Our New Home...

The entry way...

The dining area/living room

The kitchen

So, yeah these pictures are kinda self explanatory, but oh well.

Tonight I tracked two deer all over the place. That was a heckuva work out.

You ever wonder where somethings come from, like just now, Olivia just asked if we can get a Christmas tree, in October... I think if we do that we may need to get one in October, then one near the end of November. An arbor I am not. In fact if it isn't a cultivated plant, I am not your man. (i.e. house plants and flowers...) Heaven knows that Grandma Jean and Gramma Marj tried to teach me.

Tomorrow is Father's Day. Call your dad and tell him how thankful you are for him. I tell you what, I am proud to have my dad as my father. He is a good man. He has raised four decent children; taught us how to work; respect ourselves and others; how to be a good husband & father; and he taught us all how to have a good time. I miss having Dad around, roping with him and working with him. I sure learn a lot from him (I almost put an "ed" on the end of learn, but that would be foolish, I learn new stuff from Dad all the time). One thing you should really see is my dad do back-flips on the basketball court during halftime when he referees... You ROCK DAD!!!

This is our view...

Looking west out of the living room, this is what we see. Sorry that the picture is not all too clear, when I find the real camera, I will post better pics.
BTW I just spent an hour or more stomping around in the woods. It was swell.

See the post below.

GLOBAL WARMING MY @$$...

For those of you who are "Green:" IT IS SNOWING HERE IN MOSCOW. NO, this is not a joke, and we are NOT in Moscow, Russia. I rode my motorcycle to skool and as I was going I thought, "Wow, that is a lot of white pollen coming off those trees." But then it hit me as the pollen melted on my helmet: that precipitation, in the form of snow. I tried to take a picture with my camera phone, but you just can't see it well enough.
In other news, we are 3/4 moved. We have a little left to move out. Then start the unpacking and organizing, Liv's favorite. We will get pictures on for everyone to see as soon as we find the camera... We think we know where it is in all the stuff we packed. At my request, we did not pack it in boxes, we packed it in trash bags. (They pack easier and there is less to clean up when your done, and we aren't moving across the country, it is only 5 miles).
Any how, I better get studying for today's classes...
Have a good one, and would someone get Al Gore's phone number for me, I have a somewhat inconvenient truth to tell him...

Did he just say that?

Steve just bought this Izzo bag from Big 5. It is a golf bag, for those of you who don't know. Steve also bought balls and tees. The cashier asked him if he needed a bag for his stuff. I said "Isn't that the point of the golf bag?" I do not think he got the joke...

100th Postiversary!!!

That is right folks, this is the 100th post on my blog! Those of you who have read all of them: WOW, congrats to you for following me on this crazy journey. I wonder if anyone has read all of them. I am pretty sure I have, but I wrote 'em!
Anyhow, guess who was smiling at the gas pump today: ME! I filled my motor bike up for $8.73. I am used to filling my truck, which, these days takes about $80-100. I have driven over 100 miles on the bike since I got it last week. It is amazing the excuses I can find to jump on and go. Driving that thing is way fun. Yeah, it leaks a little oil and the temperature control is speed, but is just like Old Blue. (For those of you who do not know Old Blue, she is a '72 Chevy step-side straight six, three on the tree. That was my ride in High School.) Heck, I even rode it today in the rain. I got a little wet but nothing like Steve Kun does during the rainy season, when he delivers the mail.
日本の郵便大好き。日曜日、僕は日本のため寂しくなったよ。日本へ戻りたい。モスコに雨がよく降ているので日本の梅雨のようなことだ。だけどイアダホを愛すろので大丈夫、それとも奥さんがいらしゃて下さているから、問題ない。
Well, this is short, but the above says most of it. Sorry to my friends who do not read Japanese, I just wanted to say something that some people in the Far East might like to hear.
Take care!

my veiw for the summer.

This is what I see every day. Kinda depressing.

Here is my new ride...

Yeah, it is a bit old, but I did get it up to 65 the other day.
For those of you wanting to know, the weather in Moscow has been pretty friggin awesome. It is different without the undergrad kids. No partiers running around drunk in the middle of the night. It is nice.
Summer school is neat. It is a whole lot of work, but I think it will be worth it. For those of you keeping score: I got a 2.26 this semester. That brings my overall to a 2.17. I am feeling good about that.
I hope all ya'll are doing well. There will be more coming on the blog since I can do it mobilly. BOOYAH!!!

These are my feet. I am trying out the mobile blogging. I shot this picture with my camera phone and am typing this entry on my tiny keypad. This may not be the ultimate way to do this... We shall see...

Good News:

I got an email yesterday that I have been accepted to the Waters of the West Masters Program. Yahoo! It means one more year of school past Law School, but it also means that when I graduate I will have both a J.D. and a Masters.
In related news: Olivia and I are moving! We are moving out of town into an apartment over a house. We are pretty excited to get out in the country, away from all the frat boys, sorority girls and the loud peeps who live behind us. The place is pretty, and quite nice. We will probably put pics up soon.
In other news: My Ruger is broken. I will have to send it away for repair, which means that I will be unarmed for the next three weeks (though I may convince Liv to let me get a lever action Marlin).
In World News: Congratulations out to Emi, she got married! The pictures she sent are gorgeous!
恵美ちゃん：美しいだよ!ご主人様はかっこいだよ!写真を送て下さたありがとう。
And finally today: We will miss all our school friends who are leaving. I hope all of you have some good times over the summer. Stay cool...

