So Long NaBloPoMo

Having now completed my second NaBloPoMo I have to say that November has become my favorite month to blog. I love the challenge of coming up with topics that are fun to write about, while interesting for people to read. I think this year the readership of this blog increased dramatically for NaBloPoMo. For the past few months I would receive a comment every week or two, but I've read comments almost daily during November. I attribute this to two things: More of you are checking in daily to read what's going on and the posts have covered more topics on which you have an opinion. Think about it, this month we've discussed School Vouchers, 1977, 2008 Presidential Campaign, The Utah byu Game, 5 Things About Me, and Vacuums. Who couldn't get excited about topics like these?!

Another major thing happened this month, I realized that people outside my little world read my blog. If you noticed that a post was removed by me during the month you may have asked why. Here's the story. I wrote a post about trying to work for a minor league basketball team a couple of weeks ago. In the post I made comments about the fact that I probably wasn't going to get the chance to really do anything and I was upset because I felt like I had more experience than the people they would be using. I didn't think anything of the comments until the day after I posted.

That afternoon my friend called me to say that the minor league team had read my blog and they weren't happy. They said, "We'd rather hire people who aren't as good, then work with people who are critical." Two things crossed my mind when I heard about this: 1) Someone actually took the time to do a search on this stuff and came across my blog. 2) Someone actually took the time to do a search on this stuff, came across my blog, and took offense by what I had written. I didn't really know what to do about the whole situation, so I took the post down and sent an email to the minor league basketball team to apologize. So here's the question I've been asking myself - should I have removed the post or not?

iPod Surprises

They say that you can tell a lot about someone based upon what's in their iPod. While most of the contents of my iPod aren't that surprising, there are a few things that you probably wouldn't have guessed. Here are the biggest shockers:

ABBA - Gold. I really like listening to a few of their songs. Dancing Queen has a great intro and a very catchy chorus. Take A Chance on Me is another classic and what can you say about Knowing Me, Knowing You.

Norah Jones - Come Away with Me. This is an album that carries one particular memory. Tara and I were in California during May 2003 trying to get pregnant. We were there for ten days in a rental car and we picked up this CD while still at the airport. I can't hear any of the songs without thinking of that trip and our attempt to get pregnant.

10,000 Maniacs - Our Time in Eden. This is certainly another nostalgic album. I remember riding around in Jeff's car listening to Candy Everyone Wants for hours. He couldn't get enough of that song and it still makes m smile to this day. Give em what they want...

Vince Guaraldi Trio - A lot of you are saying WHO? All I need to say is the Peanuts music and you'll know. I love listening to jazz and the songs associatied with Charlie Brown and Peanuts gang are so great to listen to. These are songs that take you back to childhood and innocence. Whether it's the Great Pumpkin Waltz or Christmas Time is Here I love listening to this CD.

John Denver - To those who know me well, this is no surprise. But I know that some of you are snickering to yourselves out there. I can't stand country music, and I'll argue that Denver technically isn't country, but I love his songs about a simple life and country living. Rocky Mountain High, Calypso, Eagle and the Hawk, and Flying for Me are some of my favorite songs and I never get tired of this good ol' country boy.

So, there you have it. Maybe you know a little more about me by knowing some of the songs on my playlists. Were there are surprises?

Til Someone Gets Hurt

I saw this story the other day on the news and thought the officer was justified, after watching the entire video there's no doubt in my mind. If you watch the video you'll see that the officer is trying to resolve the situation, but the driver won't let him. When a cop tells you to get down you don't walk away from him. When you're pulled over for speeding you don't walk to the speed limit sign to argue your case. That's what you do when you go to court to fight the ticket. The driver took the situation to a higher level and didn't really give the officer any choice. Even after the guy was tased and cuffed he kept walking around behind the cop - get a clue!! I felt bad for the driver's wife, but these two have watched way too many police shows on TV to think that they have the right to argue with the police in the middle of an arrest.

I think this story is another example of people feeling entitled to do or say whatever they want. Whether it's drivers on the road, athletes on the court, students in the classroom, customers at the store - everyone seems to feel they have the right to act however they want. I see this mind set way too often and it gets old. I'm not saying that people don't have rights, but you don't have the right to be belligerent and not pay the consequences.

It's too bad that this situation happened, but if this guy thinks he can sue the highway patrol for the way he was treated - he better have a good attorney.

It's Beginning to Look a lot like...

