The Best of John

Des Moines, Iowa Trip

2011-05-29T08:40:00.000-06:00

New Blog

2010-03-20T21:03:00.000-06:00

In case my great friends haven't noticed I have switched my blogging to a new site. If you have time come see me at http://provomayor.blogspot.com/

Inauguration

2010-01-18T07:45:00.000-07:00

The inauguration was one of the highlights of my life. I had a hard time not being emotional. About 600 family, friends and Provo residents came to share the experience with me. To see the inauguration click here

The First Full Week of Mayorhood

2010-01-18T07:41:00.004-07:00

The first full week was ... full. The blue in the calendar represents scheduled appointments and the white is the time I had to do everything else. In all about 43 appointments. Among other things, I met with both US Senators, The I15 Core Team to discuss our new Center Street Exit, a number of our Department Heads, 9 of our residents who came in on "Meet the Mayor" day and one of the highlights Friday afternoon when it slowed down I visited several of our business in Provo to learn more about how to help them.

A fun-full week. I learned that I need to set aside some "non appointment" time each day otherwise I do nothing but bounce from appointment to appointment. I also learned I couldn't do this without a great dedicated staff and CAO who make sure the ship is sailing.

The Long Over Due Post

2009-09-21T21:04:00.002-06:00

Here he is - Jett. My new grandson. Yes, I'm a grandpa. They wouldn't let me hold him for the first few days because I was so sick. Now, I'm his favorite.

Sarah Jane the Homecoming Queen

2009-09-20T09:00:00.004-06:00

I know it has been a long time since my last post but after watching my daughter crowned as homecoming queen this week I just can't hold back.

Friday I attended the assembly where she was announced as the queen. I must admit my heart swelled with pride to hear her name announced. She deserves it! She is an awesome daughter, very beautiful, kind, helpful around the house and most important she is a deep down good person.

Not only is she a queen but she has two brothers and three sisters who are equally as awesome. I'm blessed to have each one of them part of my life.

The Swine Flue and Jacob - It's Fate

2009-06-07T09:20:00.005-06:00

When Jacob was young he had a fascination with pigs. He loved to wrinkle up his nose and make pig like snorts. One year he even requested and was given a pig theme birthday party.

I guess it should surprise no one that days after Jacob entered the MTC, the MTC was infested with the flu. Jacob was to leave June 3rd for the mission field but now waits for the green light to leave the MTC. No new projected date as of yet.

Good Bye Jacob

2009-05-13T15:17:00.002-06:00

Jacob left today for his mission in Iowa. We will miss Jacob!!

Flashback Friday - The O C Tanner Factory Tour

2009-05-07T20:55:00.003-06:00

Some Things Never Change

2009-04-21T20:21:00.002-06:00

It's a dog's life

2009-04-14T21:09:00.004-06:00

The Curtis Family Watches Conference

2009-04-06T07:21:00.003-06:00

To be fair I must admit while I'm not in the picture, I had my nap as well.

It's Official

2009-03-25T06:51:00.002-06:00

I'm going to be a grandpa!

My Garage Floor

2009-02-23T19:09:00.003-07:00

I guess we all have some parts of us that are weird. Among the many that I have is my fetish for a clean garage floor. The only way to clean the garage floor is to first take everything out of the garage. Everything includes about a half dozen motor bikes, a riding lawn mower, four cars, wheel barrows, bikes and garbage cans.

After it's all outside, I mop the floor and then dry it with old towels. When it is done it's cleaner than the kitchen table. Anyone want to join me to eat a meal on it?

Stimulus Bill

2009-02-14T15:18:00.004-07:00

For those very few of you who bother to check my blog any more you know that I have fallen off the blogging map. The stimulus bill is so distasteful to me that it has provoked me to return to my blog to express my frustration.

This morning I listened to our Utah State Legislators as they explained how they were dealing with the economic shortfall. Although they are twisting and turning in pain as they cut programs and services, when they are done the State of Utah will have zero debt. That's right we have a constitutional obligation to balance our budget every year. Somehow we not only survive but thrive as a State. One of the legislators reminded us that the Federal Government was created for the States and not the other way around. Somehow we have let the Federal Government take control of our lives and they are not very good at it.

Our new President (who I was willing to give the benefit of the doubt and support him as my President) appears to be totally out of control of the situation. They only thing I can count on from him is that if he gives a speech the stock market will go down that day.

All we hear is that the government must save us. I'm pretty sure that's not the case. In fact, I know for certain that the only thing that can save us is the good ol American spirit that made us great in the first place. All we need is the Federal Government to stay out of our way long enough to make it happen.

Meal of Choice

2009-01-12T20:13:00.002-07:00

At the Curtis home the meal of choice is a bowl of cereal. Breakfast, lunch or dinner it does not seem to matter. I'm not positive but I suspect some of the Curtis kids have had it for all three meals in a day as well as snacks in between. Jacob will sometimes mix up cereal meals for ice cream meals.

I'm Famous

2008-12-28T20:52:00.004-07:00

For Christmas Kirsten and Josh surprised me with a book of my blog. I must tell you it was really cool to see my mighty blog in print.

I'm now a published author. It was a lot of fun to flip through my years worth of entries and it left me with a resolve to do more bogging.

I was also the recipient of a very nice card, book and picture from Sarah Jane. The card is a keeper. Those of us who are parents know how much it does the heart good to get cards like Sarah's.

Zane gave me the "perfect push up" for my perfect body and Emily, Nicole and Jacob gave me a gift certificate for lunch. No surprise Sue also spoiled me.

A Look Back At Family Christmas Cards

2008-12-25T07:21:00.006-07:00

Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T07:17:00.006-07:00

Bail Out

2008-12-21T15:38:00.004-07:00

I'm trying to decide how I feel about the bail out. On the one hand, I do believe the US Government can actually help many citizens feel far less pain with their involvement. However on the other hand, the reason we are in this mess to begin with is the governments inability to resist the temptation to play with the free market.

The more the government does with the market the more they need to do. It's incomprehensible to me that the main message we hear coming from Washington is that if we can just get people to spend more money we will get out of this mess.

We are hearing a lot about Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme. A ponzi scheme is when early investors are paid dividends out of the money put in by later investors. So how is the social security program, the stock market and the entire economy that we are in not a ponzi scheme?

The recipients of every dollar of bail out money are receiving this money on the backs of those who will come along behind them. My children will be paying for the auto and financial bail out the rest of their lives. To make matters even worse, this is happening under a Republican president. Our Country is turning to socialism not under Obama but under Bush. If I remember correctly, the single biggest reason given not to vote for Obama was the fear of his socialist tendencies.

Ronald Reagan seems so far away now. What would he say about this mess? I hope he would have said, "times are tough but if we work long and hard, if we cut government spending, if we lesson the tax burden on the business that hire, buy inventory and create things we can get out of this mess and once again return to our prosperous ways."

Does anyone know of an undiscovered country we can go colonize so we can start all over?

Flashback Friday on Saturday

2008-12-20T05:47:00.008-07:00

This flashback was inspired by Kirsten's blog.

To fully appreciate this post check out Kirsten's Friday post at
kirstenjosh.blogspot.com

From Left to Right - Little Brother Kitt, Snowman, Someone with Constipation

From Left to Right - Big Sister Camille, Snowman, Big Sister Kristie, a boy dressed
up in a girls snow suit.

Merry Christmas

2008-11-30T05:48:00.009-07:00

Jdimytai Damour, 34, was crushed to death as he and other Wal-Mart employees attempted to unlock the doors of a Long Island, New York, store at 5 a.m. Friday the day after Thanksgiving.

I love Christmas but I don't like:

Putting up Christmas lights
Standing on the top rung of a ladder putting up ornaments on the tree
Shopping
Black Friday
Cold weather
Staying up late on Christmas Eve

Each year Sue prods me to do the "husband thing" and each year I swear she doesn't love me or she wouldn't send me to the top rung of a ladder. I'll do it in the house but several years ago I stopped climbing to the top of a ladder in the cold and wet to hang lights on the top of the house.

Notice the Resemblance?

Pillow Talk

2008-11-30T05:42:00.001-07:00

Sue and I have become pillow snobs. Years ago it didn’t seem to matter what we put our heads on but as of late we have become increasingly pickier?

I don’t think it is only us. I stayed at a hotel recently that offered the guest 4 different types of pillows.

A number of years ago I discovered that I could sleep better with a pillow over my head. It blocks out sound and light and seems to allow my body to relax more and sleep better. If you haven’t tried this I recommend it. The only problem is you need the right kind of pillow. Pillows that don’t conform to you head just tip off. For our wedding present almost 27 years ago we were given several down pillows. Over the years these pillows grew old and tired. The best way to describe them today would be frumpy. Each night I take one of these frumpy pillows and use it to cover my head. The pillow cuts out all sound and light. Sounds crazy? You should try it.

