It's Been a Month Away from Happy Valley

I've been here a month? Already? Time has flown by! I love adventure, and even though I've lived abroad for three years of my life (my LDS mission in Australia & studying/interning in China) the fact that I've moved here permanently makes things a bit more exciting.

Things I've Learned by Being On My Own:

• Vacuums are expensive and I don't want to buy one.
• I need puppies. Seriously though, coming home to two little cute doggies sounds amazing.
• I LOVE having my own place. I can record and mix music whenever I want. Not to mention the clothes I don't have to wear while lounging around.
• Ambition plays a huge part in how exciting one's life is.
• Mail is not exciting.
• Quiznos Delivers.

Things I Love About Arizona:

• The heat! Cruising around at night with the windows/top down with friends is amazing because it's warm! AAAHHHHHHHH!!!! I'm a little bitter at all the years I've spent freezing my butt off. Here, most ward activities are water related but don't start until after the sun goes down. It's beautiful.
• Geckos are cool and really fast. They like to run across my path while I'm running and sometimes they startle me.
• Bahama Bucks. I can't describe this place properly. Some might say it's a snow cone place, but I don't like snow cones, but I love this place. If you come down this way you'll have to go there and find out how amazing the place is yourself. I will take you.
• Every restaurant you can imagine is here.
• My sister and bro-in-law and my dog. It's fun doing stuff with them. I hope my brother joins us after his mission.
• Huge outdoor shopping malls! Not to mention the live bands that often play outside of them. The warm weather is very inviting and encourages people to be outside at night, which I love.
• Not being surrounded by Mormons. It makes missionary work easier. Don't get me wrong, I love Mormons.
• The monsoons. They're really cool looking and very powerful. During my first experience in a monsoon a tree fell on my truck.
• Crossfit! I know Crossfit isn't just in Arizona, but I didn't start doing it until I moved here. Man, it kicks my butt and I'm crazy sore all the time. I went four times that past week, so I'm pretty beat. My coach is a huge dude who's name is Bear.
• Being free after work! I cannot express, in words, how utterly fantastic it is not having homework. The work I do actually counts for something! This gives me a feeling of accomplishment and removes the stresses homework brings brought.
• Setting the thermostat somewhere between 80°F - 85°F. Being constantly cold while indoors is the best way to hinder my mood and productivity. I'm always colder than the average person, but now I get to control the temperature mwahahahaha!
• Sundays. I'm at a place where it's abnormal to keep the Sabbath day holy. Setting everything aside and focusing on what really matters, my very reason for existence, is refreshing and motivating.
• Palm trees, even though they're totally imported. I also like the cacti here.

Things I (don't) Love About Arizona:

• Cockroaches. My very first night in Arizona I went to sleep and woke up the next morning because there was a cockroach on my leg. Um, no. A few days later I saw another one in my kitchen, only this time I had bug spray. I haven't seen any since. Beginners luck perhaps?
• The tap water is distinguishing. I avoid drinking it at all costs.
• Haboobs. This is a giant sand storm which looks really cool, but makes everything covered in sand. I noticed sand in my apartment even. Not to mention the haboob that shut down the airport and delayed my flight to Utah for my sister's wedding. It was scheduled to leave at 8:00 pm. We took off at 2:00 am. I arrived at my mom's place at 6:00 am. The wedding was at 10:00 am. I was very tired.

Here are a few pictures of some of my adventures I've mentioned above:

Me at work.

The tree that fell on my car during my first monsoon. Luckily the tree wasn't too big.

Family Home Evening after the sun went down.

Me at work playing around with the new technology stuff. It's a brand new building.

Taken just before the haboob hit me. Luckily airport security came out and picked me up just as the haboob began enveloping me. It was pretty scary actually. I got out of my car, looked up, and saw this ginormous red cloud coming at me very fast. I began running, but soon enough they picked me up right when it was hitting me.

 Here are some pictures of the same haboob. I got these from a news website. The news headline reads,

On the edge of the abyss: Enormous dust storm 2,000 feet tall covers Phoenix cutting power to 9,000 homes

I bought a doormat.

This was my first day of Crossfit! Here I am with my sister, bro-in-law, and friend from work, Jesus.

Eating dinner at the Scottsdale Quarter with Christy and Ben. We just got done seeing Guardians of the Galaxy, which I really liked. It stars Chris Pratt who is my ultimate Hollywood crush.

Chris Pratt.

A candid picture of Christy and Ben. They are seriously the coolest.

My buddy Tyrell came to visit me for a few days. He's from Utah.

