I receive an email every week to go play volleyball with some of BYU's alumni. Most of them played at BYU in the 70s or 80s, but they still have what it takes. The funny thing is that besides playing for the team, this is the best volleyball around. You would be amazed at the ability these guys play at in their 40s, 50s, and even 60+. I feel challenged and humbled when a 60 year old man can hit a ball with such speed and perfect placement that I have to sacrifice my body to even have a shot at putting it back in play.
The guys enjoy having me there, too. I think since my shoulder has yet to give out, I add a different level to the game. Not that this level is higher (because I even got beat by the oldest guy in the gym today), but different. I can't make it every Friday, but when I do, it's always the highlight of the week.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
A New...Everything?
After a few weeks of inactivity, I figured I should take time during my Data Mining class to update my blog (my priorities are definitely in the right place...trust me). Here's a rough breakdown of what happened:
- Finished my first semester of Grad school
- Started my first semester of Grad school electives
- Became the Ward Mission Leader
- Became single
- Started paying taxes for the first time
- Got a new cell phone
- Began pursuing cell phone development education
- Took up voice lessons
- Accomplished the 100 push-up challenge
- Finished the first two books of "The Hunger Game" Trilogy and now anxiously await the third
- Agreed to a return offer to USAA for this coming summer
I guess I have a bit going on. I'll do what I can to keep you better updated this time around (and include some pictures...maybe).
- Finished my first semester of Grad school
- Started my first semester of Grad school electives
- Became the Ward Mission Leader
- Became single
- Started paying taxes for the first time
- Got a new cell phone
- Began pursuing cell phone development education
- Took up voice lessons
- Accomplished the 100 push-up challenge
- Finished the first two books of "The Hunger Game" Trilogy and now anxiously await the third
- Agreed to a return offer to USAA for this coming summer
I guess I have a bit going on. I'll do what I can to keep you better updated this time around (and include some pictures...maybe).
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
"Oh, 17 is Legal in Texas"
The weeks following our downtown experience, we would hang out with the girls every so often and always in bigger groups. We would go swimming, play games, and play volleyball among other things.
As I started to get to know the girls more and more, Julianne kept on sticking out to me. She always seemed happy, that life would never get her down. In fact, she hardly cries. (To this day I've only seen her cry once. Any other girl would have cried at least half a dozen times.) She would be mindful of the people around her and help out when she could - something she probably learned from her mother. She would point out any uncomfortable situation and use sign language to communicate when she felt uncomfortable. I realized that it makes life a little more comedic when you notice these things.
As my feelings for Julianne became apparent to myself, I kept telling myself, "You can't date her. She's too young! She's only 17." But I became excited to see her every time we got together, and I didn't want to leave when it was time to go. But I couldn't date her! Was age all that was stopping me? Yeah! I decided not to date her and that was that.
One Sunday, Julianne had a group of people over for the weekly ritual of game night. By the time I showed up, all the games had started. I found an empty seat at the kitchen table and who should it be sitting next to me but Julianne. I think she was playing some card game, but she folded her hand and started talking to me instead. Then the young emotions started shooting through me and I quickly analyzed what Julianne had just done.
Did she stop playing her card game to talk to me? Does she like me? She must! Or maybe she's just being nice. She's always so nice. *sigh* Okay, play it cool. Play it cool! Don't worry about a thing. Just be yourself.
"So what's up?" she asked.
"Oh, nothing much. Just got here. I guess I missed the games." Smooth, Byron. Real smooth.
"Well, do you want to play foosball?"
"Uh, Sure!"
So we went over to the living room and pulled out this ancient foosball table. The poles were sticking to the holes and the guys were worn down, but it made the game interesting. We talked and giggled the whole time, and I realized that I could actually talk to her, despite her young age. A friend and I talked about how it was hard to date younger girls because they want to talk about what they're going through in their lives, but since we older guys have already been through those stages, we don't really want to talk about them again. However, I didn't feel this way with Julianne. Our conversations were just the way I liked them: interesting and humorous.
