I'm baaaaaaaaaack.....

We are back from vacation to Nevada. It was bittersweet, the whole thing from front to back. Sweet to see Jamee and Daron and the Kiddos. Bitter to NOT see Stevie and TK and Beau. Bitter to leave Loni behind, and sweet to come back home and see her, again. She picked dropped us off and picked us up at the airport. She's a peach.

Some funny things happened in Reno. I went on a ride along with the police. Busted a drunk Guatemalan who was attacking an imaginary man in a neighbor's truck at 3 a.m. Investigated a peeping tom report at some apartments. Took a police report of a hit and run truck driving over a methhead's scooter. Let me set the record straight. "The Cop" I was riding with told me to not get emotionally involved with "these guys". True, I agree. But I'm NOT a cop and so I have more leeway. When he went in to talk to the bartender/witness and the methhead was out trying to fill out the report and was starting to walk around the parking lot, muttering to himself about how "crappy" and "screwed" up his life was, I did feel bad for him. I mean, there but for the grace of God, go I. BUT...I also knew that in his state of mind he would never finish that report and I'd be standing in the cold at a bar in Stead, NV all night long. So I went over to him and "The Cop" wussed out and went back into the bar to further statements from the sober bartender. I told the methhead to focus. Unless he filled out the report, they could not investigate. If they did not investigate, they'd never catch the guy and his life would really be screwed up, then. I used the word "screwed" unlike him. Then I noticed he was shivering so badly he could not write, so I offered him my woolen cap, which he accepted. Later, he offered me it back and I said no keep it. Secretly, I was not interested in whatever diseases or critters he had. Of course, "The Cop" didn't hear any of this, because he was off getting donuts or something by then. So I became the object of scorn and ridicule.

The drunk Guatemalan pestered "The Cop" to know if we had caught "the other guy" who did not exist. Finally, he was informed that, yeah, we did catch him. "Good!" At this point, the guy started talking in Spanglish to somebody in the back seat. I could understand a lot of it and apparently they were both angry at being hauled in to the drunk tank when all they were trying to do was protect their homes from "the other guys". It was a bit creepy at times. I didn't even have a hat, anymore, to hide under.

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Brigham is so funny. He just latched on to me. We became best buds. He would push on my nose and I'd make funny noises like "AAHHHH OOOOOOOOOOO GAAAAAAAAAAAA!" and he would just crack up. Then I'd push his nose and he would try and say "AAHHH OOOOOO AAHHH!" since he's still working on consonants. He would tell me a story like this: "aaa eee ooah eee ahhh i i i eee eee eee aha boppa." Oh, really? "Aye" (yes, nodding vigorously) Great stories.

Olivia has the most grown up sense of humor. You can tell her jokes and make witticisms and puns and she laughs. I wanted to see if she understood, so I asked her to explain my joke once and she was spot on.

Carter is frank. Let me illustrate.

Carter: Grampa, you're kind of fat.
Olivia: CARTER!
Carter: Well, he is!
Olivia: But he's our GRAMPA!
Carter: Yeah, the FAT one.

All I could do is sit there and chuckle. He's right. The other one is skinny and has horses. I do not. Perhaps I should get some reindeer and a sleigh and grow my beard back.

I was asked at work today by a guy who knows of my struggle to get out West, if I enjoyed my vacation. "Yes, it was just 25 years too short."

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Today was kind of weird. I've ridden 25 miles more since returning home, which brings me to Falcon Lake, Manitoba, about 90 miles shy of my Crash Test Dummies concert in Winnipeg. Jamee got a Chicago pizza UPS'd to her house for reaching her goal of riding to Chicago. I'm so proud of her. It was very good, but very huge. Also, we all got a 12 hour bug in Reno, right around the time Carter had his birthday party and the pizza arrived. Bummer. I wonder what I can do for my arrival in Winnipeg, since the Crash Test Dummies are...crashed.

I say it was weird, because I had to do a first draft presentation of a leadership seminar I''m conducting, to the other presenters, for their critique. They critiqued. A thousand paper cuts on me today. I was bleeding quite badly, emotionally when they finished. I can see I need some work on in. but I'll cowboy up.

Afterward, and because of some other issues at work I was feeling pretty morose when I came home so I ate and fell asleep on the couch. The sleep of jet lag and escape, not a good combo. Slept from 5 until 8 pm, then got up to ride and then do my seminary lesson, 3 Nephi 11, the account of the Savior's visit to the Americas and his proof of his Messiahship. I wish I had been there. Sometimes I wonder why I was born in this time.

So I came back her to listen to music and write. I found this video online and I love the song. I could listen to it over and over and never tire of it.