Basketball Tease Two

Provo Utah Girls

Honestly I think most RMs wish girls were more like this.

Semester Done

A chapter in my life has come to a close. That chapter is math. I absolutely can't stand math. I cannot sufficiently express the dislike I have towards it. The joy I have that I never ever ever have to take another math class is exhilarating. People claim that I always use math in my every day life. This is true. However, that is useful, and makes sense, and nothing ever more complex than simple algebra. The math I'm talking about is the kind that is unbelievably useless and delibrately tries to confuse you. When your professor straight out says 'you'll never need to know this except for on the exam' it makes it extremely difficult to want to learn how to create a taylor polynomial. And when you know how to solve a differential equation, but they throw in a ln xy cubed and never taught you how to work that out, it tends to be a little upsetting.

Therefore, it is with tremendous amounts of pleasure that I announce my separation from useless math forever.

Also, for the record, I obliterated my World History final and dominated Accounting. Those classes have practical use in the real world. Accounting definitely more so than History, but History is good to know. I can honestly say taking Accounting was a wise investment.

Texas is such a happy place. Everything is so big, and it's wide open and spacious, and there's gorgeous skies. There's no mountains blocking the warmth and brightness of the sun. And no dark grey clouds threatening to pour buckets of snow on you. ... It's wonderful being back. People are so kind and patriotic. And no one makes fun of you for loving Texas with all your heart. I love Texas

Let Me Be Your Missionary...

This is fantastic

Time Efficiency

So I got a paper back from my world history class that I wrote about a book I didn't read. I got a 98%. Essentially what I am learning from college is the importance of efficiency. Time is my most valuable asset. So why spend 10 hours reading a book about Napoleon that I can't understand, when I could spend 1 hour researching the topics discussed in the book and still write a paper analyzing the book and get an A? I can see how some people would view this as cheating and immoral. But viewing it from purely a business standpoint - is it cheating or is it smart? If my boss asked me and another coworker to complete a project, and I was able to do it in one hour while it took him 10, and we get the same outcome, who's going to get the promotion? A fellow Calculus student seemed upset that I never complete all of my homework but still get full credit for it. I discovered that the grader does not check for accuracy at all and doesn't completely check for completion. Mainly they check if you turn it in. So if I can complete the first 10 problems in a homework assignment, understand the concepts enough to get a 95% on the exam, and get full credit for the homework that was supposed to be 30 problems long - where's the downside? After the first 10 basic problems they turn into ridiculous 'application' problems that take 30 minutes each. So I could spend 3 hours every day working on calculus problems that aren't going to be on the exam and I'll never use in real life and still get a 95% in the class, or I could be efficient with my time. I make sure I understand the concept, then use the 2 hours I saved to focus on a more practical, useful class like accounting. An important thing I learned in economics is that employers generally don't care as much about what you learned in your degree. More importantly they care about the fact that you showed enough initiative and self-motivation to be able to achieve a difficult long-term goal. So is me being efficient with my valuable time cheating or is it smart? You can decide. I'm gonna go enjoy my Saturday.

Another Year of Lights

Christmas rocks. And so do Christmas Lights. I wish more people around here would decorate their houses. I'm gonna go buy me some lights. After spending every night from the day after Thanksgiving till New Years Eve at the Mesa Temple Christmas lights last year, it was enjoyable to come see the Salt Lake Temple Lights. I tried hard to not be biased, but the truth is, Mesa does a way better job. Sorry Utah. It was still really fun though. It was different not talking to every person that passed by, and instead being talked at by the Sisters. I'd definitely say the best part was being there with a pretty girl instead of a bunch of other dudes. Yeah, that rocked. So all-in-all it was exciting to see Temple Christmas Lights again this year.

Also, in case you've missed it, we're still undefeated. Jimmer and Jackson are owning everyone and their grandma. At 8-0 we're still only #18. Hopefully after sound trouncings of Arizona and UCLA the next two weeks people will recognize that no one is better than us. Cause somehow Kentucky has lost two games but they're still ahead of us. I'm glad SanDiegoState and UNLV are doin so well this season. This way once we dominate them it'll be even sweeter.

Happy December!!

George Strait - There's a Difference in Livin and Livin Well

I love December. There is so much happiness in the air. Christmas is such a wonderful time of year. And there's snow!! And Jack from Provo thinks it's the greatest thing ever when you throw at snowball at him. So who wouldn't love that? Pretty much rocks. Like him.

Also, I received the greatest news of the semester last night. No, it's not that I have a 95% in Calculus, although that is true. (I normally wouldn't brag, but I've failed math classes my whole life, so this is a big deal). The good news was that there will be one less red person in Utah, and one more Blue person. Repentance is possible. And this is kind of an important person. So it's really really exciting. Plus she baked me a pie.