For the past month we've had the warmest weather I can remember. Can you believe that about a week ago it almost reached 70 degrees for the daytime high. I mean, how many time can you go to work in November without taking a jacket? Still, I thought I had better get up on the roof to put up the Christmas lights, even though it didn't really feel like the holiday season was upon us. Tonight, I'm glad I put the lights up early this year....

Back Home Again

In a couple of hours we'll be back on the road, headed for home. It's been a good time down in New Harmony for the holiday (in spite of the digestion dilemmas). This was the first time in years that my family was together for Thanksgiving, since Jason has always had to work on Black Friday (when did they start calling it that?). Sure, there wasn't enough room for everyone at night, and bathrooms were on stand by, but we made it work. While we were down South we found out some big family news and my mom celebrated another birthday (she's 39 and holding). All in all a pretty good trip. Here are some photo highlights:

Turkey Death Toll

Like many people I thought I had simply eaten too much turkey and was suffering the effects. For the first hour or so I was mildly out of sorts; however, as the evening progressed, I knew I was starting to get pretty sick. There was a severe pain in the middle of my chest, no not the heart, just below it. I tried Tums, I tried GasX, I tried laying in multiple positions, nothing worked. It got bad enough that I actually refunded my thanksgiving dinner. Nothing, and I mean nothing, is better the second time around.

It was finally to the point that I knew we would have to go out to get some medicine. I've had this pain twice before in my life and the only thing that worked is Mylanta (blatant sales pitch). The first time I had this pain, it was so bad that Tara and I actually went to the Emergency Room. Imagine how embarrassed we were when it turned out to be severe gas, caused by overeating. Now, I didn't think I ate too much this time, but there was no mistaking the result. So, around 9 pm, Tara and I hopped into the car and drove into Cedar City, to the only store open on Thanksgiving night - Walmart. Now you know how sick I was feeling!

Within minutes of drinking the Mylanta the pain was gone and I was back to my cheerful self again. The only problem was that I wasn't the only casualty of the Turkey onslaught. Over the weekend several members of my family have gotten sick to the point of refunding. Alex, Big Al, Alicia, Evan, Mom, and Liam have all joined me at the porcelain throne to give a deposit. Not even the Mylanta could prevent all the tummy troubles (although we did go through the entire bottle!). I don't know if we'll be able to enjoy another Thanksgiving feast without recalling 2007 as the year we all got sick!

yankees and cougars

Well, the Utes made their annual appearance in games soon to be on Classic Cougar Sports. Just like last year, Utah took a lead into the final minute and a half, only to give back the game in less than 60 seconds on the clock. What is it with Utah when they have the cougars pinned deep in their own territory with 4th and forever? Unlike last year, the Utes were totally outplayed in the game. It actually took one drive in the 4th quarter to even make Utah respectable this afternoon.

I could talk even more about the game today, but I'd rather talk about a subject that's been on my mind lately - What the cougars and yankees have in common. Here are 5 things that make my list.

History - Perhaps it's the fact that their best years are in the past, but each team has a sense that they are entitled to some type of respect due to their best seasons. 1984 was a great year for byu, but it was 23 years ago. I don't think we need to hear about that team anymore. I know that the yankees have won 26 championships, when was the last one? Enough said.

Honor Code - Both the cougs and the yanks feel that they meet a higher standard due to the length of their hair or the lack of facial hair on their chins. Let's forget about the fact that 1/2 of the guys that actually play are tatted up from head to toe. Say what you want about the honor code, the truth is that the best players have had a different standard throughout most of each team's history.

Money - Or sure you'll say that byu isn't rolling in the dough, but the facts are that they are a private school, they have a national following, and they recruit from a different base than any other Mountain West team. Does this sound like a team from the Bronx?

Superiority Complex - With the yankees all we ever heard about was the Curse. Oh, the Sox couldn't overcome their history and a trade that was made over 80 years ago. In recent history that curse doesn't seem to get brought up quite so often. Today the cougs started to pull out their own version of a curse. "We call it 'magic happens,"' Hall said. "Certain things happen to allow you to win games and I think that was definitely a magic play." I guess we should start calling Max Hall - Merlin, even if he was only 17 of 40 with an INT and no TD's. That's where the magic happens. But byu is very humble and grateful to have come out with a win.

Last, they both suck! Perhaps not my strongest argument, but one that can't be overlooked. I would always rather lose a UTE/RED SOX, than win a cougar/yankee.

Rivalry Week

Since I've been away from campus this week with the holiday I feel like the rivalry's been kinda quiet. The cougars may have wrapped up the conference, but it's anybody's game tomorrow in Provo. The Utes are on a roll with 7 straight wins, and several blowouts. I don't want to predict the score for tomorrow, but don't be surprised if we have another 34-31 score. Let's just hope it's for the Utes. To get you fired up out there check out these reminders from years past:




or what about his one?



