Ice Machine

I took on a dirty ice machine today. In the end it lasted several rounds but I came out victorious. Oh my, I can barely keep my eyes open.  The day was good. Holy cow. I just need to sleep.
 

Engine Pulled

A few months ago I had a wild hair and bought a 1992 Nissan pick up truck. It is a sweet little 4X4 and I got it for $280. I have probably spent another $70 to $100 on stuff for it. It had a slight power issue when I purchased it. Turns out the engine was blown and needs to be replaced or rebuilt. I'm thinking to have it rebuilt. Spent some time with Dan working on getting the engine out. Well, it is out and now I must also pass out.  So tired.

Asleep

I am pretty well spent. It has been a wonderful day.

We had a bbq here at the house with the folks, Jay & Sara & fam, Amy & Dan & kiddos. It was a good time. I demonstrated the hot dog eating trick, a few times. We had some laughs.

Holy smokes. I am falling asleep. Gonna close it down.

Lake Day

We made a trip up to the Lake on the Hill this afternoon. The kids quite enjoy the canoe and we all had a good time paddling around the lake. I took turns with each of them. Andy was learning to paddle today. Natty worked with him for a bit and then we both went out with him. He really wanted to go by himself but he isn't quite to that level. I did let him paddle us back in solo from the other side of the lake. He did a good job.

Jack was out in the canoe trying different things. He paddled around standing up. He practiced getting in the canoe in deeper water without tipping it. While he was out playing around the rest of us hung out. I stacked little rocks. Natty and Andy kept trying to knock them over. We had some fun.

The lake is a good time.

Edging

I installed the swamp cooler yesterday afternoon. We aren't using it currently but it is ready to go. In the process I began fixing and finishing some edging. There are 12 X 12 concrete pavers that create an edge between the lawn and some rocks that come off the house. They are not complete and I had several that I had taken up when I took out the play house area that I had ready to install. I started installing yesterday and then continued today until I ran out. Tonight I picked up more and will finish it tomorrow, that's the plan anyway. It is cleaning up pretty well. The job isn't perfect but it will do the job just fine.

One More Down

Took an assessment today and passed. That is one more down. I've gotta get moving on the next one. It actually went well. I was 14 points better on this one than the pre-assessment. I was pleasantly surprised by that.

Sat down with the kids today and we worked through our summer chores and expectations. Everybody participated and should take a little ownership. That is good and hopefully it will work out well.

Schools Out

So it is official, school is out for summer.  Hard to believe the summer is upon us already.  Time is going by so fast.  The kids will actually be home for another month this year. Natty will be in Summer school and Andy will be in Summer band.  Both start around the 5th of June and go to the 29th.  They will fly to Alaska the next day.  Hope this will be a productive month for them and they will accomplish what it is they need to. 

Things

So much going on in life right now it is a struggle to keep in front of it all.  I need to hammer out this current class so I can keep moving forward. I saw the principal of Cedar High yesterday and he asked how I was doing with the schooling and wanted to make sure I was still on track because they need me. I better make sure I am still on track. Gotta make up some ground during the second half of this semester.  Anyway, I've got kids getting ready to be done with school and then will have them for all of June this year so need to make sure they are productive. I have some plans that involve a series of requirements that need to be met before electronics are allowed. It will involve chores, reading, outside play, etc. I can't handle them sitting around doing nothing all day while I try to keep up on school, work, and other parental duties.  I don't know when we will get our pre-Alaska trip in this year, perhaps the end of June though Andy will have summer band right up until they leave.  Perhaps we will make a quick run somewhere before summer school and summer band start on the 5th.

Swarm

This evening I walked out in the front yard and was talking to my neighbor out in the street. I turned and kind of scanned the yard when something caught my eye. I thought someone had thrown up in the grass at first glance. As I tried to focus and figure out what it was I thought is was a big pile of dog food. None of this was making sense and as I approached the pile I finally saw what it actually was, a swarm of bees. I had walked right by them only a few minutes before. Pretty crazy. 

Jack came outside and when I told him about them he kind of froze and then scooted around the perimeter of the yard as far away from the bees as possible. Andy came out and did the same thing. When Natty came out she just froze and wouldn't move.

I ended up contacting our dishwasher Linda. She does some farming and has had bees in the past. She came and picked up the swarm and put them in a hive box. It was dark when they came but her and her husband just picked them up and put them in the box. There was a little bit of aggression displayed by the bees and both Linda and her husband were stung repeatedly. It was a little intense but hey, the bees are in a good place now and won't be out in the cold grass all night. Hope they make it.

The canoe

We took the canoe up to the lake on the hill. Wow, I can't keep my eyes open. I must get to sleep.

Time for bed again

It is time for bed again.  Actually it is a little beyond time for bed. I am pretty dang tired and I got to enjoy a little nap earlier today.  Since I had only gotten a couple hours of sleep it was nice.  Right now I am pretty exhausted and ready to call it a day for sure.  It will be nice to get back on a normal routine after a very abnormal night last night.  I am wiped out from yesterday still and need to adjust a bit.  

