The Case of the Missing Garbage Can

CHAPTER ONE

Thursday started like any other day, except it started 15 minutes later than normal as I overslept. This normally would not have been an issue, but Thursday is Garbage Pickup Day, and the garbage truck arrives in our circle before 8 am. After quickly getting dressed I rushed out to move our green garbage can to the curb, but alas...it was too late. The large garbage truck had completed its work in our circle and moved onto the next side street.

CHAPTER TWO

Chapter Two continues as I realize there is no way I want to try and collect another week's worth of garbage into our already full green trash receptacle. I then decide to make my move. I begin running with the garbage can behind me, the can rolling on its two large wheels. I made the turn out of the circle and see that the truck has only completed one side of the street. I decide to place my garbage can next to a neighbors yet-to-be-emptied can. The plan seemed flawless. Leave the can here and pick it up later.

CHAPTER THREE

Three chapters for a simple story about how you lost your garbage can? Yes.

The plan seemed to go smoothly until it was time to retrieve our garbage can. The problem? It was missing. I know what you are thinking, Who steals a garbage can? I don't know. We knocked on the door of the home our garbage can had taken up residence at in our time of need, but they were not home. Calls to other neighbors also revealed no eye witnesses. Our garbage can must have felt all alone as they day turned to night and we could not find it.

CHAPTER FOUR

Your kidding right? Just get to the end of your story.

Don't worry, there is a happy ending to this story. Alisa bravely ventured into the cold in search again for our missing garbage can. (We did contemplate making posters to place on telephone polls, yet underground fiber optic cables have really eliminated this option. There are no telephone polls anymore.)

Finally, Alisa was successful in finding the lost can. A family down the street had accidentally placed their recycling bin out instead of their trash bin. At the end of the day they simply grabbed an available garbage can and took it into the warmth of their garage. Alisa knocked on the door and asked if they by any chance had a second garbage can? They looked, they did, they gladly returned the can.

EPILOGUE

The can was quickly returned to the safety of our garage,...and then promptly filled with a day's worth of Mckay's diapers. Ahh, it's good to be home.

Hi Ho Cherry-O

The Game: Hi Ho Cherry-O

The Competition: Cassidy

The Outcome: Not surprising

Cassidy and I have recently been playing quite a bit of Hi Ho Cherry-O. For those of you who may be unaware of this game, I will attempt to explain. There is a dial in the center of the board. On your turn, you spin the dial and depending on where it lands, you are able to remove cherries from your bucket and place them in your tree. The game is won when your tree is full of cherries. There are however, several spaces that require you to remove cherries from your tree and place them back in your bucket.

As Cassidy and I have been playing there are occasions when it can be difficult to determine where the spinning dial has ultimately come to rest and therefore we determine that if it is on the line that you can have a re-spin. Cassidy has caught on quickly.

Anytime Cassidy spins the dial and it ends up on a space that requires her to remove cherries from her tree, she quickly states, "Oh, it is on the line," and spins again. I don't think I will ever be able to defeat Cassidy and her ability to dominate at Hi Ho Cherry-O. It has however lead me to think about when we are in situations that we are not comfortable with.

I am not advocating bending the rules to win, but I do think there are times in life when we find ourselves in a situation we are not comfortable being in. It is in these times that we must recognize that we are on the line and chose to take another turn.

PEZ for Breakfast

It doesn't happen often, but there are several times a year when Alisa's work requires her to be somewhere at the crack of dawn. This gives me the opportunity to be the one to get the kids up, dressed, fed, and out the door to preschool. This morning was one of these opportunities.

Cassidy's hair was in need of some work, but as she boldly told me, "Dad, don't brush my hair. I will do it and make it look beautiful." She did it alright, and I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. My goal was to have the kids out the door at 8:15, but as 8:15 rolled around and no one had shoes or jackets on yet, I knew it was time to improvise on breakfast.

"Lets make a deal," I announced. "Anyone who can hurry and get their shoes and a jacket on can have a treat for breakfast." They cheered, rushed to finish getting dressed, and then I caved and gave my children PEZ candy for breakfast. I know, I am such a good parent. I am sure Alisa would not have approved, but at least they made it to school on time.

SHOES

It seems my children's growing feet are ready for new shoes faster than I need a new haircut. Currently Mckay's shoe of choice is a tan pair of Crocs. These shoes go everywhere with him, including church. At great expense his parents have purchased him nice Sunday shoes, as well as comfortable tennis shoes, but even in the winter weather, his Crocs are the favorite. Like his sister, Mckay likes to put his shoes on all by himself. And like his sister, they usually end up on the wrong foot. This continues to amaze me.