Lunch time at work. I LOVE palm trees!

Inside of Scorpion Crossfit in Chandler, AZ.

Out with some fellas.

 I've been liking my fortune cookies as of late.

That's it for now. Getting my studio up and running has been a bit difficult. I need to buy a 7-pin XLR cable for my Avantone CV-12 mic but can't find one anywhere. Soon though! Soon!

Stay close to God and be happy. :)

I Moved to Arizona!

Goodness. This past week was intense. Packing. Moving. Unpacking Shopping. Assembling. Prepping. Meeting new people-ing.

It all began as I packed up my stuff back in Provo, Utah. Select people of Provo were a little unkind to me that last day and wouldn't let me park my truck and trailer in order to allow me to load my stuff into them. I was initially planning to leave Friday night around midnight (night of July 4th), but because I was sooo done with Provo, I left around 7:00 pm just to hasten my escape from the doldrums.

A small fraction of the many farewells that were said.

It wasn't until my room was completely cleared out did things really sink it. It was then I became excited, and even more anxious to leave. Though I didn't have any concrete travel plans, I still just wanted to get on my way. I guess all of my solo traveling in China has taught me to "just go" and enjoy the adventure ahead, whatever it may be.

Standing in my empty room at Timpanogos Gateway apartments, the last of my college apartments.

As a result of time complexities and parking difficulties, my stuff sat in my front room for a day or two. Luckily my roommates were pretty cool with everything.

Finally, after 5 1/2 years of BYU I was finally leaving Provo, for good! I spent a fair amount of time during the previous two weeks driving around, reflecting of all the things that had happened while attending BYU. I could write a book about it all. Oh wait, I am.

After two hours of driving, I stopped for dinner at Fillmore. That Carl's Jr. Closed at 9:00, so after I took this picture I ate at a nearby Burger King. While ordering my food everybody stared at me like I was some kind of exotic outsider.

Taken in Fillmore at 9:00 p.m. #nofilter

At around midnight I was pretty tired. I pulled over in Cedar City and checked into a Hotel 6. The lady at the front desk was very nice. I got into my room, set my alarm for 2:00 a.m., and took a nap. At 2:00 a.m. I was awake and back on the road. I listened to Linkin Park over half of my total drive.

I've had gallbladder issues lately and pulled over a few times to vomit (I tried to hold it back because throwing up kills my voice.) I puked while passing through Las Vegas, but other than that I kept it down. Pleasant, I know.

Hours of sun flower seeds, Linkin Park, driving, beautiful scenery, and a very slow mph.

I pulled up to my Arizona apartment just after noon on Saturday, the 5th of July. I was beat. Time to unload the trailer! My sister Christy and bro-in-law Ben came and helped me unload everything in my apartment (They live in Phoenix.) It was hot, and I loved it. Both my mom and dad gave me some of their older/unused furniture for my place, so I actually had a chair to sit on and a bed to sleep on. I am very grateful to have them (both my parents and the furniture.)

My sister Christy is in her third trimester. I'm going to be an uncle!

Ben & Christy took me to a place called Bahama Buck's. I can't describe it. Other's might say "It's a snow cone place that's really good! The ice they use is the best!" But even that doesn't do it justice. You simply have to try it yourself to find out how amazing it is. I don't like snow cones, but I absolutely loved what I had there.

Eating snow cones at Bahama Buck's!

Saturday morning, after my first night's sleep in Arizona, I woke up because there was a cockroach on my leg. Goooooooodness.

Moved in. Now what? I had an entire week until I started my new job. Well, I had a lot to do, so I got to work. Though I didn't get internet until Wednesday. It was seriously the most horrible thing ever.

I went to church, but was on the verge of puking, so I kept to myself. I was a bit bummed about that. Though I went to FHE and Institute later in the week where I made some new friends.

 I went to IKEA! I really enjoyed going there. It was fun to dream and look at all of the really nice expensive stuff. I am still on a student budget, so I only purchased necessities, and cheap ones at that. Regardless, it was a very expensive week for me. Assembling all of it took all week. But at least it gave me something to do.

I brought all this home and set it up, all by myself. :)

I finally live in a warm/hot place that has palm trees! I love them! My mom still says she misses palm trees (she lives in Utah but grew up in L.A.). There are so many shops and places to eat here. Freeways run all over the place and the giant malls are filled with people. I live by a really big mall that has a lot of really cool stores in it.