So this teknology thing...

I am not too sure about it. Why? Because I just had the creepiest feeling that I might be being watched. I cannot explain it, but it is almost like how Marshall Dillon always wondered if someone was stalking him when he saw a shadow out of the corner of his eye. I don't carry my sixgun with me, though, so it is not a huge deal. Just a little weird.
Today is my last final for my first year of law skool. The funny thing about these tests is it really isn't the tests that bother me, it is the grades. I could take these tests all day, but getting the grades back is enough to make me very crazy. You know, I have only developed three or four stress-based illnesses since starting here. Some have more and some have less.
Anyhow, I think it is time to get back to studying. I am, right now, knowing and purposefully avoiding thinking about people who are willfully blind. Such people are not reckless or negligent. I hope.

Compliments...

I have been called a few things in life. Some things I have been called are nice and build me up and some aren't very congenial at all. Tonight I was paid a real nice compliment, a friend told me that he could always depend on me to tell him where the bear sits. I reckon that is pretty nice. For those of you not acquainted with country life, it means, in simpler terms that I am trustworthy. I have always believed it is better to be trusted than to be loved. Give that a thought.
I would also like to tell you that one word has been a complement to my life. That word is the one description I love to be called more than any other. More than "cowboy," "funny," "handy," or even "handsome." That word is Husband. I am glad that a good woman calls me husband. It does my heart good.
-By the way, I know the difference between "compliment" and "complement."

ENVIROMENTALLY FRIENDLY

I decided to go green with my blog, seeing how that is the new hip thing to do. I tell you what though, truth is I was green long before this whole movement started. I grew up riding horses or my bicycle where ever I went. I even got a little green on my face when I got bucked off the horse. These days, though, everything is "going green."

To be honest, I don't know if I like it. What do all the other colors think? Has anyone considers that maybe blue and yellow are feeling a little over used and under appreciated? How about red, you never even hear red as an option any more. The only red you see zipping around is the firetrucks, what if they went green? That'd sure be a lot of towns needing new paint for the fleet. Black is simply out of the question, cause it is dark and scary, although some folks sure like to wear a lot of black, but I think they get balked at. Those folks aren't exactly wearing black cause of a funeral or cause they are in the Japanese mafia, I don't even think it is because they like Johnny Cash, although I haven't asked 'em. Heck if those folks started wearing green, things could go crazy! UPS lately has been driving brown trucks for as long as I have been alive, I sure hope they don't change to green, that would throw off the wildly popular marketing scheme of the white-board with brown marker. Those are good commercials, keep 'em coming!

If you sense a little bit of apprehension for all this going green, just remember that there is usually a reason why things catch on: money. Money is also green in our country, at least it used to be, till we got these new fangled bills with all sorts of funny pictures. They tell me its to keep folks from copyin' the bills, but who knows, I think its just cause some people like new wallpaper.

I think this green trend was started by Jim Hensen, with Kermit. I doubt he was thinkin' that it'd catch on like this, but it sure has. Kermit was right though, it ain't easy being green. Just ask the feller who ate organic food all his life; a pal told me a story about a feller who ate pretty much what all the cows eat, just stuff that was green. When the doc pronounced him dead folks asked what killed him. All's the doc said was "He died of natural causes."

Cold Pepsi

I am downing a cold Pepsi right now, the sun is shining, the birds are singing and it is 66 outside. The only problem: I am in the Law Bldg. I am trying to wrap my head around the world of Contracts. This was my worst subject last year, and I hope I can pull my grade up a little.
The morning hasn't been all bad though, I changed the oil on the truck and installed a new fan clutch. In the last few days the fan has been making a neat whistling sound. Stuff like that bothers me, and I like to catch it when it happens, so I got it fixed. The clutch cost me about $90 and I payed $23 for my oil (I buy the five quart oil, keep some in the truck). How much is the labor? I dunno, I don't think I have been put on the payroll since my education has kicked in, so I must be worth about $1.295 an hour now. That is up from $1.00 a few years ago, I feel good about that.
By the way, I will soon be posting pics of the ammunition reloading process. In the short spare time that I have I have got 100 rounds done. My goal is to have about 250 done before finals. Then after every test take a drive in the woods and shoot some targets. It is a very therapeutic way to get through the finals around here.
Things have been good for Liv and I. It was her birthday yesterday, the big 20! She worked in the afternoon and then we went and helped some friends move. When I recovered from the moving, we went out to eat. The palce was called the Sangria, not too shabby. It wasn't exactly my cup of tea, I prefer places like Bubba's in I.F., or the Helmer Store. I was the only hat in the place and people were drinking their hoity-toity wine and talking politics (the substance of which was limited to leftist crap, the tough decision between Obama and Clinton). I caught myself thinking about the time I pulled a three year old colt up and over on top of me and almost broke my femur. That seemed a pleasant thought compared to listening to people tell each other how the price of fuel needs to rise to over $5 so people will get away from fossil fuels that pollute Mother Earth. ANY HOW, it was good tasting food. I was also pleased to be there with Liv. I love her and whatever makes her happy is what makes me happy.
Well, I guess I had ought to get studying. I wish this stuff would work by osmosis, but I just get headaches when I try that...
恵美ちゃんへおめでとう！けこんしきの発表をうけました。いくことはできないけど、行きたいね。ご主人へよろしくを伝えて下さい。そのカドをおくるつもり。また、ね！

Soon life will be back to normal...

