Verbatim: The Life and Times of Creighton Scott

GOODBYE LARAMIE & RAGTIME COWBOY JOE

2010-10-19T14:08:00.000-07:00

RAGTIME COWBOY JOE
"He always sings raggy music to the cattle as he swings back and forward in the saddle,on a horse - a pretty good horse! He's got a syncopated gaiter, and you ought to hear the meterto the roar of his repeater; how they run - yes run! - when they hear that he's 'a-comin',cause the western folks all know, he's a high-falootin', rootin, tootin', son of a gun from ol' Wyoming,Ragtime Cowboy, Talk about your Cowboy, Ragtime Cowboy Joe."

Last Saturday morning, Justin, Danny Owen, and myself made our final trip up to Laramie to watch the Utah vs. Wyoming football game first and foremost, but also to say goodbye to Cowboy Joe. Utah and Wyoming have been in the same conference i.e. Rocky Mountain States Conference, Skyline Conference, Western Athletic Conference, and Mountain West Conference since 1938. The Redskins i.e. Utes and Cowboys first played in 1904. Although I am extremely excited about Utah's move to the Pac-12 Conference, I cannot help but feel sad for the rivalries we are leaving behind. Personally, I will miss New Mexico, Colorado State, and Wyoming mostly.

Most have you have at least driven through Laramie. It is on I 80 about 5 1/2 hours east of Salt Lake City. Laramie is not the nicest town. It is a Cowboy town through and through, but it does not lack for character. My first encounter with Laramie and the Wyoming fans came in March of 1991. My father took me, Brigham, and my Mom up to see the WAC Tournament. Utah played Wyoming on a cold Friday night. I vaguely remember the contest, however, I vividly remember how passionate the Cowboy fans were. They were not pleased at the end of the game because the Utes beat them on their home floor and ultimately lost their chance to play byu for the WAC Championship the next night. To put it bluntly... Wyoming does not like byu.

Justin, Danny, and I took off at 8:00 on Saturday morning. We were enjoying our ride while talking about getting away from our wives for the day amongst other hot topic debates, such as college football, the Jazz, and what to expect in Laramie. Danny was a Laramie virgin. We made a quick pit stop at the Flying J in Rock Springs. It was incredible and looked like a scene right out of Deliverance.

If any of you have ever driven through I 80 through Wyoming you know it can be long and boring. It also is not the most scenic drive. In fact, it looks like Mars up there on the high plains of Wyoming. We arrived in Laramie around 1:30 and showed Danny around town. My favorite sites were two convenience stores. One of them was knows as "Loaf & Jug" while the other was "Kum & Go." Only in Laramie right? Also, a few drive through liquor stores never hurt anybody.

We arrived at "The Library" which is a local hot spot and neat sports bar in Laramie. In fact, I was very much impressed with the food and ambiance. There were a few Utah fans there with us, but for the most part we kicked back and hung with the Cowboy fans whil watching college football on multiple High Definition televisions. It was every married man's paradise. Nate Skeen and Dan Brewer also make the trip up to Laramie and joined in on our pregame festivities.

The time had come to venture on over to War Memorial Stadium. On our way we noticed that the restaurant right behind "The Library" was serving elk burritos. This is no joke. Two men were skinning a decapitated elk and throwing it's hide in a dumpster. It was amazing. I had never seen anything like it. Once again... Only in Laramie. We took a little razzing on the way over to the stadium, but nothing out of the ordinary except for the drunk and beligerant student that said he "f'ing hated Utah Mormons." He then looked at Danny Owen and called him an "f'ing ginger." Danny took it in stride. We just laughed at him. I think that same student was caught the next day with his clothes off in a barn with cows. You can figure out the rest.

Most of you associate Laramie with freezing temperatures and strong winds. You are not mistaken, however, this day, God personally came down and touched Laramie with his finger. The weather was absolutely beautiful. Clear blue skies, 65 degrees, and no wind at kickoff. It was t-shirt weather up on the high plains of Wyoming. We took in the gameday atmosphere and talked with a few Cowboy fans. I had it set in my mind that I would personally find Cowboy Joe and take a picture with him. When I finally found him, I asked for a picture. He was not amused and kept pointing at my red Utah t-shirt. Luckily we got a few shots with him.

As for the game the Utes dominated as expected coming pulling away and winning 30-6. It is quite amazing how much the Utes have separated themselves from the rest of the Mountain West schools in the past few year. I remember the days where the Utes were fighting just to be bowl eligible. Now winning in Laramie is old hat and we are wondering how much they are going to win by as opposed to if we are going to win. I am sure things will change in the Pac-12 next season.

During the game I could not help but notice how beautiful a day it was. I was also impressed with War Memorial Stadium, the beautiful ponderosa pines and their fans. I am here to tell you that the Wyoming fans get a bad rap. I have never been threatened, felt uncomfortable, or been treated hostile. Quite the contrary. The Cowboys fans have also been very nice to me and I have been to Utah football and basketball games in Laramie. They are good fans. Probably the best in the Mountain West Conference with the best traditions. It is just a shame there are not more of them. Wyoming is the least populated state in the Union. They are very proud of "their Cowboys" and are genuinely proud to be Wyomingites. They are the most colorful fans I have ever seen. They lamented the fact that Utah was headed to the Pac-12 but hold no animosity. I just think it's sad that years and years of rivalries and traditions are being pushed aside in lieu of recent conference alignments. I am a traditionalist and will miss the Cowboys.

http://www.youtube.com/user/PokesFootball1#p/u/12/zj7DQCriA9k

Once the game had ended we started our journey to the Little America Wyoming, which is literally in the middle of nowhere. We arrived around 10:45 at night checked in to our room, grabbed a little late night cafe, and enjoyed Sportscenter. It was the first time I had ever stayed in that particular Little America, and it reminded me of the Shining with the red carpet in the halls. I am just glad that Jack Nicholson was not running around that place.

We awoke early the next morning and arrived back in Salt Lake City about 9:30 am. It was a quick and nice getaway, even up to the high plains of Wyoming. All in all it was a great trip. Great time, great company, great win, and great food. So long Cowboy Joe. You will be missed but I now have a new favorite school and team in the Mountain West Conference.

ENGAGED

2010-04-26T09:40:00.000-07:00

CHRISTMAS WITH CREIGHTON

2009-12-30T11:02:00.000-08:00

UTAH MEN/WOMEN ARE WE!

2009-12-30T10:34:00.000-08:00

"We just win bowl games." Make that nine in a row for the Utes as they defeated the Cal Bears 37-27 in the fifth annual San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl las week. The Scott and White families made the journey down to San Diego three days before Christmas for two reasons: 1) To watch the Utes, 2) To get out of this horrible weather. I cannot describe how good it felt to see the sun again and not wear a coat around. When we walked out of the terminal I looked at my dad and said, "Now why didn't BY bring us down here in 1847?" We made our way over to Hertz Number 1 Club Gold and picked up our red Toyota Camry. I slammed on the brakes, peeled out, and drove over a few curbs over the course of the two days we were in San Diego. I really cannot help myself when I get into a rental car.

Now Kent had arranged to meet a client down in San Diego, which turned out to be a financial blessing because it got his flight paid for, as well as the rental car, and one night at the Coronado Marriott Resort & Spa. Also, he secured four new cases for his firm. How is that for doing business on pleasure? After Kent's business affairs were concluded I picked him up and met up with my sister and her family at the Marriott. We had bayview rooms so you could see the Coronado Bridge where Baxter was punted on Anchorman. After we all got settled in and my two nephews Noah and Sam absolutely destroyed my room we turned on the byu game. Now let the record state that I was pulling for byu as was LaRae. It looks really good for the Mountain West Conference when all its teams win there bowl games. Also, I knew it would make a particular person very happy, and if any of you know me, you will understand this reason. After the issue was no longer in doubt we made our way to Old Town San Diego for some Mexican food. It was good, but not great. It was fun being in San Diego with my family, especially in December.

The next morning I took advantage of the beautiful weather and ran around Coronado for about thirty minutes. Sadly enough, it was not warm enough for me to run with my shirt off. I returned to the Marriott and put on my swimming suit and hung out in the sauna for about twenty minutes and got a great sweat. I then swam a few laps and was feeling great. Kent was also feeling great. Evidence of this picture of him in the shower. After we all got dressed we made our way over to San Diego and took a tour of the USS Midway, which was pretty interesting. I could not stop thinking about Top Gun, and my childhood hero, the Iceman. I never was much of a Maverick/Goose fan. Below you will see a picture of the same sort of jets that were flown by the Iceman. When we were taking the tour, my nephew Sam, who is seven years old, came over to me and said, "Hey Creighton, look at those midgets over there." I noticed four carney's and wanted to ask them why it smelled like cabbage. Even Heather laughed at her seven year old son's inappropriate nature.

Game time was approaching and my nerves started to kick in. Winston took us for a pregame meal at Fatburger. If any of you have never had a Fatburger, you are missing out. We then returned to the Marriott over on Coronado where I put my game attire on. How do you like my red driving cap? Winston, Brigham, and I took off about an hour and a half before the game while the rest of the group arrived later. As we approached Qualcomm Stadium, I noticed a plane flying over head with a message: "We won, you lost. You are classless." Congratulations to the byu fan or fans that put that one together. I thought it was pretty funny to be honest with you. I think we can all have fun with Max Hall's infamous comments now.

Cal took an early 14-0 lead and to be honest, I was quite nervous, but from that point on, the Utes absolutely dominated the Poinsettia Bowl. They scored 24 unanswered points and won the game in convincing fashion. I was very much pleased with the performance. After the game, we were all smiles as we sang "Utah Man" with the team as we celebrated a ninth consecutive bowl victory. I started to become reflective about what it meant to me to be a "Utah Man." It is a common bond that brings us together and I am grateful and appreciative to share this with my my family. We all have our different interests and opinions, but the Utes bring us together. I very much enjoy traveling to bowl games with my family. I have found that some of the greatest memories of my life have come during these trips. I feel blessed and fortunate to be able to participate in such events and am appreciative of my parents suggesting that we still make the trip to San Diego, even though it was two days before Christmas.

The next morning, Kent payed for our breakfast buffet at the Hotel Del Coronado, which was excellent. It was Christmas Eve, it was 65 degrees outside, I could see the Pacific Ocean, the Utes just beat Cal, and I was with my family. What more could a guy ask for? We spent the rest of the day enjoying the sunshine and scenery, and as I walked around the grounds of the Hotel Del Coronado, I could not help but notice that I was surrounded by the "beautiful people." If any of you would care to receive further explanation, just call or email me. I took a small walk on the beach where I was alone with my thoughts. It was a good 15 minute walk and some quality alone time to reflect on the Christmas season and my many blessings, but the time had come to return home to Salt Lake City.

I was seated in an exit row on the plane right behind my parents. I made sure to kick the back of my mom's chair numerous times as well as hit the flight attendant call button without my parents knowledge. How old am I again? We returned home to frigid temperatures at about 8:00 pm on Christmas Eve. I then proceeded to go to Justin & Maris' house and help them wrap some of their gifts for their children. Wait a minute, no I did not, I watched tv and talked to them about the trip because they were too cool to come down with us...

VEGAS BABY! VEGAS!

2009-10-23T10:12:00.000-07:00

Last Friday I embarked down the I 15 corridor with Tom, Chris, and little Tommie Grant. This marked the first time down the I 15 corridor since Jake, Danny Owen, and I decided to be "softball guys" last July. So here I was with the brothers Grant, except for Mike, excited as could be because I was headed to Las Vegas for some golf, pool, and gambling for the fourth time this year. Missing in action was Scott Smith and Danny Owen. Scott and Katy Smith just had their fourth child, and Danny has fallen for the Big "L."

I sat in the back seat with little Tommie, who is in the first grade. We spoke on issues from Star Wars to Utah football and everything in between. No he does not have a girlfriend yet. I told him that my favorite Star Wars character was Bobba Fet. A puzzled look came across his face and I explained that Bobba Fet was the bounty hunter who captured Han Solo in The Empire Strikes Back. Tom, Chris, and I engaged in conversation from classic 80's movies to politics, to who our all-time NBA starting five would be. Great conversation. You know where we stopped when we arrived in St. George. That's right: In N Out Burger. I enjoyed two double doubles, fries, two cokes, and a neoplitan shake. Luckily for me I am in tremendous physical condition, evidence of the picture below.

Now if you have been following my blog you know where I stay when I go to Las Vegas, and why would this time be any different? We arrived at the JW Marriott a little after 8:30 on a beautiful fall evening. Chris and I immediately ventured over to the Rampart Casino where we proceded to lose a large sum of money in about 15 minutes. Obviously we were upset. I had never been dealt so many 14's and 15's in my entire life. Suffice it to say, it was just not our night and unlike Nicolas Cage on Honeymoon in Vegas I did not have a straight flush. I had a difficult time sleeping that night because I was upset at how much money we both lost in such a short amount of time. It was a blessing that the ATM's were not functioning properly that evening in the casino.

The next morning we woke up early and headed up the street to one of my favorite golf courses: TPC Las Vegas. This was the third time that I had played the TPC Las Vegas Course in the past six months and it had never been in such excellent condition. Still, I could not stop thinking about the money that both Chris and I lost and I believe it affected my golf game, or maybe I should try harder to correct my slice because it was in full force the entire 18 holes of golf. Chris also talked us into playing from the tips, which also showed me how much I have to improve my game. Kudos to little Tommie for hanging out with us the entire round of golf. That kid sure likes Coke.

We finished our round of golf around 1:45 and Justin and Maris had just checked in to the JW Marriott as well so all of us convened at the pool, which is fabulous, about an hour later. We ordered lunch at the pool, and drank coke's and just had a "Life is Great" Saturday in Las Vegas at the pool. We put the charges on Mr. Underhill's American Express card. Want the number? "$400 for lunch!?" I spent a little time in the pool with Anderson Leon, but mostly I just sat in the sun trying to figure out how I was going to get my money back and devising a game plan on how I was going to achieve my goal of being 6'1' 185 lbs with 3% body fat. I would think that I am headed in the right direction, at least when I am not on vacation.

Once our time at the pool came to a close, Chris and I headed into the spa and continued to pamper ourselves by sitting in the whirlpool, the sauna, the steamroom, and the shower. Like I have said in previous posts, I am a locker room guy. Just walking around in the spa in the buff with my shaved lower half. I am all man baby. Now it was time to get ready for the Utah vs. UNLV game. Utah was favored by 15 1/2 points. I convinced Tom and Chris to go in on a bet with me. I will not say how much, but I will admit that it was a significant amount of money. I believe more people in my section at the game had more fun watching me and my behavior than they did watching the game. We were all nervous, but me especially. I kept yelling for Utah to throw the ball down field, which they never do, and was pulling my now short hair out of my head. Luckily for us Utah beat UNLV 35-15 and I was laughing all the way back to the casino where I cashed out. I did not give heed to Gardner Olson's advice to "just take my money and walk" and I started to play blackjack with Chris again.

We played until 3:30 am and we won all of our money back and then some. It was a great feeling. I was in fine form yelling "holla" everytime I hit blackjack and engaging in conversation with the ugly midwesterners who were playing with us. They were there for a marriage ceremony and I caught many of the girls, especially the bride staring at Chris. I don't think these girls had ever seen a guy with blonde hair in their lives. Now let the record state that I offered Heather Jenson over $200 to come out and play the money I had won. She asked, "Is that all I am worth?" She was down there at the Justin Timberlake concert. Little does she know that nobody can "Rock Your Body" like Mr.C in his Thunder From Down Under performance.

There was one particular girl who grabbed my arm and asked "Now where are you from?" Albeit in slurred speech while being pursued by another guy. She was wearing a tube top and was very attractive. I respect other guys' territory and I was not about to flirt with a drunk chick at a wedding party in a casino. So we decided to call it a night. Both Chris and I were operating in the green and let me tell you, it is a great feeling not only to get your money back, but to win some in return as well.

The next morning we enjoyed breakfast on the casino because Chris talked them into a voucher for all of the money that he lost on Friday night. Who's laughing now? Tom, Chris, and I decided once again to make a large bet on the first half spread of the Titans vs. Patriots game, which was Patriots 6 1/2 points, and a large bet on the entire game, which was Patriots by 9 1/2 points. Chris and I enjoyed a little more time in the casino, won more money, and did the spa thing for another hour before we checked out and said goodbye to the sun and great weather 'til April. All three of us laughed the entire way to St. George because we were elated how much money we won by picking the Patriots to cover both the first half, and the entire game's spread. So Tom made a large amount of money without setting foot in the casino. Life is good for that guy.

We had to do the In N Out thing once again in St. George. That made four double double's for me in 48 hours. I always run into people I know at that In N Out. This time it was Preston Miller, a fellow Sigma Chi brother and a fine young man. Chris ran into a girl he had met while living in California. She appeared to be dating this loser she was with, but Tom and I knew she wanted to be with Chris. She approached him and talked to him. He should have just gone over to her and said, "Hey dump this loser and see what life is like with a real man." The ride back to Salt Lake City was nice. We played name that movie from our ipod's. Little Tommie was growing resltess and asked why we didn't fly down. When it was all said and done, we all made enough money to pay for our trips down in Las Vegas. I know that I brought home money as well. "Some guys just can't handle Vegas." Not this threesome.

THE GREAT PACIFIC NORTHWEST

2009-09-23T14:02:00.000-07:00

Last Friday my brother Justin and I flew up to Portland, Oregon for the Utah football game. The flight up was much more enjoyable than the "flight from hell" last weekend. I was sitting on the right side of the plane and was able to see Mt. St. Helens and all of the beauty that the Pacific Northwest has to offer. I also noticed that my parents, Winston, and I were in the inside part of the latest Sports Illustrated cover from Derek Jeter's at bat when he broke Lou Gehrig's Yankee hits record.

When we touched down, I noticed that Justin was scrolling through ESPN on his Blackberry. He asked how far Seattle was from Portland. I said it was about 2 1/2 hours and he told me that the Yankees were up in Seattle playing the Mariners. I could see that he wanted to go, but I had my reservations, which is odd. I then thought to myself, "What are we going to do in Portland on a Friday night?" We then agreed that we would go, and it proved to be a worthwhile decision. We made it to the Yankees game after the first inning, and saw a great baseball game on a beautiful evening in Seattle. I went out to get some concessions and the sun was setting over the Puget Sound. I started to laugh to myself, first because I was in Seattle, and did not wake up Friday morning thinking I would be there. I guess that is what makes life interesting. Second, because I was on opposite coasts of the United States of America on consecutive weekends. Life is good.

