A-H

A. Greydon has sensitive skin. We bought a humidifier, it's going. We also have to slather the kid with cream, not lotion. It has to be greasy, but fragrance free and he needs to always have moist skin... I'm not sure if I am raising a son or transporting a dolphin.

B. American Fork now has an Olive Garden, my parents like Olive Garden and we decided to go before they go home. (Tuesday morning is the exodus, it is going to be one sad and messy day, they are trying to suck in every second of Greydon-time as possible before then) So we drive over to Olive Garden, but when we get close something looks odd, the entire area is one big black out, but before we get too far away we see lights coming back on, so we decide to go back and wait the hour for a table.

After we get in and enjoy appetizers, breadsticks, salad, and soup the lights go out again. Ten minutes later they're back on. An hour and ten minutes even later, we're really done with the breadsticks, but that's all we have on our table. Apparently all of the computers were wiped back to ground zero during the blackout, which is completely understandable... the fact that we were the only table looking at our table cloth longingly was a little odd. The poor waitress even started to apologize and feel a little awkward, without us being the least bit demanding or upset. A few managers came over, none of them with food, but it was nice of them to stop by. We heard that a particular dish was taking a little longer (an hour?) and we were offered more breadsticks.... The third time a manager came over I(Very politely) asked if we could just pay for what we had already eaten and call it a night. He said of course but "the chef had just told him that our order was about thirty seconds away from being ready" and it was up to us.... We really weren't upset or trying to get our way or get out,; so we said sure and he took off. I was sure that meant he was in the back trying to scrape something together... then the poor waitress got sent back out and one of the dishes(not the same one as the earlier version) was still a ways away from being ready and we could be served in "just a few minutes"... we decided to call it a night. To their credit they were very nice and apologetic, didn't charge us a thing and gave us a big gift certificate to come back, and we were all full on breadsticks. This is always our luck. If some sort of weird twist of fate, or anything is going to go astray, be sure you're not sitting at our table. The only night we decide to go out to a nice sit down dinner before my parents leave and we are thwarted by a computer crashing blackout? Really..

C. It is possible to shuffle cards at different volume levels.

D. Greydon can sleep through noisy blacked out Olive Gardens but shuffle cards while he is sleeping in the same room and he may or may not remain a-slumbering

E. My father does not shuffle at different volumes.

F. My father is the only person who discards a card louder than I shuffle. I tried to recreate the card flick finger snap of a discard, to no avail.

G. Baby-shaped slathered dolphins will sleep right though card games after a big night of blackout breadstick eating regardless of the volume of discards or shuffles, and will then leak green goo and laugh at his dad's antics trying to waive the hazy clouds of stench back from whence they came.

H. On a much more serious note today I went to the funeral for the father of one of my students. The cool thing about living here in small town UT is that I got to have my student as a ward member, and last year as a home teacher, but to me "student" is a pretty big deal and he will always be my student first.

His father came from a family of seven sons and all of the stories they shared throughout the special service seemed to include getting stuck in a snowbank in the middle of the wilderness or canyon, trying to avoid the authorities in some way and conveniently ignoring "private property" signs. I didn't get a chance to know his father very well. I think a son is a good indication of the man, and his son is a great guy. His father was a working man not afraid to get his hands dirty and earn a living, fix anything with an engine, gut a fish, try to lasso a Moose (they are from Alaska). I can't think of very many people more different than me than he must have been. I teach ballroom dance, know that engines go vroom, don't eat anything that swims or have ever killed my own meal. I only met his dad once. At the end of every year we have a dance concert and show the families of the students what we have learned. We work hard, make sure it is entertaining and make sure to have fun. My student liked class but hated the idea of performing. This burly hunting mechanic not only came to see his son participate, which I noticed as they walked in, but was all grins and offered a great smile and a hand shake and told me that they had a great time, that his son had enjoyed the class and thanked me for what I did. Now that is well rounded. I was touched last year and am sad this year at his passing. My heart goes out to his family and my student.

I don't know all of the details about his snow mobile accident the day after Christmas. But know that people do get hurt, be careful out there.