Daaaad!

It is true that sometimes Dad's do things to embarrass their children.  Dad''s sometimes do those things on purpose.  Mom's on the other hand tend to embarrass their children by accident most.  My Dad was not a world class embarrasser.  The most embarrassing thing I can think of about my Dad was that he didn't have much to say to my friends.  I read this article about a Dad who took it to new heights in embarrassing his son.  His son was a sophmore in High school and by luck [good or bad, you decide] the bus route was changed to go by their house last year.  Dad saw his chance and nearly every day last year waved to the school bus as it passed.  Well, he did it in a different costume everyday and indeed his son was embarrassed.  Click here to see the article.  Or if you prefer click here to go to the blog to see the various costumes that were documented. 

I am grateful for men like this who make my little antics seems small in comparison.  So maybe on second thought my kids might realize that they had a less embarrassing Dad after all. 

Here are a few of my favorites:

Peg leg pirate.

Dad's outdoor office.

scary clown

Mariachi band

Pochahontis

So, pretty much whatever embarrasing memories you have of your Dad when you were a kid, or maybe still.  Just be glad that he isn't an overachiever like this fellow. 

What I've been reading #4

One of the things that I love about reading is that you can "do" things that you would never have the opportunity to do, or the courage.  Well maybe if you are like me you wouldn't like to do them but you like to have the experience without the doing.  Here's what I have been reading: 

Winners Never Cheat by Jon Huntsman


This book by Jon Huntsman was really an enjoyable and quick read.  It's basic tennants are to be honest and do what you commit to do, whether in personal life or business.  He has lived his life this way and done some amazing things in the process.  Amazing in his buisiness by making lots of money from an existance that started off with less than most of us, but also amazing in his philanthropy.  He has made philanthropic commitments and kept them whether it be with paying his tithing at church or helping those that needed help.  One thing that especially amazed me was that when he made commitments to help charities when times were good he kept them even when the economy did poorly and he literally borrowed the money to keep his commitments.  Most of us would be unable to do that.  A bank would say we were crazy.  But his bankers, despite advising him otherwise, did loan him the money because of his excellent past of keeping his word and they were confident he would repay them.  A good read with some excellent points in the book. 

I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

This is a good YA story about two competing groups of aliens that are living among us earth folk.  The good guys (Lorien) look just like us, and the bad guys (Mogadorians) look like scary humans.  The Mogadorians previously destroyed the Lorien world forcing them to send their last few young protectors here to this world.  They were children and each one had an adult to raise them and teach them their heritage.  So when they are teenagers their super powers, called legacies, start to emerg.  A spell has aided the good guys such that they can only be killed in order.  The first three are already dead and now it is number four that the Mogadorians are hunting.  Number four goes from a regular teen to budding super guy within months and then has to fight the Mogadorians who have their own powers not to mention their killing beasties.  So you get a good exciting story with a sequel coming in a few months and I understand a movie on the way as well.  The story is enjoyable but the writing is not real smooth.  Hopefully the author will improve as he goes.  Oh, and one more thing, notice the authors name: he is a leader of the Loriens and is hidden on earth biding his time for the Lorien children to learn to use their powers. 

Heaven is for Real: a little boys astounding story of his trip to Heaven by Todd Burpo

This was a very enjoyable and quick read about a family whose father is a minister.  His son, when he was aged 4 came close to death and had a "near death experience" in which he visited heaven.  The details of this NDE didn't come out immediately and took a long period for the boy to tell about it to his parents.  This book is about that experience which is very interesting.  For the most part I found it in line with revealed information about the spirit world.  For me personally, the part that stuck out was that he met a little girl in heaven who claimed to be his sister and was there to meet him when he arrived.  He only knew his one sister that was alive and well.  When he asked his parents about her he found they had a miscarriage and that was apparently the sister.  Worth reading. 