I am happy to announce that I am sort of finished with my Appellate Brief. The reason I say sort of, is I am in the polishing stage of this gem. I am going to put it away, enjoy Church tomorrow and look at it afresh on Monday Morning.
Tuesday will be like a new life. I am certain almost all of my classmates will say the same thing, LETS GET PLASTERED!!! I don't even drink and that sounds like a good idea, almost. I have typed a lot today, so I am going to leave this post as is, and maybe post this coming week.

For those of you who thought I was perfect...

I may have taken the plunge into the abyss of weirdness, I joined the social network utility know as Facebook. This is a strange new world that I am unaccustomed to. Hopefully I am not fully assimilated. We shall see. I felt like I was almost joining the collective known as the Borg, you know, from Star Trek. Kinda freaky.
In other news: I am becoming a grown up, had to change the cell phone plan to include Olivia, we are on a family plan. I am not a fan of such things, but we had to. I just hope we can keep our minutes tamed. I used to talk a ton on my phone, but now the one person I did most of my talking to sleeps with me, and I with her, so we don't eat up a ton of time. We did do the "My Faves" thing, so we shall see who gets those honors.
Spring Break has pretty much sucked eggs for me. I have been sick to the point of not being able to even write my paper. NOT GOOD, it is due next Friday, oh well, we'll see what happens
HOWEVER, I did get something done. I completed my first 50 rounds of reloading ammunition. I made up some 158 grain Lead Round Nose .38 Specials. They look pretty good, except two that got over crimped. I may not take the chance on firing those. Pictures of reloading will come, I assure you.
Hope all is well in your neck of the woods, wherever that is. Have a good weekend and check out my profile on Facebook!
PS Thanks to the Todds for the awesome desk!

Olivia's Hair, and Flowers on Tuesday

So, I think the pictures are worth a lot of words, but I should explain a bit. Liv cut her hair a week ago. She looks great! The flowers were because I haven't bought her flowers for a long time actually since we have been at law school:(. I am just happy.
I also earned the best grade of my law school career today! A "B" on my Motion for Summary Judgment. I am so happy.
Hope you all are doing well. Don't forget to answer the quiz!

Guess what?!?!

No, we are not going to have a baby, but we finally have a kitchen table and chairs! Thanks to Gramma Marj, Dad and Matt Darrington for making this miracle possible. Gramma gave us the table that was in her kitchen, since they got a new one a while ago. It is kind of surreal to be eating at a table that I have eaten on for most of my life. Many of you blog readers may not know, but I spent a lot of time with my grandparents, when I was younger and even when I go home, I love spending time with Gramma and Grampa Larsen and Gramma Jean. I am pretty sure that is why I love being around older people. Last Fast and Testimony meeting I referred to older people as an "astute" group, I have not heard the end of it. Oh, well. Anyhow, it is just really nice to be eating on a real table instead of using the camping chairs that we received at our wedding last year. I had kinda forgotten how nice it is to have a meal at a table with my wife.
This week was a bit rough, Liv has been sick and I have been super busy at school. Liv is feeling a bit better, but she is pretty stuffed up, not to mention that tonight we both have a disparaging case of wind breaking. "Charlie, light a match!" Yeah, it is bad... Sorry to mention that, but I thought it was necessary.
How about Leap Day this year? Wasn't that fun, another day of February? I read a case at school where a prisoner was saying that he had been sentenced to 12 years of prison and that it was unjust that he would have to serve the extra three days that Leap Year provided. That is creative, but he didn't get that one past the judge.
Anyhow, I hope that all is well for all ya'll! Take care of yourselves! We love you all and miss you much!
日本にいる友達へ皆さん元気でしょうか？ひさしぶりだね。今年年賀状を出し中田のでごめんね。皆さんへよろしく。また何時か。。。

I had a lead deficiency...

But I am feeling better now. Aaron, Steve and I headed out to Helmer this morning to put some lead in the air. It was nice. We saw a lot of deer tracks as well as some smaller varmint tracks that none of us knew. It is always nice to get out in nature, hike to a spot that is safe, set up some targets and squeeze a trigger. Makes me feel good. I really miss roping and riding, but sacrifices must be made.
By the way, I have the greatest wife, she sure is wonderful. On Valentines Day she decorated my carrel at school all up with hearts and candy and stuff. It made some of the fellas jealous and some of the gals decorated each other's carrel to feel good. She sure is great.
Speaking of which, today is the 16th and our anniversary is coming up. It has almost been a year since we got married! Wow, time sure does fly. The crazy thing about life is you get used to things being a certain way, and it is hard to imagine them any other way. I just don't think I could live without Olivia. What a woman. Sure, we have our problems, disagreements and stuff, but I just cannot imagine being here at this point in my life without her. She is definitely my better half. Just ask any of my friends, Liv keeps me in line and helps me be the man I am sure the Lord wants me to be. You just can't ask for more than that.
The pictures here are things that remind me that I am still a cowboy. There is a saying "If you really wanna forget all your troubles, take a walk in a pair of high-heeled boots." I am here to tell you, these boots are comfortable, you really do forget all your troubles. The revolver is my .357 Ruger Blackhawk . It is a nice six-shooter, pretty accurate and it was a heck of a deal.
I hope everyone is doing well. Keep a prayer in your hearts and don't forget my little family. We miss all our friends and we are thankful for all ya'll. Take care!

An Ounce of Attention is Worth a Pound of...

