Happiness - Day Twenty-Nine

On July 17, 1999, I married Nicole Kathryn Hendrickson and that was the day my happiness began. In just over a month, we will celebrate our 10th anniversary and (all marriage jokes aside) it seems like I have just blinked to get to this point. She is the mother of my three wonderful children. My continual goal is to do nothing to disappoint her and to fulfill the promise I made her over ten years ago that I would make her laugh everyday.

You are beautiful and I love you.

Happiness - Day Twenty-Eight

Hannah Jayne Shelby was born on June 23, 2002.

I love you Princess. You are my favorite daughter...

Happiness - Day Twenty-Seven

Adam Noah Shelby was born on June 22, 2005.

I love you knucklehead.

Happiness - Day Twenty-Six

Caleb Derek Shelby was born on July 4, 2008.

Happiness - Day Twenty-Five

I am grateful for the country we live in and those who have lost their lives upholding the principles of freedom.

The Pledge of Allegiance:
"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands: one Nation under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all."

The Declaration of Independence

The Preamble:
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

The Constitution

Memorial Day Tribute:

Happiness - Day Twenty-Four

Here are my favorite desserts:

5. Brownies with Mint Frosting


4. Triple Chocolate Cake


3. Chocolate Chip Cookies with Milk


2. Dutch Oven Peach Cobbler


1. Berries with Ice Cream

Happiness - Day Twenty-Three

I am a sports fanatic. Here are my favorite teams:

Los Angeles Lakers:


Dallas Cowboys:


Los Angeles Dodgers:
Kirk Gibson


Or watch the entire 9 minute at bat HERE.

Happiness - Day Twenty-Two

http://foodporndaily.com/

Click on the picture for a new delectable dish...

Happiness - Day Twenty-One

Man in the Box is one of my favorite comedy bits on YouTube. I can't get enough of it. It's like The Office meets Office Space.

Star Wars vs Sports:


Here's some of my other favorites:

Airhorn
Casual Friday
Coffee Club
Hot Foreign Chick
Meet Bill's Girlfriend
Sexual Euphemisms
The Urinal
Valentine's Day Gifts

Happiness - Day Twenty

Happiness - Day Nineteen

This I will dedicate to books that have fundamentally changed who I am or how I see the world. The are simply in alphabetical order, not in order of which books have "created-the-greatest-change".

A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
Autobiography of Malcolm X - Alex Haley
Bible
Book of Mormon
Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis
Farenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
Man's Search for Meaning - Viktor Frankl
Martin & Malcolm & America: A Dream or a Nightmare - Dr. James H. Cone
Night - Elie Wiesel
Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
Rich Dad, Poor Dad - Robert Kiyosaki
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen R. Covey
The Elegant Universe - Brian Greene
The Power of Focus - Jack Canfield
The Universe in a Nutshell - Stephen Hawking
To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
Where The Red Fern Grows - Wilson Rawls

Happiness - Day Eighteen

http://www.pandora.com/

About Pandora®

When was the last time you fell in love with a new artist or song?

At Pandora, we have a single mission: To play only music you'll love.

To understand just how we do this, and why we think we do it really, really well, you need to know about the Music Genome Project®.

Since we started back in 2000, we have been hard at work on the Music Genome Project. It's the most comprehensive analysis of music ever undertaken. Together our team of fifty musician-analysts has been listening to music, one song at a time, studying and collecting literally hundreds of musical details on every song. It takes 20-30 minutes per song to capture all of the little details that give each recording its magical sound - melody, harmony, instrumentation, rhythm, vocals, lyrics ... and more - close to 400 attributes! We continue this work every day to keep up with the incredible flow of great new music coming from studios, stadiums and garages around the country.

With Pandora you can explore this vast trove of music to your heart's content. Just drop the name of one of your favorite songs or artists into Pandora and let the Genome Project go. It will quickly scan its entire world of analyzed music, almost a century of popular recordings - new and old, well known and completely obscure - to find songs with interesting musical similarities to your choice. Then sit back and enjoy as it creates a listening experience full of current and soon-to-be favorite songs for you.

You can create as many "stations" as you want. And you can even refine them. If it's not quite right you can tell it so and it will get better for you.