I got to take my long-lost boy out to dinner on Monday night. That was a great experience. It was so good to see him again and find out what's been happening to him for the past two years. He's doin a lot better now. I hope I'll get to stay in touch with him and help him get back to where he was.

His MTC companion Elder Young, who was also my companion for three months and one of my favorites came home two weeks ago. He was my last companion in the field. They're all home now. Elder Poole, Elder Aicher, Elder Moa, Elder Dalton, Elder Keir, Elder Gomez, Elder Pebley, Elder Diaz, Elder Matsunaga, and Elder Young. All of my influence in the Mesa Mission is gone. Probably a good thing. It was really strange when I realized that though. All of my companions are back. One of em is married (has been for 6 months). I remember when Elder Aicher went home how strange that was. It was like this invincible being had died.

But anyways, now we all get to be real people and look for wives.

Only one week of the semester left. Then finals. Super excited about that.

A Season Redeemed

On Friday October 1st, the BYU football team hit rock bottom, losing to Utah State for the first time in over 10 years 16-31. We had lost 4 games for the first time in one season since Gary Crowton was here (and we all have been blocking those years from our memories). The team was noticeably disunited, and greatly lacked leadership. Now two months later, we end the season as one of the strongest football teams in the country, 3rd in conference, and possibly one of the strongest in BYU history. Let's take a look at what the problems were, and how they were fixed:

1. A very young, inexperienced team.

Losing most of our starters was expected, however, losing Harvey was a surprise, and we were stripped of all of our notable leaders on the field. Jake Heaps was only the second true freshman in BYU history to start a game, and was noticeably nervous. More than 75% of our starters were underclassmen.

How it was fixed: As a team, the underclassmen recognized weaknesses and fixed them. Andrew Rich set a great example for the defense. And Jake Heaps, Cody Hoffman, and Josh Quezada all three stepped up to the plate big time (all freshman).

2. O'Neil Chambers.

Over-rated and arrogant, he hurt the team with his actions on the field, and even worse off the field.

How it was fixed: After multiple suspensions, O'Neil was dismissed from the team. There was an immediate, noticeable difference in the unity and confidence of the players.

3. Bronco had let the team get too far away from his direct leadership.

Delegating defensive coordinator responsibilities to Jaime Hill in 2008, Bronco tried to take some of the load off of his shoulders and manage the team on more of a broad scale.

How it was fixed: Jaime Hill was fired and Bronco took over his responsibilities as defensive coordinator. Immediately, our defense became the best in the nation.

4. Trying to force the tandum quarterbacks to work

Another part of the Crowton years we're all striving to forget. A two-quarterback system has never, and never (ever) will work. Telling Jake Heaps and Riley Nelson that they are both starters is the same as saying "You're good enough to start, but not quite good enough to be the sole leader of the offense." What do you think that does for the confidence of a 19 year old kid who's trying to play in front of 65,000 screaming fans?

How it was fixed: Sad, but it helped, Riley was injured in the game against Florida State, leaving Jake as our only option. It took a few games (understandable, considering he knew the coaches didnt fully trust him) but he finally got rid of the butterflies and played to his potential. To quote Bronco, "He could be the best quarterback BYU has ever seen."

Sure, losing to Utah leaves a bitter aftertaste on such a wonderful second half of the season, but that's what makes it a quality rivalry. If we didn't lose occasionally, it wouldn't be so exhilarating when we beat them. And I don't think it's appropriate to blame it on one call or one penalty (though we can all agree Brandon Bradleys knee was unquestionably down). There were hundreds of plays and many flags and reviews that could've changed the game at any point. Just because one happened later on in the game doesn't mean anything. Their defense came up with a big play when they needed to. Hats off to them, get ready for next year. Even still our team played unbelievable, holding a top-25 team scoreless through 3 quarters. Excluding the Utah loss, the second half of the season included blowouts with scores such as 49-10, & 40-7. I strongly beleive we will see many more games like that next season. And the season after that. And the season after that. Know why? Cause they're all freshman! We are going to own on a national stage for years to come. There was absolutely nothing disappointing about this season.

If we get invited to a bowl, it would be a compliment and exciting. If not, it would be understandable. 6-6 doesn't really deserve a postseason to be honest.

So lets hold our heads high, and look forward to the freedom of independence. It starts on September 3rd, 2011 at Ole Miss.

What a Wonderful World

Well, here it is. Everything we've been waiting for. The time has arrived. Everyone recognizes it will be a good game, but even still everyone is saying Utah is going to come out on top. This day might be bigger than Christmas.

