A Tribute to the Corolla

I would like to take the time to pay tribute, a eulogy if you will, to my dearly departed 1990 Toyota Corolla that I have called my own for the last 9 years. Yesterday the car was donated and towed away from my garage. Even though I am sad to see the car go, I am glad it happened. It couldn't start anymore, the headlight was missing, the stereo was stolen out of the car for the 3rd time, and it was embarrassing to drive this thing around after a while. It was my first car, and my only car for quite some time. Here are some stories I've had with this vehicle.

I found the car in a Rocky Mountain News ad in January 2000, only a couple of months after my return to Colorado from California. The car was purchased with a whopping 75,114 miles on it. I bought it from a retired car salesman who sold cars from his home for people who were too busy to do it on there own. Coincidentally (not ironically), the man who I bought it from lived literally 5 minutes from where I live now off Havana and Iliff for $4200.

I drove this car to Utah a couple of months after I bought it to my mission reunion. I still remember Dylan and I listening to the Beatles while driving down I-70 at 1 am in the middle of Utah.

In September of 2000, myself and a number of close friends went to see Moby at Red Rocks. On my way back out of the parking lot, my car ran out of gas. We were bailed out by a nice guy in a tow truck who happened to carry an extra couple of gallons in his truck. I spent the entire trip home listening to Mike Bonnstetter, Dylan, DANIELLE and Dan Hamblin teased me relentlessly. It was amusing to me, so I did my best Geoff impression from High School. I stopped the car, put it into park and declared, "That's it! I'm walking home!" Mike and Dylan absolutely lost it!

I took this car on my first date with Heather, and a few weeks later when we decided we were going to get married, that decision was made in that car. When we were married in August of the next year, my car was decorated and covered in shaving cream and shoe polish on the windshield indicating "Just Married."

I drove this car all the way through my 5 years of college, in snowy weather, in sunny weather, during the day, in the evening after work. When I finished college, I drove it across town to Aurora while I worked at Horan & McConaty.

The car endured over $3,000 worth of repairs in 9 years of ownership. I had the brakes replaced twice, had the interior dashboard replaced after the car stereo was stolen in 2002 from the parking lot of my apartment. I replaced the muffler twice, the battery twice. I lost the headlight on the passenger side driving from Colorado Springs 4 years ago, and was pulled over a total of 6 times by well meaning police officers who noticed I had a head light out (twice in one night about two years ago). It was our dependable, reliable mode of transportation while the starter, wiring and alternator on the 1998 Corolla went out on in during 2007.

I received a total of two speeding tickets while driving the car. Once while driving home from school clocked at 48 in a 35 about 2 blocks away from my parents house. I was pulled over a second time in Idaho doing 80 in a 55 with Heather in the car on our way back from Rexburg to Provo.

By the time it was said and done, the car had endured neary 95,000 more miles with me driving it. I knew things weren't going well when I started driving it a couple of months ago and after all of it's faithful travels, it started sputtering along, idling terribly, and getting horrible gas mileage. I knew we couldn't keep it going. A week later we bought our minivan. Even though I am glad to not be driving the car anymore, a small part of me rode out on that tow truck yesterday as I donated it to Radio 1190. Nearly a third of my life was spent in that car and with all the problems I had with it, it still started, it still ran without complaints, and functioned normally when it probably shouldn't have. It was a great worthwile investment, and I will miss that little car.

So there it is, a salute to the once low mileage compact car turned hoopty. If any of you have memories of my car, feel free to comment on it below!

Heather's a Year Older, and other October Randomness

Last week Heather turned 29 (for the first time we are saying). Both of us decided that the new minivan was an early present of sorts, so we went to a nice place for dinner Wednesday night. We went to The Melting Pot, also known as Fondue Heaven (in my humble opinion). We dined on a 4 course fondue meal, including cheese fondue, tasty salads, an assortment of "marbled meats," topped off with chocolate fondue at the end. It was delicious! I could easily go back there in a heart beat. I strongly recommend this delightful restaurant if you are especially looking to go romantic, it has all the finest qualities of such a restaurant; mood lighting with candles, private booths, valet parking, etc. Hopefully Heather enjoyed herself. I know I did.

