The Carriage House Summer Begins

Alright folks,

After a couple weeks, I'm starting to get all settled in here in Cardston. So far I'm really enjoying it.

The town is small, but not tiny, and it kind of feels like home. Its about 95% LDS and it reminds me a lot of Kaysville/Farmington area. Its a bit smaller, but it has the same feel. Overall, its a nice cozy little town. And the weather has been really nice as well.

The Shows are coming along, and its exciting. The one I've done the most work on so far is All Shook Up, and folks, it is hysterical! Its going to be a really fun show. Playing the roustabout is posing to be quite a stretch for me. But in a good way. :)

Annie is... well, Annie. As stupid and Corny as ever, but pretty low stress, and lots of fun. The little girl who plays Annie is so adorable that the stupidity of the script doesn't even matter.

As far as Les Mis goes, it feels like we haven't rehearsed it very much... but we did a read/sing through with the cast and it was pretty Amazing!

I love my roommates. We have been hard at work at the Zemps Gym every morning. Everyone is clean, and everyone is really chill. So overall our apartment is quiet, clean, and chill. Perfectamundo!

When we are not in rehearsal we like to play as a cast. The people I work with are awesome! One of our first adventures was to go to a beach at one of the lakes near by. We didn't really know where we were going, and we tried just winging it, but we ended up trudging through a bunch of fields in order to get close enough to the water to play... and then the beach was really muddy! haha. Also, it was super windy... so our day at the beach was kind of a fail, but it was an adventure, and now we know what NOT to do next time.

The Mud was actually clay and it stuck to our feet like super glue.... it was impossible. haha

Then on Saturday we went as a cast to Calgary, and it was so much fun. On Friday night Darren, Devin, Brian, and I decided that we would go up to Calgary to go to the Zoo. Originally the girls were not going to come with, but once they heard we were going to the Zoo they decided they wanted to come. We left early on Saturday morning, and the girls met us at the Chinook Mall, and then we went to get food at Moxie's.

Brian, Me, Darren, Devin (We all live in the same apartment) and Janae, Sydnee, Jordan, and Michelle.

While we were eating, the Ladies decided that they would rather shop all day, so the four of us guys ended up going to the Zoo alone. It was all good though. Bro time. haha.

I think the highlight of the day was the cougars that were "cuddling." It was hysterical. Oh nature...haha

Anyway, overall things are going really well. I'm loving it. And, I'm making a promise that I will post at least once a week.... we'll see about that. :)

Peace and Blessings from Cardston.

Some Rocky Mountain wonder

I've lived at the base of the Rockies for my entire life, but unfortunately it was only a couple years ago that I discovered how truly awesome that is. I started going on hikes with my friend Mal in order to be physically fit, and I fell in love. The mountains are so beautiful, and it seems that there are endless trails waiting to be discovered. On top of being breathtakingly beautiful, there is a serenity and a calm sense of security that comes from being away from the frantic pace of normal life.

I also find hiking to be a very spiritual experience. When I am high in the mountains, gazing down and the shiny flecks of human creation, I am reminded of how insignificant we are. We think we are so amazing, and that we do such great things. And then I stand there and look at how small our great accomplishments are in comparison to God's grand creations, and I just have to thank Him for giving me another day to live, breathe, and create.

Now, don't misunderstand me... I'm speaking solely about hiking here, and not camping! As much as I have fallen in love with the mountains, I'm not ready to sleep with them. The person who thinks they can get me to fall in love with cooking, and sleeping, and living in nature has their work cut out for them. But for a day, maybe even two, I love it.

Anyway, all of this was to say, I went on a Hike today. And I loved it. and I took some pics. Brian and I hiked up to Horse Tail Falls, took us about three hours there and back. It was really steep... the ENTIRE way. I think there were two flat spots, that were both about five yards long. Other than that it was steep incline. Yay.. Yay for butt and calf muscles.

Our Final Destination.

"Hey Brian, stand over there and I'll take a pic of you." Code for, I'm dying. I need to find a way to take a break without seeming like a wuss.

 

Another pic from said break.

There was horse poop EVERYWHERE... I only stepped in it once.

La Roca Grande

Aaaaand, a real view. This was not a wuss break pic.

 Also, this is a lesson I learned from today's hike. If I eat crap, I will feel like crap. I've been eating all sorts of junk food this week because I'm leaving soon and I've been saying my goodbye's (I'm a social eater). Well, it caught up with me and I was dying for the first couple miles! Yikes. Time to stop inhaling the ice cream and cookies and cake.

A Little Bit of Fun

So, I move to Canada next Wednesday, and I'm excited!!! A week from this moment I will be rehearsing, and that just makes me so happy.

Today is my last day as a teller, and hopefully it is a job I will never have to resume. Its not that its been terrible, its actually been very good to me. But I'm hoping that I can make it through the rest of school living off of the money I make from whatever summer jobs I have. And when I graduate I want to move to NY, and lets face it, I don't really want to move to NY so I can be a teller again. . . just sayin.

