To the X-treme addendum

...and she's hilariously funny! 

To the X-treme!

Well, it was my birthday a week ago.  February 16th I turned a whopping 27 years old!  Every time I see that number in print I sit and ask myself something like, "Have a I really made it this far?" or "27?  Really?  Where did all that time go?"  Times like that I hearken to the advice a senior missionary gave me once while serving in the Baltics.  As Elder Stevenson told me, "Age is just a state of mind, you're only as old as you feel."  So yes, numbers-wise I'm a little weirded out...I mean, I'm closer to 30 than I am to 20!!  That's never happened before.  Except when I turned 25 and 26 I suppose, but those were in the middle enough not to stand out that much.  27 is well on my way to the big 3-0.  But overall, my state of mind is great right now.  So in general I still feel young and full of energy!
I think there are many reasons for that.  First, in case you didn't read, I have an amazing girlfriend.  She's sweet, caring, spiritual, smokin hot!  Seriously, I couldn't ask for anything better.  But as if that weren't enough, school is going well and I'm excited about the prospects of becoming a pharmacist.  In my studies I've found a pattern that prompted me to give myself a rather extreme birthday gift.
Being overweight or obese is a risk factor for just about every chronic condition that you hear about on the news.  Hypertension, type II diabetes, heart problems of several varieties, just to name a few.  All count having an unhealthy weight as a major risk factor.  Now I'm not writing this to condemn anyone, their weight, or their habits-eating or otherwise.  I also realize that there will be a certain incidence of these diseases no matter what we do to stop them.  But sitting in class after class and hearing about the problems that being overweight can cause to your personal health and the burdens that these chronic diseases put on our health care system and ultimately on taxpayers (us), I decided that I needed to make a change.  Preventive health care is the best kind.  It saves people from physical suffering, time spent on treatment, and most of all expenses for doctor bills.  I realized that if I was going to preach the benefits of healthy lifestyle and preventative measures to patients, I needed to lead by example. 
When I first got to Butler I was 6'3" and about 280 pounds.  Now I've always been into sports and lifting weights, so some of that was muscle.  And it should be noted that weight in and of itself is simply a number and doesn't tell the whole story.  But I won't kid myself because I also had about 30% body fat.  That's classified as overweight, just outside of becoming obese.  I started going to the gym a little bit and at the Christmas break I weighed about 275.  That's okay improvement, but this semester I've decided it's time to really get focused in.  So, on my birthday I started the workout program P90-X.  For those who don't know what it is, it is a 90 day diet and exercise program that is designed to cut fat and convert it to lean muscle at a quick pace.  No gimmicks, just intense workouts and a healthy diet, targeted at the goal of burning fat while gaining muscle.  
I don't know yet exactly what the results will be, but I can say this.  After one week of workouts and strict monitoring of my daily diet I have more energy, my body, although sore, feels great and I can feel a real change in where my health is headed.  Now, I'm not going to sit here and give you an infomercial for P90-X (I guess in some ways I already have.)  However, I do like one of the phrases used in some of the workouts.  "Do your best and forget the rest."  That means that if you've been reading this and saying to yourself, "you know, I could use some healthier habits myself."  the good news is You Can Do It!  It doesn't matter if you are already pretty fit and just want to take it to the next level or if you have been out of shape forever and need baby steps in the gym or on the diet at first.  What is important in this, or really any positive change is not to compare yourself to others or become discouraged by small gains.  Just do your best, the change will happen.  I was sitting in institute tonight and we read a verse from the Doctrine and Covenants.  Section 98:12 says "For he will give unto the faithful line upon line, precept upon precept..."  I have found this to be true when it comes to studying the gospel, but it hit me tonight that this line could have a broader meaning in our lives.  Most positive changes come gradually, but if we are faithful and stick to whatever cause it may be that we are striving for, then we can achieve our goals.   
I'll update from time to time my progress for the next 3 months, I'm looking forward to it.  So that is my X-treme birthday gift to myself.  A healthier body and a continued youthful state of mind. 

