Live, Love Laugh.

Things invented in 1988: doppler radar (invented by Christian Andreas Dopple) Digital Cellular Phones, The abortion pill, and prozac. People who died on August 29th according to history John the baptist was beheaded on the 29th, Brigahm Young died on the 29th and lots of people died in New Orleans because of Hurricane Katrina. People who's birthday is on the 29th John Mcain, Michel Jackson, and Me! So yeah thats part of what I am going to blog about is my birthday which turned out pretty good. I got a call at 12 in the morning from some of my good friends singing happy birthday which cheered me up, and my dad got assigned a talk in church after not having one for 4 years (just to see him break a winning streak of something so small makes my day) and I had a good day at work, so overall it was a great birthday they whole celebration doesnt start until we have everyone around for dinner which is on sunday. I'am now 20, 1 year away for leagaly being able to drink (which isnt important) but it makes me feel somewhat pleased that I can now classify myself as an adult eventhough most of my family still thinks I have the maturity of a child I am an adult now. 2 decades of a happy life and great family.


But my birthday is not the only thing I want to "blog" about. So I'am going to try and make this pretty long, if your in a hurry don't read this! I also wanted to talk about life and everything in it and all the things that make us happy. I once read a great billboard on a camera that said "Money can't buy happiness but it can buy marshmellows which is pretty close" which I totally agree with money can't buy happiness. Happiness is something that is gained through lifes little pleasures as I think of it whether it's staring into the eyes of the little brown eyed boy you call your nephew and realizing that eventhough society classifys him with a disablity he has the ability to make you smile with any action he does, any noise he makes and every step he takes, whenever I look at him I wish we all could be like him finding joy in everything we do (I mean most of us do but not all of us) I can't wait for him to grow up and finally become "mommys little monster" that will soon adapt to the art of escape and mess making of the top shelf, and even then I'm sure he will still bring a smile to all our faces. But the happiness doesnt end there my lovely sister Liz who most of us have began to call our second mom gave birth to a beautiful girl named Aaliyah (she had to make it a tough name to spell) who is growing just as fast as little tyler, she has learned how to make noises with her voice; screaming, yelling you know usual baby noises and has learned the army crawl one of the first abilities taught at the ninja academy. When you look at these two heaven sent angels you see more than just babies you see a great deal of happiness and your going to smile whether you want to or not.

Not only does my sisters children bring me joy but also my sisters every one of them in there own way. Liz with her amazing talent to work hard to help everyone in the family and still be able to take care of her kids. I still remember the days we used to argue over me not going to piano but I still loved her. She is always there for anyone in the family (literally she live across the street). If you ask for her help she will go to the end of the earth to help you. She has married one of the coolest guys in the world Neil Kealamakia, he rides a motorcycle and paintballs how much more awesome can you get... if only he had retractable wings. Becka my amazing sister who I brag about non stop to all my friends that see her picture I mean its so awesome to walk up and be like "my sister is the smartest person on the planet when it comes to anything about the planet" or "my sister can outsmart your sister" and just like liz she is always there for me most weekends we have come up with becka scott bonding moments where we go to the movies and talk, rant, or just joke around about life, she is in 70% of my pictures cause me and her got the self portrait taking gene and love taking pictures of ourselves. Alex is just alex, I wasnt really old enough to care when my older sister liz went through the drama of jr. high and high school but I look at my sister alex and watch her deal with these tough problems and think wow our parents are good at raising, she also makes me smile when she tries to pretend to be a ninja, when she should know ninjas are chosen by destiny. Courtney the youngest of the family she reminds me of my father very observant and punctual wants to be on time to everything which is the opposite of me I believe in the kick back and relax policy, but it is great that she is learning at an young age, she will do great one day I know it. All four of my sisters have taught me alot of what I know today about women which makes me understand them alittle better, also they helped with my smelly problem back in the public school days which I'am thankful for. They are also who I turn to for fashion opinions.

