January 28th and 29th, 2011, 50th and 51st Day

Who doesn't love Fridays?  Work was a little boring, so Kerry and I went shopping for frames for our pictures in the office.  We found some great frames at Michaels, and as I looked around, I noticed we were the only guys in the store besides the clerks.  I'm sure many of the women were thinking, "What are those two guys doing shopping in Michaels?  Well, it didn't help the cause any when we bought five large, 30" X 40" frames and then as we were walking out the door I remembered--we had the Porsche.  "Um, Kerry, did you remember we had the Porsche?"  "We can fit them in the Porsche".  Well, we couldn't even come close to fitting them in the Porsche, and so we had to call Kim to come pick them up in the Navigator.   I'm sure the ladies in the store were thinking, "Those two men have brains the size of walnuts, they should leave the frame shopping to the ladies!"  And, they'd be right.   The rest of the day went pretty smoothly.  I had to go pick up my dry cleaning and they told me they had to send it to Las Vegas.  "Why do you have to send it to Las Vegas?" I asked.  "Because your shirts are so smelly no one in Washington or Saint George will clean them!"  "What?!"  No, just kidding they didn't say that, I guess they send all the shirts to Las Vegas.   I was hoping the shirts would come back with some extra money in them, but I was out of luck, they came back as just plain old white shirts.  

Friday night my wife and I went out on a hot date to Costco to pick up some cheese and then we had dinner at Costco.  We split a Carne Asada wrap.  That's what happens when your daughter gets married, you split your meals at Costco.  Next time, we've decided to splurge and move up to the slice of pizza, but we have to wait until pay day.  The guy at the counter was nice, but he charged Nicole $10.16 instead of $8.06.  I thought Nicole was going to have to argue with him to get her money back (hey don't mock $2.10 can come in handy when planning a wedding), but when she went back he admitted his mistake and gave her back her money.  So, with our new found riches we left and went back home and watched an old episode of "Psyche" before reading and going to bed.  How's that for a hot date!

Saturday I had to get up at 6:45 (who likes to get up at 6:45 on a Saturday), and go down to the church, where we met the youth of our ward, had muffins (the French toast ones rocked) and chocolate milk, then went to a three hour EFY meeting with the kids.  It was really good though, they talked about all the temptations kids go through these days.   Then I went back to Costco, ate all the samples, and bought more cheese (yes, we go through a lot of cheese in the Kimzey household.  I'm pretty sure one of the boys uses it as shoe inserts, because sometimes their shoes can smell pretty bad), and then went back to church for a 2 hour leadership meeting.  Then, it was home for some In and Out burgers and off to another meeting at the church from 7:00 to 9:00.  Then, back home, off to Walmart again, and home to play cards with Nicole and Hunter, and they even let me win one game because they felt sorry for me because I was losing so badly.   So, it was a very spiritual, and tiring day.  I was nice to everyone I came in contact with, however, so I'm now at 51 days, with one outburst at a Qwest Employee and a little grumpiness on Christmas day with my daughter.  Things I learned Friday and Saturday, 1st, you can't fit even one 30" x 40" frame into a 35" tall Porsche, none-the-less five of them.  2nd, I can now say I've laundered in Las Vegas!  And, since I paid them, I guess I laundered money in Las Vegas!  3rd, Costco can be a cheap date, if you're in the food section.  If not, it's impossible to have a cheap date at Costco. You're likely to go in just to get cheese, and come out with a large screen TV, a Vitamix blender and a new mattress.  4th, French Toast Muffins from Costco are better then French Toast at I-Hop (well, maybe not the stuffed French Toast at I-hop).  5th, Going to a lot of meetings at church can be tiring, but you come out wanting to be a better person, and I guess that is what life is all about.   

January 27th, 2011, 49th Day

Thursday was another great day!  I was nice to everyone, and everyone was nice to me!  It's amazing how if I change my attitude toward people, they seem to change their attitude toward me (of course, Mr. Burton probably read my blog and was depressed the entire day!).  I went shopping in the middle of the day because i was bored and I got caught!  Kelly Anderson was shopping at TJ Max in the middle of the day, and she said, "You better be nice to everyone".  Now, it appears, I have spies keeping me in line, so I better be extra careful, and extra nice.  Today was kind of a lazy day.  We rented the movie "Red" and we didn't even start the movie until 9:30.  My back has been hurting for some reason, so I had to lay in bed on a heating pad.  I think I'm just getting old.  Instead of being one of those 70 year olds that rides a 100 mile bike ride, like I envision, I'm probably going to be one of those old guys who sits on the couch, eating ice cream and yelling at the TV.  However, most of the time I still feel like I'm 30, so maybe when I'm 70 I'll feel like I'm 55.   The wedding planning is going good.  Watching Nicole and Amber plan this wedding is like watching a well oiled machine.  I just step back and watch the machine do it's thing!  However, then I check the Credit Card bill and think, "Maybe it's not so much a well oiled machine, as it is a well oiled printing press!"   Actually, they're doing things very economically.   They both know I can't get mad, though, so it probably makes it a little easier on them.  They say, "Hey Dad, we saved $400 on the photography! Now we have more to spend!"   Here is what I hear, "Hey Dad, we spent $1,600 on photography!"  No, just kidding, it's fun to watch them have fun, and it doesn't do any good to stress anyway, that would be like stressing that you have to put on your underware (you're going to have to do it anyway, so why stress)    Things I learned today, 1st, Kelly shops at TJ Max at 2:00 in the afternoon, either that, or she was following me to make sure I was being nice. 2nd, Having a bad back is no fun, it's like crawling through an ant hill in your underware (there, I used underware twice in one blog!) after you've been dipped in honey!  3rd, Planning a wedding is much more fun when Nicole is your wife, just let her go--  She's like the Energizer Bunny! 

January 25 and 26th, 2011 - 47th and 48th Day

Tuesday seemed like a long day, but it was pretty easy to stay nice to people. Dave the Qwest guy didn't come knocking on my door, and the day was pretty uneventful.   I did get to go to the Alltel store and pick out my new phone and the telephone rep there was extremely nice and helpful.  It made me wonder, how come Qwest doesn't hire the Alltel employees?  I ordered my new Droid phone, which makes me excited, because scanning prices at the store is soon on the horizon.

