Why Does Marriage Make Sense? Look in the garage.

Is your garage clean? Are you married? If the answer to both questions is "yes," then chances are you are happily married – If you are single and have a clean garage, you need to find a hobby.

"Huh? What are you talking about Dr. Ben?" Well, I will tell you a story to illustrate.

About 4 months ago a beautiful young woman decided that she wanted her garage to be nice, clean, and organized. She even wanted that special garage floor epoxy coating. So, Wendy Sally called to get a bid on the cost for coating her garage floor.

"Uh, yes ma'am, we have a special seasonal discount that you can take advantage of, but only if you jump on it within the next 3 SECONDS!! $2500 doll…." [click].

Sally decided that she wasn't in the mood to get bamboozled, at least not on that day. (That's not to say that the next recovering meth addict that knocks on the front door selling magazines won't have a shot. Or the next 14 year old runaway selling plastic horse toys and cap guns for $20 a pop won't find a buyer). So, she decided to talk to me her husband Sven (looks a lot like Brad Pitt).

"It's the garage. I don't think we need to worry about having a garage with a floor that we can eat off of. Let's just get some cabinets, install them, and organize the bikes and stuff." – Sven

"Yeah, but I want a nice, clean garage. There are spiders and stuff out there. I want to do all that other stuff, too, but let's also get the floor done." – Sally

"No, it's not worth it. I don't think we need to worry about that right now." – Sven

"What should we have for dinner tonight?" – Sally [Woman-Speak Translation: I will have to devise another plan of attack, but I know one thing – WE ARE GETTING THAT GARAGE COATED.]

So, the months passed and both of them didn't put too much thought into the garage, accept when they hit their shins on the crossbar of a kids bicycle. Or, when they twisted their ankle on a Razor scooter blocking the doorway. Or, when they tripped over the pile of coats laying on the garage floor from 2 months ago. Or, when it took 15 minutes to find a 2 ½ inch screw needed to hang a picture. Or, when….[going on forever and ever].

Then, one day Sven came home from the office to find all of the stuff that was IN the garage OUT of the garage in the driveway.

"I thought this weekend would be a good time to clean the garage." – Sally [Woman-Speak Translation: Ha, ha sucker. You thought I forgot about this whole project, but now you don't have a choice but to do it!]

"Wow, that's crazy you did that. I guess I don't really have a choice now." – Sven

"Yeah, and I was thinking that we could just apply that (pointing at 3 boxes of garage floor coating kits and a pressure washer) while we are at it." – Sally

"Hmmm…" – Sven [Man-Speak Translation: What the!!! What was she thinking? I had plans to do something else, anything else. Man, now I have to be out here for 3 days in the heat, and all for a garage!]

Needless to say, Sven fired up the pressure washer and went to work. After about 2 minutes of playing with the pressure washer, he began to enjoy it. It was kind of therapeutic. In fact, the entire project began to grow on him and he started getting excited about it.

3 days later, the floors were covered with a shiny new epoxy coating and the garage smelled like a new car. Sven and Sally were both happy and fulfilled with their project. Sven realized that had he not been married, he would have never done the project. So, all the credit goes to Sally except for most of the work, like the whole process of cleaning and coating the garage floor.

For a step-by-step explanation on the process of coating your garage floor, see below...

Steps To A Coated Garage Floor

Friday:

1. Wait for your wife to take most of the stuff out of the garage and leave it in the driveway, except for the heavy stuff. That's your responsibility.
   
2. Try to think of as many excuses as possible to get out of the project, then realize you are trapped like an itty-bitty mouse – a little, hungry, innocent mouse looking for cheese when all of a sudden BAM!!! – Your head is caught in a massively strong trap. MOST OF YOUR STUFF IS OUT ON THE DRIVEWAY!
   
3. You look at the pressure washer and start to realize the possibility that there may be some fun involved. But wait, wipe the drool and hold off – it's not time yet.
   
4. You have to move all the heavy stuff that your wife couldn't move out into the driveway. (NOTE: I would recommend doing this project during a mild weather month, but I would be wasting my time since you are not the one planning the project).
   
5. Okay, NOW you can fire up the pressure washer and have at it.
   
6. Let the floor dry.
   
7. Pressure wash it again! Why not? It's fun.
   
8. While the floor is still damp, pour the acid etching on the wet floor and scub with a firm brush. It doesn't take too long and you will get a nice workout on your arms and back. Not to mention the calorie burn.
   
9. Pressure wash it again! This time be sure to get all the etching rinsed off. By now, your garage floor will be clean enough to eat off of. And, it will smell pretty nice too.
   
10. Now, you have to let the floor dry. It should be completely dry before you apply the coating. Notice how I said should be completely dry. Because of the extensive pressure washing, it may take a little longer than normal to dry. (Here's hoping that mine was dry enough - there were some spots that were questionable.) If you need an excuse to watch a game on Saturday, just tell your wife that you are worried that the floor isn't dry enough yet.
    
