Work Buddy

One of my Christmas memories when I was little was when my Dad took some of us kids to work with him on Christmas Eve. It was so much fun to run amok throughout the office. There weren't a lot of people in the office that day, so we had free reign of the 9th floor. Playing in the break room, making hot cocoa, playing with my dads paper weights, playing with the photocopier, etc. My dad also saved the empty paper spools from his adding machine, (pre-PC days) and I would give them a second life by using them as building blocks, boats, cars or whatever. It was made up fun all the way.

That memory was long forgotten until I spent the day with Simon at my work. He was so excited about every little thing. He made it so much fun. I think that's what kids do best.

Simon helping the fellas get the rig ready.

Stay in school, young man!

Hair Apparent

It’s been interesting observing how hair plays by its own rules. I didn’t pack a razor when I went out of town last month. I noticed that some of the hairs in my chin were a shiny light blonde, nearly a whitish blonde. I though to myself that I’d better lose that scruff asap. The other day I saw those same color hairs on my forearms. My forearms!? How weird is that?

I have also noticed that some of my regular hair that used to be assigned to the crown of my head is growing out my nose, eyebrows and, get this, my ears! The eyebrow reassignment bothers Rachel more than I me. The nose hair is personally annoying, and the caterpillars crawling out from my ears are driving me nuts!!

So this is what growing old is like.

Turtle Power

As work goes we are scratching anything we can. It’s not like it used to be, we have to look hard and get real creative to keep going. We picked up a job waaaay out in the middle of nowhere on Highway 93 between Wickenburg and Kingman. Where is Wickenburg or Kingman? Exactly my point.

I have a crew who are filling between the rock, (rip rap as it is called), in the drain areas. The little path along the side is for desert tortoises. The environmental impact study of this road improvement project found that this new road would endanger the desert tortoise should one need to cross the highway. They assume the tortoises will be smart enough to see these little trails and cross under the highway instead of over it. Brilliant!

We are getting paid by the cubic yard of material placed, the animal paths will account for one third of our total volume. In rough numbers the state is paying us tens of thousands of dollars to build little trails for tortoises that no one is really sure if they will be used, or even if the tortoises regularly migrate from one side of the road to the other.

Undivided Attention

My crew and I have migrated to Bakersfield, Ca. With family so close it seemed appropriate that I should pay them a visit. As I was driving I was trying to think of the last time I was with just my mom and dad. Being number 8 of 10, and with in-laws and grandkids and life happening faster than expected, there is not a ton of personal time. I may be wrong, but I think the last time the three of us were together for longer that an hour was back in the eighties. So we were due.

I had a wonderful time. Sure it was not just the tree of us the whole time, Jeffery would pop in every once in a while, but I was very much relishing in the moment.

My parents are fun to be with. When I got there my Dad gave me some lunch options, peanut butter and jelly, mackerel sandwiches, or fresh local crab down at the wharf. I picked crab. He knows that I love shell fish and cannot even look upon such things in their unfresh condition back in AZ. So we had an enjoyable crab lunch with my Dad and both my Moms, Maureen and Ocean.

We got home in just enough time to take in The Big Game. This year Stanford had something more than pride to play for…but their ‘Luck’ ran out. Oh well, Dad still shard some old Stanford memories and it was still fun. Then what to good parents do? Watch another football game with their son. That’s right two games in the same day. I also had some classic Larry cuisine for dinner: Grilled salmon and Swiss cheese sandwiches and chili. My dad has three basic food groups: fish, cheese and chili. In my opinion it was just as good as the crab.

Sunday was beyond surreal; I got up and got dressed about an hour and a half before church. I looked at the clock and was not sure what to do with myself. I usually get ready early so I can get kids ready, set up chairs, do fast offerings, or something. I felt a little sad and useless. I did get some study time in, which made the time pass. After church I helped my Mom make dinner for the missionaries. After dinner then I packed up my things an headed back to work.

While I was driving back I as full of gratitude for such wonderful people I have for parents. I had an added measure of urgency to get back to my sweetheart and the kids that need me to pass on this love and affection and attention to.

Just a couple more days…

Score One More for the Golden State

I am in California this week getting a job started. I love California. Three generations before me farmed, cleared, and were raised in rural parts of this state. Some of those places like Whitter, Riverside, Fullerton and Escondido are not so rural anymore. However here in Hanford, Lemoore, and Selma it seems like time has not changed much in 50 or so years. I think it's cool. Not as cool as all the nice things I have back in Arizona, but cool.

Today I was reminded of one of the real jems of the Central Valley and the Central Coast. It is called Orchard Hardware Supply or OSH for short. When I used to work on the coast this was my store; if I needed it they had it. Much like the mandatory Tommy's stop whenever I'm in Southern California, when I happen upon an OSH I've gotta stop to take in the nostalgia and goodness of a well stocked 'ma and pa' hardware store. A trip to OSH makes you hate Home Depot. It is such a cool store. Hanford, Ca has one. The whole state of Arizona has none.

Long live OSH.

"It's 2am. Do you know where your butt is?"

"Meat Memoirs":

Last Saturday night after all the trick or treating was done and my little Mario Brothers, Link, and the cute little cat had come down from there sugar rush and fast asleep, the real party started for me. I even had a rubbed pork shoulder sitting in the fridge waiting for me to get this all nighter started.

What is the reason for such odd behavior? Well, I've taken up smoking. Smoking meats that is. I found a sale on pork butt that I couldn't pass up so I thought I'd give it a try. All of the things I read and saw on you tube said that it took 12-16 hours to smoke. It only made sense to start the night before so it would be ready about supper time.

So that's what I did. I got it started at 10pm. I stayed up with it making sure it stayed hot enough, monitoring the water bowl spraying the meat, adding hickory chips as needed, and getting it to a point where I could get some shut eye. I went to bed at midnight, but made a plan to check on it every 2 hrs through the night.

Everything seemed to work out through the night. In the morning I checked on it and it looked good! It started to get that good looking 'bark' or crust. I knew we were on track. I gave one more batch of hot coal and chips, flipped it, sprayed it and closed the lid for the last time.

I showered and got ready for church but I still smelled like smoke. It was fast Sunday and I decide to be bacon scented, what a dope.

After Church and fast offerings I pulled the pork out of the smoker wrapped it in foil and set it in the oven. after a few hours of 'resting' I chopped it and we broke our fast with it. It was more work than I thought, but it was tasty.