After a weeks worth of anticipation, and an hour to kickoff, here's a beautiful recap of everything we have relived together:

Amazing

This one should've been posted with the 2006 entry. But it's worth seeing. It will bring tears to your eyes.

2009: George is Still Running

Overtime

2009:

Since this one is still fresh in our minds, it can be relived in just one sentence:

Andrew George is still running.

2007: Collie is Still Open

Enter to Learn, Go Fourth and Eighteen!

2007:

A great game with lots of great hits can be summed up in two plays.

Down 9-10 with just over a minute to play, the Cougars faced a 4th down and 18 yards to go on their own 10 yard line. Max Hall avoided a sack and scrambled out of the pocket to find Austin Collie unbelievably wide open 40 yards downfield.

Then just a few plays later, now on the Utes 10 yard line, Harvey Unga literally runs over the Ute defense into the endzone to give the Cougars the lead for good.

Another incredible grab by Austin Collie on the 2-point conversion put the score at 17-10.

2006: The Answered Prayer

Beck to Harline

2006:

After losing to Utah four years in a row under the direction of Gary Crowton, Bronco Mendenhall was brought in to be the new head coach and immediately made changes for the better. The 2006 season saw the best Cougar team in history with household names like John Beck, Curtis Brown, Johnny Harline, Cameron Jensen, Jan Jorgensen, Michael Reed, Matt Allen, Justin Robinson, Bryce Mahuika, Fui Vakapuna, Manase Tonga, Brian Kehl, and of course, McKay Jacobson. Heading up to Salt Lake the Cougars were undefeated in conference play, ranked number 21 nationally, and hadn't trailed in a game in 34 quarters. In arguably the greatest BYU-Utah game in history, a hard fought battle saw 4 lead changes, 3 incredible Johnny Harline one handed grabs (2 for touchdowns), and 1 amazing 4th down defensive stand by the Cougars. Utah scored to take the lead 31-27 with just over a minute to play. John Beck came onto the field confident and led his team down the field with passes to Curtis Brown, Johnny Harline, and everyones favorite, McKay Jacobson. With 3 seconds on the clock the Cougars were on the 12 yard line. A field goal wouldn't tie the game, it was do or die. Those final seconds cannot be described in words. This video is a fair representation of the emotion:

2001: The Greatest Run in BYU History

Also worthy to note: This was the only year we beat Utah under the leadership of Gary Crowton. Special thanks to him for ruining everything Lavell spent 30 years building. And an even bigger thanks to Bronco Mendenhall for bringing it back just a few years later. Tune in tomorrow to see the effects of Bronco.

Luuuuuuuuke!!

2001:

Down 21-10 with 3 minutes to play, Brandon Doman slips a short pass to Luke Staley to bring the Cougars within 4. As time was running out, BYU drives the length of the field to set up on the 30 yard line. A simple option to the short side is called with 1:16 left. Luke Staley outruns the evil down the sideline in probably the most memorable run in BYU history. Utah threatens to come back, putting together a solid drive, but Jernaro Gilford intercepts a pass as time expires to seal the deal for right team.

2000: Last Miracle for Lavell

1998: It's Off the Upright!!

The Holy War

This is a big week. Two months ago, it seemed like it would be a week to keep our heads down, grit our teeth, and just get through it. But recent events have given everyone hope. A quick review of the past three weeks would show:

BYU 55 UNLV 7

Utah 7 TCU 37

BYU 49 Col. St. 10

Utah 3 Notre Dame 28

BYU 40 NewMexico 7

Utah 38 SanDiegoSt. 34

Clearly, we are the better team. A win against Utah, makes the world a better place.

In lieu of the week of the Holy War, I find it only appropriate to relive the magical moments of the past few years.

1998:

Owen Pochman ties a career-long 45 yard field goal to put the Cougars up by 9 with only a few minutes left in the game. The following kickoff is returned for a touchdown to bring the Utes within 2. A quick three-and-out gives the Utes the ball again with over a minute to play. They drive the length of the field, and with seconds left on the clock, look to kick a game-winning field goal. However, because they are the U, the kick is deflected off the upright. Cougar victory 26-24.

2000:

BYU blows a 26-10 lead in the 4th quarter, to be down 27-26 with under two minutes to go. On their own 15 yard line, they back themselves into a 4th and 13 with 45 seconds on the clock. In the "Last Miracle for Lavell" Brandon Doman completes a 50 yard pass to Jonathon Pittman to keep the drive alive. 20 seconds later, Doman takes the ball into the endzone himself, giving the Good Guys the lead 34-27 to send Lavell out in style.

Tune in tomorrow for the video highlights of these wonderful memories.

