AKA Bravo Bravo

PAC 12 mentality.

2011-04-20T08:56:00.001-07:00

2011-04-11T13:58:00.000-07:00

Temple Pic

2011-04-11T13:26:00.000-07:00

2011 BYU Spring Game Pics

2011-04-09T15:58:00.000-07:00

Detmer vs. Heaps

2010-10-18T10:03:00.001-07:00

My weak tribute au Tour de France.

2009-07-18T13:03:00.000-07:00

Tour of the East Bench
Find more Bike Rides in Salt Lake City, Utah

Hey.

2009-07-02T12:12:00.000-07:00

So it's been a while. And it had been a while before my last post. So here's the deal. I want to write down some stuff to treat this more like a journal. So if you find it boring, I'm ok with that.

So what's up? Lots it seems. I really love life. Emily and I keep talking that there must be some major adversity heading our way, because everything is so awesome right now. I keep praying that we will be ready when it comes. It's been said that the Lord broadens the shoulders of those he places burdens upon. Hopefully mine will be broad enough.

I don't recall a happier time in my married life. I have the greatest gal in the world, and 3 kids that make me so dang happy. Having little Samuel has been more than super. It's great to have a baby in the home again. They are like a little slice of heaven.

Christine is doing well. She seems happier now that summer is here. I've seen a major change in her in the last year, and not for good. She's become very introverted, and seems to display some social anxiety. It began with this last year in school. Her teacher was terrible. She hated school so badly. I think it eventually wore her down. It's sad. It was a fight everyday to get her motivated to go to school. We've decided to transfer her to another school this year. It will require some extra effort on our part - but hopefully it will effect some changes in her personality. I'm hopeful. Nevertheless, she is just as sweet as always, and not without her sense of humor. The other day I was in the bathroom getting ready for bed. She popped in, did a big stinky, then walked out saying, "my work here is finished..." It was hilarious. She is excellent at cleaning up the house, and can be a huge help. She's doing well with piano. Though I'm really considering purchasing a digital piano for the benefit of headphones. We have a tenant in our basement apartment, which often discourages the practicing.

Mary is super. She's missing her two front teeth, and her smile has never been brighter. She's still sucking that thumb though... It looks like we're going to have to intervene there a bit. Mary is rather sluggish when it comes to doing jobs... but is always quick on the comic relief. She's got a natural ability to make people laugh. She's quite a character. Often doing funny dances around the house that she made up. No idea where she gets it.

Samuel is such a little champ. He just started walking last week. It is so fun to watch. He just takes these little steps with his hands raised up. He's all boy. It's been interesting to see the difference between little boys and little girls. He loves balls, and loves throwing them. He picks trucks over barbies, and growls a lot when he's playing with his toys. He makes me smile all the time. It's awesome. I've got big plans for this little guy.

Emily of course is simply amazing. I love this woman so much. She just turned 29 a few days ago, and just gets prettier and prettier with every passing year. She is the most selfless person I've ever known. She rarely does anything for herself, and is constantly serving others. She has no ill-feeling towards anyone, and really sincerely cares about people. It's inspiring to be around. We'll have our 10 year anniversary next month. A terrific accomplishment. By far the best 10 of my life.

I am doing well. It has been nice to get back on my bike this year. I really love cycling. It makes me happy. I'm looking forward to riding in the ULCER again next month. Hopefully I'll be as ready for it as I was last year. Young mens continues to occupy my time. I love it. We have our summer camp next week, and it should be a riot. I've had 3 young men receive their mission calls recently, and each one brought me tears of joy. For me, this is the ultimate goal of the young mens program. It is so exciting for me to see them accomplish this. In fact, that reminds me of a story. When I was a missionary in Quebec City, I befriended a little 8 year old member boy. He was just getting baptized, and I got to participate in some small measure at his service. After his baptism, I gave him my favorite name tag as a gift, but on the condition that he would have to return it to me when he came to the MTC to be a missionary. Well we've since fallen out of touch. But only a few weeks ago I got an email from him saying that he had received his call to Paraguay. He was so excited. Even more he said, "et j'ai toujours ta plaque!" (I still have your name tag!). He is coming this month on the 21st. He will stay with us for the night, and I will take him to the MTC the next day. I am so excited. It's a story 11 years in the making.

Anyway, life is so good. I'm happy. =]

Weight loss book

2009-04-16T14:35:00.001-07:00

Diet Book Author Advocates New 'No Food Diet'

I love cycling.

2009-04-07T08:41:00.001-07:00

Great to be back on the bike. Here was my ride from yesterday. Start small, build from there, right?

Old Mill 10 miler
Find more Bike Rides in Sandy, Utah

Time to get back to blogging...

2009-03-16T10:29:00.000-07:00

Ok, it has definitely been too long. Sorry to disappoint. I must say I've been much more interested in Facebooking than blogging. I'm much more up to date there. Also, I've been busy keeping up my other blog for my young men.

So let's see. Life continues to be excellent. My kids are growing up right before my eyes. Little Samuel went from an infant to a bustling baby in the blink of an eye. He's moving around everywhere, pulling himself up on things, and seems determined to walk immediately.

I'm still busy with my calling. I still love it. I work with the coolest people you could ask for. They make it great.

Recent events would include going to Pocatello to judge a clogging competition. It was fun. I don't look forward so much to the judging aspect as much as the social aspect of it. It was nice to reconnect with good friends.

Life is Good

2009-01-19T11:17:00.001-08:00

Life really is good. I can honestly say that I have everything I've ever wanted in life. I have the coolest wife money can buy. I have 3 awesome kids that make me laugh every day. I have good health and strength, a place to live, clothes on my back, food to eat, and a good job. And of course I've got the gospel, which seems to be the reason I have everything else. Perhaps I'm inviting another round of adversity by saying these things...oh well. But I really am happy. =]

Recent events.

2008-12-30T09:27:00.000-08:00

Ok - I've been busy. Here's the 2 cent low down on what's been going on:

- Lots of Young mens stuff (which I love)
- My parents house (the house I grew up in) burned down
- I went to Mexico (Cabo) with my family for Christmas, which was awesome.
- Now I'm home and back to the grind - feeling rather grateful for all I have.

Sorry for the lack of details - I just haven't been that up to posting about some of this stuff.

What is the deal with Santa Claus?

2008-12-09T13:46:00.001-08:00

Ok. First of all, long time no post. I know. I disappeared into a vortex of despondent funk there for a while after my team lost. I'm over it now.

I have a hard time with the whole Santa Claus thing. First and foremost, it distracts from the real meaning of Christmas more than anything. Christmas has become so commercialized. It drives me crazy. You hear so much more about Santa than Christ. The kid's songs focus much more on Santa than Christ. The kids are therefore naturally more excited about Santa, than Christ. I always feel like there is this tug-of-war that goes on between the two, and it's a battle to educate my kids about why we really have Christmas. Case and point, The Polar Express, The Santa Clause movies, Elf among countless others. They all have the same message - "you have to believe in Santa Claus, then all your wildest dreams will come true!" Ok, I added that last bit. But believing in Santa Claus does nothing for me or my kids. What good comes from it? I guess it can be cute and fun when they are young... But at one point they're just going to realize that we are lying to them. And why? What for? What is the point? It's all a stupid pagan lie that I hate keeping up. I truly prefer to just tell my kids that there is no Santa Claus. Last year right before Christmas, Christine said to me, "Dad, there is no Santa Claus, Easter Bunny, or Tooth Fairy, is there?" So badly I wanted to shout out - "You're right!! It's all this ridiculous lie and I hate it!" But I restrained. I don't know why.

Now don't get me wrong, Christmas is by far my favorite holiday. I am by no means a scrooge. But it is my favorite because of the birth of our Savior, and not because of his aforementioned competition. I love that people are a little nicer, a little kinder, and go out of there way to help others. And why do people do that? Because of Christ, not because of Santa Claus.

