Little Chap Logan

The Little Chap Who Follows Me

A careful man I want to be.

A little fellow follows me.

I do not dare go astray

For fear he’ll go the self-same way.

I cannot once escape his eyes.

Whate’er he sees me do, he tries.

Like ME he says he’s going to be-

That little chap who follows me.

I must remember as I go

Through summer suns and winter snow,

I am building for the years to be-

That little chap who follows me.

Strong Wood

Lisa gave me a really nice card, with this poem on it for Father's Day. I am trying to get back in the groove of posting again. It has been hard to do, because I don't feel like I ever really have anything interesting to say. This popped into my head and I felt like I should share it. Enjoy.

The tree that never had to fight
For sun and sky and air and light,
But stood out in the open plain
And always got its share of rain,
Never became a forest king
But lived and died a scrubby thing.

The man who never had to toil
To gain and farm his patch of soil,
Who never had to win his share
Of sun and sky and light and air,
Never became a manly man
But lived and died as he began.

Good timber does not grow with ease.
The stronger wind, the stronger trees.
The further sky, the greater length.
The more the storm, the more the strength.
By sun and cold, by rain and snow,
In trees and men good timbers grow.

Where thickest lies the forest growth
We find the patriarchs of both.
And they hold counsel with the stars,
Whose broken branches show the scars
Of many winds and much of strife.
This is the common law of life.

Advice from Elder Busche

Lisa and I have been having some trials over the last few weeks. This video has helped give us (at least me) some peace. This video is 6:44 long, so make sure that you have time to look at it. Hopefully it will help lift your spirits and raise you to a higher level today.

Back on the Saddle

Hey everyone. (All 3 of my readers)

I am sorry that I haven't been blogging the last two/three weeks.

I am getting back on the saddle and will be reporting as usual soon.

I apologize to all who have been anxiously awaiting my posts.

The video of the week will be posted tomorrow and updates will be more regular once again.

That is a promise.

Thanks again to my loyal reader...okay readers...maybe. :-D

-Topher-

Video of the Week.

Maybe a few of you have felt this way before. If you ever find yourself struggling at the end of a long work day, find a co-worker that has as avid an imagination as you do, and have some fun.

My Mama

My dada says that today is a special day. He says that it is the day that we need to tell our mamas that we love and appreciate them. He says that of all the days, it is important that we be nice to mom today. I think it is important that we do those things every day, but I thought I would do something extra special for my mama today. I don't have a job, and I don't have any money, but I want her to know that I am grateful for her and tell her some of my favorite memories I have had with her.

I remember the day that I was born. It was a really taxing day for my mama. She had to work so hard to get me here, because I wasn't being very cooperative. It was so late at night (or early in the morning) too. I remember how happy she was to see me though, and she held me close and told me that she loved me. I am grateful that she suffered what she suffered, in order to bring me into this world. I know I will never fully understand or appreciate it, but I am so glad that I am finally here.

After I was born, mama stayed home to take care of me. She had to go back to school to finish teaching for a few weeks, but ever since, she has spent almost all day of every day with me. Even when I was too little to do anything but eat, sleep, cry and poop. She never got mad at me or sick of me. She is my best friend. She reads me so many books and takes me to do interesting things. I can say a lot more words than a lot of kids my age, thanks to her. She takes time to talk to me and sing to me. I can say a lot of things, like "apple, ball, book, bye, hi, that, this, spider, dinosaur, uh-oh, boom boom, happy, num num, baby, blue, yellow, amen, dada," and my favorite word, "mama". I can say other things too, but I haven't learned how to spell them yet.

One of my favorite things to do with mama is go swimming. Sometimes, she will take me to an indoor pool close to our house. It has a big dinosaur slide that I love going down. It is so much fun. Sometimes we go there with some friends, and sometimes it is just with mama and dada. Sometimes I forget that I am just a little boy still, and I want to go off swimming by myself. Maybe my mama will teach me how to swim this summer. I sure hope so, because I still have a lot of swimming to do in my life.

On of my favorite places that I went swimming was in Hawai'i. We went there in February with my dada's mama and dada. My mama took really good care of me on the plane. The plane that took us from California to Hawai'i was delayed for three hours and forty five minutes. They wouldn't let us off of the plane, and I had fallen asleep in mama's arms. She sat there for two hours without moving, so that I could get some sleep. When the plane finally took off, I'd had enough, and I wanted everyone to know about it. My mama kept playing with me for 5 more hours, as the plane took us to Hawai'i. She was so patient with me and took really good care of me. When we got to Hawai'i, it was a blast. We played in the sand and ocean a ton. I thought the sand tasted really good, and I would get a few mouthfuls in when no one was looking. We got some really tasty snow cones and mama let me have some tastes of hers. I wish that she would feed me food like that all of the time. I like the oatmeal and peaches she gives me, but there is nothing like a Matsumoto's Shaved Ice.
Sometimes I try to help my mama with things around the house. One day, I saw her wiping up my mess off the floor. Her phone rang, so she went out of the room to answer it. I decided that it would be nice of me to pick up the rag and start wiping the floor for her. That way, she wouldn't have to do it. She came back and thought that I was so cute that she took a picture of me. I also like helping her put the wet clothes into the dryer. I am glad that I am getting big enough that I can start helping out around here. Dada says that I have to go find a job soon, to start helping pay the bills around here. I don't think that I am ready for that yet.If you can't tell yet, I love my mama. I couldn't dream up a better one for me. She is teaching me so many things. I hope that I can grow up to be a man that she is proud of. I know that if I don't it sure won't be her fault. Thank you for everything that you do for me mama. I love you and I will always be your little bear, no matter what. I will try to be nice to you every day of the year; not just on days that dada says are special. I love you.

