Tuesday and Wednesday, December 28th and 29th - 19 and 20th Days

Tuesday and Wednesday were both great days.  Nicole had to get up at 4:00 in the morning to take Amber to the Airport so she could go visit her boyfriend in Texas.  I told her not to die while driving down there, and she didn't.  She's always been a very obedient wife.  Tuesday was great, work was easy, and people were nice, and Kerry and I got to ride to and from work on our bikes.  No one shot at me, ran me over, or cursed at me, so it was pretty easy to stay nice.   OH, exciting news, Bishop Walker found out that his daughter didn't actually have a miscarriage and lose the twins!  In fact, she went back up to Idaho, and the doctors did an ultra-sound and found two heartbeats!  So, he was excited, and so was his daughter and her husband.  I think it was truly a miracle.  On Wednesday, I woke up in a cold sweat because I dreamed that Hunter and I were driving down the road and the road was washed out and we drove into a raging river.  I was able to get out, but Hunter didn't, and he died.  It was terrible!  I woke up and had to slap myself a few times to make sure it was just a dream (note to self, don't slap so hard).  That night Nicole, Kaylee, Logan and I went to the gym again.  I learned my lesson and stayed away from Logan while he was working out.  It was much easier to eat eclairs while lifting the two pound barbells and watching T.V. then it was to work out with Logan!  Things I learned the last two days, 1st, Miracles still happen, even if we don't have Moses parting the red sea, we still have miracles.  2nd, If you're going to drive into a raging river, unbuckle your seat belt before the car flips upside down and you can't figure out which way the door is.  3rd, Don't slap yourself while holding your toothbrush (just kidding, I didn't really do that, but I imagine it would hurt).  4th, I get to go to Debbie and Brian's for dinner tomorrow and I'm excited.  It still should be easy to keep my streak intact because they're very nice people (unless of course Debbie decides to cook Liver and onions). 

Monday, December 27th, 2010 - 18th Day

Monday was a great day!  I went to the gym, and did 22 minutes on the eliptical, 500 jump ropes, 20 sit-ups with the 12 pound medicine ball, 20 curls, 20 box jumps, and 30 10lb medicine ball throws with Logan.   Then, I came home and went shopping with my Nicole and my girls.  It was fun, I was starting to get frustrated with one of my girls, so I just had to walk away, and all was well after a few minutes.  Sometimes, it's best just to walk away for a few minutes and cool down, especially when you're trying to be nice for an entire year!   Then, we came home and I went for a 30 mile bike ride with Debbie, Kerry, and Ken.   That night we went to the Anderson's and made gingerbread houses.  Kaylee and Amber made the coolest igloo, complete with a sled, a dog made out of tootsie rolls, and an eskimo made out of a nut.   Debbie made a cool tree, and Brian pretty much ate candy and talked with Mike about biking (you can't deny it Brian).  No, just kidding, Brian helped me, and our gingerbread house rocked.  It was pretty easy to be nice to everyone at the Anderson's, even when Kelly laughed when they told her that I was going to try and be nice to everyone.  Kelly's response,  "Kyle is going to try and be nice to everyone!" (imagine Kelly's hearty laugh here)  Luckily I restrained from doing my Ninja move on Kelly and taking her out right there, so my nice streak is intact.  Things I learned today, 1st, Don't do box jumps with a 17 year old boy, it will kick your butt (I know, this was supposed to be a lesson I learned previously, but I'm a very slow learner). 2nd, The frosting from the gingerbread kits can be used interchangeably with cement, seriously.  3rd, Don't do gingerbread houses more than once a year, or you'll look like a gingerbread house because you eat as much as you put on the houses (actually I think I put one part candy to every 3 parts I ate)

Sunday, December 26th - 17th Day

Sunday was my day to sleep in because I didn't have any meetings until 1:00!  Then what happened?  That's right, I woke up at 5:45, and couldn't get back to sleep!  There is truly no justice in this world.  The day was nice, though, I sat by the Christmas tree while everyone else was in bed and just thought about life, it was kind of nice.   It's easy to be nice to people when there's no one to talk to!  I didn't once want to hit myself, or scream at myself.  I was a complete master of my temperament.   Then my wife and kids got up, we played some games, and off to church I went.  I found out that Bishop Walker's daughter had a miscarriage and lost her twins, so Bishop was kind of down.  We had a great church though, and when I came home Kaylee had made us some great Yogurt, Parmesan Chicken, and it was tasty.  Then, I visited a friend, and came home and spent the evening with my family.   Things I learned today, 1st, Yogurt and Parmesan, while they sound like they would go together like Ketchup and ice-cream, are actually very tasty when combined on chicken! 2nd, It's easier to be nice to yourself sometimes than it is to be nice to others. 3rd, It's hard when you see a friend sad and there's nothing you can do about it.