So this season I wish to you all a Merry CHRISTmas! May we remember our Savior, his wonderful life, his love, his example, his teachings, his death, and his resurrection. And may SantaClaus-mas be the farthest thing from our hearts.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2008-11-19T08:57:00.000-08:00

Go Cougs.

WANTED!

2008-11-12T12:33:00.000-08:00

***WANTED FOR PETTY BOOGER THEFT***

SCOTTY AND JANNY
$5.00 REWARD

MAKE NO MISTAKE, THESE TWO BOOGER THIEVES ARE ARMED AND DANGEROUS! IF YOU BUMP INTO THEM, TURN AND RUN AND CALL THE AUTHORITIES IMMEDIATELY!

Disclaimer: Not to be confused with the "Brighton Booger Eaters."

Videos

2008-11-01T07:04:00.000-07:00

My kids and I shot this video several months ago. I'm only now getting around to editing and posting it. It was shot in the evening so the light quality is already poor, and now being compressed for internet it's even worse. Nevertheless, it was way fun to make. Enjoy!

WORLD ARM WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIP

For our activity on Wednesday night we shot this Mentos commercial. It turned out pretty good. Here's to our future commercial superstars - Bo, Michael, Rylee and Spencer!

MENTOS BASKETBALL

Japanese at it again...

2008-10-29T08:57:00.001-07:00

The fruit of my loins...

2008-10-26T14:46:00.000-07:00

I love this little guy. Sam's filling out and getting cuter and cuter every day. How can I not be crazy about this kid? I never thought it would be so fun to have a little son.

LOL!

2008-10-15T15:43:00.000-07:00

Thank goodness for people like these. They give me something to aspire to. Wait for the man who sings...

Worst Best Man Ever

2008-10-13T09:04:00.000-07:00

Dance Machines

2008-10-09T18:13:00.000-07:00

That last Osmond video reminded me of this little gem. Me, Jon, Josh and Erik put on this little performance for a family reunion in 2000. Sorry for the poor quality - I'm the one in the purple pants. Enjoy.

Crazy Horses

2008-10-07T09:25:00.001-07:00

Those crazy Osmonds with their crazy moves, crazy hair, crazy outfits, and crazy horses. So crazy.

Yearbook Photos

2008-09-29T09:40:00.000-07:00

Alright. I had some fun with this one. And yes, I wasted quite a bit of time on it. But some of these turned out pretty good I thought. Please enjoy my yearbook photos, from 1954-2000. Click to enlarge.
I expect to see some of you create your own. Go to www.yearbookyourself.com.

Rather dumb woman.

2008-09-22T09:06:00.000-07:00

Apparently she's never heard of a tow truck.

Christine's Baptism

2008-09-22T07:59:00.000-07:00

Christine turned 8 yesterday, and is going to be getting baptized this Saturday (27th). If any of you would like to come, consider yourselves invited. It will take place at our church on 1321 E. 7200 S. at 10:00 am. Hope to see you there.

Lake Powell

2008-09-10T08:03:00.000-07:00

My sister in law Heather is a fantastic photographer. Check out her website if you like. She had her camera down at Lake Powell and got some great shots.

From left: Mary, Nina, Hannah, Christine, and Ben

Erik & Jon

Mary

Tine

Mary & Nina

My little man Sam

Mary & Erik on the tube.

"I lost my swimsuit...has anyone seen it?"

Me diving with my new swimsuit I just made. Thank goodness for boy scouts for teaching me how to make a very fashionable swimsuit from a t-shirt.

LOL! Clayton "parading" on the beach. Cracks me up.

Can you spot the retard?

The Six Quirks Tag

2008-09-09T11:01:00.001-07:00

Ok, I've never done one of these before. But since Brandi took the time to tag me, I'll acquiesce.

Brandi tagged to come up with six quirks about myself. Here are the rules:

* Link the person who tagged you
* List 6 of your quirks
* Tag 6 other bloggers by linking them
* List the rules on your blog

THE QUIRKS:

1. Punctuality. If you were to graph my irritation level related to minutes that I'm late for something, the curve would rise exponentially beginning minute one, with an average slope of at least 25. I don't like being late, especially when people are waiting on me.

2. Reading on the toilet. I've read entire novels on the toilet. I've always gotta have something to read in there. I really like to do business when I'm doing business. Too much info? Yes. But you wanted to know the quirks.

3. If you haven't gathered it already, I'm a nut for BYU football. I read every article written on them every day. I can't not watch the games. If it isn't available in my house, I'll most likely knock doors till I find someone who has it.

4. I don't know if these are quirks, or simply the results of being a member of the lesser sex: belching, gas (seems to be there whenever I need it, especially in the middle of the night), ear wax, & stinky feet.

5. I pick at my eyelashes. I posted about this once before. Go here to see that post. I've done this my whole life. I usually have big chunks of eyelashes missing. Right now the gap is on my left eye. See below:
6. I sleep face down with my pillow on my head.

Ok, so who to tag. It would be neat if I actually had a group of dedicated subscribers to choose from - but I think I only have one or two readers. Anyway, I'll tag Josh, Emily, and Mindy.

Southern Smarts...

2008-09-08T13:53:00.000-07:00

Blog Worthy Joke

2008-09-05T11:26:00.000-07:00

This got me laughing.

A farmer had five pigs:

A farmer had five female pigs. Times were hard, so he decided to take
them to the county fair and sell them. At the fair, he met another
farmer who owned five male pigs. After talking a bit, they decided to
mate the pigs and split everything 50/50. The farmer's lived sixty
miles apart. So they agreed to drive thirty miles each, and find a
field in which to let the pigs mate.

The first morning, the farmer with the female pigs got up at 5 A.M.,
loaded the pigs into the family station wagon, which was the
only vehicle he had, and drove the thirty miles.

While the pigs were mating, he asked the other farmer, "How will I
know if they are pregnant?" The other farmer replied, "If they're
lying in the grass in the morning, they're pregnant. if they're in the
mud, they're not."! ;The next morning the pigs were rolling in the
mud. So he hosed them off, loaded them into the family station wagon
again and proceeded to try again.

This continued each morning for more than a week. The next morning he
was too tired to get out of bed. He called to his wife, "Honey, please
look outside and tell me whether the pigs are in the mud or in the
grass."
"Neither," yelled his wife, "they're in the station wagon and one of
them is honking the horn."

Lake Powell return trip...

2008-09-02T20:27:00.001-07:00

Ok. So Lake Powell was a blast, and I will get pics up of that soon enough. But Jon and I had a riot on the way home taking pictures of none other than ourselves. This slide show is dedicated to all those who love taking pictures of themselves.

ENJOY!

In My Opinion...

2008-08-29T07:52:00.000-07:00

I got to thinking about being opinionated. I think that everyone has opinions about all sorts of things, but only few are opinionated. I don't think I'm that opinionated. I'm rather passive and non-confrontational when it comes to expressing what I really think during conversation. So this got me thinking about what my opinions really are. So I thought I'd name a few. Perhaps a few of you will like me less - but then what is the point of liking me at all if you don't know me in the first place? So here's a top ten (though they are really in random order):

1. Everyone needs God in their lives, and needs to be spiritually fed. Souls are made up of both physical and spiritual bodies - both will die if they don't have constant nourishment.

2. There is no excuse for drunk driving. I can't think of anything that gets me more furious. There should be a zero-tolerance law with respect to people who drive drunk. Licenses should be permanently revoked, and they should be thrown in jail.

3. Relating to #1; both democrats and republicans have serious problems so long as they continue to allow God to removed from this country. A Godless nation is one that is doomed for self destruction.

4. Having money doesn't translate into happiness, but it can bring some...=] I bought a boat this year. Owning a boat has been a dream of mine for a very long time. Having it out with my family last week at Lake Powell, watching my girls ski, teaching Emily to drive, and skiing with my brothers definitely provided some of the happiest feelings I've ever had.

