The Mendizzles

Asia...in love!!

2011-05-31T23:20:00.000-07:00

Last year, as you all know, Jordan and I went to SE Asia for about 5 weeks and had a blast. By the end, though, I was really missing America. I was sad to leave the fruit, the food, the friends, and the laid-back lifestyle but home was calling.

My favorite things: Taiwan...not much I didn't love there, Malaysian beaches, & fish you don't see in Hawaii (like clownfish!).

My least favorite things: melting in the heat, no 舒跑 (shupao) outside of Taiwan, Balinese vendors & "transport" offers, & the most horrible leg waxing experience of my entire life in Sanur, Bali.

Overall, I really, really, really love SE Asia and want to go back again and again. The people are very friendly and so laid back that I really felt comfortable there. It's hard to beat the food and drink in Taiwan and the powder-soft sand on the Malaysian beaches we went to. I don't actually think I could say enough about those three things: people are nice and easygoing, the food in Taiwan is awesome, and Malaysian beaches are fabulous. Shall I say it all again? No? Yeah, I don't feel like typing it a 23rd time either. So from here on out, I'll put up pictures with some comments.

TAIWAN:

Once we landed in 桃園 (Taoyuan) we ate 油條 (youtiao), 饅頭 (mantou), and drank 豆漿 (doujiang) (which I didn't particularly enjoy...sorry Jordan and Aaron) with our Taiwanese friend before going to the bullet train. It was so quiet and I was so tired...but there really wasn't enough time to fall asleep before we got into 台北 (Taibei) so we continued on with me being pretty dang tired.

Shout out to the 台北 (Taibei) 101...now the second tallest building in the world (thanks, Dubai). The view you get from the observation deck is pretty amazing.

Once you buy the ticket to go up, you stand in line and get your picture taken. If you know me, you know that serious pictures from me are few and far between so I was true-to-form and posed for it...Jordan and I were a hit! Foreigners and Chinese peeps alike took pictures of our picture so we documented the fun.

This panda was one of the two that they have at the Taibei zoo and they were crawling around, eating, and generally being extremely cute! Unlike San Diego where you have to pay an exorbitant entrance fee just to get inside the zoo itself, and you're not even allowed to loiter around the panda exhibit to witness them living everyday life in their habitat, we were allowed to stand around until we had our panda fill...I must have taken about a bajillion pictures and a few videos of their incredible cuteness.

Koala = positively the most drunk animal on the planet. Well, you would be too if you ate as many eucalyptus leaves as they do in a day.

野柳地質公園 (uh...Yeliu Rock Park)...this is where you'd find the famous Queen's Head (above) rock formation. Personally, I think Dragon's Head (below, top), or Gorilla Rock (below, bottom) are cooler. We had to wait a gazillion years to get a relatively Asian-tourist-free shot of the Queen's Head.

Dragon's Head

Gorilla Rock

Taroko Gorge...I don't think my photos do the place justice. It's just so beautiful there!

檸檬愛玉. This is positively my most favorite drink ever in the history of the world (Lemon Love Jade...well, it's awesomeness in a cup and I crave it).

Gotta love the Old Navy rejects that the stores in 墾丁 (Kending).

This is my most favorite sign of all Chinglish signs ever! Read it and scratch your heads while laughing loudly to yourself, my friends.

Me on my birthday after a bath with my birthday present. Who else has a husband who surprises you with a container of mango after your shower?

Every Buddha deserves a wet willy!

Hiking one of the "trails" on 大坑 (Dakeng)...I was pretty out of shape so I was really tired by the "end" (we didn't make it to the end of this trail and even if we had made it, we would've had to turn around and come all the way back since there's no way out except the way you came in).

I was so happy...I pet every friendly dog with an owner that I could when I had the chance. Little did I know, the state of stray dogs in places like Bali make me wish euthanization were more affordable in other countries. And coming from the ultimate dog lover, it's hard to believe I would say something like that. But the visible disease, parasites, and tumors coupled with their malnourished state and overall hideous temperament makes their lives incredibly pitiful since American sensibilities and animal rights don't apply over there.

That is one large Buddha. It's the largest of its kind (its pose is unique among Buddha statues).

Just another packed street in Taiwan...it was almost impossible to get in and out of the shops.

We made our way over to 綠島 (Ludao/Green Island) via The Uranus...nearly everyone around us vomited on the boat ride over. I didn't, thank goodness, and I didn't even experience motion sickness which is pretty common for me. The snorkeling is amazing over there!! It's too bad we didn't take an underwater camera with us on that trip. I've never seen so many varieties of parrotfish before!

BALI:

This was, no joke, 10 minutes before boarding. Me, Jordan, and the crew.

A petrol station in Sanur

Why do our American children need so many things to be happy when these kids just need an abandoned, overgrown lot with a soccer ball that desperately needs a pump and only one soccer goal? Will my future kids really need a DS, cell phone, Wii, and a computer to be happy?

We drove down to Uluwatu for the views, the sunset, and the Kecak performance.

Hanuman "flying" over to Ravana's castle to check on Sita - a scene from the Ramayana

The rice terraces of Bali...the rain cleared up in time for this picture but not in time for me to get any photos of the classic ones on the hillsides.

SINGAPORE:

Underground art that I loved.

The Singapore skyline at night from the waterfront.

This is where I stick all my extra coins.

MALAYSIA:

Zainal Abidin mosque, a beautiful white mosque in Kuala Terengganu.

Masjid Jamek mosque, the oldest mosque in Kuala Lumpur.

Some awesome graffiti I saw on the way to the train station.

The water and sand are purely amazing in the Perhentians.

These might look like cool palm trees...but they are used for palm oil, an ingredient in pretty much every processed food you eat (like Oreos). At first, they look so cool and interesting until you see the amount of land being cleared to plant them.

This land was recently cleared to make way for an extension of yet another palm oil plantation. Money from the developed world's processed foods is decreasing the natural biodiversity of SE Asian countries like Malaysia. Know where your food is coming from, what ingredients are used to make it, and what the effects are of using those ingredients. If you still choose to use those products, so be it, just be an informed consumer.

The ever-famous Petronas towers.

We got to see a sea turtle come up to the beach to lay her eggs and then go back to the ocean. What an amazing site! The only problem is, in the morning, people come and take all the eggs to sell them as "souvenirs"or to eat. Not one is left on the beach in the nest where Bubbles Dive Resort is located to later hatch as a baby sea turtle. Sad, right? Don't eat, purchase, or become a patron to any organization, restaurant, or business that participates in turtle egg harvesting.

SE Asia was so wonderful that we're going back again in July for 7 weeks. I know I said 5 weeks was tough by the end but we'll be going to more places and we'll have friends with us this time so it will make a portion of our trip a whole lot more enjoyable. This time we also have the advantage of being repeat visitors so we can avoid some of the newbie mistakes we made last time we were there. I'm excited to be going back. I've gotten in touch with more of my friends that live over there this time so I'll be able to visit them and I'm super stoked about that.

Since the last time we went was my first time really out of the country (Canada is too similar to the U.S. so I didn't count that...and a few hours in Tijuana was hardly anything to call a foreign experience) I was glad we went to Taiwan first. It's western enough to be accessible to the new traveler but foreign enough to let you know you're definitely not in Kansas anymore. Taiwan isn't a place where many westerners go to travel and I don't know why but I don't really want to shout it from the rooftops because if the number of whiteys (which I am) increases dramatically, the whole nature of Taiwan and the specialness of it will change. What can I say, I'm a selfish creature. Another cool thing about sinking your teeth into Asia via Taiwan is that Taiwanese people are really patient and forgiving when you don't know the language or are trying to speak Chinese. Now that I've experienced a foreign trip, I'm glad to be ending this upcoming trip in Taiwan for the same reasons but in the opposite direction. It'll warm me up to a bit of the western before I dive back into the USA.

So that's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

~Megan

Winds of Change

2011-05-30T22:49:00.000-07:00

A lot has happened since I last posted anything. Jordan updates this blog much better than I do and it's supposed to be mine...haha...well, now it's a family blog. And this half of the family should pick up some slack every now-and-again, I suppose.

Say hello to the newest college graduate from the Foster household! Yes, that's me. I know I'm a Mendez now but you can't take the Foster out of me no matter how hard you try. I've tried to make both sides of the family proud by my scholastic performance and don't intend to disappoint from here on out. Just some minor changes...

Because of Jordan "encouraging" me to get my homework done, we raised my overall GPA from a 3.2ish to a 3.72 with almost solid A's (until the end when I took stats for geographers and population geography). Yay me! I've never been dumb but I wasn't really motivated to maintain 4.0s before. Thanks babe!

Now that school is over, it's as if I have to reinvent myself. Who am I now, now that I'm no longer a college student? There are roles that we all fill in life and with each role comes a certain identity. As a college student most people know a few things about you without even having a face and a name to go with it: how much money you have (none), what types of foods you eat (unhealthy and fast), what type of social life you live (very active either with people or books), and your sleeping habits (who needs sleep?). But when you are no longer a student, what kind of life do you live? What do you do for income? How do you spend your time? Now that you have a little more time on your hands, do you prepare elaborate meals or have you not yet graduated from a diet of mac & cheese and ramen? Who are your friends? Where do you live? All of these things used to be understood and were even provided to you in your "this is who you are" name-badge but now that those former descriptions no longer apply, you must create your own. Now is a time for a combination of reinvention-of-self coupled with applying the tried and true principles and characteristics you have forged during those times of self-doubt, success, and self-discovery.

