Valentine's Daddy Daughter Date

The young women in our ward put on a dinner and dance for their dads.  It was a lot of fun.  The food was great and the dancing was.... well, not great but it was fun.  I can't believe how fast all of our kids are growing up.  Hannah is growing into a beautiful young woman and I am so proud of her.

Amy Turns 40!

A cute gift from our friends
 the Butterfields.

Amy turned 40 on the 29th of January.  We had a party at the house to celebrate.  She was a good sport. Her friend Darci brought a blow up birthday crown for the birthday princess with a birthday sash.  There was good food and good company.  It was a lot of fun.  We even had a trivia game to see who knew Amy the best.  I am not sure if there was a clear winner.  I consider us all winners to be associated with Amy.  She is such a wonderful wife, mother and friend.  Love you Amy!

Catching Up

Well, Life has a way of getting away from me but it's nothing I didn't expect to happen.... and anyone who knows me, probably shares the same expectation.  But I am determined to continue to post blogs in an effort to chronicle my family and our activities.  So my plan is to write several new posts to catch up on recent events.

First of all, a lot has happened since my last post.  So in an effort to keep this fun for me, I have decided to post some major events that have taken place and not focus on everything that has gone on.  If I can get myself to post more often, maybe there will be more detail.  But for now, summary.

In February we took a trip as a family to St. George for a soccer tournament for Hannah.  It was a great trip and a lot of fun but the weather was not good and made the playing conditions for the players suspect.  The conditions for the spectators was arguably worse.  It was rainy, muddy and cold but the soccer was great.  The venue was a sod farm in Washington in the red dirt.  The mud was EVERYWHERE!  It was like glue! We stayed with the Pettys in their parents Condo.  That was very kind of them to share their living space with us for the weekend... Thanks Pettys!

The girls won the first game 3 to  0 which gave them 10 points going into the next two games.  The next game was probably the worst weather wise.  There were sheets of rain coming in sideways at the girls as they played.  They described it as tiny needles stabbing them as they tried to play.  I am not sure we even took pictures of that game.  Most of the spectators were huddled in their vehicles watching from the warmth and comfort of their cars.  The girls played well but ended up losing 2 - 0 but the sportsmanship on both sides was commendable.  It was the last game that was questionable.   I felt our girls were very good sports.  For the most part so were the parents on our sideline.  It was a hard fought game.  The other girls were well coached.  Maybe a little too well coached.  They even knew stall tactics to drag out the game clock and waste time.  Our girls complained to the officials about the language the other girls were using and some of the rough play they were experiencing.  Cute Hannah was an emotional wreck after the game.  In trying to console her about the loss she made it clear to us and her coach that it was not so much the idea of losing that bothered her.  It was the poor sportsmanship of the other girls and the disappointment she felt that these young women were being taught to act and play the way they were.  If nothing else, it was a good lesson for her to learn how to deal with adversity on the soccer pitch in a way that had little to do with the sport itself.  Hannah, we love you and are proud of how you chose to live your life.  There are so many of life's lessons to be learned through sports.  I am glad to know that she is  learning the important lessons of life.  I am also glad that friends and memories are being made.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMY!!!

20 Year Reunion June 2009

Amy turns 40 today.  I can't believe it.  I have known her for 26 years now and she just keeps getting better looking each year.

I am so proud of her for what she has been able to accomplish.  She is the mother of three of the greatest kids in the world and the wife of a sometimes (more often than not probably) inappreciative husband that I know tries her patience on many levels.  She works full time as a teacher, she is the Beehive advisor in our ward which takes her away from the home on a fairly regular basis.  She cooks, cleans, hugs, kisses, fixes boo boos, has girl chat with Hannah, goes to sporting events, helps with homework, organizes the finances, disciplines, does the laundry, and pretty much keeps us all in order.  HOW DOES SHE DO IT?    First of all she is a woman.  Women never cease to amaze me at what they are capable of.  Second, she comes from good stock.  Her mom is a great example of hard work and service.  And last but not least, she just works hard at everything she does. She is completely committed to her job, her family and anything she starts.