Let's go UTES!!!

I'm Grateful for Alex

What can you say when a 3 foot whirlwind enters your lives? Just sit back and enjoy the experience. Alex entered our lives in the blink of an eye and now we can’t imagine life without him. Here’s how it happened:

In the summer of last year we were preparing to go through the adoption process again. Kennedy was 1 ½ and we didn’t want to let too much time pass before trying to add to our family again. Adopting a second child generally takes a lot longer than your first. Finding Kennedy was a miracle, since it took no effort on our parts. We didn’t think that lightning could strike twice, we were wrong.

It was a Tuesday evening and I had just arrived at Bishopric meeting when Dick mentioned that he had some news, “Jared, I think found you a son.” What?! “One of the women in my office was approached by the Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS) about taking her grandson over the weekend. She mentioned that she couldn’t possibly handle another child, since she had a 3 year old at home. So, are you interested?”

Wow, we were planning on getting a child sometime in the next year, not sometime in the next week. I went home and Tara and I talked about the possibility of adopting a child through foster care. That really wasn’t something we’d ever considered. There were so many challenges about going through foster care: temporary custody, interesting birth parents, problems with substance abuse, etc..

After talking about things for around a week, we decided that we would call the grandmother and see what we could find out. It appears that Alex was taken from his birth mother due to meth in his system at birth. Every thing seemed to be fine and there was no trace of addiction, but there’s so little known about the drug that’s it is difficult to know the long-term prognosis. Even with some possible developmental problems, we still wanted to find out more.

The following week there was a custody meeting to discuss Alex’s future. We were invited to attend and so we showed up at the courthouse in West Jordan, not knowing what we were getting ourselves into. As we waited for the hearing to begin, an interesting crowd started to gather – I think Tara and I were the only who thought that people still dressed up to go to court. Once inside, the crowd got even more diverse as a side door opened and an inmate from the county jail was escorted inside. At that moment I knew that we had to go through with this, no matter the result. Alex needed a chance to have a normal life; one where his parents weren't going in and out of jail, where he wasn't going to end up as part of the system, one where he could have stability at home. Even if it was only for a short time, Alex needed us.

As the hearing progressed it was apparent that the judge wanted Alex placed in the custody of a foster family. We had hoped that DCFS would make a petition on our behalf to receive temporary custody, while our foster care paper work could be completed. As the hearing ended a request was made to give us an extended visit. We thought it was a chance to see Alex and get to spend a little bit of time together. It was much more than that.

Alex was placed with us a week later and he's become a fixture in our lives. We might not have had 9 months to prepare for his arrival like everyone else, but within a few short moments we fell in love with our special little boy and that's all the time we needed. I'm grateful that the Lord put us in the right place, at the right time. I'm grateful for Alex.

I'm Grateful for Kennedy

I am so grateful for our little DeDe. She is a spark plug in a our home and I don't know where we'd be without her. Here is an except from the story of how Kennedy came into our lives. I originally wrote this in 2005, and it captures the essence of how I felt about Kennedy coming into our lives.

As most of you know Tara and I struggled to have children for many years. We invested many of our emotional and physical resources into the goal of bringing a spirit into our home. Yet, all of our efforts seemed fruitless- that is until we met a special young lady in July of 2004. This woman had made some wrong choices in her life. One of the choices led her to a pregnancy for which she felt she could not provide. After a few meetings with the young expecting mother, she decided that the best choice for the unborn child was adoption. Tara and I were overjoyed and the prospect of starting our family. We knew that our Heavenly Father had heard our prayers and was aware of our needs.

Months passed, and finally the big day arrived. Little Kennedy Faith was born and twenty minutes later Tara and I were able to hold our daughter for the first time. The bond was immediate. As Tara and I enjoyed those precious first moments with Kennedy, the young mother lay exhausted in her hospital bed. She too, was overjoyed at the healthy arrival of this beautiful baby. The next evening, the time for placement of the child arrived.

The young mother packed up her bags and prepared for her discharge from the hospital. She was able to spend a few precious moments with the beautiful child she brought into the world. She knew that these kisses and hugs might be the last ones she would enjoy in this life. Yet, she was determined that her choice was the right one. She wanted the little girl to have a mother and a father.

