Now That's A Sink Hole

The office of Guatemala's president handed out this aerial view of a crater that opened up after tropical storm Agatha hit. El fake-o?

Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day! Oriah and I woke up early to take care of sister's lawn. Happy to report: Mission completed. I also learned two very valuable lessons! 1. Don't wait two weeks between mows. 2. Mow in the afternoon when the grass has dried out.

In other news, John Finn, one of the oldest Medal of Honor recipients, passed away this week. Story goes on the morning of Sunday, December 7, 1941 good ol' John woke up to the sound of Japanese planes flying over Pearl Harbor. Ol' boy grabbed a machine gun and stood in the middle of a runway shooting at planes for 2 hours, got hit by some 20+ pieces of shrapnel and lived to tell the tale.

Along the theme of Memorial Day...brother showed me this picture just last night. It made me smile:


And to conclude my thoughts for the day...I was motoring down the highway last night and I felt grateful for all the preschool teachers throughout the world that teach children safe driving habits so early on. "Stay in the lines!" Yes, teachers don't get enough credit for saving lives. That's it!

ˈī ˈləv ˈyü

Happy Birthday Emilee!!

This cute girl turned 4 today. When she was born I was at her house watching her two older siblings, Andrew and Maren. We went to the hospital in our pink to welcome her into the world. I got to hold her when she was only a couple hours old! Happy birthday Emilee! We hope you have a great day!

And Another

Another one from Psych. Shawn was offered help on getting in shape and self motivation when he says, "No thanks Jules. not really into the whole motivational Tony Robbins thing, I prefer his brother Baskin." hahaha

Mmm... my favorite kind of ice cream!

You're Not Bald....

You're just taller than your hair!

I heard that on Psych yesterday. Pretty funny stuff.

Random Thursday

[M] I'm currently sitting at the dealership for a fix-it job from a botched oil change two weeks ago. Ever since I brought the truck home from the first visit ol' Michaelmus Prime has been leaking oil by the quart. I'm really hoping they try to charge me for something today because I'm hankering for a little confrontation :) I really can't stand the information gap I experience when I go to a dealership. I know very little about cars and repairs and since they know it all...well, I'm sure you've encountered the "Um, yeah, your CV axle is broken...that's gonna cost $600." Or, just now...some salesman started talking to this lady sitting at the table next to me showing her a mega, dirty air filter saying it would cost $59.99 to replace. She said she'd wait and as soon as the guy walked out of range I told her that she can buy that same filter at AutoZone or Wal-Mart for $10. How do these people sleep at night? What slugs! Yeah, like most folks I can't stand dealerships. But, then again, if it really bothered me that much you'd think I'd start boning up on my do-it-yourself car repairs to bridge the information gap or at least alleviate the high "take advantage of me" factor. Sigh...

On a side note, I've called in from work twice this shift (2-out-of-4 nights) because of the lovely sinus infection I developed last weekend. It's been a bitter-sweet experience. Bitter because I feel like I'm shirking my duties which is crazy for someone who finds almost any and every excuse to complain about how much he hates his job. Sweet because I've never slept better than the nights I should have worked and I've enjoyed every extra minute with Oriah and Alex. I've also engaged in some self-justification in that over the last 6 months I've never missed a work night so I'm ok with calling in sick here and there this week. Now I just wish every work week consisted only of 2 nights on! Again, sigh... Nevertheless, the job search continues and I know Wally World is only temporary. The Lord blessed me with employment when every avenue was shut down after graduation last year and I feel that I'll be moving on soon.

Eating Right

Yesterday Michael and I decided that we need to start eating more healthy foods. That means no more Oreos, Twizzlers, chips, brownies... Oh, man this could get difficult. I'm excited to learn how to cook new things though. I bought a spaghetti squash and a butternut squash yesterday at the store. I hope Michael likes them!

Happy May 24th!

