A Good Concert

Last week we went to Def Leppard at Usana Amphitheater.

Lets remember how much I love a good concert. While it wasn't the greatest of shows, I do highly enjoy singing "Photograph" at the top of my lungs... with a few thousand other fans. My favorite fan, we will call him Jerry, sang every word to every song to whomever was around him. He literally body rolled a few people. Let me paint a picture of Jerry. 60's, short basketball shorts, tie-dye t-shirt, long stringy grey hair and Bill Nye glasses. He was good times :)

I love concerts. They are amazing and fun and the measure of a true artist in my opinion. If you can perform live and it's good, then you have arrived. This brings me to what I think are the greatest concerts I've seen to date. This is in no particular order but I will explain my realm of thinking.

The Killers = Brandon Flowers is one of the greatest showmen I have ever witnessed. He knows how to put on a show and get the whole crowd into it. Love it! Have seen him 4 times and can't wait for more. The "Day and Age" album might be the best. Best song "Joy Ride" or "Only the Young."

Sting = I love him. I mean look at him. He's a specimen of perfection. Best was his concert at Wolf Mountain under the stars. Marja and I saw him with J.T. in the same week. He is magical and delicious. With a voice like buddah.....My favorite album, "Mercury Falling." Best song...um....hard one..."Why should I cry for you?" or "A thousand years"

James Taylor = Could a man really sound this good live or on an album? He is amazing. Have seen him a few times and he gets way better with age. Like a fine wine (not like I know....I'm mormon). I adore his voice and love all of his work. Favorite Album = Hourglass.

Grateful Dead = Was able to see them on their last tour before Jerry died. Was an amazing show. I'm pretty sure I got a contact high from that one, but it was 3 hours of amazing. I was with my brother matt, his girlfriend (now wife) Jamie, Dustin and my friend Lora Jane. We had upper bowl, front row seats at the Delta Center. I have never smelled so much pot and B.O. in the same place. I got hugged by a hippie who welcomed me to the family when he found out it was my first Dead concert. Favorite album = Europe 72. Best song, Sugar Magnolia or Scarlet Begonias.

Chris Isaak = Yummmmyyyy kitttttyyyyy! My friend Hillary took me to this and we had the front row. She actually got up on stage! It was awesome! I got to meet him and shake his hand afterwords. Honestly, I didn't wash my hand for a week. Best album = Baja Sessions... however, Wicked Game is his greatest song.

Jimmy Buffett = I am a parrotthead at heart! His concerts are 3 hours of a transformation to paradise. You can sing all of the words, put your fins up, and wear your coconut bra happily. I proudly wear that grass skirt and sip that virgin pina colada as often as allowed. If you aren't familiar with his work, start with the "Changes in attitudes, changes in latitudes" album.

Worst concerts ever - Depeche Mode, American Idol, Alanis Morissette (I almost got crushed to death during this one so that's why it made the list.)

Bishop David G. Draper

It's with a heavy heart that I make this post. My dear sweet bishop passed away suddenly last friday. It was a shock and a surprise to all who knew him. I write this post mostly for my own need to remember him, but also for those who didn't know him. I'd like to share an example of what it means to live up to your potential.

As I have been a member of this church for 33 years now, I have enjoyed my fair share of bishops. Some great, some terrible. But never, ever have I had a bishop like him. He was one of the hardest working and hardest playing people I have ever met. I mean seriously. He was in great shape. He was an active guy who loved to move. He could run faster than any of the youth, for example. He never shied away from work and could always be found helping out wherever needed. He lived up to his calling like I have never seen before. He was a soft-spoken man, but he knew how to laugh and have a good time. Bishop Draper often spoke of dreams that he had had. (More on that in a minute.) I hope that one day the Lord will speak to me in dreams. That just sounds cool.

Things I learned from Bishop Draper:

• Magnify your calling. He was an incredible example of this. He LOVED the youth of our ward and was at almost every activity we had. He carried the mantle of the priesthood and was gentle in his demeanor. He would take the time to speak with, play with and council our youth. They loved him. We as leaders loved him. He was so fun to have come to things. I once watched him play steal the flag at girls camp and he tackled one girl so hard she cried. It was hilarious. Had I had known that youth conference last week would be the last time we would spend together, I think I would have spent more time with him. We all would have.
• Listen to the spirit. Bishop Draper would speak of dreams that he had. At youth conference in his final testimony to the youth, he spoke of a dream he had had the night before. He spoke of people making choices and how we would want to save those people from making the wrong choice, but we can't. How our role in life was to love people regardless of their decisions. I wish I could remember more of what he said that night, but I will never forget how strong the spirit was. It was beautiful.
• Be approachable. In church callings, you have to work with people. Sometimes thats a little more than difficult. He was not that way. He was always approachable and easy to work with. Loran and I had an impromptu meeting with the bishopric the sunday before youth conference to solidify details about it, and Bishop pulled out his organizer and wrote everything down that needed to be done. He and Shane (er...Bro. Young) divided up what they could and that was that. Problem solved. You could ask him for anything and he was willing to help.

I will never forget this man. I hope one day to be more like him. I truly feel that he was plucked from the earth to continue on in Heaven. They will love him. He is fun. I hope to remember the lessons he taught me and I am hopeful that I can rise to the occasions presented me in the gospel. Thanks Bishop Draper for being my friend. We will miss you!

Tag (sigh)

Ok so I haven't posted in awhile, but this is a good start. I'm feeling a little guilt for not responding to the "Tag" by my niece Jessica, so here goes.

4 shows I watch:

Fringe - It bends my brain and Joshua Jackson is the only person from Dawsons Creek that I didn't want to murder in cold blood so I like his character.