Friday night, Heather was hosting a baby shower at the house, so I took the opportunity to head to Arvada and see my dad at the hospital. On the way, we (Caleb and I) stopped by at Sam's Club to purchase cat litter. As we were finishing the purchase, Caleb headed over to the food court and asked the lady for pizza. I waddled over there with a 40 lb tub of litter and sat it down at a table, and then headed over to get pizza for Caleb and I. Caleb was hilarious. As we were eating our pizza, he noticed the cat litter sitting on the other side of the table on the bench. Puzzled and excited all at the same time, he asked me "Is the cat litter going to have pizza too!?" All I could do was laugh. He is such a funny kid!

My dad is doing much better. He started chemotherapy over the weekend for the fourth time. I took Caleb to Heather's parents' house while I hung out at Lutheran with my mom and dad. We had a really good time. Mom brought Thai food for she and Dad, who had been craving the delightful ethnic food for several months. I got there around 7:30, and before I knew it, it was 10:30 and we were still talking. My mom read and told stories to Dad and I about growing up with her Mom and Dad, reading emails swapped with her sister Helen, who always has a great way of describing her childhood. I grabbed Caleb and didn't get back home until about 11:45. I promptly went to sleep.

The last few Saturday mornings have been spent playing football at a nearby park with several guys from our ward's elders quorum. It's a great way to get a workout and Saturday morning was beautiful. I played reasonably well for being a 'picnic' athlete. Every week I don't feel as sore as I do the week before. Maybe this means I am getting into some sort of shape!

That afternoon, we took Caleb and Bryce to a Halloween party at the Thomas's house. Caleb came dressed as a dinosaur. Bryce, in typical hand-me-down fashion, wore Caleb's monkey costume from three years ago. They were both cute and enjoyed their time there.

Sunday was a busy one for Heather. It started about 5:30 am when Bryce woke up to eat. Heather wrapped up around 6. Realizing that going back to bed would cause her to oversleep she stayed up and got ready for church. She is the primary president, and the ward's annual Primary program was that day. She had been laboring for weeks in preparation and was a little stressed about it. Even though it was easily her 3rd or 4th program in her 2 ventures as president, it didn't make it any less stressful. I got the kids and myself ready for church.

We arrived right at 9 am, as Heather left earlier to prepare. Caleb, Bryce and I sat in the overflow. Caleb was a slight handful but was good for the most part. Bryce had a nice blowout, which seems to occur often when I am in charge and Heather isn't. He must be saving up for me. So I spent several minutes of sacrament meeting in the bathroom. Caleb had to go as well. It was an entertaining experience to say the least.

Heather was in a bind and asked me to teach the 5 year old's in primary. The class at 10 kids who were all wound up from a busy day in church. It went better than expected, but man I was beat. My weariness was supersceded by Heather, who had been up much earlier and had the whole primary program to worry about.

Anyway, that's it for me.

Edward Cullen the Doll vs. Vanilla Ice the Doll

In our high demand for crappy merchandise society, there never seems to be an end to companies willing to cash in on the current craze. In 1990, it was Vanilla Ice. In 2008, it's Twilight and Edward Cullen. For those vigilant shoppers who want to make an informed decision as to what doll to purchase for their 10 year-old son circa 1990, or their 30 year-old wife circa 2008, here is a stat by stat comparison as to which doll is the better buy.

Edward Cullen Doll:
Description: 7 inches of hunky vampire goodness. The plastic embodiment of actor Robert Pattinson.

Included Clothes: Quality stitched recreation of outfit found in the upcoming movie.

Features: Has the ability to swoon young and old ladies alike with his ice cold stare. His hands are in perfect position to caress the hair of any 6 1/4" teenage girl doll within in arms reach; Hair is immobilized to prevent his mane from being altered to look like our next contestant. Has perfect complexion and lipstick left over from Bella (it's her color, can't you tell?) He's scary to look at, afraid for your neck's safety and he's a DOLL!

