Jake's talent is used to touch lives in our tiny little neck of the woods.

Click picture to enlarge and see detail

Jessica and Thomas are in the picture

Recently our Relief Society President asked me if I would ask Jacob (my 14 year old son) and an individual that I home teach to paint a mural on a 4X8 piece of plywood to share at our Christmas event (Visions of Bethlehem) to be held at our Ward building but was open to the whole valley. She also wondered if they could cut out holes where the heads were so kids could put their faces in the holes and pictures could be taken at the event.

I mulled the idea around in my head.

I waited 3 weeks and with 2 weeks until the event I sprang the idea on Jacob and Jack Koonce (the person that I home teach). They gladly accepted.

Jack is not a member of our church. He is a professional artist that belongs to a family that I home teach. 6 months into visiting this family, Jack, who had been absent began sitting with his family as Jake and I presented our lesson each month. Jake and Jack became quick friends due to the commonality that Jack and Jake have for art. Jake would bring some of his art over and Jack would nicely critique. Jake would send his claymation videos and Jack would laugh and marvel. When approached with this project Jack indicated that he would instruct Jake on how to paint a mural but would not do it for him. Painstakingly, and with just 2 weeks to spare, Jack taught Jake how to paint a mural.

When I saw the mural for the first time I was flabbergasted and could not speak! The mural that I saw before me, which started out as an idea in our Relief Society presidents mind, was stunning. I was told by Jack, that Jake had painted 95% of the painting. Those who know me know what happened next...

We took the mural to the social event where it was the highlight. Hundreds came through our building to see nativity's from around the world on display in our cultural hall and then to see this nativity mural painted by Jacob. Our local Albertson's supermarket used a picture of the nativity mural in their hour-photo as an example of the season.

On a recent visit to Jack's home I was humbled as I thanked Jack for helping and mentoring my son to make this beautiful work of art. I told him that this mural would be used for years to come as a show piece for the annual "Visions of Bethlehem" event, that hundreds have seen it and will continue to see it and that words could not express the gratefulness in my heart for his time and effort.

He told me that the pleasure was all his. That working with Jake was one of the great experiences of his life. Then in mid-sentence he teared up. Then those of you that know me know what happened next...

Jake and Jack's perfect example of selflessly sharing their talents to build the kingdom and bring others closer to Christ shined as an example to me.

New Favorite Website: HOW TO WRITE BADLY WELL

Get as much detail into your opening sentence as possible

No more than three feet away from Julius (but certainly more than two feet away; perhaps thirty inches – or, in the system preferred by Helen, Julian’s wife, of whom more later, seventy-six point two centimetres – although needless to say, it seemed less) a dog which seemed to be a cross between a doberman and some kind of beagle – its appearance certainly seemed to fit the original meaning of the Old French word “beegueule” (literally, open-mouthed) from which “beagle” is derived – was barking in the key of E-flat and pawing the air in a way which, had there been an invisible miniature piano beneath its claws, might have produced a melody not dissimilar to a free jazz composition of the early sixties or, more likely, a discordant jumble of sharps and flats which, had this been the case rather than being merely a fanciful possibility (which is what it was), would have put Julius’ teeth on edge in a way which the dog’s barking, in the absence of the more musical set of noises just touched upon, was already managing to do.

Narrate every scene in a matter-of-fact tone, no matter how exciting

At this point, the dragon, which was larger than a single-decker bus but smaller than an articulated lorry, breathed some fire out of its mouth (or, more properly, exhaled a mixture of flammable gas and liquid which was ignited by a spark from a gland in its throat). This burned several people quite badly, although the knight who is the subject of our story remained largely unharmed.

Naturally, this incident caused a reaction of fear and surprise amongst the local population. It also caused a not insignificant amount of damage to property, which would take local residents many weeks to repair. Aside from this immediate inconvenience, the subsequent disruption caused by reconstruction efforts would also have an adverse effect on the local economy in the medium term. The knight then hit the dragon with his sword, killing it, which was probably for the best.

