In Other News...

A few weeks ago we had our annual trip to Colorado for the 4th of July. These trips always proved to be full of four things:
1 - Family
2 - Food
3 - Fireworks
4 - Funny Stories

This year was no exception. Besides lighting off one firework that was called, "The Instigator", (that was 2 feet wide and 8 feet long), I came away with a fantastic Max Story.

Max is my nephew. He is 3 years old, and one of the most conversationalist people you will EVER meet. If you engage him in talking, bracket out about an hour of your day to follow through with him.

Now, because he is still only 3 years old, there are two things that you would rightly assume about him. The first is that he is very inquisitive, constantly asking questions to learn about everything around him. The second thing is that he is still pretty impressionable and you have to be careful what you tell him. Here is a case in point.

We were driving from one place to another and I happened to be in the back seat with young Max enjoying the day. He was all safe, all snug in his car seat and I was reading a book called, "Consent to Kill" by Vince Flynn. (Excellent book if you like the whole counter-terrorism genre).

Max saw that I was deeply immersed into my book, so he asked what I was reading. As I started to tell him the title, his wise father, Erik spoke over me and told Max that the title of the book was "Consent to Tickle."

This seemed to satisfy Max for a total of 2 seconds. He then asked, "What's it about Uncle Zach?"

I proceeded to tell him that one man had been paid a lot of money to go and tickle another man, but the other man did NOT want to be tickled at all. Sadly, the second man's wife was tickled instead and he was not happy. Not in the least. So he set out to tickle the first man.

Erik then interjected his comments regarding my synopsis of the book. He said, "Way to go Zach...you took it from violence to homo-erotic."

I'll never get it right.

On another note, let me invite you to check out my Aunt's new blog:

Wild Oats and Aprons
My Aunt Tanna has put together a lot of whole-grain and healthy type recipes. I don't cook outside of microwave and....well...that's it. But if you have any interest in cooking healthy at all...check out the blog.

Random Thoughts

I'm currently sitting in the Days Inn of Galliano, LA. I've been down here for just over a week, enjoying the humidity and heat that is The South. Surprisingly, I have never actually been this far south in the States, and have quite enjoyed learning about this whole new world that, (frankly put), most people don't understand. The biggest thing that I have come to finally understand is the term, "Southern Hospitatlity". It is truly amazing how nice these people are.
The other day, my buddy and I were in the laundromat getting some clothes cleaned, and a couple of local ladies that were there doing their own loads came over and asked us if we would like to join them for lunch, as they had brough way too much for just themselves. We had just finished a big meal, so we politely declined. However, they came back 4 times to make sure we weren't hungry.

I was telling this story to one of the guys down here that we have been working with, a local, and he kind of laughed when I told him how genuinely NICE these ladies had been. He then said, "Well...we really don't know any other way to be down here."

It's really impressive how they have taken the Savior's teaching of "Love Thy Neighbor" to heart.

Some other things I have been up to include:
I've been on the Tabasco Tour (twice).

I've seen alligators in the wild.

I've been eaten by a large, novelty alligator.

Tried some amazing Cajun/Southern/Bayou foods, (i.e. crawfish, boudin, cracklins', shrimp, alligator, etc.)

And I am currently playing a role in helping stop some oil leak that occurred down here a couple months ago.

Yes, it's true...I lead quite the life.

From the personal aspect of life, you probably already know that I am once again single. I wish I could convey to you exactly what happened...but I am at a loss for words. There is nothing even remotely bad that I could say about Rebekah. She is a wonderful, caring, fantastic person. It just didn't work out.

Since then, I have taken a sabbatical from dating. A week or so after I became single, a friend of mine wanted to set me up. At first I was gung-ho about it, but after the initial suggestion, I started feeling sick about dating. It had nothing to do with the person I was getting set up with...heck, I didn't even meet her or learn much about her besides her name and age. I just couldn't stomach the idea of dating again.

I've tried. I have given everything I can think of to trying to find someone to settle down with. I have tried jumping in with both feet...I have tried being aloof. I have heard that it's when you DON'T expect it, that things happen, so I went about not expecting it. I have prayed for it, sought for it, chased it, and was chased by it. Save a two year break where I served a mission, I have given 18 years to the dating game...and I don't even want to know how much money I have spent.

So for now...I am done. If you ask to set me up, expect my answer to be "No". It is nothing personal...it's just the way things are for now. I need to do this for me.

That's all...I think I am going to read a book.