10 years ago
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
Root For Me!
My sister gave me a basket of root beer for my birthday this year. It was fun to try all the different varieties. I thought I'd do the service of giving formal reviews of each one but decided against it for a couple of reasons: 1) seemed pretty boring 2) seemed like the effort/reward scale was tipped all the way to the effort side. 3) I don't have enough root beer adjectives. smooth, sweet, uhhh...caramel-y, vanilla-y?. Instead I decided to rate them in order of good to bad. The last three I could not even finish.
Fun present, thank you Sara.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Heartwarmer in the dead of winter
My Bishop shared this story last night at New Beginnnings. It was so good I wanted to put in my little life scroll.
PORTLAND, Ore. - With two runners on base and a strike against her, Sara Tucholsky of Western Oregon University uncorked her best swing and did something she had never done, in high school or college. Her first home run cleared the center-field fence.
But it appeared to be the shortest of dreams come true when she missed first base, started back to tag it and collapsed with a knee injury.
She crawled back to first but could do no more. The first-base coach said she would be called out if her teammates tried to help her. Or, the umpire said, a pinch runner could be called in, and the homer would count as a single.
Then, members of the Central Washington University softball team stunned spectators by carrying Tucholsky around the bases Saturday so the three-run homer would count — an act that contributed to their own elimination from the playoffs.
Central Washington first baseman Mallory Holtman, the career home run leader in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, asked the umpire if she and her teammates could help Tucholsky.
The umpire said there was no rule against it.
So Holtman and shortstop Liz Wallace put their arms under Tucholsky’s legs, and she put her arms over their shoulders. The three headed around the base paths, stopping to let Tucholsky touch each base with her good leg.
“The only thing I remember is that Mallory asked me which leg was the one that hurt,” Tucholsky said. “I told her it was my right leg and she said, ‘OK, we’re going to drop you down gently and you need to touch it with your left leg,’ and I said ‘OK, thank you very much.”’
“She said, ‘You deserve it, you hit it over the fence,’ and we all kind of just laughed.”
“We started laughing when we touched second base,” Holtman said. “I said, ’I wonder what this must look like to other people.”’
“We didn’t know that she was a senior or that this was her first home run,” Wallace said Wednesday. “That makes the story more touching than it was. We just wanted to help her.”
Holtman said she and Wallace weren’t thinking about the playoff spot, and didn’t consider the gesture something others wouldn’t do.
As for Tucholsky, the 5-foot-2 right fielder was focused on her pain.
“I really didn’t say too much. I was trying to breathe,” she told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Wednesday.
“I didn’t realize what was going on until I had time to sit down and let the pain relax a little bit,” she said. “Then I realized the extent of what I actually did.”
“I hope I would do the same for her in the same situation,” Tucholsky added.
As the trio reached home plate, Tucholsky said, the entire Western Oregon team was in tears.
Central Washington coach Gary Frederick, a 14-year coaching veteran, called the act of sportsmanship “unbelievable.”
For Western Oregon coach Pam Knox, the gesture resolved the dilemma Tucholsky’s injury presented.
“She was going to kill me if we sub and take (the home run) away. But at the same time I was concerned for her. I didn’t know what to do,” Knox said.
Tucholsky’s injury is a possible torn ligament that will sideline her for the rest of the season, and she plans to graduate in the spring with a degree in business. Her home run sent Western Oregon to a 4-2 victory, ending Central Washington’s chances of winning the conference and advancing to the playoffs.
“In the end, it is not about winning and losing so much,” Holtman said. “It was about this girl. She hit it over the fence and was in pain, and she deserved a home run.”
PORTLAND, Ore. - With two runners on base and a strike against her, Sara Tucholsky of Western Oregon University uncorked her best swing and did something she had never done, in high school or college. Her first home run cleared the center-field fence.
But it appeared to be the shortest of dreams come true when she missed first base, started back to tag it and collapsed with a knee injury.
She crawled back to first but could do no more. The first-base coach said she would be called out if her teammates tried to help her. Or, the umpire said, a pinch runner could be called in, and the homer would count as a single.
Then, members of the Central Washington University softball team stunned spectators by carrying Tucholsky around the bases Saturday so the three-run homer would count — an act that contributed to their own elimination from the playoffs.
Central Washington first baseman Mallory Holtman, the career home run leader in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, asked the umpire if she and her teammates could help Tucholsky.
