Who am I sir? A UTAH MAN AM I. Utah man sir, will be 'til I die!

Well...woman...haha but you get my point with this blog title

The past couple of weeks have brought some major changes, both in my own personal experience and in the nation as a whole.

And while a lot of these changes are scary and some aren't that bad...they all have one thing in common:

They have made me extremely grateful to be who I am and grateful to be where I am.

Three years ago I made the best decision I could have ever made.

I chose the University of Utah. 

I chose to become a Ute.

And to be honest I had no idea that I would love it as much as I have.

I will be real with you all here...I was raised a BYU cougar....I know I know...but everyone has skeletons in their closet haha ;) But I found the light and boy am I glad that I did!!

So choosing the U was a little bit of surprise for my very much Cougar blue family.

But my daddy graduated as a Ute so it's not like it was totally out of nowhere.

It was a difficult decision for me to choose the U. 

I was lucky enough to get into every school that I applied to, so I had some major decisions to make when the acceptance letters came in.

Choosing the U would, after all, mean that I wouldn't be moving out of my house as quickly as I would have had to had I chosen to go to any of those other schools. Choosing the U meant that I would be going to a state school, which pretentious high school senior me wasn't all that inclined to do.

But like any big decision I took it to the Lord, and after a LOT of praying no other school but the University of Utah felt right to me.

I was surprised as anyone when I expressed my decision. I applied to the U on a whim (not to be confused with a safety net school...I wasn't even sure I would get into any schools and being the daddy's girl that I am I wanted to apply to his alma mater because my getting in would make him really proud) so my choosing it over all the other schools was not an outcome I was expecting.

But that was the answer that I received and it was the best possible answer I could have ever gotten, and I feel so blessed to have been able to heed that answer.

I LOVE my school. I love being a Ute.

If I could go back to senior year of high school I would still make the same decision.

I have a hard time understanding why people would want to go to any other school, because the University of Utah has been such a major source of happiness in the past three years for me.

I'm basically obsessed with everything Utah and I truly believe that we are the best school in Utah bar none.

I mean to each their own I guess...but Utah Utes will always be dominant ;)

I am a proud Ute and I am grateful to be able to say that I will always be a proud Ute...even if my graduation date has been pushed a little further back than I would have liked.

I love my school, I love my boys in red and I love my new major!

Good luck to those boys in red as they take on Washington in their second to last away game of the season.

Kill those Huskies!

"So fill your lungs and sing it out and shout it to the sky,

I'll fight for dear old Crimson for a UTAH. MAN. AM I!!

GO UTES!"

Much love,

-L

Wabbit Season! Duck Season! Wabbit Season! Duck Season...Fire!

This is what election season always ALWAYS makes me think of.

Nobody really knows what direction is up, which candidate they truly want to put their support behind and someone always ends up with their beak shot off (metaphorically speaking of course haha)

It never ceases to amaze me how hurtful people can be to one another over politics.

I'm no saint myself...I have been caught up in a spirited political debate once or twice where I have resorted to cheap shots that I wasn't proud of. 

Really though...people get so worked up over who is right and who is wrong that they stop listening to each other and just fight for the sake of fighting...and truly that makes me a little ill.

I was raised to respect the office of the president, no matter who the man or the woman (hopefully that'll happen in this nation soon) is. Because they are, after all, our Commander in Chief, head honcho, the big cheese...and any other cliched euphemisms for leader you can think of.

The president is the leader of this nation that we all love...doesn't that demand our respect?

Even if we don't absolutely love the person holding the office, shouldn't we at least give them our respect for even wanting the job?

Have you ever thought about the job of being the president of the United States of America? I mean sure, we are the greatest nation on earth but that doesn't mean we don't have our fair share of problems.

Personally I think being president would suck...you get blamed for everything that goes wrong even when there's no legal way for it to be your fault, and when things go right credit is never fully attributed to you.

Truly the job of being president is not one on my list of things I want to be when I grow up.

I will always support the office of the president. 

I'll be honest here, I was really hoping that Obama would not be re-elected but the chips have fallen and I will suck it up and support my president.

(Although the t-shirts that say "Hey don't blame me, I voted for Romney" might need to appear in my closet)

This is a choice nation my friends, don't ever forget that. The Lord has blessed this nation in crazy ways since the Revolutionary War and He won't abandon us now. 