I was lucky enough to have the day off yesterday, and I decided to take advantage of the nice weather and go to the Hoagle Zoo with some friends. I have to say, I'm very impressed with the upgrades that they are making. I remember going to the Zoo as a kid, and it was kind of depressing because the animals were basically holed up in the cement boxes with hardly anything to do. But, with the upgrades, the animals have so much more space and the set up allows patrons to get much closer. Anyway, the whole experience is much more enjoyable. And there is a stark contrast from the old parts of the Zoo to the upgrades. I'm excited to go in a couple years when they have everything upgraded. It will be really neat.

Anyway, here are some of the pics we took. We decided that the theme of our pictures would be "We love Animals." So, these pictures are to show our love...

So. Much. Love.

Contemplating the love of the Rhino

Brian's Favorite Animal. He was once an aspiring marine biologist.

I don't love them as much, I just imitate.

Then the chrome bear bit my hand....

Siegfried and Roy

After a fun day at the Zoo, and then a nice dinner and a little excursion to Hatch Family Chocolates. Brian and I headed off to Wiseguys for an evening of comedy with one of my favorite comedians and people. Miranda Sings (Colleen Ballinger). I laughed myself silly, and then got to meet her after and get a pic. Overall, it was an awesome day!

She gave us some really good advice too... "Jack and Brian, I love you. Don't be Porn" - Miranda Sings

Mornings

This post may seem a little ironic following my last post.... but whatever.

So, I have already shared that I get hangry, but there is another time when I can be not so pleasant.... when I am tired. And this is most often the case in the morning.

I HATE mornings!

This would be the BEST thing to wake up too!

Every new day is a new battle.

Waking up sounds so simple when you say it you know? It's like "wake up." Just open your eyes, roll out of bed, get going............ as if.

And my alarm clock? my worst enemy!

Now, if I've had a good 10 to 12 hours of sleep, then I can just "wake up." But get anything less than that, and waking up becomes raising the dead. Its a miserable, draining process.

My poor mother is usually the recipient of this morning anger. She cannot win in the mornings. I'll come upstairs in a half daze like a zombie and she will ask me a simple question about my plans for the day like, "Do you work today?" Normally such a question would be no problem, but if its before 10 am, then this ball of murderous rage boils up in the pit of my stomach that makes me want to yell something like "I GOT UP!!! I DESERVE A MEDAL!! WHY ARE YOU HARPING ON ME LIKE THIS?!?!" Lucky, I have the ability to regulate my emotions and I can usually take a deep breath and get a pleasant response out. But the anger lives on.... until about ten when I fully come to life and I can see clearly.

When I was a missionary we had to get up at 6:30 every morning. I don't know how I accomplished this as waking up anytime before 7:45 is near impossible for me, but somehow I did it. Luckily, my first companion when I got to Virginia was not a morning person either. I remember that he specifically told me that we would get along better if we didn't speak until after our personal study time which ended at 10. It was miraculous! We got along so well! I think that it should be a rule of society that we just simply do not interact until after 10. In fact sometimes I want to make a sign for myself that says "Danger! Not a morning person. Communicate before 10am at your own risk!" sigh.... if only.

So there is me, and my hatred of the morning, and then there is this completely other breed of human that wakes up super early full of energy and optimism and rainbows and sunshine.... and in the mornings, I want to kill them. Mostly.... some days not as much, but usually. Good thing we can be friends later in the day!

In closing, one of the most inspired quotes of the decade.

"In and ideal world no one would talk before 10am. People would just hug, because waking up is really hard." - Zooey Deschanel

First World Problems

Let it be known that life is hard.

I think this is the case for every single person.

The older I get, the more I believe that one out of every three people we cross paths with each day is dealing with some major crisis. I've had my days of crisis, and I've had my days of bliss.

Sadly though, even on my days of bliss I can find so much to complain about... to wish for... to be jealous of. .. Its kind of pathetic.

On Saturday I had the opportunity to go see some of my friends in an awesome dance concert at BYU. It was a combination of dance and cowboy poetry. Very unusual, but very cool.

One of my favorite poems was about being "rich." I wish I could find it to post it, but in essence it listed off all the reasons that a cowboy would feel they were rich even though they were so monetarily disadvantaged; things like the smell of grass, thunderstorms, fresh mountain air, etc. It was beautiful how the dancers portrayed this poem, and the message reminded me of a couple things.

