Dad, Tell Me About the Time (36)

Thursday, August 29, 2024

When did you know you wanted to get married?

This is a weird one because there wasn’t a moment that I knew I wanted to marry Lisa but rather, as we dated, we just started talking more and more about the family we would have. There was a point however when I decided that I should ask my Heavenly Father if Lisa was the right person for me to marry. I found a quiet and secluded spot, knelt in prayer, and asked my Father in Heaven if I was supposed to marry Lisa. The answer was a very powerful and warm feeling that overcame my entire body. I knew she was the one for me.

The funny thing is, that we both knew that the time was not right to get married right away and that we needed to wait at least another year. Lisa was still quite young and in high school and my family was having a hard time coming up to speed with me “robbing the cradle”, so we waited another year. My patriarchal blessing actually points out that we would have to wait to get married. The exact words are, “when the time is right, you and this young lady, you will know when the right one has come into your life, through your humble prayers and the promptings of the Holy Ghost…when the time comes for you, you will be married in the temple for time and for all eternity…”.

To try and help things, we decided that during that summer Lisa would go to Cardston and work in our families Steadmans store and I would stay in Edmonton and work at the City of Edmonton Police Department. I was their quarter master in the supply room.

Of course my family fell in love with Lisa and although they had their reservations, no one gave us any more grief. Well, Gaylia didn’t give us grief but she made sure that everyone else knew that she was dead set against us getting married and that our marriage wouldn’t last. Years later we found out that she actually told her young womens class that we wouldn’t make it. Well, forty three years later here we are. It was during this time period that I wrote my dandelion poem.

Dad, Tell Me About the Time (35)

Tuesday, August 27, 2024

Where did you go on your first date?

It is impossible to know when our first date was because Lisa and I started out as friends. We did a lot of stuff together which was easy because we were actually living together. I was living with Greg and Gaylia while going to school, paying them room and board and because Lisa was having a rough time at home with her mother, Greg and Gaylia invited her to stay with them for a while.

I remember we would go on shopping trips and I would invite her to the young adult activities and we spent a lot of time together. Two things happened that made it clear to me that our friendship was growing into something more than just a friendship.

The first thing happened at church. At that time, church was done in two separate one blocks. We would meet once in the morning and have an hour of Sunday School followed by an hour of Priesthood Meeting and Relief Society and then we’d come back in the afternoon for Sacrament Meeting. The Sacrament was passed in both Sunday School and again later in Sacrament Meeting. While the adults were having Sunday School, the younger kids, under twelve, were having Primary. They had an hour of sharing time together and then split to classes for another hour. The Primary would have their own little Sacrament in their sharing time.

The young adults were often asked to bless the sacrament in Primary so that the Priests could attend Sunday School. Lisa taught a primary class and one Sunday Dave Butler and I were blessing the Sacrament. He was checking out Lisa and commented to me how cute she was and maybe he should ask here out. Lisa was only sixteen and while I liked her a lot, I’d never thought of her as more than a friend. When Dave expressed an interest in her I was instantly jealous and I wondered why I couldn’t take her on a date.

The second thing happened at home. My bedroom was upstairs in Gregs house and Lisa’s bedroom was in the basement. I remember one time I was down in her bedroom and we were both just talking. The next thing I knew, Gaylia came storming into the room yelling and screaming and I realized that it was 3:00am. It was not long after that, that Lisa moved back home and I moved into an apartment with some friends. It was no longer appropriate for us to live in the same house.

In reality, Lisa and I had already been on several dates by the time we became an item, but I guess our first “official” date would have been during that first Christmas when she was at her Grandma Ashmeads in Lethbridge and I was in Cardston at home. I think that might have been our first trip skiing in Fernie. I don’t remember the exact date but it would have been Christmas 1979. It was that night that I first kissed her and she promptly responded by hitting me.

Dad, Tell Me About the Time (34)

Thursday, August 22, 2024

What is one word that describes your first kiss?

Scary

How did you and your spouse meet?

