After having one week to think about it, I have a few more thoughts on the BYU vs. Utah football rivalry.
First, I never did believe in rivalries. I still kind of don't believe in them. I don't really have a HUGE problem with Utah fans--if they are half-decent.
I will admit--ignorning the color red for a whole week was silly. But it was fun.
But the thing that stood out to me this year--even though we lost--was the way I felt during the game. Every time BYU had the ball, this feeling just overcame me. I wanted BYU to just DESTROY Utah. When BYU scored a TD, I jumped to my feet, got pumped, and gave my brothers high fives.
Now--I usually hope BYU beats a team, no matter who they play. But when they played Utah last Saturday, I discovered that extra amount of intensity and eagarness to win. And it was POWERFUL!
And so what I am trying to say is: I am looking forward to my next BYU vs. Utah game in 2011 when I get home from my mission. FTW.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Friday, November 28, 2008
College Application: OFFICIALLY Complete
Victory! :) Brother Chase finally got around to filling out the seminary reccomendation, and so my BYU applications are officially complete. Now all I have to do is sit back and relax....
The trip up to Utah was good. There was a TON of rain on the way up here, and it was a bit scary at times, but it was a fun trip! I almost fell asleep at the wheel, haha, so we stopped at a random gas station, and I took a nap before we moved on. Better safe than sorry FTW.
It's been great seeing my Mom again. It's been fun hanging out with Cynthia, and it reminds me of the good old days. We've kind of switched places now, though. She makes me drive everywhere, while she gets to sit in the passenger seat. ;)
We went to the temple this morning, and we did some Baptisms For The Dead. It was excellent! Joe had some family names that he had to do, and that was awesome!
Well, I want to write more, but I am limited on time because we are about to have family prayer and what not. I hope everyone had a good and safe Thanksgiving!! :)
The trip up to Utah was good. There was a TON of rain on the way up here, and it was a bit scary at times, but it was a fun trip! I almost fell asleep at the wheel, haha, so we stopped at a random gas station, and I took a nap before we moved on. Better safe than sorry FTW.
It's been great seeing my Mom again. It's been fun hanging out with Cynthia, and it reminds me of the good old days. We've kind of switched places now, though. She makes me drive everywhere, while she gets to sit in the passenger seat. ;)
We went to the temple this morning, and we did some Baptisms For The Dead. It was excellent! Joe had some family names that he had to do, and that was awesome!
Well, I want to write more, but I am limited on time because we are about to have family prayer and what not. I hope everyone had a good and safe Thanksgiving!! :)
Sunday, November 23, 2008
College Applications: Complete
I had the interview for my BYU applications with President Peterson today, and it went well.
I have now done everything that I can. President Peterson is going to mail in my Ecclesiastical Endorsement, and then all I need is Brother Chase to fill out my seminary reccomend.
Applying for BYU and BYU-Idaho was a lot easier than I thought it would be, and it was pretty convienient to apply to both schools with only one application. I look forward to seeing who accepts me and who doesn't! ;)
I have now done everything that I can. President Peterson is going to mail in my Ecclesiastical Endorsement, and then all I need is Brother Chase to fill out my seminary reccomend.
Applying for BYU and BYU-Idaho was a lot easier than I thought it would be, and it was pretty convienient to apply to both schools with only one application. I look forward to seeing who accepts me and who doesn't! ;)
A Football Story
As everyone all knows, BYU fell to Utah 48-24 last night. The game was very, very good until the fourth quarter, when Utah scored 21 points off three BYU turnovers.
However, I think Max Hall (BYU's QB) said it best:
"It's just a football game," Hall said. "It's a big football game. But to be honest with you, I'm going to go home with my wife and my family, and I'm going to go home for Thanksgiving. And there's bigger things in life than football. But like I said, it hurt. Football's a big part of my life and there are definitely some things I can learn from."
He's right! Max Hall might get blamed by all the BYU fans for the loss, because he threw five interceptions. Me? I'm not blaming him, and I am not angry with him either. I am proud of Max for recognizing that yes, football is important to him, but things like family are much more important to him.
And so I learned a very valuable lesson last night after the game: There aren't only cons for losing football games--there are pros as well. Failing or losing at something like football shows us that we have room to improve. It also gives us the chance to realize--like Max did--that there are better things out there in life.
And so...Although BYU lost...Yesterday was still a good day for me in that I was able to see my brothers, and we were able to create a memory with eachother!
FTW.
However, I think Max Hall (BYU's QB) said it best:
"It's just a football game," Hall said. "It's a big football game. But to be honest with you, I'm going to go home with my wife and my family, and I'm going to go home for Thanksgiving. And there's bigger things in life than football. But like I said, it hurt. Football's a big part of my life and there are definitely some things I can learn from."
He's right! Max Hall might get blamed by all the BYU fans for the loss, because he threw five interceptions. Me? I'm not blaming him, and I am not angry with him either. I am proud of Max for recognizing that yes, football is important to him, but things like family are much more important to him.
And so I learned a very valuable lesson last night after the game: There aren't only cons for losing football games--there are pros as well. Failing or losing at something like football shows us that we have room to improve. It also gives us the chance to realize--like Max did--that there are better things out there in life.
And so...Although BYU lost...Yesterday was still a good day for me in that I was able to see my brothers, and we were able to create a memory with eachother!
FTW.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Today
The day has finally arrived, my friends!
Last night, I went to the Las Vegas vs. Del Sol football game. Wow. GREAT. GAME. (I won't go into further detail, as I know I've already said enough about football in my last post.) But I did rush the field for my fourth time, and that was fun. (I rushed the basketball court for two Foothill games, and then I rushed the court when Vegas won the volleyball state championship this last year. Good times.)
Anyways. Here are my plans for the day so far:
8:30 AM to 10:00 AM--Do chores, etc.
10:15 AM to 12:00 PM--Shower, get BYU equipment on, etc.
12:10 PM to 1:00 PM--Enjoy some free time by playing some Secret of Mana on the Wii...
1:10 PM--Tithing Settlement
2:00 PM--Pregame show.
3:00 PM to 7:00 PM--BYU vs. Utah 2008!
Last night, I went to the Las Vegas vs. Del Sol football game. Wow. GREAT. GAME. (I won't go into further detail, as I know I've already said enough about football in my last post.) But I did rush the field for my fourth time, and that was fun. (I rushed the basketball court for two Foothill games, and then I rushed the court when Vegas won the volleyball state championship this last year. Good times.)
Anyways. Here are my plans for the day so far:
8:30 AM to 10:00 AM--Do chores, etc.
10:15 AM to 12:00 PM--Shower, get BYU equipment on, etc.
12:10 PM to 1:00 PM--Enjoy some free time by playing some Secret of Mana on the Wii...
1:10 PM--Tithing Settlement
2:00 PM--Pregame show.
3:00 PM to 7:00 PM--BYU vs. Utah 2008!
Thursday, November 20, 2008
BYU vs. Utah (My Experiences)
BYU vs. Utah 2006
It was Thanksgiving 2006, and I was visiting my Mom for Thanksgiving. In my earlier years, I absolutely hated sports, especially football. However, two months before my journey up to see my Mom, I attended the Foothill vs. Cheyenne football game. This would be the night where I actually enjoyed watching a game of football.
Foothill was a good football team back then, but many believed Cheyenne would pull of the upset. I remember Foothill getting ahead really quick, and I just thought, "Wow. No way are we going to lose this." The next thing I knew, we were in a close, heated battle with Cheyenne, and it was then that I realized that I didn't really know anything about football.
With about a minute left, our team put on an excellent drive and scored with about 25 seconds left. I remember going NUTS, and thinking, "Wow. Football is actually pretty sweet! Foothill FTW!" What happened next? Well, Cheyenne returned the kick-off for sixty yards, and had a chance to score again with about 3 seconds left. Once again, I really felt stupid for thinking that the game was over. But we batted down the pass in the end-zone and ended up winning the game, and I thought it was awesome.
While on our way up to Utah, my Mom called us and told us to make sure we got there before 1 PM or so because the BYU vs. Utah football game was going to be starting around that time. I remember thinking, "Oh. A football game. I will watch this." This was the first BYU football game I watched, and I now look back on it and realize that I just witnessed one of the most heated rivalries in college football.
I thought the Foothill vs. Cheyenne game was crazy! But nothing is better than watching a BYU vs. Utah game. BYU ended up winning 33-31 when John Beck threw a 15-yard TD pass to tight-end Johnny Harline with no time remaining on the clock. It was the first time BYU beat Utah since 2001, and I just remember thinking, "What an amazing, powerful game." I have been a BYU football fan ever since.
BYU vs. Utah 2007
One year had passed, and I once again found myself in Utah, visiting my Mom. My cousin, TAB, offered me his sister's ticket for the game because she wasn't going to go. I was PUMPED. But then TAB had to call off the deal because he remembered that his dad would probably want to go, so he gave my Uncle Karl the ticket instead, which I was absolutely fine with. I could just watch it on TV!
However, my Mom no longer had the channel for the game anymore. I am going to be honest and admit that I lost a few hours of sleep over this fact. I was really looking forward to this game, and I just wanted to watch it with my own eyes!
But the family had other things going on that day, so I knew I wouldn't be able to watch it. I had to think of an alternative! And then I remembered: "I am in Utah! The game will be on the radio."
And so my brothers Brent Nelson, Timmy, and I went on a hunt to find one. Brent was doing some shopping for his family, and so we checked out Costco and Target. Neither really had any good, cheap radios. Heck, I didn't even have any money!
But then a miracle happened. We went to Albertson's to get some food for my Mom. I remember looking around the store, suddenly realizing that it was probably very unlikely that I find a portable radio in a store like Albertson's. But as we were about to leave, I saw it: FM/AM Portable Radio (Price: $7).
But the fact remained: I was broke! Brent wouldn't give me any money, and so I had one choice: My younger brother, Timmy Nelson himself. I dunno how I did it, but I somehow got a good eight bucks out of the child, and I purchased this radio.
This was the first game I listened to via the radio, and it was awesome. (I--to this day--listen to most of the games on the radio.) The game analyst were hilarious! I remember listening to the pre-game show and just getting goosebumps! I was so pumped.
As the game went on, I informed Brent Nelson on what was going on. We were eventually separated, though, and so Brent would listen to the game in his car. It was the fourth quarter, and Utah was up 10-9. There was about 1:35 minutes to go, and we had a good 80+ yards to go before we could score. Max Hall fumbled the ball, but recovered it, causing a loss of eight yards. And then he threw an incompletion to Dennis Pitta. It was then that Brent Nelson called me and told me that he was done listening.
But I still had hope! Third and 18? Easy enough. But then Hall threw another incompletion to Dennis Pitta. It was now fourth and 18, and I just remember thinking, "It's over. Utah has gotten their revenge."....But then out of nowhere I hear Greg (one of the analyst) yell, "Hall launces it to Collie, and...COLLIE IS BY HIMSELF ON THE SIDELINE AND MAKES THE CATCH FOR A FIRST DOWN!!!"
I was drinking some milk in the kitchen at the time, and I absolutely lost it! Collie made a 49 yard reception, and the game was suddenly back in our reach! After back to back penalties on Utah, BYU scored on an 11 yard run by running back, Harvey Unga. I then called Brent and informed him of the news. At first, he didn't believe me, and he thought I was just messing with him.
Utah had enough time to win the game, but BYU batted down the pass in the endzone, and the Cougars ended up with a 17-10 win!
(Brent Nelson and I later listened to the BYU vs. North Carolina (UNC was #1 at the time) basketball game via my radio, and that was pretty sweet! We almost beat the #1 team in the country!! It was awesome.)
BYU vs. Utah 2008
Another year has passed, and I am more excited than ever, as everyone already knows! :) This will be the biggest game out of all three. This is the first time BYU and Utah play eachother while both being ranked since 1994. It's been 14 years!! And I believe it is the first time they play eachother while bothing being ranked in the top 15. It'll be a great game, and I know BYU can win it!
Now--I really wanted to watch this game, but I didn't have the channel. So the original plan was to watch it over at my friend's house with some friends. Good idea, but...I always seem to turn against my friends when it comes to football games (See: Last year's betrayal when I actually went to the BYU vs. UCLA Vegas Bowl game with my brother, after I had planned to watch it with my friend and her family.)
This year: My brothers Luke, Logan, and Brent Nelson really want to watch the game, along with my Dad. So my idea: I'll just invite them over to Scott's house to watch it with us! But that wasn't going to work, because there was already going to be a bunch of people over there, and he doesn't have a very big living room.