The Giving of Thanks

What is the deal with 30-year-old guys that claim to be pilots? I just don't get it.

I'm finding it hard to care much about school at all. Which is tough, cause I was kinda planning on getting a lot of work done this week. But then somethin comes along and changes everything you thought you had planned. But it's a great thing though. Because they make you pie. ;-)

The holidays are such a wonderful time. How can you not be happy when you have two huge holidays in a row? A day completely to eat and play football and nap. And a day completely to give fun stuff to people you love. And the first snow comes and makes everything white! There is just no downside to any of this. PLUS CHRISTMAS MUSIC!!! I would petition that we should listen to Christmas music all year round, but I suppose if we did that it would just be normal music and wouldn't be as special anymore.

I can't tell you enough how much I love working at the Creamery. It just rocks. A lot. It's always a party in there. We had a great accounting lecture about having a job that you love. And right now I definitely love my job. It is buckets of fun.

I dunno if yall saw, but BYU football and basketball both won by 40 points on Saturday. We dommed New Mexico 40-7. And basketball kinda made a joke of Chicago State 105-60. It was a fantastic Saturday. Will and I had zero voice left between the two of us. I felt pretty light-headed at the half of the basketball game. We had been standing and yelling for 6 hours straight by then. It was a good day.

And the night before we had had a huge party. I took a certain girl to this 'power tumbling' place. It was a blast. When we took Savannah and Cami to their gymnastics lessons over the summer, I was a little jealous, cause it looked like a ton of fun with a big huge foam pit and stuff to jump way high off of. Well some genius here in Provo made a big place like that for big kids like me. Probably the funnest two hours I've had here in Utah. After that we went bowling with Will and Seneca and Whitney and Mike and Nick. That was a huge party. Especially with all the dancin we would do after each strike. It was a super fun night.

We got up early the next mornin to play basketball with the elders quorum. That actually rocked way hard, because I forgot how much I love to play basketball.

We party pretty hard around here. I see less of Will now that him and Seneca have hit it off pretty well. I suppose it's like a parent sending their kid off to college. I'm happy and excited for him. But it's rough not havin him around as much. So I think this week could be a good thing, cause someone else will be around a lot. We'll find out.

I think everyone should read President Monsons talk on gratitude this week. It's fairly fitting for the occasion. And also can change the way you see life.

Life just always gets better.

Soul-Searching of a Returned Missionary

"Dear President, I'm a pretty sweet dude. I was a pretty sweet missionary. Women like me. Why can't I find the right girl? Please let me know where she is. You are a prophet. I have the faith. Let's do this."

Former companion, Zak Keir

Fun Memories

Found this picture from freshman year. Good times

Great Days

I love BYU.

Basketball season has started - and we rock. Specifically, Jimmer rocks. We pwned Fresno State 83-50. It was so flippin sweet. We are good. Way good.

And football dominated Colorado State. 49-10. We went to Wills friends house and watched the game on a sixty-inch tv in HD. it was pretty flippin sweet. and it was a man party. we had two huge pizzas and wings and chips and dip. it rocked. And Utah got rocked - BY NOTRE DAME!! We are no question gonna beat them. I'm way psyched for that game.

Today was Wills birthday and it was a way good day. We threw the football around a little bit, then Jack from Provo came over for our pre-game pancake party. Even Dallin came for this one, so it was kind of a big deal. We added some sausage and eggs to the cougar cakes. Good eatin. Then we went and watched the game and celebrated through the whole thing because we're so good. Dallin and Megan had us over for dinner and the cake and presents party. Will made out like a bandit - he had m&m's with his picture on them, and a football signed by McKay Jacobson and half the team. So game over, he wins. Then we went and watched the BYU hockey game. It was intense. Went to a shootout and we won.

After that we let Will and his date go off by themselves, and I went off by myself with my date. It actually turned out really really well.

Life is just so great right now.

This Day

Last Year

It's Time

So at work I occasionally check out the freshmen girls. (Yes, I mean that in both senses of the phrase). Somethin that has been pretty amusing to me recently is how they react to plastic bags. I guess the new 'green' thing to do is not put your groceries in plastic bags? So at least once a day I have a girl get extremely offended that I would even think to put her groceries in something as awful as a plastic bag. And she lets me know it too. So I've gotten into a habit now of asking if the person wants a bag for their stuff. The funniest part to me is the look I get from the guys. They are extremely confused. 'Why the heck wouldn't I want a bag?'

Don't ask me guys.

Also, for Halloween Will and I were gonna dress up like Chip-N-Dale Dancers. But we couldn't find anywhere in provo that sells those costumes.