So then I beg the question, who am I? What do I choose to be now that I don't wear the "college student" hat anymore? Well, my friends, I suppose I'll tell you when I figure it out for myself. While I never went through a crisis nor did I have a good cry about not knowing what to do with myself now that I'm considered a "real grown-up," I did (and still do) have thoughts of who I am in the eyes of others. College was really the last time for a long time when I would be recognized for my own accomplishments. From here forward I will be a wife, mother (well, real baby-makin' isn't until next year...so that one will be a little way off), and whatever title I get at church from my assigned calling, and the girl who lives in apartment #such-and-such. My accomplishments will reflect on my husband, family, and household more than it will be about me and what I offer and how special I am. And...you know what? I'm so okay with that...I totally don't care (for right now) if no one sees me and thinks about the great things I'm doing. Maybe I'll be more concerned with that later, but, for right now, I'm perfectly content to do things at my own pace and in my own way. As long as Jordan notices, I'll be just fine.

I'm just me. I've waxed philosophical and have come out the same optimistic realist that I have always been. Take it or leave it, I'm pretty comfortable just being me.

~Megan

If Everyone Else Were Jumping Off a Cliff...

2011-02-17T17:11:00.001-08:00

Warning for those of you who are easily offended, this post may not be for you. You are now proceeding at your own risk.

Housing Prices

Hello boys and girls! Let me tell you a story! When I was 14 years old my mom, brother, and I moved to San Diego. That was the summer of 2000. Does anyone remember what 2000 was like? One memory I hope that remains with me my entire life came in October 2000 at a church meeting. This quote (actually from 2001 but very similar to what I heard in 2000) comes from Gordon B. Hinckley, the president (at the time, he passed away in 2008) of my church:

"The economy is particularly vulnerable. We have been counseled again and again concerning self-reliance, concerning debt, concerning thrift. So many of our people are heavily in debt for things that are not entirely necessary. "

When I heard this, I wanted the people around me to take heed immediately but even after a few months in San Diego, I knew they wouldn't. The results around me in San Diego were amazing. Housing prices were increasing at a crazy amount. I remember one day while in my kitchen thinking, "These prices are not sustainable when wages are not increasing at a similar rate!" Yep, typically 14 year old thinking, right? It wasn't about girls, it was about California housing prices. I told my mom that the bubble would pop in the next couple of years.

Well, I was right about it popping, not very good about the timing. It actually took 7 years.

11 years later I often think about all the resultant suffering. God gave us a Joseph-in-Egypt-type 7 years of excess but too many people wasted it on "things that are not entirely necessary." Very sad. While I could be worrying about the Jazz and their new coach or where Carmelo is going to go, etc, I focus a few minutes everyday on where I want my life to turn out. I am so thankful to live in a country (and a certain part of that country) where I have limitless options and potential if I'm willing to put in the work.

As I have heard and read anecdotal accounts of these hard times, I had an idea pop in my head. Some of you won't like what I'm writing and that's ok. I would be mad too! So in 2007, housing prices in most, if not all, of the country declined at an historic rate. This drop is continuing. My idea was that this wasn't the first time in mankind's history that this has happened. Where have I heard of something like this before?

JAPAN!

Ah yes! The land of the rising sun! I have spent a total of 3 hours in Japan (Nagoya airport) on my way to Taiwan for my church mission. I felt like I was in an episode of the Jetsons. Very modern (at least 10 years ahead of the US in everything) but I digress.

A lot of you might be too young to know this (I am one of these people) but there was a time that Americans feared the Japanese were taking over--that time was called the 1980's. The Japanese were buying American real estate (Pebble Beach Golf Course is one famous example) and Americans didn't like it. Congress was probably glad they passed the Foreign Investors in Real Property Tax Act in 1980 to at least get a cut of the action!

Eventually the 1980's came to an end and so did the Japanese real estate bubble. The following chart shows Japanese real estate prices between 1980 and 2005. This chart comes from efinancedirectory.com:

Sorry for the smallness! So between 1985 and 1990, Japanese home prices in the 6 largest cities jumped from around $125,000 to $325,000 (that's a 160% jump in 5 years). The interesting part is what happened after 1990. While this chart is out of date, it shows that 15 years after the peak, housing prices have not gone up once! Maybe you remember the line everyone in the U.S. was being fed, "Real estate always goes up! It's not like we are making any more land!" (Unless you are in Holland, Singapore, or Hong Kong). Just ask a Japanese about that.

Now for the part that might make you made if you bought a house between 2005-2008. This chart shows U.S. housing prices and is also from efinancedirectory.com:

Does this chart look anything like the Japanese one? Maybe cut it in half and it will look more familiar. I just want people to be a little bit skeptical of the realtors on TV who claim a turnaround is just around the corner, it is possible they are right but just as possible they are very wrong.

Finally, back to what I was saying. Megan and I discuss our future together and what we want it to be. Others don't decide it for us. There is no one I trust more in this world than Megan and no one I trust less that someone who wants my money. Please keep this in mind as I share one of the best quotes I've ever read about this subject. The author of the following wisdom is Kris Calhoun, he wrote this freelance article for Yahoo!:

"My House

The home I purchased in 2008 is probably the worst thing I could have done to hurt my financial future. With hindsight being 20/20, it's easy to look back now and say, "Well, that was a bad move." But at the time, and in the location my wife and I were looking, it appeared that things were leveling out and home prices didn't have much further to fall.

About 20% in reduced home value and two property tax increases (plus a reduction in our homeowner's exemption) later, I'm kicking myself for ever allowing myself to be talked into home ownership (I've always been more of an apartment kind of guy). At the time, my wife and I thought we were doing things the right way. We put a nearly 45% down payment on the home, took out a 5.35% fixed rate, 15-year mortgage, and made extra payments along the way.

It wouldn't be such a terrible thing if we could ride out the storm for five or ten years in hopes of recovering our losses, but we really don't like the area we chose and have found that home ownership just isn't for us (I worry about things constantly and am afraid to go on vacation anymore for fear that something will happen to the house).

So now, for our mental health and happiness, we have put our home on the market and done so at a much lower price than we purchased it for. If it ever sells, it will set me back significantly in my retirement plans, but even I will admit that being happy is sometimes worth more than money -- depending upon the amount of course."

I feel bad for this guy but I'm glad he's now doing what he really wants to do. It just took tens of thousands of dollars to figure it out. So if you are reading this and still can choose what you want to do, remember that you don't have to be like everyone else. "Everyone else" (Japanese or American) got burned. You don't have to join the party to fit in. You can rise above "Everyone else's" mistakes.

As Henry David Thoreau said:

"If a man loses pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured, or far away."

Happy New Year (Some Good Music)

2011-01-04T21:25:00.001-08:00

Happy 2011 everyone! It seems like yesterday that people looked at us funny when we'd say "We're graduating in April 2011" since it was so far off, but now it's less than 4 months away.

Megan and I went to Anacortes for Christmas. I replaced a broken window in Megan's parents' house. I felt like such a man learning how to caulk a window after watching a Youtube video, you know, the old fashioned way men learned how to do things.

We also went to Vancouver, BC and ate great Taiwanese food! I don't know why it took me three visits to Vancouver to realize I taught several people in Taiwan who used to live in Vancouver, but I got my Taiwanese food. My favorite part was telling the Canadian border guard the name of the restaurant we were going to find since I only knew it as "老黃牛肉麵" I had to think quickly to translate it.

We also moved into our new house in South Provo. Edward, our dog, moved with us from Washington and he loves it here. I love having him too. There's nothing quite like having a dog living in our home.

One last thing has been on my mind for a while. I love good music and thank my mom for introducing me to great artists as a young child. Megan and I have similar tastes and I'm very thankful as well for that. One problem over the last 6 or 7 years is called, "The Radio" and on this problem are thousands of talentless artists allowed to transmit their horrible "work" to the public.

I'd like to remind anyone who has forgotten what real music sounds like, yes it's old, but guess what? It's way better than 99.93782723729% of what you hear on the radio today.

Go to Youtube right now and listen to these songs!

Turn Your Lights Down Low--Bob Marley and Lauryn Hill
Doo Wop (That Thing)--Lauryn Hill
Ready or Not--The Fugees (swear word alert)
My Boo--Usher and Alicia Keys
Unbreakable--Alicia Keys
You Don't My Name--Alicia Keys
If I Ain't Got You--Alicia Keys
Video--India.Arie
Stay With You--John Legend
I Can't Write Left Handed--John Legend w/The Roots (or Bill Withers, if you prefer)
Almost anything made by Jack Johnson and Coldplay.

Now listen to the radio again and your head will explode!

Happy 2011!

Finding Time

2010-12-05T11:34:00.000-08:00

Today in Elders' Quorum we had a lesson on love for God, wife, and the members of the Elders' Quorum. My favorite part was talking about loving our wife. God teaches us that we are to love only two people with all our hearts (God and our spouse). So that means you can't love your wife too much because its impossible! Glad I can't go wrong in some area of my life.

So I got annoyed when I heard many of my fellow quorum members complaining about not having any time to spend with his wife. Maybe someone reading this can explain this one for me, but many of those in the room don't have a job (or have their wife work) and major in something easy. I know I shouldn't judge but it's a little annoying. Megan and I have tough classes, work 20 hours a week, and we still have more time than we know what to do with.

