Run 20 miles. I did this morning, and it has just taken me 17 minutes to write this sentence so far... I'm not functioning on all cylinders right now. I don't know why I do it. A friend suggested I couldn't stop until I reach the 10-year club, which I agreed with at the time, but now that I think about it, why??? Who cares? So what? Hmmmm.
On a different note, as was pointed out by Councilman Matt in the comment section of my last blog, glad I didn't debase myself and cheer for the Utes last night. Man, could you think of a worse way to start the season? Well, actually, if you ask Stanford, I bet you could (hint: Don't schedule the mighty UC Davis anymore!).
Super big congratulations to Micah for making the school dance team! We're so excited for her and proud of her. We're also sad for the girls who didn't make it - our hearts go out to those kids who tried but came up short. Most of her friends made it, but there are always some who don't, and I'm sure it's hard for them.
We've been getting comments lately on how big and grown up Morgan looks. Don't tell her this, because she's already proud that she's not a little girl anymore. For the last couple of years I've been making her promise that she'd always be my little girl, and that she has to stop growing. She has repeatedly assured me that she would. Now her answer is, "I'll stop after kindergarten". Oh well, I guess it's just a matter of time before we open our eyes and the little munchkins will be all grown up and we'll be like, "where did everybody go?!" That makes me sad to think about it.
So early tomorrow morning I embark on a day of travel and football. Wish the fam could all come with me, but it just didn't work out. Our whole weekend is one of travel as I've detailed in recent posts, but we're looking forward to fun family time nonetheless. My plan is to log back on and give my thoughts of the weekend's activities and events, but if the Cougs lose, I may not be able to face the music for a week or two. Here's hoping I have a horse voice and antsy blogging fingers come Sunday.
Thanks for being our friends and family!
Friday, August 31, 2007
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Green Puppies
We had our first soccer practice last night, and I'm glad of one thing - that I only have three daughters and not 11. Probably the highlight of the practice was the picking of our team name. I wanted the girls to have ownership in the name so they would be fully invested in the team. I told them of our green colors, and then asked them what our name should be. There were some good names like Green Tornadoes and Green Turtles, and then there were some interesting names. The kids then got to vote, and you should have seen the horrified look on my assist coach's face when they voted for, yep, you guessed it, the Green Puppies. It actually took me a minute to figure out if we would somehow be offending anyone with this unique name, but I don't think we will be unless we actually decide to dye a puppy green as our mascot. So there you have it - the Green Puppies....nice.
Micah's dance tryouts are today - wish her luck! I also went hometeaching last night to my new high priest families (actually older couples) and it was pretty fun. It's a lot different than my past assignments, which usually consisted of teaching cute lessons to the kids. But we had nice conversations, and I realized that, as Lloyd Christmas once pointed out, old people, while slow and dangerous on the roads, do perform a function in society (this just before he got his wallet stolen by the old granny...). Just kidding of course.
My big quandary today (and this ought to give you great insight into my mind) is whether or not to cheer for the Utes against Oregon State tonight. Sure it would be great for a MWC team to beat a Pac 10 team, but at the same time, I'm a much happier, content person if Utah goes 0-12 and scoreless for the entire season. So this is a big decision - who to cheer for... And yes, it does matter! What kind of a man would I be if I sell out, even if you might think it has no bearing on the game? One of the prophets once said, show me what a man does when nobody is watching, and I'll tell you what kind of man he is (or something like that...). Well, show me what team a man cheers for when nobody's watching, and I'll tell you what kind of man he is. As for me and my house, we will cheer for Cougs and Horns, and Cougs and Horns alone! Wow, that was intense.
Micah's dance tryouts are today - wish her luck! I also went hometeaching last night to my new high priest families (actually older couples) and it was pretty fun. It's a lot different than my past assignments, which usually consisted of teaching cute lessons to the kids. But we had nice conversations, and I realized that, as Lloyd Christmas once pointed out, old people, while slow and dangerous on the roads, do perform a function in society (this just before he got his wallet stolen by the old granny...). Just kidding of course.
My big quandary today (and this ought to give you great insight into my mind) is whether or not to cheer for the Utes against Oregon State tonight. Sure it would be great for a MWC team to beat a Pac 10 team, but at the same time, I'm a much happier, content person if Utah goes 0-12 and scoreless for the entire season. So this is a big decision - who to cheer for... And yes, it does matter! What kind of a man would I be if I sell out, even if you might think it has no bearing on the game? One of the prophets once said, show me what a man does when nobody is watching, and I'll tell you what kind of man he is (or something like that...). Well, show me what team a man cheers for when nobody's watching, and I'll tell you what kind of man he is. As for me and my house, we will cheer for Cougs and Horns, and Cougs and Horns alone! Wow, that was intense.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Weird state of nothing to report...