Happy Mother's Day!!!

You Can Find ANYTHING on Youtube

Holy cow! I don't know why I thought of this commercial, but it is one of the funniest in the history of the world. My family are probably the only people that will really laugh hard at this, but I remember this was my favorite commercial when I was like eight years old. We even tape recorded it, so that we could watch it whenever we wanted. Who needs tapes when you have Youtube?

8 Reasons to Invest in Real Estate in 2008

1. The Market Is Down
As most of you are probably aware, houses are staying on the market longer. This has pushed the more desperate sellers to drop their prices well below where they were in the recent past. One of the first rules of creating wealth is "Buy Low, Sell High". Many people are afraid of the down market and are sitting on the sidelines, when things are cheaper than they have been for a long time. Your competition to purchase these properties is decreasing every day.

2. Foreclosures Are On The Rise
For a number of reasons, more people are unable to make their mortgage payments and banks are taking them back through foreclosure. Banks do NOT want to have ANY real estate in their portfolio. It drastically decreases the amount of money that they can lend out. In many areas, they are selling these repossessed properties at discounted rates. With families being removed from their homes, rental rates are on the rise. People still have to live somewhere.

3. As A Buyer, You Have More Options
Increasing inventory of houses, with a decrease in potential buyers, means that you have more control in your purchasing process. If one seller isn't willing to work with you, on your terms, there is probably another one down the road that will. You can be extremely picky about the investment that you are making and structure the deal closer to how you want to see it structured.

4. Interest Rates Are Low
This is the first time in history that we have seen a low market together with low interest rates. In the past, a slow economy was greeted with high interest rates. I'm not sure if we will continue to see rates as low as they are now. Why wait to see if interest rates will go up? If you take advantage of them now, then it doesn't matter where they go. Money is cheaper to borrow right now, than has been the case through recent history.

5. Mortgage Brokers Are Working Hard For Your Business
There are fewer transactions taking place in the market, leaving smaller pieces of the pie for each mortgage broker. Competition between mortgage brokers is becoming tougher, resulting in the cream rising to the top, with the ones who were not taking the job seriously leaving the business. The ones who are still around, are more likely to know what they are talking about, and are better equipped to help you get the best terms available.

6. Real Estate Agents Are Working Hard For Your Business
Like mortgage brokers, with fewer transactions taking place in the market, real estate agents are competing more for the business that is out there. The agents who are surviving are the ones providing exceptional customer service to their clients, and the ones who are becoming creative and embracing the changing market. They are more willing to do what it takes to find transactions that work for you.

7. You Have More Education Available To You
In this age of technology, information is readily available, wherever you are. You can easily educate yourself on markets around the globe and make educated decision. Educate yourself or join teams with someone that understands the market and can be creative in changing strategies, based on changing markets.

8. You Live In The United States
The United States is one of the best countries in the world for buying and holding real estate. Mortgage money is readily available to nearly anyone with ok credit and some kind of income, and property ownership rights are well established making real estate a secure investment. A lot of Americans also have investment money set aside for retirement, that can be accessed, tax free, to invest in the leveraging of real estate.

If you have any questions about why I recommend investing in a "struggling" market, I would love to talk to you. Most people buy real estate only thinking about the appreciation that the property will experience. With that mind set, it is no wonder that people call this a down market. There are several other benefits to real estate than appreciation alone. In most markets, properties have stopped depreciating. I'll end by repeating a thought that I said earlier.

"Buy Low, Sell High" Now is the time to do the former.

Joy In Suffering

We were visiting with some of Lisa's cousins today. Mark and Emily are really good friends of ours. (They were even spying on us while I was proposing to Lisa.) The conversation migrated towards having children. I come from a large family and I am extremely grateful that my parents didn't stop at seven. (I am the eighth of nine.) We talked about how difficult it must have been to raise so many children.
Then Lisa began talking about an experience that she had at church, a few weeks before Logan was born. She was sitting in church looking at the congregation. (She was the ward chorister.) She realized that every single person that was has ever been born owes it to a woman that went through pregnancy and labor to get them here. Obviously, I have never experienced the "joys" of labor and pregnancy, but I have experienced living and loving someone who was going through it.
Lisa's experience was difficult. As far as the pregnancy went, it was pretty uneventful. Don't get me wrong, she was uncomfortable quite a bit, but it wasn't extraordinary. When it came time to deliver, it was a different story. Our doctor was out of town, and there were several other women in labor at the hospital that night. When we arrived, (9:30 p.m.) we were greeted by a nurse that said she would be taking care of us. Lisa dilated quickly and it seemed like Logan was on the way. (12:15 a.m.) The epidural was given and we began pushing. The nurse was being very positive about the progress she was making, but after an hour and a half, she told us that Lisa could finally take a rest. A half an hour later, we resumed, and the nurse continued to say that we were making progress.
I could tell that things were not progressing, like the nurse said they were. After 45 more minutes, or so, of pushing, I told the nurse that I felt like we needed a doctor in the room. Lisa was exhausted. She was literally falling asleep between contractions. When the doctor came in, he checked Logan's positioning. He was posterior and the he offered us the option of doing an emergency c-section. Lisa wanted to finish what she had started, if that was possible. So two other doctors came in. One of them attached a vacuum to Logan's head and another pushed down on Lisa's stomach from above. The other doctor was standing by, just in case.