The Music Genome Project was founded by musicians and music-lovers. We believe in the value of music and have a profound respect for those who create it. We like all kinds of music, from the most obtuse bebop, to the most tripped-out drum n bass, to the simplest catchy pop tune. Our mission is to help you connect with the music YOU like.

We hope you enjoy the experience!

Happiness - Day Seventeen (Favorite Songs)

My self-imposed parameters:
1. One song from each band (hence prohibiting Led Zeppelin and Bob Marley from dominating the entire Top Twenty)
2. Take no historical consideration, just present day enjoyment.
3. They must rock...

Also, notice that I said my "favorite" songs of all-time, not the "best" songs of all time:

Danzig - Mother

Led Zeppelin - Stairway to Heaven

Pearl Jam - Jeremy

Weezer - My Name is Jonas

Ozzy Osbourne - Crazy Train

Bad Religion - Dearly Beloved/Sorrow (Alright, I'm cheating here a little but I found a clip with them together)

Pink Floyd - Comfortably Numb

The Clash - London Calling

The Smith's - There is a light that never goes out

Bob Marley - Redemption Song

Bob Marley - Redemption Song
Uploaded by kerex - Explore more music videos.

Happiness - Day Sixteen

Nothing makes me smile like hilarious YouTube clips.

Happiness - Day Fifteen

I love Quentin Tarantino movies. Here is one of my favorite scenes from the cameo he did in the movie Desperado (not a Tarantino film but this scene is very indicative of the style of his films).

**Not a clip for the easily offended**

Happiness - Day Fourteen

This is probably the most beautiful song I have ever heard:

Con te Partiro (Time to Say Goodbye) - Andrea Bocelli with Sarah Brightman

Andrea Bocelli & Sarah Brightman-Time to say goodbye STEREO
Uploaded by bigvideofan. - Music videos, artist interviews, concerts and more.

Happiness - Day Thirteen

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickins.

What a wonderful tale of life, about seizing the opportunities to love, to live, to make a difference, and to realize that it is never too late to change.

Happiness - Day Twelve

Enough said...

Happiness - Day Eleven

Russell Peters:

Happy Mother's Day

Happiness - Day Nine

I love sleep. I don't do it enough. I should participate more in this great ritual.

People who say they sleep like a baby usually don't have one. ~Leo J. Burke

A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor's book. ~Irish Proverb

There is more refreshment and stimulation in a nap, even of the briefest, than in all the alcohol ever distilled. ~Edward Lucas

People who snore always fall asleep first. ~Author Unknown

The worst thing in the world is to try to sleep and not to. ~F. Scott Fitzgerald

There is no hope for a civilization which starts each day to the sound of an alarm clock. ~Author Unknown

Sleep lingers all our lifetime about our eyes, as night hovers all day in the boughs of the fir-tree. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Fatigue is the best pillow. ~Benjamin Franklin

Sleep is the most moronic fraternity in the world, with the heaviest dues and the crudest rituals. ~Vladimir Nabokov

Happiness - Day Eight

My Top 10 Favorite Comedy Movies:

20. Blazing Saddles
19. National Lampoon's Animal House
18. Joe Dirt
17. Caddyshack
16. Dumb and Dumber
15. The Wedding Singer
14. Ferris Bueller's Day Off
13. Super Troopers

12. Friday
11. There's Something About Mary
10. Rush Hour 2 (and the original)
9. Airplane
8. Clue
7. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

6. Talladega Nights
5. Happy Gilmore

4. The Princess Bride
3. Monty Python and the Holy Grail

2. Wedding Crashers
1. Ghostbusters

Happiness - Day Seven

Backpacking makes me happy. I feel close to God when I am in nature. I feel greater peace while examining the beauty of the earth that yet to be infiltrated by the stamp of human "civilization". Now that spring is here, I look forward to hiking the beautiful Utah mountains.

Here are the links to a documentary of a hike (2626 miles from Mexico to Canada) that is on my Bucket List.

Pacific Crest Trail Documentary (PART 1 - Click Here)

Pacific Crest Trail Documentary (PART 2 - Click Here)

"Walking the West" - Winner California Independent Film Festival (Best Documentary) and Vancouver Mountain Film Fest (Jury Award).


Enjoy the pictures:

Tuolumne Falls, Yosemite, California.


The Lower Falls on the Aspen Grove trail of Mount Timpanogos, Utah.


At the bridge down the backside near Chantry Flats, California.


