El Apartment

As promised, here's a quick overview of my apartment here in Tucson. I made it to church this morning, as there's a chapel just up the road, but boy oh boy, my car was TOASTY when I came out after the meetings. Thank goodness my apartment (and hopefully work as well) has covered parking. Anyways, here's some pics (and a vid) of my new place.

My apartment. The door is under the overhang on the right.

Open the door and climb the stairs to get to my pad.

At the top of the stairs you're met by the kitchen...

...and the living room. The door on the left goes out to a small balcony. BTW, that couch on the right just may be the least-comfortable couch ever conceived by man.

Continuing on into the bedroom (I'm not fully un-packed yet)

Here's a video to show you how it all fits together.

Overall, it's a pretty nice place. The a/c works really well, and it's nice to have my own bedroom and bathroom. I enjoy the 9-foot ceilings and all the kitchen appliances, as well as our own washer and dryer. Another added plus is that internet and cable (YES! YES! YES! ESPN, OH BABY!) are included as well. There are only a couple things that are really missing here...

This lady being Numero Uno...


If you have any tips, pointers, or books entitled How to Survive Living Away from Your Wife, please leave them in the comments.

Tomorrow is my first day at work and needless to say, I'm a little nervous. I'll post another write-up tomorrow evening describing my first day at GEICO. As always, your thoughts and prayers are much appreciated.

Sweating It in Tucson

So, that's it. I'm here. I left Megs in Orem yesterday and began the trek to southern Arizona for my internship with GEICO.

Megs gave me new shades for the roadtrip!

I had some really big butterflies before leaving yesterday morning, and I just wanted to go and get it over with. The goodbyes were tearful and really sad, but we toughed it out and managed to go our separate ways (which mightve been the hardest part of the entire thing). It took me almost 10 hours to cover the 610 miles from Orem to Kurt and Stacey's place in Phoenix, but the scenery was really pretty. I crossed the Grand Canyon at Navajo Bridge, which made the first half of the drive much more enjoyable. After that however, things were pretty grim until I made it to the Staples' in Peoria.

Kodison's knees shaking on the Navajo Bridge

Kurt and Stacey were kind enough to let me crash their place last night and it was SO much fun. First off, lemme say that their 5 little girls are ridiculously adorable. I needed introductions just to recognize them all! I loved getting mobbed by them and playing around! Also, it must be said that Kurt and Stacey's house is gorgeous. It's a sweet crib, ferreal. And one more thing about staying in Phoenix; Stacey made lemon and rosemary chicken... oh my lanta, it was so good.

Cheesing with the girls!

The cutest baby this side of the Grand Canyon

I took off from Peoria this morning and drove 2.5 hours to Tucson, and moved into my apartment!

I passed the University of Phoenix Stadium (home of the Arizona Cardinals) on my way to Tucson. Cool!

It's a small 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment, but the A/C is amazing and I'm actually using a blanket as our place is so cold (I love it). Don't let that fool you though, it is crazy-hot here. The thermometer read over 100 this afternoon and believe me, I felt it. It's really comfortable during the night though, so as long as I can stay inside during the day, I'll hopefully survive.

My roomate is another intern at the GEICO office here in Tucson. Get this. His name is Cody and he goes to the University of Wisconsin in Madison! Can you believe that? What are the odds... I hear the confusion at the office already.

"Hey, go get K(C)ody."

"Which one?"

"The intern."

"Which intern named K(C)ody?"

"The one from Wisconsin."

"Umm..."

I'm prepping myself to being referred to as "the tall one". Shucks.

Anyways, he's a really nice kid and we get seem to get along alright. We went shopping tonight to get groceries and passed by the GEICO office where we'll be working. I'm about done unpacking and ready to go to bed early. I am so tired.

I'll have more pictures up tomorrow when I get back from church so be sure to check-in here on the blog to see my apartment! For now, you can check out the website for my apartment complex here.

I'll finish tonight by saying that I miss my wife. So. Much. I knew I was going to miss her... I was sad to leave and I missed her all day yesterday and today. Tonight however, after getting a little settled into my apartment and everything, I really miss her. I won't lie, I'm feeling a bit depressed being here without her, but I know I'll be seeing her again soon enough and I am really looking forward to it. I miss you Megs.

Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day! What originally started as a day to honor Union soldiers who had fallen in battle during the Civil War, Memorial Day here in America is a time for everyone who enjoys the blessings of freedom to honor and remember ALL the men and women who have given their lives in the service of our country.

I can not begin to relate to the dedication and sacrifice of the men and women who have died in battle; nor to their families who's great losses overshadow any hardships that I have endured.

As anything that I might say would likely resound empty or somewhat meaningless, in light of the my own personal experiences, I feel that the words of President Abraham Lincoln, written to a Mrs. Baxby of Boston (as quoted in Saving Private Ryan), better emulate my feelings of gratitude and indebtedness on this day.