If you like these examples of writing badly well then go HERE: http://writebadlywell.blogspot.com/

Cute but naughty Felix

Random Madness

Hate this.

Old Family Photos: Just found!!

Pictures found at my Grandmother's house

These pictures are of my Grandfather and Grandmother Colyar

and their three oldest children: Duane, Leilani (my Mother) and Larry.

See any resemblance to me or my children??

My Uncle Larry

My Mother, Leilani

My Uncle Duane

Grandfather and Grandmother

Earl and Eileen

Cutest Ever!!

Jessica and I run on MWF at the YMCA in the AM.

They have a free daycare, so she brings Thomas and Felix to play while we run on the treadmill.

This is a picture of Felix whilst in my arms taken with my camera phone.

Soooooo Cute!!

How about a little non-verbal message to my....

Here's a non-verbal message to all of my: "Hyper-Political/MLM/Narcissistic/Know-it-all/I'm from Montana/Against using the word: Christmas/$4 dollar a cup coffee drinking/Network TV watching/Reality Show loving/telling a story without a point/coffee breath/chronic complaining" friends out there.

Did I miss anyone?

Christmas List - Item #5: Yodeling Meter

I've gotta have one of these babies for Christmas.

I've joined the "Holy Sisters Convent firefighters of the hazmat suits in ordinary habits....of Guadeloupe.

Mother Superior HATES it when I do this.

Threeepio Nooo!!

I've got the Tin Man in this epic matchup

"It's the most fabulous time of the year!"

Journal Entry: November 28th 2009

Palin insisted I buy her book. I declined.

"How about a quick DANCE!" she said with a smile.

Lucky for me I was already wearing my "stage-outfit!"

Turkey Trot 5K Thanksgiving Day 2009

Today was the annual Turkey Trot 5K run in Hailey Idaho.
This was my first ever 5K.
Jessica and I have been running for a couple of months in preparation for this event.
Jessica is an old pro and it has been so nice running with her!
We joined the 300 or so runners in this event, including family from Orem Utah (Amazing Wendy and Stacey Macey!)that traveled here to participate.
We had so much fun!!

Turkey Trot participants:
Brent, Wendy Mitchell, Stacey Mitchell, Penny Hope and Jessica Hatch!

Runners poised at the starting line. Penny and Stacey are on the front right.

Jessica Hatch crossed the finish line first in our family at 32:13!

Amazing Wendy finished at 47:54!

Brent finished at 33:45

Stacey and Penny finished at 55:29!

Ahhhhh, the balancing act of Parenting. Sometimes tough. Still, I love it.

(click to enlarge)

"WHAT, CAN YOU SPEAK UP??!!"

"THESE" are the type of hearing aids that my current health care provides.

Coaching "America's Team"

Ever had that dream where you are the Head Coach of the Dallas Cowboys?

Me too.

Four Twenty Ten

We received Brent's admission letter today telling him what track he will begin in.

Hopie the 3rd will begin school at BYU-Idaho on April 20th 2010

The track he has been assigned will be for Spring and Fall semesters.  He will attend school from late April to December with January through April off.

January through April is a good time to NOT be in Rexburg!

There's an analogy here somewhere

Sorry Folks....

Only Ruth Hope can make an orange bag, small orange vest, Winnie the Pooh headband and a plain old litter-stick look good.

(sorry for stealing your picture Jessica)

Guess Who Got Accepted?!

My son Brent has been accepted to BYU-Idaho!!

We will find out what track he begins soon.

For those of you who have been following the drama,

I cannot begin to express how happy I am for him.

Thank you all for your moral support!

Slow Day at The Daily Item

Huff and Puff have been my friends

My daughter Jessica and I have been running and training for a 5K. I've never been much of a runner and I have never been in a 5K. Jessica has, she's a pro and she is a very patient running partner. Monday, Wednesday and Friday Jessica meets me at the Ketchum YMCA at noon and we run for 30-40 minutes. It has been very delightful having her with me as she is a much better runner.

On Thanksgiving Day here in the Valley there will be a 5k called "The Turkey Trot." It's a yearly event for all ages. Jessica, Wendy (Our sweet sister in-law) Penny and I will brave the rough streets of Hailey to run in this event.