5. College Football is the greatest sport in the world.

6. God doesn't care about football, he cares about his children.

7. Politicians need to quit the power game and let the voice of the people dictate what they do. We should be tapping our own resources for energy - this is the promised land for heaven's sake! We have enough resources to be totally self-sufficient and yet we have people who can't put food on their table because we're trying to protect a bunch of arctic birds and bunnies. Does that really make any sense?

8. True happiness really is found in family, and in serving God.

9. Joseph Smith saw what he said he saw, and did what he said he did.

10. I'm not a conspiracy theorist - though I do believe that colossal conspiracies do exist - such as the one between the FDA and pharmaceutical companies. All these years in technical and medical advances - yet the last disease to be cured was polio? Modern drugs aren't designed to cure, nor will the FDA allow it. There's just too much money at stake to cure disease.

BONUS OPINION: Emily is the best.

Thank God for prophets.

2008-08-28T10:47:00.001-07:00

For Josh...

2008-08-26T08:20:00.000-07:00

Here you go bud.

Gay Donatello

2008-08-25T08:40:00.000-07:00

Oh man. My brother is a crack up. Clay no longer has a blog, but these pics are definitely blog-worthy so I had to stick them up. Clayton took his son Ben to Lagoon a few days ago. Somehow they won some contest booth and were awarded this Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle (Donatello) stuffed toy. Only Donatello turned out to be gay (according to Clay). So they spent the afternoon posing with Donny in these photos. The captions were provided by Clay. I can just see him laughing as he was taking the pics:

Gay Donatello with Ben.

Gay Donatello posing by a tree.

Gay Donatello hanging from a tree.

Gay Donatello on the Odysea ride with Ben.

Gay Donatello explaining the complicated Odysea controls.

Collie on the mend...

2008-08-24T06:32:00.000-07:00

Oh man. 6 days. I can't wait.

The ULCER!

2008-08-11T18:48:00.000-07:00

WOW! I mean WOW! I think that was the coolest thing I've ever done. It was so exciting to be a part of. There were 1600 riders that participated. I trained hard for this, and it really paid off. I really surprised myself with how well I did.

To line up the riders, they had 4 categories: team time trials, race pace (20+), medium pace (15-19mph), and everyone else. Rob and I ended up lining up in the "15-19 mph" pace. That seemed about what we had averaged over our big rides. To start, we found some club riders that were moving pretty fast, and just stayed in their draft. It was so cool to be a part of a peloton. The sounds of dozens of tires humming on the pavement, the constant warning shouts and hand signals, the POP! and pshhhhhh! of tires popping, riders going down that you had to dodge - man, it was such a rush. I ended up averaging 20.5 mph over the whole race. It was sweet! I'm still on a high from it.

I made a little video/slideshow of the event. I couldn't help but put it to the "Rocky" theme music, so watch out for corniness - but enjoy!

Barack Rolled

2008-08-11T14:45:00.000-07:00

ULCER post coming soon.

More on Cycling...

2008-08-07T17:36:00.000-07:00

So with the ULCER coming up on Saturday, I've been working hard to get ready. It's been hard to create time to train. Between training, my calling in the young mens, my work, and my family, it's been a rather stressful summer. I've even developed an ulcer, which I discovered Sunday. Doc says it's time to cut out the stress. How do you like that? An ulcer right before the ULCER. OH SWEET IRONY!

I'm a bit anxious for the race. I feel ready however. We've trained our little buns off. Rob and I did a 75 miler last Saturday. It was good, but difficult toward the end. I forgot my pain killers. In fact, I'd like to introduce you to Rob. This is Robert Yeo (left), my life-partner. I mean my riding partner. This picture depicts basically how I know him. He's always leaving me in the dust. You're actually looking at his better side. This other pic is of me trying to keep up with Rob. I was pretending that there happened to be a sports photographer that was interested in taking shots of me while I was riding. I think this is how I would pose if that were the case. Unfortunately, it's not true. I really just like to take pictures of myself. I also threw in an action-shot to give you an idea of what things look like from the bike seat. Not many people have that opportunity to actually sit on a bicycle after all.

Rob's been a champ to train with - he's strong as an ox and is difficult to keep up with. So a quick note out to Rob - Thanks for working with me bro - there's no way I could have trained for this thing without you. What a great life... I mean riding partner you are.

Yesterday I did my last real training ride. It was my same hilly 20 miler that I usually do. I broke my record again and did it in 67.5 minutes. That was tough - I was pretty beat. I rode hard, and there was a head wind the entire time. These pics are right after that ride. I was happy to have it over with.

Next up, 111.

Self Defense for Dorks

2008-08-05T15:23:00.000-07:00

Love the low kicks part.

Anniversary

2008-08-04T15:46:00.001-07:00

9th anniversary today. So happy anniversary to my babe. Thanks for making life so great.

lol.

2008-08-04T14:28:00.001-07:00

How not to Fly an RC Jet - Watch more free videos

Cycling

2008-08-04T10:26:00.000-07:00

Couple things:

Rode 75 miles on Saturday with Rob. It was hard, but awesome. ULCER is Saturday, I'm ready.

Thursday I rode my hilly 20 mile route in 69 minutes, that was the fastest I've ever done it.

Why do Cyclists Shave Their Legs?

2008-07-30T13:31:00.000-07:00

Smooth, but definitely not sexy. Are those my shaved legs? Yes, yes they are. So why do cyclists shave their legs? Well before I address that let me say that I do not consider myself a cyclist. More like a thirty-something riding a bike trying not to get fat. I don't think I could label myself a cyclist until I've completed some major (or at least significant) event (i.e. the ULCER). Yes I have a great road bike; yes I wear spandex and enjoy it; yes I've put over 2000 miles on my bike; but until I finish this race, I'm afraid I'm nothing more than a wanna-be.

Back to the issue at hand. Are cyclists that shave their legs fancy boys? No, but this guy isn't helping. Ask any hard-core cyclist why he shaves his legs, and you'll get a slurry of creative answers. The most common are:

Aerodynamics: Smoother legs have less drag and resistance. Good grief, are you kidding? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. There's zero evidence for this claim. It's like saying that Screech would be more attractive if he shaved his beard. If there is any truth to this, it is psychological. You think you are faster, therefore you are faster.

Road Rash: Less hair makes it easier to bandage, manage infection etc. While there is truth to this, if you are crashing so often that you really have to do this, then maybe you should try a new sport, like ribbon twirling. I've crashed once in 2000 miles - the bandaids weren't that bad to deal with.

So having listed those first two, if either of these is the response you get from a cyclist, then they are just gay. Ok, maybe not gay, but too arrogant too admit that this isn't the real reason they shaved their legs.

Massage: Hair gets in the way of a good, deep tissue massage after a long ride. Ok, sounds pretty legitimate - but seriously, of all the leg shaving boys out there, how many of them are really good enough, or ride enough to warrant having massages after every ride or having their own massage therapist? Come on. Pro Cyclists, yes - everyone else, keep searching for your real answer.

Vanity: Real serious cyclists (that just disqualified me right there) develop some pretty serious legs. Shaving make sure that everyone else knows it.

To Impress Other Cyclists: Woolly Mammoth man feels a bit awkward when he shows up to ride with all the sleek, cleanly-shaven "real" cyclists. They all look at him like he's some weekend warrior with excess fur, rather than a pure cyclist like themselves.

Tradition: I like this one. It is simple, there's no effort to justify or make some long story about why you have smooth legs. It is simply a tradition among cyclists.

So why did I abandon the Magnum PI look? I suppose it's a combination of some of these answers. Vanity? No. Don't have the legs to be proud of. To impress other cyclists? Yeah, a bit. I'm going to be riding this century ride in a couple weeks - I want to be taken seriously. Don't want to be like woolly mammoth man after all. Tradition? Yes, but again - by my own confession I'm not actually a real cyclist yet. I think the main reason I did it is to celebrate an achievement. The achievement being my participation in the ULCER next week. This is one of the biggest things I've ever attempted, and definitely the longest and hardest I've ever trained for something (maybe excluding wrestling in high school).

