Valedictorian

Guess who's the new Valedictorian for BYU's dance department? If you guessed Bradley, you are way off for many reasons. No, it's Holly! Congratulations to Holly for her hard work!

Reminiscence

Again, today I find myself with "extra time" or.... I got sick of studying, so I decided to do another post. Yesterday's post got me thinking about Egypt and all of the good times. There was one story in particular some of you know, others may not, that I thought would be good to share.

After the amazing two week trip to Egypt, I spent a day in D.C. with my sister Leslie before I flew back to Utah. My luggage included my backpacking pack that I used all throughout the trip, plus a small duffel bag where I placed the valuable treasures I bought in the famous Khan el Khalili Market. I had a Rababa for Holly (the first picture below: a string instrument, nice fit for Holly, I know) some Zatar spice divided into little baggies (second picture below: some merchant convinced us it was awesome) and a few other keep-sakes.



As I was going through security at Reagan Airport on my way back to Utah the next day, a TSA agent informed me, "Sir, I am going to inspect your bag." Since the Rababa was so long it was sticking out of the top of the bag. He told me, "Sir, there is a long metal rod through the shaft of this." I responded, "Ok......." He went on to explain that there might be some issue with that on the plane. As he continued to search my duffel bag he came across the bow that you use to play the instrument. He asked, "What is that? I explained it was the bow for the instrument but for some odd reason he was skeptical. I even started to play it in the middle of the airport to show him! After that he said, "Well, I'm going to have to show this to my supervisor" Again my response was, "Ok....." A minute or so he came back and said, "Well, since you don't have any arrows, you can take it on the plane." You can only imagine the picture that came to my mind of someone trying to take over a plane with a 6 inch bow and tiny arrows.....anyways.


After that lovely exchange of words he continued to go through my bag when he came to the little baggies of Zatar spice. He looked at the bags, then at me, then back at the bags. I quickly responded, "That isn't what you think it is."

The Things Brad Has Done So Far In His Life

A post! A post! A post! As many of you know, our blog probably doesn't even deserve the title of "blog." In order to remedy this, at least temporarily, I decided to do the post that Meg did awhile back. And who knows!!! maybe we'll be good at blogging all of the sudden.... right

