Random Ramblings: It's My Blog...

... and I will blog when I want to.

Blogging: So I missed another Sunday. Well, it is my blog so I can do whatever I want to do. So I have decided that for the remainder of my BlogBlitz(tm) I will be skipping Sundays.

Reading: For my quarterly book I am reading the sequel to Mick Foley's Have a Nice Day. Yup, another wrasslin' book. Hey, I know what I like.

Writing: I have had this comic book idea pop in and out of my mind these last couple of days. I am combining that idea with another novel idea The Samaritans with it and seeing where it is going. And surprising myself, I have also scripted a few pages. I think I am going to use this idea for the upcoming ScriptFrenzy. Before I script more I am going to plot out some stuff. This idea was something my friend Joel and I developed way back in the day but we decided to go in another direction. Hopefully he doesn't mind me dusting this off and adding a coat of paint.

Planning: What to eat here in two weeks for the Superbowl. Yesterday we ate these yummy sweet pork sandwiches/salads while catching the games. Now that the stupid Pats and Giants made the Superbowl, the only important thing about the Superbowl will be the food.

Disappointing: While both games yesterday were exciting, two of my least favorite teams won. I was hoping for the Ravens and 49ers but I guess I cannot win them all. But on the other hand, I felt this way four years ago when the same teams faced each other and it turned out to be one of the greatest games ever. Oh well, there is always next year.

Reading Part II:  I have decided to read all my X-Men books from the beginning which leads me to this:

Blogging Part II:  The comic book geek inside of me is going to do a comic book blog sometime later this year. I just have to find a clever name for my blog and set it up. I am planning on blogging about each X-Men book I am reading and I am choosing 3 panels from each book to blog about. I'll be blogging about other stuff as well.

Random Ramblings: *Insert Title Here*

Blogging: It seems that I just don't have enough to blog about anymore. These Random Ramblings blogs cover most of the stuff that happens to my family and I. I want to blog more, I just don't know what else to say aside from the column and my NFL-inspired blogs. I might have to resort to mission stories or comic book stuff.

Listening: For some reason the Phantom of the Opera has been calling my name. That was the first major musical I saw and from the moment I heard the music, I loved it. It also takes me back to my college days with my friend Lared where we would crank this out in the car and sing. And I usually would do Christine's part and surprisingly I could hit a lot of her notes. Now I didn't say that I sounded good but at least I could hit them!

Surveying: I know I have been pimping this out a lot lately but it really works. Since June, I have made a little over in $200 worth of Amazon gift codes. I just recently placed an order for the Queen Boxset #3, which I paid NOTHING for. It comes out in a few weeks and I am giddy with anticipation.

Singing: Speaking of singing and music, I was invited to join a community choir. They are setting up a Christmas program and they even have a baritone section! I am thrilled to be invited and I hope it is a lot of fun. It should be since we are singing Christmas music. But I hope it continues past the Christmas season.

Eating: One of the tastiest coconut-cream donuts EVER! Just thought you would all like to know.

Reading: I am plowing through my collection of spooky/horror comics and I am almost halfway through my Hellboy collection. By Yoda, I love these books. I highly recommend this set of books. The art has a spooky atmosphere and the writing is top-notch. What I really love about these books are the various folk stories from all over the world which he investigates. The strange other-worldly fairy tales and legends really make for some spooky and funny moments. If you liked the movie, you will love the books. Seriously, check them out! They are available not just in comic book form, you can also pick them up in bound tradepaperback editions and I am sure you can find them at your local library.

The Wolves of St. August, The Corpse and the Iron Shoes, the Conqueror Worm and Darkness Falls are some of my favorite Hellboy tales.

Plotting: I am getting really eager to start writing for the NaNoWriMo competition. This will be the third year in a row for me and I cannot recommend it enough. Seriously, if you have any desire to do some writing, you should check this out and try it. It is extremely rewarding. You know who I am talking to! I am meeting up with a couple of local writers this Saturday to chat and plot our novels. Should be fun!

Cheering: Logan and his football team got their first win last night in a blowout. Logan had to block against this huge kid and did really well. They definitely played like a team last night and it was fun to watch. Logan definitely like defense and he is pretty good at snatching flags. We only have two more games.

