Don't Pretend You Haven't Been Dying to Know What I Did This Summer

*Warning---there may or may not be lots of pictures in this post. But I may or may not have had an epic summer that I want recorded and shared.*

I went to some great movies, concerts and plays.

Like Aida at the Scera

Benton Paul at Sammy's. Is it just me, or does my foot look creepily tiny in this picture?

Outdoor concert featuring the entire Abbey Road playlist.

Monte Carlo with cousins. (And no, there is no sarcasm involved when I say it's a great movie.) (Okay, maybe a little bit of sarcasm.)

Played in the mud...

...at the Dirty Dash

...and on an epic slip and slide.



I scootered.

And defended my Leg-wrestling Champion of the World title.


And reconnected with old friends. Not old in age---but old as in I've known them since I was seven. SEVEN! And the four of us haven't been together like that since high school. And we talked for three hours and still didn't talk about all we could have and I loved every second of it and I love that those three girls are such a huge part of my life!

I went hang-gliding.




And remember how I told you about climbing that awful mountain? Here's the proof.

I made it to the top of this thing!

Here's the glacier of death. I swear it's ten times more steep than it looks.

And here I am with the brothers I still like even after they guilted me into hiking with them.

I Already Cried and It's Only Week Three

It's ridiculous how well reality TV manipulates my emotions. Stupid sentimental music and slow-motion montages. One of my favorite people on Biggest Loser won the weight loss challenge this week and it made me cry. Plus it kept his team safe and so they all cried and so I kept crying. Ridiculous.

Also, maybe watching JR Martinez' story on Dancing with the Not-So Famous People made me cry.

Also, maybe I cry watching Anne of Avonlea. And Gilbert won!!!

Hugh has never made a movie that made me cry, but I still love him. And nearly three years ago I wrote about how much he needed to be Val Jean in a musical movie of Les Mis. Clearly Hollywood reads my blog since it's happening now! I hope they give me tickets to the premier cuz I totally deserve them.

Finally, I really wanna tell you guys about all the awesome stuff I did this summer, but I'm waiting to get all my pictures first. Soon. I hope.

I almost forgot---you really need to watch The Sing-Off of NBC!!! More than any other show---except maybe Psych. But for real, it's amazing! SUCH talented people, AMAZING judges AND Vocal Point is on there and I've been in love with them since 2006. And one of the singers of Delilah is in one of my most favorite bands ever in Provo. So watch it. And fall in love with them.

Most Hated Plot Line and THE FINALS!!

First, the bad news. I don't think I can watch The Ringer. I kinda wanted to cuz I rather like Sarah Michelle Gellar, but it's not working out for me. And it's not just cuz I don't like seeing her play a helpless, weak, non-vampire-slayer. It's weird seeing her get beat up knowing that if she really wanted, she could totally hurt someone, right? But what really bugs me is the pregnancy plot. I hate when people pretend they're pregnant. How does that even work?! You can't use that story forever. Who are these people that don't have enough common sense to realize they should drop the act and tell the truth? ASAP. It was one of the many reasons I could not deal with Glee. That much stupidity is just offensive. Ugh.

Now, the good news: no one voted for Harry in that last round. Bless you all. It came down, as I predicted at the beginning, to Hugh Jackman vs. Gilbert Blythe. Don't know how I'll make up my mind on this one... Also, I have to apologize for my huge error in leaving out Jim Caveziel! What was I thinking? He could have been added as himself, as the Count of Monte Cristo, or as his new character in Person of Interest. Either way, he is an honorary winner in my heart. Him and Joel McHale.

I Almost Died Before Round 4

Seriously. Almost died. On Mt. Timpanogas. Remember one time when I said I hate hiking? And that I never, ever wanted to hike Timp? Well, somehow I ended up doing it. I blame my annoyingly persistent brothers who changed the date they were going just so I could go. How do you say no to that? I'm not gonna lie---part of it was enjoyable. But not enjoyable enough to outweigh the scary parts. Or the part where I almost died sliding down a glacier. Okay, maybe I didn't almost die, but other people did. I'm talking broken tailbones, bloody legs...all that. I was overly cautious and thus, came out physically unharmed but mentally destroyed. I'd give you pictures of the Snow Slide of Satan, but I don't have them yet. Maybe next time. I think I'm scowling in most pictures. Or giving a not-very-sincere smile. And the hike is LONG! Longer than a marathon. Whatever. I did it and can confidently say I'll never do it again.

And now time for round four. Since this is gonna end up with three winners---I'll take the two with the most votes for the final round. And if one of them is Harry Potter I quit.
Guy Patterson vs. Gene Kelly
Harry Potter vs. Hugh Jackman
Jack Callahan vs. Gilbert Blythe

Round 3 and Some Letters, Cuz I Multitask Like That

Dear Blender-
You're the worst! By your very name one could assume you blend things together, but the smoothie I just ate (you can't drink chunks of fruit) would suggest otherwise. The only reason you haven't been thrown away is cuz I'm cheap and I refuse to spend $100 on something as simple as a blender. That's just ridiculous.

Dear 24 Hour Fitness
Um, if my membership were going to expire, do you think maybe you could give me a week or two notice? Instead of telling me as I go in one day that it's over and I can't work out? Yeah, awesome customer service on that one. But hey, you're still better than Gold's Gym on that front so...that's something.

And now---round three.
Kevin Arnold vs. Guy Patterson
Steve Young vs. Hugh Jackman
Harry Potter vs. Brian Mills (Taken)
Michael Buble vs. Gene Kelly
Ferris Bueller vs. Jack Callahan (While You Were Sleeping)
Emmett Cullen vs. Gilbert Blythe
I personally think this is the easiest round. I really hope you guys don't disappoint me and pick Harry over Brian cuz that's just wrong.

