I'm not a business man, I'm a business, man...

Overstock.com Corporate HQ in Cottonwood Heights, UT

Well it's officially official... I'm a business man! As of today, I've finished my first week at Overstock.com and what a week it has been!

While Monday and Tuesday consisted mostly of just paperwork and general orientation, I got more into my specific role during the latter part of the week, and I'm excited to dive right in again next week as well!

As I have mentioned before, my title at Overstock.com is Customer Value Analyst. As a member of the Customer Relationship Management team, I will be working closely with marketing to evaluate promotion proposals, provide customer valuation and liaison on behalf of the analytics team, as well as a gamut of other responsibilities.

The CVA team is a brand-new part of the CRM and Analytics dept at Overstock.com, and I'm the first (and only) one that they've hired, so naturally my training has been a little helter-skelter, but I'm really excited to be a part of something new and have direct input into the function of my position.

My work is quite challenging, with a really steep learning curve... but that's just what I wanted coming out of school. I'm excited about learning as much as I can about CRM and gaining some valuable programming and analytical skills too. The office environment is great and I'm surrounded by a lot of really smart people, who serve as a great resource for me as I gain experience and try to expand my knowledge base. I certainly have a looooooooooooong way to go, but one week into it, Overstock.com seems like the perfect place to start my career... what more could I ask for?

(Oh yeah, did I mention that I graduated two weeks ago? Yeah, that was fun.)

The Big "O"...

Happy April Fools' Day! I've been trying to think of fun AFD jokes to play all day, but to no avail. Oh well, I've never had much success with 4/1 anyways.

This AFD is an exceptionally special one, again, not because of any fun pranks that I conceived, but rather because this marks the beginning of the end for my schooling! That's right ladies and gents, this man is about to graduate.... from college! (No, that is not an April Fools' Day joke)

I am going to do my best to make the most of this, my final month of academia.

But what about after? Graduate school? Unemployment? Well actually I've been on the job hunt for the last three, four, seven months and as of today, I've got a job!


As of today, I officially accepted an offer sheet from Overstock.com as a Customer Value Analyst. I'll be working at the Overstock.com headquarters in Cottonwood Heights (just south of SLC) starting May 3rd! (And no, this is not an April Fools' Day joke either)

Megs and I are super excited and we can't wait to start this next chapter of our lives, with another chapter soon to come! :)

All Good Things...

... must come to an end. And with the passing of Super Bowl XLIV in Miami two Sundays ago, that's exactly what has happened to the NFL Season.

Super Bowl Sunday is always a bittersweet day for me. I enjoy getting together with friends and family to watch the game, I enjoy the two weeks of hype building-up to the game, and of course the game itself is a blast to watch as the NFL does a great job of making their championship event into a true American spectacle.

At the same time, the Super Bowl also signals the end of the NFL season, ushering in 8 months of darkness also known as the "offseason".

Ugh, what am I going to do now?... I ask myself after the final whistle.

That same feeling of sadness is actually magnified when the Packers play their final game of the year as well. This season, the Pack made an early exit from the playoffs and afterwards, I found that more than anything, I was upset because that meant I had to wait until next August to watch my favorite team take the field.

How dark the offseason is...

But you see, there are a million reasons why NFL football is the greatest sport in the world. One of those reasons...?

Because the NFL offseason is more exciting than than most other sports' regular seasons.

That's right I said it. I'd rather follow the off-the-field happenings of the NFL than watch the NBA, NHL, college BB or even MLB (although I really do enjoy college hoops and baseball). How can that be? Because even after the games end, there's something exciting happening for at least 4 of those months between the Super Bowl and August. That's something that no other sport can say.

Here's a quick run down of the NFL Offseason:

Feb 11-Feb 25: Teams can designate franchise or transition players.
Feb 24-Mar 2: NFL Scouting Combine held in Indianapolis
March 5th: Start of Free Agency
March 21st-24th: NFL Annual Owners Meetings
April 22nd-24th: 2010 NFL Draft
Late July: Training Camps begin

*If you're confused about what these event are, click on the links to learn more about them from Wikipedia

So while nothing can compare with the actual games being played on the field, at least I will survive through the end of April. The real struggle will come in May, June and the first part of July when players are training on their own and there's not a lot of NFL news.

So if you're planning to send a small consolatory gift -- perhaps a movie, game or fruit basket -- I would that you hold-off until May or June, when I'll really need it.

Here's to hoping for an exciting baseball season! Bring on August already!

Happy Birthday Grandma!

Happy Birthday to the best Grandma in the WORLD!!

We're in the Money!

