TPC at the Canyons

Today I went golfing with some business contacts. We played at the TPC Canyons course. It is a PGA level course (a course where professionals play) with lots of hazards and tough greens. The fairways were so nice, it was like walking on grassy sponges.

Here's how my day of golf started.

I began the day dressed in jeans, a button up shirt, a sports jacket, and dress shoes. I went downstairs and got a smoothie for breakfast. I then headed over to the Las Vegas convention center for a convention. At this point, it was about 10 am.

Our tee time was set for 1:30, so I had plenty of time to walk the convention and meet with different business contacts. After an hour of doing that, I met with the guys with whom I would be golfing. I come to find out that they wanted to head for the course at about 11:30. This didn't leave me anytime to get back to my room.

So, we headed off for a 5 star course and I was dressed in business casual attire. When we got to the pro shop, I had to improvise. I bought a pair of black Adidas golf shorts ($60) that I will most likely never wear again, a pair of black socks ($7), and I was able to borrow a white golf shirt from one of the guys in my golfing group. So, on the first tee box, I was wearing brown dress shoes with black socks, black shorts, and a white shirt.

And, that ensemble pretty much symbolized the way I played. But, it was a lot of fun, and the weather was perfect. Our round of golf ended up being a round of "heckle" golf. We distracted each other as much as possible, including hitting chunks of grass at the person during their back swing. At times, we were laughing so hard, we couldn't swing the club. One person made a comment about my shoes, saying, "I like how you came to this course in your Mister Rogers shoes." I was laughing for awhile from that one.

(The first photo is the par 3 2nd hole. Thank goodness I hit the green. No room for error. The 2nd photo is the par 4 14th hole. You have to hit over that huge gorge, and the fairway lines the gorge. I played it semi safe and avoided the gorge.)

Blue Man Group

Last night, I took some potential clients to see the Blue Man Group. It was at the Venetian in Las Vegas.

Two words: Pure Creativity

Not only is the percussion on PVC pipes impressive, the special effects are incredible. Then, at one point towards the end of the show, there were so many rolls of crepe paper flying around the audience, even Ted Nugent would have been asking himself about the number of trees in question. The paper rolls were all connected to the back of the auditorium. A group of ushers then started pulling the paper and handed it to the last row. Then, everyone passed the paper forward until it reached the front row. I was totally covered with moving paper for at least 5 minutes. It was actually a lot of fun and I was laughing pretty hard.

The lighting, which included strobe lights, was super cool. The special effects were super creative and very entertaining.

The Blue Men (there are 3 of them) actually never say a word, nor do they make any noises with their mouths. In fact, they hardly even change expression. Yet, they are super funny without saying a word.

If you ever have a chance to see the Blue Man Group, I recommend it.

National Geographic

(This posting was actually started on May 22nd. I just forgot about it until now.)

I have been through Yellowstone National Park a number of times, and one of the images that stays with me to this day involves buffalo. As a family, we were making our way through the park in our car. I was about 14 years old at the time. At one point, up ahead, we saw a few cars pulled over. All the kids bustled knowing that we were about to see something close to the road. Of course, we hoped it would be a bear, or even a moose. But, to no great surprise, it was a small herd of buffalo. After the collective sigh, we noticed something weird was happening. There was a guy holding a 2 year old girl - AND HE WAS WALKING TOWARDS A BUFFALO! This particular buffalo was on the ground, yet not on his side, so his back was in the air. Well, this "father of the year" walks right up to the buffalo and sits his daughter on its back. He then steps back, pulls out his camera and shoots a few shots! Luckily, the buffalo realized how stupid he was and didn't take it out on the little girl (now days that would be on YouTube and this guy would be in a whole lot of trouble).

A little later on that same trip, we approached another herd of buffalo. This time, there was another guy taunting them. It wasn't long before he was charged. Lucky for him, there was a tree nearby which provided a barrier. I can still see his smiling face as he played peek-a-boo with a buffalo.

That takes me to a conversation I had with Jared, my 5 year old son. We were watching National Geographic one Saturday morning, and it was one of those programs that tries to determine how and why someone died at the paw/horn/antler/claw/hoof/teeth of some animal. In this particular case, they were investigating attacks by a water buffalo. Jared and I watched as they explained the first incident. Evidently, a few hunters were standing around talking when all of a sudden a buffalo came out of nowhere to kill one of the men. They then moved on to a second incident in the same area. Only this time, a female hunter was charged and badly injured.

