I don't want Anything

Miranda, "I don't want anything."

Miranda and Caleb

This is a conversation I had with Miranda eight years ago.  She would have been nine at the time.  I am putting it here because it is indicative of her personality, and we have had similar conversations many times over the years, although with different offers or subjects.

"Do you want a hug?"
"No."
"Do you want a big bear hug?"
"No."
"Do you want a big bear hug where I squeeze you so tight you can't even breathe, like only a Daddy can give?"
Annoyed, "No I don't want a hug Daddy."
"What do you want then?"
"Nothing."
"Do you want a kiss?"
"No."
"Or a tickle?"
"I don't want anything," she leaves the room.

Today the conversation is a bit different.  When she sits in the front of the car while I'm driving I'll say, "Can I practice my headlocks."  She always says no.   It's my way of telling her I love her..

Are We There Yet?

A poem I wrote with regards to travel to Tracy.  Caleb like to go there to play with his cousin Natalie.  But the trip is long when you're four.   I was trying to capture Caleb's viewpoint.  His siblings entertained themselves with the alphabet game.

Are We There Yet?

"Are we there yet?"
"A" in Amoco, " "B" in buy a bear,
"Boring!"
"C" as in car repair,
I see "D" in drug store, boring, boring, "E" in exit.
"Are we there yet?  Are we there yet?"

Gameboy, Gameboy but Mark has the console.
"Mommy, Mommy, Mark won't share."
Daddy, "Mark, give him a turn,
Don't you care about your brother's feelings,
You better care... you bet."
"Are we there yet?  Are we there yet?"

Out the window--country fields, pretty sights
Ahead of us, on and on forever, nothing but tail lights.
"Are we there yet?"
Stop.  Go.  Stop.  Go.  Jerking.  In.  Out.
"Are we there Yet?
I'm thirsty.  Where's the water?"
Water's run out.
"Are we there yet?  Are we there yet?"

"How much longer Dad?  How much longer Mom?"
"Are we there yet?""Aaah, aaah... who let off that toxic stink bomb?"
"Are we there yet.  Are we there yet?"

Caleb now

"Are!!?"  "We!!?"  "There!!?"  "Yet!!?"
Shut up.  Be still.  Don't hit.  Don't ask.
Sit down.  Don't push.  Be quiet.  You just asked.

"There that hill, we are half way."
"Are we there yet?"  Are we there yet?"
"Are!!?"  "We!!?"  "There!!?"  "Yet!!?"
Then quiet, peace.
Mommy says, "I don't hear Caleb.  Where is Caleb"
Where did he go?  He has to be here..
Oh, there he is, asleep like a cherub...
I hate to wake him up now we're here."

Hyrum Pick-up Basketball

I just returned from the church after having played basketball with my son for a couple hours.  This brought back memories of younger times.  Our favorite activity during Christmas break was to head to the church (Hyrum Second Ward) to play basketball.  There were a couple of drawbacks.  We needed someone with a key, and we needed an adult to supervise.  That was the rule, there had to be an adult present.

We could usually find someone.  Sometimes my brother-in-law who liked to play, or sometimes just someone who was willing to sit while we played.

We could play for hours.  The age of those playing would vary  Sometimes the group was mostly adults, and other times it was all kids.  Over the years I took several roles, from the kid who just wanted to make a name for himself by making a couple plays, to the one of the older kids who dominated the game, and finally the adult who wanted to give the younger kids a chance.

When we got a basketball under the Christmas tree, we couldn't wait to try it out.  We would be to the church right after dinner.  One year we got an ABA style  ball.  Man did it look cool when you got a good spin on it with a shot.  Clyde had a leather ball.  In those days a good leather ball was a luxury.

The church gym was not a full length court.  It lent itself to good fast breaks, with drives to the hoop and fancy lay-ups.  Many of those fancy drives ended with spins and crazy shots.  They would even go in much of the time.

One thing that church had that most don't these days was a shower.  It felt great to shower after a long day of basketball.  I would let the water run, and put it on colder and colder until I could hardly stand it any more.  I then would make a cup with my hands and take in a long drink.  Sometimes that would be the end of our day on the court, but other days we would be reinvigorated and go for another round.

Carbondale: Unity Point K-8

Unity Point

I attended Unity Point school for the sixth grade.  Unity Point was a K-8 school.  This was the second year of our two-year stay in Carbondale as I was growing up.  By dad worked for Southern Illinois University in the library, and this year we had moved into university housing so our check would stretch a little farther.  We had eight of us living in a three-bedroom apartment. 

Unity Point was a different experience than a regular elementary school.  For one thing there was basketball.  We had an eighth-grade team, and Weldon played for them.  In fact he was the starting point guard.  Sports trickled down to the other grades, and I played on the sixth-grade team.  We didn't have as many games, and I didn't play a lot, but still had fun.

We had regular school cheer leaders for the eighth grade team, and cheer leaders for our team.  I remember one cheer, "U.P. up and away."  That cheer was to much for a sixth grader.  I guess you had to be a guy to understand the humor.

Unity Point was a different experience, being popular had finally begun to sink in, and this was a big goal of many classmates.   We also had older kids in our class, who had been held back a coupe of times.  Other kids smoked and were pretty rough.

