The Visiters

The other day I was hard at work cranking out some words for my novel when a knock came to the door. Kristy was busy in the kitchen and Logan was playing on the Wii. Logan answered the door and I could hear a couple of girls. Now this is not out of the ordinary, Kristy works with the Young Women so I just expected it to be them. But then I heard the voices again and they sounded very young.

I peered around the corner and saw two of our neighbor girls Payton (age 7) and Carissa (age 6) carrying a box of fingernail polish. They asked if they could paint Kristy's nails. So Kristy stopped whatever she was doing and they all sat down. Kristy chose purple and they painted one hand purple but then Carissa chose yellow for the other hand.

They would have painted Logan's too if he would have let them. I thought it was way cute for them to come and want to serve.

SLACKER UPDATE: I also forgot about last Sunday's games. Oh well, I missed a week last year too.
Philadelphia at Seattle:
While I think the Eagles are more talented, I also think that they are hurting both physically and mentally more.  Because of this and because the Seahawks are home, I am taking them.
Winner: Seattle Seahawks

The Flying Tire Incident

Kristy had mentioned before and during Girl's Camp that we should go out to eat as a celebration and treat that Friday night. I was all for it and thought that Coasta Vida would be the best place to sit and get full. I passed this idea on to Shonda (our Camp Director) and she loved it and soon all the leaders (and their families) were invited to come and eat and relax and of course laugh about our Freaking Magical time at Girl's Camp.

The meal was awesome (as always) and the company was just as awesome. We had a good time going over all the details of camp. When the meal ended we all got in the car and it was decided that we should hit Stone Cold Creamery for an ice cold treat. But as we drove up the busy street we begun to hear this strange thumping sound. Now this sound was not the sound that my mechanic had warned me about. This was in between that thumping noise. And it got worse and worse as we got closer to Stone Cold. Finally, I turned into an empty parking lot worried that my car was going to collapse. Kristy thought that perhaps we got a flat tire but after inspection we saw nothing. So I decided that we should turn back home and call my mechanic and have him take a look at it. Instead of getting some ice cream and instead of going down Main Street we took a different route home. 

The noise was still getting louder and so I was taking it extra slow because I was not sure if our car would make it home. As we passed a busy intersection and past the middle school we suddenly dropped to the ground. We heard a crash and our car felt like it collapsed to the ground. I slowly pulled off the road to the side and saw my tire screaming down the road.

Seriously, it was moving like a bat out of hell. I looked back at Kristy and her eyes widened. We got out of the car and I looked back and saw that my back left tire and suddenly ejected itself from my vehicle. I looked down the road to see if it was still going and I saw these people coming out of their house and looking off of their porch. There is no way that my tire could have ended up there. I looked at Kristy and she knew, she saw the tire hit a boulder and take flight and almost crash into a house!

I wish that was a skid mark made by a rubber tire.

The tire ended up past that first telephone pole.

This is the house it almost smashed into. It hit those boulders right in front and took off.

That black mark on the first rock is from my tire. 

We ran across the road and up the block to that house and sure enough, our tire was resting comfortably in a smashed flower bed, inches from the house. They saw us and saw our car down the street. I apologized to them but they were more worried about our health. They asked us a couple of times if we were okay. And we were, we were not injured in any way. In fact, it was pretty funny and I busted up as I told them what happened. I asked them if I could use their phone so I could call for help. Unfortunately Lynn was gone and my dad was at work and I didn't know any other numbers. I thought about calling Jennifer and Justin but I could not remember their phone number. Didn't I learn my lesson? I remembered the last 4 digits and Kristy remembered the first three and I was able to call. Justin left right away to come and help me.

It smashed this flower bed just inches away from the porch. The people thought something exploded in their basement. I wish I could have seen their faces when they found a tire in their front yard!

Our car was by the second house you see starting from the left side across the street.

