Carpet Diem, Part III

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Valentine's Better Down Where It's Wetter, Take It from Me

February 17th was our annual Valentine's Day celebration. The family always surprises me by taking me somewhere out of the ordinary.

This year, we partied under the sea.

A clownfish clowning around with the local sea critters.

Little Mergirl

Below are some poor pics from the Jaks production of The Little Mermaid, performed in the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center in Salt Lake City.

Heave, ho!

Three Simple Steps to Level Floor Nirvana

Step 1: Do this. 

(I think I forgot to mention that I had problems with the two-by-four I was using so I grabbed a handle-less hoe I had around and used it as a trowel. I am just like MacGyver!)

Step 2: Put a gallon of adhesive/primer on your floor where you will apply the self-leveling concrete and spread it around until you realize that you are just a little bit short, then run to home depot and buy something that looks similar and hope it works the same as the stuff you bought from the professionals. Oh, and don't forget to tape a box to the wall where water and ceiling parts are falling on the floor because of your leaky roof!

Step 3: Have your friend, Ramsey, do all the skill work while you hand him buckets of concrete mix until you feel like you are going to die.

How to Write Good

I've seen the "How to Write Good" list in a couple different forms a few times, and I laugh every time I see one. My uncle Lynn shared a list of ten just a little while ago, and it was great, but there are other lists that have some great stuff too. 

Therefore, I thought I would come up with my own list, feeling free to plagiarize, enhance, modify and even come up with some of my own, as I saw fit.

And so, here is my super-authoritative list of thirty things to do or not to do to become a better writer--a.k.a., How to Write Good:

First-World Whining

I like going places. I often don't want to stay too long, but I like exploring and learning. So, I sometimes find myself mildly complaining, for instance, that my trip to Boston was too short and I couldn't travel the coast to main, or that my boss didn't want me to go to a training again (I was scheduled for a SQL Server conference in Orlando last year). Waa waa waa.

The other day I got an email with a super brief summary of my whereabouts since 2014. Another modern first-world complaint is often the result: our data is everywhere, and real privacy is ever so difficult.

But when I looked at the map, I thought "for a guy who doesn't travel much, I sure have been to a lot of places!" 

Esther Sunday

I shared a brief post of Esther's birthday party Sunday. I thought I would also share a couple of things she did at church the week before. These are IMPORTANT THINGS!

First, during the sacrament, Esther let out a massive, reverberating belch, immediately followed by loud giggling. It was pretty awesome.

Later, she asked me if she could bear her testimony. I don't encourage young children to do that, but don't want to tell them they shouldn't, so I usually just ask if they have an idea of what they want to say -- and if they don't, I encourage them to think about it.

Well, Esther had something very specific in mind: "I want to say that the Easter bunny is real."

Um ...

Feb. 11-17, John 2-4 "Ye Must Be Born Again"

This is the personal and family study for the week. Mom has some assignments for a some of us. Would you please these three chapters this week and share what you learned in our family study on Sunday? This includes those of you older children who may be with us on the Sabbath! Is there a way to include you in the future even when you aren't here?

Here are a few questions we might want to explore:

• John tells of the Savior turning water into wine. When Jesus was in the wilderness, he was tempted to turn stones into bread, but he refused. Later, he multiplies 5 loaves of bread and two fishes to feed a multitude. Why is it appropriate for the savior to miraculously produce or change food sometimes, but not at others, and how are these situations different and how are they the same?
• How is "living water" a good analogy to use for teaching about the Savior and eternal life?
• The Savior uses many simple, everyday things for teaching gospel principles: birth, water, bread, farming, etc. Why?

Food for thought (which is a fine analogy as well) ...

--

David V. Benge

Esther and Oona

We cerebrated Esther's 6th birthday tonight, so Miriam could be with us. Her favorite gift is an ostrich Grandma Mary gave her, which we have dubbed Oona.

Its Like Moving to a New House ... Without the New House

I started Round One with concrete. I lost.

Self-leveling cement should not be more than 2 inches thick, but we have almost four inches to fill at the deepest point. My idea, then, was to put a layer of some kind down that could have self-leveling cement poured over the top. I asked a construction contractor in the ward who contacted a concrete franchise in Ogden and they agreed it would work with the right materials. 

I ordered 6 bags of PatchCrete and went to work on the first layer, and ... I am absolutely awful at concrete work. PatchCrete is weird stuff. A 45 lbs. bag is mixed with a gallon of some kind of glue that looks like milk, and you mix it up fast and then spread the peanutbutter-like stuff. I did a poor job, but it is just added base so I figure it mattereth not.

Carpet Diem II

The wall and the flood behind it is fixed.