Just woke up

I hate allergies.

I never had them growing up but when I was serving my mission in the Macon Georgia mission I developed them. The Pollen was so thick down there that our car would be covered in thick yellow dust you could scoop with your hand and thus.......I developed allergies.

The worst part of the allergies for me is the watery itchy eyes. I take some allergy medication but it makes me more tired that I already am. I have taken to naps on my breaks at work and I am so tired I usually fall asleep within 2 min.

I was given a wonder-cure a few years ago. A steroid shot called Kenalog. I loved it, one day of shot-soreness and I was allergy free for the rest of the season. Unfortunately, I found that it was linked to early onset of type II diabetes and since my extended family is riddled with case after case, I figured it would be safe to walk away from it....and thus my current state.

I don't like them.

Anyone know of a good fix? I can't handle the drowsiness.

Movie Quiz follow-up

Well, Catey won. 3lb bag of peanut butter M&M's. I didn't even tell her I posted it, she came up with those all on her own.

The answers were...
1-Ferris
2-Top Gun
3-Ghostbusters
4-LA Story
5-Galaxy Quest
6-Mystery Men
7-Raiders of the Lost Ark
8-The Grinch
9-Gladiator
10-Braveheart
11-Rudy
12-It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
13-Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
14-The Mummy Returns
15-Castaway
16(1)-Sahara
16(2)-Wizard of Oz
17-Mission Impossible
18-Better off Dead
19-The Last Samari
20-Liar Liar

Keep a sharp eye out....there may be more in the future.
-Aaron

Follow up to Chris

My best friend (Chris) took his iPod and just shuffled the thing and took the first 10 songs and wrote about them..... (to read his original blog you can find it at http://tblads.blogspot.com)

Here was my response to his.
_________________________________________

You need help.

The funny thing about that is how close our music choices were in Elementary, Junior and High School and how diverse they are now. I think maybe our wives have influenced that to some point. I like some of those but would not choose them for myself. I have been stuck in Joe Satriani (mostly the slower stuff) for years and when I get to choose my music, that is a big winner. My “Impossible Dream” is to road trip with Catey and see him in concert.

I don't get into Rock n' Roll anymore (Van Halen, Poison, Guns n' Roses, Motley Crue, Bon Jovi) its not there for me anymore...I will throw them on every once in a while (2 or 3 times a year) for a few min to reminisce, but it never lasts more than a few songs. Music used to be such a large part of my life and it has faded as I don't have the time to indulge... We could play 10 songs from my iPod......ready? (This is not really accurate as I am at work and don’t have my full collection and have a lot of Satriani so don’t be surprised)

1 – Istanbul – They might be Giants – Great song, stupid but that is like life sometimes….just silly to be silly because it is silly. “Even old New York was once New Amsterdam, why they changed it I can’t say….people just liked it better that WAYYYYYYYY”….love it

2 – Cryin’ – Joe Satriani – One of his top 5 best, this one reminds me of times in High school. I picture a slideshow of us in High School with a few live action video clips thrown in, all slow motion. Just remembering the times we will talk about in the eternities.

3 – One and Only – Jim Brickman – I don’t particularly like this one as much as others on the album, but I really like Jim. I bought this album in St. Louis for a road trip to Nauvoo Catey and I took for the rededication of that temple. We sat in the Celestial room. Great trip, even if it was only three days.

4 – Secret Prayer – Joe Satriani – Truly a sign of a master, changing time signatures right off the front riff on every measure then coming together for a great road trip type song…..trees, brush going by, red rock canyons in the distance…..truly awesome.

5 – Cliffs of Dover – Eric Johnson – He is like Satriani but not as good. This is a good “summertime jam” song, lemonade, kids, $10 plastic pool full of water and grass clippings..sprinklers on, you get the idea.

6 – Catching Twilight – Jim Brickman – Perfect ending of the “summertime jam”, kids are in bed, Catey and I on the back porch, the clouds are pink, dog barking a few streets over, a new baby quietly cries inside the house, the brighter stars showing through…..awesome.

7 – No One Is To Blame – Howard Jones (Live - Acoustic piano only) – A Throwback to Juinor High, but the logic is real. I think one of the purposes of life is to teach us the value of work and want. This song is a great example

8 – Journey – Jim Brickman – I think my iTunes shuffle is broken…I promise I have more on here that Joe Satriani and Jim Brickman….oh well, another great one by the great one.