Downside: I am sure there will be several women disappointed with the fact that you cannot change his outfit. That hairdo? You couldn't go to Homecoming looking like that! (Soon to be released: Edward Cullen, Prom Date Edition). He isn't ice cold to the veins and his hardened exterior is actually because he's plastic, not a buff studly vampire. That outfit is going to look as dated as the Iceman's below in 19 years. His lack of overall mobility will not allow him to be fitted into the Barbie Ferrari, without scuffing his paint job.







Vanilla Ice Doll:
Description: 7 inches of to-the-extreme, rob a mic like a vandal prowess! The plastic embodiment of Robert Van Winkle, all the way from Miami (or is it Dallas?) otherwise known as Vanilla ICE (Yo Vanilla, kick it one time BOYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!)!

Included Clothes: Some super fruity 2 piece that makes him look like the opening act at a Las Vegas gay bar.

Features: With the ability to light up a stage and jump like a candle, Vanilla Ice is sure to mesmerize you with his unique dancing style and stone cold rhymin'! his arms are made of rubber, allowing him to bend and groove like his clean cut pal Ken; parachute pants can actually provide resistance and a safe landing if he's thrown out of a Cessna; contains the slickest aerodynamic hairdo known in the free world according to NASA; information on joining the Vanilla Ice fan club contained INSIDE; "ICE ICE BABY" printed on the box for clueless parents who don't know Vanilla Ice by name.

Downside: That microphone doesn't really work. He needs a plastic clip on the side of the microphone in order to hold it. Shoulder pads have been known to put out the eyes of eager children; coat does NOT double as reflective outfit when directing traffic at night. Although clothes are changeable, Ken's clothes look really baggy, and Ken's wardrobe is in serious need of updating.

In conclusion, I can't exactly tell you who has the upper hand. The Vanilla Ice doll has not been in production since 1991, and Edward Cullen isn't out until January 2009. Which is the better choice? Who would you choose? Please comment below.

Proud members of the Minivan Parents' Society

When Heather and I were married over 7 years ago, I made the ignorant statement that I would NEVER own a minivan. There was such a negative stigma attached to someone "cool" like me owning a minivan. Now that I've grown up and don't really care what people think, my tune has changed.

For those who know, we've owned both a 1998 & 1990 Toyota Corolla. Both have well over 100k miles on them and have been good cars. Unfortunately, having two car seats in the back now and an ever growing family have caused us to look elsewhere.

We found a great deal on an absolutely pristine quality 2003 Honda Odyssey. It has half the miles of our 98 Corolla, leather interior, DVD player, built in iPod player/controller, clear bra front, sparkling clean interior and 4 snow tires. It was too good to pass up as we made the purchase this past Wednesday.

It gets amazing gas mileage when compared to its SUV counterparts in today's $3.50/gallon for gas society. It rides very smoothly and we all have room! I can't begin to tell you how frustrating it was to put Bryce's carrier in the middle back seat and still had to move the front seats up in order to fit them in. Or how I developed a move similar to a lumberjack hoisting a log to get his car seat in and out of the car, or Caleb kicking us in the back from his car seat. It makes me want to drive on a long trip to really test it out.

Enjoy Your Flight . . . . You Too!

If there was an award for the world's biggest goofball, I think it would be a rather redundant award because Brian Regan would win it every year. I know I can be goofy sometimes, but I don't hold a candle to this guy.

I know that most of you heard of him at some point in recent months or years. My first exposure to the guy was in the summer of 1992, while I wasted away my summer between 8th and 9th grade sitting on the couch watching the new (at the time) Comedy Central network that we just started getting. Brian was the host of a show called Short Attention Span Theater, an hour long show devoted to showing clips of some of the hottest stand up comedians in the country. I got my first exposure to the likes of Ellen Degeneres, Ray Romano, Rondell Sheridan and many others. Brian was a goofy host, but I completely forgot about it until recently when I read his bio.

My sister-in-law Jocelyn turned the family on to him in 2005 during our family trip to Nauvoo. Since then we have become evangelists for his unique combination of goofy and clean humor. Naturally he was a huge success in Utah, but now his repeated visits to David Letterman and other programs have helped his success. My parents' became big fans, purchasing all of his DVD's and CD's. When my dad came out of his coma, he entertained himself to Brian's DVD perfomances to liven his spirits while undergoing cancer treatment. I find people all over who know about this guy now. It's quite refreshing when considering that so much of stand-up comedy these days is excessively low-brow and vulgar. My hat goes off to you Brian!