Things I'm Thankful For:

2008-11-27T09:41:00.003-07:00

Doug Bailey

2008-11-23T18:23:00.008-07:00

Today my thoughts turned to Doug Bailey. Doug and I were friends in high school. Although Doug was a year behind me in school he was someone I looked up to and admired. Doug died in a terrible automobile accident several years after high school.

For a number of years after Doug’s death I continued to be influenced by him. I have often reflected that his influence was more than the strong friendship we enjoyed as young men. I believe that in some way I don’t fully understand, Doug was able to bless and guide my life from the other side.

The modern day apostle, John A Widtsoe once said, “The seen and the unseen world are closely connected. One assists the other.” I believe this is true and I have had a strong feeling over the years that Doug was able to help me become the type of person he was becoming.

I miss Doug. Over the years his influence as slowly gone away. I remember a time when I felt like he had accomplished all he could by helping me and that he now had to move on. I have felt more on my own since that time. I am grateful for the chance to have known Doug on this earth. To the extent that he helped me from the other side I feel very blessed. The older I get the less I feel like I know what the other side will be like. If it’s anything like I think it is, then Doug will be among the first to great me there.

Mom's Birthday

2008-11-11T11:51:00.004-07:00

We surprised mom on her 84th Birthday last Sunday. The two great things about the day was that we truly surprised her and second that she seemed to really enjoyed it.

New Family Pictures

2008-11-08T21:23:00.003-07:00

Lies

2008-11-06T05:57:00.006-07:00

I remember when I was little we used to somehow think that it was OK to lie to our friends if we crossed our fingers. In our shallow world everything was fine if we just announced "I had my fingers crossesd."

I am so happy the elections are over. Hopefully we will be able to hear a few less lies now they are over.

Politicians seem to think anything they say is the truth because they said it.

The truth is -
If it's not 100 true its a lie.
If it's a half truth it's a lie.
If it's a true fact used to mislead, it's a lie.
If it's a promise you know you can't deliver it's a lie.

Another memory from childhood is the great line, "Liar liar pants on fire."

When I heard that we were going to reduce taxes for 95% of Americans, bail out banks and provide national health care I knew I was hearing a whooper.

I wish we could figure out a way to make all politician's nose grow when they were telling a lie. Perhaps a better idea would be to have a cabinet level mother who uses soap to wash out the mouth of anyone telling a lie.

The Foot

2008-11-02T14:23:00.005-07:00

Last month Sarah kicked her goalie so hard in the middle of a game that she dislocated her little toe and broke three bones in her foot. Yesterday a doctor who had seen the X ray told me it was the worst X ray he had ever seen.

I took Sarah to the hospital and am amazed at how brave she was. Her only complaint was not being able to finish out the soccer game.

How Long Do We Have?

2008-10-30T15:41:00.003-06:00

I'm in debt to my brother-in-law for these thoughts.

How Long Do We Have?

About the time our original thirteen states adopted their new constitution in 1787, Alexander Tyler, a Scottish history professor at the University of Edinburgh , had this to say about the fall of the Athenian Republic some 2,000 years earlier:

"A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government."

"A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury."

"From that moment on, the majority always vote for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship."

"The average age of the world's greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years"

"During those 200 years, those nations always progressed through the following sequence:
1. from bondage to spiritual faith;
2. from spiritual faith to great courage;
3. from courage to liberty;
4. from liberty to abundance;
5. from abundance to complacency;
6. from complacency to apathy;
7. from apathy to dependence;
8. from dependence back into bondage"

School Starts

2008-08-16T20:43:00.007-06:00

School starts next week!!!!!!

I look forward to school starting each year because I finally get some structure back in our family life. I must admit it has been a fun summer but I'm ready for the predictiveness that comes with the school schedule.First day of school for Kirsten & Zane at the bus stop on Old Prescott Court, VA

Sarah & Emily on their first day of school at the Provo bus stop

Flashback Friday - Short Shorts

2008-08-15T06:22:00.004-06:00

I've noticed the Men's gymnast during the Olympics are sporting the short shorts that were part of my life. Are they back?

2008-08-13T18:35:00.002-06:00

This was in the paper this morning. If you laugh at it, you must be a parent of a teenager. If you don't find it funny I suspect you are a teenager or haven't had one for a while.

It's a little hard to read so I'll retype it below:

I know your time is valuable Jeremy.

If you spend a few hours cleaning the garage, I'll give you forty bucks and we won't ask you to do anything else for the rest of the week.

Why does everybody always pick on me?

Motorcycle MaMa

2008-08-10T21:51:00.006-06:00

Motorcycle MaMa is my new name for Sue. I have enjoyed my street bike for several years but Sue has always been slow to hop on it for more than just a short drive.

This weekend we took the bike to Bear Lake and back. We traveled over 400 miles and had a fantastic time. We drove back roads most of the trip and saw ponds, lakes reservoirs, antelope, rabbit and miles and miles of “God’s Country.”

One of the highlights of the trip was filling up with gas when we got back. It took less than 4 gallons to come home.

30 Years!

2008-08-03T07:29:00.004-06:00

Last night was my high school 30th reunion. As we drove up I was shocked at all the old people who were coming to attend. Besides spending the night with a lot of people I didn't remember I had a blast walking down memory lane with many good friends.

PS In case you can't tell, I'm the one perched up on the right of my high school sign.

Scout Camp

2008-08-01T16:44:00.002-06:00

This week was scout camp. Ironically, I think I have been to girl’s camp more than I have been to scout camp. According to my very inaccurate counting methods, I’ve been to girl’s camp close to 12 times.

Doesn’t matter girl’s camp or scout camp they both are a lot of work. The biggest difference that I have found is that scouts will complain more than young women. Not to say that young women don’t complain they just don’t do it as much as scouts.

Another big difference is the amount of time the scouts spend getting giddy about “passing gas.” I don’t know if it’s the food they eat at scout camp or if they always have that much gas but they seem to take great pride in making the beautiful outdoors smell like a city dump.

The good news is that I’m not the scout master so I get to come and go from scout camp as I please. The bad news is I was in charge of all the registration, merit badge sign up, certification, travel logistics and the food for the week. I think my end of the deal is better than the scout master’s.

Flashback Friday

2008-07-31T21:33:00.004-06:00

It is a proven fact that the Peter Pan hats found only at Brighton, Utah hold magical powers. Those who know of the secret pass down the Peter Pan hat ceremony pictured above. It is rumored that the tradition started with the Dee Curtis kids but recent evidence indicates that the tradition dates back even further.

Note: The Brittany Spears look is believed to have first been demonstrated by Zane and his belly button in this photo. Long before Brittany made the look famous.

Best of Everything Award

2008-06-30T07:07:00.002-06:00

We took a vote yesterday at the dinner table and Josh won the best son/brother-in-law, best house guest, best car cleaner, best yard worker and best all around everything award. He is even (depends on the day) the best tennis player in our home and that is not an easy thing.

Flashback Friday on Saturday

2008-06-28T10:12:00.002-06:00

Eight years ago as scout master I took Zane, Jacob and 20 other scouts to the top of King's Peak. While on top we were hit with an electrical storm that we won't forget.

Tired?

2008-06-26T17:38:00.000-06:00

This guy looks just like I feel.

Vote

2008-06-25T21:06:00.000-06:00

I spent the day yesterday as a volunteer at the voting polls. Four of us were responsible for the potential 2700 voters. Sounds overwhelming but the truth is we has less than 3% voter turn out. Less than 100 people came to vote between our 6:00 am start time and 9:00 pm ending.

It made for a long day but also a fun day. I enjoyed seeing friends and neighbors who came in to vote.

With the exception of just a few, I was the youngest one to volunteer or vote. I worked with three very delightful women who all had almost as many grandkids as I have years. What’s going to happen when our older patriotic generation moves on?

Wanted: Golf Hacker Partner

2008-06-22T18:46:00.001-06:00

Be careful what you ask for…. I hinted to Sue that I would like a set of golf clubs I saw at Costco for father’s day. Guess what? I got them.

I’ve been known to say in the past that I hate golfing. I don’t really hate golfing I just hate going golfing. The problem is not in the sport. The sport is great. The problem is that I’m a really awful golfer. I’m so bad that anyone I go with feels inclined to tutor me the entire 18 holes. If I could just go and swing away I wouldn’t care how bad I was doing. But no, I have to have three other people watch me every swing and then give me suggestions every swing.

