How fancy can Sprite be ?

This evening we had a work dinner but before that we went to this odd bar/bistro/club sort of place. I don't drink alcohol so I asked what kind of sodas they had (since I felt it would be rude not to have something to drink). I opted for a Sprite ... and then was surprised when the waitress brought it to me.

She brought a very tall, thin glass filled with ice and the most unique can/bottle of Sprite I have ever seen. The picture you see of it is not one I took (since I wouldn't know how to upload that anyway) but that is the exact same style of can I got my soda from tonight.

I just thought it was really "chic" and "hip" or whatever you cool kids call it nowadays.

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Do you "Slug Bug" or "Punch Buggy" ?

I remember playing "slug bugs" in the car when I was a kid. It was more with other boys my age, like for scouts or on trips to sporting events. But I distinctly remember my fondness for being the first one to spot the "bug" and claim it by shouting the color ... And then you got to "slug" someone, of your choosing, as hard as you wanted to!

Many months ago, while driving a group of scouts to an activity, one of the boys mentioned that his family called that same game "punch buggy." I had never heard it called that before but it makes just as much sense as "slug bugs" now that you think of it.

For anyone who has never played this game, here's a brief explanation of this ridiculously simple pastime:
- each "player" looks for any version of a Volkswagon Beetle.
- the first person to call out the "bug" to the other players (which requires that the "player" shout the color of the "bug") then gets to punch or slug or whatever another passenger in the vehicle.

It seemed as though this game might die off when VW stopped making the Beetle but a recent resurgence of that vehicle has once again filled the roadways with "punch buggies" that await your call! (okay ... maybe "filled the roadways" is an exaggeration but there are certainly a lot more around than just a few years ago).

Anyway, my wife and oldest son now play this game all the time and have both caught me off guard with a good-natured slug to the arm or thigh after shouting out "Blue slug bug!" or whatever color they might have seen. It was a very fun game to play on our trip to Thermopolis WY because that town had at least a half-dozen beetles in and around town.

So if you ever find yourself in the car with a Case Family member, be warned that you might get accosted if we drive past any Beetles. :)

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Does she really know ?

I really don't think she does.

She should.

An outsider would look in on the situation and identify several signs that she should pick up on.

But I think even with a guide she would still never know ...

 - How very much she is the rock in my world.
 - How much life would virtually be meaningless without her.
 - How my day could be terrible up until the moment when I see her.
 - How her laugh still makes me laugh, even if it's because of something that isn't funny at all.
 - How much it means to me when she is just "there" for me.
 - How her beauty still catches me off guard!
 - How the touch of her hand still makes me feel like I'm a goofy teenager.
 - How much I love kissing her (and how much fun it is that she enjoys kissing me and that we both love it when our kids think it's gross!)

Karen, you are indescribable!  You find a way to help me recognize emotions I didn't even know could exist.  You comfort me when things are stressful.  You make our house a home.  You teach our children, by example and, when needed, with strong words.  You keep us on the straight and narrow path by reminding us of our family prayers and scripture study (even when you really don't want to do it!)  You are compassionate and passionate.  You are fun-loving and it is fun loving you.  You allow my imperfections to be "works in progress" even when I sometimes fail to offer you the same courtesy.

I love you Pretty Lady!  I think I always have.  I know I always will!

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Anyone know how to ... ?

I must say it was a big disappointment this afternoon when I realized I do not know how (if it is even possible in the first place) to link pictures into posts on this blog from our iPad.

I've gotten very behind in my blog these past two weeks and I figured that my three days of travel to Arizona for work would give me ample time to get "caught up" on blogging. So I took several pictures and uploaded them in two "dummy" blog posts in the hopes that I would be able to simply import them from those drafted posts into one of many posts I planned to write during any "down time" I might have (like this afternoon).

But either I am too dumb to figure out how to do that (a very likely scenario) ... or ... it is just not possible yet from an iPad or iPhone type of device.

So if any of you readers out there have an iPad and/or may just know how to add pictures to a blog on an iPad ... please comment below ASAP so I can avoid posting a slew of picture-less blogs over these next few days.
I would just commit to coming back and adding pictures later but we all know that ain't happenin'! :)

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Where's my Driver's License ?!