Amy, you are the very best.  I remember a long time ago writing something to you about growing old and wrinkly together.  Well, we are older, that's for sure.  The wrinkles are slowly starting to show (more on me than you) and our family is growing so fast I find myself searching for the break peddle.

Happy Birthday to you.  I can honestly say that you make my life enjoyable and because you are in it, I have an abundance of happiness.  Thanks for your support, your level headed common sense and practicality that often tempers me.  Thanks for always being steady and sure.  I love you will all of my heart.

Now that you are officially over the hill, don't think you can coast now though!  We are just getting started here!

Dog Patch Dance Jordan High 1986

The Biggest Loser - I am talking weight here folks

So one of the guys in the office threw out a challenge to all of us softies that sit at our desks or in our cars most of the day to lose some weight.

It was an easy decision for me based on a few things. 

1. The comment from Benjamin that I had a "Santa Tummy"
2. The comment from Joey that my "food blister was getting bigger"
3. The comment from Hannah that she enjoyed cuddling with me on the couch and my gut was a perfect resting place for her head.
4. Every day of looking at myself in the mirror and thinking, "Where did that lean teen aged - mid twenties body disapear to?"

So, what makes it even better is we all threw $10 into the pot to make it motivational for all of us.  There are 14 signed up so far and we have until March 31 to weigh in again and whomever has the highest percentage of their body weight lost will win.

It's been great because it has allowed me to start watching what I eat and excersizing more and I already feel great.  We weighed in on January 14th and I have already lost 9lbs.  That tells me that I was pretty careless with both my exercise and eating habits.

My goal weight is 210 by the end of the contest but ultimately I would like to be a lean 200-205.  I am looking forward to hiking Glacier National Park with my brother Mike this year and hope the extra lbs I have shed will make it a better trip all around.

Dance vs Soccer

For any of you dads out there that have daughters who dance you will totally appreciate this.

Hannah has been taking dance for 10 years.  She has done really well in both ballet and tap, especially tap.  But dance is a different animal compared to most other things.  At least with this studio we have been taking her to.

Take for instance soccer, or football, or any other sport your kid might want to play.  If you want to watch their progress you can stay at practice.  You typically have two or three opportunities a week to see them either practice or play, if you have the time.  You can offer words of encouragement or suggestions for improvement.  You can see them interract with their coaches and other team members and see how they are fitting in (or not fitting in) socially in mixed groups.

Not dance.  You drop the kid off at practice and pick them up in an hour or 45 minutes.  If you want to see them practice you can stand in the lobby and look on a 15" monitor and try to guess which kid is yours.  There is no sound.  All you hear is the thud, thud, thud from the upstairs class as they do their leaps or whatever while Tchaikovsky blasts at 110 decibles.  When they pile out of class you can feel the cattiness and the female drama that goes along with uppity dance studios.  It's sickening.  You ask how dance class was and the report rarely has anything to do with dance and everything to do with who said what or who did what to whom and who is the biggest brat or who is the most condescending.

You do this week in and week out, eating up your week nights and the middle of your Saturday for a grand performance that lasts 2 minutes.  If she is in more than one dance, you may luck out and get 4 minutes.  Two grueling hours later and $1,500 bucks in monthly dues, gas, and costume costs you snap a few pictures and start all over again.

Now don't get me wrong.  Some of my proudest moments have been watching Hannah in all her gracefullness and moxie dance a ballet or tap number.  I can scarcely describe the feelings that flood over me when I see her up on that stage in her little ballerina costume tinkling her toes to some beautiful classical number.  But guess what.  I get a similar rush (close but not the same) from watching her muscle some girl out of bounds or tackling the ball off her opponents feet and clearing the ball out with a perfect pass, or scoaring a goal.  And guess what... I can see her more often doing it.  In fact.  I can see her all the time, and there is less drama, better things to talk about and best of all, I can practice with her.

