New Year won't make you a New Person.

With Christmas being over, there is pretty much only one thing on peoples minds, and that is the most over rated "Holiday" we have, and that is New Years Eve…. To me, New years eve, just is an excuse to behave in what other cases, is socially frowned upon. Lets be honest, when else is it okay to publicly kiss people and get crazy drunk or loud and annoying (Not that I care about loud & annoying, because I am. But thats besides the point) New years is an excuse to do things you wouldn't ever think of doing the other 364 days a year,because for some reason, you can only go out and be adventurous the day before the calendar changes numbers…. 

     New Years resolutions have to be one of the most ridiculous things I have ever hear of…. don't get me wrong, making goals, and committing yourself to be a better person  is awesome. But whats the point of telling others  that your goal is to wake up at 530 and go running every morning, when you have not worked out once this year! (well, for me, 3 years. Oh well haha!)

So to say the least, I don't like New Years Eve.. But I can see how people can.. We use any excuse possible to act out of control and party!

New years eve kisses…… I personally hate, because I despise PDA (and no girls want to kiss me)  But really, get A ROOM! aint nobody wanna see yall smooching on other people! New Years kissing is Almost worse than True *fill in the blank* Night….. Maybe i'm just weird, (which I'm sure is true) but I just think giant public events of affection should be outlawed!             

    For the sake of everyone, before you post a status or something about how you will change the world, make sure you change yourself. You don't need to tell people that you wake up super early to go exercise, or Instagram pictures of how you are eating more healthy….. But if you are going to make your new years resolutions, (because for some reason a new year means a new year) make sure you actually do them, or it'll be like every other year...         

What if life was song lyrics?

So far on Christmas break, the majority of my time has been spent listening to music. I listen to music in the shower in the morning before I head to work, where I mostly listen to my iPod on shuffle the whole day. Drive home and turn on the radio…. Okay, you get it.. I listen to music ALOT. Today I found myself really focusing on the lyrics of the songs, instead of the awesome crazy shredding of Metal, or the cool, calming sounds of country. I was zoned in, on what the songs messages were, and that got my little brain thinking.., "Wow, I wonder what would happen if I really talked to people and expressed myself with those same words? What would happen if I went up to that cute girl that I've been crushing on and spit out some good ole country lyrics?"
Music is one of the biggest parts of my life… Might sound silly, per say. But, music has a way of getting deep down and to the point, strike our feelings like no one, or anything else can. These artists that we listen to, have a deep affect on us, because we can relate with the song. Music can better express our feelings better than we can most times. Sometimes when I listen to a song that I haven't heard in a while, my brain decides to replay pretty much every single memory I have associated with that tune or particular song…. Like when ever I hear Chris browns "Forever" I think of 9th grade promotion, or I hear Atreyu's "Right side of the bed" or Missy Eliots "lose control" I think of when I was 12 years old and my TC Predators team was playing in Cooperstown, NY for a baseball tourney..Luke Bryan's "Country Girl shake it for me" takes me back to the best summer of my life when I was In the great state of Louisiana with my Boy Jake Crump.
Besides bringing up old memories, when you really LISTEN to the music.. (and there is a BIG difference between Listening and hearing) it makes you think, and not only think, but feel certain things… While I was at work today I heard the song "Stay Inspired" by one of my all time favorite bands We Came As Romans!
"Why do we love only when it's convenient to us?
Why do we love only when it's convenient to us?

It is because we don't want to let go
Of the security that a close heart holds?
Or is it the risk of being broken?
Too unbearable to even let the thought surface

There are greater rewards in stepping outside of your own comfort
That there are in never breaking down the walls that you've built

A solely self-sustaining life is surely a hollow one
Why do we love only when it's convenient to us?

Why are we understanding only when it's agreeable?

It is because we don't want to let go
Of the security that a close heart holds?
Or is it the risk of being broken?
Too unbearable to even let the thought surface

There are greater rewards in coexistence
That there are in never breaking down the walls that you've built

A solely self-sustaining life is surely a hollow one
Why do we love only when it's convenient to us?

It's time to take action
It's time to stay inspired
It's time to prove that we aren't all talk
And we're not afraid of the risks"

        If those words don't get you wanting to make peace with your ghosts and enemies, and want to be a better person, then you are really lost.
Besides making you want to better yourself, music can make you want to go out, and have wild adventures, have a grand ole time with your bff's, but can make you want to go out and have some crazy forbidden romance! like the great words of Garth Brooks:
"Hello, Samantha, dear
I hope you're feeling fine
And it won't be long
Until I'm with you all the time
But until then
I'll spend my money
Up right down to my last dime
Callin' Baton Rouge!"
    In conclusion, we can't get away with actually communicating with people the same way people in songs do, but we can always play that person the song, because the music expressed that feeling better than we could ever explain it! Well, hope yall can get as much from music as I do!

