Even though he's a Democrat....

I love the music of Bon Jovi. I decided this back when I was about 15 years old and I got various albums through the mail, not Columbia House, but the other one... BMG? Anyway, buy one get 10 free or something like that. I got the Keep the Faith Album and I remember sitting at my moms computer playing some civilization game I got from Kent. For hours I would play while the music was on repeat. I memorized every song on the Album and loved them all. One song that I particularly loved/love was 'Dry County.'

I loved the guitar solo, just everything about the song. It wasn't until moved to this little oil town that I was looking for coorelation between the town and the song.

Across the border they turn
Water into wine
Some say it's the devil's blood
They're squeezing from the vine

For many of the people in Vernal, the opportunities to work in the oil industry is a blessing. They all come here for jobs when they may not have the education, or have the criminal record that makes it hard to get another high paying job.

Some say it's a saviour
In these hard and desperate times
For me it helps me to forget
That we're just born to die

Even though I did not come for the oil, I came to Vernal for opportunity. I came here like many did, to find a better life. I couldn't use my degree in the land of 100,000 students and 100 history teachers applying for the same position at any given school. I got two interviews and was stuck working overnights at a hospital. I enjoyed the job, but felt that I could do better.

I came here like so many did
To find the better life
To find my piece of easy street
To finally be alive
And I know nothing good comes easy
And all good things take some time
I made my bed I'll lie in it
To die in it's the crime

It was a leap of faith to move to this 'in the middle of nowhere' town. It was a town that didn't have any places to live, let alone AFFORDABLE places. It was a leap I so wanted to take. In Provo, I had promises of a morning show at a station 'someday,' and I had no prospects for teaching. Hardly anything to stay there for.

You can't help but prosper
Where the streets are paved with gold
They say the oil wells ran deeper here
than anybody's known
I packed up on my wife and kid
And left them back at home

Now, I didn't pack up on my wife and kids, but I know plenty in this town who have, because the oils wells (or future wells) are supposedly full and deep. In 2007, it really was hard not to prosper. I had a teaching job and a wonderful (at the time) radio job that paid the bills and made life seem steady for ONCE!

Now there's nothing in this paydirt
The ghosts are all I know
Now the oil's gone
The money's gone
And the jobs are gone
Still we're hangin' on

Thanks to Ken Salazar, Interior Secretary under Barack Obama, and other policies, the oil wells have somewhat been shut down. This caused another crash of sorts in this oil town. The money started to go, the families that once prospered and accumulated large truck and house payments lost their huge paychecks. Some families, still do, worried about how they were going to be fed. In our Condo Complex alone we were once at about 30% occupancy because owners abandoned their properties and others moved out. One lady lost 10 units alone because they were unhealthy and the payments were late. Things are looking up, but not like they were in 2007.

Down in dry county
They're swimming in the sand
Praying for some holy water
To wash the sins from off our hand
Here in dry county
The promise has run dry
Where nobody cries
And no one's getting out of here alive

Anyone that graduates high school in Vernal has two options: (1) to stay in Vernal and work at Big O Tires or in the oil/gas field somewhere or (2) leave to get an education at the U of U, UVU, BYU, Utah State, etc. Although Vernal does have a great USU campus and a tech, it just isn't the same to go there for these students as it is to leave home and experience college in 'the city.'

In the blessed name of Jesus
I heard a preacher say
That we are God's children
And He'd be back someday
And I hoped that he knew
Something as he drank his cup of wine
I didn't have too good of a feeling
As I head out to the night

Vernal has seen its ups and downs. The Old timers here will tell you about the crash of 1981 or so, and how the city was left to the native Veranlites to resurrect it. Now that we have had the crash of 2008-09 no one knows exactly what the future holds. Will a new president in 2012 give us a new chance? Will a lawsuit against Ken Salazar change anything? A lot of people are out a lot of money because of the down turn in the economy. But, on the other hand, do we want uneducated oil rig workers storming around town in big trucks, tats, and scary beards having more money than those with Degrees? Do we want the crime that comes with the rough population? Vernal has been doing some spending on a new jail, new city and police headquarters, and advanced city planning in preparation for another spike in population. More hotels have been built in Vernal in the last three years than I have stayed at in my life. If we are prepared, will we prosper?

I cursed the sky to open
I begged the clouds for rain
I prayed to God for water
For this burning in my veins
It was like my soul's on fire
And I had to watch the flames
All my dreams went up in ashes
And my future blew away

I am lucky enough to have two wonderful jobs that moderately depend on the economy. I will have a job no matter what. What about those kids who I have coached and taught in one way or another whose lives and existence depend on their family thriving off of the oil and gas industry? Just like the Reds, Bengals, Jazz... I pray for the hometown team. I hope that this town begins to thrive again.

