The Sunday Evening Post

I don't know what it is about posting on a Sunday night. I think it's like a big plate of mashed potatoes with a little cheese on them, and some warm gravy made from scratch. Scratch meaning I made it myself from a powder. Anyway, it's comfortable. It gives me a chance to reflect on the past week. I think it's what President Eyring was talking about today in conference. Anyway, this has been an eventful week. Let me start by saying that I have crossed over into the "Green Zone". I only drove my car twice this week to work. Once on Wednesday and on Friday. Why? I am currently biking home. I take my bike to the bus stop about 4 minutes from my house in the morning, get on bus 470, the local bus to downtown, take the 40 minute ride, and then bike home. The bike ride home is just over 20 miles and takes me about 1:10 to do it. It's a blast. There is a whole evening of posts i could do about the bus ride. My great friend Ray and I ride it together. He works for the Church, and so we get off at the same stop. It takes exactly the same amount of time to ride the bus that it does to drive, sometimes even faster. But let me tell you, the entertainment is well worth the $1.60 admission. Let me introduce you to a few key members of the cast. The main characters all have their roles down perfectly, and the supporting cast is no slouch either. First, there is "Bad Joke Man". He sits at the front of the bus and starts his conversations with the following: "Are you aware of the history of the price of beef? Well, it peaked when the cow jumped over the moon." That's his best one. He's joined in the scene by "Murder She Wrote - Man" and his "Lady friend". Murder She Wrote - Man has the book with him, but doesn't read it because he is talking too much to Lady friend. Somedays we are joined by "Kenny Rodgers" and he seeks out the single girls and sits by them. We are also joined by "Nut" man. Nut man is one of the most colorful characters on the stage. He is heavy set, camo clad, wearing a skull and crossbones hat. His open coat reveals a shirt with a squirrel on it holding a stick and the homage, "Protect your nuts" on it. Quite exquisite. He's someone you wouldn't want to anger on the bus. Until he opens his well worn backpack to reveal....a gun? No. A stash of drugs? No. The latest edition of "Killer on the bus!" Magazine? No. Harry Potter. On Thursday's ride we were introduced to a veteran actress vying for the "Best Drunken Outburst on a morning commute" scene. She got on the front of the bus, saw a friend in the back of the bus and rather than go back and talk to her friend, proceeded to talk real loud to that person. The conversation consisted of, "I haven't seen you in a while. I wuz worried about you. Don't take any wooden nickels, and do talk to strangers!" This last line was as she sashayed her way out the door to see her kinfolk I'm sure. Ray and I have no problem staying awake for each scene. the actors are constantly changing, along with the scenery. It's extremely addicting.


I need to also tell you we have our 3rd son Nick playing soccer this year. They have a group for special needs kids and they play twice a week in Centerville. It's amazing. There are kids like Nick with Autism, there are kids with Downs, there are kids with other physical or mental issues. There is a 9 year old girl there who is blind. It is the most incredible thing. I will also say that there is never a dull moment. You can't imagine reaction some of these kids make when they score a goal. Last Thursday night Nick was playing against a little boy named Caleb who has Downs. Each time Caleb would score he would push his chest out with pride to the delight of all of us on the sidelines. That's another amazing bonus, talking with the parents on the sidelines. Being the parent of a shild with special needs is something hard to explain. The minute you see another parent or family dealing with similar things, you immediately bond with them. It's a beautiful community.


We also have our 2nd son Matt playing soccer. Matt's serious this year. Gone are the years of picking dandylions and throwing dirt clods while your team plays somewhere in the distance. He is really playing so well. He loves being goalie. It is so fun watching him get after it.

Let's pause for a minute though, before I close this Chuck-A-Rama of blogging to talk about a miracle. Saturday morning is a sacred time. You sleep in, crank the iPod, make a big breakfast. You know the feeling, all is well in the world. Kids are downstairs watching cartoons, the air is clear and you can smell bacon wafting through the house. Hopefully you are cooking bacon. Yesterday I had cracked open the case of muffins from Costco, you know the ones, the assorted muffins. Jodi made a sign for the kids that looked like this: (the kids have been on a Seinfeld "Muffin Tops" episode kick since we let them watch it a week ago.)
I'm busy cracking eggs for scrambling when, all of a sudden, an omen occured.......TWINS


Then we ate them. No offense, we loved them.