I guess the really creative people can easily make up cool stuff day after day, whether or not something's actually happening in their lives. Here I am on my 87th blog post, and I've hit a creative wall. I think it stems from my mind being in a daze brought on by my tired legs (from running), and that darn upcoming football season seems to be taking up entirely too much bandwidth in my already limited mental capacity. I guess I could turn this into a BYU and Texas football blog and then I could go on and on and on and, well, you get the picture. But as this is a "family" blog, I'm stumped.
I imagine I could talk about Morgan's frequent awakenings of sleep-crying. She has no idea she's doing it, but usually when she needs to go to the bathroom she just starts crying. It can take a long time to calm her down - you actually have to wake her up (water and gentle face slaps work the best) and ask her why she's crying, to which she answers that she doesn't know, and then she stops.
I guess I could mention that Brig's little treadmill incident didn't turn out as bad as it could have, as we found out from his Dr. that if it had gone on any longer he would have had to have skin grafts... Hmm, we'll just be grateful it didn't come to that and move on.
I suppose I could tell you that Micah has a big tryout this week to get on the school dance team. She's confident and would be thrilled to make. Angela's a little nervous because she knows of the moms who have put their kids in summer dance camps just for this. I'm happy to support because I trust Micah, even though the dance teacher has been known to throw some uncomfortably (for the parents) "mature" dances, themes, and costumes into the routines. Luckily Micah knows what's good and what's not, and she'll take care of participating in what she feels comfortable with. She's a very good girl.
You probably would be interested to know that Kennan's first soccer practice is tonight, and mine too I guess. It's going to be a hot one - mid 80s - so hopefully we won't have any coaches wilting from the heat. If I get tired I'll just lie down and have the kids run laps...
I guess I could say something about Angela's race this weekend even though I've already told you about it. The important thing I haven't told you about is the competition between Angela and her running partner. Angela is hoping to run her foe into the ground, to break her will, to crush her spirit, to chew her up and spit her out, to clean her clock, to ring her bell, to beat her like a drum! Game on! ............ ok, just kidding about that (that was creative though, wasn't it?).
3 days until kickoff!
I imagine I could talk about Morgan's frequent awakenings of sleep-crying. She has no idea she's doing it, but usually when she needs to go to the bathroom she just starts crying. It can take a long time to calm her down - you actually have to wake her up (water and gentle face slaps work the best) and ask her why she's crying, to which she answers that she doesn't know, and then she stops.
I guess I could mention that Brig's little treadmill incident didn't turn out as bad as it could have, as we found out from his Dr. that if it had gone on any longer he would have had to have skin grafts... Hmm, we'll just be grateful it didn't come to that and move on.
I suppose I could tell you that Micah has a big tryout this week to get on the school dance team. She's confident and would be thrilled to make. Angela's a little nervous because she knows of the moms who have put their kids in summer dance camps just for this. I'm happy to support because I trust Micah, even though the dance teacher has been known to throw some uncomfortably (for the parents) "mature" dances, themes, and costumes into the routines. Luckily Micah knows what's good and what's not, and she'll take care of participating in what she feels comfortable with. She's a very good girl.
You probably would be interested to know that Kennan's first soccer practice is tonight, and mine too I guess. It's going to be a hot one - mid 80s - so hopefully we won't have any coaches wilting from the heat. If I get tired I'll just lie down and have the kids run laps...
I guess I could say something about Angela's race this weekend even though I've already told you about it. The important thing I haven't told you about is the competition between Angela and her running partner. Angela is hoping to run her foe into the ground, to break her will, to crush her spirit, to chew her up and spit her out, to clean her clock, to ring her bell, to beat her like a drum! Game on! ............ ok, just kidding about that (that was creative though, wasn't it?).
3 days until kickoff!
Monday, August 27, 2007
Things going on this week
We have a good week ahead of us. The kids were excited to go back to school this week, and will surely do well in their first full week back at school. There are piano lessons, dentist appointments, play dates, FHE, a YW presidency meeting, home teaching visits, a girls night out, a few short runs, a very long run before work on Friday, and college football games to watch.
Kennan and I are looking forward to our first soccer practice on Wednesday evening, it should be fun and hopefully nobody will get hurt on the first day. I was grateful to get a pretty good showing of support from the parents of the players, and it was nice to get volunteers for all the help we needed.
