Blackout Game for Halloween

Mindy and I went to the Utah/Wyoming game on Halloween this year. It was a "blackout" game where the fans wear black instead of the traditional red. It was a little chilly, but we survived the entire game. It was fun and we had some entertaining fans around us who added to the excitement as well. We had to stay until the end because Utah didn't have the game in hand until the last 4 or 5 minutes of the game. They won the game 22-10. The Utes are now 7-1 which is great but they have been winning ugly this year for sure. They haven't really put a great game together yet, but they always find a way to win.

After the game we went to hang out with my friends for a while. It was fun to have just about all of us together. Some of them got into the Halloween spirit and wore costumes. It was an enjoyable night and we look forward to the Thanksgiving holiday and spending more time with family and friends.

Collective Soul in Wendover

Last weekend, Mindy and I drove out to Wendover, Nevada with our friends Mike and Sarah to see Collective Soul in concert. As everyone knows by now, they are my favorite band in the whole world. We counted the number of their concerts I've been to and the count has now reached 8. Mindy has been to 4 of them with me. Mike has been to 4 or 5 as well, so we had a great cheering section. Click here to read about our last Collective Soul concert.

The evening started out a little chaotic when Mike realized he had left his tickets at home when we were maybe ten minutes from reaching Wendover. Luckily the concert hall was able to reprint his tickets when we got there. Disaster avoided. We ate dinner before the concert at the Montego Bay buffet. Mike enjoyed the all-you-can-eat crab legs as usual. We then drove up the street to the show. Black Stone Cherry opened the show and they were entertaining to say the least. Pretty wild bunch of guys. Collective Soul then took the stage. They played several of their old, well-known songs as well as a couple from their new album which was released in August. We all had a blast singing along with the band. They put on a fantastic show as usual. Everyone should experience the Soul. Mindy and I absolutely love the Peppermill Concert Hall and we have now converted Mike and Sarah to being fans as well. It is a perfect venue for concerts. We capped off the night by playing ths slots at The Rainbow Casino. Sarah turned $1 into $35 playing the penny slots and I managed to turn $5 into $30 playing the quarter slots. It's nice to go home a winner every now and then.

Great day. We loved every minute of it. Here are some pics from the show.....

Mindy and I in front of the stage

Mindy, me, Mike, and Sarah

Joel, Will, and Ed

Collective Soul, baby!

One of my heroes, Ed Roland

EXPERIENCE THE SOUL!!!

Playing the San Diego Way

Mindy and I took a trip to San Diego over Labor Day weekend. We were in need of a nice, relaxing break from work. The weather, other than the humidity, was perfect and we really enjoyed ourselves.
We stayed at in a hotel right on the San Diego Bay and the views of the marina and ocean were great. There is always something so peaceful and relaxing about the ocean. It has a nice calming effect. The hotel was only a couple of minutes from the airport and maybe ten minutes from downtown San Diego and the Gas Lamp District which was convenient for eating out. We spent a lot of time hanging by the pool and walking along the boardwalk by the bay.

We spent 5 hours one day and 3 hours on another night at Sea World. I thought it might end up being kind of boring now that I'm an adult, but it was quite entertaining. I always love seeing the dolphin show. I'm amazed at what they can teach those animals to do. Mindy and I both liked the sea otters and penguins as well. They are always playful and fun to watch. Sea World was doing "Summer Nights" while we were there so we were able to see the dolphin show at night which was really cool and an acrobatic show which was fun as well. The night ended with a firework show.

One morning, Mindy and I stopped at Winchell's (mmmmm....tasty, tasty), got some doughnuts, and headed to the beach. We had stopped at Ocean Beach earlier in the week and it was full of homeless people and locals who looked pretty out-of-it, so we decided to try another beach this time. We went to Mission Beach and it was much better. Neither one of us really enjoy swimming in the salt water, but we liked walking on the sand and sitting on our towels, eating our breakfast, and watching the surfers.

It was a great trip and we are now refreshed and ready to head back to work. It was a nice way to start the fall season which we both love. Time for some football!!!

Island Park Getaway

>The Stark family had been going to Island Park over the 24th of July for several years. Mindy and I missed last year because we had already taken time off work for our honeymoon. We were so happy we were able to join the family this year. Mindy always talks about how fun it is so I was curious to experience it for myself.

We jumped in the car Tuesday, July 21st and started heading for Island Park , Idaho. Mindy's sister-in-law, Dannielle, and her little niece, Bella, hitched a ride with us. We got there safely in about 5 hours, however that included a brief stop to clean up Bella's Del Taco quesadilla that made a trip back up from her stomach halfway through the ride and a 45 minute detour due to Mindy's bad sense of direction.