On Wednesday I woke up and read the paper.  I read about Robert Burton, a UCONN donor who apparently wants his money back that he donated to the University (over 3 million dollars), because they didn't consult him when they hired the new football coach!   Mr Burton also said he wanted his name taken off the facility.  What the hey hoo?!  I almost fell out of my chair.  Good thing Mr. Burton wasn't in my living room because I would have called him a pompous windbag and I would have lost my "be nice to everyone" status for the day.  Of course, when I read the article and told my wife, "This guy is a complete idiot!", she reminded me that I needed to be nice to everyone, to which I replied, "You're right, but it shouldn't count, he's an idiot".   The rest of the day went great.  Amber started working with us today as a receptionist and she did great.  At night, the family watched American Idol (yes, I'm a little bit of an Idol fan, but not a huge one), and they had a touching story about one of the singers that proposed to his girlfriend and then she got in a car accident and was brain damaged.  She really could barely function, and yet he stuck by her.  He said, "I was about to utter the words, in sickness and in health, till death do us part.  What kind of person would I be if I didn't stick by her side?"  I thought that was a touching story.  Too bad more people aren't like that.  Then Logan and I watched number 9 BYU play #4 SDSU.  BYU won 71-58!  It was a great game, and Fredette scored 43 points!   That definitely made my night.  Things I learned yesterday and today, 1st, Steve, from Alltel, should give Dave, from Qwest, some customer service tips.  2nd, the Droid phone will be shipping on Feb. 4th, I will then be so happy, I will be more likely to make others happy!  3rd, Mr. Burton is a pompous windbag (sorry, but you know it's true)! 4th, Crying during American Idol is like crying during Scooby Doo reruns--it just feels off.  5th, Jimmer Fredette throws down the rock! (not to be confused with my stomach being a rock after I ate the Reese's Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup ice cream! 6th, Here is a picture of Mr. Burton--enough said (sorry, but I couldn't resist). 

January 23rd and 24th, 2011 - 45th and 46th day

Sundays are always easy to be nice.  This Sunday I had to give a 20 minute talk.  I really wasn't nervous, because I liked my topic.  I spoke on recognizing and appreciating what God has given us.   I told the congregation to imagine they were at the beginning of a large dirt field that stretched on for five miles.  The field had very large trees at the side. They were there with their family, and none of them had a drink or eaten anything in two days.   At the end of the field was plenty of life saving food and water for the entire family.  They were given the choice of three things to help them on their journey.  First, an SUV, loaded with gas, and lots of food and vegetables, and a five gallon jug of water.   2nd, a chainsaw and enough apples for the entire family and two quarts of water.   3rd, a metal detector with a 15 foot arm, and no food or water.  Which one should you pick?  The SUV of course!  However, I then gave them more information, three miles into the field was a 200 foot deep crevice with jagged rocks at the bottom, and the only thing to cross it was a very old, one foot wide rickety board that may or may not hold even one member of your family.  Now which one would you choose? (Hint, the chainsaw, to cut down the tree and make a plank to carry to the crevice).  Then I gave them more information, the field was a mine field.  Would that now change your choice?  I then related it to life, and how sometimes we think we bummed that everyone has an SUV loaded with stuff, and all we get is the dumb metal detector, yet God knows each of us, and he gives us the tools we need to get through life.

Sunday night was nice, Nicole and Kelly Anderson went up North to help Amber go wedding dress shopping tomorrow, so I invited Mike over to have some barbecue sandwiches for dinner.  Then, Hunter and Logan and I sat around and talked and played pool.  It was a nice evening and I wasn't even tempted to be mean to anyone.

On Monday Amber and Nicole and Kelly went dress shopping and they found a really nice dress.  It was at a place called Pamela's and they don't sell their dresses, you can only rent them.  So, Amber is renting her dress, and she's happy, and I'm happy.  The boys and I were alone for Family Home Evening, so what did we do?  What any group of guys would do when left alone, we decided that we needed to go to the store, pick out any treat, and eat that treat.  I picked an entire half gallon of Reese's Chocolate Peanut Butter cup ice cream!  How good is that.  Then we came home, ate our treats, and played pool and watched "Chuck" on TV.  Fun night.  Things I learned yesterday and today.  1st, I'd rather go through a mine field with a metal detector than an SUV! 2nd, It's nice when you have friends that feel comfortable enough to come over, eat with you, talk for a few minutes, and leave, without feeling like they are imposing.  Mike's one of those kinds of friends.  3rd, I love this rent-a-wedding-dress idea!  How cool is that, get a nice dress, save some money, everyone wins!  4th, Reese's Chocolate Peanut Butter cup ice cream rocks, literally! (I loved it, but I looked like a rock when I was done).  5th, Fighting the fluff by eating Reese's Chocolate Peanut Butter cup ice cream and Milk Duds is like trying to save the dolphins by not eating tuna fish (Does the word fruitless come to mind?) 

   

January 21st, and 22nd 2011 - 43rd and 44th Day

I love Fridays.  How can anyone not love Friday.   No matter what happens, you know you have Saturday right on Friday's heels.   Work seems shorter on Friday's, and even when someone get's mad, you can take it in stride.  My wife and I always go on our date on Friday.  Tonight we went out to dinner at the Parrot Head.   We talked, we laughed, we cried (ok, we didn't really cry, but we did laugh and talk).   We then decided to go to Dillards and look for a Bridesmaid dress for Kaylee.  (Note to self: dont' shop for Bridesmaid dresses at Dillards)  After finding nothing there, we quickly went to JCPennys, and found absolutely nothing there either.  Nicole did find a lot of other pieces of clothing she liked at Dillards, and I'm now in the process of taking out a second mortgage so I can buy her an outfit or two (don't tell her, I want to surprise her).