The Official Gary Bunker Holiday Report Part II

As I write this I'm jamming to the music on my own blog.  I have good taste if I do say so myself.  And I always do. 
So, when we left off on part one of the OGBHR (look at the title and you'll know what the acronym means...I know, I know, explaining the acronym took longer than just writing out the title...deal with it.)  Gary and his family had just enjoyed a wonderful Christmas day.  And that's when Gary remembered that only pro atheletes and politicians refer to themselves in the third person.  Enough of that.  Anyhow, for Christmas my parents gave me a trip to upgrade my wardrobe.  I have fashion consultants (aka my sister, Brittany, sister-in-law, Janae, and my mom, Lynette) so I decided to take them along.  Or maybe that part was mandatory...either way. Now, in general I like to think that I like clothes shopping maybe just slightly more than the next guy...but only just slightly.  Unless the next guy happens to be "metro."  Then I have no chance of going toe-to-toe and outshopping him.   So, suffice to say that with the help of my consulting team we found out that Banana Republic was having a rather huge discount on pretty much everything in the store, visited two different locations and basically cleaned up.  New wardrobe in place I was ready for my next big adventure.

The 29th of January I flew out to Oregon.  Coincidentally it was on a layover during that very trip that I wrote the teaser for my official holiday report.  Anyway, I flew in via Seattle to meet Rachel.  Now unless you are Rachel or you are someone who knows Rachel you might now be asking yourself, who is Rachel?  I'll tell you (don't ruin it for everyone else if you already know!).    

As you can see, Rachel is a girl that likes to eat crab that has been wrapped in newspaper.  She also likes spilling said crab on her shirt, but thats a story for another time.  For you to really understand, let me rewind a little bit.  So during the summer after I graduated from BYU my friend Ian and his wife, Brittany moved to Provo for him to attend law school.  So, Brittany suggested that I add someone on facebook and I wondered who it was.  She told me that it was her cousin that she wanted me to meet, so I agreed, no harm in that right?  The only problem with meeting was that Rachel lives in Oregon.  For a long time Rachel and I were just facebook friends.  She randomly started chatting with me online once and it was entertaining, so next time she was online I started chatting with her.  We started talking more and more, and the more and more we talked the more I thought to myself, "hmm, if this is her personality in real life I sort of like it."  Anyway, long story short, after a year or so of talking on the computer and on the phone we decided to meet.  And that is how I ended up on a plane heading for the Pacific Northwest just a few days after Christmas.
I flew into Seattle the 29th and met Rachel for the first time.  Before meeting, since we'd never actually met in person, I decided to pull a prank.  For several weeks before I met her I let my facial grow, and grow, and grow.  By the time I was ready for the trip I was working on something between stubble and a full beard.  I've never let it grow that much before, so needless to say, any picture she'd ever seen of me (on Facebook, etc.) didn't include facial hair.  I added a beanie pulled down low to the ensemble once I landed before walking out to meet her and the prank was in motion.  I texted to say I was on my way out and to look for me.  As I walked out I saw her looking for me.  I walked right past her and walked over towards baggage claim.  She had texted earlier saying I had to recognize her since she didn't have a sign or anything (I did.)  so after walking past I texted back, "the real question is DID you recognize me?"  I saw her reading her phone, being puzzled, then went up and introduced myself.  Complete success! 
Since I had just flown a bunch and she had just driven up from Beaverton, OR we hung out in Seattle for a while.  First, we went to the Pike Place Fish Market.  I loved it!  A bunch of vendors were selling all sorts of good looking food.  For all of you Starbucks enthusiasts, we saw the original, where it all started.  We didn't get anything because the line was even longer than your typical Starbucks, plus I don't drink coffee nor really like the smell of it.  I mean, there is a reason they use coffee beans to clear your nose when you are deciding on cologne or perfume.  And since no one has explained the real reason to me, I'm going to guess that it's because the coffee fumes kill all the receptors on the surface of your nose that have picked up the previous smell from a fragrance.  You heard it here first people, coffee kills!!!  We also passed a shop selling pirozhki.  Pirozhki was one of my favorite things to eat on my mission.  I ended up with three different flavors since I just couldn't decide on one.  They were all delicious!  I don't remember the name of the place, but it's down the street from the original Starbucks and it is legit!  We also went to the actual fish market counter (that made the place famous), and watched them throw a couple of fish.  We decided on a dungeness crab and some shrimp to eat for dinner that night.  After the fish market we headed to see the Space Needle.  I got a couple of pictures in front of it, and then apparently forgot about my camera for the rest of the trip since these are the only other pictures I have from it:

Now you see me



now you dont.



    After the space needle we headed back to Oregon.  I slept on Rachel's couch while she did some stuff (I don't know what, I was sleeping).  Then we ate our "catch" from the market.  And that's how I ended up in Beaverton, Oregon hanging out with Rachel. 

