How to...Feel Like You've Been in a Car Accident Without Really Being in One

Snowboard. Seriously. For the first time. And fall down. A lot. And go down runs that are harder than anything you've done that day at the end of the day, because the guy who got you into the whole craziness in the first place and helped you purchase your snowboard pushed you to do it, despite my cries that I was going to die pretty much the whole way down. (Thanks, Brendan! You're a sport, and yes, it was the best run of the day!)

On Monday I went snowboarding for the first time, and it was insane! I loved it! I face planted a good number of times, fell down twenty times more than that. Though the best one was when I tumbled over my snowboard twice, heard some kind of bone creak, and I thought crack, and laughed as I realized that there's nothing to do except get up again and get down the mountain!

It was a rush. You know, I'm not a huge dare-devil when it comes to thrill-seeking sports, but this one, I think I can definitely get into. And it will be awesome.

Now, on the downside...I woke up on Tuesday morning and couldn't lift my head off my pillow. It was funny. Really funny. And then once I finally got my head up, I realized that my shoulders, abs, and back were quite opposed to getting up. So I laid there for a while until I finally got over it and made myself get out of bed. Man it hurt so good.

And I didn't even take any pictures. How lame am I?

Maybe I'll get some next time I go during the day...

Instant Gratification

So last week I had a plan. Then I had a new plan on Saturday. And a new one on Sunday. And a new one on Monday. And today I came to the grand conclusion that plans are ridiculous! Well, sometimes, in some cases. But I have definitely determined that I have essentially no control over most things in my life, and that I should accept that and move on to the next surprise. Because it's all pretty much a surprise. Really.

Now that the show is over, and I have something that resembles a life again, I will attempt to renew my commitment to writing weekly.

I got a new snowboard. It is pretty much awesome. And with said snowboard came a free lesson/lift ticket package. Unfortunately, I scratched a little to hard and the redemption code is now illegible. Hopefully the nice folks at Burton will cut me a break...

And now for more exciting news... 

Well, that's about it.

As For Resolutions...

As for my resolution regarding posting weekly, may I add an addendum? I want to post at least weekly when not absolutely going out of my mind spending every waking moment on a film set...minus my day or two off, which I spend sleeping, doing laundry, and catching up on my week of life.

Thus, I am resolved to tell you of the excitement, or perhaps lack thereof, on set. Mostly it's pretty slow on this show. But, on a happier note, I have met some really cool people: like Matty Props (for those of you who don't know, you don't have last names in the film industry, it's a first name and then your department...yeah, it's weird). Anyway, Matty smashed his middle finger in a garage door the other day and now, since it's broken and in a splint, he finds it quite amusing to walk around flipping people off. Not going to lie, it is pretty funny!

And there's my fellow PA buddies, they're awesome. We have fun, probably too much. The rest of the AD department are pretty much rockin'. We have parties in the production hole every night. It rocks.

The whole camera department are rock stars. Seriously. The art department are kind of enigmatic, especially when Chris (the production designer) cuts off his luscious locks, and no one even recognized him at first! And, strangely enough, the same thing happened when Andy from the grip department cut his hair...hmm...

The grip and electric department definitely provide the comic relief during the down times. They're pretty amazing.

Darcy is crafty (the person who provides all the snackage), and she is super. She's giving me soup recipes, which I rather enjoy! And, speaking of food, our catering boys are way too much fun, and always provide a smile and a plate of food, which is definitely appreciated.

Then there's Telly Wardrobe, who provides us with enjoyment by writing down all of the random quotes from set. It's funny. Seriously funny. All of the hair/makeup/wardrobe ladies are lovely.

And the above the line peeps: like MB, the UPM, she's always fun. Especially when her walkie starts keying and everyone can hear her conversations... Stephen, the line producer, has been giving me much needed advice regarding my newest hobby that I have yet to actually do: snowboarding. And you know, the director Rob, and DP Geno... I've learned great things from them... like how I shouldn't eat sea urchins and how to smell steak from a mile away.

At any rate, many cool people. Oh, and did I mention Christopher Lloyd? Yeah, the one and only Doc came and was in our film. He was super nice, but quite shy and quiet! Ray Liotta is also here, but my favorite is definitely Doug E. Doug. You know, from Cool Runnings! He's the nicest, most chill guy ever! It's awesome!

So, I finish up this show on Friday... and I'll have a life again. Imagine...

Sheesh! Why?!

So, just so you know. I'm working on a feature Wednesday through Sunday. Yeah, not even kidding. It's brutal, but oh so much fun!

Like, for example, yesterday we worked halvsies... you know a half day, half night. WELL... it was the most NOT awesome day ever! We had probably 30 kids on ice skates on this little pond outdoors in single digits. YEAH! Plus the cast kids were just goofing off (what did they expect with 9 year olds on ice skates?!). It was a messy day, but you live and learn. At least the food is good :)

On a happier note. I now have really warm winter wear. Like the serious snowboarder type. I have this great down hooded jacket and super warm amazing snowpants...but my favorite are my Salomon "girlie" boots, as my coworker Julie calls them. I guess they're girlie because they have an abundance of fur on the top. I think it's awesome. And warm.

