A choice experience . . .

At the bottom of the Grand Canyon, halfway between Kingman and Flagstaff, lies the tiny Native American village of Supai. There are only two ways of entering, both involve leaving your car at the top of the canyon. You can either hike about 8 miles through the canyon or take a ride in a helicopter.



We flew into Supai on this helicopter. This was our view:





There is a small congregation of the Church in this village. Members of the Church are flown in 3 times a month to speak during Sacrament Meeting. Cambrea and I were chosen to speak this weekend. We chose to speak on putting on the whole armor of God. After we landed, we walked about 1/2 mile to the little chapel in the middle of the woods.



As I reached the pulpit, I took just a moment to look out of the window. The view from the window showed nothing but green grass, beautiful trees, and gliding birds against a red and black rock backdrop. Here are some pictures I took from the porch:





It was a little room with standing room only for the 70+ congregation numbers. With a view from the window free of the marks of civilization and a room not aided by a microphone, the message, really the whole experience, felt purer, cleaner. For a brief moment, I felt how Brother Joseph must have felt as he preached in small chapels throughout Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois.

To top it off, after I gave me talk, a young man walked up to me with his wife and said, "Hermano Corbett, how are you?" He was one of the young missionaries that I had taught about 4 years ago in the MTC. What are the odds? As we talked about the MTC, there was only one thing that he specifically remembered. No, it wasn't my teaching, but one of my wife's delicious apple pies. I guess one was more forgetable than the other.

Things I Love About Dave

So I was reading everyone else's blogs today and I couldn't get over how big everybody's kids are and how grown up they all look. (Dave was especially wowed by Rebekah Wansgaard's hair because last time he saw her she was "rockin' the baby mullet." That's him, Jen, not me!) It sure made me anxious to have my baby so I have something interesting to post, but then I realized Corbett provides me with plenty of entertainment around here. So here is my "Things I love about Dave/Poke gentle fun at him while I'm at it" post.

One of the things I love the most about Dave is how much he needs me. We're not sure how he ever left the house before we got married because he always needs me to tell him where his keys are or where he left his cell phone. He just walks around with stuff and sets it down without thinking. Well, the other day, we were sitting down to watch American Idol, and we could not find the remote ANYWHERE. We knew Corbett used it that morning, so we started looking in all the random places we could think of. We finally gave up and went to watch TV in our bedroom. A while later, I got up to let the dogs in, and here's what I saw:

Apparently it sat outside all day.

Another thing that I love about Dave is the way he eats crunchy stuff. I'm sitting here listening to him right now. He's eating chips, and he crunches it twice with an open mouth before he closes his mouth and devours the rest. I laughed at him, and even though he knows he does it, he can't help but do it.

Everyone posted their list of obsessions- well, here's mine:
#1-5 How much weight I've gained since becoming pregnant and how much more I have to go.
So one of the things that I love the most about Dave is how he can look at my big, fat belly and not make me feel guilty because I had TWO pieces of cake last night. In fact, here's my big, fat belly at 26 weeks:

Seriously, though, I am really enjoying pregnancy. When we found out we were having a boy, I asked the ultrasound tech if she could see a soccer ball in there because I knew Dave was mentally reserving every weekend to go to our baby's sporting events. She laughed, but I seriously think the baby is kicking something around in there. It's kind of fun right now because now we can see him kick through my stomach and feel actual body parts moving. He really likes chocolate milk and Spicy Nacho Doritoes- just like his momma and daddy!

Houdini deserves her own show!

Bailey, my precocious mut, seriously deserves her own tv show as an escape artist. She escapes, yes, but that's only half the story. She is a true magician. Science cannot explain how she does it. I'm thinking she is tapped into the dark arts. Here's my evidence so far:

STATE'S EXHIBIT #1


As you can see by this picture, the distance between the metal bars in the gate is exactly 4 inches. (Notice the chicken wire. Houdini's first escape attempt involved just the simple gate. For her encore, she stepped up the magic--the chicken wire was once tied to the side and bottom of the gate by stiff metal wire and was inexplicably peeled back from the corner.)

STATE'S EXHIBIT #2


This picture, which fairly and accurately represents Houdini's head, shows that her head is at least 5 inches wide. Though not pictured, the bulk of that width is a hard skull that is neither flexible nor collapsable. When one subtracts the space between the metal bars from the width of the magician's head, there is at least 1 inch of overlap remaining, or 20% of Houdini's head. Somehow 100% of her head is passing through an area only big enough for 80% of her head.

STATE'S EXHIBIT #3


The final picture taken as part of my investigation shows the girth of the illusionist's chest. As you can clearly see, her chest is just over 8 inches. If my calculations are correct, her chest is twice as wide as the gap between the metal bars in the gate. It is impossible to determine, without the aid of x-rays (or possibly an autopsy), exactly how far the rigid skeletal structure stretches across the 8 inches and how much the pliable muscle, fat, and skin extends past the bones. Based on a generous estimate that the skeletal structure extends across 90% of the width and the remaining 10% is the bendable sinew, then 7.2 inches of the breadth is not flexible or collapsible. If my calculations are correct, 56.6% of her ribs and shoulders should be able to squeeze through the 4 inch gap, while 44.4%, a length of 3.2 inches, overlaps the space available for free movement.


In candor, I must divulge that I am merely an English major and have superficial training in the science of biology and physics. But the numbers don't lie. There is no reasonable, scientific explanation for Houdini's ability to escape. My conclusion: she has sold her soul to the devil, who in turn gave her mystical powers, in exchange for the ability to explore the wide world beyond her backyard. Unfortunately for her, the devil didn't keep his promise that she could run free; for she now spends her days locked in the garage from which there has can be no escape. Or perhaps she is merely developing her next great illusion.

He looked upon his creation, and saw that it was good.

The grass is in and doing well, though the sprinklers are still giving me a headache. It is nice too look at, though I think the dogs appreciate it more than I do. I would have loved to fill the backyard with grass, but one can't be too gung-ho about grass when living in the desert. One of these days I'm going to hike out into the desert, dig up a cactus or two, and plant them in the corners. I'm sure Cambrea will plant a few flowers, or tomatoes, when my back is turned.

The sprinkler conundrum

URRGGGH! The wind never stops blowing in Kingman, and it's causing all sorts of problems for my lawn. One kind of sprinkler sprays the water the correct distance, but the wind pushes it around unevenly. The other kind of sprinkler is impervious to the wind, but it sprays to far and unevenly. As a result, some of the lawn is a beautiful green, and some is starting to dry out. Any suggestions?

A Beautiful Hike

My biggest, and really my only, complaint about Kingman is that we are surrounded by nothing but brown dirt, brown plants, and brown mountains. I came to Kingman because of the job, not the location. I new friend of mine, Shem (pictured below), is a resident at the hospital in town and chose to come to Kingman because of the location, not the job. He has opened my eyes to the perks of living in northwest Arizona. Enjoy some of the pictures I took on a hike last weekend near Hoover Dam.

Future Dwight

Further evidence as to why if you are not already watching "The Office" you should start immediately. Post haste. Right now.