Wayne's World

Year 4 Anniversary Video

2010-05-07T09:29:00.003-06:00

Sunday June 28, 2009

2009-06-28T13:26:00.003-06:00

Sorry for the delay, but we are very excited to welcome the newest member of our family; Kate Linford. She was born June 15th at around 2pm. Autumn was amazing and did a stellar job. I was floored at had well she did. All I can say is that Autumn is simply amazing!

Autumn’s mom came and helped us out for about a week. It was great having her around. The week she was here was a very busy and stressful week for me so it was nice to know that Autumn had some support at home.

We are very excited to have you in our family Kate… We love you!!!!

Thursday June 4, 2009

2009-06-04T09:19:00.004-06:00

Today we visited with a glass company called Guardian. We were able to see how glass was made from start to finish. It was pretty cool.

After the visit, we visited Bumrungrad, which is this world renown hospital in Bangkok. It was a great visit. They provide hospital services for 1/8th the price while providing five star service. Incredible.

Later in the day, our group had a dinner cruise on the river. It was pretty fun talking with all of my classmates on what we have learned on this trip. I had so much fun, but I will be really excited to come home to be with Autumn; I miss her so much.

Wednesday June 3, 2009

2009-06-04T09:13:00.006-06:00

Another travel day...

Today we woke up bright and early and headed down south to Thailand. Man alive is it hot and humid here. We checked into the hotel and then went on a boat ride to look at some sights around Bangkok; including some cool temples.

A couple of us then went to check out the markets. The markets here are not as good as the ones in Beijing or Hong Kong, but they are good.

Tuesday June 2, 2009

2009-06-02T17:44:00.002-06:00

This morning we visited Hong Kong Disneyland. We spoke with the VP of Park Operations – Noble Coker. It was very interesting to learn about some of the success and struggles they had in bringing a western icon to the eastern part of the world. It was great.

A small group of us then went to lunch at this Thai place. It made me very excited for the food I am about to have in Thailand.

We then just went to some of the local shops to browse. I have been getting some nasty blisters on my feet from all the walking lately; they look pretty cool.

Monday June 1, 2009

2009-06-02T17:41:00.002-06:00

Even though we arrived in Hong Kong yesterday, we did not stay long. This morning we left Hong Kong and headed back to Mainland China, this time in the southern region. There we visited a garment manufacturing factory (also known as a sweat shop). This region of China was very different from Beijing. The people were very, very poor. My heart went out to the people who day after day live and work in these conditions.

After our tour, we had lunch at the Mission Hills Country Club. It is this really “posh, posh” place where we had some Dim Sum. It was pretty good.

After lunch we stopped at the Hong Kong temple and took some pictures. Then we headed back to the hotel to change for the evening.

Our group then met up and watched the light show on the bay. It was ok. I guess I was expecting more from all the hype.

Our group then crossed the bay on a ferry and then took a tram to the top of Victoria’s peak. The view from up there was amazing. We only stayed for a few minutes then we came back to the hotel. Some friends of mine and I then wondered the streets of Hong Kong until about 1am. Man alive am I tired..

Sunday May 31, 2009

2009-05-31T10:50:00.002-06:00

Sorry for the lack of posts. Communist China blocked Blogger so I was unable to upload my files. Nevertheless, I did track my postings each day and have posted them below.

Today, we had the opportunity to go to one of the local branches for church. I still think it is pretty awesome that there is a couple active branches in communist China. Blows my mind.

After church we went to the Temple of heaven. There was a ton of people there dancing around to some music. There were also tons of singers everywhere. Quite the experience.

For lunch we had peking duck at a local restaurant. It was hyped up quite a bit this trip. While it was good, it definitely was not the best think I have had on the trip. It was good, not great.

We then headed to the airport so we can catch our flight to Hong Kong. it is very hot and humid here, but I am excited to see what it has to offer...

Saturday May 30, 2009

2009-05-31T10:41:00.004-06:00

Today was the day that we visited the Great Wall of China. But first, on the way there, we made a quick stop at the Birds Nest at the Beijing Olympic Park. It was pretty cool to see. While we were there, tons of people kept coming up to us and asked us if they could take our picture. I felt like a celebrity..

When we got to the entrance of Great Wall park, we took a tram up to the top of this small mountain to get to the wall. It was pretty amazing that they were able to build the wall in such a mountainous spot. It was very steep in some places and the steps were uneven. Needless to say, while walking around on the wall was an aw-inspiring experience, it also played havoc on my knees. It was worth it though.

We then went to a local restaurant close to the wall. The Chinese food has been the best food for me on this trip so far. In the restaurant, someone brought their dog inside and it was barking like mad. I think that it was the first time I saw a non-seeing eye dog in a restaurant.

We then visited the Ming Tombs. They are the burial place of the Emperors during the Ming Dynasty. It was buried deep in the ground. Interesting fact, when the Emperor died, they buried his wives and concubines alive with him, creepy!

The Silk Market was next on our list. Although I did not buy much, it was a crazy experience. I have never seen spo pushy sales people. They were grabbing and pulling all over the place. I decided to just have fun with the people and had a blast goofing off with them.

Kjell McCord, Jonathan Mecham and I then headed to a local restaurant for some Chinese food. I had some chicken curry dish and it was great!

Friday May 29, 2009

2009-05-31T10:29:00.004-06:00

Another jam packed day, and I would not have it any other way!

This morning we visited with Deloitte and talked about how business in China differs from other countries; specifically the US. Some very insightful information was shared on the impact of a government controlled economy and benefits and struggles of working in a communistic society.

After our visit, we headed to Tinnemans square. I really need to do more research on what happened there, but from what I can tell, some very bad stuff happened there in 1989. Our tour guide skirted around the issue and eventually told us that he was not allowed to discuss it with foreigners.

We then had lunch inside the Forbidden City. It was very cool to be eating Chinese food inside a place that was once “Forbidden” to most people. The food was very good as well.

After lunch we toured the rest of the Forbidden City. The place is huge. There are 90 courtyard in it. However, I firmly believe that if you have seen one courtyard, you do not need to see another. Very cool though.

We then headed to the Summer Palace. Very pretty place with a manmade lake. However, we were getting rushed for time so we were unable to stay there long.

We then came back to the hotel for 25 minutes to grab a quick bite to eat. We were then off to see The Legend of Kung Fu. It was very cool.

Thursday May 28, 2009

2009-05-28T23:24:00.000-06:00

Ahhh, the sweet nectar of sleep. The one benefit of running all over Asia is that I have no problems sleeping at night. I am so tired I just crash and don’t wake up at all during the night. It has been some of the best sleep I have ever had.

This morning we visited the Hyundai headquarters and toured their Heavy Industry’s facilities. They focus on the heavy equipment side of Hyundai. They build many things at the plant but their biggest products are these huge, ginourmous ships!

After the tour, the Hyundai people were generous enough to treat us to lunch. We then headed to a Korean temple. This temple site is approximately 1,300 years old. We saw many people worshiping and even saw a real life monk meditating.

We then headed to the Busan airport to head to Beijing. Korea was great! Despite the nuclear and missile fiasco from the North and all the hub bub over their former president committing suicide, the people have been very nice and it was a great trip. I am not going to lie, the food for me was hit and miss. I am not a big fan of Kimchi. I think the smell is the hardest thing for me to get over. The food that was good was excellent. I am really excited to see what China now has to offer.

Wednesday May 27, 2009

2009-05-27T08:20:00.009-06:00

When traveling through Asia, there are a few things that can top a good nights rest and a warm shower. I was able to get plenty of sleep last night and even beat my alarm in getting up. I was so tired last night and this morning I felt great and ready to take Korea by storm.

After a quick breakfast at the hotel, we hopped on a bus and went to see the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea. Our tour guide gave us a brief history lesson on the conflict between the two countries. I was shocked to hear that technically North and South Korea are still at war with each other even though they have signed a cease fire treaty many years ago. With North Korea being in the news as of late it was interesting to actually see North Korea from the observation deck.

We also visited these tunnels that the North Koreans dug deep underground into South Korea. These tunnels were very deep underground and very small. Those of you who know me may know that I am a bit claustrophobic. I was a little hesitant to go on this tour, but decided to be a trooper and tag along with the group. Man, I am not going to lie, I was a little uncomfortable being in that close of quarters for so long. However, I made it through the experience even though I had a few mental “freak outs” when I thought of what would happen if there was an earthquake.

They were very strict on what pictures we can and cannot take so sorry for the lack of pics..

After our tour we headed to a Korean BBQ place nearby. My Korean dining experience last night on the plane had me a little concerned of what laid ahead of me. However, I had nothing to fear; the food was absolutely great!

After lunch we headed to our tour with Samsung. It was a great visit. One of their executives came and spoke to us and was very entertaining. I have been quite impressed with the company visits so far.

After our visit, we departed to Ulsan which was about 6 hours away. Most everybody crashed on the way, but for some reason I cannot sleep that well on planes/buses. Nevertheless, we all arrived in Ulsan in one piece,,,

Tuesday May 26, 2009

2009-05-26T08:21:00.007-06:00

Some of our group members decided that they wanted to the Tsukiji fish market. However, as I mentioned last night, I got into bed very late and was absolutely sure that I would be too tired to get up at 4am to make it. As I laid in bed I could not help but think that I am in Japan and I will not always have an opportunity to see things like this; I can sleep anytime. So I decided to go and I am glad I did.

It was really cool seeing all the seafood to feed Japan come into this port. I was surprised with how large Tuna is. I thought they were only about a foot long, you know, like Charlie the Tuna. However, they were the size of large pigs; huge!

I returned to the hotel where I showered and ate a healthy breakfast of noodles, rice and octopus and I absolutely loved it. We then headed out to see Deutsche bank Asia. We met with some of the executives and then toured the trading floor. Having my bachelors degree in finance, it was kind of interesting to see firsthand what investment bankers were doing. I am not going to lie, I am glad I did not pick that as a career path.

After our visit, a group of us had some Kai-ten-zushi for lunch. This is where a group of us sat at a bar with a conveyor belt rotating around the countertop. The sushi chef would put sushi on a colored plate and then place the plate on the belt. If the sushi is something that sounded good you would simply take the plate off of the conveyor belt and eat it. You then were billed at the end by how many plates you ate. The plate color was associated with a price so some pieces were more expensive than others. This was some of the best sushi I ever had. It was great!

We then roamed the shopping district trying out different pieces of candy from various stores. At 5pm it was time to pack up and head to the airport for our next leg in Korea. I was so tired but could not seem to be able to get some sleep. Between the turbulence and the smell of the food it was a no-go. Speaking of the food, I hope the airplane dinner was not an indication of what the food in Korea will be like. It was not good at all…

Well, that is about it, I am not at the hotel in Seoul and will update you tomorrow. Until then…

Monday May 25, 2009

2009-05-25T07:53:00.000-06:00

Happy Memorial Day and Greetings from Tokyo…

This morning our group hopped a bullet train from Kyoto to Toyota City to tour Toyota. It was quite the experience. Throughout my undergraduate and MBA program I have read numerous case studies on Toyota and it was kind of cool to see it in action. The people at Toyota were very generous and kind.

After the tour we got back on the bullet train to Tokyo. I had no idea Tokyo was as big as it is. They have about 12 million people and they are all very busy looking for a place to go.

Later tonight, a group of us went shopping for some Japanese souvenirs and then had some Sukiyaki for dinner. It was pretty good. I still need to get some sushi though. If I leave Japan without eating some authentic Japanese Sushi, that would be not cool.

Tomorrow morning a group is going to the fish market and I am not sure if I can make it. It is now almost 11pm and I am beat. They will be leaving at 4:00am. That is early. I will see how I feel.