And Jimmer is the best ever.

Lauren Anderson

Just to prove I actually met her

Clearly I was pretty psyched

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Fall:

Football is in full swing. The World Series. Basketball is coming soon. The weather is perfect. The Holidays are here. The semester is half over. And the COUGARS KEEP WINNING!!!

It was a wonderful day. Our boys beat Wyoming 25-20. Our Volleyball girls beat TCU 3-1. And our soccer girls took down San Diego St. 1-0. So much goodness. I got talk to talk to Lauren Anderson after the game - probably the highlight of the week.

Thursday night at 8 on TNT the Rockets are going to own the Lakers. Also, Wednesday at 7 is the Cougar Tipoff. And Friday night is the first game of the preseason - we get a taste of how bad Jimmer is gonna dominate everyone this season. The Rangers are going to be the first Texas team to win a world series. And the Cougars are the greatest team ever at everything.

Cougar Nation

It was a great birthday week. Bubba and Megan had us over for some cherry cobbler and fun BYU presents. Then FatCats threw me a party. It was a blast. Then Mandy, John and the girls came to see me to celebrate. I got to take Savannah and Camden on a date to see our girls sweep UNLV in volleyball 3 sets to none. (They haven't lost a set in 5 games now. We rock). The girls had a lot of fun.

They were good sports and let me paint their faces and spray their hair blue. Cami was most excited that the Cougars were wearing pink just for her and she loved clapping and cheering every time we scored. Savannahs favorite part of the night was getting to meet Cosmo and having him sign her book.

Even their mom and dad couldn't help feeling the excitement of being in Cougar Town.

Thanks to everyone for a great birthday!

Dueces

TWO!!

We won our second game of the season. It was super exciting. You could tell Bronco has taken over defense. Big time. A glimmer of hope for the season.

Right after the game, our soccer girls beat Air Force 2-1. (Lauren had one of those goals) So we got to see TWO BYU wins in one day. It ROCKED! AND our volleyball girls beat UVU. So many good things.

I got to watch Bubba bury someone today. That was interesting. I realized how fascinated I am at the fact that he just knows exactly what to do for cars. How does he know? He knows what needs to be done and how to do it. I can't hardly drive the thing - but he can fix anything on it.

General Conference

Will and I heard rumors of a stand=by line to get into General Conference. We decided to make a date out of it and drove up to Salt Lake Sunday to see if we could get in. We got there later than anticipated, so we watched the first session in the Tabernacle, then walked around tryin to find the line for the afternoon session, but never did. So we watched the second session in the Legacy theater. It was a fun day. President Bassett fed us dinner which was awesome.

My first mission reunion was great. It was so good to see everyone again. Lots of guys had really really pretty wives. Guys that have only been home a few months longer than I have. That part was a little bit weird. But it was great. I got to meet my grandpa Elder Olson.

He trained Elder Aicher in Snowflake and then was a Zone Leader in Apache Junction - so we had quite a few connections. Elder Aicher didn't come down from Idaho - but Chance Pebley did. He's only been home for three weeks and he's already got ladies fightin over him.

We Are BYU

I GOT TO SIT NEXT TO LAUREN ANDERSON IN ACCOUNTING THIS MORNIN!!

Who is Lauren Anderson? you might ask. WHO IS LAUREN ANDERSON!? Our Soccer girls are ranked number 8 in the nation. I don't really like soccer at all, but these girls make it fun to watch. They dominate everyone, every game. Carlee Payne was an All-American as a true freshman last season. But Lauren is definitely our favorite player on the team. Will and I have her poster hanging in our room, and we got her to sign our program one night.

She also leads the Mountain West Conference in assists. The best part was that SHE talked to ME. I sat next to her and introduced myself as a fan, but I was gonna leave it at that. She started askin about my major and how I was doin in Calculus (we're both majoring in Business Management). She was super nice and really fun to talk to. And she remembered my name when she said bye. Pretty much made this week the greatest week ever.

One of my favorite parts of the day is gettin some food from the cougareat - they always ask for a name to call when your order is ready. Not once have I given them the name Andrew. It is so much fun to watch the different reactions when a shy girl barely whispers in an embarassed, confused voice "Wolverine?" or the guy who thinks it's funny and yells for everyone to hear, "Optimus Prime!!"

Being at BYU is way fun.

Weeks Work Paid Off

I completely dommed my Calculus test. I was pretty excited about it. Cause I've spent quite a bit of time studying for it. So now this week I get to take an Accounting and World History test. Pretty psyched about that. Gonna be in the library a lot.

Jack from Provo got to party with his awesome uncles again on gameday. His parents were pretty cool and got him a sweet gameday outfit to match us, so we were all three twinkies.