Saturday was even a better day.  I woke up at 8:00, wrote my talk for church, then went on a 30 mile bike ride! I went with my brother and Ken Sheppard and they were nice and waited for me when I was panting like a Chihuahua who wants his taco (have you ever tried spelling Chihuahua without looking it up on Google, don't lie).   After I got home and took some oxygen, Hunter and I went shopping at Costco.  It's our weekly ritual, and it was fun.   The samples were great, but one of the sample guys was handing out Yogurt and I said, "I love yogurt!"  He then said rather grumpily, "Then why don't you buy some!"   Not sure why the yogurt guy was Mr. Grumpy pants, but I didn't buy yogurt, just to spite him, but I was still nice to him!  Then, we went to Walmart to shop for food and I said to Hunter, "Hey, wait for me, I have to go buy some pork chops."  Hunter said, "Why do you want to buy a fork lift?"   I said, "What are you talking about?"  Apparently, pork chops sounds like fork lift, but I'm not sure why he thought I was going to buy a fork lift.   We then came home and went to see the movie, "Mega Mind", but we got there late and the line was too long, so we came back home and made dinner and watched Psych (that's a hilarious show by the way).   We bought the Ellsworth's pool table for $75 and it doesn't fit in our house very well.  In fact, if you try to shoot from the side closest to the wall, you have to use a pencil with a good eraser, because the pool stick is too long.  Oh well, it was fun, maybe we'll just have to get a bigger house to fit the pool table, or better yet, when Amber leaves we'll turn her room into a billards room!  Sorry Amber, but once you're married, the room becomes a man cave!  Nicole said I should put in my blog that she is my goddess, my princess, and the best thing that has ever happened to me, so I'm putting it in my blog.  However, it is true, even if she had to coerce me a little.  Things I learned today, 1st, Dillards is too expensive for me, I'm sticking to JCPennys and Walmart.  2nd, They don't serve Parrot food at Parrot Head.  3rd, Ken and Kerry ride like Lance Armstrong, and I ride like Oprah Winfrey.  4th, Hunter is fun to hang out with, and he's funny.  5th, I don't need a forklift at Walmart, but it may come in handy lifting the bales of cash at Dillards when I want to buy a sweater.  6th, Having a pool table is going to be more fun than watching Dave the cable guy go through a car wash with his windows down. 

January 20th, 2011 - 42nd Day

It was an exciting day today.  It started off fairly routine, and then we went to lunch.  When we came back to work, our entire building was cordoned off with yellow police tape.  Apparently, there was a gas leak and it was going to be at least 2 hours before the city would let us back in.  Well, there's only one thing to do when you're going to be locked out of your office for more than 2 hours--that's right, a bike ride!  Woo Hoo!  Kerry and I went on a 20 mile bike ride, and within 15 minutes of getting back home, the city called and had found and fixed the leak.  We were welcome to go back to work.   How's that for timing?  However, I hadn't ridden in a week, so you can imagine how slow I was.  It was kind of like in the movies where they show the fat person running in slow motion and they're jiggling like a jello salad in an earthquake.  Yep--not too pretty, but you have to start somewhere.   Then I got home from work, made my family a nice dinner, and hung out.   We found out today that Josh and DeAnna Cluffs little boy, JD, has meningitis.   He was having bad headaches, and they took him to the hospital, and they had to life flight him up to University of Utah hospital.  He's not doing very well, so we are having a fast for him through Friday night.  We're praying he's ok.  Things I learned today, 1st, I want some police tape.  Does anyone know where I can get some?  Wouldn't it be fun to cordon off your friends house while they were away?  2nd, Bike rides in the middle of the day are like donuts and hot chocolate on a cold winter's day--it just doesn't get much better.  3rd, I wish my stomach was more like my son Hunter's and less like jello.  He's got a six pack, and I have a milk jug, which I don't understand, since I eat like a bird, and he eats like a rhino!  4th, I hope and pray the Cluff's boy is alright.  There's only one thing worse then watching your spouse suffer, and that's watching your kids suffer.  

January 19th, 2011 - 41st Day

Ah, Wednesdays!  Too soon to think about the weekend, but too far away from last weekend.  We had kind of a funny thing happen at work.  We had a customer that told us on December 29th he had sent us two checks he owed us.  Then, we called on January 5th, and he said, "Oh, I'll get those out right away".  Then, on the 10th he called in for tech support and we said, "Nope, not until we see the checks".   He said he had already written the checks and that he would FEDEX them the next day.  We got the checks today (wow Fedex is slowing down, 9 days to get a package!)   So, we look at the checks and one was dated 1/14/2011, and the other was dated 1/21/2011, AND, they were consecutive check numbers!   I guess his company doesn't write a lot of checks, if  he wrote the checks on the 29th!   Apparently, he had accidently sent the checks to his mother's house in Florida.   At night we went to Subway.  I said to the guy behind the counter, "Have a GREAT night," and he responded, "You have the kind of night you want to have".  Hunter and I thought that was kind of a unique way of wishing us a good evening.   We then rented "Wall Street - Money Never Sleeps", and then we watched American Idol, how's that for an exciting night.  Things I learned today, 1st, "The check is in the mail" really is a statement that people make, even when the check is not in the mail.  2nd, FEDEX is slowing down, I better move my business to UPS!  3rd, People in customer service positions have it rough, I think people are often not very nice to them (especially Walmart and Subway employees).  4th, Is it wrong to want a caramel apple and some ice cream at 10:00 at night! 

January 18th, 2011 - 40th Day

40 days!  I made it 40 days and I think I've only been mean to one person, and telephone repairmen don't count.  Tuesday was a great day, work was nice, I didn't get too stressed, and I went to New Beginnings at the church, it was a nice program put together for the young women in our church.  It was fairly uneventful other than that, except for the wedding planning, that's kind of fun.  We now have the caterer, the location, the colors picked out, and we've almost decided on a photographer.  All in three days!  Any of you that know Nicole will probably not be surprised by this.  Nicole is a planner, and she's good at it.  In fact, sometimes I just say, "Nicole, please plan my day today and let me know what I'm supposed to do".  Those days usually work out the best, as I don't have to think, just act and react (OK, so Nicole really doesn't plan my days, but they'd probably go better if she did).   At night we watched "White Collar" on TV, and I resisted the urge to eat cookies in bed.  Kaylee is having a blast in London.  I'm sure she is being nice to everyone she meets, so I should get extra credit because she's my daughter.  Things I learned today, 1st, Being nice for 40 days is easier (and more fun), then fasting for 40 days in the wilderness.  2nd, My wife started a blog.  I feel like a true trend setter.  Next thing you know, I'll be getting my dad to blog (ok, that's crazy talk, but if he does, I get the credit).  3rd, Amber and Mitch are alone in Idaho, and they're engaged.  As a dad, should I be worried?  Maybe not, but I still am.  4th, I've decided to not buy a new engine, but to get another car instead!  I've been thinking about a Ferrari, or maybe a Lambo, or maybe even a Bentley (I didn't say I could afford to buy one, I was just thinking about them!)  That being said, I'll probably buy a 1999 Lincoln Navigator.  Hey, at least it's not a mini-van Nicole!   

