February 27
My friend Greg
Ashley had come over for a visit on Monday night on her way to see a friend in Tacoma. We were sitting at the table enjoying our panini sandwiches, when I look over at Austin who is staring up fascinated at my nose. Yes, he is obsessed with the prospect of nose hair. He seems a bit worried that he might someday be doomed to a future of having as much nose hair as his dad. (Now, I do work to keep my hairy little friends cut down to size, but occasionally, a couple of them will have a growth spurt.) That, along with the fact that it doesnt seem to occur as rampantly with women has caused him some consternation. So as he looks up into my flaring nostril caverns, he prounounces that he will call the longest hair in my right nostril “Greg“. Then he starts talking and introducing Greg around-- “Hello out there, my name is Greg! Of course, Ashley thought that was hilarious, which it was, but I guess we are getting accustomed to Austin‘s shenanigans. It is a bit scary how much he is turning out like me!
February 26
Red Sea Crossing
I recall one of our A.P‘s in the Sendai mission using information about chariot wheels being found in the Red Sea as part of a “logical approach“ to the gospel that was used with many skeptical investigators. Here are some pictures that are related to that story.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=33168
Chariot Wheels Found in Red Sea
PARTING OF THE RED SEA
Chariot Wheels found at the bottom of the Red Sea -- See pictures below and the route
You will be surprised to see proof of Pharaoh's chariot and bones of horses and men found in the
Red Sea. Evidence of the crossing of the Red Sea . . . Pharaoh's drowned army.
Confirmation of the actual Exodus route has come from divers finding coral-encrusted bones and chariot remains in the Gulf of Aqaba ONE of the most dramatic records of Divine intervention in history is the account of the Hebrews' exodus from Egypt
The subsequent drowning of the entire Egyptian army in the Red Seawas not an insignificant event, and confirmation of this event is compelling evidence that the Biblical narrative is truly authentic. Over the years, many divers have searched the Gulf of Suezin vain for artifacts to verify the Biblical account. But carefully following the Biblical and historical records of the Exodus brings you to Nuweiba, a large beach in the Gulf of Aqaba, as Ron Wyatt discovered in 1978.
Repeated dives in depths ranging from 60 to 200 feet deep (18m to 60m), over a stretch of almost 2.5 km, has shown that the chariot parts are scattered across the sea bed. Artifacts found include wheels, chariot bodies, as well as human and horse bones. Divers have located on the Saudi coastline opposite Nuweiba as well.
Since 1987, Ron Wyatt found three four-spoke gilded chariot wheels. Coral does not grow on gold, hence the shape has remained very distinct, although the wood inside the gold veneer has disintegrated making them too fragile to move.
The hope for future expeditions is to explore the deeper waters with remote cameras or mini-subs. (ABOVE GILDED CHARIOT WHEEL - Mute witness to the miracle of the crossing of the Red Seaby the Hebrews 3,500 years ago. Found with a metal detector. Coral-encrusted chariot wheel, filmed off the Saudi coastline, matches chariot wheels found in Tutankhamen's tomb.
Mineralized bone, one of many found at the crossing site (above center). This one tested by the Department of Osteology at Stockholm University, was found to be a human femur, from the right leg of a 165-170cm tall man. It is essentially 'fossilized, ' i.e., replaced by minerals and coral, hence cannot be dated by radiocarbon methods, although this specimen was obviously from antiquity. Chariot wheel and axle covered with coral and up-ended. Exodus 14:25 'And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily...' Solomon's memorial pillars.
When Ron Wyatt first visited Nuweiba in 1978, he found a Phoenician style column lying in the water. Unfortunately the inscriptions had been eroded away, hence the column's importance was not understood until 1984 when a second granite column was found on the Saudi coastline opposite -- identical to the first, except on this one the inscription was still intact!