So this year she gave up dance.  She has joined another competetive soccer club The Blue Knights and we have already watched her play her first indoor game.  She's out of shape but it was a blast to watch her play!  She scored a goal and had some great plays.

So taking inventory of what we've gotten out of this brief experience with soccer again I say good choice. And it was her choice.  It was a fairly easy one to make as well since they had her practicing with kids much younger and in a lower class than her in tap.  We watched her on a "review" and thought that she was as good or better than the older girls who left and went to the older class half way through the review (something that happens ever practice.  They just warm up with the little kids and leave.  Hannah stayed).  We pointed that out to the studio owner and she said she agreed with us and was about to move her but it didn't seem right.  Too little too late and Hannah had already had enough.  So had we.  So she made the choice, we supported her and so far, so good.

 Ask me in a year though how much I miss her dancing and it may very well be a different story.

Patriarchal Blessings

Hannah came home from church two weeks ago and started asking questions about how one goes about getting a Patriarchal Blessing.

For those of you who may not know, in the LDS (Mormon) faith, we believe that men who are called and set apart or given the keys and authority (Patriarchs) have the right and priviledge of laying their hands on an individual and pronouncing a blessing that will serve as a guide and comfort to that person for the rest of their lives.  It is "personal scripture" for lack of a better term.  A virtual compass to lead the individual during particularly difficult times in life or for day to day guidance.  It can include warnings, admonitions, and particularly, blessings.  It also declares the lineage or ancestral lines specific to one of the 12 tribes of Isreal.  So far, Amy, Hannah and I are all of the same tribe.  The boys may prove different. 

Hannah decided that she was ready.  She called the Executive Secretary in our ward who schedules all of the meetings with our Bishop and set an appointment to get an interview for her blessing.  She got the recommend the next week stating her worthiness to the Patriarch to recieve the blessing and this last Sunday January 9, 2011 at 3pm we met at the patriarch's home for her blessing.  We came fasting and prepared for a great experience.  We were not dissapointed.  It was very special, and spiritual.

In the weeks leading up to her blessing, Amy and I both pulled ours out and read them again.  We shared them with Hannah.  It was fun for her to see some of the things fulfilled in our lives and some that have yet to be fulfilled.

I also realized that on the new LDS website, one may order a patriarchal blessing of a direct ancestor who has passed away, with some very basic information.  Saturday before the blessing, we received in the mail the patriarchal blessings of my Grandma and Grandpa Brand.  Little did I realize that they both recieved them on the same day from the same patriarch.  Hannah was able to read them as well in preparation for her own blessing.

Patriarch Terry was very nice.  Hannah noticed that he seemed to weigh every word carefully before he spoke, both before the blessing while we were visiting, and all throughout the blessing.  It was clear that he was listening for inspiration from heaven.

The Spirit was very strong.  I am usually emotional anyway but was suprised at just how emotional I was.  It's probably a combination of the spirituality of the situation, the fact that Hannah is turning into a young women right before our eyes, and the fact that I was starving from the fast!

I am so proud of her.  I am also so proud of her mom Amy.  For me, at least, there are few times when I really feel the stamp of approval from heaven for the job I am doing with my family.  Sunday I felt truly that God was pleased with the way Amy and I are raising our family.  It felt really great.

Two Steps and 10 Year Olds

For any of you who have ever tried to coach a little league team you can envision in your mind the experiece I had last night with my little Jr. Jazz team.

It was our first practice since before the Christmas break and the boys were a bit unruly.  Nothing too terrible but I was working harder than usual.

After rushing home to change into something I could actually move around comfortably in on a court subsequently rushing to practice, dragging my own 10 year old along the way, we showed up about 5 minutes late to find some of the gym patrons using the court reserved for our use.

