ANOTHER Arcade!
January 13th - January 31st

On the 19th of January, our brother-in-law Jim came down with our other brother-in-law Danny to help him move some things down from Boise. Danny and his wife Linda had decided to move down to Utah from Boise, and Jim had offered to help with the move. So we were excited to have them both come down that weekend.

One would assume from the way I wrote the title of this blog entry that I am sick of Brian getting arcades. On the contrary, I am actually really happy that Brian has found something he really enjoys doing. For his birthday last year I asked him what he wanted and he said an arcade. At first I was a little shocked, but then I eventually thought the idea was okay. And now, Brian has kind of turned his liking into a hobby/side-job. So we keep an eye out for cheap arcades that Brian enjoys, the classic ones of course. Then he restores them, and eventually we will sell them. It is a fun project for Brian, and also one that will help us financially. So above is Brian and Jim unloading a Donkey Kong Jr. arcade from the trailer Jim and Danny hauled down from Boise.

As you can see, Dad Higginson was also helping out. It really did take three people to unload this. Danny had been so kind to pick up the arcade for Brian, since it was up in Boise, and we couldn't make the trip up there to get it. It worked out perfectly because Danny was coming down to Utah anyway with a trailer full of stuff. We were really grateful for Danny's help, and then Jim and Dad's help unloading the beast! And Dad and Mom Higginson have been very kind to let Brian use their garage to restore the arcades he gets.

Brian's sister Julie was there that morning as well, and took the job of holding the marquee to make sure it didn't get dropped! She did such a great job! We were so pleased that the arcade was in such great condition. You can see that the marquee looked brand new! I think this is a really cute picture of Brian and Julie!

Here's a fun picture of Jim after unloading the arcade. Jim is a HUGE guy. He used to play football for Brigham Young University here in Provo. So naturally we call him Big Jim. Jim is also the nicest guy you will ever meet. I've never heard him raise his voice at his kids. He is very sweet, and loves to give hugs. He is also a party animal. When he and his wife Rebekah are in town, we always have a lot of fun! Just take a look at the pictures from the New Year's Party and you'll see what I mean!

Jim had been so kind to help Danny move, and unfortunately had to go right back up to Boise that morning. Since his birthday was the day before, on January 18th, we very quickly held a small birthday party for him. It consisted of having milk toast for breakfast, and then opening presents! Julie got some tasty doughnuts for Jim, which he very much appreciated! He enjoyed them all the way home to Boise!

We gave Jim a bottle of my homemade salsa. I wasn't quite sure if Jim liked salsa, but he told me he LOVES salsa, especially with lots of cilantro in it. So it was a hit!

We also gave Jim a bottle of my zucchini relish. I use it to make tartar sauce for fish. Jim recently went up to Alaska with Rebekah and caught a lot of salmon, so he was happy to get this to make tartar sauce to eat with the fish! Jim also took some time to talk arcades with Brian. He thought it was the coolest thing that Brian was restoring arcades. Brian told me later that it really gave him confidence in his new found hobby. It also made him feel pretty cool. Jim is the kind of guy that is always building others up. He just makes you feel good, no matter what. I was grateful he and Brian were able to talk. It was great to see you again Jim!!!

And this is my "One for the Road." When I was a little girl I used to sit like this all the time. Now that I'm older there's no way I can get my knees to bend that way. But I thought it was so cute that Vaughn has picked up this habit!

Love, Lisa