Merry Christmas!

So the marathon is over. We actually did better than a lot of people were guessing. We started yesterday around 5:00 PM and went until 7:00 AM this morning. We did take one brief break between 3:30 AM and 4:30 AM to help Santa out. Other than that, it was a Gilmore gallimaufry of Greatness. We drank a lot of Dr. Pepper, Egg Nog and ate many a frozen pizza and snacks.
At 7:00 we fell asleep on various couches throughout the room, and then around 8:00 AM, the present opening began. This was a wonderful Christmas, I received many great gifts that I am grateful for...but most of all, I got to spend time with my family. It's been a spectacular day. I thank our Heavenly Father for this time of year that we get to focus on the birth of our Savior.

Hour #3

We are three hours into our marathon. Egg Nog supply is strong. Dr. Pepper is slightly depleted, but rationing should allow us to fully enjoy the Doc for the full extent of this event. Several varieties of chips have been opened along with the Cheddar Triscuits. Yoo Hoo is flowing well. Frozen pizzas will be entering the pre-heated oven shortly.From the land of Gilmore, remember one thing: "Life is short...talk fast."

Another Crazy Adventure

Staying true to my discursive nature of blogging, I bring to you today yet another tale of head-scratching wonderment that is the life of Zach.
For those of you who may not know me as well as others, this auctorial entry should give you perspicacity into the life, times and overall turmoil that is me.
I've done some crazy things in my life. No really...I have. I have jumped out of a perfectly good airplane that even had landing gear.
I have climbed down a 2,000 foot near-vertical cliff without ropes or gear.
I have voluntarily thrown myself off of a 95 foot cliff.
Once, for $20 I licked the hand rail of an outdoor escalator in Las Vegas.
Well this last week I did another crazy thing. I flew up to Salt Lake City on Wednesday and back to California on Thursday...all for just one date. And you know what? It was worth it.
I have a good friend whom I met back in the Payson Singles' ward. We have been friends for a while, and fortunately we stayed in contact after my mini-exodus down to the Golden State. Anyway a few weeks back she sent me an e-mail asking me if I would accompany her to the Mormon Tabernacle Christmas Party.She happens to be a member of the Mormon Tabernacle Orchestra.
Impulsively thinking that this would be a non-soporific activity, and that I really enjoy the company of said girl, I figured, "What the heck!"
So I found a killer deal on airplane tickets and told her that I would love to join her. Needless to say...I had a FANTASTIC time!So on Wednesday I flew up to Salt lake. I had made arrangements to stay with one of my all-time favorite mission companions who lives downtown. By far one of the most generous people I know. (Love you man!)
I swung by a flower shop where I had ordered a corsage, then stopped by his place to shower and get ready.
I met up with my friend in the lobby of the Grand American Hotel. She looked awesome by the way. We then proceeded to find our name tags and seats. There were a lot of people there. We had all of the Choir, the Orchestra, all the "behind-the-scenes" people that make things happen, and of course a man named President Gordon B. Hinckley.
So we had a wonderful meal of salmon and steak. There was great entertainment, and finally we got to hear from some of the leaders of the Choir, such as Mr. Mac.
Bro. John Longhurst, who has been the organist for the choir for over 30 years, was given 2 large plaques and was honored that night for his services.
We also had the honor of hearing from our beloved Prophet, Pres. Hinckley. That was an awesome experience.
At the end of the evening, we were all invited to sing "Silent Night" before having the closing prayer. Most people would have been intimidated to be singing with the entire Mormon Tabernacle Choir...but not me! At the end of it, I realized that I can say, "I literally sang with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir."

I'm practically a celebrity in Utah.

WoW!

So I cracked. When it comes to new-fangled technological toy-like items for guys, it doesn't take much to break down my resolve to NOT buy things. Yesterday I was at Costco and there it was...cheaper than I had ever seen before...AND it came with $180 worth of free movies. SO I did it. I bought a Blu-Ray Disc Player.And it is FANTASTIC! It is absolutely amazing how perfect the picture is...how wonderful the all-encompassing sound is...how pathetic my life is.