This weekend things get just a little crazy. Saturday morning sees me leaving bright and early to drive to Oakland, jump on a plane to SLC, drive fast down to Provo, attend a BYU lunch for Gifford Nielsen as he gets his number retired, go to the BYU-Arizona football game, drive very fast back to SLC, get on a plane back to Oakland, drive home, crash. The next day after church, Angela will get on a plane with a few girlfriends and head down to Anaheim, where Monday morning (Labor Day) she will run the Disneyland 1/2 marathon. It looks like a really fun course as it winds through all the little Disneyland villages, and even makes a slight detour out of the park to run through Angels stadium before finishing back in the Magic Kingdom. We're a little worried about Angela's ailing shin, but I'm sure she'll do fine. She'll come home late Monday night, which will be fun to pick her up. Then the first thing the next morning I get on a plane to go to Austin for work for a couple of days. This will be the weekend of family upheaval. Oh well, it's all fun and good and the kids are fine with it.
On a different note: Brig's been a handful in church the last few times. He came up on the stand a couple of times yesterday, which was fine, except that he wanted to run around up there in the choir seats. I was stressed because the bishop had just talked about wanting more reverence in sacrament meeting, and here my own kid was running wild... He just laughed about though, and told Angela it was fine. He's close to going into nursery, so we're excited for him to get comfortable there and our lives will get a little calmer and more spiritually enriched.
Have a good Monday!
Kennan and I are looking forward to our first soccer practice on Wednesday evening, it should be fun and hopefully nobody will get hurt on the first day. I was grateful to get a pretty good showing of support from the parents of the players, and it was nice to get volunteers for all the help we needed.
This weekend things get just a little crazy. Saturday morning sees me leaving bright and early to drive to Oakland, jump on a plane to SLC, drive fast down to Provo, attend a BYU lunch for Gifford Nielsen as he gets his number retired, go to the BYU-Arizona football game, drive very fast back to SLC, get on a plane back to Oakland, drive home, crash. The next day after church, Angela will get on a plane with a few girlfriends and head down to Anaheim, where Monday morning (Labor Day) she will run the Disneyland 1/2 marathon. It looks like a really fun course as it winds through all the little Disneyland villages, and even makes a slight detour out of the park to run through Angels stadium before finishing back in the Magic Kingdom. We're a little worried about Angela's ailing shin, but I'm sure she'll do fine. She'll come home late Monday night, which will be fun to pick her up. Then the first thing the next morning I get on a plane to go to Austin for work for a couple of days. This will be the weekend of family upheaval. Oh well, it's all fun and good and the kids are fine with it.
On a different note: Brig's been a handful in church the last few times. He came up on the stand a couple of times yesterday, which was fine, except that he wanted to run around up there in the choir seats. I was stressed because the bishop had just talked about wanting more reverence in sacrament meeting, and here my own kid was running wild... He just laughed about though, and told Angela it was fine. He's close to going into nursery, so we're excited for him to get comfortable there and our lives will get a little calmer and more spiritually enriched.
Have a good Monday!
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
quick update
I don't have a lot of time to report today, but here's what's going on:
The kids started school today, and the whole day was summed up by Morgan, who turned to Angela on the way to afternoon kindergarten and said: "Mom, I am SO excited!" And all reports are that it was a fabulous day for everyone. They all love their teachers, and all have friends in their classes. Sounds like the perfect start to a new year.
I fly to Redmond, WA tomorrow to assist our fixed assets team with an inventory count. This is pretty much the number one reason I never went into public accounting - to avoid stuff like this - but here I am... Oh well, it's a change of pace and I got a much better location than most of the others, who have to travel back east and to the south (and warehouses are NOT air-conditioned). Luckily I'll get to fly home Friday morning, so it's a quick jaunt.
Finally, Ang has officially decided that St. George is definitely out this year. Her shin has started hurting her again and it was actually an easy decision, and a "relief", when she finally pulled the trigger. Bummer for her and for all of us still running, but good for her health.
OK, I won't be online tomorrow, but I'll try and report in on Friday.
The kids started school today, and the whole day was summed up by Morgan, who turned to Angela on the way to afternoon kindergarten and said: "Mom, I am SO excited!" And all reports are that it was a fabulous day for everyone. They all love their teachers, and all have friends in their classes. Sounds like the perfect start to a new year.
I fly to Redmond, WA tomorrow to assist our fixed assets team with an inventory count. This is pretty much the number one reason I never went into public accounting - to avoid stuff like this - but here I am... Oh well, it's a change of pace and I got a much better location than most of the others, who have to travel back east and to the south (and warehouses are NOT air-conditioned). Luckily I'll get to fly home Friday morning, so it's a quick jaunt.
