Mindless Thoughts From The Male Perspective

2010-07-21T12:27:00.001-07:00

Disney' Beauty & The Beast. July 22-24th & 29-31st. Snowflake Az 7pm (2pm Matinee July 24th) COME AND SEE THE MAGIC!

I need a friend

2009-10-28T20:56:00.001-07:00

Hey all! Guess what....?!?!!

Im the special HALLOWEEN guest!!! SO good!!!

2009-10-27T22:12:00.001-07:00

Its SNOWING!!! I love living here

2009-10-08T16:37:00.001-07:00

sitting at disneyland wondering why i dont live here... there is something about this place; maybe its the nostalga maybe its the music, but it truly is magic.

Holy recap batman!

2009-08-07T16:20:00.000-07:00

So, for those that even look at this anymore...you know the 2 of you....life has been out of contol! We have been so busy but blessed, so life is good. Work has been super hectic, but we are FINALLY staffed and there is training...so basically there is light at the end of the tunnel. In personal news, we bought a house! We moved in 4th of July weekend. Its a beauty! We are so excited. Its a brand new house that was custom built for someone, but they fell through on the loan. With the economy the way it is, the house just sat there with the price dropping and dropping, then we found it and BAM! insta-house!

So, this pic was taken before construction was completely finished, its actually painted a dark chocolate with a yellowish trim. Im not inlove with the trim, but who cares. My days are now full of working, then going home and painting rooms, and landscaping. LOVE IT! ITs a 4 bed 2 bath with a HUGE kitchen, granite counters, and bathrooms, raised ceilings and tile floors. Its beautiful, and ours! Buahahahahahhahahahaaaaaaaaa.... I will upload a updated picture sometime soon.

As for Jewel and Jack, life is good. Jack is now almost 5 months! crazy! He is so funny he can sit up now and has such a random personality, if he loves something he wants you to do it over and over and over...if you stop...then comes INTENSE screaming.... sigh...he is my son....its obvious.

Jewel is getting ready for the school year to start with her new piano students. She is really excited for that. Its been a while since she taught, and i think she misses that. She hasnt blogged in ever because we havent gotten internet set up on the house yet..but by the end of the summer..she will be all over it! :)

As for me...just working like crazy and playing with the new house. I did get a new phone..which i alluded to in a previous post. Its all fancy schmancy:

Its a touch screen with internet and all kinds of cool gizmos. Its holding me over until Verizon carries the iphone, which i hear is next year. I would have it now, but AT&T doesnt work in Snowflake...sigh..... Im sure Jewel hates this phone, im always playing with it..but hey, i got a toy... yaaay!

Well, thats about it for now. :) I will share more later. :)

2009-08-01T13:49:00.001-07:00

Does anyone know how to blog photos from a phone?

2009-07-18T12:28:00.001-07:00

So i am just checking to see if this works... i am catching up with the times and am finally phone blogging.

Spending some "tummy time" with dad

2009-03-21T18:01:00.000-07:00

He's here!!!

2009-03-18T22:42:00.000-07:00

Ok ladies and gentlemen.... this is going to be increadibly brief. I am EXHAUSTED but i thought i would share a moment from the **New & Improved** Busch Family.

Thats us with our newest member of the family. Jack Gordon Busch. He was born on March 16th 2009 at 1:08pm. 9lb 14.8oz (HUUUUGE!) 22.5 inches. Both he and mom are happy and healthy.
Here is a closer shot of the poster child of amazing! He so mellow and cute and freakishly strong. He can hold up his head alot and beats most in an arm wrestling match. Its ridiculous!

I will post more later, but i thought i would throw this out there.. :) ENJOY!!

New Look, New Family

2009-03-15T20:29:00.000-07:00

Well today has been a long day. Jewel was having some pretty hard contractions (still is) but they just arent regular enough. Its kinda ironic, the past weeks she has had them regular, but not strong enough. Then today...well i guess its opposite day. We have given our soon-to-be son an eviction notice. If he doesnt make his way out of the womb by Monday, we are going in after him. Well tomorrow is eviction day. I am pretty excited, but i am REALLY excited for Jewel to be comfortable again. The past few weeks have been so draining on her, he really is a Busch; "sucking dry" his parents. ha ha. anyways. Next posting will have some exciting news! Stay tuned.

Also, today i was so bored that I learned how to customize and make my blog page all shiney. tell me what you think. :)

David After the Dentist

2009-03-11T15:01:00.000-07:00

This kid is dang funny.

Its like a religion!!!

