Hey its me Braydon

This is the first post that comes from the Braydon side of the relationship. I want to jump on the bandwagon and start posting to our blog!!! 

Biking in Moab this past weekend 11/2/13

The past year or so has been an enjoyable time and I am happy to talk about it!! There have been times in my life when I would be simply quiet about the experiences I'm going through only because they were not pretty, enjoyable, or something I really want to remember. This post is shared because sometimes God gives us moments in life that are to be enjoyed and remembered for when times get tough.
 To start it off, last fall(2012) Nicole and I were both miraculously on BYU's track and field team. They travelled us all around the country. We went to New York, Texas, New Jersey, Georgia, Washington, and a handful of other places. Who ever thought running and pole vaulting could take us such great places. In high school we loved track but never wanted/thought we could actually do it at a university, although we are very grateful for how it has worked out. Also, BYU is a place Nicole and I never thought we would end up. BYU is actually a much more wonderful place than we originally thought. I can most certainly say that I love this school, the people, and what BYU stands for. Not just how the school is looked at in Utah or Idaho(that's another story) but on a national scale. I am honored to represent BYU as I travel and share with others that it's really a great/unique school. At the end of my Pole vault season I set a new personal best, but was honestly disappointed because I needed to make it to nationals to be there for my teammate(we didn't have a coach). My Teammate Victor ended up setting his personal best without me even there so that made everything alright. :)

Another part of this year that was a great experience was selling out in California this summer. Selling was fun, but was most definitely hard work. Out of the three summers selling I had never really wanted to get more out of the experience than this past summer. I wanted to prove to myself that I could reach the goals I set for myself, especially after not hitting my goal during the track season. So many times in my life I have set goals that I have occasionally reached, but most of the time have fallen short. After this summer I believe a lot more in myself as someone who can set a goal and really push as hard as I can to hit that goal. I was surrounded by great people who pushed me when I wasn't feeling like pushing any harder. It was evident to me that in order to be better than I currently am I need to surround myself with people who are better/stronger than me(with my wife around that's pretty much always.) :) I am so thankful for the people involved in my life who have helped or who are helping me each day. Overall, I really feel like this past year was a gift from God.

I am currently in the film program which is helping me have a much better understanding on the concepts of life, I am involved in an athletics program that is all about helping me be my absolute best self, I am married to my best friend Nicole and get to spend every spare minute with her, and I am healthy and get to wake up each day striving to be better than I was the day before. I am beyond blessed with the experiences I have been given thus far in my life. The idea that life could get better gives me excitement beyond reason and the thought that life could get really tough and challenging keeps me grounded in my faith. I love life and I am thankful for it.

I cannot promise that these posts will be common, but I figured I better write down some of my thoughts before I forget them. I would say I mostly wrote this post for me but if you get any enjoyment out of it then great!