How Finals are for me...

With it being finals week, i decided i would take some quality time away from studying, and talk to y'all about  finals.
Finals week. The most scary stories in the world are brought to us, from this. Wither it be losing some giant assignment, having your computer crash at 6 am the day of when your final 10 page essay is due, having to redo every single assignment you have done the whole year up to that point, sleeping in and missing a final, because you forgot what day it was, because all you have been doing in studying and eating and barley seeing the outside light, or having THEE entire semester to do an assignment, but getting to it the morning before you have to turn it in.  We all have our own finals nightmare stories, or at least have heard of them from our friends. But are finals really THAT bad?? I have a bittersweet relationship with finals, because yes it sucks having the biggest assignments/ projects and tests all due at once from all of your classes, but you also have a week of pretty much not doing anything! Take monday for example. I was able to sleep in till about 12, then get up and study the freak out of some math, for my test that day… study all day, go to some review sessions with some other students that are going through the same traumatic experience i am going through. So we bonded because of our genuine hate of mathematics and how our professor is a really nice guy, but is very very extremely smart and awkward. But he can't teach a lick of math, because he knows it, so why shouldn't we??  So we study our little brains off, until they turn to mush. Take the test, actually feel some what confident about it, so i tell myself i deserve a nap! So after walking home and realizing how I actually am an idiot and probably didn't get a single answer right, decide to take a mean nap, to maybe forget how mean the real world really is! So yeah, i guess when I'm stressed ( Which hardly happens, because i usually care a lot less about most everything than anyone! Unless it has to to with LSU sports, then I get real rilled up!) I take naps, but i mostly take naps everyday, just i told myself this is a special nap because I worked so hard to get that mentally tired!
So what I've come to conclude is, that finals week is actually pretty good! Because it actually tests what you know. Imagine you are on a sports team, and you always practiced, but never got to play. Kinda sucks right?? Well, to me, big tests actually make sense to study really hard, to prove you actually know something! That and if you don't have a final that day, you get the whole day to study and actually hangout and do somethings you normally wouldn't! For example, today I didn't have any finals and Dallen, Clark and I made a good roomie dinner of tacos, with ground beef, chile, corn and katchup. because we didn't have any taco sauce… I know it is just tacos, but it meant a lot to us, because we never had any sit down meals with our roomies the whole semester, because everyone is doing their own thing and no one has time to make a nice meal!
Finals week is very bitter sweet, because you find out how amazing us college students really are! I mean who else in the world, ( besides The Rainman) can learn an ENTIRE semesters worth of material in ONE night!?? so the massive amounts of studying sucks, but you also have a few off days to do various activities you never  got to during the semester, or you can literally do nothing and write a blog about finals at 130 in the morning, because you know you can sleep the whole day tomorrow if you so please!
With regards to finals……… use my second rule….. DO WORK!!!

I blame it my my ADHD…. FAIL

I know I haven't been on here in a while. Thats because Ive tried to spend as much time focusing on school as I can, because I actually have classes that require a lot of work! But this particular blog is  more for me, so when I look on my blog site, I will be able to remember everything I put on this. Y'all can also use this as an educational experience to learn about what exactly ADHD is, and how it works.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a problem of not being able to focus, being overactive, not being able control behavior, or a combination of these. For these problems to be diagnosed as ADHD, they must be out of the normal range for a person's age and development.

