Best Seller?

I don't know if it will make the best sellers list or not, but half truths and mild tales Version 2007 is now available through Blurb. I have to say that I love this company. I've made 5 books now with Blurb and the quality is great! It takes a few hours to put together, but what do you expect for a 280 page book. Check out the preview of our latest book. If you want a copy (I won't hold my breath) send me a message and we'll make a deal.

Austin the Actor

Last Saturday night, a few of my family members headed down south to Payson to catch a play ("The Truth about Cinderella) that my nephew, Austin, was in. Can I just say this kid is so dang cute. He wasn't a main character this time like the last play he was in, (he was the genie in Aladdin) but he still got the most laughs. I had to include one of his scenes on the blog.

Click To Play

Kennedy seemed to like the play, but it was a bit long and by the end, she was pretty tired. I'm not sure Jess liked it as much, but at least we were entertained by Kennedy standing up every so often to scratch her bum in front of the entire crowd. She had an itch, so she scratched it.


After the play was over, Kennedy was so excited to see Austin and give him the little treat and card that we all brought him. As I said, Austin is just a great kid. He's got such a cute personality and sense of humor. We just might see him on SNL someday.

Talking Politics

I've heard from several people that the blog has been far too political this month and that I should simply focus on the kids or other funny stories about our Utopian, suburban life. While I agree that all of those things are important, I also want this blog to reflect all the things that make me who I am. I can't write about my life, without including my thoughts on the world, including politics.

Why? Where did this fascination with opinion polls and policy begin? I'm not entirely sure. I remember when I was 18 if someone had asked me what was my "dream job" I honestly would have replied President of the United States. I was hooked on the 92' Election and Bill Clinton was my guy.

Still, my interest in politics didn't isolate me in high school. Most of my friends were actively interested in the same things. Even if we were on separate sides of the issues, we loved to talk about what was happening in the country. While other teens talked about movies, music, and tv - my friends and I talked about foreign policy, poverty, and the economy. Sounds nerdy I know, but this was one of the things that made my group of friends so important to me. We had higher ideas and loftier goals that simply going out on a date (perhaps this is why I didn't go on many dates?).

So, now - 15 years later, the most important election I can remember has come along and guess what - I want to talk about it. Maybe I miss the days around the lunch table in the Colt Cafe, or maybe I still want to believe that we can make a difference.

Dede and the Dentist

It's only taken us a year longer than we had planned, but Kennedy finally visited the dentist this week. We found a dentist who focuses on children and knew that it was time. Kennedy did pretty well. For most of the appointment she was willing to cooperate, still a few tears were shed when the Doc checked her teeth. Oh well, all's well that ends well - Dede ended up with a T-shirt, a balloon, and a new toothbrush. Not bad for a trip to the dentist.

All Nighter

I did something yesterday that I haven't done in years. Nope, nothing illegal, nothing immoral, nothing expensive. Just something stupid. I stayed up all night with my friends. Chappo was in town this week for work and we got together last night. Now, we've stayed up late playing monopoly in the past, but this time the wii was added to the mix. Here's a breakdown of our night:

9:00 - 10:00 pm : Chappo, Jason, and Ian show up at our home. It was time to introduce Chappo to Guitar Hero. Surprisingly, Chappo made it through his first few songs, including Evenflow on Medium. We knew it was time to quit when Tara came down and played a song on expert.

10:15 - 12:00 am : Monopoly games that drag on too long with Ian dominated the contests. I think I made it around the board a couple of times before I was bankrupt. Too bad, I had some good properties. Still, we could tell the game was going nowhere when people were more interested in watch the late night movie on TBS, the 1989 Batman, than rolling the dice. It was time for a change.

12:00 - 2:00 am : We headed down to the basement for some wii Sports action. The game of the night was golf. We played a couple rounds with our foursome, until Jason decided to go home at 2. What a wuss! Come, on we were just getting our second wind. At this point we had to make a decision, do we call it a night or do we push through until I had to leave for Baptisms for the Dead at 5 am? Since I wasn't going to get any sleep regardless, my vote was to continue playing. Chappo and Ian didn't really have any other plans, so the all nighter was set.

2:00 - 4:45 am : We played three more games of golf, with Chappo setting a high score of -7. I managed to get a new career high of -3 and Ian came in with a strong win with a negative score as well. About 4:40 I went upstairs to brush my teeth and put on a tie. I can't believe I stayed up all night.

5:00 am : Everyone left and I headed over to the church to meet the Youth. I managed to stay awake through our session and my all nighter was complete as the clock moved past 7am.

I don't know if I'll ever stay up this long again. My body was out of whack through Sunday night and I wasn't much good around the house. Still, it was fun to spend time with Chappo, while he was in town - maybe we'll get an earlier start next time?