The bone came out clean, thats a good sign.


The pink ring around the edge is the smoke ring, I was pleased to see it that deep.


Let's eat!

Necessity Breeds Innovation

A couple of Halloweens ago, five or six, I had procrastinated carving pumpkins until the day of. Naturally I worked an hour or two longer that I had planned. I knew I was in trouble because I had 4 pumpkins with little faces drawn on them by four eager kids waiting for me. What to do? What to do? I rushed to the garage looking for an answer. I found it.

An old jig saw. Why not? I cuts straight, cuts curves and most importantly cuts FAST! I grabbed it and I have not looked back since.



I bought a new jig saw a few years back but I keep this old guy just for pumpkin carving.

Parenting Peril.... or Pearl

Saturday night Jake was on one. After having an afternoon and all evening with his friends, (sneaking in some girlfriend time he didn't think I knew about), he decided to throw a total tantrum when I asked him to get off the phone with his girlfriend and go to bed. I didn't react sharply with him. I told him to that we should take our conversation into my room and not in front of the kids. We talked for about an hour and a half about girls and proper relationships and all that kind of stuff. We cried a little and prayed a little. Even though he was still very frustrated and upset he managed to fall asleep on my floor and stayed there all night. I woke up at 5 the next morning to get things ready for church. After I got out of the shower I noticed that he had crawled into my bed, (the bed that was empty because Rachel was gone, remember?). I had an "awe schucks isn't he just so precious?" moment. So I let him sleep a little longer.

I continued gathering clothes and ironing and then I started waking kids up. I purposely woke up Jake last, but he didn't move. I came back a few minutes later and jostled him. He pulled the pillow over his head and mumbled, "I'm not going to church today."

"Beg your pardon?"

More directly and defiantly, "I'm NOT going to church today!"

Now, for the most part I'm a pretty even keeled guy. I have a loud voice and I may talk too much or speak out of turn, but I don't really get mad very often...hardly ever but I didn't have it in me to deal with this kind of behavior. I was ticked!

"No, you are wrong. I'm not dealing with this right now I don't have time for this and you better get dressed!"

He laid there motionless. So I grabbed him by the back of his shirt and his belt, picked him up and carried him to his room and tossed him to the ground. I was still ticked so I took my foot and gave him a shove to roll him over. then I stood over him and hollered, "There are two ways to motivate a mule, a carrot and a stick. I tried the carrot last night and now it's the stick. Get dressed right now or I will beat you!"

As I walked out of his room to tend to the other kids I was ashamed of my unrighteous dominion that I exercised against my son, but at the same time I was feeling like I delivered a pearl of wisdom that may become an instant classic and might need to be brought up in my eulogy.

I have since repented for my blow up and sought forgiveness from my son. Kids forgive easy, and I know that we'll both turn out alright one day.

And by the way, he got his church clothes on pretty quickly without any more discussion.

Man Day

Rachel is gone on a girls outing this weekend. I really like having her home and with me but I guess the gal has gotta get out sometime. I decided to take Thursday and Friday off and try to be the world's greatest dad but despite my efforts the kids and I were done the that charade by Thursday evening. Friday seemed to be pretty busy taking care of mom type stuff. I was out of control, the kids and all their commitments were running me! What is that about! Please!

When I woke up Saturday morning I decided to take control and seize this day. I made the kids breakfast and during breakfast I laid out the ground rules. The rules are simple: You do all the work that I have assigned you then you can do what you want. I left the two olders in charge with very stern counsel to have significant progress by the I returned home from Simon's game. Simon and I left. Simon lost his game, he played well so I took him to get a treat. When I returned I we pleased to see 'significant progress'. I sent Simon out to do his work. Then I proceeded to do the one task I would never get a chance to do under the Rachel Rules to a happy marriage. The one thing that I've wanted to do for some time, this would fulfill the only New Years resolution I made back in January, I set out to make Pastrami.

So for the second time ever I fired up the smoker, took my brined brisket rubbed all the right seasonings on it and let the miracle happen. As I reflect, the balance of my day was spent doing very manly things. I had a couple of football games on, I tinkered around the house doing simple chores like sweeping the back patio, fixing screen doors, oiling hinges...all just menial tasks that kept me close to the smoker and my games. Sure, I was still dad; I made the kids lunch, put band aids on their cuts, and ran them to their friends houses. But really it was kind of a guilty pleasure day for me.

Well, all the games are over. The pastrami is in the fridge cooling til morning. This wacky and surreal day is almost over. Admittedly, doing all the things I want to do is not as cool as I thought it would be. We just made a final sweep through the house to make sure it's not just clean but 'Mom clean' as we want everything to be just right for her return tomorrow. We sure miss her, I sure miss her.

My wife and kids are awesome. Saturday afternoon the ward music coordinator called in a bind needing a musical number for sacrament meeting. My idea was just to have Chip play a piece on the piano. This was the easiest and painless was to go. There would have been nothing wrong with except Rachel had another idea. Rachel lives so in tune with the spirit and so in touch with our kids that she knew what they could do and what would be good for them.

I will have to admit I was only overhearing the rehearsal from the other room where I was watching USC v. Notre Dame. Jakinstien was being a monotoned insubordinate pain, Chip would go back and forth between his assigned "If you could his to Kolob" and "My Name is Jonas" on the guitar, and Hannah was mostly sitting with the 'I'm dealing with ammatures' look on her face. I would opine from my seat in the other room how good it would be if Mom and Hannah would sing a duet, and after being rejected I could justifiably continue with my game because they didn't want my help anyway!

As the day went on the sounds from the front room became more harmonious. That evening we took the them down to the ward house so they could try it with the microphone from the pulpit. There was still some apprehension, but they sure had come far in a short time.

In the morning Jacob was beyond nervous. It is common for him to worry about things, but he had a double dose of nerves and anxiety. I told him to say a quick prayer, and he told me he already had, mom told him to already...of course she had.

Chip and Hannah deal with things more internally, so for an insensitive dad it is harder to tell what they are feeling but as the stood up from the pew to go up to the rostrum, they were showing signs of nerves. Then I got nervous. Nervous for what? They are where they are supposed to be doing what the need to be doing. They will not be judged on their performance, only their willingness and heart. Maybe I thought Chip might play another weezer song, I don't know.

