Fall Leaves

We headed up to the hills earlier tonight to show the kids some of the fall colors.  One of our favorite local drives is up East Canyon.  It's fun to get up on top of the range and look down into Morgan.  The only challenge we ran into was our timing.  Our timing was off for the season as we were a bit early to see the vibrant colors we were looking for.  Our timing was off for the day as we went for a little hike just as the winds picked up and the temps dropped.  Still, we had a good time and enjoyed getting out in the fall leaves.  Take a look.....

 

Diary of a Utah Fan

A funny thing happened on the way to a close, defensive struggle in the Holy War last night - Utah came to play and byu gave up.  What was a 14 -10 contest at halftime turned into a 54 -10 rout of the team down south by the Utes.  That's right 54 -10 with Utah scoring 47 unanswered points against the vaunted cougar defense.  Unbelievable!

Utah put pressure on the cougs offense all night and byu folded, giving the ball up 7 times.  All week long the talk radio has been buzzing about the golden boy, Jake Heaps, and how he was the best quarterback in the state.  Last night he heard a chorus of boos from his own fans and he had to stand on the sidelines and watch the cougar faithful cheer for his backup.  This guy's confidence was shaken and it showed.

I'm still not sure what to think of the Utah offense.  We struggled to score several times in the first half, even as byu kept giving us the ball.  Jordan Wynn did start to figure things out in the second quarter though, as he used the tight end effectively to take the Utes on a defining scoring drive.  I know the stats look great in the end, but it was mostly due to the cougs quitting in the second half.  Still, I thought Wynn finally started throwing the ball well in the second half - that's a great sign!

The biggest difference in the game was the attitude Utah displayed.  Utah acted like a member of a big conference.  They just seemed to be part of the big boys of college football and byu seemed to be the undermanned little brother.  I know it's only one game, but this was huge.  Utah showed they belong with the Pac 12 and byu showed they made some rash decisions to try and keep up with the Utes.

Last night was a great night to be a Ute - it was a game this Utah man will never forget!

Oakwood Carnival

Last night we had the big Oakwood Elementary carnival.  Kennedy was excited for us to go to her school for a night of games, rides, and food.  The carnival was being sponsored by the PTA and they went all out - climbing wall, blow up slides, and tons of carnival games.

There was only one problem - Mother Nature showed up and the rains came down.  I don't know if we've mentioned it or not, but Kennedy is afraid of the rain right now.  She wanted no part of leaving the house until it stopped showering.  Fortunately the rain ended about 6:30 so we went and played until dark.

Kennedy loved the climbing wall.

Alex loved the blow-up slides.

Dylan loved the balloons.

Diary of a Utah Fan

It seems a bit weird that we're getting ready for Rivalry Week with byu and the leaves haven't even changed yet.  There is something missing with the change from the traditional final game of the season to a non-conference game with little drama.  Don't get me wrong - I still want Utah to win, but I don't really even know the Utes this year.  Our first two games haven't given me enough information to know what kind of team the U has so far.

The first game against Montana State only told us that our offense was behind where they should be.

Last week's game with USC had some bright moments, particularly on defense. Still, we looked completely overmatched on offense until midway through the game.  We were competitive, but certainly didn't play well enough to win a Pac 12 game.

Let's see what the Rivalry Game brings with it this year, but it certainly can't top last year's final play...



GO UTES!!

75 Years Young

Last night we celebrated my dad's 75th birthday. Can you believe my dad is 3/4 of the way to the century mark? Wow! When we asked Dad where he wanted to go for dinner it took a little coaxing to get him to pick a place. I didn't think it was that hard. Anyone who knows my dad, knows that he loves cheap mexican food. Su Casa is one of his favorite spots and the #1 is always is first choice.

Dad didn't really want any presents, but we were able to put a little something together with some photos Jason scanned. It isn't much, but the photos do a nice job capturing some of the important people and events in Big Al's 75 years. Watch the video below.

Happy Birthday Dad. You are one of the people in my life I can always count on. It's great to say that my dad is truly one of my heroes. Thanks for everything you've done for me and my family. I know I don't say it often, but I love you, Dad. Happy 75th....

Give us a Cheer

For the past year or so Kennedy has talked about being a cheerleader.  Considering Tara was always on the field and not cheering on the players I'm not quite sure how Kennedy decided that she would rather switch roles, but she's six - cheerleaders are big with the six year old crowd.  A couple of days ago Dede finally got a chance to cheer as Cottonwood High School was having a min-cheer camp for little kids.  All week long Kennedy has been living life as a cheerleader each afternoon.

Last night she was able to make her big debut as the mini-cheerleaders took to the field at half time of the Cottonwood - Brighton football game.  Dede did great!  She knew all of the routines and she is certainly aware of when the spotlight is on.  It was so fun to watch our little girl out there having the time of her life.  When we picked her up afterwards she affirmed that she was going to be a cheerleader when she is older.  At least Dede will be cheering for the right school - go Colts!

BTW - Last night marks the first time I had been at a Cottonwood High football game in more than 15 years.  It was a little weird being back there, but also a lot of fun.  It really is a beautiful view looking out at Mount Olympus.  We didn't stick around for the entire game, but it certainly won't be the last time we cheer on the Colts.