OmaHeck: Sled Your Pants Off!

Thirty degrees and sunny with 6" of fluffy, white powder. What are 3 red-blooded American men to do? Hit the city park, dang-it!

By the time we took care of chores and got our gear together, the sun was casting some sideways shadows, but the clear skies helped keep the hillside warm.

Adventurer (and complusive water finder) that he is, Tate found some really great views of the creek, a bridge and trees freshly adorned.

At some point, he took a walk on the "frozen" part of the creek. Oh, so that's how he got so wet. Don't tell Mom!


What goes up...

must inevitably come down, and that's the really fun part of sledding!

"Hey, Dad, that looks like ice. I bet we could slide down without a sled, right on our snow pants."

"Hey guys, if you slide on your snow pants, you might wear them out too fast, and bump your bum in the process."

OmaHeck: Hoops and Heights

We're fortunate to get to see some good hoops here in Utah. BYU's team has been especially good so far (we'll see what happens come March, but for now there are no eyes on this horse's mouth). My company has season tickets to the Utah Jazz as well. These come with a few bonus events, like an autograph night where you can bring an item and stand in line for your favorite Jazz players, coaches and mascots to sign. We thought Dane would be all over it, but he went chicken and wouldn't have anything to do with the players. Tate, on the other hand, was all over it after he saw the Dippin' Dots stand (unfortunately idled for the evening).

Tate can't believe his eyes (is that why they are closed?) He's about to get an autograph from Bear (and Andrei Kirilenko, who pales in comparison).

My favorite Jazz Fans:


If you ask Tate, the best autographs were from the Jazz Dancers :-). They were signing posters with all of the dancers in action. In his most polite manner, Tate approached their table, offered his Jazz calendar, told them "No thank you" when they offered him a poster, and said, "Sign this, and have a good day." The gal misunderstood, so she winked at Tate and said, "How 'bout I sign it 'Have a GREAT day?'" Tate blushed...

Recently, we all hit the Marriott Center for a BYU vs Colorado State basketball game. It was family day, so there were about 15,000 kids there (no joke, it was overly kid-ish, even for Utah County). We only decided to go the game that same morning, and didn't want to pay a service fee for tickets online. So by the time we arrived, pickings were slim. We ended up on the top row (but in chairs). It was a great view, and we had a good time. Adding to the fun was an old-fashioned romp! BYU won 91-47.

I kind of forgot that I had the camera until the game was over, but since we let the crowd clear out before we left, I was able to snap some pics... but there was no one left to take a shot of all of us together.

My favorite Cougar fans:

OmaHeck: Tate's Take

Here's another edition of our new column: Tate's Take. Today's entry comes from an email he sent home during school:

Mrs. Brown said I was goofy because I did things that changed the subject. I
learned that Pez were first used for adults and after their creation they were
used by children.

I found out that barracudas and sharks love shiny
things. Mrs. Brown once got chased by barracudas because she wore shiny
earrings.

I went ice skating today and didn’t get hurt at all. Mrs.
Brown was my partner for a while, but I didn’t need her help at all after a
while. I love ice skating!

... and that's Tate's Take

OmaHeck: Who Are You (and How Old)?

That's right, Who are you?
C'mon, sing with me:

Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?
...
I really wanna know (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
Tell me, who are you? (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)

70's supergroup The Who will be playing halftime at the Buperbowl February 7, and this is cool if you are a fan of their music (count me in).

Since the advent of approximately one version of CSI for every dollar of US National Debt (currently surging past $13 Trillion, but I digress), songs by The Who appeal to a larger, and increasingly more diverse audience. Case in point: my MIL, who likes both Country and Western music genres, but little else, was excited to learn that you could find the CSI theme songs on iTunes, and was impressed that they were already on wife's iPod.

It shouldn't surprise anyone that Les Moonves and company along with the Superbowl production team has chosen Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, etc. to entertain us during breaks in watching the halftime commercials.

But let's be honest with ourselves at the same time. Since Janet Jackson's *ahem* incident, folks have been leery about what happens on live TV. And that means The Who has entered a special class: groups our parents wouldn't let us listen to on an album in our rooms, that their peers will now expose your children to on Live TV. Translation: they are SAFE.

No one wants an FCC fine, no one wants bad publicity. Nothing's gonna happen.

So here's a most compelling consideration: what if the Cincinnati Bengals make the Superbowl? I think having The Who play a Cincinnati festival would be just too much... at least it isn't in Cincinnati. So here's to the J-E-T-S Jets, Jets, Jets.

OmaHeck: Disney Vacation

Would you believe years of planning? Even years of saving? With the deals Walt and Co. were offering, it was clear our time had come. Kids are 11 and 8, so we couldn't ask for a sweeter spot to hit.