They sounded beautiful. I will admit I was a little surprised, but I shouldn't have been. Rachel was not surprised, she takes her job as mother very seriously she knows that hard things bring great rewards. And she knows just how much she can ask of our children so they have opportunity to work and accomplish things that they didn't know they could. I'm so blessed.

Burn Baby, Burn

As long as I can remember I have had a fascination with fire. Growing up in suburban Southern California we didn't have much need for open fires, but when the chance was available I took it.

When I was 12 0r 13 it got worse. I can remember once I stayed the night at my best friends house and we scoured the house gathering up all the chemicals, cleaning and lubricating agents and went on trying to figure out which one would give us the best flame. Not too safe or smart, but fun for a boy. Then our family took a trip to Mexico, the land of fireworks. Can you say pyromania? Three months of paper route money plus some spending money from my dad all went up in a shower of sparks and exploded. What a rush. We returned to Mexico a few more times through my adolescence and I never grew tired of the fireworks.

Many years have passed and marriage, kids, career, callings, and the like seem to be more important than playing with fire. Maybe I'm more mature. Perhaps more wise, or like the Apostle Paul said, "I put away childish things". Maybe I could have believed that before a recent a stop in Evanston, Wyoming, but not anymore.

I thought it would a nice thing for a Dad to do to pick up a few fireworks for the kids for the fourth of July. As we exited I-80 there were three warehouse sized stores selling fireworks. Which one? PyroCity seemed like the one who's name suited me the best. As I walked in I got real giddy. The saying, A kid in a candy store comes to mind. Difference was I was not a kid and I was not playing with kid type funds. I could buy everything in that store if I wanted. I was numb with glee, I don't even think my feet were touching the ground! My kite 0f excitement was tethered to the spool of string that I call Rachel. She did indulge me; she was fine with me buying a heaping shopping cart full, but she had to stop me when I was considering trading the Excursion and all the kids for more. It was alot of fun.

The Fourth of July fireworks show is another story, but the giddy childlike anticipation was something I didn't know I still had it in me. I guess I'm glad I still do.

Two of my biggest fans, both nephews.

1/4 milestone

Last month I decided to swim again. I decided to swim a quarter mile every day, save Sundays. I kept to my goal except for the last day of the month. My month end total was 7 miles, I love swimming.

2,294

We just returned from our family summer vacation. We spent one week with the Hixon family and one week with the Poppletons. Lady luck was smiling on us as both 'reunions' were about 30 minutes apart from each other. From our home to our furthest destination was 1,602 miles round trip. When I pulled into the garage late last night/early this morning my trip meter read 2,294. I started going through my mind making an account for the 600+ miles. It was fun to think of the highways, byways, scenic routes, detours and whims along the way. It seemed like we were able to do all the things that we wanted to do and then some. It was a good two weeks. I am very thankful for the opportunity to do this kind of stuff, and spend time with all of my most favorite people.

Onward Chrisitan Solider

You know what I like about this? This guy is for real. I don't have any doubt he is buying what he is selling. It was refreshing to see this guy on my commute the other day. This was not just a tailgate message, he had these warnings on both sides of the truck and on the hood! What passion.

Three Strikes.

I am not a fan of movies. I don't like most T.V. shows either, but I'll save that for another day. Most people can, as Shakespeare put it, "suspend reality" long enough to enjoy stuff like that, but I just find myself frustrated with how dumb, or far fetched things on the screen seem to be. I am just not a fan of fake.

With the kids being out of school, Rachel and I are trying to find ways to entertain them. The other night we went to the video store to see what we could muster up...not much. Sure there were lots to choose from, but at the same time nothing to choose from. I had to suspend my own reality as Rachel would ask me if I'd like this or that movie. They all seemed bad, Yuck!

We combed to whole store and came home with three movies; The Tale of Despero, Mall Cop, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. I don't want to clutter this entry with lame details or commentary of movies that should have never been made so I will just say, they were terrible. In fairness, I fell asleep during The Tale of Despero. So maybe after the first twenty minutesthat one turns into a smash. Just after that same twenty minutes that seemed to lull me to sleep. Strike one! Mall Cop scored a zero. Strike two! The only good thing about the Benjamin Button movie was the fact that I got to sit on the couch and cuddle my sweetheart for three hours, but we didn't need a movie for that. Strike three, yer out!

The Mile Swim and the Heart of a Champion

My camp memoirs were long, so I pulled this out because it could stand alone.

"I love to swim. I always have. When I saw that there were two swimming activities offered at camp I could not pass them up. One was the Polar Bear Swim the other was the Mile Swim. First was a little hokey, it was more refreshing than cold, the latter was a pretty decent chore. I talked up the mile swim to my boys and actually got three of them to go with me. One of them was my son. The other two didn't strike me as swimmers. There are three days of mandatory conditioning. Starting at 1/8 mile and doubling each day until the full mile. So long as I was doing it, I knew that Chip was not going to give up. I felt like the other boys would lose interest after a day or two. I was wrong. Those boys stuck with it. On the day of the 1/2 mile swim, one of the boys admitted that he really wanted to do other things, but he had committed to this and he was going to stick with it. Citing the 50 mile hike the troop did last year he said, "I hiked fifty miles, I can swim one."

Friday was the day of reckoning, they all did it. It was not easy but they did it. There was one thing that made it easy for me, that was my swim buddy Chip. I was swimming at a steady pace and he stayed right with me. A few times he got a little behind, but with some quick recovery strokes, he was right back even with me. I wanted to tell him that he didn't have to keep up with me. After all, it was not a race we just needed to finish. But I knew that I couldn't stop swimming so I let him do what he thought was right. It took about 45 minutes to complete, it was tiring. I watched as he pulled his long skinny body out of the pool and totally exhausted he lay on the deck. I asked him how he felt and very quickly and confidently he said, "Good." He started to shake, so I got him his towel, that helped a little. I gave him some peanuts and a Gatorade and that helped. After a few minutes he was back to normal.

I was in awe as I witnessed one whose will exceeded his own physical abilities. I was so proud of him."

"Chip off the old block"

"The old block"

Scout Camp in Review.

I went up to Scout Camp this year. I had a great time. I have the best job in all of the church. I kept a little journal; I am going to transcribe it here on the blog.

Monday
10:45pm-
I have got to connect with these boys. I need to figure out how to extend myself so they trust me. Somehow I need to show them the love I have for them.