Finally, Ang has officially decided that St. George is definitely out this year. Her shin has started hurting her again and it was actually an easy decision, and a "relief", when she finally pulled the trigger. Bummer for her and for all of us still running, but good for her health.
OK, I won't be online tomorrow, but I'll try and report in on Friday.
Monday, August 20, 2007
What's on my mind...
Lunch. It was good. Let me give you a smattering of what was on the menu in the cafe closest to me...(keep in mind there are 15 others with their own menus)
Grilled Ribeye with Gremalot Vinaigrette (HAD THIS - VERY NICE!)
Pan Seared Snapper with Kaffir Lime Vinaigrette
Honey Lime Chicken Wings
Emmentaler Potato Gratin
Pearl Barley with Tomato and Herbs
Roasted Asparagus with Red Pepper Coulis
Cheese Steak Pizza
Steamed white rice
Classic Clam Chowder
A bunch of desserts - I avoided!
BYU Football. We got an interesting phone call last night. Ang's mom called and asked how many tickets we want to the Sep. 1 game vs. Arizona because Ang's uncle, Gifford Nielsen, is getting his number retired with Ty Detmer's (both 14). Well, we hadn't been planning on going, but when a difficult choice is thrust upon us such as this, we choose to take the high road and err on the side of family unity. So I'm going and leaving the wife and kids at home!!! Actually, that's true but it's not as bad as it sounds - Ang leaves the next morning for a trip down to Disneyland with her friends to run a Labor Day Disneyland 1/2 marathon, so it would be tough for her to go to Utah and then get right back on a plane and go to SoCal. And to my credit, I really decided to NOT go, but thanks to Angela's persistence, I finally acquiesced and decided to support her family in the best way I know how - going to a Cougs game. Yep, that's just the kind of son-in-law I am - I'm there for the family...
Coach John. We had a soccer coaches meeting last night and I think I've got my game face ready to go. I asked if it was appropriate to start off the first practice with windsprints, up-downs, and suicides to try and determine early who was fully invested. They recommended I wait until the second practice - whatever. So the practice plan looks like this: running and stretching, practice slide tackling, practice shirt grabbing out of view of the ref, practice "getting hurt" and rolling around while thrashing and screaming in agony, practice flicking the ball off your back heel with your other foot and then catching it between your shoulder and chin with a haughty look in your eyes, and then we run. I'll be taking after Coach Smyth in this regard: "Run you Maggots!" "You're about as useless as a one-legged man in a butt-kicking contest!" "You call that a SPRINT?!" "LandaGoshen - what a bunch of WOMEN!" (which in this case is actually true, but it's still cool). Can't wait!
Running. Angela's trying to decide whether to try and fight through her injuries and still try for St. George, or just stick to shorter distances this year and save her body. Updates coming later, but in my opinion, she'd be smart to not run this year - she's tough enough, there's just no need to hurt yourself more. As for me, I've got 6 training weeks left for St. George, and it can't come fast enough for me. Not because I'm ready, or anxious, but just to get the dang thing over with. Either way, I plan on going out with the Kenyans at the start and then just hanging on from there. Should be fun...
I'm out, rack me!
Grilled Ribeye with Gremalot Vinaigrette (HAD THIS - VERY NICE!)
Pan Seared Snapper with Kaffir Lime Vinaigrette
Honey Lime Chicken Wings
Emmentaler Potato Gratin
Pearl Barley with Tomato and Herbs
Roasted Asparagus with Red Pepper Coulis
Cheese Steak Pizza
Steamed white rice
Classic Clam Chowder
A bunch of desserts - I avoided!
BYU Football. We got an interesting phone call last night. Ang's mom called and asked how many tickets we want to the Sep. 1 game vs. Arizona because Ang's uncle, Gifford Nielsen, is getting his number retired with Ty Detmer's (both 14). Well, we hadn't been planning on going, but when a difficult choice is thrust upon us such as this, we choose to take the high road and err on the side of family unity. So I'm going and leaving the wife and kids at home!!! Actually, that's true but it's not as bad as it sounds - Ang leaves the next morning for a trip down to Disneyland with her friends to run a Labor Day Disneyland 1/2 marathon, so it would be tough for her to go to Utah and then get right back on a plane and go to SoCal. And to my credit, I really decided to NOT go, but thanks to Angela's persistence, I finally acquiesced and decided to support her family in the best way I know how - going to a Cougs game. Yep, that's just the kind of son-in-law I am - I'm there for the family...
