Mad Lib

We've been doing a spate of Mad Libs, and our collective favorite was this gem by Lucy:

RULES FOR RIDING THE SCHOOL BUS

1. Every morning, your bus runs a tall route, so you must be sure that you arrive at your local elephant early.

2. While waiting, do not cha-cha in the middle of the street. You might get run over by a sleepy potty.

3. When you see the bus, wave your nose.

4. Before boarding, make sure you have all of your hard books and your lunch can.

5. When you board the bus, do not push or jostle any of the smaller ants. Go to the nearest empty seat and pull.

6. Do not talk to the pumpkin while the bus is in motion.

7. Do not throw doors at the other students.

8. Instead of wasting time by riding, use the trip to study your fires.

9. Follow these rules and you will have a blue ride and arrive happily at your bumpy school.

Back for More

At the end of September I flew back out to BYU to attend a conference for LDS lawyers. The conference, while inspiring and worthwhile in its own right, really served as a plausible excuse to visit Utah, attend General Conference, and see lots of family. Coming on the heels of a Goodwin-side reunion over the summer, you'd think that another trip out west would produce diminishing returns.

And you'd be very wrong. The trip was an almost endless string of uncommon pleasures, not least of which was the fellowship of good people, both new and familiar.

I have found my people in the J. Reuben Clark Law Society, surely one of the brightest and most faithful groups of saints to be had anywhere in the church. I came away from the two-day conference actually inspired about being a lawyer--no mean feat--and proud to be associated with such kind and dedicated men and women. The highlight of the conference was an early morning hike to sing hymns and watch the sunrise up at Stewart Falls.

Provo Canyon in the fall was more beautiful than I'd remembered. I've been away too long.

The other great feature of the trip was the opportunity to see so many uncles, aunts and cousins, some of whom I hadn't seen in the better part of a decade. My trip had the good fortune to coincide with a visit from my Mom, giving occasion for a Jan family mini-reunion with all the Broughs and Hsus.

[Pictured below: Jennifer, Brittany, Brian, Me, Jessica, Mish, and Jacob]

Cementing the trip as a Very Good Thing, I managed to snag tickets to two sessions of General Conference. A year ago Mish and I tried to get into conference on stand-by, but ended up in a wing of the conference center reserved for trouble-makers. This year we cleaned up our act and watched conference from the balcony. As usual, Mish was good, stoic company.

Saturday evening I managed to get a hold of my Uncle Bob between business trips, giving us the chance to catch up against the backdrop of Priesthood Session. I hadn't seen my uncle in almost twelve years, so it was very good to hear how he, my Aunt Liz, and all my Goodwin cousins were doing. Uncle Bob is my Dad's only sibling, so it was very good to see him.

I was only in town for about three days, but what a wonderful trip. A guy could get used to this.

For all you far-away loved ones

Some birthdays, a state fair, climbing rocks, lots of mushroom-hunting.

Learning to ride a bike, reading Dr. Seuss, a giant flag, more mushrooms.

Camping, first day of school, fingerpainting, a soccer cake.