I was surprised yesterday when Dave told me that The Little Brick House was recognized as one of the top new businesses of the year in Cedar City. I really had no idea we were even being looked at for that. Turns out that we came in second place. Quite frankly I was pleasantly surprised. We don't have prime real estate, we have had somewhat of a quiet start with more of a grass roots marketing plan. The company in front of us is a good company, they are doing a good job and I commend them for that. They do have prime real estate in down town Cedar. There is a huge push in Cedar to live it up down town. There really is no push to live it up on 400 South a block off main street. To be the number two with the stark differences in locations and other things really makes me smile. I am quite happy about it.
It is an interesting thing to start a company and really have no idea how it will be accepted. We went into it determined to have a great product, great atmosphere and great service. I believe that our dedication to those things have helped us to be successful. We still have a long way to go. We are just in our infancy. We certainly make mistakes and we have some people that don't necessarily like our food but that seems to be very few and far between. For the most part our customers love our sandwiches. Our repeat business is up there. We see people multiple times a week. That is exciting. We are also seeing new people all the time as well and that is also exciting. We are working hard to build momentum and keep things going well. The next step will be to duplicate and see if we can progress towards multiple locations. Wow, multiple locations - that's another number 2. If we can successfully do that we can progress to the next phase.
We had a great little catering job today for South Elementary. It was a good job for us. I enjoyed it anyway. I know a few of the teachers there and sure do love them. They were excited to see us and to have our food. Nice to have a school full of fans. We learned some things and that is good. We will make some adjustments. I sold them on the idea of cookie salad as a side - it was a major hit. That was great. It made for a good day as we enjoyed our best ever, beating out the previous mark by $20 or so.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Gettin Fishy
I have two kids that absolutely love the water. They were the beneficiaries of a pool and spent a lot of hours in it. We were in the pool constantly and they had no fear. I used to flip them into the water from the side of the pool. Or I would throw them up as high as I could from the side and they loved it. They would do it over and over again. They were and are my little fish.
Andy on the other hand is nothing like Natty and Jack when it comes to water. He has always been reserved and stand off-ish. We are working on that though. Tonight we were back at the pool and the kids had it all to themselves. That is a big pool. Anyhow little Andy was more active in the water on his own then he has ever been. Lots of face in water and under the water. He is doing really well and is gettin his fishy on.
So I just woke up. I've been asleep for over the last hour and have apparently managed to wake up so that we can turn around and sleep again. I know, impressive stuff. Well, I will do my very best to finish the second half of that action - turn around and sleep. .
Andy on the other hand is nothing like Natty and Jack when it comes to water. He has always been reserved and stand off-ish. We are working on that though. Tonight we were back at the pool and the kids had it all to themselves. That is a big pool. Anyhow little Andy was more active in the water on his own then he has ever been. Lots of face in water and under the water. He is doing really well and is gettin his fishy on.
So I just woke up. I've been asleep for over the last hour and have apparently managed to wake up so that we can turn around and sleep again. I know, impressive stuff. Well, I will do my very best to finish the second half of that action - turn around and sleep. .
Monday, November 28, 2011
The Brick
We are creating a new sandwich right now. It is a beast of a sandwich. We call it The Brick. So here is the thing. I was reading a news story about monster meals that have never been beaten. These are big sandwiches, burgers etc. I thought we should come up with one. Most of these sandwiches are so big that they hide a grilled cheese sandwich somewhere in the middle of them. Either in the sandwich or in a carved out portion of a hamburger patty. It is pretty crazy.
I played with this a little last week and put together what I called the Philatta. This was a combo or the Philly steak and the mudflat. It wasn't that spectacular. I had Mike give it a go and agree with him that the olive spread for the mulatto doesn't go well on this particular sandwich. It was scrapped.
Today I started writing down meats, cheese, bread and veggies and weights for this. We are sticking with a Philly steak, adding bacon, salami, ham, pastrami, Swiss, provolone, pepper jack and cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, bell pepper, mushroom, olive, banana pepper, 4 slices of foccaccia, mayo and mustard. I made a 1/4 sized one - it weighed just under two pounds. My estimated weight - not including the veggies - was 6 pounds. It is a hell of a sandwich. I don't have a picture of the 1/4 brick we made today. Dave snapped a couple of shots and I will ask him to send me them and will add those to this post.
We want to have an extremely difficult sandwich challenge. We also want the sandwich to taste good. The one made today was good. Everything went well together. I think it will do well for the challenge. The challenge will be to eat the entire sandwich in an hour and may include a bowl of chili and a half pound of chips or something like that anyway. I was thinking a shirt for any who accomplish it - I Busted a Brick at The Brick House Cafe`.
Who knows how many will actually attempt the challenge. Probably not too many. The sandwich is going to be expensive. A lot of the places that have something say that most people buy them to share a a group. I am cool with that. I think it would be fun to make. I am also thinking about offering a 1/4 Brick. It too will be expensive but I would be interested to see how it would go.
Well, I am sure this is really exciting news. Sorry readers to bore you with my sandwichery. It was a fun part of the day and I just thought I would make a record of this little project.
Other projects - the new room is nearly done. I thought I was going to have to redo the entire floor in there but in prepping it today - mopping and scrubbing - most of the paint came up. I've got a little more to retouch tomorrow and hope to have it together.
We hit the pool for FHE tonight. The kids loved it. Andy is getting more active in the water. That is a great thing. It was a fun day.
I played with this a little last week and put together what I called the Philatta. This was a combo or the Philly steak and the mudflat. It wasn't that spectacular. I had Mike give it a go and agree with him that the olive spread for the mulatto doesn't go well on this particular sandwich. It was scrapped.
Today I started writing down meats, cheese, bread and veggies and weights for this. We are sticking with a Philly steak, adding bacon, salami, ham, pastrami, Swiss, provolone, pepper jack and cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, bell pepper, mushroom, olive, banana pepper, 4 slices of foccaccia, mayo and mustard. I made a 1/4 sized one - it weighed just under two pounds. My estimated weight - not including the veggies - was 6 pounds. It is a hell of a sandwich. I don't have a picture of the 1/4 brick we made today. Dave snapped a couple of shots and I will ask him to send me them and will add those to this post.
We want to have an extremely difficult sandwich challenge. We also want the sandwich to taste good. The one made today was good. Everything went well together. I think it will do well for the challenge. The challenge will be to eat the entire sandwich in an hour and may include a bowl of chili and a half pound of chips or something like that anyway. I was thinking a shirt for any who accomplish it - I Busted a Brick at The Brick House Cafe`.
Who knows how many will actually attempt the challenge. Probably not too many. The sandwich is going to be expensive. A lot of the places that have something say that most people buy them to share a a group. I am cool with that. I think it would be fun to make. I am also thinking about offering a 1/4 Brick. It too will be expensive but I would be interested to see how it would go.
Well, I am sure this is really exciting news. Sorry readers to bore you with my sandwichery. It was a fun part of the day and I just thought I would make a record of this little project.
Other projects - the new room is nearly done. I thought I was going to have to redo the entire floor in there but in prepping it today - mopping and scrubbing - most of the paint came up. I've got a little more to retouch tomorrow and hope to have it together.
We hit the pool for FHE tonight. The kids loved it. Andy is getting more active in the water. That is a great thing. It was a fun day.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
The Sun, Gravity and The Plan of Salvation
Today was a good day. I was completely exhausted as I got home after 3 and didn't get to bed until 4 or a few minutes thereafter. I was up 4 and a half hours later and then had Jack in and out of the room, in and out of the bed, on me and then off of me - there was no hope for a few more minutes of rest. I did have a meeting to go to at 10 and so getting moving was what needed to happen anyway.
Presidency meeting was fantastic today. President Fawson, Brother Rowley - our High Counselor, and myself were in attendance. Todd Allen and his wife had a baby two days ago and he asked to be excused. Evan Applegates wife had a baby a couple weeks ago and he was also out today. We enjoyed some interesting conversation and what was going to be a short meeting ended up going for a while. It wasn't casual conversation, it was uplifting and moving. Personally I was lifted, I was strengthened, I was enlightened and I am grateful for it. My resolve to live the basics of the gospel each day was strengthened. Perhaps I am too simple of an individual and I probably need to increase in my learning and understanding. In anycase I find strength in the basics.
Tonight we were discussing Thanksgiving and things we were grateful for. Andy lead us off followed by Jack and then Natty.
Said Andy: 'I'm thankful for the sun'
Jack declared: 'I am thankful for gravity'
And Natty: 'I am thankful for the plan of salvation'
We had some fun discussion with these. I thought the answers were great and somewhat random. Not at all what I expected to hear from them.
Presidency meeting was fantastic today. President Fawson, Brother Rowley - our High Counselor, and myself were in attendance. Todd Allen and his wife had a baby two days ago and he asked to be excused. Evan Applegates wife had a baby a couple weeks ago and he was also out today. We enjoyed some interesting conversation and what was going to be a short meeting ended up going for a while. It wasn't casual conversation, it was uplifting and moving. Personally I was lifted, I was strengthened, I was enlightened and I am grateful for it. My resolve to live the basics of the gospel each day was strengthened. Perhaps I am too simple of an individual and I probably need to increase in my learning and understanding. In anycase I find strength in the basics.
Tonight we were discussing Thanksgiving and things we were grateful for. Andy lead us off followed by Jack and then Natty.
Said Andy: 'I'm thankful for the sun'
Jack declared: 'I am thankful for gravity'
And Natty: 'I am thankful for the plan of salvation'
We had some fun discussion with these. I thought the answers were great and somewhat random. Not at all what I expected to hear from them.
The Gaff
It is 3:30 AM. I just got home and I am about ready to pass out completely. Yes, kill over. I was on my way in to the LBH this afternoon when Amy called and asked if I wanted to go to the Jim Gaffigan show in Vegas. Dave and Dani were not going to be making the trip for personal reasons so the tickets were available. I understand that Amy tried every other option first and was unsuccessful so she asked me and suggested I call someone in Vegas. I went ahead and sent Karry a text and she was in town and could go so I made the trip. It was a great time. Lots of driving for me but a fun trip none the less. Karry has some of the best stories ever and it is always fun to hang out with her.
Gaffigan was pretty dang funny. I enjoy him quite a bit and told Amy that I need to borrow her DVDs again. I like that he is not crude and does not get into nasty humor. I would recommend him as a comedian worth seeing.
Vegas was a little crazy and parking was a challenge but we managed and though we were 20 or so minutes late getting into the show we sat down right before Gaffigan came out. Great timing really.
I don't have any clue what happened on the drive between Mesquite and Cedar. I do but really not so much. There are major portions of that drive that I just cannot recall at all. I think on my next Vegas trip I am going to have to stay over and return home the next day. Anyhow, special thanks to Mike and Liana for watching the kids. Sounds like they had a good time and got to experience a water poop surprise with Jack. Sorry guys..
Gaffigan was pretty dang funny. I enjoy him quite a bit and told Amy that I need to borrow her DVDs again. I like that he is not crude and does not get into nasty humor. I would recommend him as a comedian worth seeing.
Vegas was a little crazy and parking was a challenge but we managed and though we were 20 or so minutes late getting into the show we sat down right before Gaffigan came out. Great timing really.
I don't have any clue what happened on the drive between Mesquite and Cedar. I do but really not so much. There are major portions of that drive that I just cannot recall at all. I think on my next Vegas trip I am going to have to stay over and return home the next day. Anyhow, special thanks to Mike and Liana for watching the kids. Sounds like they had a good time and got to experience a water poop surprise with Jack. Sorry guys..
Friday, November 25, 2011
Little Engineers
Today Natty got to go to St. George with the ladies - meaning her aunts Clorinda, Liana and Sara, and her cousins Marien, Mack, Tara and Katherine. Not sure if Anna also went or not. Anyhow, she seems to have had a good time. Special thanks to her Aunt Liana who decided to buy her some boots. Liana - you are much kinder than I. Much thanks.
The boys came to work with me though I blew it as Jim and Jay had planned on them for today and were set to make marshmallow guns. Jim made them marshmallow guns anyway and they are very excited about them. Anyhow, they came with me and then got to go on a special outing with Grandpa. Turns out that Grandpa had made arrangements for Jack and Andy to check out a diesel locomotive. They had no idea what the surprise was and were excited to go. When they heard they were going to check out some trains they were even more excited.
Grandpa said he got some pictures of the boys so we will post some up when we get them. Anyway, they got to climb aboard. They got to help fire up the engine and then drive the train on a short stretch of track. Both the boys worked their little engineers status by blowing the horn a few times. Pops says they had a great time and even learned about the toilets on the diesel locomotive. How can you beat that?
When I saw each of the boys I asked them about their little trip and they were very excited to tell me about it. They just smiled and that was fantastic. Special thanks for Padre, Johnny, and Abby for helping to make this possible for them. I was sad that I could not go though quite happy for them to have the experience.
The boys came to work with me though I blew it as Jim and Jay had planned on them for today and were set to make marshmallow guns. Jim made them marshmallow guns anyway and they are very excited about them. Anyhow, they came with me and then got to go on a special outing with Grandpa. Turns out that Grandpa had made arrangements for Jack and Andy to check out a diesel locomotive. They had no idea what the surprise was and were excited to go. When they heard they were going to check out some trains they were even more excited.
Grandpa said he got some pictures of the boys so we will post some up when we get them. Anyway, they got to climb aboard. They got to help fire up the engine and then drive the train on a short stretch of track. Both the boys worked their little engineers status by blowing the horn a few times. Pops says they had a great time and even learned about the toilets on the diesel locomotive. How can you beat that?
When I saw each of the boys I asked them about their little trip and they were very excited to tell me about it. They just smiled and that was fantastic. Special thanks for Padre, Johnny, and Abby for helping to make this possible for them. I was sad that I could not go though quite happy for them to have the experience.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Giving Thanks
Thanksgiving is perhaps my favorite holiday. I wonder if I said this same thing last year. I could easily go back and check but alas, what would be the point? I enjoy this holiday, I always have. I like the idea that everything can pause for a day and that day be set aside for expressing thanks for the things that we receive from our Father in Heaven. Truly there is much to be grateful for.
Family is a wonderful thing. My family - meaning myself and the kids. My family is such a blessing in my life. There are times that we struggle and certainly we have daily challenges to endure but I am grateful for that. I am grateful for tender and loving hearts. I hope that I can do a better job with them.
I am also grateful for my family, meaning my parents and my siblings. Likewise we have our struggles and our challenges. There has been much in life that we have passed through and continue to pass through. I am grateful for the strength that exists in the lives of the members of my family. I am grateful for faithful parents who have trusted in the Lord and lead their children in faith. No matter what the challenges have been they have not faltered. I am thankful for that strength. I am also grateful for righteous brothers and sisters who strive to be true and faithful.
Despite our best efforts we fall short - I should say despite my best efforts I fall short and do so in so many areas. Sometimes life is just hard and I fail. I fail often. For that I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father and His son who makes it possible for me to be forgiven or those failings. The Atonement of Jesus Christ is such a precious gift.
I am grateful for good people, friends who have been such a strength to me. Friends that have invited me into their homes. Friends who lifted me up in dark and difficult times. Friends who see past my short comings and failings and just love me for who I am. Indeed good people, friends are truly a reason for giving thanks.
Family is a wonderful thing. My family - meaning myself and the kids. My family is such a blessing in my life. There are times that we struggle and certainly we have daily challenges to endure but I am grateful for that. I am grateful for tender and loving hearts. I hope that I can do a better job with them.
I am also grateful for my family, meaning my parents and my siblings. Likewise we have our struggles and our challenges. There has been much in life that we have passed through and continue to pass through. I am grateful for the strength that exists in the lives of the members of my family. I am grateful for faithful parents who have trusted in the Lord and lead their children in faith. No matter what the challenges have been they have not faltered. I am thankful for that strength. I am also grateful for righteous brothers and sisters who strive to be true and faithful.
Despite our best efforts we fall short - I should say despite my best efforts I fall short and do so in so many areas. Sometimes life is just hard and I fail. I fail often. For that I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father and His son who makes it possible for me to be forgiven or those failings. The Atonement of Jesus Christ is such a precious gift.
I am grateful for good people, friends who have been such a strength to me. Friends that have invited me into their homes. Friends who lifted me up in dark and difficult times. Friends who see past my short comings and failings and just love me for who I am. Indeed good people, friends are truly a reason for giving thanks.
Learning
I find out on a regular basis just how much I don't know, how much I lack, how weak I am, how dependent on the Lord I am. I am grateful for the leasons we learn in life. They are not always the easiest lessons to work through. Sometimes they are embarrassing. Sometimes it takes a little bit of courage to recognize the wrong, stop, and make it right.
When the scriptures say that this life is a time to prepare to meet God it provides some level of comfort in knowing that we are here to prepare, we are not here because we are perfect and prepared allready. Likewise it is comforting to find in the scriptures that we learn line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little. We are here to gain experience and to learn and we do so through our own choices, our own agency our own efforts. As we make those choices under the direction of the Holy Ghost we will draw nearer to our Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ. What a marvelous thing this is.
I am grateful for a patient and loving Heavenly Father who knows my needs and makes burdens to be light. I am grateful for the strength that comes faith in the Savior. I am grateful for living prophets and for the scriptures. I am grateful for my sweet children and the joy they bring into my life.
When the scriptures say that this life is a time to prepare to meet God it provides some level of comfort in knowing that we are here to prepare, we are not here because we are perfect and prepared allready. Likewise it is comforting to find in the scriptures that we learn line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little. We are here to gain experience and to learn and we do so through our own choices, our own agency our own efforts. As we make those choices under the direction of the Holy Ghost we will draw nearer to our Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ. What a marvelous thing this is.
I am grateful for a patient and loving Heavenly Father who knows my needs and makes burdens to be light. I am grateful for the strength that comes faith in the Savior. I am grateful for living prophets and for the scriptures. I am grateful for my sweet children and the joy they bring into my life.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Kinder Feast
I joined Andy in class today to help with their Thanksgiving Feast. Mrs. Jansen asked if I would brink some Turkey for the kids to try and then help out with the activity. I was there - it was a good time.
Here are some pictures of Andy at the Kindergarten Thanksgiving feast.
Here are some pictures of Andy at the Kindergarten Thanksgiving feast.
Andy with his extended day Kindergarten Classmates.
Two thumbs up from Little Chief Crescent Eyes
Mashed Potatoes - mmmm, delicious
Pumpkin Pie with some squinty eyes.
It was fun to go in and help out the class. Andy sure was excited when he looked up and saw me there to help. That was fun.
After the meal they sat around on their letter mat and they all said what they were thankful for. When it was Andy's turn he said "Um, I am thankful for... (paused for dramatic effect) to wrestle". I was puzzled myself wondering what he was talking about. I figured it was wrestling with Jack. Mrs. Jansen asked me if we wrestle and I said we did then Andy said "I am thankful for wrestling with my dad". The ladies all melted at that point - doesn't that just make you feel good?...
Anyhow, the day has been full. I am grateful for it. Grateful for my sweet kids and the blessings they are in my life.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Boss of the Boys
I was walking Andy into school this morning and we saw Mr. Oldroyd on the way to class. We greeted each other and then Mr. Oldroyd said hi to Andy. Andy replied and then as we got to the stairs I asked him who that was. "Mr. Oldroyd" he said. I asked if Mr. Oldroyd was the Principal. "No, he is the boss of the boys." I questioned "The boss of the boys?" He said "Yes, and Mrs. Robb is the boss of the girls". I just laughed. I have no idea how he came up with Mrs. Robb as being the boss of the girls but he did. Mrs Robb was Jack's 1st Grade teacher last year. She is great. Our little interaction about these adults in charge of the school made me laugh a bit. I think it is fascinating to see how his mind works and what his perceptions are.
At the moment I am feeling a bit overwhelmed just trying to keep up with everything. I am struggling with the house some. Don't quite have it in a stage of cleanliness that I am comfortable in. It seems to be a major challenge though. This morning I cleaned after walking Andy to school and had it pretty well in hand only to come home from work to find it completely torn apart again. I have to say I let it effect my mood some. My superflexible brain was out of order and I was somewhat of a rock brain. It was tough. I am tired and so we discussed this some tonight. I asked the kids to help out by taking care of their things. I hate to be a complainer here on the blog. Just struggling a bit with some of these things. I think part of it comes down to relaxing a bit on my own expectations of self that I maintain this perfect home and that I understand that the house doesn't need to be perfect, we are all going to make mistakes, it is okay, life goes on and there is much to be grateful for. It is simply hard at times.
At the moment I am feeling a bit overwhelmed just trying to keep up with everything. I am struggling with the house some. Don't quite have it in a stage of cleanliness that I am comfortable in. It seems to be a major challenge though. This morning I cleaned after walking Andy to school and had it pretty well in hand only to come home from work to find it completely torn apart again. I have to say I let it effect my mood some. My superflexible brain was out of order and I was somewhat of a rock brain. It was tough. I am tired and so we discussed this some tonight. I asked the kids to help out by taking care of their things. I hate to be a complainer here on the blog. Just struggling a bit with some of these things. I think part of it comes down to relaxing a bit on my own expectations of self that I maintain this perfect home and that I understand that the house doesn't need to be perfect, we are all going to make mistakes, it is okay, life goes on and there is much to be grateful for. It is simply hard at times.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Wake Up Call
Sometimes in the wee hours of the morning comes the wake up call. Fortunately I don't get too many of them especially those that come on the actual phone. No, my wake up call comes from my kids. My least favorite involved puking. I don't like losing sleep and I definitely do not like losing sleep because I need to clean up puke. Makes me nauseous just thinking about it.
Anyway, I am not sure how this happens but I seem to have an ear for the kids coming out of their rooms. So it was that at 3:30ish this morning I heard Jack's door open and then close, followed by him coming up the stairs and to my room. The little fella was in pain. Ear ache. No fun at all. I took him to the kitchen and we got some medicine. He was pretty upset about that ear and I decided to ask if he would like a blessing. He said yes he would and so it was done.
As I tucked Jack back in his bed, climbed back up the stairs and got back into bed myself I was grateful for the priesthood. Grateful and humbled to hold that priesthood and to be able to bless others thereby. Also grateful for the impression to ask Jack if he would like a blessing. Jack is a little funny when it comes to priesthood blessings. He refused to have a fathers blessing for going back to school. I obviously cannot force him to do so. Well, I am just grateful for the moments when he decides it is okay. Grateful to have those opportunities.
I hope that I am setting an example of righteousness for my kids. I hope that they will have desires to do what is right and that they will be true to the faith. I am certainly humbled by the challenges of parenthood. It is not easy but affords tremendous lessons. I am grateful for that.
Anyway, I am not sure how this happens but I seem to have an ear for the kids coming out of their rooms. So it was that at 3:30ish this morning I heard Jack's door open and then close, followed by him coming up the stairs and to my room. The little fella was in pain. Ear ache. No fun at all. I took him to the kitchen and we got some medicine. He was pretty upset about that ear and I decided to ask if he would like a blessing. He said yes he would and so it was done.
As I tucked Jack back in his bed, climbed back up the stairs and got back into bed myself I was grateful for the priesthood. Grateful and humbled to hold that priesthood and to be able to bless others thereby. Also grateful for the impression to ask Jack if he would like a blessing. Jack is a little funny when it comes to priesthood blessings. He refused to have a fathers blessing for going back to school. I obviously cannot force him to do so. Well, I am just grateful for the moments when he decides it is okay. Grateful to have those opportunities.
I hope that I am setting an example of righteousness for my kids. I hope that they will have desires to do what is right and that they will be true to the faith. I am certainly humbled by the challenges of parenthood. It is not easy but affords tremendous lessons. I am grateful for that.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Spared
I was pretty nervous last night as there was a lot of wind and word that snow was a possibility. I thought for sure I would wake up to find snow on the ground and my procrastination in the yard would end up costing me dearly. Well, procrastination - it wasn't as if I had time to do it and decided to put it off. Really, the first day that I had open was today. So Jack came in and cuddled up in the morning and I asked him if it had snowed. He excitedly got up and checked things out. No snow. Ahhhh, sweet. I was spared and I was blessed to do one of the things that I enjoy most in life - yard work.
Though I was spared by the weather today the one thing that I am not spared of is leaves. I had a ton of leaves in the yard. The sad thing is I don't have trees at this house. Well, a small tree in the back yard and a large lilac hedge but nothing in the front. As expected there were leaves in the backyard but the side yard and front yard were covered. How does that happen? Easy really, wind. So I had quite a few leaves to deal with but managed just fine. Mowed and trimmed, pulled out the dead flowers in the flower bed and tried to make it as pretty as I could for winter.
It was nice to be outside doing what I enjoy for a while. Had a little help from the boys with the rake. Had a little Natty that stole the rake so she could rake leaves in Jay and Sara's backyard. What a turkey. Of course they have a lot more leaves in their backyard then we have in ours. Obviously a little more fun to be had in that potential leaf pile. Anyhow, good times in the yard today and all three kids randomly came and told me how nice the yard looked. That was nice. Perhaps they were just buttering me up to ensure I take them to the Aquatic Center.
So anyway, the aquatic center is a favorite of the kids. We don't go that often because it is quite expensive. Thinking about a membership for Christmas but who knows. Anyway, South Elementary School had a free family swim going on tonight and Jack and Andy have been talking about it all week. So we headed up to the Aquatic Center and the kids had a great time.
Andy is getting braver and braver in the water. That is a great thing. Jack and Natty are non stop action when we are there. They get a lot of use out of that trampoline.
Though I was spared by the weather today the one thing that I am not spared of is leaves. I had a ton of leaves in the yard. The sad thing is I don't have trees at this house. Well, a small tree in the back yard and a large lilac hedge but nothing in the front. As expected there were leaves in the backyard but the side yard and front yard were covered. How does that happen? Easy really, wind. So I had quite a few leaves to deal with but managed just fine. Mowed and trimmed, pulled out the dead flowers in the flower bed and tried to make it as pretty as I could for winter.
It was nice to be outside doing what I enjoy for a while. Had a little help from the boys with the rake. Had a little Natty that stole the rake so she could rake leaves in Jay and Sara's backyard. What a turkey. Of course they have a lot more leaves in their backyard then we have in ours. Obviously a little more fun to be had in that potential leaf pile. Anyhow, good times in the yard today and all three kids randomly came and told me how nice the yard looked. That was nice. Perhaps they were just buttering me up to ensure I take them to the Aquatic Center.
So anyway, the aquatic center is a favorite of the kids. We don't go that often because it is quite expensive. Thinking about a membership for Christmas but who knows. Anyway, South Elementary School had a free family swim going on tonight and Jack and Andy have been talking about it all week. So we headed up to the Aquatic Center and the kids had a great time.
Andy is getting braver and braver in the water. That is a great thing. Jack and Natty are non stop action when we are there. They get a lot of use out of that trampoline.
Friday, November 18, 2011
The Nay Sayers
I was on the computer this morning and noticed a story when I first opened up yahoo. It was a recap of the Broncos vs Jets game last night and talked about how Tim Tebow pulled off another amazing come from behind victory. I know that not too many days ago I wrote about not liking professional sports much anymore. That still stands. There are individuals that I am a fan of and Tim Tebow happens to be one of them. I saw a story where the Jets were knocking his style of play and how it wouldn't be too hard to figure out. Well, they may have figured it out but they didn't stop it when it mattered the most and somehow the Broncos figured out a way to get it done and win the game.
When I moved to Florida in 2005 I decided that I needed to pick a team to support in the state. Technically between the big 3 schools in the State - Florida State, Miami or Florida. Out of those three Florida was the team that I disliked the least and they had just brought in Urban Meyer from Utah. I am not a Utes fan but was a Mountain West fan and decided that I would go with the Gators. I pulled for them and hoped they would do well. Well, I think I picked the right team. In any case, living in Florida and watching Florida football there was a lot of excitement about Tebow. There was a lot to like about Tebow and it became very apparent that he was a winner. Certainly his college career manifests that.
As he was moving on to the NFL there was plenty of negative commentary about his skill set and his ability to play quarterback at that level. There were and still are a lot of nay sayers out there. There are a lot of people that just don't like him. I guess that is okay. Nobody says you have to like him. I happen to be one that does like him. I happen to believe that he can be successful. As I followed him at Florida I saw a true leader. He lifted his team and had the will to win. l couldn't help but root for him.
So as I awoke this morning and read that story and watched a little video I was happy for Tebow. Happy to see him do well when there are so many that say he can't. I also thought about the nay sayers and remembered this verse from my favorite poem.
There are thousands to tell you it can not be done
There are thousands to prophesy failure.
There are thousands to point out to you One by One
The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle right in with a bit of a grin
Just take off your coat and go to it
Just start to sing as you tackle that thing
It cannot be done, and you'll do it.
Yes I thought about It Couldn't Be Done by Edgar Guest and I thought about Grandpa Al. It was just a quick little thought as I read that article and I appreciated it. It is a story worthy of our time. To see a good young man do well despite many around him who say the opposite was a lift to my spirits. I certainly see an opportunity to teach my kids about hard work, determination and tuning out the nay sayers.
When I moved to Florida in 2005 I decided that I needed to pick a team to support in the state. Technically between the big 3 schools in the State - Florida State, Miami or Florida. Out of those three Florida was the team that I disliked the least and they had just brought in Urban Meyer from Utah. I am not a Utes fan but was a Mountain West fan and decided that I would go with the Gators. I pulled for them and hoped they would do well. Well, I think I picked the right team. In any case, living in Florida and watching Florida football there was a lot of excitement about Tebow. There was a lot to like about Tebow and it became very apparent that he was a winner. Certainly his college career manifests that.
As he was moving on to the NFL there was plenty of negative commentary about his skill set and his ability to play quarterback at that level. There were and still are a lot of nay sayers out there. There are a lot of people that just don't like him. I guess that is okay. Nobody says you have to like him. I happen to be one that does like him. I happen to believe that he can be successful. As I followed him at Florida I saw a true leader. He lifted his team and had the will to win. l couldn't help but root for him.
So as I awoke this morning and read that story and watched a little video I was happy for Tebow. Happy to see him do well when there are so many that say he can't. I also thought about the nay sayers and remembered this verse from my favorite poem.
There are thousands to tell you it can not be done
There are thousands to prophesy failure.
There are thousands to point out to you One by One
The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle right in with a bit of a grin
Just take off your coat and go to it
Just start to sing as you tackle that thing
It cannot be done, and you'll do it.
Yes I thought about It Couldn't Be Done by Edgar Guest and I thought about Grandpa Al. It was just a quick little thought as I read that article and I appreciated it. It is a story worthy of our time. To see a good young man do well despite many around him who say the opposite was a lift to my spirits. I certainly see an opportunity to teach my kids about hard work, determination and tuning out the nay sayers.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
A Little Hoopla
I took the kids out to the SUU Mens Basketball game tonight. We had some tickets with our support of SUU athletics and then some from the Chamber of Commerce so I decided it would be a fun venture for the kids. Natty and I went to one last season and she had a good time. The boys, well, this was their first and they were excited to go.
We got in the arena, got in our seats and everything was going well. After a few fouls were called we had a couple of fans a few rows behind us just mad as hell and yelling at the ref. Unexpectedly Jack turned around and started yelling at them. He thought he was hilarious and had a big smile on his face. I suggested we not start yelling at the people behind us and he discontinued yelling but still had a big smile on his face. You could see the wheels were turnin. He managed to relax about that.
Andy was all over the place, well all over three seats one of which had me in it. He did pretty well but somehow kept getting very thirsty towards the end of the game.
All was again going well right up until the cheerleaders started throwing things into the crowd. There were frisbee's and then hand delivered cans of coke products. They also had McFlurry cups from McDonald's. I kept waiting for the Brick House Fudge. It was supposed to get thrown into the crowd. Now we did get there a couple minutes after the tip so perhaps it was shared during those few minutes. Crazy, We will see.
Part of sponsoring means that you may be able to throw things to the crowd. so the cheerleaders begin throwing these goods to the fans and there is a lot of excitement. Jack got up and participated every time in hopes of getting the item and every time he was not seen. He started to get angrier and angrier. I tried to talk him down but wasn't having much luck and then he decided he needed to have food. A friend suggested that would be a good thing to distract him from the cheerleaders. I went with it instead of being so cheap and what do you know, it worked.
We are not the worlds biggest basketball fans but we all seemed to enjoy ourselves. It was a good first game for the boys as it was a nail biter at the end. Lots of great cheering. Nothing quite like a little hoopla.
We got in the arena, got in our seats and everything was going well. After a few fouls were called we had a couple of fans a few rows behind us just mad as hell and yelling at the ref. Unexpectedly Jack turned around and started yelling at them. He thought he was hilarious and had a big smile on his face. I suggested we not start yelling at the people behind us and he discontinued yelling but still had a big smile on his face. You could see the wheels were turnin. He managed to relax about that.
Andy was all over the place, well all over three seats one of which had me in it. He did pretty well but somehow kept getting very thirsty towards the end of the game.
All was again going well right up until the cheerleaders started throwing things into the crowd. There were frisbee's and then hand delivered cans of coke products. They also had McFlurry cups from McDonald's. I kept waiting for the Brick House Fudge. It was supposed to get thrown into the crowd. Now we did get there a couple minutes after the tip so perhaps it was shared during those few minutes. Crazy, We will see.
Part of sponsoring means that you may be able to throw things to the crowd. so the cheerleaders begin throwing these goods to the fans and there is a lot of excitement. Jack got up and participated every time in hopes of getting the item and every time he was not seen. He started to get angrier and angrier. I tried to talk him down but wasn't having much luck and then he decided he needed to have food. A friend suggested that would be a good thing to distract him from the cheerleaders. I went with it instead of being so cheap and what do you know, it worked.
We are not the worlds biggest basketball fans but we all seemed to enjoy ourselves. It was a good first game for the boys as it was a nail biter at the end. Lots of great cheering. Nothing quite like a little hoopla.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
And There Was Light
I have captured what little available time I have had over the last few days to work on the banquet room. Yesterday I wired in the track light box and the new switch. Today I finished installing the track. What was my joy when I turned on the lights and they came on. That is always a nice treat.
The room is getting there though I have to retouch the paint a bit, fix the wall, hang trim and then get the floor done. Oh my goodness. Still a lot to do but hopefully we can get it done here soon. I think it will be a nice addition to the business.
Today was a very busy lunch for us. We were about out of seating. Just another reason to open up that room.
We hosted the Parent Training meeting again tonight and I got to enjoy the conversation s around kids. It was a good discussion about choices. Speaking of choices. I just woke up, it is now 1:30 AM and I have had a pretty good little nap here on the blog. I am going to exercise my power of choice now and choose to wrap it up. Let it suffice to say the meeting was good. The conversations, enlightening.
The room is getting there though I have to retouch the paint a bit, fix the wall, hang trim and then get the floor done. Oh my goodness. Still a lot to do but hopefully we can get it done here soon. I think it will be a nice addition to the business.
Today was a very busy lunch for us. We were about out of seating. Just another reason to open up that room.
We hosted the Parent Training meeting again tonight and I got to enjoy the conversation s around kids. It was a good discussion about choices. Speaking of choices. I just woke up, it is now 1:30 AM and I have had a pretty good little nap here on the blog. I am going to exercise my power of choice now and choose to wrap it up. Let it suffice to say the meeting was good. The conversations, enlightening.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
S Double N Double 2 4T
Last night in Family Home Evening we had a team cleaning activity and then gathered afterward for a discussion about service. We talked about serving together. We discussed who we were really serving. In the lesson I shared some experiences I had on the mission that helped me to better understand service. We got into a discussion about a mental hospital I used to work at. These were good times.
"S, Double N, Double 2, 4T. L, A, U, Lau. I am garden keeping garden cleaning." From October 1994 until February 1995 I used to here this line repeatedly on our Tuesday and Thursday visits to the mental hospital outside of Queenstown, South Africa. I have to admit, I had no idea what the heck, sorry, this was in South Africa so I should use the proper language. I had no idea what the hell the guy that kept repeating this line was saying. It took a little time to understand him and then one day as I was in between shaves I was standing by Mr. L, A, U Lau. He would always spell out his name and then repeat it. Anyway, Mr. Lau was reading our license plate number on the back of our car - SNN224T. He was then telling us who he was and what he did hoping we would hire him to take care of our garden or yard. Mr. Lau was one of my favorite people. He sounded a lot like Yoda from Star Wars. It was funny.
Mr. Lau is the guy to the left of me in the green sweater. Looks like a good clean shave. I came by it naturally - Grandpa Al was a barber - or did he go by beautician?
As you have probably gathered our service at this mental hospital was to shave the patients heads and faces. We used old double edge razor blades on and old razor. I hated this service. It smelled bad, the guys were weird and it was almost too much to handle. When I say smelled bad I am referring to not only the shaving cream - not Gillette Foamy or Babersol, no it was something out of a tube that we had to lather all up. Wasn't my favorite. Other smells were of the human kind - bathroom problems. The other nasty thing about it was the blood. You know, a little hair, a little skin. It was all good.
So there I was not real thrilled about our service in the area and found myself in my scriptures reading Mosiah chapter 2. I read about King Benjamin serving his people. I read verse 17 and the words 'when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God." My perspective began to change, no actually it immediately changed and this was my favorite service from my mission.
I stopped looking at the things that were not so pleasant about the service. The smell stopped bothering me, the blood - I got really good and that became minimal. I began to see these men, and one woman by the way - different ward but wanted a shaved head, very soft scalp, it was weird - anyway I saw them differently. I learned to love them for who they were and nothing else mattered. This is how I came to know Mr. Lau. Then there was the crazy ex-boxer guy. I called him divot because when we finally shaved his head it looked like a really bad driving range t box. This was not from the razor mind you. It was just divots in his head. Made me wonder about his past.
Did you see the guy on the opposite end of Lau in the picture? How about that goatee? We could do custom - well, I could do custom. I don't know if I should share the Elder Bell story but what the heck, I mean hell. It was his first time following his transfer into the area and we had a busy morning. Two stations for shaving, one for each of us. Two good size lines. I set to work and had it going strong. Bell got this guy for his first that had a pretty good afro. He set to work. I occasionally glanced over to see how it was going. It was slow and it was bloody. I was moving my line pretty well and he was still on his first guy. He had started in the back and there was a healthy patch of afro on the top front still. Bell had a stroke that went a little deep and well, it was bloody. It all kind of ran up and got caught in the afro. The guy had no idea he was bleeding - that was probably to our benefit. Anyway, it was like a collective movement as those in line saw the horror of it all and they slid over to my line. Bell got better after a couple visits but that first day was a rough one. I lovingly referred to him as the scalper from then on.
Sorry side story but it was one I shared with the kids as they just wanted to hear more and more. I figured I should just include it here as well.
I was mentioning custom cuts. I loved to do it. I gave one guy a spiral cut. Well a spiral shave. It was fantastic. I didn't leave it, just had a little fun with the razor that day. There was however one guy that always wanted a shave. He was first to approach us every Tuesday and Thursday morning. "Yaceba" he would say as he would rub his face. We had a lot of people to shave and at best they were on an every other visit type schedule. Not this guy. I decided he needed to be my customer exclusively. Incidentally, Yaceba is Xhosa for shave. Their is a click on the c off the front of the tongue and the teeth. Anyhow, hard to write here how it sounds. I decided an experiment would be fun and so I began to leave a little bit of a mohawk. He had no idea it was there and this went on for over a month.
Transfers came and I was leaving the area. On my last visit to the hospital my friend approached as we entered. He looked me crooked in the eye, rubbed the top of his head and said "Yaceba, yaceba!" Off came the hawk. It was a sad day to be sure. It is almost embarrassing now to say this but you know, I was 21. The hawk was a fun experiment. I had no idea it would take him as long as it did to find it and I thought it was pretty cool. I am not at all embarrassed about the mohawk but it is the little dot of hair on the back of his head that I didn't shave that is perhaps a little embarrassing to admit. It was great. I used all of my commitment pattern skills on Bell to ensure that the dot remained. I know, it was a cruel thing to do. Not the dot, that was great. No I am thinking about Bell shaving that thing off and just how much skin he took with it. I am only joking here people.
So here is my exclusive customer and the Mohawk. Yes that is me there with him - yes I had blond hair back in the day. Don't know what happened to that, I still see myself as a blond hair blue eyed kid and it freaks me out every time I see a picture of myself with dark hair. How about those shorts and socks?
Wow, good memories. The kids certainly enjoyed it. As I opened up my Mission box to find the pics I saw lots of pics and lots of stories. I think I might just have to record more of these.
"S, Double N, Double 2, 4T. L, A, U, Lau. I am garden keeping garden cleaning." From October 1994 until February 1995 I used to here this line repeatedly on our Tuesday and Thursday visits to the mental hospital outside of Queenstown, South Africa. I have to admit, I had no idea what the heck, sorry, this was in South Africa so I should use the proper language. I had no idea what the hell the guy that kept repeating this line was saying. It took a little time to understand him and then one day as I was in between shaves I was standing by Mr. L, A, U Lau. He would always spell out his name and then repeat it. Anyway, Mr. Lau was reading our license plate number on the back of our car - SNN224T. He was then telling us who he was and what he did hoping we would hire him to take care of our garden or yard. Mr. Lau was one of my favorite people. He sounded a lot like Yoda from Star Wars. It was funny.
Mr. Lau is the guy to the left of me in the green sweater. Looks like a good clean shave. I came by it naturally - Grandpa Al was a barber - or did he go by beautician?
As you have probably gathered our service at this mental hospital was to shave the patients heads and faces. We used old double edge razor blades on and old razor. I hated this service. It smelled bad, the guys were weird and it was almost too much to handle. When I say smelled bad I am referring to not only the shaving cream - not Gillette Foamy or Babersol, no it was something out of a tube that we had to lather all up. Wasn't my favorite. Other smells were of the human kind - bathroom problems. The other nasty thing about it was the blood. You know, a little hair, a little skin. It was all good.
So there I was not real thrilled about our service in the area and found myself in my scriptures reading Mosiah chapter 2. I read about King Benjamin serving his people. I read verse 17 and the words 'when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God." My perspective began to change, no actually it immediately changed and this was my favorite service from my mission.
I stopped looking at the things that were not so pleasant about the service. The smell stopped bothering me, the blood - I got really good and that became minimal. I began to see these men, and one woman by the way - different ward but wanted a shaved head, very soft scalp, it was weird - anyway I saw them differently. I learned to love them for who they were and nothing else mattered. This is how I came to know Mr. Lau. Then there was the crazy ex-boxer guy. I called him divot because when we finally shaved his head it looked like a really bad driving range t box. This was not from the razor mind you. It was just divots in his head. Made me wonder about his past.
Did you see the guy on the opposite end of Lau in the picture? How about that goatee? We could do custom - well, I could do custom. I don't know if I should share the Elder Bell story but what the heck, I mean hell. It was his first time following his transfer into the area and we had a busy morning. Two stations for shaving, one for each of us. Two good size lines. I set to work and had it going strong. Bell got this guy for his first that had a pretty good afro. He set to work. I occasionally glanced over to see how it was going. It was slow and it was bloody. I was moving my line pretty well and he was still on his first guy. He had started in the back and there was a healthy patch of afro on the top front still. Bell had a stroke that went a little deep and well, it was bloody. It all kind of ran up and got caught in the afro. The guy had no idea he was bleeding - that was probably to our benefit. Anyway, it was like a collective movement as those in line saw the horror of it all and they slid over to my line. Bell got better after a couple visits but that first day was a rough one. I lovingly referred to him as the scalper from then on.
Sorry side story but it was one I shared with the kids as they just wanted to hear more and more. I figured I should just include it here as well.
I was mentioning custom cuts. I loved to do it. I gave one guy a spiral cut. Well a spiral shave. It was fantastic. I didn't leave it, just had a little fun with the razor that day. There was however one guy that always wanted a shave. He was first to approach us every Tuesday and Thursday morning. "Yaceba" he would say as he would rub his face. We had a lot of people to shave and at best they were on an every other visit type schedule. Not this guy. I decided he needed to be my customer exclusively. Incidentally, Yaceba is Xhosa for shave. Their is a click on the c off the front of the tongue and the teeth. Anyhow, hard to write here how it sounds. I decided an experiment would be fun and so I began to leave a little bit of a mohawk. He had no idea it was there and this went on for over a month.
Transfers came and I was leaving the area. On my last visit to the hospital my friend approached as we entered. He looked me crooked in the eye, rubbed the top of his head and said "Yaceba, yaceba!" Off came the hawk. It was a sad day to be sure. It is almost embarrassing now to say this but you know, I was 21. The hawk was a fun experiment. I had no idea it would take him as long as it did to find it and I thought it was pretty cool. I am not at all embarrassed about the mohawk but it is the little dot of hair on the back of his head that I didn't shave that is perhaps a little embarrassing to admit. It was great. I used all of my commitment pattern skills on Bell to ensure that the dot remained. I know, it was a cruel thing to do. Not the dot, that was great. No I am thinking about Bell shaving that thing off and just how much skin he took with it. I am only joking here people.
So here is my exclusive customer and the Mohawk. Yes that is me there with him - yes I had blond hair back in the day. Don't know what happened to that, I still see myself as a blond hair blue eyed kid and it freaks me out every time I see a picture of myself with dark hair. How about those shorts and socks?
Wow, good memories. The kids certainly enjoyed it. As I opened up my Mission box to find the pics I saw lots of pics and lots of stories. I think I might just have to record more of these.
Monday, November 14, 2011
A Little Prayer
We here the stories of children losing something and, unable to find it on their own, they petition the Lord for help. I suppose there are plenty of adult stories regarding the same. Some how after the prayer is offered their is some sort of inspiration and that which is lost is found. Today I had such an experience.
I was walking out the door when I remembered a check that I had in an envelope hanging on the fridge door by a magnet. I went back in the house to get it only to find that it was gone. That started me searching the house trying to find it. I checked the spots that I thought it might be glanced at a stack of school papers that I have for the kids, looked on top of the fridge, pulled out the fridge to look behind it and under it, looked in the office, looked in my room, looked in my computer bag. It was gone. There was absolutely no sign of it and I was a bit sick thinking it was gone.
It hit me to simply kneel and ask the Lord for help. I did so. My biggest fear was that I accidentally threw it away or that one of the kids took the envelope for a craft project and it was destroyed. I prayed that I would be able to find it. Perhaps lacking faith that it was still around I also prayed that I would handle its loss well and that we would be able to make due with out it. I got up and went back in to the kitchen. I started to look through the pile of school papers once again, a bit closer. I went through the stack one piece at a time and there it was.
Upon finding the check I paused again and offered a prayer of gratitude. I suppose that I could walk away from that feeling the Lord had nothing to do with it, it was just chance. You know, I don't think it was just chance. I had no reason to believe that the check would be in that stack. I had already glanced through it once and it was not there. I just felt to look there again. It was simple faith really, simple faith in a little prayer.
I am grateful for that experience. I am grateful for the inspiration that came. I am grateful for prayer - even a little one. I know that the Lord hears us. He knows who we are. He rewards our simple faith.
I was walking out the door when I remembered a check that I had in an envelope hanging on the fridge door by a magnet. I went back in the house to get it only to find that it was gone. That started me searching the house trying to find it. I checked the spots that I thought it might be glanced at a stack of school papers that I have for the kids, looked on top of the fridge, pulled out the fridge to look behind it and under it, looked in the office, looked in my room, looked in my computer bag. It was gone. There was absolutely no sign of it and I was a bit sick thinking it was gone.
It hit me to simply kneel and ask the Lord for help. I did so. My biggest fear was that I accidentally threw it away or that one of the kids took the envelope for a craft project and it was destroyed. I prayed that I would be able to find it. Perhaps lacking faith that it was still around I also prayed that I would handle its loss well and that we would be able to make due with out it. I got up and went back in to the kitchen. I started to look through the pile of school papers once again, a bit closer. I went through the stack one piece at a time and there it was.
Upon finding the check I paused again and offered a prayer of gratitude. I suppose that I could walk away from that feeling the Lord had nothing to do with it, it was just chance. You know, I don't think it was just chance. I had no reason to believe that the check would be in that stack. I had already glanced through it once and it was not there. I just felt to look there again. It was simple faith really, simple faith in a little prayer.
I am grateful for that experience. I am grateful for the inspiration that came. I am grateful for prayer - even a little one. I know that the Lord hears us. He knows who we are. He rewards our simple faith.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Jack on the Law
We had Stake Conference today and I have a few thoughts to share about that. First, a Jack story. Before that, a realization - I need a little note book that I can carry around with me so I can record specifics. When I record one of the kids testimonies in here it is because I quickly record it on paper. That makes it easy to remember the details. Without those quick notes I sometimes have difficulty in remembering lots of the little details in our experiences. Last night for instance, Jack started singing a song about steam engines. It was actually quite good. I was wondering if he picked it up on one of his Railroad DVDs but no, it was an original song. I am sorry that I cannot remember it. Perhaps a sign of age.
Anyhow, a story I do remember: We were unloading chairs back at our chapel after Stake Conference today and following that we headed home. Layne Papenfus was in the car with us and he was conversing with Jack. Jack had said something about liking to relax his head in the car and look out the window. Layne said he liked to do the same and asked what Jack liked to look for when he did that. Natty chimed in with something about looking for turtles and then Jack decided to give him the low down on the law. "Police pull over speeding cars" said Jack. I asked what else the police did. Andy spoke up saying: 'cops catch the bad guys' to which Jack says 'ooohhh, good call Andy'. It was a pretty funny moment. The kids then went on to inform Layne and I that there are two things that happen when a cop catches a bad guy - they either go to jail or they get killed. I had no idea the police were so harsh. Anyway, they shared a few more details on the topic of jail or death. I told Layne that I'm sure he had no idea when he climbed in our car that his understanding of law enforcement was going to increase so dramatically. It was a fun ride home, educational anyway. I encouraged Layne not to get pulled over until he was quite old and ready to die.
I was able to attend the Priesthood Leadership meeting this morning as part of Stake Conference. It was a great meeting. President Fawson spoke as did a high priest regarding faith and conversion and home teaching. The Stake Presidency then spoke also sharing very powerful messages along the same lines of conversion and doing. President Schmutz issued a challenge that we as priesthood leaders visit the homes of all the members before the end of the year. President Schmutz also shared a fencing analogy and discussed the need to have it tight and straight. Sometimes when he was putting up fences and driving in the steel posts he would hit rock. They did not have the luxury of moving the location of the post and so they would either drive it until the broke through it or they would have to dig out the rock. Anyhow, in the end if you were to look at the fence down the line it would be perfectly straight so that it appeared to only be one post.
The General or Sunday session of Stake Conference was a broadcast. Elder Russel M. Nelson presided and Elder Callister of the 70 conducted the meeting. All of the talks were great. Elder Callister spoke about marriage and in doing so addressed a few things concerning divorce. I thought they were spot on. He said that the challenges that exist in marriages of those who get divorced are very similar to the challenges being faced by most couples. There are couples that are committed regardless of the challenges that they face and then there are those who are not. I heard this or something along this line from Sister Friddle back in the day, Actually, now that I think of it, this may have been by a different author in something Sister Friddle had us look at. Anyhow, many of the challenges that exist don't simply go away by changing your spouse. There are still things that you are going to have to learn personally, things that you need to overcome regardless of who you are married to. Gosh, this can get interpreted incorrectly if I am not careful. In some situations there are spouses who simply will not commit to the marriage. They will not commit to do what needs to be done to overcome the challenges of married life. There are spouses who are not faithful. These things do not exist in every marriage relationship. Normal challenges will exist but that is part of the journey of becoming one. I don't know, it is late and I am starting to ramble. I guess all I want to say is I appreciated Elder Callisters comments and council. I experienced the heartache that comes when your spouse is not committed to the relationship and is unwilling to do whatever it takes to make it work. It is not pleasant and certainly not easy.
