Christmas in Vegas

The Unwrapping

"You'll shoot your eye out, kid! " Well, not really, I never even wanted a Red Rider BB gun! But scenes from "A Christmas Story" were all over my wrapping paper, and even on 2 ties from my parents!



Gee, I wonder if these might be CD's...

One excited Vikings fan!

Snow!

Snow. I got to see it, walk in it, drive in it - and even more importantly, didn't have to shovel it! That, and picking up Phil in Salt Lake City were the highlights of a short trip to Salt Lake City. Oh, and I can't forget to mention eating at Chick-fil-A and Crown Burger!
Lisa was kind enough to drive me to Salt Lake, to meet Phil's bus there. With all of the snow between Boise and Salt Lake, the bus was only 3 hours late arriving. In fact, it is a good thing we were picking him up, because the bus from there to Saint George was canceled. Phil will be spending the next week with me, so I won't be celebrating Christmas alone!

Turkey Day!

My first attempt at cooking my own turkey, with all of the trimmings, went even better than I could ever have expected. Faced with spending Thanksgiving alone - something I dreaded - it's bad enough being alone any day of the week, but holidays are even more dreadful - I invited my friends Liz & Dave over, and we had a wonderful feast!

Thanksgiving Forecast

The following has been passed around on the internet for at least 10 years now, and it always gives me a chuckle:

Turkeys will thaw in the morning, then warm in the oven to an afternoon high near 190 F. The kitchen will turn hot and humid, and if you bother the cook, be ready for a severe squall or cold shoulder.

During the late afternoon and evening, the cold front of a knife will slice through the turkey, causing an accumulation of one to two inches on plates. Mashed potatoes will drift across one side while cranberry sauce creates slippery spots on the other. Please pass the gravy.

A weight watch and indigestion warning have been issued for the entire area, with increased stuffiness around the beltway. During the evening, the turkey will diminish and taper off to leftovers, dropping to a low of 34 F in the refrigerator.

Looking ahead to Friday and Saturday, high pressure to eat sandwiches will be established. Flurries of leftovers can be expected both days with a 50 percent chance of scattered soup late in the day. We expect a warming trend where soup develops. By early next week, eating pressure will be low as the only wish left will be the bone.

One Sweet Ride!

Knowing my own car would probably explode on the freeway, I rented a car for my trip to Idaho. On past trips, I've driven a Toyota Corolla, Ford Taurus, Dodge Stratus, and even a Dodge Magnum. This past weekend, it was my pleasure to drive a 2009 Mazda 3!
After spending over 18 hours on the road, I have this to report - other than the fact that it didn't have cruise control, I must say it was the most comfortable car I've ever driven!

Gage's 4th Birthday

My grandson Gage turned 4 on November 5th, and I was able to get the weekend off to drive to Idaho and celebrate with him! I say this each time I see Gage, but it really is hard to believe how quickly he is growing. Seems like just yesterday I got the phone call telling me I was a Grandpa!

The Great Pumpkin, Part 2

As Halloween got closer this year, for some reason I had the desire to carve a Jack-O-Lantern. Only once before in my life had I undertaken such a task - even though I am chopping vegetables every day at work.

I didn't need anything big, so I chose this pumpkin in the spirit of how Charlie Brown must have felt when he picked that poor, neglected Christmas tree.

Get Thee Behind Me, Satan!

I've been struggling with depression again lately - and been unable to focus on any one task for very long. Except for sitting at the computer, which I can do for hours on end. I realize this is one of the temptations I face - to spend all of my free time being lazy and unproductive. Today, some good did come out of my mindless internet surfing - as I found the following from Robert D. Hales:

“Our challenges, including those we create by our own decisions, are part of our test in mortality. Let me assure you that your situation is not beyond the reach of our Savior. Through Him, every struggle can be for our experience and our good (see D&C 122:7). Each temptation we overcome is to strengthen us, not destroy us. The Lord will never allow us to suffer beyond what we can endure (see 1 Corinthians 10:13). “We must remember that the adversary knows us extremely well. He knows where, when, and how to tempt us. If we are obedient to the promptings of the Holy Ghost, we can learn to recognize the adversary’s enticements. Before we yield to temptation, we must learn to say with unflinching resolve, ‘Get thee behind me, Satan’ (Matthew 16:23).”