Sunday May 24, 2009

2009-05-24T05:32:00.003-06:00

This morning our group got together for church service in the basement of our hotel. It was pretty cool. Afterwards we went on a sightseeing tour of some of the local Japanese temples. Some of these buildings were very old, I am talking over a thousand years.

For lunch we had a traditional Japanese lunch. Some people in our group didn’t like it, some thought it was ok. I however, thought it was amazing and I loved it! My knees did not agree with sitting on the floor for that long, but the overall experience was great.

Afterward we came back to the hotel and a group of us went looking for some sushi. However, a lot of the places were expensive (like $75-$100). So after an hour of searching for sushi for a reasonable price, we settled on McDonalds. I am not going to lie, it was great! I loved it..

We need to be up and ready to go at 6am tomorrow so I need to get to bed early. Stay tuned for more updates.

Saturday May 23, 2009

2009-05-24T04:28:00.000-06:00

Hello from Japan!

Life has been very busy since I left Provo for my Foreign Business Excursion (FBE) to Asia. In anticipation for my long flight, I decided to stay up the night before so that I could be tuckered out and ready to sleep when we left LAX. I said goodbye to Autumn and left for the airport at about 5am. I don’t know why, but it was really hard leaving Autumn this time. Maybe it is because she is nine months pregnant. Maybe it is because this is the longest we will be apart since we have been married or maybe a little of both perhaps. Nevertheless, it was difficult.

We flew from Salt Lake to LAX and had a three hour layover. Our plane from LAX to Korea was huge! It was the biggest plane I traveled on. Because I was so tired, I was able to crash for 6 hours. This was nice since it was a 13 hour flight. On the plane I was able to try some Korean food and I was actually impressed; it was quite good. I was expecting some rotten cabbage or something, but instead I had some beef, rice, vegetable, hot stuff concoction. I liked it a lot.

In Korea we hopped a plane to Osaka Japan and then took a bus to our hotel in Kyoto. So far, from what I could see traveling in a bus in the dark, Japan looks a lot like California, but with a lot more neon..

I was very happy to get to the hotel. By all was said and done I had been traveling for 30 hours straight. When I finally got to my room, I was able to get to sleep very quickly and it was one of those deep hard sleeps.. Felt very nice…

Sunday May 10, 2009:

2009-05-10T23:03:00.004-06:00

Happy Mother's Day everyone!!!!

What a week. Earlier this week Autumn and I celebrated our three year wedding anniversary. It is a total trip. On one hand I cannot believe it has already been three years and on the other, it is hard for me to remember what life was like without being married to her. I am truly a very lucky man to be married to her.

Our anniversary festivities were limited due to school, work and whatnot. However, no anniversary would be complete without a late night run to Denny’s. I absolutely love going to Denny’s late at night. It is the best place to people watch.

Our crib also came in this week. When we went to Babys R Us to pick it up, we were shocked to learn how big of boxes those cribs come in. There was no way we were going to get that ginormous box into our tiny Ford Focus or Saturn Ion. Thankfully our friend Bart Taylor lent us his truck and we were able to get it home. Autumn and I (mostly Autumn) put it together on Friday and we love it.

With the addition of the crib, the baby’s room is really coming together. We still live in the dorms at BYU so we are not allowed to paint on the walls. However, Autumn, being the genius that she is, found a way to improvise. With a little bit of fabric and some starch, she worked her magic and put up a tree and some birds on the wall. We also painted the dresser pink and stocked the room with a bunch of stuff Autumn got at her baby shower. The room is looking great.

I only have one more week of school before our break for the foreign business excursion. Time is really beginning to fly.

Saturday May 2, 2009

2009-05-02T22:11:00.002-06:00

Weight 234.2 lbs (-22.8)

Sorry for the lack of updates for a while. Tonight, Autumn and I went to celebrate our 3 year wedding anniversary. Our actual anniversary is not until Tuesday May 5th, but since I have work, school and so much more going on, we decided to celebrate tonight.

We decided to splurge and go to Chilis for dinner. It was fun actually having someone wait on us. After gorging myself on their chips and salsa, we went to see “State of Play”. It was pretty good, we liked it.

Autumn and I also bought a car seat and stroller for the baby. We have been looking for a while and finally found one that we both like. It is red and I think it is super cool! I have attached a photo of what it looks like. We are very excited. Only 8 more weeks…

Tuesday April 28, 2009

2009-04-28T23:39:00.000-06:00

Weight 237 lbs (-20)

During my MBA class tonight, our professor went over the logistics for our foreign business excursion to Asia next month. On Memorial weekend some of my classmates and I will begin a two week adventure visiting 5 countries and 10 companies in Japan, China, Korea, Hong Kong, and Thailand. The preliminary itinerary appears very busy and we are told we will be running, running, running. I have never been to Asia before, so if anyone has any tips or tricks, please let me know. Autumn will be 35 week pregnant when I leave. I just hope our little girl does not decide to come 3 weeks early..

Sunday April 26. 2009

2009-04-26T20:17:00.000-06:00

Weight 240 lbs (-17)

This morning we went to the baby blessing of one of our close friends; Lindsey and Forrest Parker. They have a cute little boy named Davis Ryan. It made me very excited for when we will have a little child of our own..

Saturday April 25, 2009

2009-04-25T22:38:00.001-06:00

Weight 242 lbs (-15)

Today is a good day, for today is the day that all the freshman students leave Wyview Park and Audi and I can enjoy some peace and quiet. Autumn is a Hall Adviser for BYU housing. This job has huge perks, many of them being; no rent, no utilities, free tuition and most importantly; free food at the Cannon Center.

While these perks are wonderful, they are definitely earned; some moments more than others. Living next to 18-19 year old boys can be difficult at times. I am not making them out to be the bad guys, because hey, they are only 18. However, the paper thin walls and the accompanying loud music and rough housing can drive one crazy.

Nevertheless, today our building has been emptied for the summer and we no longer have freshmen in our midst. It truly is cause for celebration.

Friday April 24, 2009

2009-04-24T23:27:00.004-06:00

Weight 238.4 lbs (-18.6)

Autumn is amazing. Although, anyone who knows Autumn, already knows this to be true. She is one of the hardest workers I know. She is the smartest and brightest person I know as well. Very few times do I get the opportunity to know someone who is both brilliant and has a very strong work ethic.

Today Autumn graduated with her Master’s Degree from Brigham Young University. She worked so hard and achieved so much these past two years. I would like to mention some of the things she has done; this is where her amazingness comes in (sorry if I boast):

She finished her Master’s Degree in a little over two years
Maintained a 4.0 GPA
Received many accolades from her professors on her superb work
Won a couple of grants; one of which allowed her to go to Boston for primary research
Published a paper that won2nd place at the AJAMC conference (Phd students from the top schools in the country won 1st and 3rd)
Got an A in stats (she really struggles in that subject)
Finished her thesis, comprehensive exams, and took two of her hardest classes while fighting morning sickness and tiredness associated with being pregnant
Worked full-time during the entire process

This is all on top of everything else she does for me, our family, friends and church. As you can see, she really is an amazing person and I am so lucky to spend eternity with such a beautiful and gifted person.

Thursday April 23, 2009

2009-04-23T22:47:00.001-06:00

Weight 236 lbs (-21)

Today I ran into a long lost friend. While on our way to a partner visit, my manager Brad Tovey and I decided to grab a bite to eat. As we cruised down State Street, we found it hard to find a place to eat. One place sounded good to me, but not Brad. Another sounded good to Brad, but not me. Others were too difficult to get to, too unhealthy, etc..

However, as we approached 54th south, I saw something that did not look right. I rubbed my eyes to make sure they were not deceiving me, but alas, they were not. There on the left hand side of the road was a Rubios. I love Rubios and use to eat there all the time when I did my internship in LA. They have the best fish tacos on the planet. Brad and I squealed like little girls and flew in there as fast as our legs could carry us.

Yes, after nearly six years of absence, I was reunited with a dear friend and it did my heart good to see that it was just as good as I remembered it…

Wednesday Aptil 22, 2009

2009-04-22T21:28:00.001-06:00

Weight 237 lbs (-20)

Today I got my hair cut. Audi is graduating this weekend and I figured I should look my best for her very special day. In addition to my shag-like hair, I had these really cool red mutton chops going on; however, I am pretty sure Audi was not a big fan…

After work Audi and I went to the Motherhood store at the University Mall. They have some pretty cool maternity clothes but holy mole, what a racket!! I swear, I should go into designing maternity clothes. I mean, who seriously pays $35 for a t-shirt? Do you know how many packages of Top Ramen that can buy? Nevertheless, Audi was able to find some cute clothes and I really like them. I gripe and complain, but Autumn is totally worth it…

Tuesday April 21, 2009

2009-04-21T23:41:00.000-06:00

Weight 236.6 lbs (-20.4)

Not a ton happened today… It has been slow at work since a quite a few members of our sales team is in Las Vegas for Presidents Club. For those of you who don’t know, presidents club is a week-long retreat for the top performing sales representatives in our company. We usually hold this in a tropical location like the Caribbean or Cancun. However, due to the poor economy and budget cuts it was decided to hold it in Vegas this year.

Class tonight was good. We turned in our graduation application for August. Not going to lie, very excited about the idea of being done with school. 79 days (17 class periods)…

Monday April 20, 2009

2009-04-20T22:39:00.002-06:00

Weight 238.6 lbs (-18.4)

Tonight Audi and I went to our second prenatal parenting class. Tonight was the night they showed the infamous “Miracle of Birth” video. Wow, what a jarring experience; I think I will be scarred for life… As Autumn put it, “There is no coming back from that”.

That being said, it made me really appreciate what women go through all in the name of love. How did moms do that hundreds of years ago without all the modern marvels of medicine? Even with an epidural these mothers looked like they were being put though the ringer. It made me appreciate that I live in a time when such things are available. It also made me happy that I was born with that blessed Y chromosome (sorry girls). After witnessing what I did tonight, I think all moms everywhere should get an award, or at least have a day to honor them. We could even call it Mother’s day… What you think; good idea huh?

Sunday April 19, 2009

2009-04-19T22:00:00.002-06:00

Weight 238.6 lbs (-18.8)

This afternoon Audi and I went up to my parent’s house in Salt Lake City to celebrate the birthdays of my brother-in-law Jared and my nephew Matthew; father and son born on the same day, how cool is that? It was fun seeing the family and catching up. It was especially nice getting to know Jenni’s new husband Cody. The weather was perfect and I am getting pretty excited for the warmer weather. It is about time that Spring finally shows up...

Saturday April 18, 2009

2009-04-18T23:04:00.000-06:00

Weight 238.6 lbs (-18.4)

Whew! What a day! Today Audi and I decided to do a little spring cleaning. We needed to create some room in our apartment for our new addition in June. However, we had a lot of stuff we needed to clear out of our study room before that could happened. Needless to say, 12 hours and six large bags of garbage later, we feel the room is ready. We were so pleased with our success that we treated ourselves to some Dairy Queen Blizzards.

Thursday April 16, 2009

2009-04-16T23:36:00.002-06:00

Weight 241.2 lbs (-15.8)

I woke up this morning to a nasty surprise. I could not believe how much snow we had this morning. I hate to get on my soap box here, but come on, it is April 16th.. Makes me really question Al Gore and his global warming claims. In fact, I am beginning to really doubt he even invented the internet.

I left work a little early today so Audi and I could look at some storage for our couch and so we could pick up her thesis copies from the library. However, as I was on my way back to Provo and jamming to a little T.I., I noticed that my check engine light was on. I glanced around my dashboard to see what it could be and low and behold by engine temperature gauge was red, VERY red. When I was able to pull into a gas station I realized that my engine had no coolant in it. It was bone dry. After letting the engine cool then adding some water, everything was back to normal. My heater even started working (I think it had something to do with no coolant).

