So when is dinner?

We took this picture years and years ago and it is still one of my favorites. We were at my sister's house for dinner and we were patiently waiting.

Happy Birthday Jennifer!

Day 342

Happy Birthday Jennifer!

This is going to be one of those blogs that are a bit scatter shot. I have tons of things that I can say and share about my sister and it will be hard to put them into any order.

First things first. I have an awesome older sister and I couldn't ask for a better sister. We have always got along and we always have a good time together. When we were younger my sister went to great lengths to make sure I was taken care of. Here is just a small sample of some of the stuff she did for me:

- Jennifer is a protective older sister. She always told me to tell her if any kids at school were giving me a hard time. Having a sister a couple of grades older than you definitely had its advantages. I didn't have any huge problems so Jennifer never did have to open a can of whuparse on anyone. But I remember one occasion she was ready to punch the lights out of a friend of mine. This friend stole my BMX bike and she went right over to his house and "stole" it right back out of his yard. It is too bad that my friend was not there. I would have loved to have my sister and her friend Mindy beat this kid up.

- Our parents used to go out quite a bit leaving my sister to babysit me. It was never really babysitting since we always ended up playing. Our evenings were full of dancing and singing to loud music, making crank calls, eating candy, letting the hamsters out in the living room, letting me watch TV past my bedtime, going to the mall (when I was older), playing Atari and just plain having fun. Some of my favorite memories of my sister were during these times.

- Jennifer would wake me up very early Saturday mornings so we could watch this show called Hammy Hamster. It only came on like at 5:30 or 6:00 in the morning. We would scrounge for some sort of treat and then watch the show. Most times she would go back to bed but occasionally we would play board games like Full House.

- I also fondly remember the last few days I was in Edmonton. I stayed with her overnight at her apartment and we hit the town. We ate at the Progi House (or sooooo good) and we went to West Edmonton Mall and she spoiled me rotten. We had an awesome time together and I will never forget it. "Baddest Living Bikers" indeed!

I don't think I need to say anything about this pic.

- One of the best things about having a sibling is that you can share things together that only we get. All I have to say is LATE NIGHT RAVIOLI'S and I am sure it will make my sister giggle or gross out.

- Even though we were separated when my mom and I moved to the States, Jennifer still made sure she stayed in contact with me. She called at least once a month and I would get letters and packages in the mail all the time. This is where she debuted her first novel "Hey Bro". It was always good to talk to her.

- Jennifer always supported me in whatever I did. When I left for my LDS mission to New York I had her full support. She helped out in preparation for my farewell and gave me my first mission journal. She wrote me quite a bit too. I guess that my sister missed me so much that she called me while I was on my mission! Here is the journal entry (April 18th, 1995) of when it happened:

That evening the phone rang and Davidson answered it.  He said “Who you looking for?”  Then he turned to me and said, “Hey Matt, the phone is for you.”  I thought it was strange that he called me Matt.  Did the person ask for Matt?  I got the phone and it was my sister Jennifer.  That totally surprised me.  She said she was thinking of me and wanted to call.  It was fun talking to her.  Davidson I am sure was suspicious that it was my girlfriend or something.  I told him it was my sister and there was a small family emergency and he asked why they didn’t call President Bailey.  I told him they might have but it is not a big deal, it was after the emergency.  He then suggested I call the President if there was a problem.  Yeah right, that would be the last thing I would want to do.  I said that the family emergency had already passed and that she just wanted me to know right away.  I hate that I have to lie to my companion but it is much easier to deal with him this way.

Jennifer and her family came to the airport when I came home from my mission. This is one of my favorite pictures of us.

Jennifer also called the local McDonald's the day before I came home from New York so they can post this special welcome.

- After I got home from my mission Jennifer wanted to make sure that I was dating an awesome girl. She met and liked my future wife in Kristy and she even took Kristy to come see me when I was acting in the musical Chess. I am not sure how many times Jennifer saw me in Chess. But I appreciated her coming to support me and for taking my girlfriend. Jennifer also came over the morning of my wedding to do Kristy's hair. I had no idea she planned that. Jennifer has always supported my wife Kristy.