I returned from my mission late in August of 1979. I had been at home for one week in Cardston and then I was off to school in Edmonton. I had every intention of going back to BYU but my mom had applied for me to go to the U of A and I was already accepted but I had done nothing about BYU. My choice was to go to Edmonton or skip a semester and stay home. I chose the U of A for two reasons. I was anxious to move on with my life and my Patriarchal Blessing encouraged me to consider my parents advice when it came to my education. My mom wanted to me closer to home so I headed north.

Greg and his family lived in Edmonton and could use some extra money so I paid them room and board and moved into their house which I believe was on Carnarvan Court in North East Edmonton. They were in the Edmonton 5th ward and met in the Londonderry Middle School. I believe it was my first week at church that I was leaving church (the school) and ran across a young sixteen year old girl named Lisa Shaw. I don’t remember what we talked about but I thought she was beautiful and she was very outgoing and friendly. We introduced ourelves, talked for a few minutes and then I left. As far as I remember, that was the first time I saw the girl who would become my wife.

Ouch

Monday, August 19, 2024

A couple of months ago I pulled a tendon in my left knee. I decided to not run to give it a chance to heal but at one point it was feeling good enough that I thought I’d take a chance. Big mistake. I got about a mile out and it was killing me, so I limped back home with the sad realization that I just don’t heal as fast as I used to.

Last Friday I decided that while my knee is healing, I could ride my bike so I got up early and took my bike out for a spin. It was amazing and I’m wondering why I hadn’t done this sooner. I was heading down cardiac hill dreading the climb up the other side when I entered some loose gravel. On instinct I hit the brakes but in the spur of the moment I couldn’t remember which brake was the back brake. I grabbed the wrong brake. The instant I hit the brake my front tire locked up and slid to the left laying me in the gravel on the right.

My first thought was that I was glad no one was around to witness this and my second thought was that it hurt. There was blood all over my right leg but I didn’t want to deal with it there, so I dusted myself off and tried to ride up the hill on the other side. It was just too steep, so I walked.

I rode six wonderful miles and when I got home mom was getting ready to head out on a walk with Linda Bessey. She took a picture of my poor leg and headed out while I showered.

Once I had removed most of the dirt and grime I took a closer look at my knee. Most of it was just scrapes but there was a cut on my knee that was much deeper than I had realized. Because it was on my knee, I knew that it would open up every time I bent my knee so when Lisa got home, I asked if she could put a Steri-Strip on it. She dragged me off to emergency instead.

Nine stiches later we headed home and had a nice lunch on the way. They tell me I need to go back in ten days to get the stitches removed but if the knee is looking good, I think I will just remove them myself.

--------------------trivia--------------------

A 3,100 year old egyption mummy was found to have had sutures but it is believed that people were stitching up their wounds 30,000 years ago. 

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Dad, Tell Me About the Time (33)

Tuesday, August 20, 2024

How Old Were You When You Had Your First Real Girlfriend?

My first “real” girlfriend would probably have been Maurine Webster. She had been a friend since I moved to Cardston at seven years old but I had never thought of her as much more than a friend. After I returned from my first year at BYU in May and before leaving on my mission in August I started dating Maurine. She was going to wait for me and wrote to me regularly on my mission. She wrote every week for the first year and then the letters suddenly stopped. I got two or three letters during my second year.

When I returned from my mission, she had left a box on my back doorstep with every single thing that I had ever given her. I interpreted that to mean that things between us were over. I later found out that she might have meant that there are no commitments so why don’t we see where this goes. I’ve never been good with subtleties. By then Mom and I were a thing, and I never looked back.

Have you ever broken someone’s heart?

My first response was going to be no, but then I did remember a time when I guess I did break someone’s heart. In my first year after my mission, I attended Edmonton 5^th ward. That ward had a large group of young adults, probably fifteen or twenty of us. I believe I was the only student because we did not live close to the University, the rest of the young adults all worked. We all became very close friends.

There were two sisters in the ward from back east (I believe Ontario), one was named Daisy and the other was maybe Julie or something like that. I don’t remember. Daisy and her sister were moving back home and one day she pulled me to the side. She asked me how serious Lisa and I were and if either she or her sister had any chance with me if they were to stay. I had no idea, and I felt really bad telling her that I thought Lisa was the girl I wanted to marry. I think I broke her heart.

