Happy Halloweiners

Happy Halloween all.  It was a fine day.  I was on my way home after walking the boys to school this morning and found a stick on the ground that reminded me that I needed to make Andy a wand for his Harry Potter Halloween costume.  I think it turned out well and Andy was happy with it so that was good.  He was Harry Potter.  Jack went as Luigi for the third year in a row.  He fit into the same costume.  Fit is a generous statement.  It was a very tight squeeze.  No matter.  He managed to make the rounds.  Natty had an interesting costume.  She went as a ceiling fan.  Her shirt said go ceiling!  It was pretty silly.  Anyway, it was a fine evening.  The boys and I combed a few streets around the house.  There were a lot of no homes but the boys did just fine anyway.  We also had a nice visit at Grandma and Grandpa's house.  Griffin was there and had fun with the boys.  We laughed when he tried to take off Andy's drawn on glasses.  So funny.

Anyway, I had the thought during our walking the streets and listening to some complaints out of the boys because of the walking.  Yes, I thought it would be good to forgo the candy collecting, I could go to the store, buy a big bag of candy and avoid the walking around listening to the whining of the boys.  It might be a fine idea.  Now, we cant leave trick or treaters disappointed.  Instead of giving out candy at the door it might be quite fun to provide a hot dog for each visitor.  We can call them Halloweiners.  It would be like a regular hot dog cart serving up weiners to the visitors.  It would definitely be something new on Halloween.  Yep, I'm lame.

Anyway, lovely day.  Ready for bed.   

Next

When I was in sales I listened to some motivational speakers and went to different trainings where the idea of resetting before each sales call was taught.  One of the ideas is that you figure out the average commission you receive.  If you  maintain a 50% closing ratio and your average commission was $250 you figure that each call you run is worth $125.  If the call goes bad, the guy is unfriendly or whatever the case you say to yourself - Thanks for the $125, Next!  It's a way of seeing each sales call in a positive light and recognizing that there are a certain number of no's in order to get the yes. 

Over the last few months we've been going through some things with pops.  He has had some challenges and it has been tough.  He is home, has been for almost a week.  The road of recovery will be long but he is okay.  Today was one of those Next kind of days.  Turns out that mom is having some challenges that have the doctor concerned.  She will be going back in next week for some testing.  It is our hope and prayer that there is nothing wrong. Whatever the case we will press forward with steadfastness in Christ and do the very best we can do.  Sometimes when we pass through a trial we might find strength as we in faith say, Next! and realize that we have reason to hope and to rejoice.

A Day

Today was one of those days for me.  Perhaps I was just tired all day and so my patience was a little thin.  I don't know.  Life can be a little frustrating some times and so I guess I can sit here and focus on that or I can choose to find some positives about the day.  Let's do that.

In the middle of the day I got to see my nephew Griffin.  He came in to the shop with his momma to visit with Dave.  We threw down a couple of knuckle bashes and I held him for a bit, even gave him a piece of cheese.  He was happy about that.  I made some humming noises to which he laughed and grabbed my face.  It was nice to have that visit.

Pops sent out a message that he took four steps on his own with his walker.  That does not sound like much but it is huge.  For a man who 6 weeks ago lacked the strength to do anything, couldn't even move his legs, yes, this is awesome and certainly something to be grateful for today. 

I had a great visit with a friend of mine, Morgan, who stopped in to order some sandwich platters for his daughters baptism on Saturday.  He gave me some great life coaching advice.  Told me I should find a sugar momma who has two houses so that when things get hectic for her with suddenly having three kids, she can take time outs at her other house.  He recommended I start looking at recently deceased CEO's.  I told him I will start reading the obituaries.  It was good for a few laughs. 

Natalie drew a picture of a car today.  I can't recall what kind of car it is but she did a good job on it.  I want to say it is a Chevy Malibu from the 70's.  I don't know exactly, all I know is that this girl who used to rip on herself for her lack of artistic talent is drawing things now and is really doing a nice job.  I am happy to see her working at art instead of quitting and telling herself she is no good at it.  Very impressive.

The boys and I just read a story called The Indian Cinderella in our nightly reading from the Book of Virtues by William Bennett.  It was a good story that teaches honesty.  The boys got it.  It is important to tell the truth.  I quite like reading the Book of Virtues with them every night.  We have cleared 600 pages and have 200 still to go.  What will we read next?  It's going to have to be good to fill the shoes of the Book of Virtues. 