So I shaved my legs. I gotta say I kinda like it. It feels totally different when I slide into bed, when I'm in the pool, when I jump into my jeans, when I slide down a coconut tree. Girly? Absolutely. Metro sexual? Yeah maybe. Sexy? Hasn't done much for me so far, so no. An odd way to celebrate something I'd say. But there's just so much pressure to fit in these days...

FAIL

2008-07-29T11:47:00.000-07:00

LOL - The fate of those orphans is looking bleak...

Let's hear it for Sport Beans

2008-07-25T08:48:00.000-07:00

Rob and I rode out to the marina at Saltair yesterday. It was a really great ride. At the marina, there wasn't too much to see besides water, sailboats, the dingy Saltair building, and two bus loads of Chinese tourists. But there were spiders. Oh yes, spiders. I was rather amazed actually. There were THOUSANDS of these big fat spiders hanging out in webs on the rocks that separate the pier from the water. These pictures (click to enlarge) don't do it justice. Blame Rob, or Rob's cell phone, or both; or just blame it on the rain, yeah, yeah. But it was a bit creepy to see so many. I've never seen anything like that in Utah. It was more like something you'd see in the forests of the South or something.

I was quite surprised actually by how well it went. A few weeks back we did that 56 miler (see previous post), which was pretty tough. There was lots of climbing. It took us nearly 4 hours to complete, and I felt wasted afterwards. This route yesterday was totally flat, and 64 miles long. We did it in 3:28. So we rode much faster. That was the surprising part. We went 8 miles longer, but did it 30 minutes faster. Plus I felt way better after. Here's what I think made the difference:

No hills. I ALWAYS train up on the benches, where there are tons of hills. My average speed up on the hills is 16-16.5 mph. Our average yesterday was 18.5 mph (including a bunch of stop lights). Which for me was pretty decent. I've never ridden a completely flat route before, so it was really cool to kind of gauge how we would do in the ULCER, given that it is a completely flat route as well. I would be very pleased, yea and verily, even ecstatic if I could keep 18.5 mph for the ULCER. That would have me finishing in 6 hours, plus stops. So around 7 hours.
Tylenol and Ibuprofen. I took 2 Tylenol before the ride, and 2 Advil during. Then 2 more Tylenol after. It really made a big difference on the aches.
Cliff Bars, Sport Beans, and PowerAde. Water is good, and critical for hydration, but isn't enough. It doesn't replace electrolytes and carbs that you burn while riding. I found these Sport Beans at Target the night before, and decided to give them a try. I must say I did enjoy them. They tasted good and seemed to provide the energy they touted. Oh sweet sport bean fruit punch goodness! I feel great today. I'm learning that eating is a huge part of these long rides. You constantly need to be drinking and munching on something.

So the count down is on. I have two weeks from Saturday for the race. Next week we are doing a 75 miler, which will be our last big one before the race. I'm feeling pretty good about the whole thing. I think it's going to go great.

Flaming Gorge

2008-07-23T09:44:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday-Saturday we took the young men out to Flaming Gorge for our high adventure camp. It was lots of fun. Unfortunately I didn't get pics of everything we did. In fact, most of the pictures were the boys' morning beauty shots.

We went boating, swimming, boulder tipping, cliff jumping, played capture the flag, and went river rafting. The boys had a great time.

Sam

2008-07-23T09:06:00.000-07:00

I just love this little man. He makes me happy. I can't wait to get home every day to spend a little time with him. It's awesome how a new baby blesses your home. He's really changed the dynamic of our family. We quite often call him "Serious Sam" because he's always got this look on his face.
This is the face he makes when he wakes up. He furrows his brow and does a pucker. We've learned that this is his, "I'm busy making a poo (or mustard squirt if you prefer)" face.

Flip Flop Prank

2008-07-15T14:11:00.001-07:00

Samuel Spencer Tycksen

2008-07-14T07:31:00.000-07:00

Sam was born Wednesday July 9th at 5:20 am. He weighed in at 7 lbs, 9 oz. 21.5 inches long. I'll post more later and include some details. For now, everyone is happy and healthy. We're just super glad to have him here and home.

Welcome to the world little man!

#$^&*!% DOG!

2008-07-06T04:08:00.000-07:00

So it's just after 5am. I've been up for over an hour because the dog just on the other side of my back yard fence won't shut up. It's been barking non stop for what seems like forever. I'm rather frustrated. Good sleep for me is really hard to come by. It's a weekend - I went to bed early - actually fell asleep early - and now I'm awake thanks to this stupid dog. I don't know if the people are out of town or what. I don't think this dog has ever done this before. But I'm really upset. So what do I do? I'd like to hook up my hose and climb over the fence and spray it in the mouth, maybe the eye. But my hose isn't long enough (no, that's not an innuendo of any sort). I'd also like to shoot it with my BB gun, but I don't have one anymore. I do have some gasoline - and some matches. I could make a molotov cocktail, I've never done that before. I could put some poison in a raw t-bone stake and toss it over. I have plenty of duct tape. There's endless possibilities there. It would be nice to tape his muzzle shut, and then tape him to the wall.

Man I'm tired. If you have any suggestions on how to deal with this, please send them my way. In the mean time, I'm going to go throw some rocks at it.

Oof.

2008-07-04T11:26:00.000-07:00

Rob and I rode 56 miles this morning to celebrate the 4th of July. It was hard. Harder than I thought it would be. I've done tons of 20s, 30s, and a few 40s. But this was hard. The last 5 miles my legs felt like they were full of lead. Here is the route we took:

View Larger Map

We started and ended at 9th East and Fort Union approximately. You can see the rest on the map. We call this route Le Tour de Salt Lake. More like the Tour of Kick my Butt. I really discovered a lot about my body on this ride.

1st, I'm not quite ready for the century. This was only half of what I will have to do in a month. I do find a bit of peace of mind knowing that we had several tough climbs on this route, and the century is dead flat. Hopefully that will make a difference.

2nd, I need to be popping ibuprofen or something during the ride cause my back, neck and knees really started aching.

If there are any experienced riders out there who want to offer any advice for a first time century rider/trainee, I'm all ears.

Duck Tales

2008-07-03T11:12:00.000-07:00

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Happy Birthday Em!

2008-06-30T12:09:00.000-07:00

It's my gal's birthday today. She's the best ever and I'm crazy about her. So if you happen to read this, give here a shout out and wish her a happy birthday. I hope you have a great day Babe, love you!

What the?

2008-06-27T10:05:00.000-07:00

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Raging Waters

2008-06-27T08:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a great day. I took the day off right in the middle of the week, and took the kids to Raging Waters. They absolutely loved it. We had a great time. I really enjoyed spending time with the girls. They are such fun kids. I feel really blessed. I have everything I've ever wanted in life - and I'm real happy. Family is what it's all about. Here's a few pics. I forgot my regular camera, so I had to test out my phone camera. It did ok I guess.

Karate Clogging

2008-06-26T08:14:00.000-07:00

This was a real life fight sequence filmed in Lake Powell, 2006. I don't believe anyone was seriously hurt.

Old Videos

2008-06-26T06:36:00.000-07:00

So I've finally found the fire wire I needed to connect my video camera to the computer. I was up pretty late last night watching old vids and uploading them. I think I'll be on this kick for a while. So I hope you enjoy them, they'll be coming for a while - and in no particular order.

This first one is down in Orlando when we went to Disney World. We were traveling between sights, and Emily was egging me on with the camera. This was in my chubbier, pre-cycling days.

This one is on the same trip. It's just Christine being cute.

This last one is in Lake Powell, summer of 2006.

"Hi Jenny!"

Many more to come!

Brian Regan

2008-06-24T13:29:00.001-07:00

Always good material.

The secret to happiness - I've finally found it.

2008-06-20T11:53:00.000-07:00

Please just watch this sobering video, it really puts things in life into perspective. I hope todays message is received with the same heart I put into it. God Bless.

