Amazing Amanda

Amanda has been transformed by a goal that she has had, and I just wanted to show how far she has come, how fabulous she looks and how proud I am of her. She looks absoolutely ah mah zing. Congrats Sue Sue La La.

Shooga Beau

My last weekend was to say the least AMAZING!! I have to tell you about my little trip to the Shooga Beau. First, as many of you know I fly stand-by because as a past airline employee, I still cannot pay full fare for flights. It's like shopping at the Pottery Barn. I just can't get over that let me sell a kidney to afford the luxury that I was getting at a discount rate or free. I'd rather sit in L.A. traffic (the kind of traffic where you pull out a board game, and not just any board game, Monopoly, and you still have extra time to play a good round of Yahtzee and wait till you actually get a Yahtzee before the car in front of you starts moving) before I pay full air fare.

So the closest I can get to Nawlins is Austin, so I think who in there right mind will be flying to Austin on New Years Eve? No one! So I list stand-by on the flight with an assured fact that I will be the only one on the plane and this time the in-flight crewmember can't get mad at me when I ask for a cranberry and apple juice (I just love mixing them together) because they will be happy that I saved them from boredom with my presence on the plane.

Well as the days get closer, the flight ended up selling out the day before and then to top it off, there are 10 stand-bys in front of me. I’m start to wonder is Austin the new New York? Have I just been so out of the loop that I have lost all touch with What’s Hot Now reality? I was baffled like a Crimson Tide fan after being beat by the Utes! (More of that later) Even with the flight sold out, Brent and I decide to try for the flight because we can roll over to the next day at a higher priority. After we get to the airport, there was the answer to my Austin full-flight confusion. The flight was continuing onto Orlando. Arghhh! Of all the flights continuing to Mickey country why mine? Why now?

Well we sit there and watch the flight board and then after everyone had boarded, all 12 stand-by's wait to hear if they miraculously got on. Brent and I were number 11 and 12 on the list. We even parked in the pricey parking lot knowing there was no way we were going to make this flight. When all of the sudden there arose such a clatter, everyone sprang from there seats to see what was the matter. Away through the doors we flew like a flash, she called all stand-by names, hope the plane doesn’t craaaaaash.

All I can say is that god’s hands were involved with getting Brent and I on that flight. Scholars and JetBlue employees still are baffled like a Crimson Tide fan after the 2009 Shooga Beau that we got on that flight. That means 12 people did not show up for that flight, a modern day miracle.

Amanda and Clint were waiting in Austin for us, and I knew that they would be so excited that we made the flight and tears would flow from their eyes as we disembarked from the gate. I see Manda over the horizon as we get off the flight and her first words of excitement to me are "why aren’t you wearing your Utah shirt?" Oh that Sue, such a sweet girl acknowledging the pure miracle of us making that flight.

The second luckiest thing that happened to me was instead of the economy car that I reserved, we got a mid-sized level. It was a smaller SUV like car and it was Ute red. I felt like my luck streak was rolling. The 8 hour drive consisted of traffic lights on highway, Mcdonalds new grilled chicken on a wheat bun, two employees at the Shell gas station saying "yu trippin!" "Naw yu trippin," "I aint da one dats trippin." "Hmmm mmmm you trippiiiin," and songs we played on the iPod to represent 2008.

We all agreed that we did not want to countdown the New Year on the I-10 freeway, so we drove only stopping for gas. We get to the Big Easy and meet up with Nick with 35 minutes to spare. We counted down on Bourbon Street with Crimson Tide fans yelling out Rollll Tide! Once we left the French Quarter, as we walked back to the car guess who found a wod of cash in the middle of a crosswalk? Meeeeeee! $26 bucks. Way to bring in 2009.

The next day we spent most of the day in the French Quarter we won golf shirts at a fan contest. The competition was who could kazoo their teams fight song the best. The 9 of us slammed the BAMA fans. They did not know who they were up against. Tate's know their fight songs! After the contest, we went to a pep rally at the Marriott hotel to cheer on the football team. I think all 11,000 fans showed up. The energy in that room was amazing I think it was the first time where I felt that we actually had a chance at beating the Tide.

We then had dinner at the Gumbo Shop which has good Gumbo (go figure) and we walked around checking things out. We went into this VooDoo place which had this weird shrine that said “Do not touch will bring bad luck.” Brent almost touched it, so I had to pay a quarter to off-set the bad luck. Brent likes to almost touch VooDoo shrines and wants to get a dog. I keep paying good change out of my pocket for the VooDoo shrines and as far as the dog goes, I suggest a pre-dog test. He should chainsaw the furniture, use the kitchen floor for a spittoon, empty the vacuum cleaner dust bag onto the bed, and go to the bathroom in the yard himself. If at the end of a month he is happy with the way things are, then he can have a dog.