So I’m looking for a golfing partner that is as bad as I am and that doesn’t care if I can’t hit the ball. Let me know if you qualify.

PS If you are going to be my partner you can’t get concerned about golfer rules. I don’t own golfing shoes and will never by them and I get to decide if I count a stroke or not.

Chris Cannon

2008-06-22T15:55:00.002-06:00

Dear Friends,

If you are like me you have spent a lot of time looking at the Cannon Chaffetz race. Although I have also spent a lot of time looking at both candidates, this has been an easy decision for me. I am supporting Chris Cannon. I have three reasons for voting for Chris.

1) I like the way he has voted in congress and I view him as a true conservative. To quote today's Daily Herald, "It's virtually impossible to out-conservative Chris Cannon."

2) Chris is accessible. It has been my experience that other members of our Federal delegation have no idea where Provo is let alone my name and what is important to me. Chris is different. He has taken the time to get to know me, my family, my business and what is important to me. He has taken a personal interest in the success of Action Target and has extended himself to help us be more successful.

3) My goals is to always stay positive in politics so let me just say the third reason is that I like Chris better than his opponent.

Below you will find a link to a YouTube video with me discussing why I support Congressman Chris Cannon's re-election.

Thanks for taking the time to read this and consider my views. I look forward to hearing back from you if you have different opinions or different reasons you are supporting Chris. One last thought....Don't forget to vote this Tuesday. The polling locations have been changed again. I'm in PR32 and we vote at the Monte L Bean Museum.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DUJzRFPL7Y

Lake Powell

2008-06-15T06:12:00.004-06:00

I tired to count how many times I have been to Lake Powell but gave up. It’s a lot. My first trip was as a 12 year old. All of my family has a memory of looking around a boat parking lot for a boat that my father had arranged to borrow. He told us to look for a green boat. Later in the day we found the boat. It was blue.

After leaving the dock in our blue boat, we navigated about 20 minutes before the borrowed-blue boat started to take on water. We all put on life jackets and jumped ship. Mom and dad waved down another boat that hauled us back. We got in our car and drove back to Salt Lake. On the way back, I go the stomach flu and made a mess of the car.

It’s amazing we went back but we went back over and over. Dad eventually bought the blue boat and we learned to love Powell. We were campers and camped on rocks, sand or whatever we found when we were tired. I learned to love to water ski and remember staying awake at night thinking of all the fun stunts I was going to try the next day on water skis.

I hope my kids remember Powell with the great love for the lake that I have.

Unknown Visitors

2008-06-09T21:06:00.007-06:00

Kirsten helped me put a site meter on my blog which has allowed me to see how many visitors my blog gets. Not only does it show the number of visitors but it gives more details than I suspect my visitors want to share.

I can see your domain name, your IP address, your city and I can see which pages you looked at and how long you looked at them. All of this is very cool for me and perhaps a privacy violation for you.

The map above shows where my visitors come from. I have lots in Utah, some in Texas, Virgina, Florida and a dozen other states. I even have one in Saudi Arabia, England, New Zealand, India, Brazil, Bermuda, Mexico and several in Canada. Where do you guys come from and how did you find my blog?

Those of you that I have not met, please leave me a comment and tell me how you found my blog and what your favorite post is. I look forward to visiting your blogs.

My Best Brother

2008-06-09T18:47:00.003-06:00

I’ve never questioned that Kitt was my favorite brother. He has always been a clear winner in all categories. I have always suspected that I was his favorite brother although we have never really compared notes on the subject.

I’m not sure how worthy I am of the title but I can tell you that he is a hands down winner of the favorite brother award.

Our combined age is not too far off a century. That’s a long time and has given us both a lot of experience at this world. Although I have to admit that as my little brother there was a long period of time when I thought he was too young for things like going on a mission and getting married. Somewhere along the line he stopped being too young and in fact stopped being my little brother and started just being my brother.

Today I find myself seeking his advice on all sorts of subjects and have relied on him to get me through some very difficult moments in my life. He knows some of my deep disappointments and stands by me like a best brother would.

A highlight for me was spending some time with him in Italy several years ago. We ran from city to city and saw a months worth of Italy in just a few short days.

Today I remember him for his birthday and take a minute to remember how grateful I am for him in my life. Thanks Kitt!

A Good Deal

2008-06-08T20:30:00.001-06:00

I grew up seeing my cousin almost weekly during the summer and often on family trips. After our missions we found ourselves in different parts of the world and I only saw him occasionally at family reunions.

Just over 10 years ago our paths crossed again in a significant way. I joined him at the company he and another friend founded.

Almost anyone will tell you it is not a good idea to work with a close relative. Perhaps it wouldn’t have worked out if not for the great deal we made with each other 10 years ago.

The deal went like this. I promised not to be offended at anything he said or did and he promised me the same thing. I don’t believe we ever really put each other to the test but it’s a deal I think more people should make. It’s amazing how we as people tend to offend each other.

I was reminded of the deal today because it’s his birthday. Over the years we have done a number of things for each other on our birthdays. These range from totally forgetting or ignoring the others birthday to lunch at the local hamburger joint. We both smile when one of us forgets or misses something important in each others lives and remind ourselves of the deal.

The deal has made for a very good long lasting friendship. Thanks Kyle.

Christmas

2008-06-07T20:51:00.002-06:00

200 Days to Christmas

Are you ready? At current count I have 15% of my Christmas shopping done. Last year Sue got tired of over two decades of me complaining about how she did Christmas and she assigned all the shopping to me. I some how pulled off a pretty decent Christmas and started immediately preparing for Christmas 2008.

Any Christmas request? Now is the time to get them to Santa.

Tennis

2008-06-06T21:10:00.005-06:00

I played tennis tonight with Sue, Josh and Zane. We switched players every few games and somehow I was always on the loosing team. I didn’t feel like I was playing bad but the evidence was stacked against me. No matter my partner, I lost.

I shouldn’t be surprised. I always have the same outcome when I play tennis. It’s amazing to me that I keep playing. The bible has a scripture that reminds me of me and tennis. It’s not very pleasant so I won’t quote it here but if you’re curious you can look it up.

Proverbs 26:11

Flashback Saturday

2008-06-06T18:27:00.002-06:00

It was almost a year ago that Sue and I were in Alaska. It was warmer there than it is in Provo so far this year.

Sue's Birthday

2008-06-03T20:58:00.003-06:00

Sue’s birthday is coming up and I need suggestions. One of the problems is that almost every year we are on vacation during her birthday. Her birthday is June 18^th and it seems that is a great time to be on vacation. This year we will be with the youth at Lake Powell.

I’m looking for one of those home run types of gifts. The type of gift that she remembers for many years and costs about a dollar. As most of you know, you are safe to leave your suggestion with a comment because we all know Sue won’t read it.

The catch to all of this is even though it may be your idea, I need to take credit for it. Hope you don’t mind.

The truth is I’m not that worried about price. Sue will be turning 29 this year and after all, how often will she be turning 29?

I'm Back

2008-06-01T21:00:00.003-06:00

Well I must say that the pressure from Suzie, Ana and Kirsten finally got to me and I caved. Funny thing is that the millions of other readers (Sue included) never even noticed I took a very long break.

It reminds me of a business trip I took a number of years ago. When I returned I saw Sue and Jacob. Sue said something to Jacob about me being back and Jacob responded with, “I didn’t know he had been gone.”

The latest at the Curtis home is that we are all home. All of us! Kirsten and Josh moved back from Arizona and we get to have them with us for the next six months. I am thrilled to have them spend some time with us. Not only is it great to have them but they both could author a book about being good house guests.

Jacob ended his summer of pest control sales after two weeks and Zane has an apartment in Salt Lake but the food is here.

On Strike

2008-05-18T08:27:00.001-06:00

Very sorry - Due to the writer's strike we have no new posting at this time.

Flashback Friday

2008-05-16T06:39:00.002-06:00

25 years ago this spring the snow in the mountains melted so fast that it flooded all over Utah. This picture was taken at Eagle Gate in downtown Salt Lake. The roads were turned into rivers.

Mayor Dan Snarr

2008-05-15T20:45:00.004-06:00

OK here is the truth. Don’t make fun of the mayor on American Idol with the crazy mustache. The outrageous mustache belongs to Sue’s brother.

Sue and I have had a very enjoyable few days listening to all the conversations about the mayor with the mustache. We usually wait until someone has said something really embarrassing and then let them know its Sue’s brother.

What can I say, he is famous and he loves that he is now know around the world for his mustache.

In addition to a great mustache, Danny is an awesome mayor who puts his heart and soul into his work. Murray City is lucky to have him.

