This has got to be the best weekend of the year. The shop is closed for 4 straight days, there is an enormous amount of football on TV, and I get to eat good food. Of course with Jill working at Old Navy it stinks that she is gone most of the weekend, but on the bright side no one is here to bug me about watching too much football. (can there be too much football?). I took the girls down the the 30 minute Christmas parade. It was fun, see the guy on the bike. It short and sweet. Not as many of the dance teams as usual. It was looking forward to seeing Tiffany Kuehne. Kolbie got this ridiculous "Liberty Tax" hat that she wore around her head most of the afternoon. I did the unthinkable too, I went to Old Navy to do some shopping on "black friday". Jill works at the Jordan Landing store and the line to check out went all the way to the back of the store. It went pretty fast, we only waited about 20 minutes. While we were in line I talked to Carolee Obrien Mecham, she went to high school with me and now works with Jill. She married Jay, one of my roommates from college.



Most of today has been dedicated to football. I have watched 2 games and currently the Boise St game is on pause downstairs so that I can get back to it. This is the fun time of the year.



Here is Kolbie and her terrible hat at Old Navy. I took this picture so that my wife would believe that I was actually there!!!

Down Goes Frasier!!!!

It was looking promising coming out of the corner. There I was the prepared primary teacher, all 5' 9' and 195 pounds of me. I had gotten up early and read through everything. All the years of training were going to pay off. I know the Book of Mormon and love the story of Moroni and his diligence to preserve the record of his father. I can teach about that with my eyes closed. Sacrament meeting ended and I went out to the car to grab the metal can so the kids can "engrave" on the plates. Sort of a illustration of what it was like in Moroni's time. I stopped at the library and got the chalk and I was headed off to the room for the match.

And in this corner all 10,5 foot nothings chattering and leaning back on the chairs in room # ? (not sure which room we are in). Each with his own personality and background they were ready for the test. The Elders quorum presidents son, a son of a high councilor, primary president, and so on and so on. They would not lay down and die without a fight.

Ding... and round one begins, I start off a little cautious and let them banter a bit. Each has his story he wants to share of the week past, but little do I know they have already gotten chalk and began the battle, writing on the board and erasing all but on part of their little game. Attack from behind is the plan and I stave off that attack with the quiet for the opening prayer.

Ding, Ding... round 2 and I am able to get them to open the scriptures to Mormon 8 and we begin to read, but then it starts. See I am a male teacher in primary and have to keep the door open at all times. That makes everyone that walks by part of our class. Girls are the worst because 12 year old boys don't just look, they have got to get louder hoping the girl target will look this way. Oh no, the deacons advisor checks in on them and I am sunk. Now it is a game to show me that I have no control. Round 2 goes to the boys... all tied up 1 to 1.

Ding, Ding.... round 3 is where I am going to take control. We are doing well, I have decided that we are not reading or proceeding with the lesson until everyone is listening, and after 6 tries we finally get scripture #1 read. I am going to knock them down, I cannot be beat. Round 3 goes to me, the big bad teacher

Ding, Ding... round #4 and now I am in trouble. Ev starts to giggle at everything and the leaning back on the chairs gets dangerous. I ask the boys to all fold up the chairs and stand up. Which I think will work, but they come back hard and by the time I look up they are all laying on the floor laughing and making fun of anyone that walks by in the hall. My lesson is a disaster and I am woozy to the point of a knock out. I go down in defeat with my head held high. My consolation is that next year they move on into Sunday School and next years teacher stop me in the hall to ask how "good" these boys are. I am still laughing uncontrollably, licking my wounds from a day.... in the 12 year old boys Primary class.

---- My ode to Jeremy(Where at thou now?????)

Funny Story

Today at work, while we were accepting our shipment for the day, our truck driver (Steve) asked me if I was still talking to my husband.

I was a little shocked and thought this question was a little weird. I told him of course I'm still talking to my husband, why?

