Another Year Older

I turned another year older on Saturday. I must say, this was one of the best birthdays I can remember because of the gifts my family gave. Here is a list of the loot:

• Melanie: Cupcakes. These "Black Bottom Cupcakes" are a little slice of heaven on earth.
• Kylee: She wrapped a Book of Mormon from her closet, with a used Christmas tag taped on the front cover that said "Merry Christmas from the Thomas'." She also found a Scentsy warmer that she wrapped.
• Danica: She wrapped her First Grade workbook as well as some ornaments from the Christmas tree. She also included two butterscotch candies.
• Jackson: He made a cute birthday card, a Christmas ornament, and gave me an article from the newspaper about the Utah Jazz.

I was touched by how much thought they had put into the gifts, and how excited they were to see what they had prepared for me. Aside from this little experience, it was the perfect day. I have eaten enough cupcakes to feed all of Norway.

Merry Christmas! Our Year In Review

Behold.....our electronic Christmas card:

We have had an incredible year at the Reese house. Looking back at 2009, I’m surprised at how much we were able to pack into the year. Here are a few journal entries and a recap of our 2009 adventures. You’ll notice that the theme of barf pops up just a little too often. My apologies. It’s just that barf is pretty funny.

January 8, 2009
We hung out at Mel’s mom’s house for New Years Eve. The festivities and fun of the evening ended promptly when Kylee launched barf all over the floor. Then she launched again. Then as I was helping her move toward the bathroom she launched again, all over me and my leg. I felt bad for her. I don’t know what got into her.

February 10, 2009
This morning when I was getting ready for work Kylee came into my room with a church dress, tights, shoes, and a matching flower in her hair. She was so proud to tell me that she chose her clothes and combed her hair. I told her how beautiful she looked and she said “You should marry me when I get bigger.” I had a smile on my face and she said “You’ll have to buy me a white dress though.” I said okay. Then she got an excited look on her face and said “You can get it at Wal-Mart!”

March 2, 2009
In the evening Mel ran in to the living room laughing hysterically. It took a few minutes before she could say what she was laughing at. Apparently when she was tucking the girls in to bed, Danica climbed up on her bunkbed and said “What the helllllll happened to my bed? (very drawn out).

August 17, 2009
Kylee said something funny to me yesterday. We were sitting at the table eating breakfast and she said “Dad, when we go to heaven will we have to eat our food storage?” I told her I didn’t think we’d have to do that in heaven. I told her I thought there was every kind of food we could ever want and we could have as much as we wanted. Her eyes got so big and she was really excited. Then she said “Ooohhh! I want to die right now! Then I can have as many candy corns as I want!” More proof that she’s my daughter.

August 27, 2009
When I got home from work Monday evening, my stomach felt terrible and I told Mel I wouldn’t make it through the night without throwing up.

So at 9:40pm the barfing began. I threw up a ridiculous amount of vomit. I was kind of surprised my stomach had that much in it. As I was walking to the bathroom to empty my garbage can full of barf, Danica came running in from her bedroom and launched right into the garbage can before I even had a chance to empty it. It was miserable and funny at the same time. We spent the rest of the night on the couch taking turns upchucking.

In March Jackson and I went to Las Vegas to watch two Cubs spring training games. The first night we enjoyed $18 worth of nachos, popcorn, and soda at the game. I dearly regretted that decision. I was so nauseous a few hours later. I spent the rest of the night with a nasty Vegas motel garbage can on my lap begging to throw up, but to no avail. Grrrr.

In April Kylee got her tonsils out. Thank goodness for the barf basins at the surgery center. Otherwise I would have been wearing stomach acid.

Also in April, Mel and I spent a week in Washington DC with my parents and my brother’s family. We had an incredible trip. We saw the White House, Smithsonian museums, all the monuments, the Constitution and Declaration of Independence, and George Washington’s house. Over the course of that week I ate an absolutely obscene amount of Dunkin’ Donuts. God bless the USA. And Dunkin’ Donuts.

Mel and I were put in charge of Youth Conference this year and took the kids on a Pioneer Trek in July. We had an amazing experience and couldn’t think of anything we’d rather do with sweaty teenagers. Our feast on the final day was a true celebration of our rich heritage: large amounts of Little Caesar’s Pizza and countless boxes of Twinkies and Ding Dongs.