As we met together in that tiny hospital room the spirit was overwhelming. Everyone knew that this adoption was part of our Father in Heaven’s plan for little Kennedy. The young mother placed the child in Tara’s arms and everyone began to share in tears of joy. Moments later, the young mother picked up her bags and left. I have been witness to many difficult things in my life, but I have never witnessed sacrifice like I did that night. I learned that night that sacrifice has eternal rewards. Little Kennedy has blessed the lives of our family and friends. This young mother made the ultimate sacrifice and Kennedy Faith shall reap in the blessings of this choice.

I love little Kennedy with all of my heart. I still can't believe she turns 3 next month. That 3 years ago we were blessed to have the precious little girl placed in our arms is something for which I'll always be grateful.

Here's a little bonus video I thought I'd share:

I'm Grateful for Tara

I thought this would be a good time to talk about some of the people I'm grateful for in my life. Rather than tell you how much Tara means to me in the now, I'd like to reminisce about the past. Here's my version of how Tara and I first met.

In the Spring of 1996 I was a newly returned missionary headed back to the U to resume my education. I was bright eyed and full of hope that I would meet a girl and get married. Little did I know how quickly that would happen. Like any good RM I was enrolled in two Institute classes, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. I can't even remember the content of the classes, but I remembered my afternoon class because of a pretty, young lady. My friend Dave was the first to arrive to class and he generally sat in the same seat every day. There was an empty seat beside him and that's where I would go. It just so happened that Tara was the young lady in the next seat over.

We struck up a conversation one day in class and she told me that she was also a newly returned missionary. I don't think the class made much of an impression on either of us, but we were starting to make an impression on one another. Each time the class would end I would go home kicking myself because I didn't have the guts to ask her out.

Finally, I decided to play the coy line, "So, do have big plans for the weekend?" I was stunned when her response came back, "As a matter of fact I do have big plans." After weeks of conversation and social ground work I was shot down; I was totally dejected. I assumed it was only a matter of time before she was going to give me the old "I just think of you as a friend" line that I had heard so often as a teenager.

For the next month we talked and kept a friendly acquaintance going, but I was totally gun shy about asking Tara on a date again. I decided to go for broke on the 9th May of 1996 and asked if Tara wanted to go out on the following Friday. Much to my amazement, she said YES!

Tara and I started dating and by the end of the summer things were starting to get pretty serious. I had actually met her parents and they hadn't kicked me out! Before you knew it, March of 97' was upon us and Tara and I were engaged.

The rest, as they say, is history. 11 years, 2 kids, and 1 mortgage later - Tara and I are still in love and our relationship grows stronger everyday. I can't imagine my life without her and I'm still amazed that pretty, young lady said yes when I asked her out on a date.

This Post Sucks

You know it's a slow blog day when you're posting about getting a new vacuum, but it's our first one in over ten years. Think of all the different things that have happened since we last bought a vacuum. The Red Sox won the World Series..twice, we elected George Bush...twice, and we had a child...twice. And through it all we used a Dirt Devil vacuum. I still remember when we bought it. I thought it was such an adult purchase. A home appliance that cost $150, who would have thought it.

This new vacuum isn't much to write about. I mean, come on, who really cares about a vacuum. I tried to do a little research, read a few reviews, and made sure I didn't buy it at Walmart. My only real criteria was that I didn't want to spend more than $150 dollars, but the closer to $100 the better.


My favorite part of the Bissell Momentum is Alex's reaction to it. He hates it. I think it's his nemesis. Anytime it's in the room he intentionally walks away from the Momentum. In fact, when we turn it on, he cries and runs out of the room. I guess it's a good thing we have hard wood floors throughout the upstairs.

Man, this post sucks.

Cabin Fun

It had been way too long since we've had a cabin party with my Snow friends, so I decided it was time to get together. Everyone was invited but it was the regulars that showed up-Pats, Ang, Mary, and me. Families were invited this time and boy was it fun. 13 kids between the four of us and that makes for a full cabin. As Jared posted already, there were some fun parenting lessons going on.

Everyone seemed to have fun amid the chaos. We enjoyed the awesome weather with a walk down to the swings and the river. We played a little football, soccer, frisbee and chased the kids as they tried to jump in the frigid river water. The kids had a blast and I think we were all grateful to get out of the cabin for a couple of hours. After some food and a poor attempt at trying to get the kids to settle down and watch a movie, we decided to pack it up and head home. The kids and parents were exhausted, but it was worth the trip to the cabin to see everyone and catch up a little on what everyone is doing.




I really am thankful for the friendships that I made at Snow College and that I am able to stay in touch with them. We have so much fun together. Hopefully, we will do it more often.

