Things to be Thankful For

I had to laugh today at Brooklyn. We were putting up our Christmas decorations and she was running around the house in sheer bliss because she knew that this meant that it was getting close to when Santa comes. I'm envious a lot by her unabashed enthusiasm for the simple things in life. Her example really helps me be thankful for the little / not so little things.

For starters I'm soooo thankful for my family! There are times when I think life would be so much easier without kids, bills and all of the other things that make being an adult so stressful, but then I have days like today which help me to realize just how "worth it" everything is. I have a wonderful wife who deals with my ups and downs and loves me unconditionally. I have 2 healthy, and happy children who add so much meaning to everything I do. I have a decent job that continually puts food on the table, and I have a sincere desire to continue to improve myself personally. These are all things that I can take for granted, but are really the things I'm most thankful for in life.

Sure, I'll never be a kid again, and will never feel the unabashed joy that comes from the simplicity of childhood happiness, but it's great to see this happiness in action and learn from Brooklyn what true happiness is.

I love this time of year! Thanksgiving, Christmas, but most importantly, family. It's a wonderful thing!

UTES WIN, UTES WIN... BCS HERE WE COME!

Brooklyn at Disney on Ice

Today we took Brooklyn to Disney on Ice and she LOVED IT! She insisted on wearing her "Sleeping Beauty" princess dress and has been counting down the days until today! (Literally: Britney made her a countdown paper chain to help her countdown to today.) It was a lot of fun to see her face light up when she saw Mickey and Minnie, and all of the Disney princesses. She soaked up every minute of it.

It was also nice for Britney and I as parents to see other peoples' kids and feel better about how ours behave. Seriously, we saw kids who spilled each other's snow cones (all three of them) within 10 minutes of sitting down, kids who stood in the doorway to the ESA screaming because they didn't want to leave, and kids who begged and pleaded for their parent's to fork out 20 more dollars for light up Disney toys. Brooklyn was so sweet the whole time and was easily contented with her Belle toy that we got her from one of the souvenir stands. Yes, she's Ms. Independent, but she's truly a sweetie at heart.

Top Ten Things the Utes Must do to Beat BYU...

10. Dennis Pita and His Wife Need to go on A Couple's Mission:

The Utes need to get U of U Alumnus President Thomas S. Monson to call the Pita's on an immediate couple's mission to Fiji...

9. Have Mountain West Conference Commissioner Craig Thompson Arrange BYU's Travel Arrangements to Saturday's Big Game:

(He'll handle the travel arrangements just as well as he handled the TV deals for the MTN Network). "Ummm, well, sorry Coach Mendenhall, I know your game starts at 4:00pm, but hey, the bus will get here sometime, don't worry, it's only 3:30pm, there's still time! Besides it doesn't matter when it gets here, just as long as it eventually gets here, right?"

8. Send a Freshman Punter to BYU Practice to Have Him Tonya Harding Max Hall:

I doubt you'd hear Max Hall screaming "Why, Why, Why..." instead I think you'd only hear the sound of some Fui and Unga pounding the Freshman Punter into the ground, but hey that's what Freshman players are for right?

7. Send The BYU Football Team Some Caffeinated Soft Drinks Before the Game as a Sign of Good Will:

The unaccustomed caffeine rush may give them some advantageous energy in the first half, but by halftime the Cougs will be purring from the sudden crash they'll receive once the caffeine runs out.

6. Exorcise the Ghosts of 4th and Goal and 4th and 18:

Despite what Greg Wrubell says, Harlin and Collie are not still open. The Utes better make sure they bring the heat and stick to the BYU receivers.

5. Bring Ron McBride Back as a Lucky Rabbit's Foot:

No Utah coach was better at beating the Zoo than Ronnie Mac. Bring him back for this game and let him stand on the sidelines for good luck. Let players rub his head, etc. His magic will rub off.

4. Pay Jim McMahon to Take the BYU Football Team out for a "Legacy" Night on the Town the Night Before the Game:

I'm sure he would only take them to places approved by the Honor Code...