What follows is a sampling of our trip, with a little commentary. The pics loaded in reverse order, something I knew, but didn't think aobut until htey were all loaded, and I don't have the patience to move them around. So forgive the stream of consciousness, William Faulkner would be proud.

The weather presented a couple of interesting opportunities. The first few days were overcast, and then rainy... we are the proud owners of 4 Magic Kingdom ponchos (screaming deals notwithstanding, those were a bit pricey!)

We didn't really need the ponchos more than a bit, and the drizzle we were willing to endure kept both the crowds and temperatures down. By our last day, the clouds cleared and we saw Sunny California and 82 degrees. Fortunately, we can really carry off the "I'm sweaty" look while eating frozen lemonade:

Indiana Jones was one of the first rides we hit (and we hit it several times). The first go-round was a little nerve-wracking for our spawn, but they rose to the challenge, and were mighty archeological adventurers.

Long about the end of September The Haunted Mansion and a few other rides get decked out for the season. Jack Skellington and friends from "The Nightmare Before Christmas" come to town.

Never shying away from a fight (or a Star Wars opportunity), we hit the Jedi Training School. Neither of our Padowan were chosen for the academy, and parents got nervous as we saw one small friends get a bit angry. However, the anger passed as a flock of Jedi and Sith hit the stage.

We got some close-up with the Sith in the Lego shop.

It took us until Day 4 to find our way to the "Small World". Ironically (or maybe not), after we left the Small World ride, we ran into someone we knew for the first time! It is a small world, after all!

And speaking of Small World, our fellow BYU fans really represented. My sampling wasn't random, I only saw you if you were where I was while I was there. That said, after local fans (Angels, USC, and maybe the Dodgers), the biggest fandom was probaby the BYU Cougar Nation. The Y fans were easily on par with USC, Arizona schools and teams, and maybe even the Dodgers.

We saw an entire family in various forms of Cougar gear. Cyndie says to me, "Is something going on? Why are they all dressed like that?" We have very different views of fandom, she and I.

Our Disney package included a couple of Character Breakfasts. We were able to eat with both Chip & Dale, and Lilo & Stich. What a blast!

Look, Ma! No hands!!!

Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.

On the set at California Adventure.

Look, if we don't help Buzz Lightyear save the universe, who will?

Emporer Zurg, you better watch out!

The Dumbo ride was a surprising success. Tate and I learned a bit about centrifugal forces work: SQUISH!

Here's breakfast with Lilo and Stitch. They taught us to dance, and hung out with us for a while...

... celebrating our 15th Anniversary!

Pluto also stopped by to congratulate Cyndie on putting up with me for 15 years :^P

Stich was jealous. He likes Cyndie! Notice the duck doll in the photo. Wingnut is the mascot of Tate's 6th grade class. He goes on trips with class members, and they make a book of his wild and crazy adventures.

626 hitting on my 10.

Look Dad, Dumbo the Elephant made from a bush!

Boys playing with Teacups... this is as close as this crowd gets to a tea party!Getting ready for the Matterhorn. Will we see the Yeti?

Wingnut and Tate at the Magic Kingdom!

OK and here are the last photos of the trip. Work with me here. Take a look at Cyndie and tell me what fictional chocolatier she reminds you of?

Put a top hat on her, and maybe you'll get the picture... if not simply scroll down.

OmaHeck: Christmas Miracles

Both the Holy Bible and the Book of Mormon teach readers that miracles will only cease when faith no longer exists. I am here to tell you that faith, if it endures long enough, can see miracles never expected.

Just last night, Cyndie and I were talking about Dane's increasing unwillingness to eat food, even cruddy, preservative- and sugar-laden offerings. His pallet includes a very few foods, or foods so altered from their normal presentation that they are rendered nearly unrecognizable (think Jennifer Grey after the nose job).

Our great fear is that we haven't planned our food storage to sufficiently accomodate his finickiness. That generations hence, readers of history will come upon the story of parents who watched their child starve to death not for lack of available food, rather for lack of available acceptable food. This must be what the loved ones of those with eating disorders feel. We both laughed and cried as we imagined his pleasant, but wholly unsubstantiated "Um, no thanks" in tandem with a hand wave and turned head as he withered away-an unnecessary tragedy.

Today after church, he bit into a piece of pecan brittle. That was miracle #1. Then he said he liked it. He was mostly eating the candy coating, but he'd taken in some nut as well. I offered him $1 to eat the nutty piece sitting in front of him. (I make this offer frequently, and if he had taken me up on it over the last 3 years, he'd probably have about $500--or I might have decided he was eating enough good foods and stopped, either way he'd be better off).

After the pay-for-performance incident, he grabbed another piece. Then I offered him some cashew brittle: "Have some cashew brittle, Dane" I said. "Geshuntiet!" he responded.

He wasn't as big a fan, win some, lose some, just glad to get one in the W column.