September in the Air

It's been a couple of weeks since I last posted. We have had a consistent influx of family visiting over the last several weeks. Andrea and Timon left a week ago to go home to Louisiana for the first time in months, and three days later, Mark and Danielle were driving out here for the weekend. Mix in our trip to Nebraska 2 weeks ago, Stefan coming home from his mission the week before and Geoff and Jessie a couple of weeks before that, you get an idea of what our summer has been.

Now that school has started for most kids, and fall is unofficially here, things are starting to settle down a little and the visits will undoubtedly subside until Christmas.

On Friday, Heather and I did something we had not really done since Bryce was born, and that was go on a date. We have coordinated with some friends in our ward to trade weekends watching each other's children while the other goes on a date. This week was our turn and we spent the evening at Dave and Busters. We had a good time. We won a grand total of 257 tickets which we traded in for a little toy for Caleb.

Saturday was a busy morning for me. I had an appointment to meet with a client at 9:30. I almost overslept, but got up in time and arrived on time. Heather took Caleb to a birthday party that afternoon while I watched Bryce. That evening, Heather had a Twilight Mom's get together at a nearby Chili's while I took the kids over to the Ward Chili Cook-Off. Heather made a raspberry cream pie that won an award for her culinary skills. We then piled into the car up to Arvada to see Mark and Danielle and all 4 of their little kids. Rosaline, pictured above, was literally half Bryce's size considering they are only a few weeks apart, that is nothing short of amazing. Her casts on her legs were overwhelmingly cute according to everyone who saw her. We didn't arrive there until nearly 9 pm, which meant we left even later (11:30) than usual. We were exhausted and didn't get to bed until long after midnight.

Sunday after church, I watched an intense Bronco game, and headed over to my parents' house for dinner. We signed Rosaline's cast like we were all kids again. Dylan signed "Word Up!" I signed, "Have a great Summer!" and Mom appropriately signed "Break a Leg!" We had a great time.

Most of the evening Mom, Danielle and Chris were visiting my Dad who begins another round of chemotherapy this morning. We're hoping it's not as bad as it has been the last couple times for him. That has easily got to be one of life's worst experiences and I can't imagine how tough that must be for him.

4 Nights in Stromsburg

About this time a week ago, I was seriously needing a mini-vacation to recharge the batteries. I don't take enough time off, and when I do, it's for brief spurts. This weekend was obviously Labor Day, and I just had to take that Friday before off. So that's what I did.

With the Democratic National Convention in town, I was a little overwhelmed with people. Protesters, delegates, police, and starstruck tourists filled the streets of Downtown Denver. It was like walking the strip in Las Vegas. After 3 days of it, I was grateful to be leaving our fair city for the Midwest. Heather's sister Allie and her husband Jonathan have been living in Stromsburg, NE since early May as Jonathan has been working doing a paid internship for a company out there. Being in the middle of nowhere, nobody had visited them until we did, so it was to our pleasure to leave as Barack Obama tried to be either the (a) second coming of Jesus, or (b) the second coming of Martin Luther King, Jr., two positions he will never fulfill.


View Larger Map A View of Main St, in Stromsburg.

The drive through Colorado was pretty. There were tons of wildflowers blossoming across the plains giving the ground a look of gold for as far the eye could see. We got into Nebraska about the time the sun went down. That was long! I was driving into a see of darkness with only the mile markers to inform me where we were going and how far we had to travel. I drove on I-80 for 250 miles before we arrived at the exit, where we continued for another 20+ miles until we arrived at their house at around 1:30 am Central time.

We arrived at their house in Stromsburg, a quaint little place in a small town of about 1200 people. No traffic lights, one gas station. We had to go to the library to access the internet, and had absolutely NO cell coverage of any kind there. It was weird to be so disconnected, but it was nice at the same time.

Friday was a lazy day as we all recovered from a long drive into town. Heather caught up with Allie and we all hung out at the house enjoying each other's company and being admittedly lazy.

