Rise and Shout the COUGARS are Out!

I didn't grow up a BYU fan, and I certainly don't spend much time keeping up on sports statistics (it's all I can do to know which sport is which), but I bleed BYU blue.

Today was the opening game of the football season, and I was lucky enough to get tickets. It's been a long time since I've been to a football game in that stadium, and it felt good to be back. There is something about the sound of the fight song echoing off the walls of the stadium, the sight of the team running onto the field with pride, and the smell of concession stand pizza and hot dogs (even if they are overpriced). I don't go for the football; I go for the camraderie, for the sunshine, and for the chance to be a part of a unified mass cheering a group of athletes on toward success. It's not about the sport for me.

I'll be honest, for years I never understood the allure of sports, especially one as violent as football. But, as I have come to appreciate BYU's program, I have realized that it's REALLY about much more than football. Sure, the game is entertaining, but there is a greater purpose. It's about the chance to be a part of a group working toward a common goal, learning leadership skills, developing talents, building friendships, sacrificing for the greater good, decision-making, determination, perseverance, and becoming the best person you can be.

So, I am a reformed sports fan. You will probably never hear me quoting any player's stats or a debating a school's strengths and weaknesses in their offensive line, but I can truly say now that I enjoy sports. Well, at least I enjoy BYU sports. And that's the only one that matters anyway, right?
(By the way, in case you didn't know, BYU beat Northern Iowa University 41 to 17. Go Cougs!)

Murphy's Law

So, you know that old saying that anything that can go wrong will? Well, that was definitely true of my trip to Lake Powell. Between losing half the group for 8 hours somewhere in a 200 mile long lake, attempting to drive back to the boat on Sea Doos during a storm, running out of gas on the lake, two car accidents (with one totalled car), one water-logged cell phone, an alarming carbon monoxide detector incident, and various other crazy occurrences, the fates seemed determined to complicate our lives.

The amazing thing, though, is how so many little miracles occurred so that everyone managed to get home safe and sound. Plus, now I have a ton of great memories of adventures I never would have dreamed.

Between potential disasters, my week was filled with...
Model poses at the world's largest natural arch...

Dance parties in a cave...

Boat driving lessons...

Imitations of figureheads of old sailing ships...

Water skiing shows...

Watermelon basketball...

And so much more...

I'm in love with Lake Powell!

I'm Back!

Well, I'm back from all of my many adventures--two weeks of EFY and a week at Lake Powell. I'll do a post on Lake Powell soon, but this one is simply a quick tag from my sister's blog.

Here's how it works...come play!

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you have of me.

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. If you leave a memory about me, I’ll assume you’re playing the game and I’ll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don’t want to play on your blog, or if you don’t have a blog, I’ll leave my memory of you in my comments.