Click Here: True Happiness

Near Death Experience....(But not really)

2008-06-19T15:13:00.000-07:00

Took the young men up the canyon last night to BBQ and goof around. Getting out of the car I nearly stepped on a full size rattle snake. Missed it by about a foot and a half. It started that rattle going which scared the crap out of me. I slowly moved away, and didn't die. The End.

My first boat.

2008-06-18T11:18:00.000-07:00

This has been a long time coming. I've been wanting a boat for a very long time. I love waterskiing, and love boating in general. I'm very particular about the kind of boats I like. I'm a nerd for Mastercraft boats, and was long before they ever became what they have today. Once you've skied behind the best, it's hard to want to get behind anything else. This here is a 1995 Mastercraft Prostar 205v. It's a slalom skier's boat. It's small (21 feet), and has a flat bottom which throws a fantastic ski wake. It's got a Chevy 350 in it, which kicks out about 275 horses. It's not a big lake, rough water boat - it's meant for skiing. But it's not a 197 either, which is the ideal ski boat. And it is exactly what I wanted.

I'm not ashamed of my excitement of having acquired this boat, juvenile as it may seem. This is one of my dreams come true. I feel like a little kid again at Christmastime. You couldn't wipe the grin of my face if you tried. The last couple nights I've simply gone out there, unbuttoned the canvas, and sat in it - doing nothing else. I can't wait to get it out on the water (hopefully tomorrow). Anyway...super excited here. I wasn't able to get a full profile shot of the boat because of how its parked.

Best Gift Ever

2008-06-18T08:51:00.000-07:00

Emily received some excellent and very practical gifts at a recent shower thrown by our ward (thanks Joey!). The little dude got some great loot. Thanks to everyone for being so great. Anyway, I wanted to show what our neighbors gave us for our boy. The Hunsakers are our next door neighbors, and a couple of my very favorite people. Jannalee hand made this blanket and burp cloth, and then they gave him a shirt, hat and football, all with the perfect theme from the perfect team.

With a pregnancy lasting nine months, you can forget sometimes about what's coming. But you have these reality checks every now and again that remind you. When I saw these gifts, I had a major wake up call. I just sat there and stared at them, picturing my little man in them, and imagining what life with a son will be like. What will he be like? What will he look like? What will his talents be? Will he actually like football? What if he's drawn to ballet? Or baton twirling? Or designing cute little pink outfitsss? I'm sure I'll cope... I just can't wait to meet this guy. Aw man... tearing up again. Anyway, huge thank you to Scott and Jannalee, they got it exactly right.

No baby... =[

2008-06-18T08:38:00.000-07:00

Well, my last entry had us at the hospital waiting to have a baby. That's where this picture was taken. Doesn't my gal look so great even when she's about to deliver a baby? I'm one lucky fella. Anyway, the on call doctor (who we never even saw or spoke to) followed protocol for a 35 1/2 week pregnancy, and attempted to stop the labor with medications. It worked. It was strange. I mean, we want what is best for our little guy of course. But we just spent so much of our energy just trying to make it to 34 weeks, that once it came and went, I guess we figured that they'd just let the baby come. We kind of forgot that he still is a month early, and still a preemie by all definitions. I guess we were just used to preemie meaning 27 weeks (Christine). So emotionally, especially for Emily - it was a really tough day. But now we're over it, and anxiously awaiting the arrival of the Little Dude. We're still struggling with a name...

Woman Bus Driver

2008-06-17T08:49:00.001-07:00

Dumb Woman Bus Driver - Watch more free videos

Baby?

2008-06-13T08:32:00.000-07:00

Well, we're sitting here in the labor/delivery room. Em started having contractions last night at around 3am, and they've continued consistently now for over 6 hours. They've been coming every 3-4 minutes. So that means it's time to go to the hospital. So, here we are. We're waiting to determine whether or not she's going to progress and have the baby today or not. I imagine that they will try to slow down her labor given that she's at only 35 1/2 weeks. Who knows. Em seems to be doing ok, she's just anxious to find out what's going to happen. Our doctor is on vacation in Italy, so we have no idea who would be delivering. Anyway, we'll update when we know more about what's going on.

Hillbilly Darth

2008-06-12T14:48:00.001-07:00

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The U of U....where mediocrity happens.

2008-06-04T08:54:00.000-07:00

GO COUGS!

For those who may not know, I love BYU football. It is probably my biggest passion. I'm a total geek to anything related to BYU football.

A few years ago, I decided it would be a fantastic idea to go and decorate my neighbor/friend's yard with BYU business the night before the rivalry game. He happens to be my exact antithesis. In other words he's about the biggest Yewt fan I know. I was kind of hoping to start an annual gig where we try to prank each other for the game. So anyway, I spent all this time and effort painting a white king size sheet into a BYU flag. I spent hours on it. It turned out amazing. It looked almost professional I might say. So we ended up decorating his yard with all this Cougar stuff. No harm was done. We hung some flags, and painted a bunch of stuff on the windows of his car. It turned out pretty good. But not really...

It turned out that he wasn't even in town. For his anniversary, he had left and gone to stay up at Park City. He had gone to the game from Park City, and then went back after instead of coming home. Well this was the 2006 game, the "Harline is still open" game. You know...the one where Beck single handedly ripped the Utes collective hearts out with one incredible pass with :03 remaining on the clock. You remember? Here...I'll throw in a little reminder just for fun...

ANYWAY... back to the story - So my friend went back to Park City after the game - so he didn't see our neat little decoration job until the next morning. At which point it no longer represented a good natured, just-for-fun, sportsman-like ribbing. It had now morphed into a classless, in-your-face, pour-salt-into-your-wounds gloating. He was supposed to see it BEFORE the game, not after. So it didn't really go over that well. I have no doubt that my friend knew it was me - that part was going to be obvious all along. I remember watching him from my bedroom window as he RIPPED that flag out of that tree with such fury - I thought he would tear my own heart out if he ever got a hold of me. In fact, to this day we have never spoken of it, never joked about it, never even hinted of it ever occurring. Bad form Spence...Bad form.

But given the bad form, and how my little prank went seriously south, I still can't help but smile when I think about it. In fact - I think he's due for another disastrous metaphorical BYU flogging...

So this last Friday (and this is related to the above story) in our ward we had an auction to raise money for the Young Womens program. I had offered my services of mowing, edging, and trimming someone's yard to be auctioned off. When it came to my auction item, the bidding started out at $15 bucks. Immediately my Yewt friend's hand went up and he shouted, "$35.00! But only if he does it in a Yewtah jersey!" So I argued stubbornly against it, but the crowd had gotten into it and were now egging me on... and that image of him tearing that flag out of that tree flashed across my mind...so I caved and agreed. But only for the Young Women.

So - some time in the next couple weeks I've got to swallow my pride and head over to my buddy's house and mow, edge, and trim his yard in a Yewt jersey. I suppose what goes around comes around right?

Cycling Mileage Log

2008-06-01T16:49:00.000-07:00

Last week: 89 Miles total. Rode a 26 mile hilly route on Saturday - was an excellent ride that went by fast. Got a flat towards the end and was able to test out my new C02 pump. It worked great! My new riding partner Rob is going to train with me to do the ULCER in August. He's a great rider. I'm pretty excited.

LOL! Gotta try this one.

2008-05-29T14:37:00.001-07:00

Gamer Head Tape Prank - Watch more free videos

Mileage Log

2008-05-28T14:38:00.000-07:00

Last week: 60 miles total. Weather was bad at the end of the week. Spent all day saturday preparing my talk for church.

This week to date: 20 miles.

2008-05-27T09:44:00.000-07:00

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I like to ride my bicycle...