I was about to just kick them off but they looked pretty comfortable there and gave me a glance like, "don't you dare think about kicking us off this court."  So, with the miniscule bits of wisdom I have acquired over the years, I thought it wise to check with the front desk and make sure I had the court reserved for my team.

"Tom Wha..." the teenage blonde with chunky brown streaks and 15 earrings in each ear said to me as I watched her index finger puruse the coaches list.

"Brand.. B-R-A-N-D... just like you Brand a cow.."

"Well, I don't even see a Tom Brand on the list".

My patience was already wearing thin.  "You should probably check it again.  5th grade boys, 4 pm on Wednesdays, coach Tom Brand", I said patiently as she double checked.

"Ah.. yup.  Right here.  Yes, that gym is yours."

So off to kick out the riff raff and get to work.

I gathered the boys around and had them start warming up with layups.  It's 4:15 now.  The experience at the front desk took nearly 10 minutes.  I notice that these boys are still lacking some serious fundamentals on a basic layup.

So, like a good coach, I stop them, gather them around and demonstrate that once you pick up the ball, you get two (2) steps to the hoop to lay the ball off the glass and score. 

About half of the boys are getting it.  The other half are not but willing to keep trying until they do.  All but one.  One who knows better.  One who wants to argue with me about it.

"I only need to take one step because I am bigger than all the other kids.  I don't need the two steps.  One will get the job done", he explains.

"Yes.  You are bigger than all the other kids and you probably only do need one step, but you get two.  You should use two.  Besides that, it is fundamentally correct to use two steps when performing a layup correctly", I explain.

"Look", he says, "I have had 8 basketball coaches over the years (he is 10 mind you) and none of them has ever told me that I am supposed to take two steps.  All of them have always told me that I only need to take one.  Are you telling me that all 8 of those other coaches are wrong?"

Now.... I am nearly 40 years old.  I am standing in the middle of a crowded gym with the rest of the boys watching this exchange.  I won't disclose my first instinct.  Let's just say I successfully supressed it and responded to his question the best I knew how in that situation.

"That is exactly what I am saying.  If you have had 8 coaches over the last 10 years of your life in your vast experience of playing basketball, and every one of them has told you that you only need to take one step while executing a layup, then yes.  They are all wrong, and I am right.  Besides, I am your coach now, not them and I am having to correct poor coaching 8 times over."

He couldn't believe it.  He just couldn't believe it.  At that point I thought of a term that I have had one of the guys in my office say a hundred times while talking sports speak, which I thought was not a term.  But I realized, it surely is.  "Uncoachable".  That's the word... that's what this kid is... or at least was last night.

I was done.  He was convinced he couldn't do it the way I wanted it done, and he was convinced that there was no way 8 other coaches could have been wrong and I was right.  Doesn't help that I guess his dad played in the NBA and has told him that one step is good enough.

It didn't help that after I pulled them all in again and gave them a lecture about how coaches volunteer their time, sacrifice work time, and family time to spend it with these kids, and that they should respect that and appreciate the efforts and give me the courtesy of listening to what I have to say, that my own boy left in the middle of my speach to get a drink.

I was done.  Dejected.  Over stimulated and out of gas.  4:45 couldn't have come any sooner.  I was out the door and on the road home.

So you may ask yourself, how I am feeling about coaching little league sports and 10 year old boys...  I can't wait until our game on Saturday!  I was over it by midnight anyway (a bowl of ice-cream is magical) and we all were just working the kinks out from a long break. 

And does it really matter if he takes one step or two?  No it doesn't.  Not today anyway.  One day he will have a flash back to our exchange and hopefully realize that I was trying to help him.

Hot Dog!

SOUTH TOWNE HOT DOG

Ah... the ever glorious Hot Dog On A Stick.  You know, some of my greatest memories were spent in front of a store much like this.  There is something wonderful about hot melted cheese on a stick slathered in batter and deep fried that just gives me goose bumps... in a good way mind you.

