Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Happy New Year!
New Year's ranks really high on my least favorite holiday list. Perhaps it is the grumpy old man in me that doesn't enjoy staying up past midnight making a loud ruckus. Plus, I always had to try and avoid all the ladies trying to get at me for the New Year's kiss. But that all changed last year. Bodie was born on January 1, 2008 at 8:05 p.m. I remember us going to the hospital around 3 or 4 in the a.m. I also remember being more of a nuisance than a help for yet another child birth. I also remember going home after the event and trying to get some sleep and a bath before heading back to the hospital. They took Bodie to the nursery right after he was born and said they wanted to run a few tests. They didn't make it seem like there was anything to worry about. I remember being woken up by a phone call from Sara. She was in tears and some how communicated to me that there was a problem with Bodie. She told me there was a hole in his lungs and that he was admitted to the NICU. I remember getting off of the phone, getting in the bath tub and bawling like I never have before. I have never been so scared. I was worried about giving him a blessing and not being inspired to bless him to get better. I remember saying a prayer and immediately feeling a huge comfort. I knew that things were going to work out. I knew that I needed to pull myself together, because I needed to support Sara and assure her things were going to work out. I got to the hospital and was able to give Bodie a blessing. I remember how crushed Sara was to be released from the hospital without her new baby. Bodie gradually improved and we got to take him home almost 2 weeks later. He was worth the wait. He hasn't had any health problems since. He looks just like Geronimo did at this age, but he definitely has his own personality. We know his lungs are fine, because he uses them quite a bit. Unfortunately, he has been hanging with Madison too much and some of her rebelliousness has rubbed off on him. He's a walker now(I like to call him Texas Ranger), and doesn't hesitate to run away from me when he's about to get into trouble. Overall he has been a great blessing to our lives. He has increased our faith, testimony of prayer and the priesthood, and made our prayers more sincere. I can now look forward to each new year. Here are some pictures of Bodie from the past year:
Friday, December 26, 2008
Joyous Kwanzaa To All
For those of you who didn't have the greatest Christmas ever, perhaps it was because your tree was missing a holiday rectum wreath ornament.
Or, maybe it was because you didn't get two heart-shaped rugs as gifts.
Or, maybe you didn't receive a visit from The Christmas Fish.
No matter what your reason is, hopefully you can find solace in knowing that Mike has finally received The Courtesy Flush.
I hope you had a happy holiday.
Or, maybe you didn't receive a visit from The Christmas Fish.
No matter what your reason is, hopefully you can find solace in knowing that Mike has finally received The Courtesy Flush.
I hope you had a happy holiday.Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Ugliest Reverse Lay-up Ever
I'm one of those people who likes to write in their scriptures. A while back I saw a quote I had written down from an institute class. Brother Knect said, "No death of a righteous person is untimely". For some reason that quote stuck with me. It was just a little while after that when I got the news that Keith McDermott was in the hospital.
His family moved into our ward when I was in my senior year of high school. Keith was called to work with the young men in the ward. He was a genuinely nice guy and you could tell that he liked working with the youth. I didn't spend a whole lot of time with him as my leader, because I was quickly off on my mission. When I returned from my mission I got to know Keith better. We served together in various aspects involving the church. Somehow it seemed like whenever some kind of service was being performed, Keith was there with his mustached smile. I knew him to be a great home teacher, friend and family man. The most important thing he did for me was being a positive influence in my brother's life.
On November 15th my family went to go visit him in the hospital. It was a fitting day to go see him, because that was the day Jed and Cyndi got sealed in the temple. Keith was always around for the important events in Jed's life, and I'm sure he would have been in the temple that day too if it were possible. Unfortunately, that was the last time we saw Keith. Here are a couple of pictures from that day:
And here is a picture from Jed's Melchizedek Priesthood ordination. Keith is standing next to Mike.
Today we said goodbye to Keith. The building at his funeral was packed, and I learned even more about what a great person he was. I don't know why Heavenly Father does the things that he does. I just trust that he sees the bigger picture. While it is sad that Keith is gone, I'm sure that Heavenly Father had his reasons for taking him back. It was an excellent service and having a knowledge of the gospel makes a huge difference at funerals.
