LETTERS FROM STEVO...beauty is only skin deep! It's what's inside that counts! Supplemental material: Tonka Trucks!

As you can tell by the picture above, Peyton has a thing for fish. I just hope that particular fish is female! We were at Clay's pond and Craig "He-Who-Wears-White-Moccasins" Thornton had just given me some pointers on how to properly cast a line. I had some rookie luck and caught a couple of bass. After catching one particular bass Peyton was instructed to give the fish a kiss and without any hesitation proceeded with an attempt to give Big Mouth Billy Bass a big wet lickery kiss right on the slimy ol' smoochers! Needless to say he was restrained! I guess there's no accounting for taste! Dependent upon his mood, Peyton can either be extremely obedient or extremely defiant/stubborn...there's not much middle ground. He also possesses an INTENSE love of animals. He once tried to hold a newborn chick and smushed it...fatally crippling it! Had PETA heard about this, they would've doused him in fake blood! Also, in case your wondering, Peyton's hair was hit by a tornado and hasn't been the same since.

In other news, I had the opportunity of a lifetime and took full advantage of it! DIA has it's own Employment office and they have set up a CDL training program for those desirous to obtain a CDL. The dude heading this thing up invited me and other DIA employers to a lunch to discuss the program further. I was the only employer who showed up! After lunch, he showed me the course that they use which entails a large paved lot and copious amounts of orange cones strategically placed to either confuse people or induce seizures (I'm not sure which). Someone then pulled up one of those large, yellow, City of Denver snow plow/dump trucks because they had an appointment scheduled for a wannabe CDL driver. This person apparently didn't want to be a CDL driver that bad because he/she didn't show up. So the guy says to me, "hey, you wanna try out the course?" I said, "yeah, let me get my rental car and we'll see what it can do!" He said, "You wanna try the dump truck?" I said, "hell yeah!" So we hopped in and I got to drive the course! Only a few cones were destroyed...human casualties were relatively minimal. After the course, I figured we were done, but then he said, "you wanna take it out on the road?" I said, "hell yeah!" So I got to drive it down the road a ways and test out the dump bucket and everything! I thought I'd died and gone to heaven! Upon arrival, a woman who works for the employment office that I know made the following observation, " you boys never give up your Tonka trucks, do you!" To which I responded, "no we sure don't!" That made my week! The dump truck in the upper left corner is what I drove.

Lastly, in case any are wondering, Amy is still alive (Neil Entwhistle I'm not). I continually encourage her to write something, but she claims to be "busy". She tells me that she's got to raise a husband and 2 kids and work or something... I don't know, it's confusing to me...clear as mud?

LETTERS FROM STEVO...That's right...I attended a chick concert!

On Monday, Amy and I went to a Sheryl Crow concert at Red Rocks. I had not been to that venue yet and I was definitely impressed with it. As we entered the venue, I noticed something out of place at the front. No room for a mosh pit! How can there be any moshing without a designated moshing area? Is this really even a concert venue? Were we at the right place? I soon realized after seeing the other concert attendees that even if there were a pit, I would be the lone mosher. There was a lot of estrogen in all it's varieties at that concert! The concerts I typically attend have louder and faster guitars and there is usually a mosh pit.

The opening act was a singer/songwriter named Belinda...ERRR Brandi Carlyle. I had never heard of her, apparently she's famous because some of her songs get played at the end of the Grey's "Anatomy" shows. You know, the part at the end of the show when there's some lady narrating (is it Grey talking? Or her anatomy?) and the cameras cut to each character blankly staring off into space as if they were pontificating Hawking's theory of black holes or something. I never catch the lyrics to the songs either (probably because I don't care enough to)...I'm sure the songs are of emotions and relationships backed by an acoustic guitar and a whiny voice singing said lyrics. At any rate, I kept forgetting that it's not Belinda, it's Brandi...I had to continually fight the urge to ask her if the Go-Go's were getting back together. To her credit, she and her band did a great cover of Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues."