I am going to stop there. I have more thoughts on the matter but my brain function has stalled for the evening. I am bobbing my head occasionally and heavy eyed. If I am not careful I could do something foolish and then find the cops at my door ready to arrest me or shoot me down to nothing. We can't have that and so, I close.
Anyhow, a story I do remember: We were unloading chairs back at our chapel after Stake Conference today and following that we headed home. Layne Papenfus was in the car with us and he was conversing with Jack. Jack had said something about liking to relax his head in the car and look out the window. Layne said he liked to do the same and asked what Jack liked to look for when he did that. Natty chimed in with something about looking for turtles and then Jack decided to give him the low down on the law. "Police pull over speeding cars" said Jack. I asked what else the police did. Andy spoke up saying: 'cops catch the bad guys' to which Jack says 'ooohhh, good call Andy'. It was a pretty funny moment. The kids then went on to inform Layne and I that there are two things that happen when a cop catches a bad guy - they either go to jail or they get killed. I had no idea the police were so harsh. Anyway, they shared a few more details on the topic of jail or death. I told Layne that I'm sure he had no idea when he climbed in our car that his understanding of law enforcement was going to increase so dramatically. It was a fun ride home, educational anyway. I encouraged Layne not to get pulled over until he was quite old and ready to die.
I was able to attend the Priesthood Leadership meeting this morning as part of Stake Conference. It was a great meeting. President Fawson spoke as did a high priest regarding faith and conversion and home teaching. The Stake Presidency then spoke also sharing very powerful messages along the same lines of conversion and doing. President Schmutz issued a challenge that we as priesthood leaders visit the homes of all the members before the end of the year. President Schmutz also shared a fencing analogy and discussed the need to have it tight and straight. Sometimes when he was putting up fences and driving in the steel posts he would hit rock. They did not have the luxury of moving the location of the post and so they would either drive it until the broke through it or they would have to dig out the rock. Anyhow, in the end if you were to look at the fence down the line it would be perfectly straight so that it appeared to only be one post.
The General or Sunday session of Stake Conference was a broadcast. Elder Russel M. Nelson presided and Elder Callister of the 70 conducted the meeting. All of the talks were great. Elder Callister spoke about marriage and in doing so addressed a few things concerning divorce. I thought they were spot on. He said that the challenges that exist in marriages of those who get divorced are very similar to the challenges being faced by most couples. There are couples that are committed regardless of the challenges that they face and then there are those who are not. I heard this or something along this line from Sister Friddle back in the day, Actually, now that I think of it, this may have been by a different author in something Sister Friddle had us look at. Anyhow, many of the challenges that exist don't simply go away by changing your spouse. There are still things that you are going to have to learn personally, things that you need to overcome regardless of who you are married to. Gosh, this can get interpreted incorrectly if I am not careful. In some situations there are spouses who simply will not commit to the marriage. They will not commit to do what needs to be done to overcome the challenges of married life. There are spouses who are not faithful. These things do not exist in every marriage relationship. Normal challenges will exist but that is part of the journey of becoming one. I don't know, it is late and I am starting to ramble. I guess all I want to say is I appreciated Elder Callisters comments and council. I experienced the heartache that comes when your spouse is not committed to the relationship and is unwilling to do whatever it takes to make it work. It is not pleasant and certainly not easy.
I am going to stop there. I have more thoughts on the matter but my brain function has stalled for the evening. I am bobbing my head occasionally and heavy eyed. If I am not careful I could do something foolish and then find the cops at my door ready to arrest me or shoot me down to nothing. We can't have that and so, I close.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Sluggish Sloth
It was a rare occurrence but I actually slept in this morning until right about 7:45. I know, it's crazy isn't it? Well Jack was rearin to go. He came in and laid down for a bit, we chatted and he was off. At 8 I was texting Ben Fawson regarding our assignment to move chairs from our building to the Stake Center for Stake Conference. It was now a little after 8. Jack came back in my room and shared the following with me:
'Jessie (Mrs. Coonan at South) told me about Sluggish Sloth, he's another guy (referring to characters they use for learning behaviors) like Rock Brain. Don't you know what his problem is?'
I answered: 'he moves like a slug',
'No, he is lazy'. This was followed by a brief pause, you know, for effect. 'Now, get out of bed'.
I tell you what, I thought that was hilarious. I don't know if he planned all that or if it just kind of happened that way.
I had to drag my lazy, sluggish sloth bones out of bed and then onto our ward building - for the chairs. The day didn't stop after that. Had to work on the banquet room today. Did some cleaning, prepping, furniture moving, more prepping and then Dave and I got to painting. I used the cordless power sprayer. It worked great and probably would have worked better had this lazy hozer been a little more thorough in his reading of the instructions. The clean out position on the nozzle doesn't work quite as well as the regular spray formation. Anyhow, we managed to get it done.
The kids enjoyed another Saturday evening out with dad and playing in the McPlayland at Mickey D's. They had the run of the place.
'Jessie (Mrs. Coonan at South) told me about Sluggish Sloth, he's another guy (referring to characters they use for learning behaviors) like Rock Brain. Don't you know what his problem is?'
I answered: 'he moves like a slug',
'No, he is lazy'. This was followed by a brief pause, you know, for effect. 'Now, get out of bed'.
I tell you what, I thought that was hilarious. I don't know if he planned all that or if it just kind of happened that way.
I had to drag my lazy, sluggish sloth bones out of bed and then onto our ward building - for the chairs. The day didn't stop after that. Had to work on the banquet room today. Did some cleaning, prepping, furniture moving, more prepping and then Dave and I got to painting. I used the cordless power sprayer. It worked great and probably would have worked better had this lazy hozer been a little more thorough in his reading of the instructions. The clean out position on the nozzle doesn't work quite as well as the regular spray formation. Anyhow, we managed to get it done.
The kids enjoyed another Saturday evening out with dad and playing in the McPlayland at Mickey D's. They had the run of the place.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Glad You're Exercising
I was up this morning and after seeing Natty off to school I hit the eliptical for a little run before I had to get the boys on their way. As I was winding down the workout and getting off the eliptical Jack said to me. "Glad you're exercising dad. Cause your belly was sticking out and I like it better when it is skinny." Why, thank you Jack. Very nice of you to notice and provide the motivational message of the day. My confidence is way up.
The reality is that I am glad to be exercising at the moment also. I feel a lot better when I stay busy with the eliptical and try to do my best to get in exersizing.
Wow, I am at a loss as to what else to say. It is 11/11/11 that is pretty spectacular. It is also Veterans day and so we say thank you the brave men and women who have fought valiently.
I am fading fast. Must close and hit the sack. Goodnight.
The reality is that I am glad to be exercising at the moment also. I feel a lot better when I stay busy with the eliptical and try to do my best to get in exersizing.
Wow, I am at a loss as to what else to say. It is 11/11/11 that is pretty spectacular. It is also Veterans day and so we say thank you the brave men and women who have fought valiently.
I am fading fast. Must close and hit the sack. Goodnight.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
For Sport
There was a time in my life when I quite enjoyed sport. Shoot I need to qualify that statement. I still love sport - playing sport. I am looking forward very much to Thanksgiving Day and the annual Turkey Bowl. It is a favorite. I enjoyed the 2 or 3 softball games I made it to with the Ward this year for Church Softball. I quite enjoyed playing soccer with the team - I only got to play during practices but it was fun. What I am referencing is that I used to love professional sports. I tried to keep up on the goings on and watched as much as I could.
Something has changed. I don't know if it is an age thing or if it merely disgust but I don't possess a lot of love for todays professional athletes. I struggle with the attitudes and the greed that exists. I think these lockouts in football and now in basketball have really rubbed me the wrong way as well. When I consider where I am at and where many are at today it makes me somewhat sick that these people that get to play sport for their living have become so greedy. It is like there is no perspective on life. I am particularly referring to the NBA lockout that has the owners and the players union squaring off at eachother. I have read and looked at some of the statements being made and I am completely baffled. These people have lost touch with reality. They don't know what it is like to wonder where your next check is coming from or worrying about how you are going to put food on the table for your family. Somehow this has stopped being looked at as an employment opportunity. Now the employees are telling the employers what is up. It doesn't really work that way in other professions.
Perhaps I am merely jealous. I am just worked up because I finally realized my professional sports career just isn't happening. Well, who knows. We will get by somehow, you know, for sport.
Something has changed. I don't know if it is an age thing or if it merely disgust but I don't possess a lot of love for todays professional athletes. I struggle with the attitudes and the greed that exists. I think these lockouts in football and now in basketball have really rubbed me the wrong way as well. When I consider where I am at and where many are at today it makes me somewhat sick that these people that get to play sport for their living have become so greedy. It is like there is no perspective on life. I am particularly referring to the NBA lockout that has the owners and the players union squaring off at eachother. I have read and looked at some of the statements being made and I am completely baffled. These people have lost touch with reality. They don't know what it is like to wonder where your next check is coming from or worrying about how you are going to put food on the table for your family. Somehow this has stopped being looked at as an employment opportunity. Now the employees are telling the employers what is up. It doesn't really work that way in other professions.
Perhaps I am merely jealous. I am just worked up because I finally realized my professional sports career just isn't happening. Well, who knows. We will get by somehow, you know, for sport.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
And even...
If you read my post already I apologize. I could not even function last night and so I am resubmitting this one this morning. Jack told me a story about the mailman and I am recording this so that someday he will remember his highly detailed story. Here it is.
"I was watching a movie while grandma was vacuuming and even I looked out the window. And even I saw the mailman putting mail into the mailbox. And even I paused the movie. And even I went outside. And even I went to the mailbox. And even I put my hand in the mailbox. And even I pulled the mail out of the mailbox. And even I came inside the house. And even I spread out the mail on the floor. And even there was a magazine in there."
Well, that is it. I should say - And even that is it, the end of his story anyway. He then found the magazine; it is full of fun little gadgets and toys. He is a fan of the snoopy snow cone machine, some amphibian car thing, a donut maker, a solar energy kit and a variety of other things.
And even it was morning. And even I started editing last nights post. And even Jack sat down next to me. And even he opened the very magazine we have discussed. And even he made up a game about a silly face. And even I laughed. And even he won the game. And even I am thinking about adopting this style of story telling. And even Jack wants me off the computer. And even he wants to watch model train videos. And even...
"I was watching a movie while grandma was vacuuming and even I looked out the window. And even I saw the mailman putting mail into the mailbox. And even I paused the movie. And even I went outside. And even I went to the mailbox. And even I put my hand in the mailbox. And even I pulled the mail out of the mailbox. And even I came inside the house. And even I spread out the mail on the floor. And even there was a magazine in there."