Now that we are both older I can clearly see the qualities that my sister has and has always had.

- One thing that Jennifer and I have in common is our love of music. And any type of music. Jennifer was the one that introduced me to Rob Zombie. We love that type of music as well as broadway stuff (she also introduced me to Sweeney Todd) to Billy Joel to classical stuff to...  ...well, just about everything. When we were kids we would pretend to sing (oftentimes we would sing out loud anyway) and make our own music videos and reenact them in her large mirror. Some of the ones that I remember are Billy Joel's Pressure, Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain (remember the birds crapping on us?) Prince's, Let's Go Crazy, the Beatle's Eleanor Rigby and Elton John's Funeral for a Friend. Throw in some Black Sabbath too. Like I said, we listen to anything. This is good because we can go to concerts and musicals together. It is nice to have someone I can share my love of music with.

- One thing (out of many) that I really admire about my sister is that she will tell it like it is. And she does it in such a way that it gets her point across but it doesn't come out angry. She just says it and I wish I could do that. Even if it is in the middle of the night, she will call and say exactly what she feels.

- Jennifer is also a very hard worker. From working at a doctor's office to Convergys to the Police Station to her current job at the Alternative school. She does her best and works very hard. I admire that quite a bit and I wish I had a shred of her hard work. She takes great pride in her job and she should. She always does a great job.

- One of the biggest things about my sister that I admire is watching her be a mother. She is very good to her kids. I love watching her interact with her children and I try to live up to her example in her relationships. This started early on with Jill and continues today. She is a great mother!

You are a great sister Jennifer! I am proud of who you are and I am proud to call you my big sister. Love ya!

And since I am the little brother, I get to tease my big sister by posting this picture. My dad and I wanted to include this picture in her wedding picture book but she wouldn't let us. So many years later I can finally include it. You thought since you took the pictures I wouldn't have this gem didn't you?

Please don't give me another black eye (inside joke).

The Bee of Death

Day 199

Bugs don't bug me all that much. I have a lot more sympathy for bugs now than I used to. When I first moved to Utah I was surprised by the amount of insects are around. It is not like we didn't have bugs in Canada since we certainly did but we just didn't have the amount we have here. And I used to kill every single spider and every single bug that came into my house. Now I am a little more tamer, I usually let the smaller spiders live so they can get rid of all the other bugs. All other invading bugs I will usually scoop up and just throw them out of the house.

But if I see an Aragog spider (a nickname for a very large spider named after the King spider in Harry Potter) than I will kill it. I cannot sleep/walk around knowing something that looks big enough to eat me hang around the house. Wasps fall under a different category, I will kill each of those jerks inside or outside the house.

But back in the day I used to be scared of any bug. Even bees.

One time my dad was teaching my sister how to drive. She was driving our Aries and my dad was in the front with her. I was in the back seat hanging out. We were driving along just fine this nice summer day until something came in through the window. It was the Bee of Death. Or at least that is what I thought it was. As soon as I saw that it was a bee I panicked.

I immediately screamed and announced "A BEE!" as I about leaped into the front seat.

That was not good news. Jennifer was as afraid of bees as I was and I think my dad was too. At least he seemed the calmer of us. Jennifer leaned forward (while still driving) and seemed to meld with the steering wheel (like the Terminator in Terminator 2) screaming out "WHERE IS IT?" I was much too busy kicking my dad in the back of the head with my foot as I screamed "THERE'S A BEE!" while jumping over the seat. Jennifer was still driving at this point too even with all the chaos. My dad was yelling for us to calm down and pull over but it was hard to hear over all the screaming.

I have to give my sister some credit here as we didn't crash or run over any pedestrian. We parked at a 7-11 and bolted out of the car as soon as she parked it. We must have looked pretty foolish to anyone watching. Dad caught it in a slurpee cup and chucked it out of the car and drove us home.

I remember this experience like it happened just yesterday and I laugh when I think of it. It was just a poor bee. It was not like it was a wasp or hornet. I'm glad that my dad didn't kill it. He must have been influenced by Elron McKenzie.