11. As night approaches, move your valuables into the house or backyard. Tomorrow is Saturday and there will many dawn breaking garage-salers perusing the neighborhood for bargains. They may see your stuff and decide that FREE is the best bargain they will find. It may be a good idea to park your cars in the driveway to help shield the stuff.
    

Saturday:

1. If necessary, continue to let the garage dry. Depending on your climate, it may take longer. We live in a humid area, so that made a difference on drying time.
   
2. Tape off the necessary areas. (No, your wife's mouth doesn't count – kidding, of course).
   
3. Bust out the floor coating kit. We bought ours at Home Depot. It was the Rustoleum brand and the cost was around $60 per kit. Each kit is enough for a 1 car garage and has the etching, coating, and activator. I also know that Sherwin Williams has their floor coating product.
   
4. You will mix the activator into the coating and stir for 3 minutes. Then, you will want one person to start painting the edges, corners, and ledges.
   
5. While one person is working on the edges and corners, begin rolling the floor in 5x5 sections. After each 5x5 section toss the included paint chips in the air for decoration.
   

The project really doesn't take that many man hours and is easy to do. I can't believe people can charge $2500 to do a 3 car garage.

**You actually don't need a pressure washer to do this. It just makes it more enjoyable.

Family Planning

I read a great article in latest issue of LDS Living magazine. I was by the popular LDS author Marrilee Boyack.

She starts the article off with:

Few parents of my acquaintance have an actual overall plan for raising
their children. They have a vague idea that they will feed and clothe their
children and watch them until they grow big enough that the government says it’s
legal to send them out on their own. Perhaps somewhere along the line they might
teach them a thing or two. But most parents simply approach parenting on a
day-to-day basis...

To begin with The Plan, you need to start with the end in mind. Think back
for a moment to when you first left home, perhaps for college or a mission or a
job and apartment. When you moved out, what did you not know how to do? What
came as a surprise to you? I can remember several things: I had never had a
checking account, never taken care of a car, never made my own doctor’s
appointments, and on and on. Spend a few minutes and come up with a list of
things that you suddenly had to scramble to learn how to do.

It got me thinking about all the stuff I want my kids to know - IT MADE MY HEAD SPIN! And, there are some things that we all need to learn through experience. But, that still leaves ALOT of stuff that Wendy and I need to teach them. And, we can't just "run it by them" and hope they pick up on it. We have to be able teach them in a way that has impact. To me, that is the key - can we teach them how to do certain things in a way they will remember?

What types of things do you hope to teach your kids before they leave home? Things like creating a budget, opening and using a checking accout, managing a credit card properly, etc.

Click HERE for the full article.

I Had To Show This

"A Swiss pilot strapped on a jet-powered wing and leaped from a plane Wednesday for the first public demonstration of the homemade device, turning figure eights and soaring high above the Alps…

Passing from free fall to a gentle glide, Rossy then triggered four jet turbines and accelerated to 186 miles per hour, about 65 miles per hour faster than the typical falling skydiver. A plane that flew at some distance beside him measured his speed…

Steering with his body, Rossy dived, turned and soared again, performing what appeared to be effortless loops from one side of the Rhone valley to the other. At times he rose 2,600 feet before descending again.

After one last wave to the crowd the rocket man tipped his wings, flipped onto his back and leveled out again, executing a perfect 360-degree roll.
'That was to impress the girls,' he later admitted."

Click HERE for the full article.

Family Traditions

Cheryl Lant gave a great talk on FAMILY TRADITIONS. It got me thinking...what sort of traditions do I remember growing up with and what sort of traditions do I want to create for our family? Of course, most families have a few "bad" traditions, but what about the good ones?

Family traditions can be social, physical, spiritual, and educational. I ask myself these questions:

• Are Wendy and I creating traditions that are balanced - some that are 'mortal' in nature AND others that are eternal in nature?


• Are we creating habits that will lead to well-adjusted kids who can thrive in society?


• Are we creating traditions that will teach our kids to rely on eternal principles?"

Both are important to the overall happiness and balance in each person. For example, what if the only traditions we have as a family are things like:

• Family vacation twice a year


• Boating trips every Saturday during the summer


• Boys watch football while girls talk during the games : )

Sure, it would be fun for the kids and may do wonders for the family's cohesion. But, what will it generate in the eternal scheme of things? Wouldn't it be better to add in things like:

• Daily family prayer and scripture reading


• Regular Family Home Evening


• Weekly church attendance


• Service activities

Cheryl Lant asked, "What kinds of traditions do we have?
Some of them may have come from our fathers, and now we are passing them along
to our own children. Are they what we want them to be? Are they based on actions
of righteousness and faith? Are they mostly material in nature, or are they
eternal? Are we consciously creating righteous traditions, or is life just
happening to us? Are our traditions being created in response to the loud voices
of the world, or are they influenced by the still small voice of the Spirit? Are
the traditions that we are creating in our families going to make it easier for
our children to follow the living prophets, or will they make it difficult for
them?"

