Ode To W-Hall

It's the end of an era.

The physical home of almost every single one of my greatest freshman year memories is being razed! As I stood and gazed at this dilapidated dorm be torn down, I mused on its importance in my life:

-I kissed a girl for the first time (no blindsides) in the lobby here!

-I opened up my mission call to the Ecuador Guayaquil North mission with my whole family watching in the lobby as well.

-I played Goldeneye and Perfect Dark for many an hour in the commons room on the fourth floor.

-I lived in rooms 408 and 410 the fall and winter semesters of my freshman year, respectively.

-I made some great friends here that I still associate with--Josh Campos and Sterling Haring.

-I ate ridiculous amounts of junk food that DiningPlus provided me within the cinder block walls here... A hazy sugar-induced image of a mini fridge packed with Martinelli's and root beer comes to mind.

-Every now and then, I also did a little studying here.

What can I say? My experience at BYU in this "tower" was nothing short of the most holistic dormitory living one could ever expect at a university! For that, I thank you W-Hall. You're little more than a pile of rubble now, but the memories you gave me will always be in my heart...and cerebral cortex.

Jello Bread

I made it all myself! (Under the tutelage of Meghan...)

Vladimir Putin...Batman?

This isn't a doctored image. I found it on the BBC. So maybe it was Batman who poisoned Alexander Litvinenko...

Purely For Decoration

Nothing beats making your own salt dough ornaments and painting them. It brings the whole gang together!

Look at all of those happy ornaments! Now that they're decorated with wardies and shellac they're ready to rock the holiday conifer! Note the "Feliz Navidad" tree feat. Ben Patron, the German blob from ATHF, Baby's First Christmas feat. Edi Bayles, the heart feat. the Bishop and his wife, and the heart feat. photos of Meghan and I when we were 6.

The Holiest of Wars

On November 26, 2006 I attended one of the greatest Holy Wars of all time at Rice Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City. I had to initially dress up as a Ute fan so I could get into the game with a U student ticket that was given to me courtesy of my mission buddy Kyle Moon. I hung out in the student section where my ticket had placed me, but it was soon apparent that I was a "pilgrim in an unholy land." I shed the red exoclothing and quickly headed for the BYU fan section.

What can I say? After Johnny Harline caught that football it was all a blur... I ran down the stairs and jumped out on the field even before the game was officially declared over. I lingered and revelled in the victory while being surrounded by a silent sea of red. We won the Holy War my freshman year, and we won the Holy War my senior year. I just knew they would win this one. I could feel it the whole season. Although the margin of victory was smaller than anyone had wished, the Cougars' amazing last two final drives were a tribute to the talent and heart of this team. My attendance at this Holy War will always be one of my most cherished sporting event memories.