Onto my brother ryan bert downard, now every once and awhile people comment on how my younger bother looks up to me, but I look up to him as well, he seems to be doing alot better in his high school years than me. It took me the longest time to break out of my anti social shell and begin to talk to alot of people but he seems to be making lots of friends, and money as well he has had a job that many would think to be a stupid job but he finds it entertaining to say the least and the way he shakes his sign out there makes my heart smile. I'am pleased that someone else shares a taste in the Faux Hawk style of hair. He is always my duo partner in attacking the family, which just shows how he's got my back like I have his back. He's my younger and only brother I have so we need to stick together just in case the sisters decide to attack at once.
Now all my sisters and my brother and me could not have got to where we all are today if it wasn't for the most amazing parents in the world both unique. I will begin with my dad Brian who, is a genius at technical/mechanical things, the thing that makes me proud to be his son is that he doesnt just fix the broken thing, he has you fix it with him so in turn you learn what is wrong and how to fix it. I get my outdoor gene from him, he does everything he can during every season to have fun outside and he rarely goes alone. He has been there to help me tackle alot of fears, and because of his help I got my eagle scout award. He's the perfect dad for my perfect family, he's like a big kid trapped in an adult body, having fun with everything he does. He shares the love of paintballing with me that not all dads have seemed to like, and eventhough we seem to be bitter rivals in the game we still love each other and have the same amout of experience in the game.

Now onto Wonder mom MaryAnn Fisher Downard the one who went through 6 different births to bring 6 little demon children and raise them to be perfect angels all while cooking, cleaning, going to school, making clothes, shopping for clothes, helping with homework, staying up late to help us with lifes little problems and just being a great mom. She is one of those moms everyone dreams of having. A mom that cares about every little detail of your problem and tries to fix it (I now see where liz gets her genes from) She graduated with from weber state university with 213 credit hours which is just superb (and I now see where becka gets her smarts from) She tolerates everything we do every mess we make and every fight we get into and has never really boiled over and killed any of us. She has been there for my friends when they struggle through school to. She may have killed my best friend in the world but I know it was hard for her, I look at photos of lightning and her together and know that he loved her very much. I see the struggles she has gone through and see how she pushes on and then I strive to be like that. I love the fact that I can come home late at night and sit and talk with her about life unless she is drugged up cause then its useless. I love how eventhough I throw the tough questions that parents fear she still comes up with a solid answer. I love how she is involved with the city and tries to help out with all she can. I love how she has a sister that is just like her (LM) who I am always excited to see when she is over because she has as much enthusiasm as everyone else int he family, and she also tolerates my ninja moves. They both have creative minds and know how to have fun! But most of all I love her because she is my mom.

The other joy in my life is now dead but I'm not feeling as much remorse as I thought I would when Lightning my dog was put down. He had a cancerous tumor the size of my fist on right leg. But even with that lump he still found joy playing with a ball every once and awhile. I still remember the Christmas Eve day that we got Lightning, I could only think to myself that this was one of the best presents that I have ever got for Christmas. Through the many many years we had him, he brought happiness to all of us through playing catch, or going on walks. Past few years of his life he became fat and old but still had the same excitement to go on walks whenever I put on my headset at night. He was the one who walked with me at night while I thought about my problems. (My Hero by the foo fighters just started playing on my zune and I think I shed a tear) There was rarely a day that would pass that I did not take him on walk. and every once and awhile he would come cuddle with me in bed, which would help me sleep at night because he was warm and soft. We took him on lots of vacations and it was always an adventure to bring him along to see what little creature he would chase. I know if he was still alive he would be in pain from Mt. Glutaous Maximus, and he's in a better place now. About a 2 years ago I thought it would be a great idea to give him some company, which didn't work out very well but the few months that we had Roxy were joy even if it was tough training a puppy. But we now know that puppies aren't something that we can have just cause no one has time to train the little terrors. Eventhough she was a little monster, I was always excited to come home from school and play with her because she always had the energy that I loved in puppies she was just so small and cute and her breed is my favorite type of breed border coli. It took alittle getting used to but lightning got along with her somewhat, there were times that she got alittle out of hand and thats one of the reasons we had to get rid of her. But those months that we had her were pure joy and fun.
Thats about all I can think about that have helped me through lifes little troubles. From a cute 2 year old baby that has loads of energy everytime he comes over to a little black puppy that would love to wrestle with me everytime I came home. Everyone and thing that I talked about I think about everyday.
Thank you Tyler: for being lifes little angel and bringing joy to everyone around you.
Thank you Aaliyah for having one of the cutest baby smiles ever "the smile that makes everyone smile"
Thank you Liz: For working so hard for everyone in the family and helping us get through life's little problems, and making some of the best monday breakfasts. Also having one of the coolest husbands that we always enjoy inviting to our outdoor events.
Thank you Becka: for being the sister that always loves to hang out and talk about life, your the one that I compare myself to when it comes to problems with school, we are the only ones in college, also thank you for increasing my taste in music.
Thank you Alex: for being my little wannabe ninja sister its always fun to have compition.
Thank you Courtney: for being a mini dad and trying to get us all to our events ontime.
Thank you Dad: for being old and still doing the things that some young dads have problems with and teaching me all of the things you have learned throughout the years. I'm always happy to come out and help with a project.
Thank you Mom: for being a role model to all your children, and helping them cope with life, thank you for all the clothes you made us, thank you for all the big talks you had with us, thank you for putting a smile on your face even when we all are little demon children.
Thank you LM: for being one of the best aunts in the whole world, its always fun to talk to you when you are over, and "Scott Warren Downard So Help Me!" never gets old.
Thank you lightning & roxy: for being my little cuddle bugs at night especially when I have had a hard day snuging up to a warm dog is always helpful.