3. Gently Remind Tom Holmoe That BYU will get at least $1 Million if the Utes Win:

Each team from a conference that sends a representative to a BCS Bowl receives at least $1 Million from the BCS Bowl TV Deals. I'm sure BYU put their $1 Million to good use the last time Utah went to a BCS Bowl game. I'm sure if Utes win this year a nice Jumbo Tron for BYU's practice facility may be in order... Come on Holmoe, remind Mendenhall that Gaskins really is better than Max Hall...

2. Book Gary Crowton to Give the Pre-Game Speech in the BYU Locker Room:

Do I really need to explain how this would help Utah win? :)

1. Play Tough D Against the Run and Don't Turn the Ball Over:

If the Utes want to go to a BCS Game they have to stop the run and make Max Hall beat them. It sounds silly because Hall is REALLY good, but if you take away BYU's ability to run you can force BYU to be one dimensional which will allow for pressure on the QB. Besides that, if Utah can stop the run they will be able to keep more backers in the secondary to cover Collie and Pita, which will put pressure on Hall to find other options, which he hasn't been very good at this season. More importantly though, the Utes cannot turn the ball over. They have to take advantage of every drive they have and they can't afford to give BYU the ball with a short field. BYU is an excellent team in the red zone, so the Utes cannot give them the ball via turnovers deep in their own territory. If the Utes can eliminate BYU's running game, and move the ball without turnovers they should be fast and physical enough to create an outcome similar to the BYU - TCU game. That's easier said than done though. This is going to be a physical game, with big plays, momentum shifts and fighting down to the last snap. Both teams are excellent this year, but here's my prediction:

UTAH: 34

BYU: 24

GO UTES!!!

Ms. Independent

I am sooo really, really mad at my daddy right now! He keeps telling me that Santa is making a My Little Pony Ferris Wheel for him, instead of me, because I’ve been really, really snotty. I’m so mad at him for that! Santa in the North Pole is making it for me! It’s mine and mommy and daddy can’t play with it… HUMPH!

And then there’s mommy… she makes me really, really so mad at her because she says that I can’t drive my Jeep until I’m at least 16. I keep telling her that I most a got to drive my Jeep to preschool when I turn 4 years old … and that I’ll be a big girl then, but she says “No Brooklyn” and I’m so mad at her and so really, really frustrated right now. I told her that I’m a big girl, but she says that I can’t drive… and I thought about it for a minute and think, oh, maybe if I drive other cars will hit me. That wouldn’t be very silly

And then there’s Carson… he makes me really mad at him because daddy put me in charge of him when he was putting gas in my Jeep because I’m a big girl and Carson kept making some really loud noises and I just, I most a got to spank his mouth! Bam! I had both arms up and was swinging but daddy came in and got mad at me, and said that Santa was going to stop making my My Little Pony Ferris Wheel because I was really not nice. NO NO NO! I’m Nice right NOW!!!

And then there’s the Jeep. My Jeep didn’t want to go fast the other night even though I asked it too because daddy said he didn’t want a scary spooky cop to pull him over and give him a ticket for letting my Jeep drive too fast. I’m so really, really mad at it because I like it when the Jeep goes fast, except when my My Little Ponies are in the Jeep, then he needs to go slow so that they don’t fall. Humph …

And then there are naps! NO I DON’T WANT TO TAKE A NAP, HUMPF!!! I like to play and watch my Pony movies and eat candy and sing songs, and dance in circles and play, and oh, wait, I’m already said that, I’m silly. But mommy and daddy still make me take a nap every day. I just get so really really mad at them and stomp around and yell and they still make me go, and say that naps will make me happy, BUT I’M HAPPY RIGHT NOW! HUMPF!!!!

