Good Morning...

I am sitting here on my couch not sure what to do... so I blog (That is the logical thing to do, right?) I was awaken this morning at 3:38 in the morning to a loud crash and glass shattering and people running. When I finally gained my composure I looked out my bedroom window and saw a guy standing outside looking at something. I yelled for my roommates, and then remembered I am home alone. I got dressed and ran outside, only to find that my car had been broken in to, along with some other cars in my complex. The sneaky devils used cinder block to smash in our windows and take what they could find... unfortunately for me that meant my wallet! That includes my credit cards, debit card, BYU credit card, BYU ID, Drivers License, and yep my Social Security Card (This is the point when I remember that you are not suppose to keep your social security card in your wallet [Not that I had forgot], please don't remind me). I also know that you are not suppose to keep your wallet in your car, thank you, but I always forget it and so I leave it in the car (Those of you who know me well, know I lose things easily). We called 911, the officer came and took a report, apparently this is a regular Friday night thing. Last Friday they broke in to 7 cars, tonight a couple more. As soon as the officer left, I googled a checklist of what to do when your car is broken in to and it came up with a long list: Remove registration, insurance, and any other paper that has my name on it, cancel all of your cards, contact the three credit agencies and put a fraud alert out and hold on your credit (Which by the way the lady on the phone said I had really good credit, if that is suppose to make you feel better), contact your derivers license issuing state and report a stolen identity card and pay money to get a temporary license (haha, with what card). So I cancel my cards and right after the bank calls and says someone is trying to use my card at Betos in Springville. Ha, no free meal on Chance tonight. So now what do I do... I am tired but I cant sleep and it is only 6 in the morning, blah. As soon as it is light outside and I muster up some courage to go outside again, I will try to get a picture of the dirty deed. It is hard to explain but you just feel violated and scared. But I am alive and well so I have to be thankful for that.

Lessons learned:

1. Just because you are in Provo and feel safe, there are some bad people out there.
2. Dont leave your wallet in your car
3. Dont put your social security card in your wallet
4. Google is amazing, they have answers to everything

Lets try some positive thinking here:

1. There was no cash in my wallet, for some reason I took it all out just hours before
2. I cancelled my cards before they could use them
3. No one got hurt
4. I have some really nice neighbors who are very helpful
5. They didn't steal my car again, haha
6. I don't have to work til 11:30 so I can at least get some rest

Either way, I just got a dose of drowsiness so I am going to try to capitalize on that... Goodnight (Or should I say Good Morning...)

Thankful for all of the Chance's: Part II

A couple of Thanksgivings ago I posted about what I was thankful for, I often refer back to the list when I feel down in the dumps, so I wanted to post another list. The problem is that there is no way that I could list all of the things that I am grateful for-but such a list helps you to realize all of the things that you really do have to be thankful for at this time of year. Here is what I came up with:

Mom for all of the sacrifices she has made for me, dad for the example of hard work, Chad for being such a great missionary, Lindsay for being so close and cooking for me all the time, Jared for being brave enough to stand up for what he believes, my mac computer which has saved me multiple times this semester, my apartment, my roommates for always keeping things real, the show Criminal Minds because it is on at 11 when I get home and it puts me to sleep, my mission for giving me direction in life, my mission president and wife for being great examples, MPA team for forgiving me for being obsessive, my MPA friends for just going through the process together, my professors for loving what they do, that I grew up on a farm, friends that I love but don’t keep in touch like I should, my car (ruby) for all of our wonderful years together even though she is falling apart now, my dinner group which feeds me 4 times a week, my calling which helps me remember my mission, youtube for providing so many hours of laughter, BYUSA for what it taught me about myself, my cell phone which is always dead and lost but keeps me connected to the world, my job at the stadium which lets me watch the game so close but reminds me not to be so crazy about sports because fans lose all sense of reality in sporting events, 2009 which kept me single but allowed me to date a great girl, for getting in to the MPA program, healthcare reform because it gives me something to talk about, my summer moving home so I could get closer to family but realize that waiting tables is hard work, for fun trips to Vegas that keep me sane and meeting great people, this years trips to Colorado, Boston, Nebraska, and Texas which remind me how much I love to travel (it may just be the experience of taking off in an airplane I really do love that), graduating from college and that so many of my family could come, the multiple non-fiction books that I have read this year which has given new perspectives on life, the Christmas season that is coming so soon ( I love Christmas), for fall weather, my mission companions and those I served around, driving a snowmobile finally this year, snowshoeing, power point which makes things so easy, that I understand excel enough to help others, that somehow I got elected to be the secretary for the National Association of Graduate-Professional Students, working with Make-A-Wish Utah which has changed my life, those long prayers when things don’t seem to be going just right, the answers that come from those prayers, swimming, my internship doing rehab therapy which gave me a new appreciation for life, the therapists I worked with for being so patient, for the couple of days I have been able to sleep in, for my slip on shoes which are so comfortable and can be both causal and dress up shoes, being able to go to the temple and receiving answers, for being a home teacher, for cinnamon life, peanut butter and jelly, and spaghetti sandwiches which have been staple foods in my life lately, for the Book of Mormon, for Mormon messages on youtube, General Conference, for a great Stake President, sincere thank you notes, the people I taught on my mission that keep in touch with me because I am so bad at keeping in touch, for being so poor, for snow and all of the memories it brings back, for my blog which lets me keep some sort of track of my life, movies-I love watching movies because you don’t have to think you can just enjoy, that I can play the piano and escape for a while, for people who write blogs so I can keep up with them, those who pay their tithing so I can go to school at BYU, weekly devotionals at BYU which always refocus my attention, the food mart in the Tanner building which costs way too much but keep me alive, for cookies because they are my favorite dessert of all time, that my name is Chance and everyone calls me Chase, for all the people that think I am Adam because I laugh every time, that I was an EFY counselor and all the calls I get about mission calls, that I taught Seminary, facebook for all of the people that I am able to semi keep in contact with, the internet which makes things so much easier, that I am healthy, this list which has made me think that I really having nothing to complain about but everything to be grateful for.

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving, just remember there are so many things to be grateful for in this life, we just need to take the time to think about them. Just know that I am grateful for you, because in some way or another we have had an experience which has made you interested enough to read this post.

Life is not as I thought...

If you would have asked me even two years ago what I thought about certain political issues, I would have been able to give you my ultra conservative response and would have been comfortable about it. The more and more I study and learn about politics and social issues the more life is not as I had thought. Though I will be the first to tell you that I do not support a lot of what President Obama is doing, and definitely do not agree that he should have received the Nobel Peace Prize, I did find the following article to be open, honest, and downright touching. It really helped me to 'humanize' him. It really bugs me when people equate his failures as personal victories for themselves. Take the bid for the Chicago Olympics for example, when the USA lost the bid, people were happy because Obama had failed, but in reality the US lost the bid. I have also heard lately that Obama should have turned down the Peace Prize, but can you imagine the political ramifications for turning down such an award, especially relating to foreign relations--just a thought. I appreciated what this article communicated to me in understanding who our current President is, and some of the struggles he and Michelle have had as a married couple. It helped me learn a valuable principle as I look to possibly serve in a public office in the future.

The link to the New York Times article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/01/magazine/01Obama-t.html

Here is a picture of our President and family after wining the Presidency.

Here is a picture of the Obamas on their wedding day.

Once again, I am grateful to have a President who seems to be family oriented, despite whatever political differences I may or may not have with him as the President.

A desire to be better...

I was reading recently through my journal and came across an entry that started me thinking about what I needed to do to be better. There are allot of things in this journal entry that are personal to me, but respect that those who care enough to read my blog would care enough to understand the message that I am trying to convey: This entry was dated 31 August 2009:

My friend Eric came over tonight, and with Drew my roommate we had a general discussion about the church, which turned in to a specific conversation of the atonement as it specifically relates to those attracted to the same gender. One thing is certain: that I don't understand the full infinite power of the atonement, but I am slowly learning to appreciate it more and more. I have had this topic on my mind as we have debated the issue of civil unions and marriage in my Masters program but also as it relates to my brother who is gay. I think the question arises: Does God really love me? Does He know who I am? That is what I am going to be watching for this week in the little things that occur, and in my daily prayers, I am just going to ask if He is there, and does He know me.