As my favorite Young Men's President taught me, "You make time to do the things you want to do."

One last thing, to show your wife you love her don't buy her jewelry like all the radio ads suggest, but take her on a trip...to anywhere! Unlike jewelry, you won't ever worry about losing it and the relaxation will increase your love. Trust me on this one.

Everyone enjoy their Christmas! We move out the 18th and will be "homeless" until we move into our new place on New Year's Eve with Edward, our dog! Can't wait!

Grateful

2010-10-09T20:38:00.000-07:00

I guess it is a little early to break out the "I'm Thankful For..." speeches, but I'm going to do it anyway. I am very happy lately and most of it comes from being married to Megan. Two years have flown by and I'm very excited for the future.

Today I finished reading a book called, "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho. It's amazing. I had several good friends recommend it so being the cheap Mormon that I am, I borrowed it from one of those friends instead of buying it myself. :)

If you haven't heard of it, it's about the story of a boy who desires to live a life more fulfilling than what is offered in his hometown. That's all I'm going to say, you need to read it yourself.

One of my favorite lines summarizes how I've felt about a few people who influenced me but I'm sure they wouldn't recognize me if I passed them on the street. In "The Alchemist," it reads, "He thought of the many roads he had traveled, and of the strange way God had chosen to show him his treasure. If he hadn't...he would have never met the Gypsy woman, the king, the thief, or...well, it's a long list."

A couple of days ago, I made my own list so reading this line really hit me. I think about how lucky Megan and I are to meet so many people from all over. Here are a few.

Balinese/Indonesians

The Laundry Lady who spoke very little English but had the only dryer in the village we stayed!
The crazy dude who I paid 4,000 rupiah (40 cents) to give me a ride on his scooter back to our hotel.
Widhi, our dive trip salesman who accidentally offered us a lower price than I just offered. Haha! A good guy who had recently married.
Made, our crazy taxi driver who was named the world's best taxi driver by National Geographic (not a joke, he had the article to prove it). "Friends first, money second" was his line.
The teenage girl who worked at the Internet cafe we stumbled upon in Denpasar. We saw the sign that said, "3.000 Rp/jam" and Megan said, "Now if we only knew what a jam was." I remembered the McDonald's sign that read 24 Jam 7 Hari so we went inside. The girl was very surprised to see two white people in her cafe. She looked at Megan and told Megan her name and Megan reciprocated. A cool experience.

Singaporeans

The old Chinese guy originally from Penang who had lived in Singapore for most of his life. He sat next to us at the bus stop at the airport. He "helped" us get to our destination (but not before we went the long way). Megan mentioned how his English sounded just like the way old Chinese-Hawaiians speak.
The hawker centre Chinese guy on Joo Chiat Road who made awesome dumpling soup. He was amazed I spoke Chinese. I paid and then went to the other side of the seating area. I watched as he tried to deliver the soup to the only other white guy in the place (who already had his food). Just like the Taiwanese say, "We all look the same."
Megan's mission friend, Tiffany Lai, who took us around. We went to Little India, the Arab Quarter, and Bugis. At one point there were some Traditional Chinese characters written on a building. She couldn't read them (Singaporeans read Simplified characters) so I translated them for her. Pretty funny that a white guy had to teach a Chinese person how to read Chinese!
The Malay kampung hawker centre we walked around before heading to church. All Malays except for Megan and me! Amazing iced drinks for S$1!
My good friend Nathaniel's dad happened to be in Singapore for business and we ended up at the same ward! He took us out to dinner at Clarke Quay and walked around with us and told us about his experience living in Singapore as an expat.

Malaysia

The security guard at our hotel in Kuala Lumpur. He locked up our luggage in a side room after we checked out while we explored the city. He asked my name and I said, "Jordan." He said, "Oh, like the country!" Never heard that one before. He asked where we were from and then said, "Oh America, I'd love to live there, but I can't get the visa." Helped me realized how lucky we are to live in the US.
The pack of boys in Kota Bharu who rode their bikes through the night market. They saw us and rode over toward us. They asked where we were from and said, "Welcome to Malaysia!" So cute.
The keeper of the Internet cafe in Kota Bharu. When we tried to leave, he was nowhere to be found. We went to the street level and waited for a while. Finally he showed up, "Sorry, I had to take my friend home." Haha, yeah, your "friend," you mean girlfriend.
Fatima, the old lady who mopped the floors at the McDonald's at KL Sentral. She did that all day. Crazy.

While you are bored, I am very thankful for all of these people. They've brightened my life. The best part about it is the fact that Megan and I have many more years to keep meeting more and more interesting people that we'd never have a chance to meet anywhere else!

Our Last Year

2010-09-12T11:46:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Just wanted to give an update on our lives. Things are going really well for us! We started our last year of school a couple of weeks ago. I can't believe it's almost over. A poster at school really delivered that it's coming to an end.

"Parents' Weekend--October 22-24"

I still remember Parents' Weekend of my Freshman year. My dad flew out and I took him around campus to see all of the new and updated buildings since he left in 1985. I'll never forget hearing that he was proud of me, a very touching moment. Right after the moment had passed and being Captain Tactful that I am, I asked him for $1 so I could do laundry. :) Haha! Thanks Dad!

But what struck me was thinking that the next Parents' Weekend for me will be 20 years from now when our firstborn goes to BYU and lives in Heritage Halls. It's a crazy thought.

Next, Megan and I are excited to know that I received a full-time offer of employment to work at KPMG after graduation! Leaving Portland was sad, but knowing we'd be back made up for it. I really love Portland (including it's weirdness) and can't wait to be an official Oregonian. Our first day back to Utah really helped seal the deal. Leaving Portland's dreadlock, unwashed hippies and coming back to the self-centered, too much make up Utah girls was the biggest adjustment. While Utah is my home state because it's where I grew up, I now consider Oregon will be my true home.

Well, that's it for us! Thanks for reading!

Twilight...

2010-07-15T16:53:00.000-07:00

I caved...I gave in...I read the Twilight series. I read it and didn't vomit as originally expected. Quite the opposite...I liked it. So here's what I thought:

My overall impression was very favorable. I really enjoy the way Stephenie Meyer writes because you can feel for the characters, feel as the characters, and really associate with the emotions they go through. She writes so that you can put yourself in the story as an objective third party or even as one of the characters. There are a lot of people who write with the intention of making the story seem wholly "other" and flowery and still unknowable.

While I cannot truly say I understand what it is like to be a vampire, I can understand frustration, self-depreciation, love, learning, struggle, inadequacy, and even loss. These emotions and experiences are all throughout the novels and speak to anyone who reads the stories. If you look merely at the surface (there is a human girl who falls in love with a vampire...purely fictitious and ridiculous) and read it purely for laughs, that's what you'll find; you won't like the story. However, if you read it with the intention of seeing the reality of a girl falling for a guy she thinks is way out of her league and empathizing with what each of the characters can and do feel in their situations, you'll definitely find relate-able characters, excitement, and even reminders about your own life and reactions to what you've experienced.

Any further than that...and...I'm...struggling for words.

Oh, and the last book was a complete let-down. "It's starting." And then what? What the freak, Stephenie, it never really starts and then it comes to a disappointing climax...because there was no climax. Uh...yeah...whatev.

I read "The Host" and liked it too. Similar reasons. The End.

Buying Local

2010-07-13T21:21:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone. We've been in Portland for about a month and we have a month to go. I love living here and working at KPMG. I like the people in my office and enjoy the work I do. I'm looking forward to living here full-time and becoming a real Portlander.

Today I had a couple of thoughts pop into my head in between doing tax returns and wanted to share them with you.

1. I lived in Iowa this summer so I could learn to love strange accents. Last year I cringed whenever I heard the Minnesota "short a" and "long o" sounds. This year? I sometimes hear the Northwestern version of the same thing but this time I don't let it bother me. I always thought that the NW didn't have an accent but I am wrong. It sounds like locals are from Eastern Canada for some reason.

2. Vietnamese people are awesome. I also didn't realize that Portland has a huge Chinese and Vietnamese community. That means lots of cheap, good food for us! I had Pho for the first time while at training in LA and then again when I came home and I love it! I also got a haircut today from a Vietnamese lady for only $7.

3. Portland is split up into 5 "quadrants" NE, SE, SW, NW, and N. Yeah, it's weird, but we are in Portland. At least we don't call ourselves the Quad Cities when there are 5/6/7 cities. We live in Southeast. Northeast is rich, Southwest is suburban, NW is gentrified, and N is scary. SE has enough nice with enough crazy (one word: Hawthorne) that I really like it. Yeah half of it is rusting away, but I love it anyway.

4. Oregonians sure have goofy ideas on how to fix the bad economy here. One I hear a lot is to "buy local" which means to buy an overpriced Chinese product from a local store instead of from Wal-Mart. Yes, I know it means to buy local products from locally owned stores, but guess what? Not much grows in the winter anywhere in the USA so hope you had a good last dinner in October and can make it last until May.

