Google It!

My career as a blogger may have reached its pinnacle.  I found out today that my blog comes up first if you run a Google search on the following terms: "Costco big green machine."  (See the "world famous" post here.)  First out of about 11.4 million web sites!  That's not nuthin' folks!

Now that I've finally arrived reached this illustrious achievement (through tons of hard work and dedication, mind you), there may be nothing left to achieve in the blogosphere.  I should probably retire this blog while I'm still on top.  ;-)

Taylor Swift - Red

7 Things to Do Instead of Shopping on Black Friday

Traveling this weekend?

Thanksgiving Weekend is probably one of the most nightmarish times to have to travel.  You really don't have a lot of time to get where you have to go and throngs of people are all seemingly trying to get to the same place that you are (at the same time).

Then, once you get there, you may or may not find yourself with some significant downtime.  Plus, the last thing that I want to do on Black Friday is brave more crowds to buy more crap.  So, here are 7 things to do instead of shopping on Black Friday...

#7 - Play Basketball

• Your dad is desperate to get a game in with all the brothers and brothers-in-law.  When you show up try not be intimidated by the fact that, at 6'3" tall, you are the shortest person on the court.  Make sure to get your sister's 6'8", 270 pound, ex-college basketball player boyfriend on your team--it's really going to improve your chances of winning.  When you score on a nice move to the hole, be sure to throw that same sister a bone and point to her since she's the only one cheering and you want to stay on her good side!  Be glad that, even though you are nearly the oldest person on the court, you can still run up and down the court (and make a shot or three)!

#6 - Read

• Pull out that novel you bought at Costco six months ago.  Notice for the first time that this book wasn't written by "Dan" Brown (author of The Da Vinci Code)--it was written by "Dale" Brown.  Realize that though you really don't get the premise of the novel, you need to do something to keep your mind occupied.  Plow through its 400+ crappy pages in a single day and pray you can find a recycling bin somewhere once you're done since you're fairly certain that no one you know is going to want to read that book.  Regret that you didn't get someone you know to give you a recommendation for a decent book for this trip.  Accept that you are likely going to end up breaking your Black Friday resolution (see below...)

#5 - Wander Around Walmart

• You came here to get a prescription filled, but first the pharmacist is "out to lunch" and then--once they get back--they have trouble tracking down the correct DEA control number for your doctor.  Too bad your doctor is on a plane and won't be around for 3 hours or so.  Pass the time by wandering the aisles and making fun of everyone shopping Walmart for "door-buster" deals.  Feel very proud of your resolution to NOT spend any money on Black Friday, until you look down and see yourself holding a book in your hand that you suddenly NEED to buy (because the one you finished earlier was that bad!).  Rationalize your purchase by telling yourself that at least it's not a gift for someone else!  Because, under the fine print of your resolution, it's okay to shop for yourself, just not for anyone else...yeah, somehow that doesn't sound right.  :-/

Blown Away...apparently there's not enough wind in Oklahoma.

#4 - Listen to the Radio

• You don't know a single station, but the radio is randomly set to a country station.  Marvel at why you've never heard some of these songs back home.  They're really pretty good.  Remind yourself to look into getting XM radio when you get back home.

#3 - Sleep

• You are on vacation, so this is probably a good time to catch up on your ZZZZs.  It makes no sense to try and rush out in the middle of the night as well to get trampled by your fellow looters deal seekers. 
• But, I digress...back to the sleeping arrangements.  Too bad your sister just moved into her beautiful new house, so no extra guest beds.  Be glad you had the foresight to bring a camping pad, a pillow, and plenty of blankets.  At least there's lots of space on the floor in the guest bedroom to spread out!

#2 - Be of Service

• When you walk in the door and your sister asks where you've been because she needed you to pick something up from her house, offer to run and pick it up anyway.  You don't have anything else really going on anyway.  Pray that you can find the right Tupperware container of caramel in her fridge.  You're not really sure what it is or what she's using it for, but based on her performance in cooking dishes for Thanksgiving dinner yesterday, you know she's on a roll.  You do not want to derail that train.
• UPDATE:  Turns out that caramel was for some pumpkin cheesecake that your sister made while trying out a new recipe.  It tastes as good as it looks!  Thanks Ray Ray!  :-)

#1 - Be Grateful

• It is Thanksgiving Weekend after all and you didn't have to go out shopping all day with your mom, your wife, and/or your sister on Black Friday.  They will be fighting the crowds all day and when they roll in and show you what they bought, you still won't be sure what it is or why they (or you) need it.  

Dia De Accion de Gracias

Norman Rockwell's Thanksgiving Dinner

Today is Thanksgiving.  I think that expressing our gratitude helps us realize how many blessings we really have.  Here are a few of the things that I have been grateful for today (in no particular order):

• My sisters for their hospitality and opening up their homes to us so that we could gather as a family.
• My mom and everyone else who helped prepare our Thankgiving Dinner
• Whoever made the candied yams for dinner
• Being able to go running today--despite the nearly freezing temperatures
• My dad for taking care of us--I will miss him while he's on his mission
• My brothers for traveling to be able to
• My job--there's a lot of people that would love to have one
• My family

Happy Thanksgiving!

Ax Men

Do you remember that chainsaw that my dad was fixing with my kids?  Well, he finished and ever since he has been itching to put it through its paces.  He found a couple of trees that fell over in a recent storm and got permission to cut them up.  He wanted me to bring the boys down so that they could help on a mini-logging expedition.