However, that wasn't the end of the miracles. Just a few minutes later, Dane tried 2 different kinds of grilled cheese sandwiches: one with colby jack cheese (not a true fan) and one with Kraft Singles (he was in Nirvana). Even asked for a second sandwich.

We're not completely celebrating yet, we're not sure he hasn't cashed in one of his other limited food choices for this newest outreach. But we have faith!

OmaHeck: Of Giving and Gifts and Orange Juice

I took a bunch of pictures, but I'll post them later. Right now I want to share some thoughts.

After the Christmas Eve celebration at Cyndie's parents' home, Dane was so very excited. I think it may have been the most excited he's been for Christmas. Ever.

Pulling in to the garage, he told us, "I am so excited! I don't think I can wait any longer... my stomach has that crazy feeling and I think it might just burst!"

Fortunately, there was no projectile excitement at any point in the last 24 hours.

As we got the boys in bed, it was evident we were prepping for an early morning today. We told the boys that they couldn't get up before 6 am. Believing that to be reasonable, both agreed. Tate had unplugged his clock a few days ago to use the outlet for a charger of some kind... so I asked him if he wanted me to reset his clock, or just wait for Dane to come wake him up. He thought a brotherly wake up call was sufficient.

Dane told us that he knew he needed to stay in bed until 6:00 (a substantial challenge since he's been known to come in to our room, or pay his brother a visit at any and all times of darkness) and then go nudge Tate gently.

As some point I heard him hop out of bed and open his door. I called to him, and reminded him that he needed to stay in bed until 6:00. He replied, "It is 6:00. I watched the clock and it said five-five-eight, then five-five-nine, and now six-zero-zero!" Who knows how long he'd been awake, but now it is five-three-six and he's still going strong.

Both boys were sweet and thoughtful as we opened presents. They were humble and grateful and offered sincere thanks for the gifts they received.

About 10:30 Cyndie's parent's arrived with more presents. Me-Mah wanted a bigger box than the Wii game game in, so she packaged it in a shoe box. As Tate unwrapped it, he saw the shoe logo and a look of disbelief enveloped his face. With disdain dripping from every vowel and consonant, he looked a Me-Mah and said matter of factly, "I didn't want shoes!" It was such a change from where he'd been just an hour before, it caught us off guard. Fortunately, we got him to keep peeling, and excitement returned as he saw that the shoebox housed Scooby Doo First Frights. (Straight from his wish list) Whew!

It was rewarding for me (as a Dad trying to teach these boys) to see them be grateful and thoughtful as they opened gifts.

Shortly thereafter, Cyndie's sister Lori arrived with husband Rod and we prepped brunch.

Apparently, there was some discussion about the brunch ingredients prior to my involvement. Lori and Rod were in charge of juice (in some corners of the universe, newlyweds are given very limited, simple, and straightforward assignments as they are often otherwise focused). As I understand it, the only guidance they were given initially was "orange juice", and "for everyone." Well, in these course of subsequent conversation (again, I was not involved), it came up that I am somewhat of a diva/snob/persnikety Pete/virtuoso when it comes to OJ.

In my defense, I was raised in a house that valued prime OJ. Both my parents cut their teeth in California, and we didn't drink bad OJ. Often, there were fresh oranges (really good ones) hand squeezed into the best concentrate on the market. It was sweet. It was pulpy. It made all breakfast food that much better.

Further, I have travelled and been to enough "free breakfasts" in hotels to tell you definitively that there are drastic differences between really good orange juice and what often comes out of a dispencer labeled "Orange Juice" (and as a result, I am developing a really good pallet for the subtleties of apple juice).

So Rod had grabbed some OJ at Costco, and when he got back to the cart, Lori told him that wouldn't do. It had no pulp, and was the bargain brand. Lori filled him in.

As I heard this story today while making eggs, I was a little embarrased. I don't want to be a diva. When others are required to adjust their plans for me, I often feel a little uncomfortable. I had barely begun to share these feelings when all involved said it was their pleasure to make my day by ensuring the best OJ possible (Odwalla, lots of pulp). It was really humbling to see how my family was looking to take care of me. Makes me want to find ways to serve them. Always.

The day is drawing to an end... my guess is the boys don't have an hour left in them. I want to reinforce some of the gratitude they've expressed today. Think we'll bust out the Thanksgiving crossword we didn't get to last month.

OmaHeck out!

OmaHeck: Tate's Take

In a new feature, we're calling Tate's Take, our very own philosopher will opine on anything that catches his fancy.

While Tate has never been a fan of the written word, at least not if he's required to write it, he loves reading, and relating those facts and stories he gathers. Our problem is that the process of having him put that information on paper is like pulling teeth... from a rabid pirana... that weighs 120 lb.

