The Five People I'll Meet In Heaven: Part 3

If you missed part one and all the reasons why I'm writing this, click here.
If you missed part two, click here.

The third person I think had a big impact on my life is one of the toughest, most joyful people I've ever met.

I was eight when we moved to St. George, one of my first friends I found after we moved was Zack Kolb. I still consider him one of my good friends, even if we don't talk much anymore. Another one of my good friends, who, like Zack I don't talk to a lot, is Austin. The three of us always tried to get back together when we were all in town at the same time when Austin moved away.

New York Yankee legend Lou Gehrig. He relates to this person in an unfortunate way.

The story starts on a hot summer day in 2010. Austin and I were at Austin's parent's house, where I anticipated Zack would arrive shortly.

Austin's phone then started to ring and he quickly answered it, "Hello?"

"Are you coming over?" I hate listening to people on the phone because I only get the half of the conversation. "What?! What's that? ... Dude, that is terrible. ... The doctor is sure?"

Now I was listening intently to any clues as to what they were talking about. My mind started racing, what could have been going on. Kreg had already had testicular cancer and was rid of that, or so I thought. Was it possible that he could have had it again, or maybe another cancer? My head was spinning.

"Ok, bud, we'll talk to you later. See ya," Austin ended the phone call and hung up.

"What's up?" I asked quickly after he had hung up. "What's wrong?"

"Kreg, man-" Austin started. He seemed to still be trying to mull it all over for himself. "He has Lou Gehrig's disease. I'm not even sure I know what that is. Do you know?"

"That's not good," Ausitn's dad, Robert, said simply.

"What?! Lou Gehrig's, that’s terrible. That's the disease where your body slowly just shuts down on you. There are not a lot of people that have this problem. That is-" I replied. I didn't know what kind of word I wanted to use to finish that. My head was really spinning now. I felt sick.

'Kreg has Lou Gherig's Disease, but don't tell anyone,' I sent in a text to my parents and my sisters to give them a head’s up. The room was still pretty quiet. The only sound was coming from the television, and even that seemed distant and muffled. There was just nothing that needed to be said at this time. There was nothing more than what we said. There was nothing important enough to break this moment of silence.

The rest of the day was solemn. I had fun hanging out with Austin, but there just wasn't anything that we could do that could get rid of the terrible thought that Kreg was super sick and the doctors had only given him about a year to live.

A few weeks later, I received my mission call and the Kolb family came over to see where I was going. This was the first time that I had seen Kreg since he was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease.

"Yeah, I get diagnosed with this, and the Relief Society President of my ward is at my house before I even get home," Kreg said as we were talking about how he was doing before I opened my call. He was just as happy as ever.

"Yeah," I started. "Sorry about that. That was my bad. I texted my mom and the word got out quickly. I didn't think it would move that quickly."

"Yi! Yi! Not a problem." Kreg replied with a laugh in his cheerful voice. "People were going to know."

I left a little while later for my mission in France. I chose to write a letter to Zack when I got to my second area having heard from my family that Kreg was still in good spirits, but was losing function in part of his body.

"It's another beautiful day in St. George," he said over and over even though it seemed day-by-day he got worse.

On May 25th, 2011, Kreg passed away. This man taught me that through whatever you're going through, you can smile and still see the good in the world. He fought through one of the toughest diseases I can think of. He was always cheerful, and I hope to achieve even a small amount of happiness that he lived and helped others live.

"Not gone, just gone ahead. Yi! Yi!"

The Five People I'll Meet In Heaven: Part 2

If you missed the first part, visit it here.

"Hey, that's a pretty girl over there. I wonder if she goes out with one of the Yankees!" Breyden "Gump" Nisson said quoting Chris Farley. Then he laughed his infectious cackle.

One of Gump's idols, Chris Farley. Gump makes everyone around him laugh, just like this guy.

He is the one that could bring a whole crowd to tears with laughter. He loved quoting Chris Farley and used any line of his often. When thinking about Gump and what I learned from him, I would say it is the fact that he didn't care what other people thought.

Gump was always one of the better athletes on the sports teams in high school. Everyone loved Gump in high school. He was popular, but he didn't ever put on a fake face for anyone.

He was a great football player, but chose not to play after our freshman year because he didn't like the politics of the team, even though he started and played a ton. He is an even better basketball player, but, again, didn't play because he didn't like the coaches and how they acted toward the team.

Another thing that I've noticed and admired about Gump is his friendliness to everyone. It doesn't matter if he just met you or has known you for years, he's genuine and kind to you. He loves to joke, but his jokes rarely, if ever, bring anyone down or make them feel stupid.