9 – The Game of Love – Michelle Branch – I love this song. This is what I would want to listen to or dance to at a club or beach party with Catey on our vacation when we finally get one. This is another song that fits my “Summer” category. Only this time, I am in the Cheeseburger in Paradise, Maui Hawaii and Michelle and Santana show up to play a set unannounced and Catey and I are front row and dancing while the sun drops below the horizon…….ah….Maui….

10 – Walking in Memphis – Marc Cohn – I don’t know anything else this guy has done, but this song reminds me of my mission, I was in the south (Georgia) and would hear this song now and again while there, I don’t think it’s the words, but the sounds of the song that take me back to the last month of my mission, knowing it was ending and that a new part of my life was starting soon while another was ending. Reminiscent of a time when everything was starting to change for the rest of my life….

Well there you go. Hope that was worth all the time….

Movie line quiz - The Clock is ticking......

I thought I would do one more blog today.....movie lines. I love movies and some of my best lines come straight from the movies....so here is a quiz for you...name the movie. The first person to post with the most right answers wins M&M's!!! (NO CHEATING...no Internet look up...just do it on your own.)

#1 - A man with priorities so far out of whack doesn't deserve such a fine automobile

#2 - You screw up just this much and you will be flying a cargo plane full of rubber dog s*** out of Hong Kong

#3 - Somebody blows their nose and you want to keep it?

#4 - Sitting there at that moment I thought of something else Shakespeare said. He said, "Hey... life is pretty stupid; with lots of hubbub to keep you busy, but really not amounting to much." Of course I'm paraphrasing: "Life is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."(meow)

#5 - Did you guys ever WATCH the show?

#6 - We've got a blind date with Destiny - and it looks like she's ordered the lobster.

#7 - You Americans, you're all the same. Always overdressing for the wrong occasions.

#8 - Inviting me down there - and on such short notice. Even if I wanted to go my schedule wouldn't allow it. Four o'clock, wallow in self pity; 4:30, stare into the abyss; 5:00, solve world hunger, tell no one. 5:30, jazzercize. 6:30, dinner with me. I can't cancel that again. 7:00, wrestle with my self-loathing; I'm booked. Of course, if I bump the loathing to 9 I could still be done in time to lay in bed, stare at the ceiling and slip slowly into madness. But what would I wear?

#9 - What we do in life echoes in eternity.

#10 - It's all for nothing if you don't have freedom.

#11 - You're 5 foot nothin', 100 and nothin', and you have barely a speck of athletic ability. And you hung in there with the best college football players in the land for 2 years. And you're gonna walk outta here with a degree from the University of Notre Dame. In this life, you don't have to prove nothin' to nobody but yourself. And after what you've gone through, if you haven't done that by now, it ain't gonna never happen.

#12 - Guy#1 - Wait a minute, are you knocking this country? Are you saying something against America?
Guy #2 - Against it? I should be positively astounded to hear anything that could be said FOR it. Why the whole bloody place is the most unspeakable matriarchy in the whole history of civilization! Look at yourself! The way your wife and her strumpet of a mother push you through the hoop! As far as I can see, American men have been totally emasculated- they're like slaves! They die like flies from coronary thrombosis while their women sit under hairdryers eating chocolates & arranging for every 2nd Tuesday to be some sort of Mother's Day! And this infantile preoccupation with bosoms. In all time in this Godforsaken country, the one thing that has appalled me most of all this this preposterous preoccupation with bosoms. Don't you realize they have become the dominant theme in American culture: in literature, advertising and all fields of entertainment and everything. I'll wager you anything you like that if American women stopped wearing brassieres, your whole national economy would collapse overnight.

#13 - Listen. Since I've met you I've nearly been incinerated, drowned, shot at, and chopped into fish bait. We're caught in the middle of something sinister here, my guess is dad found out more than he was looking for and until I'm sure, I'm going to continue to do things the way I think they should be done.

#14 - Lady: By the way, why did you kiss me?
Guy: I don't know. I was about to be hanged. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

#15 - I knew, somehow, that I had to stay alive. Somehow. I had to keep breathing. Even though there was no reason to hope. And all my logic said that I would never see this place again. So that's what I did. I stayed alive. I kept breathing. And one day my logic was proven all wrong because the tide came in, and gave me a sail. And now, here I am. I'm back. In Memphis, talking to you. I have ice in my glass... And I've lost her all over again. I'm so sad that I don't have Kelly. But I'm so grateful that she was with me on that island. And I know what I have to do now. I gotta keep breathing. Because tomorrow the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide could bring?