Parenting 101

Yesterday we went to Tara's cabin to see all our her friends from college. Nothing much, just a BBQ with four families and 13 kids!! With so many children it was easy to spot similar phrases and parenting styles to ours. Here were some of the best lines in a day filled with parenting wisdom:

Don't throw dirt at your sister.

Get up, you're ok.

Is that dirt or deer poop?

Do you need to go potty?

You need to be nice to Rachel.

You can't eat on the carpet. Either sit down in the kitchen or you'll have to eat outside.

Did you know that Austin can open both outer doors?

Not IT!!

Do you need to go potty?

You're closer than I am.

It's your turn for this dirty diaper.

We don't say those kinds of things.

Alex, don't touch the stove.

Do you need to go potty?

Either go up or down. We can't keep climbing the ladder.

We need to put on jammas so we can go home.

No one is looking at your bobbies. You can change your shirt down here.

I thought you said you didn't need to go potty!


It was great to spend time with some of our best friends and it was even better to know we're not alone in Parenting 101.

I Should Do This More Often

I love sports. I've played sports most of my life. I starting playing tee-ball with the boys when I was in kindergarten and just kept on going, right through college. Of course, I don't play much any more, but every time I play volleyball, softball, basketball, tennis, etc. (which isn't often), I ask myself, why don't I do this more often? I guess the 2 kids under the age of 3 and a husband with 3 jobs and a bishopbric calling might be part of it, but I really need to find some time to get out and just play.

My life still seems to always have something going on that revolves around sports (and that's not just because Jared has ESPN on most of the time.) Since I was 16, the majority of my jobs have revolved around sports and recreation. From being a softball umpire, working at a gym and running youth sports leagues, I have worked around sports.

Most of my church callings have also been sports-oriented. I currently am the region sports director, which includes running volleyball and basketball tournaments for the young women and women of 9 stakes (approximately 24 teams). After 2-3 months of prep work and the past 2 weeks of overusing babysitters and being gone all night, the tournaments are over. I felt that they were a success and that's not just because our women's team won the tournament! I really enjoy being a part of these programs, even though they take me away from my family more than I would like. I guess if I had to choose between this calling and gospel doctrine teacher, I will take the sports calling any day.

5 Places I'd Really Like to Go

Here's the latest installment in our list of 5 things. This week I thought I'd mention 5 places or events I'd really like to go to or see.

The new 7 wonders of the World: Rather than mention each of them as a separate place, it's easier to make them a collective location. If you haven't heard about the international vote that recently took place the 7 locations changed over the summer. They now include: The Great Wall of China, Chichen Itza, Machu Picchu, Christ the Redeemer, the Colosseum, Taj Mahal, and the Ancient City of Petra. It would be awesome to witness all of these incredible monuments and be a part of history.

MLB Parks: I would love to take a summer road trip and visit every park in Major League Baseball. It would mean seeing games for all 30 teams, in 27 cities and 2 countries. So far, I've seen games in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia. That means we've been to 2 of the best parks in baseball, Fenway Park and Wrigley Field. I know you may not believe it, but I even want to see Yankee Stadium.

Washington D.C: I am dying to see our Nation's capital. I want to see the White House, the Lincoln Memorial, the Smithsonian, the Pentagon, the Washington Monument, and Gadsby's Tavern. I think that everyone needs to go to Washington at some point in their lives to soak in the history and learn about our country. The best part of this one is that I'm probably going to a conference in D.C. in 2009. Let's hope the Nationals are playing at home that week and I'll be even closer to my goal.

Alaska: There's something about Alaska that really intrigues me. Maybe it's the sheer size of the state. Maybe it's the location. Maybe it's the climate. I don't know. I just know that I will go to Alaska at some point in my life. I want to see the Northern Lights and experience a day without any light. Alaska is a land of mystery and I definitely want to see it.

The Summer Olympics: We got a little taste of what an Olympics is like back in 2002 and I want to see the summer games at some point. I don't even know when or where, but I think it would be amazing to watch the greatest athletes in the World compete for a couple of weeks. Ideally, I'd like to go when the games are in some exotic location, buy I'll go even if they were in Provo, Utah.

So, there's my new list. Some places weren't surprising, others may have been. What are your must see locations?

Race Matters

Lately, it seems the issue of race has been on my mind a lot. A couple of weeks ago This American Life focused on Harold Washington, the former mayor of Chicago. It was amazing to listen to all the hatred he received due to the color of his skin - a caller to Washington's weekly radio show asked if he would "remove the elevators and install vines" in the city offices. This wasn't 50 years ago, this was 1983 we're talking about. In spite of the bigotry demonstrated towards him, Mayor Washington was often quoted as saying that he would be "fair, even fairer than fair" to all people. Washington seems a great man and he was good for the people of Chicago.