Rip Van Winkle

Unfortunately, the boys are out of town, but since I couldn't go with them, I had a little time on my hands. I really think that my dad was looking at this as his birthday present to himself.  He was so excited for this.  I had to run home for a bit this morning and he actually called me twice to see where I was because he couldn't wait to get started.

We loaded up his truck with both chainsaws and headed for the trees. Fortunately, it wasn't that far away.  We got there and went to investigate.  There were about 3 eucalyptus trees that had fallen over.  The biggest surprise was finding some dude asleep in the bushes.

I'm glad that he woke up as we walked up the hill because he would have woken up for sure once we fired up the chainsaws!

Working with the chain saws was actually fun.  I'm proud to report that the chainsaw my dad fixed (I certainly can't take any credit for it!) worked just fine.  When it ran out of gas, we switched to the new chainsaw.  That chainsaw was bigger, heavier, and had more power.  It went through those trees like a hot knife through butter!

The tricky part was the footing.  We were cutting on a steep slope and the ground underneath was slippery from  the accumulated leaves and undergrowth.  Fortunately, we managed to cut up the trees without losing any fingers or toes!

Always wear ear and eye protection with power tools!

Timber!

Just to prove I actually did some of the work!

Probably the most fun was being able to chuck the logs down the hill.  It felt a little bit like bowling!  The worst part was stacking them in the truck.  It was a pretty strenuous workout!  And it only proved the old adage: "When you cut your own wood, it warms you twice."

Before

After  :-)

All done and ready to roll!

My Dad, My Hero

My Dad and My Sister at Her Wedding

My dad celebrated a birthday recently.  He is a great man--truly a gentleman and a scholar.  He is also a giant of a man, both physically and spiritually, so I have always looked up to him.  I consider myself a really good gifter, but he's always really hard to shop for.  What do you get for the man that has everything and is so generous with others?

Here are the Top 10 Things that I love about my dad:

#10 - He is incredibly smart.  He majored in chemistry and then went to law school where he graduated #1 in his class.  What's the connection between law school and chemistry?  There is none really.  It's just that he loves learning and was so smart that he was able to master both subjects.

#9 - He is generous.  My dad is always asking what he can do to help us.  I know he does that a lot for other people too.  And I'm sure that there are many people that my dad has helped that no one knows about.  As a kid, I remember my dad helping people with legal problems or issues without asking for any money.

#8 - He is a patriarch.  Literally, figuratively, and spiritually, my dad is a patriarch of our family.  I am grateful for the blessing of comfort, of health, and of guidance that he has given me and others in our family.

#7 - He is a lawyer.  As a kid, I saw my dad preparing for trial by spreading documents out across the dining room table.  I knew that he loved the intellectual challenge of learning about his clients and preparing for trial.  It made me want to be a lawyer as well.  I always imagined being able to practice law with my dad.  One of the highlights of my legal career was being able to try a case with him several years ago.  It was a wrongful death case and the jury came back with a $2.1 million verdict in favor of our client.  I will always remember doing that case with my dad.

Post-Trial Celebration Pic

#6 - He is a missionary.  My dad served a mission as a young man in South America.  He learned Spanish and was blessed immensely for his service.  Then he and my family went on another mission while I was in college.  He had to shut down his entire law practice to go--knowing that he would have to come back and start over from scratch.  He didn't care, he did it any way.  My mom and he were recently called to serve another mission--to a country in South America.  He will do a great job and the missionaries he works with are lucky to be able to serve with him and my mom.

#5 - He can fix anything.  As a kid, my dad's dad fixed everything.  My dad has the same attitude.  I have helped him change the oil in our cars, fix washing machines, do brake jobs, fix chainsaws, cut firewood, fix broken water pipes, prune trees, and install sprinkler systems.  Please note that I've never watched my dad paint or helped him paint.  He hates painting!  Nevertheless, I firmly believe that given the right tools, my dad could fix anything!

#4 - He is an athlete.  He loves and plays pretty much any sport and he has always supported his kids in playing soccer, baseball, volleyball, football, basketball, and swimming.  When he was in the military, he won trophies in diving competitions and went spear fishing in the Panama Canal.  He loves bodysurfing the waves at the beach.  When he turned 50, he decided to do a "Tin Man" Triathlon (Olympic Distance).  But he wanted to do it on his birthday, so he went to the YMCA, swam a mile in the pool, then figured out a route that would be 25 miles and end at our house, where he finished by running a 10k.  He did it by himself all on his own, and he did it for himself.  I didn't really even know about it until he finished.  I don't think he trained for it.  I think that I decided that someday I was going to do a triathlon myself the day he finished his Tin Man at age 50.

#3 - He is a basketball player.  He tried out for the BYU basketball team as a freshman at BYU (back in the day when freshman couldn't play varsity).   In high school, his church team went to Salt Lake City from Washington D.C. to play in the finals of the All-Church Tournament (this was back when Church Basketball was a big deal--not a joke).  In college, he was named MVP of the All-Church Tournament.  His trophy that he won for that has always amazed me.  I'd like to think that I was as good of a player as he was, but that may well be doubtful.  ;-)

#2 - He is tall.  At 6'5", he towers over most people.  I probably owe my height to him, even though I'll always be looking up to him--both figuratively and literally

#1 - He is humble.  He is probably going to ask me to take this down as soon as he sees it!  Enjoy it while you can!

Happy Birthday Dad!  I love you!

Running in the Rain

Night fell, bringing rain;

Yet I ran--the droplets on

My face gave me chills.