Suffice it to say, Logan was finally born (4:33 a.m.) and he was healthy and normal. I didn't have a good appreciation for what Lisa had gone through until several months later. Because of the circumstances of her delivery, her recovery was much longer than usual. I don't know if Logan will ever fully appreciate what his mom went through to bring him here. It is a sacrifice that only a mother could make. I am so grateful for Lisa and all of the sacrifices that she has made, and makes every day, for Logan and me. I know that through our suffering we can experience joy. Lisa is walking proof of this.

An American Idol Shocker!!!

I don't even want to attempt to do an entire American Idol review. I couldn't do it justice. If you want to be entertained by something like that, click here.

It wasn’t as shocking as the elimination of Michael Johns, but we didn’t imagine anyone except Brooke White, or Jason Castro would get the boot from American Idol this week.

Instead, Carly Smithson was shown the door.

Here is my theory on what has happened; At this point of the competition, every performer has their fan base. They couldn't make it this far without having a fairly good following. My wife is in love with Jason Castro, and even calls him her boyfriend. (Hopefully he is shorter than 5'10".) I am sure that there are hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of teenage girls that are in love with those steely blue eyes. Brooke White has also been a solid performer. Her sincerity and ability to connect with the audience has won her the heart of all the mothers that tune in every Tuesday and Wednesday.

As soon as those fans saw their idols stuggle mightily, they hopped on the phone lines. They continued dialing for the entire two hours that the lines were open. They knew that Brooke and Jason were in trouble. They blistered their thumbs by punching the dial key hundreds of times last night.

Transversely, Syesha Mercado and Carly Smithson were nothing short of perfect. They picked the perfect songs and delivered. Their fan base didn't feel the same urgency to vote. As a result, we had to say goodbye to Carly. While I don't think that she deserved to go from last week's performances; at this point, anyone can go any week.

Who will it be next time? Hopefully Castro is gone, so that I can take the number one spot as the man in Lisa's life again.

Test Your Awareness: Do The Test

Here is the new video for the week. Take the test, and let me know how you did. I failed it miserably when I took it. Make sure that you really concentrate; otherwise, you may fail too.

NBA Playoffs Round 1

I realize this is a day late, but I want to make my thoughts on the NBA playoffs known. I love the playoffs and these are shaping up to be the best in a very very very long time. The first round eastern conference matchups are not all that intriguing. However, the west is nuts.

Let’s get the (L)Eastern Conference out of the way quickly:

1. Boston vs. 8. Atlanta

The biggest question in this series is not who will win. It is will Atlanta even win a game? The next question is, will Atlanta even stay within 10 points in any of the games? I am looking for Boston to come out to make a huge statement early in these playoffs. The “Boston Three Party” (Garnett, Peirce and Allen) will want to serve notice to everyone else that they are the team to beat and that they can carry their regular season success to the post season. My prediction: Boston in 4

2. Detroit vs. 7. Philadelphia

Again, the big question is not who will win. Detroit should easily dominate this series. Big games from Andre Iguodala and Andre Miller could give the 76ers one victory. That just means that the Pistons will have to go home for game five, where they will be able to sit their starters for most of the fourth quarter, as they rest for round two. My prediction: Detroit in 5

3. Orlando vs. 6. Toronto

I don’t think that this series is going to be as interesting as people have made it out to be. I think that Orlando underperformed in the regular season, but they were playing a little better during the home stretch. Dwight Schrute Howard is going to abuse Chris Bosh down low. Hedo “Should have been an all-star” Turkoglu will also have a huge series. Orland will continue the theme thus far in the East and finish the Raptors off early. My prediction: Orlando in 5

4. Cleveland vs. 5. Washington

FINALLY an Eastern Conference matchup that is not sleep inducing. Anytime that Lebron “The King” James takes the court, you can’t help but be interested. The Wizard have almost their entire season without “Nacho”, “Hibachi”, “The East Coast Assasin”, “The Jester”, “Gil”, or “Agent Zero”. Whatever you want to call him Gilbert Arenas is good. His mouth running will wake up the Cavs though and they will bring it to the Wizards from the first tip off. Due to injuries to key players all season, the Wizards are quite a bit better than their record shows. My prediction: Cavs in 6

Now to the Western Conference:

1. L.A. Lakers vs. 8. Denver

This matchup is intriguing to me, because it combines the two teams that I hate the most in the NBA. The Nuggets are the new Portland “Jailblazers”. Crymelo can’t keep his butt out of prison and the rest of the team looks like they could belong in a police lineup of some sort. The Lakers are by far the smuggest team in the NBA. Anyone with a soul hates Kobe. (Sorry Lakers fans, you don’t have souls.) As for this series, the Lakers will skate on through. The Nuggets are good enough to win, but to volatile to be consistent. Kobe will finally get out of the first round since he forced Shaq out of town. My prediction: Lakers in 5