Logan and his small team. We are missing three kids. One quit, one is a bit flaky and one broke his arm.

An action shot. Not sure who that is. So let's pretend it is Logan.

Watching: I watched one of the saddest things yesterday. I watched an ESPN E:60 special on professional wrestler Scott Hall. He was always one of my favorites and it was extremely sad to see him in such condition. Have you seen the movie The Wrestler? This guy is living it. So sad, I really wish I could do something.

Watching Part II: The season premiere of the Walking Dead. Holy crap, the first thirty minutes was fantastic. I must have bitten off all my nails! I know (mostly) what is going to happen since I read the comics but seeing it in full color (the comic is in black and white) and hearing the sounds really make a huge difference in how scary it is. I am surprised at the amount of gore is allowed for this TV show but I cannot see it any other way. I look forward to the rest of the season.

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.

Birthday Aftermath

Another year older and closer to death.

According to DeathClock (you can find out when you are to die by clicking on the link)

Aside from that sunny disposition, I otherwise had a fantastic day.

I really appreciate all the phonecalls, e-mails and Facebook contacts that I got throughout the day. You guys really made my birthday special.

I started by going to work and then a few hours later Kristy and Logan took me to Angie's for breakfast. Angie's is a local diner that serves some of the best food in the valley. I love going there for breakfast, I have never been disappointed in their food and service. I got a broccoli and Jack cheese omelet with hollandaise sauce (I know, surprisingly healthy right?) and then Logan told the waitress that it was my birthday and she came back with some other girls in tow and a HUGE cinnamon roll. Now I admit, the reason I went there for my birthday was to get this large free cinnamon roll but I kinda forgot that they would sing. I told them that they didn't have to sing and then they said then I wouldn't get the cinnamon roll to which I replied, "then you will get no tip." That didn't work, they sang to me anyway. But it was worth it to get that warm cinnamon bun.

I went back to work and then my dad took me out to lunch at Quizno's. I didn't have to eat for the rest of the day! After a nice lunch with my dad's I went home and decided to go out for a run. Unfortunately the run was not as great as I wanted it to be. My knee still smarts whenever I push off of it. I tried my best but the discomfort was getting to me. This knee is bumming me out. I managed to run the last two blocks when suddenly I heard this tiny girl voice yell out "Happy Birthday!" It was Hannah, one of my Primary girls. I had no idea she knew it was my birthday. Her parents saw me and wished me a happy birthday as well, my name must have been on our Church newsletter. But who remembers the birthdays?

After my run, my mom came over to surprise me. And you know what she gave me? A case of Cherry Coke. So yeah, I must have an addiction if one of my birthday gifts is soda! We had a nice visit and then Kristy and Logan came home.

That evening we took Logan over to his school for a Bike Rally put on by our scouts. I have a real great neighborhood with some fantastic neighbors. And it was nice to be wished a happy birthday by them all. One of them said it must be hard turning 32. Boy that was nice to hear. I told her my real age and she was surprised and then she made fun of me because I am older than her. The rally was a lot of fun, Logan tied for first place. Afterwards we all ate Otter Pops and Amber (our Bishop's wife) gave me a ton of Otter Pops as a  birthday gift. Hmm... this is an alarming addicting trend.

We came home after visiting and chatting and I got my birthday cake. It was not a cake exactly, it was these very yummy chocolate cream cheese cupcakes with peanut butter and chocolate chips in them. Like I said, very yummy indeed. While we were eating Kristy realized that they did not sing to our neighbor Kara for her birthday last Sunday. We had talked with her a few days ago and found that since her brother Jordan left on his mission the day before her birthday she was unfortunately left out. She didn't do anything fun and felt kinda bummed. So I thought it would be nice to grab one of my cupcakes, put a candle in it and go over. I am sure glad we did. She was there with a lot of the other Young Women and we were about to sing to her when she ran inside to light it. After we sang to her she told us that no one had sung to her this year for her birthday. And then the Young Women sang to me for my birthday.

So all in all, I had a very nice birthday.

I Love Key Lime!