Share something embarrassing that happened to you on a date.

That would probably be most of my dates. It was embarrassing when mom hit me after our first kiss.

I guess the most embarrassing thing I can remember was after a date with Maurine. I had pretty bad acne as a teenager, and I guess I had picked a zit while on the date. As I hugged her goodnight and said goodnight I noticed a spot of blood on the collar of her pretty white shirt. Oops. I said nothing.

Anything special or unique you remember about your love life or relationships that you want to share?

Nothing unique about my love life. Until I met mom there was not much of a love life.

 

FALLING IN LOVE

Spouses Full Name                                      Lisa Gay Shaw

Spouses Birthdate & Birthplace                  July 5, 1963
                                                                     Edmonton, Alberta

Marriage Date                                              July 11, 1981 

Marriage Place                                             Cardston, Alberta

Dad, Tell Me About the Time…(32)

Thursday, June 6, 2024

Who was your first crush?

The first girl who ever caught my attention was Christine Hunter. I would have been about twelve years old, and I was sitting in my Sunday School class and this cute girl sat near me. I thought she was the most beautiful thing in the world. Even as awkward as I was, we became friends and eventually, a little bit more.

How old were you when you had your first crush?

I would have been about twelve.

What attracted her to you?

She was pretty, she was nice, and she was happy.

How old were you when you had your first kiss?

It was probably that same year or maybe the next year when I was thirteen that I first kissed Christine. I had kissed girls on the cheek just in fun but Christine was my first real kiss on the lips.

Who did you share your kiss with and where did it happen?

It was with Chrstine, and it was behind the big pine trees on the north east corner of the temple.

Did your family have dating rules?

I don’t remember being told any rules about dating, but it was always understood that I wouldn’t date until I was sixteen and it was always a rule that I couldn’t drive into Lethbridge without prior permission. It was never an issue though since I only went on about three dates before I went to college.

How old were you when you went on your first date? Who was it with, and what did you do?

My first date was the week I turned sixteen and it was with Debbie Jones. I don’t remember exactly, but I think we went to a movie.

Share one of your most memorable dates. Where did you go and with whom?

So, my life is kind of divided in half by my mission. Thinking back, it was like I was two different people.

My most memorable date before my mission was with Maurine Webster, it was the summer after my freshman year at BYU before I went on my mission. We went to her high school graduation dance but my most memorable date was one time when we drove to Lethbridge and went for dinner and a movie. As we were driving, I hit a cat on the highway. I remember looking in my rear-view mirror and seeing this cat flying a good fifteen feet into the air. She was crying and begged me to stop and help the cat. I just said, “it’s dead” and I drove on. I was so romantic.

After my mission I remember two wonderful dates with Lisa. I loved when I was able to take her to Waterton and show her all of my favorite haunts and another time, we went skiing in Fernie.

Dad, Tell Me About the Time…(31)

Friday, May 31, 2024

Share some stories of adventures you have had with your friends.

This would take a book. Wait, I wrote a book about adventures I had as a kid and most of those adventures included Rick, Tom, and Lester. I think I called it, “Stories from the life of Fred”.

WOULD YOU RATHER…

Always be late OR always be early?

I hate being late, I would rather always be early.

Movies OR Music?

While I love certain kinds of music, I rarely listen to it. I would rather read (or listen to) a good book. I also love a good movie.

Candy OR Cake?

I like cake (who doesn’t) but I actually prefer pie. I would take candy like a chocolate bar over cake but I would take cake over hard candy like Jolly Ranchers. My all time favorite go-to snack is peanuts and mixed nuts.

Unlimited tacos for life OR unlimited sushi?  Taco’s

Save money OR spend money?

That is a weird question, the only reason anyone saves money is so that he can spend it later. If having money later was not an issue then who wouldn’t prefer to spend money?

Set the table for dinner OR clean up after dinner?

Set the table.