2008-05-21T13:29:00.000-07:00

I got into cycling last year, and I absolutely love it. I never really thought I could like it as much as I do. It is strangely addicting. It basically started out of a desire to save on gas money. My work was only 6 miles away. So I started riding Emily's mountain bike to and from work. That lasted a couple months before winter came. During that time, I was quite frequently getting passed by "cyclists" who seemed to be going at least twice as fast as I was. I began to realize that the mountain bike, though a very decent bike, was not the best suited bike for all that road riding. I ended up shopping around, and got a great deal on this bike - the Giant OCR C3. It's a fantastic little machine. It's perfect for the kind of riding I do. It's got a full carbon fiber frame, so it's very light, and very fast. It's not a racing bike, more of a performance/touring bike. The place I bought it from custom fit it to my little 5'3" frame, so my body handles it really well. Last year I rode a little over 1,200 miles, and lost 25 pounds along the way. This year I'd like to keep the same pace, but would really like to ride a century. A century is kind of the biker's marathon. It's 100 miles. The one I want to do, the ULCER (Utah Lake Century Epic Ride) is 111 miles. That's coming up in August. So that is my goal. They say that if you can ride 70 miles, then you can ride 100. So that's what I'm working towards, little by little. Right now I try to ride about 20 miles a day or so depending on the weather. I'm going to keep a little log in here of my mileage. I'm not sure how though. Anyway, I'm rather excited about this goal - now to go make it happen.

This weeks mileage log through Wednesday: 40 miles.

Young Mens Cabin Retreat

2008-05-16T10:34:00.000-07:00

I work with the young men in my ward. They are great kids. We demand quite a bit from them - and surprisingly, they step up quite often. I'm very impressed with them and have a great time being their leader. As a reward for their efforts, we took them down to our cabin to have some fun. Below are a bunch of pictures of the highlights.

True Heroes

2008-05-12T08:22:00.000-07:00

Love this story.

Just plain funny (and a bit cruel).

LOL

PWNED!

2008-05-02T08:30:00.000-07:00

I called in sick yesterday. I really was sick. I swear I locked my computer when I left work the day before. Wouldn't matter. Cause my idiot brother Clayton - who has earned space on this blog on other occasions, knows my password - since he's our unofficial IT guy that doesn't really do anything here. So he logged into my computer, and first of all changed my desktop to this:

Then, he left this word document open with this lovely story about how to ride a unicorn. Apparently he has some pretty good experience with unicorns and riding them. Here's the instructions:

"I really like riding unicorns. They don't like it - and it's really hard to do because well there aren't exactly lots of unicorns just walking the streets of my city these days, but when I do see one the secret to catching it to ride is well I go talk to it in a calm and gentle, almost-whisper, and then I gaze into their ocean-blue eyes until they go into this trance, don't ask me why I think it's just my skillz and plus my eyes are like way beautiful and THEN I say this word - don't ask me why, I just know this works, OK? The word is "smellycadoodlezippydorfballs" and when I say this word (in a calm, gentle almost-whisper) the unicorn will bow down his front knee so I can get on and I grab onto the horn and swing myself up onto the unicorn and we ride away through the streets of my city, past the city limits and into the pastures and then into the forests where the unicorn dwells (when food is plentiful - sometimes it's not and that was OBVIOUSLY why the unicorn was in my city, DUH) and when you want to stop you take your index finger and just draw the word "STOP" onto the unicorn's back and since unicorns are so smart, it knows what you wrote and that you want to stop and well, it slows to a gallop, then it slows to a trot, and then it slows to a gentle walk, and then it comes to a total stop (gently) and well that's when you can get off. BUT BE CAREFUL because if you don't remember the word I told you, GOOD LUCK getting back onto the unicorn to get your ass back to town!"

And now, respectfully, I want to share with you in a calm, gentle, almost-whisper, the link to the fine unicorn movie that he left me. I hope you enjoy it as much as Clayton does.

2008-05-01T12:33:00.000-07:00

Best Idea Ever.

If this is real, this is the craziest dude I've ever seen.

Surfing With A Great White Shark - Watch more free videos

Transformer Stop Motion

2008-04-25T20:43:00.000-07:00

This is way cool.

Transformers Stop Motion - Awesome! - Watch more free videos

NOLAF

2008-04-25T10:56:00.000-07:00

Tribute to Steve

2008-04-25T08:06:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone. This is my dad, Steve. He's a great guy, and my bestest of best friends. I've always been close with my dad, and have always appreciated our relationship. In high school when it wasn't cool to love your dad, I loved him anyway and felt comfortable talking with him about my perceived complicated life.

My dad is probably the smartest man I know personally. I remember having trouble with my calculus homework in high school. Steve said, "let me take a look at it." I remember thinking, "uh, ok, whatever," but acquiesced anyway to indulge him. This was complicated stuff - we were right in the middle of the school year and deep into the integrals and derivatives. After only a few minutes, he had figured it out. I've never forgotten that and have come to appreciate the kind of mind it would take to pull off a complex calculus problem when you haven't taken a math class for 25 years. I take great pride in coming up with pointless facts or information that I know and he doesn't. It's kind of become a game for me.

My dad has also had a very successful professional career as an attorney. He's very well respected among his peers, and has received the highest peer rating possible by Martindale Hubbell. He's very quick to think on his feet which makes him very valuable in the courtroom. He makes no reservation of asking the hard questions, and doesn't seem to be intimidated by anyone. In fact, there have been many occasions where I've been witness to him seriously grinding on some other attorney over the phone, fighting like a pit bull for his client to the point where it's actually uncomfortable to listen to. Then at the end of the conversation, he can ask sincerely to the other guy - so how's the wife and kids? And people reciprocate! They know he's just a genuine guy. I don't know how he does it. The thing is, as successful as he has been in the legal profession, he could have done equally well in any other field. For example - one of his passions is architecture. He designed and built his giant cabin. Enough said.

My pops is also the most generous man I know. I can't count how many times he's helped me out of a bind. I look around my house at all the things I own - and somehow I can find a way to trace many of them back to his generosity. I'm only one of 8 kids in our family, and I know he's done the same for them. His family means everything to him. Steve gives and gives freely to so many people - family or not. I think he knows where his blessings come from and is quick to share. I'd share more examples specifically that I know of, but I don't think he would want me to. But know that there have been very many who have been touched and helped by his kindness and generosity.

Steve is also very gifted spiritually. I've learned that when he says he's had a dream or a prompting - I pay attention. He works very hard to keep his life in harmony with God's will. For many years he's given up his time to go work in the temple twice a week. I've always admired that. Consistent temple work is an easy thing to talk about, but not as easy to actually do. Keeping yourself worthy in the first place is always a challenge. I've been working with my dad at his law office for about 8 years. My favorite thing about it is being able to work with him. Once a week or so, he'll pull me into his office and close the door. Then we just sit and talk. He often shares with me new things that he's learned in the scriptures or in the temple. He tells me he loves me, he helps me keep a broad perspective, he helps me feel closer to God. Outside of my own family experiences, these moments with my dad are the most cherished things in my life.

So I'm not ashamed of my sentimental, corny side. I inherited it from my dad after all. The bottom line is that I love my dad. And where people can be quite cavalier about using the term hero - my dad really is my personal hero. If I can only amount to half the man he is, then I will have done very well. So Dad, if you read this - thank you for everything, honestly - everything. I love you.

Pictures that need no caption...

2008-04-22T14:35:00.000-07:00

Yes, this is an oldie - but still a goodie. These pics came through my email, thought I'd post them here for some laughs.

Egg Drop Contest

2008-04-17T10:10:00.000-07:00

Christine had an egg drop contest this morning at school. I had never heard of one before, but I guess it's quite a common thing. She had to build a device to house an egg. The device would be dropped off the school roof. If the egg survives, she wins a prize. So naturally, I googled egg drop and found tons of stuff - but none of it useful. I'm not that creative - and I'm not an engineer, so I was looking for pointers. I couldn't find anywhere online that gave details on how to make a successful device. So I'm going to do that now. The parameters of the contest were that it couldn't be longer than 12" on any one side, couldn't contain bubble wrap, foam or spray insulation, packing peanuts, balloons or parachutes. This is what we came up with:

First of all, let me just say that Christine was scowling at me when I started this design. She was complaining that it wouldn't work, and told Emily, "Mom, Dad's doing something stupid." But once we tested it and it worked, she thought it was the best idea ever. I was suddenly her best friend. At WalMart she kept saying, "I love you Daddy." I liked that part.