Working with his teachers and counselors at school, we've discovered that he likes to type, and type, and type... Well, let's not get carried away. But at least he is willing to do more than resist the assignment.

The school has outfitted him with a tool called the Alphasmart. It's like a keybord with a battery and memory chip. Using a USB connection, he can hook it up to a monitor to see what's being typed, or directly in to a printer to print his work.

If you have a topic you'd like Tate's Take on, he's currently taking suggestions.

Here's a recent sample:

12/16/09
1. The music from the bagpipes sound is so beautiful you can’t resist.
2. They are from the island known as Scotland with the drums.
3. Bagpipes are one of only the two instruments of Scotland.
4. They played Scotland the brave with a bunch of people.
5. The regamentel march also has a bunch of bagpipes and drums.
6. Bagpipes act a lot like your lungs and you blow in them.
7. Bagpipes are also used in Scotland games for the effects.
8. Bagpipes are for festivals as well as other stuff.
9. People have used bagpipes for centuries as well as men.
10. A lot of people say Nessie is attracted to bagpipe music.
11. They use bagpipes to wait when haggis is cooking for them.
12. Bagpipes are also used after you win in golf ,yay.
13. You cant tell a bagpipe from a turtle unless you see moving.
14. It is illegal to hurt bagpipes without asking other people.
15. The future of bagpipes will never ever change its sound.


12/17/09
1. Dimeter is Persephane’s mother and goddess of the romance.
2. Heistia is the goddess of the harth and the warmth.
3. Hera is the goddess of love, marrage, and kids.
4. Zeus is the god of lightning, thunder, and even storms.
5. Posidon is the god of the sea, ocean and salt water.
6. Hades is the god of the death and the underworld.
7. Aphrodite is the goddess of birth and is so naked.
8. Ares is the god of war and feud and fight.
9. Hephastis is the god of blacksmiths and building and constucters.
10. Athena is the goddess of protection and shield and defence.
11. Hermes is the god of flight and the sky and air.
12. Aros is the god of archers and arrows and bows.
13. Apallo is the god of music and songs and singing.
14. Artimis is the goddess of the hunt and the hunters.
15. Persephine is Dimeter’s daughter and the youngest goddess on Ollympus.

OmaHeck: We Wish You a Merry Christmas

So here's my lame attempt at a technological Christmas offering. Due to the lateness of the date, this blogged Christmas Letter and Card will be posted to Facebook, where I'll tag you if I haven't sent you the tactile version.

Maybe next year I'll be more on top of things

I haven't figured out how to attach a PDF here or to FB, so I'll just reproduce the text of the letter.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a wonderful 2010!
____________________________
We’ve had a memorable year with lots of learning and laughs—and lots of blessings. This Christmas season brings us joy and peace, and we pray it does the same for each of you.

Overheard
“What freak? Where?!?!”
-Tate, when Mom (exasperated) told the boys to “Get the freak away from the TV!”

“A cannibal?!? I’m not gonna eat people!”
-Dane’s response when the Bishop reminded him that after baptism, he'd be “accountable.”

Dad: What do we call money we give to help the Church?
Tate: Tithing.
Dad: Right. And what's a slightly lesser amount we contribute?
Tate: Taxes!
Dad: Uh, no. Taxes are more than Tithing, I promise.
Tate: Um…Bailout!

“Stopped smoking?”
-Dane’s answer when asked how someone becomes President of the United States

“You wouldn’t want to pour water on KISS because it would reveal their true human form.”
-Tate, on the legendary rock band and their equally legendary make-up

“Mom, sometimes do you want to sell me to a Mexican circus?”
-Tate, sitting in Church, apparently trying to make Cyndie laugh (‘cuz it worked!)

“It’s my first day on the job!”
-Dane, ready for his first cub scout den meeting

“It’s like crack for me!”
-Cyndie, describing her relationship with iTunes


Comings and Goings
Dane’s Baptism – Lots of friends and family joined us for Dane’s special event.

Spring Break – we hit the red rock cliffs and Arches National Park in Moab this March. A return summer trip included a few more stops, like Dead Horse Point – a singular place with astounding views.

Mid-Summer Classic – Dad was fortunate to meld work and fun by attending the MLB Home Run Derby and All-Star Game in St Louis. Busch Stadium is a great venue and even a 2 hour security line (the President was in attendance) just added to the experience.

Getting Belted – Tate has advanced through four belts in Karate this year.

Big D – Dad and friends got to head to the Jerry Jones Dome (aka Dallas Cowboys Stadium) to see BYU take on Oklahoma in September. A great start to the season (though we hit a few bumps later).

15th Anniversary – We planned far in advance for our celebratory trip. Our family vacation to Disneyland in October included an anniversary dinner beside the Pirates of the Caribbean. Mickey’s crew didn’t disappoint! And we enjoyed a pit stop in Las Vegas en route (thanks, Young family).