Sleep in OR wake up early?

I’m not sure what early is, but on a normal morning I can’t sleep past eight and it is painful to wake up before six.

Have more time OR have more money?

What good is money if you don’t have time to do something with it? I want time to be with those I love and do things that I enjoy. Unfortunately, you need money to do some of my favorite things and we do need to eat and have a place to sleep.

Fiction OR Nonfiction?

Typically, I like fiction the best because if I take time to read, it is usually as an escape or diversion. My absolute favorite books however are nonfiction. I really love historical fiction.

Have World Peace OR Stop World Hunger?

World Peace.

I can’t imagine how we could have world peace unless the majority of the people get to the point that they love their neighbor. Once that happens, then I believe that every other problem will take care of itself. Besides, most hunger is related to internal conflicts and war.

Be an adult your whole life OR be a kid your whole life?

Adult; I like to understand the big picture and kids don’t have that. What would be fun is to be a kid with an adult mind.

Large crowd OR small group?

Small group

Brand new house OR brand new car?

House – duh

Hot Weather OR Cold Weather?

I always used to say cold weather because you can always put more clothes on, but you can only take so many clothes off. I’ve changed my mind. I hate putting clothes on so I will go with hot weather. Unless I have to work outside. I can lounge around in the heat, but I can’t do physical labor in the heat.

Be a dancer OR a singer?

Singer

Ocean OR Mountains?

Mountains – that’s a tough one

Cheeseburger OR fine dining?

That depends on my mood.

Watch a scary movie OR watch a comedy?

Comedy

Chocolate OR vanilla?

Vanilla

Read a book OR watch TV?

Usually, I would rather read a book, but I do like to watch TV as well.

Barefoot OR Shoes?

Barefoot

Talk OR text?

Talk

Be invisible OR read minds?

I always thought I would love to be invisible, but wouldn’t it be fascinating to be able to read minds? It could end up back firing though.

Rewind time OR pause time?

Rewind time

Shower OR bath?

Shower

Winter OR summer?

Summer (would anyone say winter?)

Rain OR sunshine?

Sunshine

Always lose OR never play?

I do always lose but I still love playing.

Salty OR sweet?

That’s a tough one, maybe salty.

Drive fast OR drive slow?

Fast

Spicy food OR not spicey food?

Spicey

Optimist OR pessimist?

Optimist

Live in the city OR live in the country?

Country but I love t

echnology and that can only be found in the city, so I live in the city.

Clean OR messy?

Clean, but not obsessively so.

Spontaneity OR planned?

Loosely planned. I don’t like a rigorous schedule, but I do like some idea of what is going to happen.

Cats OR dogs?

Cat

Time with others OR time alone?

Time alone, but there are a few people that I would like to hang out with forever.

Walking OR riding a bike?

This is my big dilemma right now. I just bought a bike, and I am very conflicted if I should go for a bike ride or go for a run.

Alex & James

Thursday, August 15, 2024

I flew back from Arizona on Monday morning (August 5) and Alex and James arrived that evening. Princess Lisa was flying to London to celebrate her dad’s birthday, and she took Adelaide, so he figured that he and James should also have some fun. Since he still has a bunch of paternity time he needs to use or lose it, they came to San Diego for ten days. It has been a great time. A great time but also a bit exhausting. I'm getting tired thinking about it.

I don’t even know if I can remember everything we did but let me give it a shot.

Tue Aug 6 - Legoland

Wed Aug 7 – recovery day, mom and Ben both arrived, I worked.

Thu Aug 8 - Everyone went to the beach while I tried to work.

Fri Aug 9 - My sod arrived in the morning, so I laid sod while everyone else went to the beach.

And the cousins got to know each other better.

Sat Aug 10 - Ben and his family went to Legoland while the rest of us hiked Annies’s slot canyon.

Sun Aug 11 - Ben and Sharley headed home but before he went Ben cooked me his famous guacamole toast for my birthday breakfast. It lived up to its reputation.

Mon Aug 12 - I woke up to an Apple Fritter for breakfast on my birthday. Alex got up early to buy it and he had a variety of donuts waiting for me (I shared).

