"Sunday Adventures" and Good Friends

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- I've made a lot of good friend over the years. Some have come and gone, and others have stuck around for a long time, for which I am most grateful. One such friendship began years ago in Provo at BYU. I dated Brandon Erickson's roommate, and long after that relationship ended, Brandon and I still remained friends. I think our friendship was finally solidified though when we were bored on Sunday afternoon during the summer of 2004. He and his roommate, another good friend, came up with the idea of "Sunday adventures." We piled in his roommate's (and my friend's) SUV and took off for a rocky, bumpy drive through (literally) Provo canyon... all the way to the other side. "Sunday adventures" stuck. At least the concept stuck. And so did the friendship.

Me, Nicki Dittemore, Jordan Muhlestein and Brandon Erickson on our first Sunday adventure in 2004

After our BYU days, Brandon left for Arizona, and I left for Washington and Florida. It seems funny to think about now, but I think most of our "chatting"/catching up times were via MSN Messenger. Brandon soon moved to Richmond, Virginia, where he was accepted to dental school at VCU. In his class was Brian Richman, who Brandon introduced to my twin sister Brittany, on a weekend visit to Washington, D.C. Less than a year later, Brian and Brittany were married. What a good friend, eh?!

Since then, I have made the move to D.C., (just an hour and a half north of Richmond). On my way to D.C., I stopped in Richmond and Brandon and I took a "Sunday adventure" through University of Richmond's campus and Brandon gave me the grand tour of Richmond. Brandon still frequents our nation's capitol on any given weekend. We're still buddies, just like we have always been. And at times when I take the trek down to Richmond, Brandon and I will get together too. He's just one of those people you know who will always be there. Well, Brandon (and Brian) graduated from dental school a few weeks ago. And now Brandon is moving across the country again to his home state of California. We had one last "Sunday adventure" together before he left... though it was on a Wednesday. It's nice to have good friends stick around... especially when they can teach you a lesson or two about what it really means to kick back and have an "adventure" every one in a while. Brandon is a living example of that.

Brandon and I, May 2010 in Alexandria, VA

Good luck Dr. Erickson! Rest assured I'll be visiting the Golden State for some adventures!

OBX: A Memorial Day Tradition

OUTERBANKS, NC- It's a yearly tradition on the East Coast for all the single Mormons to head to the Outerbanks of North Carolina for some fun in the sun at a place called Duck Beach. Hundreds and hundreds of YSA's flock to the coast from all over the country to get in on the action...

You may remember my video summation from two years ago (it's still pretty accurate):

I start with our daily bike rides along the beach and to breathtaking views of lighthouses. Yes, our beach mansion, named Ocean's Grace, came equipped with bikes. It was pure bliss. (And yes, I am aware that I am in need of some major arm definition. I'm working on it. Back off.)

Next, we have some good, quality beach time. Wish I would have gotten a wide shot of the entire beach, or at least filmed a video clip, so you could see the sun bathing/football throwing/frisbee chasing/ocean soaking/fool making pandemonium unfold. It's entertaining just sitting back and watching it all. There's nothing quite like hundreds of LDS singles strutting their stuff in the sand. This particular picture is with my good friends, Amanda and Melissa. Melissa is one of my favorite Florida friends who made the trek to Duck. I will be forever grateful that she risked her life to come.

Next up we have a little BYU reunion of sorts. My senior year, I constantly hung out with the same crew... Justin Smith, Joe Burton and Nicki Dittemore, to name a few (The group used to be bigger, but the others are now married, of course). Here we are, meeting up on the east coast, seven years later. Nicki and I via DC, Justin via California, and Joe via England. It sure was good hanging out with them! There were also others from the BYU 61st Ward who stayed in our house for Duck, but they didn't make the cut in these pictures. Maybe next year.

And lastly, on our way back to DC, we made a stop in Richmond to visit this little guy... he sure is cute! And the perfect way to end a fantastic weekend:

(Disclaimer: This video was actually taken a few weeks ago. But my camera died at the beach, so this is the most current video I have of Mr. JB)