We then visited Sid & Liz Baucom after the game for about a half an hour. Sid appeared to be thoroughly enjoying himself in the basement putting together his purchases earlier in the evening from IKEA. I then asked Liz if she ever thought she would see the day where my shirt was untucked and my hair longer than her husband's. It was a tremendous blessing to be able to see them. I would have stayed longer, but I could tell that Justin wanted to get back to Portland ASAP. Sid & Liz have a great living situation up in Seattle. They live about 10 minutes north of downtown Seattle in a great house. In hindsight, the best part of the trip was being with them, albeit for a short amount of time. As we began our trek back to Portland, I could not help but notice how beautiful the Seattle skyline is at night, except for the Space Needle. Also, Justin and I were once again unsuccessful at finding Lloyd Dobler from Say Anything and John Lithgow from Harry and the Hendersons. Pictures can be found in the archives of the blog.

We checked in to the Portland Marriott Waterfront at 1:45 am and woke up at 7:45. I was very much excited about the football game down in Eugene, but the weather was not cooperating with us. We arrived at our destination two hours before kickoff and I enjoyed a Grand Slam at Denny's. Now if any of you are from the Pacific Northwest I apologize, however, I have never been around so many ugly people in my life. It seemed that every man/young adult had facial hair, and every woman/girl had not seen the sun in about forty years. Maybe I picked the wrong weekend to be in Eugene. I will tell you one thing, it sure made me feel a lot better about myself.

We arrived at Autzen Stadium about a half an hour before kickoff. I was prepared for a few arguments, etc. but to my surprise, the Oregon faithful were very classy, kind, and courteous before, during, and after the game. I have always wanted to see a game at Autzen Stadium and it did not disappoint. Speaking of the game... It sucked. Utah and Oregon were both less than stellar. I think the Utes just tried harder to lose, but I am going to stick by them because that is how I roll. We are going to get better. When the clock ran out, I had to come to terms that the Utes had lost for the first time since the infamous 4th and 18 to byu in November of 2007. "When you are living right, magic happens." It was a bitter pill to swallow and a feeling that was hard for me to remember.

After the game, Justin and I met up with a large contingency of Utah fans, such as Jimmy McMaster as well as Tom and Chris Grant. We enjoyed one another's company over dinner at a place called Steelhead's in Eugene. Great people. Great conversation. Once again, not the best looking people sitting around us. They must have thought we were all Hollywood, especially Chris Grant.

I noticed that byu was getting torn to shreds by Florida State, and suddenly I was not so depressed because Utah actually had their chances to win in a very hostile environment. byu just layed an egg. Maybe John Bennion and Cosmo the Cougar forgot to show up... I don't know. But I do know one thing... The pain and misery every byu cougar fan must have been experiencing dwarfed any pain I was suffering.

Justin and I arrived back in Portland at 10:00 due to intense traffic all the way up Interstate 5. Would it kill the Oregon Department of Transportation to add at least one more lane between Eugene and Portland? We walked around and tried to get a feel for the city. I liked it, and I think that Portland is a much prettier physical setting than Seattle, but Seattle has character and a big city feel. I think I could definitely live in Seattle. Justin proceeded to pee on a tree on the sidewalk, which does not surprise me at all. He later told my parents he did it for all of the Jazz's playoff miseries they have suffered in Portland.

We woke up at 5:00 am the next morning and I honestly felt like I had been run over by a train. I just wanted to get home and out of Oregon because every time I am there bad things happen. We arrived back in Salt Lake City and I debated whether or not to go to church. I buckled under the pressure of my own conscience and went. I have never been to church where there was such a somber and depressing feeling. It was like all of Utah was in mourning. Well, you can't win 'em all.

NEW YORK: "I WANNA' BE A PART OF IT"

2009-09-16T13:32:00.000-07:00

Last Friday morning I awoke at 5:30 am (edt) with my Dad in Rochester. We wanted to get in a workout at the Bally's across the street from the Residence Inn before our flight to New York LaGuardia. For those of you that are interested, I worked out my arms and legs and ran three miles. When it was all said and done, I was exhausted. We got cleaned up and picked up my mother and were ready to take our 9/11 flight into New York City. I have to admit, I was on the lookout, as I always am when I fly.

Now let me preface this by saying I was not too thrilled to be flying on 9/11 and especially into New York City. I also was not too thrilled when the captain, who looked like a 22 year old kid informed us of a major weather pattern going through the New York City area. We were delayed about an hour and a half. When we finally got into the air, our flight time was supposed to be 1 hour and 18 minutes, which turned into 1 hour and 45 minutes. The last 45 minutes of that flight was pure hell, and one of the most disturbing experiences of my life. If you do not believe me just ask my mother and father. I started to shake I became so nervous. My father had this painful look on his face, and my mother just closed her eyes. I have to be honest, the thought of dying crossed my mind. But the landing had to be the worst part. We were flying into 45 mph winds. The little puddle jumper we were in was rocking back and forth and it felt like we were out of control. The landing was smooth and there was a loud applause in the cabin for the captain and his efforts. I was greeted to New York City with nine voicemail messages compliments of Danny Owen. Five from The Godfather, and three from Louis Tulley and the Ghostbusters. When I talked to my Dad in the terminal about our flight, he said, "That was one of the most disturbing experiences of my life."

We checked into the Marriott in Times Square where Winston was waiting for us. I had not eaten and was starving, as was everybody else, so we walked up to the Carnegie Deli, which I highly recommend. Great ambiance. I ordered the roast beef sandwich. When it came out all I saw was white bread and a pound of roast beef. No fixins' whatsoever. I guess that is how they do it on the east coast. I started to get into my New York state of mind. F you and get out of my f'ing way right now. We then continued up to the Museum of Natural History, where we were just trying to avoid the rain. I enjoyed myself very much, and was able to hold a conversation with a Brazilian family in portuguese. It must have been odd for them to see a green eyed and blonde haired white boy speaking their language, and doing so comfortably. I told them that I served a mission in Brazil and they said they had seen many like me before but never spoke with them. I invited them to pass through the temple grounds in São Paulo. We continued our tour of the museum when I thought I had run into Paul Strausser, but to my disappointment, it was a model of Homo Erectus and his wife. Damn she is hot.

The time had come for us to take the subway up to the Bronx to the Yankees game. Kent started to become nervous because the weather was not cooperating with us. We arrived at Yankee Stadium about an hour before the scheduled first pitch and walked around the stadium. It is a palace. Great stadium, great concessions, great people watching. The weather was still miserable but the it was announced that the game would start at 8:20. We just happened to be there the night that Derek Jeter passed Lou Gehrig as the all-time Yankee hits leader. Jeter took a 1-1 fastball down the right field line in the second inning and Yankee Stadium erupted. That guy owns Manhattan, and the rest of the state of New York. I wonder how that feels. There was a tremendous amount of energy and excitement throughout the game, but the rains came back and it was time to go. We had great seats, and as you can tell we like the Utes too.

We arrived back in Times Square at about 1:00 am and I just had to have a Dunkin' Donut, which really hit the spot. When my head hit the pillow, I was out like a light. It was a long, stressful, yet enjoyable day. The next morning the weather was still pretty crummy so we decided to take the subway over to Brooklyn. I was hoping to run into Mooj from the 40 Year Old Virgin, but I could not find him anywhere. We walked across the Brooklyn Bridge back into Manhattan. I highly recommend doing so. It was great to have a view of Manhattan right in front of my face, and it is only about a mile and a half walk. I could not help but look down to the south part of the city and notice that the two twin towers were not there. We took a family picture on our way out to the Statue of Liberty when I was 15 years old, and in the background are the two towers. It really makes you think back to that tragic day eight years ago.

Once we reached Manhattan we walked through Little Italy and Chinatown on our way to SoHo. My mother had been recommended to a place called Momo Fuku, which is new and hype Japanese fusion style restaurant. I thought it was pretty good, but the best part about it was that they served RC Cola. I mean seriously... When was the last time you had an RC Cola? ?We went to a local bakery afterwards and got a cupcake and Winston was having a good time with all of the homosexuals undressing me with their eyes. I became very uncomfortable with it all, but a part of me was hoping to run into Todd from Wedding Crashers. I gues he is still up in his room painting... "homo things."

Afterwards we took a bit of a break and it was now time to get ready for a Saturday night in New York City. Now there is nothing like being in the Big Apple in the first place, but there is simply nothing better than being there on a Saturday night, especially when you are able to attend a Broadway show. I was fortunate enough to see Hair, which I very much enjoyed. I do not know how many of you would appreciate Hair because it is pretty much R rated, but I thought it was the most entertaining play I had ever seen. No, it was not my first or second choice. I would have preferred Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera, or Jersey Boys, but Hair was fun. I had a great time. It taught me a lot about my parents generation, as it was set in 1967, they year after my parents graduated from high school. Hippies, rebellion, music, love, sex, drugs, and rock and roll. A lot of the baby boomers went on stage when during the applause and danced around with the cast and crew. It was a neat experience. Afterwards I had some impressive Italian food at a place called Putanesca's. Reasonably priced, and excellent food. It was one of the better evenings of my life, and a night I will always remember. Like I said, there is nothing like being in New York City on a Saturday night. Walking around in Times Square after the play made me feel more alive than I have felt in years. The only thing I regret not seeing was Superman throwing General Zod through the neon light Coca Cola sign.

I got back to my hotel room at about 1:30 am and once again was exhausted. I watched the last 8:00 minutes of the Utah football game. Sixteen wins in a row and counting. The next morning we checked out of our hotel and walked down 5th Avenue to Bobby Flay's restaurant, Mesa Grill, for lunch. I had the steak and eggs quesadilla. It was impressive. Walking back up 5th Avenue was just a sober reminder of the fact that I need to make more money to have the life I envision. Great shopping. We then took a cab with an Indonesian driver up to the Central Park area because once again, my mother was referred to a bakery with world renoun cookies. They were pretty impressive. I don't think my dad was too impressed because he dropped a couple f bombs about the taxi ride up and how much it cost. We saw the New York City Temple on our way up. Pretty cool to see the Angel Moroni in Manhattan. The time had come for us to make our way back to the hotel in preparation for our flight home so we decided to walk down Central Park. I was kind of hoping to run into Patrick Bateman from American Psycho. When we picked up our bags back at the Marriott there was a stretched limousine waiting to take us to JFK. My dad just smiled and said that he wanted some more space out to the airport. My thinking is that he was upset because our hotel bill only came to $236 total for two nights in Manhattan. I think he just wanted to spend some more money. And that is why we call him the ATM.

I fell asleep in the limo out to JKF. We boarded Delta flight 95 back to Rocky Mountain High Salt Lake City. On the way home, I could not help but feel extremely fortunate and grateful for the experiences over the past four days. I thought about it while watching The Dark Knight and Cinderella Man. I think the passengers next to me were jealous because they were stuck with those cheesy chick flicks they always seem to offer on long plane rides. When we touched down, I felt grateful to once again see the mountains, which I love very much. I was greeted to three voicemail messages from Danny Owen with Utah quotes from Fletch. "Utah isn't exactly a cure for boredom." I would have to disagree Gail Stanwyck.

What a great weekend, and it was all done in a New York minute.

PALMYRA

2009-09-15T14:18:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday I had the pleasure and blessing of being in Palmyra, New York with my parents. I took off from Salt Lake City last Wednesday by myself, and it happened to mark the ten year anniversary of the day I left for São Paulo as a missionary. And wouldn't you know it, I even flew through Chicago O'Hare on my way to Rochester. Of course I set it up that way. When I landed in Chicago, I was greeted to nine voicemail messages to Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and Airplane compliments of Danny Owen. I was audibly laughing while walking through the terminal. I had about an hour layover so I made the decision to visit the gate where I departed ten years ago to the day to São Paulo. My jaw dropped when the same flight was leaving from the same gate, C21, which is symbolic of the first letter of my name and my basketball number. I walked up and down the terminal retracing my steps and was grinning from ear to ear, and kept thinking of that night ten years ago. I experienced the same feelings as being part of a team that just won a huge game, or kising a girl for the first time. Very euphoric.

I arrived in Rochester at 11:30 pm as did my parents who flew through Atlanta. We were blessed with a Subaru Forester, which quite possibly may be the worst car in the history of mankind. "A real lesbian mule." We checked into old reliable, the Residence Inn, but I was not too tired because it was still 10:00 pm to me so I watched some tv and had a couple of text message conversations. The next morning we arrived in Palmyra around 10:30 am. Our first stop was the Joseph Smith farm. I immediately felt the spirit in the visitors center and knew that I was standing on sacred ground. It was a very peaceful feeling, a feeling that I have experienced only a handful of times. Personally, this was a mecca, because I devoted two years of my life to telling the story of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon and this is where it all started. Everything had come full circle. We were given a tour of the farm by a sister missionary who was on her last transfer. She was pretty with it socially and I used the word "trunky" and she smiled. The one and only universal missionary term.

My parents and I then entered the Sacred Grove, and let me tell you, it was special. We were blessed with beautiful weather and the sunlight was creeping through the trees, and I imagine the circumstances were the same for Joseph Smith that early April day in 1820. My parents walked together while I trailed them by about 15 yards. I felt peace. I felt reassurance. I felt the spirit. No, I did not have a pentecostal experience. All I wanted was to be in the Sacred Grove and pay attention to my thoughts and feelings. I was not disappointed.

We left the farm and walked around the temple and then we went back into Palmyra where the first Book of Mormon was printed. There we were given another tour and it was quite interesting. We grabbed some pizza across the street and to our amazement, a signed and framed picture of Lavell Edwards graced the wall. Now it was time to go to the Peter Whitmer Farm, which was about 45 minutes to the south in Fayette. I mistakenly told Kent to turn right instead of left and when we noticed that we were headed back to Rochester, he dropped the F bomb on me. Only my father could be in the Sacred Grove, and then only two hours later drop the F bomb. There was a tremendous amount of laughter in the car and my mother was trying to get me to tease him more and more. There is nothing better than when my father goes off.

We arrived at the Peter Whitmer Farm and were given a tour and saw where the Church was formed and organized on April 6, 1830 in a log cabin that was custom built just like the same cabin where the Church was organized. Once again, the spirit was very strong. It was a beautiful setting and something I will remember for the rest of my life. An early fall evening in upstate New York, about 70 degrees, and not a cloud in the sky. It felt a little bit like heaven.

The last site we visited was the Hill Cumorah. We were given a tour of about 20 minutes and watched a movie. Once that ended we marched up the hill to the monument. The sun was setting, the scenery was beautiful, and if you could not feel the spirit, there was something wrong with you. I have the pictures to prove it. I thought a lot about the Prophet Joseph Smith that day. I thought about the first members of the Church and felt grateful to walk on the same ground where the church was formed and organized. I thought a lot about the Book of Mormon and how my life has been blessed and enriched because of its teachings. I thought a lot about my time as a missionary in São Paulo, Brazil.

Afterwards we ended up at the Macaroni Grill and talked about what we learned, how we felt, and what it meant to be a covenant Mormon, and not a cultural Mormon. I hope to be the former, and not the latter. I think all of us get caught up in the culture, but may we strive to always keep our covenants. It was a great day. I was extremely tired physically and emotionally by day's end. I felt very blessed to be there with my parents, but my thoughts had begun to shift towards my "Life is Great" weekend in New York City, which I will be blogging about shortly. There is nothing like being in New York City. Start spreading the news.

10 YEARS AGO TODAY...

2009-08-04T13:56:00.001-07:00

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, however, this one only requires two: "Oh shit."

The day was August 4, 1999 and the time had come for me to report to the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah at 2:00 in the afternoon. I had been called to serve in the Brazil São Paulo Interlagos mission. I remember it as if it was yesterday. It was a beautiful Wednesday afternoon. I slept very little the night before. The previous evening I was set apart as a missionary the by President D. Miles Holman and had said my goodbye's to many friends, and early that morning the family gathered to wish me luck and say their farewell's for I asked them not to accompany me down to Provo because I remember what it was like to watch Justin leave six years previous to my departure. It was a very emotional hour. The thought kept coming to mind, "Do I really want to do this?"

I held on to the many testimonies of my family members and friends who had done the same thing I was doing. It was my time to go. There are certain things I vividly remember such as embracing Laddie the family Collie, the two cats, staring out at the back yard, and looking back at my house as I rode in the Explorer up to the Cowboy Grub. My stomach was in knots. I could not eat a thing. Justin kept telling me that all would be well, but that it was essential that I make it through the first three days. Many friends said the same thing. I knew that if I could get to that first Saturday night, I would be ok.

I really do not care to remember the ride down to Provo but I do remember making the exit from I 15 onto University Parkway in Orem. That is when I became extremely uncomfortable and nervous, but there was no turning back. The picture you see is that of my mother and myself right outside the front doors of the Missionary Training Center. I look like a million bucks. I remember walking in the front doors and having my missionary tag placed on my suit as well as the orange dot. To my surprise Winston and Heather had traveled down as well as did Noah. He was only a year and a half at the time. We were welcomed by the M.T.C President and "Called to Serve" was aired. Soon after I noticed that my mother was sobbing, and at that point I broke down. Seeing my mother crying sent a shiver down my spine. Once the movie ended we were asked to say gooodbye to our families. I was inconsolable, and I remember Winston telling me "Don't be afraid." I walked the other direction with my head down because I had so many tears in my eyes, however, I have no doubt that I was being accompanied by the Holy Ghost.

I remember getting three shots and retrieving my belongings where I went to my living quarters. I was assigned to building 15M and my room was 131. I remember putting my bags down, staring at the yellow bricks as a huge pit filled my stomach. I will never ever forget that moment as well as the smells of the M.T.C. There were about five notes waiting on a blue bag that was assigned for me. All were welcoming cards from Sigma Chi brothers. I immediately went looking for one of them by myself, but I was unsuccesful. I went back to my room and my companion had arrived. Elder Ryan Webb from Tremonton, Utah. He had just recently graduated from Bear River High School and he had the look of "I've been waiting for this moment for all of my life." He was happy as a clam to be there, while I was just trying to survive.

Later that afternoon we had a welcoming meeting with the rest of the Elders and Sisters who had also arrived on August 4. I remember crying a little bit because that is when it really hit me: "I am not going home for two years." Afterwards I met my district and to my delight, there were no sisters. All but two of us were going to the same mission. I did not eat one thing that night or that day and I did not eat one thing the next two days as well. I remember not sleeping a wink that first night and it being somewhat of a surreal event and the longest night of my life.

