Cub Scout Day Camp Here I Come!

So a few weeks ago, I saw my son's name on a list for not having paid his day camp fee yet. And then it dawned on me that Isaac is growing up and will soon be in cub scouts! I am thrilled about it because I had a ton of fun in cub scouts and later in boy scouts. What's more is that I get to go to cub scout day camp with him! I'm really, really, REALLY excited.

I remember a handful of activities from when I was younger. We made bunsen burners out of #10 cans, tuna fish cans, cardboard strips and wax. We tried tofu which sucked but the friends I was with and also myself made fun of it. We came up with better uses for that stuff. We learned the song, "I love bananas, coconuts and grapes!" there was the ever-popular egg drop contest where you had to package up a raw egg somehow so that it could be successfully launched high into the air and land without breaking. I was successful with that every year! Being in Las Vegas for it, we learned about desert plants, especially cacti which could provide water or be eaten. We played games, ate a ton of fruit, learned a lot about making stuff and earned beads for completing a variety of projects and activities.

So, I can't wait for my boys to have this experience. And this year, I'll get to go with Isaac and watch him do these things. I hope he enjoys it as much as I did!

The Mommy Test

So I kept a paper that had this funny story on it and came across it while looking for something over the weekend. It made me laugh again! Enjoy!

The Mommy Test

I was out walking with my 4-year-old daughter. She picked up something off the ground and started to put it in her mouth. I took the item away from her and I asked her not to do that.

"Why?" my daughter asked.

"Because it's been laying outside. You don't know where it's been. It's dirty and probably had germs." I replied.

At this point, my daughter looked at me with total admiration and asked, "Wow! How do you know all this stuff?"

"Uh," I was thinking quickly, "All moms know this stuff. It's on the Mommy Test. You have to know it, or they don't let you be a Mommy."

We walked along in silence for 2 or 3 minutes, but she was evidently pondering this new information.

"Oh... I get it!" she beamed. "So if you don't pass the test, you have to be a daddy."

"Exactly." I replied back with a big smile on my face and joy in my heart.

Funny, huh! And I'm sure some of us guys even decided to just opt out of taking the test.

Concert Goers!!!

W00t! Bethany and I recently went to the Rascal Flatts concert in Salt Lake City and it was possibly the best concert I've been to! I don't listen to much country music. There was a time in high school that it started to grow on me, like moss. But I left much of it behind after my mission and it's rare that I purchase country music. So, with that said, I bought tickets to the Rascal Flatts concert for Bethany's birthday. It happened in a mysterious way when I received an email from the Rascal Flatts website alerting me of their approaching concert. (I wonder if Bethany somehow arranged that...?) After seeing the concert date, a few wheels and cogs started turning. There was a note in the email indicating that VIP members got better seats at discounted prices so I looked into becoming a VIP member of the band (which I wasn't too anxious to admit at the time) and ended up joining the club. I bought VIP tickets without knowing exactly where they'd be but it turned out that they were on the floor! What luck!

At the concert, the opening singer turned out to be Jessica Simpson. I've only seen her on the skin care ads and I'm somewhat aware of the controversy that surrounds her singing career but I couldn't have said that I had heard one of her songs. And after the concert, I honestly wished I could have said that still. She was ditzy and came across as a stoned flower child. The only applause she received was when she asked for it, directly.

A few minutes after she left the stage, the arena darkened and the real entertainment began. We had a blast! They sang well and we cheered loudly and everyone had a great time. They went through a lot of songs I knew and that surprised me. The end of the show included a ton of confetti and a bunch of oversized balloons that everyone punched around.

I've been to several other concerts, including Sting, Josh Groban, C+C Music Factory and Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. I'd probably put Sting and Josh Groban tied at a very VERY close second. C+C Music Factory was pretty good and Tim McGraw was excellent but Faith Hill was not.

 

Congratulations, Isaac!

This weekend, Isaac competed in the Utah State Championships for Tae Kwon Do. He did really well! As you can see from the picture, he was awarded 1st place for sparring. Also featured in this picture is his little brother who is ever supportive of Isaac and loves tae kwon do, too.

There were two events we decided to sign Isaac up for this time around: forms and sparring. We figured he'd shine with his forms because he constantly practices. Sometimes, I've been worried about getting kicked by Isaac because he just spastically starts his forms. Imagine spotting Ralph Macchio (Daniel LaRusso - Karate Kid) on the street somewhere and as you approach him to say, "Hi", he goes into his crane technique. That's Isaac. While he's super friendly, just sporadically doing his forms as you're walking near him really conveys an anti-social feeling, if you know what I mean. Sometimes I wonder if I should just turn around and walk away or engage him in hand-to-hand combat. Anyway, I digress.

Isaac competed in demonstrating his forms and, at first, it looked like he was going to place first. However, the officials lumped a few black belts into his red belt group and they ended up in first and second places. He was a bit disappointed but he had fun and that was more important.

For sparring, he was much less enthused about it. For two hours before his turn to spar, he begged and pleaded to not spar. But in the end, his turn came and my brave little boy walked out onto the mat and did it. I'm proud he did! It turned out to be a great experience for him and I learned a lot from it.

Good job, Ike!

 

Dementia Quiz

I got this in an email. <sarcasm>It made me feel really good about myself.</sarcasm> I thought I would share.

Below are four questions followed by a bonus question to test your perception, reasoning and the quickness of your logical processing. They are stated simply so you should try to answer them instantly. To assure the accuracy of the results, you should not take your time, but instead, answer each of them immediately. OK? Let's find out just how clever you really are...

First Question
You are a participant in a race. You overtake the second person. What position are you in? Click here for the answer

If you answered that you are first, then you are absolutely WRONG! If you overtake the second person and you take his/her place, YOU are in second place! If you got that wrong, try not to screw up next time. Now answer the second question but don't take as much time as you took for the first question, OK?

Second Question
If you overtake the last person, then you are...? Click here for the answer

If you answered that you are second to last, then you are WRONG again. Tell me, Sunshine, how can you overtake the LAST person?? You're not very good at this, are you?

Third Question
Very tricky arithmetic! Note: This must be done in your head only. DO NOT use paper and pencil or a calculator. Try it.

Take 1000 and add 40 to it. Now add another 1000.
Now add 30. Add another 1000. Now add 20.
Now add another 1000. Now add 10.
What's the total? Click here for the answer

Did you get 5000? The correct answer is actually 4100.
If you don't believe it, check it with a calculator! Today is definitely not your day, is it? Maybe you'll get the last question right.... maybe.

Fourth Question:
Mary's father has five daughters:

1. Nana
2. Nene
3. Nini
4. Nono
5. ????

What's the name of the fifth daughter? Click here for the answer

Did you answer Nunu? NO! Of course it isn't. Her name is Mary! Read the question again!

Bonus Question
A mute person goes into a shop and wants to buy a toothbrush. By imitating the action of brushing his teeth he successfully expresses himself to the shopkeeper and the purchase is done. Next, a blind man comes into the shop who wants to buy a pair of sunglasses. How does HE indicate what he wants? Click here for the answer

It's really very simple. He opens his mouth and asks for it. Does your employer actually pay you to think?? If so, DO NOT let them see your answers to this test!

Need Somthing Funny?

I haven't had a lot of time to do this blog recently but I'll try to catch you up on a few things this weekend. Meanwhile, I just updated my list of video links on the right side of this page. When you have a few minutes, check 'em out!

Credit for the photo goes to: http://theforay.com/ww/?p=42.