However, I do have one area in which I agree that "buying local" helps out the individual. They are called entrepreneurs and they are the reason America has an amazing economy. Sometimes the person you pay for a service is the owner and only employee of a business. That Vietnamese lady I talked about before was great. I knew all of my $7 was going to her and her business. If I spent $14 at Great Clips closer to my house? Well, part goes to the employee, part to the owner, some to the franchise owner, etc. That franchiser uses that money to run TV advertising. That means some of my money goes to California and that's not acceptable! So find a place where you can help someone who does a good job and keep your money in Oregon instead of the alternative.

Thanks for listening.

We're Back!

2010-06-09T11:16:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's right, we are back in America. We flew back on Friday night to Seattle. Megan's parents picked us up and we drove to Anacortes. A few things that I noticed quickly:

1. Driving on the right: Just as my brain was getting used to looking right before crossing the road, I have to switch back! I still sometimes walk down the roads here in Anacortes and expect a taxi driver to honk at me.

2. Lots of Daylight: Many of the places we visited are near the equator. They don't really have seasons. The sun comes up and goes down around the same time every day. After a few weeks of that I'm really noticing how long the sun stays up during the summer in America. Coming up at 5:30 and going down at 9? Crazy.

3. Food: I was in a grocery store (Winco, my favorite) yesterday and really started to miss Asia. I told Megan I miss the drinks and food of Taiwan. I think it's sad that I have to spend $1000 to get over there, but its worth it for all the great food we had. Megan and I found a place in Malaysia that sold real fruit drinks (with ice, thank heavens!) for about US$1! I had 3 or 4 in our short visit. Nothing like mango and red dragon fruit or kiwi and apple.

4. Love: My best friend's mom told me that vacations are the best for a marriage and I have to agree. I told her I don't know why people spend money on counseling. A few weeks away really allowed me to remember how much and why I love Megan. School, work, and family can really become a fog that causes me to forget. I don't think I can afford not to go on longer vacations with just Megan. That now brings me to the fact that we asked a million friends to come with us. I'm really glad you all said no. You all missed out and I'm sure life here in America continued to be extra-boring as always, but Megan and I benefited. Thanks for taking one for the team!

Pictures can be found on Facebook of our trip.
Malaysia Pictures:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2337683&id=17800437&l=8ed910a8ef

Taiwan Pictures:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2332807&id=17800437&l=77af6462ad

I have a bunch more to download of Singapore and Indonesia and we'll be working on that soon.

Thanks again!

Taiwanese (The People and the Language)

2010-05-06T09:07:00.000-07:00

So we've been in Taiwan for about and week and I'm loving it. It's crazy as always and I'm so glad we can be here. I could tell you all the places we've been but it doesn't mean much unless you've lived here before. Megan loves the food and is learning a ton. Do you know who else is learning a lot? Me!

As a missionary, I feel I paid more attention to what was going on around me than most missionaries, but it was still hard to get very deep into the culture. My visit in 2008 taught me a lot, and this 2010 visit is teaching me more and more. I feel like the Taiwanese are great people and the more I learn, the more I love them. Of course there are always dark areas but mostly they are a good people with good hearts.

This visit has corrected a lot of incorrect ideas that I collected on my mission such as:
1. People in Taibei never speak Taiwanese. WRONG!
2. Only the less educated speak Taiwanese. WRONG!
3. If a Taiwanese person can't get to church on time, it's probably because he doesn't really care about the church. WRONG!

Let me tell you something. The Taiwanese can never be accused of sticking to a schedule. Megan will ask me, "When will the bus arrive?" and I will say, "The bus stop sign says every 20-30 minutes but that really means you'll see 3 busses in a row and then none for an hour." I would get so mad on my mission when a Taiwanese would not come to church or show up late. Now that I think about it, I should have known better. Of course they are going to be late. That's just a part of the culture. I've heard that other SE Asian people are the same way.

Now on to the language. As missionaries, we would get so mad when people spoke Taiwanese. This probably comes from feeling left out as we were normally the only ones in the room who didn't understand what was going on. However, I can now watch as people speak to each other and really understand each other when the Taiwanese comes out. Today, a friend played his "moon guitar" and sang in Taiwanese. It has a "working in the rice fields during the Japanese occupation" feeling to it. I can understand a lot of what is being said if they are talking about me and it impresses people but I like feeling more connected to the people.

So, the point is that I love the Taiwanese people and I wish more people could understand what I mean. I'm so thankful that I can be here. Hope everyone is doing well.

We made it!

2010-04-26T08:32:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! This will be our last post in the U.S. for a while. We leave for Taiwan on Thursday morning. I still can't believe we are leaving in 3 days because it doesn't seem real, but I am still excited.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little nervous. Taiwan will be easy, I speak the language and I've been there before both as a missionary and as a civilian. I am nervous about Bali and Thailand but I keep telling myself not to worry because many Europeans seem to survive there.

Megan and I have spent the last few days driving up here to Anacortes, Washington. We stopped at friends' houses in Boise and Portland. I love all the friends I have. While in Portland I met with a fellow KPMG'er who graduated from BYU. He's way funny and really helped me feel comfortable with joining KPMG (along with the partner who used to live in Taiwan). He has a downstairs suite that he rents out once in a while. We are so lucky that it's empty now and we'll be living with him during the 2 months of the internship! I was worried that we'd have to find a month-to-month apartment somewhere and live on a blow-up mattress. This way is much cheaper now and we'll live in a nice neighborhood with a great view.

The only downside? He lives in a city that no one in Portland has ever heard of. It's called "Happy Valley, Oregon." Really. Megan and all of her friends have never heard of it, so I just tell people "Clackamas" and they know where I am talking about. It's a few blocks away from the mall where I bought Megan's engagement ring (and saved a ton of money on Oregon's lack of a sales tax!!!).

Well, I guess everyone have fun here in America and we'll talk to you when we get back June 4th!

Being Nice

2010-04-10T22:45:00.000-07:00

I have been around a lot of places in the world. There are two places where I was shocked at the friendliness of strangers--Portland, Oregon and Canada. As a newly married person, I planned two days and two nights in downtown Portland as part of our honeymoon. Megan and I spent a lot of time walking around and seeing my new wife's hometown. We would be talking to each other and a a random person walking near us would hear our conversation and comment on it. Crazy! So many people came up and talked to us, asked us questions, etc. I've learned this is normal in Portland.

Canadians are always known for being nice almost to a fault. Americans love making fun of Canadians and I feel bad because Canadians are so dang nice that it seems unfair. Plus, Canadians haven't done anything bad to us (other than Sidney Crosby scoring in OT!!!). We get tons of oil from them and I hear their retirees are propping up the Phoenix real estate market, too. Dang exchange rate, but you can't blame them for it.

Megan and I had just landed at Toronto's airport late at night. We were a little nervous being in a new place (and a foreign country). Things were a lot different than we expected. We boarded the bus for our hotel and sat next to some locals who were quick to talk to us. They pointed out Tim Hortons, a Canadian coffee shop. They said, "You know Tim Hortons, he played in the NHL." Megan and I looked at each other confused and laughed to ourselves, I guess they don't realize that while most NHL teams are in the US most Americans don't care or know much about hockey. Regardless, Megan and I love Tim Hortons and think back to that day in July when we found out about it whenever we eat their chicken salad sandwiches.

The point of this post is that being around nice people is always cause for being happy. Often, I walk around and try to help people and smile and all that but often I get ignored or frowny faces or "Why are you talking to me?" looks. Wow people, lighten up. Shouldn't Mormons be a part of this extremely nice group? I think that many of us play the role we are assigned at church. We only talk to people affected by our calling, only talk to our home teachees/visit teachees, etc. Don't dare step out of that circle! Someone is having a hard time? Well, I haven't be assigned to help, so I don't want people to think I'm taking charge without Priesthood authority, etc. Guess what? It doesn't take a calling or the Priesthood to be nice or helpful. It takes a few words or a smile or a visit.

So when I see you (meaning anyone in the whole wide world) approaching me on the sidewalk, you better smile and look at me in the eyes! When I see you in the laundry room, smile!

Does this make sense?

Almost there!

2010-04-08T16:43:00.000-07:00

How can it be that finals will be over in 2 weeks? Crazy. I'm so happy to finish and relax for a while and spend a bunch of time with Megan.

3 weeks until we'll be somewhere over Alaska heading toward Taiwan!

KPMG let me know that my internship training starts on June 21. 4 days in either New York or Chicago. I'm pretty sure my dad and Megan will go around either city while I am in class during the day and then we can enjoy a $4 haircut in New York or good pizza in Chicago at night!

Our lives are great! We had 2 different couples stay in our apartment over the last two days. One couple slept on our blow up mattress and the other on our bed. Megan and I? On the living room floor with blankets. Wow, that hurt, but it was good to see a former mission companion (Tayler Tibbitts) and Megan's friends from back in the day. See? When we say you can stay over we aren't lying!

We still don't know where we will live in Portland. We will find something. I am really excited to live in a new and cool city. Unfortunately, if you have two dogs, are married, can only stay for 7 weeks, and don't smoke weed (or tolerate it), cheap housing is hard to find in Portland. Gotta love Portland!

There was a point to this whole post, but I forgot it! Hope you enjoyed it!

Lessons learned in Davenport and Provo

2010-03-31T18:27:00.000-07:00

Over the summer, I spent 3 long, boring months doing a type of accounting that I hate. While there, my co-workers often made fun of my one, true accounting love--tax! Also while I was serving time, I had a couple of supervisors who did not enjoy explaining anything beyond a "30,000 foot overview."