Coach John. We had a soccer coaches meeting last night and I think I've got my game face ready to go. I asked if it was appropriate to start off the first practice with windsprints, up-downs, and suicides to try and determine early who was fully invested. They recommended I wait until the second practice - whatever. So the practice plan looks like this: running and stretching, practice slide tackling, practice shirt grabbing out of view of the ref, practice "getting hurt" and rolling around while thrashing and screaming in agony, practice flicking the ball off your back heel with your other foot and then catching it between your shoulder and chin with a haughty look in your eyes, and then we run. I'll be taking after Coach Smyth in this regard: "Run you Maggots!" "You're about as useless as a one-legged man in a butt-kicking contest!" "You call that a SPRINT?!" "LandaGoshen - what a bunch of WOMEN!" (which in this case is actually true, but it's still cool). Can't wait!
Running. Angela's trying to decide whether to try and fight through her injuries and still try for St. George, or just stick to shorter distances this year and save her body. Updates coming later, but in my opinion, she'd be smart to not run this year - she's tough enough, there's just no need to hurt yourself more. As for me, I've got 6 training weeks left for St. George, and it can't come fast enough for me. Not because I'm ready, or anxious, but just to get the dang thing over with. Either way, I plan on going out with the Kenyans at the start and then just hanging on from there. Should be fun...
I'm out, rack me!
Friday, August 17, 2007
work and stuff
Today is one of those work days that everyone loves. Our team had an offsite in which we played bocce ball and ate great Italian food. It was really fun to hang out with the members of our team and get to know people outside the office. The wine (and soda) flowed freely, our bocce performance was mediocre at best, and we had a great time. We've got a great boss who knows the importance of building team relationships and is willing to sponsor these outings.
I've talked before about speakers and important visitors to Google, but this week I saw the best one I had ever seen. Wyclef Jean came and performed during the middle of the day in one of our cafes. It was awesome! While I enjoy the significance of the political speakers, this was a whole different story. He was funny, entertaining, and very musically talented. I had to remind myself I was still at work and to not break out in a dance groove.
Is anyone else looking forward to High School Musical 2 coming out tonight? Yeah, me neither. Oh well, my house full of girls is all a-twitter about it, so I guess Brig and I will watch BYU Classic sports tonight - BYU v SDSU from like 1991 or so - while the chicks go to a friend's house for a big party. On second thought, we'll go for the food, and then leave and watch Classic Cougs. Yeah, that's what we'll do...
Brig has done a really good job sleeping in his own bed this week. He hasn't loved getting put there in the first place, but he settles down quickly, and then he's done great in the middle of the night. We started just giving him a bottle in his crib at 3am when he wakes up like clockwork, and he'll go back to sleep in his patented prayer position (knees tucked under him as if he was praying and just fell forward). He's such a good, happy kid. We were sad at times on our trip because our families didn't always see him for the happy, content little guy that he really is. He's also my little shadow, and I admit I smile as I leave every morning and he starts crying that his big buddy is leaving. It's nice to be loved.
15 DAYS TIL GAME DAY!!!!
I've talked before about speakers and important visitors to Google, but this week I saw the best one I had ever seen. Wyclef Jean came and performed during the middle of the day in one of our cafes. It was awesome! While I enjoy the significance of the political speakers, this was a whole different story. He was funny, entertaining, and very musically talented. I had to remind myself I was still at work and to not break out in a dance groove.
Is anyone else looking forward to High School Musical 2 coming out tonight? Yeah, me neither. Oh well, my house full of girls is all a-twitter about it, so I guess Brig and I will watch BYU Classic sports tonight - BYU v SDSU from like 1991 or so - while the chicks go to a friend's house for a big party. On second thought, we'll go for the food, and then leave and watch Classic Cougs. Yeah, that's what we'll do...
Brig has done a really good job sleeping in his own bed this week. He hasn't loved getting put there in the first place, but he settles down quickly, and then he's done great in the middle of the night. We started just giving him a bottle in his crib at 3am when he wakes up like clockwork, and he'll go back to sleep in his patented prayer position (knees tucked under him as if he was praying and just fell forward). He's such a good, happy kid. We were sad at times on our trip because our families didn't always see him for the happy, content little guy that he really is. He's also my little shadow, and I admit I smile as I leave every morning and he starts crying that his big buddy is leaving. It's nice to be loved.
15 DAYS TIL GAME DAY!!!!
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Pics du Jour ... Mmm, That Sounds Good, I'll Have Some of That...
watching a movie with the kids
ang & brig
playing with richards cousins
popsicles on the balcony
on grandma lebras' swingset
pioneer day parade ... nice boots grandpa
chillin' at the pool that the rich people go to by spencer & molly's
mvp, secret weapon, aquamarine
morgan with the coaches/aunts
with the older richards couples in midway
umm, how did that one get in here?
slippy slidin' away with cousins
brig stretching with mom before a swim. nice body ... brig
brig in awe of the rodeo horses
ang and morgan looking like spanish fork nativesThe next post will have pictures, I promise
I know I said pictures were forthcoming, but you know how things can just get behind you...
