My New Blog

Hey, everyone. So, I've been thinking about where to go from here and I've decided to leave 100 Things as exactly that. So, I've started up a new blog called Uncle Bob's Bloggish Life (I explain my choice of title over there). Unlike 100 Things, Uncle Bob's Bloggish Life doesn't have any specific theme or goals associated with it. We'll see what kinds of things end up on there. Anyway, thanks again for following my efforts on 100 Things, and I hope you enjoy what you find at my new place.

There You Have It

I can't believe that I did it. 100 days ago I started this blog, not knowing what to expect. I had no idea what kinds of things would stand out to me as I searched for topics to write about. Some of them surprised me, some of them just seemed natural, and all of them are things for which I truly am grateful. I would also like to say that I am thankful to all of you who have been reading this and have made comments to me (whether they be on the blog or in person) about what I've been writing. You're support has helped me to keep going at this.

I have learned a lot as I've done this. Like I said, some of the topics surprised me at first. Some of them seemed really silly as I was writing about them. But this experience also helped me to realize how many little things there are to be thankful for. There are so many things that I thought about putting on here but didn't just because I didn't know how to actually write about them. I hope that this has been a good experience for those of you who have been reading this.

Some of you have asked what I am going to do now that I've reached #100. To tell you the truth, I'm not really sure. I could continue the list, but I'm also tempted to take a little bit of a break. I have lots to be thankful for, but it was definitely more work than I expected to update this every day. Also, I've enjoyed the whole blogging experience, so I might just start up another general blog and leave this purely as 100 Things. In either case, I'll have an update on here soon so that you aren't all just left wondering. Again, thank you for all of your support.

100. The Plan of Salvation

So, over the last couple of days I've been trying to think of something really good to write about today. I figured that #100 deserved to be something significant. Well, I honestly don't think there's really anything for which I could be more grateful than the Plan of Salvation and everything that it entails. If it wasn't for our Heavenly Father's plan for us, I wouldn't have the previous 99 things to be thankful for. I am thankful that I can be with my family throughout eternity. I am thankful that a Savior has been provided so that I can repent of my mistakes and still be exalted when the time comes. I am thankful for the experiences that I can have in this life and for everything that I can learn. I'm thankful for the knowledge that I am a child of God and that he loves me and will do everything that I let him and more to help me reach my full potential. And I am thankful for the knowledge that I have of His plan and the comfort and direction that it gives me in this life.

99. Wikipedia

My first introduction to Wikipedia was either right before I left on my mission or shortly after I returned. I can't remember which, exactly. In either case, I do remember that it was through my brother-in-law. All I really remember is that he was looking something up on it and talking about how neat of a website it was. I really didn't understand at the time. Later on I got more exposed to it and really learned how much cool information is on there and how easily it is to find yourself spending way too much time jumping from article to article. Also, it's just so quick and easy to learn about something on there. I think it's usually the first place I look when I have a question. I have no idea how many Wikipedia articles I've searched for. Too many to count. Of course, I realize that you need to be careful about believing everything you read on there, but that's true for the internet in general. So, I'm thankful for Wikipedia and for the quick and easy source of information that it is.

98. Surprise Days Off

So, I went to class today just like any other day. Well, almost like any other day. I actually got to class a couple minutes late because I slept in. My thought process when I woke up was "wow, it feels later than it usually does when I wake up. Oh yeah, it's Saturday. Wait, no it's not! It's Friday! I have class in 25 minutes!"

Anyway, I was sitting in class and the professor was finishing up the lecture and said "alright, we'll pick this up on Monday. I mean, on Wednesday." Wednesday? I couldn't figure out why he said that? I went back to my office and did some investigating. It turns out that Monday is Martin Luther King Day! No class on Monday! I had no idea before today. This surprise bit of information made me really happy.

97. My Study Group

I don't normally work in groups, and I don't like group projects. When it comes to homework, however, that's a different story. It's always nice to be working on homework with somebody else so that you can help each other and have a better chance of doing it correctly. During my undergrad years, it was always easy to find somebody working on the same assignment as you because we all did our homework in the same lab. So, I was never really part of a specific group, you just worked with whoever was around. This semester, however, I'm in a class made up of mostly mechanical engineers and 3 chemical engineers. One of the other ChE students brought up the idea of working on our homework together, so the three of us have been setting specific times to get together and do the homework. This isn't a new idea or anything, but it's the first time I've done anything more than just look for someone who might be doing the same thing I am. Anyway, I'm really thankful that I am a part of this group. It has helped us make sure that we work on our assignment consistently throughout the week and not just leave it to the day or so before (which I probably would have done otherwise), and this first assignment would have been a real beast to leave to the end. Like I said, none of this is groundbreaking news or anything, but I've never done it before. So, I'm thankful for this study group.

