NaBloPoMo Over

It's done again, NaBloPoMo is over. It was quite a challenge to find something different to write about each day this month. I've noticed this year that my blogging has slowed considerably - perhaps I'm running out of things to say. Still, this month was fun. We discussed TV, football, social norms, children, holidays, and weather. Wow, what a month. Here's a look back:

Diary of a Utah Fan

So I survived my trip into Provo last night, I wish the Utes could say the same thing. Unfortunately, Utah came up short in a 26-23 OT loss to the cougs. The score may make it look like it was a great game, a real barn burner, but that couldn't be further from the truth. This game was UGLY.

Utah got off to a quick start, but stalled in the red zone twice and could only walk away with two field goals. After that it became a penalty fest. I have no idea how many flags we saw in the game, but the fact that the Utes were flagged 3 times for interfering with the returner is a good indication of how sloppy they played.

The cougs didn't play much better, but they managed to convert in the "blue zone" with a couple of TDs and they took control of the game in the 3rd quarter with a 20-6 lead. It was a good Utah 4th that evened the game with 35 seconds remaining.

Once it got to OT though you knew the game was lost. byu is built for a college OT. Getting the ball on the 25 is nothing for them and when Utah only kicked a 5th field goal on our chance the game was over.

So the Utes finished 9-3. In a rebuilding year, with a freshman QB, a back up running back, and a bunch of new guys on D - we finished 9-3. Our only three losses came on the road against top 25 ranked teams, two of which are in the top 10 right now. You have to feel good about your team's future when you battled this year against good teams (TCU excluded) and had chances to win on the road.

I only wish byu fans could feel as good about their team. Going to the game in Provo is absolutely amazing. The fans around us hated almost everything about their team. Throughout the game they complained so much about Max Hall, Bronco Mendenhall, Robert Anae, and Chambers (the kick return guy) that I thought they were the Utah fans. Russell actually turned around and commented, "You guys make it really easy to be Utah fans. You complain so much about your team, we don't have say anything." It was unbelievable the things I heard from the people around us.

Now, maybe I sat amongst a unique part of the crowd, but I was horribly unimpressed. The guy behind us starting pounding on our chairs and swearing at Bronco to call a timeout with 45 seconds left in the game. I thought we were going to have to call security. And they claim that Utah fans are the ones without class? I guess the fans don't have good examples to follow when the players make post game comments like these:

“I don’t like Utah. In fact, I hate them. I hate everything about them. I hate their program, their fans. I hate everything,” BYU QB Max Hall said. “It felt really good to send those guys home. I think the whole university and their fans and the organization is classless,” Hall continued. “They threw beer on my family and stuff last year and did a whole bunch of nasty things. I don’t respect them and they deserved to lose.”

Wow. Way to go Max Hall. I sat through 4 hours of listening to your own fans complain about how much they hate you and maybe now I know why. I'm sure some of the Utah fans were classless last year, but they didn't make your throw 5 interceptions. It's takes a lot of class to make comments like those after a 12-32 game in which you threw for 135 yards. You really put Utah in their place.

I actually enjoyed the game a lot. It was fun to watch the Rivalry again and to witness the Utes stage a great comeback. I can't say I enjoyed the experience of listening to cougar fans and players "celebrate" their win.

Stay Classy, Provo.

Venturing into Enemy Territory

I made a vow many years ago that I would never go to another byu football game in Provo. The last time I went to Cougar Stadium was back in 1996. One of my mission companions talked me into a double date, dinner and the game. The Cougs won that night, but the Utes lost in an upset to USU. It was terrible to listen to the crowd go crazy as the score of the Utah game appeared on the scoreboard. Tara was with me that night (we were still dating at that point), and I told her I felt like I was betraying my school by attending a game in Provo.

Today, I am breaking my vow - sort of. I am going to a game in Provo this afternoon, a UTAH game. Okay, so they happen to be playing byu. Still, I'm going there for the Utes - make no doubt about it. A friend from the ward called me up yesterday and offered me a ticket to the game. Even though I don't really want to go back to Provo for a byu game, the chance to see the Utes in the Holy War is something I couldn't pass up.

I will be wearing RED amidst a sea of blue. I think it's only fitting that I finally get the chance to support my team in enemy territory. I think it may just be the only way I can truly exorcise the demons of my youth....


Go UTES!!!

Getting Ready

It's an unwritten rule that you can't think about Christmas until after Thanksgiving. I try to adhere to this idea, and don't play any music, light any lights, or deck any halls until the last Friday of November. Something strange happened this year. I had time off from work. The two days before Thanksgiving.

The extra time at home gave me a chance to work on a few things, Christmas lights being one of them. Once the lights were up the kids wouldn't let me keep them off until Thanksgiving. We've been burning bright for a couple of days now.

Well, once we were officially part of the holidays we couldn't resist. Tara bought a fake tree last year and the kids were dying to put it up. Again, this is normally part of the day after Thanksgiving, but this year it happened on Wednesday, not Friday. Everyone enjoyed putting up the tree - the kids loved the lights, Tara and I loved the fact that it was out of the box and finished in less than ten minutes.

We completed our Holiday home transformation earlier today as we officially decorated the tree. Alex and Kennedy had a great time adding the different ornaments to our new little tree. I have to admit I am so happy we switched to an artificial tree this year. Between lights and ornaments I've always hated getting stuck with a million pine needles. This year, nothing but the finished product. Awesome.

I hope we haven't set a new tradition, by setting up Christmas the day before Thanksgiving. I am happy we were able to enjoy my time at home and Christmas set up has become a family affair.

Thanksgiving Classics

Since we're out running around today for Thanksgiving, here's a couple of classic clips celebrating this fun holiday. Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving.