UPDATE

Here is the link to our new blog: http://lindstewfoodies.blogspot.com/

This blog is now DEAD--don't follow it anymore--follow our foodie blog.

Stew

Married = Time for New Blog

Just to let everybody know...I got married last month. That means it's time to have a married person blog. We'll post the new blog address here soon. Stay tuned.

While you wait--check out a few photos of us!

The photo above reminds me of a Princess Diana/Prince Charles wedding photo! I married a princess! This is my favorite photo!


The above photo is my 2nd favorite photo!

First Update of 2009

Sorry if this next blog entry seems kind of random...that's because it is...in thought and organization. Enjoy!



Tangerines?

So a couple of weeks ago I went to the grocery store to purchase some food (like most people). When I passed the produce section, I decided that I wanted to buy some oranges. So as I began looking around the produce section, I quickly found some but was amazed at what I saw. The oranges were MUTATED (bhum, bhum, BHUM). Yes that’s right…I said mutated. They all had these huge lumps on them. I thought that was strange! The next few moments in the produce section are kind of a blur to me because there were so many people around me and so many people wanted these oranges. So as I stood there trying to make sense of this mutated orange, I saw another gentleman grabbing some and putting them in a bag. I (thinking I was being funny and witty) turned to the gentleman (mind you—he was a complete stranger to me) and said with confidence, “it looks like the oranges are mutating!” He quickly looked up at me and smiled…then looked down at the sign (which was in his view but not mine) and said, “Yeah….that’s because they’re tan-ger-ines!” He then turned around and walked away…and that was the end of the conversation with him. I, on the other hand, felt completely humiliated because I couldn’t tell the difference between an orange and a tangerine. I grabbed what “tangerines” I had and put them in my basket, did some more shopping, and then went back to the produce section to drop off the “mutated oranges” to pick up “regular oranges”. But one question still remains—why the freak do tangerines have lumps on them?!?!?!?!!!

St. George with Lindsey

So on MLK weekend, I took Lindsey down to visit my family in St. George. My main purpose in going down was so that Lindsey and my parents could meet each other. My parents took us out to eat at Olive Garden and we had a good time chatting with them. We even had a really funny moment in the car. My parents were sitting in the backseat and Linds and I ran inside the restaurant to see how long the wait was. When we got back into the car my parents were laughing. I asked them what was so funny…to which my Dad replied… “I told your Mom that, since we were all alone in the backseat, we should make out!” Lindsey and I laughed real hard! It was a great ice breaker! (Thanks Dad) It was a fun weekend and we had fun staying with Ray and Jen (thanks you guys). Lindsey and I had such a great time playing with my nieces!! See the pics!

Dinner with two of my nine siblings, their wives, and some nephews and nieces at Red Robin. That was fun...and we had the best waiter!


Lindsey and I climbing on the rocks around the "Dixie" in St. George.


My brother Ray and I eating pie shortly after midnight! There's nothing like a midnight snack!


I love my little niece Paisley. She is so cute and I had fun playing and cuddling with her all weekend!


Ray's little girls LOVED jumping on the trampoline with Lindsey!


Lindsey and I looking out over the city of St. George, Utah. Such a quaint, little town.


New Years

On New Years Eve, Lindsey and I both had to work until 6pm. After we got off work, we headed up to Salt Lake for the entire capitol-city festivities. Since Lindsey has never ridden on UTA Trax, we decided to park my car in Sandy and take that into downtown Salt Lake. Plus, we wanted to avoid traffic and parking issues downtown. I very much enjoyed our ride up to SLC on Trax. It was nice to be able to talk rather than worrying about traffic. (I am very much a fan of public transportation). When we got off at Temple Square/Main Street, we ran into the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. We were trying to make it on time to see the Wasatch District and Pipe Band play in the lobby (they happen to be my favorite Utah Scottish pipe band). We made it just in time! I think Lindsey enjoyed it. I feel so prideful when I see my heritage in action...and I want to share it with everybody. Frequently, during their performance, I got chills up and down my spine. After that was over, we got back on Trax and headed to the Gateway for dinner. We decided to eat at the California Pizza Kitchen. When we got inside we noticed a pretty long line. Since we were only TWO PEOPLE, we got seated immediately (except we were seated near the door and it was cold because of the draft). After dinner, we got back on Trax and headed for the Assembly Hall on Temple Square. When we got inside we watched a Polynesian dancing group and then we watched the first half of Jon Schmidt's piano performance. I was very impressed with Jon. That was the first time I had ever seen him play in person. What a talented guy! After that, Lindsey and I walked down to the Gallivan Center and waited for the fireworks to go off at midnight! As soon as the fireworks finished, all of the crowds (including Lindsey and myself) headed for Trax. Somehow Lindsey and I were able to squish on to a train. By the time we got home to Provo, it was around 2 a.m. That’s how we brought in the New Year! Adios 2008 y bienvenidos a 2009!!

Goodbye to McKay

On New Year’s Eve afternoon, my nephew McKay Braithwaite entered the Missionary Training Center in Provo, UT. He was called to serve in the Texas Houston East Mission, English speaking. I found it to be a very purifying experience to be in the MTC once again! I have so many great memories and experiences from my time there. I am absolutely thrilled for McKay and for the experiences he will now have that come from missionary service. My heart is very close to missionary work and it will always be a tender spot. Good luck McKay!

Christmas 2008

Christmas was really low-key. I spent Tuesday thru Saturday in St. George at my parent’s home. When I arrived in St. George my parents and I went out to eat at a nice restaurant for some “western cooking!” Afterwards, we went shopping to a few places and then headed home. Well, apparently the weather was a bit too much for my parents. They both ended up getting the flu! So…pretty much the entire Christmas holiday was quite sad because my parents felt so horrible. I felt bad for them. It took them almost a week to recover from it. On Christmas Eve, a bunch of us went bowling! That was a lot of fun. Addi and Kailee even got strikes!!

Awkward picture of me after finishing my turn...notice there are no pins...that's because I rock at bowling!


Good picture of McKay and Graydon (my nephews) at the bowling alley on Christmas Eve.


My sister-in-law, Jen likes to start her children bowling at a young age. Go Paisley!

Ties: What to do with them??

Well…many of you have been e-mailing me and telling me that I missed my "monthly" update. So here is a little snapshot of what I have been up to lately. Over the years, I have slowly collected a wide variety of neckties. Some I have had since I was a teenager, others have come from past mission companions who wanted to "swap" me for one of their own. I have received ties for many birthdays and Christmas presents. Roommates have given me ties…others I have stolen from them (sorry Zach, Reid, Brett, Brandon, Dad, Ray, & anybody else I have forgotten). I didn't intend on stealing them…I just borrowed them so frequently that I slowly inherited them. Don't hate me. ;) I did buy 10+ ties on my mission in Ecuador from this Chinese store (figure that one out…a Chinese man doing business in Ecuador).

So…since many facets of my life require me to "dress" up…I have acquired many neckties. Ever since I was a teenager I have hung them on a hanger in my closet. That is alright when you have 2-5 ties…but when you get more it becomes more difficult to "steady" them on the hanger and prevent them from falling off. Well…the other day when I was getting ready for work and searching my closet frantically for my orange/grey tie (you can see it in the pic above) I decided that it was high time that I take control of my tie situation and remedy it. I have been searching Wal-Mart, Target, JC Penney, Dillard's, Home Depot, and a whole host of other random stores and have not been able to find an "official" tie hanger. My father owns a really nice tie hanger that I have secretly coveted my whole life (and more so since my mission). I have never seen another one quite like the design he has. His looks something similar to this one…but his is still much better.

Any ways…as you can see in the picture of my closet…I have remedied the situation. I kind of like my tie rack attached to the wall (as opposed to the hanger). I hope to enjoy my future dressing life filled with much organization in my closet…and take care of my neckties at the same time!

PS—For the record, I LOVE getting new/used/unwanted ties for birthdays, Christmas, & random gifts. I never grow tired of them!

Fall Update!

Well so much has happened over the past two months that I have decided to take time to write it all out. These are not in chronological order.

First—General Conference! Wow! I feel so blessed to participate in General Conference. My friend JR invited me to attend the first session of GC in Salt Lake with him and his cousin! He came over to my apartment around 1:30am the day of…and I gladly accepted. It's a personal rule of mine—to never turn down the opportunity to listen to an apostle speak in person. I was there when President Monson announced all of the new temples that are going to be constructed. It was absolutely hilarious to hear the congregation "ooo" and "ahh" when he announced the Rome, Italy temple! I really connected with the following talks—Sister Allred's talk about missionary work; Elder Oaks' talk about Sacrament Meeting and the Sacrament; President Uchtdorf's talk about hope; Elder Holland's talk about earthly angels ministering today; Elder Bednar's talk about how the saints are to "pray always"; President Uchtdorf's Priesthood Session talk about the men moving the piano from the sacrament meeting hall to the back of the chapel—"Brethren, stand close together and lift where you stand!"; President Eyring's Priesthood Session talk about the more faithful service you give, the more the Lord asks of you; President Monson's Priesthood Session talk where he invited all Latter-day Saints to be "prudent in their planning, to be conservative in their living, and to avoid excessive or unnecessary debt"; Elder Nelson's talk about celestial marriage (Go Prop 8). Don't get me wrong…they were all excellent talks…but these were the ones that touched me MOST!

Second—my ward (BYU 241^st Ward) got a new bishopric this past Sunday. I kind of knew it would happen…but I did not think it would happen this soon. My former bishop had to be released because he was starting up his law firm in Idaho and Nevada again. It was forcing him to be gone from Utah 6 out of the 7 days a week, returning only on Sunday to fulfill his calling. Bishop Stewart has been such a great example in my life. He has left an indelible mark in my life. I will miss him at our ward—but I look forward to serving with my new bishop.

Third—Last week I went to St. George to visit my parents (and other family members)! It proved to be quite a visit for me…mainly because I was completely relaxed during my visit. When I arrived at my parent's home, Ray and his girls were there. It was so much fun to play with them. The whole morning, Mom was making homemade chicken noodle soup! When we eventually sat down to eat lunch, we were not eating soup…but a sandwich! I was kind of sad because I wanted some of that soup! Well, after a little coaxing…Mom served us all some soup! It was good! Later on that day, my Mom and I went to visit a lady at the hospital. This lady I had previously known from my parent's ward. She is currently in the hospital dying of cancer. When I walked into the hospital room, her eyebrows immediately lifted up and she said, "STEWART!" I gave her a hug and we chatted for a moment. After a few minutes of talking to her…we noticed that her medicine was kicking in…she was becoming a little delirious. When we said our goodbyes…she said, "Have a good year!" When Mom and I got into the hallway…we had a good laugh. After the hospital, we went back to the house to prepare dinner. My Mom had invited her friend over to eat with us. After dinner, Don, Rae, Belle, Ray (& his kids), Christian, McKay, and my parents ALL watched the BYU lose to TCU! What a horrible game! Enough said…it pains me to talk about it! On Friday, I had the opportunity to interview my father for family history for the sixth time (by the time I am done—we will have a total of nine interviews—each covering a different aspect of his life). This project, of interviewing my Dad about his life history, has proved to be one of the MOST rewarding things I have EVER done in my entire life. I have noticed over the past 18 months that my Dad and I are a lot closer than ever before. I feel like I have been able to learn something of his successes and failures. Each interview is unique! I love my Dad! Later on that evening I went to Ray & Jen's house. We all went to Stahle Farms and played on all of the farm equipment. After we came home from the farm, Ray and I went to Harmons to get a late night snack. While walking around the store, we decided that we wanted to grill some steaks on Ray's BBQer. It was soo good! Ray sure knows how to make a tasty steak! While the steaks were cooking, Ray, Jen, and I were standing outside chatting about everything! FOR ME—that was such a fun night! There is nothing in the world like FAMILY! I sure love hanging out with Ray and Jen and their family! I feel so at home and loved by them.

Fourth—Halloween is coming! I need a costume idea! Let me know if you have a good idea for me! I have to dress up at work on Halloween…but I cannot have a mask (as I work in a bank). I was thinking about being Frankenstein…but am running into the problem of how I am going to attach bolts to my neck or face. Any suggestions?? I would much rather do an easier costume…so if you have any ideas…please pass them along to me!

Fifth—I recently celebrated my 26^th birthday! It was a fun day…low key. I woke up and went to a service project in the morning. Then went to lunch with some friends at Tucanos Brazilian Grill in the afternoon. Then in the evening I went with a whole host of friends to Thanksgiving Point's Cornbelly's Cornmaze! It was fun!