Soggy Bottom Boys

On Saturday night, our ward had a "Hill Billy Hollow" party, which in Elder's Quorum has been referred to as a good old-fashioned "Hoe Down." One of the highlights of the evening was us elders singing "I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow", as sung by the Soggy Bottom Boys in "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?"

I have sung this song so many times over the last few days in preparation, that I am beginning to feel like the man of constant sorrow!

It has always been one of my dreams to sing in a "barbershop quartet" - type group. I may never realize that dream, but being a "Soggy Bottom Boy" on Saturday night came really close!

Patrick Swayze 1952-2009

Patrick Swayze may have left this world as we know it, but these timeless moments are forever etched in our hearts......

Take Me Out To The Ball Game!

I've rediscovered my first love! When I posted this comment recently on Facebook, I received several comments asking me who my first love was. However, I wasn't referring to a "who" - my first love qualifies as a "what" - baseball! And I don't even care for peanuts or Cracker Jack that much...

My boss had season tickets to the St. George Roadrunners this year, and so I've been going to many of their games. Turns out, they are a pretty good team, and are headed to the playoffs this year! The Roadrunners are led by their all-star first baseman A.J. Valentine - who finished their 82 game season with a .359 batting average, 17 HR's, and tied for the league lead with 82 RBI's.

Other Roadrunners I've had the pleasure of meeting are:

Ryan Stephenson

Chase Leavitt

Eude Brito (former Philadelphia Phillie!)

Justin Abbott

Paint The Park Pink!

On Wednesday, August 5th, the Roadrunners celebrated life and the need for Breast Cancer Awareness!

Bruce Hurst Field was decked out in PINK! With pink bases, pink chalk lines, pink banners, and a Huge Pink Breast Cancer Ribbon in center field.

The players and managers wore custom Pink and Blue Breast Cancer Uniforms. These uniforms were autographed and a silent auction look place for these uniforms during the game. Proceeds from ticket purchases last night, donations and the silent auction will be donated to Breast Cancer Awareness!


Plus, the first 750 in attendance received a free pink t-shirt!

The Boys Are Back!

With the release of the latest CD, the Oak Ridge Boys prove to the rest of the world what I already knew - "The Boys Are Back"! Yeah, they don't have the radio airplay or CD sales that they once enjoyed, but William Lee Golden (70), Duane Allen (66), Richard Sterban (66) and Joe Bonsall (61) are far from retirement! While acts such as Alabama & The Statler Brothers are sitting in their rocking chairs, the Mighty Oaks are still going strong! From the title song written by Shooter Jennings, to the final cut "Live With Jesus", this CD rocks! Their cover of The White Stripes "Seven Nation Army" is a masterpiece. William Lee has never sounded better than he does on "Beautiful Bluebird". Duane Allen's passion on "Mama's Table" can't be matched. And if you've never experienced Richard's deep bass voice (not sure how that's possible unless you've lived under a rock the last 30 years), "Boom Boom" will make you an instant fan! I can't wait to see this new music performed live!

The King Of Pop

I hadn't planned to say anything on the passing of Michael Jackson, but then I read what my friend Duane Allen, of The Oak Ridge Boys wrote, and it pretty much sums up my feelings as well, so I will share it with you now.

WHILE THERE ARE QUESTIONS THAT HAVE GONE UNANSWERED ABOUT MICHAEL JACKSON AND HIS PERSONAL LIFE, HE HAS PAID OFF SOME TO NOT TALK, AND IN OTHER CASES, HE WAS TAKEN TO A COURT OF LAW AND WON THE CASES.....SO, TAKE YOUR PICK OF HOW YOU LIKE TO LOOK AT HIM, THERE ARE PLENTY OF EXAMPLES OF HIS PERSONAL LIFE FOR YOU TO OBSERVE.......I HAVE OBSERVED HIS WEIRDNESS FOR YEARS......AT ONE TIME, ONE OF THE QUESTIONS ON OUR BUS WAS, "WHO DOES MICHAEL JACKSON THINK IS WEIRD?"NOW, HE HAS TO ANSWER TO GOD.....NONE OF US KNOW HOW THAT WILL COME DOWN.......