2009-03-09T23:09:00.001-07:00

So, i wrote this blog back in January and never posted it. I didnt even finish it, i lost alot of dang funny material over the past few weeks, but i thought i would post it anyways. PLEASE IN JEST post some dang funny experiences in the comment section. We could all use a good laugh. :)

***Disclaimer*** This blog is sole in jest, if this is applicable to you, please laugh....ok here goes....I love my wife. I love my wife being pregnant. Its amazing to see the progression of this miracle right before my eyes. As we approach the home stretch, it seems only fitting to be filled with the feelings of excitment, joy, nervousness, fear, hope and basically any emotion on the spectrum of life.This is our first child, which means that everything is up in the air right now for us, our entire life is going to change drastically in the next short while. Its not going to be easy, i get that, but despite all the trauma that ensues, darn it i am excited! And i dont care, i have every rite to be!As the pregancy has progressed, i have learned something. Giving birth is a religion. I have never seen a topic that is so personal and important to anyone in my life next to religion, therefore ergo, i link them together in this blog. Here is my problem though...Every person that has ever had children in their lives feels a deep natural instinct to press their opinons, beliefs, strategies and horror stories on us incessantly. I cant handle it! True story, about once a day (or 30 if its sunday) we get cornered by someone who is the end all be all guru of pregancy, delivering babies and rasing said infants. I love to hear peoples thoughts, but IF WE ARE GOING TO DO SOMETHING OUR WAY.....LET US! Holy cow. Its a never ending battle that no matter what i say, i will lose on. If people find out that we are doing this natural we are idiots, or they try to justify why they were an exception to the case and HAD to have meds. Here it goes (as i see my self loosing all my friends...) I DONT CARE! I dont judge you, i dont think "Oh, you had a c-section" or "epidural...tisk tisk". To each his own. The real miracle is that you have joined hands with your spouse and Heavenly Father in this miraculous act of bringing a life into the world. HOW that baby exits the mother, doesnt really matter to me. But for some reason people feel the need to force you to believe what they believe, and even if you do believe what they believe then they say things like "Oh, you have no idea what you are getting into". Sometimes i feel like people just want to fight me and belittle me because i am not officially in the "club".

Case in point:

Random person: "So, are you excited for the baby?"
Steve: "Yes, i cant wait to meet the little guy!"
Random person: "Oh, you say that now, but wait till he comes out, you will be begging stick him back in, enjoy it while you can!"

I ask myself, if its such drama, why have you had 25 trillion kids??!?!

Yet another "winner"

Random Person: "So, are you going to have it natural or epidural?"
Steve: "Well, we are planning on trying to do this all natural."
Random Person: "Oh, i tried that...dumbest thing ever, my husband kept telling me what to do and how to breathe, i told him to sit down and leave me alone. He had no clue what i was going through, and i didnt want him telling me what to do. Just because the "xxxxxx-method" says that he should say it, he said it...I DIDNT ASK HIM TO SAY IT! I was so annoyed with him. Now he just sits in the corner with each kid and stays out of the way.
"My suggestion, is let her do what she needs to do, you are no help. If she asks for your help, do what she asks, but other than that, let a woman take care of what she is meant to do"

HOW RIDICULOUS! If that is how it happened for you, FINE but not all of us are angry bitter loud mouthed people who have a chip on their shoulder from giving birth. SOME OF US ARE EXCITED AND FEEL BLESSED TO BE IN THIS SITUATION! Im just sayin...whatev...

Another good one was seeing two "hens" get their feathers ruffled when one was talking about how terrible her labor was. The other had to one up her with stories of back labor. Then the first upped the antie with stories of her water breaking at work. It went on for a while. In the end the louder one won...but i am sorry...YOU BOTH MADE A HUMAN! HI-5!!!

Alright, well i think this can all be summed up with a button that my friend Claire wore when she was expecting: "Only Happy Birth Stories Please"

Oh the steps one takes in moments of desperation...

2009-03-09T22:48:00.000-07:00

This picture about sums it up. So most of you know, my wife Jewel is past due with our first son. "Cleatus the Fetus" (DISCLAIMER...once outside of her fertile womb garden his name will change...) Well, long story short read her blog here to see what actually has happened.... BUT i would like to share a particularly WEIRD practice that we attempted called "Curbing". I have never in my life been more open to any hoey fooey hippy dancing tree huggin technique when it comes to getting that baby out. We have basically tried it all, save actual medical induction. This "curbing" though, takes the cake. basically all you do is walk quickly with one leg on the sidewalk and one leg on the street as you straddle the curb. This movement is supposed to really open your hips and help speed things along. Well we tried it, alot. We went fast, we went slow, we tried on the left foot, we tried on the right. all we got was alot of laughs and no baby. I even joined in to help motivate her. She said she felt so stupid. I thought i would help to prove to her that it wasnt stupid. As we see from the picture...oh i was way off...THAT IS THE STUPIDEST THING I HAVE DONE IN...well days...i dont want to talk about it. You all know me, i ooze stupid ideas... anywho, i am mostly posting this picture so people might get a good laugh. Yep, we are adults playing in a parking lot. Dont be jealous...

