Do You Ever Feel Like You've Failed the Lord...

Fifth Sunday of the month and we were in a combined Priesthood and Relief Society Meeting.  The Bishopric had the lesson today and Bro. Garfield lead off.  It was from President Uchtdorfs address in the Womens Conference in October of last year.  Perhaps that was actually September as it is the weekend before General Conference.  Anyhow the question was asked "Do you ever feel like you've failed the Lord?  I would have to say that yes I have, multiple times.  I fall short of the example of the Savior all the time.  I don't necessarily feel like a failure every time I fall short but I really felt the pangs of failure when I was divorced.  That was a painful experience and not one I thought I would ever encounter in my life.  It happened.  I remember vividly walking up to the church building in Lakeland with the kids and struggling to want to go in.  It was hard.  I thought it would be much easier to simply walk away.  I was ashamed, embarrassed and most certainly thought I had failed the Lord and failed my family.  Does the Lord see it that way?  Does the Lord want me to beat myself up for doing the very best I could do in a very difficult circumstance?  Would the Lord desire that I not enter the building, that I not draw on Him for strength to carry on?  No.  The Lord wanted me there and He stands with His arms outstretched beckoning for us to come unto him.  His call is to the down-trodden, the lowly in heart, those that need the physician.  That healing process took time for me and is ongoing.  I struggled for months to feel like I belonged at church, like I had something to offer.  In my mind I carried the burden of failure and the adversary made sure I was aware of that.  After several months of prayer and fasting, struggling to feel of worth the clear impression came to my mind "I gave you these experiences for a reason, you need to share".  I don't know that I have great words of wisdom or something profound to share.  I do have a testimony of the Savior and of His love for each one of us.  He knows who we are.  He knows are struggles.  He knows our failings and he knows them better than anyone.  He knows our pain, our shame, our guilt, our struggle.  He stands with stretched out hands and beckons to us to come unto Him.  I know He loves us even when we feel we have failed Him.  We don't fail when we continue to trust in Him and come unto Him especially when we feel unworthy to do so.  Don't leave, don't give up, don't quit.  Press forward with a steadfastness in Christ. He is mighty to save. 

The Transit Cargo Van Please

This evening after a little time helping out at work and after a bite to eat Jack and I went to the car lot to walk around and check things out.  There were some pretty great autos there.  We checked out some Expeditions, some Explorers, some Jeeps, trucks, even a sweet new mustang.  There were some nice vehicles but none of them were on par with the Fort Transit Connection Cargo Van or mini cargo van anyway.  The boy loved it and thought we should get it today because Natty and Andy are in Alaska so we only need two seats.  He was even comparing performance and it actually did better than other, cooler looking vehicles.  You can't win an argument with a determined Jack.  When a vehicle is that awesome you really need to get a picture.  We did.

Scripture Time

Every night before we say our prayers and go to bed we read the scriptures as a family.  More specifically we read from the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ.  Usually when the kids are up in Alaska for the summer I just do my personal scripture study but since Jack is home this summer I continue with both.  I am in the Old Testament at the moment and suspect I will be there for a while.  Anyhow I am grateful for the strength that comes to our family through reading the scriptures. 

Movie Night

Jack really wanted to have a movie night tonight.  He decided he wanted to watch Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.  We went up and borrowed it from the folks and watched it when we got home.  Jack is a big fan.  He even provided commentary on the Lego Indiana Jones during different parts of the movie.  It makes for a very enlightening movie watching experience. Who wouldn't want updates on Lego Indiana Jones while watching the actual movie?  He was loving it and that is what matters.  It brings me joy to watch my children having fun. 

Summer With Jack

I arrived at home this morning at 10 AM and said goodbye to Natty and Andy as they left for Alaska with their mom.  That is a hard goodbye for me.  It is simply part of being a divorced parent though I don't know that any parent could truly enjoy saying goodbye to their kids.  I am sure there are some, I just don't relate to them.  Well, this summer is a little different because Jack decided he did not want to go to Alaska and from what I gathered when they came home last summer he had the support of his mother in this decision.  And so he remained with me today when Natty and Andy drove off down the road.  And so the summer with Jack begins.  The first thing he wanted to do was have me take a picture of him in the car.  Not sure what he wanted done with that picture but I took it and he was happy.  I guess we can save it here.

We moved on to cleaning the house for a bit.  That took a while.  Threw a lot of stuff away.  Papers from the school year that there is really no reason to keep.  Sometimes the amount of paperwork that gets sent home can be overwhelming and I am not fast enough to throw away the junk fearing that there may be something in it that is important and I may need to refer back to it.  That never happens but I accumulate junk and just need to have a day where I can toss things out.  It feels good.

