Family fun!

As I was pondering what my topic would be for this post I opened a fortune cookie and this is what I read.  I've never had a fortune cookie more applicable.

Over the past few months we have been lucky to spend some time with some of the family.  

I know I'm not including everything or everyone, but this is what I have together right now.  We wish all of us could get together more often. 

A few of the fun times include when we went to Wendy & Jeff's where C.C. and Austin made gingerbread houses.  Kayli probably had more candy in her gut than on the houses. She is the biggest sugar freak I know. We went to the car show with Bret's family and chased kids in and out of cars all day.  Thanks for the tickets Guy!  After the car show we had dinner at the Mayan and watched the divers.  C.C. and Kayli thought that was pretty cool. Last night the brothers in town and Dad went to the Utah vs. BYU game up at the U. We had burgers at Hires before the game and everyone seemed to have a great time even if we were a house divided on who to cheer for.  It was a great overtime game that was a lot of fun. 

The best part of all this is just spending time with family.  We look forward to future fun and more family to join us next time.    

Below are a few pictures from our fun times. Scroll over images to enlarge.

Quit staring at my...

Quick what color are my eyes?  

If you can't tell me maybe you should look up when your talking to me. 

As you all may know I have the lucky opportunity to talk to people all day at work.  I used to really enjoy this and actually looked forward to it.  Lately things have changed a bit. 

The first time I really noticed it, was the first time I went out to a public event after my surgery.  I went to a Utah basketball game and slipped into the concessions line as I always do upon arrival. The game just isn't as good without a tub of butter with popcorn and something refreshing to drink. While in line I occasionally make small talk about the team or game with someone else in line.  I find it amusing sometimes by how many people get uncomfortable if you talk to them. Then there are others I'd wished I'd kept my mouth shut.  

This particular day I found myself in line with someone I actually knew.  We were talking and catching up on things when I noticed his eyes wondering southward.  At first it was no big deal but as his eyes stuck lower than my gaze for the remainder of the conversation. I wanted to slap him and tell him I have a personality too.

Since that day I have returned to work and returned to my boring life before my medical enhancements. I have returned to talking to the same people I used to, but its not the same at all. Now people just stare!  I'm up here people! I have more to offer.  Is it really that hard to make eye contact while carrying on a converstion? Ok, maybe it is sometimes.  

I remember once just after Liz and I got married we were driving across the country in our move to Florida.  Along the way we were stopping at historical sites. One such stop was at Winter Quarters in Nebraska.  We were the only guests at the visitors center and so we got a private tour.  I noticed throughout the entire tour, the young innocent sister missionary guiding us around kept staring down at me. This was a bit odd, but I thought maybe she's looking down to remember what she is supposed to say.  Some look up and off to the side to recall something, perhaps she looks down.  When we got outside I told Liz what was happening and asked if she'd noticed. She took one glance at me and said, "Well maybe if you did up your fly after using the restroom it wouldn't be a distraction to her."  We got in the car and sped away.

Sometimes it takes a honest spouse or friend to remind us that maybe it is us with the problem. Perhaps its not that people are rude, but its the wonderment of a slit throat that draws their attention.  Better that than my fly I suppose. 

A Real Pain in the Neck!

I had a little reality check today.  I walked into the Dr.'s office feeling OK about myself and walked out knocked down a peg or two.  I am nearing a month now since I  had c-spine surgery and was feeling somewhat good about myself and what I thought I could do.  

It has been said that everyone thinks they are better than they actually are, and this morning was no different for me.  I was somewhat proud of what I could do already.  I sat confidently in the little office playing with model spines and nerve cords while I  waited for the Dr. to see me.  

This is something I can't stand.  I really think they have hidden cameras in these rooms and they all sit out there watching you while you get more and more impatient and/or bored.  After I played with all the model spines, read all the anatomy posters on the walls, looked through the drawers that weren't locked, I started looking at the old magazines left in the room.  As I got half way through a women's fashion magazine he walked in.  It happens every time.

I don't know if anyone else has noticed but neurosurgeons may be brilliant, but they are lacking a bit in the people skills department.  He walks in looking like he was just out camping and his polar fleece was covered with long blonde hair.  I didn't even want to know.  I couldn't think much about it as the smell of fritos kept my attention.  I was starving and this guy is a walking frito.  