I believe that Dave Owen, Blake Moore, and Brady Johnson pulled me through those first three days. Never once did I consider coming home because I knew that was where I needed to be, whether I liked it or not. Fortunately for me I made it through those first three days, I made it through the M.T.C. in Provo, São Paulo, the twenty four months I was called to labor. Little did I know at that time the adventure that was in front of me and the most cherished two years of my life. Now if you think this account was entertaining, wait until I blog about the day I left for São Paulo.

SUN VALLEY

2009-07-23T16:08:00.000-07:00

The third weekend of July is has and always will be reserved for the Scott Family vacation up to Sun Valley, Idaho. I am always the last member of the family to arrive, and this year was no different. I left Salt Lake City by myself in the Audi A4 at 6:30 pm last Thursday evening. Of course I had to get my workout in before I left. I was feeling good and it was one of the more memorable drives as I was able to reflect on life while listening from artists ranging from the Beastie Boys all the way to The Phantom of the Opera Soundtrack. I made my customary stop in Twin Falls, Idaho, took a look at the new temple, grabbed a butterfinger blizzard from Dairy Queen and proceeded up to Sun Valley. I arrived at my destination at 11:00 pm.

The next morning I was roped into hiking Bald Mountain with my sister-in-law Maris. Little did I know I would be toting Neon Leon three miles up the mountain in a backpack and then three miles down. Our conversations ranged from why I am so terrible with girls all the way to our family vacations and how much we enjoyed Sun Valley. Maris' little sister Hillary joined us, kind of, and ran all the way up the mountain, which is five miles and all the way down, without water. Oh, to be 18 years old again.

Once we returned to the condo, it was time for me to do "the shave." Next came my favorite part of the trip: Golf at the Sun Valley Golf Club. It is one of my most favorite courses and I felt privileged to be able to play with my little brother Brigham. For some odd reason, he and I are the only two in our family that enjoy golf. His golf attire could use a makeover, evidence of the picture below. They cannot all look as good as me. Turns out our group finished tied for second in the Utah State Bar scramble tournament. I was surprised because I felt like we did not play too well. One of the reasons could have been the heat. My goodness it was hot up in Sun Valley all weekend, and it had to have been 95 degrees during our round of golf.

Brigham and I met up with the rest of the family at the Ketchum Café for dinner. There, I say Gavin Van Wagoner, i.e.. Navin R. Johnson. Always good to see a close childhood friend. Justin, Winston and I then went to see Public Enemies with my man crush Christian Bale and Johnny Depp. Good movie, but I was so tired throughout that I had trouble concentrating on what was going on. No later had the movie ended that I found myself with Michelle Allred walking through Sun Valley. Michelle was just appointed as the President of the Young Lawyers Association. I was intrigued to hear about her dinner with Sandra Day O'Connor. I arrived back at my condo at 1:00 am and was just beat and fell asleep within seconds.

The next morning I awoke to Neon Leon and Adalayde at 7:30 am so I went over to my parents condo and fell asleep for until 9:30. I told Winston to make me some breakfast which he did, and then it was time for the Scott Family bikeride. Luckily this year I did not have to pull Sam. He is 6 years old now and has his own bike. We rode for about two hours and then enjoyed lunch on the patio at the Sun Valley lodge. After lunch it was pool time, and it was obvious that 95% of the people at the Sun Valley pool should never in their lives dress into pool attire. I got some good sun at the pool and helped fill in my farmer tan.

I did not feel like eating much that night as we ate on the deck of our condo. It was good times. We reminisced about growing up, past experiences, and how much we enjoyed being up in Sun Valley. I did not say much. I was in a more reflective mood and had a good time observing the scenery and the people with which I was surrounded. Later that night I went bowling with Sam and Noah, my parents, and my sister Heather. We then grabbed some ice cream and that is when I decided that I had filled myself with way too much junk food. Fortunately for me, I have been working out extra hard.

Sunday morning had come and it was time to say goodbye once again to Sun Valley. The family gathered around the television and watched Tom Watson's epic British Open round come to a screeching halt as he bogeyed the 18th hole and subsequently lost in a playoff. That would have been a great story. The ride home was nice. Winston joined me and we made it home in some intense heat on one tank of gas. I felt pretty proud of the A4. Once again, Sun Valley, once again, was a great success.

"SOFTBALL GUYS"

2009-07-14T13:56:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, Jake Olson, Danny Owen and myself traveled down to St. George to play in the annual Heatstroker softball tournament. We had been down there to play in a tournament in October, but we wanted to experience the mid-summer classic in Southern Utah. One of our teammates is from Taylorsville and he is the quintessential "Softball Guy." Jake, Danny, and I are baseball players who play softball. This guy, along with hundreds of others are softball players. There is a big difference. He was talking to us about the teams he plays on, the tournaments he has attended, and how he knows if a bat has been manipulated, or what he called, "shaved." It was classic.

We arrived in St. George around 8:30 pm on Friday night. It was only 98 degrees when we arrived, and no, I am not talking about Nick Lachey. We grabed a Quiznos and put our game faces on for our first contest at 11:00 pm. I need to give kudos to Liz Collins for stopping by and buying Gatorade and Nibs for us. She stayed through our first two games and then got smart and went to bed. We won our first contest in the last inning. Our next game was scheduled for 1:00 am. We proceeded to win that game easily and then our next game was scheduled for 5:00 am. Now this was tricky because we did not want to go to sleep, so we went back to Grady Marshall's place and hung out until 4:15 am. Honestly, that was the toughest part of the trip for me. It took effort to stay awake. Luckily Lethal Weapon was airing on the Spike Channel.

The game at 5:00 in the morning was more than interesting. Both teams were suffering from sleep deprivation and both teams were not hitting the ball particulary well until we took a six run lead heading into the final inning. We only needed three outs to win but our opposition started to hit the ball and I made an error that would have sealed up the victory. I still feel terrible over it. We lost on a walk off home run and were faced with the prospect of elimination. Our next game took place only two hours later as we watched the sun come up over the red cliffs of Snow Canyon. Many of us layed down on the grass and we all fell into a deep sleep until we arose about five minutes before our game at 7:00 am. Fortunately for us we won in a competitive game and when it was all said and done we played four softball games late Friday night into early Saturday morning.

As we drove back to Grady Marshall's place around 8:30 am, we decided it was time for some french toast stix from Jack in the Box. Could be my favorite breakfast snack. They are really good. Jake, Danny, and I hit the sack at 9:15 am while Grady went out to breakfast with his wife and daughter. Dude is a warrior. Jake woke us up at 2:15 and now I know what it feels like to be hung over. I had absolutely no desire to do anything but sit and stare at the wall. We went to In N Out Burger at 3:00 and it had to be at least 105 degrees outside. It was painful. I got the idea that we were being stared at because none of us had showered and we looked like Bradley Cooper and Andy Bernard on The Hangover.

Once we finished lunch and started to wake up, we hit the pool, and this honestly refreshed all of us. No later were we at the pool when it was time to continue the Heatstroker. Our first game started on Saturday night at 8:00. We throttled our opposition and kept our dreams of a top ten finish alive. It was a beautiful setting as the sun set. I felt like I was on Tatooine, home planet of Anakin and Luke Skywalker. The next game started at 9:00 and we played a team called the Muzzah Fuzzah's. Word on the street is that they are from Colorado City, Arizona. Enough said. They kicked our butts, and I think that we were just absolutely gassed and had no energy left. We finished in the top 7 and felt good about our performance.

Jake, Danny, Grady, and myself enjoyed a nice dinner at Pancho & Lefty's and afterwards I just couldn't help myself, it was time for Mesquite. Jake was nice enough to let Danny and I take his car down and we left at 11:30 pm. We were exhausted, delirious, dirty, and excited to play some cards. Danny won $375 and I won $100 all in about 8 minutes, although we didn't leave the casino until 2:30 am. I do not know if I have ever been that tired in my life, but it was all worth it. We left St. George at 7:30 am the next morning so I was functioning on about 5 hours of real sleep over the weekend, but I was determined to get home for church. I recounted the weekend to my parents and told them that I would do it all over because I had a great time being "Softball Guy" and hanging out with my friends. We also got to know Grady Marshall a lot better. He's alright, even though he went to Skyline. War Eagle.

"BIG SKY" MONTANA

2009-07-10T13:07:00.000-07:00

For the weekend of the 4th of July I was invited up to Maris' family compound up in Darby, Montana. For you geography buffs, Darby is located about 70 miles south of Missoula, and sits right on the Bitterroot River. Many of you know name from Brad Pitt's breakout role in A River Runs Through It. I had been up to Montana once before as a ten year old boy, but it was only for a couple of days and we were in West Yellowstone. I told one of the attorney's for whom I work what I would be doing over the 4th of July weekend and I told him that I was headed up to Montana. He smiled, asked what part, and when I told him where I was going, he said, "That's God's country." I don't think I could disagree, even as a wannabe metro county club boy. It was absolutely beautiful.

I drove up with my parents and made one of them sit in the back seat of the Explorer to and from our destination. On our way up we stopped at Maddox in Brigham City. I had the fried chicken, and I got some interesting looks because I was in my usual Polo outfit with my rainbow flip flops. Maybe they were just looking at my shaved legs. I don't know. We stayed at the Fairfield Inn that night in Idaho Falls and arose very early the next morning. Once we reached the Idaho/Montana border, it felt like we were up in the high Uintah mountains. Thousands and thousands of pine trees and beautiful streams. Many of you may not know it but I love being in the mountains, and that is one of the reasons I hope to stay in Utah for the rest of my life. I love the mountains.

We arrived at Maris' family's compound around 9:30 on Friday morning, and I say compound because there is a large cabin, and each family has a smaller cabin built on the property in a semi-circle. And that's not even the best part. You should see the garage. Now this is a man's garage with all sorts of toys, tools, and lawnmowers. We quickly got dressed for the lake and went canoeing and kayaking at a place called Lake Como. Beautiful surroundings. I was not anticipating getting a work out that morning, but I was mistaken. My arms were throbbing by the time we had finished kayaking. I was tired. I wish I was able to go wakeboarding on Lake Como or at least boating, but once again, beggars cannot be choosers.

Maris' dad is from Reno, NV and he, along with three other families, all have cabin's in the same area and later on Friday night, we all gathered for dinner and a foosball tournament. Now let me say that I have played foosball maybe five times in my life and this tournament is serious stuff. There were at least 60 people at dinner and we all put our names in a hat and were placed in pairs. I so happened to be placed with the two time reigning champion, a 20 year old from Reno who is on the U.S. Snowboarding team. You could not pair up two more opposite people, but we made it all the way to the championship game and lost on a fluke. We had a great audience all the way through and I think I endeared myself to a few of the ladies who became my groupies. After the loss, I was so upset that I had to go on a little walk. Those competitive juices never die.

The next morning the same group gathered for breakfast. I was still a bit upset over the loss in the foosball championship the previous evening, but I quickly cheered up when I remembered that it was Saturday, but not any Saturday. It was the 4th of July, and I was on vacation. I proceeded to do "the shave" and Maris told me that I take longer to get ready than anybody she has ever known. I take pride in the fact that I take a long time to get ready. We then went on a bike ride up the mountain, and once again, I was not anticipating getting such a nice workout, but I did and it was nice to burn off some calories. The best part was that I borrowed and broke Justin's bike coming down the mountain by making an erroneous gear shift.

Once we returned, I took a nap on the hammock and reminisced about my hammock days in Brazil and then it was time to do some skeet shooting. I have not shot a gun in about ten years and when I got that 12 gauge shot gun in my hand, I was a little bit nervous. It had some great action and I missed my first six orange saucers. I then changed to a different 12 gauge and I felt like the Terminator. I hit the next four orange saucers. There is nothing like blowing one of those things to bits, cocking the gun, and yelling "pull." I think I should have gone into the CIA. Fortunately for me, I had great instructors but it had to be fun for them to watch a city boy like me firing a 12 gauge shot gun in a navy blue Polo shirt and tan A&F shorts. Kent did not want to fire any of the guns. I think he had enough in basic training. Justin hit nine out of twelve saucers, and Tony Black, Justin's brother-in-law who looks exactly like Mike Grant, hit all twelve.

On the way back down the mountain I was feeling like Dirty Harry, but the time had come to get ready for the night's festivities, and I was in for a treat. We went over to Leo's friends place just down the highway. Leo is Maris' father who looks exactly like Hook. There had to have been 90 people at the gathering, and later I would figure out why. Great barbecue, great people, and great stories. These people really now how to party and they really all like each other. We were embraced by all, but there was one particular blonde who I had my eye on but I never went up and talked to her. I am such a coward.After the barbecue, it was time for the World's Greatest Firework Show. Now I say this and I should have a lot of credibility with many of you because I am a firework connoisseur. Justin and Maris had frequently talked about this firework show, but I did not believe that it could be that great. I knew I was in for a great time when I saw these fireworks strewn out all over the lawn and on the banks of the Bitterroot River. It was a very picturesque surrounding. You could not buy these things in Evanston. They were awesome. I was asked to join the brigade who sets off the fireworks. I believe there were ten of us. We had a twenty minute tutorial on how to light the fireworks in sequence. It was like passing the sacrament. Each person was designated to a specific section, and there was a system in place. We had a prayer in front of the bonfire before ignition commenced and we took a picture in front of the crowd. I felt like a celebrity. I had never in my lifetime seen a firework show this and I felt like I was running through a battlefield when I was running to light my fireworks and running for cover. Debris were hitting me in the head, smoke was everywhere, and fire was in the sky. It was the coolest thing I had ever seen, and I was fulfilling a boyhood dream of being a part of such a pyrotechnic show. Words cannot do it justice. The best part is that it was man made. We didn't even need a permit. Afterwards I could not stop talking about the firework show and LaRae said she was worried about Justin and I because we were in battle. Kent said it was the most amazing firework show he had ever seen, even better than the Olympics.

I slept like a baby that night and it was time for breakfast and time for Kent, LaRae and myself to head back to Salt Lake City. Breakfast, once again, was fabulous and hearing Leo talk about how he always gets seized when he goes through customs in other customs was priceless. It was time to go and when Neon Leon Anderson saw us get in the Explorer, he threw a fit. That kid has great meltdowns. Once we reached Idaho Falls, Kent started to get chippy. He hates being in the car. And when I see Kent start to get nervous, that's my cue to start pressing his buttons. Once we arrived Pocatello he was not too thrilled when I told him that I wanted Jack in the Box. He made me pull over at the Arctic Circle. Not a bad choice. We then proceeded to Preston, Idaho, which is the land of my late grandmother, Bessie Aurilla Condie England, who is more affectionately known in the Scott Family as C3PO. The resemblance is striking. Grandma Bess and Grandpa Edward, which is my middle name, are burried in Preston.

My memories of Preston are of us going up there every Memorial Day and shooting 22 riffles and hanging out with redneck second cousins, third cousins, etc. We visited the gravesite of my grandparents and Kent wanted to get out of there as fast as we arrive there. No, I did not see Napoleon Dynamite. Shoot. LaRae could not stop talking about memoies of Preston and riding her bike into town to look at the drunks leaving the bars as a child.

We all love to talk about our memories, especially as children. Kent tuned her out and put on his ipod and started yelling at me to turn on the air conditioning. My final joke was activating the window locks, and turning on the heat full blast. He was not too thrilled with that and threw out a few choice words at me. Of course it was LaRae who was egging me on to do so. Another great weekend, and another great adventure. The only regret was that I was ot able to go flyfishing. in my life. Montana is beautiful, and A River Runs Through It.

CALIFORNIA DREAMIN'

2009-06-23T13:45:00.000-07:00

Last week the entire Scott Family, sans Heather & Greg traveled down to Newport Beach, CA for a weekend of fun in the sun. About a year ago, a representative from the Newport Coast Villas made an offer I couldn't refuse. Because I have spent so many nights in Marriott hotels over the last few years, and many others, albeit under my Marriott rewards number, I would be given a Thursday to Sunday stay in the Newport Coast Villas by Marriott at no cost as long as I attended a 90 minute presentation, where they thought I would for sure purchase one of their timeshares. So I planned a year in advance to travel down with my family from June 11 to June 14 because that was the last weekend I would be able to use on of the timeshares, and the weekend of my father's 61st birthday.

Now I failed to mention that the Scott family would not be able to fit comfortably in one of the units, which is two bedroom, two bath, a living area, and a kitchen. Now that being said, I booked a room at the Newport Beach Marriott Bayview, where Winston, Brigham, and I stayed, which was only five miles up the road. Justin, Maris & their family took off a day in advance and stayed over in Las Vegas, and Kent, LaRae, Winston, Brigham, and myself flew down to Long Beach just a day later. Of course we made our annual visit into the Delta Crowne Room where I emptied an entire bowl of Biscoff cookies into my bag, all the while I was enjoying crackers with olives. Once we arrived in Long Beach, we made our way down the 405 and into Newport Beach where we stopped at In N Out Burger.

Now allow me to preface the next sentence by saying I abstained from all hamburgers, coke products, caffeine, and carbonation for over a month in order to indulge myself in Southern California. I ordered a 4x4, a large coke, fries, and a neopolitan shake. Now that has to be over 1500 caloiries in and of itself. It was the best hamburger and coke I have ever had in my life. I ate the 4x4 in two minutes and fourteen seconds. My parents looked at me as if I was an animal. Once we had checked Winston and Brigham into the Newport Beach Marriott Bayview, I accompanied my parents down the road to the Newport Coast Villas, where I stayed on Thursday night because the next morning we attended the Newport Beach Temple and did a session. It's a beautiful temple, just like all of them, a bit smaller, but I had not been through a temple session with my parents in years.

Now the weather on Friday was not too agreeable. Cloudy, windy, and 68 degrees. We did a little grocery shopping after the temple session, and I have never seen so many beautiful women over the age of 35 in my life. I was in my element. I would love to be one of their little boy toys someday. Winston and Brigham had gone to Fatburger and brought back lunch for all of us. Once again, an incredibly tasty hamburger. We then decided to go over to Balboa island, which was pretty fun. I had never been over there before. We did a boat tour but I was pretty upset about the weather because I wanted to be at the beach. We made the best of the situation, but the time had come to get ready for the Angels game. We had great seats, and once again, I indulged myself with a coke and a huge tray of nachos with beef, beans, sour cream, tomatoes, and everything in between. They were beautiful. We had great seats. We always do when I am in charge.