We went in to the Brick House for work and I managed to get some things done while Jack hung out and watched some videos.  We had a chef come in yesterday from US Foods and he made a salmon dish for us that was fantastic.  I am not a fish fan but quite loved this fish.  He served it on a bed of spinach - cooked spinach that was phenomenal.  Today I decided to give the dish a try.  I have to say that I think I pulled it off.  Not quite as perfect as the chef but I didn't do too bad.  Got the fish a little done on the ends so I need to watch my time a little closer on that one but ultimately it was very tasty and full of the flavors like the dish yesterday.  Since I am in to pictures today I will share this shot off the dish.

It was really quite good.  I had a couple of employees try it and they were impressed with how well it turned out.  I might have to become more of a fish eater if I can make it taste that good.

One of the things I told Jack when he said he was staying in Cedar this summer was that he would be going on hikes with me and he would not be allowed to complain about them.  He agreed.  There was no time like the present to get him on the trail so we went out to the C-trail this evening and gave it a go.  We went prepared to knock out some requirements for scouts.  The hike up and down to the C is over 8 miles.  We were going for it and got 2.5 miles up when the boy decided he could go no further.  Actually, he was ready to quit a short way in and I had to use the art of persuasion to keep him going.  I kindly reminded him of the agreement made and the no whining part.  Eventually we got past the whining, which was really nice.  I had to push him to make it to the next marker - there were benches along the way.  He made it.  Sometimes it seemed to take forever to get from one bench to the other but we got there.  We were running out of daylight at the last bench before the top and that was where we turned around.  A 5 mile hike is not a bad little run.  The boy did good.  Here are a couple of shots of him on the trail.

It was a good hike and a good way to kick off the summer.  The first of many hikes to come as we make our way through the next several weeks.  We did get to hike out in the dark for the last half mile or so.  Good times. 

Work To Do

I have work enough to do ere the sun goes down! I was privileged to attend a training meeting this evening with the Sunday School presidency that was put on by the Stake Sunday School Presidency.  It was a great meeting and one of the things that I really liked is that they are in harmony with the church handbook and said things that rang true to me as I went through the handbook and considered the responsibilities of the Sunday School.  Awesome.  I've got some work to do personally and it is exciting.  I think we can be actively involved in the teaching of the gospel in the ward and need to be.  So much for us to do.  One should never think there is nothing to do in the Sunday School.  There most certainly is.  I hope I can be equal to the task and perform my duties in a manner that is pleasing to the Lord.

Feeling Fabulous!

So I think this throat thing was made much worse in combination with my allergies kicking in big time on Saturday.  I am feeling pretty dang fabulous right now.  Actually, I am feeling better tonight then I did most of the day.  Hopefully I am on the mend.  Gots to get to feeling good. 

To make matters better today I got to spend a lot of time re-doing the schedules for the next two weeks.  Employees are the best sometimes.  It is a wonder I haven't pulled out all of my hair. Somebody tells me something almost in passing a month ago and I don't put it on the schedule... I always tell them to send me something in writing.  Then there are those who just don't tell me and assume I know their life plans.  Sorry, not that guy.  In the end we have revised schedules for the remainder of this week and next week. 

That little headache probably didn't help my feeling fabulous.  Not to worry.  We are survivors and we can handle this.  Now if you will excuse me I must go blow my nose, again. 

The Throat

For the last few days I have been battling something in my throat.  It has become a real pain in the backside.  It just feel completely dry and uncomfortable.  It actually is quite uncomfortable to swallow and my voice sounds like garbage.  I don't know what garbage sounds like but it isn't good.  I don't feel sickly other than the throat.  Not my favorite thing.  I hope this is what Andy had and that he does not pick it up again.  Hopefully we'll keep Natty and Jack in the clear but it is probably just a matter of time.  Speaking of matter of time, Rachel is in town as of a few hours ago.  She is going to go through her stuff, ship stuff home and we are going to have to figure out the rest of it. She will be taking Natty and Andy to Alaska this summer but Jack will be staying home.  He does not wish to travel to Alaska this summer.  They will leave on Wednesday.  Maybe my throat will be better by then? 

We Love to see the Temple

We got up this morning and made the drive up to Payson so as to attend the Payson Utah Temple open house.  Today was the last day and I really wanted the kids to have the experience of going through the temple.  I remember going through the Jordan River Temple prior to its dedication many years ago.  It was a great experience.  I believe it was on that trip to the temple that I saw this beautiful farm with a big, catchy for sale sign out front.  It read Hay For Sale!  I read it as if it were saying Hey! For Sale!  I was really excited about it.  Who wouldn't be excited about a farm for sale? I was ready to make the purchase.  It did provide for a good laugh when mom explained that it was hay that was for sale and not the farm.  Well it was a disappointed laugh on my part. 

