BYU wins # 20

I'm a graduate of BYU.  I'm a fan of BYU sports.  I am not a fanatic but just a solid fan.  We fans suffered through the first half of the football season but then came back strong making a bowl game and winning it. 

In basketball we haven't suffered much.  Last Wednesday we won our twentieth win of the season with one loss!  The team is doing great.  Of course you've heard of Jimmer Fredette who is the scoring star of the team and Jackson Emery who is the steals star of the team and lots of other guys who do all the other hard work to get a win.  This picture below is at the San Diego State game that we won Wednesday, the first time that BYU has beaten a top ten team in our own Marriott Center.  I listened to it on the radio (since T.V. on the East coast wasn't available) and enjoyed the victory.  Keep your eyes on BYU and lets see what they can do this year!



A unique thing about BYU sports is where can you find little children on the front row at any other school?  Looking at this picture if I picked someone who is acting like I would at a game it would be the guy in the gray sweater who is standing.  If it were me I would be thinking, I wish these guys would sit down so I could see better! 

At BYU we believe in God, Sports and you might also add to that Little Children.  Go BYU!

God Bless the USA by e11even

Here is a young family that uses music to not only keep their family close but to bless the lives of others as well.  When I went looking on YouTube for a video of them I had hoped to show you one of them singing "We are family" (not the Sister Sledge song) that is very nice.  But this is their only video on YouTube.  I still liked it so much that I thought it might be appreciated here.  I enjoy watching the youngest children.  Hope you enjoy it too!

You might notice that there are only ten of them in this video, the youngest is a baby and so wasn't in this video.  If you would like to go to their website then click on here.

You might be interested to note that their oldest daughter is Miss Idaho and competed in the Miss America pageant this year.  She was the only participant to do the swim suit part of the program in a one piece swim suit.  Click here to see an article about her participation. 

All of us can't use music like this family has in their family but there is something that each one of use can use to promote family togetherness and love in the family.  I hope we can each find what will help us.  And even if we aren't great singers I think that there is a place for singing in the family...anything from caroling at Christmas to singing hymns in the home. 

That's what friends are for 2

We have some friends that very recently moved out of state.  Since he needed some knee surgery and already had it set up here they ask if they could come back and stay with us for a couple days so he could get his surgery and then they could ride the train back to their new home.  Of course we agreed.  So a husband, wife and little daughter, and one more on the way I might add, are staying with us.   

We had room in our home because two of our girls are at college, we even had a vehicle for them to use while they were here.  As you might guess he had the surgery and then needed to stay longer so they will be here several more days.  Their little daughter is a real gem.  Since I have four daughters I am partial to girls anyway I suppose.  She isn't talking much yet, but she does some good grunting that her mother understands well--which may explain why she isn't talking much yet.  It is fun having them there but I can see that it is tough for them.  The mother would like to be out and about more but is needed to help care for her husband.  Things they need and are accustomed to having are at their home and not here when they need them or would like to have them.  She says the hardest thing is getting him to the bathroom with the brace and contraptions on his leg.  I ask yesterday if they were getting tired of being in the house.  She said she had been out but yes she was feeling some of that.  She is a volleyball player and she looked to me like she would like to go play a good game of volleyball and work up a nice sweat to counteract some stress. 

Early this morning their little girl woke up and was crying.  I woke up but just went back to sleep.  They are giving us a little practice with having our girls visit when they have families of their own.  It is not often that I get awakened in the middle of the night with some noise now that we only have one child at home and the others at college.  When I do it is usually when the college students are home and forget that time is different at home then it is at college where some stay up much of the night. 

I'm grateful I can be a help to this little family.  As I look back when we were young and starting our family I realize there were many folks that helped us out and I'm glad I can provide that help for others now.  So isn't it true -- that's what friends are for?  I realized long ago that there is very little you can do to help others that doesn't come back your way when in need. 

Warrior Dad

I found myself at work talking to a co-worker and my father came up in conversation.  My Dad has been dead for sixteen years.  He was a military man having spent 25+ years in the Army.

I told my co-worker that my Dad volunteered to serve in the Army during World War 2.  He was married and had two sons another had been born and died at birth.  Dad went to war and when he came back his wife felt he had changed so much that she wanted a divorce.  So they ended up divorced and his son's of course stayed with their Mom.  The older son remembered his Dad and kept in contact with him to some degree through the years.  The younger son didn't remember his Dad too much and relied on what his mother said about him and so didn't have any contact with Dad until my Mom invited him to come to my Dad's 70th birthday many years later and he came.  He said he probably wouldn't have come except his own son wanted to come to meet his grandfather for the first time. 

My Dad told me the story that he was so disgusted with the Army that when WWII was over and he got out of the military that he used his uniform to wipe his feet on on the back porch of the house.  Dad worked as an ice man providing ice for people's "ice box" after the war.  He went back into the military to go to the Korean conflict and then stayed in after that.  He met my Mom and married her with her three children.  Then they had me. 