I hate that term by the way.

So, what happened to me? I didn't understand a lot of what I did and I was very unhappy at work. I am used to doing well in school and life in general. I ask questions when I don't understand because I desire to understand! Knowledge is power as Schoolhouse Rock teaches!

Tonight, I was working in the accounting lab and had a student ask me a question. I could tell he wasn't 100% interested in what he was doing, but at least he came here for help, so I decided to explain the concept simply and calmly. The light bulb turned on and he finally understood. He was happy and I was happier to be of service. Another lesson from Davenport has been internalized: helping another person, no matter his/her attitude, will have positive effects sometime in the future. While I would never, ever live or work at that place again, I am more and more thankful for its lessons.

Thanks for reading!

A Few Thoughts

2010-03-29T14:23:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it? Two posts in a week? I enjoy writing and thinking. I hope you do too!

So on Monday and Wednesday mornings I work at BYU Laundry where I make deliveries to the MTC and other places around campus (Motion Picture Studio for one, where Haun's Mill in "Legacy" is actually in Provo). Lately, I get to drive to Hobble Creek Canyon near Springville. I love getting paid 1+ hours to sit there. My co-worker, Drew, from Georgia is awesome. His accent and attitude on life is very similar to mine.

So today we were driving and talking about stuff. His girlfriend/fiancee must be similar in thinking to Megan as well. We were talking about wedding rings and he said that she didn't want a diamond wedding ring because she's opposed to the poor labor conditions for African diamond miners. Haha! Awesome. I was originally opposed to the high price, but that is a better reason! Lucky that Megan didn't want one.

He also talked about his roommate "buying" a bunch of toys: truck, PS3, tons of Blu-Rays, Wii, $1600 wedding ring, etc. When I say "buy," I really mean "go into debt!" So it got me thinking...why do people give little notice to someone who acts in this way, putting themselves in bondage for years to come? If they don't give little notice, they call it "setting up your own household." However, if Megan and I live simply and don't go to movies or eat out and save 60% of our paychecks, but then travel often (and pay cash), people say we aren't planning for the future.

Sounds a little funny huh?

The Countdown

2010-03-26T20:34:00.001-07:00

So I was reading a buddy's blog and along the side named his favorite blogs listed by last update. Sadly to say, we were at the bottom of the list and felt some shame. I guess I have a hard time writing when I don't think many people will read it, but I like the therapeutic nature of writing about anything.

News in our lives?

1. We became certified scuba divers last night! Megan's professor is an instructor and saved us a bunch of money on the lessons. I'm glad we got it done now instead of waiting to get to Bali and then spending much of our trip in class. Boring! Megan keeps bringing up getting gear and diving at many different places. I love her.

While we were in class, I learned to appreciate the Hawaiian blood in her. She loves swimming and the ocean and has no fear. She grew up swimming next to her dad in the ocean surrounding Maui. I, on the other hand, grew up in the desert and only had basic swimming lessons. I'm not so fearless, but these lessons have helped me to face my fears and calm down! What a great match we are!

2. Megan and I are both TAs this semester. I am the sole TA for 375 students taking their second accounting class at BYU. It's fun and I LOVE teaching, but I dislike grading (at least I get paid!) and I hate!!! whiny students. I am amazed at all the lame excuses I hear.

3. Still not pregnant!

4. Still saving for graduate tuition next year. Megan is wonderful because she has been the one to push for me to put away a part of each paycheck. I wasn't as worried, but I think we have enough to graduate debt free! Not many of my classmates can say that.

5. A month left until we leave for Asia. I have found some awesome places to visit. I would say this will be a once-in-a-lifetime trip, but I'm sure it won't be the last.

6. Megan and I are enjoying collecting bottle tops from Coke products that we find around campus. Each has a code that you enter online for points which are exchanged for free Cokes. Looks like other people will be paying for our beverages and the money we save will go toward traveling!

7. We found a place to live in Portland this summer! We'll be living with another accounting in North Portland! The house is small, but we don't care! We'll have our two dogs, the other lady's dog, a cat, 3 people, and happiness! We can't wait. I have a feeling living in Portland will be a bit more enjoyable than living in Davenport!

I guess that's a good update for now. I know the last few posts have been visually boring, but not much to show in Provo. Have a good day!

December

2009-12-04T16:23:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! Life is good over here. For Thanksgiving, Megan and I flew down to San Diego to visit my aunt and uncle. My paternal grandparents were there too and my dad flew out from Kansas. I was excited for Megan to get to know my grandparents more since she didn't have a chance to really get to know them when we got married.
We flew down on Wednesday afternoon. I bought the tickets on July 6th. I'll remember this because Megan had been saying how much she wanted to go back to San Diego and I found a one-way ticket for $49 on Southwest. Megan and I had just returned from Toronto the day before and I'm pretty sure I was ticked off to be back at work in Davenport. :)

On the flight, we stopped in Phoenix, but didn't have to get off the airplane. Megan and I moved up to the second row so we wouldn't have to wait for a billion people ahead of us to start moving. In the process, Megan's phone fell out of her pocket. A flight attendant found out and since no one was around, she figured it belonged to someone who got off in Phoenix. We were happy that the phone wasn't lost forever, but Megan was without her phone for 4 or 5 days. I didn't think that was going to be a big deal, but it's hard to contact someone without a cell phone. I would get out of class and think, "I'm going to call Megan to meet up with her." NOPE! It's back now and I'm thankful for the good Southwest Airlines flight attendant.

Wednesday night Megan and I went out to dinner with her trainer who lives in Encinitas. The food was good, but I have a hard time hanging out with rich people. I have always had enough in my life, but I enjoy not being rich.

Thursday was a great day. We went hiking and enjoyed the warm weather. My dad surprised us by flying out. He said he was going to, then couldn't, but then called on Thursday to say, "I'm driving to the airport." Oh yeah, the food was good.

Friday, we went to Orange County. We drove my cousin's 2000 Chevy Impala. We had the oldest car in the whole county. If we had been driving our 2005 Honda Civic, we still would have had the oldest car in Orange County. We ate Chinese food in Irvine. For those who don't know, Irvine is the Chinatown of California. There was an 85C coffee shop there! 85C's are all over in Taiwan, so it was cool to feel like I was back there again.

After lunch, we drove to Newport Beach and walked the pier. We also visited the Newport Beach temple and took pictures from the outside since it was closed. So pretty.

Saturday, we went to the temple for family names my grandparents collected. We did the work for both Mexican and German relatives and had the chance to attend a Spanish session. It seems that we attended the most appropriate session since people did funny things the whole time. Do you think our family members could stand a boring church? No, you have to keep people interested.

Sunday, we flew home, but not before being blessed immensely. We got to the airport and checked in. A message popped up saying, "The flight is over booked, if you don't mind waiting, let your gate agent know." We got through security and I saw a guy standing at the desk waiting for a gate agent too. I thought, "No way this dude is getting what we want." Eventually he got bored and left. I stood there for about half an hour before the lady finally came. She told me someone else was ahead of us in line, but she'd let us know. As it was time to board, she told that other person ahead of us, "Sorry, but we won't be needing your spot." She then looked at me and made a face that said, "Did you hear what I just said?" I was disappointed, but was glad to have a seat. Then the gate agent said to us, "Once I get everyone boarded, I'll print your new tickets." The new tickets came with seating in the exit row! I loved it. On top of that, we each got a $400 credit to book a future flight (Hawaii), plus we got a 50% mileage bonus for the San Diego to SLC flight. Pretty good for only having to wait an extra hour!

All in all, our weekend was a great one.

Sorry this post is so long. My 24th birthday was Wednesday. I had my first accounting group over for my ice cream cake. It's always fun having friends around.

Well, that's it from us!

An Internship Offer

2009-11-15T20:50:00.000-08:00

Ladies and Gentlemen (or just Tayler since he's the only one who reads this, I think):

I have been very stressed out this week as the interviews for tax internships came to an end. First Deloitte sent me an email saying, "Sorry, you were near the top of the list, but the economy sucks, etc, etc." I wasn't too worried as I thought I had Ernst and Young in the bag. I knew so many in the office and they liked me, so I knew I'd get at least one offer. I also interviewed at Moss Adams and knew I didn't want to be there. Yes, the office was nice, but I was looking for a different feel. Finally, I loved KPMG because of all the BYU tax guys. I don't feel like being a pioneer as the only Mormon at Moss Adams, so I was interested in KPMG.

So on Friday, I was so antsy I could hardly sleep. I called the E&Y recruiter and she didn't know if I had a job, but told me she'd be shocked if I didn't. I kept telling myself that even if all of them said no, I'd figure something out. I thought about extending our trip to Asia, but then had a feeling that everything would work out. 2 minutes later (literally) I got an email from E&Y saying "No." I knew that meant KPMG was going to be my offer.

I was at work hanging out with Megan when I looked at my phone for any missed calls with 503 area codes (Oregon). There weren't any, so I put it back in my pocket and my phone started ringing with a 503 number on it! I was so excited! The KPMG partner I met with on Thursday offered me an internship. I am so happy to know that we will be in Portland next summer. I will be working on the 37th floor of the Wells Fargo building (see my last post). The views are awesome and I'm glad to know that there will be other BYU guys there.

All in all, I learned that God is in charge. While I liked E&Y, I know He wants me at KPMG. I don't know exactly why yet, but I can tell people I like that KPMG has 10 more vacation days a year than the other firms. :) Isn't it great to know Someone else is looking out for me?