When Amy used to work here many moons ago, I would drop in and see her.  It was the only food available in a new and struggling South Towne Mall.  Needless to say, there was quite a bit of waste there.  I would show up about the time she would have to scratch a certain amount of inventory off the list and throw it in the garbage.  This situation led to one of the greatest variations of the cheese on a stick to ever grace a disposable paper hotdog tray.

Amy would take several cheese sticks that were going in the trash and mush them into a big cheese ball about the size of a grapefruit, waller it around in the batter and drop it into the boiling magic fry pot.  It took longer than a normal cheese stick so it was a delicate process to brown the outside just enough to ensure the contents were thoroughly melted but not to over do the outer shell.  She got it down to a fine science and I would enjoy a calorie oozing delicacy.

Although mom no longer works there, she and I still have fond memories.  And although the kids may never experience the mastery of mom's delectable cheese ball, it still tastes about the same as one on a stick.

The only thing that would have made this night better would have been to see amy in her little uniform pounding out a fresh batch of lemonade like the girl in the background.  Good times!

The Rear View Mirror and Eyes on the Road

It's amazing what a picture can do to stir memories. Whom ever coined the phrase, "A picture is worth a thousand words", was right on the money.

This was taken in the 80's sometime in one of those photo booths at the mall, or some random location.  I am pretty sure Amy and I were in a tickle fight and I was dominating!  We still have those every once in a while and I still am the champion, although her tickling turns a bit more aggressive to gain the upper hand.  I usually walk away with a stinging scratch and she ends up in the bathroom before it's too late.

As another year comes to a close I find myself thinking about the past and the future.  I look through the photos and wonder where in the world time has gone.  Amy and I met when we were 14 years old... freshmen in high school at Jordan.  Now I see Hannah at 13 and realize, come Saturday, New Years Day, that she will be 14 in 2011.

I still remember the day of her birth.  I couldn't have been more proud; or emotional!  The same with all of the kids.  Fatherhood is a glorious adventure.  She has danced for years and participated in soccer.  Most recently she made a difficult decision to give up dance and go for it in soccer.  I wish her all the best and am looking forward to spending lots of time working with her in the back yard and going for runs.... heaven knows I could use it too!

Then there is our little athlete Joey.  Named after his grandpa Don, Joey has truly amazed all of his family with his athletic, and God given mind you, talents.  There pretty much isn't anything this kid can't do if he wants to when it comes to sports.  He loves this picture.  He says he looks like a general leading his troops into battle.  This was a big game against Bingham, the arch rival of Alta.  I can't begin to tell you how many life lessons this kid is learning through sports.  Particularly football.  He has big dreams, and we encourage them, all the while reminding him of the percentage of kids that actually make it pro... in any sport.  I just want him to be a decent father and husband, and contribute to his community.  Good enough for me.

And then there is our little Benny Boy.  Joey's proverbial shadow.  I have so much fun watching these two interact (except for when they are arguing about something).  Ben wants to be and do everything that Joey is and does.  I remember being the little brother.... still do.  I followed my two older brothers around everywhere I could.  They taught me lots of things.  It's funny... Joey would never admit it but I know he looks up to Hannah and wishes he could be like her in many ways too.

It's hard to believe that Ben is in Kindergarten now.  He is one of the best readers in all of Kindergarten at his school... naturally.  We don't push him to read and never have.  He is just a good student and loves to learn.  He has an amazing imagination and is so funny.  I hope he keeps his blonde hair his whole life.  I love it.  But if he is anything like I was, it will fade away... in color and existence!  Hopefully the pattern holds true that you follow your mother's father's hair gene.  If that's the case, my boys are set.  Don had the thickest head of hair you have ever seen.

Well, who knows what 2011 will bring.  It's always an adventure.  We are looking forward to spending time together again as a family and going through life's ups and downs.

Here's to my family - I love you all.  And here's to 2011 - Bring it on Father Time.... bring it on.