A few things to watch for this Labor Day Weekend

Ah, Labor Day. While it's hard for this holiday to compete with the likes of Thanksgiving and Christmas, I can't honestly say that there's a time of year where I feel more fulfilled than over Labor Day weekend. Living in Utah in the spring and fall make the snowy winters and hot summers worthwhile. Labor Day represents the beginning of fall, perfect grilling weather, trees changing colors, gorgeous sunsets, and most importantly, football!

If you're wondering about some things to do, here are some things I recommend to watch for this weekend:

1. Utah vs. Michigan. Saturday, August 29th, 1:30 MT. Shown on ABC nationally.
Everybody who knows me knows that I'm a die-hard Utah fan. We were more die-hard than usual the past three years while Steve starred for the Utes (last year, we traveled to Louisville, Oregon, San Diego, Las Vegas, Colorado, the Provo bubble), but we're still planning on going to most games. And it KILLS both Jamie and I that we're not going to the renowned BIG HOUSE this weekend. But we couldn't find airfare for less than $400 to Detroit - and we've just got too much going on right now.
But even if you're not a huge football fan nor a Utah fan (if you're not, you're missing out), this game will be a fun one to watch. Utah has one of their most talented teams. The coaches are saying it's the most talented team since the 2004 Fiesta Bowl year. I don't have a ton of faith in the coaching staff, so I'm a bit more cautious this year, but those expectations are good - because they either meet them or they look for big changes.
Meanwhile, Michigan is getting a lot of attention this year because they have a new coach who is bringing the famous spread offense to Michigan - who is typically one of the most traditional offenses in the country. What's ironic is that their coach, Rich Rodriguez, was the coach whom Urban Meyer learned the spread from - before bringing it to Utah in 2003.
Michigan is favored by 3.5. Look for my Utes to spoil Rich's first game in the Big House. My pick: Utah 24 Michigan 20


2. Deal or No Deal. Monday night, September 1st. 7 pm MT on NBC.
So, here I am talking about how great fall is in Utah, and I'm telling you to watch a game show on Labor Day? The truth is, I don't like game shows. I've only seen Howie Mandell's popular show once, and didn't really care for it (though I'll admit it can be pretty intense).
But you've GOT to watch it this Monday. Why? It turns out that I know the girl who is on there on Monday night. And it's not just that she's on there. Rumor has it, or you can say that NBC wants us to believe that she will make history on Monday night, winning the largest prize on a gameshow in U.S. history - a cool million!! Jessica is the wife of a friend of mine, from work. She's a very sweet girl and she's currently pregnant with their second child. I do need to make it known that nobody at our work knows whether or not she won, but you can see the preview on the website and make your own judgement. My friend hasn't talked about it at all and won't even answer any questions. He's as poker-face as you can get. But when they started airing the ads during the olympics, a few people from my work recognized her (you can even see some decent footage of him running on stage) and we confirmed it on the website (http://www.nbc.com/Deal_or_No_Deal/video/clips/the-moment-has-arrived/524361/).

Quique, Quique, Quique

As you well know, our lives revolve around our sweet angel, Quique. She of course has quickly realized that our lives revolve around her and she can pretty much get whatever she wants and when she doesn't, she will be sure to let us know.

On Sunday, Dustin and I had to run home in between one of our church meetings to drop off some dishes. Dustin somehow or another noticed that his wallet was missing. Usually Quique takes things into the backyard so as I walked in the back I noticed money and cards spread out on the grass... Greeeeeat! Anyway, there was stuff from the wallet, but no wallet. Dustin and I must have searched in and out of the house for over 20 minutes. I thought maybe she had buried it, but it didn't look like she had buried anything anywhere. Dustin happened to notice below one of the rose bushes some dry dirt when everything else was more damp, he started digging and low and behold there was his wallet, right there with her bone. When she is throwing a temper tantrum she usually chews up stuff or takes it in the back, this was a first (that we know of) when she buried something other than her bone.

Then on Tuesday morning at 4am, Quique jumps up on our bed with her collar hanging out of her mouth. This is her sign of telling us that she wants to go on a walk. Are you kidding me? She must think that I do anything she wants because the last thing I'm going to do at 4am is take her on a walk. Then she started her little grunt whines. It's a mixture of a whine and a grunt to get our attention. So I started petting her, as soon as I stopped, she'd do her little grunt-whine again. I was so annoyed, but Dustin and I got a good laugh the next morning. My mom always tells me that I need to be the pack-leader. We sure know who the pack-leader is in our house... and it's definitely not me. Cesar would be so disappointed!