January 16th and 17th, 2011 - 38th and 39th Day

Sunday schedule again.  Got up at 6:00 and went to meetings, but got home at 2:00!  I was pretty excited.  Things went well at church.  Amber and Mitch got to tell everyone they were engaged, and everyone was happy.  Then I was in charge of the Bishopric discussion and I talked on miracles, and Hunter's birth.  I always have trouble talking about his birth without crying, and it was no different this time, I cried like a two year old who just got his "Stretch Armstrong" taken away (for those of you who don't know what a Stretch Armstrong is, you're missing out).  Then, Hunter and I made cookies (chocolate ones, with milk chocolate and peanut butter chips), and took them around to our next door neighbor, the Wades, and the Weavers (sorry to everyone else, I was trying to make enough cookies to give to everyone in the area, but then I ran out of ingredients).   We stayed at the Weaver's until 11:00, and I helped them eat most of their cookies (I'm doing my best to fluff the fat).  

Monday was super hectic.  Work was crazy, and we had to start calling around to get things scheduled for the wedding and reception.  I now realize I'm in the wrong business, I should have been in anything connected to weddings!  For some reason, if someone knows you're having a wedding, they times all their prices by 10.  For example, you can get a descent photographer to take pictures of your family for two hours for about $250, if you ask that same photographer to do the wedding--that will be $2,500 please!  What the hey hoo!  You can buy a nice prom dress on sale for $100 to $200, go to the same shop for a wedding dress, that would be $1,000 to $2,000 please.  "OH, you want shoes with that, that will be another $250!"  So, basically I'm going to have to sell the island that I bought when I didn't buy the new engine, and even at that, I'll still have to sell one kidney and maybe give blood for a year or so.  Things I learned, 1st, Mitch and Amber are very happy.  2nd, You can ruin a stretch armstrong if you pull his arms off with a pair of pliers (even if the commercials say he's indestructible), 3rd, mine and Hunter's chocolate cookies rock.  4th, I decided to pay for a reception for Amber rather than buy a BMW 6 series (OK, BMW's aren't that expensive, so it's hardly a fair comparison).  5th, I've decided to become a wedding photographer and just work three days a month.  Wish me luck!     

January 15, 2011 - 37th Day

Today was an exciting day.  At 9:00 in the morning we went to a "1 mile walk/fundraiser" for a family in our ward whose child was stillborn this week.  It was amazing to see all the support, people were coming out of their houses in droves.  At the end of the walk, there was a breakfast set up, with donuts the size of pillows, muffins, fruit, and hot chocolate.  Then they had a bake sale, and we could buy treats, or just donate.  We opted to buy treats AND donate, which is much better than just donating.  With our option, we get rewarded  for donating!  How cool is that.   We elected to purchase the white popcorn, and although it was the most expensive popcorn we've ever eaten, it was tasty, and worth every penny.  The organizers were able to raise quite a bit of money to help the family out.   After that, I went on a 20 mile bike ride with my brother, Kerry, and it was kind of like two fat little possums running after a piece of cheesecake tied to a cheetah (We expended A LOT of energy, without any results, other than getting sweaty, and huffing and puffing a lot).   After our "road" trip, my family and I went to the graveside service of the little boy who was stillborn and it was very short and sweet.  The little three year old sister couldn't understand why her little brother was dead and it was really precious to see her dad comfort her.  In the afternoon, Mitch took Amber up by the airport and proposed to her.   She was SOOO excited.  She immediately went to my office and Skyped with her sister, Kaylee, in London, then she came home and told us.  Nicole and I jumped the gun and posted it on Facebook before Amber had told everyone (we waited 3 hours,  but apparently that's not long enough).   She really wanted to wait a bit, so both Nicole and I felt bad and apologized.   We then took everyone out to dinner at Crackerbarrel, and we had the best waitress ever!  Her name was Sarah, and she was so good, we had to call the manager over and tell him she was the best.  I even said, "I think she's the best waitress I've ever had, and I've had a lot of waitresses!"   Hopefully that got back to her and we made her day.  We then came home, fought for a few hours and then went to bed (ok, I was just making sure you were still engaged in this riveting epistle).  Things I learned today, 1st, Donuts as big as pillows take more than one bike ride to ride off the increased fluff.  2nd, I like maple bars that are as big as pillows.  3rd, Fat possums are slow, so are fat bald people on bikes.   3rd, Mitch and Amber are so gooey, they should be named after cookie dough.   It's good cookie dough though, and I'm happy for them.  4th, Mitch is tall, Amber is small, and when they hug it's like watching Godzilla envelope tinkerbell.  5th, I'm happy, but I miss my Kaylee.

January 14, 2011 - 36th Day

Quite the full day.  Work was more hectic then a chicken in a pack of wolves.  EVERYONE and their dog called in today, and if you can imagine how hard it is to talk to a dog, you know what my day was like.  At night, we went to Anasazi Steak house with the Weavers, Sheppards, and Anderson's.   It was really nice, and Rhys was particularly funny.  It's always nice to go out with friends after a stressful day, especially when you get to have cheese fondue and chocolate fondue (remember, I love chocolate)!    Then, I got back home at about 10:00 and Mitch Huntsman, Amber's boyfriend, called and asked if he could talk to me when he got into St. George.   He said he was only about 100 miles out.    I knew what he was going to ask me, so I agreed.  He got here at about 12:15 and we went over to my office and he asked for Amber's hand in marriage.  I asked all the tough questions and he responded with flying colors.  He's really a good kid, so I told him that he had my blessing, and then I got home at 2:00 in the morning.   Saturday should be an exciting day as he's going to ask Amber to marry him, and she doesn't know he talked to me early in the morning.  She won't be expecting it until Saturday night.   Things I learned today, 1st, My friends are cool.  2nd, I like fondue, it doesn't matter what it is, cheese, chocolate, donuts, ice cream bars--ok, ice cream bars may be a bit of an exaggeration, but you get my point.   3rd, I'm finally going to get some height in the family! (Mitch is about 6' 3).  4th, Being a dad rocks!

