Good Ol' Bob

For my dad’s 60th birthday, my siblings emailed each other all the quotes my dad uses on a regular basis. Sarah did a great job and put them together in a book for him. Since Becky and I don’t live in Utah, we got on a conference call and read it to him on his birthday. It was pretty funny. Here is the text:

Dadisms

Dadisms are dad's classic lines that either make us laugh or teach us valuable lessons about life. We may have tried to ignore them as kids, but now find ourselves involuntarily blurting them out in similar situations. It shows the real influence dad had on us and that we were actually listening. It is only as adults that we realize the worth of some of these dadisms.

Auto
Did you check your oil?
5 miles under!
Come back with my bumpers
I bought a new car today…
Your tires look low
Did you write down the mileage in your little book?
Are you the one who thought you could drive 3 days one empty?
Is there air in your tires?

Food
You cooked it!
It went down my Sunday throat
Do we have any ketchup?
This is the best dinner you’ve ever made
I could eat this every night of the week
Do you need to know how to boil water?

Work/Money
You wanna eat don’t ya?
Gotta pay the bills
Where is my receipt?
Welcome to the real world
I gotta go, people yelling at me
Have you balanced your checkbook?
Let’s have a money meeting
13 column worksheets
Swamp city
First Security is up $.02 today
Bring back my change AND a receipt!
I have money down a few gopher holes your mother doesn’t even know about
I have to call Grandpa about our Schwab accounts.
Do you have a Schwab account?

On the phone...
Here’s your mother...
I’ve got someone on the other line
Can’t talk, don’t have any minutes
It’s the weekend, I’m calling because I have extra minutes on my cell phone
I don’t know what your mother has planned. Let me talk to her.
I don’t know, do you want to talk to your mother?

Dating
This is where we’d come to watch submarine races
Good enough for the girls I date
Is this the short version or the long version?
How’s your forehead?
Boys and girls are different
Call before you come because my girlfriend is coming over
Did you come home last night?
This is what it would be like if mom were dead

Advice & Encouragement
Don’t take wooden nickels
Hit ‘em straight
Just thinking about you
We’re proud of you!
Listen to Rush!
We’re praying for you, we know you’ll do the right thing
Don’t go to the bathroom by yourself

At Home
Who left the door wide open? (Translation: The front door is unlocked)
Are we heating the whole neighborhood?
There are snake skins on the bathroom floor

Family Night:
Ann: Bob, do you have anything to add?
Dad: No, you did a good job.

“Love at home”
Your blanket is in the dryer

Misc.
I’ve been to scout camp
Scouts wear pink underwear
Freezin’ and a beezin’
Whiky whiky!
Boys Team!
Why would you watch a movie more than once?
Do you have the receipt in case I want to return it?
What tickets?
This is the game right here
That’s the John Rosenberg look

Thanks for being such a great sport, Dad! We love you.

California here we come!

We had a great time visiting Jon’s family in California. Jon’s sister, Chris, just put a pool in their backyard, so we spent a lot of time with the kids in the water. I had to come back to Doha earlier, but Jon was able to stay for an extra week to be there for Ashlend’s birthday (his niece) and to spend some time with his mom and grandparents.

It was fun to have all the grandkids together at Chris and Mike's house

Jon's Mom and Grandparents

Ashlend opening presents

Make a wish!

Cute Kids: Grant and Ashlend

Old Men 1--Mt. Whitney 0 (or was it a tie?)

While we were home Jon went with his friends (Zane, Arie, Jared, and B) to hike Mt. Whitney in California. This was the trip when they all (except Arie) finally had to admit they are old men now. They were glad they did it—but mostly after it was over. I think that 2 minutes into the hike they said, “Our wives would kill us if we had brought them.” Mt. Whitney is the highest mountain in the lower 48. The elevation is 14,505 feet.

A picture is a great "manly" reason to stop for a rest

We made it to the top...but now we want to die

On the way down and we still want to die...

...but the view was worth it...

...as long as there isnt a storm.

Here is a video taken on the way down. The ever-helpful Jon gives a status report.

A few more random pictures

Here are a few more random pictures from our trip to Utah.

The whole clan on the 4th of July. "This is the last time we will ever be together..."

I am sure Kristi and Ron were thrilled that I taught Jenna and Kathryn a new game. :)

Jon and Matt Coss--a friend from his mission. We met him for lunch at Sarah and Eric's Quiznos in SLC.

This is my parent's house in Utah. I had to take this picture because we never get clouds like this in Doha.

Red, White and Blue Games

Another great tradition on Independence Day is games at my grandparents. We usually play relay type games with the kids and then have a major water fight. The men get into it more than the kids do (see picture with Jon and Eric.) We also have a huge breakfast together, take naps (after the balloons), and play card games. The weather was beautiful. I was so use to Doha heat and humidity that I kept a jacket on all day!

Grandfather playing the ever popular "bonk heads" game with Micah

I am not sure who is winning here, but my money is on Kathryn.

Kathryn was so cute--she always had to lift her leg to steady the bottle so she could get a better shot.

TAKE NO PRISONERS!

Of course both Jon and Eric had to buy a bigger better water gun this year.

Luke was less thrilled about the water fight.

Luke "Babe Ruth" Barlow

You can see Jenna is taking this very seriously and Kathryn can't stop laughing.

This was the funniest game--more water definately got on your face than in the cup.

Boys Team!

Kathryn and I were vertically challenged.

Matthew loved all the water sports...as long as he was winning.

Next year Luke and Micah will make a great team.

Independence Day—Balloons

Next to Christmas, I think that the 4th of July is my favorite holiday. One of my favorite Independence Day traditions is the balloon launch in Provo. I hate mornings—but it is worth getting up early to see a field full of hot air balloons launched as the sun rises over Y Mountain. I am really glad I didn’t have to miss it this year. Jon is less enthusiastic about getting up that early on a day off—but luckily he loves me enough to go. I took 80 pictures that morning--here are some.