Happy Halloween

Let's hope there aren't any more tricks this year!

Falling Leaves

I'll be the first to admit that winterizing the lawn is generally more of a chore than a play day. This year things are different. First, I purchased a leaf blower about a month ago and I can't believe we've lived here for 7 years without one. Before today I had only used it to clear the porch and driveway, but this machine certainly lived up to its name. It was a blast! I know it sounds totally crazy to admit I had fun doing yard work, but I really did.

The other reason we had so much fun was a major leaf fight. The kids I had a great time jumping in the piles and throwing leaves at one another. I think I got the worst of the fight, but I managed to get a good blast in now and again.

Diary of a Utah Fan

I'm sure this will be seen as a major jinx when it comes to Utah's chances at remaining undefeated and heading to a BCS bowl, but two things came across the email wire this week and they are too good to pass on.



The funniest part about this football season is that the Utes being undefeated and in BCS contention is a total surprise. We thought we had a good team, but few really expected a repeat of 2004's magic. So ss fans, we're enjoying the ride - but we realize that it could end any moment (especially when you watch our offense!). BYU fans fully expected to go to the BCS: from the Perfection t-shirts, to the Max Hall for Heisman buzz - nothing could prevent the cougs from BCS busting this year. Except for one thing - playing a team that's above .500!

I Voted...Early

Last year I stood in a 90 minute line to vote, and that was only with an initiative on the ballot. I can only imagine what the lines will be like this year with the Presidential Election, the Gubernatorial Election, Congressional Election, and many other state races to determine the local leaders. Rather than fight the crowds, I went to the Union and cast my vote for change.

But I don't want you to think that I am simply a straight party ticket voter. I actually voted for a fair mix of the parties, with some of my selections coming form the Republican side of the isle. All in all, I'm happy with my ballot. I know most of my candidates won't win locally, but I have a good feeling with the way this election is going to turn out.

It's been eight years since I was able to cast a vote for president that felt like it mattered. Even if it won't change the course of my Red state, it may just signal the change our country is looking for. Regardless of how you feel about the candidates or parties, I hope each of you will take the time to vote this year. If we stop our voices from being heard we'll lose a lot more than an election.

Ding Dang Dome

We had a pretty hectic summer this year which had us running all over the place. One of things I missed most was our annual camping trip. Since it's a bit late in the year for our little ones, I jumped at the chance to head south with the scouts for UEA. Our trip this year was to some fun slot canyons next to Goblin Valley - Ding Dang Dome and Little Wild Horse.

We left yesterday morning and spent most of the day driving. Man, there's nothing like driving for 4 hours with a bunch of 13 year olds. Let's just say that body humor is always entertaining! We arrived at Little Wild Horse and got on the trail around 2:30. The canyon was a lot of fun, only we went a bit further than expected. I thought we'd only go up and down in Little Wild Horse; however, once we got to the top we decided to do the loop down though Bell Canyon. All in all we ended up walking 9 miles in a bit more than 4 hours. Everyone seemed to do pretty well, but Cory, our skater boy, realized that skate shoes aren't always the best for hiking. Still, he persevered and made it back to the car.

We woke up early today and headed back to the valley. This time we hiked Ding Dang Dome. I've been here before, but it was 4 years and a few pounds ago. Still, I was very excited to get back to this area because "bouldering" is awesome! We had a few interesting areas, mostly involving drops of 10 feet or more. The best area was "stemming" across a narrow ravine that had a watery bottom. We got home a little while ago, none the worse for wear - but a little tired. Nothing a few ibuprofen can't take of!

Murder on the Orient Express

Ok, so it wasn't the Orient Express - it was simply our trip to the Halloween version of the Heber Creeper. Alicia had a couple of extra tickets to the haunted house on rails so we tagged along. The only problem was we were one ticket short. Since Tara took the kids on Thomas while I waited behind, we switched places this time - big mistake.

I don't really think that Kennedy was all that scared. Mostly, she wanted the reassurance of having mom nearby. With Alex on my lap, and the kids packed in between us, Kennedy felt a bit alone. She kept asking for her mommy and wanted to get off the train ASAP. Meanwhile, Alex was oblivious to the fact that the ghouls and creatures walking the aisles were supposed to be scary.

Somehow we managed to survive and everyone rushed off the train to make sure mommy was still at the station.

Who is the Real Barack Obama?

"Who is the real Barack Obama?" The question keeps getting asked at each McCain or Palin rally. The answers come flooding in: He's a Muslim, An Arab, he pals around with terrorists. Each day the comments are getting more and more upsetting. People say they're scared, they can't trust him, they don't know him.

Sure, you may not agree with Senator Obama's politics. He has a few things I don't like too, but there's nothing to be scared about if he becomes President. He is a normal person. He's a committed father and husband. He likes sports and exercise and tries to watch what he eats. He believes in God and attends Church regularly. He believes in our Country and wants us to succeed as a Nation. In short, he is more similar to us than he is different from us.

I came across the great clip from the DNC Convention last month. Does this look like the kind of person you need to fear?

Alexander the Terrible

Little Alex has been quite the handful the past few months. He's always been a bit of a tease, but recently, he has turned it up a little. He loves to bug, tease and torment Kennedy. He knows just how to push her buttons and can get her crying pretty quick. He is able to do that with all of us. It's amazing how smart he is and how he knows exactly what to do to get each of us going.