For the past month I've been reading Barack Obama's autobiography, Dreams from my Father, and race is a central theme throughout the entire book. It's amazing to view the world through a different lens to see the way people are treated. If you didn't know Senator Obama is biracial with a black father and a white mother. Throughout his childhood he was raised by his maternal grandparents in Hawaii. Even though his upbringing was as racially neutral as possible, there's a poignant moment where his grandparents get into an argument over an experience Toots, Barack's grandmother, had while waiting for the bus. Apparently she was approached by a man who hassled her for money. She was scared and didn't want to return to the bus. There's nothing to the story, until Barack's grandfather brought up the fact that the man was black. Gramps was upset with Toots that she could still have those feelings with their family being a biracial one.

This got me to thinking. I know that I claim to be open to all people, no matter their race, but the truth of the matter is that I'm not involved with issues of race at all. I have acquaintances who are black, but no friends. I have no colleague at work, no one I worship with, no one I encounter on a regular basis who is black. How do I know if I am truly a person who judges others "by the content of their characters and not the color of their skins"? I guess what I'm trying to say is that I hope by reading about other's lives and learning from their stories I hope to say that I truly care for all people, regardless of what's on the outside.

Yesterday, I wrote about candidate Obama and his bid to be president. I really hope he has a chance in the election, but I wonder - is America ready to have a black president?

To illustrate the idea that race matters in America, here's a clip I stole from Annie's blog.

Heated Debate

It's been interesting to watch the Presidential campaign progress over the past several months. For the longest time, everyone has been emphasizing their similarities with one another. Now, I'm not the kind of guy who wants to see people argue, but I don't believe that the candidates are all that similar. I've made no pretense that Barack Obama is the candidate I'd like to receive the Democratic nomination for President. Obama isn't really very similar to the other candidates and that's what I like about him. I want him to point out what makes him different. I think that everyone trying to be same is the main reason Hilary Clinton has such a big lead. She's the only one with a lot of name recognition, so on a stage full of men, people naturally see her as different.

Tonight's debate was the first time that the candidates talked about their differences. There were several instances where the talk got pretty intense, particularly when it came to Senator Clinton's stance on the issues. Barack was one of the most ardent critics of Hilary's in tonight's debate and I think it is essential that he stress what makes him the better candidate. Did he win the debate - no one really wins in a debate of 8 candidates, but going on the offense may be his last chance with the way the polls are going. I enjoyed watching the debate and hearing the candidates share their thought on our Nation's future. After two hours of the debate I came back to the same question I've been asking myself for months:

The Democrats don't really think that Hilary Clinton can win the Presidential election, do they?

Flashback: March

Last night I finally broke down and copied the footage from the camcorder to the computer. There really wasn't any reason why I hadn't done this sooner, but we only have one DV tape and we needed to use it again. It has been one year since we last downloaded the video and it was great to watch our family over the months. I think my favorite clip from the year was Alex eating pureed peas. At first he slurps them in as though they're pretty tasty. However, about 10 seconds later the peas hit Alex's taste buds and his true reaction comes out...

News Flash

About two months ago Ian called and asked me if I was interested in scorekeeping for the new minor league basketball team. It sounded like fun, and a little bit of extra money, so I agreed. Over the past month or so I've been trying to find out more particulars about the job, when they would need me and what I'd be doing. Each time the response came back that the head guy wanted me involved, but there weren't any specifics.

This leads to tonight. Ian told me that there was a intersquad scrimmage and when he asked the head guy about me, he said, "Sure, bring him." Not exactly a vote of confidence for me. Well, we just got back from Orem and I didn't do one thing during the two hour scrimmage. It appears that someone else had some friends and they ran the scoreboard, not me. Needless to say, after 10 mistakes from the scorer's table in the first half, I hope they reconsider and give me a chance to get in the game.

Diary of a Utah Fan

I can't believe that after a 50-0 win on Saturday I'd be saying how disappointed I am in my team. Sure, the Utes controlled every aspect of their win over Wyoming, but we didn't have any class in the way we played. Utah ran several trick plays, including an on sides kick (43-0 at that point) with the game completely out of reach. I know that the Wyoming coach had guaranteed a victory to a group of his students last week and that's the reason Kyle Wittingham was so upset. Still, the only thing that kept coming back to me is running up the score is something Crowton would have done. We keep changing places with the 03'-04' Cougars, which isn't the team to emulate. They ran the score up a couple of times in Crowton's first year and got it handed to them in the subsequent years. We're not good enough to provide teams with emotional motivation when they play us - trust me.