Having never hunted big game, I was wondering what kind of moron would put themselves in such a position. I would later come to find that I wasn't the only one thinking this way.

During a commercial, I went upstairs to see what was happening up there with the rest of the family. I was up there for just a bit, when I heard Jared yell, "DAD, DAD, DAD! Hurry, come here. You have to see this!!" I came downstairs and his eyes were the size of saucers - Bending over at the waist, with his arms out wide, he yelled, "ANOTHER GUY GOT KILLED BY A WATER BUFFALO!!" I responded, "That's crazy!" To which he said, "See Dad, that's why we should just leave the animals alone."

I don't suppose he'll want to go hunting anytime soon.

Donny Osmond's Dream Come True

Watch Out LeBron James!

Man, Lebron James is coming on strong! He is proving to be a great clutch player and a great leader. I like his poise on and off the court. Plus, he has the best commercials out there. He still has some work to do on his 18 - 23 foot jumper, but he seems to hit it when they need it.

Speaking of shooting, about a year and a half ago I taught Jared the proper way to shoot a basketball. Being so young, he picked it up quickly. I want all my kids to have a strong understanding of the result of hard work and practice. Not just in sports, but in school, music, and spiritual matters.

Since my kids are so young, I feel it is important to start this lesson of skill development in a fun way. So, instead of just goofing around while playing basketball, we have shooting sessions. We keep track of Jared's shot attempts and his made shots. I then thought it would be fun to make a chart. This way he can watch his progress. He has something he can see and get excited about. He is a competitive person, so it is fun for him to see the charts.

So, everyday, we go out in the driveway and shoot 5o shots. I keep track of his stats and we do it in bunches of 10. He is shooting with a junior sized ball (just a tidbit smaller than a women's ball. It's not a mini ball.), and the basket is set a 8 1/2 feet. He is usually shooting from within 7 feet.

Here is a look at this week so far:








Just click on the chart to make it bigger. Jared chose the colors.

More to come.

TV Follow Up

Two months after the "TV or Not TV, That Is the Question" posting, a few of us have said "no" to the tube.

Here's a list:

Ben and Wendy
Heidi and Kamron
McKenzie and Cal

Am I missing anyone?

To those who have turned it off, how do you feel about it so far? How long do you plan to keep it off? Have you noticed a difference in the feeling of your home?

Just curious!

Life, Liberty, and Pursuit - Back to the Basics

The smell of politics is in the air, and I am sure many of you are having internal debates about many of the issues that are currently facing our country. With so many different views and counter-views, one can get lost in the logic. So, I thought it would be helpful to contribute a very basic foundation for your political ponderings.

At the basis of America's founding political philosophy you will find such statements as, "all men are created equal," "endowed with certain inalienable rights," and "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." These principles, and even some of the language, come from the works of John Locke.

America's founding political philosophy was carried to the forefront by John Locke. Locke was an 18th century British activist and during his time, the British society consisted of the following principles:

1. The sovereignty of Parliment which included a monarch and a government dominated by hereditary inheritances.
2. Unlimited power of government, which creates an absence of accountability
3. Very limited opportunities for commoner to pursue wealth
4. Absence of freedom of speech in any form

Now, contrast that with Locke's idea for an appropriate government:

1. Separation of powers
2. Representative, limited government
3. The right to pursue wealth
4. Freedom of speech and conscience

This is just a basic explanation intended to stimulate discussion on today's political landscape. It is important that we are involved in the arena that determines the landscape of our society.

Take these principles and apply them to the issues you are considering. Also, if you are curious about some of the issues, make it known in the comments. We can open it for discussion.

If you don't know what the issues are, here you go:

Abortion
Budget & Economy
Civil Rights
Corporations
Crime
Drugs
Education
Energy & Oil
Environment
Families & Children
Foreign Policy
Free Trade Government Reform
Gun Control
Health Care
Homeland Security
Immigration
Infrastructure & Technology
Jobs
Principles & Values
Social Security
Tax Reform
War & Peace
Welfare & Poverty

It's Not the Baby Crying

I have just come to the realization that it's not the baby crying that annoys me. I'll explain.

While Wendy was running errands, I was tending our 2 1/2 month old Reese. She is our third child, and let me think......yeah, our 3rd child with COLIC. Colic defined:

"Colic is uncontrollable, extended crying in a baby who is otherwise healthy and well-fed. Every baby cries, but babies who cry for more than three hours a day, three to four days a week, may have colic. About 20% of babies get colic, and it equally affects boys and girls, first-born children and those born later. In general, it appears at around two to four weeks of age and can last for three months, or longer in some cases."

