have more adventures

Travel—See the world slowly
Live in the mountains
Pay for kids college
Build things
Experiment
Have a space big enough to build things and experiment in
Run again—A marathon
Serve multiple church missions after I retire
Stand on high peaks
Sail across the ocean in a small boat (Not a cruise ship)

By the numbers:
19 years

38325 diapers
12156 home cooked meals
6940 days
4940 loads of laundry
3952 gallons of milk
228 months
108 birthdays
40 callings
18 moves
18 ordinances
14 wards
13 jobs
9 cars
8 cats
8 temples
7 states
7 dogs
7 computers
6 pregnancies
6 televisions
5 children
5 houses
5 broken bones
5 leap days
4 herniated disks
3 different decades
2 pet spiders
1 degree

It’s crazy, I have to work tomorrow but we are all going to see the new Harry Potter movie tonight at midnight. What fun.

I will tell you _{as if anyone reads this} how the movie was tomorrow.

Wow, where to start.
We put our house on the market in Pierre on Valentines day and my last day at work was on March 2nd. We were supposed to start loading the truck on March 2nd but a major blizzard hit and I couldn’t even get the truck. I got the truck the next day but it was cold and snowy and I ended up taking out the neighbors mailbox sliding around in a 26’ truck with a 10’ trailer on the back. It took us until March 6th to get the truck loaded and the house all cleaned up. When we left Pierre it was 20º and snowy. We made it to Omaha the first night where I managed to get the truck stuck in the mud. I pulled up to see if there were rooms available at a hotel. The hotel was full and I thought I would circle the truck around the hotel and pull out the back way as it is nearly impossible to back that big of a truck with a trailer on back, up. When I got to the far side of the hotel the parking lot was even narrower and there was no way out. There was a 20’ stretch of grass and then the parking lot for a Home Depot. I decided to drive across the grass rather than try to back out. The grass was muddy and the heavy truck sank right in. An hour and $60 later we were unstuck. I was in the truck with the two youngest boys. Richard, my oldest was driving the pick-up truck with Robert, my second oldest and the goldfish keeping Richard company. Sue and Amy were in the Van with the dog. We had walkie talkies that we used to talk back and forth with. March 7th we left Omaha and drove straight through to Dallas. After a few hours, we found a hotel where we could park the truck and bring the dog in. (That was a Wednesday) Thursday, March 8th and Friday, the 9th we looked at rental houses. The rental market was pretty bleak. To get a house big enough for all of us would have cost us $1500 to $2000 a month. The agent that was working with us said he knew a banker that would give us a loan on a house even though we still had a house in South Dakota. So Saturday, March 10th we started looking at houses to buy. Amazingly, we found a house we liked, could afford, was empty and the owner was willing to let us rent it until we closed. I was getting worried as we were paying $300 a night to say at the hotel, Uhaul was angry and wanted their truck back, and I was supposed to start work on Monday, March 12. Our offer on the house was accepted Sunday afternoon. I left for work from the Hotel and came home to our new house. Sue and the kids got the keys from the realtor, checked out of the hotel and started unpacking. That first week was a long one. Lots to learn at work, lots to do at home. We closed on the house on March 24th and are now making two house payments.
Everyone seems to love Texas. Right now the weather is perfect, it has been in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s so far. They tell us that summers here are hell. Summers were very warm in South Dakota so I am not overly concerned about that. We will see how it goes as we get further into the summer.

Texas here we come!
Yep, I have quit my job, put the house on the market and we are loading up this weekend to head to Texas.

Never a dull moment for our family. Not sure what Texas will bring but I know it will be an adventure. New job, new house, new church and new friends.

My parents think I am crazy.

Perhaps I am.

I am in the leadership of my local church unit. I am one of the two counselors to the branch president. The branch president is like a pastor or a priest or bishop. Anyway, he is a very good friend of mine. I found out today that he is leaving the second week in October to take a job in Fort Worth, Texas. I am stunned. This is quite a shock. I mean, I knew he was looking but I had no idea he had found and accepted.

So many emotions to deal with right now. So many thoughts. This next month will be an adventure.

With Eric moving away, the branch presidency will be dissolved and a new one created. I am thrilled at the thought of being released from my position but am also curious as to who will be asked to be the new branch president and who his counselors will be. I don’t want to be in the new branch presidency but my ego really wants to be asked. What will happen with that occupies a lot of my thoughts.

We are a small unit and the loss of Eric and his family will be felt. I lose a friend and racquetball buddy. My kids will lose the strong, fun friendship they have with his kids. That is the saddest part. Eric’s kids are good kids and have been great friends with my kids. That friendship and companionship at home and church will be sorely missed by my youngest three children.

Eric’s wife is the reason he is moving.

Eric’s family arrived in Pierre shortly after we did and it wasn’t long before we became friends. Both families have lived all around the country and both families loved to complain about the shortcomings of our small town here. We both talked about wanting to leave and get back to civilization. Initially I wanted to leave before he did. Eric is very competitive and I wanted to beat him out of Pierre. Over time, though, I have grown to like many things about Pierre and except for a few drawbacks am quite happy here. Nevertheless, Eric’s leaving is a victory of sorts for him and a loss for me. He won that game and I am left behind. One of the things I did not like about Pierre is the lack of good kids, my kids ages to play with. Eric’s leaving will only make this problem worse.

Lastly, over the past few weeks Eric and I have had a few disagreements. Things were said. Changes made. But ultimately we had not reached resolution. With him leaving, we never will.

So here I sit, thinking about the changes to come. Hoping the good things will out way the bad things. Wondering if I am really supposed to stay here or go too. All the while knowing that once Eric and his family drive away, I most likely will never see or talk to them again.

Last Saturday the whole family hiked Harney Peak. Harney Peak is the highest point in South Dakota. We got up early and drove out to the Black Hills, past Mt Rushmore, yes, we drove right past Mt Rushmore, and on to the Silvan lake camp ground. From there we hiked the 3 miles up to Harney Peak. The whole gang, including myself were very tired when we got back. The dog didn’t even try to get in the front seat on the trip back.

I am scanning my old photos and last week I scanned this batch.
High School was so much fun.

My lovely wife tells me she can hear Texas calling. Wife says it’s time for a new adventure. Now don’t get me wrong, I love a new adventure, why adventure is my middle name. But usually the call to leave comes to me, not to her and I am not quite sure what to make of it. Especially since I really want Colorado to call.

Wait, I think I hear something and it has a funny accent. Wonder who it is.

Today I get my bicycle out of the shop. It had a few things wrong with it that were beyond my ability to properly repair. I am pretty excited as now I will be able to get out and ride the trails.

I am also excited about this because I hope to ride my bicycle to work and save some gas while also getting in shape.