Utah Utes

I love me some Utah Ute football...especially when they dominate the BYU Cougars.

One Word

I recently received an email from a friend asking me to describe them in one word. I thought it was fun trying to think of one specific word to describe her the best but it wasn't as easy as it sounds.

The game is on and you're it!

Think of one word, just one single word to best describe me and post it in my comments. You can leave a brief explanation of why you picked that word if you want.

Then feel free to post this on your blog if you want me to try to describe you in one word. It's also fun to see how many strange and interesting things people say about you.

More Ariana and Annika

Since my last post about the things my cute nieces Ari and Anni say, I've heard and remembered a few more.

We were at the store (a few years ago) getting some food and other things when we went down the aisle where the milk is. A lady was there getting milk, she grabbed three or four gallons so Ari said...

• Lady, don't take all of it!

I tried to tell Ari that there was enough milk for everyone but I was laughing too hard to explain it to her or to really care.

I was just in California with the family, at night my dad would usually tell my nieces bedtime stories. One night Annika walked up to my dad and said...

• Grandaddy, if you don't tell me a story tonight I'll call you stupid Grandaddy but if you do tell me a story I'll call you King Grandaddy.

Anni really loves story time.

When Ari was a little younger we would watch her and Annika while Kelie and JR were at work. As nice as I usually am and as much as I spoil my nieces, sometimes I had to lay down the law and be an enforcer. When this would happen and I had to tell Ari not to do something, she would always try to think of something smart to say back to me. A few times she really couldn't think of anything right away so after thinking for a few seconds she would say...

• Oh yeah, well, you're in a wheelchair!

Ari is pretty clever and very good at stating the obvious.

On Ari's birthday Anni was sitting at the table eating breakfast when she said to Kelie...

• For my birthday when I turn five, I want Robbie to have a sleep over.

How cute are my nieces?

More to come...

Hilo Hellian

If you know much about me then you know I love MMA (mixed martial arts) fighting, I usually have people over and watch all the UFC and other MMA fights at my house (let me know if you're interested). Anyway, my buddy Aaron recently had his first fight in the Ultimate Combat Experience and took care of business so I thought I'd post a blog about it because I'm so damn proud of him. Check out his fight below.

Aloha!

Alyvia

Alyvia Ann Stanclift (my third niece) was born to Kelie and JR on July 29th at 8:12 PM. She weighed 8 pounds even and is 21 inches long. She has a head full of beautiful dark hair with blue eyes and looks a lot like her older sisters Ariana and Annika did when they were born...Absolutely gorgeous!

I was in the hall right outside of the delivery room with my dad and nieces waiting for Alyvia to be born and JR and my mom were in the delivery room with Kelie. Ari and Anni were going crazy with anticipation, they had their ears pressed up against the door and said they could hear crying every few seconds. Once we finally did hear crying in the room, the girls could barely handle being in the hall on the other side of the door and asked every minute for about a half hour if we could go in to see the baby yet. Eventually we were welcomed in to meet Alyvia. Ari and Anni loved looking at, holding and getting to know her (so did I). When it was time to feed Alyvia the girls were very curious as to what was going on and kept trying to peek. When Kelie switched sides, Ari innocently asked "Mom, is there more milk in the other boobie?". JR got to help with Alyvia's first bath while everyone gathered around to watch. Then it was time for us to leave the hospital, Anni leaned over and said in her cute little voice "I will miss you Alyvia".

Do You Remember...

Have you ever seen this before? I stole this idea from another blog that I read and I think it's pretty fun. Leave a comment of a memory that you have of me, something of us together or anything else. It doesn't matter if you know me a little or a lot, anything you remember is fine! If we're only blogging friends, write about a post that is most memorable. :-)

Ariana and Annika

Ari (6) and Anni (4) are both at an age that they say some pretty funny, cute and clever things. I thought I'd try to remember some and write them down to help me remember my girls when they're in St. George.

Annika and I were playing with my dog Diesel when he rolled over on his back trying to get a belly scratch.

• Anni - Is this Diesel's belly button?
• Rob - Yes.
• Anni - What are these other little bumps?
• Rob - Those are his boobies.
• Anni - Thinks for a few seconds...Diesel's boobies are on his tummy and my boobies are up here (as she pulls down her shirt and points).

