Tickets to the show

This morning after Sunday School I was getting up to hand the baby to Kiki before she went to Relief Society. As I stood up the button to my pants went flying like a missile (hence the picture). Since my slacks were buttonless they could not stay up. Holding my pants up and a little baby girl with a a blanket covering my American parts, I waddled to our car. Kiki retrieved the boy from nursery and we drove home. I guess a crying baby is not the only way to get out of Priesthood meeting.
For everyone's information, the last time I remember being in public giving people a chance to see a similar show I was substitute teaching. It was a 2nd grade PE class. My pants split. Luckily it was right before lunch, so after walking my class to the lunch room I was able to have Kiki bring me a new pair of pants.

Proof That I Did Something Right

This morning I was sitting in my recliner when Hank, two and one half, came strolling down the stairs with his blue bat, a tee ball, and a baseball glove. the kid had just woken up and he wanted to play baseball (sometimes pronounced aseball by the kid). Few things warm the heart more than the boy wanting to play ball.
After playing for a good twenty minutes I asked him if he was hungry and wanted breakfast. He screamed "No!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I play baseball." The kid has his priority straight. Food can wait, lets play baseball. I have a picture of me in diapers, and nothing else, and a baseball glove and ball. That is the way youth should be.
Also, I took the time to practice saying "No thank you." Then I threw the ball at his bat again. I must be a good parent: my boy loves baseball.
Just in case anybody was wondering the people in thepicture are not Hank and I.

Katie or Catherine Zeta and Zac?

Well this little conversation happened ages ago (back when I still lived in California) between my wife and I. I was going to write in my my "manuscript" but I cannot find the file. Well here it goes:

"K, so..."

"Cheese. Go on."

"I have an important question for you. When this whole experience of ours is made into a movie who is going to play you and who is going to play me?"

"Um, I don't know."

"I was thinking the part of Kiki should be played by either Catherine Zeta Jones or Katie Holmes. Catherine is probably too old to play you so I guess Katie would be the top choice."

"Katie would be a good choice. She seems like a good mother too. I mean Tom and Katie are always photographed with their Suri in parks and what not."

"So who should play me?"

"Zac Efron."

"Isn't he a little young?"

"Does that matter? 8 years is not that big of a deal. Besides, by the time the movie is made he may be the perfect age. Also, he has the perfect hair to play you."

" You are probably right."

Kindness of Strangers... and aquaintances... and friends... and family

A week and a half of living in Hotels. Still no job nibbles. Oh well.

I really want to write today about the kindness of friends, families, acquaintances, and strangers. Last night people from my old ward (I guess being homeless right now I do not have a ward) loaded a moving truck with all of Kiki's, Hank's, the baby's, and PJ's (that's me) stuff. We were not there. Some in the ward are family: the Castillos, the Herricks, my mom. Some in the ward I would consider friends. Most in the ward are either acquaintances or strangers. Thy were willing to drop everything in their lives, pick up a moving truck, load it, for my family. I emphasize, my wife and I were not even there.

That is awesome. I would like to believe I would do the same. But who knows. I did once help set up the chapel for a complete stranger's wedding/reception, but that is easy.

Did I mention Kiki's parents are flying from Minnesota to California to drive our stuff to Texas? There is a lot of messed up stuff in the world, but there is also a lot of really good stuff.

Speaking about stuff, when our stuff gets here I hope we have a place to put it.

The Leap... Not Quite Landed Yet

There is a lot to write.

Last Monday Kiki, Hank, the baby, and I began the huge leap. We stopped in Arizona to visit Kiki's cousin. While we were in Arizona our dipstick holder fell off the car... again. It made our car start to smoke and act funny. We took it to the Wall -Mart Super Center automotive guy glued it back on but advised to go to a mechanic and get a sealant put on it before continuing our trip. He charged us absolutely nothing. That was nice of him we thought and we blatantly disregarded his advice and we drove on. We stopped in Tucson to eat at a Waffle House. Fantastic waffles by the way. Hank enjoyed running around like a crazy banshee and the servers were very nice... although there is a good chance the cook was a former gang banger. We stayed in a hotel in Deming NM. (On a side note we both liked using Deming as a swear word.)

Tuesday morning we took the car to a mechanic in Deming to check out the dipstick holderthingy. He also did his work for free. So we were off and finally made it to Texas. We arrived to the wrong hotel in Austin late. So we had to go to another the right one and we finally got inside at about one in the morning.

Every move we have made to get a job has not worked so far. Both Round Rock ISD and Austin ISD are not hiring subs. Pflugerville ISD and Leander ISD have not responded to my application yet. I did get a email from Sherman ISD (which no longer would be in the Austin area) asking me to send them my transcripts. I thought it was a little weird because they had interviewed me a long time ago and sent me a rejection letter and everything. A fake cousin (by fake cousin I mean he is not really my cousin) gave me a discouraging letter about the teaching job market in Austin.

About my degree, I am a college graduate. I graduated with a 3.77. I believe I got 100% in my final class (of course in an earlier class I received over 100% but whatever).

This leap into the dark has not produced the results I was hoping for; however, I know it was the right thing to do. I know the Lord has a plan. It would be nice to have all the info and blessings now, but how fun would that be. It would be less miraculous.