Then came Sheryl Crow, one of Amy's all time favorite artists. She says she listens to her a lot when she's mad at me...apparently I'm her "favorite mistake." The concert was fun, I enjoyed observing all the middle aged people (especially the men) awkwardly try to kind of dance/move to the music (think deacon shuffle).

LETTERS FROM STEVO...Earth to Mya...do you read me? Houston, we have a diva!

Mya has officially announced what her occupation in adulthood will be. It all started this past week... Amy and I got to go see her pre-school graduation and each distinguished, runny nosed graduate was given the opportunity to announce to the audience what they wanted to be when they grew up. Most of the kids said things like, firefighter, vet, mommy, etc. One boy said he wanted to be a "stay-at-home man"...hey, don't we all kid, I think they call it "self-employment". Then we get to Mya, and what does she say you ask? Mya said that when she grows up, she wants to be a fairy. Wait, come again?!? A fairy??? FAIRY??? What kind of an answer is that? We laughed (as did everyone else in the audience) but I was ultimately dumbfounded. How are we supposed to respond to that? So we began to question Mya about it..."so, Mya, why do you want to be a fairy when you grow up?" Or, "so, Mya, do you know anyone else who grew up to become a fairy?" And of course the obvious questions, "so, Mya, does it pay well? How are the benefits? What are the requirements to apply? i.e. schooling, certifications, etc." (yeah, maybe I am thinking about a career change, what's your point?!?) Her response has basically been that she wants to become a fairy because she just wants to and that she has never seen anyone become a fairy. We also asked her some logistical questions about how one goes about acquiring wings...It doesn't appear that she had put much thought into logistics at that point. That's where we left it...I'll keep you posted.

Mya has also decided that she wants to start a rock band. She of course is the lead singer and her girlfriends from school will fill out the rest of the roster. We discussed band names and I suggested "Fairy Princess"...she liked it initially but ultimately settled on "Wild Animals". I asked her if she was going to do Hannah Montana covers and she responded that she would prefer to come up with her own material. I figure Amy could be the manager, I'll handle security and be the announcer..."you wanted the best! You got the best..." And Peyton will hang out in the pit and initiate the moshing! That sounds like a solid business plan! She is taking piano lessons, so she's getting a good foundation. She is also doing dance again this year and is doing very well! I had the opportunity to see her in a rehearsal and she has it down pretty good! Not bad considering she missed a month with her body cast!

Finally, it was brought to my attention yesterday that Mya was very good in Primary...I wasn't aware that she was misbehaving before so I'm not quite sure how to take this report on my daughters behavior. I was then told that I needed to give her some positive reinforcement...you know...a pat on the back...a good hand shake...because apparently my brain isn't developed enough to come to such conclusions on my own. Good behavior = positive reinforcement? Me understand!

LETTERS FROM STEVO: Family Trilogy Part III...Rise of the Busch Brothers!!!

Part III of the Family Trilogy is aptly titled...Rise of the Busch Brothers!!! The Busch Brothers consist of yours truly, Dave and Mike. We are great friends now but that hasn't always been the case. As kids, we fought constantly and it drove my parent nuts! They didn't know how to handle it! They tried everything...spanking, grounded, nose in the corner, etc. Then, they came up with an ingenius idea...Operation Ebenezer Beasley! Ebenezer Beasley wrote the music for a church hymn titled, "Let Us Oft Speak Kind Words". Whenever we fought, we had to go outside to the back porch and sing this song. We couldn't sing it reverently either, it had to be earnestly! It was so embarrassing and we hated doing it! If you can imagine three scruffy boys singing about the "warblings of birds on the heather" you get the picture! Overall, we had a pretty normal childhood that included wandering around the desert with our .22 rifles and shooting whatever we could find, playing sports, fighting, driving the folks crazy, chores, telling random people that Grandma Memo was a commando in Vietnam, shaving the hair off the dog and dirt clod fights! Now, a little bit about the Busch Brothers individually...

I'm Busch Bro. #1. I was born in Albuquerque, NM. I was the blue eyed, blonde haired, freckled brother. I was a shy (in public) and skinny kid (surprising I know!). I loved hot wheels, G.I. Joe, dinosaurs and transformers. I didn't acquire a love of sports until junior high. It was weird, I just woke up one day and decided that I love football and basketball and it was down hill from there! I was the...let me re-phrase...I AM the stubborn and sarcastic one. If I didn't like what was going on, I would make a sarcastic comment to voice my frustration. I was the quick tempered and ultra competitive brother. All you had to do is point out that my team just lost and you would get a right hook! Beat me at Risk? Right hook! After a while, I couldn't figure out why my brothers didn't want to play games with me anymore! I was a poor student by choice...I almost didn't graduate high school on time! I recall spending half of my senior year either in "in school suspension" or "out of school suspension". Let's just say I went through a little rebellious phase in high school and leave it at that...I'm not sure if my statute of limitations has run out yet! After high school, I landed a sweet job at an ice plant working for a guy named Dewey and became good friends with a group of brothers called the Fierro's who lived on the south side of town. I then served a mission in Columbus, Ohio (redneck speaking) and upon returning moved to Utah with two goals in mind...get a bachelor's degree and get married. After an exceeding amount of dating and girlfriends, I landed my sweetheart Amy, or as Ma Busch calls her, St. Amy. Bud worships the ground Amy walks on! If she told him to jump off a cliff, he'd do it! No questions asked! The rest as they say is history.

Dave is Busch Bro. #2. Dave was born in Montrose, CO. We are only 18 months apart agewise, so we were raised together, almost like twins. Dave was always a bigger guy for his age so we were basically the same size growing up until high school, at which point he shot up past me. He's incredibly intelligent, wise and has a very big heart. He is a giant teddy bear! Big personality, very likable...he has a presence that people gravitate to. He is a sponge for knowledge, well read and prefers to avoid a fight. He has a temper but you have to back him into a corner and give him no other option (I think I'm the only one whose ever taken him to that point, think "right hook"). Dave is also the big animal lover (softie). I seem to recall a couple of times he would find a stray dog, bring it home and name it "Sport". Dave was also the sounding board for the Busch Brothers...as I focused on the sarcasm, he would lodge the official complaint and articulate what exactly our beef was. The stereotypical middle child, Dave also had quite the hankering for that priceless commodity we know as "attention". Dave was quite the ladies man...known to make musical compilations of 80's hair band love ballads and give them to the objects of his desires. After high school, Dave played football at Eastern Arizona for a season then served a mission in Boise, Idaho (potato farmer speaking). Following the mission, he married Lyndley and got an Accounting degree from New Mexico Highlands. He is currently working as an Investment Banker in Farmington and has one son named Gavin (I call him Big G) and a daughter on the way.

Mike is Busch Bro. #3. Mike was born in Durango, CO. Poor Mike was the baby and took quite a bit of abuse from his older brothers. Mike served two separate purposes for Dave and I. For me, he was my whipping boy...I just flat bullied him. For Dave, he was a personal assistant. Mike has told me stories of Dave watching his favorite movie, "Grease 2" (yes...Grease 2, not Grease...Grease 2) and ordering Mike to go get him some more kool-aid. Mike's method of confrontation (as opposed to my sarcasm and Dave's complaining) was to act bratty. He was the baby so he took advantage of it. Mike has a brilliant sense of humor and can make anyone laugh. I have a really hard time staying mad at him very long because he ends up making me laugh! Mike didn't get into football like Dave and I, but he did get into soccer and apparently became a good defender. Mike was also a ladies man and has a certain charisma about him. One thing that Amy and I like about him is that he's always up for anything...probably stemming from being Dave's personal assistant! Mike served a mission in Cincinnati, Ohio (major major redneck speaking...I mean serious backwoods Kentucky redneck speaking!). Afterwards, Mike married Nicole and they currently live in Spanish Fork with two pugs. Mike is an aspiring law infringement officer, i.e, cop.