I am not one for mathematics or statistics, however even in my limited mathematics understanding, I know that when my son or daughter picks up a shoe, there are only two possibilities-Right Foot, or Left Foot. This would lead me to believe that each time one of my children picks up a shoe they have a 50-50 percent chance of getting it right. Averaged over weeks and months, they should be getting it right about half of the time, yet they are not.

I don't think my children are merely less intelligent than the average child, but in speaking with other parents with young children, this is a statistical epidemic that has plagued the lives of young children everywhere. If Las Vegas had a game where gamblers had to place bets on whether the child would get the left shoe on the left foot, I think the House would always win.


I have drawn some conclusions with my own children, only to have them proved wrong. One for example: Mckay gets it wrong because he always picks up a shoe and places it on his right foot first. He must, therefore, always pick up the left shoe first? Wrong. I have even placed both shoes in front of him with the appropriate shoe in front of each foot. He will reach down and pick up the right shoe and place it on his left foot.


His sister is no different. I have even gone so far to purchase shoes for her where the top strap attaches opposite the arch of her foot. I would then remind her. "When your feet are together, the strap goes on the outside edge, and not the inside edge." Result? No change. My ultimate conclusion-It doesn't matter the type of shoe, or the age of the child, putting shoes on the correct foot will always defy statistical probability. I guess I will live with it.

Me Too, Me Four, Me Twenty-Seven

How wonderful a child's mind works. With the recent holiday season we have been spending quite a bit of time traveling in the car visiting family and friends. These travel times are great as we are able to communicate with our kids while they are forced to sit still. Mckay who is now two is gradually coming along in the communication department. He learns a new phrase or sentence, then clings to it like a bar of chocolate. His new phrase "me too" has brought some amusement recently as his older sister Cassidy struggles with the concept. You see, Mckay is two years old, so in Cassidy's mind when he says "me too" it makes sense. In our recent outings, she has been responding to comments with "me four." As she is now four years old this makes perfect sense to her. Alisa has even been corrected when she has said "me too" and told that she must say "me" then how old she is. It has been quite an adjustment, and "me twenty-seven" just doesn't roll off the tongue. Oh what fun it's been to ride in our Civic this holiday.

THE NUTCRACKER

I wouldn't go so far as to say that I am a huge fan of the ballet. O.k. I wouldn't go half as far as to say that I am a huge fan of the ballet, however I do think everyone needs to see The Nutcracker. I had seen it once or twice many years ago, so when I asked Alisa if she would like to go she was excited as she had never seen it before (although I am pretty sure as a child she tried out to be in it). Last Friday night we sat together in Capitol Theater and enjoyed the production.

I think the biggest challenge for me in viewing the ballet is the lack of noise. Other than the music from the orchestra pit, there isn't any sound. With so little ballet viewing experience it certainly was new for me to view a production and have it be so quiet. I kept waiting for someone to come out and sing while the other's danced. I also have so little knowledge of appropriate technique, so it was nice to have Alisa there to confirm to me that what I thought looked incredibly difficult, was indeed incredibly difficult. The set was nice and the costumes were impressive. Even with my little ballet knowledge, the production was well done and we both had a wonderful time.

I wasn't exactly a prime example of a husband taking his wife on a date to the ballet though. Because we were short on time I wasn't able to take her out for a nice dinner. Instead we picked up a pizza on the way home. I know...real romantic. Perhaps attending The Nutcracker each year will be a tradition....hopefully the pizza after will not be part of the tradition.....although it was stuffed crust.

The Letter A says what?

Our little Mckay is what you might call a sturdy child, as he is just 3 1/2 inches shorter and a mere 5 pounds lighter than his "big" sister. Mckay is over two years younger than his sister and is already making it known which one will dominate the physical battles. However, there is one area Cassidy continues to carry the advantage... verbal communication!

Mckay speaks...and if you speak his language, then he speaks quite well. He is learning words, and sentences, colors, and the sounds that animals make. However, if you don't speak his language, then you may be surprised to learn what the letter A says. Last night at the dinner table Mckay was telling me about his day, when I asked him what he learned in pre-school earlier in the day he simply replied "A." We are teaching Cassidy to read, so out of habit Alisa asked "Mckay, what does the letter A say?" His answer was quite clever. He simply replied "Roar" and kept on eating. Frankly, his response was good enough for me.