Tuesday
11:15pm-
I got up at 4:30 this morning. I have been walking up and down hills all over this camp trying to keep track of these boys. I figure I have walked over 4 miles today. I also swam an 1/8 mile in preparation for a mile swim. I am tired. Tomorrow seems looks like it will be about the same thing. My pockets are full of little scraps of trash, too tired to empty them. I’m going to bed.

Wednesday
8:30am-
I woke up at 4:45 to get ready for the polar bear swim and KP duty. (Our troop has to take a turn in the kitchen and ours was this morning’s breakfast.) Last night I pulled each boy aside and told them what I expected of them. They needed to stay awake after I left, wake up the other Dad, clean up camp, and be at the mess hall by 6am in full uniform.
So I left our campsite in the care of one of the dads who came up and the less motivated boys while I took the “go-get-ers” to the pool. Ten minutes to six one of the boys asked if me should go back to camp to check on the boys. I told him that they would be there and not to worry. (Worrying is my job, after all.). We waited. Then two minutes to six, I saw them coming, in full uniform, just like I had asked. Awesome.

Now, I made it back to camp and it looks outstanding. I am tickled at what a great job these boys did. Bless their hearts. I really believe they want to be responsible and accountable. They are awesome.

I prayed hard last night. It has been a while since I have, “poured out my whole heart” to the Lord. I prayed for my loved ones. Naturally I started with my sweet Rachel, then the kids. I prayed for my scouts, one by one. Then I prayed for the other leaders, and my daughters leaders, and on and on. I was so grateful for all of the good people in my life. Peace came over me and I realized that is how all my prayers should be. It was time to forget myself and get to work. It was very inspiring.

10:45pm-
Jim came back, what a relief. I don’t know about what he thinks, but I think we make a good team. Gosh, I like that guy. I had a few Mike Brady ‘pearls of wisdom’ moments with some of the boys today.

Story 1: During KP duty this morning, our Senior Patrol Leader was doing his best to look like he was doing work, but fooling no one but himself. I pulled him aside and explained that the best way to earn respect is to out work everyone, not out smart everyone. When you have their respect then you will have their ear, then when they believe you, you will have their heart. It seemed liked he listened.

Story 2: I talked three of the boys into doing the mile swim with me. We condition everyday, doubling the length until on Friday we swim one mile. Yesterday we swam 1/8 mile, today ¼ mile. Before the swim I told the boys what seemed hard yesterday will be easy today. After the swim one of the boys, my son Chip, came over to me and told me I was right. We talked for a bit about how with experience things that seem hard become easy. I told him that his mom and I have been through all of his hard tomorrows and we want to help and guide him through those tough tomorrows of his life. We talked about the Atonement, and how through Jesus all of the things that seem hard will be made easy.

Story 3: We went to the Order of the Arrow tap out ceremony this evening, it ended with a little hike led by the OA. We were not to talk, and were asked not to use our flashlights. After the Scout law hike we headed back up to our camp site. Our newest scout, still so xcited about everything asked if it was alright to use his flashlight. I told him that he could if he wanted. He was so excited. As we headed up the trail I noticed how bright the moon was so I turned my flashlight off and enjoyed the moon lit trail. I called ahead to the new scout, he stopped and let me catch up with him. I told him to turn off is flash light. He was reluctant, but still so new and trusting, he did as I aksed. I showed him how bright everything became when we loose the man made light and use the all encompassing light that the Lord provides for us. I told him that man cannot compete with God; man’s inventions are no match for God’s creations. Sometimes we think we can do it our way or on our own, but growth and truth come when we exercise faith, loose our little light and rely on the Lord’s light.

It was a good day.

Thursday
10:45pm- On the downhill now. The boys are finishing merit badges, we are trying to let them do all the things they want to do. They are getting a little testy and short with each other; they might be learning that from me. All in all, it was a good day. I an starting to excited about going home.

Friday
5:45am-No polar bear swim today. This gave me time to study and ponder, I wish I could make this a habit when I get home.

11:00pm- Great last day of Camp! All the boys got their merit badges complete. We completed the mile swim today. I was impressed with those boys’ determination. Most of all, my son for staying with me lap for lap. We spent some time hacky sacking and hanging out. At dinner it was our troops’ turn to be the honor guard and retire the colors. They did me proud showing such reverence and respect up there.

The highlight of the evening and the camp was what happened after dinner but before the closing ceremony. Let me explain.
Scoutmaster Jim is a detail guy and a good planner. (I, on the other hand, am a ‘big picture’ guy who procrastinates and shoots from the hip.) It was earlier that morning that Jim told me that there was going to be two hours between the dinner and the campfire. He was pretty bent out of shape because he didn’t have anything planned; he usually has two or three back up plans to boot! It didn’t get to anxious because 7 hours seem like an eternity away for a guy like me. So, I told him not to worry about it and I would think of something. He was still unsettled, so I reassured him that I would come up with something that we could do. A little later he lamented and said he cannot believe that he missed this two hour window. I told him everything would work out and to trust me. He has trusted me in the past, so he let himself trust me again.
As I was thinking of something to do I took a different path through camp and it went right by an obstacle course. There was a C.O.P.E.(Challenging Outdoor Personal Experience) course on the far end. Right then I knew what we were going to fill that window of time with. So we did the Steve Hixon unofficial C.O.P.E. course.
The real highlight was the trust fall. I was so glad to be a part of it. There were a few surprises that I neither could, nor have been happier about. One of our boys is very unsure of himself. He does not think anyone likes him. I told him that if he could not trust them, then just trust me. He did it and was so happy to be caught by the boys that he welled up with tears. The boys were so encouraging. We have another boy who is not too active in the troop, shy and a little bit pudgy. Much to my surprise he got up there and with very little hesitation did the fall. Yes! The apex for me was the reflection. Of course the boys brought up team work, unity, trust, and overcoming fear, but what made my whole week was to hear my son say, “For me it was like faith. Falling backwards into arms that you know is there but can’t see them is like having faith in Jesus Christ even thought we cannot see him.”
I have walked for miles all over this camp. My legs are sore. I have been getting very little sleep. Sleep that comes by way of an insect and critter infested tent on a piece of plywood. I used a week of vacation time away from my wife and other kids. I herded boys from one thing to the next, listening to, “But Brother Hixon why……?”, and all of that seems to be a small price to pay to hear something like that. I am so blessed to have thins opportunity with my boy.