The new "el nino"

2009-02-15T15:18:00.000-08:00

Ok,

so i understandably realize, that this is probably quite a sore topic with many, so hey if you don't really enjoy my thoughts... move on down the line... :)

Remember back in the day when anything would go wrong people would inevitably say something to the effect of blaming "el nino". I have never seen a tropical storm wreak as much physical, emotional and financial damage as "el nino". It ended up becoming a joke of a blanket excuse when things went wrong. Well ladies and gents i am pleased to introduce you to the latest of blanket statements that i personally find to be a sad joke. Are you ready for this one?? here it goes.......

"Oh, well its the economy"

So, everyone knows that i work in the field of finance, so i see all kinds of people each and every day with their own needs, problems and desires. NEVER in my life have i heard so many people blaming the "Economy" for their financial troubles. NOW before anyone shows up at my door with pitchforks and torches, hear me out. I am NOT talking about foreclosures, or repos or anything like that. I am just talking about plain and simple consumer spending. I am seeing TONS more customers these days who have all overdrawn their accounts. They of course DEMAND that we reverse these fees. I am more than willing to look into their issues, but %99.99 of the time they are due to poor budgeting or improper spending and not bank error. When i question the customer as to why their accounts are in the states that they are currently in most people say "well with the economy the way it is..." and leave it at that. I'm sorry, is that some sort of code word? I almost half expect someone to wink at me as they say it like i understand the "code". Nope, sorry didn't get that memo. First off, complete your sentences please. Second, if that really is your issue i.e. you are out of a job etc... ok that happens, but don't just overdraw your account and then get mad at ME for your own irresponsibility. Sadly though, most people aren't out of a job, they are just using that as a tactic to get sympathy. Sorry folks, if you really are in dire straits eating out at fast food places and going to the movies etc are NOT a sign of you "trying to make ends meet". (yes i do go through their transaction history). If you really are trying to make ends meet here is an idea.... SPEND WITHIN YOUR NEW BUDGET LIMITS! Its a strange and almost foreign concept i see, but if you are low on funds, shouldn't you just stick to groceries and gas to get to work and some bills... Debt is a beast, and we should all be doing our best to either avoid it or stay as minimalistic as possible. I just for the life of me cant understand how people can be so nonchalant with their spending, and expect someone to be there to pick up the pieces. I'm sorry but that's not what a bank is for, if you aren't responsible enough to handle your own finances, then perhaps you should either a) hire someone to do them for you since you obviously have no sense of spending savvy or b) maybe just keep cash under your mattress, then when its out..sucks to be you. I'm just sayin.

Its like religion!!!

2009-01-25T21:09:00.000-08:00

So, i wrote this blog back in January and never posted it. I didnt even finish it, i lost alot of dang funny material over the past few weeks, but i thought i would post it anyways. PLEASE IN JEST post some dang funny experiences in the comment section. We could all use a good laugh. :)

***Disclaimer*** This blog is sole in jest, if this is applicable to you, please laugh....ok here goes....

I love my wife. I love my wife being pregnant. Its amazing to see the progression of this miracle right before my eyes. As we approach the home stretch, it seems only fitting to be filled with the feelings of excitment, joy, nervousness, fear, hope and basically any emotion on the spectrum of life.

This is our first child, which means that everything is up in the air right now for us, our entire life is going to change drastically in the next short while. Its not going to be easy, i get that, but despite all the trauma that ensues, darn it i am excited! And i dont care, i have every rite to be!

As the pregancy has progressed, i have learned something. Giving birth is a religion. I have never seen a topic that is so personal and important to anyone in my life next to religion, therefore ergo, i link them together in this blog. Here is my problem though...

Every person that has ever had children in their lives feels a deep natural instinct to press their opinons, beliefs, strategies and horror stories on us incessantly. I cant handle it! True story, about once a day (or 30 if its sunday) we get cornered by someone who is the end all be all guru of pregancy, delivering babies and rasing said infants. I love to hear peoples thoughts, but IF WE ARE GOING TO DO SOMETHING OUR WAY.....LET US! Holy cow. Its a never ending battle that no matter what i say, i will lose on. If people find out that we are doing this natural we are idiots, or they try to justify why they were an exception to the case and HAD to have meds. Here it goes (as i see my self loosing all my friends...) I DONT CARE! I dont judge you, i dont think "Oh, you had a c-section" or "epidural...tisk tisk". To each his own. The real miracle is that you have joined hands with your spouse and Heavenly Father in this miraculous act of bringing a life into the world. HOW that baby exits the mother, doesnt really matter to me. But for some reason people feel the need to force you to believe what they believe, and even if you do believe what they believe then they say things like "Oh, you have no idea what you are getting into". Sometimes i feel like people just want to fight me and belittle me because i am not officially in the "club". Case in point:

Random person: "So, are you excited for the baby?"