2. New Orleans vs. 7. Dallas

Dallas got bumped out of the playoffs as the one seed last season by the Warriors. This season, Dallas has the opportunity to pass the favor along to the Hornets. (I realize that 2 vs. 7 isn’t quite the same a 1 vs. 8.) Not many people are giving the Hornets much respect in these playoffs because of their lack of playoff experience. Chris Paul is the real deal and he has brought the team to a new level. The question is, can he continue the success in the playoffs? Deron Williams did it last season, so there is no reason to believe that Paul is incapable of doing the same. Jason Kidd gives the Mavericks extra experience in the playoffs. They hope that experience will win out and that trading half of their team to get Kidd will pan out. Jason Kidd has had a hard time guarding the up-and-coming point guards. I think that he will continue to prove ineffective of the defensive end, but this will be a close one. My prediction: New Orleans in 7

3. San Antonio vs. Phoenix

I thought that this would be, by far, the best opening round matchup. Last night’s game would have made me look like a genius, if I had posted this one day earlier. Clutch three pointers by Michael Finely, Steve Nash and freaking Tim Duncan sent the game to double overtime where it took a game winning layup from Manu Ginobli to close the game. Shaq’s addition was supposed to slow down Timmy D, but he was still able to go for 40 points and 15 rebounds. Like Mike D’Antoni said after the game, “If there are six more games like this one, then someone is getting their money’s worth”. I expect both teams to continue punching each other in the mouth until the end. Even with the Spurs taking the first game, I still have the feeling that this is finally the Suns’ year to throw this monkey off their back. It will come down to a game seven, but this time the Suns will dig deeper and throw off the defending champs. I realize this prediction could make me look bad, but… My prediction: Suns in 7

4. Utah vs. Houston

The Jazz got lucky to draw the Rockets as their opening opponent. Not only is Yao Ming out with a fractured foot, but Rafer Alston is out for at least the first two games. Tracy “The Sleepy Eyed Assassin” McGrady has been to the playoffs six times before, but he has yet advance any further than the first round. Without much of a supporting cast, it looks like he will soon be 0 for 7. The Jazz are just too much for them to handle, without Yao. Carlos Boozer can take it to the hole just about whenever he wants. Deron Williams will majorly outperform anyone that the Rockets match him up with. Memo has also learned how to take it inside. The rest of the supporting cast will overwhelm the Rockets depleted bench. As a Jazz fan, I am excited by the fact that the Jazz should make it to the next round, but I would have liked to see them beat someone that they weren’t necessarily supposed to beat. I guess they will have to save that for the second round matchup with the Lakers. It may be the homer in me, but I don’t see the Rockets being able to win any of these games. Prediction: Utah in 4

Feel free to post your comments and tell me how crazy I am. I will do this for the upcoming rounds as well. I think that this is one of the most exciting NBA Playoffs that I can remember. Who knows what will really happen?

Video of the Week

This is my favorite version of Singing In The Rain. I have no idea how they did some of it. I'm sure it's just computer wizardry at its best. Somebody make sure that mom sees this.

Advice Needed

Lately, I have been thinking about finishing my college education. My current profession doesn't require that I have a bachelor’s degree and I feel like I have been doing just fine without it. I know that nothing but good can come from getting it finished up and having a degree in my hand. I already have my associate’s degree in business.

My question isn't whether or not I should do it; it is how I should go about it. The way I look at it, there are three options. I could go to a traditional college or university. The downside of that would be that it would take a lot of time, and a lot of travel. This is probably the least attractive of the options to me, because I am a full time provider for my family, and I don't feel this option gives me the flexibility that I would need.

The second option would be to go to a school like the University of Phoenix. They cater to working people, and most of their classes are at night, or online. The main downside to this option is that it costs a lot of money, and will take me away nights. It also has a lot of required group work, from what I understand.

The third option is to go through an online university. A school that I am looking at is Western Governors’ University. It is an accredited school that offers all of the classes 100% online. They will accept my associate’s degree as transfer credits. It is a competency based program, which means that if you are able to show that you are already competent in certain areas, that you will not be required to do the busy work that other places still require. There is a flat rate for every six month semester and you can complete as many classes in those six months as you are able to do. I love the flexibility of this option, and the ability to finish more quickly than the other two options. My main concern with this option is that the school doesn't have any name recognition. I'm not sure if going this route might not be very effective, should I find myself looking for a job in the future.

Do you guys have any suggestions, or ideas that I may be looking over? I am fairly certain that I will be completing my education; I am just trying to make the best decision, while considering as many factors as I can. Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Lambert the Sheepish Lion

I have decided to begin posting my weekly videos in this section, rather than the bar on the side. This way, they won't disappear when they are replaced.

This week's video is a childhood memory of mine. It is a little long, so watch it when you have a minute. It is a Disney Classic, and everyone in my family can sing it. Lambert is a sheepish lion that was delivered to the wrong parents by a stork. Does nature or nurture win out with this beast? The only way to find out is to watch.

If you want to see my past videos, just follow the links. In the future, my videos shouldn't disappear when a new video is posted.

Harry Potter Puppets - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx1XIm6q4r4

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-YcBVEnLT8

Why I Love My Wife

I met Lisa on the first day of high school. She had moved into the school boundaries during the summer, and we had 7th period history together. On the first day of school, I saw her looking at me a few times. I couldn't figure out why this strikingly beautiful girl kept looking at me. She had bright blue eyes that burned into my memory the first time that I saw her. Being the mature 15 year old that I was, the most flirtatious thing that I could think up was, "Quit looking at me". To make a long story short, we soon became friends. It took me a while to build up the nerve to ask her out, but I finally did. We dated for part of our junior year. I even took her to Junior Prom. We were as in love as two high school kids could be.