Anyway we arrived in Payson, made a quick pit stop, grabbed a few quick snacks and then headed over to the Temple.  We parked at a chapel down the street a ways and walked over.  We were unable to obtain tickets as they were all out when I checked online so we went to the non ticket line.  it was on the other side of the church building and then it went down the street, around the corner and up another street.  We eventually made it into the church building where we received instructions.  This was not before enduring a little whining, a bit of rain and some seriously itchy eyes.  The boys were fine, Natty was itching pretty good in the eye region and I was dying.  There was something in the air that was slaying me.  I was sneezing, my right eye was swollen up and had a wonderful bubble formed on the eyeball.  That is not a very comfortable thing to happen in they eyeball.  We got inside the chapel for the instruction and I felt like my eyes were bulging out of my face.  Perhaps people thought I was being a bit emotional about the experience.  I was not.  However I was suffering a bit and whilst in that suffering I had Andy wanting to go home and Natty having a couple of moments.  I said to the kids that it isn't always easy to get to the temple and this was a good experience and lesson in pushing through different challenges in order to get there.  I don't know if that will stick with them or not. I hope that it does and that they remember that it took effort to get to the temple.  

After quite some time we made it in.  What a beautiful building.  Truly.  The Spirit was present. It is a special place and it is absolutely immaculate on the inside and out.  As we finished the walk through Jack was speechless, Andy said it was totally worth it, Natty loved it.  It was a great thing for us to go and do.  There were no reports of beautiful farms for sale but that is okay.  We had a wonderful visit and are so grateful to have had the opportunity to see the Temple.  We love it.  

Schools Out For...

When I got home from work tonight I opened the door and starting singing "School's out for Summer!"  The boys were excited.  The last day of school.  We made it through another one.  Awesome!  Natty went to school for a few minutes today and then was done.  She went out and spent the day with a group of friends and had a late night.  She had a good time, lots of fun.  The boys and I hung out at home.  I got them a pizza and picked up some joint compound so I could do a wall patch in the basement.  I am going to do some more painting down there before I do the floors and needed to get some wall repair work done first.  I have put off doing the basement work for a year now.  Time to get it done.  I have gone through and weeded out a bunch of stuff, dropped off some donations to Deseret Industries and have some stuff for Rachel to go through when she comes to visit Jack and take Natty and Andy back up to Alaska for the summer.  Jack doesn't want to go so he is staying home.  Anyways, lots of stuff.  I've still got a lot to go through and get out of the way.  It is a hefty project but we will get through it.  I think things are going to look pretty sharp when I get it done.  Then I've got a couple of ceiling fans that I need to install and some can lighting and crown molding to put in the kitchen and I still need to put up all the baseboard in the house.  Yep, lots to do.  What else do you do when schools out for summer? 

Sticky Rice!

Is there anything as delicious as sticky rice?  When it comes to rice I don't know that there is.  I love some good old sticky white rice.  Call it a Hawaiian thing.  Before we moved to Hawaii when I was 12 I didn't think favorably about rice.  It was there but it wasn't a favorite.  When we got to Hawaii suddenly rice was a big thing.  Not Uncle Ben's or other disgusting instant rice but the sticky variety.  That is the good stuff.  I know there is a lot to say about the benefits of brown rice.  It's okay but it isn't sticky.  A nice plate lunch with some mac salad, rice, any meat choice and a little sauce on the rice is pretty much heaven.  For dinner tonight I had rice, the sticky kind.  I am a happy man. 

Swinging Bats!

I grew up with a certain love for baseball.  It was something I loved to do when we would visit Grandpa Jim.  After showing me his outside garden and updating me on the latest and greatest strawberries we would go out to the street and throw the ball.  It was a highlight of the visits to their home.  There were also the series with the A's and the Yankees that we watched and the little Budweiser handkerchief that Grandpa gave me that said "Beat the Yankees!" and had the A's logo in the middle of it.  Baseball on the TV was a regular occurrence. I also grew up hearing stories about pops hitting a home run at a game that went forever and then Grandpa Al getting up and hitting one even further.  Grandpa Al played semi pro ball in Alameda.  That is pretty fantastic.  I never played organized baseball.  It conflicted with soccer.  I always enjoyed playing the game and watching the game though.  I have not done a very good job at teaching my children about the game.  We don't have TV so we don't watch it and we have never tried to join a team or play a season.  I do play church softball and the kids have come to watch that.  Anyway, we have done a few things.  Tonight I just got a wild hair and took the boys to the school to hit some balls.  I thought it could be disastrous.  It was not.  I took the bucket of tennis balls I have for tennis with Natty.  We went through the bucket a few times.  Jack was up first and hit a few great shots.  Andy was next and he was swinging like a champ.  Hit one right back at me.  I took the hit and fell down in dramatic fashion.  The boys were laughing.  Andy came up to check on me and I sprung up and tickled him a bit.  It was a good time.  We need to go out and swing the bats more often and we definitely need to start working on throwing the ball.  That part was a bit disastrous.   

