Kan Jam

My FHE group here at BYU has introduced me to a new picnic game and I'm hooked! It's called Kan Jam. Never heard of it? Watch the video below for a good description of how it all works. My roommates and I are pretty much pros now.

Spontaneity

So, I was getting tired of having nothing to do on the weekends and decided that it'd be fun to go on a hike with some of the ward members. I decided that on Sunday the 24th. That night, I got a few ideas from other members of the ward and spontaneously invited the whole ward to come hiking with us early in the morning the next day which was a holiday. It was really last second so I wasn't expecting many people to show up, but the next morning at 6:30 am 17 friends met up in the parking lot of our apartments and we headed out to hike up to Stewart Falls. It was a great success. Here are some photos of our adventures:

Coffey Family Reunion 2011/Summer Vacation

The Coffey Family Reunion - Park City, UT

(Try to be the first to find Nemo in these pictures. When you do, comment on this post saying where you found him)

The Coffey Family Reunion of 2011 was held in Park City, Utah. In attendance were Grandma and all five of her children, their spouses and many of her grandchildren and even a few great-grand children.

We all stayed in this Lodge and a Bunkhouse in back.

This is the view from the Lodge. The picture's a little whited out, but you get the picture.

We gathered together as a family for family time, to share our talents, and to hear of the legacy of our ancestors. In this picture, Grandma stands at the top of the stairs and speaks to all her many children.

Everyone helped to prepare the meals by taking turns cooking and preparing and cleaning up.

My Aunt and Uncle, a couple cousins and I all went hiking up to the top of Bald Mountain. It was a long hike all the way around the backside of the mountain to get to the top, but we had some pretty sweet views.

The Rellafords at the summit

The view overlooking Jordanelle Reservoir

We took the easy way down the mountain on the ski lifts. What a blast!

My family and I went to visit Temple Square in Salt Lake City.

Visiting the Tabernacle is always fun.

Visiting Katie and Chris - Rexburg, ID

"The Three Littles" - Katie, Kristi and I on BYU-I Campus

Chris, Kristi and I having some quality family bonding time.

The Rexburg Temple, just a few blocks from my sister's apartment.

So, we were about 98% of the way to the Ice Caves when Chris and Katie's car gave up. We turned around and headed back in fear of the worst, but everything was okay.

Visiting Melissa and Wayne and family - Scobey, MT

Ok, so we forgot to take pictures in Scobey. We were just having way too much fun fixing up my sister's house and playing with my nieces and nephews.

Visiting with family and Megan Rehm - St. Louis, MO

Megan and I toured St. Louis and had a blast!

This is us at the top of the St. Louis Arch making silly faces.

We also went up to Nauvoo with my family. We didn't get that many pictures. Surely this is due to all the fun we were having.

All in all, it was a wonderful two-week vacation with family and friends.

Y-Mountain

So, around 6:00 pm on Thursday I was looking in my fridge trying to find something good to eat. This has sadly become a habit when I am bored. Then, all of a sudden, I had a crazy thought. Why don't I climb Y-Mountain. And so I did just that. I invited one of my roommates, but the book he was reading was far more interesting than my quest. So, here's me at the start of my journey with Y-mountain directly behind me. I started my journey at 6:30 pm and thought I'd have plenty of time. I was actually making better time than I thought I would at first. It only took me a half an hour to get to the trail head from my apartment and then another half hour to get to the top of the "Y". I did stop a few times to look at bugs, birds, wildflowers and rocks. I tried not to lollygag too much. I knew it'd be a race to get back before it got too dark. Here are some pix from my adventures along the way through the woods and meadows.
This is a bouquet of all the wildflowers from the top of the "Y" to the top of Y-Mountain. I never counted, but there were probably thirty different species. Cool huh?
I got to the summit at 9:00 pm, just in time for the beautiful sunset and gorgeous view of the valley. I'm probably making this face as a result of the combination of extreme exhaustion mixed with the bright flash.

My way back was a little darker than I had anticipated, so I made good use of the flash light I brought along. And to keep my mind occupied on the long journey I sang hymns and when it got dark, I told myself a scary story. I definitely should have brought a friend with me. I made it back to the to of the "Y" by 10 and to the trail head twenty minutes later.
When I got back at a little before 11:00 pm, I looked down at my sore, sore legs and found a little hitch hiking critter. Check out this pic. As if hairy legs aren't gross enough, check out that tick!
No worries. Searing hot tweezers worked really well. There's my roommate in the back ground still reading his book. Told you it was far more interesting.