Don't get me wrong - I am happy our Utes have started playing better, I only hope our coaches and players will start behaving better as well.

Day of Rest?

We've been told that Sunday is supposed to be our day of rest each week, but it is a pretty full day when you're in a bishopric. Here is a look at my typical Sunday:

7:30 Bishopric Prayer Meeting
8:00 Meet with Auxiliaries
9:00 Bishopric Correlation Meeting
9:30 Ward Council
11:00 Church
2:00 Interviews/Finances
3:00 Wrap Up Bishopric Meeting

Usually I'm home sometime between 3 and 4 to spend time with my family and rest. Unless there's home teaching, a fireside, visits to the members, or a setting apart. I think I actually get less rest on Sunday than just about any other day of the week. I need a nap.

5 People I'd Really Like to Meet

I've decided to continue with my 5 things theme from last Saturday and talk about 5 people I'd really like to meet. My criteria for this week is that the individuals are living, that they should be notable for some type of acheivement, and I wanted to pick people from a variety of categories (religious, politics, etc). So here's my list in no particular order:

Sports: If I could meet one person who's been involved in sports it would be John Wooden. I am so impressed with his huge achievements on the court, but even more impressed with his philosophies off the court. My favorite aspect of Coach Wooden are the impressive quotes I've read attributed to him. He has an incredible outlook on what's important - basketball is not important.

Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability.

I can't imagine anyone who has gotten more out of the people he worked with than Coach Wooden. I would love to spend time around this great man.

Politics: I know that this won't be very popular, but I would love to meet Bill Clinton. I can't think of anyone else who has the ability to enter a room and immediately command everyone's attention like the former president. Even though he is a man with many character flaws and personal demons, I believe that his sincerest desire is to help people. Over the past month or so I've been listening to Clinton's book called Giving. It's been an incredible experience to listen to so many inspiring stories about how people can help one another. I truly believe that he's one of the people in this world who is trying to use his celebrity to help others.

Entertainment: Speaking of who uses his celebrity to help others, I would really like to meet Bono. U2 has to be the band of my generation and Bono is certainly the driving force. For so long U2 has been a band with a message, with Bono being the voice of that message. In the past decade Bono has done so much to try and alleviate suffering in the poorest countries in the world, it is truly inspiring. Not only he is a great humanitarian, but he is the lead singer of the coolest band of the past twenty years. It's good to be Bono and it would be fun to meet him.

Religion: How often do you read that two 90 year olds make someone's have to meet list, but how can you not include President Hinckley on a this list? President Hinckley is such an amazing man. He continues to lead the Church and inspire millions when most people his age are in nursing homes. I admire his moral direction and the witness he bares of his convictions. I appreciate his sense of humor, while he takes his calling seriously, he doesn't take himself too seriously. I know that's he's a man of God and my life has been blessed by listening to his counsel. I've been close to the prophet several times (in very large rooms), but haven't had the chance to meet him. I would love that chance.

Literature: This is the most obscure pick on my list, but I would love to meet Malcolm Gladwell. He is the author of two of my favorite books, The Tipping Point and Blink. Each of these books investigates how little things in our culture or within ourselves can make big differences in the world around. I love Gladwell's writing, as he can talk about deep subjects in a very down to earth manner. I have also enjoyed learning more about his personal interests,and he seems just as interested in basketball as he is in global change. He is truly a fascinating person and I would love to pick his brain.

Well, there you go. 5 people I'd really like to meet? How about you, who's on your list?

Who Needs Mommy?

All week long Tara has been running the Region volleyball tournament as part of her calling. As you can imagine we've needed a lot of help watching the kids. The Houtz and Covili clans have both stepped to the plate and taken turns each day or night that we've both been gone (thank you, thank you, thank you). Last night was my first chance to hang out with the kids - alone. Normally when this happens all I hear for the better part of the evening is: Where's Mommy? I was determined this would not be the case last night.

So, we started out by playing in the kids' room. Our usual routine is that I lay on the ground as Kennedy and Alex both take turns jumping on me. Since I've been a human jungle gym for most of my life this isn't anything new. Although, I can feel a few of those jumps a lot more than I used to...Ouch!