I got a haircut and the girl cutting my hair was like, "So, do you go to a singles ward?" I immediately thought, 'I thought I put Provo behind me...' Anyways, there are still TONS of Mormons around here, which I like.

The warm weather invites people to be outside at night. The night life here seems to be the busiest time of day. Walking down the sidewalk you pass groups and groups of people eating outside on a patios of restaurants. I absolutely love it.

Palm trees!!!!

One night I went to a park with some new friends. We climbed up into a tree and chilled there for a while. There must have been 8+ people in the tree at one point.

Chillin in a tree with Taylor, Robby, and some others.

Then I asked a girl to get cheesecake with me late one night. She's really cool. By this time we were already Facebook friends, and since all of my public Facebook posts are generally somehow related to me being a gay Mormon, I assumed she already knew I was gay. She didn't. Oops. I came out to her while eating cheesecake and goodness, I forgot how much I hate doing that! She's totally chill with it, just like everyone else.

I love coming out to groups of people at a time, but coming out to an individual is so much different. It was a good reminder for me.

Two cheesecakes and Taylor.

Then I went and did lazer tag with a group of friends. I totally sucked at it. Like what?! In fact, the group I went with tended to be at the bottom of the rankings. It only brought us closer together, or something like that.

Getting ready to go shoot some people! Or, get shot by people rather.

A lot has happened in a week, but it's been a great week. I am extremely excited for my new life down here and can't wait to get more settled. I plan on joining Cross Fit. My new job starts on Monday which I am very excited for. I have no idea what's in store there, which is pretty exciting per se.

I've Graduated!!!

Observe, my victory pose:

I walked out of the testing center after taking my last final, ever! During my victory march when leaving the testing center, I decided to walk along the beautiful vegetated trail on the south side of campus. I took this photo there, despite the small group of people standing nearby staring at me. (June 18, 2014)

I have officially graduated from Brigham Young University with a B.S. in Computer Science and an Associates in Management. My first semester was Winter, 2009, totaling about 5 1/2 years of studying.

Me just before going in to take my last final.

After leaving the testing center one last time, I decided I would walk around in order to reflect the countless emotions I've felt at various parts of campus. While doing so, I walked through my favorite part of campus, the trail on the south part of campus which is filled with beautiful vegetation (see victory pose photo).

There are very few people on this trail at any given time. I used to spend a lot of time walking here during school. Whether I just needed time to unwind, time to see the sun, a moment to prepare for a test, a quick stroll to relax after a test, or just a casual walk to celebrate turning in a big project, this trail was always there for me.

So what's next? I have a job and start pretty soon. I'm pretty excited about this next chapter of my life.

Free Time

I'm taking one class this term. My last class of my undergrad career. Music 202. Beethoven was the man.

My class is held but twice a week and I have little to no homework. Thus I have a lot of free time. What do I do with that free time? I shall tell you.

Music

I've been writing, transcribing, arranging, covering, recording, mixing, and mastering.

I'm trying to get better at arranging music, so what better than a super short primary song to arrange? While I'm not a fan a belting out names of deity, this clip shows kind of my style when arranging strictly four voices.

Now here's a short song some friends and I made on the spot. We were just goofing around and having fun. Each of us only did one take in front of the mic, hence its random lyrics, harmonies, and rhythms.

Now here is the song I released this past week on my YouTube channel. It's a song I've loved since high school. I wrote a brief blog about it here.

Play

I've been hanging out with my awesome mom!

I've been going to Seven Peaks water park a bit.

Google Plus has been making these videos automatically when my phone automatically uploads its pictures and videos. They're kind of fun.

And then I went to an art museum with my friend. It was edifying.

This statue was scalding hot.

I've been trying to make DDR cool again.
I've been putting forth effort to get more involved in my ward. It's been a lot of fun and very rewarding. Here I am with my Elders Quorum President, who is also my home teaching companion. I also home teach one of the girls. 

I love this picture. What's on the screen and our facial expressions say it all hahaha!!!

Here is another video Google Plus made for me.

I've been making a Mormon themed game for Android with my best buddy Nozomi.

We got trapped in an elevator.

We made a camp fire in Provo Canyon.
After we took the bottom picture you see here, a raccoon came and took the entire bag of hot dog buns we had on our table. My phone/camera was still propped up on the table at the time, but I really wanted to video the little dude! I slowly crept towards the table/raccoon to get my phone, but it quickly grabbed what it wanted and ran away. It would have been a hilarious video.

Tyrells face is black for some reason hehe.

I escorted my friend Tyrell as he purchased a new car.