After the game, Brigham, Winston, and I dropped my parents off at the Newport Coast Villas and proceeded to beat the hell out of the rental car, which was a Toyota Camry. I think the tires were bald after we were done with it. If you would like some audio of what we were doing with the Toyota Camry, just ask to listen to Danny Owen's voicemail. Tires screeching and horn honking. Juvenile behavior at its best. Winston and Brigham enjoyed some El Pollo Loco while I fenagled my way into the hot tub for about thirty minutes before bed. I don't think I have slept so well my entire life.

The next morning we all went back to the Newport Coast Villas where my mother had made pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, and toast. I loaded my eggs with Tobasco sauce and ketchup. Another hearty meal. They then went on a bike ride with Justin, Maris, Neon Leon, and Adalayde while I make Winston and Brigham wait for me as I did "the shave" in the master bathroom, which took about 45 minutes. They started to yell at me because they were tired of me walking naked in front of them. Once I had completed "the shave" we went up to Newport Beach to the Crab Cooker for some lunch. That place has some of the best seafood I have ever enjoyed. I had the shrimp skewer with mashed potatoes. Once we left the Crab Cooker, I was feeling pretty good about myself. I was freshly showered, shaven, and the sun was out, and the temperature was about 78 degrees. Now it was time to play golf.

Because we were staying at the Newport Coast Villas for free, and I wasn't even staying there, I only thought it fair for Justin & Maris to go through the 90 minute presentation, which they did. Maris wanted Justin to buy into the Newport Coast Villas, but Justin wasn't having it, and I am glad that he wasn't having it because he was posing as Creighton Scott all weekend. The Newport Coast Villas was under the impression that Creighton Scott was married to Maris Scott and they had two children together. I think we all made out pretty well. Now across the way from the Newport Coast Villas is Pelican Hill, which is an entirely different resort. The Newport Coast Villas is very family friendly, while Pelican Hill caters more to very wealthy people. I would like to think that I'll vacation there someday.

Pelican Hill has two 18 hole golf courses which overlook the Pacific Ocean. It just doesn't get any better than that. Since I am the only person in my family that plays golf, I went over by myself where I was placed with a gentleman in his late 40's, and a younger caddy in his early 20's. Now I was playing some great golf and very much enjoying the views of the Pacific Ocean. The only thing missing was a massage after every hole. Pelican Hill was one of the most enjoyable golf courses I have ever played. I'll definitely be back. After the 18 hole round of golf, I spent some time in the locker room, which was absolutely beautiful. I washed up, hung out and enjoyed a coke while I waited for a ride back to the Newport Coast Villas.

Kent, LaRae, Winston, and Brigham had gone to the Angels game while Justin and I were enjoying a lovely Saturday evening in the timeshare. We decided that it was time for another In N Out Burger. They just never get old. After we returned, we enjoyed the remainder of our Saturday evening in Southern California as I made a few prank calls and tried to entertain the people around me as much as possible. I wanted to go for a walk on the beach, but I had to girl to accompany me, and I didn't want to go alone because that would look like I was acting in a seminary film. So we stayed in and I waited for my brothers to return from the Angels game.

The next morning, we went to Trader Joes, which was just down the street, and I had a wonderful time with all of the Sunday morning samplers. It was then time to make our way over to Anaheim for another Angels game, but LaRae and I wanted In N Out Burger again so we had to sit in traffic for a little while in Anaheim and Kent started to get upset, as he always does by the time the trip reaches it's third day. He didn't think we knew where we were going and proceeded to say a few things that would come out of Walt Kowalski's mouth on Gran Torino. He was making all of us laugh but he didn't think it was funny because he just wanted to get to the ballpark. We made it in time for the first pitch and it was a beautiful Sunday at the Angel Stadium. About 82 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. I have the farmer tan to prove it.

Once the game was over, it was time for Justin, Maris, Neon Leon, and Adalayde to make their way back to Salt Lake City via Las Vegas, while we made Kent endure one more stop for a hamburger. This time it was Fatburgers turn. I can only imagine what was going through his head. Once it was all said and done, I had nine hamburger patties in about three days, and at least eight coke's. And they were all worth it. On the plane ride home, my brother Winston was seated next to David Archuleta. Of course my mom knew who he was, but the rest of us were clueless. He looks like an very unassuming pip squeak. I have the picture to prove it. I was seated in the back of the plane with the overweight Mormon wives in their mid 20's with multiple children, who were screaming.

It had to have been one of the worst flights of my life. All in all it was a great trip. I just wish it could have been a little bit longer, and I wish the weather had been a bit better on Friday because I really wanted to go to the beach. But beggers cannot be choosers. By the way... I was in Las Vegas again this past weekend, and if you want the scoop on that one, you will have to call, email, or text me.

REAL MEN WEAR PINK

2009-06-23T10:40:00.000-07:00

TERMINATOR SALVATION

2009-05-21T11:00:00.000-07:00

"I KNEW IT. I KNEW IT WAS COMING. BUT THIS IS NOT THE FUTURE MY MOTHER WARNED ME ABOUT. AND IN THIS FUTURE, I DON'T KNOW IF WE CAN WIN THIS WAR. THIS IS JOHN CONNOR."

TERMINATOR 3: RISE OF THE MACHINES

2009-05-20T11:53:00.000-07:00

"YOU ARE TERMINATED."

TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY

2009-05-19T13:44:00.001-07:00

"HASTA LA VISTA, BABY."

THE TERMINATOR

2009-05-18T09:51:00.000-07:00

"I'LL BE BACK."

POP & PIMP

2009-05-07T12:46:00.001-07:00

Kent and Creighton Scott, circa June 1997. Ah the good ole' days. Where the beer flowed like wine and the women instinctively flocked like the salmon of Capistrano.

WORDS OF WISDOM FROM DOS EQUIS

2009-05-07T10:56:00.001-07:00

If this guy is truly "The world's most intersting man", then what does that make me? Stay thirsty my friends.

SEATTLE'S BEST: THE BROTHERS SCOTT

2009-05-04T15:33:00.000-07:00

This past weekend my brother Justin and I traveled up to Seattle and attended a couple of Seattle Mariners games at Safeco Field. Since Callie Tempest Jones created this blog in March of 2008, I have been asked how I am able to afford my travels. First of all, I am not married, and there is nobody to whom I have to answer. Second of all, traveling is one of my passions, as well as baseball. They go hand in hand. I love being at Major League Baseball games, especially with members of my family or close friends.

Now I had been to Seattle once before this past weekend in 1996 and I remember enjoying it very much. When I was in high school, Seattle was the toast of the United States and pop culture, especially music and film, not to mention Starbucks. Safeco Field is the last of the baseball stadiums to which I have not visited located on the west coast so I have long desired to return to Seattle. Justin and I took off from Salt Lake City early on Saturday morning and arrived in Seattle just two hours later. I could not help but laugh as we were walking through the terminal in Seattle when I saw two Asians wearing dental masks. They probably think that the swine flu is running roughsod in the United States. One of the first things I noticed as we walked outside was how crisp and fresh the air was. Of course it was overcast and raining upon arrival. What else would you expect in Seattle?

We rode the bus into town from the airport for $1.75, which is the best bargain in town. I enjoyed looking at Boeing Field off the side of the freeway, and to this day, I still do not understand how airplanes get off the ground. I guess that I did not pay attention in Mr. Chenworth's 11th grade physics class. Justin and I checked into the Marriott, which is beautiful, and located just down the street from the famous Edgewater Inn. Now you music buffs wold know the Edgewater Inn because it's where the Beatles and Led Zeppelin would stay. We had a great view of Elliot Bay from our room and we put our bags down, and headed off to Pikes Market where we grabbed some lunch and people watched.

We then walked up into the Seattle Center by the space needle, which may be the worst piece of architecture in the United States of America, but for some reason, it fits Seattle. We continued to walk around the Seattle Center and by KeyArena, all the while it's raining, and Justin and I reminisced about the good old days when it seemed like the Jazz and Sonics played in the NBA playoffs every year. It still makes me sad to know that Seattle lost the Sonics. As much as I hated them during the mid 90's, they were one of the great NBA franchises. We also debated the best movie ever to be filmed in Seattle. Justin says it's Harry and the Hendersons. I say it's Say Anything. Sorry girls...Sleepless in Seattle was not even in the top 10.

Justin and I grew tired of being in the rain and decided to go back to the Marriott where it was time to crunch it and sit in the hottub. We got cleaned up and walked about two and a half miles down Alaskan Ave. to Safeco Field. Of course it was still raining and I had the chills the entire game, but I would not allow the weather to interrupt or ruin my experience at a new ballpark. We sat in the club level and enjoyed "Turn Back the Clock" night between the Oakland Oaks and the Seattle Rainiers. It was pretty cool. Both teams wore throwback uniforms and the public address announcer even sounded like he was from 1939. Had I known this, I would have dressed in knickers, suspenders, and one of those hats on Newsies. I can't remember what they are called. The game had come to a close and it was time to walk back to the Marriott, and it was still raining. We decided to walk in it again, and I think Justin and I walked a total of seven to eight miles on Saturday. We purchased some junk food from the gift shop as we watched George Carlin stand up comedy on HBO. That guy is one of my all time favorite comedians.

We woke up the next morning around 8:00 am and the sun was shining. I couldn't believe it. I hadn't seen the sun for the previous four days. I was about ready to hang myself from the balcony of my hotel room. When the sun is out in Seattle, it's virtually impossible not to be in a good mood. It's absolutely beautiful. Right now everything is pretty green in Salt Lake City. But everything is lush green up in the Pacific Northwest. Justin and I enjoyed the breakfast buffet at the Marriott that morning and once again made the trek down Alaskan Ave. to Safeco Field. This time we scored some box seats behind the Mariners bench. The sun was out, I had a coke in hand, and I was with my brother at a Major League Baseball game. Life was good. Now the Mariners game went 16 innings yesterday. Justin and I had to leave after the twelfth inning in order to catch our flight home. I think destiny would have it that way because our cab drivers name on the way back to the Marriott was Carl. Also, the captain of our flight back home to Salt Lake City had the name of Carl. That made my week.

It was another chapter in the annals of my famous "Life is Great" weekends. Seattle was a success. I would like to make it up there on a more regular schedule but you never know what's going to come up. Maybe now that Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Alice in Chains are out of the equation, it's my turn to take Seattle by storm.

LA$ VEGA$: WE'RE IN THE MONEY

2009-04-21T12:29:00.000-07:00

Many of you think I spend too much time in the Las Vegas area. You may be right. I have been down there three times now in the last month. If any of you, especially you married women, ever came to see my solo performance in Thunder From Down Under to Hungry Eyes on the Dirty Dancing soundtrack, you would know why I spend so much time in Las Vegas. It's a must see.

This time was a bit different. Me, my brother Winston, Scott Smith, and Danny Owen arrived at the JW Marriott around 9:00 pm on Thursday night. The purpose of our trip was to play golf, relax, eat well, and last but not least, play blackjack. The drive down was highly entertaining. I am the youngest of the group by two years, so naturally I am going to take the most crap from my tight diesel jeans to my perceived lack of work ethic in baseball, which I disagree with, and everything in between. We all went to Highland and grew up in the same neighborhood so many memories were shared. I guess I lost all credibility with Scott Smith because I have never seen the Godfather all the way through, but he's never seen American Psycho, so we're even. There were plenty of "remember when's"and "I wonder what that guy is doing right now." That, and a lot of prank phone calls and text messages to our favorite Highland Ram of all time: Todd Christensen.

If any of you have been to the JW Marriott in Las Vegas, you know it is a beautiful resort, and the rooms are quite spacious. The only inconvenience, which I don't believe is an inconvenience is the fact that it is located in Summerlin, which is about 20 minutes northwest of the Las Vegas strip. I would like to stay there everytime I go to Las Vegas for that reason.

After we checked in, we headed straight to the casino, which is located on the premises of the JW Marriott, but is not owned by Marriott. Don't ask questions. I don't like to play cards nearly as much as I like to watch my friends on the tables. I gave Winston $150 of my own money, which he lost in about 12 minutes. Scott Smith and Danny were down quick as well, but Scott fought back and was up a handsome amount. We were starting to attract the attention of the pit bosses because of the money being played. I told Scott to walk, he got greedy, and lost the rest of it and was operating in the red. I decided to go back to the room because I was tired and no later than I got into bed, I was awoken to multiple $100 bills. Now before we started playing, we made a pact that if one of us made a large amount of money, we would pay for the expenses of others on the trip. It was a team effort.

The next morning, we went into the fitness center and each ran about 3 miles. Afterwards it was time to get naked in the spa, and as many of you know, I love the spa more than life itself, and especially walking around naked in front of other people. Gavin Van Wagoner, you were sorely missed. Scott Smith and I spent about a half an hour in the steam room, a half an hour in the whirlpool, and some time in the showers with multiple heads. Danny has never been much of a "locker room guy." He had his towel and robe on at all times. I spent about 45 minutes in another shower shaving my lower half and pampering myself with all types of lotions and creams. It was three hours well spent. Damn I'm sexy.

Now it was time to golf. The weather was great, albeit a bit breezy. Winston brought down his bike and went for a ride as Scott, Danny, and myself played the TPC Las Vegas, which is one of my most favorite courses. Every year, a PGA event is held, and we got a reasonably priced green fee for a Friday afternoon in the middle of April. Even better was the young girl driving around the drink cart. Yeah, I hit on her. Her name was Kimberly, and after talking to her and throwing all all sorts of hints she finally gave me the "my boyfriend" line, but it didn't stop me. I couldn't get her to come hot tubbing with me later. I guess she didn't like my red shorts or freshly shaved legs. Who knows.

After golf, we headed to the Cheesecake Factory, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I have only been once in Salt Lake City, but everytime I go to that place, I feel like I am on vacation. Then it was back to the tables. This particular blackjack dealer was from Boston. I asked her if she liked Las Vegas and the weather, seeing as Boston never reaches a temperature above 52. She snickered and called me a smart ass, which I enjoyed. I then began to make fun of the music in the casino. She knew all of us by name and enjoyed our company. We even talked to her about our experiences as LDS missionaries in Russia, Norway, Guatemala, and Brazil. Winston won my $150 back, but I decided it was my time to play, and I lost that same amount in about twenty minutes. I lost ten straight hands. Just my luck.

I continued to observe the situation on the tables and the pit bosses were once again giving us a great amount of attention. Winston grew angry with me because I didn't want to lose more money and stated that I was done gambling for the trip. We also engaged our dealer in more conversation as Winston and Scott debated communism. They also taked about Marxism, which I think is an absolute joke. Scott and Danny continued to win and we were able to get our rooms and meals comped because of the amount of money being played. We were living the good life.

We slept in until 9:30 on Saturday morning, ate breakfast for free and headed up to Mesquite to play Wolf Creek, which is the most aesthetically pleasing course I have ever played. On the way, Winston and Scott decided to engage in a conversation ranging from politics to captial gains tax, to communism. I didn't listen because I don't speak freaky deaky Dutch andI learned a long time ago never to engage in arguments with these two, because they are always right and won't stop until you feel like an idiot. I forced myself into a nap in the back seat of the car and woke up just in time to play golf. Wolf Creek is beautiful, and I cannot wait to play it again. I found 44 Titleist Pro V 1's and numerous Callaway and Nike golf balls as well. Besides hunting for golf balls, I decided to mix in a few good shots that always keep me coming back. I love golf, and would play every day provided the opportunity. You can see my awesome lime green Polo shirt and white Polo shorts below.

After golf we went to the Casablanca Resort and Casino because you can never win enough money playing blackjack. Scott attracted the pit bosses attention once again and once again, we were given a $100 voucher to eat at the finest restaurant in Mesquite. I had the 12 oz. filet mignon, which was excellent. After dinner, we all lost our shorts on the tables. All of us were operating in the red and we were just about ready to head up to our hotel room in St. George when Scott got into his car, reached for some extra funds, and went back to the tables. Danny did the same.

We started playing with a young dealer from Cedar City named David. He was awesome. Scott was playing large hands, and ocassionally I would put in a $100 chip to increase the bet and that is how I won my money. I am such a smart investor. Pretty soon I'll be running ponzy schemes. I didn't do so on one hand, and David proceeded to call me a slang for the female anatomy. Of course he busted and Scott won the hand. He was good to all of us and I have never seen a dealer deal cards and chips as quickly and efficient. He was the real deal.

Once we cleaned out the table, a new dealer was sent our way. We figured our time had come to a close. It was now 2:15 am Mormon Daylight Time and we headed up to St. George with a plethora of $100 bills. I will not say how much. If you have any questions, please call Scott Smith. All of us made money, which in turn, paid for our expenses. The next morning, we decided that this should be a yearly event. I spent a total of $9.87 on the trip. It was time well spent with a brother and two close friends. No, we do not have a problem with gambling. It's not a problem if you win.

I gave my entire winnings to my father, minus $80 I owe to Katie Hanseen Smith for finding and buying my pink polo shorts for which I have long been searching. I gave my winnings to my father for two reason: (1) I have never had to use and ATM because of him, which coincidentally is his nickname, and (2) I am trying to steal the birth right from my oldest brother Justin.

My next blog entry will be my in my new Polo pink shorts. I am searching for some penny lofers to compliment them. Any suggestions?

Viva Las Vegas

2009-03-19T14:29:00.000-07:00

For the few of you that actually pay attention to my blog, I apologize for not updating it since the Sugar Bowl victory in New Orleans. It has been a great two months, and came to a wonderful ending last Saturday evening in Las Vegas as my beloved University of Utah Runnin' Utes won the Mountain West Conference Tournament.

The weekend of the Mountain West Conference Tournament is my favorite time of year. Usually, my entire family is in St. George at the Utah State Bar mid-year meetings, and this year was no exception, except, of course for the absence of my parents, who are in Egypt/Jerusalem. I asked that they bring me home a yamaka and a dradle. However, Winston and I spent Thursday through Sunday in Las Vegas. Heather and Greg came down to Las Vegas every night with Noah and Sam, and I think I have completed my journey in converting my entire family into diehard and hardcore University of Utah fans. Justin and Maris, as well as Neon Leon Anderson and Adalayed came down for the Championship game on Saturdday. It has been a tremendous year for the University of Utah. Outright conference champions and Sugar Bowl victory in football. Shared conference championship and a Mountain West Conference Tournament championship as well as a (5) seed in the NCAA Tournament, and the journey continues against the University of Arizona tomorrow night in Miami.