Napping in Fillmore

Went up to Salt Lake today for the Best of State Awards Gala. It was a road trip. I stopped off at a few places on the way up to look at some trucks I have been researching. Anyway, I got to the Salt Palace a little early so I went and walked around Temple Square and the downtown area. The awards gala was swell. I sat with Tyler (our GM) and Jackie (his wife) at our table. The executive chef for Kneaders sat next to me. A single gal, pretty cute, should have been braver. She said she had eaten at the Brick House before. After the Gala I started heading South and stopped by Jay and Sara's place. It was good to visit with them. Miss having them as neighbors. Well, I stayed a bit late and got back on the highway just after midnight. At 1:20 something I pulled into the Maverick in Fillmore and took a nap. I woke up an hour later and got going again. Now I can sleep for a couple hours before I have to get Natty up for seminary. I think I'll have to do some napping in Cedar tomorrow sometime.  Good to be home.

Columbus Andy

Gathered up Natty and Jack early from school so we could go and support Andy at the 5th grade Great Americans Program. He actually kicked things off as Christopher Columbus and did a Great job. He knew his part and was rather animated in his delivery. It was a fun event. Glad we were there to support him.

Act

As part of our Family Home Evening we were discussing what we learned at church yesterday. The boys seemed to have no recollection of what they learned but Natty remembered stories about President Monson receiving promptings from the spirit and acting on them. We all want to improve and better recognize the promptings that come and then be brave enough to do it. Not always easy. We also caught up on letters from Marien which is a highlight of our FHE.  Well, it was a fine home evening. 

Pies on Mother's Day 2017

A while back the Bishop asked if I could handle making the traditional pies the ward does for Mother's day.  I said we could. It was a steep task but we made it through. The reports I received back from the  Sisters was that the pie was delicious and everyone seemed happy. Glad it went well.

Happy Mother's Day mom. We enjoyed coming over for dinner, dessert, and some uno.  You are wonderful.

Mountain to Climb

This morning at the fathers and sons the boys and I set off to conquer the mountain. On separate occasions both boys told me they wanted to turn around and I used gentle persuasion to keep
Them moving. It was a fun little hike. Attached is a picture of the boys at the top. The camp was a good time.

Father and Sons

We are out at the Father and Sons campout tonight. It is a pretty cool spot up in the Three Peaks recreation area. It looks like there are opportunities for exploring and the boys have done some of that already. We are right at the base of a mountain and Jack wants to hike up It so we will do that in the morning. The dinner tonight was quite good and I splurged a little bit and ate some of the garlic bread that was part of it. I don't eat bread much at all anymore but we are camping and so it is okay. Camping makes all things food legal, well, dutch oven cheesecake is never a good idea unless you want to fill your tent with vomit. Once was enough for me, thanks. Anyway, it has been a fun evening and the fact that we are out camping and not hanging out in the SUU cabin makes a big difference. Though the cabin was way nice this is actual camping. It makes a difference. I gave my assigned talk and think it went ok. Hopeful l shared what the Lord wanted me to share. I will add the message in a separate post. Well, happy to be up here with the boys and other fathers and sons from the ward. Grateful to come and reflect on the restoration of the priesthood. Good times for sure.

Assignment

A few hours ago I was approached by my friend Borden who serves as a counselor to the Bishop.  He asked if I was going to be attending the Father and Sons camp out tomorrow night.  I said I would be.  He then said he had an assignment for me.  No problem.  The bishopric has asked that I speak about the priesthood at the camp.  I will be happy to do it though I have to say it feels like a weighty assignment.  As I consider the magnitude of the priesthood and the responsibility to speak about it and to share something that will lift the men and boys who will gather tomorrow evening I feel inadequate.  I felt that I should share some thoughts from the latest General Priesthood meeting and so for the last hour or so I have been out walking and listening to the conference.  There are powerful messages there and I think I will share brief thoughts from each of the talks.  I will work on compiling those thoughts further tomorrow and will perhaps copy some additional thoughts here.  I hope that I can live worthy of the priesthood and that I can strive to walk with the Savior each day.  I know that I fall short of that often and pray that as I do fall I will have the courage to get back up and try again. 

It's Out

In my post titled Fast I shared the race I had with Jack where I blew him away. My body was apparently not a fan of my sprinting down the road.  My left leg is in pain.  I am fairly certain I have an alignment problem with the hip that is causing some irritation throughout my leg.  I should probably go and see a chiropractor and get adjusted.  I have only ever been to one chiropractor, I went more than once mind you but only to the one guy.  He is a nice guy and certainly helped me feel better most of the time.  The challenge that I am facing at the moment is the memory of my last few visits with him when I had a similar problem.  He would fix one side and knock out the other side in the process.  I kept going back week after week and just spent that time in severe pain on one side of my body or the other.  I am reluctant to go through that torture again and so I am just dealing with the pain I have right now. I don't know how much longer I will be able to do so but that is fine.  Just press forward and do my best not to let it slow me down.  I might have to try a different chiropractor who uses a little less human force and uses more of a precision tuning method.  I don't know. 

