Randomness of Life

For those who don't know I am 1) a social media junkie, 2) a couchsurfing supporter, and 3) enjoy spontaneous randomness. That being said I was able to satisfy all three of these thing this past weekend.  I was on Facebook and noticed a news article about two cancer survivors who are driving around America shooting a documentary about the fact that there is life after cancer. 

You can read that article Here

After I read the article I immediately wrote on their Facebook page to offer my support, and before I knew it was hosting them at my house for Friday and Saturday. They interviewed my for about an hour and a half for their documentary and I took them hiking and showed them around the beautiful state that is Utah. It was a great opportunity and I am glad I was able to meet both Evan and Eli. 

Now for the older guy in the middle of the photo. He was a freelance photographer who took pictures of all three of us throughout the interview and as we "hung out" to run a story of their traveling for the Chicago Tribune. Overall it was a fun experience. 

The highlight of the trip was watching the Opening Ceremony for the London Olympics. It was fun to share that experience with them and a few other friends. The highlight being when Sir Paul McCartney had everyone singing Hey Jude. The entire house was singing and sharing the moment together. 

It is truly an Olympic ceremony that I will always remember!

Annual Baseball Trip with Dad--Part One: Houston

Every summer my father and I go on a baseball trip. I look forward to it every year, and it is always a great time and we are slowly reaching our goal to watch a baseball game in every stadium. This summer we went to Houston and Dallas to watch baseball and eat delicious food. We grade every stadium but the architecture, design, and by the food offered at the stadium.

Houston was our first stop. We  planned it that for the two games in Houston, the Astros would be playing the Padres. Both my father and I were pleasantly surprised by Minute Maid Park in Houston. Here are a few pictures of the stadium.

The outside is very beautiful looking and it has a roof closed during the hot, humid midwest summer. They can close the roof and pump the A/C during the game.











Here is a picture looking out to right field. This was our view for the first game, and then we sat in the first row in right field for the second game. It was fabulous and as usual my father likes to talk with everyone around us. During the second game he did some friendly trash talking with the lesbian couple behind us; however, we never really went through the proper introductions, and the couple called him Padre throughout the course of the game.

Now on to the food at the ballpark. My father good BBQ Brisket Nachos, and they were DELICIOUS! They were the best nachos that both my father and I have had at a baseball stadium. It had corn, salsa, sour cream, guacamole, and of course cheese. It was fantastic.

I got gourmet sliders. They were pretty solid for a hamburger. I have had better, but I have also had worse. 

Houston we have a problem and I that is all for this post.

Pictures of Fiji

For those who don't know....I worked for about three weeks in Fiji during the month of June. It was terrifically awesome! Meet some amazing people, had a life changing time, worked hard, and got more mosquito/spider bites than I had gotten in my entire life up to that point.

Anywho, here are some pictures.....

this is a picture of the resort that we stayed at for the first three days on the island of Waya Leilei. This island is about a 1 and half hour boat ride from Latoka (a city on the main island)

the huts that we slept in

on the morning of the last day we hiked to the top of this rock and had an amazing 360 view of the beautifully blue Pacific Ocean.

Our bus got stuck in the village that we were building toilets

here is a group working on a toilet. The Fijian in the forefront with the blue shirt is named Billy. He was a preacher at the local methodist church.

here is a tie that a good friend from Italy gave me. I wanted to give her a thank you shout out!

Summer Update

This summer has been absolutely amazing so far! I have been traveling, eating, serving, driving, flying, sleeping, and getting pretty gross spider bites.

So here is the update so far:

Driving:

Utah to Washington D.C.: aprox 2,122 miles

Utah to Phoenix, AZ: aprox 632 miles

Utah to Vista, CA (Roundtrip): 1372 miles

And countless driving around town and to and from airports.

Flying:

Dulles, VA to SLC, UT: 1,842 miles  Flight Time: 3 hours 39 minutes

SLC, UT to Long Beach, CA (Round Trip): 1188 miles Flight Time: 2 hours 23 minutes

Los Angeles, CA to Nadi, Fiji (Round Trip): 11,004 miles Flight TIme: 21 hours 5 minutes

Totals:

Driving: 4,126 miles

Flying: 14,034 miles

Flight Time: 27 hours and 7 minutes

There is the update of my traveling so far this summer. I still have Houston and Dallas, Texas; Calgary, Canada; Rhode Island; Baltimore, Maryland; and a road trip from Virginia to Utah before my summer will be over!

Also: My birthday was yesterday and I listened to my favorite song as a both reflected on the past year and planned for the upcoming one. Life is so EXCITING! even with cancer.

Here it is:

"Embrace the past so you can live for now!"

 

This past Monday I spent a few hours outside walking around the Sugarhouse area of SLC. I was killing time waiting for my friend during her dance company's practice. As I was walking area I ran into this wonderful burger joint. It is on 21st South and roughly 9 east.







I remember that I had eaten here a few times while I lived in the Sugarhouse area. It is a great place to get an old fashioned hamburger. Two of these hamburgers will do the body good. They are not pricey at all. Each hamburger is $ 1.39.

I give this place a 4 out of 5 bald heads.

You don't go here if you want a big juicy stomach
filling burger. But, for a small lunch that will hold you over until a good dinner. This is the place.

How do you do it?

I am often asked the question, How do you do it?

This question is in reference to keeping up with the stresses and high demand of graduate school while fighting cancer.

My initial response is that I know no difference. Since I was 16 I have been fighting cancer and trying to live as 'normal' a life as I can.

During deeper contemplation on this question I asked myself, WHY DO I DO IT? I could easily coast through life with small aspiration and as long as I fought cancer no one could blame no for no having high asprations or expectation of myself. It was during this thinking that I was listening to one of my favorite artist Ian Axel. The song entitled 'Gone' started playing and I feel it best describes the WHY behind why I fight  so hard against cancer to extend my life and do not use cancer as a crutch to coast through life.

Here is the video of the song with the lyrics:

PLEASE TAKE THE 4 MINUTES TO LISTEN TO THIS SONG AND LISTEN TO THE LYRICS.....IT IS THE BEST WAY TO CONVEY THE "WHY" AND "HOW" OF MY FIGHT AGAINST CANCER!

I fight because I want to make a lasting impression on the world no matter how small it is, who doesn't. The harder you fight the stronger impact that you make. That is Why and How I do it?