It's a little silly to attribute the results of this election to a sign of the apocalypse...and yet I have seen people do that very thing. 

Truly would He allow an outcome that isn't in His plan for this nation?

I don't think so.

To be born in this nation and to be able to have the right to vote for our leaders is an amazing thing; and I for one feel extremely grateful to have been able to exercise my right as an American citizen, sure the results weren't what I was hoping for but that's ok. 

The thing I'm most concerned about is how I see people around me treating each other based on political affiliation...just because someone doesn't believe as you do or supports a different party than you does not automatically qualify them as stupid or evil...truly we all need to watch what we say and give respect. After all you get same amount of respect that you give.

I just want to end this little bit of a political rant with this statement:

 United we stand, divided we fall.

Cliche I know...but just think about it...

Much love,

-L

P.S. now that the election is over you all can turn your votes to what really matters...

THE PRO-BOWL!

Go Ravens ;)

I'm Only Getting Started, I Won't BLACKOUT!

Alright...so I know that it is Halloween...but I am a little slow on the blog updating and I really wanted to post about my absolute favorite game of the entire football season...college level at least...because let's face it...absolutely nothing can beat a Baltimore Ravens/Pittsburgh Steelers showdown haha.

The Blackout game is my absolute favorite game of the entire season bar none! 

This year we played Cal, and we walked all over them. It was the greatest thing ever.

I don't know if I could adequately put into words how much I love the blackout game...and I'm not even sure I fully understand why I love it so much myself, I just look forward to it ever year, it's the NCAA football version of Christmas for me I guess haha.

I just think seeing the whole stadium in black instead of red is a really impressive sight. 

And the boys always look really, really good in their black uniforms...but that is besides the point.

This game was an incredible one to be at, our boys in red (well black for this game haha) looked very good.

As much as I love close, nail-biters; I really love a blow out too. It is always sooo much fun when your team just blows their opponent out of the water.

This isn't to say that Cal didn't put up a fight, because they did, they gave us a very fun game.

Our boys just wanted it so much more, they needed this win more than anything else.

It was so fun to watch them win, there are few things in this world that convey greater joy than a football player pulling off a big win with his team. You couldn't help but smile when they all came over to sing "Utah Man" to the MUSS.

Not only did our team as a whole perform well but individual players had a fantastic game as well.

Our cute freshman quarterback totally leveled a Cal Golden Bear.

Blechen was making the plays that we all know and love him for, it's so nice to have him back in the safety position; it was definitely a rough time without him.

Of course there's Star...he's just such a B.A. haha end of story.

And to top it all off our kick returner Reggie Dunn quickly became the hero of the MUSS when he returned 100 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter AND in the fourth...a feat, which by the way, has never before been accomplished in the NCAA (way to go Reggie!).

You know you must be pretty B.A. when the MUSS will chant your name every time you take the field!

I love the Blackout game and I really can't wait for next years haha (yes I am already counting down....no judgment)

And of course it wouldn't be a post about football on my blog without a bunch of pictures you only half care about looking at haha.

Sooo proud of them! 49-27!! What a win!

We love the Blackout game!!

Reggie Freaking Dunn!!! Century Man indeed!!

Cute Utes in the MUSS

Traditional game pic

#normal

Sometimes our MUSS neighbors are gross....

We are pretty much a big deal

Best friends since freshman year of high school! Absolutely love this girl!

I loooooove when they wear black! <3

And I have to leave you with this amazing clip! Like seriously since when is a quarterback this B.A.?!?!?!

I'm definitely a Wilson fan after watching this! Total BEAST!

Much love

And GO UTES

-L

The Unkind Kindness of Football

"There are moments in our lives when we find ourselves at a crossroads. Afraid, confused, without a road map. The choices we make in those moments can define the rest of our days. Of course, when faced with the unknown, most of us prefer to turn around and go back. But once in awhile, people push on to something better. Something found just beyond the pain of going it alone. Something beyond the quiet persistence of a dream. Because it is only when you're tested that you truly discover who you can be. The person you want to be does exist somewhere on the other side of hard work and faith and belief and beyond heartache and fear of what lies ahead."