Soon after Junior Prom, we were both called to be on the Seminary Council. At Alta High School, they have a rule the council members are not even allowed to go on a single date with any else on council. We were instructed that Lisa and I needed to be even more careful and avoid even the appearance of dating, because others knew that we liked each other already. We had several class together our senior year and spent several hours together every day because of that. After a while, we began to be annoyed by the other person's presence, because it was always awkward to be around each other. By the end of our senior year, we really didn't like each other at all. We both went our separate ways, never to talk again, if either of us had anything to say about it.

To make an even longer story shorter, Lisa and I found each other again three years after our graduation. I had returned from my mission, and Lisa had turned down three marriage proposals. Through serendipity, we began dating again on November 1st, and we were engaged to be married on December 5th of the same year. We were married two months later on February, 7 2004.

I am so grateful that she married me. She is so good to our little boy. I have never seen a child love a parent more that Logan loves Lisa. She is able to console him when he is seemingly inconsolable. She seems to always know what he needs, and when to give it to him. I am so glad that I can go to work every day, and never ever worry about Logan's safety or development. I know that Lisa puts her heart and soul into helping him grow and learn. I love her for that. She is so thoughtful. If you check out her blog, www.ateachermama.blogspot.com, you will see what I mean. She is always planning for things that we might need. She loves to share her ideas with other people. She serves everyone she can and loves them unconditionally. People love to be around her and they listen to what she has to say. She is a great cook and is always willing to whip something tasty up. She is patient. (Even though she won't agree with me on that one.) She is able to accept me as I am, but is able to help me strive to be a better person. I am so grateful to have her in my life.

Tag From Lisa

4 Jobs I've Had
1. Supreme Automotive Delivery Boy
2. Server at Mimi’s Cafe
3. Lovesac Salesman
4. Realtor (I’ve had a few more jobs than four)

4 Movies I've Watched More than Once
1. X-men (All three of them)
2. What About Bob
3. The Man Who Knew Too Little
4. The Mask of Zorro

4 Places I've Lived
1. Utah
2. Brazil
3. California
4. Norway (I spent a month and a half there, so it counts.)

4 TV Shows I Watch
1. American Idol
2. The Office
3. Seinfeld
4. Jazz Games

4 Places I've Been
1. Mexican Riviera
2. The Caribbean
3. Fiji
4. Tijuana (The Happiest Place on Earth)

4 of my Favorite Foods
1. Funeral Potatoes and Ham
2. Shrimp
3. Winger’s Sticky Fingers
4. Brazilian Churrascos

4 Places I'd Rather Be
1. Brazil
2. Norway
3. Star Valley Wyoming
4. New York City (I spent one day there, but it wasn’t enough.)

4 Things I'm Looking Forward to this Year
1. Watching Logan keep learning new things
2. Playing basketball in a league with my brother in law. (John)
3. Playing Softball with my wife’s cousins
4. Fireworks on the 24th of July in Midway

4 People I Tag
1. Anyone who reads this blog. That might end up tagging two people. :-D

Meeting the Jazz

A few weeks ago, my bishop from our last ward called me and offered me two tickets to a Utah Jazz player signing party. He knows that I am a huge fan of the Jazz and that I am trying to get a few things signed from the better players. How could I say no?

I invited my sister, Boo, to go with me. We met up during my lunch break to purchase a few things that we wanted to get signed. The main thing that we each got was a Jazz basketball. We decided that if they would only let us get one thing autographed, that we would work on getting the ball filled up as much as we could. I already have an autographed Deron Williams jersey, so I also bought a plack that I was hoping to get him to sign.

We left early to go to the arena, and discovered that there was already a huge line to get in. As we were walking down towards the end of the line, we saw Sean Douglas, from our parents ward. We stopped to talk to him, and he generously offered to let us stay (butt) in line with him. Again, how could we refuse?

Once inside, we discovered that Carlos Boozer, Mehmet Okur and Kyle Korver were not there that evening. I was bumbed. Taking that into account, and seeing how many people were there, we knew that Andrei Kirilenko and Deron Williams would both have huge lines. As we headed towards Deron, we saw that Matt Harpring’s line wasn't too long. We stopped in and he signed our basketballs without even looking up, even though we both said something to him.

When we saw Deron's line, it seriously stretched around half of the Energy Solutions Arena. I knew that it was going to be a long wait, so I waited in line while Boo went to the players that had shorter lines, to fill up her ball. Deron's line was so long that the end of Ronnie Price's line (Which started further back) was not as far back as Deron's. Boo got in that line, and the people around me were nice enough to let me go with her to get Price's autograph, and still hold my spot in Deron's line.

When we were closer to Deron, I realized that I had two things that I really wanted to get signed, but they had signs posted all over, that you could only get one thing signed. I began walking back in the line to see if there was anyone I knew that could hop up front with me and get the ball signed, while I got the plack signed. I knew it was a long shot, but I saw Josh Ericson and his wife. They only had a picture that they needed signed, so they came up with me and I was able to get both items signed. Deron and CJ Miles were both real nice guys. They were talking to everyone that came through, and thanked us for being there.