Portland

2009-11-13T07:15:00.000-08:00

I was up in Portland this week for on-site interviews. I visited the offices of Ernst and Young, Moss Adams, and KPMG. All three have amazing offices that definitely beat the crappy Davenport Works Office I enjoyed for three months. Hmm, be on the top floor of the Wells Fargo building and enjoy the colors of the trees in Goose Hollow/West Hills and see Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens out the other side of the building or exist on the ground floor of a windowless two story building that would only overlook the parking lot if it had one. Hmm? Let me know guys, which one should I pick?

I really want to know if I have a job next summer. It's kinda killing me to know, but I'll find out soon enough.

Hope everyone is excited for Thanksgiving. We are going to San Diego!

We Are the Champions!

2009-10-27T21:38:00.000-07:00

Yeah! First place nationally in the Deloitte Tax Competition! I was so excited when I heard the news yesterday. I often feel like it isn't real. I am glad that everything worked out and we could return honor to the BYU Accounting Program. We were so happy to learn that BYU also got first place in the graduate division! Not too bad at all.

Let me give you a bit of an update on this whole competition. Back in April, my tax professor asked if I wanted to be on the undergraduate team with 3 other guys. I said yes. I studied during the summer, but always felt I should study more. This nagging feeling was in addition to the frustration I felt at work.

Upon returning to school, my group met most Saturday mornings for practice runs with the cases used in previous years' competitions. I hated getting up so early every single day. 8 AM classes Monday-Thursday, 8 AM practice on Saturday, and 8 AM church on Sunday. Geez! Whenever we practiced I felt that we had little chance of winning. Even the night before, a teammate asked, "How do you think we'll do?" I didn't think we'd win, that's for sure. However, the day of the competition changed my mind.

We showed up to the Deloitte office in the Wells Fargo Building and loved the view from Utah's tallest building (I lived in taller buildings in Taiwan, but that's another story). We ate breakfast and started the competition (5 hours). We worked hard and pushed each other and shifted work from overloaded people to others in the group, etc. In the end, I felt that we had never performed as well as we had that day. As my mission president would say, "We left it all on the field." The worst part was waiting 10 days for the results.

They came yesterday: BYU first place. $2,000 to each student, $10,000 to BYU for each time. That means when Choose to Give comes around, I can tell them I gave $2,500 to the School of Accountancy. Don't mind if I do!

I learned several things from this competition: first, wives are awesome. Megan never doubted me or nagged me to study. Encouragement and true love made this possible. Second, good things come out of bad/hard situations. All I heard at John Deere went something like this, "Oh, tax? I hate tax, I can't believe someone would want to do tax." Don't get me started on that. Just remember that I'll be riding elephants in Asia next summer and they'll be working on spreadsheets. Third, surround yourself with positive people and miracles happen!

Life is good, it's as simple as that!

It's Over!

2009-10-17T23:08:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone! Life is great! Today was the Deloitte Tax Case Study Competition at the Salt Lake office of Deloitte. Megan and I got to stay at the Downtown Marriott and go swimming with a couple of our friends. We slept so well on the nice double bed (a double bed has to be smaller than a full bed). The room reminded me of the room we stay in when we visited Toronto. When I woke up this morning, I was reconsidering if I wanted to be a tax accountant. I mean, look at the name of the competition, it just reeks of nerdiness!

Back to the actual competition, we read the case and went to work. We started reviewing the questions and started dividing the work. I worked on a question related to the sale of a patent and how the purchaser would treat the purchase for tax purposes. I finished writing my answer when I read a tiny clause within the Internal Revenue Code (a former professor called them a santa clause) which totally overturned my answer. Oops. At least I didn't submit an incorrect answer.

One cool thing happened during the competition. I had a question to answer and had no idea what to do. I searched for "patent" for the question mentioned above. When the search results came up, Section 83 was among them. I don't think Section 83 has anything to do with patents (maybe another santa clause). I think it was God's way of helping me. I finished all my questions and things went way better than they ever did during our long, grueling practices as a team.

I am so thankful that it's all over. I learned that I was on this team back in April. I was often stressed out that I hadn't studied hard enough during the summer. It goes without saying that after a long, boring day at work, I didn't feel like studying more accounting. I also think it was God's way of teaching me to pass all four parts of the CPA exam before I start working full-time!

I'll find out in 10 days if we won. 24 hours ago, I didn't think we had much of a chance, but after we submitted our answer, I think it's possible! Not too bad. Whenever I do well in tax accounting (like today), I get really excited to start working. Speaking of working, I have an interview on Friday and will get to visit Portland! I am pretty excited, I'll let you know how everything ends up. Hope things are going well for you!

Back to Provo

2009-09-19T08:17:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know it's been a long time. I'm not going to apologize, just expect that we'll blog once a month and no one will be let down. :)

Megan and I left Iowa on August 14, 2009 around 4 PM. It was good to be heading west again. We stayed at my grandma's house in Lincoln and this time Edward was a much better behaved dog. He was so funny when we showed up at her house. It was nighttime and so he started growling and barking at her. Hahaha, oh Edward, it's just Grandma!

We stopped in Denver and then made it to Salt Lake. It was good to see the mountains again. I'm definitely a Western U.S. sort of dude. We stopped in Boise at my buddy's parents house and we slept out in a tent in their backyard. They aren't dog people and Edward would probably die if we slept inside, so we brought a tent and slept with him. Dang dogs!

We drove the rest of the way to Anacortes, WA and loved it. People make fun of the eastern 2/3rds of Washington, but it's really pretty. Lots of vineyards and apple trees. Seattle traffic is nasty, but you get married so you can drive in the HOV lane on I-5 during rush hour, right?

Anacortes is a beautiful little town. We saw some really pretty places and I can't wait to go back!

Pictures anyone?

Deception Pass is so wonderful!

We also went to Seattle and visited Pike Street Market. Yes, it's touristy, but everyone should go. We saw a huge dog there:

Did I say big dog or freaking huge dog? I forgot.

We also visited the Oregon Coast which is beautiful, but cold and windy. Megan and I drove back from Lincoln City up to Tillamook (the cheese town) and then through Beaverton and Portland. So beautiful. I love Oregon. Then we drove back to Utah.

I forgot to mention that we had two oil changes in 12 days. We drove from Davenport, IA to Pittsburg, KS (where we got our oil changed) and back and then from Davenport to Anacortes, WA (another oil change). The dealership sent us a card saying "Isn't it time for your 60,000 mile service?" Hahaha. Nope! We had 70,000 miles on our car! I'm glad we'll end up in Portland. No more driving 3 hours every weekend to prevent insanity. I'm so happy to be back in Utah and back in the West.

Well, there's our update. Hope everyone is happy!

Chi-Town!

2009-08-02T09:53:00.000-07:00

Alright, so I promised that we'd talk about our Chicago trip and you also see that neither of us have gotten around to it...until now! :) Well, here it goes!

A little background for you, my dad grew up in Chicago Heights, IL. For those of you who don't know, it's a South Side suburb. Since I am living 3 hours away from Chicago, I thought it would be cool to go with him and see all the places important to his formative years (schools, churches, White Castles, etc). :)

So my dad flew in from Kansas City and went with Megan to the John Deere Harvester Works in East Moline. If you ever find yourself out here, take a tour of the Harvester Works! It's so cool to see how huge $300,000+ combines are made! So they loved seeing that.

Then I got off work and Megan and I drove my dad all around Davenport for a quick tour. Upon arriving home, we watched a little TV. My favorite part was my dad making some joke about the President and then turning on the TV and guess who was speaking? Haha.

So Saturday morning, we drop the dog off at the kennel and start driving to Chicago. My favorite part of that morning was stopping in Princeton, IL and getting breakfast at McDonalds (yes, the McDonalds that is separated from the Wal-Mart by a cornfield, that McDonalds). Megan was frustrated because they didn't have a menu before you actually got to the speaker and took a little longer to order than ordinary small-town folk. Then the Cokes we ordered had some Coke on the outside of the cup. Megan mentioned this to the lady working the drive-thru window and the lady responded, "Yeah, the cups are sweating a little, you know." Since when does sweat turn brown?

Anyway, we got to Chicago and headed straight for Chicago Heights. Dad took us to his high school, Bloom High, which is even older than my 102 year old Jordan High. We went into the gym and found out that Bryant Young of the 49ers came from his high school! Here's a picture.

We also went to the church and were able to get in because of people doing family history research. Dad told us about his first project after getting baptized when he 12. He went around and raised money for the flag pole in front of the church. That flag pole is still there. Also still there? Some furry, padded chairs and golden plate room dividers, here are more pictures.

We at lunch at White Castle with its famous sliders. They were pretty good. They were 48.8 cents each if you bought 10. I'd pay 48.8 cents for each one, but I think 61 cents (the normal price) is a bit high. I enjoyed them and their fries were good. I think my favorite part was the older lady behind the counter with the thick Chicago accent. I heard my dad's accent come back while at White Castle (never heard it before!)