Thanks Kirsten for the picture.

Celebrating!!!

2008-05-13T18:05:00.003-06:00

I’m celebrating. Tonight for dinner I made myself a large bowl of cake and ice cream. If you’re like me, you're wondering what I’m celebrating. I couldn’t come up with a good reason so I decided to celebrating making it through the day.

The older I get the more I appreciate just how great of a thing it is to make it through a day. It’s only 6:00 pm but it looks as if I will make it all the way through another day.

Life is Good!

PS: Emily had peanut butter & jelly for dinner and Sarah had a bowl of cereal. Perhaps you have figured out by now that Sue was not home tonight.

Utah State Republican Convention

2008-05-12T05:55:00.001-06:00

Saturday Sue and I attended the Utah State Republican Convention. Sue attended as a delegate and I attended as a very interested participant.

One of the things we have learned over the last few years is just how much one person can impact our political system. I know from personal experience how often it seems that one person can’t make any difference but I’m here to tell you it’s not so.

At the convention Chris Cannon was trying to retain his seat as a congressman from Utah. In order to stay in the race he had to have at least 40% of the delegate votes. On the final vote he had 40.01% of the vote. With over 1000 people voting he stayed in the race with less than one percent of the vote. Yes one person can make a big difference.

Unfortunately for Chris Cannon, after serving for a number of terms he was only able to stay in the race by a thin margin. I like Chris and support him. It has been my opportunity to get to know him on somewhat of a personal level and I find him to be a very good man. I hope he continues to squeak out victories.

Mother's Day

2008-05-10T13:45:00.007-06:00

Happy Mother's Day mom! Thanks for many many years of taking care of us.

Flashback Friday

2008-05-09T17:44:00.003-06:00

48 Years of going to Disney Land/World. Some things never change!!!!!!!

Picture Of Health

2008-05-08T07:38:00.003-06:00

I'm sorry to disappoint anyone who may have their eye on my inheritance but today I had a physical and I’m a picture of health. Blood pressure was 98 over 68 and my pulse was an amazing 48.

The good news is if you are one of my heirs you may have inherited a low pulse like mine. Also, good news, as I’m sure you have read, I love riding my motorbike and healthy body does very little good when run over by a semi truck.

Vulcan 1600 Classic

2008-05-04T16:15:00.003-06:00

Right now our garage has 6 motorbikes, two scooters and a gator four wheeler. The Vulcan is my favorite. Anyone for a ride?

My Blessings

2008-05-03T21:57:00.004-06:00

Sue
My children
Our good health
Good in-laws
Great parents
My brother & sisters
Cousins, nephews & nieces
Fun trips
My jobs
Awesome friends
Bandit & Romie

Larry Seamons

2008-05-02T20:28:00.001-06:00

This week Larry Seamons retired from Action Target. I met Larry almost 20 years ago when he was my boss at the O. C. Tanner Company. Larry was one of the best managers I have had. He expected the best from me and let me know if I didn’t give it to him. He was a great strategist and helped me win many deals.

Three years ago when Larry retired from the O. C. Tanner Company I talked him into joining us at Action Target. Larry was a great support to me and helped me build an awesome sales organization first as a consultant and then as the leader of sales.

Among many things I appreciate about Larry the greatest is that he is a true friend. I will miss seeing Larry on a frequent basis and hope our paths continue to cross.

Prom Queen

2008-05-01T18:28:00.001-06:00

Last weekend Sarah attended the Jr. Prom. We don’t have an official vote but we are declaring her the winner of the most attractive, smartest, best dressed, best soccer player, best sister, best daughter and best all around person at the dance.

Jacob & Zane Update

2008-04-29T19:18:00.004-06:00

Zane and Jacob both spent the last few days getting ready for their summer jobs. Zane is moving to Salt Lake where he will be running an office for a company that scans documents for businesses and photos for families. He has been very busy recruiting salesman.

Jacob is carrying on with his cousin’s tradition of selling pest control. He left this morning to travel to Kansas where he will see if he can keep up with his record setting cousins.

Watching Zane and Jacob get ready to leave was interesting. I have not spent a lot of time in Zane’s room but while helping move some furniture I discovered that his bath tub had not been draining. It didn’t seem to bother him but I’m not sure the health department would agree.

Jacob decided to use the kitchen for the place to set all his things from his BYU apartment while he repacked for Kansas. For two days we eat on top of everything he owned. While he was cleaning up the kitchen he wanted to be helpful so he started a load of dishes in the dishwasher. He hadn’t yet learned that dish soap is very different than dishwasher soap.. I discovered it when the bubbles poured out all over the kitchen. The last time that happened at our home was when Denton Romans was baby sitting our kids.

We will miss them and the two years of food supplies they managed to steal away from the Pantry.

Singing

2008-04-27T13:19:00.003-06:00

For some singing seems to be a way to reach out beyond the veil and communicate with an unseen world. I feel this way sometimes when I listen to the very gifted sing. For me, however, when I sing bad things happen.

I’m pretty sure that when I was born something was left out between my lungs and my lips. I don’t mind hearing myself speak; in fact, I once aspired to be a radio announcer because I thought I had a good voice. The minute I change from speaking to singing, something happens and it gets ugly. Not only does it not sound good it is actually physically painful to try and sing a verse.

When I was in sixth grade my teacher decided to have a choir. He announced that all interested in being in the choir should come early the next morning to practice. Only girls showed up for his choir practice. Not to be deterred, he toured the class room and gave every boy a personal invitation to attend. The next morning I showed up ready to belt out anything he threw at me. Imagine my honor when after the choir sang the first song; he paused and selected half of the choir to sing without the other half. I was in the half that got to sing. After hearing the half sing he once again cut out half and asked the other half to sing. I was also in this half. This repeated itself until there was just a small handful of us lucky ones who got to keep singing. Finally when he had found what he wanted he asked me to come down by the piano. He found me a chair and put it right next to the piano. He told me to listen to the piano and see if I could catch the tune. He suggested that if I did this long enough he would try letting me sign again in the future. For the rest of the year I went early to school and sat by the piano. The only time the teacher ever spoke to me again was to tell me that we would be visiting the malls to sing at Christmas and my job was to watch the coats while the other children performed. I am proud to say that during the entire year not one coat was lost or stolen.

The next year I moved on to junior high. One of the required classes was called “General Music.” All 7^th graders were required to take the class. After several months the teacher approached me and told me he had made arrangements for me to transfer out of the class. I asked what I was to do about the class being required and he informed me that I was excused from the requirement.

Two years later in my first year of seminary I was selected to be the class president. Each day we began our class with a hymn. Because I was the president I felt it my responsibility to sing loudly. I was never asked to sit by the piano but at the end of the year at a school wide seminary program awards were given out for various achievements. I was awarded the “Off tune goon award.”

Despite my total inability to make a pleasant sound come out of my mouth, I very much enjoy the singing of others. It inspires me, it motivates me and it can make me very happy. I am grateful for those of you who have the gift of singing who share your gift. I believe that in the next life when I am resurrected to a perfect state that whatever is missing between lungs and lips will be restored.

Politics

2008-04-26T06:23:00.001-06:00

A number of my friends pay very little attention to politics. I’m not sure exactly why but it has always been difficult for me to ignore politics. This applies not only to me but Sue and it seems that Kirsten is also smitten with the politics bug.

Utah is in the midst of an election season. In our area we are electing a new state house representative, state senator and US congressmen. This last week invited some of the candidates to our home along with the delegates who will vote on them this week. We had over 100 delegates show up. Sue and I moderated the debate and I must we did a pretty good job. I had a number of delegates as me why I wasn’t running. The ironic thing is I have run for both of the offices that were debating.

Today is the county convention where the delegates will select the candidates that will represent the Republican Party. Sue and I are delegates which means we will be able to casts votes today as well.

Flashback Friday - TR6 Classic

2008-04-25T11:07:00.004-06:00

One of my favorite cars was made by Triumph. It was made in the 70s by the British. In my opinion, the British have made some of the coolest sports cars in the world. Even though they break down all the time, people have purchased them because they are so good looking.

When I was in high school dad owned several of them. The white one pictured is one of dad’s he owned in 1978. My first date with Sue was in a blue TR6.

Several years ago, I bought the red TR6 pictured. Money was tight and it was always breaking down so I sold it. I miss it but my motor bike has been a good replacement.

Johnny The Bagger

2008-04-21T08:13:00.003-06:00

The simple truths of service inspired by Johnny the bagger
Written by Ken Blanchard & Barbara Glance
A true story as told by Barbara Glance

A few years ago I was hired by a large Supermarket chain to lead a customer service program – to build customer loyalty. During my speech I said, “Every one of you can make a difference and create memories for your customers that will motivate them to come back.” How?