Modern Family - Seriously funny

Burn Notice - Momma's got to get her "spy" on once in awhile. Besides the fact that the main character can wear a shirt like no ones business.

Price is right - Who the crap doesn't love this show. I want to go on it and play Plinko and spin that stupid wheel and win a sailboat in the showcase showdown. I only get to see it rarely, but I seriously love it.

4 things I'm passionate about:

Sex and drug education - Nothing bothers me more than misinformation.

School - Obviously. I can't seem to stop going....

Traveling - I love to travel more than anything.... seriously.

Exercising - I hear you Marj. If only I could find a way to melt my own fat off...

4 phrases I say a lot:

Right?

Holy eff

I hate snow

What the?

4 things I have learned from my past:

Some people are truly idiots - You can't change them. Don't try.

Learn from other peoples mistakes - It's way easier and less embarrassing.

Facebook is dangerous - Don't post anything that your Grandma wouldn't be proud of. If you do, it will come back to bite you. (Don't post a picture of that if it does happen.)

With age comes sarcasm - Sarcasm can be useful but it doesn't come through on texts. FYI

4 places I would like to go: (My favorite topic!)

The Dolomites - Italy

Bali

Thailand/Laos/Cambodia(Specifically to see Angkor Wat)

Machu Picchu, Peru

4 things I did yesterday:

Liver cleanse - Long story...

Worked

Yoga

Homework

4 things I am looking forward to:

Summer - I want to be warm and ride my bike

Enough free time to read - I don't have this planned, but I would like it.

No class on monday - Thanks MLK!

A possible getaway over presidents day - If i don't have to work...

4 things I like about winter:

I don't.

I don't.

I don't.

I don't.

4 things on my wish list:

Free time

For my muffin top to go away (sigh)

To go out of the country - soonish

Free time

4 people I tag:

Whoever has the time, ought to do this. It's sorta fun....

The Motherland... Go Ancestors!!

Australia. I love how it rolls off the tongue. Movies are made about it and books try to capture it but in reality, you need to see it to believe it. I remember as a kid learning about my lineage and being surprisingly prideful about my outback heritage. Australia has been on my list since I can remember. I will be forever grateful to be able to lay on its beaches. Here are my favorites about this place (in no particular order):

The accent: I love a good g'day! Which this is shocking because I can't understand accents. Seriously. I have a 2 second delay when talking to someone with an accent. But, for some reason, I don't have a problem with this one. Loran, on the other hand, couldn't understand it to save his life. It was super funny. More than once I heard the phrase, "I heard you, I just don't understand what you are saying."

Eumdi Market: This makes my list because it was an experience. Picture in your mind the booths at the state fare and then multiply it by 1,000. No lie. You could find anything you wanted at this market. It meets twice a week, and there are about a thousand vendors and a thousand or more people. It was hot, humid and I loved it.

The Beaches: We all know that I love the beach. Slightly ironic since I live in a land locked state. However, that gives me opportunity to travel to see other beaches. My favorite Aussie beach is in Noosa Heads State Park. You have to walk 15 minutes on a dirt path to get

to it, but it rewards you with turquoise water and very little traffic. Not to mention the sight of a Koala bear napping in a tree. :)

The Great Barrier Reef: I would have to say that this was the highlight of the trip. We had the opportunity to live aboard the "Reef Adventure" for a night. We snorkeled our brains out and we tried scuba too. Me only once, loran did it twice. I have NEVER seen such amazing things under water. Clams as big as cars, a shark, a sand dollar as big as your head, blue starfish, Nemo, a sea turtle or two, and more fish and coral than you can believe!! It was awesome!

I also loved the opera house (but not paying 34$ for parking), darling harbor, Barron falls (although it wasn't flowing to capacity) and most of the rest of the country. I have to ask the question, why did our ancestors leave? I could have grown up there for sure!

New Zealand... Can I please be adopted into a Maori Family?

In November, Loran and I took off on a two week adventure. It started with a day in Sydney followed by 4 days in NZ (not nearly enough time). I will someday go back. Here are the highlights:

Blackwater rafting - Yes it's true. Underground rafting through caves with headlamps and wetsuits on. I don't jump off things, but I managed to jump off a waterfall backwards. Fetch, if the really tall german guy with a really little wetsuit on can do it, I can too. If you are ever in this neck of the woods check it out. www.waitomo.com.

Maori Hangi Dinner - A hangi dinner is cooked underground. It was good... I liked the lamb. However, I really dislike being the youngest people there and the whack job next to me was a serious ME MONSTER. Oh well, what do you do. I wanted to push her in the river but I didn't. :)

Ass Tattoos - Pardon the french. At the aforementioned dinner, there was a Maori show. The chief of that village had ass tattoos. I'm not lying. I couldn't take my eyes off them. I think I will try to attach a picture!

Driving - This was our first adventure driving on the other side of the road... not to mention the other side of the car. I pushed on that imaginary brake so hard a few times. It was scary at first, but you got used to it. The plus in driving was that we got to see a seriously beautiful country. There was one time we were driving through a canyon and we had to stop and take pictures... The site we stopped at was an abandoned gold mine that has now been overrun with greenery. Now the area is full of hikes! Oh how I wanted to hike them. Someday...

I have an addiction...

It's true. Those that know me know of my love of travel. I have a bucket list that is a mile long ... most of it includes sights of the world. The Taj Mahal, the sphinx, the Pyramids of Giza, beaches anywhere and everywhere. There are sights in this beautiful world that I cannot describe. I got bitten by the travel bug when I was in my early 20's and I am still suffering from it's ailments. Well... maybe not me so much, but I have dragged my sweet hubby all over the place. He loves it... don't let him tell you otherwise. :)