Nailed It!

I got over to Jack's play today.  I was not there right as the first song started but got there shortly after.  Jack told me that he was a little nervous when he didn't see me so he said a prayer and asked Heavenly Father to help me remember to come.  I remembered.  I love this boys faith and that he doesn't hesitate to pray.  Anyway, each student in the fifth grade had a part and got to speak about the famous American they were portraying.  It was a good program.  Jack was actually the second to the last to give his part.  He got up there, spoke with confidence and nailed it.  I had been calling him Mr. President all morning to help get him into character.  Anyways, he had his lines down and quoted "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" with power.  So, I know he can nail his part for school and I know he can learn and sing the songs, he had no problem belting them out.  Yesterday when we were at the store he started singing Take Me Out to the Ballgame, he knew every word, he sang on key.  I was impressed and thought I was failing to get this boy to a baseball game or signed up to play.  He obviously had a passion for the game enough to sing that song solo in the middle of Wal-mart.  It was actually one of the songs in the program.  Interestingly he nailed it in this school program, now I need him to nail it in this years primary program.  He set his own bar today.  It will be tough to beat. 

Ronald Jack Reagan

Hoping this works and the picture of Jack actually shows up.  Tomorrow Jack will be going to school as President Ronald Reagan.  The 5th grade has a program where they portray famous Americans.  Jack chose or was assigned Ronald Reagan.  Awesome!  I remember driving between Carson City and I want to say Salt Lake and listening to the debate between Reagan and Mondale.  I've always loved Reagan.  I remember the day he was shot in a failed assassination.  I remember "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"  Jack gets to share that line during his part in the play tomorrow.  He's excited.  We had to go out and buy him a suit.  They only had one coat and it was a little big.  He'll grow into it.  This is his first suit and he's looking pretty dapper.  Andy was excited and asked if he could have the suit when he is 10.  I might need to find Andy a suit of his own.  Anyhow good times.  We're looking forward to tomorrow.

Blessing

Today I fasted for my beautiful daughter Natalie.  She was also fasting as she was invited to do so by the Stake Patriarch Craig Jones.  At 8 PM we went over to Patriarch Jones home and after visiting for a while Natalie received her Patriarchal Blessing.  It was an awesome experience to sit there and to feel of the Spirit in this special home of Patriarch Jones.  I won't go into any detail of the blessing itself, that is Natalie's blessing and not mine to share.  It was a special experience for me to be there and most certainly a special experience for Natalie.  I am proud of this young woman who tries very hard to do what is right.  Grateful for her faith and for her desire to receive this blessing. 

Work To Do

I have a lot of work to do here at the house.  We are on to flooring phase two, the basement.  In order to complete this task I have to remove everything that I currently have in three rooms downstairs.  That is not an easy task.  They are a bit full and busy.  The future workout room and the 'train' or toy room have both become storage rooms for the most part.  I don't have a storage room outside of these areas.  I am going to have to put up a couple of shelves in the laundry room and the garage to create some more efficient storage areas.  It is time to get rid of stuff that we just don't use anymore.  I got started in the future workout room and broke four boxes down to two.  One box to keep and the other to go to DI.  There was a lot of stuff thrown away and a few other items kept and stored elsewhere already.  We are parting ways with a fake tree that has been hidden away in the basement of our last house and this house for the last 4 years.  Clutter!  Just want to simplify.  Make things clean and easy.  Won't that be nice.  Hopefully I can get things rolling here and get this new floor done sooner then later. 

I've also got this yard thing going on where I want to install some sprinklers.  I'm not necessarily ready to go all out on a sprinkler system with multi-station controls and what not.  I just want to do something simple that can allow greater coverage in a more efficient manner.  It will involve some trenching, piping and eventually laying of sod. 

It feels good to have projects.  It will feel even better when I've got more of it in motion and am getting somewhere. 