Put your personal signature on the job. Think about something you can do for your customer to make them feel special – a memory that will make them come back.

About a month after I had spoken I received a phone call from a 19 year old bagger names Johnny. He proudly informed me he was a down syndrome individual and told me his story.

“I liked what you talked about,” he said, “but at first I didn’t think I could do anything special for our customers.”

“After all I’m just a bagger. Then I had an Idea,” Johnny said.

“Every night after work, I’d come home and find a thought for the day.”

“If I can’t find a saying I like,” he added, “I’d just think one up.”

When Johnny had a good thought for the day, his dad helped him set it up on the computer and print multiple copies. Johnny cut out each quote and signed the back. Then he’d bring them to work the next day.

“When I finish bagging someone’s grociers, I put my thought for the day in their bag and say, thanks for shopping with us.”

It touched me to think that this young man – with a job most people would say is not important – had made it important by creating precious memories for all of his customers. A month later the store manager called me….

“You won’t believe what happened. When I was making my rounds today, I found Johnny’s checkout line was three times longer than anyone else’s.”

“It went all the way down the frozen food aisle. So I quickly announced, ‘we need more cashiers; get more lanes open.’ As I tried to get people to change lanes. But no one would move.

They said, “No that’s OK – we want to be in Johnny’s lane. We want his thought for the day.”

The store manager continued, “It was a joy to watch Johnny delight the customers.”

“I got a lump in my throat when one woman said, ‘I used to shop at your store once a week, but now I come by every time I go by, because I want to get Johnny’s thought for the day.’”

A few months later the manager called me again.

“Johnny has transformed our store. Now when the floral department has a broken flower or unused corsage, they find and elderly women or a little girl and pin it on them. Everyone has had a lot of fun creating memories. Our customers are talking about us… they’re coming back and bringing their friends.”

A wonderful spirit of service spread throughout the entire store…all because Johnny’s chose to make a difference.

Johnny’s idea wasn’t nearly as innovative as it was loving. It came from his heart – it was real. That’s what touched the customers, his peers…and those who read this story.

Back in Mexico City

2008-04-20T21:32:00.003-06:00

I'm back in Mexico City. Only about 6 weeks ago I was here with Zane working on a shooting range for the Mexican Federal Police. Usually a project like this would take years but this one looks like it will only take weeks.

Flashback Friday

2008-04-18T06:00:00.002-06:00

This week we will be enjoying spring break at Bear Lake. It would be hard to count all of the good memories and vacations we have enjoyed at bear Lake

Utah Jazz

2008-04-16T20:49:00.007-06:00

I live in a house where several of its occupants LOVE the Utah Jazz. I enjoy the Jazz but I’m pretty sure I don’t LOVE them the way some of our family members do. The funny thing is they think I’m crazy for not LOVING them and I think they’re crazy because they do LOVE them. Who is right? I’ll suppose we both are. However to prove my point I sat in my office tonight and wrote down what one of them was saying as she watched the last 60 seconds of the first half. Below is a word for word quote.

“I’m going to cry. Oh my heck. They are playing so bad. Oooohhh. That’s just one more thing wrong with America. Ugggh. Oh my gosh. They are playing sooooo bad. Oh my gosh they are so bad. Oh my gosh they are playing so bad. Bandit what are we going to do. It’s not going to change this year. Oh my heck we are playing so bad. What is our problem? We are down by 26 points. They look like they are caught in the head lights or something”

On nights like tonight I’d prefer it was the Oklahoma Jazz and not the Utah Jazz.

Overwhelmed

2008-04-15T21:43:00.003-06:00

I can relate to this donkey. I think he feels the same way about his day as I felt about mine today.

The Best Buy I Ever Made

2008-04-13T18:38:00.004-06:00

Almost 20 years ago I attended an auto auction. I went looking for a car for myself but as I arrived they had a boat on the auction block. I had no time to evaluate the boat but it looked like something we might enjoy. I offered a very low number and won the boat at about 1/3 it’s value. It was the middle of winter and we had no way to test the boat and know if it even worked. I had to borrow a truck to pull it home from the auction because we didn’t even have a car that would pull it.

The boat ended up needing only one repair in the 12 years we had it. Some years we used it as many as 40 times a summer. It ran and ran and provided tons of fun for us. Some days it was only Sue and I on a romantic date sometimes it was the entire ward and very often it was family and lots of extra friends.

As it started to wear out we found a new boat and because it was such a good family friend we couldn’t sell it. We passed it a long to my sister and her family who had lots of fun as well but the boat was no longer very reliable. After spending the last few summers taking up space in their garage they too have decided it’s time for something else.

Here’s the problem. What to do with a very good family friend? The estimate to get it running is more than the boat is worth. It seems we should have a proper funeral but I’m not sure where we could bury a 20 foot boat.

The Blog is Back with Flashback Saturday

2008-04-12T18:12:00.010-06:00

I give up. Sue was on pace to find the blog I wrote about her around the year 2025. I had the choice of either giving in or giving up my blog.

I’ve enjoyed Kirsten’s Flashback Friday entries so much that I have decided to restart my blog with a Flashback Saturday. Yes I know Flashback Friday sounds and works a lot better than Flashback Saturday but it's my blog and today I like Flashback Saturday.

This flashback is dedicated to my faithful blog readers from Richmond. Here is a blast from the past loaded with very very good memories. I hope you enjoy a look at some of the happiest days of my life.PS I need a picture of the Whyte Bed & Breakfast

Sue

2008-04-08T18:25:00.006-06:00

I’ve known for some time that I have the best wife in the world. Not only is she a very good person, she somehow seems to love me with all my faults. This will seem strange but one time she told me my only fault was that I was perfect. Imagine how it is to have a spouse that thinks you’re perfect?

As you might well know, I’m not perfect and her seeing the perfection in me is only an indication of her greatness.

Now as awesome as Sue is, there is one thing I would change about her. I can’t seem to get her to read my blog. So here is what I’m going to do about it. I’m going to post this blog about her and leave it here until she leaves a comment so we all know she has read it. With luck it could take her several hours to discover it or more likely it may take several weeks. Either way I’m committed to leave this blog up until she stumbles across it.

As a general rule she doesn’t like to see pictures of her. So I’ll add a bunch of pictures to help her have a little regret if it takes her too long to find. Make a guess at how long it takes her to find this and leave me a comment. I'll have a prize for the person who is the closest.

Spring Soccer

2008-04-07T19:09:00.004-06:00

Sue and I left our home to travel the 15 minutes to Sarah’s soccer game tonight. When we left the house it was 44 degrees. By the time we arrived at the game it was 34 degrees and snowing. Somehow they played the first half of the game but by the time half time came they decided everyone had enjoyed enough fun. It may have had to do with the fact that Sarah’s team was ahead 6 to 0.

Blame America First

2008-04-06T16:52:00.005-06:00

The following is a small portion of Jeane J. Kirkpatrick's speech as delivered Aug. 20 to the Republican National Convention, in Dallas. Her speech is titled "Blame America First." I wonder what she would say about our current problems In the Middle East? The speech was sent to me by a friend who suggested I should run for public office. He must not be a good friend.

"They said that saving Grenada from terror and totalitarianism was the wrong thing to do - they didn't blame Cuba or the communists for threatening American students and murdering Grenadians - they blamed the United States instead.

But then, somehow, they always blame America first.

When our Marines, sent to Lebanon on a multinational peacekeeping mission with the consent of the United States Congress, were murdered in their sleep, the "blame America first crowd" didn't blame the terrorists who murdered the Marines, they blamed the United States.

But then, they always blame America first.

When the Soviet Union walked out of arms control negotiations, and refused even to discuss the issues, the San Francisco Democrats didn't blame Soviet intransigence. They blamed the United States.

But then, they always blame America first.

When Marxist dictators shoot their way to power in Central America, the San Francisco Democrats don't blame the guerrillas and their Soviet allies, they blame United States policies of 100 years ago.

But then, they always blame America first.

The American people know better.

They know that Ronald Reagan and the United States didn't cause Marxist dictatorship in Nicaragua, or the repression in Poland, or the brutal new offensives in Afghanistan, or the destruction of the Korean airliner, or the new attacks on religious and ethnic groups in the Soviet Union, or the jamming of western broadcasts, or the denial of Jewish emigration, or the brutal imprisonment of Anatoly Shcharansky and Ida Nudel, or the obscene treatment of Andrei Sakharov and Yelena Bonner, or the re-Stalinization of the Soviet Union.