At first I wasn't too sure about this, but I have decided that I kinda like it. It is a really pretty Monday morning here in Provo. Don't worry though, it is supposed to be 79 degrees on Wednesday... so the snow won't be here for long.

Have a GREAT Monday!

Verbal Tic

[M] My love of observation and people watching has borne it's bounty of fruits once more! Oh, the joys of watching others engage in public speaking! Hehehe...some people have the strangest habits! Oriah and I noticed about two weeks ago that one of the counselors in our Bishopric relies on the phrase "go ahead" whenever he has something to say which is often because we've determined that he loves to hear himself talk! Anyway, he must have incorporated "go ahead" at least 73 times during today's Sacrament meeting. It was maddening! I took the opportunity to make him aware of his unconscious behavior after the meeting while I handed in our tithing. I first greeted him and offered him our tithing. I then asked if he was aware of how often he says "go ahead." His wife was standing next to him and smiled at me. He acted surprised and I told him that it was just an observation and as I walked away I heard him asking one of the other counselors if he really said that phrase a lot. I think I gave him a complex :) Along those same lines, having lunch yesterday at California Pizza Kitchen I observed the owner/manager engaged in an overly animated conversation with one of the waitresses. While I suspected the owner had a flare for the dramatic I mentioned the interaction to our waiter asking if the owner was yelling at one of his coworkers. Well, I guess our waiter mentioned something to the owner and the owner came over apologizing and assuring us that the waitress was not in trouble. I simply told him that he was very loud. 1. I derive an immense amount of enjoyment creating socially awkward moments for others. 2. I know that when I do this sort of thing that it embarrasses Oriah to no end. I'm glad she lets me have my fun :) That is all.

Postponed

Remeber how excited Michael was to go to the U2 concert in June? Well Michael is going to be devistated when he finds out this news. I hope we still get to go!

Lipstick, High Heels, and a 6th Birthday

Happy birthday to this cute little diva!

I called Maren this morning to wish her a happy birthday (I am her absolute favorite, so I had to be the first one to call, and I was!). :) After talking to her for a little bit I asked her if she knew what she was getting for her birthday. She told me she knew two things: lipstick and high heels. She's growing up so fast!

Maren we love you a lot! We hope you have a fantastic day!

More Birthday Fun

Here are some more pictures of the birthday festivites:

We (Michael, Alex, and I) went to Chili's for dinner. Michael loves their Molten Chocolate Cake.

Michael gave this burger a 8-9 out of 10. That says a lot!

And here he is in Heaven:

THANKS FOR DINNER DAD!!!

After dinner I gave him his present. He has told me that he wanted this many times in the past. He really likes the idea of having the Family Proclamation and a family picture framed together. It's already hanging on our wall.

Cake time (he requested a strawberry cake with strawberry frosting):

Blowing out his 33 candles! It made quite the cloud of smoke.

Here he is cutting the cake:

Man I did a good job on this cake and he did a GREAT job cutting it.

Happy Birthday Michael!

The birthday boy had to work last night so Alex and I decided to go in to his work at midnight and surprise him. We pinned a button on his shirt that says, "It's my birthday" and it lights up. Here's the 33 year old:

I set my alarm for 11:45pm so we could make it there in time. I'm a little tired. Notice the backgroung... Alex thought that would be pretty neat.

And here is Alex and Michael... both attempting to point at the birthday button.

Happy birthday Michael!

Bees Against Breast Cancer

My friend Jill and I went to the Bees game on Saturday night. They played the Albuquerque Isotopes. I had no idea when I was getting ready to head up to Salt Lake that tonight was the Breast Cancer Awareness game so the Bees were in pink.

Don't worry, I fit right in.

There was a little boy that walked by Jill and I who said to his parents, "I didn't know they changed their colors." One would think that he might be disappointed because he was no longer in the correct color to cheer on his team, but no, he was in an orange shirt with red shorts and orange shoes (the Bees are black and gold).

We ended up leaving the game after two hours. The Bees were down at the time. I later found out that they came back to win the game... and the game lasted over 3 hours! I didn't know it was going to be that long. I'm so glad we didn't stay until the end of the game.

