Numbers are Dumb

 Oh hi little kid!

It probably annoys you boys when I call you that, but you were all exceptional little boys. I’ll always love the memories from those days. I was talking to your mother and uncle Tim today at grandmas about how much I love you boys as you get older. How I love our relationships and our time together. I couldn’t be more proud of you boys and how I look forward to the men that you are becoming.

This week at work was pretty hectic. Two days in Provo at a conference. It was a big rah-rah session but I did finish feeling better about the company. I hope I can carve more responsibilities for myself there, and by extension, more resources for the family.

It was also super cold at the start of the week but ended up warming up by the weekend.

You may have noticed that I didn’t lead this letter without news of a new Jeep in the family. I got a call from the dealer on Monday telling me that he was willing to make a deal because it was month-end. I’m not going to lie that I thought I was going to do it. Thinking that kicked in two processes that I tend to do when making a big decision, especially when it’s a decision fired by desire over need. The first thing I do is “make” the decision in my mind, in this case having decided to do it. I do this with the express purpose to see how that decision fits, or feels. I try to do this in a way where my thoughts turn from dreams to practical. I then pray about that decision to see how the Spirit feels about it. I find that I discern the right or wrong of a choice better than I am able to discern the feeling between two choices, if that makes sense. 

The next thing I do is to analyze my choices, a mental pros and cons list. This time, the list didn’t have a lot of overlap. Even though the Jeep and my 4Runner are both off-readers, they are pretty different. The things that I liked about the Gladiator were that it has more Jeep off-road abilities and more coolness; the ability to have a pickup again; the ability to mount a roof-top-tent in a lower, more accessible place; and more durability features than my 4Runner. The cons list was pretty long too: questionable long-term Jeep reliability; the fact that I’d have to start over with all the accessories I have on the Toyota that I would want on the Jeep (lift, tires, wheels, compressor, winch, etc.); and the insurmountable cost. Now I’m not the best with numbers, but every way I figured it my payments would double, at least. And I just couldn’t accept that. So I passed on the gladiator, at least for now. I have resolved to do a couple of things to the 4Runner to alleviate some of the shortcomings vs a Jeep. The first is I found a rear steel bumper that I really like that would allay the concerns of durability that my plastic rear bumper cover gives me. The second is a better roof rack to move more of my gear out of the back. The third is a simple platform that I can use to sleep on in the rig when (if) I go by myself; and the last is a bigger battery generator that I can use to power my fridge and charge my electronics when the car’s not running; and finally a super posh old-man sleeping pad for the back. I, pretty sure I can do that for less than the price of wheels and tires for the Jeep. 

I still intend to sell the little ford, but I may not sell the trailer just yet. Ben and I might go camping in a couple of weeks. If we can use it a dozen nights a year, it’s worth it, any less and it’s probably not. I do have the thought of trading up to small trailer just big enough to have a bathroom and heater for mom, but probably small enough that you boys would still have to use the tent. But I’m not sure how often mom would actually come even with that setup.

Back to the week, yesterday mom had a baby shower for your cousin Allison. So Thursday night I cleaned the carpet in the living room while your mother went to dinner, Friday night we cleaned the house. 

On Saturday we got up to breakfast with Joey before work, then we came home to get ready for the party. I came to my office to work on Artie’s project, and hide. There were a lot of people upstairs. Mom came down and I ate her roll, she always puts a lot of butter on and I just love it. Later uncle Mike came down to visit, he invited us to come by if the Utes make it to the PAC12 championship in Vegas next year, that would be fun. 

After I met Joe and Ben at cafe Rio, we all wanted to be out of the house. After I went to harbor freight and the hobby shop. I came home and the last of the guests were leaving. Your mother has been tired, she has a cold but won’t admit to it. It was warm so I went out to prune the trees. I got a little carried away and ended up cutting down two trees in the back yard. I actually think I’ll cut them all down eventually and replant based on that plan we got from the landscaper. I’ll start in the northeast corner where the plan calls for some raised garden boxes. I dragged the little trailer back there and filled it past the top with trees , branches and clippings. By the time I had it full it was too heavy to pull by myself, luckily your big brother was willing to help. We got it loaded in time to get to the landfill and everything. I felt pretty strong and productive after that. We came home and had warmed up Costco pizza, then Ben and I watched Lincoln. 

Every time I watch that movie the performances and dialogue seem even more impressive. I just finished the book Band of Rivals, which the book was based on. It gave me a ton of background on the story which made it much more interesting.

Today was a normal church Sunday. I took a nap, a long one, after church. Then we went to grandmas. It’s so crowded nowadays. We helped her do the dishes at least. Everyone is looking forward to you and Jordan being together at home again. I wonder how long that will last, how soon he’ll, or you, will get married. 

Love you kid. Looking forward to chatting tomorrow.

Pops 

P.S. i sent a picture of a C-17 that flew over our house, it’s the only picture I took this week.