Ariana had just finished playing with some toys when she started to run off to do something else.

• Rob - Can you come pick up your toys and put them away?
• Ari - Ignores me and keeps walking away.
• Rob - I say louder...Ari, can you come pick up your toys and put them away?
• Ari - You're not the boss of me!
• Rob - Yes I am (I know, childish)!
• Ari - No you're not!
• Rob - I'm the boss of everything (joking of course).
• Ari - Giving me a dirty look...No, you're not Jesus!

After she said that, I couldn't argue anymore. So, I left her alone and she went on to play with something else.

And my favorite. I was sitting at my computer with my back to the door. I heard Ariana's footsteps run in and back out of my room. When I went to check things out, the only thing I noticed was a one dollar bill left by my bed.

• Rob - Do you know who's dollar this is?
• Ari - It's yours.
• Rob - Do you know who put it here?
• Ari - I did.
• Rob - Why?
• Ari - I thought it would make you happy.

How cute are my nieces? They say plenty of other cute and funny things but I just can't think of all of them right now. There will be more posts like this in the future.

T-N-T

After a month or two of debate of what to do with a spot in our back yard where grass wouldn't grow, we decided to put in a small water feature. The digging started three hot days ago and we finished the project today. It looks much better in real life.

My brother Dan did most of the hard work with a little help from my Dad. Once everything was dug out and all the dirt and rocks were moved into place, I had the fun job of picking out the tree and plant life to go around the pond (with Dan and Megan's help).

After we finished planting and moving everything into place, the only thing left to do was give it a name. Since we built the water feature over the spot that we buried my dogs Tommy and Thurman early last year, I thought it was appropriate to name it after them...T-N-T (Get it? Clever huh?). Tomorrow we're going to the pet store to get some fish for the pond. My nieces are in town this weekend and are so excited, I told Ariana and Annika that they could pick out their own fish for the pond and name them.

My Two Dogs

Most of you have your kids to brag about and post pictures of but since I don't have any kids, I'll show off my two dogs. I've had Raji (Boston Terrier) and Diesel (Miniature Pinscher) since they were puppies, they are both about one and a half years old now.


Raji and Diesel are awesome companions! Diesel is a little more independent, he likes exploring the back yard, supervising anything that goes on and doesn't really mind being by himself. Raji on the other hand, is always right by my side whenever I'm home unless we get the frisbee or big ball out, then her total focus in on playing. They both love going in the car, PetSmart and the park are favorite places to go. They are great with other dogs and people and will smother you with kisses if you let them. They both sleep in my bed at night and wake me up plenty to let me know when they don't have enough covers (yes, they have their own blankets) or if they need a belly scratch in the middle of the night.


Since they have been so good lately, they got to go to PetSmart and get new collars that match their leashes. The new collars are alright but they don't look as good as the leather ones they had so I'll probably end up switching the collars back. Diesel's Harley-Davidson spike collar makes him look way tougher anyway and the girl dogs dig him in it too.

Study: Most Children Strongly Opposed To Children’s Healthcare

A recent survey of children found that they are not in favor of increased doctor visits and vaccinations.


Study: Most Children Strongly Opposed To Children's Healthcare

Lucky Number Seven

Seven years ago today my life was changed forever. Most of you that know me and visit my blog know what I'm talking about but for those of you that don't know, I'll try to fill you in.

On a Thursday morning, before a three day weekend because of the Memorial Day holiday in 2001 I got a phone call from a close friend asking me if I wanted to go to on a road trip for a few days. I had nothing else exciting planned so I gladly accepted the invitation. First, we drove to St. George to spend the night so we could meet up with a few other people in the morning. Since Mesquite is only about a 30 minute drive from St. George we decided to go hang out there for a little while. We ended up staying until early in the morning. A few hours after we got back to St. George we met our friends and drove to Lake Powell where we had an amazing time camping on the beach. There were hundreds of other people there which led to a few days with no real sleep.

On Sunday afternoon we drove home only to find out that some of my other friends had gone to Wendover to play poker. We got cleaned up and decided to head to Wendover to meet them. After hanging out for awhile and losing a little money at the tables we tried to find a hotel room because we were both pretty exhausted from the long weekend but since it was a holiday everywhere we checked was booked. We ended up trying to drive back to Salt Lake but it didn't turn out to be the best decision. About half way between Wendover and SLC I must have dozed off a little and I drove off the side of the road and I rolled my truck a number of times.