This season has been a rough one for my favorite boys in red.
The past few games have been rocky to say the least and I have had a hard time watching them struggle.
I will admit to sitting there a few time and wondering over and over again "Why do these boys play this sport? It seems totally and utterly unforgiving"
And then I realized that football is basically the greatest sport there is.
I already know that basketball fans and baseball fans and even the occasional hockey fan will strongly disagree with me. But I am just telling the truth.
Football is the greatest sport. End of discussion.
It creates some of the strongest bonds I have ever seen.
Every football team is a brotherhood, those guys would die for each other if it came to that, and say what you will about that...any bond of that magnitude is an impressive thing.
The football bond is one that is hard to break, and truly, I would never ask someone to break it.
The beauty of humanity often times comes from our social bonds and from seeing other people's social bonds in action.

Every football player I have ever met are some of the biggest dreamers out there. Those guys have dreams so big that they would scare most other people, and I love them for it.
Not only are they big dreamers, but they inspire kids to dream, and I think that that is one of the greatest accomplishments a human being can achieve in this lifetime.
To be able to inspire a child...well, that's beauty in and of itself.

They deal with their losses with grace and dignity, because their big picture dream buoys them up. Something beyond the persistence of their dream keeps them driving forward. And I don't know about you but I find that pretty inspiring.
I think the way that these boys have handled these losses is amazing. If it were me, and I will be completely honest here, I would be totally and utterly demoralized. But these guys...they have a fire in their bellies. It's truly impressive to me, they have the fire to win, they have the fire to show the world who they are and what they are capable of.
They seem to have taken these losses and used them to fire their determination, proving that it is not until you are tested do you truly discover the person that you are.

I can honestly say that I am proud of this team and what they have accomplished on and off the field. So to any critic of them I say this: You go through the heartbreak that they have gone through week after week. You see all your hard work for months and even years come up a few inches short of getting your end goal. You have critics hounding after you day and night. And then tell me that the way these guys have handled themselves is wrong, that they haven't been working hard enough, that they aren't what they need to be.

I'm not making excuses for them...I'm not a football coach, I don't totally understand all the intricacies of a team, but what I do know is what I've seen with my own eyes. These players are human; meaning they have hopes, and passions and dreams that scare them. But unlike most other university students they are doing this under the public eye, under public scrutiny.

There's still a lot football to play this season and I'm excited to see what this particular Utah team has in store.
The Black Out game is this coming Saturday and I cannot wait!
It is the best game of the entire season, in my opinion. It is always cool to see the whole stadium decked out in black instead of our usual red.
I can't wait!

GO UTES!!

Much love.
-L

Just a few musings on a Sunday Night

You know that feeling you get on Sunday where you just had the whole day to yourself, and it's been great, and then you remember that you have to go to school the next day, and it just ruins the rest of the night? 

Well maybe I don't have school on Mondays....But I do have work...and that can also ruin the Sunday feeling.

I gotta say this Sunday has been a good one for me, one of the best that I can remember in a long time actually.

I went to a friend's ward today to support her because not only was she singing in her Sacrament meeting she was also teaching her Relief Society lesson so the least I could do was go and support her in that.

Not gonna lie, it's been a minute since I have attended all three hours of any church meeting, usually I am able to make it to Sacrament but then something usually calls me away, so I kind of forgot what a commitment it can be to sit through all of church like we are supposed to haha.

I'm glad that I stayed though, for some reason one particular speaker in that Sacrament meeting has been sticking in my head since I got home.

He was asked to speak on his impressions from the General Priesthood meeting of General Conference that happened just last weekend and he chose D. Todd Christopherson's talk. While his talk was really well done and delivered well, that's not the part that is sticking out so much to me. What I'm talking about was near the end of his talk he did something while unconventional it was extremely powerful to me.

His talk was focused on how men should stand up and work harder than they have been in the past couple of years.

He then asked all the Priesthood holders in the room to stand up.

It was an impressive sight to see all the men in the room standing.

He then said something to the effect of now look at those sitting around you, those are the people that need you. They need you to be worthy priesthood holders. They need you to be worthy men. They need you to stand up.

The spirit in that room was so powerful and I honestly got chills.

It was one of the most powerful meetings that I have had the pleasure of attending.

His words are sticking in my mind of our need for worthy priesthood holders.

And I feel so blessed to live in a time where there are so many.

The sight of all those men standing up in that meeting was a powerful one; one that will stick with me for a long time. It's an amazing time that we are living in where we have worthy priesthood holders literally surrounding us. It was definitely a powerful image.