Later I personally reflected upon my fall. After being caught by these little boys and as they were letting my feet to the ground I had put my arms around two these young men that I love as I caught my balance. I hope that in my life I was faith sufficient so when I fall for this life to the next I will be greeted with the open arms of my Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

Thank You, Ervin.

A few weeks ago I saw this commercial. It would be the worlds greatest understatement to say that this is only the greatest commercial ever made. Admittedly, the first time I saw it I got so excited I got goose bumps and welled up a little. Now I just goose bump and cheer when the ball falls through the net. So here is to the greatest basketball team ever. (I'm sure with all of the modern technologies one could do this a little less archaic, but not this one. I just filmed the TV screen.)

"Break Even's" Update

One of my dreams is to have my own restaurant. I'd work the grill, bark at the waitresses, chat with the customers, much like Mel on the TV show Alice. It's like a retirement dream. I don't think it would be fun if I depended on the income, so the food will be affordable and good. It will be called, "Break-Even Stephen's", and it's Menu will be a dry erase board that will change upon what I feel like whipping up that day. It will be a hoot.

Every so often I will play in the kitchen working on menu items. This weekend seemed to be a spare rib weekend. I do ribs about three times a year, the last time was a debacle: overcooked and over seasoned. The only thing I didn't over-do was love. They were a classic case of under loved and neglected meat. What a pity. Most of the time I eat what I cook and it is fine. Sometimes I taste it and I don't want anything else to do with it; Not because it's gross, it's just because I don't have a desire to eat it, it's a complicated emotion. It is rare when I feel like I make something really good. Monday's ribs were one of those rare times that I did good. I couldn't get enough of them. I was very pleased with them. They may be a regular menu item.

I rubbed them, stacked them, wrapped them and let them rest overnight.

After about 6 hours of braising I finished them on the grill.

Horay for me.

The Law of the Harvest

It goes a little something like this,

.

When you put very little effort in...

....you get very little tomatoes.

I am not ashamed of this, I am proud of the fact that this plant is not dead, yet. Me, this plant, and my green thumb are a work in progress. And progrees is never something to be ashamed of. By the way, I cut these tomatoes up last night and put them in our salad and they tasted great!

One man's trash is another man's treasure.

My wife is a bargain hunter. She is a wheeler and a dealer. She knows that somewhere there is a better deal to be had and is determined to find it. She is a garage sale enthusiast. Every Friday night her spidey senses heighten as the the little signs and fluorescent arrows begin to appear on lampposts and street signs. She has taught me alot, because I used to think that garage sales and second hand stores were a little creepy. I am okay with garage sales, but second hand stores, still not so much.

The turning point on garage sales for me was when Rachel decided to host one. I vehemently opposed it, I didn't want to turn my front yard into a flea market, but then I remembered that my opinion only counts when it is line with hers and we had that garage sale. As the morning wore on I noticed that my yard and garage were being cleaned out...cleaned out at no cost to me! As a matter of fact, the cleaners were leaving money behind. People came to my house, gave me cash, and took my junk! Fascinating!

Garage sales are one thing, but there is another phenomenon that takes place on a monthly basis that I have not figured out. It's called bulk trash day. The third week of the month our town provides a bulk trash service. Simply place any large unwanted items at the curb and the waste management bubs come around in the old fashioned trash trucks and dispose if it. Well, they dispose of what ever is left after the rummagers have picked through it. Most of my bulk trash never makes it to a landfill.

Yesterday we set out an old broken lawnmower, a computer monitor, a broken printer, a corner desk, and broken computer chair, two trash bags of palm frawns, and a rickety old armiore. When I got the armoire to the curb one of my neighbors hollered from the park across the street, "That one's mine!". Awakward but sure enough, this morning when I left for work all that was left in my pile was the monitor, the corner desk, and the two bags of palm frawns. UH-mazing!

Random Act of Kindness

There is a commercial on TV that shows kind acts being perpetuated until the kindness comes full circle, some insurance company I think. I felt like I was in that commercial this morning.

This morning as I was making my rounds I was stopped at a signal in the downtown area. I watched as a man in a wheel chair was crossing the street, he was going slower than the flow of pedestrians as they filled the cross walk until one man came up from behind him. This man was dressed in a suit, one hand on the cell phone up to his ear, attache case on the opposite shoulder. I watched him as he very seamlessly, and unassuming pinned his phone between his shoulder and ear and with two hands pushed the wheelchair all the way to the sidewalk. Before the man in the wheelchair could turn around, suit man headed south on the sidewalk and the wheel chaired man headed east. I was glad to have witnessed that. This very witted man, even while on the phone, saw an opportunity to help and did it. It didn't even look like the other man got a chance to thank him, or even saw him for that matter. Those are my kind of people. Amazing how such a simple act can mean so much. So, thank you kind man in blue suit on phone with attache case and cigarette in mouth, you made my day.

A Coins' Flip of a Chance.

Pathetically, I have another quarter story.

It has been a relief of sorts for the past few months knowing that my state quarter collections were complete. Out of habit I still check the backs of the shiny quarters I get, but in the same moment, I remember that the quest is complete and I grin and go about my day. All of that changed last week. I noticed that in the change I received at the market was a very shiny quarter. I flipped it over and I did not recognize the image obverse to George Washington. I used to be so cool about getting a new coin but I was caught off guard. What could be the meaning of this? Duke Ellington and the District of Columbia? Oh no you don't, U.S. Mint!!! There are no more states. I was done. I was the conqueror. I have turned the page, I have moved on. How could you U.S. Mint? How could you? I don't want to collect the U.S. territories. but I am doomed to do so.

Ode to Rachel

I've heard it said that rain on your birthday is the angels above longing for their friend. I know that my wife is a special gal but when I woke up this morning and saw the wet streets and a soft rainfall I stopped and reflected upon her and her eternal value to host of heaven.

I may sound boastful and hopefully not too cliche when I express the awe that I am in when I consider all that my wife is. She is a worker. She is always on the move. Rarely is any of her efforts self serving or indulgent. Her mind and heart are always in tune with the needs of others. One of her credos is "Make sure no one is left out." She lives it.

She is true. There is only one way to be true and that is being true in every way. She is true to herself. True to me, true to the kids, true to her friends, and of course true to the Lord. With any success I have had or success I may have in this life it will all pale in comparison to the fortune I have by having this woman in my life.