My idea of a vacation is to relax and vegetate a little, and we succeeded at that. We didn't leave the house until nearly 2 pm that afternoon to go to the library and check our email at one of the computers there. I had to get caught up on a couple of business related issues and feel connected to the outside world, even if it was for only a couple of minutes. Allie and Jonathan searched for places in Omaha to visit when we went there the next day. We settled on a couple of ideas that Caleb would absolutely love.

Allie works at the only Salon in town which is a couple of blocks away. The woman who owns the salon, Melissa, invited us over to dinner on Friday night. She's about Heather's and my age. Her husband Zane works as a farmer somewhere nearby. They were really nice. Melissa was really cute with Caleb and they had a beautiful house. We stayed pretty late quoting Brian Regan jokes and eating cookies. Coincidentally, Brian Regan was appearing on David Letterman that night, so we watched his performance when we got home. It was all new material I haven't heard, and it was funny as usual!

Saturday morning, I did a rare thing and slept past 10 am. Granted, I was in a different timezone, but it was still amazing to sleep in so late. We all piled into our little cars and drove to the Corner Cafe, a small diner in town. We ordered tons of food for a meager price. Each plate came covered in our choice of fries, curly fries or tater tots. It was funny walking in and having all the locals stare at us while we ordered. We definitely stood out, but it was great. Caleb even ate his grilled cheese sandwich.

After lunch and a stop at the gas station, we were off to Omaha to Tiny Town Village. It was a cute little place for kids. Caleb had the time of his life. There was a train ride every thirty minutes and an area for playing in the water with hoses. They had a customized School bus that kids could climb into and play in, as well as a couple of fire trucks. We took plenty of video and pictures of the excursion. The man who owned the place was so kind and cute with the kids, and he would drive the train, complete with stories and tricks up his sleeve to entertain the kids. It was pretty fun for him. I am glad we were able to go.

After 3 hours in Tiny Town, Caleb tagged along as we all went to the outlet stores across the street. I bought shirts for church and Allie and Jonathan bought a bunch of clothes for him as well at Van Heusen. Heather had to feed Bryce shortly thereafter and Caleb and I used the time to use the restroom. On our way back he discovered a toy store that was closed, but in the display window was a train set that he couldn't keep his eyes off of. I let him look at it for several minutes, but we eventually had to go. Despite my efforts to coax him into walking back to the car, he wouldn't leave. Finally, I picked him up and walked away. He threw a huge tantrum and frantically tried to get out of my hands to the train set in the window. I felt bad for him. Until that point, he had been really sweet and was a lot of fun. I think he was tired and was missing interacting with other small children.

That night we went to Rosey's, a small gift shop/ice cream parlor. We had shakes and Banana splits. Caleb had an ice cream cone that kept melting and required me helping him. It was really good though. Allie, Jonathan and I all got a chocolate flavor milkshake. As I ate it, I could swear there was coffee in it. Allie and Jonathan agreed later on because they had the same taste. I am certain there was considering none of us went to bed until after 1 am. Jonathan, Allie and I tore it up on Guitar Hero III and then talked for two more hours.

Sunday morning we went to church in Columbus, about 40 minutes away. The ward building was small, with the chapel also doubling as a Relief Society room. The ward was really friendly. I was exhausted during the last block and looked like a bobble head as I tried to stay awake. It was really hard. The A/C in the room was blowing right on my eyes, drying them out, so I had to keep them closed.

Caleb absolutely loved nursery. It was the first time I can say he didn't want to leave when I came to get him. He was playing with 4 other boys his age in the nursery and they were running laps around a table in the room. It was his first time really playing with peers in a few days, and he liked it.

Sunday afternoon was a lazy one. I was able to take nap for a while on the couch, and that was really refreshing. Allie, Heather and Jonathan made a yummy Sunday meal of chicken and pasta. We played some more Guitar Hero III after dinner and waited for our stomachs to settle enough to eat crepes, courtesy of Jonathan.

Monday morning we left Stromsburg. It was a wonderful visit. Allie and Jonathan are likely not live there more than a few more weeks, making the possibility of a return minimal. It was a great weekend, a great moment for our family. It was such a wonderful contrast to the busy-ness of our hustle and bustle city.