When Megs set up her online craft store I joked that I was going to quit work and school and "stay home with the kiddies". Well, now it's official, cuz Megs made her first sale!

That's right folks! She sold this Packers onesie this past week to some lady in California!


Congrats Megs! Thanks for bringing home the bacon!

Check out the All Things Crafty Store today before everything sells out!

The Pack Is Back! (And so is my high blood pressure)

The Packers started off the 2009 season last night with a tense 21-15 win over da Bears. The game was close throughout and so intense, I wasn't sure if I was gonna make it to the end, but thankfully, with just over a minute left, our boy A-Rod hit Jennings on a 50-yard TD pass for the win! Needless to say, Megs and I nearly burned the house down as we burst into celebration!

What's really funny though, is that I'm not entirely sure that I was the most nervous or engaged viewer in our home!

Megs was sporting her styling #80 Donald Driver jersey and said numerous times during the game,

"Arg, I can't take this! Please win Green Bay... Please win, I won't be able to sleep if we lose!"

How beautiful, the words of a true Packers fan. I love that little girl.

In case you missed it (and if you did don't tell me because I will dis-own you as a family member, friend, or human being), here are the highlights.

Go Pack Go!

Ps. I am absolutely convinced that the awesome new sign we bought to put up on game days helped the Packers win... Ok maybe not, but it looks SAWEET in our house!

Worth a Thousand Words...

After getting home from church today, I started up my computer, logged on to the ESPN.com home page and was greeted by this...

Watching BYU beat Oklahoma last night on national television was the most exciting game I've seen in a long time! It was up-and-down, back-and-forth for all four quarters and came down to a late touchdown that clinched the 14-13 upset for the Cougs. Yes, yes, yes!

I usually prefer watching football with family and friends, however because of some extenuating circumstances, all my friends were out of town and Megs had to work, leaving me all by my lonesome in front of the TV. It's said that a person shows their true colors when no one is watching... that same saying rings true for sports fans too!

I was yelling and screaming, jumping around, banging my fists and sprinting (literally sprinting) up-and-down our apartment the entire game. Those who have watched a Packers or Cougars game with me know how animated and "into it" I can get, but I was at my best last night...

Go Cougars!

Next up; The Packers host "da Bears" on Sunday Night Football a week from tonight (8 pm EST, on NBC)... Stand clear folks, I'll be running circles around the couch every time A-Rodge and the boys score! And believe me when I say, there will be a lot of running :)

New Beginnings... and Endings

I love new beginnings for a myriad of reasons. Like most people, I enjoy the excitement of new opportunities that present themselves and the hope of a better future. At the same time, I also enjoy the endings that must necessarily precedeeach new beginning as well.

The summer is over, and thus for Megs and I, it's time to look life square in the face, and punch it right between the eyes. School is starting up again and while I am not excited about the prospect of doing homework, going to class, readings, etc.... I am pumped up for the opportunity to rock my classes this semester. I really want to get after it; it's me against the man; my own "rage against the machine" if you will.

In addition, Megs and I moved into a new apartment this week, and it is amazing. I liked it before we moved into it, but I am absolutely in love with it now. It's more than double the size of our last place, a lot newer and nicer, and in a better neighborhood (east Orem as opposed to south Provo). I won't go list all our new amenities and give you a virtual tour of the place though... But you can be sure to expect that soon, so keep checking Megs' blog.

These things are all very exciting for me, however in addition to our new future prospects of school and a new apartment, it is at these times in life that I enjoy looking back and relishing the good (and not-so-good) moments of the time that just ended.

I had a marvelous time with GEICO this summer, and will certainly miss it. I enjoyed delving into the corporate world for a few months and staying away from professors and homework in the process. It was quote the learning experience, and was probably the most productive summer I've had in a long while... (minus of course the summer where I roped Megs into marrying me, that was pretty eventful too). I can look back with my head held high and know that I did a really good job there, and no one can take that away from me.

Moving away from Megs' parents' house is bittersweet to a certain degree. We are obviously so grateful to them for letting us stay with them for the summer (mostly Megs since I was gone for 8 weeks) and for taking such great care of us. It was a blast living with Belle Ma, Father Sir and J-Dizzle... especially Belle Ma though because she was always cooking up something fierce.

Sometimes I wonder if I enjoy each new beginning more for the opportunity to look back upon whatever period had just ended... perhaps that's a bad thing, perhaps not. I would suppose that it's a similar feeling to graduating high school, that refreshing relief of having accomplished something and knowing that it's over. Or at least that's what I've been told by people who actually have graduated.