Things I've Done So Far in My Life

1. STARTED YOUR OWN BLOG
2. SLEPT UNDER THE STARS
3. PLAYED IN A BAND- I'm with Megs, I AM COUNTING ROCK BAND!
4. VISITED HAWAII
5. WATCHED A METEOR SHOWER
6. GIVEN MORE THEN YOU CAN AFFORD TO CHARITY
7. BEEN TO DISNEYLAND
8. CLIMBED A MOUNTAIN
9. HELD A PRAYING MANTIS
10. SANG A SOLO
11. BUNGEE JUMPED
12. VISITED PARIS
13. WATCHED A LIGHTENING STORM AT THE SEA
14. TAUGHT YOURSELF AN ART FROM SCRATCH
15. ADOPTED A CHILD
16. HAD FOOD POISONING
17. WALKED TO THE TOP OF THE STATUE OF LIBERTY
18. GROWN YOUR OWN VEGETABLES
19. SEEN THE MONA LISA IN FRANCE
20. SLEPT ON A OVERNIGHT TRAIN Egypt baby!
21. HAD A PILLOW FIGHT
22. HITCH HIKED
23. TAKEN A SICK DAY WHEN YOU ARE NOT ILL
24. BUILT A SNOW FORT
25. HELD A LAMB
26. GONE SKINNY DIPPING
27. RUN A MARATHON
28. RIDDEN IN A GONDOLA IN VENICE
29. SEEN AN ECLIPSE
30. WATCHED A SUNRISE OR SUNSET
31. HIT A HOME ROME
32. BEEN ON A CRUISE - In May!!!
33. SEEN NIAGARA FALLS IN PERSON
34. VISITED THE BIRTHPLACE OF YOUR ANCESTORS Thanks to Dad
35. SEEN AN AMISH COMMUNITY
36. TAUGHT YOURSELF A NEW LANGUAGE With a little help :)
37. HAD ENOUGH MONEY TO BE SATISFIED - ?????
38. SEEN THE LEANING TOWER OF PISA IN PERSON
39. GONE ROCK CLIMBING
40. SEEN MICHELANGELO'S DAVID - Every time my brother Dave logs into gmail
41. SUNG KARAOKE
42. SEEN OLD FAITHFUL GEYSER ERUPT
43. BOUGHT A STRANGER A MEAL AT A RESTAURANT
44. VISITED AFRICA
45. WALKED ON A BEACH BY MOONLIGHT
46. BEEN TRANSPORTED IN AN AMBULANCE
47. HAD YOUR PORTRAIT PAINTED
48. GONE DEEP SEA FISHING
49. SEEN THE SISTINE CHAPEL IN PERSON
50. BEEN TO THE TOP OF THE EIFFEL TOWER IN PARIS
51. GONE SCUBA DIVING OR SNORKELING
52. KISSED IN THE RAIN
53. PLAYED IN THE MUD
54. GONE TO A DRIVE-IN MOVIE
55. BEEN IN A MOVIE
56. VISITED THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA
57. STARTED A BUSINESS
58. TAKEN A MARTIAL ARTS CLASS
59. VISITED RUSSIA
60. SERVED AT A SOUP KITCHEN
61. SOLD GIRL SCOUT COOKIES
62. GONE WHALE WATCHING
63. GOT FLOWERS FOR NO REASON - That's kind of a dumb one, there is always a reason
64. DONATED BLOOD OR PLASMA - Thanks to England I can't!
65. GONE SKYDIVING
66. VISITED A NAZI CONCENTRATION CAMP
67. BOUNCED A CHECK
68. FLOWN IN A HELICOPTER
69. SAVED A FAVORITE CHILDHOOD TOY It got thrown away, so it wasn't my fault
70. VISITED THE LINCOLN MEMORIAL
71. EATEN CAVIAR
72. PIECED A QUILT
73. STOOD IN TIMES SQUARE - Not that exciting
74. TOURED THE EVERGLADES - Lived there!
75. BEEN FIRED FROM A JOB
76. SEEN THE CHANGING OF THE GUARD AT LONDON
77. BROKEN A BONE
78. BEEN ON A SPEEDING MOTORCYCLE - My experience was just as .... intense
79. SEEN THE GRAND CANYON IN PERSON
80. PUBLISHED A BOOK
81. VISITED THE VATICAN
82. BOUGHT A BRAND NEW CAR
83. WALKED IN JERUSALEM
84. HAD YOUR PICTURE IN THE NEWSPAPER
85. READ THE ENTIRE BIBLE - If you take out Chronicles, yes
86. VISITED THE WHITE HOUSE
87. KILLED AND PREPARED AN ANIMAL FOR EATING
88. HAD CHICKENPOX
89. SAVED SOMEONE'S LIFE
90. SAT ON A JURY
91. MET SOMEONE FAMOUS
92. JOINED A BOOK CLUB
93. LOST A LOVED ONE
94. HAD A BABY
95. SEEN THE ALAMO IN PERSON
96. SWAN IN THE GREAT SALT LAKE
97. BEEN INVOLVED IN A LAW SUIT
98. OWNED A CELL PHONE
99. BEEN STUNG BY A BEE
100. MILKED A COW
101. NEVER HAD A CAVITY
102. HAD A DREAM COME TRUE
103. HAD SURGERY IN A HOSPITAL
104. DROVE A STICK SHIFT CAR
105. RODE A HORSE
105. RODE A CAMEL - Egypt!!
106. HIKED MT. SINAI
107. SEEN MONKEYS IN THE WILD
108. LOVED AND HATED A JOB AT THE SAME TIME
109. WENT TO A FAMOUS RESTAURANT
110. WENT ON A PIONEER TREK
111. SET THINGS ON FIRE JUST FOR FUN
112. HAD YOUR LUGGAGE INSPECTED BY A TSA AGENT
113. WENT TO A RESEARCH CONFERENCE
114. SWAM A MILE

To participate just copy and paste in your own blog, and bold all of the things you have done , AND add 5 of your own things to the list

Happy Halloween!!