One version of the next couple of weeks goes like this:  We went to a Blazers game which was way fun, they won, scored over 100 and we got free taco bell.  We spent New Years Eve sledding at Mount Hood with several of her sisters plus a brother-in-law plus a family friend.  We celebrated New Year's playing Wii at her parents' house.  Rachel and I also went back to Mt. Hood for some snowboarding later the next week.  Aside from that we ate a lot of good food.  Sushi Track was my favorite.  You sit at the bar and the sushi comes around on a little conveyor belt and you can grab whatever looks good on the belt and eat it.  Each plate has a price and you just add em up when you're done.  We also visited the best Russian store I've been to since being back in the States.  It made me really excited to eat a bunch of delicious Russian food.  All in all a very busy and fun couple of weeks.  

The other version of the next couple of weeks goes like this:  I wasn't sure what to expect at first.  I knew I liked Rachel's personality online, but I wasn't sure how that would translate to hanging out in real life.  I also thought she was cute in pictures, but again, didn't know what the verdict would be in real life.  What I found out is that she has the personality she did online.  This made it really easy for us to communicate with each other.  I also found out that she is even prettier in person (even though she's still cute in pictures).  I also found out she thinks I'm cute too.  So that worked out better than I could ever have anticipated.  Now, I found out lots of things about Rachel while I was there, one of which is that she dislikes PDA.  I don't know if that extends from real life to the written word, so I'll just say this...I have learned over time that kissing, holding hands, and such are important forms of communication.  I've also now found that Rachel is a very effective communicator (wink).  Ok, so that wasn't very subtle, but it'll do.  

On my way back to the airport to leave we got to hang out with my dad who just happened to be in Tacoma on business that week.  It was fun, and a good way to end the trip. 

A couple of weeks from now is Spring Break.  I'm driving home to Leavenworth, Rachel is flying in to see me.  I couldn't be more excited!  To all of you "attached" people who are knowingly nodding and smiling I say, this has been like a breath of fresh air when compared to dating in the past.  To those of you who are thinking, "We just had Valentines/Singles awareness Day, and I'm already tired of hearing about other people's mushy crap," I say, I was there not so long ago...I know your pain.  And thats how my Holiday Break went.  

There was another week after Oregon that I came back home and got to hang out before school started again.  There really isn't much to report.  I stayed home and played my brother's Xbox when he was at school and my mom was at work.  We did get to go to the Harley-Davidson plant in Kansas City, so that was pretty cool.  Then, all to soon (even though I had a whole month off) it was back to the grind.      

The Official Gary Bunker Holiday Report Part I

Yep that's right, after that tantilizing teaser that like 3 people read, it is time for the official holiday report.  So according to the school website, the last day of finals at Butler this past Fall was Dec. 18th.  I found, much to my delight, that my last test would take place the morning of the 15th.

The afternoon of the 15th, there was much rejoicing in all the apartment (okay mostly just my room) as I set off for Chicago.  But...wait..."Gary, your parents live in Leavenworth, KS, why Chicago?"  It turns out my friend Elizabeth was going to be coming home from BYU the same day I was leaving Indy for the break.  So, in our awesomeness we concocted a plan by which we could both savor delicious Chicago deep-dish pizza and bask in the Windy City Winter Wonderland (yeah, it's alliteration, keep up folks) that is downtown Chicago in December.  So I drove up to Chicago and picked up Elizabeth from the airport.  From there, we went downtown and ate pizza at an awesome place called Giordano's.  Then we went to the Christkindlmarket, which is a German Christmas market.  I must say that based on my memories of childhood and the Netherlands it was pretty authentic, plus they had one of my favorite treats from my mission to the Baltics, a Nestle Lion bar.  Good Times! 

After walking downtown and such, we headed to Aurora just to say I've been to Aurora, Illinois.  But...wait..."Gary, what is so special about Aurora, Illinois?"  If you were born in the decade between the mid 70s and mid 80s you should probably see where I'm going with this.  If you don't, then you are ignorant of one of the iconic films that shaped American culture.  Okay not really, but still, Aurora, IL is the setting of none other than Wayne's World.  If you haven't seen that movie, then you've missed such classic lines as, "If she were a president, she'd be Babe-raham Lincoln."  and "I'm having fun...not...".  Anyhow, party on Wayne and Party on Garth and I will move on to the next adventure.
   