Time was running out, at this point. Boo and I went downstairs, where we saw Tyrone Corbin and Jarron Collins. Their line only had like fifteen people in it. Boo had already gone through it, but we waited again to get my ball signed. We also had a scrap of paper that they signed, and we mailed it to our brother, Mats. He is a big Jazz fan too. We were sure that he would always treasure a piece of scrap paper with their autographs on it. We were going to see if we could get in Matt Harpring's line again to get a jersey signed. Then we were told that Matt had already left. (The event really had about 10 minutes to go.) Jarron laughed and said that sounded just like Matt, and he wasn't surprised at all.

Then Boo and I went to dinner and talked about a lot of things. I am glad that she was able to come with me. We had a great time. She tried to make me trade her balls, since hers had more autographs. I refused though. The best part about getting things signed, is when you get it signed yourself. I will keep going to Jazz games and getting my ball filled up.

My wife doesn't understand why I enjoy doing things like this so much. Any explanation that I could give wouldn't help, so I don't really try. I just like having something physical to remember meeting these guys with. Besides, I could always use more cool things to decorate our downstairs family room with.

Four on Five

A few weeks ago, a good friend of mine (Larry Bollschweiler) invited me to join his intramural basketball team. I never say no to basketball, and the fact that the games are played in Provo did not deter me from signing up. I was a late addition to the team at the end of the season, and there was only one game left before the playoffs. We won that game easily, and I was looking forward to playing more with those guys.

The next game was the first playoff game. We only had four guys show up. The other team had nine players, and their following could have filled up the bleachers in just about any gym. Needless to say, we were a little intimidated. The game started and we could not miss a shot. The other team had a few good players, but enough of them didn’t seem that organized, so we felt like we could compete. We were leading by twelve at halftime. We felt good so far, but I was worried about running out of steam in the second half. We actually outscored them by three in the second half and won by fifteen. We were stoked. Winning a competitive game, while short handed is quite an accomplishment.

We were glad to have lived to see another day. I received a phone call from Larry saying that our next game would be on Friday night. Then he said that we would only have four guys there at the beginning of the game, but that a fifth would show up around halftime. When I made it to the gym, only Rick (far right) and Kevin (Far left) were there. We were warming up, wondering who our fourth and fifth guys would be. They were calling everyone together, to get the game started and our fourth guy wasn’t there. We thought that we were going to have to forfeit the game. Then Ben (Second to the left) walked through the door. I could have kissed his feet. When we told the people in charge that we had four, they said, “Great, now you just need a score keeper. If you don’t have one in one minute, you forfeit”. Again, our hopes sank. We were about to lose the game because no one liked us enough to come to our game. Then, Kevin’s wife (she took the picture.) walked through the doors. It’s a good thing Kevin showed up or we would have been done before the game even started.

The team we were playing this time was better than the week before. Rick started the game by pounding the ball inside. He was a beast. No one could stop him and he had his first dunk within the first two minutes. Kevin and Ben were flying all over the place on defense. They were getting steals and easy baskets. Rick and I would have quick outlet passes to either one of them for fast breaks. We decided to push really hard in the first half, and slow it down a little, when the fifth guys showed up. Luckily, the other team’s jumpers weren’t falling, because it is impossible to always be defending five guys when you only have four. The first half ended and we were up by ten.

We were looking for the fifth guy. Where was he? Halftime ended, and he still wasn’t there. We went right back at it. We were grabbing all of the rebounds, getting inside shots, getting to the free throw line. We were doing everything right. We could hear the other team saying, “Come on guys, there are only four of them”. We pulled away late in the game and ended up winning by twenty points.

It probably seems a little corny that I would be writing about this on my blog. Unless you have experienced something like this, it might be hard to understand how cool this was for all of us. It is almost to the point where we don’t want a fifth guy to show up for our next game. I am a competitive guy, and I love being the underdog at times. Hopefully, we can keep it going and I can write later about winning it all. It has always been my dream to win an intramural basketball tournament at BYU. Who doesn’t dream of such grandeur?

What a difference a year makes.

Last Easter was Logan's first Holiday. We went to St. George to spend the weekend with Lisa's extended family. He was five weeks old. He was still the tiny little baby that you can hold with one arm. He only slept, ate and pooped, just like most newborns. We still thought that he was extremely entertaining. Every little thing that he did was adorable. His little yawns, stretches, burps, and twitches were missed by no one. We were sure that he was the first baby to do any of those things.

Easter for him was just like any other day. He slept through most of church and ate the same thing that he always ate. (Thanks Mom) However, we enjoyed the party afterwards. I took Logan on the Easter Egg Hunt. I didn’t have much room to put candy in, because Logan took up most of the basket. He was just hanging out, enjoying the ride.

This year, we are in St. George again. Logan has grown up a lot. There was an Easter Egg Hunt yesterday. He wasn’t too into the hunt, but he loved the prize at the end. For the first time last night, we had a hard time getting him to eat regular food. If it wasn’t chocolate, he didn’t want it. I guess that’s what happens when you introduce fascinating or tasty things like that. I am sure that he is wondering why we won’t just feed him “the good stuff” all of the time.

Today, we had a second hunt. He knew what he was doing this time. When he found his first egg, he grabbed it and popped it open. He sat there, while the other kids were running around, and ate the contents of his egg. Then, he found another and did the same thing. We got some cute video of it. He was sticking marshmallows and jelly beans in his mouth faster than he could swallow them.