I was diagnosed with ADHD in 9th grade, but I was only on medication for a little while, because I was doing well in school and the medication had a lot of negative side effects. ( ill talk more about that later) So I stopped taking it throughout high school, again because I wasn't really being tested that much, and I was doing well in school. I never had under a 3.0 and usually ended up with a 3.5… but my classes weren't terribly difficult and I couldn't see that it was effecting my baseball game in a negative way. That and I'm super stubborn and don't think I need to take medication to help me out, because I think I can do everything on my own. So I never thought about it again until I was in the MTC (MIssion Training Center)..
     Ill tell you a little about the MTC.. Well when you get there, your family just pulls up to the curb and you hug them and say goodbye, then some elder assigned to you shows you around and where everything is at. Then couple of meetings, then you're pretty much done. But thats just the first day… after that everyday usually has you in a tiny white, small, crammed class room from 8am- 9pm.. You have 3 meals a day and an Exercise period. But you are studying the scriptures and language of your mission (if you have one) but Me being someone who was ALWAYS doing some kind of physical activity, whether it be baseball, basketball, hiking, hunting… what ever it may be, it sure as heck wasn't studying  church doctrine for 12+ hours a day. So I started getting really down that I wasn't learning the language and doctrine as well and fast as the other elders and sisters in my district…So then I was talking to my mission president, and he came to the conclusion that I needed to go home off of my mission to take care of ADHD…. I fought for the longest time against it, because I didn't want to have to rely on medication, and I didn't want to come home from my mission, because Ive only been dreaming about it my whole life… saved up the money to pay for it and all, and I wanted to be there preaching the lords work. So, to say the least, I was not happy at all that he said that. After he told me that, everyday started to get harder and harder.. So one time in the shower (the only time that you aren't with your companion, and for some reason can always think clearly in the shower!) But I started saying a Prayer, and I asked my heavenly father to help me, because I was struggling major! Later that night, I got an over welling feeling to go talk to my mission president again… Not exactly sure of what, but after our classes for the day, I asked him if I could talk to him, alone. We chatted about the mission, baseball, food and whatever… but then the conversation started to die, and he asked me again what I thought about coming home and getting my ADHD medicine taken care of. The lord just put words in my mouth, and I told him I should go home and get that taken care of… I get home and my Mother and I visit the  Dr and we try different medications and dosages. We get it to where the Dr and I feel comfortable with it… Then I asked the Dr when I could go back out to the mission field, and he said 6 months to a year, to where he would feel comfortable letting me go out again. So I felt at that point I should just finish school and except the fact that I would never serve a full time mission….
    ADHD effects me everyday. Sometimes I wake up late and forget to take my medication to help me remember things ( ironic right??) but I can defiantly tell when I don't take my meds…. my thinking goes a little like this..
Ill see a tree, …. Oh cool tree! this tree has those leaves that look like helicopters flying down.. Oh I flew a helicopter once it was awesome!. Back to the tree… what kinda tree is that? I don't know but I really like ponderosa and maple trees.. Then I will think of all my memories associated with the ponderosa ranch I worked as a rec guide a couple of summers ago.. Oh maple! thats my favorite kinda wood baseball bat!! then all my baseball memories!
random memories and songs playing through my head all day! and not be able to put my full attention toward one thing, but think of 1000 things all at once… So you can see, its pretty difficult to fulfill the daunting work the professors give us college students…   But when i remember to take my meds, the world seems to just come together! I can think clear, I am focused and determined to do the best I can, and I can finish assignments fast and remember the material I covered.
 Some disadvantages of ADHD are "difficulty maintaining attention in class. It may be more difficult to follow through with the instructor's directions, which can negatively impact your grades. You may have trouble being still in class and find yourself straining to be still instead of concentrating on coursework. According to Children and Adults With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, you are more likely to make careless mistakes on your schoolwork. You may also have a tendency to lose or forget important things, such as your homework, calculator or books." that along with career and social difficulties...
      Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/96700-disadvantages-adhd/#ixzz2jQrbZiPa
There are positives with regards to ADHD though! some of those include:
Outgoing
Personable
Perceptually acute
Intuitive (when you miss out on stuff because you’re distracted, you learn to figure things out)
Observant (it seems like inattention, but it often is over attention)
Sees unique relationships between people and things
Looks past surface appearance to the core of people, situations, and issues
Visionaries
Dreamers
 Visual
 Fast thinking
 Quick to grasp essentials
 Insightful
So even though I focus on the negatives of ADHD, I now can see the good parts of it in my personality! It sometimes sucks  not being able to think like a "Normal" person, and with ADHD you often have other things that come into play, like depression, mood swings, dyslexia. but "Normal" people can't think like me, so Its fair… I just wish I could learn faster, but I have to learn to live with my so called "Disability" and do the best I can with what I have! and if you want to read more about adhd I got a lot of useful info from
http://theaddvocates.com/what-is-add-adhd/quick-facts/

When in Rome......

Okay... fine ill tell you about my Trip to Italy!

    Well it started off when a son asked his father about being able to use his passport. 

James, my dad and I went to Italy to field measure some railings and such for the LDS temple they are starting to make in Rome. So thats why we went! 

  Okay story time!

We left SLC airport at like 11:00 am and we had an hour delay because there were some problems with the plane, and after that hour the Pilot said something around "Well, I dont want to sit here anymore, so.... we will fill up with more gas and give it a go and hopefully we make it to NY" so that was scary, but we made it to NY with no further problems. The problems all started when we got to NY (More reasons why i hate that dumb state!" but we had to RUN across the airport to get to our plane and we made it in time, but the we sat in the plane for 3 hours because of delays such as: Fixing the plane so we could fly, gas problems, and rain. So basically it was terrible getting crammed on this plane with tons of stinky Italians. The flight was pretty freaking long, like 9 hours. and there was a horde of little italian girls that didnt stop talking theeeee entire flight! luckily I was able to fall asleep for the most part! 

