Mini Posts: "If Summer's Over Why Is It Still So $%&@ Hot!" Edition

So summer has wound down and the kids have returned to school. Nothing major has occured in our lives recently but we have had several of the little things pile up. When that happens, we go with the mini posts.




The Road To Hell Is Paved With Good Intentions, Or Maybe Concrete

The "Finishing The Front Of Our House Seven Year Plan" continued this last month as we finally did something with the south side of our driveway. For those unaware/unconcerned about what the south side of our driveway looked like up until now, it was empty dirt. There never were plans to do much there anyway other than someday we wanted to concrete the whole thing in and maybe add a basketball hoop. We are still hoopless (say it fast...there you go, I knew you would get it) but we finally got around to pouring concrete.

My friend Tommy Nicholas works for the Town of Thatcher and is somewhat of a concrete expert. The whole process started and had moved quickly forward in just one saturday. I had talked to Tommy the day before and he came by to "look" at what I was wanting to do. By the time that day was over, he had come over with a backhoe and dug out the area all around the house where we wanted to add a sidewalk and had started on the driveway area. Monday came and before I could get home from work, Tommy and Scott Lee, our Elder's Quorum President were already preparing the forms. (The joys of living in a small town as a Mormon. There are no secrets or things done quietly. I had no less than 15 people ask me what we were pouring in the back yard because they just happened to notice we were doing something back there.) By Thursday, Tommy was already on it and poured the first of three pours around the back and sides of the house. Later that night, Tommy, his brother John, Heath and I were preparing the forms for the other two pours. As the hour started to approach ten p.m., I felt a little bad for my neighbors. But apparently not bad enough as we didn't wrap it up until almost 11:30.

The next morning, we started at 5:30 and were ready for the cement truck at 7:00. I learned quickly that I don't know anything about concrete. I tried to get in and be helpful, but mainly tried not to get in the way. We finished the first pour by 11:00 a.m. then went and got lunch. I am pretty sure a manager was in the back room at Subway madly flipping through the process and procedures booklet trying to find a loophole that they could use to kick out these sweaty, smelly guys. It seems they did not find one as we were able to finish lunch in the nice air-conditioned restaurant.

I had been doing ok up to this point. When the cement truck came for the second pour at 1:00, it didn't take long to figure out that I am in no shape for this kind of manual labor. By 2:30, I was getting the cold shakes in the middle of 100 degree temps. I had drunk so much water and at least two sodas and had yet to pee that day. I was dying. By the end, all of us just got out of Tommy's way and let him finish it up because a) no one had any desire to pass out in the wet concrete and b) Tommy was getting hot and tired enough that had we passed out in the concrete, he would have just smoothed it over us and left us there.



Now that it is said and done, it was worth one day of death for a beautiful driveway. Much appreciation to our helpers that are all pictured here (including a shout out to Shannon and Rachel, Tommy's wife, for the ever important soda runs).







Kate Loves Old People

Really and truly, the title is really the post. Brother Daniel Robinson is a wonderful 93 year old man who is our Home Teacher. For whatever reason, Kate loves him. Whenever he comes to Home Teach, she just climbs up in his lap and will lovingly stroke his face (and of course play with his thumbnail just like she does with everyone's thumbnail). The other day at church, Shannon sat on the row with Bro. Robinson and Sister Southern (92) and she just climbed up and hugged Sister Southern and was quite a hit. So, unlike most two year olds who find old people scary, Kate loves them to death. Here is a picture from our last home teaching visit. Unfortunately, Brother Steve Allen, doesn't even hardly get a look from Kate. But then he is only in his 60s. Clearly way too young for her.



While Mom Is Away, The Children Will Play

Shannon traveled up to Snow Flake recently to visit her sister Melinda who just moved there as her husband got on as a teacher in the Snow Flake school system. They had a great time and here are some pictures of her and the kids (minus Abby) at the temple.







Due to the shortness of the trip and the fact that I couldn't leave until after work and then Abby had a cheer camp on Saturday, Abby and I stayed home. Of course, when mom isn't there to say no, things happen and so dinner consisted of Taco Bell and for the evening's entertainment, Abby and I watched Batman Begins. Abby loved it and assured me she was not scared at all. However, her baseball bat that she sleeps with occasionally made a reappearance that night.

Why Are You Walking Funny Dad?

The hospital will be hosting a bicycle event at the end of October along with a 1/2 marathon and other events. I don't know if the hoopla of the event or hanging out with guys who like bicycling is to blame, but it got me excited to take on another form of physical activity. I bought a bike.