"Dear Madam: I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the Adjutant-General of Massachusetts that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle. I feel how weak and fruitless must be any words of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering to you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save. I pray that our heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom. Yours very sincerely and respectfully, Abraham Lincoln."

I hope that somewhere, in some way, my heartfelt adulation and love will be felt by all those whom we honor this day. And to all the men and women currently serving in the military around the world today, who will likely never read my words, or the words of millions of other Americans...

We thank you.

We love you.

God bless you.

Slippin' and Slidin'!

As an early birthday present, Kayci, Jeremy and Ty gave Megs and I a Slip 'N Slide!! (How freaking cool, I know) Now, you have to understand a couple things... Kayci & Jeremy give AWESOME gifts :) For Christmas last year (I think), they gave us a sushi kit and a really cool "whodunit" book, so they are just knocking these gifts out of the park every year.

Anywho, enough about them, onto the Slip 'N Slide! ;) I remember the Crocodile Mile that we had back in Packerland, and thought that thing was the coolest. Mainly because all my older siblings played on it and had fun, therefore, I automatically thought that it was cool.

Aside: Really, I came to the frightening conclusion a few years ago, during a conversation with Kimball, that my persona was simply a mish-mash conglomeration of everything that my older brothers and sisters thought was cool and their preferences. For instance, my favorite color (powder/sky blue) and numbers (2, 11, 12, 17) were already Kimball's when he was younger. My least-favorite foods growing up (mushrooms, bananas)? Already taken. Or what about my favorite hobbies and sports (football, baseball, basketball, tennis, golf)? Well, you can bet that at least one of my siblings played it in high school. And if Megs ever gets mad at me for playing video games? Blame my techie older bros for that. Heck, my whole allergy (and fear of) bees stems from an incident where Kimball locked me out of the house and made me run though an ENTIRE HIVE of like, 400 hornets! Thankfully, I'll finally become my own person and escape the shadows of my older brothers when I graduate from BYU next year... Wait.

Back to the Slip 'N Slide... so Megs and I decided to bust it out this afternoon and her mom was in the back yard with us to film the event!

A few obvious observations from the Slip 'N Slide experience...
- 16 feet is no where NEAR as long as it used to be. Holy smokes, my face was splashing into the "pool" at the end before my feet even hit the tarp!
- The inflatable "boogies" are useless. In the 2000's, they give you little inflatable, wannabe boogie boards to slide on. The things are as big as one of my pectoral muscles and equally as flimsy. Whenever I tried using one it felt as if I has just slid over a small woodland creature... who did NOT want to be there.
- Either my attention span has shortened significantly or my mind has been refined to enjoy more mature activities (please be the latter), but after going down the Slip 'N Slide 3 times, I was ready to call it quits. Not because it wasn't fun, but because I had to do an Army-style "Up-Down" getting off if I didn't want to faceplant into the fence in the backyard.

When it was all said and done, the Slip 'N Slide was a huge success (when accounting for inflation)! We can't wait to get Megs' one year-old neice out there for her first SNS experience!

Thanks to the Dunns who rocked yet another gift! We can't wait to bust out the snocone maker next! :)

Sumo-sized Birthday!

Yesterday, the Wife and I went up to Syracuse to celebrate the birthday of our good friend, Angee. Happy Birthday Ange! There was some great food (thanks Craig!), trampolining and basketball. The main event however, was of-all-things.... SUMO WRESTLING! Angee's husband Craig rented some sumo suits and so we had a big tournament! I was going to post all the pics here, but wouldn't-ya-know-it, Megs beat me to it, so go here to check out the pics and videos of the action!

Here's a sneak peak to whet your appetite!

Layci and the Ty-man

Megs and I had the treat of being visited this past Thursday by Kayci and Tyler! We had SO MUCH fun. Ty was asleep when they arrived, so he got a little freaked out when he woke up and saw my ugly mug instead of "Mommy", but he calmed down after a while and got used to his surroundings.

Gnawing away with Aunt Meghan

Tyler is the funniest little guy. He absolutely loves jumping, and if you hold him up, he'll bounce up and down for hours. He's gonna be one heckuva basketball player if he keeps that up. Feet also astound him. Kayci would move her feet around in the air and Tyler's eyes were stuck on them, he wouldn't let her feet out of his sight! It was probably just Kayci's painted toenails, but he was really funny.

Jumping around with Uncle Kod (but he's smiling at Mom!)

To all of you who haven't met Ty (or who have but don't get to see him very often), you are in for a TREAT when the family reunion comes around. He is such a fun, happy baby with the biggest, toothless grin you'll ever see! :)

"Dance"board Confessional

Gosh darnit.

Ok... I'll admit, I'm kinda excited too.

Movie Review: Angels & Demons

Megs and I accompanied her family to the movies yesterday to see Angels & Demons, the new Tom Hanks movie based on Dan Brown's latest novel of the same name. Read on for my thoughts.