The next day is game day. I start it off by first visiting Brent’s sister and family from Mobile. We met halfway in Mississippi at an IHOP. His little 8 year old nephew got a gun for Christmas (Only in the South), and in a little Southern accent he states "now I gotta fif-tuh-een and uh twun-tee tooo." They were BAMA fans so I can make fun of them a little, but all in all a very sweet and great family.

The rest of the day we spent in the Quarter, had Po- Boy sandwiches and then beignets at Café Du Monde. It was then time to head to the Super Dome.

Knots in our stomachs were apparent, but the excitement of being there took over. We got to the Dome 90 minutes before the game started, but most of the Utah fans were early. Our fans at this game were amazing!!! I was so impressed by our turnout; we were on our feet most of the game and cheered our hearts out. Most of the BAMA fans stated afterwards that they were impressed by our dedication and volume. Those of you who watched the first quarter of the game, no words can describe seeing it in person. People hugged strangers it was like we were all best friends. After we had won 31-17, we went down to the French Quarter and no more Rollllll Tide's were being called out.

The ride back was smooth and much easier than it would have been if we would have lost. We also made the flight going back once again we were 11 and 12 again and barely made it again. After we made the flight, I could officially say that it was the PERFECT weekend.

We have been watching Utah football games over the years through thick and thin, and the fact that all 5 of us got to be together to witness what might be the biggest win in Utah's history was remarkable. Stacy, Dad, Grandma Dickson, Natalie, Snowbird employees JetBlue crewmembers, and others who made this possible, thank you! It was one of the most memorable moments in my life.

Car Wash White Christmas

Oh blogging. It’s so right, yet so hard. Lately I have been trying to organize how to get to the Sugar Bowl. I just begged 3 buddy passes off an old friend of mine at JetBlue. On the big Blue, the closest I can get to Nawlins is Austin. So we would fly to Austin and then drive 8 hours to see the Utes play. If that is not dedicated, I don't know what is. Amanda, or as I like to call her Crazy Sue, is Driving almost 2,000 miles from Salt Lake City to the Big Easy. I told her that if she does drive, she cannot take her car and that she has to take books on tape, not only for some good reading, but because I think she will kill her roommates, if they don't kill her first. I also told her to take the Southern route and not go through Wyoming, Not sure if it's wise advice but snow is snow.
I went to the big D-Land last Thursday and finally got to go on my favorite ride Space Mountain. I told everyone that we are not going on Pirates this time, because we go every single time. So what did we do? We went on Space Mountain….then Pirates. You can't win them all. At the end they have these machines blow snow with the White Christmas song being played. Everyone was so mesmerized by it. The machine blowing snow sounded like a car wash (the extreme jet edition)and it drowned out the song. The one thing you notice at night in Utah when it snows is how everything is so quiet. Like time stands still.

Utes!!!

The Utah football game was the biggest highlight of the week. So many Cewgs were smack talking before the game that I was going absolutely nuts. I have this friend named Ryan who I think might be the most annoying Cougar fan of all. After the game, I said on his Facebook page “48 – 24 no offense.” Apparently he was not happy with the outcome of the game and let me know it. I just said back to him that I couldn’t understand what he was saying because I was too busy booking my airline ticket to Phoenix, or is it Nawlins? Either way, I would get him a souvenir, one that will match his Quest for Perfection T-Shirt.”

I love beating the Cewgs. It’s like the best Christmas present ever. I have never seen Rice-Eccles stadium have so much energy as it did in that game. I keep thanking Utah’s MVP of the game Max Hall. He was such a great asset to the team. To think he helped us not only win the game, but become MWC champions and another BCS bid. Thanks Maxie!! Ok, so it wasn’t all Max Hall, as it was our awesome team. I really hope to go to the Fiesta Bowl, only because the turnout will be amazing. The Sugar Bowl will be a struggle to get to. I’m just really proud of my team. The Tate’s stick with the Utes through thick and thin, and this just happens to be one of the thick parts.