When it was finally time to go home, I stood at the doorway with my roommates as we said our goodbyes. While everyone was giving hugs and high fives, Julianne and Sydney were having a louder than usual conversation.
"You know you only have to be 17 to date older people in Texas."
"Nu-uh. Is that really the law?"
"Yeah, in every other state it's 18, but in Texas it's 17."
"Oh, that's cool. Texas really is the best."
The room got quiet quick. Everyone had stopped and turned their heads as if these two girls had a megaphone and were announcing something important. I felt a little pressure to make a move after I had hear this, but I really didn't know what to think or do. So I pretended that I didn't hear anything and said goodnight and got out of there.
As I started to get to know the girls more and more, Julianne kept on sticking out to me. She always seemed happy, that life would never get her down. In fact, she hardly cries. (To this day I've only seen her cry once. Any other girl would have cried at least half a dozen times.) She would be mindful of the people around her and help out when she could - something she probably learned from her mother. She would point out any uncomfortable situation and use sign language to communicate when she felt uncomfortable. I realized that it makes life a little more comedic when you notice these things.
As my feelings for Julianne became apparent to myself, I kept telling myself, "You can't date her. She's too young! She's only 17." But I became excited to see her every time we got together, and I didn't want to leave when it was time to go. But I couldn't date her! Was age all that was stopping me? Yeah! I decided not to date her and that was that.
One Sunday, Julianne had a group of people over for the weekly ritual of game night. By the time I showed up, all the games had started. I found an empty seat at the kitchen table and who should it be sitting next to me but Julianne. I think she was playing some card game, but she folded her hand and started talking to me instead. Then the young emotions started shooting through me and I quickly analyzed what Julianne had just done.
Did she stop playing her card game to talk to me? Does she like me? She must! Or maybe she's just being nice. She's always so nice. *sigh* Okay, play it cool. Play it cool! Don't worry about a thing. Just be yourself.
"So what's up?" she asked.
"Oh, nothing much. Just got here. I guess I missed the games." Smooth, Byron. Real smooth.
"Well, do you want to play foosball?"
"Uh, Sure!"
So we went over to the living room and pulled out this ancient foosball table. The poles were sticking to the holes and the guys were worn down, but it made the game interesting. We talked and giggled the whole time, and I realized that I could actually talk to her, despite her young age. A friend and I talked about how it was hard to date younger girls because they want to talk about what they're going through in their lives, but since we older guys have already been through those stages, we don't really want to talk about them again. However, I didn't feel this way with Julianne. Our conversations were just the way I liked them: interesting and humorous.
When it was finally time to go home, I stood at the doorway with my roommates as we said our goodbyes. While everyone was giving hugs and high fives, Julianne and Sydney were having a louder than usual conversation.
"You know you only have to be 17 to date older people in Texas."
"Nu-uh. Is that really the law?"
"Yeah, in every other state it's 18, but in Texas it's 17."
"Oh, that's cool. Texas really is the best."
The room got quiet quick. Everyone had stopped and turned their heads as if these two girls had a megaphone and were announcing something important. I felt a little pressure to make a move after I had hear this, but I really didn't know what to think or do. So I pretended that I didn't hear anything and said goodnight and got out of there.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
First Friday - Part II
Once we got in the car and headed on our way downtown, the girls started apologizing. We guys felt a little uneasy at Julianne's mom's comment, but who wouldn't? We did pick up one more guy on the way down (I told you it wasn't a date) and afterwords found some sweet free parking downtown.
Hopping out of the car, I asked one of the girls where to go from there and she gave me a dumb look.
"Um, I really don't know."
"Okay. Do you know where we are at least?"
"Um. One second." Collaborates with female associates. "Nope. We don't really know where we are. But the Towers of the Americas is over there!"