I haven't thought about what should go at the end of this sentence. I have no idea what is going on sometimes. So, I am hoping that everyone is doing well.
Had a lot of semi-sweet moments last week. Welcome to the world Reese Naylor. What a kid, Jake and Lindsay's newborn, cutest newborn I have ever seen. Face it, some of these littlins look like aliens, all squished and red. We visited the Naylors in the horsepistol. It was pretty neat.
Two fellas checked out of life, my great uncle, Don Wixom and a Prophet of God, Gordon Bitner Hinkley. Sad to lose the association with both men. That is the funny thing about life, we all get to leave, but we just don't get to leave together. That is why sometimes people are sad, at least, that is why I get a little sad when people die. It is not because they are "gone forever," because you and I both know they are not. They are gone from our association, but not forever. Think on that happy day when we will be reunited with all those who have passed before us. What a happy day!
I know we all go through rough times, but that is the point of this world. It isn't the Lone and Dreary World for nothing. The part to note is that it will get better. The Plan is called the Plan of Happiness! Not the plan of despair. We should be grateful for the trials and the growth that comes from them and move on, stronger and better. Some of you who have been around me know that my life isn't all charmed, but I would be blatantly foolish to say my life is "hard." I just am thankful that I have the trials and do and that I don't have the trials that I don't.
If anyone wants to go shoot anything anytime soon, lemme know. I wouldn't mind firing some rounds through the .357.
Make it a good day everyone!
May the Wind be at your back, the Sun shine on your face, and may the Good Lord take a liking to ya'll.

日本人の友達たちへ元気をだしましょう！またみなさんへよろしく！

The picture is the moon in the morning on my way to school... Global Warming, gotta love it!

Just in case...

I thought I would put up this picture to thank some of our friends that we haven't seen for a long while. Hope all ya'll are doing well.

Shortest three weeks of Our Marriage.

Did you folks know that my blog has been viewed over 1,000 times?! Holy 'mokes! I would like to personally thank you for this momentous occasion. Happy New Year by the way.
Liv and I are back in Moscow and classes are back on. Grades have been posted. Let's just say that I may not have the best grades, but if they think that I am gonna just fade into the background, they are wrong. I will overcome and be successful. I have lots of support behind me and I will not let those people down, come poop and high water. I come from a long line of hard working people and I refuse to back down from a pursuit that I believe Heavenly Father has sent me on. Enough of that garbage...
It is weird to say, but it is nice to be "home." Don't get me wrong, I love Burley more than most folks, but it is nice to be home with my wife. We have great family and had a good time at home, I may have had a better time than Liv, cause I got to work. Crazy to think how much good physical labor can do for a feller's attitude. We were able to spend time with some of our favorite peoples. What good influences we have. I also got to go rope a few cows. Liv also got the opportunity to perform one of her favorite pastimes, she went shopping with her mom, sister and grandma. They left in the afternoon and didn't get home till the wee hours of the morning. Crazy! Okay, so it was only 11:30 at night, but that was later than I was out roping...
We had a chance to spend time with Riley and Allison et al. They brought a Wii with them. What a hoot! You need to see my dad play that thing, it was worth it.
We also had the opportunity to eat our complete fill of chocolates and sweets. Christmas is time for the Mortensen women to make homemade chocolates and cookies. Nothing better, I gurandamntee it.
Well, I hope all is well for all ya'll.

あきましておめでとうございます！

今年が神様の愛と祝福がありますように。。。

PS The picture is W. Brent as a baby, isn't he a cutie?

The End of an Era

Tomorrow will bring a hint of sadness. We are heading North again to Moscow. Another semester will begin. Today we are saying goodbye to family and friends and trying to get all our stuff together to pack up. It is amazing how fast this past couple weeks has flown by. Oh well, another chapter closing and another one opening... See ya'll in Moscow!

Merry Christmas one and Ya'll

Liv and me are still in Burley, just got done opening presents at Risa's. Fun stuff. My latest thought was a present to Olivia is like three for me, because I don't have to pay for it, she has something new to wear and she is happy. That is a pretty cool present for me.
The present that I am most excited about is the cd that has pictures of my ancestors on it. There are some great shots of Big D, my grandpa.
Anyhow, I just wanted to tell all ya'll: Merry Christmas! To those of you that I have not seen/talked to for a while, I want you to know that I think about you and hope all is going well. Linds CONGRATS on the wedding; Jared you got a heck of a wife! It is great to know that the Lord is watching over all of us and taking good care of my friends and family all over the earth.
Remember why we celebrate today and think about how we can help others to feel His love for us.
Have a very Merry Christmas one and ya'll!

3/4 Done!!!

If I were a steak, you might say I was well done, but I am surviving. Had the Civ Pro final today. It was good. It had to be good, Chuck Norris was in it. BoohYah! Hope everyone is doing well. Liv and I will be pulling out of here on the 15th, Burley Bound! Yahoo!

One down Four to go!

Does this look like the face of a man who just aced a final? No? Well, that is okay, cause I probably didn't. I am fine with that. I don't think I am the smartest kid in the class, I will be the first to admit that. I just hope, for the sake of my family, that I can at least hang in and get this stuff done right.
Just keep on keeping on is what I keep telling myself. I think I can, I think I can... Quick post, but I had better get on with things. Round two of the Battle of the Grades for 2007. DING. DING. DING... The fight is on!!!

Its hard to look Tuff in a Subaru...

