha!), hitting myself with a golf ball, etc. (If any of those stories intrigue you, please, feel free to ask. I am more than happy to share and there are MANY more where that came from!) However, I would have to say, hands down, that my greatest and most favorite adventure (the "funnerest," as my family would say) is being married to my wife, Lyndsay, and facing the tests and trials of life together. We have only been married for 3.5 years, but there have been plenty of adventures in that time, and I am even more excited for the years to come. Raising Micah, cleaning Micah's messes, changing our definition of "fun" from "fun for us" to "fun for Micah, which translates to fun for us," learning and loving each others little fetishes and habits, learning to support one another in the midst of all we have to do, making the most of our one or two waking hours spent together each day, etc. We have had many adventures, and continue to have many more. The really interesting thing about what I have said concerning our adventures is that they don't include going to exotic destinations, fanciful vacations, etc. Instead, our adventures have come from the tests, trials, and joys derived from daily living. And there is nobody other than my wife that I would like to have with me as we face the adventures of life together. I love you, sweetheart!

What would the pioneers say?

Have you ever found yourself asking this question? I seriously think about it all the time. When I am driving on a bumpy road I think, this road is bad, but I bet the pioneers would be pleased with the "smooth" ride. Also, I think about the complaints we have with traffic, and then I think about how long it took for the pioneers to get across the plains. However, the topic I reflect on most often is communication. I can't even imagine how mind-boggled the pioneers would be if they saw how some individuals communicate in our day. Specifically, I am talking about those individuals who can carry on five conversations at once. You know you have seen them before. These are the people who have a cell-phone fused to their hand, their rear firmly planted in front of a computer, and three or four people hovering around them at all times. They are simultaneously texting three people at the same time, while speaking face-to-face to someone, and they are chatting on facebook with their "BFF!" In fact, I know several people who have gotten into accidents (often with stationary objects) because they "really needed" to "talk" to someone (be it via text, typing, or heaven forbid, speaking). I admit that I am not immune to the whole texting thing, and I actually chat on the computer for my job, but it amazes me when I see an individual who can carry on so many conversations at once. These communication addicts remind me of that kid on Disney's up. The second he wakes up from sleeping: "Hey! Where's Kevin? Is he gone? What happened? Where did he go?" Except it is "Hey! How's Susan? I haven't talked to her in like 2 hours. What happened to Bobby? Where did Jill go?" I can't help but wonder where our world might find itself if we don't learn to communicate one-on-one, face-to-face, like the pioneers used to do. Just a thought.

Which is it?

Do you remember a time when nouns were nouns and verbs were verbs? Let me give you an example of what I am talking about. When I was growing up, my school teachers would assign me homework from my "text" which meant my textbook (noun). However, if a teacher were to say "text" in our day, immediately a verb comes to mind. We hear things like: "Oh, I will text you later today" or "This weird person keeps texting me." In fact, I heard a joke, and no offense to you spanish speakers out there, but the basis of the joke was a spanish kid in an elementary classroom. He was asked to use an english word, Texas, in a sentence. The hispanic kid responds by saying "My best fren always texas me when I am busy." When did the word "text" become a verb? (In fact, Lyndsay was just watching the Ellen Degeneres (sp?) show on TV and there was a kid jumping on a pogo stick. Lyndsay said, "He just pumped up a basketball while he was pogo-sticking.") Not convinced? Try these on for size:

When taking pictures: "Oh, it's okay, we can just Photoshop that out."

When making copies: "Will you go xerox this?"

In the workplace: "Will you e-mail me the results?"

Right now: "What are you doing?" "Oh, just blogging."

Now, there may be some of you who read those sentences and thought: "Wait, what's wrong with them?" If you are confused, I would recommend that you either take an english class, or live in your ignorant bliss! (I would choose the latter of the two because it contains the word "bliss" and you won't have to do any homework!)

So, the truth of the matter is that I am right there with y'all in the usage of these nouns....verbs...whatever. The best part is that I am pretty sure, within the next couple of years, "texting" will be listed in the english dictionary as a verb. If that is the case, I want to start my own noun revolution! I want to start using the word "economics" as a verb. You know,

"Dude! You just got economicsed hard core!"

"Will you economics me when you are finished?"

"The other night, we economicsed! It was just about the best thing I have done in my life!"

I am pretty sure that some of those sound like I am saying something I am not (especially that last one! YIKES!), but the truth is, I am the one making the noun into a verb so it can mean anything I want! So, in the near future when you start hearing people use the word "economics"as a verb, you will know that I was the one that started it! And maybe you can be part of the revolution too! You know, "Will you give all you can give so that [my revolution] may advance? Some will live and some will die, will you stand up and take the chance?" That kind of stuff. (That was for you, Lyndsay.) :)

God bless the Germans and the French!!!!