We saw the houses that Dad lived in and he lost all street cred from living on the South Side. He lived in a nice house in a nice neighborhood, but I'd rather he be from a nice neighborhood than what we experienced driving from Chicago Heights toward Midway Airport. If you ever find yourself in Chicago, I'd recommend never going to or through Phoenix, IL (just a little north). What I learned is that you can tell who owns the houses in a certain neighborhood by the grass. Yellow, dead grass? Government housing! Yellow/Green grass with a few weeds? Rental Properties. Green grass that's been mowed within the past 10 days? Owner occupied.

We drove past a Costco and had to stop! Dang Quad Cities doesn't have a 7-11 or a Costco, so we enjoyed going to Chicago. We were lucky enough to find this Costco because it sells the Ice Cream bars dipped in chocolate and almonds. Megan loves them. The Costcos in Mililani, HI and Chicago, IL sell these wonderful bars. Here's a good representation of how happy Megan was:

We checked into the hotel and took the shuttle to the MTS (train/subway) station. We rode it downtown and walked to the townhouse of my dad's classmate. Her daughter was selling snowcones for a fundraiser. Megan and I really enjoy urban living, but it was totally foreign to my dad. He lives in a town of 16,000 and is surrounded by fields.

Another of dad's classmate talked about Chicago's desire to host the 2016 Olympics. Being from a city, I don't want a corrupt city like Chicago getting such a special privilege. However, my city originated the whole corruption for Olympics scheme, so I couldn't say anything. :)

For the rest of this trip, my planning was inspired by the music video and lyrics of Kanye West's "Homecoming." Watch it if you've never heard it before. I love it. So we went downtown and saw the big bean in Millennium Park along with a billion other people! We went the road the train to Chinatown and walked around. It's not very big, but it smells/looks like Taiwan. I enjoyed the clumps of what used to be cardboard boxes that had gotten rained on and decomposed.

While this Chinatown feels authentic, it seems like everyone there speak English and has lived in the US for at least 2 generations. No one cared that I spoke Chinese (I probably speak it better than some of the kids there!), but it's the best Chinatown in the US that I've been to.

Next, we rode the train back downtown and started walking to Navy Pier. We walked a while and I wondered why we hadn't hit the lake yet. As I crossed the bridge over the Chicago River, I figured out that we were heading south and not east!!! Dang I felt dumb. Fortunately, as we turned around I saw a bus with the words "To Navy Pier" on it. Haha, not so bad. We hopped on and gave our feet a rest.

Once we got to Navy Pier, I was so proud that I hadn't ruined the surprise for Megan--fireworks. Navy Pier has fireworks every Wednesday and Saturday during the summer. I was hoping that we'd be standing around and they'd start and Megan would be totally surprised, but this dude selling tickets for a yacht yelled, "Fireworks Cruise! Last cruise of the night!" Oh well, Megan was still happy and we enjoyed the fireworks. One word to future visitors of Navy Pier: go to the end of the pier to get a better view. We enjoyed them, but getting closer is better!

A couple pictures:

All in all, I really enjoyed Chicago. This was one of my favorite vacations and could see us living in Chicago someday (not right out of school, but if the opportunity presented itself). Too bad Illinois is corrupt and has high taxes (12.5% sales tax on prepared food!) and all that, but I think its a great town with a lot of soul.

Well, that's it. A long post. I have some great news for a future post plus details of yet another trip we just took, but all that will have to wait.

Thanks for reading!

Two Trips

2009-07-13T15:24:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!

I want to write more, but sometimes it doesn't happen. I don't know why, I have plenty to write about. That means this post is going to be split into two.

Happy 4th of July a little late. You know what they say in Iowa: Knee High by the Fourth of Julio. :) OK, that's what quarter Mexicans in Iowa say. Enjoy this picture of Iowa's wealth from the field of dreams right outside the factory I work at. If you are from the Midwest, I hope you are laughing at that last sentence.

Looks like the corn is doing well, huh?

Alright, now on to something interesting. For the 4th of July, Megan and I went to Toronto, Canada! I know some of you might be thinking, "Canada for the 4th of July?" Well, yes, it was awesome! It was weird going to a foreign country where the national language is English. We arrived late on Thursday night and went straight to the hotel. We got a deal on a nice room at the Holiday Inn next to the airport on Hotwire.com. It's normally $100 a night, but we only paid $54! Not too bad, huh?

Toronto is a very diverse place. We saw Africans, Chinese, Indians (from India), and Pakastanis. I think I saw a few Canadians. :) It seems like Canada has become what America used to be when it comes to immigration. We saw the CN Tower, the Harbour, and Chinatown. This is the best Chinatown I've ever been to! We ate some good food there. I loved it.

My favorite experience was when we were eating lunch at a restaurant and some Chinese people next to us were speaking Taiwanese. I've never heard it spoken outside of Asia! It was really cool.

On the 4th, we went to Niagara Falls. I thought they were cool, but nothing life altering. I think the waterfall on Maui was cooler. However, watching fireworks at the Falls were really amazing. It's weird to think it was our first 4th of July as a married couple. What a way to start, huh?

Before we went to Niagara Falls, we stopped at a little town called Niagara-On-The-Lake, Ontario. It's mostly overpriced, but it's a nice, romantic place to walk around for couples. The ice cream at Cows (reportedly the best ice cream in Canada) isn't anything special, so don't get fooled. I think Ben and Jerry's is better.

The view at the lake is wonderful. You can even see the Toronto skyline on the other end of the lake.

On Sunday, we attended church twice. The family ward we attended in Mississauga, Ontario had 5 missionary companionships there: 2 Spanish, 1 English, and 2 Chinese! It was so diverse and the testimonies were great! We attended a singles' branch and it was more of the same: diversity and testimony. I really liked it.

That afternoon we drove to Buffalo, NY for our flight home. We had to eat the mango we bought in Mississauga's Chinatown before we got to the US and barely finished before arriving at the border crossing. When the Border Patrol guy asked us if we had any food items, we told him, "We have a bunch of garbage from the stuff we just finished!" Haha.

Overall, we loved Canada. Yes, its taxes are high and a bit different than our taxes here in the U.S. but at least their roads are nice and crime is lower than here. I never felt nervous in Toronto. They did have a garbage strike crippling the city which was pretty gross, but I've experienced worse living in Taiwan. I'd definitely recommend going. Yes, I know Americans make fun of Canada a lot, but it's really pretty nice and you might end up liking it too!

Well, there's a long awaited post. I'll let Megan post the next one about our trip to Chicago and on anything else she wants to comment. Thanks for reading.

Jordan

More Midwestern Fun

2009-06-04T18:21:00.000-07:00

Sorry for not writing more often. Iowa is much more fun than I expected. We are lucky because Davenport is pretty close to a lot of fun places, so Megan and I often take weekend trips.

A couple weekends ago our mothers flew into Midway Airport in Chicago. Megan and I spent the day riding trains and buses all over Chicago and loved it. The highlight of our trip was visiting Lincoln Park Zoo in downtown Chicago. For those of you who don't know, Lincoln Park Zoo is completely free! Now, many of you may be saying, "I bet it's a ghetto place." Well, it's not. Much nicer than SLC's crappy Hogle Zoo for sure. We enjoyed our time there.

After the zoo we went to the top of the Hancock Building. We were on the 96th floor at a lounge with overpriced drinks. Everyone who goes up there is supposed to buy a $6 Coke, but we just took pictures and went back downstairs. The view of the lake and the rest of downtown was awesome. Here's a picture for you!

Overall, I think Chicago people are much friendlier than people give them credit. Many people just started chatting with us on the train or bus and a lady even helped us find the train station. We ate dinner at an Indian restaurant in a neighborhood a little north of downtown. I loved the neighborhood with people of many races walking their dogs or just strolling. The food itself was really spicy but I liked it.

After dinner we rode the train downtown and switched trains to get to Midway Airport to pick up our moms. Due to the fact that Chicago does have a lot of crime and drug use, there are very few public bathrooms. That meant I had to hold it from Bryn Mawr to Midway Airport (about an hour!) Once we got to the Midway station, I saw our moms and said hello as I hurried into the airport to use the bathroom. My advice? Make sure and go the bathroom whenever you have the chance!

After Chicago we went to Nauvoo with our moms. I had been before, but it was nice to visit. If you haven't been, the Temple just appears while driving through "downtown" Nauvoo. We got some good pictures there too.

The temple is to our backs when we took this one.

This past week we went to some sights closer to home. We traveled a few miles north to the town of Maquoketa (that's pronounced "Ma-Coke-A-Da"). Just outside the town is a state park known for its underground limestone caves. I would have never guess that such a place exists in Iowa.

We took our dog to the caves and loved going underground where it was cool and the water was clear. While we could have explored dozens of caves, we stuck to the ones with overhead lighting and didn't require getting on all fours (or stomachs) to explore. Walking on top of the hills felt a lot like hiking in the mountains and I loved it.

Another picture, I think dogs just love getting dirty.

And finally, after the caves we drove across the Mississippi into Illinois. We drove to a small town called Galena. Ulysses S. Grant grew up in Galena and now it's a tourist town designed to feel like President Grant's time. While it's pretty and very relaxing, I don't care about the shopping for girly decorations like my mom would. I'm so thankful that Megan doesn't care either! Instead we walked to a city park that overlooked a stream that runs through town. During that walk, we unleashed Edward who enjoyed chasing birds and being free. One injured bird couldn't get away fast enough and Edward made sure it wouldn't escape. Megan picked up the bird and I held Edward back much to his dismay as he watched his catch get away! So funny.

