Much needed update

So I haven't written an update regarding my time here in Athens for a while.  Since I am now in Finals of my first semester of grad school, I guess there is no better place to start than back at the very beginning.

Started out going to UGA football games, with how much I love college football, this was a no brainer. I got to experience life "between the hedges" and see what "It's Saturday in Athens" is all about.  It did not disappoint.

I even got to go to an away game at the University of South Carolina.  It was my first SEC game, and the game didn't disappoint in excitement, had my first of many weather delays, they postponed the game multiple times due to lightning.  I'm glad I wasn't the individual that was in charge of making that decision, not many people were happy when they heard there was another weather delay, especially after kickoff time had been postponed for over an hour.

It was pouring rain for most of the game...

Rain dely = nap time!

Vinny Tufaro came to visit with his, not so new, team University of Tennessee.  Peyton Manning also graced us with his presence, I was pretty excited about it, considering I hadn't seen Vinny since he left Utah, and he got to come to Athens. :)

Peyton Maning! (Khaki shorts, orange shirt)

Never letting your water rack touch the ground is apparently more than just a Utah thing... :)

Hard to see, but Vinny is on the sideline in khaki shorts.

Even got to see him on TV while watching the Tennessee vs Mizzou game.

I of course had to see what tailgating in the south was all about.

UGA AT staff tailgate 

 Watching people tailgate before the a huge game,  like the game against Auburn led to some awesome people watching.  People watching in the South is so much better than people watching in Utah, people started tailgating at 9 am for a 7:30 pm kickoff, needless to say, many were very intoxicated by the time the game started.

Got some good laughs watching keg stands!

Then the Softball team got in on the action, and played a few games.

They are taught young how to properly care for a softball field.

When we played Florida State University we got to warm up in their football indoor practice facility, took me back to my days working with the University of Utah football team. It even smelled the same, I'm pretty sure the turf was just as dirty too...

We had a visitor at softball practice, we named him Slugger.

We got to play the USSSA Pride, a national professional fastpitch softball team, of course we won.  But the excitement didn't stop there, the sprinklers turned on during the 5th inning, giving us some good laughs!

For one of my classes, we each signed up to bring breakfast for the whole class, one of my professors came through for us and made us Mickey Mouse waffles!

Got to watch and support UGA basketball.

Since I couldn't make it home for thanksgiving a few other people, that I have met while being here, that also couldn't go home for thanksgiving got together and had our own thanksgiving.  Let's just say, it did not disappoint!

I went back to work after the break, and found out I was "official," my name is now outside the athletic training room door!

Then of course we had to do the annual fall cleaning, can I just say, the floor to the softball athletic training room gets dirty with all the dust.

I had to start the Christmas season out right by watching the Athens Christmas parade, it did not disappoint, they had some really good drum lines, and some other awesome floats.

Athens truly is beautiful!

The Polar Express even made a stop!

Needless to say, life is never dull here in Athens, GA.  I am very excited about my upcoming trip to Utah to see my family and friends that live there, but UGA has treated me well thus far, and I am excited to come back and see what in-season softball has to offer.

This song is a current GA favorite.

Go Dawgs!

Happy Birthday Matt

I have needed to post about this for quite some time, but could never bring myself to do so.  I think it's because it is so close to my heart, and it's been a bit of a struggle to deal with.  2 months ago, one of my best friends died.  He was serving in Madagascar on a LDS mission and got really sick, he was sick for a couple weeks, when he was called home to our Heavenly Father.  I know it was his time to go, but it's still been hard to accept.
Today is his birthday, he would have been 20 years old, although he never really did seem to be 4 years younger than me.  My mom used to babysit him and his two siblings Jen and Nick, while their Mom and Dad were at work.  This helped us to become closer than cousins, he became the little brother I never had.   Matt is the definition of a true friend, he always knew when someone needed help and was willing to do whatever was asked of him to help out.  He had the kindest heart, he was always more concerned about others than himself, especially after his niece Allie, and nephew Axton were born.  They were truly his pride and joy, he talked about them all the time.
I loved being able to play the piano with him, work together landscaping, have conversations about absolutely anything under the sun, watch him become the amazing missionary he was and is today. Most of all, enjoy his true friendship.
So allow me to go down memory lane and enjoy some pictures:

Lights at temple square in SLC

Riding the Catapult at Lagoon

Watching a movie during a trip to CO

Flight to CO

A collage someone made of Matt

Lights at temple square in SLC

Matt in Madagascar

The fountain that Matt built in his parents yard, it will always remind me of him.

I hope one day I can be the kind of person you always were/are, "Until We Meet Again!"
Happy Birthday Little Buddy!

A few songs that describe my current thoughts: First, Second, Third, a song I am going to dedicate to Matt, and lastly the last song Matt and I ever played on the piano together.

Living in the South = Really good food!

I have only lived in Athens, Georgia for 2 weeks, but I have eaten some really good food.  If you know me, you know that I LOVE food, especially good food.  All of the GA's (graduate assistants) go to dinner at least one time a week.  Granted, this will likely change as we start classes on Monday and all of the teams will hit the gas pedal for in season or off season participation.  Anyways, we have had some great recommendations from long-time Athens residents, and I have not been disappointed yet!  Some of the places such as Tlaloc El Mexican.  The nickname for this place is called, "Sketch-Mex,"  the restaurant looks really shady, but the food is authentic mexican and tastes delicious! I had no idea what I was ordering since the entire menu was in Spanish, but I took a stab in the dark, and was not disappointed.