January 13, 2011 - 35th Day

Thursday was a good day.  I was able to go get a new phone, and not get mad at anyone!  Kerry and I went into Alltel to order our new phones before the company switches to AT & T.  Of course, we upgraded and spent more money on "smart" phones.  Why is it that the phones they let you upgrade to for free always look like they came out of one of those gumball machines, and the ones that are "only" $200 look like you can program the space station with them?  Of course, I opted for the "Droid", which can not only program the space station, but I think it can effectively communicate with extraterrestrials.  I can even have an "app" that allows me to walk into any store and scan the barcode and it can look up the price for me!  How cool is that!  Ok, I admit that little feature sold me.  I can just see me at the store.  My wife will say, "Hmmmm, I wonder if we can afford that paisley tablecloth."  I'll quickly whip out my new "Droid", scan the item, and say, "Nope, it says it's $42.95."  Of course, it can also work to my advantage.  "Hey Nicole, look at this Blue Ray disc player.  My phone says it's on sale for $132.00.  I think we can afford that!"   I'm a little worried if Amber gets married though, my Droid scanner just might have to accidently break before I start to scan, otherwise I may have a heart attack, and that wouldn't be good.  Once we ordered our phones, it was back to work at the zombie factory, then home for a burrito and off to the gym.  (Note to self, don't eat a burrito right before you go to the gym).   Things I learned today, 1st, The telephone companies are not dumb.  Make the free phones cheap looking with no features, and make the "Cool" phones as affordable as an Expedition engine.  2nd, Scanning with my new Droid is going to be like showering in warm chocolate (I like chocolate-a lot). 3rd, Eating a burrito then going directly to the gym is kind of like getting on a roller coaster after eating a chili dog--let's just say I wouldn't recommend it.

January 12, 2011 - 34th Day

Wednesday was a good day.  I read some stories this week that touched my heart and gave me faith in humanity.  Last week, during the Pineview - Snow Canyon game, Snow Canyon was up by about 10 points with only a few minutes left in the game.   Pine View put in a player with a severe handicap.  Everyone was trying to get him the ball.  In fact, with about 3 seconds left, a Snow Canyon player actually in-bounded the ball to the handicapped player from Pine View and let him shoot.  Now if that doesn't warm your heart, you should be in Stonehenge (as a rock, not a tourist).   The next story I read involved a 13 year old Australian boy.   Australia has been experiencing terrible flooding the last few weeks, and many people have drowned.  This week, rescuers spotted a 10 year old boy, Blake Rice and his 13 year old brother, Jordan trapped in a car in the raging waters.  They went to rescue Jordan, and he said, "No, get my little brother first", and handed the rescuers his little brother.   The rescuers were able to get his little brother to safety, only to watch hopelessly as Jordan and his mother were swept away to their deaths.   What a kind, selfless act.  It made me think of what the Savior said when he told  his disciples to become as little children.   Reading those stories made it easy to be nice today. Things I learned today, 1st, I have faith in humanity.  2nd, Sportsmanship and kindness are still very much alive.  3rd, I feel for the people in Australia.  4th, I think Jordan Rice is going straight to heaven.  Here's a link to the story. .  

http://www.kmov.com/news/world/In-Australian-flooding-13-year-old-boy-sacrifices-life-to-save-little-brother--113539049.html

January 11, 2011, 33rd Day

Tuesday was pretty uneventful.  I was super busy at work, and didn't even have an opportunity to be nice, or mean to anyone.  In fact, it was kind of a zombie day.  When I got home from work, Logan had brought home a girl (Isn't it too early in his life to bring home a girl to meet the family?)   She was very nice, but I'm sure she thought we were a little weird.  If anyone spends more than 10 minutes with our family, they usually come away thinking we're a bit weird, because quite frankly, we are.  Amber was speaking in a Russian accent and Nicole was quoting "Despicable Me" by saying things like, "I'll stuff you all in the crust!", in a slavic accent.  So, I'm sure Logan does not have wedding plans in the near future.  I had meetings from about 7:00 to 11:00 at the church, but they were good meetings, and I got treats at each meeting, so how good is that!  Oh well, just another way to fluff that fat!  Things I learned today, 1st, Being a zombie is boring.  2nd, My family is weird.  3rd, I like my family.  4th, Logan is not getting married--Woo Hoo!

January 10th, 2011 - 32nd Day

I think I'm being tested.  So, I wake up this morning to drive my car, which my neighbor, Blair, so graciously fixed, and low and behold, it won't start, and the hood won't open!  Luckily, Blair had rerouted the cable so I could pop the hood, and take our my battery.  We took it down to Autozone, and the battery was not taking a charge, so we had to get a new battery.  The good news, it was only $30.  So, the day was going great, right?  Wrong, the mechanic for the Expedition called and said, "I think your engine is shot".  I said, "OK, how much is it going to cost to put in a new engine?"  He said, "Only about 15 hours of labor."  That's not so bad I thought, "How much is a new engine?"  Turns out, buying a new engine is not like buying a pizza, unless the pizza is made of gold!  Now I have to determine if it's better to get a new engine, get another SUV, or buy a small island.   I'm leaning toward the small island, but I don't like baboons, so I may have to go with the new engine.   However, I didn't get mad at anyone, and it ended up being a pleasant day;  that is, until I went over to Mike Anderson's to watch Oregon play Auburn for the national championship.  I predicted Oregon would win 42-24.  Well, they lost 25-19.  They did everything they could to give the championship to Auburn.  They were so good at it, they actually did give the championship to Auburn.  Auburn had this big, bruising, 4,000lb lineman (#90) and he was just a dirty player.  However, he was pretty fast for a 4,000lb lineman!  It doesn't count as being mean if I make fun of a big lineman that is abusing the other team does it?  It was a fun night though, Mike bought Pizza for everyone from Brick Oven (that's the difference between doctors and minions like me, I buy my pizza from Dominos (and I use coupons).  We also ate M & Ms, spinach dip, chips, salsa, and everything that wasn't glued to the table.  Debbie and Brian were there, and I'm sure she was looking at me thinking, "He's definitely fluffing the fat!"  Things I learned today, 1st, Buying a new engine is akin to buying a small island, or at least a small country.  2nd, Baboons are scary!  3rd, Number 90 for Auburn is also scary, and I'd rather get in a fight with 5 baboons than one #90.  4th, I wish #90 would order Qwest from Dave the repairman, because then Dave may not be so smug!  5th, My friends are cool, especially when they buy me pizza--I like pizza.  6th, I topped the scale at just under 2,000lbs this morning, so I'm getting closer to my ideal weight.  Just a few more pounds and I'll be playing for Auburn.

January 9th, 2011, 31st Day

Sunday was awesome.  Got up at 5:00, drank some slim fast, went to church at 6:00 and went to meetings until 4:00 in the afternoon!  Whoo hoo!  Church was great though, the talks were about prayer and scripture study and they made me feel good.  Then I came home, had a great spaghetti dinner and then read with my wife and kids.  Didn't run into one person that I was even tempted to not be nice too.  People at church were nice, and I have to tell you about my fantastic neighbor.  He should be the one writing the blog!  I came home from my meetings and my neighbor, Blair Gibson, had my Porsche jacked up and he was laying underneath the car.  He popped his head out and said, "Oh, I was trying to surprise you."  He's a mechanic and had seen that I was having trouble with my car, so he wanted to help me get the hood open.  He was able to get it open, and not only that, he found a cable that he re-routed so I could pull it easily from the bottom of my car to open the trunk.  Is that a nice neighbor or what!  I'm definitely making him and his wife cookies (OK, stop laughing, no, I can't do mechanical stuff but I can make killer cookies!)  Things I learned today, 1st, 10 hours of church is better than 10 hours of work.  2nd, Blair Gibson is in no way related to Dave the Qwest guy.  3rd, I'm secure in my manhood, even though I'm better at making cookies then I am at taking apart a car.  4th, I'm thinking of getting a man cave and buying a 100" television to watch NASCAR!   I was thinking of having a sign on the door like the one shown below:

January 8, 2011 - 30th Day

Hey, I was much nicer today, which was good, because a lot of things went wrong.  The Expedition broke down and Kerry had to get it towed into the shop.  Then,  my Porsche battery died, but with a Porsche, you can't open the trunk where the battery is when the battery is dead.  Therefore, you have to take off the fuse panel and jump the fuse box with a battery charger.  So, I tried that, and it didn't work.  I then spent 2 1/2 hours trying to get the trunk open, and I couldn't.  So, both of our company cars do not work.  I don't think it counts if I get mad at a car.  

Then, we went to the office and the guy still hadn't moved out of Kerry's office, so we couldn't put Kerry's desk together.  Luckily, there wasn't a Qwest technician around to blame, so I was able to still be nice.  Nicole and I went out to dinner with the Wades, Weavers, and Hutchinsons.  They had to stop by a reception first, but the problem is, we were the only ones not invited to the reception!  I felt a little awkward, to say the least, but that awkwardness was quickly quelled when I saw they had blondie brownies covered with caramel and ice cream for desert.   So, I ate a blondie brownie at a reception I wasn't invited to.   Is that morally wrong?  If not, it seems like it should be, but it sure tasted good! Then we went out to Outback again (I know, I went there last night).  This time I got cheese fries, a blooming onion and a bacon double cheeseburger.  Debbie would definitely frown on that meal, as I definitely wasn't fighting the fluff, more like fluffing the fat!  All in all, it was a great day, even though I'm down two cars, and up two pounds! Things I learned today, 1st, the guys at Porsche must be zombies, because they can't have a brain in their head to design a car that you can't get into when the battery dies.  2nd, It's a strong possibility that Qwest makes Porsche automobiles.  3rd, Going to a reception you're not invited to makes you feel like a free-loading chutz.  4th, Number 3 is overridden if the reception has blondie brownies with ice cream and caramel (I'd sing acapella at a retirement home in a speedo for blondie brownies and ice-cream--throw in caramel, and I'd include a disco dance!).  5th, I miss my daughter!  

January 7th, 2011 - 29th Day

And on the 29th day, Kyle got mad.  Yes, I made it 28 days, but today I lost my temper.  In my defense, how is it possible to not get mad at a Qwest phone installer!  Here's the scoop.  We had asked Qwest to transfer our phones on Friday morning, and we told them that it was very important our company not be off line for very long due to the fact we have a lot of customers from around the world calling in, and that we are a customer service company.  They assured us there wouldn't be a problem, and that we'd be the first in line and our phones would be moved between 8 and 10.    They told us they couldn't even transfer our phones to a cell phone until Friday morning, but if we called in early there would be no problem.  Well, we got in on Friday and our phones were shut off!  We called them and they said, "Oh, we shut them off early."  We said, "OK, please transfer our company phones to our cell phones."  They said, "Sorry, we can't do that now you're phones are shut off".  We said, "What the hey hoo?!"  Well, we did keep our cool, because they said that we were actually second in line.  When 11:00 rolled around, I got a little flustered (but I must say I kept myself remarkably calm up to this point) and called Qwest.  They said they'd have a service guy call me.  About 10 minutes later Dave, a technician, called and said, "I won't be there for a few more hours, I called one of the cell phone numbers you gave me, and when no one picked up, I left a message, and then since you didn't pick up, I did some other jobs first."  At that point, I raised my voice and said, "Whoooooooo!  Did you just tell me you put other people in front of us, and we've been down for over three hours?  Now I'm mad!"  I told him I was going to call corporate (which I did), and he promised he would be there very soon, and he was finishing up the job he was on.  We finally saw him about 1:15, after I'm sure he took a nice lunch at IN and Out and laughed heartedly while eating his double-double with cheese fries!   When he arrived at our place, he told us he was sorry he was late, but he had an important install!  At that point, I punched him in the face and pulled out all of his hair! (No, I didn't really do that, but this is a blog, and I can express what I wanted to do).  I know that's not very Christlike, so I had to repent at night, but I seriously felt like doing the flying dutchman on him!  The rest of the day went great though, no throwing chairs down the stairs, no yelling at Qwest people, just lots of heavy moving.  So, by the end of the day my back felt like I was an 80 year old parachute jumper (Imagine here how sore an 80 year old parachute jumper would be after landing!).  We then went out to a wonderful dinner with my parents and Kim and Kerry to Outback, and we were even nice to the waitress, even though she was not the best waitress.  Things I learned today, 1st, Qwest has the best customer service in the world - NOT!  2nd, They say you don't ever feel better after you scream at someone - NOT TRUE (especially if that person is a Qwest technician).  3rd, Outback ribs and chicken help sooth a lot of pain.  4th, I will be better tomorrow and not yell at anyone, I promise (unless Dave the technician knocks on my door, then I may do something like this:

Janaury 6, 2011 - 28th Day

Thursday are always a little hard, because it's not quite Friday.  Today we started to move our company from one office to an office across the courtyard.  At one point I had a chair that I was taking to the dump, and I was at the top of a flight of about 50 stairs.  I was talking to my nephew, Corey, and I said, 'Wouldn't it be cool to just let this chair go!"  At that moment, the wheel to the chair fell off and it went tumbling town the stairwell, into a wall, and made a huge hole in the wall.  Corey said, "I can't believe you just did that!"  He thought I did it on purpose.  I said, "I didn't mean to, the chair slipped".  Anyway, luckily no one walked in the front door at that moment or they would have had a big chair to the head.   The move ended up going smoothly (we still have to move stuff tomorrow), and I didn't even yell at anyone while moving, which is normally very hard to do.  My parents came into town last night and we had a little birthday party for Hunter.  All in all, it was a great day.  Things I learned today, 1st, If you ever come to my office, be careful of falling chairs, you could get hit in the head. 2nd, moving is hard when you're 44. 