It is good to sit back and reflect on a day.  It is good to look beyond the surface challenges and frustrations and appreciate some of the wonderful blessings enjoyed.  They are there.  I didn't think when I started this post that I could find much good about the day and then I opened my eyes a bit more and found much to be grateful for.  Count your many blessings, name them one by one and it will surprise you what the Lord has done. 

The Back

I have been experiencing some lower back pain for quite some time.  When I wake up in the morning it is a bit sore and then once I get moving it tends to be just fine and I go about my business.  This evening I pulled up to the house to pick up Andy for scouts and somehow tweaked my back while getting out of the car.  I don't know what I did.  I didn't feel a pop or anything else for that matter.  I just stood up out of the car and suddenly my lower back on the left side was in major pain.  I stretched a bit at the car and then had Natty help me with a couple other stretches.  No real improvement but we had to move.  Got Andy to scouts and then I had my scouts and others over at a wood cutting project.  I had to simply tough it out.  I tried to avoid certain things that triggered the pain and that has helped but sometimes it just comes.  Well, the back is in bad shape tonight.  Hopefully a bit of rest will help the situation.  I don't really have time for back pain.  

Truth or Dare

We went out to dinner tonight at my favorite local restaurant, that's right, The Brick House Cafe.  I don't spend enough time there as it is.  We did something different tonight though.  Instead of going in, having the kids sit at the bar while I make their food (the bar is not a real bar, it is just a counter with bar stools in our dry establishment.  Don't want anyone getting the wrong idea) we went in as regular customers, were seated, ordered off the menu etc.  It was a lot nicer for me as I got to relax while those we are paying to work did the work. 

We had a good time eating together as a family.  Somehow we started playing truth or dare.  I think it was Andy that got it started.  Oh yes, he ordered two hot dogs and then decided he only wanted the buns and the mustard and wanted me to eat the dogs.  He dared me to do it and then repeated what has become one of the kids favorite dare sayings: 'leave no dare undone'.  Nice attempt.  I was already full and had no desire what so ever to eat a couple of hot dog wieners.  So that then lead into the truth or dare thing.  Nobody wanted to do the dare thing because that usually involved eating something at the table.  I eventually got the dares off of food and onto funner things like everyone at the table singing happy birthday to our waiter, Johnny.  It isn't his birthday but we sang it to him like it was.  Fun stuff. 

A little later Natty, catching my change of pace on the dare situation, dared Jack to go up and hug Johnny and tell him in a creepy voice "I killed mufasa".  Johnny thought it was pretty funny but Jack thought it was hilarious.  He laughed it up good and hard.  Anyhow, we had fun with some other creative dares.  It was good to go, relax and laugh with the kiddos.  Sure do love them.  

Seeing Family

Tonight we had dinner at the folks house with the fam.  It has been a while since we have gathered there with pops having surgery over a month ago and being down in the rehabilitation center for a month.  It was good to be there.  It was good to see pops sitting on the couch for a bit, relaxing with his leg up, looking comfortable.  We had the pleasure of having Aunt Kelly and Uncle Mike in town as well.  Camry was with them and they also had Bronwyn's daughter Tar... something.  Sorry, I probably misspelled a few names there and I cannot remember the daughters name.  Anyhow, it was nice to see them.  I don't know the last time I saw them.  I seriously have no clue.  It has been a long time.  That will suffice.  It was fun to see mom and her sister together.  Apparently there is some tv show that mom loves and wants us all to watch but none of us do, well, it is one of Kelly's favorites.  Go figure. 

Mike was in town and asked me about possibly dog sitting for them for a year.  They are looking at a place in Vegas that only allows you to have 1 dog.  I don't know that I am the best with this dog thing but I mentioned it to the kids and they are all for it.  I told them all to pray about it so we can know if it would be the right thing for our family.  They really want a dog.  Me, not so much, but the kids have been begging me for years.  We shall see.

Got to talk to Dan for a few tonight and talked about some of those feelings of bringing home a new born baby for the first time.  That first drive home is a scary thing for a dad.  There is this baby all of a sudden and you have to protect it.  Lots of looking in the rear view mirror, a little extra caution behind the wheel and at least 5 miles per hour under the speed limit.  It is a special drive home, a special moment for a father, a protector, a provider.  It was neat to see these new parents with their little boy. 

Dave, Dani and the Griff were also at the house and my boys loved playing around with their little cousin.  Griff is such a fun little boy.

It was good seeing family.  Certainly there is more of our family that we would love to see also.  Distance between us doesn't make that easy but we think of them often and miss them.  Andy was asking me the other day if we could go see Jaykob and Jayson and their family.  Perhaps a little road trip is in order.  