One final picture:

Galena is only a few miles away from the Wisconsin border and I had never been before. Another one to check off my list! 34 states down, 16 to go!

The weather has been wonderful! Not warm or humid at all. I forget it's June because it's cold in the morning. I doubt it will last forever, but I like it now!

Well, there's some of our adventures, hope you enjoy them!

Jordan

Iowa and Favorite Movies

2009-05-13T21:54:00.000-07:00

Hey! We are officially in Iowa. I started at John Deere on Monday and am getting used to my new life in Davenport. Today I traveled to Dubuque, Iowa for work. It is a small river town about an hour north of here. It is a pretty little town set amongst hills along the Mississippi River. The rainy weather today reminded me of a trip to a Kelso, Washington which sits next to the Columbia River and frequently has rainy weather.

I enjoy going through these small towns because I find each of them interesting. Why does it exist? Why do people stay here? Why is there such a large, new parking structure in an old factory town on the Mississippi that isn't growing while Provo is in dire need of new parking and can never seem to repair its decaying curbs and roads?

Well, one thing I do miss are mountains! I know that Dubuque's hills sure help, but I need some mountains in my life! My supervisor at work is a self-proclaimed small town girl, and I am a definitely a West Coast boy. Oh and $1.49/gallon milk! I don't know why milk costs $2.30/gallon here, but it's cool.

Another new area in my life is the fact that we have restarted our Netflix subscription again after a break these past few months. Megan is awesome because she lets me pick a lot of what we watch. If you know me well, you know I haven't seen many movies. I find most movies really boring and predictable and a waste of time and money. However, Netflix lets us find movies we normally wouldn't be able to find.

Last night, Megan and I watched "Not One Less." It is in Chinese with English subtitles (which is good because their funky accent, lazy pronounciation, and sloppy tones make it hard to understand at times). I don't want to give it away, but it is one of the best movies I've seen in a long time! Then let me know when you've seen it so I can talk to more people about it. I really enjoyed the scenes where two Chinese people would argue and I would think to myself, "That's exactly how it works! It just goes in circles and the same things are said over and over!" I was also very honored to know that such arguments exist between two Chinese people and not only between a white person and a Chinese person! I wasn't being treated differently for being a missionary.

I love foreign films because the kids are cuter and the predictability is much less than an American film.

I've rambled enough, I'll let you go.

Jordan

Hawaii

2009-05-03T18:34:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,

In case you didn't know, Hawaii rocks. Maui rocks more, and it rocks the most if you are married when you visit Maui. We had an awesome time and went to the top of a volcano, went snorkeling, hiked around and in waterfalls, cliff jumped, relaxed, ate good Hawaiian food, attended Stake Conference on Maui, and met some funny people.

In all, I loved it. I forgot what day of the week it was, didn't care about my grades being posted, and forgot 98% of everything I learned this past school year. :) If you are looking to go somewhere on vacation with your husband/wife, let me know, I found some cool spots.

Here are some pictures.

I jumped off this cliff, it's much taller than this looks.

I'll post more later!

Jordan

Hello Spring?

2009-04-16T10:02:00.000-07:00

Well, I thought we welcomed spring last month. It was here, I just know it...it must have gotten scared. It's April 16, 2009 and it snowed yesterday and all night long. Just look at the pictures...

Hawaii is about a week away and I'm really excited! But, to tell you the truth, I'm more excited to go to Iowa. I know, I know, Iowa seems boring...especially when you compare it to the likes of a Hawaiian vacation...but it's normal life that excites me. I'll be with my husband (the best one in the whole world...yes, I'm biased) and we'll have our dog Edward.

We'll have a normal life of work, play, and no homework! I like simplicity and Jordan's grateful for that.

Life is pretty good when you live well within your means and allow yourself to enjoy what's right now, what's simple, and what's real. For a long time I was convinced that it was normal to allow the views of others to determine your actions but as I grew up I realized that that kind of thinking is exactly what gets America into a whole bunch of trouble. Why can't Americans be happy with what they have? Is there a rule that says you have to keep the "Jones" family as your best friend and best competition? Who ever said you have to keep up with them anyway? Screw the Jones' stuff...I don't need what they have and I won't let myself believe any differently. (Unless they have two+ dogs...then I'll have to convince Jordan that we do need what they have =].)

I suppose I'm done with my rant...and now, on to the glory...of NO CLASSES UNTIL FALL SEMESTER!! Well, I suppose that's not entirely accurate. I'll be taking an independent study course or two but it's nowhere near as intensive as getting up to go to class every day. I'm so glad I don't have homework and there are only four tests to study for. I'M ALMOST DONE! How glorious is that? And a vacation coming up too...what more could I want at this moment? ...maybe a chocolate orange...

Big News

2009-04-09T10:39:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,

Good news! School is almost over. I have some good news! Nope, we aren't pregnant. I met with my tax professor today and he told me I've been chosen to be a part of the Deloitte Tax Team for BYU during the summer and next fall! If we do well, we'll get to go to Florida for a couple days and compete for a $2,000 scholarship. Not too bad. I was honored to be picked from among 260 students.

2 weeks from tomorrow we are going to Hawaii. You know we'll be posting pictures.

That's all for now.

Jordan

The Greatest Compliment Ever

2009-04-05T08:39:00.000-07:00

So, my wife is taking a class that I took a year ago: BusM 371R. It's supposed to be about entrepreneurship but it is more about how being financial responsible allows you to be free. I loved the class and the teacher so I had Megan sign up for it. She loves it too. Craig Wilson is the best teacher ever. Not only does he teach good material, but he actually lives it!

After class on Friday I went up to him and talked to him about my frustration in trying to get my friends and family to follow the easy lifestyle he promotes (and we live). We describe how people give so many excuses to not listen to us and then wonder why they are broke and unhappy. He compared it to a mission when you hope that at least a few "convert" after talking to a large group of people. Well, he has us as converts.

I love living the simple life. Being happy with what I have allows me to not worry about expensive new toys and instead use the money to travel! Megan and I are going to Hawaii in less than 3 weeks! I am so excited and even happier that we are paying cash for the whole trip. We eat out perhaps once every 3 months (and then do it cheaply: Can anyone say Costco Polish Dogs?) We don't go to movies, we don't watch TV, and now we get to go to Hawaii because of all the money we saved.

The best part of our conversation with Craig was when he said, "You are packing light, my friend." He teaches that the way to hike or climb mountains isn't to have 100 lbs in the pack but only the essentials. Such a method allows the hiker to enjoy the trip instead on concentrating on all the stuff on his or her back. Not too bad, huh? I was so honored that he said it to us. Craig is such a great hero to have and an amazing teacher if you have an open heart to learn and change. So if you are at BYU, take BusM 371R with Craig Wilson, it will change you life!

Jordan

Back Again

2009-03-25T19:14:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know I just posted something but I just remembered what I wanted to talk about. My wife knows I love everything financial and it's true. One of my latest discoveries is MicroPlace.

I actually had known about MicroPlace.org for several months, but only recently have I contributed/invested money. Basically you loan money to organizations who loan money to smaller organizations who loan money to poor people around the world starting/expanding businesses. The best part is that I earn interest (much higher than most banks) and get all my money back after 3 or 6 or 9 or 12 months or whatever I pick. Not too bad. For instance I loaned money to India, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Central America. Don't mind if I do.

I guess my feeling can be summed up by one of my favorite quotes of all time: "I am my own favorite charity" --The Millionaire Next Door. Don't think that I'm a prideful money lover, first you have to have read the book to understand the context. I just think that I know how to use/grow my money better than others, so I will and then bless people with that growth too.

Anyway, I hope that doesn't bore you to death, but I love helping others in this way. Let me know what you think.

Jordan

A Family Affair

2009-03-25T19:08:00.001-07:00

Well, I stumbled upon my wife's blog and really liked her first post so I wanted to join in on the fun. I guess this means that this is the official Mendez family blog. I am currently a junior studying accounting at BYU and am so happy to be done with this year in less than a month! I enjoy completing my homework before midnight and sleeping and investing.

I don't know if any of you have heard, but we're going to Hawaii on April 24th. Megan used to live on Maui and O'ahu (acutally 'O'ahu, but it's cool) so we are going to visit both those islands. I'll post pictures for sure. After we return we are moving to Davenport, Iowa for the summer to start an accounting internship at John Deere.

Well, that's all I have for now, hope you guys enjoy this blog.

Jordan

laziness and pride...the plagues of America

2009-01-20T14:56:00.000-08:00

first blog. first attempt. first embarrassment? hope not.

in response to a Christian's quote, "The love of money is the root of evil." my husband says, "Well, I'm pretty sure the love of debt isn't the root of all righteousness." clever...
in times like these, having money is a pretty good thing. in fact, having money isn't a bad thing and it shouldn't be looked down upon at all. just because most of the nation looks at rich people with envy and many a well-off person wastes or flaunts the greenbacks they have doesn't give them the right to berate those who do their best to save. and right now, i'm pretty sure they were wishing they did the same thing well before now.

saving money is a useful hobby and one that the newest entity in the family mendez practices regularly. want a good deal on travel and don't mind staying away from the money-sucking hotels? see my husband. maybe a nice bra that doesn't look like something your grandma would find in the back racks of JCPenney? see me. from travel to necessities to good ole charity, there's always a way to give, a way to save, and always a time to start. so quit the belly-aching and get saving America.