The umpire said there was no rule against it.
So Holtman and shortstop Liz Wallace put their arms under Tucholsky’s legs, and she put her arms over their shoulders. The three headed around the base paths, stopping to let Tucholsky touch each base with her good leg.
“The only thing I remember is that Mallory asked me which leg was the one that hurt,” Tucholsky said. “I told her it was my right leg and she said, ‘OK, we’re going to drop you down gently and you need to touch it with your left leg,’ and I said ‘OK, thank you very much.”’
“She said, ‘You deserve it, you hit it over the fence,’ and we all kind of just laughed.”
“We started laughing when we touched second base,” Holtman said. “I said, ’I wonder what this must look like to other people.”’
“We didn’t know that she was a senior or that this was her first home run,” Wallace said Wednesday. “That makes the story more touching than it was. We just wanted to help her.”
Holtman said she and Wallace weren’t thinking about the playoff spot, and didn’t consider the gesture something others wouldn’t do.
As for Tucholsky, the 5-foot-2 right fielder was focused on her pain.
“I really didn’t say too much. I was trying to breathe,” she told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Wednesday.
“I didn’t realize what was going on until I had time to sit down and let the pain relax a little bit,” she said. “Then I realized the extent of what I actually did.”
“I hope I would do the same for her in the same situation,” Tucholsky added.
As the trio reached home plate, Tucholsky said, the entire Western Oregon team was in tears.
Central Washington coach Gary Frederick, a 14-year coaching veteran, called the act of sportsmanship “unbelievable.”
For Western Oregon coach Pam Knox, the gesture resolved the dilemma Tucholsky’s injury presented.
“She was going to kill me if we sub and take (the home run) away. But at the same time I was concerned for her. I didn’t know what to do,” Knox said.
Tucholsky’s injury is a possible torn ligament that will sideline her for the rest of the season, and she plans to graduate in the spring with a degree in business. Her home run sent Western Oregon to a 4-2 victory, ending Central Washington’s chances of winning the conference and advancing to the playoffs.
“In the end, it is not about winning and losing so much,” Holtman said. “It was about this girl. She hit it over the fence and was in pain, and she deserved a home run.”
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Kids and Trees
A few years ago President Hinckley used a tree in an analogy for raising children. I loved how he talked about using wires and stakes to keep it straight and true as nature acted against it. And how it needed the support until it was strong enough to withstand the winds and rain on its own.
I am not an arborist but I am a homeowner. I have dozens of trees trees in my yard and around my house. As our house is only six years old and the trees were put in at that time, they aren't very old. I have a desert willow in the front yard that I have given more attention to than the others. The landscapers planted it in the wrong place. At that time it's trunk was only about 2 inches in diameter and it's small roots easily fit into a wheel barrow so I moved it myself. I gave it extra support, just like the prophet had said and made sure it was getting plenty of water. Much to my amazement and satisfaction the tree began to grow and flourish there!
About a year of nurturing passed and the tree was doing well. Then during monsoon season a storm blew in. The combination of rain saturated ground and high winds blew my little tree over. How could this happen? I did everything I thought I was supposed to do for the tree, and it still fell down. After the storm passed I decided to get that tree upright again.
As I was standing the tree up I noticed the root system was much the same as when I moved it originally but the trunk and branches were nearly double the size. "Well there's your problem" I thought to myself. But what is the solution? Bigger, stronger roots. I thought I'd try watering it less so it would have to work and find water. My hope was that it would seek deep in the earth for moisture. I actually stopped watering it altogether.
Soon, the guy wires and stakes were removed. That tree began to get bigger and bigger. Now five years later it has grown taller than our house. The trunk is about 10" in diameter. It is a bona-fide tree. It provides plenty of shade and I still look at it now and then and marvel a bit.
This week we had a a series of storms blow through. All of them bringing a decent amount of rain. After a few days of appreciable rainfall, the winds picked up. There was even a tornado warning issued. This weather is quite uncommon and caused me some concern. The high winds blowing in from the south was forcing this tree right into the house. I watched it for a few minutes. It's trunk rocked back and forth as the wind howled through it's branches.
Did I do enough to prevent it from falling? What do I do now? What can I do now? I decided to do an emergency prune. I cut one of it's larger branches off. I cut it off at the side opposite the wind so that it's weight would be leaning into the storm. I didn't want to, but I felt like I had to.