The next thing I remember was waking up in the hospital with tubes in my mouth, nose and all over my body, not being able to talk and not being able to move. Although, this was all kind of a blur because the doctors had me so drugged up. I had partially collapsed and bruised lungs, staples in the top of my head helping to close up a huge gash and 9 broken/dislocated vertebrae in my neck and back. The worst of the injuries was to my C 6/7 vertebrae in my neck. The two vertebrae were dislocated pinching my spinal cord causing me to be paralyzed from the chest down and only left with partial feeling in and partial use of my arms.


My friend was also pretty beat up from the accident but she was little more fortunate and was able to walk away which I'm very thankful for.


After the accident, I remained in the U of U hospital rehab unit for a long three months where I lost about 50 pounds. I had to wear a horrible back/neck brace anytime I was out of bed which really sucked. While I was in the hospital I did meet some great people (therapists, nurses and other patients) and my family and friends were such a great support, they really helped me to deal with and get through the hardest time in my life.



Today, I'm still paralyzed from the chest down, I only have partial use of my arms and I cruise around in a wheelchair but I'm pretty thankful for where I'm at in my life (most of the time), things could always be worse. I have the most amazing and supportive family and they take pretty good care of me.

Love you guys!

Blog Comment Poll

Hey everyone, I have a question about what is supposed to be done when someone leaves a comment on one of your blog posts. I put a poll at the bottom of this page to help me figure this out so just scroll down and select the answer you think is best (sample below).

When someone writes a comment on your post, do you respond by...

• commenting on your own post and hope they check the comments again.
• writing a comment on their most recent post.
• not responding at all...it's just a comment page.
• emailing or calling them.

Thanks yo!

Mama's Day

I don't think words can express the love and appreciation that I have for my mom...but I think I'll try. My mom has always been an amazing woman, one of the most talented and creative people I know. She can make anything with a sewing machine from something simple like headbands to very extravagant Wedding dresses, she is a great cook and an even better mother and person. I think I have always known how spectacular she is but for most of my life I have taken her for granted. Over the last seven years I have really been blown away by her commitment and devotion to my family and me. Since my car accident in 2001 she has been there for me in some amazing capacities. Not only has she been my mother, she has been my nurse, my cook, my chauffeur and my friend. I could never repay her for all that she does for me.

Well mom, you are the best ever and I hope you know how much I love and appreciate you. Happy Mothers Day, I'll try to keep dad from ruining it for you again. :-)

Ari the Tom-boy

This video of my niece Ari playing baseball is on my sister Kelie's blog but I loved it so much I thought I'd put it on my blog too. When Ari called to tell me about hitting the ball and running to first base, she said in a very serious voice "I am so good at baseball" and of course after seeing this video I had to agree with her.



Love your guts Ari!

The Name Game

This was on my friend Matt and Kami's blog so I thought I'd steal it and add it to my blog.

1. ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car) Thurman Tacoma
2. GANGSTA NAME: (favorite ice cream flavor, favorite cookie) Vanilla Samoa
3. FLY Guy/Girl NAME: (first initial of first name, first two letters of your last name) R-AD
4. DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) Green Dog
5. SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born) James Salt Lake
6. STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name) Adaro
7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink) The Red Dr. Pepper
8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers) Rudy Beech
9. STRIPPER NAME: (the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy) Vanilla Caramel
10. WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names ) Wolfgramm Beecher
11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter) Alsop Auckland
12. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower) Halloween Cockscomb
13. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”) Orange Shoey
14. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree) Cracker Willow
15. ROCK STAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your favorite hobby/craft, favorite weather element + “Tour”) The Poker Rain Tour

Some of My Favorite Pictures

Of course in my favorite pictures I'm going to include my beautiful nieces and sisters.

I especially love the pictures of Ari and Anni since they moved to St. George and I don't see them as much as I used to.
I couldn't ask for better sisters, Kelie and Kristi are so amazing.
How gorgeous are all of my girls?

I love their guts!

Utah Jazz

I love me some Utah Jazz basketball.