We finally make it to Italy after having a broken plane. We land and wait at baggage claim for an hour. NOthing shows up, so we go to the problem with baggage line and wait in line for another hour and sign the paper that has the airport deliver our bags to our hotel room, because those Stupid New Yorkers literally forgot an entire giant thing of peoples bags! So our old neighbor Ugo picked us up and brought us to his friends diner. It was AMAZING! Real Italian food is really good! We eventually make it to our hotel in the Ghetto of Rome, but it was still pretty nice . "The ARS"

We got settled in and walked around town to get gelato, then went to sleep because we had to start work in the morning. Woke up and got breakfast which was croissants and cold cuts. then we got a taxi and went to the Temple site. Measured things and we went to lunch at this little bar place and ordered some panini's. work work blah blah blah, take a taxi to the hotel and almost hit grips of people on scooters. Once we got back we wondered around more and found a good pizzeria and My dad was leading the way, while james and I are watching him communicate through a series of hand motions and weird non verbal communication we got a table on the upper deck. We sat down and tried to make some sense of the Menu. ( they dont have free water, so the bottle of water are like 5 euro and most the time are carbonated) ate are delicious food and got more gelato ( We went to Gori Gelato EVERY single night because it was so amazing!) 

Tuesday we just worked and ate gelato. Wednesday was about the same but that night instead of strolling through the sketchy streets, we went down town Rome to eat. We were driving down the road and turn a corner then BAM!!! colosseum! 

 

Thursday we just worked and explored more and walked in on a catholic mass at a new church ( Which was 450 years old) 

 

Friday was the day we got to explore!!

Woke up and caught a taxi to St Peters Square 

from there we walked to a tourist ticket place to buy tickets to get into the Sistine Chapel and St. Peters Basilica! 

Entrance into The Vatican City!!

St Peters Basilica! The highest point was 420 feet high! everything was made out of Travertine, marble and stone. everything was sculpted from dudes with chisels and they did incredible work!

This is where Peter of the 12 disciples remains are kept

Sistine Chapel museum.. couldnt take pictures in the actual chapel, but imagine a GIANT room full of these pictures! It is the exact dimensions of Solomon's Temple!

From that Absolutely incredible place we WALKED from Vatican City to the Pantheon. 

From the pantheon we went to thee Trevi Fountain

We ate at the Trevi fountain and it was the best meal ive ever had! we were SO exhausted from walking in the Hot Italian heat all day! Also the best Coke ive had like... EVER

From the fountain we went to the capitol building

such a cool building with angels riding chariots! 

And finally we went to thee COLOSSEUM!! 

Seriously the coolest thing I've ever been able to enjoy in my life! It honestly seemed kinda fake until I was able to Stand in the same places those Crazy Romans did while cheering for people hunting animals, watching animal fights, executing criminals(which I think is a pretty good idea), recreating old battles and Finally The GLADIATOR matches! They made the Woman sit at the very top of the stadium because they believed that if a woman made solid eye contact with a gladiator, he could impregnate her! But really... Ive dreamt about coming here for as long as a can remember! 

After spending quite some time there and getting sick of our stuck up tour guide we went to the Roman Forum!

The Forum was build in the 1st century, so Its pretty neat having chilled exactly where the Ancient Romans did! the Forum was the main place to meet, hangout, had the court of law there and many other things! At the very top of it, is a place called " Palestine Hill" that was the Hollywood of Roman TImes. Anybody who was anybody lived on that hill, and most particularly The Almighty Caesar at that time!!

So Pretty much friday was one of the best days of my life! Im planning on teaching history as a career, so it just was that much more cool!! I hope to someday be able to go back! ( I threw a coin in the Trevi Fountain, so It promises ill be back in my life time, I just hope its soon!) I want to also explore the other Mediterranean places like Greece and Turkey and so on. But until then i'm completely satisfied with my adventures so far! Caio!!  

Snow College is better than your college.... and small town living is the best!