Awhile ago I blogged about how the flavor of Lime is slowly disappearing in products and being replaced by Apple flavoring but I have discovered a new Lime gum that is out of this world.

This sugar-free gum tastes just like Stewart's Key Lime soda and the flavor lasts quite a long time. If you like Key Lime pie you definitely need to track this gum down.

I have been spoiled lately with Key Lime. To celebrate Monday being Pie Day Kristy made a Key Lime pie from scratch. This was her first attempt at doing one and it came out tasty!

The meringue shrunk overnight in the fridge for some reason. The pie was sweet and tart at the same time. Mmmm... now I think I am going to polish it off. 

Mission Memoirs: Count Chocula

I used to eat a lot of cereal while serving my LDS Mission in New York. It was easy to make, you could eat it for every meal and it was usually cheap. Most stores would have a buy-one-get-one-free deal on all the cereals and not just the crappy ones. My favorite by far was Count Chocula.

And then it all changed one horrible P-Day.

I was looking forward to this P-Day and I had some big plans.  C-Town, which is a local grocery store usually has some decent sales on cereal and as a missionary, cereals are the best! They can be eaten at any time and you do not have to have milk.  Lucky Charms are one my favorite but every once in awhile and usually around Halloween they would have Count Chocula on sale. I never thought I would like a chocolate cereal but after trying a bowl I was hooked.  For P-Day I was looking forward to digging into a huge bowl (usually from an empty CoolWhip container) for breakfast.  I got the cereal out and poured it in and doused it with milk.  I took the first bite and I was in heaven.  I eagerly took another bite and one of the pieces felt a little strange.  I looked at the box and it said that it had a new type of marshmallow so I thought that was it.  I took another bite and the marshmallow bit still felt strange so I looked into my bowl wanting to find one.

And instead I discovered a live cockroach climbing on the side of my bowl.  I was horrified, I stuck my spoon in the cereal and stirred it and found a couple of them bobbing up to the surface.  I wanted to barf, I looked inside of the cereal box and it was full of roaches.  Yuck!  I threw the box out and I couldn't bring myself to look at the other box.  I don't think that I will ever want to buy this cereal again!  

The ones I ate were not this big thankfully.

I don't think I ate that cereal for years. And even now when I treat myself to a bowl, I look inside the box. After eating a roach I have no fear of accidentally eating a bug. I have eaten the worst and the most gooiest of all bugs. If I can do that, I can do anything.

Snicker... I just had to post this when I was looking for Count Chocula pictures.

Thursday Night Foodball!

Day 314

Ah... last night was bliss.

I love the start of the NFL football season. I enjoy the sport, I can watch any team play and last night we were treated to a rematch of last season's NFC Championship. There are many reasons why I love football. Obviously I like watching the chess match, I like to watch the defensive side of the ball more than I do offense. I also like the company I keep while watching a ballgame. I am surrounded by family (Logan sat right next to me to watch the game) and my mom usually comes over to watch. I also like knowing that cooler weather is on its way.

And the food... how could I forget the food?

Last night we had a Burger Bar. We had three sets of small mini-burgers. We crushed up these really yummy Buffalo Wing Pretzels and mashed them in with the hamburger. We also had ones that had crushed up potato chips and onion dip mixed in and then we had a plain set of burgers. We put them on dinner rolls and we had a variety of cheeses and condiments and we also sauteed some mushrooms so we could have mushroom Swiss burgers. Kristy also made some potato wedges for a side. We had a ton of food and we have a ton of leftovers! For desert we had mini Fatboys and Snicker ice cream bars.

Logan was just as excited as I was!

mmmmmm...

Like father like son.

A good time was had by all. And I got my first prediction right. The Saints beat the Vikings.

Speaking of predictions, here are my thoughts and predictions for the remaining games of Week 1.

