Indy for a day

Anyone who knows me knows that I am an incurable ham (although I have heard of cured hams!). And my children will remember many Halloweens that I dressed in costume to take them trick-or-treating or to go to a Halloween party. I just find it fun.

So yesterday, in keeping with a sort of personal tradition Pat and I have, we met to see a movie on Grading Day after we finished our school stuff. And the movie was, of course, the new "Indiana Jones and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull". So, I naturally decided to dress as Indiana Jones to attend the movie. To Pat's credit, she walked next to me the whole time. What a good sport.

Since I was running a little late and we wanted to get good seats, Pat went ahead to the theater and bought the tickets. She gave mine to Scott who was working at Dillard's and got in line. While she was waiting, Pat struck up a conversation with some folks. They asked if she thought I was going to be able to find her in line. She replied, "Don't worry. You'll know who he is. He's dressed like Indiana Jones"! I came along later to pick up my ticket (and embarrass Scott in front of his co-workers) and walked through the food court to the theater. I got lots of smiles and comments (and some parents pointing me out to their little kids). I had not shaved since the previous Sunday to help complete the image and of course ran into our stake president and his wife! He was not surprised in the least to see me like that. He knows me pretty well!

We saw the film and enjoyed it. It is a little short on plot but the special effects , fight scenes, car chases and explosions pretty much made up for it for us. After the movie, I was in the hallway waiting for Pat come out of the restroom when I noticed a young family standing nearby with a couple of boys that had just seen the movie too. The five year old was looking over at me and whispering to his mom. She was saying, "It's OK. Go ahead!" So he came up to me and timidly reached out his hand for me to shake. It was sweet and made my day.

Yay for Chipotle!

I received an email from a colleague today at school that Chipotle was serving free burritos, salads, etc to Arizona teachers for Teacher Appreciation Day! I told Pat and Carlie (and Ellena)and I met her there and Rachel was close behind. I was the only one who really had my required TUSD ID but Pat showed her state-required fingerprint card and we got our free stuff! It was delicious as usual and very nice of Chipotle. We thanked them.

Generous gift from Beatle-phile brother

On my day off this week (Thursday)a large box arrived at my house. Actually, guitar-sized! I opened it and it was indeed a beautiful new guitar . The guitar pictured in the link is actually an Epiphone model but it is identical to mine. It is a Tokai copy of the Gibson J160E that John Lennon used to play on stage.

The story is that when my brothers and I went to West Covina over Easter to help Dad move to his new place, Robert brought this and another acoustic so he and I could jam which we did! I called him when I opened the box to thank him and he said that he had seen the picture he took of me posing with the Tokai with a mile-wide grin and thought that I should have it! He said that he had too many guitars and I didn't have enough! So he sent it along with a hard-shell case. Well, I was speechless (for once in my life). That night I headed right over to my friend Jerry Figuiera's house (another Beatle fan) and showed him and we also jammed a bit. I love it and have already played many Beatle songs on it. Thanks, Rob!

It was thirty years ago today...

Today is Pat's and my 30th wedding anniversary. Here some things we have done together over those years: Bought three new cars and a half dozen used ones. Bought two houses, rented two and rented an apartment and the upstairs of a house. Received four college degrees. Traveled through twelve states and two countries (Mexico and Italy). Served in many church callings. Bought a used dryer, a new washer and dryer and a new water heater. Put on an entire new roof on our house. Hiked to Havasupai Falls in the Grand Canyon. Spent many summer weekends camping during family reunions. Seen James Taylor (3 times) Neil Diamond, Allison Krauss and Union Station, The Four Tops, The Temptations, Huey Lewis and the News, and The Jetts in concert. Laughed a lot, cried a little, fought even less. Buried three of our parents. Been to Disneyland a couple dozen times, Kartchner Caverns twice and Sea World, San Diego Wild Animal Park, Knott's Berry Farm, Old Tucson Studios, The Arizona Sonora Desert Museum (where we lost Wendy and found her again), the Grand Canyon and Colossal Cave once each. Owned two dogs. Made and served hundreds (maybe thousands) of snow cones. Hosted about 50 kids' birthday parties. Bought about 25 live Christmas trees. Been to about ten Arizona Diamondback games. Put in and maintained a large vegetable garden. Attended many school plays, musicals and singers' shows. Walked out of a show in Las Vegas. Been teachers for about 20 combined years. Attended the temple weddings of two of our daughters. And most importantly, welcomed into our family five beautiful, talented and precious children... and (so far) four sweet-beyond-description grandchildren.

In the future we plan to... Serve a full-time mission for the Church. Go on a cruise to the western Caribbean (February of 2009). Visit Hawaii and return to Europe some day. Attend the temple weddings of our other three children. Hopefully welcome yet more grandchildren into our family. Wear out our lives in the service of others!

It has been a fun run so far and we look forward to many more years ahead.