This post is inspired by how incredibly awful the last couple weeks working with SLCC has been!
I need to take a Human Bio class, along with one last full semester at my beloved Snow College... But SLCC must feel like they are pretty hot stuff, because it was tremendously hard to get into ONE class!! I had to take a accuplacer to prove I could read.... Like the my transcript from Snow isnt valid!? but enough with how awesome Snow is....
Snow College is the best because of how small it is, and because its small you get to have really small classes and get to have personal interaction with the teachers! SUU had a sign that said "Our teachers know who you are." or something class to that! but Okay, thats cool. BUT I know where most my professors LIVE, and actually have went to some of their houses tricker treating (Go on, Judge me!)
    Along with the small classes, the small town life offers things rarely offered in big cities, such as ; going on a nice ole drive and sit, in the middle of west Manti no where! Skeet shooting, and being able to shoot basically when and where ever and not have to pay to get into some kinda shootin club! Camp fires... and I mean CAMP FIRES where you can actually burn trees and multiple pallets at a time, rather that  5 1' pieces of lumber... and most importantly.... CAMPING.. here in the Wonderful SL Valley you have to pay for EVERYTHING if you want to have some sort of fun! Oh yeah at night when you are bored  you can go on some country road and smoke critters!!
    Also living in a small town makes you have to go out and do stuff, meet new people and go to activities, because you can't just  say..... " Oh hey lets just go to the mall or something"  When we would go out and do something, we would have a ton of fun! We would go shooting, hiking, long boarding, four wheeler or horse riding... and little things like X box become more awesome because there isn't much else there.
    For my last point..... Small town people arent Shady/ sketchy/ deceitful/ liars.... well anywhere you go will have these people, but you cant get away with lying in a small town... if anything you find something about you that you didnt even know because of the rumors. I just know, people that I deal with here in SLC are on a best offer basis, and will ditch out on you even though you've made plans for like a week or more...  for example: (Hi Girl want to go to a Jazz game with me? " OMG I would love to go! I miss you so much and cant wait to see you!!") any normal man/woman/person is thinking " wow this game will be fun! With a fun cute girl that I havent seen in forever... right!? ...... No it usually goes like this
( @ 2:00 -hey I have an extra ticket to a jazz game if you would like to accompany me. "@6:55- Girl- Oh, I would love tooooooo, but I have to go to my Grandmas, again for the 100th night in a row.. even though she passes away... and if not my grandmas, then I have to go eat....( which if they are "eating longer than ... 30 min... it means screw you I like that you invited me but im waiting on a better offer..

       So to sum it up. big cities are good, and serve a purpose, but small towns are where its at. And I cant wait to go back to snow for my final semester of my Associates

Its been real... yall have a good night!

Fun facts about your boy...

 On this good sunday, I am finding something to do besides watch TV. So ill Tell yall facts about me!

1. I really enjoy carnival food! Snow cones, Cinnamon Rolls, Texas Twisters and anything fried!

2. I played baseball since I was 3. Broke my foot SR year.

3. Went on a LDS mission. My area was Merida Mexico, but I came home early because of Medication reasons.

4. I'm 6 foot

5. Until I was 8 I had Blonde hair

6. 1/4 Mexican

7. History is my favorite subject

8. I want to teach history and coach baseball

9. I worked as a Recreation Guide out side of Zion national park. The Zion Ponderosa

10. I secretly wish I was a cowboy

11. Favorite Animal is a Tiger

12. I have 3 favorite colleges: LSU, BYU, BSU

13. I have Never had a serious girl friend.

14. Ive kissed 10 girls

15. I Drive a yellow Xterra

16. I LOVE the state of Louisiana! Spent Some time there a couple of summers ago!

17. I hunt, a lot!

18. Favorite things to hunt are: Ducks, hogs, turkey and geese

19.  favorite video games are: Red dead redemption, Assassins creed and call of duty!

20. There are six people in my family. Mom, Dad, Me, Morgan, Brooklyn, Easton.

21. I listen to music almost all day. My favorite genres are Country and Heavy Metal.

22. My favorite bands are: We came as Romans. Memphis May Fire, Attack Attack and Crown The Empire

23. If I had a Truck, dog and horse you might never see me again, id be chasing sunsets with my boys!

24. Graduated in 2011 From Taylorsville High School

25. I go to Snow College in Ephraim Utah and I LOVE IT!

26. My all time favorite dish is Boudin.

27. My cousin Marcus plays in the Mariners organization.

30. I work at my dads sheet metal shop right now.

31. I hunted, caught, and stabbed a Hog in Louisiana.

32. I dream about duck hunting because I like it so much!

33. I have alot of Camo

34. I love wearing my cowboy boots.

35. I am very loyal. Death before dishonor! My friends and family mean everything to me. Brotherhood is nothing with out your brothers.

36. 20 years old

37. I really enjoy photography

38. Hiking is one of my favorite activities

39. Im unreal at skeet shooting

40. I think I was born in the wrong century. Either Greek or Wild WIld west

41. I dont really like French people

42. I used to be able to run forever.

43. i played basketball but i sucked

44. I dont have a preference between blondes and brunettes

45. I have a sweet mustache

46.  I wish I could live in the Mtn's

47. I want to love to the south sometime in my life.

48. I want to go to Alaska and Canada

49. I have weird feet.

50. I WILL FIND SASQUATCH~

If you complain about where you are from, then LEAVE!

Its been a while since my last post, but upon living at home for the last week since school has ended has made me think about where I would like to plant my roots, where would I like to Live the rest of my life?? 

    Sometimes I complain about being back in the city because most everything you do here, is going to cost money. Yes I know almost everything costs money, but my type of fun is going out into the mtns or out by the Res, and get lost in music and thought. Go out skeet shooting, have a fire, shoot some bunnies, four wheel and horse ride. Just by the things I listed you can tell you can necessarily do these things in the Valley. While living away from The Salt Lake Valley I have learned to appreciate That I really am glad I grew up here in Taylorsville! Its been a great place to grow up in. I have learned many thing, made some awesome memories, and met even better people!

