Brief Summer Recap #1

So I realize that by starting this blog recently, I've completely left out the previous 26 years+ of my life. Rather than go all the way back, which would result in a ridiculously long post, I'm just going to give a brief recap of this summer and go from there. These may not be in chronological order, but I'll try to be close.

BYU Graduation:

My summer started with graduating from Brigham Young University with my MAcc degree (Masters in Accountancy). It was a great program and I met a lot of amazing friends and faculty during my time at BYU. Certainly, I owe so much to my family for helping to reach this accomplishment and I thank them for all their support!

Florida 1/2 Ironman:

As a precursor to one of my long-term life goals, I participated in the Florida 1/2 Ironman. The race (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride, and 13.1 mile run) was challenging--particularly the run-- but I'm so glad that I did it. I finished in 6 hours 24 minutes, and I was very happy with my time, especially since I wasn't feeling so well before the race started.

Jesse & Emily Wedding Reception:

My cousin Emily got married and I was excited to be able to attend their reception at Red Butte Garden near the University of Utah. The reception was beautiful. It was fairly traditional, though they threw in some personal touches. One of those touches was a song by some of Emily's friends. It was full of inside jokes and, from the look on her face, Emily clearly loved it.

Ethan & Michole Wedding Reception:

I don't have any pictures, but my cousin Ethan also got married this summer and they looked extremely happy. Ethan has become quite the motorcyclist and they've apparently taken some long roadtrips on their Harley. Fun, fun, fun!

Santa Cruz/Oakland Trip:

To temporarily abate the hazards of Utah fever (a sister disease to cabin fever), I flew to Oakland to visit some friends.

Though it was a whirlwind trip, and I essentially only spent one day in California, it was great to stay in Santa Cruz at my friend AmberJo's and then spend the morning wandering around Monterey. While AmberJo and her friend had their hair done at a swanky salon, looked in some shops, saw some marine life under the pier, and watched scuba divers enter the water where my dad and I dove a few years ago. It was the standard, beautiful California weather!

After having lunch in Santa Cruz, we met up with my buddy Bret Baker and his fiance Whitney in Emeryville (near Oakland) at an international food court. So cool! Next time I'll definitely take a bigger appetite so I can better enjoy the savory delights of foreign cultures.