The storms have passed now. The tree survived and another lesson is learned.
I learned that if our kids are trees it is important that we heed the counsel of our past prophet and provide stability and support until they can stand on their own. I would add that at some point we need to stop providing them with easy nourishment. At some point they need to work for, and seek after the water that Christ provides. That is the only way they will be able to withstand the storms of doubt and discouragement that the devil sends. They must seek far and deep and find that source that will strenghten their roots and give life to their branches.
I feel like I am having to let my oldest son find his own water now. Just like with my tree I will keep a close eye on him. If I see wilting or a lack of growth, then I may give him another watering. If the situation arises, I still reserve the right to 'prune'. But my prayer is to see him flourish and become more grounded.
I am not an arborist but I am a homeowner. I have dozens of trees trees in my yard and around my house. As our house is only six years old and the trees were put in at that time, they aren't very old. I have a desert willow in the front yard that I have given more attention to than the others. The landscapers planted it in the wrong place. At that time it's trunk was only about 2 inches in diameter and it's small roots easily fit into a wheel barrow so I moved it myself. I gave it extra support, just like the prophet had said and made sure it was getting plenty of water. Much to my amazement and satisfaction the tree began to grow and flourish there!
About a year of nurturing passed and the tree was doing well. Then during monsoon season a storm blew in. The combination of rain saturated ground and high winds blew my little tree over. How could this happen? I did everything I thought I was supposed to do for the tree, and it still fell down. After the storm passed I decided to get that tree upright again.
As I was standing the tree up I noticed the root system was much the same as when I moved it originally but the trunk and branches were nearly double the size. "Well there's your problem" I thought to myself. But what is the solution? Bigger, stronger roots. I thought I'd try watering it less so it would have to work and find water. My hope was that it would seek deep in the earth for moisture. I actually stopped watering it altogether.
Soon, the guy wires and stakes were removed. That tree began to get bigger and bigger. Now five years later it has grown taller than our house. The trunk is about 10" in diameter. It is a bona-fide tree. It provides plenty of shade and I still look at it now and then and marvel a bit.
This week we had a a series of storms blow through. All of them bringing a decent amount of rain. After a few days of appreciable rainfall, the winds picked up. There was even a tornado warning issued. This weather is quite uncommon and caused me some concern. The high winds blowing in from the south was forcing this tree right into the house. I watched it for a few minutes. It's trunk rocked back and forth as the wind howled through it's branches.
Did I do enough to prevent it from falling? What do I do now? What can I do now? I decided to do an emergency prune. I cut one of it's larger branches off. I cut it off at the side opposite the wind so that it's weight would be leaning into the storm. I didn't want to, but I felt like I had to.
The storms have passed now. The tree survived and another lesson is learned.
I learned that if our kids are trees it is important that we heed the counsel of our past prophet and provide stability and support until they can stand on their own. I would add that at some point we need to stop providing them with easy nourishment. At some point they need to work for, and seek after the water that Christ provides. That is the only way they will be able to withstand the storms of doubt and discouragement that the devil sends. They must seek far and deep and find that source that will strenghten their roots and give life to their branches.
I feel like I am having to let my oldest son find his own water now. Just like with my tree I will keep a close eye on him. If I see wilting or a lack of growth, then I may give him another watering. If the situation arises, I still reserve the right to 'prune'. But my prayer is to see him flourish and become more grounded.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Weather Report
The weather girl on the radio this morning predicted a 100% chance of rain tomorrow.
I know it does not rain alot out here in the desert so I may not be used to hearing rain forecasts, but that didn't sound right. If it is a 100% chance, wouldn't that eliminate the 'chance'? I know that in weather-speak the 'chance ' has to do with a percentage of specified earth that will be rained upon, so why not say, "It will rain tomorrow, everywhere within the sound of my voice."?
I know it does not rain alot out here in the desert so I may not be used to hearing rain forecasts, but that didn't sound right. If it is a 100% chance, wouldn't that eliminate the 'chance'? I know that in weather-speak the 'chance ' has to do with a percentage of specified earth that will be rained upon, so why not say, "It will rain tomorrow, everywhere within the sound of my voice."?