My Car

I own a car. My brother sold it to me for an awesome price, it's all paid off, and I've been using it for almost four years now.  Unfortunately, its list of broken things is so long its almost comical, but it runs and I'm happy for it. Unfortunately over four years this little car has spent lots of time with the mechanic, at one point it was at least once every two months. At this time I was often very irritated at continually needing to fork out my money to get it fixed. I remember one day after discovering a new problem I was fantasizing about all the different ways I could destroy this car in the most painful and destructive way (painful to the car, not me...as if I could somehow get revenge on this inanimate object). As I was driving somehwere that day, stewing about how awful my life was because I was stuck with this happiness sucking, money draining, life ruining machine, I got a nice smack in the face from reality. I was stopped at a light, and wallowing in self pity when this man crossed the street in front of me. I don't know the exact details of the life situation of this man, but it was clearly difficult. His clothes were ragged, his face was sunken and worn, and because he was pushing a shopping cart filled with bags and other random personal items, I assume that he was homeless. In that moment the thought came "that man would kill to have your problems if he could have the things that you have." In an instant my self pity washed out, and I was filled with gratitude and a twinge of shame for my attitude. I was so overcome that I started to choke up (.... this is not uncommon...) and I began to think about all the opportunities that I have been blessed with. It was a good reminder for me that while my problems are indeed stressful, they are problems that many would be excited and happy to deal with because of the blessings that they are attached too.

I wouldn't say that this experience was the first wake up call I've ever had but it is definitely one of the most memorable.

A Little Phrase

This experience and the dance concert also reminded me of these funny little memes that make their way around the internet entitled "First world problems." They have always made me chuckle, and I really enjoy reading them because they put into perspective how silly our complaints can be. I enjoy them so much that I've kind of adopted that phrase into my life. Its kind of an internal thought thing, and it usually goes something like this:

Me speaking to someone: "I hate that I have to work so I can pay for school AND housing, why can't I just have super wealthy parents that pay for everything?" (This is one of my most recent ridiculous complaints)

Self to self in my head: "Um.... hold up Jack! Do you realize how ridiculous that sounds?"

"What do you mean?"

"Is your life in imminent danger because of this problem?"

"No."

"Do you have a bed to sleep in and a roof over your head?"

"Yes."

"Do you know where your next meal is coming from?"

"Yes."

"Have you ever had to worry about making sure that your life sustaining needs are met?"

"No."

"Is this problem going to impede on your ability to get your life sustaining needs met?"

"No."

"Are there people around you that love you and are concerned for your well being?"

"Yes."

"Then congratufreakinglations, you are one of the luckiest people on the planet, you are dealing with a first world problem, quit your complaining and be grateful for how blessed you are!"

"Oh......I'm an idiot."

"Yup."

Its a fun little process that always helps me remember that I'm lucky and I have opportunities that so many people could only dream of. I mean, even the fact that I have the ability and the technology to write this blog post, and that you can read it means that we are both very blessed.

So, here's to trying a little harder to stop complaining and to being a little more grateful for all the awesome things I have. Huzzah!

And, to finish off; one of my favorite lists of "first world problems."

Moving past the past

See,

There is this lady I know.

Her and I have always had a rocky relationship, but over the past few months things have gotten really bad! And when I say bad, I mean BAD! I don't want to sound snobbish, but it wasn't really my fault either. She just changed. She became very rude, and cold, and harsh. And on top of that, she became deceitful, and at times it seemed that she was being intentionally spiteful. Things I don't appreciate, you know? The whole thing has been really hard on me!

 Now, she has done this in the past, but this most recent episode seemed the longest! To the point that I had lost hope that things would turn around for the better, and I was prepared to let this relationship go for good.

But, over the past few days, she has changed again. She has become so sweet and warm and inviting; it has caused me to remember why I loved her so much in the first place.

And so, I would like to publicly write her an apology.



Dear Friend of mine,

I'm so sorry that I had such bad feelings towards you (and that you were such a #@%!).

I'm sorry that I was ready to let you go for good.

I'm sorry about all the nasty things I said about you to my other friends.

I'm sorry for all the times I have cursed you, and all the things I have blamed on you.

I really hope that this change that has come over you will be lasting, and we can be on good terms again. I have missed your warmth and goodness in my life!

So please, Mother Nature, lets turn over a new leaf and keep this good thing going.

Sincerely,

Jack.

An old pic of me and Mother Nature on one of our good days.

O Canada!

This summer I get the opportunity to work at the Carriage House Theatre in Cardston Alberta, and I am stoked!

I will be playing Marius in Les Miserables, Chad in All Shook Up, and then dancing my butt off in Annie.

Here is a list of reasons why I am so excited about this.

1. I get to go up there with two of my awesome friends.
2. I get to make new friends.
3. I get to play one of my life long dream roles.
4. I get a chance to stretch and grow as a performer.
5. The theatre is three blocks away from the Temple.
6. I get to spend some time hiking and enjoying the beauty of God's green earth.

This is actually a pic from Glacier National Park in Mt. but, you get the Idea.... :)

So, if you get a hankering to get out of the country, see some shows, and enjoy some earth grown beauty, then come visit me!