The cat says "meow," the dog says "ruff," the horse says "neigh," and the A says "Roar!"

A clean bedroom

Now that Cassidy is getting older she likes to help with chores. Some days she is really motivated to please me. One particular day I was working at the computer. She came running into my room, "Mommy come and see!" I grabbed her hand and we ran to her room. I stubbed my toe on something in the hall, but I didn't have time to stop and see what it was. We entered her room and I looked around to see her bedroom spotless. Her bed was made, the scattered clothes were put away. There were no toys covering the floor. "Cassidy, did you clean your room? This is amazing. Thank you. You are such a big girl."

Cassidy gleamed with pride. She had accomplished her task of making mom happy and was most likely going to get the reward she had in mind.

Then very innocently she looked up at me and said, "Mom, since I cleaned my room, will you clean the hall?" She took me by the hand and showed me the hall. The missing clothes and toys were laying in the hall in a large pile.

I just laughed. What more could I do? From my perspective I was glad that at least her bed was made.

Time Flies

I can't believe it is already December, and 2009 is knocking at the door. I remember how strange it was in school to start writing 1990, and here we are getting ready to wrap up 2008. As I sat and thought about how this year has seemed to fly by, I started thinking how long ago, specifically days ago, did certain events happen. Here for you is a list of some events and how many days it has been from December 3rd, 2008.

I was born 9,927 days ago.
My wonderful wife was born 9,905 days ago.
We have been married for 2037 days.

We had our first child, Cassidy, 1,513 days ago in a Payson Hospital.
Our son Mckay was born 755 days ago (it seems like more).

I received my drivers license 4082 days ago.

The big gulp was introduced by 7-11 10,596 days ago.

The first James Bond film, Dr. No, was released 16,646 days ago.

Days since Dr. Emmett L. Brown Jr. first invented time travel: 19,387.

Days since John Stockton hit the infamous last second 3-pointer to send the Utah Jazz to the NBA finals: 4,206

William Shakespeare died 143,402 days ago.

Henry Ford invented the first MODEL T 36,592 days ago.

Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Empire of Japan 24,468 days ago.

The Wright brothers completed their first flight 38,338 days ago.

Days since Joseph Smith Jr. organized the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: 65,256.

The Declaration of Independence was signed 84,890 days ago.

What does all this have to do with anything? Not much really, but I did find it quite interesting to learn the date I turn 10,000 days old will be Valentines Day 2009! So live each day to the fullest, because 10,000 days goes by in a hurry.

Disney On Ice

Anyone with a princess of their own at home understands when Disney on Ice comes to town, you'd make 'dreams come true' with some tickets. Fortunately for me, I got on a pre-sale event and got some decent seats for a decent price. Cassidy and Mckay were wide-eyed as we entered the arena and were excited for the show to start. We ended up with some Toy Story wands that were more expensive than the tickets!- (still unsure how they pulled that one off...oh wait, yes I do, I am a pushover).

Cassidy seemed to know every character and every song. Cassidy and I have an agreement that if we are in a loud place and she wants to talk to me, she has to 'talk to my ear.' Last night my ear was flooded with comments like "They are all wearing green." "Minnie has a yellow dress." "When are we going to see Daisy?" "I need a drink."

Mckay on the other hand was memorized from the get-go. For nearly the first half-hour he sat expressionless and still, gazing at the performers as they danced/skated to the music. After awhile he too was ready for a drink.

Overall it was a really fun experience to see the happiness on their faces as they laughed and cheered at the characters they love, and sang along to the songs they know so well.

Happy Birthday Mckay!

Last Sunday, November 9th, we were happy to have our little Mckay turn 2 years old. The two year old attitude switch must have been turned on because he is as active and energetic as ever. Like every other two year old he loves the word "NO." Thank you to all who made his birthday a special one. Happy Birthday Mckay.

The Annual Deaf Education Summit

My work takes me many places. I have gone to St. George, Cedar City, Richfield, Ogden, San Fransisco and soon to Vernal. My most recent work "get away" was to Park City, Utah. I attended the annual Deaf Education Summit at the Canyon's resort. Park City is always beautiful in the fall. This year there was no snow, so it was even nicer.