    Buuuut to the main Title. Too many times I hear of people hating where they are from or where they are living. To that I say... If you are old enough to be living on your own and going to college or work or what ever, You have the ability to DO WHAT YOU WANT. You have free agency! If you really are so sick of living in that "Small Town" Then Get out, go somewhere and make something of yourself. Don't be afraid of the Unknown, if you are scared of something go out and see what will happen. You don't what will happen until you try. 

  If you happen to be in a particular circumstance that you can't get out of, then make the most out of what you have! While living In Ephraim and outside of Zion National Park, Ive learned to make the most of the little things like how AMAZING 7-11 Slurpees, most fast foods, Cafe Rio, BK, Betos, Apollo, KFC, Carls JR and MOST importantly POPEYES!! Having places that can actually fix you car for a decent price, unlike the Local Dude who might Be able to put a new thermostat in 3 weeks for $400. 

     So basically If you dont like being somewhere, go somewhere else! No body likes people who complain. Honestly No one really cares that much even though they might seem like they do.

Letting go, to see if it comes back.

The subject of "Letting go" has been a major part of my life the last 2 years, because of graduating high school, missions, different colleges and walks of life. In this entry I'm going to try my best to talk about not taking people and things in our life for granted. The thing i've noticed most, is the friendships in my life. Maybe It took that particular person to tell me they are leaving for a long time to make me realize how much they mean to me and how I really need them in my life. Well I decided i'm going to try not to have this problem anymore by telling my friends and family how much they mean to me. I am awful at expressing myself, especially deep feelings. But I really do care for a lot of people I just might not show it as much as I should. So I am going to go out of my comfort zone and reach out to people by  letting them know the influence that they have had on my life.
   Odds are if you are reading this, then we have had some memorable times together, and I thank you. I  am very forgetful and don't try to ignore people, I just get so caught up in what ever I am doing at that particular moment. But If I do remember a  memory of us, I will probably remind you of that instance.
     I've met some pretty amazing people in my 20 years on this planet and am bound to meet a lot more. I just inspire to be someone that people can look up to and be like "I wish to someday be like that Austin Critter, he is fun, loving and overall just a great person!" Until then Im just trying to survive college and hopefully be able to make something of myself in the crazy thing we call life and make my parents proud of me.

     Just to review things for myself, I just need to:
1. Realize my blessings and make the most out of them.
2. Let the influences in my life know that I really appreciate the things they have done for me.
3. Try to be a role model and be that person that helps change others lives for the better.
4. Tell the people I care about how much I enjoy them, and my feelings for them, instead of holding them in and tearing my self apart.
5. Take Risks, because you never know what will happen.

Party Sober!! Drugs aren't cool!!

This is a topic that I actually have put a lot of thought and consideration into. That Subject is about Drugs and Drinking.  I For one am all about personal choice, and free agency. But when it comes to using these kinds of substances I think you are crazy for doing them, because there are so many things that can and will go wrong when under the influence of them. They don't appeal to me at all because: 

1. They make it so you can not think clearly and make the best decision you could have (Yeah we all make dumb mistakes, but if you are going to try to do something risky, at least know what you are getting into.)

2. Well for the most part the drugs you would be taking are most likely illegal, so if you get caught doing something incredibly dumb, you will get in a lot more trouble for using illegal substances.

3. Drinking alcohol tastes awful!! (well thats what I hear) 

4. Alcohol/ Drugs are crazy expensive.

5. Using these substances to give you an escape, wont help you out. Lets say you get WASTED out of your mind, and have a lot of fun. That assignment you forgot to do in math is STILL DUE! Or that Job you have to go to everyday will still be there! Drinking and Drugs will not take away your life problems, they will just delay the inevitable. So Wear it and Figure it out! If you have a problem in your life, find a reasonable solution to that problem, instead of hoping it just will disappear and solve its self.

      In this I hope to promote a good friend Trevor Davis's company. That is "Party Sober Clothing" this company is starting out, and is here to "Promote a clear mind, a positive outlook and a drug free life style"  and not only are the clothes  AWESOME! But a percentage of the proceeds go toward teens and young adults struggling with addictions.

     I know I cant change peoples minds for them, but I challenge you not to take that drink, or take that hit. Because it could lead to alot more that just a hit.

Boys and Girls... From a mans point of view.

I needed a break from math, because I was getting super frustrated because I cant remember what to to. So I decided to check out the social media sites, and I noticed the amount of drama thats brought into people lives because of problems with a member of the opposite sex. So here is my whole take on boys and girls interacting amongst each other. 

