Stories from being tagged

So Megan tagged me on her blog. The following is a list of things that people have done in their lives. The idea is that my job is to bold any that I have done. The name of my blog is Jeff’s Thoughts and Stories so it’s important that I share some thoughts or stories. As I was reading through these I realized it was a great opportunity to share a few stories from my past. So, look through the list of things I have done in my life, and then enjoy a few stories about these things at the bottom. I promise they are the most interesting stories from this list, but if there’s something you really want to hear about, let me know in a comment and I may or may not write about it in the future.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii (Everyone in the world goes to Hawaii without me, Robyn and I are going next year.)
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity (I'm not sure exactly what this means but I've certainly given more than is comfortable before. I suppose since I'm alive, technically I was able to afford it.)
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea (Not at sea, but a good one at Lake Powell)
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language (lots of computer languages)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (I'm very happy, but I will still strive for more to provide for the future of my family)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David (Not the original, but there's a full size replica in Sioux Falls, South Dakota)
41. Sung Karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie (We made some sweet ones. My personal favorite being the one where I played the bear that was encountered by Lewis and Clarke)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason (I get flowers for my wife cause I love her, but there doesn't have to be an occasion so I'm counting it)
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle (I'm sure the speed limit was exceeded at least once)
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper (as a small child, but the times I was on the TV news were much more interesting)
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (just fish)
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous (More importantly, I annoyed someone famous)
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee


#84: Being on the news
The time I was in the Newspaper was somewhat amusing. I was 6 or 7 years old and my sister and I were sitting on the curb in the rain watching cars go by. I have always been exceedingly cute, so a newspaper reporter randomly stopped and took a picture. We were just a little side note on a random page, but we were dang cute.

However, I have been on the TV news multiple times. The first was just a few weeks before my mission. They were opening a Krispy Kreme Donuts shop in Orem. Obviously I needed to be one of the first to partake of those donuts so we laid our pillows and sleeping bags out in front of the door the night before to claim our right to have donuts before everyone else. I'd say we slept out there but that would be untrue. I don't think any sleeping happened so it would be more accurate to say we partied out there. The next morning they opened at 6:00 so around 4:00 was when the news crews showed up as well as massive amounts of people. On one station I was standing behind my friend Stephen while he was being interviewed. I ate a donut on live TV and then we all gave each other a high five. On another station they interviewed me as I was walking out the door. They were surprised by how many donuts I had bought. It was something like 8 dozen. I clearly needed to have enough to share.

The second time I was on the news was about a year ago. My brother in law Dann and I planned a big event where we got sponsors to give out prizes and we invited Jodi Saeland of Fox 13 News. We hosted the whole thing in my backyard and we convinced Jodi to judge the pies. They had periodic coverage throughout the night so we just taped the whole thing and then took out everything that wasn't us. Throughout the night I was mingling with the crowd and giving out prizes. So, on the news, I just appear as a member of the crowd while Dann was the main host that you see.

#91: Annoying someone famous
When I was in high school one time Terry Brooks came to town to do a book signing. He wrote the novel for Star Wars Episode I (and lots of other things) so he was in town promoting that book. A few friends and I were in line to get it signed. We were in line for over an hour so when we started getting close we started saying, "Almost there, almost there, just hold them off for a few more seconds." (Quoting the scene from Star Wars Episode 4) Well, we thought we were almost there when we had like 20 minutes to cover the next 10 feet. This was apparently annoying to Terry Brooks. When we got to the front of the line he said, "Oh.... it's you guys. I really thought about ending the line when you got to the front but I figured you would probably hunt me down in the night." I agreed that we probably would, and he signed our books and we went on our way.