Luke and I went out to Helmer and went shooting. Took out Luke's .357 and a .22. Course, you would not think that we were headed to the back country to go shootin' if you saw our ride... We took Olivia's Subaru. When we stopped to ask the folks at the Helmer store where a fella could go to shoot, they kinda just stared... They saw us get out of that car and probably could not believe that two fellas dressed like we were had anything to do with guns. Any how, shooting was great fun. We blew the crap out of Luke's old hard drive. We thought about taking it in to the computer store, after the first shot, and seein what their reaction would be if we asked them to fix it. That was till we fired on it a few more times, there wasn't much left of it. This was Wednesday. Wednesday nite, after I picked up Liv, her car died, again. Tried to push start it. It went, for a while. Liv walked home and I waited for someone from the dealership. I jumped the car with the saleswoman's Toyota, got it to run, but I had to hot-rod the car to the dealership, no lights and no brakes. BY THE WAY: if you get stranded in Moscow, ID don't even think of asking the cops to help you out. They cannot assist you, it's official police policy... AKA B.S. The car needed an alternator. Ouch.
Well, on Turkey Day we headed over to the Matt and Amy Darrington home. It was a grand gathering. Heck, it was like being home. Nobody but my wife was family, but we all felt like family. I guess that is what holidays away from home are for. 13 people over for dinner there, it was great! Matt and Amy; Rob, Monica and Ellie Hemsley; Luke, Michelle and Cy Marchant; Lynn Darrington; Trent Belnap; Aubrey and Kendrick (don't remember their last names); and Senator and Mrs. Darrington. Quite the crowd. It was dang fun.
Black Friday was long. Liv worked from 7 am to 6:30 pm, taking only a 15 minute break and eating chips and dip. She worked all day and I slept and watched Back to the Future II and III. Nice, huh? We went out to Wingers and we were able to witness the Hawaii Warriors beat the BSU Broncos... But that was not the end of my sports viewing experience...
Saturday I decided to take Dad's advice and take in a Vandal football game. They played the USU Aggies and it was the last game of the season. Matt and Amy were going and so I was gonna tag along. The plan was to sit in the student section, but since the Senator got tickets in the President's Box for everyone, we ended up gorging ourselves on buffalo meat and gyoza. Just another testament to the old addage, it ain't what you know but who you know. I brought home some chocolates for Olivia, since she couldn't attend with me. By the way, today is 9 months that we've been hitched. Neato. Well, I suppose that will be the last Vandal game I attend, they lost and won't ever have any better seats with better food, it's all down hill from here...
The picture is from the Pre-Game in the President's Tent. Notice, I am in my sweet BYU-I Hoodie and my cowboy hat. Nothing says trashy like showing up in colors of a school that doesn't even have athletics to an alumni sponsored event!

What happens when you leave Pepsi and Pepper Overnight...

人が増えた!
びっくりしたよ!
おもしろい、かな？
じゃまたこんどー

Lewiston or BUST: Well maybe...

We climbed into Olivia's Subaru to head down to Lewiston. Liv was driving because I am taking cold medication that makes me drowsy. (I got the cold the night I stayed up to 3:30 am writing my final assignment for LW&R.) About seven miles outta Moscow, going up a decent little hill, the ole Soob starts to sputtering. The last time she did this we were headed to class and work. I push started her and drove the car like a feed truck. No problems since then. Well, she died 3/4 of the way up the hill. Did I mention the fog? Well, it was darn foggy. To boot, the 'lectrical garbage kicked out. No hazards to warn others. A kind gent from Genesee, Brent, stopped to help out. He gave Liv a flashlight to start flaggin people so they didn't hit us. One feller that did dang near hit us felt bad, stopped and gave Brent a tow rope. We towed the Soob to the top of the hill, the whole time we were going I let the clutch out in 3rd and it'd run. When we stopped, so did the Soob's engine. But as we had crested the hill, I told Brent we'd try roll starting it. Off we went. The Soob fired right up and we were off! Well, for a few hundred feet. She died again and I pushed her into a local grain grower's front yard. We tried jumpin her and off she went like a rocket! Brent followed us back to Moscow. What a good fella.
Just got off the phone and the mekkanick down at the Subaru dealer. Hellifiknow is basically what the boys are saying. Battery checks good, alternater is alternatin, starter is starting and all systems are go. Hopefully this little mystery gets solved.
By the way, the picture was the scene outside our apartment. I'll be darned if it didn't snow a bit. 'Course I talked to dad and he said it was sunny and sixty in the big B town.

I got a hankerin for a Jones...

So half my family is in Texas. That is where my older sister, Kresta, lives. Mom, Dad and Riley's Family went down there to witness Jeremy's baptism and Ethan's blessing. Jeremy is Kresta's oldest boy, Ethan is her most recent addition. I just can't believe that time has gone by that fast! I remember when Kresta brought Justin home for the first time! I also remember the first time I babysat Jeremy. Man, that kid had lungs! He just kept crying, so I loaded him up in Mom's car and drove till he fell asleep, somewhere north of Paul. Course, he might have been crying because of the insane amount of baby powder on his rear. I changed his diaper (the first one I had ever changed) and I remembered that you're supposed to put powder on the bum. The only powder I had was for my calf-ropin ropes (it makes the rope soft and fast). That is what he got, but I didn't know how much to put on... Well, the kid turned out alright, despite that mistreatment.
Some of ya'll won't believe this, but I just got back from working out. Crud, am I sore! I am not the physical specimen that I once was... I can't even lift my arms up over my head. Dadgum...
Last night Olivia and I had the sweet opportunity to view a film that I think is most worthy of an Oscar. That's right, Napoleon Dynamite. I still love that flick.
For those of you not around Moscow, the weather was cruddy yesterday, but this morning has been quite enjoyable.
As the title suggests, I am really craving a cold Jones Soda, but it's too early in the morning... Shout out to JTP III.

