Good Times Never Seemed So Good

Crosland's new Blogspot

2010-03-04T09:44:00.001-08:00

http://croslandconnection.blogspot.com/

I probably won't use this one anymore...

Could not saddle Kona

2009-10-18T10:21:00.000-07:00

The morning of October 10th was a normal Saturday for most people I know. College Football, yard chores, afternoon activities with the kids, maybe a trip to the lake or a hiking trip to a nearby trail.

Not this Saturday. This particular Saturday I was waking up to hear the surf break on a beach of black lava rock on the Big Island of Hawaii to participate in the Ironman World Championship in Kona, HI. On the western side of the Big Island, Kona is a charming sea-side tourist trap that has hosted the Ironman for 31 years. For the most part Kona has a relative barren landscape amidst volcanic rock. The different beaches are tidepools with water that has fairly good visibility. At 5:00 in the morning, everything seemed as if the day was going to shape up to be incredible.

I had been in Kona for the better part of 3 days and had a chance to get use to the weather, winds, conditions, and elements that would effect my race. As a triathlete, everybody is familiar with what has been said about Kona why its so difficult. So I did my part to train as hard as I could to be prepared for those elements and how they would affect my race. Training throughout the summer in Phoenix, I was hoping that it would give me an edge to reaching my goal.

After a few days of running the course, biking part of the route and getting familiar with the open water ocean swim...I felt a little more comfortable. On a side note...it didn't help to see hundreds of athletes of all ages, all over Kona. These people are quite possibly the best conditioned people in the entire world. Lean and trim, it was little intimidating even though I had dropped my weight from 198 lbs to 179 lbs. To put into perspective, I would have needed to drop to 165 lbs to be as lean as these athletes.

Back to Saturday morning, I had checked my bike and set up my transition bags the day before, the only thing I really needed to do is get body marked, pump up my tires, and make any last minute adjustments to my fuel for the bike portion.

One of my favorite parts of morning preparation is the body marking. At Kona, instead of using a marker, they use block stamps which are far more readable. I was a little disappointed, this year they did not require to have race numbers & age printed on legs...it's always cool to see the different ages of the athletes...especially when someone is 60+ years old!

After body marking I went to inspect my bike and make sure that my tires were pumped up to 130 psi and my fuel was ready. All morning I was hydrating (the conditions in Kona were hot and humid) 24 oz 3 hours before the race, 12 more ounces an hour before and another 8-12 oz just before I get in the water. Some of that was just water, the other was carbohydrate fluids.

After all my pre-race preparations were complete (pre-race preparations? Can I say that?) I spend the next 45-60 minutes stretching and going through the race. I knew mentally the swim was going to be the easiest, the bike was going to push me and the run was going to be the most difficult, not because of conditioning, but fueling.

As the start was getting closer and closer, the voice of Ironman, Mike Reilly was giving all the spectators information about the conditions and expectations of the race. At the same time, he was crystallizing the imagery that we as athletes were going through in our minds.

Minutes before the Pros were sent out, the Navy did a skydiving charade...it was a nice distraction, plus very cool.

As the cannon shot off for the professionals, the intensity of the moment increased. Most of the athletes entered from the beach, I jumped in from the pier, about 1/2 way down towards the starting line. The water was clear, and almost uncomfortably warm for race conditions. In the background I could hear people with cow bells and horns mixing in with screams and random names being yelled over the top of the field.

Within a minute from starting, I heard a rumble of drums start, getting loader and more intense with every second. Mike Reilly was giving us the count down and then the drums stopped...

BOOM! The cannon exploded and the field was off.

Usually the first 20-30 minutes is complete survival mode, ponying for position as other athletes struggle too keep pace while others are feeling the need to destroy everyone in their path. That would include pulling and pulling you out of sync. Kona was completely different. I felt like I constantly had a lane and other swimmers were aware of boundaries and knowing when it was time to give room for someone else to pass or to move aside when a faster swimmer was trying to make a move.

The most incredible part was seeing sea turtles and random fish throughout the swim course. It was a great distraction and often forgot that I was racing in the Ironman. Hugh difference from swimming in Tempe Town Lake, having zero visibility.

I felt great getting out to the first buoy, when I checked my time just after the turn I was just over 20 minutes and I knew that I needed to push myself. The back side of the two turn swim course was smooth and quick, but as I turned to the final stretch I felt myself getting dehydrated making it difficult to take deep breaths every stroke. Pushing myself on every pull, my concentration focused on keeping my toes pointed straight back and stretching every stroke to get the maximum torque.

By the time I got back to the pier I had lost all form and my struggles to breath had doubled. My pride in looking strong while spectators looked on kept me from turning over on my back and taking a breather.

At 1 hour 21 minutes I finally finished the swim ...yea, I was hoping to finish in about an hour or so...little far from my goal. Stretching my pool time to equate an open water swim was just stupid! To sum up my swim, I was happy with how I did, but felt I could do better next time by spending time doing more long distance sprint workouts...10x400/600 in an all out sprint.

When I climbed up the stairs they have a few tents with hoses being dangled above pouring out fresh water. WOW, if there was anything that was more refreshing than having fresh water at that point, I don't know what it could have been. I probably spend more time than necessary, but it was nice.

Exiting the public athlete "shower" their were dozens of volunteers directing my to my first transition bag where I noticed that I didn't have any socks. WTH!!! I almost thought that someone stole them and later found out I placed them in my second transition bag. After I put my jersey, helmet, sunglasses and shoes on, my head was on a swivel for the sunblock station. (My first Ironman I got a severe sunburn that took almost 6 months to heal.)

After applying, what I thought was an ample amount of sunblock, I had to run the rest of the length of the pier to get to my bike and then push my bike back to the mount/dismount area.

As soon as I got on my bike and took two pedals, I heard Lindsey screaming for my off to my left. It was nice to hear a familiar voice, it bolstered by spirits.

Leading up to the race I had spent countless hours training on the bike. Stationary workouts, hills, sprints, distant, and everything I could think off. I even spend the last two weeks staying in the toughest two gears on my bike. I owe that to Jacob, I did a fifty mile bike ride with him and found that it was great conditioning and ultimately helped me realise that it's an effective way to do long distance rides.

So as the bike portion go on it's way, I was surprised how good I felt on the bike. For the first 40 miles I think less than 5 people passed me while I must have cruised past 4 or 5 dozen people. The first 13 or so miles was by far the best part of the course, cruising random street right in Kona then making our way out to the lava fields on Queen K (Queen Ka'ahumanu Highway) which take us out to the northern part of the Island to a town call Hawi. As I took the left turn on to the Queen K, I had mixed feelings. My heart wanted to finished the bike in 5 1/2 hours, my head told me that I'm already 20 minutes behind my schedule, and my body was anxious to be pushed for the next few hours.

Leaving Kona, there are rolling hills for about 30 miles and then a gradual 500 foot climb spanning over 5-6 miles putting us in Hawi at the turn around check point. On the way out, I felt poised, calm, peaceful and over all, very strong. My feeling was that if we had a mild to strong head wind going North and we might have a mild to strong tail wind coming back. I even found a riding buddy from San Diego who was celebrating his anniversary over the weekend. He agreed with me that the swim was great and the headwind was a thorn, hoping it was going to be tailwind on the way back. It's always great to find people to ride with, it makes the race go by so much faster. As I topped the crest just a few miles before the turn around point I was relieved to have a little down hill slope, but that was crushed by more head wind all the way to the turn around point.

I was met by Lindsey with a sugar fee Red Bull (which might have been against the rules) and a little hug...again, a much need boost to make it back to Kona.

I don't know if it was the Red Bull or tail wind I felt, but for the next 3-4 miles I was able to bust past 30 mph for a sustained period of time. I was again short lived because the 500 foot downhill was met with a head wind that not only physically wore me down, but it really affected me mentally. The headwind only got worse the last 30 miles of the bike ride.

As I was riding, I realized the wind come straight up the cost and hits the Queen K making a crosswind that is a head wind both ways...and for all of us riding the bike, much more difficult on the way back.

My shoes are just slightly over sized which lead to my right foot going numb. I found myself having to place my foot over my shoe for about 10 miles, really taking my ability to pull up on my crank, really slowing me down.

As I saw more and more commercial buildings, I knew that I was getting closer to Kona. The only challenge was the wind was picking up and I didn't realize that my fueling was being effected...substantially! I didn't realize that my stomach was tightening up, even thought I felt my energy level was okay.

As I was making my way through the some of the side streets I kept the throttle down and found my way to the mount/dismount area were a volunteer took my bike back my rack at the end of the pier. My legs, back, neck, shoulders, abdomen, calves, and especially my feet were tired and sore. Tenderly walking/jogging I wobbled through the transition area to the second bag rack and then found myself wiped out in the staging tent. I sat down and thought about what I had just did and tried to gather my thoughts. People frantically moving and pushing themselves, others laying down to rest or stretch out their legs. A volunteer, who must have been a therapist of some sort, asked me if I was okay and I told him about my right foot. Graciously, he spent about 40 seconds massaging my arch and ball of my foot. This only added to my urgency to keep moving. I felt like I was wimping out and not pushing myself, so I told him I was okay and push myself off the chair and out the tent.

As I was making my way out of the transition area and out on the run course I was extremely happy with my bike ride. There was no doubt in my mind that I took advantage of every ounce of energy I had and took my mind out of the ride.

Little did I know that I crippled my run and it would show...early.

As I started my run, my legs felt heavy and my energy was very low, but I knew if I could keep my legs moving I would eventually draw on reserved energy & conditioning. Assuming the first fueling station was less than 2 miles away I knew that I would be okay.

The first 50 yards was up a small incline where I heard a familiar voice, so I gave Lindsey a happy anniversary kiss and made my way. The next 10 miles of the run was on Alii Drive, the place where I spend most of my Hawaii training...small inclines, no wind, great crowds, and a very beautiful vistas. Putting a small strategy into play would help me make it past the 6 mile hump, so I found another athlete that I felt like I could use as a rabbit so I paced myself with her and tried to stay strong mentally.

As I made it past the 2 mile marker, my body was drawing on fumes, but I didn't want to hurt my body by over fueling or under fueling. I "cruised" into mile three where I picked up some more fuel and made a cardinal mistake by taking something I had never trained with in the past...a powerbar, even worse is was a cookies ~n~ cream powerbar.

Nevertheless, I found myself pulled over fixing a flat tire within minutes. I must of thrown up every ounce of fluid and fuel. My abs tightened up, my throat was burning and just felt overall nauseous. I felt if I could get to the next fueling station I could slowly recoup and get back on target.

I don't know if it was physical as much as it was mental, but I could not get back into sync. Getting a rhythm that could be sustained longer than 3/4 of a mile was challenging.

At the turn around point on Alii Drive I met up with a guy from New York who really helped me get back on pace. This is one of the reasons I really enjoy triathlons. It gives you a chance to talk to other athletes and discuss everything from races we've been in to our employment backgrounds. This guy was a solid runner and he helped me keep a solid 8 minute mile pace for about 2 1/2 miles then I faded from fueling. Again, racing buddies are great!

As I made it back down to downtown Kona to get back up to the Queen K to run the lava fields, I really needed to get a strategy put together. My only strategy that I felt like I could stick to was to run 1 1/2 miles then walk 1/2 mile. If I felt good, I would add a mile, but I really wanted to stick to that strategy.

At this point, there was no reason to kill myself to get my goal...it was out of reach, but I still wanted to finish strong.

As the sun was setting on the west side of the Big Island of Hawaii, I thought about everything that had brought me to this point, all the people that have influenced and supported me, and even the cause I was raising money for...the Special Olympics. The sacrifice Lindsey gave to let me train for the past 7 months and spend our 1 year anniversary doing a race that would take all day.

I stuck with my strategy and even pushed myself on every change, making each running portion a little longer. By the time I got down to the Natural Energy Lab it was completely dark and I was in a pack that seemed to take my same strategy...kind of comforting with the expection that a few of them were twice my age.

There was one scary/frustrating part at the turn around at the Energy Lab, a volunteer's daughter broght their dog and it came out of nowhere and scared the be-gee-zees out of a few of us. I don't know if it was good becuase I wasn't thinking about my energy or body or bad becuase I lost my breath.

With the final stretch on the Queen K, I felt my body get more and more comfortable with stretching and striding out. My only thoughts at this point was to stay steady and consistant. Stay tight in my core and relaxed with my arms, legs and shoulders.

When I finally started to see downtown Kona, I put it in my mind...I'm not stopping till I cross the tape. I didn't realize I probably at 3-4 miles left, but I put my head down and pushed it. There was a steady mile before a good size grade loft, about another mile, before I got to the turn off from the Queen K and it was all down hill from there...about 1 more mile till the finish line.

This was a complete gut check, my abs were aching and my joints were burning from the steap down hill slope. The crowds started to get larger and larger every step. The in background I could hear cowbells, loud "pump-up" music from the finish line, and people screaming names and words of encouragement. At the same time I was seeing athletes who had already finished the race walking back to their hotels with their gear, bikes and finisher medals. I was getting close.

As I got to the bottom of the hill I heard a familar and much needed voice. Lindsey was there with a bunch of people she got to help me finish up with with loud cheers. In my mind the finish line was right around the corner, but the pain in my core and burning in my legs made it seem another mile away. At this point there was about 2-3 people in front of me...making it my final goal to pass them before the finish line.

The first guy was still in auto-pilot but ther other two people were pushing it just as hard as I was. Even though I was not pushing for a personal best at this point, I was determined to give it every ounce I had.

With my final right hand turn on to Ali'i Drive, the streets were lined 4-5 people deep, all cheering and screaming. You think this would give a huge adrenaline rush, which it did, but not enough to not buckle a few times. I was dehydrated, my fuel was empty, sunburned...

As I got closer the music got louder, it was no longer just a bass beat in the distant background. The stadium lights they put in for the final 100 yards as lighting up the final channel ahead. I could hear Mike Reilly making comments about the conditions of the race and one last person to pass before the finish line...this was the rush I needed. I imediately found another gear and gave it just a little more. As I passed him going in the final stretch, everything seemed like a blur. I couldn't see anything, all I could here was just noise...all my muscles were pushing as hard as my mind would take them.

As I ran up the wooden ramp to the finish line my mind was confused and my body was exhausted. Then Mike Reilly said over the loud speaker, "Bryan Crosland, you're an Ironman."

Going to Hawaii for the Ironman

2009-10-05T09:12:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I've blogged about anything, hopefully I'll go back and log what's happened in the last year, but this week it's all about doing the Ironman in Hawaii and raising money for the Special Olympics.