Round Two!

Alright. I've calculated the results both from comments and from randomly asking some friends. I eliminated a few categories that didn't get a whole lot of interest (shame on you people!) and we're down to 11 brackets. Here are your new ones.

Neil Haskell (SYTYCD) vs. Michael Buble. I put these two together because they both got all the votes in their previous categories. This is definitely a tough one. Neil is really really good looking, but so is Michael. Plus he can sing. And I do love singers. A lot. I think I vote Michael.

Kevin Arnold (Wonder Years) vs. Riley Poole (National Treasure). They both pretty geeky, so it's a good match. I think I pick Kevin on this. Riley's always gonna be off treasure hunting and getting trapper in scary situations. Kevin's life is much more calm and safe. I prefer that.

Amos Lee vs. Guy Patterson (That Thing You Do). Cuz they're both musical? I know-it's a stretch. Guy is one of my favorite leading characters and drummers are very hot. But Amos is real. And makes amazing songs....I'm going with Amos.

Apollo Anton Ohno vs. Steve Young. Based on the fact that I would watch football WAY more often than speed skating, I'm going with Steve. If Apollo would shave his facial hair, he may have beat him out, though.

Harry Potter vs. Ted Mosby. They're not even remotely similar, but I hate Harry (you guys were supposed to pick Percy) so I don't care. Ted is romantic, has a good job, he's funny...and Harry's lame. I pick Ted.

Stewart Petersen (Where the Red Fern Grows) vs. Hugh Jackman. This is really hard. Because I have always loved Hugh and word on the street is that he really may be starring in Les Mis like I've always hoped!! But Stewart is my cousin. And he's in some of my favorite movies ever. I'm picking Stewart.

Gene Kelly vs. Carey Grant. Carey is pretty great, but he can't sing like Gene, and he can't dance and roller skate at the same time. Gene for the win.

John Wayne vs. Brian Mills (Taken). I have to go with John Wayne on this. It's close, but I like cowboys.

Emmett (Twilight) vs. Ted Logan (Bill and Ted's). Carlile and Emmett actually tied---so I made an executive decision and picked Emmett. Ted is funny, but Emmett is funny and strong and attractive. Emmett wins.

Gilbert Blythe vs. Mr. Knightly. We could probly just call this the finals---they'll both beat just about anyone else, but putting them against each other will keep it more interesting. Definitely a tough one, but I think Gilbert barely edges out Mr. Knightly on this one for me.

Jack Callahn (While You Were Sleeping)vs. Dmitri (Anastasia). I love Dmitri, but Jack is my favorite. He's unintentionally charming, he's funny and he makes cool furniture.

Shawn Spencer (Psych) vs. Ferris Bueller. Ferris is great and all, but Shawn is more attractive, slightly more mature, funnier, and I just like him better.

Some Really Important Stuff

First of all, I've listened to this song 7 times already this morning. And it's only 8:30.

Now then, on to the REALLY important stuff. With the help of my cousin, I've created a bracket. Not unlike the kind you see for March Madness. But this one's different. Cuz it is for guys. No, I'm not shallow. This is really important. I need to know who's gonna win Best Guy In the World when put against so many good options. So, I'm gonna list the categories and competitors today. You have have time to give input, make cases for other guys etc. but the real battle begins....next time I feel like posting. So seriously, give me lots of input. Or this post will just stay up forever and you'll get sick of it. Mmkay?

Friday Night Lights: Matt Saracen vs. Luke Cafferty
How I Met Your Mother: Ted Mosby vs. Marshall Erickson
Childhood Favorites: Zack Morris (Saved by the Bell) vs. Kevin Arnold (Wonder Years)
90s Favorites: Joe Hackett (Wings) vs. Dr. John Carter (ER)
Totally Unrealistic Jobs: Shawn Spencer (Psych) vs. Chuck Bartowski (Chuck)
Dads: Jonathan Kent (Smallville-Jonathan Schneider) vs. Brian Mills (Taken-Liam Neeson)
Singer/Songwriters: Amos Lee vs. Ryan Innes
The Triple Threat: Gene Kelly vs. Frank Sinatra
Themselves: Hugh Jackman vs. James Marsden
Past History: Mr. Knightly vs. Mr. Bingley
Athletes: Grant Hill (NBA) vs. Josh Wolfe (MLS)
Olympic Athletes: Michael Phelps vs. Apollo Anton Ohno
BYU Athletes: Jimmer vs. Steve Young
Mormon Stars: Aaron Eckhert vs. Stewart Petersen
John Hughes heroes: Ferris Beuller vs. Jake Ryan
The Sidekick: Napster (Italian Job) vs. Riley Poole (National Treasure)
So You Think You Can Dance: Gev vs. Neil
Musicals: Jack Kelly (Newsies) vs. Guy Patterson (That Thing You Do)
Classic Men: Gregory Peck vs. Carey Grant
Western Stars: John Wayne vs. Clint Eastwood
Vampires: Angel vs. Spike
Twilight: Carlile vs. Emmett
Boy Next Door: Gilbert Blythe vs. Wesley
The Other Brother: Nathan Steed (Work and the Glory) vs. Jack Callahan (While You Were Sleeping)
Canadians: Michael Buble vs. Joshua Jackson
The Idiot: Ted Theodore Logan (Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure) vs. Lloyd Christmas (Dumb and Dumber)
Cartoons: Dmitri vs. Prince Phillip
The Supernatural: Harry Potter vs. Percy Jackson