I must say that this particular trip to Sin City was my favorite in my 28 years on this Earth for many reasons. It started off as I rented a Dodge Charger, which looks like a car you would see on Spy Hunter. Best car rental ever. We were blessed with the presence of Chris Grant and the entire Owen family, and lucky for us, Danny spent his nights with us as we exhibited our usual degenerate behavior in the casino's. It was great to have Chris along. Every girl turns and looks at him, so just being with him gives you instant credibility with the ladies. We reminisced about the good old days growing up, shared hundreds of movie lines, "Yeah, I think it' the bypass line" ate In n Out Burger, I had four double double's in three days, played golf, and gambled. No, we did not enter any strip joints, although Chris stated that he found the love of his life dealing blackjack at the Hard Rock Hotel, and let me just say that she is quite attractive. By the way... The Hard Rock has the best ambiance if you are looking to gamble or people watch.

Winston and I saw six out of the seven basketball games, and I could not help but become emotional as I watched the Runnin' Utes, and particularly Coach Boylen cut down the nets at the Thomas & Mack Center. It was only two years ago that the program I loved sank to new lows. I appreciate being on top now much more because I now what it feels like to be a bottom feeder. To all of you that read this post and have an affiliation with the University of Utah, I highly recommend attending the conference tournament in Las Vegas. It is one of the highlights of each year for me.

The weather was great and I had the privilege of playing golf with Dr. Jones (Richard Jones) and Andrew. Just to be in shorts and play golf with such wonderful friends is worth the price of admission. I owe my entire golf game to Richard Jones. That man has more patience than anybody I know. He had to put up with me as a teenager and still puts up with me as an adult. He must shake his head everytime I open my mouth.

I have to thank Jake and Kristine Olson for helping us get into the pool at the Mandalay Bay, which in my opinion, is the best pool in Las Vegas. It feels more like a beach, and for a guy like me, there was plenty of eye candy to behold. I felt very self conscious walking around with my shirt off around Chris Grant and Jordan Owen. And I am five times or six times a week guy at the gym. The worst part of the trip came in the sports book as I watched the Jazz blow a seven point lead with 55 seconds remaining in regulation, and an 8 point lead with 1:45 remaining in the first overtime. Yeah, I was that guy in the sports book; screaming at the big screen.

The Runnin' Utes took out the San Diego State Aztecs in the championship game and afterwards Winston, Chris, and I enjoyed a buffet with my family at Caesars Palace and headed over to the Mandalay Bay where Chris and I watched Danny Owen win twelve straight hands of blackjack in a span of about four minutes. He walked away $1400 dollars richer and gave Chris and I $100 each. "He seems like a nice guy."

I averaged about four hours of sleep a night and I enjoyed every minute of being a playboy down in Las Vegas. I call it, "Good, clean Mormon fun." The best part was watching Ryan and Ashlee Snow, Danny's sister and brother-in-law, watching us play blackjack. I had a very guilty expression on my face, so I guess it was worth it. I walked away from Las Vegas $100 in the hole but can honestly say that it was well worth it to spend quality time with longtime friends and family. As Erwin Fletcher would say, "I charged the entire trip on Mr. Underhill's American Express Card. Want the number?"

GO UTES!

New Orleans & Sugar Bowl Recap

2009-01-08T14:57:00.000-08:00

"Oh when the Saints, 'New Orleans!' Go Marching in, 'New Orleans!' Oh when the Saints Go Marching in 'New Orleans!' Oh how I want to be in that number, when the Saints Go Marching in 'New Orleans!'"

Oh baby, now I know why my parents always raved about New Orleans when I was growing up. What a town! What a Sugar Bowl! Everything about it was magical. From the game vs. Alabama, to the authentic cusine, all the way down to the neighborhoods, bayou's, and native local's. I am going to go on record by saying the Sugar Bowl and the experience I had in New Orleans trumped the Fiesta Bowl experience four years ago and then some. It's not even close.

My entire family, sans Heather and her kids, because I guess Hawaii is more fun than the Sugar Bowl, yeah right Heather, took off on New Year's Day. We arrived in New Orleans late that evening and Winston, Brigham, and myself immediately met up with Danny Owen and Scott Smith at the Harrah's. Good for us, bad for them. I had more fun watching my little brother Brigham smoke his cuban cigar. Winston and I walked out of that place $500, but eventually gave it all back on Saturday.

The next morning I went for a jog with my father up and down the Mississippi River. We both lost trak of time and of distance. We were enjoying the 75 degree weather so much, we decided to run for about 8 miles. Afterwards we dined at Antoine's. Some of the finest cuisine I have ever enjoyed. I had the 6 oz. filet with potatoes while I enjoyed oysters rockefeller for an appetizer.

After the lunch we walked around New Orleans for about two hours. It's a wonderful city. Sure it has its evil, but I also felt a lot of good there and talked to as many local's as possible. We enjoyed the sights, the smells, and the personality of New Orleans, but one thing was on my mind: The Sugar Bowl. So we returned to the Residence Inn, put our game faces on, as well as our Utah gear, and headed to the tailgate party over at the New Orleans Marriott.

Upon our arrival, I was disappointed to learn that the Utah tailgate party cost $50 a person. Did you really think that would stop me from getting in? Absolutely not. Winston, Brigham, and I all snuk in, had a few snaks, fraternized with the the rest of the red cladded Utah fans and watched the team off as they boarded their busses to the New Orleans Superdome. I had a hard time containing my excitement and my nerves. It was game time.

I was very impressed with the Alabama fans. No trash talking, just mutual respect, and they sincerely wanted to know more about the University of Utah, the Utes, and our culture. Nobody drove to the stadium. Everybody walked down Poydras Ave. a couple of miles to the Superdome. We arrived about an hour early because we all wanted to soak up the ambiance, and watch the pregame festivities, i.e. the bands. Upon arrival, we met up with many close friends from Salt Lake City, who made the trek down to New Orleans. It was just a giant party, Mormon style.

We had great seats. Right on the 40 yard line on the 22 row. We didn't sit the entire game because of the excitement and anticipation of the game. The New Orleans Superdome was just awesome. The largest building I have ever been in and the roof is just something amazing. It never ends. Now let me say this: When asked for a prediction I said "Utah 21 - Alabama 17." Well at least I was right about one thing, and that was Alabama's score.

The Utes came out and punched the Crimson Tide in the mouth. The score at the end of the 1st quarter was 21-0 for Utah and all of the Utah fans were in a state of shock just as much as the Alabama fans were in a state of dismay. At halftime, the score was 21-10 for Utah and I remember telling my dad that the first team to 31 wins. I hoped it would be us, but I was still so nervous because Alabama was the number 1 ranked team in the country for more than half the season, and deservedly so. They were big, fast, and tough, but not as mentally tough, and fast as our Utes. It was a beautiful scene. Utah pulled ahead 28-17 on a David Reed touchdown, and that is when I knew that we were going to beat Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. There I was with my family, all dressed in red and white, watching the school we love, in college football's greatest spectacle, and beating the Alabama Crimson Tide. I thought I had been translated and was in a state of bliss. The University of Utah upset the Alabama Crimson Tide 31-17, ended the season as the only undefeated team in college football, and proved it belonged among the nation's elite. I had never been so proud to be a Utah man, and felt such a great deal of pride during the post game celebration. THE UTES ARE THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!

I turned off my phone during the game because I did not want to be disturbed. When I turned it on, I had 46 text messages, some from numbers I didn't recognize, and 8 voicemail messages. After the party inside the Superdome had ended, we walked outside and rejoiced with thousands of other Utah fans, and more importantly, our friends. My brother's and I bid adieu to Kent and LaRae, as they were too tired to continue with the party and we ended up walking down Satan's Ave. i.e. Bourbon Street. All I am going to say is, "That is no place for a Mormon to be, let alone anybody with an ounce of morals." But I don't regret it one bit. I wanted to see if for myself. There were many Alabama fans congratulating us on a tremendous victory. We had a great dinner right off Bourbon Street. I had the red beans and rice and sausage. New Orleans has great food.

The next morning, I awoke and felt as if a train had run over me. I was sluggish the entire day. We went on a swamp tour in a torrential downpour, saw some aligators, and other Louisina wildlife. I would highle recommend the tour in the summer time. I bet it is beautiful. Afterwards we had some gumbo, some beignets from Cafe Du Mond, and headed over to the Preservation Hall to listen to some authentic New Orleans jazz. This was the highlight of the trip for me after the Sugar Bowl. What a great ambiance it was. Great jazz music.

The next morning we took a drive down St. Charles Ave. into the Garden District. It was absolutely beautiful. It rained for about four hours straight on Saturday night so the air was fresh and clean and the neighborhoods were beautiful. The time had come to return to the 8 degree weather in Salt Lake City. I was sad to leave the Big Easy. It really is a wonderful city if I may say so. Don't listen to those who say it smells like sex and urine. They don't have a personality anyway and would probably enjoy the pool at their hotel more than seeing one of the great American cities. The trip was a wonderful adventure and a great success. GO UTES!

New Orleans: Here We Come

2008-12-30T14:30:00.000-08:00

Christmas with Uncle Carl

2008-12-26T11:41:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pics from Christmas at the Scott's house. Notice my nephew's hair style. I take full credit for Anderson Leon's new do. As you all can see... We like the Utes at the Scott house, especially the canine's.

Utah to the "Big Easy"

2008-12-08T12:19:00.000-08:00

The Scott Family has completed its plans to travel to the Big Easy to watch the Utes take down the Alabama Crimson Tide. I have never been to New Orleans so this will be a new adventure for me. I will be walking around the French Quarter and Bourbon Street all weekend with plenty of beads. I hope all of you can make the trip. Yes, it will be pricey, but no amount of money could keep me away from seeing the Utes play such a worthy opponent in the BCS. Go Utes!

BCS Bound

2008-12-02T10:43:00.001-08:00

Need I say more?

San Diego: Which of course in German means...

2008-12-02T09:32:00.000-08:00

Welcome to America's finest city: San Diego. Unfortunately there were no Ron Burgundy sightings. Danny Owen, Jordan Owen, Michelle Allred (Corvette chick), and myself flew to San Diego on Friday, November 14 to see the Utah game the next evening vs. San Diego State, at least Danny, Jordan, and myself did. Michelle was just looking for some fun in the sun and we were blessed to enjoy 80 degree weather all weekend.

Upon arriving in San Diego we immediately picked up our rental car, which was a Chevy Trailblazer and proceeded to the nearest In n Out Burger. I had my first triple triple, and it didn't disappoint. After the bliss of In n Out Burger had worn off, we drove up to Oceanside where we were fortunate enough to stay in Jordan Owen's in-law's beach property. The accomodations were awesome. We each had our own beds and own rooms, but unfortunately for Danny and Jordan, they had to share a bathroom with me.

On Saturday morning, I took a long jog up and down the Oceanside boardwalk with my ipod. Seriously, is there anything better than jogging on the beach when it is 75 degrees outside? Once we got cleaned up we went to the San Diego Temple to take some pictures. We weren't the only Utah fans taking pictures at the temple.

We then enjoyed some fine Mexican cuisine in Old Towne San Diego before the game. It's always fun to walk around Old Towne San Diego, even when I get lost, as previously seen on an earlier post. We met up with my good friend Nate Skeen, who is in his last year of law school at the University of San Diego and the five of us put on our game faces for the Utah game. Now let me preface this by saying that Michelle did her undergrad at byu and also graduated from the J. Reuben Clark School of Law at byu as well. Take a look at her in her new shirt which I purchased for her. Missionary work at its finest. We also met up with Chris Grant. Chris is the little brother of one of my lifelong friend's, Mike Grant. It was a pleasure to be with Chris. All of the chicks love him.

As for the game, it was a just a tune up for the Utes as they prepared to play byu the next week in Salt Lake City. There were about 10,000 Utah fans in attendance and the issue was never in doubt. It was just fun to be with friends watching the team that I love and wearing shorts at night in the middle of November. And yes, my legs were cleanly shaved. After the game we all went to see Quantum of Solace and it didn't disappoint.

The next morning, I took another jog on the boardwalk and saw Junior Seau washing his car at his house. I said hello and we exchanged pleasantries and I continued with my jog. We had brunch at a place in La Jolla called The Cottage. I highly recommend it to those of you that are ever in La Jolla. I had the chiliquiles, which is a spanish egg plate. Now it was time to play golf at Torrey Pines. I put on my black golf shirt, black glove, and black cleates and acted like I was Tiger Woods. Thanks to Nate Skeen, Danny, Michelle, and I were able to play for $22. Yeah, I played golf at Torrey Pines on Sunday, so what.

Torrey Pines is beautiful and it's hard to maintain your focus on the course because of the majestic views and beauty that constantly surrounds you. As you will see, we were playing the course right as the sun was setting over the Pacific Ocean. Michelle was just delighted to be in her Ralph Lauren golf outfit, and driving the golf cart while occasionally playing a little bit of golf.

Since it was Sunday night we treated ourselves to some fine Italian dining on Coronado, which is not an island by the way. Michelle had been to this particular restaurant which gave us a view of the skyline of America's finest city. We then got some gelato at the Hotel Del Coronado and we crossed paths with the Gov. Yes, it was John and Mary Kay Huntsman. Jordan and I didn't think it was Utah's first couple, but Danny and Michelle were positive that it was them. I got confirmation about five minutes later. I didn't see him that well. It was dark and he was wearing glasses, but it lookes a lot like him. We retired for the evening and awoke at 3:30 am the next morning because we had the early flight back to Salt Lake City. Once again, another chapeter written in Creighton's "Life is Great" blog.

I Am Lost

2008-11-17T13:00:00.001-08:00

"I Wanna Get Back To My City by the Bay"

2008-10-01T14:15:00.000-07:00

Our good friend Ryan Plewe got married last weekend in the Oakland Temple last week, and I had the pleasure of traveling over to the San Francisco Bay Area with some of my best friends in what was the latest edition of my "Life is Great" weekend. Some of the members of our group had never been, or only traveled through San Francisco, so I thought it would be a good idea for them to have a San Francisco experience. I composed an itinerary and submitted it to the other five members and they had no complaints or reclamations of what I had scheduled. Now the principle reason for our travel was to be a part of Ryan Plewe's wedding festivities, which were lovely. I flew into San Francisco International and proceeded to pick up Andrew and Callie Jones in San Francisco. We then headed across the Bay Bridge and went to the wedding dinner out in Walnut Creek where we were greeted by the Plewe Family and Dave and Brooke Black. It was an absolutely beautiful fall evening in the East Bay and I was asked to give a toast on behalf of Ryan's friends. It seemed to be well received. After the dinner, I headed on down to Oakland International Airport where Sid and Liz Baucom were waiting. Andrew and Callie accompanied me and we found the nearest In n Out Burger where we gourged ourselves in the delightful pleasures of that wonderful establishment. It was then time to check in to our hotel, and for those of you that know me, I rarely stay in anything that isn't owned and operated by Marriott, so off to the Walnut Creek Marriott we went. We had three rooms. I got my own king sized bed, which was awesome and the rooms were $49 thanks to my matchstick men demeanor and schemes. We hung out by the pool for the remainder of the evening as we prepared for a terribly busy Saturday. The sealing in the Oakland Temple commenced at 11:00 am. I had never been to the Oakland Temple and I always enjoy seeing and being able to enter temples for the first time. The grounds were absolutely beautiful and ovelooked the entire San Francisco/Oakland bay. Maybe brother Brigham shouldn't have stopped in the Utah territory. After the sealing and pictures had been completed, we crossed the Bay Bridge and went into San Francisco where we enjoyed a tasty lunch on the sidewalk in North Beach. Afterwards we rented bikes from Fisherman's Wharf and biked along the ocean front and over the Golden Gate Bridge. Honestly, it was one of the coolest things I have ever done and highly recommend it. It was a rush and as all of us reached the north side of the bridge, we gazed eastward and commented how beautiful the scenery was.

Then it was on to the wedding reception back in the East Bay. We made a quick change at the hotel and enjoyed one another's company for the remainder of the evening at Plewe's wedding reception. It was a pretty set up and a fun reception to be at. For those of you that were not able to make it, you were there vicariously through us. I couldn't help but look for the nearest In n Out once again and enjoyed my burger as well as my neopolitan shake before I called it a day. We were all exhausted, and rightfully so.

The next morning, to everybody's shagrin, we checked out of the Walnut Creek Marriott at 7:30 am and it was off to Mama's on the corner of Stockton and Filbert in San Francisco. Mama's routinely gets voted as San Francisco's best breakfast by the San Francisco Chronicle, among other publications. We then made our way up to Coit Tower for another aerial view of the San Francisco Bay Area and then it was off to Union Square for the girls. Heaven on Earth for them. Sid, Andrew, and myself made our way down to AT&T Park for the San Francisco Giants last home game of the year. Heaven on Earth for me. It never gets old being there, especially for a day game. Ihope to share that place with many more family and friends. The girls met up with as right at first pitch and commented on how beautiful the stadium and surrounding area was. I think they just loved the Gilroy garlic fries.

The time had come to return to Salt Lake City and upon returning our rental car, we were forced to take detour through a gay pride parade. Awesome. I saw a Borat thong, at least three pairs of ass cheeks, and any other eclectic get up you can think of. Very interesting. I wish all of you could have been there to witness it as well.

On the flight home, I started to think and realized that this trip was my 10th to San Francisco since 2003. I can't get enough of that place. It is my favorite city in the country and I thank my parents for taking me there as a young man. San Francisco has so many wonderful things to see and do and has a tremendous feel to it. This trip was special because I was able to share it with some of my best friends as well as see another get married. Great success.

"Softball Guy. Why I Live."

2008-09-30T09:03:00.000-07:00

Rocky Mountain High Colorado

2008-09-29T13:35:00.000-07:00

Last week I asked my brother Winston what he wanted to do for his last weekend until he began his research in Guatemala for his PHD. He wanted to go over to Colorado to see the Utah vs. Air Force game and a Rockies game. I had never been to Colorado Springs and all you have to say to me is "Utah game" and I am there. I rented a car from Salt Lake City International and we hit Interstate 80 at 5:25 p.m on Friday, September 19 in a red Toyota Corolla.

Times were great. I always enjoy spending time with any of my siblings, especially when it entails the University of Utah and Major Leage Baseball, something that has always brought us together. I was pulled over about 15 miles east of Rawlins, Wyoming for doing 84 in a 75 a little after 9:00 pm. I was irate. This happened to be my first speeding ticket in my life, although I have been pulled over more than 10 times. Fortunately, Danny Owen left "Ragtime Cowboy Joe" on my voicemail and as soon as Winston and I reached Laramie, we drove around campus listening to the famous Wyoming Cowboys fight song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDLMfWb5NaY

We arrived at our destination of Cheyenne, Wyoming a little after 11:30 pm at the Little America. If you are ever traveling on Interstate 80 eastbound, I highly recommend staying over night. As I like to say, "It's a slice of Americana." We arose early the next morning and drove down the front range of the beautiful Colorado Rocky Mountains and I couldn't help but turn on my ipod and play John Denver's Colorado Rocky Mountain High.