#16 - Guy #1 - Hey, you know how it is when you see someone that you haven't seen since high school, and they got some dead-end job, and they're married to some woman that hates them, they got, like, three kids who think he's a joke? Wasn't there some point where he stood back and said, "Bob, don't take that job! Bob, don't marry that harpy!" You know?
Guy # 2 - Your point?
Guy #1 - Well, we're in the desert, looking for the source of a river pollutant, using as our map a cave drawing of a Civil War gunship, which is also in the desert. So I was just wondering when we're gonna have to sit down and re-evaluate our decision-making paradigm?

#16 - Courage! What makes a king out of a slave? Courage! What makes the flag on the mast to wave? Courage! What makes the elephant charge his tusk in the misty mist, or the dusky dusk? What makes the muskrat guard his musk? Courage! What makes the sphinx the seventh wonder? Courage! What makes the dawn come up like thunder? Courage! What makes the Hottentot so hot? What puts the "ape" in apricot? What have they got that I ain't got?.....Courage!

#17 - Red light, green light. Come up against a lock you can't pick, you mash them together... BOOM. Hasta lasagna, don't get any on ya. You'll have about 5 seconds... just don't chew it.

#18 - Two brothers... One speaks no English, the other learned English from watching "The Wide World of Sports." So you tell me... Which is better, speaking no English at all, or speaking Howard Cosell?

#19 - They say Japan was made by a sword. They say the old gods dipped a coral blade into the ocean, and when they pulled it out four perfect drops fell back into the sea, and those drops became the islands of Japan. I say, Japan was made by a handful of brave men. Warriors, willing to give their lives for what seems to have become a forgotten word: honor.

#20 - Cop: You know why I pulled you over?
Guy - Depends on how long you were following me!
Cop: Why don't we just take it from the top?
Guy - Here goes: I sped. I followed too closely. I ran a stop sign. I almost hit a Chevy. I sped some more. I failed to yield at a crosswalk. I changed lanes at the intersection. I changed lanes without signaling while running a red light and *speeding*!
Cop: Is that all?
Guy: No... I have unpaid parking tickets. (groan) ...Be Gentle.



There you have it. 20 lines from 20 movies... the first one to post with the right answers wins....Remember...NO INTERNET!!!

Totally Random

Catey did this once, so I thought I would try it....this blog is totally random thoughts.

#1 - I don't like the color Orange, it makes me think of children's Tylenol. I hated taking that as a kid...."natural Orange flavor"....who are they kidding?

#2 - I love my ergonomic keyboard. It makes me jump higher and run faster....really, just like new shoes when you were 9.

#3 - I was talking to James today and he said that when his only girl, (the baby in the family no less) is ready to get married, he is going to sit down with her and tell her that she has $2,500 (he later uped it to $5,000) to spend on the wedding, she can either take it and use it toward their life or blow it on a wedding but that it is her choice. She can plan the wedding, she can make the arrangement, she must stay in budget. I kindly informed him that he was speaking logic to an irrational emotional female and her mother whose only daughter is getting married.....[GOOD LUCK JAMES]......he will lose. Knowing James he will do it with a smile.

#4 - Hillary Clinton is a liar. Why anyone believes what comes out of her mouth is beyond me. Do you know how to tell when she is lying?.....its real simple.....her lips move.

#5 - Obama is no different.

#6 - KSL published 5 of my pictures that I sent them. I don't know if they actually looked at them or if they just post whatever people send them, but they are out there and it makes me feel good.

#7 - I have a really cool boss. He'll never see this which is why I am writing it, but he is really good.

#8 - I hate global warming crap. (If you are reading this and you REALLY think global warming is real and Al Gore is great, please stop reading this blog right now, pick up the phone, call me and I will set you straight because you are drinking Kool-Aid that will kill you.)

#9 - I love my kids, they are great. Malia made dinner last night (spaghetti) all by herself with fresh breadsticks....she is great. All of my kids are growing up so fast....I couldn't be happier with them.

#10 - I dig it when people post on my blog.

#11 - Does anyone really read this thing?

#12 - I am talking to myself.....I know I am being filmed....I know I am being filmed.....

Funny thing

Catey told me a funny story about Dallin yesterday....

The kids have these stick horses (big stick with a horse head on top) and lately Dallin is not seen without his. Dallin is 3 and becoming quite the funny kid....of course, he is dead serious, but it comes out very funny.

Anyhow.....Catey was in the middle of something and Dallin was bugging her to help him or take him or whatever.....Catey said "Hold your horses." Dallin ran out of the room, got his horse, came back and said "OK Mom, now what?"

Funny.

My kids are always doing something to crack us up, and we try to tell them how funny they are. Here are a bunch of examples of funny things my kids have said:

Malia - When she was potty training was in the bathroom singing while on the potty....the singing stopped and we hear from the bathroom, "Daddy, DADDY come quick! I made a snowman poop!"

Alaina - She was wearing a dress that snapped all the way down the front. During Sacrament Meeting she turned to Catey, ripped the dress all the way open and said "I want to take a shower now"

Malia - While making smoothies, the kids were trying some Guava nectar. When Catey asked if they had it before, Malia (thinking Catey said 'Lava') said "No, not from a volcano!"

Taylor - (When Catey was watching the news about the California Governor recall) "Hey that's Davis....hows the news doing tonight Mom?"

Alaina - Catey was making lunch for the kids and asked "who wanted a grilled cheese?" Malia and Alaina raised their hands but Taylor just sat there. She asked Taylor..."do you want a grilled cheese?" Alaina said "No, he wants a boy cheese"

Malia - "I've decided to be Nocturnal"

All Kids - One December is was foggy, showing the kids Malia said "OOOO..it's foggy" Taylor followed up "Wow, its soggy outside" then Alaina "Look Mommy, its Froggy." She then followed Catey to the door each morning to get the paper and said "its froggy outside."

Alaina - So easily excited about everything was found standing on the couch looking outside the window. When she saw Catey looking at her, with all the joy and excitement she could muster said "Look Mommy! I can see the world!!"

Malia - Seeing something on the Disney channel "Ooey, Gooey & Louie, you know Donald Duck's Nephews"

Alaina - while potty training "It worked it worked!"

Taylor - Catey asked him to put his socks and shoes on and he started yelling in the other room. Catey ran to see what the problem was and he said "Mom! Mom! (showing his feet) look how big they got last night...they got huge!"

Malia - After my car was stolen Malia could see how frustrated I was and said (she was three at the time with a plastic golf set) "I will find the guys that stole your car and bash them with my golf clubs Dad!"

Taylor and Alaina - while playing light sabers Taylor was yelling at Alaina about the sounds she was making...."No no, they don't go ksew-ksew, they go woo-whoo, weee-ooo"

Jacob - A couple weeks after Lincoln was born he was looking at him and said "Dad, he's cute, I like him. Thank you for bringing him home, Yeah, let's keep him, he's way cute."

Alaina - She had a toothbrush shaped like a whale. Catey was asking her what her toothbrush looked like and she said "a Dolphin". Catey corrected her and told her it looked like "a whale", then corrected herself and said "actually an Orca or Killer whale"....she paused, looked down at her toothbrush and in a quiet voice said...."yeah, it died"

Malia - Looking through our wedding album she was going through and naming people, she eventually stopped on Catey's grandma and said, "Hey that is Grandma Skippy....but that was before she was half dead and needed oxygen"


Jacob - "Mom, is Lincoln a boy or a girl?" Catey - "Well what do you think?" Jacob "(big sigh) a boy, Maybe for my birthday I could get a baby girl! In a present! I could open the present & Say - What in the world?! It's a baby girl! What the?! It's a baby in my present......huh....that would be crazy"

Malia - We were eating chicken fajitas for dinner, with tomatoes and bell peppers cooked with the chicken...Malia said she hated chicken, "Can I use ketchup on it so I can't taste the tomatoes anymore?"....kids logic

Alaina - She was sitting outside and Pomps (Catey's dad) was on the roof throwing the gravel at her. She couldn't see him and started to yell...."Bebe! (Cateys mom) These rocks are killing me!"

