Manifesto

I wrote this blogger's manifesto just for fun, because everyone needs to experience the writing of a manifesto at least once in their life. Enjoy!

Bloggers of the World Unite! Post, read, comment, subscribe, network, stay in touch, UNITE! United we support one another and remain informed. Divided our blogging efforts will come to naught. Blog because you live, don't live because you blog. Blog because you breathe, and with that breath speak. Speak because you care and have something to contribute. Now contribute because you care. I say again, Blog because you breathe!

Dad's Advice

Dad

Dad, you're never very far away,
In our thoughts and hearts you'll stay.
Yesterday leaves, tomorrow arrives,
But always you'll be in each of our lives.
love, Bryce

I wanted to make sure I had a copy of this little video online. There were a few problems I didn't get figured out when I compressed it so, sorry, the image is a little stretched.

Shoe Stories

Getting new shoes is an exciting event. Sometimes it takes a little while to break them in but that doesn't diminish the coolness of it. The only thing that makes getting new shoes any cooler is when you get the shoes for free. Not that it happens to me often, but I won a gift card to the Nike Outlet store several weeks ago and used it on some new shoes.
But what about the old shoes? When the time came to throw them out I was a little hesitant, no, even worse, I felt guilty. Those tattered and broken sneakers had served me well for the past five years. Yes, five years! No shoes have ever lasted that long for me. Well, then again when the sole cracks in half you should probably replace your shoes no matter how good they've been to you. But regardless of their declining utility it didn't feel right to just toss them aside so carelessly. So I took this picture......and then I threw them out.
How had this mysterious affection grown for those inanimate objects I simply used to adorn my feet? After all it wasn't the actual leather and laces that I would miss. It was what they had come to represent that almost made me give in to that pack-rat urge to save them. My shoes had become the embodiment of the memories I had made while wearing them. I looked at those sketchers as they flew into the dumpster and their life flashed before my eyes. I remembered vividly the day I picked them out with my grandma as a late present for my 18th birthday (It was my fault it was late. I had been too busy to go on our traditional birthday shopping trip sooner. Thanks Grandma!). I remembered the hikes, the dates, the auditions, the road trips, the everything we'd been on together. And just like that they were gone.
Well, life moves on. Changes is the one thing I seem to be able to count on these days. But, you know, change seems to add a little freshness to life. It keeps me on my toes, and teaches me things I had never before considered. Funny how something like shoes can make me think about that, don't you think?

Looky here

Somethings just make me smile. This was one of them. At Sarah and Trisha's place they have their washer and dryer conveniently on the main floor. But if that wasn't nice enough there is also a full body mirror on the back of the door to the laundry closet. Maybe it just me, but I think that's great! You can check yourself out and pick out an outfit as you pull your clothes from the dryer! Anyway, just thought I'd share.

Heriberto

About 2 weeks ago I met a woman named Blanca while I was working in the Chicago area. When she found out that I was from Utah she started telling me all about how she was living there and wanted to go back as soon as she sold her house in Illinois. She fell in love with the mountains it seems. She mentioned to me that her 17 year-old son was going to head back to Utah to go to school in Salt Lake since his dad was still living there. I almost blurted out that I'd give him a ride if he needed, but cut myself short because I thought it might be weird since I had only met her a couple of minutes before and I had never met her son. Anyway, I left and continued to knock doors in the neighborhood giving it no more thought.
The next day I found myself back on the same street, when I noticed that a little girl was following me around. She finally built up the courage, I guess, and came up to me to ask if I would come back to her house because her mom (Blanca) wanted to talk to me. When I got there Blanca came out and asked if I could give her son a ride to Utah on my way back to school. I said "yes" and realized that it had been a spiritual prompting the day before that I hadn't quite followed through with. I wasn't going to hesitate on this second opportunity. She told me her son's name was Heriberto, but that he went by Eddy.
Well, the day came to hop in my car and drive back to Utah and I still hadn't met Heriberto. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little nervous (I had a dream one night that I pick him up, but then when we got onto the freeway he pulled a gun on me because he didn't want to go back to Utah and I had to drive him somewhere else instead). By the time I got to his house and helped put his luggage in my car my fears had been dispelled. He was just a nice little Mexican boy that was grateful to be getting a ride.
He wasn't very talkative, but I eventually discovered he spoke good English. I told him he was in charge of finding music to listen to on the ipod. He did a good job as the DJ and despite the lack of conversation for most of the trip he was good company and helped the drive go by faster. We had a good time getting 50 cent hot dogs in Des Moines, listening to Brian Reagan in Nebraska, and even going to church Sunday morning in Cheyenne. By the end of our journey he had really opened up and started telling me all about his family, things he had been through, and stuff he worried about. When I dropped him off at his dad's place, his dad's expression of gratitude in his face made me thankful I hadn't passed up the opportunity. I gave them my Book of Mormon I had in my backpack as something to remember me by and then went on my way. I walked away from my roadtrip with Eddy feeling like I had benifited the most from the experience. It definitely wasn't any kind of inposition to have him along, if anything it was an unanticipated blessing.