My 60-Second Review of Some Good Books

Well, with my wife and her friends getting so excited about the launch "The Breaking Dawn" this past week, I, coincidentally, just finished reading a great book. So I felt like I needed to add my own post about the good reads that I've had over the past year. So, for anybody who cares, I've listed a few of the better books that I've read recently and why I recommend them.
(Warning: the following books may not be as entertaining as the novels about Edward, and they may not inspire grown women to dress in costume and stand in line for hours at the book-store, but they also don't cause poor husbands to be unfairly compared to that 'perfect' vampire).

Most Motivating Read: Ultra-Marathon Man by Dean Karnazes

Lance Armstrong. Brett Favre. That guy at the rodeo riding the bulls. Dean Karnazes. Who's he? Dean is the author of this book, an endurance runner who seeks to do the unthinkable. He has run 135 consecutive miles in the summer heat of Death Valley. He has run a marathon, in his running shoes, to the South Pole. He has run a 200 mile relay through the mountains of California. Without a relay team.
I don't aspire to run a marathon - but reading this book made me want to go out and push the limits. If you enjoyed "It's Not About The Bike", you'll like this book.





Most Entertaining: The Blind Side by Michael Lewis

The author of "Money Ball" (the best sports book and business book all in one), Michael Lewis, writes a great book, which essentially explains the evolution of the NFL, how the left-tackle position has become the second-most important position in football, told by telling the inspirational recruiting story of a highly touted prep player from the crime-infested areas of Memphis.





Best Business Book: The Billionaire Who Wasn't by Conor O'Clery

You may have never heard of him, but Chuck Feeney is one of the greatest philanthropists in history. This book is about his business success (he founded and grew Duty Free Shoppers (DFS) into one of the largest retailers in the world. But he's not like other billionaires. He also gave away all of his money, while living, to many diverse causes. It's a fascinating and inspirational story.






Best History/Biography Read: His Excellency by Joseph Ellis

A lot of us don't know much about the most first and most famous president of the United States. In my opinion, Ellis does an amazing job of humanizing this founding father (for good and for bad), who has been reversed like royalty, which has prevented us from learning what made him tick, why his leadership was so necessary for the birth and nurturing of this nation.







Best Political Read: Supreme Conflict by Jane Crawford Greenburg

It was refreshing to read a book about politics that has no hidden agenda or obvious bias. With this being an election year, we're often reminded just how much is on the line when we cast a ballot. But at the end of the day, the influence that a president has on our daily lives is much more limited than we think. The TRUE legacy of a president is his fingerprint on the Supreme Court. This book provides a fascinating insight into the secret chamber of the Supreme Court, the power struggles that exist, and how this has such an influence on the country.



If you've read any of these, and want to add your two-cents, or if you recommend any books that that you've read, leave me a post. I'd love to hear about new books to read.

The Phone Call

Dustin and I received an amazing phone call on Saturday night. Since anyone in the blogosphere can see this, I won’t use any names or locations.

On Saturday night, Dustin and I were getting ready to go over to a friend’s house for dinner. The phone rang and there was an out of state number, but not really a name, so I figured that it was a telemarketer. For some reason or another, I listened to see what the call was concerning. Girl A introduced herself letting us know that her friends was having a baby and that she wanted to place the baby for adoption, at that point it was like I couldn’t even believe my ears. I scrambled to the phone and Girl A informed me that her friend was in the hospital about to have a baby that she didn’t want. The girl went on to tell me she didn’t drink or use drugs, she just didn’t want the baby. Girl A had seen our profile online and had emailed us 15 minutes before. I was in shock, could this be for real? As I am listening to Girl A, Dustin comes into the room and looks at me funny because I am sure that my eyes were about ready to pop out of my head and my jaw had dropped to the floor. I pointed to the phone and mouthed BABY! I am sure that only confused him more. I got the number and name of her friend (Girl B) and immediately called our Social Worker. We aren’t even officially signed on with an agency since there is soooo much paper work to complete so I was like a deer caught in headlights.

After talking to our Social Worker, I called Girl B even though my heart was pumping a million miles a minute and I felt like I was ready to go through the roof. The number I got was for the hospital, all I could think was that this had to be the real deal. I asked for Girl B’s room. She answered and I let her know that Girl A had just called me and asking if she was still interested in placing her baby for adoption. By the time I called her, I am assuming that the hospital got involved and she already has something set up. It was a little sad for a moment, I felt that little ache in my heart because it seemed so within reach. But apparently, that was somebody else’s baby, not ours.