Utah Lake

So, my roommate and I were kinda bored this today and wanted something fun to do, but couldn't really think of anything. Then my roommate, David, suggested swimming. That really sounded good to me, but where? We landed on the least likely place: Utah Lake. We looked it up on Google Earth and it was only 5.17 miles away from our apartment. None of have a car, you see. So we would have to walk. Then we were invited to go to a game of Ultimate Frisbee which we could hit on our way back. Well, we were bored enough that we decided to undertake such a journey. We invited another roommate and he gladly accepted to do anything that would get him out of the apartment.

So, we packed up my backpack and headed west! It was a lot longer than I thought it'd be. We passed lots of apartments, and then houses and then a free way and then more houses and then come commercial area and then some farms. I brought my kite and flew it as we walked down this long, long, country road. Here's a picture of us by some cows we saw along the way.

David and Jacob

Me and the cows

Within...lots of time...we were finally there. And it was flooded! There was water covering everything. When we finally found the little island of sand that was all that remained of the "beach", we put our stuff down and hopped in the cold, dirty water. It was really dirty. Gross.

Then, being boys, we started exploring. We found an old wooden pallet with some logs underneath. It looked like someone had tried to make a raft and failed. So we thought we might do just that. The failing part was inevitable. So, we went around collecting all the drift wood we could find and put it under or through the pallet so that it'd be more buoyant. We were going to make a sail too, but that'd require some tools and nails. So, we decided to stick to the old-school gondola style. We found a long pole and used it to push out and set sail. I was named captain (probably because I was the lightest) and we set sail. I stood on top and pushed us along with the stick while my roommates swam alongside.

We went out pretty far, but...alas...the current and waves got the best of us. We were forced to wash up along some rocks and swim back to the beach. Very fun, but very tiring. I only fell of the raft once! Grooooose water. bleh!

Then we began our long walk home. That's a lot of time to get to know some roommates. We stopped at a Subway on the way back and were way too late for that Ultimate Frisbee game so we just came straight home. Now I'm soooo tired so, I'm going to take a shower, finish preparing my lesson for tomorrow's Sunday School and get to bed.

Stewart Falls Hike

A friend and I went on a fun hike today up in Aspen Grove. We hiked up from the Mt. Timpanogos trail head to Stewart Falls. It was a beautiful day with amazing scenic views of the mountainsides.

We were surprised to find snow despite how warm it was. When we got to the falls themselves we had fun exploring ice caves in a smallish glacier that was being carved away by the river of water from the falls.

In this picture below I'm at the mouth of the cave at the bottom of the picture above, but I just had to go all the way in. This little stream meets up with the bigger river from the main falls in just about fifty feet.

Sorry there's no audio again. The microphone on my camera is messed up. Basically, you'd hear rushing water, Megan say hi, and me explaining just how cool this is.

For how cold it looks, it was actually quite warm. The freezing cold spray from the water was fun to walk through.

Then we climbed up the debris-strewn glacier a bit to get a better view and we saw more of the water carving away the ice.

What goes up, must come down. So we had fun sliding down the glacier using some of the debris as make-shift sleds. It was a lot of fun. I'd recommend it. It's called Stewart Falls. It's a little hard to find the right trail, but just ask around and you'll find it...that's what we did.

The Holzgraf Genealogy Project

Introducing the Holzgraf Genealogy Project!!! So, my Mom gave me charge of doing some genealogy work on her side of the family. For some strange reason I feel a strong desire to do tons of research. So, I've been checking out the basics, trying to see if anyone has done anything and it looks like my Mom has probably done more genealogy on the Holzgraf line than anyone. I can't seem to find any genealogy or family history books for the Holzgraf family. But my research continues. As a part of that research, I thought I might put a little something something on my blog for anyone else who may be interested in the Holzgraf family genealogy. So, check out the tap at the top of this blog:

Should you have any more names or info to add to the list, please comment on this post or e-mail me. I will be making lots of changes and updates in the near future so look for more soon!

8-Generation Circle Chart

For those of you who are somewhat interested in genealogy or who have felt the guilt of never really having tried to do any genealogy, check this out. This is a picture of my 8-generation family tree.

I made this circle chart on Word Document. It took me forever, but it's free!!! I've got my name printed in the middle there, but If anybody wants, I can swap my name for yours and send you a copy of your very own 8-generation circle chart. Just leave a comment on this post and I'll send one your way. You'd have to fill in the rest, but it's pretty cool to be able to see 8 generations at a glance. It makes you feel special.

Foxtrot Dance Test

Today was my first ever dance test. I love this class! It is so much fun. It's hard work, but I'm getting a lot better. We're simultanously working on the Foxtrot, Cha Cha, and the Waltz so I have a bajillion steps floating around my head. Here's a video of my first test. Sorry the audio doesn't work. My camera's microphone doesn't work. Just imagine you're listening to Frank Senatra's "Just the Way you Look Tonight".