When Vietnam came around Dad volunteered to go to war for the third time because he was a true believer in America.  At that point in his military career he didn't have to go but wanted to go.  I turned 8 while he was gone and in our religion that is a big time.  Because my Dad was gone my older brother baptized me a member of the church and Brother Lewis confirmed me.  (For those who might remember this is the Brother Lewis who lined up a second time to kiss my wife after we were married!) 

In years to come my Dad would talk about the war occasionally but was most comfortable talking to other veteran's.  Other than being polite he often didn't have deep or long conversations with other people.  When my Mom would have a party at the house (she loves people and having visitors) he would often spend most of the time in his room...unless there was a veteran there in which case he would get in a deep conversation about war and the military. 

When the first Gulf War happened and he was an elderly fellow and couldn't get around well but I remember him getting agitated and standing up and saying very animatedly that if they would take him he would go and fight that war too! 

My Mom always calls him a warrior and I would have to agree.  He felt very strongly about supporting the government's decisions in matters of war.  No complaining, second guessing but just ready to line up and do the hard work that had to be done because in his view that is what kept our country free.  Maybe he was right and the way we think now (soldiers purposely hurting themselves to get out of Afghanistan, killing themselves to keep from going, going AWOL to avoid it and generally not being willing to do the hard work needed in a war.) 

In comparison with my Dad it appears our country has lost something important in it's people as a whole and it may be that what we are missing today is something vital to maintain our freedom.  Where do we go from here?  Or maybe the better question, Where will we go from here.  How can our young men learn patriotic duty from fathers who themselves don't have the devotion needed in something bigger than themselves to sacrifice at war? 

Guru Daalatcooldudely

Lisa and I were emailing back and forth yesterday (this is what is taking the place of married couples actually talking together--sometimes we just email back and forth throughout the day and when we get home we feel like the other knows everything that has occurred that there isn't much to discuss).  As luck would have it I learned something interesting.  I learned that everyone is a Guru of something and if they think about it enough then they can figure out what they are a Guru off and then they must determine their Guru name. 

Now I don't claim to be an expert on Gurus but I did glance at the Internet and find out you can hire a Guru or drink a Guru (energy drink).  No I'm talking about an ability that each of us has that is so stupendous (or at least adequately so) to be labeled in the Guru category.  I wonder who may know what my Guru-ness is?  Any guesses. 

The title line tells you my Guru name--however I am unsure that will help you know my special 'ability'.  Ha!

So what is your Guru 'ability' and Guru name?  You might learn something about yourself while having a little fun here. 

(Note: this kind of reminds me of when we used to go on vacation as a family and would each have an assignment and we would call the person the ____ meister.  Meister means 'master' in German.  Drink meister, journal meister and so forth.  I guess I was the driving meister.)

Sunday, the day of rest

Now with three of our daughters away from home we try to keep in touch with them by phone calls on Sunday whenever possible.  Oh we still have an array of emails, texts, quick calls for recipes and so forth but the major communication we try to do on Sunday.  This Sunday we were successful in getting in touch with each of them.  So here is the rundown:

Jaime and Mike--still happily married, still enjoying wedding gifts.  Very pleased to have a treadmill so they can still exercise in the extremely low temperatures in Minnesota (a low of -25 this week).  The "light" gifts I gave them at Christmas are coming in handy (a big range from romantic to work related I might add).  They finished the Alias series--maybe now they move on to 24?  Mike received a calling as E.Q. instructor to go along with Jaime's calling of nursery worker.  Jaime missed her assignment to talk but was given another one in Feb.  Fluttering behind knees does not tickle.  Mike is all applied at BYU and they are looking forward to see what will happen there. 

Megan--still loving her Spanish speaking house.  Still embarrassed that she has multiple dates and now guys are lining up for 2nd dates.  Making plans for housing next fall with her sister.  One roommate trying to set her up with her brother.  Doing well with her homework and classes.  Starting work at the testing center this semester again.  Finding this semester the most challenging yet which gives her the opportunity to choose her social opportunities more wisely which she has so far been successful with. 

Hilary--received a promotion to Supervisor at her work.  She is enjoying her Kindle and discovered the book I surreptitiously put on there and has been reading it wondering where it came from.  She is working on plans for housing in the fall and work over the summer.  She is singing in the shower.  (See her blog here).  She is making plans for the Sacrament Bread in Feb. as part of her calling.   Likes to eat meat (I would like to see that blogged!).  This coming week her class goes to a private alternative school (I think!) to observe, which she is looking forward to. 

So you might be interested in Haleigh as well--Went to EFY express last weekend and enjoyed it--except for the dance where she refused several requests for a dance.  She loved the Jon Schmidt Concert -- "He played laying on his back upside down!"  And she was impressed with the presenter who served his mission in Bangkok Thailand.  She went to Wakefield Branch with me Sunday and was a trooper with lots of folks she didn't know.  Exams are coming this week and chances of snow interfering are diminishing! 

So it was a Good Sunday to hear how the girls are doing and to see them progress toward their goals.  I'm sure glad they are ours!