Wrong Holiday

I guess I just don't understand Valentine's Day. Sure, I went out and bought Tara a present, but I think Valentine's Day is becoming more and more like Christmas. Right after I presented Tara with a little token, she told me to preoccupy the kids while she went to get their presents. I didn't think we had gotten them much, maybe a toy or some candy. Boy, was I wrong..

As the kids grabbed their Valentine's packages there must have been 5 or 6 items for each of them. A lot of the stuff came from grandparents, but Alex and Kennedy got a bigger haul than I've ever seen for February 14th. Don't get me wrong, I think it's great to let those we love know how important they are to us, but when are going too far with all the stuff. So, here's my question - Am I a stingy, old fussbucket, or do I need to feel the love more?

Nothing New in Harmony

While there may be nothing new in New Harmony, it is still one of our favorite destinations. We went down to visit my parents last weekend and had a great time. Kennedy and Alex love their Nana and Papa and it was fun to sneak away for a few days during the winter. Here's a recap of the trip.

Highlights:

Playing pool with my dad. I haven't played pool in years, probably not since Chappo still lived with his parents, and it showed. I think the only ball I hit in with any consistency was the cue ball. Not too good, but still a lot of fun.

Our trip to St. George. We went down to Dixie to get out of the snow and into the warmth. I can't tell you how good 65 degrees felt after the winter we've had in Utah. We spent a few hours caching, a few minutes playing at the park, and a few trips to the buffet for dinner.


Relaxing at home with the kids. I shouldn't have to go on vacation so that I can spend time with my kids, but I don't get 4 days of family time very often. We had a great time rolling around on the ground, playing with toys, and watching videos - although I still think Snow Buddies was a terrible show.

Lowlights:

There was only one lowlight. Friday night Kennedy complained repeatedly that she hurt when she went to the bathroom. Now, she's been complaining about a new ailment every night lately, so we weren't sure this wasn't just a ploy to avoid going to bed. We realized however, that she wasn't faking and that she was in some pretty serious pain the next morning when she went potty.

Long story, short. We took Dede to the InstaCare in Cedar City and she was diagnosed with an urinary tract infection. It took about two hours in Cedar though because Kennedy refused to go to the bathroom. A little medicine and she was good as new. Too bad she had to go through a day of discomfort.


We had a great time and thanks go out to my mom and dad. You guys took care of us once again. Thanks for giving us a place to stay, even if it is 265 miles away.

The First Presidency

Lost in all the election news this week was a change in leadership that really mattered. There wasn't any campaigning, no ballots, no stump speeches. When President Hinckley died last week, the Quorum of the Twelve simply took their places in the Apostolic order and a new prophet was selected by the Lord.

President Thomas S. Monson became the 16th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints on Monday and, while it wasn't a surprise, it was interesting to see someone else in the prophet's chair. President Monson is a great man, a wonderful speaker, and a great ambassador for the Church. I have no doubt in his ability to serve in this position.

The only real question for the day was who would become President Monson's counselors. It seemed a foregone conclusion that President Eyring would remain in the First Presidency, since he was only added in October, but no one was really sure who the other couselor would be. I was excited to hear that Deiter F. Uchtdorf was chosen as the new 2nd Counselor. Elder Uchtdorf is still fairly new in the hierarchy of the Church, but he brings a unique perspective as the other member of the Quorum of the Twelve who isn't from America. This is a great step for our church, as we really have become a global faith and not a regional religion.

I am really excited for the new leadership and I look forward to some great years ahead for the Church.

Diary of a Jazz Fan

It's time to discuss things other than delegates and exit polls. We've spent too much time discussing the differences between Red and Blue and now it's time to talk about White. In Utah the one thing that brings everyone together in the midst of conflict is the Jazz.

Utah is on a 10 game winning streak right now and they look good. December was such a disappointment, with a double digit road losing streak and being on the outside looking in for the playoffs. That's long behind the Jazz. With an 11- 2 January the Jazz are in 1st place in the Northwest Division and in 4th place in the conference.

There are a lot of factors involved in the turnaround: Derron Williams is taking over at the end of games, the team's finally realized you have to play on both ends of the court, Kyle Korver is on the court launching 3's, and the Jazz have won 5 straight road games. Of course, it doesn't hurt that the schedule included 12 games at home last month, where the Jazz only have 3 losses. Still, you have to win the games on your schedule and Utah has done that.

It's a good time to be a Jazz fan and a better time to watch a monster jam by Derron Williams. You gotta love it baby!

Enough politics-here's a post about our kids.

Enough of the political posts. I guess I better bring our blog back to the important stuff-our kids.

Some updates on the kids. Alex is 18 months old and is talking like crazy. Too bad we can't understand a word he says. So far, Alex says mama, dada, Dede (we think) and go. Everything is "go" with some mumble jumble before it. The balls are "go", the cars are "go", most animals are "go". He does use it correctly when we are ready to go, or "where did it go", etc. It's his favorite word. Hopefully he will learn a few more favorite words soon.

Alex is very efficient in tearing apart every last thing in our house. In the past month, he has ruined our phone, our wireless mouse, our dvd player, many books, and several dvd's. You think we would learn to put things where he can't get them. The problem is that the kid is a monkey and can climb anything. We are learning though. We bought a new dvd player and it is still in the box on our table. I figure this is the safest place for it. Despite all the destruction, the kid is so dang cute, you can't help but love him.


Kennedy is growing up so quickly. She loves her dance class and also thinks she is going to school. She tells me things that she is doing at school and that she is going to be late for school, etc. I guess she is getting ready for September when she will actually start preschool.

Kennedy loves playing with girlie stuff such as dolls, dress up clothes, lip gloss, etc. I guess I will be okay with this. It's just that when I was her age, I was playing with dump trucks and worms.

Kennedy is my little buddy. We have lots of fun together, whether it's playing Little Pet Shop, dolls (my personal favorite) or Guitar Hero, she's my good little girl.



On a different note, we finally got out of the house today for some fun and spent the afternoon at Jungle Jim's with some of Kennedy's neighborhood friends. The kids had a blast and it was nice for me to talk to some big people.


Alex loved the jeep safari, while Kennedy seemed to have more fun on all the games that cost extra money. She's learning young. It was a fun day and nice to get out of the house for something besides work or grocery shopping. Is anyone else out there ready for warm weather?

Utahns for Obama

I know the road to the White House is long, but it was fun to see the results pouring in last night on Super Tuesday. Even though the Democrats split most of the delegates, Barack Obama was able to gain the win here in Utah! It was great to see so many people standing in line at the polling locations, and even better to see some pick fail to pick up the Republican registration cards (don't get me started). The results started slow with Hillary having an early lead in the Beehive State, but Barack got momentum and cruised to 57% of the vote.

BTW - Thanks to everyone who shared their opinions on my sign of support post. Last time I checked there were 15 comments. Who said people don't like to mix friendship and politics....

Rally Time

After all the comments surrounding my last post, I'm a little unsure whether I should continue to bring up my support of Barack Obama. Still, this is my blog and my forum to share my ideas with the world. Earlier today Jason and I attended the Obama rally at the Salt Palace. It was amazing to see the diversity of people who support the senator. Utah may be a Republican stronghold, but for a few minutes it was Obama country.

Michele Obama was the keynote speaker and she was poignant in her words. This campaign isn't about delegates or margins, it's about CHANGE. She mentioned how each of us can make a difference in the future of our country. Not just during this election, but beyond. I was impressed with her honesty, her sense of humor, and her ability to reach out to others. It was a great meeting.

A couple of nights ago I came across Yes, We Can - a music video, which uses Obama's New Hampshire speech as it's text. If you feel uninspired by politics or the rhetoric you've seen during this campaign I hope this video will give you some insight into my support of the candidate of change.

Sign of Support

I stopped by the Barack Obama office earlier this week to make a bold declaration of support for the senator. I've always shied away from outwardly public notions of political affiliation. Usually, I've leaned towards talking with people about my ideas, rather than putting up signs or stickers. With this campaign, I feel a sense of urgency to declare my support of Senator Obama. The primary is going to be close and anything that can be done to garner support for a good candidate is worth trying. I guess that's why you'll find a sign of our preference as you drive by our house. I can only imagine what the neighbors are saying about this one...

This leads to the question of Why? Why am I voting for Barack Obama? You've read my thoughts about different aspects of his life and ideas for our country. I truly believe that Senator Obama's campaign is not politics as usual. This is not a man who wants to pit Democrats against Republicans and try to gain favor through partisan politics. I think our country has gone though a difficult time in the past 10 years and I don't believe that politics as usual is going to solve our problems. I want to believe that we can make a difference, that the individual matters, that our country can lead through ideas and not through force. I believe in Obama's slogan of HOPE. Without hope our nation wouldn't have become a great world leader, a beacon to all nations.



With the Primary coming up on Tuesday I would really urge people to give Senator Obama a chance. Sure, he won't win Utah in a general election - no Democrat will, but I think we need to have two best candidates in the general election. One of those candidates is Barack Obama.

PS- Another great commentary on the Obama campaign is from my friend Bryan. Check it out.

BTW - Have you received (or forwarded...) the Barack Obama is a Muslim email? Check this out.