Skydiving!!!

Thursday, August 20, 2009 at 9:15 AM | Posted by Eric Forrest Meek

Check one more first adventure off the list of lifetime to-dos!!!

I jumped out of a plane from 2 miles above the earth (18,500 feet above sea level). I was able to free-fall for 60 seconds and then parachute down (with the help of my friend Fish). There is a small lead chute which slowed us to 115 mph (just shy of terminal velocity) as you can see in the photo.

It is true that skydiving is the biggest adrenaline rush I have ever had: more than on a dirt bike, cliff-jumping, racing, or anything... ever. I am now hooked and will be completely certified within a year. That will require one more tandem jump and 7 individual jumps. Once I get that done, I will be able to jump by myself, with my own gear, and then who knows.

I went to Skydive Utah in Erda, UT. Everyone there was great and made
my experience fun. If you see the video, I am definitely nervous before the jump and was really unable to
express all of the thoughts running through my head. Either that, or I just forgot to breathe; it's common.

The view was amazing from that height. I could see the entire Salt Lake Valley and the Tooele area valley. It is one thing from a Boeing 747, but a complete 360 degree view without any obstructions is by far the best way to see it. As I approached the ground, the most striking thing was the feeling of flying more than falling (except for the wind rushing by).

I had an awesome time and would recommend skydiving to all of my adrenaline junkie friends as the ultimate first time rush. If you have a bad heart or problems breathing, you might want to reconsider it... so hurry before you all get too old.

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Commuter Car

Wednesday, August 19, 2009 at 7:19 AM | Posted by Eric Forrest Meek
Here are a few before pics of the commuter car I bought (with the help of some friends) from an auto auction. It is a 1995 Honda Accord with about 174,000 miles.

It was a great buy and only needs a hood and a few minor details to be fully functional. This will
be a great car to travel between Rigby and Pocatello for school methinks. The fuel economy is astounding compared to the Tahoe and when it is all said and done, I will have a car for under $1,000.

When we got to the auction to pick up the cars (3 for the day), although the Honda had a run and drive certification from the auction house, the radiator was leaking and had to be replaced before I could drive it home. Lucky for me, Jeremy Cutts was
there; he was the one who set up the purchase and allowed me to travel with him to pick up the vehicles. After procuring a new radiator in Bountiful, we threw it in the car on the side of the road, filled it up with anti-freeze and were off in a short amount of time.
It should be a fun project to bang out before school starts next week. With a little TLC it will look better and save me money in the long run. But hey, I found $1.28 in the ashtray, so it is already paying for itself :o)

This is a photo of me driving the Pontiac (another car we brought back) taken by Jeremy's wife from the Honda while on the interstate.


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A Beautiful Saint Bernard: Boozer

Sunday, August 16, 2009 at 9:07 AM | Posted by Eric Forrest Meek
Yesterday was a difficutl one for both my roommate and I. I am sure it was more difficult for Josh... I would like to dedicate this blog to him and the memory of Boozer, one of my best friends ever.

Check Spelling

Boozer is a 4 year old Saint Bernard. The day Josh picked him up, he was at work and unable to
drop Boozer off anywhere. Since he had to take Boozer with him to work, he carried his small fluffy body around all day in his lunchbox. Yes, a St. Bernard in a lunchbox. Boozer was the smallest puppy of the litter, but Josh really liked his markings. He was such a beautiful little bundle of life teaming with enthusiasm and joy.

Just like any other dog, he had some issues with learning to behave. Josh told me stories that
Boozer was a big fan of chewing up the garden hose. In an effort to distract Boozer from this terrible habit, Josh tied all of the chewed-up pieces around his neck. Carrying around this much hose became a burden and Boozer eventually learned to respect the hose.
I moved into Josh's house in the Summer of 2007. At that time, Boozer was full grown. He was the kind of dog that loved to be around people and get attention, pets, and any kind of affection he could. The only issue with that was the amount of slobber that is characteristic from a dog with such a sloppy face. Often times I would find that he had rubbed up against me to say hello and completely slimed my pants. This was quite typical at parties, barbeque's and other social events held here. Fortunately, Josh was aware of his drool not being something he could control and just warned people. If they got slimed, their fault.
I have never known a dog that was such a lover. At 170 lbs. he was able to wrestle with me and push me around, but had a big enough heart to play with children of all ages and never harm them in any way. I often remember Jasmine (Josh's daughter) laying on him in the summer and hanging on him by his tail. Boozer didn't have a hostile bone in his body and loved to play with Jasmine as well as other kids. Some of his favorite things to do were: play keep-away (with anything he could fit in his mouth), tug-o-war with his rope, bite at the air compressor air or vacuum, and wrestling with a large and strong opponent or the smallest of children. Anyone who met Boozer was immediately attracted to him and felt the love which he emanated.

About 9 weeks ago, Boozer began to limp on his back leg. After a scheduled surgery for an ACL injury, the veterinarian informed Josh that Boozer had Osteosarcoma (bone cancer) throughout most of his body. Boozer was burried on August 15, 2009. This was a devastating day for those of us close to Boozer.

Boozer has to be the absolute toughest dog I have ever met. He held in there for 9 weeks while his body was wasting away. Although it was difficult for him to eat or keep food down, he rarely ever whimpered or showed that he was in pain. Boozer led a great life where he was cared for, loved, played with, but most of all he ate very well. He will be missed by many including his two brothers Bullet and Bear. We love you, Boozer.

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A Peaceful Morning

Monday, August 10, 2009 at 11:05 AM | Posted by Eric Forrest Meek



What a great day!

I woke up and realized that summer is still here. The temperature
should be warm for the rest of this week and I am excited to soak up the summer for a couple more weeks until school starts. On
that note, I decided to take a drive to Twin Bridges, with coffee in hand, to spend some time in nature. No phone, no distractions and no worries.

I took a camera to capture some images which I would like to share. :o)


I was inspired to write while I was out there. Lately, I think I am discovering a creative side to me that I never knew was there. I recently read through my journal and discussed some interesting things that happened in the past with my mother that have helped me to understand myself more. Anyways, here is a poem I wrote this morning (as cheesy as it might be).

Life turns to memories and thoughts of the past
There for an instant; not meant to last
Often I ponder and think of what was
Not living here, in the moments I love.

The smell of the air, the sounds of the wild
begin to remind me of my life as a child
Too often I find the future brings stress
What has and what will won't let me rest

Each corner I turn, every breath that I take
Living the moment for each moment's sake
The past and the future bring trouble and pain
Too much time there leaves nothing to gain

Each minute can bring these feelings too
the secret is to not let them control you
Life isn't easy, not in the least
But being here now helps me find peace.

It is amazing how wonderful life can be when you stop to realize all of the things you are blessed with and all of the people in your life that truly care for you. I know of nothing in my life which has value has ever happened when things are going easy and life has no trouble. Instead, the best things in my life have always come from times of distress, pain, and difficulty. I am trying to take every moment for what it is and be grateful for the positive things in my life, but also realize how to enjoy the pain. That's right, enjoy the pain. For it is pain that helps us to grow. Whether building muscles, healing from an injury, or even the pain of studying something that is difficult to understand. It is the pain that helps us to remove the weakness from our bodies and minds.

So, when you think that life is hard and you don't want to live life on it's terms: stop, take a breath, and enjoy the pain. It is the only way we grow.



NOSCE TE IPSUM


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