Steve: "Yes, i cant wait to meet the little guy!"

Random person: "Oh, you say that now, but wait till he comes out, you will be begging stick him back in, enjoy it while you can!"

I ask myself, if its such drama, why have you had 25 trillion kids??!?!

Yet another "winner"

Random Person: "So, are you going to have it natural or epidural?"

Steve: "Well, we are planning on trying to do this all natural."

Random Person: "Oh, i tried that...dumbest thing ever, my husband kept telling me what to do and how to breathe, i told him to sit down and leave me alone. He had no clue what i was going through, and i didnt want him telling me what to do. Just because the "xxxxxx-method" says that he should say it, he said it...I DIDNT ASK HIM TO SAY IT! I was so annoyed with him. Now he just sits in the corner with each kid and stays out of the way.

"My suggestion, is let her do what she needs to do, you are no help. If she asks for your help, do what she asks, but other than that, let a woman take care of what she is meant to do"

HOW RIDICULOUS! If that is how it happened for you, FINE but not all of us are angry bitter loud mouthed people who have a chip on their shoulder from giving birth. SOME OF US ARE EXCITED AND FEEL BLESSED TO BE IN THIS SITUATION! Im just sayin...whatev...

Another good one was seeing two "hens" get their feathers ruffled when one was talking about how terrible her labor was. The other had to one up her with stories of back labor. Then the first upped the antie with stories of her water breaking at work. It went on for a while. In the end the louder one won...but i am sorry...YOU BOTH MADE A HUMAN! HI-5!!!

Alright, well i think this can all be summed up with a button that my friend Claire wore when she was expecting: "Only Happy Birth Stories Please"

The best parenting advice ever...

2009-01-11T20:50:00.000-08:00

Ok, so we have gotten this one book that is called "the official guide to disfunctional parenting". ITS AMAZING! And its a nice breather from all of the intense baby books we have been plowing through for 8 months now. I just want to share some of the little gems that i have discovered in this book of amazingness that you can find on amazon.com or any local barnes and noble....

Child Ask question: "Daddy, why am i here?"

Dad: "Well we screwed up pretty bad on your sister, so you are kinda like a do-over."

"Tax write-off"

"We assumed the third time would be a girl."

"to save our marriage...and you know how well that worked out..."

When you unwrap your fathers day tie say "and you expect me to wear this?!??!"

"Project: find photos of you and your kids when they were very young. Photoshop a random child into it and hang it on the wall. Whenever your kids act up say "timmy used to do that" and glance at the photo, and leave it at that."

If they complain "you love margaret more than me" reply, "you had to find out sometime".

If they ask why you have so many more photos of your oldest tell them that it is always more exciting the first time around.

If your toddler tends to use her left hand, sew the left sleeve to her shirt so she switches to the "correct hand".

Be sure not to put your kids in your will, or they will kill you...

Tell them bad dreams are Gods way of telling them "Be good, or this will happen to you".

When they say "Daddy, im afraid of the dark" reply, "Yeah, i see what you mean. All kinds of dangerous things are probably just waiting for you to turn out the lights."

Random impromptu photo

2008-12-17T22:21:00.001-08:00

So here is a random photo of us we took spur of the moment for fun. BUT it shows our AWESOME christmas tree (Jewel has great taste...) and her amazing growing belly...i would say its just add water...but i submit there is alot more to that...theres bean burritos...waffles....vinegar...and a whole lot of baked goods.....oh yeah and a baby......

terrible....ly awesome books i want to read to my kids!!

2008-12-03T22:11:00.000-08:00

First off, i googled horrible kids books and found this GEM of a picture!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHaaaaaa.. breathe....HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