NOT A FUN NIGHT...

No, I didn't break my nose, nor are we playing football. Olivia talked me in to cleansing my nose with some new fangled nose strip. It hurt to take the thing off, much worse than duct tape on lips. Maybe like waxing leg hair. All I know is it hurt.

Shift in Paradigm?

It has been a long time since I learned about a paradigm. Roughly 5 years ago, on the island of Japan. I never had heard the word until I went there. I was told to shift my paradigm, or change my way of thinking. At the time a quote came to my mind: "The first thing to do when you're dealin' with a slick S.O.B. is pin him down and change his oil." I have started to learn that the first oil change I need to do is with me. You know, "Kindness begins with me." Sometimes I am a bit quick to judge. I need to take my finger off the trigger, and maybe even keep the gun in the holster...
Moscow is not such a bad place. Olivia and I are attending a great ward. She is the Ward Chorister, I am the Elder's Quorum Secretary. Church is a nice blessing. We have also been blessed with good friends, both old and new. I sure miss my old friends, the folks that understood my usage of various verbs and such. I thank the new friends for putting up with such said verb usage. I don't think people can ever really understand how much good friends mean in this life. I feel bad for the feller that has never experienced the joy of a good friend.
Olivia and I have picked up a new habit, we have been playing a large amount of Scrabble. That is a fine game. It's nice to test your mettle when it comes to building a larger vocabulary. We have a good time.
The thing I miss the most is being able to spend ample time outside, running on four legs and chasing bovines. This is the longest stretch of time since I was in Japan that I haven't roped steers. I have taken to other pursuits, besides studies (if that was all I did I'd croak!), but nothing has quenched my thirst. I guess you could call roping an addiction, but it is one I have no desire to kick.
What keeps me going is my sweet wife and her loving support, along with that of friends and family. I am so glad I waited this long to find Olivia. I don't think I would have appreciated any other woman as much. I can say this because I have lived a little longer as a lone man in the wilderness. I am one lucky feller. No surprise there, though.
By the way, the picture is somewhere around Alamo NV. This was from last year's run to Hemmet. I still need to tell that story, you can see it in the archives, Hemmet Bound Prt. One. Then there is a line from The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance,"When legend becomes fact, print the legend."

Coming soon...

I promise a new post is coming. Things have been rather busy, but since you'd all love to hear about it, I will post Sunday or Monday... Stay tuned... Until then, enjoy the picture. Me and Olivia and Grandma Matthews. (This may be the first time Grandma has been on the Net.)

My wife and Rain

Okay, so maybe the title should be about my wife and thunder... I never would have guessed one year ago that I would be were I am right now. You should see her, just running around the house like a little girl. She is so stinkin cute...
I would like to point out to all of you that it has been over a year since Olivia and I met. We have now been married six months. How great is that? I am one lucky man. Course, as I always say, "I'd rather be lucky than good."

Well, How 'Bout That?

Have you ever realized that you may be in over your head? I haven't, even though lots of people seem to think that some of the things I try to do are a bit much. I realize that I am saying this and it is only the second week of Law School. It really ain't so bad. I will say that most of the reasons for my being okay is a good family and a great wife. She keeps my head on the ground, er my feet on the ground, anyhow. The other thing she does is gives me plenty of other things to think about. Bless her heart.

I don't know if this is an omen, but last night I had a crazy dream in which I saw a little blond haired girl that was calling me "Daddy." I told Olivia about this and she says she is not pregnant, but I tell you what, if we have a girl, I know what she is going to look like, and she will be cuter that her dad was as a kid, and maybe cuter than her mom, if that is possible.

Last weekend Olivia and I took a classmate to Spokane so he could fly back to Rexburg to bring his family to law school. We had the opportunity to celebrate our 6 month anniversary! How crazy is that? We went out for Sushi at a nice little place called Sushi.com. Don't let the name fool you, it had nothing to do with the internet or computers, it was all authentic Japanese food, and as some of you know, I can't turn that down. 日本野食べ物食べたいのでね。Any how, it was great. Good food by people that know what they are doing. I know this is a shocker to some people, but I will pay out the nose for good sushi, as opposed to steak. I can cook a good steak, as long as I can buy the meat, no problem. But I can't make sushi, so I will pay for it... Ummm Ummm good.