I was able to make it back to Provo in time to check out the storage with Audi and help her pick up her thesis. It was really cool to see six professionally bound books with Autumn’s name on it. I am so proud of her, she worked really hard for that…

I started a new class tonight; Advanced Negotiations. Great class. I am really excited for it. Tonight we did some role playing on salary increase negotiations. We did a literary agent/book publisher exercise as well. The best thing was that I was done with class about 45 minutes early.

Wednesday April 15, 2009

2009-04-15T21:15:00.001-06:00

Weight 241 lbs (-16) – Slow and steady huh?

I love spring; I love the warm thaw that comes after a long dark, cold winter. However, one thing that I really despise is how the weather keeps playing with my "need for spring" emotions. Just when I think that the worst is over, because, hey… its April, WHAM Mother Nature finds a very cruel way to bring me back to reality with some freezing rain and/or snow.

To make matters worse, the heater in my car went out. Normally that is not a problem, but when you are dealing with wet and cold, the insides of car windshields have a funny way of fogging up. Without my heater to help battle the invading wave of windshield fog, I am left driving on I-15 looking though a port hole the size of golf ball; not fun!

Tuesday April 14, 2009

2009-04-14T22:12:00.003-06:00

Weight 241 lbs (-16)

Not much happened today. Just one of those regular, non-eventful days. In class, we had a guest speaker. Todd Budge from Tokyo Star Bank and his wife came and spoke with us. Todd was the first non-Japanese CEO of a Japanese bank and discussed what it was like moving his family to Japan. He had some great insight and advice to any of us who would one day consider working abroad.

When I got home I discussed with Audi how moving and working internationally may look exotic and fun but that it actually may be very difficult, especially with children. There is a great big world out there, but I am really glad that I have opportunities to work here in the good ol USA..

Monday April 13, 2009

2009-04-13T23:10:00.002-06:00

Weight 241 lbs (-16)

Today Reza, Marshall, Brad and I went to lunch at Simply Sushi. I heard about this place from my friend Alicia. It is this all you can eat place. When I first walked in, I did not know what to think but I as soon as I had my first piece I was in love. It was so good. I recommend this place to everyone!!

After work, Audi and I went to our first prenatal class at Utah Valley Regional Hospital. We found it quite interesting and learned quite a bit. It is a four week class, so we are excited to see what the other three classes hold. Today we reviewed pregnancy terms, common pains/discomforts associated with being pregnant, as well as breathing techniques. Good class… We found that some friends of mine from freshman year were in the class as well. Tyler and Carol Labrum are having a baby boy in June. It was great catching up..

Sunday April 12, 2009

2009-04-12T22:04:00.003-06:00

Weight: 241.4 lbs (-15.6)

Today we went to Reza and Jenn Parsia's ward for the blessing of their twin girls. Those are some cute girls. After church, we picked up Nate and had Easter Dinner at the Cannon Center. It was Chicken Cordon Bleu day so we were all very excited. After dinner I spent the rest of the day napping and hanging out with Audi..

Saturday April 11, 2009

2009-04-11T23:50:00.002-06:00

Weight: 242.6 lbs (-14.4)

As you may recall from yesterdays post, Audi and I have been looking for a rocker/recliner for when the baby comes. However, as we soon became aware, the specific type of chair we were hoping for can be quite pricy. Last night after our adventures I decided to look on the KSL classified section. Low and behold, someone was selling a Lazboy rocker-recliner in like new condition.

I drove to Spanish Fork to take a glance at it and fell in love. It is Awesome! It looks brand spakin new and I was able to get it for $150.

After setting the chair up in the living room, Audi and I went to breakfast with some of the other Hall Advisors (The Millers, Elkingtons and Trumans). Fun times.

I then finished the laundry, cleaned the bathroom, cleaned the dishes and then went grocery shopping. When I was running my errands, I stopped by Best Buy in Orem. When I was walking in, I noticed a car had some steam coming out from under the hood. I assumed it was overheated. However, when I walked through the steam as it billowed across the parking lot, I smelt smoke.

When I walked into the store I told the yellow shirted security dude (official title) and said, “Hey, I thought you should know, I think that car is on fire”. Well, needless to say, that started quite the commotion. I ran into my friend Micah Hatch from Aspen Grove, and we just watched as this car went from slightly steamy, to smokey, to full on flames engulfing the front of the car. The Orem Fire Department finally showed up, but by then it was too late. The car was ruined. I talked to the owner of the car for a bit and felt bad for him. Tough break.

For dinner Audi and I decided to splurge and go to one of our favorite places; Cracker Barrel. I usually get something on the breakfast menu. I swear, their pancakes must be spinckled with some addictive substance because they rock the free world. However, tonight I was feeling adventurous and decided to get the steak. It was actually pretty good. I spent the rest of the night catching up on Lost. I swear, that show is crazy…

Friday April 10, 2009

2009-04-10T23:31:00.002-06:00

Weight: 243.6lbs (-13.4)

Work was a ghost town today. I think this had something to do with to combination of it being good Friday and the Friday before spring break.

After work, Audi and I went dream shopping and looked at some rocker recliner chairs at the RC Willey outlet store. With the baby coming, we really would like to get a chair that reclines and rocks so we can enjoy some comfort when we are woken up at 3am to feed a screaming child. We found some chairs that we really like, but man, $450 is still a lot of money. I guess we will keep saving and see what happens.

Thursday April 9, 2009

2009-04-09T22:59:00.000-06:00

Weight 242.4 lbs (-14.6)

Tonight was the last class for my Business Valuation class. I complained a lot about this class for the last couple months but it really was not that bad. In fact, I learned quite a bit from it. I think I am just getting trunky and ready to be done with school. I presented to the class tonight and it felt good to have another class over with. I am beat tired and so I need to go to bed real soon…

Wednesday April 8, 2009

2009-04-08T21:30:00.000-06:00

Weight 244.8 lbs (-12.2)

Today was one of those days that was jammed packed from start to finish. When my alarm when off this morning at 6:20am, I had to snooze twice before I was able to crawl out of bed (sorry Audi)… At my work, here are some major changes afoot, especially in my department. My team is pushing really hard to have all these changes finalized by the April 15th launch date. Therefore, my work life has become quite stressful as of late.

I stepped out of work a bit early so that Autumn and I could go on a tour of Orem Community Hospital. Orem Community is where we plan on having our baby so we got a glimpse into what the facilities look like and what processes we can expect. It was a pretty cool experience.

Since we were in the new baby spirit; after the tour, Autumn and I hit up Target, Burlington Coat Factory and Babys R Us to peruse cribs, strollers, car seats and other infant paraphernalia. It was a world wind tour… We are very excited for our little girl to come into our world.

Tuesday April 7, 2009

2009-04-07T23:00:00.002-06:00

Wow, what a break! I think this is a record for me… Yep, new record for slakerness (is that even a word?).

As for work, I typically come into work about an hour early to get some work done. It is nice to have an hour of peace and quiet to get things done. However, I was shocked when I came in to see one of my co-workers, Bart Taylor, already there. Soon after, Marshall Smith and Brad Tovey showed up. Our entire team was there before 7:45am. Talk about dedication.

After work I headed to the Cannon Center for dinner. Tonight we had the Phipps family join us and also invited the other members of my study group (Ryan Price, Jonathan Mecham, Sean Flynn and Peter Kilger). It was good times.

After class and late night studying, Audi and I got munchy so we decided to be bad and hit up Wendys for a late night snack. The weather is turning nice right now and it was a beautiful evening for us to spend some time together. I really love Autumn and love spending time with her.

I will also be tracking my weight loss program. I have lost 14 pounds in 7 weeks but I am beginning to slack again. Today I weighed in at 242.4 lbs (-14.6)..

The A-Team Rules!

2008-09-16T22:20:00.002-06:00

Ahh memories…. There are a few things that take me back to the days of my childhood; days where my only responsibilities were cleaning my room and doing as little homework as I could get away with without getting grounded. The other day I stumbled upon an old episode of the A-Team and bam, as Kenny Chesney said, I was brought back.

I don’t know why I liked this show when I was a kid, but it was awesome. To those of you who don’t know, the A-team is a group of ex-special forces soldiers on the run for committing a crime they did not commit. While running from the military, they would use their ultra super cool fighting skills to helping the oppressed and weak. The team consisted of Hannibal, Faceman, BA Baracus, and lets not forget Howling Mad Murdock.

My friends and I would always role play the A-Team and we would fight over who got to be BA Barackus or Mad Dog Murdock. Someone in our neighborhood even converted their van to look just like the A-Team van and we hoped that maybe, just maybe, we would be able to catch a glimpse at one of the famed outlaws.

As I watched this episode the other day, I forgot how ridiculous the show really is. I mean, there is always a few hundred bullets fired (by the way, they hardly ever run out of ammunition) and there is always an ensemble of cars flying, rolling and cart wheeling through the air (some even exploding). Yet, despite all these theatrics, no one ever gets killed. AMAZING!

Maybe someday I will have those skills and people will come to me for my help. I can then surround myself with an buff dude who wears lots of jewelry, a mohawk and is deathly afraid of getting on a plane, a crazed psycho is not afraid to put his life on the line while dressed in drag, and a ladies’ man that no woman, good or evil, can ever refuse. Then together we can save the world and I can then sit back and say with a smile, “I love it when a plan comes together”.

Ready for Fall

2008-08-20T15:52:00.009-06:00

I have found out that I am completely seasonal. It seems that at the end of each winter, I am anxious to feel the warmth of spring and put the dark bitter months of winter behind me. However, few months into spring and I am already sick of spring and looking forward to the fun in the sun days of summer.

Predictably, as we approach ready for a change. Yep, bring on the fall and all of its glory; college football, leaves changing the end of summer, again I am colors, college football, crisp afternoons, and of course.. college football.

My only hope is that I will be able to enjoy fall for a few weeks before looking forward to the magical and enchanted season we call winter.

New Life Goal Found at Local Rodeo

2008-06-29T23:20:00.003-06:00

Our good friends Amy and Neil Oscarson invited us to the Strawberry Days rodeo and let me tell you, it was fun times. There was so much to enjoy. The weather was perfect, the seats were great and the company was outstanding. I enjoyed all the classics; bull and bronco riding, mutton bustin, cattle roping, you know, the usual. However, what I especially liked was the contest where local participants tried to milk wild cows. At that moment, I found a new life goal; to milk a wild cow before I die! If it were possible, I would have jumped over the railing to give those cowboys a hand.

I don’t know what it takes to be on one of those teams, but I would love to be on one next year. Anyone out there want to join me?

Is there anyone out there cause it's getting harder and harder to breathe..

2008-03-23T18:03:00.001-06:00

Not too long ago I visited my doctor for my annual checkup and during the course of his systematic prodding; he began asking me a series of questions related to my sleeping habits. Do you snore? Do you feel tired in the morning? Have you even fallen asleep at the wheel? How about a stoplight? Of course I answered yes to all of these. I know, I know, many of you are reading this and thinking, Wayne, you fall asleep at stoplights? While I try not to make a habit of it, there has been a few times when I have dozed off while waiting for my light to turn green, only to be awaken by an angry horn from behind.

Needless to say, my doctor thought that I might have something called sleep apnea. Upon further studies, his diagnosis was confirmed and I am the new proud owner of a CPAP mask. This mask is to help eliminate the multiple times through the night that I stop breathing. Apparently, I did this a lot. The mask fits over my face and gently blows air through my nose and mouth. Many of you know I am a little Closter phobic and I was worried that I would freak out; however, I found just the opposite. The mask makes it very easy to breath.

I just barely received it last week and while it is nice to have the air helping me breath, trying to sleep with a huge mask on my face takes some adjustments it is taking a while to get use to. It get easier to sleep with everyday, however, I cannot get past the midnight nose itch I have. This creates a problem because I need to remove the mask to scratch my itchy nose and when I do this creates a loud hissing sound that wakes up Autumn. So, in order to be somewhat considerate, I turn off my machine, remove the mask, scratch the nose, then turn the machine back on. It is quite the ordeal.

Since I found out I have sleep apnea I have run into multiple people who say the CPAP machine has changed their lives. They are much more rested and feel much better. I had no clue that so many people have sleep apnea. Hopefully, in the coming weeks I will become more comfortable with the mask and have the life changing experience everyone else is talking about.

Autumn Loves Coats

2008-01-20T21:08:00.001-07:00

I don't know why, but for some reason Autumn looks absolutely amazing in coats. This is a good thing because she absolutely adores them. Autumn loves coats like Joanie loves Chachi.

Whenever I find myself a loss for a Christmas/Birthday present, a coat is a very safe bet. She has several coats for several occasions and they all look amazing. However, below is one of my favorites and is yet another reason why I am absolutely crazy about this girl.

2008!

2008-01-13T21:16:00.000-07:00

It is a new year and all I have to say to 2008 is; bring it on!!!!

Although life is very busy, it has never been better. I love my job (even though my work load has doubled in the past few months) and my MBA classes at BYU rock! While I wish I could see Autumn more often, the few times I do get to see her, we have a great time blowing off steam together. She is truly one of the few people who can be just as goofy as me (and I love it!!).

This past November, Autumn and I went to Hawaii for Thanksgiving. I am sorry that I did not post any pictures sooner. Anyone who has a chance to go, should make the time!

Super Audi

2007-09-30T16:58:00.000-06:00

Since I began my MBA education this past July, my spare time has become more and more sparse. Every moment seems to be gobbled up by either work or school. However, there are a few moments where I am able to spend some time with Autumn, and while it is quite enjoyable, it is very difficult to find the time I would like to spend with her. As a result, we end up talking way too late at night, catching up on our daily events, which in turn makes us dead tired the following day.

Before grad school, we spent so much free time together that I wondered how Autumn would fill her time with me gone all the time. She is not much for TV, so laying around the apartment all day seemed out of the question. She loves to read, but could she read that much?

If anyone knows Autumn, you would know that I had nothing to worry about. One word that could describe Autumn; Ambitious! Since I have started my MBA, these are the things Autumn has taken on:
• Full time Graduate Student – Journalism
• Plowing through thesis even though it is only her first year
• Personally greeting all the students she works with
• Joined MBA Spouses Association
• Became executive committee member within one month of joining
• Started a photography business
• Taking free photos of her sister and friends
• Bought an exotic bread baking book to learn how to cook new breads
• Knitting a sweater and scarfs
• Taking a self defense class – Complete with Kung Fu outfit
• Pampers her poor husband when he come home from work/school
• Continues to clean the apartment, do laundry, grocery shop and cook AWESOME dinners
• Many, many other items I cannot list….

Simply put, I think Autumn is a robot; either that or some sort of super hero that is here to rescue me on a daily basis. She is utterly amazing; I don’t know how she does it. If our government was this ambitious, there would be no poverty, Osama Bin Laden would be captured, gas would be free and hurricanes would avoid the United States like the plaque. I love her and am truly lucky to have such an amazing wife.

Busy, Busy, Busy

2007-09-16T20:01:00.000-06:00

Busy, busy, busy. That is what best describes my life right now. With working full-time and being a full-time MBA student, I have little time for anything else. In fact, I often joke with Autumn that years from now, when we look back on this two year period, if anyone asks, “What did you remember the most?” I would have to say,” I remember being tired all the time.”

I am not complaining. There are people in my same situation that have kids and other responsibilities as well. In my class, there are stake presidents, and high counsel members, CEOs, CFOs, board of directors and others who have massive time consuming activities.

Yet, I still find myself with limited time being a sunbeam teacher and a husband (no kids). However, I am very pleased with how the MBA program is turning out. I have been learning a ton and the professors are great. In addition, I am able to take the things that I have learned and apply them to my job. I have already incorporated many of the marketing and communication principles.

Somehow, Autumn are getting through this. Autumn is a grad student as well and is heavily focused on that as well. She is getting really excited about her Thesis (ask her about it). Autumn is also staying busy with other activities as well. In addition to her position as a hall advisor, she is doing photography, self-defense, and most recently, MBA spouses’ association advocate. She is already in a leadership position in the organization and she just joined. I don’t know why I should be surprised; she has always excelled at things like that.

So that is my life right now. I will try to keep things posted a little more often. Life is busy, but life is grand!!

Water Parks + Wayne = Adolescence

2007-07-20T16:59:00.000-06:00

The other day, my work decided to have a company party at the Seven Peaks water park in Provo, Utah. So Autumn invited her sister Kelly along and we spent the evening going on various waterslides and enjoying an evening of tomfoolery. However, sometime during the evening, and I am not sure when, I somehow forgot that I was an adult and as an adult, I needed to act somewhat responsible. The fruition of this adolescent behavior reached it pinnacle while we were on one of the tube rides. Autumn, Kelly and I were flying down this slide on a three man tube, when for some reason the thought occurred to me, “Hey, you know what would be really fun? How about flipping this tube while we are screaming down this totally enclosed, and therefore dark, slide”. Again, I don’t know why I thought this would be such a good idea, but somehow I thought this idea would rival the invention of sliced bread. Therefore I proceeded to rock the tube strategically during specific turns in the slide. We came close a couple of times and then; success! I completely flipped the tube upside-down.

However, I realized my mistake when I heard Kelly and Autumn scream and begin to panic. This was not playful screaming, this was scared screaming. Of course I did what every other adolescent would do; I got the heck out of there. I arched my back and flew down to the end of slide as fast as possible. When I saw Autumn and Kelly immerge from the tube, Autumn was holding her head and began to cry. I guess in my zeal to flip the tube, I forgot that maybe everyone else may not find the experience so exhilarating. When the tube flipped, Autumn smacked her head hard against the side of the slide. It left a large bump and she was dizzy and in pain for a little while. I, of course, felt horrible. I have no excuse, water parks seem to bring out the teen-age boy in me, and that is not always a good thing.

Green Acres...

2007-05-15T21:41:00.000-06:00

Well, Autumn and I decided to see just how green our thumbs are. As many of you know, we currently live in the BYU dorms, but we have access to a roof. So, the other day we bought some large Tupperware containers, some soil, and some plants and seeds to see if together we could get something to grow. Historically, Autumn and I have not had the best of luck in the gardening arena. So we figure we will either cancel each other out, or our combined forces will destroy them in a way mankind has yet to witness. Either way, it should be a fun experience. In the mean time, we will just have to wait and see what fate comes to our two tomato plants, our squash plant, and our peas, carrots and onions.

One Year Anniversary

2007-05-07T11:24:00.000-06:00

Well, this past weekend it was our one year anniversary. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful friend, companion and wife. I am truly lucky to have her, she makes my life wonderful. Here is a video I made that includes many of the fun things we have done this past year...

Peace and Quiet

2007-04-29T17:54:00.000-06:00

For the past eight months, Autumn and I have been living with about 400 of the freshman girls at Brigham Young University. Since Autumn took the position of a Hall Advisor, we have had the joy of living in a small apartment at the bottom of one of the dorms. Actually, the name of the hall we live in is called U Hall, which makes it kind of funny because we often tell people we live in a U Haul. We have affectionately called our apartment “Fort Linford” because of how very small it is and all the fake wood paneling all over the place.

It is actually a pretty nice set up. Autumn gets to work from home and we get rent + utilities for free. We see each other a lot more than when she was a newspaper reporter. I know it was difficult for her to give up the profession she loves so dearly, but because of her wonderful sacrifice, she is helping us save some money for our future home (wherever it may be).

Anyway, the school year is now over and we have the place all to ourselves right now. It is actually kind of eerie being alone in the huge place all alone, but very peaceful. We will be having conferences come and go throughout the summer, but each weekend should be this peaceful until the fall. I like peaceful Sundays….

Festival of Colors

2007-03-25T18:10:00.000-06:00

Every spring, the Hare Krishna holds the Festival of Holi (or also known as the Festival of Color) at their temple in Spanish Fork, Utah. I personally have never been, but my wife has. She covered the event last year when she was working for the Daily Herald newspaper. When she came home, she was covered in colored chalk. As part of this ceremony, they all throw colored chalk at each other, it sounded pretty fun. Needless to say, this year we decided to check it out. We went with our good friends Forrest Parker and Lindsey Trimble. I have attached some pictures and a video clip. I think this is something everyone should experience at least once, it was a riot.

Girl Scout Cookies are EVIL!

2007-03-19T17:09:00.000-06:00

So, without fail, every spring a massive army of the Girl Scouts invade local suburban neighborhoods and local grocery stores to peddle their ultimately delectable Girl Scout cookies. Proceeds from this iconic snack food are used for a good cause; however, at what price do we pay for this worthy cause? I believe the price of Girl Scout cookies far exceed the $3.50 per box.

I will admit it; I am addicted to these cookies. Give me a box of Thin Mints or Samoas/Carmel Delights and my troubles just crumble away. However, I don’t know if you have checked out the nutritional facts on these cookies, but they have enough calories and fat to kill an Eskimo. They are Kryptonite to anyone trying to shed a few pounds. In addition, they always seem to be selling this at the time I am trying to get in shape for the summer. With the gluttonous seasons of Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years and Valentines behind us, many Americans look to this time of year to prepare for the swimsuit seasons of Memorial, Independence and Labor Days (not to mention the ever famous Payson City Onion Days).

What are these Girl Scouts of America trying to do to us? The other day I noticed many grocery store customers looking longingly at the Girl Scout table and going through withdrawal symptoms similar to crack cocaine addict trying to kick the habit. I myself found my self salivating like Pavlov’s dogs at the mere sight of those cookie boxes.

Girl Scouts of America, please stop killing us….

Skybox with Lindsey and Forrest

2007-02-13T19:56:00.000-07:00

The other day Autumn and I went on a double-date with our good friends Lindsey Trimble and Forrest Parker. We drove up to the Skybox grill in Salt Lake where Autumn continued to embarrass me at basketball and other various video games. Despite getting destroyed by a girl, we still had a ton of fun. Here is a couple of photos of us trying to be cool on a motorcycle game

Sleeping alone is for suckers!

2007-01-21T22:13:00.000-07:00

I know, I know… Before you all get started, I am fully aware of my incompetence in keeping current on my post. For the five people who actually read this; I am sorry!

I just got back from a week long conference in Salt Lake for my work. We stayed at the Marriott downtown and I missed Autumn an awful lot! We passed a new marriage milestone during this conference; we spent our first night away from each other. Audi was able to come and see me a couple of times and it was really nice seeing her when I could. It was actually kind of weird sleeping by myself again. I had difficulty sleeping at night and even though I was the only one in my king size bed, I still only slept on the very edge of the bed. It is great to be back home now.

This past week I also got some BIG NEWS! I just got accepted to Brigham Young University’s MBA program. I am so stoked. I studied so hard for the GMAT and even took it twice to make sure I got a good enough score. I start this summer and am excited to get started. Autumn and I are so lucky to be having such wonderful things go our way.

