Is once a week, enough?

Some times, I think of things to say, as I'm writing my blog. Some times I will think about it for days, before I put any thing in words. Most of the time I get the same results. Just a small portion of what I am really trying to say, will make it to the written word.

So I ask the question, is once a week enough?

Seems, in my life, there are many things that come only once a week. Church is a good example. I average seeing my grandson, Jackson, about once a week. And I write in my blog, about once a week.

Now you the reader, may think that once a week, writing in my blog is to much, put what I am trying to say, is, I don't write in a journal like I should, and if I try to make up for not writing in a journal, do I write enough?

I think my problem is, at this time in my life, I am not doing the things that interest me. Stay with me here, I am trying to pull my thoughts and ramblings into a coherent thought. Right now, my life is about going to work, and then going to work, going to the dentist and going to the oral surgeon. Not much time for any thing else.

One thing that I have never had in my life, is faith. I think that this is the way that our father in Heaven is teaching me faith. Faith that if I go to work and I have work done on my mouth, and do all the other things that I need to do in my live, I will be rewarded.

Well, I think, once again, I have not been able to get what I am really trying to say out. Instead, I have been able to make everyone think that I am the worlds most talented whiner. Blame it on the med's I am taking. Once a week is enough, if all I'm going to do is complain.

Here is a picture of Jackson, your reward for enduring so far.


See, it is good to have faith, and endure to the end.
Love, Boyd

Keeping Promises

I know, I know, there are times that I think if I don't come up with better topics, even my family will stop reading my blogs. But it is not what you think. This blog is about keeping a promise that I made to my self.

Flip back to my post, "what I learned at the car show", and you will see that I said that, there were four or five post that I came up with, from that blog. Call it an epiphany, or a life learning moment, but I had forgotten, what a special time it was, to live with my Aunt Laura and Uncle Ted, in Tremonton, Utah.

Too this day, I can't figure out why I was sent away. And too this day, I can't figure out, why, my Aunt and Uncle, who at the time, had enough boys/men to take care of the farm chores, would let what from all appearances, looked like a problem child, into there lives. But they did, and I am a better man for it.

My Uncle Ted's father, my Grandfather Elmer, was always sick, when he was growing up. That can leave a man, short, when it comes to the ways that a man shows love to his children. My Uncle, didn't show that love like most fathers, but that love was more than implied. The hugs may not have come easy, but they came from the heart.

Both my Aunt and Uncle have much to be proud of. And though, I may not, be very good at putting my thoughts and feelings, into words, every time I think about time spent in that home, I am amazed by how wonderful they were too me.

Aunt Laura, Uncle Ted, if you ever read this, thank you for putting up with me and showing me, your great love and compassion.

Love Boyd


P.S. I need to work on getting better pictures, of family, instead of dumb flowers, when I don't have anything better.

Oded, to my Dentist.

I won't be long, before I can smile
in my pictures, again.

I know that it is had for anyone to imagine, being able to say nice things, about a dentist, but I'm going to try, anyway.

My newest dentist is a cousin of mine. Before I started going to my cousin, Dr Jonathon Elmer, I fired my last dentist, who I will not name. Not because this dentist was painful. Not because he didn't know how to fix my teeth. But because the staff, that my old dentist had, were less than honest.

My cousin, on the other hand, has chosen, his staff, wisely. In fact, the only thing that is not great, about going to see Dr Jon (they call him that around the office), is the fact that I would rather sit and talk about family, than have my teeth drilled.

Some thing that you may or may not know, is that when I was fifteen, I lived with my uncle Ted and his family, including Jonathon, who was just a baby at the time. So we still have a lot to talk about, and no time to talk. Truth is, I know that he comes from good stock.

Anyway, he is a great dentist and he has a great staff, so if you are looking for a new dentist, in the Bountiful, Utah area, give Dr Jon's office a call (801) 295-5115.

Now if an endorsement like that ain't good for 2 bucks off my bill, I don't know what is.

