You're My Best Friend

Well folks, it looks like this will be the last post on this blog until after my mission. Except probably really the last post ever because I suck at blogging. But then again being on a mission supposedly teaches you to be more diligent in whatever it is you do. But then again I might just come back and be a huge lazy bum. Um. Anyway, for the last time the URL to my mission blog is www.elderhunterstewart.blogspot.com.

So as I mentioned in a previous post, I was hoping to do a little something for Clayton and Mikey in a post and this is pretty much it. If I had more time I would have been able to put together a sweet video of like everything we've ever done together, but since I'm, you know, moving to Africa in two days, time is a little short.

Michael Big Black Nielsen and I have been friends since we were 4, since I moved to Louisiana. I want to say he has been with me for every single birthday (except for a few when I was out of town), even after he moved to Texas. I called him Big Brother when we were in pre-school, and well, he literally is a big brother. . . He's huge.

Turns out 18 year olds aren't supposed to do wheelies on children's toys

Clayton Bridge moved in next door when we were five or six, and man we did everything together. Ten o'clock sharp we would be at each others house, no exceptions. We were masterminds of the commercial, and champions of the black belt. Sometimes it creeps me out how much our brains think alike. He moved to Texas for 5th grade. That didn't change a thing.

 awkward

With all the goodbyes I've been saying it has never been a thought that I wouldn't see these guys very often after my mission. Nope, these guys are my buddies for life. Yup. There's some serious bromance right there. As if you couldn't tell from this picture:

...

So without further ado, here are some videos from our youth, with all of them being equally embarrassing and awesome.

This was an attempt at a horror movie sequel to the 1958 film The Blob. Which is by far the greatest movie ever (fun fact for you Grease fans, this was the movie that was playing during the drive-in scene). Anyway, at some point during us trying to make this incredible sequel we decided to do stunts. I guess we were just that upset by the making of the sequel (and my attempted British accent) (.

Yes. For anyone who didn't actually believe I was a black belt, here's the proof. Clayton and I were 10 and this was at the school talent show.



And finally the greatest thing known to man (besides The Blob. And Legend of Zelda) commercials made by Clayton and myself. Which were made for the beauty competitions Breeann would host with Savannah, Clayton's sister and another family friend. Enjoy.



Oh, and see ya in two years. Kbye.

P.S. Noonafish, Sweet baby noonas, Holy noona, Noona.

Africa

So just a heads up, I actually posted my talk on my mission blog if anyone wants to read it. The website for that blog is: www.elderhunterstewart.blogspot.com.

85 hours to go!

On and On

Counting today there are officially 7 days left until I am on a plane leading me to the great expanse known as Africa. Today also marked the last day I got to spend with my very long time friend Clayton Bridge, and in a couple of days it will be the same with Mikey Big Black Nielsen. I intend to do a couple posts about each of them, but first I really need to get my farewell talk for this Sunday finished. I'll get that done sometime. I guess.

By the way I set up a blog for my mission and the link is here. If you click on that the same day I posted this you will see there is nothing there. That is primarily because I haven't left yet. In case you were concerned I was playing a mean trick. Basically what that blog will consist of are the emails I send home to my family every week, and if I'm able to send any pictures with those emails, then they will be in the blog post as well. But I hear internet is pretty sketchy in Africa, so I have no idea how often there will be pictures. However, I am thinking that before I leave I will post the aforementioned farewell talk on there. For all you people who have more important things to do than come to Louisiana (soooo pretty much everyone).

(But even the alligators are friendly here!)

But speaking of farewells, it's once again a pretty weird time in my life. In some ways this summer has been a bit like last summer. At least as far as the whole feeling of the looming unknown, and the fact that everyone I know is leaving for school before I leave anywhere. But the thing with this summer is that the goodbyes are much, much different than the last. The goodbyes began almost four months ago when I was concluding my winter semester at BYU, and they have continued sporadically up until today, and will continue until the day I leave. But the reason these goodbyes are so different is because with some people it really was goodbye. For whatever reason it just felt like that was it, and that the role in each others lives had come to a close. Whoever those people are they played a very important role in my life, and I would never regret meeting them, because it's all about what you take out of it right? Right.