     Since the Beginning of time females have been deceiving us males. Literally... Adam and Eve. But I don't want to get into that whole thing. But you can see this pattern throughout life, and especially in Tv and movies. Lets take Hercules (which is wrong because "Hercules" is the Roman version of him, Heracles is Greek version. So Disney, get it right!!!)  But hercules the strongest person in the world, the mighty half god, half man, wasn't strong enough to handle a cold hearted woman. Yeah they ended up together, but thats because girls only like guys when they don't give them the time of day anymore, and they realize... " dang... maybe that herc, character really was something, and I miss how he treated me." Ive noticed so many times this same pattern in the real life. (Ex: Boy likes Girl, so he gets her number and calls and texts her, finally he asks her to hangout, then he takes her out on dates. And then Girl says "Hey Boy, thanks for everything! I really enjoy hanging out with you, and we are such GOOD FRIENDS." So Boy using his head, realizes that Girl only wants to be friends. which is fine, because thats what dating is for, to find the type of person you see your self getting married to for time and all eternity. But Boy has a lot of friends, so he doesn't want friends that cost him a lot of money. So Boy stops taking Girl on dates and probably stops talking to her as much as he did.  So Girl thinks "Hmmm I wonder why Boy doesn't talk to me anymore? I said I just wanted to be friends!"

So females of the world, if you tell a guy you just want to be friends, and he happens to not talk to you as much, don't wonder whats wrong with the guy. Realize he OBVIOUSLY LIKED YOU enough to go out of his comfort zone to talk to you, get your number, and take you on dates. So odds are he wanted to be more than just friends.

      This game between boys and girls gets confusing, when each party thinks way to much about the situation. like  "OMG, do I text him first? or let him text me? "okay I got her number, how long to I wait to text her, because if I text her to soon it makes me look desperate. and if I wait too long she'll think i'm not interested." 

   Instead of playing these stupid games, we all do. How about we try a new game? or I guess an Old School game, and tell the person of interest how you really feel about them! If you like someone, tell them. because you never know until you try. If you have something with someone and you don't see things working out, tell them, because getting lead on is the worst! When you are breaking things off with a person, there is no easy way, so just get it over with! Which would you rather have? 1 shot to the head? or 5 to the Chest? feeling will get hurt, but thats what happens when you invest time, energy and heart into.

       So when things don't work out with that "Special Someone" don't be a baby, just wear it and move on, because no one likes sad people, that complain a lot. And lets all try to be more honest toward our fellow human beings! 

This doesn't go with anything, but I told the Lovely ladies of C5 i'd give them a shout out. so here it is! Jenny, Heather and Celeste, yall are awesome! Such fun, awesome, sweet, caring, spiritual, pretty girls!

"Work Hard, Nap Hard!"

 Yes I stole this quote from thee one and only Si! But he does have a point about how napping makes your life better! So if you don't have enough reason to take naps daily, I'll give you more incentive.

    Our society now expects us to do SO much throughout a day, and we can do remarkable feats of awesomeness. But there is literally no way that we can keep up this extremely intense work ethic for so long. Odds are you are staying up till super late in the night for what ever reason. (Homework, studying, catching up on a TV show, playing Xbox, or just posting up with the homies) What ever the case is, you are in need of more sleep.  So this is why napping is very important! But don't take naps during your class time, because that defeats some of the purpose of napping. Naps are best after you have had a long day of going to class, doing home work and studying. ( for example, I have class from 8:30-2:30 then I usually stay at the library until 4ish to get a majority of my homework done. Then I head back to my apt with my brain drained and body exhausted because the night before I stayed up a lot later than I should have. But Then It comes to Nap time!! Best part of the day because you get to relax and forget about your responsibilities for a little bit, and some benefits of napping is that it gives your brain and body a break from daily strain. Also, taking naps has been known to increase your memory, improve your mood, sharpen your senses and revitalize you, and the naps you take during the day may give you insights to your life that you might not have when you are in a deep sleep at night. But don't nap later than 6 or you will be up till 3am! And you will have to take a nap just to survive, rather than Napping For Pleasure.

   So napping is good for you! besides feeling amazing it offers you many benefits!

"The desire for a short nap during the day does not arise out of laziness, rather the need for the body to rejuvenate."

Along with the negative degree weather, my optimism has frozen.