NOW, LOOKING AT HIS ARTISTRY......I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN AMAZED AT THE TALENT I SAW IN HIM AND HIS BROTHERS FROM THE DAYS OF THEIR YOUTH.......MY RESPECT FOR HIM NEVER CHANGED AS I LEARNED OF HIS PERSONAL LIFE.......I STILL RESPECTED HIS MUSICAL ABILITIES........I ALWAYS WAS DRAWN TO HIM IN THE JACKSONS, AS I FELT THAT HE WAS THE MOST TALENTED OF ALL........I FELT THE SAME WAY ABOUT DONNIE OSMOND WITH THE OSMOND BROTHERS......I ALWAYS FELT THAT DONNIE AND MICHAEL WERE THE MAGICAL MEMBERS OF EACH FAMILY GROUP.......

WHILE IN NEVADA, I READ AN ACCOUNT BY DONNIE OF HIS RECENT CONVERSATIONS WITH MICHAEL.....AS DONNIE RELATED------MICHAEL WAS SO HOUNDED BY FANS AND THE MEDIA THAT AT ONE POINT RECENTLY, HE GOT A RV AND LIVED IN IT ALL OVER ARIZONA, JUST TO GET AWAY FROM THE PEOPLE WHO WERE HOUNDING HIM......CAN YOU IMAGINE HOW MISERABLE THAT WOULD BE.......MICHAEL WAS AFRAID TO EVEN GIVE OUT HIS PHONE NUMBER TO DONNIE BECAUSE HE FEARED IT WOULD BE TRACED AND PEOPLE WOULD FIND HIM.......HIS OWN POPULARITY MADE A PRISONER OF HIM, RESTRICTING HIM FOR A PERIOD OF TIME TO A RV TO JUST TRAVEL FROM ONE TOWN TO ANOTHER, NEVER EVEN GETTING OUT EXCEPT AT NIGHT, AND THAT WOULD BE ONLY WHERE THERE WERE NO PEOPLE.......

SO, AS AN ARTIST, I DO UNDERSTAND WHAT IT IS LIKE, BEING IN A FISHBOWL.......ALL OF THE GOOD IS MULTIPLIED, AND ALL OF THE BAD IS MULTIPLIED, TOO.......EVERYTHING IS BLOWN WAY OUT OF SHAPE, AND SOMETIMES, RE-SHAPED TO FIT THE DESIRE OF A STORY-HUNGRY MEDIA PERSON JUST LOOKING FOR A NEW STORY........WHEN WE HAD "ELVIRA' WE HAD ALL KINDS OF NUT CASES COMING OUT FROM UNDER EVERY ROCK ON THE ROAD.......I MEAN, SOME REALLY CRAZY PEOPLE.....IT WAS HARD TO DEAL WITH SOME OF THEM, BUT WE HAD PLENTY OF PEOPLE AROUND US AND OTHER LAW ENFORCEMENT PEOPLE TO HANDLE THE NUT CASES........SO, I AM NOT CRITICIZING THE LIFE OR CAREER OF MICHAEL JACKSON.......I DO RECOGNIZE HIS AMAZING CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY......THOSE ARE, WITHOUT A DOUBT IN MY MIND, HUGE, ALMOST BEYOND BELIEF........I WAS NOT A HUGE FAN, IN THE COMMON WAY OF LOOKING AT IT, BUT, I HAD A HUGE RESPECT FOR HIM AND HIS BROTHERS.......AND, I DID RECOGNIZE THAT MILLIONS OF PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD WERE, AND STILL ARE, HUGE FANS........

WHILE I DO NOT DISMISS THE WEIRD LIFESTYLE THAT HE LED, IT DID NOT AFFECT ME IN ANY WAY.......IT IS UP TO GOD NOW TO PLACE VALUE ON HIS LIFESTYLE........I DO NOT SEND HIM RIGHT INTO THE ARMS OF JESUS, BECAUSE I DO NOT KNOW IF HE EVEN FOLLOWED JESUS.......I DO RECOGNIZE THAT AT ONE POINT IN HIS CAREER, HE WAS RECOGNIZED AS BEING THE ARTIST WHO GAVE THE MOST TO HELP CHARITIES.......I WAS REPULSED AT THE JESSE JACKSONS, AND AL SHARPTONS, WHO I CONSIDER TO BE OPPORTUNISTIC FLIM-FLAM CON ARTISTS.......THEY HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH MICHAEL JACKSON.......HOWEVER, I WAS VERY MOVED BY SOME OF THE OTHER PEOPLE WHO PERFORMED OR SPOKE AT HIS FUNERAL......BROOKE SHIELDS TOUCHED ME WITH HER STORY OF SHARING.......AND, SOME OF THE MUSIC WAS JUST FABULOUS........WHEN MICHAEL'S LITTLE GIRL SPOKE ABOUT HER LOVE FOR HER DADDY, CHURCH WAS OUT FOR ME........MAY GOD BLESS THESE THREE LITTLE CHILDREN AS THEY SEARCH FOR WAYS TO MAKE A PLACE IN THIS WORLD FOR THEM......MAY THOSE LEFT TO CARE FOR THEM TAKE CARE OF THEM, AND NOT TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THEM IS MY PRAYER.......