Jackson got baptized in August. We also got a phone call from the school district in August. They said that Jackson read the most books of anyone in the school over the summer. Because of this, they asked him to throw the first pitch at the St. George Roadrunners baseball game. It was a Proud Father moment. I’m hoping someone from the Cubs organization will call next.

Mel and I have taken up the hobby of running over the last year. In July we ran the Bryce Canyon Half Marathon. For those of you who haven’t experienced the pain of a marathon or half marathon, let me explain how it feels. Imagine the most painful things you can think of. For example, 1) Getting paper cuts on your eyeballs, or 2) Reading Shakespeare, or 3) Listening to Celine Dion music. Now…put them all together. Celine Dion is giving you paper cuts on your eyeballs with pages from Shakespeare while she sings the National Anthem. Now you have an idea of the torture of running a long race.

In October I ran my first marathon, the St. George Marathon. I can’t think of a logical explanation for why someone would willingly pay $75 to suffer through something like this. It’s as puzzling as why some people like Celine Dion music. Despite the pain, it was an incredible experience and I felt a huge sense of accomplishment. I plan to do it again. To read about the experience visit fastcory.blogspot.com (FYI: I have no Celine Dion music on my iPod.)

We feel so thankful for our family and all of our blessings. We sometimes have to pinch ourselves and wonder why we got so lucky. We hope your family has an awesome Christmas and New Year. And we pray that no Celine Dion CDs will end up in your stocking. Sincerely, The Reese’s

Best Music Of 2009

There has been some awesome music released this year. As a self-proclaimed music junkie, I'm pleased to announce my top picks for 2009:

7. Mat Kearney – City Of Black And White
This is just a solid album of “adult alternative” music. There isn’t necessarily anything that will make your jaw hit the floor, but almost all the songs fall into the “Pretty Darn Good” category.

6. Brad Paisley – American Saturday Night
Generally country music isn’t my thing, but I admit that there are some pretty good tunes here. Albeit highly sappy, I like the song “Then”. You be the judge.


5. The Fray – The Fray
Although their song “You Found Me” got a ton of radio play, there are plenty of other equally good songs on this disc. My favorites are “Absolute” and “Never Say Never”.

4. Britt Nicole – The Lost Get Found
I think Britt has one of the best female voices around. There are a few songs on this CD that are just alright, but most are really good. I love the title track and “Safe”. But the closing song “Have Your Way” is enough to yank you out of your seat. Especially on this song, her voice is raw, sincere, and powerful. “Have Your Way” has lyrics you should not miss.


3. Matthew West – When I Say I Do
Matthew’s album “Something To Say” won the top spot on my Best Music Of 2008 list. While he didn’t release a full album this year, he did put out this song, “When I Say I Do” which was awarded KLOVE’s Next Great Love Song. You’ll like this one.


2. Steven Curtis Chapman – Beauty Will Rise
I’m not a tremendously emotional person, but these songs brought me to tears. Steven’s five year old daughter died last year and each song grew from that experience. This is the most personal music I have ever heard. The most touching thing about this album is the faith, trust, and hope he sings of. Each song seems to shed a little bit different light on God. Suffice it to say that no description I give would do justice to this stunning music. You just have to hear it. Although it’s hard to listen to, I absolutely love this album.

Here's the opening song "Heaven Is The Face".


And finally.....The Best Album Of The Year......

1. OneRepublic – Waking Up
I didn’t think it was possible to get any better than OneRepublic’s first album Dreaming Out Loud. But it happened. The CD is chock full of strings, piano, and music that would make Coldplay jealous. Every song has such a unique sound and style. I am worried that I will wear out this CD from playing it so often. This is easily my favorite CD of the year. It. Is. Brilliant.

Here is their song “Secrets” from the CD. Apparently it will be on the soundtrack to an upcoming movie as you’ll see in this video. Nevermind the video, but enjoy the music.


Any other music you'd like to add to the list?

Cool Christmas Music

Did you say you wanted some awesome Christmas music? I love this song from Casting Crowns.