Date

I've got a date tonight... I'm pretty excited about that. Michael and I have been busy with lacrosse and work, it seems like it has been a while. :)

Vacancy

Michael and I went to our first HOA (Home Owners Association) Meeting last night. They had a vacancy on the Board that they needed to fill. Our home teacher is on the Board and told us a couple of months ago that they would be needing a new member in the future. We went to the meeting to see what it was all about. Michael, along with three others, "plead his case" on why he should be the next HOA Board Member . The meeting was interesting, it was nice to find out more about our community and what they are doing to better it. Well about an hour after the meeting Michael got a phone call asking him to fill the vacancy! Look at us all being neighborly and wanting to help out in the community.

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M-to-the-J-to-the-A, yo! It's true. You're reading the Willows of Springville's newest HOA Board member! Can I get a Mad Money BOOYAH!?!?! It's a voting position only for the moment but in a few months we might be able to slide into a "compensated" position which means no more monthly HOA dues!!!! Those dues are SO LAME! And Oriah and I could definitely handle saving +$100 each month! More IN-N-OUT for us!!!! Hahaha... So now a life-long journey of service has begun! Oriah and I were counseled that once married that we - up to that point - had been good at taking in our preparations prior to marriage and now with our powers combined we need to turn our efforts outward and start giving back. I feel like this is the first step in that direction. I'm excited to see where this path will take us.

In other news, I'm developing quite the reputation at work as a head hunter. Certain individuals think that I'm out to get them - fire them. Not too sure about being a "head hunter" but I can say that these individuals are not good at their current job and are not responsive to my suggestions to improve their performance so that means that they need my invitation to find another source of employment :) So, I'm glad to report that my insecurities surrounding my perceived weakness regarding holding people accountable has turned into a great strength! I'm really amazed at the turnaround in this aspect of my management and leadership skill set over the past 2-3 months. I really have no problem now letting someone know that they can't hack it but do so in a respectful manner. I've actually been complimented several times by my supervisors at my ability to respectfully and candidly handle those crucial conversations.

Hmmm....

What to blog about...

Horse

Here's a little glimpse into what a game of Horse looks like at our house. As Niki tried to shoot the ball from behind the basket, standing on a little step AND being propped up by Alex, she fell and one of the hooks caught onto her clothes. Luckily she came away with no holes in her clothes or her skin! We all got a really good laugh out of that one!... and she missed!

Bitter Sweet

Remember CSU? Yeah, well they ended up winning the National Championships. It's bitter because we were not the ones winning the title especially because we beat them 2 out of the 3 times we played them this year. It's sweet because now we can know with confidence that we can and WILL win Nationals next year! Lacrosse is over for now. I wonder what I will do with my weekends... unpack my house. :)

Made A Run...

Michael writing. Well, the girls played their guts out last night against Lindenwood. Gave them everything they could handle and then some for 55 of the 60 minutes but the wheels fell off those last 5 minutes. Ended up losing 9-12. Played the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos this morning and endured their "more annoying than a pimple-in-your-ear" singing after every one of their scores. The girls made a furious comeback at the end but came up short handed 11-12. So, now we get UC Davis, I think, at 8am tomorrow. Then back to Utah. I'm grateful that I finally got to come to one of the team's away tournaments. It's been a lot of fun, great weather and just a nice getaway.

Cougar Food

Turned the Gators into Cougar Food last night 13-9 which felt great after losing to them earlier in the season 6-8. Tomorrow night...Lindenwood Lions.

GO COUGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sunny Arizona

Tomorrow morning the team is off to Arizona. Last week it was snowing here, this week it is still in the 50's and 60's. Tomorrow we will be hit with 90+. That should be quite the shock. We'll all need LOTS of water, and deodorant for that matter. :)

Roommie!

Happy Birthday to my roommate and my most favoritest youngest brother... ALEX!!