The Rainbow Tree (Saturday Oct. 25, 2014)

I noticed this morning that my post for yesterday failed to publish.  It completely locked up my phone and so I am starting it from scratch.  Unfortunately the picture I was trying to include in the post will be absent.

The boys and I went up on the mountain again to help cut and gather wood for members of our ward.  We were back at Thorley's ranch which is absolutely beautiful.  Two weeks ago on our last trip up there were golden leaves on the Aspen trees.  Today the leaves were gone.  There really wasn't much of a sign of the fallen leaves either.  Anyway, we had a good time and enjoyed working on the mountain.  What a beautiful place to be.

We started by helping Brother Will Bishop fill his truck.  He was cutting wood and I was hauling it to his truck and loading it up.  Both the boys helped move a few logs and helped with stacking in the truck.  It was a good time.  Towards the tail end of loading up Brother Bishop Andy noticed a tree that was shaped like a rainbow.  Granted there were no colorful stripes but it was an arching tree.  He wanted to climb it and so he asked me to help him climb the rainbow tree.  He was funny.  Tried to climb up but had some troubles with it being slick.  He took off his sweater and used it as a strap around the tree to help him get leverage and pull himself up in stages.  He said: 'I saw this on man vs. wild, you just have to knot it and pull yourself up then loosen it and move it up'.  I thought that was pretty cool and I chuckled a bit.  It was kind of tough and the aspen was a bit slick so it wasn't working all that well.  I told him he could use my hands as foot holds and scoot up the tree.  He did that and got up a ways.  It was a fun time there with the rainbow tree. 

We had a good time.  Lots of kids came up this time to help so the boys had some friends to run around with.  I had brought up some snacks and we shared.  Had a little congregation of kids at the back of the truck eating doritos and popcorn.  Good times.  Glad to have these experiences with my kids and hope they are experiences that will teach them the importance of serving others and that they will stay with them throughout their lives.  I would love to hear Andy telling his own children about the rainbow tree in some future day.

Workin the Lines

Had a special treat this evening, got to go and work the sidelines for the Cedar High School football game.  Sidelines?  That may not quite be what we are officially called.  I was with Dave's crew that handles the first down/down markers on the football field.  Is that part of the officiating crew?  Whatever it was I was working the lines.  I had the responsibility of laying down the first down marker.  It was great fun.  I had the best seat in the house for every play some of which came very close to the sidelines.  Oh my goodness,  Fun times.  Mush sleep now. 

Sometimes I Bake...

Is saying bake like a drug related comment?  I have no idea.  Don't do drugs.  Never have, never will.  Maybe it is baked.  I really don't know.  Anyway, sometimes I bake... things.  Cookies, cakes, pies and what not.  Today it was razzleberry pies followed by carrot cakes.  These carrot cakes are amazing.  We bake them in muffin sized tins, they are individual cakes, they are gluten free and they are fantastic.  I was preparing ingredients and had one of our cooks ask if I put pineapple in the carrot cake.  Why yes, yes I do, along with flaked coconut, cranberries, pecans and carrots.  Gluten free - it must be dry. Actually, it is quite moist and delicious.  Really it is a fantastic recipe.

I have not baked them in a while and have been feeling some heat from the waitstaff regarding some of our desserts that we have not had in a while.  Razzleberry Pie and Carrot Cake being two of them.  I've got more to prepare tomorrow but for today, I baked, and it was good.   

Like a Rock

Like a rock!  I'm not referencing a chevy pick up truck or the Bob Seger song though I am a fan of Bob Seger and I wouldn't mind have a chevy pick up truck to cruise around in.  No, today I reference my self in the pool.  I swim like a rock.  I must.  I am swimming laps at the pool just as a teaser, something else to do for fitness that the kids can enjoy.  I am also toying with the idea of doing a triathlon at some point but I am not so sure.  My swimming is terrible.  Sure I've only gone twice but dang, I need to get it together.  The time is terrible.  I've got a long way to go and a lot to learn.  It will take some time to pick up some speed and endurance.  