Anyway, so if you don't hear from me on a regular basis, that is the reason. But I'm sure I'll be able to throw you a set anecdote every once in a while!

And She's Back (with premiered movies!)

So I'm setting a resolution to write on this thing at least weekly. Hopefully more. I have a lot to blog about! All of my crazy trips, my working adventures, and all that jazz! It's exciting stuff!

So some news:
A bunch of my films premiered at the LDS Film Festival mid-January. We won the audience choice award for my last student film that I produced entitled The Teller's Tale. (pictured below and to the left)

The feature I worked on summer 2007 also premiered! Dragon Hunter was actually pretty sweet, if I do say so myself! I had a couple other student films that I worked on show up at the festival as well, so it was pretty successful!

So that was sweet. (see the awesome dragon poster? Yeah...)

Let's see what else...


Well here's a list of things you have to look forward to coming soon:

A bunch of photos from a bunch of things including, but not limited to, all of my east coast trips, holidays, birthdays, random moments. And, of course, stories to go with them. And my next blog will actually be philosophical. Brace yourself. Hah.

I Really Will Get Better at This

Maybe.

I really will try.

A lot went on this fall, and I haven't really written about any of it. But I will! Soon! I'm starting to be ambitious again after spending pretty much all of my free waking hours working on Christmas presents, which aren't finished, by the way, but will be amazing when they are!

Best, and updates soon...

Look! Es mi hermano!

Look here folks! It's my brother singing "Abide with me, 'tis Eventide" in Mexico on his mission! HOORAY! He gets home on March 2! AND basically he's amazing! AND that's all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXt4a2Wpbjk

WATCH IT!

PS I will write about my East Coast trips soon!

On the Road Again

Or, more correctly, in the air again. After an amazing trip to D.C., (which I will write about and post about eventually), I am heading off on another trip, this time for work! I'm leaving on the 1st and heading to Chicago, NYC, and D.C.! Crazy ain't it? So expect an awesome travelogue for two trips when I get back!

Teach-a-WHAT?!

So, it's official. I started substitute teaching on Tuesday. IT WAS A BLAST! I absolutely loved it! I was able to go to a charter school down in Springville and teach third grade. We had some hilarious moments.

One of the boys had a birthday, and he was character! He had these big glasses that he had to constantly push onto his face to keep them on, and he loves, as he said, "ancient rocks." On their birthdays they get to do show and tell and so he brought a trilobite fossil. He cracked me up!

Then there was the girl who apparently every day around eleven has a stomach ache.

And the boy who after adamantly refusing to do anything all morning, decided to fall asleep on his desk, and when that wasn't comfortable, moved to the floor.

The kids are all so willing to please, and I can't imagine what I must have been like in third grade...no, I pretty much know...I was probably the most annoying, precocious kid ever. But I think I turned out all right.

After a few mishaps and many adventures (including getting there late because of ridiculous traffic and arriving right before the bell rang...meaning I was winging the entire day. Yeah. It was awesome.) I made it through my first day without too much trouble!

Did I mention that I love teaching?

Road Warriors

So I don't think that I've been in the car so much in my life... but it was SO worth it!

I got back on Monday August 18 from a 16 day road trip across the Southwest mostly with Eric, but with other random people along the way. It was crizazy! We started out on August 2 from Utah and headed down to Las Vegas where we spent the night and enjoyed some fantastic hospitality from my Aunt and Uncle there.

The next morning we went to church and hopped back in the car and headed to Fresno...and six hours later we arrived at the somewhat, kind of, pretty campus of Fresno State. I dropped Eric and Cory (I think that was his name...) off. And to explain...Cory was another EFY counselor and needed a ride from Provo to Fresno, and we were the winners :) Anyway, it was kind of funny. When I dropped them off, we went in and one of the head counselor people was telling us that we needed to go over to this building and check "him" in and then "he'd" check into EFY "tomorrow," and it was at this point that Eric and I realized that the head counselor man thought that we were dropping Cory off to ATTEND EFY...and it was really funny.

At this point I was gearing up to get in the car and drive another three hours to Santa Clarita down in North LA...but as I started driving I just decided there was no way, so I stayed in a hotel. Yeah, it was a blast, let me tell ya.

So the next day I drove down to Santa Clarita to visit my friend Lacey. We had some interesting experiences helping her relatives move into their huge and extremely fancy schmancy new house. The family hadn't moved in yet, so Lacey and I were the only ones staying there, which, let's be honest, made it a little freaky at night, but what can I say? We also randomly ran into Kirby Heyborne (you know, of Mormon movie fame...and beer commercials hah). Which was the point I realized that Jared (the director of the film I produced this spring) must live close by since Kirby is in his ward...

Thus, the next evening Jared was able to come over for a bit and hang. It was fun.

At this point I headed up to Visalia to visit my long lost cousin Geoff (who is really my Mom's cousin, which makes him something like my first cousin once removed, I believe) and his wife Lorile, whom I've never met...and his three extraordinarily cute kids! Kolby (whom I met when he was about four months old...and I am so sorry if I spelled them wrong...!), Eliza, and Carson. They are SO great! We had a lot of fun just chilling and catching up.