Jacob - In an effort to let the slip-n-slide dry and to avoid it from getting ripped , the kids had been asked repeatedly to stay away from it. Jacob was back under it & playing in it when I finally picked him up, moved him away, and reprimanded him. He was upset & crying and I asked him "How many times did I tell you to not do that?" Between sobs he said "About eleven."

There are many many more that we try to write down when they happen. Again like the blog says....life moves pretty fast.

Random

So the phones died and I have nothing to do so I thought I would blog. I have been talking with my wife about the next blog for a couple days. This one is a bit strange, but maybe it may make you smile. It's about the dumb sayings we hear every day and usually don't give them a second thought....well, being me I did give them a second thought, and a third and a fourth and I don't get some of these:

1 - "Thats cool" or "Thats hot"
These are weird to me. They are complete opposites but mean the same thing when talking about inanimate objects, however, when talking about a person they can mean different things. If you are talking about a person and say they are cool, it usually means they are generally liked and are accepted among those professing the coolness, but if they are hot then they are overly or unusually attractive. So as an example my wife would fit into both categories, she is surely cool and hot! But me however, I am not hot...I am just cool.

2 - Off Kilter
Really? I didn't know what a 'kilter' was nor what it was like to be on or off one...apparently the definition is:
KILTER: n Of good condition or proper form.

So I guess if you are off kilter you are not in good condition or proper form.....who knew?....still think it is dumb

3 - Off Your Rocker
Another thing you are off....but does anyone say "Hey you are really on your rocker...good job!".....no they don't

4 - Half Ass
Does anyone really put their full ass into anything? "I'm so proud of you son, way to do a full ass job." Yeah, I don't think so.

5 - Screwed up
Is this the opposite of screwed down? For example: "I really like Justin, he is really screwed down."

6 - Could Care Less
This one sets me off big time.....the correct way to say this is: "I couldn't care less." If you could care less then why don't you. If you are saying you couldn't care less, then you are at the end of your caring.....people...think!

7 - Easy as pie
I have never made a pie that was easy.

8 - Dumb as a doornail or a box of rocks (or whatever...fill in the blank)
Kinda like this post, I don't know where this one came from but I actually use this one, but even though I use it, it is still dumb.

9 - For the love of Pete
Who is Pete and why do we love him?

10 - Son of a B*****
This one has always been weird to me. You don't like someone so you insult their mother? Does this seem strange to anyone else?

There you have it, my top 10 list. I am sure I am missing some but feel free to add yours. There are a couple other things about English that bother me like when people say "I will go acrosst the street".....or when talking about the LDS Church magazine for adults called the Ensign (yes James, it is pronounced EN-sign not enzun) or if I have a question I will axe you.....Drives me crazy.

Being Broke

I was just reading about Brian and Heidi's 13th Anniversary where they were joking about spending the night out at Arby's to celebrate. Some of the comments were to the tune of "you didn't REALLY spend your anniversary at Arby's did you?" As I sat here laughing I thought I have to blog about the ones we have had.

Honeymoon - MAUI HAWAII! Best vacation ever! Come to think of it the ONLY vacation ever. We have been many places in our marriage (California, Disneyland, Bear Lake, Seattle) but always with kids. (Anyone on a trip with kids in tow will admit it has never been a vacation....its hard work trying to keep them from grabbing the gun off the TSA guard at the airport or tracking 7 kids at Disneyland.....Catey says I am kid number 7.) Without kids,Catey and I have gotten away for a 1 or 2 nighter four times in our marriage. The only time we have ever had a real vacation was the Honeymoon. We both worked for the Marriott corporation which had aquired the Ritz-Carton Hotel chain and Catey and both worked for the Ritz-Carlton line. We flew first class to Maui (thanks to Dad and frequent flyer miles) and stayed 5 nights in the nicest hotel in all the islands.....for $50 a night. Thats right, our room service was more expensive than the actual room. The room we stayed in overlooked the golf course and the ocean was off in the distance. Truly a remarkable vacation.


#1 (1998) - We went to R.C. Willey and bought a glider for my very pregnant wife. We then went home and tried to celebrate by eating the top of the wedding cake that we saved for a year (you know like you are supposed to!?) Well, the cake lady thought she was being thoughtful and left the fresh flowers on the top of the cake. So there had been dead rotting frozen flowers on the top of our wedding cake for a year. I actually did try some....my stomach is still in therapy.