SO, WHILE THE WORLD MAY BE JUDGMENTAL OF MICHAEL, I AM COMFORTABLE TO JUST SAY HE WAS WEIRD.......I AM ALSO COMFORTABLE IN SAYING THAT I BELIEVE HE WAS A MUSICAL GENIUS, EVEN THOUGH I WAS NOT A NORMAL FAN....... DUANE ALLEN

America The Beautiful

Oh, beautiful for spacious skies,

For amber waves of grain,

For purple mountain majesties

Above the fruited plain!

America! America!God shed his grace on thee,

And crown thy good with brotherhood

From sea to shining sea.

Oh, beautiful for pilgrim feet,

Whose stern, impassioned stress

A thoroughfare of freedom beat

Across the wilderness!

America! America!God mend thine ev’ry flaw,

Confirm thy soul in self-control,

Thy liberty in law.

Oh, beautiful for heroes proved

In liberating strife,

Who more than self their country loved,

And mercy more than life!

America! America!

May God thy gold refine,

Till all success be nobleness,

And ev’ry gain divine.

Oh, beautiful for patriot dream

That sees beyond the years

Thine alabaster cities gleam,

Undimmed by human tears!

America! America!

God shed his grace on thee,

And crown thy good with brotherhood

From sea to shining sea.

Cardboard Classics

Summertime always makes me think of my youth - and the exhilarating feel of breaking open a new pack of baseball cards - the smell of the freshly-minted cardboard, the stale Bazooka gum, hoping to find my favorite players... But this post isn't about those cardboard classics.

Have you ever taken the time to read the coaster under your drink at Outback? If not, you must do so on your next visit, because some of them are really worth the effort!

Two of the more recent coasters describe my job perfectly!

To see more of my favorite drink coasters, you can visit my photo album on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=27691&id=1323832200&l=69fae73f04

Life's Lessons

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone...
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first pay cheque.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion, today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now
.36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

Facing Adversity

It seems everyone is going through hard times. I sat here this morning, feeling quite depressed at my current state of affairs - then started reading about the trials one of my friends is facing. Her brother passed away in January, now, only a few months later, they've found out they may lose his wife as well. We all pray for a kidney transplant - so that a precious little girl won't be an orphan before she turns 3! So I started out today needing comfort, and ended up being in a position to give comfort - through the following from Henry B. Eyring:

"With all the differences in our lives, we have at least one challenge in common. We all must deal with adversity. There may be periods, sometimes long ones, when our lives seem to flow with little difficulty. But it is in the nature of our being human that comfort gives way to distress, periods of good health come to an end, and misfortunes arrive. Particularly when the comfortable times have gone on for a while, the arrival of suffering or the loss of material security can bring fear and sometimes even anger.

The anger comes at least in part from a feeling that what is happening is unfair. The good health and the serene sense of being secure can become to seem deserved and natural. When they vanish, a feeling of injustice can come. Even a brave man I knew wept and cried out in his physical suffering to those who ministered to him: “I have always tried to be good. How could this happen?”

That aching for an answer to “How could this happen?” becomes even more painful when those struggling include those we love. And it is especially hard for us to accept when those afflicted seem to us to be blameless. Then the distress can shake faith in the reality of a loving and all-powerful God. Some of us have seen such doubt come to infect a whole generation of people in times of war or famine. Such doubt can grow and spread until some may turn away from God, whom they charge with being indifferent or cruel. And if unchecked, those feelings can lead to loss of faith that there is a God at all.