My weekend started at the outlet malls. I met up with some friends to do some shopping before our evening of speakers began. I was able to find some toys for the kids for Christmas, but the biggest find was the clearance rack of purses. I have always been the, "If you need it, it have better fit in your pocket" or a "diaper bag" kind of person. However, I have recently discovered that I really like purses. I hit the jackpot in Liz Claiborne. They had a long table covered in $5 purses. Even better, if you bought three you got one free. I am now the proud owner of a black a brown purse, and a purse for church.

The Deaf Ed conference was good too. Brad Wilcox was the key note speaker on Friday night. "If you can laugh at it, you can live with it" was the title of his speech. It has helped me learn to look for humor all around me. With two kids and a funny husband, I always have something funny to laugh at. (or with)

Catching Trout at Tibble Fork

Tibble Fork reservoir is located up American Fork Canyon. The reservoir was created in 1966 by an earth-fill dam. The water is used primarily for irrigation, however the site is used for a variety of recreation including fishing.

Cassidy had been asking me to take her fishing for some time, so after discovering this reservoir on a Sunday afternoon drive, I went to the store and purchased her a small fishing pole set. I bought some worms and as a family we went fishing. Well, I must have got my money's worth from her small set, because it didn't take long for me to hook a rainbow trout on the other end. I yelled to Cassidy that she had caught one and watched as she excitedly reeled in "her" first fish. We caught two fish that day, and have enjoyed listening to Cassidy re-tell her great Fish catching story to everyone she sees.

702

702! That is right my friends. Last night in my quest to finally defeat Alisa in a best out of 3 Hand Held Yahtzee tournament to the death, I scored a 702. Don't ask me how many Yahtzee's that is because I don't really know, and it would require extensive math to figure it out.

Brain Freeze

For Alisa's recent birthday she asked if we could get a chest freezer to accompany our food storage efforts. We did some research on the web to determine the best freezer for our price range. We ultimately decided that we would be purchasing our new freezer from Lowes. (This is as far as our planning ahead took us.)

We dropped the kids off with the sitter and wanted to quickly purchase our freezer before moving on to enjoy a relaxing dinner together. We soon learned however there would be nothing quick or relaxing about our evening.

We arrived at Lowes and found the freezer we wanted. An employee was quick to arrive and answer some of our questions. It was immediately evident that this new freezer would not fit into either of our compact cars, so one of our more urgent questions to the employee was cost of delivery options. We were given three choices:

1. Figure out a way to get it home yourself
2. Rent a Lowes truck for $20 + gas
3. Pay the $79.00 delivery fee

Wanting to be as frugal as possible, we decided to call in a favor from a friend and borrow his family's Chevy Suburban. I made the phone call, and soon we were on our way. We stopped at a gas station along the way to pick him up some "thank-you treats." He was gracious and we quickly left in his suburban...with one catch. His wife was participating with an Enrichment activity at a nearby meeting house and his newborn daughter was hungry. So after dropping off his newborn child we were now on our way back to Lowes.

However, we traveled about 1 mile before the "low fuel" light switched on in the car. Realizing that there was plenty of gas in the car, but not wanting to return the car with the light on, we stopped at the same gas station to put $5 bucks into the beast. Now we headed to Lowes to pick up our freezer.

We made our way back to the appliance section and found a new worker to assist us. We pointed out the one we were ready to purchase, and then he said, "I will go make sure we have one in stock." It was then that it dawned on us, we didn't know if they even had one in stock. We waited around for about 10 minutes before he returned and said that he had one, and was ready to help us with our purchase. We made our purchase and he rolled the new freezer out into the parking lot where our borrowed Chevy was waiting.

It was at this moment I realized there was a good chance this new freezer would not fit into the back of this Suburban. Sure enough we lifted the freezer into the back only to find that the rear doors would not completely close. He suggested removing the car seats and the bench so we could slide it all the way in. Being an Eagle Scout I determined the better idea was to get some twine and just tie the rear doors closed. We did this and then drove slowly home with all of the dome lights in the car shining down on us.

The freezer made it safely home. We unloaded the freezer into the garage, and as we began to pull away to go retrieve our car, Alisa pointed out that we had forgotten to close our garage. We stopped again, closed the garage, and as we pulled out of our driveway a second time, the "low gas" light turned on again. We ignored the light and finally traded out the large Suburban for our nice little Civic.

At this point our night had already lasted longer than anticipated. Not wanting our sitter to be stuck with tired/grouchy kids who would need to go to bed soon, we opted for a local restaurant. We had a nice evening at Porter's Restaurant on main street in Lehi and had some good laughs about the adventure we had gone through to get a new freezer for some future "on-sale" ice-cream purchase!