Friday, December 24 and Sat. December 25th, 2010 - 15th and 16th Day

The day before Christmas is always one of my favorite days.   I got up and did some last minute shopping, then I went home to get dressed for a bike ride with Mike Anderson, Clair Buchanan, Kerry, and myself.  It was 50 degrees out and beautiful.  I was so grateful to be out riding again, I'd forgotten how much I enjoy it.   Then, I came home and played some games with my family, and we had a great ham dinner.   We then had our Christmas program, which consists of singing songs, opening our Christmas gift (pajamas), opening white elephant gifts, re-enacting the Nativity, and watching Luke II on video.  It's one of my favorite nights of the year. The spirit of Christmas is like no other.  That night, Hunter decided to try and stay up all night by watching episodes of Psych until Christmas morning came.  The rest of us went to bed.  At 6:00, we all woke up and found Hunter asleep on the family room couch, with the T.V. blaring in the background.  He had made it until just after 5:00.  Needless to say, he wasn't very happy that he was less than an hour short of his goal!   We then all opened presents and began a day of playing games and sleeping a lot from the lack of sleep we received the night before.  I then got to go on another bike ride with Chelsea, Kerry, and Debbie and Brian Bowling and it was 60 degrees outside. We went slow and had a great time talking about everything.  Sometimes the slow rides are the most fun because you get to enjoy the other person's company, rather then just seeing their backside as you race down the road, panting like a big dog running after a squirrel.   We got home and enjoyed leftovers, visited my brother and his family, and then came home and went to bed.  It was a good day.  Things I learned today, 1st, It's much more fun to see people open your presents then it is to open your own.  Seeing Hunter and Logan open the PS3 I surprised them with was priceless, I thought Logan's head was going to explode the way he was holding on to it and screaming.  2nd, it's really nice to have my entire family home.   The older I get, the more I realize that my kids won't be with me forever and I need to cherish them.  3rd, Orange rolls and yummy, but if you eat 6 of them, you are going to feel anything but yummy.  4th, Bike riding on Christmas day in 60 degree weather with friends and family  - it doesn't get much better than that! 

Thursday, December 23rd, 14th Day

Today was another great day.  I had another big sale, and a group of Metals companies said they had decided on our product.  I celebrated with the family by taking them out to Olive Garden to eat.  We were nice to the waitress, and she was nice to us.  We then went to the tabernacle and listened to Brody Perry's group sing.  They were good, but not as good as Nicole (I'm not even a little bit biased).  Then Nicole and I went shopping, and we came home and read a Christmas story and talked with the kids.  I decided to not eat so much candy, even though people keep bringing it by the truckload.  It was another day where it wasn't hard to be nice to people.  People were nice to me, and it's always easier to be nice to someone when they're nice to you.  Things I learned today, 1st, it's fun to sneak around and buy your family gifts that they are not expecting.  2nd, Logan is really working on getting six pack abs.  I told him that if he had six-pack abs like Hunter's by Valentine's Day I'd give him a $100.  He is doing box jumps, running, and eating less.  He only ate one bread stick at Olive Garden! (I didn't even know that was possible)   3rd, Harvest Company bread is delicious! (The Wade's brought us some for Christmas).  4th, Nicole calls today Christmas Adam (because Adam came before Eve, get it).  5th, I can't wait until tomorrow, not only is it Christmas Eve, but I get to go on a bike ride (it stopped raining finally).  