All this time...I've been such a caveman. My friends...my family...I have found Shangra La, and it's name (dramatic pause) is Blu-Ray.

Tradition!

For those who don't know, my sister Bridgett and I have this habit of staying up VERY late, chugging Yoo-Hoo and/or Dr. Pepper and watching television well into the wee hours of the morning. With Christmas just around the corner, (in case you weren't aware of that foreboding fact), we decided we needed to start a new tradition. So on Christmas Eve we are going to start a movie/TV marathon to go all night. We are looking for suggestions as to what to watch.
Some ideas include picking one set of movies, (i.e. Indiana Jones, Rocky, Pirates of the Caribbean, Rambo, Ghostbusters, Star Wars, etc.)
Other ideas include picking one actor or actress and watching all the movies with said person, (i.e. Drew Barrymore and ET, Fever Pitch, My Date with Drew, 50 First Dates, Charlie's Angels, etc.)
But then again, thanks to the advent of television on DVD, we could watch an entire season or series of a show, (i.e. 24, House, Arrested Development, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Smallville, MacGyver, etc.)

So my faithful family, friends and readers...we are looking for suggestions. The one that comes up with the best suggestion will win not only our thanks and praise...but also our Respect. And can you really put a price on that?

If you care to join us in our veggitative state, please submit an application.

HAPPY SUGGESTING!

Tag! I'm it!

How sad is this? I had to tag myself.
So I decided that since everyone else is enjoying this fantastic game of "Blag" (Blog + Tag), I decided to start my own game. Why? Because I am a sad...sad...sad individual. Actually it is because I am bored and have about an hour to kill.
So without further adieu, I give you
"BLAG 2.0: The Marital Status Unimportant Version"
We'll accept you even if members of the opposite gender won't

1 - What is your name? Zachary D. Lifferth
2 - How old are you? 32
3 - Seriously? Yes
4 - And you aren't married? Nope
5 - What's wrong with you? Is this going somewhere?
6 - Sorry...Where do you live? Orange County California
7 - What do you do for a living? Business developmental interaction for peer-to-peer, vertically-aligned, retail cooperatives
8 - What the...? I help network marketers build their business
9 - Is that one of those pyramid schemes? No..and can we get back to the BLAG?
10 - Right...Are you dating anyone? That was the first thing my Bishop asked me the other day in Tithing settlement.
11 - So are you dating anyone? No...but I have high hopes for some potential on the horizon
12 - Are you always so abstract and weird? Affirmative
13 - What is your shoe size? 9 1/2
14 - Don't your brothers have bigger feet than you? Yes...but I have more hair
15 - What side of the bed do you sleep on? The Top side
16 - Who pays the bills? Quicken
17 - Have you ever been on a blind date? Yes...holy crap...yes
18 - How many blind dates have you been on? I lost count around 120...that was 2 years ago
19 - What was the best blind date you ever went on? Was there a good one?
20 - What was the worst blind date you ever went on? Handsy-Grabby Girl, she was worse than Girl-Who-Never-Showed-Up
21 - What do women want? I plead the 5th for my own safety
22 - Didn't you write a research paper 6 years ago on just that topic? Yes - and it ruined my dating life for the next 3 years
23 - Why? Is that question really on the BLAG form?
24 - No...but Enquiring Minds want to know. Next question
25 - What's your favorite word? Callipygian
26 - What does it mean? Someone with well-shaped buttocks
27 - That's not a real word! Yes it is...look it up
28 - Why do you use such obscure words? I want to augment my lexicon
29 - Do you teach Seminary? Yep - every morning 6 AM...I teach the Freshmen and we are studying the Old Testament
30 - Is that difficult, with Freshmen? Not if you find the right stories to share...they really liked it when two of the sons of Israel convinced all the males in an entire city to get circumcised...then slayed them all "while they hurt"
31 - That's gross. I know...Freshmen boys thought it was hilarious
32 - How long have you been in California? Just over a year
33 - How far from Disneyland are you? About 6 miles from my house
34 - Do you go often? Never been
35 - You've never been to Disneyland? Nope
36 - Why don't you go now? Something just doesn't seem right about a 32 year old single male hanging out at an amusement park designed for kids...Creepy
37 - Good point...you are a smart person. Thank you
38 - Don't you have to be married to teach Seminary? That's what I thought, but when I was asked to take this assignment, my first question to the Stake President was, "You do know I am single...right?" He responded, "Yes, we are aware of your marital status."
39 - What's your favorite movie? Braveheart
40 - What's your favorite TV Show? House or 24
41 - Is it true that you own close to 800 DVDs? Yes...most of them are in Utah
42 - Is it also true that you own the complete series of Star Trek: The Next Generation? Yes
43 - And that you have a 42 inch plasma HD TV in your bedroom? Yes
44 - And that you own all 10 Seasons of Friends? Ummm....maybe
45 - That's Sad. I know.
46 - You're kind of a nerd...please tell me you have some masculine shows! I have all 7 Seasons of MacGyver
47 - You have a lot of DVDs...do you have much of a life? Nope
48 - Is it also true that the employees at Del Taco recognize your voice when you come through the drive thru? Yes
49 - And you don't think there is anything wrong with that? I think we are about done playing "BLAG 2.0"
50 - One more question...Are you seriously 32 and not married...you've been dating for over half your life! I'm not worried about it...it will happen when the time is right.
And now I tag Bridgett, Craig, Daren, Adam and Matt!

