New Blog!

Not like i do a great job keeping this blog updated or anything, but i started a new blog anyways. One that i'm actually a lot more excited about (so maybe i will be better at updating it).

It's about hiking. So if you enjoy the hobby... feel free to hop on over to Mike's Hikes and check out what adventures we've been up to.

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Just as a side note about blogs... does anyone remember the days before Myspace and Facebook and Blogger? Does anyone remember LiveJournal? I think it was one of the first big blog websites that started getting people warmed up to the whole web log (blog) thing.

I was just thinking how my perspective has changed over the years. At first, when LJ came around i thought "What the heck? Why would i want to keep a public journal? A journal is for, like, my personal thoughts and ideas. I don't need to share that with people online!"

But then came Myspace, and then Facebook, and then Blogger (at least that's the order in which i subscribed to these great (ahem) social networking tools).

When blogger started getting big, i started thinking of it as less of an online journal, and more of just a method to tell your old friends what you've been up to in life. You know, the people you don't actually talk to anymore, but still feel like you know them so well because you read their blogs? I kinda thought blogs were just a way to keep up with friends, maybe even show off a little bit when something happens worth showing off.

But now i'm starting to see it as both of the above. The main purpose seems to be to write all about what i've been up to so i can have something to show old school mates, or extended family, but it definitely serves a dual purpose. I don't really keep a journal like i probably should, but when i look back in five years, I'll be able to look at my blog and remember some of the cool things I've done.

And so Blogger, I salute you. Here's to you helping me keep a journal by disguising it as a social networking tool.

Summer

It’s been a long time, and boy is there a lot to talk (type) about: How the semester ended up, Shirley’s graduation (obviously the semester ended good enough, cuz she graduated), Our California trip, our church calling, our wedding pictures, our job searchings, summer, the adventures of Mike and Shirley…

So let’s find a good place to start…

Since the semester is over, I’ll just leave it at that. Shirley passed, so she graduated. I did well enough. I have, like, a B- GPA. It should be higher, and I feel kinda lame, but I’ll work harder next semester.

Shirley’s graduation! We got to hear Obama speak. Most of the audience cheered for him like he was a rock star. It was weird. He is, however, and excellent speaker. And he gave a great speech.

We’ve been beginning our adventures… We plan to have a lot this summer. Some of our ideas/plans include a trip to the Kern River in California for rafting, a trip to Colorado (maybe) to visit Shirley’s brother, a few camping trips, some hiking around Arizona, Maybe another Cali trip, Fossil Springs, The Oracle Caves, etc… We love adventures. We’re gonna call this summer “The Adventures of Mike and Shirley!”

Immediately following Shirley’s graduation ceremonies, we got in the car and left for California in search of sunny skies and great fun with our friends Jack and Natalie. We spent all day Friday (in honor of my birthday and Shirley’s graduation) at Disneyland. I hadn’t been there in over 2 years, and Shirley hadn’t been in, like, 15 years. It was amazing. I love Disneyland – happiest place on earth!

Saturday was spent at the beach (didn't take any pictures, sorry). We got a firepit and got our coals going and made tin-foil dinners for lunch. That was awesome. We threw the Frisbee around, played in the water a bit, and then took naps. It was pretty overcast the whole time at the beach though. That was a bust. But still enjoyable.

We stopped in Blythe on the way home to get gas. Gas was so much more expensive on the North side of the freeway! What the heck! When we stopped at the McDonalds after getting gas (the cheaper gas), I walked across the street to take this sweet picture.That circled part is this: (32 cents cheaper gas!)That seems like a sufficient enough update for now…

Just on a side note, if you know of anyone hiring, I’m looking for work. I’ve been reduced to about 12 hours a week, and that’s not gonna cut it. Thanks!

Spring slump.

It's that time of the semester again. This morning in my Institute class a girl behind me said something like: "This is gonna be the hardest week of the whole semester for me!" For me that was a couple weeks ago.... This week? to me?...will probably be the laziest week of the semester.

Every semester, about this far into it, I hit this point where I'm just so unmotivated with my school work. It's terrible i know, but i don't want to go to class, i don't want to do homework assignments, i just want to sit here and eat this delicious leftover casserole that I'm eating... and then play basketball or play Freecell on my computer. I'm lame, thanks. Lucky for me this semester i have a new secret weapon... Shirley.

She reminds me to get to work and do things. She asks me if i have homework and then forces me to actually do it. Mean, i know. Like mom back when i was in fifth grade. Harsh.

(Dear Shirley, please don't take this as an invitation to further harrass me about my school work. Thanks. I love you so much!)

This is not a confession begging repentance or a change of heart. I'm content with this time of the semester. It just happens. Then after a week or, i get back up and get back to business and finish out my wonderfully average straight B semester. Yup, straight B's. In my 4th year of college, i have almost a perfect 3.0 GPA. Every time i get an A that would bring it up a little, i get a C in another class that brings it right back down. I'm content with that too, and that's kinda another subject anyways.

So really, i was just at school not studying and realized that i haven't posted in a while. So there's somethin to chew on.

Fistfights.

So lately, Shirley and I have been really hooked on this show Alias. It's great. It's about this CIA field agent who is always going on these crazy missions and fighting and beating up bad guys and such. Well, i think Shirley might be getting a little too into it. Or something.

You see, last night (this morning) at 2:30, she punched me right in the stomach! She was sound asleep. She didn't even know she did it! I had gotten up to get a drink and when i crawled back into bed we were both laying on our sides facing each other. Well, with her top arm, she just straight up punch me right in the gut! I was like "What the?" Then she made this semi-conscious "aww.." and put her arm around me. I thought at that point maybe she'd woken up and realized what she'd just done. Not so.

When we woke this morning i said "haha, hey, remember last night when you socked my in the gut?" and she just laughed like i was joking! Not joking though.

Anyways, it was pretty funny. Might not be so funny if it hurt, but i'm a tough kid.

So, i don't know, do we need to curb our Alias viewing? Maybe cut back a little bit? I'm not sure i'd like it too much if we start having kick boxing fights in the middle of the night just because of some crazy dreams caused by some crazy show.