(That's a door. You often pass through them at some point after saying goodbye)

Then there are those other people. The people you say goodbye to but you both know it really isn't a goodbye. Saying goodbye is just easier and less awkward to say than "Hey, I'll see you in a couple years because I know we'll still be friends and I'm pretty sure you still have a pretty important role to play in my life." But then again maybe I should say that, I'm sure it would make them feel nice to know that. All the same though, saying goodbye is never easy, especially because of the fact that I won't be seeing anyone for two whole years. It's weird because two years can sound like it's not that long, but at the same time it sounds so incredibly long. I mean two years ago I had just turned 17 and was feeling pretty cool because I no longer had an 11 o'clock curfew. The thing is though, it doesn't matter if those two years seem short or long, my true friends are going to be there when I get back. At times during this summer I've put too much thought into my plan for when I get back to school. Of course it is good for me to have a plan, which I do, but I think I was just a bit wary about all the unknowns that are still lying ahead. But then I think about those people and the fact that I have them around, and immediately any concerns go right out the window. Even people who I won't be around, such as Clayton or Mikey. I guess the main point I'm trying to make is that I'm thankful for the people who have come into my life, because it's those people that help me make it through just about anything. And I haven't even mentioned my parents because they are just way to stinking awesome for this blog post ;) All in all, I'm so excited to serve a mission for two years, and so excited to be reunited with everyone when the time comes. But with that said I can honestly say I have no plans to rush through anything, and I'm very okay with an open book ahead of me. I have everything I need to make it through, and I'm so incredibly thankful for that. So basically if you read this entire post you're probably one of those awesome people, and if not well, stop stalking me. Or just send me a package full of good stuff. Or a letter. Or a postcard. Or whatever. Because pretty much anything with a hint of home will probably be a really big boost to my day. Cause Africa is a stinking far away place from home. And the funny thing is that when I say home I don't just mean Louisiana, I mean all of freaking America. And that's a really big place. This has gone on much too long. I tend to ramble on when it comes to any kind of goodbye. But this isn't goodbye... right?

P.S. this post turned serious. Don't worry, my mind still pretty much works like this:

Called To Serve

So umm. I know I got my mission call and stuff like 2 months ago, so I probably should have done a whole post about it when it happened, but everyone kind of beat me to the punch and I figured that in today's world with all the ridiculous technology, anyone could find out what happened pretty easily pretty much seconds after it happened. So basically if you want to know the gist of what I would say anyway you can read my aunt's blog or my family's blog (Thanks for making up for my laziness). However, what their blogs or any people can't perfectly describe or show you is exactly what went down when I opened it. So yes, here is the video that I have been holding hostage.





Yes I know my face looked ridiculous.

Attention

Well here is a very quick and brief update of the past month or so, as well as random videos I never posted. Yeehaw.

So around the end of January all of my roommates, yes, ALL six of us decided we wanted to make a crazy awesome insane blanket fort in our kitchen. This is what happened:

So that sucked. If you want a picture play by play of pretty much exactly what happened (I would recommend reading for the full effect) check out my buddy Carson's blog by clicking here.

Next up is a random blizzard that decided to hit us one fine January morning. Enjoy:

Next is a fun little timelapse of Carson and Brenton sleeping... right?

So anyway, after finding those videos I can say a little about what has been going on recently, Big Black came down this weekend from BYU-I (or Mikey, Mike, or Michael, as he is more formerly known) and

we just had a good ole time. Part of this fun time was watching lots of BYU basketball, and seeing Jimmer score 52 points. Amazing. We had quite more people over than we could comfortably fit in front of our TV, so we decided to make some stadium seats

Pretty cool right?

So over the past two weeks or so I've been in crunch time mode for finishing my Media Arts Application before it is due tomorrow on the 14th, and I FINALLY FINISHED. It took forever and it was a huge hassle but I finally got it done, minus one signature I should be getting tomorrow morning. This is what it looks like:

Now after I turn in my application I have to pick a time to have a short interview with 3 of the members of the Media Arts program. I only have to answer two questions, but those two questions could be whether I make it or not. Pretty intense. They say that only about half of the people who apply actually get in, so I have absolutely no idea what is going to happen. After the interview I simply wait for the email telling me my fate. And I usually don't ask for things like this but this is a really, really big deal to me so if any of you out there want to pray for me, I certainly wouldn't mind it. If you want to see the video I used for my application you can look back through my blog and find the video called Searching. Or if you're one of those people who like to do things the easiest way possible, just play the video below.