My new solution: Talk to Dad and order the channel! And so I got with my Dad the other day, and I asked him if we could call the cable company and order the channel for the game. He said, "Oh, are you not going to Scott's house anymore?" I told him that I wanted to watch the game with Brent Nelson and the rest of the family, and he just said, "Alright, give them a call, and let me know how much it costs."
And so I called, but they eventually had to talk to my Dad. Dad talked with them for a few minutes, and hung up after a few thank-yous. Dad informed me that we now had the channels, and I was excited. I went into the blue room and tested it out, and it was awesome!
I am really excited to watch this year's game with my Dad and my brothers, and it's going to be sweet!! I informed Scott today that I probably wasn't gonna go to his house, and he wasn't very happy about that (especially since I planned it), but I am sure he will have fun with everyone else. :)
And so...on Saturday, make sure all y'all wear blue and support the BYU Cougars! We need to win this game to win the conference title for the third straight year!! ;)
It was Thanksgiving 2006, and I was visiting my Mom for Thanksgiving. In my earlier years, I absolutely hated sports, especially football. However, two months before my journey up to see my Mom, I attended the Foothill vs. Cheyenne football game. This would be the night where I actually enjoyed watching a game of football.
Foothill was a good football team back then, but many believed Cheyenne would pull of the upset. I remember Foothill getting ahead really quick, and I just thought, "Wow. No way are we going to lose this." The next thing I knew, we were in a close, heated battle with Cheyenne, and it was then that I realized that I didn't really know anything about football.
With about a minute left, our team put on an excellent drive and scored with about 25 seconds left. I remember going NUTS, and thinking, "Wow. Football is actually pretty sweet! Foothill FTW!" What happened next? Well, Cheyenne returned the kick-off for sixty yards, and had a chance to score again with about 3 seconds left. Once again, I really felt stupid for thinking that the game was over. But we batted down the pass in the end-zone and ended up winning the game, and I thought it was awesome.
While on our way up to Utah, my Mom called us and told us to make sure we got there before 1 PM or so because the BYU vs. Utah football game was going to be starting around that time. I remember thinking, "Oh. A football game. I will watch this." This was the first BYU football game I watched, and I now look back on it and realize that I just witnessed one of the most heated rivalries in college football.
I thought the Foothill vs. Cheyenne game was crazy! But nothing is better than watching a BYU vs. Utah game. BYU ended up winning 33-31 when John Beck threw a 15-yard TD pass to tight-end Johnny Harline with no time remaining on the clock. It was the first time BYU beat Utah since 2001, and I just remember thinking, "What an amazing, powerful game." I have been a BYU football fan ever since.
BYU vs. Utah 2007
One year had passed, and I once again found myself in Utah, visiting my Mom. My cousin, TAB, offered me his sister's ticket for the game because she wasn't going to go. I was PUMPED. But then TAB had to call off the deal because he remembered that his dad would probably want to go, so he gave my Uncle Karl the ticket instead, which I was absolutely fine with. I could just watch it on TV!
However, my Mom no longer had the channel for the game anymore. I am going to be honest and admit that I lost a few hours of sleep over this fact. I was really looking forward to this game, and I just wanted to watch it with my own eyes!
But the family had other things going on that day, so I knew I wouldn't be able to watch it. I had to think of an alternative! And then I remembered: "I am in Utah! The game will be on the radio."
And so my brothers Brent Nelson, Timmy, and I went on a hunt to find one. Brent was doing some shopping for his family, and so we checked out Costco and Target. Neither really had any good, cheap radios. Heck, I didn't even have any money!
But then a miracle happened. We went to Albertson's to get some food for my Mom. I remember looking around the store, suddenly realizing that it was probably very unlikely that I find a portable radio in a store like Albertson's. But as we were about to leave, I saw it: FM/AM Portable Radio (Price: $7).
But the fact remained: I was broke! Brent wouldn't give me any money, and so I had one choice: My younger brother, Timmy Nelson himself. I dunno how I did it, but I somehow got a good eight bucks out of the child, and I purchased this radio.
This was the first game I listened to via the radio, and it was awesome. (I--to this day--listen to most of the games on the radio.) The game analyst were hilarious! I remember listening to the pre-game show and just getting goosebumps! I was so pumped.
