I have GREAT KIDS.

Since this is the least read blog in the world I really feel no need to write but oh well here goes another post. My kids are great. I made the joke that we sometimes celebrate mediocraty in life, but when it involves your kid there is no such thing. To my kid everything is worth celebrating and fun. They truly know what life is all about. Mostly life is about fun and the pursuit of love. Love comes easily for my kids. Unless they want the same thing and then war comes easily. But overall peace usually rules the day. Imagine if your whole goal for the day was to have fun all day and when the day comes to a end demand a bedtime story and a sack of flour ride to bed. We in the adult world live in a constent death spiral. We sometimes focus on the, I wish I had instead of the what I haves. The wish I hads if allowed to dominate your thoughts will never bring happiness and only leave you feeling incomplete and like you never progress. The what I haves can bring you great joy and when you strive to be grateful for what you have you magically are content. The bigger car the nicer house the bigger better bow quickley become old and are not so bigger and better. The. "they are so much better than me" does not lift you up as much as the I am a great person, I am awesome. And that is what is so great everyone is Awesome, even good old Barrack has a little Awesome, just look at those ears, Awesome.

The YARD!!!!

I have a charmed life. Its not perfect but what is not perfect I can overlook. But there is one part of my life that I do battles with every year. My Yard. I love my yard in lots of ways. I have a lawn and flowers and trees and rocks. But I also have weeds dirt patches rocks that my wife abhors and did I mention I have a lawn. I often joke that I married into a family of lawn Nazis. They honestly can't help it, lawns are the family business. They know a good lawn when they see it. I imagine if my family saw a unsupported roof system, or a over spanned 2X6 we to would have a remark or two about the problem. I honestly pray my lawn stays putting green green this year it would help my wife's general well being. She hates brown spots. I have fought many a battle with the grub and the burn spots and the dandy lion.. These are lawn problems that hamper our marital bliss. Last year the front lawn was wonderful but the back really struggled. I think I did not talk to it enough I don't know. I hope and pray both have a fantastic year, and we get through it together. I think we can pull through another summer.

Superwoman!

There are super heros among us. They might not be one eyed laser shooting mutants from the planet goolgone but they are here none the less. My wife is one of them she is AWESOME. She loves deeper than a ocean. She is cuter than the cutest kitten. Pretier than a rose. Kinder than the the kindest WalMart greeter. And just a neat gal.. She sometimes does not agree with these accusations but she is blind and deaf to her own greatness. I am the flat tire on the well oiled machine which is Trina. She is a fine sports car and I am a 78 datsun with a oil leak and a slipping transmission. But she is stuck with me and that is just tough. Because I know how lucky I am and like the neighbor kid that bugs ya but won't go away. (We all have one lets not deny it)

A cry for repreve

Okay people April draws near and you all know what that means. Time to choose a side. Do you want to be a jerk, bad person , borderline Gadianton robber. Or do you want to be a saint a lovly person full of good content and kindness. Yes folks the choice is yours. You can either join PETJ (People for the Ethical Treatment of Jonny) or be part of the mindless dribble. Yes you can be part of the cool kids. I will just offer this chance to everyone. Don't participate in Pick on Jonny Month. This annual waste of time needs to die and this is our chance. Stand up and join me in this fight . Thanks for your kindness.

The cold of death.

Yes thats right folks I said DEATH. The big D and I don't mean Dallas. The cold we have been fighting makes you pray for death, death or sudafed, niquil, warm quilts and sleep. It makes a grownup cry for mommy. Thanks Mom for hearing our cries and bringing supper. Last night in bed Tink asked me to have her buried in Nephi. And then we planned our funerals. Two very sick people never make a right. With no one to throw sympathy in your face the natural thing to do is plan funeral arrangements. They will be wonderful services. Trina is feeling alot better today so I only have one more day. I have got to be better by the Super Bowl because when I miss the Super Bowl things get ugly.

Music

I have a deep dark secret, I lip sing and have for years. Three years in choir and I sang for real very rarely. I lack the talent. I loved sitting next to my brother Matt, He has the talent, I got the looks. Actually He got the talent, Nick got the looks, Marie got the feminism, and I got, I got.... Still thinking. Still thinking. Oh yeah I got the ability to lip sing. Wow am I lucky. I could give MILLY VANILLI a run for there money I was that good. Sure I sang when it counted but when it did not matter I spared everyone the torture. Even today I hum the hymns in church. I could hum your socks off. As a senior in High School I went to All State Choir, but I went as Matt and was warned to not sing by our Choir director unless it was absolutely necessary. And usually my voice was not needed. But I did get to lip sing in the Tabernacle and that was a highlight of my lip singing career. Did you know you can hear a pin drop across the tabernacle, but you can't hear a lip singer across it, weird acoustics huh. Well there is my confession.

The Note

Today me and Tink cleaned out our garage. It took forever and a day. It was like a big bomb had gone off in our garage. But now it is clean and happiness prevails in the Allred Kingdom. While in the midst of our self inflicted torment I went through my mission box. I just about threw all the letters away but something inside told me to stop and go through them. First letter was from my Grandma Allred, and it was the Grandma from my childhood. She was so alive and active and busy. She talked about helping others and her love for my Grandpa and her family and she was happy. And then life comes and goes and a few years later she lost Grandpa and her health failed her and she faded but her love for us never did. And there in my hand was everything I loved about my Grandma, a message so full of love and life and joy. All the things I know she is feeling now, and I knew she is okay and she is still herself. The Grandma Allred of my memories.

Then I dug further into the box and a paper fell out of the box, I went to throw it away and then I noticed the writing.

I think of you
always! I am so
proud of you! I
love you more than
words can tell.

Grandma.

There i stood on my driveway crying, surrounded by the love of those temporarily lost to me in this life. My Grandma Bailey had sent this little note of love to me. I think it was more for me today than 11 years ago when she wrote it. I wish I could cuddle up next to her on her couch and just be with her. Smell her perfume, feel her hands, have her tell me that I was so wonderful and she loved me. So here I go Grandma since there is no address for you I hope you can read my little blog. Here is my note for you.

I think of you
always! I am so
proud of you! I
love you more than
words can tell.

Johnny.