Some people were moving out of their house and they saw the whole thing. In fact, one of the kids exclaimed "That was the funniest thing I have ever seen!" They came to my rescue and helped me put the tire back on. Luckily we found all the lugnuts. They were surprised that there was little damage down to my car and to the tire. They were so nice enough that they allowed Logan to use their bathroom! (of course he would have to go at this moment... ...maybe this incident scared the pee out of him) Justin arrived and he followed me back to my house.

I decided to call my mechanic and tell him what happened. He must not have tightened the lugnuts and he came right over feeling really bad. So I had him take a look at it and he thought they looked alright as well (I am getting another opinion just to be sure) and he helped Justin and I fix the other thumping noise. Now I could have been really angry but there was not a lot to be mad at. It was a miracle really. If God intended us to lose this tire than he sure made it so it was as painless as possible. The tire crossed a busy street and didn't hit anyone, the car is alright, we are not injured, we found all the lugnuts, the tire didn't hit the house. We were lucky blessed that our tire didn't cause any more damage than it did. It could have been far worse. 

We even took the car to Salt Lake the next morning and it drove just perfect. I will say that every time I hit a pothole or something, it made me a bit on edge. And I will make sure my lugnuts are tightened everyday! 

The Camp Shirt

The girls made my camp shirt last Wednesday and I got it yesterday. They were super excited to make them, which makes me happy and they made a shirt for the Bishop and one of his counselors that will be coming up each evening.

Front: It has our camp slogan "Be True" emblazoned on the front. I also like the fact that it is in Aggie Blue, so it could also be talking about being a True Aggie.

Back: It made me smile that they put the word "SECURITY" on the back and my nickname of "Dr. Pepper" on the bottom. 

My shirt turned out very well and I will be proud to wear it at camp. The Bishop and his counselor's shirts are similar only they have their own nickname on the bottom. I really don't mind my nickname since the Bishop's is "MIFLAW" and Joseph's is "Sister Dimples". I could have had a worse nickname. By the way, the Bishop's stands for the Shaina Twain song, "Man! I feel like a woman!"   I am also a little flattered that they would think that I am there at Girl's Camp as "security". It is true, I am there to help and protect the girls and I am glad that they know I will help them out in anyway if needed.

It should be a lot of fun and I have to admit that I am looking forward to it.

That Blows

I had no clue that the weather turned all nasty this weekend here in Logan. Kristy, Logan and I were down south in Salt Lake at our nephew's baptism (more on that later) and it was nice and warm.

But apparently the weather up here was not as nice.

Take a look at this tree from across the street from my mom's house! That old pine tree was huge! And now SNAP! It is gone.

My mom and the house are all safe. Thanks to my Aunt Margo and my neighbor Kent for the neat pictures. And thanks to all those that came out and helped my mom clean up the yard. Like I said, I had NO CLUE that Richmond was hit was such foul weather.

Random Ramblings: July Already?

Shaking my Head: I cannot believe that we are 5 days in July already! Where did June go?

Sweating: Like I have said before, I am no fan of the heat. It has gone from cool to sweltering in only a couple of days. It got so bad that I put in my air conditioner unit so I could sleep at night. If I can see my breath at night, then I know I can sleep comfortably. Must be my Canadian training.

I totally need to watch this movie again.

Sweating Part II: I have a sweating problem. I sweat like no one's business (and I am sure you are all pleased to hear this) especially when I am exercising. I look like a NBA basketball player when I play racquetball, it just runs off my nose. But my sister came to the rescue for my birthday. She got me a new set of purple racquetballs and a sweatband (unfortunately wearing a sweatband reminds me of Lebron) and some wrist sweatbands. I tried them out last Saturday and it worked wonders.

Eating: Pez. My sister Jennifer also got me this huge Wolverine Pez Dispenser. Seriously, it is huge! It also talks as well and it says some pretty typical Wolverine stuff and then it spouted the line, "I like Pez."

