my food intake

I have a Hiatal Hernia. I've had it for about 4 years now (off topic - but I've owned my truck for 5 years as of Sunday. 123,000 miles later it's still doing good). It has been a long process getting used to changing my diet. I am often asked what exactly I can and cannot have. I recently found this list on a GERD website. Let's start here:

citrus fruits
chocolate
drinks with caffeine
fatty and fried foods
garlic and onions
mint flavorings
spicy foods
tomato-based foods, like spaghetti sauce, chili, and pizza

Additionally I have found that I can't have spicy food, a lot of Chinese food, or carbonation beverages. Occasionally you will see me eating chocolate or drinking Cherry Coke. I have learned how to tolerate these and how to get my body to accept them (early in the day and in small portions).

There are three other foods that I consider to be of the Devil:
raisins
pickles
raw bananas (I'll eat dried bananas just fine without throwing up, and banana bread is my third favorite type of bread.)

With these food challenges, I have two other challenges - to eat better and to exercise more. To eat better I turn here.

So there you have it. If you are ever hosting me or trying to feed me - there is my guideline.

28

I turned 28 a few hours ago. Surely you must have heard the fanfare. No? Really? Weird.

I'd like to think I'm not only older but I'm wiser, but I'm not sure about that. I learned a long time ago not to date 18 year-olds yet I did it twice this year with the same results. My life experiences out weigh their life experiences and they get scared.

I only had a few different majors this year and they were more thought out before I changed them...but I still had about 4 different majors. I'm now a University Studies major with a really high possibility of graduating April 6-7th.

Up to about 2 days ago I thought I was moving to CO or UT, but being home does something for you. Being in Cali with lots of jobs and high pay and a dream of a better life...makes those mountains, trees and rivers less important. We'll see where I stand in 14 weeks.

I was going to spend my time here in CA catching up on my writing, reading some books, visiting some historic sites...but I'm just being lazy and sleeping all day. I go out at night and sleep all day. I really would like to be doing more with my life but after last semester's trauma, and all of the drama from 2006 - I'm pretty happy just sleeping and watching House and The Office on the internet.

Merry Christmas to all! Happy New year!

Love, Sean

Official Grades

Hi Everyone. It has been forever since I posted. But that is with good reason.

My grades became vitally important to me this semester. My grades at mid term weren't anything to brag about so I made an effort to change that:

Adaptive PE - A
Soc 112 - B
PR - B- (it was a F at midterms)
Soc 111 - C (it was a a D at midterms)
Book Of Mormon - C (it was a B at midterms. I sacrificed this class in able to bring up the two others.)

The other reasons I haven't had time to post in the past two weeks are that I had a funeral to go to which put me 4 days behind schedule and I've been dating SZ for about 2 1/2 weeks. Between her schedule and mine, I was spending every available minute with her. She and I will be separated for 2 1/2 weeks starting tomorrow, so our time is precious.

I went to a jazz thingy tonight

I have started seeing this girl, SZ, from Rockland, Il recently. We met in the Galley (I know - how romantic!) and I really enjoy her companionship. Tonight she had a great idea that at first scared me.

A hangout place recently opened up in Rexburg called Heart Mind and Soul (They took my "hot chocolate" idea and expanded it greatly.) Every night they have some form of live music. This evening was no different. Tonight they had a jazz band playing jazz music, and SZ suggested we go.

It was amazing.

I'm not a big jazz fan, but they had a guy playing there tonight named Brent Jensen. He played the alto Sax and he mezmorized me. SZ is very attractive and very comfortable, but every now and then I was just transfixed. There was a guy who was playing and instrument that looked like a trumpet but wasn't a trumpet and he did great as well. There were a magnsifgant drummer and up right bass players as well.

It was just a great evening. I'm considering converting over to being a bit more of a Jazz fan.
I can still hear the sax in my head (along with the Pussycat Dolls singing "Buttons".)

A first time for everything

Getting the mail today was like a Bi-polar experience. On the one hand I got my first Christmas card of the season from Dun & Gu.