Medical Procedures To Avoid

As a courtesy to my friends and readers, allow me to provide a list of medical procedures you should avoid. I learned the hard way that these are not my idea of a good time.

1) Foley Catheter. Many years ago following a surgery, a well-intentioned doctor gave me Compazine, a medication to minimize nausea. For the next few days my muscles tightened like a full-body charley horse. Another slight side effect was the fact that I didn't go to the bathroom for a few days.

Eventually I ended up in the ER. The problem was so obvious that even the receptionist knew what was wrong: an allergic reaction to Compazine. That medication often causes muscle spasms. And the bladder refusing to do what it's supposed to do. Grrrr.

For the blissfully ignorant, a catheter is a fat tube inserted into the bladder to release all the yellow water. And there's only one way to get the tube into the bladder. Ouch. Ouch.

A cute young nurse walked in with the near-lethal rubber tube. "Turn your head and cough" is a gross understatement. I'm confident that I levitated between five and six inches off the table. My life flashed in front of me. I saw stars. This is not an experience I'd recommend.

2) Barium Swallow. Many moons ago a well-intentioned doctor thought I may have reflux where some of the stomach acid comes back up your esophagus. And how, you ask, do you find out if you have acid reflux? Simple - swallow an element from the periodic table.

Barium is like the evil, evil brother of Pepto Bismol. Like a mixture of chalk and spillage from the septic system.

The technician handed me a big bottle and said "Here, drink this. And don't be sassy or I'll make you drink another bottle." I took a few swallows. Then I was supposed to drink some more. I got the barium in my mouth. But my stomach threw an all-out rebellion. I physically could not swallow it. I stood there for a minute with a mouth full of barium before I was able to gag it down. I reached up to wipe away some of the pink drool spilling out of my mouth. I wanted to drop-kick the doctor who thought I might have reflux.

3) Having Blood Drawn. I'll be the first to admit that I'm an enormous sissy when it comes to needles. One time when I had my blood drawn, I had an unfortunate outcome. I didn't watch the nurse put the needle in my arm (never have and never will). I felt a little prick but it didn't really hurt.

Suddenly I woke up to some strangers with concerned faces talking to me. I could see a lady's mouth moving but I couldn't hear anything. I didn't know who they were. I didn't know where I was. I didn't feel good. My lunch decided it didn't want to me in my stomach anymore. After a few minutes I realized what had happened, and what a huge pansy I was. What a wussie to pass out when you have your blood drawn.

So let this be a lesson to you. Avoid needles, barium, and any tubes near your groin. You can't say you weren't warned.

Piano Playing Marathon

I am in the midst of my annual piano-playing marathon. Over the next week I will spend more than 70 hours (70!!!) at the Dixie Center, with much of that time spent playing the piano. Click here to read last year’s experience.

I’ll be playing at the Dicken’s Festival tomorrow (Wednesday) through Saturday. Stop by and say hello.

As physically challenging as it is to play the piano this much, I love to opportunity to visit with my piano peeps: the kind people who have supported my music career over the years. I’m so thankful for you and the opportunities I have had with my music.

I think you have to have thick skin as a musician. My music is so personal, and each song is an almost uncomfortably revealing exposure of my feelings. The music is a way of bearing my soul, and it’s sometimes difficult to see someone walk past, oblivious to what they are hearing. Being a musician has a way of teaching you how to handle rejection.

But then there’s the other end of the spectrum. Seeing people connect with the music and express appreciation for how the music moved them really means a lot to me. I feel humbled and inadequate when I hear stories of how the music helped someone through a hard time in their life.

A few days ago a girl came up and opened one of my sheet music books and played one of my songs that she had been practicing. She is going to play the song in her music class tomorrow for extra credit. Watching someone play one of my songs is rewarding and just plain cool.

So to those of you who have supported my music over the years, thank you. Seriously. Thanks. My God grant you all the Twinkies your heart desires. (And heaven knows my heart desires lots of Twinkies.)

Muu Muu Mishap

A series of funny problems happened to Mel a few days ago. The mess all started when she was supposed to pick up Kylee from Kindergarten at 10:40am.