I Got the Job!!!

A few weeks ago, I had a strange impulse to begin applying for a job on campus. I started by revamping my cover letter and resume and took a few office skills tests on campus. Before I knew it, I had applied to about eight different secretarial-like jobs on campus in locations varying from the Life Science Department to the BYU Independent Study program. I had only interviewed for one other job when I got the e-mail saying I had been accepted to the Business Career Center in the Tanner Building on campus. This is a pretty big deal because, even though I'm not going into Business, the Marriott School of Business is one of the best Business Schools in the Nation! I am so thrilled!

I must admit that, because I had applied to so many jobs, I really didn't know what the job description was for this job. It turns out that I've been hired as a Recruiter Coordinator. I'll have a desk not quite as grand as the one pictured above, but it's just down that hallway on the right. I'll basically be doing quite a bit of secretarial work as well as coordinating visits from recruiters and scheduling events and what not. I really don't know all that the job will in-tale, but $9.00/hr. makes me happy. Now I can pay tithing again!!!

Dear Mom,

I'll love you forever,

I'll like you for always.

For all of eternity,

My Mother you'll be.

~Your son

I Made this for You!

So, my roommates and I tried some hot kool-aid for the first time today. Then another guy from the ward walked in and we offered him a glass. He had obviously not seen this Julian Smith video. So, here's to all those who went "huh?" when I mentioned hot kool-aid.

Saying Goodbye

We met, it seems, such a short time ago

You looked at me - needing me so

Yet from your sadness

Our happiness grew

And I found out I needed you too

I remember how we used to play

I recall those rainy days

The fire's glow

That kept us warm

And now I find - we're both alone

Goodbye may seem forever

Farewell is like the end

But in my heart is a memory

And there you'll always be

:,-(

Yes, it is true. I have finally said goodbye to the memory that is facebook. We had a good long run, but it turns out we just weren't right for each other. I'm sure this decision is the best for the two of us. Let it be known that I have no possible way of logging back onto my facebook page. I locked myself out. It was actually a lot harder than it may seem. You see, I started with the basics of changing my password to some random combination of capital and lower case numbers with a few numbers mixed in there as well, but then I realized that I can easily recover this "forgotten" password by having it sent to my e-mail address. We wouldn't want that now, would we? No.

So, I was forced to set up another e-mail account with Google with a random address I can't remember and a random password which is another random combination of letters and numbers which is likewise not remembered by me. Now if I ask for the password to be sent to my e-mail address, it won't even recognize my e-mail. I'm gone! I'm invisible!...yeah. Now I can't get onto my facebook. It's impossible. So, send me some updates from the facebook world now and again. Seriously, comment on this post and let me know what people are saying about my absence. Or have they even noticed at all...?

...Wait a second, what do I do with all this time?...

Dance Baby Dace!!!

I'm a dancer!!! I've decided I'm fed up with stepping on toes and having the girl always take lead at stake dances. So, I'm taking a social dance class at BYU! Me...a dancer! Haha! I love it.

So, I've only been to class twice so far, but I already have a good deal of the fox trot down. I can do the basic, the left rock turn, the promenade walk, the swing step and the quarter turn. It's pretty intense, I know. Basically I'm a professional now, but I'll save my performance till the end of the semester. I'm a Dancer!!!

Thoughts on Easter

Easter is a wonderful time of year where we hard boil and color chicken eggs and send the kids out on a long scavenger hunt. It's a time for family to get together. It's a time for a large meal followed by an equally large nap. But most of all, Easter is a time to remember the savior and celebrate His atonement for us. This is my most favorite Easter talk of all time. Hope you enjoy this wonderful Easter message and may you have a Happy Easter season!

3-D Family Tree

So, I had this thought the other day as I was admiring all the beautiful trees here in Provo whose leaves are just beginning to bud. I thought how cool it'd be to have a family tree! I don't mean like the pedigree charts, but a real tree that has just as many branches on it as there are people in your family. I drew up a few sketches and then went to work, but I don't really have much to work with so I used post-it notes and tape. Here's a picture of my masterpiece. It's my family!

The trunk of the tree is my grandpa, Marvin Dale Coffey. Each one of the five main branches are one of his children. The third one from the bottom is my dad. It branches out to the left of the tree in this picture. Then there are nine branches on that branch and a few more branches on a few of those branches. It's four generations. Me, Grandpa, Dad, Aunts and Uncles, Cousins, Nieces and Nephews. One big happy family. My roommates think I'm crazy. I won't ask for your opinion, although you can comment on this if you want.