pack of pit bull dogs attack little girl...

I just love Maddie Belle... everything she does is fun to watch...

Click the link and watch this great 24 second memory!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BLjIL2ROoo

Manic moment...

Extremely happy and excited for my little girl then I saw her drive away in a car with a boy I only kinda know... then sadness and worry.

However, I am pleased that they started their union as well as they have. There is no question in my heart that they love each other and that counts for a lot. Now, for the hard work as life comes at them. Be patient, tolerant, forgive, pray together and go on a date every week and you should have a statistically healthy shot at success and happiness.

I am so thankful for everyone and the service that we received to help make Savanna's reception so great. Falicia, thank you so much for making a beautiful and delicious cake. You and John were amazing help. So many others also. Thank you all.

I loved her first...

Sad.

Calling around today to obtain addresses for mailing announcements. Contacted my good friends Aaron and Amy Munn. Amy answered. It has been 2 months since I spoke with Aaron and received the miraculous news that Amy's brain surgery and other surgeries resulted in a clean bill of health/cancer free.

This is the first time that Amy has sounded tired. I asked softly how she was feeling. She bravely shared with me the fact that weeks after the clean bill of health the cancer returned. She now has 8 aggressive tumors on her brain. For the first time I don't hear the confidence and fight in her voice. They give her 2 months to live. She shared with me that she and Aaron have been visiting with their sweet little girls to teach them about what will likely happen soon. In Amy's word's, "We will be ready". Out of respect I won't share some of the more personal difficulties and emotions that she is obviously facing.

I wish I had her strength. I am glad her and Aaron are my friends. Please pray for their family.

Talking with Father

It was a nice weekend going to Treasure Mountain scout camp to retrieve 9 filthy and tired scouts. They worked hard all week and all of them earned at least 5 and up to 10 merit badges each! Way to go boys.

But, my favorite part of being there was the setting. Shear walls of rock with cascading water falls. Beautiful clear streams running throughout the camp. Majestic evergreen trees. So, after being woken up twice early this morning due to thunder storms and rain I decided to get up at first light and walk. Ahh the smells and sounds of the mountains after a heavy rain! I followed a mountain stream as it carved it's way from the rock face 2,000 feet above me. I didn't make it to the top but found a 30' water fall that was majestic enough for me and settled in against the trunk of a beautiful tree with 100 years of witnessing history.

As I set there I thought about nearly everything. Blessings. Family. Friends. The gospel. Work. Struggles. The past. The future. Savanna's fast approaching wedding. Then I began to worry. We put her Tahoe for sale 2 months ago. It started at $3,900 hundred. A week ago it was dropped to $2,950. No serious takers. Just a lot of wasted phone calls, test drives and offensive offers. With 3 weeks to go the sale and resulting funds for the wedding/apartment/etc had hit critical timing.

So, I began to talk. One of those times when communicating with God brings confidence, comfort and peace. I enjoyed the conversation and the amazing setting. I got bold. I pleaded for the successful sale of the Tahoe.

I didn't have cell reception in the mountains. When I got to Driggs and my connection came I had 2 messages. One from Wendy and the other from Erma. She wanted to know if her parents and her could look at the car. I accomodated. This evening I sold it to a very nice hispanic couple that couldn't speak much english. I have yet to decide if that helps negotiations in their favor or not. Giving in due to not being able to verbally express counter points successfully helped their cause some for sure. However, we SOLD the car! Yeah. A wedding reception can now actually happen in 3 weeks.

Thank you Father.

Independence Lake

After church yesterday Wendy, Maddie Belle and I thought it would be nice to go for a hike. We chose the mountains south of Burley that we get to stare at through the windows of our home.

Did you know that the hike to Independence lake is 4 miles long and ascends 1200 feet in elevation? Did you know that the last 1/4 mile still has snow. Neither did I. But, now I do.

We actually had a wonderful experience. It was nice to be with 2 of my favorite girls. Maddie did so awesome! She literally didn't complain one time. That is, during the hike. The drive up the mountain on the other hand caused her to burry her head in the seat of the truck and have a near nervous breakdown. That girl does not like heights.