96. Kleenex

Don't you hate it when you have to blow your nose, or your nose is constantly running, and you don't have any Kleenex around? It's so awful. I mean, toilet paper can work pretty well, but if you have to blow your nose a lot, it can get pretty rough on your nose. And don't even get me started on paper towel, especially the rough, awful stuff that is found in public washrooms or custodial closets and such. I can hardly think of anything worse to blow your nose with. Well, I can't think of anything worse while staying within the realm of moderate possibility and intelligence. I mean, I'm pretty sure that it would be worse to blow your nose into a cactus, but who's even going to try?

95. Electricity

Imagine a world without electricity. Or, at least, imagine a world where we couldn't harness the power of electricity for our convenience. You can't really imagine a world where there was no electricity because in that case our bodies wouldn't be producing electricity either and that would cause all kinds of problems...such as death (and I don't think we want to imagine a world where everyone is dead). So, I guess that's one reason to be thankful for electricity.

Anyway, I was originally meaning to write about electricity that is generated and used to power the technology that we have become so dependent upon and that has allowed for all kinds of progress. Aside from a few simple things such as not having to use candles and lamps for light, I can't even begin to expound on the countless ways that electricity makes our life better. It ranges from the most tiny details at home to the largest processes in the world. From helping simple little me, to helping billions around the world. I am so thankful for electricity.

94. Morning Classes/Meetings

I'm expecting a few different kinds of reactions to this post. For some of you, this is probably just one more thing supporting your belief that I'm crazy. Others of you are probably thinking that I'm lying right now (I'm thinking of Mom and Dad, who had to wake me up every morning for school). And I'm hoping that some of you are thinking "hey, me too."

Anyway, I am thankful for morning classes and meetings because they force me to get out of bed before it gets too late in the day. I realize that once I am completely graduated and employed full time, my job will be filling that role and I may be wishing for more opportunities to sleep in. But, in all reality, I'll be thankful to be getting up early then as well.

Okay, so, the actual act of waking up and getting out of bed is not fun. But here's the deal. Despite how much more comfortable it is to sleep in, I don't like getting up late and feeling like I've wasted a good chunk of my day already. I'd rather get up early and have lots of time to do stuff during the day than wake up late and have significantly less time. But, like I said, it's a lot more comfortable to stay in bed, and that's often the only thing on my mind while I am in bed. It's not until I've gotten up late that I realize that I have slept away valuable time that I had been counting on. When I have something to wake up for, such as classes and meetings, it forces me out of bed before I can let the comfort suck me back to sleep for too long.

So, I hope that helps clarify exactly why I am thankful for early classes, and maybe helped some of you think that I am a little less crazy than originally believed.

93. My New Cooking Stuff

So, apparently I talk about food and food related topics on here quite a bit.

This last Christmas I got a lot of cooking stuff from my parents. My mom told me that she got the idea from reading my blog and decided that I needed some good utensils and such. So, I got some nice new cookie sheets, one of those silicone baking pads, the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, and some other random utensils. When I saw all of this nice stuff I new right away that I wasn't going to just add it to the apartment supply. My roommates are free to use it if they want to, but I'm keeping it all in my room and making sure it's all in good shape.

Anyway, I decided that I wanted to bake some cookies today and this all come in very handy. I was able to find a recipe in my new cookbook that worked with the ingredients I had on hand, I used my new cookie sheets that worked much better than our ugly black ones that I've used in the past, and the silicone pad was great and made cleanup so easy. So, I'm thankful to have these tools at my disposal now. They're great.

92. Mail

I don't know if this is simply something that stuck with me from my mission, or if I've always been this way, but I really like to get mail. I'm not talking about email, voice mail, or other electronic messages (although I am happy to get those). I'm talking about good old fashioned snail mail. Like I said, this may have developed on my mission when (aside from weekly family emails), the postal service was the only form of communication with anyone outside of the mission.

Obviously I mostly prefer letters and stuff from people I know and who have actually put some thought into whatever they have sent. Packages and things that I've ordered for myself are also great when they arrive. Ha, that last sentence made me think of a scene in "Merry Christmas, M r. Bean" where he writes some Christmas cards, leaves his apartment, pushes the cards through his own mail slot, walks back in and acts all excited that he has Christmas mail. Don't worry, I'm that that dependent on mail to make me happy.