So, we have had our share of experience with crying babies - nothing new here. And today, while I was watching Reese, she began crying. I immediately began cycling through my mental laundry list of "Things to do to stop my baby from crying."

1. Hold her.


2. Walk aimlessly around the house with her.


3. Shake her (that's a joke in case any of you are a members of the PC police, Al Sharpton's National Action Network, or the Child Protection Services).


4. Place her on my hip at a 37.25 degree angle while keeping her arms bent at the exact same 37.25 degree angle.


5. Sing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star."


6. Hand her off to Wendy.


7. Bounce her in the bouncey seat.


8. Change her diaper.

After making all of these failed attempts, excluding #6 as it was not an option (although it IS my favorite much of the time), I began to buckle down and look for something new and creative. There was an empty water bottle within arm's reach. I grabbed it, I squished it, I rolled it, and I crinkled it. Doing this made a really, REALLY, annoying noise. In fact, a noise second only to the sound of the vacuum on the scale of "noisy annoyingness." But, IT WORKED! I did it for at least 10 minutes straight. By the time I was done, the water bottle was so hashed up it was recycle ready. Al Gore would be so proud.

I started thinking about the noise the bottle was making and realized that in any other circumstance, that noise would have driven me nuts. But, in this case, it didn't bother me. It was actually kind of fun watching Reese's reactions to the different types of noises. Then, I thought about the vacuum, and how I don't mind the vacuum when it is running to keep the baby from crying (a trick we have used since our first child).

So, I came to the following conclusion: It's not the noise that bothers me, it's the cause of the noise. I don't like the idea that our little baby may be in some sort of discomfort. Of course all bets are off when she is crying during the NBA Playoffs!

What's Their Story???

Combining these two photos, make up a story about the lady in the first photo. These are photos I took while on a business trip to Chattanooga, TN (another story in and of itself). Be creative and have fun with it. Type the story in the "comments" section.

Funny Things Kids Say...

My kids are always saying the funniest things, and the last couple of days are not an exception. However, as a disclaimer, the things they say are always more funny in person. But, I will post them for those who know my kids well. You will get a kick out of them.

1. Like many parents, Wendy and I are committed to teaching our children how to work and clean. Well, one of Jared's "jobs" is to make sure our little fridge (we have this fridge for drinks) is full of water bottles at all times. In order to teach responsibility and accountability, we taught him that if he doesn't do his job, the rest of us won't have cold water to drink. We explain that it is important to everyone that he do his job--just like a business, when one person fails to perform, others are also penalized.

So, the other night we were getting ready to eat dinner. I went to the little fridge to get some water for everyone, and there were only a couple of bottles left in the fridge.

I said to Jared, "We're almost out of water, so after dinner you need to do your job." To which he replied, "Dad, I'm out of business now."

I guess he really does understand what happens when people don't do their jobs!!

2. Steve and Marissa stopped in Dallas on their way to Houston. One morning Jared was snooping through their stuff and found some Starbursts. Marissa gave Jared a couple of them and he came and showed Rowan and me. I asked Jared if he would give one to Rowan, to which Rowan jumped up with excitement. Jared began unwrapping the candy and acted like he was going to put it in his mouth. Little Rowan, who is a late bloomer in terms of speech, began begging Jared -

"PWEASE, PWEASE, PWEASE, PWEASE, JAWWED, PWEASE, PWEASE..."

Growing tired of the taunts, I said, "Come on, Jared." Rowan, seeing another avenue then said, "Yeah, come on dude!"

This is hilarious to those who know little Rowan, because of the way he talks. He knows what he is saying, but sometimes the rest of us don't. Maybe candy is the key to getting clear phonics.

3. Every Friday one of the parents of Jared's preschool class comes to the school to read to the class. Today was Wendy's turn, but she is feeling sick with mastitis (infection of the breast in breastfeeding mothers). So, when I dropped Jared off at school, I told the teacher that Wendy wasn't feeling well, but would try to make it. Well, she wasn't able to make it and when picking Jared up from pre-school, his teacher wanted to speak to me away from the kids.

She said, "I want to tell you something funny. The kids were asking who was going to read to them today, and I told them that Jared's mom was going to try to make it but she may not be able to. When one of the kids asked why not, Jared blurted out, 'because my mommy's boob hurts really bad.'"

KIDS!!!