Elron McKenzie gave a great sermon about the importance of NOT killing bugs. I have found a clip of it and I think you should listen and heed its message. You can ignore the first part with the music, that is not part of the sermon. And you can ignore the video that comes with it too, it is the message of Elron that is important and that starts at 00:27.

Hey Bro!

Day 184

Did you know that my sister Jennifer is also a writer?

Many years ago she wrote a book affectionately called "Hey Bro."

My parents divorced back in 1987 and I moved with my mom to the United States from Canada leaving my dad and my sister behind. Now this was way before e-mail and internet and the only way we could contact each other was on the phone and through snail mail. And one time I got an interesting package in the mail from my sister Jennifer. In it was a copy of "Hey Bro." (the only copy in existence), a book written for me by my sister.

My sister has always been creative. Back in the day we used to have a lot of fun playing together. Even though there was an age difference and she was a girl, that didn't stop us from having a lot of fun. I would draw the line when we played with my Star Wars figures and toys and she would make Han Solo and Princess Leia make out. But we always played games (Pay Day, Full House) and had a hoot together. I also remember drawing funny pictures (like Battlestar Galac-ducka) in Church and always wanting to sit by that old man that had a horrible voice so we could laugh at him. So it was hard leaving my dad and sister behind.

Her book was just as funny. She related experiences of working and being bored to death. She worked at the time at Sears Optical. Her biggest pet peeve was people who entered the shop a few minutes to closing time and were browsing for glasses.

Luckily we were only separated for just a few years before she moved down with her family. Sadly though, she never wrote a follow-up to her book. But I would rather have her here instead of up in Canada. More than a fair trade I think.

This blog has been brought to you by the letter "A" (for awesome) and the letter "S" (for sister).

Pic of the Week: The Good Ol' Days

Day 167

I kinda feel bad for kids growing up these days.

While kids today have stuff that I never thought or dreamed of having I do think that I had it better.

Back in the good ol' days it was easier to get away with stuff. Much easier. There was no internet so my parents couldn't log on and check my grades. It was far easier to catch Deficiency Notices in the mail since e-mail was not invented yet. And there were no cell phones so if I skipped school, the school would have to call home. And luckily for me, my mom was at work and not at home. And even when the answering machine came along it was way easy to just delete the message.

Which brings me to this picture:

What does this have to do with getting away with stuff? My dad used to like to take pictures of us and I was not in the mood to smile. So Jennifer whispered something to me to make me laugh. And do you know what she said?

Remember when we farted on the phone?
When Jennifer would babysit me we would have loads of fun. We would watch TV and play games and play the record player full blast and pretend that we were rock stars. Sometimes we would dress up and play, sometimes we would play outside, sometimes we would try to freak out our neighbor's daughter and sometimes we would fart on the phone.

While I think Caller ID is one of the greatest things invented I do miss those days when you could crank call people and get away with it. Nowadays you can't do this without being caught and then probably sued. We didn't do this all the time, in fact I can only remember doing it twice. One time by ourselves and one time with Jennifer's friend Mindy. We would call up a random person or someone we didn't like and then attempt to fart on the phone. But we would end up laughing so hard that we could only (and barely) make farty or burp noises on the phone. And we never got caught.

Until one time we called a restaurant called "Chicken on the Way" and we cranked them a few times since they would always answer the phone. And then they called us back and they scared us straight. But my cranking days didn't end there.

One of my favorite ways to ask a girl to one of the high school dances (you had to ask creatively) was to ask them to take a survey from Utah State University. I would ask these stupid questions and then eventually I would ask some personal questions (like if they ever used deodorant on their feet) and then finally I would say:

"It looks like you pass with flying colors. Now I have one more important question to ask you. Would you like to attend the Christmas Dance with Matt Platis? Please answer him in your own way and I will make sure he has a copy of all your answers."

And then I would hang up the phone. These days I wouldn't be able to get away with that.

