House remodel and the NFL draft

Spring is here. Even though it's been in the 20s recently, and the snow was coming down - it's still is spring. Though the weather isn't holding up it's part of the bargain, sports tell another story.
Last week was the Salt Lake Marathon, last week was Utah's spring football game, the Jazz playoffs started, and the NFL draft is tomorrow. Yes - that is why spring and fall should be the only two seasons we have.
A couple of thoughts about the aforementioned sports:

1. My best friend ran in the marathon, and he's now my hero. He's a total inspiration to me for doing that. But I can also say that he helped me out - because while I do admire the stamina, dedication, and pure grit of those who pursue that athletic accomplishment, I am 100% confident that I'll never run in one. That said, Mark - it was really fun to watch and cheer for those who could push themselves like that.

2. I'm still a HUGE Utah fan. Always will be. I went to the spring game, and it was great to see so many fans out. That said, it will be different watching my Utes without the close connection on the team. I sense that I'll be more impatient with the mental hiccups that we have come to see under this coaching staff. This team is stacked with athletes - so expectations are high.

3. Playoff basketball is FANtastic. I'm relly not that cheesy - but I will say that it's so fun to watch this Jazz team. They're so much more fun to watch than the old classic Jazz teams - no disrespect intended. Hopefully, Jamie and I will be able to make it to a few playoff games this year. There is no louder NBA arena than the ESA during playoff time. Guaranteed.

4. The NFL draft. We've got a few teams interested in Steve. About four or five teams list him on their board as a 6th or 7th round pick, but that doesn't really mean anything because so much can happen. But if a team gives him a shot, I guarantee that he'll make an impact. His football IQ is so high, he's a great tackler, and he's an incredibly hard worker. I'd love to see him end up in a city like Baltimore or Philadelphia. But I'd also like to see him be a part of an organization like the Packers or Vikings. It is going to be a long day to see where he ends up. I can say that, whether he gets drafted or not, I'm confident that he'll land on a team as at least a free agent, and get a year or two being a part of the NFL. Even if it's on the practice squad for a while, he can make great money, have an incredible experience, and that can help him jump into a coaching career.
So, watch for Tate's name on ESPN on Sunday afternoon.

Another fun part of spring is the spring cleaning. I got the remodeling itch this year, and I was pretty giddy about making some changes to our exterior (mostly painting and replacing vinyl siding with some matching color shakes. Some before and after shots are shown below:

BEFORE:



















AFTER: