Sunday, September 6, 2009
Who Knew Wyoming Was So Scenic?
The following are some photographs I took of the existing site. If you haven't seen photographs like these, they are known as HDRI (high definition resolution image) photographs, where the image you see is actually three or more layered images ranging from very little allowed light to long exposure (near white) photographs. Yes, school has turned me into a graphics nerd, but I wanted to share some of my latest artwork with you. Enjoy!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Hoping a move isn't in our near future...
It's on my mind all the time now. Maybe I'm thinking about it too much, but I'm really really hoping I get into the Masters program at the University of Utah next year. I'm starting to prepare (studying for the GRE, compiling images and info for my portfolio, etc) to apply this fall/winter in hopes that Michelle and I will be able to stay where we are (geographically) for another couple years. Tuition is a whole other story...out of state tuition (non-resident tuition) for Masters programs is around 3 times as much as resident tuition.
We'll do whatever feels right to both of us, of course, but Michelle and I are both hoping and praying that we can stay under the radar of coming out of graduate school with $50,000 in student loan debt. The sound of that just hurts! No, thanks, American collegiate school system. I'll pay you for resident tuition if I have to, but I don't want to pay you the equivalent of 1/4 of a home for 2 years of graduate education. There's got to be another way for grad students to go to an out-of-state school without forking over that much $$$
Besides, I LOVE school at the U of U! (Only a true Ute would wear a U of U shirt in the company of three BYU Cougars in his own family during a family vacation to CA - see picture above)
The song I can't get outta my head right now...
If you haven't heard it yet, go listen to "21 Guns" by Green Day. It's part of their latest "punk rock opera" album "21st Century Breakdown". The song also appears on the Transformers 2 soundtrack. It's catchy, it's clean, and Billie Joe Armstrong did an awesome job mixing acoustic guitar with electric guitars throughout the song (reminiscent of their song "Wake Me Up When September Ends").
Dang, this song is good!!
Friday, June 12, 2009
My dad's exciting new business!!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Wyoming is a special place...
A what?....
Oh!
Yep. That's a drive-thru bar. The folks in Torrington don't consider it an "open container" if the paper is left on the top of the straw. True story. I wish I were kidding.
I wish I were kidding about this one, too. Self-explanatory.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Sometimes It Still Hits Me Like A Ton Of Bricks
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Some Did-You-Know's About Me
My wife Michelle is 8 months older than me.
I took three years of German in high school, but because I didn't use it, I can't remember 90% of what I learned - which taught me if you don't use your talents, you definitely lose them.
Of all the things I've learned up to this point in life, I love music the most. I can play the guitar, bass, and the drums, and I'd really like to learn piano.
My mom volunteered to teach me to play piano when I was in elementary school, but I told her I thought piano was for girls (my dad doesn't play piano, and I have all sisters... to me, at the time, my response made sense). I wish I would've just said, "yes". Yet another lesson learned - don't always say "no" in life.
I served a mission for two years in the Rochester, New York mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. At first I thought those two years would never end. Now, I wish I could be there another ten years. I did about 90% of my growing up during those 24 months, and wouldn't trade it for anything.
I'm studying Architecture at the University of Utah, and my dream job would be to work with Ty Pennington and the design/build team for Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. If anyone has ANY connections to those guys - PLEASE let me know!!
My biggest heroes in life are all either related to me or my wife.
I love my friends like family - I would do anything for them. That's always been my personality.
I didn't really talk much until my Senior year in High School. I've always been quiet. I guess I just love to listen to people.
I naturally internalize anything I hear and try to learn something from it.
I love the smell of the ocean, and the smell outside right after a good rainstorm.
I'm completely an optimist. I love to smile, and I try to laugh every day.
My favorite cities in the U.S. (that I've seen so far) are... in no particular order: Seattle, Washington - Capitola, California - and Salt Lake City, Utah.
Other people may not see it, but I'm harder on myself than I am on anyone else. I love the feeling of defeating doubt and showing myself that anything is possible if I set my mind to it and focus.
I love to write. Perhaps it comes from my love to compose music, but I love to compose stories, articles, and papers. I have a love for knowledge. At one time, I considered becoming a journalist, a columnist, or a writer for a living. Who knows?...If the economy doesn't allow me a career in architecture, I may pursue writing as a side career. I may do so anyway.
I love the feeling of cruising down streets on a longboard, crouched as low as I can get, going as fast as I can. I've never felt so close to flying as when I used to fly down Mountain Road at night with the guys up in Kaysville, Utah.
My wife is my better half, and I'll be the first to admit it. I married her both because of the similarities we have to one another as people, and because of the differences we have in our mannerisms and tastes. I love the way life bridges those differences, and the way that her mannerisms become mine as well over time. She humbles me, keeps me headed in the right direction, and most important, she loves me for me. That's priceless. I feel blessed to have that aspect as a part of my everyday life.