One of the last things I admired, but never dared duplicate is his way of dating. Gump would ask anyone on date, whether he thought it would lead somewhere or not. There were multiple times that I had asked Gump if he wanted to go on a double date, sometimes last minute, and he was still willing to basically drop everything and find a date immediately.

Gump is the awesome guy in the middle. He is here between his two just-as-awesome brothers.

Gump was there on my first date with my wife. He was basically the only reason anyone had fun that night. There were three couples with us, but Gump was the outgoing, fun one. I was awkward and quiet, as was Kaylee for the most part. Gump's date was really quiet too, but we had a blast just being around Gump anyway. The other two that were there were Braden White and Rachel Heinrich, and they were a lot of fun too, but Gump made that date that much better.

Gump will always stand by your side no matter who you are. He was the first to show me that it doesn't really matter what people think of you. For that, I thank him.

The Five People I'll Meet In Heaven - Part 1

When I was in middle school, I was supposed to read the book The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom. Whether I read it or not, I don't remember. I do, however; remember writing a paper on the five people we will meet in heaven. As I was still young at that point, I don't remember who I said would be on that list.

For whatever reason I thought about this a little while ago, wondering who the five people I would meet in heaven. As I researched a bit about the book, I thought about how I could write something about specific people that helped mold me into the person I am today. Some of these may surprise you, others may not.

Disclaimer: I am going to try to avoid obvious selections like Kaylee. parents (grand or otherwise), siblings and my closest friends those of you who I talk to on a regular basis (hopefully you all know you've had a huge impact on my life). I also will not select Christ as one of them, because I believe we will all meet Him when the time comes.

"Doesn't that sound like a pickup line when taken out of context?" My seminary teacher, Brother Benjamin Fryar, said after reading a particular scripture which I can't remember anymore. The entire class agreed. "Anyone want to give it a try today at the end of class?"

Everyone's eyes turned to me. I was the class clown for my seminary class, which was weird for me, because typically I was the quiet one in class. I didn't enjoy being in the spotlight, for whatever reason, this class was different.

"Jordan? I'll give you five bucks," he said, pulling out his wallet. "Uh, three dollars. I don't carry cash on me."

"I'll do it," I said after briefly thinking about the consequences of agreeing to it.

The class went by as normal as can be, until we got nearer to the end.

"Jordan, you ready? Let's go on a field trip," Brother Fryar said. I had been contemplating this for the entire call period. I got the scripture memorized, now it was time to execute it. Butterflies began to flutter in my stomach.

"Yeah, I think I got it," I replied.

We all grabbed our stuff and headed for the crosswalk of just sidewalk between the school and the seminary building, waiting for my victim.

A girl walked out of the school, she was age and even though I knew who she was, she probably had no idea who I was. 

"There you go, Jordan," Brother Fryar urged. 

'She's not LDS. She's going to think we're all weird,' I thought to myself as I walked closer, but I couldn't let the class down. The awful, Bible-inspired pickup line proceeded from my mouth and the class gave a quick laugh.

"What?" The girl, Rachel, asked. Then, realizing it was a joke, turned and walked away. I felt my head drop a little, I closed my eyes and shook my head slightly. 

"That was awesome!" A few of the students said as they walked up to me and headed for their cars because the school day was over.

"I didn't think you'd do it," Brother Fryar said as he reached for his wallet. "Here you go."

"No, it's alright. That was just for fun; It was for the class," I said.

My first person on my list of five people is Brother Fryar. He was my seminary teacher at Pine View High School my junior year. 

Here is a picture of Brother Fryar I found on the internet. Thanks to whoever posted it.

High School is a strange time for a lot of people. I was one of those that was incredibly quiet and kind of awkward. As mostly everyone else, I was still trying to figure out life. I didn't know for sure what I wanted to do after school.

He might have not known it because I was typically late and loud (yes, the quiet kid) in class, but his lessons both within the gospel and outside of it had a profound influence on me. He was the first person that made the gospel interesting to me (and it was the Old Testament year).

Since, I was a bit more outspoken, this was when I started to break out of my shell a bit. Brother Fryar dealt with me in the best way possible. He knew I was learning, even if I didn't act like it. He would call on me to do the most random things, like this pickup line for example. I was the go-to joker, which I really enjoyed.

Brother Fryar was the one that got me interested in people and the gospel, and for that I thank him. 

Huge News

Kaylee and I are happy to announce that....WE'RE PREGNANT!

We don't yet know the gender of the baby, but we're excited either way. We're kind of hoping for a boy, but a girl would bring immense joy also. I go back and forth on what I would like first. I'd love for our oldest to be a boy so that he could look out for all the other children, but girls are (generally) so precious and sweet that it's hard not to want something like that in our lives.