I tear up as I even think about this because it was such a magical experience! Dustin and I were both ready to jump on a plane and fly to that hospital. But even though it didn’t happen for us this time, it was certainly a wake up call. After I came down from my natural high, I realized that I didn’t even know what I was doing or how I was going to do it. We don’t even have a car seat yet! (Don’t worry, that’s on the “to do” list). But I truly believe that things in this world aren’t just coincidences. I am hoping that that was just a test to see how ready we were. I’m hoping that it was God’s ways of telling us you better get ready because your baby is coming soon. It made us realize that we could go to bed one night and come home with a baby the next. Whatever the case is, it made me realize how much I really do want this. It’s one thing to say it, but to be that close and to feel what I felt, I can’t deny that. I was ready for that baby to be a part of our family. I dream of the day when our baby is placed in my arms. I am sure that it will far exceed the joy I’m imagining right now.

Tater's Spudman

Picture of the Spudman on the Snake River with the sunrise.

Well, it's done. Yesterday was the 2008 Spudman and I'm feeling good because (1) it was a really fun event; (2) I did much better than I expected; and (3) it's done - and that means my training is done.

For those who aren't familiar with the event, the Spudman is a triathlon held in Burley, Idaho (about 3+ hours north of SLC). It's an olympic triathlon - which means it's a full mile swim, followed by a 25 mile bike ride, and finally capped by a 10K run. It's popular because it's fun and well-organized in a beautiful setting (along the Snake River) - but let's not fool ourselves. It's also really popular because it's a little easier than most triathlons because the swim is in the Snake - and the Snake has a decent current to push along swimmers.

There was a horrible tragedy that took place in the sixth heat. Apparently a 60-year old man cried out for help about a hundred yards into his swim and went under. They couldn't get to him fast enough, and he drowned. They held up the swim for about 40 minutes as they searched for his body, which they eventually found. I feel so bad for him and his family. I hope they find out what happened.

It seemed that most were experienced, having competed in this race, another triathlon, or at least some sprint (half) triathlons. But I hadn't done any triathlons before, so I was nervous because of the uncertainty of what to expect. Because of that, my goal was to finish the race in under three hours. I would have been happy just to finish, but a decent time would have made it that much more rewarding. But I did considerably better than I expected - finishing in 2:30:39 - which was about the top third for my age group (results: http://milliseconds.com/ResultsDisplay.php)

Some things I learned from the experience:

1. It takes a lot of time and energy to prep for these types of races. If I hadn't registered and paid back in January, I'm sure I wouldn't have had the discipline to plan and train for it. But that's not always enough, because it's so easy to get caught up on other things or even just relax. For me, I needed that extra push to help me run when I didn't feel like running. That's why I'm happy I had my close friend, Mark, with whom I registered and who lives nearby, so he helped motivate me. In fact, he was a big source of motivation. Not only did he do this triathlon this year, but he also did the Salt Lake Marathon and the Ragnar Relay Race. Any one of these things could be considered a life-time achivement for some and he's done all of these things within three months. I'm also thankful for my wife, who has always supported everything I've done, and funny enough, I'm thankful for my dog, Quique, who would anxiously follow me after work and stomp her foot at me until I took her running. My only question is how to get out of her guilt trips now that I don't need to run.

2. Like anything, these types of events are so much more enjoyable with friends. I already talked about Mark (bulldogsbunch author). He always makes events so much more fun, and that was the case with this trip. And we had more friends up there with us - some of whom I hadn't seen in eight or nine years (below is a picture of me with some friends, right before our swim. From L to R: me, Dave, Ryan, Amber and Chris, and Mark). From my observations, I'd say 90% of the participants were from Utah, so we ran into quite a few other friends and familiar faces (I was proud to see so many people sporting their U of U gear).

3. Swimming is hard. I know that the swimming leg on the Spudman is super easy compared to other triathlons, but it was still my weakest stage and I could have significantly improved my time had I been capable of swimming better. It's definitely something I need to improve my training on for for the next race. Between that and my bathroom break, I should have shaved another four or five minutes off my time.

4. The Spudman organizers did a great job. As I said before, this is a popular event and fills up fast. When I signed up and saw that so many of my friends couldn't get in, I wondered why they didn't allow more participants. Now I know why. They did a great job of having enough food, water, fruit (the best fruit after the race that I've ever had) and shirts. But there are only so many people who can volunteer and only so many places to stay. We camped out at a great park right across from the T1 area where we parked our bike. But the organizers did a fantastic job, and with this tragic event, I hope it doesn't affect things too much in a negative way. I don't think they need to reduce the number of participants, nor expand the field. Kudos to the Burley Lion's Club for putting on such a great event.