One of my "favorite" button pushers is his new bedtime routine. Anyone who knows me knows that I have very little patience for a kid who won't go to bed. Not that I don't love the little rugrats, but my, oh my, do I need those few hours after they go to bed to relax, recharge and wind down. Alex can climb out of his crib now, and will sneak out of his room. Once we finally get him to stay in his room, he plays with his toys, bugs Kennedy (who crashes the second her head hits the pillow) and trashes the place. Most of the time I will find him out cold on the floor.


On the other hand, he can turn on the charm in a split second. He has the sweetest little smile, flirty little eyes, a very contagious laugh, and is saying the cutest things, like "I wub you", and "kiss?", "hug?", with his hands held out and his little slobbery lips all puckered up. Who can resist that?


Alex is living up to the terrible two's and I hope that the house and the family can survive.

Panic Mode

I haven't chosen to write about the recent crisis on Wall St. because it never really seemed to affect the people on "Main St.". Yes I heard that the situation was bad and that we may not be able to get a car loan, or refinance our house. Still, those weren't really things I was planning to do and so I haven't been on pins and needles. The things that affected my life everyday were the cost of a gallon of gas (now down to $3.49) or the price of groceries (still on the rise). I've tried avoiding checking in on my investments because I really didn't want to see the bad news.

Last night I checked.

It's bad.

I know that I shouldn't be worried. These are long term investments. I shouldn't even think about them for 20 or more years. Still, I'm human. I want to know where I stand. We made investments in college funds for each of our kids last year and as of this morning they're down 44% from when we purchased them. There is plenty of time for things to rebound, but there's a big difference in crossing a stream to fording a river. Right now we're somewhere in the middle, but I'm getting more and more worried every day.


BTW- If you want to understand more about the bailout and the causes of the Wall St. crisis you need to listen to last week's This American Life.

Grassroots Movement

I'm so sick of all the name calling and back biting in the Presidential election that I've decided to do something about it. To watch the video scroll down the box and click the play button.

Yearbook Flashback

Ross came in to work this morning with the newest website craze - www.yearbookyourself.com. Pretty simple concept - upload a picture of your face and then the program allows you to see yourself in yearbook photos from years gone by. Time to relive high school. Can you guess which picture is actually my yearbook photo? My favorite has to be 1984 - Classic!

Sunday Off

I don't get many Sundays off, as it usually is one of my busiest days. When General Conference rolls around though I take full advantage of a few hours at home. Today I chose to update the kids photo pages. It's only been about 6 months or so, but who's counting. Anyway, without further ado, I give you Kennedy and Alex.

Kennedy

Alex

Diary of a Red Sox Fan

It isn't often that lightening strikes twice in the same sports week. Last night it was the Utes pulling it out at the end, tonight it was the Red Sox turn. Boston is playing on the road in the ALDS this year. Normally I wouldn't worry about the Sox against the Angels, but we went 1-8 this year with Anaheim and they were the class of the American League this year. Still, Boston has won 10 straight games against the Halos - well, make that 11 straight games.

Boston went up 4-0 in the first inning tonight and really had the Angels on the ropes. Regardless, it was way to early in the game and Dice K has a way of keeping the opposition in the contest. Sure enough that's exactly what happened. By the end of the 8th inning, it was 5-5 and Angels were the team with momentum. We had one more turn at bat, with K-Rod (the man who set the MLB record for saves this season) on the mound.

We started out with a double from Big Papi and then seemed to run out of gas. It was up to J.D. Drew and he was down to two strikes. I turned to Tara and prophesied, "Here comes the strikeout." It was then that there was a crack of the bat and the ball disappeared into the center field bleachers. I guess I shouldn't give up on the Sox this time of year. 2004 changed everything for Boston, but I guess some old habits die hard for a pessimistic Sox fan. Let's just hope we can sweep the Angels and then repent for a terrible September against the Rays. GO SOX!!

Diary of a Ute Fan

It isn't often that a team, down eight with two minutes left in the game, comes back. It's even less frequent that Utah comes back when down in the 4th. Still, that's what happened tonight. Brian Johnson was terrible. If the Utes had lost it was all on him. With a fumble, an INT for a score, bad decisions, and zero offensive flow - Johnson was the MVP of game, for the Beavers...

I was on the phone with Chappo when Oregon St. scored their final touchdown to go up eight. We were commiserating the end of our perfect season and all hope was lost. The only bright spot was that it was 10:00 local time while Chappo was up after midnight watching the debacle. We ended our conversation hoping that the end would come quickly. Sure enough it did..

The Utes got the ball back and ran the two minute offense. Before you knew it we had throw the ball down field and were in scoring position. A quick pass over the middle and we were within two. After a penalty against the Beavers, the Utes found the endzone again for the two point conversion and the game was tied. I've seen this happen to the Utes countless times, but this was one time it was happening TO us!

The D stepped up on the ensuing Oregon St. possession and Utah got the ball back with less than a minute to play. With Louie Sakoda on our team you don't have to move the ball far to get in field goal position. Two more passes over the middle and the Utes were ready for a 41 yard kick. Up and Down!!!! The season still going, the BCS still a possibility, the Cougars still suck....

Finished

Our September project has finally come to an end as the calendar moved into October. One thing I know about Tara and myself is that when we start something, we finish it - quickly. The bathroom took us a week longer than I wanted. Isn't that always the case, projects cost twice as much and take twice as long as you think they should. Some of the hold ups included: plumbing that didn't quite fit together, a toilet flange that needed to be cut out, tile that wasn't completely level, grout that has some weaknesses, a mirror that needed some arranging, and so on. Still, in the end, the bathroom looks pretty nice and I want to thank everyone who helped us on this project. You're all invited for the grand reopening....