Well this semester blows and I want to do something new! I have basically the same classes and class schedule, so it seems like the worlds longest semester ever! I think the bitterness of the weather here in San Pete has finally taken over my soul.
    I will list to you the reasons why this semester is going to be awful
1. My classes are terrible
2. I'm incredibly tired and hungry all the time
3. I'm poor and there is no where to get a job
4. and I am sick of the boring repetitive boring days here.
     So I decided that I am going to go down to Dixie next semester, because Dixie has been a part of my life since I was born. My uncle was the baseball coach (Now the BYU head coach) and there is my Grand ma's condo, which we have spent a lot of time at.  So going to Dixie would be like second nature. Plus its warm and there are things to do like Go out to eat, play in the desert, watch a movie at the theaters, stroll through the Di or any shopping place for that matter, and Meet new people. I understand I meet new people here at Snow, but most the students here at snow have a certain personality about them. Most the Students here are from the 6 surrounding counties, which are all small country communities. Dont get me wrong, I LOVE the country and small towns and the people which come from them. It's just I notice people try to act like big city people, but are from a small town. and on the weekends 95% of the small population of students head home for the weekend, so this place loosely resembles those old west boom towns that are now Ghost Towns. So weekends would be the worst part of the week if we had school on the weekends, but luckily we don't. So I still prefer weekends over weekdays. I'm just tired of there being no one to do anything with besides Jake and Harrison. I mean they're my BOYS!! but we kinda get sick of playing video games, watching Tv and Movies everyday. But mostly Im sick of driving an hour just to do things we cant do here, like Go to betos or any food place for that matter. Tired of having no place here that will work on my car for a good price, and by price I mean like not $100 to do Inspections and what not.
       Snow Is an incredibly amazing place! I love it so much, its just time for change.

If you are in a relationship, don't be the weird couple

While coming home for the weekend, we stopped in provo to see some people at the University mall and that was the start of the whole thing about relationships and weird couples came about. When at the mall Jake and I were walking around looking for varies things, and we both happened to notice how many couples there were walking around, and Particularly how many couples were ring shopping! (I know it was provo, but still...)
        2nd instance... When at the We Came As Romans concert, you see a whole bunch of weird things. and When I say weird things, I mean super odd people with dyed hair thats a Mohawk thats spiked 10 inches up. But back to the couples. First of all... why in the world would you bring your girlfriend to a Hardcore/ Metal concert?? but okay lets say you do. If you want to be in the front where most the moshing/ jumping/ pushing/ fighting is, dont bring her down there because
1. If you actually care about her safety, dont bring her down where all the craziness is!
2. If you do bring her where all the craziness is, then you're not having fun at the concert because you turn into the super overly protective boyfriend who pushes you if you some how even look at her or bump into her
3. If she happens to get hurt, then you look like such a Dumb person
       Also this weekend Like 3 or 4 people I know are getting engaged and that seems super weird to me, because I havent ever had a serious girl friend, or girl friend for that matter. So when I see all these happy couples it kinda makes me sick.... but until I somehow meet a girl that I would like to date consistently and or date. Ill never know how it feels to be the jealous over protective bro friend

The Wild West is Where I Want To Be

Everyone has different opinions and thoughts towards the civilizing of the western united states during the mid to late 1800's, but you cant deny it wasn't some of the most crucial times this country has ever had.  "Out West" had anything your little heart could desire. Anything from get rich quick schemes,       (such as gold mining,  Silver mining or anything of that matter) couple month long cattle drives and get so much money for each head of beff you brought back, you could become a businessman and start up your own Saloon/ Casino, Become a Dr ( Which I have no idea how you could become certified. I'm sure it went like this "Hey man can you stitch me up real quick?" Oh for sure, ill grab some string a hot iron and a sharp object! "Hey that looks good and is holding up real well!" I should get paid for this.) Other employment opportunities are endless, One could become the town barber and Use those sweet Suicide Straight edges. You could be living life on the edge in the country. Trap for a living, be one of those rebellious young teens who would risk your life to ride on your noble steed for days at a time to deliver mail and be apart of the Pony Express. YOu could change your life around and be the town law. Or you could do what I would have done, and thats become a Bandit/ Outlaw.  Okay lets thing about this... You becoming a Outlaw makes sure you have a great horse, unreal amounts of firearms and ammo, a band of brothers like you've never had before, and the thrill of being able to screw over those rich jerks that you couldn't unless you were a Bandit!
        I guess before I get going to off track Ill tell yall why I think the "West" is so important.  I believe everyone can learn from these times because they lived life in a way that makes every Year, month, week, day, Every breathe they took very important because there is no certainty that they might have a tomorrow. I look up to these folks very highly because of their hard work ethic, getting things done and done right, the attitude they had towards people and they didn't take crap from anyone or let people walk all over them.
     The Wild West was more than just an Amazing time period, a lot more. It is the Idea of facing your fears, risking it all, expanding your boundaries, reinventing your self to be the person you wanted to be.
    Yes I know we cant live like they did then, because we actually have laws and regulations, but what I hope you take from this is that you can do what you want, be who you want to be, and if someone tries to stop you, Get them out of your life. Take chances because you never know what the outcome will be.

"It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed" - Teddy Roosevelt