Have you ever heard an athlete talk about winning a championship and they say something to the effect of; "No one can take this away from us!" I think Steve Young said that after he won the Super Bowl with the 49ers back in 1994. I've always understood what they meant, but thought it was more just media-speak, one of the old cliches like, "It it what it is", or "We're taking it one game at a time."

If I were to win a championship though, I think that's exactly what I would say as well. What does that really mean? It means, I did something really great. Something that I worked at for a long time and really tried hard to do my best to succeed. And I did it, and no matter what happens from now on, nothing can change that.

Wow. When broken down, that phrase really holds it own weight.

Now that school is starting and we're "back in the saddle", I guess I should look forward and focus on the things that I'm starting... but gosh, it is nice to think about the things that I've finished.


Endnote: Megs has started an online craft store and it's looking really good! Check it out at allthingscraftystore.etsy.com today! I'm so proud of you wife!

I'm Quitting Work and School...

It's official. I'm quitting work as of today. I'm also withdrawing from school this semester, never to return.

Instead, I'm devoting myself to the home, and I'm going to be "Kody the House-husband".

Why?

Because Megs just started an online craft store, and she's gonna hit it big!

Check it out here at all things crafty store.

So, since she'll be making millions, I'm planning on staying home with the kids, cooking, cleaning, etc...

I'm off to do the laundry!

The Prodigal Son Has... No, Scratch That...

Tuesday, August 18th, 2009. A day that will live in infamy.

Sure, some may argue that Packerland lost Brett last year when he went to New York...

nah.

He was just having one last hurrah on broadway. Shucks, we all knew it would just be one year;

easy to forget, easy to forgive.

Then all this talk of going to Minnesota came up, and I got scared that my boy Brett would be donning the purple and yellow this fall. Thankfully, a few weeks ago he told those Viqueens that he wasn't gonna play for 'em though. It was just a fun idea he was playing around with, nothing serious;

easy to forget, easy to forgive.

And then today happened.

Speechless. Emotionless. I'm numb.

All I can think of is the immortal words of The Godfather:



You broke my heart Brett. You broke my heart.

A Paradigm Shift in the Blogosphere

In 1962, Thomas Kuhn authored The Structure of Scientific Revolution, and fathered, defined and popularized the concept of "paradigm shift." While widely used today, if you aren't familiar with the term, think of it as a change from one way of thinking to another. It's a revolution, a transformation, a sort of metamorphosis. It does not just happen, but rather it is driven by agents of change.

Perhaps that is why I'm having such a difficult time starting this post. You see, recently I've been struggling to blog on a consistent basis (as I'm sure you're well aware), and after much self-reflection I believe to have discovered why. While suggestions, critiques and feedback from others can be valuable to one who is looking to improve or change for the better, often it is the honest, unabashed self-evaluations that prove to be the most effective proponents of change.

As a result of all the change that's been going on during the last few months (end of school, moving, internship in Tucson, missing the wife, vacation, family reunion, etc.), my blog has become more of a travel log/diary than anything. While that is all fine-and-well, it has ceased being a rewarding outlet of expression, instead turning into a taxing chore. Looking back, I blogged most actively when doing movie reviews, talking about my favorite hobbies, things that drive me crazy or why I love my Megs.

Therefore the travel log must end, and the blogging must start once again! This will not be an easy process, nor a painless one at that, however in order to protect the integrity of this blog and my cyber-sanity, it must be done.

Megs is a stronger blogger than I am, and she does a fantastic job of documenting where we're going, what we're doing, etc... so if you wish to keep up with all that, then keep up with her here. As for me, I can't do it. I won't do it.

Every time I sit down to write to the world, I am met with the same burdensome challenge; one whose consequences shape the very essence of my attempt to project my person to you readers.

I must blog my life, rather than blogging about it.


Paradigm shifted.



bt-dubs: Speaking of the amazing things that Megs is up to. Do you remember that craft giveaway contest she did a while back? Well if you haven't heard, she finished all the prizes and mailed them to the winners. Check out her craft blog, megscraft.blogspot.com, to see what she made!

The Money You Could Be Saving (Me)...

I've been working at GEICO now for 6 weeks, and finally after getting a closer look at things in "Geckoland", Megs and I have done it...

We've switched to GEICO.

Now you might be wondering; Is it really true? Can 15 minutes really save you 15% or more on car insurance?

Well my friends, Megs and I stand as witnesses... Yes.

We saved over $400 a year by switching from State Farm to GEICO! For us, that's a savings of over 32%!!! Can you believe it?!?! We are SO happy and I was pleasantly surprised that I wasn't just "drinking the kool-aid", and that switching really did work!

Now, I've got some homework for all of you to do.... and don't worry, I'm not trying to hawk you insurance.