There were separate ares for different age kids.  We sixth graders were with the older kids and stayed on the North end of the building for recess.  This is where the basketball hoops were as well as a place for running or playing games. 

Basketball consumed my life that year.  We lived in Evergreen Terrace, and they had an outdoor basketball court with a rec room.  You could check out basketball if you didn't have your own.  The apartments were brand new, and the grass wasn't in.  Some days, when it rained there was a mud field surrounding the basketball court and you couldn't get to it. 

Bob and Dan McKess lived in Evergreen Terrace as well.  They were big into basketball.  We would play for hours.  Bob was in fifth grade and Dan in fourth.  Even though they were younger, they were each an even match for me.  Dan was taller.  He use to hand from the monkey bars, in the hopes it would stretch out his body, making him taller and more likely to make the team.  Bob played on the sixth grade team with me, and actually played more than I did.

Because we were a branch in our church, I was able to play on the young men's team, even though I was younger.   It was fun, even though I wasn't expected to shoot. 

I also started my Scout career in Illinois.  I did both Blazer Scouts and regular Scouts.  I went to scout camp and earned four Merit badges.  My dad was the scout master.  I worked on basic requirements in Blazer Scouts, and our leader was actually the scout master of troop 66, sponsored by a different church.

After my sixth grade year I played minor league baseball with Bob and Dan's dad coaching.  We won every game that year.  A couple of our players moved on to the majors, so by the end of the year it was a bit harder to win.  We had a big squad, and we would all play half a game.  I caught.  I played only half a game until the last game of the year, the championship game.  I came back in and played first base for the second half of the game.

Dianna Wardle Norman

These are pictures of my youngest sister, Dianna.  She was born April 9.  This was the day before Easter, and all of us kids were at the Hyrum Easter Egg Hunt, when my oldest sister informed us that we had a baby sister.  Dianna is the youngest sibling, born five years after Charlie.

dance outfit

Sara's wedding

Illinois

Hyrum parade.  I am not sure which one is Dianna

Mark wrestling meet

I think flying to Palmyra pageant

Dianna, Heather, Nicole, Natalie, and Joshua

Mountain Crest High School Caprielles 1983 (inaugural year of  school)

Dianna is second from the front

Start of a talk 2009 Come Unto Christ

Talk

I am currently attending the Preach My Gospel Sunday School class.  This last week Sister Ure was called upon to answer the question, “What is the gospel of Jesus Christ?”  She had talked about this question with her family, and provided an answer she had gotten from her daughter, Caroline.  The gospel of Jesus Christ is to “Come unto Jesus.”

Perhaps we hear the invitation of the Savior, “Come unto me, all you who are heavy laden, and I will give thee rest; Take of my fruit and you will be blessed.”

And so we ask ourselves, what are the blessings of coming unto Christ.  Page 1 of the Preach My Gospel Manuel refers to Doctrine and Covenants

The Savior defined His gospel to include some very vital and basic doctrines. He came into the world to do His Father’s will, and His Father sent Him into the world to be lifted up on the cross. By His Atonement and Resurrection, all men will be lifted up to stand before Christ to be judged of their works, whether they be good or evil. Those who exercise faith in Christ, repent of their sins, and are baptized in Christ’s name can be sanctified by the Holy Ghost. If they endure to the end, they will stand spotless before Christ at the last day and will enter into the rest of the Lord. (Preach My Gospel pg 5)

Obedience to Jesus Christ is a lifelong commitment. Through exercising faith, repenting,

being baptized and committing to serve Christ, and then receiving the Holy Ghost, we

can experience healing, forgiveness of sins, and complete conversion to the Savior and

His gospel. (PMG pg 6)

“Preach the first principles of the Gospel—preach them over again: you will find that day after day new ideas and additional light concerning them will be revealed to you. You can enlarge upon them so as to comprehend them clearly. You will then be able to make them more plainly understood by those [you] teach.”( PMG pg 6)

– HYRUM SMITH

HISTORY OF THE CHURCH, 6:323

Billy's History 1967, 18 stitches

Billy’s Head, by Billy

August 1967

Sara was in charge of us, one time while Mom and Dad were away.  I and the younger kids, Charlie and Dianna, discovered a new game.  We took the cushions from the couch and put them on the floor at the bottom of the stairs, and then we proceeded to jump off the stairs onto the cushions.  We jumped from the third stair, and then the fourth and slowly, as our confidence increased kept adding stairs.  We eventually were jumping from the top of the stairs onto the cushions.  We were having a great deal of fun.

After we had been enjoying ourselves for sometime, Sara discovered our game and told us to quit jumping down the stairs—that it was dangerous.  I told her we would stop after one more jump.  I wanted to make this jump the best jump ever.  I jumped higher than I had before, and struck my head against the ceiling which came down about half way down the stairs.

I saw stars, like in the cartoons.  I had cracked my head pretty good.  I had to go into Logan to the hospital and was put back together with 18 stitches.  They wrapped my head in gauze, which made me look something like a mummy.  

I still have a dent in my head and a big scar under my scalp.  I was worried about going bald and the scar showing.  Fortunately I have not gone bald yet.  I also dented the roof.  There was a metal beam under the paint, and this showed for some time.  It has since been repaired, and the roof repainted; but the wave on my scalp is permanent.

the infamous stairs