When Lindsey and I got married we decided there are a few things we wanted to do to establish our family legacy...kind of nerdy to think about it now, but doing the Ironman is one of them. Hopefully we have the ability to do a race every 5 years, but this year is the only year that we could do the race in Hawaii. So I applied for a lottery spot. One the application for the lottery spot they ask you why you should be considered; my two main reasons were, #1 the day of the race is our Anniversary and #2 we wanted to raise money for a special cause.

Back in April we found out that I won the lottery spot and training would be start. It started of with 5 days of training, most days were single event training days doing a small runs, or bike rides. Other days I would combine two events. I also started leaning out my diet...

So we decided to raise money for the Special Olympics. We thought about raising money for JDRF or Foundation for Blind Children and even Phoenix Children's Hospital. When I finally made a decision, it came down to my childhood experiences with the Special Olympics. My Mom would have a few Special Olympic athletes stay at our house for the week for the Special Olympics. It was always one of the best weeks of the year. I were always better for being around them and laughing with them.

Going into to this week my mind is reflective of a few things. The hard work I've put into this years event. I've push myself a little harder, stuck to my workouts, and tried to stick to my diet. I'm really thankful to the people that have made a sacrifice to make a donation to Kona Ironman for Special Olympics. Every week we are blown away by the people who have donated...especially in the tough economical times. I've had a handful of high school friends that I have not seen in 15 years make donations that leave me speechless. Most of all, I appreciate my wife being patient for the past few months. I wake up at 4:00 to go on a bike ride or I'm at the gym until 10:00 working out. With her being pregnant...it's been a test for her. She has definitely been a champ.

So this week I'm going to log a little bit every day and let everyone know how things are going!!!

2008-12-10T08:46:00.001-08:00

So my wife has all the wedding pictures...I'll try to update things soon, until then check out:

http://web.mac.com/lindseylundeen/Site/Welcome.html

Pier Burger

2008-07-22T14:07:00.000-07:00

For anyone that plans on making a trip out to Catalina Island anytime soon, make sure you stop by Eric's on the Pier. Do yourself a favor and try a Pier Burger...I'm pretty sure that you can only eat one a year or your heart might stop. Lindsey and I took a 38 min boat ride out there a few weeks ago and the trip was worth it.

Two hamburger patties, cheese, hotdog cut in half, grilled chilie, bacon, pickles and onions...really, just try it.

I'm getting married

2008-06-29T07:53:00.000-07:00

I don't know if it's a miracle that she said Yes or if I'm actually getting married...either way Lindsey Lundeen and I are getting married October 10th, 2008 in the Mesa Arizona Temple. Whoooo Hoooo!!!!

It was awesome! Make sure you get me your address to get an invitation bcrosland@gmail.com

Lake Powell, Camping, Wedding

2008-06-03T17:57:00.001-07:00

I don't know if I'm bad luck or good luck, but either way I was able to celebrate Memorial Day weekend with Lindsey and her family. We decided to celebrate in honor of Global Warming since it rained most of the weekend and then the water was 50' higher than last year. We made an estimation that the lake was going up about 6"-8" a day.

That same weekend I got a phone call from my younger sister saying that she could not believe that it was snowing on her graduation day. She never remembers it snowing on the 4th of July and almost had to cancel fireworks. Regardless, Al Gore wasn't invited to our Memorial Day festivities.

When we got to Lake Powell, it was freezing cold and I don't think we got in the water for the first 2 or even three days. We spent most of our time reading, watching movies (Brian Regan - I walked on the Moon), eating incredible food, exploring, hiking, and kayaking. When we finally got in the water is was great, but the cold turned up a notch when we got pulled out of the water. I've only been wake boarding 2 other times in my life, so getting out of the water made the trip a success.

Probably my favoriate part of Lake Powell was the hiking and exploring. Since most of the week was cold and I took the wimp clause, hiking and exploring was my favorite part. Finding little slots and cranys to explore and climb around. Wake boarding is the same where ever you go, but the scenery and environment was incredible. A few times we would take the kayak out and find new places to dock and walk around.

Then later that week we went to Vernon & St. Johns to camp and visit some of Lindsey's family. It was great; campfire, gourmet tin-foil dinners, smores (try it with Reese's peanut butter cup), guitar and nice cool weather. We also stopped by the Snow Flake Temple, it was my first experience with a mini temple, but still a wonderful experience.

Just a week or so later we went up to SLC for Lindsey's sister's wedding...(I don't know if I punctuated that correctly) It was great, we stayed at a family friends cabin in Deer Valley the whole weekend and enjoyed the cool weather. The day of the wedding there was 6 inches of fresh snow...I thought it was awesome, but I'm sure Remi, the bride, was not as thrilled.