2 AM Doorbell

If you are a daily reader you may recall in last nights post I mentioned that it was 1 AM, that I had fallen asleep and woken up at 1 and was attempting to write the blog post.  I was really tired and I closed it quick and went to bed.  I had crashed out pretty well, I think I was sleeping rather soundly.  Suddenly my doorbell started going off, repeatedly.  What the hell?  I thought.  Mind you, hell is not a swear in my vocabulary.  Anyway, I came to enough to make my way downstairs and I peered through the blinds and saw my neighbor Patrick putting on his shoes on my front porch.  What the hell?  I thought again and I answered the door.  Patrick was there in a panic, holding a bloody paper towel over his hand.  What the hell?  I thought yet again.  My vocabulary isn't all that extensive when I am suddenly awoken at 2 AM.  He had cut his finger badly while drying a knife (because we all dry our knives at 2 AM) and asked that I call the ambulance for him.  I went and got my phone and called it in.  I then sat down with Patrick on the front porch and waited for the ambulance to show up.  We then had a lovely conversation about favorite sandwiches at the Brick House.  He had never eaten there so I told him about the Philly and the Ruby.  He was excited about those.  The paramedics eventually arrived and I headed back to bed whilst Patrick headed off to the hospital.  It was a bit crazy.  Jack also woke up during the ordeal but was good about going back to bed.  It was an adventure to say the least.  We saw Patrick this morning and all was well.  They glued the wound shut.  I don't often have the doorbell ringing at 2 in the morning.  That was actually a first for me.  I am glad I could help but have to say I hope that the 2 AM thing is kept at a minimum.   That can throw ones night for a bit of a loop.  Oh well, we don't always get to chose when we serve.  When the opportunity comes will we act?  I hope that I will. 

I got to put that hope into practice this evening when I drove home from work and saw some quorum members out helping some folks move.  I was an hour late based on what they had said on Sunday and thought maybe they were wrapping up.  Regardless, we got home and I took care of a few family matters then walked up the street and around the corner.  There was still a lot to do and so for the next few hours we helped move this single lady and her kids.  It was not one of the easy moves where everything is done and everything runs super smooth.  There was a lot to do, a lot of stuff and it included moving in on the other end.  We managed to get there and get it done.  It certainly wasn't what I had planned for the evening but it was what I needed to do.  The opportunity was there, there was a family in need and brothers from the quorum that needed a little help as well.  I was happy to put my shoulder to the wheel.  The boys came with me when it was time to go and unload into their new house.  They did a lot of moving in various items.  It was great to see them there participating.  These are experiences that I am grateful for, to see the boys working, I love that.  It is upon me to teach my children to work and to serve.  I can't do that if I fail to act when the opportunity comes and so I was glad in my heart to see my boys working along side of me tonight.

Well, it is time to retire.  I've got a couple hours before 2 so hopefully I can get some sound sleep in before the bell goes off. 

Out

I just woke up, it is 1:04 in the AM.  I sat down sometime around 11 to do this here blog and bam!  I was completely out and sleeping good for a couple hours there.  It was hard to get the eyes to open back up.  I don't know that I am going to work really hard on coming up with some blog material.  Let it suffice that I am tired.  Because I am tired I am a little on the impatient side of things and I am somewhat irritable.  I got after the kids a bit tonight about working in the home and doing our fair share in the home.  Hopefully they can start to act.  Me, I am out. 

A Busy Sunday

It was a full Sunday for me.  After church we ran to the Brick House so Natty could print off some quotes for a box she had to make for young women's night of excellence.   We only had a little time as I had three home teaching appointments lined up.  It was a good day of home teaching and I thought the lessons went well at all three homes.  I am fortunate to home teach 3 great families right now; Cavalieri,  Scholes and Arnold.  Good people.  I love being a home teacher and having that opportunity to serve and become a friend to these great families.   In the lessons in each of the homes I talked to the children about their goodly parents.  Wonderful people.  Well, after home teaching we went to the night of excellence for the young women.  It was good.  Natty has a good group of young women and leaders around her.  She is a good girl and a friend to all.  So very grateful to have such a wonderful young woman for my daughter.  I had to run in to the Brick House to adjust and send out the schedule tonight.  Not what I wanted to do and need to adjust that so I can avoid having to do it in the future.  Well, got home, did some dishes then sat down with the kids and read some stories from President Thomas S. Monson.  We like those stories.   I usually get choked up in the middle of them.  Anyway good stories and a good lead into scriptures and prayer.  I managed to miss a nap today but really didn't miss it.  There things of greater importance happening and those things gave me plenty of energy and gratitude.

The Canyons

My day started with a drive up Cedar Canyon.  I got a call from my friends Annie and Claire.   They often go running together and decided to do a long run down the canyon.  They left Claire's car at the bottom and shuttled up in Annie's.   At some point on this 12 mile run Claire's keys fell out of her pocket and that was the reason for the call.  I did my best to spot the keys on the drive up and on the way down.  No luck.  I parked at the place they realized they didn't have the keys and began walking back up the canyon.  I didn't have much luck and then saw them driving down the road.  They picked me up and drove me back down to the car.  I didn't actually do much but it was good.

