ode to appearances...

so let's face it. i admit i have been going to the gym. yeah, you could say i pump iron. i hit the weights. i work out. i get buff. beef up. get jacked. shredded. ripped. so it's no surprise that people would describe my appearance as nothing less than menacing. i mean, you see me in a dark alley, whatcha gonna think? 'hey, this guy looks like business. he looks mean. i betta run, eh?' well, the other day i was in the parking garage under the jfsb. it was late. probably around 11:30 pm. and what reputable kid would be in the jfsb parking garage at 11:30? so, i see this lady standing down the way. she's giving me the strangest look. staring, staring into my soul, i guess. she was standing next to one of those call boxes. you know, the emergency ones. the ones they tell all the freshman girls about so if they ever see a shady guy they can run to the box and call police. well anyway, she's standing right in front of this thing just staring at me. then, without removing her gaze off me, she very robotically shoves her finger onto the call button, and the light starts going off! i get in my car and drive by. she stares me down as she speaks quickly into the speaker. HEY LADY! I WOULDN'T HURT A FLY! COME ON, GIMME A BREAK.

ode to life

ink


pals


shrunk


babysit


tough girls


dtown


baby text


hoody


me skiing


small patty


car blanket

me skiing


whitney skiing

some people like to love life. i think that's ok. in fact, i think it's a good thing. especially if they really mean it. but what do they mean when they say that? when i say it, i mean that i love to learn-i love to look at a situation and grow from it. most of the time things don't go right. sometimes they do. sometimes i feel like i can fly. sometimes i want to crawl in a hole. but i can always learn. i can always improve. as long as i am doing that, i guess i am living life.

ode to saint valentine

- love is a paradox perplexing mankind-what will surely cause tears and sorrow will ultimately bring true, eternal happiness. -

love is a common theme. we find in love a topic of conversation, a genre for books and poetry, a reason for song, the cause of tears, the motive for joy. we celebrate love with anniversaries and valentine's day. love leads the sweethearts to wed, the couples to kiss, the boys to bring flowers, the girls to blush. we love to love. it is innate.
when the one we love returns affection, an invincible spirit evolves within. with a perpetual smile painted on our face, we find humor in just about everything. the jokes they tell seem funnier, the clothes they wear more stylish, those things they do oh, so romantic. close friends call us crazy, but we don't seem to mind, or even notice. truly love engulfs its members in a whole new world.
if misfortune raises its ugly head, the love might begin to fade. the kind words they once spoke become biting, their conversations seem boring, time shared is time wasted. friend's comments were never so insensitive, and everyone talks behind our back. love's rosy world quickly escapes us, and we are left isolated in cold, dark misery.
then, from behind the winter grey, emerges a promising spring. with trees full of blossom, birds busy chirping, and bees busy buzzing, nature reminds us of another sphere. the world comes to life, and hope is revived. we begin to smile, and speak with strangers again. we are aware of what goes on around us, and are constantly watching, waiting and hoping to love and be loved once more.
i extend this ode to saint valentine and his day of love. thank you for a reason to send boxes of chocolates, bouquets of flowers, and metallic helium balloons. let us love, and love a lot; for saint valentine's day comes but once a year.

ode to the utah

so before i did say utah was ugly. but before i was naive. this is from a spring hike last year. beautiful, eh.

ode to nature

so, the other day i was on my way to school, and happened by a little bit of nature's creativity. i don't know about you, but i think it's pretty cool.

ode to the not-so-fortune cookie

so, i don't know what you are thinking, but i am fed up. i went with some friends to eat at chinatown restaurant in provo. its a great restaurant. don't misunderstand me. the food is great, well priced, they give you plenty to eat, and in fact, i recommend it to any of you. i am fed up with fortune cookies in general. let me ask you a question. when was the last time you got a real fortune cookie? and i mean a real fortune in the cookie. not the junk i am about to show you. if you have recently, great. but i will continue anyway. so let's assess the situation. what is an example of a good fortune? i don't know; maybe, "in two weeks you will meet the love of your life." or "you will find five hundred thousand dollars in the near future." something that tells you about the future. it's not an advice cookie, it's not a compliment cookie, it's a fortune cookie. but most importantly, it shouldn't make you feel bad.

this is what my fortune cookie said. i felt bad afterwards.



what the junk is this? your mind is instantly flooded with all the poor decisions you made in the past week. (funny story: so my friend got this actual fortune right after breaking up with his girlfriend.)


i don't even know what this is supposed to mean...



wow. someone really got gypped with this one.



oh yeah?

ode to oregon

sunset

road

llamas

llamas

tractor

post

foggy sunset



abbey & lion



it was a lie. i didn't want it to be. but somewhere deep inside i knew it wasn't true. "to oregon?" mrs. cole asked. "yep, this summer. it's for sure." the lie was perpetuated year after year. every summer, after coming home from our oregon vacation, my hopeful childhood dream of moving to oregon was again renewed. do you blame me? even after the parents bought the seven acres? i even remember my mother making preliminary sketches of our house. my room was going to overlook the creek. and you must understand, a childhood dream- living in the country, blackberry vines abound full of nature's delicious treats, a creek to swim and fish in, the sweet aroma of a freshly cut hay field, and living down the lane from grandma's house that's full of tasty delights. was it a lie? i like to think that perhaps it was an earnest supplication, a hope of things to come.
now i am in my twenty-fourth year. my parents are finally going to move to oregon. well, my childhood is over. it has dissolved into young adulthood, but my boyhood dreams of one day living in oregon are yet alive. still, upon returning to oregon, those dreams become that much more real to me.
over christmas break i visited the beautiful oregon. i took these pictures to share some of it with you. isn't it beautiful? enchanting.