For the past few years my family has had a little Halloween party for the kiddos. Something has always conflicted in the past but this year it worked out perfectly and Brad and I were excited experience the craziness. The kids were dressed up so cute, as I'm sure you will agree from the pictures. I always enjoy seeing the creativity that goes into the costumes. After the family party we went to our friend Elise Rasband's for a pirate mystery dinner which was a blast.

The DNA Dragon!!!

We won! I am part of the College of Life Sciences Student Council and for homecoming we made a float. Our awesome idea was to make a DNA dragon! Like a Chinese dragon float, but using a DNA stand. We spent a few hours working on it, including lots of sewing and lots of blowing up of balloons. And our hard-work paid off! We were awarded the Grand Marshall (the parade dignitary) for best overall entry... which was a nice surprise. Anyways, it was lots of fun and we got lots of cheers on the parade route (after people figured out what it was).

This is our 42' long DNA dragon.


This is the council after we found out that we won the award! Part of out float was that we all wore lab coats.


One of my friends, Sean, holding our trophy.


Us walking down the parade route. The people in front of us were also part of our entry. They were a couple that had twins through invitro. When they were in the very early stages of embryonic development, a blood vessel was delivering too much nutrients to one, and not enough to the other. And because of Medical research, they were able to go in, sever the blood vessel and save the babies! So it was very fitting for them to be part of it all.


That's us, I am fifth from the front. :)

Summer Activities!!

World of Dance!
Have you ever wondered what dancers do in their spare time?

Arches National Park
Taylor Family Reunion

Bradley, Cheyenne and BJ showing off their physical prowess

mothers and babes

More spandex!

Brad's internship buddies

My internship buddies

The Wind River backpacking adventure

Photographer's Point - what a view

Dance and the Child International Conference
my Native American hoop dancing class

Henry at his best :)

Brad's amazing birthday

lovely Gwen and little Evie

My dear friend Melissa Ward came to visit DC

Jeanette's Grandpa teaching me how to drive a sailboat on the Chesapeake Bay

Miss Curly Q Naomi

Emily (who is almost as tall as me)

Fun in the Sun!

I still crave this

The monuments at night - it doesn't get much better than this!

Goodness gracious! If ever there was a blog that needed to be updated it was ours. We have had so many incredible adventures this past summer. First and foremost we need to thank our dear family out east that took care of us during the summer. Especially the generous Droz family who let us camp out in their basement for two months. It was the highlight of the year and will always be one of our treasured memories.

Sorry the order is crazy! Hopefully the labels help you sort it all out.

A Tribute to Dave's Craziness

Most people know, or should know, that Dave has been staying with us this summer(save our D.C. excursion!). It has been awesome to have him at our home and we've enjoyed lately our late night watching of the Olympics. Sadly, our fun has come to an end as Dave has been called to Oregon to fight fires and he will be there until school starts. Today I was able to go to their practices...whatever they are called, before they head out. A warning to Mothers, if you have a fear of your sons jumping out of helicopters, brace yourself and perhaps close your eyes. :) Mother. This is our tribute to Dave. You are awesome. We love you and will miss you.
Bradley and Holly

P.S. I could only upload 100 MB of video, so this is only a fraction of the video I took with our new camcorder. Dave is the one on the left side of the helicopter (our right looking at the video). He is the one who speeds down, the first one... you can't miss him.

"We're goin' to broadway"

It is officially film time. After talking about it for so long it is strange that we are finally filming our Onward Alone project. It's crazy all of the things you think of in film really do happen, like the little guy with the "take five" thingy, the make-up artists dabbing your forehead when it gets shiny...I can even say that I've had my face airbrushed. Eventually the film will be shown on KBYU but I'm not sure when. They don't let us in on the important stuff we just sign our life away and dance when they say dance.