My friend Damond LOVED to play pranks on people through the phone. I would come over and would call some buddies or when he was cheerleader, the other girl cheerleaders and then give them a hard time on the phone. I would pretend I was some cousin of one of the cheerleaders (obviously not the one I was calling) and then try to ask them out on a date. But I would either act completely stupid or completely cocky. We would laugh and laugh and Damond would tell me how they reacted the next day during cheerleading practice. Damond was the perfect guy to do this with since he knew those girls so way and there was NO WAY they would think it was him.

I would now like to formally apologize to those cheerleaders. Damond put me up to it!

Like I said, there is no way we could do that today.

Movie Night!

Day 117

Watching movies with my family and friends must be some of my favorite memories because I certainly remember them crystal clear. So here are a collection of some of my favorite memories while watching movies.

My first movie experience was in 1977 with Star Wars. My dad took my sister to it first and came home and took me when they went a second time. I don't remember much about it but from what my dad said, I couldn't take my eyes off it.

Now when the sequel The Empire Strikes Back came out that was another story. I was so excited to see it. I sat in my chair taking it all in until the Wampa hit. And suddenly I was on my dad's lap.

Raiders of the Lost Ark was the next one I saw in the theatres and I am glad that my parents took me. I think parents nowadays try to hard to shield their kids too much from enjoying things. In order for you to enjoy the good, you have to experience the bad. Raiders was a dark film but even though I was young, I enjoyed it and it didn't make me into a serial killer or anything. The one thing that I remember about going to see Raiders of the Lost Ark was my dad. My sister and I were sitting together apart from my parents. Suddenly during the film my dad bolts up and leaves the theatre. About ten minutes later he came back but sat by me and my sister. At first I thought he was mad at mom for something but it turned out that he thought he had peed his pants. He was holding his Coke between his legs and the moisture collected from all the ice melting and he thought he had an accident. He didn't obviously but was so embarrassed that he sat by us instead of mom.


That was not the end to embarrassing moments in the movie theatre. My dad and I decided to see Arachnophobia (even though we both HATE spiders). We saw it at a dollar theatre and there was only a few of us in there. During the movie, I thought it would be funny to reach around and flick my dad's ear. It was a great idea, I flicked his ear and popcorn went a flying! I thought my dad was going to kill me.

Back in the day, you could rent a VCR and some movies from the local Mac's store (which is like a 7/11) and my dad and I decided to get Aliens. That has got to be one of my all-time favorite movies and it left me breathless. At the end of the movie my dad was turning off the TV and he put his hand up his shirt. He turned to me and said, "That was a pretty intense movie eh?" And then suddenly he thrusted his hand out from his shirt like a chestburster! I about hit the roof. And my dad wonders why I like to scare him all the time! I got it from him.

You wanna know what awkward is? Try watching Predator 2 with your mom. She loved the first one but that second one had some scenes that no kid (no matter how old they are) should watch with his parents.

That was a cool thing about my mom, she liked action movies. You know what one of her favorites is? She called me one day and said she wanted to go see Face Off that weekend. My mom was way into it, partly because of John Travolta. Luckily for me, there wasn't any Predator 2-type scenes.

My sister on the other hand is very "hands on" when you watch movies with her. My arm was bruised for days after watching Con Air with her. Every explosion and gunshot, my arm was swatted by my sister. She shouldn't watch intense movies like that. Con Air was not even that good!

I took Kristy to go see Jurassic Park II. During the scene where all the raptors were chasing the people, one popped out from under the fence. I knew it was coming and everyone screamed when it happened. Well, their scream scared the snot out of me. So right after the audience screamed, I screamed. The girls in front of me turned there heads back to look at me and I pointed to Kristy sheepishly.

Kristy's brother-in-law Aaron and I went and saw The Blair Witch Project together. We must have been hyped to see it because we got scared even before the movie started. We were in the theatre just chatting when suddenly this girl pops her head in between us and asks us for the time. Aaron jumped back and that made me jump back even further! The girl laughed at us, I am positive that she did it to us on purpose.

But I think my all-time favorite movie experience was with my friend Lared. Joel and I took him to see The Phantom Menace. Now Lared has always been one of my most expressive friends and he was a Star Wars fan and he was really hyped up. Toward the end, when Darth Maul killed Qui-Gon it really hit the fan. Out of nowhere we heard this hair-raising "NOOOOOOOOO!" followed up with this heart-wrenching "ARRRGHHHH!" It was Lared. Joel and I sat back in our seats trying to contain our laughter.