At some point, someone should have reminded me that I have not ridden a bike since that fateful day less than a week after I arrived in the mission field in England and went on splits in an area with bikes. I had never ridden in the city prior to that day and am pretty sure I will never ride in the city again. Highlights of that day in Whitefield include getting McDonald's and trying to carry my meal and soda on the handlebars of the bike (half of the soda didn't make it and my big mac could have been renamed a tortilla mac) and having a semi truck brush my leg as it was going by. I was pretty sure my life would end at some point that day.

Prior to that, I rode a bike quite a bit growing up. However, someone should also have pointed out that I do not weigh the same as I did in grade school. Or as I did on my mission for that matter. Shannon recently got a road bike and I tried to get up on that thing a few days ago and felt like I was an orange trying to balance on a pencil.

But I ordered one anyway and went and picked it up. Now to be fair, Shannon's is a road bike and mine is a hybrid which means it has a little more base to it. The key word there is little. I took it out on its maiden ride with Braden. We started down the driveway and Braden says, "You are doing so good dad." I am glad he is easily impressed. He asks, "Is it cool?"

"Sure is son." If you consider maiming yourself fun. I think I am going to fall. I can picture my head scraping along the pavement at any minute. Whose stupid idea was it to get a bike anyway?

"You are really good dad."

"Thanks son." Has he seen another adult actually ride a bike. Surely his comparison pool has to be pretty small as I am positive I resemble a Barnum and Bailey Circus clown. Wasn't I able to take one hand off the handle bars at some point in my life?

But then I realized I actually was doing ok. More than that, it was pretty fun. So, if I can just get over how badly my pelvic bones are hurting right now, I think this is going to be a positive thing.



Laborless Day

After a very rough Saturday at our house to start the Labor Day weekend, (suffice it to say, some children spent more time being punished than...well anything else) we decided that our children had spoken and we needed to heed their message. They complained that every Saturday we work and require them to do...work, and it just isn't right. So we told them that in spite of the many things that needed to be done, we would declare Labor Day, FUN DAY! We asked what they wanted to do and they started with bowling. We explained that we were trying not to spend a lot of money. So they suggested a movie at the theatre. Again, not too much money. But then they finally got where we were going and we came up with quite the schedule.

We started with waffles for breakfast. Not Eggo's, real waffles from a waffle maker. Made by an expert waffle maker. (I don't know who is responsible for bestowing the title of expert, but as I have not had any complaints about my waffles, I will run with the title until I am told I can't.) Next, we played Settlers of Cataan. This was Braden's choice and we all had a great time, especially the expert Settlers of Cataan player who dominated from the first roll. (Some might say I should not brag about beating up on children who haven't really played before. but those people aren't here to actually say those things so I choose not to listen to what some might say.)





Next, we had a Wii Frisbee contest. Logan was master of the day in this contest. Mom actually came on strong at the end and then for an unexplainable reason completely flubbed her last throw to lose by just 10 points to Logan. Tough break Mom.



After that, we headed to the back yard for a horse shoe contest. There is an ongoing point of contention in our home as to who the best horse shoe player is: me or my wife. Now Shannon would point out how she was winning at one point years ago when we had to quit before the game ended. But as the game never ended, clearly no one could be declared victor. Amazingly enough, we have never played head to head since that time. So I would correctly point out that I have never lost to Shannon so clearly we cannot say who is the better horse shoe player. And unfortunatley, this day would bring no clear answers. Shannon was on a team with Braden and I teamed up with Abby and Logan. So Abby and Shannon would throw on their side, and then Logan would throw one horse shoe and I would throw the other for our team while Braden would throw for theirs. At one point, our team was down 15-1. However, we made a strong comeback that fell just short and lost 21-13. Shannon would say that we lost 25 to 13 because she threw a ringer and a point on her last throw, but since it is only to 21, the final score correctly reads 21-13.





Next up, Abby had requested we have a cake decorating contest. Below, you can see the results and due to her exquisite use of color and of all the available resources, Abby was named the winner which meant that when we all went to the Oasis, everyone got to get a medium instead of a small of whatever they ordered.

















When we got back from the Oasis, we played Settlers one more time where Shannon won (the expert decided to lay off and let others have a chance...I am sure that is what happened), went on a family bike ride and then had cereal for dinner. The dirty dishes and laundry piled up (Acutally Shannon cheated and did both throughout the day to keep the damage to a minimum) and the lawn went unmowed, but we had a blast and have decided to make Labor Day/Fun Day an annual event.