Songs

2006-11-14T16:47:00.000-07:00

So, I found this cool tool to add some music to my site. Check it out on the right hand side of the webpage. I hope to update this again soon. I have been a slacker!

Pillows Galore!

2006-08-30T11:36:00.000-06:00

So the other day, Autumn and I found about 400 pillows in the laundry room of our building, and we could not help ourselves…..

Honeymoon Pictures

2006-08-15T12:33:00.000-06:00

Here are some pics of our Honeymoon Cruise to Mexico:

Audi sure was anxious to "pull anchor" and get started on our cruise

Captian Audi, commandeering our ship for a short while.... Arrrr Matey!

We were riding a Merry-go-Round in San Diego while enjoying ice cream cones. We felt like little children, and judging from our faces, we looked like ones too.

This was one of our favorite things; We rode a tandem bicycle around the harbor in San Diego.

I was chasing some pigeons

Audi tried to chase some pigeons as well.....

And fell....

On some blasted bird seed!

Us with the San Diego Skyline

On the beach on Catalina Island

Us again on Catalina Island

All dressed up for the formal dinner. The food was AMAZING on this cruise.

On the deck of the cruise ship during a sunset.

In all, it was a fantastic Honeymoon with a fantastic girl!

Trick or Treat

2006-08-15T12:23:00.000-06:00

I love this video!!!

No Glass in the Door

2006-08-10T14:53:00.000-06:00

See what happens when a prankster takes the glass out of the door of a popular exit.

Jack Bauer is my Hero!

2006-07-17T17:48:00.000-06:00

It was extremely hot outside this weekend and with all of the running around we have done as of late, we decided to stay inside and take it easy. I made the mistake of renting the first four episodes of the TV show “24” to pass some time. From the first episode we were hooked and it was all over. For the next few days we had the opportunity to look at the world through one of the coolest people on the worlds eyes for a 24-hour period; Jack Bauer. We watched an entire season this past weekend and I can say that Jack Bauer is my new hero.

Every time I get stuck in a tough situation and don’t know what to do, I think to myself, “What would Jack do?” and then I am just fine. I just roll around on the floor and do some cool ninja moves and all my problems seem to melt away (by the way, my wife has officially banned 24 from our apartment, I wonder why?)

If I ever become President of the United States (and I will), I will make Jack my Secretary of Defense and head of my Secret Service. I am sure that he could personally go into Iraq and destroy all the insurgents, take out all nuclear facilities in North Korea and Iran, cease all contention between Israel and Lebanon, find Osama Bin-Laden, and use his supreme interrogation techniques to get OPEC to lower their prices. I am confident he could do all of this by himself while protecting me from those who want to hurt me. Like I said, Jack is the man!

In honer of Jack, I have come up with a brief explanation as to why Jack Bauer is so cool:

Behind every successful man, there is a woman. Behind every dead man, there is Jack Bauer.

Crop circles are Jack Bauer’s way of telling the world that sometimes corn needs to lie down.

The Great Wall of China was originally created to keep Jack Bauer out. It failed miserably.

Most people have 23 pairs of chromosomes. Jack Bauer has 72... and they're all poisonous.

When Jack Bauer sends in his taxes, he sends blank forms and includes only a picture of himself, crouched and ready to attack. Jack Bauer has not had to pay taxes, ever.

The quickest way to a man's heart is with Jack Bauer’s fist.

There is no theory of evolution, just a list of creatures Jack Bauer allows to live.

What was going through the minds of all of Jack Bauer’s victims before they died? His fist.

Jack Bauer doesn't churn butter. He body-slams the cows and the butter comes straight out.

A Handicapped parking sign does not signify that this spot is for handicapped people. It is actually in fact a warning, that the spot belongs to Jack Bauer and that you will be handicapped if you park there.

Jack Bauer has two speeds: Walk and Kill.

Time waits for no man. Unless that man is Jack Bauer

Pluto is actually an orbiting group of British soldiers from the American Revolution who entered space after Jack Bauer punched them in the face.

Jack Bauer CAN believe it's not butter.

If tapped, a Jack Bauer’s action moves could power the country of Australia for 44 minutes.

A picture is worth a thousand words. A Jack Bauer is worth 1 billion words.

Jack Bauer invented black. In fact, he invented the entire spectrum of visible light. Except pink. Tom Cruise invented pink.

The show Survivor had the original premise of putting people on an island with Jack Bauer. There were no survivors.

Some people wear Superman pajamas. Superman wears Jack Bauer pajamas. .

In a fight between Batman and Darth Vader, the winner would be Jack Bauer.

Everybody loves Raymond. Except Jack Bauer.

Contrary to popular belief, the Titanic didn't hit an iceberg. The ship was off course and accidentally ran into Jack Bauer while he was doing the backstroke across the Atlantic.

The truth will set you free. Unless Jack Bauer has you, in which case, forget it buddy!

Jack Bauer doesn't look both ways before he crosses the street... he just blows away any cars that get too close.

182,000 Americans die from Jack Bauer -related accidents every year.

If you work in an office with Jack Bauer, don't ask him for his three-hole-punch.

Most people fear the Reaper. Jack Bauer considers him "a promising Rookie".

The pen is mighter than the sword, but only if the pen is held by Jack Bauer.

Fireworks, Wrecks and Steak!

2006-07-10T16:36:00.000-06:00

So, this past weekend, Autumn and I went to Wyoming to see her family. I can tell why Autumn has fallen in love with Winterbrook over the years. I have only become familure with it for a few months now and I love it. It is so relaxing and peaceful. Her family is awesome as well.

One thing I really enjoy about visiting her folk is the drive getting there. I know that Wyoming has some pretty boring and plain scenery, but boy, you go north a bit and it sure is pretty. I also love this small town just outside of Park City called Coleville. It is this beautiful green lush valley nestled between some mountains. I told Audi that I wouldn’t mind living there one bit.

This drive to Wyoming was especially fun because I was able to stop in Evanston for some fireworks. Bring me in a fireworks stand and I revert back to my 11 year-old self. I was grinning from ear to ear the entire time. I got some firecrackers and bottle rockets. Audi, Kelly and I lit them off at Winterbrook……I love fire!

While at Winterbrook, Audi and I were able to go to the pioneer sites. Her father took us to the Willie rescue site, Rocky Ridge and Rock Creek. This was extra special for me since my ancestors came across in these sites in the Willie Company. Autumn’s dad had many great and wonderful stories about the struggles and miracles that those early Saints encountered. It was a great and wonderful experience.

Audi and I also got to spend some time with Autumn’s sister; Kelly. She is coming to BYU this fall and it was great to tell her all about how wonderful her coming year is going to be. She also went with us to a demolition derby in at the Riverton Fair Grounds. I have never been to one, and we did not see the entire thing, but let me tell ya, those things rock! There is nothing like being surrounded by a group of drunkards, cheering as old beat-up cars slam into each other. It was a blast! I shall never forget it.

To top things off, on Sunday, Audi’s parents made us Steak for lunch. These were not just any steaks; these steaks must have come from some sort of giant-breed cow. They were HUGE! After they filled our bellies, we came on home. I cannot wait until we can visit again. I felt kind of tired the entire weekend and hope I can have some more energy to enjoy Winterbrook just a little-bit more. Thanks to the Lorimer Family for letting us crash.

Drivin'

2006-06-12T16:36:00.000-06:00

I love it when Autumn gets Saturdays off with me. On Saturday we went to lunch at Sensuous Sandwiches where I got the Spicy Enticer. Let me tell ya, that is one good sandwich. Afterwards we went to this used bookstore on center Street in Provo. Later that evening, we met up with Autumn’s old roommate, Jana Hick, and her new “friend” Toby. We played miniature golf at cascade and the girls destroyed us boys. Afterwards we went to Costa Vida for dinner. Autumn and I then left Jana and Toby to go for a drive up Alpine canyon. It was really fun cruising along listening to some great music. We stopped at Aspen Grove and I showed her around. It was great.

On Sunday, we continued with the driving theme and went to lake Point, Utah to look at the farm I grew up on as a kid. It brought back great memories and I was glad that Autumn was there to share with me. We drove the back way by Tooele and we were able to enjoy the nothingness that exists out there. It was very fun. Anywho, like I said, it was a great weekend of driving around.

Lotus is Chinese for Gross!

2006-06-08T16:45:00.000-06:00

The other day my brothers and I went out for one of our occasional “Bros Night Out” which usually consists of me and my brothers painting the town red acting like complete idiots. Well, we decided to go and eat some Chinese food at this place in Provo call the Lotus Garden. It is this Chinese buffet that use to be pretty good back in the day. My pal Vegor and I would frequent the place regularly. Well, this time the food was completely horrible. It was very stale, cold and there was like 3 dished to chose from. All of this for a price tag of $8.95. This food was not kind of bad; it was horribly bad. My younger brother Nate put it best when he put is chicken on a stick on his plate and said, “I think the rat has gone bad!” He was right, the rat had gone bad, along with every other mystery meat that was being served. A word of warning to all of those who hear my voice, stay far away from the Lotus Garden in Provo Utah.

My Favorite Things

2006-05-30T16:51:00.000-06:00

When Julie Andrews sang of her favorite things in the classic musical The Sound of Music, I often thought; what are my favorite things? (I tell you what, it is definitely not whiskers on kittens) I have many small favorite things, but there are a few things in this life that bring me complete and utter happiness. My wife Autumn is one ( I know that sounds cheesy, but hey, I am a newlywed, give me a break). Others include; food, days off work with pay and of course sleep. Lucky for me the weekend included all of my favorite things.

Autumn and I slept a whole bunch this weekend. I swear I didn’t think I could sleep that much. I took Autumn out for a date on Friday and we found this house in Lehi that was converted into this Mexican restaurant. The food was ok, but not that great. We then went to the Driving range at Cascade Golf Course and I taught Autumn how to golf. She did really well for her first time.

On Monday we went to my sister Rachael’s place in Sandy. The rest of my family that lives in Utah was there as well (Jenn and Justin live in California, so they were unable to make it). My Mom made some Dutch Oven chicken and it was pretty good. It was fun to sit around and see the family. I love my favorite things!

Memorial Day

2006-05-26T16:05:00.000-06:00

I cannot believe Memorial Day weekend is already upon us. Time is just flying by and things are going just peachy. Autumn and I have so much fun together; she really is my best friend. I have never had so much fun doing absolutely nothing. I just wish I could see a little bit more of her. She has been working pretty late recently and I had to work the early shift this week while Jay was in Supervisor Skills Training. While getting up at 6am everyday was rough, not seeing Autumn was even more difficult.

Work is going good right now. I have been working on trying to get some things organized and processes in place to streamline our business, and we are beginning to see some fruits of our labor. The client (Nortel) is quite pleased with the work we are doing so the stress in my life has been lifted quite significantly.

I am looking forward to spending some time this weekend with Autumn. We have not had one non-Sunday day off together since our honeymoon. I don’t think we have anything too adventurous planned, but I am sure it will be nice to actually spend some time with my wife.

Fridays I'm in Love!

2006-05-19T15:42:00.000-06:00

TGIF; never before has a phrase been more true. It seems that Audi and I have been on a whirlwind tour since we got married two weeks ago. Between heading to Manti, having our honeymoon and all the travel involved with that and traveling to Riverton, Wyoming, it has been hard to find some time to just relax. With the weekend approaching, I am looking for some much needed R and R. I feel bad because Autumn has to work tomorrow and so she really does not get a day off until next week. She has to work every other Saturday, starting this Saturday. I wish I could see her more, but I guess that is the nature of her work.

Married Man!