In Phoenician letters (Archaic Hebrew), it contained the words: Mizraim (Egypt ); Solomon; Edom; death; Pharaoh; Moses; and Yahweh, indicating that King Solomon had set up these columns as a memorial to the miracle of the crossing of the sea. Saudi Arabiadoes not admit tourists, and perhaps fearing unauthorized visitors, the Saudi Authorities have since removed this column, and replaced it with a flag marker where it once stood.
How deep is the water? The Gulf of Aqabais very deep, in places over a mile (1,600m) deep. Even with the sea dried up, walking across would be difficult due to the steep grade down the sides. But there is one spot where if the water were removed, it would be an easy descent for people and animals. This is the line between Nuweiba and the opposite shore in Saudi Arabia.
Depth-sounding expeditions have revealed a smooth, gentle slope descending from Nuweiba out into the Gulf. This shows up almost like a pathway on depth-recording equipment, confirming it's Biblical description, ' . . . a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters' (Isaiah 43:16).
The Bible writers frequently refer to the miracle of the Red Seacrossing, for it was an event which finds no equal in history. The Hebrew prophets describe the sea at the crossing site as ' . . . the waters of the great deep . . the depths of the sea .. . .' (Isaiah 51:10).
Knowing the exact spot to which the Bible writers were referring, what is the depth there? The distance between Nuweiba and where artifacts have been found on Saudi coast is about 18km (11 miles).
Along this line, the deepest point is about 800m (2,600 feet). No wonder that Inspired writers of the Bible described it as the mighty waters. And no wonder that not a single Egyptian survived when the water collapsed in upon them. (Above right NUWEIBABEACH- the spot where the crossing took place.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=33168
Chariot Wheels Found in Red Sea
PARTING OF THE RED SEA
Chariot Wheels found at the bottom of the Red Sea -- See pictures below and the route
You will be surprised to see proof of Pharaoh's chariot and bones of horses and men found in the
Red Sea. Evidence of the crossing of the Red Sea . . . Pharaoh's drowned army.
Confirmation of the actual Exodus route has come from divers finding coral-encrusted bones and chariot remains in the Gulf of Aqaba ONE of the most dramatic records of Divine intervention in history is the account of the Hebrews' exodus from Egypt
The subsequent drowning of the entire Egyptian army in the Red Seawas not an insignificant event, and confirmation of this event is compelling evidence that the Biblical narrative is truly authentic. Over the years, many divers have searched the Gulf of Suezin vain for artifacts to verify the Biblical account. But carefully following the Biblical and historical records of the Exodus brings you to Nuweiba, a large beach in the Gulf of Aqaba, as Ron Wyatt discovered in 1978.
Repeated dives in depths ranging from 60 to 200 feet deep (18m to 60m), over a stretch of almost 2.5 km, has shown that the chariot parts are scattered across the sea bed. Artifacts found include wheels, chariot bodies, as well as human and horse bones. Divers have located on the Saudi coastline opposite Nuweiba as well.
Since 1987, Ron Wyatt found three four-spoke gilded chariot wheels. Coral does not grow on gold, hence the shape has remained very distinct, although the wood inside the gold veneer has disintegrated making them too fragile to move.
The hope for future expeditions is to explore the deeper waters with remote cameras or mini-subs. (ABOVE GILDED CHARIOT WHEEL - Mute witness to the miracle of the crossing of the Red Seaby the Hebrews 3,500 years ago. Found with a metal detector. Coral-encrusted chariot wheel, filmed off the Saudi coastline, matches chariot wheels found in Tutankhamen's tomb.
Mineralized bone, one of many found at the crossing site (above center). This one tested by the Department of Osteology at Stockholm University, was found to be a human femur, from the right leg of a 165-170cm tall man. It is essentially 'fossilized, ' i.e., replaced by minerals and coral, hence cannot be dated by radiocarbon methods, although this specimen was obviously from antiquity. Chariot wheel and axle covered with coral and up-ended. Exodus 14:25 'And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily...' Solomon's memorial pillars.