He even brought over a football for our pregame pancake party.

While we were gettin ready to head out to the game, he got a little wild and adventurous and made sure that we were really ready.

President Bassett came to see me and come to the game with me.

Unfortunately our Cougars still haven't worked out all the kinks. Clearly this season is going to be a rough one. But we still have faith.

And we still have McKay

Fun Times with Jack from Provo

Jack got invited to our weekly pancake party this Saturday. He had a blast makin some Cougar Cakes with his way sweet uncles. He even had his little mini baby 'flapjack for jack.'

He felt more like a man watchin college football and rockin out to some pump-up music. He even tried to take his shirt off, but we told him the BYU-approved housing didn't allow that. So he just let his belly hang out instead.

It was pretty dang sweet. Sadly our beloved Cougars lost, so Megan tried to cheer us up with lots of pizza and more football after the game. It worked pretty well. Also riding away into the sunset together on Black Bullet made for an exhilarating exit.

Get Ready

We Are BYU

George Is Still Running 2009

This is what I learned about in World History:

In the 1800's an organization formed in the United States that freed certain slaves and sent them back to Africa. Before sending them back they forced the tribe that was already on the land out and created Liberia. Upon arrival in Africa these freed slaves found the tribal lifestyles of the Africans 'barbaric.' So they captured them and made them their slaves.

Does anyone else find this ironic?

Also, Elaine Newton is in my World History class.

And I definitely saw Christie Carpenter on campus today. That was the highlight of the week.

Meeting Apostles, Celebrities, and Old Friends

This has been an incredible weekend. This morning we had regional conference and got to hear from Julie B. Beck, Jefferey R. Holland, and President Packer at the Marriott center. Then at 6 tonight there was a CES fireside with Richard G. Scott also at the Marriott. It was awesome hearing from so many Apostles in one day. Only one of them spoke on marriage. And it was actually pretty good. But I've still decided this week that I really enjoy the single life and I think I would like to continue enjoying it for at least another 2 years. Because Saturday with Will was flippin awesome!

10:00 our girls played the University of Houston in volleyball. we had front row seats and Cosmo came and partied with us and gave me a volleyball that he had signed. We also got some way sweet calendars with all the sports teams schedules from September to September. 12:00 we had a pancake party while we watched highlights from last seasons football DVD. At 2:00 we watched the football game which turned out to be a sad 3 hours, but the anticipation was fun. 5:30 we went to the gym. Then at 7:00 our soccer girls dominated Marquette. Best part - after the game I got to talk to Lauren Anderson AND Carlee Payne. I had to push a guy aside to be able to talk to Lauren, and I would've asked her on a date, but she had been talkin to that guy pretty close. And he was a little bit bigger than I was. As we were walkin out of the stadium we saw the basketball team, so I went up to Jimmer Fredette and asked him to sign the picture of him on the calendar we had gotten that morning. He was a way cool guy and talked to us for a minute. So now my calendar has two All-American autographs on it. I'll probably be able to sell it for 10 million dollars one day. But I would never sell it.

On Tuesday I sat down in the Math Lab and right across the table from me was Kyle VanCamp. It was pretty neat seeing him. He has changed quite a bit. The mission was a really good thing for him - we had a normal conversation and I actually enjoyed talking to him. He seems like a cool guy now. He even helped me with my calculus homework. Wednesday night we had a ward temple trip and as we walked up the stairs to the chapel I saw Bishop Baxter walking down the hall. It was so good to see him and visit for a minute. He's a great guy. Then as we were leaving for the night I saw one of the Louden girls - I was not expecting it to be Aubrey. I still pictured the annoying 9-year-old little sister. She is not that anymore. In fact if she hadn't had a huge rock on her finger I would have a lot of good things to say about her. But it was good to see her. She gave me Tysons number so I called him the next day. He's completely less-active now, so that made me really sad - but it was good to catch up with him.

I love being at BYU. I don't care much for Utah at all. But I love BYU.

Grateful for Big Brother

So Dallin saved me $100 and 2 hours of time today. I honestly think he could fix anything. I dunno how he does it. He's good. I used to joke around that I helped him with school and he helped me with life - but I don't help him with school at all anymore, so it's just him helping me - alot. I don't really know what I'm gonna do when he's gone.

I guess it's a good, humbling experience for me. I probably got pretty big-headed bein an assistant, thinkin I had things under control. Bubba left town for three days and I clearly couldn't handle things on my own. So... I'm back to being the younger brother. Good thing too... cause life is better when he's around.