Oh crap!

That's what I was thinking as I sat in my cramped seat on my puddle-jumper flight fromColorado Springs to Denver this morning. I'm headed to Phoenix for a few days for work and this was the first flight of four total in which I will need my license as a form of ID.

I checked all my pockets and all my luggage (I had a bad "lost luggage" experience the last time I traveled and checked a bag so today I'm just brining everything in a carry on back pack).

I frantically walked to the front of the plane and asked the stewardess if I could go back and check to see if my license had been found. They were quite polite, but I knew we were just about to take off so I knew I would be holding us up.

I asked the gate agent if I could go out and check. He said yes and then I asked how I would get back in. His reply was "good luck" ... which was quite humorous (though I did not find it funny at that particular moment).

As I got back to the terminal I heard the end of a message that sounded like this "... Joshua Case, please report to the TSA security check-in section to retrieve your lost property."

All at once I felt relieved ... and seriously stressed at the same time. For those who have not had the pleasure of visiting the Colorado Springs Airport, let me explain that the TSA checkpoint is at the very front of the airport. And, of course, our flight was departing from gate 12 ... which is the absolute furthest gate for said checkpoint!

The rest of the retrieval went without a hitch, but it was a terrible tragedy avoided and an odd way to start this trip!

It did reaffirm my belief in listening to the promptings of the Holy Ghost. I am convinced it was His still, small voice that made me wonder where my license was. And I know it was Him who helped me have the confidence to get off the plane, walk very swiftly across the whole airport, and still make the flight on time.

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Do you need to be somewhere else ?

This post will be a great way for me to personally remember some of the great times I have had as a scout leader for our 11-year patrol:

the Firehawks !



I stole this from
Dave's Facebook
page.  He hated
the other picture
I had of him
on a campout.  :)


I've had that calling** in the Oakwood Ward for probably about 18 months ... and I have enjoyed almost every minute of it!  This has as much to do with the activities as it does with the people I have been able to spend time with, especially the boys (my oldest son included) and the other adult leader I've worked most closely with: Dave Tusler.

The blog post title is an inside joke that he and I share from a Court of Honor meeting we attended several months ago.  The backstory is simply that the meeting was going on and on and on.  So I sent him a text message (we were not sitting near each other) and asked him "Do you need to be somewhere else?"  His reply was priceless and I actually had to excuse myself from the meeting because I could not contain my laughter.  He simply texted back "It's not that I need to be somewhere else.  I just want to be somewhere else."  We were both just having fun with the length of the meeting because truth be told we were, in fact, having fun.  But it was experiences like that which made us fast friends and that makes scouting (especially campouts) much more enjoyable for the adult leaders!

I have enjoyed working with over a dozen different young men, many of whom are now deacons and very accomplished scouts to boot.  In my new "calling" I will once again be working with some of those boys, my son included since he just moved up to that patrol.  It is great to see these squirrely little boys grow into young men of the Priesthood.  As their stature grows, so does their wisdom and maturity (albeit not in great leaps and bounds so it's not a "fast" miracle).

Thanks to all the boys, parents, and fellow scout leaders for all the fun times in this past year and a half.  I am looking forward to continued support of the Boy Scout program and hopefully can work with some of these boys until they have achieved their Eagle Scout rank!

**For my non-Mormon readers, a "calling" is the assignment(s) an adult member of the church receives as a means to support the ward (congregation).  These callings are all volunteer positions as our church does not have paid clergy.  If you'd like to know more I'd be happy to answer any questions you have or you can search www.mormon.org for more info.
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How's Blogging on the iPad ?

So I really am trying to be more of a once a day blogger ... But I am failing miserably! I just got home from basketball (we had 15 people total and the teams were pretty evenly matched). And I am way too tired to sit in an office chair to write a blog.

So I figured I would try a test blog on the iPad.

So far so good. But I can't figure out how to make words bold or add colors or change font sizes or add pictures, etc. So maybe this will also be my last blog from the iPad.

So I have run out of sentences that start with the word "so" ... So I guess I'm gonna call it done for this first attempt at blogging on the iPad. I promise a better blog tomorrow!

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