The picture at the top is us with Dave on the left, Mike in the middle and me on the right. The picture below that is from the "Terminator" movies...one of the movies is titled, "Rise of the machines". The title of this post reminded me of that...

In summary, the Busch Brothers needs were simple. All I wanted was to give someone a right hook and some competition (this makes for a hard life, I'm ultra competitive and not very coordinated, not a good combination!)...all Dave wanted was a dog named Sport and more Grease 2 and all Mike wanted was a hug.

Happy Birthday to Peyton!

May 18, 2005 1st Birthday
2nd Birthday
3rd Birthday

3 years ago today, Steffan and I went to Avista Hospital in Louisville, Colorado to deliver our baby boy - Peyton Lyle Busch. He was only 5 lbs 15 oz, and 18 inches tall. A small package, but just perfect! He has grown into an adorable little boy. He has a big heart, and is a big time Mama's boy. He can be very loud and wild, but also so sweet and caring. He loves animals, rocket ships, his big sister Mya, and all of his cousins. He also loves all of the women in his life - his grandmas, his aunts, his school teachers, and again...his Mom! He is also very passionate and intense at times. He has his moments where he shows off his temper and his impatient side. But all in all, he is an amazing child. He is smart, loving, and fun to be around - his laugh is infectious. We love him! Happy Birthday, Peyton!

LETTERS FROM STEVO...Family Trilogy Part II: We Yearn For Ern!

Part II of the Family Trilogy is on my father, Ernest Lyle Busch, aka: Ol' Ern...Ern was born in a barn and raised by a pack of wolves. Just kidding...he was raised in Farmington, NM. Not one for desert small town academia, Ern dropped out of high school and enlisted in the Air Force during the sixties. He was stationed at a base outside of Tallahassee, FL. He once told us that he took a girl to prom from the local high school and that the funny thing that stuck out to him was the school's fight song. The lyrics are as follows, "Holy moly It's the Big Green Indian! Holy moly can't you see him run! Holy moly it's the Big Green Indian! Can't kill him with a rope, knife or gun!" I even remember the tune! I'll gladly sing it to anyone who asks me about it! Fortunately, Ern never had to go to 'Nam and let's just say that once he got out of the service he enjoyed the sixties! The time period between the Air Force and when he met Ma Busch is a little hazy...some of the highlights included, working on coastal shipping docks in California, going to Rolling Stones concerts, was engaged to be married FIVE times, ruffnecking in the oil rigs (this includes being hired, then fired by Bud), and having some SWEET muscle cars from the time period (which includes a Vette!). He was quite the bachelor! Ern met Ma Busch in Farmington. They were in a local play together (Ern saw it as a good way to meet ladies). My aunt Lisa once told me that back in those days Ern was quite the catch, he was a pretty handsome guy! (So that's where I get my good looks!) They were soon married and since Ma Busch had recently been converted to the LDS church, Ern figured he'd better go back too. He was raised LDS but had kind of drifted off into his own little universe. Ern also enrolled in BYU and eventually got a Bachelor's degree with an emphasis in geology. They eventually had their three beloved sons and settled in the small desert wasteland community of Kirtland, NM. He got a job working as a geologist for the state of New Mexico's oil & natural gas commission.