When Ron Wyatt first visited Nuweiba in 1978, he found a Phoenician style column lying in the water. Unfortunately the inscriptions had been eroded away, hence the column's importance was not understood until 1984 when a second granite column was found on the Saudi coastline opposite -- identical to the first, except on this one the inscription was still intact!
In Phoenician letters (Archaic Hebrew), it contained the words: Mizraim (Egypt ); Solomon; Edom; death; Pharaoh; Moses; and Yahweh, indicating that King Solomon had set up these columns as a memorial to the miracle of the crossing of the sea. Saudi Arabiadoes not admit tourists, and perhaps fearing unauthorized visitors, the Saudi Authorities have since removed this column, and replaced it with a flag marker where it once stood.
How deep is the water? The Gulf of Aqabais very deep, in places over a mile (1,600m) deep. Even with the sea dried up, walking across would be difficult due to the steep grade down the sides. But there is one spot where if the water were removed, it would be an easy descent for people and animals. This is the line between Nuweiba and the opposite shore in Saudi Arabia.
Depth-sounding expeditions have revealed a smooth, gentle slope descending from Nuweiba out into the Gulf. This shows up almost like a pathway on depth-recording equipment, confirming it's Biblical description, ' . . . a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters' (Isaiah 43:16).
The Bible writers frequently refer to the miracle of the Red Seacrossing, for it was an event which finds no equal in history. The Hebrew prophets describe the sea at the crossing site as ' . . . the waters of the great deep . . the depths of the sea .. . .' (Isaiah 51:10).
Knowing the exact spot to which the Bible writers were referring, what is the depth there? The distance between Nuweiba and where artifacts have been found on Saudi coast is about 18km (11 miles).
Along this line, the deepest point is about 800m (2,600 feet). No wonder that Inspired writers of the Bible described it as the mighty waters. And no wonder that not a single Egyptian survived when the water collapsed in upon them. (Above right NUWEIBABEACH- the spot where the crossing took place.
February 22
Milk the clock
We had another church ball game last night. The other team had a bunch of bigs guys too, as well as some fiesty smaller guys. The first five minutes I was in the game, I was hacked about 5 times. Thats one of the cons of playing where you call your own fouls. There is no accountability for excessive fouling. No foul shots, you just end up taking the ball out of bounds again. It was quite a tight game until we pulled ahead in the second half by 10. Then they started creeping back into it as our guys were not getting back on defense very well. With about 2 minutes left, they hit a three and pulled ahead by two. The next time down, they fed me down low and I tied it up. About 30 seconds later, the oldest guy on our team, Rod Noble, who is in his fifties came up with a steal and then put us up by two after his fast break! After that, they came back down and missed one and I got the rebound. I told everyone to “Use the clock“ we had about 70 seconds left and I think the other team thought we would just head down and put a shot up like usual. Nope, we actually passed it around the perimeter for about a minute, and they really started getting nervous and more aggresive on defense. Unfortunately, they were able to tip it away from one of our guys and headed downcourt. I was able to hobble back on defense and get in front of one of the guys as he threw up a shot with one second left. He MISSED! Ahh, sweet justice.
February 21
Give a Hoot
Last weekend, some hooligans went out and literally trashed the street on 272nd in front of the park and ride. At the bus stop, there are a bunch of those newspaper containers that hold free newspapers, autotrader and For Rent magazines. Somebody thought it would be 'cool' to take a hundred or so of these out of their receptacles and scatter them all over the street there. It looked horrible. I first saw it as I drove out on Saturday morning and it just made me sick that anyone would litter like that. I discussed with LeAnn, and we decided that we would head over there for family home evening on Monday and clean it up as a service. However, it didnt work out on Monday, as I had met LeAnn and the kids in Bellevue after work, and we ended up going out to Burgermaster. By the time we got back, it was too dark to go out and do the cleanup. Im sure thousands of people had driven by and were as disgusted as I was over the huge mess, but no one else had done anything about it. We talked about doing it Tuesday after I got back from work, but it turned out that as the kids had the day off for Mid-Winter break, that they and a couple of other kids from our neighborhood went over and cleaned it all up. I am so proud of my family. It was great to see the efforts of their service and see it nice and clean when I got back from work. LeAnn said they got a big thanks from a bus driver and a couple of people who work security at the park and ride. They ended up almost filling up a 50 gallon trash bag with all of the garbage, so it was some extensive littering that they helped clean up.