Hugs and Kisses to everyone!

Hey! What Happened To November?

Seriously...what happened to the month of November? It seems like just yesterday it was the middle of October and everyone was all a'flurry about what to be for Halloween. Now it is December. Is it just me or does time seem to move more and more quickly as we get older? (More "seasoned" for those who refuse to acknowledge any additional birthdays past 25).Just like this enervated camel racer, once we get moving, it is really, REALLY hard to slow things down.
So what happened to November?(Bonus points to anyone who can figure out what this picture has to do with November.)
For me, this entire month is one large blur of hotels, cargo vans, airplanes, airports, and presentations. I have one particular training that I could probably do in my sleep now.In the end though, I did get to have a wonderful experience with my family during the Thanksgiving holiday where my sister, her husband and their son, Miracle Max, were all sealed together as a family forever. I love the Gospel.While I was in Utah I also got to see my Grandma Lifferth. At the beginning of the month we were all preparing ourselves for what everyone assumed would be the end of her mortal experience...Personally, I was worried that she might pass away while I was traveling and I would miss out on major parts of the burial process. I was in Russia when my Grandpa passed away, and although I was happy to be on the Lord's Service, I would never want to miss on that family bonding again.
Speaking of family bonding though...I just got back from Seattle.I had some business trainings up there, but I was also able to spend the day with my Aunt Tanna, Aunt Sally, Cousin Michael and his wife April and their daughter. It had been quite some time since I had seen any of them, and I was very grateful for the chance to visit with them again. I always walk away from visits with my family feeling like I am on top of the world.(Yes...that is a picture of me)
Anyway, I had a wonderful time visiting with them and wish I had been able to see more of my family that lives up there. I seriously have the greatest family anyone could ever ask for. And to Aunt Tanna...the word was Omphaloskepsis.It's been a really good month. A lot of things have happened and I was able to accomplish pretty much everything I had set for myself to do. But I still can't believe how fast it went.If you haven't checked it out yet, my sister Bridgett has started a second blog where she reviews music and artists. For anyone who may not know, Bridgett has an unbelievable talent for understanding, playing, writing and singing music. Usually whatever she currently enjoys listening to is just a few weeks from everyone else in the world discovering it.She has also invited me to be a guest contributor to do reviews of movies. Check it out and look for my upcoming thoughts on such greats as
"The Chipmunk Adventure""The Brave Little Toaster" and of course everyone's favorite, "The Apple Dumpling Gang"!I have added the link on the right.

Oh and for anyone who hasn't figured out the picture from above and how it correlates with November, click here.