Hopefully, next year, he will know that it is better to collect all he can find, and then eat the candy. That way he will get even more, and then he can share some with his dad. :-D

My Buddy Logan

I just wanted to take a second and let everyone know how much I love my little boy. He just turned one a few weeks ago, and took his first steps on Sunday.

I was excited to be a dad, when we found out that Lisa was expecting. I never knew that it would be as cool as it is though. From the first moment that I laid eyes on him, I knew that I would step in front of a train for him. He didn't cry when he was born. He just grimmaced at the lights, and grunted his disapproval of having been relocated. He had dark brown hair, which has since fallen out and been replaced with the blondest hair there could be.

He has grown up so much in the last year. Watching him grow and develop has been so fun. His first smile. His first solid food. His first recognizable sound. The first time he waved at me. Crawling. Now Walking. There are so many things to mention. I am just so grateful to be his dad. I know that he has great things to do on this earth, but for now, it is up to Lisa and me to help him reach his potential.

He is such a friendly little guy. He loves meeting new people. When we walk in places where there are a lot of people, he will just look at everyone and wave. He is not afraid to make new friends or brighten someone's day with a smile.

He also loves his food. He will eat just about anything. Whenever he experiences a new taste, he takes the food out of his mouth and inspects it. Usually a laugh will follow and then he pops it right back in his mouth. He loves eating his baby oatmeal in the mornings. He also loves eating little crackers or bread. There isn't much that he refuses to eat, and we are usually done feeding him before he is totally full. Sometimes I wonder where his little body packs it all.

I am grateful to have him in my life. It is refreshing to know that there is someone that is always happy to see you. I always look forward to spending time with him after a difficult day. If anyone ever needs something to life their spirits, just let me know. I can always send you a picture of one of the cutest and happiest little guys in the world.

100 Things About Me

My wife posted 100 things about herself in her blog. She has inspired a few people to do it, and they have all enjoyed it. I decided to give it a shot. It is harder than it looks, but just as rewarding.

