How Many Ninjas Can You See?

EXACTLY!
Last night our newly created ninja clan went a-ninja-ing. Golden Blade (Tanner), Windsong (Race Davis), and Night Hawk (Bryce Bigham), the perfect ninja trio, frightened unsuspecting girls in the Goodman apartments. With night as their only cover, and the mind as their greatest weapon, the ninjas stealthily carried out their mission of wreaking ninjatical havoc.
Wearing a ninja outfit really does give you some amazing abilities. Bryce, for instance, can disappear in a flash and we won't find him for 10 minutes. Race, well, I bet no other human being can climb a pecan tree so fast. Me, I feel like I can jump/ cartwheel over anything.

I might grow out of doing this some day.

Alas, our ninja clan has no name. So please, tell us a good ninja name and we'll enter you in a drawing to receive 50.... high fives. Hurry, this offer is only good while supplies last.


HIYA!

Shoveling for Sweaters

Over the holiday break we were blessed with an abundance of the magical frozen white substance we like to call snow. How beautiful the sight of freshly fallen snow! The flip side to the splendor of the blanco blanket is having to shovel it off the driveway, and since we live in a quiet neighborhood full of retirees, there was much shoveling to be had.
On one sunny afternoon following some heavy snowfall, we were visited by our college friends Caitlyn and Sharla, and Caitlyn's two sisters. Bryan was shoveling the driveway of an old European lady down the street and in order to progress to the adventures of the evening we found it expedient to assist him in his shoveling effort.
In return for clearing her driveway, the lady, Alexandra (or Mrs. Doubtfire as we call her), gave each of us a sweater from 1980. "Don't worry," she said. "Fashions come back every 20 years." Unfortunately,it has been 9 years since the 20 year mark so now we have to wait until 2020 for our sweaters to come back in style. I don't know though, I think turtle necks are always the way to go!
I don't know if it's possible, but for some reason I got the idea that some people were a little embarrassed to be seen in their antique apparel.

Brent on Politics

Being home has provided us with a very unique opportunity to hear the thoughts of many people on the recent political goings on. One such person is the infamous political commentator, Brent Gilliland. Barely five years old, Mr. Gilliland has made a name for himself in the political world with his catch phrase "I'm not listening!"
Below is an interview with Mr. Brent Gilliland on the politicians, President Elect Barack Obama, and Senator John McCain. Please note that the views expressed in this interview are NOT necessarily the views of Bryan, Tanner, Barack Obama, John McCain, Brent's parents, blogspot, OPEC, the internet, the Whig Party, Walmart, or Taco Bell.

TB (Tanner and Bryan) : Brent, will you tell us about Obama?
BG (Brent Gilliland): Obama makes gas cost a lot.
TB: IN your opinion, what does Obama want to do?
BG: He wants to take over the whole city.
TB: The whole city?
BG: He wants to take over the whole city. And he just wants take over every house. And he is building mouses to get inside the house and light it on fire.
BG: Thank you Brent. I think we should move on. Tell us about John McCain.
BG: McCain just wants to find Obama. He doesn't like him. He just wants to put him in jail.
TB: Thank you Brent, I think we're out of time.

That Brent is the most intense 5-year old we've ever met. Other quotes from him include:
"[My sister] Tess is only 7 years old. My whole family thinks she's 8, but she's not"

"What's 9 plus 2?... 92!" and finally,

"They are not called Fritos! They are called Mac-neetos!"

Song of the Appendix

I sit here now, I can not walk
Yet about my story I must talk
It started some time Friday night
When my stomach hurt, 'twas no delight
The whole next day I lied in bed
"There is no peace in my gut" I said
Round six o'clock I think it was
I made my way through the city buzz
And stopped inside the emergency room
A solemn place of constant gloom
The doctor came and looked at me
Then placed his hands on my tummy
He smiled and said "It's sure enough"
I nodded back and acted tough
Appendicitis was the causation
The surgery room my destination
With an IV in for rehydration
And a gurney for my transportation
They prepped me for the operation
That would remove the inflammation
What happened next is hard to tell
I woke up feeling pretty swell
And since then I have recovered
No more problems were discovered
They sent me home, that's where I am
Instead of taking my exams

We're Not Doctors But...

We have a peculiar knack for accurate diagnoses. After exhaustive testing, keen observation, and countless hours of recording and analyzing data, we have come to the expert conclusion that there is an extreme case of SSFSS (Severe Stress From School Syndrome), commonly known as The Jenkins, rampant on campus. Our colleagues inform us that this syndrome is not confined to this campus alone, but is prevalent in many institutions of education around the world. Here is an excerpt from our scientific journal:
Monday, November 24
Test subject is rolling around the room. She(or he. We don't disclose the identity of our test subjects without written consent) is perpetually switching from an exceedingly giddy mood into a lugubrious stupor. The subject is always on the brink of tears, not particularly out of sorrow, but from the overwhelming feeling of inability to meet the demands of a rigorous schedule. Subject is very jumpy and scares very easily. Subject is aware of the need to do homework. Subject apparently finds doing homework impossible. Subject is overwhelmed by a clicking noise coming from subject's computer. Subject is getting frantic because too many people are trying to talk. End Journal.

