Let the madness begin!!

The best time of the year for sports is here...finally!!! The NCAA men's basketball tournament starts tomorrow...all the food has been purchased, and the brackets are all filled out! All of us have filled out brackets, except for Erin. She doesn't like watching sports on tv so she said "what's the point!" I will be spending a good deal of time the next few days at Jodi's watching the games. I'm not sure how my brackets will do this year...hopefully I'll do really well. But, as long as my favorite team - DUKE BLUEDEVILS - does well I'll be happy. If not, I may be in mourning for a few days:-)!! As we say in our family, March Madness is considered a holiday!!! So, your favorite CBS shows from Thurs. - Sun. will not be seen for the next few weeks. Sit back and enjoy the best sport on the face of the earth (and cheer for Duke)!!

Court of Honor

Jason had a court of honor tonight in which he was awarded three more merit badges: Safety, Emergency Prepardness, and Personal Management. He also earned the Varsity Scout Letter. He is well on his way to getting his Eagle Scout award. He only needs to finish up on two more merit badges and then come up with and execute his project. We are trying to keep him on track for the project, but he is having difficulty figuring out what to do - he must get that from his dad. Congratulations Jason, keep up the hard work and hopefully before your birthday this year you will have your Eagle Scout! Did I mention that there is no driver's license until this milestone is acheived?

Grateful for Thumbs

Yes I am grateful for my thumbs, particularly my right thumb at the moment. The picture doesn't do it justice, but you can clearly see the blood blister on my cuticle. The left side of the fingernail is deep purple. I suppose I will end up losing the nail, but we'll have to see how that plays out. Yesterday while Kristin and I were constructing a small retaining wall in our garden, we needed to split one of the concrete blocks into two pieces. I got out the small sledgehammer and started to chip away at the block. I was making good progress, but was obviously getting tired, so my concentration lapsed for a split second. That was all it took - the butt end of the sledge hit the ground first and then ricocheted into my right hand, which was holding the block steady, and hit my thumb squarely on the nail. All I can say is OUCH!!!! I am proud that the first words that leapt to my mind were not swear words, but I did do a lot hopping up and down with spouts of loud gibberish. I came in and started to get an ice pack on it right away. Kristin was not too sympathetic to my plight, but she did help me with the ice. I think she was on the verge of laughing her head off the whole time.

I am grateful for my thumbs, you come to take for granted the fact that opposable digits are essential for grasping and manipulating things. Even doing small things becomes quite complicated when one is deprived of full use of the thumb. Being a left-hander in a right-handed world has it's benefits, but even leftys are mostly ambidextrous and do quite a few things with their right hand. Take me for example, I still do buttons, zippers and hit the space bar on the keyboard with my right hand leading out. Playing the piano is somewhat of a challenge now because the right hand carries the melody. You would be surprised how many chords you need to use the thumb for - the stretch between fingers 2 and 5 is not all that far and tends to be uncomfortable too. Try tying your shoes when the thumb is tender. Even shaking hands can leave reminders that the thumb is sensitive - some people have better aim than others. All in all, I think I will make a full recovery, I am just glad that it was not my index finger - how would I run the mouse?

You are loved!

We hope that everyone has a wonderful day! We love you all and are so blessed to have you in our lives!

Unfortunate Good-bye

Today Kody found a new home. Unfortunately we had to help him find a new place to live. The allergies that he created for many in our family was just too much to live with every day. Scott has especially had the worst reactions of all of us. His arms would always break out in hives after playing with Kody and he has felt like he has had a constant,mild asthma attack for months. The family seemed to also have lost interest in Kody and we didn't feel that was fair to him. We found a family for him that has a large yard he will be able to run around in and they have another lab that he'll be able to play with. Over all, I think that he will be really happy at his new home. As Scott has always said, we probably will not have any more pets that have four legs and fur!

Husband Tag - thanks Heather!!

How did we meet: We initially met at a transfer orientation meeting at the University of Wyoming in the summer of 1991. We started dating after meeting again at the Institute socials.
How long we dated before we were married: 10 months
How long we have been married: 16 years
What is my favorite feature about him: I love his smile!
What is my favorite quality about him: His integrity and his patience
What is his nickname: Mackster, but I don't have a nickname for him
What is his favorite color: He really doesn't have one - although he would probably say brown and gold for Wyoming (go Cowboys!!)
What is his favorite food: seafood & Italian
What is his favorite sport: definitely swimming, but he also enjoys watching college basketball with me
Who said the "L" word first: I believe that I did
First kiss & where: After a date outside my apartment, we had been dating for about 2 months
Favorite "couple thing" to do: anything, sometimes it is grocery shopping or going out to dinner, or just going for ice cream - during the summer we love to go hiking
How many kids: 4
Hidden talent: He plays the piano very well, in fact, he is the Primary Pianist in our ward
Favorite music: Just about anything from the 80's and classical music - he loves Bach
What I admire most about him: I love his even temperment - he helps to keep me grounded
Favorite past time: Playing computer games or strategy board games
Will he read this: Probably - I love you, Scott!! Hope you are having a great day!!

Beautiful Idaho!

Scott in his Yak-herder's hat trying to stay warm!

This past weekend Scott had the opportunity to travel to Stanley, ID in the heart of the Sawtooth Mountains to go snow-mobiling. It was cold (-23 Sunday morning), but Scott had a great time. How could you not when this is what you see all day long!