His response: I know that you voted for Obama, and you mentioned that he voted for McCain. Are you guys still speaking? I know guys at work who aren't speaking to their wives because of this election.

I ended up joking about this. I just said that Greg and I always cancel out each others vote. I also told him that Greg voted for looks (Sarah Palin) and not on the issues.

I've written on my blog that Greg and I don't see eye to eye on many social and political issues, but that doesn't mean we won't speak to each other. Greg has always been someone I can talk to and share my ideas, a lot of the time he gives me a different perspective (although, I don't know if he's say the same about me).

Maybe Greg and I have thing really good if we can talk about political and social "issues" and not get really mad at each other because we don't agree very often. The weird thing is, I get a lot more worked up about things when it's someone else and not Greg. Or maybe we just put up with each others crap!

Dear Diary

Ok maybe this will seem kind of corny. I have been reading a book by Dan Shaunessy from ESPN. It is called "Senior Year". In the book he follows his son's senior year in high school while being recruited for college baseball. (First off I can read, but they have got to be sports books) In the book he cites several times parts o his journal when he was growing up. This got me to thinking about my own journals. I think I like blogs so much because of my experience with my journals.

When I was just about 16 I had a Priest Quorum advisor that taught me a lesson about journals that has been with me for the rest of my life. Lamar Ewell brought in his volumes of journals and read things to us about his life. He taught us how important his journals were and what they had meant to his family. I decide then and there that I was going to try it.

Lamar told us we did not need a fancy book to keep a journal. In fact most of my books are written in spiral note books. The only one that is not is the volume that I started with on my mission. I thought because I was going on a mission I needed a fancy hard bound book. Let me tell you when that was full I went right back to the spiral notebook. Note books are tons easier. Besides I can always bind them later.

I started at 16 years old, so you can imagine that the early text talks lots about girls and my friends. Some of my entries are weird, but they are in my words. I have tickets from ball games I attended and other "junk". When I go back and read it is funny to relive those experiences and think what I should have done different. In college it was harder, I did not want my roommates to think I was weird, they know the truth now, but it outlines lots of my friends and I can see myself growing into a young man/old man.

I did not miss one day on my mission. I figured I could not take everything home so if I wrote about it, I would be able to look at it later in life. Since then my entries skip large amounts of time, but I always try to keep it up to date. I think the last volume I had number over 1200 pages. Lately, I have been typing it in a document on the computer. Anyways, it is fun to go back and read what happened years ago. I let Jill read some of the mission stuff. Not sure if that was a good idea, but that was fun to go through with her. I often wonder what will happen to all of my mere ramblings or what other people are saying about me in their journals. Someday in the book of time we will all be able to find out. Sorry for this stupid post but I think journals are fun

Chances are if I know your name there is something about you in my journal. I thought about making an index one time, but decide that was WAY TOO MUCH WORK.

Aren't we lucky

I am certainly not much of one for politics. I was reading a good friend of mines blog and it got me to thinking. We are very lucky to live in a country where we have the opportunity to choose the people that lead us and make our laws. Some places in this world they are not so lucky. We have our ancestors to thank for that, there are lots of people that have fought and lost their lives so that we can have that freedom. Each person has their own opinion of how to do things and what is right, and we have can express those choices without getting thrown in jail. That is great. Jill likes to "think" about and "discuss" the important topics. Me not so much. I will be glad when all this "I am going to save the world" garbage is over and I can get back to worrying about if the Cowboys can make the playoffs, or if the Utes will break up the BCS. I know, I should be more concerned about the "important" world around me, but I worry about the my life and my situation. I will only handle the problems that effect me. That said I voted last week, did my civic duty. By the way I voted for looks and Sarah is lots hotter than Obama or Biden. (No that is not the only reason I voted, I am not that stupid)

No on to more pressing issues..... Go Utes and Dodgers, you need to sign Manny! Get 'er done!