Plot/Storyline: 5 out of 5 The Pope has just passed away, and at this crucial moment, the Catholic Church is under attack by one of its oldest enemies, the mythical Illuminati. Vatican officials call upon Prof. Robert Langdon to stave off a danger that could bring the entire church to its knees.

Acting: 5 out of 5 It's well documented that Tom Hanks is my favorite actor of all time, so for that reason alone, I couldn't give the acting anything less than a 5. Even without my actor BFF, Ewan McGregor did an amazing job, as did the main actress in the film (I don't remember her name but she played a "bad guy" in the movie Vantage Point).

Kid Friendly: 2 out of 5 Don't let this low rating fool you; there's hardly any profanity, or adult scenes to be found, however there are some pretty gross parts of people getting hurt or killed. It's not as gory as a halloween horror movie, but there are some disturbing images for sure. I'd suggest leaving the kids at home for that reason alone, unless they (and you) don't mind and are at least decently into their teenage years.

Overall: 5 out of 5 The storyline really takes you for a ride in this 2 hr 20 min flick, and keeps you on the edge of your seat with exciting action. Even with some fun action moments, the real star of the film is the intellectual chase depicted. Pay attention to detail and don't let your mind wander too far off, as some things aren't as they seem, while others seem as they are. Minus the few moments of mild graphic injury, this film is a home run. If you can't find anyone to go with you, give me a call... I'd see it again in a heartbeat and will definitely be buying Angels & Demons on Blu-ray.

Becoming a BYU Student...

To think that I've attended the Y for 3 straight years and completed a total of 98 credits, and yet last night, I finally became a true BYU student. That's right, last night I hiked up the 1.2 mile path to the Y; my first-ever trek up Y Mountain. Why has it taken me so long?

Because I don't like the idea of a big letter on the hill? No. Even though the "letter on the hill" idea is SO overdone in Utah, the Y is the best and biggest of them all.

Because I think it's ugly? Heck no. I love looking up at the Y while on my way to class. I just wish they'd light it up at night more often.

Because it's a friggin' long way up a really steep path that covers 1.2 miles and 1200 feet of elevation? Yep.

Around 9 pm last night, Megs found the bizarre (and extremely disheartening) itch to suddenly climb the Y.

"Kody, you wanna climb the Y with me tonight?"

"No."

"But you've never climbed it before!"

"You're right, and I've been going to BYU for 3 years now. Do you think that's by accident?"

"You're a bum. Let's go."


So off we went into the dark, and climbed the Y. Thank goodness it was night, or otherwise I might have melted right into the mountain. 40 minutes later, we were at the top and looking out over Provo. It was really cool actually, and I must admit, was definitely worth doing once. So thank you Megs. Thanks for dragging my lazy behind all the way up that mountain. :)

You can read Megs' version of the story here.

Please leave your "Climbing the Y" experiences in the comments below!

Moving Right Along...

In the famed words of Kermit the Frog, things have been "moving right along" for us here in the Valley of Ootah, with emphasis on the moving part. After a blissful 16 months, we finally left our first little slice of heaven in south Provo.


Yes, we were very sad to leave, but all good things must come to an end and thus, we gapped it out of the little brick house that was. We moved out the 28-30th of April, and then went straight to San Jorge with our friends Randria (Randy and Andria) to unwind the winding of finals weeks and moving. We swam, played games, swam, slept, swam, played golf, swam some more, played tennis and then swam one last time. The weather was great, the company was even better, and even though both Megs and I managed each to throw up once during the trip, it ended up being a huge success. :)

Kodison, Megs and Randria

Upon returning north, we've settled into the basement of Megs' gracious parents, who were kind enough to let us barge in on them and bother them day and night. Of course reality then hit us once again as work (and school for the wifey) came calling.

The weather has finally turned mild, bringing yet another summer of golf! I've only gotten out and played three times so far, with my best score on 9 being a decent 45. I'm hoping to get down to 40 this summer (I shot a 39 once last year) so I'll keep errbody updated as to how my golf game is (or isn't) going.

***While you're in the blogging spirit, don't limit yourself to just reading my ramblings here... if you do, you'll be missing out on some BIG PRIZES over on Megs' blogs! You can enter the sweepstakes by going here, which will eventually lead you to the actual prize giveaway here.

Last but not least, the new Dan Brown movie Angels & Demons is coming out tomorrow, starring my actor bff Tom Hanks, and I couldn't be more excited. I'll have a full review of the spectacle up on the blog soon after seeing it, so be sure to check back this weekend!

In Packers News: The NFL Draft was held April 25th & 26th and it could not have gone better for our boys in Green and Gold. The Pack took my top player (BJ Raji) with their first pick, and then surprised us all by moving up into the late first round to take Clay Mattews, a perfect choice for our new defense. Along with our top two picks, I was really pleased with the two o-linemen that we drafted (Lang and Meredith) and the full back we got (Quinn Johnson) is a real bruiser that will likely be starting week one. All in all, well done Ted Thompson. Very well done.

Also, Brett Favre might be coming back to play for the Viqueens. Say it ain't so, Brett.