I took the day off work and played, toured the Star of India and the other ships there, joined the Andrews on a beach party and ended the day at the Organ pavilion concert.

James LOVED the priate ship

Tue Aug 13 - Mom was feeling left out because of our boy’s trip to Legoland so she snagged some free tickets and her, James and Alex went back to Legoland.

Wed Aug 14 - I worked during the day while Mom, Alex and James went to the Zoo and then Wednesday night Alex went to visit Frank while Mom and I took James’s back to the zoo to see the nighttime wildlife.

Thu Aug 15 – Had a relaxed morning and then Alex headed home and I headed into work.

-------------------trivia--------------------

The latest estimates suggest that by 2050 the number of global deaths and births will be the same and the worlds population will start to decline. The global population will peak at a little under 9 billion people.

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A Weekend in Arizona

Monday, August 5, 2024

This summer Lisa has travelled a lot. It has all been to help other people, but I have spent most of this summer alone. Normally I am quite happy being alone, but I was really hoping to get a trip down the Salt River before the summer ended.

So, when Justin said that he was going to make a trip down the river for Dave, I jumped at the chance to join in on the fun. I took a late flight to Phoenix last Friday, spent the morning hanging with Mom and Kira (who is recovering quickly from her surgery) and then in the afternoon we headed down the river with the kids and with some friends of Stacy’s.

To make a wonderful weekend even better, we made a second nighttime trip with Ben. I don’t have any pictures of the nighttime trip, but it was amazing. With just Me, Ben and Justin, it was so peaceful and quiet. The river was packed on the first trip, but we didn’t see a single person on the river during the night trip.

Last summer the kids took me on a night trip for my birthday and one of the many things that made the trip great was that the Perseid meteor shower peaks every year on my birthday. They say you can see up to fifty meteors an hour at the peak. We saw a lot of meteors last year but this year we were too early. They said that we should be able to see a handful of meteors an hour, but there were a lot of clouds and even though we were outside the city there was still some light pollution from the city so we didn’t see any meteors. No problem, it was so much fun anyway.

On our day trip we saw a LOT of horses. We will normally see one group of horses and if we are lucky two, but this time we saw eight groups of horses and at least a hundred horses’ total. It was amazing.

For the first half of the trip, I was with Piper and her friend, and I paddled us right up to the horses, it was pretty cool. We were perhaps ten feet from them. The girls were torn between freaking out and being excited. For the second half of the trip, I was in the kayak with Evan, and it was the same thing. Evan would say, “maybe we should back up” so I would move closer.

With one group of horses we passed, one of the horses had his head under water as we passed, and he lifted his head just as we were at our closest. The horse was very startled and just about fell trying to get away from us. Evan was just as startled as the horse.

So, a river trip last August and another one this August looks like the start of a tradition. I told Ben and Justin that we need to make this an annual birthday tradition for me. They both agreed. Everyone needs to plan on joining us for a nighttime trip down the Salt River next August. So much fun. Thanks Justin and Ben.

Memories of Sarah

Saturday, July 20, 2024

Because Sarah was the baby, we didn’t get too much alone time because there was always so much going on in the house. That quickly changed when everyone left. That is when I really got to know my sweet little girl. Most of my memories of Sarah fall into three general categories. A running partner, a camping buddy and driving in the car.

I remember when Sarah first started cross country. I was shocked to learn that she would run three miles. I knew that it was possible to run three miles, but I didn’t think it was something normal high schoolers would do. It seemed so far to me.

When I got fat and realized that something in my life had to change, I think it was Sarah running cross country that helped me realize that maybe I could run too. Running with Sarah can be a challenge though. She isn’t incredibly fast, but she never stops. One of our favorite runs was to run from our house to the Torrey Pines beach and then jump in the water. We would then call mom and have her come and pick us up.

My style of running is to run until I can no longer ignore my brain telling me to take a break and then I will walk for a minute or two and then resume running. I can do that for twenty miles. Sarah’s brain works very differently than that.