The American people know that it's dangerous to blame ourselves for terrible problems that we did not cause. They understand just as the distinguished French writer, Jean Francois Revel, understands the dangers of endless self- criticism and self-denigration. He wrote: "Clearly, a civilization that feels guilty for everything it is and does will lack the energy and conviction to defend itself."

A Picture Speaks a Thousand Words

2008-04-06T16:19:00.003-06:00

John Goes Green?

2008-04-03T23:28:00.008-06:00

I may drive a truck and violate dozens of other green concepts but today at least for a second I went green. It was a very small gesture but I kind of liked doing it. I felt like I had turned a corner and was for the first time in my life protecting our environment.

You are likely guessing in your mind right now that I saved a whale, or a tree or an endangered species. Sorry to disappoint you. All I did was tell the Wal-Mart cashier not to give me a plastic bag with my purchase.

I learned the other day that between 500 billion and a trillion plastic bags are used worldwide each year. I’ve started to see these bags, along freeways, in rivers and streams in the mountains and all my favorite lakes. It must be a fact that the prevailing winds blow all these bags towards Las Vegas. Every time I drive to Vegas I start to see 100s of plastic bags along the freeway about 10 miles out from Vegas.

I served my mission in Taiwan and at the time I was sure Taiwan was one of the most littered places on the planet. However, on my return visit two years ago I found a clean-garbage-free Taiwan. I’m told Taiwan has banned plastic grocery bags. I find it ironic that they are a head of us in this area.

The older I get the more in tune I am with protecting our earth. I have never fully bought into global warming (I kept looking for some global warming this year) but I do believe we are a responsibility to be good stewards over the earth.

Next time I'm driving my gas guzzling truck, I’m going to feel pretty good knowing that this year there will one less plastic bag in the landfills.

The Origin of the Curtis Name

2008-04-02T22:12:00.002-06:00

In many ways I am a product of my ancestry. My great grandfather on my father’s side came across the ocean from England in a dramatic fashion. His mother boarded the ship with him and his brother intent on joining the Latter Day Saints. His drunken father chased after them and ripped his brother from his mother’s arms. The father told her that if she continued with her journey she would never see her son again. My great great grandmother was faced with the choice of bringing one of her sons to America and leaving one or staying with both in England in what had proved to be an unacceptable life.

She chose to leave with my great grandfather. My great grandfather later changed his name from Robertson to Curtis in gratitude to the family that had taken them in. He and his wife had 10 children in the Salt Lake Valley. Seven of those eight children served as mission presidents, one served as the Salt Lake temple president and one served as a general authority. I heard many times growing up how fortunate I was to be part of the Curtis heritage.

My Blog

2008-03-31T19:09:00.002-06:00

I’ve had a blog for just about a month. I was inspired to start blogging because of my daughter Kirsten. Now that I own a blog of my own I can better understand her feelings when she blogged for so long and none of us paid attention to it. I’ve since learned that by reading her blog I can learn about her day, her feelings, and among many other things what makes her happy. Although she lives a thousand miles away I can stay closer to her than if she lived down the block.

I like blogging but I feel a little bit like when I learned to snow board. I looked around one day when I was snow boarding and found I was the only one over 45 on a snow board. I felt a little out of place.

From time to time when I blog I get the feeling that there are not a lot of 47 year old men with a blog. At least not a blog that tries to mirror a 22 year old daughter. I’m comfortable with this because for the most part she is the only one that reads it. Kind of like a secret part of my life that if others knew about I might have to make up a story.

A month ago I didn’t know what it meant to be tagged. I had to have my kids explain it to me. Now I have been tagged (again) by Kirsten. Because I love her and wouldn’t want to disappoint her and because she is my number one blog fan. Here I go.

Ten things most don’t know about me

1) I enjoy blogging

2) I can’t write a paragraph without at least one fragment sentence

3) I’m really bad at details

4) I would rather sleep in a tent under the stars in a forest than in a 5 star hotel

5) I love my motor bike too much

6) I can bench press 225 pounds

7) I don’t really sing in church. I sound so bad I just mouth the words

8) I’m the best salesman I’ve ever known

9) I’ve already prepared my funeral program and written my talk for it

10) In my heart I’m a very shy person

Dad’s Birthday

2008-03-30T14:18:00.008-06:00

We celebrated my dad’s birthday last week. He turned 81 this year. That means he was born in 1927. Think about it. That’s like forever ago.

My father is about 5 feet 4 inches tall. I was the tallest one if my family when I was 12. From this small frame comes a very large man. He is a giant because there is not an ounce of guile in him. During his birthday dinner his kids took turns sharing what we remembered or appreciated about him. The general theme was that he made everyone he came in contact feel better about them. He does this in many ways but I’ve tried to list just a few.

He has an unending string of compliments for everyone
He defends those who are being criticized by others
He finds time for every one and talks to them like they are the only person in the world
He thinks of fun small acts of kindness and then delights in doing them
He trust everyone even after that trust is abused
His smile is quick to is face and is always shared
He enjoys the simple things in life

You’re the best dad!

eBay

2008-03-28T16:29:00.004-06:00

Today I was invited to a lunch for the Utah Technology Council. The speaker at lunch was Meg Whitman. Meg was the president and CEO of eBay for the last ten years. She took the company from 4 million in revenue to 8 billion. I have heard a lot of speakers like this and most often I am left wanting. Many of them only want to boost their ego and tell us how good they are. Meg was different. I found myself captured by her remarks. She is, in my opinion, the real deal.

I took some notes on what she called her lessons learned. I’ve listed them below as bullet points. I hope my vast readership of 2 or maybe 3 find them of interest.

Lessons Learned

Enable don’t direct
It’s all about the customer experience
Level the playing field as often as you can
Make size an advantage
Disruptive ideas are vital
Constant innovation is key and most come within

Leadership Lessons Learned

Have the right people in the right job at the right time…. With the right values
Reorganize early and often
Hire a head of the curve
Focus focus focus
Mission motivates
Get out and about enough
Internal and external communications becomes increasingly important as you grow
Never ever compromise your integrity

And her final most important point was, “The price of inaction is far greater than the cost of a mistake.” To this point she told the story of how eBay bought PayPal. The first time she tried to buy it the price was $500,000,000 and she offered $300,000,000. She ended up buying it later for 1.5 billion dollars.

Caucus Meetings

2008-03-26T01:51:00.004-06:00

Tonight Sue and I attended our local caucus meeting. In short, a caucus meeting is where we decide who gets to decide who will run for office.

Normally these meetings are attended by a very few. This means a fraction of our population control who runs and wins political office. Tonight we actually had a pretty good turn out with approximately 30 people.

I was nominated to be elected as Chair by my very good friend Lou Brackett. Lou was the previous chair and due to a move was not interested in returning as Chair. As luck would have it our district was combined with another district and they also had their previous chair that they wanted to reelect. I happen to know him and he is as good a guy as could be found in Provo. To make a long story short I had to sit with my neighbors as a vote was taken and marked on the chalk board. I lost by a large margin and then watched the process repeat as I was nominated for vice chair. The only thing that made it better was that I only lost the vice chair by two votes.

My dignity was somewhat saved when I was elected as a county delegate and Sue was elected a state and county delegate.

Bottom line – We should have a lot of respect for candidates who are willing to step up and run for office. It's not an easy thing and often cost them a good deal of pride, time, money and effort.

I guess I should feel lucky, tonight only cost me my pride.

Another Great Easter

2008-03-24T18:12:00.004-06:00

10 Things that made this Easter great:

Meaningful church meetings

All 6 of our children home

Our favorite son-in-law and his mom and grandma

A visit from the Beck family and their two zillion friends

Spring weather

An awesome ham, turkey dinner

An Easter basket

No one died riding our scooters around the neighborhood

Bandit showed up wearing his new hair cut

A beautiful-awesome-good cooking-talented wife

Return To Jackson

2008-03-22T17:36:00.007-06:00

Over a decade ago the extended Curtis family went to Jackson and Yellowstone for a family trip. We stayed in fun cabins and played a memorable game of steal the flag in the common area. John and Kristie’s families came from the East coast and rented cars. Does anyone remember Katelyn getting locked in the McLeod rental car?

Papa and Grandma Curtis have invited us to return to Jackson this year. Mark your calendars for July 9^th – 12^th.

BTW, John & Sue spent their honeymoon in Jackson. Can you tell which pictures are from the honeymoon?