Denver at Jacksonville:
I don't think the Broncos will be able to contain Pocket Hercules and he will run over the Broncos defense. The Jaguars open the season with a win but they will have to earn it, it will not be easy.
Winner: Jacksonville Jaguars

Miami at Buffalo:
The Dolphins will have to be careful with the Bills, they will be a better team than they expect. The Bills are at home and they usually start the season with a win. The Dolphins will try to catch up but they will have to wait until the next meet up in Miami to get a win.
Winner: Buffalo Bills

Detroit at Chicago:
The Bears will be in the same situation as the Dolphins this week only they get the win.
Winner: Chicago Bears

Indianapolis at Houston:
Is it possible that the Colts start the season with a loss? It is possible especially at Houston but unlikely.
Winner: Indianapolis Colts

Atlanta at Pittsburgh:
The Falcons will sneak a win out of Pittsburgh especially with Big Ben out of the lineup. I could have made a crass Big Ben joke here but I won't.
Winner: Atlanta Falcons

Oakland at Tennessee:
The Raiders will give the Titans some fight but Tennessee will use Chris Johnson to finish them off.
Winner: Tennessee Titans

Cleveland at Tampa Bay:
Both teams should have a lot of fight in them but the home team gets it in a dogfight. (Get it? Browns? Dogfight?)
Winner: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Carolina at New York Giants:
The Giants open up their new stadium with a huge win. But then the Giants always know how to start a season.
Winner: New York Giants

Cincinnati at New England:
Very tempted to choose the Bengals in an upset. But since it is at New England, I am sure Tom Brady will do the usual thing and score touchdowns with minutes to spare at halftime and at the end of the game to just put the game out of reach for the Bengals.
Winner: New England Patriots

San Francisco at Seattle:
New head coach Pete Carroll must love having the 12th man since he loves the college game. His return to the NFL will be more swearing than cheering.
Winner: San Francisco 49ers

Green Bay at Philadelphia:
We'll see how the Eagles look without McNabb, it won't be pretty this week for sure. It wouldn't surprise me if Eagle fans demanded that McNabb return somehow.
Winner: Green Bay Packers

Arizona at St. Louis:
I do think that the Rams have a chance to win some games this season. This will be probably one of their best chances. Sam Bradford gets his first win as an NFL player.
Winner: St. Louis Rams

Dallas at Washington:
Oooo... looking forward to this game. Classic cowboys and indians. The Redskins are at home and will win just barely putting more pressure (if that is possible) on the Cowboys.
Winner: Washington Redskins

Baltimore at New York Jets:
HBO and NFL Films should mic this game up. I would love to hear all the chatter. Baltimore gives the Jets problems and the Jets defense bails them out in a close ugly game with lots and lots of hitting.
Winner: New York Jets

San Diego at Kansas City:
This is a hard game to call. I think the Chargers have better talent but the Chiefs are much better this year. The Chargers typically start the season with a bunch of losses and so I am thinking that trend continues.
Winner: Kansas City Chiefs

The Breinholt Family Reunion 2010

Day 288

Yesterday was the annual Breinholt Family Reunion! It was held at some lady's house where there was a nice swimming pool and hot tub and beautiful yard to play around in. I am not sure how we know this lady but we are all grateful that we could play there. And I got to try out some new features on my camera!

We first decided to eat those large Blimpie sandwiches and then swim. My brother-in-law Gregg decided to eat away from the rest of the family since he likes to picnic buck naked.*

*dramatization, may not have happened

Logan loved to jump off the diving board. Here he is showing how to do a tornado dive by spinning around.

Logan also liked squirting people with the gun, just as much as Grandpa Breinholt did.

I am not a huge water fan. I was scared of the water when I was a kid. Now I am more comfortable in the water but diving and stuff like that I still won't try. The advantage of that is I get to spend time with my cute little nieces and play with them. Addy (pictured here) was fun to watch and play with. She would smile and laugh when I would bring a toy in from the water. But when she saw her dad get on the diving board she would cover her face. I wish I had a picture of that.

Kristy flipping out. Actual flipping, not like my niece Cassie flipping out when she saw that huge grasshopper.

Y.M.C.A! 

The In-Law corner. At every family reunion the usual gang of in-laws sit together and watch. Mom is spying on us.

There also was a slam dunk contest. Logan looks like Air Jordan here.

That's me in the middle just floating around. As soon as all the diving was finished I hopped in to do some floating and swimming.

The water must have had too much chemicals in it. It made my nephew Ryan's hair all blue/green. Breanna next to him also had some blue/green highlights.