Children's Books That Didn't Make It

1. You Are Different and That's Bad

2. The Boy Who Died From Eating All His Vegetables

3. Dad's New Wife Scott

4. Fun Four-Letter Words to Know and Share

5. Hammers, Screwdrivers, and Scissors: An I-Can-Do-It Book

6. The Kids' Guide to Hitchhiking

7. Kathy Was So Bad Her Mom Stopped Loving Her

8. Curious George and the High-Voltage Fence

9. All Cats Go to Hell

10. The Little Sissy Who Snitched

11. Some Kittens Can Fly

12. That's It, I'm Putting You Up For Adoption

13. Grandpa Gets a Casket

14. The Magic World Inside the Abandoned Refrigerator

15. Garfield Gets Feline Leukemia

16. The Pop-Up Book of Human Anatomy

17. Strangers Have the Best Candy

18. Whining, Kicking, and Crying to Get Your Way

19. You Were An Accident

20. Things Rich Kids Have, But You Never Will

21. Pop! Goes the Hamster.and Other Great Microwave Games

22. The Man in the Moon is Actually Satan

23. Your Nightmares Are Real

24. Where Would You Like to Be Buried?

25. Eggs, Toilet Paper, and Your School

26. Why Can't Mr. Fork and Ms. Electrical Outlet Be Friends?

27. Places Where Mommy and Daddy Hide Neat Things

28. Daddy Drinks Because You Cry

My father-in-law sent this to me and i thought it was pretty much the funniest thing EVER... so think hard and lets add to the list....hee hee hee

Owww My ears!!!

2008-11-22T09:09:00.000-08:00

Ok, so here is another one you can check off on your "seriously?!?!!?!? Seriously!!!!???" list....

So im at work.... a banker comes to me all frazzled and lets me know a customer demands to speak to the manager. I said sure, is everything ok? she takes a deep breath and replies "you arent going to believe this one..." and promptly turns and walks away. I follow to her desk. There is a woman sitting there obvously upset. I introduce myself and my position and ask if i could be of assistance. She proceeds to barade me with all the reasons why she is a valuable asset to our company...how long she has been with us, how much money she has, etc etc... (people always tend to do this like it gives them much clout...FYI i really doesnt....) Now, recognize at this point she has been talking to me for several minutes and still hasnt even mentioned a problem....So, cut to the chase... she tells me "I have been here for XX years and i have never been so frustrated!" I said, "Well, I apologize for your frustrations...but what exactly is it i can help you with??" here comes the good part.... "The TV in the lobby is entirely too loud!!" ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!??!!?!?!?!?!? I didnt know whether to laugh, roll my eyes or what. I flat out told her "Ma'am there is no need to let something so simple ruin your day this is not really even an issue. That was the wrong thing to say. Rule of management number 451258.154-A NEVER belittle the customer, no matter how lame they are. She then demands that i mute the tv and put it on closed caption. I tell her that i would be more than willing to turn it down, but i wasnt going to promise that i would mute it and close caption it. (we need some kind of noise in the lobby to distract the customers from waiting....) She then goes off on how 15 years ago there was a law passed that all tvs must have a closed caption feature. I didnt deny such a claim but i did inform her that i just didnt know where the remote for the tv was, so its probably not going to happen (a white lie i know, but really...this is a waste of time...) She stood up and proceeded to mumble the "never in my life blah blah blah...." as she stormed out of the branch. That was 10 minutes of my life that i will never get back....sigh.....

Let down by Oprah again

2008-11-14T19:31:00.000-08:00

Ok, so for those of you that know me, you know that i DO NOT enjoy Oprah. I am quite vocal in my opinion of her...well i am not going to sit here and go off on her. I am rising above, but i am chosing to inform at this point. On her episode today "friday live". She spoke very openly on her feelings on Prop 8 and talked with different people about it including celebrities. They all talked about how let down they were and how they feel its a major step back. Continuing on, they spoke about how this isnt over and the public needs to recognize that this isnt a religious issue, we have separated church and state, but the line got thin they feel. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!? I am going to end this right now, because lets be honest i dont feel the need to waste any more time here, all i will get is some nasty comments...and i am too angry to make this blog clear or even remotely make sense...BUT i just wanted to let it be known that i am not a fan, and all you oprah lovers....really?!?!?

...so i not only fought a nun....

2008-11-09T21:19:00.001-08:00

Did the title catch you attention....oh just you wait for it.... OK, so true story. This past week was a fabulous week! I transferred to my new branch. It has been a wonderful experience! I really like the change of scenery and the new challenges that lie ahead...blah blah blah.... OK lets get to the niddy griddy...

FIRST off, i would like to mention what a small world it is. I have come to realize that when i make people angry at work (customers that is...) they typically vow never to return to my branch. Well, i never really thought much about it but these people have to go somewhere...logically it makes sense for them to go to the closest branch that isn't mine...i.e. the branch i transferred to. Well if you have read my few postings you might have heard some stories of some crazy run-ins that i have had. THEY GO TO MY NEW BRANCH! I'm not even going to lie the guy that i fought with and almost called the cops on because he was yelling and cussing at me; day one i meet up with him again. AWKWARD! I could tell in his eye that we knew who i was, but he wasn't sure if i knew who HE was... like i could forget. He tried to maintain his composure, but i could tell he wanted to get out as quickly as possible before the "gloves came off". I was glad to oblige. He left in record time.