Needless to say it was an awesome weekend. Lindsey was able to meet some of my siblings and I continued to go through the interview process with Lindsey's extended family. The reception was great. I got to help out the family set up th e dinner, which was delicious. I played a few songs on the guitar (no singing) while everyone was getting settled...and yes, I played about 5 Foo Fighter songs. Then the dinner, the toasts were great and then Remi played a song she wrote for Cole, it was amazing.

Anyway, these are just some of the pictures of the last few weeks.

Good times are always finding me

2008-05-14T08:19:00.000-07:00

I'm really not one to take pictures of everything I'm doing, maybe it's because I haven't adopted the European carry-all yet. (Yes, this is a Seinfeld reference) Regardless, there are so many times where I wish I would have had a camera to catch the "I can't believe we just did that" moments or "this was wicked cool" experience. Often enough, I say to myself, "Bryan, you should have brought your camera!" But I never have explored that softer side of my personality. To be perfectly honest, I probably just have a cruddy camera.

Anyway, in the last two months I've missed out on taking pictures of friends and family while doing the Easter Pageant, striking the stage for the Easter Pageant (it's really cool to stand on top of the angle stage when it's all over), baseball games, exploring public buildings, riding bikes along the canals, making my first gourmet dinner, going to first night and meeting Ghostbusters wanna-a-bes, hiking Camelback, evening walks and getting caught in water sprinklers, acrobatic stunts on the trampoline, open mic nights, getting dirty working on putting on a wench or replacing a pulling on a tension arm or any of the small moments that crack me up.

Life for me has been a daily miracle and surprises around every corner. This summer is playing out to be one of the best ever, not replace the "Summer of Bryan slash Summer of Chad" that we had two years ago when we started our baseball trips, made a single trip to Boston, and then rolled out to Cali a few times. But throw in Lake Powell, a few family weddings, and random weekends to the beach and mountains...there might be a new "King of the Summer" this August.

Hopefully more pictures to come.

Roy Orbison Exhibit

2008-04-21T13:16:00.000-07:00

Roy Orbison comes to Tempe, as memorabilia exhibit
By Albert Ching, Get Out
January 24, 2008-April 18th, 2008

Glen Agritelley likes Roy Orbison. A lot. He owns gold records, autographed guitars, signed promotional photos — even a 1985 black Porsche convertible once owned by the rock ’n’ roll pioneer, who died in 1988. Agritelley, a Dallas-based entrepreneur and a singer and musician himself, has dedicated much of his life to being the undisputed pre-eminent collector of Roy Orbison memorabilia.

Boy would it be awesome to sit in that 1985 Black Porsche convertible!

What is Trogdon?

2008-04-20T09:46:00.001-07:00

Trogdon is my middle name, given to me from my Grandmother. It's her maiden name, not a break off of homestarrunner.com...Trogdor!

While I was young I was embarrassed of having Trogdon for my middle name because it's so different, but I have grown to love it and have developed a closer relationship to my Grandma because of it. I have tried to go by Trogdon a few different times, but I end up having to take unnecessary time to explain the meaning behind my name.

Origin Displayed: German

First found in Bavaria, where the name Trogen was anciently associated with the tribal conflicts of the area.

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: settlers who travelled to the New World and established themselves along the eastern seaboard of the United States in Canada in the 18th and 19th centuries.

I believe in...

2008-04-10T16:02:00.000-07:00

ice-cream
baseball - hey batter batter
Salvation - an individual matter
Exaltation - a family matter
swimming, biking, and running 140 miles
a plan
laughter is the best medicine
physical challenges - anything for a good laugh
good music
white elephant gift parties
phone calls over text messaging
seeing someone face to face over phone calls
road trips
Fenway Park
praying
making sure the toilet paper rolls over the top and not over the back side
snow-cones
camping
fishing
Disneyland - how can you not like the happiest place on Earth
snowboarding - sorry, I can't do two sticks anymore
everyone gets second, third, and multiple chances
standard transmissions
The Book of Mormon - another Testament of Jesus Christ
The Bible, Doctrine & Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price
the hanging curve ball
the corner three point shot
aviator sunglasses
service, service, service
he lives!
returning emails, phone calls and most text messages.
being patient and understanding
having a velvet hammer!
prophets and apostles
stealing bases
ballpark hotdogs, peanuts, coke-cola classic
making dinner rather than buying dinner
asking for what you really want
living your dreams and fulfilling your goals
Red Sox Nation
smiling to make someone feel comfortable
open mic night
temples
mentoring
reading
settlers of catan
Mexican train
voting
staying up all night on Christmas eve to play games with your brothers
the Polar Bear club
ice-cream sandwiches
staying in contact
Dave Grohl
eternal marriages - I'm gonna get there...seriously
General Conference
the Priesthood
Fender strats, SG's and Explorers
Gibson Les Pauls
parades
hard work makes you lucky
the right person breaks all the rules
taking your time on the toilet
free haircuts
breakfast
laying it on the line
keeping your hands up on roller coasters
when in Rome...do as the Romans do.
wit not sarcasm
letting go
caramel popcorn balls
running for charities
the full restoration of Christ's Church
meatloaf
a thing call love
recycling
paying tithing
pop-tarts
making my bed
folding my clothes
every serious question in life can be answered by a Seinfeld episode
traveling
trying new things with an open mind
fast food only taste good when your in a hurry and after 11:00 pm
Connect 4 Rocks!
family comes first
go carts
80's movies and 80's music
learning from others successes and mistakes
taking a chance on a trampoline after you turn 30
Nickel-cades
rollerblading
the only thing uglier than war is being a coward
the New York yankees are the evil empire #1
the Los Angeles Lakers are the evil empire #2
pin stripes belong on suits
core training
me-monsters should take a trip to the moon, and stay
noticing the small things
that doing the wave during a baseball game is sacrilege, keep it at football games
being a fan is your right
skinny dipping
democracy
free agency
the pursuit of happiness
keeping the best moments in life secret
the right to riches
in Happy Gilmore
modern day revelation
having food storage
that I'm getting ripped off every time I fill up my car with gasoline
Superheroes, especially Superman
having understanding and not agreement is possible
looking before jumping
looking both ways before crossing
studying for understanding
transformers…Roll Out!
quoting lines from movies
shaving is one of the biggest inconveniences of my life
home-teaching
the Northern Lights
monstrous trout
dad’s Saturday morning pancakes
things will always work out
Texas should lower their flag below the American Flag!
knowledge is power
there is no road too long when it comes to finding my pillow
life is like a box of chocolates, but I would still rather have a snickers
Neil Diamond, Frank Sinatra, and Freddy Mercury
baptism the same way Christ was baptized, my immersion
crazy times mean crazy measures
kissing for no reason at all
Grand Slams!
taking chances
being honest and fair
giving back
passing gas is never, ever appropriate
President Thomas S. Monson
there is a time a season for all things
in many things, but especially you

