All is well

It is such a sweet feeling to accomplish a goal you've been working on for a long time. Sweeter still is the feeling of accomplishing two goals. This week is one of those weeks for me. First, I received good news from the Utah Bar Association - I passed the exam! And just a few minutes ago I tested the new backflow preventer in the sprinkler system, which I've been trying to install for the past 3 or 4 weekends, and it worked without a hitch! (I had to wait until today to test it because a couple of the joints required a 24-hour drying period.) Somewhere, some place, somebody is having a really rotten day to bring cosmic balance to the universe but for now I will not think about that somebody if that's all right with you. At choir today we sang "Rejoice the Lord is King!" Even though I was the only bass present, the choir was satisfied with my volume.

The night before the letter came I was tempted to go out and check the mailbox. But because it is a bit of a walk (we have one central mailbox for the whole block located around the corner from us) and it was late I decided it could wait until morning. Furthermore, I didn't want to risk a fitful sleep as a result of any bad news. Tis better, I thought, to fall asleep dreaming of a good letter appearing like a giant present under the Christmas tree. (I never would have made it as a Who down in Whoville, if you catch my drift.)

Erika and I went on a hot date to a secluded restaurant on the other side of the mountain to celebrate the passing of the bar exam. That is, we went to the Blue Boar Inn located in Heber Valley.

Erika's big blue boar

a crab appetizer Erika sampled at the Blue Boar Inn

Erika and her fellow Inspiration Sisters had their monthly Inspirational Brunch a couple of weeks ago. The Inspiration Sisters, in case you're wondering, are a group of four particularly positive, nurturing ladies in our ward. Basically, they get together to have brunch at each other's houses, share uplifting, inspirational thoughts and talk about them. They also watch out for each other in general.

The Inspiration Sisters at their Inspirational Brunch

The week before last the boys and I attended a Science Night at Jordan Ridge elementary, which was sponsored by our local PTA. The mad scientist (from the Mad Science labs) who entertained us at Thomas's birthday party marveled us again with several new science demos. The PTA served us cake and ice cream afterwards.

Matthew and Thomas aspire to be as mad as this mad scientist

Yesterday the boys and I went on an excursion around Oquirrh Lake (our local neighborhood lake). They wanted to try out their new sneaker/skates, which convert to skates with the touch a couple buttons. They also wanted to see me spin around in my old roller blades, which I've had in cold storage since my missionary years. We saw plenty of people fishing and Matthew commented that when a fish dies it gets X's on its eyes so he was eager to see one. We did find a dead fish floating in the lake. Someone pulled it out with a net and Matthew checked its eyes for X's.

In addition to fixing the aforementioned sprinklers, I recently fixed the garage door opener. For some unknown reason it had stopped working. Upon investigation I discovered that the wire from the sensor to the motor had been cut. Recalling a recent discovery of some other wires in the house that Matthew had cut with my wire strippers, I immediately interrogated Matthew on the subject. He denied any responsibility, but I told him I was unconvinced. I would later have to apologize for those words because after further investigation I concluded that the garage door itself was the true culprit. The loose wire had caught on the door when it was coming up. Erika's recollection of a snapping sound and the frayed look of the severed ends of the wire confirmed this. Matthew was gracious enough to forgive me.