So as the angels above may be weeping this morning, I am full of joy because I have my sweet Rachel with me forever.

Lost are the Days of the Afternoon Paper Route

As I was getting into my truck this morning I saw the morning paper on the driveway. I don't know why we are getting the paper because we don't read it, but to keep from cluttering up my driveway I picked it up and side-armed it onto the porch. As I made that motion and watched that paper twirl around and around until it glided onto the porch I was flooded with memories of my days as a paperboy. Ah yes and now I will wax nostalgic...

I was 11 when I got a paper route. It was not an easy feat to even get a paper route, but I managed to talk my neighbor into giving me his route because his little brother didn't want it.

I learned alot from that job.

I learned that you have to work everyday; even in rain, even on weekends, and even on Christmas. Adding insult to injury, the weekend papers needed to be delivered by 7am and usually were filled with all the coupons and special adds so they were huge!

I learned that some people seem to exist only to complain. I took pride in my work so I didn't like it when people complained. Some of the typical complaints were: wet paper, valid if it was raining, but if your sprinklers are set to run in the afternoon and they overspray to your porch that's on you! late paper, it needed to be porched by 5:30pm. I never ran late, but I would receive this complaint from time to time, I dealt with it. The one that takes the cake was the complaint that the paper was not CENTERED on the porch. What? No one in the circulation department could take up for me here? That jerk got a paper on the roof the next day.

I learned the value of money. The paper cost $3.25 per month. When I would go collecting, about half the people treated me like I was the repo man! "Can you come back another time?" "Is it already that time again? I just paid you!" "My husband has the checkbook". In retrospect, I'd say if you cannot afford it, don't get it. And stop grinding on a little kid over 3 bucks. I will say this, with 40-50 customers, I felt like a millionaire when I was collecting. Then the paper would bill me and I'd end up with about 50 dollars. It may as well been a million dollars, I was the richest kid I knew!

I learned how to make a job fun. My best friend got a route, and we would deliver both routes together. He'd take one side of the street, I'd take the other. We would laugh and laugh practically the whole time. Sometimes we'd race, other times we'd mess around, but it was always fun.

I guess I'd like to think that I have some of those qualities still to this day, thanks to my paper route. It is a shame that there is not afternoon papers anymore, it would be a nice experience for my boys.

Mall Rats

On Monday Hannah turned 14. Rachel and I had planned on taking her out on the Saturday prior for a little birthday date. The bad news was Rachel got hit with a stomach bug that is going around. So despite her getting ready and telling herself she was not going to get sick, she got sick anyway. That left just Hannah and I for the date. Hannah was very let down. I am not what one would call a shopping enthusiast. I loath the whole shopping mall concept. However, her look of displeasure didn't get me down. I took that as a challenge to show that little girl the gosh darnedest best time she ever had, by golly!

Instead of going to the usual mall the kids loiter at, I thought I'd step it up and take her to the posh mall up in Scottsdale. What she was not aware of is that her Dad has spent alot of his work days building up that swank part of town and I know my way around. She showed a little grin as I weaved through the side streets of Old Town Scottsdale and with swiftness landed our vessel in the parking garage next to the Nordstorm. "Nordstrom? I like the way this is going." she quipped. I escorted my princess into the store telling her that she could get whatever she wanted. That put a little pep in her step. As she was flipping through dresses I casually and slightly effeminately pulled one out and pretended to look at it. In reality I was trying to get a glimpse of the price range of these dresses. $235 dollars? That must be a misprint. I pulled out another one, same misprint. I gasped so hard I nearly swallowed my tongue! Bless my little girl heart for being finicky. This bought me some time to think of a way out of this. "Okay, if you were not aware, the first rule of mall shopping is never buy on first glance. After you've found a few things from a few stores you can compare and contrast and make a rational decision." She agreed. What a relief. She finished her assessment of their $165 per sq. yard of fabric dress selection and we moved on.

a side note-I have a thing with mall shoppers. I know that I paint with real broad strokes but I think anyone over the age of twenty-three who mall shops must be dealing with some issues from their past. Let me say that going to a store in the mall and purchasing something and leaving is not the same as thirty-something gal walking around a mall in clothes that she thinks makes her look 20 years younger, laden with bags from every store she 'conquers', seems to the casual on-looker like someone has self-esteem issues or something. And from my perspective thirty-something guy doing the same thing probably got beat up alot when he was younger. So for me it's disheartening to see such a sorry bunch of people.

Okay--- we leave Nordstrom and now we are in the throws of this pretentious, superficial wasteland. I let Hannah lead the way. We go store to store..she is navigating this mall much like I navigated the side streets to get us there! Here were some of the stops along the way:

• Juicy Couture- I hesitated because I don't know what that name means. I naturally assume it's some sort of inappropriate innuendo. I sceptically walked through and I could not find anything other than the 'industry standard' immodest clothing that would suggest that this was some kind of kinky store. It seemed like a whimsical Gap store. Nothing of redeeming value.


• Abercrombie and Fitch- We passed. I felt sick just looking at this store. Ironic that a clothing store has mannequins who wear hardly any clothes. "Mr. Fitch, you could buy half as many mannequins if you fully dressed them with pants and shirts" What's worse is I think my kids have shirts from this place! How did they get them? The nearly naked posters in the windows should have deterred them right? Sheesh!


• Louis Vuitton- This was something else. This store sells luggage and sunglasses. Things you might need on a trip, I suppose. But wait, if I buy the bags and shades from Sweet Lou, I won't be able to afford to go anywhere. I won't even be able to pay for gas to get home from the mall. Good grief! The lanky, gaunt, pseudo-euro sales guy was the real highlight of that store. He and I knew without saying one word to each other that there was nothing either one of us had to say to the other. So there was no greeting, just simple glance of "Look pal, I don't want anything from you, and you're not getting anything from me." And that was that.


• Charlotte Rouse- A-HA! This is where the kids go to get their ratty looking clothes. It looked like a store full of Goodwill cast offs! All the teeny boppers in there were slovenly dressed. It felt like a teen homeless convention. Surprisingly, no good dresses in there.


• Rosetta Stone-"Hey Hannah, let's learn Mandarin!" She grinned, but kept on walking.


• Bath and Body Works- Hey, my nose works too. And, drum roll please, Hannah found something she wanted! I was so excited I broke my own first rule of mall shopping and bought it right then and there. A bottle of perfume. Sweet.