Wednesday, December 22nd, 2010, 13th Day

Today was another great day!  Work was so slow, I felt like a turtle caught in molasses.  However, when I went home we got to make our homemade salsa and run it around to 40 of our friends and neighbors.  Every year we make salsa and send to the neighbors.  This year, it was a little late in coming, so I had quite a few people say, "Hey, where's my salsa!"  For those of you who haven't tried it, you've missed out.  I also got to go to the gym with my family, and there was a really loud, obnoxious man there and I wanted to say, "Hey, obnoxious guy, can you quiet down a bit, some of us are trying to work out without screaming and grunting!"  However, due to my Christmas commitment, I simply smiled and didn't say anything.  So, I'm not sure if I'm becoming a better person, or maybe just bottling it up inside and one day I'm going to unleash on some little old lady who cuts me off with her shopping cart in Walmart!  No, seriously, this has been a lot of fun.  Things I learned today, 1st, when you make salsa, it's fun, but it's messy.  Our kitchen looked like a CSI crime scene.  Kaylee had tomato sauce flying all over the kitchen!  2nd, don't rub your eyes after making salsa, especially if you've been cutting the jalapeno or habanero peppers. 3rd, I have some great friends!

Monday and Tuesday, December 20th and 21st, 2010 - 11th & 12th Day

Monday was so slow, that there is not much to report.  We had three phone calls all day, and two of them were from the same person!  I was nice to him, so that was pretty easy.  At night, our family went shopping for a family in the ward and we had a blast.  It really helped us feel the Christmas spirit.  We were able to buy presents for all their children, and the parents, and we bought stuff for their Christmas dinner.  Then we went home and wrapped them.    We then had one of our friends, who didn't know the family at all, go to their door and deliver the presents and the money.  It was a lot of fun.  Then, Tuesday morning I woke up and went to the Summit (a local gym), and worked out with my two oldest daughters and my 17 year old son.  My son, Logan, had me doing box jumps, and medicine ball throws, and lunges, and bicep curls, then we ran for 30 minutes.   By the end I was really sore.  Then, when we went outside, we noticed the river was overflowing the banks, so we spent the next 3-4 hours shoveling dirt into sand bags and helping the city sandbag so the Washington City residents wouldn't have their homes flooded.  It was really nice to serve, but now I'm sore!  Things I learned today, 1st, Don't try to keep up with a 17 year old boy when lifting/running at the gym!  You will not feel very strong, even if you have convinced yourself all these years that you could whip up on any 17 year old!  2nd, refer to #1 when sandbagging with teenagers, they can fill 200 sand bags and then go play a football game.  After I fill 200 sand bags, every part of my body hurts, and I'm whining to my wife like a little girl! 3rd, If you are 44 years old, and attempt to carry two 50 pound bags of sand at the same time, you will pay for it later - bad!  4th, sometimes, things that make your body hurt,

Sunday, December 19th, 2010 - 10th Day

I woke up this morning, it's raining outside, but Sunday's are usually great days, so I was still pretty excited.   Meetings were great, as they usually are around Christmas time.  My daughter, Amber, got back from College today, and it's so great to have her here.  Her boyfriend, Mitch, drove her all the way down to Provo from Rexburg, ID when she then took Kaylee's van down to St. George.  I think that qualifies as a "Service of the Day".   In church, there were some wonderful stories of giving and kindness.  One true story told of a man that came and knocked on a couples door and asked if they needed their lights put up on their house.  The couple, not wanting to be an inconvenience, said, "No, it's alright, we'll be ok this year, we don't have any lights anyway".   That next morning, they awoke and saw that the man had went to the store, bought Christmas lights, and was putting them on their house.  He spent half the day putting Christmas lights up for them.  I love Christmas stories like that, it's what Christmas is all about.  It was fun to be nice to people today, especially children, they're so bright eyed, and when you say hi they get all excited, especially if you get down on their level, or call them by their first name.  So, after having a great church, we went over to Pam and Rhys Weaver's house (very good friends of ours), and celebrated her birthday.  I saw a lot of acts of service today, and that always warms the holiday season.  Things I learned today, 1st, if you eat your weight in chocolate chip cookies, you're going to gain weight, even if you do go to the gym.   2nd, same applies to fudge, ice cream, or any other food that tastes really delicious.  3rd, people are generally really nice people.  4th, my Bishop has a lot of Nativities in his house (over 400!). 

