Lindsay Christmas Concert Highland HS

Much Improved USU Aggies!

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=5534822

The Utah State Aggies have to come away from last night's game with Oklahoma feeling pretty good about themselves and what they have accomplished in one year. The difference in Utah State's performance over the last time these two teams played is nothing short of amazing. A look at the stats shows that Utah State matched up nicely with Oklahoma on every count.

"As players, we thought we were at the top of the world, ranked seventh, all that," Oklahoma linebacker Travis Lewis said.  "A Utah State team comes in here and they almost beat us. So, it's a great humbling experience as a team, as defense and as players."

I believe the game came down to a critical Oklahoma 4th down conversion and a disappointing Utah State turnover/interception. That was the difference between a potential Utah State upset and the Sooner's squeaking out a victory. Either Oklahoma isn't the 7th ranked team the experts say they are or Utah State is woefully under-recognized. Perhaps its a little of both.

I think we can expect some exciting Aggie football this season!

Morgan Mind Meld

I........AM.........MORGAN. I......AM.......OLDER.

Some Summer Adventures

One small reason that I have not blogged for some time is that I didn't feel like it. Another reason is that I could not come up with a good title. I am more interested today to blog but as you can see, I still did not come up with a good title.

The grand babies have made for some great travel opportunities this year. Went to Echo Lake, Montana in early August to join Jon, Steph, and the Quinton family for Will's blessing at the Quinton family cabin. I enjoyed myself immensely. The country side was beautiful, Echo Lake was warmer than expected, and I enjoyed getting to know the Quinton family a little more. We had fun on the lake too.

A Global Warming Protest?

A friend of mine sent this picture to me some time ago. The picture was entitled, "A Global Warming Protest." At the time, the debate on global warming was at a peak and I thought it was a clever way to take a step back and chuckle at our collective fervor, regardless of what side of the debate one might take.

Determination and Resolve - Update

[UPDATE] I believe that I should have provided a little more set up for this picture. It is possible that my intent was misunderstood.

There are two pictures of Becky that come to mind when I think of her. Both are very positive and inspiring. One is a picture of her sitting on the stairs at our home in St. Charles, IL., many years ago. She was in her little pink swimsuit holding an open pink umbrella sharing her beaming smile. The look on her face was radiant. She was on top of the world. I don't know why this picture comes to mind each time I think of Becky but in a way, it seems to sum up Becky and her energy.

The other picture that comes to mind is a picture taken (shown) in the aftermath of 4-wheeling accident. I remember Becky and I joking about being tough and she struck this tough girl pose. The more I look at it, the more it has come to represent her resolve and determination. Becky is a scrapper. In spite of challenges, she continues to move forward with great purpose.

So, this picture was a way of saying that I admire Becky for these aforementioned qualities.

Bowled Over

Toward the end of our 2009 Christmas Holiday, we slipped over to a bowling alley in Mesa for 10 frames of humiliation. The goal was to break 100 or die of laughter trying. It turned out that Mom and Ben tied for the high score of somewhere around 110. The rest of us slunk out of the alley murmuring face-saving excuses. I have included media for your interest.

The first clip shows Ben's ball delivery technique. Ben told me, "I spin the ball by simply adding a rotational movement around its center of mass. By spinning the ball, I create a parabolic path which is ideal for obtaining a strike". It seems to work for other outcomes as well.



Lindsay's approach is more practical. "Dad, why fuss with all the physics. I just roll it and forget it. That's what bumpers are for."



Becky's bowling footwork comes from years of dance training. She said over and over, "Dad, it's a matter of grace and rhythm...it has to be fluid."



Mom is the pro. She didn't say it but I know she was thinking, "That bowling class I took in Junior High PE is really paying off. I'm tak'in it to these kids. "



Dad proves that once a body is in motion it tends to stay in motion. With an obvious deterioration in skills, Dad made a Yogi Berra observation, "The older we gets, the greater we was."