I even like seeing my name on junk mail and other unimportant stuff addressed to me. Of course, this junk mail related happiness is very short and then I realize "well, this is heading straight for the trash."

91. The Food Network

So, as I mentioned earlier, I like to cook. I tend to bake and make desserts more than anything else, but I like it all. Anyway, it should just makes sense that I like the Food Network as well. When I'm just channel surfing looking for something to watch, there's a pretty good chance that I'll end up on the Food Network. I find it very interesting.

Some of my favorite shows on there are Good Eats, Dinner: Impossible, Throwdown, DDD, Iron Chef: America, and Ace of Cakes. Some of these are interesting on more of educational side of things, while some are just plain fun to watch. I really think it is incredible what some people can do with food. And the great thing is that I don't ever have to worry about coming across anything inappropriate.

90. My Mission

So, I've wanted to write about my mission for a long time, but it just hasn't felt like the right time until now. I would hope that by now it is clear that the order in which I write about things on here is in no way a reflection of the amount of gratitude I have for that subject. I am very thankful for the opportunity I had to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.


I had the opportunity serve in France for two years. While there, I had the opportunity to learn French, see some beautiful and historic sites, eat some of the most delicious food ever, meet and grow to love some absolutely amazing people, and spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. This was such a growing experience for me. I grew in many dimensions. It was such a different experience from anything I have done at any other time in my life.

I'll admit, it was hard. There were discouraging and exhausting days. However, the positive and uplifting moments infinitely outweighed the difficult times. It was such a wonderful experience to see the light of Christ grow within somebody as they learned more about the plan of salvation and the love of God.

There is so much that I could write about, and I feel like I could never do it justice. I think that I'll simply close by saying that I wouldn't trade my mission and everything I experienced and learned for anything.

89. My Watch

I got my watch a few years ago. I can't remember which year exactly, but I think it was my first Christmas back from my mission. Anyway, I really like it. It looks nice and it works well. And it's one of those ones that recharges itself using solar power, so I never have to replace the battery. Obviously it's convenient to have a watch to tell time with, but I also just feel weird not wearing one. Anyway, I'm sorry if this seems kind of scattered and odd tonight, but I am thankful for my watch.

88. Friendly Customs Officers

As I was thinking about a topic for tonight, I suddenly found myself reflecting on my experience crossing the border on my way home and back. I can't really remember the train of thought that lead there. In any case, I'm thankful for cheerful customs officers.

Crossing the border is my least favorite part of the drive. I've never had any real trouble with my paperwork or had any devastating experiences at the border, but I really do not look forward to it. Sometimes they can be really cranky and it is no fun at all. And you can't really be cranky back to them because they could really ruin your day if they wanted to. Thus, it is always a huge relief when I pull up to the booth and the officer is friendly and makes things really easy and stress free.

87. Deodorant

Okay, I feel like I should start off by letting you know that I have not had any kind of "special" experience with this lately that has reminded me of why I should be thankful for deodorant. Pretty much I was just sitting here thinking about what I should write about today and saw a stick of deodorant on my desk. However, that does not change the fact that I am thankful for deodorant. I'm thankful that we can all smell a bit better because of it. Not only does it prevent you from stinking, but it also comes in a wide range of good scents. Anyway, I don't think I need to do much explaining on this one, and you probably don't want me to either.

86. The Scriptures

So, this is another topic that I'm not sure I can do justice. I'm pretty sure that no matter what I write here, it won't match the true significance of the scriptures. But, despite that, I'm still going to say that I'm thankful for the scriptures. There is a lot that I could write about here, but I'm just going to focus on the guidance and strength that I receive from reading them. We are counseled to read them every day. I can definitely say that I feel better when I am doing this. It's not just relief from knowing that I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing. It's hard to explain, but I feel good. I'm sure that a lot of people reading this know what I'm talking about. It's all tied back to feeling the spirit and such. The scriptures also answer questions and give me guidance when I need it. Even just last night I read something that was perfect for the moment and was exactly what I needed to be reminded of. Moments like these give me strength and direction that I need to either keep me going in the right direction or to steer me back in the right direction.

85. Windshield Wipers

I am so thankful for windshield wipers. I would not have gotten back to Provo today without them. The roads weren't really all that bad today, but they were wet and extremely dirty, so I was constantly needing to clean my windshield. I probably used more washer fluid today than I have all year. Anyway, without windshield wipers I would have been pulling over every couple of minutes and it would have taken ages to get back down here.

84. Socks

Socks are great. I was thinking about this the other day when my feet were really cold. So, I put some socks on. It's crazy how much of a difference they make. I was so much more comfortable after putting mys socks on.