Now the oil's gone
And the money's gone
And the jobs are gone
Still we're hangin' on

We are hangin' on. We have a wonderful core in this town. We have a temple and a few tourist attractions with the dinosaurs. We have farmers and ranchers nearby. We have other mining, we have travelers come through town. We have some of the most beautiful scenary in the high Uintas including Flaming Gorge and other reservoirs nearby.

Down in dry county
They're swimming in the sand
Praying for some holy water
To wash the sins from off our hand
Here in dry county
The promise has run dry
Where nobody cries
And no one's getting out of here alive

I for one know that I am not getting out this house! I have a mortgage that is about twice what my home is worth. I am stuck here, until the demand is back.

Men spend their whole lives
Waiting praying for their big reward
But it seems sometimes
The payoff leaves you feeling
Like a dirty whore
If I could choose the way I'll die
Make it by the gun or knife
'Cause the other way there's too much pain
Night after night after night

I don't know many people in this town currently suffering, but I am aware that people are. I know that some parents are frustrated because they cannot find a job. I know some parents take it out on their children. And I know that there are other horrible effects of this bust. For those who are suffering, I pray for their big reward. Whether it be oil or not, I hope that Uintah County is not Dry County.

Down in dry county
They're swimming in the sand
Praying for some holy water
To wash the sins from off our hand
Here in dry county
The promise has run dry
Where nobody cries
And no one's getting out of here alive

Airplanes, B.o.B.

Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars? I could really use a wish right now.



I always want to write about my memories in relation to music and specific songs. When possible I will attach the song via youtube.com or another way and tell a story.

Right now I am listening to 'Airplanes.' Immediately I remember last spring when I was traveling with the Uintah High School Softball team. On the way to St. George, only about a 7 hour drive, the girls had a stereo with a few home made cd's. Most of the music I hadn't heard before, but as I look back now I realize that the girls were breaking through new music that hadn't quite caught on nationwide or on the charts. 'Airplanes' was one of those. When first hearing the line "I could really use a wish right now..." I tried to remember the times in my youth when there were a few things that I wished or hoped for.

I remember once when I was 11 or 12 and I had a crush on a girl named Andrea. I can't even remember her last name... Anyway, I remember sitting outside my house on Winnetka Ln in Cincinnati begging for my wish to come true that she would like me. At the time I was thinking, 'if I get this wish, then I won't ask for anything again...' Yet today I can't even remember her last name or what she looked like.

I have been accused, properly, of living in the past. I like to reflect on the good things about the past. I forget the pains that I had, I forget the stresses that I had, I forget the sicknesses, instead I remember what was good.

While on my mission I was in an area for 9 months just north of Boston. My area included the coast of NH and we were based in the town of Exeter. The 9 months I was there were October - June, the coldest 9 months of the year there. I don't remember how cold I was, or the frustrations I had from appointments with investigators that fell through, or the drama with other missionaries, but I remember the walks that my companions and I would have around the pond near downtown Exeter, usually after dark. I remember the time I threw a rock at a duck and broke its neck (I really am not that cruel, it was just an unlucky throw), I also remember the many many times I lobbed rocks at the ducks and missed. I remember the benches along the walkway where we would sit and watch the airplanes across the sky. Being near Logan Airport in Boston, we had many international flights come in and domestic flights from all over including Portland Maine that we were able to watch across the sky. I watched those planes with many different thoughts including the realization that the next time I will be in a plane is when I am going home after this 2 year adventure. Then, I thought, life will begin. What dreams and wishes of mine will come true? The airplanes weren't my shooting stars, but instead a thought provoking streak across the sky representing my future.

My priorities have changed over the years. I went from wanting to be on top of the world to being a quiet family man that tries to get the job done with as little attention as possible. I still enjoy doing things like talking on the radio or calling a basketball game on TV, but if I could I would wear a mask or hide in a closet (like a radio studio!!). I love to have fun in the moment, but I also love to leave the excitement and thrill of radio/tv at work.

Being married to an incredible woman (my sister Stef always reminds me that I married up) who has given birth to the two most adorable children has changed my priorities. While I keep busy with many different jobs and hobbies, I look forward to seeing my daughter smile at me when seeing me walk in. I love to see my son run circles in excitement for me when I arrive home. My wife, who constantly wants to spend what little time is left for her, is always ready to forgive me for anything that I have done that day and cuddle and watch a movie.

While watching those planes across the sky, could I have imagined how much I would have changed, and how lucky I am to not have my wishes granted? My true desires took some time to find, but I am lucky enough to have every single one of them come true.