When I was in high school I went to Jackson with my buddies twice. The first time we took a bus because none of us could drive. The second time we took my friend's (Brad Fogg) family Suburban. Sorry no pictures from that trip. The highlight of the trip was when Brad decided he was going to get back to the hotel without using the brakes on the Suburban. He made it all the way but when we pulled into the parking lot he was going to fast and rolled up a hill at the end of the parking stall. He quickly shifted into park but the car was still rolling and it striped all the gears causing a considerable amount of damage to the transmission.

Ghosts Among US

2008-03-21T07:16:00.004-06:00

After many years of pondering, I have determined that there are very active ghosts among us. I don’t make this claim lightly because I have proof. The night before last I came home after midnight and found the garage door open. I closed it but found it open again the next morning when I went running at 5:30 am. Yes it is true that Zane came just before I found the garage door open at night and Sarah left for school just before I found it open in the morning but I consider that to only be a coincidence.

For almost two decades I have been finding things around the house that have no explanation. The other day I took pictures of just a few of these crazy events.

Dishes left out that everyone tells me are not theirs, lights left on that no one turned on and the very strange occurrence of the empty ice cream tub with a spoon in it left around the house are all examples of what I’m talking about. The strangest one of all however is the empty wrappers left in the pantry. The ghosts have the nerve to eat candy and granola bars in the pantry and leave the wrapper where the food once was.

For years I have tried to catch the ghosts but now I’ve determined it is better to just let them have there way.

Indian Wells Tennis

2008-03-19T06:55:00.013-06:00

Last week Sue and I traveled to the Indian Wells tennis tournament. We knew before hand that there were no hotel rooms available so we packed the tent and found a delightful camp spot next to a lake.

I learned that if you were American and had a last name like Smith you were likely to lose very early. If on the other hand, you had a name with a jerk, vich, tzee, ski,ko or sovo in it you were likely to win a lot.

It was a fun trip. Even the camping went well. We did have one little wind problem that filled the tent with sand and broke a tent pole. Other than that it was an awesome trip.

My kindergarten Report Card

2008-03-17T17:54:00.009-06:00

Have you ever wanted to know what someone was like as a young child? Thanks to my kindergarten teacher by the name of Miss Clyde you can all take a good look into the 5 year old John Curtis. One day I came across the report card she gave me. If you want a good laugh read below. Just in case you can’t read the actual report card, I retyped it. If I ever get to be king for a day, I think I’ll ban all teachers who feel this way about their students. On second thought, maybe she should have banned me. One of us was crazy! Read and enjoy a good laugh at my expense.

Reading: Reads well orally but workbook work skills aren't being learned. He should try harder.

English: Would do much better if he listened to directions

Spelling: He doesn’t practice words. Could get 100 every time.

Handwriting: Very sloppy – doesn’t seem to have a good attitude.

Math: Understands fundamentals very well. Likes Math.

Social Studies: Understands well – gives oral information well.

Science-Health and Safety: Is very interested but assignments very sloppy.

Music, Art, Physical Education: Work’s fine – he isn’t often a good sport.

Work Habits: Doesn’t work independently. Often work isn’t completed and directions aren’t followed – sloppy.

Social Behavior: Can’t play well or work well around others. Socks, hits, says bad words often.

Other: He is too often a discipline problem. His attitude must be improved.

Chief Strengths: Seems to understand math very well. He has a good mind but he doesn’t always use it.

Chief Weakness: Doesn’t respect authority or property of others. Respect of materials is poor. Doesn’t listen to directions.

Happy Birthday Sarah

2008-03-16T19:44:00.008-06:00

March 17th has always been a day to celebrate for Sue and me. Back in 1977 on March 17^th we had our first date and four years later on March 17^th I proposed to Sue (and she accepted). The best of all however, was March 17^th 1992.

On March 17^thsixteen years ago one of the world’s prettiest, smartest most dependable girls was born. She was born on St Patrick’s Day which is appropriate because the Irish bring luck and I feel we are so lucky to have Sarah in our family.

What makes Sarah so great? Here are just a few things

She is very very smart
She is an awesome soccer player and basketball and about anything she tries
She is tall dark and pretty
She knows how to fix things
She keeps (and always has) a clean room
She has a million friends
She is very generous and kind to everyone she knows
She helps her dad

We love you Sarah! Have a great birthday

Marathon Man

2008-03-09T08:40:00.007-06:00

I’ve recently agreed to serve as a director on the Red Cross board. On Saturday we sponsored a 5K race and although I haven’t competed in a race for decades I decided as a board member I should support them and give it a try.

I love jogging and being outdoors, however the problem with running in a race is that it is really not jogging its racing. I actually did pretty well but I got frustrated when I couldn’t shake a girl that was keeping up with me. As it turns out she actually beat me by about 10 seconds and after the race came up and started talking to me. She was a BYU student who had never run before. She thanked me for letting her pace herself with me and then made everything OK when she told me I had “nice calves.”

I finished in 23 minutes 8 seconds which averaged 7:26 minutes per mile. The way I look at it that’s not too bad for an old man.

Basketball Stars

2008-03-08T14:27:00.015-07:00

Today Sarah and Emily's basket ball teams both took fist place in the league tournament.

Webster defines stealing as the following:
intransitive verb1: to take the property of another wrongfully and especially as a habitual or regular practice2: to come or go secretly, unobtrusively, gradually, or unexpectedly

Emily and Sarah were both habitually and unexpectedly stealing the ball from everyone that came close to them. Not only that but they both rocked and poured in the points and rebounds all year.

Some of the games were close but most of the time each team dominated everyone else.

Kirsten in New York

2008-03-08T05:47:00.008-07:00

tagged

2008-03-06T20:40:00.006-07:00

I'm probable the only person on earth that doesn't know what it means to be tagged. Thanks to Sarah I now kind of get it.

5 years ago I was... a father with all my kids at home. Now one is married, one has left and returned from a mission and three are in college. We have lived in four homes in the last five years and moved three times.

5 months ago I was.. going to retire and have no jobs. Now I have two.

5 things that worry me...Getting old, my kids, too much debt, dirty cars and retirement.

5 things in the world I would like to change...More tolerance for people who are different from us, a president who is elected for his/her ability to run the country not his/her race, gender or religion, snow in the winter and old age.

5 of my favorite places I've lived...So California, Richmond, Salt Lake, Provo and Jerusalem.

5 of my greatest blessings...Kirsten, Josh, Zane, Jacob, Sarah, Emily, Nicole my brother and sisters, my parents and my awesome wife (I Know that is more than five but do you suppose I could leave someone out?)

5 things in my virtual shopping bag...An ultra light, four wheeler, sports car, a cruise around the world and a detached garage to fit all my toys.

5 of my favorite things to blog about..Kirsten, Josh, Zane, Jacob, Sarah, Emily, Nicole my brother and sisters, my parents and my awesome wife (I Know that is more than five but do you suppose I could leave someone out?)

5 people I tag...Josh, Sue, Sarah, Zane, Jacob and Emily (Don't have a blog? No problem just send us all an email).

Dogs

2008-03-02T13:29:00.009-07:00

My family thinks I don't like dogs because I don't say lots of nice things about the dogs we have had. There are several problems that add to this confusion. First, I believe the reason people say "it's a dog's life" is that dogs were not meant to have human like lives. They sleep on the floor, they eat the same thing out of a bowl every day and they often are stuck drinking out of toilets. None of which they care about unless they are trained otherwise. The problem for me comes when they are treated like humans and then are no longer happy with a dog's life.

For a number of years our dog, Bandit, was happy eating his dry dog food out of a bowl on the floor. One day I started to notice that when I got a can of tuna fish out to open it, Bandit got all excited. I watched this for several months wondering how it was that Bandit was that happy for me to have a can of tuna fish. One day I discovered that on of my children had been opening up can's of tuna fish and feeding Bandit. I'm not aware that in the history of our family that any of our kids have ever purchased tuna fish for our family and thus it is safe to assume that feeding the dog tuna fish was not an economic decision but rather an attempt to make the dog into a human. In addition we have learned that Bandit has a dog like bowel system. When he eats human food he barfs and discharges the human food in less than a pleasant way and in very inconvenient places. Like the place where my kids put their head on the carpet when they watch TV. Our dog has somehow acquired a love of white bread and pizza. I can always tell when he has been eating the bread (he never toasts it) because he leaves the bread bag on the basement floor in the same place each time. He has been known to remove an entire pizza from the kitchen table and either eat or hide it.

It also seems (Sue sometimes excluded) like I'm the only one that cares about things the dog chews up, the hair he leaves all over the house, the piles of dog mess in the back yard, the yellow lawn spots he creates, the need to open the bedroom door for him in the middle of the night and the scratches on our very expensive wood floor.