Father and Sons

It is our father and sons camp out tonight.  I was a bit nervous about it this morning as it was snowing and raining.  The forecast called for that all night.  Fortunately things cleared up right before we left.  The other fortunate thing is that we are staying at the SUU cabin.  I thought we would sleep in the car as it was just Jack and I.  Andy has been sick.  Once we got here we learned of the enormous size of this cabin.  Most people were sleeping in the cabin.  Jack and I decided we would as well.  We have a nice little spot upstairs.  I'm thinking this would be a great place for a reunion.  Anyhow it is time to sack out.

Sickly AndyBoy

So we had cold weather last week and then we popped back up to really nice and warm weather at the beginning of this week and now we are back to cold and rainy weather.  Those swift weather changes can play games with ones body and Andy has had a rough go.  He ended up with a nasty cough at some point on Tuesday and yesterday I kept him home from school.  Today was more of the same.  He doesn't look well.  We have the Father and Sons camp out scheduled for tomorrow night and I don't know that we are going to make it. Jack isn't happy about that and has suggested that Andy just stay home with Natty.  That might happen.  We will see.  It is supposed to be pretty dang cold tomorrow night and I don't know that I am crazy about sleeping out in freezing temps in rainy and wet conditions.  I would much rather save my strength and go camping another time when the weather is nice and it can be enjoyed.  I must be getting older.  Whatever the case I am hoping Andy starts to improve here pretty quick.  This illness just isn't any fun especially at this time of year when most the work is done at school and the kids are just doing easy and fun activities. 

The Band

Had what may have been my last 11 year old scout meeting tonight.  It was fine.  If I don't get released on Sunday I will continue to attend though the meetings will no longer be hosted at my house.  That is okay.  After that I made my way to the high school to attend the band concert.  Natalie was of course performing with the band in the Flute section.  She did a fine job and it was good to be there. The band is pretty impressive.  There are a few youth from our Ward in it.  I am a fan of band geeks and think it is a good group to be associated with.  Proud of Natty for her hard work there.  

Way Tired!

I just got home about a half hour ago.  It is 1 AM now and I am way tired.  Made a run down to Vegas today and watched the Mojave Rattlers win a Volley Ball match against a team know as Del Sol.  This was a semi final match up and they played well.  It was pretty intense, but ultimately the won in three straight.  I was accompanied to this game by the ever lovely Liz.  We had a good time and went and grabbed a bite to eat after the game then went back to the tournament and watched her High School team, The Clark Chargers, play in the other semi final match.  They won making the State Final a rematch of last years State Finals.  Should be a good game.  I think it will be a tall order for Clark to win as Mojave is pretty stacked and very well coached.  The Clark team doesn't match up very well with the height of Mojave but they hustle and work hard on every point.  The evening was rather lovely.  I enjoy hanging out with Liz and getting to know her better.  She may be passing through sometime this weekend and I hope she has time to stop.  My goodness, I am fixin to pass out now.  I'm going to have to call this one a day.  Congrats to Clayton and his team for their excellent win this evening.  Good luck tomorrow!

Sugar Free Week!

Just made it through a week of sugar free eating.  Also cut out the breads.  I had done really good for a couple of years with sticking to a low sugar and very low bread intake but have relaxed on that in the last 18 to 20 months or so.  I love bread, my body doesn't.  I've also reached that age when suddenly the metabolism stops.  Anyway, decided I needed to curb the sugar and the bread.  It really isn't too difficult to do.  I guess I should specify that by sugar I mean no added sugar.  I'll drink a bit of apple juice with no added sugars, whatever natural sugars are in an item is kosher.  I'm just not adding sugar.  A friend once told me that what you eat in your 40's determines how you live in your 50's.  I want to live well in my 50's and beyond so I've got to be disciplined.  I have a sweet tooth and love the candies and desserts.  I also tend to have an all or nothing mentality when it comes to sweets in that once I have a little something I'm like, the day is blown so I might as well just go for it.  That isn't a good thing.  So cold turkey, cut it out, don't eat it.  That works for me.  After school started my longer workouts went away and I was doing some quick hits.  I've got to get my workouts going a bit longer.  I've been able to do that a few times since school got out but need to get a daily thing going again.  5 years ago it was easy to have the pounds melt away.  Not quite as easy today but we'll keep on it. 

Thank You Mother

It is Mother's Day 2015.  As usual we went to church and heard some wonderful talks about mother's and the amazing things that they do. As usual the primary children got up to sing 'mother I love you'.  As usual my boys refused to get up.  Jack was claiming disability because of a stuffed nose and Andy always refuses to go up and sing with the primary.  I'm certainly not going to force them to get up because it would most likely cause a scene.  We don't need scenes especially on Mother's Day.  As is tradition in the 8th Ward the women folk were served pie to celebrate the day.  Wonderful! 