I had some thoughts about the Gospel of Christ, and as I thought more and more about it I really feel that as member of the church we limit our hopes and desires because the "Three Kingdoms" become codified in our mindset. You have to do this and this in order to be here, or if you don’t do this and this you are definitely going here. And yet the plan for Heavenly Father's children includes all of his children, not just those that are perfect, but those who have righteous desires. In other faiths I think the concept of grace is easier to understand because it is just a heaven and hell, and because you have to be really 'bad' in order to go to hell, you can be more confident in the realization that you have a better chance at going to heaven because of God's grace. Yet in the three-kingdom system it is easier for us to settle on the realization that we may never reach the celestial kingdom, well at least I think that way in which I think it would just be easier to settle. And as we sin we begin to think that there is no way that I can be good enough to enjoy the merits of the celestial kingdom (as it relates to a codified checklist). And yet as I type that I understand and really believe that to question is healthy, but to doubt is not from God.

I really feel as the atonement is allot grander than anyone from our mortal perspective could understand, and it will only be when we are before Him to be reconciled will we truly understand His love for us. That is exactly why I need to be able to reach out to others more and to love them for who they are, God's children. (The funny thing as I talked tonight and as I am typing, I am surprised at the things that I really do know to be true.) I become bogged down at all of the intricacies of the Gospel, and yet they are plain and simple. Faith. Lets start there.

As I read this entry I was reminded of the fact that I need to reach out to others more and to love them for who they are, God's children. I hope in my day to day interactions that I can help others to feel that they are indeed children of our Heavenly Father, that they are loved, regardless of their race, religion, sexual orientation, or whatever differences we come across in our lives. No matter how hard today seems, I know that tomorrow will be better if we choose to serve the Lord today.

Is it already fall?

It has been a while since I have been able to update. I finished a quiz early today and thought that I would update on things happening in my life. My main reason for keeping this blog i for myself, so that I can at least feel like I am keeping some sort of record of my life, so for really no other reason than that my posts tend to be a little long, but again they are for me. A nice bonus is that I am able to keep tabs on friends who are now scattered throughout the world (literally) and vice versa. So here goes nothing...

This is my new home:

I have really enjoyed the MPA program thus far. I am taking a full load of classes including Basic Decision Analysis, Economics, OB, Communications, and others. Also, allot of my time has been spent doing job shadows or interviews and trying to secure a summer internship for next summer. The students are great and on a daily basis am amazed at their desire to do good in the world. There is more reading than can be accomplished but the best part is that I am interested in what I am learning. I am daily engaged in discussions both in and out of the classroom of real world issues. There really is hope for the future, especially in the hands of my fellow classmates!

One of my favorite things that I have been involved with this semester is the Make-a-Wish Foundation of Utah. I was selected to be a board fellow for the Utah chapter. It has been a really humbling experience as I have reviewed child after child who is suffering from life threatening diseases, many of them will live, but many of them will succumb to the diseases which have cause them and their families so much suffering and pain. I am just grateful to sit among so many qualified professionals and discuss and make decisions for the future of Make A Wish Foundation of Utah. There really is allot of behind the scenes things that have to take plac

e. If you have time you should check out the new blog www.makeawishfoundationfoutah.blogspot.com to read some of the stories of wish children from Utah. It has helped me to be more grateful for the things that I do have.

I also enjoyed this last conference, especially because my mom came up to spend the weekend with Lindsay, Jared, and I. It is good to see her walking around and enjoying life. It was also great to eat some of her home cooked meals. We had fun playing games, and we look forward to having Chad join us here in the next couple of months as he approaches the end of his mission.

I was also able to get together with the EFY team that I worked with two summers ago. We had been planning it for 2 years and it finally happened. It was good to see everyone and to catch up, especially as Dani and Dave got married to eachother, Brooke A. is Engaged, Jeni Weston is married, and Brooke B. is now back from her mission. What a great bunch of people.

I havent had allot of time for 'leisure' activities, mostly between school, Make A Wish, working (Graduate Student Society, and Event Staff Supervisor), church calling, I have been able to do much fun things. So I was grateful when a couple of guys from my ward (Chase and Joe) invited me to go with them to Las Vegas to see the BYU vs. UNLV game. I was a little hesitant because I had a big project due the next week, but am thankful that I did. I am always grateful to be able to make more friends and to have a good time. They also had an extra ticket so Lindsay was able to go as well, it was fun to spend the weekend with her! Here are just a couple of highlights from the trip

Here is the Vegas group! Like I said, it was a ton of fun! (Joe Boyer, Linds, Me, Stephanie Putnam, Chase, Aubin, Heather, Reed)

One of the coolest things was the lion habitat in the MGM grand, I had been to Vegas a number of times and had never even heard of the Lion Habitat. Lions are allot bigger than I thought they would be.