Well, later that very day i see something unique. An elderly nun in a wheelchair. She was sitting with a banker and i could tell my the expressions on the bankers face, it was not going good. I walked by a short while later and overheard a bit of the conversation. The banker kept saying "just calm down ma'am". That's never a good sign. I stood off in the distance and got her attention to make sure she was OK. She shook her head, so i left. A few minutes later she comes to my desk, looking very frustrated.

"I'm done with that nun", she sighed.

"Whats going on over there?" I replied super-curious

"Oh I'm just fighting a nun who wants to open up accounts with no I.D.s and she ain't listening to me. She thinks that she is above the law."

"So, now what?" I ask

"I need a manager to tell her no, she wont leave"

"Am i gonna have to fight me a non today" I ask with a grin.

"...looks like"

So, i go over there as professional as possible and introduce myself as the manager and asked how i could be of assistance. He glares at me and tells me to go to...well somewhere further "south". I did the best i could to explain the laws and regulations about opening accounts and even if you think you are from a different era or above the rules, you are mistaken and i wasn't going to back down. I politely informed her she could go to the MVD and get a government issued I.D. and we would be happy to help her from then on. She was so angry she just wasn't listening to anything i said. She had such rage in her eye. I told her, that was the only way and if she didn't like it, she could leave. She goes off on how she could bring in people who know her and can vouch for her. i told her that wasn't legal identification. She started yelling and screaming about how she didn't want to go to the MVD because her wheelchair only goes 5 miles and hour and it was too far. I told her that wasn't my issue. I tried to empathize and said "I can tell you have had a hard day" She yelled "I have had a hard 6 years!" I tried not to laugh, but i was done with her at this point. She said "do you want to trade me places for a day?" I said "No, it doesn't look like you have a very fun life. You need to turn your chair around and get out." she claimed she wasn't trying to make waves, just open an account. I told her she was making a bunch of unnecessary waves and taking out her terrible life on people that have done nothing to her. She again reminded me of my future complete with fire and brimstone. "We are done here!" i yelled "you have 3 minutes to roll out of here, or you will be rolled out." I walked away slightly agitated, but inside laughing because, lets be honest how often do you fight a crotchety old nun in a wheelchair?

...if mormons ruled the world.

2008-11-09T21:04:00.000-08:00

So we were driving home the other night and a highly amusing thought came to my mind. With the elections and everything the state of the U.S. has been definitely on the forefront of most citizens minds, including much to my shegrin, my own. Well, i was noticing a speed limit sign and suddenly i thought....what if mormons ruled the world? How would things change? These were some of the things i think we would see replacing various road signs throughout our land.

In leiu of a yeild sign we would see something to the effect of "Serve your fellow brother, let them go first"

Speed limit signs would read "Use your best judgement" "slow down brother!"

There would be no stop signs but rather "remember who you are" signs.

The warning signs that are on the freeways that warn of upcoming traffic accidents or delays might also randomly say "Its the 15th of the month...have you done your home teaching yet??" or "Tithing: its for everyone"

I could to on and on, and perhaps as they come to me i will add more. But i find the whole idea completely amusing. So, i challenge each of you...be creative and think of signs you would see change if mormons ruled the earth.... :) Lets hear some comments :)

A small but powerful object.

2008-10-30T16:02:00.000-07:00

Ok, so this makes me laugh, and I hope anyone who reads this will relate, but its just kind of funny the little things you notice as a married person. *** DISCLAIMER *** I am in no way throwing my beautiful, talented, amazing wife under the bus as I say this….lets be honest I love her! This post is mostly to be funny because I think it’s darn hilarious.

I want to talk about the power of the razor. We all have them, we all use them. Now the question I have is this: Do we use them appropriately? There is really power behind that little silvery sharp tool. Case in point: My loving wife is not a fan of facial hair. So, of course I am. I’m not going to lie, before we got marred and as she was on her mission, I had some form of goatee, beard, soul patch, anything really. (Except sideburns…I think I skipped that step in puberty, but I digress…) Anyhow, I thought I would get it out of my system while she was gone. I was sadly mistaken. The urge still exists. Now, I am also lazy…i.e...a man…. So sometimes I will go days without shaving just because I don’t like to. It’s not the most relaxing feeling in the world scraping your face off and watching it swirl down the drain. Anyhow, I have come to realize something. As I endure this ritual, each and every time Jewel is so excited and all lovey-dovey romantic. I’m not going to lie…I love it! Now, truth be told, I don’t use this power as you might think, if I did I would shave all the time, lets be honest. But its amazing what that little razor can do for a relationship. That being said I have example number 2. Jewel does the same thing! Now, I am by no means judging her hygiene. She is a million times more hygienic than the average man (thankfully). But there are times where she is tired, sick and pregnant. So, of course the last thing on her mind is shaving her legs. Yet, she does it; and every time I notice it, I get really attracted to her…(this is a family blog…that’s all you get…) So needless to say, last night I come out of the shower, freshly shorn and she is super excited and keeps rubbing my chin, where there has been a soul patch the past 2 months. I’m laying there enjoying the attention but thinking…oh the power! Then I think of her and realize…she does it too! Oh the humanity! I have been duped but I cannot tell a lie. I love it. J… Now I am thinking…what else has she skillfully pulled the wool over my eyes with…..hmmmmmm…

Are you kidding my FACE?!?!??!