I cannot wait for Logan and I to watch more movies together. From past experiences I should be in for a good time.

An Evening with U2

Day 110

U2 recently announced that they are coming back to Salt Lake City on June 3rd at Rice Eccles Stadium and I am pretty excited. I was sad that they were not coming during the first leg of their 360 Tour and I didn't think they were going to come back. I missed the Vertigo Tour and I have regretted it.

I have enjoyed their new album No Line on the Horizon immensely and I am looking forward to catching this show live. I don't look forward to scraping up some cash to buy tickets. I don't care where I sit, I am fine in the cheap nosebleed seats, I am only there to hear the music.


This would mark the second time I have seen U2 live. Back on November 9, 2001 I took my sister Jennifer and her boyfriend Justin to the concert along with me and my wife. We first went to the mall by the Delta Center (now Energy Solutions Arena) and got some food and we walked over to see the concert. We were clear in the upper bowl but we still had a good view of the stage. We first stopped by a booth to get some shirts. I bought a shirt for Jennifer for her birthday and I got a cool baseball jersey shirt.


The opening act was pretty solid. It was No Doubt and they were pimping their new album Rock Steady but unfortunately the sound was not that great and we could barely hear Gwen sing. But as far as opening acts go it was a lot of fun.

And then the lights went out and U2 took the stage! Here is the setlist:

Elevation
Beautiful Day
Until The End Of The World
New Year’s Day
I Will Follow
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of
Kite
Wild Honey
People Get Ready
Please
Bad
Where The Streets Have No Name
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
Pride (In The Name Of Love)

ENCORE:
Bullet The Blue Sky
What’s Going On
New York
One
Walk On

I was so happy that they included my favorite song of their new album in New York. That was something that I will not forget. During the song they had two bright spotlights shine from the stage to the ceiling representing the World Trade Centers. And then they showed all the names of the people that tragically died on 9/11.


It was such a fantastic concert. One of the highlights included people watching. Jennifer and I had to laugh at the guy sitting to our right on the row in front of us. He just couldn't clap to the beat if his life depended on it!

I cannot wait to see U2 again and I am excited that it will be an outdoor concert.

Frodo's Parade

Day 109

I am so sorry Jill but I have to blog about this.

My first attempt at a blog was while I was working at WestHost. Blogging at that time was becoming big and our Marketing team was looking into possible blog software. So I installed a blog and began to write. And do you know what my first blog was about? My niece's poor dog Froddo.

MAY 17TH 2004
I wish I had a video camera. Wait, I do have one but I so wish I brought it and was taping this weekend. We were in Richmond for the annual Black and White Parade when I witnessed the absolute funniest thing I have ever seen.


My sister’s dog, Froddo was tied to one of those plastic folding lawn chairs. Right before the parade started, something must have startled him. He took off and dragged the chair with him. As he ran faster; the chair folded up and smacked him in the butt. That really must have freaked him out because he TOOK OFF! The faster he went, the faster the chair spanked him on the butt. It was a sight to see, I thought we would never see him again. He took off right in the middle of the road. I’m surprised that he was caught. The whole street was laughing and laughing. Poor dog. That was the highlight of my weekend though!

Again, I am sorry Jill. But you have to admit it. It was real funny!

Pic of the Week: The Pysanka (Easter Egg)

Day 98

When I was younger, we as a family took a trip east about 60-65 miles of Edmonton and visited the city of Vegreville. We visited the city's most famous monument, a giant Easter Egg. And it is something that I will not forget.

First, a little history (thanks to the Vegreville and District Chamber of Commerce for this information. You can see more at www.vegrevillechamber.com) of the egg.


(You can see my dad, sister and I all under that egg. It was raining slightly.)

The city of Vegreville wanted to honor the Royal Mounted Canadian Police (RCMP) for its service and protection of the early Ukraine settlers. They decided on a large Pysanka (Easter Egg) to symbolize the peace and security the Mounties had offered them.

