A Decade Since...

Today is a very significant day for me.

One this day TEN YEARS AGO I was told that I HAVE CANCER.

I remember this day as if it was yesterday. I was in a small hospital examination room and in walked some new doctor I had never met. Her name was Dr. Schiff and after a short introduction she relayed the news. You would think that a relationship with another person who shares this kind of horrible news shortly after meeting them would not progress into an amazing relationship.

However, that is exactly what has happened. On this day ten years ago I met the awesome, wonderful, and best doctor in the world. In the decade since we had that wonderful introduction I have put her through a lot. I am not the best patient in the world. I make a lot of decisions that give her stress, but I am thankful for her caring, loving, and mother-like approach she has with me and my cancer treatment.

The few weeks preceding this day I have done A LOT of soul searching and pondered a lot on the past decade of my life. That without Dr Schiff would most likely would not have happened.

In the Last Decade I have:

-Graduated from High School
-Survived a 1.71 G.P.A. during my first year at college
-Served a 2-year Mission for my church
-Had a academic paper accepted to a national conference
-Graduated from College with a B.A. in Communications
-Been a Best Man at a Friends Wedding
-Had Emergency heart surgery
- Made life long friends
- CouchSurfed numerous times at complete strangers houses
- Kissed a girl in a bar
- Bungee jumped off the highest indoor bungee jump
- Won a dance contest at a summer camp
-Traveled to eat amazing food
- Been to many concerts: Imagine Dragons, Fun., Head and the Heart, Sleigh Bells, and others
-Groomsmen in another friends wedding
-Attend my Grandfather's funeral of whom I was named after
-Been interviewed by the Seany Foundation to promote awareness for childhood cancer
-Been 94.1 Radio station in San Diego's kid of the week
-Drove 4 hours for a hamburger
- went skydiving
- Interviewed for a documentary about life after cancer
-Took a Road trip from Utah to Washington D.C.
-Had 10 surgeries
-Been to Australia, Canada, 26 states, Fiji
- Worked for the Make-A-Wish Foundation
-Been to 13 baseball stadiums
- Front Page Story written about me in the Daily Universe
- Attend the 100th Anniversary of the Calgary Stampede
- 10 years of holidays and memories with my family
- Started a Masters program
- Been constipated many times
- Slept at Mark Madsen's house

I have been blessed with a lot of amazing experiences in my life since October 16, 2002. And after this time of reflection and self mediating I have come to the realization that most of these amazing opportunities would not have come to pass had it not been for having cancer.

Yes, I have cancer and it is an intergal part of my day-to-day life; however, it does not define me as a person. That being said I am glad that I have cancer. It has molded me into the person I am today by effecting my personality and outlook on life.

Although sometime it sucks being stuck at home sick and depleted of stamina to go about day-to-day activities ..I would not trade not having cancer for anything.

So, I raise my glass and toast the amazing Dr. Schiff, Cancer, and living each day positively. Here is to another 10 years of school, traveling, eating, treatments, surgeries, and constipated nights.

Cancer cannot take away your will to live...Only you can!

Here is a motto I live by: What is the point of extending life if you are not going to live it!

Summer Travel Totals

Since my midsummer travel update I have traveled to Calgary, Canada; Vista, CA; Providence, RI; Hartford, CT; Boston, Mass; and Newport, RI.

My complete traveling totals are:

Driving: 5, 938 miles 

(This does not include my 20 min. commute to BYU campus/Provo which I have driven many times. It also does not included travel time to and from airports)

Flight Distance: 21, 485 miles

Flight Time: 39 hours 27 minutes



All-in-all I would say that is has been a very fun, busy, eventful, and memorable summer!

I will be blogging about all the events, food eaten, and experiences experienced during these travels.

Steak & Bungee Jumping

While I was in Canada it was required that I try a steak. The Alberta Beef is very famous and Canada gloats abouts the amazingness of their steak. We spent my first weekend in Edmonton. (approx 3 hours north of Calgary).

So at a steakhouse called the Moose Locker I order a filet mignon, truffle oil pasta, and green beans.

Rating: 2 out 5 Bald Heads 

The meal was rather disappointing. It was not even in my top 10 of steak eaten in my life. 

The next day we went to the West Edmonton Mall to go Bungee Jumping.

106 feet of falling. It is the highest indoor bungee in the world.

It was awesome, but I admit it was more intimidating than Skydiving.

Burgers and Parades

The First Friday I was in Calgary was the Big Stampede Parade that kicks off the beginning of fun. We arose rather early in order to get decent seats. (Not super early like some of them crazy folk).  The Parade had a feeling similar to the Rose Parade in Pasadena, but not quite as big and extravagant. The parade lasted for about 3.5 hours.

Once the parade ended the three of us were very hungry. So my good buddy Sam took us to Boogie's burgers.