Listening: It is the 40th Anniversary of Queen and to celebrate they are coming out of Deluxe Remastered versions of all their studio albums in sets of five. These re-issues have a bonus CD which contains demos, unreleased tracks, live tracks or alternate versions. I downloaded (thanks iTunes for not making me buy the whole album) the first set of bonus tracks and I have been listening to them non-stop.

Shaking my Finger: The next batch of Queen releases came out on June 27th. Except that they delayed the American releases until SEPTEMBER! Good grief that sucks. I don't want to wait until then! I highly doubt that we Americans will get the fourth and final batch before the end of the year. So I guess we Americans will celebrate the 41st Anniversary of Queen.

I am eagerly awaiting the Hot Space bonus CD. And I totally want this t-shirt ringer now!

Celebrating: I had a nice 4th of July with my sister-in-law Lynn and her family. It was also her daughter Jessica's birthday. We had a nice BBQ at their house and ate some cake and ice cream and I drank a ton of homemade Raspberry Cream Soda.

Yawning: I have been without a car since Thursday and it unfortunately looks like I won't get my car until this Thursday. All this biking has made me extra tired. I should count my blessings that I am exercising, saving money on gas and ultimately I am saving money on my car as well.

Eating Part II: I had some of the best Peach Cobbler last Sunday. My neighbor and his family invited us over Sunday evening for what he claims is the best Peach Cobbler. He is right, I have never had Peach Cobbler that was better. I have some fantastic neighbors, it was a nice evening to spend with them and another family.

Wishing: Didja know that my mother-in-law is older than Alaska? It was her birthday on the 3rd and we celebrated it by lighting all of her candles with a blowtorch.

Random Ramblings: Memorial Day Weekend

Listening: It is the 40th Anniversary of Queen and to celebrate they are re-releasing their albums 5 at a time with a bonus disc of extra material. And thankfully iTunes has allowed us to buy just those songs instead of it being the dreaded Album Only. The new "Beeb" renditions of Nevermore and Teo Torriatte are spectacular.

Scaring: Last Sunday we helped out some friends of ours by watching their kids while they went to Salt Lake to pick up a relative from the airport. We first took them back to our house for some lunch and then we headed to their house to play while we waited for their parents. They were happily playing with Logan and then it was time to eat lunch. I snuck up the corner of our stairs to scare the next person who came down the stairs which was unfortunate for Shelby. I scared that poor girl good! Afterwards we took them back to their house and played by the river in their backyard. The girls showed me two large duck nests that were full of eggs. And then we played Fish until their parents came home.

Logan, Cassiday and Shelby

Their house was right on the river. Logan is at the bottom of the stairs leading to their backyard, which is now the Logan River.

Cooking: The morning of Memorial Day we had a neighborhood breakfast at the park. I was partly in charge of cooking up the French Toast. We had a real good showing and it was fun to spend the morning with my great neighbors. I cooked for the first hour and a half (with help from Kristy) and then went inside to socialize with everyone and play basketball with the Young Men and Women.

Freezing: I cannot believe that we woke up Monday to snow! It was not a lot of snow but I did have to scrape it off the car!

Really? Snow?

Riding: Yesterday for Memorial Day we took a road trip with my mom and visited a couple of cemeteries (Wellsville, Logan, Hyrum and Richmond) and looked at some of our deceased relatives. It was a beautiful day for the most part. It got sunny and warm and then cold and rainy. The weather made every cemetery clean and green. It was so awesome to see all the flowers and flags. Visiting these gravesides always puts me in a sober and reflective mood. But I am glad that I was able to do it. It is fun hanging out with my mom and driving around. It takes me back to our road trips to Idaho and Colorado. We stopped for some dinner at Big J's and had a nice drive back to Logan.

I cannot believe that it has been 7 years since my grandparents passed away.

Feeling Strange: We dropped by the USU Trailer Court (where Kristy and I lived right after we got married) and our trailer is gone! And so is every trailer that was on our block. The whole trailer park was stripped with only a few trailers remaining. It was like a tornado cleared it out. Both Kristy and I felt strange. A part of our early married life is gone forever. All that remained was a few bricks that Kristy put in for a flower bed.