I am NOT a slacker, I have just been reallllly busy

In case people think that I am a lazy bum, I would like to say the complete opposite. I have been so busy I have not had time to catch up. Since my last post Olivia and I have added two members to our family. No, we didn't adopt twins.
I traded for Tiny, my good pal of a horse for a 3-year old colt we call Hawk. I am breaking him. Learning a lot of things really. The learning moment last week was not to pull on his nose. I pulled him up over backwards on top of me. Broke my saddle and should have broken my leg, but I must have been lucky.
The other new member is called Baby, or Kitty, depending on how we feel. She is a 4 month old smoky gray cat. She is pretty cute. She pretty much acts like other babies she cries, poops and pees, a lot. She is pretty entertaining though and last night I roped her with a small rope (don't tell PETA), I don't think cat roping is going to catch on very quick, even with the romanticism of the commercial of a few super bowls back, with the herding cats...
I have been busting my hump working for Dells Home Appliances, fixing appliances, you know I thought I would try something new... Oh, wait, I have only been doing this since I was knee high to a grass hopper... It is a good job and I like it, I am looking forward to Law School, though. Every day my boss, Rick, tries to talk me out of it with various jabs, threats and jokes... Nice try, but even bad lawyer jokes will not deter me.
Other than that I would like to give a shout out to Emi, who got engaged!!! 信じられないよう!おめでとうございます!私たちが子供をできるときに君の名前をつけるだよう。もし女性でありば。。。

NEW POST COMING, I PROMISE

I have been super busy at work and with being married and all, but I promise my addoring public that I will be posting soon, something of substance...

Just to show that I did indeed get married

I thought it would be nice to post a picture of me and my bride. Isn't she gorgeous? I love her very much. I will write more later.

I would have to say "Give it a try!"

So, I have been married now for almost a month. I am gonna tell you, it ain't bad. My wife is a wonderful woman and she tries pretty hard to understand my idiosyncrasies. She is a helluva woman.
My new job is pretty good. I am doing something I have never done: working on washers, dryers, stoves, fridges, dishwashers and microwaves. New location, same stuff. Makes me pretty thankful that Dad taught me all that he has. What Mom has taught me has come in handy too, all the paper work and some of the computer and phone work. What a blessing good folks are, eh?
Well, Olivia has just prepared breakfast so I will "Itadakemasu!"

HISASHIBURI

That is Japanese for "Long time, no see." It has been a while since I have updated... The reason is that I have been insanely busy getting stuff ready to get hitched. I found a job in Pocatello, we are going to live there until I go to law school. Speaking of law school, I have been accepted to Valparasio and to Florida Coastal. I am a little bit bummed cause I haven't heard yet what the University of Idaho thinks of me. I am confident though, that all will be well.
I just know that things will work out. Maybe not in the way that I want, but things will be okay.
As of today only 15 more days until I am a married man! Yahoo! Sometimes I still can't believe that she said yes. Of course, sometimes I think she wonders why she did... Heheheh...
The funny thing about all the changing in my life that has occured is that I planned for none of it. I have never said "Gosh, I want to graduate with my bachelors degree and then get married." I did often say that I didn't want to go to law school alone, but I knew there was nothing that I would be able to do about it. I think the key to the whole getting engaged thing is that Olivia kept saying "Yes." She could have turned me down for the first date, the second or so on. She could have said "No" when I kept asking her to come to Iceburg and go to concerts and events with me. She could have said "No" when I asked her to marry me, but she didn't. How great is that? I just can't tell you how good it feels. BOOYAH!

Long time coming...

How high's the water momma? Three feet high and rising...
Only Thirty one days until I become a married man!!! Yahooooey!

Groundhog Day???

One of my favorite movies, you can't help but love Bill Murray. But if it weren't for the love of my life keeping things interesting, I would have a rough time telling what day is which. You see, I am checking out dehumidifiers that a friend bought from China, they are all supposed to have leaks... Not so... Any how, there are fifty of them and I have been checking them out, kinda three at a time, the same thing over and over. However, I have had some great days.
Christmas was great. I got some sweet Nihon teki gifts. It was pretty neat. You have got to love having family and friends that understand who you really are. I am one lucky fellow. I just can't get over that.
Actually went skiing for the first time in a while last night. Went with Bad-A and the Brothers Preston. (Olivia went shopping with her family...) I had a sweet time. I am even thinking about getting a new pair of skis, you know, if you don't have the equipment, it is hard to get to the mountain to go. I found a sweet package deal from the local ski shop for a couple hundred bucks, Atomic flex bindings, and Atomic skis. Pretty nice, but it is hard to justify buying skis, you know?
I guess you have got to have something to do when its too darn cold to rope.
I am looking forward to having some of the family home this week. The 30th is Davis's birthday, the 31st is Riley's, Justin's is the 29th, Risa's is today and Jay's is the 1st of January. Crud, March must be a busy month. (Wink wink...)
Anyhow, hope that where ever you are, life is good and all is well.
愛する皆さんへよろしくね。いつか話しいましょう。

DUNNN IN A BIT

That's right kiddies: McCord is graduating! I have two more finals, one tonight at 5:50 and another at 7:00am. I am as happy as a pig in poop. I just would like to say, to those who thought I might not make it: Thank you. It was your attitude and smugness that made me say: I will succeede. Now, granted, I am not done with school yet. Three more years to get my J.D. But I will do it! Yahoo! Love it!

できました！

これは恵美のために。私は婚約しました。とても美人ですよ。

Breaking News...

Last night in the Applebea's Parking Lot in Pocatello, Idaho-after watching the team roping of the 6th round of the National Finals Rodeo-I got down on my knee and asked Olivia to marry me. She said she wasn't busy so it'd be okay... Just kidding, she caught her breath and then said "Yes!" More news to follow, and the saga of the Hemet Trip will continue..