We're also not selecting a name until the child comes. We don't love the idea of calling an unborn child by a name because what happens if the child comes and the name doesn't fit well? We've got names that we like, but we won't settle on a name until the baby is born.

In terms of school and work, that's going to be an adjustment, but everyone always tells us that there's no convenient time to have a child, so now's as good as ever. I'll be busy with school and work, but luckily with Kaylee's job, she could take the child with her to the preschool/daycare.

Utah Utes Preseason Predictions: Part 2

In case you missed part 1, click here to visit it. Just a reminder, I had Utah going 5-1 in the first six games of the season. This post will be the rest of the season, starting with game 7 against Arizona State.

Game 7 - ASU

Utah's defense struggled last year against ASU through the air. The top two returning receivers for the Sundevils had huge games against Utah. If Utah wants to try to keep up with USC this year in the Pac-12 South a win will be necessary, which means better lock-down defense on the perimeter and in the secondary.

Utah's defensive line abused ASU's line last year sacking QB Manny Wilkins 11 times and only allowing 41 total rushing yards. Utah's offensive line was just as dominant as Troy was only sacked once and Joe Williams had a huge game with 181 rushing yards on only 15 carries. I expect that to be a lot of the same this year as these two teams face off. Utah is more talented and now that fall camp has started, Utah's coaches think this secondary might be better than last year's. Utah should win, but it could be close if the secondary gives up big chunk plays.

Game 8 - @ Oregon

Utah players and coaches had better have this game circled. Utah self-destructed late in the game last year and lost to a far inferior Oregon team. The receiver that caught the touchdown, Darren Carrington, is now playing for Utah, so he won't be there for the late-game heroics in green.

Oregon's QB Justin Herbert is back and played incredibly well when he started, but the team didn't win many games. Against Utah, he had four total touchdowns. I don't think coach Whittingham will allow the team to lose to these guys two years in a row, even if the game is in Eugene. I don't expect another blowout like two years ago, but I think Utah can beat them. With Troy Taylor's offense, Utah should be able to throw more effectively, which will open up the running game that will be improved also.

Game 9 - UCLA

Joe Williams ran wild on the Bruins last year, but Utah needed it to win by only seven points. Utah scored fast and often over and over which left the defense on the field for a big portion of the game and UCLA's Mike Fafaul threw 70 passes to wear down the defense.

Utah won't score as quick or as often in this year's version of this game. The defense will have more rest which will lead to less scoring for UCLA also. Josh Rosen is still at UCLA also and will likely be the starter. I think that plays into the hands of Utah. Rosen has great mechanics, but lacks something that puts him elite like Darnold in my book. Rosen also takes a ton of sacks, which also plays into the hands of Utah's strength.

I think Utah wins in a close one. This could be like the USC game last year for Utah fans. It could come down to the final drive.

Game 10 - Washington State

Utah hasn't faced Washington State since the 2014 campaign. Both teams are vastly different now though. This game is interesting because it fit in anywhere from an interception battle to a touchdown fest. Both teams have a ton of potential and speed. Washington State flexes a very pass heavy offense that works exceptionally well with QB Luke Falk.

Utah will be improved on offense, but I'm not sure if it will be able to overcome the November curse. Utah's defense could make this game interesting by getting takeaways, but if Wazzu gets going through the air, it might not be pretty.

I've got Utah losing in an upset to Washington State. The November curse will stay alive for at least one more year.

                             Game 11 - @ Washington

If there was a coach I disliked as much as Nick Saban, it would be Chris Petersen. Petersen is an incredibly good coach, and I hate that I am admitting it right now. Washington is probably the team I would cheer for in the Pac-12 if Utah wasn't in it, but with Petersen at the helm, I don't know if that would be easy.

This will probably be a game that could end up 3-0 in overtime or something with the defenses that are going to be facing off. Washington's passing offense will take a step back this year, but with this game being played in November, it probably will have figured itself out by this point. RB Myles Gaskin could be a force to be reckoned with if Washington can figure out its passing game also.

Utah's offense will struggle to move against Washington, but could sneak a couple of scores here and there, but I don't know if Utah's defense will be able to be on the field as often as I'm expecting in this game and stay fresh enough to keep Washington out of the end zone.

Unfortunately, I think Utah will be run by Washington after this and last week's games. Stupid November.

                      Game 12 - Colorado
At this point, Utah will just be hoping to finish its season with a win. Colorado should have their feet beneath them at this point after Sefo Liufau graduated, but Sophomore QB Steven Montez got valuable time on the field last year. Utah's defense will have to deal with both Montez and returning senior RB Phillip Lindsay.