Later today we  took a drive.  We headed out to Spring Canyon for a nice hike.  It was good.  We all had a good time though we had to push on at some points.  It was a good hike.

Half Mile

Took the boys to the pool tonight.  Would have taken Natty but she couldn't make it.  Anyhow, I went up figuring I would swim laps and see how I did.  I actually did pretty well.  36 laps would be a mile.  I managed to go 20 and feel pretty good about it.  I used three strokes; the breast stroke, the freestyle and the elementary back stroke.  I enjoyed it.  I felt it.  I should probably do that more often. 

Empathy Fail

We had a customer today whose child got chicken fingers.  What was my horror when I heard they wanted to speak with the manager because their chicken wasn't fully cooked.  I went out to visit with them.  I shared my concern for the problem.  They said it was disgusting, I agreed with them and offered to fix the problem.  I tried to explain that we follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer and cooked them the appropriate time and I wasn't sure how this had happened.  I comped their meal and offered my apologies.  Apparently I did not do a very good job because I got a phone call a while later and it was these customers calling to talk to an owner.  I picked up the call and then they were upset that I was the same person they had talked to before and laid in on me.  I apologized again.  So, when I said that we follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer... they were under the impression that I was casting blame and not taking responsibility and they wanted to know what I was doing to ensure this didn't happen again.  I started over, expressed again my horror at the situation, my agreeing with them that it was unacceptable, my deep concern that the product be cooked properly.  I shared my concern as a parent, that chicken fingers happen to be one of my son's favorite things to eat and how upset I would be if his were under cooked.  I explained that I was discussing the situation with the cooks, I was looking at the fryer and the oil temp to ensure that everything was set correctly.  I seriously asked the cook no less than three times how long he cooked the chicken.  He and another cook both said it was the full six minutes.  I heard them discussing the time when he was cooking them so I believe it was right.  I told her that I would have them check internal temperatures on every piece of chicken going out and no longer accept the cooking time and temp as a sure thing.  I also mentioned that I might go from a raw chicken to a fully cooked product just to ensure nothing like this happens again.  She expressed that she appreciates the quality and freshness of our food etc.  All I could do was apologize.  In the end I think she was okay. 

It sucks that she had to call back and that I didn't convey the right message the first time.  That is frustrating to me.  I thought I had.  It can be an awkward situation and being the guy that has to go and try to make it right is not always the easiest tasks.  I don't always know what to say and certainly don't know how what I say will be received.  Though I thought I was expressing empathy and handling the situation right the first time my visit was a fail.  I don't like that.  Believe me, I have been beating myself up about it since the call came in.  I'll need to do a better job and I need to make sure the customer is happy before I walk away from them the first time.  I thought they were but apparently I was wrong.  In my head for the rest of the day I heard Chris Farley saying:  Let me tell you why I suck as a salesman... .   I will do better the next time though I expect there will not be a next time with this chicken problem.    

Fire in the Hole!

Fire in the hole! was the call that came out of Jack's mouth when he put the cap back on his volcano fully loaded and ready to explode.  A few seconds later it was done.  The pop, the top flying in the air, the flour creating the dust cloud effect and several students and maybe even 1 or two parents realized that Jack just did something totally different than everyone else.  It was cool, a good moment for big Jack.  We had fun with this little project.  Jack especially had fun with all the testing he got to do.  I think he had a pretty good plan and did a good job executing.  All morning he kept saying world first when speaking about the volcano.  I don't know that it was a world first but it was a good idea and a good demonstration of an erupting volcano.  Fire in the hole!

Testing

Tomorrow is a volcano eruption day for the 5th graders at South Elementary.  For the most part we see a bunch of mentos and diet coke shooting in the air.  That is fun stuff and we have enjoyed playing around with it on more than one occasion.  I had kind of hoped that Jack would go that route but turns out he had other plans.  We are using alka seltzer and water in an old film container and blasting the top off a volcano.  I picked up the alka seltzer and ran a few tests as I was trying to figure out how we could make this work for Jack.  So there I was in the kitchen at work blasting an old film container all over the place.  It was quite fun.  After some testing I came up with an idea that I thought would work.  I would just have to get Jack to buy into it.  That I did this evening.  We couldn't get to work immediately as I had a service project with the elder's quorum and the scouts.  We split and stacked the wood that we brought down the mountain on Saturday.  There was a good crew out there and there was some impressive handling of the axe.  Good times.  We managed to complete the load and had some delivered along the way.  The 11 year old scouts that came did a good job.  Good activity.  Jack and I came back home and went to work on the volcano build.  I did manage to stab myself in the thumb.  That hurt like crazy but what can one do?  Well, we took it like a man, squeezed a little blood out of it and then went and washed it out.  Andy was good enough to shoot a little hydrogen peroxide on it.  Made him happy.  Well, we got the volcano shaped and set up and then ran a few tests to see if we were good.  We're good.  Some minor assembly left for the morning so the paint can dry.  Exciting times. 