Make Me Crazy

I have been running through course information as best I can for my current class. As I am going through I am wondering why there is not a study guide to accompany the course of study, something that highlights topics that are most important and perhaps vocabulary to be familiar with.  I didn't get a welcome email from my course mentor on this class and so last week I had sent an email letting her know I was in the class and asked if there was a study guide or any further direction she had for me relative to the course.  I got an email back  yesterday inviting me to call her with no mention of a study guide or anything of that nature.  I was like whatever, I will just keep working through the material and will do my best to absorb information.  I decided to look around at the course chatter page to see if there were any tips given by the mentors to fellow students who posted questions.  I found in reading comments that there is a study guide found in some obscure location.  I pulled it up.  I am over a week into this course and just now found the study guide.  I have issues.  Should have spent more time exploring the course before I dove into the course.  Oh well, I will begin to review the study guide as I work through the material and do my best to acquaint myself with the information. Would have been nice to have received this info when I originally emailed about it but whatever.  I will live.  Perhaps we can pick up the pace a bit now on this class.  I don't like the classes that seem to take forever to work through.  I want instant gratification, instant credit.  I really just want to be done with it all. 

Nat and the Band

Went tot he high school band concert tonight and thought they did a great job.  Natty has been playing the flute in the band since the 6th grade.  It was great to see her out there tonight doing her thing.  During one of the songs Natty and another flute player had a duet, if that is what you call it.  Anyway, they did a great job.  It was a good evening.  I was happy to see Natty there performing.  Oh my goodness, I am completely knocked out and need to go to bed.  That is what I shall do. 

Fast

It was fast Sunday today but the title of my post is not related. Also, I just noticed that yesterdays post didn't quite make it. It is on here in drafts but the content appears to be lost. I don't know what I did last night to mess that up. I guess sometimes when you are really tired strange things happen. I will have to go back and fix it eventually. It is late now and I am fairly worn out so another time perhaps.

Tonight we went on a walk up at the lake on the hill. We walked around it a couple of times.  In the course of walking the boys had several races. They were trash talking each other a little bit about who is faster.  Well I told them I was faster than both of them. Jack was up for the race. We raced. I left him in my dust. We had a good time.

I Don't Think He's Gonna Stop

Holy cow! Jack has hit a bit of a growth spurt and it has become necessary to by that boy new clothes yet again. It is hard to keep up. I had to buy new pants for everyday and Sunday. I hope they will last a little while, until the end of this year would be nice but I won't hold my breath. He had already outgrown the shorts I bought him tonight by the time we got home. Guess I should of had him try those on before we left the store and not assumed the waist would be consistent. My goodness it is hard to keep up.

Closed Eyes

It is late and I am exhausted.  I took the boys to do a project tonight at the new business and that, along with other activities, set us back a bit on schoolwork.  After helping Jack through math and writing I helped Andy through math.  It is a never ending story.  Anyhow, it is now after midnight and I just can't keep my eyes opened.  It is time to call it a day and head up for a bed.  My eye lids are quite heavy and I am about to be down for the count. 

Color Running

South Elementary had a color run today and it looked like all involved had a great time. I happened to be out on the street when festivities were underway so I went over and watched. Andy was a little down before running because he was involved in an accident while running out to where they were lining up. He and another student apparently collided and the other student got the worst of it. By worst of it he had to go get stitches and missed the color run. Andy was pretty upset because of it but had some friends in his class reassuring him and keeping him positive. I was happy to see their concern for Andy who felt terrible. Anyway, the picture is Andy on his way to the finish and color finale. He had a good time. Glad my timing was good and I could venture over for it. It has been hitting me the last week or so that this is my baby boy about to graduate from elementary school. I know why I am thinking about it, Bishop Duncan was telling me how old he felt when his youngest graduated from South and he no longer had an elementary student in his home. I told him that was about to happen to me and he told me I was getting old. Sure enjoy the Bishop. Glad I could be there today and I'm grateful for this good Andyboy.

A Little Tight

After my adventure yesterday my body is feeling a little tight. I did work out this morning and ran 5 miles on the elliptical. Just trying to keep loose. As the hours pass my body continues to tighten up. It is wonderful. I will do my best to keep moving tomorrow and try to stretch out my legs. I imagine I will be even tighter but hope to combat that.

Ghost Flats

I went out this morning on a little hike. I thought it would be about two hours or so but had no clue what to expect. The trail is called Ghost Flats. I thought it would be a nice local hike and there were several aspects that were fun and then there were some challenges. The biggest challenge is the lack of direction on the trail. I was making fairly good time coming down but completely missed the switchback. Finally realized it after a while. I managed to get back on the right trail and get down the mountain.  Well, it was fun" I am spent and must needs sleep.