The big news of the week came on Friday when Julie was offered and accepted a new job. It’s just about as perfect as we hoped - she’ll be a technical recruiter at Qualtrics. The pay is decent, and the benefits are pretty great. When I saw that she would get free vision insurance and cheap dental insurance, I almost cried. I thought we’d be without these for a few years. Her start date is March 7th, which gives her a few more weeks to keep teaching Mike and Joe and finish up some to-do items.
I’m really jealous of Mike and Joe. They are learning and having a blast. They recently went to the Provo Police Station, toured it, and then went and met Mayor Kaufusi. Other excursions include visits to the LIbrary, to the Bean (Natural History) Museum.
Sunday has been a wonderful time to connect with family. Last Sunday (Feb 6th) with Aunt Becky in town, and to celebrate the birth of Hudson, we had a big Hutchins family gathering at Uncle Ben’s and Aunt Joy’s. They were extraordinary hosts, feeding all of us (25 or so!) and graciously opening up their home. This Sunday, we had a fun V-day dinner and games at Mary Ann and Dallen’s house. Yummy dinner, amazing decor, so fun. I really enjoyed playing “Don’t Kill Pete.” It’s a game I’d never heard of, and although incredibly simple is one I want to make a tradition of playing.
Talking about Valentine’s Day, forget about Jules’ new job. The best news this week was that I had a valentine for the first time in my life. Jules made the day so special - She decorated our entire apartment and we enjoyed a nice dinner together with a martinelli and then watched a movie. She is my eternal valentine!
Saturday I had my first round of golf in this new year. Jules spent Saturday morning at a women’s conference, and the weather was nice, so I played nine holes. It was memorable solely for the fact that I played with a compulsive liar. The other guy paired with us was really cool though and we just kept looking at each other like “Does he really think we believe him?” The first lie he uttered was that he was a +3 handicap. For perspective, that means he should beat me by 8-10 shots and is nearly identical talent wise to any PGA Tour pro. And much better than 99% of college players. By the time 9 holes had ended, this guy had told like 50 stories, and at least 49 were false. In terms of my game, A few times I walked right past my ball thinking I had hit it 30 yards further. So there’s some rust, but I played smart and hit it straight. And I absolutely whooped the 3+ handicap guy.
I’ve made up my mind and am applying to the MBA program. I met with some admission officers and I’m hoping to apply before February ends. Jules has been pushing me to go for it, which I really appreciate as the thought of another year in school without a salary hurts. Her encouragement is the biggest reason I’ve been moving towards this decision, and the other big factor is the MBA class I’m in right now. I love it. It’s been a breath of fresh air compared to law school.
Our date last night was to the BYU Museum of Art. Once a month they have an “Art after Dark” event. It’s been a few years since I’ve attended one, and while good before, the one we attended last night was amazing. We listened to some rocking live music, ate some cannoli’s they provided as refreshments and then made masquerade masks to take home. We’ll definitely be back.
One of my goals this year is to improve in chess. I just love the game. I began communicating with the BYU chess club and heard about the Intermountain Intercollegiate Tournament scheduled for February 19th. Excited, I decided to see if I could make the 3-person team. I anticipated being ranked somewhere between #2-#4, so my chances were good. Lo and behold, BYU’s best chess player graduated in December, and after the smoke cleared, I was ranked #1. A little panicked, I’ve spent probably 10 hours this week preparing. In the lead up, I’m 13-0 in matches against the other BYU players, but am nervous because the University of Utah has some really strong players. Being number one though, means that means if I win, I can claim title to the best college player in Utah. The tournament is held this year in Cedar City at Southern Utah University. There are 9 universities competing: BYU, UofU, Utah State, UNLV, Weber State, SLCC, Dixie State, UVU, and SUU.
One reason I wanted to go is because I have no school next week. So, we’re going to make a trip out of it. Our plan is to camp at some State and National Parks, visit Las Vegas, and return to Provo Wednesday night.
Saturday Morning Update:
We left this morning at 6:30. My first game has ended. I got absolutely creamed. I was paired with the UofUtah’s #1, Tinh Nguyen, who is currently ranked 2100. In comparison, I’m at 1850. It was a bloodbath. Alas. I played riskier than usual to try and throw him off balance but to no avail. When we talked after the game, I told him I knew my 15th move or so turned out to be a huge mistake. He calmly nodded and then said I shouldn’t have made my 3rd move the way I did. Ouch. There are 50 players, 25 games going on, and mine was the first to be over. By a long shot. I’ve got 2 hours until the next round. Ouch ouch ouch. Good news though, Tinh is ranked the highest of anyone here. There’s one other person (his teammate) who is over 2000, and I’m 5th overall. So I’m optimistic that I’ll play the other ones better. Here’s hoping! Porter is playing here too, which thrills me, it's cool to do this together, and he’s looking pretty strong halfway through game one. I’m hoping he can pull out a W.
Tuesday, emeritus General Authority Tad Callister visited the law school. He’s a lawyer by trade and is someone I admire greatly. His humble, yet strong demeanor is inspiring. Last summer, he wrote this article which I found compelling. After two sentences, I was flabbergasted at the tremendous claim he made, but felt the Spirit confirm to me that the decline of the family is the most serious issue today. Here’s the link for those interested:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2021-05-22/tad-callister-fence-cliff-ambulance-strong-families-213923
His remarks to the law school (sadly, while the room was filled with students, not a single faculty member attended) were sobering and inspiring. He spoke about how the Constitution was divinely inspired and how although the Founding Fathers are by no means perfect men, they were raised up by God to help create the United States of America and to model democracy and religious freedom the world over.
The most striking one-liner was, “The American Flag is our modern day Title of Liberty.”
I’m so grateful to live in the United States and to live at this time. And I left inspired and committed to do my part to help fulfill this scripture, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.” Psalm 33:12