I'm going to post the pics a little later today - just be patient!
The kids are enjoying their last week of summer, and making the most of their late nights and late mornings (as compared to school nights) to watch as much TV as possible. They and their mother are completely addicted to "So You Think You Can Dance" and it's not just current shows - they go back and watch old episodes repeatedly for some reason ... women.
Speaking of old episodes, I recently watched the last quarter of the BYU-Utah game from last season - still brings chills, tears, and the urge to jump up and down and pump my fists vigorously. I and my brothers are anxiously awaiting the start of the new season. I got my ticket arranged to go with a big group of NoCal guys down to LA in a few weeks for the BYU-UCLA game. Should be fun.
I'm Kennan's soccer coach this year. I've been wanting to do it, and a friend of mine wanted to be an assistant coach for his daughter, so we teamed up to coach the girls. We just got our roster this morning and we're excited to have a team full of friends from Kennan's school. It should be fun - hopefully we don't lose every single game! I'm about to go get "Coaching Soccer for Dummies". I think our first practice will be a screening of "Bend it Like Beckham" and hope they pick up something from that...
I'm pretty busy with work, and I have a few travels coming up. During the next month I will be in Seattle, Austin, L.A. (not work related), London, and Dublin. Most are just brief trips so they won't be too bad. It'll be busy though with the kids starting up school, but I don't think I'll miss anything important.
The kids and we are all happy with their teachers and classes. They have a good mix of old friends and new kids in their classes, and even though some of their teachers are new to the school, they seem very sharp and have outstanding reputations. We're excited for what the new school year will bring.
And finally, a shout out to Spencer as he sends his wife and older kids off to play in the sun and he keeps the newborn twins with him and has taken on the task of painting the house at the same time. Some guys just don't know how to say no... just kidding bro - you're a good man!
peace
I'm going to post the pics a little later today - just be patient!
The kids are enjoying their last week of summer, and making the most of their late nights and late mornings (as compared to school nights) to watch as much TV as possible. They and their mother are completely addicted to "So You Think You Can Dance" and it's not just current shows - they go back and watch old episodes repeatedly for some reason ... women.
Speaking of old episodes, I recently watched the last quarter of the BYU-Utah game from last season - still brings chills, tears, and the urge to jump up and down and pump my fists vigorously. I and my brothers are anxiously awaiting the start of the new season. I got my ticket arranged to go with a big group of NoCal guys down to LA in a few weeks for the BYU-UCLA game. Should be fun.
I'm Kennan's soccer coach this year. I've been wanting to do it, and a friend of mine wanted to be an assistant coach for his daughter, so we teamed up to coach the girls. We just got our roster this morning and we're excited to have a team full of friends from Kennan's school. It should be fun - hopefully we don't lose every single game! I'm about to go get "Coaching Soccer for Dummies". I think our first practice will be a screening of "Bend it Like Beckham" and hope they pick up something from that...
I'm pretty busy with work, and I have a few travels coming up. During the next month I will be in Seattle, Austin, L.A. (not work related), London, and Dublin. Most are just brief trips so they won't be too bad. It'll be busy though with the kids starting up school, but I don't think I'll miss anything important.
The kids and we are all happy with their teachers and classes. They have a good mix of old friends and new kids in their classes, and even though some of their teachers are new to the school, they seem very sharp and have outstanding reputations. We're excited for what the new school year will bring.
And finally, a shout out to Spencer as he sends his wife and older kids off to play in the sun and he keeps the newborn twins with him and has taken on the task of painting the house at the same time. Some guys just don't know how to say no... just kidding bro - you're a good man!
peace
Monday, August 13, 2007
Normality Returns
As we sat around this morning as a family, just kind of relaxing before our morning prayer and my work day, I couldn't help but smile. To be home, all together as a family, as the sun shone through the window, after a great night's sleep in our own beds, with no other distractions - very nice!The drive home, however, wasn't all nice. The kids did great, and we made excellent time until Reno, but hit the horrendous Bay Area traffic and what normally takes about 11 1/2 hours took us 13 1/2 hours. Oh well, we'll have to time it a bit better next time. Luckily though, we got home early enough that we had very little stress even with the added hours on the road. We were able to get a few things unpacked, and at least tidied up before settling down for the evening.