I look forward to smiling again, love Boyd

A day at the Zoo

Last Monday was a fun day. We decided to go to the Zoo, and so did the rest of Utah. Still it was a great time, especially when compared to our trip to the Sandiago Zoo. All you Zoogoers out there prepare to get the dagger looks out. It is time to play the comparison game between Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake and the Sand Diago Zoo.

Lets break it down. Parking lot Sand Diego one' Hogle zero. Although there are many places to put parking in the Hogle Zoo area, the city of salt lake chooses green over pavement. To me that doesn't make sense to put green yards away from a beautiful canyon. Now I'm not totally against enviromental issues, but sometimes when we try to do good in one spot we do bad in another. Not only did cars have to go up and down the street to find a place to park, but many were force to park in the bike lane.

Cost comparison time.....Sandiago Zoo $28.00 per person(with discount tickets) .Hogle Zoo clearly the winner @ $8.00 per person. And we are at a tie ladies and gentlemen, with Hogle Zoo one Sand Diego one. With great entertainment value like that it's no surprise that Utah, flocked to Zoo.

Next lets take a look at how many animals you actually get to see. Here again Hogle Zoo wins by a land slide. The new tally, Hogle Zoo two, San Diego, one. We went to San Diego, to see the Panda bears. We stood in line, we sweated. we listened to the lecture of how man and the environment, don't belong on the same planet. And after about an hour, we stood in front of an out door chapel that paid homage to what Zoo keepers and many other's, consider, the most holy animal on earth. After two minutes, we were told to "get out".

The rest of the time at SDZ, we spent looking for animals. Some thing that you think that they would have at a Zoo. I think that they must have moved most of the animals to wild country park, so they can get another $45.00 each, out of us.

Next, environmental preaching. I think we have to take away points from both Zoo's. The new tally- San Diego, minus one, Hogle Zoo, one and a half.

At SDZ every were you went, there was a message about how we need to conserve, or the animals will all go away. There was even a message in the restroom, about how the mostly not flush toilets, could save water and thus save the planet. The big problem, as I see it, is that it stunk in those restrooms and it was full of flies.

There was not near as much at HZ, but I deducted half a point, for a plaque that they had in the "rain forest room" that stated "we loose an amount of the rain forest equal to the state of Utah every year". That plague has been there a long time, so is there any rain forest left? Or is that just a little gilt trip that they want to send every one on?

And now, for the bonus round, how much fun did we have? There San Diego came out the big loser, again. At one time, I'm sure that SDZ was a fun place to go. I'm not sure if it is because they take themselves too serious, or because they just stopped trying, or because they have been the leading Zoo, in the world, for so long that they just figured no matter what they do, people will come and they will like it.

So world, if you want to enjoy a good Zoo, I would recommend a trip too Hogle Zoo, in Salt lake. If you want to walk up and down hills and lectured on how evil you are, for being alive. I think you know what Zoo to visit.

Once again, thanks for reading, Boyd




P.S. My wife likes this picture, because it show how close to an ape, I really am.

What I learned, at a car show.

It might be better to say, what I remembered at a car show.

After the baptism on Saturday, I went to a car show, all by myself. It reminded me of a lesson I learned in high school, over thirty years ago. When you are O K with being by yourself, you are better with the people around you.

When I moved from Tremonton, Utah, too Layton, Utah, I had a little problem making friends, at Layton High. A couple of years earlier, I had moved from California, too Tremonton, too live with my Uncle, Ted. I didn't know it at the time, but that move was made allot easier, just having cousins around to ease you into the friend making process. For the first couple of weeks, in Layton,I tried real hard to make friends, but it seemed the harder I tried, or the more needy I acted, the more others would make fun of me.

It was rough, but I could at least come home too my brother Steve, my sister Stacey and my Mom. We were not a perfect family, but we did OK with what we had. And thanks to there efforts, we are still getting better and better, all the time, as a family.