• Williams & Sonoma- Hannah indulged me and let me peruse this gem of a store. It ranks up there with Brookstone.


• See's Candies- We both agreed that we could find something we like in there, and we did.

After See's we were both done with the mall. Even though I have a sour outlook on the whole mall scene. I sure was glad that I was with my girl, talking, getting her to laugh, and realizing that my days of her being just mine are going to be up sooner than I want. I was so grateful for her goodness and her sweetness. I am so blessed to have her in my life.

Things Change

Over the years I have not had much success finding good help with want ads. I have become so jaded by it that I just have to accept that people don't want to labor for a living, and the men that I have are all I am going to get. I needed to just accept it. It was pretty ridiculous; I would run an ad that looked a little like this, (tiny bit of exaggeration was added for effect), "Dirt Contractor seeks someone with a pulse that can hold up a hard hat and shovel, who can work but will not be forced to do so. Name your price, will provide transportation, bonuses, a free house, flexible hours. Please, we beg you" The response was very underwhelming...maybe a dozen replies. Of the two or three I'd hire one might last longer than a week.

I know that alot has changed over the past year, but I still have needs to fill. I wanted to run an ad, but didn't want to attract all the derelicts and rifraff so the ad simply read, "HARD MANUAL LABOR". Monday morning there was a crowd of people waiting for the office to open. By Wednesday I received over 400 applications. All of the derelicts still showed up, but there seems to be a higher quality of bub to choose from now. This is a new experience for me.

This is the guy I want to hire----me 10 years ago. I was the man.

Turning Over a New Leaf

(pun in title intended) Now that Spring is in the air, we are trying to spiffy up our yards and enjoy them a little more. While walking through Costco the other night they were selling tomato plants. I picked one up and thought I try to make it not die. I am not a horticulturist by any means. I have never grown anything of value. I cannot even figure out how to program my sprinklers, but I am going to try to give this a go. Show me some sweet Heartland Tomatoes!

this is what I've got.....

...and this is what I want to get.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I have lived in Phoenix for almost nine years. Over the years I have learned alot about this place. Some of my perceptions have been affirmed; it is blasted HOT from June through September, (October and May are not always lovely either). I don't care what anyone says, I have not 'got used to it' and I don't think I ever will. I don't see the beauty of the desert, or desert landscape. And a day at the lake does not compare to a day at the beach. There are other things that I have found that are wonderful; there is alot of good camping when you climb out of the desert. People are generally easy going. And the real diamond in the rough is what is happening right now.

March is an annual rejuvenation for me. I get a few weeks where I am taken back to some fond childhood feelings and also taken forward to the afterlife. It's a little wild I know, but it's is absolute bliss you see because March is when the orange trees blossom. In the evening and early mornings the air is so aromatic that I will get light-headed by inhaling so much! I don't have a specific moment in my childhood but I know the town I grew up in had its share of citrus and just a whiff brings me back those carefree days. I also believe heaven is scented with orange blossoms. How could it not be? It is the most heavenly scent created. I don't usually wear flowers, but this time of year I will pick a blossom or two and pin it, or paper clip it, to my collar. Its euphoric, it's my own paradise, and it's Nirvana all in one little white blossom . I love it.

Reflection time

This week the normal day to day routine has been turned on its ear. Rachel has been out of commission recovering from surgery on Tuesday and that left a huge void in our family. Before the week started I had it all figured out, I knew that I could handle all the household tasks. I had a semi-specialized job that was starting on Tuesday night that would require me to be out with the crew for a few hours at night, but that's okay, that helps me justify taking some personal time during the day to get the kids off to school and look after Cal. Things seemed like they were going to be simple.

Things I have learned from my simple plan:

1. Things are not so simple.


2. My kids love their mom. Leading up to this event a few of the kids have expressed their concern what was going to happen to their mom. I thought that we could take time at family night to explain a little bit what was going to happen. They were all very attentive, rare. Tuesday night I took the kids to the hospital to see mom, we were all so excited to see her and it was nice, but inevitably we had to go back home and that brought alot of tears, and swollen hearts. As the kids and I were driving home, three of them crying for mom, I was overwhelmed with gratitude for such a good mom for my kids to love.


3. Three hours of sleep is not alot. I'm a wreck. I thought that my night job was going to make my days easy. How could I be so stupid? How could I have existed on earth for my whole life and have such an illogical thought? I still have jobs going on during the day, AND I have kids, a house, and a wife that needs special care. It's like four full time jobs. No time for sleep.


4. I have good kids. So with the whole 'full plate' thing I've got going on, and the no sleep thingy, the kids are getting the shaft. One night, I cannot remember which one, I freaked out at the older kids about milk rings that I scrubbed off the table from breakfast. I was way out of line and I did apologize later. The following day I was picking up Hannah from school. I pulled up and as she was walking to the car I looked at all the other school kids and in comparison, she glowed. She is such a good girl, I felt bad again about getting after them, and if my only complaint I have about my kids is they don't wipe up residual milk after every meal, or leave their backpacks on the floor I should be thankful. I am thankful.


5. After one day without a shower one of two things happens; either my nose adapts to the smell or the smell just goes away. It makes me wonder if body odor is our own smell mixed with the cleaning agents and toiletries we use.


6. If I leave a little clutter and go to bed or to work, it is there when I return to it. What happened to the clutter fairy? Oh right she's in bed recovering. Where is the dish fairy? Healing. I could not look away any longer, I had to do some cleaning.


7. My wife is a remarkable person. I have always known this. I'm not one of those jerks who lives a centristic ungrateful life, I try to see and count my blessings everyday. I guess what I have learned to be the most grateful for is the special relationship Rachel has with each on of our children. I believe she works at those relationships just like ours. I can make to do lists of chores and errands, and I will go down the list just fine. I am a provider, I'll get the job done. The un-fillable void is the nurturing. I cannot cross that chasm to the kids, I don't know how. She fills that emotional need for them...for all of us. What a gift. What a special woman.

I hate these things.

Six names I go by:
Stephen
Steve
Daddy
Brother Hixon
Beaver
Steve-o. I get a kick out of this one, but if I pay attention, I get called this more than anything else.