But I am trying to make money off you! :)

Here's the deal... For the next 2 weeks only, you can help me and Megs by just calling in and getting a quote, you don't even have to buy anything!

During the next 2 weeks, just call 1-800-947-AUTO (available 24/7), and use the reference number 140396. Then, proceed on to get a free quote over the phone and Megs and I will get $15! Be sure to use the same coverages that you currently have for comparison's sake!

Let me re-emphasize that you do NOT have to buy anything and I really do NOT care if you ever switch or not... Shucks, I'm only here for another 2 weeks anyways!

So if you're feeling giving and would like to contribute to the Meghan-and-Kody-Fund-for-Food-and-Rent, then just call-in using that reference number!

As a "Badge of Honor and Benevolence", I would ask that everyone who does call, please leave a note in the comments letting me know!

NOTE: This only works if you get a quote over the phone. If you go online first and get a quote, then calling-in won't work.

TELL YOUR FRIENDS!

God Bless America!

Wow, things are happening so fast, this blog can barely keep up! Let me do my best...

In my last post, I promised to put up a pic from the pool at the D-backs game, so here it is!

The interns in the pool! (Cody, Heidi and me)

The game was really entertaining (Arizona actually won for a change) and the pool was so much fun! We were there with a bunch of other GEICO employees and it was a total blast!

From there, I managed to survive until the 4th of July weekend, where I made my way up to Utah to spend the holiday with the WIFEY!!!! It was a much-needed 3 days of relaxation and spending time with my girl ;)

Chillaxin' at HB's during the Arnett Family Reunion

Candy's family was having a family reunion that weekend as well, so we got to see a lot of Megs' relatives, while I introduced their family to 'Sconsin-style brats and sauerkraut! I must've eaten a dozen of the things...

I had so much fun being with her family and playing with baby Cate. She is so darn cute! I just wish Kayci hadn't taken Ty to Appleturkey so I could've played with him too!

Reunion side note: Candy is a magician. I kid you not. She made an entire village for all the little cousins to play in and around (of massive cardboard boxes that I got her) and cooked and cooked and cooked... not to mention organized and set up a number of very-well-put-together games, readings and slide shows of her family's history. She is absolutely amazing and I am so blessed to have her as my BelleMa. Also, Father Sir and I hung out for a bit too. Apparently we're BFFs now... cool. :D For more info on the weekend, click here.

But when it was all said-and-done, I came for this...

I LOVE MY MEGS!

I'm back to my lonely dregs in Tucson, but stay tuned and don't go far! I've got some GEICO-related news to pass along to all of you and I'll have a little homework for y'all to do too!

Sanity Returns!... And then departs again

My, my, my... how time flies when you've got a real job. Ok, so it's just an internship, but whatevs... Last time I blogged I was raving about my birfday and how surprisingly good my day was. But let me tell you, things have gotten SO much better since then!

The weekend after my birthday, I drove to Appleturkey and got to spend a couple days with Mum, Dad and Grandma! When I rolled up to the house late Friday night (June 5th), I was greeted with a HUGE birthday cake!


Grandma made me a big yellow birthday cake with chocolate frosting (my favorite!) and even put polka-dots on the sides in Meghan's honor! Is she the best grandma in the world or WHAT?! I got to go to the temple with her and the parentals, out to dinner with Aunt Dianne and Uncle Ken, and even got my car windows tinted! (They look phat...)

After spending my first week in Tucson all alone, it was a much-needed refresher and spending time with the the fam was exactly what I needed.

That said, (Mum, Dad and Grandma, please take no offense at this) but last weekend (June 11-14) was even better! Why?

Because THIS girl came to see me!


Yep, that's right! She came down with Lance, Candy, Kenz and Cate and spent the weekend with me! Megs spent the day at the pool (and got really burned) while I was at work, and then we part-ayed all weekend! We got to go up to Pheonix so I could meet some of Megs' cousins, and so Megs could meet Stacey and the girls! It was great!

Nevermind of course the fact that I forgot a tie and went to church open-collared. Yeah, it was awkward.

We even got to go to the Diamondbacks game Saturday night!


The stadium was awesome and the game was fun, but the best part was just being with the wifey, eventhough I made her mad by getting my Dr. Pepper confiscated upon entering the ballpark... :)

Sunday night was a sad moment however, because Megs had to get back up to Utah and I had work at GEICO Monday morning as well. And so, I'm alone once again.

This last week at work has been crazy. On Thursday, we attended a meeting for newly-hired employees and got to meet the CEO, Tony Nicely!!!!


He is an amazing speaker and it was really neat to talk with him for a few minutes. Later that day, he actually walked-in on one of our meetings! Whodathunkit.... the CEO coming into our meeting! It was a great day.