2006-05-18T16:15:00.000-06:00

I know it has been a while since I have last updated, but hey, cut me a break, I have been busy. As many of you know I have taken the big plunge into marriage with my sweetheart Autumn Lorimer. We will officially be married for two weeks tomorrow. It is kind of weird referring to Autumn as my wife, but it is beginning to grow on me. I swear I am the luckiest man alive to end up with a girl like that.

The wedding was great! Autumn told me that since I was marrying her, I had to get use to ironic situations and our wedding day was a good initiation for me. First of all, I almost fainted before our wedding. It was as if I suddenly realized the massive responsibility that awaited me. Autumn has been raised by some of the most amazing people I have ever met, I mean, can I even live up to that? I was quite nervous.

After the Wedding it started raining for pictures. I could not believe it….rain, on our wedding day! We tried to get through the family pictures as soon as possible without getting all the kids wet, but they kept crying and screaming. It was fun times let me tell ya.

We then hit up a matinee in Slat Lake City. I know what you are thinking, “What, you went to a movie on your wedding day?” And the answer is yes. Jared McKenzie, Jason and Crystal Miller, Jana Hick, Jessica Lorimer, Autumn Linford and I went to go see Mission Impossible 3. We did it to kill time between the luncheon and the reception. I know it seemed kind of corny, but it sure was fun. It was a good movie anyway.

I then dropped Autumn off at my Aunt Renee’s place to get ready and Jared and I went to McDonalds to get Autumn something to eat. On the way there, we got into a car accident (you see, irony). The lady did not stop, so Jared had to chase her down. She then told us that she did not speak English. Good thing for us, Jared speaks Spanish. He then found out she did not have insurance. What drama! I left Jared to deal with that while I ran to McDonalds to get our food.

While the reception was beginning, we noticed that there was no wedding cake. I asked my mom if she got it and she panicked; she totally forgot it. I felt bad for her, she has so much on her plate and had done so much for us… I just felt bad. So we sent my brother Nate to go get it in Orem. Nate then bravely fought rush hour weekend traffic and got the cake and returned right in time at the end of the reception. I felt kind of bad cause Nate missed the entire reception.

Then, when we were leaving, I left the key to the room where we were staying. I could not believe that was happening. I called my sister Jenn and she graciously delivered the key. Like I said, quite the adventure (not to mention on our honeymoon, the cruise ship caught fire…I swear, it really did). Autumn has been a good sport with everything.

We then went on our honeymoon to Mexico, Catalina Island and San Diego. It was great and the food was superb. Autumn and I got a little sea sick, but all in all it was great.

When we came back home we drove to Riverton, Wyoming for our reception out there. It was good times. Her family is great. My parents and Nate were able to come as well and it was great having them there. After all of the fun in Wyoming, we then went to our new apartment in Pleasant Grove and moved in. It is looking very good right now. Autumn is making it look and feel like a home. She is amazing.

Well, that is a brief synopsis of what happened the last couple weeks. As you can imagine, there is more to these stories, but they would take too long to recount, so if you want the detailed story, you are going to have to ask. I will try to keep this updated more.

Easter Weekend

2006-04-17T07:48:00.000-06:00

This past weekend I went to my Aunt and Uncles place in Salt Lake to help get their place ready for our wedding reception this coming May. I was put to work transferring dirt from their neighbor’s yard to a large hole in Kidd’s back yard. My brother in law Jared and I would shovel dirt into this small Ford Ranger pick up, drive it down the block, shovel it into a wheel-barrow and then put the dirt in the hole. I was very sore by the end of the whole experience.

In the afternoon, Renee had her annual Easter party. Many of my relatives came. It was great seeing them and the food was FANTASTIC. Autumn was working so she was unable to attend and everyone and their dog was asking where she was. I think that my family likes her more than me already. I thought it would happen eventually, but not before we are even married.

On Easter Autumn and I headed to SLC to hang out with the family. We had Baboli pizzas (A Linford family tradition) and then it occurred to me that my future bride has not even seen where we are going to have out SLC reception. I was a little nervous that she would not like it. So I took Autumn to Jerry and Renee’s place to show her around the place and visit with my Aunt and Uncle. Thankfully, Autumn approved and the wedding is still on. All in all another great weekend!

Spring has Sprung

2006-04-10T10:35:00.000-06:00

I am one of those seasonal people who cannot make up their mind as to what season they love the best. In the blistering dog days of summer, I am longing for the fall. After a few months of a cold damp fall, I am anxious for the white wonderland of winter. Then the bitter and freezing winter leaves me anxious for the start of spring. This is where I am right now. I am sick of the cold and ready for the warm weather to arrive. I was thoroughly disappointed when it snowed like 12 inches this past Thursday. I could not believe it, in April it is dumping snow. However, Friday, Saturday and Sunday provided some excellent days of sunshine and it at last felt like spring time.

This past weekend Autumn and I went to Llamapalooza. Llamapalooza is this party that these guys throw semi-annually to celebrate the beginning (or end) of a semester by showcasing live bands, dancing, toy painting, genocide eradication solicitation, skateboarders, apple beers, chips with amazing salsa and of course…. llamas. Brett Dehart and company sure know how to throw and merrymaking event.

With 25 days left until the happiest day of my life, I decided to do some last minute wedding ideas by attending the Bridal Fair at Provo High School. Autumn was working so she could not attend. I swear I was the only guy walking around at this fair and I kept getting asked where the “boss” was. It was an ok experience for me since I was able to eat like two tons of wedding cake. After about two hours of wondering from vendor to vendor, I think I was able to narrow down where we will get our wedding cake for the Salt Lake reception (of course Autumn “the boss” has to get the final buy off).

On Saturday, Autumn had a very busy day so I was able to showcase my grandma’s secret recipe for lasagna. It was very good if I must say so myself. It was the least I could do to try to help her out in this extremely stressful time in her life. She is the most amazing person I know. I have no clue as to how she balances work, fiancé, school, wedding, homework and end of the semester responsibilities. She is truly remarkable and cannot wait to spend eternity with her. I love her so much!

General Conference

2006-04-03T08:36:00.000-06:00

It is that time of year again when we as Latter-day Saints gather together for General Conference. As usual, there were many great talks and sermons on how we can improve our quality of life and be better people. In addition to the talks, scattered throughout the conference they also have singing from various choirs. Now, I am not a singer, nor do I plan to, but some of these singers pull some of the most hilarious faces. These faces mostly come from the males and it usually includes a furrowed forehead and a hyper-extended jaw. I don’t know what notes they are hitting to make these faces, but I hope they keep on doing it and provide me with some quality comic relief.

Autumn is awesome as usual. I sometimes feel bad because she has so much on her plate right now. She has school full-time, working like crazy at the Daily Universe, spending time with me, and add on top of that planning for a wedding. I am tired all the time and all I have is work and planning some things of the wedding; she is truly amazing and I don’t know how she does it. On Sunday we went to Rachael and Jared’s place for dinner with the family. My mom brought potato salad and fall apart chicken. It was great. We also finished the wedding invitations on Sunday. It is good to have finally got that part of the wedding planning done.

We found it!!!

2006-03-27T22:44:00.000-07:00

We did it! Autumn and I finally found our first apartment. It is the sweetest little basement in Pleasant Grove. We will be living beneath this couple who seem to be the perfect landlords. They have a huge garden and invited us to plant some things as well with them in it. They are so awesome. I am so glad that I am marrying someone like Autumn. Sometimes I struggle with patience and she told me that it would be worth it if we waited to find the ideal place. Well, she was right (she almost always is) and we got a wonderful apartment that we both love.

I also started my new job in Orem with Nortel. It seems a bit overwhelming, but I am sure I will be able to catch on. My co-workers seem pretty cool, so I think it will work out just fine. I just wish I knew what it was that I wanted to do with my life. Don’t get me wrong, my job is fine, but it is not something that I want to do for the rest of my life. If any of you have suggestions, let me know.

Apartments and Cafe Rio

2006-03-26T23:33:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was another great one. On Friday Autumn and I went apartment hunting. We found some that were ok, and others that were great, but a little too expensive for our taste. I have quickly found that this marriage thing is going to take some compromises on the way. I would find one apartment that I loved, but Autumn had some concerns with it. Then Autumn would find one that she loves, but I would have some reservations. I am confident that we will find the perfect apartment if we are just patient.

After an exhaustive day of apartment hunting, Audi and I went to Café Rio. If there is anyone out there who has not been to Café Rio before, you have not lived until you have tried the pork barbacoa burrito or the pork barbacoa salad. Now many of you may be thinking that you don’t like pork. That is perfectly ok, I myself am not a huge pork fan, but let me tell ya this stuff is the best. I have had almost everything else on the menu, and while the chicken and steak are great, they hold no candle to the pork barbacoa. By the way, if you get the burrito, remember to get it enchilada style, trust me.

Saturday Autumn was shooting for the local paper, so I used some of my free time to look at tuxedos and some more apartments. Again, I found some good places, but nothing that we would be comfortable with. I then took Audi out on a date. We made dinner (chicken and spinach rotini) and went and watched a movie called failure to launch. It was an ok movie, but totally predictable.

Sunday Audi had her temple recommend interviews. I am excited to go through the temple with her. She seems pretty excited about the whole thing, which in turn makes me excited. She is getting her endowments out in the Mount Timpanogos Temple and I am stoked for her. She is truly the most wonderful thing to happen to me and I am so grateful that I get to spend eternity with someone so wonderful, beautiful and just plain awesome! We seem to have so much fun together and I can just be me, and she loves me for it. Like I said, I am the luckiest man in the entire planet.

Comp Days

2006-03-20T19:22:00.000-07:00

Compensation days or “comp days” as they are called are quite a lovely thing. They are quite similar to finding a hidden treasure. A comp day is where you get a day off from work for working above and beyond what was expected of you in the past. I worked on a blasted report back in January for like 20 hours at home, and as a result was given a lovely comp day. I took that comp day this past Friday. It was great! Autumn and I spent the day stuffing envelopes and watching the happiest millionaire (good flick by the way). Later in the evening we went to Salt Lake t see my Uncle Brent from Oklahoma. He brought his family out here to the lovely state of Utah and my extended family had a sort of mini reunion.

On Saturday, Autumn had to work. She went and shot this chalk throwing party at some Krishna temple. When she got home, she was covered in chalk. I don’t know how, but she makes chalk look good! After she showered, we went to Ihop and then Walmart (probably my two most favorite places in the entire world).

On Sunday, Autumn and I met with her bishop. He is a pretty cool guy. He was giving up pointers on marriage and what not. It was great times. Later in the evening we went to Heika and Greg’s place. Autumn got Scottie some birthday presents and I was able to play with him for a bit. I also met Autumn’s sister Jessica today. She is pretty cool. So far I have not met one bad Lorimer, they are for sure the coolest people from Wyoming. We played some games (Uno and Mau?); it was real fun. I really like them.

Kiddnapped at Work

2006-03-11T01:18:00.000-07:00

One of the things that frustrate me the most is managers that look out for themselves and no one else. This selfish philosophy fosters a negative work environment and eliminates any loyalty employees may have. I currently work for a company that specializes in handling the outsourced communication needs of various corporations from around the world. We work with many different accounts to ensure that their communication needs are met at a lower cost than if they were to do it internally.

I recently applied and was selected to make a lateral move within the company to take a management role on a different account. This is a move that will further my career goals and reduce my commuter expenses since the office is closer to my home. However, when my manager found out about it, he let it be known that he does not want me to leave for eight weeks…..Eight Weeks? What account can wait for two months for a transferring manager? The mere thought that an account would go eight weeks without a manager seems ludicrous. Nevertheless, my manager seems to only care about his account and not the opportunities presented to his team members.