I have two questions for you?

1. What traditions did you grow up with?
2. What specific and creative traditions do you want your kids to grow up with?

Cool Photos

A friend sent me an email with these photos. I thought you would enjoy:

Happy Mother's Day

To all the mothers who read this blog...HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! I know, I am kissing your little booties (notice how I said "little" booties), but you deserve it.

From my mom, whose advice from over 15 years ago still echoes in my head, to those of you who I don't even know - YOU ARE THE DIFFERENCE MAKERS.

I see it everyday in my own home. Wendy spends everyday doing her best to mold our kids into the best people. I thought of this yesterday while Wendy was telling me about her parent teacher conference with Jared's kindergarten teacher. Jared's teacher raved about Jared's behavior:

• He is friends with all his classmates.
• He is a leader in the classroom.
• He always listens to her.
• He has received a sticker (an indication of good behavior) everyday this year, which is very rare.
• He works hard on his school work.

While we are proud of Jared for this, I am just as proud of Wendy. Jared's success is a result of Wendy's hard work. She invests her time and energy into making sure Jared knows how to treat others and how to treat his own life.

The same is true when I watch Rowan treat Reese with care and love. The boys treat their little sister with love and respect.

Consequently, all of this is a tribute to Joyce, who raised Wendy in a way that enabled her to raise our kids the way she does.

There are bad moms out there - fortunately, I have been surrounded by great moms.

To my mom - I am not in prison (yet), I still have a job, and my kids don't have tatoos. Great work!

To my grandma - I think about you everyday. You are a huge example to me and one of the reasons I am not in prison.

To Wendy - (see your Mother's Day card)

Poison and Brocolli

vs.

Yesterday, after Jared's basketball practice, he and I went to Wal-Mart (the same Wal Mart mentioned here). On the way in, Jared asked, "Dad, can we get a Dunkin' Donut?" I jokingly told him, "What??!! Are you crazy? That stuff is poision!" His response:

"So what, dad. I like poison way better than brocolli and stuff."

People Really Fall For This?

Here is an email I received today - verbatim:

Hello Dear,

I have Paid the fee for your Cheque Draft.but the manager of Eko Bank Benin told me that before the check will get to you that it will expire.So i told him to cash $1.5 Million all the necessary arrangement of delivering the $1.5 Million in cash was made with FedEx Express Delivery COMPANY LTD.This in the information they need to delivery your package to you.

ATTN:DR.ALAHAJI MANGAR YARADUA.
TEl: +229-951-47-159
TEL: 00229-951-47-159
EMAIL: (infofedexfasterstdelivery@gmail.com)

Please, Send them your contacts information to able them locate you immediately they arrived in your country with your BOX.This is what they need from you.

1.YOUR FULL NAME:
2.YOUR COUNTRY:
3.YOUR HOME ADDRESS:
4.YOUR CURRENT HOME TELEPHONE NUMBER:
5.YOUR CURRENT OFFICE TELEPHONE:
6.A COPY OF YOUR PICTURE
7.COMPANY REGISTRATION NO EG58945
8.CODE NMBER 0140479

Please make sure you send this needed infomation to the Director general of FedEx Express Delivery COMPANY Ltd DR.ALAHAJI MANGAR YARADUA. with the address given to you. Note. The FedEx Express Delivery COMPANY Ltd don't know the contents of the Box. I registered it asa Box of an Africa cloths They don't know it contents money. this is to avoid them
delaying with the Box. don't let them know that is money that is in that Box.I am waiting for your urgent response. You can even call the Director of DR.ALAHAJI MANGAR YARADUA Ltd with this line +229-951-47-159

Thanks and Remain Blessed.

DOUSS SAMUEL.
CONTACT THE FeDEX DELIVERY COMPANY IMMEDIATELY
________________________________

Now wait! If you are 80 or older and reading this - DO NOT SEND YOUR INFO! Who falls for this stuff??

p.s. My apologies ahead of time if you have fallen for this type of scam before. Trust me, some rich African king isn't looking to give away 4.2 billion.

Rednecks and Stuff

Hmmm, I wonder what she's looking at...

Now, I don't want to know!

Can you guess the 2 players that rode the pine?

Primary activity

Teaching the primary kids what to do in case there is a raid and subsueqent shootout with Texas law enforcement. We heard that once they are done with the polygamists, they are coming after "the regular" Mormons.

Rowan at a bounce toy park - DEC 2007

Reese eating rice in her high chair - DEC 2007

Jared and Elle - DEC 2007

Our little rednecks - DEC 2007