There are many more adventures to come and I will be excited to be there for them all.

Hmmm.... Murse

So as most of you know I started school this week, and I can only explain it as a pain in my side. My first class of the first day was chemistry which was jam packed with students sitting on stairs and some outside talking about how it is full and they didn't know what to do. Which just kinda pissed me off just cause someone made a mistake with the registration on the class. I soon learned that when I signed up for 2 chemistry classes (the lab and the lecture) I actually signed up for 2 more classes which didn't count as credit but did count for a grade in the class. This just made me stressed reading it. So I went home and spoke with friends and family members about the problems and deciding if I should change me major because I'm just not cut out for Mechanical Engineering. Then someone (Dean my brother in laws dad) came up with the amazing thought of being a Murse (male nurse) which is the field I originally wanted to go into when I graduated High school. I wanted to be a doctor but soon realized that Med school was both expensive and long and so I quickly went in the other direction, but mursing school seems to be a lot cheaper and less time consuming. After telling many people that I have changed my major I have got friends telling me that they have friends and parents I can talk to that can help lead me in the right direction. So hopefully I stay with this major and one day I will be a registered murse.

Timpanogos Hike Overview

11,749 ft altitude, estimated 14 Mi. round trip, amazing view and various sorts of terrain to view and hike. That is Timpanogos in a nutshell. This was my 4th try at hiking Timpanogos the other 3 times were failed attempts because we were snowed out, and almost was injured on most of the tries. The one problem I knew I would face with this hike was that this was my first hike this summer, plus I hadn't been working out this summer very much so my legs were not fully prepared and with a crappy pair of hiking shoes my feet and legs were in pain half way up all the way down and continuing to hurt. Timpanogos was one of the longest hikes I've done time wise and length wise, but it all paid off with the amazing views from everywhere we were. Beautiful lake, variety of colors, giant rock formations, and much much more I took load of pictures wishing I had a better camera to take with. Timpanogos is a good hike whether you make it to the top or not. On the down side it has become a popular hike so when we got to the top there were loads of people I was actually surprised at the amount of people who made it to the top, and a park ranger who was also my botany teacher told us every weekend they are towing cars away because they get lazy and park in illegal parking places. When you get to the top you can either go down the same way you came up which is like climbing through the gates of Mordor, there were parts I felt like I was going to roll to my death, but I didn't because I'm still here, or you can take the full loop and head south which is a much easier route to take going down, especially riding the glacier on you but like your going down on a sled. Taking the full loop brings you to a small but very beautiful lake called Emerald Lake and I think it is named that because of the color it is. It of course is a glacier fed lake and we used a water filter to refill our containers which and it was cold and good, while we sat and enjoyed the amazing landscape there were other hikers taking a swim in the freezing cold lake. Now if you are a one for camping you can hike in with your gear set up camp in certain places and then rest eat up wake up and hike the rest of the way up and there are some great places to camp some with lots of trees for shade others with open area and beautiful views. This hike was by far one of my top 5 hikes that I've done and makes me want to hike much much more of Utah's giant mountains. Timpanogos is a hike I don't recommend you take little kids on unless those kids are in tip top shape, it is long and it is steep at times but in the end it pays off. If you go on this hike I do recommend that you bring Cardboard/Jacket of somesort(if your going down the glacier its nice to have a makeshift sled). Snacks: Trail mix some sandwiches, granola bars, lots of water and liquids, a water filter just in case you run out of water, toilet paper for when nature unexpectedly calls, a camera to capture and epic landscape, good pair of tennis shoes, sunblock, first aid kit for blisters and cuts, a G.P.S just for fun so you can see how high you are and how long you've walked, money to pay to get in, and a pair of swimming trunks if you want to go swimming in the cold lake. We also had to park far out from the original parking lot, but we got lucky and hitched a ride down to the base of the hike and back up to the parking lot, so if your lucky someone will be nice and give you a ride. There is also remnants of a Air Force B-52 bomber there, and they say Timpanogos looks like a lady reclining I kind of saw it you might be able to see it better. People in pictures and who went on the hike with me: Becka, Austin, and My father Brian. I will post a slide show of all the pictures we took so you can see how amazing this hike was. I wouldn't suggest taking a date on this hike unless your date likes hiking or the outdoors this is more for people who are used to it and not scared of heights.

