Go Utes!

My four-year-old nephew, Ethan, is quite possibly the most mischievous kid I've ever met. He's also one of the cutest, and he knows it. When he does something wrong, he's so darn cute about it that you can't stay mad; in fact, you usually have a hard time not laughing. A few months ago we were all at my mom's house for Sunday dinner, and Ethan wanted to say the blessing on the food. My brother Richard was helping him, and here's how it went down:

Richard: "Dear Heavenly Father."

Ethan: "Dear Heavenly Father."

"We're thankful for the food."

"Thank you for the food."

"Please bless the food."

"Bless the food. Go Utes!"

Then while we all tried (not very successfully) to stifle our giggles, Richard finally got out an "in the name of Jesus Christ," and Ethan said a very matter-of-fact "amen." Classic.

Now flash forward to Thanksgiving. The whole family is there, we've got the feast spread out in front of us, and my mom asks me to say the blessing on the food. Ethan's sitting next to me, and he decides to say a quick prayer of his own, which includes another enthusiastic "Go Utes." (He doesn't do this for every prayer, by the way. In fact, these are the only two times I know of.) After the giggles die down, Ethan's mom tells him that it was a very nice prayer, but I'm going to say another one. Thinking I have myself completely under control, I begin. Ethan's got his arms folded and his eyes closed, but as soon as I start talking, he starts whispering in my direction, "Say 'go Utes.' Say 'go Utes.' " Needless to say, it was a very short prayer—and a great start to our feast. So in honor of Ethan and the fabulous result of a little football game yesterday, I say, "Go Utes!"