Interestingly enough the design of the project was done by a computer scientist, Professor Ronald Resch from the University of Utah. They had to develop new computer programs to develop the egg. The Pysanka is really an immense jigsaw puzzle containing 524 star patterns, 1,108 equilateral triangles, 3,512 visible facets, 6,978 nuts and bolts, and 177 internal struts. It measures 25.7 feet long, 18 feet wide, and stands 31 feet high.

The dedication message is written in four languages: English, Ukrainian, French and German. It reads: “This Pysanka (Easter Egg) symbolizes the harmony, vitality and culture of the community and is dedicated as a tribute to the One-Hundredth Anniversary of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police who brought peace and security to the largest multi-cultural settlement in all of Canada.”

It was such a cool place to visit. I would love to take Kristy and Logan up there to see it. And eat Ukrainian food like progies. MMMMMMM.

When Kristy Met Matt: Sweeney Taco

Day 73

By now you should already know that I love musicals. I can't explain it but for some reason I just love musical theatre. I have seen many musicals but by far one of my favorites to see live was Sweeney Todd.

My sister Jennifer introduced this dark macabre musical. She had seen it live at Utah State and bought the CD. I borrowed the CD and LOVED it. Angela Lansbury (the old lady from Murder She Wrote) was Mrs. Lovett on the CD and she really stole the show. For those that don't know, Sweeney Todd is a man who seeks revenge‚ he kills people in his barber shop and she makes the dead bodies into pies. I had never seen it live until a fantastic production at the Pioneer Theatre at the University of Utah. Jennifer and I were so excited to go. I invited Kristy to come with us (we were dating at the time) and we headed down to Salt Lake to see it.


Poor Kristy, she had to endure both my sister and I singing in the car. We sang much of Sweeney Todd and my other favorite musical Chess. Jennifer drove and I was in the front seat and we banished Kristy to the back seat. We finally arrived at the theatre (much to Kristy's relief) and we took our seats and the show began. It was a fantastic show, the acting and voices were spot on. Even if you have seen the movie, you HAVE to see this live. The ending is much different and a lot more spookier but then it is something that only the stage version could bring. You'll just have to see it. Trust me on this.

Afterwards we were starving so we hit the local Taco Bell and got a ton of tacos. I think we got a 12 pack if I remember correctly. We scarfed the tacos down fast since we were so hungry. Now what happens next is what I remember. It may not be completely factual (I'm sure someone will argue it) but this is how I recall the events.


We had eaten our fill, or at least we thought we had. There was one taco left. I was too full to even think of eating another one. I think Jennifer felt the same. She offered the last taco to the rest of us when suddenly, like a flash of lightning, this hand reached from out of the darkness of the backseat and quickly grasped the last taco. We heard a Gollum-like voice accompany it. "I'll take it!" Then we heard the wrapper of the taco being torn apart ferociously. Jennifer and I just looked at each other, we didn't say a word. We might have been to scared to say anything.

Okay, I admit that this has turned into a real fish story. Some part of it may have been exaggerated. I'll let you, the reader, decide.

Precious tacos...

Christmas Memories: The Hamster

Day 44

This month is going to be loaded with Christmas memories. One Christmas I remember in particular is when my sister Jennifer got a hamster for Christmas.

I remember sneaking out during the middle of the night to look around and see what Santa brought me. I was curious that on this desk that Jennifer got was this round, red cage. I looked in but could not see anything, it was still dark. So I had to wait until the morning.

Jennifer got a hamster that she named Midnite. He was named that because he was up and running around at midnight and because he was this beautiful creme color, opposite of black.


Jennifer and I loved this hamster. That is until it chewed through one of her favorite stuffed animals. I think it was a koala. All I can remember is hearing the yelling. I came into her room and Jennifer was so mad, I thought she was going to bounce that hamster off the ceiling.

I also remember one time Jennifer was at school so I snuck in her room to see her hamster and there was this note pinned on the cage. It said "Leave me alone!" I was so crushed. I wanted a hamster too! But that is okay because karma came around and I did get a hamster of my own. But that is a separate column.