By far the best part of Vegas is the Bellagio water show. I could have spent the whole day just watching the water show.

The reason for the trip was the BYU vs. UNLV football game. To put it plainly it was blowout, it was fun to be there and to make friends with the UNLV fans. They were a little drunk and had a couple of degrading remarks, but in the end we were all laughing and having a good time.

It would not have been as fun with out this girl! Love her!

Just a quick shot of the game!

We also went to M&M world which was really cool, it smelled like chocolate throughout the whole store and there were more M&M's than any one person could eat in a year.

We stayed at this beaut of a hotel. It was a little smoky but the rooms were cheap and they beds were comfortable. There were literally surveillance cameras everywhere. I think the rooms are cheap because they think you will more than likely gamble, nope not us, haha!

I dont think I had ever seen a flamingo, for those of you wondering, they are real!

Again, it was a ton of fun, and I am thankful that I was able to get to know this bunch of great kids! As a side note, I found the best place for a shake...Maverick! They have this cool machine that you put in your selection of ice cream and it takes it away and produces one of the best shakes that I have ever had.

I have failed in a couple of areas, and want to apologize. I have not been able to keep up with most of you on your lives. I hope to be better at that. A shout out to Stephen and Sarah Glenn on their new baby boy!

Play, Relax, Ready set Go!!

Well today I started the first day of my Master's Degree, without going in to much detail, the MPA program took us to the ropes course (I thought the same thing, ropes course in a graduate program) but nonetheless it was fun and we were assigned our teams that we will work with this semester! I am a little nervous, but ready or not, it started today! I really felt today that this is where I needed to be, which made me feel alot better about my decision.

I wanted to touch on a couple of things I have done in the last coupleof weeks prior to being back in Provo...first of all I was in a play...?! When I was younger I was involved in an outdoor theater program called Anasazi the Ancient One's and loved it. Well the playwright called me in the middle of the summer and said she had a part for me to play that she thought would be perfect for. To be honest besides the play when I was little I have never done anything quite like that since I was maybe 14, so I agreed thinking it would be a good experience and get me out of my comfort zone. I ended up playing a Mormon polygamistt with two wives. The basis of the play was telling the story of how the Indian children in the area were taken to boarding schools, and how slowly over time their traditions have been lost. I really had alot of fun, I even had a solo in the play where I sang a love song to my wives. I got to meet alot of great people, but unfortunately I have no pictures! We had nearly 400 people come andsee it over the two weeks it was enacted. Some exciting news for the playwright, Sharon French, one of her plays has been bought to be a Broadway play, it will start in two years.

I also was able to work at the old trading post that I used to work at for a week to earn a little extra money, they paid in cash and were very gracious! I had forgot in moving how the Navajo Culture is and how much I love the culture itself but am saddened at the way that it is heading (maybe I will post about this more another time)

However, probably the most fun thing I did all summer was go to Houston to visit my friend Stephen Glenn and his family, Sarah and Parker! I really had a great time, it was a perfect mixture of sight seeing, relaxing and just talking. There were very gracious hosts and allowed me to burden them for 5 days! The only thing I regret is that I didnt visit them more often when they lived in Provo! Definitely my favorite part was playing with their son, Parker. He is 18 months old and is probably the smartest, cutest kid around. He definitely is the life of the party (and knows it) and he has the best two parents I have seen. Here is just a synopsis of

some of the fun we had:

Here is the big guy, Parker! I really love this kid! He is on the verge of talking but knows what most of the sounds of the letters of the alphabet make!

We went to visit the Houston temple and walk around the grounds. It was really pretty! The only thing about Houston is the it is very humid!