As the game went on, I informed Brent Nelson on what was going on. We were eventually separated, though, and so Brent would listen to the game in his car. It was the fourth quarter, and Utah was up 10-9. There was about 1:35 minutes to go, and we had a good 80+ yards to go before we could score. Max Hall fumbled the ball, but recovered it, causing a loss of eight yards. And then he threw an incompletion to Dennis Pitta. It was then that Brent Nelson called me and told me that he was done listening.
But I still had hope! Third and 18? Easy enough. But then Hall threw another incompletion to Dennis Pitta. It was now fourth and 18, and I just remember thinking, "It's over. Utah has gotten their revenge."....But then out of nowhere I hear Greg (one of the analyst) yell, "Hall launces it to Collie, and...COLLIE IS BY HIMSELF ON THE SIDELINE AND MAKES THE CATCH FOR A FIRST DOWN!!!"
I was drinking some milk in the kitchen at the time, and I absolutely lost it! Collie made a 49 yard reception, and the game was suddenly back in our reach! After back to back penalties on Utah, BYU scored on an 11 yard run by running back, Harvey Unga. I then called Brent and informed him of the news. At first, he didn't believe me, and he thought I was just messing with him.
Utah had enough time to win the game, but BYU batted down the pass in the endzone, and the Cougars ended up with a 17-10 win!
(Brent Nelson and I later listened to the BYU vs. North Carolina (UNC was #1 at the time) basketball game via my radio, and that was pretty sweet! We almost beat the #1 team in the country!! It was awesome.)
BYU vs. Utah 2008
Another year has passed, and I am more excited than ever, as everyone already knows! :) This will be the biggest game out of all three. This is the first time BYU and Utah play eachother while both being ranked since 1994. It's been 14 years!! And I believe it is the first time they play eachother while bothing being ranked in the top 15. It'll be a great game, and I know BYU can win it!
Now--I really wanted to watch this game, but I didn't have the channel. So the original plan was to watch it over at my friend's house with some friends. Good idea, but...I always seem to turn against my friends when it comes to football games (See: Last year's betrayal when I actually went to the BYU vs. UCLA Vegas Bowl game with my brother, after I had planned to watch it with my friend and her family.)
This year: My brothers Luke, Logan, and Brent Nelson really want to watch the game, along with my Dad. So my idea: I'll just invite them over to Scott's house to watch it with us! But that wasn't going to work, because there was already going to be a bunch of people over there, and he doesn't have a very big living room.
My new solution: Talk to Dad and order the channel! And so I got with my Dad the other day, and I asked him if we could call the cable company and order the channel for the game. He said, "Oh, are you not going to Scott's house anymore?" I told him that I wanted to watch the game with Brent Nelson and the rest of the family, and he just said, "Alright, give them a call, and let me know how much it costs."
And so I called, but they eventually had to talk to my Dad. Dad talked with them for a few minutes, and hung up after a few thank-yous. Dad informed me that we now had the channels, and I was excited. I went into the blue room and tested it out, and it was awesome!
I am really excited to watch this year's game with my Dad and my brothers, and it's going to be sweet!! I informed Scott today that I probably wasn't gonna go to his house, and he wasn't very happy about that (especially since I planned it), but I am sure he will have fun with everyone else. :)
And so...on Saturday, make sure all y'all wear blue and support the BYU Cougars! We need to win this game to win the conference title for the third straight year!! ;)
Monday, November 17, 2008
College Application Progress
So far so good!!
I just need to get an interview with the bishop and stake president, and I need to get my high school transcript sent in. And then I will be set after paying the application fee.
I have my application set up for both BYU and BYU-Idaho, and it'll be interesting to see if I can actually get into Provo! :)
I just figured out that everything is due on December 1 for applying early and what not, so hopefully I can get those two small things done before the first! :)
Woo-hoo!!
I just need to get an interview with the bishop and stake president, and I need to get my high school transcript sent in. And then I will be set after paying the application fee.
I have my application set up for both BYU and BYU-Idaho, and it'll be interesting to see if I can actually get into Provo! :)
I just figured out that everything is due on December 1 for applying early and what not, so hopefully I can get those two small things done before the first! :)
Woo-hoo!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)