BYU beat Washington - I wasn't very impressed at all with how we played, but apparently some coaches were, cause now we're number 24 on the USA poll. Which I'm okay with. JJ DiLuigi was the only one who really had a good game. Everyone else played just enough to have more points when the clock ran out. We better make a lot of improvements (especially in the red zone) this week and next or we'll be embarassed by Florida St. again.

Being in the Elders Quorum presidency is helping in a lot of ways. It's keeping my schedule a lot more packed than it already was, but I definitely feel a lot better after our meetings and different activities. I've been supressing that guilty feeling since June 15th that I just wasn't doing anything ACTUALLY productive. Keeping busy getting to know people in the ward and making sure they all have home teachers is almost reminiscent of being a missionary. We even have one nonmember girl in the ward, which is super exciting. I haven't talked to the ward mission leader about it yet, but my personal goal is to help her be baptized before the end of the semester.

Rise All Loyal Cougars

GAMEDAY.

Been ready for this all week. Haven't been able to sleep for the past two nights because of excitement. Less than 4 hours from now, the Cougars kickoff their 2010 season. We are going to dominate everyone. Will and I have been watching BYU highlights for the past 3 days in anticipation. We went to see the volleyball girls play last night to get even more pumped. I got to give Cosmo a high-five. And they let me be in a muffin-eating contest between sets. I came in second. Almost won a free night at the Courtyard Marriot. I thought was a funny prize to give college students. Got a free poster of Christie Carpenter and realized she is extremely attractive. So I would enjoy meeting her. She's my age which is exciting, but she's an inch taller than me. So that's the only downer there.

College life is a lot of fun. Especially living with guys my age. I loved Eric and Brian, and there was definitely never a shortage of fun there. But they were a lot older, so it was a pretty different experience than the dorms. So now being in an apartment complex of kids my age and having roommates my age is a lot of fun. Add on top of that the great schedule I have so that my evenings are free every day - and I am havin a blast. Both semesters before the mission I had to work in the evening. I made sure that would not happen this semester. So so far I've been able to go to a soccer game, a volleyball game, a theater production of Tuesdays w. Morrie, and three parties. It rocks.

I am way psyched for Cougar Football season to begin.

Vacation Over - Football Season Begins

I'm way psyched for school to start. Pretty much this semester is gonna be awesome. Already has been so far, but clearly it will only get better. I am excited. I feel like I've been vacationing from life for over two years, and now it's time to get back into it. Calculus is really my only worry. I can't not get an A in that class.

Last night was a very good night for Will and myself. We agreed it to be the most successful of the semester up to this point. It was a whole lot of fun. And eye-opening. I told Will if I was him I'd go buy a ring tomorrow. If a girl invites you over to her place to watch football... I really don't see it getting better than that. And knowing these girls, they would most likely make us food when we went over. And they want to vote for Jack in the beautiful baby contest. So it's a win-win-win-win.

Also, just in case you weren't aware. BYU Football starts this Saturday. 4:00 pm mountain time. We're pretty much gonna dominate everyone.

The Cost of the Search

So dating is really really ridiculously expensive. One night cost 30 dollars. And in my mind it was a 'cheap' idea that was really fun. It was super fun and worth it. But when you're down to 40 bucks waiting for your paycheck to come in tomorrow, a 30 dollar date hits you hard. Boy am I grateful for a meal plan. So I wont be going hungry, just be doing without for two weeks. So many surprises costs keep coming up. Extra books or programs that I have to pay for for my classes. I guess this happens at the beginning of every semester though. But now my options for future dates are extremely limited. Tomorrow night and Saturday night will both be completely free (again thanks to great parents that provide a meal plan). But what about next week? What if one of these dates is Sister Coffman and I want to take her out again but I don't have enough dough? I'll tell you how - because if she really is Sister Coffman, she will offer to take me on the second date. What do girls spend their money on? Not on guys, that's for sure. I'm taking the stand that more girls should ask guys on dates. Although that could lead to an unbelievable scheduling headache for me. I would need to hire a secretary. More money gone. That might be worth it though. Charlotte was expensive, but having multiple girls is even more expensive. I'm gonna need to adjust my budget from what I had originally planned. Good thing Sister Coffman will be worth it.

The New

I don't have cute kids to put pictures up and keep everyone updated on. But I decided there are too many good things that people should know about. And I know I like keeping up with what's going on in my siblings and friends lives. So I will continue to update this blog. Life is just too interesting not to. So even if it's just for me. Also this website seems like it will be more dependable than the Legendary Eljay (may it rest in peace).