December 18th, 2010 - 9th Day

Saturday, and it was a doozy!  I woke up late (it's always good to sleep in when it's cold and rainy, and it's a Saturday, it's like a triple threat, or triple treat).  As Nicole and Kaylee and I left to the gym Nicole couldn't find her purse, and I noticed my car door was open.  We went to the gym, and when we got back, our neighbors knocked on our door, and they had Nicole's debit card, and a few of her cards from her wallet.   It hit us, Nicole had been robbed.  She had left her purse in the van and I drove home, and didn't lock the van.    Two thiefs broke into our cars and stole Nicole's purse, then threw the purse on the ground and took her wallet.  Luckily, we found all the cards, but we never found the wallet.  We called the police.  They had apprehended the criminals, and had them in custody.  Two men, ages 21 and 23, had broken into 16 cars, and stolen everything they could get their hands on.  Then, they stole a car, and got caught!  So, needless to say it was an exciting afternoon. Nicole and I then went to see her mother in the hospital, and then I took Nicole clothes shopping at Dillards.  The clerks were all super nice.  The nicer we were to them, the nicer they were to us.  We had quite an enjoyable evening.  Then, Amber called and she was heading down to see us today, but she didn't get out of Idaho in time, so she decided to stay in Provo.  However, when she got to Provo, she realized that she left all of her clothes in her apartment and the management of the apartment said that anything left over would go to Desert Industries!  So, Amber is sad, and we are sad for her.  Things I learned today.  1st, Dillards is WAY more expensive then Walmart.  2nd, Dillards is WAY more expensive then Walmart.  3rd, Dillards has nicer stuff then Walmart.  4th, at Christmas time, it's not good to rip off stuff out of people's cars, you should just politely knock on their door and say, "Can we have some cash?".  People are so giving at Christmas, you're likely to get it, and you won't have to spend any time in jail.   5th, Most of the people shopping at Dillards look like they spend more on the clothes they are wearing then I make in a month!  6th, if you're a student and you get all your clothes sent to DI, don't go shopping at Dillards to replace them, you won't have any money left for tuition!

December 16 and 17th, 2010 - 7th and 8th Days

Thursday was pretty boring, did more demos, and then came home and watched Psych, which is one of the funniest shows on television, so it was pretty easy to be nice on Thursday.  Friday I got to go and watch Logan sing at the high school and his choir did a beat box version of "Out of the Orient Crystal Sky", and it was fun.  When I came home from lunch, my mother-in-law, Ruth, had fallen and passed out in the bathroom.  We were concerned that she may have had a stroke, so we took her to the emergency room, and she had a high fever, and a bacterial infection, but no stoke!  They had to keep her over night.  Nicole had her Christmas concert tonight and it was really amazing.  A lot of our friends were there, Debbie and Brian, Kerry and Kim, the Sheppards, the Weavers, the Andersons.  You could really feel a good spirit there.  Afterwards, Nicole, Kaylee, Greg, and Hunter and I went to I-HOP and stuffed ourselves!  But then the waitress asked if I was 55!  What the hey, hoo!  I said, "No, I'm only 44!".  She was really nice though and we were really nice to her, so she gave us the senior discount!  Woo Hoo!  Of course, we were so excited we gave her a $10 tip, which completely wiped out any discount!  Oh well, we probably made her day. 

Then, on our way home we stopped in the hospital to see Ruth and as we were traveling back home, we saw a man in a wheelchair beside his car with the hood up.  Now, it's not very hard to stop for a guy in a wheelchair.   So, we stopped and jumped his car, and he thanked us profusely.  It was a great ending to a long day. 

Things I learned today, 1st, If you don't stop for a guy in a wheelchair, you won't stop for anyone and you should resign yourself to the fact that you're going to burn in hell! (OK, so that's a bit harsh, but still, you'll probably burn a little).  2nd, shave your head, and act old when you're at a resturant, and maybe you'll get a senior discount.  3rd, I love Christmas music, who can be grouchy when listening to Christmas music? (OK, maybe the people that were too busy to stop for the guy in the wheelchair, but not anybody that isn't going to burn!).  Christmas is only a week away!