Utah QB Troy Williams better be prepared for this one as he struggled against Colorado last year. I think this might be the game he has circled on his calendar. I think Troy will have one of his best games of his career in this one and it will be enough to give Utah the win.

Utah's defense will also be able to stop Colorado often. Utah should win by a few scores.

Well, there you go, I've got Utah going 9-3 on the season. I could see Utah sneaking past Washington State, but it might be because UCLA beat them, which still leaves the record at 9-3. That should be good enough to get Utah in the top three of the Pac-12 South. That would give Utah a pretty good bowl game, which I might be able to preview better at that point because I'll have some time during the Christmas break.

Utah Utes Preseason Predictions: Part 1

It's no secret that I am a huge Utah football fan. I love watching my Utes. This year will be really weird though because I will also be attending pharmacy school and don't know how much I can get into the season. Don't get me wrong, I will attend any and all games I can, but I will also be really busy.

Utah is being chosen as taking second behind USC again in the media polls, which I think is fair. Since I probably won't have a lot of time to break down games once school starts, I thought I would go through the schedule here and break them down a bit.

Game 1 - North Dakota

North Dakota is coming off of a 9-3 season in the Big Sky. Utah is coming off of a 9-4 campaign in the Pac-12. I could see Utah either having a ho-hum game like last season against SUU or completely destroying North Dakota here. In no way do I see North Dakota pulling this off.

Utah's new offense will probably be very secretive still after this game. I don't think there will be any need to air the ball out against North Dakota, so new OC Troy Taylor will probably be very conservative. That will probably lead to a 34-0 win or something similar to SUU last year. If, for whatever reason, Taylor opens up the playbook for some bombs, it could easily end up 61-10 or something like that.

Game 2 - @ BYU   

This is going to be the second installment of teacher vs. student in the Holy War. Kyle Whittingham has a tale that he said last time BYU beat Utah that he "will never lose to those guys again." We'll see if he can keep that word going as he hasn't lost to BYU since. The rivalry seems to have taken a cooler spin to it since Whittingham and Kalani Sitake are such good friends, which is a breath of fresh air in a stuffy, bitter rivalry.

BYU QB Tanner Mangum finally will have his chance to shine even though I thought he should have been the guy from day one last year. If BYU OC Ty Detmer can go back to the old days of airing it out, BYU's offense could be incredibly potent with speedster Jonah Trinnaman going deep.

The place where BYU's offense will lack is running back with Squally Canada in the backfield. The running game for the Cougars will probably take a huge step backward unless Canada can prove he is as good as Jamaal Williams, which I doubt.

Utah's offense will be new once again and will probably be more keen to opening up the playbook a bit in this one to show off what it can do. Where BYU lacks on offense, Utah is sitting strong. Running back is going to be strong for Utah again as long as they are all healthy. Utah returns Armand Shyne and Zach Moss and adds Devontae Henry-Cole, who has burst onto the scene with speed and power. Not to mention freshman T.J. Green could get some carries to complement the others.

Defensively, both teams are going to be very strong for years to come because of the style of the coaches. Whittingham and Sitake are both defensive-minded coaches, and I don't expect that to change anytime soon.

I expect Utah to win this game, but it will probably be closer than comfort because....Holy War. That's just life in this rivalry.

Game 3 - SJSU

Utah will continue with its terrible out of conference scheduling by playing San Jose State at home. The Spartans were terrible last year, and I doubt one year is going to drastically change that. Utah should win probably in ho-hum fashion without any explosive plays through the air. It shouldn't be close, and I don't expect it to be.

Game 4 - @ Arizona

The Utes will finally get into the conference schedule in the fourth week of the season going up against Arizona. The Wildcats had Utah's number for years until last year when Utah finally got the monkey off its back and beat the Wildcats 36-23. This time though, Utah has to travel to Arizona. That fact hasn't boded well for the Utes recently.

Ariona struggled last year with injuries at the QB position, but with more solidarity there, they could have been a better team, although in the South division not that much better. QB Brian Dawkins will have most of a season under his belt looking to take on more of the offense going in. I just can't see Arizona turning it around in time for the first conference match though. Utah should win, especially if it can expose the Arizona defense which shouldn't be tested too much until this game (even though they theoretically could lose to Houston).

Game 5 - Stanford

What has become the battle of the trenches every meeting, Utah and Stanford will meet after a two-year hiatus. This game will be a grind-it-out type of battle unless the teams change offensive styles completely, which is possible under Troy Taylor. I think Utah will match up more to the running game in this one to keep our defense from getting too tired. If Utah's air game is significantly better than in year's past, Utah will probably still try to air it out here and there, but not at the expense of a tired defense.