Grandpa Breinholt also got some highlights. The picture doesn't do it justice. It looked like dad's chest was all moldy.

Kristy's hair also turned a shade of blue/green making her cry. Actually she was just rubbing her eyes when I snapped this pic. Rubbing her eyes because she was crying.

This is the eleventh attempt Cassie was making trying to sit on the tube. It was hilarious watching her try the first ten times. She finally got steady enough and then she looked up and saw Kristy taking a pic and of course lost her balance.

At least my hair didn't turn green. But then I don't have hair.

We had a great time (as always) at the reunion. I have said it before and I will say it again. I am extremely lucky and blessed to have such a great set of in-laws. I am proud to be an in-law member of the Breinholt Clan.

The Big Eat Out

Day 283

It is no secret that I love to eat out. I could eat out almost everyday. I am definitely a burger and fries type of a guy but I really I can eat out anywhere. I am getting hungry just thinking about it.

Unfortunately my body cannot handle eating out as well as it did during my youth. My cholesterol is a bit high (but that shouldn't be too surprising since that does run in the Platis side of the family) and my love handles are no longer handles.

"Yo, Ding Dong, man, Ding Dong!"

One time in high school my friends were hanging out in Logan and we went out to eat. We used to go out and pig out all the time. One of our favorite places to go to was Garcia's and get the all-you-can-eat taco bar and all-you-can-drink daiquiris (fake of course since we were underage). This time we were craving pizza so Little Cesar's was our choice.

And if I did what I did then I am sure that my body would have exploded. My heart being the first organ to self-destruct. Back in the day when you went to Little Cesar's you would buy one pizza get one free. You know when that guy said "Pizza Pizza," he actually meant it. There were four of us, Kelly, Damond and Jester and I so we each got a full medium pizza to eat and a half bag of Crazy Bread. I was full after chowing down a full medium pizza and some Crazy Bread but apparently Kelly and Damond were not. They suggested that we go somewhere else to grab more food. 

So we went to A&W's to get some Big Blue Specials.  I have blogged about these things before, do I really need to remind you about the barfing incident? Big Blue's are HUGE burgers. It has three burger patties, tons of lettuce and sauce. It comes with a ton of curly fries and 2 large glasses of fresh A&W Root Beer.

Jester and I were already feeling stuffed so Jester and I just got a large thing of fries and a large root beer. I could barely fit in all the fries but even back then I could hold my soda do I had a refill of root beer. And I was dying.

"What are you looking at?"

This cat looked how I felt after eating so much food.

But Damond and Kelly were not done.

It was either Kelly or Damond that had coupons for buy-one-get-one-free Big Macs. So we all went to McDonald's and Jester and I watched Kelly and Damond pound a Big Mac away. It was obscene. Just how obscene? By going through some of the nutritional facts I calculated that eating all of this food comes to a whopping (what if they got a Burger King Whopper too?) 3,240 calories.

If you were to walk it off, you would have to walk 32.4 miles or 64,800 steps, assuming you cover one mile in 2,000 steps.

So if I did this today and the food didn't kill me, the walk would have finished the job.  Ah... to be young again.

The Last Days of July

Day 274

It is hard to believe that it is August 1st already, that is eight months into the new year! That means I only have about 4 months left on the blog which is even harder to believe.


It also means that it is time to be accountable for the resolutions that I made in the New Year. I was doing these columns every two weeks but I like the monthly format better. Now I just have to remember what I did last month. :)

WRITING:

I'll be honest, I have not done any writing this last month aside from my blog. I have revisited my earliest attempt at a novel that I did a few years ago but I have not done any revisions or even plotting. That really needs to change since November's NaNoWrMo is coming up and will be here quicker than I think. I have to decide if I want to go into my horror novel or continue with my early Powergate novel. Either way, I need to start outlining it out.

READING:

Last month I was struggling, now I am far ahead of schedule with no signs of stopping. I finished "Sex, drugs, and cocoa puffs : a low culture manifesto" by Chuck Klosterman and thought that was a fun read. He and I think alike on some topics, we both watched The Real World (and his chapter devoted to that was fascinating) and we both thought Billy Joel's album, the Nylon Curtain was his best work. His chapters on Saved by the Bell and breakfast cereals were pretty funny. I might check out a few more of his books.