Here is the real truth. I love dogs and I really love Bandit. Why do I love Bandit? I love him because he and his kind love back without conditions. No matter how much like a dog I treat him, he still greats me with a smile. Yes our dog can smile. He can not only smile but when you are away for more than a day, he cries when you return. Sometimes my own family doesn't acknowledge that I'm home but I can always count on Bandit crying when he sees me. I'm pretty sure that if he could talk he would tell you that I was his favorite human. Here is the cool thing. We all think we are his favorite human.

Bandit is a no discriminator of persons. The kid in the park, the repair man, the guys working in the yard all get his full love. Anyone willing to throw a ball for him will get a smile and if you are around him a little he will cry when he next sees you. How do you not love that?

My Testimony

2008-03-02T12:51:00.009-07:00

The testimony I have now is not the testimony I had when I left to serve my mission. My 18 year old testimony disappeared bit by bit over decades. It was replaced by a testimony that is broader and deeper. One that could have only come to me by years of faith promoting experiences as well as tests of my faith.

My testimony is much like a diamond for many reasons. There is the obvious such as the value of a diamond but also because of three things. First a diamond has 58 facets or cuts. Each facet impacts the way light travels through the diamond. The more facets, the more the light is enhanced and the more the diamond shines. A diamond shines because light enters through the top and is reflected back out the top as it reflects off the many facets. The Gospel principles found in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints each form a facet of my testimony. Some of those facets are so well cut and understood that they send the light in great volumes back in such a way that I know they are true when I see the light they produce. Some of the facets are not yet totally understood by me and thus don't reflect much or any light. However, I can see enough light reflected from facets that I can conclude that the gospel is true. The second reason my testimony is like a diamond is that diamonds are hard. Testimonies don’t come easy, that’s part of God’s plan. A man by the name of Thomas Payne said “What we obtain too cheaply, we esteem too lightly. It is dearness only that gives everything its value. Heaven knows how to put a price upon its goods….” Third, all diamonds have flaws. They are not perfect. None of us have a perfect knowledge of God. We lean on the understanding of men inspired by God but because of this our testimonies are not perfect. My testimony as a 19 year old had only a few sides to it but it was a good diamond and of enough value to keep me pursuing that which I felt God wanted. My testimony today has hundreds of sides and the light is enhanced which in turns build my testimony even stronger.

I’ve tried to list some of the facets of my testimony and give a brief explanation. It is only a partial explanation and each side needs lots of explanation to fully understand.

Inspiration:

I know that God lives and this is his Church because he has spoken to me many times. If it were just a few times, I could dismiss it as something else but the number of times combined with what he has told me when he speaks to me tells me he is real. It took me many years to learn his voice and still sometimes I don’t recognize it however I leaned over the years to know when it was him. When my children were growing up I used to joke that I new everything. The kids knew that was not right but there were times when I knew things that surprised them. Often I was asked how I knew something. The fact is many times I was told by God. The closer I have been to him in my life the more he has told me.

Feelings:

I trust in God because I have felt the burring of the bosom described in the Doctrine of Covenants. When I was young those feelings were so small that I couldn’t tell for sure how to interpret them. As I write this however I can tell you those feelings have been so strong that they leave no doubt in my mind that they are real and not conjured up in my mind. I have read the Book of Mormon many times. Each time I read it is a different experience. I must admit that more times than I would like, I have not paid close enough attention to be worthy of any great manifestation of the spirit. However there was a time in my life of great personal challenge. I was despondent about something that was happening in my life. I picked up the Book of Mormon and starting reading it with great intensity. I pondered every word, I read and reread until I fully absorb a verse. When I came to the chapters quoting Isaiah I would sometimes take an hour to read a page. I had reference books all over my desk and I would read, pray study and reread until I totally understood Isaiah. I did this each morning and after a few weeks, every morning as I would begin my study I slowing felt the spirit creep into my body and do two things. First it taught me and helped me understand what I was reading and second it flooded my body with the burning feeling. This feeling was stronger than I had every experienced it my life. Because of the way it came and left and because it was for a sustained period of time, it left me no doubt of its origin and purpose. Some months later when I finished the book I was on a business trip. I finished the last few chapters in a hotel and knelt down and prayed. Not immediately but after I had finished my prayers by body was inflamed by the spirit. The experience could not have more real if I had physically been on fire. Rather than the pains of a real fire I was overcome with an incredible joyous, peaceful feeling that was a strong as if it had been the pain from a fire. The feeling lasted thought-out the night and returned for hours at a time for days. Compared to the feelings I had in answer to my prayers as a young man, this experience left me with no ability to question what I had felt and what it meant.

Influence:

I know God exist because I have seen his influence in my life and the life of so many. When you see God’s in influence it is fair to question is it really God or did that just happen out of luck? I can’t always tell the difference myself but because of the hundreds of times I have seen it and because of the results of the manifestation, I know that many if not most of these experiences are the hand of God.

Fruits:

Everywhere I look I see the fruits of God. This is one of the reasons I know that he is real. Temples, scriptures, Apostles are all physical evidences of God. Where did the scriptures come from? Why do I feel the fruits of the atonement in my life and others? How are peopled healed with the priesthood? How are my prayers answered so many times? Man could create some of them but not all of them and not with the brilliance that they are.

Others:

I know the Church is true and that God lives because of the testimonies of others. When I hear Gordon B Hinckley testify of God, I know he knows. When I hear other good people that I love and trust I know they know and it strengthens my testimony.

Prayer:

I have prayed for many things in my life. Sometimes I have been amazed at how quickly my prayers were answered. These answers have come in the form of safety in dangerous situations, finding lost important things, getting inspiration, knowing how to help someone and many more. Like other spiritual events we have not evidence that God answered my prayers but it has happened so much that it goes far beyond good luck or coincidence.

I know God will help you and answer our prayers. I know he wants us to find the truth and what is right.

You inspire me

2008-02-29T07:35:00.013-07:00

One of the best days in a dad's life is when he is inspired by his children. All my children impress me and make me want to be a better person but today I was thinking about my oldest. Kirsten has had the very difficult job of training her parents how to be parents. We made all our mistakes on Kirsten, we learned everything we know about parenting from first being Kirsten's parents. How did she ever turn out to be so good?

As Sue and I watch her and Josh build their foundation of a family we are so impressed. We love Josh and think that we are very fortunate to have him be part of our family. Josh even came with a mom and grandma that we consider part of us as well. A quick read of Kirsten's blog will give you a taste of her depth as a person.

Here is just a small list of some of the things I admire about Kirsten.

She is in tune with spiritual things (she has always understood God and how to follow Him)
She is organized (this is big for me)
She is (despite her genes) very attractive
She is funny
She is a good writer
She has an artistic eye
She watches out for her siblings
She is nice/kind (sorry I had to say it)
She is smart
She knows how to size up a situation and what to do about it
She doesn't give up (like school)
She is a good wife
She is passionate

Kirsten inspires me to be a better person and even inspired me to try a blog. Don't give up on me Kirsten; I hope to be as good as you some day.

What to do with Jacob?

2008-02-28T20:57:00.006-07:00

OK so here is the question that I need help with. During the last big snow storm Jacob hit the curb with the Kia. The right front tire smashed into the concrete curb and did about $600 of damage. As you might imagine my first impression was that Jacob should pay the $600. However, it was no surprise to me that Jacob felt like good ol dad should pay for it.

Today when we picked the car up we agreed a good way to get some resolution to our problem was to post this to my now widely circulated blog. We expect the 3 or 4 raving fans I have of my blog to post their comments and help us settle this.

It might help to know that the car belongs to mom & dad and not Jacob. We purchased it for about $2500 last year when he needed a car to get to work. Since then he has quit work but we have enjoyed him having a car at school because we see him a lot more than if he had no car. We pay the insurance and he pays the gas out of a monthly allowance he has for food and some living expenses. We have agreed to pay our kids tuition and a decreasing amount of rent, books and food for them while they are in school.

Jacob is all a parent could hope for from a 19 year old. He is very good to his siblings, he gets awesome grades at BYU and he is working hard to be ready for a mission. Jacob has been driving three years and never had a ticket or an accident.

Mom

2008-02-24T19:27:00.003-07:00

Last night we learned that mom had tripped while at the Salt Lake temple. She and Dad were attending the first session of a new calling they had received last week. When she fell she broke her hip in two places.

I saw her this morning before surgery and other than having been abused by two rookie nurses who didn't know how to handle a bed pan she was doing very well.

It occurred to me that most of us don't remember her in her younger years so I found some fun photos of her to share with this post.

Mom has taken very good care of her self for many years and her mother lived to be over 90 so we are counting on at least two more decades of enjoying her being around. We love you mom and hope you are soon back to the temple.