#2 (1999)- Neither of us can remember what we did for the anniversary, must have been memorable. We went to Virgina for a week in Oct with my Mom, brother, sister, little Malia and a very crabby Catey (she was pregnant with Taylor and didn't know it). Two weeks after coming home from that we went to California with our friends the Packs for 3 days.


#3 (2000)- I asked Catey about this one and her response was "I don't know what we did, Taylor was only two months old, so we couldn't have done much...." story of my life.

#4 (2001)- Another memorable one. I am pretty sure this is the one where we went to Olive Garden. We love the Olive Garden and always get the same thing every time we go, Fettuccine Alfredo with Zupa Toscana for the soup. I always tell them the same thing too "Your tip solely relys upon how full you keep me on drinks and breadsticks.

#5 (2002)- We went to Wendy's. Believe it or not we just went for a cheap date. We knew we had an opportunity to get back to Hawaii for 3 days in Nov so we waited and counted it as the anniversary. We went to the same hotel we stayed in when we had our honeymoon....only this time we were with my Mom, sister and brother. Not quite what I would have picked but it was fun none-the-less. Not that I have anything against my family but they wanted to go site seeing and hang out and I was in Hawaii with my wife...I wanted to do other stuff. While there we watched Lilo & Stitch. We have loved the flick ever since. Great reminder of a few day get-a-way.

#6 (2003)- This one is classic. We were so broke that we asked Catey's parents to watch the kids for an hour or so while we walked around our local Harmons. We didn't have any money and we couldn't afford to eat out. So being together was the best we could do. We did end up buying a bottle of Martinelli's to celebrate and Catey was craving Lucky Charms so we splurged. The next day we found out that the $5 check had bounced, Wells Fargo charged us $33 and Harmons charged us $15......$51 total!!....most expensive bottle of Martinellis and box of Lucky Charms I have had....and come to think of it, I don't think I had any of the Luck Charms. Memorable to say the least.

#7 (2004)- We had been to Nauvoo just a month and a half earlier for three days two nights for my cousin's wedding and on that trip we conceived Dallin. We were still broke and Brad and Laura (the Nauvoo cousins) gave us gift certificates for a movie night and volunteered to come over and watch the kids for free. Catey and I went out to dinner and saw "Dodge Ball". What a waste of two free movie passes and night out with Catey. I hope dinner was good.

# 8 (2005)- We went to PF Changs in Orem with our friends the Packs on a gift certificate that Catey's brother Chris gave us. (Can you notice the pattern here? Usually free and food. Unless you are talking about the $68 box of Luck Charms for anniversary #6...not so free.) I love PF Changs. I think I will try to get there this week for lettuce wraps, sweet and sour chicken and pork, beef and broccoli and to finish it off, a slice of the Great Wall of Chocolate for Catey. My night always ends well if Catey has a Great Wall of Chocolate. (I let Catey read this and she is starting to call for babysitters for this weekend.)

#9 (2006)- Catey was pregnant (again....kind of a running theme here along with the free and food thing). We simply had a night out. We went to Rumbi Island grill in the Jordan Landing then walked around Barnes and Noble for an hour or so. We didn't bounce a check this time because we now have an overdraft Visa! Nothing like financing a $14 dinner with dessert. We also picked up some Mormon Tabernacle Choir CD's at Wal*Mart. Nothing says excitement and romance like walking around Barnes and Noble, followed by a trip to Wal*Mart and a rousing rendition of the Tabernacle Choir.

#10 (2007)- We made it to Hawaii!!! Well, actually we just pretended and went tanning then back to Rumbi Island Grill for a taste of the Islands, this time in American Fork. We have a friend (Justin) who works for Rumbi and gave us a couple free passes.....I am really pathetic...another free dinner. (still getting over the trauma and trying to avoid a repeat of the $72 box of Lucky Charms). I am pretty sure that we ended up at Wal*Mart to browse around and then we stopped at Smiths on the way home to get a movie from RedBox because (you guessed it) we had a code for a free movie rental.