He begins by showing me my x-ray and tells me my bone grafts haven't made any progress at all.  In fact as he said, "they haven't even started to fuse."  Great.  Just what I wanted to hear.  I didn't even want to ask what was next if they didn't fuse but the words were out of my mouth before my brain could say no.  He said the bone grafts would die and that's where my feeble mind drifted off.  All I could hear over and over in my mind was die..die...die... d  i  e.  .  .        .

DIE!

I came back to reality just as he was saying, "Take it easy."  Cool, my mind is thinking die and take it easy.  

I'm sure everything is going to be fine in a few months.  I just have to grasp the fact that I am not superman and can't do everything right away.  So for the next couple of months until my next appointment with Dr. Die and his mystery affair with a hairy frito I'm just going to be taking it easy.  

For anyone interested this is my new hardware upgrade.  Those screws and plate run about $12,000 if your in the market.  Not your basic Lowe's stuff I hope.

Utahk about a team!

Ok, I know I already made a post about the Utes thumping Alabama and finishing 13-0 but I thought this was worthy of a good read.  I found this link on the frontpage of ESPN.com

Can U handle the Truth?  -click to read story

An excellent read indeed.  Might I mention the Utes basketball team just put a whooping on another SEC team LSU last night, beating them by 30 points.  Yes I said THIRTY points  91-61.  And LSU came into the game with a 12-1 record.  Not bad.

And more here to read from the rest of the nation.

Sweet Sugar High!!

Just a quick shout out for the University of Utah Utes.  They put on a good showing and made me proud by rolling the tide of Alabama tonight 31-17.  I find these moments in life make things a little bit easier even if but for a moment.  So thank you Utah for a GREAT year.

The Truth Pays

Liz and I have finally gave into the pressure and will attempt to keep a blog.  I have done this in the past and the results were weak so I hope this time we can do better.  

As our opening blog I wanted to share a valuable lesson I learned from my four year old, C.C., seen here to the right.

Several weeks ago I came home from work and was met in the garage by C.C. with a very serious look on his face.  The two kids usually rush to the garage and meet me when I come home, but by the look on C.C.'s face I could tell something was different for him this particular day.  I got out of the car and C.C. looked me square in the eyes and told me he was really sorry.  He said, "It was an accident Dad.  I really didn't mean to, but it was mom's fault.  She told me to do it downstairs and I'm really sorry."  

At this point I didn't even know what he'd done, but I was ready to forgive him for his honesty and genuine sorrow.  My mind was trying to figure out what he possibly could have done that would bring him to greet me this way.  He has done many things, including burning a hole in our carpet trying to cook toast with a light bulb, and never had I been greeted like this. 

He took my hand and brought me into the house and showed me the damage.  There in our den was a meat skewer/arrow stuck in the wall.  He had a small bow made out of a wire hanger and arrows made from skewers.  We had played with these outside but today was cold and as he said, mom told him to do it downstairs.  Inside I was laughing, but C.C. was so serious and sorry that I tried to be serious and make it a learning moment by informing him it was wrong to shoot anything into our walls or anyone.  I knew that he knew this already and so I was kind of stuck on how to punish him.  

After talking about it and promising it wouldn't happen again we went on with our evening.  Just before dinner C.C. brought me to his room to show me that he had cleaned it all by himself and how good he had done.  It looked amazing and I was shocked that he took it upon himself to do this without any pushing from Liz or I.  I found this might be a time to teach him that our actions have consequences.  

In the past when C.C. does something good or helps we reward him with a quarter or dime.  He has a small bank in his room and a book with a quarter collection in it.  I had several quarters in my pocket and pulled them out to have him pick the shiniest one as his payment for cleaning his room.  He inspected them all and carefully picked one out.  After handing him the quarter I then told him he had to pay me the quarter back for putting a hole in our wall.  He had to help pay to fix it and the shiny quarter would have to go back into my pocket.  His face and heart dropped as he thought it over and handed me the quarter back.  Inside I wanted to give him a million quarters for being such a good kid, but I really wanted him to learn something from what he had done.  After taking his quarter back and adding it with the other change his face perked up and he looked at me square in the eye again.  

He then said, "Dad, now you have to pay me two quarters because I told you the truth."