One Man Army

"Call the police Jack, you're not a one man army!"

"Cops got better things to do than get killed!"

I say in my mind one man army and that quote comes to mind.  Any idea what movie it is from?  It's simple really, Big Trouble in Little China.  One of my all time favorites.  One that I can pull all kinds of quotes from.  One that inspired me to be a long haul truck driver.  That never quite happened.  The fact of the matter is that I am not reporting on anything right now.  I have simply had a busy day with more to do then I had the ability to do.  I am a one man army and I have to be moving constantly to try and keep up.  Somethings can get a little old and some days life can just be hard. 

I am a one man army some days.  One man in the sense that I can only be in one place at a time.  I can only take on so much.  One man that relies heavily on the Lord to strengthen him beyond his own ability to do,  I am grateful to know that.

 

Obstruction of Lesson

One of my callings in church is to teach the Elders Quorum on the 2nd Sunday of the month.  It is a great calling and I enjoy reviewing and preparing the material.  I enjoy the lesson itself for the most part and love to learn from the brothers in the quorum.  Today's material I thought was fantastic.  It was chapter 19 from the Teachings of Joseph Fielding Smith manual titled:  In the World but Not of The World.  I think that was the title though it may not be exact.  Anyway, we discussed some of the themes covered in conference last week.  Participation was great and we were getting to the point I was hoping for to transition into a life experience of President Smith that was shared in the lesson.  Then a comment by a late comer that just threw everything for a loop.  It was his philosophy on life and the world and was contrary to the doctrine we had just discussed for the prior 10 to 15 minutes.  To make it even better was the condescending tone with which it was shared.  I probably should have been a little bolder in quashing the matter but I try not to alienate members of the quorum and I don't want to discourage others from sharing by being a jerk to someone who does share.  Regardless, it sparked some feelings in some of the members and it lead to some, well, heated discussion.  It wasn't a burning heat but there was some tension I think.  To interject with my thoughts and my opinions would not have been kosher.  I went back to the doctrine and the words of the prophets.  The doctrine defends itself.  The truth is truth regardless of what mans opinion may be and all I hoped for coming out of there was that the truth was testified of by the Holy Ghost when it was taught.  I think there are those who obstruct just to get a rise out of people.  I don't really feel there is an appropriate time or place for such behavior.  I also do not believe it is appropriate to preach our own philosophies as if they are the doctrines of Christ.  It certainly was enlightening to see the very attitudes and complacency we have been warned about on display and being defended.  Perhaps enlightening is the wrong word, it was disturbing and sad.  Philosophies of men mingled with scripture, we've learned something about that.  It is subtle to be sure.     

Wood Run

This morning started early with a run up Cedar Mountain and back to Thorley's property.  The Elders Quorum had a service project up there cutting and hauling trees.  It was a good trip.  Had the boys with me, Natty isn't feeling well so she remained at home.  It was an early start but we made great time getting up the mountain.  I was following Borden Jenkins and he set the pace, fast.  Anyway, such a beautiful place.  I got to loading the cut logs and the boys got to exploring and playing.  It was a lot of fun for everyone.  We had good times, got to see the color change in the trees and got to drive out behind a cattle train.  I am beat but it was worth it.

Fast Acting

We were out of many of our desserts tonight so I went about making some pies and doing a few other things at the cafe tonight.  It was a busy night.  Anyway, I had Jack there with me, he loves to be at work.  Whenever we get food at the cafe he asks first for a steak but he doesn't always get it, actually it is pretty expensive stuff so sometimes Jack settles for a plain burger cut up or chicken fingers.  Tonight he was on the steak.  I cooked one up for him or had one cooked up for him.  He ended up eating too fast and began choking.  He was by himself in the office and I think it got a little scary for him.  The door was closed and none of us could see him.  He had the presence of mind to get up and walk out calmly.  Brent saw him at that point, said he was looking pretty red.  Brent grabbed Jack, tried to clear his throat with his finger and gave him some slaps on the back.  The food came out and Jack was much better though he was shaken up some.  Grateful .  