February 15
Autumn's Birthday
Autumn turned 11 on February 12th. Starting her 2nd decade already. Amazing. She was particularly excited for this birthday. She had told us that one of the things that she wanted was a new alarm clock because she is getting to old for her existing one, which is a princess castle one. She asked for a watch and earrings. All of these things are signs of the times. We are in trouble. :) However one of the things that she loved the most was some new roller-blades. They are hot pink and pretty slick looking. Even though it was dark when we had our family party for her, she put them right on and went outside around the block a few times. She had given her old roller skates to Austin, so they raced around a bit. It is always fun to see the big smile on her face when she is being doted upon. Up next is a birthday slumber party with 5 of her friends. She is just giddy about this one. We will be having pizza then taking them to a swimming place and then back to our house for a movie and "slumbering". That means they should all get to bed by about 3 a.m. I will be locking myself in our bedroom upstairs. ;)
Valentines Date = $15.59
After getting fed up with the Valentine's Day hype a number of years ago, LeAnn and I started a new tradition. We have ordered our "fancy" dinner out from Olive Garden. I love to just show up in the middle of the dinner rush and squeeze my way through the throngs of people smashed together like in a Japanese subway train. I order our dinner, find out what time I should pick it up, walk right in, and leave within a few minutes with our dinner. Sweet justice. Seeing the looks on peoples faces as they hold their little glowing disks who have already been waiting for an hour is a beautiful thing. :) Yesterday, I ordered our dinner when I was in Bellevue and they said it would be ready in 40 minutes. That worked out about perfectly because that is how long it takes me to get to Tukwila (about 10 minutes north of our place) during rush hour. (Or rush 2 and a half hours in Seattle) I wiggled through the crowd, went to the "To Go" station, and they pulled my order right up. I paid for it and then realized that only the 'Chicken con broccoli' order was there. They were missing my 'Chicken Scampi' UGH!! I asked the server if that was all there was and told him I had ordered the Scampi too. He apologized profusely and said they would have to make another one. So that defeated my whole plan. Luckily, one of the head chefs was running around shuffling the orders and heard that they had messed up mine. He apologized again and said he would make another one and put it at the front of the line. He said it would take ten minutes and that they wouldnt charge me for the new dish. That eased some of my frustration! I stood off to the side for a while until it was ready. Then went home to enjoy a nice candlelight dinner with my beautiful wife, LeAnn. The kids were even nice enough to stay upstairs for most of the time. :) Although I think they smelt the breadsticks and came down to beg once or twice. It was still a nice evening. I love my funny valentine.