This has been a renaissance for me athletically. My knees have felt sooo much better living here in the dry air of Idaho. My achilles are back to 100% after an injury 3.5 years ago. I can't tell you how much better it feels to be active! Euphoric indeed!!!

Running Log:

10/15/2009 Ran 2 miles (treadmill)30 minutes

10/16/2009 Ran 2 miles (treadmill) 30 minutes

10/17/2009 Ran 2 miles (outside) 26 minutes

10/19/2009 Ran 2.5 miles (treadmill) 40 minutes

10/21/2009 Ran 3.2 miles (treadmill) 38 minutes

10/23/2009 Ran 2.2 miles (treadmill) 30 minutes

10/26/2009 Ran 3.16 miles (treadmill) 40 minutes

10/28/2009 Ran 3.2 miles (treadmill) 40 minutes

11/06/2009 Ran 2 miles (treadmill) 30 minutes

11/09/2009 Ran 3.1 miles (outside) 33.30 minutes

I've managed to be pretty consistent with my running. There was one week I couldn't run due to a toe injury. Don't believe me?? Go Here!

My running log is meager for most runners and I recognize I really don't run that far. In fact, in early October when I ran my first half of a mile on the treadmill there was cause for celebration. I hadn't ran a half mile in ages due to my injured achilles. I had to come home and announce that I HAD JUST RAN A HALF A MILE!!

Then when I hit 2 miles and there was another celebration. Finally another celebration when I knew I could actually run 5K. Today is a mini celebration because I beat my old 3.1 time by 5 minutes and I ran it outside.

Good Humor

WRHS Presentation of: "Pride and Predjudice"

(Sarah Hope 2nd from right as Mrs. Bennett)

Listen up I have something to say.
Um Hmmm...
I just went to opening night of Wood River High School's presentation of:

Pride and Predjudice

Starring Sarah Hope
as
Mrs. Bennett

Review:
I hate it when people say this but I'm going to say it:
OH - MY - GOODNESS!!
The play was fantastic and Sarah was unbelievable as the shattered-nerved Mrs. Bennett!
I am completely blown away

More Shows
There are two more shows. Tomorrow the 5th and Saturday the 7th (7:00pm)
if you can make it please do!

The Best "Wash Me" sign ever!!

Great Summer Job

Wouldn't you love a summer job playing "Zoltar?"

I can see it now:

"Your wish has been: DENIED"

Hey Jude Flowchart

On the street where you live

This is a picture of the street we live on.
This picture was taken today,
Through the front window of my work car,
With my cell phone.
Kind of pretty...minus the bugs on the window.

Skeptical Hippo

Periodic reflective peas

Ever known this guy?

Yeah, me too.

I've been reflecting lately.

I read some articles on Blogging and what should be in blogs and what shouldn't. I read articles in the Ensign and listened to talks by M. Russell Ballard discussing elements of blogging and other "internetland" communication. From all the information I've read I've discovered a few things.

They are:

1. It looks like I'm doing a lot of things wrong. (You know what they are, I don't have to point them out) By wrong, I mean things ranging from plagiarism to security issues (giving out names and addresses, hair color, maiden names)
2. There are many other blogs that I admire and look up to, if you will.
3. My blog is kind of reflection of my own life (unfortunately).

While these things are mostly negative that I've explained, I've come to realize that:

• if you want a sweet loving blog, go here.
• if you want good recipes and country living, go here.
• if you want good writing, humor and Boise landscapes, go here.
• if want consistent sweetness, go here.
• if you want to know more about the Wood River valley and the Hope's, go here.
• if want flat out pure virtuous inspiration, go here.

On the other hand, if want flat out pure ludicrous, scratch your head, premeditated and attempted humor, go to: The Daily Item. To which I say:

"Sorry folks, this is all I've got."

I can't be the the things I admire in all of the other blogs that I've posted above. I have made attempts, but to no avail. After all my trying I end up coming right back to the same old schtick (like this: go here!). See what I mean.