Three Things I am wearing right now:
(I wear the same thing everyday, this is so lame)
Shirt
Jeans
Boots

Two things I want very badly:
I want my guys to get their work done without any more grief.
Cannot think of anything more right now


Three favorite things I did last night:
(These questions feel very teeney bopperish)
1. Dinner with the family
2. Scouts
3. Played ball

Four things you ate today:
1. toast
2. glass of cranberry cocktail
3. ham sandwich
4. clif bar.

Two people I last talked to on the phone:
1. Eric
2. Daniel

Six things I will do tomorrow:
(this is lame)
1. Wake up
2. eat breakfast
3. get dressed
4. go to work
5. blow off a 10:00 meeting because I know I will be too busy.
6. after work go to round table

Three Favorite Beverages:
1. water
2. lemonade
3. cranberry cocktail

Five things I am grateful for:
1. life
2. my wife
3. all the things I believe in and stand for. (I'm not in a sappy enough mood to elaborate)
4. my family
5. my job

I tag Tom and Verle.

Sports are a funny thing.

I have been a sports fan my whole life. When I was younger, I'll guess about 8-16 years old I was a die hard Sportsmachine(pre-cable TV) and Sportscenter(post cable TV) follower, checking scores in church, box score reading, jersey wearing fanatic. I guess over the years I have been more of a casual fan, I still take in my share of games and I can still hold my own if I fall into a conversation with the fantasy geeks, but last night I realized what was missing.

I guess it's been building up for about six months, about when Simon started playing football. Slow and steadily he became a football fan. He cannot get enough of it. I love throwing the ball around with him after work, I absolutely loved him coming in and sitting with me to watch the Saturday afternoon College game, (Rachel is fine with me watching sports with my boys, but me by myself, not so much). Naturally he started liking the pro game. NFL games are harder to catch, so his involvement was vicarious through his best buddy Parker. As fate would have it the Cardinals had their historically successful season this year, and Simon was on board. He and Parker would play outside for hours, Parker was Kurt Warner and Simon was Larry Fitzgerald.

A deadly tandem to be sure.

I would watch these two boys play and I'd slip away to the Fabulous Forum in Inglewood California receiving a no look pass from Magic Johnson, (a ricochet off the garage door), catching and shooting at the buzzer to win game seven of the NBA finals. Or to the summer when the Angels needed me to play shortstop, only because I wouldn't dream of taking Rod Carew, Bobby Grich or Doug DeCinces position in the infield, I played center field for the Dodgers after Kenny Landreaux left, I had some monster homers OVER the pavilions! ...It's just a blissful, wonderful time to dream, and dream big.

However all of this came to an apex last night. We had just finished with family prayer and the boys wanted to 'check on the game', so I told Simon he could turn it on and watch whatever was left of it. We were all shocked to see the Cardinals had a lead LATE in the fourth quarter. There was a lot of giddiness on the part of the kids, and disbelief for us parents. Well, it ended rather abruptly for all of us when the Steelers took the lead, except Simon. He knew that the Cards could win, they won that game about a thousand times out in our front yard. He kept repeating "Throw it to Fitzgerald, he'll catch it!" Time ran out. It didn't happen.

As the insensitive dumkof that I am, I gave the,"Well that's the breaks! Exciting anyway. Now go to bed kids". This was the only consoling thing my callous heart could come up with. A little while later Rachel was checking on the kids. She came back she told me that Simon was balling his eyes out. He couldn't believe that they didn't win. He innocently said, "John Madden doesn't know what he's talking about! Kurt Warner didn't fumble that ball! He just needed one more chance!"

My heart sank for a second, and then my eyes welled up. Not because I was sad, I was happy that my boy has that much heart and I had this weird culmination of feelings that I had forgotten existed about how your heart can be connected with a sport, and a team, and a player. Amazing! Sports, in this case, football found my heart again, it took my nine year old son to do it, but none the less, it got to my heart.

.

My Little Larry Fitzgerald.

"C" is for confident

Last month Chip had his bike stolen. He left it in the bike rack at school over the weekend, (ill advised move), and it was gone by Monday morning. He was upset, but not nearly as upset as his mother and I who had just finished buying his birthday and Christmas presents, (His Birthday is nine days before Christmas.) Now what ? We are going to have to buy him another bike? We didn't. Hannah and Jake both have bikes that they hardly use and we told him that he would have to use one of those. He was fine with that, and so were we. A couple of days later at dinner Chip shared with us that a friend at school knew who stole his bike. It was a seventh grader who lived in the neighborhood next to ours. I was anxious to go get it but he said he didn't know which house it was. He told me he would get it the following day. I didn't like the idea of him going without 'protection' so I told Jake, Captain Machismo, that he needed to escort his little brother. (Seriously, what kind of sick, twisted, deranged, evil, little kid steals bikes? Chip cannot go alone right?) Jake gave a comforting "I'll kill that little punk!", he is such a tough talker.

The next evening as I pulled into the drive I saw Chip's bike on the porch. I hurried inside to get the details. Jake was sitting on the couch and I asked him how it went down. He told me he had just arrived home and didn't know anything about it. What?! I gave him the green light to kill, how could he pass that up? I hollered up to Chip and he very nonchalantly came down the stairs. For some strange reason there were no cuts, torn clothing, or black eyes. I asked him how he got his bike back. He simply said, "Hayden, (his friend), showed me which house was his. I knocked on the door, the kid answered, I asked him to give me my bike back. He closed the door, opened his garage door, and rolled my bike out. I took it and rode it home."

Simple right? Well, simple for Chip. I saw again how confident this boy is. He believes he can do anything. He doesn't not concern himself with critics or naysayers. He believes in himself. I am so glad for that .

my boy

It brings a smile to my face, everytime.

I am huge fan of the mullet. I have never had one, I have never wanted one. I don't think anyone shares the same affinity that I have for them, but there is something indescribable about them. When mullets were more mainstream, like 1987, I loathed them. I couldn't figure out what the deal was. Two decades and a million nicknames have passed and it is still an eye catching hair style. I feel like we are living in an era of mullet liberation because recently I have seen some of the finest pieces of hair that I have ever seen. It's like the mullet militia is on the rise. I love it. A good mullet captivates me, I have followed a guy around a home depot just to watch other people see this guy and his huge lions mane sans the sides. And at the school play I stopped taking pictures of my son so I could take pictures of the army cut on top and Louis XIV curls down the shoulders. I don't know what it is but I love it.

Long live the Mullet.