Parker loved playing in the water, everywhere we would go he would always get excited at any water that we saw! It was fun to go swimming with him later that day and to play "toothpick"

Here is one of Stephen, Parker, and I.
We also went to the Natural science museum, I didnt get any pictures, but here is one I found on the internet. This is a picture of one of the attractions at the museum, it is called "Terracotta Warrior's" I am not totally sure what the whole story is but just know they were made to protect the emperor in the after life! It was actually really interesting!

We also went to the Astro's vs. Diamondback game and were able to watch it in a suite. All you can eat food, drinks, and a huge dessert sundae in a baseball helmet. It was an indoor stadium and it was great. I really had a great time just being there.

Here is Parker in the suite eating a hot dog, boy can this little guy eat. He was a trooper because he stayed up at least 4 hours past his bedtime and was not trouble at all.

On Saturday we went to the NASA space center and was able to get a tour of the facility and to learn alot about the future of space travel. Here is one of the retired rockets. I dont know that you can grasp the magnitude of the size of this beast but it was HUGE! I still have the question of why we even travel to space, billions of dollars, really?

Overall, it was the perfect vacation before I got started in my program. I really love the Glenn's and am grateful to their hospitality. A special thanks to Sarah (I am sorry I dont have a picture) for being a great hostess and at the same time being 8 months pregnant! If you are ever in town she makes the best pork chop and potatoes and pull apart rolls. I am grateful for their friendship and will ever be blessed to call them friend!

Hospital Internship...Done

This week was my last week at my internship with the local hospital. It really was a great place to work and to learn. I worked with a great therapy team, including doctors, nurses, and administrators that didn't seem to get tired of my constant inquiries. I even got offered a job! I think for the first time in my life, except maybe teaching seminary, I felt as if I had something real to offer, and people trusted my opinion on a professional level. It was great to work with the patients. It really has given me a lot of inspiration to watch spinal cord patients, TBI's, CVA, and multiple other injuries and surgery patients work hard at their recovery. It also taught me to drive more careful, wear my seat belt, not drink (haha), excercise, eat right, and in general to be more healthy. I gained alot of great friends in the health industry that have given me advice on life, education, financial managment, and many other life related areas. I enjoyed my time, except maybe for all of the documentation, but that is what you get in the healthcare industry. Now I just take the certification exam in September and I will be a liscensed Therapist!! (haha, Troy!)This is the hospital I worked at!

Here is a side view of their new addition!

Other news: I am also done working at the restaurant! All I have to say is I have a lot more respect for servers! I think everyone, atleast once in their life, needs to be a server. There were multiple times where I got jipped on a tip or two, not because of bad service, but because people did not appreciate the work that was being done for them. It really takes alot of work, and constantly answering people questions, making sure the food is ordered right, refilling drinks, refilling drink, and refilling drinks! I definitely tip better than I used to, atleast 15% and 20 % if they are good! This helps offset the 2.17 that they are getting paid an hour! It was also interesting for me to be able to be an employee again where I was not seen for what I had to offer. I was just another server; and unfortunately was treated as such. There are alot of mis-management issues that I was able to observe, and really saw the value in appreciating your employees! Lets just say if I was a manager, or owner for that matter, of an establishment I would not tell my employees to 'shut-up', punish them by not allowing them to check out even when there are no customers in the restaurant, punsihing by not giving them very many nights, or making sure they have all of the bad customers that come in. It was just a whole new world, the employee morale was low, and it really showed. While I was there there were 7 servers who quit, and they were having a bad time hiring new servers! One night the owners were arguing in the back about money, and one of them got really mad and said I guess we can save money by turing out the lights. (Mind you everyone there in the restaurant could hear them yelling) and they turned off all of the lights. All of the servers just walked around and apologized, because there was no way we were going to get good tips after that! Last story and then some positive things, haha: I was serving one table of 18 and it was a wedding party and the manager kept walking up to my table every 15 minutes or so and asking them if they were receiving good service (she said because I was new and wanted to make sure) well anyway after their dinner was through they were automatically grated 18%, they left an additional tip, and two different people as they were walking out handed me $20 dollars because, "This is for having to work with such a horrible boss" I had to laugh, because it was definitely true! As for the positive I really enjoyed working with the other servers. I had a hard time understanding some of their life decisions, and some were even in their 40's still working there. I enjoyed working with people with such diverse backgrounds, and it gave me even more motivation to complete my schooling and to work hard at doing well. I am excited to get back to school and to have a social life again.