She can run forever also but if she stops for anything, her brain says, “Oh good, we’re done” and refuses to start up again. We made compromises and enjoyed many runs to the beach.

Sarah and I both love to camp and we never missed a father daughter campout. I think we went on a few camps that weren’t father daughter campouts just because we enjoyed it so much. 

Another favorite memory of Sarah is when I worked in the temple. As soon as she got her driver’s license, she would drive to the temple every Thursday evening and have dinner with me in the cafeteria and then do baptisms. I loved it and looked forward to it every week.

I love my beautiful sweet little Sarah.

--------------------trivia--------------------

Planets have sounds. Jupiter sounds a bit like being underwater, Neptune sounds like ocean waves, and Saturn sounds like the background of a horror movie.

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Memories of Alex

Friday, July 19, 2024

Alex is another child who has very different interests than I do but his interests are so varied that we are able to overlap in many areas. Alex and I became very close as a toddler because he struggled with his emotions, and I was the only one who was able to calm him down. More often than not, I was only able to do that because I was so much bigger than him and I would physically restrain him until he calmed down. There may have been some corporal incentives added once in a while but since I always followed any corporal punishment with hugs and expressions of love, Alex learned at an early age just how much I loved him.

One of my favorite memories with Alex was at a scout camp at Camp Taquitz. It was his last year as a scout and while most boys his age would have dreaded having their father there, Alex was excited that I was coming. Camping and being outdoors is one activity that Alex and I share. We both love being outside and even to this day we both look for every opportunity to do that.

I loved watching Alex hang out with his friends and he took every opportunity to share his accomplishments with me. I don’t remember the details but at one point they had a talent show and Alex got the troop together and led them all in a skit that they later performed. I knew then that Alex would be a leader. I’m not surprised that his career has gone in that direction. He trains others how to succeed. It was amazing to spend a week with my boy and I will never forget that time together.

Another interest that Alex and I share is Star Trek. Alex recognized that we had little in common and he wanted to do things with me so he would sit down and watch Star Trek with me. It wasn’t something that he particularly enjoyed and probably wouldn’t have done on his own but he did it so he could be with me. I’m amazed that he figured that out at such a young age. It wasn’t long before he actually turned into a Trekkie and I love it. Even now we discuss all the new Star Trek series and their plot lines. I love it.

--------------------trivia--------------------

The name “LEGO” was created from taking the first two letters of the Danish words LEG GODT, meaning “play well“. Laid end to end, the number of LEGO bricks sold in a year would reach more than five times round the world.

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Memories of Alycia

Thursday, July 18, 2024

Alycia’s life and my life couldn’t be more different but at the same time we think almost exactly alike. She is outgoing and popular and always the brightest source of light in any room and I am happiest sticking to the shadows.

When we talk on the phone, she can talk for hours but she is so aware of my emotions that she can tell when I am ready to get off the phone. I don’t know why, but I can only talk on a phone for about twenty minutes but if we are in person I could talk all night.

If we’re on the phone, and we hit the twenty minute mark, she will say, “you’re about done aren’t you”.

Some of my favorite moments with Alycia were when I tucked her in at night. That is when she would want to talk, and we would talk about everything. She would talk about her friends and school, and we would even talk about boys and her goals in life. We would talk about religion and potential careers.

Tucking her into bed was something I always looked forward to and made time for.

Not much has changed even today, except that I have a twenty minute limit on the phone and I don’t see my children nearly enough. One of my favorite memories is when Alycia and I ran our first marathon. A bunch of us, Justin, Ben, Alycia, me, Sarah and Sam all decided to run the St George Marathon. I think it might have been the first marathon for all of us (maybe not Justin).

Alycia was living in Provo at the time and somehow, we were able to get together several times a month and every time we got together, we did a training run together. If we were in Provo, we would run ten miles down Provo canyon and that was perhaps my favorite run of all time. If she was in San Diego, we ran around mission bay. I remember one time we did a twenty mile run together around the bay. Our pace was nearly identical, so it worked for both of us.