After a while we took our act downstairs and watched a bit of Monster's Inc. I guess I should say that Kennedy watched Monster's Inc. while I chased Alex around the room. That kid shows no interest in watching TV. I shouldn't complain about that fact, but it would be nice if we would stop moving for about 10 minutes once in a while.

I couldn't believe it, but around 7:30 Alex stared fussing like he was ready to go to bed. He's been a bit sick lately, so I'm sure he was worn out and ready for nite-nite. A quick change into jammies, a little bottle, and one child was down for the night.

My second fortune game when Kennedy also wanted to go to bed about 15 minutes later. We read a couple of stories, changing into her "bunny", and prepared to say prayers and brush teeth. Only one problem, within one minute of putting Kennedy into a diaper for the night she prompted declared, "I peed in my diaper." We're still not quite there with the potty training yet. We quickly changed the wet, put on the dry and the kids were both in bed by 8:00.

I was feeling pretty proud of myself as I sat down to watch some TV (The Office was just starting). I thought I would make it for the rest of the evening as Super Dad, and I was almost there, until Alex started to cry right as Tara walked through the door. So who needs Mommy? I do.

Flashback: 1977

I don't normally like to include emails I receive in the blog, but this was too good to pass up.


Last weekend I put an exhaust fan in the ceiling for my wife's grandfather. While my wife's brother and I were fitting the fan in between the joists, we found something under the insulation. What we found was this:


A JC Penney catalog from 1977. It's not often blog fodder just falls in my lap, but holy hell this was two solid inches of it, right there for the taking. I thumbed through it quickly and found my next dining room set, which is apparently made by adding upholstery to old barrels:



Also, I am totally getting this for my bathroom:


There's plenty more home furnishings where those came from, however I'm not going to bore you with that. Instead, I'm going to bore you with something else. The clothes.
The clothes are fantastic.

Here's how to get your a** kicked in elementary school:


Just look at that belt. It's like a boob-job for your pants. He probably needed help just to lift it into place. The belt loops have to be three inches long. And way to pull them up to your armpits, grandpa.

Here's how to get your a** kicked in high school:


This kid looks like he's pretending to be David Soul, who is pretending to be a cop who is pretending to be a pimp that everyone knows is really an undercover cop. Who is pretending to be 15.

Here's how to get your a** kicked on the golf course:


This "all purpose jumpsuit" is, according to the description, equally appropriate for playing golf or simply relaxing around the house. Personally, I can't see wearing this unless you happen to be relaxing around your cell in D-block . Even then, the only reason you should put this thing on is because the warden made you, and as a one-piece, it's slightly more effective as a deterrent against 'prison love'.

Here's how to get your a** kicked pretty much anywhere:

If you look at that picture quickly, it looks like Mr. Bob "No-pants" Saget has his hand in the other guy's pocket. In this case, he doesn't, although you can tell just by looking at them that it's happened - or if it hasn't happened it will. Oh yes. It will. As soon as he puts down his matching coffee cup.

Here's how to get your a** kicked at the beach:

He looks like he's reaching for a gun, but you know it's probably just a bottle of suntan lotion in a holster.

How to get your a** kicked in a meeting:

If you wear this suit and don't sell used cars for a living, I believe you can be fined and face serious repercussions, up to and including termination. Or imprisonment, in which case you'd be forced to wear that orange jumpsuit.

How to get your a** kicked on every day up to and including St. Patrick's Day:

Dear god in heaven, I don't believe that color exists in nature. There is NO excuse for wearing either of these ensembles unless you're working as a body guard for the Lucky Charms leprechaun.

In this next one, Your Search For VALUE Ends at Penneys.

As does your search for chest hair.

And this -- Seriously. No words.

Oh wait, it turns out that there are words after all. Those words are What. The. F***. I'm guessing the snap front gives you quick access to the chest hair. The little tie must be the pull tab.

Also, judging by the sheer amount of matching his/hers outfits, I'm guessing that in 1977 it was considered pretty stylish for couples to dress alike. These couples look happy, don't they?


I am especially fond of this one, which I have entitled "Cowboy Chachi Loves You Best."



And nothing showcases your everlasting love more than the commitment of matching bathing suits. That, and a blonde girl with a look on her face that says "I love the way your junk fights against that fabric."

Then, after the lovin', you can relax in your one-piece matching terry cloth jumpsuits:

I could go on, but I'm tired, and my eyes hurt from this trip back in time. I think it's the colors.

That said, I will leave you with these tasteful little numbers:

Man, that's sexy.

Maybe I laughed so hard because some of these looks were a little close to home. I remember a family photo were Jason and I were wearing those green leisure suits.