Chances are that until this semester ends, you may see someone you love with The Jenkins. You can recognize the Jenkins by these common symptoms:

-restlessness
-severe lack of sleep
-overemotional
-extreme elation followed by extreme sadness
-feeling overwhelmed
-unfocusing or bloodshot eyes
-spontaneous spewing of memorized information
-fingernail sensitivity
-fear of getting called the wrong name
-Reading without comprehension
-Inability to do mathematical equations

One of Your Favorite Hymns

Today in Sacrament Meeting instead of talks, we had sort of a musical testimony meeting. Anyone could get up and talk about a favorite hymn and then the congregation would sing a verse or two from the chosen song. The meeting was very enjoyable and we thought how much we'd like to hear more about people's favorite hymns. We soon realized that our blog would be a perfect way for that to happen. So, here it is. Please share with us your one of your favorite hymns. If it's not too personal, you could also share the reason why it is one of your favorites (We say "one of" because we're sure that everyone has many favorites).

I'll start off. One of my favorite hymns is All Creatures of Our God and King. On days when I am filled with the Spirit the whole world seems to testify of God and His love for me and I feel like singing "Allelujiah" with the rest of creation. It is a triumphant song of praise.

It's not BYU, but...

We still get some amazing speakers here at EA. Craig C. Christensen of the First Quorum of the Seventy (He gave a talk in General Conference last April called A Book With a Promise) with his wife, as well as the Tucson Mission President and his wife, addressed the Gila Valley young single adults in a fireside last night.
Elder Christensen spoke about the importance of having the Spirit and being able to discern the messages we are given. Why does the Spirit have so many names? Because it has so many functions.
President Walker talked about passing The Test. It's not about lessons and it's not about meetings. It's about living the Gospel of Jesus Christ every day. What is good knowing about Christ if we don't know Christ?

I hope everyone in Arizona enjoyed last week's Stake Conference Broadcast. It made me grateful to live in THE Valley. Life is good!


We also visited with another noteworthy person yesterday. His name is Tom Rose and he is over a hundred years old. He is a billionaire who says he's going to die broke because he's giving it all to charity. He's told me twice that I should go to Hollywood and become and actor. I don't know. What do you think Mom and Dad? Should I quit college to make movies? :)
Here's an article about our friend Tom: http://www.eacourier.com/articles/2008/08/28/lifestyle/doc48b499e489fc8350853871.txt

Tanner's Poem

My Friend Procrastination

What sayest Thou is man's best friend?
If thou thinketh it the dog,
Thou hast better guess again
For of truth, says I
His greatest friend must be
The one that ever beckoneth
to man, both me and thee
It's name is Procrastinate
And a handy friend it be
Whilst burdened by my labors
It always setteth free
To me it speaketh good things
"Thou hast more time indeed"
And with my chores forgotten
I draw or sleep or read.
Yet always it becometh
That my time is somehow spent
And regretteth I that costly gift
That my friend so kindly lent

Men such as I spend their days
To entertain such friends as he
Blinded to that the fact that now
He hath become their enemy
They putteth off their work
to sleep and dance and play
Saying "I will save the work
for a far-off future day"
Yet much sooner than expected
The day at last will come
The bell will ring the fat lady sing
and their toes will all feel numb
Surely one amongst them
will with emotion say
"I had not time to do the work,
Please grant another day."

On and on the story goes
of men who procrastinate
Who setteth aside their labor
for chance to recreate
Their fields are never plowed
Their houses never cleaned
Their knowledge never furthered
Their vineyards never gleaned
Their dreams never realized
Their songs are never sung
Never are their fortunes found
Their races never won
Their repentance is delayed
Their good name is diminished
They leave this world without their mark
Their poems are never

A Fan Meets Tanner and Bryan

Tonight we got see Jon Schmidt, live in concert. Even our highest expectations were surpassed. Not only was he an amazing pianist with an incredible ability to improvise, he was also a quality entertainer. We thought we had seen the extent of his antics when he played a song whilst laying on his back with his arms crossed. However he surprised us by playing songs with everything from his head to his elbows to his feet. He danced, sang, performed a feat of magic and finished the encour with a backflip off the stage! What a guy. If anyone ever has the chance to see him, we highly recommend it.
On our way out of the building we noticed Jon signing cds near the doors. Luckily our friend Joyce had a camera. You know, a lot of people try to sneak a picture with Jon Schmidt while he autographs. It's not every day that he gets caught trying to sneak a picture with somebody else.

Raising Campus Awareness

On my way to class I saw a group of kids gathered in front of the AP Building. My insatiable curiosity brought me closer where I noticed a microphone, speakers, and a banner that said "Soap Box." Apparently the microphone was set up so that anyone could get on the "soap box" and say whatever they wanted. A girl recognized me and asked me to say something. I just couldn't let the opportunity pass. I grabbed the microphone and then started talking about the first thing that came to my mind: Dinosaurs. My speech went something like this:
"Dinosaurs are extinct, right? Wrong. Dinosaurs are well and alive but their existence is kept secret by our government who wants to keep us in ignorant submission so that they can keep their congressional funding for hoaxes like 'global warming.' Did you know that dinosaurs cause .013% of all fatal car accidents in the U.S. alone?
We CDRs, or Certified Dinosaur Wranglers (I know Wranglers doesn't start with an R. CDW already stands for Celtic Disk Wobblers, so we couldn't use it), are trying to raise awareness so that we can put a stop to dinosaur attacks on the general public. The other day I came across a wreck that had all the signs of a dinosaur attack: skid marks, broken glass, and twisted metal. I walked up to the Police officer in charge and told him, 'I know this looks like a typical wreck, but I know it was a dinosaur attack. I believe I have jurisdiction in this case.' I showed him my badge and he had me escorted off the scene. This is EXACTLY the behavior we CDRs are trying to get rid of. Everyone, please continue to raise Dinosaur Awareness so that we can protect our people!"
Special thanks to CDR Matt Loper who first brought the dinosaur threat to my attention.

I think the kids liked it.