Well, that was a lovely trip down amnesia lane. Looking back I guess it is pretty sad that we have not been able to celebrate in the traditional ways of expensive get-a-ways or gifts, but reassuring we don't have to because we are in love and love our life. I have only two regrets in life, one was selling my Ford Escort that I bought when I got home from my mission. That was a great car, I should have kept it. The other is that I didn't get much time with Catey before kids came along. Don't get me wrong, I don't regret any of my kids or the timing of their coming, I think it happened just as it should, I just wish I would have had more time with my wife before our lives were lost in kids, diapers, midnight vomiting, pregnancy, $87 box of Lucky Charms and everything else. She promises me that someday when the kids are older and some are gone that we will have some time and trips together. By that time, however, we will probably have grandkids and if there is one eternal truth you cannot pull a grandmother away from her grandkids...*sigh*.

What would life be without all the fun stories? If life happened the way it was "supposed to" then I guess I would have nothing to write about, and you would have nothing to laugh at....its ok, we know its pitiful and will gladly take any donations to facilitate a weekend away together, but its the life we chose. Gratefully with all the headaches and heartaches there are plenty of happy and funny memories.


P.S.
I hate Lucky Charms anyway, why did I buy them again?

Gripe #2 - China & Olympics

Does EVERYTHING have to be political?

This really ticks me off to no end. This overblown political stand against China for the Olympic games is so frustrating to me. Before I get full into the gripe about politics invading everything I want to preface my comments with a little disclaimer:

I, Aaron Talmage Ball, do not in any way profess to know enough about any situation to be the expert, nor do I believe that my opinion will sway others thoughts, however, I will argue to the best of my ability what I believe to be correct and use facts as often as possible to back up said argument. I do not expect my opinion to change the minds of others and fully realize the rights of others and their stupid ideas and opinions....

OK, back to the rant.

What is the deal with China and the Olympics and everyone hating them? I don't have the first clue about Tibet and the apparent oppression of China over them but what does that have to do with the Olympic Games?.....Not a thing. I read today where a paralympic torch runner (yes that is someone in a wheelchair) was attacked en route by a throng of protesters. I'm sorry but I thought the Olympic Games were a time to set aside our differences, set aside political rhetoric and come together with a common theme....sportsmanship and competition. So people are upset about what is happening in China, great...pick another venue to air your frustrations. Don't tarnish the games...

This brings me to the apparent infestation of politics everywhere I turn my head. I am at dinner with my family last night (still no voice so I had to listen more than I usually do, something I am working on anyhow....) and Catey and the kids were talking about some book I have never heard of...SkippyJon Jones. Apparently there is somewhat of an uproar at the local school about this book and its "hidden political agenda." Its about a Siamese cat that wants to be a chihuahua and goes into the closet in his bedroom where another world opens up to him. First thought...sounds to me like Narnia, the wardrobe opens up to the magical world of C.S. Lewis...but for this Siamese cat it apparently seems to be the indoctrination of the Gay / Lesbian lifestyle to kids by going "into the closet and having lots of fun"....please. It takes so much effort for people to see that crap in life and those who consistently do it deserve to suffer.

Global Warming or the new politically correct "Man Made Climate Change"....what a pile of [edited for content]....I won't even get started or this post will go on for days. I will just say that everything is now politically correct to be good for the environment...."buy our product because it is better for the environment", "buy this", "do that", "be this way", "be that" all about the environment....what a crock of [edited for content]. Don't get me wrong, I think we do need to pay attention to the way we spend natural resources, we need to not be dumping waste into the ocean, we need to watch what we burn into the atmosphere, but the pending catastrophe and world coming to an end in 10 years due to this is absolute [edited for content]. Like I said, don't get me started.

Maybe it is because I am getting older, maybe the world has been this way for decades and I am just starting to notice it. Either way it is starting to annoy. I thought this country was built on the idea that we are all in this together but live and let live and yet, everywhere I turn I am being told I am cheating someone, something or not doing enough or doing too much or taking where I need to give. It gets old.

I guess that is why I love the gospel. When I do what he says I have all the promises of Eternity
and when I do not what he says, then global warming will take over and we will all die.


Sheesh....how is that for a gripe.

Laryngitis

So here I sit at home....playing with my blog templates, throat is burning and I can't talk....yeah thats right, laugh it up but I can't talk.

I have laryngitis.

I didn't even know people actually got this anymore. Wasn't that one of those rare obscure (yet comical) medical issues of the 80's where Ponch or John couldn't talk to each other on 'CHiPs'? Or Gopher picked it up on the 'Love Boat' and couldn't get tell something to Julie before Vicki got in trouble with her father Captain Stubing? I'm not sure where the early 80's fit into that but here I still sit watching the intros to my favorite early 80's TV shows on YouTube to pass the time and still can't talk.