Back to my story that is the point of this blog. After all these years, I can still remember, how in my sixth period math class, we students were forced into study groups. There was four of us and one of the guys, road me like a rented mule at the Grand Canyon. I have to thank this kid, that I can't even remember his name, because with out him, I wouldn't have learned this great lesson. You don't need a large number of friends to be happy. All I needed then and all I need now is my family. Every friend that I have beyond my family, is a blessing, true, but your happiness always starts at home.

So what about the car show? Well it reminded me that you can be alone, for a short time, and still be alright. Your family may not always be by your side, but they can always be your point of strength.

Even in my own family, there is no one who enjoys the things that I do. So what if I went to the car show by myself. I had a good time and I took over two hundred pictures.

And it doesn't take common interest, for some one to be your friend. A good friend, that I have know for years, Frank Barnes, was at the baptism earlier that day, and ask me what I was doing this weekend. When I told him that I was going to a car show, he had never heard of one and thought I was going to look to buy a new car. The thought of cars as art, escapes most people.

This blog is not about the cars, but about what you can learn from doing the things you love. Everyone who has a passion, can share with the world, what they learn from there own life.

Thank you once again for reading my ramblings. Enjoy the pictures - Boyd
P.S. I wrote four blogs today, so you may want to keep reading.

Also, This blog has, given me ideas for at least another four blogs. Look for blogs about my life in Tremonton, my best friend in high school, what you can get from watching TV and an ode to my dentist, all coming in the future.

It is getting harder and harder, to say goodby, to an old friend.

For a while, I have wanted to sell my old friend. My 1997 Chevy Cavalier.

It is not the fasted car on the road. In fact it has a engine that Hot Rod magazine named as one of the top ten, worse engines of all times. I don't think I can put up any facts to dispute that claim. The best that I could do is maybe find a few more, that I could add to the list, so it might come in 12th.

Still, the appeal for me, is the drop top. I know that I could, after I sell this one, go and buy another convertible, but I don't know if it would be the same. This car has been in the family for over eight years now.

Too me, doesn't have to be the best, to win your heart. All you have to do is have some fond memories, to make it part of your history. I have had a few in this one.

Back in April, I tried to sell it, before the tags, expired. I parked it about a mile from my house, with the four sale signs on the front windshield. I decided to walk home for the exercise, and got two calls, before I got home. Both calls seemed very interested and I asked them to call back in fifteen minutes, so I could get home and get another car and meet them back at the old Cavalier. I didn't get another call, all afternoon and into the evening. I thought this is strange. I found out later, that some one had stolen the for sale signs off the windshield.

I drove it a couple of more days, and the thermostat went bad. I have been trying to find time, ever since, to get it fixed. I don't know if I'm not just trying to postpone the inevitable.

Here's to good old memories, may they always bring a smile to our face - Boyd

Nothing like a baptizim, to lift your spirits.

Saturday morning, I was planning my morning, knowing there was so many things that I wanted to get done, before I went to work at my second job. As I was doing this planning, I felt the need to check the messages on the answering machine, something I never do.

It was a nice surprise to hear a message from the White's. There grandson, Robert Hooten, was getting baptized at ten and they invited me to come. And also to stand in the circle when Robert got the gift of the Holy Ghost.

What a pleasure it is, to have friends, like the Whites and the Hootens, that they would except me, Just like family.

Thanks for letting me be there, Boyd

Setting records and setting the record strait.

It has been a while since I have written any thing here in my blog, and now that I have a day off, I thought I might just set a personal goal of four blogs in one day. They may be short blogs, but it will be a record for me.

I also wanted to set the record strait.My last blog was about my beautiful wife. As I went back and read what I had written, I noticed that I had not come close, to the way I feel about my wife. I don't think words are enough.

Pictures cannot capture, all of her beauty. There is a special, peaceful and amazing look that comes over Shar, when she is holding a baby.

The refiners fire has and is still, polishing her spirit, like a gem or a precious stone. My bride is something special. My weakness, in words, can not diminish her beauty. Sharlene Ann Smith is the reason that I am working on my eternity and my eternal marriage.

Love, Boyd