So now we're home and things are back to normal, but it was nice to spend a final weekend with family and friends in Utah. We really enjoyed a trip to the BYU bookstore, hanging out with our longtime friends, Matt and Sheri, a couple more great meals prepared by Grandma LeBras, The Music Man play at a local theater, a fun dinner and hospital tour with Grandpa Richards while he was on call at the hospital, and being with everyone we won't be able to see for a while.
I also ran the Provo 1/2 marathon on Saturday and really enjoyed it. I wasn't planning on running until maybe Friday, but I'm glad I did. I didn't run my best time (I ran 1:44), but in going in with a lot more relaxed view of the run, I enjoyed it much more than usual and felt good afterwards. I'm grateful to be in shape to be able to run something like that on a spur of the moment. It also got my juices flowing for St. George again, which is big because I was really feeling non-motivated for October. I'm looking forward to also running a relaxed marathon with Matt Dalton and probably Jason (if his ankle continues feeling better).
The trip to the BYU bookstore was fun! We got some awesome Cougs gear for Brig - workout pants, sweatshirt, t-shirt; and a couple of things for Brig's dad. I was especially excited to put the new/old Y logo sticker on our Rocketbox proudly displayed alongside the Longhorns sticker.
I owe you some pictures, which I may have time to do tonight or tomorrow. We took so many it's going to be hard to narrow it down... Here's my favorite one so far from the hospital cafe with the Richards (note the remains of Brig's accident markings on his head):
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Brig and the Girls
Brig had a little accident yesterday. He was playing with the girls and the cousins around a treadmill, and while he was on it, someone turned it up to high. He was thrown off the back into the wall, and then was trapped between the wall and the moving treadmill belt, giving him some nice burns on his face/head and arm. It was nobody's fault, it just happened, and frankly, I think that's how it is with little boys - something's wrong if they don't have multiple bruises, scabs, scars, and parent scares to their credit. We feel bad for him, but by Angela's account, he was soon acting as if nothing happened and he hasn't been any different than his usual happy self since then. Thankfully Ang was close and able to get things turned off quickly so it wasn't worse.
And on a lighter note, the girls had a wonderful opportunity to stay last night at the cabin in the beautiful mountains with Grandpa and Grandma and three other cousins. They went fishing at the lake yesterday afternoon, with only a few "bites" but no fish, they had a great cabin-style chili and hotdog dinner, they saw a moose and her calf right by the cabin, and they watched the classic tear-jerker, Where the Red Fern Grows. I talked to them mid-movie so I haven't heard a report on whether or not they cried at the end - I know I have every time I've ever seen that movie... Today they're going for a hike and a mountain picnic, with maybe a little more fishing. What a great thing for Grandpa to take them up there - they'll always remember that! Man, I am jealous though - what I wouldn't give to get out on the river...
Tomorrow's the day I head back to join the family in preparation for our drive home this weekend. It will be nice closure to do a last few fun activities and then say our goodbyes as we come back to restart our lives. It'll be good to get back to normal. My most pressing problem is in what I have to do tonight to get the house ready for the family to come home...I'm generally pretty clean when I'm home by myself, but let's just say my cleanliness standards may be a little different from Angela's cleanliness standards. I think it's gonna be a late one tonight. But can't wait to see the fam again!
And on a lighter note, the girls had a wonderful opportunity to stay last night at the cabin in the beautiful mountains with Grandpa and Grandma and three other cousins. They went fishing at the lake yesterday afternoon, with only a few "bites" but no fish, they had a great cabin-style chili and hotdog dinner, they saw a moose and her calf right by the cabin, and they watched the classic tear-jerker, Where the Red Fern Grows. I talked to them mid-movie so I haven't heard a report on whether or not they cried at the end - I know I have every time I've ever seen that movie... Today they're going for a hike and a mountain picnic, with maybe a little more fishing. What a great thing for Grandpa to take them up there - they'll always remember that! Man, I am jealous though - what I wouldn't give to get out on the river...
Tomorrow's the day I head back to join the family in preparation for our drive home this weekend. It will be nice closure to do a last few fun activities and then say our goodbyes as we come back to restart our lives. It'll be good to get back to normal. My most pressing problem is in what I have to do tonight to get the house ready for the family to come home...I'm generally pretty clean when I'm home by myself, but let's just say my cleanliness standards may be a little different from Angela's cleanliness standards. I think it's gonna be a late one tonight. But can't wait to see the fam again!
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Funny video
I was sitting here at my desk at the end of the work day, and I thought I would browse around YouTube for videos to watch. The first search I usually type in is "funny", and I have to tell you, my stomach hurts, my cheeks hurt from laughing, and I'm still getting looks from my coworkers. The best one I saw is this one of soccer:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=YPQ_N4imYVE
Admittedly there are a couple of pictures that border on inappropriate, but if you can get past that, you'll be in for a good laugh. Note that the side bar to the right of this page are also showing funny soccer moments.
