I love this time of year. But this year, I love it for some different reasons.

I love Fall because it is the season of college football, and if you know me and my family, we LOVE the Cougars. But Cougar football is not what this post is about.

Fall is also the season for two of my sons PLAYING football. I can't think of anything I enjoy more than going to games and practices and watching my boys put on the pads/flags and get out there and have fun!

I have even subjected myself to being the coach of said teams. Last year, I was the head coach and offensive coordinator for Alex (10) and this year I am the offensive coordinator of Isaac's (6) team.

On Thursday at Isaac's game, things went really well for our team. We jumped off to a quick lead and we were totally owning our opponents. I felt like we could do anything against these guys. We put different kids in different positions. We ran crazy plays. Everything we attempted ended up in a touchdown.

The other team: nothing. Our defense continued to shut them down, play after play. In seeing the discouragement on the other teams' coaches and players faces, I determined that this was nothing new for them. It was obvious they hadn't seen much success throughout the season. It was tough to see other 6 year olds feeling a little discouraged.

So, towards the end of the game, I met with our team's other coach, and we decided we were going to help the other team out. We met in the huddle with our boys and asked if they were having fun! "YES" came the unanimous yell. We then discussed that we didn't think the other team was having as much fun because they hadn't scored (we learned later they hadn't scored all season). We asked the boys how they would feel if we helped them score a touchdown. EVERY boy shook his head in agreement that this is an idea they could support. They didn't care about the score. They were having fun and they wanted the other boys to have fun as well.

Operation "Don't pull the flag" was about to begin.

I walked over to the coach of the other team and I whispered to him, "Just run the ball."

I turned to Jenny. "Watch this."

The ball was snapped. The clumsy 6 year old handed the ball off to the closest guy. He started to run towards the outside. Our defense swarmed him like they had done all day, but then, something special happened. One boy dove purposefully towards the runner but obviously missed. The rest of our team collapsed on the runner, but instead of pulling the flag, they surrounded him and, not knowing what else to do, ran WITH HIM down the field. Our defense was the running back's own personal escort.

To the 15, the 10, the 5, touchdown!

The sidelines erupted.

The parents of the other team jumped to their feet cheering hysterically! Then our parents started to understand what had happened and they joined in the cheering. The other coaches ran to their players and embraced all of them. And then the players.... they celebrated like they just got every Christmas present they ever put on their wish list.

And our players just sat and watched. And smiled.

I glanced over at Jenny who understood what just happened. She had tears in her eyes.

I never thought one of the best moments as a coach would be watching another team score on our defense.

It was definitely something special.

Holy cow it has been a long time since we blogged. Sincerest apologies. This is what summer does to us in this house. Fortunately, things are settling down a bit and you will hear from us more often.

Last week, Happily Ever After Video and two weddings at the Logan temple on one day. Neither had receptions attached, so we decided to load the whole family up and spend the night in Cache Valley. Well, with a name like that (Cache Valley), we decided it was an omen to discover our 100th cache here.

For those you who don't know about what I speak, here is a short explanation. My family is totally addicted to geocaching. Geocaching is a high tech form of treasure hunting utilizing GPS navigation, hints, maps, recent logs, etc. all to find hidden treasure planted by fellow cachers all over the globe. It is a super fun activity that every member of the family can enjoy.

So, below is a tribute of some of our favorite caching adventures!












Our first cache placement.
First Geocoin!

So do you know where you want to be buried?

I do.

Morbid? Maybe...

Every family has their favorite vacation spot...

Ever since I was a little boy, my family has annually visited Island Park, Idaho. It started out just taking trips to Yellowstone to see the animals and geysers. But over the years, our travels to this part of the world have become a tradition and a staple which I hope are never exhausted.

In the beginning, we would simply overnight it in a local West Yellowstone hotel. Today, our family (mom and dad) own four, wonderful condos at the Island Park Village Resort where we experience every luxury. The resort has a pool, tennis courts, golf course, a variety of rental programs, racquetball, and even ping pong. My kids also engage in the weekly craft gatherings to the playing of every board (bored) game under the sun.