But I take comfort in knowing that this planet needs, all types (you have no idea how many times I've been told that) and I fit the bill for that description.

And now for something completely different....

Dreaming of Asian food: Any Asian food

Ever had that dream that you'd cross a flooded street up to your neck just to get some descent Asian food because you live in a valley that has good Asian food but charges an arm and a leg for it??

Me too. All the time.

From the Jacob Hope Anthology: Beware, it's harsh

OK... I worried about posting this claymation film by Jacob. Currently you can only find this film on the released Anthology or from some Soviet websites casting it as a bootleg. Either way it is graphic and harsh...yet so compelling. So, turn up the volume and hold on to your hat.

Evil to the core

Since Halloween is approaching I thought I'd show you what the most evil people on the planet do.

Continual subliminal theme of the Daily Item as described in comic illustration.

Pride and Prejudice: Hope style

Our amazing daughter Sarah Hope has been cast as "Mrs. Bennett" in the Wood River high school production of "Pride and Prejudice." Sarah has been working on her lines with pretty much all of us which means we have all had the opportunity to play one Bennett or the other. Jessica and Mom have put in the most time with our budding superstar actress.

Make plans to come to the production and see Sarah!

November 4-7

Some things that Mormons do

Some Mormons come from large families. I didn't.

*I was an only child until my parents divorced. After my parents divorce my Father married a nice lady (Maralyn)that had two lovely daughters (Marla and Kelli) and would later have a lovely son (David). My Mother remarried and she had a lovely son (Jeremy). One brother from my Mother's side and 2 sisters and one brother from my Father's side brought the sibling count to 2 brothers and 2 sisters and we love each other.

That's a lot!

Some Mormons create large families. I did.

*Ruth and I married and had plans to have 6 children. We did and thought we were finished. Then we were blessed with one more. Penny. Bringing the total children count to 7!

We love each other.

That's a lot!

Some Mormons like to be left alone by themselves. I don't.

*Unless I have a nasty migraine or I'm really tired. Or there's only 3 cups of chocolate pudding in the fridge, in which case I will take all three cups into my bedroom and lock the door, eating them until they are all gone.

Some Mormons like to get together with other families and hang out. I do.

*I like to get together with other Mormon families that think the way we do. Sometimes we go to other families homes, (Ames, Walks, Farnsworths, Larsens, Rigbys, Yates, Ripleys, Mitchells, etc..)

Some Mormons Like to go on Vacation. I do.

*We like to drive anywhere our car can go and explore as a family.

Some Mormons like to host other Mormon's Vacation. I do!

*Because we live in the beautiful mountains of Idaho, many people like to travel to our home to visit (Ballou, Walks, Ames, Mitchells, Hopes).

We love it when people visit!

This last week we had the good fortune of having James and Kelly Walk and their beautiful children stay with us. James and Kelly are our good friends from Graham Washington. We used to be in the Lincoln Ward together (in Tacoma). The Walks have 5 beautiful children all 8 years old and under.

They are:

Haily

Sullivan

Avery

Taylor

and Eden

The Walks stayed with us from Sunday to Sunday. Our children played with their children and together we all played games and listened to beautiful music played by my daughters: Jessica, Sarah and Penny. We also listened to Kelly play and sing at the piano.

James and I had terrific battles on the xbox.

Entertainment was totally centered around the home and the participants thereof.

Sarah french braiding Kelly's hair.

Taylor with Jake and James relaxing a bit.

Caught on video is Kelly singing and playing the piano with Penny, Haily, Eden and Taylor singing along. This video was taken without Kelly or the girls knowing it and it captures what really goes on in Mormon households and why we love it so. Ruth and I sat on the fireplace and enjoyed.

Some Mormons like it when friends and family come to visit. We do!

Bigger Fish in Idaho

Holy Omega 3! I burned a few calories hauling this big fatty into shore.

"Hope. Brent Hope." "da-da-da-da-da, da-da-da..."

It was tough getting to the gym today. In fact I was late by 15 minutes having been overcome by an MSG-Coma induced by the local Chinese food restaurant. With 45 minutes to spare in my lunch break I dashed to the local YMCA and traded in my membership card for a towel and key.