I am grateful for mother's.  What a wonderful job they do.  I think I have gained a better understanding of what the many thankless hours of work in the home, behind the scenes is all about.  Wow.  It takes a very special person to do what mother's do and to do it well.  In my own family we were blessed with a wonderful mother who was a mother in every sense of the word.  With 8 children born into this world she has been busy.  I am grateful for her love for me and for my siblings.  There has been much sacrifice over the years.  There has been much gospel teaching and leading by example.  I am very grateful for the foundations of faith in my life that were laid by my mother.  What a treasured gift is mother.  Thank you mom for everything. 

Almost 2

I have been working on an agenda for my first Sunday School presidency meeting tomorrow as well as doing some training with the online resources from the church.  Really good stuff.  I looked down and saw that it is nearly 2 am.  That is a skosh late.  I've got to get some sleep.  Still have to finish getting my lesson together for Elders tomorrow.  I may have run myself out of time.  We'll get it together, somehow.  I am excited about the opportunities to progress and grow in this new calling.  I have quickly come to the realization that there is a lot more to this calling than what I thought and we have work to do.  It will be good.  I hope we can make a difference in the lives of the members of the Cedar 8th Ward.  And now, I must sleep so that when it comes time to have that presidency meeting tomorrow and teach that lesson, I'll be awake enough to do it. 

Shave the Legs!

I was at work washing the dishes when one of our new employees, Karina, stops and asks me if I shave my legs?  She then asked 'too soon?' wondering if perhaps she hasn't known me long enough to ask such a question.  I laughed.  I happen to have very little hair on my legs and what hair I do have is very lite.  I don't know if this is a good thing or not.  Wouldn't know what it is like to have hairy legs.  I have never been accused of being a Sasquatch.  I have never shaved my legs.  I remember when on the mission suddenly there was some sort of craze with a few missionaries for shaving your arms and legs.  I did not go thought the craze.  I did shave a big J in my chest hairs.  What a mistake that was.  It itched like cray.  Anyway, I have a naturally smooth leg, well, legs.  I do have a bit of hair on my back so maybe it is a migratory hair problem where the leg hairs were not happy with all the walking around so they moved to a more stable environment, the back.  It's a good theory right?  Okay it stinks. What can one do? 

Set the Bar!

My first semester at SUU is officially over.  All grades have been posted.  It was a good semester.  I managed to get 3 A's and 1 A-, well two A-'s if you count the lab which I suppose counts.  It left me with a 3.9something GPA and rose my 3.4+ cumulative GPA up to 3.5+ cumulative.  Not a bad way to start my return to school other than I just raised the bar on my self pretty high.  I have math coming at me over the next while and that could make it a challenge to maintain that kind of a record.  Anyhow, it is a good thing.  I am happy to have had the success that I did.  I need to continue to work hard to ensure that I can maintain my grades at that level.  Anyhow, pretty exciting to get all A's. 

Saying Goodbye to the Scouts!

Tonight was one of my last evenings as the 11 Year Old Scout Leader.  It has been a good experience serving in this calling.  I had a rough start as things were a bit confusing with our ward being combined with another ward.  I came in to an established operation and was just there for two deep leadership purposes.  When we finally discontinued meeting with the other ward things seemed to get a lot better and I believe we have had some success over the last while.  I certainly enjoy working with Kaden Leko in this calling and will miss serving with him in this capacity.  Jack just came up last month and it won't be entirely easy to not be able to work with him in the scouts.  We will have one more meeting in our home next week and will have a scoutmaster conference with Chris and will also have a little party to say goodbye to Chris as he turns twelve and to hand things off to Kaden and Brother Simmerman.  It will probably be a good thing for Jack to get to experience things with other leaders.  I am going to try and do a lot with him on our own to help him progress.  It will be a good thing.  So saying goodbye to the scouts, I will miss having that time with them. 

Assignment for Mom

Mothers day approaches.  I am feeling a bit of heat from my own mother presently to participate in a family history project of sorts.  She gave her children an assignment to submit some report about Christmas traditions.  This came at some point in April.  I have no idea when it came.  I was a little busy with school.  This week it has come to my attention that I failed to meet her deadline of May 2nd for the submission of my report.  My apologies mother.  I will now make an effort to write something about he month of December.  The assignment changed to writing about the entire month.  I guess it is a good thing to have procrastinated though is it really procrastination if you don't really remember the assignment in the first place? 