Island Park is a heavily wooded, mountainous area which experiences perfect 70 degree temperatures in the summer. Here, streams around every bend meander their way through one pristine meadow after another. Animals such as moose, deer, elk, and even bear wander freely and uninhibited. Fishing is ideal. ATV'ers are spoiled with trails that lead everywhere and nowhere. The air is crisp and fresh, which, when accompanied with the surreal Island Park surroundings, rejuvenate the soul.

One could simply sit on the porch and watch the sun set and feel.... overwhelmingly.... satisfied.

Complete.

I love it here. I want to grow old in this place. And yes, I want Island Park to house my final resting spot as well!

This last week we finished up another successful vacation as a family at Island Park and like all our vacations, the days went by too fast. I need this place to be a little more permanent!

I guess it's back to counting down the days till our return next year.

Thanks mom and dad, for introducing me and my family to this part of the world and enabling our frequent return. Island Park is a legacy you have fostered which I intend to share with my family and we will always be grateful to you for the many wonderful experiences you have facilitated.

You will always be remembered for your loving generosity. We love you!

(Matt here)

Adolf Hitler was kind of a trouble maker.

In 1923, Hitler attempted his first overthrowing of the German government. He was unsuccessful and his attempt landed him in jail for "political crimes". While imprisoned, he decided he would document his struggles in an autobiographical book titled "Mein Kampf", which is German for "My Struggle". Simply put, it is in this book that he laid out his agenda for all that he deemed good, how to realize such euphoric goodness in his surrounding environment, and finally, how to terminate that which didn't quite fit into his Utopian game plan.

His Struggle.

He wrote a book on it.

So what is your struggle? Could you write a book about it?

Hey! One big whine session! Fantastic...

So, this post today is entitled "Mein Kampf" because I am going to let you all in on a little piece of my psyche.

I had a friend a long time ago. A dear, dear friend. I haven't seen this friend now for quite some time. This friend was special because he always made me feel so good about myself. I wanted to spend all day with this friend, once I really got to know said friend. It wasn't easy at first, but after a while, this friend and I REALLY hit it off. If I went one day without seeing this friend, the day was just all the harder and I couldn't wait to see said friend as soon as possible.

Don't you wish you had such a friend?

Well, so do I. Again, I haven't seen this friend for ages and I desperately miss this friends company.

So, who is this friend you ask?

Said friend's name is: (drum roll.........)

Exercise.

There was a time about a year ago, I was running everyday. I never felt better! I lost a lot of weight and things were going my way. I ran a 10k. I was actually fitting into my pants and even having to go buy skinnier ones. I cared about what I ate and meals didn't simply consist of everything. I had time to go to the gym.

The hard work was really quite blissful and I have never felt better.

I guess thats what feeling healthy does to you. I hardly remember. It has been too long...

So what is your "Mein Kampf"? Well, mine is exercise. I need to get back on the horse. I need to rededicate myself. I need to make it happen and become reacquainted with my long lost friend that could prolong my life so I can spend more years with my grandbabies. I mean, seriously, is there anything more important that that?

So, I am not sure where this post is going from here, but I will say that I am going to call my old friend this week and see if said friend wants to get together sometime....

I'll tell said friend you said hi, that is, if this friend will take me back.

I am addicted to facebook. I admit it. I check my phone for updates all the time. I love seeing what other people are doing and I enjoy all the sarcasm and humor.

However.

Some people don't get it. They don't understand what facebook is. Or what the purpose is. It is where we publish superficial tidbits about our lives for those around us. That's it. Girls night out is a better place to discuss the disfunctionalities of our lives. Not the world wide web. I sometimes wonder if some people realize anyone could be reading their comments...

So I wrote a list to help. Here it is. Take it or leave it.