Hooligan: A Mormon Boyhood  by Douglas Thayer

This is a very enjoyable book about a time about 20 years before I was born.  Douglas Thayer has written about his boyhood in a time and status that we would call poor with simple pleasures.  He talks about his growing up and learning all the little things that we learn, and all the questions that he had along the way.  His is a normal life, one with nothing extraordinary except that he tells it so well that it is fun to see how a boy in Provo Utah would grow up in that day.  It is told very straighforward and if you catch it, with a bit of humor.  I enjoyed this book thoroughly and expect just about anyone else would too. 

So there you are, another group of books that I've enjoyed and feel like that have added to me and not only entertained but taught me a few things as well. 

The results are in!

Who is that fellow with my daughter?

As some are aware this last week in our home has been busy and included a number of highlights including Megan's fiance, Josh, coming to meet the parents (us).  Part of that tradition in our family was that Josh had his official "interview" with me.  No application needed to be filled out but because he was vouched for by Megan we moved directly to the interview stage to see his preparation and readiness.

Mike with his prize: Jaime

Dane with his prize: Anny

 Josh was prepared by the two previous interviewees, Mike and Dane.  Although I wasn't privy to the conversations I suspect that they either gave condolences, teased him unmercifully or encouraged him in a manly way to buck up and take his medicine. 

Josh before the interview

One question had him thinking pretty hard.

I couldn't tell if this was a look of relief or disbelief when I ended the interview.
Maybe both.

Josh passed the interview! [This was announced in Priesthood opening exercises to the pleasure of all the Priesthood holders.]  He is officially on the fast track to marriagedom or marraigemania, take your pick.  He has passed one of the last hurdles to getting married.  Having already received the acceptance of Megan and now her father's recommendation, he now can move on to more mundane things like invitations, reception decisions and how to become all that he can be.

Josh's scores?

When all the interview scores were announced the looks were 'precious' you be the judge of what their feelings were

And naturally in the excitement of the victory...

Gender Identification

I am a father of four daughters and am inexperienced boys or young men.  Nevertheless I found myself in a situation with a thirteen year old boy on a 45 minute trip twice today. 

I imagined that we would be talking about things like what is important in his life, religion and so forth.  After some brief discussion of those type of things I quickly found him with his beloved android cell phone in his hand and his recounting how he got the phone and all the "apps" that his phone had.  His phone looked something like this:



So he started telling me about his apps.  Initially he decided that he would get his brownie points and showed me that he had the scriptures available on his phone.  Then he wanted me to know he had a GPS on his phone so we would be sure to get where we were going.  "You do know how to get there don't you" he asked?  Next he mentioned that he had a variety of apps that made loud noises including the "exploding phone" app and, "most annoying" he said and then played his emergency sounding apps.  He was proud of the noise app that only made noise when he tilted it so he could start and stop the noise at will.  Then he had the "cracked phone" app and the "sneezed on phone" app and then he had to show me the "fart app".  No joke, it made a variety of gastrointestinal noises.  I said, "I'm surprised your mother lets you have that app" and he said "my mother doesn't know about that one".

Due to my lack of time with young boys I had forgotten how much they enjoy a variety of sounds and the best I could think to say to him after he demonstrated all those apps was, "One day all those sounds will not be so enjoyable to you".  To which he laughed as if he couldn't imagine such a thing. 

So I realize as I write this that women do a great service to society.  Actually they do several but the one I'm thinking of right now is that because boys develope an interest in women they began to change their interests and elevate their likes and behaviors.  Consequently the world is a much better place.  Ladies, I thank you, and the world thanks you for your existence and service of civalizing the boys. 

Later I was talking to my married daughter and telling her about this experience.  She recalled an experience when she was a young girl and some friend's children were visiting.  The oldest was a boy and he was playing with a doll house that our girls had at the time.  He especially enjoyed the van that went along with it so the dolls could drive around. 



The young man was making screeching noises and crashing the van into things.  My daughter said that his play with their toys was so strange to she and her sisters that they all stopped what they were doing to watch his play.  "I had never even thought to play like that with our toys" was her comment. 
 
What would we men do without the civilizing effects of the ladies?