Girls

My wife had a recent conversation with our son Carter.  During the conversation she asked him about school and what he liked and disliked.  School of course was boring but recess was fun.  When asked about the things he and his friends talk about, one of the things was girls.  Liz asked him if he liked one girl in particular that he mentioned.  His reply, "Yeah, I like her when she doesn't hate me"  CLASSIC!

Old Milk Jugs

On the drive into work today I saw something white tied to a tree and it reminded me of something from my youth.  In the fields above the house I grew up in there are old white milk jugs tied to the fence at equal intervals.  To the untrained eye one might wonder why apparent refuse would be tied to the fence.  To one who understands their purpose it's simple.  On the opposing side of the field equally spaced "risers" stand above the ground.  These "risers" are valves to a water line from which our irrigation water comes.  A "saddle" or valve opener is required to open these valves and release the water.  Our sprinkler pipes are three inches in diameter and are held together with a rubber gasket that clamps down on the inserted pipe when the water is flowing and fills the pipes, a plug at the end of the string is held in place in like manner. Water is precious and it's critical that each part of the field get it's equal share of the water so that it can grow and thrive.  If the pipes aren't straight this isn't fully accomplished.

Those old milk jugs were attached to the fence on the opposing side by Grandma and Grandpa Olson and maintained by each of us who changed the pipes over the years.  They acted as a target, a goal, even a beacon if you will.  Without out those jugs it was difficult to get the pipes lined up straight.  If one had been knocked off by a cow or a horse you could try and find another land mark but all the fence posts looked the same, the trees are hard to distinguish, and if it was early in the morning or late in the day and the light was dim it was only a white milk jug that would stand out for you to set your sights on.  Without them you'd usually end up with zig zags or a line that veered too far to one side or the other, leaving a strip of pasture un-watered until your return trip across the field.

I share this because I think it's a lot like life.  Our parents and grandparents can get us started and give us direction but eventually we need to maintain that direction on our own. We need something that stands out to set our sights on.  We need something to shoot for, a light to follow, a beacon to look to.  We need Old Milk Jugs and everything they represent.

"Thuoride" & "Sloss"

Some of the things I love most about my kids are the things that only they do and they do best. Madelynisms and Carterisms if you will.

For my children I've made a point to be very vigilant in their oral hygiene. I did not have fluoride in my water when I was young and fluoride treatments or tablets weren't really something folks were conscious of at least not in Rural America where I spent my growing up. My kids got the advantage of fluoride in their water like their mom did. They've also had fluoride tablets like their mom which we've emphasized even more since moving to Maryland and having well water.

Anyway they've had trouble with the Fl sound so it was become a Th which makes Madelyn's request for "Thuoride" completely adorable. Carter likes to "Sloss" so I make sure he has access to the dental floss and thereby avoid the same problems I've had with my teeth over the years.

I'm grateful for modern medicine and science but I'm even more grateful that my kids constantly do things that make me smile.

Here's to your beautiful smiles!

An Exceptional Woman in the Making

My Sweet MEKO (Madelyn Elizabeth Kjar Olson) is going to be every bit as exceptional as her mother. She is so cute and will be just as gorgeous as her mother in due time. She has a sweet disposition and is already playing the piano.

We will no doubt have our challenges with her, the least of all which will be meeting the endless line of boys wanting to ask her out. I may need to make a road trip to Wyoming to collect all my firearms.

She is absolutely adorable and a complete joy in my life.

I love you Meko!

An Exceptional Woman

I am married to one of the most amazing women I've ever known. Now of course one might say, "Well duh, why would you marry anything less?" I am incredibly blessed to have her for my wife. She could have married anyone she wanted and you know what, she wanted to marry me. She's told me before that of all the moments in her life the one that she's felt most sure about was the moment when she and I knelt facing each other in the Temple.

Today she gave a wonderful talk in Sacrament meeting on free agency. She was so excited in fact that when I came out of my meeting with the Branch President she and the kids were already there. They were a full 30 minutes early as I saw it, and in fact they'd been there for 20 minutes already. She was so excited (and [perhaps a little nervous) that she thought church started at 9 instead of 9:30. We've never been in a place where it started on the bottom of the hour but after 18 months we're used to it, unless giving a talk apparently. She wondered where everyone was come 9 o'clock but quickly remembered and realized her mistake.

It's things like this though that truly endear her to me. A simple and very cute little mistake that reminds me that she's human despite all of her Angelic qualities. She's been so supportive of me in my calling as Elder's Quorum President and my success will be, in large part, a result of her support and encouragement.

I love you.