Maryland is #1.... for now

Hello everyone, the faithful followers of my internship quest (or even those who don't really know what is going on). I got into the University of Maryland!!! Now this internship pays the least amount, but honestly, I'm not doing this for the money, but of course the money is a plus. So, I have a good story to go with it... I have been checking my mail and e-mail religiously everyday this past week and I have been disappointed that I haven't received any notification from the other 5 internships. Holly being the mature one in the relationship said, "well, we need to go to the temple about it." We had actally planned on going to the temple this week because of ward temple night. We went last night, amazing of course, and I left feeling very peaceful. Then came this morning and being saturday, I wasn't expecting any notification about the internships, well, especially not in my e-mail, but I came to work, checked my mail and there it was! Very exciting. One of those nice little reminders that the Lord knows your needs and is aware. So I at least have one option. Love you all. I'll keep everyone updated on the blog, so everyone keep coming back!

Internship undate #2

I got an e-mail from the Huntsman Cancer Institute today and I regret to inform those who know what I am talking about that I didn't get in. They had 5 openings and to no avail. Well that is 2 down, 5 to go!

A well needed update.... pictureless... yet an update nonetheless

It is a great thing I have the family that I do, because without them we wouldn't have a page... I take that back, we would, but we wouldn't update it. So this is my response to the "requests" (yes, that is a nice word for it) for a new post. I will give an update for our wonderful lives here in Provo. To start out with, the beautiful Holly. Holly is dancing away of course in Dancer's Company. They recently returned from their tour to New Mexico and West Texas, (breathtaking scenery I know). They had a wonderful time, but poor Holly came back to drained that she quickly caught whatever I had and was sick for a few days. However, we are both well and energetic and excited for... well... we look forward to the weekends. They are getting ready for filming their project this summer. I (Bradley obviously) am truckin' along and trying to get past this semester. I have applied to 7 internships in cancer research, 3 in D.C, 2 in Indiana and 2 in Utah.... great locations if I might add. I heard back from John Hopkins.. didn't get it, but I have more up my sleeve! I was also awarded an ORCA research grant last month and Holly and I are planning exciting things with that money! Isn't it sweet? You get to keep the money all to yourself! So, in a brief nutshell, that is going on in our lives, or at least I as much as I can put into a post within 10 minutes before I have class.... oh... got to run!

Inspired by the Droz Page

We took a minute tonight to look at everyone's blog and I loved The Droz's elf dancing extravaganza and thought we should add to the fun!

Check out our sweet moves!
http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1270503020

Now this is just a preview of what is to come at Christmas. Two words: Green tights
http://www.scroogeyourself.com/?id=1270345554

On a Quiet Snow Covered Sunday Evening

A few of the "lunts of Blaine" have mentioned that we need to put more posts on our blog. We would be glad to do so, however, having pictures would probably be helpful. And since Holly and I don't have kids, or... we're not Leslie, we don't take many pictures. However, we thought this would be a nice addition.

As I sat in Sacrament meeting today I had an epiphany! (or I should say today was Fast Sunday and I was hungry). I told Holly that we should make bread bowls with clam chowder. I was very excited to tell Holly this and she nicely replied, "That's great, now let's think about Jesus." So after we got home we went on-line and found a recipe for bread bowls and the masterpiece below are the delicious results. Holly and I thought it would be a great idea to make it a Christmas tradition. Christmas Bread Bowls.


Holly and I sitting down to our well-thought out meal.


The Masterpiece. Last night we bought the mix to make clam chowder, however, to my sad realization when I began to make it, we didn't buy clams... so we improvised and made potato chowder. Still very good.


Half way through


And having less dishes to clean is always a plus. :)

To top things off, we also tried something new, Chocolate Pumpkin cookies. All you need is a chocolate cake mix, and a can of pumpkin. Way good!


And the beautiful Holly