Our Bonus Week with Michael

Thanks to some good friends, we were able to have a bonus week with Michael before school starts. He flew in on a Saturday and left the following Saturday morning to drive across the country back to Utah with a friend from here in Nashville. They appreciated him doing it, and we loved having him here for a week. I felt bad that I had to work all week, but we were able to make the most of his time here. Thanks to Michael, the lawn got mowed and our driveway sealed. These are no measly tasks either, especially when you are doing it in 500 degree weather and the lawn is uphill both ways and the driveway is the size of a football field. Actually, Bob made him stop before finishing the entire driveway because it was so hot outside. He tried finishing it himself a few days later after the sun went down. This proved to be a mistake because there were lots of missed spots and required a second coat to cover them up.

This friend of ours is a cardiac anesthesiologist and asked Michael if he would be interested in being in on a heart surgery. He jumped at the opportunity and really enjoyed it.

Here's a few things I learned from Michael while he was here:

• It is much too tempting to have a can of whip cream in the refrigerator.
• It is perfectly fine to take such can and squirt directly into one's mouth.
• It is much less tempting after you've seen someone's corroded arteries.
• They only sell "old men's" suits at major department stores.
• Never ever wear one of those suits where the waist comes up just below the rib cage.
• It's ok to buy at discount stores as long as those stores are The Gap, Banana Republic, or Nautica.
• Driving 15 hours a day is a snap as long as you have the right fuel such as Pepsi Max and Dr. Pepper.
• A driving lawnmower is a "must purchase" item here in Tennessee.
• It would not be a waste of money to hire a lawncare service.
• It's cool to know the owner of Sonic when you've just had poor service at his Sonic in Provo.
• You can survive after working outside in 500 degree weather.
• If you stand in on a surgery, you tend to refer to it as "our surgery".
• You're never too old to have your mom scratch your back.
• Sleeping on a mattress that doesn't sink in the middle makes you want to sleep in.
• It's a bit awkward to be translating your dad's talk for him when he says "we paid good money to have Michael be able to do this."

We love you Michael. Thanks for the good time. We're sad to see you go, but excited for you to have another great year at school.