December 15, 2010 - 6th Day

Today was a fantastic day.  Did three demos and had the biggest sale of my life to start the day out--so that definitely helps the spirits!  Then, Nicole asked me to pick up some pictures from Costco.  I went to the counter, and the salesclerk said, "That will be .83 cents please".  I had to put .83 cents on my debit card!   I'm just glad it didn't reject my transaction for lack of funds, that would have been more than a little embarrassing.   At night I got to go see my son sing, and my mother-in-law, Ruth Burr, got to direct my son's choir as they sang her original score, "No Room at the Inn".  It was really nice, and the concert was awesome.  Then my neighbor brought me some homemade fudge and Hunter made homemade poppy-seed bread.  It was awesome!  So, another day, and it really wasn't very hard to be nice to people.  People seem to be in a good mood at Christmas time, for the most part.  Lessons I learned today, 1st, Make sure to always have more than .83 cents in your account to avoid embarrassment. 2nd, If you're going to eat fudge and poppy-seed bread, you definitely need to exercise, or you begin to resemble both.  3rd, My wife and her parents are the coolest!

December 14, 2010 - Fifth Day

I can't believe he forgot his lunch again!  So, this time I scrunched the sandwich up in a ball, and threw it at him like a snowball! (Not really, but that would have been fun).  He did eat it the second day, and saved one of the sandwiches for the next day (A three day old peanut and butter sandwich doesn't sound very tasty to me though).  The day was good, but hard, because some of my clients weren't the nicest, but I was able to still be nice, so it was a success.  Debbie and Brian came with us to our church Christmas dinner and we got to hear Trilogy sing and have Santa come.  The dinner was great, and then we went home, read the Christmas story, and sang a song, so it was a great day.  Things I learned, 1st, there's too much chocolate available at Christmas time, I starting to look like Santa Claus, and I'm not talking about the fact that I wear a lot of red! 2nd, I love Christmas dinners, especially when they're free!

December 13, 2010 - Fourth Day

Today was going to be a great day!  I set my alarm for 6:30 so I could get up and make lunches for my sons before school.  Even though it was still dark and cold outside, I figured it was worth it.   I made them exactly what they want for lunch: two sandwiches, some goldfish (crackers, not the kind that swim in a bowl), and a nutri-grain bar.  One of my sons kindly remembered to take his lunch.  The other son, not-so-kindly forgot his.  It's kind of like when you take all day baking fresh cookies for your neighbor, only to see them in his garbage can the next day.  Let's just say, it doesn't give you the warm fuzzies.  But of course, I'm on my quest for niceness, so I resisted the urge to throw his lunch sack at his school bus as it left the neighborhood.

The day got better, however, as I was able to talk nicely with all my clients, even the one who couldn't understand why we wanted him to actually pay for the software he was using (He had been illegally using it for three years and couldn't understand why now that he had a problem, we had a little bit of a problem wanting to help him, imagine that!).  I was even able to be nice to the lady at the department store who tried to charge me triple for my wife's Christmas present.  Instead of saying, "What the heck are you trying to do!?", I said, "I think you made a mistake".  So, all ended well.  Then, to cap the day off, a good friend of mine, Debbie Bowling, brought us over some warm, banana, oatmeal, chocolate chip cookies she had made!  (No Debbie I didn't throw them in the garbage, we gobbled them all up!).  The family started to put up our Christmas village, then we read a Christmas story while sitting around the Christmas tree , sang a song, and said prayers.  Not bad for a fourth day!  Things I learned today.  1st, If you think banana, oatmeal, chocolate chip cookies don't sound good, you're wrong, they're awesome!  2nd, it's better to keep your son's lunch and have him eat it the second day then it is to throw it at a passing school bus.  3rd, I love the Christmas season!  

December 12, 2010 - Third Day

OK, how hard is it to be nice to people at church!  I mean, everybody smiles at church.  Today was pretty uneventful.  Went to church, then traveled home for four hours then went to bed.  It's pretty hard to be mean to anyone on a day like that!  So, life was good today, and no anger or hostility shown, so three days have passed and I've still been nice to everyone!  I did tell my 17 year old son, Logan, that I'd give him $50 if he got six pack abs as good as Hunter's by Valentine's Day.  Nicole added another $50.  He thinks it's going to be easy, we'll see.   Lesson I learned.  1st, Nebacanezer in the Old Testament really thought he was the man.  I mean, who builds a giant statue, and then makes everyone worship you? 2nd, there's more road kill in the state of Utah than the other 50 states combined (OK, I made that up, but it seems like it).  3rd, Frozen Hot chocolate is awesome! 