New Uncle... Again

Happy to report today that I am a proud new uncle to another nephew, Samuel Dodge Morris was born just a short time ago.  That just makes me feel good.  It's not every day that one can say they became a new uncle but such is the fact today.  Happy for Amy and Dan.  They sent out a little picture of the wee one, it was great.  Lots of dark hair and some chubby cheeks.  The boys sure thought he was cute and I am sure Natty thought the same.  Wonderful day.  Now we wait for another couple months to become a new uncle once again.  Fun to have the family grow.

Depressed

Tomorrow is the last day one of our employees, Christa, will be working for us.  Christa is one of Jacks favorite people and I am not positive but it might be his first little crush, I don't know, he doesn't talk about that kind of stuff.  Anyway, last night we were at the Brick House and Christa and Jack were talking and she told him she was moving.  On the drive home we had the following conversation.

Jack:  Dad, I'm depressed.
Me:  Why are you depressed Jack?
Jack:  Because the Brick House isn't going to be the same without Christa.

We talked about it a little further and I do believe Jack will miss her a lot.  Look, Jack can talk your ear off about anything and it is usually a random topic.  The boy can give you details about the escape from Alcatraz or discuss the finer points of the London Heathrow Airport, which happens to be the largest airport in the world.  Really it's what every 10 year old boy discusses these days.  Christa talks to Jack and he matters to her.  There are people that will listen and pretend to be somewhat interested but Christa isn't a pretender and I think Jack knows that.  Johnny, one of our waiters is also like that and guess who is Jack's other favorite? 

Anyway, we were running in to the shop this evening and I saw Christa's car when we pulled in so I said to Jack that is was her last night.  We had another conversation:

Jack:  I'm a little depressed.  Why didn't you tell me before that Christa was moving?
Me:  Sorry Jack, I didn't think about it. 
Jack:  The Brick House isn't going to be the same without Christa.
Me:  I know Jack.  Maybe when she comes back to town to visit her mom and brothers and sister she will come in to the Brick House and see you.
Jack:  Dad, here's the reason I'm going to miss Christa, it's because we have been friends for so long.

Christa told me today that she was telling her mom about her conversation with Jack last night and she got all emotional about it.  Apparently Christa is going to miss Jack too. 

Well, sad times.  We'll get past it I'm sure but it is never easy to have a friend move away. 

Raspberry Jalapeno Jam

For starters, this is not a recipe.  I had to make a batch of our Raspberry Jalapeno Jam tonight for a customer that was visiting Cedar from out of the area and wanted to purchase some before going home tomorrow.  It was a late night venture and wasn't part of my original plans for the evening but we got it done.  That is a fun jam to make and it smells fantastic in the cooking process.  For me I catch this amazing whiff of the raspberry which is immediately followed by the jalapeno which does something to my airways and I want to cough.  It is a weird sensation and it smells fantastic.  Certainly an unexpected reaction.  Anyway, we should probably jar up a lot more of the stuff.  When we have it, we don't have it long.  It is delicious and it sells quick. 

The SG Run

We needed a few supplies from the Costco so the kids and I made the St. George run this evening.  The kids were excited as that meant pizza from the Costco for dinner.  I went with the hot dog combo myself but have to say, 3 slices of pizza, a Costco dog and 4 drinks for under 10 bucks, that is good stuff right there.  It was a quick trip to the Costco so we could head over to the rehab center to see the folks.  Pops is looking a lot better and he is doing well.  We enjoyed spending a few minutes with them.  I took in a little of the homemade mac and cheese from yesterday as a special treat.  Hopefully they enjoyed it.  Always good to make and SG Run when it involves the folks and the Costco.

Conference Feasting

I thoroughly enjoyed conference this weekend.  It was really, really good.  There were some powerful messages.  Themes that stood out ere sacrament, prayer, fasting, fast offerings.  There was so much that was good and I look forward to continuing to feast on the words of the Prophets and Apostles and other leaders of the church.  The feast was plentiful and certainly there was much to lay up in store for the next 6 months and to partake of again and again. 

Feasting on the word and feasting on good food is a conference tradition for sure.  We like to eat hootenanny pancakes during the Sunday morning session.  I decided to make two batches and had all We'll under way for both when I discovered I had no flour.  I decided I would use pancake mix in place of the flour and hope for the best.  What a mistake.  Well, they turned out more cake like and though the flavor was good the texture was not.  The kids still ate it but it just wasn't the same.