I'm a New Uncle

2008-04-02T08:42:00.000-07:00

Claire Elyse Crosland

April 1, 2008

7 lbs 8 oz.19 inches

Proud Parents: David & Kristin Crosland

You are all in my prayers

Triathlons - more to come

2008-04-02T08:08:00.001-07:00

When I lived up in Utah, a friend of mine named Juice got me started on triathlons and I've been hooked ever since. I've done a dozen sprint distances, a dozen Olympic distances and a few Ironmans. My plans are to start back up in the fall of 2008 and compete in the 2009 Arizona Ironman. Here are a few pictures from Triathlons I've done.

Easter Pageant Over - My Story

2008-04-01T16:23:00.000-07:00

Fall of 2006 Bishop Willis asked me if I was interested in being in the Easter Pageant. It’s a sixty-five minute presentation that our faith produces at the Mesa Temple grounds based on the birth, life, and resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ. Last year was the 69th year that it has been running, this year being the 70th. Being 31 years old and attending a singles ward I wasn’t really sure if this was something I was really going to be engaged in. In so many words he said I have a good look and if I could grow a beard, I would almost be a shoe in for a good part. I had seen the pageant 2 times previously, both with a group of distracting and entertaining friends. Each time I went I knew that it was something worthy, but I don’t think I was prepared to feel the spirit. I was there for a social motivation more than anything. So going into the pageant, I didn’t know what to expect, nor was I looking for a life altering experience.

Little did I know the impact that it would have on my life and how I now feel about the necessary growth I need to come closer to my Heavenly Father. To understand my journey, you really must understand who I was, what I’ve gone through, what I perceived, I needed, to be happy. It’s still an ongoing process and I’m learning everyday and I hope to learn more, but my experience with the Easter Pageant has been incredible.

I was searching for a catalyst to help my spirituality, and put me on track. An added push to be better to feel the spirit more in my life, so I thought that the pageant could be that source. I had some reservations, but having Bishop Willis, who happened to be the President of the Pageant and Brother Ivard Brimley also helping out, made it easier to jump aboard. Another motivating factor, I have been struggling in finding new and exciting people to meet. The people I meet lately are shallow in spirit and heavy in maintenance. I guess in the long run I was hoping the pageant would introduce me to another group of people that I’ve never had an association with.

After completing my application for the pageant, I started growing out my beard and hair…I didn’t realize how much of a love hate relationship I was going to have with growing out my hair. Some days it was a relief not having to shave or waste the time on getting a hair cut, but there were other days when I couldn’t stand being hidden behind all that hair. My social life was torn as well, girls wouldn’t go near me, but couldn’t help be intrigued that I had this monstrous beard. So the process of growing the beard was difficult.

Early January we had Pageant tryouts that consisted of taking a picture and standing up in the chapel off of 1st Ave and Robson and lightly displayed our general acting abilities. The Pageant Presidency was there along with the Directors; they took notes and scheduled call backs. I was fortunate enough to be called back the next day to try out for Judas and John the Baptist. I really went into the Pageant wanting the part of John the Baptist, but felt good about doing anything, understudy Jesus, Judas, one of the 12 apostles, or anyone of substantial characters. I really didn’t to go through the trouble of growing out a beard for a multitude part, I know that’s the wrong attitude to have, but a 3 inch beard isn’t a pleasant experience. Nancy Wudel told us that over 850 people tried out for the Easter Pageant on they only had capacity for 350 people. I was pretty confident that I would get a part, but which part I was unsure of.