I was able to move the negotiated time frame down to four weeks, but the account that wants me can only wait for two. So either, we can get the transfer time down to two weeks, or I am just out of luck for this position. The thing that is really frustrating is that if I were a horrible manager on my current account, they would have let me go in a New York minute; they just don’t want to let me go. I feel trapped, used and manipulated.

PS. Autumn is in Denver shooting the Mountain West Conference Tournament. I saw her on TV last night. She was sitting on the baseline under one of the baskets. It was pretty cool seeing her. I miss her and cannot wait until she gets home.

Announcements are pretty much done!

2006-03-05T12:51:00.000-07:00

Another good week for Autumn and Wayne. On Thursday we received our announcements from I do… Weddings and they look pretty awesome. We like them a lot. We had some retakes for the engagement photo done on Saturday, but we didn’t like any of the photos, so we are sticking with one of our original ones. My head is kind of chopped off and the background is very white, but we look dang cute, so we are sticking with that one.

On Friday Autumn and I were eating dinner at Ihop and ran into Christena Willes and Josh Smith from freshman year. It was the first time they had seen us together since we were dating. It was nice seeing them, but for some reason it felt kind of awkward as well. We were really unsure why it was awkward, but we think that this “awkwardness” is the reason that so many engaged and married couples do not socialize with single friends. We would rather hang out with married, engaged or even dating couples over singles.

Autumn and I are beginning to feel old because we no longer want to stay up until all hours of the night. I was in bed before midnight on both Friday and Saturday night. This is highly abnormal compared to my past nocturnal social habits. Maybe it is because if I go to bed, the next day will come sooner and that will bring me one more day closer to marrying Autumn, the most wonderful person in the whole wide world (by the way, 61 more days…two months from today.. he he he).

Pork Chops with a Maple-Pecan Glaze

2006-02-28T17:54:00.000-07:00

This week Autumn went to Northern Idaho for a Jazz Choir competition. Even thought I only went one calendar day without seeing her, I sure missed her. On Saturday she had tons of homework and tests so I ran some errands. I took her out later in the evening. We went to Ottavios and then bought some stuff for dinner on Sunday. We then went to watch Firewall with Harrison Ford. It was pretty intense.

On Sunday Autumn came to my ward. Before church she met with my bishop and we had a quick chat about us getting married. Autumn really is wonderful and carried herself so well. During Sacrament meeting, one of the speakers didn’t show so they had some spare time at the end of the meeting. I leaned over to Autumn and said, “This is where some poor guy has to speak.” Autumn then said, “I think it is going to be you.” I denied it saying that I was new in the ward, then the counselor stood up and said we would like to hear from Wayne Linford… then Autumn said, “Ha!, told ya so”…and then counselor then said, and his fiancée. So Autumn and I got up and bore our testimonies. It was good hearing her testimony.

After church we made a random dinner that we found in a cookbook yesterday. We subtracted out Social Security numbers from each other and then our birthdays to come up with a page number. We then turned to the page and bought the ingredients on Saturday. We then made it for dinner on Sunday. We had pork chops with a maple pecan glaze. It was actually pretty good. We also made some killer potatoes with cream, butter and cheese. It was a great weekend.

Grandma Linford

2006-02-20T00:53:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, Autumn and I finalized the wedding invitations at I do… Weddings. I think that sending out these invitations are going to be quite the chore. Well, actually, collecting names and addresses I think will be the difficult part.

Later in the day, Autumn and I drove to Salt Lake to see my Grandma Linford. It was the first time Autumn has met her and we had a great time chatting. We learned about how her and my Grandpa Linford met. It was a pretty funny story.

We then went to a birthday party for my friend Za Parsia. His wife Jenn planned it at the Skybox sports grill. It is this cool place at the Gateway that has all sorts of games to play. Autumn kicked my trash at the free-throw competition twice! Ouch!

We had to skip out early so that we could go to dinner at Rachael and Jared’s. Nathan met us up there and we had this soup that was fantastic. We then sat around and talked for quite some time. We then had to leave because the weather was frightful, but with Autumn it was so delightful.

Glory Road

2006-02-13T01:30:00.000-07:00

Good weekend. On Friday Autumn and I went to Macaroni Grill for dinner. It was really good. We then went and watched Glory Road. It was like Remember the Titans, but with basketball instead of football. Although I like basketball more, I thought that Remember the Titans was better than this movie. Good flick, but not great.

On Saturday we had our engagement pictures taken. It was fun times. She had one of her friends Amber take the pictures and they were pretty good. After the pics, we went to Salt Lake to register at the Pottery Barn. That place has some nice stuff, but a little out of my price range. We then went and looked at some wedding cakes, but found nothing that we really liked. We then drove back to Provo so Autumn could shoot a tennis match. We then ordered Pizza from blackjack pizza and then went and registered at Target and Wal-Mart. It was quite a busy day. When we got home, I gave Autumn a foot massage since she had to wear heels all day long.

Today I went to Autumn’s ward. Her ward meets at 9:30am as opposed to my ward meeting at 1:20pm. It was hard getting up that early, but it was worth it. The thing I love most about getting up that early on Sunday is the Sunday naps. Let me tell ya, the nap today was the nap of all naps. I loved it. I didn’t want to get up, but I knew if I didn’t, I would not be able to sleep tonight and I would be tired tomorrow morning. I really love Sunday naps.
Later in the evening, Autumn and I went to a Temple Prep class that her stake was putting on. There were many other recently engaged couples there as well. I am so excited to get married. I can hardly stand it.

Invitations

2006-02-08T00:38:00.000-07:00

Today I called in “sick” so that Autumn and I could go look at wedding invitations. We found one that we really liked, but it was ridiculously expensive. So we decided to go with this other one that we liked as well, but not so pricey. I never knew that a piece of paper could cost so much. Autumn had school and whatnot for the rest of the day, so I just ended up running some errands. It is nice to be sick every now and again.

Wedding Dresses

2006-02-06T00:26:00.000-07:00

This weekend Autumn’s mom came down from Wyoming so they can look at wedding dresses. Autumn was walking around all day Saturday and her feet were killing her (She even got a blister on her foot). I felt bad for her, but it sounds like she had a lot of fun dressing up in wedding dresses. Today we watched the CES fireside and then went to Heika and Greg’s place. We played some games and then had some homemade ice cream. It was really good. I really like Heika and Greg; they are good people.

Bad boys, bad boys....

2006-02-03T00:24:00.000-07:00

I got pulled over today by one of Taylorsville’s finest. I was heading over to my parents place when I did a “roll stop” at an intersection nearby. The officer gave me a ticket for it. I understand that I broke the law and I need to be punished for it, but to pay $92 for it? Come on! I have to save for a wedding coming up and things like this make it rather difficult to save. Needless to say, I am a bit upset.

Engagement

2006-01-30T00:53:00.000-07:00

Well, it is official. Autumn Lorimer and Wayne Linford will be married on May 5th, 2006 in the Manti Temple. This past Saturday, the 28th of January I asked Autumn to marry me and she said yes. This is how it all went down:

On Saturday January 21st we went to look at this ring at jewelry store in the University Mall in Orem (see previous post). The day before that I told the lady working there that if I was to come by the next day, to tell us it would take over a week to get it ready. So the next day, Autumn and I went to the store and I casually asked, “so, hypothetically, if I were to get this ring today, how long would it take?” and right as planned, se said, “it would take about one and a half weeks”. So Autumn must have been thinking, well it will be at least 10 days before he can ask me to marry him.

The following Saturday we drove to Riverton, Wyoming to visit with her parents. I was very scared and didn’t know how to go about asking Autumn’s Dad for Autumn’s hand in marriage. I didn’t want to sound too macho and be like, “me man want to marry your daughter” as if Autumn had no say in it. However, I didn’t want to just tell them that we were getting married and they had no say in it. So I was torn and didn’t know how to go about it.

Her mom and dad (who, by the way, are the most awesome people in the world, no wonder Autumn is so awesome) sat down with Autumn and I and asked what was on our minds. So I just basically told them how I loved their daughter and wanted to marry her and spend eternity and that there is nobody in this world I would rather go through the valleys and peaks of life with. Then there was this long pause and I said, “..and I was wondering if that was ok”. Her dad and mom laughed and said ok. I then did something that Autumn had no clue that I was going to do. I told her parents, “I know that loosing a daughter must be hard, so I brought something to help soften the blow, a little present if you will.” I then reached into my backpack and pulled out, one by one, eight cows and presented them to her dad. If you have not seen Johnny Lingo, you probably have no clue as to what I am talking about. Needless to say, it was a big hit.

Later in the day I did the whole Lorimer ribbon tradition. This tradition goes back to when the Lorimer girls were young and their dad would tie their ribbons in their baby trees in their yard. He did this so that they would not run them over with a mover or weed whack them. The girls then asked, “but dad, how will we get the ribbons out when the trees are tall”. Their dad would then say, “when some guy comes over to ask for your hand in marriage, I will make them climb up there and get them down.” Now whenever a guy comes to the Lorimer estate to ask for a daughters hand in marriage, he has to climb one of the trees and take down one of the million ribbons their dad put up in the tree the day before. It is a fun tradition.

Now on with the engagement, but a little background first. Autumn has always loved stars. When she was younger she would lay out under the night sky and lay on the trampoline with her brother Luke and sister Kelly. They loved looking at the stars (being from a small town in Wyoming, they can see lots of them). Autumn has even claimed one of the stars hers. She has even pointed this star out to me a few times, but I don’t know if you know this or not, but there are like a billion of those stars and they all look alike to me, so I always forget where it is.

So, after I climbed the tree to get the ribbon and we were sitting around the dinner table later today, I handed her a piece of paper rolled up with a ribbon around it. She asked, “what is this?” and I told her to open it up and find out. When she did she saw that it was a star certificate. I had a star registered in her name. I named the star Autumn Lorimer Linford. I then told her to put on her coat so we can go outside to see it. We went onto this little island they have in their pond, but it was overcast so we could not find it. I told her that is was ok because when you register a star, they send you part of the star. She then looked at me and said, “huh?” clearly confused. I said, “ya, it is right here, see?” and I held out the ring. I then got on my knee and asked her to marry me and she said yes!

The next day at church she was showing everybody and I was very, very happy for her. She was glowing and I was glad that I could do something to make her that happy. I love her so much and I am very anxious for the time we can be married for time and all eternity.

Bling Bling

2006-01-21T17:31:00.000-07:00

There are a few things that I loathe in this world, and getting up early on a Saturday is one of them. However, there are also a few things that I would Love to get up early on a Saturday for, and Autumn Lorimer is also one of them. This morning Autumn and I went to Salt Lake City to look at wedding rings at this discount broker. I know what you are saying, “Ring shopping, you mean… what the?…” Well, rest assured my friends, that while Autumn and I have discussed marriage, we are not engaged yet. Don’t get me wrong, I would LOVE to marry her, but I just don’t want to count my chickens before they hatch. We had to make an appointment with this broker place in order to see someone. It was kind of a weird atmosphere. There were cameras and buzz-locked doors, I felt like we were buying some stolen firearms or something. We really didn’t see anything we liked so we split. We went to the mall in downtown Slat Lake and walked around for a bit. We then went to the Mall in Orem to re-look at this ring at Schubach’s. I can tell that she really likes that one.

Regurgitation!

2006-01-07T00:22:00.000-07:00

Man, I HATE throwing up. I try to avoid it at all costs. If I am sick and I know that throwing up will help me feel better, I will still refuse to throw up because I hate it that much. But as much as I hate throwing up, I hate throwing up when there is nothing in my stomach to throw up (dry heaves). I tell ya, that is the worst.

