Pat's Engaged!

I always knew the day would come that my younger brother would get married before me.  The day has come.  He is marrying Alisa Bishop.  She is perfect for him.  I knew she was going to fit in with us when we were playing spoons as a family and she lost so she had to act like an animal.  Rather than picking the donkey she acted like a Raptor.  That is when we knew she was going to fit in perfect.

Congrats to the two of you, we love you both!!!

Need your help!!!

Rachael and I are going to Africa this summer and helping a local school and need your help.   The Bwejuu Charitable School provides literacy, computer skills and nutrition to Bwejuu's orphaned and underprivileged children, as well as education and training programs to the village's adult population.  We will help  to build a multi-purpose building that will house an initiative to train local Zanzibarians in tailoring, giving them a valuable income-generating skill.
Please help us by raising money for this project.  Anything will help!!!

Click here to help!!!

Thank you in advance for your help.

The Joys of Being Single

Being single in Salt Lake is not a fun thing.  Here are some observations/thoughts I have made the last couple of months:

• Just because we are single does not mean we are depressed.
• Just because we are single does not mean we don't have to worry about finances, insurance, and homes.  We are just doing it on our own instead.
• 29 year olds do not need to still be playing kid games as activities.
• Dance parties in people's basements is just weird.  
• Parties are always super off balance with two many of one of the sexes (Usually too many girls)
• Except I did just go to a party with only 5 girls and all boys and I thought it would be awesome but it sort of gave me hives.
• I have party anxiety - I all of a sudden cannot remember my name.
• Fast and testimony meetings are social suicide, some people need friends to have intervention and tell them they should not do it. 
• Texting or facebook are not good ways to ask a girl out.
• I am not interested in a 21 year old boys who are still in undergrad.
• The older I get I have realized I may end up with a balding man who has kids.  Not the Bradley Cooper I had dreamed of.
• Bedazzled jeans and Ed Hardy shirts are not cute.  
• I dont need to stay out until two in the morning or go out everynight to be cool.  
• I have decided dating is all about networking, cause I am not going to meet any boys at church or parties.
• I may just be doomed. 

Coke Zero + Computer = Nightmare

This past Thursday was the end of the life for my 4 month old Macbook.  I put a coke zero in my school bag walked into my classroom realized it had exploded.  I dried off my computer little did I realize that it would never turn on again.   I had spent the whole week preparing my first Social Studies lesson I was going to teach and had to redo it.  I already was nervous about the lesson and this just added to my anxiety.

Mom and Bob came to my rescue and took my computer to Andre the dream man who got my documents off of it for the papers I have due on Monday.  They really are super awesome and knew I was going to have a breakdown.  Thank you Mom and Bob - your the best!!!!!

Andre was able to get all of my documents off of it which is a good thing.  But I cant wait to buy a new computer before a new model has even come out.  Not awesome!

Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro this Summer!!!!

It is official I am going to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro this summer with Rachael.  The ticket has been booked for this July.  Our trip will consist of climbing to the highest summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, volunteering at a local school, and a safari in Tanzania.  Just typing it all out makes me so excited.  

For 7 days, we will climb Kilimanjaro’s rugged and scenic Machame Route, through rain forest, moorland, high-desert moonscapes and lush valleys with giant fauna. This expedition's special treat is that it take through the truly awesome Western Breach, to the crater of the extinct volcano that formed Mt. Kilimanjaro. 

After a rest day, we take a short flight to Zanzibar—a tropical-weather island whose history, spice markets and exotic name have inspired a thousand eponymous bars and restaurants across the Western world.  Following our summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, we’ll spend 4 days on Zanzibar, building a self-sustaining, revenue-generating poultry farm in cooperation with our local non-profit partner. After a couple days working with local village residents, our team will have built a food- and cash-creating enterprise that lives on long after we depart.

We have wanted to do this for years but I have always had the excuse that I did not have enough vacation days but since I am in grad school right now and have the summer off it was the perfect time.  I will be 30 (ugh) so this is a perfect way to celebrate.  The 7 shots will be so worth it.

I know this is pretty much AWESOME!!!!!