Westmoreland Asays

My home teaching companion and I rode his bike to our appointment this afternoon with a family that lives about five miles from our neighborhood. I hadn't ridden on a motorcycle in about 20 years, and those were wimpy dirt bikes on off-road tracks. Greg's Kawasaki was much more powerful (1000cc), and it was quite a rush when he accelerated to the speed limit without shifting gears (he can redline in first gear at a little over 70mph). I was scared when we went around corners (it's a lot different than riding my own bicycle at 20 mph), but I made it home safe and without incident. I don't think I'll be buying my own bike anytime soon (probably never, and if I did it would be a weeny bike without much power), so don't expect to see many stories like this again (although I will ride with Greg again, if the weather is nice).

The best thing about living in Salem during August is the chance to race for fun (and cheaply) at Bush Park every Thursday night . Not sure you're up to the challenge? Well here are the top 10 reasons to just do it: 10. You get to be yelled at by your old high school coach to run faster and catch up with the guy 10 meters ahead of you. 09. You can run shirtless (and not feel ashamed) and work on your upper body tan. 08. You might be able to beat an old washed-up runner struggling to place in the top ten in the 30-something age group (although, is it fair to call a guy washed-up when he never did anything spectacular to begin with?). 07. You need to lose 5-10 pounds for that swimsuit you thought you could fit into back in May but haven't ever worn because you never got into shape. 06. You get to see future star athletes compete (up-close and in-person) before they become famous, namely Eddie and Aaron. 05. You get to cheer on a wonderful woman who wants to finish the first...

For the first time in nearly six years, we don't have to buy, change, or throw away diapers for our children. I guess when Edward decides to do something (he is very strong-willed), he does it. For the longest time, he showed no interest at all in using the toilet , and it didn't matter how much we encouraged/coerced--he just wouldn't do it. But in a matter of a few weeks, he appears to be finally trained--and I mean completely trained, both night and day and on the road away from home. I guess preschool at Sprague or South is now a possibility. So please extend a hand of congratulations to the Word the next time you see him (and perhaps offer to help him back into his underwear and pants, which don't seem to know how to re-attach themselves after he does his business).

Aaron received an invitation to give a talk in his Primary meeting at church last week. To prepare for this, Aaron wrote his own talk (Meg typed it for him), practiced delivering it, and even decorated the printout with some of his stickers. He was excited to give his talk. Come Sunday morning Aaron didn't wake up. I had to rouse him at 8:45 (15 minutes before church starts) and get him dressed quickly (Meg was already at the church on other business). He complained that his head and stomach hurt, which was strange because he was happy and full of energy the night before. We went to church anyway, although Aaron just wanted to sleep in the pew. Near the end of the meeting, Meg had to leave with a friend's baby that she was tending to, and I had to take Edward to the bathroom; so I left Aaron alone and asleep on the pew. As I was helping Ed wash his hands in the bathroom, Aaron come staggering in and spilled his guts all over the bathroom floor. Meg took the boys home immediatel...

A friend at work owns a house in Waldport and had mentioned that she welcomes guests any time she and her husband are down there. I thought she was joking until I asked her if we could come down on a specific weekend--but she agreed very enthusiastically. So Meg and I dropped Ed and A-Ron off at J-Mel's house in Dallas (partial payback for housing their five kids for like three weeks ) and then continued on a scenic, quiet drive along the Kings Valley and Alsea highways, arriving in Waldport just before sunrise. Shirley's house sits up on a ridge that overlooks the ocean (it was about a seven minute walk to the beach). We played the longest game of Phase 10 together, learning that Kent (Shirley's husband) is quite the gamer. After sleeping in the next morning (I was up for nearly 24 hours straight), Meg and I drove about 10 miles south to Yachats to eat at the The Drift In , which has a long and colorful history. The fish (halibut) and chips was some of the best I've ev...

Thursday, July 3 Disclaimer: I should have written more while I was there, because apparently my muse for this trip got left behind in Utah . . . It was difficult to stay focussed at the office knowing that I would be leaving that afternoon for my getaway to the Salt Lake desert to visit with my family for a few days. But I was very excited to leave--mainly because I got to ride the bus and light rail again (like the old days--just kidding). Fortunately there were now fights, smelly drunks, or screaming babies--I did have to stand for most of the ride, but it's nice after having to sit in my office chair all day. I fortunately didn't have to sit next to the chatty lady in front of me, so I relaxed to the random tunes on my mp3 player and read about various running stories and profiles of athletes in a special edition of Runner's World that focussed on the Olympic Trials being held right now in Eugene. It was nasty hot in SLC when I touched down. But everything was nic...