I mention this because Autumn was sick today and I felt very bad for her. I got a call from her early this morning saying that she was not feeling so well. When I got to her apartment, she was not feeling too hot. I think she may have got something from my family because she had the same symptoms (thowing up, etc). I used one of my comp days and looked after her for the day. She is such a valiant spirit that she tried to get up and go to one of her Jazz Choir performances, even though she was shaking and sick and everything. She actually got all dressed up and I took her to her performance (she looked cute even though she was sick). When she got there she sang one song in the warm up and her director told her that she should go home. She is truly a champion! I would have just stayed home and wallowed in my self-pity. I think she is wonderful.

Haircuts!

2005-12-26T16:53:00.000-07:00

There are very few things in this world that really frustrate me, and one of those is bad haircuts. I think the reason that I hate them so much is because they take so long to fix. Every three weeks or so, I put my physical appearance in the hands of someone else. Most of the time these highly trained professionals do an acceptable or great job. However, every once in a while I will get someone who does no better a job than if I were to stick my head in a weed-whacker. I often wonder how they ever graduated from hair school, let alone keep their job.

I sometimes wish I could live in a small town like Mayberry and have Floyd the local barber cut my hair week in and week out. In order for his business to succeed, he needs to make sure he does an A+ job. This ensures that his customers will keep returning. However, Bessie at the local Supercuts could care less if you come back. She could snip a little here, miss a huge spot there and make your hair look like it was a lop-sided toupee, and she could care less.

I will get off on my soap box on this issue, but I have vowed to look for a permanent barber to cut my hair going forward.

Merry Christmas

2005-12-25T21:41:00.000-07:00

I know that it has been a while since my last update, but like I said earlier, I have not done this sort of thing in a while, so it will take some time for me to get use to updating this. Maybe I should make that a New Years resolution.

Well, it is Christmas Day and I am sitting here at work with nothing to do. I am a manager for Albertsons call center operations and we are open 24-hours, 365-days a year. It has actually been somewhat busy today with people from across the US wanting to know what hours their local Albertsons is going to be open. I also had about 13 people call in “sick” (ya sick…right). I usually don’t work on Sundays, but since I have no wife and kids, I thought I would volunteer for today. It actually has not been that bad.

I am currently dating a wonderful girl named Autumn Lorimer. I have actually known her for quite some time. We lived in the dorms together about three years ago at BYU. We have been friends ever since and things just lately have been beginning to pick up (actually since the Christmas party a couple weeks ago…see last posting). The only down side is that she went home to Wyoming for the Christmas break and I have not been able to see her for a while. Not to fret though, thank goodness for modern technology. Thanks to my friends at gmail and to Dr. Martin Cooper (the inventor of the cellular phone), we have been able to keep in touch.

I hope everyone is having a very Merry Christmas (or Holiday, Chanukah, Kawaza, etc) and that you all have had your fair share of eggnog and turkey.

Christmas in Panama and Santa Barbara

2005-12-11T18:09:00.000-07:00

So, last night I went to two parties. I went to the farewell party for Kiera Hurley who is going on a mission to Panama. Her roommate and one of my closest friends Nikki Duke organized the party. It was pretty fun. I had to leave though after a while to go to a Christmas party with the girls in Santa Barbara (Jana Hick and Autumn Lorimer). Some of the guys from freshman year were there and it was fun times. We had a white elephant gift exchange and then watched Elf. Good times indeed. Then on my way home I saw Jonah Barnes. I have not seen him in forever. We talked in the middle of the street for quite some time in the freezing cold temperatures of Provo, Utah.

Sunday May 29, 2005

2005-05-29T13:08:00.000-06:00

I know it has been a while since I last updated my site, but I have been quite busy. This past week the rest of the summer staff arrived. The first few days of the week we had training, and let me tell ya, it is boring, but it is still better than staining so I cannot complain. We then had Glenn projects on Thursday and Friday. Youth conferences were up this week as well. It was fun working the youth and facilitating Aspen Follies with them. Bishop Hugh was with one of the groups that was up here. For all of you who are thinking to yourself, “Who in the Sam Hill is this Bishop Hugh?”, he was my bishop when I was a young lad. I have not seen him since I was like 14. He was the greatest. On Saturday I met up with Jared McKenzie and Nathan to go to dinner at PF Changs. After that we went to watch “The Longest Yard”. I didn’t like it at all. We then went to Wal-Mart and I purchased some much needed items. For Sunday we had Fast and Testimony meeting here at the grove. The meeting went really good.

Sunday May 22, 2005

2005-05-22T13:16:00.000-06:00

Well, I am back from Las Vegas and let me tell ya, it is good to be back. Even though I was only gone for five days, sometimes it seemed like an eternity. It was so hot down there. I felt like my skin was going to catch on fire and melt everytime I stepped outside. When I got into a vehicle, I thought that I was going to be suffocated by the heat. Needless to say, it was hot. I was glad to come back to Aspen Grove.

Wednesday May 18, 2005

2005-05-18T13:17:00.000-06:00

Well, I am off for Las Vegas in a few hours. May crew is over for me and honestly, I can’t complain. I don’t know if I will have access to a computer or an internet connection so I probably will not have an update until I get back on Sunday.

Tuesday May 17, 2005

2005-05-17T13:52:00.000-06:00

This morning we had eggs, waffles and hash browns. I then shoveled some snow because it snowed yesterday. I then helped Greg fix the showers outside the swimming pool. For lunch we had steak, and it was fantastic. After lunch I had the privilege of buffing the swimming pool. I tried using the buffer for a bit, but you should have seen me. I was a joke trying to control this buffer. It kept throwing me from one end of the pool to another. Finally Robert came and took over and he took over for me and made it look easy. He had experience cleaning carpets before so he knew what he was doing. I then cleaned some rooms in Aspen Lodge and helped set up some speakers in the Amphitheater. Steve Pfost brought up my scooter so now I can putt putt around camp a little more easily. For dinner we had stroganoff and it was pretty good.

Monday May 16, 2005

2005-05-16T13:53:00.000-06:00

I was a little tired waking up this morning but I soon got over it. Craig, Chelsea, Maggie and I cleaned some rooms in Aspen Lodge. We then went to Aspen Lawn and cleaned the horseshoe pit and then put up the blue tent. For lunch we had tacos and they were great. After lunch we moved some stuff off of the amphitheater stage and moved some tables from the arts and crafts room to the dining hall. I then set up a karaoke machine and that was pretty much it. I then watched CSI at the Harts.

Sunday May 15, 2005:

2005-05-15T13:55:00.000-06:00

I went to bed last night at 1:00am and woke up at 12:00 (go ahead and count it, that is 11 hours). Yup, it felt good. I then went to Nate’s ward and it was fun times. We then swung past Jeremiah’s place so that we could pick up Jeremiah and Kelly. We then drove up to Sandy and had dinner with the fam. We had Spaghetti and I liked it a lot. I then drove back up to Aspen Grove and called it a night.

Saturday May 14, 2005

2005-05-14T13:55:00.000-06:00

This morning I had to wake up at 7:15 to go to work. I know, I know, you are thinking, “but Wayne, why are you working on a Saturday”. Well, they needed help today and I am going to Vegas next week for a few days so I need the extra hours. We spent the entire day staining gamily lodges A, B, C, and D. I smelled like gasoline. They should make a mens fragrance after that stuff.

Friday May 13, 2005

2005-05-13T13:56:00.000-06:00

Well I was a bit tired today, but not too bad. All this morning we set up highball. We got both apparatuses set up by lunch. For lunch we had soup, salad and chicken. It was great. After lunch, Marty, Darren, DH and I stained family lodge B. That takes a long time. I then took off to the valley to go meet my family in Provo. We hung out for a while and then we went to Los Hermanos Mexican Restaurant. It was really good. I did not get back until late and now I am very tired.

Thurday May 12, 2005

2005-05-12T13:57:00.000-06:00

Well, I tried to go to bed early last night, but all the guys here in snowshoe decided to talk about everything that is going on in camp. I was tired, but it was pretty fun, we have a good group of guys this year. For breakfast we had French Toast. After breakfast, I had to fix a flat tire on one of the vans and then we moved a bunch of stuff from the Huish to the Arts and Crafts building. Craig, DH, and I then started setting up highball right up until lunch. For lunch we had nachos. After lunch we continued to set up highball. While setting it up, I hit my head really hard on a bar, dang it hurt. Craig and I then cleaned the bathrooms. I got off work at 6pm because we did not have to start work until 9am.

Wednesday May 11, 2005

2005-05-11T09:10:00.000-06:00

This morning I was very tired. For breakfast we had waffles; not good waffles, but the frozen ones that don’t taste that good. I was grateful for the meal, but I didn’t eat too much. After breakfast, Marty and I put brand new shower curtain rods in the family lodges. For lunch we had enchiladas and they were fantastic. After lunch Marty and I finished installing the shower curtain rods. I then got off at 3pm because I worked extra hours on Monday.

Tuesday May 10, 2005:

2005-05-10T09:10:00.000-06:00

This morning we had scrambles eggs and hash browns. After breakfast we cleaned the Emerald Dining hall. Craig, Chelsea, Maggie and I cleaned family lodges C &D. For lunch we had an awesome salad and chicken. After lunch Maggie and I cleaned the main bathrooms, the bathrooms on the 2nd floor of Aspen and the bathroom in Emerald. We then started cleaning the rooms on the 4th floor and then Robert and Evelyn came and helped us finish. I then put a slide on the ship playground with David Cook. For dinner we had chicken fried steak. After dinner Maggie and I went to the Huish and watched Heavyweights. It was very funny and made me think of Jared.

Monday May 9, 2005

2005-05-09T09:11:00.000-06:00

I had dish room duty today but I forgot and I felt bad for missing it. For breakfast we had eggs and cream of wheat. I did not eat any, I just had cereal and yogurt. After Beth and I cleaned up the dishes, Craig and I put up the volleyball nets and finished the benches in the Amphitheater. We then went to the pool to set up the storage shed. For lunch we had roast beef and it was leftovers so it was not so good. Craig and I finished the shed after lunch and then put away some of the closing show equipment and then painted and “wanted poster” picture platform. I then went to Aspen to help them clean. For dinner we had some broccoli casserole and I thought it was pretty good.

Sunday May 8, 2005:

2005-05-08T09:11:00.000-06:00

This morning I woke up at 8:30am and everyone else pretty much took off for church. I decided to go to Nate’s church and it did not start until 3:00 so I pretty much just sat around and read my scriptures like a good boy. Nate’s ward was pretty cool and afterwards we went to Sandy to hang out with Rachael and her family for mother’s day. We ate roast beef and it was really good. Nate and I played with Matthew and Kenzie most of the night. Afterwards I came back to Aspen Grove and Maggie Hansen from Payson and I looked at pictures on my laptop all night.

Saturday May 7, 2005:

2005-05-07T09:12:00.000-06:00

I slept this morning until 8:30am. I tried to sleep in some more but couldn’t. For most of the day I dinked around and didn’t do too much. I studied my LSAT book and then played some card game with Jim and Kim. It was really fun. After lunch I went into the dish room and helped them clean up. Everyone then went to the valley except Maggie and me. We then learned a cool way to fold shirts and then made online quizzes for each other. We then met up with Beth and David Cook and went down and shot arrows at the ball field. I was shooting mine straight up in the air and watching them come down, it was pretty captivating. I accidentally shot one a little too far away and it hit the top of the ball field pavilion. We assessed the situation and I was luck that no damage was done. We then ate dinner (leftovers) and then DH, Michael, Peter, David Cook, Beth, Maggie and I watched Robin Hood (the cartoon) and Napoleon Dynamite in the Huish.