The Tower of the Americas is a large tower with a restaurant on top of it, much like the stratosphere in Seattle, so it's not the hardest thing to find. Needless to say, we were already lost.
We started walking into the busier part of town, found a cop, and asked him for directions. He pointed us down the famous Riverwalk and said to keeping heading down it to the end and we should find First Friday. Awesome! We now know where we are going.
As we started what we thought was a short walk, everyone began making small talk. I talked to Sydney first (aka Syd) which was nice because we already knew each other, so talking was fairly easy. Then came her sister, Jessica. Now this girl is a hoot if I've ever met one. She is fun, outspoken (which in my opinion makes her more fun), and laughs at everything (double fun!).
Then came Julianne. Honestly, we didn't have much to say. I asked her a few questions about herself and said very little about me. Now you may be thinking, Don't you like this girl? Why are you not talking about yourself and letting her get to know you? I'm glad you asked! At the time I had gotten over the brief infatuation I had and I didn’t feel like I needed to impress anyone. If I ever felt like I wanted to pursue anything, then I would break out of my shell, but I wanted to wait and have that be my call.
Finally, we got to the end of the river and found a restaurant. We found a table and I sat at the head. Julianne just so happened to sit to my left. So we talked the whole time at dinner and after about an hour we started to leave.
On the way to the car, I noticed I was walking alone in front of the group. I didn't mind. I was a little tired and enjoyed the ambiance of the city. Suddenly a face popped up on my right. It was Julianne! So here we go again. I recall this conversation was about sports and she talked about soccer (her favorite sport) and I talked about volleyball (and you know about how I feel about volleyball. See "Missing Volleyball" post).
Sydney started complaining about her feet hurting and asked if she could switch shoes with Julianne. I kept walking, but within seconds, Julianne caught up to me and started talking to me again. What is going on? Maybe she’s trying to get me to notice her. I actually felt a little self-confidence bolster inside of me.
By that time we were approaching the car and took the girls home. On the way to our house, no mention was made about Julianne's subtle actions, and I didn't think too much of it at the time. However, I did start to feel comfortable around her insomuch that I started opening up, and y'all know where that got me.
Hopping out of the car, I asked one of the girls where to go from there and she gave me a dumb look.
"Um, I really don't know."
"Okay. Do you know where we are at least?"
"Um. One second." Collaborates with female associates. "Nope. We don't really know where we are. But the Towers of the Americas is over there!"
The Tower of the Americas is a large tower with a restaurant on top of it, much like the stratosphere in Seattle, so it's not the hardest thing to find. Needless to say, we were already lost.
We started walking into the busier part of town, found a cop, and asked him for directions. He pointed us down the famous Riverwalk and said to keeping heading down it to the end and we should find First Friday. Awesome! We now know where we are going.
As we started what we thought was a short walk, everyone began making small talk. I talked to Sydney first (aka Syd) which was nice because we already knew each other, so talking was fairly easy. Then came her sister, Jessica. Now this girl is a hoot if I've ever met one. She is fun, outspoken (which in my opinion makes her more fun), and laughs at everything (double fun!).
Then came Julianne. Honestly, we didn't have much to say. I asked her a few questions about herself and said very little about me. Now you may be thinking, Don't you like this girl? Why are you not talking about yourself and letting her get to know you? I'm glad you asked! At the time I had gotten over the brief infatuation I had and I didn’t feel like I needed to impress anyone. If I ever felt like I wanted to pursue anything, then I would break out of my shell, but I wanted to wait and have that be my call.
Finally, we got to the end of the river and found a restaurant. We found a table and I sat at the head. Julianne just so happened to sit to my left. So we talked the whole time at dinner and after about an hour we started to leave.
On the way to the car, I noticed I was walking alone in front of the group. I didn't mind. I was a little tired and enjoyed the ambiance of the city. Suddenly a face popped up on my right. It was Julianne! So here we go again. I recall this conversation was about sports and she talked about soccer (her favorite sport) and I talked about volleyball (and you know about how I feel about volleyball. See "Missing Volleyball" post).