Delta Force Rescue Squad!

So I laid in bed last night thinking to myself about stuff, and thats when it hit me, I needed to explain delta force rescue squad to the world so they knew it existed. Delta Force Rescue Squad (DF) was a program created by a secret agency back in July of 2008. This squad is an elite group of Assassins that spent some hours in Life saving classes. Right now the squad is little but both of the members were top in their classes. When DF was created they creators knew the risks one of which was having arch Nemesis's (don't know the plural word for it) . Right now Yams and Minivans are their biggest enemies. Both of these came on the list for very good reason yams are gross and disgusting and minivans are dangerous on the road. DF is an amazing squad that has saved many lives before like the Water Trampoline Massacre at bear lake they saved many drowning people that day and they stop at nothing to save you. DF takes our job seriously and if you ever need some one to rescue you, their phone number is 783-5837. I will explain more of DF's rules, history, and rivals when I get more information.

Overview of My Summer!

It has taken a lot of thinking to realize this but summer is almost over. So I thought one of the ways I could end it is with a blog about what I did this summer. Lots of those pictures you see on that slide show are from the summer, this summer was one of the greatest, I didn't go to Europe like I wanted and travel to the many countries but I did spend it with Family in friends, and in the end that is all you would ever need in this world "Love" many of my amazing ninja powers were either acquired by family and friends or I practiced the moves on them. I spent a day with my sister and my dad hiking which was fun I was late for work but who needs work when you have family. I spent about a week with my whole family at bear lake having a blasty blast (screw you spell check Blasty Blast is a word). We did many things that just made it an amazing trip. We talked about our plans for our next trip which I'm so excited for! I didn't go to San Fransisco but I'm not regretting my decision on not going schools more important and I spent it with other friends and watched Batman where I became emotional. I worked most of the summer but with one of the best jobs in the entire universe, a job where I get to act like a kid and society is okay with it. I went and visited my sister for the first time at her hobbit house where not only did I go to visit her but I had to prove to the non-believers that I know where Logan is! I had a bonfire with my friends where we sat and talked about life. I went on bike rides with friends and family where we did the same thing. I also met new friends at my new job and hung out with friends from my old jobs. My summer was jam packed with adventure but when it all ended the only thing I could say is when does school start back up. I'm actually excited for school my plan is to get good enough grades that I actually meet scholarship standards.

Just Some Photos

Stuff that bothers me..

I have decided to blog on the things that I find irritating that people do in this world we live in today. A few of them I used to do and I know people who do this but I don't say anything because I know it's kind of a hard habit to break. 1. Talking on the phone while at the check-out line in a store, its not only a pain for the cashier but it slows the line down because you only have one good working hand to load onto the counter; and since I've been a cashier before and this happened to me multiple times I began to dislike it more and more, especially when they interrupt you the cashier and tell you to wait till they are off the phone, either you tell them you'll call them back or put them on hold. 2. Telling someone how to do their job when you have never even done the job they are doing before if you have a complaint about they way they do thing, explain the problem you have don't explain it then tell them how to do it right if you never have done it before "let the professionals do their job" 3. I know lots of people do this, even in my own family its hard for me to talk to them while they do it but chewing with your mouth open I used to do it but from years of being criticized on the way I eat I finally broke the habit, I won't tell them to stop its just hard for me to talk to them mainly because of the sound. 4. Talking on the phone while using the restroom, if you washing your hands its okay but, if you are going to the bathroom please, please tell them you'll call them back I know from experience using the phone and peeing will not end well, plus if the person on the other line hears that or you tell them it just kills the conversation alls you can think about is what the other person is doing on the other end. 5. This one happened recently and I'm pretty sure it doesn't happen commonly and it's kind of an awkward one but forcing your friend to tag along with you everywhere you go especially making them drive, or using his house to hang out and then trying to tell them how he need to live his life or just plain out telling him that he doesn't have a life. 6 This one I'm not really bothered too much by but apologizing way way too much once or twice is enough not every two seconds.

The World I'm Living In..