It will be hard for Stanford to replace McCaffrey who is now with the Carolina Panthers, but Bryce Love will be looking forward to more touches. Love could turn out to be a star for the Cardinal.

I think Utah will win bigger than most will think. I believe this because Utah has potentially four running backs that could go at the Stanford defense and will wear them down quicker with different looks, power and speed. Stanford will be forced to go to the air and not be able to keep up when Utah will be able to play to its strengths.

Game 6 - @ USC

Utah will try to pull off something it hasn't done since 1916 in week 6. Utah hasn't beaten USC in LA since then and neither team has beaten the other on their home turf since 2012 when USC beat the Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

USC's QB Sam Darnold hasn't lost since Utah beat him last year in the final seconds of the game in an instant classic, which also happened to be his first start. Darnold seems to be everything that Josh Rosen was supposed to be at UCLA. He's athletic, accurate and just wins games.

Utah will have its work cut out just trying to stop Darnold, while also trying to get past one of the most athletic and talented defenses in the Pac-12. This is where Utah's first loss will come. USC might be the team of destiny this year for the Pac-12. I think Utah could keep it close, but against Darnold in LA, I don't think it's happening. Utah will have to wait until 2019 to try to beat USC in LA in the first time in over a century.

Utah Jazz Offseason

I don't know if it was because of the Gordon Hayward de(bacle)cision, but I feel like the Utah Jazz offseason has been in the news a lot more this year than in the past. I just wanted to throw my thoughts out there, in case anyone cares what I have to say.

First off, the NBA Draft and Donovan Mitchell. Now that we are living in Salt Lake, Kaylee and I were able to attend a Salt Lake Summer League game. I had no idea what to think about Donovan Mitchell outside of a video of him shooting that appeared on Twitter. I loved what I saw in his shot and the fact he knocked down every shot, granted with no pressure or defenders.

Now, jumping back to the game we attended, Mitchell played well. I was a little let down by his shot off the dribble, which is something that can be fixed and I think he already is working on. Based on just straight shooting though, he has a near-perfect shot and release that is a joy to watch. Then his defense has been incredible in the summer league, which will only translate well to a very sub-par defensive league.

This is from our seats at the Summer League game in Salt Lake City. It was a lot of fun to see some of the young, future stars of the NBA.

The next pick was Tony Bradley, I've been fairly impressed with what he can do in the limited time he has had to show off his skill. I think he could turn into a great player that will learn a lot from both Favors and Gobert.

The next big event for the Jazz was the trading for Ricky Rubio. I've been a fan of Rubio, but I don't think he has shown everything he can do. Maybe I think that because he played for Minnesota, and I don't watch many games as it is. What I'm excited for about Rubio is his ability to pass the ball. I don't expect Rubio to be exactly like John Stockton, but I think he has the potential to be very similar to him. His passing is phenomenal and that plays perfectly into what the Jazz need and want.

I've been saying for awhile now that I think assists are the key to winning games, and I love the addition of Rubio because of that.

Now for the big one, Gordon Hayward. Hayward bolted to join his college coach, Brad Stevens, in Boston. With Hayward, I believe the Jazz could have really battled against Golden State with the new additions. Without him, I think the Jazz lost a lot of offensive firepower. That being said, with the addition of a point guard that is looking to set up guys with the best shot possible, I think the Jazz will be able to at least stay even to what they had last year.

Now the Jazz have signed Jonas Jerebko, Ekpe Udoh and Thabo Sefolosha. All three of them aren't anything close to stellar offensively, but I can guarantee every team will dread playing a defensive-minded team like the Jazz.

The Jazz are now turning a corner into the best all-around defensive team in the league. They're going to frustrate a lot of teams. I'm excited to see how these signings will help out on the floor. After all, people don't say "offense wins championships."

Rudy Gobert will now be the star for the Utah Jazz. He's the least respected center in the league, but one of the top, if not the top, center in the league. Picture from Pinterest.com.

I don't expect the Jazz to win a championship, because I don't think anyone will beat the Warriors again. But I do expect the Jazz to compete each night because of their potential assist totals and defensive pressure.

For those of you thinking that I'm wrong because the Jazz's offense won't score enough points, you're possibly right. My argument is that steals, blocks and rebounds lead to some easy buckets that even the worst offensive player can make. The Jazz have two spot-up shooters in Rodney Hood and Donovan Mitchell now that I think could have huge seasons. Hood will definitely have to step up, and I think he is definitely capable of it.