Peter's Excellent Adventure

When BYU joined the Big 12 Conference, I had in mind that if one of the big time programs came to Provo, I would be there. Well, the schedule came out, and sure enough, Oklahoma was coming to town, and it would be right around my birthday. It was destiny that I would be there, and I wanted to make that a reality. 

Now, we must consider that we were blessed with the entrance of one Greta Wren Dorsch just two months earlier. Born 9-19-2023. This is Greta's first mention on Pete Chat, and even though she was born four months ago and I haven't posted in years, I can confirm that Greta (we call her, among other things, Gigi) is a perfect baby.

Miss Greta Wren Dorsch

Going out of town to watch a football game and leaving my little family would be an ask. But the calendar arranged itself so we could all go to Utah and stay for Thanksgiving.

Now, if we go back a few years, my friends from freshman year at BYU met to celebrate our 20th anniversary of meeting. It was a fantastic trip and an amazing victory for the Cougs against USC, where we stormed the field. We had such a fun time that we wanted to do it again, but the pandemic had made it difficult to do it again. But we persevered and decided to make it happen. Unfortunately, the whole crew couldn't be there, but 4/6 isn't bad.

Things get interesting here: we load everyone and all our stuff into the van and head to the airport. When you travel with little kids, you take a lot of stuff. We are driving to the airport in an effort not to be stressed there, and give us plenty of time when suddenly we feel something and realize we have a complete tire blowout on the freeway. It was a disaster, and I thought I would miss my flight the whole time. Of course, in the Honda Odyssey, the spare tire is not easily accessible when the car is full of stuff and people. Luckily, a tow truck came by and helped us out. By this time, we were getting so close to boarding that I knew we could never park and get all the baby stuff to the gate in time. Shannon said you are getting on that flight. We called Warren, who found us on the freeway, and we made a quick car switch. Ella, Hela, and I jumped into Warren's car and headed to the airport. I practically dragged Hela through the airport, but we made it on time. We were the last to board the plane, and luckily, celebrity Courtney Sessions was on the same flight. She was a massive help to the girls.

In the meantime, Shannon went home and switched to the Jeep. In what can only be described as a tender mercy, the customer service agent from the airline was a friend of Shannon's family. She got Shannon and Greta on a later flight, which we didn't even know existed.

My wonderful sister Jennifer picked us up at the Provo Airport and dropped me off at my friend Scott's house. It's just I'm time for us to make it up to SLC for the Utah Jazz game.

My sister Jennifer or as she is referred to by the Dorsch Girls, "Mommy Jenn Jenn".

It was an in-season tournament game I did not understand then, but when the Lakers ultimately went on to win, I was all in on it.

2/3 of the 2200 May Hall Crew...Peter, Dan, Shane, Scott

Saturday was our day of BYU sports. The weather wasn't great, but it could have been much worse. Scott had those seats you use on the benches, which made a huge difference. BYU could have won the game, but an ill-timed 100-yard pick-six could not be overcome. It was a huge bummer and a microcosm of the football season this year.

At halftime, I met up with my main man, Dan Nelson, and reminisced about our 20 years of dominating. 

After we drowned our disappointment in all-you-could-eat meat at Tucanos and a trip to the BYU Creamery for some brownies and milk, we headed back to the Marriot Center to see our beloved BYU Cougar Basketball team salvage the day by winning convincingly.

I had an absolute blast with my homies, and we can always start right where we left off, even if it has been years. In 2024, we will hit up a mid-west game, making it easier for Jim and Dallin to be there. They were missed.

Saturday night, Shannon picked me up, and it was wonderful to be reunited with my family. We had dinner with the Candlands and got to see their new house.

 

Whenever I go to Provo, I want to walk down memory lane. One of the girls' favorite books to read is Becoming Cosmo, which has a map of BYU in it. I point out all the buildings, and it's enjoyable. As we drove to campus that day, Hela said, "I want to go to BYU," it almost made me cry.

We met up with the Candland brothers, and Craig was generous and kind enough to buy our lunch at the Cannon Center. It was so fun hearing all their stories and how different and how exactly the same BYU is compared to when I went there.

I've known Robert and Craig since they were 10 and 7; they are fantastic and grown up. I think I am still taller, though.

We had a great rest of the week and spending time with family. Allie and I organized a little neighborhood turkey bowl in Stanworth's backyard, which was a lot of fun.

It was such a great trip. I got to meet my new niece, Violet, and enjoy much family time. I have so much to be thankful for, especially my relationships. A very "blogworthy" birthday week. Here's to 43.