So I started blogging awhile back but I guess I didn't have the amazing blogging skills as my mom and older sisters so it is lost in this vast amazing vortex of information we call the internet. So I'll briefly explain the my life and how it is and then I'll start with the matters at hand that I was originally going to explain. I'm a 6'5 giant the one thing that baffles the mind of society is when they ask me if I'm good at basketball and I say "no I suck at basketball and I somewhat Megaloath (Scrubs Reference) it" why I don't like basketball is another story that I may or may not explain in a later blog. I have an amazing family, a big amazing family, 2 older sisters one of which is graduating soon with a masters in Environmental something I can't remember what it was but its something really smart, the other sister is married and has two amazing kids Tyler and little talkative baby who's name I refuse to spell because I can never spell it correctly so we will call her baby A. She is also married to a pretty awesome guy Neil, he does and knows everything. Oh and Becka is the one getting a masters in genius and Liz is the one with the 2 amazing kids and the awesome husband. I also have 1 younger brother Ryan who has amazed me by coming out of his video game shell and playing with actual friends, something that some of my friends have failed to do, and with the 1 younger brother I have 2 younger sisters Alex and Courtney, who are your typical little sisters, I believe all younger siblings have this superb ability to hack into our minds and find the one thing that gets on our nerves and then they constantly use it but make it seem like they are innocent. But I still love them. I work two jobs one of which I love more than any other job I have ever had which is I work with the Salt Lake City School District as a Group leader where I get to interact with kids Job Description: I get paid 9.50 an hour to have recess and then make cool crafts. My second job is working at a portrait studio which I have grown to appreciate it but not as much as my other job. I go to school at the University of Utah I decided after a year of bleeding purple that purple isn't a manly color so I changed and broke the generations of Downard Weber Graduates. I'm majoring in Mechanical Engineering right now I've been known to change my major out of no where. I have amazing friends who I sometimes question there decision making which is my next topic of discussion.

Almost a week ago I was planned to leave Utah and head to California with my "friends" I put it in quotes because a few of these friends I really only knew threw the internet, sadly at one point in my life I was an internet gaming addict, I still play games but not as much. Anyways the other friend that was going I've known most of my life and have become really good friends with him. (during this discussion I will not disclose names, so I will start making nicknames up for them) My good friend bob met the friends I knew threw the internet and later became more acquainted with them than me which is no problem, I had a life I needed to fulfill school and work always there to help me. So threw the years I talked with them every once and awhile but not till about a year ago we started to talk alot more. Well my friend bob told me he wanted to do something fun for his senior summer and I agreed that I would tag along so he wasn't out there alone. We came up with a ton of ideas some I liked some I didn't one thing was for sure I didn't have a ton of money to spend school had been depleting my money like a ford f150 on unleaded fuel. So summer had begun and bob had graduated, bob wanted to do a road trip which was fine I would do that, but we later changed plans because of vehicle problems and switch to going to "SAN FRANSISCO" or so I thought. I find out that we are going with the friends we met over the internet which is fine by me they were both girls and I wasn't afraid of getting robbed so I began to talk to my friend Bobbina and Felicity and Felicity lives in Cali so I thought room and board was gonna be paid for, I come to find out that she live 4 hours away from San Fran and that we are staying there which puts me in an unpleasant mood. So I come up with the grand idea to stay in San Fran and we all will pay for a hotel, well they are all ordinary people in an ordinary world and don't want to have fun in San Fran they want to have fun in a regular old town with regular old people. So I plan to stay by myself and find out that its not a fun experience to find hotels the night before your flight leaves and end up not going and saving my flight money for another fun vacation, Europe, Australia or Hawaii. So I'am enjoying life here instead of paying 165 dollars to enjoy life the same exact way in California. The other part of the story is a couple of months ago I found out that Bob and Bobbina fell in love over the world wide web which is common the uncommon part is Bobbina is married to another guy who she believes has "changed" because of the Iraqi war, but that doesn't seem right to leave him for a 18 year old boy who you only know through pictures and talking over the internet, bobbina now plans to leave Copper and live her parents in the east and have a long distance relationship with bob which just makes me sad for them, I am an optimist but when I look at this alls I see is broken hearts in the end, I hope it works out but I'm not expecting anything amazing. Also my friend bob seems to be having problems lately to he has become detached from the world and addicted to video games and chatting, he hangs out with me and my friend John every once and awhile but other than that we are just people he knows and now I hear he's going to join the Air Force where he will have them pay for college and his house, but I the thing that changed bobbina's husband was the Iraqi war, it only makes me think that history will repeat its self if this war keeps going there is no escaping it for him. Plus I don't know how well he will cope with the constant moving that he will be forced to do. I hope everything turns out for the best in the end and that life goes on happily but you never know in this world.

Scott.