--Brooklyn Marie Quarnberg

My 2 Cents: Proposition 8

While attending church yesterday, I continually heard stories and discussion on California's Proposition 8, and the vote to either pass it into law or absolve it which is set to take place on Tuesday. This has been a really interesting debate, because it marks one of the first times that the church has so publically made a stand in a political forum. While the church has continued its tradition of not endorsing any particular candidates and not funding any political organization directly, it's has deviated from its usual course of action by publically calling for its members to rally behind Proposition 8, even to the extent of donating money towards campaign efforts fighting to have it passed. This public aggression towards the passing of Proposition 8 has put a lot of church members in CA in the line of fire. (For those who don't know what it is, Proposition 8, if passed would add a section to the CA constitution that would legally only recognize a marriage between a man and a woman). What kind of world do we live in!

Proposition 8 is a proposition that already passed in CA by an overwhelming margin, but wasn't allowed to be made into law because of 1 Supreme Court judge. 1 judge had the power to override the people. Now this time around opponents to the proposition are more aggressive, to the point of harassing and beguiling those who stand in their way. It has become so intense that protests have risen up and around LDS Temples in CA, and church members attempting to enter those temples have been persecuted, stopped in their cars and harassed. Why? Because they choose to stand for the traditional moral fiber that is decaying in our nation.

This is truly one of the few opportunities for members to really stand up and fight for morality. Members are being persecuted in CA not for who they are, but instead for what they stand for. This debate goes much further than for the allowance of gay marriage. The bigger concern is the potential of a trickle down affect. What happens in CA could set the precedence for what happens nationwide regarding this topic. This is why the church is being so aggressive to get this proposition passed. If a precedence can be set in CA, more states may follow suit.

Our nation's moral values are on trial in this debate. The risks are real, with the potential outcome being a deviation from our nation being 1 nation under god. The United States is the example for the world, and this 1 Proposition could lead to our nation setting the wrong example.

Sorry for the soapbox, but I am legitimately concerned for the members in CA and for the trials that they are facing. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for their safety and for the right outcome to take place during Tuesday’s election.

(On a side note... I think Obama is going to win in a landslide.)

A Place Where Ghosts and Goblins Still Roam...

I'm not sure when, why or how it started, but Halloween has been officially ruined in the state of Utah! Last year, Brit and I sat home hoping for some trick or treaters and we honestly had 3 kids show up at our doorstep, yes, that's right, 3 total! What is the culprit, where have the Ghosts and Goblins on Halloween night gone? Well the culprit is Trunk or Treating. I understand the concept, it's presumed to be a "safer" way to spend the holiday, in the safe confines of a parking lot, getting candy out of people's trunks... but where's the fun in it? If parents would have gone out trick or treating with their kids, there would have never been any need for Trunk or Treating. It's a concept derived from laziness, and in my opinion has eroded the Halloween tradition of Trick or Treating for our kids.

Well, fortunately, Trick or Treating hasn't been banished from all of Utah, it's still alive and well in Delta! We took Brooklyn out for her first ever "official" night of trick or treating in Delta, and I was impressed! In Delta I witnessed a little cowgirl with her parents riding a real Shetland Pony door to door, and boatloads of cars driving up and down streets while the little Ghosts and Goblins wandered door to door. I witnessed 2 houses made up into spook alleys, and witnessed masses of children, dressed to the hilt, with their parents in tow going door to door. This was trick or treating at it's finest!

It was refreshing to me to see at least one city upholding Halloween tradition. We know where we're going to take our kids every year for halloween, without question, our destination will be Delta! So here's an official plug for small town America. If you want to still experience Halloween with your kids, Delta is your place to experience it!

Halloween in Delta 2008

We hope you enjoy these pics from Halloween! You'll notice Brooklyn and Carson's cute cousin Ayden in his Frankenstein costume. Also, there are 3 pics from the 1-800 CONTACTS Trunk or Treat party where Brooklyn went as a BYU Cheerleader... Yes, I know, I'm a UTAH GRAD, but Brooklyn's AWESOME UNCLE NATE gave her the outfit and she loves it! I am proud to say though the only cheer she'll give is GO UTES!