All in all I guess what I'm saying is that I'm really glad I went to that ward today.

It's funny how the Lord is so mindful of our needs, isn't it?

Embrace the Fear

Life is a scary thing.

Really though, think about it....life and what we consider reality is kind of a really terrifying thing.

And I didn't really realize it until I was tossed out of the doors of high school into college.

And while I haven't had too much of a dose of reality I have felt some of its residual effects and you know what? I've come to the conclusion that I don't really like it.

This whole adult thing? Yeah, not all it's cracked up to be. 

I wouldn't want to stay a little kid forever though...trust me I would rather be an adult than a child.

But if I could take the best of both worlds and mash them together that would be ideal.

What I have come to realize, the hard way unfortunately, is that there is no way to avoid or hide from reality. It will always find you. And the fear of reality and life and the "real world"? Yeah that'll always be there too. 

I found the best way to deal with it is to just embrace the fear.

Really, it's that simple.

Embrace the fear and take the plunge and you know what's even greater? Somehow everything works itself out.

If we could just learn to just let go of the control a little bit and be brave enough to embrace our fears instead of running away from them I believe that life would run more smoothly.

Now this is easier said than done.

What they neglect to tell us in grade school and high school is that growing up is scary.

It just is.

Becoming an adult is not easy thing and I kind of understand Peter Pan's desire to remain a child forever...kind of...

It's a necessary thing, however, and while it is terrifying, it is also wonderful.

There are awesome things that adults can do that kids can't.

So really we need to embrace the fear and take the plunge.

I had a very wise little eight year old girl tell me that all my problems could be fixed if I would just:

"Breathe and be brave"

Sometimes it just takes a child to tell an adult {yes I just called myself an adult...scary right?} to just get over their fears and go for it. 

Oh the irony.

But she was right.

We just need to breathe and be brave and show the world who we are. Proudly. Unapologetically. 

I know now that I will never apologize for who I am.

I am who I am and I am never going to change for anyone. You can take me or leave me as I am, because I like who I am and I don't have to like you if you don't like that.

I'm gonna end this post with a snippet from one of my favorite songs, "Carry On" by Fun.

"If you're lost and alone or you're sinking like a stone;

Carry on.

May your past be the sound of your feet upon the ground;

Carry on."

Much love,

-L

No Other Gang of College Men Dare Meet Us in the MUSS!

What a great day to be a UTE!

The Holy War belongs to the Utes for four glorious years.

The other night was literally one of the best football games I have ever been to.

Never before have I heard Rice-Eccles that loud before, and it was truly an impressive thing to be a part of.
It's been said before but I'm going to say it again, the MUSS is a fantastic student section!
I like to think that we make a difference for our home team.
I have never heard us get that loud (when the Y had the ball) or that quiet (when we had the ball). It was so much fun.
The Holy War is such an emotional game that the win is always a little sweeter for the team as well as the fans.
I'm angry at the Ute fans that rushed the field early, because well they kind of almost lost the entire thing for us which would have been beyond embarrassing, but it's not that I don't understand it. I just think that maybe some of those kids should brush up on their knowledge of football and understand that we need to wait for the FINAL whistle that signifies the end of the game...duh.
That all being said I do need to give a nod to BYU. They played a heck of a game and fought until the very end, I have nothing but respect for the way they played and I want to thank them for providing a great game for us. In the end though the better team won.
I do find it kind of hilariously ironic that the game ended at 11:59 pm though...take from that what you will haha.
I can't wait for the next home game!! It's against USC so we will need as many MUSS members and Ute fans to show up as we can get. They're definitely a tough team and it will be an interesting game for us to say the least.
However, next up on our schedule is at ASU and I'm excited to get all snoodled up on my couch and watch my boys in red play the game that I love. Good luck Utes!
And as always here are a couple of pictures from the Holy War

Reasons I love the MUSS #2,005: This kid

 Not only did we have Jesus we had Moses...We are really cool kids.

 One of my most favorites! We look really good if I do say so myself.

A little Grub love in the MUSS

We were not impressed with the officials in this game. The game was basically brought to you by the color yellow....it's ok..we still won...three times.

Right after the game, so excited that we won!!

Proud of those boys in red!!!

Much love my friends and GO UTES!!!!
-L