January 5th, 2011 - 27th Day

Wednesday was busy, busy, busy.  Amber had surgery on her ankle, and it went well.  I didn't have to worry about being mean to, or getting mad at, her doctor, since it was Mike Anderson.  Amber is still sore, but she's doing better.  She's taking Loritab, so she probably doesn't know quite what she's feeling!  It was fairly easy to be nice today.  I didn't have anyone yell at me, spit on me, or call me a dork, so that always makes for a little better day.  We're going to be moving our offices in the next few days, so I may have to be very careful - moving can bring out the grumpy gene.   I stayed home at night to hang out with Amber and we watched "SALT".  It's a totally mindless movie, but sometimes you need mindless movies.   Tomorrow we're going to watch "PEPPER" and then on Friday we're going to try "SUGAR" (Not really, there's no "PEPPER" movie that I'm aware of, but there probably is a "SUGAR" movie and I'm pretty sure it's not something I should be watching.).  Nicole and I stayed up until 12:30 watching "Human Target".  It was more just so we could hang out and talk.  I like my wife, she's better than any wife I've ever had--seriously!   Things I learned today, 1st, I don't like Kaylee being so far away.  2nd, Loritab is no fun, unless you're in a lot of pain, then it's like chocolate on ice cream.  3rd, I like hanging out with Amber, she is awesome.  So, if you're reading this Amber --AMBER IS AWESOME! 4th, My wife makes this whole trying to be nice thing much easier.  If I had a wife like the one in "Taming of the Shrew", I think I would have to put my head in a bucket of water and scream at least three times a day, and that would not be fun!

January 4th, 2011 - 26th Day

Tuesday was a great day.  I was definitely a little sleepy from traveling home early in the morning.   I went through the work day in kind of a sleepless daze.  My customer's probably thought I was on drugs, but no one said anything.   I took Hunter and Logan to Wendy's for a frosty because I lost a bet.  However, I must say, I don't really think I lost the bet.  Let me explain.  I told Hunter one of the girls in his school obviously liked him.  He said, "No way dad, she doesn't".  Logan chimed in, "No, she doesn't like Hunter".  I said, "I'll bet you a frosty that by January 3rd, she tells Hunter or one of her friends that she likes him."  They both said I was off base.  Well, today they said, "Dad, let's go get our frosty!"   Then Hunter said they almost lost.   Logan was talking to her and asked, "Do you like Hunter?" and she said, "I can't".  Logan then said, "What do you mean you can't?  Do you mean you don't or you can't?"   Then she said she couldn't like Hunter because her friend likes Hunter.  Well, that sounds to me like they should have been buying me a frosty! So, I was nice and bought them both frosties, then went to a church meeting until about 10:00.  Not a hugely exciting day.  Things I learned today, 1st, Don't drive when you're sleepy.  I know, I learned that yesterday as well--so obviously I'm a slow learner.  2nd, Young people are clueless when it comes to romance. (They think you're some sort of a seer when you can tell them who they like, or who likes them).  All you have to do is spend two minutes in a roomful of teenagers, and you'll be able to tell EXACTLY which boy likes which girl, and which girl likes which boy.  They either act really goofy around the one they like or they blush a lot, or they don't talk to the person at all!  Anyway, it's quite entertaining.  3rd, Vanilla frosties are good, Chocolate are better, and swirled are the best of all.   This is me after eating a Vanilla frosty and getting ready for anyone who tries to kidnap my daughter like in the movie "Taken".   I think I'll call myself, "Marshmellow Man"!

January 3rd, 2011 - 25th Day

Today started out hard, I was tired from lack of sleep, and I almost argued with my wife, but I had misunderstood her and she was too nice to get mad at.   So, it ended up being a good day.  I got a big disbursement from my company, and was able to pay off all of Christmas and more, so that was good (that usually takes me until about March).  Then, Nicole and I took the Porsche down to Las Vegas to get it fixed and the girls, Kaylee and Amber, followed us down.  We left the Porsche at the mechanic, and the four of us went out to dinner at Sweet Tomatoes (which is a killer salad place).   We then stayed at Hard Rock Hotel, which has really nice rooms, but the rock music is a little loud in the hotel (imagine that, rock music at a Hard Rock hotel).  I was expecting some Frank Sinatra and instead I think I got some Iggy Pop and Madonna (at least it sounded like a combination of the two.  It kind of sounded like someone had taken a burrito and a plate of spaghetti and thrown it against a Cymbal as hard as they could).   The rooms all had 42 inch LED TVs though, but Nicole woke up about 8 times because she said she could smell cigarette smoke.  I, of course, slept through everything, as I always do.  I think I could sleep while riding an elephant across Victoria Falls while all the Africans were blowing those stupid soccer horns.

We then woke up at 3:45 to take Kaylee to the airport.  She had a 6:00 flight to London for her study abroad program.  We were very excited for her, but she was kind of mellow (I'm sure it didn't have anything to do with getting woken up by her sister at 3:00 the previous morning).   We then drove back to St. George at 5:00 in the morning.  Things I learned today, 1st, Sweet Tomatoes is sweet! 2nd, Heavy rock music can sound like two cats fighting in a garbage can.  3rd, if your room smells of smoke, complain to the manager.  Nicole got $40 knocked off our $48 room!  I'd sleep in smokey rat dung for $8 (not really, probably only smokey gerbil dung, but you get the point).  4th, Don't watch the movie Taken before you send your daughter off to Europe on a study abroad program.  That is, not unless you don't want to sleep well.  5th, Don't drive home at 5:00 in the morning from Las Vegas to St. George if you got up at 3:45 in the morning.  Not unless you drank a two liter pop of Mountain Dew and took some no dose (no I didn't do either, but maybe I should have!)  

