We're SEC

A few years back, I was in Knoxville, TN for work and had the awesome opportunity to attend a Tennessee Volunteers football game in the beautiful Neyland Stadium. One of the cool things we were able to do was go around on golf carts and select the best tailgate of the day...which proved to be no easy task as we visited nearly a dozen tailgating groups that put everything I'd ever seen to shame...(not to mention the countless others we saw, but didn't visit.)

There was one particular tailgate that made me see college football in a whole new light...there it was, a Tennessee Volunteer canopy set up right next to a Florida Gator canopy, and the fans from each, eating, drinking and laughing together. I walked up to them perplexed, and asked how this was happening..."don't you hate each other?" - "How is it that Volunteers and Gators are getting along?"

The answer was simple enough...this lady looked up at me like I was the stupidest person on earth and simply answered, "We're SEC!"

There you go, they're SEC, one of the power conferences in college football, and "they can be best friends until the game begins" because of the South Eastern Conference family. I did find it funny that one of the Tennessee fans brought a Subway sandwich made up like a gator to the party...

Sitting down with fans from another team celebrating before a game still seemed so odd to me...as a Ute fan, I couldn't imagine sitting down with a cold beverage and a brat tailgating with fans from Colorado State. 

It wasn't until years later, that I finally got it...

I was in Pasadena...going to see the Utes take on the UCLA Bruins. We parked about a mile away from the stadium, and we were a speck of red in a sea of blue. We must've walked through about 100 UCLA tailgates, and one particular party stood out. A whole group of UCLA fans had a game of flag football going on and as we walked by, the QB of one of the team looked over at me and said, "Hey Utah...welcome to the Rose Bowl," and he threw a perfect spiral in my direction. I caught it and he threw his arms up in the touchdown sign. I nodded and threw it back to him...he caught it and with a smile said, "See ya in the battle field." 

Not gonna lie, that felt good and I think I stood a little taller. I caught up to my family and said, "Sorry, I was just throwing the pigskin with a couple guys back there." My Dad smiled and said, "That's cool."

Ya Dad, it was cool...it was really cool...

We're...

I love college football, and Go Utes!!

Look Past The Red Lights

A couple weeks ago, I was out running errands, picking up dinner and making a PDR. Anyways, the day had been long and hot, and being really tired, I just wanted to go home, eat some sushi and watch an episode of Castle or three.

There was one traffic light between me and the highway, and as fate would have it, I got caught in a red light...and I was not happy about it. After tensing up and whispering a couple expletives, I took a deep breath and sunk into my seat. Then I noticed it...Mt. Olympus in the distance. I have looked on that mountain my entire life, but this night it was different. A calm crept over me, and if nature has a voice, I heard it then.

"Look past the red lights."

Mt. Olympus had never looked so amazing as it did right then, and in the car that pulled up next to me, a little girl holding a doll was staring at me with a big smile on her face. I had my windows down and let it all sink in...this was a good moment. Even stuck behind six cars at a red light.

Too often have I stopped at a red light, frustrated that I have to wait (I'm not really patient,) and all my attention is focused on that stupid red circle. I'll catch myself looking at the other lights to see if they've turned yellow or red yet. Even when I have my kids laughing and singing in the back seat, my attention is on the light...and because of my fixation on something I can't control, I've missed little things around me.

Since that night, I've not let the little things bug me so much...whether it is a traffic light, getting cut off on the freeway, missing an exit, getting stuck in traffic (see a pattern? #Driving) and when I don't, I find that I am actually happier, and as my kids and wife probably think, easier and more enjoyable to be around.

It has made me think...what and where are the other "Red Lights" in my life?

What about you?

Wisdom

Yes, it is from Harry Potter, but I love this quote...

This is only a test

Calling All Entrepreneurs

It isn't often that I post business ventures on this page, but this is something that I really believe in, and think it is pretty awesome too. 