December memories.  Well, they are Christmas centered.  The entire home had to do with Christmas.  Decorations - wow.  I don't even know if it is possible to pack up one more plastic tote with Christmas decorations.  The entire home is transformed.  I always enjoyed putting ornaments on the tree a kid.  Decorations were actually quite amazing and gave a special feeling to the home.  We read Christmas stories each night.  I might even shed a tear or two these days when reading one of these stories to my kids.  Twelve days of Christmas was simply part of our lives.  I remember those we did when we first moved to Hawaii and the families that were so touched there.  That may have been the first time I realized how special of a thing Twelve Days was for people as well as our own family.  I don't recall pops being as cavalier as others envision him.  Perhaps it was years of precaution finally relaxing a bit.  I don't know, wasn't around for that stage. 

Christmas Eve was always a special time.  I quite enjoyed those Christmas Eve celebrations when mom would pull out a stash of all the goodies she had been giving away in all these 12 days packages.  Finally we could partake of the goodness.  Nasty Candy!  I don't exactly recall what was in it but it was chocolate covered goodness and I loved it.  We had good times together.  I do recall being at Grandpa Al and Grandma Vi's for Christmas Eve one year and exchanging gifts with cousins.  I got the Cindy Lauper cassette that had the song 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun' on it.  I couldn't quite understand why I was given that gift.  I took it graciously and learned all the songs on the album having listened to it 'time after time'.  I certainly found myself routing for Cindy Lauper to pull off something amazing in USA for Africa, We are the World.  It was the only cassette I owned at the time and I felt a certain loyalty to Lauper.  Is it possible to get through a Christmas Eve without having to play the chimes?  I don't know.  Those things are painful.  More recently I find myself quite enjoying the white elephant gift exchanges and displaying the white elephant for the year.  Every time I step into the kids bathroom I grin in admiration of Dave gift from last year.  A lovely painting of a colorful stallion. 

Stealth Mode:  I was one who lacked patience for presents.  I had to know what was in the gifts.  I couldn't wait for Christmas morning.  Our cousins the Leroy's would send gifts.  One year, could have been 84.  Anyway, their gifts arrived and so did my curiosity.  I couldn't wait. I took a stealth position behind the tree and carefully opened the package.  Pocket sized tool kits.  Very exciting.  After retiring for bed I would sleep for a bit and then would wake up, sneak out of my room and check the contents of the living room.  It was fantastic and was hard to contain the excitement.

I am not Left Handed.  My first Christmas home from the mission was excellent.  I was excited home and with family.  To make it more exciting I got my first set of golf clubs.  To make it even more exciting than that was when I discovered they were left handed clubs.  I thought it was the perfect little scheme as pops got a new set of clubs.  Nicely played.  I did get some clubs a few days later.  We went to the driving range.  I was feeling like I was gripping the club too tight.  I decided to try a looser grip.  Didn't hold.  My club went flying out to the middle of the driving range.  I don't recommend the loose grip.

December is certainly a fun time of year and a time for reflection.  I am grateful for our family traditions.     

Catering For the King and his Offspring

We were approached a couple of weeks ago about catering the Kyle Petty Charity Ride that was making a stop in Cedar today.  We were excited for the opportunity.  It involved providing box lunches for 170 motorcycle riders who would be stopping at a gas station in Cedar City as part of the charity ride.  Kyle Petty is a NASCAR driver and son of legendary NASCAR driver Richard Petty, also known as The King.  Richard flew in to the Cedar City Airport to join the group at this stage of the ride and would be coming to lunch.  That was pretty exciting news. 

We got started this morning building sandwiches and boxing up the lunches.  We went over and got everything set up around 1:30 and by 2 or a little thereafter a huge wave of motorcycles came in from the West on Highway 56.  They were impressive.  What a group.  Lots of Harley's and Goldwings, a few custom bikes, an Indian, several BMW's.  It was quite the bike showing.  Really nice folks as well.  It was a pleasure to put together the meal and to visit with some of these good people.  Super friendly.

After a bit Richard Petty arrived.  That was quite cool.  He grabbed a BLT lunch and went for it.  He signed lots of autographs and stood for pictures.  At first I didn't want to bother the man with a picture but then I figured I should shake his hand and get a pic.  He was quite gracious and had one mean handshake.  Gripping that steering wheel over the years must have required some seriously strong hands because he meant business when he shook your hand.  I shook his hand twice and am not sure if my hand will recover anytime soon.  I know I'm not ever going to wash it again... only kidding.  I've washed it several times already.  Dave shook his hand as well but didn't pose for a picture.  He was going to tell him he was a Jeff Gordon fan so no need for the picture.  Anyhow, really nice folks and a great opportunity for our business to take part in that.  Certainly it is not everyday you get to cater lunch for the King of NASCAR and his offspring... and 170 of their riding buddies.  Fun times. 