December 11, 2010

OK, the second day was almost as fun.  We went out to dinner with some of our best friends, Mike and Kelly Anderson.   We asked the waitress to split the check, and Mike and I gave her our credit cards.  When she came back, I noticed that she had charged both of our dinners to Mike's credit card.   When we told the waitress, she was very embarrassed.  However, I assured her it was ok, and that I thought she was the best waitress that I had ever had, and I would bring all my friends to the resturant if she'd be my waitress.  We all got a good laugh (everyone except Mike, I'm not sure he thought it was so funny).

Saturday started off with a trip up north toward Lehi.   None of us particularly wanted to go north again for the third time in four weeks, but it was Nicole's mother's concert so we went to support her.   We were able to stop at a Dairy Queen, and I made sure to be nice to the lady in line.  The day was starting well.   Then, when we got to Lehi, Logan asked me if I could take him to the post office to deliver a package.  Of course, I thought, just another chance to be nice.  Then Nicole asked me if I would stop by a ladies clothing shop and pick up a white, capped sleave shirt.  Logan and I had the great opportunity of being the only guys in an all ladies clothing shop.  We both commented that the ladies in the shop seemed to be smirking, rather than smiling, but hey, it was just another opportunity to serve.  Then, when dinner was over, Nicole's mom left for the concert and forgot her glasses.  I put the glasses on, and drove to the concert.  When I walked in with her glasses on, she laughed, and it eased her nervousness.  Of course, the other people in the concert probably thought a short, bald guy with gramma bifocals on was a bit odd.  Then, Wes, Nicole's father, said, "As long as you're running errands, can you go back home and get an extension cord?"  I went back home, got the extension cord, and got a call to bring scissors as well.  So, it was a great day of service and we got to attend a wonderful concert and everyone was happy.  Day 2 was another success.  No anger, and lot's of service.  Here is what I learned from day 2:   1st, if something is in the middle of the road and it looks like a burlap sack with cranberries coming out of the sack, don't run over it, it's not a burlap sack (it was a very smashed deer).  2nd, you can ease a lot of nervousness by making people laugh.  3rd, if you wear your mother-in-laws bifocals, be careful when you drive.   4th, serving others sure feels better than doing things for yourself. 

Day 1 - December 9th and 10, 2010

On my flight from Detroit to Denver, I realized that I needed to be nicer to people.  So I decided that I was going to be nice to EVERYONE I came in contact with.  I was sitting next to a young man, about 24 years old, who seemed a little down.  Here's my chance, I thought.  I'll start right now.  I leaned over and said, "Hi" and that was all he needed.  He talked a lot, I listened.   He has been traveling from Albuquerque, NM to Detroit every week for the last 6 months.  His young wife has a job in New Mexico - hence the weekly separation.  He was extremely nice, and made the flight go much faster than usual.   

I then got off the plane and thought that smiling at everyone I saw would be a great idea on my quest for niceness.   The first person was easy, she was a Southwest Airlines stewardess, and they are always smiling.  I smiled at her and said, "Thank you for all you do."  She smiled genuinely and said, "Thank You very much, have a great evening!"  This was going to be easy!  Well, here are a few things I found out from my first smiling expedition.   1st, if you smile at guys in the bathroom, that's not a good thing.  2nd, if you smile at attractive ladies, don't smile for too long.  3rd, don't smile at anyone 6' 5" 300 lbs or larger that is wearing a Meat Packers shirt.  4th, if you smile and say hi to everyone, most smile back.   5th, Southwest airlines employees are funny, nice, and like to smile a lot.  6th, approximately 1/3 of men in Denver don't wash their hands after they use the restrooms.  (OK, I know that really doesn't have to do with anything, but it grosses me out all the same).

Once I arrived in Las Vegas, it was already 3:00 in the morning body time, so I wasn't very talkative, but I still tried to smile at everyone.  Just a note: it's interesting how people look at you when you smile at them in the early morning hours.  When I arrived at the hotel it was already 1:15 Las Vegas time, and I had a nice chat with the desk manager before going off to bed.   I think I can do this!  I only have 364 1/2 days left! Being nice is fun.