Speaking of karma, I remember Midnite biting me hard on my finger, making me bleed. Jennifer said it was because Midnite didn't like me. She claimed that he would never bite her. So she held him upside down by his hind legs and kissed him on the nose. I guess Midnite didn't like that because he nipped her right between the nose holes. Oh karma, I sure love you!


Midnite was a good pet. We were sad when he finally died. We buried him in our backyard in the sunflowers. We never had a pet before and it was so sad to see him pass away.

Pic of the Week: Baddest Living Biker

Day 28

My wrists are hurting and my fingers have been worn down to a nub. Today has been the first day of my challenge that I have not felt like writing/typing. I still have loads to say but as the saying goes "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak".

My wife Kristy is soon to be joining the madness of the 365 Challenge starting December 1st. Her idea for the blog is to post a picture a day and write something about it. Whether it is a current picture that she took that day or something from the past. I like this idea so like a good blogger, I am totally stealing it. So today I am unveiling a new Saturday column called "Pic of the Week". Basically it is the same column as hers only I am going to do it once a week.

So I had to find the perfect picture to blog about and I think I have a winner. This picture (or cover I should say) was taken way back in 1987. My mom and I were moving to the States, leaving my dad and sister behind. So I spent the weekend before we moved with my sister Jennifer. I crashed at her apartment and we hit the sights of Edmonton. We ate at the Progi House (YUM!) and hit the world's largest mall (at the time), West Edmonton Mall. Jennifer spent a ton of money on me and wanted to send me off in fashion.


Aren't we bad? It was such a perfect gift, I couldn't forget my sister after making the cover of Biker Lifestyle. We took another couple of pictures while at West Ed too. I know, I said I would post ONE pic a week but these were just too good not to pass up.

FUN FACT: Can you spot the glaring typo? Drives me nuts to see that this would be misspelled.



I had a lot of fun and I didn't think I would miss my sister all that much but I did. It was a long time before I got to see her again. Now, she lives just blocks away and I am glad I have her in my life. Thanks sis!

It Begins!

I can't believe that November is here already. Time certainly goes pretty quickly. We had a saying while on my LDS mission. "The days seem like weeks but the weeks seem like days". While that may be true most of the time, there have been some weeks that felt like months but I think that is only during football season. This morning I debated about which entry should be the inaugural entry but I couldn't pick one out. Instead I think I will start out with some of my basic family history. Maybe put some faces on some names I am sure to mention again.

My full name is Matthew Paul Platis. I go by Matt, I think only my mom still calls me Matthew. I was born in 1974 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. So yeah, I am a Canuck. My parents, Paul and Kathy were both born in Utah. They had my sister Jennifer and then they moved to Edmonton. My dad was offered a job with the Provincial Parks and they moved to Canada. I was born at the Royal Alexander Hospital. We lived there for thirteen years. My parents divorced and I and my mom moved to Richmond, Utah in the United States. My dad and sister stayed behind. Eventually my dad moved to Logan, Utah (just a few miles away from Richmond). My sister stayed in Edmonton and she got married to a fella named Dave. They lived up there for a few years and then he applied and got a job at Utah State University here in Logan. So they moved down. My dad got remarried to a Canuck and she (Pauline) moved down to the States as well.

I have a brother named Nathan as well. He is my dad's and Pauline's son. My sister also had a child while she was living in Canada named Jillian. Soon after they were born, I served an LDS mission to New York City. After I came home I soon dated Kristy, my eventual wife. My sister divorced her first husband and I got married. I married Kristy Breinholt back in December of 1997. My sister Jennifer then married a guy I used to go to high school with named Justin. Kristy and I had our first child named Logan in 2002. Soon after my sister had a couple more kids named Dax and Jace.

So there you have it, a basic family history. You will be hearing about these people again so that is why I am giving you a brief look at my family.


Kristy, Logan and I.


My Mom.


Logan, my brother Nathan holding nephew Jace, my niece Jillian and my nephew Dax.


My sister Jennifer and her hubby Justin.


Grandma Pauline, my Dad (Papoo) and Logan

One of my future columns will cover all about Kristy's family. They deserve their own column altogether.