Being raised by Ol' Ern was quite the experience! He would take us out into the wilderness to go exploring or rock hunting. We explored the caves of Dead Horse Canyon, drove a '77 Toyota Landcruiser up Mt. Antero, one of Colorado's 14ers, looking for aquamarine, then traversed back down the mountain on three flat tires! He would take us to well sites and we would name the pumpjacks after Popeye characters. For any gun enthusiasists that might be reading, he owned a chrome Smith & Wesson 357 with a 6 inch barrel. As guns go, that thing was beautiful! When he turned 50, he bought a Honda Goldwing and attended the Ironhorse biker rally in Ignacio, CO. When we were pre-teens, he would let us drive the Landcruiser out in the field in our back yard. He taught us how to knife fight! I have no idea why! Now, he would not tolerate us fighting with each other! All he had to do was whip off that belt and we would immediately stop and start apologizing! On the overall spanking ability rating of 1 to 10, I'll give him a 25! He knew how to spank and it didn't help that he had rather large arms and hands. Dude seriously had guns! He had footballs for biceps! He also taught us how to work. We worked hard! Our Saturdays were spent working in the yard, pulling weeds, digging ditches, building sheds, digging up the septic tank, working on cars, painting the house and turning the car port into a spare room. However, once I got to be a teenager, I learned how to work my dad. I figured out that if you just do what he asks, he'll let you do virtually anything. So I would spend Saturday working along side him, then that night he would give me the keys to the party wagon and some money and I was off to a night of teenage debauchery!

Now for some personal characteristics of Ern. He had a great sense of humor and generally appreciated my sarcasm until it was turned on him! He had a fierce temper and wouldn't back down from anybody. He was extremely loyal, especially to Ma Busch...any ill will towards her meant a potential confrontation with the old man! He was always proud of us and loved going to our sporting events. And he was great at the "heart to heart" talks. No matter what we did, no matter how bad it was, he was always calm...he would just sit us down and try to understand why we did what we did. He was the friendliest guy out there...he would talk to anybody about anything. He was humble to a fault. He never verbally degraded anyone...I mean that literally, I never heard him put another person down, not even behind their back.

Following my mission, he became more than my father...Ol' Ern became my personal friend. We shared a mutual admiration and respect for each other. We understood each other. Two of my proudest moments in life were when I beat him at chess for the first time and when I beat him at arm wrestling for the first time (he was so shocked he had to have a rematch at which he lost again!). On the evening of Dec. 1, 1999, Ern and Ma Busch were leaving the church after a play practice when they were involved in a car accident. Ern was killed instantly and Ma Busch was seriously injured. I was in Provo when I got the call from my brother Dave. As I packed to leave, a family friend from the same town came over to come with me since I supposedly couldn't drive myself. Needless to say I drove the whole night. Many relatives also came out including Bud. Whenever we went somewhere in the truck, we made Bud ride in the middle because that's where the chick rides! Dave and I organized the funeral and were the keynote speakers. We wanted to put a sign up in the church that said, "We Yearn for Ern!" After the funeral, I drove the limo that carried the palbearers and Dave drove the suburban that carried Ern's body. Dave commented that he wanted to take dad four wheelin' one more time! The picture at the top is from Memorial Day 1999 in the La Plata mountains in Colorado...It was the last time we were all together. Ern's wearing the orange hat on the left.

In summary, Ol' Ern is very special to me and will always be one of my absolute favorite people! He would be 63 this year. He would've loved the grandkids! He had always wanted a daughter and I guarantee that if he were still around, Mya would have him wrapped around her manicured little finger!

Thank you for the Stomach Flu!

This email is to thank all of my friends and family who shared the stomach flu with Mya! :) LOL! About 2:30 am on Monday, Mya woke up sick - sick all over me and her (she had been sleeping with me because of the body cast). This lasted through the night, and was awful to clean up with her in a body cast. But due to this sickness, I was able to miss my business trip to L.A. and Mya got her cast off one week early! Nothing removes the smell of vomit from a cast! Her surgery was a success and looks amazing on x-ray and her scar is not bad either. She does have very dry, itchy, rashy, post cast skin, but now we can finally do something about it! She cannot walk or put any pressure on the leg for one more week, but she can finally take a bath and lost about 10 lbs of dead weight. She was scared to have the cast removed, and screamed through the process, but loves the freedom from the cast now. Here is a picture of her upside down on the couch today with her bear, showing off those legs! YAY! We survived the cast!!