So, I am pretty sure that the next time I see an individual who is truly German or truly French, I am going to hug them, uncomfortably, for several minutes! Why? you might ask. Well, it all comes down to the most important meal of the day, the one thing that gets me up every single morning instead of hitting snooze and falling back asleep, the reason I am able to do all my economics homework: BREAKFAST! I am not talking about cereal and milk (although that is one of my favorites), but I am referring to the kind of breakfast that warms you from the inside out. The one that is smothered in sugar!!! The kind that you wash down with orange juice! The kind that only Germans and French people could come up with! I am talking about German pancakes and french toast! Today was the first time that I had ever made a German pancake and I am pretty sure that the Celestial Kingdom will have German pancakes! HOLY SCHMOLY! They were so good. In fact, as you look at the pictures, I am sure that will be able to taste them! So, here is the recipe so you can enjoy the same yumminess I enjoyed!

3 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup flour

2 Tablespoons butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

Bake in the stove at 420 for 20 minutes

THEN YOU ENJOY! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Cornbelly's 2009

Last year was the first time that our little family decided to go to Cornbelly's at Thanksgiving Point. As a child, my family and I used to go, but they only had a corn maze and pony rides (I think) and it wasn't called "Cornbelly's" (which, as far as names go, is a pretty sweet name for a fall festival, I must say). Since my childhood there have been some major advancements to this particular event. Now they have slides, pedal carts, TONS of pumpkins, multiple "jumping pillows," potato cannons, a HUGE rocking chair, several wooden trains, a tractor ride, and much, much more! Basically it is the epitome of fall . . . at least as close to it as you can get in the Utah Valley, which is great for Lyndsay because fall is, by far, her most favorite season.

Now, those of you who know Micah probably already can imagine Micah's reaction to such a place! I am pretty sure if Micah could envision the Celestial Kingdom, it would look a LOT like Cornbelly's! Slides, candy, slides, toys, slides, guns, slides, outside, slides, etc. There were so many fun things to do that Micah didn't even know where to start. I have included some pictures of some of the fun things we did, but I couldn't include them all, sorry.

Happy Halloween everyone!

"Twenty minutes ago, this was the best day of my life..."

This morning I had an opportunity to go golfing with my father-in-law and brother-in-law. We were playing at Sleepy Ridge and after finishing the sixth hole, my brother-in-law (who, as you might have guessed, wasn't having the best day ever) turned to me and said, "Twenty minutes ago, this was the best day of my life. Now, it is the worst day of my life!" Anyone who is familiar with golfing knows that this phrase, or something similar, is not uncommon on the golf course. In fact, chances are that some of you reading this post are probably replaying some of those "worst days" over in your mind. Hopefully they are accompanied by a little chuckle and a shake of the head. The more I thought about this, the more I realized that maybe there were some hidden lessons in what Jonathan said today on the course.

First, I am completely confident that moments like these are not the end of the world. If they were, then I am pretty sure that the world would have ended with the first golfers! :) There are times in our lives when we feel like saying, "Yesterday was the best day of my life, but today. . . ." "Last week was the best week of my life. . . ." "Last year. . ." etc. The truth of the matter is, although the last "twenty minutes" have been pretty good, they will eventually lead to the not-so-good twenty minutes. It is during the bad times that we need to remember the good times and allow those to carry us through. And, with any luck, the slumps will only last "twenty minutes."

Secondly, I couldn't help but notice that the bad times often have a destructive effect on everything else around us. While golfing, I know if I hit a goofy shot, the next time I pull out the culprit club, my mind plays some bad tricks. I can't help but think: "I want to hit anything BUT the last shot that I hit." or "Anything other than _______ would be a 'good' outcome." The funny thing is that there is something like a 90% probability that I am going to hit the exact shot that I don't want to hit! And when that happens, all of a sudden, my bad twenty minutes turns into thirty or forty. The same happens in our day-to-day life. We start thinking that any kind of situation besides our current situation would be much better than what we are facing today. We try to avoid, to prolong, to whatever the current situation so we don't have to face what we think lies ahead. However, I can't help but think that if we take the bad situations we have and learn to accept them for what they are, we will find that our bad "twenty minutes" turns into ten. We begin to realize they weren't as bad as we thought. I mean, that's how Tiger Woods does it, right? He hits a bad shot, accepts the outcome, and goes on to win the tournament.

So, to my brother-in-law and all you other "twenty-minute" sufferers, I have learned that if you can keep your head up, accept the situation, and don't let the bad minutes dictate the new minutes ahead, you will keep going back to the golf course!

"Sorry, I checked out."