We arrived safely at the trail head and felt energetic about our "little" hike. The weather was perfect. The smells brought back old memories while creating new ones. The birds sang to us the entire time. The snow melt runoff created many little streams adding to the scene perfectly.

Did I mention that my legs were sore from Saturday's activity of building a gazebo? Well, at this point I would happily welcome back the gazebo pain. My shins do not like me right now.

As we finally got to the top and caught view of the lake we immediately heard a distressed dog. We seem to be an easy target to for such animals. This one was very cute and had big personality. It took time to locate it. It was shivering and was visibly troubled. My immediate thought was that something may have happened to it's owner. Why else would an obviously loved dog be running around a mountain lake at 9,000 feet elevation unless something was wrong? So, I followed him after counseling the girls to stay put. He led me along the lake's outlet where I saw multiple human footprints going one way. The dog tracks however were both ways and showed evidence that this canine had been running up and down the trail many many times in search of it's owners. So I don't give off the impression that I am some talented tracker let me clarify that the ground is mostly covered in snow still.

After calling out for some time to potentially injured hikers with no response I decided I better get back to the girls. My new friend wasn't about to let me out of his sight. As we hiked the trail down I continued whistling and calling out. After awhile I thought I heard something so I had the girls stop and listen with me. As soon as the shuffle of our feet was no longer impeding other sounds we heard a single shot from a gun. Many thoughts ran through my mind. I thought my original assessment that someone was hurt might be more likely and that the injured dog owner was trying to call for help. So, I called out. This time there was a response. I walked toward the voice and got close enough that communication could occur even without visual aid. I asked, "Are you alright?" A man responded, "Yes, I am just looking for my dog". Moments later we learned what each other looked like.

It was obvious that this was his dog. For a little dog our new friend has a sufficient supply of energy and is able to jump curiously high. Our new friend's master explained that they were seperated when a squirrel became more interesting than their hike. The man explained that his wife and kids were heading down the trail and that he needed to catch up to them. It was a very satisfying feeling to know we had a little to do with their reunion.

The rest of our hike was enjoyable. Especially, due to it being down hill. As we got close to the trail head we found 3 nice rocks next to a mountain stream to rest on. As we soaked in the last few moments of our trip I took Wendy's shoes off and washed the trail dust from her feet. We were finally ready to end our excursion and walked the last few hundred yards to the parking lot. Little did we know we were to be greeted.

A cute girl just older than Maddie Belle and her little brother approached us. The girl was smothering her dog with hugs and kisses as she greeted us. It was obvious that this little dog meant a lot to her. She genuinely said, "Thank you for finding my dog". We had a good visit and as they walked away she repeated, "Thank you, thank you, thank you".

I appreciate the special circumstances and the memories created for my own little girl. What a wonderful thing to have such experiences.

Gazebo....

It has felt really good to actually work again after so long. Managing the concrete plant has it's benefits and I really enjoy it overall but the extent of physical work is limited to testing concrete which doesn't last long enough to do much or crawling in and out of my truck to socialize with my contractors.

I have been working on a Gazebo for our back yard since I have 5 daughters to marry off. You will get to greet Aaron and Savanna as they stand in it during their reception. I put the roof on it today. That is sufficient exercise for one day!!! My calves are aching from the 50 plus trips up the ladder and balancing on the walls 10' off the ground. After a few saturdays of this my farmer's tan has come along well. It was a great day due to the little girls sticking it out with me and helping out. They were even sweet enough to clean up while I laid on our patio furniture watching! Maddie made me a sandwich and fruit shish-ka-bob and kept me supplied in water to allow proper hydration.

Feeling completely spent is a bitter/sweet experience but one I am thankful I was able to have today. For my girls it is worth it. For my future evenings sitting by my sweetheart as the sun goes down it was way worth it!

Now for sleep.

Katri... help Garyn decide please!

From the mouth of babes...

Not a gun...

Anyone want to go hunting? How about Spencer?

Spencer's Answer...

So, Garyn was asked to attend Prom with a boy she has been friends with this past year. His name is Spencer. Little did he know what he was getting himself into! Work your way through this blog site to find your answer S-P-E-N-C-E-R.



