BYU-OU Part 2: The Cougars' Conquest

The whole experience was electrifying. The new Dallas Cowboys Stadium has to be the most incredible sports arena in the U.S. The most stunning part of it is the massive LCD screen that is sixty yards long.

It was fun to see the BYU commercials on the screen.

Even more exciting than being in the stadium was watching the game. Incredible. BYU’s defense was stellar. The fourth quarter goal line stand was unbelievable. It’s one thing to stop a team three times at the goal line, but SIX times? Wow. Max Hall was also incredible in that last touchdown drive.

With Oklahoma’s final field goal attempt falling short, the celebrating began. After the game ended and they shook hands with Oklahoma, the team went to the corner where most of the BYU fans were sitting and did the traditional haka.

Here I am, sweaty and tired, but excited to the “Max.”

The Robertson crew was thrilled with the outcome of the game: BYU 14, Oklahoma 13.

After the game, I was amazed by the kindness of the Oklahoma fans. Several came up to us and congratulated us on a great game afterward. We were amazed. The other oddity of the night was seeing drunken BYU fans for the first time in my life. (I’m sure there are BYU fans who drink, I’d just never seen them before.) They came up and talked to us as we were waiting for a shuttle. It was weird.

We had a fabulous whirlwind trip to Dallas. It was worth every hassle we had getting there. Here’s to a great rest of the season! Go Cougars!

BYU-OU Part 1: Destination Dallas

Our adventure began early in the morning as we left our house a little late. We got to the ticket counter to check in, and the airline attendants told us we were five minutes too late. They had overbooked our flight by ten people and we were supposed to check in a half hour before the flight left. They told us they could reschedule and get us to Dallas by 5:20. We nearly went home, but they told us that they could check flights with other airlines. They found that Frontier could get us there by 3:15. They booked that flight for us free of charge (which was nice of them, but probably fair since we weren’t actually late for the flight itself). We then had a little wait in the airport. We were just happy to be on our way.

We went through Denver and caught our plane to Dallas. In Dallas we went to pick up our rental car we all laughed when we saw that it was almost exactly the same car as my dad drives. The only difference was that it was a year newer and a very slightly different color. So much for the fun of a rental car.

My poor sister-in-law, who had been sick with a cold, had terrible ear pain and then lost her hearing in her right ear during the flight. We called a doctor and he told us it was common, and that she needed to clear her sinuses so that her eardrum would loosen up. That meant our first item of business was to find a place to buy her some medicine. We drove all around and finally found a Costco, which had the needed nasal spray. Then we were off to find our hotel. We had it pulled up on the GPS on my dad’s iPhone, and we knew we were near, but we couldn’t find it anywhere. Things were very tense because of all that had gone wrong, the quickly approaching kick-off time, and our family’s notoriously terrible sense of direction.

We finally got to the hotel, where we called a taxi to take us to the game as Jessica sprayed medicine up her nose—possibly the worst way to have to take medicine (in my opinion, worse than getting a shot). We waited 20 minutes for the taxi, which was stuck in pre-game traffic. By the time he picked us up, it was 20 minutes to kick-off time. Luckily our lateness meant that there was little traffic. As the new Dallas Cowboy’s Stadium came into view, our taxi driver told us to take a picture.

We walked into the AMAZING stadium right as BYU was kicking off.

BYU Graduate

I started BYU seven years ago. Three changes of major, seven apartments, one mission and 231 credit hours later, I am now officially a BYU graduate. For those of you who don't know, I earned a Bachelor's of Science in Social Studies Composite Teaching with a minor in economics. I finished everything for my degree back in April and walked in the commencement, but postponed my actual graduation until August so I could keep my TA job. Well, I actually didn't delay graduation on purpose, I just overlooked the deadline to graduate in April. It worked out quite nicely though.

Leaving BYU isn't very easy for me (obviously--it took long enough). It's very much a part of who I am. There are few people who love BYU as much as I do. Luckily, I have been so busy since I finished my last business on campus that I haven't had much time to think about it.

Next time I go to campus I will be considered a "visitor". That makes me sad.

First day of school...

I have been meaning to update my blog for awhile with the summer goings on, but summer ended today (for me). Yep. It's back to school, except for the first time I'm a TEACHER! I have my own classroom and everything. I got hired a week ago to teach at Westlake High School in Saratoga Springs. Not only was it my first day as a high school teacher, but it was the school's first day as well. It's a beautiful facility with fabulous administration and I feel lucky to be able to be a part of its opening. I am a little overwhelmed not having had much time to prepare, but it will come.

I'm teaching four different classes: Geography, Modern World History, Financial Literacy, and Government and Citizenship. The first day went fairly smoothly, other than the fact that a lot of my students didn't have my classroom and name on their schedule, so it took a few minutes for everyone to figure out where they were supposed to be. I like my students already.

Economics + romance novel?

On Tuesday I rode my bike to the Orem Public Library. I checked out a book and sat down on the lawn to read before heading home. I was so engrossed in it that I had read several chapters before I realized that the grounds worker was waiting to mow the patch of lawn that I was sitting on. I put the book away, rode home, and read until it was finished. What kind of a book held my attention so tightly? The Invisible Heart: An Economic Romance. I can imagine most of you laughing really hard right now. If the book weren't so good, I would be embarrassed to admit that I had even read it.

The author of the book is Russ Roberts, host of my favorite podcast EconTalk. He writes novels in which he expounds economic principles. I heard him interviewed about another one of his books, The Price of Everything: A Parable of Possibility and Prosperity. I have always enjoyed listening to his explanations on the podcast, so I was interested to see how his economic fiction would be.

The actual story and writing is pretty good (not bad for an economics professor, really), but the economic content is fabulous. It is a great book for anyone who wants to understand economics and some of the issues of the day, not just nerds like me. My friend was over the evening that I finished it. At first she laughed a little bit, but then picked up the book, and now she is hooked. She didn't even really like economics before.

So if you're in the market for a good read, don't be too embarrassed to pick it up. It's better than you think. Just warning you though, you might become a libertarian after reading it.

Celebrity Look-alike

I have been told twice in the last week that I look like Ginny Weasley from Harry Potter. I know that picture of me is slightly creepy, but it was the best serious face I could do. Ginny is cool, but I'd rather be Ron Weasley's girlfriend than his sister. What I wouldn't give to enjoy a little snog with that boy.

¡Bienvenidos, Presidente y Hermana DuVall!

Today I went to the homecoming of my wonderful mission president and his wife, the DuValls. They are two of the finest people in the world.

I know that most people think that they have the greatest mission president in the world-- but they are wrong (unless they served in the Spain Bilbao Mission). President DuVall had a way of motivating missionaries, not because they were scared of him, but because they wanted to live up to the great potential that he saw in them. He truly led with love. Hermana DuVall is one of the most caring people that I know. I was amazed how with so many missionaries that they had in the mission, she remembered little details about what was going on with me in my missionary work and even with my family. Some of my favorite times were sitting with Hermana DuVall while my companion was in her interview with the president. Besides, it was always fun to talk to another woman that shared my passion for BYU football--she sacrificed three seasons and I only missed one. After I left two years ago, they have been wonderful at keeping in touch. Every time I would write them, they would quickly respond with a long and detailed email. Amazing.

It was so good to hear them speak again. It felt like we were in zone conference. They spoke about miracles, a great topic as it was one of their themes as mission presidents. They always tried to help us to recognize the many miracles we witnessed. I feel like it was a miracle that I got called to serve under the leadership of the incredible DuValls.

Here is a photo of the former missionaries that were there. It felt like zone conference all over again as we lined up for the traditional picture.

Happy Independence Day!

"The eyes of all America are upon us. As we play our part posterity will bless or curse us."

--Henry Knox in 1776 by David McCullough

God bless those brave patriots who drafted and fought for the ideals of the Declaration of Independence.

Vitoria Spain Stake!

I received word this morning that they are going to organize the Spain Vitoria Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on September 6. It will be the first stake in the Spain Bilbao Mission, one that has been long-awaited. It will include two cities that I served in as a missionary, Pamplona and Vitoria. The announcement was made this morning in the branch of Logroño, where my roommate (a former companion) had served, after which many of the members went home and posted comments on Facebook. Within a few hours of the announcement, the news had made it halfway around the world. I can't tell you how happy I am to hear this news. It will be a great blessing for so many wonderful and faithful members of the Church there. I can't tell you how much I love and respect them.

Here is a picture of me in front of what will be the new Stake Center:

¡ Felicidades, miembros de la Estaca de Vitoria! ¡Os quiero!

Podcasts

I love podcasts. I have a few long-time favorites. I highly recommend "EconTalk", a great podcast, even for those who don't know a lot about economics. My other favorite is "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me," a quiz show on NPR about the week's news. Recent additions include "This American Life" and "The Naked Scientists" (Tasha's suggestion). What podcasts do you listen to? Any suggestions for me?

P.S. Has anyone else noticed that there are an abundance of guys named Ira on NPR?