Logan is standing where the bathroom used to be.

Riding Part II: I rode my bike to my dad's house today for work. 4.13 miles is not to shabby. But I can already tell that my butt is going to be sore.

Tempting: You know I just might have to go see X-Men: First Class at midnight Thursday by myself.

Random Ramblings: Bottoms Up!

Eating: Our family was invited to a birthday BBQ for our neighbor yesterday. The food was wonderful, and the company was even better. My family and I are blessed to have such awesome neighbors. I thought it was cute that Kara told Logan that he needs to kick Kristy and I out so she can babysit him again.
 

This was thier backyard. The river is pretty full, last year when we were here, the water was nowhere near this level.

Drinking: Mountain Dew Livewire. Not only had it finally returned to Cache Valley, the 12-pack has also returned!

Drinking II: So I was at the store picking up some Livewire when I found another soda that I used to love. Tahitian Treat! This was one of the best fruit punch sodas ever! I thought it was only available in Canada but I did find some limited quantities in New York. But I have not had one since then. And then I found a 12-pack so I had to have it. And it tastes just like I remembered.

Listening: To a fun mix of the 80's. Bangles, Rick Springfield, the Spoons... ...I definitely grew up in the BEST decade!

Eating II: I ate way too much last Saturday. Saturday was Richmond's annual Black and White Days. So we headed up to Richmond to watch the parade. We first picked up Kristy's sister Lynn and her daughter Jessica since their jeep was on the fritz. We headed up and dropped off some chairs at my mom's house and then went to Big J's (a local burger joint) and got an early dinner. Then we headed up to watch the parade. The parade was nice but not as good as it has been in years past. Funny thing is that we see a couple of our neighbors in the parade. Logan did get a bunch of candy and it was nice to see Jennifer and her family as well. After the parade we waited for Justin to come back (he was leading the parade in his cop car) and headed back to Big J's and got some ice cream. I got a large (and I really shouldn't have) Rice Krispie Treat shake and it was awesome!

Waiting for candy...

I told Logan that he needs to wave cutely to the cute girls. Here he is awarded a candy from one of the girls. Logan should trust me on this.

Our neighbor Sister Weeks playing the bass drum.

Winning: Kara's little brother Justin has been wanting to kick my trash in Madden. Finally last Saturday we had a showdown. It was close for a little while and then I pulled away and won the game. I guess I should feel bad for beating a 10-11 year old but he was a huge Steelers fan so it was deserved. The winner had to make cookies and so he made his sister Kara make me a plate of delicious cookies. Don't worry, I will pay them both back with a batch of cookies sometime this week.

Itching: Last week Logan was at a basketball camp for three days and he came home with a case of Athlete's Foot!

Reading: I am still a kid. I just finished a comic trade paperback G.I. Joe: Cobra and it was absolutely enthralling. This is not your daddy's G.I. Joe!

His name is Chuckles. He's the Joes' top undercover agent. And he's just infiltrated a top secret, highly organized terrorist organization... one the Joes aren't familiar with... one with a snake motif. As Chuckles is pulled deeper and deeper into the dark underbelly of Cobra, where one misstep means death, can he pull off the ultimate deception and bring them down from within?

I am very surprised (and pleased) that Hasbro (the toy company that owns G.I. Joe) would allow a book like this to be published. This is a very dark book with a couple of surprising twists. This is nothing like the old cartoon, it is a much more serious look at America's top fighting force taking on a dangerous terrorist group. There are two more volumes in print that I definitely want to track down.