Here is a picture of what I ordered:

I ordered a single bacon cheeseburger, added with a slice of ham and swiss cheese, and topped off with two hot dogs sliced in half. It was a very hearty hamburger, but it was also super delicious. This meal was in the top three favorite meals I had throughout the entire three week trip in Canada.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Bald Heads

The only reason that it does not receive a 5 blad head rating is because the fries were so-so. They were just slightly above average and nothing to write home about.

Breakfast at Cora's

The second day in Airdrie (this is a suburb north of Calgary) we biked to Cora's for breakfast. It is a nice breakfast spot. It is one of those places that opens at 6 a.m. and is closed by 3 p.m. This means that breakfast is their specialty. I ordered the cinnamon raisin french toast breakfast. It came with two eggs, two strips of bacon, and a mound of fruit. They defiantly don't skimp on the amount of fruit they give you, unlike the breakfast chain IHOP and Denny's. The fruit is also fresh and does taste gross and mushy. 

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Bald Heads

The fruit was great, but everything else was just ordinary. I give it a 3.5 for the generous portion of fruit, and every item in the breakfast tasted fresh, homemade, and cooked to order. These characteristics raised the rating a half bald head or so.

Also, when we were leaving to pay a gentleman who looked like the General Manager walked up to me as I was waiting at the cash register. He had one of those weird, creepy, too happy smiles. He looked at me and asked if he could help me. (I would have thought standing at the cash register with my receipt would have been an obvious clue, but apparently not). Then I explained I needed to pay and he smile nodded and then walked pass me out of the restaurant. 

To add to the weirdness, after I paid we went to the dollar store to buy Canadian Candies that I could sample throughout the trip. After I walked into the dollar store I turn down the candy isle and BOOM...there is the same guy. He turned, saw me and gave me the same creepy smile and said Hello. (Just picture a creepy dude with his head tilted slightly). It was really weird and from that time forward I was nervous that he was going to be popping out of everywhere throughout the duration of my trip.

Canadian are weird. EH!

JFK and hamburgers

In Dallas we ate lunch at this Chop House Burger joint in Arlington Texas. I found it on the Diners, Drive-ins, and dives list. (this is one of the first places I look when researching for good places to eat)

This place was located in a kinda run down strip mall. You would never think to stop there without the help of DDD. 

  I ordered their signature Chop House Burger. Char grilled ground beef and slow roasted brisket mixed , house made steak sauce, apple wood bacon and smoked cheddar cheese on a butter toasted bun. It was a decent burger, not my favorite or life changing, but it is a step up of any fast food restaurant. It was a good variation from the normal hamburger because of the brisket that is mixed in with it.
However, the onion rings were pretty awesome! They did not un-seed my favorite onion rings of all time, but it defiantly found a place in the top 5.


Rating: Hamburger  3.5 out of 5 bald heads......Onion rings get a 4.7 bald heads out of 5

During our time in Dallas we also visited the Book Depository....the building where Lee Harvey Oswald shot JFK. Since I am a history junky (this was my major before I changed to communication, and so I just got a minor in history instead). It was interesting to take the self-guided tour with headphones and learned a lot about this crazy event in our nation's history. It was fun and I am glad I can cross that of my bucket list.

It is out of the window all the way to the right and second from top that the shot were fired that killed JFK riding down the street in the forefront.

Good 2 Go Taco

As some of your may already know I am a Food Network Junky....I got this next restaurant recommendation from Adam Gertler via the show Best Thing I Ever Ate--the episode is entitled "Hidden Treasures." (In case you would like to YouTube it and watch the segment. 

The restaurant is called Good 2 Go Taco, and its humble beginnings began in a gas station, Unfortunately it has moved locations to a new modern, hipster (no in a bad way), and bigger location to allow for a better experience for the customers. 

I orders two tacos: The Honey Bear and Paris TX

The Honey Bear

This taco starts with a flour tortilla topped with chile-honey bacon, scrambled egg, spinach, and goat cheese. This taco was very good and I am a sucker for goat cheese, but for me the bacon had too much honey on it; however, my father LOVED it and didn't think so...once again that food is like art and everyone has a different preferences and interpretations.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Bald Heads

I would have given it another half to full star if it had been more bacon taste than honey. 

Taco #2

Paris TX 

(This is the taco that was on the best thing I ever ate)

This taco is built on the same awesome flour tortilla as the previous, then grilled flank steak, egg, spinach, hash potatoes, and hollandaise. 

Rating 5 out of 5 Bald Heads

This taco was AWESOME! I crave it at least 3 mornings a week. I would contemplate moving to Dallas so that I could eat this taco everyday.

I am currently in Calgary, Canada and would love recommendations for place here, and I will be in Rhode Island and Maryland in August. Past your suggestions my way!