And since everyone is on-the-edge-of-their-seats-interested in the hunt for Sister Coffman, this could be the place to get instant updates. Unless I decide that some information is too confidential to share. Like how the date with Christyn Dorius went last night. ;-)

I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course

2 Timothy 4:6-7

For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at
hand.
I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the
faith:

3 John 1:13-14

I had many things to write, but I will not with ink and pen write unto thee:

But I trust I shall shortly see thee, and we shall speak face to face. Peace be to thee. Our friends salute thee. Greet the friends by name.

I love you.

Love,Elder Coffman(the obe-one)

I've been so unbelievably blessed my whole mission

Ruth and her children were baptized, and Doug as well. It's been amazing working with all of them. We are so blessed here in this area, it's amazing. I love being a missionary.
We are seeing miracles all across the mission. We're really excited about it. We're seeing things that have never happened before. Good things are on their way.
I don't know why I've been so unbelievably blessed my whole mission. I don't feel like I deserve all the opportunities I've been given. And I don't know why, but they just keep coming.
Lauren will be baptized this Saturday. She's been coming to the singles ward for over a year and no one could convince her that she needed to be baptized. Now a week before I leave we'll get to see it happen. Anthony, Andrew, Mayok, Dante, and Jessica will all be baptized on the 12th. The last Saturday that I'm a missionary, I'll get to see 5 people I love enter the waters of baptism. All with different backgrounds and stories. And they all happened to come together for that last week. I know that it's not a coincidence. I'm eternally grateful for the blessings I've received, the knowledge and understanding that I have gained, and the ways that I have grown. All in two short years that feel like 2 months. It has been an unbelievable experience. Something that could not and would not occur, unless it was directed by our Father in Heaven.
I'm grateful for everyone who has supported me in any way for the past two years. And especially grateful for everyone who helped prepare me to be here at this point in my life. Specifically my family.
I have loved every minute of every day. Not all have been good, but I'm grateful for the ones that were tough. Because that's when I was able to grow stronger. I can clearly see that I would not be who I am today if it wasn't for the experiences I've been through.
I've learned for myself that the Book of Mormon is clearly the word of God. Which means that God is real, He's there and He loves us. Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, and the only way that we can have lasting happiness in this life and eternal life to come is by following His example. Joseph Smith was the instrument they used to bring back everything we need to get back to live with our Father in Heaven and be with our families.
I love each of you
-Elder Coffman

2 companions are better than 1

Makayla got baptized on Saturday. That was a lot of fun. She's a smart girl. Her dad is coming along as well.
We've been seeing quite a few miracles recently. I'm really gratefulthat I was able to stay here. There is a lot going on right now. We are so blessed.
This transfer is going to be the best transfer the mission has ever seen.

Love all yall
-Elder Coffman

Scottsdale is Fanstastic!

Scottsdale is fantastic. I love it here. I have two great companions. Sometimes we have too much fun together. Sister Lavely's baptism was phenomenal. She's a huge miracle. It was great to see how happy she was the whole time. We had the opportunity to speak in church on Sunday and that was a lot of fun. Gary came, which was super exciting. And even more exciting, we had TWO part member families come, both ready for us to teach them. We got a referral for Teresa who is less-active last week and taught her on Saturday. turns out she has a nine-year-old son that hasn't been baptized. Get this.... His name is Andrew, he plays baseball, and he's left-handed. I love this kid. I'm excited for their family. So many good things are happening right now. Lucas is getting ready for baptism on May 1st. I love being a missionary. Exchanges in Holbrook yesterday was incredible. Elder Jorgensen and Elder Harris are two of the best missionaries in the mission. We had a lot of fun and saw great things together. I hope everyone is doing great. I love you all -Elder Coffman

Everyone needs the blessings of the Gospel

Carolina was baptized on Saturday. She is an amazing person. I'm so grateful for the opportunity I had to work with her. She was very prepared for the Gospel.

I got a phone call from Kort Woeller that same day. It was great to hear from him. He's doing fantastic. I was reminded of how similar they are and how blessed I've been for the opportunity to get to know each of them. You absolutely never know what someone is going through in their life. Everyone needs the blessings of the Gospel. I've gained a strong testimony of that. It's so important to be kind and patient with everyone and offer everyone a chance to have this same happiness in their life.

Michael Lazano passed away this week. I don't know if I shared much about him while we were teaching him in AJ. He was one of my favorite people I've met here in Arizona. There are a few people that you teach as a missionary that you just know you were sent here specifically for them. He was that person for me in Apache Junction. I know that I was sent to that area so that I could meet Michael, and for whatever reason, I was the one that could help reach him and help him find truth. He was baptized shortly after I left the area in July. I'm grateful to have gotten to work with him, and I'm extremely grateful that he was able to receive the Gospel just in time before he left this life. I love everyone and hope yall have a great week! -Elder Coffman