Everybody seems to have at least one Keith story to share, so here is mine. I remember one night playing basketball many years ago. Keith came to play that night. He requested to guard me. I remember looking at him in his biker shorts and sports goggles. He stood about a foot shorter than me and was about 20 years older than me. I thought it would be an easy night for me. I was very wrong. He made his whole purpose to keep me from getting the ball, and was very successful. It meant that he wouldn't get the ball much himself, but he was willing to make that sacrifice to benefit his team. He did get the ball a couple of times and proceeded to sink the ugliest reverse lay-up that I had ever seen. I seem to remember him falling to the ground afterward as well. It didn't matter what it looked like as long as it went in. I remember finishing that game and feeling roughed up and frustrated. And so it was with Keith. As the years have passed I have played a lot of basketball, but I can't remember anybody who shut me down as well as Keith. He will be missed, but it was a privilege to get to know him as long as I did.
His family moved into our ward when I was in my senior year of high school. Keith was called to work with the young men in the ward. He was a genuinely nice guy and you could tell that he liked working with the youth. I didn't spend a whole lot of time with him as my leader, because I was quickly off on my mission. When I returned from my mission I got to know Keith better. We served together in various aspects involving the church. Somehow it seemed like whenever some kind of service was being performed, Keith was there with his mustached smile. I knew him to be a great home teacher, friend and family man. The most important thing he did for me was being a positive influence in my brother's life.
On November 15th my family went to go visit him in the hospital. It was a fitting day to go see him, because that was the day Jed and Cyndi got sealed in the temple. Keith was always around for the important events in Jed's life, and I'm sure he would have been in the temple that day too if it were possible. Unfortunately, that was the last time we saw Keith. Here are a couple of pictures from that day:
And here is a picture from Jed's Melchizedek Priesthood ordination. Keith is standing next to Mike.
Today we said goodbye to Keith. The building at his funeral was packed, and I learned even more about what a great person he was. I don't know why Heavenly Father does the things that he does. I just trust that he sees the bigger picture. While it is sad that Keith is gone, I'm sure that Heavenly Father had his reasons for taking him back. It was an excellent service and having a knowledge of the gospel makes a huge difference at funerals.
Everybody seems to have at least one Keith story to share, so here is mine. I remember one night playing basketball many years ago. Keith came to play that night. He requested to guard me. I remember looking at him in his biker shorts and sports goggles. He stood about a foot shorter than me and was about 20 years older than me. I thought it would be an easy night for me. I was very wrong. He made his whole purpose to keep me from getting the ball, and was very successful. It meant that he wouldn't get the ball much himself, but he was willing to make that sacrifice to benefit his team. He did get the ball a couple of times and proceeded to sink the ugliest reverse lay-up that I had ever seen. I seem to remember him falling to the ground afterward as well. It didn't matter what it looked like as long as it went in. I remember finishing that game and feeling roughed up and frustrated. And so it was with Keith. As the years have passed I have played a lot of basketball, but I can't remember anybody who shut me down as well as Keith. He will be missed, but it was a privilege to get to know him as long as I did.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Bodie Update
It's been a while since I've given a Bodie update, so here you go:
He has moved from furniture walking to this at a rapid rate. He looks exactly like Geronimo did at this age. In a future post I'll add some pictures to prove it. I can't believe it has almost been a year since he was born. Time flies.
On a Christmas note; if you haven't received a card from us yet, it means that we probably don't have your address. Please send me a message with your address and we will get it in the mail a.s.a.p. Happy Holidaze!
He has moved from furniture walking to this at a rapid rate. He looks exactly like Geronimo did at this age. In a future post I'll add some pictures to prove it. I can't believe it has almost been a year since he was born. Time flies.
On a Christmas note; if you haven't received a card from us yet, it means that we probably don't have your address. Please send me a message with your address and we will get it in the mail a.s.a.p. Happy Holidaze!
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Top Ten
I like watching movies associated with the holiday that we are close to celebrating. In this case, that would be Kwanzaa. Since I haven't seen any movies about Kwanzaa, I watch movies about the Christmas Season. I like getting the kids together and watching the movies to get us hyped for when Christmas comes. Here are my favorites:
#10
#9
#8
#7
#6
#5
#4
#3
#2
#1
You'll probably notice that there are some classic movies missing from my list. I have never seen Miracle on 34th Street or It's a Wonderful Life. Maybe this will be the year. Are there movies that you like to watch during Christmas time?
#10
#9
#8
#7
#6
#5
#4
#3
#2
#1
You'll probably notice that there are some classic movies missing from my list. I have never seen Miracle on 34th Street or It's a Wonderful Life. Maybe this will be the year. Are there movies that you like to watch during Christmas time?
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