It turned out to be a great weekend. It was my first time to Island Park and it was beautiful. The lake surrounded by pine trees is very picturesque. We rented a neighbor's cabin which is right on the reservoir. We spent most of our time on the lake tubing, wakeboarding, and knee-boarding. The weather was great all week except for a little storm that rolled in on the last day.

We played games, watched the whole first season of Arrested Development, ate some good meals, went jogging, and golfed. We also made a trip one night to West Yellowstone to celebrate Mindy's dad, Cory's birthday. It was good times with the whole family and we're already looking forward to next year.

Here are the pics that tell the story better.....

Mindy and I in the canoe

Chillin' on the boat with Mindy's niece, Bella, and her sisters, Sierra and Melanie

Playing in the water with Bella

Mindy's niece, Bella, and her brother, Tyler

Mindy's dad, Cory. Happy birthday, old man!

Sierra and Mels at dinner in West Yellowstone

Jack's Mannequin/The Fray

Jack's Mannequin and The Fray were in town last Saturday night. When tickets went on sale at a 2 for 1 rate, Mindy's sister Melanie talked Mindy and I into going. Neither one of us are dedicated fans to either band, but we were both pretty excited about seeing Jack's Mannequin play because we really like a few of their songs. The concert was at USANA Amphitheatre which is a great venue. Even if the music isn't that great, th environment is laid-back and relaxing. It's fun to lay on the grass and talk with your friends with some cool music in the background. We loved Jack's Mannequin. They were great and they played all of our favorite songs like The Resolution, Mixed Tape, Spinning, and La La Lie. The piano player was fantastic. I can appreciate a great piano player and this dude was rockin' the house. The Fray, on the other hand, were a little boring. I expected this since most of their music is mellow and slow. It really isn't the best music to fill an hour-long concert. They played all of their songs that we knew (i.e. Over My Head, You Found Me, How To Save a Life, Never Say Never) which is only like 3 or 4, but since they get overplayed on the radio, it wasn't that entertaining. All in all, it was fun to get out of the house and do something. We had fun hanging with Melanie and her friend, Brooke, and we love music so it was an enjoyable evening. Here are a couple of pics we took.....

Happy Birthday To You, America!

First of all, I have to say that the 4th of July is a wonderful holiday! I have always loved celebrating the 4th because you never have to work, it's pretty much always sunny and you've got a nice tan from the summer months, and you usually get to attend a BBQ and eat hot dogs... Yummy! And then you close it out with fireworks, what could be more glorious than that?!

This year we started celebrating the 4th a day early due to the fabulous 3-day weekend. Nate and I went boating with my family at Deer Creek Reservoir. It was kinda cloudy and windy so the water was only good for tubing but we had a great time doing that!

Me and Melanie getting ready for some tubing!

Nate and I taking pictures while my dad blew up the tube

Nate trying to stand up on the tube and pushing my head down to steady himself!

We found this rope swing on the east side of the lake and everybody wanted to give it a try, but as you can see in these pictures my dad was the only succssful one who knows how to properly swing on a rope. Everyone else didn't get high enough and ended up dragging in the water!

Nate getting his foot caught in the rope.

Mels dragging through the water

Cory swinging successfully far enough to actually drop down into the water

We finished off the weekend with a BBQ at Nate's sister's house and some fireworks at the Rasmussen's house. It was a great weekend and I am so excited to do it again in 3 weeks for the 24th of July. We'll be celebrating that weekend in Island Park, Idaho with the whole Stark family! Can't wait!

Happy Birthiversary, Miss Mindy!

I had planned on writing a blog for Mindy's birthday which was last Friday, but I kind of forgot, so I decided since our first anniversary is this Friday that I could pull off a 2-for-1. I hope you had the best birthday ever, Mindy. I know I suck at coming up with good surprises, but I hope it was still enjoyable for you. You always do nice things for my birthday and other holidays and I appreciate it so much and I can only hope to be half as thoughtful as you. Anyway, happy birthday!

And secondly, Happy First Anniversary! This has been such a fun year and I'm so happy to have such a wonderful, loving wife. I have continued to learn new things about Mindy. I have found out what a great cook she is. I have had many delicious meals this last year. We have even come up with some of our own recipes. (Sausage Party Pasta, anyone?) I knew Mindy was very smart, but she has really impressed me with how quickly she has advanced in her career. She has caught on very quickly and keeps moving up that ladder.

I love that Mindy likes to go to concerts like I do. We have been to quite a few in the last year and there will be many more to come this next year. I also love that Mindy likes movies with crude humor and inappropriate jokes. (The Hangover, anyone?) I don't feel as bad about liking those movies when I see her laughing just as hard as me. Mindy has also been so good about letting me indulge my passion for sports. She has gone with me to many sporting events and watched a few hundred games with me on t.v. this year.

I want her to know how much I love and appreciate her. I look forward to the many years ahead of us and feel so lucky to have such a wonderful wife to share my life with. I love you, Mindy.