After about a month of waiting I got a call from one of Nancy’s assistances asking me not to shave my beard and to continue growing out my hair until I heard from Nancy. Two days later, on my birthday, I got a call from Nancy asking me if I would play the part of John the Baptist. Not having great birthdays in the past; this became the best news I could have asked for. The excitement could hardly be contained. At some point I realized that I was going to portray the profit who would prepare the way for the Lord, the actual cousin of Jesus. I didn’t realized it then, but I do now…I was going to be tried and tested, the adversary worked on me so hard, he wanted to disrupt the Pageant and do whatever he could to bring it down. I know now, any time I get anxiously engaged in the work of the Lord, there will be works of frustration coming from the opposition. It’s important to understand the humility of John as well as the important role of preparing the way. Some nights, I have felt more connected to John than others; it was all on my shoulders to be prepared to feel the spirit.

The first contact I had with the Pageant was meeting with Nancy, Robert Allan, Doug Shumway, Jerry, and Kevin to discuss the baptism seen on the Sunday before Super Saturday. We reviewed the blocking and the general positioning of John the Baptist and the entrance of Jesus. It was then I started to feel the excitement of the Pageant. That Tuesday we all met up again to color our beards, mine needed to be darker and Robert’s, Doug’s, and Jerry’s beard needed to be all the same shade. So we met at Kevin’s house to color and trim. We had some great discussions about our roles and the preparations that we have done up to that point. Doug shared some of his experiences being Judas from the previous year and some things he had learned about Judas. He was the treasurer of the 12 Apostles and maybe a reason for his betrayal. Judas was a businessman and there is a theory that Judas was trying to provoke Jesus in being the Political/Military leader he was looking for. He thought that if the guards would arrest him, he would fight back and spur Jesus into him rising up. Obviously, there was a moment of weakness on Judas’ part. None of us think Judas had a motive from the beginning. Kevin talked about the physical control of Jesus. When he was getting beating and scourged, he never wailed or cried out in paid, but stayed in control and always loved those who were doing these things to him. My own thoughts, it takes a spiritually strong individual to control his physical body; hence the Savior was perfect and had full knowledge that his spirit could control his mind and body. I asked Kevin if anyone of the first Presidency or the 12 Apostles had ever come down to watch the Pageant. He told us a story of Boyd K Packer visiting and had the directors call a meeting of the 12 men that were playing the Apostles and a few of them decided not to show up, thinking it was just a routine thing as well, they didn’t know that Boyd K. Packer wanted to give them instruction and give them a devotional. That was nice to get to know each of them.

Super Saturday is always a great day, we basically run through the multitude scenes and the basic motions of each scene. The first year I really meet anyone and I shared a shade tent with Ivard Brimley, Augie, and Bishop Willis. This last year I got to catch up with old friends and spent more time getting to know new friends. The next week was reviewing individual scenes with principles only so I really only needed to be there for the one baptism scene. The first year I listened to the CD and went over the scene in my mind and became comfortable in my movements and motions, by the end of the Pageant, I felt comfortable with how I felt the audience would be able to connect with John the Baptist. Each time I did my scene there was a feeling of humility and excitement when either Robert or Doug would come around the corner of the rock. I don’t think I ever really could understand the feeling that John had when the Jesus asked him for baptism. It would be like having President Hinckley asking me for a blessing…or something like that. My experiences from doing “Reflections of Christ” has given me more insight on the feelings of being unprepared and unworthy, something I still feel a sacred blessing to do. That is an entirely different experience.