Good luck.

Maddie "Ball" Landrum

Maddie has shown a lot of passion for basketball and has convinced me for weeks now to spend any open time practicing bank shots and dribbling drills with her. As the video attests, it has paid off. Watch out Burley Bobcats here comes your future star.

Go Maddie.

Maddie Belle... clown dance

Maddie and a few of her little friends decided to do a ballet performance at their school talent show. It might appear that Maddie was lost a few times but she informs me that she was right and another girl kept messing up so it caused her to have to "adjust". I think they did a great job for a few short practices. Enjoy. She is far left.

Celebrate 24 years...

Wendy and I just celebrated our 24th anniversary last weekend. I offered to fly her to NY to see a broadway play and walk around the city or to come to Utah to tour temples. She chose wisely for the tour was wonderful!

What a way to celebrate with your eternal companion! We began Friday morning doing initiatory work at the Oquirrh Mountain Temple. Then, onto the Jordan River temple for Sealings. And we finished Friday by doing a session in the Draper temple. WOW! Standing on the edge of the temple property you have a stunning view of the valley and an amazing view of majestic mountains above. From this vantage point you can see 3 other temple sites. In fairness, the SL temple isn't visible to the eye but the larger downtown building are. Wow!

Saturday morning we met Britney and did sealings for hours in the Provo temple. It was very spiritual. Having Britney there to stand in as proxy daughters was wonderful and something I will never forget. We then enjoyed a meal at PF Chang's and yes, Wendy go the great wall!

We are a blessed family and cherish our time together. I hope I can stick around for 24 more! Love ya sweet.

Oh Maddie Belle...

That girl never fails to make me laugh. Tonight, Wendy and I returned from our date to learn that Maddie lost a tooth. She has been on a saving spree and has been quite disciplined to her father's appreciation. So, I gave her all the change I have saved lately. Counted out it was almost $5. She was certainly happy.

So, as we were sitting here she goes, "Dad, when I am ready to go to college you will have gotten rid of the rest of the kids. And maybe you will get a good business and you will be an old man that makes a lot of money and I will be able to use my money how I want to cuz you can help me in college."

She has it all planned out! Gotta love her.

My trials seem so small...

First, I could not be more impressed with Garyn as I am today. Like a flood gate suddenly opening I had an overwhelming sense of seeing my little girl become a mature and strong young woman. I could only hope to bear a testimony as heart felt and in tune as she did today.

We went to Utah for the baptism of Caleb Livingston, our nephew and cousin. It was a nice day. However, on the drive home we received a difficult phone call. My good friend, Aaron Munn, called to let us know that cancer had once again returned to attack his wife Amy. This time, the prognosis is not good. She previously had stage 4 skin cancer that was successfully treated with stem cell and lifestyle. It appeared she was free of the cancer and had a new lease on life. This past summer they made their goal of going to the Temple. We were fortunate to be there and witness their eternal bond and having their 2 little girls sealed to them. It was beautiful and spiritual.

Aaron told me that he had just left Amy at Huntsman for a 2nd test and opinion. Just before Christmas she was teaching primary and couldn't get words to come out properly. Through MRI they determined that she has a golf ball sized tumor on her brain. They are giving her a few months to live. I asked Aaron how he and the girls are doing... his answer was touching.

He said, "Mike, thanks to you and others like you our family grew closer to God this past 2 years and even though this is horribly difficult, we are much more prepared to handle it now than we ever were". He went on to tell me that he can't imagine having to deal with it prior to going to the Temple and having a better understanding of eternity.

Today, Garyn shared her feelings. She recognizes how small her trials are and how fortunate she is to have the blessings in her life that she does with a healthy family. She expressed how comforting it was as we received this difficult news to be driving past 7 Temples along the Wasatch Front.

My friend and his little family will have a very difficult year this year. My year will likely be much much easier. I feel selfish knowing that. I hope I can stay focused on the positive things and not find myself feelings sorry for trials. I wish there was more I could do. My prayers and yours will have to be enough. May he and his little girls be comforted. May my friend Amy be at peace and know God loves her.