All we did was take a piece of posterboard (WalMart $.59) and rolled it into a cone and taped it with packing tape. We cut the bottom part of some plastic hangers and poked them crossway through the top to keep the cone from toppling over. On the inside, we put a golf ball in first (to keep the nose pointed down), then packed cotton in all the way up to the top. Then we just stuck the egg right there on the top (just underneath the hangar parts). We did a test run off the roof of our house (15 feet) with our prototype (it only took 10 minutes to make) and it was successful. The egg was intact. We tried it again with the prototype, and again the egg remained unbroken. The school height is more like 20 feet. So I was a bit worried about that. But, at the contest this morning we had another successful drop, much to Christine's delight. She was so excited to not break her egg and claim her prize (a pinwheel). Afterwards, she was proudly showing her unbroken egg to everyone. I imagine it will end up as a pile of sludge in her pocket by the end of the day. If you have questions about the design, feel free to comment and I'll respond to you.

Redneck Underwear

2008-04-16T13:23:00.000-07:00

The picture says it all. Come to think of it, I'm kind of running short on tank tops. But thanks to this guy, I have an idea of where to get some more without having to spend any money. All you have to do is cut out the skid marks, and voila! A brand new tank top!

Project M3 (Men, Mustaches, Military)

2008-04-15T11:29:00.000-07:00

Ok. Time to post an update on project M3. I think the photos speak for themselves. Needless to say, it was a big success. Erik loved the photos. As you can see, we didn't need to photoshop Aaron in after all. He drove up and made it just in time...with his gun...

He's dead Jim...

2008-04-14T11:33:00.001-07:00

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2008-04-11T14:27:00.000-07:00

How to impress people at the gym...

This is quite impressive. The music makes it perfect.

Just For Men:

So we're finally taking our "brotherly" mustache photo this Sunday. I can't wait to say goodbye to the lip fur. Too bad I have to go to church on Sunday before... Anyway, I was able to get my hands on some Just For Men. It gives you natural look and guarantees an increase in manliness, vigor, stamina, moxie, bravado, depth of voice, and skills with an axe of no less than 31%. Sounds pretty serious. Makes sense why they call it Just For Men. This should be really good. I've been looking for a way to improve all of these attributes. I'll take an after pic once it's done.

I need to add some photos from my brother in law Aaron. He lives in Texas, so we're going to have to photoshop him into the photo once we've taken it. Here are some of the photos he sent. If chiropractics doesn't work out, I think he may have a good career ahead of him in terrorism...

I also need to credit Jon for his amazing mustache growing skills. Below are two pictures, a before and after. The one on the left is before he shaved, the one on the left was taken immediately after. He looks wonderful.

DISCLAIMER: None of these photos have been retouched.

2008-04-10T09:05:00.001-07:00

I trimmed up the old stache this morning. I feel it's a stache worthy of an English inspector. That's what it reminds me of.

I love photos where the picture is snapped just as the person starts to blink, catching them in this dazed look. No one ever comes out of that scenario looking good. It always makes people look rather retarded. In fact, I think I'll dedicate one of these entries to photos of people with their eyes half closed. Anyway, this is my attempt to replicate such a photo.

I've also got to put up a few photos of Clay (my older brother). He's been on a roll lately with his pics. His mustache looks quite nice. He sent me this one on the left with the caption, "has anyone seen the other two musketeers?"

He also sent me this one on the right with the caption, "Table tennis doubles world championship." LOL! Cracks me up.

And then there's these - taken at Josh's (younger brother) wedding. To my niece he was saying something like, "...tease the camera...that's right - show me some attitude!" These pictures pretty much define my brother Clayton. Now you know everything there is to know about him.

My Bracket

2008-04-09T15:28:00.000-07:00

So I actually won our office NCAA Basketball tournament bracket pool. I really don't care so much for college hoops - so I fill out the bracket to make it more interesting. But I've never done very well. So yay for me. Here's my bracket.

2008-04-09T09:36:00.000-07:00

This is awesome!

2008-04-08T09:42:00.000-07:00

It is so easy to get excited about something like this - but then reality sets in. Big companies would simply never let this thing get off the ground. It's so frustrating. But imagine how cool it would be to run our cars on salt water.

Today's business...

2008-04-08T08:19:00.000-07:00

Ok. I gotta give my props first. We'll start with conference. Ever since President Hinckley died, I had been praying for a confirmation that his successor, Thomas S. Monson, is a prophet of God. And I got an overwhelming answer Saturday night - a resounding "Yes!" It was an awesome experience. One that I won't forget. So I'll gladly and openly shout it from the roof tops and testify to anyone, that this man is God's prophet on the earth today. And EVERYONE, would do well to listen to what he has to say, and follow his counsel. In today's world we need this kind of leadership. We need this kind of direction. And we definitely need the spiritual nourishment. Imagine how great it would be if people tried a little harder to be kinder, more tolerant and accepting, more loving and charitable. Everyone would benefit. So there you go. President Monson is a prophet of God. Go listen to what he has to say and be happy.

LAN party report:

The LAN party was a blast.

Plumbing Woes (warning - lengthy and boring):

Saturday was a bit of a lousy day. I got up with the intention of being productive, and knocking a few things of my honey-do list. Our shower was dripping, so our valves were failing, and I was going to make it my project to fix and replace them. But in order to to that, you need to shut off the water main. And as it turned out, my access to the water main managed to bury itself somewhere out in the front yard. I had a general idea where it was, so I just needed to dig up some sod to find it. Well, as I was using my half moon tool (which is the second one I've bought in a year cause the last one broke) to cut and lever up the sod, it cracked in half. It was an omen of what was to come, and I should have just quit the day right there. I ignored the omen, and used a shovel to dig up the rest of the sod. I found my water main access a few minutes later. When I used my key to turn it off, it didn't work. The valve wouldn't turn anything off. So I had to go to the water meter, and turn it off from the city valve. When I turned that one, (which did work) it started leaking. I ignored it for now and went in and attempted to take off the valve stems but to no avail. I didn't have the tools to get them out. So I figured at that point I'd just have to call my buddy Dave (who's a plumber) to fix the valves for me. So I tightened things back up in the shower, and went out to the leaking water main and turned the water back on. I couldn't get this valve to stop leaking, and it was filling up the water meter hole. I called the water company to come take a look. They showed up, pumped out the water, told me I had a leak, and left. Very helpful. The guy said that I shouldn't touch the valve cause it would make it worse. Ok. 30 minutes later the water meter hole was overflowing. Oh well, I'll nothing I can do about it right? I went in to rest and take a nap. Shortly after Emily comes in and asks, did you know the shower is on? I go take a look, and water is shooting out from the stems, and coming out of the shower head. I did my best to tighten up the valves as best I could, but it was still coming out of the shower but only a little. I went to home depot to get a brass fitting to cap the shower pipe with until Dave could come to the rescue. Once I got back I figured I'd just take off the shower head and screw on the fitting since the pressure was low, and I wasn't supposed to touch the water main valve. Well, I take off the shower head, and it was like opening a fire hydrant. Water was shooting out like a fire hose. Though it had appeared that the flow was slow, it was only due to the fact that the shower head was totally clogged. So I'm trying to get this fitting on with the water coming out full blast, soaking my clothes with very cold water. It was quite the spectacle. I finally gave up and went out to turn off the water main valve again - it was broken anyway. I got the fitting on, turned the water back on, and everything finally seemed to be in order. At least until Christine asked me why it was raining in the basement. I didn't even want to deal with that at this point. I couldn't figure it out anyway. I just hoped that all it was was the stems leaking and that once they were fixed, the leaking in the basement would stop. It's now Tuesday. Dave came in and kicked some butt and had the stems fixed in a jiffy. So yay. But the basement is still raining a bit. I don't know what that means, but I do know that it will cost to fix it. *Sigh*

Mustache update:

I hate this thing. I shaved off the rest of the goatee this last weekend. All I can say is that I can't wait to get rid of it. I'm getting a bit tired of people looking at me and thinking, "Wow, he's growing a mustache...does he know it's ugly? Hmm, I thought he was a bit more savvy." We're going to be taking our photo this Sunday. Can't wait.