The second Saturday we run through the multitude scenes one more time and then ran through the entire Pageant from beginning to end. The first year it wasn’t all that fluid, but we caught the gist of it. This last year, things came together so quickly and people caught on quickly. At this point everyone starts to develop a friendships, I hope that I can eventually remember all the names of the individuals that I had…some I only know by their Pageant name. Suzi, Nichelle, Austin, Russell, The Lunts, Joe (played the male narrator), Melanie (fell in love with her spirit, talked with her everyday, she’ll be one that I’ll truly miss through out the year, and she was a wise men follower), some of the 12 Apostles; Al, JC, Shane, Preston, Mark, Howie, and Gilbert. Jennifer and Tina played the baptized girls, her daughter Grace, Robyn, Aaron (crucified Jesus and Joseph, the husband of Mary), Jeff (played Joseph during the birth), the Angles; Aaron, Brandon, Charish, Elizabeth, Mandie, Julie, Joseph, Krista, Brittney, Kayson and others. The make-up crew; Debbie, Jamie, Dee Dee, Becky and the wigglets. Rick Bodrero (I already new him, but he played a Roman soldier, he’s my stake clerk), Boyd, (One of the Jesus’),Deuce Lutui (last year played a Roman soldier plays offensive guard for the AZ Cardinals), Bill Pollard (head Sadducee), JP (not a member last year, but got baptized 3 weeks before the pageant this year. She was a member of the Baptist church of motorcycle ministry??) Allen Family; Robert, Norine, Jacob, Bethany, Matthew, Jeana, and Sara, they adopt me every year, give me dinner a few times. Robert played the English Jesus. They have been in the Pageant for 7 years now. Last year Bryce, Karlie, Wesley, and Annie Burnham. The other members from my family group; The Jacksons and Paces and Nancy’s daughter and her family, but I just can’t remember their names, but I’ll never forget their faces. The Roman Soldiers; Jeremy, Ron, Paul, Corwin, Chuck, and Brian. Adam and Eve where played by Blake and Lindsey. Jerry (baptized and Spanish crucified Jesus), Doug, (Spanish Jesus and Peter), Clarissa (Howie’s wife and part of Peter’s Denial), Lisa (Mary), Chalyse (Mother of Nain), some of the virgins; Kayli, Kelly, Kimber, Elena, and Kacie. Dallin (Tomb Angel), Shauna (Blind Man’s wife) and so many others.

There are so many other people that I can recognize by seeing them and I hope that I can always recognize them when I see them at the temple, or store, or wherever. I was so blessed to be in a situation where I could talk to everyone and share my excitement about the Easter Pageant.

As we start dress rehearsals and performances, the spirit is felt frequently and with convincing power, it is impossible to recall every single one of them. In general, the first year I’ll always remember the many conversations with Augie about the overall feeling that we were experiencing being a part of the Pageant and how much we were going to miss it. As well has thinking about the scenes we were in and how it would have felt and how we would have reacted being apart of the miracle of Jesus. There were some nights were it would bring us to tears and our joy was full because of it. There were always late night conversations about the performance and what our favorite part was that particular night. In general, I really enjoyed Mary’s lullaby, partly because there is a part when Mary dances her way over to the Rock, (I’m standing right there preparing for the baptism scene) and when she sings the words, “For you are a King” and Boyd, the man who plays Jesus, stands…I know from a witness from the spirit that Jesus is the Christ.

The night that stands out the most is the Spanish nights. The first year had some mixed feelings going into that weekend because I don’t speak or understand Spanish, but above and beyond any other night, it was that night I felt the spirit the strongest. I have my reasons why I think it was that way. One, in the pre-show I could not understand what the missionaries were saying nor could I understand what was being said by those on the other end of the conversation, but I could follow every 6th or 7th word and I could fill in the rest. I had to concentrate and listen, and it was always tender moments when I know that the spirit was filling in the blanks.

This last year was so much different, I didn’t have to concentrate on my lines, my blocking, my cadence, or speed as much. Rather, I focused on the true feelings I might have had if I could have witnesses those actual events; the birth, the baptism, the calling of the twelve, the healing and teaching, the triumphal entry, the last supper, the betrayal, the trail, the crucifixion, and most importantly the resurrection. Some nights were real for me, even though I was not actually present, really believe that the same spirit that was present in days of old was present to testify to me that these events are not just a story, but really happened.

I was fortunate enough to have most of my family members come down in the past two years. Mom, Grandma, Travis, Cara, Spencer, Troy, Amy, Jill, Matt, Darcell, Wade, Sam, Whitey, Marshall, Leslee, and Lynzee. I can’t want to have my Dad come down; I’ll probably keep trying out until he’s able to see it.

After all that has been written about my experiences regarding the Easter Pageant, I would like to say, my faith is not based on the pageant itself, it is on my personal Savior Jesus Christ. He was born of humble birth in Bethlehem and the wisest of the wise and the poorest of spirits testified of his majestic birth. He grew grace for grace, walking through his life with his Father, whom he always sought, to whom he always prayed to for thanksgiving and strength. Jesus healed the sick, he raised the dead, he blessed the humble and he confounded the wise. He truly lived a life of greatest respect and perfection to only sacrifice himself as the unblemished lamb so that our sin might be blotted out. For unto a sinner such as I, I will be grateful my entire life, even if I was the only person to even walk the earth, I know that the Jesus still would have came for me. After the last supper, with a heavy heart the Savior carefully walked into the greatest event of mankind. No one will understand the intensity of his pains. The power to over come the sin of all my kind needed to be so great, it needed to be infinitely convincing in it’s persuasiveness that Jesus could stand in our behalf and say, “Not for their sake, but for my sake, let them enter into thy presence.” Then his betrayal and trail, whipped, beaten and humiliated to descend below all things in order for us to return home. Many people at that time felt like his life were a complete failure, but he did not break away from our Father’s plan and his role in that plan. He took that weight upon himself, he was taken to Calvary and in the third hour they crucified our Savior and darkness came upon the earth. After three days an angel came and testified, “He is not here, he is risen.” That is my testimony that he lives. He is the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.