We reached Colorado Springs and the Air Forca Academy about an hour and a half before kickoff. Beautiful scenery and Air Force served as friendly hosts. You all know the result of the game. Utah came out on top, but I was sweating bullets the entire second half. There is nothign like coming out victorious on your opponents field or arena. Those Air Force Cadets play as hard as any team I have ever seen. I have a great deal of respect for anybody that attends a service academy.

Then it was on to Denver, about a 45 mile trip north from Colorado Springs. We got in to the Rockies game for $10 a piece and ended up sitting right behind the first base dugout for the last five innings of a very entertaining baseball game. Coors Field is a beautiful park. After the game, we made the two mile trip into the Colorado Rocky Mountains and stayed at a beautiful Marriott resort in Vail, Colorado. The leaves were changing, and the air was crisp. I would like to see that place during the winter time, even though I have only been skiing once.

All in all I would consider the trip a great success considering my speeding citation is going to run me $90. Thanks Wyoming. I am grateful for and and all opportunities I have to spend time with my siblings.

2008 Republican National Convention Minneapolis/St. Paul

2008-09-17T14:56:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, I interned at the Republican National Committee in Washington D.C during during the summer semester of my senior year at the University of Utah. It was a 'Life is Great' Summer as I was able to travel the entire eastern seaboard all the way from Boston down to Miami during the four months I spent in Washington D.C. I received an email during the early part of June from The Republican National Committee asking if I would be interested in working the convention in Minneapolis/St. Paul from August 31 to September 4. They offered to cover the costs of my flight, hotel, and food expenses, but informed me that I would not be netting any income. I gladly accepted and thought it would be an excellent opportunity to network. To be honest, it was just a big damn party, and even though I worked from 7:00 am to 11:00 pm, it was one of the best experiences of my life. I was able to attend three different events, free of charge, where I sampled phenomenal finger foods and enjoyed as much coca cola as I could handle. When it was all said and done, I spent $50 and it was all on transportation, i.e, SuperShuttle and taxi's.

I arrived on Sunday, August 31, during the early part of the afternoon from Detroit. Of course I was wearing my University of Utah t-shirt after the big win over the Michigan Wolverines. I checked into the Holiday Inn River Centre in St. Paul, Minnesota, which is located just across the street from where the convention was being held. I felt very fortunate not to be sharing a room. I cannot describe my elation upon being told I would have my own room all week. After I unpacked, I was given my credentials, which enabled me to be anywhere except up on he podium of the Excel Energy Center throughout the entire week. I met up with my supervisors from the Republican National Committee while I was an intern as I was given a brief tutorial of what exactly I would be doing and my job responsibilities. I don't know why, but Mormons always seem to gravitate towards each other and I met up with two girls from Utah, who were Mormon, and later that evening we attended a delegate party over in Minneapolis. Before we took our cab over to Minneapolis, I was walking in the perimeter from the Excel Energy Center to my hotel and I noticed that Hot Karl Rove was just 15 feet to my left. He paused, noticed that I was wearing a Utah shirt and pointed at me and said, "That was a great win yesterday" referring to the Utah game. He shook my hand as I told him I was at the game and that my mother attended high school with him. He smiled and said' "Olympus High class of 67." He obviously had multiple agents around him and security was tight and I got many looks from other people in the perimeter like "Who in the hell is this guy that he was exchanging pleasantries with Hot Karl Rove?" It was funny.

I knew that safety would be a big issue but the convetion was more heavily guarded than the White House. Because my hotel was just across the street, I had to show my credentials, my id, and tell the front desk what room I was staying in each time I entered the hotel. Also, in order to gain access to the convention, my credential needed to be scanned, and then I had to walk through a metal detector, and just like the airport, the security agents were doing random searches. The next morning I was asked to interview John Voight, yes that John Voight, the father of Angelina Jolie, and Newt Gingrich for the Republican National Committe. They made up the questions for me, which I was thankful for, but centered around Hurricane Gustav. I just kind of smiled and laughed after the interviews and wondered what I was doing. I don't want to describe what I was doing day by day, but I do want to say that I mostly ran errands on the floor of the convention, conducted a few interviews, escorted a few delegates to and from our studio, as well as congressman and senators, and was even asked to take documents to CNN, Fox News, and CBS. Whatever my supervisors asked, I did. I was kind of hoping that I would be turned into a sex slave back there, just kidding.

I think people got the idea pretty quick that I was not your run-of-the-mill type A personality Washington D.C. chrony who was just looking to get onto the next political campaign or looking to work for a congressman or senator. By the second day, my entire department started calling me West Coast, which I greatly appreciated. Some said they could tell by my hair and the way I carried myself. Others said they knew as soon as I opened my mouth. I had the most fun teasing the girls back there because they don't know how to take a joke. I liked to say that they needed to have some fun and told them to come out west, and that they would never look back. I got a few smiles of them to smile but most of them gave me the look as if I had no position of power and that I wasn't worth looking at or talking to. All of these female type A personalities who never smile and always have that "official" look on their faces and are always playing with their blackberries and appearing to be busier than everbody else or looking at themselves to check their makeup need to get layed. Can you imagine having sex with somebody like that? I bet they have sex with their blackberries and makeup cases in hand.

For me, the highlights of the convention were the people I met and being 25 feet away from the podium while Sarah Palin and John McCain delivered their acceptance speeches. Palin looks even better in person, and I thought it was funny because the Indiana delegates were wearing pins that read "Hoosiers for the Hot Chick." I thought Palin was great on Wednesday night and was the highlight of the convention. I enjoyed McCain's speech, even though he isn't the best public speaker. We all wanted to know more about his five years as a prisoner of war and what his policies and agenda's would be if elected president. I think we can all agree, George W. Bush might go down as one of the worst we have ever seen. It was also fun to be on CNN after McCain's speech. I was over Wolf Blitzer's right shoulder for about 15 minutes. I was fortunate enough to meet Hot Karl Rove, Laura Bush, John Voight, Newt Gingrich, George Stephanopolous, Rudy Giuliani, who is a real boner, Henry Kissinger, Governor Huntsman, please tell your wife to lay off the base please, Brit Hume, Anderson Cooper, yes he really is gay, David Gregory, and Lynn Swan. I saw Orin Hatch and Mitt Romney from a distance but had no real desire to introduce myself to either of the two. I approached Governor Huntsman. I really like him and feel he represents Utah very well. Look for him to run for Hatch's senate seat.

After the last session of the Republican National Convention, I was invited to a California delegate party over in Bloomington at the Sheraton. It was really fun. The California delegates had hired a fairly popular country band to perform. I apologize for not remembering their name, but country music really isn't my thing. Anybody want to go country dancing? I imagine that little party they threw cost over six figures. Once again, I was delighted to sample many more phenomenal finger foods and drink as many coca cola's as I could while many others were enjoying endless adult beverages. I took a cab back to my hotel and went to bed at 3:00 am. Talk about long days. I averaged a little more than 5 hours of sleep a night during my time in Minneapolis/St. Paul.

I woke up the next morning around 8:30 and thought it would be a good idea to see what St. Paul was like without the convention. I jogged up to the St. Paul Cathedral and over to the state capitol and then down through the city and on to the Mississippi River. St. Paul is a gorgeous city and everybody I met was very pleasant. Very clean and remined me of Salt Lake City. Minneapolis is the city with more glitz and has the larger city feel but also is very clean. I just don't want to go there during the winter solstice. As I returned to my hotel room to pack up, I was reminded how important it is to get out of Salt Lake City, even if it is just for a week to experience how great our country really is. I feel like we don't take the opportunity to experience the different cities and states of America because we are so caught up in going to Newport Beach, Lake Powell, or Hawaii. It also makes me appreciate Salt Lake City so much more. I was elated to learn that I had been bumped up to first class on my flight home. In Austin Collie's words, "When you are living right, magic happens." I will cherish the five days I spent Minneapolis/St. Paul for the rest of my life and very grateful for the opportunity that presented itself.

Relivin' the Dream

2008-09-08T15:52:00.001-07:00

More pics from the "Life is Great Weekend." GOP Convention entry soon to follow. Be prepared to be thoroughly entertained.

-Creight

The Gov, Me and the GOP

2008-09-03T16:06:00.000-07:00

Another "Life is Great" Weekend

2008-09-03T09:19:00.001-07:00

I am currently at the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis/St. Paul. If you turn on CNN, Fox News, or MSNBC, chances are you will see me running around on the floor. More on the convention next week.

Last Thursday night I flew from Salt Lake City to Chicago O'Hare via Denver. I was able to listen to Barack Obama's historic speech through one of the radio frequencies on the airplane. I could not help but feel very patriotic and very impressed with his speech on the 45th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech in Washington D.C. Although I am at the Republican National Convention, I would feel honored to have Senator Obama bear the mantle of Commander and Chief.

I landed at Chicago O'Hare late Thursday night and met up with my brother Winston, Danny and Jordan Owen, Scott Romney, and Gardner and Alex Olson. Highland Rams never stray too far from each other. More importantly however, is the fact that we are all Utah men, and on a mission to bring home a victory from Michigan.Winston and I took Danny and Jordan Owen into Chicago on Friday morning. I love Chicago and it will never get old traveling there. One of the great American cities.

Funny thing was running into my good friend Rex Patrick as we just got off the L train. I probably saw 10 fellow Utahn's in Chicago last Friday.We made our way over to the Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field and just took it in. Winston and I had already seen a game at Wrigley Field, but for the rest of the crew, they thought they had died and gone to heaven. For those of you that have not been there, I recommend it more than any other ballpark. It is americana at its best and the best baseball environment I have experienced. The Cubs defeated the Phillies as we all sang Go Cubs Go.
Afterwards we rented two cars and headed our separate ways.Winston, Garder, Al, Scott Romney and myself headed to Ann Arbor and arrived early Saturday morning. Al was not happy about having to share a bed with Gar. The ride was very enjoyable. It always is when you are with guys you have known for years and grew up around. A lot of laughs and a lot of memories.

We arose early that Saturday morning and were amped up for the big game: Utah vs. Michigan in front of 108,000. We tailgated with Utah fans and later experienced the Michigan campus. All were very friendly sans the students, especially greek row. We were harrassed, and were taunted with signs and words of polygamy, being mormons, and whatever expletive you can imagine. I grew irritated and popped off to a couple frat boys. I told them I was happy that I got to go back to Utah and that I didn't have to stay in Michigan. He asked me if I wanted to throw down and that he had a house in Park City. I told him that his dad had a house in Park City and asked how he gained acceptance to such a prestigous institution of higher education.

We entered the stadium about an hour before kickoff. It was hot, real hot and we were packed into that place like sardines. I have never seen a college football game in that kind of environment. I was impressed that Utah had nearly 5,000 fans travel to see the Utes beat Michigan in their house. All of us were elated, sun burned, and exhausted. There is nothing like winning on the road and being there to experience it firsthand. I was truly honored and proud to be a Utah man.

We all decided to go to Detroit afterwards and caught the last two innings of the Tigers game. Beautiful park in a run down city that is on it's way back, says many of the locals with whom I spoke. Let's hope so. We were fortunate enough to go to a game where there would be fireworks. It was an impressive show to say the least and you could see the entire skyline of Detroit in the background. I am happy that we went.

But the day still had not concluded. My brother Winston was on a mission to find White Castle, which may be the worst food I have ever eaten, but popular in the Midwest. I was thoroughly entertained by Gardner Olson's phone call to Danny Owen telling him he was going to end him to collections for not paying his share of the hotel bill. Hilarious.

The next morning I was dropped off at Detroit Wayne Inernational Airport while the rest of the crew drove back to Chicago. So here I am; tired, yet happy to be in the middle of so much political hoopla. If you want to be thoroughly entertained, just wait until next week's entry as I wax poetic about the convention in Minneapolis/St. Paul. Cubs, Utes, and Tigers all within a day and a half is pretty tought to beat.

-Creight

2008-08-27T12:54:00.000-07:00

As we approach our long awaited adventure into America's heartland, I thought you would all like to take a look at our itinerary. Remember, this is an itinerary, however, it may be tailored to any specific needs or audibled as we watch the Utes take down Michigan. This would make my father proud, and serve notice, that the apple has not fallen too far from the tree. Jake and Jim, would you please think about joining us? Let me know what you guys think.

Thursday August 28

4:50 p.m. (MDT) - Gar, Wis, Scott Romney, Al, Danny, and Jordan Owen depart Salt Lake City on Delta flight 1509 and arrive at Chicago O'Hare

8:58 p.m (CDT). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcPmBKi_rB8

9:15 p.m. (CDT) - Pick up bags at baggage carousel and call the Chicago O'Hare Marriott Suites from the courteousy phone notifying them of your arrival. They have complimentary shuttle service to and from Chicago O'Hare.

9:45 p.m. (CDT) - Check in. Both rooms are booked under my name. I called the front desk and authorized Gardner Olson to be able to check in. We have two rooms at $49 a night. Gar pays for the rooms on his AMEX and we cut him checks for the costs. Both rooms have two double beds and a pullout bed from the couch. The rooms are spacious. http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/chist-chicago-marriott-suites-ohare/

11:50 p.m (CDT) - Creighton arrives at Chicago O'Hare on United flight 206 from Salt Lake City via Denver. Feel free to go out and enjoy a Chicago deep dish pizza from any local establishment from the time you check in to the time I arrive. Winston, you are in charge of locating the best pizzeria.

Friday August 29

7:30 a.m (CDT) - Awake, arise, and prepare for one hell of a day. We will be able to check out of our rooms and leave our bags at the hotel in a secure room behind the front desk. Be prepared to eat a small breakfast, probably something from the gift shop or a local convenience store, i.e. muffin, banana, nutirgrain bar and orange juice.

8:15 a.m. (CDT) - Rosemont L station en route to downtown Chicago and the Magnificent Mile. 9:00 a.m. (CDT) - Arrive downtown Chicago on the Magnificent Mile. http://edwood.vox.com/library/audio/6a00c225280358604a00d10a75f5558bfa.html

10:00 a.m. (CDT) - Chicago Architectural Boat Tour. Gar and Danny will enjoy this one hour tour very much seeing as they are engineers. I highly recommend this tour. The architecture of downtown Chicago is second to none. I'll be at the back of the boat exposing myself to all of Chicago. http://www.architecture.org/tour_view.aspx?TourID=8

11:15 a.m. (CDT) - Find the nearest L station and head for the Addison Station. The ride is about 30 minutes from downtown.

11:45 a.m. (CDT) - Lunch at a hole in the wall on Sheffield or Waveland Avenue at the Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field. This is all part of the Wrigley experience.

12:30 p.m. (CDT) - Scalpers, scalpers, and more scalpers. Maybe it would be best to split into two groups to find tickets. Let's be prepared to all be scatterd throughout the ball park. Stay away from rows that have high numbers in the field box and terrace box section's. Obstructive viewing.

1:20 p.m. (CDT) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrlLmTh32KI

4:00 p.m. (CDT) - Danny Owen, and one other leave the Addison station en route to Chicago O'Hare to pick up the rental cars. I am thinking of getting a GPS device in our rental car. Winston will lead the rest of the group to the observatory at the top of the John Hancock Building or down the Magnificent Mile. http://www.hancock-observatory.com/en/

5:30 p.m. (CDT) - The seven of us meet up in Downtown Chicago at Portillo's for one of the best roast beef sandwiches you will ever have.

6:00 p.m. (CDT) - Hello Interstate 94 for the next three and a half hours into Livonia, Michigan. 10:00 p.m. (EDT) - Check into the Detroit Courtyard Livonia. We have two rooms at $59 a night. The rooms are payed for on Gar's AMEX as we all cut him checks for the costs. http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/detlv-courtyard-detroit-livonia/ Livonia is situated between Detroit and Ann Arbor. Google Earth tells me it is located 18.9 miles from Michigan Stadium. I know of three other groups of Utah fans that will be staying at the same property.

Saturday August 30

9:00 a.m (EDT) - Arise and prepare for one hell of a day.

10:00 a.m. (EDT) - Breakfast at the local IHOP, Dennys, or Waffle House. All will be wearing red.

11:15 a.m (EDT) - Make our way over to Ann Arbor, Michigan for the Utah tailgate party. I would like to walk around campus for about a half an hour. It's kind of my thing.

2:30 p.m. (EDT) - Time to put on your game face. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TVcKYpZrj0&feature=related

3:30 p.m. (EDT) - Let's get it on. Go Utes!

6:30 p.m. (EDT) - http://beemp3.com/download.php?file=844141&song=Utah+Man

8:30 p.m. (EDT) - Kansas City Royals vs. Detroit Tigers. I can't go all the way to Detroit without trying to catch the last three or four innings. It's worth a shot. http://www.hawianshirts.net/Men

Sunday August 31

9:00 a.m. (EDT) - Awake and arise.

10:00 a.m. (EDT) - Check out. I need a ride to Detroit Wayne County International which is 20 miles south of the Detroit Livonia Courtyard Marriott.

11:46 a.m. (EDT) - Creighton departs Detroit Wayne County International Airport on Northwest flight 753 seat 6B en route to Minneapolis Saint Paul International Airport for the Republican National Convention.

4:00 p.m. (CDT) - Winston, Gar, Al, and Scott Romney depart Chicago O'Hare on Delta flight 1293 and arrive at Salt Lake City International Airport 6:20 p.m. (MDT).

