Ryan is sitting in the office with me, so I will interview him for your reading pleasure:
What is your favorite childhood memory?
Going to BYU football games with my dad. Christmas mornings.
What did you eat for lunch yesterday?
A smothered chicken soft taco with no cheese in or on it. And a diet Coke.
Your favorite thing about being a parent?
The release that they give you. They require a lot, but they release me of a lot of my daily worries. I like investing myself in something that I think is most important, giving them the best chance at happiness and health (mental and physical). I think it’s the most important thing we can do and it makes me happy.
Your greatest fear?
Dying
Your greatest hope?
Happiness and balance and peace for my family. Perspective.
Best day of your life?
I don’t have one that sticks out. I like normal days. I like the weekend when I’m home relaxing with my family. I don’t have to have something special.
Tell me a regret you have:
Not understanding “enjoy the moment” as quickly as I would have liked. My mom always said, “Enjoy the moment”. Also, anytime I am untrue to how I think I should treat other people. Other than those, I don’t really have regrets. As Jerry Sloan says, “You can’t play backwards, you have to play forwards.”
Best loved chore:
Yard work. Car washing.
Name three places you want to visit:
Europe, Boston, and I guess Hawaii. Anywhere I can relax and be with my family. Could be Randolph, Utah.
Who’s funnier, you or your wife?
Christian answered this one: “Put dad. He’s funnier. I haven’t heard you say something funny since June, five years ago.”
Three pet peeves:
Hypocrites, overly opinionated know-it-alls, black and white thinking
The thing you love best about your wife:
Like, physically? Just kidding. The thing I love best is her understanding of me, the daily happiness, ease-of-living-with, and the rare connection that I feel with her. Our communication.
Describe your ‘inner muppet’:
Val (Ryan’s brother) and I talk like muppets. The muppet voice says everything that you are thinking, but maybe shouldn’t say. Everyone should find their inner muppet. Mine is politically incorrect, irreverent, uninhibited, hilarious, and blue. I hope to someday produce emperical evidence on the subject.
Describe a perfect meal:
Weekend night, kids with a babysitter, at Trio. Probably just the two of us, but maybe good friends or family with us. And it would have to be just after I finished some big project, otherwise I would be worried about a big project.
Best part about being in college for 12 years:
I’m too philosophical with this type of thing………. In my type of school, I interact with people and hear about their problems and issues and help them learn about patterns that are destructive. In doing that, you also learn a lot about your own life in ways that I don’t think you could if you didn’t have those opportunities. And having a greater understanding of those issues is a key to finding happiness.
Worst part about being in college for 12 years:
Being in college for 12 years. All of the sacrifices everybody has to make to make it work. All the wear and tear and stress, which gives me a feeling that I have a chronic illness every six months. Being constantly evaluated is hard. Getting paid a tenth of what you’d be paid when you get out.
Describe yourself in one word:
Introspective?
Describe your life in one word:
I can’t. I need at least two words. One that means ‘really hard’ and one that means ‘really happy’.
What’s the best use of five minutes?
Talking with someone you love about something you care about.
Name three wastes of time:
It’s all relative. Trying to gain connection to other people at the sacrifice of yourself. It won’t make you happy if you sacrifice yourself. Worry and guilt and second-guessing decisions you’ve already made. Third waste of time is reading this interview.
Funniest word in the English language:
infarction
Where do you hope to be in 25 years?
Alive. Above the ground, not six feet under. I told you that death is my biggest fear.