The day after my Chicago adventure, as well as dropping like $20 in tolls on I-80 and I-88, I headed down to the Kansas homestead.  I spent a relaxing weekend just undwinding from tests and such.  Then a couple days later Brittany and Dane got into town. 


  

This would have been my favorite building had I lived in Old Nauvoo...the bakery



We decided to take a trip to Nauvoo since Brittany and I are the only immediate family members who hadn't yet been there.  Don't spread this around too much or it won't be our little secret any more, but I think Christmas time is actually the best time to go there.  But...wait..."Gary, why would everyone go there in the summer if Christmas time is the best?"  Let me explain.  First of all, there are no crowds!  You can see whatever you want at any time.  The senior missionaries in each of the historic buildings were so happy to have people to talk to! 

 

Ye Olde Apothecary Shop

 

Note the lack of cars and people



Since there are no crowds, you can just show up to "the Rendezvous" that they put on each night.  Apparently in the summer they do multiple showings and you have to have a ticket.  They practically begged us to come even though we had just randomly showed up the day that we were there.  For me another highlight was the old pharmacy/apothecary shop.  Being the pharmacy student that I am, of course I got all excited when we went to that building and heard about my future profession-old school style.  I get the feeling though that had I done it back then the training would have cost me slightly less...oh well. 

The things in the window signified that this was indeed the place to buy your drugs, the blue part represented blood in your veins, the red, your blood no longer in your veins but spurting out of you. 

Also, and on a more serious note, it was very striking to stand at the edge of a frozen Mississippi River and think that that is probably similar to the scene that lay ahead of those early Saints as they departed from their homes and into an uncharted wilderness.  As I stood and took it in, I tried to imagine what it must have felt like to leave warm homes and give up so many of their earthly possessions to embark on a journey that had so many unknowns at the outset.  I don't think I can quite describe here the newfound appreciation that I gained for what my ancestors and many others endured to worship according to the dictates of their own conscience.  While in Nauvoo we also attended the Nauvoo temple.  If you haven't been, it alone is worth the trip.  I realized after being home for a while, that we actually visited old Nauvoo and went through a Temple session on the prophet Joseph Smith's birthday.  How cool is that! 



Nauvoo Temple 12/23/2010










Brother Joseph and his brother, Hyrum



 And speaking of Joseph Smith, I gained a new appreciation for his divine calling and work in the early days of the LDS Church.  The morning of Christmas Eve, before we hit the road for home I took a jog.  I passed the temple and ended up back in historic Nauvoo.  Eventually I came to the Smith family cemetary.  It was a frosty morning, but as I stood there in front of his gravesite, the cold seemed to dissipate.  I had a hymn sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir playing on my ipod (I thought jogging in old Nauvoo, church music would be best).  There was not a sould in sight so other than the music there was no sound from anywhere else.  As I read the placque that has been placed at the site to commemorate the life of Joseph Smith I felt the overwhelming presence of the Holy Spirit.  I knew at that point that this truly was the resting place of the Prophet of the Restoration.  After meeting back up with Mom, Britt, and Dane we had breakfast and went to the old Nauvoo cemetary, where one of our ancestors on Mom's side is buried.  That place further bore witness to some of the hardships the early Saints endured to believe and worship in the way that they chose.

We hit snowy weather headed back across Missouri.  Other than one little spinout we made it back without much incidence...although, it must be said that I feel that we were watched over when the spinout happened, for as far as we skidded it is amazing we didn't end up in the median or worse.  Despite that and the weather we made it back within 5 hours.  I wonder how long it took the pioneers to get across Missouri?  Christmas Eve dinner was our traditional Chimichangas.  But...wait..."Gary, why chimichangas?"  Because that's all I can remember doing for Christmas Eve and to deviate from them would just feel unnatural.  Also because chimichangas are delicious!!!

Christmas morning was fun, I think I've mentioned before that I get more of a kick out of giving than receiving presents and that held true.  We draw a name each year and get stuff for that person in the family, I had Brittany this year.  Plus I got a couple of things for my parents.  And just like always, I got excited when someone picked up what I got for them to open it.  (Maybe if I start giftwrapping my homework before turning it in I'll get more excited about doing it first...just a thought.)

And that takes us through Christmas morning.  Since this post is getting pretty epically long, we'll add another part or two to cover the rest of the break.  You know, since this was just the highlights from week one of four.