When we ran the marathon, we started together and ended together and the only time we separated was once when she had to go pee in the bushes and then when I had to go poop in a porta potty.

Early in the race I set the pace, and she complained about keeping up and I kept encouraging her and then late in the race our roles reversed, she set the pace and encouraged me to keep up. It was a great day, and I can’t tell you how much I loved spending those five hours with my beautiful daughter.

Years later Alycia had decided that she was done with marathons, but she wanted to run a half marathon. I immediately jumped on board, and we were also able to get mom and Kira’s family to run as well.

In the end Justin and the boys bailed on us, but the rest of us all ran. Mom and the kids ran shorter runs but Alycia, Kira and I ran the half. What a great run that was. Alycia wasn’t able to train as she’d hoped (kids will do that to you) but she set a goal to run at least until we were out of the Snow Valley Park. I believe that would have been around seven or eight miles. She did great and ended up running until very close to the end. Even then I think she walked less than a mile and then ran the rest of the way.

Sadly, Kira and I ditched her because we had goals to not walk at all. That was another great day spending that time with two of my beautiful girls.

--------------------trivia--------------------

The human body can produce up to 2.5 liters of sweat per hour while running and each step you run involves you moving over 200 muscles

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Memories of Ben

Wednesday, July 17, 2024

Ben and I are so different that we didn’t find real common ground until he was in college. Don’t get me wrong, Ben and I were always close, and he was perhaps my least problematic child, but we had little common ground. He loves sports so much so that it dominated his life before his mission. I had no use for sports. The very first time I watched a football game was when Ben played his first game in high school. Meanwhile, I loved science, but when I talked science to Ben, his eyes would start to glaze over.

I had rental property in Pensacola, FL and in 2004, hurricane Ivan made a direct hit and my property suffered badly. Ben had a mission call for the spring of 2005 so for the month of January, Ben and I flew to Pensacola and fixed up the house.

While the work was not fun, working side by side with my son was one of the happiest times of my life. It was there that we found our common ground.

Ben and I love to build things. Whether it is building a garden, building a company or building a house, it doesn’t really matter, Ben loves to build it.

For nearly a month we would get up early, work until late, and then go out and eat a meal together and we talked the entire time. Our discussions mostly included girls, sports, music and his mission but I find those things interesting as well.

He was also very involved in the repairs we were making to the house offering lots of suggestions and ideas. Thank you, Ben, for turning what could have been a miserable month into one of my happiest memories.

--------------------trivia--------------------

Virtually all of the worlds drylands are shrinking and turning green due to the increase in atmospheric CO2.

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Memories of Brandon

Tuesday, July 16, 2024

While Brandon and I are very different people, I think he understands how I think better than just about anybody. I also understand how he thinks so we have been debating partners from the time he could speak. I’ve always told him that he can ask me anything and I will argue with him as long as he wants. Our discussions are some of my favorite memories.

Together we have solved pretty much all the world’s problems. We have also planned several ways that we could take over the world but that is a topic for another day.

One of my favorite memories with Brandon was when we went on stage together and presented my smoker at a Code Launch event.

Standing on that stage with my son by my side helping me to share my invention was a proud day for me.

Perhaps my favorite memory of Brandon is when he came to Jackies funeral with me. We met up in Salt Lake City and drove together to Blackfoot, Idaho. We talked the entire drive up there and we talked every minute we were alone and when we were with my siblings, I watched Brandon talk them.

It was enormous fun to watch him relate with my family and it was amazing to watch him set some of them in their place in such an unoffensive way that they weren’t sure what to think.

The best part of that weekend was when Brandon gave me a blessing. He said some special things about our family, I will never forget it. I talk about the blessing in greater detail in my journal entry on Dec 20, 2022. It was my sister’s funeral and it was sad, but at the same time it was wonderful to have an entire weekend alone with my son. I am so glad that he made the sacrifice to accompany me on what promised to be a long, sad and lonely trip.

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Studies show that meditation and mindfulness can induce "serious psychiatric problems such as depression, agitation, and even schizophrenic decompensation". I had to look up decompensation, I had no idea what that was. 

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