I went golfing Saturday (and almost died of heat stroke), and then today we gave our first "official" presentation, based on our previous two weeks. It went well, and they gave us Olive Garden for lunch to celebrate!

As you can see, it's full-on here in Tucson and things are heating up, along with the weather! Oh, and one last thing... as a congratulations for our presentation today, the director of claims at the office gave us all tickets to the pool section for the Diamondbacks game up in Phoenix tomorrow! So, I'll apologize in advance if I don't answer my phone tomorrow night; I'll be here...

and here!


Thanks for reading! I'll have updates on the pool temp after the game! :)

I miss you Megs!

Birthdays... So Easy, A Caveman Can Do It.

Happy Birfday to me! It wasn't the greatest birthday I've ever had... my wife and mom weren't there, so automatically it can't be in the discussion for greatest ever. That said, it was pretty darn good.

I called Megs at midnight last night to sing "Happy Birthday" to her, and she seemed to enjoy it... or at least that's what I translated the snoring to be. Then she called me a few hours later to sing to me as I woke up!

I wasn't sure as to how my day would go, but I knew things were looking up when I got to work and found my cubicle like this!

Birthday Cubicle!

My supervisor got in early this morning and decorated my desk with banners and everything (the green & gold ribbon was on purpose BTW. She knows I'm a Packer fan and needless to say, I was very impressed), and even dropped off a pink box full of DONUTS! They were the perfect way to start my day!

The presentations we were meant to do this morning were rescheduled, so that was a bit frustrating, but we spent the rest of the day going through applications with the hiring team and I really enjoyed learning how GEICO recruits employees, along with the characteristics and experience that they look for in candidates.

My internship has been nothing short of awesome so far. Everyone is very open and helpful, and the projects that we'll be working on look to be exciting, and give me an opportunity to give meaningful feedback and contribute to the office here. We've spent a lot of time in various training situations (workplace policies, benefits, etc.) but we've had opportunities to meet most of the managers and directors of the office here and even the Assistant VP (The Boss).

My fellow interns are really great people as well. My roommate Cody is from the University of Wisconsin and wished me "Happy Birthday" about 100 times today. He's a great guy and we seem to get along just fine.

Cody & Kody

The other two interns are really nice girls from the University of Arizona here in Tucson, and Ashland University in Ohio. All three of the other interns are bright and we seem to work well together.

After coming home tonight, I made myself a true feast: chicken alfredo pasta with a garden salad, topped off with "lots o' pulp" orange juice. I'm no fine cuisinier, but I must say, it was hecka good.

Proof of my amazing cooking exploits

And lastly, I of course can't forget... Megs gave me one present to bring down to Tucson, and made me PROMISE not to open until today.

What is it might you ask?

Well, it's written and directed by my favorite actor ever.

Tom Hanks.

And it's a movie that recently, I have been quoting ever-more frequently.

"Off he goes to write his new hit song, Alone In My Principles."

"What are you crazy?! A man in a really nice camper wants to put our song on the radio! Gimme a pen, I'm signin', you're sig- we're all signing!"

"Oh I'm not wit 'dese fellas. I've got a pig in competition over in the livestock pavilion, and I'm gonna WIN that blue ribbon!"

"Well, I like Wisconsin..."

Yep, you guessed it.

That Thing You Do!

So as the clock approaches midnight and the end of yet another June 4th draws nigh... thanks to all who made my birthday special, even though those who are most special to me are far away.

Happy Birthday Megs! I Love You!

Birthday! Birthday!

Birthdays are so nice, in our family we do them twice! But first...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MEGS!

How can you not fall in love with this girl? How do I love thee? Oh let me count the ways...

I hope you have a fantastic birthday sweetheart! I'm SO sorry that I'm not there with you to celebrate our birthday together, I want to be there with you (or you here with me) SO BAD!

Make sure you take lots of pictures, eat lots of cake and ice cream, and...

Check in my sock drawer before you leave for work in the morning! (But you can only open half of it before work and you must save the other half for after you come home, so choose wisely)

Happy Birthday Wife! I Love You!

Make a wish Megs! I love you!

We must also recognize my fabulous Aunt Dianne, who rounds out our "Birthday Trifecta"! She is amazing and I'm looking forward to seeing her soon! *wink *wink

Oh yeah, I heard it's also some kid's birthday down in southern AZ too... whatevs.

PS. To all those who have been waiting on the edge of their seats for the internship blog that never came... it's coming. This week has been NUTS and I've got a big presentation to do tomorrow morning (Happy B-day, right), but tomorrow- I promise.

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! :)