The Birthday Job

My wife is a pretty amazing woman. Today was her birthday you know. At our age birthdays get increasingly less exciting and almost dreaded at time. That must be why we get presents, to add some silver lining.

Well, this birthday was a little different. My cousin, who we haven't seen all summer, called me up and asked me if Wendi would appreciate a surprise visit on her birthday. It was an awesome idea to surprise Wendi with so we started planning the surprise. Well things didn't work out and the trip was in jeopardy of getting canceled, but like a champ my cousin came through and the trip was back on.

I also learned that my Uncle (who is almost like a father to me) was also going to be in town this weekend. Could it be possible? A double surprise birthday visit from our Arizona loved ones? It was almost too much to wish for.

It was a tough secret to keep, and apparently I didn't do a good enough job at hiding my excitement as I found out later that Wendi "knew something was up". I think she just plain knows me too well.

So we scheduled early dinne,r with my cousin that lives in town, at Tucanos. It's practically a tradition for us all to eat there now. Right before we are about to leave there is a knock at the door. Somehow the door got locked and the person was unable to enter so Wendi had to go open the door. There stood Wayne in all his surprise glory bearing gifts. Yes, Wendi cried. I was so proud of myself, and grateful to Wayne for making this happen for her.

But there was still one more surprise. I was worried that somebody would mention something but everything went perfect as I could have every hoped for. Jen and Todd, along with my secret aunt and uncle surprise, made it to Tucanos before us. We showed up a bit later because of BYU traffic and they had already been seated. We were looking through the restaraunt looking for them and when we turned the corner...BAM... surprise number 2. My Uncle Roy and Aunt Ruth were there waiting for us to join them. It was so perfect.

In the end, what could have turned out to be a normal hum-drum birthday turned out to be one of the most memorable birthdays to date. We got to spend much of the day with my Aunt, Uncle, two of my Cousins and their families. In a word, it was Amazing!!

I would like to thank Wayne, Roy, Ruth, Linda, Todd and Jen for making this birthday so special. You have given Wendi a better birthday gift than I ever could. And I doubt that I will ever be able to top this one. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you!

Why Pepsi is better than Coke.

Everybody who is anybody has enjoyed a soft drink once in their life. And whether you drank it because you wanted to fit in with the new generation or because you think polar bears know which cola tastes best, you had to choose one for yourself.

It seems to me that most restaurants have chosen Coca-Cola products over Pepsi products. It may have something to do with the discounted price that Coke is willing to give them on supplies. It may also have something to do with polar bears. Who is to say really?

To all you restaurant owners out there I would like to present to you why you should carry Pepsi products instead of Coke.

~ Reason #1 - Mountain Dew

It is so refreshing and delicious. Coke doesn't have it. It doesn't have anything like it. Okay, somebody will probably try to argue "but Coke makes 'Mellow Yellow' which is almost the same thing!" Well I have one thing to say to you surfer shirt wearing, parachute pants owning, nancy boy...PUT DOWN THE NINTENDO JOYSTICK AND GO OUTSIDE ONCE IN AWHILE!! While you're at it take a bath, you smell like the 80's died in your arms tonight.

~ Reason #2 - Same Flavors

In case you haven't noticed they both have similar tasting soft drink flavors. This is because whenever Pepsi comes up with a new flavor (Cola for instance) Coke immediately gets to work copying it. Here is a small sampling.

Coke Pepsi

Coca-Cola--------------Pepsi
Diet Coke--------------Diet Pepsi
Cherry Coke-----------Pepsi Wild Cherry
Mr. Pibb---------------Dr. Pepper
Sprite------------------7 Up
Barq's Root Beer-------Mug Root Beer

~ Reason #3 - Blind Taste Test

Blind testers don't lie. They say that when you loose one of your 6 senses your others ones heighten to compensate. That's why they use the blind for taste testing, that and they can't cheat by looking at the cans.

In a recent taste test 50% of the people chose Pepsi. I'll let you think about that for a minute. How much money would you make if half of the people in the world bought Pepsi from your restaurant?

~ Reason #4 - Patriotism

These days we need to band together and support US companies and US jobs. You don't get much more American that Pepsi. They slap the colors of the American flag on every can. It's like a delicious glass of freedom chilled in the Rockies in every glass. What does Coke have to say about that? What do they have on their cans? That's right, red and white. That sounds more like the Japanese flag to me, and we all know who they supported in WW2. That's just a tall glass of sadness right there.

~ Reason #5 - The Magic Word

Somebody once taught me that if somebody asks nicely you should do it. I don't remember who, but that isn't really what's important here. I would like to take this opportunity to ask you, the restaurant owners, a question. Pretty please, with sugar and whip cream and cherries and chocolate on top, will you please carry Pepsi products in your restaurant please?

I appreciate your efforts in making this country a better place to eat, and I know you will make the right decision.

Sincerely,
James

What I did last summer is...

What I did last summer.

I stayed in a lot playing video games. Call of Duty, Modern Warfare II came out and I earned enough doing odd jobs to buy it. Me and my brother and my friend played it lots. I also got Starcraft II and played that a lot too. I'm pretty good at both as usual.

I also tried working on my car. I'm not as good at that.

I went with my family to Lagoon. It was crowded. Lots of people were walking around and standing in lines waiting for rides. The Tigers were very sad. The train was very slow. We had fun.

I had a birthday. We had a party. My best friends came over to give me presents and eat my cake. It was fun to play with my friends.

We went to Saint George with my Brother. It was hot. We visited Brigham Young's house. He wasn't there. We learned that Saint George was named after a guy named George Albert Smith. He had been given the nickname "Potato Saint" at the time. I'm glad my nickname is Captain Awesome instead. I swimmed in the pool every day.

I worked a lot. My brain hurts from all of the work.

In conclusion my summer was fun. I only wish that I could have dug up a dinosaur bone like my goal was. Maybe next year.