My purpose today is to assure you that our Heavenly Father and the Savior live and that They love all humanity. The very opportunity for us to face adversity and affliction is part of the evidence of Their infinite love. God gave us the gift of living in mortality so that we could be prepared to receive the greatest of all the gifts of God, which is eternal life. Then our spirits will be changed. We will become able to want what God wants, to think as He thinks, and thus be prepared for the trust of an endless posterity to teach and to lead through tests to be raised up to qualify to live forever in eternal life.... We are prepared for so great a trust by passing through trying and testing experiences in mortality. That education can come only as we are subject to trials while serving God and others for Him.

The Lord always suits the relief to the person in need to best strengthen and purify him or her. Often it will come in the inspiration to do what might seem especially hard for the person who needs help himself. One of the great trials of life is losing to death a beloved husband or wife. The Lord knows the needs of those separated from loved ones by death. He saw the pain of widows and knew of their needs from His earthly experience. He asked a beloved Apostle, from the agony of the cross, to care for His widowed mother, who would now lose a son. He now feels the needs of husbands who lose their wives and the needs of wives who are left alone by death.
Most of us know widows who need attention. What touches me is to hear, as I have, of an older widow whom I was intending to visit again having been inspired to visit a younger widow to comfort her. A widow needing comfort herself was sent to comfort another. The Lord helped and blessed two widows by inspiring them to encourage each other. So He gave succor to them both.

I bear you my testimony that God the Father lives. He set a course for each of us that can polish and perfect us to be with Him. I testify that the Savior lives. His Atonement makes possible our being purified as we keep His commandments and our sacred covenants. And I know from my own experience that He can and will give us strength to rise through every trial. "

Look Who's 40!

Friday night, I attended a birthday party. The guest of honor was Than Johnson, who is turning 40! From the "meteor" sandwiches, to the "mars-mellow" salad, and lets not forget Than's NASA uniform - it was an evening that was truly "Out Of This World"!

Angels Landing

Last month, a group of us from Outback went hiking at Zion National Park. Though I am out of shape and haven't hiked in over 4 years, I tried the Angels Landing hike. I had to stop several times along the way to catch my breath, and didn't quite make it to the top - but I am proud of how much I did accomplish! It is a 5 mile hike, so based on where I stopped before heading back, I completed at least 4.5 miles!

At http://www.zionnationalpark.com/ is the following description: The Angels Landing Trail is one of the most famous and thrilling hikes in the national park system. Zion's pride and joy runs along a narrow rock fin with dizzying drop-offs on both sides. The trail culminates at a lofty perch, boasting magnificent views in every direction. Rarely is such an intimidating path so frequented by hikers. One would think that this narrow ridge with deep chasms on each of its flanks would allure only the most intrepid of hikers. Climbers scale its big wall; hikers pull themselves up by chains and sightseers stand in awe at its stunning nobility. The towering monolith is one of the most recognizable landmarks in the Southwest. This busy path begins by traveling through a riparian woodland of cottonwood, pinyon pines and junipers. It's a steady 2 mile uphill trek as the trail ascends a series of switchbacks up the steep West Rim Trail. Much of the path hugs the side of the sun baked mountain offering an outstanding vista below of a shimmering river, billowy cottonwood trees and a rich collection of stone. A few ambitious trees are tenaciously growing in cracks high on the sheer cliff, adding bits of green between sections of rock that is stained by iron oxide and desert varnish. Just before the trail spills onto Scout Lookout, it's time to 'squiggle the wiggles,' as they ascend the steep twenty-one sharp zig-zags to a scenic plateau. Hikers will navigate the next half-mile along a narrow sandstone isthmus with sheer cliffs on both sides. The narrow and arduous trail drops 1200' on one side and 800' on the other. Chipmunks scurry carelessly along the ridge, finding bits of shade under the few trees that have found a weakness in which to burrow their roots. The summit offers i incomparable, fairytale views. Almost 1500' below, the Virgin River winds around the Organ. The Great White Throne seems only a stones throw away when standing at the end of the trail. Looking northeast across the canyon is Observation Point and to the east is Cable Mountain. Look closely to see the preserved cable-works structure on Cable Mountain. While exploring Zion in 1916, Frederick Fisher exclaimed, "only an angel could land on it," and thus the monolith was named Angels Landing.
I stopped and rested under the lone tree visible in this picture from the website. It was there where I waited for Kevin, Carrie, Dave, & Chris to climb back down. Jordan, Dez, & Nicole had taken a different hike.