People's Choice Post #2

We're still continuing on with our People's Choice Posts. They are slow in coming, but here is the second installment.

Savannah requested: Dance mooves video.

When I read Savannah's request, I remembered a video I had shot of Lesley a couple months ago. Lesley was trying to get me to dance so she jokingly "showed me how." In case you don't figure it out, the song she's listening to on her iPod is "Gettin' Jiggy With It" by Will Smith. She can hear the music, but you can't. Very entertaining.

Here you go Savy B.

Day of Thanks

I've really been lovin' life lately (and livin' it) so I thought it would only be appropriate to share a few things for which I am thankful. I have lived a very blessed life and am truly grateful for the following, in no particular order.

• Intramural sports - "Wait, you're not a student any more," you say. While technically correct, that has not stopped me from participating. This fall I played flag football, soccer (ugh), doubles tennis, and co-ed basketball. Brandon is on all my teams and Lesley and Mere on the b-ball team. We have lost in every sport except in basketball. In that tournament we are 1 win away from the championship game. I dislocated my shoulder in our last game so hopefully Thanksgiving break will give me time to recover. But competing in sports makes me very happy.
• Utah - This has been the Year of Utah for us. We have tried to get out and see what there is to see in Utah. We went to southern Utah, have been camping a few times, went to Yellowstone (not Utah, but close enough), and I recently camped out in a cave with the young men on an island on the Great Salt Lake (Stansbury Island). I really enjoy the area in which we live and am grateful for the great outdoors found here.
• Family - Brad and Mandy are here with their kids right now and it's been a blast. We've also seen the return of the Droid this summer, spent some time seeing the quickly growing Riley and some other good times with the whole family in Oregon, Utah, and Yellowstone. I'm especially thankful for my parents and other family members that taught me the Gospel. Family, isn't it about......time.
• In-laws - Brandon and Meredith have been a great blessing in our lives. It's so great to have them close by to play sports with, watch sports with, talk about sports with, and just spend time with. We're lucky to have them close by for the time being. Ev and Whit are close enough to get to see fairly often too which has been great. Watch out Rexburg, we'll be leave our mark in December. Adge & Steve are always great mentors and advisors. And Jason & Pam are about the best in-law parents you could ask for. They're nothing but supportive, loving, and helpful. I'm very grateful for my in-laws.
• Richard Chapman - This is Whitney's father for those who don't know him. He and I have really strengthened our relationship over the last few months (ie- football season) and I am thankful for his daily texts. I'm also excited to see "$Dad$" in Rexburg in December.
• My loving wife - Of all the things I am grateful for, this one tops the list. Lesley continues to amaze me every day. She's so smart and funny and caring and patient. She's my best friend, my closest confidant, my biggest fan, my favorite post-game game breakdown listener, and the best female athlete I know. I love everything we can do together and talk about, as well as all the things she teaches me. I am very, very, very thankful for my wife. I still wonder sometimes how we actually ended up together, but not a day passes that I'm not grateful that we did. I love you Les.

I'm sure you all have many things for which you are thankful and I'm even thankful for Thanksgiving which allows/forces me to take stock of all the blessings I have been given. Life is good.

Bloggers Beware

Just so all of you know, some classless Ute fan has created an account using my name and my picture. He has been going around commenting on blogs of people I know, posing as me, and leaving nasty comments. Please know that they are not coming from me. You can tell they're not from me by following the link on his profile. Also, just reading what he writes should make it easy.

I realize this gives him the recognition he wants, but I wanted to make sure people didn't really think I was writing the things he is.

Please just delete his comments. Or you can change your settings to where you have to approve all comments before they are posted on your blog. Sorry you even have to deal with it.

We're sucked into the Biggest Loser Soap Opera

"Would $250,000 be worth having everyone in the country hate you?"

- direct quote from comment on Vicki's Biggest Loser profile

Vicki, from The Biggest Loser, has decided yes, it is in fact worth it. The oh so ironic thing about the situation is that you don't have to have one or the other, you can win the $250k and have the country LOVE you...all at the same time (as accomplished by Ali, last year's winner). I ran across that question when reading some comments on a blog post about Vicki, the latest and most controversial Biggest Loser contestant in show history. It had hundreds of comments, many of which were PG-13 and I wouldn't recommend reading, but clearly express that the country is cheering AGAINST her (or at least those die hard Biggest Loser fans like the Winn's and the Olsen's)....especially after last night's antics and what they previewed to come.

For those that haven't kept up on this season, in short, Vicki appears to be semi-delusional because she thinks everyone else on the show are the ones stirring the pot, when in all reality it's just her and her partner in crime, Heba. Everything she does is with a reckless abandonment for any level of tact or general consideration for the well being of others. She has that Grinch-who-stole-Christmas-grin that just makes your skin crawl and behavioral tendencies that are similar to Ute fans (we all know what I'm talking about here). She is driving this country insane.

She's decided to just hate Phil, another contestant, only because he's trying to win the game too. She openly mocks him, attacks him, and tries to get others against him with a really evil spirit. Now, as alluded to by next week's preview she's posing revenge on the sweet, non-competitive Amy who was the swing vote to send her puppet husband Brady off the show last night. (Let's just say that Trevor and I flew off the couch screaming and giving high five's when she revealed her vote, it was HUGE).

Anyways, this sneak peak of her "revenge" note, which included many expletives, said that she will not stop at anything until that lying !@#%@#$@^#$^@ is kicked off the show....just because poor, sweet Amy did what any sane person who wanted to win would do.

Trevor are I are fully invested in watching with the rest of the country what we hope to be the demise of Vicki's run to the $250,000 dollars. I just get so mad at her!! The cool confidence in her evil, manipulating ways drives fury that I almost can't control. I had to take an hour to cool off after last night's intensity...and even after that I kept saying to Trevor, "remember Vicki."

Did anyone else have similar thoughts, feelings, experiences??

This is a safe place to share your feelings that I know are swirling around uncontrollably in any Biggest Loser fan.

People's Choice Post #1

In response to our People's Choice post, we received numerous comments and requests. Lesley and I have decided to respond to all of them, although not particularly in order. Several posts are in the works already, but I had to get this one out before everyone heads off to the voting booths tomorrow.

Adrienne requested: I want a political post...perhaps with some information on the current state of the economic crisis?

I'm going to focus on the political side of that request and not get into the specifics of the economic crisis because I know that when I vote for Barack Obama tomorrow he will take all of all my problems. He'll fix everything and make sure that things are "fair." Because what's more important than being fair? Certainly not freedom, liberty, and capitalism. And beyond that, what's more fair than taking money someone has earned and giving it to someone else who hasn't earned it?

I could go on and on, but I think I'll let this short video do the talking for me. Hopefully after watching you'll understand why I'm voting Democrat this year.

P.S. Please do not take this as an endorsement for John McCain, because I don't like him either. I am on board with the Ron Paul Revolution. Veto all spending bills, reduce taxes, free market economics, and eliminate the IRS???? Sign me up!