That's pretty much all that's been going on. Things are pretty dang chill at the moment. I'm trying to make the best of these last moments here in Utah and I'm definitely going to be missing a lot of people, but I'm extremely excited for what's to come. :)

Will I? (song/video) -- Another Song That's Helped Me Through

I remember the first time I heard this song. One day during my high school years I was sitting on a couch at my mom's house watching a movie that featured this song. My buddy Colten was on the couch next to me. After the song finished I said out loud, "That was amazing." To which Colten responded, "Yeah it was."

I've loved the song ever since.

Click here to watch if video doesn't appear.

As I was living in my confused state of not being consciously gay, love songs never spoke to me. Instead, only music that held particularly beautiful harmonies, obscure dissonance, or a special personal meaning to me made it onto my playlist. This song was one of them.

Even though I'm now in a very good place, I still hold strong to the music that helped me through the years. The music I've been writing, recording, and covering still has a bit of a downcast feel to it despite me having moved on from those rougher times. I've discovered that expressing to you such deep parts of my life through the songs that gave me strength has had a liberating effect of me. Each song is a journal entry and I need to write them down, or rather, sing them for you.

Blooper Reel (video)

Here are some behind-the-scenes of some of my video making joys. For those of you who don't know me in person, this will definitely show you more of who I really am hehe.

CLICK HERE IF THE VIDEO DOESN'T SHOW

I've been pretty sick these past 3 weeks with a strange flu. At times I feel great, so I'll do something active, but the day after I'll feel horrible. It's been making me tired and it kills my already small appetite. I guess I'll just keep on resting until I get better. I'm going crazy sitting in my apartment with such limited social interaction. All well. It could be worse :)

But I got to Skype my little bro (and family) for Mother's Day, which was really fun.

That's all for now :)

I Documented Myself Running A Half-Marathon (video) -- Now You Can See Why Running Races Is Fun!

Click here if the video doesn't show.

Well, I enjoy running. But even if I didn't, I know I'd still love running races with friends and family. Allow me to explain:

First of all, previously my family wasn't a running family by any means. This whole, "let's start running as a family a few times a year" thing is so incredibly random. I'm incredibly glad it happened, because it's extremely fun and it truly brings us closer together.

5ks, 10ks, and half-marathons are so so fun to be part of. Now, it's much more fun to actually run in these races, but even going as a spectator can be fun if you're cheering your friends on. The atmosphere at a race is filled with positive energy between all those who attend. Spectators stand on the side and cheer you on with heart despite them having no idea who you are. If your pace suddenly slows mid race, then those who pass you will cheer you on, motivating you to keep going. Everyone wants you to succeed!

If you're afraid to run a race, or fear people will laugh at you for walking almost the entire thing, you are terribly mistaken. So many people do that, and everyone cheers such people on with genuine feeling behind it. First time racers are always surprised at how motivating the race actually is.

This past year at the Salt Lake Marathon, the weather was pretty rainy and cold. The year before that the weather was ridiculously hot. Either way, the races were great. The weather can't impede on the awesomeness of a race. Though, after the race this past year I was ill prepared in that I had no jacket to warm me. But other than that it was great!

Pre Race

Just starting off!

Mile 2

Mile 4

Mile 11

This is actually my slowest half-marathon I've run to date. I didn't train for it, so I guess it makes sense.

The race will usually put on an expo the day before (Salt Lake City Marathon always has an expo). At the expo you can purchase fun running things like energy goo that you eat during a race to maintain energy, running shoes, cool glowy things, running socks that don't have cotton in them thus preventing blisters, and basically anything running related. It's also the time you pick up your running bib. It's a fun thing to attend with friends and/or family.

My family and me at the expo. The Salt Lake Marathon was the first big marathon after the Boston Marathon tragedy. We ran in their honor.

Here's a picture of us after the race. My sister Christy actually wore the garbage back the entire race haha! It rained the entire time.

Another thing to be aware of is the race will hire a company to take professional pictures of you running. My sister Christy had to hold up her garbage bag when running passed a photography in order to expose her runners number which is how they sort the photos post race. I didn't purchase any of them for this race, but here's one from the Halloween Half I ran October, 2013.

And here's one from the Disney Half-Marathon.

I'm wearing the same shirt in both of those pictures. Meh.

Anyways, running a race is a lot of fun and quite the memorable experience. I strongly encourage you to register for a race and then run it. It's always fun to have a race to look forward to and to motivate you to go running. If you sign up with a friend or two, or five, then it'll be even more fun.

Come run Salt Lake!