Sydney started complaining about her feet hurting and asked if she could switch shoes with Julianne. I kept walking, but within seconds, Julianne caught up to me and started talking to me again. What is going on? Maybe she’s trying to get me to notice her. I actually felt a little self-confidence bolster inside of me.
By that time we were approaching the car and took the girls home. On the way to our house, no mention was made about Julianne's subtle actions, and I didn't think too much of it at the time. However, I did start to feel comfortable around her insomuch that I started opening up, and y'all know where that got me.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
First Friday
Downtown San Antonio has a concert night the first Friday of every month called (drum roll, please) "First Friday". A lot of restaurants invite different local bands to come play creating a fun atmosphere to hang out in. One of my roommates suggested that we should go, and I just couldn't say no.
So my two roommates and I started making plans. Seeing as none of us had been downtown, we thought we'd get some locals to show us around. And who else but Syd and Julianne? So we called them and set it up.
That night we went by Julianne's house to pick them up. Now, we three boys aren't the youngest looking college students around, especially when we all have trimmed hair on the head and scruffy hair on the face. I'm only 23, but that night we could have ranged anywhere in the mid 20s to low 30s. So when the three of us knocked on the door and Julianne's mother opened it up, she had her suspicions and worries. When Julianne, Syd, and Jessica (Syd's sister) came to the door, the mother looked at us, looked at them, then at us again and said, "Now boys, I'm a little worried that you older boys are taking out these young girls."
Gulp! Stunned for a bit, I tried to put her mind at ease with the only thing that came to my mind:
"It's not a date."
Good one. Now she feels much better. *Sigh*
"Um, we're picking up another person on the way down so there's, um, no date here," I said, with a grin and a chuckle.
Not the best first impression I've ever done, but I think Julianne's mom judged us collectively so at least I could get another chance later on.
So my two roommates and I started making plans. Seeing as none of us had been downtown, we thought we'd get some locals to show us around. And who else but Syd and Julianne? So we called them and set it up.
That night we went by Julianne's house to pick them up. Now, we three boys aren't the youngest looking college students around, especially when we all have trimmed hair on the head and scruffy hair on the face. I'm only 23, but that night we could have ranged anywhere in the mid 20s to low 30s. So when the three of us knocked on the door and Julianne's mother opened it up, she had her suspicions and worries. When Julianne, Syd, and Jessica (Syd's sister) came to the door, the mother looked at us, looked at them, then at us again and said, "Now boys, I'm a little worried that you older boys are taking out these young girls."
Gulp! Stunned for a bit, I tried to put her mind at ease with the only thing that came to my mind:
"It's not a date."
Good one. Now she feels much better. *Sigh*
"Um, we're picking up another person on the way down so there's, um, no date here," I said, with a grin and a chuckle.
Not the best first impression I've ever done, but I think Julianne's mom judged us collectively so at least I could get another chance later on.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
First Day of Work and FHE
On June 1, I woke up early and headed for the shower. I got to bed at a decent hour the night before, so once I got passed the normal morning tiredness, I felt very awake. I got out of the shower and put some slacks and a nice dress shirt on. I tried to not be too excited, but between the nerves of the first day of work and not knowing what my job actually entailed, the jolty feelings were hard to keep down.When I got to USAA's campus, I met with some college reps who directed me into a long meeting room where all the interns were seated. Finally, someone stood up and started welcoming us to USAA. Then the all-day orientation began. I don't wish to bore you with the business protocols, so let’s just say I was glad when it was over.