On the other hand, I got a letter from USU's admission department. I got accepted to Humboldt State, Sacramento State, and Cal State East Bay with no problems. I even got accepted, and eventually went to, BYU-Idaho. I was accepted to Ohlone, my Junior college, as well with no hassle.

So today was a new experience. I have a 2.743 GPA. USU denied my application because it wasn't a 2.75.

So I now go with plan B. I'll graduate from BYU-I in July with a BS in University Studies with an Emphasis in Sociology, Literature, and Public Relations.

However - the denial process hasn't ended - I'm still considering Grad School, many of which only require a 2.5 to get in.

A job well done

I go to BYU-Idaho, a frankly better school that our sister school down south. However, our school is lacking a major college tradition. We don't have a football team. In fact we don't have any sports that involve other schools. When we have football on the weekend, BYU-I wins 3 games and loses 3 games when only 3 games are played. Yee Haw - Go BYU-I!

Our sister school down south - BYU-Provo - did a miraculous thing this weekend. After 4 straight years of losing to the University of Utah, BYU beat UofU. In fact, they beat them in Salt Lake in the last three seconds of the game. For a clip, go here.

Way to go BYU!

It's been a while

It’s been a while since I posted last. I’m working on a 5-person group project right now and only 1 ½ of the people are working. Those 1 ½ people have to pick up the work for those that aren’t. It’s frustrating. In addition to this, I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting.

It’s been a while since I’ve lived in CA. I’ve lived in Rexburg for the last 20 months. Prior to that I lived in Oregon for nearly 6 months. Prior to that I lived in Rexburg for 6 months. That’s nearly 3 years. Yet I will soon leave Rexburg for CA. I’m going to live in CA for about 3 ½ months before returning to Rexburg to graduate in July. (Assuming a lot of things like that I pass Com 235, that I then pass Com 335, Assuming that I don’t get accepted to USU and then have to decide what to do with my life after that – go to USU or Stay at BYU-I, assuming I don’t freak out in CA and join a cult of anti college freaks.)

I have a hard time remembering what it feels like to live in CA. I have been in small towns and farming communities for 2 ½ years. Slow moving, relaxing days floating down the river or sledding down the hillsides; “normal” people who show up to job interviews in slacks or at least their best overalls; “normal” people who aren’t pierced and tattooed to the extreme; Idaho politics that involves water rights and elk hunting. I’m leaving this to go “home” to CA to a different life.

It’s been a while since I was home for a major holiday. I haven’t spent a November thanksgiving with a family member since 2003, which was at KNJ’s place and my father and John came. I haven’t spent a Christmas or birthday in CA since 2004 (last year I spent it with Steve). Lastly, I haven’t worked in a theatre in over 2 years. In other words, everything I used to really enjoy has changed. It’s been a while since I was CA Sean.

It’s been a while since I was on my mission, but I still remember it. My mission was from Sept 22 1999 to Jan 12 2000. I served for an additional 3 months (Apr 9) on my couch before receiving an official release from the church. But it is now, back in 99, which I was in Tucson. During the summer I met a girl over myspace who lived in Tucson. She lives just outside my old area boundaries. While discussing with her where she lived, we used Google Maps. I found my old area and saw an aerial view of my old area (it seemed bigger when I was on a bike.) That brought back a lot of good memories. Now days I support the mission effort by writing to 8 missionaries serving through out the US (MN, NM, CA, OH & Chicago, IL) and the world (Brazil, Taiwan & Portugal). As I write to them and occasionally hear back from them, I think back to that time in my life 7 years ago. I look at the Sean that existed back in 1999. The summer Brother and Sister were married in, the mission call, and then leaving. In 2000 I met John. I met KNJ in 2002. My mother died in 2003. I left for ID in April 2004. KJN and I said our final good byes in November 2004. And then now. I look at the person I was in 1999 and who I am now. In some areas I’m a better person. In other’s, I’m worse. Nothing stayed the same, not even my hair.

Like I said, I’ve been in a reflective mood lately. Sorry