In Memoriam: Walt

Last Saturday morning I was shocked and saddened to hear that one of our great neighbors has passed away. I thought he would be one of those older fellows that would be around forever. I didn't know Walt Kirshman all that well. I have been in the same ward as he for the last 8 years but I don't think that we have ever had a one-on-one conversation. But I have been in meetings and have been in Sunday School with him and he was just one of those unique (quirky... which I can say since his family said the same thing) men that I looked up to.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of going to his funeral. His grand-daughter Ellena goes to our ward and she is in the Young Women so Kristy knows her well. Kristy wanted to go to support Ellena and I wanted to go to support both Kristy and Ellena. It was said during the funeral that no one like to go funerals but I want to disclaim that. I like funerals for the fact that it is a celebration of that life and a time to reflect on the gospel and to find joy. I didn't know Walt all that much going in but coming out I felt like I knew him well.
The funeral was a great experience and I am so glad that I went. It was neat to sit next to other neighbors/ward members. It was great to hear all the funny experiences his family had and it was great to feel the Spirit. There were times that I felt myself on the verge of tears and that surprised me. Like I said, I didn't know Walt all that much. Sure I will miss his comments in Sunday School and I will greatly miss his testimony but it was not like we were close. But the musical numbers, especially the stirring rendition of Come, Come Ye Saints really hit home for me (it being one of my favorite hymns). Then Ellena got up and gave a beautiful poem she had written soon after he passed away. It was hard for me to keep my composure, you know I have to be a man and like not cry.


I don't regret going at all. It made me reflect on what my funeral would be like. His oldest son was the last speaker and he said that Walt did have one request for his funeral. When they wheel his casket out he wanted the song "When the Saints Go Marching In" to be played. As soon as his family got out and the rest of us guests left we could hear the song and we all smiled.

But then we got out and we saw that there was a live band playing it as they lifted his casket into the car. And I have to admit it, I lost it. I don't know why that hit me the way it did, but it certainly did. Kristy and I spoke to Ellena briefly and I found it hard to speak to her because I was overcome. And when Kristy and I found some of the Young Women in the parking lot, I really started to lose it. I have to admit that I felt a bit embarrassed. It was not that I was so sad, it felt like my heart was so full. Aside from my family, these are the people I want to be with. I don't know what it is about the Young Women here. Maybe it is because I have come to a realization that I may not have a daughter to call my own but I absolutely adore and care for these wonderful girls.

The last thing that I heard Walt say will stick with me forever. We were sitting in Sunday School and a comment was made of the picture of Christ that says " I never said it would be easy, I only said it would be worth it." I have always liked this picture. Walt stuck up his hand and said that that picture had it wrong. If we lean on Christ, he said he would make our burdens light, therefore it would make it easy. It was things like this that he shared that made me appreciate him. He was such a funny guy and one never to hide his emotions. Maybe it was a good thing that I lost it at his funeral, it is fitting to say the least.

I am so thankful that I have gospel in my life. It puts the fun in funeral. I am not being flippant, this is the truth. I don't need to mourn since I know I will see them again. We are only going to be apart for a short while. One of the grand kids (a 5-year old) said he dreamt he saw Grandpa running back to heaven with Grandma. I can totally see that with Walt. I imagine that is what it will be like when I cross over to the otherside. I will be running to see people I have not seen in ages.

Random Ramblings

I still like getting snail mail and when I came home yesterday I found a letter from my Aunt Margo. And I knew exactly what it was!  Every year for the Superbowl she makes a little board with a bunch of squares with each one of our names on it. She has done this for the last couple of years, I have even won one of the major prizes and few years back. I think I got some pretty good numbers this year. I know I look forward to this yearly tradition.

Thanks Margo! I'll get over sometime...

Well, I finished the last two Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. I think I am going to count them in my resolutions but I don't think I will count them all. Since they are pretty easy to read I will count them as one book. So I am done for the quarter! HUZZAH!

I am looking forward to Spring. I am getting a little antsy about my goal for running. I have not ran since last year (that really sounds like a long time ago) and I really want to start.

I still have my buddy Randy to walk with.