Problem #1: She had worked at the hospital the night before and slept through her alarm. At 10:44am she popped up out of bed and realized she was late. Panic sets in.

Problem #2: She only had her undergarments on, so she grabbed for the first article of clothing she saw before darting out the door: a hideous, bright pink muu muu. She figured it wouldn't matter what she was wearing. The kids wait outside to be picked up, so she could just pull up to the curb and Kylee would get in the car.

Problem #3: It was cold and windy outside so the teachers took all the kids inside who had delinquent, slacker parents who don't come to school on time to pick up their kids.

Problem #4: Here's the fatal flaw: In her haste to rush to the school, Mel forgot to grab her cell phone. She couldn't just call the school and have them send Kylee outside.

Problem #5: Mel was wearing a hideous, bright pink muu muu.

Mel said that she had a conversation with herself as she sat in the car. "Do I just go inside to get Kylee?" "Should I drive home and get my cell phone?" "Should I run to my mom's house to call the school?" After her debate, she concluded that she was by now 15 minutes late and didn't want to extend her delay any longer.

Problem #6: She walked INTO THE SCHOOL wearing a HIDEOUS, BRIGHT PINK MUU MUU. (I'll give you a minute for this mental picture to sink in.)

Problem #7: A few older kids were walking down the hall and saw her in her hideous, bright pink muu muu. AND GIGGLED!

Fortunately Kylee isn't old enough to realize that she could have potentially been the laughing stock of the school. For your pleasure, here is a photograph of the alleged hideous, bright pink muu muu:

Snuggies Make Me Angry

Snuggies make me angry. There. I said it. I can't get away from this commercial. It follows me any time I turn on the television.



There are so many highly disturbing things about this video:

• The poor dog who becomes a victim of animal cruelty.
• The guy who was raising the roof about his Snuggie. Raising. The. Roof. My soul wept.
• Really? People wear Snuggies to the movie theater? Or a sporting event? Admittedly, I don't have much room to talk after what I wore in public.
• Is this family in a cult?
• Wait. Hold on a second. The dog was reading. Can you imagine the pre-production meeting? Who was the marketing guru who said "You know the shot of the dog? Let's have him reading!" And worse, which people said "Yea, that sounds like a pretty good idea!"
• Um, why does the dog need a Snuggie? God gave dogs fur so they wouldn't have to wear a Snuggie.
• Alright, you make the dog wear a Snuggie. Then you make the dog look like it's reading. But are the glasses necessary? Now that's just wrong.
• Please explain why that guy is so unusually happy because of his Snuggie. Are they marketing Snuggies as an anti-depressant?
• Apparently wearing a Snuggie makes you want to dance and bump your rump with your wife's rump.

I'm Going To New Moon!

I'm going to the movie New Moon.........never. Never. Ever.

The whole Twilight Series, love stories about vampires, women drooling all over themselves. It just doesn't do it for me.

Okay, maybe that's a bit harsh. I would go to the movie if....

• My children were being held hostage by an evil terrorist and I had to see the movie to get my kids back.
• The Diet Mountain Dew manufacturer threatened to stop producing this heavenly nectar unless I saw the movie.
• It were the last movie on earth. Actually, that still wouldn't get me there.
  
• An ostrich grabbed me with it's enormous beak, dragged me to the theater, gagged my mouth with sweaty socks, and bound me to the chair with duct tape.

How To Remove A Tooth

Tonight we witnessed triumph. It happened sometime between the time she started eating the donut and the time she finished eating the donut. That's when Danica lost her first tooth.

This created a moment of panic when she realized that the required evidence for the Tooth Fairy was now passing through her large intestine. I could relate. I lost my first tooth in the midst of a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios. Come to think of it, those were some extremely crunchy Cheerios.

I assured her that a note to the Tooth Fairy should suffice. She quickly wrote this disclaimer:

Der tooth farey. I accidentally swolowd my tooth on aksadint. Now I'll show you how I lost my tooth at frst I wigld it then I wigld it the next morning. Then on the next feow days I was reading a book then my dad asked me to show him my tooth then he sade when I showed him my tooth he sade your tooth is gon sade my dad. Then I looked in the mer. Then when I looked in the mer I sade Oh-my-goosh. That was my frst tooth that I evre LOST.

