Sunday, March 30, 2008

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.

Saturday, March 29, 2008

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?

Sunday, March 23, 2008

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

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

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.

Monday, March 17, 2008

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.