Sunday School

Today was the day.  I was sustained as the new Sunday School President in the Cedar 8th Ward today along with my counselors and secretary.  All are good men who I have come to love and admire in the last few years and will all do a great job.  I am excited to get started with them.  We were all set apart after church today.  It will be good.  I need to get some things organized as far as who will do what and how we will roll with things but I feel pretty good.  We will have a good time.  The counselors are Jake Whetman and Gary Scholes with Will Bagnall as secretary.  We've got some work to do but it is exciting work as we will look to magnify our callings and help the teaching of the gospel in the Cedar 8th ward be in harmony with the teachings of Jesus Christ and effective in helping each of us draw closer to the Savior.  I love the Savior.  I am grateful for the opportunity to serve and hope to do so well. 

Probably Shouldn't Have Purchased Those!

I am a fan of just about all things lemon.  Love it.  I love a lemon cake on my birthday especially the lemon cake Laura made for my 40th birthday.  Twas delicious.  I loved the lemon cake I had on my 35th birthday.  It was a bundt cake from Sams Club and it was wonderful.  I was eagerly anticipating having another slice and walked in the kitchen to find that the dog also liked lemon cake and managed to pull the second half of the cake off the oven and devoured it.  I did not like that dog near as much as I liked lemon cake.  Anyway, I have seen for sometime these lemon oreo's.  I have never given them a second thought but as I was preparing to head to the store tonight I asked the kids if there was anything specific they needed.  Natalie said double stuffed oreo's.  I said "lemon oreo's, okay!".  When I got to the store and the Oreo aisle I saw the lemon and went ahead and made the purchase to carry on the joke.  I probably should not have purchased those.  Delicious.  They are also packed with the lemon creme filling.  I would say they are what the double stuffed are these days and what original oreo's used to be.  That might be a slight exaggeration.  I was impressed with the filling though as I expected it to be much less.  I have probably enjoyed a few to many this evening but dang, they are good. 

Feeding Graduates and Lots of Other Folks!

One of our craziest days of the year is the SUU Graduation.  We get bombarded and it gets to be quite crazy at the Brick House.  Today was no exception.  In a very short span of time we had the entire restaurant filled with people.  There were some large groups and then some medium sized tables.  It got a bit hectic as the kitchen got his with a ton of food all at once.  Then it got somewhat unpleasant as there were some who needed to leave for graduation and were upset because food was taking quite some time.  I was up front with my people waiting tables, busing tables, doing the front end stuff and then I handed off my tables and went back to help the cooks who were overwhelmed.  When I say overwhelmed I don't mean they couldn't handle cooking, they could certainly do that.  I mean, it was Dave back there leading the charge and he can hold his own.  The challenge was the overwhelming amount of food that was on the board pretty much at one time and just trying to work through it.  We cook everything to order and put out a very fresh product.  Unfortunately that means people have to wait. Sometimes people don't do a very good job waiting and can get a bit hangry.  I realize that hangry is not an actual word but really it is.  I believe the first I heard of it was 5 years ago when I first came to Cedar and joined Jay in doing a diet.  It involved very little food intake and could make one a little angry and a little hungry which in turn is being hangry.  I get hangry just thinking about that diet.  Well anyway, folks get a little hangry and that isn't fun especially when we are doing everything we can do to try and get food out.  Well, we survived.  We ticked off a few people.  We fed a lot of people.  We gave it all we had. 

Let me say one other thing here.  Sometimes people drive me crazy.  We are getting slammed.  There isn't a seat in the house and a group of 20 walk in.  They decide themselves that they are just going to sit upstairs and we can serve them there.  My wonderful waitress told them no.  They were mad.  I don't care.  We were not set up upstairs for that nor were we staffed to handle a group of 20.  If you are bringing that size of a group make arrangements before hand.  If you want to be seated somewhere special, make arrangements way before hand so the people who are trying to provide a service to more than just you can prepare themselves and their staff to be able to do so. 

Grateful for a good group of employees.  We got hit pretty heavy today and they held their own.  It was a good day.  Unfortunately it kept me at work all day and so the kids and I didn't get much time to hang out.  Maybe tomorrow will provide some relief and I will be able to break away and we can go do something fun.  Time to get some hiking in.