LOTR Hike

Wow what an incredible election day! At first I was not thinking much about it, but as Election Day drew closer, it was exciting to take it all in. Last weekend I went up to San Francisco with Brent for Halloween, and it poured and poured, but we still had a lot of fun. Brent and I went to one of my favorite places called Muir Woods, it's just north of the Golden Gate Bridge, We were able to see the Redwood trees and the smell was amazing. With the fog and the rain, it looked like a scene from LOTR. I even sang the theme song as we were walking through the woods. Brent seems to always get a little soundtrack whenever we go on hikes, he is grateful for it though, I mean who wouldn’t be. We were soaked by the time we finished the hike, but we were glad to get out of the city. The only regret I had over the weekend is I wish that we had flown. The Central Valley in California is one of the most boring drives in the world, it is worse than the drive to Vegas. Next time I am flying or taking Stacey's advice with the train.

On Election Day, even though I was more concerned about the Utah v. TCU game than the outcome of the election, it felt great to vote. I think one of the greatest things about America is the right to vote. Watching Obama with the acceptance speech was amazing to see how much the nation has changed. Almost like watching one generation pass the baton to another. Were in a lot different place than we were the last time we received a new President, I hope for the best.

This Pretty Much Sums It Up

Over the past few months many people have approached me on my stance on my official position on gay marriage. Basically, I don't care. Not only do I not care if gays get married, it is none of my business. It's a full-time job for me just to keep up with the latest news on LC from the Hills, I don't have the energy to fret about somebody else's libido.
Hard as it is to counter such brilliant logic, my position hasn't changed. The only serious concern I have about gays getting married is that they'll register someplace pricey. My church is serious about the sanctity of marriage. I get that. But aren't more potentially "dangerous" marriages already being performed out there? For example, I hear in church all the time about marriage being ordained of God. But I also hear about how the glory of God is intelligence. Shouldn't it be against the law for stupid people to get married? What's more harmful to society - two well-dressed men getting married and settling down, or two idiots tying the knot and cranking out any number of additional idiots? You should have to pass a harder test to get married than the one we currently have. Essentially, there are but two questions: "How old are you?" and "Is that your sister?" Hell, you could pass this test just by guessing. There are drawbacks. Most people get married when hormones and youth make them about as dumb as they'll ever be. So, even a relatively easy test would by default raise the age limit to about 40. With an increased marriage age limit, there would be fewer births. Genealogy would become easier to do. With fewer births, there would be fewer children born gay. Hey, isn't that what Heavenly Father would want?
OK, I was just kidding about that. But if you're really serious about putting a stop to gay sex, let them get married.

Prizes Falling

Missed a week on the blog arghhhh!! I was doing so well. Well, since I wrote last I went to a Mexican one year old birthday party in Gardena, dinner at Taste on Melrose then breakfast at Toast on Sunset, hiking at Runyan Canyon, had my car stereo ripped out of my car and went to Oktober Fest in Big Bear (It snowed!).

First, Brent’s co-worker invited him to a birthday party for her daughter who was turning one. Apparently it’s a big deal in the Mexican culture. Brent begged me to go, he told me it would make a good story for my blog. Well if it’s a good cause for the blog, how can I resist. I took a picture of the grandpa holding the piñata on the chicken house in the backyard because I knew no one would believe me if I didn’t have proof. It was fun, Brent works with some pretty cool people, so I always like hanging out with them.

Straight from the Gardena Mexican one year old birthday party, to a restaurant on Melrose called Taste, a high trendy place off of La Cienega. That’s one of the coolest things about L.A. you can literally do two things at the opposite end of the spectrum in a matter of minutes. The two venues weren't that different though, if you think about it, most of the woman in the restaurant looked like they had gone to Mexico for face-lifts so many times I'll bet if you whacked their head with a stick, prizes would fall out. So different crowd, same scene.

I also had my car broke into. Last Thursday My car was parked across the street and the dashboard was literally ripped out. Luckily with my dad’s help I was able to put the stock stereo back in. Another crazy thing is they took my gym bag and school bag, and just last night I get a call from the neighbor who found the bags tossed on the side of the street. Luckily my phone number was in one of them, the thieves did not steal anything out of the bags not my new shoes, not my shuffle iPod everything was still there. Go figure? It’s mysterious that the bags appeared on the street 5 days later.

Later after my car was put back together, we went up 103 miles to Big Bear to our friend Steven Woods’s cabin and celebrated Oktoberfest. I had never been to one before, it was fun… I finally got to try sauerkraut. Not bad, not bad. It also snowed a trace, it was so cold up there but I did not mind because it reminded me of the fall in Utah and how great the first snowfall is. Und wer nicht gerne einen guten ersten Schneesturm. Ja?