Well, that is it. I should say - And even that is it, the end of his story anyway. He then found the magazine; it is full of fun little gadgets and toys. He is a fan of the snoopy snow cone machine, some amphibian car thing, a donut maker, a solar energy kit and a variety of other things.
And even it was morning. And even I started editing last nights post. And even Jack sat down next to me. And even he opened the very magazine we have discussed. And even he made up a game about a silly face. And even I laughed. And even he won the game. And even I am thinking about adopting this style of story telling. And even Jack wants me off the computer. And even he wants to watch model train videos. And even...
Day Lights
I sat down to write around 2 hours ago. I just woke up and have to say that my bed is a bit more comfortable than this office chair. I am exhausted so I am only going to say that Day Light Savings Time is killing me. My boys are getting up way to early. Jack was rolling at 6:15 this morning and Andy didn't sleep much longer. As a result I am getting up - all the way up and not my relaxing wake up Natty and check on her in between snooze buttons. My evenings are not adjusting at all and so I am essentially loosing sleep. No big deal but tonight I had nothing. No steam when i sat down here and so I crumbled in the chair. Like the day lights were knocked out of me. I am exhausted.
Well, back on it with a real report tomorrow. Not that this report isn't real but it does leave out some funner details of the day. I will see what I can do tomorrow.
Well, back on it with a real report tomorrow. Not that this report isn't real but it does leave out some funner details of the day. I will see what I can do tomorrow.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Night Sledding
Jello Instant Pudding - Pistacio Flavor, Sugar Free. Man that is good stuff. I am eating some right now and love it. It takes me back to mission days and eating instant pudding there. I loved the butterscotch flavored pudding. That was always a treat. Anyway, that really has nothing to do with the topic. Just thought I would note my love for Jello Instant Pudding.
I walked in the house with dinner after work only to find two very upset boys in the living room, pretty much in hysterics and then an upset girl in the other room. Emotions were running high and so I listened as they each discussed some frustration and anger and a few details surrounding the matter. We needed to go extreme to get everybody reset and refocussed. Night Sledding, after dinner and the FHE lesson of course.
Quick note on the FHE lesson. Andy stepped up with his Testimony Glove and that is what we shared for the lesson tonight. I helped him with the reading part. He was pretty excited to model the glove. I love that little guy. Always wanting to be involved. He is a good boy.
So we got dressed up nice and warm and we headed over to the hill. Nice that it is only down the street. Pretty quickly the troubles of earlier were completely forgotten and we just worried about hitting jumps and making out of there alive. The last time I was there I took out my shoulder. I pretty much just watched and took pictures. Here are a few:
I walked in the house with dinner after work only to find two very upset boys in the living room, pretty much in hysterics and then an upset girl in the other room. Emotions were running high and so I listened as they each discussed some frustration and anger and a few details surrounding the matter. We needed to go extreme to get everybody reset and refocussed. Night Sledding, after dinner and the FHE lesson of course.
Quick note on the FHE lesson. Andy stepped up with his Testimony Glove and that is what we shared for the lesson tonight. I helped him with the reading part. He was pretty excited to model the glove. I love that little guy. Always wanting to be involved. He is a good boy.
So we got dressed up nice and warm and we headed over to the hill. Nice that it is only down the street. Pretty quickly the troubles of earlier were completely forgotten and we just worried about hitting jumps and making out of there alive. The last time I was there I took out my shoulder. I pretty much just watched and took pictures. Here are a few:
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Super Flex and Rock Brain
I cannot be certain but there stands a chance that I may have written about these characters one time before. If so it was just in passing. Regardless, these are characters being used at South Elementary to help teach the kids how to handle different situations. They were simply introducing them to some kids last year. I got a hand out at a parent meeting and we discussed them here at home briefly. Well, it has become quite apparent to me that they have spent a little more time with these characters in the classroom this year. It is a big part of Andy's life at the moment and we discuss just about every situation and look at how Super Flex would handle it and likewise how Rock Brain would. Jack also finds himself getting into the discussion - sometimes because he is following along and wants to talk about it and other times because Andy is calling him out for being a Rock Brain.
Super Flex, as you may have guessed, has a very flexible brain. When situations arise that are not ideal he is able to easily adapt and carry on without a problem or putting on a big show. Rock Brain however finds it very difficult to adapt. His mind is made up, it is solid as a rock. When something changes he fights it and expects that every one will cater to him. It has become an easy way to help us get through different situations. Sometimes it works better than others. Sometimes instead of rock brains we have gian boulder brains and we are not very receptive. They are not afraid to call me out when I am being a Rock Brain. I appreciate it.
And so we are trying to have flexible brains. Trying to learn that life isn't over when things don't go exactly how we planned. It isn't always easy to keep perspective, to maintain that flexible brain. Old Super Flex and Rock Brain are definitely helpful characters that assist in our trying to learn how to handle situations that arise in our lives. I wonder if Super Flex does yoga?
Super Flex, as you may have guessed, has a very flexible brain. When situations arise that are not ideal he is able to easily adapt and carry on without a problem or putting on a big show. Rock Brain however finds it very difficult to adapt. His mind is made up, it is solid as a rock. When something changes he fights it and expects that every one will cater to him. It has become an easy way to help us get through different situations. Sometimes it works better than others. Sometimes instead of rock brains we have gian boulder brains and we are not very receptive. They are not afraid to call me out when I am being a Rock Brain. I appreciate it.
And so we are trying to have flexible brains. Trying to learn that life isn't over when things don't go exactly how we planned. It isn't always easy to keep perspective, to maintain that flexible brain. Old Super Flex and Rock Brain are definitely helpful characters that assist in our trying to learn how to handle situations that arise in our lives. I wonder if Super Flex does yoga?
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Snow, Popcorn and McPlaytime
We woke up this morning to find some freshly fallen snow on the ground. I have written previously about snow and how I feel about it. It is way back in the archives people. In fact I just looked as I know that I am hovering around a year here on the blog. November 11th, 2010 was my second entry and it is entitled Snow. I am sure it is a great one. I did not read it as I was merely checking the exact start date of the blog. So we are coming up on a full year in the life of John Fontano in blog format. It is too bad Oprah is no longer on because I was ready to make my appearance on her show as she highlights my first book. I mean really, this is best seller material for sure.
Okay, enough with the crazy dreams. Snow. Yes there it was on the ground. It did not do a lot of sticking to the road and walks which meant no shoveling. I have mixed emotions about that. I love to do it but I don't even have a shovel right now and I have a very big parking lot to shovel. Today was not one where I had the extra time for it. Nevertheless I enjoyed seeing that peaceful white on the ground, in the trees, on the rooftops. Just wonderful. I did have to make a run to Home Depot today and was checking out their selection of snow blowers. Wonder if Dave has a plow for his 4 wheeler. That parking lot is going to be a bear by hand. I don't know if I quite love shoveling snow that much. That parking lot could sway my love for snow in the opposite direction. Hmmmm.
I knocked out some pancakes for the kids for breakfast and then had to run and open shop this morning. I also got started on my back room project and set about scraping the popcorn ceiling. I am not a huge fan of popcorn ceilings and have scraped a few in my day. I scraped quite a bit at the LBH when we were fixing up the place but this back room didn't get done because it was originally slated to be a workroom. That changed a bit ago and we converted it to a furniture room. We have need of a bigger room for dining parties so we are beginning the process of cleaning it up and getting it together. So the ceiling is scraped, the floor was a complete mess, I quick cleaned it but we are just getting going so I didn't hit the finer details whilst cleaning. I've got another "door" wall to put up. That is exciting. They are solid doors and I don't think I will be trying to do anything to them - paint wise. This is a fun thing. I enjoyed the remodel of the building and am happy that we are now working on this room. I like the creative.
Quick pointer: If you are planning on scraping a nasty popcorn ceiling the trick is to wet it first. I like to use my pump sprayer. Soak it pretty well. If it is too dry you will end up using a lot more energy. So, spray it on there heavy. Let it soak for a bit and then follow up with the putty knife. I used about a 10" knife today. Works great. Be prepared for one heck of a mess. The crap gets everywhere so I recommend clearing the room first. If you want to save your floor cover it well. A shop vac is recommended also. I do not recommend the special popcorn ceiling scraper that they sell at various places. I used that in my first house and it was horrible. You get caught up in thinking this stuff is going to be perfect. It isn't, it gets everywhere. The scraper portion of it stinks pretty bad as well. Okay, that concludes my helpful information.
We had a little family movie evening and watched Cars 2. Jay and Sara rented it and let up borrow it before it had to be returned. It was a pretty fun movie. The kids had seen it but I had not . Andy didn't want to watch it because it was long and put him to sleep. That is what he remembered about it. We had to talk about being superflex or rockbrain. Andy walked away for a while and then came happily trotting back suggesting that we watch it. We did. We popped some corn and enjoyed the show.
Following the movie we returned the dvd to the redbox and headed in to McD's for dinner and playtime. We got there around 8 and the kids had the entire playplace to themselves. I even kept them out late as we didn't leave there until 10. Hey, day light savings time. Not to mention I was totally locked in to a basketball shooting challenge with Natty and maybe a little fuss ball as well. They all had a good time and it was fun to spend that time together.
Now you see, that is the kind of quality family entertainment this book has to offer. Good old fashioned real life stories. Mmmmm, looking forward to the sequel.
Okay, enough with the crazy dreams. Snow. Yes there it was on the ground. It did not do a lot of sticking to the road and walks which meant no shoveling. I have mixed emotions about that. I love to do it but I don't even have a shovel right now and I have a very big parking lot to shovel. Today was not one where I had the extra time for it. Nevertheless I enjoyed seeing that peaceful white on the ground, in the trees, on the rooftops. Just wonderful. I did have to make a run to Home Depot today and was checking out their selection of snow blowers. Wonder if Dave has a plow for his 4 wheeler. That parking lot is going to be a bear by hand. I don't know if I quite love shoveling snow that much. That parking lot could sway my love for snow in the opposite direction. Hmmmm.
I knocked out some pancakes for the kids for breakfast and then had to run and open shop this morning. I also got started on my back room project and set about scraping the popcorn ceiling. I am not a huge fan of popcorn ceilings and have scraped a few in my day. I scraped quite a bit at the LBH when we were fixing up the place but this back room didn't get done because it was originally slated to be a workroom. That changed a bit ago and we converted it to a furniture room. We have need of a bigger room for dining parties so we are beginning the process of cleaning it up and getting it together. So the ceiling is scraped, the floor was a complete mess, I quick cleaned it but we are just getting going so I didn't hit the finer details whilst cleaning. I've got another "door" wall to put up. That is exciting. They are solid doors and I don't think I will be trying to do anything to them - paint wise. This is a fun thing. I enjoyed the remodel of the building and am happy that we are now working on this room. I like the creative.