My voice is one of my best friends, I use it often. It seems to be very distinct as I can call people that I have not spoken to in a long time and they instantly recognize me on the phone...

Me: "I Jeff, I bet you don't remember me but...."
Jeff: "Aaron...good to hear from you."

Or

Me: "Hello, I know I have not called in a while and you probably don't remember me...."
Parole Officer: "Yeah Aaron, I remember you...what have you done now?...."


Of course I am kidding, I don't have a parole officer....yet. I have been looking for one as my 9 year old Malia will be dating in seven years and I may have need for one. I have given myself plenty of time to shop around.

So back to the Laryngitits. This stuff hurts, my throat is swollen, it hurts to swallow and I feel yucky....I need Ice cream or Popsicles....yeah...that will make me feel better.

Arches

I know, I know.
Enough people have been asking for more on the blog and I get it but I have been really busy.

Justin and I took the Young Men in the Ward on a trip to Arches National Park. We had a great time and learned a lot. The first lesson was ALWAYS RESERVE A CAMPSITE! We decided not to reserve a spot to camp because it was $33 to reserve a site so we decided we could just go down there and find one for cheaper.....yeah, that didn't work out so well. We spent 2 1/2 hours running around up and down the canyon trying to find a spot.....ANY spot, none were to be had. So on the way back down the canyon I made Justin (YM pres) stop at a launch ramp for canoes on the Colorado river.


We set up camp right under the "No overnight camping" sign....lesson learned by the boys: "Don't be cheap." We broke camp and were out by 5:30 in the morning. I wanted to take the boys to Delicate Arch for the sunrise. The arch is actually better at night but there is always 4000 people up there at sunset and we wanted to get home before the sun started setting, so sunrise it was! It was beautiful.

I made the boys turn off their ipods and quit talking for 5 whole minutes. You would have thought the world was coming to an end, but they did sit there for some reflection. It was the first (and most grueling) hike of the day. To some degree they were like little kids the whole way up...."are we there yet, are we there yet, are we there yet?" I thought I would never hear the end of it. We climbed down from Delicate Arch and headed to the other end of the park to hike up to Landscape, Tunnel and Double O Arches.


Justin and I stayed ahead of the boys for the most part and didn't need to stop and rest, but it was welcome when the boys did. This truly was a good trip for Justin and I, we really had a good time, even if it was a lot of hiking for just overnight and two days....but it was very memorable and the boys learned that we "old guys" can run circles around them if need be.













Before I sign off this post, I have one funny story to tell.....at the end of the hike up to Double O we sat at one of the benches for lunch and I overheard this older man talking to his granddaughter about cedar berries and how they will cure her kidney infection. I couldn't help myself and interrupted them:

Me: "Excuse me, did I hear you tell her that Cedar berries will cure her kidney infection"
Wacko: "Why yes you did."
Me: "Who told you that?"
Wacko: "The tree did."
Me: (Blank stare, trying not to laugh)
Wacko: "No really, I was walking along talking to my granddaughter about her kidney infection and the tree said 'excuse me, I can help with her infection' then told me it could cure it."
Me: (Blank stare.....)
Wacko: "I turned to my granddaughter and asked if she had heard the tree and she nodded that she did and then asked the tree how many berries should she take, the tree said '7' and without prompting my granddaughter I asked how many the tree said and she said '7' so I made her pick 7 berries, crack them in her mouth and swallow them without chewing them...she should be cured by tomorrow"
Me: "Uh.........really?"
Wacko: "Really. If you know anyone with diabeties it will cut their insulin intake in half. Cedar Berries are very beneficial. The tree says it can help with all kinds of issues."
Me: "I think you have more serious issues than Cedar berries will cure....." (I really didn't say that but was about to)
When his granddaughter finished vomiting the Wacko said to his grandkids "Ok kids, lets go ride our bikes. Don't forget to thank the tree for its kindness to us." Then they proceeded to ride their bikes around the parking lot loop over and over and over.....really strange.

I guess all kinds like National Parks.



Well there you go. I will try to be better at keeping this more like a journal but we have not been feeling well at our house for a couple days and I have been sidetracked....maybe it was all those Cedar berries.......