Sixth—So I was nominated by my manager for Zions Bank's Star Employee program a few weeks ago and just found out today that I won! This program is designed to supposedly showcase "exceptional employees" doing "exceptional things" for the bank. While I do NOT believe I did anything "exceptional" in my line of work—I was recognized via a mass e-mail to the whole bancorporation. My work e-mail today has been flooded with friends in other areas of the bank congratulating me. While it has been nice to receive such kind words from my co-workers…the best part is receiving a $100 bonus for simply doing what I was hired to do! Thanks be NOT TO ME, but to Zions Bank!

Seventh—So on my way to school this morning I got my fourth speeding ticket in the great city of Provo. That's right…I have now received four speeding tickets on the streets of Provo! Of those four tickets, I have been offered traffic school three times. I always learn something new in those classes about driving, road rules, and not to mention some funny jokes from the instructor. I am very much looking forward to another informative session at Provo's traffic school.

Eighth—Today in my New Venture Financing class we had a guest speaker (actually two—they were a husband and wife). The reason my teacher asked them to come in and speak to us is because they successfully started their own business eight years ago. As this couple spoke, they told our class of the many struggles, trials, and lessons learned. They also shared their advice for all of the "aspiring entrepreneurs" in the room. (For the record, I have no interest in starting my own business). The overall message I gleaned from them was the following: go to business school and you will be more prepared to manage a business. I thought that was very interesting. The wife had received her associates' degree from Snow College and that was the extent of her higher education. Her husband, on the other hand, has only had one semester of higher education. He told us that, at that time, he was not interested in going to school. He then said, "if I could do it all over again—I would go back to school and actually study and graduate." To illustrate why he said this—both he and his wife just recently learned what venture capital is and how to acquire alternate sources of financing. That is something taught in the first semester of any undergraduate business program. It took them EIGHT years to find out about it! I guess the reason this couple inspired me tonight is because many times I am TOO hard on myself in my school work. I am very grateful that I have had the opportunity to go to school (with relatively little debt acquired) and study the field of my choice. Learning is so important to me and I hope that I can use what knowledge I have acquired and bless my fellow men in any way possible (and hopefully make money).

So how's that for an update!?!?! Sorry it's so long…but I was on a roll writing this.

It's about time I write another posting....

Well--another month has come and gone and I'm still here doing what I do best: study and work! My school schedule this semester is the MOST flexible that I have ever had in my entire undergraduate career. I only have to go to campus on Monday and Wednesday, 2-8pm (with breaks in between each class). (For the record, I do NOT like evening classes!) Since my school schedule is a little bit more flexible, my manager at work seems to think that I should work full-time on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. It was ok the first two weeks of the semester...

Speaking of Zions Bank, today was our ground breaking ceremony for our new Zions Bank Financial Center that will be built on 200 North and University Ave in Provo, UT. Here is a link to a press release about it. (Click here) For those of you who do not know what downtown Provo looks like...there are about 4 banks in this area (ie-Wells Fargo, Central Bank, Key Bank, and Washington Mutual) and countless credit unions. With the new 8-story Zions Bank Financial Center...Provo is turning into a financial center of the state of Utah. We are excited about our new branch of Zions Bank and it will open up more jobs for boring people like me (hopefully).

Another thing that has been on my mind this whole weekend has been BYU football! I'm not going to recap everything that transpired this last Saturday because you can always go read it here (click here). However, I would like to note that I have been at every game (minus the Seattle game...but I watched it on TV)...and this last weekend my face got sunburned at the game. Yeah...that's right...ANOTHER sunburn for Stew! My face is super dark right now! I just always forget to put sunscreen on. Oh well...Saturday was S-W-E-E-T victory for me and for countless BYU fans!

Well...I have a few things that I need to do before I go to bed...so I will end now. However, I will write more later as I have so many things that I want to say about this historic day in the financial world. September 15th has made an impression on history! My thoughts coming soon!

Until next time!

My niece is married!

Here is my niece Lesley with her new husband, Jason Cox on their wedding day, Aug 15, 2008! Welcome to the family Jason!

Malin, Emmalee, and Lauren...all three are pretty close in age and are so cute!

My Mom with my niece Haley!

My parents at their first grandchild's wedding!

We had to get this picture...Ray and I pretty much grew up as Lesley's older brothers! Sure love you Magoo!

Jason & Lesley were married at the St. George Temple in Aug 15, 2008

Me not helping cleaning up after the reception. I was chillin' in the gazebo!

Cutting and eating the cake!

My entire immediate family...minus 10+ people! We are the Campbell kids!

My niece Paisley and I at the reception!

I caught my nieces scribbling in the guest book!!