Another place we have tried is called, Clocked.  This place reminded me of a combination between Red Robin mixed with Johnny Rockets.  They even had Gluten Free buns, for a reasonable price!

We have also gone to a place called Locos, this place again had really good food.  It was trivia night and we were doing really well, until they started to take FOREVER to get to the next question, and we ended up leaving before it was over because we all had to work early the next morning.

Needless to say, if y'all come to the South, you will eat really well! If y'all want to come visit me, I will gladly show you the ropes and introduce you to some of the best that Athens has to offer.

I have not tried the BBQ yet, but this Saturday, there is a HUGE BBQ kickoff festival, kind of as a warm up to football season that starts in two weeks, and I am stoked to see what they have to offer!

In honor of living in the south here is a born and raised southern boy.

Keep livin' the good life y'all!

It's official I'm a GA at UGA

After a 32 hour drive from Centerville, Utah to Athens, Georgia I finally made it.  It was A LOT harder to say good bye to my mom than I thought it would be, it's a good thing I know I am doing what I am supposed to be doing it, where I am, or it would have been a lot worse.  My mom was a saint and drove the whole way with me.  Quite the adventurous road trip.

But now I am "all" moved in, I still have some boxes that aren't unpacked yet, but I am at least unpacked enough to function with my day to day tasks.
The last two days, have been a whirlwind of information being thrown at me, it's like a firehose being shot at me and all I have is a little cup of water.  I'm hopeful that I will get the grasp of everything pretty quick and once I have to perform all the tasks they have been describing, I will be able to wrap my head around everything.

It was a bit like Christmas this morning though, we got all of our gear for the year from the athletic training department and holy cow, it was a lot!

Needless to say, it's rough being so far from my family, but I think this is going to be a great experience for me :)

Just because I love this song, I will share it again :)

All Good Things Must Come To An End...

My time with Utah Football is nearly over, we had the spring game last week, which means Spring Ball is officially over.  I am officially done for good.  It is a bittersweet feeling, the title of student is no longer available so now I have to be responsible for all of my actions. haha  But, that also means  anytime i practice athletic training I will be working as a certified athletic trainer! (and can charge for my services!!)

I am sad to be leaving football, I have spent a lot of time with them over the last 2 1/2 years, the staff, players, and everyone else that run the program have been fantastic, I am going to miss it! But Georgia offers a lot of great experiences and opportunities to continue to learn and grow in life as well as an athletic trainer!

I am getting more and more excited to go to Georgia, they even sent me some gear last week, which made it official that I will be joining their staff!

The same day we got our senior gifts from the senior class to all of our preceptors (the athletic trainers we work with on a daily basis), we liked them so much we decided to make some for ourselves as well. 

These got as good if not better of a response than we were hoping, everyone loved them!

I am officially done with my undergrad career, and after this weekend will be an official member of the University of Utah alumni!

Looking at this and seeing it all green is a wonderful feeling!!

I saw this video.  Emma Stone is hilarious!

BIG changes on the horizon!

I figure since almost everyone else knows, I should put it here too.   I am moving to Georgia!! I am really excited to experience what the next chapter in my life contains.  I was offered and accepted a graduate assistant position working with the University of Georgia softball team as their athletic trainer for two years! I will have the opportunity to live in Athens, GA! I truly can't wait!

It is definitely a surreal feeling, knowing that I will graduate with my bachelors degree in May, then basically have about a month and a half to get everything together, say my goodbyes, and move across the country.

I am really excited to get my masters degree paid for while I work with the softball team, and actually get paid for what I spend most of my time doing now anyways, especially since it is something that I love to do!

Better late than never

I suppose I'll do what most everyone else in the blogging world has done and do a year in review.  With most of my time being occupied with being an athletic training student I tend to group my time together in time experienced with different rotations so that is how I am dividing my year up.

January-March: Utah Softball; I worked with a great group of girls and learned a lot about a sport that I did not know much about.  I was able to gain experience with an all female sport, which was very valuable considering I had only worked mainly with all male sports up until that point in my athletic training career.

April: Went to RMATA in Denver, Colorado.  I was able to meet a lot of awesome people that are part of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Trainers Association.

April-May: Westminster Women's Lacrosse; I was able to work with a nationally ranked women's lacrosse team, and learn about a sport that I knew absolutely nothing about.  I met some great people that I am still in contact with today.

May: I found out that I was going to have the opportunity to work with Utah Football for a full year.  I was about to embark on one of the greatest experiences of my life.

June: I turned 23, and got to celebrate it in Las Vegas with a lot of my good friends.  NATA (National Athletic Trainers Association) conference was in Las Vegas.  I had a blast visiting LV for the first time in my life.

June-July: Summer conditioning, nothing really too exciting here, except for the move from the trailers into our new facility, which is absolutely amazing!

August: Fall Camp: This was an adventure in and of itself, I had a blast getting to know the guys and the staff that I currently work with.

August-December: Fall football season! I absolutely loved being a part of the football season again.  I learned a lot and began the long process of looking for and applying for graduate schools.

There was obviously a lot more that happened during the year that I didn't touch on, but that was a brief overview of my great life that I am really enjoying.  Especially now as it looks like my future plans are starting to actually fall into place.  All the hard work I have put in, is really starting to pay off, and I am really loving it!

As with tradition; I blame my good friend Mikey for this, but I am currently really liking this song.