I did try some new stuff this afternoon and it may make the menu next conference.   I love a homemade mac and cheese but I rarely make it.  That pretty much falls in the hootenanny category.  I cooked some up though I don't know where the old recipe book is, it may have gone with Rachel.  I found something similar and made a few modifications.  It turned out well.  I also bought a pork loin and cooked it in the sous vide.  I finished it in the broiler with a Caribbean Jerk and it was tender, juicy and delicious.  Truly it was a day of feasting.

I'm Happy

Driving home from the store with Jack today and he asks me if I'm happy.  I replied that I was happy and I asked why he asked.  He said I didn't look happy.  So I have to ask, do I look like I am not happy?  Do I put of an aura of unhappiness?  I was actually feeling quite good today, very happy.  I had just watched the first two sessions of General Conference and found them uplifting and inspiring.  The messages have been powerful and I have very much enjoyed them.  Priesthood session tonight was also very good.  I am looking forward to the talks being added to the gospel library so I can begin listening to these messages regularly.  I have been listening to the last conference repeatedly over the last 6 months and love it and I am excited to review the talks of today and those messages that will be shared tomorrow.  Am I happy?  You bet I am.  I am also pretty tired most of the time and so Jack and I discussed that some.  Excessive resting doesn't quite happen in my life and I am a bit tired much of the time.  No matter, I'm happy and have so very much to be grateful for. 

Memories

We were in the middle of our scripture reading this evening.  Jack was reading, actually the exact verse was Ether 3:13.  He starts to giggle part way through the verse, continues reading with an occasional chuckle and when he gets through the verse he laughs and says to me that he just remembered the story of my buddy who licked his hand thinking it was sauce from his sandwich but really it was something from changing his babies diaper.  He breaks out in major laughter and I am sitting there like, what the heck?  I can't recall the last time I shared that story, it had to be years ago but here is Jack recalling this memory in the middle of reading scriptures.  I had to correct him a bit, it wasn't my buddy it was his uncle Jim's buddy and I believe the story goes that his friend was making a sandwich, had to change his baby's diaper, saw what appeared to be brown mustard on his hand, licked it off and discovered it wasn't brown mustard at all.  I'm laughing because I think the entire situation is funny as to why this memory pops up in Ether 3:13, Jack is dying of laughter because of the story, Natty was laughing because she knows it's been over 3 years since we've talked about that story, Andy is laughing but he isn't sure why because he doesn't know the story.  Anyway, good times.  I almost wrote the story in the margins of my scriptures just to recall the moment.  Maybe I should.  Random thoughts and memories in the middle of scripture time, makes for an entertaining read.  I'm still grossed out by the hand lick though.  With as many diapers as I've changed over the years - you never lick your hand I don't care what you think it might be, so nasty.   

Money Matters

I am finding it a bit of a challenge to teach my children about money.  Well, I am a bit tight with money so when I have children who I try to help earn money go out and blow it on cheap, crap toys I have a hard time.  It is hard for me to take a step back, recognize that this is their money and I have to allow them the opportunity to learn for themselves.  I did have to share my opinion on a purchase that Andy was begging to make today.  There was some laser guided remote control car that he had found at the store and he really wanted it.  He thought it was $30 and he had the money and it was burning a hole in his wallet, he had to part with it.  We went and when I saw the car I could just see cheap and then I saw the price was $10 more then what Andy thought.  The manufacturer of the product has other products that we have had in the past and they are garbage so I shared those thoughts with Andy.  The fact that he was $10 short helped to persuade him to do something else though that involved shopping around for something else to buy.  The boy had money to spend and he meant to spend it, tonight.  He found a different remote control car and he went for it.  He is happy with it and I sure hope it lasts but my goodness, I struggle watching things like this.  I have to put myself in his shoes and realize that I would love to spend money on toys.  He has earned the money or it has been gifted to him so he has done what he wants and that is good and I need to see that.  These money matters, not my favorite, maybe because it has been so hard to come by in the last few years that I am a bit protective of it and selective in where it goes. 

Conferences

Back in the day they were called Parent Teacher Conferences.  Now they are called something completely different , Student Education Plan or something.  Anyway, today was the day that the boys were scheduled so I was at the school this afternoon with Andy and Jack.  Yesterday I was in a meeting with Natalie for her Career something, something ...  Anyway, they all did fine.  The boys are a little behind in their reading levels so we need to work that up.  Seems they drift back with their reading while school is out.  Anyhow, we are working on that everyday and hope we will see some marked improvements, I am sure we will.  Mrs. Little sure does love having Jack in her class.  I am glad that we ended up with Mrs. Little for Jack's teacher.  She is great, she loves Jack and says he makes her day.  Well, I am grateful for each of my children.  They are wonderful people.