Finding my freshman friends

I had the greatest freshman ward at BYU. We were all very close and ALWAYS ate all together in the Morris Center Cafeteria. We'd take up a whole table, and as some would leave, others would come in. It was always so much fun to go down for dinner, and I really hated the times I'd be late and have to sit with just a few people from the ward instead of at least 50. But of course, over the years, we've all grown apart, and only one of them I knew where she was (since she is one of my best friends).

Any way, I have now been able to find many of them on Facebook. I've been on Facebook so long, that I was on before most of them were even on, so when I searched for any of them, they weren't there. Now they seem to have found Facebook, but unless they do the new trend of including their maiden names, it's hard to find some of the girls.

But with the prominence of the Romney family, I was able to use my contact with Josh Romney, who is the son of Mitt Romney and was also in my freshman ward, to find others. Since he's well known from his father, I knew people would be likely to find him on Facebook, and now I have about twenty friends from my BYU 19th ward. I love Facebook! It's been so great remembering the great times of our first ward away from home

BYU in the top ten!

I doubt Bronco Mendenhall will let BYU's new #8 AP and #7 USA Today Coaches Polls get to much to his player's heads, but I do worry somewhat about my Cougs getting too excited about such things. If they just focus on playing like they usually do, I really don't think they'll be challenged this year, not even by ewetah. We've proven most of the last two BYU-ewetah games that we're the better team, but we've slipped somewhat the last quarter and let the ewets be competitive and have had to rely on last second heroics (Harline's still open and 4th and 18). But I am excited to see my Cougs in the top 10 again!

59-0!!! Go Cougs!

Saturday, BYU played UCLA for what everyone thought was going to be BYU's toughest game of the season (other than possibly the ewetah game). Well, BYU came out with a huge 59-0 victory! Today at work, everyone came up to tell me they saw how we spanked the Bruins. One of my coworkers is a big UCLA fan, and he comes back to the office tomorrow. I can't wait. I've already set up some little reminders for him to remember how our game went! What a great game for us. Almost unbelievable!

Goodbye U-hall and Deseret Towers

It's kind of sad when a part of your past is gone. BYU decided to take down the dorms that I lived at my freshman year. U-Hall, where I lived from August 1993 until April 1994 was the site of so many good times. I have never been closer to the people in my ward as I was here. I think part of that was due to the fact our whole ward ate together every day. We'd take the second large table and you knew you had to get back to the Morris (Morbid) Center during dinner time or you'd miss out on seeing all of your friends. I'll have to write more someday about the great times I had my freshman year, the first year I lived on my own. Sure, there were hardships, but it really was such a great experience. I miss everyone from that group, and would rather have a reunion with all of them than I would another high school reunion. I guess sometimes you really can't go home again. I lived at 421 U-Hall. It was the last of the Deseret Towers dorms to be demolished, which in a way is kind of cool, although Q hall, where the men from our ward lived, was demolished long ago.


This is U hall, in the process of demolition (thanks to the blogger who's image I copied), I believe the two big shafts remaining in the air are the elevator shafts. The first section of it that you can see I think is the 4th floor. So of the top four floors, the most that's left is the 4th and 5th floors, which are the two floors that comprised the women of my ward. The common room (ah, the common room) is gone.

This one is of U-Hall around the time that I was there (I think that's the sign they had back then, but it might have been newer (thanks Deseret News). 431 is right about in the middle of the 4th floor, facing the street (so my window is showing). You know, I chose to stay at DT because the brochure I got about it made me think it was similar to the apartments my Momo (grandmother) used to live at in Fresno. They weren't at all, but I still loved it.

And this is a photo from BYU that shows S, T, and U Halls. I think there's something now where that large patch of grass is, but it might just be a lot of grass in front of the Morris Center.

It's sad to see it go, although I had plenty of opportunities to go visit U-hall whenever I came to visit the campus, but never did. It's just sad to realize I'll never be able to, and that a part of my past is gone. I wish I had written in my journal more in those days. I'd love to remember all the good times, with Julee, Natasha, Carrie, Ben, Mike, the Jareds, and everyone else, and of course my roommate, Kim Brown. And I should mention Kim's home ward mate, Josh Romney (who I hope will someday be part of the 'First Family' with his dad, Mitt. And Brian Gill. Haha, I won't say what I used to say to him all the time, because I found it annoying but couldn't stop myself from saying all the time (that and my stupid handshakes).