After the long day at work (in which I did nothing) and grabbing a quick bite to eat, I got in the car with my roommates and drove to the church building for Family Home Evening. I kept my eyes out for the short black haired girl I had met over the weekend. My roommates and I were walking down the hallway when she popped up and said hi. After we got through the sorry-I'm-horrible-with-names-so-can-you-remind-me-what-your's-is bit, Syd (the girl) asked us how work was and if we were enjoying San Antonio, but something caught my eye. To the left of Syd stood a cute, short, blonde who was politely listening to our conversation. Her straight hair ran just passed her shoulders and her green eyes stood out from the rest. Actually, her eyes are kind of big and were what stole my attention in the first place. I took a quick glance and if she had 1/2 as much personality as she had looks, she would be a catch.
Thankfully Syd turned to her and said, "Everyone, meet Jules! She's my," then in a corny and high pitched voice, "best friend." They exchanged some sort of gang-type handshake and I think I rolled my eyes.
"Jules? Is that really your name?"
"No, it's short for Julianne." Good.
"Oh, okay. So y'all are from San Antonio?"
giggles "Did you just say y'all?"
We started filing into the room where we played Bingo that night (only at FHE would a large group of college students play Bingo). As we were looking for seats, I thought that I didn't want to do anything to try and impress Julianne. I had just read a chapter in "10 Habits of Highly Effective People" and had made a goal to just be myself and not try to be someone I wasn't. If she was going to like me, she would like me for me. On top of all this, I still needed to find a solid group of friends. So when we sat down, I sat across from Syd, and Julianne sat a few chairs down from her. While we played Bingo, Syd and I would fight for pieces to put on our boards and I would make funny comments with the guys around me, but every so often I would sneak a glance down the table at Julianne just to see if she was looking back at me.
On the way home from FHE, my roommates and I started talking about the people we met that night. I eventually spewed out to one of my roommates, "Dude, you should date Jules!" Someone might ask why I said that, but it's very simple. Whenever I see a cute girl, I always suggest that one of my friends date her. I feel like it makes it look like I'm not interested and therefore I don't get any outside pressure to jump into it too fast. Plus, I get to see what the other guy's opinions are about the girl. I don't remember their responses, but regardless of what they said, I was already figuring out when I would get to see Syd and Julianne again.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
The Basketball Break
My first weekend in Texas kept me busy. We arrived late Friday which means we had only Saturday to get settled in. When your room has nothing in it but your suitcase, you have a lot to do. So we ran around picking up the essentials and then some hoping we'd have something to come home to on Monday. After a long day of errands, we decided to take a well deserved break and took some guy's offer to play basketball that night.
We drove out to a church building where the guy said they were playing. We walked in to find about 20 people playing ball or waiting to play. I took a seat next to some people and started making small talk with the crowd. I eventually got to a cute girl with short black hair and a spunky personality. We started asking the general get-to-know-you questions, and I found out she went to the University of Utah but took the summer off to come home and work. I told her I spent a lot of my weekends in Salt Lake because I would snowboard with a good friend of mine. We tried making any connections to mutual friends, but even in the small Mormon world we live in, we couldn't find any.
As we started winding down our conversation, she said she'd see us at Family Home Evening that Monday, and I thought that sounded swell.
This is an important part of the story. I had no idea nor inclination from our conversation, but that night at basketball I met someone who would later make me a very happy guy. And that's how I met my girlfriend's best friend.
We drove out to a church building where the guy said they were playing. We walked in to find about 20 people playing ball or waiting to play. I took a seat next to some people and started making small talk with the crowd. I eventually got to a cute girl with short black hair and a spunky personality. We started asking the general get-to-know-you questions, and I found out she went to the University of Utah but took the summer off to come home and work. I told her I spent a lot of my weekends in Salt Lake because I would snowboard with a good friend of mine. We tried making any connections to mutual friends, but even in the small Mormon world we live in, we couldn't find any.
As we started winding down our conversation, she said she'd see us at Family Home Evening that Monday, and I thought that sounded swell.
This is an important part of the story. I had no idea nor inclination from our conversation, but that night at basketball I met someone who would later make me a very happy guy. And that's how I met my girlfriend's best friend.
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