Observing the key ring I noticed that I had been given number 007.

The deliberate guitar-lick from all the James Bond movies entered my head as I looked at the key ring.

"Hope. Brent Hope," I thought.

"Da-da, da-da, da-da-da" I heard in my head.

That's all the motivation I needed.

Random Madness: Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey #1

To me, it's always a good idea to always carry two sacks of something when you walk around. That way, if anybody says, "Hey, can you give me a hand?," you can say, "Sorry, got these sacks."

If you go flying back through time, and you see somebody else flying forward into the future, it's probably best to avoid eye contact.

I remember how my Great Uncle Jerry would sit on the porch and whittle all day long. Once he whittled me a toy boat out of a larger toy boat I had. It was almost as good as the first one, except now it had bumpy whittle marks all over it. And no paint, because he had whittled off the paint.

You know something that would really make me applaud? A guy gets stuck in quicksand, then sinks, then suddenly comes shooting out, riding on water skis! How do they do that?!

Instead of a trap door, what about a trap window? The guy looks out it, and if he leans too far, he falls out. Wait. I guess that's like a regular window.

One day one of my little nephews came up to me and asked me if the equator was a real line that went around the Earth, or just an imaginary one. I had to laugh. Laugh and laugh. Because I didn't know, and I thought that maybe by laughing he would forget what he asked me.

If you're a cowboy, and you're dragging a guy behind your horse, I bet it would really make you mad if you looked back and the guy was reading a magazine.

To me, clowns aren't funny. In fact, they're kinda scary. I've wondered where this started, and I think it goes back to the time I went to the circus and a clown killed my dad.

Whenever someone asks me to define love, I usually think for a minute, then I spin around and pin the guy's arm behind his back. NOW who's asking the questions?

Most of the time it was probably real bad being stuck down in a dungeon. But some days, when there was a bad storm outside, you'd look out your little window and think, ``Boy, I'm glad I'm not out in THAT.''

I can picture in my mind a world without war, a world without hate. And I can picture us attacking that world, because they'd never expect it.

I think a good gift for the president would be a chocolate revolver. And since he's so busy, you'd probably have to run up to him and hand it to him.

If you're a boxing referee, it's probably illegal to wear a bow tie that spins or changes colors.

I guess I kinda lost control, because in the middle of the play I ran up and lit the evil puppet villain on fire. No, I didn't. Just kidding. I just said that to illustrate one of the human emotions, which is freaking out. Another emotion is greed, as when someone kills someone for money, or something like that. Another emotion is generosity, as when you pay someone double what he paid for his stupid puppet.

There are many stages to a man's life. In the first stage, he is young and eager, like a beaver. In the second stage, he wants to build things, like dams, and maybe chew down some trees. In the third stage, he feels trapped, and then ``skinned.'' I'm not sure what the fourth stage is.

Ambition is like a frog sitting on a Venus's-flytrap. The flytrap can bite and bite, but it won't bother the frog because it only has little tiny plant teeth. But some other stuff could happen and it could be like ambition.

When the age of the Vikings came to a close, they must have sensed it. Probably, they gathered together one evening, slapped each other on the back and said, "Hey, good job."

FGM per Reqest

It's Monday and we woke up to 8 inches of snow here in the Wood River Valley.

Yucky!!

It's been messy and nasty as part of the valley has no power and it's all hustle and bustle. We are going crazy here at the telecommunications company which is Cox. And while there are many things I could post that would better represent the moment for us here in the Valley, I have decided to mix it up a bit and post something different.

Soooooo, in respecting a request from a dear Daily Item reader (Wendy Lou) to post a "Feel Good Monday" picture (a continuation of last Friday) I have decided to thwart my idea of posting something heinous and do just as requested.

Happy stinking Monday.

enjoy!

Feel Good Friday

It's feel good Friday and nothing makes you feel more warm and fuzzy that a duckling and a baby owl snuggling.

Everybody: "Ahhhhhhhhh!" sigh.