I was sitting in my Management Communications class on the first day of this semester awaiting the good news about what the class would hold. While we were discussing the different course criteria, Bro. Clarke asked a question to a specific man in the class (my apologies to the man in my class because I do not know your name). The man responded by saying, "Sorry, I checked out. What was the question?" Bro. Clarke, being the kind and loving person that he is, replied with a witty, "Where did you go?" The man didn't really catch what Bro. Clarke said, but I had a good chuckle about it. However, the question grabbed my attention and I am sad to say that I didn't hear much of anything else that Bro. Clarke had to say. I have to admit, if Bro. Clarke would have asked me a question, I would have had a similar response as my fellow class mate (Even more funny than that would be the fact that my response to Bro. Clarke's question of my mental whereabouts would have been something along the lines of, "I was thinking about where I go when I check out.").

In consequence of Bro. Clarke's question, I have thought long and hard about where I go when I "check out." So here you have it:

First, I would have to say that the great majority of my "check out"'s find me on the golf course. I think about my swing, my gear, my technique, my putting, etc. Basically I am playing a round of nine in my head. It isn't as enjoyable as really playing, but since I am stuck in class, it is the next best thing.

Second, I find myself focusing on a specific sentence or thought from the lecture. I can't help myself when it comes to funny or intriguing ideas and thoughts. It is like that thinking game where you start thinking about one object and then continue to think for a specified amount of time. At the end, whoever is playing the game reports on where they "ended up" and their mental road map that led to their destination.

Third, I often visit places that I have never before visited: Fiji, Hawaii, Ogden, etc. Those thoughts usually end with a bid sigh and a rock-bottom re-entrance into reality. However, they are fun to visit on occasion.

Finally, I often find myself planning out my day. I will "check out" for a personal planning session to make sure I am on track to accomplish everything that is asked of me that day and the coming week. I am not particularly fond of these mental journeys, but I guess everyone has to deal with the boring stuff. Maybe next time I will think about my daily plans while I picture being on Mars. That would shake things up a bit!

So, as is tradition, I cannot have all of the fun. I want to know where you go when you check out? somewhere fun? somewhere exotic? somewhere boring? or maybe somewhere only you can go! I want to hear about it!

150 Words

I was thinking about this requirement of writing 150 words a week and an ingenious idea came to me! I am now going to write 150 words:

Bill Foible Gazebo Tuberculosis Bulbous Fork Hammock Toyota Wagon Strategy Humble Sleep Dog Honda Isopropyl Pesticide Obnoxious Happy Sad Golf Gatorade Jet Pillow Television Leaf Tree Bamboo Earnest Lime Sick Curly Mow Asymmetric Wheel Safari Ocean What Comma Asterisk Freckle Pizza Sneaker Break Mess Stand Bendy Golf Goalie Afro Rugby Desert Tee Driver Dessert Pluto Scatter Life Bunny Boxer Sharp Ticket Sequence Zebra Oasis Shattered Disgusting Checkered Mad Corner Market Homoskedasticity Economics Notepad Heteroskedasticity Rook Cement Outpatient Word Soccer Camp Buzz Wholesome Puppy Nickel Instant Sand Messaging Blast Fingers Pony Camping Canoe Pallbearer Spick Strangle Abominable Tiger Search Pun Jar Bone Velvet Painting Pickle Pixie Homogenous Confederate Fishy Smells Travel Nose Southern Chewbacka Knapsack Chops Hair Underarm Fake Dumps Teaser Mouth Teeth Coffin Look Broadway Neptune Loophole Feel Motorboat Warfare Modernism Profit Margin There Stick Influenza Fowl Pikachu Cheek Tongue Manager Marbles Waffles Tattoo Heretic Birch Heresy Leather Pants Saskatchewan

So, there you have it. 150 words that just came to me while I was writing this post. I hope you enjoy some of them. I have to say that I have some favorites in this life. I think that "Homoskedasticity" takes the first place prize, but I have to give an honorable mention to "comma," "Isopropyl," "Neptune," and "Waffles." Just think how fun it is to say those words! The part that is really intriguing to me is that chances are that each person who reads this post probably has a favorite word or two that they are dying to share. I guarantee if you read this post, you thought of some words that I should have included, but I didn't. (Oh, and by the way, it wasn't a typo to have "golf" in there twice. I think the reasons for this are obvious.)

Five Fabulous Favorites From Fridays!

I came home from work today and I was SO happy. I couldn't really explain the reason why, but I was filled with excitement. As I biked away from the MTC the missionaries were all looking at me in amazement as I had such a HUGE smile on my face (I am sure some of them interpreted my expression as "FREEDOM! YES!!!" and I am sure they too wanted to have that same expression). As I thought more about it, I figured there was something intrinsically good about Fridays. Kind of like ice cream. It just makes you feel so happy, even just to think about it! Hence, the title of my post. Here are five things that I absolutely LOVE about Fridays:

1. NO CLASSES! I am an Economics major, which means that I do not have classes on Fridays. I don't know when this policy was established, but it is widely held in the Econ. department that class should not and will not be held on Fridays (except for the occasional 110 class, which really shouldn't be considered Econ unless you are solving Legrangian equations). I know that as soon as Friday rolls around, my weekend has already begun! (This morning as I was biking to work, I saw a fellow ward member walking to school and I thought to myself "You should have been an Econ major, dude.")