Quick pointer: If you are planning on scraping a nasty popcorn ceiling the trick is to wet it first. I like to use my pump sprayer. Soak it pretty well. If it is too dry you will end up using a lot more energy. So, spray it on there heavy. Let it soak for a bit and then follow up with the putty knife. I used about a 10" knife today. Works great. Be prepared for one heck of a mess. The crap gets everywhere so I recommend clearing the room first. If you want to save your floor cover it well. A shop vac is recommended also. I do not recommend the special popcorn ceiling scraper that they sell at various places. I used that in my first house and it was horrible. You get caught up in thinking this stuff is going to be perfect. It isn't, it gets everywhere. The scraper portion of it stinks pretty bad as well. Okay, that concludes my helpful information.
We had a little family movie evening and watched Cars 2. Jay and Sara rented it and let up borrow it before it had to be returned. It was a pretty fun movie. The kids had seen it but I had not . Andy didn't want to watch it because it was long and put him to sleep. That is what he remembered about it. We had to talk about being superflex or rockbrain. Andy walked away for a while and then came happily trotting back suggesting that we watch it. We did. We popped some corn and enjoyed the show.
Following the movie we returned the dvd to the redbox and headed in to McD's for dinner and playtime. We got there around 8 and the kids had the entire playplace to themselves. I even kept them out late as we didn't leave there until 10. Hey, day light savings time. Not to mention I was totally locked in to a basketball shooting challenge with Natty and maybe a little fuss ball as well. They all had a good time and it was fun to spend that time together.
Now you see, that is the kind of quality family entertainment this book has to offer. Good old fashioned real life stories. Mmmmm, looking forward to the sequel.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Ash Creek Live
When I was in Florida, I am thinking Christmas 2007, I received a CD as a gift. This was for the musical group known as Juniper 621. This was the old mans music group, power trio of you will. I drove around listening to it and loved it. I thought their sound was good. Funny enough I would sometimes get emotional listening to these songs. I got a little caught up in the fact that the old man was out doing ssomething that he loved. After having gone through a little ordeal it made me happy to see him enjoying himself . Well to hear him enjoying himself anyway. I thought about Richard and the friend that he is to dad and it made me quite happy to think that the folks had these friends. I had no idea who they were, just knew they were friends. Naturally I did all I could to promote the group on the East coast circuit. You know, turned up the stereo, lowered the windows and cruised Lakeland.
Well, like all great bands, things happen. Such was the case with Juniper 621. The female voice of 621 ventured else where and so a new female vocalist was needed. Along came Abby and the following Christmas, maybe not the following but another Christmas anyway, I received another CD. I was surprised to say the least. Oh, and even more exciting, they changed the name of the band to Ash Creek.
When I lived in Florida I would see some of the updates on who they would play for. They would have made the big time in Florida as they are very popular with seniors. No luck with that endeavor. When we moved out this way it gave us the chance to see a live performance. Tonight was one of those as they came to our Elders Quorum Fall Social. It was a good time. During one of the songs Natty looked at me and said "when we lived in Florida and listened to this song in the car, I would look out the window because I would cry." Ha ha, that makes me laugh. Thanks Ash Creek, I am not the only boob in the family.
Anyway, people attending tonight's social enjoyed it. I heard a lot of positive feedback. Pretty dang exciting especially since the average age was propbably 28, not counting the children. Good times.
Well, like all great bands, things happen. Such was the case with Juniper 621. The female voice of 621 ventured else where and so a new female vocalist was needed. Along came Abby and the following Christmas, maybe not the following but another Christmas anyway, I received another CD. I was surprised to say the least. Oh, and even more exciting, they changed the name of the band to Ash Creek.
When I lived in Florida I would see some of the updates on who they would play for. They would have made the big time in Florida as they are very popular with seniors. No luck with that endeavor. When we moved out this way it gave us the chance to see a live performance. Tonight was one of those as they came to our Elders Quorum Fall Social. It was a good time. During one of the songs Natty looked at me and said "when we lived in Florida and listened to this song in the car, I would look out the window because I would cry." Ha ha, that makes me laugh. Thanks Ash Creek, I am not the only boob in the family.
Anyway, people attending tonight's social enjoyed it. I heard a lot of positive feedback. Pretty dang exciting especially since the average age was propbably 28, not counting the children. Good times.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
The Streak Has Ended
Some of us are old enough to remember when Cal Ripkin Jr's streak of consecutive baseball games played came to a close or more recently Brett Favre or Peyton Manning. I am not an extreme streaker - poorly said, that probably scares a few. Trying to say I am not that in to following streaks. Like games with a hit or a touchdown pass, you know, whatever. There was a streak that I was rather happy with this year. A few of them in fact. Up until last Friday Natty had not missed a day of school this year. That ended Friday morning. No worries, I still had Jack and Andy who had yet to miss a day. Another blow to my non extreme streaking came this morning when Andy woke up with a nasty cough. He was solid when it came to fever and everything else but that cough was terrible. His streak came to a close. I had him dressed and ready to go then during our morning prayer he was hacking a bit and there was no way I could let him go. When I told him he couldn't go to school today he cried. He loves to go to school. So 2 of my 3 have fallen. Jack is now the great hope for a perfect year of attendance. So Jack, we will be pulling for you. You are our ironman of school attendance. Keep it up me boy. To Andy, we are saddened by your streak coming to an end. I know it was a difficult thing for you. Natty, likewise. Let's regroup and give it our best once again. Ready. Goooo Team!
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
The Cough, It Lingers
It is 11 o'clock. I got Jack down for bed an hour ago and I just heard his door open. I don't know what the deal is right now. After two early nights for Andy he was determined to stay up and so he didn't get to bed until 20 minutes ago. I start to get a bit irritated after a while. I can only blame Halloween candy for this mess.
I have been battling it out with a cold for over a week now. I don't like colds. I don't have time for colds. I am beyond any ill feelings and am merely trying to shake this lingering cough. The old throat is having a rough time. Maybe my mouthwash just isn't doing the trick. Perhaps it is time to roll in something a little stronger like that hydrogen peroxide. Mmmm. Nothing quite as exciting as that froth. Wow, making myself want to barf. It drives me nuts to be talking to people at the counter and having to cough. Perhaps a little more rest is needed.
Little Jack never came up, that is a great thing. Perhaps he was just running to the bathroom. He got a little license place for his bike today. It says "boys rule". Well we had to get it on that bike and go for a ride. So it is chilly out side but everyone wanted to go. All was good until the pedal/shaft came off my bike. The kids rode and I pushed. They had a good time riding down a little hill at the school. Even Andy got in on that action. I ran a long side and helped him balance down the hill. He did well. Mysteriously I became the pack mule and ended up carrying the bikes back up the hill. Pack mule, jackass - whatever works. I'm sure our chilly ride did nothing for that little lingering cough. It was for the kids...
I have been battling it out with a cold for over a week now. I don't like colds. I don't have time for colds. I am beyond any ill feelings and am merely trying to shake this lingering cough. The old throat is having a rough time. Maybe my mouthwash just isn't doing the trick. Perhaps it is time to roll in something a little stronger like that hydrogen peroxide. Mmmm. Nothing quite as exciting as that froth. Wow, making myself want to barf. It drives me nuts to be talking to people at the counter and having to cough. Perhaps a little more rest is needed.
Little Jack never came up, that is a great thing. Perhaps he was just running to the bathroom. He got a little license place for his bike today. It says "boys rule". Well we had to get it on that bike and go for a ride. So it is chilly out side but everyone wanted to go. All was good until the pedal/shaft came off my bike. The kids rode and I pushed. They had a good time riding down a little hill at the school. Even Andy got in on that action. I ran a long side and helped him balance down the hill. He did well. Mysteriously I became the pack mule and ended up carrying the bikes back up the hill. Pack mule, jackass - whatever works. I'm sure our chilly ride did nothing for that little lingering cough. It was for the kids...
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Exactness
I think a favorite story from the Book of Mormon is that of the stripling warriors. I love the miracle of it. The preservation of life. The ascribing it to their faith. I love that they performed every word of command with exactness. Wow. I struggle with that myself. Wish I was more exact in my life, in my living of the gospel. I'm sure we all do. It certainly makes me grateful for a Savior and for his atonement.
Anyway, I was reading tonight and came across the following verses toward the end of Alma 58 referencing again the faithfulness of the stripling warriors.
Alma 58:39-40
39. And those sons of the people of Ammon, of whom I have so highly spoken, are with me in the city of Manti; and the Lord has supported them, yea, and kept them from falling by the sword, insomuch that even one soul has not been slain.
40. But behold, they have received many wounds; nevertheless they stand fast in that liberty wherewith God has made them free; and they are strict to remember the Lord their God from day to day; yea they do observe to keep his statutes, and his judgements, and his commandments continually; and their faith is strong in the prophecies concerning that which is to come.
I love that the lord has supported them and kept them from falling by the sword. They went through some difficult experiences, some pretty nasty things and yet they remained faithful to the Lord. I love that they were strict to remember the Lord their God from day to day.
Anyhow we had to read these verses a second time tonight. I love that, faith and trust in the Lord. I hope that in my times of difficulty, heartache and disappointment I can maintain that same level of trust in the Lord.
Anyway, I was reading tonight and came across the following verses toward the end of Alma 58 referencing again the faithfulness of the stripling warriors.
Alma 58:39-40
39. And those sons of the people of Ammon, of whom I have so highly spoken, are with me in the city of Manti; and the Lord has supported them, yea, and kept them from falling by the sword, insomuch that even one soul has not been slain.
40. But behold, they have received many wounds; nevertheless they stand fast in that liberty wherewith God has made them free; and they are strict to remember the Lord their God from day to day; yea they do observe to keep his statutes, and his judgements, and his commandments continually; and their faith is strong in the prophecies concerning that which is to come.
I love that the lord has supported them and kept them from falling by the sword. They went through some difficult experiences, some pretty nasty things and yet they remained faithful to the Lord. I love that they were strict to remember the Lord their God from day to day.
Anyhow we had to read these verses a second time tonight. I love that, faith and trust in the Lord. I hope that in my times of difficulty, heartache and disappointment I can maintain that same level of trust in the Lord.
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