Here's a cute picture of me and Kolby when we built the most stellar railroad track EVER!

By the time I left, it was Friday and I drove up to Clovis to spend some time with Danielle before picking Eric up on Saturday morning. We watched some of the opening ceremonies that night! But unfortunately I missed the amazing part (lucky for us, Geoff recorded it, and when we went to stay with him on Saturday we were able to watch it!).

The next morning I went to pick up Eric and we headed up to Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks. They are SO beautiful and the trees are HUGE! They're the largest living creatures in the world! Oh and speaking of which...a few pictures to share

Here we are inside a tree trunk. It's true. Those little people in the light are at the complete other end...and we're in the middle of the trunk...yeah. They're huge. It's ridiculous.










This is the General Grant tree, named the nation's Christmas Tree. You can't really get an idea of how huge this thing is. You'll just have to trust me. It is HUGE!










Here's a lovely picture of me fixing my hair...hah. But the view was remarkable!







Tree Huggers! And this was a small one...Seriously!




So after this we headed to Visalia, watched the mind-blowing opening ceremonies for the Beijing Olympics...and I had my first Chipotle burrito experience :)

The next day we headed to Tehachapi and visited with Eric's cousin and her husband and brand new baby Emilia! She was a beautiful little girl! We also went to church with them...and the baby actually made it through sacrament meeting! Hooray!

Later that day we headed down to San Diego to stay with Eric's friend Nicole. She was so nice to let us all crash at her house! Another car-load of Eric's EFY counselor buddies showed up later that night and we basically all crashed pretty quickly. Apparently we were blessed because the next day was the only truly sunny day San Diego had seen in a week and it was the only one we had while we were there...and we just happened to choose to go to the beach that day!





Here's the gang at the little Mexican place we ate at.








Soaking wet at the beach! Notice the nice hair-in-the-face look!





The next day was Disneyland! Yeah, yeah! Kimi called while we were on the way there, and we promised her that we would ride on Peter Pan...hence the only pictures we really took...





Yes, Peter Pan! Never Grow Up...







The next day we went down to La Jolla Cove. Eric and I went into a "Native Australian Art" shop. It was so cool! They do this amazing dot art...you should check it out if you've never seen it! We also went down into the caves they have there. It was really cool. Eric loved it so much that he's now more than convinced he'd be happy to go to grad school there! Admittedly...it is a pretty cool place. And the beach, well, you can never go wrong with the beach...

Another San Diego treat was going to Golden Spoon (frozen yogurt) twice. It was amazing. Oh yeah, baby!

The next day we left and headed for Mesa, AZ. Yeah yeah! So...funny story...we were stopped by the border patrol, right? And we rolled down the window, the guy asked us if we were both US citizens, we said yes...he said okay and waved us through... RIGHT?! What kind of border patrol is that?!?!?! We laughed about that for a good while, that's fo' sho'.

In Mesa we met up with Eric's friend Ricki and then we went on a double to Aida. Yeah...I thought that maybe I just saw a bad production of it...yeah, not so much. I really just don't like that show. The songs just go on FOREVER! But I had a good time. I went out with Eric's buddy from the mish Bradford. He's pretty amazing! He's traveled all over (he's going to the Air Force Academy) and has some great ambitions. I was thoroughly impressed...although it started out a big rocky with a slight mis-communcation about who was on a date with whom...It was pretty durn hilarious.

The next day I spend with John, Reva, and Marshall (Uncle, Aunt, and Cousin, respectively). We went to see Clone Wars for Marshall's birthday and then to a Mongolian BBQ which I LOVE! Too bad I was so full from all of the popcorn!!!

The next day Eric and I headed out of Phoenix and headed up to Flagstaff and visited my cousin Brieann, her husband Mark, and their baby girl Emily! Then went to the Grand Canyon...it was rainy and stormy and amazingly beautiful...



Some pics of the Grand Canyon!










After the Grand Canyon we took an amazing drive through the desert and saw the most beautiful sunset ever! Really. And luckily for you I took pictures. Unfortunately they're nothing like what it looked like in real life!

This is only one picture...but you get the idea...right?


Anyway, we made it to Ponderosa Ranch next to Zion around 10:30pm. Wahoo! The next day we went to church in a little podunky town called Orderville. Yeah. We talked about loincloths and politics in Gospel Doctrine. It was kind of hilarious.

That afternoon we played on the rock climbing wall. Then we went into Zion and hiked Angel's Landing. It got dark and I wasn't going to go up the chains in the dark, so I stayed behind, but Eric got all the way up with a couple of others. Here are some pics!


The first one is a picture of Angel's Landing. The next one is a sign where it starts to get steep, and the last the view from the topish...



The next morning we headed home and after 16 amazing days the Road Warriors finally slept in their own beds :) It was seriously one of the most fun trips ever! I highly recommend it...if you can stand all of the driving!

PS Sorry about any formatting issues and grammar problems...it's late and I don't care enough to re-read it :)