2. WIFE TIME! My wife is an "Art and Visual Communications" major at UVU. That program, like the Econ department at BYU, has decided that they should not hold classes on Fridays either. As such, I know that when Fridays roll around, I actually get to spend some time with my wife! (Monday through Thursday I think I spend maybe a total of two hours with my wife. Each of the four days we have about a half an hour of "exchanges" where we can talk for a second and kiss goodbye as one of us heads off to school, work, to watch Micah, etc.) On Fridays I can have thumb wars with my wife or just sit and stare at her...and I won't be late for anything! YES!

3. MORNING SHIFT! I work as a supervisor in the Referral Center. The days there are broken up into a morning, early afternoon, late afternoon, and evening shift. Monday through Thursday, due to school and watching Micah, I work the 6:15-9:45 pm shift. This shift has caused me to miss two birthday dinners and a "Farewell as you head off to college" dinner for three of my sisters. Also, I have classes early in the morning so when I finish the night shift I usually have to come home, brush my teeth, change my clothes, and head straight to bed (I really don't like doing that at all). However, on Fridays I work 8:30-12:00 which means I am home for lunch and I still have the rest of the day to do whatever I feel like doing.

4. SATURDAY! I remember this song we used to sing in Primary entitled "Saturday" which talked about how Saturday was a special day because it was the day we get ready for Sunday. In my mind, we should write another song that talks about how Friday is a special day because its the day we get ready for SATURDAY! In the primary song, there is one line that talks about how we should work on Saturdays so we don't have to work until Monday. It is the same for me, just replace "Saturday" with "Friday." You know, "Friday is a special day, it's the day we get ready for Saturday. We go to our jobs and we do our homework, so we don't have to work until Monday!" I could make a BIG list about why Saturdays are great, but that isn't the title of this post. (Maybe I will do that in the future!) And the great thing about Saturdays is that I have all of Friday, which is basically like Saturday for me, to prepare for Saturday to come! Basically, for me, it is like having two saturdays in a row!

5. GOLF! Fridays are usually the day when Todd, my father-in-law, calls me and says something along the lines of, "There is something 'fun' going on today at 1:15 if you want to come." Translation: FUN TIMES ARE TO BE HAD AT THE GOLF COURSE TODAY!!!! I can't help but sing this song to Golf: "You are always on my mind! You are always on my mind."

So there you have it! Five fabulous favorites from Fridays! (I think I deserve extra points for that amazing alliteration, Bro. Clarke!) Now it is your turn. I want to know five things that you absolutely love about Fridays! You don't have to write as much as I did, unless you feel so inclined or unless you have to write as an assignment for your M Comm 320 class. I am really interested and excited to hear why Fridays are special to you, so now is your chance! Comment away!

(Bro. Clarke, I know that I used incorrect grammar on this post, but I was so dumb-founded that this is the best phrase I could utter!)

WOW! Who would have thought that little old BYU could beat the giant of Oklahoma? Don't get me wrong, I am true-blue fan through and through, but I cannot deny a couple things that are notoriously "BYU." First, BYU is known for being really poor in their secondary at the first of the season. Second, BYU's offensive line and defensive line, for that matter, has always struggled at the beginning of the season. Third, BYU seems to be notorious for "struggling" (for lack of a better word) when it comes to the big ticket games. Need I mention Utah, TCU and Arizona? Fourth, BYU was ranked 20th and OU ranked 3rd....the list could go on! Needless to say, I think I was just as pleasantly surprised as each person in Provo and maybe even just as surprised as the state of Oklahoma! I have to admit, it was pretty sad to see the faces of the OU fans as their last-ditch field goal attempt landed several yards short of the posts. All that remained were three swift drops of the knee for Max Hall, and the game was over! I felt even worse for the former Heisman Trophy winner, Bradford. Kudos to Clawson for the hit in the second period that landed Bradford on the sidelines, but sad day for the Oklahoma fans. I guess, on the upside, it is reported as only being a sprain, so Bradford should be back in before the season is over. (wow! I just read over my post and realized I sound a whole lot like ESPN! I am sure that any ladies reading this have since clicked away from the page or nodded off in boredom! haha) In any event, I just had to say that BYU never ceases to amaze me! Is it any wonder that I am a BYU, true-blue, diehard fan? GO COUGS!!!!