I also read Conversations with Tom Petty, which I found very fascinating. It gave an in depth look at Petty's career and also spent a great deal of time on his songs.

I also read The Final Season by former New York Jets head coach Bill Parcell. That was fun to read as well since it took me back to one of the more interesting seasons of the New York Jets.

I am now close to finishing another book, If Chins Could Kill: Confessions Of A B-Movie Actor by Bruce Campbell. I saw this at the library and I had to read it. I have always wanted to read it and it is just as fun as you would think it would be. I'll do a Book Review column for that when I am done with the book here in a week or so.

I have a few books waiting in the wings that I am excited to read. I still have Driven: An Autobiography by Larry H Miller (former owner of the Utah Jazz and major Utah business owner). And I also want to track down Wishful Drinking (Carrie Fisher's memoirs) and Lips Unsealed (Belinda Carlisle's memoirs).

So I think I am on my way to completing this goal with ease by the end of the year.

EXERCISE AND EATING RIGHT:

This is probably the most steady exercising I have ever had. When I look back the last eight months I can say that I have exercised at least 3 times each week. I am still running (and it is getting easier, I can see the improvements) and I do try to lift some weights as well. I try to run when I can but that depends on how hot it is. If it is too hot, I work out on my Total Gym. I still have not lost any more weight but I do look a lot more tone. I am trying to eat better but I have not been very anal. Kristy and I started to get our Bountiful Baskets and so I feel like I am eating a heck of a lot more fruit and veggies. I feel healthier and I guess that is the most important thing.

OTHER STUFF:

I have not done any major art but I am doodling more. Heh, that sounds kinda strange. I am playing my bass guitar pretty regularly now. I keep it by my computer, I know that if I put it away, I will never play it. So I am keeping it out and I am trying to play for at least fifteen minutes (a few songs) a day.
So not too bad. I have to tighten the screws on a few goals and work on them and then I think I am set!

Surviving Girl's Camp

Day 232

Let's just say this. If I had to do it again, I would do it in a flash with only a few minor differences. I would stay the whole time and I would make sure that I drink lots of water.

Speaking of water, I learned from Taylor that you can tell how much water you drink by how much skin you can pull from your kneecap. She told me that I don't drink enough water. I guess I have a lot of skin around my kneecap. See? I did learn something at Girl's Camp! I should have seen the signs.

I had a great time at Girl's Camp and so did Logan. Logan really should have loved all the extra attention he got. His newly buzzcut was constantly stroked by one of the girls with them telling him that he was so handsome. I would say that he was a chip off the 'ol block but he is a cut above what I brought to the table. At least he got his eye color from me.

We arrived at the cabin and quickly set it up because it was about to storm and it really rained hard. Manuel and I quickly set up some tarps to offer some protection from the rain. Then the rain stopped and we ate lunch and went out for a long hike.

It was sunny for most of our hike.

Except in the beginning where we thought the lightning might kill us before the rain drowns us.

Logan and I were not the only guys at Girl's Camp. Manuel was there also to help set up camp but we also had Anthony.

Kara, Taylor and I teased Logan as he was about to use Anthony that he should remember to flush. After Logan came out, Taylor asked Logan if he flushed and Logan just ignored her and went up the hill. After a few steps Logan turned to me and called the girls crazyheads.

It rained hard again and then disappeared as quickly as it appeared. After the hike we got back to the cabin and before dinner the girls had an activity, they gave each other pedicures.

So I guess I was not that far off with the whole makeup and painting nails. Logan and I didn't get one. They didn't offer and we didn't ask!

We ate dinner in the rain and finally the rain stopped and all the girls came out to make smores and roast Starbursts. Yup, you heard me right, Starbursts. I have never tried this and being a major candy addict, I had to try it. And I have to admit they were awesome. Crunchy on the outside and creamy in the middle. We also sang a bunch of absolutely silly (but fun) songs my personal favorite being the Beaver Song.

You can't tell from this picture but it is pouring out!

I wonder who was the person who thought of roasting Starbursts and what were they thinking?