I also thought you might enjoy this:
http://www.bluefangroup.com/
Two days until I get to hang with the fam again - can't wait!!!!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=YPQ_N4imYVE
Admittedly there are a couple of pictures that border on inappropriate, but if you can get past that, you'll be in for a good laugh. Note that the side bar to the right of this page are also showing funny soccer moments.
I also thought you might enjoy this:
http://www.bluefangroup.com/
Two days until I get to hang with the fam again - can't wait!!!!
Monday, August 6, 2007
Happy Monday
Morgan called me this morning to tell me how excited she is for the dance camp they're doing this week. It's Jazz and Ballet, she told me, and she said she thinks she's a good dancer - well of course...
They've had a great time with their cousins and family in Utah, but we think it's getting to the time where it will be good to get home and unwind before school starts. There's only so much vacationing kids can take before starting to fall apart. I don't think they're falling apart, but we can tell that it will be good for them to return home and get some structure and organization back in their lives. They're great kids and we're really thankful for them.
A couple of tips to make your life easier:
They've had a great time with their cousins and family in Utah, but we think it's getting to the time where it will be good to get home and unwind before school starts. There's only so much vacationing kids can take before starting to fall apart. I don't think they're falling apart, but we can tell that it will be good for them to return home and get some structure and organization back in their lives. They're great kids and we're really thankful for them.
A couple of tips to make your life easier:
- 1-800-GOOG-411 is a free phone directory service that will connect you to the business once you've done a voice activated search for it.
- On Google maps, if you're looking for driving directions and you're not happy with the route you get, you can easily move the line by just dragging any point on the line to a new street to try out new routes.
- You can download Google talk (along with Gmail obviously) onto your blackberry and thus always be online...some people don't actually want this, but it can be nice.
Friday, August 3, 2007
And So It Begins!
This is the greatest weekend of the summer from a somewhat limited point of view - Fall football practice begins for the Cougs! It's the culmination of online prognosticating and blah-blah-blahing...finally there will be real reports of real action. Yeah, I know there's a month until the first game, and the first couple of games are going to be very, very tough. But last year provided many of us with that one thing we have been lacking the last few years at this time - real hope. Not just the hope that somehow this year will be better than years past; not just the hope that someone, somehow, will shock us with a few clutch plays and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat; not just hope that we won't be as bad as the national media thinks we will be... Nope, real hope.Real hope that we will continue progressing, even with younger players in certain key positions; real hope that some good early returns will set us up for an outstanding finish; real hope that even if things don't go great in our first couple of games, we can turn it around for our conference season and finish as we did last year. I'm stoked. I'm pumped. I'm excited. And I'm also nervous.
I know this is a family blog, and there are a few of our readers out there who couldn't care less about the Cougs. So don't worry, it's not going to become all football all the time. We will still share the most important things about the family, but this is a big time of year for me, and for a few of you as well.
More on the Cougs to come later.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Wednesday
Congrats to Dan, who started his MBA program today at Wharton. Big couple of years ahead of you bro - you'll do great! Let me just say to Hailey right now...Angela feels your pain.
Report on my bachelorhood activities: played golf, revived the dying plants and nursed them back to health (Angela will be so proud), rode my bike on a real ride for the first time in a year, ran and swam laps, worked late, Sunday dinner at a good friends house, read a couple hundred pages of Harry Potter, and most of all, missed my wife and kids.
Brig's been sick and miserable these last couple of days - poor little guy and poor Angela. Week from tomorrow and I'll be with them to help again.
Lastly, I'm really enjoying the 80 degree weather after the much hotter Utah climate. I haven't broken into a sweat once since getting back. In fact, I slept without the A/C last night and was just fine. I know it's been said before, but it's pretty great out here!
Report on my bachelorhood activities: played golf, revived the dying plants and nursed them back to health (Angela will be so proud), rode my bike on a real ride for the first time in a year, ran and swam laps, worked late, Sunday dinner at a good friends house, read a couple hundred pages of Harry Potter, and most of all, missed my wife and kids.
Brig's been sick and miserable these last couple of days - poor little guy and poor Angela. Week from tomorrow and I'll be with them to help again.
Lastly, I'm really enjoying the 80 degree weather after the much hotter Utah climate. I haven't broken into a sweat once since getting back. In fact, I slept without the A/C last night and was just fine. I know it's been said before, but it's pretty great out here!
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