Last week I had the opportunity to sit down with a couple folks from Grow America (that's exactly what they do too!) They grow companies...especially helping entrepreneurs see their vision become a living/breathing reality. Pretty cool right? I think so...but what I thought was really cool, (I wish this had been around when I was younger (when I had good ideas)) is the Springboard™ Competition, a program that rewards entrepreneurs with both the money(s) and services they need to grow their business...translation entrepreneurs have a chance to win €199,744.25...or I mean $250,000 to help launch their ideas.

Here is the catch though...The registration part of this is open until August 30th! But hey, it only requires an executive summary of your business idea. Get on it...time is ticking. For more info, check out Grow America here:

YouTube - Grow America 

The Twitter - @growamerica  the hashtag #gacomp 

The Social Network - Grow America on Facebook 

PDR or Proper Drink Run

For you audio/video folk:

For the rest of you: (Cliffs Notes)

So over the past couple of years, I have heard a lot of people ask "What is a PDR exactly, and where did it start?"

Well, here we go...

It all started in a little city called Kawanishi, Japan while I was serving an LDS Mission. I had a companion who drank about as much soda as I did...if not more. Everyday, Aric and I would come across a new soda, fruit juice or whatever and regardless if we were thirsty or not, we had to get it...just on principle.

One night, Aric just starting saying, "I need need a C.B. (Cold Beverage,) and I threw the R (for run) after it whenever we wanted to go get a drink. Thus a CBR or Cold Beverage Run.

That is how it began...

Fast Forward 9 years, when I started working for The Summit Group in Salt Lake City, and one morning when I was feeling "The Bug," I grabbed my 44 oz. cup and asked if anyone wanted to accompany on a beverage run. After a couple weeks, 2~4 people would make a daily jaunt to either a convenience store or a restaurant with cheap refills to quench our thirsts. We sort of fazed out the C (Cold) part as some of the drinks we got were hot chocolate and coffee for some.

A couple years later, a buddy of mine at The Summit Group (Jordan Howe...now this guy has a way about him...he likes to inject everything will a certain level of refinement (whether he is serious or not.)) So one morning, as about 6 of us were heading out the door (Jordan included,) he stated that this event was "truly a Proper Beverage Run." So that is what it became known as...a PBR. Now anyone see a problem with that? A PBR does NOT stand for Proper Beverage Run in mainstream society, especially if you're talking about beverages.

So it was Twitter that actually showed me the error of my ways in hashtagging #PBR...no I do not drink Pabst Blue Ribbon. So I changed it to #PDR (Proper Drink Run.) It just sounds nice..."Hey, PDR later?"

The PDR has evolved over the years as now it encompasses all beverages (initially, drinks with alcohol were referred to as Proper Alcohol Runs but that was lame #PAR...you're gonna get a bunch of golfs tweets now(not that that is a bad thing,)) but the PDR isn't biased...so whether you're drinking a Coke Zero, or Johnnie Walker - Black on the rocks...that's a PDR.

Now here is the thing, and there has been some questions about this...it is only a real PDR if you leave you house, place of business, etc to go get a drink. For instance, say you are home watching the TV and have the need for a Diet Coke with pebble ice. You grab your keys, drive up to the 7-11 and pick up a 32 ouncer...That is a PDR. Say you go our to the bar with your buddies to grab a beer and some wings...that counts as a PDR. If you are out driving around and pull into a gas stations and grab a bottle of Dr. Pepper...PDR. If you office building has a soda fountain in it with plastic red cups...not a PDR (Scott - inside joke) and if you go into your kitchen and pour yourself a glass of milk...not a PDR.

The thing is...we all do it, it now just has a name to it. So when you go out and get a drink, know that you are making a Proper Drink Run. #PDR on Twitter

Cheers

The #PDR Mystery Explained (Tomorrow)

So over the years, I've had a lot of people as me what on earth a PDR is. I've posted it on Twitter #PDR, all over in my Facebook posts...well really just about wherever I can. So here it is...I've been planning on how to do this properly, and I think I've figured out how to tell this in a fun way...for now, I can tell you that PDR stands for Proper Drink Run...I will explain in greater detail in tomorrow's post