Silly dancing and singing? Check. Blackmail pictures? Check.

This was the first time I had heard any of these songs.

Logan and I doing "Beaver Time!"

That night Logan and I slept in the front room of the cabin. Manuel was out in his camper, the girls were all outside sleeping in tents and the Young Woman Leaders were in the back room. Everyone was cold but me. I think I got majorly dehydrated. Just as everyone was settling in a major thunderstorm swept through and knocked one of the girl's tents down. They came in to the cabin and Manuel said they could stay in his camper. So where did Manuel sleep? He drove home! I didn't know that was an option. I don't think I slept much that night. I got so hot that I would kick off my sleeping bag and then minutes later I would be freezing my rear off and I would snuggle in my sleeping bag. I did that all night.

I woke up early (I don't think I actually fell asleep) and got my gear all ready to go. I wanted to be awake and ready before any of the girls came into the cabin. I walked some of our gear to our car and by the time I got back most of the girls were up. We ate some fantastic crepes and then packed up and headed to Bear Lake. It was sooooo cold, at least it was for the first little bit and eventually it warmed up. We went to a private beach that only allowed one or two vehicles so we met at a Bear Lake Pizza joint and we all climbed in Manuel's camper and drove in.

I was the last one to get in, I wanted to make sure all the girls got in and had someplace to sit/stand. I shut the door and when I slammed the door it broke into two doors. It didn't actually break but I had no idea how to get the door shut. Manuel started to go and the girls screamed that the door was not shut so I sat by the door to hold it in place. As I looked back at the girls I felt like we were fugitives or smugglers.

Riding in the camper. Hoping to make it across the border into the private beach.

Logan looks like he has had enough of all the girls especially all cramped in the camper.

That's me in the hat holding the door tightly closed so we wouldn't lose any girls.

We played at the beach and I took a nice nap on the grass in the sun. We then ate pizza (the biggest pizzas I have ever seen, they were 28 inches!) and we headed back to camp. At this point I was feeling really sick. I stupidly forgot my asthma medication at home and I was already having difficulty breathing. I got to remember that I am also very sensitive to the heat and I easily get Heat Exhaustion. I thought I was going to barf all the way back to camp. I had planned on staying till that evening but instead Logan and I left when we got back to camp. Kristy drove us home and got a ride back up with another lady going to camp. A couple of Crystal Lights and Mountain Dews along with my asthma inhaler and I was feeling a bit better. But I was sad that I had to leave the girls.

I was really impressed with these girls. They were so kind, funny, helpful and a joy to be around. But I was amazed at how these girls carried themselves. It is hard to put into words and describe what I think and feel about these wonderful girls. But I want to share an experience that I had at Girl's Camp, one that made the whole experience worth it.

The older girls prepared a theme for camp and it was about Helaman and the Stripling Warriors. For those that are not familiar with this story let me give you the Cliff Notes version. There were these people called the Anti-Nephi-Lehies. They made a promise to God that "they never would use weapons again for the shedding of man’s blood". A few years later they were attacked by the Lamanites. The Anti-Nephi-Lehies were considering breaking their oath to defend themselves when two thousand of their sons (who had been too young at the time to have made the promise) volunteered to fight. Though every soldier was wounded at one time or another, there were no fatalities among the warriors. Helaman, their commander and the young men themselves, attributed this to the upbringing provided by their mothers and the great faith they exhibited.

So now you have some background on who these Stripling Warriors are. The older girls at the camp said that it was not only their mothers that taught the Stripling Warriors but also the other women in their lives. It was their girlfriends, their best friends and their little sisters that helped them and inspired them.

Yes, costumes were all part of this presentation.

Kristy and some of the other leaders singing that awesome song they wrote.

The youngest girls are called Beehives. They were so excited to be the little sisters of the Stripling Warriors.

They introduced these concepts to the other younger girls and they also took one of my favorite church songs (We’ll Bring the World His Truth) and re-wrote the lyrics. And I have to admit that I was touched. It reminded me of what I should be doing and who I am doing it for.

I would be happy and proud to have any of these awesome young women to be my little sister.

Thanks to all the girls and the inspired leaders for making Logan and I feel welcome. We had a good time.