Great shot in San Gabriel Mountains, California.


Sign found upon your exit of the trail in Chantry Flats.

Happiness - Day Six

Okay, I know this will technically fall under the anger category of politics and Republican idiocy but...

Olbermann's Worst Person segments always make me laugh and shake my head that people like this exist...and have positions of influence in our governing bodies.

Felicidad - Cinco de Mayo

Feliz Cinco de Mayo. Vamos a celebrar con Cheech y Chong. Aqui es un video de su pelicula "Cheech and Chongs Next Movie". Espero que lo disfruta...me lo haz sonrier cada vez!




Si quieres, puedes ver el peliculo completo aqui.

If you like, you can see the entire movie here.

Happiness - Day Four

I love to laugh. I love stand up comedy. Here are a few clips from one of my all time favorite comedians, Steven Wright.


From his HBO special (in the 80's):



Songs:

Happiness - Day Three

Alright, so sarcasm occasionally makes me happy too...FYI, I borrowed this from Heidi's blog, who got it from Scott, but it is just too good not to share. I still come close to tears of laughter every time I watch it.

Happiness - Day Two

A few of my HAPPY California restaurants...

Vince's Spaghetti:


The Hat:


In-N-Out:


Casa Jimenez:


But my current favorite (and the best of Utah so far) are just the small taco stands in Salt Lake City that remind me of Tijuana...

Clockwise from the top : Al Pastor, Barbacoa, Carnitas, Lengua

Happiness - Day One

Today is my Dad's Birthday so I will dedicate today's happiness to him. As I reflect on the what I have learned from him over the years, a few big ones come to mind.

1. "If you're going to do a half-ass job, don't bother doing it at all." He taught me the virtue of hard work.

2. He taught me that taking care of your family is priority number one. He worked countless hours, rotating shifts, mandatory doubles, etc. so that his family would have the necessities.

3. As a father, sometimes your own personal wants get kicked to the bottom of the priority list with wife and kids. As such, the boat my father has wanted since I first began to understand the english language, may finally become a reality this year...and I'm 32 years old. Congrats Dad...and bring it up here to Utah. Matt and I will help you break it in on Utah lakes.

4. I marvel at my dad's entrepreneurship and have a huge appreciation for all types of music thanks to my dad. When I was like 12 years old, my Dad just up and started a DJ Service. We spent many nights together at parties and those are times I will never forget. Friday and Saturday night were Karaoke nights at local pizza joints that booked us. Here's the funniest story I can remember during our DJ years.

* We had been hired by a Catholic Junior High School to DJ their "End-of-Year" dance. Like many kids that age, they frequently request songs that they can't dance to, but I would occasionally throw them a bone. My dad went to the bathroom and some kid requested "Closer" by Nine Inch Nails. My exposure to Nine Inch Nails at that time had been limited to what I heard on KROQ 106.7 FM, which bleeped all of the offending phrases. Imagine my surprise as I am prepping the next song in the queue and look up to see my Dad's panicked look as he franticly makes his way from the back of the auditorium towards me making the throat-slice motion. I slowly took off the ear phones, looked out at the disgusted priest, shocked nuns and a few angry chaperones, as I now hear blaring over the loud speakers, "I want to f**k you like an animal"...

To this day, that memory still brings a smile to my face. It was absolutely hilarious...after the fact.

5. My love of zombie movies started at the young age of 5 or 6. I was home sick from school, mom was going to work and Dad had just got home from graveyard shift. As I'm laying on the couch, he says to me, "You can stay down here and watch this if you promise not to tell your mother. Otherwise, you've got to go upstairs." I agreed and we watched the 80's movie Return of the Living Dead.

6. He taught me that duct tape can solve 99% of the world's problems...lol.

7. He taught me to never give up because it's never too late to change.

I love you Pops and Happy Birthday!

Happiness...for the month of May.

It has come to my attention from those who care about me and want to save me from eternal damnation that, apparently, I am not happy. Cited as evidence were my intolerant hateful blogs which drip of anger and frustration. Wow. So, I decided to look introspectively and unfortunately, it is true.

I am Satan incarnate...

How did this happen? How can I change it? Since this started because of my blog mood, I need to change the feel of my blog. So in an effort to change my devilish persona to something more happy...


For the entire month of May, I will only post about things of happiness.