That is all.

Except I just wanted to tell Jessica Graff that you can come back to Provo now. I kind of miss you. Kthanks.

All The Days

Alright well, I have some time so back to the 60 day challenge

DAY 3

A picture of the cast from your favorite show.

Modern Family

This show is just way too fantastic and funny and awesome to not be my favorite show. It also helps that Claire and Phil remind me of my own parents. So that's always fun to compare

And although Modern Family is my favorite show, I still felt the need to mention my two close seconds:

The Office

This had been my favorite show for a very long time. And it has a very special place in my heart. How cute.

 

One Tree Hill

I had never watched this show until I came out to college. I always thought it was just a bunch of whiney teenagers who had ridiculous drama, but it turns out I was wrong. Okay well there is some pretty ridiculous stuff that happens, but it is all very entertaining.

DAY 4

A picture of your night.

Studying and homework. Pretty romantic.

Better Together

Okay so this isn't part of that challenge thing, but instead here is how I spent my Valentine's Day this year.

So basically there's this girl that's pretty amazing, and her name is Jessica Graff. And for whatever reason she puts up with me and was the best Valentine I could ask for. So here is a review of our night!

I got her some pink tulips which stressed me out like you wouldn't believe. But it all worked out in the end.

Then I made dinner for us: creamy chicken casserole, green beans, Rhodes rolls, and Martinelli's

Yes, the creamery ran out of the big bottles so I got a tiny 6 pack. Which we drank straight from the bottle. Because we're super classy.

After dinner Jessica gave me my Valentine's gift which consisted of all kinds of things I love: a mix CD, pictures of us, plenty of candy, an almighty pack of Oreos, the creamery's magical mint brownies, and lots of other little thoughtful gifts.

Then to conclude the night, we watched The Notebook, which I will never ever admit to liking.

okay I like it.

So basically it was a very successful night full of getting fat and watching a cliche romance movie. But best of all I got to spend it with my favorite girl in the world. So that's the important thing right? I hope everyone else had a fantastic Valentine's Day with their girlfriend, boyfriend, best friend, family, themselves or cats.

and that they ate a lot of chocolate. 

That is all.

Better Is One Day

So Jessica and Kaitlin have been doing this thing called the "60 day challenge" and well, since I never feel very inclined to blog, maybe this will make me care a little bit more. And I'll probably just end up stealing Kaitlin's idea of just doing a few of them at a time and not everyday. So anyway, here we go.

DAY 1

A picture of yourself with 15 facts

1. I love sushi
2. I'm obsessed with soccer
3. I can raise one eyebrow
4. I think music is medicine for your emotions
5. I'm awkward
6. I have the best girlfriend ever
7. I try really hard not to judge things because of what society judges them (ex. He Is We)
8. I am attempting to get into the BYU film program
9. Contrary to popular belief, I do not curl my hair every morning
10. I could eat Oreos everyday 
11. I hate my Biology class
12. I play intramural soccer at BYU
13. I miss high school soccer more than I probably should
14. I'm starting my mission papers this week
15. I have an absolutely amazing family

DAY 2
A picture of you and the person you have been close with for the longest.

Michael Nielsen

 

Well what can I say? He's been my "big brother" since we were four. And we've had plenty of good times inbetween now and then. You don't just call anyone Big Black you know.

Won't Stop

A few days ago in my Book of Mormon class we watched this video and I absolutely loved it. I hope that anyone who watches it does too:

Age Six Racer

Bringing my Nintendo 64 to college was a brilliant idea. My roommate Jacob supplied the fourth controller and tonight we went crazy.

But I still came out on top ;)

Also, in other news,

I GET TO PLAY INTRAMURAL SOCCER AGAIN!!!

This may not seem exciting to anyone because I already told everyone that I was going to be playing, but what ended up happening is that when we went to sign up for this semester, the teams were all filled up already. We were put on the waiting list so I asked Breeann to talk to everyone she knew to see if I could get a spot on their team, but to no avail. But finally, today we were told a spot opened up and we have our first game tomorrow! And well,

I'M REALLY EXCITED!!!!!!

that is all.