Competition

I am not ashamed to admit that I like being competitive, which really means I like to win...don't get me wrong I am no sore loser (at least not most of the time), I just like to win. And if you win, there is no need to be sore about losing.

After arriving home today, I proudly, yea even boastfully, declared that I still had the ability to "Wow people with my physical showmanship," which of course my wife thought sounded like I was admitting to being a Chip-and-Dale dancer. But no, I was talking about triumph at the dizzy bat race, which was part of the carnival type festivities that followed a company meeting.

I watched others participating in the dizzy bat race, and was at first inclined to stay clear, but it took few seconds to change my mind. In this version of the game, you were required to spin around on a bat, as pictured, five times before running to another bat about 50 yards or so away and repeating the spinning, before attempting to run back past the starting line.

The record before my attempt was 1:58, and I was determined to take the record for my own. As I spun around at the start, the time keeper said that I was flying, which encouraged me to seek nothing less than total victory. I ran to the second bat with very little trouble and started the spins again. On my way back I ran as fast as I could, managing to stay on my feet, although the dizziness caused me to run diagonally, and I ended up at least 50 yards from the first bat, but I needed only to cross the line. I was the only one to stay standing, and my time was 1:02! Victory was sweet, especially since in recent time I have had very few physical fetes to boast of. So at least if I have to go to work tomorrow with a red end-of-bat mark on my forehead, I can wear it with pride.

Tennis Lessons

The first day of tennis lessons was quite enjoyable, of course the beautiful weather helped. The session started with a warm up of the kids hitting bubbles with their rackets. I was one of the designated bubble blowers and had to make sure that the kids didn't swing their rackets at a bubble that veered towards another's head. They then were instructed to line up and do some exercises such as arms circles and stretches for the hamstrings. They were then instructed to do hopscotch, to help them further loosen up and so they could get used to jumping. This was followed by a follow-the-leader game of jogging and jumping while weaving in and out of cones. They also "walked the dog" using their rackets to direct a rolling ball through the cones and finally into the net. Another activity was to balance a ball on their rackets while walking to a basket to deposit the ball. The most popular activity by far was "Popcorn," where the tennis coach put lots of balls on her racket and tossed them into the air for the kids to catch. Another popular activity was making "ice cream cones," where parents tossed balls for the kids to catch in cones. Finally at the end, the parents got to toss balls to the children to try and hit. I'll have fun practicing these activities with my son during the week before next Saturday's lesson.

Visiting the Estates of U.S. Presidents

My family and I enjoy taking tours of historical homes, which for me was fostered by mother, who always liked to take us to places like Shaker Village in Kentucky, etc. My wife and I have discovered that visiting the homes of our former Presidents is especially enjoyable.

While visiting Lancaster County, PA this past week, we took some time to take a tour of Wheatland, the estate of former President James Buchanon. The guide was very knowledgeable and friendly, and was quick to rememeber the names of our boys. It was a beautiful home and the surrounding neigborhood was an architectural treat. I would love to live in one of any number of homes surrounding Wheatland.

So far, we have also visited Mount Vernon, and Monticello. We can take advantage of living in Virgina and visiting Ohio, to get in several more homes of Presidents.

Amish Country

At least once a year, we make a pilgrimage to Amish Country in Lancaster County, PA. It some magical force that draws us there. We still get excited to see the Amish riding in their horse drawn buggys, their traditional "plain" clothing, and to hear their German accents when they speak. I think I feel a strong connection with them partly from knowing that my grandmother's ancestry where Amish who settled in the same county over 200 years ago. Of course, I must admit I love their pretzels, my favorite being Immergut Pretzels. We went back this year on Easter weekend. I made sure to get some birch beer (a type of root beer) and delicious cheeses. We enjoyed driving around the back roads around the many farms and along the Susquehana River, the same river that the Prophet Joseph Smith was baptized, but we were much further down stream from that area.

Easter Eggs

I always enjoyed making Easter eggs as a kid, and I still do. I remember making fancy Russian eggs with bees wax in high school, which were cool, but for a kid how can you beat Star Wars Easter eggs, especially since they were already boiled! Of course, even the happiness from making Star Wars Easter eggs would be meaningless if it were not for the true meaning of Easter. I am so thankful to our Lord and Savior, who suffered to atone for our sins, and died that they we might live. I know that as we keep the Lord's commandments, following His example, we will live again with our Father in Heaven, our Lord Jesus Christ, and all of our loved ones.

Hanami

One practice that I adopted from Japan, where I served my LDS mission, is that of hanami. If you didn't just click through to the Wikipedia link, hanami is the viewing flower blossoms (the Japanese preference is the cherry blossoms) in early spring time. To get the most out of a hanami you must pack up a picnic and enjoy it with family and friends. This year it was a little chilly when we did our hanami, but it was enjoyable all the same. I made some traditional hanami treats, yakitori and onigiri and added some watermelon cubes, orange slices, and my wife made cookies. As you can see in the picture, my youngest thought that the blossoms could possibly be more of a treat than just for the eyes.

Bluberries! Part Deux

So back in September I told you about how we went blueberry picking, and how I saved some seeds to grow. This week, I looked at the bag with the seeds in a now dried up paper towel and decided it was perhaps time to toss it, especially with the small weird mushrooms growing. However, before I tossed it out I caught a glimmer of green and was happy to find a blueberry sprout. In fact after peeling through the paper towel I found several. Oh what joy I felt to see these little sproutlings of blueberry goodness. I was quick, yet careful, to transplant them into soil. Fingers crossed that these little guys will one day yield buckets full of plump, juicy blueberries. Yum!

What I Don't Like....

Destructive Teenagers! We were not inside even 30 minutes before I looked out the window to see that some nasty kid destroyed our snow fort. I wasn't like that as a kid, and I never will understand the pleasure that delinquents get from destroying other people's property or creations. I'll stop here to keep my anger in check. Thank goodness for Wii Boxing...I do like that!

Making Snow Forts

My oldest and I decided we would take advantage of our first snowfall of the season by building a snow fort. Unfortunately, the snow stopped and sun came out before we could finish it. I was thinking full on igloo...maybe next time!

Rolling Down Hills

Not just any hills of course, hills where our first President George Washington may have taken a roll or two down himself. Ok, I cannot tell a lie, most any hill will do.

I had the pleasure of growing up next door to a city park that had a nice big hill. The hill was great for sledding in the winter, and rolling down the rest of the year (when dry and relatively warm). In fact, until Mount Vernon, I had not rolled down any hill, to my recollection, since my youth.

So, what possessed me to engage in this youthful activity that usually only adults who are less than sober do? Well it is simple...I like to have fun...and it was fun. I just wish I had known about the abundant goose droppings that fertilize the grassy greens overlooking the Potomac before I took a roll!