In case you're not well-versed in reading 6 year old gibberish,
aksadint = accident
wigld = wiggled
sade = said
mer = mirror
Oh-my-goosh = Oh-my-goosh
Donut = better at removing a tooth than string tied to a door knob

Recommended Reading

Recently I've read two amazing books that are worth checking out:

NurtureShock: New Thinking About Children by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman.

Working in the social work and therapy field, I've read lots of books about parenting over the years. But this one ranks among the best. The research brought up by the authors is fascinating and has definitely made me take another look at what I do as a parent.

Some of the best topics of the book include 1) The inverse power of praise, 2) Why kids lie, 3) The science of teen rebellion, and 4) Amazing research about teaching kids self-control. If you have children, this is a book you need to read.

Have A Little Faith by Mitch Albom

I loved Albom's book Tuesday's With Morrie but never read any of his other books. Mainly because I knew I'd be disappointed. There is no way you could top Morrie.

I took a risk and decided to take on his new book Have A Little Faith. The story revolves around the preparation he makes to deliver the eulogy of his rabbi. I don't know how he did it, but Albom managed to write another book that is just as good.

The story is engaging and has profound ideas about life, death, and believing in something bigger than yourself. I guarantee you will love this book.

Jon Schmidt Concert

Before last night's concert I told Jon that my kids think his music is way cooler than mine. His response was classic. "No man is a prophet in his own house."

Last night we took the kids to Jon Schmidt's concert in St. George. They are all taking piano lessons and were ecstatic to go to Jon's show. Earlier in the day they told the nurse who gave them a flu shot. They told someone at the grocery store. They told their friends.

Jon's music and technical ability at the piano are brilliant. His way of entertaining and engaging a crowd is even more brilliant. It's rare to see an entire theater completely mesmerized like they were Thursday night.

My saving grace was a guy who came up to me after the show and said "Are you Cory Reese? I love your music!" Had this not occured, I am confident that my kids would have asked Jon to adopt them.

Be sure to check out Jon's site HERE for some amazing tunes. Success couldn't have come to a nicer guy. Jon quickly became a prophet in the Reese household.

Me In Middle School

I saw this odd/funny video on a friend's blog. I have a nagging hunch that I resembled this youngster when I was in middle school. I didn't know he had been in my house raiding my closet.

Although I'll never claim being able to do The Robot this good.

Pumpkin Pie Vanishing Act

I'm a little embarrassed to share the following picture with you:

This is documentation of what has transpired over the last few days. This nearly empty pie tin WAS a Costco pumpkin pie. And do you want to know why I feel a little bit sheepish?

I'll tell you: Not one solitary soul ate another piece of that pie besides me. NOT ONE. And it only took me a few days to polish it off. I'm drooling whipped cream. Ahhh, the sweet caloric goodness of autumn.

In case you haven't had the pleasure of indulging in a Costco pumpkin pie, let me tell you something: these pies are big enough to feed a small country. You can see from the picture that this piece of heaven dwarfs our 4-slice toaster.

Mel noticed the empty tin and bought me another pie yesterday. It is reasonable to expect that my blood stream is turning orange.

Man At Work

It's happened every Tuesday night for years. And it will continue to happen every Tuesday night so long as we both shall live. I turn the music up loud, get my game face on, gather my supplies, get in the zone, wink at myself in the mirror, roll up my sleeves, and send the kids upstairs because papa has an important job to do. At our house, Tuesday Night = Floor Night.

Somewhere along the course of our many years of marriage I became in charge of mopping the floors. I do my chore every Tuesday like clockwork. With a dog and three rug rats, one week is about as long as the floor can go before it feels like you're walking on a compost heap.

It's not like I'm an expert mopper, but I get the job done. Although I'm confident enough in my work to follow the Ten-Second-Rule when I accidentally drop a Lemonhead, I certainly wouldn't advocate eating Thanksgiving dinner off the floor.

I'm proud to say that in my house, I wear the mopping crown. I am the mopping Master of Disaster. I have a Ph. D in mopping. I am the mopping CEO. All hail the Commander in Chief of mopping.