Logan has his first Pack meeting the other night. He has been going to Cub Scouts the last few weeks but this was the first time he has to go with all the other Scouts. I think he was a little intimidated by the whole thing but he did enjoy himself. My family and I are very blessed to live in the neighborhood that we do. We have fantastic Scout Leaders and we have fantastic neighbors. I am not a big social person, if I could I would stay home in my house and not have to leave. Social get-togethers like these and other Church-related meetings are typically not my thing.

But for some reason, this place is different. I look forward to seeing my neighbors and I look forward to associating with the kids and the young people. Perhaps it is because they make me feel young. They also make me want to be a better person. Either way, I am incredibly blessed and lucky to have my family be here in this place.

Happy Birthday Logan!

Logan turned the big 8 today!

Happy Birthday Buddy!

I'll blog about his birthday shenanigans tomorrow after I collect some pictures and after his birthday party.

Speaking of Logan, the other night Kristy and I were putting him to bed and I mentioned that we should have Family Home Evening on Wednesday since we missed it on Monday. Logan agreed and was excited that we would still have it and as he was lying down on his bed, he suggested that we should invite some people over for it. Normally this means he wants to invite Grandma Platis over which Kristy and I have no problem with.

But he surprised us both when he said he would like to invite the the girls that babysat him a few weeks ago. Kristy and I looked at each other in surprise and thought that may not be a bad idea. Unfortunately the girls couldn't make it last week so we invited them last Sunday to come over. And they came over last night. I thought it was quite cute that Logan would want the girls to come over.

We had a short lesson/story about Christmas and then we headed into the kitchen to make some cookies for the families of the girls and for those families that I home teach.

So we split into teams and started making some cookies. The girls started on the Snowball cookies.

Logan made his usual cake mix cookies while I was chopping up some pecans.

Mom was in charge of making the very yummy icing.

I love the way Snowball cookies smell when they are in the oven.

It was nice of the girls to come over. I'm sure Kristy liked it since she is always outnumbered in this house.

It was a nice evening and I am glad that the girls were excited to come over when Kristy and Logan invited them. I have said this many times before, but I am very thankful for the neighborhood and ward we live in. It is awesome to have such great examples and role models for Logan.

Saturday Night Date Night

Kristy and I don't get out very much. I am a homebody, I like being at home and I could stay here for days without leaving. So we never have much need for babysitters since we never leave. Seriously. Almost all of my family begs us to watch Logan while we go out.

Tonight we were invited to a friends home for a small party (so it is not really a date night but it was a party without kids so I am counting it). We thought about asking my mom to babysit but it was her birthday and we didn't want her to come down to Logan twice. So we thought about asking one of the Young Women to come over. So we talked to Kara, one of the Young Women that lives across the street and she said she was more than happy to come over. Logan and her were going to bake cookies here. Kara arrived and she asked if she could take him over to her house and we had no problem with it. So Kristy and I left knowing that Logan would have a great time over at her house.

A few hours later we went and picked him up. I was glad to see that Kara's friend Taylor was there as well. And I was happy to find out that some of the other neighborhood kids came over and played too. They are such cute girls, I know that not only would Logan have a great time but he would be well taken care of.

The girls were excited that Logan wanted to bake cookies with him. That son of mine is going to get a TON of cookies if he keeps this up when he gets a bit older.

They made Red Velvet cookies and played the whole time. Kristy and I stayed for a few minutes to chat with the girls and before we left they gave us this card.

I hope they are okay with me sharing it but I just had too. First of all, I am very glad that these girls thought my son was sweet, cute and helpful. But I am also happy that these girls took the time to make a card and say such sweet things.  Once again these girls are such an example to me. The funny thing is that I will never be able to top them. No matter what I and my family do for them, they will always do something for my family and I back that I can never repay. I wish I had a picture that I could share here as well so you can put a name to a person. I also think that it is funny that Kristy is now nicknamed Sister Coca Cola.

I am very blessed to be living here in this neighborhood. I am extremely blessed to have such wonderful people help and befriend my family and I. These two girls are such great examples to me and I look up to them quite a bit.