Friday, January 1, 2010
New Years Day Diet
I know that the most people use the new year as an opportunity to start anew, resolve to be better, make course corrections and things like that. For me New Years day is the exact opposite, it is more like Fat Tuesday. Let me explain my day:
9:00am- I roll out of bed and stumble downstairs. Turn on the TV and tune into the Outback Bowl. Go to cupboard and grab a poptart.
9:45ish-Lauren comes down. I tell her to eat cookies when she asks me for breakfast. I flip back and forth between the Rose parade and the game, for traditions' sake.
10:30ish- Gator Bowl Starts. I grab a cheese platter left over from last night, find some crackers and flip between the two games.
some time thereafter- Rachel brings me a plate of eggs and biscuits and gravy. Have I have died and gone to heaven!?
A little while later- Auburn won their game and the next one starts. I marvel at the dove tailing between the games. I always have two to flip between.
A bit later- time for some little smokey treats and ginger ale. As I get into fridge I notice there is a couple of swallows of chocolate milk in the way of the the ale, That was no match for me. I finish that off, easy.
A little later still- Simon comes in and sits with me asking if we could pretend Penn State, the next game, was USC so he could want to watch. He's funny, but it didn't' work, he lost interest.
A jiffy later- All this sitting around has made me hungry. Leftover ceviche and chocolate cake from last night should the trick...somebody needs to stop me.
After the the Capitol One game but before the Rose Bowl- The dovetailing of football games has been breached! I hit the kitchen. I made little smokie crescent rolls, for the kids of course. I only had a couple...and more cake.
moments before the Rose Bowl- settle in for another Pac 10 beat down on the Big 10.
just before halftime- Rachel's patience and benevolence wears thin. She did her best for all day not to say anything about the sloth and gluttony, but enough was enough.
mid way throu the second half- Oregons offense looks terrible. Reality begining to set back in. I start cleaning up while I watch.
end of game- Oregon let me down. I look out the window and notice that the sun had almost set on this day.
5:45pm- get back to work cleaning.
6:30pm- make the kids dinner. find Rolaids for myself.
7:30pm- settle in for the Sugar Bowl, game gets boring. Shut it off and find the kids.
This is not who I am, but for one day a year I feel some kind of year end, holiday/party end, release that makes me do crazy things.
I have put it past me now. Happy New Year.
9:00am- I roll out of bed and stumble downstairs. Turn on the TV and tune into the Outback Bowl. Go to cupboard and grab a poptart.
9:45ish-Lauren comes down. I tell her to eat cookies when she asks me for breakfast. I flip back and forth between the Rose parade and the game, for traditions' sake.
10:30ish- Gator Bowl Starts. I grab a cheese platter left over from last night, find some crackers and flip between the two games.
some time thereafter- Rachel brings me a plate of eggs and biscuits and gravy. Have I have died and gone to heaven!?
A little while later- Auburn won their game and the next one starts. I marvel at the dove tailing between the games. I always have two to flip between.
A bit later- time for some little smokey treats and ginger ale. As I get into fridge I notice there is a couple of swallows of chocolate milk in the way of the the ale, That was no match for me. I finish that off, easy.
A little later still- Simon comes in and sits with me asking if we could pretend Penn State, the next game, was USC so he could want to watch. He's funny, but it didn't' work, he lost interest.
A jiffy later- All this sitting around has made me hungry. Leftover ceviche and chocolate cake from last night should the trick...somebody needs to stop me.
After the the Capitol One game but before the Rose Bowl- The dovetailing of football games has been breached! I hit the kitchen. I made little smokie crescent rolls, for the kids of course. I only had a couple...and more cake.
moments before the Rose Bowl- settle in for another Pac 10 beat down on the Big 10.
just before halftime- Rachel's patience and benevolence wears thin. She did her best for all day not to say anything about the sloth and gluttony, but enough was enough.
mid way throu the second half- Oregons offense looks terrible. Reality begining to set back in. I start cleaning up while I watch.
end of game- Oregon let me down. I look out the window and notice that the sun had almost set on this day.
5:45pm- get back to work cleaning.
6:30pm- make the kids dinner. find Rolaids for myself.
7:30pm- settle in for the Sugar Bowl, game gets boring. Shut it off and find the kids.
This is not who I am, but for one day a year I feel some kind of year end, holiday/party end, release that makes me do crazy things.
I have put it past me now. Happy New Year.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
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.
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!
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