New Stake Center Cultural Halls - for Men's Basketball

Tonight was the last night for Men's basketball in the Vancouver WA North Stake...

Here are a few things that I have learned or experienced...

* If two men are in striped shirts and there is a game clock AND and a scoreboard...it must be the NBA (or I am back playing with my NCAA Div 2 basketball team.

* It only takes two men (out of about 75 who played) to keep the "church ball" name alive.

* If they act like babies - treat them like babies. I had one game (I wasn't even officiating the game) where I stood up and pointed to two players that we compaining about the refs and their lack of calls - I yelled - "You sit there (pointing to one bench) and you sit there (pointing to the other bench) and I don't want to hear another word out of either of you." One guys started to speak and I said "I told you not one word - zip it"

* No injuries, no sprained ankles, there was a little blood from bashed heads - but no blood hit the floor. No fights, No swear words. Only ONE technical - which I called again from the sideline

* I can never understand fathers who bring their primary aged kids to 'watch' the game. I had curtain swings, colored light shows, and tonight the long table racers (running on top of the tables). There hasn't been a week go by that I have had to walk over to the stage and tell other people's children to treat the church with repect.

* Officals get exercise too. I was asked not to play with my ward's team so I could keep an even head and not get caught up in the emotions of a game. After officating 1-2 games non-stop I got the exercise I thought I would be missing.

* I love my calling - (really, I do). I'm talking about my Stake Athletic Dir. calling - not my teaching the High Priest every 2nd Sunday or my FOS fund drive co-ordinator.

Squrrly Squirrels...the saga goes on.

The story continues...

Before I was punk'd by my wife on Monday, I had printed out a picture of a squirrel and posted it on our sliding glass door for Valentine's Day.

I put it up Saturday night (but you couldn't see it because it was dark outside).

Sunday morning, after the sun came up, you could see the squirrel pic and it was placed perfectly and appears to be on the fence that surrounds our desk - from Jen's point of view while laying down in bed

ALSO - The squirrel is out and is doing ok. Jen saw him running across the roof. Today, we secure the vent AGAIN

I need to vent my squirrel frustrations...

I got a call from Jen on my way home today...Connor opened up the vent to let the squirrel out (see story below) and now the squirrel is caught in the chicken wire (guess I should have got the squirrel wire). Jen said it was squirming around early and now is lifeless. I have now killed the squirrel...


NO I WAS PUNK'D by my loving wife. She went to the store and bought a stupid stuffed squirrel and climbed on the roof and stuffed it in the vent. She has been giggly all night long.

Squirrels are driving me NUTS!

Around the end of January sometime, Jen and I heard ‘chewing’ noises in our attic above our bedroom. I went outside to see that one of our roof vents had been broken and chewed. We had asquirrel in the attic.
I climbed on the roof and felt inside the vent and noticed that the screen protector had be ripped and the side of the vent had been chewed away to give access to on rather large squirrel (about a foot tall when he sits up).
I took some chicken wire and covered the inside of the vent, nailed it to the roof and rolled the excess up inside of the vent to keep one ‘Rocky the squirrel’ from invading my attic again.
Then I got sick…pneumonia…and every few days I could hear the squirrel on the roof working the chicken wire
Then about 10 days later – I heard chewing again coming from the attic. I went outside and noticed that the stupid (in this case - smart) squirrel had worked that chicken wire enough that he once again had free passage to the dry and warm attic.
So, last Saturday Connor and I fixed the vent to keep the squirrel from ever entering my attic. Before we got on the roof, I banged on the walls and ceiling in the bedroom making sure the squirrel was gone.
Connor did the dirty work, getting on the roof and completing the task that I had failed to accomplish weeks ago. There was no way any squirrels were getting through that vent – period.
Sunday afternoon I hear the squirrel working the chicken wire again (chuckle chuckle). After 30-45 minutes pass of the persistent squirrel working the wire, I go out and see what is going on. There is no squirrel on the roof…then I hear the noise again – this time the SQUIRREL is on the inside.
Connor got on the roof today and fixed it so he can get out…repair jobs will take place after we know that Elvis has left the building

I'm Baaaaack...

I promised myself and my mother I would post something weekly...

Game on Ms. Jessica!

I now paws for a Cat's tail that's Purrfect

Here is a friend of Steve, Peter, or Turbo. If I was to guess, it would be Steve’s friend.
Megan has Rusty over all the time to the house, Jessica has Cody over all the time to the house, and Connor has Oliver over all the time…Steve was just a lonely and wanted someone to play with.
Rusty was going upstairs and when he made it to the top step he stepped back a bit. I looked up and could see the snake's head poking out from the stairs.
Neither Rusty nor I are all to fond of snakes. I ran out to get garden gloves on while Rusty kept an eye on Mr. Slithers. We caught the snake (catching them make the women in the house a little less nervous) and we let him go outside.
A few days later Peter and Steve were stairing down a towel that was sitting on Jessica's bedroom floor. That means there is something alive lurking under the towel. Step one - remove cats. Step two - place garden glove on hand. Step three - clear a big area and postion ones self in blocking position (keeping all new hiding spaces from being accessed. Step four - lift towel. Step five - hope the living creature is slow enough to catch and small enough not to freak me out.
Success - it has been a few weeks since that cats have had friends over. That means one thing - get ready for friends

June 4 - Happy Birthday to me

* Warning - these are older posts that we never posted...I have some catching up to do

Above are the logos of all the corporations that wished me a Happy Birthday via email. And now a couple of favorite Birthday stories...

This year's birthday was great! It was better than both the ‘forgotten’ birthday and when my birthday landed on a Sunday…my family would be telling me right now "to just give it a rest".

The forgotten birthday was a while back and everyone…and I mean everyone forgot until about 6pm. It started (and almost ended) when Jen said, “Oh, it’s your birthday today isn’t it?” The kids latter (after a 'mom prompting' came and said Happy Birthday.

The "Sunday birthday"... I was asked what I wanted to eat for my birthday dinner. I said chicken enchilada casserole. After a long day at church, I strolled in about 3:00-3:30. Megan and Rusty were eating some of the casserole on the couch. I went to the kitchen and searched everywhere for my dinner. I looked in the oven…no. I looked in the refrigerator…no. I then asked Megan, “Where is my dinner hiding?” Silence… I walked in and saw two surprised looks on both their faces - they were holding plates with 1-2 bits of casserole left on each of their plates…The family (including Megan and Rusty) had the casserole for lunch. Then at 3:30p, they thought that I had come home, eaten, and was taking a nap. They were having what they thought were everyones leftovers. Yes, that is a Mitch Taylor family favorite – It will be an often told story.