1. Thou shalt not whine.
OK. We all have bad days. Crappy things happen. Fine, tell us. We're your friends and we want to know. This is for those people who continually post their woe-is-me status updates day after day after day... you know the type.
2. Thou shalt not publish thy dirty laundry.
Facebook is not the place to tell the world about the fight you're having with your husband. Period. Call your therapist.
3. Thou shalt not call names.
Are we really in Junior High again? C'mon. (Of course, name calling in jest or when funny is acceptable, but if you're not sure, don't do it)
4. Thou shalt not publish your bedroom escapades.
Need I go into this one?
5. Thou shalt attempt humor once in a while.
Now I am neither funny nor witty, but I try. In this arena, go for it. The standard "I went to the park. I love chocolate. I am a mom. I work at Zions Bank.." Boring. Jazz it up a little. Give it a whirl. With practice, you may become that funny person you always wanted to be.
6. Thou shalt publish a variety of topics.
At the risk of offending someone, I have some friends who post about the same thing every day. I don't even read their posts anymore. Move along. Next subject.
7. Thou shalt comment on other statuses.
You don't have to comment on everyone. But some statuses sometimes. We all like to be acknowledged. It only takes a minute so just do it.
8. Thou shalt use caution in publishing personal information.
This is the world wide web. Be smart. No phone number or address listings.
9. Thou shalt have a facebook account if your kids do.
Now this is mainly for parents of teenagers. Just another way to spy on your kids. Don't act like you don't want to.
10. Thou shalt not accept all friend requests.
This is more of a rule than a commandment. It's OK to say no. You don't know the person? You don't like them? Say no. It's all right.

So there it is. I got that off my chest. Whew. I feel better now.

My cell phone rang. My friend, Kelly, was on the other line. "Clark's house is on fire."

Clark is the owner and primary photographer of Swensen Photography. I have worked with him for over a decade and he is truly a wonderful guy. He is genuinely funny and his photography is exceptional. He has been very successful in marketing his artistic ability and I enjoy every opportunity I get to work with him on a wedding.

"Clark's house is on fire."

When I heard this devastating news, I rushed to his home, I wasn't sure why, but I went anyway. Outside his residence, I found hundreds of Clark's friends and family all trying to give him comfort and show support, but failing in the ability to formulate such emotions. There just weren't words.

I was standing next to Clark when the fire chief approached him and declared, "There isn't a lot of time, but if you want to try to get something out of the house, now is your chance." He and Clark scurried towards the house and a few minutes later, out he came with two soaking wet computers and 8 TB of storage. In four hands rested years of his work. Hundreds of shoots. Thousands of images. All threatened by the flames that had destroyed Clark's home and the world wide headquarters of Swensen Photography. Clark handed them to me and a few others and pleaded "See what you can do." Back Clark went to do whatever one does when one's house is burning and we went to work, happy that we finally had something to do.

Long story short. The pictures were salvaged.

But Clark's images aren't what this post is about. Not really anyway.

When I first arrived on the scene and saw Clark. I didn't know what to say. I simply walked up to him and gave him a hug. As I searched for words of comfort that would mean anything at this terrible hour, Clark, in his happy-go-lucky way, asked, "So, how are the twins?"

You're kidding me.

"WHO CARES!" I wanted to yell at him! My twins? Who cares about my twins!? Your house is on fire. Everything you own is burning to the ground. Everything. 100% loss. And you are wondering how my twins are? Hello!?

But then I thought, how amazing is Clark for thinking that. When all was lost, he inquired about me and that which was important in my life.

There is more.

As I watched Clark for the next few hours on that night he consistently remained upbeat. He smiled at family and friends. When new people arrived, he was genuinely happy to see them. I stood and watched in awe as Clark hugged and greeted everyone around in the foreground of utter devestation. It was truly amazing.

How would I respond? How would I react. When the fire chief approached me, what would I say or grab? What do I consider my most priceless possessions? Clark grabbed images. Not just his own, but all his clients, who, in a way, had become part of the Swensen Photography family. For Clark, nothing was really THAT important. He knew his family was safe, and it was this knowledge that was the glue that, I believe, kept Clark from falling apart on that night. We can lose everything, but when we have family, we can overcome anything. Clark showed me this on that night.

It has been a week and I had the opportunity to shoot with Clark again today. His happy-go-lucky self emanated through every action and word. The fire hadn't phased him a bit. Of course, it had caused a few speed bumps in the life of Clark, but when asked how he was doing...
his response FLOORED me....

"It has been the best thing that has ever happened to us."

I was stunned.

He went on to say, (paraphrasing) "There have been so many miracles that my family has witnessed. We have had so many family and friends offer their love and support, it has just been an amazing experience to be the recipients of everyone's acts of love and kindness. My family and I will never be the same."

... in a good way.

I guess life entails happiness, but then we will all face difficulty and even tragedy. I have learned something invaluable from Clark today. Regardless of what happens to us or how difficult things can sometimes get, it is important to keep one thing in mind...

Perspective.