1) I am a peacemaker.
2) I always want to invite people over to our house.
3) My right arm is a little crooked. I broke it when I was 15.
4) I love playing basketball. I regularly wake up at 5:30 a.m. to get in an hour or two of playing before I start my day.
5) I love super hero movies like X-Men, Superman and Batman.
6) My wife has to constantly remind me that the characters in number five are not real.
7) I polish the entire sink every time that I use it for shaving.
8) I can't stand wearing flip flops.
9) I met my wife on the first day of high school. We even went to Junior Prom together.
10) I LOVE disco music. It is impossible to listen to it for more than 10 minutes and still be in a bad mood.
11) I can't eat brownies or chocolate cake without a glass of milk.
12) I Saw X-Men eight times in the first nine days that it was in the theatres. (I was 16. Cut me some slack.)
13) I served a 2 year LDS mission in Ribeirao Preto, Brazil.
14) I am the eighth of nine kids and the seventh of seven boys.
15) My favorite way to travel is on a cruise ship.
16) I once read all seven books of The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis in seven days.
17) My favorite candy is Peanut M&M's, but my favorite type of candy is anything chewy. Figure that one out...
18) If I could get any job in the world, I would be Jerry Sloan...or Michael Buble
19) I talk in my sleep.
20) My favorite author is John Grisham.
21) I think eating popcorn, while watching a movie, seriously makes the movie better.
22) When I was younger, I was the worst sore loser that ever lived. I no longer get upset about it, but I still hate losing.
23) I am a yellow personality.
24) My favorite color is orange. It goes well with just about any other color.
25) One of my favorite things to do is rifle through the five dollar movie bin at Wal-Mart. The further to the bottom of the barrel that you get, the better the movies are. Most people don't have the patience, or have too much self respect, to dig all the way to the bottom.
26) I believe in the power of positive thoughts and energy.
27) I think my biggest fear in life is being rejected.
28) I wish that I had learned how to play the piano while I was younger.
29) I wish that I owned a piano now.
30) Whenever I play a game that involves a stack of cards, I am constantly straightening the piles.
31) I never leave the toilet seat up.
32) I mainly use my pointer and middle fingers to type. I only use my thumbs for the space bar and my pinkies for shift and delete. My ring fingers are sadly useless.
33) I can still type without having to look at the keyboard.
34) My favorite car is a Jeep Cherokee Sport 4x4. I know that's weird.
35) I rarely have dreams that I remember.
36) It is a constant struggle to keep my car clean.
37) I carry my stress in my legs. They will bounce a lot during the day, depending on what is going on.
38) I met David Stern at a Jazz game last season.
39) I met Terrell Owens on our plane ride to Hawaii last month.
40) My son, Logan, looks just like me. (Except for his eyes...he got his Mama's eyes.)
41) I was once King of Disneyland for a day.
42) I enjoy singing in the car.
43) My favorite game of all time is Settlers of Catan. A good friend of mine even made me a customized board for it, that requires a special carrying case. It is the coolest.
44) I love to talk to people I don't know, but I hate calling a stranger on the phone.
45) When I was five years old I held all of the records on the video games in our house.
46) I used to sing professionally. (Thank you Sunshine Generation!)
47) If I could eat as much of anything that I could handle, I would want a huge bowl of shrimp with cocktail sauce.
48) I can beat the original Super Mario Brothers in less than eight minutes.
49) I get hot a lot and I sweat a lot when I am hot. (That could be a Dr. Seuss book.)
50) I can sing a song that contains every country in the world. (At least it used to be all of them. There are some new ones now.)
51) I love watching The Office.
52) I am really irritated by slow people in the passing lane.
53) I have been to Brazil, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Mexico, Fiji, Jamaica, The Cayman Islands and Canada...and the U.S.A.
54)I could sing before I could talk.
55) My first word was Pooh, as in Winnie the Pooh.
56) If someone has nose hairs coming out of their nose, I have a hard time focusing on anything else.
57) I used to wear glasses, but I got Lasik. I highly recommend it.
58) I love love love love love being a dad.
59) I pluck all the hairs off my first knuckle on each finger. My wife thinks I have issues.
60) One of my dreams is to see the Jazz play in every arena in the NBA.
61)I got my first par in golf last month. I can't wait to give it another shot.
62) I am a connoisseur of gum.
63) I know the longest palindrome there is... gohangasalamiimalasagnahog.
64) I was Senior Class President of the class of 2000 at Alta High School.
65) I was the second sophomore madrigal singer in the history of Alta High School.
66) I have a difficult time remembering the names of people and places.
67) I always burn one side of a grilled cheese sandwich, no matter how hard I try to cook it just right.
68) I can't cook anything particularly well.
69) I admire my wife and her ability to be a "one hundred percenter" no matter what she is doing.
70) We have not missed one episode of the office or American Idol since we began watching them two years ago.
71) I love that whenever Logan sees me or my wife, he gets a huge smile on his face. He is always happy to see us.
72) I can't wait until Logan is old enough to play basketball, so that I can be his coach.
73) I almost always suck on candy, no matter what kind it is.
74) I am allergic to watermelon, canelope and honeydew. I still eat it though, it hasn't killed me yet.
75) I think that my wife looks hot in hats, but she hardly ever wears them.
76) If I don't have my iPod with me, I listen to sports talk radio in my car.
77) I drive a natural gas car, but it is purely for financial reasons.
78) I like wearing clothes that are all the same color. Sometimes, the brighter the better.
79) I used to clog and ballroom dance when I was younger.
80) I am learning how to not be afraid of confrontations. I know that they are necessary to getting things done, when there is a problem.
81) My first memory is going to the hospital, when my little sister was born. I was two years old.
82) April is my favorite month of the year. It is just cool enough, and I love knowing that winter is behind us and far away.
83) I am lucky. I have won VIP Jazz tickets, a $500 shopping spree, a big screen T.V., and I usually get a close parking spot to wherever I am going. The luckiest thing I have received though is that Lisa agreed to marry me.
84) I can relate with Michael Scott in more ways than one.
85) I hate letting people down.
86) I always take out the garbage.
87) I don't change my clothes when I get home from work. I just stay in them until it is time to get ready for bed.
88) I feel like I could try out for American Idol and at least make it to Hollywood.
89) I have a goal to lose 20 pounds this year. I need to weigh myself to see how I am doing.
90) I have worked at seven different places in the last four and a half years. I have never been fired, and have worked at my current job for almost 2 and a half years.
91) I have perfect pitch.
92) I can catch food in my mouth, whether I throw it or someone else does.
93) I am good at maximizing space when I am packing.
94) When I was little, I thought that an alligator would come out of the toilet and get me when the swirl hit the bottom of the bowl.
95) I think Spongebob Squarepants is cool.
96) Sometimes, my feet get hot at night.
97) My favorite place to eat is Wingers
98) My mom would sometimes let me pick something from the grocery store for myself and I would pick a can of olives. I loved olives.
99)My favorite number is 12.
100) Sometimes I don't finish what I start, but I finished this.

Why Soap Blaster???

I am sure a few of you are wondering where I came up with the name Soap Blaster for my blog. Soap Blaster (usually shortened to Soap) was one of my nicknames growing up. Not many people know the origin, so here it is:

It was about 1985. I was three years old and still took baths at night with my older brother. He was five. (Insert joke here. I've heard them all.) One afternoon, I decided that I was finished with my bath and I got out of the tub. I thought that it would be really funny to take the clean clothes that my brother was going to put on, and throw them into the tub. He didn't think that it was very funny. He immediately jumped up and proceeded to come after me. I ran out of the bathroom, and he was right behind me. We were both stark naked, but because of my fear, and his anger, we didn't give it a second thought. We ran down the stairs and through the living room, where my parents were entertaining a few guests. I ran up another set of stairs and beelined it straight for my room. When I got there, I tried closing the door behind me, but my still furious (and naked) brother burst through the door before I could shut it. I jumped on my bed, possibly thinking that it would protect me. He pinned my feet up against the wall and over my head. I was trapped. There was no way out. I remember him asking me if I thought that I was funny. I was too scared to respond. Besides, I could barely breath because of the pressure on my stomach. I was laying with my back on the bed and my feet were being pressed to the wall and my knees to my chest. The pressure on my stomach forced whatever air was in there to escape. For lack of a more delicate term, I farted. Soapy water was expelled on his face. He ran out of my room screeming louder than I ever thought humanly possible. Needless to say I was very proud of myself and thought that I was extremly clever.

Years later, we still laugh about that day.