2008-10-28T18:00:00.000-07:00

So we have this on going joke at work, that whenever anything crazy is going to happen, its going to happen to Steve, when he is the only manager around. I would like to share some of my experiences over the past few months.

1) Customer from England attacked our 8 months pregnant banker and called her a bigot. As I tried to politely defend her, he turned his rage to me cussing me out and talking about how unprofessional I looked with spiky hair and jeans and a polo (its casual Saturday mind you..) it got to the point where we almost had to have the police escort him out.
2) A woman came in and wanted to talk to the manager. She was in her mid-twenties. She had head band on that had little furry cat ears. She looked furious. I asked how I could help her. She told me I could start by taking all the money in this branch and burning it. Now, that’s sadly not the only time I have heard something like that…when people get mad they get creative, lets be honest. I played along and asked her why, assuming that she had overdrafts or credit issues or something of the like. She then, with absolute rage and contempt in her eyes, proceeds to tell me that its all counterfeit and if I were to read the constitution I would see that the only true forms of currency are gold and silver. (I now see that I am dealing with a crazy, not so much a disgruntled customer) I asked her that if its all counterfeit and we are getting it from the government treasury…who is making it?? She looks around and in a whispered tone mutters “Satan”. By this point I don’t know whether to laugh or be furious that she is wasting my time. I asked her “Satan, really?” with a slight tone. She then gets so mad she is shaking and declares: “Don’t! Don’t you do that! Don’t you dare look at me like that and treat me like that because I am high!!” ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? At this point I am done with her. I tell her, that I am ending this conversation and she needs to leave my branch before I call the cops. She points to my nametag and yells “This isn’t the last you have heard of me Steve Busch! I will be back!!” She turns to leave. As she turns to leave I see she has a huge REALY samurai sword sticking out from her back pack. SHE COULD HAVE KILLED ME! The worst part was there were bankers behind her watching this whole ordeal and not one of them said anything to me, not so much as even a signal that she was armed… ridiculous! Sometimes I wonder if I am being targeted by my employees….
3) An older gentleman came in one day. (I use the term gentleman loosely. He resembled the typical old biker with the stringy grey hair in a braid, torn up clothes and a bandanna over his balding head. Leathery skin, goatee, the whole package…) He wanted to withdraw some money from his account. Well his account was in the process of being closed. He had deposited a bad check (which is fraud). So they close the account and mail him a check for whatever money, if any, they have left. He was upset, which is normal, and stormed out. Well a few days later he returns with check in hand. He wants us to cash it. He sadly doesn’t bring any id. This again, isn’t something that we will not do BUT since I knew the guy, I made an exception. But this guy was past the point of understanding. After the transaction, he asked to speak with me. I said sure. So I met him in the lobby. (mistake 1) He proceeded to tell me his sob story how he didn’t know the check was bad and needed that money, and because of “Us” he is on the streets, was mugged and lost his wallet and is in debt. He felt like my bank should pay him for his suffering. I politely referred him to a service he could call but explained to him that regardless of how he obtained that check, since he presented it, it was his liability and not the banks. He was FURIOUS and started screaming at me. I asked him to leave and he told me that he was from a certain well known biker group and that this wouldn’t be the last I see of him and I would regret crossing him. CREEPY!
4) Just the other week a rather portly man came in and asked me to call 911. He thought he was having a heart attack. I called and the teams arrived. As they were assessing him he kept changing his story and they felt like he was faking for attention, but he demanded to be taken to the hospital so they can fix “whatever it was”. They took him and it was all done and over… so I thought. A few days later he shows up and wants to talk to me. He was upset because he got a bill for the ambulance and his insurance wasn’t going to cover it. He told me that he felt like I should cover it because he never asked for an ambulance, only for me to call 911. (I instantly realize that he’s not all there…) I politely explained to him that that’s all I did and the people at 911 sent the ambulance. He told me that he still felt like he shouldn’t pay and I should. I told him I was sorry but no. he told me he was going to bring his mother and she would make me pay. (This man is in his 40s or 50s mind you…) I told him that was fine but I wasn’t going to pay. The next day there she was with him! Thankfully I think she talked to him and was a voice of reason because she didn’t even ask me to pay…whew! But I mean come on! Would I really have to pay that….not so much.
5) The most recent took place just last night. Everyone had left for the day except me and one of my tellers. She left but shortly returned to the drive up and told me she didn’t feel safe. There were suspicious people walking around. I told her I would walk her to her car. She told me it was ok, but to watch from the front glass doors. As I am watching her I notice a cop car parked in the corner. I look around and notice a few cop cars actually. I think….hmmm this is weird… I turn around and see silhouettes of cops with guns up sneaking around the building. I see a couple rush by the drive up window. WHAT IS GOING ON?!?!? Next thing I know they storm the branch. One yells to me “Who are you?!?!?!” I’m absolutely panicked! I tell him I am the manager. He yells at me “who else is here?!?!”… “No one" I blurt out One come sand verifies that I am not a robber. (wearing a tie, having a nametag and a key ring with 42 trillion keys helps…)The entire team then, with guns pointed, flashlights out, search the entire branch, complete with the rushing corners, ducking, rolling, the whole shebang! A few more are banging on the door. I let them in. They yell at me for locking the door. “If there is someone here, you could trap us!” I yell at him “I’m not leaving a bank door wide open at night!” So one cop stays at the door as they continue the search. In the end it turns out someone had pushed a panic button on a desk and we didn’t realize it. The cops were pretty annoyed for the time wasted, but let’s be honest… I didn’t even know! So I go home, exhausted from the adrenaline and the panic that had been coursing through my veins as my branch was taken down by the PD. Ridiculous.

Those are the a few that have come to my mind over the recent months. All im saying, is that I am pretty sure I need a vacation…. Whew!

What a week, and its only Wednesday...DANGIT!!!

2008-10-22T19:39:00.000-07:00

Ok, so this blog is definitely NOT going to be one of those deep introspective things that really makes people go....hmmmph...good for you i guess....? Shrug and go on to another more meaningful waste of time online. Oh no, i intend this to be deeply thrilling, full of twists, turns and of course, a murder most horrid.....oh wait, nevermind... With that being said, i do want to get something out there that is on my thoughts. Be it lame as you might think i want to be cliche for a few. My life has changed forever this very week. Well not really, but in a way it did. We have seen our unborn friend...who i have dubbed "Cleatus the Fetus" (its the only thing that rhymes with fetus...give me a break, and its hideous, something that i take great joy in, but i digress.) Not only have we seen this miracle in the making, but have also learned something of its identity. Cleatus is in fact not only human, but a boy. I cant begin to express the amount of pride that has entered into my heart with that knowledge. This anomaly, who has been nothing more than and idea, and occasional bump felt in her expanding belly, is in fact a real person. Duh Steve... but to me its much more than that. I have been in cloud 9 with the idea of this child coming into our lives, but i haven't thought, let alone daydreamed about anything beyond a ambiguous "baby". Now, not only is my heart full, but my head is spinning with thoughts. What will HE be like, will he be anything like me, or will HE be more like HIS mother. What will HIS tastes be, what will i be able to show HIM. Its like a floodgate has opened in my mind and i don't even know where to begin. I take comfort in a funny statement someone said the other day: "Its hard to kill a child". That give me hope. ha ha, but truthfully I am going to be a father. I think i am growing up now, much more than ever before. My purpose is coming full circle. I'm not going to sit here and waste time with all my doubts as a soon-to-be-parent (don't be fooled there are countless..) but instead i am going to embrace the moment, savor the experiences and trust that Heavenly Father, he trusts us to do whats right, and he CLEARLY knows more than i do. I have often heard and read in the countless baby books that Jewel and I have been pouring through that to have a son brings a huge sense of pride to the father. Its like a sign of his manliness. Now, i have always thought of that and said to myself, really?? But i am finding myself bursting with pride. Now, as a disclaimer i would like to think that it has nothing to do with the gender, i truly feel that i would react with a female offspring as well, i just haven't had that experience yet. I really cant wait to meet this little guy and show him a what i know. Then come up with ways to fill the other 45 minutes of the hour. :) Ok, this has gone on long enough. If you have gotten this far in this blog, then i thank you for your pains and courtesies. This couldn't have been easy for you. You will be blessed ;)

Oh, and by the way that is an ultrasound of an animal. ha ha ha i will post our REAL boy soon.

Eh, why not??

2008-10-20T23:06:00.000-07:00

So, im just throwing this out there....i have thoughts...some are pretty dang random..so why not put that all down somewhere. So here i go. This will definitely not be a blog of deep meaningful insight, but hey maybe it will get a laugh or two once in a while, from a young newlywed and soon to be father's perspective....here goes....