Lan Party

2008-04-04T08:58:00.001-07:00

So it's Friday today, so that is always a good thing. I wish every day could be Friday. Plus, we're having a LAN party tonight. For those of you who don't know what a LAN party is, I pity you. Here's a definition I found on google:

"Local Area Network Party. This is where a load of "cool" people get together in one place with their computers, connect them all together, and then have some fun! They are primarily for the purpose of playing multiplayer computer games. Lan parties often go on for days on end, without sleep or rest, as teccies battle it out for the title of "teh win". ..."

Though I have to wonder about the term "cool." It must have been written in sarcasm. It should say, "This is where a load of nerds get together..." Anyway, I'm excited for tonights party. If you are interested in coming, or even participating online, shoot me off an email and I'll get you the details.

On another more serious note - Emily is right at that time where she has trouble with her pregnancies. See, Christine was born at 27 weeks, and Mary threatened to do the same. Em is right now at 28 weeks, and she's having contractions. Not a good sign. We're going to the doctor today to see what he says. Hopefully he'll figure something out.

MUSTACHE PROGRESS: (can you really call it Progress?)

Ok, so I already hate this mustache. I don't know how people wear them. It drives me nuts. Here's a picture to document the incredible growth. As you can see, I still have the goatee portion - so I created a very professional photoshop version of the photo to show what it might look like once I shave the goatee. I know, I should work for Cosmopolitan. It kind of looks like I have rubber skin, or suffered some severe burns on my chin.

Also - today I was able to get on the radio and say the word "corn poop." They hung up on me and got mad at the gal who is supposed to screen the calls.

Young Mens D.I. Activity

2008-04-02T20:31:00.000-07:00

For young mens tonight, the boys planned an activity where we went to the D.I. to get some clothes, then we went to the mall to get shakes. It was hilarious. We got quite a bit of looks from people. And of course, boys will be boys - something about those outfits gave them an extra dose of confidence (it makes no sense), and they were hitting on every girl they passed. It was really funny. One girl that we passed said to her friend, "what day is it? Is it a holiday or something?"

So sad.

2008-04-02T12:29:00.000-07:00

I hate these stories. We found out yesterday that this cute little girl, who is my oldest daughters age, went missing. It made my heart sink to think of what she and her family must have been going through. I don't know what I would do if that happened to my daughters. We said many prayers for her that she'd be ok and that her family would be comforted. We knelt down last night with my two girls and had a special prayer just for her. Then I found out this morning that she's dead. She was murdered for no reason by some soul-less thug. I just feel sick when I think about it. I don't understand why these things happen. I wouldn't know what I would say to help them. And how do I go home and explain this to my kids? When we prayed, I told them to use all the faith they had to help this girl. I just hate this. My only comfort comes in knowing that it is over, and that she's in a better place. So today's blog is dedicated to this 7-year-old girl Hser Nay Moo. May God bless her and her family.

Like Father Like Daughters

2008-04-01T15:30:00.000-07:00

How can I not love a kid who's a fan?

I see more of myself in my kids every day.

My Super Hot Wife

2008-04-01T15:07:00.000-07:00

I figured it wouldn't be a bad idea to put my gal on here since she's the best. My wife's name is Emily, and I really love her a lot. She's the greatest person I know. She's got a very soft heart, she's kind to everyone, she's very selfless, she makes excellent cookies, she's beautiful inside and out, and she's LOW MAINTENANCE! Wow. What a package. I feel so lucky to be with her. We will have been married nine years this August. Yes there's been ups and downs, but I'm happy to say that we've never had an arguement. What a great gal!

Meet the girls!

2008-03-31T17:34:00.003-07:00

I'd like to introduce you to Christine and Mary. We have lots of fun together.

Christine is 7 likes to play the piano, jump rope, and read books. Mary is 5 and likes to be funny, do gymnastics, and ride her bike without training wheels.

The Mustache, AKA the pushbroom, soupstrainer, cookieduster, nose neighbor, flavor saver, lip fur, and mouth brow.

2008-03-31T08:49:00.000-07:00

My little brother Erik (see photo) is serving in Iraq right now in the Air Force. For some reason, he grew a mustache. I suppose he felt he had no one he needed to impress. Anyway, we all miss him, and are very proud of what he is doing. As a gesture to show our support for him, me, my brothers, my brothers-in-law, and my dad are all growing a mustache. We will be taking a photo (hopefully dressing up somehow) which we will send off to Erik as a gift. I'm trying to come up with a worthy name for this campaign. I thought of "Mustaches for Military." But that doesn't quite cut it. Maybe "Lip fur Erik." Lol. Anyway, if you have any good suggestions, I'm all ears.

I've never actually let my mustache grow more than a couple of weeks. It doesn't take long before I hate it really bad. Nevertheless, I'm committed to this cause, and thought I'd throw in a few photos to update you all on the progress of my nose neighbor.

Here's photo number 1. Looks ok I guess. Not really dark. This is actually about 5 days of growth. I'm letting the goatee grow with it as well so I don't look like a fool.

Here's photo number 2. Semi-profile. The stache part seems to be coming in well. There are a few bare spots down in the goatee area. All in all, it should be a stache worthy of Erik's praise. Perhaps I will get some Just for Men's and add a bit of color to give the illusion of thickness, and manliness.

HOW'S YOUR ATTENTION TO DETAIL?

Did anyone pass the Attention to Detail test? I photoshopped one of the photos in this post. See if you can spot it. Now that you are looking for it, it should be quite obvious.

See, I have this weird disorder called Trichotillomania. Wikipedia defines it this way:

Trichotillomania: or "trich" as it is commonly known, is an impulse control disorder characterized by the repeated urge to pull out scalp hair, eyelashes, facial hair, nose hair, pubic hair, eyebrows or other body hair, sometimes resulting in noticeable bald patches.

So I'm a bit retarded. Yay. I manage to pull out my eyelashes leaving bald spots. It's really strange - I've done it most my life. I've noticed that I really only do it when I'm reading. And I have been reading some good books lately, so...no eyelashes. So for fun, I photoshopped in some eyelashes on one of the photos. I wanted to see if any of you picked up on it. Here's what I did. This one here on the left is what I look like without eyelashes. The one on the right is my crude-10 second photoshop version. Maybe not Maybelline, but I definitely think I look better with a full set of lashes.

This should be a bit hairy...

2008-03-28T16:49:00.000-07:00

I'm going to the cabin tonight. For those of you who don't know what the cabin is - my brother has pretty much got it all covered here . Emily is staying home to help Heather with her booth at the baby expo. I'm taking my girls, as well as all of my brothers kids down. That should make for a pretty interesting trip. Perhaps I'll take some pics and post them on here.

On another note... My brother Josh (whose blog appears her e) just got married on Wednesday. So a big congratulations to him and McCall. I'm hope they're having a great time getting it on in Orlando. Anyway, the wedding was a blast. I don't get together as much as I'd like to with all of my brothers, and it was a lot of fun to goof around with them. The following photo is one such example of this goofing off. We were trying to interfere in the background of this photo of my Sister Jessie and her husband Scott. On the count of three we were all supposed to jump into the background. Clayton, who doesn't seem to know how to count - didn't quite make it on three. He's therefore left in this ridiculous pose looking quite plugged... I think Clay heard, "One, two, three... poop!"

And so it begins...

2008-03-28T12:50:00.000-07:00

So here I am blogging. I just figure that I have too much interesting stuff going on to not document it somehow. I plan on treating this like my journal. So for today, I'm setting up the page. Thanks for visiting. Hope you enjoy.