February 12
Reminiscence - The bike post
[Editors note: This is actually a post about a "bike post" not a post about bikes! :)]
1983] When we lived in Sandy on Tameron Drive, we used to go swimming at the pool below. We would ride our bikes out there as it was only about 10 minutes from our house. I dont recall who I was with that day because this was literally a very painful
experience. It seems that we had lost track of time, and it had gotten dark as we were riding home. I remember I was late for curfew, (not sure exactly what time it was I was supposed to be home) so we started cranking hard on our pedals to pick up speed. I had a sweeeeeeeeet dirtbike, which was a Duster 200. I was flying along, the breeze flying through my hair, bugs hitting my grill, enjoying the ride, when out of nowhere-- I ran through a sewer grate! In Utah, on the sides of the road next to the curb, you will often find large grates with just enough clearance between the bars to allow a dirt-bike-sized wheel to slip right through. And that is exactly what happened. It was so dark I didnt see it coming. Where my front tire must have hit one of the grates at the correct angle not to slide through it, my back tire slid through just perfectly! Since I must have been doing about 12 miles an hour when this happened, there was a terrific impact. So terrific, in fact, that the bike post that my seat was on burst right through the flimsy plastic seat... and... wait for it... guess where it "nailed" me? Yep, my whole world was shattered. I was seeing the little birdies for a couple of minutes after I fell off my bike and curled up in the fetal position, moaning. After finally recovering, and waddling back to my bike I was consternated as to how to complete the 10 blocks home. The post was sticking up through the middle of my now broken seat. I sure didnt feel like walking the rest of the way home. I ended up riding standing up the rest of the way home and coasting for as long as I could between pedals. OUCH. It still hurts thinking about it.
1983] When we lived in Sandy on Tameron Drive, we used to go swimming at the pool below. We would ride our bikes out there as it was only about 10 minutes from our house. I dont recall who I was with that day because this was literally a very painful
February 07
10, 7, 5, 2, 2
Actually had my best night of ball in 5 years last night! I put up 10 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. It was a blast to play and be feeling decent at the same time. My nasty knee didnt give me too much trouble at all. I took Advil before the game to hopefully cut down on incoming pain. We beat the other team pretty good too, which is always fun. :)
Rude Awakening
As I was leaving the house this morning at about 6:30, I opened the garage as usual, and looked out into the street to see that our basketball stand had blown down into the middle of the street from last nights wind storm. This has happened a number of times over the years, even though the base has been properly weighted down by being filled by water. The repeated blow downs have pretty much ruined the roundness of the hoop and made it so it is more oval than circular as the hoop is the first thing to impact the ground when it falls. So, I go out there to put the stand back up and get it off of the street back onto the sidewalk. I start pushing up on the post to raise it back up when a tremendous sheet of water (Freezing cold water!) pours down on top of my head and down my back! It surely knocked the sleepyness right out of me. I guess it rained a bit after the stand fell down, and the back of the backboard had trapped about a gallon of water in it of which every ounce of it must have hit me on the head. BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR. :)
February 05
Zinger
Occasionally, even in Sunday school, the class-clown in me rears its goofy head. Last Sunday, Brother Fife was teaching the Gospel Doctrine class. He was discussing how Nephi made tools out of ore. He went on to discuss the procedure to make steel, which involves slow and moderate heating to increase the hardness and toughness of metal. He said that through repeated pounding, the impurities are then removed. This was the moment that I interjected-- "That was what my dad did to me when I was growing up" (Sorry dad, you know I cant help it. The joker in me won out) This cracked the class up, and my work there was done. :) Even LeAnn, who has become a bit jaded with my humor over the last 14 years couldnt help laughing.
Coat of many colors
For family home evening last night, LeAnn taught the story of Joseph and the coat of many colors to the kids. It was a great lesson. As she discussed how his brothers sold him to merchants, I asked if any of the kids would every sell one of their brothers or sisters. I look over at Jaylin and she says: "YES!" I then asked who she would sell and she states: "AUSTIN!" I asked her then how much she would sell him for. "20 dollars!" She explains. To which Austin replied that he would sell Jaylin for just one dollar. LeAnn is laughing her head off at this time. Jaylin continued on and said she would sell Autumn for $1000. Then I was curious how much I would be worth. (I should have kept my mouth shut) She goes on to say that she would give me away for FREE. Ouch! She is just cracking herself up and laughing maniacally. Then as I feigned tears, LeAnn asked how much Jaylin would sell her for. She said she would never sell her mom! She looked over at me and my fake crying and LeAnn asked if Jaylin would really give me away for free. She then raised the price to 132 million. So that made me feel MUCH better! :)