Highland High 'Til I Die

2008-08-14T12:23:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday night was my 10 year high school reunion at Highland High. It was the culmination of a very long week as I worked five nights at Mikado due to the Sierra Club party downtown at the Salt Palace. What a bunch of hippies. I also had two weddings and a bachelor party in the same night. I flirted with the idea of wearing my old baseball jersey, but just couldn't bring myself to do it. Maybe next time. As I was leaving the reunion walking down the most traveled hallway from the gym to the foyer and front doors, a thought came to mind: The more things change, the more they stay the same. We are all just seasoned and more mature beings of our adolecent selves when we graduated high school. It was a pleasure visiting with the girls we used to hang out with whom I have not seen in a long time. Some since we left Highland. Kudos to Andrew Jones and his wife Callie for putting on a great party. They did a wonderful job with the catering and the planning. Tom Nielsen was scheduled to grab the mic and begin his routine, probably to make fun of me because I was dressed like I was ready to give out the last rose on the Bachelor. But when it came down to it, people just wanted to talk and to catch up with each other. I arrived at 4:00 to help with the decorations. When I walked through the front doors, I felt like I had never left. The sights and smells were all too familiar. I guess that should be expected when you spend four years at one place. It was a little surreal to be honest and I could not help but feel a bit sentimental as I walked through the hallways and into the gym where I spent hundreds of hours in joy and in agony. Now that I am ten years removed from Highland, and all of the time I invested into basketball and baseball, I am grateful for the friendships that I made and for learning how to be a good teammate. They all served as life lessons and preparation for my mission in São Paulo, Brazil. It doesn't matter how many games you win, how many points you score, or how many home runs you hit. What matters are the friendships and bonds that were created in those uniforms. My two older brothers won state championships in basketball and I used to place so much pressure on myself that I thought I was a failure for not achieving that dream. I could not care less right now and I feel tremendously blessed for the social circle that I enjoyed during the toughest years of life; adolescence. The reunion was a success but I was not able to talk with a few people I was looking forward to seeing. I guess you can't talk to them all, right? Dave Black, Dave Owen, Sid Baucom, and Jeremy Clegg, you are all in charge of the 20 year reunion due to your absence last Saturday night. You were all missed. I still cannot believe that I am ten years removed from Highland. I still feel like I am 22 years old, hence the reason for my immature behavior.

GO RAMS!

My Current LocAtion

2008-07-31T08:57:00.000-07:00

Rollin' down the Imperial Highway
With a big nasty redhead at my side
Santa Ana winds blowin' hot from the north
And we as born to ride

Roll down the window put down the top
Crank up the Beach Boys baby
Don't let the music stop
We're gonna ride it till we just can't ride it no more

From the South Bay to the Valley
From the West Side to the East Side
Everybody's very happy
'Cause the sun is shining all the time
Looks like another perfect day

I love L.A. (We love it)
I love L.A. (We love it)

Look at that mountain
Look at those trees
Look at that bum over there, man
He's down on his knees
Look at these women
There ain't nothin' like 'em nowhere

Century Boulevard (We love it)
Victory Boulevard (We love it)
Santa Monica Boulevard (We love it)
Sixth Street (We love it, we love it)

I love L.A.
I love L.A.(We love it)

Click to see the video here.

Fun in the Sun (Valley)

2008-07-30T12:48:00.000-07:00

This year's installment of the Scott Family's annual summer vacation up to Sun Valley was one of the more pleasurable ones in recent memory. A BMW, wonderful accomodations, The Dark Knight, family and friends probably had something to do with it as well. Generally, I do not like going up to Sun Valley that much, but maybe my opinion changed a bit after this year. I tend to run into a bunch of people who I really don't care to see and field questions from "What are you doing with your life" to "Creighton, I have the perfect girl for you." As many of you know, I rarely do lineups unless it comes from a girl whom I highly trust and who has seen me with different types of girls. The trip started out on Thursday, July 17 around 4:00 pm in my father's BMW. Upon his recommendation I drove it up a day late by myself. I really want that car. It just does what you want it to do. It was a mostly therapeutic drive for me. Brazilian jazz, U2, Sting, Marc Cohn, and Coldplay, as well as driving faster than anyone else on I 84 made the drive a memorable summer evening. Oh how can I forget my cell phone as well. How did I live without a cell phone, with email access, and an ipod? Good grief. The only stress I felt on the drive up was whether to have Jack in the Box or Arby's in Burley, Idaho. Thankfully, Andrew Jones made that decision for me. Jack in the Box of course. Upon arrival in Hailey, Idaho, I immediately stopped at the movie theatres in order to purchase tickets for the Dark Knight for the next night. I held on to the tickets as if my life were held to them. I couldn't wait. I pulled into Sun Valley a little after 9:00 and settled in with Justin, Maris, and baby Anderson. I then made a small walk over to my parents place because I knew food would be there, as well as my two renegade nephews. Of course I brought up Batman Begins and we proceeded to watch it in preparation for the Dark Knight the following evening. They all loved it. Kent even used the term, "human element." Rarely does my father give credit to a movie. I enjoy traveling with baby Anderson because he wakes up around 6:30. I averaged around five hours of sleep a night for my three nights in Sun Valley, which was good for me. It's fun to wake up to a baby's voice. Always happy and always smiling. Kent and I played golf at the Sun Valley course that afternoon, attatched is a picture of my golf swing and attire. I hope both meet your approval. It is an absolutely beautiful course. What mattered most to me was being able to spend time with my father, who absolutely hates playing golf, but knows how much I enjoy it. Talk about sacrifice. My father is the consumate team player. Later that evening I went to dinner with Heather and kids as well as Justin, Maris, and kid. I stopped to think for a bit about being with my adult siblings and their family's. We all get older but we don't change that much. Three drinks were spilled at the table and Heather and Justin are in control of the situation. I received Heather's permission to take Noah to the Dark Knight, he is 10 years old, so Justin, Noah, and myself made the 15 mile trek down to Hailey. No further comment needed. Saturday we all went for a bikeride. It was quite a workout for me because I was pulling Sam, who is five years old. My butt still hurts. Later that night, the family enjoyed a nice meal at the Ketchum Cafe. I was pleased to see that Catherine Scalley Lever called me and I met up with the entire Scalley Family later on in the village. Yes, I took much ridicule for my shaved legs and marigold polo shorts. I just told them that I was adapting to my surroundings. It was a blessing to be able to reconnect with Catherine and to talk to her parents, Bud and Claudia. I was having flashbacks of Bud calling 34 Cowboy or Student Body Left for Morgan and grabing my facemask as he urged me to block. Morgan just ran around the corners anyways for the touchdown. The next morning, we packed up the cars. I drove solo once again as I made a pit stop in Twin Falls to get my butterfinger blizzard. As entertainment, I made a few phone calls to unsuspecting females singing cheesy 80's movies lyrics or love balads on their voicemails. I made sure to call when I knew they would be in sacrament meeting. I have to be in the right mood to embarrass myself as thoroughly as I do when I sing on girls' voicemails. The Scott Family's 2008 edition of Sun Valley, according to Borat was "Great Success."

Ebert & Scott: The Authoritative Review

2008-07-21T14:12:00.000-07:00

To those of you that actually follow this blog, you have noticed that I have been engaged in a countdown to the opening of The Dark Knight. I feel it necessary to give my review on the film that I was so anxiously awaiting for about a year. It may be obvious that I have a man crush on Christian Bale, but what guy would not want to trade lives with him? What guy would not want to be Batman, especially this one? I saw The Dark Knight for the first time in Hailey, Idaho on my family's annual vacation up to Sun Valley, Idaho with my older brother Justin, and my ten year old nephew, Noah. I think he was the youngest of the crowd of over 150 people. He loved it, as did I. To my surprise, I saw a preview for Terminator Salvation. I have been waiting for this movie for eighteen years, since Terminator 2 came out. I was thrilled to know that Christian Bale will be playing the role of John Connor. That guy is running Hollywood these days. Ok, to the point at hand. I believe The Dark Knight was worthy of the four stars most gave it. Some have labeled it, "The best movie ever." I would have to disagree. I preferred Batman Begins, however. That is not to say that I thoroughly enjoyed The Dark Knight. The villainry is second to none, the suspense is excellent, and the story is thrilling. I preferred Batman Begins for three reasons: 1) The character development of Bruce Wayne/Batman. Nobody ever knew how Batman came to be. In 2005 we were educated as to how he became, how he learned, and why he chose a bat as his symbol. 2) I thought the story in Batman Begins was more thorough and grounded, as well as plausible. I resembles a Greek tragedy. Local hero disappears for seven years only to return to save Gotham City from corruption and destruction. 3) Liam Neeson. His portrayal of Ra's Algul and mentoring of Bruce Wayne cannot be ignored. Also, I had no clue of what I was walking into that early summer evening of 2005 in Washington D.C. I remember sitting right next to Jake Kirkham and turning to him at the end of the movie and saying, "That was one of the best movies I have ever seen." Maybe I just enjoyed the uplifting nature of Batman Begins compared to the dark and sinister nature of The Dark Knight. It felt akin to The Empire Strikes Back. I believe we are all just being set up for the next of the Batman movies to be released in 2011. But make no mistake, the stunts, acting, and cinematography of The Dark Knight are incredible. It was interesting to see Bruce Wayne's inner struggle to be Batman. He wanted so much to be like Harvey Dent, and was ready to reveal himself. It was also very interesting to see Batman become more of a detective and perform research on his next moves. The batpod is incredible and Batman's desire to become Gotham's 'Dark Knight' are deeply rooted in his soul. Christian Bale is by far, the best Batman. But this movie is hands down Heath Ledger's. Watching his portrayal of a maniacal clown who just wants to watch the world burn is Oscar worthy. If he does not receive the hardware next February for best supporting actor, I will have given up on Hollywood. He is terrifying, witty, entertaining, and downright cruel all in one. I caught myself thinking of Heath Ledger and how saddened I felt because of his untimely death. He was a tremedous actor. I also enjoyed the character portrayal of Commissioner Gordon. I felt like I was not watching an actor, yet a real person in a real world. The character development of Harvey Dent was also tremendous. How he becomes that which he fought so hard to prevent is noteworthy. I did not care much for Maggie Gyllenhall however. Maybe because I got used to Katie Holmes. That and the fact that she is much better looking. Speaking of good looking... How hot was Natascha? (Bruce Wayne's Russian Ballarina Girlfriend) I cannot wait to see The Dark Knight again in IMAX. I am very much looking forward to catching up with little tid bits that I neither understood nor picked up. This movie is worthy of being seen at least twice in the theatres. As previously stated, I feel like we were being set up for the third installment in 2011. I am thinking of Phillip Seymour Hoffman as the Penguin. Could it be?

Opening Day

2008-07-18T12:47:00.000-07:00

"Some men aren't looking for anything logical. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn."

Announcement

2008-07-17T10:11:00.001-07:00

In an effort to keep the public happy, I've decided to de-privatize my blog on Thursdays. Just a little something I can do to kick off the weekend and make the world a better place. Any other demands, readers? I'll do my best to accomodate.

11:59 Tonight

2008-07-17T09:21:00.000-07:00

2008-07-16T08:25:00.001-07:00

"It's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me."

Alfred as Life Coach

2008-07-15T09:26:00.000-07:00

"And why do we fall Master Wayne? So we can learn to pick ourselves up."

Man vs. Symbol

2008-07-14T08:28:00.001-07:00

"People need dramatic examples to shake them out of apathy and I can't do that as Bruce Wayne. As a man, I am flesh and blood. I can be ignored, I could be destroyed, but as a symbol I could be incorruptible. I can be everlasting. Something elemental, something terrifying."

(Editor's note: Does anyone else have a major crush on Christian Bale? He will forever be Laurie in Little Women to me.)

2008-07-11T09:48:00.000-07:00

"If you make yourself more than just a man, if you devote yourself to an ideal, and if they can't stop you, then you become something else entirely. Legend, Mr. Wayne."

2008-07-10T09:07:00.000-07:00

"Riddle me this, riddle me that... Who's afraid of the big black bat?"

Chi-town is My Town

2008-07-09T09:13:00.000-07:00

This blog entry comes a little bit late, but better late than never, right? Last February, my brother Justin and I were at luch with my dad and we asked him what he wanted for his 60th birthday. His response: "Chicago." He wanted to take the entire family to Chicago to see the Wrigley Field and the Cubs, the Magnificent Mile, and the most beautiful skyline in the great United States of America, along with the shopping and museums.

All twelve of the Scott's and Whites took off for Chicago during the late afternoon of Thursday, May 29, 2008. I have never traveled with my entire family, and when I do travel, rarely am I with more than three of my immediate family members. This was a sight to behold. We were relatively quiet, excluding my five year old nephew Sam, who is affectionately known as "Megamouth." From all accounts of those that knew me at such a young age, they say that Sam is an exact replica of Mr.C (My childhood nickname). Same face, same mannerisms, and always the center of attention. He is only five and has already shown signs of independence.

We arrived at Chicago O'Hare during the latter part of the evening. I have a soft spot in my heart for Chicago O'Hare because I flew through it on my way to São Paulo, Brazil for my mission. A five hour layover as a 19 year old who had barely left the United States of America, I was inconsolable and could not keep it together. It still remains a joke among those of which I still remain in contact about how Scott could not keep it together on the way to São Paulo. All the while I was wondering what the first problem of the trip would be.

As I was picking up my bags from the baggage carousel, my father approached Justin and I and told us he thought he lost the tickets for Friday's and Saturday's Cubs games. He left them back at the Delta check-in desk in Salt Lake City, but all was resolved the next morning where we were able to reprint all of the tickets. We rented to minivans and set up our headquarters at a Residence Inn in the suburbs of Chicago. Four rooms later we were ready to take on Chicago. Kent likes the Residence Inn because it is a bit more spacious and provides free breakfast. I highly recommend them.

Friday morning started out with a pretty steady rain as we took a tour boat around the city on the Chicago River. It was pretty spectacular but the weather was not cooperating and there was a fear that the Cubs game would be rained out. Chicago has the most impressive architecture of any city in America, by far. New York does not even come close. The Sears Tower, the John Hancock Building, the WGN Building, and the Chicago Tribune Building, among others.

For those of you that actually read my blog, you know of my passion for the new Batman movies. Batman Begins, as well as The Dark Knight were primarily filmed in Chicago.

Winston, Brigham, Kent, LaRae, and myself decided to go to the Cubs game. No sooner as we arrived via the El (Chicago's Train) the sun broke through and baseball was to be played. I immediately called Justin and told him to get on the train and to bring the rest of the crew. I sat with Winston along between the right field fair pole and first base. Terrible concessions, but I knew as much. Jake Olson and I went to Chicago in 2002. The seats were great and the Cubs came back from being down 9-0 to the Colorado Rockies and won. One of the most exciting games I have seen.

Afterwards we went across the stree to buy some Cubs merchandise but I only wear San Francisco Giants gear. I am a loyal fan. We then rode the train back into downtown Chicago and had dinner at an italian restaurant called Stefani's.

To those of you that have a desire to travel to Chicago, the food is excellent. I enjoyed the filet mignon with garlic mashed potatoes as I watched my little brother Brigham order two entrees, an appetizer, and a desert. He alone ran the tab up $125. That kid has no concept of reality still to this day. As soon as we returned to the Residence Inn, Brigham and Winston ordered a Chicago deep dish pizza to their room. No wonder Americans are fat.

Saturday was a picture perfect day. We decided to drive both of the minivans to Wrigley Field where we payed $80 to park both of them. Kent was growing irritated with the traffic and the Magellan GPS system in our minivan. I saw my window of opportunity and began to play annoying 80's music to irritate him all the more as well as honking the horn and yelling at people. If there is something I enjoy, it is pressing my fathers buttons when he is irritable. I should have carried around a dictaphone to replay his classic quotes. Saturday's seats were even better than Friday's. I sat on the eight row with Brigham in the upper deck between home plate and first base. I enjoyed a bratwurst, pepsi and peanuts throughout the game and enjoyed the beatiful scenery around me. As well as the beautiful scenery, I noticed how many pretty girls were at the game.

We don't have much culture here in Utah, and it is good to know that baseball is viewed as a social event outside of Utah. After the game we drove into Chicago and had dinner at Harry Caray's where Brigham toned down his order about $5 cheaper than the previous night. I sensed my father and mother becoming more irritable so we decided to walk the Miracle Mile afterwards. Surprisingly, I did not buy anything. It was tough.

On the way home I repeated my juvenile behavior and started honking the horn again from the wheel, driving at high speeds, slamming on the breaks, and almost ran a cop of the road right in front of the Residence Inn. He pulled me over and was laughing at me and wanted to know where I was going. I told him that I did not see him and he let me go. That has only happened to me like 8 times now. Kent blew his gasket and said, "Creighton quit acting like a f$%#@&* teenager! It's getting old!" I was laughing so hard I began to cry, but I did not let my parents see my facial expressions.

Later on Winston and I went out to get some Dunkin' Donuts where I told him to pull over about three times. I made phone calls to my father and my sister and we honked the horn for about five seconds on their voicemails. I love being immature. My mother thought it was pretty funny.

On Sunday morning I was dropped off at the Art Institute of Chicago where I spent two and a half hours in the presence of timeless pieces of art by Serat, Gaugin, Monet, Van Gogh, Kandinsky, Cassatt, among others. It was like my own Ferris Bueller moment. I highly recommend the Art Institute of Chicago and would say that three hours is sufficient. The rest of the family went to the Navy Pier. They just are not as cultured as me.

We had a 4:00 flight back to Salt Lake City but Heather and Greg seem to think you have to be at the airport four hours in advance in order to make a flight. Freaking fundamentalist conservatives. My dad blew up again at the Magellan GPS system and all of us were laughing. Once he and I returned the minivans, he cooled off a bit and commented on how much he enjoyed the vacation.

It was a tremendous experience, and to those who have not been, shame on you. There are places in this world to go besides Newport Beach, Lake Powell, and Maui.

PURRfect

2008-07-09T09:09:00.000-07:00

"Mistletoe can be deadly if you eat it. But a kiss can be even deadlier if you mean it."

Important Question

2008-07-08T08:37:00.001-07:00

"Have you ever danced

with the devil

in the pale moonlight?"

J-J-J-Joker

2008-07-07T08:47:00.000-07:00

"This town needs an enema."

Blog Truths from the Joker

2008-07-03T10:17:00.000-07:00

"THE PEN . . . IS TRULY MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD."

Getting Old: Andrew Jones edition

2008-07-02T14:36:00.001-07:00

Have you seen Jones lately? Dude's looking old.

(He sure loves that damn dog.)

My Celebrity Lookalikes

2008-07-02T14:19:00.001-07:00

I've seen this on a few of my (female) friends' blogs and thought I'd give it a try. What do you think? The Katie Couric thing kind of threw me for a minute until I realized she's a classic beauty, so I guess I should be flattered!

The Dark Knight Cometh

2008-07-02T13:40:00.000-07:00

In honor of the release of The Dark Knight, I will be composing emails everyday from now until July 18 in honor of my favorite superhero film.

"Winged freak terrorizes. Wait til' they get a load of me."