January 2, 2011 - 24th Day

My church time changed today and I had to get up at 5:00 in the morning to get to a 6:00 meeting!  I got to sleep early enough so I was pretty upbeat though.  I started singing "Good Morning, Good Morning, You slept the Whole Night through!" when I got to my meeting and one of the other people in the meeting told me to be quiet because it was too early in the morning to be singing that song.  Good thing I wasn't singing Bon Jovi or maybe some ACDC (probably not appropriate for church anyway).  Today was fast Sunday, so my stomach started growling at me at about 10:00 in the morning.  I had to conduct the main meeting today, so I was a little worried my stomach would be growling so loud the congregation would hear it.  That would be embarrassing, but luckily, it didn't happen.   Again, it's pretty easy to be nice to people at church, even when you're hungry, so today was pretty easy.  I got home from church at 3:00, so I only had a 9 hour church day, which wasn't bad.   Then Amber got home from Texas at 2:00 in the morning and was so excited she woke Kaylee up at 3:00 to tell her about her trip.  Kaylee was not amused, but she feigned excitement in her dreamlike stupor.   Things I learned today, 1st, Don't sing songs at 6:00 to people that are not morning people, you're bound to get hurt (especially if the person who is not a morning person is a police officer!) 2nd, Hunger is overrated, it's better to be hungry and happy then full and grumpy (well maybe not, it depends on how hungry and how grumpy we're talking).  3rd, Don't wake your sister up at 3:00 in the morning to tell her super exciting news, she is not going to be as excited as you are.  For that matter, don't wake anybody up at 3:00 in the morning, unless someone has died; and even then, don't unless they're related to the person. 

January 1st, 2011, 23rd Day, First Day of 2011

After a rip roaring New Year's eve, I wasn't sure I could handle any more excitement.  Saturday, we went to the gym and spent the rest of the day taking down Christmas decorations.  I got to watch TCU beat Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl 21-19, and that was a highlight of the day.  At night, we stayed home and played games with Kaylee and her friend Tim.  All in all it was pretty boring, but I enjoy boring sometimes.   Hunter and I went to Aeropostale to use his gift card and he got some nice shirts.   There were such great sales at the mall that we both determined that next year we should just ask for gift cards for Christmas, and then we could take advantage of all the 70% off after Christmas sales!  Things I learned today, 1st, I learned I didn't learn much today because you can't make banana juice out of a turnip (ok, that doesn't make a lot of sense, but hopefully you get my point).  2nd, How do they know that dogs are color blind? (Not really relevant, but that was just something I was wondering today).   

Friday, December 31st, 2010 - 22nd Day (and last one of 2010)

Last night I beat up my dog in my dream.  So, maybe it's true, I will have my frustrations show in my dreams.  But hey, my dog had pooped on my carpet, and that's not cool.  Once I woke up however, the day was great.  Kaylee and Nicole and I went to the gym and Kaylee and I did spin class.  I realized quickly how out of shape I am, but it didn't help that I kept cranking on the button that makes it harder.  I should have just left it on easy and grimaced a lot so it appeared like I was working hard.  After spin class we came home and went shopping and it was awesome!  Next year, I'm going to ask for nothing for Christmas but gift cards.  Then I can go out and buy all my clothes during the after Christmas sales.  I traded in a drink dispenser at Costco (one of three I received this year), and got back $22.  Then, I went to JCPenny's and traded in a sweater and got back $4.  Then, as I was walking out I saw a jacket that was $80 on sale for $24!  It was like manna from heaven, YES!  So I got the jacket (who doesn't need more jackets, and shoes, you can't have too many shoes).  Then I went shopping at Walmart and I noticed the lady at the pharmacy counter was looking a bit stressed.  She had on these long santa claus earrings, and they were pretty cool.  So, I went up to the counter and said, "Those are cool earrings!"  You should have seen her response, I might as well have given her a $100.   I think sometimes people in the service industry have to deal with a lot of people ragging on them all the time, so it's really nice for them to get any kind of compliment.  When Nicole and I checked out, we were nice to the checkout lady, and that was fun too.  Then we went shopping at TJ-Max and I found a Nike BYU football jersey for $20!  It was the exact same kind I had spent $58 on three months ago for my wife!  I bought it on the spot, even though I really don't need one.  Who can pass up a deal like that?  After we were shopped out, we headed home, but we smelt the aroma of french fries from "5 Guys Burgers" and had to stop and get some!  We pulled over in the Harmon's parking lot and ate the entire carton.   After we got home we ate dinner, made salsa and sat at home and watched NCIS re-runs until Midnight.  Talk about a New Year's party!  Does it even get any better than that? Things I learned today, 1st, It's better to beat your dog in a dream then in real life.  2nd, If you're going to eat a lot of "5 Guys" fries, then you better do more than go to one spin class a day at the gym.  However, if you are what you eat, why can't I look like a french fry instead of a hamburger?! 3rd, It's almost impossible to go into Costco and spend less than $100, even if you're only going in for a block of cheese.  You'll inevitably come out with a big screen TV and at least three things you tried from those little sample ladies, and you'll often forget the cheese! 4th, Be nice to people in the service industry, it will make their day.   5th, The older you get, the harder it is to stay up and welcome in the New Year.  10 o'clock is the new 12 o'clock, just like 60 is the new 80.  6th, I can't wait for what's in store for 2011.  2010 was incredible!

Thursday, December 30th - 21st Day

Last night I had a dream, and my sister-in-law tried to force me to make crepes at my daughter's softball game.  I told her I wanted to watch my girls play softball, and she said, "No, you're going to make crepes."  At this point I got mad at her and screamed, "I'm not going to make crepes!"  I woke up and realized I had been screaming at her, but hey, I was dreaming!.  Maybe my dreams will be where I express frustration.  I'll be like a super hero, nice in the day, and dastardly at night! The day was great though, and then at night we went to Debbie and Brian's for dinner.  Kerry and Kim, and Mike and Kelly were also there.  Debbie made us a fantastic dinner with brisket, rolls, mashed potatoes, and beans.  Then, we played games and talked.  It was really a nice night.  We even got Mike Anderson to play the games, and he's not a game player.  It was quite fun to watch him play the game "Moods", where you have to determine what mood people are trying to express.  Tomorrow is New Year's eve, and we're off work!  Things I learned today, 1st, Dreams are great!  You can fight (sometimes I can even Kung fu fight), run around in your underware at work without anyone even noticing,  fly without an airplane (one of my favorites), and even be a super hero! 2nd, Debbie's brisket rocks! 3rd, I'd rather have friends then no friends, and I'd rather have good friends then bad friends, and I have the best friends, so that's even better.  4th, If you're playing moods with Mike and Brian, you'll be sure to have one mood down pat - laughter!