Hemmet Bound! PART ONE

We rolled out of Rexburg on Thursday, destination Hemmet CA. It was 2:30 in the afternoon. We had to make a quick stop in Idaho Falls to take a core for a tranny in to get the core charge for Virgil. He just replaced his tranny and it would be four hundred dollars that he'd loose if he didn't take the core to where he bought the new tranny. We pulled into Idaho Transmission Warehouse and explained to the folks that we wanted to get the core charge, but Virgil wanted to get the old tranny checked out, if it was worth it to fix it, he'd have it fixed so he could have it as a spare. This request sent the whole office into an uproar. They had to get everyone that was involved in the paper trail and ask them what to do. What should have been a fifteen minute stop turned into a hour long detour. Finally Virgil decided to leave, in disgust.
Back on the road. We headed down to Burley to pick up some road supplies that my mom had purchsed for our little adventure. Mom is great, she bought sixteen 32oz. bottles of Gatorade, boxes of Goldfish crackers, apples, granola bars and some rice cakes. Somehow the ricecakes and the granola bars didn't end up in the truck. She also had some burgers in a bag waiting for us. I decided to grab some other supplies at the local Ace Hardware. We got a couple of flashlights and I decided to get a 3/8 inch drill bit. I don't know why, but I thought it would be a good thing to have.
With our purchases and dinner loaded and ready to run, we hit the freeway, en route to Gooding. The reason for going to Hemmet in the first place was that Virgil drives a rig know as a "hotshot" rig. It is just a normal pickup, but he hauls laden trailers (new trailers that are going from the factory to a dealership). There is a dealership in Hemmet and they wanted a couple of trailers from Gooding. Gooding is the home to Kiefer Built, a trailer company. Virgil hauls the trailers for the dealer and gets paid on a per mile basis. This is why we were headed to Hemmet. Of course, there is more to that reason. The other part of the reason is that we wanted to go to the National Finlas Rodeo in Las Vegas, Nevada. It just so happens that I-15, the best way to get to Southern California from Idaho goes right through Las Vegas. We would have to pass through there twice, why not stop on the way down, or back, to watch the rodeo? Sounded like a good idea to us, thus the adventure.
We pulled into Gooding at 8:30 PM. We had a hitch that we had to attach to one of the trailers so that we could pull doubles (one trailer right behind the other). That is why I had been inspired to bring the 3/8" drill bit. We measured the hitch attachment and I comenced to drill. The next three and a half hours would show just how resourceful we were. My drill died half way through the first hole. Who did we know in Gooding that could provide a drill? As we thought of people, my phone rang, it was my dad calling to see where we were in our journey. I explained the situation and asked him who we know in Gooding. It just happens that one of his cousins, Lanna, and her husband, Larry, lived in Gooding. I called them and asked thier help. Our family is not the most tight knit, but we help each other, and they came to the rescue. Unfourtunatley the drills they brought gave up thier ghosts before the job was all the way done. Luckily, Virgil had a friend from his equitation class whose parents live just south of Gooding and have a nicely equipped shop. We thanked Lanna and Larry for their help and hooked up the lead trailer to head for the shop.
The shop was sweet. I have never been so thankful to see a corded drill in all my life. We drilled the needed holes and attached all the parts that would allow us to hook on to the trailer. It was now midnight. We went back to the Kiefer Built lot and hooked on to the second trailer. We thought we were home free and good to go. Never count your chickens before they get squished by the tires...

If think too hard:

You could have an annurism. Not really. It ain't too big of a deal. I just can't get over how interesting life is. I turned in my term paper today. I am quite stoked. This paper actually has more of my thoughts in it than any other paper that I have written has ever had. OKAY, so I will continue this hanashi later...

Once again, Willie Nelson takes care of what ails you...

To all the girls I've loved before
Who travelled in and out my door
I'm glad they came along
I dedicate this song
To all the girls I've loved before
To all the girls I once caressed
And may I say I've held the best
For helping me to grow
I owe a lot I know
To all the girls I've loved before
The winds of change are always blowing
And every time I try to stay
The winds of change continue blowing
And they just carry me away
To all the girls who shared my life
Who now are someone else's wives
I'm glad they came along
I dedicate this song
To all the girls I've loved before
To all the girls who cared for me
Who filled my nights with ecstasy
They live within my heart
I'll always be a part
Of all the girls I've loved before
The winds of change are always blowing
And every time I try to stay
The winds of change continue blowing
And they just carry me away
To all the girls we've loved before
Who travelled in and out our doors
We're glad they came along
We dedicate this song
To all the girls we've loved before
To all the girls we've loved before
Who travelled in and out our doors
We're glad they came along
We dedicate this song
To all the girls we've loved before

I want to thank Willie for this song. It is true. Now don't get too hung up on some of the lyrics, just realize that I have been blessed to know some pretty choice young ladies. Great and wonderful choice daughters of God. Each one has taught me different lessons and made me a better man. I am no worse for the wear. I could probably go through and list all the things that I have learned, but it would be an extensive list and then people would get lost and think I was less than the sum of my parts.

To all of you, just know that you have made my life sweeter than I could have ever imagined. I ask myself why Heavenly Father has seen fit to bless me. I reckon it comes down to a fella hadn't ought to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Anyhow, if I was going to pick sumthin for Thanksgiving to be thankful for I would have to say all of my relationships, past, present, dead, alive, hot and cold. So "Thank You."

Sometimes you just can't help it...

I am working on a paper for Poly Sci 300. It is quite the gem. I realize that it is occupying my thoughts more than most things, even roping... That is crazy. I would like to say that I am still alive, even if it is with a HUGE GINORMOUS headache. But, oh well. I swear one day I will catch up with what is going on...