Today, as a special treat to my blog readers, I'm also providing a link to the first five minutes of the movie. Here's the link (you can thank me later): http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_movies_blog/2008/07/dark-knight-the.html

My American Apparel

2008-07-02T13:20:00.000-07:00

In honor of Friday's holiday, I thought I'd post my Summer 2008 wardrobe. These carefully-styled outfits are what I'll be wearing this weekend as I celebrate the following: (i) socklessness, (ii) Ralph Lauren, (iii) photographs from the chin down, and (iv) America. Happy 4th!

A (Not So) Brief Timeline of Events in St. George & Las Vegas

2008-03-24T15:35:00.000-07:00

I'm a week late on the latest blog entry, so better late than never. It has been a Scott family tradition to travel to St. George, Utah the second weekend of March for the Utah State Bar mid-year meeting. I use this as an opportunity to play golf and attend the Mountain West Conference Tournament in Las Vegas. I rode down with Justin & Maris and their baby boy Anderson and Heather and Greg, along with my two little nephew buddy's are right behind us. We pulled into St. George a little after 3:00 and checked into our condo. Maris is a good sport. I don't think Justin did the best job of keeping her into the loop as to what we would be doing Thursday night and Friday night. Two games in Las Vegas each night with a 10 month old baby is not the best idea, but we made it work anyway.

Heather and Greg decide that they want to come to the Utah vs. New Mexico game with us that starts at 9:30 PDT and bring Noah, who is 10 years old, and Sam who is 5. Maris chooses to stay behind with Anderson. I immediately knew that this next hour and a half would be a test of my patience. My brother in law, Greg, may be the worst driver in America, besides the entire Delta Gamma house. I felt like I was in an amusement park with all of the quick jerks and screaming children. To diffuse the noise level, I gave Noah my phone and dialed a few of my friends' phone numbers. He first asked Jake Olson if he had a "going" problem, and if he had any suggestions on how to cure it.

I then had Noah call Dave Owen and he proceeded to ask him why he always has explosive diarrhea. I hope my friends find this funny, because I sure as hell do. Heather and Greg just sit back and let me do my thing. The only way they will intervene is if I am telling jew jokes.

Finally we arrive in Las Vegas, and Justin and I are just about ready to pull our hair out of our heads because of the screaming children and the horrific driving by my brother-in-law. We have to stop at In n Out Burger because Sam is having a freak out so we missed the entire first half of the TCU vs. UNLV game. We all inhale our food and finally make it into the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. UNLV squeaks by TCU and Utah beats New Mexico in an overtime thriller. Not only am I thrilled with the victory, but it allows me to travel down to Las Vegas the next night to watch the Utes. Fortunately we had a portable dvd player in the car, so I was able to introduce Noah to Batman Begins and we made it through about 3/4 of the movie before we arrived back in St. George at 2:30 am.

I was awoken by Anderson the next morning at about 7:30, and it was a dose of reality of what it is going to be like to have a Creighton Jr running around the place. Man I was exhauseted, but it is good to be on vacation. The lawyers in the family went to the bar meetings while I walked around in my garments in front of my mother and my sister in law watching SportsCenter. We decided to go on a mini hike up Snow Canyon. It was beautiful, and for a second, I thought I was on Tatooine with the sand people on Star Wars. Now it is time to golf, and my father and I head off to Sunbrook to play in the Utah State Bar tournament. I was visibly much more tan than all of the old blue hair's there because I was in Scottsdale the week before. I made sure to shave my legs again before the trip so life was good.

I got through about 12 holes before it was time to get back down to Las Vegas to watch byu vs. San Diego State and Utah vs. UNLV

Justin and Maris had already made the trek down to Las Vegas earlier so I was relegated to driving a rented Ford Explorer back down to Las Vegas with a couple of attorney's my father works with, who are both byu grads. We make nice, and I don't think they noticed that I was doing about 90 mph the entire way down. I was lucky enough to score tickets to the Utah game through Chris Grant. Chris' older brother Mike and I are still good friends and sports degenerates. He much more than I. byu squeaked by San Diego State, and Utah played UNLV tough to the end, but the Rebels, along with their drunked, degenerate, sodomite fans prevailed, and I was pissed. Some Hot Bod Rod looking homo spilled some beer on my elbow out in the concourse between games, and said, "Sorry. I hope you're not Mormon." I replied, "I am Mormon. And I hope you're not gay." He gave me a surprised look, like a Mormon had never talked back to him.

The trek back to St. George that night was long and arduous, but there was good Utah vs. byu rivalry talk going on in the car. We made it back safely a little after 2:30, and once again, I was exhausted. Anderson woke me up at about 7:00 the next morning. It was kind of fun to wake up to a little baby making happy noises, but once again, a dose of reality. Wait a mintute... I'm not even dating anybody right now. I felt like crap the entire day. We met up with my aunt and uncle for lunch. My aunt has no tact. She makes fun of me because I have my shirt tucked in. I told her that I was sorry for not shopping at GenX clothing and Zoomies and that it was a sign of a respectability to tuck in your shirt. She also pointed at Justin's stomach and told him that he needed to lose some weight. This coming from somebody who is 50 pounds overweight.

I took a nap and went back down to Las Vegas for the third time in three days to pick up Danny Owen. He stayed with the Scott family that night. We had an In n Out Burger, listened to UNLV beat byu, and stopped in Mesquite to play some cards. We both won some money and met up with Jake and Whitney Kirkham in St. George, where Whitney wittnessed Hot Bod Rod making prank calls to girls that we knew. I think she enjoyed it. I think that I need to start developing some of my prank calling alter ego's a bit better. We were both exhausted and went back to the condo and for the final time, Anderson woke me up at 7:00 am.

What a cute kid. I was the last one to get packed up and ready. Yes, I am just like a girl, maybe evern worse. I did walk around the condo naked in front of the family right out of the shower. All of the boys laughed, and all of the girls were disgusted, but I don't think they saw full frontal, just my big butt.

Danny and I enjoyed our french toast stix from Jack in the Box in the back seat of the Explorer through the nasty weather between St. George and Fillmore. Kent was pretty happy when I turned on Wedding Crashers and heard the scene where Vince Vaughn is having a conversation with the priest. He thoroughly enjoys the Will Ferrell scene as well. "Ma, the Meatlof, we want it! The meatloaf!" We arrived back in a cold and dreary Salt Lake City around 5:00.

Once again, I am all over the place and then some. Despite all these exciting events, I somehow managed to send innapropriate texts to Diane Tempest. If you think it is tiring reading all of this, just imagine what it is like actually being me!

Amended title: "The best 24 hours of a man's life without sex" in 1500 words or less

2008-03-10T14:09:00.001-07:00

As a tradition, my father and I fly to Phoenix with his friend and business client Bob Campbell, who owns CAMCO Construction, for three days every year. Kent was unable to make it this year due to a heavy trial in the US Federal Court, but Bob and I still wanted to get out of this drab and dreary weather in Salt Lake City. The flight down to Phoenix was smooth and I enjoyed reading The Essential Wooden, which is an autobiography of John Wooden, the man I would most like to take out to lunch.

We landed at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport a little after 9:00 MST. Of course we were 45 minutes late because we were flying Delta, but the limo ride more than made up for it as did the 65 degree weather in the late evening. We arrived at Bob's second home in North Scottsdale, which is beautiful. Three bedroom, two and a half bath, pool, but most importantly, HD tv. We were hungry so we proceeded to the In n Out Burger on Frank Lloyd Wright in Scottsdale where I hammer a double double and neopolitan shake. Life is good, but I start to feel a cold coming on.

I don't sleep very well the first night of a vacation, but this night I slept pretty well, and I awoke at 6:30 am. We proceed to the DC Ranch Country Club which may be the best golf course I have ever played. Not the toughest, but the best kept and aesthetically pleasing. We enjoy a nice breakfast at the club. I order oatmeal with raisins, an english muffin, and all the orange juice I can get my hands on. We head out to the driving range as I tell the bag boys to clean my clubs and get a quick shining of my golf shoes from Todd, the older gentleman in the locker room. We tee off at 8:30 am. It's about 68 degrees, not a cloud in the sky, my legs are clean shaven and pasty white, and I hit a great tee shot off number 1 to start off 2008. The weather keeps getting better. I tell Bob Kent B. Scott stories that make him laugh for three straight holes while he gives me new golf terminology and slang like "Oh Creighton, that shot was EA. 'What's EA mean Bob'? EA menas elephant ass. High and shitty." That definitely explained a few of my shots throughout the day.

Of course I cannot help emailing people a picture of me in front of a cactus with my golf club asking people how they were doing in Salt Lake City. My favorite response came from my brother Justin. "Go hump that cactus buddy." Well Bob and I finish our round in about 3 hours and 30 minutes and it's time to grab some lunch. We go back to the men's locker room where I splash on some cologne, brush my teeth and wash my face with a cold towel. We proceed to the same restaurant where we enjoyed a quick breakfast before heading onto the course and it is full of middle aged and older gentleman complaining about their slice, or their hook, or how bad their putting was. It has got to be nice being rich. I am surprised I have not heard any stories of these men cheating on their wives with some young hussy.

I believe Bob took a liking to me last year when I taught him certain terms like "milf", and "cougar." Between the DC Ranch Country Club and the Jazz vs. Suns game, (I'll get to that later) I have never seen so many milfs, cougars, and hot older women in my life. A lot of plastic surgery of course. It made me never want to get married. We stroll around the club, the tennis courts, and my favorite, the pool, where I was grateful to have on my Burberry shades once again. Bob and I then proceed to the the A's vs. Giants game at Scottsdale Stadium. It's a beautiful afternoon. Once again, not a cloud in the sky and 73 degrees. I enjoy a bratwurst, and a coke while taking in the rays and talking to Bob about my playing days and about what I want to do with the rest of my life, to which I replied, "Exactly what I am doing now." The game drags on and we leave after the sixth inning and head back to the house to get cleaned up for the evening. Conversation once again is great. We know a lot of the same families and talk about who does what and who we like and who sucks. Great commentary.

After taking a quick dip, and getting cleaned up, we enjoy a nice Italian dinner, which I pay for, and then it's off to US Airways Arena to see the Jazz vs. Suns. This is only the second time I have seen the Jazz play away from Salt Lake City and we are fortunate enough to have decent seats on the 18th row behing the basket. Great arena. Much nicer than the Delta Center, and hotter women as well. The game was great. The Jazz were down nine points to start the fourth quarter and it wasn't looking good for the Jazz, but Deron Williams took over, Kyle Korver started hitting shots, and Carlos Boozer sealed the deal with a bank shot as the shot clock expired to put the Jazz up four with 34 seconds remaining. Final result: Jazz 126 Suns 118. The feeling winning on the road watching your team may be one of the best feelings I have ever experienced. That being said, Dave Owen calls me up at halftime and tells me to look behind Dan Majerle on press row. There he is. He has better seats than me, but he deserves it. Bob and I enjoy listening to the post game show on radio where the angry Suns fans call up and lambast Steve Kerr and Mike D'Antoni for their strategical errors and player personnel decisions. My cold worsens so we go grab some more orange juice, NyQuil and hot tea. We close the day watching SportsCenter as I sip on my hot tea with honey that I personally added. The only way March 7, 2008 could have been better, is if Scarlett Johannson or Sienna Miller greeted me in bed that night.

The next day Bob goes and plays another round of golf, as Dave Owen picks me up and we head off to Last Chance in Scottsdale. This place is awesome. It's like Nordstrom Rack on steroids with women fighting over purses, shoes, and all sorts of clothes and accessories. Both of us get a shirt and head to the Peoria Sports Complex where we meet up with Danielle, Dave's wife, and Luke, their firstborn son. Dave and Danielle enjoy gyro's while I have another bratwurst and a large pepsi with my peanuts. Once again, it is gorgeous, but today it's about 77 degrees. The game was much more competitive and it was good to be with two of my best friends who I rarely see because Dave is in medical school in Phoenix. Lucky bastard. We watch Luke run around as I talk to Danielle and tease her about when I will be fortunate enough to date her mom. Always a joke between us. I am disappointed to hear that once again, the Utes have a tough loss. This time to UNLV, and once again in the final minutes, but life is good. I'm wearing shorts and a t shirt and I am sunburned. Dave and I go get a neoplitan shake from In n Out Burger, which I inhaled in a matter of seconds and we head back to his house. They have done a great job with their house. Great furniture. Great artwork, and classy decor. LaRae would have been impressed.

To close out my trip, Dave and Danielle take me to a place called Island Burgers, where I enjoyed one of the tastiest burgers in recent memory. As has been a customary procedure in my life, Dave rushes me to the airport and I barely make my flight, but as I sit down in 21A, I fall right asleep until about 20 minutes before we land back in good ole' Rocky Mountain High Salt Lake City. Was it a dream, or was it another "Life is Great" weekend in the life of Creighton Scott.

Scottsdale, AZ

2008-03-10T14:09:00.000-07:00

First post/Third date

2008-03-04T12:18:00.000-08:00

Since I do not have my own personal blog, as all of you seem to do, I thought I would attempt to see what it feels like and give a detailed description of my night in Logan last evening. What was I doing in Logan? A date of course. To my defense, I have been out with this girl a couple of times, and I figured it was my turn to make the 84 mile trek up north. I made sure that Utah State was playing so there was actually something to do, and knowing that I work with Stew Morrill's nephew, I knew that I could get great tickets. By the way...Stew Morrill looks like a fat and bloated Napoleon Dynamite.

I would rather drive up to Logan than go to Provo. To all of you girls on this thread, I was lined up with this girl by Catherine Scally Lever and Rachael Scalley Orson. That is how I met Mary. No, not that Mary.

It started off by me convincing my father to lend me his BMW. No I did not inform him that I would be driving to Logan. Heather, you are the only family member on this list. Keep it safe, and keep it quiet. You know that you used to do the same. I thought it was imperative that I enjoy the ride, which in fact, was quite lovely. The sun was out, I had my Burberry sunglasses on for the first time in six months cruising up I 15 listening to a Jeff Hornacek interview on 1320 KFAN with David Locke. I was feeling pretty good. Traffic was flowing smooth and the ipod and monster cable came in handy after about North Ogden.

I rolled into Logan at about 6:30, and picked Mary up at about 6:45. She lives in a house with nine other girls about a mile from campus. Pretty cool place. The apartment consists of a long hall way, and individual bedrooms dot that hallway. Each girl has their own bathroom, which I thought was cool. Rent is about $400 a month. I am in the wrong business. It reminded me a lot of a sorority house, except I didn't see any girls screaming at each other, or Hot Bod Rod's throwing game at multiple girls, but I can imagine how many guys go over to that place each day. Jake Olson and I would have lived over there if we were undergrad's, pulling all sorts of pranks. I meet all of the roommates, and of course, I feel like I am being interegated, but I have on my tight Diesel jeans, so hopefully that distracted them a bit.

Mary told them that I was a frat boy so instantly they asked questions about my personal worthiness because the Sigma Chi house up in Logan is full of degenerate drunks and losers. Hopefully, I made a good impression. They are all juniors and seniors for your information.

Alright, then it was off to the Smith Spectrum, and I have to be honest, I was pretty excited to see a game there. I have heard it is one of the best basketball environments in the country. I was not disappointed. It was everything I had been told. The Spectrum holds a little over 10,000 and half of them are students in blue shirts that stand the entire game and chant in unison. It was very impressive. Fortunately for me, I was given seats on the fifth row behind the opposing bench, and wouldn't you know it, Steve Cleveland was coaching the opposition. For those of you that do not know Steve Cleveland, he was the basketball coach at byu for eight years. He looks like Eddy Haskell and I couldn't help myself. I started yelling at him. I had to explain to Mary that he was the coach at byu before he left for Fresno State, so she was alright with my antics.

The game was pretty exciting. Utah State pulled away in the final minutes, but I had more fun looking at the student section than anything. I guess that these people don't have much to do in Logan, but I wish the Huntsman Center was half as exciting as the Spectrum. In a way, I became jealous and longed for the days of looking over at the student section in the Huntsman Center and seeing J. Gardner Olson leading the way.

Mary is from Chicago, and is the youngest of ten children. She knows her stuff pretty well. She knew all of the Utah State players and had only missed one basketball game, which was the night of our first date. Unfortunately she was pretty sick so I brought up a bunch of orange juice from work and three Emergen-C's. She started feeling better by the second half. I was impressed that she didn't call me earlier to cancel the date. She asked a lot of questions about the University of Utah and why Utah and Utah State were not in the same conference. I said it was complicated, that it would scare her because I knew too much about it, and that it was just a case of big brother vs. little brother. She asked about the WAC and I explained that Utah and byu left the WAC along with six other schools to form the Mountain West Conference, which was better than the WAC. A Utah State fan, who was eavesdropping on our conversation took issue with that and told me that it was not true. I asked him a simple question, "Would you rather be in a conference with Utah, byu, New Mexico, and San Diego State, or a conference with Louisiana Tech, Idaho, San Jose State, and New Mexico State?" I didn't hear much from that fan after that.

After the game, she introduced me to some of her friends. They kind of gave me the look like I was older and didn't appear to be a student or a local yokle. Pretty cool girls. I got a parking ticket because I parked illegally. It probably didn't help that I was driving a BMW and had University of Utah alumni around my license plates. Don't worry. It was only $19. Mary and I then went to Costa Vida. I like the Vida more than Cafe Diarrhio. Great conversation. She asked me a lot about my college experience and what it was like living close to parents during school. I said it was great, and that I had certain advantages, such as going to my parents house if I was sick or in need of food or a good argument whenever I wanted. I said I loved my college experience more than anything and that I had a deep love and passion for the University of Utah. I dropped her off around 10:45, told her to have fun in Mexico, that is where she is going for spring break, and that I hoped to see her on a Girls Gone Wild commercial late at night.

I then stopped at a local convenience store to get a coke and a candy bar, was pleased to see that the Jazz won, and started my trek home. I made a couple calls to girls screaming music lyrics into the phone while listenining to that particular song. I remeber the song from Footloose was on last night. "Let's hear it for my boy."

I made it home in about 1 hour and 15 minutes and took a bit of a detour. I drove up to the University of Utah and went around campus while listening to "Utah Man" on my ipod because I wanted to feel like I belonged again. It was a very nostalgic moment for me. Yes, I will be at the last regular season game tonight.

So it was a good night for me. It sure as hell beat "My night in Provo" a couple of weeks ago. So Kristine and Callie, how are my blogging skills? Do I make the cut? Just for your information. I composed this email in about 20 minutes. I'm out.

-Creighton